Biovolume Method for Foraminiferal Biomass Assessment: Evaluation of Geometric Models and Incorporation of Species Mean Cell Occupancy

2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-266
Author(s):  
Thaise Ricardo de Freitas ◽  
Eduardo Tadeu Bacalhau ◽  
Sibelle Trevisan Disaró

ABSTRACT Foraminifers are widespread, highly abundant protists and active participants in marine carbon cycling. Their biomass might represent almost half of the total meiobenthic biomass in the deep sea. Foraminiferal biomass is frequently assessed through geometric models and biovolume estimates due to its non-destructive nature, which allows estimates of individuals from palaeoecological, museum, and living samples. To increase the accuracy of foraminiferal biovolume and biomass assessment we evaluate and propose geometric models for 207 foraminiferal taxa and the species’ average cell occupancy of the test. Individual test dimensions were measured to calculate volume (µm³), and the percent of cell occupancy (PCO) of the test was measured to assess the biovolume (µm³). These data were converted into individual biomass measurements (µg Corg ind−1). Our high intra- and interspecific PCO variance suggest that a mean PCO for each species represents the natural variability of occupancy more accurately than a predetermined fixed percentage for the whole assemblage, as previously asserted in the literature. Regression equations based on the relationship between test dimensions and volumes are presented. The geometric models, the PCO adjustment, and the equations will reduce time, effort, and discrepancies in foraminiferal biovolume and biomass assessments. Therefore, these results can improve the use and reliability of foraminiferal biomass in the future, facilitating its use in (1) distinct approaches including carbon flux estimations, (2) determining the effects of climate change on the marine trophic webs, and (3) environmental monitoring programs.

2007 ◽  
Vol 47 (10) ◽  
pp. 1165 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. R. Dunshea ◽  
D. Suster ◽  
P. J. Eason ◽  
R. D. Warner ◽  
D. L. Hopkins ◽  
...  

A Hologic QDR4500W dual energy X-ray absorptiometer (DXA) was used to measure body composition in 60 sheep half carcasses ranging from 8 to 28 kg. Half carcasses were from ewes and wethers of mixed genetics. Values determined by DXA, including total tissue mass (TTM), lean tissue mass (LTM), fat tissue mass (FTM) and bone mineral content (BMC), for the half carcass were evaluated by comparison with chemically determined composition. In the case of BMC, the relationship was with chemically determined ash content. Liveweight and chemically determined lean, fat and ash were strongly related to DXA-derived values for TTM, LTM, FTM and BMC, respectively (R2 = 0.999, 0.986, 0.989 and 0.920, respectively). However, because DXA estimates were different from chemically determined values in this sample of carcasses, they needed to be adjusted with the use of appropriate regression equations to correct the in-built algorithms. These data demonstrate the efficacy of DXA as a non-destructive method for determining the composition of the sheep half carcass.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (7) ◽  
pp. 91-99
Author(s):  
E. V. KOSTYRIN ◽  
◽  
M. S. SINODSKAYA ◽  

The article analyzes the impact of certain factors on the volume of investments in the environment. Regression equations describing the relationship between the volume of investment in the environment and each of the influencing factors are constructed, the coefficients of the Pearson pair correlation between the dependent variable and the influencing factors, as well as pairwise between the influencing factors, are calculated. The average approximation error for each regression equation is determined. A correlation matrix is constructed and a conclusion is made. The developed econometric model is implemented in the program of separate collection of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Moscow. The efficiency of the model of investment management in the environment is evaluated on the example of the growth of planned investments in the activities of companies specializing in the export and processing of solid waste.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Songlin Yue ◽  
Yanyu Qiu ◽  
Pengxian Fan ◽  
Pin Zhang ◽  
Ning Zhang

Analogue material with appropriate properties is of great importance to the reliability of geomechanical model test, which is one of the mostly used approaches in field of geotechnical research. In this paper, a new type of analogue material is developed, which is composed of coarse aggregate (quartz sand and/or barite sand), fine aggregate (barite powder), and cementitious material (anhydrous sodium silicate). The components of each raw material are the key influencing factors, which significantly affect the physical and mechanical parameters of analogue materials. In order to establish the relationship between parameters and factors, the material properties including density, Young’s modulus, uniaxial compressive strength, and tensile strength were investigated by a series of orthogonal experiments with hundreds of samples. By orthogonal regression analysis, the regression equations of each parameter were obtained based on experimental data, which can predict the properties of the developed analogue materials according to proportions. The experiments and applications indicate that sodium metasilicate cemented analogue material is a type of low-strength and low-modulus material with designable density, which is insensitive to humidity and temperature and satisfies mechanical scaling criteria for weak rock or soft geological materials. Moreover, the developed material can be easily cast into structures with complex geometry shapes and simulate the deformation and failure processes of prototype rocks.


2021 ◽  
Vol 99 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 218-219
Author(s):  
Andres Fernando T Russi ◽  
Mike D Tokach ◽  
Jason C Woodworth ◽  
Joel M DeRouchey ◽  
Robert D Goodband ◽  
...  

Abstract The swine industry has been constantly evolving to select animals with improved performance traits and to minimize variation in body weight (BW) in order to meet packer specifications. Therefore, understanding variation presents an opportunity for producers to find strategies that could help reduce, manage, or deal with variation of pigs in a barn. A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted by collecting data from multiple studies and available data sets in order to develop prediction equations for coefficient of variation (CV) and standard deviation (SD) as a function of BW. Information regarding BW variation from 16 papers was recorded to provide approximately 204 data points. Together, these data included 117,268 individually weighed pigs with a sample size that ranged from 104 to 4,108 pigs. A random-effects model with study used as a random effect was developed. Observations were weighted using sample size as an estimate for precision on the analysis, where larger data sets accounted for increased accuracy in the model. Regression equations were developed using the nlme package of R to determine the relationship between BW and its variation. Polynomial regression analysis was conducted separately for each variation measurement. When CV was reported in the data set, SD was calculated and vice versa. The resulting prediction equations were: CV (%) = 20.04 – 0.135 × (BW) + 0.00043 × (BW)2, R2=0.79; SD = 0.41 + 0.150 × (BW) - 0.00041 × (BW)2, R2 = 0.95. These equations suggest that there is evidence for a decreasing quadratic relationship between mean CV of a population and BW of pigs whereby the rate of decrease is smaller as mean pig BW increases from birth to market. Conversely, the rate of increase of SD of a population of pigs is smaller as mean pig BW increases from birth to market.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
pp. 4397
Author(s):  
Kazuya Kikunaga

A mixture of positive and negative static charges exists in the same plane on an insulator surface, and this can cause production quality problems at manufacturing sites. This study developed a system with a vibration array sensor to rapidly measure the surface potential distribution of an object in a non-contact and non-destructive manner and with a high spatial resolution of 1 mm. The measurement accuracy differed greatly depending on the scanning speed of the array sensor, and an optimum scanning speed of 10 mm/s enabled rapid measurements (within <3 s) of the surface potential distribution of a charged insulator (area of 30 mm × 30 mm) with an accuracy of 15%. The relationship between charge and dust on the surface was clarified to easily visualize the uneven static charges present on it and thereby eliminate static electricity.


Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 938
Author(s):  
Ladislav Menšík ◽  
Lukáš Hlisnikovský ◽  
Pavel Nerušil ◽  
Eva Kunzová

The aim of the study was to compare the concentrations of risk elements (As, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) in alluvial soil, which were measured by a portable X-ray fluorescence analyser (pXRF) in situ (FIELD) and in the laboratory (LABORATORY). Subsequently, regression equations were developed for individual elements through the method of construction of the regression model, which compare the results of pXRF with classical laboratory analysis (ICP-OES). The accuracy of the measurement, expressed by the coefficient of determination (R2), was as follows in the case of FIELD–ICP-OES: Pb (0.96), Zn (0.92), As (0.72), Mn (0.63), Cu (0.31) and Ni (0.01). In the case of LABORATORY–ICP-OES, the coefficients had values: Pb (0.99), Zn (0.98), Cu and Mn (0.89), As (0.88), Ni (0.81). A higher dependence of the relationship was recorded between LABORATORY–ICP-OES than between FIELD–ICP-OES. An excellent relationship was recorded for the elements Pb and Zn, both for FIELD and LABORATORY (R2 higher than 0.90). The elements Cu, Mn and As have a worse tightness in the relationship; however, the results of the model have shown its applicability for common use, e.g., in agricultural practice or in monitoring the quality of the environment. Based on our results, we can say that pXRF instruments can provide highly accurate results for the concentration of risk elements in the soil in real time for some elements and meet the principle of precision agriculture: an efficient, accurate and fast method of analysis.


