Landscape Variables Research Articles

A multidimensional machine learning framework for LST reconstruction and climate variable analysis in forest fire occurrence

Land Surface Temperature (LST) datasets play a crucial role in understanding the complex interplay between forest fires, climate variables, and vegetation dynamics. This study is divided into two primary parts: the first part investigates the predictive performance of a machine learning framework based on CatBoost and XGBoost models in estimating LST across different land cover classes in Alberta, Canada. On the test set, for LST-Day data, CatBoost and XGBoost achieved Median Absolute Errors (MedAE) of approximately 1.434 °C and 1.425 °C, respectively. For LST-Night data, also on the test set, the MedAE values were approximately 1.186 °C for CatBoost and 1.176 °C for XGBoost. The second part explores the intricate relationships between climatic variables—LST, precipitation, and relative humidity—forest fire occurrences, and vegetation dynamics in various subregions. The findings revealed complex interactions, with high LST, reduced precipitation, and humidity associated with increased forest fire activity and subsequent changes in vegetation patterns, particularly in the Central Mixedwood, Dry Mixedwood, and Montane subregions. A notable potential association was identified between high LST, reduced precipitation and humidity, and increased forest fire activity in these areas. These climate change impacts and fire events were found to influence ecological processes, altering species composition, reducing biodiversity, and potentially disrupting ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling. These insights are crucial for informing adaptive forest management strategies aimed at understanding and mitigating the cascading effects of climate change on fire regimes and vegetation dynamics in Alberta's diverse landscapes.

Leveraging Open-Source Geographic Databases to Enhance the Representation of Landscape Heterogeneity in Ecological Models.

Wildlife abundance and movement are strongly impacted by landscape heterogeneity, especially in cities which are among the world's most heterogeneous landscapes. Nonetheless, current global land cover maps, which are used as a basis for large-scale spatial ecological modeling, represent urban areas as a single, homogeneous, class. This often requires urban ecologists to rely on geographic resources from local governments, which are not comparable between cities and are not available in underserved countries, limiting the spatial scale at which urban conservation issues can be tackled. The recent expansion of community-based geographic databases, for example, OpenStreetMap (OSM), represents an opportunity for ecologists to generate large-scale maps geared toward their specific research needs. However, computational differences in language and format, and the high diversity of information within, limit the access to these data. We provide a framework, using R, to extract geographic features from the OSM database, classify, and integrate them into global land cover maps. The framework includes an exhaustive list of OSM features describing urban and peri-urban landscapes and is validated by quantifying the completeness of the OSM features characterized, and the accuracy of its final output in 34 cities in North America. We portray its application as the basis for generating landscape variables for ecological analysis by using the OSM-enhanced map to generate an urbanization index, and subsequently analyze the spatial occupancy of six mammals throughout Chicago, Illinois, USA. The OSM features characterized had high completeness values for impervious land cover classes (50%-100%). The final output, the OSM-enhance map, provided an 89% accurate representation of the landscape at 30m resolution. The OSM-derived urbanization index outperformed other global spatial data layers in the spatial occupancy analysis and concurred with previously seen local response trends, whereby lagomorphs and squirrels responded positively to urbanization, while skunks, raccoons, opossums, and deer responded negatively. This study provides a roadmap for ecologists to leverage the fine resolution of open-source geographic databases and apply it to spatial modeling by generating research-specific landscape variables. As our occupancy results show, using context-specific maps can improve modeling outputs and reduce uncertainty, especially when trying to understand anthropogenic impacts on wildlife populations.

PROSPECTS OF EFFECTIVE USE OF TOURISM POTENTIAL AND ITS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE CONDITIONS OF UZBEKISTAN

This article discusses the prospects for the effective use of tourism potential and its opportunities in Uzbekistan. With its rich cultural heritage, historical monuments, and diverse natural landscapes, Uzbekistan has the potential to become one of the leading tourist destinations in Central Asia. The paper highlights the current state of the tourism industry in Uzbekistan, identifies challenges, and presents strategies for maximizing its potential. Key factors include infrastructural development, digital transformation, the promotion of eco-tourism, and investment opportunities. The study concludes that with the right policies and initiatives, Uzbekistan can significantly boost its tourism sector, contributing to sustainable economic growth.

