Basin scale assessment of landslides geomorphological setting by advanced InSAR analysis

An extensive investigation of more than 90 landslides affecting a small river basin in Central Italy was performed by combining field surveys and remote sensing techniques. We thus defined the geomorphological setting of slope instability processes. Basic information, such as landslides mapping and landslides type definition, have been acquired thanks to geomorphological field investigations and multi-temporal aerial photos interpretation, while satellite SAR archive data (acquired by ERS and Envisat from 1992 to 2010) have been analyzed by means of A-DInSAR (Advanced Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) techniques to evaluate landslides past displacements patterns. Multi-temporal assessment of landslides state of activity has been performed basing on geomorphological evidence criteria and past ground displacement measurements obtained by A-DInSAR. This step has been performed by means of an activity matrix derived from information achieved thanks to double orbital geometry. Thanks to this approach we also achieved more detailed knowledge about the landslides kinematics in time and space

CHORUS Deliverable 2.2: Second report - identification of multi-disciplinary key issues for gap analysis toward EU multimedia search engines roadmap

After addressing the state-of-the-art during the first year of Chorus and establishing the existing landscape in multimedia search engines, we have identified and analyzed gaps within European research effort during our second year. In this period we focused on three directions, notably technological issues, user-centred issues and use-cases and socio- economic and legal aspects. These were assessed by two central studies: firstly, a concerted vision of functional breakdown of generic multimedia search engine, and secondly, a representative use-cases descriptions with the related discussion on requirement for technological challenges. Both studies have been carried out in cooperation and consultation with the community at large through EC concertation meetings (multimedia search engines cluster), several meetings with our Think-Tank, presentations in international conferences, and surveys addressed to EU projects coordinators as well as National initiatives coordinators. Based on the obtained feedback we identified two types of gaps, namely core technological gaps that involve research challenges, and “enablers”, which are not necessarily technical research challenges, but have impact on innovation progress. New socio-economic trends are presented as well as emerging legal challenges

Enlightened Romanticism: Mary Gartside’s colour theory in the age of Moses Harris, Goethe and George Field

The aim of this paper is to evaluate the work of Mary Gartside, a British female colour theorist, active in London between 1781 and 1808. She published three books between 1805 and 1808. In chronological and intellectual terms Gartside can cautiously be regarded an exemplary link between Moses Harris, who published a short but important theory of colour in the second half of the eighteenth century, and J.W. von Goethe’s highly influential Zur Farbenlehre, published in Germany in 1810. Gartside’s colour theory was published privately under the disguise of a traditional water colouring manual, illustrated with stunning abstract colour blots (see example above). Until well into the twentieth century, she remained the only woman known to have published a theory of colour. In contrast to Goethe and other colour theorists in the late 18th and early 19th century Gartside was less inclined to follow the anti-Newtonian attitudes of the Romantic movement

Facts, skills and intuition : A typology of personal knowledge

This paper introduces a knowledge model in which the types of knowledge are formed according to the nature of knowledge. First we use Ryle’s distinction of “that” and “how” knowledge, to which we add further three types. The five knowledge types are then synthesized using Polanyi’s distinction of focal and subsidiary awareness. The resulting model distinguishes three types of knowledge, the facts, the skills, and the intuition; all three having focal and subsidiary parts. We believe that this knowledge model is comprehensive in the sense that can classify any knowledge and it also has great explanatory power, as it is demonstrated through illustrative examples. Moreover, the model is elegant and easy to use, which facilitates our understanding of the domain of personal knowledge. Therefore we expect our findings to be useful for both researchers and educators in the field of knowledge and knowledge management

Using film cutting in interface design

It has been suggested that computer interfaces could be made more usable if their designers utilized cinematography techniques, which have evolved to guide the viewer through a narrative despite frequent discontinuities in the presented scene (i.e., cuts between shots). Because of differences between the domains of film and interface design, it is not straightforward to understand how such techniques can be transferred. May and Barnard (1995) argued that a psychological model of watching film could support such a transference. This article presents an extended account of this model, which allows identification of the practice of collocation of objects of interest in the same screen position before and after a cut. To verify that filmmakers do, in fact, use such techniques successfully, eye movements were measured while participants watched the entirety of a commerciall

