Optimal Exploitation of the Sentinel-2 Spectral Capabilities for Crop Leaf Area Index Mapping

The continuously increasing demand of accurate quantitative high quality information on land surface properties will be faced by a new generation of environmental Earth observation (EO) missions. One current example, associated with a high potential to contribute to those demands, is the multi-spectral ESA Sentinel-2 (S2) system. The present study focuses on the evaluation of spectral information content needed for crop leaf area index (LAI) mapping in view of the future sensors. Data from a field campaign were used to determine the optimal spectral sampling from available S2 bands applying inversion of a radiative transfer model (PROSAIL) with look-up table (LUT) and artificial neural network (ANN) approaches. Overall LAI estimation performance of the proposed LUT approach (LUTN₅₀) was comparable in terms of retrieval performances with a tested and approved ANN method. Employing seven- and eight-band combinations, the LUTN₅₀ approach obtained LAI RMSE of 0.53 and normalized LAI RMSE of 0.12, which was comparable to the results of the ANN. However, the LUTN50 method showed a higher robustness and insensitivity to different band settings. Most frequently selected wavebands were located in near infrared and red edge spectral regions. In conclusion, our results emphasize the potential benefits of the Sentinel-2 mission for agricultural applications

Gesundheits-Roboter für Senior/innen: neue Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien in der alternden Gesellschaft

