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The change in land use resulting from human activities occurs at both global and local scales. The present research focuses on the multi-temporal analysis of land use change on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos. Therefore, the analysis of land uses and their transition with vegetation cover was proposed to examine their evolution. Geographic Information Systems and the Supervised Classification technique were employed to identify changes in the terrain over time and the factors responsible for these alterations. In order to obtain accurate information about existing land uses in the study area, free satellite images were used, allowing the distinction of four distinct classes. Through this analysis, it was possible to determine the evolution of land use over a period of 32 years, spanning from 1991 to 2023. The results revealed that the classified areas underwent modifications due to both natural and human-induced factors, including livestock and agricultural activities, as well as demographic growth. To validate the obtained data, a confusion matrix was conducted, and the Kappa index was applied. These procedures demonstrated the robustness and agreement of the model used, ensuring high accuracy compared to reality. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive view of land use change on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, and offers relevant information about the factors that have contributed to such changes over time. The results have significant implications for sustainable land management and ecosystem conservation in this important region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

La zona andina de la provincia de El Oro (ZAEO), pertenece a la región sur del Ecuador, que se caracteriza de una gran variabilidad y diversidad biológica. El objetivo de este estudio fue analizar los cambios de cobertura vegetal y uso de suelo en la ZAEO. Se usó dos imágenes Sentinel-2 (MSI) de nivel 1C, para el periodo 2017-2020. Se realizó una clasificación supervisada de máxima verosimilitud, en un rango altitudinal desde los 900 a 3900 msnm, usando 4 de las 6 clases de nivel 1 propuestas por el Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador, para cada clase se elaboró 16 áreas de entrenamiento (ROI). Se obtuvo una precisión general de 0.855 para el 2017 y de 0.944 para el 2020. Se utilizó 120 pixeles para la elaboración de la matriz de confusión, donde el índice Kappa para el 2017 fue de 0.6870, mientras que para el 2020 fue de 0.9058. Por último, la tasa de cambio entre el 2017 y 2020, se registraron incrementos en las clases: bosques (BO), zona antrópica (ZA) y vegetación arbustiva y herbácea (VAH), con valores de 43.90%, 9.52% y 4.22%, respectivamente, mientras que tierra agropecuaria (TA) registró pérdidas del 9.43%.

The present article proposes a system of a quantitative assessment of the ability of inspectors to make correct decisions, applying an R&R study by attributes, with the method of risk analysis, supported by contingency tables and the Cohen Kappa index. Additionally, it establishes a tool to simplify the required calculations and a proposed inspection method that seeks to reduce the variability associated with the inspection process. In this paper, a simulation study is made. We simulate several quality inspectors and three sceneries. Results show a quality level between 95% and 99% was obtained. It is possible to show that reducing the variability of inspection processes results through standardized methods, criteria equalization, and staff training improves the quality level process. The procedure presented and simulated in this article can be applied in the qualitative inspection, such as manufacturing processes as services processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Boletin de Geologia is the property of Universidad Industrial de Santander and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

La cuenca del río Jubones (CRJ) cuenta con una diversidad tanto de pisos ecológicos como climáticos; los cambios de cobertura y uso de suelo afectan las actividades que dependen del recurso hídrico. El objetivo fue analizar los cambios producidos en las distintas clases de cobertura y el uso del suelo en la CRJ. Se utilizó imágenes Landsat 5 (TM) y Landsat 8 (OLI-TIRS) para los años 1991 y 2016, respectivamente. La clasificación supervisada se realizó en 6 clases de acuerdo al nivel 1 propuesto en la cartografía temática del Ministerio del Ambiente del Ecuador, con el descarte de pixeles ocupados por nubes. En los mapas temáticos obtenidos de la clasificación, destaca una precisión general mínima del 0,93 y un índice Kappa de 0,90. En la evaluación de cambio de coberturas y uso de suelo se comparó los mapas temáticos en función de las tasas de cambio por clases de cobertura; se registró un aumento en las clases TA (0,76%) y AH (0,62%); y una disminución en BO (-2,05%) y OT (-1.79%). Estos cambios en un periodo de 25 años se pueden atribuir a la fuerte intervención antrópica sobre los recursos naturales

