Bedrijfsspecifieke mest- en kunstmestgiften op melkveebedrijven : onderbouwingen ten behoeve van de ‘BES’ in 2016-2018

In 2015, 2016 en 2017 is op een zestal melkveebedrijven onderzocht of zij op grond van hun geschatte hoge gewasonttrekking van stikstof (N) en fosfaat (P) en benutting van meststoffen, in elk van de daarop volgende jaren, meer dierlijke mest konden toedienen zonder overschrijding van de maximaal acceptabele bodemoverschotten waarvan in het generieke beleid wordt uitgegaan. Dierlijke mest is binnen de voorwaarden van derogatie namelijk de enige P-bron waarmee de P-onttrekking door gewassen gecompenseerd mag worden. Een dergelijke verruiming van de dierlijke mestgift bleek inderdaad niet bezwaarlijk op voorwaarde dat in de meeste gevallen tegelijkertijd de kunstmest-N gift gekort werd. Gemiddeld over de bedrijven en jaren kon naar schatting 57 kg meer mest-N per hectare worden toegediend in ruil voor 25 kg minder kunstmest-N per ha. Deze toekenningen konden op het moment van rapportage geconfronteerd worden met de realisaties in 2016 en 2017. Daaruit bleek dat gemiddeld niet 57 maar 81 kg meer mest-N per hectare was toegediend en niet 25 maar 34 kg minder kunstmest-N per ha. Omdat ook de onttrekking hoger was dan geprognotiseerd, bleven de gerealiseerde N-bodemoverschotten, zoals beoogd, desondanks onder het niveau van generieke bodemoverschotten. Ondanks de verruimde mestgift, bleven de gerealiseerde P-bodemoverschotten negatief met uitzondering van één bedrijf. Benadrukt moet worden dat zowel de toekenning van de bemestingsruimte als de gerealiseerde bemesting, alsmede de daarmee verbonden geachte milieueffecten op bodem, water en lucht, op modelmatige schattingen gebaseerd zijn. Ondersteunende metingen zijn slechts beperkt uitgevoerd. Deze metingen geven aanwijzingen dat de nitraatconcentraties van grond- en oppervlaktewater beneden 50 mg per liter bleven. Overigens zal elke verruiming van de bemestingsruimte op deze en andere bedrijven tot een slechter milieuresultaat in Nederland als geheel leiden, tenzij de bemestingsruimte op een ander deel van de bedrijven tegelijkertijd gekort word

Charge and Spin Transfer Dynamics in a Weakly Coupled Porphyrin Dimer

The dynamics of electron and spin transfer in the radical cation and photogenerated triplet states of a tetramethylbiphenyl-linked zinc-porphyrin dimer were investigated, so as to test the relevant parameters for the design of a single-molecule spin valve and the creation of a novel platform for the photogeneration of high-multiplicity spin states. We used a combination of multiple techniques, including variable-temperature continuous wave EPR, pulsed proton electron–nuclear double resonance (ENDOR), transient EPR, and optical spectroscopy. The conclusions are further supported by density functional theory (DFT) calculations and comparison to reference compounds. The low-temperature cw-EPR and room-temperature near-IR spectra of the dimer monocation demonstrate that the radical cation is spatially localized on one side of the dimer at any point in time, not coherently delocalized over both porphyrin units. The EPR spectra at 298 K reveal rapid hopping of the radical spin density between both sites of the dimer via reversible intramolecular electron transfer. The hyperfine interactions are modulated by electron transfer and can be quantified using ENDOR spectroscopy. This allowed simulation of the variable-temperature cw-EPR spectra with a two-site exchange model and provided information on the temperature-dependence of the electron transfer rate. The electron transfer rates range from about 10.0 MHz at 200 K to about 53.9 MHz at 298 K. The activation enthalpies Δ‡ H of the electron transfer were determined as Δ‡ H = 9.55 kJ mol–1 and Δ‡ H = 5.67 kJ mol–1 in a 1:1:1 solvent mixture of CD2Cl2/toluene-d 8/THF-d 8 and in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran, respectively, consistent with a Robin–Day class II mixed valence compound. These results indicate that the interporphyrin electronic coupling in a tetramethylbiphenyl-linked porphyrin dimer is suitable for the backbone of a single-molecule spin valve. Investigation of the spin density distribution of the photogenerated triplet state of the Zn-porphyrin dimer reveals localization of the triplet spin density on a nanosecond time scale on one-half of the dimer at 20 K in 2-methyltetrahydrofuran and at 250 K in a polyvinylcarbazole film. This establishes the porphyrin dimer as a molecular platform for the formation of a localized, photogenerated triplet state on one porphyrin unit that is coupled to a second redox-active, ground-state porphyrin unit, which can be explored for the formation of high-multiplicity spin states

