Object identification and characterization with hyperspectral imagery to identify structure and function of Natura 2000 habitats

Habitat monitoring of designated areas under the EU Habitats Directive requires every 6 years information on area, range, structure and function for the protected (Annex I) habitat types. First results from studies on heathland areas in Belgium and the Netherlands show that hyperspectral imagery can be an important source of information to assist the evaluation of the habitat conservation status. Hyperspectral imagery can provide continuous maps of habitat quality indicators (e.g., life forms or structure types, management activities, grass, shrub and tree encroachment) at the pixel level. At the same time, terrain managers, nature conservation agencies and national authorities responsible for the reporting to the EU are not directly interested in pixels, but rather in information at the level of vegetation patches, groups of patches or the protected site as a whole. Such local level information is needed for management purposes, e.g., exact location of patches of habitat types and the sizes and quality of these patches within a protected site. Site complexity determines not only the classification success of remote sensing imagery, but influences also the results of aggregation of information from the pixel to the site level. For all these reasons, it is important to identify and characterize the vegetation patches. This paper focuses on the use of segmentation techniques to identify relevant vegetation patches in combination with spectral mixture analysis of hyperspectral imagery from the Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner (AHS). Comparison with traditional vegetation maps shows that the habitat or vegetation patches can be identified by segmentation of hyperspectral imagery. This paper shows that spectral mixture analysis in combination with segmentation techniques on hyperspectral imagery can provide useful information on processes such as grass encroachment that determine the conservation status of Natura 2000 heathland areas to a large extent. A limitation is that both advanced remote sensing approaches and traditional field based vegetation surveys seem to cause over and underestimations of grass encroachment for specific categories, but the first provides a better basis for monitoring if specific species are not directly considered

Система автоматического управления движением необитаемого подводного аппарата в условиях интервальной неопределенности его параметров

Исследование посвящено разработке математического обеспечения для синтеза система автоматического управления движением необитаемых подводных аппаратов в условиях интервальной неопределенности параметров самого аппарата и окружающей его водной среды.The research is dedicated to a problem of synthesizing motion control systems for unmanned underwater vehicles considering parametric uncertainty of water environment and vehicle itself

Разработка лабораторного стенда-макета автоматической системы регулирования системы отопления двухэтажного здания

Цель работы – создание комплекта проектной и конструкторской документации на разрабатываемый лабораторный стенд-макет автоматической системы регулирования системы отопления двухэтажного здания, позволяющий обучать студентов в области регулирования системы отопления. Объектом регулирования является макет здания, состоящего из двух этажей. Первый этаж включает в себя два помещения, второй – одно. В качестве теплоносителя используется вода. Основными преимуществами разработанной системы является ее уникальность среди подобных существующих проектов, а также наличие программно-оперативного комплекса на базе SCADA-системы, ведущего к повышению качества регулирования и быстродействия системы.The aim of the work is to create a set of design and construction documentation for the laboratory stand-prototype of an automatic control system for the heating system of a two-story building, which will allow students to be trained in the field of regulation of the heating system. The object of regulation is the prototype of the building, which consists of two floors. The first floor includes two rooms, the second includes one room. Water is used as a heat conductor. The main advantages of the developed system are its uniqueness among similar existing projects and also the availability of a software-operational complex based on a SCADA system, leading to improved regulation and system response speed

Автоматизированная система дозирования сырья на суточных силосах производства каменной ваты

Предпосылкой для разработки системы автоматизации послужили недостатки систем дозирования сырья в металлургических, химических и перерабатывающих отраслях производств, на основе тарельчатых и шнековых питателей, в виде неточности взвешиваемой величины дозируемых компонентов, в связи с чем, предлагается разработка автоматизированной системы дозирования на основе вибрационных дозаторов с частотным регулированием работы приводов. Разработанная автоматизированная система позволит повысить точность дозируемых материалов, а также увеличит производительность системы, что в положительную сторону отразится на технико-экономических показателях производства.The prerequisite for the development of the automation system was the shortcomings of the dosing systems of raw materials in the metallurgical, chemical and processing industries, based on plate and screw feeders, in the form of inaccuracy of the weighed quantity of the dosed components, and therefore, it is proposed to develop an automated dosing system based on vibration dispensers with a frequency regulation of the drives. The developed automated system will improve the accuracy of the dosed materials, as well as increase the performance of the system, which will positively affect the technical and economic indicators of production

Nanoelectropulse-driven membrane perturbation and small molecule permeabilization

