Different methodologies for calculating crown volume of Platanus hispanica trees by terrestial laser scanner and comparison with classical dendrometric measurements

Terrestrial laser scanners (TLSs) are used in forestry and fruit culture applications to perform a threedimensional geometrical characterization of trees and so make it easier to develop management systems based on that information. In addition, this data can improve the accuracy of dendrometric variable estimations, such as crown volume, obtained by standard methods. The main objective of this paper is to compare classical methods for crown volume estimation with the volumes obtained from the processing of point clouds obtained using a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) on urban Platanus hispanica trees. This will allow faster quantification of residual biomass from pruning and therefore an improved management in future. The methods applied using TLS data were also evaluated in terms of processing speed. A set of 30 specimens were selected and their main dendrometric parameters (such as diameter breast height, crown diameter, total height, and distance from the crown base to the soil) were manually measured using classical methods. From these dendrometric parameters, the apparent crown volumes were calculated using three geometric models: cone, hemisphere, and paraboloid. Simultaneously, these trees were scanned with a Leica ScanStation2. A laser point cloud was registered for each tree and processed to obtain the crown volumes. Four processing methods were analyzed: (a) convex hull (an irregular polyhedral surface formed by triangles that surround the crown) applied to the whole point cloud that forms the crown; (b) convex hull using slices of 10 cm in height from the top to the base of the crown; (c) XY triangulation in horizontal sections; and (d) voxel discretization. All the obtained volumes (derived from classical methods and TLS) were assessed and compared. The regression equations that compare the volumes obtained by dendrometry and those derived from TLS data showed coefficients of determination (R2) greater than 0.78. The highest R2 (0.89) was obtained in the comparison between the volume calculated using a paraboloid and flat sections, which was also the fastest method. These results show the potential of TLS for predicting the crown volumes of urban trees, such as P. hispanica, to help improve their management, especially the quantification of residual biomass.The authors appreciate the financial support provided by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation in the framework of the Project AGL2010-15334 and by the Generalitat Valenciana in the framework of the Project GV/2012/003.Fernández-Sarría, A.; Martínez, L.; Velázquez Martí, B.; Sajdak, M.; Estornell Cremades, J.; Recio Recio, JA. (2013). Different methodologies for calculating crown volume of Platanus hispanica trees by terrestial laser scanner and comparison with classical dendrometric measurements. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 90(1):176-185. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2012.09.017S17618590

Residual biomass calculation from individual tree architecture using terrestrial laser scanner and ground-level measurements

Large quantity of residual biomass with possible energy and industrial end can be obtained from management operations of urban forests. The profitability of exploiting this resource is conditioned by the amount of existing biomass within urban community ecosystems. Prior research pointed out that residual biomass from Platanus hispanica and other tree species can be calculated from dendrometric parameters. In this study, two approaches have been analyzed: First, applicability of TLS was tested for residual biomass calculation from crown volume. In addition, traditional models for residual biomass prediction were developed from dendrometric parameters (tree height, crown diameter, and diameter at breast height). Next, a comparison between parameters obtained with both methodologies (standard methodologies vs TLS) was carried out. The results indicate a strong relationship (R2 = 0.906) between crown diameters and between total tree heights (R2 = 0.868). The crown volumes extracted from the TLS point cloud were calculated by 4 different methods: convex hull; convex hull by slices of 5 cm height in the XY plane; triangulation by XY flat sections, and voxel modeling. The highest accuracy was found when the voxel method was used for pruned biomass prediction (R2 = 0.731). The results revealed the potential of TLS data to determine dendrometric parameters and biomass yielded from pruning quitar of urban forestsFernández-Sarría, A.; Velázquez Martí, B.; Sajdak, M.; Martinez, L.; Estornell Cremades, J. (2013). Residual biomass calculation from individual tree architecture using terrestrial laser scanner and ground-level measurements. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 93:90-97. doi:10.1016/j.compag.2013.01.012S90979

The Influence of Perceived Parenting on Substance Initiation Among Mexican Children

