Empirical estimation of the ERS-1 SAR radiometric resolution

This letter describes a technique to evaluate the radiometric quality of distributed target responses extracted from Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data. The approach is original in that it aims to estimate the Equivalent Number of Looks of clustered pixels, a parameter which summarizes the first order statistics of speckle. This empirical method can be applied to processed, interpolated, and even speckle-filtered, SAR images. Using ERS-1 Precision Image SAR data, it is shown, first, how to discriminate between uniform and non-uniform targets, and, then, to estimate the radiometric resolution of pixels gathered according to several clustering schemes.     

Radiometric comparison of the LANDSAT-5 TM and MSS sensors

Abstract

This paper analyses the radiometric accuracy of LANDSAT-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) data and of LANDSAT-5 Multispectral Scanner (MSS) data, using concurrent TM and MSS images recorded simultaneously over the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The data sets were obtained from the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS), and have been preprocessed for geometric correction, and for radiometric 23calibration utilizing the in-flight calibration lamp data. The comparison of the TM and MSS normalized apparent reflectances computed for 12 different typical cover types using the post-launch calibration dynamic ranges shows the relevance of the CCRS processing systems. The significant linear regressions, obtained between channels from the two sensors, and the analysis of the ground reflectance corrected for atmospheric absorption and scattering as well as for pixel adjacency effects, can serve both to assess detector degradation with time and to rescale data to match those from other LANDSAT sensors.     

Automatic map-guided extraction of roads from SPOT imagery for cartographic database updating

Abstract

The launching of the Satellite Probatoire d'Observation de la Terre (SPOT) has permitted the acquisition of images with a relatively fine ground resolution (10 and 20 m). Such improvement has brought forward the possibility of medium-scale mapping using such data. In this paper we are proposing an automatic approach to 1:50000 scale planimetric data revision using the panchromatic channel of SPOT imagery (10m of ground resolution). A software package has been developed that performs an automatic map-guided extraction of objects from the SPOT image for map revision purposes. The programs are fully described along with some conclusive results through the updating of the road network on a topographic map. An attempt has been made to give a preview of how such a map-guided approach can be extended to other linear features and possibly two-dimensional objects as well.     

COLLAGEN CHARACTERISTICS AND MEAT TEXTURE OF PIGS EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT LEVELS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Intramuscular collagen and meat texture were measured in 23 female and 23 entire male pigs, subjected to one of three treatments: individual housing in pens of 2.5 m² (confined; C), individual housing and regular treadmill training (trained; T) and group housing equal to 0.9 m²/animal (free; F).
Treatment T tended (P = 0.13) to increase the activity of citrate synthase (CS) in M. biceps femoris (BF) from female pigs. Moreover, the heat stability of collagen and the mechanical resistance to 60 and 80% compression were increased (P<0.03) in BF from female pigs in treatments T and F as compared to C. In BF from male pigs, treatment T decreased (P = 0.03) the heat stability of collagen when compared to C and F. Sensory tenderness was not affected (P>0.05) by physical activity, however. In BF from female pigs, CS activity, collagen content and resistance to compression were lower (P<0.01) than in male pigs. In M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum, there was no effect of either physical activity or sex. Depending on muscle type and sex, physical activity affects meat texture.     

1H-NMR study of bovine myoglobin autoxidation. Influence of muscle type and time post mortem

¹H NMR spectroscopy was used to determine first order rate constants at four temperatures (300, 304, 308, 312 K) and activation energies of the autoxidation reaction for oxymyoglobin. the haeminic pigment was purified from two bovine muscles with different colour stabilities ( psoas major (PM) and longissimus lumborum (LL)) at 2h (day 0) and 192 h (day 8) post mortem. to characterize this autoxidation reaction, we have focused attention on the time-temperature dependent disappearance of the Val-E11 methyl group signal. This study showed that, whatever the time post mortem , although the myoglobin autoxidation rate was greater for PM than for LL muscle, the activation energies were similar. It was also worth noting that, in the range 300–312 K, the average ratio of autoxidation rate constants between day 8 and day 0 was near 1.6 for the two muscles studied. It is reasonable to think that oxidative processes developed during 8 days meat storage have led to a structural change within the cavity of the heme pocket of the myoglobins. Moreover, only one orientation of the porphyrin within the heme pocket was noted for the two muscles studied.     

