28 research outputs found
New physics searches at near detectors of neutrino oscillation experiments
We systematically investigate the prospects of testing new physics with tau
sensitive near detectors at neutrino oscillation facilities. For neutrino beams
from pion decay, from the decay of radiative ions, as well as from the decays
of muons in a storage ring at a neutrino factory, we discuss which effective
operators can lead to new physics effects. Furthermore, we discuss the present
bounds on such operators set by other experimental data currently available.
For operators with two leptons and two quarks we present the first complete
analysis including all relevant operators simultaneously and performing a
Markov Chain Monte Carlo fit to the data. We find that these effects can induce
tau neutrino appearance probabilities as large as O(10^{-4}), which are within
reach of forthcoming experiments. We highlight to which kind of new physics a
tau sensitive near detector would be most sensitive.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures, REVTeX
Short Lag Times for Invasive Tropical Plants: Evidence from Experimental Plantings in Hawai'i
Background: The lag time of an invasion is the delay between arrival of an introduced species and its successful spread in a new area. To date, most estimates of lag times for plants have been indirect or anecdotal, and these estimates suggest that plant invasions are often characterized by lag times of 50 years or more. No general estimates are available of lag times for tropical plant invasions. Historical plantings and documentation were used to directly estimate lag times for tropical plant invasions in Hawai’i. Methodology/Principal Findings: Historical planting records for the Lyon Arboretum dating back to 1920 were examined to identify plants that have since become invasive pests in the Hawaiian Islands. Annual reports describing escape from plantings were then used to determine the lag times between initial plantings and earliest recorded spread of the successful invaders. Among 23 species that eventually became invasive pests, the average lag time between introduction and first evidence of spread was 14 years for woody plants and 5 years for herbaceous plants. Conclusions/Significance: These direct estimates of lag times are as much as an order of magnitude shorter than previous, indirect estimates, which were mainly based on temperate plants. Tropical invaders may have much shorter lag times than temperate species. A lack of direct and deliberate observations may have also inflated many previous lag time estimates. Although there have been documented cases of long lag times due to delayed arrival of a mutualist or environmenta
Effects of nutrient addition and soil drainage on germination of N-fixing and non-N-fixing tropical dry forest tree species
To develop generalised predictions regarding the effects of atmospheric nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) deposition on vegetation communities, it is necessary to account for the impacts of increased nutrient availability on the early life history stages of plants. Additionally, it is important to determine if these responses (a) differ between plant functional groups and (b) are modulated by soil drainage, which may affect the persistence of added nutrients. We experimentally assessed seed germination responses (germination proportion and germination energy, i.e. time to germination) of commonly occurring N-fixing and non-N-fixing tropical dry forest tree species found in India to simulated N and P deposition in well-drained soils, as well as soils with impeded drainage. When soils were not allowed to drain, germination proportion declined with nutrient addition, while germination energy remained unchanged. Stronger declines in germination proportion were observed for N-fixing species. In free-draining soils, nutrient addition did not affect germination proportion in either functional group. However, we detected a trend of delayed germination with nutrient addition, especially in N-fixers. Our results suggest that nutrient deposition can lead to potential shifts in functional dominance and tree community composition of tropical dry forests in the long term through its effects on early life stages of trees, although the mechanisms underlying the observed germination responses remain unclear. Further, such effects are likely to be spatially variable across the geographic range in which tropical dry forests occur depending on soil drainage properties
Fires can benefit plants by disrupting antagonistic interactions
Fire has a key role in the ecology and evolution of many ecosystems, yet its effects on plant–insect interactions are poorly understood. Because interacting species are likely to respond to fire differently, disruptions of the interactions are expected. We hypothesized that plants that regenerate after fire can benefit through the disruption of their antagonistic interactions. We expected stronger effects on interactions with specialist predators than with generalists. We studied two interactions between two Mediterranean plants (Ulex parviflorus, Asphodelus ramosus) and their specialist seed predators after large wildfires. In A. ramosus we also studied the generalist herbivores. We sampled the interactions in burned and adjacent unburned areas during 2 years by estimating seed predation, number of herbivores and fruit set. To assess the effect of the distance to unburned vegetation we sampled plots at two distance classes from the fire perimeter. Even 3 years after the fires, Ulex plants experienced lower seed damage by specialists in burned sites. The presence of herbivores on Asphodelus decreased in burned locations, and the variability in their presence was significantly related to fruit set. Generalist herbivores were unaffected. We show that plants can benefit from fire through the disruption of their antagonistic interactions with specialist seed predators for at least a few years. In environments with a long fire history, this effect might be one additional mechanism underlying the success of fire-adapted plants
Effects of chronic ascariasis and trichuriasis on cytokine production and gene expression in human blood: a cross-sectional study.
Background
Chronic soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are associated with effects on systemic immune responses that could be caused by alterations in immune homeostasis. To investigate this, we measured the impact in children of STH infections on cytokine responses and gene expression in unstimulated blood.
