A Robust Technique for Mapping Vegetation Condition Across a Major River System

Ecologists need to develop tools that allow characterization of vegetation condition over scales that are pertinent to species’ persistence and appropriate for management actions. Our study shows that stand condition can be mapped accurately over the floodplain of a major river system (ca 100,000 ha of forest over 1600 km of river)—the Murray River in southeastern Australia. It demonstrates the value of using quantitative ground surveys in conjunction with remotely sensed data to model vegetation condition over very large spatial domains. A comparison of four modelling methods found that stand condition was best modelled using the multivariate adaptive regression spline (MARS) method (R ² = 0.85), although there was little difference among the methods (R ² = 0.77–0.85). However, a subsequent validation survey of condition at new locations showed that use of artificial neural networks had substantially higher predictive power (R ² = 0.78) than the MARS model (R ² = 0.28). This discrepancy demonstrates the value of using several modelling approaches to determine relationships among vegetation responses and environmental variables, and stresses the importance of validating ecological models with predictive surveys conducted after model building. The artificial neural network was used to produce a stand condition map for the whole floodplain, which predicted that only 30% of the area containing Eucalyptus camaldulensis stands is currently in good condition. There is a downstream decline in stand condition, which is related to more extreme declines in flooding, due to water harvesting, and drier climate found in the Lower Murray region. Rigorous surveying and modelling approaches, such as those used here, are necessary if vegetation health is to be effectively monitored and managed. Author Contribution: SCC wrote the paper and was involved in all parts of the research; RM conceived and designed the study, and contributed to analysis and writing; JR designed the study, and contributed to writing; PJB designed the study and contributed to writing; MW contributed to design and modelling; JRT contributed to modelling; PG contributed new methods and modelling.     

Caspase‐8: a key role in the pathogenesis of diabetic embryopathy

Maternal diabetes causes neural tube defects in embryos, which are associated with increased apoptosis in the neuroepithelium. Many factors, including effector caspases, have been shown to be involved in the events. However, the key regulators have not been identified and the underlying mechanisms remain to be addressed. Caspase‐8, an initiator caspase, has been shown to be altered in diabetic embryopathy, suggesting a role as an upstream apoptotic regulator. Using mouse embryos as a model system, this study demonstrates that caspase‐8 is required for the production of hyperglycemia‐associated embryonic malformations. Caspase‐8 was shown to be expressed in the developing neural tube. Its activity, as evidenced by enhanced cleavage, was increased by hyperglycemia. These changes were associated with increased formation of the active cleavage of Bid. Inhibition of caspase‐8 activity in high glucose–challenged embryos reduced the rate of embryonic malformation and this was associated with decreased apoptosis in the neuroepithelium of the neural tube. Inhibition of caspase‐8 activity also reduced hyperglycemia‐induced Bid activation and caspase‐9 cleavage. These data suggest that caspase‐8 may control diabetic embryopathy‐associated apoptosis via regulation of the Bid‐stimulated mitochondrion/caspase‐9 pathway. Birth Defects Res (Part B)86:72‐77, 2009. ©2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

miR-31 promotes neural stem cell proliferation and restores motor function after spinal cord injury

This study aims to examine whether miR-31 promotes endogenous NSC proliferation and be used for spinal cord injury management. In the present study, the morpholino knockdown of miR-31 induced abnormal neuronal apoptosis in zebrafish, resulting in impaired development of the tail. miR-31 agomir transfection in NSCs increased Nestin expression and decreased ChAT and GFAP expression levels. miR-31 induced the proliferation of mouse NSCs by upregulating the Notch signaling pathway, and more NSCs entered G1; Notch was inhibited by miR-31 inactivation. Injection of a miR-31 agomir into mouse models of spinal cord injury could effectively restore motor functions after spinal cord injury, which was achieved by promoting the proliferation of endogenous NSCs. After the injection of a miR-31 agomir in spinal cord injury mice, the expression of Nestin and GFAP increased, while GFAP expression decreased. In conclusion, the zebrafish experiments prove that a lack of miR-31 will block nervous system development. In spinal cord injury mouse models, miR-31 overexpression might promote spinal cord injury repair.     

