3,468 research outputs found

    Comparison of microscale sealed vessel pyrolysis (MSSVpy) and hydropyrolysis (Hypy) for the characterisation of extant and sedimentary organic matter

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    Microscale sealed vessel pyrolysis (MSSVpy) and catalytic hydropyrolysis (Hypy) combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry have emerged in recent years as useful and versatile organic analytical and characterisation methods. Both now commercially available, these pyrolysis methods complement traditional flash pyrolysis analysis which can be limited by excessive degradation or inadequate chromatographic resolution of pyrolysates of high structural polarity. To assess the versatility and merits of these two pyrolysis methods they were separately applied to several organic samples reflecting different thermal maturities. This comparison revealed many product similarities, but also several important features unique to each

    Species-specific, age-varying plant traits affect herbivore growth and survival.

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    Seasonal windows of opportunity represent intervals of time within a year during which organisms have improved prospects of achieving life history aims such as growth or reproduction, and may be commonly structured by temporal variation in abiotic factors, bottom-up factors, and top-down factors. Although seasonal windows of opportunity are likely to be common, few studies have examined the factors that structure seasonal windows of opportunity in time. Here, we experimentally manipulated host-plant age in two milkweed species (Asclepias fascicularis and Asclepias speciosa) in order to investigate the role of plant-species-specific and plant-age-varying traits on the survival and growth of monarch caterpillars (Danaus plexippus). We show that the two plant species showed diverging trajectories of defense traits with increasing age. These species-specific and age-varying host-plant traits significantly affected the growth and survival of monarch caterpillars through both resource quality- and quantity-based constraints. The effects of plant age on monarch developmental success were comparable to and sometimes larger than those of plant-species identity. We conclude that species-specific and age-varying plant traits are likely to be important factors with the potential to structure seasonal windows of opportunity for monarch development, and examine the implications of these findings for both broader patterns in the ontogeny of plant defense traits and the specific ecology of milkweed-monarch interactions in a changing world

    Stress Distribution in Mandible Regulated by Bone and Dental Implant Parameters: Part I - Methodology

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    The complicated inter-relationships between mandibular bone components and dental implants have attracted the attention of many a structural mechanics researcher as well as many a dental practitioner. This paper describes the methodology and analysis techniques employed to enable accurate evaluation of a vast range of the implant and bone parameters. The complex material and geometric properties of the bone and implant are modelled using two-dimensional (2D) triangular and quadrilateral plane strain elements. Assumptions made in the analysis include: (a) 50% osseointegration between bone and implant; (b) linear relationships exist between the stress value and the Young’s moduli of the cancellous and cortical bone at any specific point. In the companion paper (Part II) various bone, implant and loading parameters are evaluated for their influence on the stress distribution within the bone, in particular in the mandible

    TADPOL: A 1.3 mm Survey of Dust Polarization in Star-forming Cores and Regions

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    We present {\lambda}1.3 mm CARMA observations of dust polarization toward 30 star-forming cores and 8 star-forming regions from the TADPOL survey. We show maps of all sources, and compare the ~2.5" resolution TADPOL maps with ~20" resolution polarization maps from single-dish submillimeter telescopes. Here we do not attempt to interpret the detailed B-field morphology of each object. Rather, we use average B-field orientations to derive conclusions in a statistical sense from the ensemble of sources, bearing in mind that these average orientations can be quite uncertain. We discuss three main findings: (1) A subset of the sources have consistent magnetic field (B-field) orientations between large (~20") and small (~2.5") scales. Those same sources also tend to have higher fractional polarizations than the sources with inconsistent large-to-small-scale fields. We interpret this to mean that in at least some cases B-fields play a role in regulating the infall of material all the way down to the ~1000 AU scales of protostellar envelopes. (2) Outflows appear to be randomly aligned with B-fields; although, in sources with low polarization fractions there is a hint that outflows are preferentially perpendicular to small-scale B-fields, which suggests that in these sources the fields have been wrapped up by envelope rotation. (3) Finally, even at ~2.5" resolution we see the so-called "polarization hole" effect, where the fractional polarization drops significantly near the total intensity peak. All data are publicly available in the electronic edition of this article.Comment: 53 pages, 37 figures -- main body (13 pp., 3 figures), source maps (32 pp., 34 figures), source descriptions (8 pp.). Accepted by the Astrophysical Journal Supplemen

