Non-contact ultrasonic resonant spectroscopy resolves the elastic properties of layered plant tissues

This paper describes the application of the wide-band non-contact ultrasonic resonant spectroscopy technique to layered plant tissues (leaves), a method to extract the properties of main component tissues: palisade parenchyma and spongy mesophyll, a verification of the obtained properties, and a discussion of the implications of the observed elastic anisotropy. Transmission coefficient spectra of Ligustrum lucidum leaves with the thickness in the range of 250-850 µm revealing several order thickness resonances have been measured. A leaf acoustic model based on a two-layered structure and a metaheuristic (simulated annealing algorithm) is used to solve the inverse problem. The extracted parameters of these two layers of tissue are consistent with cross-sectional cryo-SEM images and other independent measurements. The extracted resonant frequency and the impedance of each layer explain the origin of the observed resonances. Finally, the elastic modulus of each layer is extracted and analyzed. The presented technique is a unique tool to study (in vivo and in a completely non-invasive way) the ultrasonic, elastic, and viscoelastic properties of layered plant tissues which could lead to a better understanding of the relationship between the tissue microstructure and the tissue function with macroscopic properties and how this may affect water relations

Magnetic field production during preheating at the electroweak scale

We study the generation of magnetic fields during preheating within an scenario of hybrid inflation at the electroweak (EW) scale. We find that the non-perturbative and strongly out-of-equilibrium process of magnetic field production occurs along the lines predicted by Vachaspati many years ago. The system starts in the false vacuum at the end of inflation, and very quickly the initial quantum fluctuations of the Higgs field get amplified via long wavelength spinodal instabilities. The subsequent nucleation of the random Gaussian Higgs field bubbles (lumps) leads to EW symmetry breaking, and to the creation of $Z$-strings, which soon decay, along with longwave magnetic flux tubes with nontrivial helicity. The intensity and scales in these helical magnetic fields are consistent with their later development into the microgauss fields observed in galaxies and clusters of galaxies.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figures, uses revtex

Assessing discards in an illegal small-scale fishery using fisher-led reporting

Funding: Newton Fund (IL 2018-Grant Agreement 414695818 James PER), Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico, Tecnológico y de Innovación Tecnológica (PE) (FONDECYT 2018-222).About a third of all marine fish in the world are caught in Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF). SSF are increasingly recognised as essential for food security and livelihoods for vulnerable and economically fragile communities globally. Although individual SSF vessels are usually perceived as having little impact on the ecosystem, the cumulative impact of gear type and number of vessels may be substantial. Bottom trawling is a common fishing method that can greatly influence the marine ecosystem by damaging the seafloor and generating high levels of discards. However, appropriate sampling coverage using on-board observer programmes to collect these data from SSF are rare, as they are expensive and pose logistical constraints. A mobile App was used to assess whether self-reporting by fishers could provide reliable fine-scale information on fishing effort and discards over time in an illegal shrimp trawling fishery in northern Peru. Maps depicting the spatial distribution of trawling effort and the proportion of discards from observers and fishers were compared using the Similarity in Means (SIM) Index, which ranges from 0 when spatial patterns differ completely to 1 when spatial patterns are very similar. High levels of agreement between spatio-temporal patterns of effort (SIM Index = 0.81) and discards (0.96) were found between fisher and observer maps. Moreover, far greater spatial coverage was accomplished by fishers, suggesting that self-reporting via an App represents a useful approach to collect reliable fisheries data as an initial step for effective monitoring and management of these fisheries.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The effect of seasoning with herbs on the nutritional, safety and sensory properties of reduced-sodium fermented Cobrançosa cv. table olives

This study aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of seasoning Cobrancosa table olives in a brine with aromatic ingredients, in order to mask the bitter taste given by KCl when added to reduced-sodium fermentation brines. Olives were fermented in two different salt combinations: Brine A, containing 8% NaCl and, Brine B, a reduced-sodium brine, containing 4% NaCl + 4% KCl. After the fermentation the olives were immersed in seasoning brines with NaCl (2%) and the aromatic herbs (thyme, oregano and calamintha), garlic and lemon. At the end of the fermentation and two weeks after seasoning, the physicochemical, nutritional, organoleptic, and microbiological parameters, were determined. The olives fermented in the reduced-sodium brines had half the sodium concentration, higher potassium and calcium content, a lower caloric level, but were considered, by a sensorial panel, more bitter than olives fermented in NaCl brine. Seasoned table olives, previously fermented in Brine A and Brine B, had no significant differences in the amounts of protein (1.23% or 1.11%), carbohydrates (1.0% or 0.66%), fat (20.0% or 20.5%) and dietary fiber (3.4% or 3.6%). Regarding mineral contents, the sodium-reduced fermented olives, presented one third of sodium, seven times more potassium and three times more calcium than the traditional olives fermented in 8% NaCl. Additionally, according to the panelists' evaluation, seasoning the olives fermented in 4% NaCl + 4% KCl, resulted in a decrease in bitterness and an improvement in the overall evaluation and flavor. Escherichia coli and Salmonella were not found in the olives produced.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Vegetation, climate and natural resources during Upper Pleistocene in Navalmaíllo Rockshelter (Calvero de la Higuera, Pinilla del Valle, Madrid)