Open Access Solutions for Biodiversity Journals: Don’t Replace One Problem with Another

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Constraining models for the origin of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays with a novel combined analysis of arrival directions, spectrum, and composition data measured at the Pierre Auger Observatory

The combined fit of the measured energy spectrum and shower maximum depth distributions of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays is known to constrain the parameters of astrophysical models with homogeneous source distributions. Studies of the distribution of the cosmic-ray arrival directions show a better agreement with models in which a fraction of the flux is non-isotropic and associated with the nearby radio galaxy Centaurus A or with catalogs such as that of starburst galaxies. Here, we present a novel combination of both analyses by a simultaneous fit of arrival directions, energy spectrum, and composition data measured at the Pierre Auger Observatory. The model takes into account a rigidity-dependent magnetic field blurring and an energy-dependent evolution of the catalog contribution shaped by interactions during propagation. We find that a model containing a flux contribution from the starburst galaxy catalog of around 20% at 40 EeV with a magnetic field blurring of around 20° for a rigidity of 10 EV provides a fair simultaneous description of all three observables. The starburst galaxy model is favored with a significance of 4.5σ (considering experimental systematic effects) compared to a reference model with only homogeneously distributed background sources. By investigating a scenario with Centaurus A as a single source in combination with the homogeneous background, we confirm that this region of the sky provides the dominant contribution to the observed anisotropy signal. Models containing a catalog of jetted active galactic nuclei whose flux scales with the γ-ray emission are, however, disfavored as they cannot adequately describe the measured arrival directions

Guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays for monitoring autophagy (3rd edition)

In 2008 we published the first set of guidelines for standardizing research in autophagy. Since then, research on this topic has continued to accelerate, and many new scientists have entered the field. Our knowledge base and relevant new technologies have also been expanding. Accordingly, it is important to update these guidelines for monitoring autophagy in different organisms. Various reviews have described the range of assays that have been used for this purpose. Nevertheless, there continues to be confusion regarding acceptable methods to measure autophagy, especially in multicellular eukaryotes. For example, a key point that needs to be emphasized is that there is a difference between measurements that monitor the numbers or volume of autophagic elements (e.g., autophagosomes or autolysosomes) at any stage of the autophagic process versus those that measure fl ux through the autophagy pathway (i.e., the complete process including the amount and rate of cargo sequestered and degraded). In particular, a block in macroautophagy that results in autophagosome accumulation must be differentiated from stimuli that increase autophagic activity, defi ned as increased autophagy induction coupled with increased delivery to, and degradation within, lysosomes (inmost higher eukaryotes and some protists such as Dictyostelium ) or the vacuole (in plants and fungi). In other words, it is especially important that investigators new to the fi eld understand that the appearance of more autophagosomes does not necessarily equate with more autophagy. In fact, in many cases, autophagosomes accumulate because of a block in trafficking to lysosomes without a concomitant change in autophagosome biogenesis, whereas an increase in autolysosomes may reflect a reduction in degradative activity. It is worth emphasizing here that lysosomal digestion is a stage of autophagy and evaluating its competence is a crucial part of the evaluation of autophagic flux, or complete autophagy. Here, we present a set of guidelines for the selection and interpretation of methods for use by investigators who aim to examine macroautophagy and related processes, as well as for reviewers who need to provide realistic and reasonable critiques of papers that are focused on these processes. These guidelines are not meant to be a formulaic set of rules, because the appropriate assays depend in part on the question being asked and the system being used. In addition, we emphasize that no individual assay is guaranteed to be the most appropriate one in every situation, and we strongly recommend the use of multiple assays to monitor autophagy. Along these lines, because of the potential for pleiotropic effects due to blocking autophagy through genetic manipulation it is imperative to delete or knock down more than one autophagy-related gene. In addition, some individual Atg proteins, or groups of proteins, are involved in other cellular pathways so not all Atg proteins can be used as a specific marker for an autophagic process. In these guidelines, we consider these various methods of assessing autophagy and what information can, or cannot, be obtained from them. Finally, by discussing the merits and limits of particular autophagy assays, we hope to encourage technical innovation in the field

Search for the lepton flavor violating decay tau -> 3 mu in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

