Landscape Builder: Software for the creation of initial landscapes for LANDIS from FIA data

I developed Landscape Builder to create spatially explicit landscapes as starting conditions for LANDIS Pro 7.0 and LANDIS II landscape forest simulation models from classified satellite imagery and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data collected over multiple years. LANDIS Pro and LANDIS II models project future landscapes by simulating tree growth, tree species succession, disease, insects, fire, wind, and management disturbance. Landscape Builder uses inventory plot attributes from the FIA inventory database, FIA unit map, National Forest type map, National Forest size class map, land cover map, and landform map to assign FIA plot attributes to raster pixels representing a real forest landscape. In addition to creating a detailed map of current (initial) forest landscape conditions, the software produces specific files required for use in LANDIS Pro 7.0 or LANDIS II format. Other tools include the ability to create a dominant species and age-class map from previously created LANDIS maps, a tool to create a dominant species and age-class map from a stand map and field plot data, and a tool to convert between Esri ascii rasters and Erdas file format types

Importance of succession, harvest, and climate change in determining future composition in U.S. Central Hardwood Forests

Most temperate forests in U.S. are recovering from heavy exploitation and are in intermediate successional stages where partial tree harvest is the primary disturbance. Changes in regional forest composition in response to climate change are often predicted for plant functional types using biophysical process models. These models usually simplify the simulation of succession and harvest and may not consider important species-specific demographic processes driving forests changes. We determined the relative importance of succession, harvest, and climate change to forest composition changes in a 125-million ha area of the Central Hardwood Forest Region of U.S. We used a forest landscape modeling approach to project changes in density and basal area of 23 tree species due to succession, harvest, and four climate scenarios from 2000 to 2300. On average, succession, harvest, and climate change explained 78, 17, and 1% of the variation in species importance values (IV) at 2050, respectively, but their contribution changed to 46, 26, and 20% by 2300. Climate change led to substantial increases in the importance of red maple and southern species (e.g., yellow-poplar) and decreases in northern species (e.g., sugar maple) and most of widely distributed species (e.g., white oak). Harvest interacted with climate change and accelerated changes in some species (e.g., increasing southern red oak and decreasing American beech) while ameliorated the changes for others (e.g., increasing red maple and decreasing white ash). Succession was the primary driver of forest composition change over the next 300 years. The effects of harvest on composition were more important than climate change in the short term but climate change became more important than harvest in the long term. Our results show that it is important to model species-specific responses when predicting changes in forest composition and structure in response to succession, harvest, and climate change

Importance of succession, harvest, and climate change in determining future composition in U.S. Central Hardwood Forests

Most temperate forests in U.S. are recovering from heavy exploitation and are in intermediate successional stages where partial tree harvest is the primary disturbance. Changes in regional forest composition in response to climate change are often predicted for plant functional types using biophysical process models. These models usually simplify the simulation of succession and harvest and may not consider important species-specific demographic processes driving forests changes. We determined the relative importance of succession, harvest, and climate change to forest composition changes in a 125-million ha area of the Central Hardwood Forest Region of U.S. We used a forest landscape modeling approach to project changes in density and basal area of 23 tree species due to succession, harvest, and four climate scenarios from 2000 to 2300. On average, succession, harvest, and climate change explained 78, 17, and 1% of the variation in species importance values (IV) at 2050, respectively, but their contribution changed to 46, 26, and 20% by 2300. Climate change led to substantial increases in the importance of red maple and southern species (e.g., yellow-poplar) and decreases in northern species (e.g., sugar maple) and most of widely distributed species (e.g., white oak). Harvest interacted with climate change and accelerated changes in some species (e.g., increasing southern red oak and decreasing American beech) while ameliorated the changes for others (e.g., increasing red maple and decreasing white ash). Succession was the primary driver of forest composition change over the next 300 years. The effects of harvest on composition were more important than climate change in the short term but climate change became more important than harvest in the long term. Our results show that it is important to model species-specific responses when predicting changes in forest composition and structure in response to succession, harvest, and climate change