Parents shape their children\u27s behaviors and impact their developmental trajectories. Despite this, few studies have examined the potential relationship between child reported parenting factors and lifetime substance use and use intentions. The current study examined the potential impact of parenting factors (i.e., positive parenting, supervision, parental illicit substance use, substance-specific communication) on early substance use and intentions among Latinx children. Data for the present study utilized a representative sample of Mexican children (n = 52,171; 5th and 6th grades) who participated in a national survey on substance use. Children reported their demographics, lifetime substance use/intentions, and perceived parenting characteristic and practices. Child reported parental (i.e., individual or both parents) illicit substance use was associated with the largest increases in risk for reporting lifetime use of all substances examined. Higher levels of positive parenting were consistently associated with reductions in risk for reporting intentions for and use of all substances examined. Parent-child substance specific communication was not significantly related to child reported lifetime use or use intentions, with the exception of a minor decrease in the odds of reporting lifetime inhalant use. Supervision was associated with small to modest increase in risk. Substance use prevention efforts targeting Latinx populations may benefit from promoting positive parenting and direct supervision during childhood. Targeted prevention efforts may be needed for Latinx children exposed to parental illicit substance use, as they may be especially at risk for early substance initiation

Analysis of mitochondrial enzymatic activity in blood lymphomonocyte fractions during infection with different Trypanosoma cruzi strains

Proinflammatory and inflammatory mediators induced by Trypanosoma cruzi infection increase the oxidative stress, generating toxicity for cells targeting mitochondria of different tissues. We studied the activity of citrate synthase and complexes I-IV of respiratory chain in mitochondria of blood lymphomonocyte fraction, from albino Swiss mice infected with different isolates of T. cruzi, during Chagas disease evolution. Complexes I-IV were modified in infected groups (p<0.05) in all the stages, and an inflammatory process of different magnitudes was detected in the heart and skeletal muscle according to the isolate. The citrate synthase activity presented modifications in the SGO Z12 and the Tulahuen group (p<0.05). Hearts showed fiber fragmentation and fibrosis; skeletal muscle presented inflammatory infiltrates and in the Tulahuen infected group, there were also amastigote nests. The inflammatory processes produced an oxidative stress that induced different alterations of mitochondrial enzymes activities in the lymphomonocyte fraction that can be detected by a simple blood extraction, suggesting that they could be used as disease markers, especially in the indeterminate phase of Chagas disease

An active tectonic field for CO2 storage management: the Hontomín onshore case study (Spain)

One of the concerns of underground CO2 onshore storage is the triggering of induced seismicity and fault reactivation by the pore pressure increasing. Hence, a comprehensive analysis of the tectonic parameters involved in the storage rock formation is mandatory for safety management operations. Unquestionably, active faults and seal faults depicting the storage bulk are relevant parameters to be considered. However, there is a lack of analysis of the active tectonic strain field affecting these faults during the CO2 storage monitoring. The advantage of reconstructing the tectonic field is the possibility to determine the strain trajectories and describing the fault patterns affecting the reservoir rock. In this work, we adapt a methodology of systematic geostructural analysis to underground CO2 storage, based on the calculation of the strain field from kinematics indicators on the fault planes (ey and ex for the maximum and minimum horizontal shortening, respectively). This methodology is based on a statistical analysis of individual strain tensor solutions obtained from fresh outcrops from the Triassic to the Miocene. Consequently, we have collected 447 fault data in 32 field stations located within a 20 km radius. The understanding of the fault sets’ role for underground fluid circulation can also be established, helping further analysis of CO2 leakage and seepage. We have applied this methodology to Hontomín onshore CO2 storage facilities (central Spain). The geology of the area and the number of high-quality outcrops made this site a good candidate for studying the strain field from kinematics fault analysis. The results indicate a strike-slip tectonic regime with maximum horizontal shortening with a 160 and 50◦ E trend for the local regime, which activates NE–SW strike-slip faults. A regional extensional tectonic field was also recognized with a N–S trend, which activates N–S extensional faults, and NNE–SSW and NNW– SSE strike-slip faults, measured in the Cretaceous limestone on top of the Hontomín facilities. Monitoring these faults within the reservoir is suggested in addition to the possibility of obtaining a focal mechanism solutions for microearthquakes (M < 3)This work has been partially supported by the European Project ENOS: ENabling Onshore CO2 Storage in Europe, H2020 Project ID: 653718 and the Spanish project 3GEO, CGL2017-83931-C3-2-P, MICIU-FEDE

Unprecedented pathway of reducing equivalents in a diflavin-linked disulfide oxidoreductase

