ASSESSING THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN VERTICAL STRUCTURE, BIODIVERSITY, AND SUCCESSION IN A FOREST ECOSYSTEM USING LIDAR REMOTE SENSING

This thesis used lidar remote sensing to explore the role of vertical structure in forest ecosystem dynamics. In particular, relationship between the vertical distribution, biodiversity, and succession was examined in Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH (HBEF). The first objective was to develop metrics characterizing vertical foliage distribution or canopy layering. Two novel metrics (canopy layer structure categories and number of foliage profile layers) were created, allowing canopy layering to be mapped HBEF. The canopy layer structure metric categorizes areas by comparing the amount of vegetation in under, mid, and overstories. The number of foliage profile layers is related to peaks in the foliage area profile, representing area of dense of "clumped" foliage. Both these metrics varied with canopy height and elevation, areas with taller trees and lower elevations tended to have more foliage profile layers and were classified as categories with a dominant overstory. The second objective was to examine the relationship between vertical canopy structure and avian species diversity. Multiple vertical structure metrics were derived for 370 bird plots in HBEF. Foliage height diversity (FHD) varied greatly in relation to bird species diversity. Of the foliage distribution metrics, vegetation ratio and number of foliage profile layers explained the most variability in bird species diversity. The lidar metric of height at median return (HOME) had the strongest correlation with bird species diversity (r = - 0.56). This study showed a moderate correlation between bird species diversity and foliage distribution metrics. It further supports previous studies which question the applicability of FHD. Finally, change in vertical structure in HBEF was examined using lidar data from 1999 and 2009. Due to significant change in canopy height, canopy cover, vegetation ratio and understory cover during the time period, it was determined that HBEF had not reached steady-state. Recently disturbed areas had significantly higher canopy height growth than undisturbed areas, despite being at higher elevations. This research presents standardized metrics for the characterization and mapping of canopy foliage distribution. It also provides ecological links between lidar metrics and ecological concepts to enabling these measurements of forest structure to be applied in other areas

Earth Observation Data for All: NASA and Google Earth Engine's Public-Private Partnership

No abstract availabl

Building a Data Ecosystem: A New Data Stewardship Paradigm for the Multi-Mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform (MAAP)

New adaptive approaches to Earth observation data stewardship need to be adopted in order to allow for higher data volumes, heterogeneous data and constantly evolving technologies. The data ecosystem approach to stewardship offers a viable solution to this need by placing an emphasis on the relationships between data, technologies and people. In this paper, we present the Joint ESA-NASA Multi-Mission Algorithm and Analysis Platforms (MAAP) creation of a data ecosystem to support global aboveground terrestrial carbon dynamics research. We present the components needed to support the MAAP data ecosystem along with two data stewardship workflows used in the MAAP and the development of extended metadata for MAAP

Creating the Future: the Joint ESA-NASA Multi-Mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform's Data Ecosystem

No abstract availabl

Data Ecosystem for the Joint ESA-NASA Multimission Algorithm and Analysis Platform

No abstract availabl

The Joint ESA-NASA Multi-Mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform (MAAP): Enabling Open Science for the Global Aboveground Terrestrial Carbon Dynamics Research Community

No abstract availabl

Extending the Climate Data Initiative to GeoPlatform.gov

No abstract availabl

Building a Data Ecosystem: A New Data Stewardship Paradigm for the Multi-Mission Algorithm and Analysis Platform (MAAP)

Acronyms: ARDS: Analysis Ready Data; AODS: Analytics Optimized Data Store

The Lantern, 2009-2010

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Autocrine Activation of the MET Receptor Tyrosine Kinase in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Although the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has improved significantly, more than half of all patients develop disease that is refractory to intensive chemotherapy. Functional genomics approaches offer a means to discover specific molecules mediating aberrant growth and survival of cancer cells. Thus, using a loss-of-function RNA interference genomic screen, we identified aberrant expression of the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) as a critical factor in AML pathogenesis. We found HGF expression leading to autocrine activation of its receptor tyrosine kinase, MET, in nearly half of the AML cell lines and clinical samples studied. Genetic depletion of HGF or MET potently inhibited the growth and survival of HGF-expressing AML cells. However, leukemic cells treated with the specific MET kinase inhibitor crizotinib developed resistance due to compensatory upregulation of HGF expression, leading to restoration of MET signaling. In cases of AML where MET is coactivated with other tyrosine kinases, such as fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), concomitant inhibition of FGFR1 and MET blocked compensatory HGF upregulation, resulting in sustained logarithmic cell kill both in vitro and in xenograft models in vivo. Our results demonstrate widespread dependence of AML cells on autocrine activation of MET, as well as the importance of compensatory upregulation of HGF expression in maintaining leukemogenic signaling by this receptor. We anticipate that these findings will lead to the design of additional strategies to block adaptive cellular responses that drive compensatory ligand expression as an essential component of the targeted inhibition of oncogenic receptors in human cancers