A preliminary assessment of the efficiency of using drones in land cover mapping

This study represents a preliminary assessment of the efficiency of drones in surveying land cover at both large (c: 10 ha) and smaller (1m2) spatial scales. A DJI Mavic 2 drone was used to image the entire area of study and an orthomosaic was produced. This was converted into a land cover map through k-means clustering, with k = 3, where `Vegetation', `Bedrock' and `Bare soil' corresponded to the land cover categories. Regions of interest (ROIs) were selected and sub- sequently surveyed from close range. The correspondence between predicted land cover (pLC) and observed land cover (oLC) was then assessed. On a large spatial scale, absolute correspondence was present between pLC and oLC. In terms of relative representation of land cover categories, `Vegetation' was the only significantly correlated category across pLC and oLC, whilst the analogous correlations for `Bedrock' and `Bare soil' were weaker. The lower correspondence between pLC and oLC for `Bedrock' and `Bare soil' was due to the low value of k = 3 in the k-means clustering algorithm. This constrains a mixture of land covers into just one land cover category, with consequent reduction of the correlation between pLC and oLC. The method's accuracy and cost-effectiveness were compared to that of standard methods for land cover surveying. The entire process, including verification and orthomosaic land cover map processing times, approximated 32 hours. Consequently, this method is much shorter than standard surveys, which take days or weeks, and also requires less manpower.peer-reviewe

A preliminary assessment of the efficiency of using drones in land cover mapping

This study represents a preliminary assessment of the efficiency of drones in surveying land cover at both large (c: 10 ha) and smaller (1m2) spatial scales. A DJI Mavic 2 drone was used to image the entire area of study and an orthomosaic was produced. This was converted into a land cover map through k-means clustering, with k = 3, where `Vegetation', `Bedrock' and `Bare soil' corresponded to the land cover categories. Regions of interest (ROIs) were selected and sub- sequently surveyed from close range. The correspondence between predicted land cover (pLC) and observed land cover (oLC) was then assessed. On a large spatial scale, absolute correspondence was present between pLC and oLC. In terms of relative representation of land cover categories, `Vegetation' was the only significantly correlated category across pLC and oLC, whilst the analogous correlations for `Bedrock' and `Bare soil' were weaker. The lower correspondence between pLC and oLC for `Bedrock' and `Bare soil' was due to the low value of k = 3 in the k-means clustering algorithm. This constrains a mixture of land covers into just one land cover category, with consequent reduction of the correlation between pLC and oLC. The method's accuracy and cost-effectiveness were compared to that of standard methods for land cover surveying. The entire process, including verification and orthomosaic land cover map processing times, approximated 32 hours. Consequently, this method is much shorter than standard surveys, which take days or weeks, and also requires less manpower.peer-reviewe

Chapter A drone’s eye view: A preliminary assessment of the efficiency of drones in mapping shallow-water benthic assemblages

The study assesses consumer drone efficiency for surveying shallow-water benthic cover. We hypothesised that using a drone would reduce duration, and manpower requirements, while increasing accuracy, relative to manual surveys. Results obtained during this study clearly indicated that automated drone surveys were faster and more accurate than manual survey methods under most circumstances. This result has important implications for the scientific and economic aspects of the process and would have a multiplicative effect in monitoring programs that require regular surveys

Hotspots of vegetation diversity within the maltese islands

Plant growth and diversity are controlled by a large number of factors, including water availability, light intensity, soil depth, pH and salinity, the level of exposure to wind and the degree of human disturbance. The interaction between these factors creates a set of local conditions that favour certain species over others. Malta’s valleys present a broad range of environmental conditions, where these factors vary dramatically over short distances. Changes in conditions along the length and across the width of the valleys interact with each other to form complex ecological units, capable of supporting a wide variety of plant species.peer-reviewe

Dynamic Cubic Illuminance: an Example of Application of a New Paradigm for Daylight Analysis in an Ancient Pompeian Domus

The paper presents an analysis methodology to dynamically assess daylight characteristics in indoor environments, based on the combination of bidimensional indicators (i.e. indicators based on the traditional illuminance calculation) with threedimensional ones (based on the concept of the Cubicn Illumination). For this purpose, the Useful Modeling Indices (UMIs) are introduced. The method is applied to two particular case-studies: the atrium and the peristyle in the Villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. These architectural structures, being conceived as filtering spaces to attenuate entering daylight, represent a particularly interesting field of research.Fil: Monteoliva, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ambiente, Hábitat y Energía; ArgentinaFil: Fragliasso, Francesca. Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II; ItaliaFil: Bellia, Laura. Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II; ItaliaFil: Pattini, Andrea Elvira. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ambiente, Hábitat y Energía; Argentina16th Conference of International Buildings Performance Simulation AssociationRomaItaliaInternational Building Simulation Performance Associatio

