Field-study science classrooms as positive and enjoyable learning environments

We investigated differences between field-study classrooms and traditional science classrooms in terms of the learning environment and students’ attitudes to science, as well as the differential effectiveness of field-study classrooms for students differing in sex and English proficiency. A modified version of selected scales from the What Is Happening In this Class? questionnaire was used to assess the learning environment, whereas students’ attitudes were assessed with a shortened version of a scale from the Test of Science Related Attitudes. A sample of 765 grade 5 students from 17 schools responded to the learning environment and attitude scales in terms of both their traditional science classrooms and classrooms at a field-study centre in Florida. Large effect sizes supported the effectiveness of the field-studies classroom in terms of both the learning environment and student attitudes. Relative to the home school science class, the field-study class was considerably more effective for students with limited English proficiency than for native English speakers

Thermal Measurements in the framework of SPARC

International audienceIn this paper, a description of the thermal radiometric measurements carried out in the framework of the Spectra Barrax Campaign (SPARC) is presented. The purpose of these measurements is to retrieve biogeophysical parameters such as land surface emissivity and temperature to analyze the relationship of these parameters with fluorescence. The in situ data base was used to validate high and low resolution sensors such as Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner (AHS), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) and Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR), and a synergistic study was firstly developed between SEVIRI and ASTER and secondly between AATSR and CHRIS/PROBA (Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer/ Project for On Board Autonomy). The thermal measurements were carried out basically using two multiband field radiometers (CIMEL CE 312-1 and 312-2) and several single band field radiometers (RAYTEK ST6, RAYTEK MID and EVEREST 3000.4ZLC), pointing at different targets (soil, vegetation, sky). Transects, angular and emissivity measurements were carried out and the results show the importance of thermal measurements to characterize the different surfaces over the test area

Thermal Measurements in the framework of SPARC

International audienceIn this paper, a description of the thermal radiometric measurements carried out in the framework of the Spectra Barrax Campaign (SPARC) is presented. The purpose of these measurements is to retrieve biogeophysical parameters such as land surface emissivity and temperature to analyze the relationship of these parameters with fluorescence. The in situ data base was used to validate high and low resolution sensors such as Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner (AHS), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER), Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) and Advanced Along-Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR), and a synergistic study was firstly developed between SEVIRI and ASTER and secondly between AATSR and CHRIS/PROBA (Compact High Resolution Imaging Spectrometer/ Project for On Board Autonomy). The thermal measurements were carried out basically using two multiband field radiometers (CIMEL CE 312-1 and 312-2) and several single band field radiometers (RAYTEK ST6, RAYTEK MID and EVEREST 3000.4ZLC), pointing at different targets (soil, vegetation, sky). Transects, angular and emissivity measurements were carried out and the results show the importance of thermal measurements to characterize the different surfaces over the test area

Thermal remote sensing in the framework of the SEN2FLEX project : field measurements, ariborne data and applications

A description of thermal radiometric field measurements carried out in the framework of the European project SENtinel-2 and Fluorescence Experiment (SEN2FLEX) is presented. The field campaign was developed in the region of Barrax (Spain) during June and July 2005. The purpose of the thermal measurements was to retrieve biogeophysical parameters such as land surface emissivity (LSE) and temperature (LST) to validate airborne-based methodologies and to characterize different surfaces. Thermal measurements were carried out using two multiband field radiometers and several broadband field radiometers, pointing at different targets. High-resolution images acquired with the Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner (AHS) sensor were used to retrieve LST and LSE, applying the Temperature and Emissivity Separation (TES) algorithm as well as single-channel (SC) and two-channel (TC) methods. To this purpose, 10 AHS thermal infrared (TIR) bands (8–13 mm) were considered. LST and LSE estimations derived from AHS data were used to obtain heat fluxes and evapotranspiration (ET) as an application of thermal remote sensing in the context of agriculture and water management. To this end, an energy balance equation was solved using the evaporative fraction concept involved in the Simplified Surface Energy Balance Index (S-SEBI) model. The test of the different algorithms and methods against ground-based measurements showed root mean square errors (RMSE) lower than 1.8K for temperature and lower than 1.1 mm/day for daily ET

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (4th edition)

In 2008, we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, this topic has received increasing attention, and many scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Thus, it is important to formulate on a regular basis updated guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Despite numerous reviews, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to evaluate autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. Here, we present a set of guidelines for investigators to select and interpret methods to examine autophagy and related processes, and for reviewers to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of reports that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a dogmatic set of rules, because the appropriateness of any assay largely depends on the question being asked and the system being used. Moreover, no individual assay is perfect for every situation, calling for the use of multiple techniques to properly monitor autophagy in each experimental setting. Finally, several core components of the autophagy machinery have been implicated in distinct autophagic processes (canonical and noncanonical autophagy), implying that genetic approaches to block autophagy should rely on targeting two or more autophagy-related genes that ideally participate in distinct steps of the pathway. Along similar lines, because multiple proteins involved in autophagy also regulate other cellular pathways including apoptosis, not all of them can be used as a specific marker for bona fide autophagic responses. Here, we critically discuss current methods of assessing autophagy and the information they can, or cannot, provide. Our ultimate goal is to encourage intellectual and technical innovation in the field