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Environmental control and limnological impacts of a large recurrent spring bloom in Lake Washington, USA.

A series of statistical analyses were used to identify temporal and spatial patterns in the phytoplankton and nutrient dynamics of Lake Washington, an mesotrophic lake in Washington State (USA). These analyses were based on fortnightly or monthly samples of water temperature, Secchi transparency, ammonium (NH(4)), nitrate (NO(3)), inorganic phosphorus (IP), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved oxygen (DO), pH and chlorophyll a (chl a) collected during 1995-2000 from 12 stations. Lake Washington has a very consistent and pronounced annual spring diatom bloom which occurs from March to May. During this bloom, epilimnetic chl a concentrations peak on average at 10 microg/L, which is 3 times higher than chl a concentrations typically seen during summer stratified conditions. The spring bloom on average comprised 62% diatoms, 21% chlorophytes and 8% cyanobacteria. During summer stratification, diatoms comprised 26% of the phytoplankton community, chlorophytes 37% and cyanobacteria 25%. Cryptophytes comprised approximately 8% of the community throughout the year. Overall, 6 phytoplankton genera (i.e., Aulacoseira, Fragilaria, Cryptomonas, Asterionella, Stephanodiscus, and Ankistrodesmus) cumulatively accounted for over 50% of the community. These analyses also suggest that the phytoplankton community strongly influences the seasonality of NO(3), IP, DO, pH and water clarity. According to a MANOVA, seasonal fluctuations explained 40% of the total variability for the major parameters, spatial heterogeneity explained 10% of variability, and the seasonal-spatial interaction explained 10% of variability. Distinctive patterns were identified between offshore and inshore sampling stations. The results of our analyses also suggest that spatial variability was substantial, but much smaller than temporal variability.

Environmental Monitoring↗

Pattern recognition in biomagnetic signals by spatio-temporal correlation and application to the localisation of propagating neuronal activity.

A combined correlation analysis of temporal and spatial patterns in a biomagnetic multichannel recording is proposed to extract patterns of transient, randomly repetitive physiological events from biomagnetic data sets with a low signal-to-noise ratio. This method is especially sensitive in the differentiation of signals from different source propagation pathways. The recognition and subsequent averaging of spike events in the MEG of an epileptic patient by this method is shown to provide an essential improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio. The source localisation from the averaged data showed electrical activity which propagated from the primary epileptogenic focus to distant parts of the brain.

Brain Mapping↗

Spatio-temporal patterns of ensheathing cell differentiation in the rat olfactory system during development.

An immunocytochemical approach with specific glial markers was used to investigate the temporal and spatial patterns of differentiation of ensheathing glia wrapping axon fascicles along the primary olfactory pathway of the rat during development. The two glial markers tested, the proteins S-100 and glial fibrillary acidic protein, are known to be expressed at different stages of maturation in glial cells. The S-100 protein was first weakly expressed in cells accompanying the olfactory axons at embryonic day 14 (E14), while a first faint glial fibrillary acidic protein staining was detected along the olfactory axons at E15 and along the vomeronasal nerves at E16. A strong S-100 immunoreactivity was already present from E16 onwards along the axon fascicles through their course in both the nasal mesenchyme and the subarachnoid space before entering the olfactory nerve layer of the olfactory bulb. A gradual increase in glial fibrillary acidic protein expression was observed along this part of the developing olfactory pathway from E16 up to E20, when an adult-like pattern of staining intensity was seen. By contrast, most of the ensheathing cells residing in the olfactory nerve layer exhibited some delay in their differentiation timing and also a noticeable delayed maturation. It was only from E20 onwards that a weak to moderate S-100 expression was detected in an increasing number of cells throughout this layer, and only few of them appeared weakly glial fibrillary acidic protein positive at postnatal days 1 and 5. The immunocytochemical data indicate that there is a proximodistal gradient of differentiation of ensheathing cells along the developing olfactory pathway. The prolonged immaturity of ensheathing cells in the olfactory nerve layer, which coincides with the formation of the first glomeruli, might facilitate the sorting out of olfactory axons leading to a radical reorganization of afferents before they end in specific glomeruli.

