Biodiversity condition assessment for grazing lands

Using the ABCD Framework as a aurrogate for biodiversity condition

An Approach to Mapping Forest Growth Stages in Queensland, Australia through Integration of ALOS PALSAR and Landsat Sensor Data

Whilst extensive clearance of forests in the eastern Australian Brigalow Belt Bioregion (BBB) has occurred since European settlement, appropriate management of those that are regenerating can facilitate restoration of biomass (carbon) and biodiversity to levels typical of relatively undisturbed or remnant formations. However, maps of forests are different stages of regeneration are needed to facilitate restoration planning, including prevention of further re-clearing. Focusing on the Tara Downs subregion of the BBB and on forests with brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) as a component, this research establishes a method for differentiating and mapping early, intermediate and remnant growth stages from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased-Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) Fine Beam Dual (FBD) L-band HH- and HV-polarisation backscatter and Landsat-derived Foliage Projective Cover (FPC). Using inventory data collected from 74 plots, located in the Tara Downs subregion, forests were assigned to one of three regrowth stages based on their height and cover relative to that of undisturbed stands. The image data were then segmented into objects with each assigned to a growth stage by comparing the distributions of L-band HV and HH polarisation backscatter and FPC to that of reference distributions using a z-test. Comparison with independent assessments of growth stage, based on time-series analysis of aerial photography and SPOT images, established an overall accuracy of > 70%, with this increasing to 90% when intermediate regrowth was excluded and only early-stage regrowth and remnant classes were considered. The proposed method can be adapted to respond to amendments to user-definitions of growth stage and, as regional mosaics of ALOS PALSAR and Landsat FPC are available for Queensland, has application across the state

Mapping forest growth and degradation stage in the Brigalow Belt Bioregion of Australia through integration of ALOS PALSAR and Landsat-derived foliage projective cover data

Differentiation of forest growth stages through classification of single date or time-series of Landsat sensor data is limited because of insensitivity to their three-dimensional structure. This study therefore evaluated the benefits of integrating the Advanced Land Observing Satellite (ALOS) Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) L-band HH and HV polarisation response from the woody components of vegetation with Landsat-derived foliage projective cover (FPC). Focus was on 12 regional ecosystems (REs) distributed across the Brigalow Belt Bioregion (BRB) of Queensland, Australia, where different stages of growth dominated by brigalow (Acacia harpophylla) were widespread. From remnant areas of brigalow-dominated forests mapped previously for each RE by the Queensland Herbarium through field visits and interpretations of aerial imagery, frequency distributions of all three channels were extracted and compared to those of image segments generated using FPC and PALSAR data. For woody vegetation (with an FPC threshold of ≥ 9%) outside of the remnant areas, mature (non-remnant) forests were associated with segments where the HH and HV backscatter thresholds were within one standard deviation of the mean extracted for remnant forest. Early-stage regrowth was differentiated using an L-band HH threshold o

Induction therapy with the MATRix regimen in patients with newly diagnosed primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system - an international study of feasibility and efficacy in routine clinical practice

The MATRix chemoimmunotherapy regimen is highly effective in patients with newly diagnosed primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the central nervous system (PCNSL). However, nothing is known about its feasibility and efficacy in everyday practice, where patients are more often older/frailer than those enrolled in clinical trials. We conducted a retrospective study addressing tolerability/efficacy of MATRix in 156 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed PCNSL treated outside a clinical trial. Median age and ECOG Performance Status of considered patients were 62 years (range 28–78) and 2 (range 0–4). The overall response rate after MATRix was 79%. Nine (6%) treatment-related deaths were recorded. After a median follow-up of 27.4 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 24.4–31.9%), the two-year progression-free and overall survival were 56% (95% CI 48.4–64.9%) and 64.1% (95% CI 56.7–72.5%) respectively. Patients not eligible for the IELSG32 trial were treated with lower dose intensity and had substantially worse outcomes than those fulfilling inclusion criteria. This is the largest series of PCNSL patients treated with MATRix outside a trial and recapitulates the IELSG32 trial outcomes in the non-trial setting for patients who fit the trial criteria. These data underscore the feasibility and efficacy of MATRix as induction treatment for fit patients in routine practice

Selection for minimization of translational frameshifting errors as a factor in the evolution of codon usage

