3,848 research outputs found
The design of a Space-borne multispectral canopy LiDAR to estimate global carbon stock and gross primary productivity
Understanding the dynamics of the global carbon cycle is one of the most challenging issues for the scientific community. The ability to measure the magnitude of terrestrial carbon sinks as well as monitoring the short and long term changes is vital for environmental decision making. Forests form a significant part of the terrestrial biosystem and understanding the global carbon cycle, Above Ground Biomass (AGB) and Gross Primary Productivity (GPP) are critical parameters. Current estimates of AGB and GPP are not adequate to support models of the global carbon cycle and more accurate estimates would improve predictions of the future and estimates of the likely behaviour of these sinks. Various vegetation indices have been proposed for the characterisation of forests including canopy height, canopy area, Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Photochemical Reflectance Index (PRI). Both NDVI and PRI are obtained from a measure of reflectivity at specific wavelengths and have been estimated from passive measurements. The use of multi-spectral LiDAR to measure NDVI and PRI and their vertical distribution within the forest represents a significant improvement over current techniques. This paper describes an approach to the design of an advanced Multi-Spectral Canopy LiDAR, using four wavelengths for measuring the vertical profile of the canopy simultaneously. It is proposed that the instrument be placed on a satellite orbiting the Earth on a sun synchronous polar orbit to provide samples on a rectangular grid at an approximate separation of 1km with a suitable revisit frequency. The systems engineering concept design will be presented
Trends of armed conflict in Kenya from 1997 to 2021: an exploratory data analysis
Armed conflict patterns have drastically changed since the post-cold war period. In Sub-Saharan Africa, armed conflict continues to be persistent and on the rise. Kenya has not experienced civil war, but has experienced intra-state conflicts which display themselves as political, natural resources, ethnicity, land, and environmental conflicts. This study aimed to identify patterns and trends of armed conflict in Kenya. Secondary data from Armed Conflict and Location Events Data (ACLED) for the period 15th January 1997 to 25th February 2021 was used. Exploratory data analysis and generalized additive model were used to identify patterns and trends. For the period studied, 7,437-armed conflict events and 11,071 fatalities were recorded. There was a non-linear trend and a general increase in the number of armed conflict cases in Kenya. The peaks in the non-linear trend were observed during the years 2002, 2007, 2013 and 2017. On the contrary, the number of fatalities from armed conflict decreased over time and had a non-linear trend, with peaks in the years 1998, 2001, 2007, 2013 and, 2017. Similarly, there was a reduction in the number of fatalities per armed conflict over time with 149 fatalities per 100-armed conflict events recorded in the study period. Linear and non-linear trend of armed conflict events was observed at the county levels, with counties like Nairobi and Nakuru having a non-linear trend similar to the overall trend. The number of events of armed conflict for riots and protests event type had a non-linear trend while the rest had a linear trend with a positive slope. Violence Against Civilians (VAC) event type had the highest number of events followed by Riots and Protests. Additionally, VAC had the highest number of fatalities followed by Battles and Riots. In terms of fatalities per armed conflict, Explosions/Remote violence event type had the highest fatality rate followed by Battles and VAC. The peaks in the number of armed conflict cases and fatalities were observed in the years in which general elections were conducted in Kenya
What the hack is a hacker?
The purpose of this study is to examine the historical tendencies and characteristics of hackers to create a holistic definition of what it means to be a hacker. By analyzing the contents of the âHacker Classicsâ list, it was determined that there is not a single, all-encompassing definition of what it means to be a hacker. Although there are common motivations and ideologies shared between many hackers, the definition of âhackerâ continues to change as time and technology does
Increased permeability of the malaria-infected erythrocyte to organic cations
AbstractThe human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, induces in the plasma membrane of its host red blood cell new permeation pathways (NPP) that allow the influx of a variety of low molecular weight solutes. In this study we have demonstrated that the NPP confer upon the parasitised erythrocyte a substantial permeability to a range of monovalent organic (quaternary ammonium) cations, the largest having an estimated minimum cross-sectional diameter of 11â12 Ă
. The rate of permeation of these cations showed a marked dependence on the nature of the anion present, increasing with the lyotropicity of the anion. There was no clear relationship between the permeation rate and either the size or the hydrophobicity of these solutes. However, the data were consistent with the rate of permeation being influenced by a combination of these two factors, with the pathways showing a marked preference for the relatively small and hydrophobic phenyltrimethylammonium ion over larger or less hydrophobic solutes. Large quaternary ammonium cations inhibited flux via the NPP, as did long-chain n-alkanols. For both classes of compound the inhibitory potency increased with the size and hydrophobicity of the solute. This study extends the range of solutes known to permeate the NPP of malaria-infected erythrocytes as well as providing some insight into the factors governing the rate of permeation
Kitchenware Development: Strategizing blind user-designer experience design activities
Concept Development from research, the blind relies heavily on sensory references like touch to make a spatial judgment â the lack of such often results in accidents. Thus, the solutions physicalize tactile cues, which they can rely on for the next step in the cooking process. Existing solutions in the market are often function-focused, with little attention paid to usability. Product utility is foreign and unnatural to the blind as it contrasts with their prior memory of performing a task. Therefore, this research study is to strategize the Blind User-Designer experience through design activities.
