Essential p-dimension of algebraic groups whose connected component is a torus

Following up on our earlier work and the work of N. Karpenko and A. Merkurjev, we study the essential p-dimension of linear algebraic groups G whose connected component G^0 is a torus.Comment: 23 pages, no figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:0910.557

Influence of Spring and Autumn Phenological Transitions on Forest Ecosystem Productivity

We use eddy covariance measurements of net ecosystem productivity (NEP) from 21 FLUXNET sites (153 site-years of data) to investigate relationships between phenology and productivity (in terms of both NEP and gross ecosystem photosynthesis, GEP) in temperate and boreal forests. Results are used to evaluate the plausibility of four different conceptual models. Phenological indicators were derived from the eddy covariance time series, and from remote sensing and models. We examine spatial patterns (across sites) and temporal patterns (across years); an important conclusion is that it is likely that neither of these accurately represents how productivity will respond to future phenological shifts resulting from ongoing climate change. In spring and autumn, increased GEP resulting from an ¿extra¿ day tends to be offset by concurrent, but smaller, increases in ecosystem respiration, and thus the effect on NEP is still positive. Spring productivity anomalies appear to have carry-over effects that translate to productivity anomalies in the following autumn, but it is not clear that these result directly from phenological anomalies. Finally, the productivity of evergreen needleleaf forests is less sensitive to phenology than is productivity of deciduous broadleaf forests. This has implications for how climate change may drive shifts in competition within mixed-species stands.JRC.H.5-Land Resources Managemen

Planning and Development of Social Services for Persons with Disabilities

Soziale Dienste zur Unterstützung von Menschen mit Behinderungen haben sich in den letzten Jahren dynamisch entwickelt und unterliegen auch aktuell einem erheblichen Veränderungsdruck. Die Forschungsarbeiten, die in diesem Band versammelt sind, haben die Entwicklung hin zu einer inklusionsorientierten Unterstützung in zahlreichen Projekten auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen aktiv begleitet.Social services to support persons with disabilities have developed dynamically in recent years and are currently subject to considerable pressure to change. The research work collected in this volume has actively accompanied the development towards inclusion-oriented support in numerous projects at different levels

The slice method for G-torsors

The notion of a (G,N)(G,N)-slice of a G-variety was introduced by P.I. Katsylo in the early 80's for an algebraically closed base field of characteristic 0. Slices (also known under the name of relative sections) have ever since provided a fundamental tool in invariant theory, allowing reduction of rational or regular invariants of an algebraic group G to invariants of a “simpler” group. We refine this notion for a G-scheme over an arbitrary field, and use it to get reduction of structure group results for G -torsors. Namely we show that any (G,N)(G,N)-slice of a versal G -scheme gives surjective maps H1(L,N)→H1(L,G)H1(L,N)→H1(L,G) in fppf-cohomology for infinite fields L containing F. We show that every stabilizer in general position H for a geometrically irreducible G-variety V gives rise to a (G,NG(H))(G,NG(H))-slice in our sense. The combination of these two results is applied in particular to obtain a striking new upper bound on the essential dimension of the simply connected split algebraic group of type E7E7

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

Essential dimension of algebraic tori

The essential dimension is a numerical invariant of an algebraic group G which may be thought of as a measure of complexity of G-torsors over fields. A recent theorem of N. Karpenko and A. Merkurjev gives a simple formula for the essential dimension of a finite p-group. We obtain similar formulas for the essential p-dimension of a broad class of groups, which includes all algebraic tori

The REFLEX project: Comparing different algorithms and implementations for the inversion of a terrestrial ecosystem model against eddy covariance data

We describe a model-data fusion (MDF) inter-comparison project (REFLEX), which compared various algorithms for estimating carbon (C) model parameters consistent with both measured carbon fluxes and states and a simple C model. Participants were provided with the model and with both synthetic net ecosystem exchange (NEE) of CO2 and leaf area index (LAI) data, generated from the model with added noise, and observed NEE and LAI data from two eddy covariance sites. Participants endeavoured to estimate model parameters and states consistent with the model for all cases over the two years for which data were provided, and generate predictions for one additional year without observations. Nine participants contributed results using Metropolis algorithms, Kalman filters and a genetic algorithm. For the synthetic data case, parameter estimates compared well with the true values. The results of the analyses indicated that parameters linked directly to gross primary production (GPP) and ecosystem respiration, such as those related to foliage allocation and turnover, or temperature sensitivity of heterotrophic respiration, were best constrained and characterised. Poorly estimated parameters were those related to the allocation to and turnover of fine root/wood pools. Estimates of confidence intervals varied among algorithms, but several algorithms successfully located the true values of annual fluxes from synthetic experiments within relatively narrow 90% confidence intervals, achieving >80% success rate and mean NEE confidence intervals <110 gC m−2 year−1 for the synthetic case. Annual C flux estimates generated by participants generally agreed with gap-filling approaches using half-hourly data. The estimation of ecosystem respiration and GPP through MDF agreed well with outputs from partitioning studies using half-hourly data. Confidence limits on annual NEE increased by an average of 88% in the prediction year compared to the previous year, when data were available. Confidence intervals on annual NEE increased by 30% when observed data were used instead of synthetic data, reflecting and quantifying the addition of model error. Finally, our analyses indicated that incorporating additional constraints, using data on C pools (wood, soil and fine roots) would help to reduce uncertainties for model parameters poorly served by eddy covariance data

Quadratic Assignment Problem. 1 Acknowledgments

When they introduced the Ant System paradigm, Dorigo, Maniezzo, and Colorni also suggested an improvement to the original algorithm. By making use of global information, a set of ‘elitist ’ ants could focus the search, potentially accelerating convergence on an optimal solution. In a later paper, White, Kaegi, and Oda proposed a refinement of elitism in which local information is used instead of global information. By focusing the search on the local best tours (LBT) rather than the global best tour, the ants could search a wider area and avoid becoming trapped in local optima. Test results using the symmetric Travelling Salesman Problem showed considerable promise. We will examine the effectiveness of this refinement when applied against the assymetrica

Carbon dioxide uptake of a forested region in southwest France derived from airborne CO2 and CO measurements in a quasi-Lagrangian experiment

International audienceThis paper presents a Lagrangian budgeting approach to quantify the uptake of CO2 by vegetation at horizontal scales of several tens of kilometers. For this purpose, CO2 and meteorological parameters were measured from a small aircraft during four flights in June 2001 over a flat homogeneous and productive temperate forest in the Landes region ( southwestern France). Additional CO measurements were made in order to identify and quantify the potential influence of anthropogenic emissions on the net CO2 flux derived from the measurements. For one of four flights, Lagrangian conditions were nearly perfectly fulfilled. On average, the CO2 mixing ratio in the boundary layer decreased at a rate of 0.11 ppm km(-1), yielding an average CO2 uptake by the forest of 16 +/- 2.5 mumol m(-2) s(-1) between 1230 and 1430 UT. Our result is about 15% smaller than the local net ecosystem exchange measured by eddy covariance at a tower north of the flight domain and about 12% higher than a regional estimate based on remote sensing data for the whole experimental area. The contribution of anthropogenic emissions to the regional CO2 budget was estimated from the CO measurements to be to <0.5 mu mol m(-2) s(-1)