Evaluating the Utility of Object-Based Image Analysis for Ecological Monitoring of Pinon-Juniper Mortality

Forested ecosystems in the American Southwest are experiencing change at an unprecedented rate, largely due to mortality events triggered by increased temperatures, drought, and insect infestations. Large-scale changes in the distributions of these ecosystems can potentially alter regional-scale carbon, water and energy dynamics. One biome in particular that has experienced increased mortality and altered forest composition over the past 30 years are Piñon-Juniper woodlands (Pinus edulis, Juniperus spp.) in the American Southwest. New fields of study, in particular, Remote Sensing, are applying and adapting traditional methods for ecological monitoring of these woodlands. Remote sensing offers the potential to synoptically classify and quantify specific tree species within mixed communities such as Piñon-Juniper (PJ) woodlands. This thesis tests the utility and reliability of an Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA) classification applied to Very-High Resolution (VHR) imagery fused with historical National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) imagery for detecting and quantifying piñon-pine mortality trends on a plateau of PJ woodland in Central New Mexico. Specifically, the research seeks to determine: (1) the accuracy of OBIA applied to VHR imagery for quantifying live PJ and dead piñon; and (2) the potential of NAIP data for creating an ecological timeline of forest mortality from 2005-2014. The OBIA process generated an overall classification accuracy of over 70%, whereas the time-series analysis using NAIP resulted in an overestimation of piñon mortality when compared to two sample-plots at the region

La funzione affettivo-educativa dei genitori nell’affidamento “diviso”. Una nota di commento pedagogico al disegno di legge Pillon

The paper deals with the issue of the parents’ affective-educational function towards their offspring, after the failure of their union and comments on the Pillon bill. This bill strictly defines the time spent by minor children with each of the parents. This option appears very critical: the task of the legislator should only be to define a principle; the time for children to attend with each parent should be ample, bearing in mind the concrete situation and children’s need for a serene and balanced growth. The Pillon bill also offers the opportunity for an educational reflection on the topic of the “right of love”, as a subjective right to parental affection, essential for the emotional life of children and for their harmonious education. Denying the right of love means denying freedom and dignity

A new model for hemoglobin ingestion and transport by the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

The current model for hemoglobin ingestion and transport by intraerythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasites shares similarities with endocytosis. However, the model is largely hypothetical, and the mechanisms responsible for the ingestion and transport of host cell hemoglobin to the lysosome-like food vacuole (FV) of the parasite are poorly understood. Because actin dynamics play key roles in vesicle formation and transport in endocytosis, we used the actin-perturbing agents jasplakinolide and cytochalasin D to investigate the role of parasite actin in hemoglobin ingestion and transport to the FV. In addition, we tested the current hemoglobin trafficking model through extensive analysis of serial thin sections of parasitized erythrocytes (PE) by electron microscopy. We find that actin dynamics play multiple, important roles in the hemoglobin transport pathway, and that hemoglobin delivery to the FV via the cytostomes might be required for parasite survival. Evidence is provided for a new model, in which hemoglobin transport to the FV occurs by a vesicle-independent process

Structural and transport properties of aluminum atomic wires

We report a first-principles calculation of structural properties and quantum conductance of aluminum atomic wires. Our data together with a simple model allows us to predict the behavior of the elastic constant C11 as a function of the cross-sectional size of the free-standing wires. The quantum molecular dynamics, performed at both 0 and 300 K, provides information concerning the stability of these atomic wires. For the most stable wire, relaxation at 0 K causes a change of approximately 2-4 % in atomic positions, and room temperature contributes another 4–6 %. We obtain the quantum conductance of these wires by combining density functional theory and a three-dimensional evaluation of the scattering matrix. The structures obtained from the quantum molecular-dynamics simulations are examined and transport properties compared.published_or_final_versio

Quantum transport through atomic wires

We have investigated quantum transport through long wires in which a section consists of one or several Al atoms in a chain. The self-consistent ground state electronic potential is obtained using the first principles ab initio method and the conductance is calculated by solving a three-dimensional quantum scattering problem. We have observed quantized conductance when there are two or more Al atoms in the chain. Resistance is calculated for these wires at the Fermi level. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Capacitance of Atomic Junctions

We report the behavior of the electrochemical capacitance for a variety of atomic junctions using ab initio methods. The capacitance can be classified according to the nature of conductance and shows a remarkable crossover from a quantum dominated regime to that of a classical-like geometric behavior. Clear anomalies arise due to a finite density of states of the atomic junction as well as the role played by the atomic valence orbitals. The results suggest several experiments to study contributions due to quantum effects and the atomic degree of freedom.published_or_final_versio

Augmented reality for dental implantology: a pilot clinical report of two cases

Background: Despite the limited number of articles dedicated to its use, augmented reality (AR) is an emerging technology that has shown to have increasing applications in multiple different medical sectors. These include, but are not limited to, the Maxillo-facial and Dentistry disciplines of medicine. In these medical specialties, the focus of AR technology is to achieve a more visible surgical field during an operation. Currently, this goal is brought about by an accurate display of either static or dynamic diagnostic images via the use of a visor or specific glasses. The objective of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of using a virtual display for dynamic navigation via AR. The secondary outcome is to evaluate if the use of this technology could affect the accuracy of dynamic navigation. Case presentation: Two patients, both needing implant rehabilitation in the upper premolar area, were treated with flapless surgery. Prior to the procedure itself, the position of the implant was virtually planned and placed for each of the patients using their previous scans. This placement preparation contributed to a dynamic navigation system that was displayed on AR glasses. This, in turn, allowed for the use of a computer-aided/image-guided procedure to occur. Dedicated software for surface superimposition was then used to match the planned position of the implant and the real one obtained from the postoperative scan. Accuracies, using this procedure were evaluated by way of measuring the deviation between real and planned positions of the implants. For both surgeries it was possible to proceed using the AR technology as planned. The deviations for the first implant were 0.53\u2009mm at the entry point and 0.50\u2009mm at the apical point and for the second implant were 0.46\u2009mm at the entry point and 0.48\u2009mm at the apical point. The angular deviations were respectively 3.05\ub0 and 2.19\ub0. Conclusions: From the results of this pilot study, it seems that AR can be useful in dental implantology for displaying dynamic navigation systems. While this technology did not seem to noticeably affect the accuracy of the procedure, specific software applications should further optimize the results

Strained Silicon on Silicon by Wafer Bonding and Layer Transfer from Relaxed SiGe Buffer

We report the creation of strained silicon on silicon (SSOS) substrate technology. The method uses a relaxed SiGe buffer as a template for inducing tensile strain in a Si layer, which is then bonded to another Si handle wafer. The original Si wafer and the relaxed SiGe buffer are subsequently removed, thereby transferring a strained-Si layer directly to Si substrate without intermediate SiGe or oxide layers. Complete removal of Ge from the structure was confirmed by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy as well as secondary ion mass spectrometry. A plan-view transmission electron microscopy study of the strained-Si/Si interface reveals that the lattice-mismatch between the layers is accommodated by an orthogonal array of edge dislocations. This misfit dislocation array, which forms upon bonding, is geometrically necessary and has an average spacing of approximately 40nm, in excellent agreement with established dislocation theory. To our knowledge, this is the first study of a chemically homogeneous, yet lattice-mismatched, interface.Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA