Accuracy of UAV Photogrammetry in Glacial and Periglacial Alpine Terrain: A Comparison With Airborne and Terrestrial Datasets

Unoccupied Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with optical instruments are increasingly deployed in high mountain environments to investigate and monitor glacial and periglacial processes. The comparison and fusion of UAV data with airborne and terrestrial data offers the opportunity to analyse spatio-temporal changes in the mountains and to upscale findings from local UAV surveys to larger areas. However, due to the lack of gridded high-resolution data in alpine terrain, the specific challenges and uncertainties associated with the comparison and fusion of multi-temporal data from different platforms in this environment are not well known. Here we make use of UAV, airborne, and terrestrial data from four (peri)glacial alpine study sites with different topographic settings. The aim is to assess the accuracy of UAV photogrammetric products in complex terrain, to point out differences to other products, and to discuss best practices regarding the fusion of multi-temporal data. The surface geometry and characteristic geomorphological features of the four alpine sites are well captured by the UAV data, but the positional accuracies vary greatly. They range from 15 cm (root-mean-square error) for the smallest survey area (0.2 km2) with a high ground control point (GCP) density (40 GCPs km−2) to 135 cm for the largest survey area (>2.5 km2) with a lower GCP density (<10 GCPs km−2). Besides a small number and uneven distribution of GCPs, a low contrast, and insufficient lateral image overlap (<50–70%) seem to be the main causes for the distortions and artefacts found in the UAV data. Deficiencies both in the UAV and airborne data are the reason for horizontal deviations observed between the datasets. In steep terrain, horizontal deviations of a few decimetres may result in surface elevation change errors of several metres. An accurate co-registration and evaluation of multi-temporal UAV, airborne, and terrestrial data using tie points in stable terrain is therefore of utmost importance when it comes to the investigation of surface displacements and elevation changes in the mountains. To enhance the accuracy and quality of UAV photogrammetry, the use of UAVs equipped with multi-spectral cameras and high-precision positioning systems is recommended, especially in rugged terrain and snow-covered areas

Accuracy of UAV Photogrammetry in Glacial and Periglacial Alpine Terrain: A Comparison With Airborne and Terrestrial Datasets

Unoccupied Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with optical instruments are increasingly deployed in high mountain environments to investigate and monitor glacial and periglacial processes. The comparison and fusion of UAV data with airborne and terrestrial data offers the opportunity to analyse spatio-temporal changes in the mountains and to upscale findings from local UAV surveys to larger areas. However, due to the lack of gridded high-resolution data in alpine terrain, the specific challenges and uncertainties associated with the comparison and fusion of multi-temporal data from different platforms in this environment are not well known. Here we make use of UAV, airborne, and terrestrial data from four (peri)glacial alpine study sites with different topographic settings. The aim is to assess the accuracy of UAV photogrammetric products in complex terrain, to point out differences to other products, and to discuss best practices regarding the fusion of multi-temporal data. The surface geometry and characteristic geomorphological features of the four alpine sites are well captured by the UAV data, but the positional accuracies vary greatly. They range from 15 cm (root-mean-square error) for the smallest survey area (0.2 km2) with a high ground control point (GCP) density (40 GCPs km−2) to 135 cm for the largest survey area (&gt;2.5 km2) with a lower GCP density (&lt;10 GCPs km−2). Besides a small number and uneven distribution of GCPs, a low contrast, and insufficient lateral image overlap (&lt;50–70%) seem to be the main causes for the distortions and artefacts found in the UAV data. Deficiencies both in the UAV and airborne data are the reason for horizontal deviations observed between the datasets. In steep terrain, horizontal deviations of a few decimetres may result in surface elevation change errors of several metres. An accurate co-registration and evaluation of multi-temporal UAV, airborne, and terrestrial data using tie points in stable terrain is therefore of utmost importance when it comes to the investigation of surface displacements and elevation changes in the mountains. To enhance the accuracy and quality of UAV photogrammetry, the use of UAVs equipped with multi-spectral cameras and high-precision positioning systems is recommended, especially in rugged terrain and snow-covered areas

Laugh Like You Mean It:Authenticity Modulates Acoustic, Physiological and Perceptual Properties of Laughter