Los datos polínicos, procedentes del Abrigo de Navalmaíllo (Pinilla del Valle,Madrid), constituyen un registro excepcional, al ser pioneros en cuanto a su resolución temporal para la zona de estudio. Las dataciones de la secuencia (71.685 ± 5.082 – 77.230 ± 6.016), aportan información paleoambiental para el Pleistoceno Superior, en un área, donde los yacimientos y depósitos naturales son formaciones relativamente recientes, con un registro generalmente a partir los últimos 3000-4000 años.Además, dado que en dicho abrigo se ha constatado, tanto desde el punto de vista paleontológico como arqueológico, una intensa ocupación humana, la composición y los cambios en el cortejo florístico, cobran un interés especial revelando las fluctuaciones climáticas, a través del tránsito desde paisajes boscosos, de índole mediterráneo, a espacios abiertos de carácter seco y fresco. Además el espectro polínico es capaz de explicar la falta del registro antracológico, y puede ser interpretado bajo la perspectiva de la potencialidad de los recursos que la cubierta vegetal ofreció a la comunidad humana, de neandertales, asentada en el territorioPollen data from the Navalmaíllo rockshelter (Pinilla del Valle, Madrid), constitute an exceptional record, being pioneers in terms of its temporal resolution for the study area. Dating of the sequence (71,685 ± 5,082 – 77,230 ± 6,016), provide information Upper Pleistocene period, in an area where the archaeological sites and natural deposits are relatively recent formations (around usually from 3000-4000 years ago). In addition, given that the coat you have shown, both from the paleontological and archaeological point of view, intense human occupation, the composition and changes in the floristic cortege, charge special interest revealing climatic fluctuations through the transit from forested landscapes of Mediterranean nature, open spaces of dry and fresh character.Also the pollen spectrum is able to explain the lack of the rich record, and it can be interpreted under the perspective of the potential of the resources offered by the vegetation cover to the human community, Neanderthals, settled in the territor

From local monitoring to a broad‐scale viability assessment: a case study for the Bonelli's Eagle in western Europe

Population viability analysis (PVA) has become a basic tool of current conservation practice. However, if not accounted for properly, the uncertainties inherent to PVA predictions can decrease the reliability of this type of analysis. In the present study, we performed a PVA of the whole western European population (France, Portugal, and Spain) of the endangered Bonelli's Eagle (Aquila fasciata), in which we thoroughly explored the consequences of uncertainty in population processes and parameters on PVA predictions. First, we estimated key vital rates (survival, fertility, recruitment, and dispersal rates) using monitoring, ringing, and bibliographic data from the period 1990-2009 from 12 populations found throughout the studied geographic range. Second, we evaluated the uncertainty about model structure (i.e., the assumed processes that govern individual fates and population dynamics) by comparing the observed growth rates of the studied populations with model predictions for the same period. Third, using the model structures suggested in the previous step, we assessed the viability of both the local populations and the overall population. Finally, we analyzed the effects of model and parameter uncertainty on PVA predictions. Our results strongly support the idea that all local populations in western Europe belong to a single, spatially structured population operating as a source-sink system, whereby the populations in the south of the Iberian Peninsula act as sources and, thanks to dispersal, sustain all other local populations, which would otherwise decline. Predictions regarding population dynamics varied considerably, and models assuming more constrained dispersal predicted more pessimistic population trends than models assuming greater dispersal. Model predictions accounting for parameter uncertainty revealed a marked increase in the risk of population declines over the next 50 years. Sensitivity analyses indicated that adult and pre‐adult survival are the chief vital rates regulating these populations, and thus, the conservation efforts aimed at improving these survival rates should be strengthened in order to guarantee the long‐term viability of the European populations of this endangered species. Overall, the study provides a framework for the implementation of multi‐site PVAs and highlights the importance of dispersal processes in shaping the population dynamics of long‐lived birds distributed across heterogeneous landscapes

