Competitive effect, but not competitive response, varies along a climatic gradient depending on tree species identity

Background: Understanding the role of species identity in interactions among individuals is crucial for assessing the productivity and stability of mixed forests over time. However, there is limited knowledge concerning the variation in competitive effect and response of different species along climatic gradients. In this study, we investigated the importance of climate, tree size, and competition on the growth of three tree species: spruce(Picea abies), fir(Abies alba), and beech(Fagus sylvatica), and examined their competitive response and effect along a climatic gradient.Methods: We selected 39 plots distributed across the European mountains with records of the position and growth of 5,759 individuals. For each target species, models relating tree growth to tree size, climate and competition were proposed. Competition was modelled using a neighbourhood competition index that considered the effects of inter-and intraspecific competition on target trees. Competitive responses and effects were related to climate.Likelihood methods and information theory were used to select the best model.Results: Our findings revealed that competition had a greater impact on target species growth than tree size or climate. Climate did influence the competitive effects of neighbouring species, but it did not affect the target species? response to competition. The strength of competitive effects varied along the gradient, contingent on the identity of the interacting species. When the target species exhibited an intermediate competitive effect relative to neighbouring species, both higher inter-than intraspecific competitive effects and competition reduction occurred along the gradient. Notably, species competitive effects were most pronounced when the target species' growth was at its peak and weakest when growing conditions were far from their maximum.Conclusions: Climate modulates the effects of competition from neighbouring trees on the target tree and not the susceptibility of the target tree to competition. The modelling approach should be useful in future research to expand our knowledge of how competition modulates forest communities across environmental gradients.

Determination of functional fitness age in women aged 50 and older

Background: The construction of useful and attainable indicators of fitness assessment deserves special attention in clinical practice. We aimed to construct an indicator of the functional fitness age(FFA) of women aged 50 and older by an equation using fitness outcomes and its correlation with chronological age(CA) and to analyze the external validity of our results by comparing our sample to others.Methods: Participants(n=459, age: 70.3 ± 7.9 years, mean ± SD) were evaluated using the Senior Fitness Test battery. We applied a multiple regression and a subsequent Holt's exponential smoothing to analyze the outcomes.Results: We obtained a statistically significant expression of F(6, 452) = 328.384; p < 0.0005 in which the coefficients of the equation explain81% of variability(R_(corrected)~2 = 0.813). The equation correlates fitness assessment in women aged 50 and over with regards to CA:FFA = 40.146 + 0.350 X CS(stand)-0.714 X AC(rep)-0.110 X ST(step)-0.177 X CSR(cm)-0.101 X BS(cm) + 8.835 X FUG(s) where CS means chair stand test, AC. means arm curl test, ST means 2-min step test, CSR means chair sit-and-reach test, BS means back scratch test, FUG means 8-foot up-and-go test. We compared this index with percentiles distribution from our sample and from other studies.Conclusion: We suggest the use of FFA as a valid indicator of fitness in adult and senior women as well as a useful motivational tool to undertake exercise programs.

Application of light detection and ranging and ultrasonic sensors to high-throughput phenotyping and precision horticulture: current status and challenges

Ultrasonic and light detection and ranging(LiDAR)sensors have been some of the most deeply investigated sensing technologies within the scope of digital horticulture.They can accurately estimate geometrical and structural parameters of the tree canopies providing input information for high-throughput phenotyping and precision horticulture.A review was conducted in order to describe how these technologies evolved and identify the main investigated topics,applications,and key points for future investigations in horticulture science.Most research efforts have been focused on the development of data acquisition systems,data processing,and high-resolution 3D modeling to derive structural tree parameters such as canopy volume and leaf area.Reported applications of such sensors for precision horticulture were restricted to real-time variable-rate solutions where ultrasonic or LiDAR sensors were tested to adjust plant protection product or fertilizer dose rates according to the tree volume variability.More studies exploring other applications in site-specific management are encouraged;some that integrates canopy sensing data with other sources of information collected at the within-grove scale(e.g.,digital elevation models,soil type maps,historical yield maps,etc.).Highly accurate 3D tree models derived from LiDAR scanning demonstrate their great potential for tree phenotyping.However,the technology has not been widely adopted by researchers to evaluate the performance of new plant varieties or the outcomes from different management practices.Commercial solutions for tree scanning of whole groves,orchards,and nurseries would promote such adoption and facilitate more applied research in plant phenotyping and precision horticulture.

