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Artisanal Mining River Dredge Detection Using SAR: A Method Comparison
No full textChallenges exist in monitoring artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) activities, given their dynamic and often informal nature. ASM takes form through various techniques and scales, including riverine dredging, which often targets the abundant alluvial gold deposits in South America. Remote sensing offers a solution to improve data collection, regulation, and monitoring of the more mobile and elusive ASM activities and their impacts. Mapping ASM riverine dredges using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is one of the application areas least explored. Three semi-automated detection approaches using Sentinel-1 SAR are compared on their ability to identify dredges with minimal false positives. The methods are: (i) Search for Unidentified Maritime Objects (SUMO), an established method for large ocean ship detection; and two techniques specifically developed for riverine environments that are introduced in this paper: (ii) a local detection method; and (iii) a global threshold method. A visual interpretation of SAR data with the inclusion of optical high-resolution data are used to generate a validation dataset. Results show it is possible to semi-automatically detect riverine dredge using SAR and that a local detection method provides the best balance between sensitivity and precision and has the lowest risk of error. Future improvements may consider further automation, more discriminatory variables, and analyzing the methods in different environments and at higher spatial resolutions
Llevando lo público a lo privado: El papel de las mujeres en las tertulias en la España dieciochesca
No full textIn the Age of the Enlightenment, women of nobility in Spain began to gain some authority to contribute to society. The tertulia provided women with a path into the political and social climate of Spain. This research examines the role of women in tertulias, specifically exploring primary documents from the Academia del Buen Gusto and analyzing them for their depiction of Enlightenment ideals and women. This research also examines the life and work of the Marquesa de Fuerte- Híjar, a woman who played many roles throughout her life, from an orphan and wife to a tertulia owner and president of the Junta de Damas. By exploring the impact of the tertulia and the role that women played in its existence, an emphasis is placed on the importance of art as a tool for change in the political sphere
Resolver un problema por medio del método científico en el siglo XVIII: La Junta de Damas y la Inclusa
No full textIn the Age of the Enlightenment, women of nobility in Spain began to gain some authority to make important contributions to society in various ways. Through examining primary and secondary sources, and records from museums and archives in Madrid, we are able to gain insight into the political, social, and scientific achievements of these women. By breaking away from male-dominated spaces, these women\u27s groups had the opportunity to hold their own power and make change in their community. This research will explore the scientific contributions of the Junta de Damas with the Real Inclusa de Madrid while emphasizing the importance of the women\u27s movement at this time. The Junta de Damas was Spain\u27s first secular civic association for women and the female branch of the all male equivalent society, Real Sociedad Económica Matritense de Amigos del País (Madrid Royal Economic Society of Friends of the Country). The group of women made significant scientific contributions to benefit infants using artificial feeding methods. Specifically, by improving hygienic standards they raised the infant mortality rate in the hospital. These findings show that women were able to make improvements when given the space and authority, and paved the way for further scientific and social advancements
Get the Jab or Else: Examining the role of Fear Appeals in the Herman Cain Award subreddit using Protection Motivation Theory
Get PDFIn 2021, I conducted participant observation research on the Herman Cain Award subreddit, examining the effectiveness of fear appeals on social media. In that research, I determined that fear appeals on social media platforms are just as effective as when used on mass media platforms. The research also showed that the fear appeals in the subreddit worked to appeal to the unvaccinated users’ fear of online ridicule rather than a fear of bodily harm. I found this finding interesting and worked to expand my research, now two years later, by further investigating the platform using Protection Motivation Theory, a health behavior theory I identified during my initial research. In my current research, I use this theory to analyze the forum\u27s Immunized to Prevent (IPA) section and the effects of fear of online ridicule in health communication
Caron\u27s Japan: Tokugawa State and Society through a European Lens
Get PDFDutch East India Company (VOC) merchant François Caron describes Tokugawa Japan as a rigid political hierarchy controlled by the Shogun, similar to the governments established by absolute monarchs in Europe. Caron understands and insightfully describes Tokugawa society by emphasizing perceived and real similarities between Tokugawa Japan and Early Modern Europe. He struggles to understand religious differences between these societies, but his description of Japanese religious practices still reflects how the Shogunate utilized Buddhism and anti-Christian policies to uphold their rule. Caron also depicts Tokugawa Japan as a land of plentiful resources prime for lucrative trade. He includes the writings of other VOC officials in his work, who suggest that the VOC can maximize their profits in Japan by conforming to Tokugawa social and political norms. Caron’s account supports a revisionist perspective in scholarship about Tokugawa Japan, which suggests that political and technological similarities between Tokugawa Japan and European colonial powers forced European merchants to negotiate with the Shogun and compete against each other to eke out an existence in Japanese international commerce
