Combining object-based image analysis with topographic data for landform mapping: a case study in the semi-arid Chaco ecosystem, Argentina

This paper presents an object-based approach to mapping a set of landforms located in the fluvio-eolian plain of Rio Dulce and alluvial plain of Rio Salado (Dry Chaco, Argentina), with two Landsat 8 images collected in summer and winter combined with topographic data. The research was conducted in two stages. The first stage focused on basic-spectral landform classifications where both pixel- and object-based image analyses were tested with five classification algorithms: Mahalanobis Distance (MD), Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM), Maximum Likelihood (ML), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Decision Tree (DT). The results obtained indicate that object-based analyses clearly outperform pixel-based classifications, with an increase in accuracy of up to 35%. The second stage focused on advanced object-based derived variables with topographic ancillary data classifications. The combinations of variables were tested in order to obtain the most accurate map of landforms based on the most successful classifiers identified in the previous stage (ML, SVM and DT). The results indicate that DT is the most accurate classifier, exhibiting the highest overall accuracies with values greater than 72% in both the winter and summer images. Future work could combine both, the most appropriate methodologies and combinations of variables obtained in this study, with physico-chemical variables sampled to improve the classification of landforms and even of types of soil.EEA Santiago del EsteroFil: Castillejo González, Isabel Luisa. Universidad de Córdoba. Departamento de Ingeniería Gráfica y Geomática; EspañaFil: Angueira, Maria Cristina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santiago del Estero; ArgentinaFil: García Ferrer, Alfonso. Universidad de Córdoba. Departamento de Ingeniería Gráfica y Geomática; EspañaFil: Sánchez de la Orden, Manuel. Universidad de Córdoba. Departamento de Ingeniería Gráfica y Geomática; Españ

Soil mapping based on landscape classification in the semiarid Chaco, Argentina

The semiarid Chaco shared with Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil, is an ecosystem where the change of land use from forest to commercial agriculture and social conflicts have been intense since the beginning of the 21st century. These changes and the lack of reliable soil information at appropriate scales threaten the sustainable development of the region. In Santiago del Estero province, Argentina, a soil survey was conducted in order to reduce the knowledge gap. Due to the large area, geomorphological diversity, limited funding, and high information demand, a geopedological survey using remote sensing and GIS was considered an suitable approach. The cartographic units were determined based on the integration of geoforms and soils, knowledge of landscape and soil forming factors, field observations, and laboratory determinations. Three main landscape units were recognized: 1) the Chaco fluvio-eolian plain, including a megafan with Haplustolls and Torripsamments, 2) the Rio Dulce valley with Torripsamments, and 3) the migratory alluvial plain of Río Salado with Torripsamments, Ustifluvents, and Natraqualfs. The approach used helped accelerate the collection of soil information at an appropriate scale for land use planning.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Performance Study of Layered Division Multiplexing Based on SDR Platform

[EN] Two of the main drawbacks of the current broadcasting services are, on the one hand, the lack of flexibility to adapt to the new generation systems requirements, and on the other hand, the incapability of taking a piece of the current mobile services market. In this paper, Layered Division Multiplexing (LDM), which grew out of the concept of Cloud Txn, is presented as a very promising technique for answering those challenges and enhancing the capacity of broadcasting systems. The major contribution of this work is to present the first comprehensive study of the LDM performance behavior. In particular, in this paper, the theoretical considerations of the LDM implementation are completed with the first computer based simulations and laboratory tests, covering a wide range of stationary channels and the mobile TU-6 channel. The results will support LDM as a strong candidate for multiplexing different services in the next generation broadcasting systems, increasing both flexibility and performance.This work has been financially supported in part by the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (UFI 11/30), by the Basque Government (IT-683-13 and SAIOTEK), by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under the project NG-RADIATE (TEC2009-14201), by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under the project HEDYT-GBB (TEC2012-33302) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial of Varenicline for Smoking Cessation Allowing Flexible Quit Dates

