Simulating anthropogenic impacts to bird communities in tropical rain forests

We used an aggregated modelling approach to simulate the impacts ofanthropogenic disturbances on the long-term dynamics of faunal diversityin tropical rain forests. We restricted our study to bird communities eventhough the approach is more general. We developed a model calledBIODIV which simulated the establishment of hypothetical bird speciesin a forest. Our model was based on the results of a simple matrix modelwhich calculated the spatio-temporal dynamics of a tropical rain forest inMalaysia. We analysed the establishment of bird species in a secondaryforest succession and the impacts of 60 different logging scenarios on thediversity of the bird community. Of the three logging parameters(cycle length, method, intensity), logging intensity had the most servereimpact on the bird community. In the worst case the number of bird specieswas reduced to 23% of the species richness found in a primary forest

Relaxation of curvature induced elastic stress by the Asaro-Tiller-Grinfeld instability

A two-dimensional crystal on the surface of a sphere experiences elastic stress due to the incompatibility of the crystal axes and the curvature. A common mechanism to relax elastic stress is the Asaro-Tiller-Grinfeld (ATG) instability. With a combined numerical and analytical approach we demonstrate, that also curvature induced stress in surface crystals can be relaxed by the long wave length ATG instability. The numerical results are obtained using a surface phase-field crystal (PFC) model, from which we determine the characteristic wave numbers of the ATG instability for various surface coverages corresponding to different curvature induced compressions. The results are compared with an analytic expression for the characteristic wave number, obtained from a continuum approach which accounts for hexagonal crystals and intrinsic PFC symmetries. We find our numerical results in accordance with the analytical predictions.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Infrared spectroscopy of circumstellar dust: signs of differentiated materials?

Mid-infrared absorption spectra of powdered achondrites are compared with the astronomical spectra of dust around young, evolving stars, to find evidence (or not) of dust formed in collisional cascades of material from planetesimals

Magnetic field enhanced structural instability in EuTiO_{3}

EuTiO_{3} undergoes a structural phase transition from cubic to tetragonal at T_S = 282 K which is not accompanied by any long range magnetic order. However, it is related to the oxygen ocathedra rotation driven by a zone boundary acoustic mode softening. Here we show that this displacive second order structural phase transition can be shifted to higher temperatures by the application of an external magnetic field (increased by 4 K for mu_{0}H = 9 T). This observed field dependence is in agreement with theoretical predictions based on a coupled spin-anharmonic-phonon interaction model.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Ions in glass forming glycerol: Close correlation of alpha and fast beta relaxation

We provide broadband dielectric loss spectra of glass-forming glycerol with varying additions of LiCl. The measurements covering frequencies up to 10 THz extend well into the region of the fast beta process, commonly ascribed to caged molecule dynamics. Aside of the known variation of the structural alpha relaxation time and a modification of the excess wing with ion content, we also find a clear influence on the shallow loss minimum arising from the fast beta relaxation. Within the framework of mode-coupling theory, the detected significant broadening of this minimum is in reasonable accord with the found variation of the alpha-relaxation dynamics. A correlation between alpha-relaxation rate and minimum position holds for all ion concentrations and temperatures, even below the critical temperature defined by mode-coupling theory.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure

Climate-Vegetation-Feedbacks as a Mechanism for Accelerated Climate Change: The onset of the African Humid Period

Paleo-environmental records and models indicate that the African Humid Period (AHPabruptly ended about 5000-4000 years before present (BP). Some proxies indicate alsan abrupt onset of the AHP between 14,000 and 11,000 BP. How important are local orbitaforcing, ice-sheet forcing, greenhouse gas forcing, and the reorganization of the AtlantiMeridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) for changes in the African Monsoon/vegetatiosystem? Here we use transient simulations with climate-vegetation models of differencomplexity to identify the factors that control the onset of the African Monsoon/VegetationWe test the following hypothesis:(1) There is no indication for insolation-thresholds for the onset/break of the AHP.(2) Forcing from CO2/ice-sheets significantly controls the climate of North Africa.(3) CO2 fertilization contributes to the vegetation changes over North Africa.(4) A shutdown of the AMOC is as important as orbital insolation for the African Monsoon

Residual entanglement of accelerated fermions is not nonlocal

We analyze the operational meaning of the residual entanglement in non-inertial fermionic systems in terms of the achievable violation of the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) inequality. We demonstrate that the quantum correlations of fermions, which were previously found to survive in the infinite acceleration limit, cannot be considered to be non-local. The entanglement shared by an inertial and an accelerated observer cannot be utilized for the violation of the CHSH inequality in case of high accelerations. Our results are shown to extend beyond the single mode approximation commonly used in the literature.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures; v2: minor changes, reference and section headers adde