Knowledge of the state of fragmentation and transformation of a forested landscape is crucial for proper planning and biodiversity conservation. Chile is one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots; within it is the Nahuelbuta mountain range, which is considered an area of high biodiversity value and intense anthropic pressure. Despite this, there is no precise information on the degree of transformation of its landscape and its conservation status. The objective of this work was to evaluate the state of the landscape and the spatio-temporal changes of the native forests in this mountain range. Using Landsat images from 1986 and 2011, thematic maps of land use were generated. A 33% loss of native forest in 25 years was observed, mainly associated to the substitution by forest plantations. Changes in the spatial patterns of land cover and land use reveal a profound transformation of the landscape and advanced fragmentation of forests. We discuss how these patterns of change threaten the persistence of several endemic species at high risk of extinction. If these anthropogenic processes continue, these species could face an increased risk of extinction.

Objective: To investigate the value of differential diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cirrhotic nodules via radiomics models based on magnetic resonance images. Background: This study is to distinguish hepatocellular carcinoma and cirrhotic nodules using MR-radiomics features extracted from four different phases of MRI images, concluded T1WI, T2WI, T2 SPIR and delay phase of contrast MRI. Methods: In this study, the four kind of magnetic resonance images of 23 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were collected. Among them, 12 patients with liver cirrhosis were used to obtain cirrhotic nodules (CN). The dataset was used to extract MR-radiomics features from regions of interest (ROI). The statistical methods of MRradiomics features could distinguish HCC and CN. And the ability of radiomics features between HCC and CN was estimated by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). Results: A total of 424 radiomics features were extracted from four kind of magnetic resonance images. 86 features in delay phase of contrast MRI，86 features in spir phase of T2WI，86 features in T1WI and 88 features in T2WI showed statistical difference (p < 0.05). Among them, the area under the curves (AUC) of these features larger than 0.85 were 58 features in delay phase of contrast MRI, 54 features in spir phase of T2WI, 62 features in T1WI and 57 features in T2WI. Conclusions: Radiomics features extracted from MRI images have the potential to distinguish HCC and CN.

Lead sulfide (PbS) is an important IV-VI semiconductor material with narrow bandwidth and wide wave width, which attracts people's attention. Nano-level PbS has many novel optoelectronic properties and has a wide range of applications in the field of optoelectronics, such as infrared optoelectronic devices, photovoltaic devices, light-emitting devices and display devices. In this paper, Pbs is produced by solvent thermal method by using lead acetate as lead source, sulfur power as sulfur source, ethylene glycol as solvent, and acetic acid to provide acidic environment. The reaction acidity, type of lead source, amount of sulfur source and other aspects will be explored. The products obtained under different conditions were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results showed that PbS produced at 140°C for 24 hours, using 14mL ethylene glycol and 1.2mL acetic acid has the best morphology. It has a non-planar six-arm symmetrical structure. Finally, we prepare the lead sulfide composite Ni/PbS, and characterized it.

Modelling and simulation have now become standard methods that serve to cut the economic costs of R&D for novel advanced systems. This paper introduces the study of modelling and simulation of the infrared thermography process to detect defects in the hydroelectric penstock. A 3-D penstock model was built in ANSYS version 19.2.0. Flat bottom holes of different sizes and depths were created on the inner surface of the model as an optimal scenario to represent the subsurface defect in the penstock. The FEM was applied to mimic the heat transfer in the proposed model. The model’s outer surface was excited at multiple excitation frequencies by a sinusoidal heat flux, and the thermal response of the model was presented in the form of thermal images to show the temperature contrast due to the presence of defects. The harmonic approximation method was applied to calculate the phase angle, and its relationship with respect to defect depth and defect size was also studied. The results confirmed that the FEM model has led to a better understanding of lock-in infrared thermography and can be used to detect subsurface defects in the hydroelectric penstock.

Objective: To evaluate the ponticulus posticus according to the skeletal relationship found in strict lateral radiographs at the Centro Dental Docente of the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia during the period 2015–2017, using the classification according to the degree of mineralization described by Selby and Steiner’s skeletal relationship classification. Material and methods: It was performed on digital strict lateral radiographs using a 20-inch screen using the SIDEXIS XG program, observing the degree of mineralization of the ponticulus posticus: without evidence of the bony spicule over the vertebral artery = absent bridge, when spicule formation and/or calcification was noted or evident in the middle of the bridge or incompletely = partial bridge, when the bony arch was evident finished visualizing = complete bridge and the classification of the skeletal relationship by measuring the ANB angle: Class I = 0–4°; Class II = >4° and Class III = <0°: the statistical analysis was done with the SPSS V program.22.0 for Windows using the Chi-square tests. Results: Of the 925 digital strict lateral radiographs evaluated, 283 radiographs were found to present ponticulus posticus and the highest frequency was found in the absent type (69.4%), the partial type (17.1%) and the complete type (13.5%). The ponticulus posticus was present in 25.1% of the female and 38.4% of the male. The skeletal relationship associated with ponticulus posticus was present in Class II (19.1%), Class I (10.4%) and Class III (1.1%). Conclusions: The ponticulus posticus is an anatomical variant present in 30.6% of cases. No statistically significant difference was found between the presence of ponticulus posticus and skeletal relationship or sex.

The design of effective flood risk mitigation strategies and their subsequent implementation is crucial for sustainable development in mountain areas. The assessment of the dynamic evolution of flood risk is the pillar of any subsequent planning process that is targeted at a reduction of the expected adverse consequences of the hazard impact. This study focuses on riverbed cities, aiming to analyze flood occurrences and their influencing factors. Through an extensive literature review, five key criteria commonly associated with flood events were identified: slope height, distance from rivers, topographic index, and runoff height. Utilizing the network analysis process within Super Decision software, these factors were weighted, and a final flood risk map was generated using the simple weighted sum method. 75% of the data was used for training, and 25% of it was used for testing. Additionally, vegetation changes were assessed using Landsat imagery from 2000 and 2022 and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The focus of this research is Qirokarzin city as a case study of riverbed cities, situated in Fars province, with Qir city serving as its central hub. Key rivers in Qirokarzin city include the Qara Aghaj River, traversing the plain from north to south; the primary Mubarak Abad River, originating from the east; and the Dutulghaz River, which enters the eastern part of the plain from the southwest of Qir, contributing to plain nourishment during flood events. The innovation of this paper is that along with the objective to produce a reliable delineation of hazard zones, a functional distinction between the loading and the response system (LS and RS, respectively) is made. Results indicate the topographic index as the most influential criterion, delineating Qirokarzin city into five flood risk zones: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. Notably, a substantial portion of Qirokarzin city (1849.8 square kilometers, 8.54% of the area) falls within high- to very-high flood risk zones. Weighting analysis reveals that the topographic humidity index and runoff height are the most influential criteria, with weights of 0.27 and 0.229, respectively. Conversely, the height criterion carries the least weight at 0.122. Notably, 46.7% of the study area exhibits high flood intensity, potentially attributed to variations in elevation and runoff height. Flood potential findings show that the middle class covers 32.3%, indicating moderate flood risk due to changes in elevation and runoff height. The low-level risk is observed sporadically from the east to the west of the study area, comprising 12.4%. Analysis of vegetation changes revealed a significant decline in forest and pasture cover despite agricultural and horticultural development, exacerbating flood susceptibility.