Geographic and temporal population dynamics of the olive anthracnose pathogens

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing estuarine environmental quality using fish-based indices: Performance evaluation under climatic instability

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V6N-4TFDY7X-2/2/c9f9bbc565621cbb798d6d663e74a8f

Phase-transition-like properties of double-beam optical tweezers

We report on double-beam optical tweezers that undergo previously unknown phase-transition-like behavior resulting in the formation of more optical traps than the number of beams used to create them. We classify the optical force fields which produce multiple traps for a double-beam system including the critical behavior. This effect is demonstrated experimentally in orthogonally polarized (noninterfering) dual-beam optical tweezers for a silica particle of 2.32  μm diameter. Phase transitions of multiple beam trapping systems have implications for hopping rates between traps and detection of forces between biomolecules using dual-beam optical tweezers. It is an example of a novel dynamic system with multiple states where force fields undergo a series of sign inversions as a function of parameters such as size and beam separation

An ecological and fishing approach to support management decisions

Leitão, F., Monteiro, J. N., Cabral, P., Teodósio, M. A., & Roa-Ureta, R. H. (2023). Revealing the role of crab as bait in octopus fishery: An ecological and fishing approach to support management decisions. Marine Policy, 158, 1-11. [105878]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105878 --- This study received Portuguese National Funding from MAR2020 project CRUSTAPANHA (MAR-01.04.02-FEAMP-0005 CRUSTAPANHA). FL has received Portuguese national funds from FCT within the contract program DL57/2016/CP1361/CT0008 and FCT 2022.04803. CEECIND. JNM received an FCT PhD fellowship SFRH/BD/06336/2021. This study received Portuguese national funds from FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology through projects UIDB/04326/2020, UIDP/04326/2020 and LA/P/0101/2020. Authors would like to acknowledge all fishers’ associations that participated in CRUSTAPANHA project and helped the completion of the study: AAPF- Associação de Armadores e Pescadores da Fuseta (Fuseta); Associação Armalgarve Polvo Organização De Produtores (Quarteira); OLHAOPESCA Organização de Produtores de Pesca do Algarve, C.R.L. (Olhão). We acknowledge DGRM for fisheries data provided and for granting licenses for researchers onboard fishing vessel; To the coast guards forces of the following ports: Capitania do Porto de Albufeira; Capitania do Porto de Faro; Capitania do Porto de Olhão; Capitania do Porto de Lagos; Capitania do Porto de Tavira; We would like to acknowledge specific captains due to their role in the study, namely: Ricardo Santana; Francisco Molina; Arlindo da Silva Correia; Paulo Guerreiro. We would like to acknowledge all the members of ECOREACH group that help in the measurement of the octopus specimens, namely Andreia Ovelheiro, Daniela Nobre, Juan Bueno-Pardo and Miguel PintoIn southern Portugal, artisanal octopus fisheries play an important socioeconomic role. Live crab bait in traps was used up to 2010 and banned in 2012. Such regulation, based on co-management advice, was not established under a scientific fundament. As a result, a long-standing controversy ensued with some fishing associations claiming that live crab bait increased fishing effort and exploitation rates and therefore risked the octopus stock status, while other fishers denied all these alleged impacts. The issue has not been resolved so far due to lack of scientific studies. In this study, we resolve the controversy conducting experimental fishing to determine by-catch and octopus catch rates using live crab bait versus other types of baits based on fish and assess the stock status of octopus over-time with constant parameters (hypothesis of no effect of the use of live crab bait) versus time-varying parameters (hypothesis of raised exploitation rates and riskier stock status). Bycatch was very low regardless of bait type. Our experimental fishing trials showed that fish-based baits increase bycatch and octopus catch rates. Stock assessment models showed that exploitation rates and stock status do not worsen in years of use of crab bait. We conclude that the use of crab bait in octopus fishery does not lead to increased exploitation rate or risks for stock sustainability status. Other considerations involving fishing costs and fishing operations further highlight the advantages of lifting the ban on the use of live crab bait in the Algarve octopus fishery.publishersversionpublishe

On the growth of perturbations in interacting dark energy and dark matter fluids

The covariant generalizations of the background dark sector coupling suggested in G. Mangano, G. Miele and V. Pettorino, Mod. Phys. Lett. A 18, 831 (2003) are considered. The evolution of perturbations is studied with detailed attention to interaction rate that is proportional to the product of dark matter and dark energy densities. It is shown that some classes of models with coupling of this type do not suffer from early time instabilities in strong coupling regime.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures. v3: minor changes, typos fixe

