Potentials and limitations of NFIs and remote sensing in the assessment of harvest rates: a reply to Breidenbach et al.

AbstractThe timely and accurate monitoring of forest resources is becoming of increasing importance in light of the multi-functionality of these ecosystems and their increasing vulnerability to climate change. Remote sensing observations of tree cover and systematic ground observations from National Forest Inventories (NFIs) represent the two major sources of information to assess forest area and use. The specificity of two methods is calling for an in-depth analysis of their strengths and weaknesses and for the design of novel methods emerging from the integration of satellite and surface data. On this specific debate, a recent paper by Breidenbach et al. published in this journal suggests that the detection of a recent increase in EU forest harvest rate—as reported in Nature by Ceccherini et al.—is largely due to technical limitations of satellite-based mapping. The article centers on the difficulty of the approaches to estimate wood harvest based on remote sensing. However, it does not discuss issues with the robustness of validation approaches solely based on NFIs. Here we discuss the use of plot data as a validation set for remote sensing products, discussing potentials and limitations of both NFIs and remote sensing, and how they can be used synergistically. Finally, we highlight the need to collect in situ data that is both relevant and compatible with remote sensing products within the European Union

Chimica generale

Gli autori Donald McQuarrie e Peter A. Rock sono stati, fino alla loro scomparsa, professori di Chimica presso la University of California, Davis. Ethan B. Gallogly è professore di Chimica al Santa Monica College, California. L’opera L’approccio “cominciare dagli atomi” (o Atoms First) si è ormai affermato nei corsi di chimica generale, poiché conduce gli studenti a una comprensione più completa di argomenti complessi: si inizia con la teoria atomica e si discutono poi il legame chimico e le molecole, prima di presentare le classi di reazioni e le altre proprietà, che derivano naturalmente da legami chimici e struttura. Dopo un capitolo introduttivo sul metodo scientifico, si prosegue con gli elementi, i composti e la nomenclatura chimica, una breve presentazione di atomi, molecole e del modello nucleare dell’atomo. Si descrivono le proprietà periodiche degli elementi, illustrando un certo numero di reazioni chimiche scelte per i diversi gruppi. Dopo aver introdotto la tavola periodica, vi sono sei capitoli nei quali, usando la teoria dei quanti, si presentano i concetti fondamentali che spiegano le proprietà periodiche degli elementi. Secondo un ordine convenzionale, segue infine una serie di capitoli su reattività chimica, calcoli stechiometrici, proprietà dei gas, termochimica, liquidi e solidi, soluzioni, cinetica chimica, equilibrio chimico, acidi e basi, termodinamica, reazioni di ossido-riduzione, elettrochimica e metalli di transizione. La chimica descrittiva viene invece trattata nei cosiddetti Interchapter, brevi sezioni di una decina di pagine ciascuna, che possono essere incluse nel programma o assegnate come letture. Sono disponibili (in lingua inglese) sul sito www.McQuarrieGeneralChemistry.com. In tutto il libro si trovano, nei punti opportuni, i riferimenti agli Interchapter appropriat

Retinoids and cancer: antitumoral effects of ATRA, 9-cis RA and the new retinoid IIF on the HL-60 leukemic cell line.

Objective: To compare the antitumoral effects of all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and 9-cis retinoic acid (9-cis RA) with those of 5-OH,11-O-hydrophenanthrene (IIF), a new derivative of retinoic acid. Materials and Methods: The effect of retinoids was tested on cell line HL-60. Cell differentiation and apoptosis were evaluated by morphological and biochemical analysis as bcl-2 protein and by DNA fragmentation assay. The ability to activate retinoic acid receptors (RAR) and/or retinoid X receptors (RXR) and to modulate gene expression was determined by transactivation assay. Results: With cell line HL-60, the antiproliferative effect of IIF was stronger than that of ATRA and 9-cis RA. Following retinoid treatment, cells appeared to differentiate and apoptotic cells were observed. The appearance of DNA laddering and a decrease in the amount of bcl-2 protein confirmed apoptosis. IIF transcriptionally activated RXR-γ more than RAR-α. Conclusion: The findings indicate that IIF transcriptionally activates RXR-γ preferentially, induces apoptosis and has a more antiproliferative activity than ATRA and 9-cis RA on cell line HL-60

Current molecular and clinical insights into uveal melanoma (Review)

