Enhancing spatial resolution of remotely sensed data for mapping freshwater environments

Freshwater environments are important for ecosystem services and biodiversity. These environments are subject to many natural and anthropogenic changes, which influence their quality; therefore, regular monitoring is required for their effective management. High biotic heterogeneity, elongated land/water interaction zones, and logistic difficulties with access make field based monitoring on a large scale expensive, inconsistent and often impractical. Remote sensing (RS) is an established mapping tool that overcomes these barriers. However, complex and heterogeneous vegetation and spectral variability due to water make freshwater environments challenging to map using remote sensing technology. Satellite images available for New Zealand were reviewed, in terms of cost, and spectral and spatial resolution. Particularly promising image data sets for freshwater mapping include the QuickBird and SPOT-5. However, for mapping freshwater environments a combination of images is required to obtain high spatial, spectral, radiometric, and temporal resolution. Data fusion (DF) is a framework of data processing tools and algorithms that combines images to improve spectral and spatial qualities. A range of DF techniques were reviewed and tested for performance using panchromatic and multispectral QB images of a semi-aquatic environment, on the southern shores of Lake Taupo, New Zealand. In order to discuss the mechanics of different DF techniques a classification consisting of three groups was used - (i) spatially-centric (ii) spectrally-centric and (iii) hybrid. Subtract resolution merge (SRM) is a hybrid technique and this research demonstrated that for a semi aquatic QuickBird image it out performed Brovey transformation (BT), principal component substitution (PCS), local mean and variance matching (LMVM), and optimised high pass filter addition (OHPFA). However some limitations were identified with SRM, which included the requirement for predetermined band weights, and the over-representation of the spatial edges in the NIR bands due to their high spectral variance. This research developed three modifications to the SRM technique that addressed these limitations. These were tested on QuickBird (QB), SPOT-5, and Vexcel aerial digital images, as well as a scanned coloured aerial photograph. A visual qualitative assessment and a range of spectral and spatial quantitative metrics were used to evaluate these modifications. These included spectral correlation and root mean squared error (RMSE), Sobel filter based spatial edges RMSE, and unsupervised classification. The first modification addressed the issue of predetermined spectral weights and explored two alternative regression methods (Least Absolute Deviation, and Ordinary Least Squares) to derive image-specific band weights for use in SRM. Both methods were found equally effective; however, OLS was preferred as it was more efficient in processing band weights compared to LAD. The second modification used a pixel block averaging function on high resolution panchromatic images to derive spatial edges for data fusion. This eliminated the need for spectral band weights, minimised spectral infidelity, and enabled the fusion of multi-platform data. The third modification addressed the issue of over-represented spatial edges by introducing a sophisticated contrast and luminance index to develop a new normalising function. This improved the spatial representation of the NIR band, which is particularly important for mapping vegetation. A combination of the second and third modification of SRM was effective in simultaneously minimising the overall spectral infidelity and undesired spatial errors for the NIR band of the fused image. This new method has been labelled Contrast and Luminance Normalised (CLN) data fusion, and has been demonstrated to make a significant contribution in fusing multi-platform, multi-sensor, multi-resolution, and multi-temporal data. This contributes to improvements in the classification and monitoring of fresh water environments using remote sensing

An Empirical Evidence of Human Capital Constraint towards Economic Growth

Human capital plays a crucial role in enhancing sustainable economic growth. The aim of this study is to investigate the long run linkage between economic growth and human capital and explore the problems facing by education and health sectors in Pakistan, how to remove these problems in order to increase Human Capital, eminence of Human Capital and Economic Growth also. For this purpose, this study has been taken annual time series data from 1977 to 2014 and employed co-integration technique to find out the results. This study has been used the data from WDI, SBP, and Economic Survey of Pakistan (various issues). The results of this study revealed strong positive and significant long run association between human capital and economic growth in Pakistan. It is also found by the study that current status of health and education sectors in Pakistan is very poor. This study may be useful for health and educational policy making and human capital formation to boost up economic growth in Pakistan. Keywords: Human capital, Economic Growth, Johansen Co-integration, Skilled Worker

Maximising access to timely trauma care across population of Karachi and its districts: A geospatial approach to develop a trauma care network

