The growing popularity of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in recent years, along with decreased cost and greater accessibility of both UAVs and thermal imaging sensors, has led to the widespread use ...of this technology, especially for precision agriculture and plant phenotyping. There are several thermal camera systems in the market that are available at a low cost. However, their efficacy and accuracy in various applications has not been tested. In this study, three commercially available UAV thermal cameras, including ICI 8640 P-series (Infrared Cameras Inc., USA), FLIR Vue Pro R 640 (FLIR Systems, USA), and thermoMap (senseFly, Switzerland) have been tested and evaluated for their potential for forest monitoring, vegetation stress detection, and plant phenotyping. Mounted on multi-rotor or fixed wing systems, these cameras were simultaneously flown over different experimental sites located in St. Louis, Missouri (forest environment), Columbia, Missouri (plant stress detection and phenotyping), and Maricopa, Arizona (high throughput phenotyping). Thermal imagery was calibrated using procedures that utilize a blackbody, handheld thermal spot imager, ground thermal targets, emissivity and atmospheric correction. A suite of statistical analyses, including analysis of variance (ANOVA), correlation analysis between camera temperature and plant biophysical and biochemical traits, and heritability were utilized in order to examine the sensitivity and utility of the cameras against selected plant phenotypic traits and in the detection of plant water stress. In addition, in reference to quantitative assessment of image quality from different thermal cameras, a non-reference image quality evaluator, which primarily measures image focus that is based on the spatial relationship of pixels in different scales, was developed. Our results show that (1) UAV-based thermal imaging is a viable tool in precision agriculture and (2) the three examined cameras are comparable in terms of their efficacy for plant phenotyping. Overall, accuracy, when compared against field measured ground temperature and estimating power of plant biophysical and biochemical traits, the ICI 8640 P-series performed better than the other two cameras, followed by FLIR Vue Pro R 640 and thermoMap cameras. Our results demonstrated that all three UAV thermal cameras provide useful temperature data for precision agriculture and plant phenotying, with ICI 8640 P-series presenting the best results among the three systems. Cost wise, FLIR Vue Pro R 640 is more affordable than the other two cameras, providing a less expensive option for a wide range of applications.
Villitis of unknown etiology (VUE) is associated with fetal growth restriction (FGR) and adverse short-term neonatal outcomes. No investigation to date has found which VUE features are driving the ...association with FGR diagnosis.
A retrospective cohort study of placenta pathology specimens (2013–2017) was conducted. Independent variables of interest were: VUE distribution (focal vs diffuse), location (basal vs non-basal), and grade (high vs low). The primary outcome was FGR, and secondary outcomes were neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, NICU length of stay, Apgar scores <7 at 1, 5, and 10-min, and recurrence rate of villitis in subsequent pregnancies. Association between VUE characteristics and our primary outcome were investigated using logistic regression. Secondary outcomes were explored with regression analyses and recurrence rate of VUE for members of the cohort with a recorded subsequent pregnancy was calculated.
One hundred and twenty seven placentas were included. Adjusted models showed no difference in the odds of FGR between high-grade versus low-grade VUE aOR 1.25 95% CI (0.50, 3.26), p = 0.6, focal/multi-focal vs diffuse cases aOR 1.03 95% CI (0.28, 4.34), p = >0.9, and basal vs non-basal VUE aOR 0.06 95% CI (0.00, 1.10), p = 0.058. After adjusting for prematurity <37 weeks, there were lower odds of NICU admission in basal vs non-basal cases aOR 0.25, 95% CI (0.06, 0.90), p = 0.048). There was no difference in the odds of neonates presenting with Apgar <7 for the distinct VUE histopathology features. Three cases had recurrent VUE, resulting in a 6.8% 95% CI (3.02%, 10.61%) recurrence rate. All recurrent cases were high-grade and identified with basal localization.
There are no statistical associations between distinct VUE features and FGR diagnosis, however location of villitis may be associated with worse neonatal outcomes. Villitis of any type (severity, degree, location) could potentially drive insufficient placental function and poor fetal growth.
•Location of villitis may be associated with worse neonatal outcomes.•Villitis could drive insufficient placental function.•There are no statistical associations between VUE features and FGR diagnosis.