Prospeg project - pegmatite remote sensing and mapping. Final report

365870/13 (depósito legal)No âmbito das actividades de I&DT da empresa Sinergeo, Lda., o projecto PROSPEG (nº 11480), dedicado à investigação em prospecção e pesquisa e pegmatitos graníticos, co-financiado pelo “ON.2 – O Novo Norte e QREN através do fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER), resultou de uma co-promocão com a Universidade do Minho. É objectivo geral do projecto o desenvolvimento de programas de prospeccão e pesquisa de pegmatitos no território português, utilizando como via fundamental para a primeira aproximação a áreas de pesquisa, metodologias de análise distanciada e deteccão remota. Justifica-se a investigação neste domínio pelas dificuldades de implementação de outros métodos geofísicos e geoquímicos, dado o deficiente contraste entre pegmatito e encaixante. Por outro lado, a inscrição da análise distanciada e deteccão remota em programas de prospecção estratégica de pegmatitos, também se afigura vantajosa em termos da relação custo/beneficio e da extensão e densidade da cobertura que permite. Em estádio estratégico as acções de prospecção incidiram sobre um conjunto de áreas, reconhecida ou hipoteticamente férteis no que respeita a ocorrência de pegmatitos com interesse económico. Essas áreas podem ser encaradas como compartimentos da Província Pegmatítica Varisca do Norte e Centro de Portugal onde ocorrem pegmatitos com uma grande diversidade intrínseca, estrutural, morfométrica, mineralógica e económica, representando simultaneamente diferentes níveis estruturais de colocação e de exumação dos conjuntos e corpos pegmatíticos individuais. Os suportes escolhidos para a análise distanciada foram imagens multiespectrais dos sensores LANDSAT e SPOT e ainda imagens disponibilizadas pelo Google Earth Pro. Estas foram submetidas a tratamento, através de processamentos digitais que incluíram a ampliação de contraste, a combinação RGB de bandas espectrais, a análise em componentes principais e a classificação Maxver de imagens. A conjugação destas técnicas permitiu tornar mais evidentes padrões geométricos, cromáticos, texturais e espectrais da expressão superficial de pegmatitos e seus indicadores de prospecção. Combinando aqueles procedimentos de processamento com indicações relativas a faixas e maciços produtivos, provenientes da análise sobre a distribuição regional de corpos nas áreas consideradas e aproveitando critérios empíricos geológico-estruturais e geomorfológicos, foi possível seleccionar um conjunto de áreas mais restritas sobre as quais se desenvolveram trabalhos de investigação geológica. Estes compreenderam numa primeira fase cartografia geológica a escalas 1:5000, como via para a identificação de sectores com índices pegmatíticos em situação potencialmente económica, a investigar mediante sondagens. A partir destes levantamentos, alguns guias estruturais e litológicos condicionantes da presença de pegmatitos em contexto intra-granítico, também puderam ser discriminados. A direccão N30E, tardi-Varisca, parece condicionar de forma estrita a instalação dos corpos com maior volume no Norte e Centro de Portugal. Por outro lado também se nota que a distribuição dos pegmatitos revela um caracter coincidente com sectores de maior diversificação e heterogeneidade litológica, reconhecendo-se as seguintes fácies tendentes para pegmatitos: leucogranitos com grão fino com biotites nodulares, amarelecidos por lixiviação com influência supergénica; fácies com tendência leucocrata com diferenciações difusas pegmatíticas; fácies microporfiróides com evidências de fluxo; fácies miarolíticas pontuadas por bolhas pegmatíticas; leucogranitos portadores de cordierite e granada; biotititos estabelecidos na superfície de contacto entre fácies graníticas e granitos porfiróides enrubescidos por hematitizacão hidrotermal a supergénica. O programa de prospeccão pontual com sondagens levado a cabo foi em alguns casos bem-sucedido, tendo--se chegado a intersectar em profundidade uma bolsada pegmatítica com dimensão apreciável. Noutros casos foi possível delimitar em profundidade o desenvolvimento de corpos conhecidos, sujeitos a exploração no passado, e aí aumentar o quantitativo de reservas potenciais. Nos casos em que se recorreu a métodos destrutivos de furação, adoptou-se de forma inovadora, como forma de obter correspondentes colunas de sondagem, a filmagem de furos combinada com a análise mineralométrica de cuttings. Como subsídios do programa de sondagens também se refere a optimizacão de modelos geométricos e conceptuais de pegmatitos, os quais podem representar conjecturas paradigmáticas passíveis de extrapolação aos campos portugueses e desta forma apoiar subsequentes programas de prospecção pontual. Também a partir dos logs de sondagem, aqui encarados como colunas graníticas produtivas em pegmatitos, foi possível inferir sobre tendências de fraccionação, segregação e fluxo, capazes de fomentar o aparecimento de magmas leucograníticos transicionais e pegmatíticos, que podem posteriormente evoluir in situ ou ser mobilizados e libertados para corredores estruturais. As tendências parecem ser em alguns casos oscilatórias com ritmos bem definidos na organização das cúpulas, e do ponto de vista da detecção remota as fácies resultantes são à partida perceptíveis, na medida em que representam tipos cromáticos extremos e contrastantes, com expressão cartográfica mais extensiva do que os corpos pegmatíticos. Como linha de investigação inovadora, capaz de apoiar a prospecção de pegmatitos através de detecção remota, ainda se obtiveram medidas de reflectância de produtos litológicos pegmatíticos e seus encaixantes produtivos. O correspondente levantamento realizou-se com recurso a um espectroradiómetro tendo os espectros obtidos sido organizados numa base de dados específica. Estes podem ser correlacionados com determinadas oscilações espectrais nas imagens de satélite constituindo assim um acervo útil a utilizar no processamento de imagens, designadamente multi- e hiperespectrais. Da análise efectuada aos espectros, verificou-se que os respeitantes a massas de quartzo se revelaram mais distintos. Também foi possível separar do ponto de vista espectral encaixantes leucograníticos e testar a influência da cobertura dos substractos exumados por líquenes. Verificou- se que a partir de percentagens de recobrimento de 