Satellite sensor requirements for monitoring essential biodiversity variables of coastal ecosystems.

The biodiversity and high productivity of coastal terrestrial and aquatic habitats are the foundation for important benefits to human societies around the world. These globally distributed habitats need frequent and broad systematic assessments, but field surveys only cover a small fraction of these areas. Satellite-based sensors can repeatedly record the visible and near-infrared reflectance spectra that contain the absorption, scattering, and fluorescence signatures of functional phytoplankton groups, colored dissolved matter, and particulate matter near the surface ocean, and of biologically structured habitats (floating and emergent vegetation, benthic habitats like coral, seagrass, and algae). These measures can be incorporated into Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), including the distribution, abundance, and traits of groups of species populations, and used to evaluate habitat fragmentation. However, current and planned satellites are not designed to observe the EBVs that change rapidly with extreme tides, salinity, temperatures, storms, pollution, or physical habitat destruction over scales relevant to human activity. Making these observations requires a new generation of satellite sensors able to sample with these combined characteristics: (1) spatial resolution on the order of 30 to 100-m pixels or smaller; (2) spectral resolution on the order of 5 nm in the visible and 10 nm in the short-wave infrared spectrum (or at least two or more bands at 1,030, 1,240, 1,630, 2,125, and/or 2,260 nm) for atmospheric correction and aquatic and vegetation assessments; (3) radiometric quality with signal to noise ratios (SNR) above 800 (relative to signal levels typical of the open ocean), 14-bit digitization, absolute radiometric calibration <2%, relative calibration of 0.2%, polarization sensitivity <1%, high radiometric stability and linearity, and operations designed to minimize sunglint; and (4) temporal resolution of hours to days. We refer to these combined specifications as H4 imaging. Enabling H4 imaging is vital for the conservation and management of global biodiversity and ecosystem services, including food provisioning and water security. An agile satellite in a 3-d repeat low-Earth orbit could sample 30-km swath images of several hundred coastal habitats daily. Nine H4 satellites would provide weekly coverage of global coastal zones. Such satellite constellations are now feasible and are used in various applications

Satellite Sensor Requirements for Monitoring Essential Biodiversity Variables of Coastal Ecosystems

The biodiversity and high productivity of coastal terrestrial and aquatic habitats are the foundation for important benefits to human societies around the world. These globally distributed habitats need frequent and broad systematic assessments, but field surveys only cover a small fraction of these areas. Satellite-based sensors can repeatedly record the visible and near-infrared reflectance spectra that contain the absorption, scattering, and fluorescence signatures of functional phytoplankton groups, colored dissolved matter, and particulate matter near the surface ocean, and of biologically structured habitats (floating and emergent vegetation, benthic habitats like coral, seagrass, and algae). These measures can be incorporated into Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), including the distribution, abundance, and traits of groups of species populations, and used to evaluate habitat fragmentation. However, current and planned satellites are not designed to observe the EBVs that change rapidly with extreme tides, salinity, temperatures, storms, pollution, or physical habitat destruction over scales relevant to human activity. Making these observations requires a new generation of satellite sensors able to sample with these combined characteristics: (1) spatial resolution on the order of 30 to 100-m pixels or smaller; (2) spectral resolution on the order of 5 nm in the visible and 10 nm in the short-wave infrared spectrum (or at least two or more bands at 1,030, 1,240, 1,630, 2,125, and/or 2,260 nm) for atmospheric correction and aquatic and vegetation assessments; (3) radiometric quality with signal to noise ratios (SNR) above 800 (relative to signal levels typical of the open ocean), 14-bit digitization, absolute radiometric calibratio

Satellite sensor requirements for monitoring essential biodiversity variables of coastal ecosystems