BACKGROUND: Nanosecond, megavolt-per-meter pulsed electric fields scramble membrane phospholipids, release intracellular calcium, and induce apoptosis. Flow cytometric and fluorescence microscopy evidence has associated phospholipid rearrangement directly with nanoelectropulse exposure and supports the hypothesis that the potential that develops across the lipid bilayer during an electric pulse drives phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization. RESULTS: In this work we extend observations of cells exposed to electric pulses with 30 ns and 7 ns durations to still narrower pulse widths, and we find that even 3 ns pulses are sufficient to produce responses similar to those reported previously. We show here that in contrast to unipolar pulses, which perturb membrane phospholipid order, tracked with FM1-43 fluorescence, only at the anode side of the cell, bipolar pulses redistribute phospholipids at both the anode and cathode poles, consistent with migration of the anionic PS head group in the transmembrane field. In addition, we demonstrate that, as predicted by the membrane charging hypothesis, a train of shorter pulses requires higher fields to produce phospholipid scrambling comparable to that produced by a time-equivalent train of longer pulses (for a given applied field, 30, 4 ns pulses produce a weaker response than 4, 30 ns pulses). Finally, we show that influx of YO-PRO-1, a fluorescent dye used to detect early apoptosis and activation of the purinergic P2X(7 )receptor channels, is observed after exposure of Jurkat T lymphoblasts to sufficiently large numbers of pulses, suggesting that membrane poration occurs even with nanosecond pulses when the electric field is high enough. Propidium iodide entry, a traditional indicator of electroporation, occurs with even higher pulse counts. CONCLUSION: Megavolt-per-meter electric pulses as short as 3 ns alter the structure of the plasma membrane and permeabilize the cell to small molecules. The dose responses of cells to unipolar and bipolar pulses ranging from 3 ns to 30 ns duration support the hypothesis that a field-driven charging of the membrane dielectric causes the formation of pores on a nanosecond time scale, and that the anionic phospholipid PS migrates electrophoretically along the wall of these pores to the external face of the membrane

Alteration of the phospho- or neutral lipid content and fatty acid composition in Listeria monocytogenes due to acid adaptation mechanisms for hydrochloric, acetic and lactic acids at pH 5.5 or benzoic acid at neutral pH

This study provides a first approach to observe the effects on Listeria monocytogenes of cellular exposure to acid stress at low or neutral pH, notably how phospho- or neutral lipids are involved in this mechanism, besides the fatty acid profile alteration. A thorough investigation of the composition of polar and neutral lipids from L. monocytogenes grown at pH 5.5 in presence of hydrochloric, acetic and lactic acids, or at neutral pH 7.3 in presence of benzoic acid, is described relative to cells grown in acid-free medium. The results showed that only low pH values enhance the antimicrobial activity of an acid. We suggest that, irrespective of pH, the acid adaptation response will lead to a similar alteration in fatty acid composition [decreasing the ratio of branched chain/saturated straight fatty acids of total lipids], mainly originating from the neutral lipid class of adapted cultures. Acid adaptation in L. monocytogenes was correlated with a decrease in total lipid phosphorus and, with the exception of cells adapted to benzoic acid, this change in the amount of phosphorus reflected a higher content of the neutral lipid class. Upon acetic or benzoic acid stress the lipid phosphorus proportion was analysed in the main phospholipids present: cardiolipin, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphoaminolipid and phosphatidylinositol. Interestingly only benzoic acid had a dramatic effect on the relative quantities of these four phospholipids