Seeing the Forest for the Trees: Threats, Vulnerabilities, and Opportunities for Woody Landscape Plant Genetic Resources

Genetic resources are the foundation of American agriculture’s ongoing success—the diversity, security, health, and genetic integrity of these resources must be safeguarded. However, in contrast to other crops, protecting, managing, and using collections of woody landscape plant genetic resources present significant challenges. These include conservation of at-risk populations that have high genetic diversity, evaluation of taxa with an unknown potential to invade, and management of large specimens that have long generation times and often recalcitrant or difficult-to-store seeds. The wide diversity of taxa and the limited number of specialist curators and scholars present further challenges. Thus, effective collection, preservation, evaluation, and distribution of woody landscape plant germplasm require substantial and specialized resources. The most fundamental challenge is simple: too many built landscapes have low taxonomic diversity and are often dominated by a single taxon, or monoculture. In turn, these taxonomically and genetically depauperate landscapes are vulnerable to a host of biotic and abiotic threats and are less likely to provide ecosystem and societal services for which they were designed. To develop more resilient landscapes, there is an urgent need to expand taxonomic diversity, which requires the horticultural community to effectively acquire, curate, evaluate, distribute, and use diverse woody landscape plant genetic resources. The role of the US Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) Woody Landscape Plant Crop Germplasm Committee (WLPCGC) is to identify vulnerabilities and threats that compromise WLP crops in the United States and make recommendations for prioritization of germplasm acquisition, evaluation, research, and management priorities through regular interaction with stakeholders. Due to the breadth of genera and shifting plant genetic resource needs of the nursery industry, it is impractical to list specific threatened or priority genera in a broadly applicable crop vulnerability statement. Instead, the WLPCGC has identified themes of threats and vulnerabilities providing a foundation upon which to support prioritization as threats to specific genera emerge.

The challenges, opportunities and future of comparative physiology in the Global South: perspectives of early-career researchers.

Researchers in the Global South (GS, developing countries) make valuable contributions to the field of comparative physiology, but face economic and scientific disparities and several unique challenges compared with colleagues in the Global North (developed countries). This Perspective highlights some of the challenges, knowledge gaps and disparities in opportunity faced by GS researchers, especially those at early-career stages. We propose collaborative solutions to help address these issues, and advocate for promoting investment and cultural and societal change for a more inclusive research community. Additionally, we highlight the role of GS researchers in contributing expert knowledge on local biodiversity and the environment; this knowledge can help to shape the future of comparative physiology, allowing us to achieve a better understanding of the evolution of physiological mechanisms and to develop innovative solutions to environmental and biomedical challenges. With this Perspective, we hope to highlight the need to foster a more diverse, equitable and inclusive research landscape in comparative physiology; one that empowers GS scientists to address the global challenges associated with biodiversity loss, climate change and environmental pollution.

The Role of Language in Forming Identity Crisis in Belgaum District of India

The Belgaum District in India provides a unique case study of phonetic and identity challenges. This area, characterized by its diverse linguistic landscape, is marked by significant cultural and political tensions rooted in language differences. The Marathi-Kannada linguistic divide has been a central issue, affecting the socio-political dynamics and identity of its residents. This paper explores the historical, cultural, and political factors contributing to the ongoing conflict and investigates the pivotal role of language in shaping the identity crisis in Belgaum District. By analysing the relationship between language, regional identity, and socio-political movements, the study highlights the broader implications for regional unity and identity development, emphasizing the role of language in forming group identities and the challenges posed by linguistic diversity in building a cohesive regional identity.

