scholarly journals Geographical Distribution and Relationship with Environmental Factors of Paphiopedilum Subgenus Brachypetalum Hallier (Orchidaceae) Taxa in Southwest China

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 634
Author(s):  
Pengcheng Ye ◽  
Jianyong Wu ◽  
Mingtai An ◽  
Hui Chen ◽  
Xiao Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Geographical Distribution ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Southwest China ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Field Investigation ◽  
Orchid Species ◽  
Diurnal Range ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality

The determination of the geographic distributions of orchid species and their relationships with environmental factors are considered fundamental to their conservation. Paphiopedilum subgenus Brachypetalum is one of the most primitive, ornamental, and threatened groups of Orchidaceae. However, little is known about the distribution of Brachypetalum orchids and how they are influenced by environmental factors. In this study, we developed a database on the geographical distribution of Brachypetalum orchids based on a large-scale field investigation in the Guangxi, Guizhou, and Yunnan provinces of southwest China (2019–2020). Using this database, we first adopted the nonparametric Mann–Whitney U test to analyze the differences in the geographical distributions and growth environments of Brachypetalum orchids. In addition, we also used the method of principal component analysis (PCA) to explore distribution patterns of Brachypetalum orchids in relation to environmental factors (topography, climate, anthropogenic disturbance, productivity, and soil) in southwest China. Our results indicated that Brachypetalum orchid species were mainly distributed in the karst limestone habitats of southwest China. In general, there were 194 existing localities with the occurrence of seven target orchids in the investigated area. Of the discovered species in our study, 176 locations (~90.7%) were distributed primarily in the karst habitat. Among them, the range of 780–1267 m was the most concentrated elevation of Brachypetalum orchids. In addition, the findings also suggested that the distribution of Brachypetalum orchids in southwest China was relatively scattered in geographical space. However, the density of the distribution of Brachypetalum orchids was high, between 104° and 108° E and between 25° and 26° N. The results of the Mann–Whitney U test revealed that there are obviously different geographical distributions and growth environments of Brachypetalum in southwest China. More specifically, we found some extremely significant differences (p < 0.001) in elevation, mean diurnal range, precipitation of coldest quarter, solar radiation, and exchangeable Ca2+ between the provinces of southwest China. The PCA analysis revealed that elevation, solar radiation, temperature (mean diurnal range, annual temperature range) and precipitation (precipitation seasonality, precipitation of the warmest quarter) were found to be the most significant factors in determining Brachypetalum orchids’ distribution. These findings have implications in assessing conservation effectiveness and determining niche breadth to better protect the populations of these Brachypetalum orchid species in the future.

Ecological Niche Modeling Predicting the Potential Distribution of African Horse Sickness Virus from 2020 - 2060

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayalew Assefa ◽  
Abebe Tibebu ◽  
Amare Bihon ◽  
Alemu Dagnachew ◽  
Yimer Muktar
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Ecological Niche ◽  
Annual Precipitation ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Mean Annual Precipitation ◽  
African Horse Sickness ◽  
Diurnal Range ◽  
Annual Minimum Temperature ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality ◽  
Vector Borne

Abstract African horse sickness is a vector-borne, non-contagious and highly infectious disease of equines caused by African Horse Sickness viruses (AHSv) that mainly affect horses. The occurrence of the disease causes huge economic impacts because of its fatality rate is high, trade ban and disease control costs. In planning of vectors and vector borne diseases, the application of Ecological niche models (ENM) used an enormous contribution in exactly delineating the suitable habitats of the vector. We developed an ENM with the objective of delineating the global suitability of AHSv outbreaks retrospective based on data records from 2005–2019. The model was developed in R software program using Biomod2 package with an Ensemble modeling technique. Predictive environmental variables like mean diurnal range, mean precipitation of driest month(mm), precipitation seasonality (cv), mean annual maximum temperature (oc), mean annual minimum temperature (oc) mean precipitation of warmest quarter(mm), mean precipitation of coldest quarter (mm) mean annual precipitation (mm), solar radiation (kj /day), elevation/altitude (m), wind speed (m/s) were used to develop the model. From these variables, solar radiation, mean maximum temperature, average annual precipitation, altitude and precipitation seasonality contributed 36.83%, 17.1%, 14.34%, 7.61%, and 6.4%, respectively. The model depicted the sub-Sahara African continent as the most suitable area for the virus. Mainly Senegal, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Malawi are African countries identified as highly suitable countries for the virus. Besides, OIE-listed disease-free countries like India, Australia, Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia have been found suitable for the virusThis model can be used as an epidemiological tool in planning control and surveillance of diseases nationally or internationally.

