OBIA for combining LiDAR and multispectral data to characterize forested areas and land cover in a tropical region

International audiencePrioritizing and designing forest restoration strategies requires an adequate survey to inform on the status (degraded or not) of forest types and the human disturbances over a territory. Very High Spatial Resolution (VHSR) remotely sensed data offers valuable information for performing such survey. We present in this study an OBIA methodology for mapping forest types at risk and land cover in a tropical context (Mayotte Island) combining LiDAR data (1 m pixel), VHSR multispectral images (Spot 5 XS 10 m pixel and orthophotos 0.5 m pixel) and ancillary data (existing thematic information). A Digital Canopy Model (DCM) was derived from LiDAR data and additional information was built from the DCM in order to better take into account the horizontal variability of canopy height: max and high Pass filters (3m x 3m kernel size) and Haralick variance texture image (51m x 51m kernel size). OBIA emerges as a suitable framework for exploiting multisource information during segmentation as well as during the classification process. A precise map (84% total accuracy) was obtained informing on (i) surfaces of forest types (defined according to their structure, i.e. canopy height of forest patches for specific type); (ii) degradation (identified in the heterogeneity of canopy height and presence of eroded areas) and (iii) human disturbances. Improvements can be made when discriminating forest types according to their composition (deciduous, evergreen or mixed), in particular by exploiting a more radiometrically homogenous VHSR multispectral image

Improving the quantification of land cover pressure on stream ecological status at the riparian scale using High Spatial Resolution Imagery

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the interest of High Spatial Resolution Imagery (HSRI) and the limits of coarse land cover data such as CORINE Land Cover (CLC), for the accurate characterization of land cover structure along river corridors and of its functional links with freshwater ecological status on a large scale. For this purpose, we compared several spatial indicators built from two land cover maps of the Herault river corridor (southern France): one derived from the CLC database, the other derived from HSRI. The HSRI-derived map was obtained using a supervised object-based classification of multi-source remotely-sensed images (SPOT 5 XS-10 m and aerial photography-0.5 m) and presents an overall accuracy of 70 %. The comparison between the two sets of spatial indicators highlights that the HSRI-derived map allows more accuracy in the quantification of land cover pressures near the stream: the spatial structure of the river landscape is finely resolved and the main attributes of riparian vegetation can be quantified in a reliable way. The next challenge will consist in developing an operational methodology using HSRI for large-scale mapping of river corridor land cover,, for spatial indicator computation and for the development of related pressure/impact models, in order to improve the prediction of stream ecological status

An OBIA for fine-scale land cover spatial analysis over broad territories: demonstration through riparian corridor and artificial sprawl studies in France

International audienceSpatial analysis using fine-scale information over broad territories is essential to define efficient restoration strategies from local to national scale. We designed an OBIA dedicated to produce operationally reliable fine-scale information over broad territories. The originality of our OBIA lies particularly in the top-down approach for the construction of the classification tree and the use of „knowledge-based rules‟ classification technique. The implementation of this OBIA over the two study areas – (i) the Normandy region for riparian area land cover mapping (5600 km² riparian area) and (ii) fours departments over the Languedoc-Roussillon region (22644 km²) – demonstrates the operability of our approach (time-efficient, reproducible, transferable, portable). Broad scale spatial analysis conducted from resulting maps demonstrate the interest of using fine-scale information and highlight that OBIA, following our approach, will be at very short run a broadly applicable method to carry out such analysis

ARPEGES, une méthode pour évaluer le potentiel de contamination des eaux de surface par les pesticides à l'échelle nationale

International audienceArpeges is an innovating and coherent method to assess the potential surface water's contamination by pesticides at the national scale. In France, it was implemented at Water Framework Directive water bodies' scale. The objectives are to identify of vulnerable zones and to determinate the main risk factors implied in pollution transfer according to the considered zones. Actually, this method allows a better understanding and a ranking of pollution's causes considering three essential aspects of the contamination: uses, environmental vulnerability to pesticides pollution and substances properties. The method is mostly based on transfer processes. In order to take into account the seasonal temporal variability, analyses are separately carried on winter and summer, and both acute and chronic approaches of the risk are considered. The segregation between these two risks is built on the different processes transfer times to reach surface waters. 18 relevant variables describing pesticides transfer are chosen (infiltration, pedology, drainage, climate, buffer zones...); they are aggregated according to up to date expert knowledge thanks to a Bayesian network to obtain pesticides contamination. This tool allows associating an uncertainty factor to each result and contributing to increase the adaptability of the method. Intermediary results as environmental vulnerabilities are relevant to identify the main causes of transfer

