Multi-scale datasets for monitoring Mediterranean oak forests from optical remote sensing during the SENTHYMED/MEDOAK experiment in the north of Montpellier (France).

Mediterranean forests represent critical areas that are increasingly affected by the frequency of droughts and fires, anthropic activities and land use changes. Optical remote sensing data give access to several essential biodiversity variables, such as species traits (related to vegetation biophysical and biochemical composition), which can help to better understand the structure and functioning of these forests. However, their reliability highly depends on the scale of observation and the spectral configuration of the sensor. Thus, the objective of the SENTHYMED/MEDOAK experiment is to provide datasets from leaf to canopy scale in synchronization with remote sensing acquisitions obtained from multi-platform sensors having different spectral characteristics and spatial resolutions. Seven monthly data collections were performed between April and October 2021 (with a complementary one in June 2023) over two forests in the north of Montpellier, France, comprised of two oak endemic species with different phenological dynamics (evergreen: Quercus ilex and deciduous: Quercus pubescens) and a variability of canopy cover fractions (from dense to open canopy). These collections were coincident with satellite multispectral Sentinel-2 data and one with airborne hyperspectral AVIRIS-Next Generation data. In addition, satellite hyperspectral PRISMA and DESIS were also available for some dates. All these airborne and satellite data are provided from free online download websites. Eight datasets are presented in this paper from thirteen studied forest plots: (1) overstory and understory inventory, (2) 687 canopy plant area index from Li-COR plant canopy analyzers, (3) 1475 in situ spectral reflectances (oak canopy, trunk, grass, limestone, etc.) from ASD spectroradiometers, (4) 92 soil moistures and temperatures from IMKO and Campbell probes, (5) 747 leaf-clip optical data from SPAD and DUALEX sensors, (6) 2594 in-lab leaf directional-hemispherical reflectances and transmittances from ASD spectroradiometer coupled with an integrating sphere, (7) 747 in-lab measured leaf water and dry matter content, and additional leaf traits by inversion of the PROSPECT model and (8) UAV-borne LiDAR 3-D point clouds. These datasets can be useful for multi-scale and multi-temporal calibration/validation of high level satellite vegetation products such as species traits, for current and future imaging spectroscopic missions, and by fusing or comparing both multispectral and hyperspectral data. Other targeted applications can be forest 3-D modelling, biodiversity assessment, fire risk prevention and globally vegetation monitoring.

Landscape-scale variation in plant community composition of an African savanna from airborne species mapping.

Information on landscape-scale patterns in species distributions and community types is vital for ecological science and effective conservation assessment and planning. However, detailed maps of plant community structure at landscape scales seldom exist due to the inability of field-based inventories to map a sufficient number of individuals over large areas. The Carnegie Airborne Observatory (CAO) collected hyperspectral and lidar data over Kruger National Park, South Africa, and these data were used to remotely identify > 500 000 tree and shrub crowns over a 144-km2 landscape using stacked support vector machines. Maps of community compositional variation were produced by ordination and clustering, and the importance of hillslope-scale topo-edaphic variation in shaping community structure was evaluated with redundancy analysis. This remote species identification approach revealed spatially complex patterns in woody plant communities throughout the landscape that could not be directly observed using field-based methods alone. We estimated that topo-edaphic variables representing catenal sequences explained 21% of species compositional variation, while we also uncovered important community patterns that were unrelated to catenas, indicating a large role for other soil-related factors in shaping the savanna community. Our results demonstrate the ability of airborne species identification techniques to map biodiversity for the evaluation of ecological controls on community composition over large landscapes.

Prevention of deep vein thrombosis after total hip replacement. The effect of low-molecular-weight heparin with spinal and general anaesthesia.

