6,134 research outputs found
Exploiting satellite SAR for archaeological prospection and heritage site protection
Get PDFOptical and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) remote sensing has a long history of use and reached a good level of maturity in archaeological and cultural heritage applications, yet further advances are viable through the exploitation of novel sensor data and imaging modes, big data and high-performance computing, advanced and automated analysis methods. This paper showcases the main research avenues in this field, with a focus on archaeological prospection and heritage site protection. Six demonstration use-cases with a wealth of heritage asset types (e.g. excavated and still buried archaeological features, standing monuments, natural reserves, burial mounds, paleo-channels) and respective scientific research objectives are presented: the Ostia-Portus area and the wider Province of Rome (Italy), the city of Wuhan and the Jiuzhaigou National Park (China), and the Siberian “Valley of the Kings” (Russia). Input data encompass both archive and newly tasked medium to very high-resolution imagery acquired over the last decade from satellite (e.g. Copernicus Sentinels and ESA Third Party Missions) and aerial (e.g. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, UAV) platforms, as well as field-based evidence and ground truth, auxiliary topographic data, Digital Elevation Models (DEM), and monitoring data from geodetic campaigns and networks. The novel results achieved for the use-cases contribute to the discussion on the advantages and limitations of optical and SAR-based archaeological and heritage applications aimed to detect buried and sub-surface archaeological assets across rural and semi-vegetated landscapes, identify threats to cultural heritage assets due to ground instability and urban development in large metropolises, and monitor post-disaster impacts in natural reserves
Analyzing TerraSAR-X staring spotlight mode data for archaeological prospections in the Altai Mountains
No full textRemotely sensed data can support archaeological prospections in many ways and is therefore widely used. However, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data is far less commonly used, although with the newest generation of high-resolution SAR systems and the additional very high resolution staring spotlight mode of TerraSAR-X, the spatial resolution of spaceborne SAR systems are suitable for many archaeological applications. We demonstrate the suitability of very high resolution TerraSAR-X data for the detection of archaeological structures in the Chinese Altai Mountains. SAR interferometry can further enhance the interpretability of the remotely sensed data. However, interferometrie SAR is rather sensitive for atmospheric changes and changes on the ground and can therefore not always be used successfully
Fu Describing About the Author Himself: A Focus on Ban Gu "You tong fu"
No full textFrom Later Han dynasty onwards, the number of fu describing about the author himself has increased. There are several possible reasons for this, but the most important reason is probably that there was no other genre through which one could express oneself except for fu in this period. For instance, the fiveword poetry was still in the middle way of establishing its own style at that moment. Moreover, in Former Han, there were few opportunities for authors to talk about themselves in detail in fu, because the main readers were emperors and kings of countries. In Later Han, the readers had become more diverse. That is probably the reason why more fu began to mention about the authors themselves in this period. Ban Gu (32-92), who is a representative scholar of Later Han and also a man of letters, expressed his aim by writing "You tong fu". Its main content is that though one's encounter with a disaster or felicity is not always derived from our behavior, we have to have a strong will and take action to overcome disasters. This idea is supported by Ban Gu's experiences of not attaining his aim. Such experiences are common in Chinese authors. One of the earliest examples is Chu Ci. Also, Chu Ci is the one of the origins of fu. It is surprising that authors expressed things about themselves mostly in fu describing journeys. It may be easier to understand this tendency if we think they substituted the heaven wander in Chu Ci with a ground journey. Chu Ci was a model for authors to express their aim which could not come true, even if the journey on the ground and the wander in heaven are different
Discernibility of Burial Mounds in High-Resolution X-Band SAR Images for Archaeological Prospections in the Altai Mountains
