0000000000195291
AUTHOR
Roberto Colombo
Characterization of Gut Microbiota Composition in Type 2 Diabetes Patients: A Population-Based Study.
(1) Background: A clinical laboratory index to assess gut dysbiosis is the F/B ratio < 0.8. In fact, an elevated proportion of Firmicutes and a reduced population of Bacteroides in diabetes type 2 (T2D) subjects has been observed. This study aimed to detail the dysbiosis status in the Italian population, focusing on some pathogenic spectra (T2D) or metabolic disorders. (2) Material and methods: A quantity of 334 fecal samples was analyzed in order to perform genetic testing and sequencing. (3) Results: A trend in over imbalance was observed in the percentage of Proteobacteria (median value: 6.75%; interquartile range (IQR): 3.57–17.29%). A statistically significant association (&ch…
Performance of Spectral Fitting Methods for vegetation fluorescence quantification
The Fraunhofer Line Discriminator (FLD) principle has long been considered as the reference method to quantify solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (F) from passive remote sensing measurements. Recently, alternative retrieval algorithms based on the spectral fitting of hyperspectral radiance observations, Spectral Fitting Methods (SFMs), have been proposed. The aim of this manuscript is to investigate the performance of such algorithms and to provide relevant information regarding their use. FLD and SFMs were used to estimate F starting from Top Of Canopy (TOC) fluxes at very high spectral resolution (0.12 nm) and sampling interval (0.1 nm), exploiting the O2-B (687.0 nm) and O2-A (760.6 …
Remote sensing of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence: Review of methods and applications
Interest in remote sensing (RS) of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (F) by terrestrial vegetation is motivated by the link of F to photosynthetic efficiency which could be exploited for large scale monitoring of plant status and functioning. Today, passive RS of F is feasible with different prototypes and commercial ground-based, airborne, and even spaceborne instruments under certain conditions. This interest is generating an increasing number of research projects linking F and RS, such as the development of new F remote retrieval techniques, the understanding of the link between the F signal and vegetation physiology and the feasibility of a satellite mission specifically designed f…
Hybrid retrieval of crop traits from multi-temporal PRISMA hyperspectral imagery
The recently launched and upcoming hyperspectral satellite missions, featuring contiguous visible-to-shortwave infrared spectral information, are opening unprecedented opportunities for the retrieval of a broad set of vegetation traits with enhanced accuracy through novel retrieval schemes. In this framework, we exploited hyperspectral data cubes collected by the new-generation PRecursore IperSpettrale della Missione Applicativa (PRISMA) satellite of the Italian Space Agency to develop and test a hybrid retrieval workflow for crop trait mapping. Crop traits were mapped over an agricultural area in north-east Italy (Jolanda di Savoia, FE) using PRISMA images collected during the 2020 and 202…
Quantitative global mapping of terrestrial vegetation photosynthesis
Although traditional remote sensing systems based on spectral reflectance can already provide estimates of the 'potential' photosynthetic activity of terrestrial vegetation through the quantification of total canopy chlorophyll content or absorbed photosynthetic radiation, the determination of the 'actual' photosynthetic activity of terrestrial vegetation requires information about how the absorbed light is used by plants, such as vegetation fluorescence, using very high spectral resolution spectroscopy in the range 650-800 nm. The Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) mission, selected in November 2015 as the 8th Earth Explorer by the European Space Agency (ESA), carries the FLORIS spectrometer, wi…
Fluorescence explorer (FLEX): An optimised payload to map vegetation photosynthesis from space
The FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX) mission proposes to launch a satellite for the global monitoring of steady-state chlorophyll fluorescence in terrestrial vegetation. Fluorescence is a sensitive probe of photosynthetic function in both healthy and physiologically perturbed vegetation, and a powerful non-invasive tool to track the status, resilience, and recovery of photochemical processes and moreover provides important information on overall photosynthetic performance with implications for related carbon sequestration. The early responsiveness of fluorescence to atmospheric, soil and plant water balance, as well as to atmospheric chemistry and human intervention in land usage makes it an ob…
Hearing impairment as an early sign of alpha-mannosidosis in children with a mild phenotype: Report of seven new cases.
