Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) derived structure-from-motion photogrammetry point clouds for oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) canopy segmentation and height estimation

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this record.The vast size of oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) plantations has led to lightweight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being identified as cost effective tools to generate inventories for improved plantation management, with proximal aerial data capable of resolving single palm canopies at potentially, centimetric resolution. If acquired with sufficient overlap, aerial data from UAVs can be processed within structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry workflows to yield volumetric point cloud representations of the scene. Point cloud-derived structural information on individual palms can benefit not only plantation management but is also of great environmental research interest, given the potential to deliver spatially contiguous quantifications of aboveground biomass, from which carbon can be accounted. Using lightweight UAVs we captured data over plantation plots of varying ages (2, 7 and 10 years) at peat soil sites in Sarawak, Malaysia, and we explored the impact of changing spatial resolution and image overlap on spatially variable uncertainties in SfM derived point clouds for the ten year old plot. Point cloud precisions were found to be in the decimetre range (mean of 26.7 31 cm) for a 10 year old plantation plot surveyed at 100 m flight altitude and >75% image overlap. Derived canopy height models were used and evaluated for automated palm identification using local height maxima. Metrics such as maximum canopy height and stem height, derived from segmented single palm point clouds were tested relative to ground validation data. Local maximum identification performed best for palms which were taller than surrounding undergrowth but whose fronds did not overlap significantly (98.2% mapping accuracy for 7 year old plot of 776 palms). Stem heights could be predicted from point cloud derived metrics with root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) of 0.27 m (R2= 0.63) for 7 year old and 0.45 m (R2=0.69) for 10 year old palms. It was also found that an acquisition designed to yield the minimal required overlap between images (60%) performed almost as well as higher overlap acquisitions (>75%) for palm identification and basic height metrics which is promising for operational implementations seeking to maximise spatial coverage and minimise processing costs. We conclude that UAV-based SfM can provide reliable data not only for oil palm inventory generation but allows the retrieval of basic structural parameters which may enable per-palm above-ground biomass estimations.European CommissionMarie Skłodowska-Curi

An improved experimental test set-up to study the performance of granular columns

This paper describes an innovative design of a newly developed large test setup for testing the performance of footings supported on soft clay reinforced with granular columns. This advanced testing method is used to examine the settlement of footings supported on granular columns. Two important features of the equipment are (a) the axial loading system which allows samples to be consolidated under Ko condition while the load is applied onto a small foundation area of the sample, and (b) a relatively large sample size of 300-mm diameter and 400-mm high. The system is also equipped with pressure cells located beneath the footing and top cap to measure the pressure distribution with respect to foundation displacement and a lateral strain gage to monitor boundary effects. This paper reports on some of the early findings from the preliminary tests carried out using this equipment. Samples for testing were prepared by consolidating kaolin slurry in a large one-dimensional consolidation chamber. The granular columns were installed using the replacement method by compacting crushed basalt (uniformly graded with 90 % between 1.5–2-mm particle sizes) into a preformed hole. The preliminary tests have yielded promising results, validating the functionality of the equipment and support the prospect of increasing the knowledge with respect to settlement response and design of a footing supported on granular columns

Development of a new ‘ultrametric’ method for assessing spawning progression in female teleost serial spawners

The collection and presentation of accurate reproductive data from wild fish has historically been somewhat problematic, especially for serially spawning species. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to develop a novel method of assessing female spawning status that is robust to variation in oocyte dynamics between specimens. Atlantic cod (Barents Sea stock) were used to develop the new ‘ultrametric’ method, that is based on the progressive depletion of the vitellogenic oocyte pool relative to the rather constant previtellogenic oocyte (PVO) pool. Fish were subsequently partitioned into one of four categories that accurately reflected changes in their oocyte size frequency distribution characteristics and gonadosomatic index throughout spawning. The ultrametric method overcomes difficulties associated with presence of bimodal oocyte distributions, oocyte tails, lack of clear hiatus region, and presence of free ova, and can be implemented at a single sampling point. Much of the workflow is fully automated, and the technique may circumvent the need for histological analysis depending on the desired outcome. The ultrametric method differs from the traditional autodiametric method in that PVOs can be separated by ultrasonication and then enumerated, and ovarian homogeneity is not a mandatory requirement per se. The method is designed for determinate spawners but might be extended to include indeterminate spawners

Erasing the Milky Way: new cleaning technique applied to GBT intensity mapping data

We present the first application of a new foreground removal pipeline to the current leading H I intensity mapping data set, obtained by the Green Bank Telescope (GBT). We study the 15- and 1-h-field data of the GBT observations previously presented in Mausui et al. and Switzer et al., covering about 41 deg2 at 0.6 < z < 1.0, for which cross-correlations may be measured with the galaxy distribution of the WiggleZ Dark Energy Survey. In the presented pipeline, we subtract the Galactic foreground continuum and the point-source contamination using an independent component analysis technique (FASTICA), and develop a Fourier-based optimal estimator to compute the temperature power spectrum of the intensity maps and cross-correlation with the galaxy survey data. We show that FASTICA is a reliable tool to subtract diffuse and point-source emission through the non-Gaussian nature of their probability distributions. The temperature power spectra of the intensity maps are dominated by instrumental noise on small scales which FASTICA, as a conservative subtraction technique of non-Gaussian signals, cannot mitigate. However, we determine similar GBT-WiggleZ cross-correlation measurements to those obtained by the singular value decomposition (SVD) method, and confirm that foreground subtraction with FASTICA is robust against 21 cm signal loss, as seen by the converged amplitude of these cross-correlation measurements. We conclude that SVD and FASTICA are complementary methods to investigate the foregrounds and noise systematics present in intensity mapping data sets

ASCORE: an up-to-date cardiovascular risk score for hypertensive patients reflecting contemporary clinical practice developed using the (ASCOT-BPLA) trial data.

