Tree species identification on large-scale aerial photographs in a tropical rain forest, French Guiana—application for management and conservation

International audienceManagement and conservation planning of any ecosystem requires knowledge of species composition. This is a real challenge in tropical rain forests that are characterised by very high species richness and canopy access limitations. The possibility of approaching trees from remote sensing on large-scale aerial photographs, takes on its full significance in this context. Results of tree species identification by photo-interpretation in a French Guianan forest canopy are discussed, as well as an overview of the part of the forest accessible from the photographs. Two sets of aerial photographs were used. One set (1:3700 colour slides) covers 15 ha of primary forest, divided into a training set (TS, 5 ha) and a validation set (VS 1: 10 ha). Another validation set, taken in different conditions of acquisition, scale and season, is available for an adjacent area (VS 2: 6.5 ha). Aerial photographs captured a quarter of the tree community (dbh ! 10 cm) on average, and about 45% of the SGS (Species or Group of Species) on the training set. The crown appearance of 12 major canopy SGS, including commercial species and species of ecological interest, had been described in a previous work on the same training set. Following these descriptions, two photo-interpreters separately identified 309 tree crowns overall on VS 1, with a good agreement in their respective judgements. After their interpretations were checked in the field, the overall average identification success was high (87%) but the results varied according to the SGS. The results on VS 2 showed that some species displayed major seasonal and scale variations and were hardly recognized, whereas some others could be identified without modifying the learning process. The results are encouraging and this work will be extended as the identification of tropical rain forest trees from remote sensing has many applications, ranging from fundamental ecological knowledge of canopy species to the management and conservation of such highly diverse and hardly inventoried ecosystems

A Study For Efficiently Solving Optimisation Problems With An Increasing Number Of Design Variables

Coupling optimisation algorithms to Finite Element Methods (FEM) is a very promising way to achieve optimal metal forming processes. However, many optimisation algorithms exist and it is not clear which of these algorithms to use. This paper investigates the sensitivity of a Sequential Approximate Optimisation algorithm (SAO) proposed in [1-4] to an increasing number of design variables and compares it with two other algorithms: an Evolutionary Strategy (ES) and an Evolutionary version of the SAO (ESAO). In addition, it observes the influence of different Designs Of Experiments used with the SAO. It is concluded that the SAO is very capable and efficient and its combination with an ES is not beneficial. Moreover, the use of SAO with Fractional Factorial Design is the most efficient method, rather than Full Factorial Design as proposed in [1-4]

Taxonomic identification of Amazonian tree crowns from aerial photography

Question: To what extent can aerial photography be used for taxonomic identification of Amazonian tree crowns? Objective: To investigate whether a combination of dichotomous keys and a web-based interface is a suitable approach to identify tree crowns. Location: The fieldwork was conducted at Tiputini Biodiversity Station located in the Amazon, eastern Ecuador. Methods: High-resolution imagery was taken from an airplane flying at a low altitude (600 m) above the ground. Imagery of the observable upper layer of the tree crowns was used for the analysis. Dichotomous identification keys for different types of crowns were produced and tested. The identification keys were designed to be web-based interactive, using Google Earth as the main online platform. The taxa analysed were Iriartea, Astrocaryum, Inga, Parkia, Cecropia, Pourouma, Guarea, Otoba, Lauraceae and Pouteria. Results: This paper demonstrates that a combination of photo-imagery, dichotomous keys and a web-based interface can be useful for the taxonomic identification of Amazonian trees based on their crown characteristics. The keys tested with an overall identification accuracy of over 50% for five of the ten taxa with three of them showing accuracy greater than 70% (Iriartea, Astrocaryum and Cecropia). Conclusions: The application of dichotomous keys and a web-based interface provides a new methodological approach for taxonomic identification of various Amazonian tree crowns. Overall, the study showed that crowns with a medium-rough texture are less reliably identified than crowns with smoother or well-defined surfaces

A Restrictive Inflow Pattern Does Not Predict Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Therapy in Primary Prevention

Background Current guidelines for the use of implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are broad and significantly increase the cost of caring for patients with heart failure. In an effort to identify the specific subset of patients who benefit from this therapy, the predictive value of numerous echocardiographic parameters have been studied. Severe diastolic dysfunction has been shown to predict adverse events in a group of patients who received an ICD for secondary prevention, but has not been tested in those who receive ICDs for primary prevention. Hypothesis We tested the hypothesis that a restrictive mitral inflow pattern on echocardiography will predict the risk of appropriate therapy in this patient population. Methods This retrospective study identified 145 consecutive patients who met primary prevention criteria for ICD implantation and had an echo performed no more than 1 year prior to receiving the ICD. A restrictive pattern was defined as a mitral inflow E/A > 2 or a deceleration time < 150 ms. Results A restrictive pattern was present in 69 patients (40.7% of the group). Appropriate ICD therapy occurred in 8 (11.5%) subjects with a restrictive pattern and 14 (18.4%) with a nonrestrictive pattern over 680 days of average follow-up ( P = not significant). Cox regression analysis showed the presence of a restrictive pattern was not helpful in predicting time to first ICD therapy. Conclusions In a population of patients who received ICDs for primary prevention, echocardiographic findings of severe diastolic dysfunction were not helpful in targeting the use of ICDs to those at highest risk. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/64537/1/20474_ftp.pd

