From global observations to local information: The Earth Observation Monitor

Earth Observation (EO) data are available around the globe and can be used for a range of applications. To support scientists and local stakeholders in the usage of information from space, barriers, especially in data processing, need to be reduced. To meet this need, the software framework Earth Observation Monitor provides access and analysis tools for global EO vegetation time-series data based on standard-compliant geo-processing services. Data are automatically downloaded from several data providers, processed, and time-series analysis tools for vegetation analyses extract further information. A web portal and a mobile application have been developed to show the usage of interoperable geospatial web services and to simplify the access and analysis of global EO time-series data. All steps from data download to analysis are automated and provided as operational geo-processing services. Open-source software has been used to develop the services and client applications

Web service-based exploration of Earth Observation time-series data for analyzing environmental changes

The increasing amount of Earth observation (EO) data requires a tremendous change, in order to property handle the number of observations and storage size thereof. Due to open data strategies and the increasing size of data archives, a new market has been developed to provide analysis and application-ready data, services, and platforms. It is not only scientists and geospatial processing specialists who work with EO data; stakeholders, thematic experts, and software developers do too. There is thus a great demand for improving the discovery, access, and analysis of EO data in line with new possibilities of web-based infrastructures. With the aim of bridging the gap between users and EO data archives, various topics have been researched: 1) user requirements and their relation to web services and output formats; 2) technical requirements for the discovery and access of multi-source EO time-series data, and 3) management of EO time-series data focusing on application-ready data. Web services for EO data discovery and access, time-series data processing, and EO platforms have been reviewed and related to the requirements of users. The diversity of data providers and web services requires specific knowledge of systems and specifications. Although service specifications for the discovery of EO data exist, improvements are still necessary to meet the requirements of different user personas. For the processing of EO time-series data, various data formats and processing steps need to be handled. Still, there remains a gap between EO time-series data access and analysis tools, which needs to be addressed to simplify work with such data. Within this thesis, web services for the discovery, access, and analysis of EO time-series data have been described and evaluated based on different user requirements. Standardized web services specifications, output and data formats are proposed, introduced and described to meet the needs of the different user personas

The phylogeny of pholcid spiders: a critical evaluation of relationships suggested by molecular data (Araneae, Pholcidae)

With almost 600 species, the latest molecular phylogeny of pholcid spiders (Eberle et al. 2018, BMC Evolutionary Biology) more than triples the largest previously available molecular phylogeny of the family. At the level of genera, the coverage is high (86%, i.e., 75 of the 87 named genera), and at the level of subfamilies it is complete. The present paper is an effort to critically evaluate the implications of this phylogeny for pholcid systematics. The analyses largely support the division of Pholcidae into five subfamilies: Ninetinae, Arteminae, Modisiminae, Smeringopinae, and Pholcinae. Their compositions are largely unchanged except that Chisosa Huber, 2000 is moved from Ninetinae to Arteminae. The positions of Artema Walckenaer, 1837 and Priscula Simon, 1893 in this system remain dubious. Relationships among subfamilies remain weakly supported, except for the sister group relationship between Smeringopinae and Pholcinae. Several major clades within subfamilies are separated from each other along geographical boundaries; for example within Modisiminae a South American clade and a Central + North American + Caribbean clade, and within Smeringopinae a Sub-Saharan clade and a clade ranging from the Mediterranean to Central Asia. Central + North American + Caribbean clades in both Ninetinae and Modisiminae may originate from South American ancestors.publishedVersio

Open Source Science for Large-Scale Data Mining in Earth Observation

The presentation shares to the NASA Earth System Observatory team DLR's expertise on the design of open-source-based big geo-spatial data processing platforms for remote sensing AI workloads in the context of DLR's initiative "terrabyte" which includes planned collaboration with IBM Research

