Near Remote Sensing for Tactical Earth Protection

In this paper we present how to use an Unmanned Aerial System in remote sensing. The system is specifically designed for forest fire management, as a support tool for the Fire Services to improve their tactical decisions. The system payload includes two cameras: a thermal camera and a visual camera. A simple image processing algorithm is applied to the thermal images in order to detect hot areas. In case of detecting a hot spot, it raises an event and notifies the geographical position of the spot, so that the firemen manager can know the hot spot position as soon as possible. On demand, the system also provides the visual image of the area with the shape of the detected hot spot marked on it. The visual images of the surroundings of the fire can help experts to discard false positives and to make faster and more accurate decisions.Postprint (published version

Marketing Risk Management of Palm Oil Based Biodiesel Agroindustry

Biodiesel is fuel generates from vegetable oils that have properties similar to diesel oil. The advantages of biodiesel compared to diesel is an environmentally friendly fuel because it produces much lower emissions (sulfur free, low smoke number) in accordance with global issues, higher cetane number (> 57) so that the combustion efficiency is better than diesel, lubrication properties of the piston engine; biodegradable, a renewable energy because it is made from natural materials, and improve the independence of fuel supply because it can be produced locally. The purpose of this research is to design the risk management decision support system for agro-industry development biodiesel of oil palm-based. Determination of objectives and risk management strategies using the used to obtain an alternative value in the aspect of marketing. This research resulted in a decision support system that is useful to help decision makers in addressing the risk of agro-bio-diesel. Risk management model is designed in a decision support system  (DSS), can be used by industrial users and investors in the field of biodiesel. DSS software development using Microsoft Visual Basic Version 6.0 consists of three main components namely database management system, knowledge base management system and model base management system. Model base management system consists of risk marketing analysis

Aquisys 1.3 - validated version of the computer system to support best management practices (BMP) and environmental management for aquaculture in Brazil.

The present work presents the validated version of the computer system to support Best Management Practices (BPM) and Environmental Management for aquaculture in Brazil ? Aquisys 1.3, resulting from Aquisys Validation Project conducted by Embrapa Environment. The prototype version, Aquisys 1.0, developed in the ?Management and Environmental Management of Aquiculture? Project (?Aquabrasil? network Project) makes use of information acquired by the user via visual observations, low cost water quality kits and common samples held on the farm. This data is input in the system in a questionnaire, which will enable the system to manage this information and provide the user with necessary guidance, assessment and calculations to achieve best manage practice and streamlinedproductivity. Aquisys 1.0 was presented and evaluated by different users like fish farmers, aquaculture researchers, technical extensionists, aquaculture post-graduation and graduation students, among others. Its access, guidance and calculation features have had their results observed, specially focusing on the routine for tilapia production system in order to make it fitted to Brazilian different regional characteristics. The evaluations consider characteristics both of properties and of production place. They also took into account given indicators of management and production, of water quality, and of economical profitability. The validated version, Aquisys 1.3, enabled significant updates on the production system options turning available, both rapidly and in an appropriate language, information ready to use, and enabling a rapidly access both to information, guidance of a minimum set of BPM and Environmental practices and calculations, initially focusing on pond production system. Aquisys 1.3 is a systematic unpaid and on-line available on the Internet at http://www.cnpma.embrapa.br/aquisys. As an indicatory system its use does not exclude the necessity of qualified professional monitoring for more precise diagnoses

Validation of a commercial collar‐based sensor for monitoring eating and ruminating behaviour of dairy cows

