Revegetation through seeding or planting: A worldwide systematic map

Roughly 2 billion ha of land are degraded and in need of ecological restoration worldwide. Active restoration frequently involves revegetation, which leads to the dilemma of whether to conduct direct seeding or to plant nursery-grown seedlings. The choice of revegetation method can regulate plant survival and performance, with economic implications that ultimately feed back to our capacity to conduct restoration. We followed a peerreviewed protocol to develop a systematic map that collates, describes and catalogues the available studies on how seeding compares to planting in achieving restoration targets. We compiled a database with the characteristics of all retrieved studies, which can be searched to identify studies of particular locations and habitats, objectives of restoration, plant material, technical aspects, and outcomes measured. The search was made in eight languages and retrieved 3355 publications, of which 178 were retained. The systematic map identifies research gaps, such as a lack of studies in the global South, in tropical rainforests, and covering a long time period, which represent opportunities to expand field-based research. Additionally, many studies overlooked reporting on important technical aspects such as seed provenance and nursery cultivation methods, and others such as watering or seedling protection were more frequently applied for planting than for seeding, which limits our capacity to learn from past research. Most studies measured outcomes related to the target plants but avoided measuring general restoration outcomes or economic aspects. This represents a relevant gap in research, as the choice of revegetation method is greatly based on economic aspects and the achievement of restoration goals goes beyond the establishment of plants. Finally, we identified a substantial volume of studies conducted in temperate regions and over short periods (0–5 y). This research cluster calls for a future in-depth synthesis, potentially through meta-analysis, to reveal the overall balance between seeding and planting and assess whether the response to this question is mediated by species traits, environmental characteristics, or technical aspects. Besides identifying research clusters and gaps, the systematic map database allows managers to find the most relevant scientific literature on the appropriateness of seeding vs. planting for particular conditions, such as certain species or habitats.Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades/FEDER RTI 2018-096187-J-100 RYC 2020-029407-IMinistry of Science and Innovation, Spain (MICINN) TED2021.130976 B.I00Consejeria de Economia, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad de la Junta de Andalucia/FEDER P18-RT-1927Universidad de Granada / CBU

Caracterización estructural y espectroscópica de fibras cristalinas de Ce0.4Zr0.6O2 crecidas mediante el método de fusión zonal asistida por láser

[EN] A structural and spectroscopic characterization of crystalline rods of Ce0.4Zr0.6O2 grown by the laser floating zone (LFZ) method is presented. A precursor rod of Ce0.4Zr0.6O2 composition was sintered at 1500 ºC in air atmosphere and then processed by the LFZ technique with a CO2 laser. The processed material was characterized by XRD, SEM and Raman spectroscopy. In the as-grown, dark-color processed rod, the Raman spectrum evolves radially from a t’-like one, corresponding to Ce0.37Zr0.63O2 composition, at the edge of the rod, to a very broad and weak, cubic-like one, at the center. The degree of cerium reduction and oxygen non-stoichiometry were determined through measurements of the electronic Raman spectrum of Ce3+. A strong Ce3+ signal was found at the core of the rod, indicating strong reduction, whereas no Ce3+ signal was detected at the edge. To restore oxygen and Ce4+ content a section of the fiber was reoxidized at 620 ºC for 24 h. A very homogeneous spectrum was found in the reoxidized sample, that was assigned to a t’-phase of composition Ce0.42Zr0.58O2.[ES] Presentamos una caracterización estructural y espectroscópica de fibras cristalinas de Ce0.4Zr0.6O2 crecidas mediante fusión zonal asistida por láser (LFZ). Una barra del material precursor, de composición Ce0.4Zr0.6O2, fue sinterizada a 1500 ºC en atmósfera de aire y después procesada por LFZ con un láser de CO2. El material procesado fue caracterizado por difracción de rayos X, microscopía electrónica de barrido y espectroscopía Raman. En la fibra recién procesada, de color gris oscuro, el espectro Raman varía radialmente desde un espectro de tipo t’, correspondiente a una composición Ce0.37Zr0.63O2, en el borde de la fibra, hasta un espectro muy ensanchado y débil, de aspecto cúbico, en el centro. El grado de reducción del cerio y la no estequiometría del oxígeno se determinaron a través de las medidas del Raman electrónico del Ce3+. La señal de Ce3+ era muy intensa en el centro de la fibra, lo que indica una fuerte reducción, mientras que no se detectó en el borde. Para restablecer el contenido de oxígeno y de Ce4+ una parte de la fibra fue reoxidada a 620 ºC durante 24 h. El espectro de la muestra reoxidada, de color amarillo pálido y muy homogénea, fue asignado a una fase t’ de composición Ce0.42Zr0.58O2.Financial support from Spanish project MAT2004-03070-C05-03 is acknowledged.Peer reviewe

The donor side of Photosystem II as the copper-inhibitory binding site

We have measured, under Cu (II) toxicity conditions, the oxygen-evolving capacity of spinach PS II particles in the Hill reactions H2O -> SiMo (in the presence and absence of DCMU) and H2O -> PPBQ, as well as the fluorescence induction curve of Tris-washed spinach PS II particles. Cu (II) inhibits both Hill reactions and, in the first case, the DCMU-insensitive H2O -> SiMo activity. In addition, the variable fluorescence is lowered by Cu (II). We have interpreted our results in terms of a donor side inhibition close to the reaction center. The same polarographic and fluorescence measurements carried out at different pHs indicate that Cu (II) could bind to amino acid residues that can be protonated and deprotonated. In order to reverse the Cu (II) inhibition by a posterior EDTA treatment, in experiments of preincubation of PS II particles with Cu (II) in light we have demonstrated that light is essential for the damage due to Cu (II) and that this furthermore is irreversible.This work was supported by a grant from the Spanish DGICYT (PB94-0116). J.B. Arellano was the recipient of a fellowship from the Spanish Science and Education Ministry.Peer reviewe

Role of fibre in broiler diets - Firend or foe?

The fibrous fraction of the feeds encompasses a group of heterogeneous compounds differing in chemical composition and physical properties (Graham and Aman, 1991, Bach Knudsen, 2001). Dietary fiber is the most used term to define the fiber fraction of ingredients and feeds, and includes cell walls, stored non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), and lignin (Bach Knudsen, 2001). Based on their physico-chemical properties, DF can be divided into soluble and insoluble fractions with distinct effects on digestive physiology and animal metabolism. Consequently, the benefits of fiber inclusion in poultry diets will vary depending on factors such as characteristics of the fiber source, type of bird, and digestive health status

On the integrability of polynomial vector fields in the plane by means of Picard-Vessiot theory

We study the integrability of polynomial vector fields using Galois theory of linear differential equations when the associated foliations is reduced to a Riccati type foliation. In particular we obtain integrability results for some families of quadratic vector fields, Liénard equations and equations related with special functions such as Hypergeometric and Heun ones. The Poincaré problem for some families is also approached

Comparison of thermistor linearization techniques for accurate temperature measurement in phase change materials

Alternate energy technologies are developing rapidly in the recent years. A significant part of this trend is the development of different phase change materials (PCMs). Proper utilization of PCMs requires accurate thermal characterization. There are several methodologies used in this field. This paper stresses the importance of accurate temperature measurements during the implementation of T-history method. Since the temperature sensor size is also important thermistors have been selected as the sensing modality. Two thermistor linearization techniques, one based on Wheatstone bridge and the other based on simple serial-parallel resistor connection, are compared in terms of achievable temperature accuracy through consideration of both, nonlinearity and self-heating errors. Proper calibration was performed before T-history measurement of RT21 (RUBITHERM® GmbH) PCM. Measurement results suggest that the utilization of serial-parallel resistor connection gives better accuracy (less than ±0.1°C) in comparison with the Wheatstone bridge based configuration (up to ±1.5°C)

Semiclassical quantification of some two degree of freedom potentials: a Differential Galois approach

In this work we explain the relevance of the Differential Galois Theory in the semiclassical (or WKB) quantification of some two degree of freedom potentials. The key point is that the semiclassical path integral quantification around a particular solution depends on the variational equation around that solution: a very well-known object in dynamical systems and variational calculus. Then, as the variational equation is a linear ordinary differential system, it is possible to apply the Differential Galois Theory to study its solvability in closed form. We obtain closed form solutions for the semiclassical quantum fluctuations around constant velocity solutions for some systems like the classical Hermite/Verhulst, Bessel, Legendre, and Lam\'e potentials. We remark that some of the systems studied are not integrable, in the Liouville-Arnold sense

Experimental analysis of a coiled stirred tank containing a low cost PCM emulsion as a thermal energy storage system

This article presents the results of heat transfer coefficient and volumetric energy density measurements in an agitated tank containing a low-cost phase change material emulsion, heated by water flowing in a coil. For the stirring a three-stage impeller is placed in the central axis of a 46 l commercial tank. By measuring the temperature dependency on time and solving the transient enthalpy balance, the heat transfer coefficient between the helical coil and the agitated phase change material emulsion is determined, based on the impeller Reynolds number. The thermal energy storage efficiency has also been analysed. This phase change material emulsion shows a phase change temperature range between 30 and 50 °C. Its solid content is about 60% with an average size of 1 µm. The results have shown that the overall heat transfer coefficient is around 3.5–5.5 times higher when a stirring rate of 290–600 rpm is used. Furthermore, even at the lowest stirring rate, the thermal energy storage efficiency improves from 76-77%–100%, without detriment to the energy consumption of the stirrer