Most of spatial data extraction and updating procedures require digitization of geographical entities from satellite imagery. During digitization, errors are introduced by factors like instrument deficiencies or user errors. In this study positional uncertainty of geographical objects, digitized from high resolution Quickbird satellite imagery, is assessed using Data Uncertainty Engine (DUE). It is a software tool for assessing uncertainties in environmental data / and generating realisations of uncertain data for use in uncertainty propagation analyses. A case study area in Kocaeli, Turkey that mostly includes agricultural land parcels is selected in order to evaluate positional uncertainty and obtain uncertainty boundaries for manually digitized fields. Geostatistical evaluation of discrepancy between reference data and digitized polygons are undertaken to analyse auto and cross correlation structures of errors. This process is utilized in order to estimate error model parameters which are employed in defining an uncertainty model within DUE. Error model parameters obtained from training data, are used to generate simulations for test data. Realisations of data derived via Monte Carlo Simulation using DUE, are evaluated to generate uncertainty boundaries for each object guiding user for further analyses with pre-defined information related to the accuracy of spatial entities. It is also aimed to assess area uncertainties affected by the position of spatial entities. For all different correlation structures and object models, weighted average positional error for this study is between 2.66 to 2.91 meters. At the end of uncertainty analysis, deformable object model produced the smallest uncertainty bandwidth by modelling cross correlation.

Professional research project (Au.D.)--University of South Florida, 2002. / Title from PDF of title page. / Document formatted into pages; contains 24 pages. / Includes bibliographical references. / Text (Electronic thesis) in PDF format. / ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of nystagmus found in healthy individuals during the positional testing subtest of the standard vestibular test battery. Positional testing involves moving the patient's head, and sometimes the entire body, into a variety of positions while observing eye movement. The hypothesis of the current study was that a relatively low percentage of participants would display nystagmus during positional testing used routinely in clinical diagnostic procedures. The findings were then compared to those of an earlier study in which 82% of normal, healthy individuals were reported to exhibit nystagmus during this testing. Twenty-five participants were selected that had no known otologic disease and who reported normal hearing sensitivity. / ABSTRACT: In addition, the participants affirmed they had not consumed any alcohol or taken any medications that are known to affect nystagmus. They were then observed in nine different positions. Forty-eight percent of the participants experienced nystagmus in at least one position. Although this percentage was considerably lower than that reported in the earlier study, methodological differences appear to account for the discrepancy. Specifically, the criterion for determining the presence/absence of nystagmus potentially explains the difference in full. / System requirements: World Wide Web browser and PDF reader. / Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Positional behavior is the measurable and observable link between the biology and behavior of an animal in its environment. In this dissertation, I examine ontogenetic patterns of positional behavior in infant, juvenile, and adult white-faced capuchins (Cebus capucinus) and mantled howling monkeys (Alouatta palliata) inhabiting the same tropical forest in Costa Rica. During growth and development ontogenetic changes in body size, limb proportions, and motor skills are likely to influence locomotion and posture through the arboreal canopy. I collected data on positional behavior, activity, prehensile-tail use, branch size, branch angle, and crown location during a 12 month period at Estación Biológica La Suerte in northeastern Costa Rica. The data set is comprised of 401.3 hours of data on Cebus capucinus and 554.3 hours of data on Alouatta palliata totaling 955.7 hours of data or 57,344 individual activity records.Life history timing and differences in rates of growth did not predictably influence the development of adult-like positional behaviors in Cebus and Alouatta. In both species, infancy was characterized by high proportions of dorsal, ventral, and side riding on the mother with smaller proportions of independent positional modes observed during play, explore, active posture, and feed/forage. Young Cebus resembled the adult pattern of positional behavior by six months of age while howlers exhibited significant differences in several positional behavior categories through 24 months of age. The positional repertoire of both species revealed similarities in the types of modes used during feed/forage and travel in juveniles and adults. For example, in juvenile and adult age categories of Cebus, feeding and foraging included high proportions of quadrupedal walk, sit, and squat in conjunction with climbing, leaping, and suspensory behaviors. In howlers, the degree to which coordination and increases in body mass during ontogeny as limiting factors in the development of adult-like positional competence is unclear. Data presented here suggest that the environment exerts different pressures on growing Cebus and Alouatta that may relate to diet, energy expenditure, foraging skill, and/or social learning.

Mutations in the clk-1, clk-2, clk-3 and gro-1 genes in Caenorhabditis elegans show alterations in developmental and behavioral timing and lifespan, collectively termed the Clk phenotype. While the clk-1, clk-2, and gro-1 genes have been cloned, clk-3 gene has not been identified. Gene expression changes in clk-3 mutant worms were determined using microarray expression data. I examined genes in the region to which clk-3 gene maps, for strongly reduced expression in the clk-3 mutants and identified thirteen clk-3 candidate genes. RNAi feeding vectors for all these candidate genes were picked and cultured from the RNAi library. Knock-down worm strains were generated by feeding RNAi and analyzed for Clk phenotypes. Of all the candidate genes tested, the Y48E1B.5 gene showed the most similar phenotypic profile to the clk-3 mutants. The Y48E1B.5 gene shows weak homology to a mammalian mitochondrial ribosomal protein. Primers were designed to amplify all 9 exons of the Y48E1B.5 gene. Sequence analysis was carried out on the resulting PCR products from clk-3 mutants. An amino acid change was found in exon 4.

