Label Dependent Evolutionary Feature Weighting for Remote Sensing Data

Nearest neighbour (NN) is a very common classifier used to develop important remote sensing products like land use and land cover (LULC) maps. Evolutive computation has often been used to obtain feature weighting in order to improve the results of the NN. In this paper, a new algorithm based on evolutionary computation which has been called Label Dependent Feature Weighting (LDFW) is proposed. The LDFW method transforms the feature space assigning different weights to every feature depending on each class. This multilevel feature weighting algorithm is tested on remote sensing data from fusion of sensors (LIDAR and orthophotography). The results show an improvement on the NN and resemble the results obtained with a neural network which is the best classifier for the study area

Contingency in defoliation and moisture effects on Northern Mixedgrass prairie composition and diversity

Little is known about how defoliation intensity and frequency alter plant community composition and diversity in northern Great Plains mixedgrass communities. We evaluated defoliation effects in combination with watering on vascular plant composition and diversity in two contrasting ecological sites, a drier upland and more mesic lowland, in the Dry Mixedgrass natural subregion of Alberta, Canada. Treatments were applied for three growing seasons (2010 through 2012, inclusive) and included defoliation regimes of high intensity at high frequency, high intensity at low frequency, low intensity at high frequency, and defoliation deferred until the end of the growing season. Moisture regimes were ambient and elevated. Defoliation rather than moisture was the primary determinant of plant composition after 3 yr, particularly in the lowland site. Watering effects on composition were more apparent in the drier upland. All growing season defoliation regimes markedly altered composition relative to the deferred control, with relatively minor differences in composition among growing season defoliation treatments, particularly in the mesic lowland site. We conclude that growing season defoliation alters mixedgrass composition by reducing canopy dominant grasses (Pascopyrum smithii and Hesperostipa comata) and releasing shorter-statured grasses and forbs, which can either increase or decrease diversity depending on site (edaphic) conditions and the relative dominance of midgrasses and shortgrasses (Koeleria macrantha and Bouteloua gracilis). Finally, increased moisture did not ameliorate defoliation effects during the growing season, suggesting compositional responses were predictable and independent of growing season defoliation regime. © 2016 The Society for Range Management. Published by Elsevier Inc.The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information

Intermittent Growing Season Defoliation Variably Impacts Accumulated Herbage Productivity in Mixed Grass Prairie

To evaluate mechanisms by which defoliation alters grassland productivity, we examined mixed grass prairie herbage yields under recurring treatments that included hand-clipping of plots over five growing seasons at high intensity and low frequency (HILF), low intensity and high frequency (LIHF), high intensity and high frequency (HIHF), or the end of the growing season (deferred control), combined with water treatments of ambient rainfall or water addition. The study was repeated in a drier upland and mesic lowland range site. Yield was assessed as annual accumulated herbage production and, for HILF and control treatments in 2012 (year 3), evaluated separately for forbs and major graminoids. Temporal changes in the proportional yield during the growing season were also examined for the HILF and HIHF treatments. Moisture addition increased accumulated herbage, especially in the upland, and exacerbated differences among defoliation effects in select years. Productivity was greatest in the deferred controls, suggesting no treatment led to overcompensation, even with moisture addition. Among growing season treatments, yields under HILF exceeded that of the HIHF in 6 of 10 different combinations of site and year, particularly early in the study and under high moisture. Observed herbage yields suggest deferred patches of grassland may boost productivity and limit the ability of HILF defoliation to increase production, a pattern magnified by a reduction in Pascopyrum smithii in lowlands before mid-July. Accumulated herbage yield did respond favorably to HILF defoliation in uplands due to increased yields of Bouteloua gracilis (Willd. ex Kunth) Lag. ex Griffiths. Overall, these results suggest that any growing season defoliation reduces yields, although where defoliation is necessary at that time, production may be more likely to be maintained under HILF defoliation. More studies examining long-term growth responses to defoliation that include variation in vegetation types, environmental conditions, and defoliation regime are warranted. © 2017 The Society for Range Management. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.The Rangeland Ecology & Management archives are made available by the Society for Range Management and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information

