The analysis of remote sensing data to assess geohazards is being improved by web-based platforms and collaborative projects, such as the Geohazard Exploitation Platform (GEP) of the European Space ...Agency (ESA). This paper presents the evaluation of a surface velocity map that is generated by this platform. The map was produced through an unsupervised Multi-temporal InSAR (MTI) analysis applying the Parallel-SBAS (P-SBAS) algorithm to 25 ENVISAT satellite images from the South of Spain that were acquired between 2003 and 2008. This analysis was carried out using a service implemented in the GEP called “SBAS InSAR”. Thanks to the map that was generated by the SBAS InSAR service, we identified processes not documented so far; provided new monitoring data in places affected by known ground instabilities; defined the area affected by these instabilities; and, studied a case where GEP could have been able to help in the forecast of a slope movement reactivation. This amply demonstrates the reliability and usefulness of the GEP, and shows how web-based platforms may enhance the capacity to identify, monitor, and assess hazards that are associated to geological processes.
We used nitrogen isotope analysis from pectoral muscle of the Egyptian fruit bat Rousettus aegyptiacus (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) to determine intrapopulation variation in sources of dietary protein ...throughout the year in northern Israel. In Mediterranean climates, winter and summer are stable seasons, whereas spring and fall are transitional seasons. Number of species of fruit-bearing plants is higher during the transitional periods, and we therefore predicted that intrapopulation variation would be higher during spring than in winter and summer; we made no prediction for fall because sample size was small. We also reconstructed sources of dietary protein for each individual using nitrogen isotope ratios (δ15N) to determine whether individuals foraged on the same sources of food within each season. Intrapopulation variation in δ15N was significantly higher in spring (δ15N range: 9.7–17.5‰) compared to winter (8.8–11.1‰) and summer (9.5–11.2‰), suggesting that individuals during this period varied more in their use of protein sources. Dietary reconstruction revealed intrapopulation partitioning among the bats in the use of plant food items, and interspecific partitioning among plants in their dependence on dispersal by bats.
Estrogen receptor a (ESR1; encoded by Esr1) is a crucial nuclear transcription factor for female reproduction and is expressed throughout the female reproductive tract. To assess the function of ESR1 ...in reproductive tissues without confounding effects from a potential developmental defect arising from global deletion of ESR1, we generated a mouse model in which Esr1 was specifically ablated during postnatal development. To accomplish this, a progesterone receptor Cre line (Pgr.sup.Cre) was bred with Esr1.sup.f/f mice to create conditional knockout of Esr1 in reproductive tissues (called Pgr.sup.CreEsr1KO mice) beginning around 6 days after birth. In the Pgr.sup.CreEsr1KO oviduct, ESR1 was most efficiently ablated in the isthmic region. We found that at 3.5 days post coitus (dpc), embryos were retrieved from the uterus in control littermates while all embryos were retained in the Pgr.sup.CreEsr1KO oviduct. Additionally, serum progesterone (P.sub.4) levels were significantly lower in Pgr.sup.CreEsr1KO compared to controls at 3.5 dpc. This finding suggests that expression of ESR1 in the isthmus and normal P.sub.4 levels allow for successful embryo transport from the oviduct to the uterus. Therefore, alterations in oviductal isthmus ESR1 signaling and circulating P.sub.4 levels could be related to female infertility conditions such as tubal pregnancy. (Endocrinology 161: 1-12, 2020) Key Terms: embryo transport, estrogen receptor a, oviduct, pituitary gland, uterus
Abstract
Estrogen receptor α (ESR1; encoded by Esr1) is a crucial nuclear transcription factor for female reproduction and is expressed throughout the female reproductive tract. To assess the ...function of ESR1 in reproductive tissues without confounding effects from a potential developmental defect arising from global deletion of ESR1, we generated a mouse model in which Esr1 was specifically ablated during postnatal development. To accomplish this, a progesterone receptor Cre line (PgrCre) was bred with Esr1f/f mice to create conditional knockout of Esr1 in reproductive tissues (called PgrCreEsr1KO mice) beginning around 6 days after birth. In the PgrCreEsr1KO oviduct, ESR1 was most efficiently ablated in the isthmic region. We found that at 3.5 days post coitus (dpc), embryos were retrieved from the uterus in control littermates while all embryos were retained in the PgrCreEsr1KO oviduct. Additionally, serum progesterone (P4) levels were significantly lower in PgrCreEsr1KO compared to controls at 3.5 dpc. This finding suggests that expression of ESR1 in the isthmus and normal P4 levels allow for successful embryo transport from the oviduct to the uterus. Therefore, alterations in oviductal isthmus ESR1 signaling and circulating P4 levels could be related to female infertility conditions such as tubal pregnancy.
Temporal and spatial fluctuations in food abundance may affect the feeding habits of vertebrates in tropical dry forests. We explored the effects of season and forest degradation in dietary patterns ...of the painted spiny pocket mouse (
Lyomis pictus
(Thomas, 1893)) (Heteromyidae) in a Mexican tropical dry forest. We used carbon (
13
C,
12
C) and nitrogen (
15
N,
14
N) stable isotope analyses to test the hypotheses that (i) L. pictus would increase its use of arthropods during the rainy season when seeds are less available on the forest floor and (ii) that L. pictus would increase its use of arthropods in degraded forest compared with conserved forest. Our hypotheses were wrong because assimilated biomass was derived almost exclusively from seeds in both seasons and the importance of arthropods was marginal in both sites. Examination of food remains in feces and cheek pouches confirmed these trophic patterns. Seed hoarding during the season of high seed availability probably allows L. pictus to subsist on a seed-based diet throughout the year in conserved and disturbed forests. This behavioral trait would enable L. pictus to maintain its specialized feeding habit in environments threatened by habitat degradation.