Impairment and Restoration of Homeostatic Plasticity in Cultured Cortical Neurons From a Mouse Model of Huntington Disease

Huntington disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder caused by a mutation in the huntingtin gene. The onset of symptoms is preceded by synaptic dysfunction. Homeostatic synaptic plasticity (HSP) refers to processes that maintain the stability of networks of neurons, thought to be required to enable new learning and cognitive flexibility. One type of HSP is synaptic scaling, in which the strength of all of the synapses onto a cell increases or decreases following changes in the cell’s level of activity. Several pathways implicated in synaptic scaling are dysregulated in HD, including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and calcium signaling. Here, we investigated whether HSP is disrupted in cortical neurons from an HD mouse model. We treated cultured cortical neurons from wild-type (WT) FVB/N or YAC128 HD mice with tetrodotoxin (TTX) for 48 h to silence action potentials and then recorded miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents. In WT cultures, these increased in both amplitude and frequency after TTX treatment, and further experiments showed that this was a result of insertion of AMPA receptors and formation of new synapses, respectively. Manipulation of BDNF concentration in the culture medium revealed that BDNF signaling contributed to these changes. In contrast to WT cortical neurons, YAC128 cultures showed no response to action potential silencing. Strikingly, we were able to restore the TTX-induced changes in YAC128 cultures by treating them with pridopidine, a drug which enhances BDNF signaling through stimulation of the sigma-1 receptor (S1R), and with the S1R agonist 3-PPP. These data provide evidence for disruption of HSP in cortical neurons from an HD mouse model that is restored by stimulation of S1R. Our results suggest a potential new direction for developing therapy to mitigate cognitive deficits in HD

A free and open source programming library for landscape metrics calculations

Landscape metrics are used in a wide range of environmental studies such as land use change and land degradation studies, soil erosion and run-off predictions, management of hunting communities, and strategic planning for environmental management, to name just a few. Due to their utility for a variety of applications, there are many indices and software packages that have been designed to provide calculations and analysis of landscape structure patterns in categorical maps. With the purpose of making a comparison between the most used tools (Fragstats, V-Late, PA4...), this paper examines their advantages and disadvantages in order to create a list of common features that need to be incorporated into this type of software. An Application Programming Interface (API) is produced without limitations on data input, that is capable of calculating vector or raster metrics and is extensible. This API should make it possible not only to build third party applications easily, but also make it possible to add new metrics and research into new paradigms related to traditional landscape metrics. Land-metrics DIY (DoIt Yourself) is the library presented in this paper. It can calculate almost 40 landscape metrics from geometry provided by an ESRI Shapefile. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd.We especially appreciate the comments and suggestions by A. Jakeman and three anonymous reviewers which led to substantial improvements of the manuscript. This paper is partially supported by the FPU - Doctoral Research Scholarship program of the "Ministerio de Educacion de Espana" (2007-2011). Moreover, we would like to thank all the FOSS community, and in particular to Diego Guidi (NTS main developer) for their interesting and important work. Of course, we also thank the OGC and all FOSS projects related to spatial information because they suppose a strategic support to the further development of our idea and other possible GIS projects.Zaragozi Zaragozi, BM.; Belda Antoli, A.; Linares Pellicer, JJ.; Martínez-Pérez, JE.; Navarro, JT.; Esparza Peidro, J. (2012). A free and open source programming library for landscape metrics calculations. Environmental Modelling and Software. 31:131-140. doi:10.1016/j.envsoft.2011.10.009S1311403

