A method that enables the automated mapping and characterization of dune fields on Mars is described. Using CTX image mosaics, the introduced Object-based Dune Analysis (OBDA) technique produces an ...objective and reproducible mapping of dune morphologies over extensive areas. The data set thus obtained integrates a large variety of data, allowing a simple cross-analysis of dune patterns, spectral and morphometric information, and mesoscale wind models.
Two dune fields, located in Gale crater and Ganges Chasma, were used to test and validate the methodology. The segmentation of dune-related morphologies is highly efficient, reaching overall accuracies of 95%. In addition, we show that the automated segmentation of slipface traces is also possible with expected accuracies of 85–90%.
A qualitative and quantitative comparison of the final outputs with photointerpretations is performed, and the precision of the directional characterization of the dune patterns is evaluated. We demonstrate a good agreement between the OBDA outputs and the photointerpreted dune morphologies, with local trend deviations below 45° for 80–95% of the mapped areas. Because the developed algorithm is tuned for the recognition of linear features from the imagery, the slipfaces of small barchans can be preferentially overlooked owing to their small extent at the spatial resolution of the CTX mosaics. Dune types composed of longer linear morphologies are much better represented, including correct mapping of secondary structures. Having proved the effectiveness and accuracy of the mapping procedure, we discuss its future applications for the improvement of dune catalogs on Mars.
•The OBDA (Object-based Dune Analysis) mapping technique is described.•OBDA enables the automated mapping and characterization of dune fields on Mars.•The dune fields located in Gale crater and Ganges Chasma were mapped.•Photointerpreted dune morphologies are used to test and validate the OBDA outputs.•The integration of the mapped morphologies with mesoscale wind models is tested.
•A multiscale analysis of aeolian morphologies is presented.•The effect of topography on the spatial distribution of dunes is assessed.•The morphological differences between ripples on Mars and Earth ...are shown.•The mapped meter-scale ripples on Mars do not migrate transversely to their trend.•Bedforms’ clustering allows the identification of the controlling factors.
Using automatic bedform mapping, principal component analysis and clustering we present a multiscale morphodynamic survey of dunes and meter-scale ripples on Herschel crater, Mars. The main purpose of this study is to assess if the morphology and temporal evolution of Martian meter-scale ripples is comparable to the morphodynamic characteristics of terrestrial aeolian impact ripples.
We demonstrate that the spatial variations of the mapped dune patterns are correlated with substrate topography, which also influences the spatial distribution of the height and celerity of dunes’ slipfaces. This topographic forcing is also patent on the spatial distribution of the ripples, thus proving that a multiscale coupling of active bedforms exists on Herschel under the present surface conditions.
We found that Martian meter-scale ripples are morphologically distinct from terrestrial aeolian ripples, presenting a lower degree of straightness. Only ∼3% of the mapped ripples can be considered sinuous or straight bedforms. Moreover, we conclude that this two-dimensional sub-population is restricted to well define dune settings, where factors that promote the elongation of the meter-scale ripples were identified: gravity transport on higher slopes, bedform obliquity and flow convergence on the leeward side of dunes. We also report that the different sets of ripples that were mapped and segmented do not present a transverse migration. Therefore we conclude that terrestrial aeolian ripples are not good analogues for Martian meter-scale bedforms, either in terms of morphology or dynamic evolution.
Jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor) coexist throughout the Neotropics. Using camera trapping in four Brazilian biomes, we compare the daily activity patterns of the jaguar and puma, and ...their relationships with their main prey species. We used a kernel density method to quantify daily activity patterns and to investigate overlap between these predators and their main prey. Both cats showed intensive nocturnal and crepuscular activity (0.69 and 0.14 kernel density, respectively, for jaguars; 0.68 and 0.19 kernel density, respectively, for pumas). Only in the Pantanal did we observe a pattern of concentrated diurnal activity for both species. We found little temporal segregation between jaguars and pumas, as they showed similar activity patterns with high coefficients of overlapping (average Δ 1 = 0.86; SE = 0.15). We also observed a significant overlap between the activity patterns of the predators and their main prey species, suggesting that both predators adjust their activity to reduce their foraging energy expenditure. Our findings suggest that temporal partitioning is probably not a generalized mechanism of coexistence between jaguars and pumas; instead, the partitioning of habitat/space use and food resources may play a larger role in mediating top predator coexistence. Knowledge about these behavior aspects is crucial to elucidating the factors that enable coexistence of jaguars and pumas. Furthermore, an understanding of their respective activity periods is relevant to management and associated research efforts.
Maturation is a characteristic of sugarcane plant (Saccharum spp.) and even when grown under the same soil and climate conditions the varieties differ on the maturation curve. Thus, studies that ...allow establishing maturation curves of different sugarcane genotypes in the local soil and climate may indicate the proper harvesting period to ensure better quality of the raw material. This study aimed to analyze the levels of soluble sugars during the maturation phase and assess the technological and productivity indexes of four irrigated sugarcane genotypes in the region of Rio Largo, Alagoas. The experiment was conducted in randomized blocks in a 4 x 2 x 5 factorial: four genotypes (RB92579, RB98710, RB99395 and RB961003), two stem portions (internodes 1-4 and internodes 5-8) and five seasons (82, 49, 25, 13 and 3 days before harvesting), each treatment with three replications. Internodes 1-4 showed the highest levels of reducing sugars, while the largest accumulation of sucrose and total soluble solids occurred in internodes 5-8. RB99395 genotype showed more stability in the sugar levels during sugarcane maturation, which can indicate early maturation and high agricultural yield.
Heart failure (HF) is a complex clinical syndrome that is a significant burden in hospitalisations, morbidity, and mortality. Although a significant effort has been made to better understand its ...consequences and current barriers in its management, there are still several gaps to address. The present work aimed to identify the views of a multidisciplinary group of health care professionals on HF awareness and literacy, diagnosis, treatment and organization of care, identifying current challenges and providing insights into the future.
A steering committee was established, including members of the Heart Failure Study Group of the Portuguese Society of Cardiology (GEIC-SPC), the Heart Failure Study Group of the Portuguese Society of Internal Medicine (NEIC-SPMI) and the Cardiovascular Study Group (GEsDCard) of the Portuguese Association of General and Family Medicine (APMGF). This steering committee produced a 16-statement questionnaire regarding different HF domains that was answered to by a diversified group of 152 cardiologists, internists, general practitioners, and nurses with an interest or dedicated to HF using a five-level Likert scale. Full agreement was defined as ≥80% of level 5 (fully agree) responses.
Globally, consensus was achieved in all but one of the 16 statements. Full agreement was registered in seven statements, namely 3 of 4 statements for patient education and HF awareness and 2 in 4 statements of both HF diagnosis and healthcare organization, with proportions of fully agree responses ranging from 82.9% to 96.7%. None of the HF treatment statements registered full agreement but 3 of 4 achieved ≥80% of level 4 (agree) responses.
This document aims to be a call-to-action to improve HF patients’ quality of life and prognosis, by promoting a change in HF care in Portugal.
A insuficiência cardíaca (IC) é uma síndrome clínica complexa que representa uma carga significativa em termos de hospitalizações, morbilidade e mortalidade. Apesar do esforço significativo para melhor compreender as suas consequências e as atuais barreiras na sua gestão, ainda existem várias lacunas a colmatar. O presente trabalho teve como objetivo identificar os pontos de vista de um grupo multidisciplinar de profissionais de saúde sobre sensibilização e educação, diagnóstico, tratamento e a organização dos cuidados na IC, identificando os desafios presentes e proporcionando perspetivas futuras.
Foi criada uma comissão coordenadora, que incluiu membros do Grupo de Estudo da Insuficiência Cardíaca da Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia (GEIC-SPC), do Núcleo de Estudos de Insuficiência Cardíaca da Sociedade Portuguesa de Medicina Interna (NEIC-SPMI) e do Grupo de Estudo Cardiovascular (GEsDCard) da Associação Portuguesa de Medicina Geral e Familiar (APMGF). Esta comissão coordenadora elaborou um questionário contendo 16 afirmações relativas a diferentes domínios da IC que foi respondido por um grupo diversificado de 152 cardiologistas, internistas, especialistas de medicina geral e familiar e enfermeiros com interesse na IC, através da utilização de uma escala de Likert de 5 pontos. A concordância total foi definida como ≥80% de respostas de nível 5 (concordo totalmente).
Globalmente foi alcançada uma concordância simples dos respondentes em todas as 16 afirmações, exceto numa. A concordância total foi registada em sete afirmações, nomeadamente, 3 de 4 afirmações sobre educação do doente e consciencialização sobre IC e 2 em 4 afirmações sobre diagnóstico de IC e sobre organização de saúde, com percentagens de respostas de totalmente de acordo variando entre 82,9% a 96,7%. Nenhuma das afirmações sobre tratamento de IC registou concordância total, mas 3 de 4 atingiram ≥80% de respostas de nível 4 (concordo).
