Integrating waveform lidar with hyperspectral imagery for inventory of a northern temperate forest

It has been suggested that attempts to use remote sensing to map the spatial and structural patterns of individual tree species abundances in heterogeneous forests, such as those found in northeastern North America, may benefit from the integration of hyperspectral or multi-spectral information with other active sensor data such as lidar. Towards this end, we describe the integrated and individual capabilities of waveform lidar and hyperspectral data to estimate three common forest measurements - basal area (BA), above-ground biomass (AGBM) and quadratic mean stem diameter (QMSD) - in a northern temperate mixed conifer and deciduous forest. The use of this data to discriminate distribution and abundance patterns of five common and often, dominant tree species was also explored. Waveform lidar imagery was acquired in July 2003 over the 1000 ha. Bartlett Experimental Forest (BEF) in central New Hampshire (USA) using NASA's airborne Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS). High spectral resolution imagery was likewise acquired in August 2003 using NASA's Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). Field data (2001-2003) from over 400 US Forest Service Northern Research Station (USFS NRS) plots were used to determine actual site conditions.Results suggest that the integrated data sets of hyperspectral and waveform lidar provide improved outcomes over use of either data set alone in evaluating common forest metrics. Across all forest conditions, 8-9% more of the variation in AGBM, BA, and QMSD was explained by use of the integrated sensor data in comparison to either AVIRIS or LVIS metrics applied singly, with estimated error 5-8% lower for these variables. Notably, in an analysis using integrated data limited to unmanaged forest tracts, AGBM coefficients of determination improved by 25% or more, while corresponding error levels decreased by over 25%. When data were restricted based on the presence of individual tree species within plots, AVIRIS data alone best predicted species-specific patterns of abundance as determined by species fraction of biomass. Nonetheless, use of LVIS and AVIRIS data - in tandem - produced complementary maps of estimated abundance and structure for individual tree species, providing a promising adjunct to traditional forest inventory and conservation biology planning efforts.     

Deposition of aerosol particles on rough surfaces inside a test chamber

We investigated the deposition rate of aerosol particles (diameter between 0.03 and 5 μm) on rough surfaces of wallpapers, wall-plasters, and two types of carpets inside a test chamber. Compared to a smooth aluminum surface, the deposition rate of aerosol particles on the tested surfaces was up to 20 times depending on the surface roughness, mixing intensity, and particle size. A rough surface with a dimensionless surface roughness height k⁺ < 0.06 can be treated as a hydraulically smooth. The estimated deposition rates in this study and those predicted by a deposition model, which incorporates surface roughness, were in good agreement for coarse mode particles (diameter > 1 μm) when k⁺ < 1.04 and for ultrafine particles (diameter < 0.1 μm) when k⁺ < 0.48. The agreement between the model prediction and our estimation was better for coarse mode particles than for ultrafine particles. Deposition of aerosol particles, especially fine particles, needs more empirical investigations aiming at improving the existing models.     

Effect of formulation on the capacity of l-asparaginase to minimize acrylamide formation in short dough biscuits

The influence of the matrix composition and structure on the capacity of asparaginase to reduce acrylamide formation in biscuits was studied. In particular, formulations differing for water (10 to 20% on total weight) and fat (0 to 15% on total weight) content, fat type (margarine, palm oil) and lipid phase distribution were considered. In the latter case, palm oil was substituted with a monoglyceride–palm oil–water gel (hydrogel). The results showed that high water contents, by favoring precursor mobility, promoted acrylamide formation as well as the enzyme capability of reducing the toxic molecule levels in the final product. On the contrary, the presence of fat significantly reduced acrylamide development and enzyme activity as compared with the fat free formulation. It can be hypothesized that the presence of fat would hamper the interaction between the precursors in the aqueous phase, leading to lower amounts of acrylamide. By substituting fat with hydrogel, the biscuit behaved as a fat free system, where acrylamide formation as well as its reduction by means of asparaginase activity was higher than in the fat-containing biscuits. It is likely that the inclusion of palm oil in the dough through the hydrogel modified the system morphology, thus not hampering the encounter among reactants and consequently favoring acrylamide formation.     

Determination of the fibre orientation distribution of a mineral wool network and prediction of its transverse stiffness using X-ray tomography

A method to determine the orientation and diameter distributions of mineral wool fibre networks using X-ray tomography and image analysis is presented. The method is applied to two different types of mineral wool: glass wool and stone wool. The orientation information is obtained from the computation of the structure tensor, and the diameter is estimated by applying a greyscale granulometry. The results of the image analysis indicate the two types of fibres are distributed in a 2D planar arrangement with the glass wool fibres showing a higher degree of planarity than the stone wool fibres. The orientation information is included in an analytical model based on a Euler–Bernoulli beam approximation. The model enables prediction of the transverse stiffness. It is indicated that the glass wool transverse stiffness is lower than the stone wool transverse stiffness. Comparison with experimental results confirms the assumption that the underlying deformation mechanism of mineral wool is the bending of fibre segments between bonds.     

