Estimation of the Distribution of Tabebuia guayacan (Bignoniaceae) Using High-Resolution Remote Sensing Imagery

Species identification and characterization in tropical environments is an emerging field in tropical remote sensing. Significant efforts are currently aimed at the detection of tree species, of levels of forest successional stages, and the extent of liana occurrence at the top of canopies. In this paper we describe our use of high resolution imagery from the Quickbird Satellite to estimate the flowering population of Tabebuia guayacan trees at Barro Colorado Island (BCI), in Panama. The imagery was acquired on 29 April 2002 and 21 March 2004. Spectral Angle Mapping via a One-Class Support Vector machine was used to detect the presence of 422 and 557 flowering tress in the April 2002 and March 2004 imagery. Of these, 273 flowering trees are common to both dates. This study presents a new perspective on the effectiveness of high resolution remote sensing for monitoring a phenological response and its use as a tool for potential conservation and management of natural resources in tropical environments

Genome-wide dose-dependent inhibition of histone deacetylases studies reveal their roles in enhancer remodeling and suppression of oncogenic super-enhancers.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACIs) are known to alter gene expression by both up- and down-regulation of protein-coding genes in normal and cancer cells. However, the exact regulatory mechanisms of action remain uncharacterized. Here we investigated genome wide dose-dependent epigenetic and transcriptome changes in response to HDACI largazole in a transformed and a non-transformed cell line. Exposure to low nanomolar largazole concentrations

Selection of Reserves for Woodland Caribou Using an Optimization Approach

Habitat protection has been identified as an important strategy for the conservation of woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus). However, because of the economic opportunity costs associated with protection it is unlikely that all caribou ranges can be protected in their entirety. We used an optimization approach to identify reserve designs for caribou in Alberta, Canada, across a range of potential protection targets. Our designs minimized costs as well as three demographic risk factors: current industrial footprint, presence of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), and climate change. We found that, using optimization, 60% of current caribou range can be protected (including 17% in existing parks) while maintaining access to over 98% of the value of resources on public lands. The trade-off between minimizing cost and minimizing demographic risk factors was minimal because the spatial distributions of cost and risk were similar. The prospects for protection are much reduced if protection is directed towards the herds that are most at risk of near-term extirpation

Stochastic Modeling of RNA Polymerase Predicts Transcription Factor Activity

Seventy-six percent of disease associated variants occur in non-genic sites of open chromatin suggesting that the regulation of gene expression plays a crucial role in human health. Nucleosome-free with flanking chromatin modifications, these regulatory loci are optimal platforms for transcription binding and, in fact, recruit RNA Polymerase. The subsequent transcription of these sites is an unintuitive discovery as these regulatory loci do not harbor an open reading frame. The role these enhancer RNAs (eRNA) play in downstream gene regulation remains an open and exciting question. However, fast RNA degradation rates challenge eRNA identification, requiring non-traditional sequencing technologies. Global Run-on followed by sequencing (GRO- seq) detects non-genic transcription and thus, in theory, eRNA presence. Yet GRO-seq is not without noise and bias, predictive modeling of both the sequencing error and the stochastic nature of RNA polymerase itself is required to discover enhancer RNA transcripts. In short, this thesis asks: what regulates eRNA transcription? To answer this question, I first develop two novel probabilistic models to unbiasedly determine eRNA location. A regression method was constructed to quickly identify all transcribed regions in GRO-seq. Based on the known enzymatic stages of RNA polymerase, a subsequent latent variable model was built to infer the precise location of eRNA initiation. With the relevant technology developed, I undertake a massive data integration project and show strong contextual relationships between TF-binding events, epigenetics and eRNA transcription. I conclude by showing that enhancer RNAs can unbiasedly quantify transcription factor activity and predict cell type

The Road to the WTO twelfth Ministerial Conference: A Latin American and Caribbean perspective