La escasez de mapas con una distribución detallada de las unidades de suelo representa una limitante frecuente para la toma de decisiones, el modelado hidrológico y determinación del potencial productivo de un área. En este trabajo se aplicó la técnica de Mapeo Digital de Suelos (MDS), a través del Análisis de Componentes Principales (ACP), para obtener la distribución espacial de las unidades de suelo. El área de estudio corresponde a la cuenca del río Mixteco, con una superficie de 655 903 ha, que se ubica en el estado de Oaxaca. Para el MDS se emplearon covariables ambientales del tipo topográficas, hidrológicas, climáticas y geológicas. Las covariables ambientales de mayor impacto, en la distribución espacial de las unidades de suelo, en orden de importancia fueron las geológicas, topográficas y climáticas. La clasificación digital se basó en 142 áreas de entrenamiento y 60 sitios para la validación de resultados, distribuidos aleatoriamente. En la cuenca, de acuerdo al Sistema de Clasificación WRB de la FAO (2014), a través del MDS se identificaron de manera satisfactoria (precisión global de 76.67% y un Índice Kappa de 71.20) los siguientes grupos de suelos Cambisoles (35.8%), Fluvisoles (7.16%), Leptosoles (48.25%), Regosoles (8.00%) y Vertisoles (0.79%). El MDS determinó satisfactoriamente la distribución espacial de las unidades de suelo en la cuenca e identificó las covariables ambientales de mayor influencia.

Sentinel-2 (S2), a new ESA satellite for Earth observation, accounts with 13 bands which provide high-quality radiometric images with an excellent spatial resolution (10 and 20 m) ideal for classification purposes. In this paper, two objectives have been addressed: to determine the best classification method for S2, and to quantify its improvement with respect to the SPOT operational mission. To do so, four classifiers (LDA, RF, Decision Trees, K-NN) have been selected and applied to two different agricultural areas located in Valencia (Spain) and Buenos Aires (Argentina). All classifiers were tested using, on the one hand, all the S2 bands and, on the other hand, only selecting those bands from S2 closer to the four bands from SPOT. In all the cases, between 10%-50% of samples were used to train the classifier while remaining the rest for validation. As a result, a land use map was generated from the best classifier, according to the Kappa index, providing scientifically relevant information such as the area of each land use class.