Istraživanje mehanizma toksičnosti anilina u eritrocitima

Strategies for the use of bio-indicators in the prediction of environmental damage should include mechanistic research. This study involves the relationship between the chemical structure and hemotoxic markers of aniline and its halogenated analogs. Aniline-induced methemoglobinemia, loss of circulating blood cells, blood stability, glutathione depletion and membrane cytoskeletal changes were assessed following exposure to phenylhydroxylamine (PHA), para-fluoro-, para-bromo-, and para-iodo in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Methemoglobin was determined spectrophotometrically at 635 nm. Erythrocyte depletion was investigated by loss of radioactivity in chromium-labeled red blood cells in vivo. Membrane proteins were analyzed by SDS-PAGE using red blood ghost cells treated with various aniline analogs. Results showed dose- and time-dependent changes in the induction of methemoglobin of up to 78 % with para-bromo PHA and 75 % with para-iodo PHA compared to 3 % to 5 % in control. Treated animals lost up to three times more blood from circulation compared to control within 14 days after treatment. Erythrocytes were more stable in buffer solution than in para-iodo-treated cells. Depletion of reduced glutathione in PHA and para-iodo-PHA treated red cells was also observed. Analysis of red cell skeletal membrane treated with para-iodo-PHA showed that protein band 2.1 became broader and band 2.2 diminished completely in some treatments. Dose- and time-dependent changes suggested the use of hemotoxic endpoints as potential biomarkers for assessing chemical and drug safetyStrategije primjene biopokazatelja za predviđanje štete u okolišu trebaju u obzir uzeti istraživanja mehanizama djelovanja. Ovo istraživanje propituje odnos između kemijske strukture i hemotoksičnih pokazatelja djelovanja anilina i njegovh halogeniranih analoga. Nakon izlaganja mužjaka štakora soja Sprague-Dawley para-fluoro-, para-bromo- i para-jodofenilhidroksilaminu, utvrđena je methemoglobinemija uzrokovana anilinom te pad broja krvnih stanica u krvotoku i stabilnosti krvi, gubitak glutationa i promjene na membrani stanice. Methemoglobin je određivan spektrofotometrijski na 635 nm. Pad broja eritrocita mjeren je in vivo s pomoću eritrocita obilježenih radioaktivnim kromom. Membranske su bjelančevine analizirane s pomoću SDS-PAGE, rabeći eritrocite bez hemoglobina (engl. ghost cells) kojima su dodani različiti analozi anilina. Nalazi upućuju na promjene indukcije methemoglobina ovisno o dozi i vremenu djelovanja do 78 % s para-bromo-fenilhidroksilaminom te do 75 % s para-jodofenilhidroksilaminom u usporedbi s 3 % do 5 % u kontrolnih uzoraka. U razdoblju od 14 dana nakon tretiranja izložene životinje izgubile su tri puta više krvi iz krvotoka od kontrolnih. Eritrociti su bili stabilniji u puferskoj otopini negoli u stanicama kojima je dodan para-jodofenilhidroksilamin. Zamijećen je i pad glutationa u eritrocitima kojima je dodan fenilhidroksilamin odnosno para-jodofenilhidroksilamin. Analizom membrane eritrocita kojima je dodan para-jodofenilhidroksilamin zamijećeno je da se u pojedinih obrada raširila proteinska vrpca 2.1, a potpuno smanjila proteinska vrpca 2.2. Zamijećene promjene uvjetovane dozom i vremenom upućuju na primjenu hemotoksičnih parametara kao mogućih biopokazatelja u procjeni sigurnosti lijeka odnosno kemikalije

Copper and tin isotopic analysis of ancient bronzes for archaeological investigation: development and validation of a suitable analytical methodology

Although in many cases Pb isotopic analysis can be relied on for provenance determination of ancient bronzes, sometimes the use of “non-traditional” isotopic systems, such as those of Cu and Sn, is required. The work reported on in this paper aimed at revising the methodology for Cu and Sn isotope ratio measurements in archaeological bronzes via optimization of the analytical procedures in terms of sample pre-treatment, measurement protocol, precision, and analytical uncertainty. For Cu isotopic analysis, both Zn and Ni were investigated for their merit as internal standard (IS) relied on for mass bias correction. The use of Ni as IS seems to be the most robust approach as Ni is less prone to contamination, has a lower abundance in bronzes and an ionization potential similar to that of Cu, and provides slightly better reproducibility values when applied to NIST SRM 976 Cu isotopic reference material. The possibility of carrying out direct isotopic analysis without prior Cu isolation (with AG-MP-1 anion exchange resin) was investigated by analysis of CRM IARM 91D bronze reference material, synthetic solutions, and archaeological bronzes. Both procedures (Cu isolation/no Cu isolation) provide similar δ 65Cu results with similar uncertainty budgets in all cases (±0.02–0.04 per mil in delta units, k = 2, n = 4). Direct isotopic analysis of Cu therefore seems feasible, without evidence of spectral interference or matrix-induced effect on the extent of mass bias. For Sn, a separation protocol relying on TRU-Spec anion exchange resin was optimized, providing a recovery close to 100 % without on-column fractionation. Cu was recovered quantitatively together with the bronze matrix with this isolation protocol. Isotopic analysis of this Cu fraction provides δ 65Cu results similar to those obtained upon isolation using AG-MP-1 resin. This means that Cu and Sn isotopic analysis of bronze alloys can therefore be carried out after a single chromatographic separation using TRU-Spec resin. Tin isotopic analysis was performed relying on Sb as an internal standard used for mass bias correction. The reproducibility over a period of 1 month (n = 42) for the mass bias-corrected Sn isotope ratios is in the range of 0.06–0.16 per mil (2 s), for all the ratios monitored