Analysis of historical changes in soil fertility and organic matter levels of the North American Great Plains

Non-Peer Reviewe

Maternal depressive symptoms and adolescent academic attainment: Testing pathways via parenting and self-control

Maternal depression is associated with reduced academic attainment in children, however, it is not clear how this association comes about. Depressive symptoms are associated with impairment in social roles including parenting. Children's self-control is an important contributor to academic attainment and is influenced by parenting. We therefore hypothesised that impaired parenting and children's self-control may mediate links between maternal depression and children's academic attainment. Data were from a brief longitudinal study (3 waves) of UK children aged 11–12 years and their mothers. Higher maternal depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with lower academic attainment in children assessed one year later. There was evidence to support an indirect effect of maternal depressive symptoms on children's academic attainment through the mother-child and the father-child relationship which, in turn, reduced children's self-control. These influences were independent of socio-economic deprivation. A direct effect of maternal depression on children's academic attainment was also observed

A study of C P violation in the decays B± → [K+K-π+π-] Dh± (h = K, π) and B± → [π+π-π+π-] Dh±

The first study of CP violation in the decay mode B±→[K+K-π+π-]Dh±, with h=K, π, is presented, exploiting a data sample of proton–proton collisions collected by the LHCb experiment that corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 9\,fb-1. The analysis is performed in bins of phase space, which are optimised for sensitivity to local CP asymmetries. CP-violating observables that are sensitive to the angle γ of the Unitarity Triangle are determined. The analysis requires external information on charm-decay parameters, which are currently taken from an amplitude analysis of LHCb data, but can be updated in the future when direct measurements become available. Measurements are also performed of phase-space integrated observables for B±→[K+K-π+π-]Dh± and B±→[π+π-π+π-]Dh± decays

Potential effects of climate change on the temperate zones of North and South America Potenciales efectos del cambio climático en zonas templadas de América del Norte y del Sur

Under current conditions, large areas of temperate western North America and temperate southern South America have arid to subhumid climates that make them vulnerable to changes as a result of human-induced climate change. Predictions of climate change from global circulation models with a doubling of present atmospheric levels of CO2 suggest large changes in mean annual temperature and small to no changes in mean annual precipitation and the proportion of precipitation received during the summer. Our objective here was to evaluate how predictions of climate change from global circulation models will influence climatic patterns and by inference the distribution of temperate zone ecosystems in North and South America. Calculations of annual water deficits suggest that the area affected by very dry conditions will double as a result of climate change. This expansion will take place in the vicinity of the currently dry areas. Monthly water deficit calculations suggest that approximately half of the temperate zone on each continent is affected by at least one month of deficit. Under a doubled CO2 climate, these areas would expand to cover up to 77 % of the temperate zone of North America and up to 80 % of South America. The resulting changes to the current distribution of ecosystems will likely be an expansion of deserts at the expense of grasslands in North and South America and an expansion of grasslands at the expense of deciduous and boreal forest in North America. Our analyses assumed that future climatic changes will be encompassed by the predictions of our three doubled CO2 scenarios. The most likely situation is that actual changes, if they occur, will be different from our scenarios. Therefore, our analyses should be interpreted as indications of the sensitivity of portions of the North and South American temperate zones to increases in temperature. The key conclusion from our analyses is that any increase in temperature caused by climate change will result in expansion of the driest portions of both continentsBajo condiciones actuales, extensas áreas de las zonas templadas del oeste de América del Norte y del sur de América del Sur tienen regímenes climáticos áridos a subhúmedos, que son vulnerables a cambios climáticos inducidos por actividades humanas. Predicciones obtenidas a partir de modelos de circulación global bajo una duplicación del CO2 atmosférico sugieren grandes cambios en temperatura media anual, y cambios pequeños o nulos en la precipitación media anual y la proporción de precipitación estival. Nuestro objetivo fue evaluar cómo las predicciones de cambio climático obtenidas de modelos de circulación global influirán sobre los patrones climáticos, e inferir a partir de ello la distribución de los ecosistemas de las zonas templadas de América del Norte y del Sur. Cálculos de déficit hídrico anual sugieren que, debido al cambio climático, se duplicará el área afectada por condiciones muy secas. Esta expansión ocurrirá en las cercanías de las zonas áridas actuales. Cálculos mensuales de déficit hídrico sugieren que aproximadamente la mitad de la zona templada de cada continente se ve afectada por al menos un mes de déficit. Bajo un clima con doble CO2, estas áreas se expandirían y cubrirían hasta 77 % de las áreas templadas de América del Norte y hasta 80 % de América del Sur. Los cambios en la distribución de ecosistemas resultantes probablemente serán debidos a la expansión de los desiertos a expensas de los pastizales en América del Norte y del Sur, y la expansión de los pastizales a expensas de los bosques deciduos y boreales en América del Norte. Nuestros análisis asumen que los cambios climáticos futuros estarán abarcados por las predicciones de los tres escenarios de duplicación de CO2 que utilizamos. La situación más probable es que los cambios reales, si es que ocurren, serán distintos a nuestros escenarios. Por lo tanto, nuestros análisis deberán interpretarse como indicaciones de la sensibilidad de partes de las zonas templadas de América del Norte y del Sur a aumentos de temperatura. La principal conclusión de nuestros análisis es que cualquier aumento de temperatura debido a cambios climáticos resultará en una expansión de las porciones más áridas de ambos continente