Variability In Rate Of Change Research Articles

Segmental deformity markers offer novel indicators of deformity progression risk in deformity-matched adolescent idiopathic scoliosis patients.

Identification of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients with mild curvatures who pose significant risk of progressing to severe levels of curvatures is of paramount importance for clinical care. This study aimed to compare segmental deformity changes in AIS sub-cohorts that are dichotomised by progression status. Thirty-six female participants with Lenke 1 AIS curves were investigated with sequential MRIs during growth. Scans were reformatted to measure orthogonal segmental parameters, including sagittal/coronal wedging angles and axial rotation angles. Participants were dichotomised by progression. Two-tailed, independent sample t-tests were used to compare sub-cohort multi-segmental and segmental deformity parameters. Measurements were compared at each scan number and variable rates of change were determined using actual time between measures. AIS progression status sub-cohorts were comparable at scan 1 for multi-segmental deformity parameters (e.g. major thoracic curve angle, rib hump, kyphosis) (P > 0.05). However, apical measures of coronal IVD wedging, axial IVD rotation and axial vertebral rotation were segmental parameters at scan 1 which were larger for participants whose AIS would later go on to clinically progress (all P < 0.05). Measures of segmental hypokyphosis were comparable between groups. As development was tracked at each subsequent scan, coronal and axial plane differences between groups increased in both magnitude and number of differences. Initial disparity and then subsequent increasing magnitude of change of axial rotation may indicate a higher propensity to clinically progress in the future. This knowledge hopes to provide useful management information for AIS care providers and prognostic education for patients alike. II.

An Investigation of Mindfulness Training As a Self-Care Strategy for Trauma Counsellors

ABSTRACT Trauma counselors are vulnerable to negative impacts such as secondary traumatic stress and vicarious traumatization. This study investigated Mindfulness Training as a self-care strategy for counselors in South Africa, examining the effect of MT on negative and positive secondary trauma impacts (STI), and employing a quasi-experimental embedded mixed methods research model to investigate the impact of MT and areas of greatest post-intervention change. The study compared pre- and posttest scores across an MT intervention group and an active control group. A mixed Between-Within Subjects ANOVA was tested for mean differences between the two independent groups, while simultaneously subjecting participants to repeated measures, to establish whether mean changes in the outcome scores on the dependent variables from pretest to posttest differed significantly for individuals over time within the groups. Results indicated that MT was effective in reducing negative STI and in increasing trait mindfulness. Benefits were sustained three months post-intervention. MT was associated with variable rates of change on each outcome measure. The evidence supports the role of MT in reducing negative STIs in trauma counselors.

Assessment of immune cell profiles among post-menopausal women in the Women’s Health Initiative using DNA methylation-based methods

BackgroundOver the past decade, DNA methylation (DNAm)-based deconvolution methods that leverage cell-specific DNAm markers of immune cell types have been developed to provide accurate estimates of the proportions of leukocytes in peripheral blood. Immune cell phenotyping using DNAm markers, termed immunomethylomics or methylation cytometry, offers a solution for determining the body’s immune cell landscape that does not require fresh blood and is scalable to large sample sizes. Despite significant advances in DNAm-based deconvolution, references at the population level are needed for clinical and research interpretation of these additional immune layers. Here we aim to provide some references for immune populations in a group of multi-ethnic post-menopausal American women.ResultsWe applied DNAm-based deconvolution to a large sample of post-menopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative (baseline, N = 58) or the ancillary Long Life Study (WHI-LLS, N = 1237) to determine the reference ranges of 58 immune parameters, including proportions and absolute counts for 19 leukocyte subsets and 20 derived cell ratios. Participants were 50–94 years old at the time of blood draw, and N = 898 (69.3%) self-identified as White. Using linear regression models, we observed significant associations between age at blood draw and absolute counts and proportions of naïve B, memory CD4+, naïve CD4+, naïve CD8+, memory CD8+ memory, neutrophils, and natural killer cells. We also assessed the same immune profiles in a subset of paired longitudinal samples collected 14–18 years apart across N = 52 participants. Our results demonstrate high inter-individual variability in rates of change of leukocyte subsets over this time. And, when conducting paired t tests to test the difference in counts and proportions between the baseline visit and LLS visit, there were significant changes in naïve B, memory CD4+, naïve CD4+, naïve CD8+, memory CD8+ cells and neutrophils, similar to the results seen when analyzing the association with age in the entire cohort.ConclusionsHere, we show that derived cell counts largely reflect the immune profile associated with proportions and that these novel methods replicate the known immune profiles associated with age. Further, we demonstrate the value this methylation cytometry approach can add as a potential application in epidemiological studies.