Illusion in painting

In the thesis, I focused on the role of illusion in painting. On a theoretical level, I was primarily interested in how to establish the illusion of three-dimensionality in a painting, and on a practical level, I wondered if I could display the illusion of two-dimensionality on a three-dimensional object. I, therefore, divided the thesis into professional theoretical research and empirical part. I titled my thesis Illusion in Painting. Both terms include the essence of my thesis, which I will delve into. SSKJ (Slovar slovenskega knjižnega jezika, b.d) says that the illusion is: “illusion -e ž (ȋ) a performance, usually optimistic, not based on reality; blindness, self-deception”. According to Muhovič's definition (2015, p. 544), optical illusions are "… phenomena in which the visual apparatus forms erroneous assumptions about the nature of perceptual material, the erroneousness of which can be revealed by the participation of other senses, by expanding the perceptual context or by removing triggers". One could interpret an illusion, in the general sense of the word, as some kind of deception. In the thesis, I focused on the field of painting. The thesis consists of two parts: professional theoretical research, where I dealt with the question of what is essential and what we must pay attention to while creating the illusion in painting, especially in the field of building art space. I divided the theoretical part of the thesis thoroughly and gradually. I first explored the basics of plot and space; from what defines them to how we move from one to the other. I devoted a large part of my thesis to the artistic problems of colour as an artistic element. Following, I focused on the illusion in painting; I was interested in how to show the three-dimensionality in space and how necessary it is to build an art space to achieve this effect. I then explored the differences that emerge in the ways of modernist painting and found out how the way of painting, affects the final effect of the artwork. The theoretical part is followed by the empirical part, where I used the method of practical work. I performed and presented my work. I was engaged in achieving the following effect: how to achieve the illusion of two-dimensionality on a three-dimensional object. I wanted to investigate how painting on a person differs from classical painting on a canvas, and whether I can show the illusion of two-dimensionality on a three-dimensional object. In the practical part, I created a classic two-dimensional bracket in the acrylic technique and on the body, using the body painting technique. I was trying to find out if there were any differences between painting on a person and painting on a canvas. I was intrigued by the question of which adjustments I needed to make to achieve that. I also found out what the differences in modernists' style of painting are and how it affects my artwork. I exhibited the paintings alongside the photographs of body paintings

Risk factors and protective factors for the development of suicidal behaviour with students of university of maribor