Aging↗

Habitat history improves prediction of biodiversity in rainforest fauna.

Patterns of biological diversity should be interpreted in light of both contemporary and historical influences; however, to date, most attempts to explain diversity patterns have largely ignored history or have been unable to quantify the influence of historical processes. The historical effects on patterns of diversity have been hypothesized to be most important for taxonomic groups with poor dispersal abilities. We quantified the relative stability of rainforests over the late Quaternary period by modeling rainforest expansion and contraction in 21 biogeographic subregions in northeast Australia across four time periods. We demonstrate that historical habitat stability can be as important, and in endemic low-dispersal taxa even more important, than current habitat area in explaining spatial patterns of species richness. In contrast, patterns of endemic species richness for taxa with high dispersal capacity are best predicted by using current environmental parameters. We also show that contemporary patterns of species turnover across the region are best explained by historical patterns of habitat connectivity. These results clearly demonstrate that spatially explicit analyses of the historical processes of persistence and colonization are both effective and necessary for understanding observed patterns of biodiversity.

Animals↗

Small area mapping of prostate cancer incidence in New York State (USA) using fully Bayesian hierarchical modelling.

BACKGROUND: As part of a long-term initiative to improve cancer surveillance in New York State, small area maps of relative risk, expressed as standardized incidence ratios (SIRs), were produced for the most common cancers. This includes prostate cancer, the focus of this paper, since it is the most common non-dermatologic malignancy diagnosed among men and the second leading cause of cancer deaths for men in the United States.ZIP codes were chosen as mapping units for several reasons, including the need to balance between protecting personal privacy and public demand for fine geographic resolution. Since the population size varies greatly among such small mapping units, hierarchical Bayes spatial modelling was applied in this paper to produce a map of smoothed SIRs. It is further demonstrated how other characteristics of the large sample from the stationary posterior distribution of SIRs can be mapped to investigate various aspects of the statewide spatial pattern of prostate cancer incidence. RESULTS: Thematic mapping of the median and 95 percentile range of SIRs provided, respectively, a map of spatially smoothed values and the uncertainty associated with these smoothed values. Maps were also produced to identify ZIP codes expressing a 95% probability, in the Bayesian paradigm, of being less than or greater than the null value of 1. CONCLUSION: The model behaved as expected since areas that were statistically elevated coincided with areas identified by the spatial scan statistic, plus the relative uncertainty increased as a ZIP code's population decreased, with an exaggerated effect for low population ZIP codes on the edge of the state border.The overall smoothed pattern, along with identified high and low areas, may reflect difference across the state with respect to socio-demographics and risk factors; however, this is confounded by potential differences in screening and diagnostic follow-up. Nevertheless, the Bayes modelling approach is shown to provide not only smoothed results, but also considerable other information from a large empirical distribution of outcomes associated with each mapping unit.

Journal Article↗

Retinal pattern and the genetic basis of its formation in zebrafish.

The vertebrate nervous system contains an immense diversity of distinct cellular components that are organized into precise spatial patterns. The importance of accurate neuronal architecture is particularly obvious in the retina, where it is necessary for the formation of visual images. The retina is structured in a distinct layered pattern that is remarkably conserved in evolution, including phyla as diverse as primates and teleost fish. Genetic analysis in zebrafish reveals mechanisms that are essential for the formation of this architecture.

Animals↗

Mucosal activity patterns as a basis for olfactory discrimination: comparing behavior and optical recordings.

In over half a century numerous studies have demonstrated that different odorants produce individually different spatial patterns of neural receptor activity on the olfactory mucosa. However, the thought that these differential activity patterns could be the neural code underlying olfactory perception has not been tested directly. In the present study using operant techniques, rats were trained to differentially identify five odors from a homologous series of iso-intensive straight-chain aldehydes that differed serially by only one carbon atom, viz. hexaldehyde to decaldehyde. The rats identified each of the five odorants with greater than 90% correct identification. The degree of perceptual similarity between any pair of the five odorants was determined. Using multidimensional scaling techniques (MDS) the similarity measures yielded a two-dimensional perceptual odorant space. Optical techniques were used to record the olfactory mucosal activity patterns in response to these same five iso-intensive aldehydes. The mucosal activity elicited by each odorant revealed individually distinct band-like patterns that varied both within and across these bands. More importantly, the relative differential responsivity of the bands was related to chain length. An MDS analysis of the dissimilarity measure between all possible pairs of odorant induced activity patterns yielded a two-dimensional neurophysiologic odorant space. Further analysis indicated that the neurophysiologic and psychophysically determined odorant spaces were highly correlated (F(1,39)=23.9, P=nil). These results give additional credence to the concept that the odorant-induced mucosal activity patterns may serve as the substrate for the perception of odorant quality.