The use of compression stockings for venous disorders in Brazil

Objective: the aim of this study was to analyse the medical indication and the use of elastic compression stockings, and to assess patient adherence to treatment in different regions of Brazil.Method: the prescription and clinical indication of elastic stockings were evaluated in a prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional, multicentre study for a population of private patients. in 2009, 3414 patients from 123 treatment centres in southern, south-eastern and north-eastern Brazil were evaluated using a questionnaire. the following variables were analysed: sociodemographic (gender, age, occupation and education), lifestyle (physical activity and time spent standing); classification of venous disease (CEAP [clinical, aetiological, anatomical and pathophysiological] classification - clinical criteria), indications for prescription, consumer behaviour (strength, acquisition and use of stockings) and criteria of satisfaction (improvement, duration of use, adherence). the effects of compression therapy were assessed at a follow-up visit approximately 30 days after starting treatment with the following items being assessed: complaints about pain, discomfort, burning sensation and oedema of the leg while using elastic stockings. Multivariate analysis was used to compare data with an alpha error of 5% (P value < 0.05) being considered acceptable.Results: the average age increased with the severity of chronic venous insufficiency; the main indications used by physicians were leg pain and discomfort; 89.3% of patients bought stockings and thus started treatment with more than 90% of these reporting improvements in symptoms.Conclusion: Elastic stockings are available to the Brazilian population, look acceptable at the time of purchase and provide good results; however, some limitations regarding their use need to be addressed.Univ Estadual Campinas, UNICAMP, Serv Peripheral Vasc Dis, Campinas, BrazilMed Sch Sao Jose do Rio Preto FAMERP, Dept Cardiol & Cardiovasc Surg, Sao Jose do Rio Preto, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Discipline Vasc Surg, São Paulo, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Discipline Vasc Surg, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc

Evaluating techniques for mapping island vegetation from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images: Pixel classification, visual interpretation and machine learning approaches

We evaluate three approaches to mapping vegetation using images collected by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to monitor rehabilitation activities in the Five Islands Nature Reserve, Wollongong (Australia). Between April 2017 and July 2018, four aerial surveys of Big Island were undertaken to map changes to island vegetation following helicopter herbicide sprays to eradicate weeds, including the creeper Coastal Morning Glory (Ipomoea cairica) and Kikuyu Grass (Cenchrus clandestinus). The spraying was followed by a large scale planting campaign to introduce native plants, such as tussocks of Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia). Three approaches to mapping vegetation were evaluated, including: (i) a pixel-based image classification algorithm applied to the composite spectral wavebands of the images collected, (ii) manual digitisation of vegetation directly from images based on visual interpretation, and (iii) the application of a machine learning algorithm, LeNet, based on a deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) for detecting planted Lomandra tussocks. The uncertainty of each approach was assessed via comparison against an independently collected field dataset. Each of the vegetation mapping approaches had a comparable accuracy; for a selected weed management and planting area, the overall accuracies were 82 %, 91 % and 85 % respectively for the pixel based image classification, the visual interpretation / digitisation and the CNN machine learning algorithm. At the scale of the whole island, statistically significant differences in the performance of the three approaches to mapping Lomandra plants were detected via ANOVA. The manual digitisation took a longer time to perform than others. The three approaches resulted in markedly different vegetation maps characterised by different digital data formats, which offered fundamentally different types of information on vegetation character. We draw attention to the need to consider how different digital map products will be used for vegetation management (e.g. monitoring the health individual species or a broader profile of the community). Where individual plants are to be monitored over time, a feature-based approach that represents plants as vector points is appropriate. The CNN approach emerged as a promising technique in this regard as it leveraged spatial information from the UAV images within the architecture of the learning framework by enforcing a local connectivity pattern between neurons of adjacent layers to incorporate the spatial relationships between features that comprised the shape of the Lomandra tussocks detected

Evaluating techniques for mapping island vegetation from unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) images: Pixel classification, visual interpretation and machine learning approaches

We evaluate three approaches to mapping vegetation using images collected by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to monitor rehabilitation activities in the Five Islands Nature Reserve, Wollongong (Australia). Between April 2017 and July 2018, four aerial surveys of Big Island were undertaken to map changes to island vegetation following helicopter herbicide sprays to eradicate weeds, including the creeper Coastal Morning Glory (Ipomoea cairica) and Kikuyu Grass (Cenchrus clandestinus). The spraying was followed by a large scale planting campaign to introduce native plants, such as tussocks of Spiny-headed Mat-rush (Lomandra longifolia). Three approaches to mapping vegetation were evaluated, including: (i) a pixel-based image classification algorithm applied to the composite spectral wavebands of the images collected, (ii) manual digitisation of vegetation directly from images based on visual interpretation, and (iii) the application of a machine learning algorithm, LeNet, based on a deep learning convolutional neural network (CNN) for detecting planted Lomandra tussocks. The uncertainty of each approach was assessed via comparison against an independently collected field dataset. Each of the vegetation mapping approaches had a comparable accuracy; for a selected weed management and planting area, the overall accuracies were 82 %, 91 % and 85 % respectively for the pixel based image classification, the visual interpretation / digitisation and the CNN machine learning algorithm. At the scale of the whole island, statistically significant differences in the performance of the three approaches to mapping Lomandra plants were detected via ANOVA. The manual digitisation took a longer time to perform than others. The three approaches resulted in markedly different vegetation maps characterised by different digital data formats, which offered fundamentally different types of information on vegetation character. We draw attention to the need to consider how different digital map products will be used for vegetation management (e.g. monitoring the health individual species or a broader profile of the community). Where individual plants are to be monitored over time, a feature-based approach that represents plants as vector points is appropriate. The CNN approach emerged as a promising technique in this regard as it leveraged spatial information from the UAV images within the architecture of the learning framework by enforcing a local connectivity pattern between neurons of adjacent layers to incorporate the spatial relationships between features that comprised the shape of the Lomandra tussocks detected