Exploring forest structural complexity by multi-scale segmentation of VHR imagery

Forests are complex ecological systems, characterised by multiple-scale structural and dynamical patterns which are not inferable from a system description that spans only a narrow window of resolution; this makes their investigation a difficult task using standard field sampling protocols. We segment a QuickBird image covering a beech forest in an initial stage of old-growthness – showing, accordingly, a good degree of structural complexity – into three segmentation levels. We apply field-based diversity indices of tree size, spacing, species assemblage to quantify structural heterogeneity amongst forest regions delineated by segmentation. The aim of the study is to evaluate, on a statistical basis, the relationships between spectrally delineated image segments and observed spatial heterogeneity in forest structure, including gaps in the outer canopy. Results show that: some 45% of the segments generated at the coarser segmentation scale (level 1) are surrounded by structurally different neighbours; level 2 segments distinguish spatial heterogeneity in forest structure in about 63% of level 1 segments; level 3 image segments detect better canopy gaps, rather than differences in the spatial pattern of the investigated structural indices. Results support also the idea of a mixture of macro and micro structural heterogeneity within the beech forest: large size populations of trees homogeneous for the examined structural indices at the coarser segmentation level, when analysed at a finer scale, are internally heterogeneous; and vice versa. Findings from this study demonstrate that multiresolution segmentation is able to delineate scale-dependent patterns of forest structural heterogeneity, even in an initial stage of old-growth structural differentiation. This tool has therefore a potential to improve the sampling design of field surveys aimed at characterizing forest structural complexity across multiple spatio-temporal scales.L'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore www.sciencedirect.co

Identification and Phylogenetic Analysis of Tityus pachyurus and Tityus obscurus Novel Putative Na+-Channel Scorpion Toxins

Background: Colombia and Brazil are affected by severe cases of scorpionism. In Colombia the most dangerous accidents are caused by Tityus pachyurus that is widely distributed around this country. In the Brazilian Amazonian region scorpion stings are a common event caused by Tityus obscurus. The main objective of this work was to perform the molecular cloning of the putative Na+-channel scorpion toxins (NaScTxs) from T. pachyurus and T. obscurus venom glands and to analyze their phylogenetic relationship with other known NaScTxs from Tityus species. Methodology/Principal Findings: cDNA libraries from venom glands of these two species were constructed and five nucleotide sequences from T. pachyurus were identified as putative modulators of Na+-channels, and were named Tpa4, Tpa5, Tpa6, Tpa7 and Tpa8; the latter being the first anti-insect excitatory b-class NaScTx in Tityus scorpion venom to be described. Fifteen sequences from T. obscurus were identified as putative NaScTxs, among which three had been previously described, and the others were named To4 to To15. The peptides Tpa4, Tpa5, Tpa6, To6, To7, To9, To10 and To14 are closely related to the a-class NaScTxs, whereas Tpa7, Tpa8, To4, To8, To12 and To15 sequences are more related to the b-class NaScTxs. To5 is possibly an arthropod specific toxin. To11 and To13 share sequence similarities with both a and b NaScTxs. By means of phylogenetic analysis using the Maximum Parsimony method and the known NaScTxs from Tityus species, these toxins were clustered into 14 distinct groups. Conclusions/Significance: This communication describes new putative NaScTxs from T. pachyurus and T. obscurus and their phylogenetic analysis. The results indicate clear geographic separation between scorpions of Tityus genus inhabiting the Amazonian and Mountain Andes regions and those distributed over the Southern of the Amazonian rainforest. Based on the consensus sequences for the different clusters, a new nomenclature for the NaScTxs is proposed

