Reconstructing land's appearance

An important and largely area of computer image generation is that related with geographic information. Geographic data can be used for analysis, design and evaluation in natural-resource assessment, regional planning, and large-area landscape design. While Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has focused on delivering traditional cartographic representations, some people demands others aspects be covered: the use of "appropiate" representations to help viewers to understand the information. This is the case of the visualization of the land's topography and how the changes on it affect its appearance. Strangely, the combination of GIS and visualization area still remains unexplored. The elds seem to complement on another, yet they have developed in parallel and the interaction between them is important in providing usable interactive systems. This paper presents a visualization approach of a topographic surface spatially inter- polated from Topographic Reliefs. We hope this will help people with no background in scientific visualization orient themselves to the image.Área: Procesamiento de Imágenes - Tratamiento de Señales - Computación Gráfica - VisualizaciónRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Modeling Rheology In The Hot-Pressing Of MDF: Comparison Of Mechanical Models

The hot-pressing operation is the final stage in the MDF manufacture where the mattress of fibers is compressed and heated to promote the cure of the resin. The press cycle has a major effect on the balance of properties of the resulting panel, so rigorous control of all processing variables is necessary to improve product quality and to reduce pressing time. The rheological behavior of the mattress during pressing involves complex phenomena that are dependent on temperature, moisture content, gas pressure, and density distributions. Following a three-dimensional model of heat and mass transfer already built, mechanical models were developed to describe the viscoelastic behavior of the material. The elastic and viscous properties for the wood-resin composite were estimated based upon several kinds of "rules of mixtures," taking into account the relationship with the simulations already undertaken for temperature, moisture content, and gas pressure profiles, as well as the adhesive polymerization. These dynamic models were used to predict the evolution of compression stress, strain, modulus of elasticity, and density with time at a given position in the mattress, as well as the density profiles. The models were compared in relation to the influential factors affecting the composite compressibility. The simulation results are useful to identify the controlling factors of a hot-pressing operation and to understand better the complex mechanisms involved in panel formation

A simple prescription for simulating and characterizing gravitational arcs

Simple models of gravitational arcs are crucial to simulate large samples of these objects with full control of the input parameters. These models also provide crude and automated estimates of the shape and structure of the arcs, which are necessary when trying to detect and characterize these objects on massive wide area imaging surveys. We here present and explore the ArcEllipse, a simple prescription to create objects with shape similar to gravitational arcs. We also present PaintArcs, which is a code that couples this geometrical form with a brightness distribution and adds the resulting object to images. Finally, we introduce ArcFitting, which is a tool that fits ArcEllipses to images of real gravitational arcs. We validate this fitting technique using simulated arcs and apply it to CFHTLS and HST images of tangential arcs around clusters of galaxies. Our simple ArcEllipse model for the arc, associated to a S\'ersic profile for the source, recovers the total signal in real images typically within 10%-30%. The ArcEllipse+S\'ersic models also automatically recover visual estimates of length-to-width ratios of real arcs. Residual maps between data and model images reveal the incidence of arc substructure. They may thus be used as a diagnostic for arcs formed by the merging of multiple images. The incidence of these substructures is the main factor preventing ArcEllipse models from accurately describing real lensed systems.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures, accepted for publication in A&

Acacia saligna (Labill.) H. Wendl in the Sesimbra county: invaded habitats and potential distribution modeling

The aim of this study is to establish the spatial pattern of colonization and spread of Acacia saligna by predictive modeling, susceptibility evaluation and to perform a cost-effective analysis in two sites of community importance (Fernão Ferro/Lagoa de Albufeira and Arrábida/Espichel) in the Sesimbra County. The main goal is to increase the knowledge on the invasive process and the potential distribution of the Acacia saligna in Sesimbra County, namely in the Natura 2000 sites. The Artificial Neural Networks model was developed in Open Modeller to predict the potential of occurrence of A. saligna, and is assumed to be conditioned by a set of limiting factors that may be known or modeled. The base information includes a dependent variable (present distribution of specie) and several variables considered as conditioning factors (topographic variables, land use, soils characteristics, river and road distance), organized in a Geographical Information System (GIS) database. This is used to perform spatial analysis, which is focused on the relationships between the presence or absence of the specie and the values of the conditioning factors. The results show a high correspondence between higher values of potential of occurrence and soils characteristics and distance to rivers; these factors seem to benefit the specie’ invasion process. According to the conservation value of each cartographic unit, related to natural habitats included in Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), the coastal habitats (2130, 2250 and 2230) were the most susceptible to invasion by A. saligna. The predicted A. saligna distribution allows for a more efficient concentration and application of resources (human and financial) in the most susceptible areas to invasion, such as the local and national Protected Areas and the Sites of Community Importance, and is useful to test hypotheses about the specie range characteristics, habitats preferences and habitat partitioning