2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland Pieruschka ◽  
Hendrik Poorter

No matter how fascinating the discoveries in the field of molecular biology are, in the end it is the phenotype that matters. In this paper we pay attention to various aspects of plant phenotyping. The challenges to unravel the relationship between genotype and phenotype are discussed, as well as the case where ‘plants do not have a phenotype’. More emphasis has to be placed on automation to match the increased output in the molecular sciences with analysis of relevant traits under laboratory, greenhouse and field conditions. Currently, non-destructive measurements with cameras are becoming widely used to assess plant structural properties, but a wider range of non-invasive approaches and evaluation tools has to be developed to combine physiologically meaningful data with structural information of plants. Another field requiring major progress is the handling and processing of data. A better e-infrastructure will enable easier establishment of links between phenotypic traits and genetic data. In the final part of this paper we briefly introduce the range of contributions that form the core of a special issue of this journal on plant phenotyping.


2021 ◽  
pp. 25-29
Author(s):  
A. E. Barulin ◽  
S. V. Klauchek ◽  
A. E. Klauchek

Purpose of the study. To establish the relationship between neurophysiological status and the level of efficiency in young people with bruxism.Materials and methods. Two groups of 64 and 53 subjects (males and females) aged 20–35 years old with bruxism and non-bruxers were formed according to questionnaire results and physical examination. The level of efficiency was assessed by the results of sensorimotor tracking of a moving object (the ‘Smile’ model). Spectral analysis was performed for evaluation of the baseline electroencephalograms. Microsoft Excel and Statistica 10.0 programs were used for statistical data processing.Results. The level of efficiency was statistically significantly lower in the hardest test of Smile model among the individuals with bruxism (p < 0.05). The bruxers also demonstrated a significantly lower dominant frequency and maximum amplitude of alpha-rhythm (p < 0.05), and significantly higher dominant frequency of beta2 rhythm (p < 0.05). The dominant frequency and the maximum amplitude of the alpha-rhythm are parameters corresponding to significant coefficients of the regression analysis. A negative relationship was found between the degree of error during sensorimotor tracking and the frequency and amplitude of alpha-rhythm.Conclusion. Regression models present the relationship between the level of efficiency and the alpha-rhythm severity. The regression equations make it possible to determine the functional state of the subject using an electroencephalogram.


2021 ◽  
pp. 34-38
Author(s):  
R. L. Shatalov ◽  
V. A. Medvedev

When controlling the mechanical properties and structure of vessels made of carbon structural steels manufactured by hot deformation on rolling and pressing lines (PPL) of machine-building enterprises of Russia, such cooling media as water, I20 industrial mineral oil, air are used. The applied cooling media are able to provide the workpieces with a given structure with a wide range of mechanical properties. However, the cooling media have a number of technological limitations and conditions of the use, non-compliance with which leads to reject. When cooled in oil, the probability of ignition is high; when cooled in water, hardening cracks may form, and air is not always able to provide the required rate and uniformity of heat transfer to the environment. The efficiency of control of physical and mechanical properties and structure of deformed vessels made of 50 steel by cooling in TERMAT polymer aqueous solutions in different concentrations on PPL of the plant of JSC NPO Pribor was studied. The effect of varying the concentration from 2 to 9% of TERMAT polymer on the formation of metal structure, as well as physical and mechanical properties of hot-deformed vessels was studied. The results of testing the strength and plastic characteristics of vessels by destructive and non-destructive control methods are presented. According to the results of physical and mechanical properties, regression equations were obtained with at least 95% reliability of R2, which establish the relationship between the controlled plastic and strength parameters of the vessel metal`s properties. The conducted researches allowed to compare the indicators of the main physical and mechanical properties of steel vessels at the PPL outlet and to propose methods of inhomogeneity control that reduce time and material costs by 5–10% during the tests.


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