Exploring vegetation in the fourth dimension.

PubMed

Mitchell, Fraser J G

2011-01-01

Much ecological research focuses on changes in vegetation on spatial scales from stands to landscapes; however, capturing data on vegetation change over relevant timescales remains a challenge. Pollen analysis offers unrivalled access to data with global coverage over long timescales. Robust techniques have now been developed that enable pollen data to be converted into vegetation data in terms of individual taxa, plant communities or biomes, with the possibility of deriving from those data a range of plant attributes and ecological indicators. In this review, I discuss how coupling pollen with macrofossil, charcoal and genetic data opens up the extensive pollen databases to investigation of the drivers of vegetation change over time and also provides extensive data sets for testing hypotheses with wide ecological relevance. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial and temporal variation in seagrass coverage in Southwest Florida: assessing the relative effects of anthropogenic nutrient load reductions and rainfall in four contiguous estuaries.

PubMed

Tomasko, D A; Corbett, C A; Greening, H S; Raulerson, G E

2005-08-01

The estuaries of Tampa Bay, Sarasota Bay, Lemon Bay, and Upper Charlotte Harbor are contiguous waterbodies located within the subtropical environment of Southwest Florida. Based on an examination of rainfall data over the period of record (1916-2001) within the watersheds of these estuaries, there is no evidence for spatial differences (at the watershed level) or monotonic trends in annual rainfall. During the 1980s, nitrogen loads into Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay (generated primarily by domestic wastewater treatment facilities) were reduced by 57% and 46%, respectively. In response, both Tampa Bay and Sarasota Bay have lower phytoplankton concentrations, greater water clarity and more extensive seagrass coverage in 2002 than in the early 1980s. As there is no evidence of a concurrent trend in rainfall during the period of 1982-2001, it is unlikely that variation in rainfall can account for the observed increase in seagrass coverage in these two bays. In contrast, seagrass coverage has remained relatively constant since the mid 1980s in Lemon Bay and Charlotte Harbor. Domestic wastewater treatment facilities are minor sources of nitrogen to Lemon Bay, and water clarity in Charlotte Harbor varies mostly as a function of dissolved organic matter and non-chlorophyll associated turbidity, not phytoplankton levels. Even in estuaries that share boundaries and are within 100 km of each other, varied responses to anthropogenic changes and natural phenomena were observed in water quality and associated seagrass extent. Resource management strategies must take into account system-specific factors-not all strategies will result in similar results in different systems.

Spatial Fingerprints of Community Structure in Human Interaction Network for an Extensive Set of Large-Scale Regions

PubMed Central

Kallus, Zsófia; Barankai, Norbert; Szüle, János; Vattay, Gábor

2015-01-01

Human interaction networks inferred from country-wide telephone activity recordings were recently used to redraw political maps by projecting their topological partitions into geographical space. The results showed remarkable spatial cohesiveness of the network communities and a significant overlap between the redrawn and the administrative borders. Here we present a similar analysis based on one of the most popular online social networks represented by the ties between more than 5.8 million of its geo-located users. The worldwide coverage of their measured activity allowed us to analyze the large-scale regional subgraphs of entire continents and an extensive set of examples for single countries. We present results for North and South America, Europe and Asia. In our analysis we used the well-established method of modularity clustering after an aggregation of the individual links into a weighted graph connecting equal-area geographical pixels. Our results show fingerprints of both of the opposing forces of dividing local conflicts and of uniting cross-cultural trends of globalization. PMID:25993329

rasdaman Array Database: current status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Merticariu, George; Toader, Alexandru

2015-04-01

rasdaman (Raster Data Manager) is a Free Open Source Array Database Management System which provides functionality for storing and processing massive amounts of raster data in the form of multidimensional arrays. The user can access, process and delete the data using SQL. The key features of rasdaman are: flexibility (datasets of any dimensionality can be processed with the help of SQL queries), scalability (rasdaman's distributed architecture enables it to seamlessly run on cloud infrastructures while offering an increase in performance with the increase of computation resources), performance (real-time access, processing, mixing and filtering of arrays of any dimensionality) and reliability (legacy communication protocol replaced with a new one based on cutting edge technology - Google Protocol Buffers and ZeroMQ). Among the data with which the system works, we can count 1D time series, 2D remote sensing imagery, 3D image time series, 3D geophysical data, and 4D atmospheric and climate data. Most of these representations cannot be stored only in the form of raw arrays, as the location information of the contents is also important for having a correct geoposition on Earth. This is defined by ISO 19123 as coverage data. rasdaman provides coverage data support through the Petascope service. Extensions were added on top of rasdaman in order to provide support for the Geoscience community. The following OGC standards are currently supported: Web Map Service (WMS), Web Coverage Service (WCS), and Web Coverage Processing Service (WCPS). The Web Map Service is an extension which provides zoom and pan navigation over images provided by a map server. Starting with version 9.1, rasdaman supports WMS version 1.3. The Web Coverage Service provides capabilities for downloading multi-dimensional coverage data. Support is also provided for several extensions of this service: Subsetting Extension, Scaling Extension, and, starting with version 9.1, Transaction Extension, which defines request types for inserting, updating and deleting coverages. A web client, designed for both novice and experienced users, is also available for the service and its extensions. The client offers an intuitive interface that allows users to work with multi-dimensional coverages by abstracting the specifics of the standard definitions of the requests. The Web Coverage Processing Service defines a language for on-the-fly processing and filtering multi-dimensional raster coverages. rasdaman exposes this service through the WCS processing extension. Demonstrations are provided online via the Earthlook website (earthlook.org) which presents use-cases from a wide variety of application domains, using the rasdaman system as processing engine.

Accuracy and impact of spatial aids based upon satellite enumeration to improve indoor residual spraying spatial coverage.

PubMed

Bridges, Daniel J; Pollard, Derek; Winters, Anna M; Winters, Benjamin; Sikaala, Chadwick; Renn, Silvia; Larsen, David A

2018-02-23

Indoor residual spraying (IRS) is a key tool in the fight to control, eliminate and ultimately eradicate malaria. IRS protection is based on a communal effect such that an individual's protection primarily relies on the community-level coverage of IRS with limited protection being provided by household-level coverage. To ensure a communal effect is achieved through IRS, achieving high and uniform community-level coverage should be the ultimate priority of an IRS campaign. Ensuring high community-level coverage of IRS in malaria-endemic areas is challenging given the lack of information available about both the location and number of households needing IRS in any given area. A process termed 'mSpray' has been developed and implemented and involves use of satellite imagery for enumeration for planning IRS and a mobile application to guide IRS implementation. This study assessed (1) the accuracy of the satellite enumeration and (2) how various degrees of spatial aid provided through the mSpray process affected community-level IRS coverage during the 2015 spray campaign in Zambia. A 2-stage sampling process was applied to assess accuracy of satellite enumeration to determine number and location of sprayable structures. Results indicated an overall sensitivity of 94% for satellite enumeration compared to finding structures on the ground. After adjusting for structure size, roof, and wall type, households in Nchelenge District where all types of satellite-based spatial aids (paper-based maps plus use of the mobile mSpray application) were used were more likely to have received IRS than Kasama district where maps used were not based on satellite enumeration. The probability of a household being sprayed in Nchelenge district where tablet-based maps were used, did not differ statistically from that of a household in Samfya District, where detailed paper-based spatial aids based on satellite enumeration were provided. IRS coverage from the 2015 spray season benefited from the use of spatial aids based upon satellite enumeration. These spatial aids can guide costly IRS planning and implementation leading to attainment of higher spatial coverage, and likely improve disease impact.

Dynamics of Phenanthrenequinone on Carbon Nano-Onion Surfaces Probed by Quasielastic Neutron Scattering

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

Anjos, Daniela M; Mamontov, Eugene; Brown, Gilbert M

We used quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) to study the dynamics of phenanthrenequinone (PQ) on the surface of onion-like carbon (OLC), or so called carbon onions, as a function of surface coverage and temperature. For both the high- and low-coverage samples, we observed two diffusion processes; a faster process and nearly an order of magnitude slower process. On the high-coverage surface, the slow diffusion process is of long-range translational character, whereas the fast diffusion process is spatially localized on the length scale of ~ 4.7 . On the low-coverage surface, both diffusion processes are spatially localized; on the same length scalemore » of ~ 4.7 for the fast diffusion and a somewhat larger length scale for the slow diffusion. Arrhenius temperature dependence is observed except for the long-range diffusion on the high-coverage surface. We attribute the fast diffusion process to the generic localized in-cage dynamics of PQ molecules, and the slow diffusion process to the long-range translational dynamics of PQ molecules, which, depending on the coverage, may be either spatially restricted, or long-range. On the low-coverage surface, uniform surface coverage is not attained, and the PQ molecules experience the effect of spatial constraints on their long-range translational dynamics. Unexpectedly, the dynamics of PQ molecules on OLC as a function of temperature and surface coverage bears qualitative resemblance to the dynamics of water molecules on oxide surfaces, including practically temperature-independent residence times for the low-coverage surface. The dynamics features that we observed may be universal across different classes of surface adsorbates.« less

Spatially-explicit models of global tree density.

PubMed

Glick, Henry B; Bettigole, Charlie; Maynard, Daniel S; Covey, Kristofer R; Smith, Jeffrey R; Crowther, Thomas W

2016-08-16

Remote sensing and geographic analysis of woody vegetation provide means of evaluating the distribution of natural resources, patterns of biodiversity and ecosystem structure, and socio-economic drivers of resource utilization. While these methods bring geographic datasets with global coverage into our day-to-day analytic spheres, many of the studies that rely on these strategies do not capitalize on the extensive collection of existing field data. We present the methods and maps associated with the first spatially-explicit models of global tree density, which relied on over 420,000 forest inventory field plots from around the world. This research is the result of a collaborative effort engaging over 20 scientists and institutions, and capitalizes on an array of analytical strategies. Our spatial data products offer precise estimates of the number of trees at global and biome scales, but should not be used for local-level estimation. At larger scales, these datasets can contribute valuable insight into resource management, ecological modelling efforts, and the quantification of ecosystem services.

A new sulfur and carbon degassing inventory for the Southern Central American Volcanic Arc: The importance of accurate time-series datasets and possible tectonic processes responsible for temporal variations in arc-scale volatile emissions

USGS Publications Warehouse

de Moor, Maarten; Kern, Christoph; Avard, Geoffroy; Muller, Cyril; Aiuppa, Sandro; Saballos, Armando; Ibarra, Martha; LaFemina, Peter; Protti, Mario; Fischer, Tobias

2017-01-01

This work presents a new database of SO2 and CO2 fluxes from the Southern Central American Volcanic Arc (SCAVA) for the period 2015–2016. We report ∼300 SO2 flux measurements from 10 volcanoes and gas ratios from 11 volcanoes in Costa Rica and Nicaragua representing the most extensive available assessment of this ∼500 km arc segment. The SO2 flux from SCAVA is estimated at 6,240 ± 1,150 T/d, about a factor of three higher than previous estimations (1972–2013). We attribute this increase in part to our more complete assessment of the arc. Another consideration in interpreting the difference is the context of increased volcanic activity, as there were more eruptions in 2015–2016 than in any period since ∼1980. A potential explanation for increased degassing and volcanic activity is a change in crustal stress regime (from compression to extension, opening volcanic conduits) following two large (Mw > 7) earthquakes in the region in 2012. The CO2 flux from the arc is estimated at 22,500 ± 4,900 T/d, which is equal to or greater than estimates of C input into the SCAVA subduction zone. Time‐series data sets for arc degassing need to be improved in temporal and spatial coverage to robustly constrain volatile budgets and tectonic controls. Arc volatile budgets are strongly influenced by short‐lived degassing events and arc systems likely display significant short‐term variations in volatile output, calling for expansion of nascent geochemical monitoring networks to achieve spatial and temporal coverage similar to traditional geophysical networks.

A New Sulfur and Carbon Degassing Inventory for the Southern Central American Volcanic Arc: The Importance of Accurate Time-Series Data Sets and Possible Tectonic Processes Responsible for Temporal Variations in Arc-Scale Volatile Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Moor, J. M.; Kern, C.; Avard, G.; Muller, C.; Aiuppa, A.; Saballos, A.; Ibarra, M.; LaFemina, P.; Protti, M.; Fischer, T. P.

2017-12-01

This work presents a new database of SO2 and CO2 fluxes from the Southern Central American Volcanic Arc (SCAVA) for the period 2015-2016. We report ˜300 SO2 flux measurements from 10 volcanoes and gas ratios from 11 volcanoes in Costa Rica and Nicaragua representing the most extensive available assessment of this ˜500 km arc segment. The SO2 flux from SCAVA is estimated at 6,240 ± 1,150 T/d, about a factor of three higher than previous estimations (1972-2013). We attribute this increase in part to our more complete assessment of the arc. Another consideration in interpreting the difference is the context of increased volcanic activity, as there were more eruptions in 2015-2016 than in any period since ˜1980. A potential explanation for increased degassing and volcanic activity is a change in crustal stress regime (from compression to extension, opening volcanic conduits) following two large (Mw > 7) earthquakes in the region in 2012. The CO2 flux from the arc is estimated at 22,500 ± 4,900 T/d, which is equal to or greater than estimates of C input into the SCAVA subduction zone. Time-series data sets for arc degassing need to be improved in temporal and spatial coverage to robustly constrain volatile budgets and tectonic controls. Arc volatile budgets are strongly influenced by short-lived degassing events and arc systems likely display significant short-term variations in volatile output, calling for expansion of nascent geochemical monitoring networks to achieve spatial and temporal coverage similar to traditional geophysical networks.

Small City Transit : Eugene/Springfield, Oregon : Extensive County-Wide Transit Coverage

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1976-03-01

Eugene/Springfield, Oregon is an illustration of a fixed-route transit service with extensive county-wide coverage. This case study is one of thirteen examples of a transit service in a small community. The background of the community is discussed al...

TES/Aura L3 Atmospheric Temperatures Daily V5 (TL3ATD)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-05-08

... Platform:  TES Aura L1B Nadir/Limb Spatial Coverage:  (-180, 180)(-90, 90) Spatial Resolution:  0.5 x 5 km nadir 2.3 x 23 km limb Temporal Coverage:  07/15/2004 - Present Temporal Resolution:  ...

Enabling Interactive Measurements from Large Coverage Microscopy

PubMed Central

Bajcsy, Peter; Vandecreme, Antoine; Amelot, Julien; Chalfoun, Joe; Majurski, Michael; Brady, Mary

2017-01-01

Microscopy could be an important tool for characterizing stem cell products if quantitative measurements could be collected over multiple spatial and temporal scales. With the cells changing states over time and being several orders of magnitude smaller than cell products, modern microscopes are already capable of imaging large spatial areas, repeat imaging over time, and acquiring images over several spectra. However, characterizing stem cell products from such large image collections is challenging because of data size, required computations, and lack of interactive quantitative measurements needed to determine release criteria. We present a measurement web system consisting of available algorithms, extensions to a client-server framework using Deep Zoom, and the configuration know-how to provide the information needed for inspecting the quality of a cell product. The cell and other data sets are accessible via the prototype web-based system at http://isg.nist.gov/deepzoomweb. PMID:28663600

5 CFR 880.303 - FEHBP coverage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false FEHBP coverage. 880.303 Section 880.303... FEHBP coverage. (a) If the missing annuitant had a family enrollment, the enrollment will be transferred... she disappeared, subject to the temporary extension of coverage for conversion. (c) If the missing...

5 CFR 880.303 - FEHBP coverage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false FEHBP coverage. 880.303 Section 880.303... FEHBP coverage. (a) If the missing annuitant had a family enrollment, the enrollment will be transferred... she disappeared, subject to the temporary extension of coverage for conversion. (c) If the missing...

TES/Aura L3 Atmospheric Temperatures Daily V4 (TL3ATD)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-05-09

... Platform:  TES Aura L1B Nadir/Limb Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir 37 x 23 km limb Spatial ... 0.5 x 5 km nadir 2.3 x 23 km limb Temporal Coverage:  08/22/2004 - present Temporal Resolution:  ...

"Social Work Abstracts" Fails Again: A Replication and Extension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Holden, Gary; Barker, Kathleen; Covert-Vail, Lucinda; Rosenberg, Gary; Cohen, Stephanie A.

2009-01-01

Objective: According to a prior study, there are substantial lapses in journal coverage in the "Social Work Abstracts" (SWA) database. The current study provides a replication and extension. Method: The longitudinal pattern of coverage of thirty-three journals categorized in SWA as core journals (published in the 1989-1996 period) is examined.…

Regional forest land cover characterisation using medium spatial resolution satellite data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huang, Chengquan; Homer, Collin G.; Yang, Limin; Wulder, Michael A.; Franklin, Steven E.

2003-01-01

Increasing demands on forest resources require comprehensive, consistent and up-to-date information on those resources at spatial scales appropriate for management decision-making and for scientific analysis. While such information can be derived using coarse spatial resolution satellite data (e.g. Tucker et al. 1984; Zhu and Evans 1994; Cihlar et al. 1996; Cihlar et al., Chapter 12), many regional applications require more spatial and thematic details than can be derived by using coarse resolution imagery. High spatial resolution satellite data such as IKONOS and Quick Bird images (Aplin et al. 1997), though usable for deriving detailed forest information (Culvenor, Chapter 9), are currently not feasible for wall-to-wall regional applications because of extremely high data cost, huge data volume, and lack of contiguous coverage over large areas. Forest studies over large areas have often been accomplished using data acquired by intermediate spatial resolution sensor systems, including the Multi-Spectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM) and the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) of Landsat, the High Resolution Visible (HRV) of the Systeme Pour l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT), and the Linear Image Self-Scanner (LISS) of the Indian Remote Sensing satellite. These sensor systems are more appropriate for regional applications because they can routinely produce spatially contiguous data over large areas at relatively low cost, and can be used to derive a host of forest attributes (e.g. Cohen et al. 1995; Kimes et al. 1999; Cohen et al. 2001; Huang et al. 2001; Sugumaran 2001). Of the above intermediate spatial resolution satellites, Landsat is perhaps the most widely used in various types of land remote sensing applications, in part because it has provided more extensive spatial and temporal coverage of the globe than any other intermediate resolution satellite. Spatially contiguous Landsat data have been developed for many regions of the globe (e.g. Lunetta and Sturdevant 1993; Fuller et al. 1994b; Skole et al. 1997), and a circa 1990 Landsat image data set covering the entire land area of the globe has also been developed recently (Jones and Smith 2001). An acquisition strategy aimed at acquiring at least one cloud free image per year for the entire land area of the globe has been initiated for Landsat-7 (Arvidson et al. 2001). This will probably ensure the continued dominance of Landsat in the near future.

Solving Large-scale Spatial Optimization Problems in Water Resources Management through Spatial Evolutionary Algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, J.; Cai, X.

2007-12-01

A water resources system can be defined as a large-scale spatial system, within which distributed ecological system interacts with the stream network and ground water system. Water resources management, the causative factors and hence the solutions to be developed have a significant spatial dimension. This motivates a modeling analysis of water resources management within a spatial analytical framework, where data is usually geo- referenced and in the form of a map. One of the important functions of Geographic information systems (GIS) is to identify spatial patterns of environmental variables. The role of spatial patterns in water resources management has been well established in the literature particularly regarding how to design better spatial patterns for satisfying the designated objectives of water resources management. Evolutionary algorithms (EA) have been demonstrated to be successful in solving complex optimization models for water resources management due to its flexibility to incorporate complex simulation models in the optimal search procedure. The idea of combining GIS and EA motivates the development and application of spatial evolutionary algorithms (SEA). SEA assimilates spatial information into EA, and even changes the representation and operators of EA. In an EA used for water resources management, the mathematical optimization model should be modified to account the spatial patterns; however, spatial patterns are usually implicit, and it is difficult to impose appropriate patterns to spatial data. Also it is difficult to express complex spatial patterns by explicit constraints included in the EA. The GIS can help identify the spatial linkages and correlations based on the spatial knowledge of the problem. These linkages are incorporated in the fitness function for the preference of the compatible vegetation distribution. Unlike a regular GA for spatial models, the SEA employs a special hierarchical hyper-population and spatial genetic operators to represent spatial variables in a more efficient way. The hyper-population consists of a set of populations, which correspond to the spatial distributions of the individual agents (organisms). Furthermore spatial crossover and mutation operators are designed in accordance with the tree representation and then applied to both organisms and populations. This study applies the SEA to a specific problem of water resources management- maximizing the riparian vegetation coverage in accordance with the distributed groundwater system in an arid region. The vegetation coverage is impacted greatly by the nonlinear feedbacks and interactions between vegetation and groundwater and the spatial variability of groundwater. The SEA is applied to search for an optimal vegetation configuration compatible to the groundwater flow. The results from this example demonstrate the effectiveness of the SEA. Extension of the algorithm for other water resources management problems is discussed.

Spatial Modeling and Uncertainty Assessment of Fine Scale Surface Processes Based on Coarse Terrain Elevation Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasera, L. G.; Mariethoz, G.; Lane, S. N.

2017-12-01

Frequent acquisition of high-resolution digital elevation models (HR-DEMs) over large areas is expensive and difficult. Satellite-derived low-resolution digital elevation models (LR-DEMs) provide extensive coverage of Earth's surface but at coarser spatial and temporal resolutions. Although useful for large scale problems, LR-DEMs are not suitable for modeling hydrologic and geomorphic processes at scales smaller than their spatial resolution. In this work, we present a multiple-point geostatistical approach for downscaling a target LR-DEM based on available high-resolution training data and recurrent high-resolution remote sensing images. The method aims at generating several equiprobable HR-DEMs conditioned to a given target LR-DEM by borrowing small scale topographic patterns from an analogue containing data at both coarse and fine scales. An application of the methodology is demonstrated by using an ensemble of simulated HR-DEMs as input to a flow-routing algorithm. The proposed framework enables a probabilistic assessment of the spatial structures generated by natural phenomena operating at scales finer than the available terrain elevation measurements. A case study in the Swiss Alps is provided to illustrate the methodology.

76 FR 4377 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Affordable...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-25

... Extension of Dependent Coverage ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The Department of Labor (DOL) hereby announces the... Coverage,'' to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval for continued use in... an enrollment opportunity to individuals whose coverage ended, or who were denied coverage (or were...

Time-Distance Helioseismology with the HMI Instrument

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duvall, Thomas L., Jr.

2010-01-01

We expect considerable improvement of time-distance results from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) instrument as opposed to the earlier MDI and GONG data. The higher data rate makes possible several improvements, including faster temporal sampling (45 sec), smaller spatial pixels (0.5 arc sec), better wavelength coverage (6 samples across the line all transmitted to the ground), and year-round coverage of the full disk. The higher spatial resolution makes possible better longitude coverage of active regions and supergranulation and also better latitude coverage. Doppler, continuum, and line depth images have a strong granulation signal. Line core images show little granulation. Analyses to test the limits of these new capabilities will be presented.

AccessMod 3.0: computing geographic coverage and accessibility to health care services using anisotropic movement of patients

PubMed Central

Ray, Nicolas; Ebener, Steeve

2008-01-01

Background Access to health care can be described along four dimensions: geographic accessibility, availability, financial accessibility and acceptability. Geographic accessibility measures how physically accessible resources are for the population, while availability reflects what resources are available and in what amount. Combining these two types of measure into a single index provides a measure of geographic (or spatial) coverage, which is an important measure for assessing the degree of accessibility of a health care network. Results This paper describes the latest version of AccessMod, an extension to the Geographical Information System ArcView 3.×, and provides an example of application of this tool. AccessMod 3 allows one to compute geographic coverage to health care using terrain information and population distribution. Four major types of analysis are available in AccessMod: (1) modeling the coverage of catchment areas linked to an existing health facility network based on travel time, to provide a measure of physical accessibility to health care; (2) modeling geographic coverage according to the availability of services; (3) projecting the coverage of a scaling-up of an existing network; (4) providing information for cost effectiveness analysis when little information about the existing network is available. In addition to integrating travelling time, population distribution and the population coverage capacity specific to each health facility in the network, AccessMod can incorporate the influence of landscape components (e.g. topography, river and road networks, vegetation) that impact travelling time to and from facilities. Topographical constraints can be taken into account through an anisotropic analysis that considers the direction of movement. We provide an example of the application of AccessMod in the southern part of Malawi that shows the influences of the landscape constraints and of the modes of transportation on geographic coverage. Conclusion By incorporating the demand (population) and the supply (capacities of heath care centers), AccessMod provides a unifying tool to efficiently assess the geographic coverage of a network of health care facilities. This tool should be of particular interest to developing countries that have a relatively good geographic information on population distribution, terrain, and health facility locations. PMID:19087277

[Spatial and temporal analysis of the coverage for neonatal hearing screening in Brazil (2008-2015)].

PubMed

Paschoal, Monique Ramos; Cavalcanti, Hannalice Gottschalck; Ferreira, Maria Ângela Fernandes

2017-11-01

This article seeks to establish the coverage of neonatal hearing screening in Brazil between January 2008 and June 2015. It is an ecological study that uses the country, through the Urban Articulation Regions, as a base. To calculate the screening coverage percentage, the Live Births Information System, the Outpatient Information System and the Beneficiaries of the National Supplementary Health Agency Information System were used. An exploratory analysis of maps and spatial statistical analysis was conducted using TerraView 4.2.2 software. The coverage of neonatal hearing screening saw an increase of 9.3% to 37.2% during the study period. In 2008-2009 it was observed that the percentage of coverage ranged from 0% to 79.92%, but most areas received coverage from 0% to 20%, though in 2014-2015 coverage ranged from 0% to 171.77%, and there was a visible increase in the percentage of coverage in the country, mainly in the Southern Region. The screening coverage has increased over time, but is still low with an uneven distribution in the territory, which may be explained by local laws and policies and by the existence of different types of auditory health service in the country.

An updated stress map of the continental United States reveals heterogeneous intraplate stress

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levandowski, Will; Herrmann, Robert B.; Briggs, Rich; Boyd, Oliver; Gold, Ryan

2018-06-01

Knowledge of the state of stress in Earth's crust is key to understanding the forces and processes responsible for earthquakes. Historically, low rates of natural seismicity in the central and eastern United States have complicated efforts to understand intraplate stress, but recent improvements in seismic networks and the spread of human-induced seismicity have greatly improved data coverage. Here, we compile a nationwide stress map based on formal inversions of focal mechanisms that challenges the idea that deformation in continental interiors is driven primarily by broad, uniform stress fields derived from distant plate boundaries. Despite plate-boundary compression, extension dominates roughly half of the continent, and second-order forces related to lithospheric structure appear to control extension directions. We also show that the states of stress in several active eastern United States seismic zones differ significantly from those of surrounding areas and that these anomalies cannot be explained by transient processes, suggesting that earthquakes are focused by persistent, locally derived sources of stress. Such spatially variable intraplate stress appears to justify the current, spatially variable estimates of seismic hazard. Future work to quantify sources of stress, stressing-rate magnitudes and their relationship with strain and earthquake rates could allow prospective mapping of intraplate hazard.

Spatial Coverage Planning for Exploration Robots

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaines, Daniel; Estlin, Tara; Chouinard, Caroline

2007-01-01

A report discusses an algorithm for an onboard planning and execution technology to support the exploration and characterization of geological features by autonomous rovers. A rover that is capable of deciding which observations are more important relieves the engineering team from much of the burden of attempting to make accurate predictions of what the available rover resources will be in the future. Instead, the science and engineering teams can uplink a set of observation requests that may potentially oversubscribe resources and let the rover use observation priorities and its current assessment of available resources to make decisions about which observations to perform and when to perform them. The algorithm gives the rover the ability to model spatial coverage quality based on data from different scientific instruments, to assess the impact of terrain on coverage quality, to incorporate user-defined priorities among subregions of the terrain to be covered, and to update coverage quality rankings of observations when terrain knowledge changes. When the rover is exploring large geographical features such as craters, channels, or boundaries between two different regions, an important factor in assessing the quality of a mission plan is how the set of chosen observations spatially cover the area of interest. The algorithm allows the rover to evaluate which observation to perform and to what extent the candidate observation will increase the spatial coverage of the plan.

Strategies for satellite-based monitoring of CO2 from distributed area and point sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwandner, Florian M.; Miller, Charles E.; Duren, Riley M.; Natraj, Vijay; Eldering, Annmarie; Gunson, Michael R.; Crisp, David

2014-05-01

Atmospheric CO2 budgets are controlled by the strengths, as well as the spatial and temporal variabilities of CO2 sources and sinks. Natural CO2 sources and sinks are dominated by the vast areas of the oceans and the terrestrial biosphere. In contrast, anthropogenic and geogenic CO2 sources are dominated by distributed area and point sources, which may constitute as much as 70% of anthropogenic (e.g., Duren & Miller, 2012), and over 80% of geogenic emissions (Burton et al., 2013). Comprehensive assessments of CO2 budgets necessitate robust and highly accurate satellite remote sensing strategies that address the competing and often conflicting requirements for sampling over disparate space and time scales. Spatial variability: The spatial distribution of anthropogenic sources is dominated by patterns of production, storage, transport and use. In contrast, geogenic variability is almost entirely controlled by endogenic geological processes, except where surface gas permeability is modulated by soil moisture. Satellite remote sensing solutions will thus have to vary greatly in spatial coverage and resolution to address distributed area sources and point sources alike. Temporal variability: While biogenic sources are dominated by diurnal and seasonal patterns, anthropogenic sources fluctuate over a greater variety of time scales from diurnal, weekly and seasonal cycles, driven by both economic and climatic factors. Geogenic sources typically vary in time scales of days to months (geogenic sources sensu stricto are not fossil fuels but volcanoes, hydrothermal and metamorphic sources). Current ground-based monitoring networks for anthropogenic and geogenic sources record data on minute- to weekly temporal scales. Satellite remote sensing solutions would have to capture temporal variability through revisit frequency or point-and-stare strategies. Space-based remote sensing offers the potential of global coverage by a single sensor. However, no single combination of orbit and sensor provides the full range of temporal sampling needed to characterize distributed area and point source emissions. For instance, point source emission patterns will vary with source strength, wind speed and direction. Because wind speed, direction and other environmental factors change rapidly, short term variabilities should be sampled. For detailed target selection and pointing verification, important lessons have already been learned and strategies devised during JAXA's GOSAT mission (Schwandner et al, 2013). The fact that competing spatial and temporal requirements drive satellite remote sensing sampling strategies dictates a systematic, multi-factor consideration of potential solutions. Factors to consider include vista, revisit frequency, integration times, spatial resolution, and spatial coverage. No single satellite-based remote sensing solution can address this problem for all scales. It is therefore of paramount importance for the international community to develop and maintain a constellation of atmospheric CO2 monitoring satellites that complement each other in their temporal and spatial observation capabilities: Polar sun-synchronous orbits (fixed local solar time, no diurnal information) with agile pointing allow global sampling of known distributed area and point sources like megacities, power plants and volcanoes with daily to weekly temporal revisits and moderate to high spatial resolution. Extensive targeting of distributed area and point sources comes at the expense of reduced mapping or spatial coverage, and the important contextual information that comes with large-scale contiguous spatial sampling. Polar sun-synchronous orbits with push-broom swath-mapping but limited pointing agility may allow mapping of individual source plumes and their spatial variability, but will depend on fortuitous environmental conditions during the observing period. These solutions typically have longer times between revisits, limiting their ability to resolve temporal variations. Geostationary and non-sun-synchronous low-Earth-orbits (precessing local solar time, diurnal information possible) with agile pointing have the potential to provide, comprehensive mapping of distributed area sources such as megacities with longer stare times and multiple revisits per day, at the expense of global access and spatial coverage. An ad hoc CO2 remote sensing constellation is emerging. NASA's OCO-2 satellite (launch July 2014) joins JAXA's GOSAT satellite in orbit. These will be followed by GOSAT-2 and NASA's OCO-3 on the International Space Station as early as 2017. Additional polar orbiting satellites (e.g., CarbonSat, under consideration at ESA) and geostationary platforms may also become available. However, the individual assets have been designed with independent science goals and requirements, and limited consideration of coordinated observing strategies. Every effort must be made to maximize the science return from this constellation. We discuss the opportunities to exploit the complementary spatial and temporal coverage provided by these assets as well as the crucial gaps in the capabilities of this constellation. References Burton, M.R., Sawyer, G.M., and Granieri, D. (2013). Deep carbon emissions from volcanoes. Rev. Mineral. Geochem. 75: 323-354. Duren, R.M., Miller, C.E. (2012). Measuring the carbon emissions of megacities. Nature Climate Change 2, 560-562. Schwandner, F.M., Oda, T., Duren, R., Carn, S.A., Maksyutov, S., Crisp, D., Miller, C.E. (2013). Scientific Opportunities from Target-Mode Capabilities of GOSAT-2. NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena CA, White Paper, 6p., March 2013.

Dynamic Assessment on the Landscape Patterns and Spatio-temporal Change in the mainstream of Tarim River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hui; Xue, Lianqing; Yang, Changbing; Chen, Xinfang; Zhang, Luochen; Wei, Guanghui

2018-01-01

The Tarim River (TR), as the longest inland river at an arid area in China, is a typical regions of vegetation variation research and plays a crucial role in the sustainable development of regional ecological environment. In this paper, the newest dataset of MODND1M NDVI, at a resolution of 500m, were applied to calculate vegetation index in growing season during the period 2000-2015. Using a vegetation coverage index, a trend line analysis, and the local spatial autocorrelation analysis, this paper investigated the landscape patterns and spatio-temporal variation of vegetation coverage at regional and pixel scales over mainstream of the Tarim River, Xinjiang. The results showed that (1) The bare land area on both sides of Tarim River appeared to have a fluctuated downward trend and there were two obvious valley values in 2005 and 2012. (2) Spatially, the vegetation coverage improved areas is mostly distributed in upstream and the degraded areas is mainly distributed in the left bank of midstream and the end of Tarim River during 2000-2005. (3) The local spatial auto-correlation analysis revealed that vegetation coverage was spatially positive autocorrelated and spatial concentrated. The high-high self-related areas are mainly distributed in upstream, where vegetation cover are relatively good, and the low-low self-related areas are mostly with lower vegetation cover in the lower reaches of Tarim River.

Seismologic applications of GRACE time-variable gravity measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jin; Chen, Jianli; Zhang, Zizhan

2014-04-01

The Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) has been measuring temporal and spatial variations of mass redistribution within the Earth system since 2002. As large earthquakes cause significant mass changes on and under the Earth's surface, GRACE provides a new means from space to observe mass redistribution due to earthquake deformations. GRACE serves as a good complement to other earthquake measurements because of its extensive spatial coverage and being free from terrestrial restriction. During its over 10 years mission, GRACE has successfully detected seismic gravitational changes of several giant earthquakes, which include the 2004 Sumatra-Andaman earthquake, 2010 Maule (Chile) earthquake, and 2011 Tohoku-Oki (Japan) earthquake. In this review, we describe by examples how to process GRACE time-variable gravity data to retrieve seismic signals, and summarize the results of recent studies that apply GRACE observations to detect co- and post-seismic signals and constrain fault slip models and viscous lithospheric structures. We also discuss major problems and give an outlook in this field of GRACE application.

High Temporal and Spatial Resolution Coverage of Earth from Commercial AVSTAR Systems in Geostationary Orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lecompte, M. A.; Heaps, J. F.; Williams, F. H.

Imaging the earth from Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) allows frequent updates of environmental conditions within an observable hemisphere at time and spatial scales appropriate to the most transient observable terrestrial phenomena. Coverage provided by current GEO Meteorological Satellites (METSATS) fails to fully exploit this advantage due primarily to obsolescent technology and also institutional inertia. With the full benefit of GEO based imaging unrealized, rapidly evolving phenomena, occurring at the smallest spatial and temporal scales that frequently have significant environmental impact remain unobserved. These phenomena may be precursors for the most destructive natural processes that adversely effect society. Timely distribution of information derived from "real-time" observations thus may provide opportunities to mitigate much of the damage to life and property that would otherwise occur. AstroVision International's AVStar Earth monitoring system is designed to overcome the current limitations if GEO Earth coverage and to provide real time monitoring of changes to the Earth's complete atmospheric, land and marine surface environments including fires, volcanic events, lightning and meteoritic events on a "live," true color, and multispectral basis. The understanding of severe storm dynamics and its coupling to the earth's electro-sphere will be greatly enhanced by observations at unprecedented sampling frequencies and spatial resolution. Better understanding of these natural phenomena and AVStar operational real-time coverage may also benefit society through improvements in severe weather prediction and warning. AstroVision's AVStar system, designed to provide this capability with the first of a constellation of GEO- based commercial environmental monitoring satellites to be launched in late 2003 will be discussed, including spatial and temporal resolution, spectral coverage with applications and an inventory of the potential benefits to society, science, commerce and education.

Line plus arc source trajectories and their R-line coverage for long-object cone-beam imaging with a C-arm system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Zhicong; Wunderlich, Adam; Dennerlein, Frank; Lauritsch, Günter; Noo, Frédéric

2011-06-01

Cone-beam imaging with C-arm systems has become a valuable tool in interventional radiology. Currently, a simple circular trajectory is used, but future applications should use more sophisticated source trajectories, not only to avoid cone-beam artifacts but also to allow extended volume imaging. One attractive strategy to achieve these two goals is to use a source trajectory that consists of two parallel circular arcs connected by a line segment, possibly with repetition. In this work, we address the question of R-line coverage for such a trajectory. More specifically, we examine to what extent R-lines for such a trajectory cover a central cylindrical region of interest (ROI). An R-line is a line segment connecting any two points on the source trajectory. Knowledge of R-line coverage is crucial because a general theory for theoretically exact and stable image reconstruction from axially truncated data is only known for the points in the scanned object that lie on R-lines. Our analysis starts by examining the R-line coverage for the elemental trajectories consisting of (i) two parallel circular arcs and (ii) a circular arc connected orthogonally to a line segment. Next, we utilize our understanding of the R-lines for the aforementioned elemental trajectories to determine the R-line coverage for the trajectory consisting of two parallel circular arcs connected by a tightly fit line segment. For this trajectory, we find that the R-line coverage is insufficient to completely cover any central ROI. Because extension of the line segment beyond the circular arcs helps to increase the R-line coverage, we subsequently propose a trajectory composed of two parallel circular arcs connected by an extended line. We show that the R-lines for this trajectory can fully cover a central ROI if the line extension is long enough. Our presentation includes a formula for the minimum line extension needed to achieve full R-line coverage of an ROI with a specified size, and also includes a preliminary study on the required detector size, showing that the R-lines added by the line extension are not constraining.

Ideologies, Policies and Practices in East Berlin before and after the Fall of the Wall.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calder, Pamela

1996-01-01

Examines changes in practices of two nurseries in East Berlin following reunification of Germany. Notes that after reunification, the extensive nursery school coverage for children under 3, and near universal coverage for children 3-6 was drastically reduced, and the ideological justification for coverage was systematically rejected. Discusses…

Autoregressive spatially varying coefficients model for predicting daily PM2.5 using VIIRS satellite AOT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schliep, E. M.; Gelfand, A. E.; Holland, D. M.

2015-12-01

There is considerable demand for accurate air quality information in human health analyses. The sparsity of ground monitoring stations across the United States motivates the need for advanced statistical models to predict air quality metrics, such as PM2.5, at unobserved sites. Remote sensing technologies have the potential to expand our knowledge of PM2.5 spatial patterns beyond what we can predict from current PM2.5 monitoring networks. Data from satellites have an additional advantage in not requiring extensive emission inventories necessary for most atmospheric models that have been used in earlier data fusion models for air pollution. Statistical models combining monitoring station data with satellite-obtained aerosol optical thickness (AOT), also referred to as aerosol optical depth (AOD), have been proposed in the literature with varying levels of success in predicting PM2.5. The benefit of using AOT is that satellites provide complete gridded spatial coverage. However, the challenges involved with using it in fusion models are (1) the correlation between the two data sources varies both in time and in space, (2) the data sources are temporally and spatially misaligned, and (3) there is extensive missingness in the monitoring data and also in the satellite data due to cloud cover. We propose a hierarchical autoregressive spatially varying coefficients model to jointly model the two data sources, which addresses the foregoing challenges. Additionally, we offer formal model comparison for competing models in terms of model fit and out of sample prediction of PM2.5. The models are applied to daily observations of PM2.5 and AOT in the summer months of 2013 across the conterminous United States. Most notably, during this time period, we find small in-sample improvement incorporating AOT into our autoregressive model but little out-of-sample predictive improvement.

Permafrost and lakes control river isotope composition across a boreal Arctic transect in the Western Siberian lowlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ala-aho, P.; Soulsby, C.; Pokrovsky, O. S.; Kirpotin, S. N.; Karlsson, J.; Serikova, S.; Manasypov, R.; Lim, A.; Krickov, I.; Kolesnichenko, L. G.; Laudon, H.; Tetzlaff, D.

2018-03-01

The Western Siberian Lowlands (WSL) store large quantities of organic carbon that will be exposed and mobilized by the thawing of permafrost. The fate of mobilized carbon, however, is not well understood, partly because of inadequate knowledge of hydrological controls in the region which has a vast low-relief surface area, extensive lake and wetland coverage and gradually increasing permafrost influence. We used stable water isotopes to improve our understanding of dominant landscape controls on the hydrology of the WSL. We sampled rivers along a 1700 km South-North transect from permafrost-free to continuous permafrost repeatedly over three years, and derived isotope proxies for catchment hydrological responsiveness and connectivity. We found correlations between the isotope proxies and catchment characteristics, suggesting that lakes and wetlands are intimately connected to rivers, and that permafrost increases the responsiveness of the catchment to rainfall and snowmelt events, reducing catchment mean transit times. Our work provides rare isotope-based field evidence that permafrost and lakes/wetlands influence hydrological pathways across a wide range of spatial scales (10-105 km2) and permafrost coverage (0%-70%). This has important implications, because both permafrost extent and lake/wetland coverage are affected by permafrost thaw in the changing climate. Changes in these hydrological landscape controls are likely to alter carbon export and emission via inland waters, which may be of global significance.

7 CFR 18.2 - Purpose, applicability and coverage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... equal opportunity in employment to each individual without regard to race, color, national origin, sex... operating a Cooperative Extension Service. (c) Coverage. This part applies to all positions in all units of...

Iraqi Expatriates' Experience of North American Media Coverage of the Iraq War

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rostam, Hajera; Haverkamp, Beth E.

2009-01-01

The extensive North American (NA) media coverage of the recent conflict in Iraq invites the question of how adult Iraqi immigrants have experienced such coverage. This qualitative investigation, involving Iraqi immigrants in Vancouver, Canada, used an interpretive description method (Thorne et al., Int J Qual Methods 3(1):1-21, 2004) to analyze…

AirMSPI ORACLES Terrain Data V006

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-05-05

... ER-2 Instrument:  AirMSPI Spatial Coverage:  United States, California, Georgia, Africa, Southern Africa, ... 10/25 meters per pixel Temporal Coverage:  07/28/2016 - 10/06/2016 Temporal Resolution:  ...

Income-related disparities in kidney transplant graft failures are eliminated by Medicare's immunosuppression coverage

PubMed Central

Woodward, Robert S.; Page, Timothy F.; Soares, Ricardo; Schnitzler, Mark A.; Lentine, Krista L.; Brennan, Daniel C.

2011-01-01

Beginning January 1, 2000, Medicare extended coverage of immunosuppression medications from 3-years to lifetime based on age >65 years or disability. Using USRDS data for Medicare-insured recipients of kidney transplants between July 1995 and December 2000, we identified four Cohorts of Medicare-insured kidney transplant recipients. Patients in Cohort 1 were individuals who were both eligible and received lifetime-coverage. Patients in Cohort 2 would have been eligible, but their three-year coverage expired before lifetime-coverage was available. Patients in Cohort 3 were ineligible for lifetime-coverage because of youth or lack of disability. Patients in Cohort 4 were transplanted 1996–1996 and were ineligible for lifetime-coverage. Incomes were categorized by ZIP-code median household income from census data. Lifetime-extension of Medicare immunosuppression was associated with improved allograft survival among low-income transplant recipients in the sense that the previously existing income-related disparities in graft survival in Cohort 2 were not apparent in Cohort 1. Ineligible individuals served as a control group; the income-related disparities in graft survival observed in the early Cohort 4 persisted in more recent Cohort 3. Multivariate proportional-hazards models confirmed these findings. Future work should evaluate the cost-effectiveness of these coverage increases, as well as that of benefits extensions to broader patient groups. PMID:19032227

High-resolution whole-brain DCE-MRI using constrained reconstruction: Prospective clinical evaluation in brain tumor patients.

PubMed

Guo, Yi; Lebel, R Marc; Zhu, Yinghua; Lingala, Sajan Goud; Shiroishi, Mark S; Law, Meng; Nayak, Krishna

2016-05-01

To clinically evaluate a highly accelerated T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI technique that provides high spatial resolution and whole-brain coverage via undersampling and constrained reconstruction with multiple sparsity constraints. Conventional (rate-2 SENSE) and experimental DCE-MRI (rate-30) scans were performed 20 minutes apart in 15 brain tumor patients. The conventional clinical DCE-MRI had voxel dimensions 0.9 × 1.3 × 7.0 mm(3), FOV 22 × 22 × 4.2 cm(3), and the experimental DCE-MRI had voxel dimensions 0.9 × 0.9 × 1.9 mm(3), and broader coverage 22 × 22 × 19 cm(3). Temporal resolution was 5 s for both protocols. Time-resolved images and blood-brain barrier permeability maps were qualitatively evaluated by two radiologists. The experimental DCE-MRI scans showed no loss of qualitative information in any of the cases, while achieving substantially higher spatial resolution and whole-brain spatial coverage. Average qualitative scores (from 0 to 3) were 2.1 for the experimental scans and 1.1 for the conventional clinical scans. The proposed DCE-MRI approach provides clinically superior image quality with higher spatial resolution and coverage than currently available approaches. These advantages may allow comprehensive permeability mapping in the brain, which is especially valuable in the setting of large lesions or multiple lesions spread throughout the brain.

[Estimation of desert vegetation coverage based on multi-source remote sensing data].

PubMed

Wan, Hong-Mei; Li, Xia; Dong, Dao-Rui

2012-12-01

Taking the lower reaches of Tarim River in Xinjiang of Northwest China as study areaAbstract: Taking the lower reaches of Tarim River in Xinjiang of Northwest China as study area and based on the ground investigation and the multi-source remote sensing data of different resolutions, the estimation models for desert vegetation coverage were built, with the precisions of different estimation methods and models compared. The results showed that with the increasing spatial resolution of remote sensing data, the precisions of the estimation models increased. The estimation precision of the models based on the high, middle-high, and middle-low resolution remote sensing data was 89.5%, 87.0%, and 84.56%, respectively, and the precisions of the remote sensing models were higher than that of vegetation index method. This study revealed the change patterns of the estimation precision of desert vegetation coverage based on different spatial resolution remote sensing data, and realized the quantitative conversion of the parameters and scales among the high, middle, and low spatial resolution remote sensing data of desert vegetation coverage, which would provide direct evidence for establishing and implementing comprehensive remote sensing monitoring scheme for the ecological restoration in the study area.

What Does Children's Spatial Language Reveal about Spatial Concepts? Evidence from the Use of Containment Expressions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johanson, Megan; Papafragou, Anna

2014-01-01

Children's overextensions of spatial language are often taken to reveal spatial biases. However, it is unclear whether extension patterns should be attributed to children's overly general spatial concepts or to a narrower notion of conceptual similarity allowing metaphor-like extensions. We describe a previously unnoticed extension of…

Mentoring Temporal and Spatial Variations in Rainfall across Wadi Ar-Rumah, Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alharbi, T.; Ahmed, M.

2015-12-01

Across the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), the fresh water resources are limited only to those found in aquifer systems. Those aquifers were believed to be recharged during the previous wet climatic period but still receiving modest local recharge in interleaving dry periods such as those prevailing at present. Quantifying temporal and spatial variabilities in rainfall patterns, magnitudes, durations, and frequencies is of prime importance when it comes to sustainable management of such aquifer systems. In this study, an integrated approach, using remote sensing and field data, was used to assess the past, the current, and the projected spatial and temporal variations in rainfall over one of the major watersheds in KSA, Wadi Ar-Rumah. This watershed was selected given its larger areal extent and population intensity. Rainfall data were extracted from (1) the Climate Prediction Centers (CPC) Merged Analysis of Precipitation (CMAP; spatial coverage: global; spatial resolution: 2.5° × 2.5°; temporal coverage: January 1979 to April 2015; temporal resolution: monthly), and (2) the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM; spatial coverage: 50°N to 50°S; spatial resolution: 0.25° × 0.25°; temporal coverage: January 1998 to March 2015; temporal resolution: 3 hours) and calibrated against rainfall measurements extracted from rain gauges. Trends in rainfall patterns were examined over four main investigation periods: period I (01/1979 to 12/1985), period II (01/1986 to 12/1992), period III (01/1993 to 12/2002), and period IV (01/2003 to 12/2014). Our findings indicate: (1) a significant increase (+14.19 mm/yr) in rainfall rates were observed during period I, (2) a significant decrease in rainfall rates were observed during periods II (-5.80 mm/yr), III (-9.38 mm/yr), and IV (-2.46 mm/yr), and (3) the observed variations in rainfall rates are largely related to the temporal variations in the northerlies (also called northwesterlies) and the monsoonal wind regimes.

InSAR constraints on soil moisture evolution after the March 2015 extreme precipitation event in Chile.

PubMed

Scott, C P; Lohman, R B; Jordan, T E

2017-07-07

Constraints on soil moisture can guide agricultural practices, act as input into weather, flooding and climate models and inform water resource policies. Space-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) observations provide near-global coverage, even in the presence of clouds, of proxies for soil moisture derived from the amplitude and phase content of radar imagery. We describe results from a 1.5 year-long InSAR time series spanning the March, 2015 extreme precipitation event in the hyperarid Atacama desert of Chile, constraining the immediate increase in soil moisture and drying out over the following months, as well as the response to a later, smaller precipitation event. The inferred temporal evolution of soil moisture is remarkably consistent between independent, overlapping SAR tracks covering a region ~100 km in extent. The unusually large rain event, combined with the extensive spatial and temporal coverage of the SAR dataset, present an unprecedented opportunity to image the time-evolution of soil characteristics over different surface types. Constraints on the timescale of shallow water storage after precipitation events are increasingly valuable as global water resources continue to be stretched to their limits and communities continue to develop in flood-prone areas.

Olympic Information in the SPORT Database.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Belna, Alison M.; And Others

1984-01-01

Profiles the SPORT database, produced by Sport Information Resource Centre, Ottawa, Ontario, which provides extensive coverage of individual sports including practice, training and equipment, recreation, sports medicine, physical education, sport facilities, and international sport history. Olympic coverage in SPORT, sports sciences, online…

Crop classification using temporal stacks of multispectral satellite imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moody, Daniela I.; Brumby, Steven P.; Chartrand, Rick; Keisler, Ryan; Longbotham, Nathan; Mertes, Carly; Skillman, Samuel W.; Warren, Michael S.

2017-05-01

The increase in performance, availability, and coverage of multispectral satellite sensor constellations has led to a drastic increase in data volume and data rate. Multi-decadal remote sensing datasets at the petabyte scale are now available in commercial clouds, with new satellite constellations generating petabytes/year of daily high-resolution global coverage imagery. The data analysis capability, however, has lagged behind storage and compute developments, and has traditionally focused on individual scene processing. We present results from an ongoing effort to develop satellite imagery analysis tools that aggregate temporal, spatial, and spectral information and can scale with the high-rate and dimensionality of imagery being collected. We investigate and compare the performance of pixel-level crop identification using tree-based classifiers and its dependence on both temporal and spectral features. Classification performance is assessed using as ground-truth Cropland Data Layer (CDL) crop masks generated by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). The CDL maps contain 30m spatial resolution, pixel-level labels for around 200 categories of land cover, but are however only available post-growing season. The analysis focuses on McCook county in South Dakota and shows crop classification using a temporal stack of Landsat 8 (L8) imagery over the growing season, from April through October. Specifically, we consider the temporal L8 stack depth, as well as different normalized band difference indices, and evaluate their contribution to crop identification. We also show an extension of our algorithm to map corn and soy crops in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

The CM SAF CLAAS-2 cloud property data record

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benas, Nikos; Finkensieper, Stephan; Stengel, Martin; van Zadelhoff, Gerd-Jan; Hanschmann, Timo; Hollmann, Rainer; Fokke Meirink, Jan

2017-04-01

A new cloud property data record was lately released by the EUMETSAT Satellite Application Facility on Climate Monitoring (CM SAF), based on measurements from geostationary Meteosat Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) sensors, spanning the period 2004-2015. The CLAAS-2 (Cloud property dAtAset using SEVIRI, Edition 2) data record includes cloud fractional coverage, thermodynamic phase, cloud top height, water path and corresponding optical thickness and particle effective radius separately for liquid and ice clouds. These variables are available at high resolution 15-minute, daily and monthly basis. In this presentation the main improvements in the retrieval algorithms compared to the first edition of the data record (CLAAS-1) are highlighted along with their impact on the quality of the data record. Subsequently, the results of extensive validation and inter-comparison efforts against ground observations, as well as active and passive satellite sensors are summarized. Overall good agreement is found, with similar spatial and temporal characteristics, along with small biases caused mainly by differences in retrieval approaches, spatial/temporal samplings and viewing geometries.

Divergent and nonuniform gene expression patterns in mouse brain

PubMed Central

Morris, John A.; Royall, Joshua J.; Bertagnolli, Darren; Boe, Andrew F.; Burnell, Josh J.; Byrnes, Emi J.; Copeland, Cathy; Desta, Tsega; Fischer, Shanna R.; Goldy, Jeff; Glattfelder, Katie J.; Kidney, Jolene M.; Lemon, Tracy; Orta, Geralyn J.; Parry, Sheana E.; Pathak, Sayan D.; Pearson, Owen C.; Reding, Melissa; Shapouri, Sheila; Smith, Kimberly A.; Soden, Chad; Solan, Beth M.; Weller, John; Takahashi, Joseph S.; Overly, Caroline C.; Lein, Ed S.; Hawrylycz, Michael J.; Hohmann, John G.; Jones, Allan R.

2010-01-01

Considerable progress has been made in understanding variations in gene sequence and expression level associated with phenotype, yet how genetic diversity translates into complex phenotypic differences remains poorly understood. Here, we examine the relationship between genetic background and spatial patterns of gene expression across seven strains of mice, providing the most extensive cellular-resolution comparative analysis of gene expression in the mammalian brain to date. Using comprehensive brainwide anatomic coverage (more than 200 brain regions), we applied in situ hybridization to analyze the spatial expression patterns of 49 genes encoding well-known pharmaceutical drug targets. Remarkably, over 50% of the genes examined showed interstrain expression variation. In addition, the variability was nonuniformly distributed across strain and neuroanatomic region, suggesting certain organizing principles. First, the degree of expression variance among strains mirrors genealogic relationships. Second, expression pattern differences were concentrated in higher-order brain regions such as the cortex and hippocampus. Divergence in gene expression patterns across the brain could contribute significantly to variations in behavior and responses to neuroactive drugs in laboratory mouse strains and may help to explain individual differences in human responsiveness to neuroactive drugs. PMID:20956311

Landsat-Derived, Time-Series Remote Sensing Analysis of Fire Regime, Microclimate, and Urbanization's Influence on Biodiversity in the Santa Monica Mountain Coastal Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, J.; Dmochowski, J. E.

2016-12-01

Southern California's Santa Monica Mountain coastal range hosts chaparral and coastal sage scrub ecosystems with distinct, local variations in their fire regime, microclimate, and proximity to urbanization. The high biodiversity combined with ongoing human impact make monitoring the ecological and land cover changes crucial. Due to their extensive, continuous temporal coverage and high spatial resolution, Landsat data are well suited to this purpose. Landsat-derived time-series NDVI data and classification maps have been compiled to identify regions most sensitive to change in order to determine the effects of fire regime, geography, and urbanization on vegetative changes; and assess the encroachment of non-native grasses. Spatial analysis of the classification maps identified the factors more conducive to land-cover changes as native shrubs were replaced with non-native grasses. Understanding the dynamics that govern semi-arid resilience, overall greening, and fire regime is important to predicting and managing large scale ecosystem changes as pressures from global climate change and urbanization intensify.

Optimal placement of multiple types of communicating sensors with availability and coverage redundancy constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vecherin, Sergey N.; Wilson, D. Keith; Pettit, Chris L.

2010-04-01

Determination of an optimal configuration (numbers, types, and locations) of a sensor network is an important practical problem. In most applications, complex signal propagation effects and inhomogeneous coverage preferences lead to an optimal solution that is highly irregular and nonintuitive. The general optimization problem can be strictly formulated as a binary linear programming problem. Due to the combinatorial nature of this problem, however, its strict solution requires significant computational resources (NP-complete class of complexity) and is unobtainable for large spatial grids of candidate sensor locations. For this reason, a greedy algorithm for approximate solution was recently introduced [S. N. Vecherin, D. K. Wilson, and C. L. Pettit, "Optimal sensor placement with terrain-based constraints and signal propagation effects," Unattended Ground, Sea, and Air Sensor Technologies and Applications XI, SPIE Proc. Vol. 7333, paper 73330S (2009)]. Here further extensions to the developed algorithm are presented to include such practical needs and constraints as sensor availability, coverage by multiple sensors, and wireless communication of the sensor information. Both communication and detection are considered in a probabilistic framework. Communication signal and signature propagation effects are taken into account when calculating probabilities of communication and detection. Comparison of approximate and strict solutions on reduced-size problems suggests that the approximate algorithm yields quick and good solutions, which thus justifies using that algorithm for full-size problems. Examples of three-dimensional outdoor sensor placement are provided using a terrain-based software analysis tool.

High-resolution whole-brain DCE-MRI using constrained reconstruction: Prospective clinical evaluation in brain tumor patients

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

Guo, Yi, E-mail: yiguo@usc.edu; Zhu, Yinghua; Lingala, Sajan Goud

Purpose: To clinically evaluate a highly accelerated T1-weighted dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI technique that provides high spatial resolution and whole-brain coverage via undersampling and constrained reconstruction with multiple sparsity constraints. Methods: Conventional (rate-2 SENSE) and experimental DCE-MRI (rate-30) scans were performed 20 minutes apart in 15 brain tumor patients. The conventional clinical DCE-MRI had voxel dimensions 0.9 × 1.3 × 7.0 mm{sup 3}, FOV 22 × 22 × 4.2 cm{sup 3}, and the experimental DCE-MRI had voxel dimensions 0.9 × 0.9 × 1.9 mm{sup 3}, and broader coverage 22 × 22 × 19 cm{sup 3}. Temporal resolution was 5 smore » for both protocols. Time-resolved images and blood–brain barrier permeability maps were qualitatively evaluated by two radiologists. Results: The experimental DCE-MRI scans showed no loss of qualitative information in any of the cases, while achieving substantially higher spatial resolution and whole-brain spatial coverage. Average qualitative scores (from 0 to 3) were 2.1 for the experimental scans and 1.1 for the conventional clinical scans. Conclusions: The proposed DCE-MRI approach provides clinically superior image quality with higher spatial resolution and coverage than currently available approaches. These advantages may allow comprehensive permeability mapping in the brain, which is especially valuable in the setting of large lesions or multiple lesions spread throughout the brain.« less

Very high spatial resolution two-dimensional solar spectroscopy with video CCDs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johanneson, A.; Bida, T.; Lites, B.; Scharmer, G. B.

1992-01-01

We have developed techniques for recording and reducing spectra of solar fine structure with complete coverage of two-dimensional areas at very high spatial resolution and with a minimum of seeing-induced distortions. These new techniques permit one, for the first time, to place the quantitative measures of atmospheric structure that are afforded only by detailed spectral measurements into their proper context. The techniques comprise the simultaneous acquisition of digital spectra and slit-jaw images at video rates as the solar scene sweeps rapidly by the spectrograph slit. During data processing the slit-jaw images are used to monitor rigid and differential image motion during the scan, allowing measured spectrum properties to be remapped spatially. The resulting quality of maps of measured properties from the spectra is close to that of the best filtergrams. We present the techniques and show maps from scans over pores and small sunspots obtained at a resolution approaching 1/3 arcsec in the spectral region of the magnetically sensitive Fe I lines at 630.15 and 630.25 nm. The maps shown are of continuum intensity and calibrated Doppler velocity. More extensive spectral inversion of these spectra to yield the strength of the magnetic field and other parameters is now underway, and the results of that analysis will be presented in a following paper.

SoilSCAPE in-Situ Observations of Soil Moisture for SMAP Validation: Pushing the Envelopes of Spatial Coverage and Energy Efficiency in Sparse Wireless Sensor Networks (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moghaddam, M.; Silva, A.; Clewley, D.; Akbar, R.; Entekhabi, D.

2013-12-01

Soil Moisture Sensing Controller and oPtimal Estimator (SoilSCAPE) is a wireless in-situ sensor network technology, developed under the support of NASA ESTO/AIST program, for multi-scale validation of soil moisture retrievals from the Soil Moisture Active and Passive (SMAP) mission. The SMAP sensor suite is expected to produce soil moisture retrievals at 3 km scale from the radar instrument, at 36 km from the radiometer, and at 10 km from the combination of the two sensors. To validate the retrieved soil moisture maps at any of these scales, it is necessary to perform in-situ observations at multiple scales (ten, hundreds, and thousands of meters), representative of the true spatial variability of soil moisture fields. The most recent SoilSCAPE network, deployed in the California central valley, has been designed, built, and deployed to accomplish this goal, and is expected to become a core validation site for SMAP. The network consists of up to 150 sensor nodes, each comprised of 3-4 soil moisture sensors at various depths, deployed over a spatial extent of 36 km by 36 km. The network contains multiple sub-networks, each having up to 30 nodes, whose location is selected in part based on maximizing the land cover diversity within the 36 km cell. The network has achieved unprecedented energy efficiency, longevity, and spatial coverage using custom-designed hardware and software protocols. The network architecture utilizes a nested strategy, where a number of end devices (EDs) communicate to a local coordinator (LC) using our recently developed hardware with ultra-efficient circuitry and best-effort-timeslot allocation communication protocol. The LCs in turn communicates with the base station (BS) via text messages and a new compression scheme. The hardware and software technologies required to implement this latest deployment of the SoilSCAPE network will be presented in this paper, and several data sets resulting from the measurements will be shown. The data are available publicly in near-real-time from the project web site, and are also available and searchable via an extensive set of metadata fields through the ORNL-DAAC.

National-scale aboveground biomass geostatistical mapping with FIA inventory and GLAS data: Preparation for sparsely sampled lidar assisted forest inventory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Babcock, C. R.; Finley, A. O.; Andersen, H. E.; Moskal, L. M.; Morton, D. C.; Cook, B.; Nelson, R.

2017-12-01

Upcoming satellite lidar missions, such as GEDI and IceSat-2, are designed to collect laser altimetry data from space for narrow bands along orbital tracts. As a result lidar metric sets derived from these sources will not be of complete spatial coverage. This lack of complete coverage, or sparsity, means traditional regression approaches that consider lidar metrics as explanatory variables (without error) cannot be used to generate wall-to-wall maps of forest inventory variables. We implement a coregionalization framework to jointly model sparsely sampled lidar information and point-referenced forest variable measurements to create wall-to-wall maps with full probabilistic uncertainty quantification of all inputs. We inform the model with USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) in-situ forest measurements and GLAS lidar data to spatially predict aboveground forest biomass (AGB) across the contiguous US. We cast our model within a Bayesian hierarchical framework to better model complex space-varying correlation structures among the lidar metrics and FIA data, which yields improved prediction and uncertainty assessment. To circumvent computational difficulties that arise when fitting complex geostatistical models to massive datasets, we use a Nearest Neighbor Gaussian process (NNGP) prior. Results indicate that a coregionalization modeling approach to leveraging sampled lidar data to improve AGB estimation is effective. Further, fitting the coregionalization model within a Bayesian mode of inference allows for AGB quantification across scales ranging from individual pixel estimates of AGB density to total AGB for the continental US with uncertainty. The coregionalization framework examined here is directly applicable to future spaceborne lidar acquisitions from GEDI and IceSat-2. Pairing these lidar sources with the extensive FIA forest monitoring plot network using a joint prediction framework, such as the coregionalization model explored here, offers the potential to improve forest AGB accounting certainty and provide maps for post-model fitting analysis of the spatial distribution of AGB.

