How strong is phenotypic selection on quantitative traits in the wild? We reviewed the literature from 1984 through 1997 for studies that estimated the strength of linear and quadratic selection in terms of standardized selection gradients or differentials on natural variation in quantitative traits for field populations. We tabulated 63 published studies of 62 species that reported over 2,500 estimates of linear or quadratic selection. More than 80% of the estimates were for morphological traits; there is very little data for behavioral or physiological traits. Most published selection studies were unreplicated and had sample sizes below 135 individuals, resulting in low statistical power to detect selection of the magnitude typically reported for natural populations. The absolute values of linear selection gradients |beta| were exponentially distributed with an overall median of 0.16, suggesting that strong directional selection was uncommon. The values of |beta| for selection on morphological and on life-history/phenological traits were significantly different: on average, selection on morphology was stronger than selection on phenology/life history. Similarly, the values of |beta| for selection via aspects of survival, fecundity, and mating success were significantly different: on average, selection on mating success was stronger than on survival. Comparisons of estimated linear selection gradients and differentials suggest that indirect components of phenotypic selection were usually modest relative to direct components. The absolute values of quadratic selection gradients |gamma| were exponentially distributed with an overall median of only 0.10, suggesting that quadratic selection is typically quite weak. The distribution of gamma values was symmetric about 0, providing no evidence that stabilizing selection is stronger or more common than disruptive selection in nature.

Monitoring the temporal changes of forests is important for sustainable forest management. In this study, we investigated the potential of using multi-temporal synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images for mapping annual change in forest cover at a national scale. We assessed the robustness of using multi-temporal Phased Array L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar-2/Scanning Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR-2/ScanSAR) mosaic images for forest mapping by comparison with single-temporal PALSAR-2 mosaic images for three test sites in North, Central, and Southern Vietnam. We then used a combination of multi-temporal PALSAR-2/ScanSAR images, multi-temporal Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) images, and Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) images to map annual forest cover for mainland Vietnam during 2015-2018. Average overall accuracies of our forest/non-forest (FNF) maps (86.6% ± 3.1%) were greater than recent maps of Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA, (77.5% ± 3.2%)) and European Space Agency (ESA, (85.4% ± 1.6%)). Our estimates of mainland Vietnam's forest area were close to that of the Vietnamese government. A comparison of the spatial distribution of forest estimated from JAXA and ESA FNF maps showed that our FNF map in 2015 agreed relatively well with the ESA map, with 77% of pixels being consistent. This study demonstrates the merit of using multi-temporal PALSAR-2/ScanSAR images for annual forest mapping at a national scale. order to enhance active forest management and the implementation of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) framework.The development of satellite missions such as Landsat, Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), Sentinel, and Advanced Land Observation Satellite (ALOS) has facilitated the mapping of changes on the Earth's land cover. It is possible to extract information about forests from global land-cover datasets such as the 1 km Global Land Cover Dataset for the year 2000 (GLC2000) [7], the 500 m MODIS Land Cover Type (MCD12Q1) [8], the 300 m MERIS Global Land Cover Service (GlobCover) [9], and the 30 m Finer Resolution Observation and Monitoring of Global Land Cover (FROM-GLC) [10]. However, these products focus not only on forests but also on other land cover categories, and they are different in spatial resolutions. It can, therefore, be challenging to obtain accurate information on the forest category from these products. Some satellite-derived global forest datasets have been developed, such as the MODIS vegetation continuous fields product [11], the global tree cover products [5,12], and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) forest/non-forest products [13]. However, difficulties remain regarding how to directly apply the results of these global land cover maps to national reports due to uncertainties in the estimation of forest area and change in forest area at a national scale [14][15][16] and the fact that forest definition is different in many parts of the w...

To determine whether enzyme activity is correlated with physiological performance, we analysed the relationship between routine metabolic rate and published data on activity of 12 enzymes from nine species of Drosophila. The enzymes are involved in several aspects of intermediary metabolism including glycolysis. Multiple regression on phylogenetically independent contrasts revealed significant and positive correlations between in vitro enzyme activity and routine metabolic rate. The regression analysis included body size and locomotor activity level as covariates. This result suggests that there may be energetic costs associated with increased enzyme capacity.

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In this article, the research team uses the VAR self-regression vector model to evaluate the impact of exchange rates on inflation and economic growth in Vietnam over the period 2005-2018. With six endogenous variables included in the VAR model: bilateral real exchange rate (Er), money supply (M2), exports (X), imports (IM), GDP at 2010 comparative prices (GDPR), the consumer price index (CPI) and the two exogenous variables, international price (Pw) and US Federal Reserve interest rate (Ifed), the research team examines the impact of exchange rates on endogenous variables in the model and considers the reaction of inflation and economic growth on various shocks. Based on the quantitative results, the research team will recommend some discussions to contribute for the improvement of Vietnam's macro environment, trade balance, inflation control, and economic growth support; implementing the goal of macroeconomic stability to suit the period of international economic integration and improving national competitiveness.