There are three main objectives of this monograph: (i) to provide an introduction to geographical information technology along with an historical perspective on the evolving role of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in planning, (ii) to overview relevant methods and techniques for GISbased land-use suitability mapping and modeling, and (iii) to identify the trends, challenges and prospects o...

A diagnostic system using three frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) techniques—crosscorrelation, second harmonic generation, and self-diffraction—is reported for the reliable characterization of femtosecond laser pulses. The latter two FROG techniques are employed to evaluate suitability in measurements of the reference pulse. A train of optical pulses generated by the superposition of two...

This work examined the suitability of the PAGAT gel dosimeter for use in dose distribution measurements around high-density implants. An assessment of the gels reactivity with various metals was performed and no corrosive effects were observed. An artefact reduction technique was also investigated in order to minimise scattering of the laser light in the optical CT scans. The potential for atte...

The dynamics of chirped pulse amplification in thin-disk regenerative amplifiers relevant to the pumping of optical parametric chirp pulse amplification systems are described. It is shown that the suitability for reproducible pumping of subsequent nonlinear processes requires a balance between the demands of avoiding chaotic pulse train dynamics and providing a reproducible spectral phase. We d...

In the present work, we report on the application of optical near fields to nanostructuring of poly(trimethylene terephthalate) (PTT) thin films. By exposure to a single ultraviolet nanosecond laser pulse, the spatial intensity modulation of the near-field distribution created by a silica microsphere is imprinted into the films. Setting different angles of incidence of the laser, elliptical or ...

We have developed a theory that unifies the analysis of the modal properties of surface-emitting chirped circular grating lasers. This theory is based on solving the resonance conditions which involve two types of reflectivities of chirped circular gratings. This approach is shown to be in agreement with previous derivations which use the characteristic equations. Utilizing this unified analysi...

The North Carolina wine industry is growing at a fast pace. Many new vineyards are being planted with European varieties. Vitis vinifera varieties in general are the most challenging species of grape grown, requiring considerable effort to consistently produce yields of appropriate volume and good quality. The model produced in this research was designed to help guide site selection for V. vini...

In this paper we present work in progress for developing a semantic modeling system for wildlife monitoring, management and conservation. Based on a Greek NGO experience in large carnivores conservation in the mountain ecosystems of northern Greece, we present a generic architecture for wildlife information fusion, sharing and reuse. Our framework employs ontologies for representing the key dom...