The influence of forest regrowth, original canopy cover and tree size on saproxylic beetles associated with old oaks

Abandoned management has caused many sites with free-standing, large oaks (Quercus robur) to become more shaded. This study shows how forest regrowth affects beetle species associated with old oaks in south-eastern Sweden. Beetles were trapped by pitfall traps placed in hollows and window traps placed near hollows in oak trunks in pasture woodlands. We assessed the influence of forest regrowth, tree size and original canopy cover on the species richness of saproxylic beetles (a total of 120 species identified) and the occurrence of 68 saproxylic beetle species in particular. Species richness was greatest in stands with large, free-standing trees. Large girth as well as low canopy cover increased frequency of occurrence for several species. Forest regrowth was found to be detrimental for many beetle species. As most localities with endangered beetles living in old oaks are small and isolated, ongoing management and the restoration of abandoned pasture woodlands should have a high priority in nature conservation

A comparison of three methods to survey saproxylic beetles in hollow oaks

One of the most endangered assemblages of species in Europe is insects associated with old trees. For that reason there is a need of developing methods to survey this fauna. This study aims at comparing three methods — window trapping, pitfall trapping and wood mould sampling — to assess species richness and composition of the saproxylic beetle fauna in living, hollow oaks. We have used these methods at the same site, and to a large extent in the same trees. Useful information was obtained from all methods, but they partially target different assemblages of species. Window trapping collected the highest number of species. Pitfall trapping collected beetles associated with tree hollows which rarely are collected by window traps and therefore it is profitable to combine these two methods. As wood mould sampling is the cheapest method to use, indicator species should preferrably be chosen among species which are efficiently collected with this method

Ordered droplets in quantum magnets with long-range interactions

A defect coupling to the square of the order parameter in a nearly quantum-critical magnet can nucleate an ordered droplet while the bulk system is in the paramagnetic phase. We study the influence of long-range spatial interactions of the form $r^{-(d+\sigma)}$ on the droplet formation. To this end, we solve a Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson free energy in saddle point approximation. The long-range interaction causes the droplet to develop an energetically unfavorable power-law tail. However, for $\sigma>0$, the free energy contribution of this tail is subleading in the limit of large droplets; and the droplet formation is controlled by the defect bulk. Thus, for large defects, long-range interactions do not hinder the formation of droplets.Comment: 2 pages, 3 eps figures, final version as publishe

Initial Reports of the Deep Sea Drilling Project, vol. 85

Covering Leg 85 of the cruises of the Drilling Vessel Glomar Challenger Los Angeles, California, to Honolulu, Hawaii March-April 1982. Includes six chapters: 1. INTRODUCTION: BACKGROUND AND EXPLANATORY NOTES, DEEP SEA DRILLING PROJECT LEG 85, CENTRAL EQUATORIAL PACIFIC 2. SITE 571 3. SITE 572 4. SITE 573 5. SITE 574 6. SITE 57

Intrakinetochore stretch is associated with changes in kinetochore phosphorylation and spindle assembly checkpoint activity

© 2009 Maresca and Salmon. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. The definitive version was published in Journal of Cell Biology 184 (2009): 373-381, doi:10.1083/jcb.200808130.Cells have evolved a signaling pathway called the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) to increase the fidelity of chromosome segregation by generating a "wait anaphase" signal until all chromosomes are properly aligned within the mitotic spindle. It has been proposed that tension generated by the stretch of the centromeric chromatin of bioriented chromosomes stabilizes kinetochore microtubule attachments and turns off SAC activity. Although biorientation clearly causes stretching of the centromeric chromatin, it is unclear whether the kinetochore is also stretched. To test whether intrakinetochore stretch occurs and is involved in SAC regulation, we developed a Drosophila melanogaster S2 cell line expressing centromere identifier–mCherry and Ndc80–green fluorescent protein to mark the inner and outer kinetochore domains, respectively. We observed stretching within kinetochores of bioriented chromosomes by monitoring both inter- and intrakinetochore distances in live cell assays. This intrakinetochore stretch is largely independent of a 30-fold variation in centromere stretch. Furthermore, loss of intrakinetochore stretch is associated with enhancement of 3F3/2 phosphorylation and SAC activation.This work was supported by the American Cancer Society (grant PF0711401 to T.J. Maresca) and the National Institutes of Health (grant GM24364 to E.D. Salmon)

