Soil surface illumination at micro-relief scale and soil BRDF data collected by a hyperspectral camera

The results of the paper draw attention to the fact that the hyperspectral image of soil surface at micro-relief scale may display variation in the soil spectral shape due to illumination conditions of the surface. The image of an extremely rough cultivated soil surface, very deeply ploughed, was obtained by a hyperspectral camera, in the range of 0.4–1.0 μm with 0.67–0.74 nm spectral resolution. It was found that the soil reflectance spectra of the studied surface, illuminated by the direct sunbeams, are clearly convex with distinct absorption features. Furthermore, the soil normalized reflectance spectra were used to distinguish the subtlety of the analysed shaded soil spectra shape. They show that depressions caused by the absorption features of O₂ and H₂O, contained in the atmosphere above directly illuminated soil fragments, transform into peaks, if the same soil is deeply shaded.     

Approximating the average daily surface albedo with respect to soil roughness and latitude

The present study explores the diurnal variations in blue-sky albedo (α) of soils under clear sky conditions with respect to surface roughness. Three roughness levels of ploughed and unploughed soil surfaces, developed from the same loessial material, were examined. The relation between α of the surfaces and the solar zenith angle, determined during the experiment, enabled us to predict the diurnal α variation of the surfaces throughout the year at a given latitude, between 75° S and 75° N. The optimal time (T _O) for measuring the soil albedo by an instantaneous observation was considered as the best represented time for the daily averaged value within an error lower than ±2%. It was found that the T _O, falling at different times depending on the soil surface roughness, limits the possibilities of data achievement by remote-sensing satellites along one of their sun-synchronous orbits.     

On a class of branching problems in broadcasting and distribution

We introduce the following network optimization problem: given a directed graph with a cost function on the arcs, demands at the nodes, and a single source s, find the minimum cost connected subgraph from s such that its total demand is no less than lower bound D. We describe applications of this problem to disaster relief and media broadcasting, and show that it generalizes several well-known models including the knapsack problem, the partially ordered knapsack problem, the minimum branching problem, and certain scheduling problems. We prove that our problem is strongly NP-complete and give an integer programming formulation. We also provide five heuristic approaches, illustrate them with a numerical example, and provide a computational study on both small and large sized, randomly generated problems. The heuristics run efficiently on the tested problems and provide solutions that, on average, are fairly close to optimal.     

Effect of the titanium oxide stoichiometry on the efficiency of CO oxidation on the Au/TiOx system surface

Infrared reflection absorption and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies are used to show that the process of carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation can occur on the surface of a system formed during the appearance of gold clusters on the surface of a titanium oxide layer cooled below room temperature. The efficiency of this process is significantly affected by stoichiometry of the titanium oxide layer. The use of a TiO_x substrate with the stoichiometry different from TiO₂ results in more effective CO oxidation in comparison with the process observed in the Au/TiO₂ system. An important role in the oxidation process is played by the gold-oxide interface.     

Effect size estimation for one-sample multiple-choice-type data: Design, analysis, and meta-analysis.

This article proposes a standard, easy-to-interpret effect size estimate for one-sample research. The proportion index (π) shows the hit rate on a scale on which .50 is always the null value regardless of the number of equally likely choices. The index π is useful in the design of one-sample research because it can guide the best choice of number of response alternatives. Significance tests and confidence limits are readily computed. For meta-analyses of one-sample studies, tests of heterogeneity of a set of πs and contrasts among them are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Amoebicidal activity of a preserved contact lens multipurpose disinfecting solution compared to a disinfection/neutralisation peroxide system.

The amoebicidal activity of a contact lens multipurpose disinfecting solution (MPDS) containing polyquaternium-1 and myristamidopropyl dimethylamine was compared to a disinfection/neutralisation peroxide system against Acanthamoeba castellanii and Acanthamoeba polyphaga trophozoites and cysts. A quantitative microtitre method was used to evaluate the solutions. The MPDS showed similar amoebicidal activity to the disinfection/neutralisation peroxide system against the trophozoites of both species and equal or more rapid activity against the cysts of both species.