Several authors have recently presented evidence for perceptual and neural distinctions between genuine and acted expressions of emotion. Here, we describe how differences in authenticity affect the acoustic and perceptual properties of laughter. In an acoustic analysis, we contrasted spontaneous, authentic laughter with volitional, fake laughter, finding that spontaneous laughter was higher in pitch, longer in duration, and had different spectral characteristics from volitional laughter that was produced under full voluntary control. In a behavioral experiment, listeners perceived spontaneous and volitional laughter as distinct in arousal, valence, and authenticity. Multiple regression analyses further revealed that acoustic measures could significantly predict these affective and authenticity judgements, with the notable exception of authenticity ratings for spontaneous laughter. The combination of acoustic predictors differed according to the laughter type, where volitional laughter ratings were uniquely predicted by harmonics-to-noise ratio (HNR). To better understand the role of HNR in terms of the physiological effects on vocal tract configuration as a function of authenticity during laughter production, we ran an additional experiment in which phonetically trained listeners rated each laugh for breathiness, nasality, and mouth opening. Volitional laughter was found to be significantly more nasal than spontaneous laughter, and the item-wise physiological ratings also significantly predicted affective judgements obtained in the first experiment. Our findings suggest that as an alternative to traditional acoustic measures, ratings of phonatory and articulatory features can be useful descriptors of the acoustic qualities of nonverbal emotional vocalizations, and of their perceptual implications

The state of the Martian climate

60°N was +2.0°C, relative to the 1981–2010 average value (Fig. 5.1). This marks a new high for the record. The average annual surface air temperature (SAT) anomaly for 2016 for land stations north of starting in 1900, and is a significant increase over the previous highest value of +1.2°C, which was observed in 2007, 2011, and 2015. Average global annual temperatures also showed record values in 2015 and 2016. Currently, the Arctic is warming at more than twice the rate of lower latitudes

The 13th Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics

Ngā mihi aroha ki ngā tangata katoa and warm greetings to you all. Welcome to Herenga Delta 2021, the Thirteenth Southern Hemisphere Conference on the Teaching and Learning of Undergraduate Mathematics and Statistics. It has been ten years since the Volcanic Delta Conference in Rotorua, and we are excited to have the Delta community return to Aotearoa New Zealand, if not in person, then by virtual means. Although the limits imposed by the pandemic mean that most of this year’s 2021 participants are unable to set foot in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, this has certainly not stopped interest in this event. Participants have been invited to draw on the concept of herenga, in Te Reo Māori usually a mooring place where people from afar come to share their knowledge and experiences. Although many of the participants are still some distance away, the submissions that have been sent in will continue to stimulate discussion on mathematics and statistics undergraduate education in the Delta tradition. The conference invited papers, abstracts and posters, working within the initial themes of Values and Variables. The range of submissions is diverse, and will provide participants with many opportunities to engage, discuss, and network with colleagues across the Delta community. The publications for this thirteenth Delta Conference include publications in the International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, iJMEST, (available at https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/tmes20/collections/Herenga-Delta-2021), the Conference Proceedings, and the Programme (which has created some interesting challenges around time-zones), by the Local Organizing Committee. Papers in the iJMEST issue and the Proceedings were peer reviewed by at least two reviewers per paper. Of the ten submissions to the Proceedings, three were accepted. We are pleased to now be at the business end of the conference and hope that this event will carry on the special atmosphere of the many Deltas which have preceded this one. We hope that you will enjoy this conference, the virtual and social experiences that accompany it, and take the opportunity to contribute to further enhancing mathematics and statistics undergraduate education. Ngā manaakitanga, Phil Kane (The University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau) on behalf of the Local Organising Committ

Ductal keratin 15⁺ luminal progenitors in normal breast exhibit a basal-like breast cancer transcriptomic signature

Normal breast luminal epithelial progenitors have been implicated as cell of origin in basal-like breast cancer, but their anatomical localization remains understudied. Here, we combine collection under the microscope of organoids from reduction mammoplasties and single-cell mRNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) of FACS-sorted luminal epithelial cells with multicolor imaging to profile ducts and terminal duct lobular units (TDLUs) and compare them with breast cancer subtypes. Unsupervised clustering reveals eleven distinct clusters and a differentiation trajectory starting with keratin 15(+) (K15(+)) progenitors enriched in ducts. Spatial mapping of luminal progenitors is confirmed at the protein level by staining with critical duct markers. Comparison of the gene expression profiles of normal luminal cells with those of breast cancer subtypes suggests a strong correlation between normal breast ductal progenitors and basal-like breast cancer. We propose that K15(+) basal-like breast cancers originate in ductal progenitors, which emphasizes the importance of not only lineages but also cellular position within the ductal-lobular tree

Tumour budding and CD8+ T-cells: "attackers" and "defenders" in rectal cancer with and without neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy.

AIM Tumour budding ("attacker") and CD8+ T-cells ("defender") are recognized as important parameters for risk stratification in colon cancers and combined, may have even stronger clinical impact. Here, we determine the value of tumor budding and CD8+ in rectal cancer patients treated with/without neoadjuvant therapy. METHODS Using digital scans of all tumor slides/case, we analysed CD8+ T-cell counts in two patient cohorts: 45 neoadjuvantly-treated and 47 primarily surgically-treated (totaling n=540 slides) after double-staining of the surgical resection specimen for pan-cytokeratin and CD8+. Tumour buds in hotspots were manually counted (area 0.785 mm2 ), CD8+ T-cell counts were analysed both in tumor budding hotspots and densest CD8+ regions throughout the tumor, separately. RESULTS In neoadjuvantly treated patients, only tumor budding and not CD8+ T-cells was associated with tumor features, including more advanced ypT (p=0.0062), venous invasion (p=0.002), lymphatic invasion (p=0.0003) and perineural invasion (p=0.0017) as well as higher AJCC tumor regression score (p=0.0035), indicating less tumor response. Overall survival was also worse in patients with high-grade budding in univariate analysis only. In contrast, all three variables, namely tumor budding (p=0.0347), CD8+ T-cells in budding hotspots (p=0.0382) and CD8+ T-cells in densest areas (p=0.0117) were associated with worse (budding) and better (CD8) survival time also in multivariate setting CONCLUSION: In rectal cancer, tumor budding has clinical relevance in both primarily surgically treated patients and in those with neoadjuvantly treated patients, where it characterizes highly aggressive residual disease. CD8+ T-cell counts appear not to have prognostic relevance in the neoadjuvant context

Potential and Challenges of Prototyping in Product Development and Innovation

Christoforakos L, Tretter S, Diefenbach S, et al. Potential and Challenges of Prototyping in Product Development and Innovation. i-com. 2019;18(2):179-187.Prototyping represents an established, essential method of product development and innovation, widely accepted across the industry. Obviously, the use of prototypes, i. e., simple representations of a product in development, in order to explore, communicate and evaluate the product idea, can provide many benefits. From a business perspective, a central advantage lies in cost-efficient testing. Consequently, the idea to “fail early”, and to continuously rethink and optimize design decisions before cost-consuming implementations, lies at the heart of prototyping. Still, taking a closer look at prototyping in practice, many organizations do not live up to this ideal. In fact, there are several typical misunderstandings and unsatisfying outcomes regarding the effective use of prototypes (e. g. Christoforakos & Diefenbach [3]; Diefenbach, Chien, Lenz, & Hassenzahl [4]). For example, although prominent literature repeatedly underlines the importance of the fit between a prototyping method or tool and its underlying research question and purpose (e. g. Schneider [7]), practitioners often seem to lack reflection and structure regarding their choice of prototyping approaches. Instead, the used prototypes often simply rest on organizational routines. As a result, prototypes can fail their purpose and might not contribute to the initial research question or aim of prototyping. Furthermore, the varying interests of different stakeholders within the prototyping process are often not considered with much detail either. According to Blomkvist and Holmlid [1], stakeholders of prototyping can be broadly categorized in colleagues (i. e. team members involved in the process of product development), clients (i. e. clients, whom the product is being developed for or potential new clients to be acquired) users (i. e. potential users of the final product). Each of these stakeholders employ different purposes of prototyping due to their distinct responsibilities within the process of product development. Moreover, they can hold different expectations regarding the prototyping process, and thus, have different preferences for certain methods or tools. Yet, the substantial role of stakeholders in the appropriate choice of prototyping approach and methods is often overlooked