Flavoproteins participate in a wide variety of physiologically relevant processes that typically involve redox reactions. Within this protein superfamily, there exists a group that is able to transfer reducing equivalents from FAD to a redox-active disulfide bridge, which further reduces disulfide bridges in target proteins to regulate their structure and function. We have identified a previously undescribed type of flavin enzyme that is exclusive to oxygenic photosynthetic prokaryotes and that is based on the primary sequence that had been assigned as an NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase (NTR). However, our experimental data show that the protein does not transfer reducing equivalents from flavins to disulfides as in NTRs but functions in the opposite direction. High-resolution structures of the protein from Gloeobacter violaceus and Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 obtained by X-ray crystallography showed two juxtaposed FAD molecules per monomer in redox communication with an active disulfide bridge in a variant of the fold adopted by NTRs. We have tentatively named the flavoprotein “DDOR” (diflavin-linked disulfide oxidoreductase) and propose that its activity is linked to a thiol-based transfer of reducing equivalents in bacterial membranes. These findings expand the structural and mechanistic repertoire of flavoenzymes with oxidoreductase activity and pave the way to explore new protein engineering approaches aimed at designing redox-active proteins for diverse biotechnological applications

Oxidative Stress and Parkinson’s Disease: Effects on Environmental Toxicology

Epidemiological studies have found an increased risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD) with environmental factors such as exposure to substances derived from industrial processes, use of agrochemicals, or living in a rural environment. The hypothesis that certain environmental toxins could be the source of the EP is supported by the discovery that chemicals such as herbicides paraquat, diquat, and the fungicide maneb are selectively toxic in nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. Also, one of the insecticides produced by plants, such as rotenone, and by-product of the synthesis of synthetic heroin MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) can be reproduced in animal models where neurochemicals, histopathological, and clinical characteristic of PD can be found. Interestingly, there are similarities in the chemical structure of paraquat and MPTP. Recent evidence exhibited that inflammation and oxidative stress play an essential role in the development of PD. So, in our laboratory we found that in an animal model melatonin decreases the products of lipid oxidation, nitric oxide metabolites, and the activity of cyclooxygenase 2, which are induced by an intraperitoneal injection of MPTP. This suggests that the neuroprotective effects of melatonin are partially attributed to its antioxidant scavenging and anti-inflammatory action

Historial de salud personal unico, confiable y ubicuo

Existen centros asistenciales que continúan registrando los datos de la historia clínica del paciente de manera autónoma generando información fragmentada. Aquellos que cuentan con un sistema de Historia Clínica Electrónica (HCE) generalmente no poseen mecanismos de interoperabilidad, o bien existen implementaciones de manera ad-hoc entre sistemas. En consecuencia el historial clínico se encuentra distribuido en los centros asistenciales en los cuales consulto el paciente. Este trabajo propone una arquitectura interoperable de sistema de Historial de Salud Personal (HSP) centralizado en la nube para la unificación de historiales clínicos y el acceso ubicuo a los datos junto con los mecanismos de privacidad y seguridad de datos. Se presenta la implementación de un prototipo para el área de pediatría, el cual se encuentra en fase de evaluación por profesionales de la Sociedad Paraguaya de Pediatría(SPP).CONACYT - Consejo Nacional de Ciencias y TecnologíaPROCIENCI

Ceres Scales Ground Validation Campaigns for Gerb. Assessment of the Valencia Anchor Station Capabilities

Proceedings del 3rd MSG RAO Workshop, celebrado el 15 de junio de 2006 en Helsinki, Finlandia.The Valencia Anchor Station (VAS) was set up by the University of Valencia at the natural region of UtielRequena Plateau in 2001. The plateau is a large and reasonably homogeneous area suitable for validation of low spatial resolution satellite data and products such as GERB's. In the framework of the EUMETSAT/ESA MSG-RAO Project no. 138 GIST Proposal for Calibration/Validation of SEVIRI and GERB, and of the Spanish Research Programme on Space Project SCALES (SEVIRI & GERB Cal/Val Area for Largescale Field ExperimentS), three GERB ground validation campaigns have so far been carried out at the VAS under different land surface conditions. CERES instruments onboard NASA EOS Aqua and Terra satellites, operating in PAPS (Programmable Azimuth Plane Scanning) mode, have generously provided additional SW and LW radiance measurements to support validation efforts. These have shown to be most valuable as intermediate validation step between ground measurements and the large GERB pixel size