Aldehydes↗

Crosstalk between cellular morphology and calcium oscillation patterns. Insights from a stochastic computer model.

Agonist-induced oscillations in the concentration of intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i) display a wide variety of temporal and spatial patterns. In non-excitable cells, typical oscillatory patterns are somewhat cell-type specific and range from frequency-encoded, repetitive Ca2+ spikes to oscillations that are more sinusoidal in shape. Although the response of a cell population, even to the same stimulus, is often extremely heterogeneous, the response of the same cell to successive exposures can be remarkably similar. We propose that such "Ca2+ fingerprints' can be a consequence of cell-specific morphological properties. The hypothesis is tested by means of a stochastic computer simulation of a two-dimensional model for oscillatory Ca2+ waves which encompasses the basic elements of the two-pool oscillator introduced by Goldbeter et al. (Goldbeter A., Dupont G., Berridge M.J. Minimal model for signal-induced Ca(2+)-oscillations and for their frequency encoding through protein phosphorylation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1990; 87: 1461-1465). In the framework of our extended spatiotemporal model, single cells can display various oscillation patterns which depend on the agonist dose, Ca2+ diffusibility, and several morphological parameters. These are, for example, size and shape of the cell and the cell nucleus, the amount and distribution of Ca2+ stores, and the subcellular location of the inositol(1,4,5)-trisphosphate-generating apparatus.

Biological Clocks↗

Developmental patterning of carbohydrate antigens during early embryogenesis of the chick: expression of antigens of the poly-N-acetyllactosamine series.

This report describes a striking temporal and spatial patterning of specific carbohydrate sequences in the developing chick embryo. By using oligosaccharide sequence-specific monoclonal antibodies as immunohistochemical reagents in conjunction with neuraminidase, it was possible to visualize the occurrence, as well as the changes in distribution, of oligosaccharides of the poly-N-acetyllactosamine series. These were (a) long-chain unbranched sequences reactive with anti-i Den, (b) long-chain branched sequences reactive with anti-I Step and (c) short-chain branched sequences reactive with anti-I Ma and (d) their sialylated forms. The salient observations with serial sections of embryos from the unincubated to the 17th stage were as follows. (1) A pronounced anteroposterior patterning appeared during neuroectodermal development, such that the long-chain unbranched and long-chain branched sequences, which were abundant on the ectoderm of the earlier stages, were replaced by short-chain branched sialo-oligosaccharides in the developing brain and anterior neural tube. (2) A striking anteroposterior and mediolateral patterning developed in the subectodermal extracellular spaces. The long-chain linear and short-chain non-sialylated sequences demarcated regions favourable for migration of the lateral plate mesoderm. (3) A distinction was made between the dorsal and ventral routes of the trunk neural crest in that the extracellular matrix of the dorsal route only was associated with long-chain linear and short-chain sialylated branched sequences. (4) A circumscribed perinotochordal distribution of the short-chain sialylated branched sequences was observed in the region of the future centra of the vertebrae. (5) An abundance of long-chain linear and long-chain sialylated branched structures was detected in primordial germ cells which permitted their identification during migration. These observations suggest that oligosaccharides of the poly-N-acetyllactosamine series may have roles as short-range, region-specific information factors during morphogenetic events that take place in the developing embryo, and they open the way to the search for recognition proteins (e.g. endogenous lectins) specific for each of these oligosaccharide structures.

Animals↗

Chromatic patterns of cone photoreceptors. 1976 Glenn A. Fry Award Lecture.