Exploring Computer Science: An Introduction with Python
No full textThis is the home page for my introductory computer science textbook. The book is intended for those with no experience with computer science at all. Its focus is on developing algorithms and solving problems. Python is used as the programming language.https://scholar.umw.edu/computer_science_books/1000/thumbnail.jp
Quantitative Methods in Geography: A Lab Manual
No full textWelcome to Quantitative Methods in Geography! This lab manual is designed to accompany undergraduate quantitative methods courses in geography and is designed to cover the most commonly used statistical techniques on a variety of software platforms. Within each section, you’ll find a brief discussion of the topic followed by lab exercises. We hope that you’ll find this text helpful!https://scholar.umw.edu/geography_books/1001/thumbnail.jp
Beyond Romanization: An Indigenous Study of Cultural Change in Classical Britain
Get PDFThe Roman Empire is among the best-known empires in the world, renowned for unifying vastly different peoples and lands. The process of these unifications was, at times, something resembling peaceful, but was at other times much more violent. Regardless of the method of acquisition, peoples brought into the Roman Empire always experienced some degree of cultural change. The modern study of this cultural change has most often been examined through the lens of Romanization, a mostly one-way transfer of Roman cultural practices onto the conquered territory and culture. Romanization, however, presents too narrow and too historically imperialist an approach to the cultural changes brought about by Roman influence. Accordingly, using a research framework heavily influenced by Indigenous Studies theory, this study examines the peoples of Late Iron Age Britain prior to the beginning of Roman occupation and after. Using such a framework and a definition of culture that includes both elites and non-elites, the cultural changes catalyzed in Late Iron Age Britain by the introduction of Roman influence can be shown to go beyond the limited focus of Romanization on mere cultural transfer. These cultural changes are explored within different aspects of culture in terms of the cultural loss, resistance, adaptation, and survivance experienced by the Britons at the Roman towns of Venta Icenorum and Aquae Sulis
Artificial Light at Night Disrupts Male Dominance Relationships and Reproductive Success in a Model Fish Species
No full textEnvironmental light is perceived and anticipated by organisms to synchronize their biological cycles. Therefore, artificial light at night (ALAN) disrupts both diurnal and seasonal biological rhythms. Reproduction is a complex physiological process involving integration of environmental signals by the brain, and release of endocrine signals by the pituitary that regulate gametogenesis and spawning. In addition, males from many species form a dominance hierarchy that, through a combination of aggressive and protective behavior, influences their reproductive success. In this study, we investigated the effect of ALAN and continuous daylight on the behavior and fitness of male fish within a dominance hierarchy using a model fish, the Japanese medaka. In normal light/dark cycles, male medaka establish a hierarchy with the dominant males being more aggressive and remaining closer to the female thus limiting the access of subordinate males to females during spawning. However, determination of the paternity of the progeny revealed that even though subordinate males spend less time with the females, they are, in normal light conditions, equally successful at producing progeny due to an efficient sneaking behavior. Continuous daylight completely inhibited the establishment of male hierarchy, whereas ALAN did not affect it. Nonetheless, when exposed to ALAN, subordinate males fertilize far fewer eggs. Furthermore, we found that when exposed to ALAN, subordinate males produced lower quality sperm than dominant males. Surprisingly, we found no differences in circulating sex steroid levels, pituitary gonadotropin levels, or gonadosomatic index between dominant and subordinate males, neither in control nor ALAN condition. This study is the first to report an effect of ALAN on sperm quality leading to a modification of male fertilization success in any vertebrate. While this work was performed in a model fish species, our results suggest that in urban areas ALAN may impact the genetic diversity of species displaying dominance behavior
From Daimones to Demons: Exorcisms and Cultural Constructions of the Demonic in Late Antique Egypt
Get PDFChristian conceptions of demonic forces and possession in Late Antique Egypt were heavily shaped by pre-existing Greek, Egyptian, and Jewish traditions. The syncretic nature of Christianization facilitated an integration of local traditions with new beliefs. A process of demonization occurred as pre-existing views of daimones from the Underworld were transformed from morally ambiguous beings into inherently evil figures. Demons and exorcism rituals served important anthropological functions as they revealed the underlying social conflicts that arose as Christianity spread and changed earlier traditions. This study focuses on magical texts, amulets, and early Christian literature to analyze the effects of Christianization on Egyptian cultural practices and beliefs regarding demons and possession. Demonic entities came to symbolize the cultural “Other,” while exorcisms acted as a ritual performance of these deep-seated tensions and became a form of ritual power over the “Other.