Whitecaps, sea-salt aerosols, and climate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anguelova, Magdalena Dimitrova

Oceanic whitecaps are the major source of sea-salt aerosols. Because these aerosols are dominant in remote marine air, they control the radiative properties of the clean background atmosphere by scattering sunlight, changing cloud properties and lifetime, and providing media for chemical reactions. Including sea-salt effects in climate models improves predictions, but simulating their generation is first necessary. To make the sea-salt generation function currently used in climate models more relevant for aerosol investigations, this study proposes two modifications. First, the conventional relation between whitecap coverage, W, and the 10-meter wind speed, U10, used in typical generation functions is expanded to include additional factors that affect whitecaps and sea-salt aerosol formation. Second, the sea-salt generation function is extended to smaller sizes; sea-salt aerosol with initial radii from 0.4 to 20 mum can now be modeled. To achieve these goals, this thesis develops a new method for estimating whitecap coverage on a global scale using satellite measurements of the brightness temperature of the ocean surface. Whitecap coverage evaluated with this method incorporates the effects of atmospheric stability, sea-surface temperature, salinity, wind fetch, wind duration, and the amount of surface-active material. Assimilating satellite-derived values for whitecap coverage in the sea-salt generation function incorporates the effects of all environmental factors on sea-salt production and predicts realistic sea-salt aerosol loadings into the atmosphere. An extensive database of whitecap coverage and sea-salt aerosol fluxes has been compiled with the new method and is used to investigate their spatial and temporal characteristics. The composite effect of all environmental factors suggests a more uniform latitudinal distribution of whitecaps and sea-salt aerosols than that predicted from wind speed alone. The effect of sea-surface temperature, TS, is parameterized for the first time using regression analysis. The resulting parameterization W( U10, TS) is a better predictor of whitecap coverage than the conventional W(U 10) relation. This thesis also considers the contribution of oceanic whitecaps to ocean albedo and CO2 transfer and evaluates the direct effect of sea-salt aerosols on climate, the sea-salt contribution to CCN formation, and the role of sea-salt aerosols in atmospheric chemistry.

Towards Semantic Web Services on Large, Multi-Dimensional Coverages

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumann, P.

2009-04-01

Observed and simulated data in the Earth Sciences often come as coverages, the general term for space-time varying phenomena as set forth by standardization bodies like the Open GeoSpatial Consortium (OGC) and ISO. Among such data are 1-d time series, 2-D surface data, 3-D surface data time series as well as x/y/z geophysical and oceanographic data, and 4-D metocean simulation results. With increasing dimensionality the data sizes grow exponentially, up to Petabyte object sizes. Open standards for exploiting coverage archives over the Web are available to a varying extent. The OGC Web Coverage Service (WCS) standard defines basic extraction operations: spatio-temporal and band subsetting, scaling, reprojection, and data format encoding of the result - a simple interoperable interface for coverage access. More processing functionality is available with products like Matlab, Grid-type interfaces, and the OGC Web Processing Service (WPS). However, these often lack properties known as advantageous from databases: declarativeness (describe results rather than the algorithms), safe in evaluation (no request can keep a server busy infinitely), and optimizable (enable the server to rearrange the request so as to produce the same result faster). WPS defines a geo-enabled SOAP interface for remote procedure calls. This allows to webify any program, but does not allow for semantic interoperability: a function is identified only by its function name and parameters while the semantics is encoded in the (only human readable) title and abstract. Hence, another desirable property is missing, namely an explicit semantics which allows for machine-machine communication and reasoning a la Semantic Web. The OGC Web Coverage Processing Service (WCPS) language, which has been adopted as an international standard by OGC in December 2008, defines a flexible interface for the navigation, extraction, and ad-hoc analysis of large, multi-dimensional raster coverages. It is abstract in that it does not anticipate any particular protocol. One such protocol is given by the OGC Web Coverage Service (WCS) Processing Extension standard which ties WCPS into WCS. Another protocol which makes WCPS an OGC Web Processing Service (WPS) Profile is under preparation. Thereby, WCPS bridges WCS and WPS. The conceptual model of WCPS relies on the coverage model of WCS, which in turn is based on ISO 19123. WCS currently addresses raster-type coverages where a coverage is seen as a function mapping points from a spatio-temporal extent (its domain) into values of some cell type (its range). A retrievable coverage has an identifier associated, further the CRSs supported and, for each range field (aka band, channel), the interpolation methods applicable. The WCPS language offers access to one or several such coverages via a functional, side-effect free language. The following example, which derives the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) from given coverages C1, C2, and C3 within the regions identified by the binary mask R, illustrates the language concept: for c in ( C1, C2, C3 ), r in ( R ) return encode( (char) (c.nir - c.red) / (c.nir + c.red), H˜DF-EOS\\~ ) The result is a list of three HDF-EOS encoded images containing masked NDVI values. Note that the same request can operate on coverages of any dimensionality. The expressive power of WCPS includes statistics, image, and signal processing up to recursion, to maintain safe evaluation. As both syntax and semantics of any WCPS expression is well known the language is Semantic Web ready: clients can construct WCPS requests on the fly, servers can optimize such requests (this has been investigated extensively with the rasdaman raster database system) and automatically distribute them for processing in a WCPS-enabled computing cloud. The WCPS Reference Implementation is being finalized now that the standard is stable; it will be released in open source once ready. Among the future tasks is to extend WCPS to general meshes, in synchronization with the WCS standard. In this talk WCPS is presented in the context of OGC standardization. The author is co-chair of OGC's WCS Working Group (WG) and Coverages WG.

Marine forearc extension in the Hikurangi Margin: New insights from high-resolution 3D seismic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böttner, Christoph; Gross, Felix; Geersen, Jacob; Mountjoy, Joshu; Crutchley, Gareth; Krastel, Sebastian

2017-04-01

In subduction zones upper-plate normal faults have long been considered a tectonic feature primarily associated with erosive margins. However, increasing data coverage has proven that similar features also occur in accretionary margins, such as Cascadia, Makran, Nankai or Central Chile, where kinematics are dominated by compression. Considering their wide distribution there is, without doubt, a significant lack of qualitative and quantitative knowledge regarding the role and importance of normal faults and zones of extension for the seismotectonic evolution of accretionary margins. We use a high-resolution 3D P-Cable seismic volume from the Hikurangi Margin acquired in 2014 to analyze the spatial distribution and mechanisms of upper-plate normal faulting. The study area is located at the upper continental slope in the area of the Tuaheni landslide complex. In detail we aim to (1) map the spatial distribution of normal faults and characterize their vertical throws, strike directions, and dip angles; (2) investigate their possible influence on fluid migration in an area, where gas hydrates are present; (3) discuss the mechanisms that may cause extension of the upper-slope in the study area. Beneath the Tuaheni Landslide Complex we mapped about 200 normal faults. All faults have low displacements (<15 m) and dip at high (> 65°) angles. About 71% of the faults dip landward. We found two main strike directions, with the majority of faults striking 350-10°, parallel to the deformation front. A second group of faults strikes 40-60°. The faults crosscut the BSR, which indicates the base of the gas hydrate zone. In combination with seismically imaged bright-spots and pull-up structures, this indicates that the normal faults effectively transport fluids vertically across the base of the gas hydrate zone. Localized uplift, as indicated by the presence of the Tuaheni Ridge, might support normal faulting in the study area. In addition, different subduction rates across the margin may also favor extension between the segments. Future work will help to further untangle the mechanisms that cause extension of the upper continental slope.

Validation of Satellite Retrieved Land Surface Variables

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lakshmi, Venkataraman; Susskind, Joel

1999-01-01

The effective use of satellite observations of the land surface is limited by the lack of high spatial resolution ground data sets for validation of satellite products. Recent large scale field experiments include FIFE, HAPEX-Sahel and BOREAS which provide us with data sets that have large spatial coverage and long time coverage. It is the objective of this paper to characterize the difference between the satellite estimates and the ground observations. This study and others along similar lines will help us in utilization of satellite retrieved data in large scale modeling studies.

Coverage vs Frequency : Is Spatial Coverage or Temporal Frequency More Impactful on Transit Ridership?

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2017-08-01

Transit ridership has long been studied, and the findings are concisely elucidated by Taylor & Fink (2003) when they say To sum, transit ridership is largely, though not completely, a product of factors outside the control of transit managers. ...

Novel methods to optimize genotypic imputation for low-coverage, next-generation sequence data in crop plants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Next-generation sequencing technology such as genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) made low-cost, but often low-coverage, whole-genome sequencing widely available. Extensive inbreeding in crop plants provides an untapped, high quality source of phased haplotypes for imputing missing genotypes. We introduc...

76 FR 37049 - Improving Wireless Coverage Through the Use of Signal Boosters

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-24

... FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION 47 CFR Parts 1, 2, 22, 24, 27, 90 and 95 [WT Docket No. 10-4; DA 11-1078] Improving Wireless Coverage Through the Use of Signal Boosters AGENCY: Federal Communications Commission. ACTION: Proposed rule; extension of comment period. SUMMARY: The Federal...

26 CFR 54.4980B-8 - Paying for COBRA continuation coverage.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... employee's family are covered under the plan. The employee experiences a qualifying event that is the termination of the employee's employment. The employee's family qualifies for the disability extension because... with respect to the employee's family for the first 18 months of COBRA continuation coverage, and the...

Clustered lot quality assurance sampling: a tool to monitor immunization coverage rapidly during a national yellow fever and polio vaccination campaign in Cameroon, May 2009.

PubMed

Pezzoli, L; Tchio, R; Dzossa, A D; Ndjomo, S; Takeu, A; Anya, B; Ticha, J; Ronveaux, O; Lewis, R F

2012-01-01

We used the clustered lot quality assurance sampling (clustered-LQAS) technique to identify districts with low immunization coverage and guide mop-up actions during the last 4 days of a combined oral polio vaccine (OPV) and yellow fever (YF) vaccination campaign conducted in Cameroon in May 2009. We monitored 17 pre-selected districts at risk for low coverage. We designed LQAS plans to reject districts with YF vaccination coverage <90% and with OPV coverage <95%. In each lot the sample size was 50 (five clusters of 10) with decision values of 3 for assessing OPV and 7 for YF coverage. We 'rejected' 10 districts for low YF coverage and 14 for low OPV coverage. Hence we recommended a 2-day extension of the campaign. Clustered-LQAS proved to be useful in guiding the campaign vaccination strategy before the completion of the operations.

Search for Spatially Extended Fermi-LAT Sources Using Two Years of Data

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

Lande, Joshua; Ackermann, Markus; Allafort, Alice

2012-07-13

Spatial extension is an important characteristic for correctly associating {gamma}-ray-emitting sources with their counterparts at other wavelengths and for obtaining an unbiased model of their spectra. We present a new method for quantifying the spatial extension of sources detected by the Large Area Telescope (LAT), the primary science instrument on the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi). We perform a series of Monte Carlo simulations to validate this tool and calculate the LAT threshold for detecting the spatial extension of sources. We then test all sources in the second Fermi -LAT catalog (2FGL) for extension. We report the detection of sevenmore » new spatially extended sources.« less

Spatial fuel data products of the LANDFIRE Project

Treesearch

Matt Reeves; Kevin C. Ryan; Matthew G. Rollins; Thomas G. Thompson

2009-01-01

The Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) Project is mapping wildland fuels, vegetation, and fire regime characteristics across the United States. The LANDFIRE project is unique because of its national scope, creating an integrated product suite at 30-m spatial resolution and complete spatial coverage of all lands within the 50...

Predictability of the California Current System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Arthur J.; Chereskin, T.; Cornuelle, B. D.; Niiler, P. P.; Moisan, J. R.; Lindstrom, Eric (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The physical and biological oceanography of the Southern California Bight (SCB), a highly productive subregion of the California Current System (CCS) that extends from Point Conception, California, south to Ensenada, Mexico, continues to be extensively studied. For example, the California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigations (CalCOFI) program has sampled this region for over 50 years, providing an unparalleled time series of physical and biological data. However, our understanding of what physical processes control the large-scale and mesoscale variations in these properties is incomplete. In particular, the non-synoptic and relatively coarse spatial sampling (70km) of the hydrographic grid does not completely resolve the mesoscale eddy field (Figure 1a). Moreover, these unresolved physical variations exert a dominant influence on the evolution of the ecosystem. In recent years, additional datasets that partially sample the SCB have become available. Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) measurements, which now sample upper-ocean velocity between stations, and sea level observations along TOPEX tracks give a more complete picture of the mesoscale variability. However, both TOPEX and ADCP are well-sampled only along the cruise or orbit tracks and coarsely sampled in time and between tracks. Surface Lagrangian drifters also sample the region, although irregularly in time and space. SeaWiFS provides estimates of upper-ocean chlorophyll-a (chl-alpha), usually giving nearly complete coverage for week-long intervals, depending on cloud coverage. Historical ocean color data from the Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) has been used extensively to determine phytoplankton patterns and variability, characterize the primary production across the SCB coastal fronts, and describe the seasonal and interannual variability in pigment concentrations. As in CalCOFI, these studies described much of the observed structures and their variability over relatively large space and time scales.

A Query Language for Handling Big Observation Data Sets in the Sensor Web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Autermann, Christian; Stasch, Christoph; Jirka, Simon; Koppe, Roland

2017-04-01

The Sensor Web provides a framework for the standardized Web-based sharing of environmental observations and sensor metadata. While the issue of varying data formats and protocols is addressed by these standards, the fast growing size of observational data is imposing new challenges for the application of these standards. Most solutions for handling big observational datasets currently focus on remote sensing applications, while big in-situ datasets relying on vector features still lack a solid approach. Conventional Sensor Web technologies may not be adequate, as the sheer size of the data transmitted and the amount of metadata accumulated may render traditional OGC Sensor Observation Services (SOS) unusable. Besides novel approaches to store and process observation data in place, e.g. by harnessing big data technologies from mainstream IT, the access layer has to be amended to utilize and integrate these large observational data archives into applications and to enable analysis. For this, an extension to the SOS will be discussed that establishes a query language to dynamically process and filter observations at storage level, similar to the OGC Web Coverage Service (WCS) and it's Web Coverage Processing Service (WCPS) extension. This will enable applications to request e.g. spatial or temporal aggregated data sets in a resolution it is able to display or it requires. The approach will be developed and implemented in cooperation with the The Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research whose catalogue of data compromises marine observations of physical, chemical and biological phenomena from a wide variety of sensors, including mobile (like research vessels, aircrafts or underwater vehicles) and stationary (like buoys or research stations). Observations are made with a high temporal resolution and the resulting time series may span multiple decades.

Implications of atmospheric conditions for analysis of surface temperature variability derived from landscape-scale thermography.

PubMed

Hammerle, Albin; Meier, Fred; Heinl, Michael; Egger, Angelika; Leitinger, Georg

2017-04-01

Thermal infrared (TIR) cameras perfectly bridge the gap between (i) on-site measurements of land surface temperature (LST) providing high temporal resolution at the cost of low spatial coverage and (ii) remotely sensed data from satellites that provide high spatial coverage at relatively low spatio-temporal resolution. While LST data from satellite (LST sat ) and airborne platforms are routinely corrected for atmospheric effects, such corrections are barely applied for LST from ground-based TIR imagery (using TIR cameras; LST cam ). We show the consequences of neglecting atmospheric effects on LST cam of different vegetated surfaces at landscape scale. We compare LST measured from different platforms, focusing on the comparison of LST data from on-site radiometry (LST osr ) and LST cam using a commercially available TIR camera in the region of Bozen/Bolzano (Italy). Given a digital elevation model and measured vertical air temperature profiles, we developed a multiple linear regression model to correct LST cam data for atmospheric influences. We could show the distinct effect of atmospheric conditions and related radiative processes along the measurement path on LST cam , proving the necessity to correct LST cam data on landscape scale, despite their relatively low measurement distances compared to remotely sensed data. Corrected LST cam data revealed the dampening effect of the atmosphere, especially at high temperature differences between the atmosphere and the vegetated surface. Not correcting for these effects leads to erroneous LST estimates, in particular to an underestimation of the heterogeneity in LST, both in time and space. In the most pronounced case, we found a temperature range extension of almost 10 K.

Building a model: developing genomic resources for common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) with low coverage genome sequencing

Treesearch

Shannon C.K. Straub; Mark Fishbein; Tatyana Livshult; Zachary Foster; Matthew Parks; Kevin Weitemier; Richard C. Cronn; Aaron Liston

2011-01-01

Milkweeds (Asclepias L.) have been extensively investigated in diverse areas of evolutionary biology and ecology; however, there are few genetic resources available to facilitate and compliment these studies. This study explored how low coverage genome sequencing of the common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca L.) could be useful in...

Print News Coverage of School-Based Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Mandates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Casciotti, Dana M.; Smith, Katherine C.; Andon, Lindsay; Vernick, Jon; Tsui, Amy; Klassen, Ann C.

2014-01-01

Background: In 2007, legislation was proposed in 24 states and the District of Columbia for school-based human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine mandates, and mandates were enacted in Texas, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Media coverage of these events was extensive, and media messages both reflected and contributed to controversy surrounding…

AirMISR WISCONSIN

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2014-04-25

AirMISR WISCONSIN 2000 Project Title:  AirMISR Discipline:  ... Platform:  ER-2 Spatial Coverage:  Wisconsin (35.92, 43.79)(-97.94, -90.23) Spatial Resolution:  ... Order Data Readme Files:  Readme Wisconsin Read Software Files :  IDL Code ...

The New Destination Disadvantage: Disparities in Hispanic Health Insurance Coverage Rates in Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan New and Established Destinations

PubMed Central

Monnat, Shannon M.

2016-01-01

Hispanics have the lowest health insurance rates of any racial/ethnic group, but rates vary significantly across the U.S. The unprecedented growth of the Hispanic population since 1990 in rural areas with previously small or non-existent Hispanic populations raises questions about disparities in access to health insurance coverage. Identifying spatial disparities in Hispanic health insurance rates can illuminate the specific contexts within which Hispanics are least likely to have health care access and inform policy approaches for increasing coverage in different spatial contexts. Using county-level data from the 2009/2013 American Community Survey, I find that early new destinations (i.e., those that experienced rapid Hispanic population growth during the 1990s) have the lowest Hispanic adult health insurance coverage rates, with little variation by metropolitan status. Conversely, among the most recent new destinations that experienced significant Hispanic population growth during the 2000s, metropolitan counties have Hispanic health insurance rates that are similar to established destinations, but rural counties have Hispanic health insurance rates that are significantly lower than those in established destinations. Findings demonstrate that the new destination disadvantage is driven entirely by higher concentrations of immigrant non-citizen Hispanics in these counties, but labor market conditions were salient drivers of the spatially uneven distribution of foreign-born non-citizen Hispanics to new destinations, particularly in rural areas. PMID:28479612

Standards applicable to owners and operators of hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal facilities; liability coverage requirements--Environmental Protection Agency. Final rule and notice of extension of effective date.

PubMed

1982-07-13

The effective date for qualifications of insurers providing liability insurance used to satisfy liability coverage requirements applicable to owners or operators of hazardous waste management facilities, as such requirements are included in 40 CFR Parts 264 and 265, is extended from July 15, 1982, to October 16, 1982. The effective date for the rest of the liability coverage requirements remains July 15, 1982. This extension is being provided to allow 6 months between the date of promulgation and the effective date for the insurer qualification provision, in accordance with Section 3010(b) of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended. During the period between July 15 and October 16, 1982, owners or operators may use certificates of insurance or policy endorsements that do not certify to the qualifications of the insurer.

Target Coverage in Wireless Sensor Networks with Probabilistic Sensors

PubMed Central

Shan, Anxing; Xu, Xianghua; Cheng, Zongmao

2016-01-01

Sensing coverage is a fundamental problem in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which has attracted considerable attention. Conventional research on this topic focuses on the 0/1 coverage model, which is only a coarse approximation to the practical sensing model. In this paper, we study the target coverage problem, where the objective is to find the least number of sensor nodes in randomly-deployed WSNs based on the probabilistic sensing model. We analyze the joint detection probability of target with multiple sensors. Based on the theoretical analysis of the detection probability, we formulate the minimum ϵ-detection coverage problem. We prove that the minimum ϵ-detection coverage problem is NP-hard and present an approximation algorithm called the Probabilistic Sensor Coverage Algorithm (PSCA) with provable approximation ratios. To evaluate our design, we analyze the performance of PSCA theoretically and also perform extensive simulations to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm. PMID:27618902

[Fair health financing and catastrophic health expenditures: potential impact of the coverage extension of the popular health insurance in Mexico].

PubMed

Knaul, Felicia; Arreola-Ornelas, Héctor; Méndez, Oscar; Martínez, Alejandra

2005-01-01

To assess the impact on fair health financing and household catastrophic health expenditures of the implementation of the Popular Health Insurance (Seguro Popular de Salud). Data analyzed in this study come from the National Income and Expenditure Household Survey (Encuesta Nacional de Ingresos y Gastos de los Hogares, ENIGH), 2000, and the National Health Insurance and Expenditure Survey, (Encuesta Nacional de Aseguramiento y Gasto en Salud, ENAGS), 2001. Estimations are based on projections of extension of the Popular Health Insurance under different conditions of coverage and out-of-pocket expenditure reductions in the uninsured population. The mathematic simulation model assumes applying the new Popular Health Insurance financial structure to the 2000 expenditure values reported by ENIGH, given the probability of affiliation by households. The model of determinants of affiliation to the Popular Health Insurance yielded three significant variables: being in income quintiles I and II, being a female head of household, and that a household member had a medical visit in the past year. Simulation results show that important impacts on the performance of the Mexican Health System will occur in terms of fair financing and catastrophic expenditures, even before achieving the universal coverage goal in 2010. A reduction of 40% in out-of-pocket expenditures and a Popular Health Insurance coverage of 100% will decrease catastrophic health expenditures from 3.4% to 1.6%. Our results show that the reduction of out-of-pocket expenditures generated by the new financing and health provision Popular Health Insurance model, will improve the financial fairness index and the financial contribution to the health system, and will decrease the percentage of households with catastrophic expenditures, even before reaching universal coverage. A greater impact may be expected due to coverage extension initiating in the poorest communities that have a very restricted and progressive financial contribution.

FIRE_CI2_ETL_RADAR

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2015-11-25

FIRE_CI2_ETL_RADAR Project Title:  FIRE II CIRRUS Discipline:  ... Platform:  Ground Station Instrument:  Radar Spatial Coverage:  (37.06, -95.34) Spatial ... Order Data Guide Documents:  ETL_RADAR Guide Readme Files:  Readme ETL_RADAR (PS) ...

New 4.4 km-resolution aerosol product from NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer: A user's guide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nastan, A.; Garay, M. J.; Witek, M. L.; Seidel, F.; Bull, M. A.; Kahn, R. A.; Diner, D. J.

2017-12-01

The NASA Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite has provided an 18-year-and-growing aerosol data record. MISR's V22 aerosol product has been used extensively in studies of regional and global climate and the health effects of particulate air pollution. The MISR team recently released a new version of this product (V23), which increases the spatial resolution from 17.6 km to 4.4 km, improves performance versus AERONET, and provides better spatial coverage, more accurate cloud screening, and improved radiometric conditioning relative to V22. The product formatting was also completely revamped to improve clarity and usability. Established and prospective users of the MISR aerosol product are invited to learn about the features and performance of the new product and to participate in one-on-one demonstrations of how to obtain, visualize, and analyze the new product. Because the aerosol product is used in generating atmospherically-corrected surface bidirectional reflectance factors, improvements in MISR's 1.1 km resolution land surface product are a by-product of the updated aerosol retrievals. Illustrative comparisons of the V22 and V23 aerosol and surface products will be shown.

Spatial patterns of littoral zooplankton assemblages along a salinity gradient in a brackish sea: A functional diversity perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helenius, Laura K.; Leskinen, Elina; Lehtonen, Hannu; Nurminen, Leena

2017-11-01

The distribution patterns and diversity of littoral zooplankton are both key baseline information for understanding the functioning of coastal ecosystems, and for identifying the mechanisms by which the impacts of recently increased eutrophication are transferred through littoral food webs. In this study, zooplankton community structure and diversity along a shallow coastal area of the northern Baltic Sea were determined in terms of horizontal environmental gradients. Spatial heterogeneity of the zooplankton community was examined along the gradient. Altogether 31 sites in shallow sandy bays on the coast of southwest Finland were sampled in the summer periods of 2009 and 2010 for zooplankton and environmental variables (surface water temperature, salinity, turbidity, wave exposure, macrophyte coverage, chlorophyll a and nutrients). Zooplankton diversity was measured as both taxonomic as well as functional diversity, using trait-based classification of planktonic crustaceans. Salinity, and to a lesser extent turbidity and temperature, were found to be the main predictors of the spatial patterns and functional diversity of the zooplankton community. Occurrence of cyclopoid copepods, as well as abundances of the calanoid copepod genus Acartia and the rotifer genus Keratella were found to be key factors in differentiating sites along the gradient. As far as we know, this is the first extensive study of functional diversity in Baltic Sea coastal zooplankton communities.

Neural Correlates of Visual–Spatial Attention in Electrocorticographic Signals in Humans

PubMed Central

Gunduz, Aysegul; Brunner, Peter; Daitch, Amy; Leuthardt, Eric C.; Ritaccio, Anthony L.; Pesaran, Bijan; Schalk, Gerwin

2011-01-01

Attention is a cognitive selection mechanism that allocates the limited processing resources of the brain to the sensory streams most relevant to our immediate goals, thereby enhancing responsiveness and behavioral performance. The underlying neural mechanisms of orienting attention are distributed across a widespread cortical network. While aspects of this network have been extensively studied, details about the electrophysiological dynamics of this network are scarce. In this study, we investigated attentional networks using electrocorticographic (ECoG) recordings from the surface of the brain, which combine broad spatial coverage with high temporal resolution, in five human subjects. ECoG was recorded when subjects covertly attended to a spatial location and responded to contrast changes in the presence of distractors in a modified Posner cueing task. ECoG amplitudes in the alpha, beta, and gamma bands identified neural changes associated with covert attention and motor preparation/execution in the different stages of the task. The results show that attentional engagement was primarily associated with ECoG activity in the visual, prefrontal, premotor, and parietal cortices. Motor preparation/execution was associated with ECoG activity in premotor/sensorimotor cortices. In summary, our results illustrate rich and distributed cortical dynamics that are associated with orienting attention and the subsequent motor preparation and execution. These findings are largely consistent with and expand on primate studies using intracortical recordings and human functional neuroimaging studies. PMID:22046153

Local cooling and warming effects of forests based on satellite observations.

PubMed

Li, Yan; Zhao, Maosheng; Motesharrei, Safa; Mu, Qiaozhen; Kalnay, Eugenia; Li, Shuangcheng

2015-03-31

The biophysical effects of forests on climate have been extensively studied with climate models. However, models cannot accurately reproduce local climate effects due to their coarse spatial resolution and uncertainties, and field observations are valuable but often insufficient due to their limited coverage. Here we present new evidence acquired from global satellite data to analyse the biophysical effects of forests on local climate. Results show that tropical forests have a strong cooling effect throughout the year; temperate forests show moderate cooling in summer and moderate warming in winter with net cooling annually; and boreal forests have strong warming in winter and moderate cooling in summer with net warming annually. The spatiotemporal cooling or warming effects are mainly driven by the two competing biophysical effects, evapotranspiration and albedo, which in turn are strongly influenced by rainfall and snow. Implications of our satellite-based study could be useful for informing local forestry policies.

UWE-3, in-orbit performance and lessons learned of a modular and flexible satellite bus for future pico-satellite formations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Busch, S.; Bangert, P.; Dombrovski, S.; Schilling, K.

2015-12-01

Formations of small satellites offer promising perspectives due to improved temporal and spatial coverage and resolution at reasonable costs. The UWE-program addresses in-orbit demonstrations of key technologies to enable formations of cooperating distributed spacecraft at pico-satellite level. In this context, the CubeSat UWE-3 addresses experiments for evaluation of real-time attitude determination and control. UWE-3 introduces also a modular and flexible pico-satellite bus as a robust and extensible base for future missions. Technical objective was a very low power consumption of the COTS-based system, nevertheless providing a robust performance of this miniature satellite by advanced microprocessor redundancy and fault detection, identification and recovery software. This contribution addresses the UWE-3 design and mission results with emphasis on the operational experiences of the attitude determination and control system.

Local cooling and warming effects of forests based on satellite observations

PubMed Central

Li, Yan; Zhao, Maosheng; Motesharrei, Safa; Mu, Qiaozhen; Kalnay, Eugenia; Li, Shuangcheng

2015-01-01

The biophysical effects of forests on climate have been extensively studied with climate models. However, models cannot accurately reproduce local climate effects due to their coarse spatial resolution and uncertainties, and field observations are valuable but often insufficient due to their limited coverage. Here we present new evidence acquired from global satellite data to analyse the biophysical effects of forests on local climate. Results show that tropical forests have a strong cooling effect throughout the year; temperate forests show moderate cooling in summer and moderate warming in winter with net cooling annually; and boreal forests have strong warming in winter and moderate cooling in summer with net warming annually. The spatiotemporal cooling or warming effects are mainly driven by the two competing biophysical effects, evapotranspiration and albedo, which in turn are strongly influenced by rainfall and snow. Implications of our satellite-based study could be useful for informing local forestry policies. PMID:25824529

Satellite Remote Sensing of Cirrus: An Overview

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Minnis, Patrick

1998-01-01

The determination of cirrus properties over relatively large spatial and temporal scales will, in most instances, require the use of satellite data. Global coverage, at resolutions as high as several meters are attainable with Landsat, while temporal coverage at 1-min intervals is now available with the latest Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) imagers. Cirrus can be analyzed via interpretation of the radiation that they reflect or emit over a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Many of these spectra and high-resolution satellite data can be used to understand certain aspects of cirrus clouds in particular situations. Production of a global climatology of cirrus clouds, however, requires compromises in spatial, temporal, and spectral coverage. This paper summarizes the state of the art and the potential for future passive remote sensing systems for both understanding cirrus formation and acquiring sufficient statistics to constrain and refine weather and climate models.

Money 2000: A Model Extension Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Nancy M.; Christenbury, Joyce H.

1999-01-01

Money 2000 is a South Carolina program that educates participants in personal savings and debt reduction. It is marketed through state-local government agency collaboration, promotional items, and extensive media coverage. It targets a diversified audience, including youth, rural farm families, and families with limited resources. (SK)

Heterogeneity in the spread and control of infectious disease: consequences for the elimination of canine rabies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferguson, Elaine A.; Hampson, Katie; Cleaveland, Sarah; Consunji, Ramona; Deray, Raffy; Friar, John; Haydon, Daniel T.; Jimenez, Joji; Pancipane, Marlon; Townsend, Sunny E.

2015-12-01

Understanding the factors influencing vaccination campaign effectiveness is vital in designing efficient disease elimination programmes. We investigated the importance of spatial heterogeneity in vaccination coverage and human-mediated dog movements for the elimination of endemic canine rabies by mass dog vaccination in Region VI of the Philippines (Western Visayas). Household survey data was used to parameterise a spatially-explicit rabies transmission model with realistic dog movement and vaccination coverage scenarios, assuming a basic reproduction number for rabies drawn from the literature. This showed that heterogeneous vaccination reduces elimination prospects relative to homogeneous vaccination at the same overall level. Had the three vaccination campaigns completed in Region VI in 2010-2012 been homogeneous, they would have eliminated rabies with high probability. However, given the observed heterogeneity, three further campaigns may be required to achieve elimination with probability 0.95. We recommend that heterogeneity be reduced in future campaigns through targeted efforts in low coverage areas, even at the expense of reduced coverage in previously high coverage areas. Reported human-mediated dog movements did not reduce elimination probability, so expending limited resources on restricting dog movements is unnecessary in this endemic setting. Enhanced surveillance will be necessary post-elimination, however, given the reintroduction risk from long-distance dog movements.

75 FR 13595 - Publication of Model Notices for Health Care Continuation Coverage Provided Pursuant to the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-22

... Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), as Further Amended by the Temporary Extension Act (TEA) of 2010, Notice AGENCY... Model Health Care Continuation Coverage Notices required by ARRA, as further amended by TEA. SUMMARY: On... notices required by ARRA, as further amended by TEA. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kevin Horahan or...

Database Overlap vs. Complementary Coverage in Forestry and Forest Products: Factors in Database Acquisition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hoover, Ryan E.

This study examines (1) subject content, (2) file size, (3) types of documents indexed, (4) range of years spanned, and (5) level of indexing and abstracting in five databases which collectively provide extensive coverage of the forestry and forest products industries: AGRICOLA, CAB ABSTRACTS, FOREST PRODUCTS (AIDS), PAPERCHEM, and PIRA. The…

Integration of lidar and Landsat ETM+ data for estimating and mapping forest canopy height.

Treesearch

Andrew T. Hudak; Michael A. Lefsky; Warren B. Cohen; Mercedes Berterretche

2002-01-01

Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) data provide accurate measurements of forest canopy structure in the vertical plane; however, current LIDAR sensors have limited coverage in the horizontal plane. Landsat data provide extensive coverage of generalized forest structural classes in the horizontal plane but are relatively insensitive to variation in forest canopy height...

TES/Aura L3 Carbon Monoxide (CO) Monthly (TL3COM)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-02-28

... TES Aura L1B Nadir Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km Spatial Resolution:  0.5 x 5 km ... Guide Documents:  Data User's Guide (PDF):  Level 3 Level 3 Algorithms, Requirements, & Products (PDF) ...

A Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer for Laboratory Astrophysics; First Interferogram

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawler, J. E.; Labby, Z. E.; Roesler, F. L.; Harlander, J.

2006-01-01

A Spatial Heterodyne Spectrometer with broad spectral coverage across the VUV - UV region and with a high (> 500,000 ) spectral resolving power is being built for laboratory measurements of spectroscopic data including emission branching fractions, improved level energies, and hyperfine/isotopic parameters.

Superwide-angle coverage code-multiplexed optical scanner.

PubMed

Riza, Nabeel A; Arain, Muzammil A

2004-05-01

A superwide-angle coverage code-multiplexed optical scanner is presented that has the potential to provide 4 pi-sr coverage. As a proof-of-concept experiment, an angular scan range of 288 degrees for six randomly distributed beams is demonstrated. The proposed scanner achieves its superwide coverage by exploiting a combination of phase-encoded transmission and reflection holography within an in-line hologram recording-retrieval geometry. The basic scanner unit consists of one phase-only digital mode spatial light modulator for code entry (i.e., beam scan control) and a holographic material from which we obtained what we believe is the first-of-a-kind extremely wide coverage, low component count, high speed (e.g., microsecond domain), and large aperture (e.g., > 1-cm diameter) scanner.

Cherenkov detectors for spatial imaging applications using discrete-energy photons

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

Rose, Paul B.; Erickson, Anna S., E-mail: erickson@gatech.edu

Cherenkov detectors can offer a significant advantage in spatial imaging applications when excellent timing response, low noise and cross talk, large area coverage, and the ability to operate in magnetic fields are required. We show that an array of Cherenkov detectors with crude energy resolution coupled with monochromatic photons resulting from a low-energy nuclear reaction can be used to produce a sharp image of material while providing large and inexpensive detector coverage. The analysis of the detector response to relative transmission of photons with various energies allows for reconstruction of material's effective atomic number further aiding in high-Z material identification.

The Area Coverage of Geophysical Fields as a Function of Sensor Field-of View

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Key, Jeffrey R.

1994-01-01

In many remote sensing studies of geophysical fields such as clouds, land cover, or sea ice characteristics, the fractional area coverage of the field in an image is estimated as the proportion of pixels that have the characteristic of interest (i.e., are part of the field) as determined by some thresholding operation. The effect of sensor field-of-view on this estimate is examined by modeling the unknown distribution of subpixel area fraction with the beta distribution, whose two parameters depend upon the true fractional area coverage, the pixel size, and the spatial structure of the geophysical field. Since it is often not possible to relate digital number, reflectance, or temperature to subpixel area fraction, the statistical models described are used to determine the effect of pixel size and thresholding operations on the estimate of area fraction for hypothetical geophysical fields. Examples are given for simulated cumuliform clouds and linear openings in sea ice, whose spatial structures are described by an exponential autocovariance function. It is shown that the rate and direction of change in total area fraction with changing pixel size depends on the true area fraction, the spatial structure, and the thresholding operation used.

Continuous strife for better coverage and more details in ocean surface winds measurements - from Midori and ADEOS-2 to GCOM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Xie, X.; Liu, W.; Hu, H.; Tang, W.

2001-01-01

The series of joint U.S.-Japan spaceborne scatterometers missions to provide continuous measurements of ocean wind vectors is reviewed. Examples of the scientific impact of the continuous effort in improving spatial resolution and coverage are provided. The plan for the future is reviewed.

TES/Aura L3 Methane (CH4) Monthly (TL3CH4M)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-02-28

... TES Aura L1B Nadir Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km Spatial Resolution:  0.5 x 5 km ... Guide Documents:  Data User's Guide (PDF):  Level 3 Level 3 Algorithms, Requirements, & Products (PDF) ...

Towards a Framework for Generating Tests to Satisfy Complex Code Coverage in Java Pathfinder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Staats, Matt

2009-01-01

We present work on a prototype tool based on the JavaPathfinder (JPF) model checker for automatically generating tests satisfying the MC/DC code coverage criterion. Using the Eclipse IDE, developers and testers can quickly instrument Java source code with JPF annotations covering all MC/DC coverage obligations, and JPF can then be used to automatically generate tests that satisfy these obligations. The prototype extension to JPF enables various tasks useful in automatic test generation to be performed, such as test suite reduction and execution of generated tests.

[Correlationships between the coverage of vegetation and the quality of groundwater in the lower reaches of the Tarim River].

PubMed

Chen, Yong-jin; Chen, Ya-ning; Liu, Jia-zhen

2010-03-01

The variations vegetation coverage is the result of conjunct effects of inner and outer energy of the earth, however, the human activity always makes the coverage of vegetation change a lot. Based on the monitoring data of chemistry of groundwater and the coverage of vegetation from 2002 to 2007 in the lower reaches of Tarim River, relations between vegetation coverage and groundwater chemistry were studied. It is found that vegetation coverage at Sector A was more than 80%, and decreased from sector to sector, the coverage of Sector I was less than 10%. At the same sector, samples near to water source owned high coverage index, and samples far away from the river had low coverage index. The variations of pH in groundwater expressed similar regulation to vegetation coverage, that is, Sectors near the water source had higher pH index comparing than those far away. Regression between groundwater quality and vegetation coverage disclosed that the coverage of Populus euphratica climbed up along with increase of pH in groundwater, change of Tamarix ramosissima coverage expressed an opposite trend to the Populus euphratica with the same environmental factors. This phenomenon can interpret spatial distribution of Populus euphratica and Tamarix ramosissima in lower reaches of the Tarim River.

Hierarchical spatial models of abundance and occurrence from imperfect survey data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Royle, J. Andrew; Kery, M.; Gautier, R.; Schmid, Hans

2007-01-01

Many estimation and inference problems arising from large-scale animal surveys are focused on developing an understanding of patterns in abundance or occurrence of a species based on spatially referenced count data. One fundamental challenge, then, is that it is generally not feasible to completely enumerate ('census') all individuals present in each sample unit. This observation bias may consist of several components, including spatial coverage bias (not all individuals in the Population are exposed to sampling) and detection bias (exposed individuals may go undetected). Thus, observations are biased for the state variable (abundance, occupancy) that is the object of inference. Moreover, data are often sparse for most observation locations, requiring consideration of methods for spatially aggregating or otherwise combining sparse data among sample units. The development of methods that unify spatial statistical models with models accommodating non-detection is necessary to resolve important spatial inference problems based on animal survey data. In this paper, we develop a novel hierarchical spatial model for estimation of abundance and occurrence from survey data wherein detection is imperfect. Our application is focused on spatial inference problems in the Swiss Survey of Common Breeding Birds. The observation model for the survey data is specified conditional on the unknown quadrat population size, N(s). We augment the observation model with a spatial process model for N(s), describing the spatial variation in abundance of the species. The model includes explicit sources of variation in habitat structure (forest, elevation) and latent variation in the form of a correlated spatial process. This provides a model-based framework for combining the spatially referenced samples while at the same time yielding a unified treatment of estimation problems involving both abundance and occurrence. We provide a Bayesian framework for analysis and prediction based on the integrated likelihood, and we use the model to obtain estimates of abundance and occurrence maps for the European Jay (Garrulus glandarius), a widespread, elusive, forest bird. The naive national abundance estimate ignoring imperfect detection and incomplete quadrat coverage was 77 766 territories. Accounting for imperfect detection added approximately 18 000 territories, and adjusting for coverage bias added another 131 000 territories to yield a fully corrected estimate of the national total of about 227 000 territories. This is approximately three times as high as previous estimates that assume every territory is detected in each quadrat.

TES/Aura L3 Ammonia (NH3) Daily V3 (TL3NH3D)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-03-14

... TES Aura L1B Nadir Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km Spatial Resolution:  0.5 x 5 km ... Guide Documents:  Data User's Guide (PDF):  Level 3 Level 3 Algorithms, Requirements, & Products (PDF) ...

Competition between plant functional types in the Canadian Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (CTEM) v. 2.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melton, J. R.; Arora, V. K.

2015-06-01

The Canadian Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (CTEM) is the interactive vegetation component in the Earth system model of the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis. CTEM models land-atmosphere exchange of CO2 through the response of carbon in living vegetation, and dead litter and soil pools, to changes in weather and climate at timescales of days to centuries. Version 1.0 of CTEM uses prescribed fractional coverage of plant functional types (PFTs) although, in reality, vegetation cover continually adapts to changes in climate, atmospheric composition, and anthropogenic forcing. Changes in the spatial distribution of vegetation occur on timescales of years to centuries as vegetation distributions inherently have inertia. Here, we present version 2.0 of CTEM which includes a representation of competition between PFTs based on a modified version of the Lotka-Volterra (L-V) predator-prey equations. Our approach is used to dynamically simulate the fractional coverage of CTEM's seven natural, non-crop PFTs which are then compared with available observation-based estimates. Results from CTEM v. 2.0 show the model is able to represent the broad spatial distributions of its seven PFTs at the global scale. However, differences remain between modelled and observation-based fractional coverages of PFTs since representing the multitude of plant species globally, with just seven non-crop PFTs, only captures the large scale climatic controls on PFT distributions. As expected, PFTs that exist in climate niches are difficult to represent either due to the coarse spatial resolution of the model, and the corresponding driving climate, or the limited number of PFTs used. We also simulate the fractional coverages of PFTs using unmodified L-V equations to illustrate its limitations. The geographic and zonal distributions of primary terrestrial carbon pools and fluxes from the versions of CTEM that use prescribed and dynamically simulated fractional coverage of PFTs compare reasonably well with each other and observation-based estimates. The parametrization of competition between PFTs in CTEM v. 2.0 based on the modified L-V equations behaves in a reasonably realistic manner and yields a tool with which to investigate the changes in spatial distribution of vegetation in response to future changes in climate.

Competition between plant functional types in the Canadian Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (CTEM) v. 2.0

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melton, J. R.; Arora, V. K.

2016-01-01

The Canadian Terrestrial Ecosystem Model (CTEM) is the interactive vegetation component in the Earth system model of the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis. CTEM models land-atmosphere exchange of CO2 through the response of carbon in living vegetation, and dead litter and soil pools, to changes in weather and climate at timescales of days to centuries. Version 1.0 of CTEM uses prescribed fractional coverage of plant functional types (PFTs) although, in reality, vegetation cover continually adapts to changes in climate, atmospheric composition and anthropogenic forcing. Changes in the spatial distribution of vegetation occur on timescales of years to centuries as vegetation distributions inherently have inertia. Here, we present version 2.0 of CTEM, which includes a representation of competition between PFTs based on a modified version of the Lotka-Volterra (L-V) predator-prey equations. Our approach is used to dynamically simulate the fractional coverage of CTEM's seven natural, non-crop PFTs, which are then compared with available observation-based estimates. Results from CTEM v. 2.0 show the model is able to represent the broad spatial distributions of its seven PFTs at the global scale. However, differences remain between modelled and observation-based fractional coverage of PFTs since representing the multitude of plant species globally, with just seven non-crop PFTs, only captures the large-scale climatic controls on PFT distributions. As expected, PFTs that exist in climate niches are difficult to represent either due to the coarse spatial resolution of the model, and the corresponding driving climate, or the limited number of PFTs used. We also simulate the fractional coverage of PFTs using unmodified L-V equations to illustrate its limitations. The geographic and zonal distributions of primary terrestrial carbon pools and fluxes from the versions of CTEM that use prescribed and dynamically simulated fractional coverage of PFTs compare reasonably well with each other and observation-based estimates. The parametrization of competition between PFTs in CTEM v. 2.0 based on the modified L-V equations behaves in a reasonably realistic manner and yields a tool with which to investigate the changes in spatial distribution of vegetation in response to future changes in climate.

Digital geologic map of the Thirsty Canyon NW quadrangle, Nye County, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Minor, S.A.; Orkild, P.P.; Sargent, K.A.; Warren, R.G.; Sawyer, D.A.; Workman, J.B.

1998-01-01

This digital geologic map compilation presents new polygon (i.e., geologic map unit contacts), line (i.e., fault, fold axis, dike, and caldera wall), and point (i.e., structural attitude) vector data for the Thirsty Canyon NW 7 1/2' quadrangle in southern Nevada. The map database, which is at 1:24,000-scale resolution, provides geologic coverage of an area of current hydrogeologic and tectonic interest. The Thirsty Canyon NW quadrangle is located in southern Nye County about 20 km west of the Nevada Test Site (NTS) and 30 km north of the town of Beatty. The map area is underlain by extensive layers of Neogene (about 14 to 4.5 million years old [Ma]) mafic and silicic volcanic rocks that are temporally and spatially associated with transtensional tectonic deformation. Mapped volcanic features include part of a late Miocene (about 9.2 Ma) collapse caldera, a Pliocene (about 4.5 Ma) shield volcano, and two Pleistocene (about 0.3 Ma) cinder cones. Also documented are numerous normal, oblique-slip, and strike-slip faults that reflect regional transtensional deformation along the southern part of the Walker Lane belt. The Thirsty Canyon NW map provides new geologic information for modeling groundwater flow paths that may enter the map area from underground nuclear testing areas located in the NTS about 25 km to the east. The geologic map database comprises six component ArcINFO map coverages that can be accessed after decompressing and unbundling the data archive file (tcnw.tar.gz). These six coverages (tcnwpoly, tcnwflt, tcnwfold, tcnwdike, tcnwcald, and tcnwatt) are formatted here in ArcINFO EXPORT format. Bundled with this database are two PDF files for readily viewing and printing the map, accessory graphics, and a description of map units and compilation methods.

Changes in Arctic and Antarctic Sea Ice as a Microcosm of Global Climate Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Parkinson, Claire L.

2014-01-01

Polar sea ice is a key element of the climate system and has now been monitored through satellite observations for over three and a half decades. The satellite observations reveal considerable information about polar ice and its changes since the late 1970s, including a prominent downward trend in Arctic sea ice coverage and a much lesser upward trend in Antarctic sea ice coverage, illustrative of the important fact that climate change entails spatial contrasts. The decreasing ice coverage in the Arctic corresponds well with contemporaneous Arctic warming and exhibits particularly large decreases in the summers of 2007 and 2012, influenced by both preconditioning and atmospheric conditions. The increasing ice coverage in the Antarctic is not as readily explained, but spatial differences in the Antarctic trends suggest a possible connection with atmospheric circulation changes that have perhaps been influenced by the Antarctic ozone hole. The changes in the polar ice covers and the issues surrounding those changes have many commonalities with broader climate changes and their surrounding issues, allowing the sea ice changes to be viewed in some important ways as a microcosm of global climate change.

Analysis on Temporal-Spatial Changes of Vegetation Cverrge in Farming-Pastoral Ecotone of Inner Mongolia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, X.; Li, J.; Yang, Z.

2018-04-01

Chen Barag Banner is located in the typical farming-pastoral ecotone of Inner Mongolia, and it is also the core area of Hulunbuir steppe. Typical agricultural and pastoral staggered production mode so that the vegetation growth of the region not only determines the local ecological environment, and animal husbandry production, but also have a significant impact on the whole Hulunbuir ecological security and economic development. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the change of vegetation in this area. Based on 17 MODIS Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) images, the authors reconstructed the dynamic change characteristics of Fraction vegetation coverage (FVC) in Chen Barag Banner from 2000 to 2016. In this paper, first at all, Pixel Decomposition Models was introduced to inversion FVC, and the time series of vegetation coverage was reconstructed. Then we analyzed the temporal-spatial changes of FVC by employing transition matrix. Finally, through image analyzing and processing, the results showed that the vegetation coverage in the study area was influenced by effectors including climate, topography and human actives. In the past 17 years, the overall effect of vegetation coverage showed a downward trend of fluctuation. The average vegetation coverage decreased from 58.81 % in 2000 to 48.14 % in 2016, and the area of vegetation cover degradation accounts for 40.09 % of the total change area. Therefore, the overall degradation trend was obvious.

Analysis of Monoclonal Antibodies in Human Serum as a Model for Clinical Monoclonal Gammopathy by Use of 21 Tesla FT-ICR Top-Down and Middle-Down MS/MS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Lidong; Anderson, Lissa C.; Barnidge, David R.; Murray, David L.; Hendrickson, Christopher L.; Marshall, Alan G.

2017-05-01

With the rapid growth of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), stringent quality control is needed to ensure clinical safety and efficacy. Monoclonal antibody primary sequence and post-translational modifications (PTM) are conventionally analyzed with labor-intensive, bottom-up tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS), which is limited by incomplete peptide sequence coverage and introduction of artifacts during the lengthy analysis procedure. Here, we describe top-down and middle-down approaches with the advantages of fast sample preparation with minimal artifacts, ultrahigh mass accuracy, and extensive residue cleavages by use of 21 tesla FT-ICR MS/MS. The ultrahigh mass accuracy yields an RMS error of 0.2-0.4 ppm for antibody light chain, heavy chain, heavy chain Fc/2, and Fd subunits. The corresponding sequence coverages are 81%, 38%, 72%, and 65% with MS/MS RMS error 4 ppm. Extension to a monoclonal antibody in human serum as a monoclonal gammopathy model yielded 53% sequence coverage from two nano-LC MS/MS runs. A blind analysis of five therapeutic monoclonal antibodies at clinically relevant concentrations in human serum resulted in correct identification of all five antibodies. Nano-LC 21 T FT-ICR MS/MS provides nonpareil mass resolution, mass accuracy, and sequence coverage for mAbs, and sets a benchmark for MS/MS analysis of multiple mAbs in serum. This is the first time that extensive cleavages for both variable and constant regions have been achieved for mAbs in a human serum background.

Racial Coverage of the 1950s Print Media and the Case of Emmett Till.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhodes, Jane

The Emmett Till murder case in 1955 marked the turning point in the coverage of blacks by the white American press. Till, a black teenager from Chicago, was murdered in 1955 while visiting relatives in Mississippi. The Till murder was covered extensively in the press, since the two white men charged with killing him were acquitted by an all-white,…

The "Localism Doctrine" and Use of SNG Vehicles: A Study of Geographic Coverage by Local Television News.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernstein, James M.; And Others

A study compared local and non-local coverage across three market sizes in two states (Michigan and Oregon) and examined the extent to which the use of news gathering technologies differed across market size. The study was a replication and extension of a 13-year old study by William C. Adams and explored the possible impact of technological…

Out of the Streets and into the Classroom? The New Left and the Counterculture in United States History Textbooks.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schulman, Bruce J.

1999-01-01

Discusses the coverage of the 1960s protests in U.S. history textbooks focusing on the New Left ideology and the counterculture of the time where these topics are either dismissed or subordinated within the textbook content. Provides justification for including more extensive coverage of the New Left and sixties counterculture within textbooks.…

Spatial Coverage Planning for a Planetary Rover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaines, Daniel M.; Estlin, Tara; Chouinard, Caroline

2008-01-01

We are developing onboard planning and execution technologies to support the exploration and characterization of geological features by autonomous rovers. In order to generate high quality mission plans, an autonomous rover must reason about the relative importance of the observations it can perform. In this paper we look at the scientific criteria of selecting observations that improve the quality of the area covered by samples. Our approach makes use of a priori information, if available, and allows scientists to mark sub-regions of the area with relative priorities for exploration. We use an efficient algorithm for prioritizing observations based on spatial coverage that allows the system to update observation rankings as new information is gained during execution.

AIRS Views of Anthropogenic and Biomass Burning CO: INTEX-B/MILAGRO and TEXAQS/GoMACCS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMillan, W. W.; Warner, J.; Wicks, D.; Barnet, C.; Sachse, G.; Chu, A.; Sparling, L.

2006-12-01

Utilizing the Atmospheric InfraRed Sounder's (AIRS) unique spatial and temporal coverage, we present observations of anthropogenic and biomass burning CO emissions as observed by AIRS during the 2006 field experiments INTEX-B/MILAGRO and TEXAQS/GoMACCS. AIRS daily CO maps covering more than 75% of the planet demonstrate the near global transport of these emissions. AIRS day/night coverage of significant portions of the Earth often show substantial changes in 12 hours or less. However, the coarse vertical resolution of AIRS retrieved CO complicates its interpretation. For example, extensive CO emissions are evident from Asia during April and May 2006, but it is difficult to determine the relative contributions of biomass burning in Thailand vs. domestic and industrial emissions from China. Similarly, sometimes AIRS sees enhanced CO over and downwind of Mexico City and other populated areas. AIRS low information content and decreasing sensitivity in the boundary layer can result in underestimates of CO total columns and free tropospheric abundances. Building on our analyses of INTEX-A/ICARTT data from 2004, we present comparisons with INTEX-B/MILAGRO and TEXAQS/GoMACCS in situ aircraft measurements and other satellite CO observations. The combined analysis of AIRS CO, water vapor and O3 retrievals; MODIS aerosol optical depths; and forward trajectory computations illuminate a variety of dynamical processes in the troposphere.

Programming an Artificial Neural Network Tool for Spatial Interpolation in GIS - A Case Study for Indoor Radio Wave Propagation of WLAN.

PubMed

Sen, Alper; Gümüsay, M Umit; Kavas, Aktül; Bulucu, Umut

2008-09-25

Wireless communication networks offer subscribers the possibilities of free mobility and access to information anywhere at any time. Therefore, electromagnetic coverage calculations are important for wireless mobile communication systems, especially in Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). Before any propagation computation is performed, modeling of indoor radio wave propagation needs accurate geographical information in order to avoid the interruption of data transmissions. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial interpolation techniques are very efficient for performing indoor radio wave propagation modeling. This paper describes the spatial interpolation of electromagnetic field measurements using a feed-forward back-propagation neural network programmed as a tool in GIS. The accuracy of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and geostatistical Kriging were compared by adjusting procedures. The feedforward back-propagation ANN provides adequate accuracy for spatial interpolation, but the predictions of Kriging interpolation are more accurate than the selected ANN. The proposed GIS ensures indoor radio wave propagation model and electromagnetic coverage, the number, position and transmitter power of access points and electromagnetic radiation level. Pollution analysis in a given propagation environment was done and it was demonstrated that WLAN (2.4 GHz) electromagnetic coverage does not lead to any electromagnetic pollution due to the low power levels used. Example interpolated electromagnetic field values for WLAN system in a building of Yildiz Technical University, Turkey, were generated using the selected network architectures to illustrate the results with an ANN.

Programming an Artificial Neural Network Tool for Spatial Interpolation in GIS - A Case Study for Indoor Radio Wave Propagation of WLAN

PubMed Central

Şen, Alper; Gümüşay, M. Ümit; Kavas, Aktül; Bulucu, Umut

2008-01-01

Wireless communication networks offer subscribers the possibilities of free mobility and access to information anywhere at any time. Therefore, electromagnetic coverage calculations are important for wireless mobile communication systems, especially in Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs). Before any propagation computation is performed, modeling of indoor radio wave propagation needs accurate geographical information in order to avoid the interruption of data transmissions. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial interpolation techniques are very efficient for performing indoor radio wave propagation modeling. This paper describes the spatial interpolation of electromagnetic field measurements using a feed-forward back-propagation neural network programmed as a tool in GIS. The accuracy of Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) and geostatistical Kriging were compared by adjusting procedures. The feedforward back-propagation ANN provides adequate accuracy for spatial interpolation, but the predictions of Kriging interpolation are more accurate than the selected ANN. The proposed GIS ensures indoor radio wave propagation model and electromagnetic coverage, the number, position and transmitter power of access points and electromagnetic radiation level. Pollution analysis in a given propagation environment was done and it was demonstrated that WLAN (2.4 GHz) electromagnetic coverage does not lead to any electromagnetic pollution due to the low power levels used. Example interpolated electromagnetic field values for WLAN system in a building of Yildiz Technical University, Turkey, were generated using the selected network architectures to illustrate the results with an ANN. PMID:27873854

Globalization and multi-spatial trends in the coverage of protected-area conservation (1980-2000).

PubMed

Zimmerer, Karl S; Galt, Ryan E; Buck, Margaret V

2004-12-01

This study is focused on the global expansion of protected-area coverage that occurred during the 1980--2000 period. We examine the multi-scale patterning of four of the basic facets of this expansion: i) estimated increases at the world-regional and country-level scales of total protected-area coverage; ii) transboundary protected areas; iii) conservation corridor projects; and iv) type of conservation management. Geospatial patterning of protected-area designations is a reflection of the priorities of global conservation organizations and the globalization of post-Cold War political and economic arrangements. Local and national-level factors (political leadership and infrastructure) as well as international relations such as multilateral and bilateral aid combine with these globalization processes to impact the extent, type, and location of protected-area designations. We conclude that the interaction of these factors led to the creation and reinforcement of marked spatial differences (rather than tendencies toward worldwide evenness or homogenization) in the course of protected-area expansion during the 1980--2000 period.

Environmental Risk Factors for the Incidence of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in a Sub-Andean Zone of Colombia (Chaparral, Tolima)

PubMed Central

Valderrama-Ardila, Carlos; Alexander, Neal; Ferro, Cristina; Cadena, Horacio; Marín, Dairo; Holford, Theodore R.; Munstermann, Leonard E.; Ocampo, Clara B.

2010-01-01

Environmental risk factors for cutaneous leishmaniasis were investigated for the largest outbreak recorded in Colombia. The outbreak began in 2003 in Chaparral, and in the following five years produced 2,313 cases in a population of 56,228. Candidate predictor variables were land use, elevation, and climatic variables such as mean temperature and precipitation. Spatial analysis showed that incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis was higher in townships with mean temperatures in the middle of the county's range. Incidence was independently associated with higher coverage with forest or shrubs (2.6% greater for each additional percent coverage, 95% credible interval [CI] = 0.5–4.9%), and lower population density (22% lower for each additional 100 persons/km2, 95% CI = 7–41%). The extent of forest or shrub coverage did not show major changes over time. These findings confirmed the roles of climate and land use in leishmaniasis transmission. However, environmental variables were not sufficient to explain the spatial variation in incidence. PMID:20134000

Coniferous coverage as well as catchment steepness influences local stream nitrate concentrations within a nitrogen-saturated forest in central Japan.

PubMed

Watanabe, Mirai; Miura, Shingo; Hasegawa, Shun; Koshikawa, Masami K; Takamatsu, Takejiro; Kohzu, Ayato; Imai, Akio; Hayashi, Seiji

2018-04-28

High concentrations of nitrate have been detected in streams flowing from nitrogen-saturated forests; however, the spatial variations of nitrate leaching within those forests and its causes remain poorly explored. The aim of this study is to evaluate the influences of catchment topography and coniferous coverage on stream nitrate concentrations in a nitrogen-saturated forest. We measured nitrate concentrations in the baseflow of headwater streams at 40 montane forest catchments on Mount Tsukuba in central Japan, at three-month intervals for 1 year, and investigated their relationship with catchment topography and with coniferous coverage. Although stream nitrate concentrations varied from 0.5 to 3.0 mgN L -1 , those in 31 catchments consistently exceeded 1 mgN L -1 , indicating that this forest had experienced nitrogen saturation. A classification and regression tree analysis with multiple environmental factors showed that the mean slope gradient and coniferous coverage were the best and second best, respectively, at explaining inter-catchment variance of stream nitrate concentrations. This analysis suggested that the catchments with steep topography and high coniferous coverage tend to have high nitrate concentrations. Moreover, in the three-year observation period for five adjacent catchments, the two catchments with relatively higher coniferous coverage consistently had higher stream nitrate concentrations. Thus, the spatial variations in stream nitrate concentrations were primarily regulated by catchment steepness and, to a lesser extent, coniferous coverage in this nitrogen-saturated forest. Our results suggest that a decrease in coniferous coverage could potentially contribute to a reduction in nitrate leaching from this nitrogen-saturated forest, and consequently reduce the risk of nitrogen overload for the downstream ecosystems. This information will allow land managers and researchers to develop improved management plans for this and similar forests in Japan and elsewhere. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Critical Examination of Spatial Biases Between MODIS and MISR Aerosol Products - Application for Potential AERONET Deployment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shi, Y.; Zhang, J.; Reid, J. S.; Hyer, E. J.; Eck, T. F.; Holben, B. N.; Kahn, R. A.

2011-01-01

AErosol RObotic NETwork (AERONET) data are the primary benchmark for evaluating satellite-retrieved aerosol properties. However, despite its extensive coverage, the representativeness of the AERONET data is rarely discussed. Indeed, many studies have shown that satellite retrieval biases have a significant degree of spatial correlation that may be problematic for higher-level processes or inverse-emissions-modeling studies. To consider these issues and evaluate relative performance in regions of few surface observations, cross-comparisons between the Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) products of operational MODIS Collection 5.1 Dark Target (DT) and operational MODIS Collection 5.1 Deep Blue (DB) with MISR version 22 were conducted. Through such comparisons, we can observe coherent spatial features of the AOD bias while side-stepping the full analysis required for determining when or where either retrieval is more correct. We identify regions where MODIS to MISR AOD ratios were found to be above 1.4 and below 0.7. Regions where lower boundary condition uncertainty is likely to be a dominant factor include portions of Western North America, the Andes mountains, Saharan Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and Central Asia. Similarly, microphysical biases may be an issue in South America, and specific parts of Southern Africa, India Asia, East Asia, and Indonesia. These results help identify high-priority locations for possible future deployments of both in situ and ground based remote sensing measurements. The Supplement includes a km1 file.

Preliminary work of mangrove ecosystem carbon stock mapping in small island using remote sensing: above and below ground carbon stock mapping on medium resolution satellite image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wicaksono, Pramaditya; Danoedoro, Projo; Hartono, Hartono; Nehren, Udo; Ribbe, Lars

2011-11-01

Mangrove forest is an important ecosystem located in coastal area that provides various important ecological and economical services. One of the services provided by mangrove forest is the ability to act as carbon sink by sequestering CO2 from atmosphere through photosynthesis and carbon burial on the sediment. The carbon buried on mangrove sediment may persist for millennia before return to the atmosphere, and thus act as an effective long-term carbon sink. Therefore, it is important to understand the distribution of carbon stored within mangrove forest in a spatial and temporal context. In this paper, an effort to map carbon stocks in mangrove forest is presented using remote sensing technology to overcome the handicap encountered by field survey. In mangrove carbon stock mapping, the use of medium spatial resolution Landsat 7 ETM+ is emphasized. Landsat 7 ETM+ images are relatively cheap, widely available and have large area coverage, and thus provide a cost and time effective way of mapping mangrove carbon stocks. Using field data, two image processing techniques namely Vegetation Index and Linear Spectral Unmixing (LSU) were evaluated to find the best method to explain the variation in mangrove carbon stocks using remote sensing data. In addition, we also tried to estimate mangrove carbon sequestration rate via multitemporal analysis. Finally, the technique which produces significantly better result was used to produce a map of mangrove forest carbon stocks, which is spatially extensive and temporally repetitive.

Estimating Carbon Storage and Sequestration by Urban Trees at Multiple Spatial Resolutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, J.; Tran, A.; Liao, A.

2010-12-01

Urban forests are an important component of urban-suburban environments. Urban trees provide not only a full range of social and psychological benefits to city dwellers, but also valuable ecosystem services to communities, such as removing atmospheric carbon dioxide, improving air quality, and reducing storm water runoff. There is an urgent need for developing strategic conservation plans for environmentally sustainable urban-suburban development based on the scientific understanding of the extent and function of urban forests. However, several challenges remain to accurately quantify various environmental benefits provided by urban trees, among which is to deal with the effect of changing spatial resolution and/or scale. In this study, we intended to examine the uncertainties of carbon storage and sequestration associated with the tree canopy coverage of different spatial resolutions. Multi-source satellite imagery data were acquired for the City of Fullerton, located in Orange County of California. The tree canopy coverage of the study area was classified at three spatial resolutions, ranging from 30 m (Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper), 15 m (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer), to 2.5 m (QuickBird). We calculated the amount of carbon stored in the trees represented on the individual tree coverage maps and the annual carbon taken up by the trees with a model (i.e., CITYgreen) developed by the U.S. Forest Service. The results indicate that urban trees account for significant proportions of land cover in the study area even with the low spatial resolution data. The estimated carbon fixation benefits vary greatly depending on the details of land use and land cover classification. The extrapolation of estimation from the fine-resolution stand-level to the low-resolution landscape-scale will likely not preserve reasonable accuracy.

