Evalutating the potential of desis to infer plant taxonomical and functional diversities in europwean forests

Abstract. Tackling the accelerated human-induced biodiversity loss requires tools able to map biodiversity and its changes globally. Remote sensing (RS) offers unique capabilities of characterizing Earth surfaces; therefore, it could map plant biodiversity continuously and globally. This approach is supported by the Spectral Variation Hypothesis (SVH), which states that spectra and species (taxonomic and trait) diversities are linked through environmental heterogeneity. In this work, we evaluate the capability of the DESIS hyperspectral imager to capture plant diversity patterns as measured in dedicated plots of the network FunDivEUROPE. We computed functional and taxonomical diversity metrics from field taxonomic, structural, and foliar measurements in vegetation plots sampled in Spain and Romania. In addition, we also computed functional diversity metrics both from the DESIS reflectance factors and from vegetation parameters estimated via inversion of a radiative transfer model. Results showed that only metrics computed from spectral reflectance were able to capture taxonomic variability in the area. However, the lack of sensitivity was related to the insufficient plot size and the lack of spatial match between remote sensing and field data, but also the differences between the information contained in the field traits and remote sensing data, and the potential uncertainties in the remote estimates of vegetation parameters. Thus, while DESIS showed some sensitivity to plant diversity, further efforts are needed to deploy suitable biodiversity evaluation and validation plots and networks that support the development of biodiversity remote sensing products

Associations of exercise-induced hormone profiles and gains in strength and hypertrophy in a large cohort after weight training

The purpose of this study was to investigate associations between acute exercise-induced hormone responses and adaptations to high intensity resistance training in a large cohort (n = 56) of young men. Acute post-exercise serum growth hormone (GH), free testosterone (fT), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and cortisol responses were determined following an acute intense leg resistance exercise routine at the midpoint of a 12-week resistance exercise training study. Acute hormonal responses were correlated with gains in lean body mass (LBM), muscle fibre cross-sectional area (CSA) and leg press strength. There were no significant correlations between the exercise-induced elevations (area under the curve—AUC) of GH, fT and IGF-1 and gains in LBM or leg press strength. Significant correlations were found for cortisol, usually assumed to be a hormone indicative of catabolic drive, AUC with change in LBM (r = 0.29, P < 0.05) and type II fibre CSA (r = 0.35, P < 0.01) as well as GH AUC and gain in fibre area (type I: r = 0.36, P = 0.006; type II: r = 0.28, P = 0.04, but not lean mass). No correlations with strength were observed. We report that the acute exercise-induced systemic hormonal responses of cortisol and GH are weakly correlated with resistance training-induced changes in fibre CSA and LBM (cortisol only), but not with changes in strength

Erasmus Language students in a British University – a case study

Students’ assessment of their academic experience is actively sought by Higher Education institutions, as evidenced in the National Student Survey introduced in 2005. Erasmus students, despite their growing numbers, tend to be excluded from these satisfaction surveys, even though they, too, are primary customers of a University. This study aims to present results from bespoke questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with a sample of Erasmus students studying languages in a British University. These methods allow us insight into the experience of these students and their assessment as a primary customer, with a focus on language learning and teaching, university facilities and student support. It investigates to what extent these factors influence their levels of satisfaction and what costs of adaptation if any, they encounter. Although excellent levels of satisfaction were found, some costs affect their experience. They relate to difficulties in adapting to a learning methodology based on a low number of hours and independent learning and to a guidance and support system seen as too stifling. The results portray this cohort’s British University as a well-equipped and well-meaning but ultimately overbearing institution, which may indicate that minimising costs can eliminate some sources of dissatisfaction

Pinning quantum phase transition for a Luttinger liquid of strongly interacting bosons

One of the most remarkable results of quantum mechanics is the fact that many-body quantum systems may exhibit phase transitions even at zero temperature. Quantum fluctuations, deeply rooted in Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, and not thermal fluctuations, drive the system from one phase to another. Typically, the relative strength of two competing terms in the system's Hamiltonian is changed across a finite critical value. A well-known example is the Mott-Hubbard quantum phase transition from a superfluid to an insulating phase, which has been observed for weakly interacting bosonic atomic gases. However, for strongly interacting quantum systems confined to lower-dimensional geometry a novel type of quantum phase transition may be induced for which an arbitrarily weak perturbation to the Hamiltonian is sufficient to drive the transition. Here, for a one-dimensional (1D) quantum gas of bosonic caesium atoms with tunable interactions, we observe the commensurate-incommensurate quantum phase transition from a superfluid Luttinger liquid to a Mott-insulator. For sufficiently strong interactions, the transition is induced by adding an arbitrarily weak optical lattice commensurate with the atomic granularity, which leads to immediate pinning of the atoms. We map out the phase diagram and find that our measurements in the strongly interacting regime agree well with a quantum field description based on the exactly solvable sine-Gordon model. We trace the phase boundary all the way to the weakly interacting regime where we find good agreement with the predictions of the 1D Bose-Hubbard model. Our results open up the experimental study of quantum phase transitions, criticality, and transport phenomena beyond Hubbard-type models in the context of ultracold gases