The quantum critical point in CeRhIn_5: a resistivity study

The pressure--temperature phase diagram of CeRhIn_5 has been studied under high magnetic field by resistivity measurements. Clear signatures of a quantum critical point has been found at a critical pressure of p_c = 2.5 GPa. The field induced magnetic state in the superconducting state is stable up to the highest field. At p_c the antiferromagnetic ground-state under high magnetic field collapses very rapidly. Clear signatures of p_c are the strong enhancement of the resistivity in the normal state and of the inelastic scattering term. No clear T2 temperature dependence could be found for pressures above T_c. From the analysis of the upper critical field within a strong coupling model we present the pressure dependence of the coupling parameter lambda and the gyromagnetic ratio g. No signatures of a spatially modulated order parameter could be evidenced. A detailed comparison with the magnetic field--temperature phase diagram of CeCoIn_5 is given. The comparison between CeRhIn_5 and CeCoIn_5 points out the importance to take into account the field dependence of the effective mass in the calculation of the superconducting upper critical field H_c2. It suggests also that when the magnetic critical field H_(0) becomes lower than H_c2 (0)$, the persistence of a superconducting pseudo-gap may stick the antiferromagnetism to H_c2 (0).Comment: 15 pages, 20 figures, to be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Strong-Coupling Superconductivity of CeIrSi3_3 with the Non-centrosymmetric Crystal Structure

We studied the pressure-induced superconductor CeIrSi$_3$ with the non-centrosymmetric tetragonal structure under high pressure. The electrical resistivity and ac heat capacity were measured in the same run for the same sample. The critical pressure was determined to be $P_{\rm c}$ = 2.25 GPa, where the antiferromagnetic state disappears. The heat capacity $C_{\rm ac}$ shows both antiferromagnetic and superconducting transitions at pressures close to $P_{\rm c}$. On the other hand, the superconducting region is extended to high pressures of up to about 3.5 GPa, with the maximum transition temperature $T_{\rm sc}$ = 1.6 K around $2.5-2.7$ GPa. At 2.58 GPa, a large heat capacity anomaly was observed at $T_{\rm sc}$ = 1.59 K. The jump of the heat capacity in the form of ${\Delta}{C_{\rm ac}}/C_{\rm ac}(T_{\rm sc})$ is 5.7 $\pm$ 0.1. This is the largest observed value among previously reported superconductors, indicating the strong-coupling superconductivity. The electronic specific heat coefficient at $T_{\rm sc}$ is, however, approximately unchanged as a function of pressure, even at $P_{\rm c}$.Comment: This paper will be published in J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. on the August issue of 200

Die Entmachtung des Teufels. Das Jenaer Ereignis 1715 und die Dämonologie der Aufklärung

