Determination of the biological functions of undefined domains of VEEV nsP2.

Alphaviruses are positive sense, single strand, RNA viruses. These viruses occur on every populated continent. Alphaviruses are divided into two clades, the New-World and Old-World viruses. The New-World viruses include Eastern (EEEV), Western (WEEV), and Venezuelan equine encephalitis viruses (VEEV), and cause neuroinvasive disease. The Old-World viruses include Chikungunya (CHIKV) and Ross River viruses (RRV), and typically cause multijoint arthralgia. There are currently no approved antiviral therapeutics or vaccines for any alphavirus, making them a high priority for antiviral drug design and discovery. A benzamidine inhibitor (ML336) of VEEV was characterized, and determined to inhibit replication of VEEV RNA during infection of BHK-21 cells, a fibroblast model. This activity was due a loss of synthesis of new viral RNA. This compound had no effect on RNA synthesis in uninfected cells, making it a promising target for therapeutic development. The inhibitory activity of ML336 was highly specific for VEEV, having no effect on RNA synthesis of CHIKV. A potential interaction between ML336 and the VEEV nsPs was examined, but these results were inconclusive. ML336 and related compounds were used to generate resistant mutant VEEV. These isolates were sequenced and it was revealed that mutations were concentrated in a region of nsP2 of unknown function. Analysis of these mutant viruses revealed delayed growth, RNA synthesis, and translation of viral proteins in BHK cells. There was also a growth delay seen in SH-SY5Y cells, a model of neuronal infection. These findings indicate that this region of nsP2 is likely involved in RNA synthesis of VEEV, and shows promise as a target of antiviral drug development

Micromagnetic Domain Structures in Cylindrical Nickel Dots

The magnetic domain structures of cylindrical nickel dots (diameters from 40 nm to 1700 nm) with anisotropy parallel to the cylinder axis is predicted by the ratio of the dot diameter to the stripe period of unpatterned films with the same perpendicular anisotropy. The dominant domain structure for a given ratio increases in complexity as the ratio increases. We present evidence for the full micromagnetic domain structure for the simplest cases

Recovery of woody plant species richness in secondary forests in China: A meta-analysis

There is considerable uncertainty concerning changes in plant diversity of Chinese secondary forests, particularly with respect to diversity recovery following anthropogenic disturbance. Here we present a meta-analysis of the recovery of woody plant species richness in secondary forests in China, with nearby primary forests as a reference. A total of 125 pairs of secondary-primary forest data reported in 55 publications were identified across China. We analyzed the data by region and logging history to examine their influences on secondary forest recovery. Our results indicated that the woody plant richness of secondary forests in China was close to fully recovered when compared to the primary forest, with the recovery ratio being 85–103%. Higher recovery ratios were observed in central, northeast and southwest China, with lower recovery ratios seen in east, south and northwest China, and the recovery in central China significantly reached the primary forests (reference) level. Concerning logging histories, the recovery ratios showed two peak values, with one at 21–40 years after clear cutting and the other at 61–80 years. We reveal the fundamental recovery patterns of woody plant species richness in secondary forests in China. These patterns provide information for the sustainable management of secondary forest resources

Retrieval of Vegetation Biochemicals Using a Radiative Transfer Model and Hyperspectral data

Accurate quantitative estimation of vegetation biochemical characteristics is necessary for a large variety of agricultural and ecological applications. The advent of hyperspectral remote sensing has offered possibilities for measuring specific vegetation variables that were difficult to measure using conventional multi-spectral sensors. In this study, the potential of biophysical modelling to predict leaf and canopy chlorophyll contents in a heterogeneous grassland is investigated. The well-known PROSAIL model was inverted with HyMap measurements by means of a look-up table (LUT). HyMap images along with simultaneous in situ measurements of chlorophyll content were acquired over a National Park. We tested the impact of using multiple solutions and spectral sub-setting on parameter retrieval. To assess the performance of the model inversion, the RMSE and R2 between independent in situ measurements and estimated parameters were used. The results of the study demonstrated that inversion of the PROSAIL model yield higher accuracies for Canopy chlorophyll content, in comparison to Leaf chlorophyll content (R2=0.84, RMSE=0.24). Further a careful selection of spectral subset, which comprised the development of a new method to subset the spectral data, proved to contain sufficient information for a successful model inversion. Consequently, it increased the estimation accuracy of investigated parameters (R2=0.87, RMSE=0.22). Our results confirm the potential of model inversion for estimating vegetation biochemical parameters using hyperspectral measurements.JRC.DG.G.3-Monitoring agricultural resource

Predicting and understanding spatio-temporal dynamics of species recovery : implications for Asian crested ibis Nipponia nippon conservation in China

Acknowledgements This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 31372218) and cofunded by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) and the ITC Research Fund, Enschede, the Netherlands. We thank Shaanxi Hanzhong Crested Ibis National Nature Reserve for sharing the data of nest site locations. We are grateful to Brendan Wintle, Justin Travis and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on a previous version of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Estimating fine-scale visibility in a temperate forest landscape using airborne laser scanning