scholarly journals Epidemiology and spatial distribution of bluetongue virus in Xinjiang, China

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jun Ma ◽  
Xiang Gao ◽  
Boyang Liu ◽  
Hao Chen ◽  
Jianhua Xiao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Spatial Autocorrelation ◽  
Bluetongue Virus ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Random Pattern ◽  
Diurnal Range ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality ◽  
Risk Areas ◽  
Global Spatial Autocorrelation

Bluetongue (BT) is a non-contagious disease affecting domestic and wild ruminants. Outbreaks of BT can cause serious economic losses. To investigate the distribution characteristics of bluetongue virus (BTV), two large-scale censuses of BTV prevalence in Xinjiang, China were collected. Spatial autocorrelation analysis, including global spatial autocorrelation and local spatial autocorrelation, was performed. Risk areas for BTV occurrence in Xinjiang were detected using the presence-only maximum entropy model. The global spatial autocorrelation of BTV distribution in Xinjiang in 2012 showed a random pattern. In contrast, the spatial distribution of BTV from 2014 to 2015 was significantly clustered. The hotspot areas for BTV infection included Balikun County (p< 0.05), Yiwu County (p< 0.05) and Hami City (p< 0.05) in 2012. These three regions were also hotspot areas during 2014 and 2015. Sheep distribution (25.6% contribution), precipitation seasonality (22.1% contribution) and mean diurnal range (16.2% contribution) were identified as the most important predictors for BTV occurrence in Xinjiang. This study demonstrated the presence of high-risk areas for BTV infection in Xinjiang, which can serve as a tool to aid in the development of preventative countermeasures of BT outbreaks.

scholarly journals Quality Assessment of Camellia oleifera Oil Cultivated in Southwest China

Separations ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 144
Author(s):  
Li Liu ◽  
Shiling Feng ◽  
Tao Chen ◽  
Lijun Zhou ◽  
Ming Yuan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acid ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Southwest China ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Industrial Applications ◽  
National Standard ◽  
Camellia Oleifera ◽  
Peroxide Values ◽  
Important Fatty Acid ◽  
Optimal Quality

Camellia oleifera oil has attracted increasing attention due to its well-balanced composition. In this study, we evaluated the oil content and chemical composition of C. oleifera oil cultivated in southwest China. The results showed that the acid and peroxide values were in line with the optimal quality index of the national standard of China. Oleic acid was the most predominant and important fatty acid, which accounted for 80.34–86.18%. The α-tocopherol, polyphenols and squalene ranged from 112.36 to 410.46 mg/kg oil, 14.22 to 53.63 mg/kg oil and 14.80 to 52.49 mg/kg oil, respectively. Principal component analysis (PCA) results showed that the synthesis score of introduced cultivars (‘Changlin 3’, ‘Changlin 4’ and ‘Changlin 18’) was higher that the local cultivars (‘Chuanya 21’ and ‘Chuanlin 2’). This research demonstrated that the introduced C. oleifera could adapt to the environment and climate of southwest China and large-scale plant of these introduced cultivars. In addition, the C. oleifera oil rich in unsaturated fatty acid has enormous potential to become a kind of functional oil and possesses great prospects for pharmaceutical and industrial applications.

Environmental factors associated with the abundance of forest wiregrass (Tetrarrhena juncea), a flammable understorey grass in productive forests

2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Geofe O. Cadiz ◽  
Jane G. Cawson ◽  
Trent D. Penman ◽  
Alan York ◽  
Thomas J. Duff
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Solar Radiation ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Additive Models ◽  
Theoretic Approach ◽  
Site Factors ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
Precipitation Seasonality ◽  
Mountain Ash

When flammable plant species become dominant they can influence the flammability of the entire vegetation community. Therefore, it is important to understand the environmental factors affecting the abundance of such species. These factors can include disturbances such as fire, which can promote the dominance of flammable grasses causing a positive feedback of flammability (grass–fire cycle). We examined the potential factors influencing the abundance of a flammable grass found in the understoreys of forests in south-east Australia, the forest wiregrass (Tetrarrhena juncea R.Br.). When wiregrass is abundant, its structural characteristics can increase the risk of wildfire ignition and causes fire to burn more intensely. We measured the cover of wiregrass in 126 sites in mountain ash forests in Victoria, Australia. Generalised additive models were developed to predict cover using climatic and site factors. The best models were selected using an information theoretic approach. The statistically significant factors associated with wiregrass cover were annual precipitation, canopy cover, disturbance type, net solar radiation, precipitation seasonality and time since disturbance. Canopy cover and net solar radiation were the top contributors in explaining wiregrass cover variability. Wiregrass cover was predicted to be high in recently disturbed areas where canopy cover was sparse, light levels high and precipitation low. Our findings suggest that in areas with wiregrass, disturbances such as fire that reduce canopy cover can promote wiregrass dominance, which may, in turn, increase forest flammability.

