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Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) provides highly detailed 3D information of forest environments but is limited to small spatial scales, as data collection is time consuming compared to other remote sensing techniques. Furthermore, TLS data collection is heavily dependent on wind conditions, as the movement of trees negatively impacts the acquired data. Hardware advancements resulting in faster data acquisition times have the potential to be valuable in upscaling efforts but might impact overall data quality. In this study, we investigated the impact of the pulse repetition rate (PRR), or pulse frequency, which is the number of laser pulses emitted per second by the scanner. Increasing the PRR reduces the scan time required for a single scan but decreases the power (amplitude) of the emitted laser pulses commensurately. This trade-off could potentially impact the quality of the acquired data. We used a RIEGL VZ400i laser scanner to test the impact of different PRR settings on the point cloud quality and derived tree structural metrics from individual tree point clouds (diameter, tree height, crown projected area) as well as quantitative structure models (total branch length, tree volume). We investigated this impact across five field plots of different forest complexity and canopy density for three different PRR settings (300, 600 and 1200 kHz). The scan time for a single scan was 180, 90 and 45 s for 300, 600 and 1200 kHz, respectively. Differences among the raw acquired scans from different PRR replicates were largely removed by several necessary data processing steps, notably the removal of uncertain points with a low reflectance attribute. We found strong agreement between the individual tree structural metrics derived from each of the PRR replicates, independent of the forest complexity. This was the case for both point cloud-based metrics and those derived from quantitative structural models (QSMs). The results demonstrate that the PRR in high-end TLS instruments can be increased for data collection with negligible impact on a selection of derived structural metrics that are commonly used in the context of aboveground biomass estimation.

Abstract Forest edges can be important strongholds for biodiversity and play a crucial role in the protection of forest interiors against edge effects. However, their potential to host biodiversity is dependent on the structure of the forest: Abrupt edges often fail to realise this potential. Yet, methods to accurately characterise and quantify forest edge abruptness are currently lacking. Here, we combine three‐dimensional forest structural data with biodiversity monitoring to assess the influence of forest edge structure on habitat suitability. We derived several structural metrics to determine forest edge abruptness using terrestrial laser scanning and applied these to six forest edge transects in Belgium. The local soundscapes were captured using audio recording devices (Audiomoths) and quantified using acoustic indices (AIs) (metrics on the soundscape characteristics). In each transect, the dawn choruses were recorded over a period of a week, both at the edge and the interior of the forest. No correlation between the AIs and bird species richness was found. There were clear differences between transects in the structural metrics and the recorded soundscapes. Some possible relations between both were found. In this proof of concept, we demonstrated innovative techniques to semi‐automatically classify forest structure and rapidly quantify soundscape characteristics and found a weak effect of forest edge structure on bird biophony.

Aim: To investigate the use of the European SCORE model in a dental setting by exploring the frequency of a ‘high’ and ‘very high’ 10-year CVD mortality risk in patients with and without periodontitis. The secondary aim was to investigate the association of SCORE with various periodontitis parameters adjusting for remaining potential confounders.Material and methods: In this study, we recruited periodontitis patients and non-periodontitis controls, all aged ≥40 years. We determined the 10-year CVD mortality risk per individual with the European Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) model by using certain patient characteristics and biochemical analyses from blood by finger stick sampling.Results: In total, 105 periodontitis patients (61 localized, 44 generalized stage III/IV) and 88 non-periodontitis controls were included (mean age: 54.4 years). The frequency of a ‘high’ and ‘very high’ 10-year CVD mortality risk was 43.8% in all periodontitis patients and 30.7% in controls (p = .061). In total, 29.5% generalized periodontitis patients had a ‘very high’ 10-year CVD mortality risk, compared to 16.4% in localized periodontitis patients and 9.1% in controls (p = .003). After adjustment for potential confounders, the total periodontitis group (OR 3.31; 95% CI 1.35–8.13), generalized periodontitis group (OR 5.32; 95% CI 1.90–14.90), lower number of teeth (OR .83; 95% CI .73–1.00) and higher number of teeth with radiographic bone loss ≥33% (OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.00–1.12) were associated with a “very high” SCORE category. In addition, various biochemical risk markers for CVD were more frequently elevated in periodontitis compared to controls (e.g., total cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein).Conclusion: The periodontitis group as well as the control group had a sizable frequency of a ‘high’ and ‘very high’ 10-year CVD mortality risk. The presence and extent of periodontitis, lower number of teeth and higher number of teeth with bone loss ≥33% are significant risk indicators for a ‘very high’ 10-year CVD mortality risk. Therefore, SCORE in a dental setting can be a very useful tool to employ for primary and secondary prevention of CVD, especially among the dental attenders who have periodontitis.

The molecular mechanisms guiding oriented cell divisions in the root vascular tissues of Arabidopsis thaliana are still poorly characterised. By overlapping bulk and single-cell transcriptomic datasets, we unveiled TETRASPANIN1 (TET1) as a putative regulator in this process. TET1 is expressed in root vascular cells, and loss-of-function mutants contain fewer vascular cell files. We further generated and characterised a CRISPR deletion mutant and showed, unlike previously described mutants, that the full knock out is additionally missing endodermal cells in a stochastic way. Finally, we show that HA-tagged versions of TET1 are functional in contrast to fluorescent TET1 translational fusions. Immunostaining using HA-TET1 lines complementing the mutant phenotype suggested a dual plasma membrane and intracellular localisation in the root vasculature and a polar membrane localisation in the young cortex, endodermal and initial cells. Taken together, we show that TET1 is involved in both vascular proliferation and ground tissue patterning. Our initial results pave the way for future work to decipher its precise mode of action., (© 2024 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.)