Prosodic variation of English in Dominica, Grenada, and Trinidad

AbstractVarieties of English in the Caribbean have been claimed to have characteristic pitch patterns. However, there is little empirical research on prosodic aspects of English in the region. This paper provides a comparative phonetic analysis of several pitch parameters (pitch level, range, dynamism, rate of change, variability in rate of change, and tone rate) in English language data from Dominica, Grenada, and Trinidad that comprises read and spontaneous speech from 243 speakers. The results show that a wide pitch range and a high degree of variability in pitch, as mentioned in previous works, are not necessarily characteristic of English in the Caribbean overall, but that there are considerable cross‐territorial prosodic differences, with English in Trinidad showing more variability than in Dominica and Grenada, particularly among female speakers. Socioprosodic variation, largely specific to Trinidad, was also identified.

Analysis of "Accuracy of a Seventh-Generation Continuous Glucose Monitoring System in Children and Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes".

In an article in the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology, Laffell et al examined the accuracy and performance of a seventh-generation "G7" continuous glucose monitor (CGM) system in participants with type 1 diabetes aged 2 to 17 years. The study had notable points which increase the generalizability of the authors' findings to usual clinical practice, such as accuracy assessment across a wide range of glycemia in the arm and abdominal area, at variable rates of change and time periods (beginning and end of sensor wear). However, accuracy measurements in the younger cohort (2-6 years old) were relatively few. Overall and per-sensor accuracy assessments using standard accuracy metrics were consistently high. The authors also highlighted the enhanced features of the G7 system compared to earlier generation systems, which support better usability.

Addressing Change Trajectories and Reciprocal Relationships: A Longitudinal Method for Information Systems Research

This paper makes a focused methodological contribution to the information systems (IS) literature by introducing a bivariate dynamic latent difference score model (BDLDSM) to simultaneously model change trajectories, dynamic relationships, and potential feedback loops between predictor and outcome variables for longitudinal data analysis. It will be most relevant for research that aims to use longitudinal data to explore longitudinal theories related to change. Commonly used longitudinal methods in IS research – linear unobserved effects panel data models, structural equation modeling (SEM), and random coefficient models – largely miss the opportunity to explore rate of change, dynamic relationships, and potential feedback loops between predictor and outcome variables while incorporating change trajectories, which are critical for longitudinal theory development. Latent growth models help address change trajectories, but still prevent researchers from using longitudinal data more thoroughly. For instance, these models cannot be used for examining dynamic relationships or feedback loops. BDLDSM allows IS researchers to analyze change trajectories, understand rate of change in variables, examine dynamic relationships between variables over time, and test for feedback loops between predictor and outcome variables. The use of this methodology has the potential to advance theoretical development by enabling researchers to exploit longitudinal data to test change-related hypotheses and predictions rigorously. We describe the key aspects of various longitudinal techniques, provide an illustration of BDLDSM on a healthcare panel dataset, discuss how BDLDSM addresses the limitations of other methods, and provide a step-by-step guide, including Mplus code, to develop and conduct BDLDSM analyses.

Identity Development during Student Exchange: A Longitudinal Multilevel Analysis of Identity Processes in Emerging Adults

ABSTRACT This study investigated how the changes in cultural context experienced during a university exchange program influenced key identity processes of exploration and commitment in emerging adults. Australian (N = 203) and French (N = 233) participants completed the Dimensions of Identity Development Scale before, during, and directly after their exchange. For both Australian and French participants, longitudinal multilevel models demonstrated that exchange supported increases in identity commitment and exploration in breadth while simultaneously decreasing ruminative exploration, although there was significant individual variability in rates of change. Cultural distance and previous travel experience had little influence on how much identity change occurred. The findings show that exchange experiences promote positive identity development for emerging adults, presenting new possibilities for identity interventions.