Objectives: To develop and propose a cost-effective trauma care network for Karachi, Pakistan, by calculating maximum timely trauma care (TTC) coverage achieved with the addition of potential designated private and public level 1 and level 2 trauma centres (TCs). Setting: A lower middle-income country metropolis, Karachi is Pakistan\u27s largest city with a population of 16 million and a total of 56 hospitals as per government registry data. Participants: 41 potential TCs selected using a two-level, contextually-relevant TC designation criteria adapted from various international guidelines. Primary and secondary outcome measures: Maximum TTC coverage achievable with the addition of potential TCs. Proposed trauma care network composition to achieve maximum TTC coverage. Results: Coverage with five public level 1 hospitals alone is 74.4%. Marginal benefit with stepwise addition of five potential private level 1 TCs, four public level 2 TCs and two private level 2 TCs is 12.2%, 7.1% and 3.1%, respectively. Maximum possible TTC coverage is 96.7%. Poorest coverage with the proposed 16 hospital network is noted in Malir district while 100% coverage is achieved in the centrally located South, Central and East districts. Conclusion: Addition of private level 1 and private and public level 2 hospitals to the trauma care network is necessary. Implementation of the proposed trauma care network requires strong stewardship from the government and coordinated effort of multiple stakeholders is needed to ensure standard TC designation. The study exhibits an effective method to scientifically plan and develop a cost-effective trauma system which can be applied in other resource-limited geographical area

Efficacy of fungicides, plant extracts and biocontrol agents against Ascochyta blight (Ascochyta rabiei) of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) under field conditions

Two fungicides, Aliette and ThiovitJet @ 0.15%, containing Aluminum tris (O-ethyl phosphonate) and sulphur compounds, respectively; two plant extracts, Melia azedarach and Azadirachta indica @ 8% and one biocontrol agent, Trichoderma harzianum @ 107 conidia ml-1 were investigated against ascochyta blight of chickpea under field conditions. Treatments were evaluated on three varieties susceptible to chickpea blight. Field trial revealed that Aliette and ThiovitJet significantly decreased disease severity to 17 and 23% respectively, followed by M. azedarach and A. indica which decreased severity to 50 and 56% respectively, compared to control with 75% disease severity. T. harzianum, with a severity of 63%, was significantly less effective than fungicides and both plant extracts in controlling blight disease. The current research revealed that systemic and sulphur containing fungicides, both plant extracts and the biocontrol agent have the potential to control ascochyta blight of chickpea

Improving Antimicrobial Stewardship Programs in Small Community Hospitals Through an Assessment and Feedback Model

Small community hospitals often lack expertise and resources for antimicrobial stewardship program implementation. Using an assessment-and-feedback model, Nebraska ASAP performed onsite assessment of antimicrobial stewardship efforts in 5 small community hospitals and provided facility specific feedback on implementation/augmentation of antimicrobial stewardship program. As a result of this model, participating small community hospitals were able to increase the number of antimicrobial stewardship core elements implemented while reducing antibiotic use and incidence of CDI.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/asap_pres/1001/thumbnail.jp

1-(4-Chloro­phen­yl)-2-[4-hy­droxy-3-(3-meth­oxy­benzo­yl)-1,1-dioxo-2H-1λ6,2-benzothia­zin-2-yl]ethanone

In the title mol­ecule, C24H18ClNO6S, the heterocyclic thia­zine ring adopts a half-chair conformation with the S and N atoms displaced by 0.406 (5) and 0.444 (5) Å, respectively, on opposite sides of the mean plane formed by the remaining ring atoms. The meth­oxy­benzoyl and the chloro­phenyl rings lie roughly parallel to each other, with a dihedral angle between the mean planes of these rings of 8.86 (10)°. The mol­ecular structure is consolidated by intra­molecular O—H⋯O and C—H⋯O inter­actions and the crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular O—H⋯O and C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds

Enhancement of aerodynamic performance of high speed train through nose profile design: A computational fluid dynamics approach

Aerodynamic drag of fast-moving train has significant impact on its fuel consumption and design safety. To improve aerodynamic performance, the drag forces on the train surfaces must be reduced. Train’s front-end nose design has boundless geometrical variations that can be applied for improved performance. Three geometric characteristics were used in present research: A-pillar roundness, nose length that controls its shrinking, and nose bluntness. Latin-Hypercube based random sampling method was used to determine appropriate values of these parameters for specific range. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), a numerical approach was used to analyze train aerodynamic performance based on selected factors and operating conditions. Comparisons based on analysis of the base design and proposed design models were made and evaluated for enhanced performance. CFD analysis of the base design and iterative improvements in modified designs indicate drag reduction through change in A-pillar roundness and bluntness of nose to be 10% and 22%, respectively. The increase in nose length which controls nose shrinkage causes the drag to increase by 35%. Similarly, the boundary layer and pressure distribution on the front end of train were also considered and analyzed for performance improvement. It was concluded that the length controlling nose shrinkage of proposed train design is the key factor among the selected geometric parameters that has more influence on drag on high-speed train surface in comparison to other parameters considered. This research effort offers a modification, analysis and comparison of front-end nose geometry of high-speed train to improve aerodynamic performance and consequently fuel consumption

