An Automated Method for Tracking Clouds in Planetary Atmospheres

We present an automated method for cloud tracking which can be applied to planetary images. The method is based on a digital correlator which compares two or more consecutive images and identifies patterns by maximizing correlations between image blocks. This approach bypasses the problem of feature detection. Four variations of the algorithm are tested on real cloud images of Jupiter’s white ovals from the Galileo mission, previously analyzed in Vasavada et al. [Vasavada, A.R., Ingersoll, A.P., Banfield, D., Bell, M., Gierasch, P.J., Belton, M.J.S., Orton, G.S., Klaasen, K.P., Dejong, E., Breneman, H.H., Jones, T.J., Kaufman, J.M., Magee, K.P., Senske, D.A. 1998. Galileo imaging of Jupiter’s atmosphere: the great red spot, equatorial region, and white ovals. Icarus, 135, 265, doi:10.1006/icar.1998.5984]. Direct correlation, using the sum of squared differences between image radiances as a distance estimator (baseline case), yields displacement vectors very similar to this previous analysis. Combining this distance estimator with the method of order ranks results in a technique which is more robust in the presence of outliers and noise and of better quality. Finally, we introduce a distance metric which, combined with order ranks, provides results of similar quality to the baseline case and is faster. The new approach can be applied to data from a number of space-based imaging instruments with a non-negligible gain in computing time

A Cloud Tracking Tool for Planetary Orbiter Images

During their operations phase, planetary missions continuously produce a wealth of data that tend to overwhelm research teams. Spectral imagers, in particular, produce data cubes in which the wavelength dimension adds to the two spatial dimensions. Tracking of atmospheric features in order to derive winds and the construction of global maps from such large data volumes becomes particularly time-consuming if done manually. This highlights the importance of automated procedures capable of analysing sequences of data cubes with minimal user interaction. A tool for cloud tracking for such a purpose is currently under development in our group. In its present state it is based on synthetic images and uses a simple method of multiple matrix comparison to derive wind components. Deriving winds from data from the Venus Express - Visible and InfraRed Thermal Imaging Spectrometer (VIRTIS) instrument will be a possible application. We shall present an overview of the method, its benchmarking and the current status and future development of the project

Associate in Management (AIM) program : an investigation into benefits for individual staff members and for the organization

Bibliography: leaves 123-130.This study examined management development at the University of Cape Town (UCT), with specific reference to the Associate in Management (AIM) course offered at the Graduate School of Business. It is a part-time course offered to people already in employment at different levels from across various industries. Some of the recruits enrolled are working full-time in the public sector. UCT as an employer also has had some of its staff enrolled on a part-time basis on this course Further, this study descriptively analysed training and development in general at UCT, particularly regarding junior and middle layers of management. In addition, it assessed any noticeable changes in skills, knowledge and attitudes (attributes) that may have resulted from the AIM intervention. At the heart of this study also are the institutional structural complexities that have a direct bearing on the success of any development program

Health expenditure and health outcomes: the importance of discussing associations

ABSTRACT - Introduction: This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of the links between health outcomes and health expenditure, using data from OECD countries from 2002 to 2017. Data and methods: This is a longitudinal panel data study. Responses included the all-cause deaths, years of life lost, and preventable and treatable mortality. Explanatory variables included total and public health expenditure per capita. Covariates accounted for the share of elderly, unemployed, and adults smoking daily, along with GDP per capita. Univariate descriptive and bivariate statistics were presented, along with multivariate analysis using generalized mixed linear models, with gamma distribution, and logarithmic link function. Results: There is an absence of association between total spending and health outcomes after controlling for all covariates including GDP, showing that spending is not related to outcomes. Significant though positive relationships were found only between spending from public sources and years of life lost and preventable mortality, after controlling for all covariates including the effect of wealth. Discussion: Several reasons may account for the lack of association between health expenditure and health outcomes, along with the positive links between public expenditure and outcomes, namely the period under analysis, the role of other health determinants excluded from the study, factors not covered by expenditure but reflected upon outcomes (like traffic accidents and underdiagnosed conditions), and further elements that affect expenditure without a sizable effect on results (like technological progress, and expectations). In the case of public spending, the allocation of funds across functions of care, along with a focus on interventions for those in lower socio-economic position could also be relevant. Conclusion: Caution should be taken when judging the association of health expenditure, total or from public sources, and outcomes in OECD countries, as additional factors should be measured and further researched.RESUMO - Introdução: Este estudo pretende contribuir para a maior compreensão das relações entre resultados de saúde e despesa com saúde, usando dados dos países membros da OCDE, entre 2002 e 2017. Dados e métodos: Neste estudo longitudinal, as variáveis dependentes incluem o número de mortes, os anos de vida potencialmente perdidos, mortalidade evitável e mortalidade tratável. As variáveis explicativas de interesse incluem a despesa com saúde, total e de fontes públicas, per capita. As demais variáveis independentes compreendem a taxa de pessoas com mais de 65 anos de idade, de desemprego e de adultos que fumam diariamente, além do PIB per capita. Análises descritivas univariada e bivariada são apresentadas, junto com uma análise multivariada realizada com modelos lineares generalizados mistos, de distribuição Gamma e função de ligação logarítmica. Resultados: Observa-se a ausência de associação entre despesa total com saúde e resultados de saúde, depois de consideradas todas as demais variáveis independentes incluindo o PIB, evidenciando que a despesa total não se relaciona com os resultados. Associações significativas e, contudo, positivas foram encontradas entre despesa pública e anos de vida potencialmente perdidos e mortalidade evitável, uma vez consideradas também todas as demais variáveis independentes incluindo a riqueza. Discussão: Várias razões podem justificar os resultados da análise, nomeadamente, o período em análise, o papel de outros determinantes excluídos do estudo, fatores não cobertos pela despesa mas refletidos nos resultados (como acidentes de viação e doenças sub-diagnosticadas) e, em sentido oposto, elementos que, afetando a despesa, não exercem influência relevante nos resultados (como o progresso tecnológico e as expectativas dos indivíduos). No caso da despesa pública, a alocação de fundos às funções do cuidado e o enfâse em intervenções para pessoas em pior situação socioeconómica podem também ser razões significativas. Conclusão: Avaliações sobre a associação entre despesa, total ou pública, e resultados de saúde, em países da OCDE, devem ser realizadas com cautela, pois fatores adicionais devem ser considerados e investigados