TLC con Estados Unidos : contribuciones para el debate

Más que un tratado comercial, el de Libre Comercio entre Estados Unidos y Centroamérica es un conjunto de tratados bilaterales en los que se modifican aspectos fundamentales de la institucionalidad y de las regulaciones de cada una de las naciones centroamericanas. La complejidad de las materias que incluye, así como la terminología técnica en la que se formulan los acuerdos, dificulta nuestra aproximación ciudadana al conocimiento de sus posibles implicaciones. Este libro pretende contribuir a la reflexión en un momento en que debemos tomar decisiones de tanta envergadura para el futuro del país. Investigadoras e investigadores de distintas disciplinas y perspectivas exponen sus puntos de vista sobre sus implicaciones en diversos ámbitos de la vida nacional, así como sobre los procedimientos que se han seguido y los que se deben seguir en lo que resta del proceso.Índice. Presentación 5. Introducción 7. Primera parte: La negociación del TLC con Estados Unidos: ¿Participación y democracia? 23. Segunda parte: El TLC y su impacto en las potestades del Estado 59. Tercera parte: El TLC y el empleo. Promesas y realidades sobre su impacto 137. Quinta parte: El TLC y su impacto para el agro 229. Sexta parte: El TLC y la propiedad intelectual 271. Séptima parte: El TLC en el contexto del nuevo estilo nacional de desarrollo 307. Octava parte: El TLC en perspectiva geopolítica 399

A Coffee Berry Borer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Bibliography

Native to Africa, the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), has gradually invaded most coffee-growing areas worldwide. Adult females colonize the coffee berry and oviposit within galleries in the coffee seeds. Larvae and adults consume the seeds, resulting in drastic reductions in yields and quality, negatively affecting the income of approximately 20 million coffee-growing families (~100 million people) in ~80 countries, with losses surpassing more than $500 million annually (Vega et al. 2015). It has become evident that the coffee berry borer scientific community could greatly benefit from having access to a bibliography of the literature related to the insect. Such an information source would allow scientists to find out what research areas have been explored throughout the many coffee berry borer-infested countries after more than 100 years of research on the topic. It could also help to direct lead future research efforts into novel areas, and away from topics and ideas that have been thoroughly investigated in the past

Classification and analysis of a large collection of <i>in vivo</i> bioassay descriptions

<div><p>Testing potential drug treatments in animal disease models is a decisive step of all preclinical drug discovery programs. Yet, despite the importance of such experiments for translational medicine, there have been relatively few efforts to comprehensively and consistently analyze the data produced by <i>in vivo</i> bioassays. This is partly due to their complexity and lack of accepted reporting standards—publicly available animal screening data are only accessible in unstructured free-text format, which hinders computational analysis. In this study, we use text mining to extract information from the descriptions of over 100,000 drug screening-related assays in rats and mice. We retrieve our dataset from ChEMBL—an open-source literature-based database focused on preclinical drug discovery. We show that <i>in vivo</i> assay descriptions can be effectively mined for relevant information, including experimental factors that might influence the outcome and reproducibility of animal research: genetic strains, experimental treatments, and phenotypic readouts used in the experiments. We further systematize extracted information using unsupervised language model (Word2Vec), which learns semantic similarities between terms and phrases, allowing identification of related animal models and classification of entire assay descriptions. In addition, we show that random forest models trained on features generated by Word2Vec can predict the class of drugs tested in different <i>in vivo</i> assays with high accuracy. Finally, we combine information mined from text with curated annotations stored in ChEMBL to investigate the patterns of usage of different animal models across a range of experiments, drug classes, and disease areas.</p></div

Paz en Colombia : perspectivas, desafíos, opciones

Este libro pretende ser un aporte para analizar las diversas dimensiones sociales, políticas, económicas, culturales, educativas y éticas de los retos que precedieron al acuerdo de paz y que se desplegarán a partir de ahora. Se publica a pocos días del plebiscito del 2 de octubre de 2016, en el que la sociedad colombiana tendrá en sus manos la posibilidad de refrendar este importantísimo acuerdo, abriendo y multiplicando los desafíos y oportunidades que nos permitieron llegar hasta aquí. La lectura de cada una de las contribuciones de este volumen permite no sólo entender que es urgente y necesario votar por el SÍ a los acuerdos de paz, sino también asumir la inmensa complejidad de una coyuntura que necesitará de muchísima imaginación, compromiso y participación democrática. ¡Viva la Paz! ¡Viva Colombia