基于多尺度分割和决策树算法的山区遥感影像变化检测方法——以四川攀西地区为例

山区遥感影像变化检测面临地形效应明显、空间异质性高等不利因素的影响,构建适用于复杂地形条件的变化检测方法一直是遥感应用研究的难点。在对影像进行多尺度分割的基础上,构建对象的多种光谱、形状及地形特征,将地形阴影、物候等造成的虚假变化当作"未变化"训练样本,利用决策树算法自动提取检测规则,建立复杂地形条件下面向对象的遥感影像变化检测方法,并将该方法用于四川攀西山区1989年和2009年TM影像的检测试验,最后对方法的不足和改进措施进行了讨论。主要结论包括:(1)文中构建的方法能够有效减弱山区复杂地形条件对遥感影像变化检测的不利影响,采用地面调查数据和分层随机采样的总体验证精度为93.57%,Kappa系数为0.8706。(2)C5.0决策树算法对于只有"变化"和"未变化"两种类别且同类间训练样本高度异质化的影像分类仍能取得较好的效果,具有较好的鲁棒性和适应能力。通过将地形、物候等引起的虚假变化当作"未变化"训练样本可以有效提高检测精度。(3)光谱特征仍是TM影像遥感分析的主要信息源,影像间NDVI的差值对于植被覆盖区域土地覆盖格局变化的检测具有良好的表征作用。(4)攀西地区1989—2009年间土地覆盖格局变化明显且与人类活动关系密切,典型的驱动方式包括退耕还林(草)工程、水利工程建设和矿山开采等。共检测出变化面积740.2km2,占影像总面积的2.49%。     

The importance of social information in breeding site selection increases with population size in the Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus

Animals can select breeding sites using non‐social information (habitat characteristics) and social information (conspecific presence or abundance). The availability of both types of information is expected to vary over time during the colonization of a new area, conditioning their use by colonizers. However, if and how both types of information are exploited during the colonization process remains unclear. We hypothesized that non‐social information should be predominant at the beginning of a colonization episode (when conspecific presence is low) and that social information should gain in importance as the colonization progresses. We tested this hypothesis by studying habitat selection by the Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus, a long‐lived colonial raptor, during a natural colonization process spanning 40 years. In NW Spain, the population showed a sharp increase from 15 breeding pairs in three colonies in the 1970s to 586 breeding pairs in 120 colonies in 2008, expanding its range from 90 km² in the 1970s to 6403 km² in 2008, with directions of expansion following areas rich in nesting cliffs. The main determinants of habitat selection varied over time. Livestock density and the characteristics of nesting cliffs were the main predictors of settlement at the onset of colonization. Breeding density of conspecifics increased its importance over time, having the greatest relative weight in habitat selection later in the colonization process. Our results indicated a prevalent use of non‐social information during the early stages of the colonization and an increasing role of social information as the expansion progressed.     

Geomorphic predictors of riparian vegetation in small mountain watersheds

Aims Hydrogeomorphic processes operating at watershed, process zone and site scales influence the distribution of riparian vegetation. However, most studies examining the relationships between hydrogeomorphic processes and riparian vegetation are conducted at site scales. We quantified the relative importance of watershed, process zone and site geomorphic characteristics for predicting riparian plant community types and plant species abundances in four small mountain watersheds in central Nevada, USA.Methods We mapped riparian vegetation types and identified process zones (based on dominant geomorphic process and valley fill material) within the watersheds. We sampled sites in each combination of vegetation type and process zone (n = 184 sites) and collected data on watershed scale factors, valley and stream geomorphic characteristics and on plant cover of each geomorphic surface. Plant community types were defined by cluster and indicator species analyses of plant cover data, and related to geomorphic variables using ordination analysis (nonmetric multidimensional scaling). Linear mixed effects models were used to predict abundances of indicator species.Important findings Variables describing position in the watershed (elevation, contributing area) that are related to gradients of temperature, moisture and stream discharge were of primary importance in predicting plant community types. Variables describing local geomorphic setting (valley width, stream gradient, channel sediments, geomorphic surface height) were of secondary importance, but accurately described the geomorphic setting of indicator species. The process zone classification did not include position in the watershed or channel characteristics and only predicted plant community types with unique geomorphic settings. In small mountain watersheds, predicting riparian vegetation distribution requires explicit consideration of scale and geomorphic context within and among watersheds in addition to site variables.     