Embracing Ubuntu: Cultivating Inclusive Information Access in Decolonising African Information Curriculum

ABSTRACTDecolonising the information curriculum through the process of indigenization is a crucial process that advocates for a paradigm shift towards the integration of various political ideologies and knowledge systems in order to correct the marginalisation and exclusion that have been sustained by colonial legacies. The Ubuntu ideology offers a foundation for promoting an inclusive, people‐centered approach to curriculum development because it places an emphasis on communal values and connection. Educators can establish learning environments that support empathy, inclusivity, and cooperation while reflecting and accommodating the needs and experiences of every student by emulating the values of Ubuntu. By appreciating students' cultural origins in the information sciences, Culturally Responsive Pedagogy enhances academic engagement and equips students for a diverse global information landscape, which further supports these efforts. Collectively, these strategies seek to foster an information society that is more socially just and equitable, which is consistent with the overarching objective of guaranteeing inclusivity and fairness in education.

217 (PB205): Therapeutic impact and reactivation of tumor immunity by MYC inhibition in KRAS-driven NSCLC with diverse mutational landscapes

217 (PB205): Therapeutic impact and reactivation of tumor immunity by MYC inhibition in KRAS-driven NSCLC with diverse mutational landscapes

The evolution of urban ecological resilience: An evaluation framework based on vulnerability, sensitivity and self-organization

Ecological resilience assessment has become a key link in urban sustainable governance. This study introduces a new evaluation framework to inform policy-making and practical applications. Based on the structural and functional dimensions of landscape patterns, it integrates the vulnerability, sensitivity and self-organization of resilience to point to desirable directions of ecological resilience. A composite ecological resilience index is compiled based on six indices of landscape diversity, landscape disturbance, source-sink patch distance, habitat quality, minimum cumulative resistance, and landscape restoration. The framework is particularly applicable to cities located in ecologically sensitive areas. Hence, Nanchang City, China was selected as a case study. Using 1km2 hexagonal grids, the framework is applied to map spatiotemporal changes and to analyze various natural and anthropogenic driving forces of ecological resilience in Nanchang from 2000 to 2020. Research findings confirm the feasibility and value of the urban ecological resilience analysis framework. They also highlight the advantages of the framework in revealing spatially dynamic processes and ecological resilience contributing factors, making it a valuable and practical tool for sustainable urban planning and refined management decision-making.

Asia Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AOFOG)'s efforts in the cervical cancer elimination program in the Asia-Pacific.

Cervical cancer poses a significant health burden, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where access to screening and treatment remains limited. Asia Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AOFOG)'s response, guided by the World Health Organization's global strategy, emphasizes three key targets: achieving high HPV vaccination coverage among girls, ensuring widespread screening with high-performance tests, and guaranteeing timely treatment for precancerous and cancerous lesions. AOFOG supports member countries through initiatives such as educational campaigns, guidelines development, and collaboration with local and international partners. Variations in screening methods across AOFOG member countries reflect diverse socioeconomic contexts and healthcare infrastructures, ranging from HPV testing in countries like Australia and Malaysia to cytology and visual inspection methods in others. Innovations such as HPV self-testing and AI-enhanced screening are emerging to improve accessibility and accuracy, addressing barriers like stigma and resource scarcity. Despite challenges, AOFOG remains committed to reducing cervical cancer incidence and mortality through coordinated regional efforts, aiming for equitable access to preventive measures and treatment across the diverse landscape of the Asia-Pacific region.

Plant Protein Resources, Novel Extraction and Precipitation Methods: A Review

ABSTRACTThis comprehensive review explores the diverse landscape of plant protein resources, focusing on novel extraction and precipitation methods that contribute to the advancement of sustainable and efficient protein production. The increasing global demand for plant‐based proteins as a key component of balanced diets has spurred research into optimizing extraction processes from various plant sources. The review encompasses a wide range of plant protein resources, including legumes, cereals, oilseeds, and other plant‐based alternatives. Special emphasis is given to innovative techniques in protein extraction, such as enzyme‐assisted extraction, aqueous extraction, and emerging technologies like ultrasound and microwave‐assisted methods. Additionally, the review investigates novel precipitation methods employed to isolate and purify plant proteins, shedding light on techniques like isoelectric precipitation, salting‐out, and membrane filtration. The integration of sustainable practices in protein extraction, coupled with a focus on minimizing environmental impact, is a central theme throughout the review. By synthesizing current research findings, this review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the state‐of‐the‐art in plant protein extraction and precipitation methods, offering valuable insights for researchers, industry professionals, and policymakers involved in the rapidly evolving field of plant‐based protein production.