The use of sensor technologies to monitor cows’ behavior is becoming commonplace in the context of dairy production. This study aimed at validating a commercial collar-based sensor system, the AFICollar® (Afimilk, Kibbutz Afikim, Israel), designed to monitor dairy cattle feeding and ruminating behavior. Additionally, the performances of two versions of the software for behavior classification, the current software AFIfarm® 5.4 and the updated version AFIfarm® 5.5, were compared. The study involved twenty Holstein-Friesian cows fitted with the collars. To evaluate the sensor performance under different feeding scenarios, the animals were divided into four groups and fed three different types of feed (total mixed ration, long hay, animals allowed to graze). Recordings of hourly rumination and feeding time produced by the sensor were compared with visual observation by scan sampling at 1 minute intervals using Spearman correlation, concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), Bland–Altman plots and linear mixed models for assessing the precision and accuracy of the system. The analyses confirmed that the updated software version V5.5 produced better detection performance than the current V5.4. The updated software version produced high correlations between visual observations and data recorded by the sensor for both feeding (r = 0.85, CCC = 0.86) and rumination (r = 0.83, CCC = 0.86). However, the limits of agreement for both behaviors remained quite wide (feeding: −19.60 min/h, 17.46 min/h; rumination: −15.80 min/h, 15.00 min/h). Type of feed did not produce significant effects on the agreement between visual observations and sensor recordings. Overall, the results indicate that the system can provide farmers with adequately accurate data on feeding and rumination time, and can be used to support herd management decisions. Despite all this, the precision of the system remained relatively limited, and should be improved with further developments in the classification algorithm

Visual hallucinations in neurological and ophthalmological disease: pathophysiology and management

Visual hallucinations are common in older people and are especially associated with ophthalmological and neurological disorders, including dementia and Parkinson's disease. Uncertainties remain whether there is a single underlying mechanism for visual hallucinations or they have different disease-dependent causes. However, irrespective of mechanism, visual hallucinations are difficult to treat. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funded a research programme to investigate visual hallucinations in the key and high burden areas of eye disease, dementia and Parkinson's disease, culminating in a workshop to develop a unified framework for their clinical management. Here we summarise the evidence base, current practice and consensus guidelines that emerged from the workshop.Irrespective of clinical condition, case ascertainment strategies are required to overcome reporting stigma. Once hallucinations are identified, physical, cognitive and ophthalmological health should be reviewed, with education and self-help techniques provided. Not all hallucinations require intervention but for those that are clinically significant, current evidence supports pharmacological modification of cholinergic, GABAergic, serotonergic or dopaminergic systems, or reduction of cortical excitability. A broad treatment perspective is needed, including carer support. Despite their frequency and clinical significance, there is a paucity of randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial evidence where the primary outcome is an improvement in visual hallucinations. Key areas for future research include the development of valid and reliable assessment tools for use in mechanistic studies and clinical trials, transdiagnostic studies of shared and distinct mechanisms and when and how to treat visual hallucinations.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Publisher URL to access it via the publisher's site.This study is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (Programme Grants for Applied Research (Grant Reference Number (RP-PG-0610-10100)). This study was also supported by grants from the Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre and Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. CO is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council Neil Hamilton Fairley Fellowship (1091310). Supported by grants from the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology (Michaelides, M and Naik, C).Published version, Accepted version, Submitted versio

Visual approaches to knowledge organization and contextual exploration

This thesis explores possible visual approaches for the representation of semantic structures, such as zz-structures. Some holistic visual representations of complex domains have been investigated through the proposal of new views - the so-called zz-views - that allow both to make visible the interconnections between elements and to support a contextual and multilevel exploration of knowledge. The potential of this approach has been examined in the context of two case studies that have led to the creation of two Web applications. The \ufb01rst domain of study regarded the visual representation, analysis and management of scienti\ufb01c bibliographies. In this context, we modeled a Web application, we called VisualBib, to support researchers in building, re\ufb01ning, analyzing and sharing bibliographies. We adopted a multi-faceted approach integrating features that are typical of three di\ufb00erent classes of tools: bibliography visual analysis systems, bibliographic citation indexes and personal research assistants. The evaluation studies carried out on a \ufb01rst prototype highlighted the positive impact of our visual model and encouraged us to improve it and develop further visual analysis features we incorporated in the version 3.0 of the application. The second case study concerned the modeling and development of a multimedia catalog of Web and mobile applications. The objective was to provide an overview of a significant number of tools that can help teachers in the implementation of active learning approaches supported by technology and in the design of Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs). We analyzed and documented 281 applications, preparing for each of them a detailed multilingual card and a video-presentation, organizing all the material in an original purpose-based taxonomy, visually represented through a browsable holistic view. The catalog, we called AppInventory, provides contextual exploration mechanisms based on zz-structures, collects user contributions and evaluations about the apps and o\ufb00ers visual analysis tools for the comparison of the applications data and user evaluations. The results of two user studies carried out on groups of teachers and students shown a very positive impact of our proposal in term of graphical layout, semantic structure, navigation mechanisms and usability, also in comparison with two similar catalogs

