Terrain surfaces and 3-D landcover classification from small footprint full-waveform lidar data: application to badlands

This article presents the use of new remote sensing data acquired from airborne fullwaveform lidar systems. They are active sensors which record altimeter profiles. This paper introduces a set of methodologies for processing these data. These techniques 5 are then applied to a particular landscape, the badlands, but the methodologies are designed to be applied to any other landscape. Indeed, the knowledge of an accurate topography and a landcover classification is a prior knowledge for any hydrological and erosion model. Badlands tend to be the most significant areas of erosion in the world with the highest erosion rate values. Monitoring and predicting erosion within 10 badland mountainous catchments is highly strategic due to the arising downstream consequences and the need for natural hazard mitigation engineering. Additionaly, beyond the altimeter information, full-waveform lidar data are processed to extract intensity and width of echoes. They are related to the target reflectance and geometry. Wa will investigate the relevancy of using lidar-derived Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) and 15 to investigate the potentiality of the intensity and width information for 3-D landcover classification. Considering the novelty and the complexity of such data, they are presented in details as well as guidelines to process them. DTMs are then validated with field measurements. The morphological validation of DTMs is then performed via the computation of hydrological indexes and photo-interpretation. Finally, a 3-D landcover classification is performed using a Support Vector Machine classifier. The introduction of an ortho-rectified optical image in the classification process as well as full-waveform lidar data for hydrological purposes is then discussed

A potential use for the C-band polarimetric SAR parameters to characterise the soil surface over bare agriculture fields

The objective of this study was to analyze the potential of the C-band polarimetric SAR parameters for the soil surface characterization of bare agricultural soils. RADARSAT-2 data and simulations using the Integral Equation Model (IEM) were analyzed to evaluate the polarimetric SAR parameters' sensitivities to the soil moisture and surface roughness. The results showed that the polarimetric parameters in the C-band were not very relevant to the characterization of the soil surface over bare agricultural areas. Low dynamics were often observed between the polarimetric parameters and both the soil moisture content and the soil surface roughness. These low dynamics do not allow for the accurate estimation of the soil parameters, but they could augment the standard inversion approaches to improve the estimation of these soil parameters. The polarimetric parameter alpha_1 could be used to detect very moist soils (>30%), while the anisotropy could be used to separate the smooth soils

2/3D imaging based on photonics-enabled multi-band MIMO radar system

Photonics-enabled coherent MIMO radars have been numerically investigated to evaluate the benefits of coherence and multi-band operation in 2/3D imaging

Estudo morfoanatômico comparativo entre a poaia (Psychotria ipecacuanha (Brot.) Stokes - Rubiaceae) obtida da região Amazônica (habitat original) e proveniente de processo biotecnológico submetida a diferentes tratamentos de interceptação da radiação solar.

A poaia ou ipeca (Psychotria ipecacuanha (Brot.) Stokes.-Rubiaceae) apesar de seu valor farmacológico e sócio-econômico é cada vez menos freqüente no seu habitat. O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar o estudo comparativo dos aspectos morfoanatômicos entre a espécie originária da Amazônia Brasileira e a obtida in vitro submetidas a diferentes tratamentos de interceptação de radiação solar, visando, desta forma, dar suporte a estudos com fins de preservação, cultivo, validação farmacognóstica/farmacopéica e ampliar o conhecimento biotecnológico desta espécie. A espécie nativa foi obtida de fragmento de mata (fase vegetativa) e empregada para micropropagação através do cultivo in vitro de fragmentos de segmentos internodais sobre meio de cultivo Murashige & Skoog com o regulador de crescimento BAP (2,0 mg/l de meio). Obtiveram-se plântulas que foram transferidas para casa de vegetação por 2 anos sob dois tipos de ambiente e três diferentes tratamentos de interceptação da radiação solar. Foi feito o estudo morfoanatômico, analisado estatisticamente. Verifica-se que as plantas originadas por processo biotecnológico e submetidas aos diferentes tratamentos apresentam morfologia semelhante à planta nativa, no entanto constatou-se um maior número de raízes secundárias, não há diferença significativa entre larguras e comprimentos de folhas, comprimento de raízes, estípulas, peso de raízes e rizomas. Mas, observou-se diferença estatística no comprimento do caule em relação à nativa

Endothelial cell CD36 regulates membrane ceramide formation, exosome fatty acid transfer and circulating fatty acid levels

Endothelial cell (EC) CD36 controls tissue fatty acid (FA) uptake. Here we examine how ECs transfer FAs. FA interaction with apical membrane CD36 induces Src phosphorylation of caveolin-1 tyrosine-14 (Cav-1Y14) and ceramide generation in caveolae. Ensuing fission of caveolae yields vesicles containing FAs, CD36 and ceramide that are secreted basolaterally as small (80-100 nm) exosome-like extracellular vesicles (sEVs). We visualize in transwells EC transfer of FAs in sEVs to underlying myotubes. In mice with EC-expression of the exosome marker emeraldGFP-CD63, muscle fibers accumulate circulating FAs in emGFP-labeled puncta. The FA-sEV pathway is mapped through its suppression by CD36 depletion, blocking actin-remodeling, Src inhibition, Cav-1Y14 mutation, and neutral sphingomyelinase 2 inhibition. Suppression of sEV formation in mice reduces muscle FA uptake, raises circulating FAs, which remain in blood vessels, and lowers glucose, mimicking prominent Cd3

A Telehealth-Delivered Pulmonary Rehabilitation Intervention in Underserved Hispanic and African American Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Community-Based Participatory Research Approach.