Policy Choices for Progressive Realization of Universal Health Coverage

PubMed Central

Tangcharoensathien, Viroj; Patcharanarumol, Walaiporn; Panichkriangkrai, Warisa; Sommanustweechai, Angkana

2017-01-01

In responses to Norheim’s editorial, this commentary offers reflections from Thailand, how the five unacceptable trade-offs were applied to the universal health coverage (UHC) reforms between 1975 and 2002 when the whole 64 million people were covered by one of the three public health insurance systems. This commentary aims to generate global discussions on how best UHC can be gradually achieved. Not only the proposed five discrete trade-offs within each dimension, there are also trade-offs between the three dimensions of UHC such as population coverage, service coverage and cost coverage. Findings from Thai UHC show that equity is applied for the population coverage extension, when the low income households and the informal sector were the priority population groups for coverage extension by different prepayment schemes in 1975 and 1984, respectively. With an exception of public sector employees who were historically covered as part of fringe benefits were covered well before the poor. The private sector employees were covered last in 1990. Historically, Thailand applied a comprehensive benefit package where a few items are excluded using the negative list; until there was improved capacities on technology assessment that cost-effectiveness are used for the inclusion of new interventions into the benefit package. Not only cost-effectiveness, but long term budget impact, equity and ethical considerations are taken into account. Cost coverage is mostly determined by the fiscal capacities. Close ended budget with mix of provider payment methods are used as a tool for trade-off service coverage and financial risk protection. Introducing copayment in the context of fee-for-service can be harmful to beneficiaries due to supplier induced demands, inefficiency and unpredictable out of pocket payment by households. UHC achieves favorable outcomes as it was implemented when there was a full geographical coverage of primary healthcare coverage in all districts and sub-districts after three decade of health infrastructure investment and health workforce development since 1980s. The legacy of targeting population group by different prepayment mechanisms, leading to fragmentation, discrepancies and inequity across schemes, can be rectified by harmonization at the early phase when these schemes were introduced. Robust public accountability and participation mechanisms are recommended when deciding the UHC strategy. PMID:28812786

The Gradual Expansion Muscle Flap

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

acute shortening and angulation of the tibia and rotational muscle flap coverage and split thickness skin grafting of the soft tissue defect...is also amenable to split-thickness skin grafting after tissue incorporation.11 In addition to donor site morbidity, free tissue transfer is dependent...necessary soft tissue coverage. In the second stage, after the flap has adequately set and overlying skin graft has full adherence, a Taylor Spatial

Geographical Inequalities in Use of Improved Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation across Sub-Saharan Africa: Mapping and Spatial Analysis of Cross-sectional Survey Data

PubMed Central

Pullan, Rachel L.; Freeman, Matthew C.; Gething, Peter W.; Brooker, Simon J.

2014-01-01

Background Understanding geographic inequalities in coverage of drinking-water supply and sanitation (WSS) will help track progress towards universal coverage of water and sanitation by identifying marginalized populations, thus helping to control a large number of infectious diseases. This paper uses household survey data to develop comprehensive maps of WSS coverage at high spatial resolution for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Analysis is extended to investigate geographic heterogeneity and relative geographic inequality within countries. Methods and Findings Cluster-level data on household reported use of improved drinking-water supply, sanitation, and open defecation were abstracted from 138 national surveys undertaken from 1991–2012 in 41 countries. Spatially explicit logistic regression models were developed and fitted within a Bayesian framework, and used to predict coverage at the second administrative level (admin2, e.g., district) across SSA for 2012. Results reveal substantial geographical inequalities in predicted use of water and sanitation that exceed urban-rural disparities. The average range in coverage seen between admin2 within countries was 55% for improved drinking water, 54% for use of improved sanitation, and 59% for dependence upon open defecation. There was also some evidence that countries with higher levels of inequality relative to coverage in use of an improved drinking-water source also experienced higher levels of inequality in use of improved sanitation (rural populations r = 0.47, p = 0.002; urban populations r = 0.39, p = 0.01). Results are limited by the quantity of WSS data available, which varies considerably by country, and by the reliability and utility of available indicators. Conclusions This study identifies important geographic inequalities in use of WSS previously hidden within national statistics, confirming the necessity for targeted policies and metrics that reach the most marginalized populations. The presented maps and analysis approach can provide a mechanism for monitoring future reductions in inequality within countries, reflecting priorities of the post-2015 development agenda. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:24714528

Geographical inequalities in use of improved drinking water supply and sanitation across Sub-Saharan Africa: mapping and spatial analysis of cross-sectional survey data.

PubMed

Pullan, Rachel L; Freeman, Matthew C; Gething, Peter W; Brooker, Simon J

2014-04-01

Understanding geographic inequalities in coverage of drinking-water supply and sanitation (WSS) will help track progress towards universal coverage of water and sanitation by identifying marginalized populations, thus helping to control a large number of infectious diseases. This paper uses household survey data to develop comprehensive maps of WSS coverage at high spatial resolution for sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Analysis is extended to investigate geographic heterogeneity and relative geographic inequality within countries. Cluster-level data on household reported use of improved drinking-water supply, sanitation, and open defecation were abstracted from 138 national surveys undertaken from 1991-2012 in 41 countries. Spatially explicit logistic regression models were developed and fitted within a Bayesian framework, and used to predict coverage at the second administrative level (admin2, e.g., district) across SSA for 2012. Results reveal substantial geographical inequalities in predicted use of water and sanitation that exceed urban-rural disparities. The average range in coverage seen between admin2 within countries was 55% for improved drinking water, 54% for use of improved sanitation, and 59% for dependence upon open defecation. There was also some evidence that countries with higher levels of inequality relative to coverage in use of an improved drinking-water source also experienced higher levels of inequality in use of improved sanitation (rural populations r = 0.47, p = 0.002; urban populations r = 0.39, p = 0.01). Results are limited by the quantity of WSS data available, which varies considerably by country, and by the reliability and utility of available indicators. This study identifies important geographic inequalities in use of WSS previously hidden within national statistics, confirming the necessity for targeted policies and metrics that reach the most marginalized populations. The presented maps and analysis approach can provide a mechanism for monitoring future reductions in inequality within countries, reflecting priorities of the post-2015 development agenda. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

Temporal and spatial analysis of vegetation coverage changes in Ordos area based on time series GIMMS-NDVI data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Ruimei; Zou, Youfeng; Ma, Chao; Liu, Pei

2014-11-01

Ordos area is the desert-wind erosion desertification steppe transition zone and the complex ecological zone. As the research area, Ordos City has the similar natural geographic environment to ShenDong coalfield. To research its ecological patterns and natural evolution law, it has instructive to reveal temporal and spatial changes of ecological environment with artificial disturbance in western mining. In this paper, a time series of AVHRR-NDVI(Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) data was used to monitor the change of vegetation temporal and spatial dynamics from 1981 to 2006 in Ordos City and ShenDong coalfield, where were as the research area. The MVC (Maximum Value Composites) method, average operation, linear regression, and gradation for NDVI change trend were used to obtained some results, as follows: ¬vegetation coverage had obvious characteristics with periodic change in research area for 26 years, and vegetation growth peak appeared on August, while the lowest appeared on January. The extreme values in Ordos City were 0.2351 and 0.1176, while they were 0.2657 and 0.1272 in ShenDong coalfield. The NDVI value fluctuation was a modest rise trend overall in research area. The extreme values were 0.3071 and 0.1861 in Ordos City, while they were 0.3454 and 0.1904 in ShenDong coalfield. In spatial distribution, slight improvement area and slight degradation area were accounting for 42.49% and 8.37% in Ordos City, while slight improvement area moderate improvement area were accounting for 70.59% and 29.41% in ShenDong coalfield. Above of results indicated there was less vegetation coverage in research area, which reflected the characteristics of fragile natural geographical environment. In addition, vegetation coverage was with a modest rise on the whole, which reflected the natural environment change.

The EarthServer Geology Service: web coverage services for geosciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laxton, John; Sen, Marcus; Passmore, James

2014-05-01

The EarthServer FP7 project is implementing web coverage services using the OGC WCS and WCPS standards for a range of earth science domains: cryospheric; atmospheric; oceanographic; planetary; and geological. BGS is providing the geological service (http://earthserver.bgs.ac.uk/). Geoscience has used remote sensed data from satellites and planes for some considerable time, but other areas of geosciences are less familiar with the use of coverage data. This is rapidly changing with the development of new sensor networks and the move from geological maps to geological spatial models. The BGS geology service is designed initially to address two coverage data use cases and three levels of data access restriction. Databases of remote sensed data are typically very large and commonly held offline, making it time-consuming for users to assess and then download data. The service is designed to allow the spatial selection, editing and display of Landsat and aerial photographic imagery, including band selection and contrast stretching. This enables users to rapidly view data, assess is usefulness for their purposes, and then enhance and download it if it is suitable. At present the service contains six band Landsat 7 (Blue, Green, Red, NIR 1, NIR 2, MIR) and three band false colour aerial photography (NIR, green, blue), totalling around 1Tb. Increasingly 3D spatial models are being produced in place of traditional geological maps. Models make explicit spatial information implicit on maps and thus are seen as a better way of delivering geosciences information to non-geoscientists. However web delivery of models, including the provision of suitable visualisation clients, has proved more challenging than delivering maps. The EarthServer geology service is delivering 35 surfaces as coverages, comprising the modelled superficial deposits of the Glasgow area. These can be viewed using a 3D web client developed in the EarthServer project by Fraunhofer. As well as remote sensed imagery and 3D models, the geology service is also delivering DTM coverages which can be viewed in the 3D client in conjunction with both imagery and models. The service is accessible through a web GUI which allows the imagery to be viewed against a range of background maps and DTMs, and in the 3D client; spatial selection to be carried out graphically; the results of image enhancement to be displayed; and selected data to be downloaded. The GUI also provides access to the Glasgow model in the 3D client, as well as tutorial material. In the final year of the project it is intended to increase the volume of data to 20Tb and enhance the WCPS processing, including depth and thickness querying of 3D models. We have also investigated the use of GeoSciML, developed to describe and interchange the information on geological maps, to describe model surface coverages. EarthServer is developing a combined WCPS and xQuery query language, and we will investigate applying this to the GeoSciML described surfaces to answer questions such as 'find all units with a predominant sand lithology within 25m of the surface'.

An intercomparison of remotely sensed soil moisture products at various spatial scales over the Iberian penisula

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soil moisture (SM) can be retrieved from active microwave (AM)-, passive microwave (PM)- and thermal infrared (TIR)-observations, each having their unique spatial- and temporal-coverage. A limitation of TIR-based SM retrievals is its dependency on cloud-free conditions, while microwave retrievals ar...

Classification of High Spatial Resolution, Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Imagery of the Little Miami River Watershed in Southwest Ohio, USA (Final)

EPA Science Inventory

EPA announced the availability of the final report,. This report and associated land use/land cover (LULC) coverage is the result o...

Levelling VS. InSAR in Urban Underground Construction Monitoring. Case of la Sagrera Railway Station (barcelona, Spain).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vázquez-Suñé, E.; Serrano-Juan, A.; Pujades, E.; Crosetto, M.

2016-12-01

Construction processes require monitoring to ensure safety and to control the new and existing structures. The most accurate and spread monitoring method to measure displacements is levelling, a point-like surveying technique that tipically allows for tens of discrete in-situ sub-millimetric measures per squared kilometer. Another emerging technique for mapping soil deformation is the Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), which is based on SAR images acquired from orbiting satellites. This remote sensing technique can provide better spatial point density than levelling, more extensive spatial coverage and cheaper acquisitions. This paper analyses, compares and discusses levelling and InSAR measurements when they are used to measure the soil deformation induced by the dewatering associated to underground constructions in urban areas. To do so, an experiment was performed in the future railway station of La Sagrera, Barcelona (Spain), in which levelling and InSAR were used to accurately quantify ground deformation by dewatering. Results showed that soil displacements measured by levelling and InSAR were not always consisting. InSAR measurements were more accurate with respect the soil deformation produced by the dewatering while levelling was really useful to determine the real impact of the construction on the nearby buildings.

Kriging and local polynomial methods for blending satellite-derived and gauge precipitation estimates to support hydrologic early warning systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Verdin, Andrew; Funk, Christopher C.; Rajagopalan, Balaji; Kleiber, William

2016-01-01

Robust estimates of precipitation in space and time are important for efficient natural resource management and for mitigating natural hazards. This is particularly true in regions with developing infrastructure and regions that are frequently exposed to extreme events. Gauge observations of rainfall are sparse but capture the precipitation process with high fidelity. Due to its high resolution and complete spatial coverage, satellite-derived rainfall data are an attractive alternative in data-sparse regions and are often used to support hydrometeorological early warning systems. Satellite-derived precipitation data, however, tend to underrepresent extreme precipitation events. Thus, it is often desirable to blend spatially extensive satellite-derived rainfall estimates with high-fidelity rain gauge observations to obtain more accurate precipitation estimates. In this research, we use two different methods, namely, ordinary kriging and κ-nearest neighbor local polynomials, to blend rain gauge observations with the Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation satellite-derived precipitation estimates in data-sparse Central America and Colombia. The utility of these methods in producing blended precipitation estimates at pentadal (five-day) and monthly time scales is demonstrated. We find that these blending methods significantly improve the satellite-derived estimates and are competitive in their ability to capture extreme precipitation.

A Spatial Division Clustering Method and Low Dimensional Feature Extraction Technique Based Indoor Positioning System

PubMed Central

Mo, Yun; Zhang, Zhongzhao; Meng, Weixiao; Ma, Lin; Wang, Yao

2014-01-01

Indoor positioning systems based on the fingerprint method are widely used due to the large number of existing devices with a wide range of coverage. However, extensive positioning regions with a massive fingerprint database may cause high computational complexity and error margins, therefore clustering methods are widely applied as a solution. However, traditional clustering methods in positioning systems can only measure the similarity of the Received Signal Strength without being concerned with the continuity of physical coordinates. Besides, outage of access points could result in asymmetric matching problems which severely affect the fine positioning procedure. To solve these issues, in this paper we propose a positioning system based on the Spatial Division Clustering (SDC) method for clustering the fingerprint dataset subject to physical distance constraints. With the Genetic Algorithm and Support Vector Machine techniques, SDC can achieve higher coarse positioning accuracy than traditional clustering algorithms. In terms of fine localization, based on the Kernel Principal Component Analysis method, the proposed positioning system outperforms its counterparts based on other feature extraction methods in low dimensionality. Apart from balancing online matching computational burden, the new positioning system exhibits advantageous performance on radio map clustering, and also shows better robustness and adaptability in the asymmetric matching problem aspect. PMID:24451470

Comparing NEXRAD Operational Precipitation Estimates and Raingage Observations of Intense Precipitation in the Missouri River Basin.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, C. B.

2002-05-01

Accurate observation of precipitation is critical to the study and modeling of land surface hydrologic processes. NEXRAD radar-based precipitation estimates are increasingly used in field experiments, hydrologic modeling, and water and energy budget studies due to their high spatial and temporal resolution, national coverage, and perceived accuracy. Extensive development and testing of NEXRAD precipitation algorithms have been carried out in the Southern Plains. Previous studies (Young et al. 2000, Young et al. 1999, Smith et al. 1996) indicate that NEXRAD operational products tend to underestimate precipitation at light rain rates. This study investigates the performance of NEXRAD precipitation estimates of high-intensity rainfall, focusing on flood-producing storms in the Missouri River Basin. NEXRAD estimates for these storms are compared with data from multiple raingage networks, including NWS recording and non-recording gages and ALERT raingage data for the Kansas City metropolitan area. Analyses include comparisons of gage and radar data at a wide range of temporal and spatial scales. Particular attention is paid to the October 4th, 1998, storm that produced severe flooding in Kansas City. NOTE: The phrase `NEXRAD operational products' in this abstract includes precipitation estimates generated using the Stage III and P1 algorithms. Both of these products estimate hourly accumulations on the (approximately) 4 km HRAP grid.

OBSERVING CORONAL NANOFLARES IN ACTIVE REGION MOSS

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

Testa, Paola; DeLuca, Ed; Golub, Leon

2013-06-10

The High-resolution Coronal Imager (Hi-C) has provided Fe XII 193A images of the upper transition region moss at an unprecedented spatial ({approx}0.''3-0.''4) and temporal (5.5 s) resolution. The Hi-C observations show in some moss regions variability on timescales down to {approx}15 s, significantly shorter than the minute-scale variability typically found in previous observations of moss, therefore challenging the conclusion of moss being heated in a mostly steady manner. These rapid variability moss regions are located at the footpoints of bright hot coronal loops observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly in the 94 A channel, and by the Hinode/X-Raymore » Telescope. The configuration of these loops is highly dynamic, and suggestive of slipping reconnection. We interpret these events as signatures of heating events associated with reconnection occurring in the overlying hot coronal loops, i.e., coronal nanoflares. We estimate the order of magnitude of the energy in these events to be of at least a few 10{sup 23} erg, also supporting the nanoflare scenario. These Hi-C observations suggest that future observations at comparable high spatial and temporal resolution, with more extensive temperature coverage, are required to determine the exact characteristics of the heating mechanism(s).« less

A study on the prenatal zone of ultrasonic guided waves in plates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Tibin; Balasubramaniam, Krishnan

2017-02-01

Low frequency guided wave based inspection is an extensively used method for asset management with the advantage of wide area coverage from a single location at the cost of spatial resolution. With the advent of high frequency guided waves, short range inspections with high spatial resolution for monitoring corrosion under pipe supports and tank annular plates has gained widespread interest and acceptance. One of the major challenges in the application of high frequency guided waves in a short range inspection is to attain the desired modal displacements with respect to the application. In this paper, an investigation on the generation and formation of fundamental S0 mode is carried out through numerical simulation and experiments to establish a prenatal zone for guided waves. The effect of frequency, thickness of the plate and frequency-thickness (f*d) is studied. The investigation reveals the existence of a rudimentary form with similar modal features to the fully developed mode. This study helps in the design and development of a high frequency guided wave generator for particular applications which demands waves with very less sensitivity to the surface and loading during the initial phase which immediately evolves to a more sensitive wave towards the surface on propagation for the detection of shallow defects.

Impacts of field of view configuration of Cross-track Infrared Sounder on clear-sky observations.

PubMed

Wang, Likun; Chen, Yong; Han, Yong

2016-09-01

Hyperspectral infrared radiance measurements from satellite sensors contain valuable information on atmospheric temperature and humidity profiles and greenhouse gases, and therefore are directly assimilated into numerical weather prediction (NWP) models as inputs for weather forecasting. However, data assimilations in current operational NWP models still mainly rely on cloud-free observations due to the challenge of simulating cloud-contaminated radiances when using hyperspectral radiances. The limited spatial coverage of the 3×3 field of views (FOVs) in one field of regard (FOR) (i.e., spatial gap among FOVs) as well as relatively large footprint size (14 km) in current Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) instruments limits the amount of clear-sky observations. This study explores the potential impacts of future CrIS FOV configuration (including FOV size and spatial coverage) on the amount of clear-sky observations by simulation experiments. The radiance measurements and cloud mask products (VCM) from the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) are used to simulate CrIS clear-sky observation under different FOV configurations. The results indicate that, given the same FOV coverage (e.g., 3×3), the percentage of clear-sky FOVs and the percentage of clear-sky FORs (that contain at least one clear-sky FOV) both increase as the FOV size decreases. In particular, if the CrIS FOV size were reduced from 14 km to 7 km, the percentage of clear-sky FOVs increases from 9.02% to 13.51% and the percentage of clear-sky FORs increases from 18.24% to 27.51%. Given the same FOV size but with increasing FOV coverage in each FOR, the clear-sky FOV observations increases proportionally with the increasing sampling FOVs. Both reducing FOV size and increasing FOV coverage can result in more clear-sky FORs, which benefit data utilization of NWP data assimilation.

FIRE_AX_SOF_SUR_MET

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2015-11-25

... Buoy Instrument:  Barometer Sonic Anemometer Thermistor Spatial Coverage:  (34.60, ... Earthdata Search Parameters:  Dry Bulb Temperature Pressure Sea Surface Temperature Wet Bulb Temperature ...

Technique development of 3D dynamic CS-EPSI for hyperpolarized 13 C pyruvate MR molecular imaging of human prostate cancer.

PubMed

Chen, Hsin-Yu; Larson, Peder E Z; Gordon, Jeremy W; Bok, Robert A; Ferrone, Marcus; van Criekinge, Mark; Carvajal, Lucas; Cao, Peng; Pauly, John M; Kerr, Adam B; Park, Ilwoo; Slater, James B; Nelson, Sarah J; Munster, Pamela N; Aggarwal, Rahul; Kurhanewicz, John; Vigneron, Daniel B

2018-03-25

The purpose of this study was to develop a new 3D dynamic carbon-13 compressed sensing echoplanar spectroscopic imaging (EPSI) MR sequence and test it in phantoms, animal models, and then in prostate cancer patients to image the metabolic conversion of hyperpolarized [1- 13 C]pyruvate to [1- 13 C]lactate with whole gland coverage at high spatial and temporal resolution. A 3D dynamic compressed sensing (CS)-EPSI sequence with spectral-spatial excitation was designed to meet the required spatial coverage, time and spatial resolution, and RF limitations of the 3T MR scanner for its clinical translation for prostate cancer patient imaging. After phantom testing, animal studies were performed in rats and transgenic mice with prostate cancers. For patient studies, a GE SPINlab polarizer (GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI) was used to produce hyperpolarized sterile GMP [1- 13 C]pyruvate. 3D dynamic 13 C CS-EPSI data were acquired starting 5 s after injection throughout the gland with a spatial resolution of 0.5 cm 3 , 18 time frames, 2-s temporal resolution, and 36 s total acquisition time. Through preclinical testing, the 3D CS-EPSI sequence developed in this project was shown to provide the desired spectral, temporal, and spatial 5D HP 13 C MR data. In human studies, the 3D dynamic HP CS-EPSI approach provided first-ever simultaneously volumetric and dynamic images of the LDH-catalyzed conversion of [1- 13 C]pyruvate to [1- 13 C]lactate in a biopsy-proven prostate cancer patient with full gland coverage. The results demonstrate the feasibility to characterize prostate cancer metabolism in animals, and now patients using this new 3D dynamic HP MR technique to measure k PL , the kinetic rate constant of [1- 13 C]pyruvate to [1- 13 C]lactate conversion. © 2018 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

FIRE_AX_UW_DSCRT

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2015-11-25

... Analyzer IR CO2 Analyzer Optical Counter Platinum Resistance Spectrometer Spatial Coverage:  (32.34, ... Diameter Particle Number Concentration Potential Temperature Sulfate Sulfur Dioxide Temperature Order Data:  ...

A Max-Flow Based Algorithm for Connected Target Coverage with Probabilistic Sensors

PubMed Central

Shan, Anxing; Xu, Xianghua; Cheng, Zongmao; Wang, Wensheng

2017-01-01

Coverage is a fundamental issue in the research field of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Connected target coverage discusses the sensor placement to guarantee the needs of both coverage and connectivity. Existing works largely leverage on the Boolean disk model, which is only a coarse approximation to the practical sensing model. In this paper, we focus on the connected target coverage issue based on the probabilistic sensing model, which can characterize the quality of coverage more accurately. In the probabilistic sensing model, sensors are only be able to detect a target with certain probability. We study the collaborative detection probability of target under multiple sensors. Armed with the analysis of collaborative detection probability, we further formulate the minimum ϵ-connected target coverage problem, aiming to minimize the number of sensors satisfying the requirements of both coverage and connectivity. We map it into a flow graph and present an approximation algorithm called the minimum vertices maximum flow algorithm (MVMFA) with provable time complex and approximation ratios. To evaluate our design, we analyze the performance of MVMFA theoretically and also conduct extensive simulation studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm. PMID:28587084

A Max-Flow Based Algorithm for Connected Target Coverage with Probabilistic Sensors.

PubMed

Shan, Anxing; Xu, Xianghua; Cheng, Zongmao; Wang, Wensheng

2017-05-25

Coverage is a fundamental issue in the research field of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Connected target coverage discusses the sensor placement to guarantee the needs of both coverage and connectivity. Existing works largely leverage on the Boolean disk model, which is only a coarse approximation to the practical sensing model. In this paper, we focus on the connected target coverage issue based on the probabilistic sensing model, which can characterize the quality of coverage more accurately. In the probabilistic sensing model, sensors are only be able to detect a target with certain probability. We study the collaborative detection probability of target under multiple sensors. Armed with the analysis of collaborative detection probability, we further formulate the minimum ϵ -connected target coverage problem, aiming to minimize the number of sensors satisfying the requirements of both coverage and connectivity. We map it into a flow graph and present an approximation algorithm called the minimum vertices maximum flow algorithm (MVMFA) with provable time complex and approximation ratios. To evaluate our design, we analyze the performance of MVMFA theoretically and also conduct extensive simulation studies to demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed algorithm.

Snow Coverage Analysis Using ASTER over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ross, B.

2017-12-01

Snow has strong impacts on human behavior, state and local activities, and the economy. The Sierra Nevada snowpack is California's most important natural reservoir of water. Such snow is melting sooner and faster. A recent California drought study showed that there was a deficit of 1.5 million acre-feet of water in 2014 due to the fast melting rates. Scientists have been using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) which is available at the spatial resolution of 500-meter, to analyze the changes in snow coverage. While such analysis provides us with the valuable information, it would be more beneficial to employ the imageries at a higher spatial resolution for snow studies. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer (ASTER), which acquires the high-resolution imageries ranging from 15-meter to 90-meter, has recently become freely available to the public. Our study utilized two scenes obtained from ASTER to investigate the changes in snow extent over the Sierra Nevada's mountain area for an 8-year period. These two scenes were collected on April 11, 2007 and April 16, 2015 covering the same geographic region. Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI) was adopted to delineate the snow coverage in each scene. Our study shows a substantial decrease of snow coverage in the studied geographic region by pixel count.

EEG source localization: Sensor density and head surface coverage.

PubMed

Song, Jasmine; Davey, Colin; Poulsen, Catherine; Luu, Phan; Turovets, Sergei; Anderson, Erik; Li, Kai; Tucker, Don

2015-12-30

The accuracy of EEG source localization depends on a sufficient sampling of the surface potential field, an accurate conducting volume estimation (head model), and a suitable and well-understood inverse technique. The goal of the present study is to examine the effect of sampling density and coverage on the ability to accurately localize sources, using common linear inverse weight techniques, at different depths. Several inverse methods are examined, using the popular head conductivity. Simulation studies were employed to examine the effect of spatial sampling of the potential field at the head surface, in terms of sensor density and coverage of the inferior and superior head regions. In addition, the effects of sensor density and coverage are investigated in the source localization of epileptiform EEG. Greater sensor density improves source localization accuracy. Moreover, across all sampling density and inverse methods, adding samples on the inferior surface improves the accuracy of source estimates at all depths. More accurate source localization of EEG data can be achieved with high spatial sampling of the head surface electrodes. The most accurate source localization is obtained when the voltage surface is densely sampled over both the superior and inferior surfaces. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Estimating Forest Canopy Heights and Aboveground Biomass with Simulated ICESat-2 Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malambo, L.; Narine, L.; Popescu, S. C.; Neuenschwander, A. L.; Sheridan, R.

2016-12-01

The Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) 2 is scheduled for launch in 2017 and one of its overall science objectives will be to measure vegetation heights, which can be used to estimate and monitor aboveground biomass (AGB) over large spatial scales. This study serves to develop a methodology for utilizing vegetation data collected by ICESat-2 that will be on a five-year mission from 2017, for mapping forest canopy heights and estimating aboveground forest biomass (AGB). The specific objectives are to, (1) simulate ICESat-2 photon-counting lidar (PCL) data, (2) utilize simulated PCL data to estimate forest canopy heights and propose a methodology for upscaling PCL height measurements to obtain spatially contiguous coverage and, (3) estimate and map AGB using simulated PCL data. The laser pulse from ICESat-2 will be divided into three pairs of beams spaced approximately 3 km apart, with footprints measuring approximately 14 m in diameter and with 70 cm along-track intervals. Using existing airborne lidar data (ALS) for Sam Houston National Forest (SHNF) and known ICESat-2 beam locations, footprints are generated along beam locations and PCL data are then simulated from discrete return lidar points within each footprint. By applying data processing algorithms, photons are classified into top of canopy points and ground surface elevation points to yield tree canopy height values within each ICESat-2 footprint. AGB is then estimated using simple linear regression that utilizes AGB from a biomass map generated with ALS data for SHNF and simulated PCL height metrics for 100 m segments along ICESat-2 tracks. Two approaches also investigated for upscaling AGB estimates to provide wall-to-wall coverage of AGB are (1) co-kriging and (2) Random Forest. Height and AGB maps, which are the outcomes of this study, will demonstrate how data acquired by ICESat-2 can be used to measure forest parameters and in extension, estimate forest carbon for climate change initiatives.

Daily Estimation of High Resolution PM2.5 Concentrations over BTH area by Fusing MODIS AOD and Ground Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyu, Baolei; Hu, Yongtao; Chang, Howard; Russell, Armistead; Bai, Yuqi

2017-04-01

The satellite-borne Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aerosol optical depth (AOD) is often used to predict ground-level fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations. The associated estimation accuracy is always reduced by AOD missing values and by insufficiently accounting for the spatio-temporal PM2.5 variations. This study aims to estimate PM2.5 concentrations at a high resolution with enhanced accuracy by fusing MODIS AOD and ground observations in the polluted and populated Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) area of China in 2014 and 2015. A Bayesian-based statistical downscaler was employed to model the spatio-temporally varied AOD-PM2.5 relationships. We resampled a 3 km MODIS AOD product to a 4 km resolution in a Lambert conic conformal projection, to assist comparison and fusion with CMAQ predictions. A two-step method was used to fill the missing AOD values to obtain a full AOD dataset with complete spatial coverage. The downscaler has a relatively good performance in the fitting procedure (R2 = 0.75) and in the cross validation procedure (with two evaluation methods, R2 = 0.58 by random method and R2 = 0.47 by city-specific method). The number of missing AOD values was serious and related to elevated PM2.5 concentrations. The gap-filled AOD values corresponded well with our understanding of PM2.5 pollution conditions in BTH. The prediction accuracy of PM2.5 concentrations were improved in terms of their annual and seasonal mean. As a result of its fine spatio-temporal resolution and complete spatial coverage, the daily PM2.5 estimation dataset could provide extensive and insightful benefits to related studies in the BTH area. This may include understanding the formation processes of regional PM2.5 pollution episodes, evaluating daily human exposure, and establishing pollution controlling measures.

Assessing Program Coverage of Two Approaches to Distributing a Complementary Feeding Supplement to Infants and Young Children in Ghana

PubMed Central

Aaron, Grant J.; Strutt, Nicholas; Boateng, Nathaniel Amoh; Guevarra, Ernest; Siling, Katja; Norris, Alison; Ghosh, Shibani; Nyamikeh, Mercy; Attiogbe, Antoine; Burns, Richard; Foriwa, Esi; Toride, Yasuhiko; Kitamura, Satoshi; Tano-Debrah, Kwaku; Sarpong, Daniel; Myatt, Mark

2016-01-01

The work reported here assesses the coverage achieved by two sales-based approaches to distributing a complementary food supplement (KOKO Plus™) to infants and young children in Ghana. Delivery Model 1 was conducted in the Northern Region of Ghana and used a mixture of health extension workers (delivering behavior change communications and demand creation activities at primary healthcare centers and in the community) and petty traders recruited from among beneficiaries of a local microfinance initiative (responsible for the sale of the complementary food supplement at market stalls and house to house). Delivery Model 2 was conducted in the Eastern Region of Ghana and used a market-based approach, with the product being sold through micro-retail routes (i.e., small shops and roadside stalls) in three districts supported by behavior change communications and demand creation activities led by a local social marketing company. Both delivery models were implemented sub-nationally as 1-year pilot programs, with the aim of informing the design of a scaled-up program. A series of cross-sectional coverage surveys was implemented in each program area. Results from these surveys show that Delivery Model 1 was successful in achieving and sustaining high (i.e., 86%) effective coverage (i.e., the child had been given the product at least once in the previous 7 days) during implementation. Effective coverage fell to 62% within 3 months of the behavior change communications and demand creation activities stopping. Delivery Model 2 was successful in raising awareness of the product (i.e., 90% message coverage), but effective coverage was low (i.e., 9.4%). Future programming efforts should use the health extension / microfinance / petty trader approach in rural settings and consider adapting this approach for use in urban and peri-urban settings. Ongoing behavior change communications and demand creation activities is likely to be essential to the continued success of such programming. PMID:27755554

Assessing Program Coverage of Two Approaches to Distributing a Complementary Feeding Supplement to Infants and Young Children in Ghana.

PubMed

Aaron, Grant J; Strutt, Nicholas; Boateng, Nathaniel Amoh; Guevarra, Ernest; Siling, Katja; Norris, Alison; Ghosh, Shibani; Nyamikeh, Mercy; Attiogbe, Antoine; Burns, Richard; Foriwa, Esi; Toride, Yasuhiko; Kitamura, Satoshi; Tano-Debrah, Kwaku; Sarpong, Daniel; Myatt, Mark

2016-01-01

The work reported here assesses the coverage achieved by two sales-based approaches to distributing a complementary food supplement (KOKO Plus™) to infants and young children in Ghana. Delivery Model 1 was conducted in the Northern Region of Ghana and used a mixture of health extension workers (delivering behavior change communications and demand creation activities at primary healthcare centers and in the community) and petty traders recruited from among beneficiaries of a local microfinance initiative (responsible for the sale of the complementary food supplement at market stalls and house to house). Delivery Model 2 was conducted in the Eastern Region of Ghana and used a market-based approach, with the product being sold through micro-retail routes (i.e., small shops and roadside stalls) in three districts supported by behavior change communications and demand creation activities led by a local social marketing company. Both delivery models were implemented sub-nationally as 1-year pilot programs, with the aim of informing the design of a scaled-up program. A series of cross-sectional coverage surveys was implemented in each program area. Results from these surveys show that Delivery Model 1 was successful in achieving and sustaining high (i.e., 86%) effective coverage (i.e., the child had been given the product at least once in the previous 7 days) during implementation. Effective coverage fell to 62% within 3 months of the behavior change communications and demand creation activities stopping. Delivery Model 2 was successful in raising awareness of the product (i.e., 90% message coverage), but effective coverage was low (i.e., 9.4%). Future programming efforts should use the health extension / microfinance / petty trader approach in rural settings and consider adapting this approach for use in urban and peri-urban settings. Ongoing behavior change communications and demand creation activities is likely to be essential to the continued success of such programming.

Incorporating Spatial Data into Enterprise Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akiki, Pierre; Maalouf, Hoda

The main goal of this chapter is to discuss the usage of spatial data within enterprise as well as smaller line-of-business applications. In particular, this chapter proposes new methodologies for storing and manipulating vague spatial data and provides methods for visualizing both crisp and vague spatial data. It also provides a comparison between different types of spatial data, mainly 2D crisp and vague spatial data, and their respective fields of application. Additionally, it compares existing commercial relational database management systems, which are the most widely used with enterprise applications, and discusses their deficiencies in terms of spatial data support. A new spatial extension package called Spatial Extensions (SPEX) is provided in this chapter and is tested on a software prototype.

TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Limb V6 (TL2O3LS)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-03-01

TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Limb (TL2O3LS) News:  TES News Join ... Project Title:  TES Discipline:  Tropospheric Composition Version:  V6 Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Ozone Spatial Coverage:  27 x 23 km Limb Spatial ...

TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Limb V6 (TL2O3L)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-03-01

TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Limb (TL2O3L) News:  TES News Join TES ... Project Title:  TES Discipline:  Tropospheric Composition Version:  V6 Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Ozone Spatial Coverage:  27 x 23 km Limb Spatial ...

Hydrological Modeling in Alaska with WRF-Hydro

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elmer, N. J.; Zavodsky, B.; Molthan, A.

2017-12-01

The operational National Water Model (NWM), implemented in August 2016, is an instantiation of the Weather Research and Forecasting hydrological extension package (WRF-Hydro). Currently, the NWM only covers the contiguous United States, but will be expanded to include an Alaska domain in the future. It is well known that Alaska presents several hydrological modeling challenges, including unique arctic/sub-arctic hydrological processes not observed elsewhere in the United States and a severe lack of in-situ observations for model initialization. This project sets up an experimental version of WRF-Hydro in Alaska mimicking the NWM to gauge the ability of WRF-Hydro to represent hydrological processes in Alaska and identify model calibration challenges. Recent and upcoming launches of hydrology-focused NASA satellite missions such as the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) and Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) expand the spatial and temporal coverage of observations in Alaska, so this study also lays the groundwork for assimilating these NASA datasets into WRF-Hydro in the future.

Methods for analyzing optical observations of tsunami-induced signatures in airglow emissions from ground-based and space-based platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grawe, M.; Makela, J. J.

2016-12-01

Airglow imaging of the 630.0-nm redline emission has emerged as a useful tool for studying the properties of tsunami-ionospheric coupling in recent years, offering spatially continuous coverage of the sky with a single instrument. Past studies have shown that airglow signatures induced by tsunamis are inherently anisotropic due to the observation geometry and effects from the geomagnetic field. Here, we present details behind the techniques used to determine the parameters of the signature (orientation, wavelength, etc) with potential extensions to real or quasi-real time and a tool for interpreting the location and strength of the signatures in the field of view. We demonstrate application of the techniques to ground-based optical measurements of several tsunami-induced signatures taking place over the past five years from an imaging system in Hawaii. Additionally, these methods are extended for use on space-based observation platforms, offering advantages over ground-based installations.

Mapping species distributions: a comparison of skilled naturalist and lay citizen science recording.

PubMed

van der Wal, René; Anderson, Helen; Robinson, Annie; Sharma, Nirwan; Mellish, Chris; Roberts, Stuart; Darvill, Ben; Siddharthan, Advaith

2015-11-01

To assess the ability of traditional biological recording schemes and lay citizen science approaches to gather data on species distributions and changes therein, we examined bumblebee records from the UK's national repository (National Biodiversity Network) and from BeeWatch. The two recording approaches revealed similar relative abundances of bumblebee species but different geographical distributions. For the widespread common carder (Bombus pascuorum), traditional recording scheme data were patchy, both spatially and temporally, reflecting active record centre rather than species distribution. Lay citizen science records displayed more extensive geographic coverage, reflecting human population density, thus offering better opportunities to account for recording effort. For the rapidly spreading tree bumblebee (Bombus hypnorum), both recording approaches revealed similar distributions due to a dedicated mapping project which overcame the patchy nature of naturalist records. We recommend, where possible, complementing skilled naturalist recording with lay citizen science programmes to obtain a nation-wide capability, and stress the need for timely uploading of data to the national repository.

KeyWare: an open wireless distributed computing environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shpantzer, Isaac; Schoenfeld, Larry; Grindahl, Merv; Kelman, Vladimir

1995-12-01

Deployment of distributed applications in the wireless domain lack equivalent tools, methodologies, architectures, and network management that exist in LAN based applications. A wireless distributed computing environment (KeyWareTM) based on intelligent agents within a multiple client multiple server scheme was developed to resolve this problem. KeyWare renders concurrent application services to wireline and wireless client nodes encapsulated in multiple paradigms such as message delivery, database access, e-mail, and file transfer. These services and paradigms are optimized to cope with temporal and spatial radio coverage, high latency, limited throughput and transmission costs. A unified network management paradigm for both wireless and wireline facilitates seamless extensions of LAN- based management tools to include wireless nodes. A set of object oriented tools and methodologies enables direct asynchronous invocation of agent-based services supplemented by tool-sets matched to supported KeyWare paradigms. The open architecture embodiment of KeyWare enables a wide selection of client node computing platforms, operating systems, transport protocols, radio modems and infrastructures while maintaining application portability.

Spatial Double Generalized Beta Regression Models: Extensions and Application to Study Quality of Education in Colombia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cepeda-Cuervo, Edilberto; Núñez-Antón, Vicente

2013-01-01

In this article, a proposed Bayesian extension of the generalized beta spatial regression models is applied to the analysis of the quality of education in Colombia. We briefly revise the beta distribution and describe the joint modeling approach for the mean and dispersion parameters in the spatial regression models' setting. Finally, we motivate…

Integration of MODIS Snow, Cloud and Land Area Coverage Data with SNOTEL to Generate Inter-Annual and Within-Season Snow Depletion Curves and Maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qualls, R. J.; Woodruff, C.

2017-12-01

The behavior of inter-annual trends in mountain snow cover would represent extremely useful information for drought and climate change assessment; however, individual data sources exhibit specific limitations for characterizing this behavior. For example, SNOTEL data provide time series point values of Snow Water Equivalent (SWE), but lack spatial content apart from that contained in a sparse network of point values. Satellite observations in the visible spectrum can provide snow covered area, but not SWE at present, and are limited by cloud cover which often obscures visibility of the ground, especially during the winter and spring in mountainous areas. Cloud cover, therefore, often limits both temporal and spatial coverage of satellite remote sensing of snow. Among the platforms providing the best combination of temporal and spatial coverage to overcome the cloud obscuration problem by providing frequent overflights, the Aqua and Terra satellites carrying the MODIS instrument package provide 500 m, daily resolution observations of snow cover. These were only launched in 1999 and the early 2000's, thus limiting the historical period over which these data are available. A hybrid method incorporating SNOTEL and MODIS data has been developed which accomplishes cloud removal, and enables determination of the time series of watershed spatial snow cover when either SNOTEL or MODIS data are available. This allows one to generate spatial snow cover information for watersheds with SNOTEL stations for periods both before and after the launch of the Aqua and Terra satellites, extending the spatial information about snow cover over the period of record of the SNOTEL stations present in a watershed. This method is used to quantify the spatial time series of snow over the 9000 km2 Upper Snake River watershed and to evaluate inter-annual trends in the timing, rate, and duration of melt over the nearly 40 year period from the early 1980's to the present, and shows promise for generating snow cover depletion maps for drought and climate change scenarios.

SU-E-J-157: Improving the Quality of T2-Weighted 4D Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Clinical Evaluation

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

Du, D; Mutic, S; Hu, Y

2014-06-01

Purpose: To develop an imaging technique that enables us to acquire T2- weighted 4D Magnetic Resonance Imaging (4DMRI) with sufficient spatial coverage, temporal resolution and spatial resolution for clinical evaluation. Methods: T2-weighed 4DMRI images were acquired from a healthy volunteer using a respiratory amplitude triggered T2-weighted Turbo Spin Echo sequence. 10 respiratory states were used to equally sample the respiratory range based on amplitude (0%, 20%i, 40%i, 60%i, 80%i, 100%, 80%e, 60%e, 40%e and 20%e). To avoid frequent scanning halts, a methodology was devised that split 10 respiratory states into two packages in an interleaved manner and packages were acquiredmore » separately. Sixty 3mm sagittal slices at 1.5mm in-plane spatial resolution were acquired to offer good spatial coverage and reasonable spatial resolution. The in-plane field of view was 375mm × 260mm with nominal scan time of 3 minutes 42 seconds. Acquired 2D images at the same respiratory state were combined to form the 3D image set corresponding to that respiratory state and reconstructed in the coronal view to evaluate whether all slices were at the same respiratory state. 3D image sets of 10 respiratory states represented a complete 4D MRI image set. Results: T2-weighted 4DMRI image were acquired in 10 minutes which was within clinical acceptable range. Qualitatively, the acquired MRI images had good image quality for delineation purposes. There were no abrupt position changes in reconstructed coronal images which confirmed that all sagittal slices were in the same respiratory state. Conclusion: We demonstrated it was feasible to acquire T2-weighted 4DMRI image set within a practical amount of time (10 minutes) that had good temporal resolution (10 respiratory states), spatial resolution (1.5mm × 1.5mm × 3.0mm) and spatial coverage (60 slices) for future clinical evaluation.« less

Using Electromagnetic Induction Technique to Detect Hydropedological Dynamics: Principles and Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Qing; Liao, Kaihua; Doolittle, James; Lin, Henry

2014-05-01

Hydropedological dynamics including soil moisture variation, subsurface flow, and spatial distributions of different soil properties are important parameters in ecological, environmental, hydrological, and agricultural modeling and applications. However, technical gap exists in mapping these dynamics at intermediate spatial scale (e.g., farm and catchment scales). At intermediate scales, in-situ monitoring provides detailed data, but is restricted in number and spatial coverage; while remote sensing provides more acceptable spatial coverage, but has comparatively low spatial resolution, limited observation depths, and is greatly influenced by the surface condition and climate. As a non-invasive, fast, and convenient geophysical tool, electromagnetic induction (EMI) measures soil apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) and has great potential to bridge this technical gap. In this presentation, principles of different EMI meters are briefly introduced. Then, case studies of using repeated EMI to detect spatial distributions of subsurface convergent flow, soil moisture dynamics, soil types and their transition zones, and different soil properties are presented. The suitability, effectiveness, and accuracy of EMI are evaluated for mapping different hydropedological dynamics. Lastly, contributions of different hydropedological and terrain properties on soil ECa are quantified under different wetness conditions, seasons, and land use types using Classification and Regression Tree model. Trend removal and residual analysis are then used for further mining of EMI survey data. Based on these analyses, proper EMI survey designs and data processing are proposed.

Spatial Coverage Planning and Optimization for Planetary Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaines, Daniel M.; Estlin, Tara; Chouinard, Caroline

2008-01-01

We are developing onboard planning and scheduling technology to enable in situ robotic explorers, such as rovers and aerobots, to more effectively assist scientists in planetary exploration. In our current work, we are focusing on situations in which the robot is exploring large geographical features such as craters, channels or regional boundaries. In to develop valid and high quality plans, the robot must take into account a range of scientific and engineering constraints and preferences. We have developed a system that incorporates multiobjective optimization and planning allowing the robot to generate high quality mission operations plans that respect resource limitations and mission constraints while attempting to maximize science and engineering objectives. An important scientific objective for the exploration of geological features is selecting observations that spatially cover an area of interest. We have developed a metric to enable an in situ explorer to reason about and track the spatial coverage quality of a plan. We describe this technique and show how it is combined in the overall multiobjective optimization and planning algorithm.

Enhancing the spatial coverage of a regional high-quality hydraulic conductivity dataset with estimates made from domestic water-well specific-capacity tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Priebe, Elizabeth H.; Neville, C. J.; Rudolph, D. L.

2018-03-01

The spatial coverage of hydraulic conductivity ( K) values for large-scale groundwater investigations is often poor because of the high costs associated with hydraulic testing and the large areas under investigation. Domestic water wells are ubiquitous and their well logs represent an untapped resource of information that includes mandatory specific-capacity tests, from which K can be estimated. These specific-capacity tests are routinely conducted at such low pumping rates that well losses are normally insignificant. In this study, a simple and practical approach to augmenting high-quality K values with reconnaissance-level K values from water-well specific-capacity tests is assessed. The integration of lesser quality K values from specific-capacity tests with a high-quality K data set is assessed through comparisons at two different scales: study-area-wide (a 600-km2 area in Ontario, Canada) and in a single geological formation within a portion of the broader study area (200 km2). Results of the comparisons demonstrate that reconnaissance-level K estimates from specific-capacity tests approximate the ranges and distributions of the high-quality K values. Sufficient detail about the physical basis and assumptions that are invoked in the development of the approach are presented here so that it can be applied with confidence by practitioners seeking to enhance their spatial coverage of K values with specific-capacity tests.

Excitability in the H{sub 2}+O{sub 2} reaction on a Rh(110) surface induced by high coverages of coadsorbed potassium

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

Rafti, Matías; Imbihl, Ronald, E-mail: imbihl@pci.uni-hannover.de

2014-12-07

By means of photoemission electron microscopy as spatially resolving method, the effect of high coverages of coadsorbed potassium (0.16 ≤ θ{sub K} ≤ 0.21) on the dynamical behavior of the H{sub 2} + O{sub 2} reaction over a Rh(110) surface was investigated. We observe that the originally bistable system is transformed into an excitable system as evidenced by the formation of target patterns and spiral waves. At K coverages close to saturation (θ{sub K} ≈ 0.21) mass transport of potassium with pulses is seen.

The Australian National Airborne Field Experiment 2005: Soil Moisture Remote Sensing at 60 Meter Resolution and Up

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kim, E. J.; Walker, J. P.; Panciera, R.; Kalma, J. D.

2006-01-01

Spatially-distributed soil moisture observations have applications spanning a wide range of spatial resolutions from the very local needs of individual farmers to the progressively larger areas of interest to weather forecasters, water resource managers, and global climate modelers. To date, the most promising approach for space-based remote sensing of soil moisture makes use of passive microwave emission radiometers at L-band frequencies (1-2 GHz). Several soil moisture-sensing satellites have been proposed in recent years, with the European Space Agency's Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission scheduled to be launched first in a couple years. While such a microwave-based approach has the advantage of essentially allweather operation, satellite size limits spatial resolution to 10's of km. Whether used at this native resolution or in conjunction with some type of downscaling technique to generate soil moisture estimates on a finer-scale grid, the effects of subpixel spatial variability play a critical role. The soil moisture variability is typically affected by factors such as vegetation, topography, surface roughness, and soil texture. Understanding and these factors is the key to achieving accurate soil moisture retrievals at any scale. Indeed, the ability to compensate for these factors ultimately limits the achievable spatial resolution and/or accuracy of the retrieval. Over the last 20 years, a series of airborne campaigns in the USA have supported the development of algorithms for spaceborne soil moisture retrieval. The most important observations involved imagery from passive microwave radiometers. The early campaigns proved that the retrieval worked for larger and larger footprints, up to satellite-scale footprints. These provided the solid basis for proposing the satellite missions. More recent campaigns have explored other aspects such as retrieval performance through greater amounts of vegetation. All of these campaigns featured extensive ground truth collection over a range of grid spacings, to provide a basis for examining the effects of subpixel variability. However, the native footprint size of the airborne L-band radiometers was always a few hundred meters. During the recently completed (November, 2005) National Airborne Field Experiment (NAFE) campaign in Australia, a compact L-band radiometer was deployed on a small aircraft. This new combination permitted routine observations at native resolutions as high as 60 meters, substantially finer than in previous airborne soil moisture campaigns, as well as satellite footprint areal coverage. The radiometer, the Polarimetric L-band Microwave Radiometer (PLMR) performed extremely well and operations included extensive calibration-related observations. Thus, along with the extensive fine-scale ground truth, the NAFE dataset includes all the ingredients for the first scaling studies involving very-high-native resolution soil moisture observations and the effects of vegetation, roughness, etc. A brief overview of the NAFE will be presented, then examples of the airborne observations with resolutions from 60 m to 1 km will be shown, and early results from scaling studies will be discussed.

FIRE_ACE_C130_RAMS

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2017-04-26

... NCAR C-130 Instrument:  Radiation Measurement System Spatial Coverage:  Fairbanks, Alaska and the ... Parameters:  Upwelling and Downwelling Total Solar Flux Infrared Flux and Narrowband Flux Order Data:  ...

TES/Aura L2 Ammonia (NH3) Lite Nadir V6 (TL2NH3LN)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2017-07-20

TES/Aura L2 Ammonia (NH3) Lite Nadir (TL2NH3LN) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Instrument:  TES/Aura L2 Ammonia Spatial Coverage:  5.3 km nadir Spatial ... OPeNDAP Access:  OPeNDAP Parameters:  Ammonia Order Data:  Earthdata Search:   Order Data ...

Node Scheduling Strategies for Achieving Full-View Area Coverage in Camera Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Wu, Peng-Fei; Xiao, Fu; Sha, Chao; Huang, Hai-Ping; Wang, Ru-Chuan; Xiong, Nai-Xue

2017-06-06

Unlike conventional scalar sensors, camera sensors at different positions can capture a variety of views of an object. Based on this intrinsic property, a novel model called full-view coverage was proposed. We study the problem that how to select the minimum number of sensors to guarantee the full-view coverage for the given region of interest (ROI). To tackle this issue, we derive the constraint condition of the sensor positions for full-view neighborhood coverage with the minimum number of nodes around the point. Next, we prove that the full-view area coverage can be approximately guaranteed, as long as the regular hexagons decided by the virtual grid are seamlessly stitched. Then we present two solutions for camera sensor networks in two different deployment strategies. By computing the theoretically optimal length of the virtual grids, we put forward the deployment pattern algorithm (DPA) in the deterministic implementation. To reduce the redundancy in random deployment, we come up with a local neighboring-optimal selection algorithm (LNSA) for achieving the full-view coverage. Finally, extensive simulation results show the feasibility of our proposed solutions.

Node Scheduling Strategies for Achieving Full-View Area Coverage in Camera Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Wu, Peng-Fei; Xiao, Fu; Sha, Chao; Huang, Hai-Ping; Wang, Ru-Chuan; Xiong, Nai-Xue

2017-01-01

Unlike conventional scalar sensors, camera sensors at different positions can capture a variety of views of an object. Based on this intrinsic property, a novel model called full-view coverage was proposed. We study the problem that how to select the minimum number of sensors to guarantee the full-view coverage for the given region of interest (ROI). To tackle this issue, we derive the constraint condition of the sensor positions for full-view neighborhood coverage with the minimum number of nodes around the point. Next, we prove that the full-view area coverage can be approximately guaranteed, as long as the regular hexagons decided by the virtual grid are seamlessly stitched. Then we present two solutions for camera sensor networks in two different deployment strategies. By computing the theoretically optimal length of the virtual grids, we put forward the deployment pattern algorithm (DPA) in the deterministic implementation. To reduce the redundancy in random deployment, we come up with a local neighboring-optimal selection algorithm (LNSA) for achieving the full-view coverage. Finally, extensive simulation results show the feasibility of our proposed solutions. PMID:28587304

Selective in situ potential-assisted SAM formation on multi electrode arrays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haag, Ann-Lauriene; Toader, Violeta; Lennox, R. Bruce; Grutter, Peter

2016-11-01

The selective modification of individual components in a biosensor array is challenging. To address this challenge, we present a generalizable approach to selectively modify and characterize individual gold surfaces in an array, in an in situ manner. This is achieved by taking advantage of the potential dependent adsorption/desorption of surface-modified organic molecules. Control of the applied potential of the individual sensors in an array where each acts as a working electrode provides differential derivatization of the sensor surfaces. To demonstrate this concept, two different self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-forming electrochemically addressable ω-ferrocenyl alkanethiols (C11) are chemisorbed onto independent but spatially adjacent gold electrodes. The ferrocene alkanethiol does not chemisorb onto the surface when the applied potential is cathodic relative to the adsorption potential and the electrode remains underivatized. However, applying potentials that are modestly positive relative to the adsorption potential leads to extensive coverage within 10 min. The resulting SAM remains in a stable state while held at potentials <200 mV above the adsorption potential. In this state, the chemisorbed SAM does not significantly desorb nor do new ferrocenylalkythiols adsorb. Using three set applied potentials provides for controlled submonolayer alkylthiol marker coverage of each independent gold electrode. These three applied potentials are dependent upon the specifics of the respective adsorbate. Characterization of the ferrocene-modified electrodes via cyclic voltammetry demonstrates that each specific ferrocene marker is exclusively adsorbed to the desired target electrode.

Spatio-temporal variation of vegetation coverage and its response to climate change in North China plain in the last 33 years

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

A, Duo; Zhao, Wenji; Qu, Xinyuan; Jing, Ran; Xiong, Kai

2016-12-01

Global climate change has led to significant vegetation changes in the past half century. North China Plain, the most important grain production base of china, is undergoing a process of prominent warming and drying. The vegetation coverage, which is used to monitor vegetation change, can respond to climate change (temperature and precipitation). In this study, GIMMS (Global Inventory Modelling and Mapping Studies)-NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) data, MODIS (Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) - NDVI data and climate data, during 1981-2013, were used to investigate the spatial distribution and changes of vegetation. The relationship between climate and vegetation on different spatial (agriculture, forest and grassland) and temporal (yearly, decadal and monthly) scales were also analyzed in North China Plain. (1) It was found that temperature exhibiting a slight increase trend (0.20 °C/10a, P < 0.01). This may be due to the disappearance of 0 °C isotherm, the rise of spring temperature. At the same time, precipitation showed a significant reduction trend (-1.75 mm/10a, P > 0.05). The climate mutation period was during 1991-1994. (2) Vegetation coverage slight increase was observed in the 55% of total study area, with a change rate of 0.00039/10a. Human activities may not only accelerate the changes of the vegetation coverage, but also c effect to the rate of these changes. (3) Overall, the correlation between the vegetation coverage and climatic factor is higher in monthly scale than yearly scale. The correlation analysis between vegetation coverage and climate changes showed that annual vegetation coverage was better correlatend with precipitation in grassland biome; but it showed a better correlated with temperature i the agriculture biome and forest biome. In addition, the vegetation coverage had sensitive time-effect respond to precipitation. (4) The vegetation coverage showed the same increasing trend before and after the climatic variations, but the rate of increase slowed down. From the vegetation coverage point of view, the grassland ecological zone had an obvious response to the climatic variations, but the agricultural ecological zones showed a significant response from the vegetation coverage change rate point of view. The effect of human activity in degradation region was higher than that in improvement area. But after the climate abruptly changing, the effect of human activity in improvement area was higher than that in degradation region, and the influence of human activity will continue in the future.

NARSTO PAC2001 GOLDEN EARS GAS PM DATA

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-04-09

... Parameters:  Atmospheric Pressure Measurements Air Temperature Humidity Ozone Aerosol Particle Properties Surface ... Data:  Spatial Coverage: Canada Pacific 2001 Air Quality Study SCAR-B Block:  SCAR-B ...

NARSTO PAC2001 LANGLEY GAS PM MET DATA

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-04-09

... Parameters:  Atmospheric Pressure Measurements Air Temperature Humidity Surface Winds Ozone Aerosol Particle ... Data:  Spatial Coverage: Canada Pacific 2001 Air Quality Study SCAR-B Block:  SCAR-B ...

Study on forest above-ground biomass synergy inversion from GLAS and HJ-1 data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Zhou; Cao, Chunxiang; Ji, Wei; Xu, Min; Chen, Wei

2012-10-01

The need exists to develop a systematic approach to inventory and monitor global forests, both for carbon stock evaluation and for land use change analysis. The use of freely available satellite-based data for carbon stock estimation mitigates both the cost and the spatial limitations of field-based techniques. Spaceborne lidar data have been demonstrated as useful for forest aboveground biomass (AGB) estimation over a wide range of biomass values and forest types. However, the application of these data is limited because of their spatially discrete nature. Spaceborne multispectral sensors have been used extensively to estimate AGB, but these methods have been demonstrated as inappropriate for forest structure characterization in high-biomass mature forests. This study uses an integration of ICESat Geospatial Laser Altimeter System (GLAS) lidar and HJ-1 satellites data to develop methods to estimate AGB in an area of Qilian Mountains, Northwest China. Considering the study area belongs to mountainous terrain, the difficulties of this article are how to extract canopy height from GLAS waveform metrics. Combining with HJ-1 data and ground survey data of the study area, we establish forest biomass estimation model for the GLAS data based on BP neural network model. In order to estimate AGB, the training sample data includes the canopy height extracted from GLAS, LAI, vegetation coverage and several kinds of vegetation indices from HJ-1 data. The results of forest aboveground biomass are very close to the fields measured results, and are consistent with land cover data in the spatial distribution.

Environmental chemistry: Volume A

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

Yen, T.F.

1999-08-01

This is an extensive introduction to environmental chemistry for engineering and chemical professionals. The contents of Volume A include a brief review of basic chemistry prior to coverage of litho, atmo, hydro, pedo, and biospheres.

Pre-Scheduled and Self Organized Sleep-Scheduling Algorithms for Efficient K-Coverage in Wireless Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Hwang, I-Shyan

2017-01-01

The K-coverage configuration that guarantees coverage of each location by at least K sensors is highly popular and is extensively used to monitor diversified applications in wireless sensor networks. Long network lifetime and high detection quality are the essentials of such K-covered sleep-scheduling algorithms. However, the existing sleep-scheduling algorithms either cause high cost or cannot preserve the detection quality effectively. In this paper, the Pre-Scheduling-based K-coverage Group Scheduling (PSKGS) and Self-Organized K-coverage Scheduling (SKS) algorithms are proposed to settle the problems in the existing sleep-scheduling algorithms. Simulation results show that our pre-scheduled-based KGS approach enhances the detection quality and network lifetime, whereas the self-organized-based SKS algorithm minimizes the computation and communication cost of the nodes and thereby is energy efficient. Besides, SKS outperforms PSKGS in terms of network lifetime and detection quality as it is self-organized. PMID:29257078

The 'Book of Life' in the press: comparing German and Irish media discourse on human genome research.

PubMed

O'Mahony, Patrick; Schäfer, Mike Steffen

2005-02-01

The essay compares German and Irish media coverage of human genome research in the year 2000, using qualitative and quantitative frame analysis of a print media corpus. Drawing from a media-theoretical account of science communication, the study examines four analytic dimensions: (1) the influence of global and national sources of discourse; (2) the nature of elaboration on important themes; (3) the extent of societal participation in discourse production; (4) the cultural conditions in which the discourse resonates. The analysis shows that a global discursive package, emphasizing claims of scientific achievement and medical progress, dominates media coverage in both countries. However, German coverage is more extensive and elaborate, and includes a wider range of participants. Irish coverage more often incorporates the global package without further elaboration. These finding indicate that the global package is 'localized' differently due to national patterns of interests, German participation in human genome research, traditions of media coverage, and the domestic resonance of the issue.

How getting news coverage REALLY works

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Divis, D.

How do you get media attention for your work? Why does some research get extensive news coverage while other worthy studies are ignored? This paper gives an insider's look at the real world of the news from the perspective of a veteran space reporter who now directs the worldwide science and technology coverage at United Press International. Among the topics discussed will be: what makes a story newsworthy, why timing is important, the reality of news deadlines and how to make press releases more effective. The presentation examines the different roles of reporters and editors, how best to work with them and how to meet the widely varying needs of the different types of media outlets.

Coverage and control of constellations of elliptical inclined frozen lunar orbits

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ely, Todd A.

2005-01-01

A great deal of scientific interest exists regarding the permanently shadowed craters near the poles of the Moon where there may be frozen volatiles. These regions, particularly the Moon's South Pole, have been proposed for extensive robotic and human exploration. Unfortunately, they are typically not in view of Earth, and would require some form of communication relay to facilitate exploration via robotic and/or human missions. One solution for such a relay is a long-lived constellation of lunar telecommunication orbiters providing focused coverage at the pole of interest. Robust support requires this coverage to be continuous, redundant, and, in order to minimize costs, this constellation should consist of 3 satellites or fewer.

A quantitative analysis of the F18 flight control system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Doyle, Stacy A.; Dugan, Joanne B.; Patterson-Hine, Ann

1993-01-01

This paper presents an informal quantitative analysis of the F18 flight control system (FCS). The analysis technique combines a coverage model with a fault tree model. To demonstrate the method's extensive capabilities, we replace the fault tree with a digraph model of the F18 FCS, the only model available to us. The substitution shows that while digraphs have primarily been used for qualitative analysis, they can also be used for quantitative analysis. Based on our assumptions and the particular failure rates assigned to the F18 FCS components, we show that coverage does have a significant effect on the system's reliability and thus it is important to include coverage in the reliability analysis.

Impact of vaccination on the incidence of measles in Mozambique in the period 2000 to 2011.

PubMed

Muloliwa, Artur Manuel; Camacho, Luiz Antonio Bastos; Verani, José Fernando Souza; Simões, Taynãna César; Dgedge, Martinho do Carmo

2013-02-01

The aim of this study was to contribute to the better planning of measles elimination actions in Mozambique, by considering the impact of vaccination actions over the period 2000 to 2011. Descriptive and ecological studies and case records made available by the Ministry of Health were used to analyze measles vaccination coverage. Statistical analysis was performed using time series and spatial analysis. Vaccine coverage rates ranged from 82% to 99%. Coverage rates in Maputo city were under 70% and in Niassa province they were over 100%. Coverage showed a clustered pattern in the districts. The measles incidence rate was 1.58 per 100,000 inhabitants (0.00-40.08 per 100,000 inhabitants); districts bordering neighboring countries presented high incidence rates. Although measles morbidity and mortality has decreased in Mozambique, vaccine coverage has been insufficient to interrupt measles transmission. Enhanced surveillance, including investigation of cases and outbreaks, and improvements in measles vaccination are recommended in order to achieve a homogenous coverage rate of ≥ 95% for both routine and mass vaccination campaigns.

