5,688 research outputs found
Vacuum-UV spectroscopy of interstellar ice analogs. II. Absorption cross-sections of nonpolar ice molecules
Dust grains in cold circumstellar regions and dark-cloud interiors at 10-20 K
are covered by ice mantles. A nonthermal desorption mechanism is invoked to
explain the presence of gas-phase molecules in these environments, such as the
photodesorption induced by irradiation of ice due to secondary ultraviolet
photons. To quantify the effects of ice photoprocessing, an estimate of the
photon absorption in ice mantles is required. In a recent work, we reported the
vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) absorption cross sections of nonpolar molecules in the
solid phase. The aim was to estimate the VUV-absorption cross sections of
nonpolar molecular ice components, including CH4, CO2, N2, and O2. The column
densities of the ice samples deposited at 8 K were measured in situ by infrared
spectroscopy in transmittance. VUV spectra of the ice samples were collected in
the 120-160 nm (10.33-7.74 eV) range using a commercial microwave-discharged
hydrogen flow lamp. We found that, as expected, solid N2 has the lowest
VUV-absorption cross section, which about three orders of magnitude lower than
that of other species such as O2, which is also homonuclear. Methane (CH4) ice
presents a high absorption near Ly-alpha (121.6 nm) and does not absorb below
148 nm. Estimating the ice absorption cross sections is essential for models of
ice photoprocessing and allows estimating the ice photodesorption rates as the
number of photodesorbed molecules per absorbed photon in the ice.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, 7 table
Adaptive significance of play: Are we getting closer?
Life history theory predicts that animals whose activities impose time, energy or survivorship costs at one stage of their lives will subsequently suffer incremental decreases in fitness unless there are compensatory benefits. Play, a widespread activity among juvenile mammals and several orders of birds' appears costly, yet its adaptive significance is poorly understood despite over 15 years of detailed study. Four issues have plagued understanding of the function of play: lack of a consensus on its definition, difficulties in selectively depriving animals of play opportunities and in meeting the challenge of interpreting negative results, paucity of empirical data on the costs of play, and failure to pay sufficient attention to field and naturalistic studies. Despite these problems, sex differences in play and partner preferences of participants now suggest that play serves to improve future adult motor skills in a number of species.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/27405/1/0000438.pd
Looking up and down: Strong collaboration is only the first step in tackling parachute science
Abstract Critiques of parachute science argue for closer collaborations among local and international scientists. Here, building on such a collaboration, we highlight further challenges when outsiders, typically working through international nongovernmental organizations, fail to respect both the governance framework within which they are working and the realities on the ground. Specifically, we emphasize the importance of observing governance structures, maintaining transparency, and responding flexibly to national and regional priorities (?looking up?), as well as stressing the need to keep a close focus on local cultural context when designing interventions such as educational programs (?looking down?). Addressing the shortcomings for conservation practice contingent on parachute science interventions requires nimble, creative, and respectful actions, which at least in the context of Tanzania, we all still struggle to put into action
Tropical Dominating Sets in Vertex-Coloured Graphs
Given a vertex-coloured graph, a dominating set is said to be tropical if
every colour of the graph appears at least once in the set. Here, we study
minimum tropical dominating sets from structural and algorithmic points of
view. First, we prove that the tropical dominating set problem is NP-complete
even when restricted to a simple path. Then, we establish upper bounds related
to various parameters of the graph such as minimum degree and number of edges.
We also give upper bounds for random graphs. Last, we give approximability and
inapproximability results for general and restricted classes of graphs, and
establish a FPT algorithm for interval graphs.Comment: 19 pages, 4 figure
Nature-Inspired Interconnects for Self-Assembled Large-Scale Network-on-Chip Designs
Future nano-scale electronics built up from an Avogadro number of components
needs efficient, highly scalable, and robust means of communication in order to
be competitive with traditional silicon approaches. In recent years, the
Networks-on-Chip (NoC) paradigm emerged as a promising solution to interconnect
challenges in silicon-based electronics. Current NoC architectures are either
highly regular or fully customized, both of which represent implausible
assumptions for emerging bottom-up self-assembled molecular electronics that
are generally assumed to have a high degree of irregularity and imperfection.
Here, we pragmatically and experimentally investigate important design
trade-offs and properties of an irregular, abstract, yet physically plausible
3D small-world interconnect fabric that is inspired by modern network-on-chip
paradigms. We vary the framework's key parameters, such as the connectivity,
the number of switch nodes, the distribution of long- versus short-range
connections, and measure the network's relevant communication characteristics.
We further explore the robustness against link failures and the ability and
efficiency to solve a simple toy problem, the synchronization task. The results
confirm that (1) computation in irregular assemblies is a promising and
disruptive computing paradigm for self-assembled nano-scale electronics and (2)
that 3D small-world interconnect fabrics with a power-law decaying distribution
of shortcut lengths are physically plausible and have major advantages over
local 2D and 3D regular topologies
Mesure des durées de vie des premiers niveaux excités du molybdène 93
Les durées de vie des six premiers niveaux excités du 93Mo ont été mesurées en utilisant l'effet Doppler associé à la réaction 93Nb(p, nγ)93Mo. Deux nouvelles durées de vie ont été obtenues et la précision des quatre autres a été améliorée
How community forest management performs when REDD+ payments fail
The reduced emissions in deforestation and degradation (REDD+) initiative uses payments for ecosystem services as incentives for developing countries to manage and protect their forests. REDD+ initiatives also prioritize social (and environmental) co-benefits aimed at improving the livelihoods of communities that are dependent on forests. Despite the incorporation of co-benefits into REDD+ goals, carbon sequestration remains the primary metric for which countries can receive payments from REDD+, but after more than 10 years of REDD+, many site-specific programs have failed to complete the carbon verification process. Here, we examine whether the REDD+ social co-benefits alone are sufficient to have slowed deforestation in the absence of carbon payments on Pemba, Tanzania. Using satellite imagery (Landsat archive), we quantified forest cover change for the period before (2001-2010) and after (2010-2018) the launch in 2010-2011 of Pemba island's REDD+ readiness project. We then compared rates of forest cover change between shehia (administrative units) that were part of REDD+ readiness intervention and those that were not, adjusting for confounding variables and the non-random selection of REDD+ shehia with a statistical matching procedure. Despite considerable variation in forest outcomes among shehia, the associated co-benefits with the Pemba REDD+ project had no discernible effect on forest cover change. Likewise, we did not detect an effect of socioecological covariates on forest cover change across all shehia, though island-wide human population growth since 2012 may have played a role. These findings are unsurprising given the failure to secure carbon payments on Pemba and indicate that co-benefits alone are insufficient to reduce deforestation. We conclude that better oversight of all-involved parties is needed to ensure that REDD+ interventions satisfactorily conclude the process of securing a mechanism for carbon payments, if slowing deforestation is to be achieved
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