Utilization of LANDSAT orbital imagery in the soil survey processes at Rio Grande do Norte state

Pedologic photointerpretative criteria adapted to LANDSAT orbital imagery were used: drainage (pattern, integration degree, density and uniformity degree); relief (pattern, dissection degree and crest lines); photographic texture, photographic tonnality, and the land use (type, glebas size and intensity of use). The performance of the imagery as an auxiliar tool in the soil survey processes, at Rio Grande do Norte State was evaluated. The drainage and relief elements were easily extracted from the imagery and also ones that provided the greatest deductive possibility about pedologic boundaries. Other analyzed criteria were considered only auxiliaries, corroborating some soil limits in the evidences convergence phase. The principal pedologic dominions of the 30,000 sq km are covered by the same LANDSAT image (WRS 359/16) were delimited with good precision: (1) fluvial plains, beaches, dunes and coastal mangroves; (2) North Coast line Plateau; (3) Acu Sandstone Zone; (4) residual plateaus of the Tertiary; and (6) plains of the embasement

Annual Modulation of Cosmic Relic Neutrinos

The cosmic neutrino background (CvB), produced about one second after the Big Bang, permeates the Universe today. New technological advancements make neutrino capture on beta-decaying nuclei (NCB) a clear path forward towards the detection of the CvB. We show that gravitational focusing by the Sun causes the expected neutrino capture rate to modulate annually. The amplitude and phase of the modulation depend on the phase-space distribution of the local neutrino background, which is perturbed by structure formation. These results also apply to searches for sterile neutrinos at NCB experiments. Gravitational focusing is the only source of modulation for neutrino capture experiments, in contrast to dark-matter direct-detection searches where the Earth's time-dependent velocity relative to the Sun also plays a role.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Principal components technique analysis for vegetation and land use discrimination

Automatic pre-processing technique called Principal Components (PRINCO) in analyzing LANDSAT digitized data, for land use and vegetation cover, on the Brazilian cerrados was evaluated. The chosen pilot area, 223/67 of MSS/LANDSAT 3, was classified on a GE Image-100 System, through a maximum-likehood algorithm (MAXVER). The same procedure was applied to the PRINCO treated image. PRINCO consists of a linear transformation performed on the original bands, in order to eliminate the information redundancy of the LANDSAT channels. After PRINCO only two channels were used thus reducing computer effort. The original channels and the PRINCO channels grey levels for the five identified classes (grassland, "cerrado", burned areas, anthropic areas, and gallery forest) were obtained through the MAXVER algorithm. This algorithm also presented the average performance for both cases. In order to evaluate the results, the Jeffreys-Matusita distance (JM-distance) between classes was computed. The classification matrix, obtained through MAXVER, after a PRINCO pre-processing, showed approximately the same average performance in the classes separability

Atmospheric correction analysis on LANDSAT data over the Amazon region

The Amazon Region natural resources were studied in two ways and compared. A LANDSAT scene and its attributes were selected, and a maximum likelihood classification was made. The scene was atmospherically corrected, taking into account Amazonic peculiarities revealed by (ground truth) of the same area, and the subsequent classification. Comparison shows that the classification improves with the atmospherically corrected images

New approach to 3D electrostatic calculations for micro-pattern detectors

We demonstrate practically approximation-free electrostatic calculations of micromesh detectors that can be extended to any other type of micropattern detectors. Using newly developed Boundary Element Method called Robin Hood Method we can easily handle objects with huge number of boundary elements (hundreds of thousands) without any compromise in numerical accuracy. In this paper we show how such calculations can be applied to Micromegas detectors by comparing electron transparencies and gains for four different types of meshes. We demonstrate inclusion of dielectric material by calculating the electric field around different types of dielectric spacers

The Luminous Convolution Model as an alternative to dark matter in spiral galaxies

The Luminous Convolution Model (LCM) demonstrates that it is possible to predict the rotation curves of spiral galaxies directly from estimates of the luminous matter. We consider two frame-dependent effects on the light observed from other galaxies: relative velocity and relative curvature. With one free parameter, we predict the rotation curves of twenty-three (23) galaxies represented in forty-two (42) data sets. Relative curvature effects rely upon knowledge of both the gravitational potential from luminous mass of the emitting galaxy and the receiving galaxy, and so each emitter galaxy is compared to four (4) different Milky Way luminous mass models. On average in this sample, the LCM is more successful than either dark matter or modified gravity models in fitting the observed rotation curve data. Implications of LCM constraints on populations synthesis modeling are discussed in this paper. This paper substantially expands the results in arXiv:1309.7370.Comment: Implications of LCM constraints on populations synthesis modeling are discussed in this paper. This paper substantially expands the results in arxiv:1309.737

Visualização de dados de imagens de sensoriamento remoto.