Preparation of TEM samples of metal–oxide interface by the focused ion beam technique

This paper describes a procedure to prepare metal–oxide interfaces for transmission electron microscopy by the focused ion beam technique. The advantage of this procedure is to allow the observation of metal–oxide interfaces of irradiated samples with a homogeneous thickness without the need to have an instrument inside laboratories that are specialized for the manipulation of irradiated materials. A transmission electron microscopy sample is prepared by this method and analysed.     

Spatial and radiometric resolution of the Landsat-3 RBV system

Abstract

Major constraints on the RBV system spatial and radiometric resolution are the optical limitations of the camera lens, the sensitivity of the vidicon, the system noise and the video sampling rate. The Landsat-3 RBV lens resolution limit is 21.45 m ground equivalent half-cycle. The Earthnet video sampling rate at 7.5 megasamples, gives an across track ground pixel size of 18 m. The along track pixel size is controlled by the number of scan lines in one frame (i.e. 4125), which gives a ground equivalent pixel size of 24 m. The MTF curve calculated from the RCA manual shows an EIFOV of 45.5 m. At 21.45 m ground equivalent half-cycle, the modulation transfer factor is 5.4 per cent which with a dynamic range of 64 quantizing levels gives a two or three level contrast between black and white linear ground targets (i.e. at the extremes of the dynamic range). In the panchromatic waveband with a white level saturation at 2.013 mW/cm²-sr, most ground cover types will occur within the first 50 per cent of the dynamic range. Given the Earthnet quantization step size to r.m.s. noise ratio of 0.51, there is a 56 per cent probability of assigning a level to within ± 1 value of its correct level. This is assuming a Gaussian distribution for the system noise. The noise is equivalent to the MTF sensitivity of the system at the lens resolution limit. In this study no attempt has been made to quantify the additional noise introduced by the radiometric defects observed in the RBV data or atmospheric attenuation.     

硅钨酸掺杂聚苯胺催化合成2-异丙基-1,3-二氧环戊烷

采用回流法自制了硅钨酸(H4SiW12O40)掺杂聚苯胺(PAn)催化剂H4SiW12O40/PAn。通过异丁醛和乙二醇为原料合成标题化合物,探讨了硅钨酸掺杂聚苯胺催化剂对缩醛反应的催化活性,较系统地研究了原料物质的量比、催化剂用量、反应时间诸因素对产率的影响。实验表明,硅钨酸掺杂聚苯胺催化剂是合成标题化合物的良好催化剂,在n(乙二醇)∶n(异丁醛)=1.5∶1,催化剂用量为反应物料总质量的1.2%,环己烷为带水剂,反应时间1.0h的优化条件下,标题化合物的收率可达88.8%。     

DESIGNING PROPER FISCAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUB‐LOCAL DECENTRALIZATION IN MONTREAL

The amalgamation and de‐amalgamation period in Montreal (2001–2005) led to the creation of a city in 2006 with 19 decentralized boroughs integrated in a multi‐tier metropolitan governance structure. Most recent work on Montreal municipal issues has focused on describing its complex governance structures. Very little attention has been given to the new fiscal relations between the City and its boroughs. Because of the extent of its fiscal decentralization process, the case of Montreal raises the question of how far can it go? Using information collected during meetings with elected officials and public services directors in 2012 and fiscal data analysis, we draw some conclusions on the right level of sub‐local decentralization for Montreal. Based on efficiency considerations, the evidence suggests that some responsibilities need to be rescaled leading to more centralization. On the other hand, fiscal autonomy, which enhances accountability at the sub‐local level, is also a crucial factor that makes fiscal decentralization work.     

Nonlinear functionals of the periodogram

A central limit theorem is stated for a wide class of triangular arrays of nonlinear functionals of the periodogram of a stationary linear sequence. Those functionals may be singular and not-bounded. The proof of this result is based on Bartlett decomposition and an existing counterpart result for the periodogram of an independent and identically distributed sequence, here taken to be the driving noise. The main contribution of this paper is to prove the asymptotic negligibility of the remainder term from Bartlett decomposition, feasible under short dependence assumption. As it is highlighted by applications (to estimation of nonlinear functionals of the spectral density, robust spectral estimation, local polynomial approximation and log-periodogram regression), this extends may results until then tied to Gaussian assumption.