The operations of vertebrate visual neurons must eventually be expressed in terms of the spectral classes and spatial distributions of photoreceptors that constitute inputs to those neurons. By using a cytochemical probe that permits visualization of the responses of cone photoreceptors to light stimulation, it has been possible to describe the spectral classes and spatial patterns of cones in a lower vertebrate, the goldfish, and in a primate, the baboon. This information is an important first step in analyzing the connections between cones and retinal neurons.

Animals↗

Spatio-temporal self-organization of bone mineral metabolism and trabecular structure of primary bone.

A nonlinear two-variable reaction-diffusion model of bone mineral metabolism, built from an overall self-oscillatory compartmental model of calcium metabolism in vivo, has been studied for its ability to generate spatial and spatio-temporal self-organizations in a two-dimensional space. Analytical and numerical results confirm the theoretical properties previously described for this kind of model. In particular, it is shown that, for a given set of reactional parameter values and certain values of the ratio of the two diffusion coefficients, there exists a set of unstable wavenumbers leading spontaneously to the development, from the homogeneous steady state, of either different types of stationary spatial patterns (hexagonal, striped and re-entrant hexagonal patterns) or more or less complex spatio-temporal expressions. We discuss the relevance of analogies established between some spatial or spatio-temporal structures predicted by the model and some peculiar features of the primary bone trabecular architecture which appear during embryonic ossification.

Animals↗

Semiparametric proportional odds models for spatially correlated survival data.

The last decade has witnessed major developments in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) technology resulting in the need for statisticians to develop models that account for spatial clustering and variation. In public health settings, epidemiologists and health-care professionals are interested in discerning spatial patterns in survival data that might exist among the counties. This paper develops a Bayesian hierarchical model for capturing spatial heterogeneity within the framework of proportional odds. This is deemed more appropriate when a substantial percentage of subjects enjoy prolonged survival. We discuss the implementation issues of our models, perform comparisons among competing models and illustrate with data from the SEER (Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results) database of the National Cancer Institute, paying particular attention to the underlying spatial story.

Bayes Theorem↗

Ontogenesis of the functional activity of rat olfactory bulb: autoradiographic study with the 2-deoxyglucose method.

An ontogenetic study of the uptake of [14C]2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) within the olfactory bulb was performed on rats of 3 age groups, 1, 9 and 21 days. Animals were exposed either to ethyl acetoacetate (EAA) or to a nest odor. Already in newborns, a glomerular activity characterized by small spots of increased 2-DG uptake, appeared in response to either odor stimulation. An ontogenetic development of this glomerular activity was observed with age: whereas the labeled glomerular foci were scanty in newborns, their number constantly increased with age until weaning; moreover, an increased proportion of foci overlaying 2 or 3 single glomeruli was noted in parallel with the postnatal maturation of the olfactory system. For the 3 age groups, whatever the odor stimulus, the glomerular activity seemed located in 2 main regions of the olfactory bulb, the lateral aspect and the posterior part of the medial aspect of the bulb. In newborns, no clear difference could be brought out between the patterns of glomerular activation related to EAA and to nest odor, respectively. In 9-day-old rats, the spatial patterns of distribution associated with the 2 odors were overlapping, but nevertheless different. These data are correlated with the postnatal maturation of the olfactory system.

Acetoacetates↗

Patterning C. elegans: homeotic cluster genes, cell fates and cell migrations.

Despite its simple body form, the nematode C. elegans expresses homeotic cluster genes similar to those of insects and vertebrates in the patterning of many cell types and tissues along the anteroposterior axis. In the ventral nerve cord, these genes program spatial patterns of cell death, fusion, division and neurotransmitter production; in migrating cells they regulate the direction and extent of movement. Nematode development permits an analysis at the cellular level of how homeotic cluster genes interact to specify cell fates, and how cell behavior can be regulated to assemble an organism.

Animals↗

The rise and fall of isolation by distance in the anadromous brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis Mitchill).