En el desierto de La Tatacoa, la degradación del suelo y la pérdida de productividad son atribuidas a factores ambientales y antrópicos. En este artículo se evalúa la dinámica espaciotemporal de coberturas en un periodo no continuo de 23 anos (1987-2001-2010) identificando áreas de perdida y de recuperación de vegetación. Se aplicaron correcciones geométricas y radiométricas, además, se realizó un análisis cuantitativo aplicando clasificación supervisada a las imágenes Landsat. Las dinámicas espaciotemporales se identificaron a través de matrices de cambio y el índice Kappa. El análisis multitemporal mostro disminución de las áreas de suelos degradados (16,7%) y aumento de la cobertura vegetal (13,4%), lo que evidencia un proceso de recuperación a una tasa de 124 ha/ano. Las áreas de vegetación natural estables y de mayor variación positiva de vegetación natural están localizadas en el norte, nororiente y oriente; la variación negativa se observa en la región adyacente al rio Magdalena. Estos resultados son la base para nuevas investigaciones sobre los factores bióticos, abióticos y socioeconómicos que han generado la recuperación de áreas de vegetación natural en algunos sectores y la desertificación en otros, y se encaminan a plantear medidas sectorizadas como la restauración ecológica, los sistemas silvopastoriles y agroforestales acordes con la problemática social y ambiental en un contexto de cambio climático. Ideas destacadas: artículo de investigación sobre la dinámica de las coberturas en el enclave seco de la Tatacoa con aplicaciones sig a partir de imágenes Landsat para determinar el proceso de desertificación y la revegetalización natural que ha tenido lugar en un periodo de 23 años.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the land use and land cover conditions in the municipality of Caucaia, located in the Metropolitan Region of Fortaleza (RMF), state of Ceará, with emphasis on the Permanent Preservation Areas (APP). The theoretical and methodological procedures were based on the bibliographical and cartographic survey of the space sector under analysis, and the geocartographic products were validated in field works and through the design of the statistical index of concordance of kappa. Nineteen classes of land use and land cover were mapped, and the ones with the greatest territorial extension were: Open caatinga / Agriculture (39.92%), Closed caatinga (14.28%), Open forest tabuleiro / Agriculture (10.08%), Dry forest (8.01%) and urbanized area (5.48%). The legal-institutional basis of the research included the APP, APA of the Ceará River, APA of Lagamar do Cauhípe, Ecological Station of Pecém, Park botany of Ceará and Tapajos Indigenous Land. By combining the land use and land cover information with the legalinstitutional base map, it was found that: there is significant degradation of the riparian forests of the courses and water sources; The mangroves and paleodunas are being affected by indiscriminate deforestation and; In PPAs the use of land in agriculture-related activities is significant. Finally, it is mentioned that the results indicate the highlight of geoprocessing techniques for this type of analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to describe and analyze the birth and death certification process in a medicine-teaching hospital in Bogotá during 2014, regarding both the information flow and the quality of the reported death cause. A methodology was designed to monitor the quality and coverage of the birth and death hospital statistics. Seventeen final-year medicine students attending to their public health training took part in the data collection about 511 clinical records of non-fetal deaths, and excluding the deaths due to external causes occurring in 2014, (it accounts for 58% of all non-fetal deaths in the hospital during this year). Being granted access to the medical records of the deceased patients, the duly instructed students completed the death certificate forms and were supervised by different specialist teachers according to the diagnosis. The basic death cause attributed after the supervision was compared to the death cause originally certified by the hospital physicians in the online record system currently used in Colombia: RUAF-ND. The agreement in identifying the basic death cause was estimated and a gross matching of 80% was found, with a Kappa index between 57% and 95%, being all statistically above zero after grouping the basic death causes as per CIE10 chapter, and obtaining 6% of unusable codes in both databases. This study could be replicated in other medicine-teaching hospital in order to strengthen the medical student training in vital statistics while monitoring the quality of the birth and death records in the medicine-teaching hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil degradation and diminished production in the desert of La Tatacoa are attributed to both environmental and anthropic factors. This article assesses the spatiotemporal dynamics of soil coverage in a discontinuous period of 23 years (1987-2001-2010), identifying areas of loss and recovery of vegetation. Geometric and radiometric corrections were applied, in addition, a quantitative analysis was performed by applying supervised classification to Landsat images. Spatiotemporal dynamics were identified through change matrices and the Kappa index. Multitemporal analysis showed a decrease in the areas of degraded soils (16.7%) and an increase in vegetal coverage (13.4%), which evinces a recovery process of 124 ha/year. The areas of stable natural vegetation and of greatest positive variation in the vegetal coverage are located to the north, northeast, and east, while the negative variation can be observed in the region adjacent to the Magdalena river. These results serve as the basis for new research on the biotic, abiotic, and socioeconomic factors that have generated the recovery of natural vegetation areas in some sectors and desertification in others. They seek to contribute to the formulation of sectorized measures such as ecological restoration as well as silvopastoral and agroforestry systems in according to social and environmental issues in a context of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Terra Latinoamericana is the property of Sociedad Mexicana de la Ciencia del Suelo A.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

INTRODUCTION: malignant tumors of the nose and paranasal sinuses represent 1% of malignant neoplasms of the body and 3% of those originating in the upper respiratory tract; the most common is epidermoid carcinoma. OBJECTIVE: determine the concordance between results of malignant neoplasms detected by pathology and those detected by computed tomography. MATERIAL AND METHODS: of histopathological results for malignant neoplasms of the nose and paranasal sinuses, obtained from 2012 to 2015, those with interpretation were included. We determined how many neoplasms were diagnosed as such in image studies and calculated the concordance with the Kappa coefficient. RESULTS: of 192 histopathological results of malignant neoplasms of the nose and paranasal sinuses, in the period studied, 42 had tomography and interpretation; the non-concordant proportion was 15 (35.7%) cases, the concordant proportion was 27 (64.3%) cases, and the observed proportion was 0.64; the expected proportion was estimated at 0.26, calculating a Kappa coefficient of 0.51 with "moderate" strength concordance. CONCLUSIONS: we can conclude that, to increase diagnostic concordance, it is essential to have a good clinical history and examination of the patient. In extension studies, it is important to have a suspected site of the primary tumor and conduct acquisition protocols and post-process protocols suitable for the head and neck region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

