Censusing and modeling the dynamics of a population of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L.) using remote sensing

A population of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L.) was censused from the ground using traditional field methods and from the air using large scale, high-resolution, aerial imagery in the early spring of 1997, 1998 and 1999. A manual crown survey map of the population, prepared from aerial imagery, was compared to a traditional field census. Over 60% of the individuals measured on the ground were not detected in the aerial census. Tree size, crown density and crown position all played roles in determining a crown\u27s visibility from the air. Nearly all large, upper canopy hemlocks were visible in the aerial census. An important minority of small, lower canopy hemlocks were also visible in the aerial census. An automated spatial segmentation procedure was developed to identify and measure individual population units, or blobs, within the forest population. A blob was defined as a distinct portion of crown segmented from its neighbors on the basis of size, shape, and connectivity. To ensure the comparability of multi-year segmentation maps, an automated blob reconciliation procedure was also developed to make certain that no hemlock pixels were assigned to different blobs in different years. Following spatial segmentation and reconciliation, a large majority of hemlock blobs (∼64--72%) were found to be closely associated with ground referenced, manually delineated, individual hemlock crowns. The remaining blobs consisted of spatially distinct parts of a crown or closely clumped multiple crowns. Matrix population models were constructed from the ground-derived and aerial-derived population data. Matrix analysis produced a number of useful population characteristics including overall population growth rate (lambda), stable stage distributions, reproductive values, and sensitivity values. lambda\u27s calculated from the aerial and ground-derived matrices were compared using randomization tests. While providing a different perspective and description of a population than traditional ground studies, demographic studies using remote sensing provide some promising advantages. The spatially explicit nature of the data permits more biologically realistic modeling of the population and the investigation of potential environmental influences on population dynamics. Automated extraction of demographic or megademographic data from remotely sensed images represents an important first step toward scaling population analysis to the landscape and regional levels

BMQ

BMQ: Boston Medical Quarterly was published from 1950-1966 by the Boston University School of Medicine and the Massachusetts Memorial Hospitals

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Workmen\u27s Compensation

The decisions in the field of workmen\u27s compensation during the survey period represent no significant change in, or departure from, existing law. The volume of cases decided in the appellate courts of Georgia during the year covered is less by one-third than the number in the previous corresponding period. The author of last year\u27s survey\u27 on -this subject reviewed the workmen\u27s compensation statutes and the principal decisions which serve as landmarks and guideposts through this somewhat special and ever-expanding field of law; it is, therefore, deemed appropriate only to supplement last year\u27s exhaustive survey with those decisions which represent developments in the field. There were no statutory additions or alterations to the law of workmen\u27s compensation, and the cases dealing with the subject were all decided by the Court of Appeals, a fact which might well indicate that the constitutional questions which in the past have been involved in the subject have been settled by the Supreme Court with the exception of questions arising out of particular factual situations