The context in which international food trade takes place has changed considerably since the last Ministerial Conference (MC11) in 2017. Significant progress has not been achieved in many import-ant issues that are still pending on the organization’s agenda. Moreover, geopolitical changes and the Covid-19 pandemic have drastically impacted the institutional priorities of countries and the WTO it-self. The global economy has substantially deteriorated over the past two years, with structural impacts in the areas of trade and food security, particularly for Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The multilateral trading system and its main organization, the WTO, have come under attack and are being discredited. The possibility of advancing towards coordinated solutions to major global issues through multilateral cooperation seems unlikely.Countries have adopted a wide range of strategic decisions to respond to the effects of this situation on international trade and agriculture. Many have revised their trade policies to adjust them to different scenarios with respect to food security and agricultural trade flows. The surge in commodity prices and a fear of food shortages have led some governments to apply restrictive measures that limit or tax agricultural exports. Other measures adopted include direct market interventions through public stock holdings, special safeguard mechanisms, and state trading enterprises. The adoption of these measures has triggered new debates on their effectiveness in reducing food insecurity and propelling the development of fair and transparent food markets.Regulations such as sustainability standards, access restrictions or domestic support measures must be transparent and aligned with WTO principles to avoid discretionary applications and discrimina-tory practices. Information transparency is key to access and develop new markets, especially under growing environmental scrutiny. Effective market access is crucial, not only for the development of agro-exporting countries (which prioritize this issue on their development agendas) but also for importing countries, as a means of guaranteeing food security and connecting main suppliers with buyers in regions facing food shortages.The WTO dispute settlement mechanism has become a strategic asset for developing countries, enabling them to continue expanding their agricultural exports and strengthening their position in the market. However, the current state of paralysis of the WTO Appellate Body has recently affected the institution’s effectiveness in regulating and arbitrating conflicts in the area of food trade relations. Most importantly, the growth strategy of Latin American countries depends on the WTO and the legal order that it enforces; therefore, actively contributing to its modernization and prioritizing its success as part of their trade and foreign policies is of crucial importance

When people and environment collide in the tropics

South East Asia and tropical Australia are undergoing major changes, which are likely to intensify in the next decade. Booming economies in China and India, and potentially other countries, are likely to drive exponential increases in demands for natural resources. Climate change is likely to have severe impacts, ranging from those associated with changes in severity of cyclones, to those associated with sea level rise in shallow oceans. Land cover transformations, already a common feature in many parts, could well decimate biodiversity. Human disease outbreaks, which have already caused alarm and economic disruption, could remain a feature of the region. The challenges are immense; it is timely to reflect on transforming forces and our responses. In May 2006, an international symposium was held in Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia, to discuss these very issues. This publication features papers by leading researchers and policy makers on the following themes:'Drivers of Change; 'Values & Livelihoods; 'What Are the Changes and Their Impacts? The editors of this book all have wide experience in this area. Dr Natasha Stacey is an anthropologist with expertise in natural resource management in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr Guy Boggs has focused his GIS and modelling research on the use of technologies for understanding changes in spatial patterns of vegetation distribution, erosion and runoff response. Prof Bruce Campbell works in the tropics on four continents from humid rainforests to dry woodlands and is focussed on achieving better outcomes for conservation and development and improving the well-being of people through natural resource management and use. Prof Will Steffen has research interests which span a broad range within the field of Earth System science.Setting the scene -- Gerritsen : A resilient future for Northern Australia? People, economics and policy issues -- Resosudarmo : Setting the scene : driving forces of change in Southeast Asia -- Drivers of change -- Steffen : Climate change in the tropics -- Srivastava : Securing India's energy future : what does the world have to worry about? -- Tay : Trade and environment in Southeast Asia -- Williams : Food production systems and policy development in Southeast Asia -- Values and livelihoods -- Armstong et al : Indigenous land and sea management and sustainable business development in Northern Australia -- Garnett : Enterprise development by indigenous communities using natural resources : where do the benefits go? -- Campbell et al : Do local people and the environment collide? Who drives environmental change? -- What are the changes and their impacts? -- Cunningham : Culture, livelihoods and conservatism -- Sodhi and Brook : Biodiversity crisis in Southeast Asia -- Wright et al : The future of Southeast Asian forests and their species -- Bunn : Northern Australia -- all that water ... going to waste? -- Bowman : Time's up for Australia's last frontier.Jira Ticket : CDU-227 : Collection Development Manager made the decision that for the books that have this message " This book is copyright. Apart from any fair dealing to the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced, by any process, without written permission. Enquiries should be made to the publisher, Charles Darwin University Press, Charles Darwin University, Darwin NT 0909, Australia" in the front they would treat CDU NTU Press as the copyright holder based on this statement. CDU Press have given permission for these to be added to our site but no additional licencing terms provided. That is a reasonable risk management based decision