35%, o sinal espectral e efectivamente homogeneizado, impossibilitando a discriminação litológica. Considerando o crescente valor estratégico, económico e tecnológico atribuído aos recursos pegmatíticos e atendendo à inadequação de muitos outros métodos de prospecção, vislumbra-se aplicabilidade efectiva para as metodologias aqui exploradas.Within the framework of the R & D activities of the company Sinergeo Ltd., the project PROSPEG (no 11480), dedicated to the investigation through prospecting and research of granitic pegmatites, co-funded by “ON.2 – O Novo Norte” and QREN, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), resulted from a co-promotion with the University of Minho. The overall objective of this project is the development of pegmatites prospecting programs in the Portuguese territory, using as main via for the primary approach to research areas, remote mapping analysis and remote sensing methodologies. The investigation in this domain is justified by the difficult implementation of other geophysical and geochemical methods, given the lack of strong contrast between pegmatite and enclosing rocks. On the other hand, the remote mapping analysis and remote sensing inscription in strategic prospecting programs is also advantageous in cost/benefit terms and in terms of extension and density of coverage allowed. In a strategic phase the prospecting actions focused on areas, known as/or hypothetically fertile for pegmatites with economic interest. These areas are compartments of the Variscan Pegmatitic Province in North and Center Portugal. Here, pegmatites with high intrinsic, structural, morphological, mineralogical and economic diversity can be found, simultaneously representing different structural levels of emplacement and exhumation of individual pegmatitic sets and bodies. The supports chosen for remote mapping analysis were multispectral images from LANDSAT and SPOT sensors and images from Google Earth Pro. These were treated through digital processes like contrast broadening, RGB combination of spectral bands, principal components analysis and Maxver classification. The conjunction of these techniques turned more evident geometric, chromatic, textural and spectral patterns of the superficial expression of pegmatites and its prospecting indicators. By combining those processing procedures with indications of productive stripes and massifs, obtained from the analysis on the regional distribution of bodies in the considered areas, and using empiric geological-structural and morphological criteria, it was possible to select a set of more restricted areas on which was done geological investigation. In a first phase, the geological investigation comprised geological mapping at 1:5000 scale, as a way for identifying sectors with pegmatitic bodies in potentially economic situation to be investigated through drillings. From these surveys were also discriminated some structural and lithological guides conditioning the presence of pegmatites in an innergranite context. The late-Variscan direction N30E seems to strictly condition the emplacement of bodies with higher volumes in the North and Center of Portugal. On the other hand, it is also noticeable that the pegmatites distribution reveals a coincident character with sectors of higher lithological diversification and heterogeneity, with the following facies tending to pegmatites: fine grained leucogranites with biotite nodules, yellowed by supergene leaching influence; facies with leucocratic tendency with diffuse pegmatitic differentiations; microporphyroid facies with flow evidences; miarolitic facies punctuated by pegmatitic bubbles; leucogranites with cordierite and garnet; biotitites established on the contact surface between granitic facies, and porphyroid granites reddened by hydrothermal and supergene hematization. The drilling program was, in some cases, well succeeded, having been intersected a pegmatitic body in depth, with considerable dimension. In other cases it was possible to delimit the development of known bodies in depth, subjected to exploitation in the past, and increase the amount of potential reserves. In the cases where destructive drilling methods were used, it was adopted, in an innovative way, the filming of boreholes combined with mineralometric cutting analysis, as a way to obtain correspondent drilling columns. As a result of the drilling program is also referred the optimization of geometric and conceptual pegmatite models which can represent paradigmatic conjectures amenable to be extrapolated to the Portuguese fields and, in this way, support subsequent prospecting programs. Also from the logs, here perceived as granitic columns productive in pegmatites, it was possible to infer fractionation, segregation and flow tendencies, capable of fomenting the appearance of transitional leucogranitic and pegmatitic magmas that may then evolve in situ or be mobilized and released to structural corridors. The trends seem oscillatory in some cases, with well-defined rhythms in the domes organization. From the remote sensing viewpoint the resulting facies are perceptible as they represent extreme and contrasting chromatic types with more extensive cartographic expression than the pegmatitic bodies. As a line of innovative research, capable of supporting pegmatites prospection through remote sensing, were also obtained reflectance measures of lithologic pegmatitic products and their productive enclosings. The correspondent survey was done through the use of a spectroradiometer and the spectra obtained were organized in a specific database. These can be correlated with some spectral oscillations in the satellite images, and thus represent a useful collection, to multi- and hyperspectral images processing. From the spectra analysis it was found that quartz masses spectra are more distinct. It was also possible to separate from a spectral viewpoint leucogranitic enclosings and test the influence of lichens cover. It was found that with percentages of coating as of 35% the spectral signal is effectively homogenized, turning impossible the lithological discrimination. Considering the increasing strategic, economic and technological value attributed to pegmatitic resources and considering the inadequacy of many other prospecting methods, the methodologies here explored are effectively applicable."ON.2 – O Novo Norte" e QRE

