Passive microwave applications to snowpack monitoring using satellite data

Nimbus-5 Electrically Scanned Microwave Radiometer data were analyzed for the fall of 1975 and winter and summer of 1976 over the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska to determine the applicability of those data to snowpack monitoring. It was found that when the snow depth remained constant at 12.7 cm, the brightness temperatures T sub B varied with air temperature. During April and May the production of ice lenses and layers within the snow, and possibly wet ground beneath the snow contribute to the T sub B variations also. Comparison of March T sub B values of three areas with the same (12.7 cm) snow depth showed that air temperature is the predominant factor controlling the T sub B differences among the three areas, but underlying surface conditions and individual snowpack characteristics are also significant factors

Selecting reconnaissance strategies for floodplain surveys

Multispectral aircraft and satellite data over the West Branch of the Susquehanna River were analyzed to evaluate potential contributions of remote sensing to flood-plain surveys. Multispectral digital classifications of land cover features indicative of floodplain areas were used by interpreters to locate various floodprone area boundaries. The digital approach permitted LANDSAT results to be displayed at 1:24,000 scale and aircraft results at even larger scales. Results indicate that remote sensing techniques can delineate floodprone areas more easily in agricultural and limited development areas as opposed to areas covered by a heavy forest canopy. At this time it appears that the remote sensing data would be best used as a form of preliminary planning information or as an internal check on previous or ongoing floodplain studies. In addition, the remote sensing techniques can assist in effectively monitoring floodplain activities after a community enters into the National Flood Insurance Program

Studies of snowpack properties by passive microwave radiometry

Research involving the microwave characteristics of snow was undertaken in order to expand the information content currently available from remote sensing, namely the measurement of snowcovered area. Microwave radiation emitted from beneath the snow surface can be sensed and thus permits information on internal snowpack properties to be inferred. The intensity of radiation received is a function of the average temperature and emissivity of the snow layers and is commonly referred to as the brightness temperature (T sub B). The T sub B varies with snow grain and crystal sizes, liquid water content, and snowpack temperature. The T sub B of the 0.8 cm wavelength channel was found to decrease more so with increasing snow depth than the 1.4 cm channel. More scattering of the shorter wavelength radiation occurs thus resulting in a lower T sub B for shorter wavelengths in a dry snowpack. The longer 21.0 cm wavelength was used to assess the condition of the underlying ground

Snow water equivalent determination by microwave radiometry

One of the most important parameters for accurate snowmelt runoff prediction is snow water equivalent (SWE) which is contentionally monitored using observations made at widely scattered points in or around specific watersheds. Remote sensors which provide data with better spatial and temporal coverage can be used to improve the SWE estimates. Microwave radiation, which can penetrate through a snowpack, may be used to infer the SWE. Calculations made from a microscopic scattering model were used to simulate the effect of varying SWE on the microwave brightness temperature. Data obtained from truck mounted, airborne and spaceborne systems from various test sites were studied. The simulated SWE compares favorable with the measured SWE. In addition, whether the underlying soil is frozen or thawed can be discriminated successfully on the basis of the polarization of the microwave radiation

Experimental study of concrete cylinders confined by composite materials

Existen numerosas situaciones en las que es necesario mejorar la capacidad portante de elementos sometidos a solicitaciones de compresión, como columnas y pilas de puentes. El refuerzo externo con polímeros reforzados con fibras (PRF) surgió como una solución que ha dado muy buenos resultados y cuya aplicación se ha incrementado en los últimos años. En este trabajo se evalúa experimentalmente el comportamiento de probetas cilíndricas de hormigón simple y hormigón armado confinadas externamente con PRF y sometidas a carga axial. Se analiza la respuesta tensióndeformación axial y modos de falla, para ambos tipos de especímenes, hormigón simple y armado. En ambos casos el refuerzo externo de PRF incrementa la resistencia y confiere ductilidad a las probetas, confinando al hormigón y conteniéndolo luego de su falla. Se presentan también comparaciones entre valores experimentales de resistencia máxima a compresión y estimaciones realizadas a partir de modelos empíricos de diferentes autores.There are a number of situations where it may become necessary to enhance the load-carrying capacity of elements subjected to compression loads like columns and bridge piles. External reinforcement with fiber reinforced polymers (FRP) appeared with very good results and its use has increased in the last years. The behaviour of simple and reinforced concrete cylinders confined with FRP and subjected to axial load is assessed experimentally in this paper. Axial stress and strain diagram and failure modes for both kind of specimens, simple and reinforced concrete are analyzed. In both cases FRP external reinforcement increases cylinders resistance and induces ductility, confining and containing the concrete after its failure. Comparisons between experimental maximum compression strength values and predictions using empirical models by different authors are also presented.Fil: Kohan, Paul Hernán. Universidad Nacional de Salta; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rango, Rita Fernanda. Universidad Nacional de Salta; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Rougier, Viviana C.. Universidad Tecnologica Nacional. Facultad Regional Concepcion del Uruguay; Argentin

