The molecular aspects of biological development

Conference on molecular aspects of biological developmen

Monitoring vegetation conditions from LANDSAT for use in range management

A summary of the LANDSAT Great Plains Corridor projects and the principal results are presented. Emphasis is given to the use of satellite acquired phenological data for range management and agri-business activities. A convenient method of reducing LANDSAT MSS data to provide quantitative estimates of green biomass on rangelands in the Great Plains is explained. Suggestions for the use of this approach for evaluating range feed conditions are presented. A LANDSAT Follow-on project has been initiated which will employ the green biomass estimation method in a quasi-operational monitoring of range readiness and range feed conditions on a regional scale

Monitoring the vernal advancement and retrogradation (green wave effect) of natural vegetation

The author has identified the following significant results. The Great Plains Corridor rangeland project utilizes natural vegetation systems as phenological indicators of seasonal development and climatic effects upon regional growth conditions. A method has been developed for quantitative measurement of vegetation conditions over broad regions using ERTS-1 MSS data. Radiance values recorded in ERTS-1 spectral bands 5 and 7, corrected for sun angle, are used to compute a band ratio parameter which is shown to be correlated with green biomass and vegetation moisture content. This report details the progress being made toward determining factors associated with the transformed vegetation index (TVI) and limitations on the method. During the first year of ERTS-1 operation (cycles 1-20), an average of 50% usable ERTS-1 data was obtained for the ten Great Plains Corridor test sites

Monitoring the Vernal Advancement and Retrogradation (Green Wave Effect) of Natural Vegetation

The author has identified the following significant results. The Great Plains Corridor rangeland project successfully utilized natural vegetation systems as phenological indicators of seasonal development and climatic effects upon regional growth conditions. An effective method was developed for quantitative measurement of vegetation conditions, including green biomass estimates, recorded in bands 5 and 6, corrected for sun angle, were used to compute a ratio parameter (TV16) which is shown to be highly correlated with green biomass and vegatation moisture content. Analyses results of ERTS-1 digital data and correlated ground data are summarized. Attention was given to analyzing weather influences and test site variables on vegetation condition measurements with ERTS-1 data

Extraction, Storage and Eruption of Multiple Isolated Magma Batches in the Paired Mamaku and Ohakuri Eruption, Taupo Volcanic Zone, New Zealand

The Taupo Volcanic Zone (TVZ) is well known for its extraordinary rate of rhyolitic magma generation and caldera-forming eruptions. Less is known about how large volumes of rhyolitic magma are extracted and stored prior to eruption, and the role tectonics might play in the process of melt extraction and control of caldera eruption(s). Here we present a new model for the extraction, storage and simultaneous eruption of the >245 km3 paired Mamaku and Ohakuri magmas sourced from calderas centred ∼30 km apart (the Rotorua and Ohakuri calderas, respectively) in the central TVZ. The Mamaku and Ohakuri ignimbrites share a similar bulk pumice composition and the same phenocryst assemblage; however, bulk-rock compositions suggest several poorly mixed magma types in each erupted volume, which are randomly distributed throughout the eruptive deposits. To refine models of the pre-eruptive geometry of the magmatic system and discuss a possible origin for triggering of each eruption, we present an expanded database of matrix glass and quartz-hosted melt inclusion compositions along with the existing bulk-rock and mineral compositions. Major and trace element compositions show that the region produced five different magma batches, extracted from the same source region, and a continuous intermediate mush zone beneath the Mamaku-Ohakuri region is suggested here. These magma batches were most probably juxtaposed but isolated from each other in the upper crust, and evolved separately until eruption. The observed geochemical differences between the batches are likely to be generated by different extraction conditions of the rhyolitic melt from a slightly heterogeneous mush. The lack of evidence for more mafic recharge prior to eruption (for example, there are no bright cathodoluminescence rims on quartz crystals) suggests that a magmatic input is unlikely to be an eruption trigger. However, tectonic activity could be an efficient way to trigger the eruption of isolated magma batches, with the evacuation of one magma batch causing a disturbance to the local stress field and activating regionally linked faults, which then lead to the eruption of additional magma batches and associated caldera subsidence. In addition, the extensional tectonic regime coupled with a high heat flux could be the controlling factor in the emplacement of some of the shallowest and most SiO2-rich magmas on Eart

Guidance for Rebooting Electrophysiology Through the COVID-19 Pandemic From the Heart Rhythm Society and the American Heart Association Electrocardiography and Arrhythmias Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology: Endorsed by the American College of Cardiology

© 2020 The Heart Rhythm Society, the American Heart Association, Inc., and the American College of Cardiology Foundation Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has presented substantial challenges to patient care and impacted health care delivery, including cardiac electrophysiology practice throughout the globe. Based upon the undetermined course and regional variability of the pandemic, there is uncertainty as to how and when to resume and deliver electrophysiology services for arrhythmia patients. This joint document from representatives of the Heart Rhythm Society, American Heart Association, and American College of Cardiology seeks to provide guidance for clinicians and institutions reestablishing safe electrophysiological care. To achieve this aim, we address regional and local COVID-19 disease status, the role of viral screening and serologic testing, return-to-work considerations for exposed or infected health care workers, risk stratification and management strategies based on COVID-19 disease burden, institutional preparedness for resumption of elective procedures, patient preparation and communication, prioritization of procedures, and development of outpatient and periprocedural care pathways

‘That eccentric use of land at the top of the hill’: Cemeteries and stories of the city

Most contemporary research accounts for conflict within cemetery space, but does not consider the potentially contested and poorly understood role of cemeteries within their broader cityscape. This study draws on stories from cemetery managers across England and Wales to narrate this multifunctionality, as they hold the pivotal role which oversees both the day-to-day running of the cemetery, and its strategic role within a given municipality. The study outlines how cemeteries hold multiple functions in the cities in which they are located, specifically contributing to greenspace or green infrastructure, civic identity and local place attachment. These varying city level roles in turn impact on what is deemed (il)legitimate behaviour within the cemetery. Moreover, they raise important considerations for urban planners and policymakers who currently have little guidance on planning for new or existing cemeteries but are critical in the ongoing successful development of cities

COPD care delivery pathways in five European Union countries : mapping and health care professionals' perceptions

Background: COPD is among the leading causes of chronic morbidity and mortality in the European Union with an estimated annual economic burden of €25.1 billion. Various care pathways for COPD exist across Europe leading to different responses to similar problems. Determining these differences and the similarities may improve health and the functioning of health services. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare COPD patients’ care pathway in five European Union countries including England, Ireland, the Netherlands, Greece, and Germany and to explore health care professionals’ (HCPs) perceptions about the current pathways. Methods: HCPs were interviewed in two stages using a qualitative, semistructured email interview and a face-to-face semistructured interview. Results: Lack of communication among different health care providers managing COPD and comorbidities was a common feature of the studied care pathways. General practitioners/family doctors are responsible for liaising between different teams/services, except in Greece where this is done through pulmonologists. Ireland and the UK are the only countries with services for patients at home to shorten unnecessary hospital stay. HCPs emphasized lack of communication, limited resources, and poor patient engagement as issues in the current pathways. Furthermore, no specified role exists for pharmacists and informal carers. Conclusion: Service and professional integration between care settings using a unified system targeting COPD and comorbidities is a priority. Better communication between health care providers, establishing a clear role for informal carers, and enhancing patients’ engagement could optimize current care pathways resulting in a better integrated system