Strategic Noise Mapping with GIS for the Universitat Jaume I Smart Campus: best methodology practices

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Participatory mapping in the design process of a spatial data infrastructure SDI: a case study in the Biosphere Reserve Rio Platano (Honduras)

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Mapping Mediterranean Portugal: Pastoral and Counter-pastoral

This article focuses on the different images of Mediterranean Portugal developed by three important Portuguese social scientists of the 20th century: the geographer Orlando Ribeiro, the ethnologist Jorge Dias and the social anthropologist José Cutileiro. The article argues that these different images stem from different ideological attitudes towards the countryside, ranging from pastoral to counter-pastoral, and are also related to different ways of addressing the links between the countryside and national identity.

Um estudo de performance de uma ferramenta de Object/Relational Mapping

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia Informática

SIG Municipais aplicados a Levantamento de Vídeo e Respectiva Georreferenciação (Mobile Mapping) e Carregamento em Base de Dados SIG

Relatório de Estágio apresentado para cumprimento dos requisitos necessários à obtenção do grau de Mestre em Gestão do Território, especialização em Detecção Remota e Sistemas de Informação Geográfica

Genetic parameters and mapping quantitative trait loci associated with tibia traits in broilers.

Abstract: Selection among broilers for performance traits is resulting in locomotion problems and bone disorders, once skeletal structure is not strong enough to support body weight in broilers with high growth rates. In this study, genetic parameters were estimated for body weight at 42 days of age (BW42), and tibia traits (length, width, and weight) in a population of broiler chickens. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) were identified for tibia traits to expand our knowledge of the genetic architecture of the broiler population. Genetic correlations ranged from 0.56 +/- 0.18 (between tibia length and BW42) to 0.89 +/- 0.06 (between tibia width and weight), suggesting that these traits are either controlled by pleiotropic genes or by genes that are in linkage disequilibrium. For QTL mapping, the genome was scanned with 127 microsatellites, representing a coverage of 2630 cM. Eight QTL were mapped on Gallus gallus chromosomes (GGA): GGA1, GGA4, GGA6, GGA13, and GGA24. The QTL regions for tibia length and weight were mapped on GGA1, between LEI0079 and MCW145 markers. The gene DACH1 is located in this region; this gene acts to form the apical ectodermal ridge, responsible for limb development. Body weight at 42 days of age was included in the model as a covariate for selection effect of bone traits. Two QTL were found for tibia weight on GGA2 and GGA4, and one for tibia width on GGA3. Information originating from these QTL will assist in the search for candidate genes for these bone traits in future studies.

Collecting data for indoor mapping of the university of Münster via a location based game

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies.

Land cover mapping analysis and urban growth modeling using remote sensing techniques

The rapid growth of big cities has been noticed since 1950s when the majority of world population turned to live in urban areas rather than villages, seeking better job opportunities and higher quality of services and lifestyle circumstances. This demographic transition from rural to urban is expected to have a continuous increase. Governments, especially in less developed countries, are going to face more challenges in different sectors, raising the essence of understanding the spatial pattern of the growth for an effective urban planning. The study aimed to detect, analyse and model the urban growth in Greater Cairo Region (GCR) as one of the fast growing mega cities in the world using remote sensing data. Knowing the current and estimated urbanization situation in GCR will help decision makers in Egypt to adjust their plans and develop new ones. These plans should focus on resources reallocation to overcome the problems arising in the future and to achieve a sustainable development of urban areas, especially after the high percentage of illegal settlements which took place in the last decades. The study focused on a period of 30 years; from 1984 to 2014, and the major transitions to urban were modelled to predict the future scenarios in 2025. Three satellite images of different time stamps (1984, 2003 and 2014) were classified using Support Vector Machines (SVM) classifier, then the land cover changes were detected by applying a high level mapping technique. Later the results were analyzed for higher accurate estimations of the urban growth in the future in 2025 using Land Change Modeler (LCM) embedded in IDRISI software. Moreover, the spatial and temporal urban growth patterns were analyzed using statistical metrics developed in FRAGSTATS software. The study resulted in an overall classification accuracy of 96%, 97.3% and 96.3% for 1984, 2003 and 2014’s map, respectively. Between 1984 and 2003, 19 179 hectares of vegetation and 21 417 hectares of desert changed to urban, while from 2003 to 2014, the transitions to urban from both land cover classes were found to be 16 486 and 31 045 hectares, respectively. The model results indicated that 14% of the vegetation and 4% of the desert in 2014 will turn into urban in 2025, representing 16 512 and 24 687 hectares, respectively.