O objetivo deste trabalho foi estimar a área plantada com soja por meio da normalização da matriz de erros gerada a partir da classificação supervisionada de imagens TM/Landsat‑5. Foram avaliados oito municípios no Estado do Paraná, com dados referentes à safra de 2003/2004. As classificações foram realizadas por meio dos métodos paralelepípedo e máxima verossimilhança, dando origem à "máscara de soja". Os valores do índice Kappa dos oito municípios ficaram acima de 0,6. As estimativas de área de soja, corrigidas por matriz de erros, apresentaram alta correlação com as estimativas oficiais do estado e com as estimativas geradas a partir de um método alternativo denominado "expansão direta". A estimativa de área de soja por meio da normalização da matriz de erros apresenta menor custo e pode subsidiar métodos convencionais na estimativa menos subjetiva de safras.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar dois métodos de levantamentos de solos. O primeiro foi realizado por meio de metodologias tradicionalmente utilizadas na distinção das unidades de paisagem e discriminação das classes de solos, como fotointerpretação e relação solo-paisagem. O segundo foi baseado na distinção das classes desolos por meio da sua resposta espectral, obtida em nível orbital. Para o estabelecimento dos atributos dos solos e sua classificação, as amostras de solo foram coletadas em duas profundidades, num grid com pontos distanciados de 500 m. Com essas amostras foram realizadas análises físicas e químicas dos solos. Nos locais de amostragem foi determinada, a partir da imagem orbital, a reflectância aparente do solo e, por meio de análise de agrupamentos, foram estabelecidas as unidades de paisagem. A fidedignidade de semelhança entre as unidades de paisagem obtidas pelos dois métodos foi avaliada pelo índice Kappa,cujo valor foi de 0,43, indicando que ambos os métodos produziram resultados semelhantes na discriminação de classes de solo.The objective of this study was compare two soil survey methods. Thefirst was performed by methods traditionally used to distinguish landscape units and soil class discrimination. The second was based on soil class distinction through orbital spectral response. In order to establish soil characteristics and their classification, soil samples were collected at two depths in a grid system, with a distance of 500 meters between points. With these samples, physical and chemical analyses were carried out. In the sampling points, theapparent reflectance of the soil, from the orbital image, was determined and, through cluster analysis landscape units were established. In order to evaluate the resemblance reliability between the landscape units established in each method, the Kappa index wasused, the value set for the confusion matrix was 0.43, indicating high quality in the comparison, showing that the non-conventional method was as close as the one carried out by photointerpretation.

Antecedentes: En Chile las malformaciones congénitas son la primera causa de mortalidad neonatal precoz, siendo las cardiopatías congénitas su principal factor. La incorporación de la ecocardiografía prenatal es de gran ayuda en su pesquisa precoz. Objetivos: Evaluar la ecocardiografía prenatal como prueba diagnóstica y su concordancia con la ecocardiografía posnatal. Métodos: Se analizaron embarazadas derivadas al Hospital de Niños Dr. Roberto del Río entre abril 2004 y abril 2008, por sospecha de cardiopatías congénitas con posterior control neonatal. Resultados: Se evaluaron 188 embarazadas tanto con diagnóstico de cardiopatía congénita como con ecocardiografía normal. La edad gestacional promedio de derivación fue de 32 semanas, siendo la principal causa la sospecha de cardiopatía congénita en el examen obstétrico de rutina. Como prueba diagnóstica se obtuvo una sensibilidad de 100% y especificidad de 40% con una moderada concordancia entre ésta y el examen postnatal. Como prueba diagnóstica la ecocardiografía prenatal, se obtuvo una sensibilidad de 100% y especificidad de 89% del examen, al ser evaluada como cardiopatías en general, con una muy buena concordancia entre ésta y el examen postnatal. Discusión: Existe una tardía derivación y diagnóstico prenatal de las cardiopatías congénitas a nivel nacional, siendo importante capacitar aún más a los obstetras que realizan este tamizaje. La ecocardiografía prenatal realizada en nuestro centro por cardiólogos es una confiable herramienta diagnóstica con una muy buena concordancia con la ecocardiografía posnatal.Background: In Chile, congenital malformations are the first cause of early neonatal mortality, the congenital heart defects its the main factor. The incorporation of antenatal echocardiography is very helpful in your research early. Objectives: To evalúate prenatal echocardiography as a diagnosis test and their concordance with postnatal echocardiography. Methods: We analyzed pregnancy who were derived to the Hospital de Niños Dr. Roberto del Rio, between April 2004 and April 2008, where studied because suspicion of having congenital heart defects with subsequent neonatal control. Results: 188 pregnancy were evaluated either with a diagnosis of congenital heart defect or with normal echocardiography. The mean gestational age of derivation was 32 weeks, the main causes the suspicion of congenital heart defect on routine obstetric examination. When being studied as diagnosis test it was obtained a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 40% with a modérate concordance between both echocardiographies. When analyzing with the diagnosis test prenatal echocardiography, it was obtained a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 89% of the review, when evaluated as general heart defect, with a very good concordance between it and the postnatal examination. Discussion: There is a late referral and prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defect at national level, being important to train obstetricians who perform this screening. Prenatal echocardiography performed by cardiologists at our center is a reliable diagnosis tool with a very good concordance with postnatal echocardiography.

