Prediction of multinomial probability of land use change using a bisection decomposition and logistic regression

Land use change is an important research area in landscape ecology and urban development. Prediction of land use change (urban development) provides critical information for making the right policies and management plans in order to maintain and improve ecosystem and city functions. Logistic regression is a widely used method to predict binomial probabilities of land use change when just two responses (change and no-change) are considered. However, in practice, more than two types of change are encountered and multinomial probabilities are therefore needed. The existing methods for predicting multinomial probabilities have limits in building multinomial probability models and are often based on improper assumptions. This is due to the lack of proper methodology and inadequate software. In this study, a procedure has been developed for building models to predict the multinomial probabilities of land use change and urban development. The foundation of this procedure consists of a special bisection decomposition system for the decomposition of multiple-class systems to bi-class systems, conditional probability inference, and logistic regression for binomial probability models. A case study of urban development has been conducted to evaluate this procedure. The evaluation results demonstrated that different samples and bisection decomposition systems led to very similar quality and performance in the developed multinomial probability models, which indicates the high stability of the proposed procedure for this case study.     

膨胀素在果实完熟中的作用

 概述了细胞壁蛋白质膨胀素(Expansin)的发现、作用机制、基因家族、功能和研究现状。重点论述了膨胀素在果实完熟中的作用及其与细胞壁酶之间的相互关系，提出了利用转基因技术调节果实完熟和软化的新策略。关键词：中图分类号：     

Synthesis and in-vitro antifungal activity of 6-trifluoromethyipyrazolo[3,4-6d]pyrimidin-4(5H)-thiones

Twelve 6-trifluoromethylpyrazolo[3,4-d]pyrimidin-4(5H)-thiones were prepared by the reaction between 4-thiocarbamoyl-5-aminopyrazoles and trifluoroacetic anhydride. They were tested in vitro for antifungal activity against a series of phytopathogenic fungi of different taxonomic classes. The EC50 and MIC values of four compounds were comparable or inferior to those of reference commercial fungicides in controlling Sclerotinia minor, Corticium solani and Phytium ultimum.     

Nitrogen Fertilizer Management Practices to Reduce N<Subscript>2</Subscript>O Emissions from Irrigated Processing Potato in Manitoba

Nitrogen fertilizer practices affect nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from agricultural soils. The “4R” nutrient stewardship framework of using N fertilizer at the right rate, right source, right placement and right time can reduce N₂O emissions while maintaining or improving yield of field crops, but understanding of how the various factors affect N₂O emissions from irrigated processing potato is lacking. We examined the effects of selected 4R practices on emissions, using results from two irrigated processing potato studies each conducted in 2011 and 2012 in Manitoba, Canada. Experiment 1 examined combinations of source (urea, ESN), placement (pre-plant incorporation [PPI], banding), and rate (100 and 200 kg N ha^-1) on a clay loam soil. Experiment 2 examined timing and source treatment combinations (urea PPI, ESN PPI, urea split, urea split/fertigation) on a loamy fine sandy soil. For Experiment 1, use of ESN at 200 kg ha^-1 did not reduce area-, yield- and applied fertilizer N- based N₂O emissions compared to urea at 200 kg ha^-1, irrespective of placement. Emissions from pre-plant banding ESN at 200 kg ha^?1, however, were 32% lower than from PPI ESN. For Experiment 2, compared to single pre-plant urea application, fertigation simulated by in-season application of urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) gave lower area-, yield- and applied fertilizer N- based emissions. Split urea ( \( \raisebox{1ex}{$2$}\!\left/ \!\raisebox{-1ex}{$3$}\right. \) pre-plant, \( \raisebox{1ex}{$1$}\!\left/ \!\raisebox{-1ex}{$3$}\right. \) hilling) also reduced area- and yield- based N₂O emissions compared to single pre-plant urea application. Emissions were generally lower at the site with loamy fine sandy soil than the site with clay loam soil. These results demonstrate that combinations of “4R” practices rather than source alone are best to achieve reductions in N₂O emissions from irrigated potato production.     

Modelling the Vertical Transport of Pollutants by Fronts

A quantitative study of the amount of air transported between the boundary layer and the free atmosphere is important for understanding air quality and upper tropospheric ozone, which is a greenhouse gas. Frontal systems are known to be an effective mechanism for the vertical transport of pollutants. Numerical experiments have been performed with a simple two-dimensional front model to simulate vertical transport of trace gases within developing cold fronts. Three different trace gases experiments have been done numerically according to the different initial fields of trace gases such as aerosol, ozone and H₂O₂. Trace gas field tilts to the east while the front tilts to the west. Aerosol simulation shows that pollutants can be transported out of the boundary to altitudes of about 10 km. The stratospheric ozone is brought downwards in a tropopause fold behind of the frontal surface. The meridional gradient in trace gas (H₂O₂) can cause a complicate structure in the trace field by the meridional advection.     

A Spatio-Temporal Downscaler for Output From Numerical Models

Often, in environmental data collection, data arise from two sources: numerical models and monitoring networks. The first source provides predictions at the level of grid cells, while the second source gives measurements at points. The first is characterized by full spatial coverage of the region of interest, high temporal resolution, no missing data but consequential calibration concerns. The second tends to be sparsely collected in space with coarser temporal resolution, often with missing data but, where recorded, provides, essentially, the true value. Accommodating the spatial misalignment between the two types of data is of fundamental importance for both improved predictions of exposure as well as for evaluation and calibration of the numerical model. In this article we propose a simple, fully model-based strategy to downscale the output from numerical models to point level. The static spatial model, specified within a Bayesian framework, regresses the observed data on the numerical model output using spatially-varying coefficients which are specified through a correlated spatial Gaussian process.     

A class of potent antimalarials and their specific accumulation in infected erythrocytes

During asexual development within erythrocytes, malaria parasites synthesize considerable amounts of membrane. This activity provides an attractive target for chemotherapy because it is absent from mature erythrocytes. We found that compounds that inhibit phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis de novo from choline were potent antimalarial drugs. The lead compound, G25, potently inhibited in vitro growth of the human malaria parasites Plasmodium falciparum and P. vivax and was 1000-fold less toxic to mammalian cell lines. A radioactive derivative specifically accumulated in infected erythrocytes to levels several hundredfold higher than in the surrounding medium, and very low dose G25 therapy completely cured monkeys infected with P. falciparum and P. cynomolgi.     

Hypoglycemic effect of lupin seed γ-conglutin in experimental animals and healthy human subjects

A lupin seed γ-conglutin-enriched preparation was tested in a glucose overload trial with both murine models and adult healthy volunteers. The results with rats showed a dose-dependent significant decrease of blood glucose concentration, which confirmed previous findings obtained with the purified protein. Moreover, three test-product doses equivalent to 630, 315, and 157.5 mg γ-conglutin, orally administered 30 min before the carbohydrate supply, showed a relevant hypoglycemic effect in human trials. Insulin concentrations were not significantly affected. The general hematic parameters did not change at all.This is the first report on the glucose-lowering effect of lupin γ-conglutin in human subjects.