Design of general-purpose sampling strategies for geometric shape measurement

Quality inspection is a preliminary step for different further analyses (process monitoring, control and optimisation) and requires one to select a measuring strategy, i.e., number and location of measurement points. This phase of data gathering usually impacts on inspection times and costs (via sample size) but it also affects the performance of the following tasks (process monitoring, control and optimisation). While most of the approaches for sampling design are specifically presented with reference to a target application (namely, monitoring, control or optimisation), this paper presents a general-purpose procedure, where the number and location of measurement points are selected in order to retain most of the information related to the feature under study. The procedure is based on principal component analysis and its application is shown with reference to a real case study concerning the left front window of a car. A different approach based on multidimensional scaling is further applied as validation tool, in order to show the effectiveness of the PCA solution

TreeViewJ: An Application for Viewing and Analyzing Phylogenetic Trees

BACKGROUND. Phylogenetic trees are widely used to visualize evolutionary relationships between different organisms or samples of the same organism. There exists a variety of both free and commercial tree visualization software available, but limitations in these programs often require researchers to use multiple programs for analysis, annotation, and the production of publication-ready images. RESULTS. We present TreeViewJ, a Java tool for visualizing, editing and analyzing phylogenetic trees. The software allows researchers to color and change the width of branches that they wish to highlight, and add names to nodes. If collection dates are available for taxa, the software can map them onto a timeline, and sort the tree in ascending or descending date order. CONCLUSION. TreeViewJ is a tool for researchers to visualize, edit, "decorate," and produce publication-ready images of phylogenetic trees. It is open-source, and released under an GPL license, and available at http://treeviewj.sourceforge.net

Glomus mosseae come bioindicatore di inquinamento da metalli pesanti:sviluppo di un protocollo operativo

I funghi micorrizici arbuscolari sono fondamentali per la fertilità dei suoli, e pertanto devono essere considerati tra i principali microrganismi da monitorare nelle valutazioni di tossicità ambientale. In questa tesi è stata valutata la risposta di Glomus mosseae a dosi crescenti di Cu o Zn (prima prova), e di Cu e Zn (seconda prova), in minipots contenenti l’ inoculo fungino in terreno sterile, dopo aver determinato la dose operativa di inoculo e la resistenza di Cichorium intybus, utilizzata come pianta ospite. Sono stati effettuati due prelievi, a 20 giorni e a 30 giorni dall'emergenza di C. intybus, per determinare la crescita e la capacità di colonizzazione radicale di G. mosseae, mediante la densità di entry points (EP) e la percentuale di colonizzazione, che hanno mostrato un andamento decrescente all’ aumento della concentrazione di metalli. E’ stata osservata inoltre una buona correlazione tra la densità di EP a 20 giorni e la colonizzazione rilevata a 30 giorni. Il biosaggio messo a punto in questa tesi si è rivelato adatto a valutare la tossicità dei metalli saggiati verso G. mosseae, e pertanto può essere considerato per un suo utilizzo nello studio dei suoli in condizioni reali di inquinamento da metalli pesanti

Geometric potential of cartosat-1 stereo imagery

Cartosat-1 satellite, launched by Department of Space (DOS), Government of India, is dedicated to stereo viewing for large scale mapping and terrain modelling applications. This stereo capability fills the limited capacity of very high resolution satellites for three-dimensional point determination and enables the generation of detailed digital elevation models (DEMs) not having gaps in mountainous regions like for example the SRTM height model.The Cartosat-1 sensor offers a resolution of 2.5m GSD in panchromatic mode. One CCD-line sensor camera is looking with a nadir angle of 26' in forward direction, the other 5' aft along the track. The Institute "Area di Geodesia e Geomatica"-Sapienza Università di Roma and the Institute of Photogrammetry and Geoinformation, Leibniz University Hannover participated at the ISPRS-ISRO Cartosat-1 Scientific Assessment Programme (CSAP), in order to investigate the generation of Digital Surface Models (DSMs) from Cartosat-1 stereo scenes. The aim of this work concerns the orientation of Cartosat-1 stereo pairs, using the given RPCs improved by control points and the definition of an innovative model based on geometric reconstruction, that is used also for the RPC extraction utilizing a terrain independent approach. These models are implemented in the scientific software (SISAR-Software per Immagini Satellitari ad Alta Risoluzione) developed at Sapienza Università di Roma. In this paper the SISAR model is applied to different stereo pairs (Castelgandolfo and Rome) and to point out the effectiveness of the new model, SISAR results are compared with the corresponding ones obtained by the software OrthoEngine 10.0 (PCI Geomatica).By the University of Hannover a similar general satellite orientation program has been developed and the good results, achieved by bias corrected sensor oriented RPCs, for the test fields Mausanne (France) and Warsaw (Poland) have been described.For some images, digital height models have been generated by automatic image matching with least squares method, analysed in relation to given reference height models. For the comparison with the reference DEMs the horizontal fit of the height models to each other has been checked by adjustment

Automated methods in aircraft ground analyses: modelling process improvements by automated simulations

The purpose of this work is to investigate about the processes adopted to perform some Aircraft Level analyses and to create new methods and approaches in order to automate them, to speed them up, and to re-use the model created for all the aircraft. This approach is in compliance with the principles of the Lean Philosophy developed by Toyota (based on mapping the processes, finding what is value adding, non value adding and what the sources of waste are, and trying to continuously improve the process). The analyses taken into account for this work are Groundlines, Jacking Groundlines and Ground Manoeuvrability. The programmes the work refers to are A350XWB, A380 and the A320 family, but the methods will be applied for the same analyses on all the other aircraft

Development and validation of an instrument to measure perceived service quality of an academic library in Costa Rica

Service management involves the responsibility of ensuring the effectiveness of business operations in terms of meeting customer requirements. A good service is judged not only by meeting customer requirements but also by the way the customers perceive and interpret the received service. To know how effective the service is, the quality of the service can be measured. For this aim it is necessary to target actual service elements to improve and to weigh the evaluation of service elements relative to the importance that customers place on them. The literature shows that service quality outcome and measurement are dependent on the type of service setting, situation, needs and other factors. General instruments to measure perceived service were developed in the context of main dimensions proposed by general service quality models. However, it is important to develop new instruments which are directly targeted to the context reality. Based upon conceptual models the goal of this study is to target actual service elements that customers from an academic library in Costa Rica deem important. Using the identified elements the dimensions of service quality are developed and validated to measure user perceived service. It was discussed how appropriable knowledge on quality service can spurred the innovative capacity to improve library services