In der thüringischen Universitätsstadt Jena ereignete sich zum Jahresende 1715 ein Vorfall, der zu einer lebhaft geführten Debatte über die Macht des Teufels überleitete. Bei einer versuchten Geisterbeschwörung waren drei Menschen ums Leben gekommen. In der Diskussion über das Ereignis standen sich in der Folge zwei unvereinbare Positionen gegenüber. Für die einen waren die Todesfälle dem unmittelbaren Einwirken des Teufels zuzuschreiben, während andere von natürlichen Todesursachen ausgingen. Allgemein handelte es sich dabei um die Frage, ob Satan auch am Anfang des 18. Jahrhunderts noch Macht über menschliche Körper hatte. Vor allem die Mediziner fühlten sich angesprochen, wenn es galt, mit wissenschaftlicher Autorität auf diese Frage zu antworten. Dabei bildeten sich unter den mitteldeutschen Universitäten verschiedene Positionen aus. Während man in Jena Argumente für die Fortdauer der Macht des Teufels über die Körper formulierte, trat in Halle der angesehene Mediziner Friedrich Hoffmann für die These von den natürlichen Ursachen ein. Schließlich mussten die Leipziger Fakultäten in der Streitsache ein wissenschaftliches Urteil fällen, das dem Teufel keine Macht über die Materie mehr zubilligte. Eine genauere Untersuchung der Ansichten des als gelehrte Autorität geltenden Professors Hoffmann macht jedoch deutlich, dass es durchaus eine Dämonologie der Aufklärung gab, in der auch Satan seinen Platz fand. Freilich meinte der Aufklärer, dass dessen Macht zunehmend im Schwinden begriffen sei.Un événement qui s’est produit dans la ville universitaire d’Iéna, fin 1715, déclencha parmi les érudits du Saint Empire un vaste débat sur le pouvoir du diable. Trois personnes ayant succombé à une tentative de conjurer les démons, une partie de l’opinion publique crut que le diable les avait assassinées, d’autres firent valoir que des causes naturelles étaient à l’origine de leur trépas. D’une manière plus générale, on se mit à discuter de la question de savoir si Satan exerçait toujours un pouvoir sur les corps humains. Ce furent surtout des médecins qui prirent part au débat. Dans les universités d’Allemagne centrale, les positions divergèrent sur ce sujet. A Iéna, on avança des arguments en faveur du maintien du pouvoir du diable tandis qu’à Halle le médecin réputé Friedrich Hoffmann défendit la thèse des causes naturelles. Finalement, les facultés de Leipzig jugèrent que l’événement n’apportait pas la preuve d’un pouvoir matériel exercé par Satan. Néanmoins, si l’on examine les prises de position d’un scientifique renommé comme l’était Friedrich Hoffmann en la matière, on constate que le diagnostic de ce médecin “éclairé” était que le pouvoir du Malin, même s’il trouvait bel et bien encore sa place dans le dispositif démonologique des Lumières allemandes vers 1715, était en train de s’amenuiser.An incident which took place in the university town of Jena, at the end of the year 1715, provoked an eager debate of German scholars about the question whether Satan was still in power. Three men had died in an attempt to call up the demons. For a part of the public opinion of this time, they were victims of the devil. Others thought that natural reasons had caused their deaths. Generally, the event gave way to a discussion about the question of Satan’s ability to damage or to destroy human bodies. Medical scholars were convinced that they had to play a decisive role in the discussion. At the universities of Central Germany, different points of view on the subject were articulated. Jena defended the idea that the devil had still power to exercise on material things, whilst Halle’s well-renowned medical scholar Friedrich Hoffmann fought in favour of the thesis that natural causes had done their work in the Jena Affair. Finally, the faculties of Leipzig intervened in stating that Satan had not given a proof of his power in the events. If we analyze the views of a scientific authority like Friedrich Hoffmann, we have to assume that German enlightened thought could nonetheless accommodate the idea of Satan’s existence, around 1715. But a well-informed scholar of Hoffmann’s kind advocated the idea that the Evil One’s power was continually diminishing

Riecke (Jörg) dir., Namen und Geschichte am Oberrhein. Orts- , Flur- und Personennamen zwischen Mainz und Basel

L’étymologie des toponymes reste dans beaucoup de pays du monde un champ de recherche miné, puisque l’instrumentalisation du passé pour des visées territoriales et politiques a souvent débouché sur un dialogue de sourds, en bloquant l’avancée du savoir. Pour initier un vrai débat interdisciplinaire entre la recherche historique et les philologies sur la toponymie dans les pays autour du Rhin supérieur, des germanistes de l’université de Heidelberg ont organisé en 2015 un colloque consacré à l..