Policy Choices for Progressive Realization of Universal Health Coverage Comment on "Ethical Perspective: Five Unacceptable Trade-offs on the Path to Universal Health Coverage".

PubMed

Tangcharoensathien, Viroj; Patcharanarumol, Walaiporn; Panichkriangkrai, Warisa; Sommanustweechai, Angkana

2016-07-31

In responses to Norheim's editorial, this commentary offers reflections from Thailand, how the five unacceptable trade-offs were applied to the universal health coverage (UHC) reforms between 1975 and 2002 when the whole 64 million people were covered by one of the three public health insurance systems. This commentary aims to generate global discussions on how best UHC can be gradually achieved. Not only the proposed five discrete trade-offs within each dimension, there are also trade-offs between the three dimensions of UHC such as population coverage, service coverage and cost coverage. Findings from Thai UHC show that equity is applied for the population coverage extension, when the low income households and the informal sector were the priority population groups for coverage extension by different prepayment schemes in 1975 and 1984, respectively. With an exception of public sector employees who were historically covered as part of fringe benefits were covered well before the poor. The private sector employees were covered last in 1990. Historically, Thailand applied a comprehensive benefit package where a few items are excluded using the negative list; until there was improved capacities on technology assessment that cost-effectiveness are used for the inclusion of new interventions into the benefit package. Not only cost-effectiveness, but long term budget impact, equity and ethical considerations are taken into account. Cost coverage is mostly determined by the fiscal capacities. Close ended budget with mix of provider payment methods are used as a tool for trade-off service coverage and financial risk protection. Introducing copayment in the context of fee-for-service can be harmful to beneficiaries due to supplier induced demands, inefficiency and unpredictable out of pocket payment by households. UHC achieves favorable outcomes as it was implemented when there was a full geographical coverage of primary healthcare coverage in all districts and sub-districts after three decade of health infrastructure investment and health workforce development since 1980s. The legacy of targeting population group by different prepayment mechanisms, leading to fragmentation, discrepancies and inequity across schemes, can be rectified by harmonization at the early phase when these schemes were introduced. Robust public accountability and participation mechanisms are recommended when deciding the UHC strategy. © 2017 The Author(s); Published by Kerman University of Medical Sciences. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Joint Offshore Wind Field Monitoring with Spaceborne SAR and Platform-Based Doppler LIDAR Measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobsen, S.; Lehner, S.; Hieronimus, J.; Schneemann, J.; Kuhn, M.

2015-04-01

The increasing demand for renewable energy resources has promoted the construction of offshore wind farms e.g. in the North Sea. While the wind farm layout consists of an array of large turbines, the interrelation of wind turbine wakes with the remaining array is of substantial interest. The downstream spatial evolution of turbulent wind turbine wakes is very complex and depends on manifold parameters such as wind speed, wind direction and ambient atmospheric stability conditions. To complement and validate existing numerical models, corresponding observations are needed. While in-situ measurements with e.g. anemometers provide a time-series at the given location, the merits of ground-based and space- or airborne remote sensing techniques are indisputable in terms of spatial coverage. Active microwave devices, such as Scatterometer and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), have proven their capabilities of providing sea surface wind measurements and particularly SAR images reveal wind variations at a high spatial resolution while retaining the large coverage area. Platform-based Doppler LiDAR can resolve wind fields with a high spatial coverage and repetition rates of seconds to minutes. In order to study the capabilities of both methods for the investigation of small scale wind field structures, we present a direct comparison of observations obtained by high resolution TerraSAR-X (TS-X) X-band SAR data and platform-based LiDAR devices at the North Sea wind farm alpha ventus. We furthermore compare the results with meteorological data from the COSMO-DE model run by the German Weather Service DWD. Our study indicates that the overall agreement between SAR and LiDAR wind fields is good and that under appropriate conditions small scale wind field variations compare significantly well.

On the Challenge of Observing Pelagic Sargassum in Coastal Oceans: A Multi-sensor Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, C.; Feng, L.; Hardy, R.; Hochberg, E. J.

2016-02-01

Remote detection of pelagic Sargassum is often hindered by its spectral similarity to other floating materials and by the inadequate spatial resolution. Using measurements from multi-spectral satellite sensors (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS), Landsat, WorldView-2 (or WV-2) as well as hyperspectral sensors (Hyperspectral Imager for the Coastal Ocean or HICO, Airborne Visible-InfraRed Imaging Spectrometer or AVIRIS) and airborne digital photos, we analyze and compare their ability (in terms of spectral and spatial resolutions) to detect Sargassum and to differentiate from other floating materials such as Trichodesmium, Syringodium, Ulva, garbage, and emulsified oil. Field measurements suggest that Sargassum has a distinctive reflectance curvature around 630 nm due to its chlorophyll c pigments, which provides a unique spectral signature when combined with the reflectance ratio between brown ( 650 nm) and green ( 555 nm) wavelengths. For a 10-nm resolution sensor on the hyperspectral HyspIRI mission currently being planned by NASA, a stepwise rule to examine several indexes established from 6 bands (centered at 555, 605, 625, 645, 685, 755 nm) is shown to be effective to unambiguously differentiate Sargassum from all other floating materials Numerical simulations using spectral endmembers and noise in the satellite-derived reflectance suggest that spectral discrimination is degraded when a pixel is mixed between Sargassum and water. A minimum of 20-30% Sargassum coverage within a pixel is required to retain such ability, while the partial coverage can be as low as 1-2% when detecting floating materials without spectral discrimination. With its expected signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs 200:1), the hyperspectral HyspIRI mission may provide a compromise between spatial resolution and spatial coverage to improve our capacity to detect, discriminate, and quantify Sargassum.

Mapping the Distribution of Anthrax in Mainland China, 2005-2013.

PubMed

Chen, Wan-Jun; Lai, Sheng-Jie; Yang, Yang; Liu, Kun; Li, Xin-Lou; Yao, Hong-Wu; Li, Yu; Zhou, Hang; Wang, Li-Ping; Mu, Di; Yin, Wen-Wu; Fang, Li-Qun; Yu, Hong-Jie; Cao, Wu-Chun

2016-04-01

Anthrax, a global re-emerging zoonotic disease in recent years is enzootic in mainland China. Despite its significance to the public health, spatiotemporal distributions of the disease in human and livestock and its potential driving factors remain poorly understood. Using the national surveillance data of human and livestock anthrax from 2005 to 2013, we conducted a retrospective epidemiological study and risk assessment of anthrax in mainland China. The potential determinants for the temporal and spatial distributions of human anthrax were also explored. We found that the majority of human anthrax cases were located in six provinces in western and northeastern China, and five clustering areas with higher incidences were identified. The disease mostly peaked in July or August, and males aged 30-49 years had higher incidence than other subgroups. Monthly incidence of human anthrax was positively correlated with monthly average temperature, relative humidity and monthly accumulative rainfall with lags of 0-2 months. A boosted regression trees (BRT) model at the county level reveals that densities of cattle, sheep and human, coverage of meadow, coverage of typical grassland, elevation, coverage of topsoil with pH > 6.1, concentration of organic carbon in topsoil, and the meteorological factors have contributed substantially to the spatial distribution of the disease. The model-predicted probability of occurrence of human cases in mainland China was mapped at the county level. Anthrax in China was characterized by significant seasonality and spatial clustering. The spatial distribution of human anthrax was largely driven by livestock husbandry, human density, land cover, elevation, topsoil features and climate. Enhanced surveillance and intervention for livestock and human anthrax in the high-risk regions, particularly on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, is the key to the prevention of human infections.

Mapping the Distribution of Anthrax in Mainland China, 2005–2013

PubMed Central

Yang, Yang; Liu, Kun; Li, Xin-Lou; Yao, Hong-Wu; Li, Yu; Zhou, Hang; Wang, Li-Ping; Mu, Di; Yin, Wen-Wu; Fang, Li-Qun; Yu, Hong-Jie; Cao, Wu-Chun

2016-01-01

Background Anthrax, a global re-emerging zoonotic disease in recent years is enzootic in mainland China. Despite its significance to the public health, spatiotemporal distributions of the disease in human and livestock and its potential driving factors remain poorly understood. Methodology/Principal Findings Using the national surveillance data of human and livestock anthrax from 2005 to 2013, we conducted a retrospective epidemiological study and risk assessment of anthrax in mainland China. The potential determinants for the temporal and spatial distributions of human anthrax were also explored. We found that the majority of human anthrax cases were located in six provinces in western and northeastern China, and five clustering areas with higher incidences were identified. The disease mostly peaked in July or August, and males aged 30–49 years had higher incidence than other subgroups. Monthly incidence of human anthrax was positively correlated with monthly average temperature, relative humidity and monthly accumulative rainfall with lags of 0–2 months. A boosted regression trees (BRT) model at the county level reveals that densities of cattle, sheep and human, coverage of meadow, coverage of typical grassland, elevation, coverage of topsoil with pH > 6.1, concentration of organic carbon in topsoil, and the meteorological factors have contributed substantially to the spatial distribution of the disease. The model-predicted probability of occurrence of human cases in mainland China was mapped at the county level. Conclusions/Significance Anthrax in China was characterized by significant seasonality and spatial clustering. The spatial distribution of human anthrax was largely driven by livestock husbandry, human density, land cover, elevation, topsoil features and climate. Enhanced surveillance and intervention for livestock and human anthrax in the high-risk regions, particularly on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, is the key to the prevention of human infections. PMID:27097318

NARSTO PAC2001 SLOCAN PARK GAS PM MET DATA

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-04-09

... Parameters:  Atmospheric Pressure Measurements Air Temperature Humidity Surface Winds Ozone Aerosol Particle ... Data:  Spatial Coverage: Canada Pacific 2001 Air Quality Study SCAR-B Block:  SCAR-B ...

FEHBP Dependent Coverage Extension Act

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Rep. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD-8

2010-05-04

House - 05/25/2010 Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

COBRA Coverage Extension Act of 2009

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Sen. Burris, Roland [D-IL

2009-07-21

Senate - 07/21/2009 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Understanding Mn-nodule distribution and evaluation of related deep-sea mining impacts using AUV-based hydroacoustic and optical data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peukert, Anne; Schoening, Timm; Alevizos, Evangelos; Köser, Kevin; Kwasnitschka, Tom; Greinert, Jens

2018-04-01

In this study, ship- and autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV)-based multibeam data from the German ferromanganese-nodule (Mn-nodule) license area in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ; eastern Pacific) are linked to ground-truth data from optical imaging. Photographs obtained by an AUV enable semi-quantitative assessments of nodule coverage at a spatial resolution in the range of meters. Together with high-resolution AUV bathymetry, this revealed a correlation of small-scale terrain variations ( < 5 m horizontally, < 1 m vertically) with nodule coverage. In the presented data set, increased nodule coverage could be correlated with slopes > 1.8° and concave terrain. On a more regional scale, factors such as the geological setting (existence of horst and graben structures, sediment thickness, outcropping basement) and influence of bottom currents seem to play an essential role for the spatial variation of nodule coverage and the related hard substrate habitat. AUV imagery was also successfully employed to map the distribution of resettled sediment following a disturbance and sediment cloud generation during a sampling deployment of an epibenthic sledge. Data from before and after the disturbance allow a direct assessment of the impact. Automated image processing analyzed the nodule coverage at the seafloor, revealing nodule blanketing by resettling of suspended sediment within 16 h after the disturbance. The visually detectable impact was spatially limited to a maximum of 100 m distance from the disturbance track, downstream of the bottom water current. A correlation with high-resolution AUV bathymetry reveals that the blanketing pattern varies in extent by tens of meters, strictly following the bathymetry, even in areas of only slightly undulating seafloor ( < 1 m vertical change). These results highlight the importance of detailed terrain knowledge when engaging in resource assessment studies for nodule abundance estimates and defining mineable areas. At the same time, it shows the importance of high-resolution mapping for detailed benthic habitat studies that show a heterogeneity at scales of 10 to 100 m. Terrain knowledge is also needed to determine the scale of the impact by seafloor sediment blanketing during mining operations.

Spatial and socio-demographic predictors of time-to-immunization in a rural area in Kenya: Is equity attainable?

PubMed

Moïsi, Jennifer C; Kabuka, Jonathan; Mitingi, Dorah; Levine, Orin S; Scott, J Anthony G

2010-08-09

We conducted a vaccine coverage survey in Kilifi District, Kenya in order to identify predictors of childhood immunization. We calculated travel time to vaccine clinics and examined its relationship to immunization coverage and timeliness among the 2169 enrolled children (median age: 12.5 months). 86% had vaccine cards available, >95% had received three doses of DTP-HepB-Hib and polio vaccines and 88% of measles. Travel time did not affect vaccination coverage or timeliness. The Kenyan EPI reaches nearly all children in Kilifi and delays in vaccination are few, suggesting that vaccines will have maximal impact on child morbidity and mortality. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Determination of the Time-Space Magnetic Correlation Functions in the Solar Wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weygand, J. M.; Matthaeus, W. H.; Kivelson, M.; Dasso, S.

2013-12-01

Magnetic field data from many different intervals and 7 different solar wind spacecraft are employed to estimate the scale-dependent time decorrelation function in the interplanetary magnetic field in both the slow and fast solar wind. This estimation requires correlations varying with both space and time lags. The two point correlation function with no time lag is determined by correlating time series data from multiple spacecraft separated in space and for complete coverage of length scales relies on many intervals with different spacecraft spatial separations. In addition we employ single spacecraft time-lagged correlations, and two spacecraft time lagged correlations to access different spatial and temporal correlation data. Combining these data sets gives estimates of the scale-dependent time decorrelation function, which in principle tells us how rapidly time decorrelation occurs at a given wavelength. For static fields the scale-dependent time decorrelation function is trivially unity, but in turbulence the nonlinear cascade process induces time-decorrelation at a given length scale that occurs more rapidly with decreasing scale. The scale-dependent time decorrelation function is valuable input to theories as well as various applications such as scattering, transport, and study of predictability. It is also a fundamental element of formal turbulence theory. Our results are extension of the Eulerian correlation functions estimated in Matthaeus et al. [2010], Weygand et al [2012; 2013].

A spatial evaluation of global wildfire-water risks to human and natural systems.

PubMed

Robinne, François-Nicolas; Bladon, Kevin D; Miller, Carol; Parisien, Marc-André; Mathieu, Jérôme; Flannigan, Mike D

2018-01-01

The large mediatic coverage of recent massive wildfires across the world has emphasized the vulnerability of freshwater resources. The extensive hydrogeomorphic effects from a wildfire can impair the ability of watersheds to provide safe drinking water to downstream communities and high-quality water to maintain riverine ecosystem health. Safeguarding water use for human activities and ecosystems is required for sustainable development; however, no global assessment of wildfire impacts on water supply is currently available. Here, we provide the first global evaluation of wildfire risks to water security, in the form of a spatially explicit index. We adapted the Driving forces-Pressure-State-Impact-Response risk analysis framework to select a comprehensive set of indicators of fire activity and water availability, which we then aggregated to a single index of wildfire-water risk using a simple additive weighted model. Our results show that water security in many regions of the world is potentially vulnerable, regardless of socio-economic status. However, in developing countries, a critical component of the risk is the lack of socio-economic capability to respond to disasters. Our work highlights the importance of addressing wildfire-induced risks in the development of water security policies; the geographic differences in the components of the overall risk could help adapting those policies to different regional contexts. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tracking LNOx Downwind to Investigate Driving Production Physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lapierre, J. L.; Pusede, S.

2016-12-01

Emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) influence atmospheric oxidation chemistry and drive ozone production. In the upper troposphere, lightning production (LNOx) is believed to contribute as much as 70% of the total NOx. Therefore, accurate, process-driven constraints on LNOx are required to understand the global NOx and ozone burden. However, estimates of the amount of NOx produced per lightning flash remain highly uncertain, ranging across multiple orders of magnitude ( 10-1000 moles NOx/flash). Satellite measurements provide unique advantages to study LNOx due to their extensive spatial coverage of the Earth, but despite the mechanism by which lightning produces NOx being generally known, correlations between satellite NO2 and measured flash counts are often observed to be poor. Here, we combine NO2 measurements from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), lightning data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), and wind data from the NCEP North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) over a 4 year period (2012-2015) to study observed relationships between the occurrence and physical characteristics of lightning (e.g., intracloud/cloud-to-ground ratio, polarity, peak current, and multiplicity) with elevated NO2 columns. We investigate the observed spatial mismatch between high flash rates and elevated upper tropospheric NO2, highlight a number of individual storms as case studies, and describe the winds and chemistry that dislocate LNOx from storms. We then use these new constraints on LNOx to investigate the physical drivers of LNOx production rates.

Mantle P wave travel time tomography of Eastern and Southern Africa: New images of mantle upwellings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benoit, M. H.; Li, C.; van der Hilst, R.

2006-12-01

Much of Eastern Africa, including Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania, has undergone extensive tectonism, including rifting, uplift, and volcanism during the Cenozoic. The cause of this tectonism is often attributed to the presence of one or more mantle upwellings, including starting thermal plumes and superplumes. Previous regional seismic studies and global tomographic models show conflicting results regarding the spatial and thermal characteristics of these upwellings. Additionally, there are questions concerning the extent to which the Archean and Proterozoic lithosphere has been altered by possible thermal upwellings in the mantle. To further constrain the mantle structure beneath Southern and Eastern Africa and to investigate the origin of the tectonism in Eastern Africa, we present preliminary results of a large-scale P wave travel time tomographic study of the region. We invert travel time measurements from the EHB database with travel time measurements taken from regional PASSCAL datasets including the Ethiopia Broadband Seismic Experiment (2000-2002); Kenya Broadband Seismic Experiment (2000-2002); Southern Africa Seismic Experiment (1997- 1999); Tanzania Broadband Seismic Experiment (1995-1997), and the Saudi Arabia PASSCAL Experiment (1995-1997). The tomographic inversion uses 3-D sensitivity kernels to combine different datasets and is parameterized with an irregular grid so that high spatial resolution can be obtained in areas of dense data coverage. It uses an adaptive least-squares context using the LSQR method with norm and gradient damping.

Link Connectivity and Coverage of Underwater Cognitive Acoustic Networks under Spectrum Constraint

PubMed Central

Wang, Qiu; Cheang, Chak Fong

2017-01-01

Extensive attention has been given to the use of cognitive radio technology in underwater acoustic networks since the acoustic spectrum became scarce due to the proliferation of human aquatic activities. Most of the recent studies on underwater cognitive acoustic networks (UCANs) mainly focus on spectrum management or protocol design. Few efforts have addressed the quality-of-service (QoS) of UCANs. In UCANs, secondary users (SUs) have lower priority to use acoustic spectrum than primary users (PUs) with higher priority to access spectrum. As a result, the QoS of SUs is difficult to ensure in UCANs. This paper proposes an analytical model to investigate the link connectivity and the probability of coverage of SUs in UCANs. In particular, this model takes both topological connectivity and spectrum availability into account, though spectrum availability has been ignored in most recent studies. We conduct extensive simulations to evaluate the effectiveness and the accuracy of our proposed model. Simulation results show that our proposed model is quite accurate. Besides, our results also imply that the link connectivity and the probability of coverage of SUs heavily depend on both the underwater acoustic channel conditions and the activities of PUs. PMID:29215561

SAGE III L2 Monthly Cloud Presence Data (Binary)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2016-06-14

... degrees South Spatial Resolution:  1 km vertical Temporal Coverage:  02/27/2002 - 12/31/2005 ... Parameters:  Cloud Amount/Frequency Cloud Height Cloud Vertical Distribution Order Data:  Search and ...

Impact of Medicare on the Use of Medical Services by Disabled Beneficiaries, 1972-1974

PubMed Central

Deacon, Ronald W.

1979-01-01

The extension of Medicare coverage in 1973 to disabled persons receiving cash benefits under the Social Security Act provided an opportunity to examine the impact of health insurance coverage on utilization and expenses for Part B services. Data on medical services used both before and after coverage, collected through the Current Medicare Survey, were analyzed. Results indicate that access to care (as measured by the number of persons using services) increased slightly, while the rate of use did not. The large increase in the number of persons eligible for Medicare reflected the large increase in the number of cash beneficiaries. Significant increases also were found in the amount charged for medical services. The absence of large increases in access and service use may be attributed, in part, to the already existing source of third party payment available to disabled cash beneficiaries in 1972, before Medicare coverage. PMID:10316939

On the use of electrokinetic phenomena of the second kind for probing electrode kinetic properties of modified electron-conducting surfaces.

PubMed

Duval, Jérôme F L; Sorrenti, Estelle; Waldvogel, Yves; Görner, Tatiana; De Donato, Philippe

2007-04-14

The electrokinetic features of electron-conducting substrates, as measured in a conventional thin-layer electrokinetic cell, strongly depend on the extent of bipolar faradaic depolarisation of the interface formed with the adjacent electrolytic solution. Streaming potential versus applied pressure data obtained for metallic substrates must generally be interpreted on the basis of a modified Helmholtz-Smoluchowski equation corrected by an electronic conduction term-non linear with respect to the lateral potential and applied pressure gradient-that stems from the bipolar electrodic behavior of the metallic surface. In the current study, streaming potential measurements have been performed in KNO(3) solutions on porous plugs made of electron-conducting grains of pyrite (FeS(2)) covered by humic acids. For zero coverage, the extensive bipolar electronic conduction taking place in the plug-depolarized by concomitant and spatially distributed oxidation and reduction reactions of Fe(2+) and Fe(3+) species-leads to the complete extinction of the streaming potential over the entire range of applied pressure examined. For low to intermediate coverage, the local electron-transfer kinetics on the covered regions of the plug becomes more sluggish. The overall bipolar electronic conduction is then diminished which leads to an increase in the streaming potential with a non-linear dependence on the pressure. For significant coverage, a linear response is observed which basically reflects the interfacial double layer properties of the humics surface layer. A tractable, semi-analytical model is presented that reproduces the electrokinetic peculiarities of the complex and composite system FeS(2)/humics investigated. The study demonstrates that the streaming potential technique is a fast and valuable tool for establishing how well the electron transfer kinetics at a partially or completely depolarised bare electron-conducting substrate/electrolyte solution interface is either promoted (catalysis) or blocked (passivation) by the presence of a discontinuous surface layer.

Oil slick morphology derived from AVIRIS measurements of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Implications for spatial resolution requirements of remote sensors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sun, Shaojie; Hu, Chuanmin; Feng, Lian; Swayze, Gregg A.; Holmes, Jamie; Graettinger, George; MacDonald, Ian R.; Garcia, Oscar; Leifer, Ira

2016-01-01

Using fine spatial resolution (~ 7.6 m) hyperspectral AVIRIS data collected over the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, we statistically estimated slick lengths, widths and length/width ratios to characterize oil slick morphology for different thickness classes. For all AVIRIS-detected oil slicks (N = 52,100 continuous features) binned into four thickness classes (≤ 50 μm but thicker than sheen, 50–200 μm, 200–1000 μm, and > 1000 μm), the median lengths, widths, and length/width ratios of these classes ranged between 22 and 38 m, 7–11 m, and 2.5–3.3, respectively. The AVIRIS data were further aggregated to 30-m (Landsat resolution) and 300-m (MERIS resolution) spatial bins to determine the fractional oil coverage in each bin. Overall, if 50% fractional pixel coverage were to be required to detect oil with thickness greater than sheen for most oil containing pixels, a 30-m resolution sensor would be needed.

Spatial and Temporal Response of Auroral and Subauroral Plasma Convection to High- Latitude Drivers of Geomagnetic Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenwald, R. A.; Ruohoniemi, M.; Baker, J. B.; Talaat, E.; Lester, M.; Oksavik, K.

2008-12-01

During the IPY, the second of two lower-latitude SuperDARN radars was put into operation in the eastern U.S. Located at Blackstone, VA and directed toward central Canada, it extends the coverage of the preexisting Wallops Island radar to more than 4 hours of magnetic local time and covers 50-70 degrees geomagnetic latitude providing coverage of ionospheric plasma convection and electric fields on magnetic field lines connected to the inner boundary of the plasmasheet, ring current and plasmapause. Although initial measurements with this coordinated pair of radars were made at a time of low geomagnetic activity, there have been many opportunities to examine both the spatial and temporal response of low-latitude auroral and subauroral plasma convection and its associated electric field to a variety of high-latitude magnetospheric drivers including dayside reconnection and midnight sector substorms. In this paper, we discuss the dynamical response of these flows to both dayside reconnection and substorms. We specifically examine the timing, location, spatial extent and intensity of these flow enhancements versus the nature and strength of the driver.

An assessment of geographical distribution of different plant functional types over North America simulated using the CLASS-CTEM modelling framework

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrestha, Rudra K.; Arora, Vivek K.; Melton, Joe R.; Sushama, Laxmi

2017-10-01

The performance of the competition module of the CLASS-CTEM (Canadian Land Surface Scheme and Canadian Terrestrial Ecosystem Model) modelling framework is assessed at 1° spatial resolution over North America by comparing the simulated geographical distribution of its plant functional types (PFTs) with two observation-based estimates. The model successfully reproduces the broad geographical distribution of trees, grasses and bare ground although limitations remain. In particular, compared to the two observation-based estimates, the simulated fractional vegetation coverage is lower in the arid southwest North American region and higher in the Arctic region. The lower-than-observed simulated vegetation coverage in the southwest region is attributed to lack of representation of shrubs in the model and plausible errors in the observation-based data sets. The observation-based data indicate vegetation fractional coverage of more than 60 % in this arid region, despite only 200-300 mm of precipitation that the region receives annually, and observation-based leaf area index (LAI) values in the region are lower than one. The higher-than-observed vegetation fractional coverage in the Arctic is likely due to the lack of representation of moss and lichen PFTs and also likely because of inadequate representation of permafrost in the model as a result of which the C3 grass PFT performs overly well in the region. The model generally reproduces the broad spatial distribution and the total area covered by the two primary tree PFTs (needleleaf evergreen trees, NDL-EVG; and broadleaf cold deciduous trees, BDL-DCD-CLD) reasonably well. The simulated fractional coverage of tree PFTs increases after the 1960s in response to the CO2 fertilization effect and climate warming. Differences between observed and simulated PFT coverages highlight model limitations and suggest that the inclusion of shrubs, and moss and lichen PFTs, and an adequate representation of permafrost will help improve model performance.

Ecosystem Evapotranspiration as a Response to Climate and Vegetation Coverage Changes in Northwest Yunnan, China

PubMed Central

Yang, Hao; Luo, Peng; Wang, Jun; Mou, Chengxiang; Mo, Li; Wang, Zhiyuan; Fu, Yao; Lin, Honghui; Yang, Yongping; Bhatta, Laxmi Dutt

2015-01-01

Climate and human-driven changes play an important role in regional droughts. Northwest Yunnan Province is a key region for biodiversity conservation in China, and it has experienced severe droughts since the beginning of this century; however, the extent of the contributions from climate and human-driven changes remains unclear. We calculated the ecosystem evapotranspiration (ET) and water yield (WY) of northwest Yunnan Province, China from 2001 to 2013 using meteorological and remote sensing observation data and a Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) model. Multivariate regression analyses were used to differentiate the contribution of climate and vegetation coverage to ET. The results showed that the annual average vegetation coverage significantly increased over time with a mean of 0.69 in spite of the precipitation fluctuation. Afforestation/reforestation and other management efforts attributed to vegetation coverage increase in NW Yunnan. Both ET and WY considerably fluctuated with the climate factors, which ranged from 623.29 mm to 893.8 mm and –51.88 mm to 384.40 mm over the time period. Spatially, ET in the southeast of NW Yunnan (mainly in Lijiang) increased significantly, which was in line with the spatial trend of vegetation coverage. Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that climatic factors accounted for 85.18% of the ET variation, while vegetation coverage explained 14.82%. On the other hand, precipitation accounted for 67.5% of the WY. We conclude that the continuous droughts in northwest Yunnan were primarily climatically driven; however, man-made land cover and vegetation changes also increased the vulnerability of local populations to drought. Because of the high proportion of the water yield consumed for subsistence and poor infrastructure for water management, local populations have been highly vulnerable to climate drought conditions. We suggest that conservation of native vegetation and development of water-conserving agricultural practices should be implemented as adaptive strategies to mitigate climate change. PMID:26237220

Ecosystem Evapotranspiration as a Response to Climate and Vegetation Coverage Changes in Northwest Yunnan, China.

PubMed

Yang, Hao; Luo, Peng; Wang, Jun; Mou, Chengxiang; Mo, Li; Wang, Zhiyuan; Fu, Yao; Lin, Honghui; Yang, Yongping; Bhatta, Laxmi Dutt

2015-01-01

Climate and human-driven changes play an important role in regional droughts. Northwest Yunnan Province is a key region for biodiversity conservation in China, and it has experienced severe droughts since the beginning of this century; however, the extent of the contributions from climate and human-driven changes remains unclear. We calculated the ecosystem evapotranspiration (ET) and water yield (WY) of northwest Yunnan Province, China from 2001 to 2013 using meteorological and remote sensing observation data and a Surface Energy Balance System (SEBS) model. Multivariate regression analyses were used to differentiate the contribution of climate and vegetation coverage to ET. The results showed that the annual average vegetation coverage significantly increased over time with a mean of 0.69 in spite of the precipitation fluctuation. Afforestation/reforestation and other management efforts attributed to vegetation coverage increase in NW Yunnan. Both ET and WY considerably fluctuated with the climate factors, which ranged from 623.29 mm to 893.8 mm and -51.88 mm to 384.40 mm over the time period. Spatially, ET in the southeast of NW Yunnan (mainly in Lijiang) increased significantly, which was in line with the spatial trend of vegetation coverage. Multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that climatic factors accounted for 85.18% of the ET variation, while vegetation coverage explained 14.82%. On the other hand, precipitation accounted for 67.5% of the WY. We conclude that the continuous droughts in northwest Yunnan were primarily climatically driven; however, man-made land cover and vegetation changes also increased the vulnerability of local populations to drought. Because of the high proportion of the water yield consumed for subsistence and poor infrastructure for water management, local populations have been highly vulnerable to climate drought conditions. We suggest that conservation of native vegetation and development of water-conserving agricultural practices should be implemented as adaptive strategies to mitigate climate change.

A QoS-guaranteed coverage precedence routing algorithm for wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Jiang, Joe-Air; Lin, Tzu-Shiang; Chuang, Cheng-Long; Chen, Chia-Pang; Sun, Chin-Hong; Juang, Jehn-Yih; Lin, Jiun-Chuan; Liang, Wei-Wen

2011-01-01

For mission-critical applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) involving extensive battlefield surveillance, medical healthcare, etc., it is crucial to have low-power, new protocols, methodologies and structures for transferring data and information in a network with full sensing coverage capability for an extended working period. The upmost mission is to ensure that the network is fully functional providing reliable transmission of the sensed data without the risk of data loss. WSNs have been applied to various types of mission-critical applications. Coverage preservation is one of the most essential functions to guarantee quality of service (QoS) in WSNs. However, a tradeoff exists between sensing coverage and network lifetime due to the limited energy supplies of sensor nodes. In this study, we propose a routing protocol to accommodate both energy-balance and coverage-preservation for sensor nodes in WSNs. The energy consumption for radio transmissions and the residual energy over the network are taken into account when the proposed protocol determines an energy-efficient route for a packet. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed protocol is able to increase the duration of the on-duty network and provide up to 98.3% and 85.7% of extra service time with 100% sensing coverage ratio comparing with LEACH and the LEACH-Coverage-U protocols, respectively.

What hysteria? A systematic study of newspaper coverage of accused child molesters.

PubMed

Cheit, Ross E

2003-06-01

There were three aims: First, to determine the extent to which those charged with child molestation receive newspaper coverage; second, to analyze the nature of that coverage; and third, to compare the universe of coverage to the nature of child molestation charges in the criminal justice system as a whole. Two databases were created. The first one identified all defendants charged with child molestation in Rhode Island in 1993. The database was updated after 5 years to include relevant information about case disposition. The second database was created by electronic searching the Providence Journal for every story that mentioned each defendant. Most defendants (56.1%) were not mentioned in the newspaper. Factors associated with a greater chance of coverage include: cases involving first-degree charges, cases with multiple counts, cases involving additional violence or multiple victims, and cases resulting in long prison sentences. The data indicate that the press exaggerates "stranger danger," while intra-familial cases are underreported. Newspaper accounts also minimize the extent to which guilty defendants avoid prison. Generalizing about the nature of child molestation cases in criminal court on the basis of newspaper coverage is inappropriate. The coverage is less extensive than often claimed, and it is skewed in ways that are typical of the mass media.

Hydrological Responses of Weather Conditions and Crop Change of Agricultural Area in the Rincon Valley, New Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, S.; Sheng, Z.; Abudu, S.

2017-12-01

Hydrologic cycle of agricultural area has been changing due to the impacts of climate and land use changes (crop coverage changes) in an arid region of Rincon Valley, New Mexico. This study is to evaluate the impacts of weather condition and crop coverage change on hydrologic behavior of agricultural area in Rincon Valley (2,466km2) for agricultural watershed management using a watershed-scale hydrologic model, SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool). The SWAT model was developed to incorporate irrigation of different crops using auto irrigation function. For the weather condition and crop coverage change evaluation, three spatial crop coverages including a normal (2008), wet (2009), and dry (2011) years were prepared using USDA crop data layer (CDL) for fourteen different crops. The SWAT model was calibrated for the period of 2001-2003 and validated for the period of 2004-2006 using daily-observed streamflow data. Scenario analysis was performed for wet and dry years based on the unique combinations of crop coverages and releases from Caballo Reservoir. The SWAT model simulated the present vertical water budget and horizontal water transfer considering irrigation practices in the Rincon Valley. Simulation results indicated the temporal and spatial variability for irrigation and non-irrigation seasons of hydrologic cycle in agricultural area in terms of surface runoff, evapotranspiration, infiltration, percolation, baseflow, soil moisture, and groundwater recharge. The water supply of the dry year could not fully cover whole irrigation period due to dry weather conditions, resulting in reduction of crop acreage. For extreme weather conditions, the temporal variation of water budget became robust, which requires careful irrigation management of the agricultural area. The results could provide guidelines for farmers to decide crop patterns in response to different weather conditions and water availability.

Tip-Enhanced Raman Voltammetry: Coverage Dependence and Quantitative Modeling.

PubMed

Mattei, Michael; Kang, Gyeongwon; Goubert, Guillaume; Chulhai, Dhabih V; Schatz, George C; Jensen, Lasse; Van Duyne, Richard P

2017-01-11

Electrochemical atomic force microscopy tip-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (EC-AFM-TERS) was employed for the first time to observe nanoscale spatial variations in the formal potential, E 0' , of a surface-bound redox couple. TERS cyclic voltammograms (TERS CVs) of single Nile Blue (NB) molecules were acquired at different locations spaced 5-10 nm apart on an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode. Analysis of TERS CVs at different coverages was used to verify the observation of single-molecule electrochemistry. The resulting TERS CVs were fit to the Laviron model for surface-bound electroactive species to quantitatively extract the formal potential E 0' at each spatial location. Histograms of single-molecule E 0' at each coverage indicate that the electrochemical behavior of the cationic oxidized species is less sensitive to local environment than the neutral reduced species. This information is not accessible using purely electrochemical methods or ensemble spectroelectrochemical measurements. We anticipate that quantitative modeling and measurement of site-specific electrochemistry with EC-AFM-TERS will have a profound impact on our understanding of the role of nanoscale electrode heterogeneity in applications such as electrocatalysis, biological electron transfer, and energy production and storage.

High resolution climate scenarios for snowmelt modelling in small alpine catchments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schirmer, M.; Peleg, N.; Burlando, P.; Jonas, T.

2017-12-01

Snow in the Alps is affected by climate change with regard to duration, timing and amount. This has implications with respect to important societal issues as drinking water supply or hydropower generation. In Switzerland, the latter received a lot of attention following the political decision to phase out of nuclear electricity production. An increasing number of authorization requests for small hydropower plants located in small alpine catchments was observed in the recent years. This situation generates ecological conflicts, while the expected climate change poses a threat to water availability thus putting at risk investments in such hydropower plants. Reliable high-resolution climate scenarios are thus required, which account for small-scale processes to achieve realistic predictions of snowmelt runoff and its variability in small alpine catchments. We therefore used a novel model chain by coupling a stochastic 2-dimensional weather generator (AWE-GEN-2d) with a state-of-the-art energy balance snow cover model (FSM). AWE-GEN-2d was applied to generate ensembles of climate variables at very fine temporal and spatial resolution, thus providing all climatic input variables required for the energy balance modelling. The land-surface model FSM was used to describe spatially variable snow cover accumulation and melt processes. The FSM was refined to allow applications at very high spatial resolution by specifically accounting for small-scale processes, such as a subgrid-parametrization of snow covered area or an improved representation of forest-snow processes. For the present study, the model chain was tested for current climate conditions using extensive observational dataset of different spatial and temporal coverage. Small-scale spatial processes such as elevation gradients or aspect differences in the snow distribution were evaluated using airborne LiDAR data. 40-year of monitoring data for snow water equivalent, snowmelt and snow-covered area for entire Switzerland was used to verify snow distribution patterns at coarser spatial and temporal scale. The ability of the model chain to reproduce current climate conditions in small alpine catchments makes this model combination an outstanding candidate to produce high resolution climate scenarios of snowmelt in small alpine catchments.

Wisconsin's approach to variation in traffic data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-08-01

Traffic data exhibits considerable variability, both spatially and temporally. Given limited resources and the large geographic coverage required for data collection efforts, short period (24-hours to 7-day) traffic data collection must often serve t...

SAGE III L2 Monthly Cloud Presence Data (HDF-EOS)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2016-06-14

... degrees South Spatial Resolution:  1 km vertical Temporal Coverage:  02/27/2002 - 12/31/2005 ... Parameters:  Cloud Amount/Frequency Cloud Height Cloud Vertical Distribution Order Data:  Search and ...

Sub-national variation in measles vaccine coverage and outbreak risk: a case study from a 2010 outbreak in Malawi.

PubMed

Kundrick, Avery; Huang, Zhuojie; Carran, Spencer; Kagoli, Matthew; Grais, Rebecca Freeman; Hurtado, Northan; Ferrari, Matthew

2018-06-15

Despite progress towards increasing global vaccination coverage, measles continues to be one of the leading, preventable causes of death among children worldwide. Whether and how to target sub-national areas for vaccination campaigns continues to remain a question. We analyzed three metrics for prioritizing target areas: vaccination coverage, susceptible birth cohort, and the effective reproductive ratio (R E ) in the context of the 2010 measles epidemic in Malawi. Using case-based surveillance data from the 2010 measles outbreak in Malawi, we estimated vaccination coverage from the proportion of cases reporting with a history of prior vaccination at the district and health facility catchment scale. Health facility catchments were defined as the set of locations closer to a given health facility than to any other. We combined these estimates with regional birth rates to estimate the size of the annual susceptible birth cohort. We also estimated the effective reproductive ratio, R E , at the health facility polygon scale based on the observed rate of exponential increase of the epidemic. We combined these estimates to identify spatial regions that would be of high priority for supplemental vaccination activities. The estimated vaccination coverage across all districts was 84%, but ranged from 61 to 99%. We found that 8 districts and 354 health facility catchments had estimated vaccination coverage below 80%. Areas that had highest birth cohort size were frequently large urban centers that had high vaccination coverage. The estimated R E ranged between 1 and 2.56. The ranking of districts and health facility catchments as priority areas varied depending on the measure used. Each metric for prioritization may result in discrete target areas for vaccination campaigns; thus, there are tradeoffs to choosing one metric over another. However, in some cases, certain areas may be prioritized by all three metrics. These areas should be treated with particular concern. Furthermore, the spatial scale at which each metric is calculated impacts the resulting prioritization and should also be considered when prioritizing areas for vaccination campaigns. These methods may be used to allocate effort for prophylactic campaigns or to prioritize response for outbreak response vaccination.

5 CFR 891.501 - Standards for uniform plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... members of their families, without regard to race, sex, health status, or age. It shall not deny or limit... provide a 31-day extension of coverage on termination of subscription other than by change of election or...

5 CFR 891.501 - Standards for uniform plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... members of their families, without regard to race, sex, health status, or age. It shall not deny or limit... provide a 31-day extension of coverage on termination of subscription other than by change of election or...

5 CFR 891.501 - Standards for uniform plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... members of their families, without regard to race, sex, health status, or age. It shall not deny or limit... provide a 31-day extension of coverage on termination of subscription other than by change of election or...

5 CFR 891.501 - Standards for uniform plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... members of their families, without regard to race, sex, health status, or age. It shall not deny or limit... provide a 31-day extension of coverage on termination of subscription other than by change of election or...

5 CFR 891.501 - Standards for uniform plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... members of their families, without regard to race, sex, health status, or age. It shall not deny or limit... provide a 31-day extension of coverage on termination of subscription other than by change of election or...

Image Stability Requirements For a Geostationary Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bingham, G. E.; Cantwell, G.; Robinson, R. C.; Revercomb, H. E.; Smith, W. L.

2001-01-01

A Geostationary Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer (GIFTS) has been selected for the NASA New Millennium Program (NMP) Earth Observing-3 (EO-3) mission. Our paper will discuss one of the key GIFTS measurement requirements, Field of View (FOV) stability, and its impact on required system performance. The GIFTS NMP mission is designed to demonstrate new and emerging sensor and data processing technologies with the goal of making revolutionary improvements in meteorological observational capability and forecasting accuracy. The GIFTS payload is a versatile imaging FTS with programmable spectral resolution and spatial scene selection that allows radiometric accuracy and atmospheric sounding precision to be traded in near real time for area coverage. The GIFTS sensor combines high sensitivity with a massively parallel spatial data collection scheme to allow high spatial resolution measurement of the Earth's atmosphere and rapid broad area coverage. An objective of the GIFTS mission is to demonstrate the advantages of high spatial resolution (4 km ground sample distance - gsd) on temperature and water vapor retrieval by allowing sampling in broken cloud regions. This small gsd, combined with the relatively long scan time required (approximately 10 s) to collect high resolution spectra from geostationary (GEO) orbit, may require extremely good pointing control. This paper discusses the analysis of this requirement.

[Responses of alpine grassland landscape in the source region of Shule River Basin to topographical factors and frozen ground types].

PubMed

Chen, Jian-Jun; Yi, Shu-Hua; Qin, Yu; Wang, Xiao-Yun

2014-06-01

This paper retrieved the fractional vegetation cover of alpine grassland in the source region of the Shule River Basin based on Chinese environmental satellite (HJ-1A/1B) images and field data, and analyzed the response of the vegetation cover to topographic factors and types of frozen ground. The results showed that the vegetation coverage of this region was low with large spatial heterogeneity and high degree of dispersion. The landscape consisted mainly of non-vegetation surface types, eg. ice, snow, the bare rock gravel land and bare land. Slopes and aspects were the main limiting factors of vegetation distribution. The average vegetation coverage decreased with the increase of slope. The average vegetation coverage was the lowest on the sunny slope, and the highest on the shady slope. There were significant differences of vegetation coverage among different types of frozen ground. The distribution of vegetation coverage presented a reversed "U" curve trend by extremely stable permafrost, stable permafrost, sub-stable permafrost, transition permafrost, unstable permafrost and seasonal frost, and the average vegetation coverage was the highest in the sub-stable permafrost.

Electrode Coverage Optimization for Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting from Tip Excitation

PubMed Central

Chen, Guangzhu; Bai, Nan

2018-01-01

Piezoelectric energy harvesting using cantilever-type structures has been extensively investigated due to its potential application in providing power supplies for wireless sensor networks, but the low output power has been a bottleneck for its further commercialization. To improve the power conversion capability, a piezoelectric beam with different electrode coverage ratios is studied theoretically and experimentally in this paper. A distributed-parameter theoretical model is established for a bimorph piezoelectric beam with the consideration of the electrode coverage area. The impact of the electrode coverage on the capacitance, the output power and the optimal load resistance are analyzed, showing that the piezoelectric beam has the best performance with an electrode coverage of 66.1%. An experimental study was then carried out to validate the theoretical results using a piezoelectric beam fabricated with segmented electrodes. The experimental results fit well with the theoretical model. A 12% improvement on the Root-Mean-Square (RMS) output power was achieved with the optimized electrode converge ratio (66.1%). This work provides a simple approach to utilizing piezoelectric beams in a more efficient way. PMID:29518934

Measurement of fault latency in a digital avionic mini processor, part 2

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgough, J.; Swern, F.

1983-01-01

The results of fault injection experiments utilizing a gate-level emulation of the central processor unit of the Bendix BDX-930 digital computer are described. Several earlier programs were reprogrammed, expanding the instruction set to capitalize on the full power of the BDX-930 computer. As a final demonstration of fault coverage an extensive, 3-axis, high performance flght control computation was added. The stages in the development of a CPU self-test program emphasizing the relationship between fault coverage, speed, and quantity of instructions were demonstrated.

Development of Prior Image-Based, High-Quality, Low-Dose Kilovoltage Cone Beam CT for Use in Adaptive Radiotherapy of Prostate Cancer

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-01

for initial test of object coverage for these scanning trajectories. I have also acquired real data of physical phantoms by using a clinical CBCT system...scan. To test the extension of axial coverage, I car- ried out a simulated data study using numerical disk and anthropomorphic XCAT phantoms [15]. As an...imaging model in Eq. (1), I investigated the choice of data divergence, such as the Euclidean distance or Kullback - Leibler (K-L) divergence, which are

Thematic mapper flight model preshipment review data package. Volume 4: Appendix. Part G: Miscellaneous system data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

Functional and design data from various thematic mapper subsystems are presented. Coarse focus, modulation transfer function, and shim requirements are addressed along with spectral matching and spatial coverage tests.

Efficient receptive field tiling in primate V1

PubMed Central

Nauhaus, Ian; Nielsen, Kristina J.; Callaway, Edward M.

2017-01-01

The primary visual cortex (V1) encodes a diverse set of visual features, including orientation, ocular dominance (OD) and spatial frequency (SF), whose joint organization must be precisely structured to optimize coverage within the retinotopic map. Prior experiments have only identified efficient coverage based on orthogonal maps. Here, we used two-photon calcium imaging to reveal an alternative arrangement for OD and SF maps in macaque V1; their gradients run parallel but with unique spatial periods, whereby low SF regions coincide with monocular regions. Next, we mapped receptive fields and find surprisingly precise micro-retinotopy that yields a smaller point-image and requires more efficient inter-map geometry, thus underscoring the significance of map relationships. While smooth retinotopy is constraining, studies suggest that it improves both wiring economy and the V1 population code read downstream. Altogether, these data indicate that connectivity within V1 is finely tuned and precise at the level of individual neurons. PMID:27499086

Retrieved Products from Simulated Hyperspectral Observations of a Hurricane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel; Kouvaris, Louis C.; Iredell, Lena; Blaisdell, John; Pagano, Thomas; Mathews, William

2015-01-01

This research uses GCM derived products, with 1 km spatial resolution and sampled every 10 minutes, over a moving area following the track of a simulated severe Atlantic storm. Model products were aggregated over sounder footprints corresponding to 13 km in LEO, 2 km in LEO, and 5 km in GEO sampled every 72 minutes. We simulated radiances for instruments with AIRS-like spectral coverage, spectral resolution, and channel noise, using these aggregated products as the truth, and analyzed them using a slightly modified version of the operational AIRS Version-6 retrieval algorithm. Accuracy of retrievals obtained using simulated AIRS radiances with a 13 km footprint was similar to that obtained using real AIRS data. Spatial coverage and accuracy of retrievals are shown for all three sounding scenarios. The research demonstrates the potential significance of flying Advanced AIRS-like instruments on future LEO and GEO missions.

Increasing the value of geospatial informatics with open approaches for Big Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Percivall, G.; Bermudez, L. E.

2017-12-01

Open approaches to big data provide geoscientists with new capabilities to address problems of unmatched size and complexity. Consensus approaches for Big Geo Data have been addressed in multiple international workshops and testbeds organized by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) in the past year. Participants came from government (NASA, ESA, USGS, NOAA, DOE); research (ORNL, NCSA, IU, JPL, CRIM, RENCI); industry (ESRI, Digital Globe, IBM, rasdaman); standards (JTC 1/NIST); and open source software communities. Results from the workshops and testbeds are documented in Testbed reports and a White Paper published by the OGC. The White Paper identifies the following set of use cases: Collection and Ingest: Remote sensed data processing; Data stream processing Prepare and Structure: SQL and NoSQL databases; Data linking; Feature identification Analytics and Visualization: Spatial-temporal analytics; Machine Learning; Data Exploration Modeling and Prediction: Integrated environmental models; Urban 4D models. Open implementations were developed in the Arctic Spatial Data Pilot using Discrete Global Grid Systems (DGGS) and in Testbeds using WPS and ESGF to publish climate predictions. Further development activities to advance open implementations of Big Geo Data include the following: Open Cloud Computing: Avoid vendor lock-in through API interoperability and Application portability. Open Source Extensions: Implement geospatial data representations in projects from Apache, Location Tech, and OSGeo. Investigate parallelization strategies for N-Dimensional spatial data. Geospatial Data Representations: Schemas to improve processing and analysis using geospatial concepts: Features, Coverages, DGGS. Use geospatial encodings like NetCDF and GeoPackge. Big Linked Geodata: Use linked data methods scaled to big geodata. Analysis Ready Data: Support "Download as last resort" and "Analytics as a service". Promote elements common to "datacubes."

Validation of Ground-based Optical Estimates of Auroral Electron Precipitation Energy Deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hampton, D. L.; Grubbs, G. A., II; Conde, M.; Lynch, K. A.; Michell, R.; Zettergren, M. D.; Samara, M.; Ahrns, M. J.

2017-12-01

One of the major energy inputs into the high latitude ionosphere and mesosphere is auroral electron precipitation. Not only does the kinetic energy get deposited, the ensuing ionization in the E and F-region ionosphere modulates parallel and horizontal currents that can dissipate in the form of Joule heating. Global models to simulate these interactions typically use electron precipitation models that produce a poor representation of the spatial and temporal complexity of auroral activity as observed from the ground. This is largely due to these precipitation models being based on averages of multiple satellite overpasses separated by periods much longer than typical auroral feature durations. With the development of regional and continental observing networks (e.g. THEMIS ASI), the possibility of ground-based optical observations producing quantitative estimates of energy deposition with temporal and spatial scales comparable to those known to be exhibited in auroral activity become a real possibility. Like empirical precipitation models based on satellite overpasses such optics-based estimates are subject to assumptions and uncertainties, and therefore require validation. Three recent sounding rocket missions offer such an opportunity. The MICA (2012), GREECE (2014) and Isinglass (2017) missions involved detailed ground based observations of auroral arcs simultaneously with extensive on-board instrumentation. These have afforded an opportunity to examine the results of three optical methods of determining auroral electron energy flux, namely 1) ratio of auroral emissions, 2) green line temperature vs. emission altitude, and 3) parametric estimates using white-light images. We present comparisons from all three methods for all three missions and summarize the temporal and spatial scales and coverage over which each is valid.

Simultaneous Observations of Beach and Surf-Zone Topography from a sUAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slocum, R. K.; Brodie, K. L.; Spore, N.

2016-02-01

Beaches and surf-zones can vary rapidly in time and space, necessitating frequent, spatially extensive observations for up-to-date knowledge on their current condition. Traditional surveying methods are expensive, can be dangerous in large wave conditions, and can lack sufficient spatial density. Existing remote sensing technologies have focused on both active sensing (airborne lidar, X-band radar) or passive sensing (electro-optical or infrared imagery) to either directly measure elevations of the beach and seafloor or exploit the optical signal of refracting and breaking waves in the surf-zone. These methods, however, can be prohibitively expensive for widespread, high temporal frequency use, or lack the spatial coverage required to quantify a large stretch of beach. UAS offer an affordable and accessible alternative, but existing COTS UAS sensor suites are not optimized for generation of bathymetry and topography at the same time. Here, we present a new approach using an inexpensive, custom multi-camera sensor designed with a wide field of view for integration on either a fixed wing of multirotor UAS platform. We introduce a processing methodology and workflow to generate a topographic pointcloud and rectified imagery of the water surface using structure from motion algorithms. The topographic pointcloud data is processed to generate a DSM of the beach and extract morphologic parameters (beach slope, dune toe, etc). Rectified imagery of the water surface is used to quantify sandbar location as well as perform a celerity based bathymetric inversion. Accuracy of this methodology is calculated by comparing processed data to lidar pointclouds, as well as photo identifiable targets on the beach and jetted into the surf zone. Funded by the USACE Military Engineering POD:A&U Program and Coastal Field Data Collection Program.

Remote high-definition rotating video enables fast spatial survey of marine underwater macrofauna and habitats.

PubMed

Pelletier, Dominique; Leleu, Kévin; Mallet, Delphine; Mou-Tham, Gérard; Hervé, Gilles; Boureau, Matthieu; Guilpart, Nicolas

2012-01-01

Observing spatial and temporal variations of marine biodiversity from non-destructive techniques is central for understanding ecosystem resilience, and for monitoring and assessing conservation strategies, e.g. Marine Protected Areas. Observations are generally obtained through Underwater Visual Censuses (UVC) conducted by divers. The problems inherent to the presence of divers have been discussed in several papers. Video techniques are increasingly used for observing underwater macrofauna and habitat. Most video techniques that do not need the presence of a diver use baited remote systems. In this paper, we present an original video technique which relies on a remote unbaited rotating remote system including a high definition camera. The system is set on the sea floor to record images. These are then analysed at the office to quantify biotic and abiotic sea bottom cover, and to identify and count fish species and other species like marine turtles. The technique was extensively tested in a highly diversified coral reef ecosystem in the South Lagoon of New Caledonia, based on a protocol covering both protected and unprotected areas in major lagoon habitats. The technique enabled to detect and identify a large number of species, and in particular fished species, which were not disturbed by the system. Habitat could easily be investigated through the images. A large number of observations could be carried out per day at sea. This study showed the strong potential of this non obtrusive technique for observing both macrofauna and habitat. It offers a unique spatial coverage and can be implemented at sea at a reasonable cost by non-expert staff. As such, this technique is particularly interesting for investigating and monitoring coastal biodiversity in the light of current conservation challenges and increasing monitoring needs.

Precision measurements from very-large scale aerial digital imagery.

PubMed

Booth, D Terrance; Cox, Samuel E; Berryman, Robert D

2006-01-01

Managers need measurements and resource managers need the length/width of a variety of items including that of animals, logs, streams, plant canopies, man-made objects, riparian habitat, vegetation patches and other things important in resource monitoring and land inspection. These types of measurements can now be easily and accurately obtained from very large scale aerial (VLSA) imagery having spatial resolutions as fine as 1 millimeter per pixel by using the three new software programs described here. VLSA images have small fields of view and are used for intermittent sampling across extensive landscapes. Pixel-coverage among images is influenced by small changes in airplane altitude above ground level (AGL) and orientation relative to the ground, as well as by changes in topography. These factors affect the object-to-camera distance used for image-resolution calculations. 'ImageMeasurement' offers a user-friendly interface for accounting for pixel-coverage variation among images by utilizing a database. 'LaserLOG' records and displays airplane altitude AGL measured from a high frequency laser rangefinder, and displays the vertical velocity. 'Merge' sorts through large amounts of data generated by LaserLOG and matches precise airplane altitudes with camera trigger times for input to the ImageMeasurement database. We discuss application of these tools, including error estimates. We found measurements from aerial images (collection resolution: 5-26 mm/pixel as projected on the ground) using ImageMeasurement, LaserLOG, and Merge, were accurate to centimeters with an error less than 10%. We recommend these software packages as a means for expanding the utility of aerial image data.

Spatial distribution pattern analysis of subtidal macroalgae assemblages by a non-destructive rapid assessment method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guinda, Xabier; Juanes, José Antonio; Puente, Araceli; Echavarri-Erasun, Beatriz

2012-01-01

The extensive field work carried out over the last century has allowed the worldwide description of general distribution patterns and specific composition of rocky intertidal communities. However, the information concerning subtidal communities on hard substrates is more recent and scarce due to the difficulties associated with working in such environments. In this work, a non-destructive method is applied to the study and mapping of subtidal rocky bottom macroalgae assemblages on the coast of Cantabria (N Spain) which is quick, easy and economical. Gelidium corneum and Cystoseira baccata were the dominant species, however, the composition and coverage of macroalgae assemblages varied significantly at different locations and depth ranges. The high presence of Laminaria ochroleuca and Saccorhiza polyschides, characteristic of colder waters, shows the transitional character of this coastal area. The results obtained throughout this study have been very useful to the application of the European Water Framework Directive (WFD 2000/60/EC) and could be of great interest for the future conservation and management of these ecosystems (e.g. Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC).

Space, time, and the third dimension (model error)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moss, Marshall E.

1979-01-01

The space-time tradeoff of hydrologic data collection (the ability to substitute spatial coverage for temporal extension of records or vice versa) is controlled jointly by the statistical properties of the phenomena that are being measured and by the model that is used to meld the information sources. The control exerted on the space-time tradeoff by the model and its accompanying errors has seldom been studied explicitly. The technique, known as Network Analyses for Regional Information (NARI), permits such a study of the regional regression model that is used to relate streamflow parameters to the physical and climatic characteristics of the drainage basin.The NARI technique shows that model improvement is a viable and sometimes necessary means of improving regional data collection systems. Model improvement provides an immediate increase in the accuracy of regional parameter estimation and also increases the information potential of future data collection. Model improvement, which can only be measured in a statistical sense, cannot be quantitatively estimated prior to its achievement; thus an attempt to upgrade a particular model entails a certain degree of risk on the part of the hydrologist.

Book Review: Regional Hydrological Response to Climate Change

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Koster, Randal

1998-01-01

The book being reviewed, Regional Hydrological Response to Climate Change, addresses the effects of global climate change, particularly global warming induced by greenhouse gas emissions, on hydrological budgets at the regional scale. As noted in its preface, the book consists of peer-reviewed papers delivered at scientific meetings held by the International Geographical Union Working Group on Regional Hydrological Response to Climate Change and Global Warming, supplemented with some additional chapters that round out coverage of the topic. The editors hope that this book will serve as "not only a record of current achievements, but also a stimulus to further hydrological research as the detail and spatial resolution of Global Climate Models improves". The reviewer found the background material on regional climatology to be valuable and the methodologies presented to be of interest. The value of the book is significantly diminished, however by the dated nature of some of the material and by large uncertainties in the predictions of regional precipitation change. The book would have been improved by a much more extensive documentation of the uncertainty associated with each step of the prediction process.

Integrating technologies for oil spill response in the SW Iberian coast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janeiro, J.; Neves, A.; Martins, F.; Relvas, P.

2017-09-01

An operational oil spill modelling system developed for the SW Iberia Coast is used to investigate the relative importance of the different components and technologies integrating an oil spill monitoring and response structure. A backtrack of a CleanSeaNet oil detection in the region is used to demonstrate the concept. Taking advantage of regional operational products available, the system provides the necessary resolution to go from regional to coastal scales using a downscalling approach, while a multi-grid methodology allows the based oil spill model to span across model domains taking full advantage of the increasing resolution between the model grids. An extensive validation procedure using a multiplicity of sensors, with good spatial and temporal coverage, strengthens the operational system ability to accurately solve coastal scale processes. The model is validated using available trajectories from satellite-tracked drifters. Finally, a methodology is proposed to identifying potential origins for the CleanSeaNet oil detection, by combining model backtrack results with ship trajectories supplied by AIS was developed, including the error estimations found in the backtrack validation.

Dynamic Positron Emission Tomography [PET] in Man Using Small Bismuth Germanate Crystals

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Derenzo, S. E.; Budinger, T. F.; Huesman, R. H.; Cahoon, J. L.

1982-04-01

Primary considerations for the design of positron emission tomographs for medical studies in humans are the need for high imaging sensitivity, whole organ coverage, good spatial resolution, high maximum data rates, adequate spatial sampling with minimum mechanical motion, shielding against out of plane activity, pulse height discrimination against scattered photons, and timing discrimination against accidental coincidences. We discuss the choice of detectors, sampling motion, shielding, and electronics to meet these objectives.

Location-Allocation and Accessibility Models for Improving the Spatial Planning of Public Health Services

PubMed Central

Polo, Gina; Acosta, C. Mera; Ferreira, Fernando; Dias, Ricardo Augusto

2015-01-01

This study integrated accessibility and location-allocation models in geographic information systems as a proposed strategy to improve the spatial planning of public health services. To estimate the spatial accessibility, we modified the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) model with a different impedance function, a Gaussian weight for competition among service sites, a friction coefficient, distances along a street network based on the Dijkstra’s algorithm and by performing a vectorial analysis. To check the accuracy of the strategy, we used the data from the public sterilization program for the dogs and cats of Bogot´a, Colombia. Since the proposed strategy is independent of the service, it could also be applied to any other public intervention when the capacity of the service is known. The results of the accessibility model were consistent with the sterilization program data, revealing that the western, central and northern zones are the most isolated areas under the sterilization program. Spatial accessibility improvement was sought by relocating the sterilization sites using the maximum coverage with finite demand and the p-median models. The relocation proposed by the maximum coverage model more effectively maximized the spatial accessibility to the sterilization service given the non-uniform distribution of the populations of dogs and cats throughout the city. The implementation of the proposed strategy would provide direct benefits by improving the effectiveness of different public health interventions and the use of financial and human resources. PMID:25775411

Wide Swath Stereo Mapping from Gaofen-1 Wide-Field-View (WFV) Images Using Calibration

PubMed Central

Chen, Shoubin; Liu, Jingbin; Huang, Wenchao

2018-01-01

The development of Earth observation systems has changed the nature of survey and mapping products, as well as the methods for updating maps. Among optical satellite mapping methods, the multiline array stereo and agile stereo modes are the most common methods for acquiring stereo images. However, differences in temporal resolution and spatial coverage limit their application. In terms of this issue, our study takes advantage of the wide spatial coverage and high revisit frequencies of wide swath images and aims at verifying the feasibility of stereo mapping with the wide swath stereo mode and reaching a reliable stereo accuracy level using calibration. In contrast with classic stereo modes, the wide swath stereo mode is characterized by both a wide spatial coverage and high-temporal resolution and is capable of obtaining a wide range of stereo images over a short period. In this study, Gaofen-1 (GF-1) wide-field-view (WFV) images, with total imaging widths of 800 km, multispectral resolutions of 16 m and revisit periods of four days, are used for wide swath stereo mapping. To acquire a high-accuracy digital surface model (DSM), the nonlinear system distortion in the GF-1 WFV images is detected and compensated for in advance. The elevation accuracy of the wide swath stereo mode of the GF-1 WFV images can be improved from 103 m to 30 m for a DSM with proper calibration, meeting the demands for 1:250,000 scale mapping and rapid topographic map updates and showing improved efficacy for satellite imaging. PMID:29494540

Science Objectives of EOS-Aura's Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levelt, P. F.; Veefkind, J. P.; Stammes, P.; Hilsenrath, E.; Bhartia, P. K.; Chance, K. V.; Leppelmeier, G. W.; Maelkki, A.; Bhartia, Pawan (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

OMI is a UV/VIS nadir solar backscatter spectrograph, which provides near global coverage in one day with a spatial resolution of 13 x 24 sq km. OMI is a new instrument, with a heritage from the European satellite instruments GOME, GOMOS and SCIAMACHY. OMI's unique capabilities for measuring important trace gases with a small footprint and daily global coverage, in conjunction with the other Aura instruments, will make a major contribution to our understanding of stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry and climate change. OMI will measure solar irradiance and Earth radiances in the wavelength range of 270 to 500 nm with spectral resolution of about 0.5 nm and a spectral sampling of about 2-3 per FWHM. From these observations, total columns of O3, NO2, BrO and SO2 will be derived from the back-scattered solar radiance using differential absorption spectroscopy (DOAS). The TOMS total ozone record will also be continued by employing the well established TOMS algorithm. Because of the high accuracy and spatial resolution of the measurements, a good estimate of tropospheric amounts of ozone and NO2 are expected. Ozone profiles will be derived using the optimal estimation method. The spectral aerosol optical depth will be determined from measurements between 340 and 500 nm. This will provide information on aerosol concentration, aerosol size distribution and aerosol type. This wavelength range makes it possible to retrieve aerosol information over both land and sea. OMI observations will also allow retrievals of cloud coverage and cloud heights. From these products, the UV-B flux at the surface can then be derived with high spatial resolution.

