ALBERT

Description: Super-resolution mapping (SRM) is used to obtain fine-scale land cover maps from coarse remote sensing images. Spatial attraction, geostatistics, and using prior geographic information are conventional approaches used to derive fine-scale land cover maps. As the convolutional neural network (CNN) has been shown to be effective in capturing the spatial characteristics of geographic objects and extrapolating calibrated methods to other study areas, it may be a useful approach to overcome limitations of current SRM methods. In this paper, a new SRM method based on the CNN ( SRM CNN ) is proposed and tested. Specifically, an encoder-decoder CNN is used to model the nonlinear relationship between coarse remote sensing images and fine-scale land cover maps. Two real-image experiments were conducted to analyze the effectiveness of the proposed method. The results demonstrate that the overall accuracy of the proposed SRM CNN method was 3% to 5% higher than that of two existing SRM methods. Moreover, the proposed SRM CNN method was validated by visualizing output features and analyzing the performance of different geographic objects.

Description: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the soft tissue bond strength of a newly developed, monomeric, biomimetic, tissue adhesive called phosphoserine modified cement (PMC). Two types of PMCs were evaluated using lap shear strength (LSS) testing, on porcine skin: a calcium metasilicate (CS1), and alpha tricalcium phosphate (αTCP) PMC. CS1 PCM bonded strongly to skin, reaching a peak LSS of 84, 132, and 154 KPa after curing for 0.5, 1.5, and 4 h, respectively. Cyanoacrylate and fibrin glues reached an LSS of 207 kPa and 33 kPa, respectively. αTCP PMCs reached a final LSS of ≈110 kPa. In soft tissues, stronger bond strengths were obtained with αTCP PMCs containing large amounts of amino acid (70–90 mol%), in contrast to prior studies in calcified tissues (30–50 mol%). When αTCP particle size was reduced by wet milling, and for CS1 PMCs, the strongest bonding was obtained with mole ratios of 30–50% phosphoserine. While PM-CPCs behave like stiff ceramics after setting, they bond to soft tissues, and warrant further investigation as tissue adhesives, particularly at the interface between hard and soft tissues.

Description: A newly available portable unit with GNSS raw data recording capability is assessed to determine static and kinematic position accuracy in various environments. This unit is the GPSMap 66, introduced by Garmin in early September. It is all-weather and robust for field use, and comes with a helix antenna. The high sensitivity chipset is capable of acquiring and tracking signals in highly attenuated environments. It can track single frequency GPS, GPS + GLONASS or GPS + Galileo and record code, Doppler and carrier phase data every second in the RINEX format. The evaluation presented herein focusses on GPS and Galileo. Static and kinematic test results obtained under a wide range of realistic field conditions are reported. Differential GNSS methods and Precise Point Positioning (PPP) are used to assess absolute position accuracy in ITRF coordinates, which is sufficiently close to the GPS and Galileo reference frame for the current purpose. Under low multipath conditions, measurements are found to be sufficiently accurate to provide single epoch, bias free position accuracy of a few metres. Accuracy is a function of signal attenuation and multipath conditions. The use of an external geodetic antenna significantly reduces measurement noise and multipath in high multipath environments. Carrier phase measurements, available more or less continuously under open sky conditions, significantly improve performance in differential mode. Accuracy in vehicular mode using code and carrier phase differential RTK solution is at the level of a few to several dm. Tests were conducted in parallel with a Huawei P10 Android 8.0 smartphone. The code measurement noise of this unit was found to be significantly higher than that of the GPSMap 66, a major reason being its lower performance PIFA antenna; carrier phase was only available for short time intervals, significantly degrading differential position accuracy performance.