Este documento pretende ser um apelo à ação para melhorar a qualidade de vida e o prognóstico dos doentes com IC, através da promoção de uma mudança dos cuidados prestados aos doentes com IC em Portugal.
Rapid habitat conversion, hunting as a retaliatory response to livestock depredation and, potentially, lack of knowledge regarding the species’ ecological role are the main factors influencing ...conservation of the Near Threatened jaguar Panthera onca in the Pantanal wetland of Brazil. Investigation of people's perceptions and attitudes towards a species is an important element of conservation initiatives but most information concerning human perceptions of jaguars in the Pantanal comes from conflict with ranchers, who typically perceive this species negatively as a result of economic losses. No information is available concerning perceptions of the jaguar by other inhabitants, particularly along riversides where the main activity is professional and recreational fishing. We used semi-structured questionnaires to interview 50 riverside inhabitants on how they perceive the jaguar and to investigate the influence of education and age on such perceptions compared to local people from rural properties in the Pantanal and other Brazilian biomes. ‘Dangerous’ was the predominant perception. We found that the negative perceptions of jaguars related to people's safety and not to economic losses from livestock depredation. We highlight environmental education programmes, ecotourism and better strategies to reduce livestock losses as useful tools for minimizing the perception that jaguars are dangerous in all situations.
This study presents a workflow for identifying and characterizing patients with Heart Failure (HF) and multimorbidity utilizing data from Electronic Health Records. Multimorbidity, the co-occurrence ...of two or more chronic conditions, poses a significant challenge on healthcare systems. Nonetheless, understanding of patients with multimorbidity, including the most common disease interactions, risk factors, and treatment responses, remains limited, particularly for complex and heterogeneous conditions like HF. We conducted a clustering analysis of 3745 HF patients using demographics, comorbidities, laboratory values, and drug prescriptions. Our analysis revealed four distinct clusters with significant differences in multimorbidity profiles showing differential prognostic implications regarding unplanned hospital admissions. These findings underscore the considerable disease heterogeneity within HF patients and emphasize the potential for improved characterization of patient subgroups for clinical risk stratification through the use of EHR data.
A insuficiência cardíaca (IC) é um problema grave de saúde pública em Portugal, estando associada a elevada morbilidade e mortalidade. A gestão clínica do doente com IC é complexa, sendo necessário ...melhorar a consciencialização para a doença e a articulação entre os cuidados de saúde. Os doentes com IC são frequentemente hospitalizados devido a episódios agudos da doença. Estes internamentos são uma oportunidade para a otimização da abordagem da IC. De acordo com as recomendações internacionais, devem ser utilizadas checklists na gestão dos doentes com IC em contexto hospitalar, para melhorar a gestão clínica do doente e diminuir o impacto clínico e financeiro desta síndrome. Neste position statement o Núcleo de Estudos de Insuficiência Cardíaca (NEIC) da Sociedade Portuguesa de Medicina Interna (SPMI) propõe uma checklist para a pré-alta hospitalar para melhorar a abordagem do doente internado por IC em Portugal. A checklist proposta teve em conta as recomendações internacionais para a abordagem da IC, adaptando-as à realidade da prática clínica, epidemiologia e demografia de Portugal.
Urban population has grown exponentially in recent years, leading to an increase of CO2 emissions and consequently contributing on a large scale to climate change. Urban trees are fundamental to ...mitigating CO2 emissions as they incorporate carbon in their biomass. It becomes necessary to understand and measure urban tree carbon storage. In this paper is studied the potential of open data to measure the quantity, density, and value of carbon stored by the seven most represented urban trees in the city of Lisbon. To compute carbon storage, the seven most represented urban tree species were selected from an open database acquired from an open data portal of the city of Lisbon. Through allometric equations, it was possible to compute the trees’ biomass and calculate carbon storage quantity, density, and value. The results showed that the tree species Celtis australis is the species that contributes more to carbon storage. Central parishes of the city of Lisbon present higher-density values of carbon storage when compared with the border parishes despite the first ones presenting low-to-medium values of carbon storage quantity and value. Trees located in streets, present higher values of carbon storage, when compared with trees located in schools and green areas. Finally, the potential usage of this information to build a decision-support dashboard for planning green infrastructures was demonstrated.
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