Economic Valuation of Health Care Services in Public Health Systems: A Study about Willingness to Pay (WTP) for Nursing Consultations

Background: Identifying the economic value assigned by users to a particular health service is of principal interest in planning the service. The aim of this study was to evaluate the perception of economic value of nursing consultation in primary care (PC) by its users. Methods and Results: Economic study using contingent valuation methodology. A total of 662 users of nursing consultation from 23 health centers were included. Data on demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, health needs, pattern of usage, and satisfaction with provided service were compiled. The validity of the response was evaluated by an explanatory mixed-effects multilevel model in order to assess the factors associated with the response according to the welfare theory. Response reliability was also evaluated. Subjects included in the study indicated an average Willingness to Pay (WTP) of €14.4 (CI 95%: €13.2–15.5; median €10) and an average Willingness to Accept [Compensation] (WTA) of €20.9 (CI 95%: €19.6–22.2; median €20). Average area income, personal income, consultation duration, home visit, and education level correlated with greater WTP. Women and older subjects showed lower WTP. Fixed parameters explained 8.41% of the residual variability, and response clustering in different health centers explained 4–6% of the total variability. The influence of income on WTP was different in each center. The responses for WTP and WTA in a subgroup of subjects were consistent when reassessed after 2 weeks (intraclass correlation coefficients 0.952 and 0.893, respectively). Conclusions: The economic value of nursing services provided within PC in a public health system is clearly perceived by its user. The perception of this value is influenced by socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the subjects and their environment, and by the unique characteristics of the evaluated service. The method of contingent valuation is useful for making explicit this perception of value of health services

Symmetry Breaking and False Vacuum Decay after Hybrid Inflation

We discuss the onset of symmetry breaking from the false vacuum in generic scenarios in which the mass squared of the symmetry breaking (Higgs) field depends linearly with time, as it occurs, via the evolution of the inflaton, in models of hybrid inflation. We show that the Higgs fluctuations evolve from quantum to classical during the initial stages. This justifies the subsequent use of real-time lattice simulations to describe the fully non-perturbative and non-linear process of symmetry breaking. The early distribution of the Higgs field is that of a smooth classical gaussian random field, and consists of lumps whose shape and distribution is well understood analytically. The lumps grow with time and develop into ``bubbles'' which eventually collide among themselves, thus populating the high momentum modes, in their way towards thermalization at the true vacuum. With the help of some approximations we are able to provide a quasi-analytic understanding of this process.Comment: 33 pages, 16 figures, LaTeX, uses revtex. Version to be published in Phys. Rev. with minor change

Laying the Foundations for a Human-Predator Conflict Solution: Assessing the Impact of Bonelli's Eagle on Rabbits and Partridges

BACKGROUND: Predation may potentially lead to negative effects on both prey (directly via predators) and predators (indirectly via human persecution). Predation pressure studies are, therefore, of major interest in the fields of theoretical knowledge and conservation of prey or predator species, with wide ramifications and profound implications in human-wildlife conflicts. However, detailed works on this issue in highly valuable--in conservation terms--Mediterranean ecosystems are virtually absent. This paper explores the predator-hunting conflict by examining a paradigmatic, Mediterranean-wide (endangered) predator-two prey (small game) system. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We estimated the predation impact ('kill rate' and 'predation rate', i.e., number of prey and proportion of the prey population eaten, respectively) of Bonelli's eagle Aquila fasciata on rabbit Oryctolagus cuniculus and red-legged partridge Alectoris rufa populations in two seasons (the eagle's breeding and non-breeding periods, 100 days each) in SE Spain. The mean estimated kill rate by the seven eagle reproductive units in the study area was c. 304 rabbits and c. 262 partridges in the breeding season, and c. 237 rabbits and c. 121 partridges in the non-breeding period. This resulted in very low predation rates (range: 0.3-2.5%) for both prey and seasons. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The potential role of Bonelli's eagles as a limiting factor for rabbits and partridges at the population scale was very poor. The conflict between game profitability and conservation interest of either prey or predators is apparently very localised, and eagles, quarry species and game interests seem compatible in most of the study area. Currently, both the persecution and negative perception of Bonelli's eagle (the 'partridge-eating eagle' in Spanish) have a null theoretical basis in most of this area