Fuel economy optimization from the interaction between engine oil and driving conditions

[EN] Low viscosity engine oils have shown to be an effective solution to the fuel consumption reduction target, however, their potential is closely linked to the vehicle and engine design and to the real driving conditions. In this study the interaction between engine oil and driving conditions of two urban routes and one rural route in Spain and the United Kingdom has been put to test with the aim to evaluate their joint effect over fuel economy of a freight transport vehicle. In a first approximation, six different oil formulations, three of them belonging to the new API CK-4 and FA-4 categories and two with molybdenum-based friction modifier, were tested under stationary conditions with a medium-duty diesel engine. Followed by tests under real driving conditions of a freight transport vehicle, developed by means of computer simulations with an adjusted vehicle model, taking the fuel consumption maps of the six oil formulations, vehicle characteristics and the selected driving cycles as inputs to the model. Results of engine bench tests and simulations with oils of lower HTHS viscosity showed fuel consumption reduction values as expected. However unexpected results were found between the oils with molybdenum-based friction modifier added to their formulation.The authors would like to thank to the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad for supporting the EFICOIL project (TRA2015-70785-R) and to the program Ayudas de Investigacion y Desarrollo (PAID-01-17) of the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia.Tormos, B.; Pla Moreno, B.; Bastidas-Moncayo, KS.; Ramirez-Roa, LA.; Perez, T. (2019). Fuel economy optimization from the interaction between engine oil and driving conditions. Tribology International. 138:263-270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2019.05.042S263270138Edwards, M. R., Klemun, M. M., Kim, H. C., Wallington, T. J., Winkler, S. L., Tamor, M. A., & Trancik, J. E. (2017). Vehicle emissions of short-lived and long-lived climate forcers: trends and tradeoffs. Faraday Discussions, 200, 453-474. doi:10.1039/c7fd00063dDente, S. M. R., & Tavasszy, L. (2018). Policy oriented emission factors for road freight transport. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 61, 33-41. doi:10.1016/j.trd.2017.03.021Hofer, C., Jäger, G., & Füllsack, M. (2018). Large scale simulation of CO2 emissions caused by urban car traffic: An agent-based network approach. Journal of Cleaner Production, 183, 1-10. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.02.113Lepitzki, J., & Axsen, J. (2018). The role of a low carbon fuel standard in achieving long-term GHG reduction targets. Energy Policy, 119, 423-440. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2018.03.067Solaymani, S. (2019). CO2 emissions patterns in 7 top carbon emitter economies: The case of transport sector. Energy, 168, 989-1001. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2018.11.145European Union, The European Union explained: transport, EU publications doi:10.2775/13082.Eurostat statistics explained. road freight transport statistics, [Accessed: 10/01/2019]. URL https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Road_freight_transport_statistics.Kin, B., Spoor, J., Verlinde, S., Macharis, C., & Van Woensel, T. (2018). Modelling alternative distribution set-ups for fragmented last mile transport: Towards more efficient and sustainable urban freight transport. Case Studies on Transport Policy, 6(1), 125-132. doi:10.1016/j.cstp.2017.11.009Edwards, J. B., McKinnon, A. C., & Cullinane, S. L. (2010). Comparative analysis of the carbon footprints of conventional and online retailing. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 40(1/2), 103-123. doi:10.1108/09600031011018055Manerba, D., Mansini, R., & Zanotti, R. (2018). Attended Home Delivery: reducing last-mile environmental impact by changing customer habits. IFAC-PapersOnLine, 51(5), 55-60. doi:10.1016/j.ifacol.2018.06.199Gao, J., Chen, H., Tian, G., Ma, C., & Zhu, F. (2019). An analysis of energy flow in a turbocharged diesel engine of a heavy truck and potentials of improving fuel economy and reducing exhaust emissions. Energy Conversion and Management, 184, 456-465. doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2019.01.053O. Delgado, F. Rodríguez, R. Muncrief, Fuel efficiency technology in european heavy-duty vehicles: baseline and potential for the 2020 2030 time frame, Tech. rep., Int. Counc. Clean. Transport.