Editorial: Woody plants and forest ecosystems in a complex world—Ecological interactions and physiological functioning above and below ground

International audienc

Surface Topography Measurement by Confocal Spectral Interferometry

Confocal spectral interferometry (CSI) is an innovative optical method for determining microtopography of surfaces and thickness of transparent layers, based on the combination of two optical principles: confocal imaging, and spectral interferometry. Confocal optical system images at each instant a single point of the sample. The whole surface is reconstructed by plan scanning. The interference signal generated by mixing two white-light beams is analyzed using a spectrometer. In this work, five ‘rugotests’ of known standard roughnesses are investigated. The topography is then measured and illustrated, and the equivalent roughness is determined and compared with the standard values

Trapped ion mobility spectrometry and PASEF enable in-depth lipidomics from minimal sample amounts

A comprehensive characterization of the lipidome from limited starting material remains very challenging. Here we report a high-sensitivity lipidomics workflow based on nanoflow liquid chromatography and trapped ion mobility spectrometry (TIMS). Taking advantage of parallel accumulation-serial fragmentation (PASEF), we fragment on average 15 precursors in each of 100 ms TIMS scans, while maintaining the full mobility resolution of co-eluting isomers. The acquisition speed of over 100 Hz allows us to obtain MS/MS spectra of the vast majority of isotope patterns. Analyzing 1 mu L of human plasma, PASEF increases the number of identified lipids more than three times over standard TIMS-MS/MS, achieving attomole sensitivity. Building on high intra- and inter-laboratory precision and accuracy of TIMS collisional cross sections (CCS), we compile 1856 lipid CCS values from plasma, liver and cancer cells. Our study establishes PASEF in lipid analysis and paves the way for sensitive, ion mobility-enhanced lipidomics in four dimensions

Unexpected Effect of Internal Degrees of Freedom on Transverse Phonons in Supercooled Liquids

We show experimentally that in a supercooled liquid composed of molecules with internal degrees of freedom the internal modes contribute to the frequency dependent shear viscosity and damping of transverse phonons, which results in an additional broadening of the transverse Brillouin lines. Earlier, only the effect of internal modes on the frequency dependent bulk viscosity and damping of longitudinal phonons was observed and explained theoretically in the limit of weak coupling of internal degrees of freedom to translational motion. A new theory is needed to describe this new effect. We also demonstrate, that the contributions of structural relaxation and internal processes to the width of the Brillouin lines can be separated by measurements under high pressure

Single-qubit-gate error below 10^-4 in a trapped ion

With a 9Be+ trapped-ion hyperfine-states qubit, we demonstrate an error probability per randomized single-qubit gate of 2.0(2) x 10^-5, below the threshold estimate of 10^-4 commonly considered sufficient for fault-tolerant quantum computing. The 9Be+ ion is trapped above a microfabricated surface-electrode ion trap and is manipulated with microwaves applied to a trap electrode. The achievement of low single-qubit-gate errors is an essential step toward the construction of a scalable quantum computer.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 1 table; changed to match published versio

Brazil: economic study of cassava

A series of studies were carried out in Brazil, on a regional basis, to determine how cassava can fit into the Brazilian agricultural economy in the future so as to assist the country in reaching policy goals (improved welfare of the rural community and increased availability of low-priced food). The recent developments in the Brazilian agricultural sector are summarized with emphasis on agricultural policies and on the balance between food production and exports. Urbanization as well as wheat subsidies have reduced the importance of cassava. Current policies, however, are found to favor food crops such as cassava that are produced by the small farmers. Trends in cassava for human food and its future potential role are also analyzed. The role of farinha as a staple food should be improved; increased per capita consumption will depend on better availability, better quality, and lower prices. To increase the consumption of fresh cassava, it is necessary to reduce marketing margins. The reduction of production costs of cassava starch is also crucial. The rapidly expanding feed industry is discussed with reference to cassava supply. Improved production technology would mean increased benefits to both producers and consumers. A dried cassava industry would reduce the need to import maize, stabilize on-farm prices of cassava, and extend the market size of the crop, particularly in NE Brazil. The cost structure of cassava production and processing is analyzed from the viewpoint of the cassava's future role as a source of rural income and its contribution to the food and feed supply. (CIAT)Se realizo una serie de estudios en Brasil, a nivel regional, para determinar el papel de la yuca en la economia agricola brasilera del futuro y ayudar a alcanzar las metas propuestas en las diferentes politicas (mayor bienestar de la comunidad rural y mayor disponibilidad de alimentos a bajo costo). Se resumen los ultimos avances en el sector agricola brasilero, con enfasis en las politicas agricolas y en el balance entre produccion de alimentos y exportaciones. La urbanizacion y los subsidios al trigo le han restado importancia a la yuca. Las politicas actuales, sin embargo, favorecen los cultivos alimenticios, como la yuca, producidos por pequenos agricultores. Tambien se analizan las tendencias del uso de la yuca en la alimentacion humana y su potencial futuro. Se debe mejorar el papel de la farinha como alimento basico; el aumento en el consumo per capita dependera de una mayor disponibilidad, una mejor calidad y precios mas bajos. Para aumentar el consumo de raices frescas es necesario reducir los margenes de mercadeo. Tambien es importante la reduccion de los costos de produccion del almidon de yuca. Se discute la creciente industria de alimentos para animales con referencia a la oferta de yuca. Un tecnologia de produccion mejorada significaria mayor beneficio tanto para los productores como para los consumidores. Una industria de yuca seca reduciria la necesidad de importar maiz, estabilizaria los precios de la yuca a nivel de finca y ampliaria el mercado del cultivo, particularmente en el nordeste del Brasil. Se analiza la estructura de los costos de produccion y procesamiento de la yuca desde el punto de vista de su futuro papel como fuente de ingresos a nivel rural y su contribucion a la oferta de alimentos para humanos y animales. (CIAT