94 research outputs found
From the "Terra Preta de Indio" to the "Terra Preta do Gringo": a history of knowledge of the Amazonian dark earths
The anthropogenic origin of the Amazonian dark earths (Terra Preta de Ăndio) was first verified more than 70 year ago. However, the last 30 years have seen a massive wave of scientific investigation, public interest and an ever-expanding intensification of commercial activity toward all things connected to âTerra Preta.â Today, the dominant concept, which drives current research, is that of binding atmospheric carbon with artificially concocted dark earths. The large-scale production of Terra Preta is said to be an effective tool in efforts to mitigate global warming. This text attempts to provide a history of the knowledge on Amazonian dark earths. It not only focuses on scientific aspects but also considers traditional indigenous knowledge. The position is taken that without indigenous knowledge, modern Terra Preta research would not exist; a view, which has profound implications for the ethical evaluation of all further, applied Terra Preta Nova research and commercial endeavors
Estimating Moving Regions out of Point Data â from Excavation Sites in the Amazon region to Areas of Influence of Prehistoric Cultures
Ponencias, comunicaciones y pĂłsters presentados en el 17th AGILE Conference on Geographic Information Science
"Connecting a Digital Europe through Location and Place", celebrado en la Universitat Jaume I del 3 al 6 de junio de 2014.How can we derive the changing area of influence of specific cultures from only a few excavation sites in the Amazon region? The
approach used for calculating areas of influence for several time intervals strongly depends on the kind of available input data and the
examined issues. Our approach divides the input point data into different time intervals and calculates an area (or areas) of influence for
each, factoring in spatial and temporal uncertainties inherent in the data. The computation is based on a cost surface, which is derived from
the needs and capabilities of the analyzed prehistoric culture or tradition. To take into ac-count that archaeological data is inherently vague,
the database is able to handle spatial uncertainties by applying varying maximum distances. Based on the cost raster and the maximum
distance a maximum cost value is calculated which is used to derive the said area(s) of influence, which can then be analyzed for changes
Controlled fabrication of single-walled carbon nanotube electrodes by electron-beam-induced oxidation
The fabrication of metallic single-walled carbon nanotube electrodes
separated by gaps of typically 20nm width by electron-beam-induced oxidation is
studied within an active device configuration. The tube conductance is measured
continuously during the process. The experiment provides a statistical
evaluation of gap sizes as well as the electron dose needed for gap formation.
Also, the ability to precisely cut many carbon nanotubes in parallel is
demonstrated.Comment: The following article has been submitted to Applied Physics Letters.
After it is published, it will be found at http://apl.aip.or
A functional model, eigenvalues, and finite singular critical points for indefinite Sturm-Liouville operators
Eigenvalues in the essential spectrum of a weighted Sturm-Liouville operator
are studied under the assumption that the weight function has one turning
point. An abstract approach to the problem is given via a functional model for
indefinite Sturm-Liouville operators. Algebraic multiplicities of eigenvalues
are obtained. Also, operators with finite singular critical points are
considered.Comment: 38 pages, Proposition 2.2 and its proof corrected, Remarks 2.5, 3.4,
and 3.12 extended, details added in subsections 2.3 and 4.2, section 6
rearranged, typos corrected, references adde
Celebrating Cercignani's conjecture for the Boltzmann equation
Cercignani's conjecture assumes a linear inequality between the entropy and
entropy production functionals for Boltzmann's nonlinear integral operator in
rarefied gas dynamics. Related to the field of logarithmic Sobolev inequalities
and spectral gap inequalities, this issue has been at the core of the renewal
of the mathematical theory of convergence to thermodynamical equilibrium for
rarefied gases over the past decade. In this review paper, we survey the
various positive and negative results which were obtained since the conjecture
was proposed in the 1980s.Comment: This paper is dedicated to the memory of the late Carlo Cercignani,
powerful mind and great scientist, one of the founders of the modern theory
of the Boltzmann equation. 24 pages. V2: correction of some typos and one
ref. adde
Prevalence of Coxiella burnetii in clinically healthy German sheep flocks
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Current epidemiological data on the situation of <it>Coxiella (C.) burnetii </it>infections in sheep are missing, making risk assessment and the implementation of counteractive measures difficult. Using the German state of Thuringia as a model example, the estimated sero-, and antigen prevalence of <it>C. burnetii </it>(10% and 25%, respectively) was assessed at flock level in 39/252 randomly selected clinically healthy sheep flocks with more than 100 ewes and unknown abortion rate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The CHECKITâą Q-fever Test Kit identified 11 (28%) antibody positive herds, whereas real-time PCR revealed the presence of <it>C. burnetii </it>DNA in 2 (5%) of the flocks. Multiple-locus variable number of tandem repeats analysis of 9 isolates obtained from one flock revealed identical profiles. All isolates contained the plasmid QpH1.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results demonstrate that <it>C. burnetii </it>is present in clinically inconspicuous sheep flocks and sporadic flare-ups do occur as the notifications to the German animal disease reporting system show. Although <it>C. burnetii </it>infections are not a primary veterinary concern due to the lack of significant clinical impact on animal health (with the exception of goats), the eminent zoonotic risk for humans should not be underestimated. Therefore, strategies combining the interests of public and veterinary public health should include monitoring of flocks, the identification and culling of shedders as well as the administration of protective vaccines.</p
Are brucellosis, Q fever and melioidosis potential causes of febrile illness in Madagascar?