Predicting unsaturated soil strength of coarse-grained soils for mobility assessments

Accurately estimating surficial soil moisture and strength is integral to determining vehicle mobility and is especially important over large spatial extents at fine resolutions. While methods exist to estimate soil strength across landscapes, they are empirical and rely on class average soil behavior. The Strength of Surficial Soils (STRESS) model was developed to estimate moisture-variable soil strength with a physics-based approach. However, there is a lack of field data from a diverse landscape to evaluate the STRESS model. To test the STRESS model, a field study was conducted in northern Colorado. Soil moisture and strength were measured on 10 dates. Data from the surficial layer (0–5 cm) were used to test the STRESS model and determine if soil strength trends could be estimated from topographical and soil textural differences. High variability was observed in soil strength measurements stemming from fine-scale terrain features and user variability. Observations show lower soil strengths for greater soil moistures, steeper slopes, higher vegetation, and lower soil fines content. STRESS estimated rating cone index values with a mean relative error of 37.5 %, while a pre-existing model had a mean relative error of 47.4 %. The STRESS model outperforms the current RCI prediction method, but uncertainty remains large.

ENTROPY BASED EVALUATION OF THE IMPACT OF EDUCATION ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

In contemporary economic landscapes, effective managerial decision-making requires serious justifications often facilitated by information technologies. The article proposes the application of the foundational principles from information theory and entropy to determine the correlation between education and economic development. This research employs entropy methodology to explore the correlations and implications of these multifaceted domains, drawing insights from a range of global indices. By analyzing data from indices such as the Human Development Index, we investigate the relationship between average years of education and entropy values, shedding light on the diversity and standardization of human capital systems across nations. Moreover, economic indexes, encapsulating factors such as economic freedom and innovation, provide critical insights into the vibrancy and resilience of national economies. Through the lens of the Global Innovation Index, we explore how countries with higher levels of economic freedom and innovation efficiency exhibit less diversity in economic approaches and innovation strategies, leading to a reduction in entropy values. By examining entropy values in conjunction with innovation indicators, such as research and development expenditure and patent applications, we uncover patterns and trends indicative of the diversity or standardization of innovation strategies across countries. Additionally, cybersecurity emerges as a critical dimension of national security and resilience, with implications for economic well-being and societal trust. Through the National Cybersecurity Index, we assess the level of diversity and uncertainty in cybersecurity landscapes, highlighting the importance of robust cybersecurity measures in safeguarding against emerging threats and reducing entropy values. Ultimately, this research contributes to the discourse on sustainable development and resilience in an interconnected world. By identifying specific challenges and opportunities within education, economy, innovation, and cybersecurity domains, it facilitates informed decision-making and strategic interventions to promote inclusive growth and societal well-being on a global scale.

Strategic Management Practices in Multinational Corporations: A Comparative Study

This paper explores strategic management practices within multinational corporations (MNCs) through a comparative study of different regional and industrial contexts. The research aims to identify key strategies that drive success and sustainability in a globalized business environment. Utilizing a mixed-method approach, the study combines quantitative analysis of financial performance metrics with qualitative insights from interviews with senior executives. The findings highlight the significance of adaptive strategies, cultural intelligence, and robust risk management frameworks. Additionally, the study uncovers regional variations in strategic priorities, emphasizing the need for MNCs to tailor their approaches to local market conditions. The paper concludes with recommendations for practitioners to enhance strategic alignment and operational effectiveness across diverse geographical landscapes.

The role and regulation of integrins in cell migration and invasion.

Integrin receptors are the main molecular link between cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) as well as mediating cell-cell interactions. Integrin-ECM binding triggers the formation of heterogeneous multi-protein assemblies termed integrin adhesion complexes (IACs) that enable integrins to transform extracellular cues into intracellular signals that affect many cellular processes, especially cell motility. Cell migration is essential for diverse physiological and pathological processes and is dysregulated in cancer to favour cell invasion and metastasis. Here, we discuss recent findings on the role of integrins in cell migration with a focus on cancer cell dissemination. We review how integrins regulate the spatial distribution and dynamics of different IACs, covering classical focal adhesions, emerging adhesion types and adhesion regulation. We discuss the diverse roles integrins have during cancer progression from cell migration across varied ECM landscapes to breaching barriers such as the basement membrane, and eventual colonization of distant organs.