Justificación y objetivo: Analizar concordancia entre la prueba rápida Dengue Duo IgM & IgG® de la casa comercial PanBio®, aplicada en el nivel local de diferentes áreas del país y en el Centro Nacional de Referencia de Virología (CNRV), con resultados obtenidos por MACELISA del CNRV. Métodos: Resultados de 828 determinaciones de IgM dengue por Dengue Duo IgM & IgG® del nivel local y del CNRV se compararon por el índice kappa con los resultados del MAC-ELISA del CNRV. Para verificar el cumplimiento en procedimientos de la casa comercial, se realizó una visita de inspección a los laboratorios y se envió muestras incógnitas para evaluar el desempeño. Resultados: El índice kappa de la prueba rápida en el nivel local contra el MAC-ELISA fue 0,62 (IC 95% 0,55-0,69) y la concordancia de los positivos del 75% (IC 95% 71-79). El índice kappa de la prueba rápida en el CNRV fue 0,81 (IC 95% 0,88-1,74) y la concordancia de los positivos del 93% (IC 95% 90-95). El 100% de los laboratorios mostraron condiciones adecuadas para aplicar esta prueba; su personal fue capacitado, pero la atención de otros análisis dificultó la lectura en el tiempo establecido. La concordancia de las incógnitas fue del 100%. Conclusión: Se evidenció una diferencia significativa en el índice kappa y la concordancia de los positivos, al aplicar la prueba rápida en los laboratorios y en el CNRV, hallazgos que documentan que la descentralización de esta metodología requerirá un acompañamiento que identifique factores causales de discordancia para subsanarlos y promover la generación de resultados consistentes que orienten la toma de decisiones acertadas.Background and aim: To analyze concordance of results obtained using the Dengue Duo IgM &IgG® rapid test (Pan Bio®) applied at the local level in different areas across the country and the MAC ELISA used at National Reference Center for Virology (CNRV) Methodology: The results of 828 dengue tests carried out with the Duo IgM& IgG® (Pan Bio®) at local level and at the CNRV were compared by the kappa index with those obtained with a MAC ELISA test at the CNRV. An inspection visit to participating laboratories was made and unknown samples were sent to evaluate the performance of the participants and to check the fulfillment of the procedures used with the recommendations of the manufacturer. Results: The kappa index of the results of the rapid test used at local level in comparison with the MAC ELISA was 0.62 (CI 95% 90-95); the concordance of the positive samples was 75% (CI 95% 71-79). The kappa index of the rapid test used at the CNRV was 0.81 (CI 95% 0.88- 1.74) and the concordance of the positive samples was 93% (CI 95% 90-95). All laboratories showed ideal facilities to carry out the tests and the staff got the training required; however, the attention to other analyses affected the reading within the time recommended. The concordance of the unknown samples was 100%. Conclusion: A significant difference was demonstrated in the kappa index and the concordance of positive samples between the rapid tests carried out at the participant laboratories and at the CNRV. These results imply that decentralization of this methodology would require continuous support to identify correctable factors of disagreement and to promote the generation of consistent results to orient the decision-making process.

