Sensor-Level Mosaic of Multistrip KOMPSAT-3 Level 1R Products

High-resolution satellite images such as KOMPSAT-3 data provide detailed geospatial information over interest areas that are evenly located in an inaccessible area. The high-resolution satellite cameras are designed with a long focal length and a narrow field of view to increase spatial resolution. Thus, images show relatively narrow swath widths (10–15 km) compared to dozens or hundreds of kilometers in mid-/low-resolution satellite data. Therefore, users often face obstacles to orthorectify and mosaic a bundle of delivered images to create a complete image map. With a single mosaicked image at the sensor level delivered only with radiometric correction, users can process and manage simplified data more efficiently. Thus, we propose sensor-level mosaicking to generate a seamless image product with geometric accuracy to meet mapping requirements. Among adjacent image data with some overlaps, one image is the reference, whereas the others are projected using the sensor model information with shuttle radar topography mission. In the overlapped area, the geometric discrepancy between the data is modeled in spline along the image line based on image matching with outlier removals. The new sensor model information for the mosaicked image is generated by extending that of the reference image. Three strips of KOMPSAT-3 data were tested for the experiment. The data showed that irregular image discrepancies between the adjacent data were observed along the image line. This indicated that the proposed method successfully identified and removed these discrepancies. Additionally, sensor modeling information of the resulted mosaic could be improved by using the averaging effects of input data.

Recession curve analysis in function of karst lake hydrogeological regime identification: case study Red Lake, Croatia

<p>Red Lake is an example of a karst phenomenon near the town of Imotski (Croatia), in the central part of Dinaric Karst. It is considered the deepest submerged karst feature in the world, located in an inaccessible area with large slopes of the lakeshore, which makes the research difficult and resource intensive. For this reason, to better understand the hydrogeological functioning of the lake, data on the water level in the lake, collected over a period of five years, were analyzed. The morphometric model of Red Lake was used to determine a relationship between lake volume and depth, furthermore to define integral water inflow and outflow quantities. Recession curves were extracted from the graphical representation of the water influx data series. The calculated recession coefficients were used to identify the dominant hydrogeologic mechanism respective to the water level in the lake and the ratio between recharge components of groundwater and direct runoff. The approach provides a tool for identifying the hydrogeological regime of karst lakes and the stratification of different porosity levels of the surrounding karst massif.</p>

Research on Secure Debugging Interaction of Sensor Nodes Based on Visible Light Communication

When a wireless sensor node’s wireless communication fails after being deployed in an inaccessible area, the lost node cannot be repaired through a debugging interaction that relies on that communication. Visible light communication (VLC) as a supplement of radio wave communication can improve the transmission security at the physical layer due to its unidirectional propagation characteristic. Therefore, we implemented a VLC-based hybrid communication debugging system (HCDS) based on VLC using smartphone and sensor node. For the system’s downlink, the smartphone is taken as the VLC gateway and sends the debugging codes to the sensor node by the flashlight. To improve the transmission efficiency of the downlink, we also propose a new coding method for source coding and channel coding, respectively. For the source coding, we analyze the binary instructions and compress the operands using bitmask techniques. The average compression rate of the binary structure reaches 84.11%. For the channel coding, we optimize dual-header pulse interval (DH-PIM) and propose overlapped DH-PIM (ODH-PIM) by introducing a flashlight half-on state. The flashlight half-on state can improve the representation capability of individual symbols. For the uplink of HCDS, we use the onboard LED of the sensor node to transmit feedback debugging information to the smartphone. At the same time, we design a novel encoding format of DH-PIM to optimize uplink transmission. Experimental results show that the optimized uplink transmission time and BER are reduced by 10.71% and 22%, compared with the original DH-PIM.

Twierdze na straży lojalności. Brytyjskie fortyfikacje na terenie północnej Szkocji w pierwszej połowie XVIII w.

[Fortresses as a guarantee of loyalty. British fortifications in the area of northern Scotland in the first half of the 18th century] In the first half of the 18th century, the Scottish Highlands were a “wild and inaccessible” area, and from London’s perspective, they were at least uncertain as far as local inhabitants’ loyalty was concerned. The Highlands were controlled by clans, who cultivated social and economic traditions dating back to the mediaeval times. Despite it being anachronistic, this system made it possible to gather significant forces, not so well armed, but usually strongly motivated. Although some clan leaders quickly backed William of Orange, and what follows the Hanoverian dynasty, state forces were not able to control the whole area of the Highlands. What is more, strategic territories on the western coast and in Great Glen were occupied by pro‑Jacobean clans. Due to that fact, the authorities were forced to introduce military garrisons into the Highlands that were supposed to force all the inhabitants to be loyal to the government. However, soldiers had to stay in safe conditions so that they could defend themselves in case Scottish Jacobites attacked them, especially if the latter were backed by the regular French military forces. That is why the first fortress started to be built already during the uprising of 1689. Finally, up to 1745, 3 fortress and 4 fortified barrack complexes were erected in the area of the Highlands.

“The Boundary of the World” – The Beginnings of Tourism in the Bieszczady Mountains in the 19th Century

The article fills the gap in the knowledge of the history of tourism in the Western Bieszczady, presenting its beginnings in the 19th century. This area was rarely visited, as it was not perceived as attractive; the beginnings of tourist “exploration” date back to the 19th century. The analysis is based on diary accounts, memoirs, press articles and the first travel guides. In the preserved reports, the Bieszczady Mountains appear as a wild, inaccessible area, devoid of the road infrastructure necessary for travelers. The wilderness of Bieszczady was traversed for sentimental, social, commercial, religious and health reasons, initially on foot or on horseback.

