Using a linear unconstrained least squares (LSS) method and a non-linear artificial neural network (ANN) algorithm, we conducted a spectral mixture analysis to the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflectance Radiometer (ASTER) image data in Yokohama city, Japan, for mapping the abundance of the urban surface components. ASTER is a newly developed research facility instrument. The spect...

Remote sensing data with medium spatial resolution can provide useful information about Gross Primary Production (GPP), especially on the scale of urban areas. Most models of ecosystem carbon exchange that are based on remote sensing use some form of the light use efficiency (LUE) model. The aim of this work is to analyze the distribution of annual GPP in the urban area of Denpasar, Bali. Addit...

This study was aimed at understanding the role of sulfolipids in salt tolerance mechanisms of the halophytes Aster tripolium L., Compositae, and Sesuvium portulacastrum L., Aizoaceae, and of the glycophyte Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh., Brassicaceae. In Aster and Sesuvium the sulfolipid contents increased significantly under salt stress conditions (517 mM or 864 mM). In Arabidopsis, changes ...

ASTER — Audio System For Technical Readings — is a computing system that produces audio renderings from the same (L)TEX source used to produce the printed document. Raman (1992) described our preliminary work on this project. At the time, correct handling of user-defined (L)TEX macros was described as one of the key issues in building a fully extensible audio rendering system. ASTER (Raman, 199...

Suitability of ASTER satellite data for estimating biomass and LAI for mountain birch forests was investigated. The field data consisted of 124 plots surveyed in northernmost Finland in July 2004. The statistical relationships between the field measurements and ASTER reflectances were modelled using canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and reduced major axis (RMA) regression. The models were ap...

This paper presents a new remotely sensed solution for monitoring the recovery of a large disaster-affected area. It exploits the powerful data grid and computing grid technologies developed on GEO (Global Earth Observation) Grid system. Accessing the ASTER portal site of GEO Grid, all the necessary ASTER multi-spectral images and on-demand ASTER digital elevation model (DEM) are easily and qui...

A new species of Aster (Asteraceae) from China, Aster shennongjiaensis W. P. Li et Z. G. Zhang, is described and its morphology and karyotype illustrated. Aster shennongjiaensis is apparently endangered, presently known only from one small population in bamboo forests of Shennongjia Reserve in central China. On a morphological basis, the closest species to A. shennongjiaensis is A. lasiocladus ...

BACKGROUND Aster tataricus L. f. is used as a traditional Chinese drug to relieve cough and asthma symptoms and to eliminate phlegm. However, Aster tataricus L. f. possesses toxicity, and little systematic research has been conducted on its toxic effects in the laboratory. METHODS AND MATERIALS The acute group was administered 75% alcohol extract of Aster tataricus L. f. in a single dose. A s...

This paper introduces the Aster distributed composition-based programming system that is aimed at easing the development of distributed runtime systems, customized to the application needs, in a Corba-based environment. Our approach is based on high-level customization: given the speci cation of application requirements using the Aster composition language, a distributed runtime system, customi...