In a wide range of genomes, it was observed that the usage of synonymous codons is biased toward specific codons and codon patterns. Factors that are implicated in the selection for codon usage include facilitation of fast and accurate translation. There are two types of translational errors: missense errors and processivity errors. There is considerable evidence in support of the hypothesis that codon usage is optimized to minimize missense errors. In contrast, little is known about the relationship between codon usage and frameshifting errors, an important form of processivity errors, which appear to occur at frequencies comparable to the frequencies of missense errors. Based on the recently proposed pause-and-slip model of frameshifting, we developed Frameshifting Robustness Score (FRS). We used this measure to test if the pattern of codon usage indicates optimization against frameshifting errors. We found that the FRS values of protein-coding sequences from four analyzed genomes (the bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli, and the yeasts Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Schizosaccharomyce pombe) were typically higher than expected by chance. Other properties of FRS patterns observed in B. subtilis, S. cerevisiae and S. pombe, such as the tendency of FRS to increase from the 5′- to 3′-end of protein-coding sequences, were also consistent with the hypothesis of optimization against frameshifting errors in translation. For E. coli, the results of different tests were less consistent, suggestive of a much weaker optimization, if any. Collectively, the results fit the concept of selection against mistranslation-induced protein misfolding being one of the factors shaping the evolution of both coding and non-coding sequences

Produção científica sobre promoção da saúde nos cursos de pós-graduação brasileiros

Discussing Health Promotion in the context of the quality of life of individuals / community and in the academic environment is a political, theoretical and methodological articulation. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the scientific production on Health Promotion registered in Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES - Coordination of Higher Education Personnel Qualification). A systematic review into the/ CAPES thesis collection was performed and 678 works registered between 2000 and 2004 were analyzed. The following categories were identified: course, year, Brazilian region, area of knowledge and summary (type of study and data collection). The predominance of the master's academic program was verified, with 531 (78.2%) research studies; among the years in which research into Health Promotion was carried out, the year of 2003 prevailed, with 189 (27.8%) studies; and among the Brazilian regions, the Southeast region had an outstanding participation, with 411 (60.5%) works. In the category area of knowledge, Public Health predominated, with 138 (16%) studies. In the summary, from which the type of study was extracted, qualitative research prevailed, with 200 (29.4%) works. It is concluded that the scientific production in the theme of Health Promotion is progressing because, in Brazil, the National Policy for Health Promotion was regulated in 2004; therefore, it is an adequate area for interdisciplinary work and discovery of new health practices and actions.Discutir a promoção de saúde no contexto da qualidade de vida dos indivíduos/coletividade e no meio acadêmico é uma articulação política, teórica e metodológica, portanto esta pesquisa teve por objetivo analisar a produção científica sobre promoção da saúde registrada na Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (Capes). Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática no banco de teses da Capes e analisados 678 trabalhos registrados entre 2000 e 2004 e identificadas as categorias curso, ano, região brasileira, área de conhecimento e resumo (tipo de estudo e coleta de dados). Constatou-se a predominância do curso de mestrado acadêmico com 531 (78,2%) pesquisas; entre os anos em que foram desenvolvidas as pesquisas sobre promoção da saúde, prevaleceu o ano de 2003, com 189 (27,8%) estudos, e entre as regiões brasileiras destacou-se a região Sudeste com 411 (60,5%) trabalhos. Na categoria área de conhecimento, preponderou a Saúde Coletiva com 138 (16%) pesquisas. No resumo do qual foi extraído o tipo de estudo, destacou-se a pesquisa qualitativa com 200 (29,4%) trabalhos. Conclui-se, portanto, que a produção científica na temática de promoção de saúde encontra-se progredindo, pois, no Brasil, a Política Nacional de Promoção de Saúde regularizou-se em 2004, sendo assim uma área em evidência para atuação interdisciplinar e descoberta de novas práticas e ações em saúde

Higher PUFA and omega-3 PUFA, CLA, α-tocopherol and iron, but lower iodine and selenium concentrations in organic milk: a systematic literature review and meta- and redundancy analyses