Singer's Inner Space: A new work space for opera singers addressing their well-being

The theater is the main work space of opera singers. Addressing their well‐being at their place of work seems to have been neglected in many theatre design projects, focusing mainly on audience amenities. This doctorate is organized in two sections: research and design application. The research section undertakes various design methods to create a different and more thoughtful approach to the space planning of theatre design. There are three main areas of study that are applied to create such theatre design: Vocal Psychology, Environmental Psychology, and the Sociology in theatre spaces. Each of the areas of study is presented first with their history of development, leading to the selected theories that apply to the theatre design. These theories are supported by case studies and a qualitative data collection to gain a full understanding of each of the areas of study. All of them have overlapping themes that help form the building program, the space planning, and the architectural form of the theatre. The second section of this doctorate research is the application of the theory into an actual building design that leads to the proposal of the New Hawai'i Opera Theatre. An interview with the company’s Artistic Administrator has been performed that further helped in the building program development. The second section documents the site selection and its analysis, followed by the design process, and finally, the illustrations of the New Hawai'i Opera Theatre. This includes additional efforts in marketing opera in Hawai'i such as rebranding Hawaii Opera Theatre and early design stages of a pop‐up retail store to sell opera tickets. The overarching goal of this research is to find a way to keep opera alive and relevant. If the opera singers feel healthy, then it should reflect on their performance and in return, the audience will receive the positive message of that performance, and as a whole, look at opera in a different way

URBAN COMFORT IN BUCHAREST.SOCIAL-ECONOMIC PARAMETERS

The undergoing concerns for local and regional development focus also on the territorial analyses. The local socio-economic analysis is naturally followed by the strategic planning of development during which the local public authorities initiate and organize, locally, the economic development of the respective territorial unit. This article is intended to analyze a concrete case, that of the Capital City of Romania, the Municipality of Bucharest. One of Romania’s objectives is to sensitize and educate the civil society, the private organizations and the public authorities towards understanding and observing the urban landscape. In the spirit of the aspects mentioned above, the authors have presented a case study, at the end of this article, in which the reconsideration of the urban architectural framework matches perfectly with the wish of introducing elements of spatial dynamics and of balance. In this spirit, the over-crowded City of Bucharest, which has a density of 9009 inhabitants/sq.km, will potentially be turned into an oasis of social comfort that will positively influence the urban organism.local economic development, urban comfort, Bucharest