MACHINE LEARNING AND BIG DATA TECHNIQUES FOR SATELLITE-BASED RICE PHENOLOGY MONITORING

New sources of information are required to support rice production decisions. To cope with this challenge, studies have found practical applications on mapping rice using remote sensing techniques. This study attempts to implement a methodology aimed at monitoring rice phenology using optical satellite data. The relationship between rice phenology and reflectance metrics was explored at two levels: growth stages and biophysical modifications caused by diseases. Two optical moderate-resolution missions were combined to detect growth phases. Three machine-learning approaches (random forest, support vector machine, and gradient boosting trees) were trained with multitemporal NDVI data. Analytics from validation showed that the algorithms were able to estimate rice phases with performances above 0.94 in f-1 score. Tested models yielded an overall accuracy of 71.8%, 71.2%, 60.9% and 94.7% for vegetative, reproductive, ripening and harvested categories. A second exploration was carried out by combining Sentinel-2 data and ground-based information about rice disease incidence. K-means clustering was used to map rice biophysical changes across reproductive and ripening phases. The findings ascertained the remote sensing capabilities to create new information about rice for Colombia’s conditions

Machine learning and big data techniques for satellite-based rice phenology

New sources of information are required to support rice production decisions. To cope with this challenge, studies have found practical applications on mapping rice using remote sensing techniques. This study attempts to implement a methodology aimed at monitoring rice phenology using optical satellite data. The relationship between rice phenology and reflectance metrics was explored at two levels: growth stages and biophysical modifications caused by diseases. Two optical moderate-resolution missions were combined to detect growth phases. Three machine-learning approaches (random forest, support vector machine, and gradient boosting trees) were trained with multitemporal NDVI data. Analytics from validation showed that the algorithms were able to estimate rice phases with performances above 0.94 in f-1 score. Tested models yielded an overall accuracy of 71.8%, 71.2%, 60.9% and 94.7% for vegetative, reproductive, ripening and harvested categories. A second exploration was carried out by combining Sentinel-2 data and ground-based information about rice disease incidence. K-means clustering was used to map rice biophysical changes across reproductive and ripening phases. The findings ascertained the remote sensing capabilities to create new information about rice for Colombia’s conditions

The climate-smart village approach: Framework of an integrative strategy for scaling up adaptation options in agriculture

Increasing weather risks threaten agricultural production systems and food security across the world. Maintaining agricultural growth while minimizing climate shocks is crucial to building a resilient food production system and meeting developmental goals in vulnerable countries. Experts have proposed several technological, institutional, and policy interventions to help farmers adapt to current and future weather variability and to mitigate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This paper presents the climate-smart village (CSV) approach as a means of performing agricultural research for development that robustly tests technological and institutional options for dealing with climatic variability and climate change in agriculture using participatory methods. It aims to scale up and scale out the appropriate options and draw out lessons for policy makers from local to global levels. The approach incorporates evaluation of climate-smart technologies, practices, services, and processes relevant to local climatic risk management and identifies opportunities for maximizing adaptation gains from synergies across different interventions and recognizing potential maladaptation and trade-offs. It ensures that these are aligned with local knowledge and link into development plans. This paper describes early results in Asia, Africa, and Latin America to illustrate different examples of the CSV approach in diverse agroecological settings. Results from initial studies indicate that the CSV approach has a high potential for scaling out promising climate-smart agricultural technologies, practices, and services. Climate analog studies indicate that the lessons learned at the CSV sites would be relevant to adaptation planning in a large part of global agricultural land even under scenarios of climate change. Key barriers and opportunities for further work are also discussed

Elevated circulating levels of succinate in human obesity are linked to specific gut microbiota