Alpha-mannosidosis (AM) is a very rare (prevalence: 1/500000 births) autosomal recessive lysosomal storage disorder. It is characterized by multi-systemic involvement associated with progressive intellectual disability, hearing loss, skeletal anomalies, and coarse facial features. The spectrum is wide, from very severe and lethal to a milder phenotype that usually progresses slowly. AM is caused by a deficiency of lysosomal alpha-mannosidase. A diagnosis can be established by measuring the activity of lysosomal alpha-mannosidase in leucocytes and screening for abnormal urinary excretion of mannose-rich oligosaccharides. Genetic confirmation is obtained with the identification of MAN2B1 muta…
Exploring the spatial relationship between airborne-derived red and far-red sun-induced fluorescence and process-based GPP estimates in a forest ecosystem
International audience; Terrestrial gross primary productivity (GPP) plays an essential role in the global carbon cycle, but the quantification of the spatial and temporal variations in photosynthesis is still largely uncertain. Our work aimed to investigate the potential of remote sensing to provide new insights into plant photosynthesis at a fine spatial resolution. This goal was achieved by exploiting high-resolution images acquired with the FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX) airborne demonstrator HyPlant. The sensor was flown over a mixed forest, and the images collected were elaborated to obtain two independent indicators of plant photosynthesis. First, maps of sun-induced chlorophyll fluore…
Red and far-red sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence as a measure of plant photosynthesis
Remote estimation of Sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence emitted by terrestrial vegetation can provide an unparalleled opportunity to track spatiotemporal variations of photosynthetic efficiency. Here we provide the first direct experimental evidence that the two peaks of the chlorophyll fluorescence spectrum can be accurately mapped from high-resolution radiance spectra and that the signal is linked to variations in actual photosynthetic efficiency. Red and far red fluorescence measured using a novel airborne imaging spectrometer over a grass carpet treated with an herbicide known to inhibit photosynthesis was significantly higher than the corresponding signal from an equivalent untreated…
Using Optical and Thermal Data for Tracking Snowmelt Processes in Alpine Area
Alpine catchments represent a fundamental reservoir of fresh water at midlatitude. Remote sensing offers the opportunity to estimate snow properties in the optical, thermal and microwave domains. In particular, the possibility to estimate snow density from remote sensing is relevant and still represents a great challenge for the remote sensing scientific community. Since changes of snow density and liquid water content occur continuously in the snowpack, spatial and temporal patterns of optical and thermal data can give information about snowmelt processes. The main goal of this study is to evaluate if snow thermal inertia can be an indicator of snowmelt processes and to evaluate its relati…
Retrieval of sun-induced fluorescence using advanced spectral fitting methods
Abstract The FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX) satellite mission, candidate of ESA's 8th Earth Explorer program, is explicitly optimized for detecting the sun-induced fluorescence emitted by plants. It will allow consistent measurements around the O2-B (687 nm) and O2-A (760 nm) bands, related to the red and far-red fluorescence emission peaks respectively, the photochemical reflectance index, and the structural-chemical state variables of the canopy. The sun-induced fluorescence signal, overlapped to the surface reflected radiance, can be accurately retrieved by employing the powerful spectral fitting technique. In this framework, a set of fluorescence retrieval algorithms optimized for FLEX ar…
CEFLES2: The remote sensing component to quantify photosynthetic efficiency from the leaf to the region by measuring sun-induced fluorescence in the oxygen absorption bands
The CEFLES2 campaign during the Carbo Europe Regional Experiment Strategy was designed to provide simultaneous airborne measurements of solar induced fluorescence and CO<sub>2</sub> fluxes. It was combined with extensive ground-based quantification of leaf- and canopy-level processes in support of ESA's Candidate Earth Explorer Mission of the "Fluorescence Explorer" (FLEX). The aim of this campaign was to test if fluorescence signal detected from an airborne platform can be used to improve estimates of plant mediated exchange on the mesoscale. Canopy fluorescence was quantified from four airborne platforms using a combination of novel sensors: (i) the prototype ai…
Red and Far-Red Fluorescence Emission Retrieval from Airborne High-Resolution Spectra Collected by the Hyplant-Fluo Sensor
The contribution presents the development and testing of a fluorescence retrieval scheme based on the ESA's FLuorescence EXplorer mission concept. The algorithm employs on a coupled surface-atmosphere forward model at oxygen absorption bands: i) the atmospheric effect is computed by MODTRAN5; ii) the surface reflectance and fluorescence are modeled by means of the Spectral Fitting approach. The algorithm, previously tested on numerical simulations, was further implemented and optimized to process real observations collected by the FLEX airborne demonstrator HyPlant. The retrieval scheme has been tested on a number of flight lines collected in several locations, different ecosystems types, a…
