Satellite-based daily lake areas in the Yangtze Basin, China, 2000-2011

The Yangtze River Basin downstream of China's Three Gorges Dam (TGD) (thereafter referred to as "downstream" basin) hosts the largest cluster of freshwater lakes in East Asia. These lakes are crucial water stocks to local biophysical environments and socioeconomic development. Existing studies document that individual lakes in this region have recently experienced dramatic changes under the context of enduring meteorological drought, continuous population growth, and extensive water regulation since TGD's initial impoundment (i.e., June, 2003). However, spatial and temporal patterns of lake dynamics across the complete downstream Yangtze basin remain poorly characterized. Using daily MODIS imagery and an advanced thematic mapping scheme, this study presents a comprehensive monitoring of area dynamics in the downstream lake system at a 10-day temporal resolution during 2000-2011. The studied lakes constitute ~76% (~11,400 km**2) of the total downstream lake area, including the entire +70 major lakes larger than 20 km**2. The results reveal a decadal net decline in lake inundation area across the downstream Yangtze Basin, with a cumulative decrease of 849 km**2 or 7.4% from 2000 to 2011. Despite an excessive precipitation anomaly in the year 2010, the decreasing trend was tested significant in all seasons. The most substantial decrease in the post-TGD period appears in fall (1.1%/yr), which intriguingly coincides with the TGD water storage season. Regional lake dynamics exhibit contrasting spatial patterns, manifested as evident decrease and increase of aggregated lake areas respectively within and beyond the Yangtze Plain. This contrast suggests a marked vulnerability of lakes in the Yangtze Plain, to not only local meteorological variability but also intensified human water regulations from both the upstream Yangtze main stem (e.g., the TGD) and tributaries (e.g., lakes/reservoirs beyond the Yangtze Plain). The produced lake mapping result and derived lake area dynamics across the downstream Yangtze Basin provides a crucial monitoring basis for continuous investigations of changing mechanisms in the Yangtze lake system.

47 ground-penetrating radar lines of Area 4 - Gravel spit system from Potter Cove, King George Island, Antarctic Peninsula

During two field campaigns (Austral springs 2011 and 2012) the sedimentary architecture of a polar gravel-spit system at the northern coast of Potter Peninsula (Area 4) was revealed using ground-penetrating radar (GPR, Geophysical Survey Systems, Inc. SIR-3000). 47 profiles were collected using a mono-static 200 MHz antenna operated in common offset mode. Trace increment was set to 0.05 m. A differential global-positioning system (dGPS, Leica GS09) was used to obtain topographical information along the GPR lines. GPR data are provided in RADAN-Format, dGPS coordinates are provided in ascii format; projection is UTM (WGS 84, zone 21S).

Environmental context of a compilation about the distribution of large protists from the Infrakingdom Rhizaria in the global ocean

The present data set provides environmental context to a worldwide compilation from 11 oceanographic expeditions during which an underwater vision profiler (UVP) was deployed in situ to determine the vertical distribution plankton larger than 600 µm, belonging to the Infrakingdom Rhizaria.

Debris flow magnitudes: a global catalog

The episodic occurrence of debris flow events in response to stochastic precipitation and wildfire events makes hazard prediction challenging. Previous work has shown that frequency-magnitude distributions of non-fire-related debris flows follow a power law, but less is known about the distribution of post-fire debris flows. As a first step in parameterizing hazard models, we use frequency-magnitude distributions and cumulative distribution functions to compare volumes of post-fire debris flows to non-fire-related debris flows. Due to the large number of events required to parameterize frequency-magnitude distributions, and the relatively small number of post-fire event magnitudes recorded in the literature, we collected data on 73 recent post-fire events in the field. The resulting catalog of 988 debris flow events is presented as an appendix to this article. We found that the empirical cumulative distribution function of post-fire debris flow volumes is composed of smaller events than that of non-fire-related debris flows. In addition, the slope of the frequency-magnitude distribution of post-fire debris flows is steeper than that of non-fire-related debris flows, evidence that differences in the post-fire environment tend to produce a higher proportion of small events. We propose two possible explanations: 1) post-fire events occur on shorter return intervals than debris flows in similar basins that do not experience fire, causing their distribution to shift toward smaller events due to limitations in sediment supply, or 2) fire causes changes in resisting and driving forces on a package of sediment, such that a smaller perturbation of the system is required in order for a debris flow to occur, resulting in smaller event volumes.

