A global evaluation of forest interior area dynamics using tree cover data from 2000 to 2012

Context Published maps of global tree cover derived from Landsat data have indicated substantial changes in forest area from 2000 to 2012. The changes can be arranged in different patterns, with different conse- quences for forest fragmentation. Thus, the changes in forest area do not necessarily equate to changes in forest sustainability. Objective The objective is to assess global and regional changes in forest fragmentation in relation to the change of forest area from 2000 to 2012. Methods Using published global tree cover data, forest and forest interior areas were mapped in 2000 and 2012. The locations of forest interior change were compared to the locations of overall forest change to identify the direct (pixel level) and indirect (landscape level) components of forest interior change. The changes of forest interior area were compared to the changes of total forest area in each of 768 ecological regions. Results A 1.71 million km2 (3.2 %) net loss of global forest area translated to a net loss of 3.76 million km2 (9.9 %) of forest interior area. The difference in loss rates was consistent in most of the 768 ecological regions. The indirect component accounted for 2.44 million km2 of the net forest interior change, com- pared to 1.32 million km2 that was attributable to the direct component. Conclusion Forest area loss alone from 2000 to 2012 underestimates ecological risks from forest fragmen- tation. In addition to the direct loss of forest, there was a widespread shift of the remaining global forest to a more fragmented condition.JRC.H.3-Forest Resources and Climat

Comparison of a Synthetic Chemical Lure and Standard Fermented Baits for Trapping Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

We determined the attractiveness of a new chemical lure compared with fermented food baits in use for trapping Drosophila suzukii Matsumura, spotted wing drosophila (Diptera: Drosophilidae), in Connecticut, New York, and Washington in the United States and at Dossenheim in Germany. The chemical lure (SWD lure) and food baits were compared in two types of traps: the dome trap and a cup trap. Regardless of trap type, numbers of male and female D. suzukii trapped were greater with the SWD lure compared with apple cider vinegar (ACV) baits at the Washington and New York sites, and were comparable with numbers of D. suzukii captured with a wine plus vinegar bait (W + V) at Germany site and a combination bait meant to mimic W + V at the Connecticut site. Averaged over both types of attractants, the numbers of D. suzukii captured were greater in dome traps than in cup traps in New York and Connecticut for both male and female D. suzukii and in Washington for male D. suzukii. No such differences were found between trap types at the Washington site for female and Germany for male and female D. suzukii. Assessments were also made of the number of large (>0.5 cm) and small (<0.5 cm) nontarget flies trapped. The SWD lure captured fewer nontarget small flies and more large flies compared with ACV bait in New York and fewer nontarget small flies compared with W + V in Germany, although no such differences were found in Washington for the SWD lure versus ACV bait and in Connecticut for the SWD lure versus the combination bait, indicating that these effects are likely influenced by the local nontarget insect community active at the time of trapping. In New York, Connecticut, and Germany, dome traps caught more nontarget flies compared with cup traps. Our results suggest that the four-component SWD chemical lure is an effective attractant for D. suzukii and could be used in place of fermented food-type bait

FAO – State of the world’s forests: forest fragmentation

This document summarizes the design process, definitions, and algorithmic implementation conducted by the Joint Research Centre to support the development and implementation of FAO’s global forest analysis for the thematic topics Accounting and Fragmentation. The analysis scheme and data products were designed to support the indicator Forest Fragmentation in the State of the World's Forests (SOFO) report 2020. The spatial forest coverage is assessed from the Copernicus Global Land Cover 2015 dataset (accessed in July 2019) and 21 Global Ecological Zones (GEZ). All data was re-projected to equal area to allow for comparable area estimates across the Globe. Spatially explicit maps and statistical summaries are derived at global level and for each of the 21 GEZ.JRC.D.1-Bio-econom

Two Jovian-Mass Planets in Earthlike Orbits

We report the discovery of two new planets: a 1.94 M_Jup planet in a 1.8-year orbit of HD 5319, and a 2.51 M_Jup planet in a 1.1-year orbit of HD 75898. The measured eccentricities are 0.12 for HD 5319 b and 0.10 for HD 75898 b, and Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations based on derived orbital parameters indicate that the radial velocities of both stars are consistent with circular planet orbits. With low eccentricity and 1 < a < 2 AU, our new planets have orbits similar to terrestrial planets in the solar system. The radial velocity residuals of both stars have significant trends, likely arising from substellar or low-mass stellar companions.Comment: 32 pages, including 11 figures and 5 tables. Accepted by Ap

An approach for pan-European monitoring of forest fragmentation

This document describes the design process, definitions, and algorithmic implementation for the pan-European Assessment of Forest Fragmentation. This study is a preceding presentation of the indicator 4.7 in the State of Europe’s Forests 2020 report, published by FOREST EUROPE. The spatial forest coverage is assessed from the Copernicus CORINE Land Cover dataset (CLC, version 20, downloaded in July 2019) for the years 1990, 2000, 2006, 2012, 2018. Spatially explicit maps and statistical summaries are derived at three reporting levels: CLC (entire CLC coverage), EU28 and at country level. The status product consists of maps and summary statistics for each year and assessment level. The change product highlights areas where non-forest and forest fragmentation classes changed over time. The change product is provided for the time frame 2000 to 2018, which is the longest time span with comparable data coverage.JRC.D.1-Bio-econom