Methodology/Principal Findings
Sixty children were classified as having chronic, light, or no STH infections. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were cultured in medium for 5 days to measure cytokine accumulation. RNA was isolated from peripheral blood and gene expression analysed using microarrays. Different infection groups were compared for the purpose of analysis: STH infection (combined chronic and light vs. uninfected groups) and chronic STH infection (chronic vs. combined light and uninfected groups). The chronic STH infection effect was associated with elevated production of GM-CSF (P = 0.007), IL-2 (P = 0.03), IL-5 (P = 0.01), and IL-10 (P = 0.01). Data reduction suggested that chronic infections were primarily associated with an immune phenotype characterized by elevated IL-5 and IL-10, typical of a modified Th2-like response. Chronic STH infections were associated with the up-regulation of genes associated with immune homeostasis (IDO, P = 0.03; CCL23, P = 0.008, HRK, P = 0.005), down-regulation of microRNA hsa-let-7d (P = 0.01) and differential regulation of several genes associated with granulocyte-mediated inflammation (IL-8, down-regulated, P = 0.0002; RNASE2, up-regulated, P = 0.009; RNASE3, up-regulated, p = 0.03).
Conclusions/Significance
Chronic STH infections were associated with a cytokine response indicative of a modified Th2 response. There was evidence that STH infections were associated with a pattern of gene expression suggestive of the induction of homeostatic mechanisms, the differential expression of several inflammatory genes and the down-regulation of microRNA has-let-7d. Effects on immune homeostasis and the development of a modified Th2 immune response during chronic STH infections could explain the systemic immunologic effects that have been associated with these infections such as impaired immune responses to vaccines and the suppression of inflammatory diseases
Reviewing the use of resilience concepts in forest sciences
Purpose of the review Resilience is a key concept to deal with an uncertain future in forestry. In recent years, it has received increasing attention from both research and practice. However, a common understanding of what resilience means in a forestry context, and how to operationalise it is lacking. Here, we conducted a systematic review of the recent forest science literature on resilience in the forestry context, synthesising how resilience is defined and assessed.
Recent findings Based on a detailed review of 255 studies, we analysed how the concepts of engineering resilience, ecological resilience, and social-ecological resilience are used in forest sciences. A clear majority of the studies applied the concept of engineering resilience, quantifying resilience as the recovery time after a disturbance. The two most used indicators for engineering resilience were basal area increment and vegetation cover, whereas ecological
resilience studies frequently focus on vegetation cover and tree density. In contrast, important social-ecological resilience indicators used in the literature are socio-economic diversity and stock of natural resources. In the context of global change, we expected an increase in studies adopting the more holistic social-ecological resilience concept, but this was not the observed trend. Summary Our analysis points to the nestedness of these three resilience concepts, suggesting that they are complementary rather than contradictory. It also means that the variety of resilience approaches does not need to be an obstacle for operationalisation of the concept. We provide guidance for choosing the most suitable resilience concept and indicators based on the management, disturbance and application context
DESENVOLVIMENTO DE TERMINOLOGIA DESCRITIVA PARA WARMED-OVER FLAVOR EM CARNE ASSADA BOVINA
We evaluated the warmed-over flavor development (WOF) in bovine roast-beef through adescriptive sensory analysis using the Longissimus dorsi, Semitendinosus and Supraspinatus muscles of Nellore steers. There was a pre-selection for recruitment of assessors. Forty-five individuals were registered, being 35 preselected, from these, 24 were evaluated by difference tests (triangular tests) to determine the ability to discriminate WOF's differences in roast-beef samples. After the tests, 13 individuals were selected to determine the sensory profile of each sample. Initially, the sensory team proposed 70 terms for the quantitative descriptive analysis, but terms that were not relevant for the product, or did not contribute for WOF's discrimination in roast-beef as well as the ones that were not easily differentiated by the selected assessors were eliminated. The remained 18 terms were used in the three kinds of analyzed muscles. We concluded that quantitative descriptive analysis can be accomplished to obtain satisfactory results for warmed-over flavor research in roast-beef in both scientific experiments and product development
Use of novel polyetheralkanolamine comb polymers as pigment dispersants for aqueous coating systems
Science as a Commons: Improving the Governance of Knowledge Through Citizen Science
In recent decades, problems related to the accessibility and sustainability
of science have increased, both in terms of the acquisition and dissemination of
knowledge and its generation. Policymakers, academics, and, increasingly, citizens
themselves have developed various approaches to this issue. Among them, citizen
science is distinguished by making possible the generation of scientific knowledge
by anyone with an interest in doing so. However, participation alone does not
guarantee knowledge generation, which represents an epistemological challenge
for citizen science. Simultaneously, economic and socio-institutional difficulties in
science governance and maintenance have grown. To solve those problems, several
market elements have been introduced, a solution rejected by those who consider
science as a public good that states must guarantee. Alternatively, research and work
on the commons are growing worldwide, the concept being extended from natural resources to knowledge resources. In this chapter, we propose science as a commons, underlining the essential role of citizen science. Difficulties also apply to
citizen science itself, but the increasing development of a multitude of projects based
on cooperation favours the conditions required for its sustainability and quality.
Our philosophical proposal is based on empirical knowledge about citizen science
coupled with socio-economic concepts, according to a sociopolitical epistemology.Maite Pelacho’s contribution was supported by the Spanish Foundation of
Science and Technology and the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (FCT-18-14225). Hannot
Rodríguez’s contribution was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness
and the European Regional Development Fund (FFI2015-69792-R), the Vice-rectorate for
Research of the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (PPGA19/23, and GIU19/051), and
the Basque Government’s Department of Education (IT1205-19)Peer reviewe