Mapping of Chagas disease research: analysis of publications in the period between 1940 and 2009

INTRODUCTION: Publications are often used as a measure of success in research work. Chagas disease occurs in Central and Southern America. However, during the past years, the disease has been occurring outside Latin America due to migration from endemic zones. This article describes a bibliometric review of the literature on Chagas disease research indexed in PubMed during a 70-year period. METHODS: Medline was used via the PubMed online service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine from 1940 to 2009. The search strategy was: Chagas disease [MeSH] OR Trypanosoma cruzi [MeSH]. RESULTS: A total of 13,989 references were retrieved. The number of publications increased steadily over time from 1,361 (1940-1969) to 5,430 (2000-2009) (coefficient of determination for linear fit, R²=0.910). Eight journals contained 25% of the Chagas disease literature. Of the publications, 64.2% came from endemic countries. Brazil was the predominant country (37%), followed by the United States (17.6%) and Argentina (14%). The ranking in production changed when the number of publications was normalized by estimated cases of Chagas disease (Panama and Uruguay), population (Argentina and Uruguay), and gross domestic product (Bolivia and Brazil). CONCLUSIONS: Several Latin American countries, where the prevalence of T. cruzi infection was not very high, were the main producers of the Chagas disease literature, after adjusting for economic and population indexes. The countries with more estimated cases of Chagas disease produced less research on Chagas disease than some developed countries.

Introducing mapping standards in the quality assessment of buildings extracted from very high resolution satellite imagery

Many municipal activities require updated large-scale maps that include both topographic and thematic information. For this purpose, the efficient use of very high spatial resolution (VHR) satellite imagery suggests the development of approaches that enable a timely discrimination, counting and delineation of urban elements according to legal technical specifications and quality standards. Therefore, the nature of this data source and expanding range of applications calls for objective methods and quantitative metrics to assess the quality of the extracted information which go beyond traditional thematic accuracy alone. The present work concerns the development and testing of a new approach for using technical mapping standards in the quality assessment of buildings automatically extracted from VHR satellite imagery. Feature extraction software was employed to map buildings present in a pansharpened QuickBird image of Lisbon. Quality assessment was exhaustive and involved comparisons of extracted features against a reference data set, introducing cartographic constraints from scales 1:1000, 1:5000, and 1:10,000. The spatial data quality elements subject to evaluation were: thematic (attribute) accuracy, completeness, and geometric quality assessed based on planimetric deviation from the reference map. Tests were developed and metrics analyzed considering thresholds and standards for the large mapping scales most frequently used by municipalities. Results show that values for completeness varied with mapping scales and were only slightly superior for scale 1:10,000. Concerning the geometric quality, a large percentage of extracted features met the strict topographic standards of planimetric deviation for scale 1:10,000, while no buildings were compliant with the specification for scale 1:1000.