Strategies for minimizing sample size for use in airborne LiDAR-based forest inventory

USGS Publications Warehouse

Junttila, Virpi; Finley, Andrew O.; Bradford, John B.; Kauranne, Tuomo

2013-01-01

Recently airborne Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) has emerged as a highly accurate remote sensing modality to be used in operational scale forest inventories. Inventories conducted with the help of LiDAR are most often model-based, i.e. they use variables derived from LiDAR point clouds as the predictive variables that are to be calibrated using field plots. The measurement of the necessary field plots is a time-consuming and statistically sensitive process. Because of this, current practice often presumes hundreds of plots to be collected. But since these plots are only used to calibrate regression models, it should be possible to minimize the number of plots needed by carefully selecting the plots to be measured. In the current study, we compare several systematic and random methods for calibration plot selection, with the specific aim that they be used in LiDAR based regression models for forest parameters, especially above-ground biomass. The primary criteria compared are based on both spatial representativity as well as on their coverage of the variability of the forest features measured. In the former case, it is important also to take into account spatial auto-correlation between the plots. The results indicate that choosing the plots in a way that ensures ample coverage of both spatial and feature space variability improves the performance of the corresponding models, and that adequate coverage of the variability in the feature space is the most important condition that should be met by the set of plots collected.

Bedrock mapping of buried valley networks using seismic reflection and airborne electromagnetic data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oldenborger, G. A.; Logan, C. E.; Hinton, M. J.; Pugin, A. J.-M.; Sapia, V.; Sharpe, D. R.; Russell, H. A. J.

2016-05-01

In glaciated terrain, buried valleys often host aquifers that are significant groundwater resources. However, given the range of scales, spatial complexity and depth of burial, buried valleys often remain undetected or insufficiently mapped. Accurate and thorough mapping of bedrock topography is a crucial step in detecting and delineating buried valleys and understanding formative valley processes. We develop a bedrock mapping procedure supported by the combination of seismic reflection data and helicopter time-domain electromagnetic data with water well records for the Spiritwood buried valley aquifer system in Manitoba, Canada. The limited spatial density of water well bedrock observations precludes complete depiction of the buried valley bedrock topography and renders the water well records alone inadequate for accurate hydrogeological model building. Instead, we leverage the complementary strengths of seismic reflection and airborne electromagnetic data for accurate local detection of the sediment-bedrock interface and for spatially extensive coverage, respectively. Seismic reflection data are used to define buried valley morphology in cross-section beneath survey lines distributed over a regional area. A 3D model of electrical conductivity is derived from inversion of the airborne electromagnetic data and used to extrapolate buried valley morphology over the entire survey area. A spatially variable assignment of the electrical conductivity at the bedrock surface is applied to different features of the buried valley morphology identified in the seismic cross-sections. Electrical conductivity is then used to guide construction of buried valley shapes between seismic sections. The 3D locus of points defining each morphological valley feature is constructed using a path optimization routine that utilizes deviation from the assigned electrical conductivities as the cost function. Our resulting map represents a bedrock surface of unprecedented detail with more complexity than has been suggested by previous investigations. Our procedure is largely data-driven with an adaptable degree of expert user input that provides a clear protocol for incorporating different types of geophysical data into the bedrock mapping procedure.

Combined spatial prediction of schistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis in Sierra Leone: a tool for integrated disease control.

PubMed

Hodges, Mary H; Soares Magalhães, Ricardo J; Paye, Jusufu; Koroma, Joseph B; Sonnie, Mustapha; Clements, Archie; Zhang, Yaobi

2012-01-01

A national mapping of Schistosoma haematobium was conducted in Sierra Leone before the mass drug administration (MDA) with praziquantel. Together with the separate mapping of S. mansoni and soil-transmitted helminths, the national control programme was able to plan the MDA strategies according to the World Health Organization guidelines for preventive chemotherapy for these diseases. A total of 52 sites/schools were selected according to prior knowledge of S. haematobium endemicity taking into account a good spatial coverage within each district, and a total of 2293 children aged 9-14 years were examined. Spatial analysis showed that S. haematobium is heterogeneously distributed in the country with significant spatial clustering in the central and eastern regions of the country, most prevalent in Bo (24.6% and 8.79 eggs/10 ml), Koinadugu (20.4% and 3.53 eggs/10 ml) and Kono (25.3% and 7.91 eggs/10 ml) districts. By combining this map with the previously reported maps on intestinal schistosomiasis using a simple probabilistic model, the combined schistosomiasis prevalence map highlights the presence of high-risk communities in an extensive area in the northeastern half of the country. By further combining the hookworm prevalence map, the at-risk population of school-age children requiring integrated schistosomiasis/soil-transmitted helminth treatment regimens according to the coendemicity was estimated. The first comprehensive national mapping of urogenital schistosomiasis in Sierra Leone was conducted. Using a new method for calculating the combined prevalence of schistosomiasis using estimates from two separate surveys, we provided a robust coendemicity mapping for overall urogenital and intestinal schistosomiasis. We also produced a coendemicity map of schistosomiasis and hookworm. These coendemicity maps can be used to guide the decision making for MDA strategies in combination with the local knowledge and programme needs.

Rapid orthophoto development system.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-06-01

The DMC system procured in the project represented state-of-the-art, large-format digital aerial camera systems at the start of : project. DMC is based on the frame camera model, and to achieve large ground coverage with high spatial resolution, the ...

High Spatial Resolution Europa Coverage by the Galileo Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer NIMS

NASA Image and Video Library

1998-03-26

NASA Galileo spacecraft, which was used to map the mineral and ice properties over the surfaces of the Jovian moons, producing global spectral images for small selected regions on the satellites in 1996-97.

Increasing the coverage area through relay node deployment in long term evolution advanced cellular networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aldhaibani, Jaafar A.; Ahmad, R. B.; Yahya, A.; Azeez, Suzan A.

2015-05-01

Wireless multi-hop relay networks have become very important technologies in mobile communications. These networks ensure high throughput and coverage extension with a low cost. The poor capacity at cell edges is not enough to meet with growing demand of high capacity and throughput irrespective of user's placement in the cellular network. In this paper we propose optimal placement of relay node that provides maximum achievable rate at users and enhances the throughput and coverage at cell edge region. The proposed scheme is based on the outage probability at users and taken on account the interference between nodes. Numerical analyses along with simulation results indicated there are an improvement in capacity for users at the cell edge is 40% increment from all cell capacity.

Reconstruction with a 180-degree Rotationally Divided Latissimus-dorsi-musculocutaneous Flap after the Removal of Locally Advanced Breast Cancer

PubMed Central

Kirita, Miho; Sakurai, Hiroyuki

2014-01-01

Summary: This study described a technique for reconstruction of a large lateral thoracic region defect after locally advanced breast cancer resection that allows for full coverage of the defect and primary closure of the flap donor site. The authors performed reconstruction using the newly designed 180-degree rotationally-divided latissimus-dorsi-musculocutaneous flap in a 42-year-old woman for coverage of a large skin defect (18 × 15 cm) following extensive tissue resection for locally advanced breast cancer. The latissimus-dorsi-musculocutaneous flap, consisting of two rotated skin islands (18 × 7.5 cm each) that were sutured to form a large skin island, was used for coverage of the defect. The flap was sutured without causing excessive tension in the recipient region and the donor site was closed with simple reefing. No skin grafting was necessary. The flap survived completely, shoulder joint function was intact, and esthetic outcome was satisfactory. Quick wound closure allowed postoperative irradiation to be started 1 month after surgery. The technique offered advantages over the conventional pedicled latissimus-dorsi-musculocutaneous flap, but the flap was unable to be used, when the thoracodorsal artery and vein were damaged during extensive tissue removal. Detailed planning before surgery with breast surgeons would be essential. PMID:25426400

The Use of Succession Planning to Prepare Future Leaders in Selected Federal Agencies at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-05-01

execute it. Because of its high importance it gets covered in management school extensively. Despite its high importance and extensive coverage, many...with a single criterion that they employ a large number of people. A key finding from the survey was that none of the participating agencies had any...personnel management without regard to political affiliation, race, color, religion, national origin, sex , marital status, age, or handicapping

27 CFR 40.396 - Change in proprietorship.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... appropriate TTB officer, an administrator, executor, receiver, trustee, assignee, or other fiduciary successor... qualification of any administrator, executor, receiver, trustee, assignee, or other fiduciary, together with an extension of coverage of the predecessor's bond executed by the administrator, executor, receiver, trustee...

FEHBP Dependent Coverage Extension Act

THOMAS, 111th Congress

Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD

2010-05-11

Senate - 06/30/2010 Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs referred to Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, the Federal Workforce, and the District of Columbia. (All Actions) Tracker: This bill has the status IntroducedHere are the steps for Status of Legislation:

Developing a Carbon Observing System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moore, B., III

2015-12-01

There is a clear need to better understand and predict future climate change, so that science can more confidently inform climate policy, including adaptation planning and future mitigation strategies. Understanding carbon cycle feedbacks, and the relationship between emissions (fossil and land use) and the resulting atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) concentrations in a changing climate has been recognized as an important goal by the IPCC. The existing surface greenhouse gas observing networks provide accurate and precise measurements of background values, but they are not configured to target the extended, complex and dynamic regions of the carbon budget. Space Agencies around the globe are committed to CO2 and CH4 observations: GOSAT-1/2, OCO-2/3, MERLin, TanSat, and CarbonSat. In addition to these Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions, a new mission in Geostationary Orbit (GEO), geoCARB, which would provide mapping-like measurements of carbon dioxide, methane, and carbon monoxide concentrations over major land areas, has been recently proposed to the NASA Venture Program. These pioneering missions do not provide the spatial/temporal coverage to answer the key carbon-climate questions at process relevant scales nor do they address the distribution and quantification of anthropogenic sources at urban scales. They do demonstrate, however, that a well-planned future system of system integrating space-based LEO and GEO missions with extensive in situ observations could provide the accuracy, spatial resolution, and coverage needed to address critical open issues in the carbon-climate system. Dr. Diana Wickland devoted enormous energy in developing a comprehensive apprioach to understand the global carbon cycle; she understood well that an integrated, coordinated, international approach is needed. This shines through in her recent contribution in co-chairing the team that produced the "CEOS Strategy for Carbon Observations from Space." A NASA-funded community workshop in March 2015 addressed issues and prioritzed a set of research and observational needs in the study of the Carbon-Climate System. This paper will refect upon the past 30 plus years of carbon research supported by NASA and Dr. Wickland's role, and it will conclude with the findings of the March 2015 Workshop.

A global hydrographic array for early detection of floods and droughts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brakenridge, G.; Nghiem, S.; Caquard, S.

An array of over 700 20 km-long river gaging reaches, distributed world-wide, is imaged by the SeaWinds radar scatterometer aboard QuikSCAT every 2.5 days. Strongly negative HH/VV polarity ratios indicate large amounts of surface water. We set individual reach thresholds so that the transition from bankfull to overbank river flow can be identified according to changes in this ratio. Similarly, the wide-swath MODIS optical sensors provide frequent repeat coverage of the reaches at much higher spatial resolution (250 m). In this case, several reach water surface area thresholds can be identified: low flow or drought conditions, normal in-channel flow, overbank flow, and extreme flood conditions. Sustained data collection for the reaches by both sensors allows the radar response to changing surface water to be defined, and allows evaluation of the sensitivity of the MODIS data to river discharge changes. New approaches, such as ``unmixing'' analysis of mixed water/land MODIS pixels can extend detection limits to smaller rivers and streams. It is now possible for wide-area, frequent revisit terrestrial remote sensing to provide human society with early warning of both floods and droughts and by direct observation of the runoff component of the Earth's hydrologic cycle. Examples of both radar and optical approaches towards this end are at the web sites below: http://www.dartmouth.edu/˜ floods/Modisrapidresponse.html http://www.dartmouth.edu/˜ floods/sensorweb/SensorWebindex.html http://www.dartmouth.edu/˜ floods/Quikscat/Regional2/CurrentTisza.jpg} In particular, early flood detection results are obtained over an extensive region in eastern Europe including the Tisza River basin, Romania, Hungary, and adjacent nations. Flood detection maps are updated weekly at the web site. The combination of QuikSCAT and MODIS takes advantage of the large-area coverage of these sensors together with the high temporal resolution of QuikSCAT and the high spatial resolution of MODIS. Such capabilities are also appropriate for early flood detection in Asian monsoon regions including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, China, and southeast Asia.

A biologically inspired controller to solve the coverage problem in robotics.

PubMed

Rañó, Iñaki; Santos, José A

2017-06-05

The coverage problem consists on computing a path or trajectory for a robot to pass over all the points in some free area and has applications ranging from floor cleaning to demining. Coverage is solved as a planning problem-providing theoretical validation of the solution-or through heuristic techniques which rely on experimental validation. Through a combination of theoretical results and simulations, this paper presents a novel solution to the coverage problem that exploits the chaotic behaviour of a simple biologically inspired motion controller, the Braitenberg vehicle 2b. Although chaos has been used for coverage, our approach has much less restrictive assumptions about the environment and can be implemented using on-board sensors. First, we prove theoretically that this vehicle-a well known model of animal tropotaxis-behaves as a charge in an electro-magnetic field. The motion equations can be reduced to a Hamiltonian system, and, therefore the vehicle follows quasi-periodic or chaotic trajectories, which pass arbitrarily close to any point in the work-space, i.e. it solves the coverage problem. Secondly, through a set of extensive simulations, we show that the trajectories cover regions of bounded workspaces, and full coverage is achieved when the perceptual range of the vehicle is short. We compare the performance of this new approach with different types of random motion controllers in the same bounded environments.

Spatial database of mining-related features in 2001 at selected phosphate mines, Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, and Caribou Counties, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moyle, Phillip R.; Kayser, Helen Z.

2006-01-01

This report describes the spatial database, PHOSMINE01, and the processes used to delineate mining-related features (active and inactive/historical) in the core of the southeastern Idaho phosphate resource area. The spatial data have varying degrees of accuracy and attribution detail. Classification of areas by type of mining-related activity at active mines is generally detailed; however, for many of the closed or inactive mines the spatial coverage does not differentiate mining-related surface disturbance features. Nineteen phosphate mine sites are included in the study, three active phosphate mines - Enoch Valley (nearing closure), Rasmussen Ridge, and Smoky Canyon - and 16 inactive (or historical) phosphate mines - Ballard, Champ, Conda, Diamond Gulch, Dry Valley, Gay, Georgetown Canyon, Henry, Home Canyon, Lanes Creek, Maybe Canyon, Mountain Fuel, Trail Canyon, Rattlesnake, Waterloo, and Wooley Valley. Approximately 6,000 hc (15,000 ac), or 60 km2 (23 mi2) of phosphate mining-related surface disturbance are documented in the spatial coverage. Spatial data for the inactive mines is current because no major changes have occurred; however, the spatial data for active mines were derived from digital maps prepared in early 2001 and therefore recent activity is not included. The inactive Gay Mine has the largest total area of disturbance, 1,900 hc (4,700 ac) or about 19 km2 (7.4 mi2). It encompasses over three times the disturbance area of the next largest mine, the Conda Mine with 610 hc (1,500 ac), and it is nearly four times the area of the Smoky Canyon Mine, the largest of the active mines with about 550 hc (1,400 ac). The wide range of phosphate mining-related surface disturbance features (141) from various industry maps were reduced to 15 types or features based on a generic classification system used for this study: mine pit; backfilled mine pit; waste rock dump; adit and waste rock dump; ore stockpile; topsoil stockpile; tailings or tailings pond; sediment catchment; facilities; road; railroad; water reservoir; disturbed land, undifferentiated; and undisturbed land. In summary, the spatial coverage includes polygons totaling about 1,100 hc (2,800 ac) of mine pits, 440 hc (1100 ac) of backfilled mine pits, 1,600 hc (3,800 ac) of waste rock dumps, 31 hc (75 ac) of ore stockpiles, and 44 hc (110 ac) of tailings or tailings ponds. Areas of undifferentiated phosphate mining-related land disturbances, called 'disturbed land, undifferentiated,' total about 2,200 hc (5,500 ac) or nearly 22 km2 (8.6 mi2). No determination has been made as to status of reclamation on any of the lands. Subsequent site-specific studies to delineate distinct mine features will allow additional revisions to this spatial database.

Myocardial perfusion magnetic resonance imaging using sliding-window conjugate-gradient HYPR methods in canine with stenotic coronary arteries.

PubMed

Ge, Lan; Kino, Aya; Lee, Daniel; Dharmakumar, Rohan; Carr, James C; Li, Debiao

2010-01-01

First-pass perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a promising technique for detecting ischemic heart disease. However, the diagnostic value of the method is limited by the low spatial coverage, resolution, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and cardiac motion-related image artifacts. A combination of sliding window and conjugate-gradient HighlY constrained back-PRojection reconstruction (SW-CG-HYPR) method has been proposed in healthy volunteer studies to reduce the acquisition window for each slice while maintaining the temporal resolution of 1 frame per heartbeat in myocardial perfusion MRI. This method allows for improved spatial coverage, resolution, and SNR. In this study, we use a controlled animal model to test whether the myocardial territory supplied by a stenotic coronary artery can be detected accurately by SW-CG-HYPR perfusion method under pharmacological stress. Results from 6 mongrel dogs (15-25 kg) studies demonstrate the feasibility of SW-CG-HYPR to detect regional perfusion defects. Using this method, the acquisition time per cardiac cycle was reduced by a factor of 4, and the spatial coverage was increased from 2 to 3 slices to 6 slices as compared with the conventional techniques including both turbo-Fast Low Angle Short (FLASH) and echoplanar imaging (EPI). The SNR of the healthy myocardium at peak enhancement with SW-CG-HYPR (12.68 ± 2.46) is significantly higher (P < 0.01) than the turbo-FLASH (8.65 ± 1.93) and EPI (5.48 ± 1.24). The spatial resolution of SW-CG-HYPR images is 1.2 × 1.2 × 8.0 mm, which is better than the turbo-FLASH (1.8 × 1.8 × 8.0 mm) and EPI (2.0 × 1.8 × 8.0 mm). Sliding-window CG-HYPR is a promising technique for myocardial perfusion MRI. This technique provides higher image quality with respect to significantly improved SNR and spatial resolution of the myocardial perfusion images, which might improve myocardial perfusion imaging in a clinical setting.

[Changes in mangrove coverage in Culebra Bay, North Pacific of Costa Rica (1945-2010)].

PubMed

Benavides-Varela, Catalina; Samper-Villareal, Jimena; Cortés, Jorge

2016-09-01

Despite the economic and environmental services that mangroves provide, they continue to be threatened by overexploitation, pollution, and land use change. Costa Rica has mangrove areas on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, and cover has been declining since the 1980s. However, data on mangrove coverage are not continually updated and are often based on inaccurate estimates. It is therefore necessary to assess the current extension and variation of the mangrove cover in recent years, to determine changes. The mangrove cover was analyzed in two mangrove forests located in Bahía Culebra, North Pacific: Iguanita and Playa Panamá. For this, aerial photographs and satellite imagery were used to study changes for a 65 year period (1945-2010). Spatio-temporal changes were found in mangroves coverage, and adjacent forests and areas without vegetation. Lower mangrove cover occurred during the 1970s (28.4 ha in Iguanita and 4.8 ha in Playa Panamá); but increased in recent years (38.9 ha in Iguanita and 12.0 ha in Panamá). Changes in forest cover by the Iguanita and Playa Panama mangroves were related to the history of land use around Bahía Culebra. Before 1980, there was extensive and intensive cattle ranching, increasing the deforestation rate; after that year, these practices were abandoned and secondary forest coverage increased until 2000. To ensure the adequate protection of mangroves, it is not only important to protect mangrove forests, but it is also necessary to establish buffer zones on their surroundings, to mitigate and/or reduce possible impacts.

On the Nexus of the Spatial Dynamics of Global Urbanization and the Age of the City

PubMed Central

Scheuer, Sebastian; Haase, Dagmar; Volk, Martin

2016-01-01

A number of concepts exist regarding how urbanization can be described as a process. Understanding this process that affects billions of people and its future development in a spatial manner is imperative to address related issues such as human quality of life. In the focus of spatially explicit studies on urbanization is typically a city, a particular urban region, an agglomeration. However, gaps remain in spatially explicit global models. This paper addresses that issue by examining the spatial dynamics of urban areas over time, for a full coverage of the world. The presented model identifies past, present and potential future hotspots of urbanization as a function of an urban area's spatial variation and age, whose relation could be depicted both as a proxy and as a path of urban development. PMID:27490199

On the Nexus of the Spatial Dynamics of Global Urbanization and the Age of the City.

PubMed

Scheuer, Sebastian; Haase, Dagmar; Volk, Martin

2016-01-01

A number of concepts exist regarding how urbanization can be described as a process. Understanding this process that affects billions of people and its future development in a spatial manner is imperative to address related issues such as human quality of life. In the focus of spatially explicit studies on urbanization is typically a city, a particular urban region, an agglomeration. However, gaps remain in spatially explicit global models. This paper addresses that issue by examining the spatial dynamics of urban areas over time, for a full coverage of the world. The presented model identifies past, present and potential future hotspots of urbanization as a function of an urban area's spatial variation and age, whose relation could be depicted both as a proxy and as a path of urban development.

Lot quality assurance sampling for monitoring coverage and quality of a targeted condom social marketing programme in traditional and non-traditional outlets in India

PubMed Central

Piot, Bram; Navin, Deepa; Krishnan, Nattu; Bhardwaj, Ashish; Sharma, Vivek; Marjara, Pritpal

2010-01-01

Objectives This study reports on the results of a large-scale targeted condom social marketing campaign in and around areas where female sex workers are present. The paper also describes the method that was used for the routine monitoring of condom availability in these sites. Methods The lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) method was used for the assessment of the geographical coverage and quality of coverage of condoms in target areas in four states and along selected national highways in India, as part of Avahan, the India AIDS initiative. Results A significant general increase in condom availability was observed in the intervention area between 2005 and 2008. High coverage rates were gradually achieved through an extensive network of pharmacies and particularly of non-traditional outlets, whereas traditional outlets were instrumental in providing large volumes of condoms. Conclusion LQAS is seen as a valuable tool for the routine monitoring of the geographical coverage and of the quality of delivery systems of condoms and of health products and services in general. With a relatively small sample size, easy data collection procedures and simple analytical methods, it was possible to inform decision-makers regularly on progress towards coverage targets. PMID:20167732

Lot quality assurance sampling for monitoring coverage and quality of a targeted condom social marketing programme in traditional and non-traditional outlets in India.

PubMed

Piot, Bram; Mukherjee, Amajit; Navin, Deepa; Krishnan, Nattu; Bhardwaj, Ashish; Sharma, Vivek; Marjara, Pritpal

2010-02-01

This study reports on the results of a large-scale targeted condom social marketing campaign in and around areas where female sex workers are present. The paper also describes the method that was used for the routine monitoring of condom availability in these sites. The lot quality assurance sampling (LQAS) method was used for the assessment of the geographical coverage and quality of coverage of condoms in target areas in four states and along selected national highways in India, as part of Avahan, the India AIDS initiative. A significant general increase in condom availability was observed in the intervention area between 2005 and 2008. High coverage rates were gradually achieved through an extensive network of pharmacies and particularly of non-traditional outlets, whereas traditional outlets were instrumental in providing large volumes of condoms. LQAS is seen as a valuable tool for the routine monitoring of the geographical coverage and of the quality of delivery systems of condoms and of health products and services in general. With a relatively small sample size, easy data collection procedures and simple analytical methods, it was possible to inform decision-makers regularly on progress towards coverage targets.

Estimating Morning Change in Land Surface Temperature from MODIS Day/Night Observations: Applications for Surface Energy Balance Modeling.

PubMed

Hain, Christopher R; Anderson, Martha C

2017-10-16

Observations of land surface temperature (LST) are crucial for the monitoring of surface energy fluxes from satellite. Methods that require high temporal resolution LST observations (e.g., from geostationary orbit) can be difficult to apply globally because several geostationary sensors are required to attain near-global coverage (60°N to 60°S). While these LST observations are available from polar-orbiting sensors, providing global coverage at higher spatial resolutions, the temporal sampling (twice daily observations) can pose significant limitations. For example, the Atmosphere Land Exchange Inverse (ALEXI) surface energy balance model, used for monitoring evapotranspiration and drought, requires an observation of the morning change in LST - a quantity not directly observable from polar-orbiting sensors. Therefore, we have developed and evaluated a data-mining approach to estimate the mid-morning rise in LST from a single sensor (2 observations per day) of LST from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on the Aqua platform. In general, the data-mining approach produced estimates with low relative error (5 to 10%) and statistically significant correlations when compared against geostationary observations. This approach will facilitate global, near real-time applications of ALEXI at higher spatial and temporal coverage from a single sensor than currently achievable with current geostationary datasets.

A vorticity transport model to restore spatial gaps in velocity data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ameli, Siavash; Shadden, Shawn

2017-11-01

Often measurements of velocity data do not have full spatial coverage in the probed domain or near boundaries. These gaps can be due to missing measurements or masked regions of corrupted data. These gaps confound interpretation, and are problematic when the data is used to compute Lagrangian or trajectory-based analyses. Various techniques have been proposed to overcome coverage limitations in velocity data such as unweighted least square fitting, empirical orthogonal function analysis, variational interpolation as well as boundary modal analysis. In this talk, we present a vorticity transport PDE to reconstruct regions of missing velocity vectors. The transport model involves both nonlinear anisotropic diffusion and advection. This approach is shown to preserve the main features of the flow even in cases of large gaps, and the reconstructed regions are continuous up to second order. We illustrate results for high-frequency radar (HFR) measurements of the ocean surface currents as this is a common application of limited coverage. We demonstrate that the error of the method is on the same order of the error of the original velocity data. In addition, we have developed a web-based gateway for data restoration, and we will demonstrate a practical application using available data. This work is supported by the NSF Grant No. 1520825.

Multiscale site-response mapping: A case study of Parkfield, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thompson, E.M.; Baise, L.G.; Kayen, R.E.; Morgan, E.C.; Kaklamanos, J.

2011-01-01

The scale of previously proposed methods for mapping site-response ranges from global coverage down to individual urban regions. Typically, spatial coverage and accuracy are inversely related.We use the densely spaced strong-motion stations in Parkfield, California, to estimate the accuracy of different site-response mapping methods and demonstrate a method for integrating multiple site-response estimates from the site to the global scale. This method is simply a weighted mean of a suite of different estimates, where the weights are the inverse of the variance of the individual estimates. Thus, the dominant site-response model varies in space as a function of the accuracy of the different models. For mapping applications, site-response models should be judged in terms of both spatial coverage and the degree of correlation with observed amplifications. Performance varies with period, but in general the Parkfield data show that: (1) where a velocity profile is available, the square-rootof- impedance (SRI) method outperforms the measured VS30 (30 m divided by the S-wave travel time to 30 m depth) and (2) where velocity profiles are unavailable, the topographic slope method outperforms surficial geology for short periods, but geology outperforms slope at longer periods. We develop new equations to estimate site response from topographic slope, derived from the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA) database.

High Spatial Resolution Europa Coverage by the Galileo Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1997-01-01

The NIMS instrument on the Galileo spacecraft, which is being used to map the mineral and ice properties over the surfaces of the Jovian moons, produces global spectral images at modest spatial resolution and high resolution spectral images for small selected regions on the satellites. This map illustrates the high resolution coverage of Europa obtained by NIMS through the April 1997 G7 orbit.

The areas covered are displayed on a Voyager-derived map. A good sampling of the dark trailing-side material (180 to 360 degrees) has been obtained, with less coverage of Europa's leading side.

The false-color composites use red, green and blue to represent the infrared brightnesses at 0.7, 1.51 and 1.82 microns respectively. Considerable variations are evident and are related to the composition and sizes of the surface grains.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA manages the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC.

This image and other images and data received from Galileo are posted on the World Wide Web, on the Galileo mission home page at URL http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov.

The Node Deployment of Intelligent Sensor Networks Based on the Spatial Difference of Farmland Soil.

PubMed

Liu, Naisen; Cao, Weixing; Zhu, Yan; Zhang, Jingchao; Pang, Fangrong; Ni, Jun

2015-11-11

Considering that agricultural production is characterized by vast areas, scattered fields and long crop growth cycles, intelligent wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are suitable for monitoring crop growth information. Cost and coverage are the most key indexes for WSN applications. The differences in crop conditions are influenced by the spatial distribution of soil nutrients. If the nutrients are distributed evenly, the crop conditions are expected to be approximately uniform with little difference; on the contrary, there will be great differences in crop conditions. In accordance with the differences in the spatial distribution of soil information in farmland, fuzzy c-means clustering was applied to divide the farmland into several areas, where the soil fertility of each area is nearly uniform. Then the crop growth information in the area could be monitored with complete coverage by deploying a sensor node there, which could greatly decrease the deployed sensor nodes. Moreover, in order to accurately judge the optimal cluster number of fuzzy c-means clustering, a discriminant function for Normalized Intra-Cluster Coefficient of Variation (NICCV) was established. The sensitivity analysis indicates that NICCV is insensitive to the fuzzy weighting exponent, but it shows a strong sensitivity to the number of clusters.

A Comparison of Foliage Profiles in the Sierra National Forest Obtained with a Full-Waveform Under-Canopy EVI Lidar System with the Foliage Profiles Obtained with an Airborne Full-Waveform LVIS Lidar System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhao, Feng; Yang, Xiaoyuan; Strahler, Alan H.; Schaaf, Crystal L.; Yao, Tian; Wang, Zhuosen; Roman, Miguel O.; Woodcock, Curtis E.; Ni-Meister, Wenge; Jupp, David L. B.;

SSE Global Data

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-04-12

SSE Global Data Text files of monthly averaged data for the entire ... Version:  V6 Location:  Global Spatial Coverage:  (90N, 90S)(180W,180E) ... File Format:  ASCII Order Data:  SSE Global Data: Order Data SCAR-B Block:  ...

CERES GEO Ed4 Available Data

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2017-10-11

... Spatial Resolution Temporal Coverage CER_GEO_Ed4_GOE08 Hourly 2-4km observation at nadir, subsampled every 8-9 km 2000-03-01 to 2003-04-01 CER_GEO_Ed4_GOE09 Hourly 2-4km observation at nadir, subsampled ...

Comparison of Aerodynamic Resistance Parameterizations and Implications for Dry Deposition Modeling

EPA Science Inventory

Nitrogen deposition data used to support the secondary National Ambient Air Quality Standards and critical loads research derives from both measurements and modeling. Data sets with spatial coverage sufficient for regional scale deposition assessments are currently generated fro...

48 CFR 927.404 - Rights in technical data in subcontracts. (DOE coverage-paragraphs (g), (k), (l), and (m))

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... delivery of such data on behalf of the Government. Accordingly, subject to the policy set forth in this... under appropriate restrictions, co-extensive license rights for data which are limited rights data and...

48 CFR 9903.202-3 - Amendments and revisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

.... 9903.202-3 Section 9903.202-3 Federal Acquisition Regulations System COST ACCOUNTING STANDARDS BOARD... ACCOUNTING STANDARDS CONTRACT COVERAGE CAS Program Requirements 9903.202-3 Amendments and revisions..., Disclosure Statements is discouraged except when extensive changes require it to assist the review process. ...

Stretching a Buck: A Multimedia Approach in Continuing Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fetterman, Elsie; Kabot, Margery L.

1972-01-01

Reports on the success and wide coverage of a home economics television program broadcast through State extension services. Adaptation of a speech given at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the American Home Economics Association in Detroit, Michigan, June 28, 1972. (DS)

A Phenomenological Two-Ribbon Model for Spatially Unresolved Observations of Stellar Flares

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kowalski, Adam

2018-06-01

Solar flares and flares that occur in much more magnetically active stars share some striking properties, such as the observed Neupert effect. However, stellar flares with the most impressive multi-wavelength data sets are typically much more energetic than solar flares, thus making robust connections difficult to establish. Whereas solar data have the advantage of high spatial resolution providing critical information about the development of flare ribbons, the major advantage of stellar flare data is the readily available broad-wavelength coverage of the white-light radiation and the Balmer jump spectral region. Due to the lack of direct spatial resolution for stellar flares and rarely coverage of the Balmer jump region for solar flares, it is not clear how to make a direct comparison. I will present a new method for modeling stellar flares based on high spatial resolution information of solar flare two-ribbon development for comparisons of the physics of their observed phenomena, such as the red-wing asymmetries in chromospheric lines and the white-light continuum radiation. The new modeling method combines aspects of "multi-thread" modeling and 1D radiative-hydrodynamic modeling. Our algorithm is important for interpreting the impulsive phase of superflares in young G dwarfs in Kepler and understanding how hour-long decay timescales are attained in the gradual phase of some very energetic stellar flares.

An Agent-Based Model of School Closing in Under-Vacccinated Communities During Measles Outbreaks.

PubMed

Getz, Wayne M; Carlson, Colin; Dougherty, Eric; Porco Francis, Travis C; Salter, Richard

2016-04-01

The winter 2014-15 measles outbreak in the US represents a significant crisis in the emergence of a functionally extirpated pathogen. Conclusively linking this outbreak to decreases in the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccination rate (driven by anti-vaccine sentiment) is critical to motivating MMR vaccination. We used the NOVA modeling platform to build a stochastic, spatially-structured, individual-based SEIR model of outbreaks, under the assumption that R 0 ≈ 7 for measles. We show this implies that herd immunity requires vaccination coverage of greater than approximately 85%. We used a network structured version of our NOVA model that involved two communities, one at the relatively low coverage of 85% coverage and one at the higher coverage of 95%, both of which had 400-student schools embedded, as well as students occasionally visiting superspreading sites (e.g. high-density theme parks, cinemas, etc.). These two vaccination coverage levels are within the range of values occurring across California counties. Transmission rates at schools and superspreading sites were arbitrarily set to respectively 5 and 15 times background community rates. Simulations of our model demonstrate that a 'send unvaccinated students home' policy in low coverage counties is extremely effective at shutting down outbreaks of measles.

An Agent-Based Model of School Closing in Under-Vacccinated Communities During Measles Outbreaks

PubMed Central

Getz, Wayne M.; Carlson, Colin; Dougherty, Eric; Porco, Travis C.; Salter, Richard

2016-01-01

The winter 2014–15 measles outbreak in the US represents a significant crisis in the emergence of a functionally extirpated pathogen. Conclusively linking this outbreak to decreases in the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccination rate (driven by anti-vaccine sentiment) is critical to motivating MMR vaccination. We used the NOVA modeling platform to build a stochastic, spatially-structured, individual-based SEIR model of outbreaks, under the assumption that R0 ≈ 7 for measles. We show this implies that herd immunity requires vaccination coverage of greater than approximately 85%. We used a network structured version of our NOVA model that involved two communities, one at the relatively low coverage of 85% coverage and one at the higher coverage of 95%, both of which had 400-student schools embedded, as well as students occasionally visiting superspreading sites (e.g. high-density theme parks, cinemas, etc.). These two vaccination coverage levels are within the range of values occurring across California counties. Transmission rates at schools and superspreading sites were arbitrarily set to respectively 5 and 15 times background community rates. Simulations of our model demonstrate that a ‘send unvaccinated students home’ policy in low coverage counties is extremely effective at shutting down outbreaks of measles. PMID:27668297

Empirical water depth predictions in Dublin Bay based on satellite EO multispectral imagery and multibeam data using spatially weighted geographical analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monteys, Xavier; Harris, Paul; Caloca, Silvia

2014-05-01

The coastal shallow water zone can be a challenging and expensive environment within which to acquire bathymetry and other oceanographic data using traditional survey methods. Dangers and limited swath coverage make some of these areas unfeasible to survey using ship borne systems, and turbidity can preclude marine LIDAR. As a result, an extensive part of the coastline worldwide remains completely unmapped. Satellite EO multispectral data, after processing, allows timely, cost efficient and quality controlled information to be used for planning, monitoring, and regulating coastal environments. It has the potential to deliver repetitive derivation of medium resolution bathymetry, coastal water properties and seafloor characteristics in shallow waters. Over the last 30 years satellite passive imaging methods for bathymetry extraction, implementing analytical or empirical methods, have had a limited success predicting water depths. Different wavelengths of the solar light penetrate the water column to varying depths. They can provide acceptable results up to 20 m but become less accurate in deeper waters. The study area is located in the inner part of Dublin Bay, on the East coast of Ireland. The region investigated is a C-shaped inlet covering an area of 10 km long and 5 km wide with water depths ranging from 0 to 10 m. The methodology employed on this research uses a ratio of reflectance from SPOT 5 satellite bands, differing to standard linear transform algorithms. High accuracy water depths were derived using multibeam data. The final empirical model uses spatially weighted geographical tools to retrieve predicted depths. The results of this paper confirm that SPOT satellite scenes are suitable to predict depths using empirical models in very shallow embayments. Spatial regression models show better adjustments in the predictions over non-spatial models. The spatial regression equation used provides realistic results down to 6 m below the water surface, with reliable and error controlled depths. Bathymetric extraction approaches involving satellite imagery data are regarded as a fast, successful and economically advantageous solution to automatic water depth calculation in shallow and complex environments.

High Efficiency Multi-shot Interleaved Spiral-In/Out Acquisition for High Resolution BOLD fMRI

PubMed Central

Jung, Youngkyoo; Samsonov, Alexey A.; Liu, Thomas T.; Buracas, Giedrius T.

2012-01-01

Growing demand for high spatial resolution BOLD functional MRI faces a challenge of the spatial resolution vs. coverage or temporal resolution tradeoff, which can be addressed by methods that afford increased acquisition efficiency. Spiral acquisition trajectories have been shown to be superior to currently prevalent echo-planar imaging in terms of acquisition efficiency, and high spatial resolution can be achieved by employing multiple-shot spiral acquisition. The interleaved spiral in-out trajectory is preferred over spiral-in due to increased BOLD signal CNR and higher acquisition efficiency than that of spiral-out or non-interleaved spiral in/out trajectories (1), but to date applicability of the multi-shot interleaved spiral in-out for high spatial resolution imaging has not been studied. Herein we propose multi-shot interleaved spiral in-out acquisition and investigate its applicability for high spatial resolution BOLD fMRI. Images reconstructed from interleaved spiral-in and -out trajectories possess artifacts caused by differences in T2* decay, off-resonance and k-space errors associated with the two trajectories. We analyze the associated errors and demonstrate that application of conjugate phase reconstruction and spectral filtering can substantially mitigate these image artifacts. After applying these processing steps, the multishot interleaved spiral in-out pulse sequence yields high BOLD CNR images at in-plane resolution below 1x1 mm while preserving acceptable temporal resolution (4 s) and brain coverage (15 slices of 2 mm thickness). Moreover, this method yields sufficient BOLD CNR at 1.5 mm isotropic resolution for detection of activation in hippocampus associated with cognitive tasks (Stern memory task). The multi-shot interleaved spiral in-out acquisition is a promising technique for high spatial resolution BOLD fMRI applications. PMID:23023395

Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS), part 5 : SDTS raster profile and extensions

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-02-01

The Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS) defines a general mechanism for the transfer of : geographically referenced spatial data and its supporting metadata, i.e., attributes, data quality reports, : coordinate reference systems, security informati...

Resolving the tug-of-war between Medicare's national and local coverage.

PubMed

Foote, Susan Bartlett; Wholey, Douglas; Rockwood, Todd; Halpern, Rachel

2004-01-01

Medicare's decentralized local coverage policy process leads to policy variation, raising serious equity and quality issues. The policy debate resembles a tug-of-war, with advocates favoring nationalization of all local policies or arguing for the status quo. We extensively analyzed thousands of local policies and surveyed Medicare's contractors. We found that all local policies are not the same. We classified them based on where they fall on the diffusion curve. The classification by type allows for reallocation to the national or local process to improve the decisions and satisfy Medicare's equity and quality goals.

Print News Coverage of School-Based HPV Vaccine Mandate

PubMed Central

Casciotti, Dana; Smith, Katherine C.; Andon, Lindsay; Vernick, Jon; Tsui, Amy; Klassen, Ann C.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND In 2007, legislation was proposed in 24 states and the District of Columbia for school-based HPV vaccine mandates, and mandates were enacted in Texas, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Media coverage of these events was extensive, and media messages both reflected and contributed to controversy surrounding these legislative activities. Messages communicated through the media are an important influence on adolescent and parent understanding of school-based vaccine mandates. METHODS We conducted structured text analysis of newspaper coverage, including quantitative analysis of 169 articles published in mandate jurisdictions from 2005-2009, and qualitative analysis of 63 articles from 2007. Our structured analysis identified topics, key stakeholders and sources, tone, and the presence of conflict. Qualitative thematic analysis identified key messages and issues. RESULTS Media coverage was often incomplete, providing little context about cervical cancer or screening. Skepticism and autonomy concerns were common. Messages reflected conflict and distrust of government activities, which could negatively impact this and other youth-focused public health initiatives. CONCLUSIONS If school health professionals are aware of the potential issues raised in media coverage of school-based health mandates, they will be more able to convey appropriate health education messages, and promote informed decision-making by parents and students. PMID:25099421

Filling in the GAPS: evaluating completeness and coverage of open-access biodiversity databases in the United States

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

Troia, Matthew J.; McManamay, Ryan A.

Primary biodiversity data constitute observations of particular species at given points in time and space. Open-access electronic databases provide unprecedented access to these data, but their usefulness in characterizing species distributions and patterns in biodiversity depend on how complete species inventories are at a given survey location and how uniformly distributed survey locations are along dimensions of time, space, and environment. Our aim was to compare completeness and coverage among three open-access databases representing ten taxonomic groups (amphibians, birds, freshwater bivalves, crayfish, freshwater fish, fungi, insects, mammals, plants, and reptiles) in the contiguous United States. We compiled occurrence records frommore » the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), and federally administered fish surveys (FFS). In this study, we aggregated occurrence records by 0.1° × 0.1° grid cells and computed three completeness metrics to classify each grid cell as well-surveyed or not. Next, we compared frequency distributions of surveyed grid cells to background environmental conditions in a GIS and performed Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests to quantify coverage through time, along two spatial gradients, and along eight environmental gradients. The three databases contributed >13.6 million reliable occurrence records distributed among >190,000 grid cells. The percent of well-surveyed grid cells was substantially lower for GBIF (5.2%) than for systematic surveys (BBS and FFS; 82.5%). Still, the large number of GBIF occurrence records produced at least 250 well-surveyed grid cells for six of nine taxonomic groups. Coverages of systematic surveys were less biased across spatial and environmental dimensions but were more biased in temporal coverage compared to GBIF data. GBIF coverages also varied among taxonomic groups, consistent with commonly recognized geographic, environmental, and institutional sampling biases. Lastly, this comprehensive assessment of biodiversity data across the contiguous United States provides a prioritization scheme to fill in the gaps by contributing existing occurrence records to the public domain and planning future surveys.« less

Filling in the GAPS: evaluating completeness and coverage of open-access biodiversity databases in the United States

DOE PAGES

Troia, Matthew J.; McManamay, Ryan A.

2016-06-12

Primary biodiversity data constitute observations of particular species at given points in time and space. Open-access electronic databases provide unprecedented access to these data, but their usefulness in characterizing species distributions and patterns in biodiversity depend on how complete species inventories are at a given survey location and how uniformly distributed survey locations are along dimensions of time, space, and environment. Our aim was to compare completeness and coverage among three open-access databases representing ten taxonomic groups (amphibians, birds, freshwater bivalves, crayfish, freshwater fish, fungi, insects, mammals, plants, and reptiles) in the contiguous United States. We compiled occurrence records frommore » the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), and federally administered fish surveys (FFS). In this study, we aggregated occurrence records by 0.1° × 0.1° grid cells and computed three completeness metrics to classify each grid cell as well-surveyed or not. Next, we compared frequency distributions of surveyed grid cells to background environmental conditions in a GIS and performed Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests to quantify coverage through time, along two spatial gradients, and along eight environmental gradients. The three databases contributed >13.6 million reliable occurrence records distributed among >190,000 grid cells. The percent of well-surveyed grid cells was substantially lower for GBIF (5.2%) than for systematic surveys (BBS and FFS; 82.5%). Still, the large number of GBIF occurrence records produced at least 250 well-surveyed grid cells for six of nine taxonomic groups. Coverages of systematic surveys were less biased across spatial and environmental dimensions but were more biased in temporal coverage compared to GBIF data. GBIF coverages also varied among taxonomic groups, consistent with commonly recognized geographic, environmental, and institutional sampling biases. Lastly, this comprehensive assessment of biodiversity data across the contiguous United States provides a prioritization scheme to fill in the gaps by contributing existing occurrence records to the public domain and planning future surveys.« less

Estimating Landscape Pattern Metrics from a Sample of Land Cover

EPA Science Inventory

Although landscape pattern metrics can be computed directly from wall-to-wall land-cover maps, statistical sampling offers a practical alternative when complete coverage land-cover information is unavailable. Partitioning a region into spatial units (“blocks”) to create a samplin...

Leak Proof

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steve, James

2005-01-01

Many school administrators protect their investments in new roofing systems by paying extra for an extended roof warranty. These warranties can be a valuable asset because they usually provide more coverage and reduce the school administrator's risk of having to pay for extensive roof repairs or replacements. Unfortunately, once an extended…

75 FR 60482 - Proposed Extension of Information Collection Request Submitted for Public Comment; Affordable...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-30

... Collection Request Submitted for Public Comment; Affordable Care Act Enrollment Opportunity Notice Relating to Dependent Coverage; Affordable Care Act Grandfathered Health Plan Disclosure and Recordkeeping Requirement; Affordable Care Act Rescission Notice; Affordable Care Act Patient Protections Notice; Affordable...

Health Care Reform and Young Adults' Access to Sexual Health Care: An Exploration of Potential Confidentiality Implications of the Affordable Care Act

PubMed Central

Garcia, Carolyn M.; Long, Sharon K.; Lechner, Kate E.; Lust, Katherine; Eisenberg, Marla E.

2012-01-01

One provision of the 2010 Affordable Care Act is extension of dependent coverage for young adults aged up to 26 years on their parent’s private insurance plan. This change, meant to increase insurance coverage for young adults, might yield unintended consequences. Confidentiality concerns may be triggered by coverage through parental insurance, particularly regarding sexual health. The existing literature and our original research suggest that actual or perceived limits to confidentiality could influence the decisions of young adults about whether, and where, to seek care for sexual health issues. Further research is needed on the scope and outcomes of these concerns. Possible remedial actions include enhanced policies to protect confidentiality in billing and mechanisms to communicate confidentiality protections to young adults. PMID:22897544

Assessment of Tibetan grassland degeneration via landscape analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Jian; Hou, Ge; Ma, Baibing; Zang, Wenqian

2017-04-01

Desertification as one of the most severity social-economic-environmental issues has been extensive researched, and the assessments of desertification can be implemented accurately and efficiently based on the landscape indicators of vegetation coverage. Consequently, we explored the relationships of the degeneration index of the grassland with climate factors (temperature and precipitation), and human disturbance factors (livestock quantity and animal husbandry output value) via a landscape assessment approach across Tibet. The results showed that the vegetation coverage presented an increase tendency in the central region of Tibet, but the adverse phenomenon was observed in the northwest region. Meanwhile, the correlation of vegetation coverage with precipitation presented as positive effect in most region of Tibet except some regions of the alpine steppe, and the positive correlation of vegetation coverage with temperature also was observed in the less northwest region of Tibet. In addition, we found that the livestock quantity play a key roles in regulating vegetation coverage of the central region. Furthermore, the landscape indexes [number of patches (NP), patch density (PD), contagion index (CONTAG), landscape shape index (LSI), aggregation index (AI)] of grasslands were analyzed, the results exposed that vegetation coverage (1%-20%) has the positive influences on CONTAG and AI, but negative affects LSI, PD and NP. Morreover, there are opposite correlations among vegetation coverage and landscape indexes when vegetation coverage is 21%-40%. We concluded that overgrazing is the main reason of grassland degradation in Tibet, especially the number of livestock aggravates the landscape fragmentation. The results highlighted the alpine grassland management in future.

Place, Time and Experience: Barriers to Universalization Of Institutional Child Delivery in Rural Mozambique

PubMed Central

Agadjanian, Victor; Yao, Jing; Hayford, Sarah R.

2017-01-01

CONTEXT Although institutional coverage of childbirth is increasing in the developing world, a substantial minority of births in rural Mozambique still occur outside of health facilities. Identifying the remaining barriers to safe professional delivery services can aid in achieving universal coverage. METHODS Survey data collected in 2009 from 1,373 women in Gaza, Mozambique, were used in combination with spatial, meteorological and health facility data to examine patterns in place of delivery. Geographic information system–based visualization and mapping and exploratory spatial data analysis were used to outline the spatial distribution of home deliveries. Multilevel logistic regression models were constructed to identify associations between individual, spatial and other characteristics and whether women’s most recent delivery took place at home. RESULTS Spatial analysis revealed high- and low-prevalence clusters of home births. In multivariate analyses, women with a higher number of clinics within 10 kilometers of their home had a reduced likelihood of home delivery, but those living closer to urban centers had an increased likelihood. Giving birth during the rainy, high agricultural season was positively associated with home delivery, while household wealth was negatively associated with home birth. No associations were evident for measures of exposure to and experience with health institutions. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest the need for a comprehensive approach to expansion of professional delivery services. Such an approach should complement measures facilitating physical access to health institutions for residents of harder-to-reach areas with community-based interventions aimed at improving rural women’s living conditions and opportunities, while also taking into account seasonal and other variables. PMID:28770025

Coverage and equitability of interventions to prevent child mortality in rural Jimma and West Hararghe Zones, Oromia Region, Ethiopia.

PubMed

Miller, Nathan P; Degefie, Tedbabe; Hazel, Elizabeth; Legesse, Hailemariam; Tolera, Taye; Amouzou, Agbessi

2014-10-01

Interventions to prevent childhood illnesses are important components of the Ethiopian Health Extension Program (HEP). Although the HEP was designed to reduce inequities in access to health care, there is little evidence on equitability of preventive interventions in Ethiopia. This article describes coverage of preventive interventions and how many interventions individual children received We also examined which factors were associated with the number of preventive interventions received, and assessed the extent to which interventions were equitably distributed. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in 3,200 randomly selected households in the rural Jimma and West Hararghe Zones of Ethiopia's Oromia Region. We calculated coverage of 10 preventive interventions and a composite of eight interventions (co-coverage) representing the number of interventions received by children. Mul- tiple linear regressions were used to assess associations between co-coverage and explanatory variables. Finally, we assessed the equitability of preventive interventions by comparing coverage among children in the poorest and the least poor wealth quintiles. Coverage was less than 50% for six of the 10 interventions. Children received on average only three of the eight interventions included in the co-coverage calculation. Zone, gender, caretaker age, religion, and household wealth were all significantly associated with co-coverage, controlling for key covariates. Exclusive breastfeeding, vaccine uptake, and vitamin A supplementation were all relatively equitable. On the other hand, coverage of insecticide-treated nets or indoor residual spraying (ITN/IRS) and access to safe water were significantly higher among the least poor children compared to children in the poorest quintile. Coverage of key interventions to prevent childhood illnesses is generally low in Jimma and West Hararghe. Although a number of interventions were equitably distributed, there were marked wealth-based inequities for interventions that are possessed at the household level, even among relatively homogeneous rural communities.

Towards real-time thermometry using simultaneous multislice MRI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borman, P. T. S.; Bos, C.; de Boorder, T.; Raaymakers, B. W.; Moonen, C. T. W.; Crijns, S. P. M.

2016-09-01

MR-guided thermal therapies, such as high-intensity focused ultrasound (MRgHIFU) and laser-induced thermal therapy (MRgLITT) are increasingly being applied in oncology and neurology. MRI is used for guidance since it can measure temperature noninvasively based on the proton resonance frequency shift (PRFS). For therapy guidance using PRFS thermometry, high temporal resolution and large spatial coverage are desirable. We propose to use the parallel imaging technique simultaneous multislice (SMS) in combination with controlled aliasing (CAIPIRINHA) to accelerate the acquisition. We compare this with the sensitivity encoding (SENSE) acceleration technique. Two experiments were performed to validate that SMS can be used to increase the spatial coverage or the temporal resolution. The first was performed in agar gel using LITT heating and a gradient-echo sequence with echo-planar imaging (EPI), and the second was performed in bovine muscle using HIFU heating and a gradient-echo sequence without EPI. In both experiments temperature curves from an unaccelerated scan and from SMS, SENSE, and SENSE/SMS accelerated scans were compared. The precision was quantified by a standard deviation analysis of scans without heating. Both experiments showed a good agreement between the temperature curves obtained from the unaccelerated, and SMS accelerated scans, confirming that accuracy was maintained during SMS acceleration. The standard deviations of the temperature measurements obtained with SMS were significantly smaller than when SENSE was used, implying that SMS allows for higher acceleration. In the LITT and HIFU experiments SMS factors up to 4 and 3 were reached, respectively, with a loss of precision of less than a factor of 3. Based on these results we conclude that SMS acceleration of PRFS thermometry is a valuable addition to SENSE, because it allows for a higher temporal resolution or bigger spatial coverage, with a higher precision.

2010-2011 Performance of the AirNow Satellite Data Processor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasch, A. N.; DeWinter, J. L.; Haderman, M. D.; van Donkelaar, A.; Martin, R. V.; Szykman, J.; White, J. E.; Dickerson, P.; Zahn, P. H.; Dye, T. S.

2012-12-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) AirNow program provides maps of real time hourly Air Quality Index (AQI) conditions and daily AQI forecasts nationwide (http://www.airnow.gov). The public uses these maps to make health-based decisions. The usefulness of the AirNow air quality maps depends on the accuracy and spatial coverage of air quality measurements. Currently, the maps use only ground-based measurements, which have significant gaps in coverage in some parts of the United States. As a result, contoured AQI levels have high uncertainty in regions far from monitors. To improve the usefulness of air quality maps, scientists at EPA, Dalhousie University, and Sonoma Technology, Inc. have been working in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to incorporate satellite-estimated surface PM2.5 concentrations into the maps via the AirNow Satellite Data Processor (ASDP). These satellite estimates are derived using NASA/NOAA satellite aerosol optical depth (AOD) retrievals and GEOS-Chem modeled ratios of surface PM2.5 concentrations to AOD. GEOS-Chem is a three-dimensional chemical transport model for atmospheric composition driven by meteorological input from the Goddard Earth Observing System (GOES). The ASDP can fuse multiple PM2.5 concentration data sets to generate AQI maps with improved spatial coverage. The goal of ASDP is to provide more detailed AQI information in monitor-sparse locations and augment monitor-dense locations with more information. We will present a statistical analysis for 2010-2011 of the ASDP predictions of PM2.5 focusing on performance at validation sites. In addition, we will present several case studies evaluating the ASDP's performance for multiple regions and seasons, focusing specifically on days when large spatial gradients in AQI and wildfire smoke impact were observed.

Ocean surface partitioning strategies using ocean colour remote Sensing: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krug, Lilian Anne; Platt, Trevor; Sathyendranath, Shubha; Barbosa, Ana B.

2017-06-01

The ocean surface is organized into regions with distinct properties reflecting the complexity of interactions between environmental forcing and biological responses. The delineation of these functional units, each with unique, homogeneous properties and underlying ecosystem structure and dynamics, can be defined as ocean surface partitioning. The main purposes and applications of ocean partitioning include the evaluation of particular marine environments; generation of more accurate satellite ocean colour products; assimilation of data into biogeochemical and climate models; and establishment of ecosystem-based management practices. This paper reviews the diverse approaches implemented for ocean surface partition into functional units, using ocean colour remote sensing (OCRS) data, including their purposes, criteria, methods and scales. OCRS offers a synoptic, high spatial-temporal resolution, multi-decadal coverage of bio-optical properties, relevant to the applications and value of ocean surface partitioning. In combination with other biotic and/or abiotic data, OCRS-derived data (e.g., chlorophyll-a, optical properties) provide a broad and varied source of information that can be analysed using different delineation methods derived from subjective, expert-based to unsupervised learning approaches (e.g., cluster, fuzzy and empirical orthogonal function analyses). Partition schemes are applied at global to mesoscale spatial coverage, with static (time-invariant) or dynamic (time-varying) representations. A case study, the highly heterogeneous area off SW Iberian Peninsula (NE Atlantic), illustrates how the selection of spatial coverage and temporal representation affects the discrimination of distinct environmental drivers of phytoplankton variability. Advances in operational oceanography and in the subject area of satellite ocean colour, including development of new sensors, algorithms and products, are among the potential benefits from extended use, scope and applications of ocean surface partitioning using OCRS.

Low, slow, small target recognition based on spatial vision network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Zhao; Guo, Pei; Qi, Xin

2018-03-01

Traditional photoelectric monitoring is monitored using a large number of identical cameras. In order to ensure the full coverage of the monitoring area, this monitoring method uses more cameras, which leads to more monitoring and repetition areas, and higher costs, resulting in more waste. In order to reduce the monitoring cost and solve the difficult problem of finding, identifying and tracking a low altitude, slow speed and small target, this paper presents spatial vision network for low-slow-small targets recognition. Based on camera imaging principle and monitoring model, spatial vision network is modeled and optimized. Simulation experiment results demonstrate that the proposed method has good performance.

Multiple imputation of missing fMRI data in whole brain analysis

PubMed Central

Vaden, Kenneth I.; Gebregziabher, Mulugeta; Kuchinsky, Stefanie E.; Eckert, Mark A.

2012-01-01

Whole brain fMRI analyses rarely include the entire brain because of missing data that result from data acquisition limits and susceptibility artifact, in particular. This missing data problem is typically addressed by omitting voxels from analysis, which may exclude brain regions that are of theoretical interest and increase the potential for Type II error at cortical boundaries or Type I error when spatial thresholds are used to establish significance. Imputation could significantly expand statistical map coverage, increase power, and enhance interpretations of fMRI results. We examined multiple imputation for group level analyses of missing fMRI data using methods that leverage the spatial information in fMRI datasets for both real and simulated data. Available case analysis, neighbor replacement, and regression based imputation approaches were compared in a general linear model framework to determine the extent to which these methods quantitatively (effect size) and qualitatively (spatial coverage) increased the sensitivity of group analyses. In both real and simulated data analysis, multiple imputation provided 1) variance that was most similar to estimates for voxels with no missing data, 2) fewer false positive errors in comparison to mean replacement, and 3) fewer false negative errors in comparison to available case analysis. Compared to the standard analysis approach of omitting voxels with missing data, imputation methods increased brain coverage in this study by 35% (from 33,323 to 45,071 voxels). In addition, multiple imputation increased the size of significant clusters by 58% and number of significant clusters across statistical thresholds, compared to the standard voxel omission approach. While neighbor replacement produced similar results, we recommend multiple imputation because it uses an informed sampling distribution to deal with missing data across subjects that can include neighbor values and other predictors. Multiple imputation is anticipated to be particularly useful for 1) large fMRI data sets with inconsistent missing voxels across subjects and 2) addressing the problem of increased artifact at ultra-high field, which significantly limit the extent of whole brain coverage and interpretations of results. PMID:22500925

TES/Aura L3 Nitric Acid (HNO3) Daily V4 (TL3HNOD)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-02-28

... 37 x 23 km Spatial Resolution:  2.3 x 23 km Temporal Coverage:  08/22/2004 - 04/10/2005 ... Guide Documents:  Data User's Guide (PDF):  Level 3 Level 3 Algorithms, Requirements, & Products (PDF) ...

Evaluation of NASA satellite- and assimilation model-derived long-term daily temperature date over the continental US

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agricultural research increasingly is expected to provide precise, quantitative information with an explicit geographic coverage. Limited availability of continuous daily meteorological records often constrains efforts to provide such information through integrated use of simulation models, spatial ...

Improving Radar QPE's in Complex Terrain for Improved Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cifelli, R.; Streubel, D. P.; Reynolds, D.

2010-12-01

Quantitative Precipitation Estimation (QPE) is extremely challenging in regions of complex terrain due to a combination of issues related to sampling. In particular, radar beams are often blocked or scan above the liquid precipitation zone while rain gauge density is often too low to properly characterize the spatial distribution of precipitation. Due to poor radar coverage, rain gauge networks are used by the National Weather Service (NWS) River Forecast Centers as the principal source for QPE across the western U.S. The California Nevada River Forecast Center (CNRFC) uses point rainfall measurements and historical rainfall runoff relationships to derive river stage forecasts. The point measurements are interpolated to a 4 km grid using Parameter-elevation Regressions on Independent Slopes Model (PRISM) data to develop a gridded 6-hour QPE product (hereafter referred to as RFC QPE). Local forecast offices can utilize the Multi-sensor Precipitation Estimator (MPE) software to improve local QPE’s and thus local flash flood monitoring and prediction. MPE uses radar and rain gauge data to develop a combined QPE product at 1-hour intervals. The rain gauge information is used to bias correct the radar precipitation estimates so that, in situations where the rain gauge density and radar coverage are adequate, MPE can take advantage of the spatial coverage of the radar and the “ground truth” of the rain gauges to provide an accurate QPE. The MPE 1-hour QPE analysis should provide better spatial and temporal resolution for short duration hydrologic events as compared to 6-hour analyses. These hourly QPEs are then used to correct radar derived rain rates used by the Flash Flood Monitoring and Prediction (FFMP) software in forecast offices for issuance of flash flood warnings. Although widely used by forecasters across the eastern U.S., MPE is not used extensively by the NWS in the west. Part of the reason for the lack of use of MPE across the west is that there has been little quantitative evaluation of MPE performance in this region compared to simply using a gage only analysis. In this study, an evaluation of MPE and RFC QPE is performed in a portion of the CNRFC (including the Russian and American River basins) using an independent set of rain gauge data from the Hydrometeorology Testbed (HMT). Data from a precipitation event in January 2010 are used to establish the comparison methodology and for preliminary evaluation. For this multi-day event, it is shown that the RFC QPE shows generally better agreement with the HMT gauges compared to MPE in terms of storm total precipitation. However, the bias in RFC:MPE is shown to vary as a function of terrain and time. Moreover, for a subset of the HMT gauges in Sonoma county, the 1-hour MPE precipitation totals are found to be generally well correlated to the HMT gauge totals with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.6-0.9. For the Sonoma county gauges, the MPE product generally underestimates rainfall compared to HMT, probably as a consequence of low-level, orographically forced precipitation that was not well captured by the MPE radar analysis.

Integrating stations from the North America Gravity Database into a local GPS-based land gravity survey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Shoberg, Thomas G.; Stoddard, Paul R.

2013-01-01

The ability to augment local gravity surveys with additional gravity stations from easily accessible national databases can greatly increase the areal coverage and spatial resolution of a survey. It is, however, necessary to integrate such data seamlessly with the local survey. One challenge to overcome in integrating data from national databases is that these data are typically of unknown quality. This study presents a procedure for the evaluation and seamless integration of gravity data of unknown quality from a national database with data from a local Global Positioning System (GPS)-based survey. The starting components include the latitude, longitude, elevation and observed gravity at each station location. Interpolated surfaces of the complete Bouguer anomaly are used as a means of quality control and comparison. The result is an integrated dataset of varying quality with many stations having GPS accuracy and other reliable stations of unknown origin, yielding a wider coverage and greater spatial resolution than either survey alone.

Next-generation Event Horizon Telescope developments: new stations for enhanced imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palumbo, Daniel; Johnson, Michael; Doeleman, Sheperd; Chael, Andrew; Bouman, Katherine

2018-01-01

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is a multinational Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) network of dishes joined to resolve general relativistic behavior near a supermassive black hole. The imaging quality of the EHT is largely dependent upon the sensitivity and spatial frequency coverage of the many baselines between its constituent telescopes. The EHT already contains many highly sensitive dishes, including the crucial Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA), making it viable to add smaller, cheaper telescopes to the array, greatly improving future capabilities of the EHT. We develop tools for optimizing the positions of new dishes in planned arrays. We also explore the feasibility of adding small orbiting dishes to the EHT, and develop orbital optimization tools for space-based VLBI imaging. Unlike the Millimetron mission planned to be at L2, we specifically treat near-earth orbiters, and find rapid filling of spatial frequency coverage across a large range of baseline lengths. Finally, we demonstrate significant improvement in image quality when adding small dishes to planned arrays in simulated observations.

42 CFR 438.210 - Coverage and authorization of services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... enrollee's condition or disease. (c) Notice of adverse action. Each contract must provide for the MCO, PIHP... extension is in the enrollee's interest. (2) Expedited authorization decisions. (i) For cases in which a... interest. (e) Compensation for utilization management activities. Each contract must provide that...

42 CFR 438.210 - Coverage and authorization of services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... enrollee's condition or disease. (c) Notice of adverse action. Each contract must provide for the MCO, PIHP... extension is in the enrollee's interest. (2) Expedited authorization decisions. (i) For cases in which a... interest. (e) Compensation for utilization management activities. Each contract must provide that...