Brucellosis, Q fever and melioidosis are zoonoses, which can lead to pyrexia. These diseases are often under-ascertained and underreported because of their unspecific clinical signs and symptoms, insufficient awareness by physicians and public health officers and limited diagnostic capabilities, especially in low-resource countries. Therefore, the presence of Brucella spp., Coxiella burnetii and Burkholderia pseudomallei was investigated in Malagasy patients exhibiting febrile illness. In addition, we analyzed zebu cattle and their ticks as potential reservoirs for Brucella and C. burnetii, respectively. Specific quantitative real-time PCR assays (qPCRs) were performed on 1020 blood samples drawn from febrile patients. In total, 15 samples (1.5%) were Brucella-positive, mainly originating from patients without travel history, while DNA from C. burnetii and Bu. pseudomallei was not detected. Anti-C. burnetii antibodies were found in four out of 201 zebu serum samples (2%), whereas anti-Brucella antibodies could not be detected. Brucella DNA was detected in a single zebu sample. Three out of 330 ticks analyzed (1%) were positively tested for C. burnetii DNA but with high Ct values in the qPCR assay. Our data suggest that zebus as well as Amblyomma and Boophilus ticks have to be considered as a natural reservoir or vector for C. burnetii, but the risk of cattle-to-human transmission is low. Since bovine brucellosis does not seem to contribute to human infections in Madagascar, other transmission routes have to be assumed
The Science Performance of JWST as Characterized in Commissioning
This paper characterizes the actual science performance of the James Webb
Space Telescope (JWST), as determined from the six month commissioning period.
We summarize the performance of the spacecraft, telescope, science instruments,
and ground system, with an emphasis on differences from pre-launch
expectations. Commissioning has made clear that JWST is fully capable of
achieving the discoveries for which it was built. Moreover, almost across the
board, the science performance of JWST is better than expected; in most cases,
JWST will go deeper faster than expected. The telescope and instrument suite
have demonstrated the sensitivity, stability, image quality, and spectral range
that are necessary to transform our understanding of the cosmos through
observations spanning from near-earth asteroids to the most distant galaxies.Comment: 5th version as accepted to PASP; 31 pages, 18 figures;
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1538-3873/acb29
The James Webb Space Telescope Mission
Twenty-six years ago a small committee report, building on earlier studies,
expounded a compelling and poetic vision for the future of astronomy, calling
for an infrared-optimized space telescope with an aperture of at least .
With the support of their governments in the US, Europe, and Canada, 20,000
people realized that vision as the James Webb Space Telescope. A
generation of astronomers will celebrate their accomplishments for the life of
the mission, potentially as long as 20 years, and beyond. This report and the
scientific discoveries that follow are extended thank-you notes to the 20,000
team members. The telescope is working perfectly, with much better image
quality than expected. In this and accompanying papers, we give a brief
history, describe the observatory, outline its objectives and current observing
program, and discuss the inventions and people who made it possible. We cite
detailed reports on the design and the measured performance on orbit.Comment: Accepted by PASP for the special issue on The James Webb Space
Telescope Overview, 29 pages, 4 figure
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