bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Critical Points in an Algebra of Elementary Embeddings, II
Authors: Dougherty Randall
Published: November 2023

In this paper, we continue the study of a left-distributive algebra of elementary embeddings from the collection of sets of rank less than >. to itself, as well as related finite left-distributive algebras (which can be defined without reference to large cardinals). In particular, we look at the critical points (least ordinals moved) of the elementary embeddings; simple statements about these ordinals can be reformulated as purely algebraic statements concerning the left distributive law. Previously, lower bounds on the number of critical points have been used to show that certain such algebraic statements, known to follow from large cardinals, require more than Primitive Recursive Arithmetic to prove. Here we present the first few steps of a program that, if it can be carried to completion, should give exact computations of the number of critical points, thereby showing that hypotheses only slightly beyond Primitive Recursive Arithmetic would suffice to prove the aforementioned algebraic statements.
Lukasiewicz Normal Forms and Torie Desingularizations
Authors: Mundici Daniele
Published: November 2023

Owing to its relations with AF C*-algebras, the infinite-valued calculus of Lukasiewicz is attracting renewed attention. A simple interpretation of non Boolean truth-values can be given in the context of Ulam’s game: this is the variant of the Twenty Questions game where the first player chooses a number x in a certain search space Sand the second player-the Investigator-must find x by asking a minimum number of Yes-No questions. In response the first player may lie up to ℓ times. Answers do not obey classical logic, because equal answers to the same repeated question are generally more informative than single answers. The current state of knowledge of the Investigator is a conjunction of answers.
Introduction
Authors: Molisch Andreas F , Oehry Bernhard P
Published: November 2023

Since the beginning of this century we have a rough understanding about the structure of atoms. They consist of a nucleus and electrons orbiting around this nucleus. We know that electrons occupy only certain discrete energy states. When they decay from a high-energy state to a low-energy state, they emit electromagnetic radiation. Usually, the low-energy state will be the ground state. In that case, the emitted radiation is called resonance radiation.1 Since the resonance photons have an energy that corresponds to the energy of the transition, they can easily be absorbed by other ground-state atoms. A ground-state atom that absorbs the resonance photon is excited to the upper state for some time and will eventually release the photon again. This absorption/reemission process can be repeated many times, until the photon finally escapes from the vapour. This process is called ‘radiation trapping’ (also known as ‘imprisonment of resonance radiation’, ‘radiative transfer of spectral lines’, ‘line transfer’, or ‘radiation diffusion’).
Mathematical Methods for the Holstein Equation
Authors: Molisch Andreas F , Oehry Bernhard P
Published: November 2023

In this chapter, we will discuss various methods for solving this equation. This chapter, as well as the following, is concentrated on the mathematical methods. The physical interpretation of the results will be given in Chapter 7. Holstein (1947) solved Eq. (5.1) by a variational technique. The symmetry of the Kernel function G(r, r’) = G(r’, r) permits this formulation of Eq. (5.1) as a variational problem.
Simple generalizations
Authors: Molisch Andreas F , Oehry Bernhard P
Published: November 2023

In this chapter, we will deal only with rather straightforward generalizations, which still cause enormous mathematical problems. For the cases treated here, the solutions still take the form of a modal expansion-so no change in this respect: This class of problems includes multi-level atoms, reflecting cell walls, particle diffusion, and inhomogeneous distributions of absorbers. Added conceptual difficulties arise when CFR is not valid, or when non-linear effects come into play. These problems are relegated to Chapters 11-13.
Partial frequency redistribution
Authors: Molisch Andreas F , Oehry Bernhard P
Published: November 2023

Up to now, we have generously assumed that the emission frequency of a photon is completely independent of the frequency of the absorbed photon, so that there is complete frequency redistribution, CFR. This assumption is often, but not always fulfilled in practical situations. In this chapter, we analyse under what conditions CFR is valid, and what effects we have to expect when the emitted photon at least partly ‘remembers’, on which frequency it was absorbed-partial frequency redistribution, PFR. In the first subsection, we will deal with general considerations and show under which conditions PFR comes into play. In the subsequent sections, we will look at the mathematical formalism to solve trapping problems with PFR. The last section deals with the influence of large-scale particle flow.
Polarization
Authors: Molisch Andreas F , Oehry Bernhard P
Published: November 2023

