Phenology for tropoclimatological surveys and large-scale mapping

Biotic and abiotic phenological observations can be collected from continental to local spatial scale. Plant phenological observations may only be recorded wherever there is vegetation. Fog, snow and ice are available as phenological para-meters wherever they appear. The singularity of phenological observations is the possibility of spatial intensification to a microclimatic scale where the equipment of meteorological measurements is too expensive for intensive campaigning. The omnipresence of region-specific phenological parameters allows monitoring for a spatially much more detailed assessment of climate change than with weather data. We demonstrate this concept with phenological observations with the use of a special network in the Canton of Berne, Switzerland, with up to 600 observations sites (more than 1 to 10 km² of the inhabited area). Classic cartography, gridding, the integration into a Geographic Information System GIS and large-scale analysis are the steps to a detailed knowledge of topoclimatic conditions of a mountainous area. Examples of urban phenology provide other types of spatially detailed applications. Large potential in phenological mapping in future analyses lies in combining traditionally observed species-specific phenology with remotely sensed and modelled phenology that provide strong spatial information. This is a long history from cartographic intuition to algorithm-based representations of phenology.

High-accuracy patient-to-image registration for the facilitation of image-guided robotic microsurgery on the head

Image-guided microsurgery requires accuracies an order of magnitude higher than today's navigation systems provide. A critical step toward the achievement of such low-error requirements is a highly accurate and verified patient-to-image registration. With the aim of reducing target registration error to a level that would facilitate the use of image-guided robotic microsurgery on the rigid anatomy of the head, we have developed a semiautomatic fiducial detection technique. Automatic force-controlled localization of fiducials on the patient is achieved through the implementation of a robotic-controlled tactile search within the head of a standard surgical screw. Precise detection of the corresponding fiducials in the image data is realized using an automated model-based matching algorithm on high-resolution, isometric cone beam CT images. Verification of the registration technique on phantoms demonstrated that through the elimination of user variability, clinically relevant target registration errors of approximately 0.1 mm could be achieved.

The sense of the body in individuals with spinal cord injury

Increasing evidence suggests that the basic foundations of the self lie in the brain systems that represent the body. Specific sensorimotor stimulation has been shown to alter the bodily self. However, little is known about how disconnection of the brain from the body affects the phenomenological sense of the body and the self. Spinal cord injury (SCI) patients who exhibit massively reduced somatomotor processes below the lesion in the absence of brain damage are suitable for testing the influence of body signals on two important components of the self-the sense of disembodiment and body ownership. We recruited 30 SCI patients and 16 healthy participants, and evaluated the following parameters: (i) depersonalization symptoms, using the Cambridge Depersonalization Scale (CDS), and (ii) measures of body ownership, as quantified by the rubber hand illusion (RHI) paradigm. We found higher CDS scores in SCI patients, which show increased detachment from their body and internal bodily sensations and decreasing global body ownership with higher lesion level. The RHI paradigm reveals no alterations in the illusory ownership of the hand between SCI patients and controls. Yet, there was no typical proprioceptive drift in SCI patients with intact tactile sensation on the hand, which might be related to cortical reorganization in these patients. These results suggest that disconnection of somatomotor inputs to the brain due to spinal cord lesions resulted in a disturbed sense of an embodied self. Furthermore, plasticity-related cortical changes might influence the dynamics of the bodily self.

Improved water vapour spectroscopy in the 4174-4300 cm-1 region and its impact on SCIAMACHY HDO/H2O measurements

The relative abundance of the heavy water isotopologue HDO provides a deeper insight into the atmospheric hydrological cycle. The SCanning Imaging Absorption spectroMeter for Atmospheric CartograpHY (SCIAMACHY) allows for global retrievals of the ratio HDO/H2O in the 2.3 micron wavelength range. However, the spectroscopy of water lines in this region remains a large source of uncertainty for these retrievals. We therefore evaluate and improve the water spectroscopy in the range 4174–4300 cm−1 and test if this reduces systematic uncertainties in the SCIAMACHY retrievals of HDO/H2O. We use a laboratory spectrum of water vapour to fit line intensity, air broadening and wavelength shift parameters. The improved spectroscopy is tested on a series of ground-based high resolution FTS spectra as well as on SCIAMACHY retrievals of H2O and the ratio HDO/H2O. We find that the improved spectroscopy leads to lower residuals in the FTS spectra compared to HITRAN 2008 and Jenouvrier et al. (2007) spectroscopy, and the retrievals become more robust against changes in the retrieval window. For both the FTS and SCIAMACHY measurements, the retrieved total H2O columns decrease by 2–4% and we find a negative shift of the HDO/H2O ratio, which for SCIAMACHY is partly compensated by changes in the retrieval setup and calibration software. The updated SCIAMACHY HDO/H2O product shows somewhat steeper latitudinal and temporal gradients and a steeper Rayleigh distillation curve, strengthening previous conclusions that current isotope-enabled general circulation models underestimate the variability in the near-surface HDO/H2O ratio.