Sildenafil Reduces Insulin-Resistance in Human Endothelial Cells

The efficacy of Phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitors to re-establish endothelial function is reduced in diabetic patients. Recent evidences suggest that therapy with PDE5 inhibitors, i.e. sildenafil, may increase the expression of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) proteins in the heart and cardiomyocytes. In this study we analyzed the effect of sildenafil on endothelial cells in insulin resistance conditions in vitro

Measurement of the 244^{244}Cm and 246^{246}Cm Neutron-Induced Cross Sections at the n_TOF Facility

The neutron capture reactions of the $^{244}$Cm and $^{246}$Cm isotopes open the path for the formation of heavier Cm isotopes and of heavier elements such as Bk and Cf in a nuclear reactor. In addition, both isotopes belong to the minor actinides with a large contribution to the decay heat and to the neutron emission in irradiated fuels proposed for the transmutation of nuclear waste and fast critical reactors. The available experimental data for both isotopes are very scarce. We measured the neutron capture cross section with isotopically enriched samples of $^{244}$Cm and $^{246}$Cm provided by JAEA. The measurement covers the range from 1 eV to 250 eV in the n_TOF Experimental Area 2 (EAR-2). In addition, a normalization measurement with the $^{244}$Cm sample was performed at Experimental Area 1 (EAR-1) with the Total Absorption Calorimeter (TAC)

Chapter A drone’s eye view: A preliminary assessment of the efficiency of drones in mapping shallow-water benthic assemblages

The study assesses consumer drone efficiency for surveying shallow-water benthic cover. We hypothesised that using a drone would reduce duration, and manpower requirements, while increasing accuracy, relative to manual surveys. Results obtained during this study clearly indicated that automated drone surveys were faster and more accurate than manual survey methods under most circumstances. This result has important implications for the scientific and economic aspects of the process and would have a multiplicative effect in monitoring programs that require regular surveys

Topographic Complexity Is a Principal Driver of Plant Endemism in Mediterranean Islands

The frequency of endemism in the flora of Mediterranean Islands does not follow a straightforward species–area relationship, and the determinants of endemism are several and complex. The aim of this study was to estimate the explanatory power of a small number of variables on the species richness of vascular plants on selected Mediterranean islands and archipelagos, and on the proportion of narrow endemism in each. We used a novel approach whereby the topographic complexity and isolation of an island were estimated through more detailed methods than those utilised previously. These parameters, along with island area and human population density, were used in a number of regression models with the number of taxa or proportion of endemics as the dependent variables. The results demonstrated that ‘topography’, a factor that was not specifically included in previous models for Mediterranean islands, exerted a consistent, statistically significant effect on both the number of taxa as well as the proportion of endemic taxa, in all models tested. The ‘isolation’ factor was not a significant predictor of the number of taxa in any of the models but was a statistically significant predictor of the proportion of endemic taxa in two of the models. The results can be used to make broad predictions about the expected number of taxa and endemics on an island, enabling the categorisation of islands as ‘species-poor’ or ‘species-rich’, potentially aiding conservation efforts

Ancient Romans and daylighting: the case of Villa of the mysteries in Pompeii

The goal of the paper is to analyse the daylighting design criteria in ancient Roman domus, by using as case study a famous ancient Roman building: the villa of the Mysteries in Pompeii. At this purpose the work is divided in two sections: a typological analysis of the roman houses, aiming at understanding the link between the ancient building criteria and the daylight harvesting ones; a dynamic simulation of the daylight conditions inside the Villa of the Mysteries. In this regard, to assess the indoor daylight availability an ad-hoc methodology, based on the proposal of a new set of performance metrics (the Characteristic Daylight Illuminance -CDI-; the minimum CDI - CDImin-; the spatial CDI -sCDI-) is introduced in order to process simulation results. Results demonstrate that in the past there was a strong correlation between building criteria and daylighting ones: the choices about the dimensions of the windows and the use of static shading systems (porches and peristyles) were wise and reasoned. Moreover, there was a correspondence between daylighting criteria and the functions of the spaces: the more prestigious a room was, the more daylight entrance was permitted. Daylight levels were generally higher in representative spaces like atria, triclinia and tablina, with CDImin values generally comprised between 200 lx and 500 lx, and lower in cubicula and service/working spaces, with CDImin values generally comprised between 0 lx and 100 lx. The obtained results can be useful to design the modern electric lighting system in the villa. Moreover, the proposed analysis methodology can be easily exported to other applications (both ancient and modern buildings). Further studies should apply the same methodology to other case studies to verify if the outcomes of the research are generalizable.Fil: Monteoliva, Juan Manuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ambiente, Hábitat y Energía; ArgentinaFil: Bellia, Laura. Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II; ItaliaFil: Fragliasso, Francesca. Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II; ItaliaFil: Pattini, Andrea Elvira. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Mendoza. Instituto de Ambiente, Hábitat y Energía; Argentin