Determining Planetary Temperatures with the Stefan-Boltzmann Law

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LoPresto, Michael C.; Hagoort, Nichole

2011-01-01

What follows is a description of several activities involving the Stefan-Boltzmann radiation law that can provide laboratory experience beyond what is normally found in traditional introductory thermodynamics experiments on thermal expansion, specific heat, and heats of transformation. The activities also provide more extensive coverage of and…

77 FR 65500 - Extension of Suspension and Debarment Exclusions, Grants and Cooperative Agreements

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-10-29

... Government procurement. William P. McNally, Assistant Administrator for Procurement. Accordingly, 2 CFR Part... proposes to extend coverage of nonprocurement suspension and debarment to all-tier procurement and non-procurement actions under all grants and cooperative agreements. DATES: Interested parties should submit...

75 FR 62538 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Extension

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-12

... information collection requirements contained in its Used Motor Vehicle Trade Regulation Rule (``Used Car Rule...-5634. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Used Car Rule facilitates informed purchasing decisions by requiring used car dealers to disclose information about warranty coverage, if any, and the mechanical...

75 FR 60341 - Deposit Insurance Regulations; Unlimited Coverage for Noninterest-bearing Transaction Accounts

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-30

... mail for depositors who ordinarily receive account information in this manner. The notice may be in the... existing information collection, OMB No. 3064-0168, currently entitled SWEEP Accounts: Disclosure of... discontinue its existing ``Transaction Account Guarantee Program Extension'' information collection, OMB No...

76 FR 44280 - Television Broadcasting Services; El Paso, TX

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-25

... experienced extensive signal coverage problems on channel 7 following the June 12, 2009 digital transition... interest by significantly improving the public's digital signal reception from KVIA-TV. DATES: This rule is... to Congress and the Government Accountability Office pursuant to the Congressional review Act, see 5...

Total Ozone from the Ozone Monitoring System (OMI) using TOMS and DOAS Methods

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Veefkind, J. P.; Bhartia, P. K.; Gleason, J.; deHaan, J. F.; Wellemeyer, C.; Levelt, P. F.

2003-01-01

The Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) is the Dutch-Finnish contribution to NASA's EOS-Aura satellite scheduled for launch in January 2004. OMI is an imaging spectrometer that will measure the back-scattered Solar radiance in the wavelength range of 270 to 500 nm. The instrument provides near global coverage in one day with a spatial resolution of 13x24 square kilometers. OMI is a new instrument, with a heritage from TOMS, SBW, GOME, GOMOS and SCIAMACHY. OMI'S unique capabilities for measuring important trace gases and aerosols with a small footprint and daily global coverage, in conjunction with the other Aura instruments, will make a major contribution to our understanding of stratospheric and tropospheric chemistry and climate change. OMI will provide data continuity with the 23-year ozone record of TOMS. There are three ozone products planned for OMI: total column ozone, ozone profile and tropospheric column ozone. We are developing two different algorithms for total column ozone: one similar to the algorithm currently being used to process the TOMS data, and the other an improved version of the differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) method, which has been applied to GOME and SCIAMACHY data. The main reasons for starting with two algorithms for total ozone have to do with heritage and past experience; our long-term goal is to combine the two to develop a more accurate and reliable total ozone product for OMI. We will compare the performance of these two algorithms by applying both of them to the GOME data. We will examine where and how the results differ, and use the extensive TOMS-Dobson comparison studies to assess the performance of the DOAS algorithm.

The Transition Region Explorer: Observing the Multi-Scale Dynamics of Geospace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Donovan, E.

2015-12-01

Meso- and global-scale IT remote sensing is accomplished via satellite imagers and ground-based instruments. On the ground, the approach is arrays providing extensive as possible coverage (the "net") and powerful observatories that drill deep to provide detailed information about small-scale processes (the "drill"). Always, there is a trade between cost, spatial resolution, coverage (extent), number of parameters, and more, such that in general the larger the network the sparser the coverage. Where are we now? There are important gaps. With THEMIS-ASI, we see processes that quickly evolve beyond the field of view of one observatory, but involve space/time scales not captured by existing meso- and large-scale arrays. Many forefront questions require observations at heretofore unexplored space and time scales, and comprehensive inter-hemispheric conjugate observations than are presently available. To address this, a new ground-based observing initiative is being developed in Canada. Called TREx, for Transition Region Explorer, this new facility will incorporate dedicated blueline, redline, and Near-Infrared All-Sky Imagers, together with an unprecedented network of ten imaging riometers, with a combined field of view spanning more than three hours of magnetic local time and from equatorward to poleward of typical auroral latitudes (spanning the ionospheric footprint of the "nightside transition region" that separates the highly stretched tail and the inner magnetosphere). The TREx field-of-view is covered by HF radars, and contains a dense network of magnetometers and VLF receivers, as well as other geospace and upper atmospheric remote sensors. Taken together, TREx and these co-located instruments represent a quantum leap forward in terms of imaging, in multiple parameters (precipitation, ionization, convection, and currents), ionospheric dynamics in the above-mentioned scale gap. This represents an exciting new opportunity for studying geospace at the system level, especially for using the aurora to remote sense magnetospheric plasma physics and dynamics, and comes with a set of Big Data challenges that are going to be exciting. One such challenge is the development of a fundamentally new type of data product, namely time series of multi-parameter, geospatially referenced 'data cubes'.

Mars Operational Environmental Satellite (MOES): A post-Mars Observer discovery mission

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Limaye, Sanjay S.

1993-01-01

Mars Operational Environmental Satellite (MOES) is a Discovery concept mission that is designed to observe the global short-term weather phenomena on Mars in a systematic fashion. Even after the Mariner, Viking, and, soon, Mars Observer missions, crucial aspects of the martian atmosphere will remain unobserved systematically. Achieving a better understanding of the cycles of dust, water vapor, and ices on Mars requires detailed information about atmospheric transports of those quantities associated with the weather systems, particularly those arising in mid latitudes during fall and winter. It also requires a quantitive understanding of the processes responsible for the onset and evolution of dust storms on all scales. Whereas on Earth the system of geosynchronous and polar orbiting satellites provides continuous coverage of the weather systems, on Mars the time history of important events such as regional and global dust storms remains unobserved. To understand the transport of tracers in the martian atmosphere and particularly to identify their sources and sinks, it is necessary to have systematic global, synoptic observations that have yet to be attained. Clearly these requirements are not easy to achieve from a single spacecraft in orbit, but if we focus on specific regions of the planet, e.g., polar vs. low and mid latitudes, then it is possible to attain a nearly ideal coverage at a reasonable spatial and temporal resolution with a system of just two satellites. Mars Observer is about to yield good coverage of the polar latitudes, so we focus initially on the region not covered well in terms of diurnal coverage, and in terms of desired observations will provide the initial data for the numerical models of the martian weather and climate that can be verified only with better temporal and spatial data.

The Influence of Household- and Community-Level Sanitation and Fecal Sludge Management on Urban Fecal Contamination in Households and Drains and Enteric Infection in Children

PubMed Central

Berendes, David; Kirby, Amy; Clennon, Julie A.; Raj, Suraja; Yakubu, Habib; Leon, Juan; Robb, Katharine; Kartikeyan, Arun; Hemavathy, Priya; Gunasekaran, Annai; Ghale, Ben; Kumar, J. Senthil; Mohan, Venkata Raghava; Kang, Gagandeep; Moe, Christine

2017-01-01

Urban sanitation necessitates management of fecal sludge inside and outside the household. This study examined associations between household sanitation, fecal contamination, and enteric infection in two low-income neighborhoods in Vellore, India. Surveys and spatial analysis assessed the presence and clustering of toilets and fecal sludge management (FSM) practices in 200 households. Fecal contamination was measured in environmental samples from 50 households and household drains. Enteric infection was assessed from stool specimens from children under 5 years of age in these households. The two neighborhoods differed significantly in toilet coverage (78% versus 33%) and spatial clustering. Overall, 49% of toilets discharged directly into open drains (“poor FSM”). Children in households with poor FSM had 3.78 times higher prevalence of enteric infection when compared with children in other households, even those without toilets. In the neighborhood with high coverage of household toilets, children in households with poor FSM had 10 times higher prevalence of enteric infection than other children in the neighborhood and drains in poor FSM clusters who had significantly higher concentrations of genogroup II norovirus. Conversely, children in households with a toilet that contained excreta in a tank onsite had 55% lower prevalence of enteric infection compared with the rest of the study area. Notably, households with a toilet in the neighborhood with low toilet coverage had more fecal contamination on floors where children played compared with those without a toilet. Overall, both toilet coverage levels and FSM were associated with environmental fecal contamination and, subsequently, enteric infection prevalence in this urban setting. PMID:28719269

Efficient Deployment of Key Nodes for Optimal Coverage of Industrial Mobile Wireless Networks

PubMed Central

Li, Xiaomin; Li, Di; Dong, Zhijie; Hu, Yage; Liu, Chengliang

2018-01-01

In recent years, industrial wireless networks (IWNs) have been transformed by the introduction of mobile nodes, and they now offer increased extensibility, mobility, and flexibility. Nevertheless, mobile nodes pose efficiency and reliability challenges. Efficient node deployment and management of channel interference directly affect network system performance, particularly for key node placement in clustered wireless networks. This study analyzes this system model, considering both industrial properties of wireless networks and their mobility. Then, static and mobile node coverage problems are unified and simplified to target coverage problems. We propose a novel strategy for the deployment of clustered heads in grouped industrial mobile wireless networks (IMWNs) based on the improved maximal clique model and the iterative computation of new candidate cluster head positions. The maximal cliques are obtained via a double-layer Tabu search. Each cluster head updates its new position via an improved virtual force while moving with full coverage to find the minimal inter-cluster interference. Finally, we develop a simulation environment. The simulation results, based on a performance comparison, show the efficacy of the proposed strategies and their superiority over current approaches. PMID:29439439

[Media coverage of suicide: From the epidemiological observations to prevention avenues].

PubMed

Notredame, Charles-Édouard; Pauwels, Nathalie; Walter, Michel; Danel, Thierry; Vaiva, Guillaume

2015-12-01

Media coverage of suicide can result in increased morbi-mortality suicidal rates, due to an imitation process in those who are particularly vulnerable. This phenomenon is known as "Werther effect". Werther effect's magnitude depends on several qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the media coverage, in a dose-effect relationship. An extensive (in terms of audience and history repetition) and salient coverage (glorification of suicide, description of the suicidal method, etc.) increases the risk of contagion. Celebrities' suicide is particularly at risk of Werther effect. Media may also have a preventive role with respect to suicide. Indeed, according to "Papageno effect", journalists could, under certain conditions, help preventing suicide when reporting suicide stories. Two main theories in the field of social psychology have been proposed to account for Werther and Papageno effects: social learning theory and differential identification. Identification of Werther and Papageno effects uncovers new responsibilities and potentialities for the journalists in terms of public health. Their description provides a basis for promising targeted prevention actions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

NARSTO PAC2001 GVRD CAPMON AIR QUAL DATA

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-04-09

NARSTO PAC2001 GVRD CAPMON AIR QUAL DATA Project Title:  NARSTO Discipline:  ... Order:   E arthdata Search Parameters:  Air Temperature Humidity Upper Level Winds Ozone Aerosol Particle ... Data:  Spatial Coverage: Canada Pacific 2001 Air Quality Study SCAR-B Block:  SCAR-B ...

Remote Access to Earth Science Data by Content, Space and Time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dobinson, E.; Raskin, G.

1998-01-01

This demo presents the combination on an http-based client/server application that facilitates internet access to Earth science data coupled with a Java applet GUI that allows the user to graphically select data based on spatial and temporal coverage plots and scientific parameters.

Traffic monitoring using satellite and ground data : preparation for feasibility tests and an operational system, final report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-04-01

Satellite imagery could conceivably be added to data traditionally collected in traffic monitoring programs to allow wide spatial coverage unobtainable from ground-based sensors in a safe, off-the-road environment. Previously, we estimated that 1-m r...

Traffic monitoring using satellite and ground data : preparation for feasibility tests and an operational system, executive summary.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-04-01

Satellite imagery could conceivably be added to data traditionally collected in traffic monitoring programs to allow wide spatial coverage unobtainable from ground-based sensors in a safe, off-the-road environment. Previously, we estimated that 1-m r...

Acquisition and management of continuous data streams for crop water management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wireless sensor network systems for decision support in crop water management offer many advantages including larger spatial coverage and multiple types of data input. However, collection and management of multiple and continuous data streams for near real-time post analysis can be problematic. Thi...

Similarity of Introductory Psychology Textbooks: Reality or Illusion?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griggs, Richard A.; Marek, Pam

2001-01-01

Presents a study that reviewed introductory psychology textbooks to examine the perception of extensive similarity. Focuses on six dimensions: (1) chapter topics, organization, and extent of topic coverage; (2) core concepts and key terms; (3) pedagogical aids and data graphs; (4) critical-thinking programs; (5) reference citations; and (6) level…

The Allyn & Bacon Handbook. Third Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosen, Leonard J.; Behrens, Laurence

This third edition of a writing handbook that is built on the underlying themes of critical thinking and writing across the curriculum moves into the next generation with extensive coverage of electronic research and document design. It also contains many examples, exercises, and student papers in all categories. The handbook's chapters on…

78 FR 59767 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-27

.... Current Actions: There are no changes being made to the form at this time. Type of Review: Extension of a... Burden Hours: 1,540,000. Title: Affordable Care Act Internal Claims and Appeals and External review... issuers of group health insurance coverage, in connection with internal appeals of claims denials, to...

27 CFR 40.131 - Corporate surety.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Corporate surety. 40.131... PROCESSED TOBACCO Bonds and Extensions of Coverage of Bonds § 40.131 Corporate surety. (a) Surety bonds required under the provisions of this part may be given only with corporate sureties holding certificates...

5 CFR 870.1007 - Termination and conversion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Termination and conversion. 870.1007... Iraq and Kuwait and United States Hostages Captured in Lebanon § 870.1007 Termination and conversion... the 31-day extension of coverage and conversion as set forth in subpart F of this part, unless the...

5 CFR 870.1007 - Termination and conversion.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 5 Administrative Personnel 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Termination and conversion. 870.1007... Iraq and Kuwait and United States Hostages Captured in Lebanon § 870.1007 Termination and conversion... the 31-day extension of coverage and conversion as set forth in subpart F of this part, unless the...

HIERARCHIAL BAYESIAN CALIBRATION: AN APPLICATION TO AIRBORNE PARTICULATE MATTER MONITORING DATA

EPA Science Inventory

In studies of the relationship between airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and health, researchers frequently use monitoring data with the most extensive temporal coverage. Such data may come from a monitor that is not a federal reference monitor (FRM), a monitor that is d...

Suicide Prevention for LGBT Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, R. Bradley; Oxendine, Symphony; Taub, Deborah J.; Robertson, Jason

2013-01-01

Extensive media coverage of the suicide deaths of several gay and lesbian youth has highlighted lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth as a population at-risk for suicide. In addition, it has caused colleges and universities to address mental health and suicide behavior among this very diverse college population. One issue that…

Defining Family-Friendly Early Intervention.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wadsworth, Donna E. Dugger; Wartelle, Noah L.

Prior to the 1986 passage of PL 99-457, an extension of the special services coverage under the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, early intervention programs were primarily interventionist directed and child focused. The new legislation provided incentives for providing programs that were family-centered and family-driven. The goal of…

76 FR 144 - Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Extension

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-03

... 60603, (312) 960-5634. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Used Car Rule facilitates informed purchasing decisions by requiring used car dealers to disclose information about warranty coverage, if any, and the... other components of the annual hours burden, i.e., purchasing Buyers Guides and revising them for...

A High-Resolution Aerosol Retrieval Method for Urban Areas Using MISR Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moon, T.; Wang, Y.; Liu, Y.; Yu, B.

2012-12-01

Satellite-retrieved Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) can provide a cost-effective way to monitor particulate air pollution without using expensive ground measurement sensors. One of the current state-of-the-art AOD retrieval method is NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) operational algorithm, which has the spatial resolution of 17.6 km x 17.6 km. While the MISR baseline scheme already leads to exciting research opportunities to study particle compositions at regional scale, its spatial resolution is too coarse for analyzing urban areas where the AOD level has stronger spatial variations. We develop a novel high-resolution AOD retrieval algorithm that still uses MISR's radiance observations but has the resolution of 4.4km x 4.4km. We achieve the high resolution AOD retrieval by implementing a hierarchical Bayesian model and Monte-Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) inference method. Our algorithm not only improves the spatial resolution, but also extends the coverage of AOD retrieval and provides with additional composition information of aerosol components that contribute to the AOD. We validate our method using the recent NASA's DISCOVER-AQ mission data, which contains the ground measured AOD values for Washington DC and Baltimore area. The validation result shows that, compared to the operational MISR retrievals, our scheme has 41.1% more AOD retrieval coverage for the DISCOVER-AQ data points and 24.2% improvement in mean-squared error (MSE) with respect to the AERONET ground measurements.

Can even minimal news coverage influence consumer health-related behaviour? A case study of iodized salt sales, Australia.

PubMed

Li, Mu; Chapman, Simon; Agho, Kingsley; Eastman, Creswell J

2008-06-01

Lack of iodine in the diet can cause a spectrum of conditions, known as iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). While iodized salt has been retailed in Australia since the 1960s, sales have remained low, at approximately 10% of total edible salt sales. Salt has never been promoted, advertised or discounted by retailers or manufacturers. Extensive news coverage of health issues has often been shown to influence consumer behaviour. But can even modest news coverage generate changes in consumer health-related behaviour? We report a significant increase (5.2%) in national iodized salt sales after a brief period of television and newspaper reports about IDD and the benefits of using iodized salt during and after the Australian National Iodine Nutrition Study in 2003 and 2004. We conclude that even brief news media exposure can influence health-related decisions.

Internal Consistency of the NVAP Water Vapor Dataset

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suggs, Ronnie J.; Jedlovec, Gary J.; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

The NVAP (NASA Water Vapor Project) dataset is a global dataset at 1 x 1 degree spatial resolution consisting of daily, pentad, and monthly atmospheric precipitable water (PW) products. The analysis blends measurements from the Television and Infrared Operational Satellite (TIROS) Operational Vertical Sounder (TOVS), the Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I), and radiosonde observations into a daily collage of PW. The original dataset consisted of five years of data from 1988 to 1992. Recent updates have added three additional years (1993-1995) and incorporated procedural and algorithm changes from the original methodology. Since each of the PW sources (TOVS, SSM/I, and radiosonde) do not provide global coverage, each of these sources compliment one another by providing spatial coverage over regions and during times where the other is not available. For this type of spatial and temporal blending to be successful, each of the source components should have similar or compatible accuracies. If this is not the case, regional and time varying biases may be manifested in the NVAP dataset. This study examines the consistency of the NVAP source data by comparing daily collocated TOVS and SSM/I PW retrievals with collocated radiosonde PW observations. The daily PW intercomparisons are performed over the time period of the dataset and for various regions.

The Node Deployment of Intelligent Sensor Networks Based on the Spatial Difference of Farmland Soil

PubMed Central

Liu, Naisen; Cao, Weixing; Zhu, Yan; Zhang, Jingchao; Pang, Fangrong; Ni, Jun

2015-01-01

Considering that agricultural production is characterized by vast areas, scattered fields and long crop growth cycles, intelligent wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are suitable for monitoring crop growth information. Cost and coverage are the most key indexes for WSN applications. The differences in crop conditions are influenced by the spatial distribution of soil nutrients. If the nutrients are distributed evenly, the crop conditions are expected to be approximately uniform with little difference; on the contrary, there will be great differences in crop conditions. In accordance with the differences in the spatial distribution of soil information in farmland, fuzzy c-means clustering was applied to divide the farmland into several areas, where the soil fertility of each area is nearly uniform. Then the crop growth information in the area could be monitored with complete coverage by deploying a sensor node there, which could greatly decrease the deployed sensor nodes. Moreover, in order to accurately judge the optimal cluster number of fuzzy c-means clustering, a discriminant function for Normalized Intra-Cluster Coefficient of Variation (NICCV) was established. The sensitivity analysis indicates that NICCV is insensitive to the fuzzy weighting exponent, but it shows a strong sensitivity to the number of clusters. PMID:26569243

Coverage-guaranteed sensor node deployment strategies for wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Fan, Gaojuan; Wang, Ruchuan; Huang, Haiping; Sun, Lijuan; Sha, Chao

2010-01-01

Deployment quality and cost are two conflicting aspects in wireless sensor networks. Random deployment, where the monitored field is covered by randomly and uniformly deployed sensor nodes, is an appropriate approach for large-scale network applications. However, their successful applications depend considerably on the deployment quality that uses the minimum number of sensors to achieve a desired coverage. Currently, the number of sensors required to meet the desired coverage is based on asymptotic analysis, which cannot meet deployment quality due to coverage overestimation in real applications. In this paper, we first investigate the coverage overestimation and address the challenge of designing coverage-guaranteed deployment strategies. To overcome this problem, we propose two deployment strategies, namely, the Expected-area Coverage Deployment (ECD) and BOundary Assistant Deployment (BOAD). The deployment quality of the two strategies is analyzed mathematically. Under the analysis, a lower bound on the number of deployed sensor nodes is given to satisfy the desired deployment quality. We justify the correctness of our analysis through rigorous proof, and validate the effectiveness of the two strategies through extensive simulation experiments. The simulation results show that both strategies alleviate the coverage overestimation significantly. In addition, we also evaluate two proposed strategies in the context of target detection application. The comparison results demonstrate that if the target appears at the boundary of monitored region in a given random deployment, the average intrusion distance of BOAD is considerably shorter than that of ECD with the same desired deployment quality. In contrast, ECD has better performance in terms of the average intrusion distance when the invasion of intruder is from the inside of monitored region.

Dynamic in-plane potential gradients for actively controlling electrochemical reactions: Part I. Characterization of 1- and 2-component alkanethiol monolayer gradients on thin gold films. Part II. Applications of in-plane potential gradients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balss, Karin Maria

The research contained in this thesis is focused on the formation and characterization of surface composition gradients on thin gold films that are formed by applications of in-plane potential gradients. Injecting milliamp currents into thin Au films yields significant in-plane voltage drops so that, rather than assuming a single value of potential, an in-plane potential gradient is imposed on the film which depends on the resistivity of the film, the cross sectional area and the magnitude of the potential drop. Furthermore, the in-plane electric potential gradient means that, relative to a solution reference couple, electrochemical reactions occurs at defined spatial positions corresponding to the local potential, V(x) ˜ E0. The spatial gradient in electrochemical potential can then produce spatially dependent electrochemistry. Surface-chemical potential gradients can be prepared by arranging the spread of potentials to span an electrochemical wave mediating redox-associated adsorption or desorption. Examples of reactions that can be spatially patterned include the electrosorption of alkanethiols and over-potential metal deposition. The unique advantage of this method for patterning spatial compositions is the control of surface coverage in both space and time. The thesis is organized into two parts. In Part I, formation and characterization of 1- and 2-component alkanethiol monolayer gradients is investigated. Numerous surface science tools are employed to examine the distribution in coverage obtained by application of in-plane potential gradients. Macroscopic characterization was obtained by sessile water drop contact angle measurements and surface plasmon resonance imaging. Gradients were also imaged on micron length scales with pulsed-force mode atomic force microscopy. Direct chemical evidence of surface compositions in aromatic thiol surface coverage was obtained by surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. In Part II, the applications of in-plane potential gradients is discussed. Electrochemical reactions other than electrosorption of alkanethiols were demonstrated with over-potential deposition of copper onto gold films. One application of these patterns is to control the movement of supermolecular objects. As a first step towards this goal, biological cells were seeded onto gradient patterns containing adhesion promoters and inhibitors. The morphology and adhesion was investigated as a function of concentration along the gradient.

Annual Cycles of Multiyear Sea Ice Coverage of the Arctic Ocean: 1999-2003

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kwok, R.

2004-01-01

For the years 1999-2003, we estimate the time-varying perennial ice zone (PIZ) coverage and construct the annual cycles of multiyear (MY, including second year) ice coverage of the Arctic Ocean using QuikSCAT backscatter, MY fractions from RADARSAT, and the record of ice export from satellite passive microwave observations. An area balance approach extends the winter MY coverage from QuikSCAT to the remainder of the year. From these estimates, the coverage of MY ice at the beginning of each year is 3774 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2000), 3896 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2001), 4475 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2002), and 4122 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2003). Uncertainties in coverage are approx.150 x 10(exp 3) sq km. In the mean, on 1 January, MY ice covers approx.60% of the Arctic Ocean. Ice export reduces this coverage to approx.55% by 1 May. From the multiple annual cycles, the area of first-year (FY) ice that survives the intervening summers are 1192 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2000), 1509 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2001), and 582 x 10(exp 3) sq km (2002). In order for the MY coverage to remain constant from year to year, these replenishment areas must balance the overall area export and melt during the summer. The effect of the record minimum in Arctic sea ice area during the summer of 2002 is seen in the lowest area of surviving FY ice of the three summers. In addition to the spatial coverage, the location of the PIZ is important. One consequence of the unusual location of the PIZ at the end of the summer of 2002 is the preconditioning for enhanced export of MY ice into the Barents and Kara seas. Differences between the minimums in summer sea ice coverage from our estimates and passive microwave observations are discussed.

Print news coverage of school-based human papillomavirus vaccine mandates.

PubMed

Casciotti, Dana M; Smith, Katherine C; Andon, Lindsay; Vernick, Jon; Tsui, Amy; Klassen, Ann C

2014-02-01

In 2007, legislation was proposed in 24 states and the District of Columbia for school-based human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine mandates, and mandates were enacted in Texas, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. Media coverage of these events was extensive, and media messages both reflected and contributed to controversy surrounding these legislative activities. Messages communicated through the media are an important influence on adolescent and parent understanding of school-based vaccine mandates. We conducted structured text analysis of newspaper coverage, including quantitative analysis of 169 articles published in mandate jurisdictions from 2005 to 2009, and qualitative analysis of 63 articles from 2007. Our structured analysis identified topics, key stakeholders and sources, tone, and the presence of conflict. Qualitative thematic analysis identified key messages and issues. Media coverage was often incomplete, providing little context about cervical cancer or screening. Skepticism and autonomy concerns were common. Messages reflected conflict and distrust of government activities, which could negatively impact this and other youth-focused public health initiatives. If school health professionals are aware of the potential issues raised in media coverage of school-based health mandates, they will be more able to convey appropriate health education messages and promote informed decision-making by parents and students. © 2014, American School Health Association.

Media framing and political advertising in the Patients' Bill of Rights debate.

PubMed

Rabinowitz, Aaron

2010-10-01

The purpose of this article is to assess the influence of interest groups over news content. In particular, I explore the possibility that political advertising campaigns affect the tenor and framing of newspaper coverage in health policy debates. To do so, I compare newspaper coverage of the Patients' Bill of Rights debate in 1999 in five states that were subject to extensive advertising campaigns with coverage in five comparison states that were not directly exposed to the advocacy campaigns. I find significant differences in coverage depending on the presence or absence of paid advertising campaigns, and conclude that readers were exposed to different perspectives and arguments about managed care regulation if the newspapers they read were published in states targeted by political advertisements. Specifically, newspaper coverage was 17 percent less likely to be supportive of managed care reform in states subject to advertising campaigns designed to foment opposition to the Patients' Bill of Rights. Understanding the ability of organized interests and political actors to successfully promote their preferred issue frames in a dynamic political environment is particularly important in light of the proliferation of interest groups, the prevalence of multimillion-dollar political advertising campaigns, and the health care reform debate under President Barack Obama.

Spatial distribution of epibenthic molluscs on a sandstone reef in the Northeast of Brazil.

PubMed

Martinez, A S; Mendes, L F; Leite, T S

2012-05-01

The present study investigated the distribution and abundance of epibenthic molluscs and their feeding habits associated to substrate features (coverage and rugosity) in a sandstone reef system in the Northeast of Brazil. Rugosity, low coral cover and high coverage of zoanthids and fleshy alga were the variables that influenced a low richness and high abundance of a few molluscan species in the reef habitat. The most abundant species were generalist carnivores, probably associated to a lesser offer and variability of resources in this type of reef system, when compared to the coral reefs. The results found in this study could reflect a normal characteristic of the molluscan community distribution in sandstone reefs, with low coral cover, or could indicate a degradation state of this habitat if it is compared to coral reefs, once that the significantly high coverage of fleshy alga has been recognized as a negative indicator of reef ecosystems health.

Playback system designed for X-Band SAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuquan, Liu; Changyong, Dou

2014-03-01

SAR(Synthetic Aperture Radar) has extensive application because it is daylight and weather independent. In particular, X-Band SAR strip map, designed by Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, Chinese Academy of Sciences, provides high ground resolution images, at the same time it has a large spatial coverage and a short acquisition time, so it is promising in multi-applications. When sudden disaster comes, the emergency situation acquires radar signal data and image as soon as possible, in order to take action to reduce loss and save lives in the first time. This paper summarizes a type of X-Band SAR playback processing system designed for disaster response and scientific needs. It describes SAR data workflow includes the payload data transmission and reception process. Playback processing system completes signal analysis on the original data, providing SAR level 0 products and quick image. Gigabit network promises radar signal transmission efficiency from recorder to calculation unit. Multi-thread parallel computing and ping pong operation can ensure computation speed. Through gigabit network, multi-thread parallel computing and ping pong operation, high speed data transmission and processing meet the SAR radar data playback real time requirement.

Spatial and temporal land cover changes in Terminos Lagoon Reserve, Mexico.

PubMed

Soto-Galera, Ernesto; Piera, Jaume; López, Pilar

2010-06-01

Terminos Lagoon ecosystem is the largest fluvial-lagoon estuarine system in the country and one of the most important reserves of coastal flora and fauna in Mexico. Since the seventies, part of the main infrastructure for country's oil extraction is located in this area. Its high biodiversity has motivated different type of studies including deforestation processes and land use planning. In this work we used satellite image analysis to determine land cover changes in the area from 1974 to 2001. Our results indicate that tropical forest and mangroves presented the most extensive losses in its coverage. In contrast, urban areas and induced grassland increased considerably. In 2001 more than half of the ecosystem area showed changes from its original land cover, and a third part of it was deteriorated. The main causes of deforestation were both the increase in grassland and the growth of urban areas. However, deforestation was attenuated by natural reforestation and plant canopy recovery. We conclude that the introduction of cattle and urban development were the main causes for the land cover changes; however, the oil industry activity located in the ecosystem, has promoted indirectly to urban growth and rancher boom.

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

Bruno, C.; Eichenseer, H.; Calatayud, P.

The poster illustrates how the recent developments in genetic stratigraphy have contributed to constrain reservoir layering and to improve prediction of reservoir quality in the oil-bearing reservoir of N`KOSSA. The mixed lithology deposits formed during Albian times. Thanks to the excellent core coverage of the reservoir (4 cored wells over the entire reservoir interval), continuous sedimentological examination and interpretation of the facies succession have been carried out. The reservoir can be subdivided into composite sequences (50 to 150 in thick) which are made up of stacked metre-scale genetic units. Three different stacking patterns of genetic units have been identified; retrogradation,more » aggradation and progradation. These patterns reflect a gradual change of depositional regimes through time. Facies variations (texture, bio-association, geometry, spatial distribution) and early diagenetic overprints can be related to each type of stacking pattern. One additional model illustrates the depositional regime corresponding to low accomodation periods which mainly record siliciclastic input and extensive carbonate diagenesis by meteoric waters The resulting four models show the overall distribution of the main depositional units, the diagenetic zonations and the resulting overall reservoir qualities. This above approach have contributed to a more detailed reservoir architecture and a better delineation of reservoir heterogeneity due to both depositional and diagenetic regimes.« less

Dynamic monitoring of the Poyang Lake wetland by integrating Landsat and MODIS observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Bin; Chen, Lifan; Huang, Bo; Michishita, Ryo; Xu, Bing

2018-05-01

The spatial and temporal adaptive reflectance fusion models (STARFM) have limited practical applications, because they often enforce the invalid assumption that land cover change does not occur between prior/posterior and target dates. To deal with this challenge, we proposed a spatiotemporal adaptive fusion model for NDVI products (STAFFN), to better blend highly resolved spatial and temporal information from multiple sensors. Compared with existing spatiotemporal fusion models, the proposed model integrates an initial prediction into a hierarchical selection strategy of similar pixels, and can capture landscape changes very well. Experiments using spatial details and temporal abundance comparison among MODIS, Landsat, and fusion results show that the predicted data can accurately capture temporal changes while preserving fine-spatial-resolution details. Model comparison also shows that STAFFNs produce consistently lower biases than STARFMs and the flexible spatiotemporal data fusion models (FSDAFs). A synthetic NDVI product (342 scenes in total) was produced with STAFFNs having a 16-day revisit frequency at 30-m spatial resolution from 2000 to 2014. With this product, we further provided a 15-year spatiotemporal change monitoring map of the Poyang Lake wetland. Results show that the water area in the dry season tended to lose 38.3 km2 yr-1 in coverage over the past 15 years, decreasing by 18.24% of the lake area between 2001 and 2014. The wetland vegetation group tended to increase in coverage, increasing by 10.08% of the lake area in the past 15 years. Our study indicates the STAFFN model can be reasonably applied in monitoring wetland dynamics, and can be easily adapted for the use with other ecosystems.

Evaluating PRISM precipitation grid data as possible surrogates for station data at four sites in Oklahoma

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The development of climate-sensitive decision support for agriculture or water resource management requires long time series of monthly precipitation for specific locations. Archived station data for many locations is available, but time continuity, quality, and spatial coverage of station data rem...

INDICATOR OF EUTROPHICATION AND SEDIMENT LOAD: HYPERSPECTRAL TECHNIQUE FOR CONTINUOUS COVERAGE OF DEEP RIVERS

EPA Science Inventory

Remote sensing techniques were used to characterize and quantify spatial and temporal variation in water quality of the Great Miami River in Ohio. An initial feasibility study was conducted in the summer of 1999 using a non-imaging hand-held spectroradiometer to ascertain the pr...

A MOVING AVERAGE BAYESIAN MODEL FOR SPATIAL SURFACE AND COVERAGE PREDICTION FROM ENVIRONMENTAL POINT-SOURCE DATA

EPA Science Inventory

This paper addresses the general problem of estimating at arbitrary locations the value of an unobserved quantity that varies over space, such as ozone concentration in air or nitrate concentrations in surface groundwater, on the basis of approximate measurements of the quantity ...

TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Nadir V6 (TL2ATMTN)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-01-18

TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Nadir (TL2ATMTN) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir ... Contact User Services Parameters:  Atmospheric Temperature Temperature Precision Vertical Resolution ...

TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Limb V6 (TL2TLS)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-03-01

TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Limb (TL2TLS) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Spatial Coverage:  27 x 23 km Limb ... OPeNDAP Access: OPeNDAP Parameters:  Atmospheric Temperature Temperature Precision Vertical Resolution ...

TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Limb V6 (TL2ATMTL)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-03-01

TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Limb (TL2ATMTL) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Spatial Coverage:  27 x 23 km Limb ... OPeNDAP Access: OPeNDAP Parameters:  Atmospheric Temperature Temperature Precision Vertical Resolution ...

Color maps of Arp 146

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schultz, A. B.; Spight, L. D.; Colegrove, P. T.; Disanti, M. A.; Fink, U.

1990-01-01

Four color maps of Arp 146 are given. The structure and color of the ring galaxy and its companion show evidence of a bridge of material between the companion and the remnant nucleus of the original galaxy now forming the ring. Broad band spatial coverage clearly defines regions of starburst occurrence.

Use of NDVI and land surface temperature for assessing vegetation health: merits and limitations

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

To date, most drought indices used in drought monitoring are based on precipitation and meteorological data collected on the ground from distributed monitoring networks. Few satellite-based drought indices are currently in production, although these afford better spatial and temporal coverage and r...

Improvement of axial excitation confinement in temporal focusing-based multiphoton microscopy via spatially modulated illumination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Chia-Yuan; Chen, Shean-Jen

2017-02-01

Conventional temporal focusing-based multiphoton excitation microscopy (TFMPEM) can offer widefield optical sectioning with an axial excitation confinement (AEC) of a few microns. Herein, a developed TFMPEM with a digital micromirror device (DMD), acting as the blazed grating for light spatial dispersion and simultaneous patterned illumination, has been extended to implement spatially modulated illumination at structured frequency and orientation. By implementing the spatially modulated illumination, the beam coverage at the back-focal aperture of the objective lens can be increased. As a result, the AEC can be condensed from 3.0 μm to 1.5 μm in full width at half maximum for a 2-fold enhancement. Furthermore, by using HiLo microscopy with two structured illuminations at the same spatial frequency but different orientation, biotissue images according to the structured illumination with condensed AEC is obviously superior in contrast and scattering suppression.

Digital database of mining-related features at selected historic and active phosphate mines, Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, and Caribou counties, Idaho

USGS Publications Warehouse

Causey, J. Douglas; Moyle, Phillip R.

2001-01-01

This report provides a description of data and processes used to produce a spatial database that delineates mining-related features in areas of historic and active phosphate mining in the core of the southeastern Idaho phosphate resource area. The data have varying degrees of accuracy and attribution detail. Classification of areas by type of mining-related activity at active mines is generally detailed; however, the spatial coverage does not differentiate mining-related surface disturbance features at many of the closed or inactive mines. Nineteen phosphate mine sites are included in the study. A total of 5,728 hc (14,154 ac), or more than 57 km2 (22 mi2), of phosphate mining-related surface disturbance are documented in the spatial coverage of the core of the southeast Idaho phosphate resource area. The study includes 4 active phosphate mines—Dry Valley, Enoch Valley, Rasmussen Ridge, and Smoky Canyon—and 15 historic phosphate mines—Ballard, Champ, Conda, Diamond Gulch, Gay, Georgetown Canyon, Henry, Home Canyon, Lanes Creek, Maybe Canyon, Mountain Fuel, Trail Canyon, Rattlesnake Canyon, Waterloo, and Wooley Valley. Spatial data on the inactive historic mines is relatively up-to-date; however, spatially described areas for active mines are based on digital maps prepared in early 1999. The inactive Gay mine has the largest total area of disturbance: 1,917 hc (4,736 ac) or about 19 km2 (7.4 mi2). It encompasses over three times the disturbance area of the next largest mine, the Conda mine with 607 hc (1,504 ac), and it is nearly four times the area of the Smoky Canyon mine, the largest of the active mines with 497 hc (1,228 ac). The wide range of phosphate mining-related surface disturbance features (approximately 80) were reduced to 13 types or features used in this study—adit and pit, backfilled mine pit, facilities, mine pit, ore stockpile, railroad, road, sediment catchment, tailings or tailings pond, topsoil stockpile, water reservoir, and disturbed land (undifferentiated). In summary, the spatial coverage includes polygons totaling 1,114 hc (2,753 ac) of mine pits, 272 hc (671 ac) of backfilled mine pits, 1,570 hc (3,880 ac) of waste dumps, 26 hc (64 ac) of ore stockpiles, and 44 hc (110 ac) of tailings or tailings ponds. Areas of undifferentiated phosphate mining-related land disturbances, called “disturbed land,” total 2,176 (5,377 ac) or nearly 21.8 km2 (8.4 mi2). No determination has been made as to status of reclamation on these lands. Subsequent site-specific studies to delineate distinct mine features will allow modification of this preliminary spatial database.

Fusion of UAV photogrammetry and digital optical granulometry for detection of structural changes in floodplains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Langhammer, Jakub; Lendzioch, Theodora; Mirijovsky, Jakub

2016-04-01

Granulometric analysis represents a traditional, important and for the description of sedimentary material substantial method with various applications in sedimentology, hydrology and geomorphology. However, the conventional granulometric field survey methods are time consuming, laborious, costly and are invasive to the surface being sampled, which can be limiting factor for their applicability in protected areas.. The optical granulometry has recently emerged as an image analysis technique, enabling non-invasive survey, employing semi-automated identification of clasts from calibrated digital imagery, taken on site by conventional high resolution digital camera and calibrated frame. The image processing allows detection and measurement of mixed size natural grains, their sorting and quantitative analysis using standard granulometric approaches. Despite known limitations, the technique today presents reliable tool, significantly easing and speeding the field survey in fluvial geomorphology. However, the nature of such survey has still limitations in spatial coverage of the sites and applicability in research at multitemporal scale. In our study, we are presenting novel approach, based on fusion of two image analysis techniques - optical granulometry and UAV-based photogrammetry, allowing to bridge the gap between the needs of high resolution structural information for granulometric analysis and spatially accurate and data coverage. We have developed and tested a workflow that, using UAV imaging platform enabling to deliver seamless, high resolution and spatially accurate imagery of the study site from which can be derived the granulometric properties of the sedimentary material. We have set up a workflow modeling chain, providing (i) the optimum flight parameters for UAV imagery to balance the two key divergent requirements - imagery resolution and seamless spatial coverage, (ii) the workflow for the processing of UAV acquired imagery by means of the optical granulometry and (iii) the workflow for analysis of spatial distribution and temporal changes of granulometric properties across the point bar. The proposed technique was tested on a case study of an active point bar of mid-latitude mountain stream at Sumava mountains, Czech Republic, exposed to repeated flooding. The UAV photogrammetry was used to acquire very high resolution imagery to build high-precision digital terrain models and orthoimage. The orthoimage was then analyzed using the digital optical granulometric tool BaseGrain. This approach allowed us (i) to analyze the spatial distribution of the grain size in a seamless transects over an active point bar and (ii) to assess the multitemporal changes of granulometric properties of the point bar material resulting from flooding. The tested framework prove the applicability of the proposed method for granulometric analysis with accuracy comparable with field optical granulometry. The seamless nature of the data enables to study spatial distribution of granulometric properties across the study sites as well as the analysis of multitemporal changes, resulting from repeated imaging.

MISR Level 2 TOA/Cloud Classifier parameters (MIL2TCCL_V3)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Diner, David J. (Principal Investigator)

The TOA/Cloud Classifiers contain the Angular Signature Cloud Mask (ASCM), a scene classifier calculated using support vector machine technology (SVM) both of which are on a 1.1 km grid, and cloud fractions at 17.6 km resolution that are available in different height bins (low, middle, high) and are also calculated on an angle-by-angle basis. [Temporal_Coverage: Start_Date=2000-02-24; Stop_Date=] [Spatial_Coverage: Southernmost_Latitude=-90; Northernmost_Latitude=90; Westernmost_Longitude=-180; Easternmost_Longitude=180] [Data_Resolution: Latitude_Resolution=1.1 km; Longitude_Resolution=1.1 km; Temporal_Resolution=about 15 orbits/day].

Travelling fronts of the CO oxidation on Pd(111) with coverage-dependent diffusion

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

Cisternas, Jaime, E-mail: jecisternas@miuandes.cl; Karpitschka, Stefan; Wehner, Stefan

2014-10-28

In this work, we study a surface reaction on Pd(111) crystals under ultra-high-vacuum conditions that can be modeled by two coupled reaction-diffusion equations. In the bistable regime, the reaction exhibits travelling fronts that can be observed experimentally using photo electron emission microscopy. The spatial profile of the fronts reveals a coverage-dependent diffusivity for one of the species. We propose a method to solve the nonlinear eigenvalue problem and compute the direction and the speed of the fronts based on a geometrical construction in phase-space. This method successfully captures the dependence of the speed on control parameters and diffusivities.

Implementation of softcopy photogrammetric workstations at the US Geological Survey

USGS Publications Warehouse

Skalet, C.D.; Lee, G.Y.G.; Ladner, L. J.

1992-01-01

The US Geological Survey has provided the Nation with primary quadrangle maps and map products for the last 50 years. The Survey recently completed initial coverage of the conterminous United States and Hawaii at 1:24 000 scale. In Alaska, complete coverage exists at 1:63 360 scale. Effort is underway to build a National Digital Cartographic Data Base (NDCDB) composed of the digital representation of these and other map series. In addition the Survey plans to meet the demand for more current and complete data through the development and promotion of spatial data standards in cooperation with other Federal, State, local and private organizations. -from Authors

City of Flagstaff Project: Ground Water Resource Evaluation, Remote Sensing Component

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chavez, Pat S.; Velasco, Miguel G.; Bowell, Jo-Ann; Sides, Stuart C.; Gonzalez, Rosendo R.; Soltesz, Deborah L.

1996-01-01

Many regions, cities, and towns in the Western United States need new or expanded water resources because of both population growth and increased development. Any tools or data that can help in the evaluation of an area's potential water resources must be considered for this increasingly critical need. Remotely sensed satellite images and subsequent digital image processing have been under-utilized in ground water resource evaluation and exploration. Satellite images can be helpful in detecting and mapping an area's regional structural patterns, including major fracture and fault systems, two important geologic settings for an area's surface to ground water relations. Within the United States Geological Survey's (USGS) Flagstaff Field Center, expertise and capabilities in remote sensing and digital image processing have been developed over the past 25 years through various programs. For the City of Flagstaff project, this expertise and these capabilities were combined with traditional geologic field mapping to help evaluate ground water resources in the Flagstaff area. Various enhancement and manipulation procedures were applied to the digital satellite images; the results, in both digital and hardcopy format, were used for field mapping and analyzing the regional structure. Relative to surface sampling, remotely sensed satellite and airborne images have improved spatial coverage that can help study, map, and monitor the earth surface at local and/or regional scales. Advantages offered by remotely sensed satellite image data include: 1. a synoptic/regional view compared to both aerial photographs and ground sampling, 2. cost effectiveness, 3. high spatial resolution and coverage compared to ground sampling, and 4. relatively high temporal coverage on a long term basis. Remotely sensed images contain both spectral and spatial information. The spectral information provides various properties and characteristics about the surface cover at a given location or pixel (that is, vegetation and/or soil type). The spatial information gives the distribution, variation, and topographic relief of the cover types from pixel to pixel. Therefore, the main characteristics that determine a pixel's brightness/reflectance and, consequently, the digital number (DN) assigned to the pixel, are the physical properties of the surface and near surface, the cover type, and the topographic slope. In this application, the ability to detect and map lineaments, especially those related to fractures and faults, is critical. Therefore, the extraction of spatial information from the digital images was of prime interest in this project. The spatial information varies among the different spectral bands available; in particular, a near infrared spectral band is better than a visible band when extracting spatial information in highly vegetated areas. In this study, both visible and near infrared bands were analyzed and used to extract the desired spatial information from the images. The wide swath coverage of remotely sensed satellite digital images makes them ideal for regional analysis and mapping. Since locating and mapping highly fractured and faulted areas is a major requirement for ground water resource evaluation and exploration this aspect of satellite images was considered critical; it allowed us to stand back (actually up about 440 miles), look at, and map the regional structural setting of the area. The main focus of the remote sensing and digital image processing component of this project was to use both remotely sensed digital satellite images and a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) to extract spatial information related to the structural and topographic patterns in the area. The data types used were digital satellite images collected by the United States' Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and French Systeme Probatoire d'Observation de laTerre (SPOT) imaging systems, along with a DEM of the Flagstaff region. The USGS Mini Image Processing Sy

Spatial correlation of auroral zone geomagnetic variations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jackel, B. J.; Davalos, A.

2016-12-01

Magnetic field perturbations in the auroral zone are produced by a combination of distant ionospheric and local ground induced currents. Spatial and temporal structure of these currents is scientifically interesting and can also have a significant influence on critical infrastructure.Ground-based magnetometer networks are an essential tool for studying these phenomena, with the existing complement of instruments in Canada providing extended local time coverage. In this study we examine the spatial correlation between magnetic field observations over a range of scale lengths. Principal component and canonical correlation analysis are used to quantify relationships between multiple sites. Results could be used to optimize network configurations, validate computational models, and improve methods for empirical interpolation.

Producing fractional rangeland component predictions in a sagebrush ecosystem, a Wyoming sensitivity analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xian, George; Homer, Collin G.; Granneman, Brian; Meyer, Debra K.

2012-01-01

Remote sensing information has been widely used to monitor vegetation condition and variations in a variety of ecosystems, including shrublands. Careful application of remotely sensed imagery can provide additional spatially explicit, continuous, and extensive data on the composition and condition of shrubland ecosystems. Historically, the most widely available remote sensing information has been collected by Landsat, which has offered large spatial coverage and moderate spatial resolution data globally for nearly three decades. Such medium-resolution satellite remote sensing information can quantify the distribution and variation of terrestrial ecosystems. Landsat imagery has been frequently used with other high-resolution remote sensing data to classify sagebrush components and quantify their spatial distributions (Ramsey and others, 2004; Seefeldt and Booth, 2004; Stow and others, 2008; Underwood and others, 2007). Modeling algorithms have been developed to use field measurements and satellite remote sensing data to quantify the extent and evaluate the quality of shrub ecosystem components in large geographic areas (Homer and others, 2009). The percent cover of sagebrush ecosystem components, including bare-ground, herbaceous, litter, sagebrush, and shrub, have been quantified for entire western states (Homer and others, 2012). Furthermore, research has demonstrated the use of current measurements with historical archives of Landsat imagery to quantify the variations of these components for the last two decades (Xian and others, 2012). The modeling method used to quantify the extent and spatial distribution of sagebrush components over a large area also has required considerable amounts of training data to meet targeted accuracy requirements. These training data have maintained product accuracy by ensuring that they are derived from good quality field measurements collected during appropriate ecosystem phenology and subsequently maximized by extrapolation on high-resolution remote sensing data (Homer and others, 2012). This method has proven its utility; however, to develop these products across even larger areas will require additional cost efficiencies to ensure that an adequate product can be developed for the lowest cost possible. Given the vast geographic extent of shrubland ecosystems in the western United States, identifying cost efficiencies with optimal training data development and subsequent application to medium resolution satellite imagery provide the most likely areas for methodological efficiency gains. The primary objective of this research was to conduct a series of sensitivity tests to evaluate the most optimal and practical way to develop Landsat scale information for estimating the extent and distribution of sagebrush ecosystem components over large areas in the conterminous United States. An existing dataset of sagebrush components developed from extensive field measurements, high-resolution satellite imagery, and medium resolution Landsat imagery in Wyoming was used as the reference database (Homer and others, 2012). Statistical analysis was performed to analyze the relation between the accuracy of sagebrush components and the amount and distribution of training data on Landsat scenes needed to obtain accurate predictions.

Satellite remote sensing of hailstorms in France

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melcón, Pablo; Merino, Andrés; Sánchez, José Luis; López, Laura; Hermida, Lucía

2016-12-01

Hailstorms are meteorological phenomena of great interest to the scientific community, owing to their socioeconomic impact, which is mainly on agricultural production. With its global coverage and high spatial and temporal resolution, satellite remote sensing can contribute to monitoring of such events through the development of appropriate techniques. This paper presents an extensive validation in the south of France of a hail detection tool (HDT) developed for the Middle Ebro Valley (MEV). The HDT is based on consecutive application of two filters, a convection mask (CM) and hail mask (HM), using spectral channels of the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) satellite. The south of France is an ideal area for studying hailstorms, because there is a robust database of hail falls recorded by an extensive network of hailpads managed by the Association Nationale d'Etude et de Lutte contre les Fleáux Atmosphériques (ANELFA). The results show noticeably poorer performance of the HDT in France relative to that in the MEV, with probability of detection (POD) 60.4% and false alarm rate (FAR) 26.6%. For this reason, a new tool to suit the characteristics of hailstorms in France has been developed. The France Hail Detection Tool (FHDT) was developed using logistic regression from channels of the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) sensor of the MSG. The FHDT was validated, resulting in POD 69.3% and FAR 15.4%, thus improving hail detection in the study area as compared with the previous tool. The new tool was tested in a case study with satisfactory results, supporting its future practical application.

Inefficiency, heterogeneity and spillover effects in maternal care in India: a spatial stochastic frontier analysis.

PubMed

Kinfu, Yohannes; Sawhney, Monika

2015-03-25

Institutional delivery is one of the key and proven strategies to reduce maternal deaths. Since the 1990s, the government of India has made substantial investment on maternal care to reduce the huge burden of maternal deaths in the country. However, despite the effort access to institutional delivery in India remains below the global average. In addition, even in places where health investments have been comparable, inter- and intra-state difference in access to maternal care services remain wide and substantial. This raises a fundamental question on whether the sub-national units themselves differ in terms of the efficiency with which they use available resources, and if so, why? Data obtained from round 3 of the country's District Level Health and Facility Survey was analyzed to measure the level and determinants of inefficiency of institutional delivery in the country. Analysis was conducted using spatial stochastic frontier models that correct for heterogeneity and spatial interactions between sub-national units. Inefficiency differences in maternal care services between and within states are substantial. The top one third of districts in the country has a mean efficiency score of 90 per cent or more, while the bottom 10 per cent of districts exhibit mean inefficiency score of as high as over 75 per cent or more. Overall mean inefficiency is about 30 per cent. The result also reveals the existence of both heterogeneity and spatial correlation in institutional delivery in the country. Given the high level of inefficiency in the system, further progress in improving coverage of institutional delivery in the country should focus both on improving the efficiency of resource utilization--especially where inefficiency levels are extremely high--and on bringing new resources in to the system. The additional investment should specifically focus on those parts of the country where coverage rates are still low but efficiency levels are already at a high level. In addition, given that inefficiency was also associated inversely with literacy and urbanization and positively related with proportion of households belonging to poor households, investment in these areas can also improve coverage of institutional delivery in the country.

Surveillance of mother-to-child HIV transmission: socioeconomic and health care coverage indicators.

PubMed

Barcellos, Christovam; Acosta, Lisiane Morelia Weide; Lisboa, Eugenio; Bastos, Francisco Inácio

2009-12-01

To identify clustering areas of infants exposed to HIV during pregnancy and their association with indicators of primary care coverage and socioeconomic condition. Ecological study where the unit of analysis was primary care coverage areas in the city of Porto Alegre, Southern Brazil, in 2003. Geographical Information System and spatial analysis tools were used to describe indicators of primary care coverage areas and socioeconomic condition, and estimate the prevalence of liveborn infants exposed to HIV during pregnancy and delivery. Data was obtained from Brazilian national databases. The association between different indicators was assessed using Spearman's nonparametric test. There was found an association between HIV infection and high birth rates (r=0.22, p<0.01) and lack of prenatal care (r=0.15, p<0.05). The highest HIV infection rates were seen in areas with poor socioeconomic conditions and difficult access to health services (r=0.28, p<0.01). The association found between higher rate of prenatal care among HIV-infected women and adequate immunization coverage (r=0.35, p<0.01) indicates that early detection of HIV infection is effective in those areas with better primary care services. Urban poverty is a strong determinant of mother-to-child HIV transmission but this trend can be fought with health surveillance at the primary care level.

Examining the impact of larval source management and insecticide-treated nets using a spatial agent-based model of Anopheles gambiae and a landscape generator tool.

PubMed

Arifin, S M Niaz; Madey, Gregory R; Collins, Frank H

2013-08-21

Agent-based models (ABMs) have been used to estimate the effects of malaria-control interventions. Early studies have shown the efficacy of larval source management (LSM) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) as vector-control interventions, applied both in isolation and in combination. However, the robustness of results can be affected by several important modelling assumptions, including the type of boundary used for landscapes, and the number of replicated simulation runs reported in results. Selection of the ITN coverage definition may also affect the predictive findings. Hence, by replication, independent verification of prior findings of published models bears special importance. A spatially-explicit entomological ABM of Anopheles gambiae is used to simulate the resource-seeking process of mosquitoes in grid-based landscapes. To explore LSM and replicate results of an earlier LSM study, the original landscapes and scenarios are replicated by using a landscape generator tool, and 1,800 replicated simulations are run using absorbing and non-absorbing boundaries. To explore ITNs and evaluate the relative impacts of the different ITN coverage schemes, the settings of an earlier ITN study are replicated, the coverage schemes are defined and simulated, and 9,000 replicated simulations for three ITN parameters (coverage, repellence and mortality) are run. To evaluate LSM and ITNs in combination, landscapes with varying densities of houses and human populations are generated, and 12,000 simulations are run. General agreement with an earlier LSM study is observed when an absorbing boundary is used. However, using a non-absorbing boundary produces significantly different results, which may be attributed to the unrealistic killing effect of an absorbing boundary. Abundance cannot be completely suppressed by removing aquatic habitats within 300 m of houses. Also, with density-dependent oviposition, removal of insufficient number of aquatic habitats may prove counter-productive. The importance of performing large number of simulation runs is also demonstrated. For ITNs, the choice of coverage scheme has important implications, and too high repellence yields detrimental effects. When LSM and ITNs are applied in combination, ITNs' mortality can play more important roles with higher densities of houses. With partial mortality, increasing ITN coverage is more effective than increasing LSM coverage, and integrating both interventions yields more synergy as the densities of houses increase. Using a non-absorbing boundary and reporting average results from sufficiently large number of simulation runs are strongly recommended for malaria ABMs. Several guidelines (code and data sharing, relevant documentation, and standardized models) for future modellers are also recommended.

An improved rainfall disaggregation technique for GCMs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onof, C.; Mackay, N. G.; Oh, L.; Wheater, H. S.

1998-08-01

Meteorological models represent rainfall as a mean value for a grid square so that when the latter is large, a disaggregation scheme is required to represent the spatial variability of rainfall. In general circulation models (GCMs) this is based on an assumption of exponentiality of rainfall intensities and a fixed value of areal rainfall coverage, dependent on rainfall type. This paper examines these two assumptions on the basis of U.K. and U.S. radar data. Firstly, the coverage of an area is strongly dependent on its size, and this dependence exhibits a scaling law over a range of sizes. Secondly, the coverage is, of course, dependent on the resolution at which it is measured, although this dependence is weak at high resolutions. Thirdly, the time series of rainfall coverages has a long-tailed autocorrelation function which is comparable to that of the mean areal rainfalls. It is therefore possible to reproduce much of the temporal dependence of coverages by using a regression of the log of the mean rainfall on the log of the coverage. The exponential assumption is satisfactory in many cases but not able to reproduce some of the long-tailed dependence of some intensity distributions. Gamma and lognormal distributions provide a better fit in these cases, but they have their shortcomings and require a second parameter. An improved disaggregation scheme for GCMs is proposed which incorporates the previous findings to allow the coverage to be obtained for any area and any mean rainfall intensity. The parameters required are given and some of their seasonal behavior is analyzed.

Validation of NH3 satellite observations by ground-based FTIR measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dammers, Enrico; Palm, Mathias; Van Damme, Martin; Shephard, Mark; Cady-Pereira, Karen; Capps, Shannon; Clarisse, Lieven; Coheur, Pierre; Erisman, Jan Willem

2016-04-01

Global emissions of reactive nitrogen have been increasing to an unprecedented level due to human activities and are estimated to be a factor four larger than pre-industrial levels. Concentration levels of NOx are declining, but ammonia (NH3) levels are increasing around the globe. While NH3 at its current concentrations poses significant threats to the environment and human health, relatively little is known about the total budget and global distribution. Surface observations are sparse and mainly available for north-western Europe, the United States and China and are limited by the high costs and poor temporal and spatial resolution. Since the lifetime of atmospheric NH3 is short, on the order of hours to a few days, due to efficient deposition and fast conversion to particulate matter, the existing surface measurements are not sufficient to estimate global concentrations. Advanced space-based IR-sounders such as the Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES), the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI), and the Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) enable global observations of atmospheric NH3 that help overcome some of the limitations of surface observations. However, the satellite NH3 retrievals are complex requiring extensive validation. Presently there have only been a few dedicated satellite NH3 validation campaigns performed with limited spatial, vertical or temporal coverage. Recently a retrieval methodology was developed for ground-based Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) instruments to obtain vertical concentration profiles of NH3. Here we show the applicability of retrieved columns from nine globally distributed stations with a range of NH3 pollution levels to validate satellite NH3 products.

Spatiotemporal characteristics of sleep spindles depend on cortical location.

PubMed

Piantoni, Giovanni; Halgren, Eric; Cash, Sydney S

2017-02-01

Since their discovery almost one century ago, sleep spindles, 0.5-2s long bursts of oscillatory activity at 9-16Hz during NREM sleep, have been thought to be global and relatively uniform throughout the cortex. Recent work, however, has brought this concept into question but it remains unclear to what degree spindles are global or local and if their properties are uniform or location-dependent. We addressed this question by recording sleep in eight patients undergoing evaluation for epilepsy with intracranial electrocorticography, which combines high spatial resolution with extensive cortical coverage. We find that spindle characteristics are not uniform but are strongly influenced by the underlying cortical regions, particularly for spindle density and fundamental frequency. We observe both highly isolated and spatially distributed spindles, but in highly skewed proportions: while most spindles are restricted to one or very few recording channels at any given time, there are spindles that occur over widespread areas, often involving lateral prefrontal cortices and superior temporal gyri. Their co-occurrence is affected by a subtle but significant propagation of spindles from the superior prefrontal regions and the temporal cortices towards the orbitofrontal cortex. This work provides a brain-wide characterization of sleep spindles as mostly local graphoelements with heterogeneous characteristics that depend on the underlying cortical area. We propose that the combination of local characteristics and global organization reflects the dual properties of the thalamo-cortical generators and provides a flexible framework to support the many functions ascribed to sleep in general and spindles specifically. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

High Temporal Resolution Permafrost Monitoring Using a Multiple Stack Insar Technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eppler, J.; Kubanski, M.; Sharma, J.; Busler, J.

2015-04-01

The combined effect of climate change and accelerated economic development in Northern regions increases the threat of permafrost related surface deformation to buildings and transportation infrastructure. Satellite based InSAR provides a means for monitoring infrastructure that may be both remote and spatially extensive. However, permafrost poses challenges for InSAR monitoring due to the complex temporal deformation patterns caused by both seasonal active layer fluctuations and long-term changes in permafrost thickness. These dynamics suggest a need for increasing the temporal resolution of multi-temporal InSAR methods. To address this issue we have developed a method that combines and jointly processes two or more same side geometry InSAR stacks to provide a high-temporal resolution estimate of surface deformation. The method allows for combining stacks from more than a single SAR sensor and for a combination of frequency bands. Data for this work have been collected and analysed for an area near the community of Umiujaq, Quebec in Northern Canada and include scenes from RADARSAT-2, TerraSAR-X and COSMO-SkyMed. Multiple stack based surface deformation estimates are compared for several cases including results from the three sensors individually and for all sensors combined. The test cases show substantially similar surface deformation results which correlate well with surficial geology. The best spatial coverage of coherent targets was achieved when data from all sensors were combined. The proposed multiple stack method is demonstrated to improve the estimation of surface deformation in permafrost affected areas and shows potential for deriving InSAR based permafrost classification maps to aid in the monitoring of Northern infrastructure.

Identifying, characterizing and predicting spatial patterns of lacustrine groundwater discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tecklenburg, Christina; Blume, Theresa

2017-10-01

Lacustrine groundwater discharge (LGD) can significantly affect lake water balances and lake water quality. However, quantifying LGD and its spatial patterns is challenging because of the large spatial extent of the aquifer-lake interface and pronounced spatial variability. This is the first experimental study to specifically study these larger-scale patterns with sufficient spatial resolution to systematically investigate how landscape and local characteristics affect the spatial variability in LGD. We measured vertical temperature profiles around a 0.49 km2 lake in northeastern Germany with a needle thermistor, which has the advantage of allowing for rapid (manual) measurements and thus, when used in a survey, high spatial coverage and resolution. Groundwater inflow rates were then estimated using the heat transport equation. These near-shore temperature profiles were complemented with sediment temperature measurements with a fibre-optic cable along six transects from shoreline to shoreline and radon measurements of lake water samples to qualitatively identify LGD patterns in the offshore part of the lake. As the hydrogeology of the catchment is sufficiently homogeneous (sandy sediments of a glacial outwash plain; no bedrock control) to avoid patterns being dominated by geological discontinuities, we were able to test the common assumptions that spatial patterns of LGD are mainly controlled by sediment characteristics and the groundwater flow field. We also tested the assumption that topographic gradients can be used as a proxy for gradients of the groundwater flow field. Thanks to the extensive data set, these tests could be carried out in a nested design, considering both small- and large-scale variability in LGD. We found that LGD was concentrated in the near-shore area, but alongshore variability was high, with specific regions of higher rates and higher spatial variability. Median inflow rates were 44 L m-2 d-1 with maximum rates in certain locations going up to 169 L m-2 d-1. Offshore LGD was negligible except for two local hotspots on steep steps in the lake bed topography. Large-scale groundwater inflow patterns were correlated with topography and the groundwater flow field, whereas small-scale patterns correlated with grain size distributions of the lake sediment. These findings confirm results and assumptions of theoretical and modelling studies more systematically than was previously possible with coarser sampling designs. However, we also found that a significant fraction of the variance in LGD could not be explained by these controls alone and that additional processes need to be considered. While regression models using these controls as explanatory variables had limited power to predict LGD rates, the results nevertheless encourage the use of topographic indices and sediment heterogeneity as an aid for targeted campaigns in future studies of groundwater discharge to lakes.