Evaluating soil erosion and sediment deposition rates by  137Cs fingerprinting technique at different karst hillslope positions  in Yunnan Province, southwest China

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanqing Li ◽  
yang Yu ◽  
funing Lan ◽  
peng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Yunnan Province ◽  
Southwest China ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Delivery Ratio ◽  
Deposition Rates ◽  
Small Watersheds

&lt;p&gt;In karst environments, soil erosion is a &amp;#160;prominent environmental issue that can cause many other problems. Researching the erosion and deposition rates at the hillslope scale in small watersheds is important for designing efficient soil and water conservation measures for the small watersheds even the large scale areas. In our research, the closed watershed, a representative depression in karst gabin basin, located in the Yunnan province, Southwest China, was selected to assess the soil erosion and sediment mobilisation at different hillslope positions using the &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs tracing technique. The results showed that the soil erosion rates in the shoulders, backslopes and footslopes were 0.87, 0.35 and 0.49 cm a&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;, respectively, meanwhile the soil sediment rate in depression bottom was 2.68 cm a&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;. The average annual soil erosion modulus of the complete hillslope was 632 t km&lt;sup&gt;-2&lt;/sup&gt;a&lt;sup&gt;-1&lt;/sup&gt;, which confirmed the serious gradation according to karst soil erosion standards. The sediment delivery ratio would summarize 0.82 in the whole catchment according to the square of hillslope and depression bottom. To identify which factor could play the most important role in influencing the estimations using &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs, a linear correlation and Principal Component Analysis were conducted. The results showed &lt;sup&gt;137&lt;/sup&gt;Cs concentration of different soil depth at different hillslope positions were significantly correlated with soil organic matter (SOM) and total nitrogen (TN) (P&lt;0.05). As the typical karst geomorphological types, these findings are expected to provide data support for the whole watershed soil erosion management and ecological restoration in &amp;#160;fragile karst ecosystem.&lt;/p&gt;

Evaluation functions for integral mapping

2017 ◽  
Vol 921 (3) ◽  
pp. 24-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.I. Lesnykh ◽  
A.K. Cherkashin
Keyword(s):  
Principal Component Analysis ◽  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Principal Components ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Evaluation Function ◽  
Final Value ◽  
Evaluation Functions ◽  
Geographical Environment ◽  
Environmental Background ◽  
Integral Mapping

The proposed procedure of integral mapping is based on calculation of evaluation functions on the integral indicators (II) taking into account the feature of the local geographical environment, when geosystems in the same states in the different environs have various estimates. Calculation of II is realized with application of a Principal Component Analysis for processing of the forest database, allowing to consider in II the weight of each indicator (attribute). The final value of II is equal to a difference of the first (condition of geosystem) and the second (condition of environmental background) principal components. The evaluation functions are calculated on this value for various problems of integral mapping. The environmental factors of variability is excluded from final value of II, therefore there is an opportunity to find the invariant evaluation function and to determine coefficients of this function. Concepts and functions of the theory of reliability for making the evaluation maps of the hazard of functioning and stability of geosystems are used.

scholarly journals Content-Based Estimation of Brain MRI Tilt in Three Orthogonal Directions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pooja Prabhu ◽  
A. K. Karunakar ◽  
Sanjib Sinha ◽  
N. Mariyappa ◽  
G. K. Bhargava ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Brain Mri ◽  
Similarity Measures ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Brain Anatomy ◽  
Morphological Operations ◽  
Mr Images ◽  
Tilt Correction ◽  
Brain Mr Images ◽  
The Brain

