A Framework for SAR-Optical Stereogrammetry over Urban Areas

Currently, numerous remote sensing satellites provide a huge volume of diverse earth observation data. As these data show different features regarding resolution, accuracy, coverage, and spectral imaging ability, fusion techniques are required to integrate the different properties of each sensor and produce useful information. For example, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data can be fused with optical imagery to produce 3D information using stereogrammetric methods. The main focus of this study is to investigate the possibility of applying a stereogrammetry pipeline to very-high-resolution (VHR) SAR-optical image pairs. For this purpose, the applicability of semi-global matching is investigated in this unconventional multi-sensor setting. To support the image matching by reducing the search space and accelerating the identification of correct, reliable matches, the possibility of establishing an epipolarity constraint for VHR SAR-optical image pairs is investigated as well. In addition, it is shown that the absolute geolocation accuracy of VHR optical imagery with respect to VHR SAR imagery such as provided by TerraSAR-X can be improved by a multi-sensor block adjustment formulation based on rational polynomial coefficients. Finally, the feasibility of generating point clouds with a median accuracy of about 2m is demonstrated and confirms the potential of 3D reconstruction from SAR-optical image pairs over urban areas.Comment: This is the pre-acceptance version, to read the final version, please go to ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing on ScienceDirec

The Water is Wide: A Retrospective on the Drummers and Musical Style of ECM Records

&nbsp; The ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) record label, founded in 1969 by producer Manfred Eicher, developed a unique musical style of straight eighth-note improvised music disparate from other styles of jazz in the 1970s. Drummers such as Bob Moses, Jon Christensen, Danny Gottlieb, and Jack DeJohnette were influential in developing new approaches to rhythm, accompaniment, and interaction to support new avenues in composition and improvisation. This thesis defines the &ldquo;ECM style&rdquo; from the drum set perspective, identifying ECM&rsquo;s unique musical characteristics and stylistic approaches and providing musical examples and analysis from important recordings. A brief historical account of ECM and the philosophy behind the label will provide context on the musical style&rsquo;s development and stylistic innovations. Additionally, some musical examples from the twenty-first century look at the current state of the ECM style and its influence on contemporary jazz. </div

The effects of trailing edge bluntness on airfoil performance as calculated approximately by a viscid-inviscid vortex panel method

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1989.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 86-88).by Michael R. D'Angelo.M.S

Advice to a college music student

Some helpful advice that the author has for students of music, especially at the undergraduate level

Stat3-mediated alterations in lysosomal membrane protein composition.

Lysosome function is essential in cellular homeostasis. In addition to its recycling role, the lysosome has recently been recognized as a cellular signaling hub. We have shown in mammary epithelial cells, both in vivo and in vitro, that signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) modulates lysosome biogenesis and can promote the release of lysosomal proteases that culminates in cell death. To further investigate the impact of Stat3 on lysosomal function, we conducted a proteomic screen of changes in lysosomal membrane protein components induced by Stat3 using an iron nanoparticle enrichment strategy. Our results show that Stat3 activation not only elevates the levels of known membrane proteins but results in the appearance of unexpected factors, including cell surface proteins such as annexins and flotillins. These data suggest that Stat3 may coordinately regulate endocytosis, intracellular trafficking, and lysosome biogenesis to drive lysosome-mediated cell death in mammary epithelial cells. The methodologies described in this study also provide significant improvements to current techniques used for the purification and analysis of the lysosomal proteome

Investigation of the Physical Processes Involved in GNSS Amplitude Scintillations at High Latitude: A Case Study

The storm onset on 7 September 2017, triggered several variations in the ionospheric electron density, causing severe phase fluctuations at polar latitudes in both hemispheres. In addition, although quite rare at high latitudes, clear amplitude scintillations were recorded by two Global Navigation Satellite System receivers during the main phase of the storm. This work attempted to investigate the physical mechanisms triggering the observed amplitude scintillations, with the aim of identifying the conditions favoring such events. We investigated the ionospheric background and other conditions that prevailed when the irregularities formed and moved, following a multi-observations approach. Specifically, we combined information from scintillation parameters and recorded by multi-constellation (GPS, GLONASS and Galileo) receivers located at Concordia station (75.10°S, 123.35°E) and SANAE IV base (71.67°S, 2.84°W), with measurements acquired by the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager on board the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program satellites, the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network, the Swarm constellation and ground-based magnetometers. Besides confirming the high degree of complexity of the ionospheric dynamics, our multi-instrument observation identified the physical conditions that likely favor the occurrence of amplitude scintillations at high latitudes. Results suggest that the necessary conditions for the observation of this type of scintillation in high-latitude regions are high levels of ionization and a strong variability of plasma dynamics. Both of these conditions are typically featured during high solar activity

Adjunctive agomelatine therapy in the treatment of acute bipolar II depression: a preliminary open label study

The circadian rhythm hypothesis of bipolar disorder (BD) suggests a role for melatonin in regulating mood, thus extending the interest toward the melatonergic antidepressant agomelatine as well as type I (acute) or II cases of bipolar depression

Isotopic traits of the Arctic water cycle

The Arctic hydrological cycle undergoes rapid and pronounced changes, including alterations in oceanic and atmospheric circulations, and precipitation patterns. Stable water isotopes (δ18O, δ2H, d-excess) can be used to trace these processes including their potential to feedback into the global climate system. The MOSAiC expedition provided a unique opportunity to collect, analyze, and synthesize discrete samples of the different hydrological compartments in the central Arctic, comprising sea ice, seawater, snow, and melt ponds. Here, we present spatio-temporal variations in the isotopic signatures of more than 1,000 water samples. We found that (i) average seawater δ18O of -1.7‰ conforms to observed and modelled isotopic traits of the Arctic Ocean; (ii) second year ice is relatively depleted compared to first year ice with average δ18O values of -3.1‰ and -0.7‰, respectively. This might be due to post-depositional exchange processes with snow, which has the most depleted isotopic signature among all compartments (mean δ18O=-15.1‰). Our dataset provides an unprecedented description of the present-day isotopic composition of the Arctic water covering a complete seasonal cycle. This will ultimately contribute to resolve the linkages between sea ice, ocean, and atmosphere during critical transitions from frozen ocean to open water conditions

MEK blockade converts AML differentiating response to retinoids into extensive apoptosis

: The aberrant function of transcription factors and/or kinase-based signaling pathways that regulate the ability of hematopoietic cells to proliferate, differentiate, and escape apoptosis accounts for the leukemic transformation of myeloid progenitors. Here, we demonstrate that simultaneous retinoid receptor ligation and blockade of the MEK/ERK signaling module, using the small-molecule inhibitor CI-1040, result in a strikingly synergistic induction of apoptosis in both acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cells with constitutive ERK activation. This proapoptotic synergism requires functional RAR and RXR retinoid receptors, as demonstrated using RAR- and RXR-selective ligands and RAR-defective cells. In the presence of MEK inhibitors, however, retinoid-induced chromatin remodeling, target-gene transcription, and granulocytic differentiation are strikingly inhibited and apoptosis induction becomes independent of death-inducing ligand/receptor pairs; this suggests that apoptosis induction by combined retinoids and MEK inhibitors is entirely distinct from the classical "postmaturation" apoptosis induced by retinoids alone. Finally, we identify disruption of Bcl-2-dependent mitochondrial homeostasis as a possible point of convergence for the proapoptotic synergism observed with retinoids and MEK inhibitors. Taken together, these results indicate that combined retinoid treatment and MEK blockade exert powerful antileukemic effects and could be developed into a novel therapeutic strategy for both AML and APL