Myocardial infarction with unusual presentation of otalgia: a case report

A rare case of a patient with unusual symptoms of earache and sore throat for cardiac ischemia is presented. A diagnosis of non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) was made based on initial elevation of troponin and an abnormal electrocardiograph (ECG). Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) performed with stent placement in the occluded coronary vessel was followed by a decrease in troponin level and complete resolution of the ear and throat pain and patient recovery from cardiac ischemia

Assessing functional mitral regurgitation with exercise echocardiography: rationale and clinical applications

Secondary or functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) represents an increasing feature of mitral valve disease characterized by abnormal function of anatomically normal leaflets in the context of the impaired function of remodelled left ventricles. The anatomic and pathophysiological basis of FMR are briefly analyzed; in addition, the role of exercise echocardiography for the assessment of FMR is discussed in view of its relevance to clinical practice

Prognostic implications of functional mitral regurgitation according to the severity of the underlying chronic heart failure: A long-term outcome study

AimsTo examine the independent prognostic role of functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) and its impact across the severity of chronic heart failure (CHF) in a large population of outpatients with systolic CHF followed at two multidisciplinary clinics.Methods and resultsEchocardiography was performed upon enrolment in 469 CHF patients. Follow-up for death and heart transplant was updated on January 2007. Five-year transplant-free survival was 82.7 in patients with no or Grade I FMR, 64.4 in Grade II, 58.5 in Grade III, and 46.5 in Grade IV (P < 0.0001). There was a strong graded association between FMR and the long-term risk of death and heart transplant, which remained significant after multivariable adjustment (P = 0.0003). The association between FMR and events was strong and independent in patients with less severe symptoms and in those at lower overall risk based on a propensity score analysis, while it was not significant in patients with more advanced CHF or in the high-risk subgroup (P < 0.0001 for interactions).ConclusionThis study clarifies previous apparently discrepant results by demonstrating that FMR is an independent determinant of death and heart transplantation only in less severe CHF and in patients with a lower risk profile. This finding indicates that FMR plays a major role in the early phase of CHF, suggesting that this should be the focus of strategies attempting to reduce it. \uc2\ua9 The Author 2010

Treatment options in end-stage heart failure: where to go from here?

Chronic heart failure is a major healthcare problem associated with high morbidity and mortality. Despite significant progress in treatment strategies, the prognosis of heart failure patients remains poor. The golden standard treatment for heart failure is heart transplantation after failure of medical therapy, surgery and/or cardiac resynchronisation therapy. In order to improve patients’ outcome and quality of life, new emerging treatment modalities are currently being investigated, including mechanical cardiac support devices, of which the left ventricular assist device is the most promising treatment option. Structured care for heart failure patients according to the most recent international heart failure guidelines may further contribute to optimal decision-making. This article will review the conventional and novel treatment modalities of heart failure

Baseline mitral regurgitation predicts outcome in patients referred for dobutamine stress echocardiography

Purpose: A number of parameters recorded during dobutamine stress echocardiography (DSE) are associated with worse outcome. However, the relative importance of baseline mitral regurgitation (MR) is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated implications of functional MR with long-term mortality in a large cohort of patients referred for DSE. Methods: 6745 patients (mean age 64.9±12.2 years) were studied. Demographic, baseline and peak DSE data were collected. All-cause mortality was retrospectively analyzed. DSE was successfully completed in all patients with no adverse outcomes. Results: MR was present in 1019 (15.1%) patients. During a mean follow up of 5.1±1.8 years, 1642 (24.3%) patients died and MR was significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality (p<0.001). With Kaplan-Meier analysis, survival was significantly worse for patients with moderate and severe MR (p<0.001). With multivariate Cox regression analysis, moderate and severe MR (HR 2.78; 95% CI 2.17 - 3.57; and HR 3.62; 95% CI 2.89 - 4.53, respectively) were independently associated with all-cause mortality. The addition of MR to C statistic models significantly improved discrimination. Conclusions: MR is associated with all-cause mortality and adds incremental prognostic information among patients referred for DSE. The presence of MR should be taken into account when evaluating the prognostic significance of DSE results