Anthropogenic drought dominates groundwater depletion in Iran

Using publicly-available average monthly groundwater level data in 478 sub-basins and 30 basins in Iran, we quantify country-wide groundwater depletion in Iran. Natural and anthropogenic elements affecting the dynamics of groundwater storage are taken into account and quantified during the period of 2002–2015. We estimate that the total groundwater depletion in Iran to be ~ 74 km3 during this period with highly localized and variable rates of change at basin and sub-basin scales. The impact of depletion in Iran’s groundwater reserves is already manifested by extreme overdrafts in ~ 77% of Iran’s land area, a growing soil salinity across the entire country, and increasing frequency and extent of land subsidence in Iran’s planes. While meteorological/hydrological droughts act as triggers and intensify the rate of depletion in country-wide groundwater storage, basin-scale groundwater depletions in Iran are mainly caused by extensive human water withdrawals. We warn that continuation of unsustainable groundwater management in Iran can lead to potentially irreversible impacts on land and environment, threatening country’s water, food, socio-economic security.

Lifestyle Interventions for Persons with Dementia: Singing your Way Toward Wellness

Arts-based interventions represent an inexpensive, non-pharmacological, and non-invasive approach to help mitigate negative symptoms and improve quality of life for persons with dementia (PwD). The present study examined whether a social singing intervention can modulate patterns of cognitive change and whether select biopsychosocial indicators exhibit concomitant within-person time-varying covariation. Participants with dementia (n=32, mean age=79.6 years; 53% female) engaged weekly in the Voices in Motion project, an intergenerational, social-cognitive choral intervention spanning up to 18 months and 9 individual assessments. The Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), gait velocity, and positive and negative affect were assessed using an intensive repeated-measures design, with multilevel models of change employed to disaggregate both between- and within-person effects. Across months of the social intervention, several significant within-person time-varying associations were observed; on occasions when a given individual performed one unit faster on gait velocity (p<.05) or one unit lower on negative affect (p<.01), relative to their personal average, there were corresponding improvements in cognitive function. Notably, in contrast, MMSE change remained relatively stable over the course of the 18-month intervention (-0.105, p=0.12), with little between-subject variability in rates of change. These findings imply that, within-persons, reducing comorbidities associated with dementia (e.g., elevated negative affect and its corresponding impact on cognitive resource competition) through participation in a lifestyle intervention may facilitate increases in cognitive, physiological, and psychological function. Implications are discussed with regard to the merits of invoking virtual lifestyle interventions for socially isolated individuals (e.g., PwD and those in residential care).

Maturation of Auditory Cortex Neural Activity in Children and Implications for Auditory Clinical Markers in Diagnosis.

Functional brain markers that can inform research on brain abnormalities, and especially those ready to facilitate clinical work on such abnormalities, will need to show not only considerable sensitivity and specificity but enough consistency with respect to developmental course that their validity in individual cases can be trusted. A challenge to establishing such markers may be individual differences in developmental course. The present study examined auditory cortex activity in children at an age when developmental changes to the auditory cortex 50 ms (M50) and 100 ms (M100) components are prominent to better understand the use of auditory markers in pediatric clinical research. MEG auditory encoding measures (auditory evoked fields in response to pure tone stimuli) were obtained from 15 typically developing children 6–8 years old, with measures repeated 18 and 36 months after the initial exam. MEG analyses were conducted in source space (i.e., brain location), with M50 and M100 sources identified in left and right primary/secondary auditory cortex (Heschl's gyrus). A left and right M50 response was observed at all times (Time 1, Time 2, Time 3), with M50 latency (collapsing across hemisphere) at Time 3 (77 ms) 10 ms earlier than Time 1 (87 ms; p < 0.001) and with M50 responses on average (collapsing across time) 5 ms earlier in the right (80 ms) than left hemisphere (85 ms; p < 0.05). In the majority of children, however, M50 latency changes were not constant across the three-year period; for example, whereas in some children a ~10 ms latency reduction was observed from Time 1 to Time 2, in other children a ~10 ms latency reduction was observed from Time 2 to Time 3. M100 responses were defined by a significant “peak” of detected power with magnetic field topography opposite M50 and occurring 50–100 ms later than the M50. Although M100s were observed in a few children at Time 1 and Time 2 (and more often in the right than left hemisphere), M100s were not observed in the majority of children except in the right hemisphere at Time 3. In sum, longitudinal findings showed large between- and within-subject variability in rate of change as well as time to reach neural developmental milestones (e.g., presence of a detectable M100 response). Findings also demonstrated the need to examine whole-brain activity, given hemisphere differences in the rate of auditory cortex maturation. Pediatric research will need to take such normal variability into account when seeking clinical auditory markers.

