Evaluation of spatial, radiometric and spectral Thematic Mapper performance for coastal studies

On 31 March 1983, the University of Delaware's Center for Remote Sensing initiated a study to evaluate the spatial, radiometric and spectral performance of the LANDSAT Thematic Mapper for coastal and estuarine studies. The investigation was supported by Contract NAS5-27580 from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. The research was divided into three major subprojects: (1) a comparison of LANDSAT TM to MSS imagery for detecting submerged aquatic vegetation in Chesapeake Bay; (2) remote sensing of submerged aquatic vegetation - a radiative transfer approach; and (3) remote sensing of coastal wetland biomass using Thematic Mapper wavebands

EFFECTS OF TEXT MARKERS AND FAMILIARITY ON COMPONENT STRUCTURES OF TEXT-BASED REPRESENTATIONS

Reading theorists agree that the outcome of reading comprehension is a text representation (Gernsbacher, Varner, & Faust, 1990; Kintsch, 1998). To measure reading comprehension, however, many use testing formats such as multiple-choice and short answer, that have been shown to provide very little information about the text representations created during reading (Kintsch & Kintsch, 2005). A different type of format, proximity measures, is a promising measure for text based representations, although few studies have examined the validity of this type of comprehension measure. The current dissertation addressed this issue by creating a proximity measure named the Passage Comprehension for Structured Text (PCST) and by examining the validity of the PCST through experimental manipulations on the text. This investigation tested the comprehension of 236 ninth-grade students with the PCST. Students were asked to read a short text followed by a computer task where the students rated the similarity of 11 concepts. Two components were extracted from the PCST, the textbase component and the situation model component. Text manipulations included changes in text coherence and familiarity. It was hypothesized that a coherence manipulation should have an effect on the textbase component and a familiarity manipulation should have an effect on the situation model component. Further, both manipulations should influence the strength of the factor that determines the scores on these components. A multivariate analysis of variance was used to compare the conditions. Results confirmed that students with coherent text outperformed students with incoherent text on the textbase component and students with familiar text outperformed students with unfamiliar text on the situation model component. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to further explore the effect of text manipulations on the structure of the PCST components. Results indicated that there was a stronger factor for the situation model component when the text was familiar compared to when the text was unfamiliar. Limited evidence suggests that there was also a stronger factor for the textbase component when the text included macrosignals compared to when the text did not include macrosignals

Latitudinal gradient of spruce forest understory and tundra phenology in Alaska as observed from satellite and ground-based data

The latitudinal gradient of the start of the growing season (SOS) and the end of the growing season (EOS) were quantified in Alaska (61°N to 71°N) using satellite-based and ground-based datasets. The Alaskan evergreen needleleaf forests are sparse and the understory vegetation has a substantial impact on the satellite signal. We evaluated SOS and EOS of understory and tundra vegetation using time-lapse camera images. From the comparison of three SOS algorithms for determining SOS from two satellite datasets (SPOT-VEGETATION and Terra-MODIS), we found that the satellite-based SOS timing was consistent with the leaf emergence of the forest understory and tundra vegetation. The ensemble average of SOS over all satellite algorithms can be used as a measure of spring leaf emergence for understory and tundra vegetation. In contrast, the relationship between the ground-based and satellite-based EOSs was not as strong as that of SOS both for boreal forest and tundra sites because of the large biases between those two EOSs (19 to 26 days). The satellite-based EOS was more relevant to snowfall events than the senescence of understory or tundra. The plant canopy radiative transfer simulation suggested that 84–86% of the NDVI seasonal amplitude could be a reasonable threshold for the EOS determination. The latitudinal gradients of SOS and EOS evaluated by the satellite and ground data were consistent and the satellite-derived SOS and EOS were 3.5 to 5.7 days degree− 1 and − 2.3 to − 2.7 days degree− 1, which corresponded to the spring (May) temperature sensitivity of − 2.5 to − 3.9 days °C− 1 in SOS and the autumn (August and September) temperature sensitivity of 3.0 to 4.6 days °C− 1 in EOS. This demonstrates the possible impact of phenology in spruce forest understory and tundra ecosystems in response to climate change in the warming Artic and sub-Arctic regions

Detecting the effects of hydrocarbon pollution in the Amazon forest using hyperspectral satellite images

The global demand for fossil energy is triggering oil exploration and production projects in remote areas of the world. During the last few decades hydrocarbon production has caused pollution in the Amazon forest inflicting considerable environmental impact. Until now it is not clear how hydrocarbon pollution affects the health of the tropical forest flora. During a field campaign in polluted and pristine forest, more than 1100 leaf samples were collected and analysed for biophysical and biochemical parameters. The results revealed that tropical forests exposed to hydrocarbon pollution show reduced levels of chlorophyll content, higher levels of foliar water content and leaf structural changes. In order to map this impact over wider geographical areas, vegetation indices were applied to hyperspectral Hyperion satellite imagery. Three vegetation indices (SR, NDVI and NDVI705) were found to be the most appropriate indices to detect the effects of petroleum pollution in the Amazon forest

Diagnosis and Management of Addison's Disease in a Swiss Mountain Dog

6-year-old female spayed Swiss Mountain dog was referred to the Cornell University Hospital for Animals Internal Medicine Service from the Community Practice Service (CPS) for a one-year history of waxing and waning gastrointestinal signs and a several month course of lethargy. Routine hemogram and serum biochemistry profile performed by CPS on the patient revealed findings suggestive of Addison's disease. A baseline cortisol concentration was subsequently submitted and discovered to be subnormal. On presentation to the Internal Medicine Service, the dog was bright, alert, and responsive with no significant abnormalities detected on physical examination. Serum electrolyte panel confirmed the previously detected hyperkalemia. Cortisol concentration following administration of exogenous ACTH was subnormal. Endogenous ACTH concentration was increased. These collective findings were indicative of primary hypoadrenocorticism (Addison's disease). Mineralocorticoid (desoxycorticosterone pivalate [DOCP]) and glucocorticoid (prednisone) replacement therapy was initiated. The dog has been well-controlled on these medications for the past three months

Hydroallantois and hydramnios in bovine cloned pregnancies

A two year old, female crossbred Angus influenced heifer, was seen on a bovine exclusive externship. The heifer was 223 days pregnant with a cloned pregnancy. On presentation, the patient was bright, alert, and responsive. On physical exam, notable symmetrical bilateral abdominal distension was observed. Vital signs were within normal limits with no evidence of respiratory distress. On rectal palpation a firm, fluid-filled uterus was palpable. A calf was not palpable. Due to the comfort level of the heifer, she was closely monitored in the hospital pen. Hydrops (hydroallantois and hydramnios) is a very important syndrome in bovine assisted reproductive techniques including somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT). Hydroallantois is a more common condition than hydramnios and is a result of dysfunction of the placenta, resulting in an increased production of chorioallantoic fluid (1). Hydramnios is less common and usually results from an abnormality of the fetus (1). This presentation will focus on the diagnosis of uterine hydrops, treatment, and prognosis. The differences between the two syndromes will be highlighted. A brief history and introduction to SCNT cloning and its importance in agriculture will also be presented