La relation entre la classification spectrale (TM) et les cartes d'espèces, Parc national des Prairies, Saskatchewan

Les images satellitaires enregistrent une réflectance des plantes qui révèle plus leur structure que leur espèce. La cartographie de la végétation définit les unités par la présence ou l'abondance de certaines espèces. Aux fins d'inventaire et de monitoring des ressources végétales, ces cartes servent à suivre les changements dans le temps, causés par les processus naturels ou par les interventions humaines. Les avantages aux niveaux du coût, de la classification objective et de la simultanéité d'information régionale encouragent l'addition de l'analyse des images satellitaires aux outils de monitoring. Pour que la classification des images puisse prendre place à côté des cartes traditionnelles, il faut développer une compréhension de la relation entre les deux. Si des différences irréconciliables existent entre la carte et l'image, il faut les documenter. La présente recherche analyse les propriétés spectrales des unités d'une carte de la végétation produite pour une région des Prairies, entretenue pour la conservation et l'interprétation de la nature dans le contexte d'un parc national. Elle propose et démontre une nouvelle méthode d'utiliser le contexte spectral -- la réflectance et la texture dans un voisinage-- pour classifier la végétation de la Prairie

What works to support carers of older people and older carers? an international evidence map of interventions and outcomes

\ua9 The Author(s) 2024.Background: Unpaid carers of older people, and older unpaid carers, experience a range of adverse outcomes. Supporting carers should therefore be a public health priority. Our understanding of what works to support carers could be enhanced if future evaluations prioritise under-researched interventions and outcomes. To support this, we aimed to: map evidence about interventions to support carers, and the outcomes evaluated; and identify key gaps in current evidence. Methods: Evidence gap map review methods were used. Searches were carried out in three bibliographic databases for quantitative evaluations of carer interventions published in OECD high-income countries between 2013 and 2023. Interventions were eligible if they supported older carers (50 + years) of any aged recipient, or any aged carers of older people (50 + years). Findings: 205 studies reported across 208 publications were included in the evidence map. The majority evaluated the impact of therapeutic and educational interventions on carer burden and carers’ mental health. Some studies reported evidence about physical exercise interventions and befriending and peer support for carers, but these considered a limited range of outcomes. Few studies evaluated interventions that focused on delivering financial information and advice, pain management, and physical skills training for carers. Evaluations rarely considered the impact of interventions on carers’ physical health, quality of life, and social and financial wellbeing. Very few studies considered whether interventions delivered equitable outcomes. Conclusion: Evidence on what works best to support carers is extensive but limited in scope. A disproportionate focus on mental health and burden outcomes neglects other important areas where carers may need support. Given the impact of caring on carers’ physical health, financial and social wellbeing, future research could evaluate interventions that aim to support these outcomes. Appraisal of whether interventions deliver equitable outcomes across diverse carer populations is critical

Regularity of Cauchy horizons in S2xS1 Gowdy spacetimes

We study general S2xS1 Gowdy models with a regular past Cauchy horizon and prove that a second (future) Cauchy horizon exists, provided that a particular conserved quantity $J$ is not zero. We derive an explicit expression for the metric form on the future Cauchy horizon in terms of the initial data on the past horizon and conclude the universal relation A\p A\f=(8\pi J)^2 where A\p and A\f are the areas of past and future Cauchy horizon respectively.Comment: 17 pages, 1 figur

Institutional adjustment and change at the firm level: A varieties of capitalism perspective

This paper contributes to a better understanding of global corporate and industrial change at the firm level. Our focus is on convergence vs. divergence of national institutional systems. Data are drawn from a survey of German and UK firms. Our results for adaptation behavior of British subsidiaries in Germany suggest that at the firm level the primacy of national institutions and institutional complementarity as determinants of the organizational behavior of MNEs may be overstated. Nonetheless, evidence that German MNEs in Britain seek to choose strategic choices for which there is institutional support in the host country suggests that complementarity is functional enough to incite adjustment even in the absence of strong formal pressure. The evidence that both German and British firms seem to prefer practices characteristic of liberal market economies may pose a problem for institutional stability in Germany and generates implications for the likely pathways of institutional change

Biodiversity impacts of bioenergy production: microalgae vs. first generation biofuels

Energy and fuel demands, which are currently met primarily using fossil fuels, are expected to increase substantially in the coming decades. Burning fossil fuels results in the increase of net atmospheric CO2 and climate change, hence there is widespread interest in identifying sustainable alternative fuel sources. Biofuels are one such alternative involving the production of biodiesel and bioethanol from plants. However, the environmental impacts of biofuels are not well understood. First generation biofuels (i.e. those derived from edible biomass including crops such as maize and sugarcane) require extensive agricultural areas to produce sufficient quantities to replace fossil fuels, resulting in competition with food production, increased land clearing and pollution associated with agricultural production and harvesting. Microalgal production systems are a promising alternative that suffer from fewer environmental impacts. Here, we evaluate the potential impacts of microalgal production systems on biodiversity compared to first generation biofuels, through a review of studies and a comparison of environmental pressures that directly or indirectly impact biodiversity. We also compare the cultivation area required to meet gasoline and distillate fuel oil demands globally, accounting for spatial variation in productivity and energy consumption. We conclude that microalgal systems exert fewer pressures on biodiversity per unit of fuel generated compared to first generation biofuels, mainly because of reductions in direct and indirect land-use change, water consumption if water is recycled, and no application of pesticides. Further improvements of technologies and production methods, including optimization of productivities per unit area, colocation with wastewater systems and industrial CO2 sources, nutrient and water recycling and use of coproducts for internal energy generation, would further increase CO2 savings. Overall pollution reductions can be achieved through increased energy efficiencies, along with nutrient and water recycling. Microalgal systems provide strong potential for helping in meeting global energy demands sustainably

Identifying older adults with frailty approaching end-of-life: A systematic review

From SAGE Publishing via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: epub 2021-09-14Publication status: PublishedFunder: national institute for health research; FundRef: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000272; Grant(s): PR-PRU-1217-21502Background:: People with frailty may have specific needs for end-of-life care, but there is no consensus on how to identify these people in a timely way, or whether they will benefit from intervention. Aim:: To synthesise evidence on identification of older people with frailty approaching end-of-life, and whether associated intervention improves outcomes. Design:: Systematic review (PROSPERO: CRD42020462624). Data sources:: Six databases were searched, with no date restrictions, for articles reporting prognostic or intervention studies. Key inclusion criteria were adults aged 65 and over, identified as frail via an established measure. End-of-life was defined as the final 12 months. Key exclusion criteria were proxy definitions of frailty, or studies involving people with cancer, even if also frail. Results:: Three articles met the inclusion criteria. Strongest evidence came from one study in English primary care, which showed distinct trajectories in electronic Frailty Index scores in the last 12 months of life, associated with increased risk of death. We found no studies evaluating established clinical tools (e.g. Gold Standards Framework) with existing frail populations. We found no intervention studies; the literature on advance care planning with people with frailty has relied on proxy definitions of frailty. Conclusion:: Clear implications for policy and practice are hindered by the lack of studies using an established approach to assessing frailty. Future end-of-life research needs to use explicit approaches to the measurement and reporting of frailty, and address the evidence gap on interventions. A focus on models of care that incorporate a palliative approach is essential