Geographic patterns of genetic diversity depend on a species' demographic properties in a given habitat, which may change over time. The rates at which patterns of diversity respond to changes in demographic properties and approach equilibrium are therefore pivotal in our understanding of spatial patterns of diversity. The brook charr Salvelinus fontinalis is a coastal fish exhibiting limited marine movements, such that a stable one-dimensional isolation-by-distance (IBD) pattern should be observed over the whole range. Its range, however, recently shifted northward such that northern populations may still be in the process of reaching equilibrium. We investigated variation in IBD patterns, genetic divergence, and allelic richness at six microsatellite markers in 2087 anadromous brook charr from 59 rivers along the most likely postglacial colonization route. We observed a decrease in allelic richness, together with an increase in differentiation and a decrease in IBD in the most recently colonized northern populations, as expected following recent colonization. Contrary to expectation, however, similar patterns were also observed at the southernmost part of the range, despite the fact that these populations are not considered to be newly colonized. We propose that the loss of dispersal capabilities associated with anadromy may have caused the southernmost populations to evolve relatively independently of one another. This study thus demonstrated that changes in a species' geographic range and dispersal capabilities may contribute to shaping geographic patterns of genetic diversity.

Animals↗

Site-specific phosphorus application based on the kriging fertilizer-phosphorus availability index of soils.

Site-specific phosphorus management is done to optimize crop production and minimize P loss from soils. The spatial variability of the available P prior to fertilizer application and the P-fixation tendency of soil both need to be taken into account for variable-rate P application. The objectives of this research were to document the spatial variability of the fertilizer-P availability index, which shows the P-fixation tendency, and to develop a strategy that takes the spatial distribution of this index into account for site-specific phosphorus application. In this study, the spatial patterns of the fertilizer-P availability index were characterized by using geostatistics. The ordinary kriging was used for spatial interpolation of the fertilizer-P availability index. Because the fertilizer-P availability index of soil is related to oxalate-extractable Fe and Al and because measuring oxalate-extractable Fe and Al is much easier than directly determining the fertilizer-P availability index, the spatial distribution of the fertilizer-P availability index can be obtained using the oxalate-extractable Fe and Al data. The spatial distribution of Olsen-extractable P, which was used to measure the available-P status prior to fertilizer-P application, was also estimated by using ordinary kriging. The required fertilizer-P amounts were then determined using the kriging estimates of the fertilizer-P availability index and Olsen-extractable P. A fertilizer-P recommendation map for the 430-ha study site in Changhua county, Taiwan was generated by using this approach for illustration. The proposed method for generating fertilizer-P recommendation maps can be used for variable-rate application to maintain an adequate P status for crop production and to potentially reduce the P loss from soils.

Agriculture↗

Pattern formation in imaginal discs.

Imaginal discs are sacs of folded epithelium arising during embryogenesis. They proliferate during the larval instars, and at metamorphosis secrete the adult cuticle, therefore being responsible for the characteristic surface patterning of this insect. Each disc has intrinsic growth controls and their cell lineage shows constraints known as compartments. Spatial patterns emerge through interaction between adjacent cells. Molecular genetic analysis of mutants with changed pattern has implicated transcription factors, secreted, membrane-bound and growth factor related proteins in the position-signalling mechanism. Their accessibility to contemporary cell biological techniques makes imaginal discs a model system for investigating patterning in animal tissues.

Animals↗

Analyzing geographic patterns of disease incidence: rates of late-stage colorectal cancer in Iowa.

This study, using geocodes of the locations of residence of newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients from the Iowa Cancer Registry, computed continuous spatial patterns of late-stage rates of colorectal cancer in Iowa. Variations in rates in intrahospital service regions were as great as interhospital service regions, shown by analysis of variance tests. Some of the spatial variations observed could be explained, using a general linear regression model on individual-level data, by spatial variations in attributes of individuals and their relationships to health resources. We show how this source of variation can be removed from the original map leaving a new map showing the remaining variation in late-stage rate not explained by these relationships. We argue that it would be more appropriate to organize prevention and control activities targeted at the areas with higher than expected late-stage rates shown on this map. The originality of this approach is in the integration of geocoded data from a cancer registry with methods of spatial analysis that provide considerable geographic detail in the cancer rate while controlling for rate stabilization and reliability due to the small number problem.

Colorectal Neoplasms↗