Report on DIMACS Working Group Meeting: Mathematical Sciences Methods for the Study of Deliberate Releases of Biological Agents and their Consequences

55 pages, 1 article*Report on DIMACS Working Group Meeting: Mathematical Sciences Methods for the Study of Deliberate Releases of Biological Agents and their Consequences* (Castillo-Chavez, Carlos; Roberts, Fred S.) 55 page

Early Detection of Bark Beetle Attack Using Remote Sensing and Machine Learning: A Review

Bark beetle outbreaks can result in a devastating impact on forest ecosystem processes, biodiversity, forest structure and function, and economies. Accurate and timely detection of bark beetle infestations is crucial to mitigate further damage, develop proactive forest management activities, and minimize economic losses. Incorporating remote sensing (RS) data with machine learning (ML) (or deep learning (DL)) can provide a great alternative to the current approaches that rely on aerial surveys and field surveys, which are impractical over vast geographical regions. This paper provides a comprehensive review of past and current advances in the early detection of bark beetle-induced tree mortality from three key perspectives: bark beetle & host interactions, RS, and ML/DL. We parse recent literature according to bark beetle species & attack phases, host trees, study regions, imagery platforms & sensors, spectral/spatial/temporal resolutions, spectral signatures, spectral vegetation indices (SVIs), ML approaches, learning schemes, task categories, models, algorithms, classes/clusters, features, and DL networks & architectures. This review focuses on challenging early detection, discussing current challenges and potential solutions. Our literature survey suggests that the performance of current ML methods is limited (less than 80%) and depends on various factors, including imagery sensors & resolutions, acquisition dates, and employed features & algorithms/networks. A more promising result from DL networks and then the random forest (RF) algorithm highlighted the potential to detect subtle changes in visible, thermal, and short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectral regions.Comment: Under review, 33 pages, 5 figures, 8 Table

Bioaerosol emissions during organic waste treatment for biopolymer production: A case study

Environmentally sustainable methods of waste disposal are a strategic priority. For organic waste management and innovative biological treatments present advantageous opportunities, although organic waste treatment also includes environmental drawbacks, such as bioaerosol pro-duction. This study aims to evaluate bioaerosol spread during an innovative experimental treatment. The process consists of two anaerobic steps: acidogenesis, which includes polyhydroxyalkanoate accumulation, followed by methanogenesis. Bioaerosol, PM10, and endotoxin concentrations were measured at three sampling points during different campaigns to evaluate: (1) the background levels, (2) the contamination produced in the pre-treatment stage, and (3) the residual contamination of the outgoing digested sludge. Environmental PM10 seemed to be generally quite contained, while the endotoxin determination was close to 90 EU/m3. Significant microbial concentrations were detected during the loading of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (fungi > 1300 CFU/m3, Bacillus genus (≈103 CFU/m3), higher Clostridium spp. and opportunistic human pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae), suggesting a significant contamination level. Such results are useful for hazard identification in the risk assessment of innovative processes, as they reveal contaminants potentially harmful to both workers’ health and the environment

Air Force Institute of Technology Research Report 2003

This report summarizes the research activities of the Air Force Institute of Technology’s Graduate School of Engineering and Management. It describes research interests and faculty expertise; lists student theses/dissertations; identifies research sponsors and contributions; and outlines the procedures for contacting the school. Included in the report are: faculty publications, conference presentations, consultations, and funded research projects. Research was conducted in the areas of Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering, Electrical Engineering and Electro-Optics, Computer Engineering and Computer Science, Systems and Engineering Management, Operational Sciences, and Engineering Physics