An overview of AmeriFlux data products and methods for data acquisition, processing, and publication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pastorello, G.; Poindexter, C.; Agarwal, D.; Papale, D.; van Ingen, C.; Torn, M. S.

2014-12-01

The AmeriFlux network encompasses independently managed field sites measuring ecosystem carbon, water, and energy fluxes across the Americas. In close coordination with ICOS in Europe, a new set of fluxes data and metadata products is being produced and released at the FLUXNET level, including all AmeriFlux sites. This will enable continued releases of global standardized set of flux data products. In this release, new formats, structures, and ancillary information are being proposed and adopted. This presentation discusses these aspects, detailing current and future solutions. One of the major revisions was to the BADM (Biological, Ancillary, and Disturbance Metadata) protocols. The updates include structure and variable changes to address new developments in data collection related to flux towers and facilitate two-way data sharing. In particular, a new organization of templates is now in place, including changes in templates for biomass, disturbances, instrumentation, soils, and others. New variables and an extensive addition to the vocabularies used to describe BADM templates allow for a more flexible and comprehensible coverage of field sites and the data collection methods and results. Another extensive revision is in the data formats, levels, and versions for fluxes and micrometeorological data. A new selection and revision of data variables and an integrated new definition for data processing levels allow for a more intuitive and flexible notation for the variety of data products. For instance, all variables now include positional information that is tied to BADM instrumentation descriptions. This allows for a better characterization of spatial representativeness of data points, e.g., individual sensors or the tower footprint. Additionally, a new definition for data levels better characterizes the types of processing and transformations applied to the data across different dimensions (e.g., spatial representativeness of a data point, data quality checks applied, and differentiation between measured data and data from models that use process knowledge). We also present an expanded approach to versions of data and data processing software, with stable and immutable data releases, but also pre-release versions to allow evaluation and feedback prior to a stable release.

5 CFR 890.1104 - Notification by agency.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... considered an unmarried dependent child, the employing office must notify the child of his or her rights... employing office from notifying the child of his or her rights based on oral or written notification by the... rights under this subpart no later than 30 days after the end of the temporary extension of coverage...

Validating Personal Well-Being Experiences at School: A Quantitative Examination of Secondary School Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Phan, Huy P.; Ngu, Bing H.

2015-01-01

Progress in education has involved, to a large extent, a focus on individuals' well-being experiences at school (ACU and Erebus International, 2008; Fraillon, 2004). This line of inquiry has produced extensive findings, highlighting the diverse coverage and scope of this psychosocial theoretical orientation. We recently developed a theoretical…

Teacher's Guide to ADHD. What Works for Special-Needs Learners Series

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reid, Robert; Johnson, Joseph

2011-01-01

Meeting a key need for teachers, this book provides practical, data-based tools for helping students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) succeed in the classroom. The authors combine instructional expertise with extensive knowledge about the nature and treatment of ADHD. Coverage includes ways to support students and teach them…

The Law and the IEP: Establishing and Maintaining High Expectations for Deaf Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzpatrick, Michael; Theoharis, Raschelle

2014-01-01

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) have significant implications for students with and without disabilities. Despite extensive research, journal articles, editorials, media coverage, and litigation, deaf and hard of hearing students with additional disabilities continue to be…

Historical Analysis of the Inorganic Chemistry Curriculum Using ACS Examinations as Artifacts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Srinivasan, Shalini; Reisner, Barbara A.; Smith, Sheila R.; Stewart, Joanne L.; Johnson, Adam R.; Lin, Shirley; Marek, Keith A.; Nataro, Chip; Murphy, Kristen L.; Raker, Jeffrey R.

2018-01-01

ACS Examinations provide a lens through which to examine historical changes in topic coverage via analyses of course-specific examinations. This study is an extension of work completed previously by the ACS Exams Research Staff and collaborators in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry to explore content changes in the…

COMPOSITIONAL LANDSCAPE METRICS AND LANDCOVER CONNECTIVITY MEASURES FOR THE SUB-WATERSHEDS OF THE UPPER SAN PEDRO RIVER 1997

EPA Science Inventory

Various compositional landscape metrics and landcover connectivity measures for the sub-watersheds of the Upper San Pedro River. Metrics were computed using the ATtILA v.3.03 ArcView extension. Inputs included the sub-watershed coverage obtained from the USDA-ARS-SWRC in Tucson,...

27 CFR 40.135 - Strengthening bond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Strengthening bond. 40.135... PROCESSED TOBACCO Bonds and Extensions of Coverage of Bonds § 40.135 Strengthening bond. Where the amount of... immediately file a strengthening bond in an appropriate amount with the same surety as that on the bond...

27 CFR 40.135 - Strengthening bond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Strengthening bond. 40.135... PROCESSED TOBACCO Bonds and Extensions of Coverage of Bonds § 40.135 Strengthening bond. Where the amount of... immediately file a strengthening bond in an appropriate amount with the same surety as that on the bond...

27 CFR 40.135 - Strengthening bond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Strengthening bond. 40.135... PROCESSED TOBACCO Bonds and Extensions of Coverage of Bonds § 40.135 Strengthening bond. Where the amount of... immediately file a strengthening bond in an appropriate amount with the same surety as that on the bond...

27 CFR 40.135 - Strengthening bond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Strengthening bond. 40.135... PROCESSED TOBACCO Bonds and Extensions of Coverage of Bonds § 40.135 Strengthening bond. Where the amount of... immediately file a strengthening bond in an appropriate amount with the same surety as that on the bond...

27 CFR 40.135 - Strengthening bond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Strengthening bond. 40.135... PROCESSED TOBACCO Bonds and Extensions of Coverage of Bonds § 40.135 Strengthening bond. Where the amount of... immediately file a strengthening bond in an appropriate amount with the same surety as that on the bond...

27 CFR 40.133 - Amount of individual bond.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 27 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms 2 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true Amount of individual bond. 40.133 Section 40.133 Alcohol, Tobacco Products and Firearms ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU..., AND PROCESSED TOBACCO Bonds and Extensions of Coverage of Bonds § 40.133 Amount of individual bond...

Ideas, Institutions, and School Curricula: Explaining Variation between England and France

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haus, Leah

2015-01-01

This study raises the question of why the French secondary school history curricula introduced in the late 2000s prescribed more extensive coverage of plural histories than did secondary school history curricula for English schools introduced in the same time period. Both countries share similar societal diversity. To explain the variation in…

The Language of the Right: Sex Education Debates in South Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibson, Sally

2007-01-01

In 2003 a campaign took place against a new model of sex education in South Australia. This campaign, organized primarily by Christian Right groups, included community forums, a letter-writing campaign, extensive media coverage and a parliamentary debate. This paper analyses the language, arguments and strategies used by those who opposed the…

Spanish-Language Film Catalog 1969-1970 (Catalogo de Peliculas en Espanol 1969-1970).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agency for International Development (Dept. of State), Washington, DC.

This annotated catalogue of 16 mm educational films in Spanish covers a broad spectrum of topics. The extensive coverage accorded business management, child development, dental hygiene, education, family planning, health, industrial safety, labor, metalwork, sanitation, self-help, and teaching suggests the general type of film listed. Films are…

The Cradle-to-Career Solution

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McLester, Susan

2011-01-01

Extensive media coverage of New York City's Harlem Children's Zone's cradle-to-career program over the past several years has served to focus mainstream attention on school reform in a way unprecedented in recent history. Cradle-to-career programs seek to provide children living in poverty with a high-quality birth-to-employment education through…

Building a Bridge from Neuroscience to the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Willis, Judy

2008-01-01

Neuroscience and cognitive science relating to education are hot topics. They receive extensive but simplified coverage in the mass media, and there is a booming business in "brain-booster" books and products, which claim to be based on the research. Eric Jensen advocates more collaboration among scientists from the full variety of disciplines…

Functional Reconstruction with Latissimus Dorsi Flap following Resection of an Extensive Basal Cell Carcinoma in the Shoulder Region: A Case Report

PubMed Central

Paprottka, Felix J.; Klimas, Dalius; Hebebrand, Detlev

2018-01-01

Large and ulcerating skin tumors have become a rarity in the modern Western world. However, these conditions can cause serious life-threatening complications. The case of a 60-year-old male Caucasian patient is reported, who had suffered from an extensive basal cell carcinoma in the right shoulder region for several years. The patient kept the lesion secret from his friends and family and delayed presentation to health care services. After an episode of tumor-related heavy bleeding, the patient was referred to our clinic and received a radical surgical tumor resection—followed by defect coverage with a latissimus dorsi myocutaneous flap. An alternative treatment option that could be offered to the patient would have been a mutilating surgical procedure with an arm amputation. By using this plastic reconstructive surgical technique, the main function of the shoulder joint was conserved. The presented case demonstrates options for defect coverage of problematic wounds in anatomically complex body regions—like the shoulder—by using a functional reconstruction using myocutaneous flaps. PMID:29896564

[Razemon's lateral digital rotation flap in severe Dupuytren contracture of the fifth finger].

PubMed

Ould-Slimane, M; Guinet, V; Foulongne, E; Melconian, A; Beccari, R; Milliez, P-Y; Auquit-Auckbur, I

2013-10-01

In Dupuytren's disease, correction of severe contracture deformities and excision of dermal lesions are often responsible for palmar skin defects. This study aimed to assess the results of the lateral digital flap described by Razemon. Thirty-seven patients were analysed retrospectively for functional and trophic results. Twelve months of follow-up were at least required. The lack of extension was appreciated through Thomine's coefficient. Subjective patient's opinion was noted about function of fifth finger and hand. The flap trophicity was evaluated through softness, coverage quality and esthetic aspect. In the preoperative period, the average lack of extension was 105°; 89% of the patients were ranked as stages 3 or 4 of Tubiana's classification. At the 12th month, the average Thomine's coefficient was 0.74; 70% of the patients were very satisfied. Two patients exhibited some lack of suppleness and seven a dyschromic scars. The lateral digital rotation flap is a quite simple surgical procedure. It allows satisfactory results corresponding to functional and trophic coverage in severe Dupuytren's contracture involving the fifth finger. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Use of Climatological Data in Weather Insurance.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Changnon, Stanley A.; Changnon, Joyce M.

1990-05-01

There are three major types of crop-related weather insurance: hail, all perlis, and rain insurance. The development of rates is an exercise in applied climatology, and the importance of the historical data selected for assessing risk (and developing rates) is revealed by the problems encountered by firms insuring against deficient summer rainfall during the drought of 1988. Extensive purchase of premiums costing $9 million for coverage ($400 million) in the Midwest occurred with buyers (farmers) apparently aware during May and June 1988 that an unusually dry event was in progress. The levels of loss (50% or less of average June-August rainfall) offered by insurance firms were exceeded throughout the Midwest. The firms attempted to refund the record number of premiums accepted in June, and in turn, 8000 farmers filed a class-action suit against the firms for failure to accept premiums and to provide coverage. The insurance firms ultimately settled by agreeing to pay $48 million in claims. The coverage offered was based on the most recent 25 years of data, and this unusually wet period did not represent the longer-term likelihood of areally extensive dry summers. Uses of climatic data by the insurance industry include planning for the occurrence of such extreme event considerations, plus point vs area probabilities of these anomalous events; choosing the periods to select for routinely establishing new rates (rerating is typically done an 2- to 10-year cycles); and for determining the averages most appropriate to use for rate levels and sales considerations.

geophylobuilder 1.0: an arcgis extension for creating 'geophylogenies'.

PubMed

Kidd, David M; Liu, Xianhua

2008-01-01

Evolution is inherently a spatiotemporal process; however, despite this, phylogenetic and geographical data and models remain largely isolated from one another. Geographical information systems provide a ready-made spatial modelling, analysis and dissemination environment within which phylogenetic models can be explicitly linked with their associated spatial data and subsequently integrated with other georeferenced data sets describing the biotic and abiotic environment. geophylobuilder 1.0 is an extension for the arcgis geographical information system that builds a 'geophylogenetic' data model from a phylogenetic tree and associated geographical data. Geophylogenetic database objects can subsequently be queried, spatially analysed and visualized in both 2D and 3D within a geographical information systems. © 2007 The Authors.

Spaceborne SAR Data for Aboveground-Biomass Retrieval of Indian Tropical Forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khati, U.; Singh, G.; Musthafa, M.

2017-12-01

Forests are important and indispensable part of the terrestrial ecosystems, and have a direct impact on the global carbon cycle. Forest biophysical parameters such as forest stand height and forest above-ground biomass (AGB) are forest health indicators. Measuring the forest biomass using traditional ground survey techniques are man-power consuming and have very low spatial coverage. Satellite based remote sensing techniques provide synoptic view of the earth with continuous measurements over large, inaccessible forest regions. Satellite Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data has been shown to be sensitive to these forest bio-physical parameters and have been extensively utilized over boreal and tropical forests. However, there are limited studies over Indian tropical forests due to lack of auxiliary airborne data and difficulties in manual in situ data collection. In this research work we utilize spaceborne data from TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X and ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 and implement both Polarimetric SAR and PolInSAR techniques for retrieval of AGB of a managed tropical forest in India. The TerraSAR-X/TanDEM-X provide a single-baseline PolInSAR data robust to temporal decorrelation. This would be used to accurately estimate the forest stand height. The retrieved height would be an input parameter for modelling AGB using the L-band ALOS-2/PALSAR-2 data. The IWCM model is extensively utilized to estimate AGB from SAR observations. In this research we utilize the six component scattering power decomposition (6SD) parameters and modify the IWCM based technique for a better retrieval of forest AGB. PolInSAR data shows a high estimation accuracy with r2 of 0.8 and a RMSE of 2 m. With this accurate height provided as input to the modified model along with 6SD parameters shows promising results. The results are validated with extensive field based measurements, and are further analysed in detail.

Spatial and Temporal Monitoring Resolutions for CO2 Leakage Detection at Carbon Storage Sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Y. M.; Dilmore, R. M.; Daley, T. M.; Carroll, S.; Mansoor, K.; Gasperikova, E.; Harbert, W.; Wang, Z.; Bromhal, G. S.; Small, M.

2016-12-01

Different leakage monitoring techniques offer different strengths in detection sensitivity, coverage, feedback time, cost, and technology availability, such that they may complement each other when applied together. This research focuses on quantifying the spatial coverage and temporal resolution of detection response for several geophysical remote monitoring and direct groundwater monitoring techniques for an optimal monitoring plan for CO2 leakage detection. Various monitoring techniques with different monitoring depths are selected: 3D time-lapse seismic survey, wellbore pressure, groundwater chemistry and soil gas. The spatial resolution in terms of leakage detectability is quantified through the effective detection distance between two adjacent monitors, given the magnitude of leakage and specified detection probability. The effective detection distances are obtained either from leakage simulations with various monitoring densities or from information garnered from field test data. These spatial leakage detection resolutions are affected by physically feasible monitoring design and detection limits. Similarly, the temporal resolution, in terms of leakage detectability, is quantified through the effective time to positive detection of a given size of leak and a specified detection probability, again obtained either from representative leakage simulations with various monitoring densities or from field test data. The effective time to positive detection is also affected by operational feedback time (associated with sampling, sample analysis and data interpretation), with values obtained mainly through expert interviews and literature review. In additional to the spatial and temporal resolutions of these monitoring techniques, the impact of CO2 plume migration speed and leakage detection sensitivity of each monitoring technique are also discussed with consideration of how much monitoring is necessary for effective leakage detection and how these monitoring techniques can be better combined in a time-space framework. The results of the spatial and temporal leakage detection resolutions for several geophysical monitoring techniques and groundwater monitoring are summarized to inform future monitoring designs at carbon storage sites.

High efficiency multishot interleaved spiral-in/out: acquisition for high-resolution BOLD fMRI.

PubMed

Jung, Youngkyoo; Samsonov, Alexey A; Liu, Thomas T; Buracas, Giedrius T

2013-08-01

Growing demand for high spatial resolution blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging faces a challenge of the spatial resolution versus coverage or temporal resolution tradeoff, which can be addressed by methods that afford increased acquisition efficiency. Spiral acquisition trajectories have been shown to be superior to currently prevalent echo-planar imaging in terms of acquisition efficiency, and high spatial resolution can be achieved by employing multiple-shot spiral acquisition. The interleaved spiral in/out trajectory is preferred over spiral-in due to increased BOLD signal contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and higher acquisition efficiency than that of spiral-out or noninterleaved spiral in/out trajectories (Law & Glover. Magn Reson Med 2009; 62:829-834.), but to date applicability of the multishot interleaved spiral in/out for high spatial resolution imaging has not been studied. Herein we propose multishot interleaved spiral in/out acquisition and investigate its applicability for high spatial resolution BOLD functional magnetic resonance imaging. Images reconstructed from interleaved spiral-in and -out trajectories possess artifacts caused by differences in T2 decay, off-resonance, and k-space errors associated with the two trajectories. We analyze the associated errors and demonstrate that application of conjugate phase reconstruction and spectral filtering can substantially mitigate these image artifacts. After applying these processing steps, the multishot interleaved spiral in/out pulse sequence yields high BOLD CNR images at in-plane resolution below 1 × 1 mm while preserving acceptable temporal resolution (4 s) and brain coverage (15 slices of 2 mm thickness). Moreover, this method yields sufficient BOLD CNR at 1.5 mm isotropic resolution for detection of activation in hippocampus associated with cognitive tasks (Stern memory task). The multishot interleaved spiral in/out acquisition is a promising technique for high spatial resolution BOLD functional magnetic resonance imaging applications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

High resolution age-structured mapping of childhood vaccination coverage in low and middle income countries.

PubMed

Utazi, C Edson; Thorley, Julia; Alegana, Victor A; Ferrari, Matthew J; Takahashi, Saki; Metcalf, C Jessica E; Lessler, Justin; Tatem, Andrew J

2018-03-14

The expansion of childhood vaccination programs in low and middle income countries has been a substantial public health success story. Indicators of the performance of intervention programmes such as coverage levels and numbers covered are typically measured through national statistics or at the scale of large regions due to survey design, administrative convenience or operational limitations. These mask heterogeneities and 'coldspots' of low coverage that may allow diseases to persist, even if overall coverage is high. Hence, to decrease inequities and accelerate progress towards disease elimination goals, fine-scale variation in coverage should be better characterized. Using measles as an example, cluster-level Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) data were used to map vaccination coverage at 1 km spatial resolution in Cambodia, Mozambique and Nigeria for varying age-group categories of children under five years, using Bayesian geostatistical techniques built on a suite of publicly available geospatial covariates and implemented via Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. Measles vaccination coverage was found to be strongly predicted by just 4-5 covariates in geostatistical models, with remoteness consistently selected as a key variable. The output 1 × 1 km maps revealed significant heterogeneities within the three countries that were not captured using province-level summaries. Integration with population data showed that at the time of the surveys, few districts attained the 80% coverage, that is one component of the WHO Global Vaccine Action Plan 2020 targets. The elimination of vaccine-preventable diseases requires a strong evidence base to guide strategies and inform efficient use of limited resources. The approaches outlined here provide a route to moving beyond large area summaries of vaccination coverage that mask epidemiologically-important heterogeneities to detailed maps that capture subnational vulnerabilities. The output datasets are built on open data and methods, and in flexible format that can be aggregated to more operationally-relevant administrative unit levels. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Socioeconomic and environmental determinants of dengue transmission in an urban setting: An ecological study in Nouméa, New Caledonia.

PubMed

Zellweger, Raphaël M; Cano, Jorge; Mangeas, Morgan; Taglioni, François; Mercier, Alizé; Despinoy, Marc; Menkès, Christophe E; Dupont-Rouzeyrol, Myrielle; Nikolay, Birgit; Teurlai, Magali

2017-04-01

Dengue is a mosquito-borne virus that causes extensive morbidity and economic loss in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Often present in cities, dengue virus is rapidly spreading due to urbanization, climate change and increased human movements. Dengue cases are often heterogeneously distributed throughout cities, suggesting that small-scale determinants influence dengue urban transmission. A better understanding of these determinants is crucial to efficiently target prevention measures such as vector control and education. The aim of this study was to determine which socioeconomic and environmental determinants were associated with dengue incidence in an urban setting in the Pacific. An ecological study was performed using data summarized by neighborhood (i.e. the neighborhood is the unit of analysis) from two dengue epidemics (2008-2009 and 2012-2013) in the city of Nouméa, the capital of New Caledonia. Spatial patterns and hotspots of dengue transmission were assessed using global and local Moran's I statistics. Multivariable negative binomial regression models were used to investigate the association between dengue incidence and various socioeconomic and environmental factors throughout the city. The 2008-2009 epidemic was spatially structured, with clusters of high and low incidence neighborhoods. In 2012-2013, dengue incidence rates were more homogeneous throughout the city. In all models tested, higher dengue incidence rates were consistently associated with lower socioeconomic status (higher unemployment, lower revenue or higher percentage of population born in the Pacific, which are interrelated). A higher percentage of apartments was associated with lower dengue incidence rates during both epidemics in all models but one. A link between vegetation coverage and dengue incidence rates was also detected, but the link varied depending on the model used. This study demonstrates a robust spatial association between dengue incidence rates and socioeconomic status across the different neighborhoods of the city of Nouméa. Our findings provide useful information to guide policy and help target dengue prevention efforts where they are needed most.

Spatial heterogeneity of greening and browning between and within bioclimatic zones in northern West Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miles, Victoria V.; Esau, Igor

2016-11-01

Studies of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) have found broad changes in vegetation productivity in high northern latitudes in the past decades, including increases in NDVI (‘greening’) in tundra regions and decreases (‘browning’) in forest regions. The causes of these changes are not well understood but have been attributed to a variety of factors. We use Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) satellite data for 2000-2014 and focus on northern West Siberia—a hot spot of extensive landcover change due to rapid resource development, geomorphic change, climate change and reindeer grazing. The region is relatively little-studied in terms of vegetation productivity patterns and trends. This study examines changes between and within bioclimatic sub-zones and reveals differences between forest and treeless areas and differences in productivity even down to the tree species level. Our results show that only 18% of the total northern West Siberia area had statistically significant changes in productivity, with 8.4% increasing (greening) and 9.6% decreasing (browning). We find spatial heterogeneity in the trends, and contrasting trends both between and within bioclimatic zones. A key finding is the identification of contrasting trends for different species within the same bioclimatic zone. Browning is most prominent in areas of denser tree coverage, and particularly in evergreen coniferous forest with dark (Picea abie, Picea obovata) or light (Pinus sylvestris) evergreen and evergreen-majority mixed forests. In contrast, low density deciduous needle-leaf forest dominated by larch (Larix sibirica), shows a significant increase in productivity, even while neighboring different species show productivity decrease. These results underscore the complexity of the patterns of variability and trends in vegetation productivity, and suggest the need for spatially and thematically detailed studies to better understand the response of different northern forest types and species to climate and environmental change.

Portable gamma spectrometry: measuring soil erosion in-situ at four Critical Zone Observatories in P. R. China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanderson, N. K.; Green, S. M.; Chen, Z.; Wang, J.; Wang, Y.; Wang, R.; Yu, K.; Tu, C.; Jia, X.; Li, G.; Peng, X.; Quine, T. A.

2017-12-01

Detecting patterns of soil erosion, redistribution, and/soil nutrient loss is important for long-term soil conservation and agricultural sustainability. Caesium-137 (137Cs) and other fallout radionuclide inventories have been used over the the last 50 years to track soil erosion, transport and deposition on a catchment scale, and have been shown to be useful for informing models of temporal/spatial soil redistribution. Traditional sampling methods usually involves coring, grinding, sieving, sub-sampling and laboratory analysis using HPGe detectors, all of which can be costly and time consuming. In-situ measurements can provide a mechanism for assessment of 137Cs over larger areas that integrate the spatial variability, and expand turnover of analyses. Here, we assess the applicability of an in-situ approach based on radionuclide principles, and provide a comparison of the two approaches: laboratory vs. in-situ. The UK-China Critical Zone Observatory (CZO) programme provides an ideal research platform to assess the in-situ approach to measuring soil erosion: using a portable gamma spectrometer to determine 137Cs inventories. Four extensive field slope surveys were conducted in the CZO's, which covers four ecosystem types in China: karst, red soil, peri-urban, and loess plateau. In each CZO, 3-6 plots were measured along 2 slope transects, with 3 replicated 1 hour counts of 137Cs in each plot. In addition, 137Cs soil depth and bulk density profiles were also sampled for each plot, and lab-derived inventories calculated using traditional methods for comparison. Accurately and rapidly measuring 137Cs inventories using a portable field detector allows for a greater coverage of sampling locations and the potential for small-scale spatial integration, as well as the ability to re-visit sites over time and continually adapt and improve soil erosion/redistribution models, thus more effectively targeting areas of interest with reduced cost and time constraints.

Enhancing Spatial Resolution of Remotely Sensed Imagery Using Deep Learning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beck, J. M.; Bridges, S.; Collins, C.; Rushing, J.; Graves, S. J.

2017-12-01

Researchers at the Information Technology and Systems Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville are using Deep Learning with Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) to develop a method for enhancing the spatial resolutions of moderate resolution (10-60m) multispectral satellite imagery. This enhancement will effectively match the resolutions of imagery from multiple sensors to provide increased global temporal-spatial coverage for a variety of Earth science products. Our research is centered on using Deep Learning for automatically generating transformations for increasing the spatial resolution of remotely sensed images with different spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions. One of the most important steps in using images from multiple sensors is to transform the different image layers into the same spatial resolution, preferably the highest spatial resolution, without compromising the spectral information. Recent advances in Deep Learning have shown that CNNs can be used to effectively and efficiently upscale or enhance the spatial resolution of multispectral images with the use of an auxiliary data source such as a high spatial resolution panchromatic image. In contrast, we are using both the spatial and spectral details inherent in low spatial resolution multispectral images for image enhancement without the use of a panchromatic image. This presentation will discuss how this technology will benefit many Earth Science applications that use remotely sensed images with moderate spatial resolutions.

[The health system of Peru].

PubMed

Alcalde-Rabanal, Jacqueline Elizabeth; Lazo-González, Oswaldo; Nigenda, Gustavo

2011-01-01

This paper describes the health conditions in Peru and, with greater detail, the Peruvian health system, including its structure and coverage, its financial sources, its physical, material and human resources, and its stewardship functions. It also discusses the activities developed in the information and research areas, as well as the participation of citizens in the operation and evaluation of the health system. The article concludes with a discussion of the most recent innovations, including the Comprehensive Health Insurance, the Health Care Enterprises system, the decentralization process and the Local Committees for Health Administration. The main challenge confronted by the Peruvian health system is the extension of coverage to more than I0% of the population presently lacking access to basic health care.

QBCov: A Linked Data interface for Discrete Global Grid Systems, a new approach to delivering coverage data on the web

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Z.; Toyer, S.; Brizhinev, D.; Ledger, M.; Taylor, K.; Purss, M. B. J.

2016-12-01

We are witnessing a rapid proliferation of geoscientific and geospatial data from an increasing variety of sensors and sensor networks. This data presents great opportunities to resolve cross-disciplinary problems. However, working with it often requires an understanding of file formats and protocols seldom used outside of scientific computing, potentially limiting the data's value to other disciplines. In this paper, we present a new approach to serving satellite coverage data on the web, which improves ease-of-access using the principles of linked data. Linked data adapts the concepts and protocols of the human-readable web to machine-readable data; the number of developers familiar with web technologies makes linked data a natural choice for bringing coverages to a wider audience. Our approach to using linked data also makes it possible to efficiently service high-level SPARQL queries: for example, "Retrieve all Landsat ETM+ observations of San Francisco between July and August 2016" can easily be encoded in a single query. We validate the new approach, which we call QBCov, with a reference implementation of the entire stack, including a simple web-based client for interacting with Landsat observations. In addition to demonstrating the utility of linked data for publishing coverages, we investigate the heretofore unexplored relationship between Discrete Global Grid Systems (DGGS) and linked data. Our conclusions are informed by the aforementioned reference implementation of QBCov, which is backed by a hierarchical file format designed around the rHEALPix DGGS. Not only does the choice of a DGGS-based representation provide an efficient mechanism for accessing large coverages at multiple scales, but the ability of DGGS to produce persistent, unique identifiers for spatial regions is especially valuable in a linked data context. This suggests that DGGS has an important role to play in creating sustainable and scalable linked data infrastructures. QBCov is being developed as a contribution to the Spatial Data on the Web working group--a joint activity of the Open Geospatial Consortium and World Wide Web Consortium.

Wide coverage by volume CT: benefits for cardiac imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sablayrolles, Jean-Louis; Cesmeli, Erdogan; Mintandjian, Laura; Adda, Olivier; Dessalles-Martin, Diane

2005-04-01

With the development of new technologies, computed tomography (CT) is becoming a strong candidate for non-invasive imaging based tool for cardiac disease assessment. One of the challenges of cardiac CT is that a typical scan involves a breath hold period consisting of several heartbeats, about 20 sec with scanners having a longitudinal coverage of 2 cm, and causing the image quality (IQ) to be negatively impacted since beat to beat variation is high likely to occur without any medication, e.g. beta blockers. Because of this and the preference for shorter breath hold durations, a CT scanner with a wide coverage without the compromise in the spatial and temporal resolution of great clinical value. In this study, we aimed at determining the optimum scan duration and the delay relative to beginning of breath hold, to achieve high IQ. We acquired EKG data from 91 consecutive patients (77 M, 14 F; Age: 57 +/- 14) undergoing cardiac CT exams with contrast, performed on LightSpeed 16 and LightSpeed Pro16. As an IQ metric, we adopted the standard deviation of "beat-to-beat variation" (stdBBV) within a virtual scan period. Two radiologists evaluated images by assigning a score of 1 (worst) to 4 best). We validated stdBBV with the radiologist scores, which resulted in a population distribution of 9.5, 9.5, 31, and 50% for the score groups 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Based on the scores, we defined a threshold for stdBBV and identified an optimum combination of virtual scan period and a delay. With the assumption that the relationship between the stdBBV and diagnosable scan IQ holds, our analysis suggested that the success rate can be improved to 100% with scan durations equal or less than 5 sec with a delay of 1 - 2 sec. We confirmed the suggested conclusion with LightSpeed VCT (GE Healthcare Technologies, Waukesha, WI), which has a wide longitudinal coverage, fine isotropic spatial resolution, and high temporal resolution, e.g. 40 mm coverage per rotation of 0.35 sec. Under the light of this study, LightSpeed VCT lends itself to be a clinically tested unique platform to achieve routine cardiac imaging.

Expanding the network of crossdated tree-ring chronologies for Sequoia sempervirens

Treesearch

Allyson L. Carroll; Stephen C. Sillett; Ethan J. Coonen; Benjamin G. Iberle

2017-01-01

Crossdated tree-ring chronologies for the Arcata Community Forest (ACF) and Muir Woods National Monument (Muir Woods) expand the spatial coverage of dated coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens (D. Don) Endl.) series. Crossdating relies on the common pattern of ring-width variation among tree populations, and dated chronologies have many applications...

40 CFR Appendix W to Part 51 - Guideline on Air Quality Models

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... sufficient spatial and temporal coverage are available. c. It would be advantageous to categorize the various... control strategies. These are referred to as refined models. c. The use of screening techniques followed... location of the source in question and its expected impacts. c. In all regulatory analyses, especially if...

TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Nadir V6 (TL2TNS)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-01-22

TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Nadir (TL2TNS) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Atmospheric Temperatures Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir ... Contact ASDC User Services Parameters:  Atmospheric Temperature Temperature Precision Vertical Resolution ...

Are Two Systemic Fish Assemblage Sampling Programmes on the Upper Mississippi River Telling Us the Same Thing?

EPA Science Inventory

We applied an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) used on the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) to compare data from three sampling programs. Ability to use multiple sampling programs could greatly extend spatial and temporal coverage of river assessment and monitoring efforts. We an...

A large scale GIS geodatabase of soil parameters supporting the modeling of conservation practice alternatives in the United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Water quality modeling requires across-scale support of combined digital soil elements and simulation parameters. This paper presents the unprecedented development of a large spatial scale (1:250,000) ArcGIS geodatabase coverage designed as a functional repository of soil-parameters for modeling an...

Drawing a representative sample from the NCSS soil database: Building blocks for the national wind erosion network

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Developing national wind erosion models for the continental United States requires a comprehensive spatial representation of continuous soil particle size distributions (PSD) for model input. While the current coverage of soil survey is nearly complete, the most detailed particle size classes have c...

Making management recommendations from annual bird point count data

Treesearch

Gary M. Peters

2005-01-01

In the past decade, more than one hundred thousand breeding bird occurrences have been recorded on Southern National Forests in the United Sates. The majority of these occurrences have been geo-referenced using global positioning satellite (GPS) technology. This spatial information is available for use as a coverage in several geographic information system (GIS)...

A Global Map of Thermal Inertia from Mars Global Surveyor Mapping-Mission Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mellon, M. T.; Kretke, K. A.; Smith, M. D.; Pelkey, S. M.

2002-01-01

TES (thermal emission spectrometry) has obtained high spatial resolution surface temperature observations from which thermal inertia has been derived. Seasonal coverage of these data now provides a nearly global view of Mars, including the polar regions, at high resolution. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

Redlining or Risk? A Spatial Analysis of Auto Insurance Rates in Los Angeles

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ong, Paul M.; Stoll, Michael A.

2007-01-01

Auto insurance rates can vary dramatically, with much higher premiums in poor and minority areas than elsewhere, even after accounting for individual characteristics, driving history, and coverage. This paper uses a unique data set to examine the relative influence of place-based socioeconomic characteristics (or redlining) and place-based risk…

The cloud imaging and particle size experiment on the aeronomy of ice in the mesosphere mission: Cloud morphology for the northern 2007 season

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rusch, D. W.; Thomas, G. E.; McClintock, W.; Merkel, A. W.; Bailey, S. M.; Russell, J. M., III; Randall, C. E.; Jeppesen, C.; Callan, M.

2009-03-01

The Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere (AIM) mission was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 4:26:03 EDT on April 25, 2007, becoming the first satellite mission dedicated to the study of noctilucent clouds (NLCs), also known as polar mesospheric clouds (PMC) when viewed from space. We present the first results from one of the three instruments on board the satellite, the Cloud Imaging and Particle Size (CIPS) instrument. CIPS has produced detailed morphology of the Northern 2007 PMC and Southern 2007/2008 seasons with 5 km horizontal spatial resolution. CIPS, with its very large angular field of view, images cloud structures at multiple scattering angles within a narrow spectral bandpass centered at 265 nm. Spatial coverage is 100% above about 70° latitude, where camera views overlap from orbit to orbit, and terminates at about 82°. Spatial coverage decreases to about 50% at the lowest latitudes where data are collected (35°). Cloud structures have for the first time been mapped out over nearly the entire summertime polar region. These structures include [`]ice rings', spatially small but bright clouds, and large regions ([`]ice-free regions') in the heart of the cloud season essentially devoid of ice particles. The ice rings bear a close resemblance to tropospheric convective outflow events, suggesting a point source of mesospheric convection. These rings (often circular arcs) are most likely Type IV NLC ([`]whirls' in the standard World Meteorological Organization (WMO) nomenclature).

Temporal Dynamics and Spatial Patterns of Aedes aegypti Breeding Sites, in the Context of a Dengue Control Program in Tartagal (Salta Province, Argentina).

PubMed

Espinosa, Manuel; Weinberg, Diego; Rotela, Camilo H; Polop, Francisco; Abril, Marcelo; Scavuzzo, Carlos Marcelo

2016-05-01

Since 2009, Fundación Mundo Sano has implemented an Aedes aegypti Surveillance and Control Program in Tartagal city (Salta Province, Argentina). The purpose of this study was to analyze temporal dynamics of Ae. aegypti breeding sites spatial distribution, during five years of samplings, and the effect of control actions over vector population dynamics. Seasonal entomological (larval) samplings were conducted in 17,815 fixed sites in Tartagal urban area between 2009 and 2014. Based on information of breeding sites abundance, from satellite remote sensing data (RS), and by the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), spatial analysis (hotspots and cluster analysis) and predictive model (MaxEnt) were performed. Spatial analysis showed a distribution pattern with the highest breeding densities registered in city outskirts. The model indicated that 75% of Ae. aegypti distribution is explained by 3 variables: bare soil coverage percentage (44.9%), urbanization coverage percentage(13.5%) and water distribution (11.6%). This results have called attention to the way entomological field data and information from geospatial origin (RS/GIS) are used to infer scenarios which could then be applied in epidemiological surveillance programs and in the determination of dengue control strategies. Predictive maps development constructed with Ae. aegypti systematic spatiotemporal data, in Tartagal city, would allow public health workers to identify and target high-risk areas with appropriate and timely control measures. These tools could help decision-makers to improve health system responses and preventive measures related to vector control.

Accuracy comparison in mapping water bodies using Landsat images and Google Earth Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Z.; Zhou, X.

2016-12-01

A lot of research has been done for the extraction of water bodies with multiple satellite images. The Water Indexes with the use of multi-spectral images are the mostly used methods for the water bodies' extraction. In order to extract area of water bodies from satellite images, accuracy may depend on the spatial resolution of images and relative size of the water bodies. To quantify the impact of spatial resolution and size (major and minor lengths) of the water bodies on the accuracy of water area extraction, we use Georgetown Lake, Montana and coalbed methane (CBM) water retention ponds in the Montana Powder River Basin as test sites to evaluate the impact of spatial resolution and the size of water bodies on water area extraction. Data sources used include Landsat images and Google Earth images covering both large water bodies and small ponds. Firstly we used water indices to extract water coverage from Landsat images for both large lake and small ponds. Secondly we used a newly developed visible-index method to extract water coverage from Google Earth images covering both large lake and small ponds. Thirdly, we used the image fusion method in which the Google Earth Images are fused with multi-spectral Landsat images to obtain multi-spectral images of the same high spatial resolution as the Google earth images. The actual area of the lake and ponds are measured using GPS surveys. Results will be compared and the optimal method will be selected for water body extraction.

Temporal Dynamics and Spatial Patterns of Aedes aegypti Breeding Sites, in the Context of a Dengue Control Program in Tartagal (Salta Province, Argentina)

PubMed Central

Espinosa, Manuel; Weinberg, Diego; Rotela, Camilo H.; Polop, Francisco; Abril, Marcelo; Scavuzzo, Carlos Marcelo

2016-01-01

Background Since 2009, Fundación Mundo Sano has implemented an Aedes aegypti Surveillance and Control Program in Tartagal city (Salta Province, Argentina). The purpose of this study was to analyze temporal dynamics of Ae. aegypti breeding sites spatial distribution, during five years of samplings, and the effect of control actions over vector population dynamics. Methodology/Principal Findings Seasonal entomological (larval) samplings were conducted in 17,815 fixed sites in Tartagal urban area between 2009 and 2014. Based on information of breeding sites abundance, from satellite remote sensing data (RS), and by the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), spatial analysis (hotspots and cluster analysis) and predictive model (MaxEnt) were performed. Spatial analysis showed a distribution pattern with the highest breeding densities registered in city outskirts. The model indicated that 75% of Ae. aegypti distribution is explained by 3 variables: bare soil coverage percentage (44.9%), urbanization coverage percentage(13.5%) and water distribution (11.6%). Conclusions/Significance This results have called attention to the way entomological field data and information from geospatial origin (RS/GIS) are used to infer scenarios which could then be applied in epidemiological surveillance programs and in the determination of dengue control strategies. Predictive maps development constructed with Ae. aegypti systematic spatiotemporal data, in Tartagal city, would allow public health workers to identify and target high-risk areas with appropriate and timely control measures. These tools could help decision-makers to improve health system responses and preventive measures related to vector control. PMID:27223693

Improve observation-based ground-level ozone spatial distribution by compositing satellite and surface observations: A simulation experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yuzhong; Wang, Yuhang; Crawford, James; Cheng, Ye; Li, Jianfeng

2018-05-01

Obtaining the full spatial coverage of daily surface ozone fields is challenging because of the sparsity of the surface monitoring network and the difficulty in direct satellite retrievals of surface ozone. We propose an indirect satellite retrieval framework to utilize the information from satellite-measured column densities of tropospheric NO2 and CH2O, which are sensitive to the lower troposphere, to derive surface ozone fields. The method is applicable to upcoming geostationary satellites with high-quality NO2 and CH2O measurements. To prove the concept, we conduct a simulation experiment using a 3-D chemical transport model for July 2011 over the eastern US. The results show that a second order regression using both NO2 and CH2O column densities can be an effective predictor for daily maximum 8-h average ozone. Furthermore, this indirect retrieval approach is shown to be complementary to spatial interpolation of surface observations, especially in regions where the surface sites are sparse. Combining column observations of NO2 and CH2O with surface site measurements leads to an improved representation of surface ozone over simple kriging, increasing the R2 value from 0.53 to 0.64 at a surface site distance of 252 km. The improvements are even more significant with larger surface site distances. The simulation experiment suggests that the indirect satellite retrieval technique can potentially be a useful tool to derive the full spatial coverage of daily surface ozone fields if satellite observation uncertainty is moderate.

[Spatial distribution of aboveground biomass of shrubs in Tianlaochi catchment of the Qilian Mountains].

PubMed

Liang, Bei; Di, Li; Zhao, Chuan-Yan; Peng, Shou-Zhang; Peng, Huan-Hua; Wang, Chao

2014-02-01

This study estimated the spatial distribution of the aboveground biomass of shrubs in the Tianlaochi catchment of Qilian Mountains based on the field survey and remote sensing data. A relationship model of the aboveground biomass and its feasibly measured factors (i. e. , canopy perimeter and plant height) was built. The land use was classified by object-oriented technique with the high resolution image (GeoEye-1) of the study area, and the distribution of shrub coverage was extracted. Then the total aboveground biomass of shrubs in the study area was estimated by the relationship model with the distribution of shrub coverage. The results showed that the aboveground biomass of shrubs in the study area was 1.8 x 10(3) t and the aboveground biomass per unit area was 1598.45 kg x m(-2). The distribution of shrubs mainly was at altitudes of 3000-3700 m, and the aboveground biomass of shrubs on the sunny slope (1.15 x 10(3) t) was higher than that on the shady slope (0.65 x 10(3) t).

Disk Density Tuning of a Maximal Random Packing

PubMed Central

Ebeida, Mohamed S.; Rushdi, Ahmad A.; Awad, Muhammad A.; Mahmoud, Ahmed H.; Yan, Dong-Ming; English, Shawn A.; Owens, John D.; Bajaj, Chandrajit L.; Mitchell, Scott A.

2016-01-01

We introduce an algorithmic framework for tuning the spatial density of disks in a maximal random packing, without changing the sizing function or radii of disks. Starting from any maximal random packing such as a Maximal Poisson-disk Sampling (MPS), we iteratively relocate, inject (add), or eject (remove) disks, using a set of three successively more-aggressive local operations. We may achieve a user-defined density, either more dense or more sparse, almost up to the theoretical structured limits. The tuned samples are conflict-free, retain coverage maximality, and, except in the extremes, retain the blue noise randomness properties of the input. We change the density of the packing one disk at a time, maintaining the minimum disk separation distance and the maximum domain coverage distance required of any maximal packing. These properties are local, and we can handle spatially-varying sizing functions. Using fewer points to satisfy a sizing function improves the efficiency of some applications. We apply the framework to improve the quality of meshes, removing non-obtuse angles; and to more accurately model fiber reinforced polymers for elastic and failure simulations. PMID:27563162

Compressed Sensing for Resolution Enhancement of Hyperpolarized 13C Flyback 3D-MRSI

PubMed Central

Hu, Simon; Lustig, Michael; Chen, Albert P.; Crane, Jason; Kerr, Adam; Kelley, Douglas A.C.; Hurd, Ralph; Kurhanewicz, John; Nelson, Sarah J.; Pauly, John M.; Vigneron, Daniel B.

2008-01-01

High polarization of nuclear spins in liquid state through dynamic nuclear polarization has enabled the direct monitoring of 13C metabolites in vivo at very high signal to noise, allowing for rapid assessment of tissue metabolism. The abundant SNR afforded by this hyperpolarization technique makes high resolution 13C 3D-MRSI feasible. However, the number of phase encodes that can be fit into the short acquisition time for hyperpolarized imaging limits spatial coverage and resolution. To take advantage of the high SNR available from hyperpolarization, we have applied compressed sensing to achieve a factor of 2 enhancement in spatial resolution without increasing acquisition time or decreasing coverage. In this paper, the design and testing of compressed sensing suited for a flyback 13C 3D-MRSI sequence are presented. The key to this design was the undersampling of spectral k-space using a novel blipped scheme, thus taking advantage of the considerable sparsity in typical hyperpolarized 13C spectra. Phantom tests validated the accuracy of the compressed sensing approach and initial mouse experiments demonstrated in vivo feasibility. PMID:18367420

Search strategy in a complex and dynamic environment (the Indian Ocean case)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loire, Sophie; Arbabi, Hassan; Clary, Patrick; Ivic, Stefan; Crnjaric-Zic, Nelida; Macesic, Senka; Crnkovic, Bojan; Mezic, Igor; UCSB Team; Rijeka Team

2014-11-01

The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370) in the early morning hours of 8 March 2014 has exposed the disconcerting lack of efficient methods for identifying where to look and how to look for missing objects in a complex and dynamic environment. The search area for plane debris is a remote part of the Indian Ocean. Searches, of the lawnmower type, have been unsuccessful so far. Lagrangian kinematics of mesoscale features are visible in hypergraph maps of the Indian Ocean surface currents. Without a precise knowledge of the crash site, these maps give an estimate of the time evolution of any initial distribution of plane debris and permits the design of a search strategy. The Dynamic Spectral Multiscale Coverage search algorithm is modified to search a spatial distribution of targets that is evolving with time following the dynamic of ocean surface currents. Trajectories are generated for multiple search agents such that their spatial coverage converges to the target distribution. Central to this DSMC algorithm is a metric for the ergodicity.

Disk Density Tuning of a Maximal Random Packing.

PubMed

Ebeida, Mohamed S; Rushdi, Ahmad A; Awad, Muhammad A; Mahmoud, Ahmed H; Yan, Dong-Ming; English, Shawn A; Owens, John D; Bajaj, Chandrajit L; Mitchell, Scott A

2016-08-01

We introduce an algorithmic framework for tuning the spatial density of disks in a maximal random packing, without changing the sizing function or radii of disks. Starting from any maximal random packing such as a Maximal Poisson-disk Sampling (MPS), we iteratively relocate, inject (add), or eject (remove) disks, using a set of three successively more-aggressive local operations. We may achieve a user-defined density, either more dense or more sparse, almost up to the theoretical structured limits. The tuned samples are conflict-free, retain coverage maximality, and, except in the extremes, retain the blue noise randomness properties of the input. We change the density of the packing one disk at a time, maintaining the minimum disk separation distance and the maximum domain coverage distance required of any maximal packing. These properties are local, and we can handle spatially-varying sizing functions. Using fewer points to satisfy a sizing function improves the efficiency of some applications. We apply the framework to improve the quality of meshes, removing non-obtuse angles; and to more accurately model fiber reinforced polymers for elastic and failure simulations.

Cash across the City: Participatory Mapping & Teaching for Spatial Justice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubel, Laurie; Lim, Vivian; Hall-Wieckert, Maren; Katz, Sara

2016-01-01

This paper explores teaching mathematics for spatial justice (Soja, 2010), as an extension of teaching mathematics for social justice (Gutstein, 2006). The study is contextualized in a 10-session curricular module focused on the spatial justice of a city's two-tiered system of personal finance institutions (mainstream vs. alternative), piloted…

Evaluation of satellite-retrieved extreme precipitation using gauge observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lockhoff, M.; Zolina, O.; Simmer, C.; Schulz, J.

2012-04-01

Precipitation extremes have already been intensively studied employing rain gauge datasets. Their main advantage is that they represent a direct measurement with a relatively high temporal coverage. Their main limitation however is their poor spatial coverage and thus a low representativeness in many parts of the world. In contrast, satellites can provide global coverage and there are meanwhile data sets available that are on one hand long enough to be used for extreme value analysis and that have on the other hand the necessary spatial and temporal resolution to capture extremes. However, satellite observations provide only an indirect mean to determine precipitation and there are many potential observational and methodological weaknesses in particular over land surfaces that may constitute doubts concerning their usability for the analysis of precipitation extremes. By comparing basic climatological metrics of precipitation (totals, intensities, number of wet days) as well as respective characteristics of PDFs, absolute and relative extremes of satellite and observational data this paper aims at assessing to which extent satellite products are suitable for analysing extreme precipitation events. In a first step the assessment focuses on Europe taking into consideration various satellite products available, e.g. data sets provided by the Global Precipitation Climatology Project (GPCP). First results indicate that satellite-based estimates do not only represent the monthly averaged precipitation very similar to rain gauge estimates but they also capture the day-to-day occurrence fairly well. Larger differences can be found though when looking at the corresponding intensities.

GEO/SAMS - The Geostationary Synthetic Aperture Microwave Sounder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lambrigtsen, Bjorn H.

2008-01-01

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has for many years operated two weather satellite systems, the Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite system (POES), using low-earth orbiting (LEO) satellites, and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite system (GOES), using geostationary earth orbiting (GEO) satellites. (Similar systems are also operated by other nations.) The POES satellites have been equipped with both infrared (IR) and microwave (MW) atmospheric sounders, which makes it possible to determine the vertical distribution of temperature and humidity in the troposphere even under cloudy conditions. Such satellite observations have had a significant impact on weather forecasting accuracy, especially in regions where in situ observations are sparse. In contrast, the GOES satellites have only been equipped with IR sounders, since it has not been feasible to build a large enough antenna to achieve sufficient spatial resolution for a MW sounder in GEO. As a result, GOES soundings can only be obtained in cloud free areas and in the less important upper atmosphere, above the cloud tops. This has hindered the effective use of GOES data in numerical weather prediction. Full sounding capabilities with the GOES system is highly desirable because of the advantageous spatial and temporal coverage that is possible from GEO. While POES satellites provide coverage in relatively narrow swaths, and with a revisit time of 12-24 hours or more, GOES satellites can provide continuous hemispheric coverage, making it possible to monitor highly dynamic phenomena such as hurricanes.

Improve EPA's AIRNow Air Quality Index Maps with NASA/NOAA Satellite Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pasch, A.; Zahn, P. H.; DeWinter, J. L.; Haderman, M. D.; White, J. E.; Dickerson, P.; Dye, T. S.; Martin, R. V.

2011-12-01

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) AIRNow program provides maps of real-time hourly Air Quality Index (AQI) conditions and daily AQI forecasts nationwide (http://www.airnow.gov). The public uses these maps to make decisions concerning their respiratory health. The usefulness of the AIRNow air quality maps depends on the accuracy and spatial coverage of air quality measurements. Currently, the maps use only ground-based measurements, which have significant gaps in coverage in some parts of the United States. As a result, contoured AQI levels have high uncertainty in regions far from monitors. To improve the usefulness of air quality maps, scientists at EPA and Sonoma Technology, Inc. are working in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and university researchers on a project to incorporate additional measurements into the maps via the AIRNow Satellite Data Processor (ASDP). These measurements include estimated surface PM

Cost-effectiveness of extending the coverage of water supply fluoridation for the prevention of dental caries in Australia.

PubMed

Cobiac, Linda J; Vos, Theo

2012-08-01

Fluoride was first added to the Australian water supply in 1953, and by 2003, 69% of Australia's population was receiving the minimum recommended dose. Extending coverage of fluoridation to all remaining communities of at least 1000 people is a key strategy of Australia's National Oral Health Plan 2004-2013. We evaluate the cost-effectiveness of this strategy from an Australian health sector perspective. Health gains from the prevention of caries in the Australian population are modelled over the average 15-year lifespan of a treatment plant. Taking capital and on-going operational costs of fluoridation into account, as well as costs of caries treatment, we determine the dollars per disability-adjusted life years (DALY) averted from extending coverage of fluoridation to all large (≥ 1000 people) and small (<1000 people) communities in Australia. Extending coverage of fluoridation to all communities of at least 1000 people will lead to improved population health (3700 DALYs, 95% uncertainty interval: 2200-5700 DALYs), with a dominant cost-effectiveness ratio and 100% probability of cost-savings. Extending coverage to smaller communities leads to 60% more health gains, but is not cost-effective, with a median cost-effectiveness ratio of A$92 000/DALY and only 10% probability of being under a cost-effectiveness threshold of A$50 000/DALY. Extension of fluoridation coverage under the National Oral Health Plan is highly recommended, but given the substantial dental health disparities and inequalities in access to dental care that currently exist for more regional and remote communities, there may be good justification for extending coverage to include all Australians, regardless of where they live, despite less favourable cost-effectiveness. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Intentional ethylene glycol poisoning increase after media coverage of antifreeze murders.

PubMed

Morgan, Brent W; Geller, Robert J; Kazzi, Ziad N

2011-07-01

The media can have a profound impact on human behavior. A sensational murder by ethylene glycol (EG) poisoning occurred in our state. The regional media provided extensive coverage of the murder. We undertook this investigation to evaluate our incidence of EG poisoning during the timeframe of before the first report linking a death to ethylene glycol to shortly after the first murder trial. Descriptive statistics and linear regression were used to describe and analyze the number of EG cases over time. A search of the leading regional newspaper's archives established the media coverage timeline. Between 2000 and 2004, our poison center (PC) handled a steady volume of unintentional exposures to EG [range: 105-123 per year, standard deviation (SD)=7.22]. EG exposures thought to be suicidal in intent increased from 12 cases in 2000 to 121 cases in 2004. In the 19 months prior to the first media report of this story, our PC handled a mean of 1 EG case with suicidal intent per month [range: 0-2, SD=.69]. In the month after the first media report, our PC handled 5 EG cases with suicidal intent. When media coverage was most intense (2004), our PC received a mean of 10 EG suicidal-intent calls per month [range: 5-17, SD=3.55]. Although uncommon, reports of malicious EG poisonings also increased during this same period from 2 in 2000 to 14 in 2004. Media coverage of stories involving poisonings may result in copycat events, applicable to both self-poisonings and concern for malicious poisonings. Poison centers should be aware of this phenomenon, pay attention to local media and plan accordingly if a poisoning event receives significant media coverage. The media should be more sensitive to the content of their coverage and avoid providing "how to" poisoning information.

Achieving Crossed Strong Barrier Coverage in Wireless Sensor Network.

PubMed

Han, Ruisong; Yang, Wei; Zhang, Li

2018-02-10

Barrier coverage has been widely used to detect intrusions in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). It can fulfill the monitoring task while extending the lifetime of the network. Though barrier coverage in WSNs has been intensively studied in recent years, previous research failed to consider the problem of intrusion in transversal directions. If an intruder knows the deployment configuration of sensor nodes, then there is a high probability that it may traverse the whole target region from particular directions, without being detected. In this paper, we introduce the concept of crossed barrier coverage that can overcome this defect. We prove that the problem of finding the maximum number of crossed barriers is NP-hard and integer linear programming (ILP) is used to formulate the optimization problem. The branch-and-bound algorithm is adopted to determine the maximum number of crossed barriers. In addition, we also propose a multi-round shortest path algorithm (MSPA) to solve the optimization problem, which works heuristically to guarantee efficiency while maintaining near-optimal solutions. Several conventional algorithms for finding the maximum number of disjoint strong barriers are also modified to solve the crossed barrier problem and for the purpose of comparison. Extensive simulation studies demonstrate the effectiveness of MSPA.

Spatial Arrangement of Branches in Relation to Slope and Neighbourhood Competition

PubMed Central

SUMIDA, AKIHIRO; TERAZAWA, IKUE; TOGASHI, ASAKO; KOMIYAMA, AKIRA

2002-01-01

To gain a better understanding of the effects of spatial structure on patterns of neighbourhood competition among hardwood trees, the three‐dimensional extension of primary branches was surveyed for ten community‐grown Castanea crenata (Fagaceae) trees with respect to the positioning of neighbouring branches and the slope of the forest floor. There were significantly more branches extending towards the lower side of the slope than towards the upper side, but structural properties such as branch length and vertical angle were not affected by slope. When horizontal extension of a branch towards its neighbour was compared for a C. crenata branch and a neighbouring heterospecific, the former was significantly narrower than the latter when the inter‐branch distance (horizontal distance between the base positions of two neighbouring branches) was short (< approx. 5 m). Castanea crenata branches tended to extend in a direction avoiding neighbouring branches of heterospecifics when the inter‐branch distance was short. Furthermore, for an inter‐branch distance <3 m, the horizontal extension of a C. crenata branch was less when it was neighbouring a heterospecific branch than when neighbouring a conspecific branch. These results suggest that horizontal extension of C. crenata branches is more prone to spatial invasion by nearby neighbouring branches of heterospecifics, and that the invasion can be lessened when C. crenata trees are spatially aggregated. The reason why such an arrangement occurs is discussed in relation to the later leaf‐flush of C. crenata compared with that of other species in the forest. PMID:12096742

Automated Topographic Change Detection via Dem Differencing at Large Scales Using The Arcticdem Database

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Candela, S. G.; Howat, I.; Noh, M. J.; Porter, C. C.; Morin, P. J.

2016-12-01

In the last decade, high resolution satellite imagery has become an increasingly accessible tool for geoscientists to quantify changes in the Arctic land surface due to geophysical, ecological and anthropomorphic processes. However, the trade off between spatial coverage and spatial-temporal resolution has limited detailed, process-level change detection over large (i.e. continental) scales. The ArcticDEM project utilized over 300,000 Worldview image pairs to produce a nearly 100% coverage elevation model (above 60°N) offering the first polar, high spatial - high resolution (2-8m by region) dataset, often with multiple repeats in areas of particular interest to geo-scientists. A dataset of this size (nearly 250 TB) offers endless new avenues of scientific inquiry, but quickly becomes unmanageable computationally and logistically for the computing resources available to the average scientist. Here we present TopoDiff, a framework for a generalized. automated workflow that requires minimal input from the end user about a study site, and utilizes cloud computing resources to provide a temporally sorted and differenced dataset, ready for geostatistical analysis. This hands-off approach allows the end user to focus on the science, without having to manage thousands of files, or petabytes of data. At the same time, TopoDiff provides a consistent and accurate workflow for image sorting, selection, and co-registration enabling cross-comparisons between research projects.

High-frame-rate full-vocal-tract 3D dynamic speech imaging.

PubMed

Fu, Maojing; Barlaz, Marissa S; Holtrop, Joseph L; Perry, Jamie L; Kuehn, David P; Shosted, Ryan K; Liang, Zhi-Pei; Sutton, Bradley P

2017-04-01

To achieve high temporal frame rate, high spatial resolution and full-vocal-tract coverage for three-dimensional dynamic speech MRI by using low-rank modeling and sparse sampling. Three-dimensional dynamic speech MRI is enabled by integrating a novel data acquisition strategy and an image reconstruction method with the partial separability model: (a) a self-navigated sparse sampling strategy that accelerates data acquisition by collecting high-nominal-frame-rate cone navigator sand imaging data within a single repetition time, and (b) are construction method that recovers high-quality speech dynamics from sparse (k,t)-space data by enforcing joint low-rank and spatiotemporal total variation constraints. The proposed method has been evaluated through in vivo experiments. A nominal temporal frame rate of 166 frames per second (defined based on a repetition time of 5.99 ms) was achieved for an imaging volume covering the entire vocal tract with a spatial resolution of 2.2 × 2.2 × 5.0 mm 3 . Practical utility of the proposed method was demonstrated via both validation experiments and a phonetics investigation. Three-dimensional dynamic speech imaging is possible with full-vocal-tract coverage, high spatial resolution and high nominal frame rate to provide dynamic speech data useful for phonetic studies. Magn Reson Med 77:1619-1629, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Ordering Transitions in Liquid Crystals Permit Imaging of Spatial and Temporal Patterns Formed by Proteins Penetrating into Lipid-Laden Interfaces

PubMed Central

Daschner De Tercero, Maren; Abbott, Nicholas L.

2013-01-01

Recent studies have reported that full monolayers of L-α-dilaurylphosphatidylcholine (L-DLPC) and D-α-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (D-DPPC) formed at interfaces between thermotropic liquid crystals (LCs) and aqueous phases lead to homeotropic (perpendicular) orientations of nematic LCs and that specific binding of proteins to these interfaces (such as phospholipase A2 binding to D-DPPC) can trigger orientational ordering transitions in the liquid crystals. We report on the nonspecific interactions of proteins with aqueous-LC interfaces decorated with partial monolayer coverage of L-DLPC. Whereas nonspecific interactions of four proteins (cytochrome c, bovine serum albumin,immunoglobulins, and neutravidin) do not perturb the ordering of the LC when a full monolayer of L-DLPC is assembled at the aqueous-LC interface, we observe patterned orientational transitions in the LC that reflect penetration of proteins into the interface of the LC with partial monolayer coverage of L-DLPC. The spatial patterns formed by the proteins and lipids at the interface are surprisingly complex, and in some cases the protein domains are found to compartmentalize lipid within the interfaces. These results suggest that phospholipid-decorated interfaces between thermotropic liquid crystals and aqueous phases offer the basis of a simple and versatile tool to study the spatial organization and dynamics ofprotein networks formed at mobile, lipid-decorated interfaces. PMID:23671353

A Malaria Ecology Index Predicted Spatial and Temporal Variation of Malaria Burden and Efficacy of Antimalarial Interventions Based on African Serological Data.

PubMed

McCord, Gordon C; Anttila-Hughes, Jesse K

2017-03-01

Reducing the global health burden of malaria is complicated by weak reporting systems for infectious diseases and a paucity of vital statistics registration. This limits our ability to predict changes in malaria health burden intensity, target antimalarial resources where needed, and identify malaria impacts in retrospective data. We refined and deployed a temporally and spatially varying Malaria Ecology Index (MEI) incorporating climatological and ecological data to estimate malaria transmission strength and validate it against cross-sectional serology data from 39,875 children from seven sub-Saharan African countries. The MEI is strongly associated with malaria burden; a 1 standard deviation higher MEI is associated with a 50-117% increase in malaria risk and a 3-5 g/dL lower level of Hg. Results show that the relationship between malaria ecology and disease burden is attenuated with sufficient coverage of insecticide treated nets (ITNs) or indoor residual spraying (IRS). Having both ITNs and IRS reduce the added risk from adverse malaria ecology conditions by half. Readily available climate and ecology data can be used to estimate the spatial and temporal variation in malaria disease burden, providing a feasible alternative to direct surveillance. This will help target resources for malaria programs in the absence of national coverage of active case detection systems, and facilitate malaria research using retrospective health data.

Modelling noise propagation using Grid Resources. Progress within GDI-Grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiehle, Christian; Mayer, Christian; Padberg, Alexander; Stapelfeld, Hartmut

2010-05-01

Modelling noise propagation using Grid Resources. Progress within GDI-Grid. GDI-Grid (english: SDI-Grid) is a research project funded by the German Ministry for Science and Education (BMBF). It aims at bridging the gaps between OGC Web Services (OWS) and Grid infrastructures and identifying the potential of utilizing the superior storage capacities and computational power of grid infrastructures for geospatial applications while keeping the well-known service interfaces specified by the OGC. The project considers all major OGC webservice interfaces for Web Mapping (WMS), Feature access (Web Feature Service), Coverage access (Web Coverage Service) and processing (Web Processing Service). The major challenge within GDI-Grid is the harmonization of diverging standards as defined by standardization bodies for Grid computing and spatial information exchange. The project started in 2007 and will continue until June 2010. The concept for the gridification of OWS developed by lat/lon GmbH and the Department of Geography of the University of Bonn is applied to three real-world scenarios in order to check its practicability: a flood simulation, a scenario for emergency routing and a noise propagation simulation. The latter scenario is addressed by the Stapelfeldt Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH located in Dortmund adapting their LimA software to utilize grid resources. Noise mapping of e.g. traffic noise in urban agglomerates and along major trunk roads is a reoccurring demand of the EU Noise Directive. Input data requires road net and traffic, terrain, buildings and noise protection screens as well as population distribution. Noise impact levels are generally calculated in 10 m grid and along relevant building facades. For each receiver position sources within a typical range of 2000 m are split down into small segments, depending on local geometry. For each of the segments propagation analysis includes diffraction effects caused by all obstacles on the path of sound propagation. This immense intensive calculation needs to be performed for a major part of European landscape. A LINUX version of the commercial LimA software for noise mapping analysis has been implemented on a test cluster within the German D-GRID computer network. Results and performance indicators will be presented. The presentation is an extension to last-years presentation "Spatial Data Infrastructures and Grid Computing: the GDI-Grid project" that described the gridification concept developed in the GDI-Grid project and provided an overview of the conceptual gaps between Grid Computing and Spatial Data Infrastructures. Results from the GDI-Grid project are incorporated in the OGC-OGF (Open Grid Forum) collaboration efforts as well as the OGC WPS 2.0 standards working group developing the next major version of the WPS specification.