Impact of Robinia pseudoacacia stand conversion on soil properties and bacterial community composition in Mount Tai,China

Background:Robinia pseudoacacia is a widely planted pioneer tree species in reforestations on barren mountains in northern China.Because of its nitrogen-fixing ability,it can play a positive role in soil and forest restoration.After clearcutting of planted stands,R.pseudoacacia stands become coppice plantations.The impacts of shifting from seedling to coppice stands on soil bacterial community and soil properties have not been wel described.This study aims to quantify how soil properties and bacterial community composition vary between planted seedling versus coppice stands.Methods:Nine 20 m×20 m plots were randomly selected in seedling and coppice stands.The bulk soil and rhizosphere soil were sampled in summer 2017.Bulk soil was sampled at 10 cm from the soil surface using a soil auger.Rhizosphere soil samples were col ected using a brush.The soil samples were transported to the laboratory for chemical analysis,and bacterial community composition and diversity was obtained through DNA extraction,16 S r RNA gene amplification and high-throughput sequencing.Results:The results showed that,compared to seedling plantations,soil quality decreased significantly in coppice stands,but without affecting soil exchangeable Mg^(2+) and K^(+).Total carbon(C)and nitrogen(N)were lower in the rhizosphere than in bulk soil,whereas nutrient availability showed an opposite trend.The conversion from seedling to coppice plantations was also related to significant differences in soil bacterial community structure and to the reduction of soil bacterialα-diversity.Principal component analysis(PCA)showed that bacterial community composition was similar in both bulk and rhizosphere soils in second-generation coppice plantations.Special y,the conversion from seedling to coppice stands increased the relative abundance of Proteobacteria and Rhizobium,but reduced that of Actinobacteria,which may result in a decline of soil nutrient availability.Mantel tests revealed that C,N,soil organic matter(SOM),nitrate nitrogen(NO^(-)+(3)-N)and available phosphorus positively correlated with bacterial community composition,while a variation partition analysis(VPA)showed that NO^(-)+(3)-N explained a relatively greater proportion of bacterial distribution(15.12%),compared with C and SOM.Surprisingly,N showed no relationship with bacterial community composition,which may be related to nitrogen transportation.Conclusions:The conversion from seedling to coppice stands reduced soil quality and led to spatial-temporal homogenization of the soil bacterial community structure in both the rhizosphere and bulk soils.Such imbalance in microbial structure can accelerate the decline of R.pseudoacacia.This may affect the role of R.pseudoacacia coppice stands in soil and forest restoration of barren lands in mountain areas.

Performance of statistical and machine learning-based methods for predicting biogeographical patterns of fungal productivity in forest ecosystems