Misuse of “Power” and other mechanical terms in sport and exercise science research

In spite of the Système International d’Unitès (SI) that was published in 1960, there continues to be widespread misuse of the terms and nomenclature of mechanics in descriptions of exercise performance. Misuse applies principally to failure to distinguish between mass and weight, velocity and speed, and especially the terms "work" and "power." These terms are incorrectly applied across the spectrum from high-intensity short-duration to long-duration endurance exercise. This review identifies these misapplications and proposes solutions. Solutions include adoption of the term "intensity" in descriptions and categorisations of challenge imposed on an individual as they perform exercise, followed by correct use of SI terms and units appropriate to the specific kind of exercise performed. Such adoption must occur by authors and reviewers of sport and exercise research reports to satisfy the principles and practices of science and for the field to advance

Adsorption of hydroxamate siderophores and EDTA on goethite in the presence of the surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate

Siderophore-promoted iron acquisition by microorganisms usually occurs in the presence of other organic molecules, including biosurfactants. We have investigated the influence of the anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the adsorption of the siderophores DFOB (cationic) and DFOD (neutral) and the ligand EDTA (anionic) onto goethite (α-FeOOH) at pH 6. We also studied the adsorption of the corresponding 1:1 Fe(III)-ligand complexes, which are products of the dissolution process. Adsorption of the two free siderophores increased in a similar fashion with increasing SDS concentration, despite their difference in molecule charge. In contrast, SDS had little effect on the adsorption of EDTA. Adsorption of the Fe-DFOB and Fe-DFOD complexes also increased with increasing SDS concentrations, while adsorption of Fe-EDTA decreased. Our results suggest that hydrophobic interactions between adsorbed surfactants and siderophores are more important than electrostatic interactions. However, for strongly hydrophilic molecules, such as EDTA and its iron complex, the influence of SDS on their adsorption seems to depend on their tendency to form inner-sphere or outer-sphere surface complexes. Our results demonstrate that surfactants have a strong influence on the adsorption of siderophores to Fe oxides, which has important implications for siderophore-promoted dissolution of iron oxides and biological iron acquisition

Vortex nucleation through edge states in finite Bose-Einstein condensates

We study the vortex nucleation in a finite Bose-Einstein condensate. Using a set of non-local and chiral boundary conditions to solve the Schr$\ddot{o}$dinger equation of non-interacting bosons in a rotating trap, we obtain a quantitative expression for the characteristic angular velocity for vortex nucleation in a condensate which is found to be 35% of the transverse harmonic trapping frequency.Comment: 24 pages, 8 figures. Both figures and the text have been revise

Mid-infrared spectroscopy of carbon stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We have observed a sample of 36 objects in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) with the Infrared Spectrometer on the Spitzer Space Telescope. Nineteen of these sources are carbon stars. An examination of the near- and mid-infrared photometry shows that the carbon-rich and oxygen-rich dust sources follow two easily separated sequences. A comparison of the spectra of the 19 carbon stars in the SMC to spectra from the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) of carbon stars in the Galaxy reveals significant differences. The absorption bands at 7.5 um and 13.7 um due to C2H2 are stronger in the SMC sample, and the SiC dust emission feature at 11.3 um is weaker. Our measurements of the MgS dust emission feature at 26-30 um are less conclusive, but this feature appears to be weaker in the SMC sample as well. All of these results are consistent with the lower metallicity in the SMC. The lower abundance of SiC grains in the SMC may result in less efficient carbon-rich dust production, which could explain the excess C2H2 gas seen in the spectra. The sources in the SMC with the strongest SiC dust emission tend to have redder infrared colors than the other sources in the sample, which implies more amorphous carbon, and they also tend to show stronger MgS dust emission. The weakest SiC emission features tend to be shifted to the blue; these spectra may arise from low-density shells with large SiC grains.Comment: Accepted by ApJ 21 March, 2006, 13 pages (emulateapJ), 12 figure