Introduction: Current smoking cessation guidelines recommend setting a quit date prior to starting pharmacotherapy. However, providing flexibility in the date of quitting may be more acceptable to some smokers. The objective of this study was to compare varenicline 1 mg twice daily (b.i.d.) with placebo in subjects using a flexible quit date paradigm after starting medication. Methods: In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled international study, smokers of ≥10 cigarettes/day, aged 18-75 years, and who were motivated to quit were randomized (3:1) to receive varenicline 1 mg b.i.d. or placebo for 12 weeks. Subjects were followed up through Week 24. Subjects were instructed to quit between Days 8 and 35 after starting medication. The primary endpoint was carbon monoxide-confirmed continuous abstinence during Weeks 9-12, and a key secondary endpoint was continuous abstinence during Weeks 9-24. Results: Overall, 493 subjects were randomized to varenicline and 166 to placebo. Continuous abstinence was higher for varenicline than for placebo subjects at the end of treatment (Weeks 9-12: 53.1% vs. 19.3%; odds ratio [OR] 5.9; 95% CI, 3.7-9.4; p < .0001) and through 24 weeks follow-up (Weeks 9-24: 34.7% vs. 12.7%; OR 4.4; 95% CI, 2.6-7.5; p < .0001). Serious adverse events occurred in 1.2% varenicline (none were psychiatric) and 0.6% placebo subjects. Fewer varenicline than placebo subjects reported depression-related adverse events (2.3% vs. 6.7%, respectively). Conclusions: Varenicline 1 mg b.i.d. using a flexible quit date paradigm had similar efficacy and safety compared with previous fixed quit date studies. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco

Revelamiento de suelos utilizando técnicas de Geomática: un caso de Santiago del Estero, Argentina

Tesis para obtener el grado de Doctor, de la Universidad de Córdoba (España), en 2015Desde inicios del siglo XXI, el territorio chaqueño americano ha sufrido una degeneración ambiental resultado de la creciente deforestación y contaminación a la que se ve sometido, además de desastres naturales como inundaciones, sequías e incendios y la construcción de nuevas obras de infraestructura.Todos estos factores colocan a esta región en una situación que requiere estrategias para mitigar los impactos que pueden presentarse irreversibles en el tiempo, entre las que destaca tener un conocimiento exhaustivo del suelo donde se desarrollan. Sin embargo, este inventario de suelo no se ha visto realizado debido a la falta de estudios escalas ajustadas a las necesidades, a la gran extensión del área, a la complejidad de la geomorfología y los tipos y uso de suelos, a la alta demanda de información, al escaso presupuesto y al limitado personal entrenado. Por ello, el motivo de esta Tesis Doctoral es obtener un mapa de suelo y texto explicativo impreso a la escala de trabajo y en formato digital a escala múltiple que permita una mejor interpretación y mayor aplicación en otras disciplinas.EEA Santiago del EsteroFil: Angueira, Maria Cristina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santiago del Estero; Argentin

Revelamiento de suelos utilizando técnicas de Geomática: un caso de Santiago del Estero, Argentina

Desde inicios del siglo XXI, el territorio chaqueño americano ha sufrido una degeneración ambiental resultado de la creciente deforestación y contaminación a la que se ve sometido, además de desastres naturales como inundaciones, sequías e incendios y la construcción de nuevas obras de infraestructura.Todos estos factores colocan a esta región en una situación que requiere estrategias para mitigar los impactos que pueden presentarse irreversibles en el tiempo, entre las que destaca tener un conocimiento exhaustivo del suelo donde se desarrollan. Sin embargo, este inventario de suelo no se ha visto realizado debido a la falta de estudios escalas ajustadas a las necesidades, a la gran extensión del área, a la complejidad de la geomorfología y los tipos y uso de suelos, a la alta demanda de información, al escaso presupuesto y al limitado personal entrenado. Por ello, el motivo de esta Tesis Doctoral es obtener un mapa de suelo y texto explicativo impreso a la escala de trabajo y en formato digital a escala múltiple que permita una mejor interpretación y mayor aplicación en otras disciplinas

