A spectral reflectance estimation technique using multispectral data from the Viking lander camera

A technique is formulated for constructing spectral reflectance curve estimates from multispectral data obtained with the Viking lander camera. The multispectral data are limited to six spectral channels in the wavelength range from 0.4 to 1.1 micrometers and most of these channels exhibit appreciable out-of-band response. The output of each channel is expressed as a linear (integral) function of the (known) solar irradiance, atmospheric transmittance, and camera spectral responsivity and the (unknown) spectral responsivity and the (unknown) spectral reflectance. This produces six equations which are used to determine the coefficients in a representation of the spectral reflectance as a linear combination of known basis functions. Natural cubic spline reflectance estimates are produced for a variety of materials that can be reasonably expected to occur on Mars. In each case the dominant reflectance features are accurately reproduced, but small period features are lost due to the limited number of channels. This technique may be a valuable aid in selecting the number of spectral channels and their responsivity shapes when designing a multispectral imaging system

Formulation of the information capacity of the optical-mechanical line-scan imaging process

An expression for the information capacity of the optical-mechanical line-scan imaging process is derived which includes the effects of blurring of spatial, photosensor noise, aliasing, and quantization. Both the information capacity for a fixed data density and the information efficiency (the ratio of information capacity to data density) exhibit a distinct single maximum when displayed as a function of sampling rate, and the location of this maximum was determined by the system frequency-response shape, signal-to-noise ratio, and quantization interval

Pricing and Trust

We experimentally examine the effects of flexible and fixed prices in markets for experience goods in which demand is driven by trust. With flexible prices, we observe low prices and high quality in competitive (oligopolistic) markets, and high prices coupled with low quality in non-competitive (monopolistic) markets. We then introduce a regulated intermediate price above the oligopoly price and below the monopoly price. The effect in monopolies is more or less in line with standard intuition. As price falls volume increases and so does quality, such that overall efficiency is raised by 50%. However, quite in contrast to standard intuition, we also observe an efficiency rise in response to regulation in oligopolies. Both, transaction volume and traded quality are, in fact, maximal in regulated oligopolies.markets; price competition; price regulation; reputation; trust; moral hazard; experience goods

Exploring The Reactivity Of Donor-Acceptor Cyclopropanes And The Synthesis Of (+/-)-Quebrachamine

The development and utility of cyclopropanes is an ever-growing field within organic chemistry. In particular, donor-acceptor cyclopropanes have been used in a vast array of methods to access a variety of different hetero and carbocyclic molecular scaffolds. Recently, we have developed a Zn(NTf2)2 catalyzed tandem reaction consisting of a nucleophilic ringopening of 1,1-cyclopropanediesters by 2-alkynyl indoles followed by a Conia-ene ring closure, resulting in the efficient one-step synthesis of tetrahydrocarbazoles. These adducts may be further elaborated to carbazoles. The scope and limitations of this method were determined along with a mechanistic study into the function of the zinc catalyst. In an expansion of our work with 1,1-cyclopropanediesters, we have explored the reactivity and utilization of hemimalonate cyclopropanes. To this end, we have developed two unique methods exploring the self-activating nature of these cyclopropanes under catalyst free conditions. Cyclopropane hemimalonates, when treated with sodium azide, undergo a tandem ring-opening decarboxylation to produce γ-azidobutyric acids in good yields. These adducts were hydrogenated to form γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) methyl esters. Additionally, cyclopropane hemimalonates have led to the facile synthesis of γ-substituted butanolides. Under microwave irradiation, cyclopropane hemimalonates undergo rapid conversion to butanolides in the presence of inorganic salts with an unprecedented retention of stereochemistry. This unique process, in conjunction with a newly developed crossmetathesis method, has been applied to the total synthesis of the naturally occurring, (R)- dodecan-4-olide. Finally, recent efforts to develop a unified approach to piperidine-containing indole natural products have shown great promise. A preliminary investigation into the prospect of a common synthetic intermediate for the synthesis of a variety of indole alkaloids has led to a synthesis of substituted piperidinones and the corresponding piperidines. These common natural product cores are accessed via a reductive amination/lactamization sequence of dimethyl 3-ethyl-3-formylpimelate. The synthetic utility of this initial study has been displayed in the formal synthesis of (+/-)-quebrachamine

Consumer Networks and Firm Reputation: A First Experimental Investigation

Arguing that consumers are the carriers of firms’ reputations, we examine the role of consumer networks for trust in markets that suffer from moral hazard. When consumers are embedded in a network, they can exchange information with their neighbours about their private experiences with different sellers. We find that such information exchange fosters firms' incentives for reputation building and, thus, enhances trust and efficiency in markets. This efficiency-enhancing effect is already achieved with a rather low level of network density.trust; consumer networks; moral hazard; information conditions; reputation

Competition Fosters Trust

We study the effects of reputation and competition in a stylized market for experience goods. If interaction is anonymous, such markets perform poorly: sellers are not trustworthy, and buyers do not trust sellers. If sellers are identifiable and can, hence, build a reputation, efficiency quadruples but is still at only a third of the first best. Adding more information by granting buyers access to all sellers’ complete history has, somewhat surprisingly, no effect. On the other hand, we find that competition, coupled with some minimal information, eliminates the trust problem almost completely.experience goods; competition; reputation; trust; moral hazard; information conditions

A technique for constructing spectral reflectance curves from Viking lander camera multispectral data

A technique for evaluating the construction of spectral reflectance curves from multispectral data obtained with the Viking lander cameras is presented. The multispectral data is limited to 6 channels in the wave-length range 0.4 to 1.1 microns, and several of the channels suffer from appreciable out-of-band response. The technique represents the estimated reflectance curves as a linear combination of known basic functions with coefficients determined to minimize the error in the representation, and it permits all channels, with and without out-of-band response, to contribute equally valid information. The technique is evaluated for known spectral reflectance curves of 8 materials felt likely to be present on the Martian surface. The technique provides an essentially exact fit if the the reflectance curve has no pronounced maxima and minima. Even if the curve has pronounced maxima and minima, the fit is good and reveals the most dominant features. Since only 6 samples are available some short period features are lost. This loss is almost certainly due to undersampling rather than out-of-band channel response

Application of information theory to the design of line-scan imaging systems

Information theory is used to formulate a single figure of merit for assessing the performance of line scan imaging systems as a function of their spatial response (point spread function or modulation transfer function), sensitivity, sampling and quantization intervals, and the statistical properties of a random radiance field. Computational results for the information density and efficiency (i.e., the ratio of information density to data density) are intuitively satisfying and compare well with experimental and theoretical results obtained by earlier investigators concerned with the performance of TV systems

Aliased noise in radiometric measurements

The magnitude of aliased noise that degrades the accuracy of continuous reconstructions of discrete radiometric measurements was evaluated as a function of the spatial response and sampling intervals of the radiometer, and of the resolution of the reconstructed measurements. A Wiener spectrum, representative of a wide range of scenes, was used to characterize the radiance fluctuations

Analytical models and system topologies for remote multispectral data acquisition and classification

Simple analytical models are presented of the radiometric and statistical processes that are involved in multispectral data acquisition and classification. Also presented are basic system topologies which combine remote sensing with data classification. These models and topologies offer a preliminary but systematic step towards the use of computer simulations to analyze remote multispectral data acquisition and classification systems