SMOS Optical Thickness Changes in Response to the Growth and Development of Crops, Crop Management, and Weather

The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) remote sensing satellite was launched by the European Space Agency in 2009. The L-band brightness temperature observed by SMOS has been used to produce estimates of both soil moisture and τ, the optical thickness of the land surface. Although τ should theoretically be proportional to the amount of vegetation present within a SMOS pixel, several initial investigations have not been able to confirm this expected behavior. However, when the noise in the SMOS τ product is removed, τ in the U.S. Corn Belt, a region of extensive row-crop agriculture, has a distinct shape that mirrors the growth and development of crops. We find that the peak value of SMOS τ occurs at approximately 1000 °C day (base 10 °C) growing degree days after the mean planting date of maize (corn). We can explain this finding in the following way: τ is directly proportional to the water column density of vegetation; maize contributes the most to growing season changes in τ in the Corn Belt; and maize reaches its maximum water column density at its third reproductive stage of development, at about 1000 °C day growing degree days. Consequently, SMOS τ could be used to monitor the phenology of crops in the Corn Belt at a spatial resolution similar to a U.S. county and a temporal frequency on the order of days. We also examined the magnitude of the change in SMOS τ over the growing season and hypothesized it would be related to the amount of accumulated solar radiation, but found this not to be the case. On the other hand, the change in magnitude was smallest for the year in which the most precipitation fell. These findings are rational since SMOS τ at the satellite scale is in fact a function of both vegetation and soil surface roughness, and soil surface roughness is reduced by precipitation. To fully explain changes in SMOS τ in the Corn Belt it appears that it will be necessary to use in situ and remotely-sensed observations along with agro-ecosystem models to account for land management decisions made by farmers that affect changes in soil surface roughness and all of the relevant biophysical processes that affect the growth and development of crops

Apixaban for Primary Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With Multiple Myeloma Receiving Immunomodulatory Therapy

Immunomodulatory drugs (IMiDs), including thalidomide, lenalidomide, and pomalidomide, have improved survival of patients with multiple myeloma (MM). However, these therapies are associated with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Apixaban has been approved for treatment of acute VTE and for risk reduction of recurrent VTE following initial therapy. In this phase IV single-arm study (NCT02958969), we aim to prospectively evaluate the safety and efficacy of apixaban for primary prevention of VTE in patients with MM. The primary efficacy objective of this trial is to determine the rate of symptomatic VTE, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), over 6 months. The primary safety objective is to determine the rate of major bleeding in MM patients receiving apixaban prophylaxis. If proven safe and effective, apixaban will emerge as a promising option for oral VTE prophylaxis in MM patients

An exploration of the relationship between educational background and the coaching behaviours and practice activities of professional youth soccer coaches

This paper is closed access until 12 December 2019.Background and purpose: Despite the proliferation in recent years of higher education establishments offering tertiary-level study in the field of sports coaching, there is a lack of research into the impact of such courses on coaching practice. The behaviours employed and activities used by coaches during practice sessions is an area where one might expect to see such impact, indeed certain studies have tentatively noted the educational qualifications of coaches and suggested that this may play a role in the application of behaviours more aligned with player learning. The purpose of this study was therefore to compare youth soccer coaches with and without tertiary-level qualifications, examining their coaching behaviours and practice activities. Method: The participants were 10 male professional youth soccer coaches aged 24–55 with an average of 13 years coaching experience. Five of the coaches had completed undergraduate degree courses related to sport coaching. All of the coaches worked with players aged under 9 to under 18 in the youth academy of an English professional soccer club. Systematic observation of coach behaviour and practice activities was carried out using the Coach Analysis and Intervention System (Cushion et al. 2012), while follow-up interviews were used to elicit the coaches’ perceptions of, and rationale for, their behaviour. Findings: The observation data showed that graduate coaches used significantly more divergent questioning than non-graduate coaches, while the interview data revealed a general trend for graduate coaches to show greater self-awareness of behaviours and changes in behaviour between practice types. Graduate coaches also provided more comprehensive rationales, for example, seeing silence as a means of facilitating player decision-making as well as for observation. In contrast to previous research, sessions featured a higher proportion of playing form than training form activities and at over 20% of session duration, the ‘other’ practice state was a prominent feature of contact time with players. While some coaches saw ‘other’ as wasted time, graduate coaches identified this as an opportunity for group discussion and social interaction. The study adds to existing data about coach behaviours and practice activities, providing evidence that education background may indeed influence coaching practice