Palermo and Sicily today represent a pole of tourist attraction for tourists from all over the world, especially Europeans, for their monuments, culture and landscapes, which come from actions and ...stories from centuries ago. The present work aims to characterize the genesis of cultural tourism in Sicily in the XVIII-XIX century, from a European perspective and to identify the most relevant sources of information of the time for the promotion of tourism. The applied methodology was a documentary analysis based mainly on newspaper records, books, historical heritage records, agency records associated with tourism and reports from European travelers between the centuries analyzed. The results show the importance of the odeporic literature on Sicily in the development of tourist offers and destinations, providing information on elements and stories that are the basis of local tourism and allows the identification of key actors of cultural knowledge such as abbot Labat and Goethe. The research provides a better understanding of the beginnings of Sicilian cultural tourism, providing relevant information on the consolidation and diversification of the local tourist offer.
El conocimiento de los nuevos perfiles de turista es necesario para optimizar la gestión responsable y sostenible de los destinos turísticos, especialmente aquellos que velan por la preservación de ...la identidad cultural: las ciudades patrimoniales. El objetivo de este trabajo es aprovechar el marketing digital en la promoción de la identidad cultural y del Valor Universal Excepcional de las ciudades patrimonio de la humanidad, para destacar su diferenciación, y lograr su revaloración y preservación. La metodología cualitativa incluye netnografía interpretativa a través del análisis de contenido en sitios web de instancias gubernamentales y asociaciones civiles que velan por la conservación del patrimonio cultural. Los resultados presentan el análisis de 23 sitios web, los formatos y herramientas utilizados, sus argumentos publicitarios y relacionados a la preservación, pero no destacan las características diferenciadoras que promuevan la identidad cultural, ni la promoción del valor universal excepcional de las ciudades. Se sugiere ampliar el uso del marketing digital, y replantear los argumentos en la promoción de las ciudades patrimonio de la humanidad para destacar el VUE ante las exigencias de los nuevos turistas, y así, reposicionar la identidad cultural de los destinos.
We present a case series of 13 consecutive patients with prostate cancer treated with low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy, utilizing SpaceOAR Vue™, the recent iodinated iteration of the SpaceOAR™ ...hydrogel rectal spacer. Low- and favorable intermediate-risk patients receiving monotherapy and unfavorable intermediate- and high-risk patients undergoing a brachytherapy boost were included. Permanent brachytherapy can result in subacute and late rectal toxicity, and precise contouring of the anterior rectal wall and posterior aspect of the prostate is essential for accurate dosimetry to confirm a safe implant. Clearly visible on non-contrast CT imaging, SpaceOAR Vue™ can substantially aid in post-implant contouring and analysis. Not previously described in the literature in the context of LDR brachytherapy, we demonstrate the added clinical benefit of placing a well-visualized rectal spacer.
Since the 1960s, canopy photography has been widely used in forestry. Hemispherical photography has been the most widely used technique, but a great drawback of this method is its perceived ...sensitivity to hemispherical image acquisition and processing. Over the last decade, several alternative photographic approaches using restricted view angle have been proposed. Cover photography acquired via a normal lens was the first of the recently introduced photographic techniques. Use of a restricted view (often fixed) lens has subsequently contributed to the extension of canopy photography to new sensors and platforms, which ultimately have provided answers to some previous challenges regarding within-crown clumping correction, isolated and urban tree measurements, understory assessment, operational leaf inclination angle measurements, and phenological monitoring. This study provides a comprehensive review of the use of canopy photography in forestry and describes the theory and definitions of the variables used to quantify canopy structure. A case study is presented to illustrate and compare the different features and performance of the existing overstory photographic techniques; the results make it possible to suggest sampling strategies for consistent overstory canopy photographic measurements. Emerging operational fields of canopy photography are also described and discussed.
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BF, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Alexandre, une figure transculturelle La figure d’Alexandre le Grand a été promue au rang de mythe par trois types de récits : par ceux (perdus pour l’essentiel) de ses compagnons (Eumène, ...Callisthène, Charès de Mytilène, Néarque, etc.), par ceux des historiens postérieurs (Arrien, Quinte-Curce, Plutarque, Diodore de Sicile), et par la version légendaire enfin, celle du iiie siècle en grec du Pseudo-Callisthène et de son Roman d’Alexandre, qui fut à la source des versions établies entre le iv...
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