Description: Among grapevine diseases affecting European vineyards, Flavescence dorée (FD) and Grapevine Trunk Diseases (GTD) are considered the most relevant challenges for viticulture because of the damage they cause to vineyards. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) multispectral imagery could be a powerful tool for the automatic detection of symptomatic vines. However, one major difficulty is to discriminate different kinds of diseases leading to similar leaves discoloration as it is the case with FD and GTD for red vine cultivars. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the potentiality of UAV multispectral imagery to separate: symptomatic vines including FD and GTD (Esca and black dead arm) from asymptomatic vines (Case 1) and FD vines from GTD ones (Case 2). The study sites are localized in the Gaillac and Minervois wine production regions (south of France). A set of seven vineyards covering five different red cultivars was studied. Field work was carried out between August and September 2016. In total, 218 asymptomatic vines, 502 FD vines and 199 GTD vines were located with a centimetric precision GPS. UAV multispectral images were acquired with a MicaSense RedEdge® sensor and were processed to ultimately obtain surface reflectance mosaics at 0.10 m ground spatial resolution. In this study, the potentiality of 24 variables (5 spectral bands, 15 vegetation indices and 4 biophysical parameters) are tested. The vegetation indices are selected for their potentiality to detect abnormal vegetation behavior in relation to stress or diseases. Among the biophysical parameters selected, three are directly linked to the leaf pigments content (chlorophyll, carotenoid and anthocyanin). The first step consisted in evaluating the performance of the 24 variables to separate symptomatic vine vegetation (FD or/and GTD) from asymptomatic vine vegetation using the performance indicators from the Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) Curve method (i.e., Area Under Curve or AUC, sensibility and specificity). The second step consisted in mapping the symptomatic vines (FD and/or GTD) at the scale of the field using the optimal threshold resulting from the ROC curve. Ultimately, the error between the level of infection predicted by the selected variables (proportion of symptomatic pixels by vine) and observed in the field (proportion of symptomatic leaves by vine) is calculated. The same methodology is applied to the three levels of analysis: by vineyard, by cultivar (Gamay, Fer Servadou) and by berry color (all red cultivars). At the vineyard and cultivar levels, the best variables selected varies. The AUC of the best vegetation indices and biophysical parameters varies from 0.84 to 0.95 for Case 1 and 0.74 to 0.90 for Case 2. At the berry color level, no variable is efficient in discriminating FD vines from GTD ones (Case 2). For Case 1, the best vegetation indices and biophysical parameter are Red Green Index (RGI)/ Green-Red Vegetation Index (GRVI) (based on the green and red spectral bands) and Car (linked to carotenoid content). These variables are more effective in mapping vines with a level of infection greater than 50%. However, at the scale of the field, we observe misclassified pixels linked to the presence of mixed pixels (shade, bare soil, inter-row vegetation and vine vegetation) and other factors of abnormal coloration (e.g., apoplectic vines).

Description: Youth play an important role in the transition toward agroecology through practices of resignification. This article discusses how young people resignify agroecology by taking part in education initiatives that originate from social movements, and that aim to strengthen young peoples’ abilities to reflect on their practices and realities. We used action research to create films with young agroecologists in the region of Zona da Mata Mineira, Brazil. Our analysis draws on films, interviews and participatory observations made during thirteen workshops to visualize the agroecological practices and visions of youth. We explore how social frames—e.g., the specific ways in which people understand reality—shape practices and how these frames are actively changed by youth. The findings show how frames are changed during (1) frame amplification by building on existing local values; (2) frame bridging by linking with other social movements; (3) frame extension by inclusion of new frames; and (4) frame transformation by altering the meaning of agroecology. We find that young people who engage with agroecology contribute to processes of repeasantization that rework local culture to be more inclusive of different populations, generations and genders, and that they foster an appreciation of the interconnectedness of humans and nature.

Description: Calcium phosphate cements (CPCs) are clinically effective void fillers that are capable of bridging calcified tissue defects and facilitating regeneration. However, CPCs are completely synthetic/inorganic, unlike the calcium phosphate that is found in calcified tissues, and they lack an architectural organization, controlled assembly mechanisms, and have moderate biomechanical strength, which limits their clinical effectiveness. Herein, we describe a new class of bioinspired CPCs that can glue tissues together and bond tissues to metallic and polymeric biomaterials. Surprisingly, alpha tricalcium phosphate cements that are modified with simple phosphorylated amino acid monomers of phosphoserine (PM-CPCs) bond tissues up to 40-fold stronger (2.5–4 MPa) than commercial cyanoacrylates (0.1 MPa), and 100-fold stronger than surgical fibrin glue (0.04 MPa), when cured in wet-field conditions. In addition to adhesion, phosphoserine creates other novel properties in bioceramics, including a nanoscale organic/inorganic composite microstructure, and templating of nanoscale amorphous calcium phosphate nucleation. PM-CPCs are made of the biocompatible precursors calcium, phosphate, and amino acid, and these represent the first amorphous nano-ceramic composites that are stable in liquids.

