Regional scale rain-forest height mapping using regression-kriging of spaceborne and airborne lidar data : application on French Guiana

LiDAR data has been successfully used to estimate forest parameters such as canopy heights and biomass. Major limitation of LiDAR systems (airborne and spaceborne) arises from their limited spatial coverage. In this study, we present a technique for canopy height mapping using airborne and spaceborne LiDAR data (from the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System (GLAS)). First, canopy heights extracted from both airborne and spaceborne LiDAR were extrapolated from available environmental data. The estimated canopy height maps using Random Forest (RF) regression from airborne or GLAS calibration datasets showed similar precisions (~6 m). To improve the precision of canopy height estimates, regression-kriging was used. Results indicated an improvement in terms of root mean square error (RMSE, from 6.5 to 4.2 m) using the GLAS dataset, and from 5.8 to 1.8 m using the airborne LiDAR dataset. Finally, in order to investigate the impact of the spatial sampling of future LiDAR missions on canopy height estimates precision, six subsets were derived from the initial airborne LiDAR dataset. Results indicated that using the regression-kriging approach a precision of 1.8 m on the canopy height map was achievable with a flight line spacing of 5 km. This precision decreased to 4.8 m for flight line spacing of 50 km

A fast framework construction and visualization method for particle-based fluid

© 2017, The Author(s). Fast and vivid fluid simulation and visualization is a challenge topic of study in recent years. Particle-based simulation method has been widely used in the art animation modeling and multimedia field. However, the requirements of huge numerical calculation and high quality of visualization usually result in a poor computing efficiency. In this work, in order to improve those issues, we present a fast framework for 3D fluid fast constructing and visualization which parallelizes the fluid algorithm based on the GPU computing framework and designs a direct surface visualization method for particle-based fluid data such as WCSPH, IISPH, and PCISPH. Considering on conventional polygonization or adaptive mesh methods may incur high computing costs and detail losses, an improved particle-based method is provided for real-time fluid surface rendering with the screen-space technology and the utilities of the modern graphics hardware to achieve the high performance rendering; meanwhile, it effectively protects fluid details. Furthermore, to realize the fast construction of scenes, an optimized design of parallel framework and interface is also discussed in our paper. Our method is convenient to enforce, and the results demonstrate a significant improvement in the performance and efficiency by being compared with several examples

Prototype Tests for the CELESTE Solar Array Gamma--Ray Telescope

The CELESTE experiment will be an Atmospheric Cherenkov detector designed to bridge the gap in energy sensitivity between current satellite and ground-based gamma-ray telescopes, 20 to 300 GeV. We present test results made at the former solar power plant, Themis, in the French Pyrenees. The tests confirm the viability of using a central tower heliostat array for Cherenkov wavefront sampling.Comment: LaTeX2e,30 pages including 14 figures, accepted for publication by Nuclear Instruments & Methods Section

How Does Circadian Rhythm Impact Salt Sensitivity of Blood Pressure in Mice? A Study in Two Close C57Bl/6 Substrains

Background Mouse transgenesis has provided the unique opportunity to investigate mechanisms underlying sodium kidney reabsorption as well as end organ damage. However, understanding mouse background and the experimental conditions effects on phenotypic readouts of engineered mouse lines such as blood pressure presents a challenge. Despite the ability to generate high sodium and chloride plasma levels during high-salt diet, observed changes in blood pressure are not consistent between wild-type background strains and studies. Methods The present work was designed in an attempt to determine guidelines in the field of saltinduced hypertension by recording continuously blood pressure by telemetry in mice submitted to different sodium and potassium loaded diets and changing experimental conditions in both C57BL/6N and C57BL/6J mice strain (Normal salt vs. Low salt vs. High-salt/normal potassium vs. High salt/low potassium, standard vs. modified light cycle, Non-invasive tail cuff blood pressure vs. telemetry). Results In this study, we have shown that, despite a strong blood pressure (BP) basal difference between C57BL/6N and C57BL/6J mice, High salt/normal potassium diet increases BP and heart rate during the active phase only (dark period) in the same extent in both strains. On the other hand, while potassium level has no effect on salt-induced hypertension in C57BL/6N mice, high-salt/low potassium diet amplifies the effect of the high-salt challenge only in C57BL/6J mice. Indeed, in this condition, salt-induced hypertension can also be detected during light period even though this BP increase is lower compared to the one occurring during the dark period. Finally, from a methodological perspective, light cycle inversion has no effect on this circadian BP phenotype and tail-cuff method is less sensitive than telemetry to detect BP phenotypes due to salt challenges. Conclusions Therefore, to carry investigations on salt-induced hypertension in mice, chronic telemetry and studies in the active phase are essential prerequisites

TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Three-dimensional MRI-based treatment planning approach for non-invasive ocular proton therapy

Purpose: To develop a high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based treatment planning approach for uveal melanomas (UM) in proton therapy.Materials/methods: For eight patients with UM, a segmentation of the gross tumor volume (GTV) and organs-at-risk (OARs) was performed on T1- and T2-weighted 7 Tesla MRI image data to reconstruct the patient MR-eye. An extended contour was defined with a 2.5-mm isotropic margin derived from the GTV. A broad beam algorithm, which we have called pi Dose, was implemented to calculate relative proton absorbed doses to the ipsilateral OARs. Clinically favorable gazing angles of the treated eye were assessed by calculating a global weighted-sum objective function, which set penalties for OARs and extreme gazing angles. An optimizer, which we have named OPT'im-Eye-Tool, was developed to tune the parameters of the functions for sparing critical-OARs.Results: In total, 441 gazing angles were simulated for every patient. Target coverage including margins was achieved in all the cases (V-95% > 95%). Over the whole gazing angles solutions space, maximum dose (D-max) to the optic nerve and the macula, and mean doses (D-mean) to the lens, the ciliary body and the sclera were calculated. A forward optimization was applied by OPT'im-Eye-Tool in three different prioritizations: iso-weighted, optic nerve prioritized, and macula prioritized. In each, the function values were depicted in a selection tool to select the optimal gazing angle(s). For example, patient 4 had a T2 equatorial tumor. The optimization applied for the straight gazing angle resulted in objective function values of 0.46 (iso-weighted situation), 0.90 (optic nerve prioritization) and 0.08 (macula prioritization) demonstrating the impact of that angle in different clinical approaches.Conclusions: The feasibility and suitability of a 3D MRI-based treatment planning approach have been successfully tested on a cohort of eight patients diagnosed with UM. Moreover, a gaze-angle trade-off dose optimization with respect to OARs sparing has been developed. Further validation of the whole treatment process is the next step in the goal to achieve both a non-invasive and a personalized proton therapy treatment. (c) 2020 The Authors. Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.Neuro Imaging Researc

Front Behav Neurosci

Cognitive impairment in Down syndrome (DS) has been linked to increased synaptic inhibition. The underlying mechanisms remain unknown, but memory deficits are rescued in DS mouse models by drugs targeting GABA receptors. Similarly, administration of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG)-containing extracts rescues cognitive phenotypes in Ts65Dn mice, potentially through GABA pathway. Some developmental and cognitive alterations have been traced to increased expression of the serine-threonine kinase DYRK1A on Hsa21. To better understand excitation/inhibition balance in DS, we investigated the consequences of long-term (1-month) treatment with EGCG-containing extracts in adult mBACtgDyrk1a mice that overexpress Dyrk1a. Administration of POL60 rescued components of GABAergic and glutamatergic pathways in cortex and hippocampus but not cerebellum. An intermediate dose (60 mg/kg) of decaffeinated green tea extract (MGTE) acted on components of both GABAergic and glutamatergic pathways and rescued behavioral deficits as demonstrated on the alternating paradigm, but did not rescue protein level of GABA-synthesizing GAD67. These results indicate that excessive synaptic inhibition in people with DS may be attributable, in large part, to increased DYRK1A dosage. Thus, controlling the level of active DYRK1A is a clear issue for DS therapy. This study also defines a panel of synaptic markers for further characterization of DS treatments in murine models