© The Author(s), 2018. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Ecological Applications 28 (2018): 749-760, doi: 10.1002/eap.1682.The biodiversity and high productivity of coastal terrestrial and aquatic habitats are the foundation for important benefits to human societies around the world. These globally distributed habitats need frequent and broad systematic assessments, but field surveys only cover a small fraction of these areas. Satellite‐based sensors can repeatedly record the visible and near‐infrared reflectance spectra that contain the absorption, scattering, and fluorescence signatures of functional phytoplankton groups, colored dissolved matter, and particulate matter near the surface ocean, and of biologically structured habitats (floating and emergent vegetation, benthic habitats like coral, seagrass, and algae). These measures can be incorporated into Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs), including the distribution, abundance, and traits of groups of species populations, and used to evaluate habitat fragmentation. However, current and planned satellites are not designed to observe the EBVs that change rapidly with extreme tides, salinity, temperatures, storms, pollution, or physical habitat destruction over scales relevant to human activity. Making these observations requires a new generation of satellite sensors able to sample with these combined characteristics: (1) spatial resolution on the order of 30 to 100‐m pixels or smaller; (2) spectral resolution on the order of 5 nm in the visible and 10 nm in the short‐wave infrared spectrum (or at least two or more bands at 1,030, 1,240, 1,630, 2,125, and/or 2,260 nm) for atmospheric correction and aquatic and vegetation assessments; (3) radiometric quality with signal to noise ratios (SNR) above 800 (relative to signal levels typical of the open ocean), 14‐bit digitization, absolute radiometric calibration <2%, relative calibration of 0.2%, polarization sensitivity <1%, high radiometric stability and linearity, and operations designed to minimize sunglint; and (4) temporal resolution of hours to days. We refer to these combined specifications as H4 imaging. Enabling H4 imaging is vital for the conservation and management of global biodiversity and ecosystem services, including food provisioning and water security. An agile satellite in a 3‐d repeat low‐Earth orbit could sample 30‐km swath images of several hundred coastal habitats daily. Nine H4 satellites would provide weekly coverage of global coastal zones. Such satellite constellations are now feasible and are used in various applications.National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS); National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Grant Numbers: NNX16AQ34G, NNX14AR62A; National Ocean Partnership Program; NOAA US Integrated Ocean Observing System/IOOS Program Office; Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management Ecosystem Studies program (BOEM) Grant Number: MC15AC0000

Neurotrophic Effect of Citrus 5-Hydroxy-3,6,7,8,3′,4′-Hexamethoxyflavone: Promotion of Neurite Outgrowth via cAMP/PKA/CREB Pathway in PC12 Cells

5-Hydroxy-3,6,7,8,3′,4′-hexamethoxyflavone (5-OH-HxMF), a hydroxylated polymethoxyflavone, is found exclusively in the Citrus genus, particularly in the peels of sweet orange. In this research, we report the first investigation of the neurotrophic effects and mechanism of 5-OH-HxMF in PC12 pheochromocytoma cells. We found that 5-OH-HxMF can effectively induce PC12 neurite outgrowth accompanied with the expression of neuronal differentiation marker protein growth-associated protein-43(GAP-43). 5-OH-HxMF caused the enhancement of cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation, c-fos gene expression and CRE-mediated transcription, which was inhibited by 2-naphthol AS-E phosphate (KG-501), a specific antagonist for the CREB-CBP complex formation. Moreover, 5-OH-HxMF-induced both CRE transcription activity and neurite outgrowth were inhibited by adenylate cyclase and protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor, but not MEK1/2, protein kinase C (PKC), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) or calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CaMK) inhibitor. Consistently, 5-OH-HxMF treatment increased the intracellular cAMP level and downstream component, PKA activity. We also found that addition of K252a, a TrKA antagonist, significantly inhibited NGF- but not 5-OH-HxMF-induced neurite outgrowth. These results reveal for the first time that 5-OH-HxMF is an effective neurotrophic agent and its effect is mainly through a cAMP/PKA-dependent, but TrKA-independent, signaling pathway coupling with CRE-mediated gene transcription. A PKC-dependent and CREB-independent pathway was also involved in its neurotrophic action

The dynamical fate of self-gravitating disc fragments after tidal downsizing

The gravitational instability model of planet/brown dwarf formation proposes that protostellar discs can fragment into objects with masses above a few Jupiter masses at large semimajor axis. Tidal downsizing may reduce both the object mass and semimajor axis. However, most studies of tidal downsizing end when the protostellar disc disperses, while the system is embedded in its parent star-forming region. To compare disc fragment descendants with exoplanet and brown dwarf observations, the subsequent dynamical evolution must be explored. We carry out N-Body integrations of fragment-fragment scattering in multi-object star systems, and star systems embedded in substructured clusters. In both cases, we use initial conditions generated by population synthesis models of tidal downsizing. The scattering simulations produce a wide range of eccentricities. The ejection rate is around 25%. The ejecta mass distribution is similar to that for all objects, with a velocity dispersion consistent with those produced by full hydrodynamic simulations. The semimajor axis distribution after scattering extends to parsec scales. In the cluster simulations, 13% of objects are ejected from their planetary system, and around 10% experience significant orbit modification. A small number of objects are recaptured on high eccentricity, high inclination orbits. The velocity distribution of ejecta is similar to that produced by fragment-fragment scattering. If fragment-fragment scattering and cluster stripping act together, then disc fragmentation should be efficient at producing free-floating substellar objects, and hence characterising the free-floating planet population will provide strong constraints on the frequency of disc fragmentation.Comment: 11 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