Neste trabalho, as imagens dos satélites Landsat 7 e Cbers 2 foram analisadas com o objetivo de identificar áreas com fragmentos de floresta semidecídua e de avaliar a exatidão da classificação feita por diferentes intérpretes e técnicas de interpretação. O estudo foi realizado em Lavras, MG, utilizando o SIG-SPRING, que possui recursos para realização da classificação digital e visual. Na comparação das diferentes classificações e avaliação da exatidão, foram empregadas as exatidões global, do consumidor, do produtor e o coeficiente Kappa. Pelos resultados, verificou-se que a exatidão global foi maior que 90% e o coeficiente Kappa variou de 50% a 77% nas comparações feitas por diferentes intérpretes, em imagens Landsat e Cbers. Os mapas de fragmentos de vegetação produzidos com base na classificação digital das imagens Cbers e Landsat apresentaram alta porcentagem de áreas comuns e os intérpretes produziram diferentes mapas, porém, aqueles gerados pela imagem Cbers apresentaram a melhor concordância entre as classificações.In this work two images from Landsat 7 and Cbers 2 were analyzed in order to identify small areas of semideciduous forest and to evaluate the classification accuracy made by three different analysts. The study was carried out in Lavras region, MG, using the SPRING GIS with the appropriate functions to jufil the digital classification and visual inspection. The comparisons between the classifications and accuracy assessment procedures employed the overall accuracy, the user's accuracy, the producer's accuracy and the Kappa coefficient. The results showed that the overall accuracy were higher than 90% and the Kappa coefficient ranged from 50% to 77% when the Landsat and Cbers images were compared by different analysts. The fragments vegetation maps made from digital classification of Cbers and Landsat satellites images presented high percentage of common areas and analysts made different maps but, those one produced from Cbers satellite images were better than the other classifications.

El objetivo de este trabajo es evaluar la factibilidad de realizar observaciones directas del consumo de tabaco y del uso del cinturón de seguridad y del teléfono móvil del conductor del vehículo en la ciudad de Barcelona, así como analizar el grado de concordancia entre dos observadores. Se realizaron 315 pares de observaciones. El porcentaje simple de concordancia interobservador de las variables consumo de tabaco del conductor y de los pasajeros fue del 100%, con un índice Kappa de 1,0. También se obtuvo la máxima concordancia interobservador en la medición del uso del teléfono móvil y del número de pasajeros menores de 14 años. La variable con menor concordancia fue la edad del conductor. En conclusión, los estudios mediante observación directa se muestran como un buen recurso para monitorizar el consumo de tabaco, el uso del cinturón de seguridad y el uso del teléfono móvil del conductor del vehículo.The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of direct observations of smoking and use of seat belts and cell phones in drivers in the city of Barcelona, and to analyze the agreement between two observers. We performed 315 pairs of observations. The simple percentage inter-observer agreement between driver and passenger smoking was 100% with a Kappa coefficient=1.0. There was high inter-observer agreement in measurement of cell phone use and the number of passengers aged less than 14 years old. The variable with the lowest agreement was the driver's age. In conclusion, direct observation studies are a good resource for monitoring smoking and use of seat belts and cell phones in the drivers of motor vehicles.