Incontinentia lactis: physiology and anatomy conducive to milk leakage in dairy cows

Incontinentia lactis is a possible predisposing factor for an elevated level of intramammary infection. The goal of the present study was to investigate possible causes of incontinentia lactis in dairy cows. Two farms that differed in breed composition, but that had similar average milk yields were studied: herd A, 28 kg/d, 31 Red Holstein cows; and herd B, 26 kg/d, 16 Brown Swiss cows. Herd A was classified into 2 groups: incontinentia lactis (ILA group) and control, whereas herd B was exclusively a control herd. Milk samples that represented foremilk and the main milk fraction were collected during 4 milking sessions. In addition, milk leakage samples from the ILA group were collected at different time intervals from 0 to 5 h before milking. Measurements of the teat, milk flow, fractions of cisternal and alveolar milk, intramammary pressure, and blood oxytocin pattern also were obtained. The ILA cows did not have differences in fat content between milk leakage and cisternal milk fraction. Milk fat content, however, increased during milking in response to continuous milk ejection (1.95, 1.99, and 4.61% for milk leakage, cisternal, and main milk samples, respectively). Teat canals were 9% shorter in the ILA cows, which showed greater milk yield, peak, and average flow rates. Quarter cisternal milk yield of ILA cows tended to be greater (0.50 vs. 0.23 and 0.28 kg for ILA and controls from herds A and B, respectively), whereas percentages of cistern milk and alveolar milk did not differ from controls. The greater pressure in the ILA group, both before and after manual udder stimulation (ILA: 4.0 and 6.4 kPa; control: 2.0 and 5.0 kPa, respectively), could be an important cause for the leakage. Nevertheless, the increase in IMP that occurred after udder preparation affirms that milk ejection occurred in response to the tactile teat stimulation, but not before the onset of leakage. Blood oxytocin concentration in ILA cows was low until the start of udder preparation and increased in response to the milking stimulus (reaffirming the hypothesis that milk leakage occurred in the absence of milk ejection). In conclusion, milk losses by leakage are likely due to the large amount of cisternal milk, which creates pressure and causes leakage, in the absence of milk ejection.

Effectiveness of a calcium sodium phosphosilicate-containing prophylaxis paste in reducing dentine hypersensitivity immediately and 4 weeks after a single application: a double-blind randomized controlled trial

AIMS The aim of this single-site, randomized, controlled, double-blind, 3-arm parallel study was to determine the effectiveness of a prophylaxis paste containing 15% calcium sodium phosphosilicate (CSPS; NovaMin(®) ) with and without fluoride in reducing dentine hypersensitivity immediately after a single application and 28 days following dental scaling and root planing. MATERIALS & METHODS Overall, 151 subjects were enrolled in this study. All subjects received a scaling and root planing procedure followed by a final prophylaxis step using one of three different prophylaxis pastes: Test-A (15% NovaMin(®) and NaF), Test-B (15% NovaMin(®) ) and a control. Dentine hypersensitivity was assessed by tactile stimulus (Yeaple Probe(®) ) and by air blast (Schiff scale) at baseline, immediately after and 28 days after a prophylaxis procedure. One hundred and forty-nine subjects completed the study. RESULTS Subjects having received the test prophylaxis pastes showed statistically lower (anova, p < 0.05) dentine hypersensitivity compared with the control group immediately after the prophylaxis procedure (Yeaple Probe(®) : Test-A = 20.9 ± 12.6, Test-B = 22.7 ± 12.9, Control=11.2 ± 3.1; Schiff score: Test-A = 1.1 ± 0.6, Test-B = 1.1 ± 0.6, Control = 2.0 ± 0.7) and after 28 days (Yeaple probe: Test-A = 21.5 ± 11.9, Test-B = 20.6 ± 11.3, Control = 11.8 ± 6.0; Schiff score: Test-A = 1.0 ± 0.6, Test-B = 1.0 ± 0.6, Control = 2.0 ± 0.7). CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, the single application of both fluoridated and non-fluoridated prophylaxis pastes containing 15% CSPS (NovaMin(®) ) provided a significant reduction of dentine hypersensitivity up to at least 28 days.