Get PDFThe Altai Mountains are a heritage-rich archaeological landscape with monuments in almost every valley. Modern nation state borders dissect the region and limit archaeological landscape analysis to intra-national areas of interest. Remote sensing can help to overcome these limitations. Due to its high precision, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data can be a very useful tool for supporting archaeological prospections, but compared to optical imagery, the detectability of sites of archaeological interest is limited. We analyzed the limitations of SAR using TerraSAR-X images in different modes. Based on ground truth, the discernibility of burial mounds was analyzed in different SAR acquisition modes. We show that very-high-resolution TerraSAR-X staring spotlight images are very well suited for the task, with >75% of the larger mounds being discernible, while in images with a lower spatial resolution only a few large sites can be detected, at rates below 50%
Detect, Map, and Preserve Bronze and Iron Age Monuments along the Prehistoric Silk Road
Get PDFCentral Asia is rich in cultural heritage generated by thousands of years of human occupation. Aiming for a better understanding of Central Asia's archaeology and how this unique heritage can be protected, the region should be studied as a whole with regard to its cultural ties with China and combined efforts should be undertaken in shielding the archaeological monuments from destruction. So far, international research campaigns have focused predominantly on single-sites or small-scale surveys, mainly due to the bureaucratic and security related issues involved in cross-border research. This is why we created the Dzungaria Landscape Project. Since 2013, we have worked on collecting remote sensing data of Xinjiang including IKONOS, WorldView-2, and TerraSAR-X data. We have developed a method for the automatic detection of larger grave mound structures in optical and SAR data. Gravemounds are typically spatially clustered and the detection of larger mound structures is a sufficient hint towards areas of high archaeological interest in a region. A meticulous remote sensing survey is the best planning tool for subsequent ground surveys and excavation. In summer 2015, we undertook a survey in the Chinese Altai in order to establish ground-truth in the Hailiutan valley. We categorized over 1000 monuments in just three weeks thanks to the previous detection and classification work using remote sensing data. Creating accurate maps of the cemeteries in northern Xinjiang is a crucial step to preserving the cultural heritage of the region since graves in remote areas are especially prone to looting. We will continue our efforts with the ultimate aim to map and monitor all large gravemounds in Dzungaria and potentially neighbouring eastern Kazakhstan
Online Iterative Adaptive Dynamic Programming Approach for Solving the Zero-Sum Game for Nonlinear Continuous-Time Systems with Partially Unknown Dynamics
No full textThe current study presents an online iterative adaptive dynamic programming approach to resolve the zero-sum game (ZSG) for nonlinear continuous-time (CT) systems containing a partially unknown dynamic. The Hamilton-Jacobian-Issacs (HJI) equation is solved along the state trajectory according to the value function approximation and the policy improvement online. Relaxed dynamic programming is utilized to ensure the algorithm’s convergence. Model and costate networks were established to conduct the method. Computational simulations are performed to present the efficiency of the algorithm.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository ‘You share, we take care!’ – Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Control & Simulatio
Note of congratulations from Jack Huang to Dr. Frank Fu, January 1, 1983
No full textA note of congratulations to Dr. Frank H. Fu (Fu Haojian) from Springfield College Alum, Jack Huang, Class of 1936, dated January 1, 1983. The card has country lane scene on the front, with a tree with pink leaves, a buttfly, and a tree with its leaves still green. There is the roof of a house just visible over the hill. It also says Congratulations. Inside is short message.Mr. Huang wrote a short personal note congratulating him for his efforts and the recent recognition by then President Ronald Reagan, or the actor as he refers to him, and saying how proud the Chinese are of him. An author of 17 textbooks and more than 100 journal articles, Frank H. Fu, G’73, DPE’75, has worked across the world in China, Canada, and the United States. Throughout his career, he has received many distinguished honors, including the Medal of Honor in 2009 by the SAR Government of Hong Kong.
Fu has held positions at institutions such as the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Springfield College, where he served as director of the International Center starting in 1978. Five years later, Fu returned to Hong Kong, but has since remained actively involved with Springfield College, participating in talks on the campus and even hosting a gathering of nearly 60 alumni in Hong Kong.