Abstract 453: Phenotyping by ECG Dynamics During Sleep Predicts Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors in a Multicenter Study of Asymptomatic Middle-aged Community Adults

Introduction: ECG-based predictive analytics have typically focused on static assessment of beat-to-beat heart rate variability (HRV) during wakefulness. However, there is increasing evidence that quantification of time-related changes as well as non-beat-to-beat complexity indices, such as entropy, can provide important untapped insight. Methods: Analysis of HRV, QT variability (QTV), QT entropy (QTen), QT entropy rate (QTa) and RR entropy (RRen) in 5-min bins were performed on home polysomnographs of 6,300 asymptomatic community adults (Sleep Heart Health Study). Rate of change of ECG variables was quantified by linear regression in one- to four-hour epochs. Stepwise regression was used to identify age-, sex-, race-, comorbidity-, and sleep state-associated influences on ECG values. Results: Predictive multivariate models were generated for congestive heart failure, diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, and history of myocardial infarction, each with sleep state-specific and ECG variable rate of change being of the highest predictive value in ECG-based models (Table 1). Conclusion: Although aggregate beat-to-beat HRV is associated with cardiovascular risk factors, unique time-varying and sleep stage-specific findings provide additional predictive power. By way of demonstrating that distinct classes of dynamic ECG features were predictive of each risk factor studied, our study suggests a potential role for patient-specific ECG phenotyping using a comprehensive analytical platform. Dynamic ECG assessment during sleep with attention to entropy-derived measures, in particular, may enhance precise risk stratification in otherwise low-risk individuals.

A window‐less approach for capturing time‐varying connectivity in fMRI data reveals the presence of states with variable rates of change

Functional connectivity during the resting state has been shown to change over time (i.e., has a dynamic connectivity). However, resting-state fluctuations, in contrast to task-based experiments, are not initiated by an external stimulus. Consequently, a more complicated method needs to be designed to measure the dynamic connectivity. Previous approaches have been based on assumptions regarding the nature of the underlying dynamic connectivity to compensate for this knowledge gap. The most common assumption is what we refer to as locality assumption. Under a locality assumption, a single connectivity state can be estimated from data that are close in time. This assumption is so natural that it has been either explicitly or implicitly embedded in many current approaches to capture dynamic connectivity. However, an important drawback of methods using this assumption is they are unable to capture dynamic changes in connectivity beyond the embedded rate while, there has been no evidence that the rate of change in brain connectivity matches the rates enforced by this assumption. In this study, we propose an approach that enables us to capture functional connectivity with arbitrary rates of change, varying from very slow to the theoretically maximum possible rate of change, which is only imposed by the sampling rate of the imaging device. This method allows us to observe unique patterns of connectivity that were not observable with previous approaches. As we explain further, these patterns are also significantly correlated to the age and gender of study subjects, which suggests they are also neurobiologically related.

A mixed methods study to evaluate the feasibility of using the Adolescent Diabetes Needs Assessment Tool App in paediatric diabetes care in preparation for a longitudinal cohort study

BackgroundAn evaluation study was carried out to determine the feasibility of integrating the Adolescent Diabetes Needs Assessment Tool (ADNAT) App into UK paediatric diabetes care, to ascertain best practice standards and to determine methodological recommendations for a future cohort study.MethodsA non-randomised, cohort, mixed methods study design was used to ensure equality of access to ADNAT for all participants at three sites in the North West of England. Following UK Medical Research Council guidance, the RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness (potential and perceived), adoption, implementation, maintenance) framework was used to guide study objectives and feasibility outcomes. Patients who completed ADNAT (completers) were compared with those who failed to complete (non-completers). Patients’ glycaemic control (HbA1c) was accessed from their clinical data at baseline and at 6 months, alongside their ADNAT scores which were correlated with changes in HbA1c levels. The diabetes teams (respondents) completed a web-based survey and attended focus group interviews.ResultsEighty-nine patients were recruited. Withdrawal rates were low at 4.5% (n = 4). Forty-four patients (49.4%) completed ADNAT, leaving 45 (50.6%) non-completers. There were large baseline differences in HbA1c and variable rates of change at 6 months. After adjusting for baseline HbA1C and site in an analysis of covariance, completers had a lower post-ADNAT mean HbA1C level than non-completers at 6 months (-5.42 mmol/mol, 95% CI −11.48, 0.64). Patients’ glycaemic control (HbA1c) at 6 months correlated reasonably well with their ADNAT scores (Spearman’s rho = 0.46). Survey and focus group data showed that ADNAT was judged to be an effective clinical tool by the diabetes teams. Value to patients was perceived by the teams to be linked to parental support, age and previous diabetes education. The combined data triangulated. It served to capture different dimensions which were used to define changes to achieve practice standards and methodological recommendations.ConclusionsThe combined data showed that ADNAT has the potential to be a clinically viable tool. It has demonstrated the need for a randomised design that is tailored for a ‘hard to reach’ adolescent population. A cluster randomised controlled trial that involves sequential but random rollout of ADNAT over multiple time periods may be the most appropriate and is currently being considered for the larger study.Trial registrationNIHR Children’s Clinical Research Network, UKCRN ID 6633

