Modelling non-industrial private forest landowners' strategic decision making by using logistic regression and neural networks: case of predicting the choice of forest taxation basis

Summary

Monitoring and predicting crop growth and analysing agricultural ecosystems by remote sensing

Selostus: Maatalousekosysteemien analysointi ja sadon ennustaminen kaukokartoituksen avulla

Estimation of the parameters of the gravitational-wage signal of a coalescing binary system

The statistical theory of signal detection and the estimation of its parameters are reviewed and applied to the case of detection of the gravitational-wave signal from a coalescing binary by a laser interferometer. The correlation integral and the covariance matrix for all possible static configurations are investigated numerically. Approximate analytic formulas are derived for the case of narrow band sensitivity configuration of the detector.

Predicting body weight from body measurements of pre-pubertal Ayshire heifers

Selostus: Hiehojen elopainon määrittäminen mittauksin alkukasvatusvaiheessa

Divergent signal-to-noise ratio and stochastic resonance in monostable systems

We present a class of systems for which the signal-to-noise ratio always increases when increasing the noise and diverges at infinite noise level. This new phenomenon is a direct consequence of the existence of a scaling law for the signal-to-noise ratio and implies the appearance of stochastic resonance in some monostable systems. We outline applications of our results to a wide variety of systems pertaining to different scientific areas. Two particular examples are discussed in detail.

Inflammatory diseases: is ubiquitinated NEMO at the hub?

Many patients with Crohn's disease carry mutations in NOD2, a molecule that can both activate and attenuate the pro-inflammatory effects of NF-kappa B. Recent studies implicate NOD2-induced ubiquitination of the NF-kappa B regulator NEMO as a potential means of manipulating the NF-kappa B signal.

Manipulating the sensitivity of signal-induced repression: quantification and consequences of altered brinker gradients.

Traditionally, the analysis of gene regulatory regions suffered from the caveat that it was restricted to artificial contexts (e.g. reporter constructs of limited size). With the advent of the BAC recombineering technique, genomic constructs can now be generated to test regulatory elements in their endogenous environment. The expression of the transcriptional repressor brinker (brk) is negatively regulated by Dpp signaling. Repression is mediated by small sequence motifs, the silencer elements (SEs), that are present in multiple copies in the regulatory region of brk. In this work, we manipulated the SEs in the brk locus. We precisely quantified the effects of the individual SEs on the Brk gradient in the wing disc by employing a 1D data extraction method, followed by the quantification of the data with reference to an internal control. We found that mutating the SEs results in an expansion of the brk expression domain. However, even after mutating all predicted SEs, repression could still be observed in regions of maximal Dpp levels. Thus, our data point to the presence of additional, low affinity binding sites in the brk locus.

APPRAISAL OF THE SNAP MODEL FOR PREDICTING NITROGEN MINERALIZATION IN TROPICAL SOILS UNDER EUCALYPTUS

The Soil Nitrogen Availability Predictor (SNAP) model predicts daily and annual rates of net N mineralization (NNM) based on daily weather measurements, daily predictions of soil water and soil temperature, and on temperature and moisture modifiers obtained during aerobic incubation (basal rate). The model was based on in situ measurements of NNM in Australian soils under temperate climate. The purpose of this study was to assess this model for use in tropical soils under eucalyptus plantations in São Paulo State, Brazil. Based on field incubations for one month in three, NNM rates were measured at 11 sites (0-20 cm layer) for 21 months. The basal rate was determined in in situ incubations during moist and warm periods (January to March). Annual rates of 150-350 kg ha-1 yr-1 NNM predicted by the SNAP model were reasonably accurate (R2 = 0.84). In other periods, at lower moisture and temperature, NNM rates were overestimated. Therefore, if used carefully, the model can provide adequate predictions of annual NNM and may be useful in practical applications. For NNM predictions for shorter periods than a year or under suboptimal incubation conditions, the temperature and moisture modifiers need to be recalibrated for tropical conditions.

Effect of the output of the system in signal detection

We analyze the consequences that the choice of the output of the system has in the efficiency of signal detection. It is shown that the output signal and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), used to characterize the phenomenon of stochastic resonance, strongly depend on the form of the output. In particular, the SNR may be enhanced for an adequate output.

Predicting potential distribution of the jaguar (Panthera onca) in Mexico: identification of priority areas for conservation

Aim The jaguar, Panthera onca, is a species of global conservation concern. In Mexico, the northernmost part of its distribution range, its conservation status, is particularly critical, while its potential and actual distribution is poorly known. We propose an ensemble model (EM) of the potential distribution for the jaguar in Mexico and identify the priority areas for conservation.Location Mexico.Methods We generated our EM based on three presence-only methods (Ecological Niche Factor Analysis, Mahalanobis distance, Maxent) and considering environmental, biological and anthropogenic factors. We used this model to evaluate the efficacy of the existing Mexican protected areas (PAs), to evaluate the adequacy of the jaguar conservation units (JCUs) and to propose new areas that should be considered for conservation and management of the species in Mexico.Results Our results outline that 16% of Mexico (c. 312,000 km2) can be considered as suitable for the presence of the jaguar. Furthermore, 13% of the suitable areas are included in existing PAs and 14% are included in JCUs (Sanderson et al., 2002).Main conclusions Clearly much more should be carried out to establish a proactive conservation strategy. Based on our results, we propose here new jaguar conservation and management areas that are important for a nationwide conservation blueprint.

Comparative genomics of the vertebrate insulin/TOR signal transduction pathway: A network-level analysis of selective pressures

Complexity of biological function relies on large networks of interacting molecules. However, the evolutionary properties of these networks are not fully understood. It has been shown that selective pressures depend on the position of genes in the network. We have previously shown that in the Drosophila insulin/target of rapamycin (TOR) signal transduction pathway there is a correlation between the pathway position and the strength of purifying selection, with the downstream genes being most constrained. In this study, we investigated the evolutionary dynamics of this well-characterized pathway in vertebrates. More specifically, we determined the impact of natural selection on the evolution of 72 genes of this pathway. We found that in vertebrates there is a similar gradient of selective constraint in the insulin/TOR pathway to that found in Drosophila. This feature is neither the result of a polarity in the impact of positive selection nor of a series of factors affecting selective constraint levels (gene expression level and breadth, codon bias, protein length, and connectivity). We also found that pathway genes encoding physically interacting proteins tend to evolve under similar selective constraints. The results indicate that the architecture of the vertebrate insulin/TOR pathway constrains the molecular evolution of its components. Therefore, the polarity detected in Drosophila is neither specific nor incidental of this genus. Hence, although the underlying biological mechanisms remain unclear, these may be similar in both vertebrates and Drosophila.

Revision to the SUDAS Traffic Signal Standards – Phase 2, Final Report, May 2012

This report provides a summary of the updates to the traffic signal content within the Iowa Statewide Urban Design and Specifications (SUDAS) Design Manual Chapter 13 and Standard Specifications Division 8. Major focal points included pole footing design, cabinets and controllers, monitoring systems, communications systems, and figure updates. This work was completed through a project task force with a variety of participants (contractors, Iowa Department of Transportation, city traffic engineers, consultant, vendors, and University research and support staff).