Background:The prediction of biogeographical patterns from a large number of driving factors with complex interactions,correlations and non-linear dependences require advanced analytical methods and modeling tools.This study compares different statistical and machine learning-based models for predicting fungal productivity biogeographical patterns as a case study for the thorough assessment of the performance of alternative modeling approaches to provide accurate and ecologically-consistent predictions.Methods:We evaluated and compared the performance of two statistical modeling techniques,namely,generalized linear mixed models and geographically weighted regression,and four techniques based on different machine learning algorithms,namely,random forest,extreme gradient boosting,support vector machine and artificial neural network to predict fungal productivity.Model evaluation was conducted using a systematic methodology combining random,spatial and environmental blocking together with the assessment of the ecological consistency of spatially-explicit model predictions according to scientific knowledge.Results:Fungal productivity predictions were sensitive to the modeling approach and the number of predictors used.Moreover,the importance assigned to different predictors varied between machine learning modeling approaches.Decision tree-based models increased prediction accuracy by more than 10%compared to other machine learning approaches,and by more than 20%compared to statistical models,and resulted in higher ecological consistence of the predicted biogeographical patterns of fungal productivity.Conclusions:Decision tree-based models were the best approach for prediction both in sampling-like environments as well as in extrapolation beyond the spatial and climatic range of the modeling data.In this study,we show that proper variable selection is crucial to create robust models for extrapolation in biophysically differentiated areas.This allows for reducing the dimensions of the ecosystem space described by the predictors of the models,resulting in higher similarity between the modeling data and the environmental conditions over the whole study area.When dealing with spatial-temporal data in the analysis of biogeographical patterns,environmental blocking is postulated as a highly informative technique to be used in cross-validation to assess the prediction error over larger scales.

Creation of a Geo-Spatial Database to Analyse Railways in Europe (1830-2010). A Historical GIS Approach

The GIS is a tool that allows us to study the logic of the distribution of phenomena that occur on the Earth’s surface. In this article, we propose exploring its potential for historical research over long periods. Here, we present a Historical GIS (HGIS) of the railways of Europe for the period 1830-2010. This is a response to the need to carry out spatialtemporal analyses in order to evaluate the territorial impact of the railway and its influence on the distribution of population. The main objectives of this work are: to publicise the existence of this spatial database;to explain the approach followed in order to produce it;and to highlight some of the results that have already been achieved by using it. To date, the possibilities offered by HGIS have hardly been explored in research into the territorial impact of the railway. Similarly, until now, little work has been done in this area at the European scale. The most innovative aspects of this HGIS therefore lie in the methodology used and the subject treated.

Micromorphology of Surface Crusts in the Knersvlakte,South Africa

Soils in the Knersvlakte are particularly prone to crusting and have lower inherent infiltrability than other soils across western southern Africa. Micromorphological techniques were used to examine the structure and porosity of soil crusts in the Knersvlakte to ascertain why crusting is so intense in this region. Quantile regression using boundary lines was employed to examine the relationships between infiltrability and soil properties for all samples (n = 67). This analysis showed that infiltrability is potentially maximal at low water-dispersible 'clay plus silt' content and low silt content (r2 = 0.72 and 0.64; respectively, n = 67) (Figure 2). The strength of crusts, pH, EC, clay mineralogy, and water-dispersible clay, silt and 'clay plus silt' content were compared, and a pore analysis using optical microscopy was undertaken on images of six soil thin sections (n = 6) (circular and parallel polarizers). Pore analysis was further undertaken on five horizontal slices of equal dimensions taken through each soil thin section. The porosity samples with low infiltrability (< 100 mm·hr-1, n = 4) had greater crust strength, lower porosity (both total and in the least porous slice) and greater water-dispersible 'clay plus silt' and silt content than the porosity samples with high infiltrability (> 100 mm·hr-1, n = 2). The porosity samples with low infiltrability showed a trend of lower pH and greater water dispersible clay percentage. Porosity varied within the porosity samples due to the presence of dense clay/silt bands (< 0.5 mm in width) with relatively few air vesicles. The porosity samples with horizontal slices of low porosity (but large numbers of air vesicles) had low infiltrability, while those without slices of low porosity (and relatively few air vesicles) had high infiltrability. We conclude that the intense crusting and resultant low infiltrability of soils in the Knersvlakte appears to be related to the formation of thin, dense clay/silt bands in the pedoderm.