Die Dissertation nimmt die Vision einer roboterunterstützten Gesundheits-Assistenz älterer Menschen hinsichtlich der Gesundheitskommunikation in den Blick. Dazu wurde eine Roboter-Plattform durch Senior/innen im Rahmen einer Fallstudie in mehrtägigen Feldtests evaluiert. Zur weiteren Konkretisierung der Vision wurde ermittelt, wie sich ein Gesundheits-Roboter langfristig in Alltag und Tageslaufstrukturen älterer Menschen einfügen sollte. Die so entwickelten Personas wurden mittels Szenario-Technik zu drei normativen, narrativen Nutzungs-Szenarien verknüpft und abschließend durch Fachleute wie Laien diskutiert. Im Ergebnis konnten überindividuelle Anknüpfungspunkte zur bedarfsgerechten Gestaltung und Integration in Tagesverläufe identifiziert werden. Es zeigte sich, dass Gesundheits-Roboter mit Chancen für Gesundheit, gesellschaftliche Partizipation, interpersonale Kommunikation und einem konkreten Nutzen für die selbstständige Lebensführung, aber auch mit Risiken verknüpft werden.Im Rahmen der vorliegenden Dissertation wurden mobile Service-Roboter, die ältere Menschen zukünftig dabei unterstützen sollen, möglichst lange selbstständig im eigenen Haushalt zu leben, als innovative Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien insbesondere hinsichtlich Gesundheitskommunikation in den Blick genommen. Im Sinne eines nutzerzentrierten Entwurfs wurde ermittelt, welche Lösungen zur Gesundheitsförderung und Gesundheitsunterstützung, wie implementiert werden müssen, was die Zielgruppe angesichts noch fehlender Praxiserfahrung mit Robotern bisher nur bedingt angeben kann.Zunächst wurde eine in Entwicklung befindliche lauffähige Roboter-Plattform durch Senior/innen (n=9) im Rahmen einer Fallstudie in mehrtägigen Feldtests formativ evaluiert. So konnte ermittelt werden, wie die Mensch-Roboter-Interaktion eines Gesundheits-Roboters beschaffen sein muss, damit er effektiv, effizient und zufriedenstellend genutzt werden kann. Aussagen zur Nützlichkeit bestimmter Anwendungen für die Alltagsunterstützung waren aufgrund der begrenzten Testdauer (max. drei Tage) und des begrenzten Funktions-Umfangs allerdings limitiert. Um die Vision einer roboterunterstützten Gesundheits-Assistenz im hohen Alter weiter konkretisieren zu können, wurde im zweiten Schritt zunächst mittels einer qualitativen Interviewstudie (n=12) umfassende, detaillierte Informationen zu Alltag und v.a. Tageslaufstrukturen älterer Menschen erfasst und ermittelt, wie sich ein Gesundheits-Roboter langfristig darin einfügen sollte. Anhand der Ergebnisse konnten Personas entwickelt werden. Diese wurden mit Hilfe der Szenario-Technik im dritten Schritt systematisch mit dem aktuellen Forschungs- und Entwicklungsstand zu Gesundheits-Robotern zu drei normativen, narrativen Nutzungs-Szenarien verknüpft. Im abschließenden vierten Schritt wurden die Szenarien durch Fachleute wie Laien im Rahmen einer Interviewstudie diskutiert (n=12 Einzel- und Gruppeninterviews mit n=28 Befragungspersonen). Die Ergebnisse der vier Teilstudien zeigen, dass Gesundheits-Roboter mit Chancen für Gesundheit, gesellschaftliche Partizipation und interpersonale Kommunikation sowie einem konkreten Nutzen für die selbstständige Lebensführung, aber auch mit Risiken wie Datenschutzverletzungen, Kontroll- und Fähigkeitsverlusten verknüpft werden. Es konnten überindividuelle Anknüpfungspunkte identifiziert werden, um Roboter-Funktionen bedarfsgerecht gestalten und in individuelle Tagesverläufe integrieren zu können.This dissertation is concerned with mobile service robots for health assistance which should enable elderly people to remain independently in their own household for a longer period of time. Service robots are innovative information- and communication technology that might offer new prospects in the field of health communication. So far, there is a gap of experience. Focusing on a user-centered design, solutions have been found on how to implement health enhancing and supportive applications for the target group, as well as in terms of handling a robot on a daily-life basis. Firstly, a case study with senior citizens (n=9) was conducted wherein a robot-platform was evaluated during its developmental phase. This study helped to understand of which characteristics and elements a health-robot should be compounded of to be at its most effective, efficient and satisfactory for the seniors. However, findings concerning the question, if robotic applications can support the seniors’ daily-life routines, are limited, due to the limited time frame (of three days) during which the study was conducted.To further develop a concrete vision of how a robotic health-assistance is able to enhance an elderly’s life-quality, qualitative interviews have been conducted (n=12) in the second study. These served to collect detailed information on the daily-life routines of senior citizens, so as to design scenarios and personas on how to ideally include the health-robot in the care routine of an elderly in need, on a daily-basis. Afterwards, three normative, narrative user scenarios have been developed using the scenario-technique, combining the empirical findings with cutting-edge state of research (third study). Subsequent, these scenarios were discussed by experts and laymen during an interview-study (n=12 one-on-one and group interviews with n=28 persons). The results of the four studies show manifold options and chances of a service-robot, especially to support social participation and interpersonal communication as well as concerns and risks regarding violation of privacy or loss of control and capabilities. Connecting factors among the elderly could be identified to integrate the robot most effectively into their everyday-routines

Analyse von full-waveform Flugzeuglaserscannerdaten zur volumetrischen Repräsentation in Umweltanwendungen

Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen von terrestrischen und aquatischen Ökosystemen erfordern präzise Informationen über die dreidimensionale Struktur des ökologischen Systems. Full-waveform Flugzeuglaserscannerdaten eignen sich hervorragend zur Charakterisierung von Ökosystemen und bilden eine ideale Basis für die vollständige volumetrische Repräsentation der Vegetations- und Gewässerstruktur in einem Voxelraum. Die Voxelattribute werden dabei aus der digitalisierten Wellenform abgeleitet. Jeder emittierte Laserpuls wird von Dämpfungseffekten beeinflusst, die durch Teilreflexionen auf seinem Weg durch die unterschiedlichen Vegetations- oder Wasserschichten entstehen. Dadurch ist die Struktur im unteren Bereich der empfangenen Rohsignale unterrepräsentiert. Die im Rahmen dieser Arbeit entwickelten innovativen Methoden zur Analyse von full-waveform Daten ermöglichen die Generierung einer radiometrisch korrigierten Voxelraumrepräsentation. Voraussetzung dafür ist die numerisch stabile Rekonstruktion des effektiven differentiellen Rückstreuquerschnitts mit geeigneten Entfaltungs- und Regularisierungsverfahren. Das Kernstück der Analyse bildet die Beschreibung der Signaldämpfung mit Hilfe geeigneter Modelle. Auf Grundlage dieser Modelle wurden neuartige Korrekturverfahren zur Kompensation der Signaldämpfung erarbeitet, wobei der Korrekturterm direkt aus dem differentiellen Rückstreuquerschnitt abgeleitet wird. Die Grundidee der entwickelten Methode ist das schrittweise Anheben der Signalintensität in Abhängigkeit von der individuellen Historie jedes Laserpulses. Die Resultate der vorliegenden Arbeit tragen dazu bei, die in full-waveform Daten enthaltenen Informationen über die Vegetations- und Gewässerstruktur zugänglich zu machen. Weiterhin zeigen die hier präsentierten Ergebnisse, dass die Limitierungen bestehender Auswertemethoden, welche weitgehend auf die Extraktion diskreter Maxima und die Erzeugung volumetrischer Repräsentationen aus diskreten 3D Punktwolken beschränkt sind, überwunden werden können.The scientific investigation of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems requires precise information on the three-dimensional structure of the ecologic system. Full-waveform airborne laser scanner data are an ideal basis for the complete volumetric representation of vegetation and water structure in a voxel space. Due to attenuation effects, caused by partial reflections during the laser pulse propagation through the vegetation or water column, each individual laser pulse echo is significantly modified. As a result, the structure in the lower parts of the vegetation or water column is underrepresented in the digitized waveform. Within this research, novel and innovative methods were developed, which enable the generation of a radiometrically correct voxel space representation. Therefore, a numerically stable reconstruction of the effective differential backscattering cross section utilizing appropriate deconvolution and regularization techniques is required. The essential element of the analysis is the description of the signal attenuation using applicable mathematical models. For this purpose, novel correction methods compensating the signal attenuation based on these models were developed. The correction term is directly derived from the differential backscatter cross section. The basic idea is a gradually increase of the signal amplitudes depending on the individual history of each laser pulse. The results gained in this work contribute to an improved access to the information on vegetation and water structure, contained in full-waveform laser scanner data. Furthermore, it is possible to overcome limitations of existing approaches, which are mainly based on the extraction of discrete maxima

A COMPARISON BETWEEN THE MODERN AND THE LOWER BODY GOLF SWING TECHNIQUES– PILOT STUDY WITH IMPLICATIONS FOR LOWER BACK INJURY RISK

The purpose of this study was to compare the biomechanical characteristics of the lower body swing to modern swing techniques, with a focus on lower back injury risk. Fifteen male individuals free from lower back injury participated in this study. Nine participants utilized the modern swing (age = 48.0 ± 13.6 years; height = 176.8 ± 4.4 cm; mass = 82.1 ± 5.3 kg) while six utilized the lower body swing (age = 53.9 ±12.1 years; height = 182.9 ± 6.1 cm; mass = 92.5 ± 14.8 kg). Whole body kinematics were recorded with a ten-camera motion analysis system while individuals performed 5 shots with a driver for maximum distance. Continuous waveform and discrete point analysis was used to explore the differences between these two techniques. The lower body swing demonstrated favourable kinematics in the majority of variables related to lower back pain and lumbar load

Adult Attachment and Personality as Predictors of Jealousy in Romantic Relationships.

