Analog table look-up device identifies unknown terrain

Table provides a probability map defining unknown terrain in terms of known terrain inputs. Device consists of analog transformation network and flying spot scanner. Information is useful to manufacturers and users of remote sensing equipment and applies to automated quality control

An investigation of phase-lock loop swept- frequency synchronization

Rapid synchronization of phase-locked oscillators is best achieved by the swept-frequency acquisition technique, wherein the voltage-controlled oscillator /VCO/ is linearly swept through the uncertainty band. The theoretically predicted sweep rates of this technique and the observed experimental results differ by less than seven percent

Hydrological impacts of invasive alien plants

It is now well recognised that invasive alien species, particularly tree species, often have much increased water usage compared with native vegetation. Perhaps less well understood are the reasons for this increased water use and whether such increases should be expected from all species of invading alien trees under all environmental conditions. This paper examines the reasons for increased water use from trees as compared with short crops. From a knowledge of these reasons and a knowledge of the limiting processes (the Limits Concept) governing alien tree and native tree and short crop water use, (derived from case studies in India and RSA), we suggest that it is now possible to assess under what conditions high water use by aliens may occur. Inverse solutions based on knowledge of growth rates are also suggested as another approach for assessing alien and native tree water use under water limited conditions. We conclude that in dry climates the greatest increase in water use from aliens, in both absolute and percentage terms, may occur in water limited rather than riparian (water unlimited) conditions. Hydrological models which can predict the spatially distributed increase in water use by aliens within catchments, coupled with ecological models which can predict controlled and uncontrolled invasion, can assist the evaluation and design of improved cost-effective eradication programmes. Such coupled models, linked with an economic evaluation component, should indicate in what circumstances the value of the extra streamflow released may alone be sufficient to cover the costs of the eradication programme and under what circumstances the ecological (protection of indigenous communities) and other socio-economic benefits also need to be taken into account to justify the costs of the programme.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Cartographic mapping study

The errors associated with planimetric mapping of the United States using satellite remote sensing techniques are analyzed. Assumptions concerning the state of the art achievable for satellite mapping systems and platforms in the 1995 time frame are made. An analysis of these performance parameters is made using an interactive cartographic satellite computer model, after first validating the model using LANDSAT 1 through 3 performance parameters. An investigation of current large scale (1:24,000) US National mapping techniques is made. Using the results of this investigation, and current national mapping accuracy standards, the 1995 satellite mapping system is evaluated for its ability to meet US mapping standards for planimetric and topographic mapping at scales of 1:24,000 and smaller

Adult Intellectual Developmental Disorder: Adverse Childhood Experiences and Problem Behaviors

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have detrimental effects on health and psychological outcomes in the general population (Felitti et al., 1998). Individuals with the diagnosis of intellectual developmental disorder (IDD) are at increased risk for adverse events and may be vulnerable to poor outcomes, including problem behaviors (Hatton & Emerson, 2004; Hulbert-Williams et al., 2014). The present study examined relationships among Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) questionnaire (Felitti et al., 1998) items, total score, and problem behaviors for adults with IDD receiving community-based care. Participants (N = 41) were referred by a developmental services agency for a review of their archived records, which were used to rate the ACE questionnaire and count incidents of problem behaviors. Odds Ratios revealed the ACE item Parental Drug Abuse increased the odds 6-fold for elopement (p \u3c .05), and 11-fold for property destruction (p \u3c .01). Kendall’s Tau-B correlations revealed significant positive correlations of Parental Alcohol Abuse and elopement (Tb = .34, p \u3c .05). Adoption had a significant, but small positive correlation with total incident reports (Tb = .27, p \u3c .05), and total ACE scores of 4 or greater increased the odds for criminal charges (OR = 6.23, 95% CI= 1.39, 27.84, p \u3c .05). There were also significant negative correlations between the ACE items, Witnessing Domestic Violence, Forced Rape, and Parental Incarceration with aggression (p \u3c .05). Total ACE scores and ACE item, Forced Rape, also had significant negative correlations with total incident reports (p \u3c .05). These results, as well as improvements in the collection of patient data for trauma-informed care among development service agencies, are discussed

What are the prospects for seasonal prediction of the marine environment of the North-west European Shelf?

Sustainable management and utilisation of the North-west European Shelf (NWS) seas could benefit from reliable forecasts of the marine environment on monthly to seasonal timescales. Recent advances in global seasonal forecast systems and regional marine reanalyses for the NWS allow us to investigate the potential for seasonal forecasts of the state of the NWS. We identify three possible approaches to address this issue: (A) basing NWS seasonal forecasts directly on output from the Met Office's GloSea5 global seasonal forecast system; (B) developing empirical downscaling relationships between large-scale climate drivers predicted by GloSea5 and the state of the NWS; and (C) dynamically downscaling GloSea5 using a regional model. We show that the GloSea5 system can be inadequate for simulating the NWS directly (approach A). We explore empirical relationships between the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and NWS variables estimated using a regional reanalysis (approach B). We find some statistically significant relationships and present a skillful prototype seasonal forecast for English Channel sea surface temperature. We find large-scale relationships between inter-annual variability in the boundary conditions and inter-annual variability modelled on the shelf, suggesting that dynamic downscaling may be possible (approach C). We also show that for some variables there are opposing mechanisms correlated with the NAO, for which dynamic downscaling may improve on the skill possible with empirical forecasts. We conclude that there is potential for the development of reliable seasonal forecasts for the NWS and consider the research priorities for their development

A quantitative assessment of resampling errors

Applications associated with digital geographic imagery are subject to great diversity in required cell size, cartographic projection, etc. The need for resampling remote sensing scaner data is evident in all but the most undemanding cases. It is shown that proper resampling of such data is dependent in important ways on the detailed knowledge of the original scanner's effective point-spread function and to the desired point-spread function of resampled data. When both of these are known, it is relatively straightforward to compute the resampling coefficients which do the best job of approximating the shape and position of the synthesized point-spread function. The resulting synthesized psf are compared with an ideal psf located at various interpixel positions and any differences observed as errors

Connecting up strategy: are senior strategy directors a missing link?

With companies being exhorted to become more strategically agile and internally connected, this article examines the role of the Senior Strategy Director, the executive tasked specifically with internal strategy. In particular, it explores what they do, what specific capabilities they deploy to enable effective contribution to the company, and in what ways they facilitate the connectedness of strategy. An analysis of multiple interviews over time with Senior Strategy Directors of large companies shows the vital and challenging role these executives play in both shaping, connecting up, and executing strategy. This article identifies the particular capabilities necessary for Senior Strategy Directors to perform their role and shows how it all depends upon their skilful deployment. These findings have significant implications for understanding unfolding micro-processes of strategy in large organizations, for assumptions about the skills and capabilities necessary to be an effective Senior Strategy Director, and for business schools in terms of the content and style of strategy courses they provide