Global Fuelbed Dataset

This dataset presents the first global fuel map, containing all the parameters required to be input in the Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS). The dataset was developed from different spatial variables, both based on satellite Earth observation products and fuel databases, and is comprised by a global fuelbed map and a database that includes the parameters of each fuelbed that affect fire behavior and effects. A total of 274 fuelbeds were created and parameterized, and can be input into FCCS to obtain fire potentials, surface fire behavior and carbon biomass for each fuelbed. The global fuel dataset can be used for a varied range of applications, including fire danger assessment, fire behavior estimations, fuel consumption calculations and emissions inventories.

Heart Failure Monitoring System Based on Wearable and Information Technologies

In Europe, Cardiovascular Diseases (CVD) are the leading source of death, causing 45% of all deceases. Besides, Heart Failure, the paradigm of CVD, mainly affects people older than 65. In the current aging society, the European MyHeart Project was created, whose mission is to empower citizens to fight CVD by leading a preventive lifestyle and being able to be diagnosed at an early stage. This paper presents the development of a Heart Failure Management System, based on daily monitoring of Vital Body Signals, with wearable and mobile technologies, for the continuous assessment of this chronic disease. The System makes use of the latest technologies for monitoring heart condition, both with wearable garments (e.g. for measuring ECG and Respiration); and portable devices (such as Weight Scale and Blood Pressure Cuff) both with Bluetooth capabilities

How Continuous Monitoring Changes the Interaction of Patients with a Mobile Telemedicine System

The use of continuous glucose monitor changes the way patients manage their diabetes, as observed in the increased number of daily insulin bolus, the increased number of daily BG measurements, and the differences in the distribution of BG measurements throughout the day. Continuous monitoring also increases the interaction of patients with the information system and modifies their patterns of use.

One-watt fiber-based power-by-light system for satellite applications

In this work, a fiber-based optical powering (or power-by-light) system capable of providing more than 1 W is developed. The prototype was used in order to power a shunt regulator for controlling the activation and deactivation of solar panels in satellites. The work involves the manufacture of a light receiver (a GaAs multiple photovoltaic converter (MPC)), a power conditioning block, and a regulator and the implementation and characterization of the whole system. The MPC, with an active area of just 3.1 mm2, was able to supply 1 W at 5 V with an efficiency of 30%. The maximum measured device efficiency was over 40% at an input power (Pin) of 0.5 W. Open circuit voltage over 7 V was measured for Pin over 0.5 W. A system optoelectronic efficiency (including the optical fiber, connectors, and MPC) of 27% was measured at an output power (Pout) of 1 W. At Pout = 0.2 W, the efficiency was as high as 36%. The power conditioning block and the regulator were successfully powered with the system. The maximum supplied power in steady state was 0.2 W, whereas in transient state, it reached 0.44 W. The paper also describes the characterization of the system within the temperature range going from -70 to +100?°C.

Towards a ground navigation system based in visual feedback provided by a mini UAV

This paper addresses initial efforts to develop a navigation system for ground vehicles supported by visual feedback from a mini aerial vehicle. A visual-based algorithm computes the ground vehicle pose in the world frame, as well as possible obstacles within the ground vehicle pathway. Relying on that information, a navigation and obstacle avoidance system is used to re-plan the ground vehicle trajectory, ensuring an optimal detour. Finally, some experiments are presented employing a unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) and a low cost mini unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

A UGV Navigation System for Large Outdoor Environments Including Virtual Obstacles for No-Go Zones

This work presents a navigation system for UGVs in large outdoor environments; virtual obstacles are added to the system in order to avoid zones that may present risks to the UGV or the elements in its surroundings. The platform, software architecture and the modifications necessary to handle the virtual obstacles are explained in detail. Several tests have been performed and their results show that the system proposed is capable of performing safe navigation in complex environments.