Evaluation of Replacement Policies in Sow Farms Using Arena^(TM) Simulation Software

This paper presents an application of the simulation of discrete events (SED) using ARENATM in the management of large-scale breeding farms. The main objective of the simulation model is to find a policy of replacement, to ensure the best economic performance of a farm. The only variant analyzed of replacement policy was the number of cycles set in permanency for a sow in the herd. Considered incomes come from the sale of piglets and unproductive sows, and costs are due to the feeding of animals, replacement sows purchases, and the operation expenses of the farm. For this analysis, the production process was divided into three major stages called: mating, pregnancy or gestation and lactation. The sow’s movement from one stage to other was modeled by cycle-dependent transition probabilities. Considering the daily utility, as response variable, the model shows the best number of cycles to maintain the sows.

The relationship between fire severity and burning efficiency for estimating wildfire emissions in Mediterranean forests

Forests are exposed to changing climatic conditions reflected by increasing drought and heat waves that increase the risk of wildfire ignition and spread.Climatic variables such as rain and wind as well as vegetation structure,land configuration and forest management practices are all factors that determine the burning potential of wildfires.The assessment of emissions released by vegetation combustion is essential for determining greenhouse gases and air pollutants.The estimation of wildfire-related emissions depends on factors such as the type and fraction of fuel(i.e.,live biomass,ground litter,dead wood)consumed by the fire in a given area,termed the burning efficiency.Most approaches estimate live burning efficiency from optical remote sensing data.This study used a data-driven method to estimate live burning efficiency in a Mediterranean area.Burning severity estimations from Lands at imagery(dNBR),which relate to fuel consumption,and quantitative field data from three national forest inventory data were combined to establish the relationship between burning severity and live burning efficiency.Several proxies explored these relationships based on dNBR interval classes,as well as regres sion models.The correlation results between live burning efficiency and dNBR for conifers(R=0.63)and broad-leaved vegetation(R=0.95)indicated ways for improving emissions estimations.Median estimations by severity class(low,moderate-low,moderate-high,and high)are provided for conifers(0.44-0.81)and broad-leaves(0.64-0.86),and regression models for the live fraction of the tree canopy susceptible to burning(<2 cm,2-7 cm,>7 branches,and leaves).The live burning efficiency values by severity class were higher than previous studies.

Ocular surface squamous neoplasia resistant to topical interferon alpha 2b in a patient with follicular lymphoma

Dear Editor,Treatment for ocular surface squamous neoplasia(OSSN)includes topical mitomycin C(MMC),5-fluorouracil(5-FU)and interferon(IFN)-alpha 2b eyedrops[1-2].Compared to other treatments,such as mitomycin C(MMC),IFN-alpha 2b is well tolerated and causes fewer side effects[1-2].

Transient and DNA-free in vivo CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing for flexible modeling of endometrial carcinogenesis

Dear Editor,The Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats(CRISPR)and CRISPR-associated protein 9(Cas9)(CRISPR/Cas9)-mediated generation of somatically genetically engineered mouse models have emerged as a new approach for in vivo modeling of cancer[1].Here,we describe a novel DNA-free,easy,rapid,flexible,multiplexable,and robust method to model endometrial neoplasia by CRISPR/Cas9 ribonucleoprotein(RNP)electroporation into the uterus of mice.

OVERVIEW OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS IN SPORT

The complex systems approach offers an opportunity to replace the extant pre-dominant mechanistic view on sport-related phenomena.The emphasis on the environment-system relationship,the applications of complexity principles,and the use of nonlinear dynamics mathematical tools propose a deep change in sport science.Coordination dynamics,ecological dynamics,and network approaches have been successfully applied to the study of different sport-related behaviors,from movement patterns that emerge at different scales constrained by specific sport contexts to game dynamics.Sport benefit from the use of such approaches in the understanding of technical,tactical,or physical conditioning aspects which change their meaning and dilute their frontiers.The creation of new learning and training strategies for teams and individual athletes is a main practical consequence.Some challenges for the future are investigating the influence of key control parameters in the nonlinear behavior of athlete-environment systems and the possible relatedness of the dynamics and constraints acting at different spatio-temporal scales in team sports.Modelling sport-related phenomena can make useful contributions to a better understanding of complex systems and vice-versa.