(2017) https://www.theicct.org/publications/fuel-efficiency-technology-european-heavy-duty-vehicles-baseline-and-potential-2020.J. Norris, G. Escher, Heavy duty vehicles technology potential and cost study, Tech. rep., Int. Counc. Clean. Transport. (2017)https://www.theicct.org/publications/heavy-duty-vehicles-technology-potential-and-cost-study.Ezhilmaran, V., Vasa, N. J., & Vijayaraghavan, L. (2018). Investigation on generation of laser assisted dimples on piston ring surface and influence of dimple parameters on friction. Surface and Coatings Technology, 335, 314-326. doi:10.1016/j.surfcoat.2017.12.052Arslan, A., Masjuki, H. H., Kalam, M. A., Varman, M., Mosarof, M. H., Mufti, R. A., … Khurram, M. (2017). Investigation of laser texture density and diameter on the tribological behavior of hydrogenated DLC coating with line contact configuration. Surface and Coatings Technology, 322, 31-37. doi:10.1016/j.surfcoat.2017.05.037Marian, M., Tremmel, S., & Wartzack, S. (2018). Microtextured surfaces in higher loaded rolling-sliding EHL line-contacts. Tribology International, 127, 420-432. doi:10.1016/j.triboint.2018.06.024Triantafyllopoulos, G., Kontses, A., Tsokolis, D., Ntziachristos, L., & Samaras, Z. (2017). Potential of energy efficiency technologies in reducing vehicle consumption under type approval and real world conditions. Energy, 140, 365-373. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2017.09.023Macián, V., Tormos, B., Bermúdez, V., & Ramírez, L. (2014). Assessment of the effect of low viscosity oils usage on a light duty diesel engine fuel consumption in stationary and transient conditions. Tribology International, 79, 132-139. doi:10.1016/j.triboint.2014.06.003Macián, V., Tormos, B., Ruíz, S., & Ramírez, L. (2015). Potential of low viscosity oils to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel consumption of urban buses fleets. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 39, 76-88. doi:10.1016/j.trd.2015.06.006Souza de Carvalho, M. J., Rudolf Seidl, P., Pereira Belchior, C. R., & Ricardo Sodré, J. (2010). Lubricant viscosity and viscosity improver additive effects on diesel fuel economy. Tribology International, 43(12), 2298-2302. doi:10.1016/j.triboint.2010.07.014Macián, V., Tormos, B., Ruiz, S., & Miró, G. (2016). Low viscosity engine oils: Study of wear effects and oil key parameters in a heavy duty engine fleet test. Tribology International, 94, 240-248. doi:10.1016/j.triboint.2015.08.028Taylor, R., Selby, K., Herrera, R., & Green, D. A. (2011). The Effect of Engine, Axle and Transmission Lubricant, and Operating Conditions on Heavy Duty Diesel Fuel Economy: Part 2: Predictions. SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants, 5(1), 488-495. doi:10.4271/2011-01-2130Permude, A., Pathak, M., Kumar, V., & Singh, S. (2012). Influence of Low Viscosity Lubricating Oils on Fuel Economy and Durability of Passenger Car Diesel Engine. SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants, 5(3), 1426-1435. doi:10.4271/2012-28-0010Tormos, B., Ramírez, L., Johansson, J., Björling, M., & Larsson, R. (2017). Fuel consumption and friction benefits of low viscosity engine oils for heavy duty applications. Tribology International, 110, 23-34. doi:10.1016/j.triboint.2017.02.007Van Dam, W., Miller, T., Parsons, G. M., & Takeuchi, Y. (2011). The Impact of Lubricant Viscosity and Additive Chemistry on Fuel Economy in Heavy Duty Diesel Engines. SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants, 5(1), 459-469. doi:10.4271/2011-01-2124Skjoedt, M., Butts, R., Assanis, D. N., & Bohac, S. V. (2008). Effects of oil properties on spark-ignition gasoline engine friction. Tribology International, 41(6), 556-563. doi:10.1016/j.triboint.2007.12.001Rao, L., Zhang, Y., Kook, S., Kim, K. S., & Kweon, C.-B. (2019). Understanding in-cylinder soot reduction in the use of high pressure fuel injection in a small-bore diesel engine. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 37(4), 4839-4846. doi:10.1016/j.proci.2018.09.013Fan, C., Song, C., Lv, G., Wei, J., Zhang, X., Qiao, Y., & Liu, Y. (2019). Impact of post-injection strategy on the physicochemical properties and reactivity of diesel in-cylinder soot. Proceedings of the Combustion Institute, 37(4), 4821-4829. doi:10.1016/j.proci.2018.08.001Yamamoto, K., Kotaka, A., & Umehara, K. (2010). Additives for Improving the Fuel Economy of Diesel Engine Systems. Tribology Online, 5(4), 195-198. doi:10.2474/trol.5.195Marx, N., Ponjavic, A., Taylor, R. I., & Spikes, H. A. (2017). Study of Permanent Shear Thinning of VM Polymer Solutions. Tribology Letters, 65(3). doi:10.1007/s11249-017-0888-7Cui, J., Oberoi, S., Goldmints, I., & Briggs, S. (2014). Field and Bench Study of Shear Stability of Heavy Duty Diesel Lubricants. SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants, 7(3), 882-889. doi:10.4271/2014-01-2791Rizzoni, G., Guzzella, L., & Baumann, B. M. (1999). Unified modeling of hybrid electric vehicle drivetrains. IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics, 4(3), 246-257. doi:10.1109/3516.789683Green, D. A., Selby, K., Mainwaring, R., & Herrera, R. (2011). The Effect of Engine, Axle and Transmission Lubricant, and Operating Conditions on Heavy Duty Diesel Fuel Economy. Part 1: Measurements. SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants, 5(1), 480-487. doi:10.4271/2011-01-212