Хибины и Имандра в годы Гражданской войны и союзнической интервенции: страницы истории.

The paper present study of sources mentioning Khibiny and Imandra in the context of Russian Civil War and North Russia intervention during the period 1918–1920. The state of published Russian and foreign sources on this topic is determined. Sources of various types are considered: maps, photos, memories of participants of events, official documents and others. Information from many sources has been analyzed. Despite the sparsely populated and inaccessible area of Khibiny and Imandra, this area became the scene of confrontation between the Bolsheviks and their opponents, as well as other places on the Kola Peninsula.

Molecular Investigation on a Triple Negative Breast Cancer Xenograft Model Exposed to Proton Beams

Specific breast cancer (BC) subtypes are associated with bad prognoses due to the absence of successful treatment plans. The triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) subtype, with estrogen (ER), progesterone (PR) and human epidermal growth factor-2 (HER2) negative receptor status, is a clinical challenge for oncologists, because of its aggressiveness and the absence of effective therapies. In addition, proton therapy (PT) represents an effective treatment against both inaccessible area located or conventional radiotherapy (RT)-resistant cancers, becoming a promising therapeutic choice for TNBC. Our study aimed to analyze the in vivo molecular response to PT and its efficacy in a MDA-MB-231 TNBC xenograft model. TNBC xenograft models were irradiated with 2, 6 and 9 Gy of PT. Gene expression profile (GEP) analyses and immunohistochemical assay (IHC) were performed to highlight specific pathways and key molecules involved in cell response to the radiation. GEP analysis revealed in depth the molecular response to PT, showing a considerable immune response, cell cycle and stem cell process regulation. Only the dose of 9 Gy shifted the balance toward pro-death signaling as a dose escalation which can be easily performed using proton beams, which permit targeting tumors while avoiding damage to the surrounding healthy tissue.

Trend analysis of Changing Pattern of Snowfall and Precipitation over the Time Period of 1979 to 2014 in Alpine region of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya, India

<p>Himalayan mountain region lying in the northern piece of Indian sub-continent is among those zones which bears the most geologically fragile situations and are additionally a vault of biodiversity, new water stockpiling and environment administrations. The Himalaya is one of the world’s largest and mostly inaccessible area of glaciers outside the polar regions and provides glacier-stored water to the major perennial rivers of India throughout the year and to their river basins also. Glacier is a large ice mass formed by accumulation, compaction and re-crystallization of snow and firn due to stress of its own weight. Glacier with steep slopes of bedrock may retreat with slower rate or may even advance because downslope movement of glacier will continuously feed ice to lower altitude. Increased retreating rate of glaciers can be considered as an indicator of climate change. In the course of recent three decades, the occurred changes can be explained with exploitative land utilization which is among the primary drivers of changing snow cover, vegetation covers and profitability in western Himalayas locale. In a region where field-based research is tiring because of heterogenous and high elevation, measuring the changes in aforesaid using Remote Sensing techniques can give basic data regarding variating patterns of Snowfall and Precipitation. This paper studies the trend analysis of changing Snowfall and Precipitation patterns using SWAT and MODIS data (1979–2014 and 1999 to Present) over Uttarakhand Himalaya and its association with altitudinal gradient. This paper investigates the trends in maximum (P<sub>max</sub>), minimum (P<sub>min</sub>) & mean (P<sub>mean</sub>) Snowfall and Precipitation in the annual, seasonal and monthly time-scales for 54 stations in the 5 regions of Uttarakhand’s Western Himalayan region which are categorized on the basis of elevation, from year 1979-2014. Statistical approaches are used to examine the effect of change in pattern of snowfall and precipitation upon the phenology of vegetation, fresh water ecosystems, agricultural productivity, decreasing snow line, increasing tree line & change in duration of the seasons etc of the study area.</p>

Assisted resection of lateral extension of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma using a sphenopalatine fossa dissector

BackgroundJuvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma often attaches firmly to the adjoining bony region around the sphenopalatine foramina–sphenopalatine fossa–pterygomaxillary fissure. This can result in hourglass-shaped constriction and predispose to incomplete resection (residual disease) with a transpalatal approach. This paper describes attempts to address this ‘inaccessible’ area with a novel instrument, used since 2012.MethodsMeasurements of the sphenopalatine foramen, nasal septum, posterior nasopharyngeal wall and hard palate were undertaken in 20 skulls and 10 computed tomography scans (lateral extension). A device was designed (in terms of angulation and length) following several trials with malleable wire. A search of patents was also undertaken. Recurrence rates were compared in cases of device use and non-use.ResultsThe novelty of the sphenopalatine fossa dissector was established and the device was patented. This device has significantly improved our 17.59 per cent recurrence rate of the past 4 decades; of 63 cases over 3 years, there were only 3 recurrences and 2 residual disease cases. Findings of our previous studies with or without the device are compared.ConclusionExisting evidence supports the incorporation of this inexpensive instrument in the armamentarium for resecting lateral extension of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma during a transpalatal approach.