Peculiar mean velocity profiles within a porous bed of an open channel

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The Role of Environmental Filtering in Structuring Appalachian Tree Communities: Topographic Influences on Functional Diversity Are Mediated through Soil Characteristics

Identifying the drivers of community assembly has long been a central goal in ecology, and the development of functional diversity indices has provided a new way of detecting the influence of environmental gradients on biotic communities. For an old-growth Appalachian forest, we used path analysis to understand how patterns of tree functional diversity relate to topography and soil gradients and to determine whether topographic effects are mediated through soil chemistry. All of our path models supported the idea of environmental filtering: stressful areas (high elevation, low soil moisture, low soil nutrients) were occupied by communities of low functional diversity, which suggests a selective effect for species with traits adapted to such harsh conditions. The effects of topography (slope, aspect, elevation) on functional diversity were often indirect and moderated through soil moisture and fertility. Soil moisture was a key component of our models and was featured consistently in each one, having either strong direct effects on functional diversity or indirect effects via soil fertility. Our results provide a comprehensive view of the interplay among functional trait assemblages, topography, and edaphic conditions and contribute to the baseline understanding of the role of environmental filtering in temperate forest community assembly

Turbulence structure of open channel flows over permeable and impermeable beds : A comparative study

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Self-aligned 0.12mm T-gate In.53Ga.47As/In.52Al.48As HEMT Technology Utilising a Non Annealed Ohmic Contact Strategy

An InGaAs/InAlAs based HEMT structure, lattice matched to an InP substrate, is presented in which drive current and transconductance has been optimized through a double-delta doping strategy. Together with an increase in channel carrier density, this allows the use of a non-annealed ohmic contact process. HEMT devices with 120 nm standard and self-aligned T-gates were fabricated using the non-annealed ohmic process. At DC, self-aligned and standard devices exhibited transconductances of up to 1480 and 1100 mS/mm respectively, while both demonstrated current densities in the range 800 mA/mm. At RF, a cutoff frequency f/sub T/ of 190 GHz was extracted for the self-aligned device. The DC characteristics of the standard devices were then calibrated and modelled using a compound semiconductor Monte Carlo device simulator. MC simulations provide insight into transport within the channel and illustrate benefits over a single delta doped structure

Bed-load effects on hydrodynamics of rough-bed open-channel flows

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Herb-Layer Dynamics in an Old-Growth Forest: Vegetation–Environment Relationships and Response to Invasion-Related Perturbations

Temperate forests of eastern North America are subject to multiple invasions from non-native species that have the potential to drive long-term dynamics in biodiversity. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata (M. Bieb.) Cavara and Grande) is an invasive plant in many deciduous forests, and management efforts often focus on removing this species to initiate native species restoration. Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (emerald ash borer; Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is a non-native insect pest that has caused substantial loss of ash trees (Fraxinus spp. L.) in North America. Our goal was to understand how the herbaceous layer in an old-growth forest responded to the removal of a significant invasion of A. petiolata and the loss of Fraxinus spp. due to A. planipennis. Herbaceous diversity and environmental parameters were measured in 32 permanent plots (1 m2 each) from 2012 to 2020 in an old-growth forest remnant that had experienced A. petiolata invasion and subsequent removal as well as mortality of Fraxinus spp. due to A. planipennis. Near-total loss of Fraxinus spp. as a canopy tree was not associated with changes in the understory light environment, possibly due to rapid canopy closure by adjacent trees not susceptible to the insect. Alliaria petiolata removal was associated with changes in herbaceous species richness and possibly shifts in individual species importance. Vegetation–environment relationships remained stable throughout the sampling period, suggesting that resource-related factors that structure the herb layer prevailed throughout the changes associated with Fraxinus spp. mortality and A. petiolata management. From a natural area management perspective, our data offer support for the idea that A. petiolata removal influences herb-layer diversity and indicate that in stands with a diverse tree community, the loss of Fraxinus spp. may not directly influence understory biodiversity

Transverse kink oscillations of expanding coronal loops

We investigate the nature of transverse kink oscillations of loops expanding through the solar corona and how can oscillations be used to diagnose the plasma parameters and the magnetic field. In particular, we aim to analyse how the temporal dependence of the loop length (here modelling the expansion) will affect the P1 /P2 period ratio of transverse loop oscillations. Due to the uncertainty of the loop's shape through its expansion, we discuss separately the case of the loop that maintains its initial semi-circular shape and the case of the loop that from a semi-circular shape evolve into an elliptical shape loop. The equations that describe the oscillations in expanding flux tube are complicated due to the spatial and temporal dependence of coefficients. Using the WKB approximation we find approximative values for periods and their evolution, as well as the period ratio. For small values of time (near the start of the expansion) we can employ a regular perturbation method to find approximative relations for eigenfunctions and eigenfrequencies. Using simple analytical and numerical methods we show that the period of oscillations are affected by the rising of the coronal loop. The change in the period due to the increase in the loop's length is more pronounced for those loops that expand into a more structured (or cooler corona). The deviation of periods will have significant implications in determining the degree of stratification in the solar corona. The effect of expansion on the periods of oscillations is considerable only in the process of expansion of the loop but not when it reached its final stage

Saltation transport on Mars

We present the first calculation of saltation transport and dune formation on Mars and compare it to real dunes. We find that the rate at which grains are entrained into saltation on Mars is one order of magnitude higher than on Earth. With this fundamental novel ingredient, we reproduce the size and different shapes of Mars dunes, and give an estimate for the wind velocity on Mars.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Forced oscillations of coronal loops driven by external EIT waves

Aims. We study the generation of transversal oscillations in coronal loops represented as a straight thin flux tube under the effect of an external driver modelling the global coronal EIT wave. We investigate how the generated oscillations depend on the nature of the driver, and the type of interaction between the two systems. Methods. We consider the oscillations of a magnetic straight cylinder with fixed-ends under the influence of an external driver modelling the force due to the global EIT wave. Given the uncertainties related to the nature of EIT waves, we first approximate the driver by an oscillatory force in time and later by a shock with a finite width. Results. Results show that for a harmonic driver the dominant period in the generated oscillation belongs to the driver. Depending on the period of driver, compared to the natural periods of the loop, a mixture of standing modes harmonics can be initiated. In the case of a non-harmonic driver (modelling a shock wave), the generated oscillations in the loop are the natural periods only. The amplitude of oscillations is determined by the position of the driver along the tube. The full diagnosis of generated oscillations is achieved using simple numerical methods

A Method for the Acute and Rapid Degradation of Endogenous Proteins.

Methods for the targeted disruption of protein function have revolutionized science and greatly expedited the systematic characterization of genes. Two main approaches are currently used to disrupt protein function: DNA knockout and RNA interference, which act at the genome and mRNA level, respectively. A method that directly alters endogenous protein levels is currently not available. Here, we present Trim-Away, a technique to degrade endogenous proteins acutely in mammalian cells without prior modification of the genome or mRNA. Trim-Away harnesses the cellular protein degradation machinery to remove unmodified native proteins within minutes of application. This rapidity minimizes the risk that phenotypes are compensated and that secondary, non-specific defects accumulate over time. Because Trim-Away utilizes antibodies, it can be applied to a wide range of target proteins using off-the-shelf reagents. Trim-Away allows the study of protein function in diverse cell types, including non-dividing primary cells where genome- and RNA-targeting methods are limited