Recent land cover and use changes in Miombo woodlands of eastern Tanzania

Forest and wood land ecosystems in Tanzania occupy more than 45% of the land area, more than two thirds of which made up of the Miombo woodland. The main form of land use in the Miombo region has long been shifting and small-scale sedentary cultivation. The lack of infrastructure and prevalence of deadly diseases such as malaria and trypanosiomiasis have long limited extensive clearance for cultivation, livestock farming and settlements. However, due to positives changes in the socio-economical, political and technological setup in miombo region, the types and intensity of land use are now changing. This paper discusses preliminary results from a study conducted with the aim of contributing to the understanding of dynamics of land cover and use changes in miombo woodlands of eastern Tanzania. The study area comprises four villages around the “Kitulangalo Forest Reserve”, 140 km west of Dar es Salaam on either side of the Morogoro-Dar es Salaam highway. Landsat MSS satellite images of July 1975, Landsat TM satellite images of July 2000 were used to assess land cover changes between 1975 and 2000. Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA), questionnaire survey and checklists for key informants were the major methods used for collecting socio-economic data. The land cover/use class of woodland with scattered cultivation has recorded the highest percentage of change between July 1975 and July 2000. While all other classes have registered positive changes, only the closed woodland class has had negative change meaning that this class has been decreasing in favour of other land cover/use classes. Recent land cover and use changes are drastic in the study area. These changes havebeen triggered largely by varied factors including mainly increased population density and subsequent economic activities. Economicactivities including charcoal business, shifting cultivation, opening up of improved highway and pastoralism in the study area have greatly contributed to deforestation and woodland degradation. In light of these findings, there is need for:(1) Adequate land use planning and survey of village lands so as to avoid exacerbation of land use conflict and environmental degradation in the study area.(2) Agrarian reforms to eliminate open access regimes to natural resources.(3) Enforcement of fiscal policies related to the extraction of natural resource products such as timber and charcoal so as toreduce pressure on woodlands.Keywords: land use – cover change – Kitulangalo – miombo woodland

Variabilidade espacial da duração do período de molhamento em vinhedo de 'Niagara Rosada'

Despite considerable efforts to develop accurate electronic sensors to measure leaf wetness duration (LWD), little attention has been given to studies about how is LWD variability in different positions of the crop canopy. In order to evaluate the influence of 'Niagara Rosada' (Vitis labrusca) grapevine structure on the spatial variability of LWD, the objective of this study was to determine the canopy position of the ‘Niagara RosadaÂ’ table grape with longer LWD and its correlation with measured standard LWD over turfgrass. LWD was measured in four different canopy positions of the vineyard (sensors deployed at 45º with the horizontal): at the top of the plants, with sensors facing southwest and northeast (Top-SW and Top-NE), and at the grape bunches height, with sensors facing southwest and northeast (Bottom-SW and Bottom-NE). No significant difference was observed between the top (1.6 m) and the bottom (1.0 m) of the canopy and also between the southwest and northeast face of the plants. The relationship between standard LWD over turfgrass and crop LWD in different positions of the grape canopy showed a define correlation, with R² ranging from 0.86 to 0.89 for all period, from 0.72 to 0.77 for days without rain, and from 0.89 to 0.91 for days with rain.Apesar dos esforços consideráveis para se desenvolverem sensores eletrônicos acurados para medir a duração do período de molhamento (DPM), pouca atenção tem sido dada às pesquisas sobre a variabilidade da DPM no interior do dossel das culturas. A fim de avaliar a influência da estrutura da cobertura vegetal da videira 'Niagara Rosada' (Vitis labrusca) na variabilidade espacial da DPM, o objetivo do presente estudo foi determinar a posição da videira com a maior DPM e sua relação com a DPM medida em condição-padrão (no gramado). Para tanto, a DPM foi medida em quatro diferentes posições da planta, com os sensores inclinados em 45º em relação à horizontal: topo da planta com a face superior do sensor voltada para sudoeste e nordeste (Topo-SW e Topo-NE) e altura dos cachos de uva com a face superior do sensor voltada para sudoeste e nordeste (Dossel-SW e Dossel-NE). Não houve diferença significativa da DPM tanto entre a parte mais alta (1,6 m) e a parte mais baixa (1,0 m) da planta, como entre as faces sudoeste e nordeste das plantas. As relações entre os dados de DPM sobre o gramado e nas diversas posições da cobertura vegetal, obtidas por meio de regressão linear simples, apresentaram correlações bem definidas, com valores de R² variando de 0,86 a 0,89 para todo o período, de 0,72 a 0,77 para os dias sem chuva e de 0,89 a 0,91 para os dias com chuva.FAPES

Novel mode of ISG15-mediated protection against influenza A virus and Sendai virus in mice