Uveal melanoma (UM) represents the most prominent primary eye cancer in adults. With an incidence of approximately 5 cases per million individuals annually in the United States, UM could be considered a relatively rare cancer. The 90.95% of UM cases arise from the choroid. Diagnosis is based mainly on a clinical examination and ancillary tests, with ocular ultrasonography being of greatest value. Differential diagnosis can prove challenging in the case of indeterminate choroidal lesions and, sometimes, monitoring for documented growth may be the proper approach. Fine needle aspiration biopsy tends to be performed with a prognostic purpose, often in combination with radiotherapy. Gene expression profiling has allowed for the grading of UMs into two classes, which feature different metastatic risks. Patients with UM require a specialized multidisciplinary management. Primary tumor treatment can be either enucleation or globe preserving. Usually, enucleation is reserved for larger tumors, while radiotherapy is preferred for small/medium melanomas. The prognosis is unfavorable due to the high mortality rate and high tendency to metastasize. Following the development of metastatic disease, the mortality rate increases to 80% within one year, due to both the absence of an effective treatment and the aggressiveness of the condition. Novel molecular studies have allowed for a better understanding of the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms involved in UM biological activity, which differs compared to skin melanomas. The most commonly mutated genes are GNAQ, GNA11 and BAP1. Research in this field could help to identify effective diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, as well as novel therapeutic targets

The Mediterranean island states : Malta and Cyprus

The 2004 European Union enlargement also included the Mediterranean island-states of Cyprus and Malta, two former British colonies and members of the British Commonwealth. The islands share a number of similarities but they are also dissimilar in uniquely distinct ways. The membership applications of both states initially presented the EU with a number of political difficulties. With respect to Cyprus, many member states would have preferred to see the island join the Union after the ‘Cyprus Problem’ had been settled. As for Malta, the island showed a very high degree of Euroskepticism. It froze its application in 1996 but reactivated it in 1998. Apart from this skepticism the island’s neutral status, enshrined in the Constitution could present insurmountable problems.peer-reviewe

Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency and late-stage age-related macular degeneration

Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness in the elderly in Western Countries. Evidence indicates that Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, a common genetic abnormality, may protect against ischemic heart and cerebrovascular disease, ocular vascular disorders, and colorectal cancer. This study was undertaken to ascertain whether G6PD deficiency may protect against AMD. Materials and Methods: 79 men with late-stage AMD and 79 male, age-matched cataract controls without AMD were recruited in March-December 2016. Smoking status, clinical history, and drug use were recorded. A blood sample was taken from each participant. Complete blood count, hemoglobin, glucose, creatinine, cholesterol, triglycerides, transaminases, bilirubin, and erythrocyte G6PD activity were measured. Stepwise logistic regression was used to investigate the association between G6PD deficiency and AMD. Results: G6PD deficiency was found in 7 (8.9%) AMD patients and 8 (10.1%) controls, a not statistically significant difference. Stepwise logistic regression disclosed that AMD was significantly associated with increased diastolic blood pressure (OR=1.09, 95% CI=1.03-1.15, P=0.02) and LDL-cholesterol (OR=1.02, 95% CI=1.0001-1.03, P=0.049) and lower values of white blood cell (WBC) count (OR=0.71, 95% CI=0.56-0.88, P=0.02) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (OR=0.92, 95% CI=0.85-0.99, P=0.044). Conclusion: Results suggest that G6PD deficiency has no protective effect on nor is a risk factor for AMD. Larger studies are necessary to confirm whether increased diastolic blood pressure and LDL-cholesterol and lower values of WBC count and AST are risk factors for AMD

Morphology of the optic nerve head in glaucomatous eyes with visual field defects in superior or inferior hemifield

To evaluate the morphology of optic nerve head (ONH) and border tissue (BT) of Elschnig in glaucomatous eyes with visual field defects in superior or inferior hemifield

DNA minor-groove binders. Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of ligands structurally related to CC-1065, distamycin, and anthramycin

Abstract Many natural and synthetic anticancer agents with the ability to interact with DNA have been discovered, but most have little sequence-specificity and often exhibit severe toxicity to normal tissues. Thus, there has been considerable interest in molecular biology and human medicine to find small molecules that can alkylate the DNA in a sequence-specific manner and modify the function of nucleic acids irreversibly. Analogs of naturally occurring antitumor agents, such as distamycin A, which bind in the minor groove of DNA, represent a new class of anticancer compounds currently under investigation. Distamycin A has driven researchers' attention not only for its biological activity, but also for its nonintercalative binding to the minor groove of double-stranded B-DNA, where it forms a strong reversible complex preferentially at the nucleotide sequences consisting of 4-5 adjacent adenine-thymine (AT) base pairs. The pyrrole-amide skeleton of distamycin A has been also used as DNA sequence-selective vehicles for the delivery of alkylating functions to DNA targets, leading to a sharp increase of its cytotoxicity, in comparison to that, very weak, of distamycin itself. In the last few years, several hybrid compounds, in which derivatives of naturally occurring antitumor agents, such as anthramycin or the alkylating unit of the antibiotic CC-1065, have been tethered to distamycin frames. The DNA alkylating and cytotoxic activities against several tumor cell lines are reported and discussed in terms of their structural differences in relation to both the number of N-methyl pyrrole rings and the type of alkylating unit tethered to the oligopeptidic frame