行道树叶绿素变化的高光谱神经网络模型

采样分析了城市行道树（长春市主要街道）与对比区（净月潭国家森林公园）相应树种的叶绿素变化,并对由叶绿索变化引起的光谱反射率以ASD光谱仪进行了测试,并对二者之间的关系进行了单波段回归分析、V1植被指数与叶绿素含量的模型分析以及神经网络模型分析。结果表明,1）城市环境对行道树叶绿素有重要影响,但是对针叶树种响应较小,而阔叶树种响应较大;2）光谱反射率与测试树种叶绿素含量关系密切,在740～760nm附近确定性系数达0．72以上;3）PSSR植被指数与测试树种的叶绿素含量关系密切,幂函数回归的决定系数R^2为0．82左右。3）神经网络模型能够提高光谱反射率模型反演植被叶绿素含量的水平,模型的决定系数R^2高达0．97。表明高光谱遥感可以用来监测因城市环境引起的植被叶绿素变化。     

Differentiation profile of brain tumor stem cells： a comparative study with neural stem cells

Understanding of the differentiation profile of brain tumor stem cells （BTSCs）, the key ones among tumor cell population, through comparison with neural stem cells （NSCs） would lend insight into the origin of glioma and ultimately yield new approaches to fight this intractable disease. Here, we cultured and purified BTSCs from surgical glioma specimens and NSCs from human fetal brain tissue, and further analyzed their cellular biological behaviors, especially their differentiation property. As expected, NSCs differentiated into mature neural phenotypes. In the same differentiation condition, however, BTSCs exhibited distinguished differences. Morphologically, cells grew flattened and attached for the first week, but gradually aggregated and reformed floating tumor sphere thereafter. During the corresponding period, the expression rate of undifferentiated cell marker CD 133 and nestin in BTSCs kept decreasing, but 1 week later, they regained ascending tendency. Interestingly, the differentiated cell markers GFAP and β-tubulinlII showed an expression change inverse to that of undifferentiated cell markers. Taken together, BTSCs were revealed to possess a capacity to resist differentiation, which actually represents the malignant behaviors of glioma.     

Human Wharton’s jelly cells can be induced to differentiate into growth factor-secreting oligodendrocyte progenitor-like cells

Human Wharton’s jelly-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (hWJ-MSCs) are capable of differentiating into neural and astroglia-like cell types. However, a reliable means of inducing the selective differentiation of hWJ-MSCs into oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) in vitro has not yet been established. In this study, the OPC-like differentiation of hWJ-MSCs was characterized using and immunoblotting. The hWJ-MSC-derived OPC-like cells were able to secrete nerve growth factors and promote neurite outgrowth in vitro. These results show that hWJ-MSCs can be induced to differentiate into cells with the morphologic, phenotypic and functional characteristics of OPC-like cells.     

Prediction of nitrophenol-type compounds using chemometrics and spectrophotometry

Two chemometric methods, WPT-ERNN and least square support vector machines (LS-SVM), were developed to perform the simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of nitrophenol-type compounds with overlapping spectra. The WPT-ERNN method is based on Elman recurrent neural network (ERNN) regression combined with wavelet packet transform (WPT) preprocessing and relies on the concept of combining the idea of WPT denoising with ERNN calibration for enhancing the noise removal ability and the quality of regression without prior separation. The LS-SVM technique is capable of learning a high-dimensional feature with fewer training data and reducing the computational complexity by requiring the solution of only a set of linear equations instead of a quadratic programming problem. The relative standard errors of prediction (RSEPs) obtained for all components using WPT-ERNN, ERNN, LS-SVM, partial least squares (PLS), and multivariate linear regression (MLR) were compared. Experimental results showed that the WPT-ERNN and LS-SVM methods were successful for the simultaneous determination of nitrophenol-type compounds even when severe overlap of spectra was present.     

A transitional extracellular matrix instructs cell behavior during muscle regeneration

Urodele amphibians regenerate appendages through the recruitment of progenitor cells into a blastema that rebuilds the lost tissue. Blastemal formation is accompanied by extensive remodeling of the extracellular matrix. Although this remodeling process is important for appendage regeneration, it is not known whether the remodeled matrix directly influences the generation and behavior of blastemal progenitor cells. By integrating in vivo 3-dimensional spatiotemporal matrix maps with in vitro functional time-lapse imaging, we show that key components of this dynamic matrix, hyaluronic acid, tenascin-C and fibronectin, differentially direct cellular behaviors including DNA synthesis, migration, myotube fragmentation and myoblast fusion. These data indicate that both satellite cells and fragmenting myofibers contribute to the regeneration blastema and that the local extracellular environment provides instructive cues for the regenerative process. The fact that amphibian and mammalian myoblasts exhibit similar responses to various matrices suggests that the ability to sense and respond to regenerative signals is evolutionarily conserved.