Field Trials-Based Planning Parameters for DVB-T2 Indoor Reception

Publisher Copyright: © 1963-12012 IEEE.This paper presents the field trials carried out in Bilbao (Spain) for testing and analyzing the performance of the DVB-T2 indoor (fixed and pedestrian) reception. Test services with different DVB-T2 and T2-Lite configuration modes have been broadcasted and indoor measurements have been carried out. As a result, signal to noise ratio threshold values for DVB-T2 indoor reception have been obtained. These values update those provided by previous studies and are also valid for planning tools to be used by broadcasters in the development of DVB-T2 networks.Peer reviewe

Combining Object-Based Image Analysis with Topographic Data for Landform Mapping: A Case Study in the Semi-Arid Chaco Ecosystem, Argentina

This paper presents an object-based approach to mapping a set of landforms located in the fluvio-eolian plain of Rio Dulce and alluvial plain of Rio Salado (Dry Chaco, Argentina), with two Landsat 8 images collected in summer and winter combined with topographic data. The research was conducted in two stages. The first stage focused on basic-spectral landform classifications where both pixel- and object-based image analyses were tested with five classification algorithms: Mahalanobis Distance (MD), Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM), Maximum Likelihood (ML), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Decision Tree (DT). The results obtained indicate that object-based analyses clearly outperform pixel-based classifications, with an increase in accuracy of up to 35%. The second stage focused on advanced object-based derived variables with topographic ancillary data classifications. The combinations of variables were tested in order to obtain the most accurate map of landforms based on the most successful classifiers identified in the previous stage (ML, SVM and DT). The results indicate that DT is the most accurate classifier, exhibiting the highest overall accuracies with values greater than 72% in both the winter and summer images. Future work could combine both, the most appropriate methodologies and combinations of variables obtained in this study, with physico-chemical variables sampled to improve the classification of landforms and even of types of soil

Multimedia Multicast Services in 5G Networks: Subgrouping and Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access Techniques

The expected growth in mobile video demand over broadband cellular networks is one of the key factors driving the wireless industry to develop the fifth generation of network technology. This scenario is fueling the need for group-oriented services (i.e., multicast and broadcast) in order to efficiently manage the radio resources, and consequently grant different groups of users simultaneous access to the same multimedia content with differentiated quality of service. The evolved multimedia broadcast multicast service (eMBMS), standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project, is one of the technologies likely to be extended to 5G systems with the aim of addressing point-to-multipoint services. In addition, non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) techniques are also being considered as a driver to increase the efficient use of the spectrum in multi-user environments with asymmetric data delivery. The present article proposes the joint use of subgrouping multicast techniques and NOMA in an eMBMS-like scenario. Performance is evaluated in envisaged 5G environments, where different quality video services are delivered to a group of users interested in the same contents

Soil mapping based on landscape classification in the semiarid Chaco, Argentina

The semiarid Chaco is an ecosystem shared by Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Brazil where land use changes from forest to commercial agriculture and social conflicts have been intensive during the last decade. These changes and the lack of reliable soil information at suitable scales are threatening the sustainable development of the region. In Santiago del Estero province, Argentina, a soil survey was carried out with the objective of reducing the knowledge gap. Due to the large area, geomorphology diversity, limited funding, and high demand of information, a geopedologic survey using remote sensing and GIS was considered an appropriate approach. Map units were determined based on the integration of geoforms and soils, knowledge of landscape and soil forming factors, field observations, and laboratory determinations. Three main landscape units were recognized: (1) a fluvio-eolian Chaco plain including a megafan with Haplustolls and Torripsamments, (2) the Rio Dulce valley with Torripsamments, and (3) the alluvial migratory plain of Río Salado with Torripsamments, Ustifluvents, and Natraqualfs. The used approach helped speed up the soil information collection at appropriate scale for land use planningInst.de SuelosFil: Angueira, Maria Cristina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Santiago del Estero; ArgentinaFil: Cruzate, Gustavo Adolfo. INTA, Centro de Investigación en Recursos Naturales. Instituto de Suelos; ArgentinaFil: Zamora, Eduardo Maximo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Manfredi; ArgentinaFil: Olmedo, Guillermo Federico. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Mendoza; ArgentinaFil: Sayago, J.M. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán. Instituto de Geociencias y Medio Ambiente; ArgentinaFil: Castillejo González, I. Universidad de Córdoba. Departamento de Ingeniería Gráfica y Geomática; Españ