SMOS Optical Thickness Changes in Response to the Growth and Development of Crops, Crop Management, and Weather

The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) remote sensing satellite was launched by the European Space Agency in 2009. The L-band brightness temperature observed by SMOS has been used to produce estimates of both soil moisture and tau, the optical thickness of the land surface. Although tau should theoretically be proportional to the amount of vegetation present within a SMOS pixel, several initial investigations have not been able to confirm this expected behavior. However, when the noise in the SMOS tau product is removed, tau in the U.S. Corn Belt, a region of extensive row-crop agriculture, has a distinct shape that mirrors the growth and development of crops. We find that the peak value of SMOS tau occurs at approximately 1000 degrees C day (base 10 degrees C) growing degree days after the mean planting date of maize (corn). We can explain this finding in the following way: tau is directly proportional to the water column density of vegetation; maize contributes the most to growing season changes in tau in the Corn Belt; and maize reaches its maximum water column density at its third reproductive stage of development, at about 1000 degrees C day growing degree days. Consequently, SMOS tau could be used to monitor the phenology of crops in the Corn Belt at a spatial resolution similar to a U.S. county and a temporal frequency on the order of days. We also examined the magnitude of the change in SMOS tau over the growing season and hypothesized it would be related to the amount of accumulated solar radiation, but found this not to be the case. On the other hand, the change in magnitude was smallest for the year in which the most precipitation fell. These findings are rational since SMOS tau at the satellite scale is in fact a function of both vegetation and soil surface roughness, and soil surface roughness is reduced by precipitation. To fully explain changes in SMOS tau in the Corn Belt it appears that it will be necessary to use in situ and remotely-sensed observations along with agro-ecosystem models to account for land management decisions made by farmers that affect changes in soil surface roughness and all of the relevant biophysical processes that affect the growth and development of crops.This is a manuscript of an article from Remote Sensing of Environment 180 (2016): 320, doi: 10.1016/j.rse.2016.02.043. Posted with permission.</p

Novel Z Scores to Correct Biases Due to Ventricular Volume Indexing to Body Surface Area in Adolescents and Young Adults

Background: Reference values for cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI) in children and young adults are scarce. This leads to risk stratification of patients with congenital heart diseases being based on volumes indexed to body surface area (BSA). We aimed to produce cMRI Z score equations for ventricular volumes in children and young adults and to test whether indexing to BSA resulted in an incorrect assessment of ventricular dilation according to sex, body composition, and growth. Methods: We retrospectively included 372 subjects aged < 26 years with either normal hearts or conditions with no impact on ventricular volumes (reference group), and 205 subjects with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) aged < 26 years. We generated Z score equations by means of multivariable regression modelling. Right ventricular dilation was assessed with the use of Z scores and compared with indexing to BSA in TOF subjects. Results: Ventricular volume Z scores were independent from age, sex, and anthropometric measurements, although volumes indexed to BSA showed significant residual association with sex and body size. In TOF subjects, indexing overestimated dilation in growing children and underestimated dilation in female compared with male subjects, and in overweight compared with lean subjects. Conclusions: Indexed ventricular volumes measured with cMRI did not completely adjust for body size and resulted in a differential error in the assessment of ventricular dilation according to sex and body size. Our proposed Z score equations solved this problem. Future studies should evaluate if ventricular volumes expressed as Z scores have a better prognostic value than volumes indexed to BSA