Študenti predstavljajo ranljivo skupino za razvoj samomorilnega vedenja, ki je v obdobju odraščanja na prehodu v odraslost med prvimi tremi vzroki umrljivosti, obenem pa bi se naj v primerjavi z drugimi starostnimi skupinami povečevalo število mladih, ki svoje življenje končajo s samomorom. Z magistrskim delom smo želeli preveriti pojavnost samomorilnih misli in samomorilnega vedenja pri mladih na prehodu v odraslost. Zanimale so nas razlike med spoloma, med kadilci in nekadilci, med tistimi, ki redno uživajo alkohol in med tistimi, ki ga ne, torej, kako se tvegana vedenja odražajo na vedenju študentske mladine – ali vplivajo na razvoj samomorilnega vedenja. Prav tako smo se osredotočili na tiste, ki imajo izražene depresivne simptome, obenem pa nas je zanimalo, ali se študentje v stresnih situacijah znajo obrniti po pomoč. Glavni namen magistrskega dela je bil teoretično razdelati in empirično obravnavati določene vidike razvoja samomorilnega mišljenja, vedenja in podrobneje preučiti in osvetliti dejavnike tveganja ter varovalne dejavnike za razvoj samomorilnega vedenja pri mariborskih študentih. Naš raziskovalni vzorec je zajemal 277 študentov Univerze v Mariboru, od tega 44 moških in 233 žensk. Povprečna starost anketiranih je znašala 24 let. Vprašalniki, ki smo jih v raziskavi uporabili, so modul Vprašalnika o bolnikovem zdravju (PHQ-9), Paykelova lestvica samomorilnega vedenja (PSS) in Vprašalnik medosebnih potreb (INQ-25). Rezultati naše raziskave so pokazali, da med moškimi in ženskimi študenti pri poročanju samomorilnega vedenja ni bilo statistično pomembnih razlik, prav tako teh razlik ni bilo med študenti kadilci in nekadilci. Tudi pri tistih študentih, ki redno uživajo alkohol in med tistimi, ki ga ne, ni bilo statistično pomembnih razlik. Statistično pomembne razlike so se pokazale le pri tistih z izraženimi simptomi depresije, ki so pogosteje poročali o samomorilnih mislih v primerjavi s tistimi, ki teh simptomov niso imeli. Prav tako se ni izkazalo, da je pri študentih najpogostejši varovalni dejavnik za razvoj samomorilnega vedenja sposobnost ustreznega iskanja pomoči v stresnih situacijah. Za preverjanje hipotez smo uporabili mediano lestvic INQ in PSS ter Mann Whitney U test, poleg tega pa še neparametrični Kruskal-Wallis test. Za preverjanje varovalnih dejavnikov smo za analizo uporabili frekvenčno porazdelitev odgovorov na anketnem vprašalniku. Z raziskavo smo preverili tvegana dejanja in kako ta vplivajo na razvoj samomorilnega vedenja ter skušali dobiti vsaj del celotne slike duševnega zdravja mladih na vstopu v odraslost. Magistrsko delo opozarja na pomembnost varovalnih dejavnikov pri razvoju samomorilnega vedenja ter svari pred dejavniki tveganja.Students are a vulnerable group when we talk about the development of suicidal behaviour, which is one of the top three causes of death with people who are in period of transitioning into adults. The number of young people who end their life with suicide is increasing, comparing to other age groups. In the master’s thesis we wanted to research the occurrence of suicidal thoughts and suicidal behaviour among the young who are transitioning into adulthood. We were interested in the difference between the genders, between smokers and non-smokers, between people who drink alcohol and people who don’t and how these risky actions impact the faculty students, or how they impact the suicidal behaviour. We focused on those who have symptoms of depression. We were also interested whether students know where they can search and ask for help in stressful situations. The main purpose of the master’s thesis was to theoretically and empirically define and elaborate certain aspects of the development of suicidal thinking and suicidal behaviour, and to examine and highlight the risk and protective factors for the development of suicidal behaviour among faculty students in Maribor. Our research sample consisted of 277 students of University of Maribor, of which 44 men and 233 women. The average age of the respondents was 24 years. We used the following questionnaires: Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Paykel Suicide Tolerance Scale (PSS) and Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ-25). The results of our research showed no statistically significant differences among men and women in the reporting of suicidal behaviour, as well as there were no differences among smokers and non-smokers. No statistically significant difference was shown among students who drink alcohol regularly and students who do not. Statistically significant differences were shown among students with symptoms of depression. They reported about suicidal thoughts more often than the students who did not have the symptoms of depression. We also did not prove that the most common protective factor to develop suicidal behaviour is the capability to find help in stressful situations. We used the INQ and PSS scales, as well as Mann Whitney U test and non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis test. To check protective factors, we used frequency distribution on the answers on the questionnaire for our analysis. We checked the risk actions and how they impact the development of suicidal behaviour and tried to get a part of the mental health picture of the young people, transitioning into adulthood. The master’s thesis draws attention on the importance of protective factors on developing the suicidal behaviour and warns against risk factors

