The use of the LANDSAT data collection system and imagery in reservoir management and operation

The author has identified the following significant results. An increase in the data collection system's (DCS) ability to function in the flood control mission with no additional manpower was demonstrated during the storms which struck New England during April and May of 1975 and August 1976. It was found that for this watershed, creditable flood hydrographs could be generated from DCS data. It was concluded that an ideal DCS for reservoir regulation would draw features from LANDSAT and GOES. MSS grayscale computer printout and a USGS topographic map were compared, yielding an optimum computer classification map of the wetland areas of the Merrimack River estuary. A classification accuracy of 75% was obtained for the wetlands unit, taking into account the misclassified and the unclassified pixels. The MSS band 7 grayscale printouts of the Franklin Falls reservoir showed good agreement to USGS topographic maps in total area of water depicted at the low water reservoir stage and at the maximum inundation level. Preliminary analysis of the LANDSAT digital data using the GISS computer algorithms showed that the radiance of snow cover/vegetation varied from approximately 20 mW/sq cm sr in nonvegetated areas to less than 4 mW/sq cm sr for densely covered forested area

Use of Remote Sensing to Quantify Construction Material and to Define Geologic Lineations : Dickey-Lincoln School Lakes Project, Maine

This report contains Appendixes A and B of Special Report 242, use of remote sensing to quantify construction material and to define geologic lineations

Land use/vegetation mapping in reservoir management. Merrimack River basin

This report consists of an analysis of: ERTS-1 Multispectral Scanner imagery obtained 10 August 1973; Skylab 3 S190A and S190B photography, track 29, taken 21 September 1973; and RB-57 high-altitude aircraft photography acquired 26 September 1973. These data products were acquired on three cloud-free days within a 47-day period. The objectives of this study were: (1) to make quantitative comparisons between high-altitude aircraft photography and satellite imagery, and (2) to demonstrate the extent to which high resolution (S190A and B) space-acquired data can be used for land use/vegetation mapping and management of drainage basins

Skylab imagery: Application to reservoir management in New England

The author has identified the following significant results. S190B imagery is superior to the LANDSAT imagery for land use mapping and is as useful for level 1 and 2 land use mapping as the RB-57/RC8 high altitude imagery. Detailed land use mapping at levels 3 and finer from satellite imagery requires better resolution. For evaluating factors that are required to determine volume runoff potentials in a watershed, the S190B imagery was found to be as useful as the RB-57/RC8 high altitude aircraft imagery

Pengaruh Pelapisan Akrilik Terhadap Kualitas Papan Partikel Dari Limbah Batang Kelapa Sawit

To reduce the waste of oil palm trunks can be done by changing oil palm trunks into particle board. One way to improve the quality of particle board is by doing coating treatment of acrylic. This study evaluated the best acrylic level in improving the quality of oil palm trunk particle board with isocyanate as the adhesive. Boards were made with size 25 cm x 25 cm x 1 cm with a target density of 0.7 g/cm3, felts temperature 160º and pressure 25 kg/cm2 for 3 minutes. Physical and mechanical properties were compared with SNI 03-2105-2006. The treatment variations were acrylic levels (0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%) with 3 repetitions. Results showed that the values of the density, moisture content, water absorption, thickness swelling, modulus of rupture, modulus of elasticity and internal bond were respectively 0,46-0,60 g/cm3, 10,52-11,01%, 5,32-55.35%, 2,37-6,40%, 26,45-60,87 kg/cm2, 2619,15-5092,82 kg/cm2 and 2,28-4,61 kg/cm2. All result values of physical properties testing except value of the moisture content achieved the standards of SNI 03-2105-2006. Instead, all result values of mechanical properties testing did not achieve the standards of SNI 03-2105-2006. The results showed that the particle boards with acrylic coating treatment has better quality than the particle boards without the acrylic coating treatment for the entire physical properties testing in addition to moisture content. Best acrylic level for the coating treatment of oil palm trunk particle board is 15%

The design and relevance of a computerised therapy program for indigenous Māori adolescents.

Background: Depression is a major health issue among Māori indigenous adolescents, yet there has been little investigation into the relevance or effectiveness of psychological treatments for them. Further, consumer views are critical for engagement and adherence to therapy. However, there is little research regarding indigenous communities’ opinions about psychological interventions for depression. Objective: The objective of this study was to conduct semistructured interviews with Māori (indigenous New Zealand) young people (taitamariki) and their families to find out their opinions of a prototype computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) program called Smart, Positive, Active, Realistic, X-factor thoughts (SPARX), a free online computer game intended to help young persons with mild to moderate depression, feeling down, stress or anxiety. The program will teach them how to resolve their issues on their own using Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as psychotherapeutic approach. Methods: There were seven focus groups on the subject of the design and cultural relevance of SPARX that were held, with a total of 26 participants (19 taitamarki, 7 parents/caregivers, all Māori). There were five of the groups that were with whānau (family groups) (n=14), one group was with Māori teenage mothers (n=4), and one group was with taitamariki (n=8). The general inductive approach was used to analyze focus group data. Results: SPARX computerized therapy has good face validity and is seen as potentially effective and appealing for Māori people. Cultural relevance was viewed as being important for the engagement of Māori young people with SPARX. Whānau are important for young peoples’ well-being. Participants generated ideas for improving SPARX for Māori and for the inclusion of whānau in its delivery. Conclusions: SPARX computerized therapy had good face validity for indigenous young people and families. In general, Māori participants were positive about the SPARX prototype and considered it both appealing and applicable to them. The results of this study were used to refine SPARX prior to it being delivered to taitamariki and non-Māori young people

