Representative Landscapes in the Forested Area of Canada

Canada is a large nation with forested ecosystems that occupy over 60% of the national land base, and knowledge of the patterns of Canada’s land cover is important to proper environmental management of this vast resource. To this end, a circa 2000 Landsat-derived land cover map of the forested ecosystems of Canada has created a new window into understanding the composition and configuration of land cover patterns in forested Canada. Strategies for summarizing such large expanses of land cover are increasingly important, as land managers work to study and preserve distinctive areas, as well as to identify representative examples of current land-cover and land-use assemblages. Meanwhile, the development of extremely efficient clustering algorithms has become increasingly important in the world of computer science, in which billions of pieces of information on the internet are continually sifted for meaning for a vast variety of applications. One recently developed clustering algorithm quickly groups large numbers of items of any type in a given data set while simultaneously selecting a representative—or “exemplar”—from each cluster. In this context, the availability of both advanced data processing methods and a nationally available set of landscape metrics presents an opportunity to identify sets of representative landscapes to better understand landscape pattern, variation, and distribution across the forested area of Canada. In this research, we first identify and provide context for a small, interpretable set of exemplar landscapes that objectively represent land cover in each of Canada’s ten forested ecozones. Then, we demonstrate how this approach can be used to identify flagship and satellite long-term study areas inside and outside protected areas in the province of Ontario. These applications aid our understanding of Canada’s forest while augmenting its management toolbox, and may signal a broad range of applications for this versatile approach

КЛИНИКО-ЭПИДЕМИОЛОГИЧЕСКИЕ АСПЕКТЫ ЭХИНОКОККОЗА У ДЕТЕЙ В АСТРАХАНСКОЙ ОБЛАСТИ

Purpose of the study: Analyze the epidemiological situation of echinococcosis in children in the Astrakhan region. In the Astrakhan region from 2001 to 2016. Registered 141 cases of echinococcosis in humans, incl. In children — 22 cases (15,6%). Among all the sick children, echinococcosis was more often reported in school-age persons — 90,9%. From the preschool age group, echinococcosis was recorded in two (9,1%) unorganized children aged 5 and 6 years. The main complaints in the majority of invasive children were pain and a feeling of heaviness in the right hypochondrium — 40,9%, periodically arising cramping pain in the area of localization of the parasite — 31,8%. In rare cases, complaints of weakness and a feeling of bursting at the site of echinococcal cyst localization were noted — 4,5% each. A part of patients — 18,2% of the complaints were absent. When diagnosing, both laboratory and instrumental diagnostic methods were used. In most cases — 90,9%, the diagnosis of echinococcosis was confirmed by the enzyme immunoassay (ELISA method). Thus, recently in the territory of the Astrakhan region there has been an increase in the number of cases of human infection with echinococcus, incl. аnd children of school age. The parasite is located, as a rule, in the liver and lung. The disease was susceptible to those who had a history of permanent contact with non-undelminthic dogs. In the diagnosis of echinococcosis, the main role is played by the complex methods of ELISA, CT, ultrasound, x-ray and histological methods.  Цель исследования: проанализировать эпидемиологическую ситуацию по эхинококкозу у детей в Астраханской области. В Астраханской области с 2001 по 2016 гг. зарегистрирован 141 случай эхинококкоза у человека, в т.ч. 22 случая — у детей (15,6%). Среди всех заболевших детей, эхинококкоз чаще регистрировался у школьников — 90,9%. Из группы пациентов дошкольного возраста эхинококкоз выявлен у двух (9,1%) неорганизованных детей в возрасте 5 и 6 лет. Основными жалобами у большинства инвазированных детей были боль и чувство тяжести в области правого подреберья — 40,9%, периодически возникающая схваткообразная боль в области локализации паразита — 31,8%. В редких случаях отмечались жалобы на слабость и чувство распирания в месте локализации эхинококковой кисты — по 4,5%. У части больных —18,2% жалобы отсутствовали. В большинстве случаев — 90,9% диагноз эхинококкоз был подтвержден метом иммуноферментного анализа (ИФА). Таким образом, в последнее время на территории Астраханской области отмечается увеличение числа случаев заражения человека эхинококком, в т.ч. и детей школьного возраста. Паразит локализовался, как правило, в печени и легком. Заболеванию были подвержены лица, имевшие в анамнезе постоянный контакт с недегельминтизированными собаками. В диагностике эхинококкоза главную роль играет комплекс методов: ИФА, КТ, УЗИ, рентгенологический и гистологический. 

