634 research outputs found
Gross N-cycling rates in ephemeral wetlands
Non-Peer ReviewedEphemeral wetlands or depressions in hummocky landscapes have high levels of C, N, and soil moisture, often leading to high nutrient cycling activity. However, measuring soil nitrate and ammonium pools is typically a poor indication of N-cycling activity or of the soil N that is available for other processes such as N2O emissions. This study used stable 15N isotope dilution techniques in cultivated and uncultivated ephemeral wetlands in central Saskatchewan to quantify land use effects on gross mineralization and nitrification rates. In-field incubation experiments were repeated in early May, mid-June and late July. There was a clear land use effect on inorganic soil N levels, with significantly less NH4+ and more NO3- in the cultivated wetland soils. However, the rates of NH4+ mineralization and NO3 - nitrification were similar for both land uses, indicating similar substrate availability but different N-consuming processes. Both N pools turned over in as little as 1-2 d, highlighting the ineffectuality of measuring inorganic N pools as a predictor for N availability in these soils
Noise characteristics of upper surface blown configurations. Experimental program and results
An experimental data base was developed from the model upper surface blowing (USB) propulsive lift system hardware. While the emphasis was on far field noise data, a considerable amount of relevant flow field data were also obtained. The data were derived from experiments in four different facilities resulting in: (1) small scale static flow field data; (2) small scale static noise data; (3) small scale simulated forward speed noise and load data; and (4) limited larger-scale static noise flow field and load data. All of the small scale tests used the same USB flap parts. Operational and geometrical variables covered in the test program included jet velocity, nozzle shape, nozzle area, nozzle impingement angle, nozzle vertical and horizontal location, flap length, flap deflection angle, and flap radius of curvature
A stochastic model for the evolution of the web allowing link deletion
Recently several authors have proposed stochastic evolutionary models for the growth of the web graph and other networks that give rise to power-law distributions. These models are based on the notion of preferential attachment leading to the ``rich get richer'' phenomenon. We present a generalisation of the basic model by allowing deletion of individual links and show that it also gives rise to a power-law distribution. We derive the mean-field equations for this stochastic model and show that by examining a snapshot of the distribution at the steady state of the model, we are able to tell whether any link deletion has taken place and estimate the link deletion probability. Our model enables us to gain some insight into the distribution of inlinks in the web graph, in particular it suggests a power-law exponent of approximately 2.15 rather than the widely published exponent of 2.1
Improving methods and indicators for evaluating coastal water eutrophication: a pilot study in the Gulf of Maine
Study Goals and Objectives:
1) Improve existing nutrient-related eutrophication assessment methods, updating (from early 1990s to early 2000s) the eutrophication assessment for systems included in the study with the improved method.
2) Develop a human-use/socioeconomic indicator to complement the assessment indicator. The human-use indicator was developed to evaluate costs of nutrient-related degradation in coastal waters and to put the issue into a broader context relevant to the interested public and legislators as well as to scientists.
3) Project objectives included collecting existing water quality data, developing an accessible database appropriate for application to a national study, and applying the assessment methods to 14 coastal systems – nine systems north of Cape Cod and five systems south. The geographical distribution of systems was used to examine potential regional differences in condition.
4) The intent is to use the lessons learned in this pilot study on a national scale to guide completion of an update of the 1999 National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment
Impedance spectroscopy analysis of Ti n O 2n − 1 Magnéli phases
This letter presents a comprehensive impedance spectroscopy characterisation of Magnéli phases (Ti n O 2n − 1 ) over a range of temperatures, which are of interest in electrochemistry and sensing applications, with the aim to enhance the understanding of their electrical properties and influence their microstructure. The impedance of the Ti n O 2n − 1 can be resolved into two different contributions, namely the grain bulk (R B ) and grain boundaries (R GB ). The ac conductivity increases with frequency and temperature, following a universal power law. The high relative permittivity (10 5 -10 6 ), which is relatively frequency independent from 0.1 Hz to 100 kHz, is attributed to the presence of insulating grain boundaries (R GB NN R B ) creating an Internal Barrier Layer Capacitor (IBLC) effect. Above 100 kHz, the grain boundaries begin to contribute to the ac conductivity and the permittivity drops sharply
Empirical analysis of web-based user-object bipartite networks
Understanding the structure and evolution of web-based user-object networks
is a significant task since they play a crucial role in e-commerce nowadays.
This Letter reports the empirical analysis on two large-scale web sites,
audioscrobbler.com and del.icio.us, where users are connected with music groups
and bookmarks, respectively. The degree distributions and degree-degree
correlations for both users and objects are reported. We propose a new index,
named collaborative clustering coefficient, to quantify the clustering behavior
based on the collaborative selection. Accordingly, the clustering properties
and clustering-degree correlations are investigated. We report some novel
phenomena well characterizing the selection mechanism of web users and outline
the relevance of these phenomena to the information recommendation problem.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures and 1 tabl
Organizational and dynamical aspects of a small network with two distinct communities : Neo creationists vs. Evolution Defenders
Social impacts and degrees of organization inherent to opinion formation for
interacting agents on networks present interesting questions of general
interest from physics to sociology. We present a quantitative analysis of a
case implying an evolving small size network, i.e. that inherent to the ongoing
debate between modern creationists (most are Intelligent Design (ID) proponents
(IDP)) and Darwin's theory of Evolution Defenders (DED)). This study is carried
out by analyzing the structural properties of the citation network unfolded in
the recent decades by publishing works belonging to members of the two
communities. With the aim of capturing the dynamical aspects of the interaction
between the IDP and DED groups, we focus on key quantities, namely, the
{\it degree of activity} of each group and the corresponding {\it degree of
impact} on the intellectual community at large. A representative measure of the
former is provided by the {\it rate of production of publications} (RPP),
whilst the latter can be assimilated to the{\it rate of increase in citations}
(RIC). These quantities are determined, respectively, by the slope of the time
series obtained for the number of publications accumulated per year and by the
slope of a similar time series obtained for the corresponding citations. The
results indicate that in this case, the dynamics can be seen as geared by
triggered or damped competition. The network is a specific example of marked
heterogeneity in exchange of information activity in and between the
communities, particularly demonstrated through the nodes having a high
connectivity degree, i.e. opinion leaders.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, 2 tables, 52 reference
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Novel Phosphorylation Sites in the S. cerevisiae Cdc13 Protein Reveal New Targets for Telomere Length Regulation
The S. cerevisiae Cdc13 is a multifunctional protein with key roles in regulation of telomerase, telomere end protection, and conventional telomere replication, all of which are cell cycle-regulated processes. Given that phosphorylation is a key mechanism for regulating protein function, we identified sites of phosphorylation using nano liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS/MS). We also determined phosphorylation abundance on both wild type (WT) and a telomerase deficient form of Cdc13, encoded by the cdc13-2 allele, in both G1 phase cells, when telomerase is not active, and G2/M phase cells, when it is. We identified 21 sites of in vivo phosphorylation, of which only five had been reported previously. In contrast, phosphorylation of two in vitro targets of the ATM-like Tel1 kinase, S249 and S255, was not detected. This result helps resolve conflicting data on the importance of phosphorylation of these residues in telomerase recruitment. multiple residues showed differences in their cell cycle pattern of modification. For example, phosphorylation of S314 was significantly higher in the G2/M compared to the G1 phase and in WT versus mutant Cdc13, and a S314D mutation negatively affected telomere length. Our findings provide new targets in a key telomerase regulatory protein for modulation of telomere dynamics. [Image: see text
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