649 research outputs found
Quantum fluctuations of polarons on molecules
The dynamic Jahn-Teller splitting of the six equivalent polarons due
to quantum fluctuations is studied in the framework of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes
formalism. The tunneling induced level splittings are determined to be and for and
, respectively, which should give rise to observable effects in
experiments.Comment: REVTEX 3.0, 13 pages, to be published in Phys. Rev.
Experiences from the implementation of sustainable development in higher education institutions: environmental management for sustainable universities
During the last decades several international initiatives have emphasised that education is an imperative
for societies to become more sustainable. This special volume stream is comprised of 33 papers that
illustrate some of the efforts being taken by higher education institutions to contribute to sustainability.
The majority of the papers were presented at the European Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and
Production e Environmental Management for Sustainable Universities conference in Istanbul, Turkey in
2013. The papers address topics such as implementation of sustainable development, stakeholder
engagement and participation, campus operations, sustainability reporting and assessment, organisational change management, and curriculum development. the papers in this special volume stream
provide significant steps for the higher education for sustainable development discipline by exploring
new and rethink theories, approaches, concepts, methods, and frameworks, as well as providing case
studies and guidelines for practitioners. As the collection of papers shows, there have been many efforts
in the implementation of sustainable development in higher education institutions; however, there are
still many challenges to integrate sustainable development into their systems, and many opportunities
for research in the topic.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Needle age-related and seasonal photosynthetic capacity variation is negligible for modelling yearly gas exchange of a sparse temperate Scots pine forest
In this study, we quantified the predictive accuracy loss involved with
omitting photosynthetic capacity variation for a Scots pine (<i>Pinus sylvestris</i> L.) stand in
Flanders, Belgium. Over the course of one phenological year, we measured the
maximum carboxylation capacity at 25 °C (<i>V</i><sub>m25</sub>), the maximum electron
transport capacity at 25 °C (<i>J</i><sub>m25</sub>), and the leaf area index (LAI) of
different-aged needle cohorts in the upper and lower canopy. We used these
measurements as input for a process-based multi-layer canopy model with the
objective to quantify the difference in yearly gross ecosystem productivity
(GEP) and canopy transpiration (<i>E</i><sub>can</sub>) simulated under scenarios in which
the observed needle age-related and/or seasonal variation of <i>V</i><sub>m25</sub> and
<i>J</i><sub>m25</sub> was omitted. We compared simulated GEP with estimations obtained from
eddy covariance measurements. Additionally, we measured summer needle N
content to investigate the relationship between photosynthetic capacity
parameters and needle N content along different needle ages.
<br><br>
Results show that <i>V</i><sub>m25</sub> and <i>J</i><sub>m25</sub> were, respectively, 27% and
13% higher in current-year than in one-year old needles. A significant
seasonality effect was found on <i>V</i><sub>m25</sub>, but not on <i>J</i><sub>m25</sub>. Summer needle
N content was considerably lower in current-year than in one-year-old
needles. As a result, the correlations between <i>V</i><sub>m25</sub> and needle N content
and <i>J</i><sub>m25</sub> and needle N content were negative and non-significant,
respectively. Some explanations for these unexpected correlations were
brought forward. Yearly GEP was overestimated by the canopy model by ±15% under all scenarios. The inclusion and omission of the observed
needle age-related <i>V</i><sub>m25</sub> and <i>J</i><sub>m25</sub> variation in the model simulations
led to statistically significant but ecologically irrelevant differences in
simulated yearly GEP and <i>E</i><sub>can</sub>. Omitting seasonal variation did not yield
significant simulation differences. Our results indicate that intensive
photosynthetic capacity measurements over the full growing season and
separate simulation of needle age classes were no prerequisites for accurate
simulations of yearly canopy gas exchange. This is true, at least, for the
studied stand, which has a very sparse canopy and is exposed to high N
deposition and, hence, is not fully representative for temperate Scots pine
stands. Nevertheless, we believe well-parameterized process-based canopy
models – as applied in this study – are a useful tool to quantify losses of
predictive accuracy involved with canopy simplification in modelling
Environmental controls on ozone fluxes in a poplar plantation in Western Europe
Tropospheric O-3 is a strong oxidant that may affect vegetation and human health. Here we report on the O-3 fluxes from a poplar plantation in Belgium during one year. Surprisingly, the winter and autumn O-3 fluxes were of similar magnitude to ones observed during most of the peak vegetation development. Largest O-3 uptakes were recorded at the beginning of the growing season in correspondence to a minimum stomatal uptake. Wind speed was the most important control and explained 44% of the variability in the nighttime O-3 fluxes, suggesting that turbulent mixing and the mechanical destruction of O-3 played a substantial role in the O-3 fluxes. The stomatal O-3 uptake accounted for a seasonal average of 59% of the total O-3 uptake. Multiple regression and partial correlation analyses showed that net ecosystem exchange was not affected by the stomatal O-3 uptake. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Theory of Spontaneous Polarization of Endohedral Fullerenes
A pseudo-Jahn-Teller model describing central atom distortions is proposed
for endohedral fullerenes of the form A@C where A is either a rare gas
or a metal atom. A critical (dimensionless) coupling is found, below
which the symmetric configuration is stable and above which inversion symmetry
is broken. Vibronic parameters are given for selected endohedral fullerenes.Comment: 4 pages, REVTEX, 1 Postscript figure. [Phys. Rev. Lett. (in press)
When is a symmetric pin-jointed framework isostatic?