A number of risk scores already exist to predict cardiovascular (CV) events. However, scores developed with data collected some time ago might not accurately predict the CV risk of contemporary hypertensive patients that benefit from more modern treatments and management. Using data from the randomised clinical trial Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial-BPLA, with 15 955 hypertensive patients without previous CV disease receiving contemporary preventive CV management, we developed a new risk score predicting the 5-year risk of a first CV event (CV death, myocardial infarction or stroke). Cox proportional hazard models were used to develop a risk equation from baseline predictors. The final risk model (ASCORE) included age, sex, smoking, diabetes, previous blood pressure (BP) treatment, systolic BP, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, fasting glucose and creatinine baseline variables. A simplified model (ASCORE-S) excluding laboratory variables was also derived. Both models showed very good internal validity. User-friendly integer score tables are reported for both models. Applying the latest Framingham risk score to our data significantly overpredicted the observed 5-year risk of the composite CV outcome. We conclude that risk scores derived using older databases (such as Framingham) may overestimate the CV risk of patients receiving current BP treatments; therefore, 'updated' risk scores are needed for current patients

Attachment styles and personal growth following romantic breakups: The mediating roles of distress, rumination, and tendency to rebound

© 2013 Marshall et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.The purpose of this research was to examine the associations of attachment anxiety and avoidance with personal growth following relationship dissolution, and to test breakup distress, rumination, and tendency to rebound with new partners as mediators of these associations. Study 1 (N = 411) and Study 2 (N = 465) measured attachment style, breakup distress, and personal growth; Study 2 additionally measured ruminative reflection, brooding, and proclivity to rebound with new partners. Structural equation modelling revealed in both studies that anxiety was indirectly associated with greater personal growth through heightened breakup distress, whereas avoidance was indirectly associated with lower personal growth through inhibited breakup distress. Study 2 further showed that the positive association of breakup distress with personal growth was accounted for by enhanced reflection and brooding, and that anxious individuals’ greater personal growth was also explained by their proclivity to rebound. These findings suggest that anxious individuals’ hyperactivated breakup distress may act as a catalyst for personal growth by promoting the cognitive processing of breakup-related thoughts and emotions, whereas avoidant individuals’ deactivated distress may inhibit personal growth by suppressing this cognitive work

Potential role of PC-1 expression and pyrophosphate elaboration in the molecular etiology of the FGFR-associated craniosynostosis syndromes

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73652/1/j.1601-6343.2007.00387.x.pd

Stimulation of translation by human Unr requires cold shock domains 2 and 4, and correlates with poly(A) binding protein interaction

The RNA binding protein Unr, which contains five cold shock domains, has several specific roles in post-transcriptional control of gene expression. It can act as an activator or inhibitor of translation initiation, promote mRNA turnover, or stabilise mRNA. Its role depends on the mRNA and other proteins to which it binds, which includes cytoplasmic poly(A) binding protein 1 (PABP1). Since PABP1 binds to all polyadenylated mRNAs, and is involved in translation initiation by interaction with eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4G (eIF4G), we investigated whether Unr has a general role in translational control. We found that Unr strongly stimulates translation in vitro, and mutation of cold shock domains 2 or 4 inhibited its translation activity. The ability of Unr and its mutants to stimulate translation correlated with its ability to bind RNA, and to interact with PABP1. We found that Unr stimulated the binding of PABP1 to mRNA, and that Unr was required for the stable interaction of PABP1 and eIF4G in cells. siRNA-mediated knockdown of Unr reduced the overall level of cellular translation in cells, as well as that of cap-dependent and IRES-dependent reporters. These data describe a novel role for Unr in regulating cellular gene expression

Performance deficits of NK1 receptor knockout mice in the 5 choice serial reaction time task: effects of d Amphetamine, stress and time of day.

Background The neurochemical status and hyperactivity of mice lacking functional substance P-preferring NK1 receptors (NK1R-/-) resemble abnormalities in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Here we tested whether NK1R-/- mice express other core features of ADHD (impulsivity and inattentiveness) and, if so, whether they are diminished by d-amphetamine, as in ADHD. Prompted by evidence that circadian rhythms are disrupted in ADHD, we also compared the performance of mice that were trained and tested in the morning or afternoon. Methods and Results The 5-Choice Serial Reaction-Time Task (5-CSRTT) was used to evaluate the cognitive performance of NK1R-/- mice and their wildtypes. After training, animals were tested using a long (LITI) and a variable (VITI) inter-trial interval: these tests were carried out with, and without, d-amphetamine pretreatment (0.3 or 1 mg/kg i.p.). NK1R-/- mice expressed greater omissions (inattentiveness), perseveration and premature responses (impulsivity) in the 5-CSRTT. In NK1R-/- mice, perseveration in the LITI was increased by injection-stress but reduced by d-amphetamine. Omissions by NK1R-/- mice in the VITI were unaffected by d-amphetamine, but premature responses were exacerbated by this psychostimulant. Omissions in the VITI were higher, overall, in the morning than the afternoon but, in the LITI, premature responses of NK1R-/- mice were higher in the afternoon than the morning. Conclusion In addition to locomotor hyperactivity, NK1R-/- mice express inattentiveness, perseveration and impulsivity in the 5-CSRTT, thereby matching core criteria for a model of ADHD. Because d-amphetamine reduced perseveration in NK1R-/- mice, this action does not require functional NK1R. However, the lack of any improvement of omissions and premature responses in NK1R-/- mice given d-amphetamine suggests that beneficial effects of this psychostimulant in other rodent models, and ADHD patients, need functional NK1R. Finally, our results reveal experimental variables (stimulus parameters, stress and time of day) that could influence translational studies