BACKGROUND:Although home telemonitoring (TM) is a promising approach for patients managing their chronic disease, rehabilitation using home TM has not been tested for use with individuals living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) residing in underserved communities. OBJECTIVE:This study aimed to analyze qualitative data from focus groups with key stakeholders to ensure the acceptability and usability of the TM COPD intervention. METHODS:We utilized a community-based participatory research (CBPR) approach to adapt a home TM COPD intervention to facilitate acceptability and feasibility in low-income African American and Hispanic patients. The study engaged community stakeholders in the process of modifying the intervention in the context of 2 community advisory board meetings. Discussions were audio recorded and professionally transcribed and lasted approximately 2 hours each. Structural coding was used to mark responses to topical questions in interview guides. RESULTS:We describe herein the formative process of a CBPR study aimed at optimizing telehealth utilization among African American and Latino patients with COPD from underserved communities. A total of 5 major themes emerged from qualitative analyses of community discussions: equipment changes, recruitment process, study logistics, self-efficacy, and access. The identification of themes was instrumental in understanding the concerns of patients and other stakeholders in adapting the pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) home intervention for acceptability for patients with COPD from underserved communities. CONCLUSIONS:These findings identify important adaptation recommendations from the stakeholder perspective that should be considered when implementing in-home PR via TM for underserved COPD patients. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03007485; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03007485

Altered pathways in methylome and transcriptome longitudinal analysis of normal weight and bariatric surgery women

DNA methylation could provide a link between environmental, genetic factors and weight control and can modify gene expression pattern. This study aimed to identify genes, which are differentially expressed and methylated depending on adiposity state by evaluating normal weight women and obese women before and after bariatric surgery (BS). We enrolled 24 normal weight (BMI: 22.5 +/- 1.6 kg/m(2)) and 24 obese women (BMI: 43.3 +/- 5.7 kg/m(2)) submitted to BS. Genome-wide methylation analysis was conducted using Infinium Human Methylation 450 BeadChip (threshold for significant CpG sites based on delta methylation level with a minimum value of 5%, a false discovery rate correction (FDR) of q /=2.0 was used to detect differentially expressed probes). The integrative analysis of both array data identified four genes (i.e. TPP2, PSMG6, ARL6IP1 and FAM49B) with higher methylation and lower expression level in pre-surgery women compared to normal weight women: and two genes (i.e. ZFP36L1 and USP32) that were differentially methylated after BS. These methylation changes were in promoter region and gene body. All genes are related to MAPK cascade, NIK/NF-kappaB signaling, cellular response to insulin stimulus, proteolysis and others. Integrating analysis of DNA methylation and gene expression evidenced that there is a set of genes relevant to obesity that changed after BS. A gene ontology analysis showed that these genes were enriched in biological functions related to adipogenesis, orexigenic, oxidative stress and insulin metabolism pathways. Also, our results suggest that although methylation plays a role in gene silencing, the majority of effects were not correlated

Engineering rotating apical-out airway organoid for assessing respiratory cilia motility

Motile cilia project from the airway apical surface and directly interface with inhaled external environment. Owing to cilia\u27s nanoscale dimension and high beating frequency, quantitative assessment of their motility remains a sophisticated task. Here we described a robust approach for reproducible engineering of apical-out airway organoid (AOAO) from a defined number of cells. Propelled by exterior-facing cilia beating, the mature AOAO exhibited stable rotational motion when surrounded by Matrigel. We developed a computational framework leveraging computer vision algorithms to quantify AOAO rotation and correlated it with the direct measurement of cilia motility. We further established the feasibility of using AOAO rotation to recapitulate and measure defective cilia motility caused by chemotherapy-induced toxicity and by CCDC39 mutations in cells from patients with primary ciliary dyskinesia. We expect our rotating AOAO model and the associated computational pipeline to offer a generalizable framework to expedite the modeling of and therapeutic development for genetic and environmental ciliopathies

CD36 maintains the gastric mucosa and associates with gastric disease

The gastric epithelium is often exposed to injurious elements and failure of appropriate healing predisposes to ulcers, hemorrhage, and ultimately cancer. We examined the gastric function of CD36, a protein linked to disease and homeostasis. We used the tamoxifen model of gastric injury in mice null for Cd36 (Cd3

ERS International Congress 2022: highlights from the Respiratory Clinical Care and Physiology Assembly

It is a challenge to keep abreast of all the clinical and scientific advances in the field of respiratory medicine. This article contains an overview of the laboratory-based science, clinical trials and qualitative research that were presented during the 2022 European Respiratory Society International Congress within the sessions from the five groups of Assembly 1 (Respiratory Clinical Care and Physiology). Selected presentations are summarised from a wide range of topics: clinical problems, rehabilitation and chronic care, general practice and primary care, mobile/electronic health (m-health/e-health), clinical respiratory physiology, exercise and functional imaging