Global change effects on plant communities are magnified by time and the number of global change factors imposed

Global change drivers (GCDs) are expected to alter community structure and consequently, the services that ecosystems provide. Yet, few experimental investigations have examined effects of GCDs on plant community structure across multiple ecosystem types, and those that do exist present conflicting patterns. In an unprecedented global synthesis of over 100 experiments that manipulated factors linked to GCDs, we show that herbaceous plant community responses depend on experimental manipulation length and number of factors manipulated. We found that plant communities are fairly resistant to experimentally manipulated GCDs in the short term (<10 y). In contrast, long-term (?10 y) experiments show increasing community divergence of treatments from control conditions. Surprisingly, these community responses occurred with similar frequency across the GCD types manipulated in our database. However, community responses were more common when 3 or more GCDs were simultaneously manipulated, suggesting the emergence of additive or synergistic effects of multiple drivers, particularly over long time periods. In half of the cases, GCD manipulations caused a difference in community composition without a corresponding species richness difference, indicating that species reordering or replacement is an important mechanism of community responses to GCDs and should be given greater consideration when examining consequences of GCDs for the biodiversity.ecosystem function relationship. Human activities are currently driving unparalleled global changes worldwide. Our analyses provide the most comprehensive evidence to date that these human activities may have widespread impacts on plant community composition globally, which will increase in frequency over time and be greater in areas where communities face multiple GCDs simultaneously. - 2019 National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. This work was conducted as a part of a Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) Synthesis Group funded by NSF Grants EF-0553768 and DEB#1545288 through the LTER Network Communications Office and the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, University of California, Santa Barbara. M.L.A. was supported by a fellowship from the Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SESYNC), which also provided computing support. SESYNC is funded by NSF Grant DBI-1052875. Funding for individual experiments included in this analysis can be found in SI Appendix, section 7.Scopu

International consensus and practical guidelines on the gynecologic and obstetric management of female patients with hereditary angioedema caused by C1 inhibitor deficiency

Background: There are a limited number of publications on the management of gynecologic/obstetric events in female patients with hereditary angioedema caused by C1 inhibitor deficiency (HAE-C1-INH). Objective: We sought to elaborate guidelines for optimizing the management of gynecologic/obstetric events in female patients with HAE-C1-INH. Methods: A roundtable discussion took place at the 6th C1 Inhibitor Deficiency Workshop (May 2009, Budapest, Hungary). A review of related literature in English was performed. Results: Contraception: Estrogens should be avoided. Barrier methods, intrauterine devices, and progestins can be used. Pregnancy: Attenuated androgens are contraindicated and should be discontinued before attempting conception. Plasma-derived human C1 inhibitor concentrate (pdhC1INH) is preferred for acute treatment, short-term prophylaxis, or long-term prophylaxis. Tranexamic acid or virally inactivated fresh frozen plasma can be used for long-term prophylaxis if human plasma-derived C1-INH is not available. No safety data are available on icatibant, ecallantide, or recombinant human C1-INH (rhC1INH). Parturition: Complications during vaginal delivery are rare. Prophylaxis before labor and delivery might not be clinically indicated, but pdhC1INH therapeutic doses (20 U/kg) should be available. Nevertheless, each case should be treated based on HAE-C1-INH symptoms during pregnancy and previous labors. pdhC1INH prophylaxis is advised before forceps or vacuum extraction or cesarean section. Regional anesthesia is preferred to endotracheal intubation. Breast cancer: Attenuated androgens should be avoided. Antiestrogens can worsen angioedema symptoms. In these cases anastrozole might be an alternative. Other issues addressed include special features of HAE-C1-INH treatment in female patients, genetic counseling, infertility, abortion, lactation, menopause treatment, and endometrial cancer. Conclusions: A consensus for the management of female patients with HAE-C1-INH is presented

Functional C1-inhibitor diagnostics in hereditary angioedema: Assay evaluation and recommendations