ISG15 is a diubiquitin-like modifier and one of the most rapidly induced genes upon type I interferon stimulation. Hundreds of host proteins and a number of viral proteins have been shown to be ISGylated, and understanding how these modifications affect the interferon response and virus replication has been of considerable interest. ISG15(−/−) mice exhibit increased susceptibility to viral infection, and in the case of influenza B virus and vaccinia virus, ISG15 conjugation has been shown to restrict virus replication in vivo. A number of studies have also found that ISG15 is capable of antagonizing replication of some viruses in tissue culture. However, recent findings have demonstrated that ISG15 can protect mice from Chikungunya virus infection without affecting the virus burden. In order to better understand the function of ISG15 in vivo, we characterized the pathogenesis of influenza A virus and Sendai virus in ISG15(−/−) mice. We found that ISG15 protects mice from virus induced lethality by a conjugation-dependent mechanism in both of these models. However, surprisingly, we found that ISG15 had minimal effect on virus replication and did not have an obvious role in the modulation of the acute immune response to infection. Instead, we observed an increase in the number of diseased small airways in mice lacking ISG15. This ability of ISG15 to protect mice in a conjugation-dependent, but nonantiviral, manner from respiratory virus infection represents a previously undescribed role for ISG15 and demonstrates the importance of further characterization of ISG15 in vivo. IMPORTANCE It has previously been demonstrated that ISG15(−/−) mice are more susceptible to a number of viral infections. Since ISG15 is one of the most strongly induced genes after type I interferon stimulation, analysis of ISG15 function has largely focused on its role as an antiviral molecule during acute infection. Although a number of studies have shown that ISG15 does have a small effect on virus replication in tissue culture, few studies have confirmed this mechanism of protection in vivo. In these studies we have found that while ISG15(−/−) mice are more susceptible to influenza A virus and Sendai virus infections, ISGylation does not appear to mediate this protection through the direct inhibition of virus replication or the modulation of the acute immune response. Thus, in addition to showing a novel mode of ISG15 mediated protection from virus infection, this study demonstrates the importance of studying the role of ISG15 in vivo

Compiler-aided systematic construction of large-scale DNA strand displacement circuits using unpurified components

Biochemical circuits made of rationally designed DNA molecules are proofs of concept for embedding control within complex molecular environments. They hold promise for transforming the current technologies in chemistry, biology, medicine and material science by introducing programmable and responsive behaviour to diverse molecular systems. As the transformative power of a technology depends on its accessibility, two main challenges are an automated design process and simple experimental procedures. Here we demonstrate the use of circuit design software, combined with the use of unpurified strands and simplified experimental procedures, for creating a complex DNA strand displacement circuit that consists of 78 distinct species. We develop a systematic procedure for overcoming the challenges involved in using unpurified DNA strands. We also develop a model that takes synthesis errors into consideration and semi-quantitatively reproduces the experimental data. Our methods now enable even novice researchers to successfully design and construct complex DNA strand displacement circuits

Biomass allocation in Eucalyptus in monoculture and silvipastoral system.

Resumo. Título em inglês e conteúdo em português

Dissecting Drought-Response Strategies of Perennial Ryegrass (\u3cem\u3eLolium perenne\u3c/em\u3e L.)

Periodic drought is a severe constraint on the profitability and sustainability of pastoral production. As a result of climate change, drought events are anticipated to increase in frequency and intensity even in regions where annual precipitation is unchanged, as well as where it is reduced. Many studies have been carried out on drought resistance of forage species (Holloway-Phillips and Brodribb 2011). However, for most experiments, it is unclear which mechanism(s) are responsible for variation in plant performance under moisture stress, whether drought response mechanisms were triggered, or whether differences in performance were simply the result of intrinsic plant vigour. The objective of the reported research was to understand the underlying physiological and genetic mechanisms responsible for production of perennial ryegrass under summer drought and recovery and regrowth after drought

Breve análise sobre o atraso das chuvas em Mato Grosso durante o período de plantio da safra de soja 2015/2016.

A produção agrícola de Mato Grosso ocupa posição de destaque no cenário nacional e internacional, com importante contribuição para o PIB agrícola do Brasil. O sucesso da produção de grãos e fibras em Mato Grosso depende fortemente da distribuição (temporal e espacial) adequada das chuvas durante o período de desenvolvimento das lavouras. As restrições hídricas nos períodos críticos para as culturas podem aumentar os custos de produção devido à necessidade de replantios, bem como impactar a produtividade das culturas, resultando em menor rentabilidade para os produtores. Na safra 2015/2016, Mato Grosso vivenciou uma das piores estiagens durante o desenvolvimento da cultura da soja, com atraso das chuvas em mais de três meses em algumas regiões. Vários relatos da necessidade de replantios e até perda total das lavouras feitos pelos produtores do estado foram corroborados pelo Instituto Matogrossense de Economia Agropecuária (IMEA), que apontou quedas expressivas na produção de soja na safra de 2015/2016. Este documento busca apresentar uma breve análise sobre as condições agrometeorológicas em Mato Grosso durante a safra da soja 2015/2016, com o objetivo de contribuir com a identificação e o levantamento das regiões mais impactadas do estado.bitstream/item/146502/1/2016-cpamt-documentos-5-zolin.pd