On the use of QuikSCAT data for assessing wind energy resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karagali, I.; Peña, A.; Hahmann, A. N.; Hasager, C.; Badger, M.

2011-12-01

As the land space suitable for wind turbine installations becomes saturated, the focus is on offshore sites. Advantages of such a transition include increased power production, smaller environmental and social impact and extended availability of prospective areas. Until recently installation of wind turbines was limited in coastal areas. Nowadays, the search for suitable sites is extended beyond shallow waters, in locations far offshore where available measurements of various environmental parameters are limited. Space-borne observations are ideal due to their global spatial coverage, providing information where in-situ measurements are impracticable. The most widely used satellite observations for wind vector information are obtained by scatterometers; active radars that relate radiation backscattered from the sea surface to wind. SeaWinds, the scatterometer on board the QuikSCAT platform, launched by NASA in 1999 provided information with global coverage until 2009. The potential use of this 10-year long dataset is evaluated in the present study for the characterization of wind resources in the North and Baltic Seas, where most of Europe's offshore wind farms are located. Long-term QuikSCAT data have been extensively and positively validated in open ocean and in enclosed seas. In the present study QuikSCAT rain-free observations are compared with in-situ observations from three locations in the North Sea. As the remotely sensed observations refer to neutral atmospheric stratification, the impact of stability is assessed. Mean wind characteristics along with the Weibull A and k parameters are estimated in order to obtain information regarding the variation of wind. The numerical weather prediction (NWP) model WRF (Weather Research & Forecasting) is used for comparisons against QuikSCAT. Surface winds derived from long-term WRF simulations are compared against QuikSCAT data to evaluate differences in the spatial extend. Preliminary results indicate very good agreement between satellite and in-situ observations. The mean annual wind speed at 10 meters above the sea surface is found significantly higher in the North Sea when compared to the Baltic Sea. Strong lee effects on the 10m wind speeds are observed, in particular the reduced wind speed on the east side of the British Isles as opposed to the west coast of Denmark. An intense flow channelling in the English Channel and the Baltic Sea is highlighted, along with various other effects. Comparisons between WRF and QuikSCAT show biases in the order of 0.4 m/s or lower in extended spatial scales. Higher negative biases, indicating higher QuikSCAT wind speed than the WRF-derived, are observed mainly in coastal areas where representativeness errors due to surface roughness changes are significant.

Spatial distribution of exhumation at the Yakutat plate corner and the role of glacial erosion, southeast Alaska/southwest Yukon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falkowski, S.; Enkelmann, E.; Ehlers, T. A.

2013-12-01

Our study investigates the spatial and temporal patterns of exhumation along the northernmost part of the transpressive Fairweather Fault in the St. Elias Mountains, southeast Alaska/southwest Yukon. The dextral Fairweather transform fault forms the eastern boundary between the obliquely colliding Yakutat Terrane and the North American Plate. The subduction-collision of the Yakutat Terrane created the St. Elias orogen, which became a prime example to study climate-tectonics interactions. For the past 5-6 myr glacial erosion and mountain building processes coevolved and seem to have become interdependent. We focus on the plate corner region, where the Fairweather Fault bends and tectonics transitions into convergence style. The plate corner is the region of the highest topography (up to 5959 m), extreme relief (up to 5000 m), high seismicity (M>7), and thick, extensive glacial systems (Seward/Bagley and Hubbard glaciers) that erode and transport sediment into the Pacific Ocean. A shortcoming of previous thermochronologic exhumation studies has been that bedrock sampling is restricted to high elevations due to the ice coverage. Using a detrital sampling approach discovered an area of recent, deep exhumation beneath the Seward Glacier by means of detrital zircon fission-track analyses (~3-2 Ma age populations, closure temperature of 250×40 °C). Throughout the rest of the mountains exhumation has been found to be rapid, too, but shallow, resulting in much older zircon cooling ages. To complement previous detrital studies, we collected 26 samples from modern glacio-fluvial sand deposits to gain a better spatial coverage for the cooling signals of the glaciated region of the northernmost Fairweather Fault and the plate corner region. To investigate the long-term exhumation history we conducted zircon fission-track analyses, which yielded 2718 new single grain ages that range between 0.2 Ma and 293 Ma. Each detrital sample contains three to five age populations with peak ages between 1.2×0.7 Ma and 267×64 Ma (1σ). The age distributions show distinctly different exhumation signals for the upper (North American Plate) and lower (Yakutat Terrane) plate of the subduction-collision zone with dominantly Eocene and older cooling on the lower plate and Miocene and younger cooling on the upper plate. The regional distributions of the cooling ages reveal that the area of rapid, deep exhumation extends farther east than previously expected. Furthermore, we propose a large-scale flower-structure that developed since the earliest Pliocene around the northern Fairweather Fault to accommodate strain partitioning within the syntaxis. This development coincides with the onset of glaciation of the orogen and glaciers most likely play an important role in facilitating rock exhumation and uplift by efficiently evacuating material.

Hierarchical atom type definitions and extensible all-atom force fields.

PubMed

Jin, Zhao; Yang, Chunwei; Cao, Fenglei; Li, Feng; Jing, Zhifeng; Chen, Long; Shen, Zhe; Xin, Liang; Tong, Sijia; Sun, Huai

2016-03-15

The extensibility of force field is a key to solve the missing parameter problem commonly found in force field applications. The extensibility of conventional force fields is traditionally managed in the parameterization procedure, which becomes impractical as the coverage of the force field increases above a threshold. A hierarchical atom-type definition (HAD) scheme is proposed to make extensible atom type definitions, which ensures that the force field developed based on the definitions are extensible. To demonstrate how HAD works and to prepare a foundation for future developments, two general force fields based on AMBER and DFF functional forms are parameterized for common organic molecules. The force field parameters are derived from the same set of quantum mechanical data and experimental liquid data using an automated parameterization tool, and validated by calculating molecular and liquid properties. The hydration free energies are calculated successfully by introducing a polarization scaling factor to the dispersion term between the solvent and solute molecules. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Communication for extension: developing country experience.

PubMed

Meyer, A J

1985-01-01

This paper characterizes several major approaches to the use of communication in support of agricultural extension and suggests directions for change. The approaches discussed include: direct farmer contact, farmer forums, open broadcasting, advertising and social marketing, print media, multiple channel systems (campaigns and distance teaching), and comprehensive communication systems. Although all programs should be able to use media in interaction with training and the coordination of other inputs, this approach has not been comprehensively implemented in extension programs. There are few examples of cases where multiple methods have been brought together under a comprehensive communications strategy and institutionalized as part of an ongoing extension system. Lessons from social marketing in other sectors have not been exploited, while lessons from distance teaching have been underutilized. In addition, the networking and feedback functions of communication in extenson have not been given adequate attention. There is substantial potential for increasing the coverage and impact of agricultural extension through the more systematic and comprehensive use of communication.

Coronal Heating and the Need for High-Resolution Observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Klimchuk, James A.

2008-01-01

Despite excellent progress in recent years in understanding coronal heating, there remain many crucial questions that are still unanswered. Limitations in the observations are one important reason. Both theoretical and observational considerations point to the importance of small spatial scales, impulsive energy release, strong dynamics, and extreme plasma nonuniformity. As a consequence, high spatial resolution, broad temperature coverage, high temperature fidelity, and sensitivity to velocities and densities are all critical observational parameters. Current instruments lack one or more of these properties, and this has led to considerable ambiguity and confusion. In this talk, I will discuss recent ideas about coronal heating and emphasize that high spatial resolution observations, especially spectroscopic observations, are needed to make major progress on this important problem.

Recent developments and future directions in the monitoring of terrestrial sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence from space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guanter, L.

2017-12-01

Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is an electromagnetic signal emitted by the chlorophyll-a of assimilating plants in the 650-850 nm spectral range. The SIF emission has a mechanistic link to photosynthesis and responds instantaneously to perturbations in environmental conditions such as light and water stress, which makes it a powerful proxy for plants' photosynthetic activity. Global measurements of SIF from space have been available since late 2011 from four different atmospheric satellite missions (chronologically, GOSAT, SCIAMACHY, GOME-2 and OCO-2). The potential of the derived SIF data sets to represent the photosynthetic activity of different ecosystems, including large crop belts worldwide, the Amazon rainforest and boreal evergreen forests has been demonstrated in the relatively short life-time of global SIF data. Despite the demonstrated potential of SIF data as a proxy for global terrestrial gross primary production, current observations are partly hampered by a coarse spatial resolution or the lack of spatial coverage. For this reason, great expectations are put on the upcoming TROPOMI instrument onboard the Copernicus' Sentinel 5-Precursor mission to be launched by mid-end of 2017. TROPOMI will provide daily global coverage with a spatial resolution between 3 and 7 km and continuous spectral coverage of the visible and near-infrared part of the spectrum. The recent selection of FLEX as the ESA Earth Explorer 8 to be launched around 2022 and several upcoming geostationary missions (TEMPO, Sentinel-4 and GeoCARB, covering Europe and the Americas) with potential for SIF retrievals complete an exciting near-future scenario for the monitoring of SIF from space. In this contribution, we will provide an overview of recent developments in the global monitoring of SIF and will introduce the near-future observational scenario with especial emphasis on TROPOMI and the geostationary missions to be launched in the coming years.

Comparison of Marine Spatial Planning Methods in Madagascar Demonstrates Value of Alternative Approaches

PubMed Central

Allnutt, Thomas F.; McClanahan, Timothy R.; Andréfouët, Serge; Baker, Merrill; Lagabrielle, Erwann; McClennen, Caleb; Rakotomanjaka, Andry J. M.; Tianarisoa, Tantely F.; Watson, Reg; Kremen, Claire

2012-01-01

The Government of Madagascar plans to increase marine protected area coverage by over one million hectares. To assist this process, we compare four methods for marine spatial planning of Madagascar's west coast. Input data for each method was drawn from the same variables: fishing pressure, exposure to climate change, and biodiversity (habitats, species distributions, biological richness, and biodiversity value). The first method compares visual color classifications of primary variables, the second uses binary combinations of these variables to produce a categorical classification of management actions, the third is a target-based optimization using Marxan, and the fourth is conservation ranking with Zonation. We present results from each method, and compare the latter three approaches for spatial coverage, biodiversity representation, fishing cost and persistence probability. All results included large areas in the north, central, and southern parts of western Madagascar. Achieving 30% representation targets with Marxan required twice the fish catch loss than the categorical method. The categorical classification and Zonation do not consider targets for conservation features. However, when we reduced Marxan targets to 16.3%, matching the representation level of the “strict protection” class of the categorical result, the methods show similar catch losses. The management category portfolio has complete coverage, and presents several management recommendations including strict protection. Zonation produces rapid conservation rankings across large, diverse datasets. Marxan is useful for identifying strict protected areas that meet representation targets, and minimize exposure probabilities for conservation features at low economic cost. We show that methods based on Zonation and a simple combination of variables can produce results comparable to Marxan for species representation and catch losses, demonstrating the value of comparing alternative approaches during initial stages of the planning process. Choosing an appropriate approach ultimately depends on scientific and political factors including representation targets, likelihood of adoption, and persistence goals. PMID:22359534

Impact of grass cover on the magnetic susceptibility measurements for assessing metal contamination in urban topsoil.

PubMed

Golden, Nessa; Zhang, Chaosheng; Potito, Aaron P; Gibson, Paul J; Bargary, Norma; Morrison, Liam

2017-05-01

In recent decades, magnetic susceptibility monitoring has developed as a useful technique in environmental pollution studies, particularly metal contamination of soil. This study provides the first ever examination of the effects of grass cover on magnetic susceptibility (MS) measurements of underlying urban soils. Magnetic measurements were taken in situ to determine the effects on κ (volume magnetic susceptibility) when the grass layer was present (κ grass ) and after the grass layer was trimmed down to the root (κ no grass ). Height of grass was recorded in situ at each grid point. Soil samples (n=185) were collected and measurements of mass specific magnetic susceptibility (χ) were performed in the laboratory and frequency dependence (χ fd %) calculated. Metal concentrations (Pb, Cu, Zn and Fe) in the soil samples were determined and a gradiometry survey carried out in situ on a section of the study area. Significant correlations were found between each of the MS measurements and the metal content of the soil at the p<0.01 level. Spatial distribution maps were created using Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) and Local Indicators of Spatial Association (LISA) to identify common patterns. κ grass (ranged from 1.67 to 301.00×10 -5 SI) and κ no grass (ranged from 2.08 to 530.67×10 -5 SI) measured in situ are highly correlated [r=0.966, n=194, p<0.01]. The volume susceptibility datasets in the presence and absence of grass coverage share a similar spatial distribution pattern. This study re-evaluates in situ κ monitoring techniques and the results suggest that the removal of grass coverage prior to obtaining in situ κ measurements of urban soil is unnecessary. This layer does not impede the MS sensor from accurately measuring elevated κ in soils, and therefore κ measurements recorded with grass coverage present can be reliably used to identify areas of urban soil metal contamination. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of marine spatial planning methods in Madagascar demonstrates value of alternative approaches.

PubMed

Allnutt, Thomas F; McClanahan, Timothy R; Andréfouët, Serge; Baker, Merrill; Lagabrielle, Erwann; McClennen, Caleb; Rakotomanjaka, Andry J M; Tianarisoa, Tantely F; Watson, Reg; Kremen, Claire

2012-01-01

The Government of Madagascar plans to increase marine protected area coverage by over one million hectares. To assist this process, we compare four methods for marine spatial planning of Madagascar's west coast. Input data for each method was drawn from the same variables: fishing pressure, exposure to climate change, and biodiversity (habitats, species distributions, biological richness, and biodiversity value). The first method compares visual color classifications of primary variables, the second uses binary combinations of these variables to produce a categorical classification of management actions, the third is a target-based optimization using Marxan, and the fourth is conservation ranking with Zonation. We present results from each method, and compare the latter three approaches for spatial coverage, biodiversity representation, fishing cost and persistence probability. All results included large areas in the north, central, and southern parts of western Madagascar. Achieving 30% representation targets with Marxan required twice the fish catch loss than the categorical method. The categorical classification and Zonation do not consider targets for conservation features. However, when we reduced Marxan targets to 16.3%, matching the representation level of the "strict protection" class of the categorical result, the methods show similar catch losses. The management category portfolio has complete coverage, and presents several management recommendations including strict protection. Zonation produces rapid conservation rankings across large, diverse datasets. Marxan is useful for identifying strict protected areas that meet representation targets, and minimize exposure probabilities for conservation features at low economic cost. We show that methods based on Zonation and a simple combination of variables can produce results comparable to Marxan for species representation and catch losses, demonstrating the value of comparing alternative approaches during initial stages of the planning process. Choosing an appropriate approach ultimately depends on scientific and political factors including representation targets, likelihood of adoption, and persistence goals.

Surface Meteorology and Solar Energy (SSE) Data Release 5.1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stackhouse, Paul W. (Principal Investigator)

The Surface meteorology and Solar Energy (SSE) data set contains over 200 parameters formulated for assessing and designing renewable energy systems.The SSE data set is formulated from NASA satellite- and reanalysis-derived insolation and meteorological data for the 10-year period July 1983 through June 1993. Results are provided for 1 degree latitude by 1 degree longitude grid cells over the globe. Average daily and monthly measurements for 1195 World Radiation Data Centre ground sites are also available. [Location=GLOBAL] [Temporal_Coverage: Start_Date=1983-07-01; Stop_Date=1993-06-30] [Spatial_Coverage: Southernmost_Latitude=-90; Northernmost_Latitude=90; Westernmost_Longitude=-180; Easternmost_Longitude=180] [Data_Resolution: Latitude_Resolution=1 degree; Longitude_Resolution=1 degree].

Coverage, social mobilization and challenges of mass Zithromax administration campaign in South and South East zones of Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: A cross sectional study.

PubMed

Mulugeta, Afework; Gebregergs, Gebremedhin Berhe; Asfaw, Selamawit; Yemane, Dejen; Mitiku, Mengistu; Meresa, Beyene; Gigar, Goitom; Kidane, Amanuel

2018-02-01

The antibiotic treatment of people with trachoma helps to prevent transmission the disease in a community. Currently, Zithromax is the drug recommended for mass drug administration (MDA). MDA should be carried out annually for three to five years in trachoma endemic areas. Coverage survey is essential to track progress towards program goals and to identify communities with poor coverage in order to permit timely and appropriate actions. We assessed mass Zithromax administration coverage, social mobilization and campaign challenges in south and southeast zones of Tigray, Ethiopia. We conducted a survey in community in Southern and South East zones of Tigray region from August 15 to August 31, 2016. The survey included nine Woredas. It was supported by qualitative methods. A total of 3741 individuals were enrolled from 933 households using multistage sampling. We used structured questionnaire. In-depth interview and focus group discussion were also applied. Descriptive statistics was performed using SPSS version 20.We thematically analyzed the qualitative data using Atlas 7. The overall coverage of Zithromax MDA was 93.3%. It ranges from 90.0% in Seharti Samre to 97.9% in Endamokoni. The coverage was 93.4% for males and 93.1% for females. A higher proportion (98.3%) of children aged 5 to 15 years and 409 (87.8%) under five children took Zithromax. The coverage was 94% in rural and 91.2% in urban. Women development army (43.3%) and health extension workers (32.5%) were the main source of information. Frequent occurrence of drug side effects, rumors, lack of community and leaders' engagement in the campaign, fasting, shortage of human power and short term unavailability of supplies were barriers during the campaign. The Zithromax MDA coverage in the study zones was higher than the minimum WHO set criteria of 80%. There was a wide difference in coverage among Woredas and Kebeles. The MDA coverage was lower in urban than rural. Misconceptions and poor mobilization were common challenges. Thus, proper planning, community mobilization and uniform training will need to be done ahead of the campaign in the future.

A simple model for the evolution of melt pond coverage on permeable Arctic sea ice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Popović, Predrag; Abbot, Dorian

2017-05-01

As the melt season progresses, sea ice in the Arctic often becomes permeable enough to allow for nearly complete drainage of meltwater that has collected on the ice surface. Melt ponds that remain after drainage are hydraulically connected to the ocean and correspond to regions of sea ice whose surface is below sea level. We present a simple model for the evolution of melt pond coverage on such permeable sea ice floes in which we allow for spatially varying ice melt rates and assume the whole floe is in hydrostatic balance. The model is represented by two simple ordinary differential equations, where the rate of change of pond coverage depends on the pond coverage. All the physical parameters of the system are summarized by four strengths that control the relative importance of the terms in the equations. The model both fits observations and allows us to understand the behavior of melt ponds in a way that is often not possible with more complex models. Examples of insights we can gain from the model are that (1) the pond growth rate is more sensitive to changes in bare sea ice albedo than changes in pond albedo, (2) ponds grow slower on smoother ice, and (3) ponds respond strongest to freeboard sinking on first-year ice and sidewall melting on multiyear ice. We also show that under a global warming scenario, pond coverage would increase, decreasing the overall ice albedo and leading to ice thinning that is likely comparable to thinning due to direct forcing. Since melt pond coverage is one of the key parameters controlling the albedo of sea ice, understanding the mechanisms that control the distribution of pond coverage will help improve large-scale model parameterizations and sea ice forecasts in a warming climate.

29 CFR 4.143 - Effects of changes or extensions of contracts, generally.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Application of the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act Changes in Contract Coverage § 4.143 Effects of... purposes of the application of the Act's provisions. The general rule with respect to such contracts is... provisions of the Act and the regulations thereunder will apply to the changed contract in the same manner...

Applied groundwater modeling, 2nd Edition

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, Mary P.; Woessner, William W.; Hunt, Randall J.

2015-01-01

This second edition is extensively revised throughout with expanded discussion of modeling fundamentals and coverage of advances in model calibration and uncertainty analysis that are revolutionizing the science of groundwater modeling. The text is intended for undergraduate and graduate level courses in applied groundwater modeling and as a comprehensive reference for environmental consultants and scientists/engineers in industry and governmental agencies.

25 CFR 1000.148 - What happens if an AFA expires before the effective date of the successor AFA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ANNUAL FUNDING AGREEMENTS UNDER THE TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT... Funding Agreements Reallocation, Duration, and Amendments § 1000.148 What happens if an AFA expires before.... During this extension period, the current AFA shall remain in effect, including coverage of the Tribe...

25 CFR 1000.148 - What happens if an AFA expires before the effective date of the successor AFA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ANNUAL FUNDING AGREEMENTS UNDER THE TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT... Funding Agreements Reallocation, Duration, and Amendments § 1000.148 What happens if an AFA expires before.... During this extension period, the current AFA shall remain in effect, including coverage of the Tribe...

25 CFR 1000.148 - What happens if an AFA expires before the effective date of the successor AFA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ANNUAL FUNDING AGREEMENTS UNDER THE TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT... Funding Agreements Reallocation, Duration, and Amendments § 1000.148 What happens if an AFA expires before.... During this extension period, the current AFA shall remain in effect, including coverage of the Tribe...

25 CFR 1000.148 - What happens if an AFA expires before the effective date of the successor AFA?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR ANNUAL FUNDING AGREEMENTS UNDER THE TRIBAL SELF-GOVERNMENT ACT... Funding Agreements Reallocation, Duration, and Amendments § 1000.148 What happens if an AFA expires before.... During this extension period, the current AFA shall remain in effect, including coverage of the Tribe...

COMPOSITIONAL LANDSCAPE METRICS AND LANDCOVER CONNECTIVITY MEASURES FOR THE SUB-WATERSHEDS OF THE UPPER SAN PEDRO RIVER 1973

EPA Science Inventory

Various compositional landscape metrics and landcover connectivity measures for the sub-watersheds of the Upper San Pedro River. Metrics were computed using the ATtILA v3.03 ArcView extension. Inputs included the sub-watershed coverage obtained from the USDA-ARS-SWRC in Tucson, A...

Preventing Prejudice: A Guide for Counselors, Educators, and Parents, Second Edition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ponterotto, Joseph G.; Utsey, Shawn O.; Pedersen, Paul B.

2006-01-01

This second edition has been completely revised and expanded to provide the most up-to-date and extensive coverage of prejudice and racism available. The new edition of this bestselling text presents a comprehensive overview of these topics and also includes practical tools for combating prejudice development in children, adolescents, and adults.…

Ethnicity, Gender, Deprivation and Low Educational Attainment in England: Political Arithmetic, Ideological Stances and the Deficient Society

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parsons, Carl

2016-01-01

Attainment data on England's school pupils are more extensive in coverage, detail, quantity, accessibility and of higher quality than monitoring statistics routinely available in other European countries. These data facilitate investigation of low attainment in England's schools and its relationship to ethnicity, gender and poverty. This article…

Rethinking the Urban School Superintendency: Nontraditional Leaders and New Models of Leadership.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usdan, Michael D.; Cronin, Joseph M.

This paper discusses the 21st century urban school superintendency, noting new challenges for urban superintendents. Currently, schools are much larger, media coverage is extensive, racial minorities settle most often in the city, and cities cope with vast social problems. School boards have an enormous effect on the success or failure of…

The News of Inclusive Education: A Narrative Analysis.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorries, Bruce; Haller, Beth A.

This paper investigates a nationally publicized case in the debate over the best method of educating millions of children with severe disabilities. Using Fisher's narrative paradigm, the report analyzes four years of the extensive media coverage of the legal battles of Mark Hartmann's family over the education of an 11-year-old boy with autism.…

Press kit kicks off new branding.

PubMed

Rees, Tom

2004-01-01

A smartly produced press kit resulted in unprecedented news coverage when Denver's Porter Adventist Hospital recently unveiled plans for an extensive 80 million dollars redevelopment. A news conference was held to announce this plan, along with the opening of the hospital's new emergency department. The overall effort is part of the new branding strategy of the 75-year-old hospital.

Mixed Messages in Media Coverage of Bilingual Education: The Case of Atlanta, Georgia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tarasawa, Beth

2008-01-01

As the increasing number of Latino and Asian immigrants to the Atlanta area has escalated tensions over occupational, residential, and educational resources, research has begun to examine opposition to bilingual education as an extension of anti-immigrant prejudice and as a measure of perceived threat. This study uses content analysis to compare…

Informing the Public? UK Newspaper Reporting of Autism and Asperger's Syndrome

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, John W.

2009-01-01

An extensive survey of five leading UK newspapers reveals wide-ranging variation in coverage, from a tendency to rely on medical establishment sources in some to an apparently pro-choice, anti-establishment campaign in others but, generally, a neglect of the perspective of articulate autistics themselves. Based on an enhanced content analysis of…

Coupling Analysis of Heat Island Effects, Vegetation Coverage and Urban Flood in Wuhan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Y.; Liu, Q.; Fan, W.; Wang, G.

2018-04-01

In this paper, satellite image, remote sensing technique and geographic information system technique are main technical bases. Spectral and other factors comprehensive analysis and visual interpretation are main methods. We use GF-1 and Landsat8 remote sensing satellite image of Wuhan as data source, and from which we extract vegetation distribution, urban heat island relative intensity distribution map and urban flood submergence range. Based on the extracted information, through spatial analysis and regression analysis, we find correlations among heat island effect, vegetation coverage and urban flood. The results show that there is a high degree of overlap between of urban heat island and urban flood. The area of urban heat island has buildings with little vegetation cover, which may be one of the reasons for the local heavy rainstorms. Furthermore, the urban heat island has a negative correlation with vegetation coverage, and the heat island effect can be alleviated by the vegetation to a certain extent. So it is easy to understand that the new industrial zones and commercial areas which under constructions distribute in the city, these land surfaces becoming bare or have low vegetation coverage, can form new heat islands easily.

Zika virus infection, associated microcephaly, and low yellow fever vaccination coverage in Brazil: is there any causal link?

PubMed

De Góes Cavalcanti, Luciano Pamplona; Tauil, Pedro Luiz; Alencar, Carlos Henrique; Oliveira, Wanderson; Teixeira, Mauro Martins; Heukelbach, Jorg

2016-06-30

Since the end of 2014, Zika virus (ZIKV) infection has been rapidly spreading in Brazil. To analyze the possible association of yellow fever vaccine with a protective effect against ZIKV-related microcephaly, the following spatial analyses were performed, using Brazilian municipalities as units: i) yellow fever vaccination coverage in Brazilian municipalities in individuals aged 15-49; ii) reported cases of microcephaly by municipality; and iii) confirmed cases of microcephaly related to ZIKV, by municipality. SaTScan software was used to identify clusters of municipalities for high risk of microcephaly. There were seven significant high risk clusters of confirmed microcephaly cases, with four of them located in the Northeast where yellow fever vaccination rates were the lowest. The clusters harbored only 2.9% of the total population of Brazil, but 15.2% of confirmed cases of microcephaly. We hypothesize that pregnant women in regions with high yellow fever vaccination coverage may pose their offspring to lower risk for development of microcephaly. There is an urgent need for systematic studies to confirm the possible link between low yellow fever vaccination coverage, Zika virus infection and microcephaly.

Differences in spatial distributions of iron supplementation use among pregnant women and associated factors in Ethiopia: evidence from the 2011 national population based survey.

PubMed

Haile, Demewoz; Tabar, Lianna; Lakew, Yihunie

2017-01-14

Iron supplementation during pregnancy prevents against low birth weight, incidence of prematurity and postpartum hemorrhage. However, the coverage of iron supplementation is still low in Ethiopia. This study aimed to investigate the spatial variations and associated factors of iron supplementation during pregnancy using the 2011 national demographic and health survey data. This study used secondary data from the 2011 Ethiopian demographic and health survey. The survey was cross sectional and used a multistage cluster sampling procedure. A logistic regression statistical model using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to identify the associated factors. Getis-Ord G-statistic was used to identify high and low hotspot areas of iron tablet supplementation during pregnancy. The coverage of iron tablet supplementation was 17.1% [95%CI: (16.3-17.9)] with the highest coverage of 38.9% [95%CI: (32.4--46.1)] in Addis Ababa followed by Tigray regional state with 33.8% [95%CI: (29.9-38.00)]. The lowest coverage was found in Oromiya regional state at 11.9% [95%CI: (10.7-13.0)]. Multivariable analysis showed that mothers who were aware of the Community Conversation Program had 20% [AOR = 1.2; 95% CI: (1.04-1.4)] higher odds of taking iron tablets. The odds of taking iron tablets was 2.9 times [AOR = 2.9; 95% CI: (2.3-3.7)] higher among those who took deworming tablets. Those mothers who attended the minimum four antenatal visits recommended by WHO were 3.9 times [AOR = 3.9; 95% CI: (3.3-4.6)] more likely and those mothers in the age group 31-49 years were 2.9 times [AOR = 2.9; 95% CI: (1.1-7.4)] more likely to use iron tablets as compared to those mothers who did not attend antenatal care and mothers in the age group less than 20 years. Mothers having a family size of 10 and above had 32% [AOR = 0.68; 95% CI: (0.49-0.97)] lower odds of taking iron tablets during pregnancy. The spatial analysis found that only northern, central and eastern parts of Ethiopia were identified as hotspots of iron supplementation. Iron supplementation use was not equally distributed in Ethiopia, with relatively higher prevalence in Tigray, Addis Ababa and Harari regional states. Attention should be given to younger age mothers, mothers with large family size and mothers who reside in areas with low coverage of iron tablet distribution. Promotion of antenatal care services based on the WHO standard can be used as an intervention for improving iron supplementation during pregnancy.

Effective spreading from multiple leaders identified by percolation in the susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, Shenggong; Lü, Linyuan; Yeung, Chi Ho; Hu, Yanqing

2017-07-01

Social networks constitute a new platform for information propagation, but its success is crucially dependent on the choice of spreaders who initiate the spreading of information. In this paper, we remove edges in a network at random and the network segments into isolated clusters. The most important nodes in each cluster then form a set of influential spreaders, such that news propagating from them would lead to extensive coverage and minimal redundancy. The method utilizes the similarities between the segmented networks before percolation and the coverage of information propagation in each social cluster to obtain a set of distributed and coordinated spreaders. Our tests of implementing the susceptible-infected-recovered model on Facebook and Enron email networks show that this method outperforms conventional centrality-based methods in terms of spreadability and coverage redundancy. The suggested way of identifying influential spreaders thus sheds light on a new paradigm of information propagation in social networks.

Application of Tandem Two-Dimensional Mass Spectrometry for Top-Down Deep Sequencing of Calmodulin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Floris, Federico; Chiron, Lionel; Lynch, Alice M.; Barrow, Mark P.; Delsuc, Marc-André; O'Connor, Peter B.

2018-06-01

Two-dimensional mass spectrometry (2DMS) involves simultaneous acquisition of the fragmentation patterns of all the analytes in a mixture by correlating their precursor and fragment ions by modulating precursor ions systematically through a fragmentation zone. Tandem two-dimensional mass spectrometry (MS/2DMS) unites the ultra-high accuracy of Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (FT-ICR) MS/MS and the simultaneous data-independent fragmentation of 2DMS to achieve extensive inter-residue fragmentation of entire proteins. 2DMS was recently developed for top-down proteomics (TDP), and applied to the analysis of calmodulin (CaM), reporting a cleavage coverage of about 23% using infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) as fragmentation technique. The goal of this work is to expand the utility of top-down protein analysis using MS/2DMS in order to extend the cleavage coverage in top-down proteomics further into the interior regions of the protein. In this case, using MS/2DMS, the cleavage coverage of CaM increased from 23% to 42%.

A methodology for extending domain coverage in SemRep.

PubMed

Rosemblat, Graciela; Shin, Dongwook; Kilicoglu, Halil; Sneiderman, Charles; Rindflesch, Thomas C

2013-12-01

We describe a domain-independent methodology to extend SemRep coverage beyond the biomedical domain. SemRep, a natural language processing application originally designed for biomedical texts, uses the knowledge sources provided by the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS©). Ontological and terminological extensions to the system are needed in order to support other areas of knowledge. We extended SemRep's application by developing a semantic representation of a previously unsupported domain. This was achieved by adapting well-known ontology engineering phases and integrating them with the UMLS knowledge sources on which SemRep crucially depends. While the process to extend SemRep coverage has been successfully applied in earlier projects, this paper presents in detail the step-wise approach we followed and the mechanisms implemented. A case study in the field of medical informatics illustrates how the ontology engineering phases have been adapted for optimal integration with the UMLS. We provide qualitative and quantitative results, which indicate the validity and usefulness of our methodology. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Applications of Skylab EREP photographs to mapping landforms and environmental geomorphology in the Great Plains and Midwest

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morrison, R. B.; Lineback, J. A.; Fuller, H. K.; Rinkenberger, R. K.

1975-01-01

The following evaluations of Skylab photographs were undertaken: (1) the 1290 Skylab S190A and S190B photographs of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota were evaluated in detail in terms of coverage, cloud cover, photographic quality, endlap, detectability of roads and stereorelief, and utility for geomorphologic mapping, and (2) the utility of the Skylab photos were tested for interpretive analytic mapping of geomorphologic features over large areas representative of different parts of this region. Photointerpretative maps of analytic geomorphology were obtained for various test areas representative of the varied landscapes in the region. These maps are useful for regional land-use planning, ground-water exploration, and other environmental geomorphologic-geologic applications. Compared with LANDSAT-1 MSS images, Skylab photos afford almost as extensive overviews of large areas but in considerably greater detail, and for many SL photos, moderate stereorelief. However, repetitive multiseasonal, cloud-free coverage by high-quality photos is very limited and many areas have no coverage at all.

New horizons for the national high-altitude photography program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bermel, Peter F.

1983-01-01

The National High-Altitude Photography Program (NHAP) is a multi-Federal agency activity to acquire uniform imagery for the establishment of a national high-altitude photographic data base. Federal agencies participating in NHAP have pooled their resources and consolidated photographic requirements in a systematic 6-year effort that will minimize duplication of photographic programs, reduce overall Federal expenditures for aerial photography, and provide imagery for a wide range of public and private users, The U.S. Geological Survey has the lead coordination role and shares, with the other participating agencies, the responsibility for funding the acquisition of photography. Since the inception of NHAP in 1980, black-and-white and color infrared stereoscopic imagery has been acquired for about 50% of the 3,000,000 square miles in the conterminous United States. An additional 40% of the 48-State area is under contract to provide aerial survey firms, and the sixth and final contract to achieve complete once-over coverage will be awarded early in 1985. Extensive use has been made of the newly established data base for mapping, landform studies, land use planning, natural resource inventory, evaluation and management, engineering, and education. In anticipation of the completion of once-over coverage, the participating agencies have begun studies to define the requirements for a maintenance program which would provide cyclic coverage of the conterminous United States and imagery for specific agency needs. Although continued funding at the same level is not assured, under consideration are requirements for new cameras, films, and other remote sensors, photographic parameters, and extension of program coverage to Alaska, Hawaii, and outlying areas. In addition, new applications of the data base to prepare cartographic map and data products are being investigated. It is becoming increasingly clear that some major decision needs to be made soon if a NHAP II is to begin in 1986.

On parts and holes: the spatial structure of the human body.

PubMed

Donnelly, Maureen

2004-01-01

Spatial representation and reasoning is a central component of medical informatics. The spatial concepts most often used in medicine are not the quantitative, point-based concepts of classical geometry, but rather qualitative relations among extended objects such as body parts. A mereotopology is a formal theory of qualitative spatial relations, such as parthood and connection. This paper considers how an extension of mereotopology which includes also location relations can be used to represent and reason about the spatial structure of the human body.

Influence of Landscape Coverage on Measuring Spatial and Length Properties of Rock Fracture Networks: Insights from Numerical Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Wenzhuo; Lei, Qinghua

2018-01-01

Natural fractures are ubiquitous in the Earth's crust and often deeply buried in the subsurface. Due to the difficulty in accessing to their three-dimensional structures, the study of fracture network geometry is usually achieved by sampling two-dimensional (2D) exposures at the Earth's surface through outcrop mapping or aerial photograph techniques. However, the measurement results can be considerably affected by the coverage of forests and other plant species over the exposed fracture patterns. We quantitatively study such effects using numerical simulation. We consider the scenario of nominally isotropic natural fracture systems and represent them using 2D discrete fracture network models governed by fractal and length scaling parameters. The groundcover is modelled as random patches superimposing onto the 2D fracture patterns. The effects of localisation and total coverage of landscape patches are further investigated. The fractal dimension and length exponent of the covered fracture networks are measured and compared with those of the original non-covered patterns. The results show that the measured length exponent increases with the reduced localisation and increased coverage of landscape patches, which is more evident for networks dominated by very large fractures (i.e. small underlying length exponent). However, the landscape coverage seems to have a minor impact on the fractal dimension measurement. The research findings of this paper have important implications for field survey and statistical analysis of geological systems.

Spatial patterning of fuels and fire hazard across a central U.S. deciduous forest region

Treesearch

Michael C. Stambaugh; Daniel C. Dey; Richard P. Guyette; Hong S. He; Joseph M. Marschall

2011-01-01

Information describing spatial and temporal variability of forest fuel conditions is essential to assessing overall fire hazard and risk. Limited information exists describing spatial characteristics of fuels in the eastern deciduous forest region, particularly in dry oak-dominated regions that historically burned relatively frequently. From an extensive fuels survey...

An online planetary exploration tool: ;Country Movers;

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gede, Mátyás; Hargitai, Henrik

2017-08-01

Results in astrogeologic investigations are rarely communicated towards the general public by maps despite the new advances in planetary spatial informatics and new spatial datasets in high resolution and more complete coverage. Planetary maps are typically produced by astrogeologists for other professionals, and not by cartographers for the general public. We report on an application designed for students, which uses cartography as framework to aid the virtual exploration of other planets and moons, using the concepts of size comparison and travel time calculation. We also describe educational activities that build on geographic knowledge and expand it to planetary surfaces.

Low photon-count tip-tilt sensor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saathof, Rudolf; Schitter, Georg

2016-07-01

Due to the low photon-count of dark areas of the universe, signal strength of tip-tilt sensor is low, limiting sky-coverage of reliable tip-tilt measurements. This paper presents the low photon-count tip-tilt (LPC-TT) sensor, which potentially achieves improved signal strength. Its optical design spatially samples and integrates the scene. This increases the probability that several individual sources coincide on a detector segment. Laboratory experiments show feasibility of spatial sampling and integration and the ability to measure tilt angles. By simulation an improvement of the SNR of 10 dB compared to conventional tip-tilt sensors is shown.

Analysis of 13 million individual patient records pertaining to Pap smears, colposcopies, biopsies and surgery on the uterine cervix (Belgium, 1996-2000).

PubMed

Arbyn, Marc; Simoens, Cindy; Van Oyen, Herman; Foidart, Jean-Michel; Goffin, Frédéric; Simon, Philippe; Fabri, Valérie

2009-05-01

Cervical cancer screening by surveys overestimate coverage because of selection and reporting biases. The prepared Inter-Mutualistic Agency dataset has about 13 million records from Pap smears, colposcopies, cervical biopsies and surgery, performed in Belgium between 1996 and 2000. Cervical cancer screening coverage was defined as the proportion of the target population (women of 25-64 years) that has had a Pap smear taken within the last 3 years. Proportions and incidence rates were computed using official population data of the corresponding age group, area and calendar year. Cervical cancer screening coverage, in the period 1998-2000, was 59% at national level, for the target age group 25-64 years. Differences were small between the 3 regions. Variation ranged from 39% to 71%. Coverage was 64% for 25-29 year old women, 67% for those aged 30-39 years, 56% for those aged 50-54. The modal screening interval was 1 year. In the 3-year period 1998-2000, 3 million smears were taken from the 2.7 million women in the age group 25-64. Only 1.6 million women of the target group got one or more smears in that period and 1.1 million women had no smears, corresponding to an average of 1.88 smears per woman. Coverage reached only 59%, but the number of smears used was sufficient to cover more than 100% of the target population. Structural reduction of overuse and extension of coverage is warranted.

Trends of improved water and sanitation coverage around the globe between 1990 and 2010: inequality among countries and performance of official development assistance

PubMed Central

Cha, Seungman; Mankadi, Paul Mansiangi; Elhag, Mousab Siddig; Lee, Yongjoo; Jin, Yan

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Background: As the Millennium Development Goals ended, and were replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals, efforts have been made to evaluate the achievements and performance of official development assistance (ODA) in the health sector. In this study, we explore trends in the expansion of water and sanitation coverage in developing countries and the performance of ODA. Design: We explored inequality across developing countries by income level, and investigated how ODA for water and sanitation was committed by country, region, and income level. Changes in inequality were tested via slope changes by investigating the interaction of year and income level with a likelihood ratio test. A random effects model was applied according to the results of the Hausman test. Results: The slope of the linear trend between economic level and sanitation coverage has declined over time. However, a random effects model suggested that the change in slope across years was not significant (e.g. for the slope change between 2000 and 2010: likelihood ratio χ2 = 2.49, probability > χ2 = 0.1146). A similar pro-rich pattern across developing countries and a non-significant change in the slope associated with different economic levels were demonstrated for water coverage. Our analysis shows that the inequality of water and sanitation coverage among countries across the world has not been addressed effectively during the past decade. Our findings demonstrate that the countries with the least coverage persistently received far less ODA per capita than did countries with much more extensive water and sanitation coverage, suggesting that ODA for water and sanitation is poorly targeted. Conclusion: The most deprived countries should receive more attention for water and sanitation improvements from the world health community. A strong political commitment to ODA targeting the countries with the least coverage is needed at the global level. PMID:28604256

An efficient 3D R-tree spatial index method for virtual geographic environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Qing; Gong, Jun; Zhang, Yeting

A three-dimensional (3D) spatial index is required for real time applications of integrated organization and management in virtual geographic environments of above ground, underground, indoor and outdoor objects. Being one of the most promising methods, the R-tree spatial index has been paid increasing attention in 3D geospatial database management. Since the existing R-tree methods are usually limited by their weakness of low efficiency, due to the critical overlap of sibling nodes and the uneven size of nodes, this paper introduces the k-means clustering method and employs the 3D overlap volume, 3D coverage volume and the minimum bounding box shape value of nodes as the integrative grouping criteria. A new spatial cluster grouping algorithm and R-tree insertion algorithm is then proposed. Experimental analysis on comparative performance of spatial indexing shows that by the new method the overlap of R-tree sibling nodes is minimized drastically and a balance in the volumes of the nodes is maintained.

Combined Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 Burned Area Mapping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, H.; Roy, D. P.; Zhang, H.; Boschetti, L.; Yan, L.; Li, Z.

2017-12-01

Fire products derived from coarse spatial resolution satellite data have become an important source of information for the multiple user communities involved in fire science and applications. The advent of the MODIS on NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites enabled systematic production of 500m global burned area maps. There is, however, an unequivocal demand for systematically generated higher spatial resolution burned area products, in particular to examine the role of small-fires for various applications. Moderate spatial resolution contemporaneous satellite data from Landsat-8 and the Sentinel-2A and -2B sensors provide the opportunity for detailed spatial mapping of burned areas. Combined, these polar-orbiting systems provide 10m to 30m multi-spectral global coverage more than once every three days. This NASA funded research presents results to prototype a combined Landsat-8 Sentinel-2 burned area product. The Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 pre-processing, the time-series burned area mapping algorithm, and preliminary results and validation using high spatial resolution commercial satellite data over Africa are presented.

Gardening in the desert: a spatial optimization approach to locating gardens in rapidly expanding urban environments.

PubMed

Mack, Elizabeth A; Tong, Daoqin; Credit, Kevin

2017-10-16

Food access is a global issue, and for this reason, a wealth of studies are dedicated to understanding the location of food deserts and the benefits of urban gardens. However, few studies have linked these two strands of research together to analyze whether urban gardening activity may be a step forward in addressing issues of access for food desert residents. The Phoenix, Arizona metropolitan area is used as a case to demonstrate the utility of spatial optimization models for siting urban gardens near food deserts and on vacant land. The locations of urban gardens are derived from a list obtained from the Maricopa County Cooperative Extension office at the University of Arizona which were geo located and aggregated to Census tracts. Census tracts were then assigned to one of three categories: tracts that contain a garden, tracts that are immediately adjacent to a tract with a garden, and all other non-garden/non-adjacent census tracts. Analysis of variance is first used to ascertain whether there are statistical differences in the demographic, socio-economic, and land use profiles of these three categories of tracts. A maximal covering spatial optimization model is then used to identify potential locations for future gardening activities. A constraint of these models is that gardens be located on vacant land, which is a growing problem in rapidly urbanizing environments worldwide. The spatial analysis of garden locations reveals that they are centrally located in tracts with good food access. Thus, the current distribution of gardens does not provide an alternative food source to occupants of food deserts. The maximal covering spatial optimization model reveals that gardens could be sited in alternative locations to better serve food desert residents. In fact, 53 gardens may be located to cover 96.4% of all food deserts. This is an improvement over the current distribution of gardens where 68 active garden sites provide coverage to a scant 8.4% of food desert residents. People in rapidly urbanizing environments around the globe suffer from poor food access. Rapid rates of urbanization also present an unused vacant land problem in cities around the globe. This paper highlights how spatial optimization models can be used to improve healthy food access for food desert residents, which is a critical first step in ameliorating the health problems associated with lack of healthy food access including heart disease and obesity.

TES/Aura L2 Ammonia (NH3) Nadir V6 (TL2NH3N)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-01-18

TES/Aura L2 Ammonia (NH3) Nadir (TL2NH3N) News:  TES News ... Level:  L2 Instrument:  TES/Aura L2 Ammonia Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir ... Contact User Services Parameters:  Ammonia Legacy:  Retired data product , click here for ...

TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Nadir V6 (TL2O3NS)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-01-22

TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Nadir (TL2O3NS) News:  TES News Join ... Project Title:  TES Discipline:  Tropospheric Composition Version:  V6 Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Ozone Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir ...

TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Nadir V6 (TL2O3N)

Atmospheric Science Data Center

2018-01-18

TES/Aura L2 Ozone (O3) Nadir (TL2O3N) News:  TES News Join ... Project Title:  TES Discipline:  Tropospheric Composition Version:  V6 Level:  L2 Platform:  TES/Aura L2 Ozone Spatial Coverage:  5.3 x 8.5 km nadir ...

Integrating real-time and manual monitored data to predict hillslope soil moisture dynamics with high spatio-temporal resolution using linear and non-linear models

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Spatio-temporal variability of soil moisture (') is a challenge that remains to be better understood. A trade-off exists between spatial coverage and temporal resolution when using the manual and real-time ' monitoring methods. This restricted the comprehensive and intensive examination of ' dynamic...

Using Landsat-derived disturbance history (1972-2010) to predict current forest structure

Treesearch

Dirk Pflugmacher; Warren B. Cohen; Robert E. Kennedy

2012-01-01

Lidar is currently the most accurate method for remote estimation of forest structure, but it has limited spatial and temporal coverage. Conversely, Landsat data are more widely available, but exhibit a weaker relationship with structure under medium to high leaf area conditions. One potentially valuable means of enhancing the relationship between Landsat reflectance...

Land status and federal mineral ownership in the Powder River basin, Wyoming and Montana; a digital data set for geographic information systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Biewick, Laura; Urbanowski, Shayne R.; Cain, Sheila; Neasloney, Larry

1998-01-01

As the Nation's energy resources continue to be examined for development, it is critical that a digital database exist that contains location data for all Federal land and mineral resources. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), is collecting these ownership files and compiling them in Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) ARC/INFO coverages, to form a standardized data library. A coverage is a digital version of a map in the form of vector data storage. These coverages are combined with models of coal deposits from the USGS National Coal Resource Assessment project, a five-year effort to identify and characterize the coal beds and coal zones that will provide fuel for the Nation’s energy needs during the first quarter of the twenty-first century. Geographic and geologic data layers are integrated in a Geographic Information System (GIS) to answer complex geo-spatial questions concerning coal resource occurrence.

Evaluating Different Dimensions of Programme Effectiveness for Private Medicine Retailer Malaria Control Interventions in Kenya

PubMed Central

Abuya, Timothy O.; Fegan, Greg; Amin, Abdinasir A.; Akhwale, Willis S.; Noor, Abdisalan M.; Snow, Robert W.; Marsh, Vicki

2010-01-01

Background Private medicine retailers (PMRs) are key partners in the home management of fevers in many settings. Current evidence on effectiveness for PMR interventions at scale is limited. This study presents evaluation findings of two different programs implemented at moderate scale targeting PMRs for malaria control in the Kisii and Kwale districts of Kenya. Key components of this evaluation were measurement of program performance, including coverage, PMR knowledge, practices, and utilization based on spatial analysis. Methodology/Principal Findings The study utilized mixed quantitative methods including retail audits and surrogate client surveys based on post-intervention cross-sectional surveys in intervention and control areas and mapping of intervention outlets. There was a large and significant impact on PMR knowledge and practices of the program in Kisii, with 60.5% of trained PMRs selling amodiaquine medicines in adequate doses compared to 2.8% of untrained ones (OR; 53.5: 95% CI 6.7, 428.3), a program coverage of 69.7% targeted outlets, and a potential utilization of about 30,000 children under five. The evaluation in Kwale also indicates a significant impact with 18.8% and 2.3% intervention and control PMRs selling amodiaquine with correct advice, respectively (OR; 9.4: 95% CI 1.1, 83.7), a program coverage of 25.3% targeted outlets, and a potential utilization of about 48,000 children under five. A provisional benchmark of 7.5 km was a reasonable threshold distance for households to access PMR services. Conclusions/Significance This evaluation show that PMR interventions operationalized in the district level settings are likely to impact PMR knowledge and practices and lead to increased coverage of appropriate treatment to target populations. There is value of evaluating different dimensions of public health programs, including quality, spatial access, and implementation practice. This approach strengthens the potential contribution of pragmatic study designs to evaluating public health programs in the real world. PMID:20126620

Existing and potential infection risk zones of yellow fever worldwide: a modelling analysis.

PubMed

Shearer, Freya M; Longbottom, Joshua; Browne, Annie J; Pigott, David M; Brady, Oliver J; Kraemer, Moritz U G; Marinho, Fatima; Yactayo, Sergio; de Araújo, Valdelaine E M; da Nóbrega, Aglaêr A; Fullman, Nancy; Ray, Sarah E; Mosser, Jonathan F; Stanaway, Jeffrey D; Lim, Stephen S; Reiner, Robert C; Moyes, Catherine L; Hay, Simon I; Golding, Nick

2018-03-01

Yellow fever cases are under-reported and the exact distribution of the disease is unknown. An effective vaccine is available but more information is needed about which populations within risk zones should be targeted to implement interventions. Substantial outbreaks of yellow fever in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Brazil, coupled with the global expansion of the range of its main urban vector, Aedes aegypti, suggest that yellow fever has the propensity to spread further internationally. The aim of this study was to estimate the disease's contemporary distribution and potential for spread into new areas to help inform optimal control and prevention strategies. We assembled 1155 geographical records of yellow fever virus infection in people from 1970 to 2016. We used a Poisson point process boosted regression tree model that explicitly incorporated environmental and biological explanatory covariates, vaccination coverage, and spatial variability in disease reporting rates to predict the relative risk of apparent yellow fever virus infection at a 5 × 5 km resolution across all risk zones (47 countries across the Americas and Africa). We also used the fitted model to predict the receptivity of areas outside at-risk zones to the introduction or reintroduction of yellow fever transmission. By use of previously published estimates of annual national case numbers, we used the model to map subnational variation in incidence of yellow fever across at-risk countries and to estimate the number of cases averted by vaccination worldwide. Substantial international and subnational spatial variation exists in relative risk and incidence of yellow fever as well as varied success of vaccination in reducing incidence in several high-risk regions, including Brazil, Cameroon, and Togo. Areas with the highest predicted average annual case numbers include large parts of Nigeria, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and South Sudan, where vaccination coverage in 2016 was estimated to be substantially less than the recommended threshold to prevent outbreaks. Overall, we estimated that vaccination coverage levels achieved by 2016 avert between 94 336 and 118 500 cases of yellow fever annually within risk zones, on the basis of conservative and optimistic vaccination scenarios. The areas outside at-risk regions with predicted high receptivity to yellow fever transmission (eg, parts of Malaysia, Indonesia, and Thailand) were less extensive than the distribution of the main urban vector, A aegypti, with low receptivity to yellow fever transmission in southern China, where A aegypti is known to occur. Our results provide the evidence base for targeting vaccination campaigns within risk zones, as well as emphasising their high effectiveness. Our study highlights areas where public health authorities should be most vigilant for potential spread or importation events. Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

The Expected Performance from the NASA OCO-2 Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crisp, D.; Eldering, A.; Gunson, M. R.; Pollock, H.

2013-12-01

The NASA Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 (OCO-2) will be launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on a Delta-II 7320 launch vehicle as early as 1 July 2014. Once deployed in the 705-km Afternoon Constellation (A-Train), it will collect the measurements needed to estimate the column-averaged, atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) dry air mole fraction (XCO2) with improved precision, resolution, and coverage. The OCO-2 spacecraft carries and points a 3-channel, imaging, grating spectrometer that collects high resolution spectra of reflected sunlight in the 765 nm O2 A-band and in the CO2 bands centered near 1610 and 2060 nm. These spectral ranges overlap those used by the Japanese Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT) TANSO-FTS, the current standard in space-based XCO2 measurements. The OCO-2 instrument performance was extensively characterized during pre-launch testing, facilitating comparisons with the TANSO-FTS. OCO-2 has slightly lower spectral resolution, but the far wings of its instrument line shape functions decay more rapidly, such that it yields similar spectral contrast within O2 and CO2 bands. The instruments have similar continuum signal to noise ratios (SNR) for bright scenes, but the OCO-2 instrument has higher SNR at low light levels associated with absorption lines or dark surfaces. The OCO-2 spectrometers will collect 24 soundings per second, yielding up to a million soundings per day over the sunlit hemisphere. For routine operations, the OCO-2 instrument boresight will be pointed at the local nadir or at the 'glint spot,' where sunlight is specularly reflected from the surface. Nadir observations provide the best spatial resolution and are expected to yield more cloud-free soundings. Glint observations will have much better SNR over dark, ocean surfaces. The nominal plan is to alternate between glint and nadir observations on successive 16-day ground-track repeat cycles, so that the entire sunlit hemisphere is sampled in both modes at 32-day intervals. The instrument's rapid sampling, small (< 3 km2) sounding footprint, and high SNR, combined with the spacecraft's ability to point the instrument's aperture toward the glint spot over the entire sunlit hemisphere, are expected to provide more complete coverage of the ocean, cloudy regions, and high latitude continents. While the OCO-2 measurement capabilities provide opportunities to improve the XCO2 precision, resolution, and coverage, they also pose some formidable challenges for calibration, retrieval, and validation. To fully exploit this instrument's capabilities, the 24,000 spectral/spatial channels must be cross-calibrated to within a fraction of 1%. Substantial increases in algorithm speed and more efficient data screening techniques are needed to fully utilize the much larger data volume. Finally, a comprehensive validation program will be needed to ensure the accuracy of the retrieved XCO2 estimates. This presentation will summarize the OCO-2 measurement capabilities and observation strategies, and the methods adopted to address these challenges.

Examining the impact of larval source management and insecticide-treated nets using a spatial agent-based model of Anopheles gambiae and a landscape generator tool

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Agent-based models (ABMs) have been used to estimate the effects of malaria-control interventions. Early studies have shown the efficacy of larval source management (LSM) and insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) as vector-control interventions, applied both in isolation and in combination. However, the robustness of results can be affected by several important modelling assumptions, including the type of boundary used for landscapes, and the number of replicated simulation runs reported in results. Selection of the ITN coverage definition may also affect the predictive findings. Hence, by replication, independent verification of prior findings of published models bears special importance. Methods A spatially-explicit entomological ABM of Anopheles gambiae is used to simulate the resource-seeking process of mosquitoes in grid-based landscapes. To explore LSM and replicate results of an earlier LSM study, the original landscapes and scenarios are replicated by using a landscape generator tool, and 1,800 replicated simulations are run using absorbing and non-absorbing boundaries. To explore ITNs and evaluate the relative impacts of the different ITN coverage schemes, the settings of an earlier ITN study are replicated, the coverage schemes are defined and simulated, and 9,000 replicated simulations for three ITN parameters (coverage, repellence and mortality) are run. To evaluate LSM and ITNs in combination, landscapes with varying densities of houses and human populations are generated, and 12,000 simulations are run. Results General agreement with an earlier LSM study is observed when an absorbing boundary is used. However, using a non-absorbing boundary produces significantly different results, which may be attributed to the unrealistic killing effect of an absorbing boundary. Abundance cannot be completely suppressed by removing aquatic habitats within 300 m of houses. Also, with density-dependent oviposition, removal of insufficient number of aquatic habitats may prove counter-productive. The importance of performing large number of simulation runs is also demonstrated. For ITNs, the choice of coverage scheme has important implications, and too high repellence yields detrimental effects. When LSM and ITNs are applied in combination, ITNs’ mortality can play more important roles with higher densities of houses. With partial mortality, increasing ITN coverage is more effective than increasing LSM coverage, and integrating both interventions yields more synergy as the densities of houses increase. Conclusions Using a non-absorbing boundary and reporting average results from sufficiently large number of simulation runs are strongly recommended for malaria ABMs. Several guidelines (code and data sharing, relevant documentation, and standardized models) for future modellers are also recommended. PMID:23965136

Coverage of Jade Goody's cervical cancer in UK newspapers: a missed opportunity for health promotion?

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background It has been claimed that publicity surrounding popular celebrity Jade Goody's experience of cervical cancer will raise awareness about the disease. This study examines the content of newspaper articles covering her illness to consider whether 'mobilising information' which could encourage women to adopt risk-reducing and health promoting behaviours has been included. Methods Content analysis of 15 national newspapers published between August 2008 and April 2009 Findings In the extensive coverage of Goody's illness (527 articles in the 7 months of study) few newspaper articles included information that might make women more aware of the signs and symptoms or risk factors for the disease, or discussed the role of the human papilloma virus (HPV) and the recently introduced HPV vaccination programme to reduce the future incidence of cervical cancer. For example, less than 5% of articles mentioned well-known risk-factors for cervical cancer and less than 8% gave any information about HPV. The 'human interest' aspects of Goody's illness (her treatment, the spread of her disease in later months, her wedding, and her preparations for her children's future) were more extensively covered. Conclusions Newspaper coverage of Goody's illness has tended not to include factual or educational information that could mobilise or inform women, or help them to recognise early symptoms. However, the focus on personal tragedy may encourage women to be receptive to HPV vaccination or screening if her story acts as a reminder that cervical cancer can be a devastating and fatal disease in the longer term. PMID:20576115

Optical spectra of 73 stripped-envelope core-collapse supernovae

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

Modjaz, M.; Bianco, F. B.; Liu, Y. Q.

2014-05-01

We present 645 optical spectra of 73 supernovae (SNe) of Types IIb, Ib, Ic, and broad-lined Ic. All of these types are attributed to the core collapse of massive stars, with varying degrees of intact H and He envelopes before explosion. The SNe in our sample have a mean redshift (cz) = 4200 km s{sup –1}. Most of these spectra were gathered at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) between 2004 and 2009. For 53 SNe, these are the first published spectra. The data coverage ranges from mere identification (1-3 spectra) for a few SNe to extensive series of observationsmore » (10-30 spectra) that trace the spectral evolution for others, with an average of 9 spectra per SN. For 44 SNe of the 73 SNe presented here, we have well-determined dates of maximum light to determine the phase of each spectrum. Our sample constitutes the most extensive spectral library of stripped-envelope SNe to date. We provide very early coverage (as early as 30 days before V-band max) for photospheric spectra, as well as late-time nebular coverage when the innermost regions of the SN are visible (as late as 2 yr after explosion, while for SN 1993J, we have data as late as 11.6 yr). This data set has homogeneous observations and reductions that allow us to study the spectroscopic diversity of these classes of stripped SNe and to compare these to SNe-gamma-ray bursts. We undertake these matters in follow-up papers.« less

Narrativity and the mediation of health reform agendas.

PubMed

Hodgetts, Darrin; Chamberlain, Kerry

2003-09-01

Over the last two decades the repositioning of state-funded health systems and the increased use of private services have been the focus of extensive public debate. This paper explores the ways in which media coverage of healthcare reform is made sense of by lower socio-economic status (SES) audiences. We presented television documentaries to participants and analysed their accounts from focus group discussions following the viewing. We explore these discussions as shared social spaces within which participants work through the dilemmas posed by the reforms. In exploring reception as a storytelling process, we link audience and lay beliefs research and investigate how aspects of television coverage are appropriated by viewers to make sense of the causes and implications of healthcare reform.

The role of insurance in the achievement of universal coverage within a developing country context: South Africa as a case study.

PubMed

van den Heever, Alex M

2012-01-01

Achieving universal coverage as an objective needs to confront the reality of multiple mechanisms, with healthcare financing and provision occurring in both public and private settings. South Africa has both large and mature public and private health systems offering useful insights into how they can be effectively harmonized to optimise coverage. Private healthcare in South Africa has also gone through many phases and regulatory regimes which, through careful review, can help identify potential policy frameworks that can optimise their ability to deepen coverage in a manner that complements the basic coverage of public arrangements. Using South Africa as a case study, this review examines whether private health systems are susceptible to regulation and therefore able to support an extension and deepening of coverage when complementing a pre-existing publicly funded and delivered health system? The approach involves a review of different stages in the development of the South African private health system and its response to policy changes. The focus is on the time-bound characteristics of the health system and associated policy responses and opportunities. A distinction is consequently made between the early, largely unregulated, phases of development and more mature phases with alternative regulatory regimes. The private health system in South Africa has played an important supplementary role in achieving universal coverage throughout its history, but more especially in the post-Apartheid period. However, the quality of this role has been erratic, influenced predominantly by policy vacillation.The private system expanded rapidly during the 1980s mainly due to the pre-existence of a mature health insurance system and a weakening public hospital system which could accommodate and facilitate an increased demand for private hospital services. This growth served to expand commercial interest in health insurance, in the form of regulated medical schemes, which until this point took the form of non-commercial occupational (employer-based) schemes. During the 1980s government acquiesced to industry lobbies arguing for the deregulation of health insurance from 1989, with an extreme deregulation occurring in 1994, evidently in anticipation of the change of government associated with the democratic dispensation. Dramatic unintended consequences followed, with substantial increases in provider and funder costs coinciding with uncontrolled discrimination against poor health risks.Against significant industry opposition, including legal challenges, partial re-regulation took effect from 2000 which removed the discretion of schemes to discriminate against poor health risks. This included: the implementation of a strong regulator of health insurance; the establishment of one allowable vehicle able to provide health insurance; open enrolment, whereby schemes could not refuse membership applications; mandatory minimum benefit requirements; and a prohibition on setting contributions or premiums on the basis of health status. After a two-year lag, dramatically reduced cost trends and contributions became evident. Aside from generally tighter regulation across a range of fronts, this appears related to the need for schemes to compete more on the basis of healthcare provider costs than demographic risk profiles. Despite an incomplete reform improved equitable coverage and cost-containment was nevertheless achieved.A more complete regulatory regime is consequently likely to deepen coverage by: further stabilising and even decreasing costs; enhanced risk pooling; and access for low income groups. This would occur if South Africa: improved the quality of free public services, thereby creating competitive constraints for medical schemes; introduced risk-equalisation, increasing the pressure on schemes to compete on the cost and quality of coverage rather than their risk profile; and through the establishment of improved price regulation. The objective of universal coverage can be seen in two dimensions, horizontal extension and vertical deepening. Private systems play an important role in deepening coverage by mobilising revenue from income earners for health services over-and-above the horizontal extension role of public systems and related subsidies. South Africa provides an example of how this natural deepening occurs whether regulated or unregulated. It also demonstrates how poor regulation of mature private systems can severely undermine this role and diminish achievements below attainable levels of social protection. The mature South African system has demonstrated its sensitivity to regulatory design and responds rapidly to changes both positive and negative. When measures to enhance risk pooling are introduced, coverage is expanded and becomes increasingly fair and sustainable. When removed, however, the system becomes less stable and fair as costs rise and people with poor health status are systematically excluded from cover. This susceptibility to regulation therefore presents an opportunity to policymakers to achieve social protection objectives through the strategic management of markets rather than exclusively through less responsive systems based on tax-funded direct provision. This is especially relevant as private markets for healthcare are inevitable, with policy discretion reduced to a choice between functional or dysfunctional regimes.