FMR1 and AKT/mTOR signaling in human granulosa cells : functional interaction and impact on ovarian response

We aimed to determine whether a functional link with impact on female ovarian reserve exists between FMR1 expression and expression ratios of AKT/mTOR signaling genes in human granulosa cells in vivo, as suggested from prior in vitro data. Three hundred and nine women, who were classified as normal (NOR; n = 225) and poor (POR; n = 84) responders based on their ovarian reserve, were recruited during stimulation for assisted reproductive techniques. Expressions of FMR1 and of key genes of the AKT/mTOR and AKT/FOXO1/3 signaling pathways were comparatively analyzed in their granulosa cells. FMR1 expression in granulosa cells of NOR and POR correlated significantly with AKT1, TSC2, mTOR, and S6K expression. No correlation was found between FMR1 and FOXO1 in all, and FOXO3 expression in POR, patients. AKT1 expression was significantly higher and FOXO1 expression lower in POR samples, whereas AKT1 expression was lower and FOXO1 expression was higher in NOR samples. In human native granulosa cells, FMR1 expression significantly correlated with the expression of key genes of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway, but not with the FOXO1/3 signaling pathway. Our data point to a functional link between FMR1 expression and expression of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway genes controlling human follicular maturation

The velocity dispersion and mass-to-light ratio of the remote halo globular cluster NGC 2419

Precise radial velocity measurements from HIRES on the Keck I telescope are presented for 40 stars in the outer halo globular cluster NGC 2419. These data are used to probe the cluster's stellar mass function and search for the presence of dark matter in this cluster. NGC 2419 is one of the best Galactic globular clusters for such a study due to its long relaxation time (T_{r0} ~ 10^{10} yr) and large Galactocentric distance (R_{GC} ~ 90 kpc) -- properties that make significant evolutionary changes in the low-mass end of the cluster mass function unlikely. We find a mean cluster velocity of =-20.3 +- 0.7 km/sec and an internal velocity dispersion of \sigma = 4.14 +- 0.48 km/sec, leading to a total mass of (9.0 +- 2.2) * 10^5 Msun and a global mass-to-light ratio of M/L_V = 2.05 +- 0.50 in solar units. This mass-to-light ratio is in good agreement with what one would expect for a pure stellar system following a standard mass function at the metallicity of NGC 2419. In addition, the mass-to-light ratio does not appear to rise towards the outer parts of the cluster. Our measurements therefore rule out the presence of a dark matter halo with mass larger than ~10^7 Msun inside the central 500 pc, which is lower than what is found for the central dark matter densities of dSph galaxies. We also discuss the relevance of our measurements for alternative gravitational theories such as MOND, and for possible formation scenarios of ultra-compact dwarf galaxies.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures, MNRAS in pres

Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2) and Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Gamma (PPARG) Are Stage-Dependent Prognostic Markers of Malignant Melanoma

Using tissue microarrays (TMAs) we studied COX2/PPARG immunoreactivity in a broad spectrum of tumors focussing on clinicopathological correlations and the outcome of patients with malignant melanoma (MM). TMA-1 contained normal and tumor tissues (n = 3448) from 47 organs including skin neoplasms (n = 323); TMA-2 88 primary MM, 101 metastases, and 161 benign nevi. Based on a biomodulatory approach combining COX/PPAR-targeting with metronomic low-dose chemotherapy metastases of 36 patients participating in a randomized trial with metastatic (stage IV) melanoma were investigated using TMA-3. COX2/PPARG immunoreactivity significantly increased from nevi to primary MM and metastases; COX2 positivity was associated with advanced Clark levels and shorter recurrence-free survival. Patients with PPARG-positive metastases and biomodulatory metronomic chemotherapy alone or combined with COX2/PPARG-targeting showed a significantly prolonged progression-free survival. Regarding primary MM, COX2 expression indicates an increased risk of tumor recurrence. In metastatic MM, PPARG expression may be a predicitive marker for response to biomodulatory stroma-targeted therapy

A Rydberg Quantum Simulator

Following Feynman and as elaborated on by Lloyd, a universal quantum simulator (QS) is a controlled quantum device which reproduces the dynamics of any other many particle quantum system with short range interactions. This dynamics can refer to both coherent Hamiltonian and dissipative open system evolution. We investigate how laser excited Rydberg atoms in large spacing optical or magnetic lattices can provide an efficient implementation of a universal QS for spin models involving (high order) n-body interactions. This includes the simulation of Hamiltonians of exotic spin models involving n-particle constraints such as the Kitaev toric code, color code, and lattice gauge theories with spin liquid phases. In addition, it provides the ingredients for dissipative preparation of entangled states based on engineering n-particle reservoir couplings. The key basic building blocks of our architecture are efficient and high-fidelity n-qubit entangling gates via auxiliary Rydberg atoms, including a possible dissipative time step via optical pumping. This allows to mimic the time evolution of the system by a sequence of fast, parallel and high-fidelity n-particle coherent and dissipative Rydberg gates.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure