Correlations between global and regional measures of invasiveness vary with region size

We aimedto assess the utility of the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW) as an indicator of plant invasiveness, by relating it to invasiveness at smaller scales. We correlated two global measures of invasiveness for alien plant species taken from the GCW (the total number of references for each species and the number of continental areas they are reported from), against distribution data from 18 regions (countries and continents). To investigate relationships between correlation strength and region size and spatial resolution (size of distribution units), we conducted meta-analyses. Finally, invasiveness measures were correlated against the number of habitats occupied by alien plant species and their median abundance in those habitats, in fine-scale vegetation plots in the Czech Republic and the state of Montana (USA). The majority of Spearman’s rho coefficients between GCW-derived invasiveness and regional distributions were less than 0.4. Correlation strength was positively related to region size and resolution. Correlations were weaker when the number of habitats occupied by a species, and species abundances within occupied habitats, were considered. We suggest that the use of the GCW as an invasiveness measure is most appropriate for hypotheses posed at coarse, large scales. An exhaustive synthesis of existing regional distributions should provide a more accurate index of the global invasiveness of species

IBIS/PICsIT in-flight performances

PICsIT (Pixellated Imaging CaeSium Iodide Telescope) is the high energy detector of the IBIS telescope on-board the INTEGRAL satellite. PICsIT operates in the gamma-ray energy range between 175 keV and 10 MeV, with a typical energy resolution of 10% at 1 MeV, and an angular resolution of 12 arcmin within a \~100 square degree field of view, with the possibility to locate intense point sources in the MeV region at the few arcmin level. PICsIT is based upon a modular array of 4096 independent CsI(Tl) pixels, ~0.70 cm^2 in cross-section and 3 cm thick. In this work, the PICsIT on-board data handling and science operative modes are described. This work presents the in-flight performances in terms of background count spectra, sensitivity limit, and imaging capabilities.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures. Accepted for publication on A&A, special issue on First Science with INTEGRA

Big MRI Data Dissemination and Retrieval in a Multi-Cloud Hospital Storage System

Nowadays, we are observing an explosion in the proliferation of clinical data. In this context, a typical example of the well-known big data problem is represented by the huge amount of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) files that need to be stored and analysed. Although the Cloud computing technology can address such a demanding problem, data reliability, availability and privacy are three of the major concerns against the large scale adoption of Cloud storage systems in the healthcare context - this is why hospitals are reluctant to move the patients' data over the Cloud. In this paper, we focus on data reliability and availability and we discuss an approach that allows healthcare centres storing clinical data in a Multi-Cloud storage environment while guaranteeing patients' privacy. Experiments proved the feasibility of our approach

PROGRAM OF INVESTIGATION ON THE TAMMEF SYSTEM APPLICATION METHODS

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Riego complementario en un argiudol típico de la pampa ondulada Argentina bajo siembra directa : efectos sobre algunas propiedades químicas y físicas del suelo

201-207Supplementary irrigation increases and stabilizes crop yields. However, when irrigation water of poor quality is applied, it can adversely affect soil properties. The objective of this study was to: evaluate the influence of supplementary irrigation on some physical and chemical properties under no- till cultivation systems. A field experiment was performed on a loamy Typical Argiudoll, managed under no- tillage. The treatments were: 1-Irrigated soil during 13 years, 2-Adjacent Rainfed soil. Soil chemical (pH, electric conductivity, exchangeable sodium percentage, organic carbon, total N, exchangeable cations, cation exchange capacity, extractable P) and physical properties (infiltration rate, soil penetration resistance, bulk density, gravimetric water content, structural instability) were evaluated. Irrigation significantly increased the pH and exchangeable sodium percentage (P less than 0.05), while electric conductivity was slightly affected. Although the mean soil infiltration rate in the Irrigated treatment was lower than in the Rainfed one, it was not able to detect significant differences between treatments because of the high variability in the irrigated treatment. Regarding soil physical properties, supplementary irrigation did not affect bulk density. Soil penetration resistance (0-40 cm) was high (greater to 2Mpa) in both treatments, probably due to the effects of the cultivation and harvest machinery under high soil water contents. The soil structural instability was very low (i.e. high structural stability) in both treatments, probably associated to the high organic matter content and the no- till cultivation system

Dynamics of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence and reflectance to detect stress-induced variations in canopy photosynthesis