Low viscosity engine oils: fuel economy and performance in a real-world fleet test.

[ES] Debido al fenómeno del calentamiento global, las emisiones de CO2 y la reducción del consumo de combustible en el transporte por carretera se han convertido en algunas de las preocupaciones más relevantes en el sector de la automoción. Todo este proceso ha hecho aparecer una variedad de soluciones técnicas de diferente complejidad tanto en costes de implementación como de mejora relativa. Dentro de todas ellas, una de las soluciones con una mejor relación coste-beneficio para reducir el consumo de combustible es el uso de aceites de baja viscosidad (LVO). Exsiten diferentes estudios con LVO en motores de combustión interna alternativos (MCIA), pero actualmente se dispone de datos limitados respecto al rendimiento en el uso de calle de estos. Este trabajo presenta un estudio en el que se evaluó el efecto de la utilización de LVO en una flota de autobuses urbanos en relación con el consumo de combustible y el rendimiento de aceite. Se realizó un análisis comparativo con 39 autobuses, mediante un amplio programa de control del consumo de combustible y análisis de aceite para evaluar los aspectos antes mencionados. Se evaluaron dos tecnologías de motores (Diésel / GNC) y 4 lubricantes diferentes, durante 2 intervalos de cambio de aceite, contabilizando más de 2 millones de kilómetros acumulados. Los resultados han demostrado que estos aceites presentan beneficios en términos de ahorro de combustible, pero estrechamente vinculados al diseño del propio motor. Por otro lado, han presentado un excelente desempeño a lo largo del período de cambio de aceite, incluso mejorando algunas características de los aceites de referencia utilizados y sin penalización en términos de reducción del intervalo de cambio, indicador clave para los usuarios finales relacionados con los costes de mantenimiento.[EN] CO2 emissions and fuel consumption reduction in road transportation have become one of the most relevant concerns in automotive industry, led mainly by global warming. A variety of solutions has arisen to overcome this challenge, varying in technical complexity, implementation costs and terms. Among them, one proven cost-effective way to reduce fuel consumption is the use of low viscosity oils (LVO). There are different studies involving LVO and ICE, but currently limited data are available regarding "real-world" performance of LVO. This paper presents a study where the effect of the use of LVO on urban buses regarding fuel consumption and oil performance is assessed. A comparative analysis using 39 buses was performed, based on an extensive fuel consumption control and oil analysis program to assess aspects aforementioned. 2 engine technologies (Diesel / CNG) were considered and 4 different lubricants. Test duration comprised 2 oil drain intervals, totalizing more than 2 million of km accumulated. The results have shown that LVO have benefits in terms of fuel economy, closely linked to the engine design. On the other hand, they presented an excellent performance during oil drain interval, even improving some characteristics of the reference oils used, without penalty in terms of reducing the oil lifespan, a key indicator for end users related maintenance costs.Los autores desean agradecer al Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación por su financiación en este proyecto (Proyecto TRA2012-30907), y la EMT de València por su colaboración.Tormos, B.; Miró Mezquita, G.; Perez-Gutierrez, T.; De-Diego-Pardo, J. (2016). Aceites de motor de baja viscosidad: ahorro de combustible y ensayos en condiciones reales. DYNA: Ingeniería e Industria. 91(6):668-674. https://doi.org/10.6036/7974S66867491