Frequently Identified Gaps in Antibiotic Stewardship Programs in Critical Access Hospitals

Background: Nebraska (NE) Infection Control Assessment and Promotion Program (ICAP) is a CDC funded project. ICAP team works in collaboration with NE Department of Health and Human Services (NEDHHS) to assess and improve infection prevention and control programs (IPCP) in various health care settings including resource limited settings like critical access hospitals (CAH). Little is known about the existing gaps in antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) of CAH. Hence, we decided to study the current level of ASP activities and factors associated with these activities in CAH. Methods: NE ICAP conducted on-site surveys in 36 CAH from October 2015 to February 2017. ASP activities related to the 7 CDC recommended core elements (CE) including leadership support (LS), accountability, drug expertise (DE), action, tracking, reporting, and education were assessed using a CDC Infection Control Assessment Tool for acute care hospitals. Descriptive analyses evaluated CAH characteristics and frequency of CE implementation. Fisher’s exact, Mann–Whitney, and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used for statistical analyses examining the association of various factors with level of ASP activities. Results: The 36 surveyed CAH had a median of 20 (range 10–25) beds and employed a median of 0.4 (range 0.1–1.6) infection preventionist (IP) full-time equivalent (FTE)/25-bed. Frequency of CE implementation varied among CAH with action and LS as the most (69%) and least (28%) frequently implemented elements, respectively. Close to half (47%) of surveyed CAH had implemented ≥4 CE but only 14% of facilities had all 7 CE. Median bed size and IP FTE/25-bed were similar among CAH with 0–2, 3-5, or ≥6 CE in place. CAH with LS or accountability for ASP implemented higher median numbers of the remaining CE compared with CAH without LS or accountability (5 vs. 2, P \u3c 0.01 and 4 vs. 2, P \u3c 0.01, respectively). Facilities with The presence of LS, accountability and drug expertise were more likely to have all 4 remaining CE implemented than others (56% vs. 8%, P \u3c 0.01). Conclusion: LS, accountability, and DE are important factors for the implementation of the remaining 4 CE in CAH. Although LS was the least frequently implemented CE, when present was associated with implementation of most of the other CE. Acquiring LS will facilitate implementation of additional ASP efforts in CAH.https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/asap_pres/1000/thumbnail.jp

Anti-hyperalgesic properties of a flavanone derivative Poncirin in acute and chronic inflammatory pain models in mice

Background Poncirin is flavanone derivative (isolated from Poncirus trifoliata) with known pharmacological activities such as anti-tumor, anti-osteoporotic, anti-inflammatory and anti-colitic. The present study aimed to explore the anti-allodynic and anti-hyperalgesic potentials of poncirin in murine models of inflammatory pain. Methods The analgesic potential of poncirin was evaluated in formalin-, acetic acid-, carrageenan- and Complete Freunds Adjuvant (CFA)-induced inflammatory pain models in mice. Anti-allodynic and anti-hyperalgesic activities were measured using Von Frey filaments, Randall Selitto, hotplate and cold acetone tests. The serum nitrite levels were determined using Griess reagent. The Quantitative Real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) was performed to assess the effect of poncirin on mRNA expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and anti-oxidant enzymes. Results Intraperitoneal administration of poncirin (30 mg/kg) markedly reduced the pain behavior in both acetic acid-induced visceral pain and formalin-induced tonic pain models used as preliminary screening tools. The poncirin (30 mg/kg) treatment considerably inhibited the mechanical hyperalgesia and allodynia as well as thermal hyperalgesia and cold allodynia. The qRT-PCR analysis showed noticeable inhibition of pro-inflammatory cytokines (mRNA expression levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6) (p < 0.05) in poncirin treated group. Similarly, poncirin treatment also enhanced the mRNA expressions levels of anti-oxidant enzymes such as transcription factor such as nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) (p < 0.05), heme oxygenase (HO-1) (p < 0.05) and superoxide dismutase (SOD2) (p < 0.05). Chronic treatment of poncirin for 6 days did not confer any significant hepatic and renal toxicity. Furthermore, poncirin treatment did not altered the motor coordination and muscle strength in CFA-induced chronic inflammatory pain model. Conclusion The present study demonstrated that poncirin treatment significantly reduced pain behaviors in all experimental models of inflammatory pain, suggesting the promising analgesic potential of poncirin in inflammatory pain conditions.The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan (under the SRGP funding No. 357SRGP/HEC/2014) supported the study only financially and was not involved in the designing of the project. The authors are grateful to the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), Seoul National University, grant funded by the Korean Government (MSIP) (No. 2009–0083533). The Proff: Yeong Shik Kim (National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), Seoul National University) was actively involved in the designing of the experiment and analysis of the results

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy