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O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is a post-translational modification (i.e., O-GlcNAcylation) on serine/threonine residues of proteins. As a unique intracellular monosaccharide modification, protein O-GlcNAcylation plays important roles in almost all biochemical processes examined. Aberrant O-GlcNAcylation underlies the etiologies of a number of chronic diseases (including cancer, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disease). With the tremendous improvement of techniques, thousands of proteins along with their O-GlcNAc sites have been reported. However, until now there is no database dedicated to accommodate the rapid accumulation of such information. Thus, O-GlcNAcAtlas is created to integrate all experimentally identified O-GlcNAc sites and proteins from 1984 to Dec, 2019. O-GlcNAcAtlas consists of two datasets (Dataset-I and Dataset-II, for unambiguously identified sites and ambiguously identified sites, respectively), representing a total number of 4571 O-GlcNAc modified proteins. For each protein, comprehensive information (including gene name, organism, modification sites, site mapping methods and literature references) is provided. To solve the heterogeneity among the data collected from different sources, the sequence identity of these reported O-GlcNAc peptides are mapped to the UniProtKB protein entries. To our knowledge, O-GlcNAcAtlas is the comprehensive and curated database encapsulating all O-GlcNAc sites and proteins identified in the past 35 years. We expect that O-GlcNAcAtlas will be a useful resource which will facilitate site-specific O-GlcNAc functional studies and computational analyses of protein O-GlcNAcylation. The public version of the web interface to the O-GlcNAcAtlas can be found athttps://oglcnac.org.

Objectives This study sought to establish a mapping and ablation strategy to target intramural ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) by identifying the precise arrhythmia site of origin (SOO). Background Radiofrequency ablation of intramural VAs is challenging because the arrhythmia origin is difficult to localize. Methods In 83 consecutive patients with intramural VAs, a stepwise mapping approach was performed: ablation targeted directly the SOO when possible followed by the closest adjacent anatomical structure when necessary. If the SOO could not be identified, the earliest endocardial breakout sites were ablated. Safety and procedural outcomes between patients in whom the SOO could and could not be identified were compared. Results The SOO was identified in 19 of 83 (23%) patients, and radiofrequency ablation was effective in eliminating VAs in all 19 (100%) patients by ablation at the SOO alone (n = 3), at the SOO and an anatomically adjacent area (n = 7), or at an anatomically adjacent area alone (n = 9). Breakout site mapping and ablation in the remaining 64 patients in whom the SOO was not identified was effective in 43 of 64 patients, which was significantly less than in patients in whom the SOO was identified (67% vs. 100%; p Conclusions Identification of the SOO was associated with a successful ablation procedure by either targeting the SOO directly or targeting an adjacent anatomical structure. Ablation at the breakout sites of intramural VAs has a lower efficacy than when the SOO can be directly targeted.

Higher-energy collisional dissociation (HCD) is a well-established fragmentation technique in liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and is used to study protein post translational modifications (PTMs) during peptide mapping. However, labile PTMs like glycosylation, glycation, sulfonylation, or phosphorylation tend to fragment earlier than peptide backbones under HCD. This leads to complicated MS/MS spectra, compromising data quality and downstream data interpretation. Electron-transfer/higher-energy collision dissociation (EThcD) has been used to analyze PTMs, but important components might be missed because of the increased duty cycle. To address this issue, modification-specific fragment ions formed in HCD experiments could be utilized to trigger EThcD analysis only for modified peptides. The trigger for EThcD was established by applying HCD with a high normalized collision energy, generating multiple informative Amadori derived lysine signature ions from a glycated peptide. These signature ions were then applied to trigger targeted EThcD for lysine glycation identification. This improved approach can further expand the characterization efforts of highly labile PTMs in therapeutic proteins.