Alkalophilic Cellulosimicrobium cellulans CKMX1 isolated from mushroom compost is an actinomycete that produces industrially important and environmentally safer thermostable cellulase-free xylanase, which is used in the pulp and paper industry as an alternative to the use of toxic chlorinated compounds. Strain CKMX1 was previously characterized by metabolic fingerprinting, whole-cell fatty acids methyl ester analysis, and 16S rDNA and was found to be C. cellulans CKMX1. Crude enzyme (1027.65 U/g DBP) produced by C. cellulans CKMX1, having pH and temperature optima of 8.0 and 60 °C, respectively, in solid state fermentation of apple pomace, was used in the production of bleached wheat straw pulp. Pretreatment with xylanase at a dose of 5 U/g after pulping decreased pulp kappa points by 1.4 as compared with the control. Prebleaching with a xylanase dose of 5 U/g pulp reduced the chlorine charge by 12.5%, increased the final brightness points by approximately 1.42% ISO, and improved the pulp strength properties. Xylanase could be substituted for alkali extraction in C–Ep–D sequence and used for treating chemically bleached pulp, resulting in bleached pulp with higher strength properties. Modification of bleached pulp with 5 U of enzyme/g increased pulp whiteness and breaking length by 1.03% and 60 m, respectively; decreased tear factor of pulp by 7.29%; increased bulk weight by 3.99%, as compared with the original pulp. Reducing sugars and UV-absorbing lignin-derived compound values were considerably higher in xylanase-treated samples. Cellulosimicrobium cellulans CKMX1 has a potential application in the pulp and paper industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the thematic accuracy of the maximum likelihood classifier in a high spatial resolution imaging satellite GeoEye-1. The study area refers to the sub-basin of the stream Horizonte, Alegre, ES and the classes were analyzed agriculture area, urban area, forest fragmentation, hydrography, pasture and bare soil. The quality of the thematic map was assessed using the kappa statistic, overall accuracy, producer's accuracies and user, with reference to the mapping of classes in the scale of 1:2,000 mapping. The results show that automatic classification given by the classifier gives good results for kappa (58.34%) and overall accuracy (71.41%). Among the classes evaluated, the fragment forest and pasture were those with the best accuracies and precisions. The recognition of other classes as agriculture area, urban area, hydrography and exposed soil, depending on the complexity of the landscape and its small dimensions in the study area, depends on the use of image interpretation techniques for further details. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Com o objetivo de medir a confiabilidade da gota espessa em uma área de infecção pelo Plasmodium foi realizado um estudo no qual foram avaliadas 322 gotas espessas, lidas em condições normais de campo, por microscopista treinado. Posteriormente, as mesmas lâminas foram examinadas por outro microscopista que fez a leitura em condições ideais. A concordância foi medida usando o índice Kappa. Nos pacientes com sintomas de malária foi encontrada uma concordância de 0,91 (IC 95% 0,57-0,98 pIn order to assess the reliability of the thick smear in a Plasmodium infection area, 322 thick smears were examined by a trained microscopist in field conditions. Later, the same smears were examined by an experience microscopist in ideal laboratory conditions. Reliability was measured by the Kappa index. In symptomatic malaria patients the Kappa index was 0.91 (IC 95% 0.57-0.98 p

O objetivo deste trabalho foi comparar dois métodos de levantamentos de solos. O primeiro foi realizado por meio de metodologias tradicionalmente utilizadas na distinção das unidades de paisagem e discriminação das classes de solos, como fotointerpretação e relação solo-paisagem. O segundo foi baseado na distinção das classes de solos por meio da sua resposta espectral, obtida em nível orbital. Para o estabelecimento dos atributos dos solos e sua classificação, as amostras de solo foram coletadas em duas profundidades, num grid com pontos distanciados de 500 m. Com essas amostras foram realizadas análises físicas e químicas dos solos. Nos locais de amostragem foi determinada, a partir da imagem orbital, a reflectância aparente do solo e, por meio de análise de agrupamentos, foram estabelecidas as unidades de paisagem. A fidedignidade de semelhança entre as unidades de paisagem obtidas pelos dois métodos foi avaliada pelo índice Kappa, cujo valor foi de 0,43, indicando que ambos os métodos produziram resultados semelhantes na discriminação de classes de solo.

The objective of this study was compare two soil survey methods. The first was performed by methods traditionally used to distinguish landscape units and soil class discrimination. The second was based on soil class distinction through orbital spectral response. In order to establish soil characteristics and their classification, soil samples were collected at two depths in a grid system, with a distance of 500 meters between points. With these samples, physical and chemical analyses were carried out. In the sampling points, the apparent reflectance of the soil, from the orbital image, was determined and, through cluster analysis landscape units were established. In order to evaluate the resemblance reliability between the landscape units established in each method, the Kappa index was used, the value set for the confusion matrix was 0.43, indicating high quality in the comparison, showing that the non-conventional method was as close as the one carried out by photointerpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Este artículo valora las diferencias en la medición entre laboratorios de siete biomarcadores de un estudio poblacional de adultos mayores en Costa Rica, denominado CRELES. Usa los datos de ensayos replicados en varios laboratorios para la misma muestra biológica. Encuentra una alta estabilidad (medida por el coeficiente de correlación) para casi todas las pruebas, sin embargo se observan diferencias significativas en los promedios entre laboratorios, es decir existen sesgos en la medición de los biomarcadores. Los sesgos son especialmente grandes para creatinina y hemoglobina glicosilada. Las diferencias observadas entre los distintos laboratorios refuerzan el concepto de la variabilidad dependiente tanto del analito como del paciente y del método de análisis. Dadas las diferencias encontradas se definieron ecuaciones para ajustar los datos emitidos por dos laboratorios con el fin de que sean comparables con un tercer laboratorio usado como referencia. Las dicotomías en riesgo o no derivadas de los resultados de laboratorio luego del ajuste, no presentan diferencias entre laboratorios.