131 research outputs found
An SDI for the GIS-education at the UGent Geography Department
The UGent Geography Department (GD) (ca. 200 students; 10 professors) has been teaching GIS since the mid 90’s. Ever since, GIS has evolved from Geographic Information Systems, to GIScience, to GIServices; implying that a GIS specialist nowadays has to deal with more than just desktop GIS. Knowledge about the interaction between different components of an SDI (spatial data, technologies, laws and policies, people and standards) is crucial for a graduated Master student. For its GIS education, the GD has until recently been using different sources of datasets, which were stored in a non-centralized system. In conformity with the INSPIRE Directive and the Flemish SDI Decree, the GD aims to set-up its own SDI using free and open source software components, to improve the management, user-friendliness, copyright protection and centralization of datasets and the knowledge of state of the art SDI structure and technology.
The central part of the system is a PostGIS-database in which both staff and students can create and share information stored in a multitude of tables and schemas. A web-based application facilitates upper-level management of the database for administrators and staff members. Exercises in various courses not only focus on accessing and handling data from the SDI through common GIS-applications as QuantumGIS or GRASS, but also aim at familiarizing students with the set-up of widely used SDI-elements as WMS, WFS and WCS services.
The (dis)advantages of the new SDI will be tested in a case study in which the workflow of a typical ‘GIS Applications’ exercise is elaborated. By solving a problem of optimal location, students interact in various ways with geographic data. A comparison is made between the situation before and after the implementation of the SDI
On the geometry of non-trivially embedded branes
We present a formal supersymmetric solution of type IIB supergravity
generalizing previously known solutions corresponding to D3 branes to
geometries without an orthogonal split between parallel and transverse
directions. The metric is given implicitly as one with respect to which a
certain connection is compatible. The case of the deformed conifold is
discussed in detail.Comment: 18 pages, harvmac. Eq. 4.35 and errors propagating from it correcte
Design and use of web lectures to enhance GIS teaching and learning strategies : the students' opinions
The goal of this research is to design, use and evaluate a set of web lectures, specifically tailored to the needs of students in higher education who follow geographic information system -related courses. Since education in geographic information system includes theoretical concepts and practical experience, both of these teaching strategies will be implemented in the web lectures. The user-centered design approach is used in the design process to increase the acceptance of the web lectures and the motivation to use them: perceived usefulness and ease of use. The results show that the students appreciate the initial set of web lectures, but that they need to be motivated more to use them (especially when theoretical topics are covered). Students still value the "traditional" face-to-face lectures and see the web lectures as an ideal complement
On Nonlinear Higher Spin Curvature
We present the first nonlinear term of the higher spin curvature which is
covariant with respect to deformed gauge transformations that are linear in the
field. We consider in detail the case of spin 3 after presenting spin 2 as an
example, and then construct the general spin s quadratic term of the
deWit-Freedman curvature.Comment: 12 page
Solvable Lie Algebras in Type IIA, Type IIB and M Theories
We study some applications of solvable Lie algebras in type IIA, type IIB and
M theories. RR and NS generators find a natural geometric interpretation in
this framework. Special emphasis is given to the counting of the abelian
nilpotent ideals (translational symmetries of the scalar manifolds) in
arbitrary D dimensions. These are seen to be related, using Dynkin diagram
techniques, to one-form counting in D+1 dimensions. A recipy for gauging
isometries in this framework is also presented. In particular, we list the
gauge groups both for compact and translational isometries. The former agree
with some results already existing in gauged supergravity. The latter should be
possibly related to the study of partial supersymmetry breaking, as suggested
by a similar role played by solvable Lie algebras in N=2 gauged supergravity.Comment: 31 pages, 1 Tex, 4 eps-figure
String loop corrections to the universal hypermultiplet
We study loop corrections to the universal dilaton supermultiplet for type
IIA strings compactified on Calabi-Yau threefolds. We show that the
corresponding quaternionic kinetic terms receive non-trivial one-loop
contributions proportional to the Euler number of the Calabi-Yau manifold,
while the higher-loop corrections can be absorbed by field redefinitions. The
corrected metric is no longer Kahler. Our analysis implies in particular that
the Calabi-Yau volume is renormalized by loop effects which are present even in
higher orders, while there are also one-loop corrections to the Bianchi
identities for the NS and RR field strengths.Comment: 30 pages, harvmac, 1 figure. v2: minor typos corrected. Version to
appear in Classical and Quantum Gravit
Treating spondyloarthritis, including ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis, to target: recommendations of an international task force
Background: Therapeutic targets have been defined for diseases like diabetes, hypertension or rheumatoid arthritis and adhering to them has improved outcomes. Such targets are just emerging for spondyloarthritis (SpA).
Objective: To define the treatment target for SpA including ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and develop recommendations for achieving the target, including a treat-to-target management strategy.
Methods: Based on results of a systematic literature review and expert opinion, a task force of expert physicians and patients developed recommendations which were broadly discussed and voted upon in a Delphi-like process. Level of evidence, grade and strength of the recommendations were derived by respective means. The commonalities between axial SpA, peripheral SpA and PsA were discussed in detail.
Results: Although the literature review did not reveal trials comparing a treat-to-target approach with another or no strategy, it provided indirect evidence regarding an optimised approach to therapy that facilitated the development of recommendations. The group agreed on 5 overarching principles and 11 recommendations; 9 of these recommendations related commonly to the whole spectrum of SpA and PsA, and only 2 were designed separately for axial SpA, peripheral SpA and PsA. The main treatment target, which should be based on a shared decision with the patient, was defined as remission, with the alternative target of low disease activity. Follow-up examinations at regular intervals that depend on the patient's status should safeguard the evolution of disease activity towards the targeted goal. Additional recommendations relate to extra-articular and extramusculoskeletal aspects and other important factors, such as comorbidity. While the level of evidence was generally quite low, the mean strength of recommendation was 9-10 (10: maximum agreement) for all recommendations. A research agenda was formulated.
Conclusions: The task force defined the treatment target as remission or, alternatively, low disease activity, being aware that the evidence base is not strong and needs to be expanded by future research. These recommendations can inform the various stakeholders about expert opinion that aims for reaching optimal outcomes of SpA
The Elderly and Waterborne Cryptosporidium Infection: Gastroenteritis Hospitalizations before and during the 1993 Milwaukee Outbreak
We used the Temporal Exposure Response Surfaces modeling technique to examine the association between gastroenteritis-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations in the elderly and drinking water turbidity before and during the 1993 Milwaukee waterborne Cryptosporidium outbreak. Before the outbreak, the rate of such events increased with age in the elderly (p<0.002), suggesting that the elderly are at an increased risk. During the outbreak, strong associations between turbidity and gastroenteritis-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations occurred at temporal lags of 5–6 days (consistent with the Cryptosporidium incubation period). A pronounced second wave of these illnesses in the elderly peaked at 13 days. This wave represented approximately 40% of all excess cases in the elderly. Our findings suggest that the elderly had an increased risk of severe disease due to Cryptosporidium infection, with a shorter incubation period than has been previously reported in all adults and with a high risk for secondary person-to-person transmission
Design and use of web lectures to enhance GIS teaching and learning strategies: the students’ opinions
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