Temporal and spatial distributions of delphinid species in Massachusetts Bay (USA) using passive acoustics from ocean gliders

© The Author(s), 2020. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Silva, T. L., Mooney, T. A., Sayigh, L. S., & Baumgartner, M. F. Temporal and spatial distributions of delphinid species in Massachusetts Bay (USA) using passive acoustics from ocean gliders. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 631, (2019): 1-17, doi:10.3354/meps13180.Knowledge about marine mammal habitat use is necessary for informing ecosystem-based management and mitigating human impacts. Massachusetts Bay is an important marine mammal foraging area in the Gulf of Maine and an area of substantial human activity, but delphinid habitat use is poorly understood. The goals of this work were to (1) document temporal and spatial occurrence of delphinid species in Massachusetts Bay using passive acoustic monitoring from ocean gliders and (2) explore the potential influences of environmental conditions on delphinid distributions. Gliders were deployed in late fall and early winter of 2014 and 2015-2016 and were equipped with a digital acoustic recorder and conductivity-temperature-depth instrument. Gliders surveyed an area of approximately 1000 km2. Delphinid whistles were detected on 93 of 128 (73%) deployment days. Animals were detected more often at night. Presence was consistent over 2 years, although detection rates showed annual and monthly variability. Spatial distribution differed between years, but most detections occurred close to Stellwagen Bank. Visual assessment of spectrograms suggests the presence of 2 species, Atlantic white-sided dolphins and common dolphins. The reoccurrence of 2 probable signature whistles over several weeks and consecutive winter seasons suggests prolonged occupancy during winter and possible annual site fidelity. These data show a consistent and frequent presence of delphinids near a known marine mammal foraging area (Stellwagen Bank) during late fall and winter and are a first step towards understanding both how odontocetes influence the Massachusetts Bay/Gulf of Maine ecosystem and how they may be impacted by human activities.We gratefully acknowledge the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, The Nature Conservancy, Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for their collaboration and support for this project. We thank Susan Parks, Julie Oswald, Sofie Van Parijs, and Danielle Cholewiak for helpful discussionsand sharing acoustic recordings for species comparisons. We are grateful to Ben Hodges for critical assistance with preparing, deploying, and recovering gliders. Thanks to Michael Thompson for assistance with spatial analysis and Dave Wiley for support and insights into the Stellwagen Bank ecosystem. The WHOI Marine Mammal Center provided additional funding for this work. Funding support for T.L.S. was provided by the NOAA Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship. Finally, we thank the 3 anonymous re viewers for their comments and suggestions that improved this manuscript

JISC funded Kaptur project environmental assessment report

The overall objective of the JISC funded Kaptur project (October 2011 - March 2013) is to discover, create and pilot a sectoral model of best practice in the management of research data in the visual arts. This report outlines findings from the first workpackage, environmental assessment, based on the following research question: What is the nature of visual arts research data? Appendix A provides detail on the methodology; data was gathered from a literature review and 16 face-to-face interviews with visual arts researchers; four at each partner institution: Glasgow School of Art; Goldsmiths, University of London; University for the Creative Arts; and University of the Arts London