Forest cover estimation in Ireland using radar remote sensing: a comparative analysis of forest cover assessment methodologies

Quantification of spatial and temporal changes in forest cover is an essential component of forest monitoring programs. Due to its cloud free capability, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an ideal source of information on forest dynamics in countries with near-constant cloud-cover. However, few studies have investigated the use of SAR for forest cover estimation in landscapes with highly sparse and fragmented forest cover. In this study, the potential use of L-band SAR for forest cover estimation in two regions (Longford and Sligo) in Ireland is investigated and compared to forest cover estimates derived from three national (Forestry2010, Prime2, National Forest Inventory), one pan-European (Forest Map 2006) and one global forest cover (Global Forest Change) product. Two machine-learning approaches (Random Forests and Extremely Randomised Trees) are evaluated. Both Random Forests and Extremely Randomised Trees classification accuracies were high (98.1–98.5%), with differences between the two classifiers being minimal (<0.5%). Increasing levels of post classification filtering led to a decrease in estimated forest area and an increase in overall accuracy of SAR-derived forest cover maps. All forest cover products were evaluated using an independent validation dataset. For the Longford region, the highest overall accuracy was recorded with the Forestry2010 dataset (97.42%) whereas in Sligo, highest overall accuracy was obtained for the Prime2 dataset (97.43%), although accuracies of SAR-derived forest maps were comparable. Our findings indicate that spaceborne radar could aid inventories in regions with low levels of forest cover in fragmented landscapes. The reduced accuracies observed for the global and pan-continental forest cover maps in comparison to national and SAR-derived forest maps indicate that caution should be exercised when applying these datasets for national reporting

The Apocalypse of John : a hermeneutical study

The aim of this dissertation is to discover the relevance (so often called in question) of John's Apocalypse. It was necessary first of all to examine the nature of the genre 'apocalypse'. Modern scholarship seems close to reaching a consensus of opinion concerning the main elements of the genre. Yet there are different views regarding its purpose. Our hypothesis is that the genre develops from a therapy in crisis towards a treatise on eschatology. The next step was to examine the Sitz-im-Leben of Revelation. Here we favoured the most commonly accepted opinion that Revelation was probably written towards the end of Domitian's reign. Then we examined the social and religious conditions in Asia at that time, and came to the conclusion that Revelation was indeed contending with crisis, mainly religious but social to some degree. John's literary sources were then examined. In terms of quantity Old Testament allusions are the most numerous, but our author is also thoroughly familiar with Christian ideas and with the thought of intertestamental literature. It was interesting to find similarities to the Qumran literature. What came as a surprise was the number of ideas that seem to be derived from pagan sources or from the secular world. From these investigations, some aspects of Revelation's relevance became apparent. The genre facilitates a championing of future eschatology that has sometimes been blurred in our own century, and provides some principles for a Christocentric theodicy. The Sitz-im-Leben investigation led us to see that John stirs the Christian conscience to protest against political evil, and by implication condemns condoning by silence. This provides a basis for a theology of liberation. John's use of sources shows an appreciation of an ongoing process of hermeneutics, portends a recognition of the religious value of the profane, and proclaims victory through the cross

The Scots College, Paris, 1653-1792

The aim of this dissertation is to present a composite picture and evaluation of the Scots College Paris from the establishment of a Prefecture Apostolic in Scotland in 1653, until the eclipse of the college in 1792. In order to show the Mission needs that a Scottish college would have to meet, this study began with a preliminary survey of aspects of Catholicism from the creation of the Jesuit mission in 1584 until the appointment of a secular Prefect in 1653, followed by an exposition of what little is known about the first foundation of the College (1325-1603) and the first fifty years of the second foundation (1603-1653), This review showed that the Scots College in Paris was in an excellent position to further the aims of the Scottish Catholic Mission. The history of the college was then examined chronologically by principalships, but it was found necessary to devote separate chapters to three topics, Jacobitism, Jansenism, and the College archives. The investigation indicated that the Scots College Paris had given considerable beneficial service to the Scottish Catholic Mission, but preoccupation with the Jacobite cause, and a reactionary stance as regards the Constitution Unigenitus deflected the staff from the task of preparing students for the priesthood and ultimately led to baneful consequences for Scottish Catholicism. Quarrels with the Jesuits and internal quarrels amongst the secular clergy contributed to the decline of the college. The college did, however, assist in the education of about seventy priests, provided three of our earliest Bishops, played a major role in the establishment of seminaries on Scottish soil, and built up a library and archives of which even the remnant is an invaluable resource for historians

Permittivity of Porous Titanate Dielectrics

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65907/1/j.1551-2916.2006.01323.x.pd

