Space and Earth Sciences, Computer Systems, and Scientific Data Analysis Support, Volume 1

This Final Progress Report covers the specific technical activities of Hughes STX Corporation for the last contract triannual period of 1 June through 30 Sep. 1993, in support of assigned task activities at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC). It also provides a brief summary of work throughout the contract period of performance on each active task. Technical activity is presented in Volume 1, while financial and level-of-effort data is presented in Volume 2. Technical support was provided to all Division and Laboratories of Goddard's Space Sciences and Earth Sciences Directorates. Types of support include: scientific programming, systems programming, computer management, mission planning, scientific investigation, data analysis, data processing, data base creation and maintenance, instrumentation development, and management services. Mission and instruments supported include: ROSAT, Astro-D, BBXRT, XTE, AXAF, GRO, COBE, WIND, UIT, SMM, STIS, HEIDI, DE, URAP, CRRES, Voyagers, ISEE, San Marco, LAGEOS, TOPEX/Poseidon, Pioneer-Venus, Galileo, Cassini, Nimbus-7/TOMS, Meteor-3/TOMS, FIFE, BOREAS, TRMM, AVHRR, and Landsat. Accomplishments include: development of computing programs for mission science and data analysis, supercomputer applications support, computer network support, computational upgrades for data archival and analysis centers, end-to-end management for mission data flow, scientific modeling and results in the fields of space and Earth physics, planning and design of GSFC VO DAAC and VO IMS, fabrication, assembly, and testing of mission instrumentation, and design of mission operations center

REGIONAL AND NATIONAL IMPACTS OF EXPANDED PACIFIC NORTHWEST POTATO PRODUCTION

A 46-equation econometric model of the U.S. potato market was developed. The model examines the determination of planted acreage, yield, production, and farm prices in the Pacific Northwest and in five other producing regions which compete with Northwest production. National demand relationships for potatoes used in processing, fresh consumption and livestock feed are also specified. These estimated relationships are used to simulate future scenarios which assume alternative rates of expansion for Northwest potato production. Results suggest that opportunities for considerable expansion of Northwest potato production exist if the secular shift in potato demand continues and increases in acreage are not excessive or expansion does not occur too quickly.Crop Production/Industries,

Training for Adjunct Faculty

Professor, teacher, instructor, faculty member –all are cherished and incredibly important titles at any university. At the same time, every full-time faculty member knows that it took time to become a good teacher and that training and mentoring shortens the required train-up period. Members of the Civil Engineering Department Heads Council Executive Committee (DHCEC) have indicated that the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) ExCEEd Teaching Workshop is a must have tool for developing new faculty. So why do we thrust a syllabus into the hands of adjunct faculty and wish them well – while it appears that some type of orientation training is warranted for all full-time faculty? This paper examines the topics that should be covered in such training. The results are based on a survey of existing civil engineering department heads and an examination of the training already available through universities and professional societies

A review of technical factors to consider when designing neural networks for semantic segmentation of Earth Observation imagery

Semantic segmentation (classification) of Earth Observation imagery is a crucial task in remote sensing. This paper presents a comprehensive review of technical factors to consider when designing neural networks for this purpose. The review focuses on Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs), Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), and transformer models, discussing prominent design patterns for these ANN families and their implications for semantic segmentation. Common pre-processing techniques for ensuring optimal data preparation are also covered. These include methods for image normalization and chipping, as well as strategies for addressing data imbalance in training samples, and techniques for overcoming limited data, including augmentation techniques, transfer learning, and domain adaptation. By encompassing both the technical aspects of neural network design and the data-related considerations, this review provides researchers and practitioners with a comprehensive and up-to-date understanding of the factors involved in designing effective neural networks for semantic segmentation of Earth Observation imagery.Comment: 145 pages with 32 figure

Program Assessment: A Structured, Systematic, Sustainable Example for Civil Engineers

As the outcomes-based accreditation process continues to evolve since its implementation six years ago, the standards for program assessment and continuous improvement are progressively being raised and many schools struggle with what is required. This paper offers an example of a structured, systematic, sustainable assessment program implemented by the civil engineering program at the United States Military Academy. The process is compatible with the university assessment process and has eight years of documented results. The assessment includes fast loop and slow loop cycles that accomplish very different things. Other features include standardized course assessments, embedded indicators, performance measures for all outcomes and objectives, advisory boards, feedback from all constituencies, faculty involvement, and closing of the feedback loop

ExCEEd II: Advanced training for even better teaching

In 2007, the American Society of Civil Engineering’s Committee on Faculty Development (CFD) conducted a longitudinal survey of all the past participants of the ExCEEd Teaching Workshop (ETW). The CFD received 173 responses, representing 40% of the ETW population at that time, to its survey about skills and the long term value of ETW. Important to this paper, 73% of the survey respondents said that they were interested in attending a post, advanced ETW. Motivated by these survey results, the CFD began its planning for a pilot ExCEEd II workshop during the 2008-2009 academic year. In the summer of 2009, ASCE offered its first ExCEEd II workshop for past ETW participants. This paper describes the day and a half ExCEEd II workshop along with a summary of results captured from two structured evaluations. All activities, except two, received average scores for value and conduct of 4.0 or better on a 1.0 to 5.0 scale. The participant teaching experience followed by the demonstration class taught by a master teacher were rated the highest in terms of their value to the participants. For some participants, the hands-on teaching experience coupled with the constructive and supportive feedback environment were cited as the main reasons for attending ExCEEd II. The program’s cost was deemed reasonable and appropriate to the length, value, and conduct of the workshop. The participants recommended increasing the length of the workshop to two days; incorporating two participant teaching sessions; providing more information or time to the topics of brain functions, problem based learning, ETW review, and short in-class demonstrations or models; and adding content on evaluating student learning and integrating new teaching technologies