Introducing Thermal Inertia for Monitoring Snowmelt Processes With Remote Sensing
Thermal inertia has been successfully used in remote sensing applications that span from geology, geomorphology to hydrology. In this paper, we propose the use of thermal inertia for describing snow dynamics. Two different formulations of thermal inertia were tested using experimental and simulated data related to snowpack dynamics. Experimental data were acquired between 2012 and 2017 from an automatic weather station located in the western Italian Alps at 2,160 m. Simulations were obtained using the one‐dimensional multilayer Crocus model. Results provided evidences that snowmelt phases can be recognized, and average snowpack density can be estimated reasonably well from thermal inertia o…
Remote sensing of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence at different scales
In this contribution we present activities and selected results obtained in recent studies and campaigns conducted in the context of the FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX) mission. FLEX is a candidate mission for the ESA 8th Earth Explorer and large efforts are currently dedicated to the development of an implementation scheme for an accurate mapping of fluorescence from the selected spaceborne sensor and mission configuration. Field and airborne data collected in different experimental campaigns, together with simulated data, have been used to demonstrate the feasibility of fluorescence retrievals and the potential of exploiting high spatial resolution fluorescence maps for a better understandin…
The 2013 FLEX—US Airborne Campaign at the Parker Tract Loblolly Pine Plantation in North Carolina, USA
The first European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA collaboration in an airborne campaign to support ESA’s FLuorescence EXplorer (FLEX) mission was conducted in North Carolina, USA during September–October 2013 (FLEX-US 2013) at the Parker Tract Loblolly Pine (LP) Plantation (Plymouth, NC, USA). This campaign combined two unique airborne instrument packages to obtain simultaneous observations of solar-induced fluorescence (SIF), LiDAR-based canopy structural information, visible through shortwave infrared (VSWIR) reflectance spectra, and surface temperature, to advance vegetation studies of carbon cycle dynamics and ecosystem health. We obtained statistically significant results for fluorescence…
Remote sensing of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) in vegetation: 50 years of progress
Remote sensing of solar-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) is a rapidly advancing front in terrestrial vegetation science, with emerging capability in space-based methodologies and diverse application prospects. Although remote sensing of SIF – especially from space – is seen as a contemporary new specialty for terrestrial plants, it is founded upon a multi-decadal history of research, applications, and sensor developments in active and passive sensing of chlorophyll fluorescence. Current technical capabilities allow SIF to be measured across a range of biological, spatial, and temporal scales. As an optical signal, SIF may be assessed remotely using high-resolution spectral sensors in …
Increased Activity of Coagulation Factor XII (Hageman Factor) Causes Hereditary Angioedema Type III
International audience; Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is characterized clinically by recurrent acute skin swelling, abdominal pain, and potentially life-threatening laryngeal edema. Three forms of HAE have been described. The classic forms, HAE types I and II, occur as a consequence of mutations in the C1-inhibitor gene. In contrast to HAE types I and II, HAE type III has been observed exclusively in women, where it appears to be correlated with conditions of high estrogen levels--for example, pregnancy or the use of oral contraceptives. A recent report proposed two missense mutations (c.1032C-->A and c.1032C-->G) in F12, the gene encoding human coagulation factor XII (FXII, or Hageman factor…
Sun-induced fluorescence - a new probe of photosynthesis: First maps from the imaging spectrometer HyPlant.
Variations in photosynthesis still cause substantial uncertainties in predicting photosynthetic CO2 uptake rates and monitoring plant stress. Changes in actual photosynthesis that are not related to greenness of vegetation are difficult to measure by reflectance based optical remote sensing techniques. Several activities are underway to evaluate the sun-induced fluorescence signal on the ground and on a coarse spatial scale using space-borne imaging spectrometers. Intermediate-scale observations using airborne-based imaging spectroscopy, which are critical to bridge the existing gap between small-scale field studies and global observations, are still insufficient. Here we present the first …
Mapping snow density through thermal inertia observations
Snow, as a fundamental reservoir of freshwater, is a crucial natural resource. Specifically, knowledge of snow density spatial and temporal variability could improve modelling of snow water equivalent, which is relevant for managing freshwater resources in context of ongoing climate change. The possibility of estimating snow density from remote sensing has great potential, considering the availability of satellite data and their ability to generate efficient monitoring systems from space. In this study, we present an innovative method that combines meteorological parameters, satellite data and field snow measurements to estimate thermal inertia of snow and snow density at a catchment scale.…