POSSIBILITIES OF CREATING TOURIST AND RECREATIONAL COMPLEXES BASED ON THE LANDSCAPE CONDITIONS OF THE MOUNTAINOUS DISTRICTS OF THE ALMATY REGION, KAZAKHSTAN

The Almaty region, which is rich in natural landscapes, was established again in 2022. In this regard, the importance of regional spatial planning is taking on new forms. Considering the unique landscape potential, this project aims to create a framework for developing tourist and recreational complexes in the Uygur, Kegen, and Raiymbek regions. Creating a landscape diversity database to classify recreational resources; developing a typology for tourist and recreational complexes, considering the landscape's features and the tourism specializations. The research methods used in this study include field observations and landscape descriptions provided by the authors. A classification method has been developed to divide recreational resources into groups and sub-groups, determining their locations. The process of the developed typology is based on examples of specific types of tourist and recreational activities, as well as existing and potential tourist areas in the Almaty region and the Republic of Kazakhstan. The theoretical and methodological basis for the proposed classification and typology is based on the work of various authors and materials from the National Science Foundation of Kazakhstan. Issues of the possibilities of agricultural enterprises to provide tourists with local, natural food products have been analy zed. Based on these factors, recommendations were formulated for further developing promising tourist and recreational complexes in these areas. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Hemp regulates the fitness of corn earworm (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae) and its tachinid (Diptera) parasitoids.

Pest management on hemp is still in its infancy, and biological control options are limited. Helicoverpa zea (corn earworm) is one of the key pests of hemp cultivated outdoors, especially on cultivars grown for cannabinoids and grain. In a three-year study, we assessed the effect of diet on the performance of H. zea and its tachinid parasitoids. Parasitized (bearing fly eggs) and unparasitized (without eggs) H. zea larvae were fed on hemp flowers or an artificial diet. Five tachinid species parasitized H. zea larvae, but the most abundant species were Winthemia rufopicta (68.8%) and Lespesia aletiae (28.3%). Overall, 55.2% of H. zea larvae bearing tachinid eggs died, while the mortality of unparasitized larvae reached 24.7%. The success of tachinids increased by 2-fold when the host larvae were fed on an artificial diet. Our results demonstrated that high protein food (artificial diet), intensity of parasitism, and caterpillar size play a role in the fitness of both the herbivores (H. zea) and its tachinid parasitoids. These findings have important implications for understanding biological control mechanisms and open new insights into the impact of landscape variation on plant-herbivore-parasitoid interactions. This study contains supporting evidence that makes both Winthemia rufopicta and Lespesia aletiae excellent candidates for biological control programs against H. zea, a key pest of hemp in the United States.

A Collagen Triple Helix without the Super Helical Twist.

Collagens are ubiquitous in biology functioning as the backbone of the extracellular matrix, forming the primary structural components of key immune system complexes, and fulfilling numerous other structural roles in a variety of systems. Despite this, there is limited understanding of how triple helices, the basic collagen structural units, pack into collagenous assemblies. Here we use a peptide self-assembly system to design collagenous assemblies based on the C1q collagen-like region. Using cryo-EM we solve a structure of one assembly to 3.5 Å resolution and build an atomic model. From this, we identify a triple helix conformation with no superhelical twist, starkly in contrast to the canonical right-handed triple helix. This non-twisting region allows for unique hydroxyproline stacking between adjacent triple helices and also results in the formation of an exposed cavity with rings of hydrophobic amino acids packed symmetrically. We find no precedent for such an arrangement of collagen triple helices and have designed mutant assemblies to probe key stabilizing amino acid interactions in the complex. The mutations behave as predicted by our atomic model. Our findings, combined with the extremely limited experimental structural data on triple helix packing in the literature, suggest that collagen and collagen-like assemblies may adopt a far more varied conformational landscape than previously appreciated. We hypothesize that this is particularly likely adjacent to the termini of these helices and at discontinuities to the required Xaa-Yaa-Gly repeating primary sequence; a discontinuity found in the majority of this class of proteins and in many collagen-associated diseases.