Marine forests of the Mediterranean-Atlantic Cystoseira tamariscifolia complex show a southern Iberian genetic hotspot and no reproductive isolation in parapatry

Climate-driven range-shifts create evolutionary opportunities for allopatric divergence and subsequent contact, leading to genetic structuration and hybrid zones. We investigate how these processes influenced the evolution of a complex of three closely related Cystoseira spp., which are a key component of the Mediterranean-Atlantic seaweed forests that are undergoing population declines. The C. tamariscifolia complex, composed of C. tamariscifolia s.s., C. amentacea and C. mediterranea, have indistinct boundaries and natural hybridization is suspected. Our aims are to (1) infer the genetic structure and diversity of these species throughout their distribution ranges using microsatellite markers to identify ancient versus recent geographical populations, contact zones and reproductive barriers, and (2) hindcast past distributions using niche models to investigate the influence of past range shifts on genetic divergence at multiple spatial scales. Results supported a single, morphologically plastic species the genetic structure of which was incongruent with a priori species assignments. The low diversity and low singularity in northern European populations suggest recent colonization after the LGM. The southern Iberian genetic hotspot most likely results from the role of this area as a climatic refugium or a secondary contact zone between differentiated populations or both. We hypothesize that life-history traits (selfing, low dispersal) and prior colonization effects, rather than reproductive barriers, might explain the observed genetic discontinuities.Pew Charitable Trusts (USA); MARINERA, Spain [CTM2008-04183-E/MAR]; FCT (Portugal) [FCT-BIODIVERSA/004/2015, CCMAR/Multi/04326/2013, SFRH/BPD/107878/2015, SFRH/BPD/85040/2012]; FPU fellowship of the Spanish Ministry of Education; European Community ASSEMBLE visiting grant [00399/2012]; University of Cadi

BIOMECHANICAL APPROACH TO BALLET MOVEMENTS: A STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF BALLET SHOE AND MUSICAL BEAT ON THE VERTICAL REACTION FORCES

Ballet movements can be the focus of biomechanical studies in order to better understand the characteristic mechanical loads of the locomotor apparatus related to classic dance. "Pointe shoes" have been associated to high incidence of morphological and physiological alterations of ballet dancer's feet, however its contribution to injury mechanisms must still be precisely known. On the other hand, movements like jumps and leaps are frequently repeated in a standard ballet training, where the musical beat also plays a role on the motor behavior and its mechanical aspects. Therefore the purpose of the present study was to describe ground reaction forces during the "saute -1st position" under the influence of footwear (slippers and pointe shoes) and musical beat in order to identify the relative contribution of these factors on the external loads measured. It was observed that the musical beat played a greater role on the ground reaction force magnitudes than the footwear

Reconstructing land's appearance

An important and largely area of computer image generation is that related with geographic information. Geographic data can be used for analysis, design and evaluation in natural-resource assessment, regional planning, and large-area landscape design. While Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has focused on delivering traditional cartographic representations, some people demands others aspects be covered: the use of "appropiate" representations to help viewers to understand the information. This is the case of the visualization of the land's topography and how the changes on it affect its appearance. Strangely, the combination of GIS and visualization area still remains unexplored. The elds seem to complement on another, yet they have developed in parallel and the interaction between them is important in providing usable interactive systems. This paper presents a visualization approach of a topographic surface spatially inter- polated from Topographic Reliefs. We hope this will help people with no background in scientific visualization orient themselves to the image.Área: Procesamiento de Imágenes - Tratamiento de Señales - Computación Gráfica - VisualizaciónRed de Universidades con Carreras en Informática (RedUNCI

Candidates for Balancing Selection in Leishmania donovani Complex Parasites

The Leishmania donovani species complex is the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis, which cause 20–40,000 fatalities a year. Here, we conduct a screen for balancing selection in this species complex. We used 384 publicly available L. donovani and L. infantum genomes, and sequence 93 isolates of L. infantum from Brazil to describe the global diversity of this species complex. We identify five genetically distinct populations that are sufficiently represented by genomic data to search for signatures of selection. We find that signals of balancing selection are generally not shared between populations, consistent with transient adaptive events, rather than long-term balancing selection. We then apply multiple diversity metrics to identify candidate genes with robust signatures of balancing selection, identifying a curated set of 24 genes with robust signatures. These include zetatoxin, nodulin-like, and flagellum attachment proteins. This study highlights the extent of genetic divergence between L. donovani complex parasites and provides genes for further stud