Sixty years after the Freedom Charter

Abstract: Can the Freedom Charter be used to make it possible for the oppressed anywhere, to dream and speak of their freedom and to make it a reality

Arts and Culture : taking centre stage on the globe

Abstract: During the struggle, Funda was an oasis of Arts and Culture; how can it be a place for hooligans now, when non-racialism, non-sexism and democracy are being nurtured? The Arts flourish within a cultural context where the human spirit claims freedoms and overruns barriers

Madiba

Abstract: The poem “Madiba” imagines the afterlife as a gathering of old friends reunited. It is a celebration of the unique human qualities of the giants of our liberation movement – the warmth and laughter as well as the integrity and dignity which we so much value. The positive images remain, keeping these heroes and heroines alive in our memories to sustain us in the face of our own challenges

Viagens e Viajantes Portugueses na Ásia Central (séculos XVI-XVII)

A história das viagens terrestres portuguesas pela Ásia Central era, e continua a ser, esparsa, quer como elemento no processo da Expansão Portuguesa, quer como objeto específico de análise historiográfica. Para os indivíduos do Estado da Índia, a posição longínqua e interior da Ásia Central tornava-a incompatível com a natureza predominantemente marítima da Ásia portuguesa, fazendo da perspetiva de uma atividade ativa e duradoura uma impossibilidade geoestratégica. Consequentemente, houve um impacto diminuto da presença portuguesa naquela região, constituindo as viagens terrestres pelo interior asiático um episódio que recebe pouco mais que uma breve menção por parte da maioria dos historiadores. Contudo, a história das viagens portuguesas pelas Rotas da Seda terrestres e a historiografia que tem vindo a relatar e analisar tais iniciativas, revelam um rico potencial de informações interessantes para compreendermos inúmeros aspetos relativos à Ásia Central na época moderna e à Expansão Portuguesa. Por isso, a viagem terrestre transformou-se num nicho em ambos os tempos, passado e presente. Na época moderna, indivíduos oriundos da Ásia portuguesa demonstraram interesses e investiram esforços em espaços como a Pérsia Safávida, a Transoxiana e o Tibete. Tais interesses manifestaram-se sob a forma de viagens de procura de caminhos alternativos e de lendas com origem na medievalidade, bem como no estabelecimento de missões católicas na Pérsia e no Tibete. Desde a década de 1990, que se tem vindo a desenvolver uma historiografia sobre os viajantes, as viagens e as suas dinâmicas. O maior obstáculo para o desenvolvimento da área é a sua falta de visibilidade na academia, exacerbada pela ausência de uma história geral que aglomere diferentes tempos, espaços, viagens e viajantes, contrariando a tendência em especificar um só viajante ou grupo de viajantes que percorreram os mesmos caminhos. Este trabalho faz uma análise global da história da presença e atuação portuguesa na Ásia Central, incidindo sobre viagens realizadas pela Pérsia Safávida até o Reino de Portugal, sobre as viagens pelo Tibete e seus arredores, numa tentativa de busca pelo Cataio, e sobre as viagens dos jesuítas portugueses, inseridos na corte Qing, à Tartária.The history of Portuguese overland travel in Central Asia was, and to some extent still is, sparse, both as an element in the process of Portuguese Expansion and as a specific object of historiographical analysis. For the individuals from the State of India, the distant and inland position of Central Asia made it incompatible with the predominantly maritime nature of Portuguese Asia, turning the prospect of active and sustained activity into a geostrategic impossibility. Consequently, there was little impact on the Portuguese presence in that region, and overland voyages through the Asian interior are an episode that receives little more than brief mention by most historians. However, the history of Portuguese voyages along the terrestrial Silk Roads and the historiography that has been reporting and analyzing such initiatives, reveal a rich potential of interesting information to understand many aspects of Central Asia in modern times and the Portuguese Expansion. Therefore, overland travel has become a niche in both past and present times. In modern times, individuals from Portuguese Asia showed interest and invested efforts in spaces such as Safavid Persia, Transoxiana and Tibet. These interests manifested themselves in the form of journeys in search of alternative routes and legends originating in the Middle Ages, as well as in the establishment of Catholic missions in Persia and Tibet. Since the 1990s, a historiography on travelers, journeys and their dynamics has been developing. The biggest obstacle to the advancement of the area is its lack of visibility in academia, exacerbated by the absence of a general history that brings together different times, spaces, journeys and travelers, contrary to the tendency to specify a single traveler or group of travelers who journeyed through the same paths. This work makes a global analysis of the history of the Portuguese presence and action in Central Asia, focusing on the voyages made from Safavid Persia to the Kingdom of Portugal, on the voyages through Tibet and its surroundings, in an attempt to search for Cathay, and on the voyages of the Portuguese Jesuits, in the Qing court, to Tartary

The routes of the thoughts and the thoughts of the routes

Abstract: “Culture is simultaneously the fruit and a determinant of a people’s history by the positive or negative influence it exerts on the evolution of relationships between (human beings) and their environment and (among human beings) within society as well as among different societies.” Amilcar Cabra