Spatial Patterns of Soil Development, Methane Oxidation, and Methanotrophic Diversity along a Receding Glacier Forefield, Southeast Greenland

Increasing global annual temperature leads to massive loss of ice cover worldwide. Consequently, glaciers retreat and ice-covered areas become exposed. We report on a study from the Mittivakkat Gletscher forefield in Southeast Greenland with special focus on methanotrophy in relation to exposure time to the atmosphere. The Mittivakkat Gletscher has receded since the end of the Little Ice Age (LIA; about AD 1850) and has left behind a series of deposits of decreasing age concurrently with its recession. Soil samples from this chronosequence were examined in order to elucidate main soil variables, as well as the activity and community structure of methanotrophs, a group of microorganisms involved in regulation of atmospheric methane. Soil variables revealed poor soil development, and incubation experiments showed methane consumption rates of 2.14 nmol CH4 day−1 gsoil −1 at 22 °C and 1.24 nmol CH4 day−1 gsoil −1 at 10 °C in the LIA terminal moraine. Methane consumption was not detected in younger samples, despite the presence of high-affinity methanotrophs in all samples. This was indicated by successful amplification of partial pmoA genes, which code for a subunit of a key enzyme involved in methane oxidation. In addition, the results of the diversity study show that the diversity of the methanotrophic community at the younger, recently deglaciated site P5 is poorer than the diversity of the community retrieved from the LIA moraine. We put forward the hypothesis that aerobic methanotrophs were at very low abundance and diversity during glaciation probably due to anoxia at the ice-sediment interface and that colonization after deglaciation is not completed yet. More detailed studies are required to explain the causes of discrepancy between activity and presence of high-affinity methanotrophs and its relation to the transit from ice-covered probably anoxic to ice-free oxi

Ti3SiC2-Cf composites by spark plasma sintering: Processing, microstructure and thermo-mechanical properties

MAX phases, and particularly Ti3SiC2, are interesting for high temperature applications. The addition of carbon fibers can be used to reduce the density and to modify the properties of the matrix. This work presents the densification and characterization of Ti3SiC2 based composites with short carbon fibers using a fast and simple fabrication approach: dry mixing and densification by Spark Plasma Sintering. Good densification level was obtained below 1400 °C even with a high amount of fibers. The reaction of the fibers with the matrix is limited thanks to the fast processing time and depends on the amount of fibers in the composite. Bending strength at room temperature, between 437 and 120 MPa, is in the range of conventional CMCs with short fibers and according to the resistance of the matrix and the presence of residual porosity. Thermo-mechanical properties of the composites up to 1500 °C are also presented.This work has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon2020 “Research and innovation programme” under grant agreement No 685594 (C3HARME

Moure Romanillo, J. Alfonso: "El arte paleolítico: consideraciones a un siglo de su descubrimiento". Revista de Occidente, N° 35, pp. 121-143., 3 figs. y 1 mapa. Madrid, 1984.

Fil: Barcena, J. Roberto. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Filosofía y Letra

Magic numbers, excitation levels, and other properties of small neutral math clusters (N < 50)

The ground-state energies and the radial and pair distribution functions of neutral math clusters are systematically calculated by the diffusion Monte Carlo method in steps of one math atom from 3 to 50 atoms. In addition the chemical potential and the low-lying excitation levels of each cluster are determined with high precision. These calculations reveal that the “magic numbers” observed in experimental math cluster size distributions, measured for free jet gas expansions by nondestructive matter-wave diffraction, are not caused by enhanced stabilities. Instead they are explained in terms of an enhanced growth due to sharp peaks in the equilibrium concentrations in the early part of the expansion. These peaks appear at cluster sizes which can just accommodate one more additional stable excitation. The good agreement with experiment provides not only experimental confirmation of the energy level and the chemical potential calculations, but also evidence for a new mechanism which can lead to magic numbers in cluster size distributions. By accounting for the falloff of the radial density distributions at the surface and a size-dependent surface tension, the energy levels are demonstrated to be consistent with a modified Rayleigh model of surface excitations. The compressibility coefficient of these small clusters is found to be one order of magnitude smaller than the bulk [email protected]

Live-Weight Gain of Steers Grazing African Star Grass Four Herbage Allowances

The objective was to determine weight changes of steers grazing African star grass (Cynodon plectostachyus) at four herbage allowances (2.0, 2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 kg of dry matter/100 kg of live weight day-1). A rotational grazing system with 10 grazing days and 30 days rest was followed. A Split Plot Design with four replications was used. Response variables were: daily gain per steer (DGS) and per hectare (DGH), dry matter forage yield (FY), % of utilization (% U) and in vitro dry matter digestibility (DMIVD). DGS and DGH were not different (P \u3e0.05) among allowances and grazing periods. Percent of utilization had a similar trend during the year, but lower in the January-February period. The FY was not affected by allowances, but it was by periods. The DMIVD was different (P\u3c0.05) among allowances and grazing periods

Inequality, welfare and order statistics

In this paper we use the distributions of order statistics to define functions with the appropriate properties and represent social preferences regarding income distributions. Following the approach of Yaari (1987, 1988), this allows constructing a set of social welfare functions from which the corresponding inequality indices are derived. The obtained measures incorporate diverse normative criteria, with different degrees of preference for equality. The generalized Gini coefficients and the family of indices proposed in Aaberge (2000) are obtained as particular cases. This approach shows that each of these families of indices characterizes the income distribution, but for a change of scale

Pasture Attributes and Live-Weight Gain of Lambs Grazing with Different Supplementation Levels

The purpose of this study was to determine pasture attributes, liveweight gain and stocking rate from a mixed pasture grazed by lambs recieving different supplementation levels. There were four treatments: in two, lambs grazed at 4 or 8% herbage allowance, no supplement; in the other two, lambs grazed at 4% herbage allowance plus a concentrate to cover 25 and 30 or 50 and 60% of estimated daily needs of metabolizable energy and crude protein. Pasture was of perennial and annual ryegrass, orchard grass and red clover. Pre and postgrazing forage mass, crude protein and dead material were not different (P\u3e.05) among treatments. The highest live-weight gain was 145g/lamb/day found in lambs recieving concentrate. Stocking rate was 56 lambs/ha in 4% allowance-treatments and 29 lambs/ha with 8% allowance. Supplementation did not influence pasture attributes while giving higher live-weight gain in lambs. Doubling herbage allowance gave lower lamb performance than offering a concentrate and decreased stocking rate

Fabrication of radiopaque, drug loaded resorbable inferior vena cava filters

https://openworks.mdanderson.org/sumexp23/1073/thumbnail.jp