Mesenchymal stromal cells:inhibiting PDGF receptors or depleting fibronectin induces mesodermal progenitors with endothelial potential

Realizing the full therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) awaits improved understanding of mechanisms controlling their fate. Using MSCs cultured as spheroids to recapitulate a three-dimensional cellular environment, we show that perturbing the mesenchymal regulators, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors or fibronectin, reverts MSCs toward mesodermal progenitors with endothelial potential that can potently induce neovascularization in vivo. MSCs within untreated spheroids retain their mesenchymal spindle shape with abundant smooth muscle α-actin filaments and fibronectin-rich matrix. Inhibiting PDGF receptors or depleting fibronectin induces rounding and depletes smooth muscle α-actin expression; these cells have characteristics of mesenchymoangioblasts, with enhanced expression of mesendoderm and endoderm transcription factors, prominent upregulation of E-cadherin, and Janus kinase signaling-dependent expression of Oct4A and Nanog. PDGF receptor-inhibited spheroids also upregulate endothelial markers platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 and vascular endothelial-cadherin and secrete many angiogenic factors, and in vivo they potently stimulate neovascularization, and their MSCs integrate within functional blood vessels that are perfused by the circulation. Thus, MSC potency and vascular induction are regulated by perturbing mesenchymal fate

New England reservoir management: Land use/vegetation mapping in reservoir management (Merrimack River Basin)

The author has identified the following significant results. It is evident from this comparison that for land use/vegetation mapping the S190B Skylab photography compares favorably with the RB-57 photography and is much superior to the ERTS-1 and Skylab 190A imagery. For most purposes the 12.5 meter resolution of the S190B imagery is sufficient to permit extraction of the information required for rapid land use and vegetation surveys necessary in the management of reservoir or watershed. The ERTS-1 and S190A data products are not considered adequate for this purpose, although they are useful for rapid regional surveys at the level 1 category of the land use/vegetation classification system

Ariadne’s Thread - memory, interconnection and the poetic in contemporary art

This Dissertation explores the metaphor of Ariadne’s thread in terms of interconnection, when an element from the everyday is used as a locus linking broader concepts of time and space. Such experiences and associations are reflected in the work of Louise Bourgeois, Eva Hesse, Doris Salcedo, Lucio Fontana, Richard Tuttle, Mona Hatoum, Simone Mangos, Anya Gallaccio and Yoshihiro Suda. In relation to my own work, the metaphor of interconnecting thread allows a sense of freedom and journey of discovery. My studio and related research are closely aligned in developing my understanding of interconnection, through my studio process of making and continuing experiences of looking at and interpreting others artists’ work

Cyclin D1 repressor domain mediates proliferation and survival in prostate cancer.

Regulation of the androgen receptor (AR) is critical to prostate cancer (PCa) development; therefore, AR is the first line therapeutic target for disseminated tumors. Cell cycle-dependent accumulation of cyclin D1 negatively modulates the transcriptional regulation of AR through discrete, CDK4-independent mechanisms. The transcriptional corepressor function of cyclin D1 resides within a defined motif termed repressor domain (RD), and it was hypothesized that this motif could be utilized as a platform to develop new strategies for blocking AR function. Here, we demonstrate that expression of the RD peptide is sufficient to disrupt AR transcriptional activation of multiple, prostate-specific AR target genes. Importantly, these actions are sufficient to specifically inhibit S-phase progression in AR-positive PCa cells, but not in AR-negative cells or tested AR-positive cells of other lineages. As expected, impaired cell cycle progression resulted in a suppression of cell doubling. Additionally, cell death was observed in AR-positive cells that maintain androgen dependence and in a subset of castrate-resistant PCa cells, dependent on Akt activation status. Lastly, the ability of RD to cooperate with existing hormone therapies was examined, which revealed that RD enhanced the cellular response to an AR antagonist. Together, these data demonstrate that RD is sufficient to disrupt AR-dependent transcriptional and proliferative responses in PCa, and can enhance efficacy of AR antagonists, thus establishing the impetus for development of RD-based mimetics