Introduction of two novel devices for investigating the influence of non-mechanical components such as therapeutic qi in acupuncture

OBJECTIVE: Acupuncture is a complex intervention consisting of specific and non-specific components. Acupuncture studies more frequently focus on collecting data from the patients’ perspective and response, but the acupuncturist’s role remains relatively unclear. In order to investigate potential non-mechanical active factors originating from the acupuncturist and transmitted to the patient during treatment, two novel devices for basic research in acupuncture were designed. The Acuplicator allows the researcher to insert needles without touching the needles themselves, while the Veliusator locks the needle in its place so that no mechanical movement can be transferred. METHODS: The Acuplicator was used to insert needles at Neiguan (PC6) on the right forearm of 23 volunteers. The insertion depth was measured using a depth gauge. The transfer of mechanical movements from the handle to the tip was detected with a precision length gauge with a motoric-tactile sensor. RESULTS: The mean insertion depth was (12.3 ± 1.5) mm (range 9.5 to 15.0 mm). Even with intense manipulation of the needle handle, no movements within ± 1 μm could be detected at the tip when the needle was locked. CONCLUSION: With these two devices it will be possible to investigate the influence of non-mechanical components such as therapeutic qi in acupuncture.

The human vestibular cortex revealed by coordinate-based activation likelihood estimation meta-analysis.

The vestibular system contributes to the control of posture and eye movements and is also involved in various cognitive functions including spatial navigation and memory. These functions are subtended by projections to a vestibular cortex, whose exact location in the human brain is still a matter of debate (Lopez and Blanke, 2011). The vestibular cortex can be defined as the network of all cortical areas receiving inputs from the vestibular system, including areas where vestibular signals influence the processing of other sensory (e.g. somatosensory and visual) and motor signals. Previous neuroimaging studies used caloric vestibular stimulation (CVS), galvanic vestibular stimulation (GVS), and auditory stimulation (clicks and short-tone bursts) to activate the vestibular receptors and localize the vestibular cortex. However, these three methods differ regarding the receptors stimulated (otoliths, semicircular canals) and the concurrent activation of the tactile, thermal, nociceptive and auditory systems. To evaluate the convergence between these methods and provide a statistical analysis of the localization of the human vestibular cortex, we performed an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies using CVS, GVS, and auditory stimuli. We analyzed a total of 352 activation foci reported in 16 studies carried out in a total of 192 healthy participants. The results reveal that the main regions activated by CVS, GVS, or auditory stimuli were located in the Sylvian fissure, insula, retroinsular cortex, fronto-parietal operculum, superior temporal gyrus, and cingulate cortex. Conjunction analysis indicated that regions showing convergence between two stimulation methods were located in the median (short gyrus III) and posterior (long gyrus IV) insula, parietal operculum and retroinsular cortex (Ri). The only area of convergence between all three methods of stimulation was located in Ri. The data indicate that Ri, parietal operculum and posterior insula are vestibular regions where afferents converge from otoliths and semicircular canals, and may thus be involved in the processing of signals informing about body rotations, translations and tilts. Results from the meta-analysis are in agreement with electrophysiological recordings in monkeys showing main vestibular projections in the transitional zone between Ri, the insular granular field (Ig), and SII.

Being Moved by the Self and Others: Influence of Empathy on Self-Motion Perception

BACKGROUND: The observation of conspecifics influences our bodily perceptions and actions: Contagious yawning, contagious itching, or empathy for pain, are all examples of mechanisms based on resonance between our own body and others. While there is evidence for the involvement of the mirror neuron system in the processing of motor, auditory and tactile information, it has not yet been associated with the perception of self-motion. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We investigated whether viewing our own body, the body of another, and an object in motion influences self-motion perception. We found a visual-vestibular congruency effect for self-motion perception when observing self and object motion, and a reduction in this effect when observing someone else's body motion. The congruency effect was correlated with empathy scores, revealing the importance of empathy in mirroring mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The data show that vestibular perception is modulated by agent-specific mirroring mechanisms. The observation of conspecifics in motion is an essential component of social life, and self-motion perception is crucial for the distinction between the self and the other. Finally, our results hint at the presence of a "vestibular mirror neuron system".

Quantitative morphometric analysis of lakes using GIS: rectangularity R , ellipticity E , orientation O , and the rectangularity vs. ellipticity index, REi

Quantitative measures of polygon shapes and orientation are important elements of geospatial analysis. These kinds of measures are particularly valuable in the case of lakes, where shape and orientation patterns can help identifying the geomorphological agents behind lake formation and evolution. However, the lack of built-in tools in commercial geographic information system (GIS) software packages designed for this kind of analysis has meant that many researchers often must rely on tools and workarounds that are not always accurate. Here, an easy-to-use method to measure rectangularity R, ellipticity E, and orientation O is developed. In addition, a new rectangularity vs. ellipticity index, REi, is defined. Following a step-by-step process, it is shown how these measures and index can be easily calculated using a combination of GIS built-in functions. The identification of shapes and estimation of orientations performed by this method is applied to the case study of the geometric and oriented lakes of the Llanos de Moxos, in the Bolivian Amazon, where shape and orientation have been the two most important elements studied to infer possible formation mechanisms. It is shown that, thanks to these new indexes, shape and orientation patterns are unveiled, which would have been hard to identify otherwise.