Tuning Multiscale Microstructures to Enhance Thermoelectric Performance of n‐Type Bismuth‐Telluride‐Based Solid Solutions

Microstructure manipulation plays an important role in enhancing physical and mechanical properties of materials. Here a high figure of merit zT of 1.2 at 357 K for n‐type bismuth‐telluride‐based thermoelectric (TE) materials through directly hot deforming the commercial zone melted (ZM) ingots is reported. The high TE performance is attributed to a synergistic combination of reduced lattice thermal conductivity and maintained high power factor. The lattice thermal conductivity is substantially decreased by broad wavelength phonon scattering via tuning multiscale microstructures, which includes microscale grain size reduction and texture loss, nanoscale distorted regions, and atomic scale lattice distotions and point defects. The high power factor of ZM ingots is maintained by the offset between weak donor‐like effect and texture loss during the hot deformation. The resulted high zT highlights the role of multiscale microstructures in improving Bi₂Te₃‐based materials and demonstrates the effective strategy in enhancing TE properties.     

Measuring collective behaviour of multicellular ensembles: role of space-time scales

Living systems are spectacular examples of spatiotemporally organized structures. During the development of complex organization there is dynamic equilibrium between the local and global processes acting at the intra-and intercellular levels in multiple space and time scales. Although in modelling studies such spatiotemporal systems can be described by different space-time scales and at many organizational levels, the experimental quantities measured and predictions useful for practical applications are at a macroscopic (coarser or averaged) level/scale; these are limited by the resolution of the measuring method and experimental protocol. In this work, we address whether the spatiotemporal collective dynamics exhibited by a multiscale system can discriminate between, or be borne out by, the coarse-grained and averaged measurements done at different spatial and temporal scales. Using a simple model of a ring of cells, we show that measurements of both spatial and spatiotemporal average behaviour in this multicellular ensemble can mask the variety of collective dynamics observed at other space-time scales, and exhibit completely different behaviours. Such outcomes of measurements can lead to incomplete and incorrect understanding of physiological functions and pathogenesis in multicell ensembles.     

Coarse grain lipid-protein molecular interactions and diffusion with MsbA flippase

Coarse-grained (CG) modeling has proven effective for simulating lipid bilayer dynamics on scales of biological interest. Modeling the dynamics of flexible membrane proteins within the bilayer, on the other hand, poses a considerable challenge due to the complexity of the folding or conformational landscape. In the present work, the multiscale coarse-graining method is applied to atomistic peptide-lipid "soup" simulations to develop a general set of CG protein-lipid interaction potentials. The reduced model was constructed to be compatible with recent solvent-free CG models developed for protein-protein folding and lipid-lipid model bilayer interactions. The utility of the force field was demonstrated by molecular dynamics simulation of the MsbA ABC transporter in a mixed DOPC/DOPE bilayer. An elastic network was parameterized to restrain the MsbA dimer in its open, closed and hydrolysis intermediate conformations and its impact on domain flexibility was examined. Conformational stability enabled long-time dynamics simulation of MsbA freely diffusing in a 25 nm membrane patch. Three-dimensional density analysis revealed that a shell of weakly bound "annular lipids" solvate the membrane accessible surface of MsbA and its internal substrate-binding chamber. The annular lipid binding modes, along with local perturbations in head group structure, are a function of the orientation of grooves formed between transmembrane helices and may influence the alternating access mechanism of substrate entry and translocation.     

Modeling the Effect of Amino Acids and Copper on Monoclonal Antibody Productivity and Glycosylation: A Modular Approach

In manufacturing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), it is crucial to be able to predict how process conditions and supplements affect productivity and quality attributes, especially glycosylation. Supplemental inputs, such as amino acids and trace metals in the media, are reported to affect cell metabolism and glycosylation; quantifying their effects is essential for effective process development. We aim to present and validate, through a commercially relevant cell culture process, a technique for modeling such effects efficiently. While existing models can predict mAb production or glycosylation dynamics under specific process configurations, adapting them to new processes remains challenging, because it involves modifying the model structure and often requires some mechanistic understanding. Here, a modular modeling technique for adapting an existing model for a fed-batch Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell culture process without structural modifications or mechanistic insight is presented. Instead, data is used, obtained from designed experimental perturbations in media supplementation, to train and validate a supplemental input effect model, which is used to “patch” the existing model. The combined model can be used for model-based process development to improve productivity and to meet product quality targets more efficiently. The methodology and analysis are generally applicable to other CHO cell lines and cell types.     

A modelling framework to simulate foliar fungal epidemics using functional–structural plant models

Background and Aims

Sustainable agriculture requires the identification of new, environmentally responsible strategies of crop protection. Modelling of pathosystems can allow a better understanding of the major interactions inside these dynamic systems and may lead to innovative protection strategies. In particular, functional–structural plant models (FSPMs) have been identified as a means to optimize the use of architecture-related traits. A current limitation lies in the inherent complexity of this type of modelling, and thus the purpose of this paper is to provide a framework to both extend and simplify the modelling of pathosystems using FSPMs.

Methods

Different entities and interactions occurring in pathosystems were formalized in a conceptual model. A framework based on these concepts was then implemented within the open-source OpenAlea modelling platform, using the platform''s general strategy of modelling plant–environment interactions and extending it to handle plant interactions with pathogens. New developments include a generic data structure for representing lesions and dispersal units, and a series of generic protocols to communicate with objects representing the canopy and its microenvironment in the OpenAlea platform. Another development is the addition of a library of elementary models involved in pathosystem modelling. Several plant and physical models are already available in OpenAlea and can be combined in models of pathosystems using this framework approach.

Key Results

Two contrasting pathosystems are implemented using the framework and illustrate its generic utility. Simulations demonstrate the framework''s ability to simulate multiscaled interactions within pathosystems, and also show that models are modular components within the framework and can be extended. This is illustrated by testing the impact of canopy architectural traits on fungal dispersal.

Conclusions

This study provides a framework for modelling a large number of pathosystems using FSPMs. This structure can accommodate both previously developed models for individual aspects of pathosystems and new ones. Complex models are deconstructed into separate ‘knowledge sources’ originating from different specialist areas of expertise and these can be shared and reassembled into multidisciplinary models. The framework thus provides a beneficial tool for a potential diverse and dynamic research community.     

Continent‐scale global change attribution in European birds ‐ combining annual and decadal time scales

Species attributes are commonly used to infer impacts of environmental change on multiyear species trends, e.g. decadal changes in population size. However, by themselves attributes are of limited value in global change attribution since they do not measure the changing environment. A broader foundation for attributing species responses to global change may be achieved by complementing an attributes‐based approach by one estimating the relationship between repeated measures of organismal and environmental changes over short time scales. To assess the benefit of this multiscale perspective, we investigate the recent impact of multiple environmental changes on European farmland birds, here focusing on climate change and land use change. We analyze more than 800 time series from 18 countries spanning the past two decades. Analysis of long‐term population growth rates documents simultaneous responses that can be attributed to both climate change and land‐use change, including long‐term increases in populations of hot‐dwelling species and declines in long‐distance migrants and farmland specialists. In contrast, analysis of annual growth rates yield novel insights into the potential mechanisms driving long‐term climate induced change. In particular, we find that birds are affected by winter, spring, and summer conditions depending on the distinct breeding phenology that corresponds to their migratory strategy. Birds in general benefit from higher temperatures or higher primary productivity early on or in the peak of the breeding season with the largest effect sizes observed in cooler parts of species' climatic ranges. Our results document the potential of combining time scales and integrating both species attributes and environmental variables for global change attribution. We suggest such an approach will be of general use when high‐resolution time series are available in large‐scale biodiversity surveys.