Graphical abstract, Highlights • The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) has an important role in the viral life cycle. • Inhibition of the active site or dimerization site of Mpro can mitigate activity. • Mapping reveals a reactive pocket in the dimerization pocket at the apex of Mpro. • Blind docking shows that ligands may preferentially bind at the apex of Mpro. • Stable ligand interactions are formed at the active and apex sites of Mpro., The SARS-CoV-2 virus is causing COVID-19 resulting in an ongoing pandemic with serious health, social, and economic implications. Much research is focused in repurposing or identifying new small molecules which may interact with viral or host-cell molecular targets. An important SARS-CoV-2 target is the main protease (Mpro), and the peptidomimetic α-ketoamides represent prototypical experimental inhibitors. The protease is characterised by the dimerization of two monomers each which contains the catalytic dyad defined by Cys145 and His41 residues (active site). Dimerization yields the functional homodimer. Here, our aim was to investigate small molecules, including lopinavir and ritonavir, α-ketoamide 13b, and ebselen, for their ability to interact with the Mpro. The sirtuin 1 agonist SRT1720 was also used in our analyses. Blind docking to each monomer individually indicated preferential binding of the ligands in the active site. Site-mapping of the dimeric protease indicated a highly reactive pocket in the dimerization region at the domain III apex. Blind docking consistently indicated a strong preference of ligand binding in domain III, away from the active site. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that ligands docked both to the active site and in the dimerization region at the apex, formed relatively stable interactions. Overall, our findings do not obviate the superior potency with respect to inhibition of protease activity of covalently-linked inhibitors such as α-ketoamide 13b in the Mpro active site. Nevertheless, along with those from others, our findings highlight the importance of further characterisation of the Mpro active site and any potential allosteric sites.

Morocco hosts numerous archaeological sites, some of which are part of the UNESCO world heritage. Many of these sites, especially funerary mounds also called tumuli, or rock engravings and ceramics, are located in remote areas with limited access, particularly in the Saharan Morocco desert. We developed a remote sensing and GIS model to identify areas with high potential for hosting archaeological sites in the Awserd region of southern Morocco. A field campaign in a “reference site” zone of 21 km2 has revealed 233 archaeological sites. Here we use satellite images and Digital Elevation Models to examine with various techniques (spatial analysis, statistical techniques, and fuzzy logic functions) the relations between the distribution of the archaeological sites and geo-environmental variables such as ground geology, topographic elevation and slope, orientation (aspect), and distance to water sources. We derive empirical relations that reveal that the distribution of archaeological sites depends on the above geo-environmental variables. We then use the empirical relations to anticipate the potential locations of archaeological sites in a region of 980 km2 enclosing the reference site area. The model proves capable of predicting 582 sites in the larger region. Subsequent field observations there confirmed that about 80% of the model anticipations were correct. Our Archaeological Predictive Model (APM) can be scaled to larger areas and varied geographic settings, and hence can be a useful guide for archeological studies in desert regions.

Analysis of PIP-seq data from a model of erythropoiesis reveals dynamics of RBP–RNA interaction and changes in RNA secondary structure throughout red blood cell development., Two features of eukaryotic RNA molecules that regulate their post-transcriptional fates are RNA secondary structure and RNA-binding protein (RBP) interaction sites. However, a comprehensive global overview of the dynamic nature of these sequence features during erythropoiesis has never been obtained. Here, we use our ribonuclease-mediated structure and RBP-binding site mapping approach to reveal the global landscape of RNA secondary structure and RBP–RNA interaction sites and the dynamics of these features during this important developmental process. We identify dynamic patterns of RNA secondary structure and RBP binding throughout the process and determine a set of corresponding protein-bound sequence motifs along with their dynamic structural and RBP-binding contexts. Finally, using these dynamically bound sequences, we identify a number of RBPs that have known and putative key functions in post-transcriptional regulation during mammalian erythropoiesis. In total, this global analysis reveals new post-transcriptional regulators of mammalian blood cell development.

N-linked glycoprotein is a highly interesting class of proteins for clinical and biological research. The large-scale characterization of N-linked glycoproteins accomplished by mass spectrometry-based glycoproteomics has provided valuable insights into the interdependence of glycoprotein structure and protein function. However, these studies focused mainly on the analysis of specific sample type, and lack the integration of glycoproteomic data from different tissues, body fluids or cell types. In this study, we collected the human glycosite-containing peptides identified through their de-glycosylated forms by mass spectrometry from over 100 publications and unpublished datasets generated from our laboratory. A database resource termed N-GlycositeAtlas was created and further used for the distribution analyses of glycoproteins among different human cells, tissues and body fluids. Finally, a web interface of N-GlycositeAtlas was created to maximize the utility and value of the database. The N-GlycositeAtlas database contains more than 30,000 glycosite-containing peptides (representing > 14,000 N-glycosylation sites) from more than 7200 N-glycoproteins from different biological sources including human-derived tissues, body fluids and cell lines from over 100 studies. The entire human N-glycoproteome database as well as 22 sub-databases associated with individual tissues or body fluids can be downloaded from the N-GlycositeAtlas website at http://nglycositeatlas.biomarkercenter.org .

// Pan Fang 1 , Xin-jian Wang 2 , Yu Xue 3 , Ming-qi Liu 1 , Wen-feng Zeng 4 , Yang Zhang 1 , Lei Zhang 1 , Xing Gao 1 , Guo-quan Yan 3 , Jun Yao 1 , Hua-li Shen 1, 5 , Peng-yuan Yang 1, 3, 5 1 Minhang Hospital and Institutes of Biomedical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China 2 State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Institutes of Brain Science, and Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai, China 3 Department of Chemistry, Fudan University, Shanghai, China 4 Key Laboratory of Intelligent Information Processing of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Institute of Computing Technology, CAS, Beijing, China 5 Department of Systems Biology for Medicine and School of Basic Medical Sciences, Fudan University, Shanghai, China Correspondence to: Hua-li Shen, email: shenhuali@fudan.edu.cn Peng-yuan Yang, email: pyyang@fudan.edu.cn Keywords: N-glycoproteomics, mouse brain, mass spectrometry, brain physiological activities, disease biomarker Received: January 25, 2016 Accepted: April 26, 2016 Published: May 31, 2016 ABSTRACT N-glycosylation is one of the most prominent and abundant posttranslational modifications of proteins. It is estimated that over 50% of mammalian proteins undergo glycosylation. However, the analysis of N-glycoproteins has been limited by the available analytical technology. In this study, we comprehensively mapped the N-glycosylation sites in the mouse brain proteome by combining complementary methods, which included seven protease treatments, four enrichment techniques and two fractionation strategies. Altogether, 13492 N-glycopeptides containing 8386 N-glycosylation sites on 3982 proteins were identified. After evaluating the performance of the above methods, we proposed a simple and efficient workflow for large-scale N-glycosylation site mapping. The optimized workflow yielded 80% of the initially identified N-glycosylation sites with considerably less effort. Analysis of the identified N-glycoproteins revealed that many of the mouse brain proteins are N-glycosylated, including those proteins in critical pathways for nervous system development and neurological disease. Additionally, several important biomarkers of various diseases were found to be N-glycosylated. These data confirm that N-glycosylation is important in both physiological and pathological processes in the brain, and provide useful details about numerous N-glycosylation sites in brain proteins.

Logging related sites and features are relatively common in forested areas of the western United States. Such sites are typically investigated through site mapping and artifact recording, and if possible, oral history. We present the results of a dendroarchaeological investigation of a small-scale unauthorized logging site in western New Mexico, US. The results provide information on the economic and social forces that created the site, as well as the scale of activities conducted there. We suggest that individuals quickly responded to improved lumber market conditions and changes in public land administration to exploit what had been an economically marginal timber stand.

Hoisting operations are an essential part of petrochemical plant construction. The pre-layout planning of hoisting facilities, including hoisted objects and cranes, is the key to ensuring the success of the entire construction. However, most current site layout planning methods optimize construction facilities from the 2D plane space, which makes the safety of large-scale hoisting difficult to guarantee. This work proposes an unmanned-aerial-vehicle-based 3D reconstruction for hoist site mapping and layout planning. The core of this study is to utilize real-time 3D spatial information as a constraint for hoisting facility layout planning. Improved image-based modeling techniques are used to reconstruct the 3D construction site model in real-time. The geometric parameters extracted by the site model support the mathematical programming model presented in this work for a safe and efficient rapid layout planning. The C101 tower hoisting in the construction of the Wuhan Petrochemical Plant is used to verify the effectiveness of the method. Calculation results show that the method can push the position and save planning time intelligently. Furthermore, this method can provide a new solution to hoisting safety and efficiency.

Degradome sequencing (degradome-seq) was widely used for cleavage site mapping on the microRNA (miRNA) targets. Here, the application value of degradome-seq data in tracking the miRNA processing intermediates was reported. By adopting the parameter “signal/noise” ratio, prominent degradome signals on the miRNA precursors were extracted. For the 15 species analyzed, the processing of many miRNA precursors were supported by the degradome-seq data. We found that the supporting ratio of the “high-confidence” miRNAs annotated in miRBase was much higher than that of the “low-confidence.” For a specific species, the percentage of the miRNAs with degradome-supported processing signals was elevated by the increment of degradome sampling diversity. More interestingly, the tissue- or cell line-specific processing patterns of the miRNA precursors partially contributed to the accumulation patterns of the mature miRNAs. In this study, we also provided examples to show the value of the degradome-seq data in miRNA annotation. Based on the distribution of the processing signals, a renewed model was proposed that the stems of the miRNA precursors were diced through a “single-stranded cropping” mode, and “loop-to-base” processing was much more prevalent than previously thought. Together, our results revealed the remarkable capacity of degradome-seq in tracking miRNA processing signals.

This paper presents an experimental comparison between Octomap and RTABMap, which are two popular 3D mapping techniques that are widely used in robotic systems. The purpose of this comparison is to assess the suitability of these mapping techniques to map a dynamically changing environment for human users. In this paper we present a real-world implementation of Octomap and RTABMap in an environment where different characteristics and features of the two mapping techniques are clearly demonstrated. For example, RTAPMap clearly visualize inclined planes. The two mapping techniques are compared experimentally in terms of a number of metrics such as their ability to give a realistic 3D view of the environment, perception of colours and identification of shaded areas. The testbed uses ROS, robotics middleware on a factory calibrated robot based on Kobuki mobile research base.

The post-translational modification of nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins with O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) is involved in a wide variety of cellular processes and is associated with the pathological progression of chronic diseases. Considering its emerging biological significance, systematic identification, site mapping, and quantification of O-GlcNAc proteins are essential and have led to the development of several approaches for O-GlcNAc protein profiling. This minireview mainly focuses on the various useful chemical reactions and molecular tools with detailed reaction mechanisms widely adopted for O-GlcNAc protein/peptide enrichment and its quantification for comprehensive O-GlcNAc protein profiling.

This paper presents the comprehensive results of landing site topographic mapping and rover localization in Chang’e-3 mission. High-precision topographic products of the landing site with extremely high resolutions (up to 0.05 m) were generated from descent images and registered to CE-2 DOM. Local DEM and DOM with 0.02 m resolution were produced routinely at each waypoint along the rover traverse. The lander location was determined to be (19.51256°W, 44.11884°N, −2615.451 m) using a method of DOM matching. In order to reduce error accumulation caused by wheel slippage and IMU drift in dead reckoning, cross-site visual localization and DOM matching localization methods were developed to localize the rover at waypoints; the overall traveled distance from the lander is 114.8 m from cross-site visual localization and 111.2 m from DOM matching localization. The latter is of highest accuracy and has been verified using a LRO NAC image where the rover trajeactory is directly identifiable. During CE-3 mission operations, landing site mapping and rover localization products including DEMs and DOMs, traverse maps, vertical traverse profiles were generated timely to support teleoperation tasks such as obstacle avoidance and rover path planning.

Elucidating how molecules bind to HSA is fundamental for predicting drug incompatibilities. Through combinatorial screening, we identified a novel fluorescent dye (BD140) with turn-on fluorescence emission and specific binding at HSA drug site 2. We further combined it with dansylamide to develop a fluorescent dye cocktail for high-throughput mapping of the interaction between therapeutics at HSA drug-binding sites.

Agri-environment schemes (AES) favouring the maintenance of hedges were implemented in the Camargue (southern France) as it has previously been proven to reduce the risk of damage caused by Greater Flamingo incursions into rice fields. Given the persistent incursions, we estimated the economic cost of damage from 2007 to 2009, the uptake rate of hedge-related AES and explored the limits of these schemes as a mitigation effort. Semi-structured and key informant interviews, site mapping and field visits were made to verify claims and estimate damage. Number of plants/m2 and fertile stems/plant were estimated on 1,498 and 312 grids, respectively, spread over 26 rice fields. Damaged areas of rice fields forayed by flamingos presented from 1.35 to 3.06 t/ha lower yield than undamaged areas. We estimated 228€/ha average loss in forayed fields for a total of 400,000€ in yield loss in 2008. Administrative constraints limited AES and free seedlings distribution, preventing the problem from being addressed at an ap...

Carbohydrates surround nearly every cell in the human body. Glycosaminoglycans like chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate on the cell surface regulate protein ligand engagement and receptor activation to control a variety of biological processes including development, angiogenesis, and neuronal growth. These polysaccharides exert activity through protein binding to their diverse chemical structures. Therefore, the development of methods to tailor glycosaminoglycan populations at the cell surface with defined structures could provide novel approaches to control biological activity. Herein, two new methods to engineer the cell surface glycocalyx with known glycosaminoglycans are reported. Together, these methods provide complementary short- and long-term approaches to change carbohydrate structures at the cell surface and guide neuronal growth and stem cell differentiation. It is also critical to identify unknown protein-carbohydrate interactions that underlie biological phenomena. Studies delineating novel GAG interactions with an orphan receptor and related soluble ligands are reported herein as well as work towards understanding the biological functions of these newly discovered interactions. These results showcase the utility of chemical biology and biochemical tools to discover and modulate various GAG-protein interactions in diverse biological systems. Within the cell, thousands of proteins are modified by O-GlcNAc glycosylation, a process that is uniquely catalyzed by a single transferase and hydrolase pair unlike many other post-translational modifications. O-GlcNAcylation functions in many biological contexts including transcription, translation, proteostasis, and metabolism. Key to understanding its effects on these physiological phenomena is the discovery of O-GlcNAc modification sites. However, due to a number of technical challenges, O-GlcNAc proteomics has not progressed nearly as quickly as phosphoproteomics. Thus, developing new methods to enrich O-GlcNAcylated substrates and map modification sites is critical to unravel the myriad functions of O-GlcNAc. Herein, a labeling approach using a chemically cleavable tag is reported as an improved method to capture and release O-GlcNAcylated substrates. Unlike other methods, the cleavable Dde tag is quantitatively removed under mild, neutral conditions and leaves a minimal residual tag on the O-GlcNAcylated peptide to be analyzed. Moreover, the Dde linker outcompetes a previously used UV-cleavable tag both at the protein and peptide enrichment levels. Together, these results highlight the potential usefulness of this method to illuminate novel roles of O-GlcNAcylation in diverse systems.

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) exhibit a key role in cellular communication processes through interactions with target proteins of the extracellular matrix (ECM). The sandwich-like interaction established between Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) and heparin (HE) represents quite a peculiar protein-GAG-protein system, which has been both structurally and functionally intensively studied. The molecular recognition characteristics of this system have been exploited in various computational studies in order to deepen understanding of GAG-protein interactions. Here, we drill down on the interactions established in this peculiar macromolecular complex by analyzing the applicability of docking techniques and molecular dynamics (MD)-based approaches, and we dissect the molecular recognition properties exhibited by FGF towards a series of HE derivatives. We examine the sensitivity of MM-GBSA free energy calculations in terms of receptor conformational space sampling and changes in the ligand structures. Furthermore, we investigate its predictive power in combination with other computational methods, namely the well-established Autodock3 (AD3) and dynamic molecular docking (DMD), a targeted MD-based docking method specifically developed to account for flexibility and solvent in computer simulations of protein-GAG systems. Our results show that a site-mapping approach can be effectively combined with AD3 and DMD calculations to accurately reproduce available experimental data and, furthermore, to determine specific GAG recognition patterns. This study deepens our understanding of the applicability of available theoretical approaches to the investigation of molecular recognition in protein-GAG systems. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s10719-016-9745-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Morocco is famous as one of the archaeologically richest places with many sites. In addition, some of the sites have been listed as UNESCO World Human Heritage sites. In situ observations are used in cultural heritage and archaeological sites mapping. However, this procedure requires periodic observations, which are practically difficult to combine with traditional methods and practices since this is time consuming and expensive. Thus, modern technologies, mainly GIS and remote sensing, are gaining attention as tools for prediction at archaeological sites. The aim of this paper is to assess the application of GIS and remote sensing in order to develop a predictive model, which will be used in locating areas with high potential as archaeological sites in the Awsard area (southern Morocco). The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) as a multi-criteria decision making method, which integrates archaeological data and environmental factors, geospatial analysis and predictive modelling, has been applied to the identification of possible tumuli locations in the study area. The model was developed using a zone of 21 km2 with 233 known sites. It was later validated using 530 unknown sites within an area of 980 km2. The acceptable accuracy of 93% was calculated using an estimation of predictive gain, which proves the efficiency of the model&rsquo, s predictive ability.

Storms, wildfire and insect diseases attacked Lower Saxonian forests many times. New plantations on the ravaged areas respected ecological conditions in order to create more stability and elasticity in forest stands. The following practical steps are described: The more modern ecology reveals the biotic and abiotic risks of monocultures, the more practical sylviculture can try to establish more diversity in forests. The existing forests in Lower Saxony are the result of reforestation of heathern, which did very often not respect site conditions. Site mapping of forests showed a multitude of silvicultural possibilities not known before. The effect of this work is concentrated in a new longterm planning with the following results: — In time and space there will be more change in species and structure of the stands and mainly more mixed stands. For this examples are shown. — In plantations a lower number of plants gives more chances for accompanying species. — Early and heavy thinnings lead to the same effect. — Clean forests with lower production of insect and fire fuel avoid supplementarily risks. Zusammenfassung Standortgemaser Waldbau als Methode des Forstschutzes Sturme, Waldbrande und Insektenangriffe haben die niedersachsischen Walder haufig heimgesucht. Die Neuanpflanzungen danach orientieren sich an okologischen Grundlagen, um in den Bestanden mehr Stabilitat und Elastizitat zu schaffen. Folgende praktische Schritte werden beschrieben: Je mehr die moderne Okologie die biotischen und abiotischen Risiken gleichformiger Bestokkungen aufdeckt, um so starker mus sich der praktische Waldbau um eine hohere Diversitat bemuhen. Die existierenden Walder sind das Ergebnis von Heideaufforstungen, die haufig die standortlichen Bedingungen nicht beachteten. Eine Standortskartierung der Forsten erbrachte eine Vielzahl waldbaulicher Moglichkeiten, die fruher nicht erkannt wurden. Das Ergebnis dieser Arbeit ist in eine langfristige waldbauliche Planung mit folgender Wirkung eingegangen: — Zeitlich und raumlich werden Baumarten und Bestandesstrukturen starker abwechseln, insbesondere durch mehr Mischbestande. Dazu werden Beispiele gegeben. — Geringere Pflanzenzahlen in Forstkulturen ermoglichen hohere Vielfalt durch Verringerung des Konkurrenzdrucks fur Begleitvegetationen. — Fruhe und starke Durchforstungen fuhren zum selben Effekt. — Saubere Walder konnen zusatzlich die fangische Holzmasse fur Waldbrand und bestimmte Insekten verringern helfen.

Phytosociology has advanced in various respects since the fundamental groundwork was laid, which was mainly concerned with developing a classification system of vegetation units. Current site classification methods for forests consider not only floristic aspects, but also pedological, topographic and structural characteristics of forest stands. During the summer of 2007, a site mapping was carried out in the ETH Research Forest near Sedrun (Switzerland). This paper describes the methods employed, and it evaluates the applicability thereof based on case studies. Site mapping is based on expert opinion, and as such it includes a certain degree of generalization and subjectivity in the evaluation of stands and their assignment to a site type. However, we propose that site classification constitutes a suitable tool for describing and characterizing the complexity of forest sites. The accurate description of site types strongly facilitates the interpretation and the applicability of a classification system in decision support for sustainable forest management.

The dynamic co- and post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins, O-linked β-D-N-acetylglucosamine modification (O-GlcNAcylation) of serine/threonine residues is critical in many cellular processes, contributing to multiple physiological and pathological events. The term "O-GlcNAcome" refers to not only the complete set of proteins that undergo O-GlcNAcylation but also the O-GlcNAc status at individual residues, as well as the dynamics of O-GlcNAcylation in response to various stimuli. O-GlcNAcomic analyses have been a challenge for many years. In this chapter, we describe a recently developed approach for the identification and quantification of O-GlcNAc proteins/peptides from complex samples.