Earth Observation Product Metadata Mapping to STAC

The standard for Spatio-Temporal Asset Catalogs (STAC) has matured and is widely being adopted. Capabilities, extensibility and tool support go beyond the existing OGC EOP, OpenSearch and OData standards. Implementing a catalogue with interfaces according to a standard requires good specifications and examples. This always has been an area for improvements. The OGC EOP standards have undergone a series of evolutions to become adult, onto which young STAC standard is still on the way. With a little help, it will soon overtake its master. In this paper we present three areas of improvements and suitable solutions are presented: a) overview of metadata specifications b) STAC metadata mappings for Copernicus datasets c) generic tool for metadata extractio

Neutral sphingomyelinase mediates the co-morbidity trias of alcohol abuse, major depression and bone defects

Mental disorders are highly comorbid and occur together with physical diseases, which are often considered to arise from separate pathogenic pathways. We observed in alcohol-dependent patients increased serum activity of neutral sphingomyelinase. A genetic association analysis in 456,693 volunteers found associations of haplotypes of SMPD3 coding for NSM-2 (NSM) with alcohol consumption, but also with affective state, and bone mineralisation. Functional analysis in mice showed that NSM controls alcohol consumption, affective behaviour, and their interaction by regulating hippocampal volume, cortical connectivity, and monoaminergic responses. Furthermore, NSM controlled bone–brain communication by enhancing osteocalcin signalling, which can independently supress alcohol consumption and reduce depressive behaviour. Altogether, we identified a single gene source for multiple pathways originating in the brain and bone, which interlink disorders of a mental–physical co-morbidity trias of alcohol abuse—depression/anxiety—bone disorder. Targeting NSM and osteocalcin signalling may, thus, provide a new systems approach in the treatment of a mental–physical co-morbidity trias

Regulation of cytoplasmic RNA stability: lessons from drosophila

The process of RNA degradation is a critical level of regulation contributing to the control of gene expression. In the last two decades a number of studies have shown the specific and targeted nature of RNA decay and its importance in maintaining homeostasis. The key players within the pathways of RNA decay are well conserved with their mutation or disruption resulting in distinct phenotypes as well as human disease. Model organisms including Drosophila melanogaster have played a substantial role in elucidating the mechanisms conferring control over RNA stability. A particular advantage of this model organism is that the functions of ribonucleases can be assessed in the context of natural cells within tissues in addition to individual immortalised cells in culture. Drosophila RNA stability research has demonstrated how the cytoplasmic decay machines, such as the exosome, Dis3L2 and Xrn1, are responsible for regulating specific processes including apoptosis, proliferation, wound healing and fertility. The work discussed here has begun to identify specific mRNA transcripts that appear sensitive to specific decay pathways representing mechanisms through which the ribonucleases control mRNA stability. Drosophila research has also contributed to our knowledge of how specific RNAs are targeted to the ribonucleases including AU rich elements, miRNA targeting and 3’ tailing. Increased understanding of these mechanisms is critical to elucidating the control elicited by the cytoplasmic ribonucleases which is relevant to human disease

The RNA Helicase DHX34 Activates NMD by Promoting a Transition from the Surveillance to the Decay-Inducing Complex

SummaryNonsense-mediated decay (NMD) is a surveillance mechanism that degrades aberrant mRNAs. A complex comprising SMG1, UPF1, and the translation termination factors eRF1 and eRF3 (SURF) is assembled in the vicinity of a premature termination codon. Subsequently, an interaction with UPF2, UPF3b, and the exon junction complex induces the formation of the decay-inducing complex (DECID) and triggers NMD. We previously identified the RNA helicase DHX34 as an NMD factor in C. elegans and in vertebrates. Here, we investigate the mechanism by which DHX34 activates NMD in human cells. We show that DHX34 is recruited to the SURF complex via its preferential interaction with hypophosphorylated UPF1. A series of molecular transitions induced by DHX34 include enhanced recruitment of UPF2, increased UPF1 phosphorylation, and dissociation of eRF3 from UPF1. Thus, DHX34 promotes mRNP remodeling and triggers the conversion from the SURF complex to the DECID complex resulting in NMD activation