On/Off-Line Prediction Applied to Job Scheduling on Non-Dedicated NOWs

This paper proposes a prediction engine designed for non-dedicated clusters, which is able to estimate the turnaround time for parallel applications, even in the presence of serial workload of the workstation owner. The prediction engine can be configured to work with three different estimation kernels： a Historical kernel, a Simulation kernel based on analytical models and an integration of both, named Hybrid kernel. These estimation proposals were integrated into a scheduling system, named CISNE, which can be executed in an on-line or off-line mode. The accuracy of the proposed estimation methods was evaluated in relation to different job scheduling policies in a real and a simulated cluster environment. In both environments, we observed that the Hybrid system gives the best results because it combines the ability of a simulation engine to capture the dynamism of a non-dedicated environment together with the accuracy of the historical methods to estimate the application runtime considering the state of the resources.

Gastric and small intestinal lipid digestion kinetics as affected by the gradual addition of lipases and bile salts

We studied the effect of evolving from static in vitro digestion conditions towards the gradual addition of essential digestive compounds for lipid digestion.Two oil-in-water emulsions were considered:a low(5%w/w)and high(20%w/w)triolein-based emulsion with identical surfactant-to-oil ratio(0.2).Emulsions were subjected to in vitro static digestion conditions or gradual gastric lipase addition,gradual pancreatic lipase addition,and/or gradual bile salt addition.For these three latter cases,similar amounts of gastric/pancreatic lipase and/or bile salts were provided as in the static case,however divided over 4 doses added during the first 30 min of each digestive phase.For the low-lipid emulsion,gradually adding lipases and bile salts did not significantly affect lipolysis kinetics.This can be related to the sufficient amounts of digestive compounds present even in the smallest initial dose.For the high-lipid emulsion,the gradual addition of bile salts significantly reduced the lipolysis rate.Bile salts are essential to remove lipid digestion products from the interface and thus allow the continuation of the lipid digestion process at the interface.Oppositely,the lipolysis extent after 2 h of small intestinal phase was not significantly influenced by the digestion approach.This is again explained by the simple nature of the emulsions studied and the excess of lipase even in the smallest initial dose.Overall,this work showed that evolving towards more(semi-)dynamic digestion conditions can impact(lipid)digestion kinetics,even for relatively simple food compositions,and is of interest to obtain more physiological relevant digestion kinetics.

Mapping forest vegetation patterns in an Atlantic-Mediterranean transitional area by integration of ordination and geostatistical techniques

Aims Forest vegetation variability may be explained by the complex inter-play among several spatial structuring factors,including climate and topography.We modelled the spatial variability of forest vegetation assemblages and significant environmental variables along a com-plex environmental gradient or coenocline to produce a detailed cartographic database portraying the distribution of forests along it.Methods We combined an analysis of ordination coenoclines with kriging over 772 field data plots from the third Spanish National Forest Inventory in an Atlantic-Mediterranean transitional area(northern Spain).Important Findings The best fitted empirical semivariogram revealed a strong spatial structure of forest species composition along the complex envi-ronmental gradient considered(the climatic-topographic gradient from north to south).The steady and gradual increase of semivari-ance with a marked lag distance indicates a gradual turnover of forest assemblages according to the climatic-topographic vari-ations(regional or local).Two changes in the slope of the semi-variogram suggest the existence of two different scales of spatial variation.The interpolation map by Kriging of forest vegetation assemblages along the main coenocline shows a clear spatial dis-tribution pattern of trees and shrubs in accordance with the spa-tial variation of significant environmental variables.We concluded that the multivariate geostatistical approach is a suitable technique for spatial analysis of forest systems employing data from national forest inventories based on a regular network of field plots.The development of an assortment of maps describing changes in veg-etation assemblages and variation in environmental variables is expected to be a suitable tool for an integrated forest management and planning.