This work describes a new procedure aimed to semi-automatically identify clusters of active persistent scatterers and preliminarily associate them with different potential types of deformational ...processes over wide areas. This procedure consists of three main modules: (i) ADAfinder, aimed at the detection of Active Deformation Areas (ADA) using Persistent Scatterer Interferometry (PSI) data; (ii) LOS2HV, focused on the decomposition of Line Of Sight (LOS) displacements from ascending and descending PSI datasets into vertical and east-west components; iii) ADAclassifier, that semi-automatically categorizes each ADA into potential deformational processes using the outputs derived from (i) and (ii), as well as ancillary external information. The proposed procedure enables infrastructures management authorities to identify, classify, monitor and categorize the most critical deformations measured by PSI techniques in order to provide the capacity for implementing prevention and mitigation actions over wide areas against geological threats. Zeri, Campiglia Marittima–Suvereto and Abbadia San Salvatore (Tuscany, central Italy) are used as case studies for illustrating the developed methodology. Three PSI datasets derived from the Sentinel-1 constellation have been used, jointly with the geological map of Italy (scale 1:50,000), the updated Italian landslide and land subsidence maps (scale 1:25,000), a 25 m grid Digital Elevation Model, and a cadastral vector map (scale 1:5000). The application to these cases of the proposed workflow demonstrates its capability to quickly process wide areas in very short times and a high compatibility with Geographical Information System (GIS) environments for data visualization and representation. The derived products are of key interest for infrastructures and land management as well as decision-making at a regional scale.
Slope failures occur in open-pit mining areas worldwide, producing considerable damage in addition to economic loss. Identifying the triggering factors and detecting unstable slopes and precursory ...displacements —which can be achieved by exploiting remote sensing data— are critical for reducing their impact. Here we present a methodology that combines digital photogrammetry, satellite radar interferometry, and geo-mechanical modeling, to perform remote analyses of slope instabilities in open-pit mining areas. We illustrate this approach through the back analysis of a massive landslide that occurred in an active open-pit mine in southwest Spain in January 2019. Based on pre- and post-event high-resolution digital elevation models derived from digital photogrammetry, we estimate an entire sliding mass volume of around 14 million m
3
. Radar interferometry reveals that during the year preceding the landslide, the line of sight accumulated displacement in the slope reached − 5.7 and 4.6 cm in ascending and descending geometry, respectively, showing two acceleration events clearly correlated with rainfall in descending geometry. By means of 3D and 2D stability analyses we located the slope instability, and remote sensing monitoring led us to identify the likely triggers of failure. Las Cruces event can be attributed to delayed and progressive failure mechanisms triggered by two factors: (i) the loss of historical suction due to a pore-water pressure increase driven by rainfall and (ii) the strain-softening behavior of the sliding material. Finally, we discuss the potential of this methodological approach either to remotely perform post-event analyses of mining-related landslides and evaluate potential triggering factors or to remotely identify critical slopes in mining areas and provide pre-alert warning.
The scientific production in E-learning has an average annual growth rate of 16%, which along with the 3.9% annual increase in the number of virtual students worldwide present a very favorable ...prospect for the category. However, the growth in scientific production is not constant. The objective of this work was to analyze the behavior of scientific production in E-learning from a bibliometric perspective in the 2003–2015 period, to identify its evolution in relation to other areas of knowledge. The methodology used compared production in E-learning versus world production, production by regions and blocks of countries and production of related areas of knowledge. With these results, a visualization was generated in VOSViewer under the overlay mapping technique to identify the dynamics of the 81 existing scientific journals in the category. This analysis determined that the growth in production in E-learning is due to the contribution of the journals in Social Sciences and that the decrease during the years 2013–2015 is mainly due to the fact that Computer Science have decreased their contribution in conference papers and reviews. In conclusion, E-learning is on the decline, since the growth offered by the Social Sciences is not enough to counteract the decline in the contribution of Computer Science. The method used in this study is a contribution to bibliometric techniques to explain the behavior of scientific production in a certain area of knowledge.
The acute phase response (APR) is the first line of defense of the vertebrate immune system against pathogens. Mounting an immune response is believed to be energetically costly but direct measures ...of metabolic rate during immune challenges contradict this assumption. The energetic cost of APR for birds is higher than for rodents, suggesting that this response is less expensive for mammals. However, the particularly large increase in metabolic rate after APR activation for a piscivorous bat (
) suggests that immune response might be unusually costly for bats. Here we quantified the energetic cost and body mass change associated with APR for the nectarivorous Pallas's long-tongued bat (
). Activation of the APR resulted in a short-term decrease in body mass and an increase in resting metabolic rate (RMR) with a total energy cost of only 2% of the total energy expenditure estimated for
. This increase in RMR was far from the large increase measured for piscivorous bats; rather, it was similar to the highest values reported for birds. Overall, our results suggest that the costs of APR for bats may vary interspecifically. Measurement of the energy cost of vertebrate immune response is limited to a few species and further work is warranted to evaluate its significance for an animal's energy budget.
PDF