Program Assessment the Easy Way: Using Embedded Indicators to Assess Program Outcomes

The culminating design experience for civil engineering majors at the United States Military Academy (USMA) is CE492, Design of Structural Systems. CE492 serves as a “capstone” experience or one in which students are faced with a multi-disciplinary design project incorporating facets from all previous civil engineering courses. Previous capstone experiences have required students to design structures planned for construction or currently under construction at the Academy, thus providing an opportunity for site visitations and active participation with key players in the project development process. Since CE492 provides a multi-disciplinary experience, it also provides an ideal opportunity for the application of embedded assessment indicators. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of an embedded assessment technique which has been used successfully for two semesters in CE450, Infrastructure Development and Construction Management, to assess accomplishment of the Academy’s Engineering and Technology Goal. By merging the student evaluation and assessment processes in CE492, instructor workload was reduced, student evaluation was tied more closely to the relevant academic program and the ASCE Body of Knowledge (BOK) outcomes, and a systematic method was created for identifying shortcomings and areas of excellence in the program

Effect of Bt Maize and Soil Insecticides on Yield, Injury, and Rootworm Survival: Implications for Resistance Management

A 2-yr field experiment was conducted to determine the effects on Diabrotica spp. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of an insecticidal seed treatment (Poncho 1250, (AI) /clothianidin) and a granular insecticide (Aztec 2.1G, (AI)/tebupirimphos and cyfluthrin) alone and in combination with maize producing the insectidical toxin Cry3Bb1 derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Yields for Bt maize plots were significantly greater than for non-Bt maize; however, insecticides did not significantly affect yield. Insecticides significantly decreased root injury in non-Bt maize plots, but there were no significant differences in root injury between Bt maize with or without either insecticide. Maize producing the Bt toxin Cry3Bb1 and the soil-applied insecticide Aztec significantly decreased survival of western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte), while only Bt maize significantly decreased survival of the northern corn rootworm (Diabrotica barberi Smith & Lawrence). For both species, Bt maize and each of the insecticides delayed emergence. In the absence of density-dependent mortality, Bt maize imposed 71 and 80% reduction in survival on the western corn rootworm and the northern corn rootworm, respectively. The data from this study do not support combining insecticide with Bt maize because the addition of insecticide did not increase yield or reduce root injury for Bt maize, and the level of rootworm mortality achieved with conventional insecticide was likely too low to delay the evolution of Bt resistance. In addition, delays in emergence from Bt maize combined with insecticides could promote assortative mating among Bt-selected individuals, which may hasten resistance evolution

Applying an Integrated Refuge to Manage Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae): Effects on Survival, Fitness, and Selection Pressure

The refuge strategy can delay resistance of insect pests to transgenic maize producing toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This is important for the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), because of its history of adaptation to several management practices. A 2-yr study across four locations was conducted to measure the effects of integrated refuge (i.e., blended refuge) on western corn rootworm survival to adulthood, fitness characteristics, and susceptibility to Bt maize in the subsequent generation. The treatments tested in this study were as follows: a pure stand of Bt maize (event DAS-59122-7, which produces Bt toxins Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1), a pure stand of refuge (non-Bt maize), and two variations on an integrated refuge consisting of 94.4% Bt maize and 5.6% non-Bt maize. Within the two integrated refuge treatments, refuge seeds received a neonicotinoid insecticidal seed treatment of either 1.25 mg clothianidin per kernel or 0.25 mg thiamethoxam per kernel. Insects in the pure stand refuge treatment had greater survival to adulthood and earlier emergence than in all other treatments. Although fecundity, longevity, and head capsule width were reduced in treatments containing Bt maize for some site by year combinations, Bt maize did not have a significant effect on these factors when testing data across all sites and years. We found no differences in susceptibility of larval progeny to Bt maize in bioassays using progeny of adults collected from the four treatments

ExCEEd teaching workshop: Tenth year anniversary

In response to the need for faculty training, the American Society of Civil Engineers developed and funded the ExCEEd (Excellence in Civil Engineering Education) Teaching Workshop that is today – the summer of 2008 – celebrating its tenth year of existence. For the past decade, nineteen ExCEEd Teaching Workshops (ETW) have been held at the United States Military Academy, the University of Arkansas, and Northern Arizona University, with two more workshops scheduled for this summer for a total of 21 offerings. ETW has realized 449 graduates from 203 different U.S. and international colleges and universities. This paper summarizes the content of ETW, assesses its effectiveness, highlights changes in the program as a result of the assessment, and outlines future directions. The assessment data were obtained from multiple survey instruments conducted during each workshop, surveys taken six months to a year after the workshop, and a ten year longitudinal survey