Expressing Emotions through Colouristic Art Creation via the Self-Portrait Motif

Magistrsko delo je sestavljeno iz treh delov - prvi del je teoretičen, drugi vključuje likovno praktični del, kjer likovno doživljajsko analiziramo avtorska dela, tretji - empirični likovno didaktični del, pa je kvalitativen. V magistrski nalogi se soočamo z izražanjem čustev skozi koloristično likovno ustvarjanje, pri katerem upodabljamo serijo avtoportretov. Naš namen je ugotoviti, kakšne povezave obstajajo med specifičnimi barvami, in kako jih asociiramo z raznimi čustvi. Ker je tema magistrske naloge precej specifična, se želimo najprej dotakniti osnov in posledično razdelati pojem barve - kako jo definiramo in preučiti njene barvne dimenzije. Nato se dotaknemo vloge čutov in čustev v likovni umetnosti in se ob tem osredotočimo na zaznavanje, na percepcijo likovnih del ter na vlogo čustev v likovnem ustvarjanju. Za tem raziskujemo Goethejevo in Rungejevo barvno teorijo ter ju med seboj primerjamo. S pomočjo razumevanja osnov, nato preidemo na značilnosti posameznih barv in njihove simbolične pomene, z namenom, da raziščemo kakšne občutke v nas vzbujajo barve, ter da ugotovimo, kakšno simbolno vlogo so barve nosile v zgodovini. Sledi obravnavanje izraznih vrednosti barv in njihova uporaba v likovnem izražanju – v tem poglavju razdelamo značilnosti likovnih predstavitev primarnih emocij ter preučimo, kako uporabljamo barve pri likovni simbolizaciji emocij. Temo povežemo tudi s pedagoškim vidikom, zato se osredotočamo na pomen in vlogo barve v šolskem okolju ter razdelamo na kakšen način dajo barve vpogled v notranje emocionalno doživljanje otrok. V empirično likovno-didaktičnem delu, smo izvedli likovno dejavnost z mlajšimi in starejšimi učenci. Učenci so bili usmerjeni, da ustvarijo avtoportret v tehniki voščenke in/ali flomaster, ter prikažejo sebe v veselem stanju in sebe ob občutenju žalosti - z upoštevanjem njihovega osebnega doživljanja barv. Vzorec zajema učence v 4. in 8. razredu osnovne šole. Tehniki zbiranja podatkov sta skupinski pol-strukturirani intervju v obliki pogovora pred potekom delavnice in po njej ter dokumenti, ki so v tem primeru likovni izdelki učencev. Menimo, da je vsebina relevantna pri delu z učenci, saj učitelju lahko poda vpogled v doživljanje učencev ter njihov odnos do barv v povezavi s čustvi, ter tako posluži učitelju v praksi kot eden od načinov doživljanja likovne situacije.In the master\u27s thesis, we explore the expression of emotions through coloristic art creation, portraying it in a series of self-portraits. Our purpose is to find out what connections exist between specific colors and how we associate them with different emotions. Since the topic of the master\u27s thesis is quite specific, we want to firstly focus on the basics and consequently elaborate on the concept of colorhow to define as well as examine its color dimensions. We then study how we perceive works of Art based on the role of the senses and emotions. After that, we research Goethe’s and Runge’s color theory and compare them with each other. With the help of understanding the basics, we then move on to the characteristics of individual colors and their symbolic meanings, in order to explore what feelings each color evokes in us. We also want to find out what symbolic role colors have played in history. We discuss the expressive values of colors and their use in the artistic expression - in this chapter we elaborate on the characteristics of artistic representations of primary emotions and examine how we use different colors in the artistic symbolization of emotions. We also want to connect the topic with the pedagogical aspect, so we focus on color in the school environment, research the role of color in classrooms and elaborate on the expressive value of color from a diagnostic point of view in children. The Master\u27s thesis also includes a practical part, where we analyse author self-portraits. This is followed by an empirical didactic part, where we conduct two lessons in primary school with younger and older students. In the art task, the students create a self-portrait with the technique of crayons and /or colored markers. Their task is to portray themselves in a happy state and themselves with feelings of sadness - taking into account their personal experience of perceiving colors. In the first part, the research approach is theoretical, and in the second, empirical part, it is qualitative. The sample includes students in 4th and 8th grade of elementary school. Data collection techniques are a group semi-structured interview in the form of a conversation before and after the workshop and documents that are - in our case, students\u27 art creations. This topic is worth researching, because we want to explore how children relate to colors combined with emotions, and at the same time remind them of the sensory-experiential aspect of color

Solar Photovoltaic Thermal Collectors and Ground Source Heat Pumps for Commercial Buildings : Case study in Sweden

