Comparing Forest Species Emissivity Using Airborne Thermal Infrared Hyperspectral data in a Mixed Temperate Forest

The need to identify and remotely speciate different vegetation classes in mixed forest environments continues to be an important area for ecosystem conservation and management purposes. Such applications generally rely on the biochemical and biophysical properties found in the VNIR (0.3–1.0 μm) and SWIR (1.0–2.5 μm) regions. Nevertheless, foliar spectral behaviour in the TIR (8–14 μm) domain hassignificant interspecies variability that has been shown to correlate with the spectral features of key plant constituents. Different plant species have been successfully discriminated in the laboratory using leaf emissivity spectra. However, given the complexity of emissivity at the canopy level, species discrimination using canopy emissivity spectra obtained from airborne TIR remains unexplored. This study aims to compare the differences in the canopy emissivity spectra obtained from the airborne TIR hyperspectral data among and between various vegetation covers in a mixed temperate forest

Building laboratory capacity to detect and characterize pathogens of public and global health security concern in Kenya

Since 1979, multiple CDC Kenya programs have supported the development of diagnostic expertise and laboratory capacity in Kenya. In 2004, CDC's Global Disease Detection (GDD) program within the Division of Global Health Protection in Kenya (DGHP-Kenya) initiated close collaboration with Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and developed a laboratory partnership called the Diagnostic and Laboratory Systems Program (DLSP). DLSP built onto previous efforts by malaria, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and tuberculosis (TB) programs and supported the expansion of the diagnostic expertise and capacity in KEMRI and the Ministry of Health. First, DLSP developed laboratory capacity for surveillance of diarrheal, respiratory, zoonotic and febrile illnesses to understand the etiology burden of these common illnesses and support evidenced-based decisions on vaccine introductions and recommendations in Kenya. Second, we have evaluated and implemented new diagnostic technologies such as TaqMan Array Cards (TAC) to detect emerging or reemerging pathogens and have recently added a next generation sequencer (NGS). Third, DLSP provided rapid laboratory diagnostic support for outbreak investigation to Kenya and regional countries. Fourth, DLSP has been assisting the Kenya National Public Health laboratory-National Influenza Center and microbiology reference laboratory to obtain World Health Organization (WHO) certification and ISO15189 accreditation respectively. Fifth, we have supported biosafety and biosecurity curriculum development to help Kenyan laboratories safely and appropriately manage infectious pathogens. These achievements, highlight how in collaboration with existing CDC programs working on HIV, tuberculosis and malaria, the Global Health Security Agenda can have significantly improve public health in Kenya and the region. Moreover, Kenya provides an example as to how laboratory science can help countries detect and control of infectious disease outbreaks and other public health threats more rapidly, thus enhancing global health security