Enoxaparin, a low-molecular-weight heparin, has been used together with spinal or general anaesthesia in a prospective, randomised study of 188 consecutive elective hip replacements. Bilateral venography was performed on all patients on day 13 after operation. Group I (65 patients) received spinal anaesthesia and no immediate injection of enoxaparin. Group II (61 patients) received spinal anaesthesia and 20 mg of enoxaparin one hour after the onset of anaesthesia. Group III (62 patients) was operated on under general anaesthesia and received 40 mg of enoxaparin 12 hours prior to surgery. This group acted as the control group. In all three groups, 40 mg of enoxaparin was given 12 hours after the end of surgery and continued on a once-daily basis. Proximal DVT occurred in 6% of group I, 6.7% of group II and 6.5% of group III, not a significant difference. Distal DVT was present in 11% of group I, 5% of group II and 0% of group III; this was a highly significant difference (p = 0.007). Tolerance was good and the incidence of bleeding low in the three groups. Our results confirm the low rate of DVT in patients operated on under general anaesthesia with the standard procedure of 40 mg of enoxaparin on a once-daily basis started pre-operatively. The 40 mg-dose is also safe and effective in association with spinal anaesthesia if half the dose (20 mg) is injected an hour after the lumbar puncture.

Efficacy and safety of a perioperative enoxaparin regimen in total hip replacement under various anesthesias.

Four trials in which enoxaparin, a low-molecular-weight heparin, was used in patients having hip surgery are reported. In the first two trials, enoxaparin was given before general anesthesia. The protocol consisted of 40 mg of enoxaparin, 4,000 anti-factor Xa IU, subcutaneously 12 hours before surgery, followed by the same dose 12 hours after surgery and then once daily. In the third trial, this protocol was compared with unfractionated heparin calcium given in a standardized manner and appeared to be significantly superior both in efficacy and tolerance. In the fourth trial, the protocol was adapted for use in spinal subarachnoidal anesthesia; 20 mg of enoxaparin, 2,000 anti-factor Xa IU, was given subcutaneously 1 hour after anesthesia and 40 mg 12 hours later. In all these trials tolerance was good. Excessive bleeding did not occur with the 40 mg once daily regimen. Efficacy was good and compared favorably with other protocols in use.

Once-daily dosing of enoxaparin (a low molecular weight heparin) in prevention of deep vein thrombosis after total hip replacement.

The main results of three successive prospective clinical trials which represent the successive steps in the definition of once-daily dosing of enoxaparin in elective hip surgery are demonstrated. In the first trial, a dose of 40 mg/day (4000 anti-Factor Xa IU), in one or two subcutaneous injections, was preferred to a dose of 60 mg because it gave the same efficacy with a better tolerance. In a second, randomized double-blind trial, the two modes of administration of a dose of 40 mg, in one or two injections daily, were found to be equivalent with regard to tolerance and efficacy. In a third prospective, controlled, randomized, double-blind multicentre trial, once-daily dosing of enoxaparin at the dose of 40 mg was found superior to 5000 IU of unfractionated heparin tds with regard to tolerance and efficacy. It is concluded that the dose of 40 mg/day, begun 12 h pre-operatively, gives the best benefit:risk ratio in elective hip surgery.

[Acute ischemia of the lower limbs in nephrotic syndrome in a young woman]. / Ischémie aiguë des membres inférieurs au cours d'un syndrome néphrotique chez une jeune femme.

A thirty-year-old woman, who had onset of nephrotic syndrome during the last part of her pregnancy, experienced recurrent acute ischemia of both lower limbs, leading to three conservative surgical procedures one month after delivery. Investigations disclosed no cause of embolism and were suggestive of thrombosis. The arteriography showed a diffuse reduction in diameter of the aorta and iliac vessels without localised stenosis or other vascular lesions. This complication is presumably related to several factors associated with the reduction in arterial diameter: hypovolemia, hyperfibrinemia, hyperlipidemia and abnormalities of hemostasis.

[Factors responsible for post-operative infection]. / Les facteurs responsables de l'infection post-opératoire.

Post-operative infection is often due to a combination of several factors. A decrease in immune defence processes represents the first factor. This is seen in situations such as malnutrition (undernourishment or obesity), alcoholism, diabetes, neoplasms, infections and old age. It may also be induced by therapy such as immunodepressants, antimitotic chemotherapy, corticosteroids and radiotherapy. Finally, certain antibiotics have been accused of reducing immune defences. The second factor responsible for infection is bacterial flora. Errors such as broad spectrum antibiotic therapy prescribed in the presence of unexplored fever, or changed repeatedly, are responsible for imbalance in the bacterial flora and the acquisition of resistance to antibiotics. These errors firstly increased the prevalence of infections and, secondly their severity and the difficulty of their treatment. The last factor responsible for infection is rupture of the natural barriers formed by the skin and mucosae. This is related on the one hand to surgery itself and, secondly, to the intensive care techniques surrounding the surgical act: venous catheterization above all, but also bladder catheterization, tracheal intubation, etc.