Passive measurement of sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (F) represents the most promising tool to quantify changes in photosynthetic functioning on a large scale. However, the complex relationship between this signal and other photosynthesis-related processes restricts its interpretation under stress conditions. To address this issue, we conducted a field campaign by combining daily airborne and ground-based measurements of F (normalized to photosynthetically active radiation), reflectance and surface temperature and related the observed changes to stress-induced variations in photosynthesis. A lawn carpet was sprayed with different doses of the herbicide Dicuran. Canopy-level measurements of gross primary productivity indicated dosage-dependent inhibition of photosynthesis by the herbicide. Dosage-dependent changes in normalized F were also detected. After spraying, we first observed a rapid increase in normalized F and in the Photochemical Reflectance Index, possibly due to the blockage of electron transport by Dicuran and the resultant impairment of xanthophyll-mediated non-photochemical quenching. This initial increase was followed by a gradual decrease in both signals, which coincided with a decline in pigment-related reflectance indices. In parallel, we also detected a canopy temperature increase after the treatment. These results demonstrate the potential of using F coupled with relevant reflectance indices to estimate stress-induced changes in canopy photosynthesis

BEACON: A Cloud Network Federation Framework

This paper presents the BEACON Framework, which will enable the provision and management of cross-site virtual networks for federated cloud infrastructures in order to support the automated deployment of applications and services across different clouds and datacenters. The proposed framework will support different federation architectures, going from tightly coupled (datacenter federation) to loosely coupled (cloud federation and multi-cloud orchestration) architectures, and will enable the creation of Layer 2 and Layer 3 overlay networks to interconnect remote resources located at different cloud sites. A high level description of the main components of the BEACON framework is also introduced

Global effects of non-native tree species on multiple ecosystem services

Non-native tree (NNT) species have been transported worldwide to create or enhance services that are fundamental for human well-being, such as timber provision, erosion control or ornamental value; yet NNTs can also produce undesired effects, such as fire proneness or pollen allergenicity. Despite the variety of effects that NNTs have on multiple ecosystem services, a global quantitative assessment of their costs and benefits is still lacking. Such information is critical for decision-making, management and sustainable exploitation of NNTs. We present here a global assessment of NNT effects on the three main categories of ecosystem services, including regulating (RES), provisioning (PES) and cultural services (CES), and on an ecosystem disservice (EDS), i.e. pollen allergenicity. By searching the scientific literature, country forestry reports, and social media, we compiled a global data set of 1683 case studies from over 125 NNT species, covering 44 countries, all continents but Antarctica, and seven biomes. Using differentmeta-analysis techniques, we found that, while NNTs increase most RES (e.g. climate regulation, soil erosion control, fertility and formation), they decrease PES (e.g. NNTs contribute less than native trees to global timber provision). Also, they have different effects on CES (e.g. increase aesthetic values but decrease scientific interest), and no effect on the EDS considered. NNT effects on each ecosystem (dis)service showed a strong context dependency, varying across NNT types, biomes and socio-economic conditions. For instance, some RES are increased more by NNTs able to fix atmospheric nitrogen, and when the ecosystem is located in low-latitude biomes; some CES are increased more by NNTs in less-wealthy countries or in countries with higher gross domestic products. The effects of NNTs on several ecosystem (dis)services exhibited some synergies (e.g. among soil fertility, soil formation and climate regulation or between aesthetic values and pollen allergenicity), but also trade-offs (e.g. between fire regulation and soil erosion control). Our analyses provide a quantitative understanding of the complex synergies, trade-offs and context dependencies involved for the effects of NNTs that is essential for attaining a sustained provision of ecosystem servicesinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Green Plants in the Red: A Baseline Global Assessment for the IUCN Sampled Red List Index for Plants

Plants provide fundamental support systems for life on Earth and are the basis for all terrestrial ecosystems; a decline in plant diversity will be detrimental to all other groups of organisms including humans. Decline in plant diversity has been hard to quantify, due to the huge numbers of known and yet to be discovered species and the lack of an adequate baseline assessment of extinction risk against which to track changes. The biodiversity of many remote parts of the world remains poorly known, and the rate of new assessments of extinction risk for individual plant species approximates the rate at which new plant species are described. Thus the question ‘How threatened are plants?’ is still very difficult to answer accurately. While completing assessments for each species of plant remains a distant prospect, by assessing a randomly selected sample of species the Sampled Red List Index for Plants gives, for the first time, an accurate view of how threatened plants are across the world. It represents the first key phase of ongoing efforts to monitor the status of the world’s plants. More than 20% of plant species assessed are threatened with extinction, and the habitat with the most threatened species is overwhelmingly tropical rain forest, where the greatest threat to plants is anthropogenic habitat conversion, for arable and livestock agriculture, and harvesting of natural resources. Gymnosperms (e.g. conifers and cycads) are the most threatened group, while a third of plant species included in this study have yet to receive an assessment or are so poorly known that we cannot yet ascertain whether they are threatened or not. This study provides a baseline assessment from which trends in the status of plant biodiversity can be measured and periodically reassessed