The Hawaii Infrared Parallax Program. III. 2MASS J0249-0557 c:A Wide Planetary-mass Companion to a Low-mass Binary in the β Pic Moving Group

We have discovered a wide planetary-mass companion to the $\beta$ Pic moving group member 2MASSJ02495639-0557352 (M6 VL-G) using CFHT/WIRCam astrometry from the Hawaii Infrared Parallax Program. In addition, Keck laser guide star adaptive optics aperture-masking interferometry shows that the host is itself a tight binary. Altogether, 2MASSJ0249-0557ABc is a bound triple system with an $11.6^{+1.0}_{-1.3}$ $M_{\rm Jup}$ object separated by $1950\pm200$ AU (40") from a relatively close ($2.17\pm0.22$ AU, 0.04") pair of $48^{+12}_{-13}$ $M_{\rm Jup}$ and $44^{+11}_{-14}$ $M_{\rm Jup}$ objects. 2MASSJ0249-0557AB is one of the few ultracool binaries to be discovered in a young moving group and the first confirmed in the $\beta$ Pic moving group ($22\pm6$ Myr). The mass, absolute magnitudes, and spectral type of 2MASSJ0249-0557 c (L2 VL-G) are remarkably similar to those of the planet $\beta$ Pic b (L2, $13.0^{+0.4}_{-0.3}$ $M_{\rm Jup}$). We also find that the free-floating object 2MASSJ2208+2921 (L3 VL-G) is another possible $\beta$ Pic moving group member with colors and absolute magnitudes similar to $\beta$ Pic b and 2MASSJ0249-0557 c. $\beta$ Pic b is the first directly imaged planet to have a "twin," namely an object of comparable properties in the same stellar association. Such directly imaged objects provide a unique opportunity to measure atmospheric composition, variability, and rotation across different pathways of assembling planetary-mass objects from the same natal material.Comment: Accepted to AJ, only change is color scheme of figure

The Sarmatian Review, Vol. 22, No. 3

Contents: "THE SARMATIAN REVIEW INDEX"; Bogna Lorence-Kot, "Songs from a Lead- Lined Room" (review); Sally Boss, "Polonaise: Stories" (review); John J. Bukowczyk, "A History of the Poles in America to 1908, Part Four" (review); "BOOKS'; Jolanta Wróbel Best, "Life Against Death: The Writings of Ida Fink and Tadeusz Borowski"; Cyprian Kamil Norwid, "Solitude: A Sonnet, translated by Alex Kurczaba"; "OUR TAKE: Krasiński’s Undivine Comedy savaged at the National Theater"; Zofia Ptaśnik, "Death by a Thousand Cuts: A Polish Woman’s Diary of Deportation, Forced Labor and Death in Kazakhstan, April 13, 1940–May 26, 1941", translated and edited by Leszek Karpiński et al. (third installment); "LETTERS"; "ANNOUNCEMENTS AND NOTES"; "ABOUT THE AUTHORS

The Sarmatian Review, Vol. 28, No. 1

Contents: Our Take; SR Data; "Witte, Stolypin, and Goremykin" [1921], by Ferdinand Ossendowski; Books and Periodicals Received; "The Collected Poems of Zbigniew Herbert, 1956–1998," by James E. Reid (review); "Polish Literature from 1864 to 1918: Realism and Young Poland," by George Gasyna (review); "From Sovietology to Postcoloniality: Poland and Ukraine from Postcolonial Perspective," by Sally Boss (review); "The Reconstruction of Nations: Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus, 1569–1999," by Abby Drwecki (review); "Obce miasto: Wrocław 1945 i potem," by Agnieszka Marczyk; "A Search for Radiance: On the Poetry of Adam Zagajewski," by Jolanta W. Best; "Lighting and Ashe."s by Anna Gàsienica- Byrcyn (review); About the Authors; Announcements; Thank You Not