[Study of P50 and 2,3-diphosphoglycerate in 23 bronchoemphysema patients as a function of hypoxia and hemoglobin concentration]. / Etude de P50 et 2,3-diphosphoglycérate chez 23 broncho-emphysémateux en fonction de l'hypoxie et de la concentration d'hémoglobine.

2,3-DPG and P50 were measured in 23 patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. All patients had a chronic hypercapnia (PaCO2 greater than or equal to 45 Torr). They are shared in 3 groups, according to hemoglobin content [Hb] and hypoxia : group I(PaO2 = 48.0 +/- 2.4 Torr ; [Hb] = 15.9 +/- 0.3 g. 100 ml-1; n = 9), (M +/- 1 SE); group II (PaO2 = 46.4 +/- 5.0 Torr; [Hb] = 11.6 +/- 0.7 g. 100 m[-1; n = 7); group III(PaO2 = 61.4 +/- 2.4 Torr; [Hb] = 13.3 +/- 0.4 g. 100 ml-1; n = 7). 2,3-DPG (group I : 1.05 +/- 0.06 mole.moleHb-1; group II : 1.02 +/- 0.08; group III : 1.11 +/- 0.08) was not significantly different of 2,3-DPG value of 12 control subjects (0.96 +/- 0.04). P50 of group I (26.9 +/- 0.9 Torr) and group III patients (28.1 +/- 1.6 Torr) was not significantly different of control value of P50 (27.4 +/- 0.5 Torr). P50 of group II patients (29.6 +/- 0.8 Torr) was significantly higher than P50 control and group I values (p less than 0.05). All the patients of group II died. These results suggest that in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease : 1) P50 value is different with various clinical conditions; 2) P50 increase is a compensatory mechanism in severe hypoxemia with anemia, but is not sufficient; 3) [Hb] is the best data for clinical prognosis.

2,3-Diphosphoglycerate red cell concentration changes during the menstrual cycle in woman.

The authors showed that 2,3-DPG red cell concentration (2,3-DPG) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER DURING THE LAST WEEK Of the menstrual cycle of five women (1.08+/-0.09 mol-,p;Hb-1) (M +/- 1 SE) THAN DURING THE First part and the last but one week of the cycle (0.86+/-0.04 mol-molHb-1, p less than 0.01). PACO2 was significantly lower during the last week of the cycle (36.3+/-1.3 torr) than during the first part and the last but one week of the cycle(40.1+/-0.8 torr, p less than 0.001). This hypocapnia was due to transient hyperventilation in the second part of the menstrual cycle. 5 men were studied during 4 weeks to determinate control values. No change was observed. The 2,3-DGP mean value (1.10+/-0.01 mol-molGb-1) was not significantly different of the values observed in the women during the last week of the cycle. These results suggest that the 2,3-DPG increase during the last week of the menstrual cylce is problably due to a respiratory alkalosis induced by progesterone secretion.

Biochemical criteria for the evaluation of drug efficiency on adjuvant arthritis and nephrotoxic serum nephritis in the rat: studies with phenylbutazone, L-Asparaginase, colchicine, lysine acetylsalicylate, and pyridinol carbamate.

The levels of serum orosomucoid, haptoglobin, and seromucoid were evaluated as possible quantitative criteria for the estimation of drug efficiency in adjuvant arthritis and nephrotoxic serum nephritis. In adjuvant arthritis, haptoglobin, seromucoid, and chiefly orosomucoid serum levels were generally very sensitive to anti-inflammatory agents such as phenylbutazone and pyridinol carbamate, and to immunosuppressive agents such as L-asparaginase. There was a significant correlation between the serum levels of these glycoproteins and the arthritis scores. In nephrotoxic serum nephritis, seromucoid levels were correlated with the proteinuria of the autologous phase and were found to be a good complementary criterion for the analysis of the efficiency of pyridinol carbamate, colchicine, iysine acetylsalicylate, and L-asparaginase.