Description: Throughout the European Union (EU), high concentrations of nitrates and pesticides are among the major polluting components of drinking water and have potential long-term impacts on the environment and human health. Many research projects co-funded by the European Commission have been carried out, but the results often do not influence policy making and implementation to the extent that is duly justified. This paper assesses several issues and barriers that weaken the role of science in EU policy making and EU policy implementation in the case of agricultural impacts on drinking water quality. It then proposes improvements and solutions to strengthen the role of science in this process. The analysis is conceptual but supported empirically by a desk study, a workshop, and complementary individual interviews, mostly with representatives of organizations working at the EU level. The results indicate that perceived barriers are mostly observed on the national or regional level and are connected with a lack of political will, scarce instruction on the legislation implementation process, and a lack of funding opportunities for science to be included in policy making and further EU policy implementation. In response to that, we suggest translating scientific knowledge on technological, practical or environmental changes and using dissemination techniques for specific audiences and in local languages. Further, the relationship between data, information and decision making needs to change by implementing monitoring in real-time, which will allow for the quick adaptation of strategies. In addition, we suggest project clustering (science, policy, stakeholders, and citizens) to make science and research more connected to current policy challenges and stakeholder needs along with citizen involvement with an aim of establishing sustainable long-term relationships and communication flows.

Description: Since the paper by Giller et al. (2009), the debate surrounding the suitability of conservation agriculture (CA) for African smallholders has remained polarized between proponents and opponents. The debate also gave rise to a few studies that attempted to identify the “niche” where CA would fit in the region, but the insight offered by these studies has been limited. In this paper, we first analyze the rationale of adoption where it occurred globally to define “drivers” of adoption. Our analysis suggests that CA has first and foremost been adopted under the premises of being energy-saving (time and/or power), erosion-controlling, and water-use efficient, but rarely to increase yield. We then define the niche where CA fits, based on these drivers of adoption, as systems where (1) the energy available for crop establishment is limited and/or costly (including labor and draft power); (2) delayed planting results in a significant yield decline; (3) yield is limited or co-limited by water; and/or (4) severe erosion problems threaten the short- to medium-term productivity of farmland. In Eastern and Southern Africa, this niche appears rather large and likely to expand in the near future. When implemented within this niche, CA may still be limited by “performance challenges” that do not constitute drivers or barriers to adoption, but limitations to the performance of CA. We argue that most of these performance challenges can (and should) be addressed by agronomic and socio-economic research, and provide four examples where the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and its partners have been successfully alleviating four very different challenges through research and development (R&D) in Eastern and Southern Africa. Finally, we describe an iterative and multi-scale R&D approach currently used by CIMMYT in Eastern and Southern Africa to overcome challenges associated with the implementation of CA by African smallholders. This approach could also be useful for other complex combinations of technologies aiming at sustainable intensification.

Description: The scouring by a tidal turbine is investigated by using a joint theoretical and experimental approach in this work. The existence of a turbine obstructs a tidal flow to divert the flow passing through the narrow channel in between the blades and seabed. Flow suppression is the main cause behind inducing tidal turbine scouring, and its accelerated velocity is being termed as tip-bed velocity (Vtb). A theoretical equation is currently proposed to predict the tip-bed velocity based on the axial momentum theory and the conservation of mass. The proposed tip-bed velocity equation is a function of four variables of rotor radius (r), tip-bed clearance (C), efflux velocity (V0) and free flow velocity (V∞), and a constant of mass flow coefficient (Cm) of 0.25. An experimental apparatus was built to conduct the scour experiments. The results provide a better understanding of the scour mechanism of the horizontal axis tidal turbine-induced scour. The experimental results show that the scour depth is inversely proportional to tip-bed clearance. Turbine coefficient (Kt) is proposed based on the relationship between the tip-bed velocity and the experimental tidal turbine scour depth. Inclusion of turbine coefficient (Kt) into the existing pier scour equations can predict the maximum scour depth of a tidal turbine with an error range of 5–24%.

Description: Football clubs can be considered global brands, and exactly as any other brand, they need to face the challenge of adapting to digital communications. Nevertheless, communication sciences research in this field is scarce, so the main purpose of this work is to analyze digital communication of the main football clubs in Europe to identify and describe what strategies they follow to make themselves known on the internet and to interact with their users. Specifically, the article studies the characteristics of web pages—considered as the main showcase of a brand/team in the digital environment—of the fifteen best teams in the UEFA ranking to establish what type of structure and what online communication resources they use. Through a descriptive and comparative analysis, the study concludes, among other aspects, that the management of communication is effective, but also warns that none of the analyzed team takes full advantage of the possibilities of interaction with the user offered by the digital scenario.