Generalized Dasymetric Mapping Algorithm for Accessing Land-Use Change

Contém resumo

Contribution to drug discovery and development for tauopathies using yeast as a model

This work aimed to contribute to drug discovery and development (DDD) for tauopathies, while expanding our knowledge on this group of neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Using yeast, a recognized model for neurodegeneration studies, useful models were produced for the study of tau interaction with beta-amyloid (Aβ), both AD hallmark proteins. The characterization of these models suggests that these proteins co-localize and that Aβ1-42, which is toxic to yeast, is involved in tau40 phosphorylation (Ser396/404) via the GSK-3β yeast orthologue, whereas tau seems to facilitate Aβ1-42 oligomerization. The mapping of tau’s interactome in yeast, achieved with a tau toxicity enhancer screen using the yeast deletion collection, provided a novel framework, composed of 31 genes, to identify new mechanisms associated with tau pathology, as well as to identify new drug targets or biomarkers. This genomic screen also allowed to select the yeast strain mir1Δ-tau40 for development of a new GPSD2TM drug discovery screening system. A library of unique 138 marine bacteria extracts, obtained from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vents, was screened with mir1Δ-tau40. Three extracts were identified as suppressors of tau toxicity and constitute good starting points for DDD programs. mir1Δ strain was sensitive to tau toxicity, relating tau pathology with mitochondrial function. SLC25A3, the human homologue of MIR1, codes for the mitochondrial phosphate carrier protein (PiC). Resorting to iRNA, SLC25A3 expression was silenced in human neuroglioma cells, as a first step towards the engineering of a neural model for replicating the results obtained in yeast. This model is essential to understand the mechanisms of tau toxicity at the mitochondrial level and to validate PiC as a relevant drug target. The set of DDD tools here presented will foster the development of innovative and efficacious therapies, urgently needed to cope with tau-related disorders of high human and social-economic impact.

Mapping the Pasture Steppe in Bayankhongor, Mongolia: comparison of classification methods, using Landsat-8 and geophysical data

Grasslands in semi-arid regions, like Mongolian steppes, are facing desertification and degradation processes, due to climate change. Mongolia’s main economic activity consists on an extensive livestock production and, therefore, it is a concerning matter for the decision makers. Remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems provide the tools for advanced ecosystem management and have been widely used for monitoring and management of pasture resources. This study investigates which is the higher thematic detail that is possible to achieve through remote sensing, to map the steppe vegetation, using medium resolution earth observation imagery in three districts (soums) of Mongolia: Dzag, Buutsagaan and Khureemaral. After considering different thematic levels of detail for classifying the steppe vegetation, the existent pasture types within the steppe were chosen to be mapped. In order to investigate which combination of data sets yields the best results and which classification algorithm is more suitable for incorporating these data sets, a comparison between different classification methods were tested for the study area. Sixteen classifications were performed using different combinations of estimators, Landsat-8 (spectral bands and Landsat-8 NDVI-derived) and geophysical data (elevation, mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature) using two classification algorithms, maximum likelihood and decision tree. Results showed that the best performing model was the one that incorporated Landsat-8 bands with mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature (Model 13), using the decision tree. For maximum likelihood, the model that incorporated Landsat-8 bands with mean annual precipitation (Model 5) and the one that incorporated Landsat-8 bands with mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature (Model 13), achieved the higher accuracies for this algorithm. The decision tree models consistently outperformed the maximum likelihood ones.

A spatial multicriteria model for urban accessibility mapping

Accessibility is nowadays an important issue for the development of cities. It is seen as a priority in order toguarantee equal access to fundamental rights, to improve the quality of life of citizens and to ensure that everyone, regardless of age, mobility or ability, have equal access to all the resources and benefits cities have to offer. Consequently, factors closely related to the accessibility have gained a higher relevance for identifying and assessing the location of urban facilities. The main goal of the paper is to present an accessibility evaluation model applied in Santarém, in Brazil, a city located midway between the larger cities of Belem and Manaus. The research instruments, sampling method and data analysis proposed for mapping urban accessibility are described. Daily activities were used to identify and group key destinations. The model was implemented within a geographic information system and integrates the individualâ s perspective through the definition of each key destination weight, reflecting their significance for daily activities in the urban area. Accessibility to key destinations was mapped over 24 districts of the city of Santarém. The results of this model application can support city administration decision-making for new investments in order to improve urban quality of life.

Mapping numbers onto space in preschool children and adults

Tese de Doutoramento em Psicologia - Especialidade em Psicologia Experimental e Ciências Cognitivas