1,643 research outputs found
Type designation of five Lindley’s names in the Genus Habenaria (Orchidaceae)
The present study highlights the type designation on 5 species of the genus Habenaria Willd. (Orchidaceae) namely H. cephalotes Lindl., H. heyneana Lindl., H. longicornu Lindl., H. macrostachya Lindl. and H. plantaginea Lindl
Quasiperpendicular high Mach number Shocks
Shock waves exist throughout the universe and are fundamental to
understanding the nature of collisionless plasmas. Reformation is a process,
driven by microphysics, which typically occurs at high Mach number
supercritical shocks. While ongoing studies have investigated this process
extensively both theoretically and via simulations, their observations remain
few and far between. In this letter we present a study of very high Mach number
shocks in a parameter space that has been poorly explored and we identify
reformation using in situ magnetic field observations from the Cassini
spacecraft at 10 AU. This has given us an insight into quasi-perpendicular
shocks across two orders of magnitude in Alfven Mach number (MA) which could
potentially bridge the gap between modest terrestrial shocks and more exotic
astrophysical shocks. For the first time, we show evidence for cyclic
reformation controlled by specular ion reflection occurring at the predicted
timescale of ~0.3 {\tau}c, where {\tau}c is the ion gyroperiod. In addition, we
experimentally reveal the relationship between reformation and MA and focus on
the magnetic structure of such shocks to further show that for the same MA, a
reforming shock exhibits stronger magnetic field amplification than a shock
that is not reforming.Comment: Accepted and Published in Physical Review Letters (2015
Taxonomic notes on two endemic species of Oberonia Lindl. from Western Ghats, India
The genus Oberonia is known for its micro floral arrangement. Due to its minute structure, excess of new species are reported. The present paper reveals the synonymization of two recently described species of the genus Oberonia viz. O. saintberchmansii and O. wynadensis under O. anamalayana and O. josephi respectively. The original illustration and live dissected images of the species are provided for easy identification
Eco-hydromorphic Classification for Understanding Stream Macroinvertebrate Biodiversity in Brunei Darussalam, Northern Borneo
This is the final version. Available from Academia Sinica via the DOI in this record.Linking ecology with river geomorphology and hydrology (geomorphic and hydraulic template) plays an important role in the study of macroinvertebrate biodiversity. This understanding and knowledge is crucial in implementing sensible conservation
management for ecosystem health monitoring. However, most macroinvertebrate research has been conducted
in temperate ecosystems. This study examines the eco-hydrogeomorphology and macroinvertebrate biodiversity
of two remote tropical streams in northern Borneo (Bukit Pagon catchment, Brunei Darussalam’s highest
mountain - 1850 m) using temperate classification models, more specifically, biotopes. Fast flowing biotopes
were defined as bedrock runs and cobble riffles whilst the slow flowing biotopes were deposition pools.
Macroinvertebrate size structure associated with biotopes, which can influence overall ecological processes,
was also investigated. Forty-three macroinvertebrate taxa were recorded during the study; biodiversity was
similar between the study streams. There were differences among biotopes with the lowest diversity occurring
in fast flowing biotopes (p = 0.05*). Community structure also varied among the biotopes. Cluster analysis of
macroinvertebrate abundance revealed an 0.8 dissimilarity between the fast and slow biotopes. Several taxa
were found in multiple biotopes, which is likely linked to the occurrence of moss and leaf litter. Macroinvertebrate
size structure distribution between the fast and slow biotopes was statistically different. Our findings suggest
biotopes may be an appropriate scale to investigate macroinvertebrate biodiversity in tropical streams.
Specifically, we found that biotopes had different macroinvertebrate communities and richness. Further research
is required to understand the importance of habitat parameters that are not directly related to flow velocities
such as moss. These habitats are important as places of refuge, allowing colonisation that would otherwise be
inhospitable during flood periods.University of Brunei DarussalamThe International Consortium of Universities for the Study of Biodiversity and the Environment (iCUBE
Suprathermal electrons at Saturn's bow shock
The leading explanation for the origin of galactic cosmic rays is particle
acceleration at the shocks surrounding young supernova remnants (SNRs),
although crucial aspects of the acceleration process are unclear. The similar
collisionless plasma shocks frequently encountered by spacecraft in the solar
wind are generally far weaker (lower Mach number) than these SNR shocks.
However, the Cassini spacecraft has shown that the shock standing in the solar
wind sunward of Saturn (Saturn's bow shock) can occasionally reach this
high-Mach number astrophysical regime. In this regime Cassini has provided the
first in situ evidence for electron acceleration under quasi-parallel upstream
magnetic conditions. Here we present the full picture of suprathermal electrons
at Saturn's bow shock revealed by Cassini. The downstream thermal electron
distribution is resolved in all data taken by the low-energy electron detector
(CAPS-ELS, <28 keV) during shock crossings, but the higher energy channels were
at (or close to) background. The high-energy electron detector (MIMI-LEMMS, >18
keV) measured a suprathermal electron signature at 31 of 508 crossings, where
typically only the lowest energy channels (<100 keV) were above background. We
show that these results are consistent with theory in which the "injection" of
thermal electrons into an acceleration process involves interaction with
whistler waves at the shock front, and becomes possible for all upstream
magnetic field orientations at high Mach numbers like those of the strong
shocks around young SNRs. A future dedicated study will analyze the rare
crossings with evidence for relativistic electrons (up to ~1 MeV).Comment: 22 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
An investigation of the effectiveness of PBL online on students’ creative thinking: a case study in Malaysia
In this paper we scrutinized the effectiveness of combining the Problem-Based Learning (PBL) approach and Online Learning medium in improving students’ creative thinking particularly amongst physics students. A cohort of 61 science undergraduate physics students from the School of Science and Technology (SST), and 41 pre-service physics teachers from the School of Education and Social Development (SESD) of the University Malaysia Sabah comprised the sample. The sample was broken up into experimental and control groups, with the experimental group experiencing the PBL and online learning activities, and the control group more traditional learning conducts. Both groups were supported via an online learning environment, which acted as the main medium for learning. Participants’ creativity was evaluated using a previously validated instrument, the Torrance Test of Creativity Thinking (TTCT) administered before (pre-test) and after (post-test) the intervention. Examination of these data, points to statistically significant differences between the traditional and PBL groups in creative thinking. Thus the research findings suggest that PBL and Online learning are capable in improving physics students’ and pre-service science teachers’ creative thinking effectively
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