AbstractIn a general scenario, the brain images acquired from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may experience tilt, distorting brain MR images. The tilt experienced by the brain MR images may result in misalignment during image registration for medical applications. Manually correcting (or estimating) the tilt on a large scale is time-consuming, expensive, and needs brain anatomy expertise. Thus, there is a need for an automatic way of performing tilt correction in three orthogonal directions (X, Y, Z). The proposed work aims to correct the tilt automatically by measuring the pitch angle, yaw angle, and roll angle in X-axis, Z-axis, and Y-axis, respectively. For correction of the tilt around the Z-axis (pointing to the superior direction), image processing techniques, principal component analysis, and similarity measures are used. Also, for correction of the tilt around the X-axis (pointing to the right direction), morphological operations, and tilt correction around the Y-axis (pointing to the anterior direction), orthogonal regression is used. The proposed approach was applied to adjust the tilt observed in the T1- and T2-weighted MR images. The simulation study with the proposed algorithm yielded an error of 0.40 ± 0.09°, and it outperformed the other existing studies. The tilt angle (in degrees) obtained is ranged from 6.2 ± 3.94, 2.35 ± 2.61, and 5 ± 4.36 in X-, Z-, and Y-directions, respectively, by using the proposed algorithm. The proposed work corrects the tilt more accurately and robustly when compared with existing studies.

scholarly journals Principal component analysis tomography in near-infrared integral field spectroscopy of young stellar objects – I. Revisiting the high-mass protostar W33A

2021 ◽  
Vol 503 (1) ◽  
pp. 270-291
Author(s):  
F Navarete ◽  
A Damineli ◽  
J E Steiner ◽  
R D Blum
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Rotation Axis ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Young Stellar Objects ◽  
High Mass ◽  
Continuum Emission ◽  
Rotating Disc ◽  
Stellar Objects ◽  
K Band

ABSTRACT W33A is a well-known example of a high-mass young stellar object showing evidence of a circumstellar disc. We revisited the K-band NIFS/Gemini North observations of the W33A protostar using principal components analysis tomography and additional post-processing routines. Our results indicate the presence of a compact rotating disc based on the kinematics of the CO absorption features. The position–velocity diagram shows that the disc exhibits a rotation curve with velocities that rapidly decrease for radii larger than 0.1 arcsec (∼250 au) from the central source, suggesting a structure about four times more compact than previously reported. We derived a dynamical mass of 10.0$^{+4.1}_{-2.2}$ $\rm {M}_\odot$ for the ‘disc + protostar’ system, about ∼33 per cent smaller than previously reported, but still compatible with high-mass protostar status. A relatively compact H2 wind was identified at the base of the large-scale outflow of W33A, with a mean visual extinction of ∼63 mag. By taking advantage of supplementary near-infrared maps, we identified at least two other point-like objects driving extended structures in the vicinity of W33A, suggesting that multiple active protostars are located within the cloud. The closest object (Source B) was also identified in the NIFS field of view as a faint point-like object at a projected distance of ∼7000 au from W33A, powering extended K-band continuum emission detected in the same field. Another source (Source C) is driving a bipolar $\rm {H}_2$ jet aligned perpendicular to the rotation axis of W33A.

scholarly journals Farmers’ Perceptions of Commercial Insect-Based Feed for Sustainable Livestock Production in Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 5359
Author(s):  
Afrika Onguko Okello ◽  
Jonathan Makau Nzuma ◽  
David Jakinda Otieno ◽  
Michael Kidoido ◽  
Chrysantus Mbi Tanga
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Farm Income ◽  
Purchase Decisions ◽  
Wealth Status ◽  
Feed Formulation ◽  
Alternative Protein ◽  
Livestock Products ◽  
The Impact

The utilization of insect-based feeds (IBF) as an alternative protein source is increasingly gaining momentum worldwide owing to recent concerns over the impact of food systems on the environment. However, its large-scale adoption will depend on farmers’ acceptance of its key qualities. This study evaluates farmer’s perceptions of commercial IBF products and assesses the factors that would influence its adoption. It employs principal component analysis (PCA) to develop perception indices that are subsequently used in multiple regression analysis of survey data collected from a sample of 310 farmers. Over 90% of the farmers were ready and willing to use IBF. The PCA identified feed performance, social acceptability of the use of insects in feed formulation, feed versatility and marketability of livestock products reared on IBF as the key attributes that would inform farmers’ purchase decisions. Awareness of IBF attributes, group membership, off-farm income, wealth status and education significantly influenced farmers’ perceptions of IBF. Interventions such as experimental demonstrations that increase farmers’ technical knowledge on the productivity of livestock fed on IBF are crucial to reducing farmers’ uncertainties towards acceptability of IBF. Public partnerships with resource-endowed farmers and farmer groups are recommended to improve knowledge sharing on IBF.

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