Accuracy Improvement of Airborne Lidar Strip Adjustment by Using Height Data and Surface Feature Strength Information Derived from the Tensor Voting Algorithm

Light detection and ranging (Lidar) spatial coordinates, especially height data, and the intensity data of point clouds are often used for strip adjustment in airborne Lidar. However, inconsistency in the intensity data and then intensity gradient data because of the variations in the incidence and reflection angles in the scanning direction and sunlight incident in the same areas of different strips may cause problems in the Lidar strip adjustment process. Instead of the Lidar intensity, a new type of data, termed surface feature strength data derived by using the tensor voting method, were introduced into the strip adjustment process using the partial least squares method in this study. These data are consistent in the same regions of different strips, especially on the roofs of buildings. Our experimental results indicated a significant improvement in the accuracy of strip adjustment results when both height data and surface feature strength data were used

Accurate Forecasting of the Satellite-Derived Seasonal Caspian Sea Level Anomaly Using Polynomial Interpolation and Holt-Winters Exponential Smoothing

Polynomial interpolation and Holt-Winters exponential smoothing (HWES) are used to analyze and forecast Caspian Sea level anomalies derived from 15-year Topex/Poseidon (T/P) and Jason-1 (J-1) altimetry covering 1993 to 2008. Because along-track altimetric products may contain temporal and spatial data gaps, a least squares polynomial interpolation is performed to fill the gaps of along-track sea surface heights used. The modeling results of a 3-year forecasting time span (2005 - 2008) derived using HWES agree well with the observed time series with a correlation coefficient of 0.86. Finally, the 3-year forecasted Caspian Sea level anomalies are compared with those obtained using an artificial neural network method with reasonable agreement found

Map projections: cartographic information systems

This book offers a timely review of map projections including sphere, ellipsoid, rotational surfaces, and geodetic datum transformations. Coverage includes computer vision, and remote sensing space projective mappings in photogrammetry

Map ProjectionsCartographic Information Systems /

XXVI, 935 p. 286 illus., 3 illus. in color.onlin

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. A key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process vs. those that measure flux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process); thus, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation needs to be differentiated from stimuli that result in increased autophagic activity, defined as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (in most higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the field understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field