Gut microbiota-related metabolites are potential clinical biomarkers for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Circulating succinate, a metabolite produced by both microbiota and the host, is increased in hypertension, ischemic heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. We aimed to analyze systemic levels of succinate in obesity, a major risk factor for CVD, and its relationship with gut microbiome. We explored the association of circulating succinate with specific metagenomic signatures in cross-sectional and prospective cohorts of Caucasian Spanish subjects. Obesity was associated with elevated levels of circulating succinate concomitant with impaired glucose metabolism. This increase was associated with specific changes in gut microbiota related to succinate metabolism: a higher relative abundance of succinate-producing Prevotellaceae (P) and Veillonellaceae (V), and a lower relative abundance of succinate-consuming Odoribacteraceae (O) and Clostridaceae (C) in obese individuals, with the (P + V/O + C) ratio being a main determinant of plasma succinate. Weight loss intervention decreased (P + V/O + C) ratio coincident with the reduction in circulating succinate. In the spontaneous evolution after good dietary advice, alterations in circulating succinate levels were linked to specific metagenomic signatures associated with carbohydrate metabolism and energy production with independence of body weight change. Our data support the importance of microbe-microbe interactions for the metabolite signature of gut microbiome and uncover succinate as a potential microbiota-derived metabolite related to CVD risk

Biochemical polymorphisms in horses

Have been analysed haemoglobin (flb), albumin (Al), esterase (Es-al) and transferrin (Tf) types of 168 horses belonging to thoroughbred (English), Arab, Spanish and Breton breeds and their cross-breeds English-Arab and Spanish-Breton. We have found all the three haemoglobin types (AA, Aa, and aa); the most common was AA type. The lowest frequency was aa, it only appeared in one Spanish horse. Have been found all the three albumin phenotypes (IF, FS" and SS). The most common was FS phenotype, the least was FF which was absent from thorough-bred. The most common allele was Als. Of the seven possible phenotypes of alkaline esterase (Gahne, 1966) have been found four (F, I, Fl and IS). The most common was I phenotype, which was pre-sent in all the investigated breeds. The least common allele was L followed byEsF. Have beend discovered all the six transferrins alleles reported by Braend & Stormont (1964). The most common allele was Tf, followed by TfD. Of the two-try one possible phenotypes have been seen fifteen (DD, DF; DH, DM, DR, FE, FM; F0, FR, HM, HO, HR, and RR). The most common phenotypes were DF and FF; the most rare was DR, which only appeared in ne Spanish horse. Data"s analysis accomplished, we think it is possible to differenciate between light and draught horses. Taking into account results from contingency tables, we are unable to find association between breds and polymorphism of tranferrins (Tf locus display the greatest number of alleles and therefore it would provide the largest information), we don"t dare to play any categorical affirmation from results of the others polymorphisms, and we prefer to wait for the results from polymorphism of acid esterase and prealbumins we are going to investigate and the values of genetic distances.Se han estudiado los tipos de hemoglobina (Hb), albúmina (Al), esterasa-alcalina (Es-al) y transferrina (Tf) en 168 caballos pertenecientes a las razas inglesa, árabe, española y bretona y a los cruces anglo-árabe e hispano-bretón. Han aparecido los tres tipos de hemoglobina (AA, Aa y aa) y predomina el tipo AA. El menos frecuente ha sido el aa, que solo se presento en un caballo español. Se han encontrado los tres posibles fenotipos de albúminas (FF, FS, y SS). El mas abundante es el FS, seguido del SS; y el menos frecuente, el FF, el cual falta en los caballos ingleses. Como alelo más frecuente destaca el Als. De los siete fenotipos posibles de esterasa alcalina (Gahne, 1966) se han descubierto cuatro (F, I, Fl e IS). El fenotipo mas frecuente ha sido el I, presente en todas las razas y cruces investigados. Como alelo menos frecuente figura el Es seguido del EsF. Se han revelado los seis alelos de transferrina descritos por Braend y Stormont (1964). El alelo mas frecuente ha sido el TfF, seguido del Tf D. De los 21 fenotipos posibles se vieron 15 (DD, DF, DH, DM, DO, DR, FF, FH, FM, FO, FR, HM, HO, HR y RR). Los fenotipos mas comunes son el DF y el FF. El más raro, el DR, que solo se presento en un caballo español. Realizado el análisis de los datos creemos que se puede distinguir entre poblaciones ligeras y pesadas. Teniendo en cuenta los resultados de las tablas de contingencia, al no encontrar asociación, a ningún nivel de significación entre razas y el polimorfismo de transferrina, que es, de los loci estudiados, el que mayor número de alelos presenta y, como consecuencia, el que mayor información podría aportar, no nos atrevemos a establecer ninguna afirmación categórica a partir de los resultados de los otros polimorfismos y preferimos esperar los resultados de los demás polimorfismos en estudio (Es-acida y prealbúminas) y el conocimiento de las distintas genéticas