Технико-экономические и экологические аспекты утилизация шламов, содержащих соединения цинка

По причине токсичности перед сбросом в водоемы ионы цинка выделяются из сточных вод в виде твердых соединений, которые осаждаются в виде шлама в прудах-накопителях. Приведены данные по количественному и качественному составам шлама в накопителеотстойнике предприятия по производству вискозного волокна. Отмечено, что такой накопитель в г. Красноярске является техногенным образованием содержащем ценное сырье - цинк. Поэтому необходима разработка и внедрение технологий переработки и утилизации цинксодержащих шламов различных производств.Zinc ions are toxic and they are isolated from sewage in the form of solid compounds before discharge into water bodies. Precipitation occurs in the form of slime in storage ponds. Data on the quantitative and qualitative composition of the sludge in the reservoir-settler of an enterprise for the production of viscose fiber are given. It is noted that such a storage facility in Krasnoyarsk is a technogenic for mation containing valuable raw materials - zinc. Therefore, it is necessary to develop and implement technologies for processing and utilization of zinc-containing slurries of various industries

Applications systems verification and transfer project. Volume 8: Satellite snow mapping and runoff prediction handbook

The purpose of the handbook is to update the various snowcover interpretation techniques, document the snow mapping techniques used in the various ASVT study areas, and describe the ways snowcover data have been applied to runoff prediction. Through documentation in handbook form, the methodology developed in the Snow Mapping ASVT can be applied to other areas

Comparison of bio-inspired algorithms applied to the coordination of mobile robots considering the energy consumption

Many applications, related to autonomous mobile robots, require to explore in an unknown environment searching for static targets, without any a priori information about the environment topology and target locations. Targets in such rescue missions can be fire, mines, human victims, or dangerous material that the robots have to handle. In these scenarios, some cooperation among the robots is required for accomplishing the mission. This paper focuses on the application of different bio-inspired metaheuristics for the coordination of a swarm of mobile robots that have to explore an unknown area in order to rescue and handle cooperatively some distributed targets. This problem is formulated by first defining an optimization model and then considering two sub-problems: exploration and recruiting. Firstly, the environment is incrementally explored by robots using a modified version of ant colony optimization. Then, when a robot detects a target, a recruiting mechanism is carried out to recruit a certain number of robots to deal with the found target together. For this latter purpose, we have proposed and compared three approaches based on three different bio-inspired algorithms (Firefly Algorithm, Particle Swarm Optimization, and Artificial Bee Algorithm). A computational study and extensive simulations have been carried out to assess the behavior of the proposed approaches and to analyze their performance in terms of total energy consumed by the robots to complete the mission. Simulation results indicate that the firefly-based strategy usually provides superior performance and can reduce the wastage of energy, especially in complex scenarios

Post-activation brain warming: A 1-H MRS thermometry study

Purpose Temperature plays a fundamental role for the proper functioning of the brain. However, there are only fragmentary data on brain temperature (Tbr) and its regulation under different physiological conditions. Methods We studied Tbr in the visual cortex of 20 normal subjects serially with a wide temporal window under different states including rest, activation and recovery by a visual stimulation- Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Thermometry combined approach.We also studied Tbr in a control region, the centrum semiovale, under the same conditions. Results Visual cortex mean baseline Tbr was higher than mean body temperature (37.38 vs 36.60, P<0.001). During activation Tbr remained unchanged at first and then showed a small decrease (-0.20 CA\ub0) around the baseline value. After the end of activation Tbr increased consistently (+0.60 CA\ub0) and then returned to baseline values after some minutes. Centrum semiovale Tbr remained unchanged through rest, visual stimulation and recovery. Conclusion These findings have several implications, among them that neuronal firing itself is not a major source of heat release in the brain and that there is an aftermath of brain activation that lasts minutes before returning to baseline conditions

The importance of imprinting in the human placenta.

As a field of study, genomic imprinting has grown rapidly in the last 20 years, with a growing figure of around 100 imprinted genes known in the mouse and approximately 50 in the human. The imprinted expression of genes may be transient and highly tissue-specific, and there are potentially hundreds of other, as yet undiscovered, imprinted transcripts. The placenta is notable amongst mammalian organs for its high and prolific expression of imprinted genes. This review discusses the development of the human placenta and focuses on the function of imprinting in this organ. Imprinting is potentially a mechanism to balance parental resource allocation and it plays an important role in growth. The placenta, as the interface between mother and fetus, is central to prenatal growth control. The expression of genes subject to parental allelic expression bias has, over the years, been shown to be essential for the normal development and physiology of the placenta. In this review we also discuss the significance of genes that lack conservation of imprinting between mice and humans, genes whose imprinted expression is often placental-specific. Finally, we illustrate the importance of imprinting in the postnatal human in terms of several human imprinting disorders, with consideration of the brain as a key organ for imprinted gene expression after birth