    Partial Dynamical Symmetry and Mixed Dynamics

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    Partial dynamical symmetry describes a situation in which some eigenstates have a symmetry which the quantum Hamiltonian does not share. This property is shown to have a classical analogue in which some tori in phase space are associated with a symmetry which the classical Hamiltonian does not share. A local analysis in the vicinity of these special tori reveals a neighbourhood of phase space foliated by tori. This clarifies the suppression of classical chaos associated with partial dynamical symmetry. The results are used to divide the states of a mixed system into ``chaotic'' and ``regular'' classes.Comment: 10 pages, Revtex, 3 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett. in pres

    Plasmatrough exohiss waves observed by Van Allen Probes: Evidence for leakage from plasmasphere and resonant scattering of radiation belt electrons

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    Abstract Exohiss waves are whistler mode hiss observed in the plasmatrough region. We present a case study of exohiss waves and the corresponding background plasma distributions observed by the Van Allen Probes in the dayside low-latitude region. The analysis of wave Poynting fluxes, suprathermal electron fluxes, and cold electron densities supports the scenario that exohiss leaks from the plasmasphere into the plasmatrough. Quasilinear calculations further reveal that exohiss can potentially cause the resonant scattering loss of radiation belt electrons

    Large-scale shift in the structure of a kelp forest ecosystem co-occurs with an epizootic and marine heatwave

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    © The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in McPherson, M. L., Finger, D. J., I., Houskeeper, H. F., Bell, T. W., Carr, M. H., Rogers-Bennett, L., & Kudela, R. M. Large-scale shift in the structure of a kelp forest ecosystem co-occurs with an epizootic and marine heatwave. Communications Biology, 4(1), (2021): 298, https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-021-01827-6.Climate change is responsible for increased frequency, intensity, and duration of extreme events, such as marine heatwaves (MHWs). Within eastern boundary current systems, MHWs have profound impacts on temperature-nutrient dynamics that drive primary productivity. Bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana) forests, a vital nearshore habitat, experienced unprecedented losses along 350 km of coastline in northern California beginning in 2014 and continuing through 2019. These losses have had devastating consequences to northern California communities, economies, and fisheries. Using a suite of in situ and satellite-derived data, we demonstrate that the abrupt ecosystem shift initiated by a multi-year MHW was preceded by declines in keystone predator population densities. We show strong evidence that northern California kelp forests, while temporally dynamic, were historically resilient to fluctuating environmental conditions, even in the absence of key top predators, but that a series of coupled environmental and biological shifts between 2014 and 2016 resulted in the formation of a persistent, altered ecosystem state with low primary productivity. Based on our findings, we recommend the implementation of ecosystem-based and adaptive management strategies, such as (1) monitoring the status of key ecosystem attributes: kelp distribution and abundance, and densities of sea urchins and their predators, (2) developing management responses to threshold levels of these attributes, and (3) creating quantitative restoration suitability indices for informing kelp restoration efforts.M.H.C. received support from the National Science Foundation (OCE‐1538582)

    Quantifying hiss-driven energetic electron precipitation: A detailed conjunction event analysis

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    Abstract We analyze a conjunction event between the Van Allen Probes and the low-altitude Polar Orbiting Environmental Satellite (POES) to quantify hiss-driven energetic electron precipitation. A physics-based technique based on quasi-linear diffusion theory is used to estimate the ratio of precipitated and trapped electron fluxes (R), which could be measured by the two-directional POES particle detectors, using wave and plasma parameters observed by the Van Allen Probes. The remarkable agreement between modeling and observations suggests that this technique is applicable for quantifying hiss-driven electron scattering near the bounce loss cone. More importantly, R in the 100-300 keV energy channel measured by multiple POES satellites over a broad L magnetic local time region can potentially provide the spatiotemporal evolution of global hiss wave intensity, which is essential in evaluating radiation belt electron dynamics, but cannot be obtained by in situ equatorial satellites alone. Key Points Measured and calculated hiss Bw from POES electron measurements agree well Electron ratio measured by POES is able to estimate hiss wave intensity This technique can be used to provide global hiss wave distributio
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