Demand for organic milk is partially driven by consumer perceptions that it is more nutritious. However, there is still considerable uncertainty over whether the use of organic production standards affects milk quality. Here we report results of meta-analyses based on 170 published studies comparing the nutrient content of organic and conventional bovine milk. There were no significant differences in total SFA and MUFA concentrations between organic and conventional milk. However, concentrations of total PUFA and n-3 PUFA were significantly higher in organic milk, by an estimated 7 (95 % CI −1, 15) % and 56 (95 % CI 38, 74) %, respectively. Concentrations of α-linolenic acid (ALA), very long-chain n-3 fatty acids (EPA+DPA+DHA) and conjugated linoleic acid were also significantly higher in organic milk, by an 69 (95 % CI 53, 84) %, 57 (95 % CI 27, 87) % and 41 (95 % CI 14, 68) %, respectively. As there were no significant differences in total n-6 PUFA and linoleic acid (LA) concentrations, the n-6:n-3 and LA:ALA ratios were lower in organic milk, by an estimated 71 (95 % CI −122, −20) % and 93 (95 % CI −116, −70) %. It is concluded that organic bovine milk has a more desirable fatty acid composition than conventional milk. Meta-analyses also showed that organic milk has significantly higher α-tocopherol and Fe, but lower I and Se concentrations. Redundancy analysis of data from a large cross-European milk quality survey indicates that the higher grazing/conserved forage intakes in organic systems were the main reason for milk composition differences

Unique Cost Dynamics Elucidate the Role of Frameshifting Errors in Promoting Translational Robustness

There is now considerable evidence supporting the view that codon usage is frequently under selection for translational accuracy. There are, however, multiple forms of inaccuracy (missense, premature termination, and frameshifting errors) and pinpointing a particular error process behind apparently adaptive mRNA anatomy is rarely straightforward. Understanding differences in the fitness costs associated with different types of translational error can help us devise critical tests that can implicate one error process to the exclusion of others. To this end, we present a model that captures distinct features of frameshifting cost and apply this to 641 prokaryotic genomes. We demonstrate that, although it is commonly assumed that the ribosome encounters an off-frame stop codon soon after the frameshift and costs of mis-elongation are therefore limited, genomes with high GC content typically incur much larger per-error costs. We go on to derive the prediction, unique to frameshifting errors, that differences in translational robustness between the 5′ and 3′ ends of genes should be less pronounced in genomes with higher GC content. This prediction we show to be correct. Surprisingly, this does not mean that GC-rich organisms necessarily carry a greater fitness burden as a consequence of accidental frameshifting. Indeed, increased per-error costs are often more than counterbalanced by lower predicted error rates owing to more diverse anticodon repertoires in GC-rich genomes. We therefore propose that selection on tRNA repertoires may operate to reduce frameshifting errors

Mitochondrial cristae-remodeling protein OPA1 in POMC neurons couples Ca2+ homeostasis with adipose tissue lipolysis

© 2021 The Authors.Appropriate cristae remodeling is a determinant of mitochondrial function and bioenergetics and thus represents a crucial process for cellular metabolic adaptations. Here, we show that mitochondrial cristae architecture and expression of the master cristae-remodeling protein OPA1 in proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons, which are key metabolic sensors implicated in energy balance control, is affected by fluctuations in nutrient availability. Genetic inactivation of OPA1 in POMC neurons causes dramatic alterations in cristae topology, mitochondrial Ca2+ handling, reduction in alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) in target areas, hyperphagia, and attenuated white adipose tissue (WAT) lipolysis resulting in obesity. Pharmacological blockade of mitochondrial Ca2+ influx restores α-MSH and the lipolytic program, while improving the metabolic defects of mutant mice. Chemogenetic manipulation of POMC neurons confirms a role in lipolysis control. Our results unveil a novel axis that connects OPA1 in POMC neurons with mitochondrial cristae, Ca2+ homeostasis, and WAT lipolysis in the regulation of energy balance.This work was supported by Agencia Estatal de Investigación y Fondo Social Europeo, Proyecto BFU2016-76973-R FEDER (C.V.A.); AG052005, AG052986, AG051459, DK111178 from NIH and NKFI-KKP-126998 from Hungarian National Research, Development and Innovation Office (T.L.H.); MR/P009824/2 from Medical Research Council UK (G.D.); and Ayudas Fundación BBVA a Investigadores y Creadores Culturales (2015), European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research And Innovation Program (grant agreement 725004) and CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya (M.C.). A.O. is supported by a Miguel Servet contract (CP19/00083) from Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-financed by FEDER