Spread Spectrum Buck Converter

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) is an issue prevalent to DC-DC converters. When a system doesn’t effectively filter out external noise or signals, these signals can cause disturbances to the system at large. The switching technology of DC-DC converters (PWM in particular), lends the system susceptible to EMI because there is a prevalent peaks at the switching frequency, meaning any external signals will not be effectively attenuated at this frequency. This can cause significant issues at the input bus of the DC-DC converters because this bus is likely the input of a multitude of devices; the EMI susceptibility caused by switching technology makes the entire system vulnerable. There are many proposed solutions to mitigate EMI, but our project focuses on spread spectrum frequency modulation (SSFM). SSFM is a way to utilize PWM technology by randomly varying the switching frequency within a set range of 10-20% centered at the desired average switching frequency; this served to eliminate harsh and potentially disastrous peaks at the switching frequency. Our project successfully implemented the spread spectrum technology of the LT8609 IC by using the IC in a 24/12V buck converter. We were able to clearly observe the frequency spectrum with the rectangular behavior characteristic of SSFM. The measured results were even better than the simulated results and our converter has made us confident in the viability of spread spectrum technology as a means to reduce EMI in DC-DC converters

A hyperthermophilic phage decoration protein suggests common evolutionary origin with Herpesvirus Triplex proteins and an anti-CRISPR protein [preprint]

Virus capsid proteins reproducibly self-assemble into regularly-shaped, stable shells that protect the viral genome from external environmental assaults, while maintaining the high internal pressure of the tightly packaged viral genome. To elucidate how capsids maintain stability under harsh conditions, we investigated the capsid components of a hyperthermophilic virus, phage P74-26. We determined the structure of a capsid protein gp87 and show that it has the same fold as trimeric decoration proteins that enhance the structural stability of capsids in many other phage, despite lacking significant sequence homology. We also find that gp87 is significantly more stable than its mesophilic homologs, reflecting the high temperature environment in which phage P74-26 thrives. Our analysis of the gp87 structure reveals that the core domain of the decoration protein is conserved in trimeric capsid components across numerous dsDNA viruses, including human pathogens such as Herpesviruses. Moreover, this core β-barrel domain is found in the anti-CRISPR protein AcrIIC1, which suggests a mechanism for the evolution of this broad spectrum Cas9 inhibitor. Our work illustrates the principles for increased stability of a thermophilic decoration protein, and extends the evolutionary reach of the core trimeric decoration protein fold

The Airway Microbiome at Birth.

Alterations of pulmonary microbiome have been recognized in multiple respiratory disorders. It is critically important to ascertain if an airway microbiome exists at birth and if so, whether it is associated with subsequent lung disease. We found an established diverse and similar airway microbiome at birth in both preterm and term infants, which was more diverse and different from that of older preterm infants with established chronic lung disease (bronchopulmonary dysplasia). Consistent temporal dysbiotic changes in the airway microbiome were seen from birth to the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in extremely preterm infants. Genus Lactobacillus was decreased at birth in infants with chorioamnionitis and in preterm infants who subsequently went on to develop lung disease. Our results, taken together with previous literature indicating a placental and amniotic fluid microbiome, suggest fetal acquisition of an airway microbiome. We speculate that the early airway microbiome may prime the developing pulmonary immune system, and dysbiosis in its development may set the stage for subsequent lung disease

Meningococcal carriage within households in the African meningitis belt: A longitudinal pilot study.

OBJECTIVES: Carriers of Neisseria meningitidis are a key source of transmission. In the African meningitis belt, where risk of meningococcal disease is highest, a greater understanding of meningococcal carriage dynamics is needed. METHODS: We randomly selected an age-stratified sample of 400 residents from 116 households in Bamako, Mali, and collected pharyngeal swabs in May 2010. A month later, we enrolled all 202 residents of 20 of these households (6 with known carriers) and collected swabs monthly for 6 months prior to MenAfriVac vaccine introduction and returned 10 months later to collect swabs monthly for 3 months. We used standard bacteriological methods to identify N. meningitidis carriers and fit hidden Markov models to assess acquisition and clearance overall and by sex and age. RESULTS: During the cross-sectional study 5.0% of individuals (20/400) were carriers. During the longitudinal study, 73 carriage events were identified from 1422 swabs analyzed, and 16.3% of individuals (33/202) were identified as carriers at least once. The majority of isolates were non-groupable; no serogroup A carriers were identified. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the duration of carriage with any N. meningitidis averages 2.9 months and that males and children acquire and lose carriage more frequently in an urban setting in Mali. Our study informed the design of a larger study implemented in seven countries of the African meningitis belt