Maxwell's rule from 1864 gives a necessary condition for a framework to be
isostatic in 2D or in 3D. Given a framework with point group symmetry, group
representation theory is exploited to provide further necessary conditions.
This paper shows how, for an isostatic framework, these conditions imply very
simply stated restrictions on the numbers of those structural components that
are unshifted by the symmetry operations of the framework. In particular, it
turns out that an isostatic framework in 2D can belong to one of only six point
groups. Some conjectures and initial results are presented that would give
sufficient conditions (in both 2D and 3D) for a framework that is realized
generically for a given symmetry group to be an isostatic framework.Comment: 24 pages, 10 figures; added references, minor changes, revised last
paragrap
A comparison of different methods for assessing leaf area index in four canopy types
The agreement of Leaf Area Index (LAI) assessments from three indirect methods, i.e. the LAI–2200 Plant Canopy
Analyzer, the SS1 SunScan Canopy Analysis System and Digital Hemispherical Photography (DHP) was evaluated
for four canopy types, i.e. a short rotation coppice plantation (SRC) with poplar, a Scots pine stand, a Pedunculate
oak stand and amaize field. In the SRC and in the maize field, the indirect measurements were compared with direct
measurements (litter fall and harvesting). In the low LAI range (0 to 2) the discrepancies of the SS1 were partly
explained by the inability to properly account for clumping and the uncertainty of the ellipsoidal leaf angle distribu tion parameter. The higher values for SS1 in the medium (2 to 6) to high (6 to 8) ranges might be explained by gap
fraction saturation for LAI–2200 and DHP above certain values. Wood area index –understood as the woody light blocking elements from the canopy with respect to diameter growth– accounted for overestimation by all indirect
methods when compared to direct methods in the SRC. The inter-comparison of the three indirect methods in the
four canopy types showed a general agreement for all methods in the medium LAI range (2 to 6). LAI–2200 and
DHP revealed the best agreement among the indirect methods along the entire range of LAI (0 to 8) in all canopy
types. SS1 showed some discrepancies with the LAI–2200 and DHP at low (0 to 2) and high ranges of LAI (6 to 8
Complete right-to-left shunt on lung perfusion SPECT results in the detection of a persistent left vena cava superior draining to the left atrium
In order to exclude acute pulmonary embolism, a lung perfusion scintigraphy was performed in a 53-year-old male, with a history of Fallot’s tetralogy. He had been immobilized because of a tibial fracture and complained of worsening chest pain and dyspnea
Exact zero-point energy shift in the , many modes dynamic Jahn-Teller systems at strong coupling
We find the exact semiclassical (strong coupling) zero-point energy shifts
applicable to the and dynamic Jahn-Teller
problems, for an arbitrary number of discrete vibrational modes
simultaneously coupled to one single electronic level. We also obtain an
analytical formula for the frequency of the resulting normal modes, which has
an attractive and apparently general Slater-Koster form. The limits of validity
of this approach are assessed by comparison with O'Brien's previous
effective-mode approach, and with accurate numerical diagonalizations.
Numerical values obtained for with and coupling
constants appropriate to C are used for this purpose, and are
discussed in the context of fullerene.Comment: 20 pages, 4 ps figure
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