Visibility is a key factor influencing animal behavior in forest ecosystems. Fine-scale visibility in forested areas has been measured by ground-based approaches at the plot level, using site-specific methods that have limited spatial coverage. Here we examine airborne laser scanning (ALS) as a novel tool to quantify fine-scale visibility in the temperate forests of Germany at a landscape scale. We validate the (vertically derived) ALS-derived visibility measures using proven (horizontally derived) terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) estimates of true visibility. Our results indicate that there is a good agreement between the visibility resulting from ALS and TLS with an R2 ranging from 0.53 to 0.84 and a normalized RMSE varying from 15.92% to 11.81% at various plot sizes, with the highest accuracy achieved using a plot size of 35 × 35 m. Our study demonstrates for the first time that ALS can be successfully applied to quantify fine-scale visibility in temperate forests at a landscape level. This approach holds potential for studying the spatial behavior of animals (e.g., habitat selection and predator–prey relationships) in forest ecosystems.publishedVersio

LiDAR reveals a preference for intermediate visibility by a forest-dwelling ungulate species

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological SocietyAbstract 1. Visibility (viewshed) plays a significant and diverse role in animals' behaviour and fitness. Understanding how visibility influences animal behaviour requires the measurement of habitat visibility at spatial scales commensurate to individual animal choices. However, measuring habitat visibility at a fine spatial scale over a landscape is a challenge, particularly in highly heterogeneous landscapes (e.g. forests). As a result, our ability to model the influence of fine-scale visibility on animal behaviour has been impeded or limited. 2. In this study, we demonstrate the application of the concept of three-dimensional (3D) cumulative viewshed in the study of animal spatial behaviour at a landscape level. Specifically, we employed a newly described approach that combines ter-restrial and airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to measure fine-scale habitat visibility (3D cumulative viewshed) on a continuous scale in forested landscapes. We applied the LiDAR-derived visibility to investigate how visibility in forests affects the summer habitat selection and the movement of 20 GPS- collared female red deer Cervus elaphus in a temperate forest in Germany. We used integrated step selection analysis to determine whether red deer show any preference for fine-scale habitat visibility and whether visibility is related to the rate of movement of red deer. 3. We found that red deer selected intermediate habitat visibility. Their preferred level of visibility during the day was substantially lower than that of night and twilight, whereas the preference was not significantly different between night and twilight. In addition, red deer moved faster in high-visibility areas, possibly mainly to avoid predation and anthropogenic risk. Furthermore, red deer moved most rapidly between locations in the twilight. 4. For the first time, the preference for intermediate habitat visibility and the adap-tion of movement rate to fine-scale visibility by a forest-dwelling ungulate spe-cies at a landscape scale was revealed. The LiDAR technique used in this study offers fine-scale habitat visibility at the landscape level in forest ecosystems, which would be of broader interest in the fields of animal ecology and behaviour.publishedVersio

LiDAR reveals a preference for intermediate visibility by a forest-dwelling ungulate species

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of British Ecological SocietyAbstract 1. Visibility (viewshed) plays a significant and diverse role in animals' behaviour and fitness. Understanding how visibility influences animal behaviour requires the measurement of habitat visibility at spatial scales commensurate to individual animal choices. However, measuring habitat visibility at a fine spatial scale over a landscape is a challenge, particularly in highly heterogeneous landscapes (e.g. forests). As a result, our ability to model the influence of fine-scale visibility on animal behaviour has been impeded or limited. 2. In this study, we demonstrate the application of the concept of three-dimensional (3D) cumulative viewshed in the study of animal spatial behaviour at a landscape level. Specifically, we employed a newly described approach that combines ter-restrial and airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) to measure fine-scale habitat visibility (3D cumulative viewshed) on a continuous scale in forested landscapes. We applied the LiDAR-derived visibility to investigate how visibility in forests affects the summer habitat selection and the movement of 20 GPS- collared female red deer Cervus elaphus in a temperate forest in Germany. We used integrated step selection analysis to determine whether red deer show any preference for fine-scale habitat visibility and whether visibility is related to the rate of movement of red deer. 3. We found that red deer selected intermediate habitat visibility. Their preferred level of visibility during the day was substantially lower than that of night and twilight, whereas the preference was not significantly different between night and twilight. In addition, red deer moved faster in high-visibility areas, possibly mainly to avoid predation and anthropogenic risk. Furthermore, red deer moved most rapidly between locations in the twilight. 4. For the first time, the preference for intermediate habitat visibility and the adap-tion of movement rate to fine-scale visibility by a forest-dwelling ungulate spe-cies at a landscape scale was revealed. The LiDAR technique used in this study offers fine-scale habitat visibility at the landscape level in forest ecosystems, which would be of broader interest in the fields of animal ecology and behaviour.publishedVersio