Analysis of a global wheat panel reveals a highly diverse introgression landscape and provides evidence for inter-homoeologue chromosomal recombination

Key messageThis study highlights the agronomic potential of rare introgressions, as demonstrated by a major QTL for powdery mildew resistance on chromosome 7D. It further shows evidence for inter-homoeologue recombination in wheat.Agriculturally important genes are often introgressed into crops from closely related donor species or landraces. The gene pool of hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) is known to contain numerous such “alien” introgressions. Recently established high-quality reference genome sequences allow prediction of the size, frequency and identity of introgressed chromosome regions. Here, we characterise chromosomal introgressions in bread wheat using exome capture data from the WHEALBI collection. We identified 24,981 putative introgression segments of at least 2 Mb across 434 wheat accessions. Detailed study of the most frequent introgressions identified T. timopheevii or its close relatives as a frequent donor species. Importantly, 118 introgressions of at least 10 Mb were exclusive to single wheat accessions, revealing that large populations need to be studied to assess the total diversity of the wheat pangenome. In one case, a 14 Mb introgression in chromosome 7D, exclusive to cultivar Pamukale, was shown by QTL mapping to harbour a recessive powdery mildew resistance gene. We identified multiple events where distal chromosomal segments of one subgenome were duplicated in the genome and replaced the homoeologous segment in another subgenome. We propose that these examples are the results of inter-homoeologue recombination. Our study produced an extensive catalogue of the wheat introgression landscape, providing a resource for wheat breeding. Of note, the finding that the wheat gene pool contains numerous rare, but potentially important introgressions and chromosomal rearrangements has implications for future breeding.

Simulation modelling demonstrates differential performance of connectivity methods in their ability to predict genetic diversity in complex landscapes

ContextThere have been few evaluations of how well different connectivity modelling methods are able to predict the spatial genetic structure and genetic diversity of populations residing in complex landscapes. Given the wide application of connectivity modelling tools in applied conservation planning, it is crucial to broadly evaluate how these models perform across resistance, movement, and population structure conditions in predicting genetic diversity patterns. Such evaluations are critical to provide rigorous, biologically based guidance for conservation and management applications. ObjectivesOur goal was to investigate how the predictions of three connectivity models were related to spatial patterns of genetic diversity complex landscapes, considering factors such as population structure, resistance, genetic drift, genetic disequilibrium, and organism movement abilities. MethodsWe evaluated the performance of several connectivity methods across seven a priori landscape resistance surfaces to provide a broad assessment of their performance. We used CDPOP, an individual-based, spatially explicit population and genetic simulation model, to simulate genetic diversity across these resistance surfaces. This provided a pool of genetic diversity patterns that were the response factor in our simulation experiment. We then simulated landscape connectivity with several popular connectivity methods, including resistant kernels, Circuitscape, and Pathwalker, and evaluated how well they were able to predict spatial patterns of genetic diversity. ResultsResistant kernel outperformed other connectivity methods in predicting landscape patterns of genetic diversity. The strongest relationships occurred when the population process has created spatial structure but has not yet led to significant genetic diversity loss due to drift. The time lag disequilibrium was relatively short. Long simulation times resulted in severe reduction in prediction ability due to drift. ConclusionsResistant kernel predictions were much more strongly related to spatial patterns of genetic diversity than were predictions produced by Circuitscape and Pathwalker, across a large combination of population structures. Strong relationships exist between functional connectivity and genetic diversity, with clearer and stronger associations seen in spatial patterns of allelic richness compared to heterozygosity or spatial effective population size. Our results confirm the strong relationship between genetic diversity and population connectivity, and suggest that computationally efficient incidence function algorithms, such as resistant kernel methods, are well suited to predicting functional connectivity.