Fine-scale spatial variation in ice cover and surface temperature trends across the surface of the Laurentian Great Lakes

The effects of climate change on north temperate freshwater ecosystems include increasing water temperatures and decreasing ice cover. Here we compare those trends in the Laurentian Great Lakes at three spatial scales to evaluate how warming varies across the surface of these massive inland water bodies. We compiled seasonal ice cover duration (1973–2013) and lake summer surface water temperatures (LSSWT; 1994–2013), and analyzed spatial patterns and trends at lake-wide, lake sub-basin, and fine spatial scales and compared those to reported lake- and basin-wide trends. At the lake-wide scale we found declining ice duration and warming LSSWT patterns consistent with previous studies. At the lake sub-basin scale, our statistical models identified distinct warming trends within each lake that included significant breakpoints in ice duration for 13 sub-basins, consistent linear declines in 11 sub-basins, and no trends in 4 sub-basins. At the finest scale, we found that the northern- and eastern-most portions of each Great Lake, especially in nearshore areas, have experienced faster rates of LSSWT warming and shortening ice duration than those previously reported from trends at the lake scale. We conclude that lake-level analyses mask significant spatial and temporal variation in warming patterns within the Laurentian Great Lakes. Recognizing spatial variability in rates of change can inform both mechanistic modeling of ecosystem responses and planning for long-term management of these large freshwater ecosystems.

Glacier shrinkage across High Mountain Asia

AbstractAn assessment of glacier shrinkage (reduction of area) for all of High Mountain Asia requires a complete compilation of measured rates of change and also a methodology for objective comparison of rates. I present a compilation from 155 publications reporting glacier area changes, and also a methodology that overcomes the main obstacles hindering comparison. Glacier areas are not always assigned uncertainties, and this problem is addressed with an error model derived from published estimates. The problem of discordant survey dates is addressed by interpolating measured areas to fixed dates at pentadal intervals. Interpolation error depends only incoherently on the time span between measurements, but strongly on glacier size: smaller glaciers, in addition to changing more rapidly on average, exhibit more variable rates of change. The overlapping boundaries of study regions are reconciled by mapping all of the information to a 0.5° geographical grid. When coupled with glacier area information from the Randolph Glacier Inventory, the widely observed inverse dependence of shrinkage rates on glacier size shows promise as a tool for treating incomplete spatial coverage. Over High Mountain Asia as a whole from 1960 to 2010, the unweighted average shrinkage rate is –0.57% a–1, but corrections for variable glacier size raise the average to –0.34% a–1, and filling unmeasured gridcells with rates based on size dependence alters the latter estimate to –0.40% a–1. The uncertainties in these rates are large. The Karakoram anomaly is found to be a zonal feature extending well to the east of the Karakoram proper.

New approaches to examining and interpreting patterns of dental morphological variability in Miocene cricetids

Morphometrical studies were carried out on the dental material of Democricetodon from the Calatayud-Montalbán Basin. Principal component analyses were incorporated into the analyses to reduce the number of metrical and morphological variables. Morphological variability was studied as the morphological distribution of character states, based on multivariate statistics, and plotted against time. The results of these analyses indicate that increased dental size is significantly correlated to the dental morphological value in the two Democricetodon lineages studied. We found that the rates of change in variables are not linear and that periods of higher rates can be correlated with global climatic changes. In addition, morphological variability is significantly correlated with relative abundances of the studied taxa. High morphological variability, as a proxy of niche breadth, may result from increased intraspecific interferences or from the relaxation of interspecific interactions caused by a decrease in primary productivity.