Effect of processing of apple puree on patulin content

Mycotoxin patulin represents potential health hazard especially in apple based baby food. There are already a lot of data to predict the fate of the toxin during the processing of fruits, but not enough for the apple puree and the existing data for apple puree are not usually consistent. The objective of the study was to evaluate the course of patulin degradation during the processing of apple puree under the conditions close to the real production process. The apple samples were spiked with patulin at four levels of concentration (539 μg/kg, 140 μg/kg, 23 μg/kg and <2 μg/kg). The patulin content changes during the processing were followed. The samples were taken after the homogenization, pulping, pasteurization and aseptic packaging. All operations of apple puree production contributed to patulin reduction. The principle operation was pulping, where the patulin levels were reduced from 29% to 80% of original content.     

Colloidally stable polypeptide-based nanogel: Study of enzyme-mediated nanogelation in inverse miniemulsion

The current work presents a pivotal study of the nanogelation of the linear poly(N⁵-2-hydroxypropyl-L-glutamine) polymer precursor containing tyramine (TYR) units in an inverse miniemulsion by horseradish peroxidase/H₂O₂-mediated crosslinking. The effects of various n_H2O2/n_TYR ratios on the kinetics of nanogelation in the inverse miniemulsion and on the reaction time are investigated by linear sweep voltammetry, while the formation of dityramine crosslinking is explored by fluorescence spectroscopy. The study is completed using dynamic light scattering measurements, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy to acquire comprehensive information about the formed nanoparticulate systems. With the optimal ratio n_H2O2/n_TYR = 2, the strategy yields in the high-quality ~ 130 nm poly(amino acid)-based nanogel, which is prepared in 2 h. The nanogel is colloidally stable under different temperature and pH conditions for over 168 h. Moreover, the demonstrated nanogel is noncytotoxic for HeLa cells and human primary fibroblasts and is quickly enzymatically hydrolyzed into small fragments during a biodegradation study in human blood plasma. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020 , 137, 48725.     

A Fast Determination of Chlorophylls in Barley Grass Juice Powder Using HPLC Fused-Core Column Technology and HPTLC

This work presents a novel approach to qualitative and quantitative evaluation of chlorophyll content in food supplement using simple and fast separation techniques (high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC)). For the first time, an Ascentis® Express C-18 HPLC column (100?×?4.6 mm; 2.7 μm), based on fused-core particles, was utilised for the analysis of chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b in green young barley grass juice powder extracts. The mobile phase was composed of methanol, water and ethyl acetate of 40:10:50 (v/v/v) at a flow rate of 1.5 mL/min. Chlorophylls were separated in time less than 6 min. The extraction procedure was optimised by using of 90 % of acetone in water, and the method was validated. The method precision was found in the range of 1.15–2.85 %, and the method recovery was established at three concentration levels. Calibration graphs were linear in the range of 0.75–25.5 mg/L, with correlation coefficients r ²?=?0.99958 for chlorophyll a and r ²?=?0.99961 for chlorophyll b. The comparative HPTLC fingerprint analysis of three samples from different continents showed only slight qualitative differences between the particular samples. The results demonstrated that the proposed methods can be used as fast and powerful techniques for the characterisation of barley juice extracts in quality control.     

Evaluating Plan Implementation: A Conformance-Based Methodology

The planning profession lacks a robust methodology to evaluate the implementation of plans. This article proposes a conformance-based plan implementation evaluation (PIE) that relies on the analysis of plans and permits to provide a rigorous, quantitative, and systematic way of assessing the degree to which land use plans are implemented. We studied the implementation of stormwater and urban amenity management in six New Zealand plans by reviewing their land development permits. We found that the implementation of land use plans was generally low and varied greatly among plans and issues. Although it was tested in the context of local plans in New Zealand, the methodology can be used by city and county planning agencies in the U.S. and elsewhere.     

Optimization of powder injection molding of feedstock based on aluminum oxide and multicomponent water‐soluble polymer binder

Analyses crucial to optimize powder injection molding of feedstock based on aluminum oxide powder and multicomponent polymeric binder are provided with the aim to obtain defect‐free, high density parts. As the critical step of the process is the flow of highly filled (60 vol%) compound into a mold cavity, rheological properties supplemented by thermal and pressure‐volume‐temperature characteristics are measured and described. Upon shear deformation the feedstock undergoes structural changes, which are quantified in terms of yield stresses obtained using Herschel‐Bulkley and Casson methods. Further, the rheological model is developed to describe the flow behavior of the feedstock in the whole shear rate range measured. Thermogravimetric analysis is performed to optimize debinding step of the process, and two possible ways of the binder removal are proposed: purely thermal andcombined solvent/thermal. The quality of the final sintered parts is demonstrated on scanning electron microscopic images of their surfaces. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2011. © 2011 Society of Plastics Engineers