The Role of Abstraction in the Evolution of Semiotic Systems

The action of signs in human lives and in the evolution of cultures is to be understood in the light of semiosis, the process by which a meaning is given to all things in the world. Writing systems, as a sort of semiotic creation, evolve according to the laws of semiosis and the rhythm of human stepping ahead. This paper is an attempt to afford evidence of three relevant facts: a) A close contact, or at least a remarkable coincidence, of writing cultures in ancient times. b) An apparent and undeniable process of divergence of writing systems over centuries. c) A tendency to a new convergence of writing systems, as an ongoing process inferable from the new symbols of an increasingly globalised world. We propose that one of the elements that push these processes forward is abstraction, and we suggest that abstraction might be the leading factor in the evolution of writing and semiotic systems.

Toward a History of Cross-Cultural Written Symbols

It is our assumption that the goal of primitive written symbols was to create suprasubjective representations. We feel that this has continued to be the case throughout the course of history. In an increasingly globalised world, this goal seems even more evident, and we could highlight that symbolic representations tend to be supraregional, supranational, supracultural, and supraideological. Arabic, Chinese, and Suzhou numerals are nowadays restricted to specific uses and regions. Instead, Hindu-Arabic numerals, widely spread by modern computers, are commonly used everywhere. Millions of people know the meaning of symbols such as 2, 3, 4, 5, =, ≠, ≥,√, and ∞. Almost everybody is able to recognize the usual iconic signs that mean ‘disabled person' or ‘smoking is forbidden'. And in spite of its importance in contemporary society, a project devoted to the study of the origins, spreading, and evolution of those symbols is still lacking. The aim of our paper is to point out the theoretical and methodological assumptions upon which a history of cross-cultural written symbols should be undertaken. In this essay we consider the opportunity to study the history of written symbols a chapter in the evolution of mankind marked by a twofold1 process: on the one side, the divergence of symbolic systems all around the world in past times, and on the other, the symptoms of a convergence of these systems at present, or we might say, the will of convergence toward new, unifi ed systems.

三种藓类植物固碳耗水节律调节作用

藓类植物作为缺乏维管组织的非等水植物,其光合作用和耗水量主要受到光照、温度和水分供应状况的影响;这些环境条件随昼夜交替改变,是否使得藓类植物形成了类似维管植物的内在昼夜节律调节机制,目前还所知甚少;理解其节律响应特点对于藓类植物的保育与利用具有重要意义。该研究对脆枝青藓(Brachythecium thraustum)、大灰藓(Hypnum plumaeforme)和长叶提灯藓(Mnium lycopodioides)进行12 h/12 h的昼夜光周期驯化后进行24 h/0 h的持续光照处理,分别测定3种藓类在12 h/12 h和24 h/0 h光周期条件下的净光合速率(Pn)和蒸腾速率(Tr),结果表明:排除光照和叶-气水汽压差(VPD)等环境影响之后,3种藓类的这两个指标均观察到明显的节律变化,节律调节作用能够解释其Pn和Tr日变化的23.4%和30.2%;且维管植物中少见的Tr节律作用出现在所有受试的藓类植物上;Pn和Tr的节律响应存在明显的种间差异,该研究中节律性最强的物种为脆枝青藓。以脆枝青藓为例进一步分析其全光照下非结构性碳水化合物(NSC)的节律响应时序转录组,结果表明:35.1%的淀粉、糖类合成代谢相关基因的表达具有节律性,且与NSC含量的昼夜节律变化相关;脱落酸信号和气孔调节相关基因的表达变化与Tr的节律调节相关;光合电子传递和暗反应相关蛋白的转录水平变化与光合作用节律保持一致。藓类植物虽然丢失了生物钟核心反馈环CCA1/LHY基因,但是核心生物钟功能集中于PRRs家族,通过级联调节使得光合作用生物学过程和保卫细胞水分/离子运输过程等相关基因表达呈现显著的节律性,最终导致固碳耗水的节律响应高度保守。