Integrated high-resolution maps of carbon stocks and biodiversity that identify areas of potential co-benefits for climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation can help facilitate the ...implementation of global climate and biodiversity commitments at local levels. However, the multi-dimensional nature of biodiversity presents a major challenge for understanding, mapping and communicating where and how biodiversity benefits coincide with climate benefits. A new integrated approach to biodiversity is therefore needed. Here, we (a) present a new high-resolution map of global above- and below-ground carbon stored in biomass and soil, (b) quantify biodiversity values using two complementary indices (BIp and BIr) representing proactive and reactive approaches to conservation, and (c) examine patterns of carbon-biodiversity overlap by identifying 'hotspots' (20% highest values for both aspects). Our indices integrate local diversity and ecosystem intactness, as well as regional ecosystem intactness across the broader area supporting a similar natural assemblage of species to the location of interest. The western Amazon Basin, Central Africa and Southeast Asia capture the last strongholds of highest local biodiversity and ecosystem intactness worldwide, while the last refuges for unique biological communities whose habitats have been greatly reduced are mostly found in the tropical Andes and central Sundaland. There is 38 and 5% overlap in carbon and biodiversity hotspots, for proactive and reactive conservation, respectively. Alarmingly, only around 12 and 21% of these proactive and reactive hotspot areas, respectively, are formally protected. This highlights that a coupled approach is urgently needed to help achieve both climate and biodiversity global targets. This would involve (1) restoring and conserving unprotected, degraded ecosystems, particularly in the Neotropics and Indomalaya, and (2) retaining the remaining strongholds of intactness. This article is part of the theme issue 'Climate change and ecosystems: threats, opportunities and solutions'.
The rice cropping system in Asia is undergoing major changes to cope with increasing demography and changing climate, making rice monitoring a critical issue. Past studies have demonstrated the use ...of C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data to map rice areas. The methods were based on the temporal change of intensity backscattering coefficient of vertically or horizontally co-polarized data (VV or HH). In this paper, we assess the use of the HH/VV polarization ratio derived from Advanced SAR (ASAR) data from ENVISAT data for the production of rice paddy maps. The approach is based on past knowledge on the polarization behavior of rice canopy, i.e., VV backscattering is much lower than HH during a large part of the rice season, due to the attenuation of the wave by the vertical structure of the plants. The methodology is developed for the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, where a complex cropping pattern is found (one to three crops of rice per year). The approach includes a statistical analysis of the HH/VV distributions of rice and non-rice classes at different dates. The analysis results confirm that HH/VV can be used as classifier and point out the need for relevant speckle filtering prior to classification. A classification method is developed and applied to single- and multidate data sets. The methods are tested at one district of the province of An Giang and extended to the whole province. Comparisons of the mapping results to geographic-information-system land-use data and official agricultural statistics show very good agreement. The method will be further applied to the entire Mekong Delta.
A large part of the Pacific Arctic basin experiences ice-free conditions in summer as a result of sea ice cover steadily decreasing over the last decades. To evaluate the impact of sea ice retreat on ...the marine ecosystem, phytoplankton in situ observations were acquired over the Chukchi shelf and the Canadian basin in 2008, a year of high melting. Pigment analyses and taxonomy enumerations were used to characterise the distribution of main phytoplanktonic groups. Marked spatial variability of the phytoplankton distribution was observed in summer 2008. Comparison of eight phytoplankton functional groups and 3 size-classes (pico-, nano- and micro-phytoplankton) also showed significant differences in abundance, biomass and distribution between summer of low ice cover (2008) and heavy ice summer (1994). Environmental parameters such as freshening, stratification, light and nutrient availability are discussed as possible causes to explain the observed differences in phytoplankton community structure between 1994 and 2008.
Severe invasive group A streptococcal diseases have re-emerged during the past 10-20 years. In order to provide a better insight into the current epidemiological situation in France, we analysed the ...questionnaires regarding all invasive strains received at the National Reference Center for Streptococci (CNR-Strep) between 2006 and 2010 from patients aged ≥18 and characterized them by emm typing, spe gene detection and antibiotic resistance. Among the 1542 invasive GAS strains studied, 78% (n = 1206) were from blood cultures, and a streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS) was described in 22% (n = 340) of cases, mainly associated with necrotizing fasciitis (NF) and pleuro-pulmonary infections (p <0.001). The in-hospital fatality rate was 15%. A total of 83 different emm types were recovered but the three predominant emm types, representing almost 60% of the isolates, were emm 1(24%), emm28 (17%) and emm89 (15%). The preponderance of each emm type varied according to the year, with a significant constant increase of emm28 strains, whereas emm1 strains, representing approximately 32% of GAS invasive isolates in 2007 and 2008, dropped to <15% in 2010 (p <0.001). The distribution of phage-associated superantigen genes (speA, speC and ssa) was linked to certain emm types. Between 2006 and 2010, the percentage that was macrolideresistant decreased from 11% to 5%, confirming the trend observed in 2007. Fortunately, emm1 strains associated with the most life-threatening clinical manifestations remain susceptible to all anti-streptococcal antibiotics.