Lawson criterion for ignition exceeded in an inertial fusion experiment

For more than half a century, researchers around the world have been engaged in attempts to achieve fusion ignition as a proof of principle of various fusion concepts. Following the Lawson criterion, an ignited plasma is one where the fusion heating power is high enough to overcome all the physical processes that cool the fusion plasma, creating a positive thermodynamic feedback loop with rapidly increasing temperature. In inertially confined fusion, ignition is a state where the fusion plasma can begin "burn propagation" into surrounding cold fuel, enabling the possibility of high energy gain. While "scientific breakeven" (i.e., unity target gain) has not yet been achieved (here target gain is 0.72, 1.37 MJ of fusion for 1.92 MJ of laser energy), this Letter reports the first controlled fusion experiment, using laser indirect drive, on the National Ignition Facility to produce capsule gain (here 5.8) and reach ignition by nine different formulations of the Lawson criterion

COMPARISON OF DIAGNOSTIC EFFECTIVENESS OF METHODS OF DETECTION OF COXIELLA BURNETII IN BLOOD OF PATIENTS WITH Q FEVER BASED ON AMPLIFICATION OF 16S rRNA GENE FRAGMENTS (STANDARD PCR) AND groEL GENE (REALTIME PCR)

Aim. Comparison of diagnostic capabilities of 2 variants of PCR for detection of Coxiella burnetii persistence in dynamics of infectious process in patients with Q fever. Materials and methods. 110 samples of clinical material, obtained from patients with Q fever in an endemic region for this infection (Astrakhan region), were studied. The samples were studied in a standard PCR (marker - 16S rRNA gene fragment) and in real-time PCR (RT-PCR) (marker - groEL gene fragment). Results. Both markers were established to be perspective for detection of C. burnetii DNA in clinical material, and RT-PCR detects positive result including late stages of the disease (illness day 21 - 31). Conclusion. This study is the first Russian publication on comparison on different PCR variants for detection of C. burnetii in blood of Q fever patients in dynamics of the infectious process

CLINICAL AND EPIDEMIOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF ECHINOCOCCOSIS IN CHILDREN IN THE ASTRAKHAN REGION

Purpose of the study: Analyze the epidemiological situation of echinococcosis in children in the Astrakhan region. In the Astrakhan region from 2001 to 2016. Registered 141 cases of echinococcosis in humans, incl. In children — 22 cases (15,6%). Among all the sick children, echinococcosis was more often reported in school-age persons — 90,9%. From the preschool age group, echinococcosis was recorded in two (9,1%) unorganized children aged 5 and 6 years. The main complaints in the majority of invasive children were pain and a feeling of heaviness in the right hypochondrium — 40,9%, periodically arising cramping pain in the area of localization of the parasite — 31,8%. In rare cases, complaints of weakness and a feeling of bursting at the site of echinococcal cyst localization were noted — 4,5% each. A part of patients — 18,2% of the complaints were absent. When diagnosing, both laboratory and instrumental diagnostic methods were used. In most cases — 90,9%, the diagnosis of echinococcosis was confirmed by the enzyme immunoassay (ELISA method). Thus, recently in the territory of the Astrakhan region there has been an increase in the number of cases of human infection with echinococcus, incl. аnd children of school age. The parasite is located, as a rule, in the liver and lung. The disease was susceptible to those who had a history of permanent contact with non-undelminthic dogs. In the diagnosis of echinococcosis, the main role is played by the complex methods of ELISA, CT, ultrasound, x-ray and histological methods