Knowledge representation tool for cognitiveprocesses modeling

In the last decades, neuropsychological theories tend to consider cognitive functions as a result of the whole brainwork and not as individual local areas of its cortex. Studies based on neuroimaging techniques have increased in the last years, promoting an exponential growth of the body of knowledge about relations between cognitive functions and brain structures [1]. However, so fast evolution make complicated to integrate them in verifiable theories and, even more, translated in to cognitive rehabilitation. The aim of this research work is to develop a cognitive process-modeling tool. The purpose of this system is, in the first term, to represent multidimensional data, from structural and functional connectivity, neuroimaging, data from lesion studies and derived data from clinical intervention [2][3]. This will allow to identify consolidated knowledge, hypothesis, experimental designs, new data from ongoing studies and emerging results from clinical interventions. In the second term, we pursuit to use Artificial Intelligence to assist in decision making allowing to advance towards evidence based and personalized treatments in cognitive rehabilitation. This work presents the knowledge base design of the knowledge representation tool. It is compound of two different taxonomies (structure and function) and a set of tags linking both taxonomies at different levels of structural and functional organization. The remainder of the abstract is organized as follows: Section 2 presents the web application used for gathering necessary information for generating the knowledge base, Section 3 describes knowledge base structure and finally Section 4 expounds reached conclusions

Increased Oxidative Damage Associated with Unfavorable Cytogenetic Subgroups in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Oxidative stress contributes to genomic instability in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but its relationship with the acquisition of specific chromosomal abnormalities is unknown. We recruited 55 untreated CLL patients and assessed 8-oxo-2 -deoxyguanosine (8-oxo-dG), glutathione, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and we compared them among the cytogenetic subgroups established using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Significant increases in 8-oxo-dG and/or MDA were observed in patients with unfavorable cytogenetic aberrations (17p and 11q deletions) compared to the 13q deletion group. TP53 deletion patients exhibited a diminished DNA repair efficiency. Finally, cases with normal FISH also showed enhanced 8-oxo-dG, which could result in adverse outcomes

Statistical Modeling of Single Target Cell Encapsulation

High throughput drop-on-demand systems for separation and encapsulation of individual target cells from heterogeneous mixtures of multiple cell types is an emerging method in biotechnology that has broad applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, genomics, and cryobiology. However, cell encapsulation in droplets is a random process that is hard to control. Statistical models can provide an understanding of the underlying processes and estimation of the relevant parameters, and enable reliable and repeatable control over the encapsulation of cells in droplets during the isolation process with high confidence level. We have modeled and experimentally verified a microdroplet-based cell encapsulation process for various combinations of cell loading and target cell concentrations. Here, we explain theoretically and validate experimentally a model to isolate and pattern single target cells from heterogeneous mixtures without using complex peripheral systems.Wallace H. Coulter Foundation (Young Investigator in Bioengineering Award)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01AI081534)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R21AI087107