Aims
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of valve surgery (VS) in infective endocarditis (IE) on 5-year mortality and to evaluate whether conflicting results reported by previous studies ...could be due to differences in their methodological approaches.
Methods and results
Four hundred and forty-nine patients with a definite left-sided IE were selected from a prospective, population-based study. Association between VS and 5-year mortality was examined with a Cox model. To determine the impact of different methodological approaches, we also analysed the relationship between VS and mortality in our database, according to each method used in the five previous studies. Valve surgery was performed in 240 patients (53%). It was associated with an increase in short-term mortality within the first 14 post-operative days; adjusted hazard ratio (HR), 3.69; 95% confidence interval (CI), 2.17-6.25; P < 0.0001 and a decrease in long-term mortality (adjusted HR, 0.55; 95% CI, 0.35-0.87; P = 0.01). At least 188 days of follow-up were required for VS to provide an overall survival advantage. When applying each study's method to our database, we obtained results similar to those reported.
Conclusion
Previous conflicting results appear to be related to differences in statistical methods. When using appropriate models, we found that VS was significantly associated with reduced long-term mortality.
•Countries must internationally report emissions/removals.•Estimates and confidence intervals alone do not characterize the quality of the information.•A checklist of survey-based information is ...proposed to reporting countries.•General survey information, error sources and propagated error are relevant in the list.•Uncertainty aversion may preclude countries from providing accurate estimates.
Continuous observation of the time-varying glottal area lacks a direct, quantitative, non-invasive measurement method despite its relevance to study breathing, speech production, swallowing, etc. External photoglottography (ePGG) relies on external glottal transillumination and sensing, it is therefore suitable for non-invasive and continuous observation. Nevertheless, a formalized relationship between ePGG signal and glottal area is lacking. The current paper proposes a Multi-Signal-ePGG (MSePGG) algorithm approach based on characterization of ePGG measurements under controlled conditions using mechanical glottal replicas. MSePGG accounts for main parameters affecting the ePGG signal: glottal area to be quantified and measurement conditions such as tissue properties and signal amplification. It is shown that MSePGG enables quantitative and continuous measurement of the time-varying glottal area on mechanical replicas. Application to a human subject is illustrated and discussed.
New Caledonia is an archipelago in the South Pacific with a high prevalence of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Conducted in 2006, this study aimed at characterizing clinical ...manifestations and microbial features of isolates obtained from invasive Streptococcus pyogenes disease. Clinical and demographic data were collected prospectively. Isolates were biotyped, T typed, emm sequenced, and tested for antibiotic susceptibility. Detection of the speA, speB, speC, and ssa genes was also carried out. The estimated annual incidence of invasive S. pyogenes disease in 2006 was high at 38 cases/100,000 inhabitants in New Caledonia. Invasive isolates were obtained from 90 patients with necrotizing fasciitis (41 cases), bacteremia with no identified focus (12 cases), myositis (10 cases), septic arthritis (9 cases), erysipelas (8 cases), postpartum infection (4 cases), myelitis and osteomyelitis (3 cases), severe pneumonia (2 cases), and endocarditis (1 case). The most frequent associated comorbidities were skin lesions (71%) and obesity (29%). Thirty-one different emm types were identified, and the following six accounted for 54% of the isolates: emm15 (15.5%), emm92 (12.2%), emm106 (8.9%), emm74 (6.7%), emm89 (5.6%), and emm109 (5.6%). The speA, speC, and ssa genes were expressed at different frequencies in the various emm types. The first epidemiological study of invasive S. pyogenes disease in New Caledonia highlights that emm type distribution is particular and should be taken into account in the development of an appropriate vaccine. These findings support the prevention of pyoderma and other cutaneous lesions in order to limit the development of both invasive disease and poststreptococcal sequelae in the South Pacific.
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