International audienceHereditary angioedema (HAE) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by recurrent episodes of potentially life-threatening angioedema. The most widespread underlying genetic deficiency is a heterozygous deficiency of the serine protease inhibitor C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-Inh). In addition to low C4 levels, the most important laboratory parameter for correct diagnosis of HAE or angioedema due to acquired C1-Inh deficiency is reduced C1-Inh function (fC1-Inh). No direct recommendations about the assays for fC1-Inh or sample handling conditions are available, although this would prove especially useful when a laboratory first starts to offer assays on fC1-Inh for HAE diagnosis. In the present study we evaluated the performance of fC1-Inh assays in the 15 different laboratories that are specialised in HAE diagnostics and assessed inter-laboratory variation with each laboratory using their own assays and standards. A double-blind survey was conducted using plasma/serum samples from healthy donors and HAE patients and the uniformity of HAE diagnosis was evaluated. It can be concluded that the diagnosis of fC1-Inh deficiency was made correctly in most cases in this survey. We can recommend the chromogenic assay for the determination of fC1-Inh, while the complex ELISA needs further investigation

Hereditary angiodema : a current state-of-the-art review, VII : Canadian Hungarian 2007 International Consensus Algorithm for the Diagnosis, Therapy, and Management of Hereditary Angioedema

Background: We published the Canadian 2003 International Consensus Algorithm for the Diagnosis, Therapy, and Management of Hereditary Angioedema (HAE; C1 inhibitor[C1-INH] deficiency) in 2004. Objective: To ensure that this consensus remains current. Methods: In collaboration with the Canadian Network of Rare Blood Disorder Organizations, we held the second Canadian Consensus discussion with our international colleagues in Toronto, Ontario, on February 3, 2006, and reviewed its content at the Fifth C1 Inhibitor Deficiency Workshop in Budapest on June 2, 2007. Papers were presented by international investigators, and this consensus algorithm approach resulted. Results: This consensus algorithm outlines the approach recommended for the diagnosis, therapy, and management of HAE, which was agreed on by the authors of this report. This document is only a consensus algorithm approach and continues to require validation. As such, participants a-reed to make this a living 2007 algorithm, a work in progress, and to review its content at future international HAE meetings. Conclusions: There is a paucity of double-blind, placebo-controlled trials on the treatment of HAE, making levels of evidence to support the algorithm less than optimal. Controlled trials currently under way will provide further insight into the management of HAE. As with our Canadian 2003 Consensus, this 2007 International Consensus Algorithm for the Diagnosis, Therapy, and Management of HAE was formed through the meeting and agreement of patient care professionals along with patient group representatives and individual patients

Hereditary and acquired angioedema: Problems and progress: Proceedings of the third C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency workshop and beyond

Hereditary angioedema (HAE), a rare but life-threatening condition, manifests as acute attacks of facial, laryngeal, genital, or peripheral swelling or abdominal pain secondary to intra-abdominal edema. Resulting from mutations affecting C1 esterase inhibitor (C1-INH), inhibitor of the first complement system component, attacks are not histamine-mediated and do not respond to antihistamines or corticosteroids. Low awareness and resemblance to other disorders often delay diagnosis; despite availability of C1-INH replacement in some countries, no approved, safe acute attack therapy exists in the United States. The biennial C1 Esterase Inhibitor Deficiency Workshops resulted from a European initiative for better knowledge and treatment of HAE and related diseases. This supplement contains work presented at the third workshop and expanded content toward a definitive picture of angioedema in the absence of allergy. Most notably, it includes cumulative genetic investigations; multinational laboratory diagnosis recommendations; current pathogenesis hypotheses; suggested prophylaxis and acute attack treatment, including home treatment; future treatment options; and analysis of patient subpopulations, including pediatric patients and patients whose angioedema worsened during pregnancy or hormone administration. Causes and management of acquired angioedema and a new type of angioedema with normal C1-INH are also discussed. Collaborative patient and physician efforts, crucial in rare diseases, are emphasized. This supplement seeks to raise awareness and aid diagnosis of HAE, optimize treatment for all patients, and provide a platform for further research in this rare, partially understood disorder. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 2004;114:S51-131.