This project presented a biomechanical model of the lumbosacral spine and pelvis, including novel methodologies associated with the measurement of human mechanics. This research has, for the first time, produced accurate three-dimensional geometric models of the human skeleton from living subjects using magnetic resonance imaging technology, enabling the prediction of physiological muscle action within individuals. The model was used to examine changes in the mechanics of the lumbopelvic musculoskeletal system between the standing and seated postures due to the increasing prevalence of the seated posture in the work and home environment. The outcomes of this research included a novel bone wrapping algorithm used to describe the effect of muscle-bone interactions. a novel method for creating three-dimensional in vivo spinal reconstructions using MRI, three dimensional in vivo helical axis measurements and subject specific normalised moment data.

As the spatial information industry moves from an era of data collection to one of data maintenance, new integration methods to consolidate or to update datasets are required. These must reduce the discrepancies that are becoming increasingly apparent when spatial datasets are overlaid. It is essential that any such methods consider the quality characteristics of, firstly, the data being integrated and, secondly, the resultant data. This thesis develops techniques that give due consideration to data quality during the integration process.

Hereditary Motor and Sensory Neuropathy-Russe (HMSNR) is a rare recessive form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT) that has been identified in the European Gypsy (Roma) population. Clinically, HMSNR manifests with typical CMT symptoms, while no associated features have been detected. Distinct neuropathological features of HMSNR include the presence of numerous clusters of thinly myelinated fibres originating from regenerative activity. HMSNR has been previously mapped to chromosome 10q using a large Bulgarian Gypsy kindred. Subsequent identification of related chromosome 10q haplotypes in Spanish and Romanian Gypsy families suggested a founder mutation in the Gypsy population as the cause of HMSNR. This thesis describes the refined mapping of the HMSNR gene by generating a high-density physical-genetic map of the HMSNR region containing 20 microsatellite markers and 229 SNPs and insertion/deletions which allowed meticulous mapping of recombination breakpoints resulting in a reduction of the HMSNR gene region from 1 Mb to just 63.8 kb. Analysis of positional candidates by direct sequencing included 14 known genes, 7 predicted genes and 42 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) nonoverlapping with the genes. 78 putative HMSNR mutations were identified, two of which exhibit complete segregation with the HMSNR phenotype. Both are located in the so-called testis-specific part of unexpected candidate gene hexokinase 1 (HK1), in a rare alternative untranslated 5’ exon of HK1 and in the adjacent downstream intron. Expression analysis of transcripts containing the alternative exon suggests that the exon is not confined to testis but may be expressed in the nervous system. It remains to be speculated how a gene that functions in the fundamental process of energy generation might be involved in a neuropathy. Further investigations are likely to expand the knowledge about the importance of HK1 in the peripheral nervous system and may elucidate new roles of HK1

This thesis deals with the historical development of the city České Budějovice and some old maps of Bohemia edited in the period of 1518 - 1847. During data processing of these maps I compare the locations of some chosen South Bohemian cities of one old map with another and with their real location. The next part of the thesis is devoted to the way of displaying the city České Budějovice in each map. Used old maps: Claudian map (1518), Münster maps (1550, 1570), Ortelius map (17th century), Mercator map (17th century), Sadeler map (1620), Aretin map (1665), Vogt map (1712), Müller map (1720), Homman?s heritors map (18th century), Lotter map (1758), Schütz map (1790), Loth map (1847).