Keywords: Blind-User; Kitchenware, User Experience; Design Activities
eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peerâreview under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7iSI7.378
Ătude exploratoire des profils motivationnels de jeunes adultes violents au sein de leur couple
Les jeunes adultes commettent plus souvent des conduites violentes au sein de leur couple que les adultes plus ĂągĂ©s. Le but de cette Ă©tude est de proposer une classification de jeunes adultes violents au sein de leur couple Ă lâaide de variables motivationnelles et dâĂ©valuer la validitĂ© discriminante des profils au niveau de variables liĂ©es Ă la violence psychologique et physique et de comparer les profils motivationnels Ă un groupe de jeunes adultes non violent. Les 457 participants de cette Ă©tude sont des jeunes adultes de la population gĂ©nĂ©rale provenant de la rĂ©gion de QuĂ©bec et de MontrĂ©al. Lâanalyse de classification two-step cluster Ă permis de trouver trois profils distincts : (1) le rĂ©actif (2) le commun et (3) lâhostile. Les analyses comparatives dĂ©montrent que les rĂ©actifs sont ceux qui commettent le plus dâactes de violence physique diffĂ©rents, que les communs sont les moins violents, les moins en dĂ©tresse et perçoivent lâimpact de leur violence moins nĂ©gativement et que les hostiles sont ceux qui sont les plus violents, les plus en dĂ©tresse et perçoivent lâimpact de leur violence plus nĂ©gativement. Les individus non violents sont significativement moins en dĂ©tresse et consomment moins dâalcool que tous les profils violents. Les rĂ©sultats serviront Ă obtenir une meilleure comprĂ©hension des individus violents, Ă amĂ©liorer le dĂ©pistage des individus les plus Ă risque de recourir Ă la violence au sein de leur couple et dâeffectuer de la prĂ©vention en les sensibilisant aux caractĂ©ristiques des individus violents.Young adults exhibit violent behavior within their relationships more frequently than do older adults. The goal of this study, using motivational variables, is to propose a classification of young adults who perpetrate relationship violence and assess the discriminant validity of profiles in terms of variables linked to psychological and physical aggression and compare the motivational profiles to those of non-violent young adults. The 457 participants in this study are young adults from the general population in the Quebec City and Montreal areas. Classification based on a two-step cluster analysis resulted in three distinct profiles: (1) reactive, (2) common and (3) hostile. Comparative analyses suggest that those with a reactive profile engage in the greatest number of different acts of aggression, those with a common profile are the least violent, the least distressed and perceive the impact of their violence less negatively, whereas those with a hostile profile are the most violent, they experience the greatest distress and perceive the impact of their aggression most negatively. Non-violent individuals are significantly less distressed and consume less alcohol than all those with violent profiles. Findings will lead to a better understanding of violent individuals as well as improve detection of individuals who are most likely to resort to relationship violence and prevent this by raising awareness of the characteristics of violent individuals
Effects of Intentional Weight Loss on Markers of Oxidative Stress, DNA Repair and Telomere Length - a Systematic Review
Neuroplasticity and the Auditory System
This chapter will present information on the central auditory nervous system with a special focus in the auditory pathways. The intrinsic and extrinsic aspects of neuroplasticity will be described, and the neuroplasticity of the auditory system will be presented in detail. These topics are the basis of the auditory training (AT) program for central auditory processing disorders
Conceptualizing D-Honeycomb Artificial Coral Reef Structure (DHARS) through Stoneware Ceramic Artwork
The Artificial Reef Structure D-Honeycomb (DHARS) is a study that reflects the design needs of natural coral reefs. It focuses on ceramic material (stoneware) that can invertebrate, penetrate and grow on natural corals. It will theoretically allow corals to bounce back faster with the structural analysis of Dual-Honeycomb. Overall, DHARS offers simple, effective and inexpensive design structures for artificial coral reefs that are important for the underwater environment and remote island communities where they need them for their habitat.
Keywords: Stoneware ceramic; Artificial Coral Reef; Honeycomb
eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2022. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peerâreview under the responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians), and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ebpj.v7iSI7.377
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