Resumo: Geralmente, os dados de sensoriamento remoto são representados em imagens que reproduzem feições da superfície terrestre. Entretanto, imagens são compostas por dados quantitativos multivariados que podem ser trabalhados de diversas formas para produzir visualizações diferentes das reproduções pictóricas tradicionais. Dados que podem parecer sem valor, como das áreas cobertas por nuvens, podem revelar-se fonte de importante informação para o planejamento de trabalhos futuros. O Brasil tem grande importância na produção agrícola mundial e as culturas mais importantes no país são a soja, o milho e a cana-de-açúcar, que ocuparam 27,7, 15,9 e 8,7 milhões de hectares, respectivamente, na safra 2012/2013. Aproximadamente 40% desta produção se localiza em São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina e Rio Grande do Sul. Imagens de satélite mostram potencial na estimativa de áreas ocupadas pela agricultura de larga escala. Entretanto, para que se possa obter imagens úteis é preciso que não haja nuvens, o que não é comum nos períodos chave dentro do calendário agrícola dessas culturas na região estudada. Obter imagens livres de nuvens ainda é um grande desafio para o monitoramento da agricultura em escala estadual ou nacional. Este trabalho objetivou demonstrar que o tratamento gráfico de dados oriundos de imagens de sensoriamento remoto pode produzir resultados úteis. Para tanto, foi analisada a frequência de imagens livres de nuvens sobre estados ou mesorregiões, ao longo dos meses, com base em uma série temporal de 2000 a 2013, a partir de dados obtidos pelo sensor MODIS e extraídos utilizando uma rotina do R. Abstract: Our goal was to demonstrate that the graph data processing of remote sensing images can produce useful results. We analyzed the frequency of cloud free images over Brazilian states, using a time series from 2000 to 2013, extracted from the MODIS sensor data and using a routine R

Gráfico de contorno preenchido: solução para a representação sintética de um conjunto de imagens de satélite.

Imagens de satélite podem ser obtidas sobre extensas áreas da superfície terrestre e têm grande utilidade no monitoramento do uso do solo. Uma região, definida por contornos geopolíticos, pode ser imageada diversas vezes por um mesmo sensor ao longo de um intervalo de tempo, como o ano civil, produzindo um enorme e rico volume de dados, mas cuja interpretação conjunta é complexa. O objetivo do presente trabalho foi o de apresentar uma forma de visualização de dados de sensoriamento remoto, relativamente simples, que permite reunir em um único gráfico de contorno preenchido (filled contour plot), informações de diversas imagens obtidas ao longo de um período de tempo sobre uma região. Para ilustrar a técnica proposta, dados do índice de vegetação EVI2 de quatro municípios do Estado de São Paulo, obtidos a partir de 23 imagens MODIS/Terra datadas de 2008, foram analisados. Os resultados permitem afirmar que é possível associar, de maneira lógica, o aspecto do gráfico e o uso predominante do solo, ao se considerar a fenologia e o manejo das principais atividades agrícolas dos municípios estudados. A principal vantagem do método gráfico apresentado é que ele permite resumir, em uma única figura, o comportamento espectral (nesse caso, o EVI2), em uma região geopolítica (município), durante um período de tempo(ano), representado por várias imagens (23). Assim, torna-se possível comparar conjuntos de imagens obtidas durante períodos de duração variada, entre regiões de tamanhos e formas diferentes, como os municípios, utilizando sempre um mesmo padrão gráfico de fácil visualização e interpretação

Solar Neutrinos from CNO Electron Capture

The neutrino flux from the sun is predicted to have a CNO-cycle contribution as well as the known pp-chain component. Previously, only the fluxes from beta+ decays of 13N, 15O, and 17F have been calculated in detail. Another neutrino component that has not been widely considered is electron capture on these nuclei. We calculate the number of interactions in several solar neutrino detectors due to neutrinos from electron capture on 13N, 15O, and 17F, within the context of the Standard Solar Model. We also discuss possible non-standard models where the CNO flux is increased.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, submitted to Phys. Rev. C; v2 has minor changes including integration over solar volume and addition of missing reference to previous continuum electron capture calculation; v3 has minor changes including addition of references and the correction of a small (about 1%) numerical error in the table