In order to reduce emissions from the building sector, which stands for than a fifth of the global energy consumption today, efficient and fossil free heating and cooling systems are of importance. This study investigates the combination of solar photovoltaic thermal collectors and ground source heat pump systems in order to regenerate energy to the ground in combination with free cooling. Research questions investigated was how techno-economically efficient a system with photovoltaic thermal collectors, ground source heat pumps and free cooling in a commercial building is. Moreover, the study evaluates what benefits and challenges such system can have. In addition, Polysun as a modeling tool was evaluated for modeling a system includingthese components. Polysun was used as a model tool to first set up a replication of an existing system in TRNSYS provided by researchers at KTH. The model was then scaled and adjusted with parameters to represent a commercial building using free cooling from Vasakronan, a Swedish property company. Photovoltaic thermal collectors were added to the model of the existing building, with two different configurations, and the heating and cooling demand of the building was varied. The results showed that a configuration with photovoltaic thermal collectors added after the evaporator side of the heat pump generated more energy to the system compared with an installation before the evaporator side of the heat pump. The possibilities of free cooling decreased with increasing number of solar collectors, due to the rise of temperature in the ground. From an economic perspective, photovoltaic thermal collectors are more expensive than photovoltaic modules, since it has an additional cost for the hydraulic system that depends on the building. However, photovoltaic thermal collectors also provide thermal energy that can help balancing borehole systems and reduce the risk for a need of additional drilling. The study performed an uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of the results, showing that the electricity price is the most sensitive parameter to the net present value of investing in photovoltaic thermal collectors. With the electricity price assumed in this study, the net present values were positive for all cases for the given interest rate and lifetime of 25 years. It was also concluded that the modeling tool Polysun has a user friendly interface where energy systems easily can be modeled. In terms of borehole configurations, there is a lack of modeling alternatives which resulted in unexpected temperature rises in the ground for the model.Byggnadssektorn står idag för mer än en femtedel av den globala energiförbrukningen, där över hälften av energin kommer från fossila bränslen. Därför är det viktigt med effektiva och fossilfria uppvärmnings- och kylsystem för att minska utsläppen, där värmepumpar är ett bra alternativ. Denna studie undersöker kombinationen av termiska solceller och bergvärmepumpssystem i kommersiella fastigheter, med syfte att återladda energi till marken i kombination med frikyla. Syftet var att undersöka hur teknoekonomiskt effektivt ett sådant system är och vilka fördelar samt nackdelar som finns. Dessutom utvärderades modelleringsverktyget Polysun som användes föratt modellera systemen. Arbetet inleddes med att efterlikna ett befintligt system i Polysun från en tidigare studie från KTH som använt modelleringsverktyget TRNSYS. Därefter justerades detta system så att det skulle efterlikna en av Vasakronans byggnader som idag använder bergvärme och frikyla. Tre scenarier konstruerades till basmodellen där samtliga innefattade termiska solceller. Resultaten visade att antalet termiska solceller kunde minska i antal då dessa var kopplade efter förångarsidan av värmepumpen, jämfört med om de är installerade före förångarsidan av värmepumpen. Genom att öka antalet termiska solceller i systemet ökade temperaturen i borrhålen, vilket ledde till en minskad möjlig användning av frikyla. Ur ett ekonomiskt perspektiv är termiska solceller dyrare än solceller som enbart genererar elektricitet, med en extra kostnad för det hydrauliska systemet som även beror på byggnadens utformning. Dock finns det andra fördelar med termiska solceller såsom att de kan hjälpa till att balansera borrhålssystem och minska behovet för att borra ytterligare borrhål. I studien utfördes en osäkerhets- och känslighetsanalys av resultaten, vilken visade att elpriset har stor påverkan på nettonuvärdet av en investering i termiska solceller. Med det elpris som antogs i denna studie var nettovärdet positivt för alla fall med den givna kalkylräntan och livstiden för systemet. Polysun visade sig vara ett modelleringsverktyg med ett användarvänligt gränssnitt där energisystem lätt kan modelleras. När det gäller konfigurationer av borrhål finns det begränsade modelleringsalternativ, där resultaten visade oväntade temperaturstegringar för marken i modellen