Functional relationships between romantic jealousy and traits, such as neuroticism or adult attachment styles, are well-known. For the first time, we conducted a joint analysis of the Big Five traits and attachment dimensions as predictors of jealousy, which considered gender differences as well as differences in infidelity experiences and relationship status. In 847 participants, path modeling showed that higher neuroticism, lower agreeableness, and lower openness predicted higher romantic jealousy. The attachment dimensions "anxiety" and "depend" partly mediated the effect of neuroticism and fully mediated the effect of agreeableness on romantic jealousy. The direct and indirect relationships did not differ as a function of gender, relationship status, and infidelity experiences. These findings contribute to a better understanding of individual differences in romantic jealousy from a personality perspective

Influence of the quasi-biennial oscillation and El Niño-Southern Oscillation on the frequency of sudden stratospheric warmings

Stratospheric sudden warmings (SSWs) are a major source of variability during Northern Hemisphere winter. The frequency of occurrence of SSWs is influenced by El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), the 11 year solar cycle, and volcanic eruptions. This study investigates the role of ENSO and the QBO on the frequency of SSWs using the National Center for Atmospheric Research's Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, version 3.5 (WACCM3.5). In addition to a control simulation, WACCM3.5 simulations with different combinations of natural variability factors such as the QBO and variable sea surface temperatures (SSTs) are performed to investigate the role of QBO and ENSO. Removing only one forcing, variable SSTs or QBO, yields a SSW frequency similar to that in the control experiment; however, removing both forcings results in a significantly decreased SSW frequency. These results imply nonlinear interactions between ENSO and QBO signals in the polar stratosphere during Northern Hemisphere winter. This study also suggests that ENSO and QBO force SSWs differently. The QBO forces SSW events that are very intense and whose impact on the stratospheric temperature can be seen between December and June, whereas ENSO forces less intense SSWs whose response is primarily confined to the months of January, February, and March. The effects of SSWs on the stratospheric background climate is also addressed here

Is It Attachment Style or Socio-Demography: Singlehood in a Representative Sample

Since the percentage of single adults is steadily increasing, the reasons for this development have become a matter of growing interest. Hereby, an individual’s attachment style may have a connection to the partnership status. In the following analysis, attachment style, gender, age, education, and income were compared in regard to the partnership status. Furthermore, an analysis of variance was computed to compare the attachment style within different groups. In 2012, a sample of 1,676 representative participants was used. The participants were aged 18 to 60 (M = 41.0, SD = 12.3); 54% of the sample were female, and 40% were single. Attachment-related attitudes were assessed with the German version of the adult attachment scale (AAS). Single adult males did not show a more anxious attachment style than single adult females or females in relationships. Younger, i.e., 18 to 30 years old, paired individuals showed greater attachment anxiety than single individuals, whereby single individuals between the ages of 31 to 45 showed greater attachment anxiety than individuals in relationships. In addition, single individuals more frequently had obtained their high school diploma in contrast to individuals in relationships. Concerning attachment style, the individuals who had not completed their high school diploma showed less faith in others independent of singlehood or being in a relationship. Concerning age, older single individuals, i.e., 46 to 60 years, felt less comfortable in respect to closeness and showed less faith in others compared to paired individuals. Logistic regression showed that individuals were not single if they did not mind depending on others, showed high attachment anxiety, were older, and had lower education. An income below € 2000/month was linked to a nearly 13-fold increase of likelihood of being single. In sum, the attachment style had a differential age-dependent association to singlehood versus being in a relationship. Education played also a role, exclusively concerning faith in others

Dynamics of the middle atmosphere as simulated by the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, version 3 (WACCM3)

The Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model, version 3 (WACCM3) is a state-of-the-art climate model extending from the Earth's surface to the lower thermosphere. In this paper we present a detailed climatology of the dynamics of the middle atmosphere as represented by WACCM3 at various horizontal resolutions and compare them to observations. In addition to the mean climatological fields, we examine in detail the middle atmospheric momentum budget as well as several lower and upper atmosphere coupling phenomena including stratospheric sudden warmings, the 2-day wave, and the migrating diurnal tide. We find that in large part, differences between WACCM3 and observations and the mean state of the model at various horizontal resolutions are related to gravity wave drag, which is parameterized in WACCM3 (and similar models). All three lower and upper atmosphere coupling processes examined show high sensitivity to the model's resolution