Plastic covering is a common practice in agricultural fields. From an agronomic point of view, plastic coverings offer many advantages against unfavourable growing conditions. This explains their widespread utilization with consequent positive impact on local economy. On the other hand, plasticulture raises both environmental and landscape issues. In the Apulia Region (Italy) the wide implementation of such practice generally relates to vineyard cultivation. Continuous vineyard protection has resulted in negative effects on the hydrogeological balance of soils, causing a deep modification of the traditional rural landscape and therefore affecting its quality. To guarantee both the protection of local economy as well as the preservation of local environment and landscape features, a detailed site mapping of the areas involved is necessary. Indeed, the quantification of this phenomenon is essential in the periodic updating of the existing land use database and in the development of local policies. In this study we evaluate the potential of the novel Thermal Infrared Sensor bands (TIRS) provided by the LANDSAT 8 mission in plasticulture discrimination. Using the evident anomaly retrieved in the study area on the Quality Assessment (QA) band, a fast procedure involving TIRS data was developed, proposing a new index (Plastic Surface Index- PSI) able to emphasize plasticulture. For the aim of this study, two different acquisition dates on a test area in the Apulia region (Italy) were analyzed, one in the growing season with high plastic covering density and one in the post-harvest period with low plastic cover density.

More than 40 years work has gone into the publication of a 230-page plant-sociological and site mapping survey in the canton of Argovia. The article reports on the genesis and contents of this work. The 87 forest types in the canton of Argovia that are included in the list are described and commented on. The publication is addressed, above all, to forestry specialists who need acurrate economic and ecological information in order to reach informed decisions on forest management. At the same time it provides an important basis for further policies concerning nature protection, planning and environmental issues. The fourth, application-oriented part of the book is especially noteworthy. Current themes, such as nature-friendly silviculture,afforestation on storm-damaged sites, susceptibility of forest soil, nature protection, areas where oak is cultivated,etc., are addressed and practical measures formulated to help and support forest managers in the often difficult decisions that have to be taken. The corresponding site maps are available in digital form and provide, together with the overview, an important basis for sustainable forest management.

Forestry planning in the canton of Glarus, taking in all forest enterprises, is based on three important pillars: the cantonal forest plan (forest development plan), the cantonal forest inventory, and the mapping of forest societies. The forest plan shows individually weighted forest functions, the corresponding goals and general measures. To a certain degree the plan is the mission statement of the forest. Plant sociological site mapping is an important starting point to eliminate certain functions of the forest (yield and welfare functions). Based on previous company inventories, a cantonal forest inventory is taking shape that will provide information on the structure, composition, as well as the condition and development of the forest. In order to optimise expenditure the density of the sample plots has been reduced by a third (i.e. one per 9 ha instead of the original 3 ha) and a changeover to a cluster with six sample plots has been put into place. Random checks are to be continued and samplings supplemented with the evaluation of the stability and surveys of young forest stands. Preliminary results are positive. Control samplings will be taken in order to ensure quality.

SummaryBackground While sunlight is important in the aetiology of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM), the relationship between skin areas receiving intermittent or chronic sun exposure and the development of CMM has not been fully explored. There is a requirement for an improved method for more detailed site mapping and for analysis of tumour density in different areas of the skin in relation to the type of sun exposure, phenotypic traits and prognosis of patients with CMM. Objectives To describe and demonstrate the use of EssDoll©, a new computerized method to map and analyse tumour sites. Methods We have used the new software to analyse data on 2517 patients with 2608 primary CMMs. Results The results obtained were consistent with previous data on the distribution of CMM in men and women. The distribution of CMM on the back was uneven, with the density on the upper back being twice that on the lower back. Conclusions The new methodology allows a more accurate mapping and analysis of skin tumour site, including determination of tumour density. This improves the possibility of analysing tumour site in relation to aetiological, phenotypic and prognostic parameters.

Summary For determining the amount and structure of the allowable cut in forests in transition (from evenaged to uneven-aged management) the assumptions of the usual formulas for calculating allowable cut no longer apply. In this situation, growth models applied to permanent sample inventories become an important planning tool. This is demonstrated at a forest management district in the Austrian part of the Bohemian Massif, where clearcutting was abandoned 40 years ago. The existing inventory is based on angle counts. The site mapping, performed there in 1963, is translated into the site factors used in the growth simulator PROGNAUS, using a sample of site assessments in the mapped site classes. The simulation results, for four different harvesting regimes over 80 years, are evaluated to find the most appropriate harvesting level.