Currently, Fu is the associate vice president of Hong Kong Baptist University, where he also works as the director of the Dr. Stephen Hui Research Centre of Physical Recreation and Wellness. In addition, Fu is president of the Society of Chinese Scholars on Exercise Physiology and Fitness, chairperson of Hong Kong Coach Education Committee, a research fellow of the Research Consortium of SHAPE America, and an international fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology
Practical application of on-line partial discharge monitoring technique on 500kV shunt reactor
No full textConsidering the damage mechanism of oil-impregnated paper insulation in power transformers, shunt reactors and other high voltage electrical apparatus caused by partial discharge, a concept of “destructive partial discharge” is introduced in this paper. The intensity of this discharge is regarded as several thousands pico-coulomb (pC) and may cause the insulation a fatal damage. An oil-paper insulation is usually able to withstand this type of partial discharge for a period of time prior to failure. This provides engineers a time window to detect it. This paper describes an on-line partial discharge monitoring system for 500kV shunt reactors. The commission results from 3 single-phase shunt reactors either connected or disconnected to the grid showed that the on-line partial discharge detecting system has a high noise immunising ability. Two years later after the installation, a pre-warning signal was received from one shunt reactor indicating the existence of an intermittent discharge. The acoustic emission system located its position at the low end of the high voltage bushing in the oil. Dissolved gasses analysis (DGA) in the oil suggested the presence of partial discharge, as acetylene (C2H2) was as high as 20ppm. PD activity was further confirmed by a physical examination on the reactor
Lu Yu and Tu Fu
Get PDFLu Yu 陸游 (1125-1209), the famous patriot poet of the Southern Sung, admired Tu Fu above all the poets of the past, and the deep influence which Tu Fu exercised on him may be seen throughout his work. In spite of this fact, however, there are many differences which mark the lives and works of the two men. As a first step towards a comparative study of the two poets, the author has attempted to discover how Lu Yu evaluated his predecessor, using evidence found in Lu Yu's poems themselves. By Lu Yu's time, Tu Fu was already widely recognized as the greatest Chinese poet. It had become a popular pastime to try to identify individual poems of Tu Fu on the basis of isolated phrases or couplets, or to compose poems made up of clever imitations of various couplets of Tu Fu. But Lu Yu, unlike most of his contemporaries, was less attracted by Tu Fu's poetic technique than by his poetic spirit, and regarded the latter as the most valuable lesson to be learned. He insisted that it was Tu Fu the man rather than Tu Fu the poet, Tu Fu the patriot rather than Tu Fu the artist, who deserved to be most highly admired. This was the foundation upon which Lu Yu's evaluation of Tu Fu rested, and the premise upon which he approached his work
Dr. Frank Fu
No full textA portrait photograph of Dr. Frank H. Fu (Fu Haojian). The writing on the photograph says "17 yrs."An author of 17 textbooks and more than 100 journal articles, Frank H. Fu, G’73, DPE’75, has worked across the world in China, Canada, and the United States. Throughout his career, he has received many distinguished honors, including the Medal of Honor in 2009 by the SAR Government of Hong Kong.
Fu has held positions at institutions such as the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Springfield College, where he served as director of the International Center starting in 1978. Five years later, Fu returned to Hong Kong, but has since remained actively involved with Springfield College, participating in talks on the campus and even hosting a gathering of nearly 60 alumni in Hong Kong.
Currently, Fu is the associate vice president of Hong Kong Baptist University, where he also works as the director of the Dr. Stephen Hui Research Centre of Physical Recreation and Wellness. In addition, Fu is president of the Society of Chinese Scholars on Exercise Physiology and Fitness, chairperson of Hong Kong Coach Education Committee, a research fellow of the Research Consortium of SHAPE America, and an international fellow of the National Academy of Kinesiology.Photograph is stapled with other photographs to folder of original student record kept by the International center
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