Planned missing designs to optimize the efficiency of latent growth parameter estimates

We examine the performance of planned missing (PM) designs for correlated latent growth curve models. Using simulated data from a model where latent growth curves are fitted to two constructs over five time points, we apply three kinds of planned missingness. The first is item-level planned missingness using a three-form design at each wave such that 25% of data are missing. The second is wave-level planned missingness such that each participant is missing up to two waves of data. The third combines both forms of missingness. We find that three-form missingness results in high convergence rates, little parameter estimate or standard error bias, and high efficiency relative to the complete data design for almost all parameter types. In contrast, wave missingness and the combined design result in dramatically lowered efficiency for parameters measuring individual variability in rates of change (e.g., latent slope variances and covariances), and bias in both estimates and standard errors for these same parameters. We conclude that wave missingness should not be used except with large effect sizes and very large samples.

Shared and unique genetic and environmental influences on aging-related changes in multiple cognitive abilities.

Aging-related declines occur in many different domains of cognitive function during middle and late adulthood. However, whether a global dimension underlies individual differences in changes in different domains of cognition and whether global genetic influences on cognitive changes exist is less clear. We addressed these issues by applying multivariate growth curve models to longitudinal data from 857 individuals from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of Aging, who had been measured on 11 cognitive variables representative of verbal, spatial, memory, and processing speed abilities up to 5 times over up to 16 years between ages 50 and 96 years. Between ages 50 and 65 years scores on different tests changed relatively independently of one another, and there was little evidence for strong underlying dimensions of change. In contrast, over the period between 65 and 96 years of age, there were strong interrelations among rates of change both within and across domains. During this age period, variability in rates of change were, on average, 52% domain-general, 8% domain-specific, and 39% test-specific. Quantitative genetic decomposition indicated that 29% of individual differences in a global domain-general dimension of cognitive changes during this age period were attributable to genetic influences, but some domain-specific genetic influences were also evident, even after accounting for domain-general contributions. These findings are consistent with a balanced global and domain-specific account of the genetics of cognitive aging.

Seasonal and spatial heterogeneity of recent sea surface temperature trends in the Caribbean Sea and southeast Gulf of Mexico

Recent changes in ocean temperature have impacted marine ecosystem function globally. Nevertheless, the responses have depended upon the rate of change of temperature and the season when the changes occur, which are spatially variable. A rigorous statistical analysis of sea surface temperature observations over 25years was used to examine spatial variability in overall and seasonal temperature trends within the wider Caribbean. The basin has experienced high spatial variability in rates of change of temperature. Most of the warming has been due to increases in summer rather than winter temperatures. However, warming was faster in winter in the Loop Current area and the south-eastern Caribbean, where the annual temperature ranges have contracted. Waters off Florida, Cuba and the Bahamas had a tendency towards cooling in winter, increasing the amplitude of annual temperature ranges. These detailed patterns can be used to elucidate ecological responses to climatic change in the region.

Characterizing 25 years of change in the area, distribution, and carbon stock of Mediterranean pines in Central Spain

Mediterranean pines are subject to continuous change under the influence of natural and human factors. Remotely sensed data provide a means to characterize these changes over large areas. In this study we used a time series of Landsat imagery to capture 25 years (1984–2009) of change in the pine-dominated forests of the Central Range in Spain. Object-based image analysis methods were used to identify landscape-level changes in the area and the distribution of forests. We also propose that in the absence of disturbance, biomass accrual is occurring (or depletion in cases where removal is evident) and may be related to changes to the carbon stock; we describe the detected spectral changes in terms of biomass changes as the carbon stocking process. The primary inputs for the identification of changes in the area and distribution of pine stands were Landsat bands 3, 4 and 5 and the Tasseled Cap Angle (TCA) – a metric derived from the greenness and brightness components of the Tasseled Cap Transformation (TCT). In the identification of carbon stocking processes the temporal derivative of the TCA, the Process Indicator (PI), was used to inform on the rate and directionality of the change present. Our results show that the total area of pine forest has increased by 40%, from 1211 km2 to 1698 km2, during this period, with a variable rate of change. The distribution of pine-dominated forest has changed as well: there is an area of 765 km2 permanently covered with pines and 945 km2 found to be temporarily occupied. Following the logic of carbon stocking processes, our findings show that at the end of the analysis period, 20% of the potential pine area is increasing its carbon stock and 40% of this area is experiencing a decrease.