500m gridded surfaces for changes in climate suitability for coffee production in Risaralda, Colombia

We used 500m gridded historical and future climate surfaces for Risaralda, Colombia and coffee presences and absences to train species distribution models (suitability). Five methods were used: Generalized Boosting Model (GBM) (Friedman, 2001), Random Forest (RF) (Breiman, 2001), Maxent (Phillips et al., 2006), Generalized Linear Model (GLM) and Generalized Additive Model (GAM) (Guisan et al., 2002)

EFICACIA DEL INCIDENTE DE DESACATO. ESTUDIO DE CASO, BOGOTÁ, COLOmBIA (2007)

This paper presents the results of the research project “The Effectiveness of Judicial Contempt Power in Writ of Protection Cases. A Case Study, Bogotá (2007)”. Its purpose is to identify and analyze the variables that influence the effectiveness of contempt requests in terms of the satisfaction of fundamental rights. In order to do so, the research intended to have a quantitative approach with exploratory boundar- ies. The project examined a total of 431 files in criminal, civil, administrative, labor and family courts in Bogota in 2007. The study shows an overview of ineffectiveness of the legal instrument and the need for its reform, together with the development of new tools to promote compliance based on different theoretical perspectives. Este artículo presenta el resultado del proyecto de investigación “Eficacia del incidente de desacato. Estudio de caso, Bogotá (2007)”, cuyo propósito era identificar y analizar las variables que inciden en la eficacia de los incidentes de desacato que se interponen en búsqueda del cumplimiento de las sentencias de tutela. Se trata de una investigación cuantitativa de alcance exploratorio, en la que se examinaron 431 expedientes de des- acato de juzgados penales, civiles, administrativos, laborales y de familia en la ciudad de Bogotá del año 2007. El estudio muestra un panorama de ineficacia del incidente de desacato y la necesidad no solo de repensar el incidente de desacato, sino de desarrollar otras herramientas para promover el cumplimiento desde otras perspectivas teóricas.

The effectiveness of judicial contempt power in writ of protection cases. A case study, Bogotá, Colombia (2007)

Este artículo presenta el resultado del proyecto de investigación “Eficacia del incidente de desacato. Estudio de caso, Bogotá (2007)”, cuyo propósito era identificar y analizar las variables que inciden en la eficacia de losincidentes de desacato que se interponen en búsqueda del cumplimiento de las sentencias de tutela. Se trata de una investigación cuantitativa de alcance exploratorio, en la que se examinaron 431 expedientes de desacato de juzgados penales, civiles, administrativos, laborales y de familia en la ciudad de Bogotá del año 2007. El estudio muestra un panorama de ineficacia del incidente de desacato y la necesidad no solo de repensar el incidente de desacato, sino de desarrollar otras herramientas para promover el cumplimiento desde otras perspectivas teóricas.This paper presents the results of the research project “The Effectiveness of Judicial Contempt Power in Writ of Protection Cases. A Case Study, Bogotá (2007)”. Its purpose is to identify and analyze the variables that influence the effectiveness of contempt requests in terms of the satisfaction of fundamental rights. In order to do so, the research intended to have a quantitative approach with exploratory boundaries. The project examined a total of 431 filesin criminal, civil, administrative, labor and family courts in Bogota in 2007. The study shows an overview of ineffectiveness of the legal instrument and the need for its reform, together with the development of new tools to promote compliance based on different theoretical perspectives