Essa pesquisa estabelece a relação entre políticas públicas e a política. Especificamente, investiga a influência que têm para a disseminação de conflitos entre agentes por posições nos espaços políticos, gerando condições para manifestação do fenômeno denominado antagonismo posicional. Concentra-se na agenda de políticas públicas redistributivas de Reforma do Estado e de reestruturação da base econômica do Rio Grande do Sul, encaminhadas no governo de Antônio Britto Filho do PMDB, cujos efeitos se estenderam ao governo de Olívio de Oliveira Dutra do PT. Nos programas que têm origem nestas políticas (de Demissão Voluntária, privatizações, concessões rodoviárias, FUNDOPEM-RS e os casos de GM e Ford), investiga as condições para a manifestação do fenômeno analisado através (i) dos resultados obtidos (ii) dos impactos na agenda pública e (iii) da influência destes sobre as articulações e sobre o comportamento eleitoral. Ao final, através da reflexão sobre fatos passados vinte (20) agentes políticos que tiveram agência sobre essas políticas públicas apontam suas motivações e razões para que o fenômeno tenha ocorrido. A explicação é a de as políticas públicas importaram mais para articular a manutenção ou reforços das posições nos espaços políticos do que pelos resultados socioeconômicos produzidos. / This research establishes the relationship between public policy and politics. Specifically, it investigates the influence they have on the conflict between agents for positions on political spaces, creating conditions for the phenomenon so-called positional antagonism. It focuses on the redistributive public policy agenda of both state reform and restructuring of the economic base of Rio Grande do Sul, directed by the governor Antonio Britto Filho from the PMDB party, whose effects extended to the governor Olívio Dutra de Oliveira from the PT party. In programs that originate in these policies (Voluntary Dismissal, privatization, highway concessions, FUNDOPEM-RS and the cases of GM and Ford), investigates the conditions for the manifestation of the phenomenon analyzed by (i) the results obtained (ii) the impact on the public agenda and (iii) the influence of these on the joints and on voting behavior. Finally, through the analysis of past events, twenty (20) political agents who had agency on those policies indicate their motivations and reasons for the phenomenon occurrence. The explanation is that public policies imported more to maintain or reinforce positions in the political space than by socioeconomic results.

O objetivo deste trabalho é desenvolver e propor um novo método para o planejamento de redes geodésicas. O planejamento (ou pré-análise) de uma rede geodésica consiste em planejar (ou otimizar) a rede, de modo que a mesma atenda a critérios de qualidade pré-estabelecidos de acordo com os objetivos do projeto, como precisão, confiabilidade e custos. No método aqui proposto, os critérios a serem considerados na etapa de planejamento são os níveis de confiabilidade e homogeneidade mínimos aceitáveis para as observações; a acurácia posicional dos vértices, considerando tanto os efeitos de precisão quanto os (possíveis) efeitos de tendência, segundo ainda um determinado nível de confiança; o número de outliers não detectados máximo admissível; e o poder do teste mínimo do procedimento Data Snooping (DS) no cenário n-dimensional, isto é, considerando todas as observações (testadas individualmente). De acordo com as classificações encontradas na literatura, o método aqui proposto consiste em um projeto combinado, solucionado por meio do método da tentativa e erro, além de apresentar alguns aspectos inéditos em seus critérios de planejamento. Para demonstrar a sua aplicação prática, um exemplo numérico de planejamento de uma rede GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System – Sistema Global de Navegação por Satélite) é apresentado e descrito. Os resultados obtidos após o processamento dos dados da rede GNSS foram concordantes com os valores estimados na sua etapa de planejamento, ou seja, o método aqui proposto apresentou desempenho satisfatório na prática. Além disso, também foram investigados como os critérios pré-estabelecidos, a geometria/configuração da rede geodésica e a precisão/correlação inicial das observações podem influenciar nos resultados obtidos na etapa de planejamento, seguindo o método aqui proposto. Com a realização destes experimentos, dentre outras conclusões, verificou-se que todo os critérios de planejamento do método aqui proposto estão intrinsecamente interligados, pois, por exemplo, uma baixa redundância conduz a um valor relativamente mais alto para a componente de precisão, e consequentemente, um valor relativamente mais baixo para a componente de tendência (mantendo a acurácia final constante), o que também conduz a um poder do teste mínimo nos cenários unidimensional e n-dimensional significativamente mais baixos. / The aim of this work is to develop and propose a new method for the design of geodetic networks. Design (planning or pre-analysis) of a geodetic network consists of planning (or optimizing) the network so that it follows the pre-established quality criteria according to the project objectives, such as accuracy, reliability and costs. In the method proposed here, the criteria to be considered in the planning stage are the minimum acceptable levels of reliability and homogeneity of the observations; the positional accuracy of the points considering both the effects of precision and the (possible) effects of bias (according to a given confidence level); the maximum allowable number of undetected outliers; and the minimum power of the test of the Data Snooping procedure (DS) in the n-dimensional scenario, i.e., considering all observations (individually tested). According to the classifications found in the literature, the method proposed here consists of a combined project, solved by means of trial and error approach, and presents some new aspects in their planning criteria. To demonstrate its practical application, a numerical example of a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) network design is presented and described. The results obtained after processing the data of the GNSS network were found in agreement with the estimated values in the design stage, i.e., the method proposed here showed satisfactory performance in practice. Moreover, were also investigated as the pre-established criteria, the geometry/configuration of the geodetic network, and the initial values for precision/correlation of the observations may influence the results obtained in the planning stage, following the method proposed here. In these experiments, among other findings, it was found that all the design criteria of the method proposed here are intrinsically related, e.g., a low redundancy leads to a relatively higher value for the precision component, and consequently to a relatively lower value for the bias component (keeping constant the final accuracy), which also leads to a minimum power of the test significantly lower in the one-dimensional and the n-dimensional scenarios.