Results are reported from a search for the lepton flavor violating decay tau -> 3 mu in proton-proton collisions at root s = 13 TeV. The data sample corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 33.2 fb(-1) recorded by the CMS experiment at the LHC in 2016. The search exploits tau leptons produced in both W boson and heavy-flavor hadron decays. No significant excess above the expected background is observed. An upper limit on the branching fraction B(tau -> 3 mu) of 8.0 x 10(-8) at 90% confidence level is obtained, with an expected upper limit of 6.9 x 10(-8).Peer reviewe

Search for pair-produced resonances decaying to quark pairs in proton-proton collisions at root s=13 TeV

A general search for the pair production of resonances, each decaying to two quarks, is reported. The search is conducted separately for heavier resonances (masses above 400 GeV), where each of the four final-state quarks generates a hadronic jet resulting in a four-jet signature, and for lighter resonances (masses between 80 and 400 GeV), where the pair of quarks from each resonance is collimated and reconstructed as a single jet resulting in a two-jet signature. In addition, a b-tagged selection is applied to target resonances with a bottom quark in the final state. The analysis uses data collected with the CMS detector at the CERN LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 35.9 fb(-1), from proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The mass spectra are analyzed for the presence of new resonances, and are found to be consistent with standard model expectations. The results are interpreted in the framework of R-parity-violating supersymmetry assuming the pair production of scalar top quarks decaying via the hadronic coupling lambda ''(312) or lambda ''(323) and upper limits on the cross section as a function of the top squark mass are set. These results probe a wider range of masses than previously explored at the LHC, and extend the top squark mass limits in the (t) over tilde -> qq' scenario.Peer reviewe

Studies of charm and beauty hadron long-range correlations in pp and pPb collisions at LHC energies

Measurements of the second Fourier harmonic coefficient (v(2)) of the azimuthal distributions of prompt and nonprompt D-0 mesons produced in pp and pPb collisions are presented. Nonprompt D-0 mesons come from beauty hadron decays. The data samples are collected by the CMS experiment at nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energies of 13 and 8.16 TeV, respectively. In high multiplicity pp collisions, v(2) signals for prompt charm hadrons are reported for the first time, and are found to be comparable to those for light-flavor hadron species over a transverse momentum (pT) range of 2-6 GeV. Compared at similar event multiplicities, the prompt D-0 meson v(2) values in pp and pPb collisions are similar in magnitude. The v(2) values for open beauty hadrons are extracted for the first time via nonprompt D-0 mesons in pPb collisions. For pT in the range of 2-5 GeV, the results suggest that v(2) for nonprompt D-0 mesons is smaller than that for prompt D-0 mesons. These new measurements indicate a positive charm hadron v(2) in pp collisions and suggest a mass dependence in v(2) between charm and beauty hadrons in the pPb system. These results provide insights into the origin of heavy-flavor quark collectivity in small systems. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Measurements of the pp -> W-+/-gamma gamma and pp -> Z gamma gamma cross sections at root s=13 TeV and limits on anomalous quartic gauge couplings

The cross section for W or Z boson production in association with two photons is measured in proton-proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. The data set corresponds to an integrated luminosity of 137 fb(-1) collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC. The W -> l nu and Z -> ll decay modes (where l = e, mu) are used to extract the W gamma gamma and Z gamma gamma cross sections in a phase space defined by electron (muon) with transverse momentum larger than 30 GeV and photon transverse momentum larger than 20 GeV. All leptons and photons are required to have absolute pseudorapidity smaller than 2.5. The measured cross sections in this phase space are sigma(W gamma gamma) = 13.6(-1.9)(+1.9) (stat)(-4.0)(+4.0) (syst) +/- 0.08 (PDF + scale) fb and sigma(Z gamma gamma) = 5.41(-0.55)(+0.58) (stat)(-0.70)(+0.64) (syst) +/- 0.06 (PDF + scale) fb. Limits on anomalous quartic gauge couplings are set in the framework of an effective field theory with dimension-8 operators.Peer reviewe

Angular analysis of the decay B+ -> K+mu(+)mu(-) in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV

The angular distribution of the flavor-changing neutral current decay B+ -> K+mu(+)mu(-) is studied in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. The analysis is based on data collected with the CMS detector at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20.5 fb(-1). The forward-backward asymmetry A(FB) of the dimuon system and the contribution F-H from the pseudoscalar, scalar, and tensor amplitudes to the decay width are measured as a function of the dimuon mass squared. The measurements are consistent with the standard model expectations.Peer reviewe