In theory, all radiation trapping problems must be treated under consideration of the polarization state of the radiation. Even with an unpolarized excitation source, the geometry of the problem can introduce some degree of polarization to the fluorescence radiation. Of course, when the excitation source itself is polarized, as is usually the case for a laser, polarization can become even more important. One should not forget, however, that incorporation of polarization makes for a very complicated problem. The Holstein equation will become a Fredholm integral equation for a four-component vector instead of the usual scalar function (the excited-state density). Having seen the difficulties in solving the comparatively simple ‘usual’ trapping problem, we see that polarization should only be included when it is not to be avoided.
Measurements in chemical physics
Authors: Molisch Andreas F , Oehry Bernhard P
Published: November 2023

In the present chapter we describe some aspects of the interpretation of measurements in chemical physics. The examples will show the difficulties that can occur in the in corporation of radiation trapping. We can also deduce some general guidelines for such experiments that should help to reduce some of the occurring errors. One of the most important points is choosing an appropriate geometry for the experimental vessel. We know that the incorporation of a genuinely three-dimensional geometry is exceedingly difficult. Appropriate mirroring of the cell walls allows one to find an ‘equivalent’ cell that can often be treated more easily than the actual ceH.
Atomic line filters
Authors: Molisch Andreas F , Oehry Bernhard P
Published: November 2023

In free-space optical information transmission and in LIDAR systems, very narrow band filtering is often needed to eliminate broad-band solar background noise. Ideally, such filters should have a bandwidth on the order of a few hundred MHz to a few GHz. It is very difficult to produce such narrow-band filters by conventional means, but we know that atomic absorption lines have just that bandwidth. An atomic vapour cell actually is an excellent band-block filter. In order to convert it to a bandpass filter, we just have to find a way to determine whether absorption has taken place.
Introductory Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Authors: Callaghan Paul T
Published: November 2023

Atomic nuclei are characterized by states which are inherently quantum mechanical in their behaviour. This means in effect that the properties we observe for a single nucleus belong to one of a discrete set of possibilities. When performing nuclear magnetic resonance, however, we deal with exceedingly large numbers of nuclei acting largely independently, so that at the macroscopic level the collection of particles appears continuous, the so-called ‘ensemble’ behaviour. We shall be mainly concerned with spin-½ nuclei. For these, all states of the ensemble may be characterized by a simple vector quantity which is referred to as the nuclear magnetization. Having established this point we may embark on a classical explanation of the nuclear magnetic resonance phenomenon.
Spatially Heterogeneous Motion and Dynamic Nmr Microscopy
Authors: Callaghan Paul T
Published: November 2023

The sensitivity of nuclear magnetic resonance to spin translation, as detailed in Chapters 6 and 7, is uniquely useful as a contrast in imaging.
Elements of the NMR Microscope
Authors: Callaghan Paul T
Published: November 2023

NMR microscopy has now become a standard option on several commercial spectrometers although few manufacturers offer magnetic field gradients of sufficient magnitude or stability to perform effective PGSE experiments with q in excess of (1 µm)-1. In keeping with the emphasis on principles adopted in this monograph, this chapter contains only a brief review of salient elements of the microscope, avoiding standard aspects of NMR spectrometer design and dealing principally with the most troublesome feature, the field gradients. Readers wishing to learn more about practical aspects of general NMR spectroscopy are referred to the excellent book by Fukushima and Roeder, and, for information on imaging system hardware, to the comprehensive text by Chen and Hoult. In addition, individual NM R companies supply a variety of useful technical and applications notes.
Operator Methods in Quantuin Mechanics
Authors: De Lange O L , Raab R E
Published: November 2023

Quantum mechanical problems capable of exact solution are traditionally solved in a few instances only (such as the harmonic oscillator and angular momentum) by operator methods, but mainly by means of Schrodinger's wave mechanics. The present volume shows that a large range of one- and three-dimensional problems, including certain relativistic ones, are solvable by algebraic, representation-independent methods using commutation relations, shift operators, the virial, hypervirial, and Hellman-Feyman theorems. Applications of these operator methods to the calculation of eigenvalues, matrix elements, and wavefunctions are discussed in detail. This book is an introduction to the use of operator methods in quantum mechanics and also a reference work with numerous problmes solved. It is suitable for use by students of intermediate quantum mechanics and also more advanced postgraduate students who wish to study the algebraic method of solving quantum mechanical problems.
Factorizations With Application To The Momentum Representation
Authors: De Lange O L , Raab R E
Published: November 2023

In Chapter 5 we considered the factorization of a radial Hamiltonian for a particle in a spherically symmetric potential which is independent of angular momentum. This factorization provides shift operators for energy and angular momentum in the eigenkets of the radial Hamiltonian for the oscillator and Coulomb potentials. These operators are linear functions of the momentum operator *p and they are also nonlinear functions of the position operator r: in the coordinate representation of wave mechanics they yield first-order differential operators. In this chapter we show that for the three-dimensional isotropic harmonic oscillator and the Coulomb potential, one can also construct shift operators for energy and angular momentum that are linear functions* of r and nonlinear functions of p. In the momentum representation of wave mechanics the shift operators yield first-order differential operators. Applications to the calculation of energy eigenvalues, matrix elements, and radial momentum-space wavefunctions are considered.
The Coulomb Problem In The Basis |H 𝒜z Lz >
Authors: De Lange O L , Raab R E
Published: November 2023

The discussion presented below illustrates the application of operator methods in a coordinate system that is not Cartesian. The analysis is based on shift operators for n, λ, and μ. The shift operators for λ and μ are easily constructed (Section 10.1) and their properties determine in a simple manner the possible values of n, λ, and μ (Section 10.2). In Section 10.3 operators are expressed in terms of parabolic coordinates, and shift operators for n are derived in Section 10.4. The hypervirial and Hellmann-Feynman theorems are used to obtain expectation values in Section 10.5. The shift operators generate all excited bound states from the ground state (Section 10.6) and this property is used to construct normalized coordinate-space wavefunctions in parabolic coordinates (Section 10.7).
Relativistic Quantum Mechanics
Authors: De Lange O L , Raab R E
Published: November 2023

In this chapter we give a brief introduction to the relativistic equations for spin 0 and spin ½ particles (the Klein-Gordon and Dirac equations), and we solve these equations for two simple problems. Throughout we consider only single-particle theory: thus we do not discuss ‘second quantization’ of the relativistic equations (i.e. the use of quantized fields that create and annihilate particles and antiparticles).
Spin echoes and the dynamic properties of membranes
Authors: Bloom M , Morrison C , Sternin E , Thewalt J L
Published: November 2023

The discovery of spin echoes by Erwin Hahn in 1950 [ 19] has provided seminal ideas for many of the important concepts of modern NMR. For example, the observation of transient ‘free induction decay’ (FID) signals, following one or more short r.f. pulses applied at a frequency close to the average nuclear Larmor frequencyw0,led ultimately to Fourier transform NMR spectroscopy. Also, today it is impossible to conceive of preparing complex spin systems in well defined, ‘interesting’, non-equilibrium states without using pulse sequences of one sort or another. Biological and model membranes are two systems for which NMR, and especially deuterium (2H) NMR, has provided special insights in recent years. The2H NMR techniques that have proved to be fruitful up to now in elucidating the properties of membranes are very close to those described in Hahn’s original work, so that this is a particularly suitable place to discuss recent work in this area. We shall discuss several studies in our laboratory of membrane dynamics using2H NMR and shall try to place this within the perspective of current developments in membrane biophysics, which is a vibrant and dynamic field at the present time. Membrane biophysics is in the process of generating an enormous literature, so that our selection of background material is necessarily personal, being severely limited by space considerations to questions that we deem to be of potential interest to a general audience and, at the same time, amenable to study in our own laboratory.
From Nonlinearity to Coherence
Authors: Dixon J M , Tuszynski J A , Clarkson P A
Published: November 2023

Nonlinear physics has grown from a collection of exotic examples of nonstandard behavior to an all-embracing scientific methodology. Many examples come from condensed matter physics. This book presents a unified view of many-body condensed matter systems as essentially nonlinear structures capable of exhibiting such features as chaos, coherence, solution formation and phase transitions. The book provides an overview of nonlinear phenomena in science, introduces phase transitions and criticality, and includes a comprehensive exposition of methods and results in the analysis of nonlinear differential equations. To equip the reader with concrete skills in tackling nonlinear problems in physics, the authors also analyze important applications such as metamagnetism, superconductivity, the Hubbard Hamiltonian and the multielectron atom. The book can serve as both a compendium of facts and references related to nonlinear condensed matter physics and a practical introduction to current research methods and the field in general.
introductory concepts: a nonlinear analysis primer
Authors: Dixon J M , Tuszynski J A , Clarkson P A
Published: November 2023

A very small cause which escapes us determines a considerable effect which we cannot fail to see, and then we say that the effect is due to chance. If we could know exactly the laws of nature and the situation of the universe at the initial instant, we could predict exactly the situation of that same universe at a subsequent moment. But even if the natural laws had no longer any secret for us, we would know the initial situation only approximately. If that enables us to predict the subsequent situation with the same approximation, that is all we require, we say that the phenomenon has been predicted that it is governed by laws. But it is not always so; it may happen that small differences in the initial conditions produce very great ones in the final phenomena. A small error in the former will produce an enormous error in the latter. Prediction becomes impossible, and we have the phenomenon of change.
Elementary excitations in solids
Authors: Dixon J M , Tuszynski J A , Clarkson P A
Published: November 2023

In this section we review what quantum excitations actually are and how we describe them in solids. This will enable us to introduce the idea of second quantization in a simple way, and how it may be used to great advantage to study a variety of different types of excitation in condensed matter. We shall later use second quantization when we develop the Method of Coherent Structures (MCS), so it is important that the reader thoroughly understands what is being done. The technique will be described at two different levels. In this part of the book we concentrate on physical ideas and how they may be employed to provide simple rules for the setting up of operators and quantum states in second quantization. We may consider this to be the simplest level. At a more advanced level, ideas such as completeness, what a representative is, how the occupation formalism follows from a configuration or momentum picture, and so on, can readily be described in more detail. The interested reader may also find in the literature how second quantized operators, within a given configuration, may be written in terms of orbital angular momentum and spin operators, which are perhaps more familiar to spectroscopists and those interested in magnetic resonance or magnetism generally.
Physical applications of MCS
Authors: Dixon J M , Tuszynski J A , Clarkson P A
Published: November 2023

In the education of a physicist, we recount the bold voyages of great explorers-Newton and Einstein, Faraday and Bohr-in search of new laws of nature. They found and charted the continents on which we have built our cities of the mind and of art. Does anyone really suppose that similar vast and fertile territories are still waiting to be discovered and colonized? The unaccustomed rules that govern black holes and quasars in the cosmic deeps affect our lives no more than the icy crags of the Himalayas or the conjunctions of the planets ... Think of physics simply as the ‘fundamental’ science and it is oversubscribed almost to bankruptcy. But define it as the science whose aim is to describe natural phenomena in the most mathematical or numerical language, and you will understand its past and have confidence in its future ... The task of the modern physicist is to determine the mathematically comprehensible characteristics of the natural world and of human artifacts ...
Conclusions
Authors: Dixon J M , Tuszynski J A , Clarkson P A
Published: November 2023

The motivation for this book was to emphasize the importance of nonlinearity in many-body systems, especially in condensed-matter physics. This approach is based on the belief that interactions between particles play a dominant role in solid state phenomena and that the constituent particles, in most cases, may not be treated as nearly independent entities. While the introduction of quasi-particles, representing collective modes of behaviour of the solid, goes a long way towards understanding the physics of such systems, there are always limitations to this approach. The first limitation is the stability of the underlying structure, e.g. the crystal lattice, which cannot be recovered using independent particle approaches. A related limitation is that, in most cases, collective modes interact, which may lead to the emergence of localized excitation modes that cannot be derived from a perturbative approach. Our strategy or philosophy, therefore, has been to complement the traditional methods of linearizing physical problems and instead explore new possibilities that nonlinear physics affords.
A multiple bifurcation point as an organizing centre for chaos
Authors: Mullin Tom
Published: November 2023

In this chapter we will show how qualitatively different types of bifurcations in a nonlinear system can interact with each other to produce an organizing centre for more complicated phenomena such as chaos. First, we will introduce static and time-dependent bifurcations and describe their practical features in terms of physical examples. Then we will discuss the details of an interaction between the two types of bifurcation and show how it produces a multiple bifurcation point in the specific example of a nonlinear electronic oscillator. Finally, we discuss how the ‘global dynamics’ of the system are controlled by this local bifurcation structure.
Chaos in fluid dynamics
Authors: Mullin Tom
Published: November 2023

The application of the ideas which have been developed in the study of low-dimensional chaos to fluid dynamics has become a rapidly increasing research area in recent years. Some of the reasons for this are that fluid turbulence still remains one of the greatest challenges of classical physics and it is of immense practical importance. In fact, it is often written in popular accounts of the subject that chaos lies at the heart of an explanation for turbulence. We will discuss this possibility using an example which has been thoroughly studied both theoretically and experimentally, to see how much confidence we can have in this assertion.
Applications of chaos to meteorology and climate
Authors: Read Peter L
Published: November 2023

Chaos and meteorology have had a close relationship for a number of years. The Lorenz attractor is well known as a very influential mathematical model whose properties were first studied in detail in the 1960s by the meteorologist/mathematician Ed Lorenz, working at MIT. It became a prototype for chaotic dynamics in Lorenz’s celebrated paper [l], published in 1963 in the Journal of Atmospheric Sciences. The most significant point in the present context is that it was originally motivated by a meteorological problem.
The Casimir Effect and its Applications
Authors: Mostepanenko V M , Trunov N N , Znajek R L
Published: November 2023

The Casimir effect arises when the zero-point vacuum oscillation spectrum is distorted by boundedness of the field quantization domain or by non-trivial spatial topology. As such, it is a widely used and intensely discussed phenomenon. This is the first book devoted to the Casimir effect. It will be valued by workers in a number of fields, including elementary particle physics, statistical physics, quantum field theory, gravitation and cosmology. Methods of calculating Casimir energies and forces are considered, and results given for bounded domains, dispersive media, and topologically non-trivial spaces. All these applications are outlined in this work covering a widely known, used and intensively discussed effect by specialists.
The Casimir effect for various fields and spatial domains
Authors: Mostepanenko V M , Trunov N N , Znajek R L
Published: November 2023

The most obvious regularization method, which has already been applied in the preceding chapter, is subtracting away from the vacuum expectations of the quantized field Hamiltonian in the presence of boundaries the corresponding expression for unbounded space. A more complicated local version of this approach is the determination of the EMT by summing over a countable set of eigenfunctions of the problem under consideration, with the subtraction of the empty space contribution. (The appropriate summation formulae are discussed in Section 2.2.) A whole class of regularization methods is based on using information contained in the Green function of the problem or an object similar to it. Here the method of finding the Green function itself can be arbitrary (whether or not it is associated with summation over modes).
Realistic quantization domain boundary properties
Authors: Mostepanenko V M , Trunov N N , Znajek R L
Published: November 2023

A consistent electrodynamical calculation of this interaction between atoms is similar to the derivation of the Breit equation and reduces to the selection of an interaction potential energy U (r) that gives the same scattering amplitude for one atom by another as the actual interaction.
Vacuum polarization in topologically non-trivial spaces and cosmology
Authors: Mostepanenko V M , Trunov N N , Znajek R L
Published: November 2023

As has been previously noted, when considering a quantized field in a topologically non-trivial space additional conditions are imposed that are similar to conditions at material boundaries. As a result, in comparison with Minkowski space, the zero-point fluctuation spectrum changes, (for example, from being continuous to being discrete), which leads to the appearance of a non-zero vacuum EMT for the quantized field in that space.
Effective temperature of the vacuum
Authors: Mostepanenko V M , Trunov N N , Znajek R L
Published: November 2023

In a number of problems the spectral density describing vacuum polarization of quantum fields on a manifold differing from Minkowski space formally coincides with the spectral density of equilibrium thermal radiation with some effective temperature Teff governed by the parameters of the problem. Here we first consider problems in which the volumes are bounded in one of the spatial coordinates.
The Casimir effect in elementary particle physics
Authors: Mostepanenko V M , Trunov N N , Znajek R L
Published: November 2023

We briefly recall the basic facts of quantum chromodynamics, and also the role of the bag model which simplifies the description of hadrons.
Re-introductions: to what extent are they needed?
Authors: Stuart Simon N
Published: November 2023

The 14 Action Plans so far produced by the Specialist Groups of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) are analysed to determine how frequently re¬ introductions are recommended in relation to other conservation activities. Re¬ introductions are recommended only 24 times (compared with 401 recommendations for protected area management). Of the 418 threatened species covered by the Action Plans, just 19 (4.5%) are recommended for re-introduction programmes. The reason for so few recommendations being made is that re-introductions are only feasible when two preconditions are satisfied: adequate areas of unoccupied former habitat remain; and the causes of decline have been removed. Since most species are decreasing because of threats to their habitats, rather than directly against the species themselves, the first precondition is only met in a small minority of cases. Various factors that are commonly associated with species that might become suitable for re-introduction programmes are identified.
The role of ecological theory in planning re-introduction of endangered species
Authors: May Robert
Published: November 2023

This chapter focuses on populations rather than individuals, reviewing ways in which the dynamics or genetics of populations can influence the long-term success of re-introduction programmes. Among other things, it discusses minimum viable population sizes, the dynamics of ‘metapopulations’ and the role that infectious diseases can play. It is emphasized that the geographical ranges required for self maintaining populations may be much greater than suggested by intuitive estimates based on the movement patterns of individual animals.
Species rescue for captive breeding: black-footed ferret as an example
Authors: Thorne E Tom , Oakleaf Bob
Published: November 2023

The black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) is one of the world’s most endangered mammals. Its precarious status is a direct result of habitat fragmentation through eradication of prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) in the North American mid western prairies. By the mid 1900s, habitat reduction and fragmentation reached the point at which extinction of black-footed ferrets was probably inevitable without extensive intervention. Federal and state planning efforts to recover black-footed ferrets were inadequate during the period 1975 to 1981 because it was widely believed that the species was extinct. In 1981 the last known population was discovered near Meeteetse, Wyoming. Within four years a captive breeding programme to augment management of the free-ranging population was being initiated; then a canine distemper epizootic wiped out the wild colony. The survival of the black-footed ferret thus depends on successful captive propagation. Through the use of technical advice and a planning process specific objectives were established to maintain genetic variation, increase and subdivide the captive population and initiate early re introduction. Captive breeding techniques were developed and breeding success in 1987, 1988 and 1989 has the programme on schedule and meeting objectives. Preparations are being made for experimental re-introduction in 1991.
Introduction
Authors: Jones D M
Published: November 2023

Whether we like it or not, by the turn of the century much of the wild land that remains in the world will be managed and exploited to serve human needs. With the world’s population heading rapidly towards the six billion mark and unlikely to stabilize before it touches eight to nine billion in about 25-30 years’ time, the already powerful pressures to take wild lands for traditional and often inappropriate agricultural and other purposes will only intensify. Frequently it is those countries that have the greatest biological diversity that also have the highest population densities and potential for yet further growth-Indonesia, Ethiopia, Kenya, The Philippines, Mexico, are just a few examples.
In vitro fertilization and the development of gene banks for wild mammals
Authors: Moore H D M
Published: November 2023

In vitro fertilization is a central process in the development of a practical gene bank since it enables rapid transfer of the genome within and between animal populations. However, to serve a variety of breeding strategies, gamete and embryo functions in mammals differ widely and there are many subtle differences between species in such processes as spermatogenesis, capacitation of spermatozoa, the acrosome reaction, oocyte maturation and embryo development. In order to maximize the use of in vitro fertilization for the growing range of endangered species it will be necessary to have robust techniques which can overcome the problems of species specificity. This chapter reviews the methods currently undertaken to achieve successful in vitro fertilization in exotic mammals and assesses which techniques are likely to be important in the near future.
Conserving genetic diversity with the help of biotechnology-desert antelopes as an example
Authors: Mace Georgina M , Pemberton Josephine M , Stanley Helen F
Published: November 2023

For many species, population sizes in the wild are extremely small and long-term conservation will require intensive support. Many workers believe such programmes will rely heavily on genetic and reproductive technologies for monitoring and manipulation of genetic material. Using the scimitar-horned oryx as a case study, this paper reviews the stages in an overall conservation programme at which these technologies might be helpful, and highlights problems and areas where further research is needed.
Some applications of PCR to studies in wildlife genetics
Authors: Garner Karen J , Ryder Oliver A
Published: November 2023

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique for in vitro amplification of short, selected DNA regions. This technique allows genetic material to be obtained rapidly from very small biological samples, making it possible to compare DNA sequences from a large number of individuals, including animals in wild populations. The PCR technique has many potential applications to wildlife genetics. DNA sequence comparisons can be used for estimation of genetic variability within populations or taxa, and for phylogenetic and evolutionary studies. Several strategies exist for using PCR to distinguish allelic markers. These markers can be used for estimating levels of heterozygosity, for clarification of pedigrees and for tracking genetic diseases.
The legacy of Lamarckism
Authors: Jablonka Eva , Lamb Marion J
Published: November 2023

The idea that the inheritance of acquired characters plays an important role in evolution has been the subject of controversy for over a century. Enthusiasm for the idea, which is usually associated with the name of Lamarck, has sometimes led to charlatanism and fraud, while opposition to it has led to ‘Lamarckist’ being used as a term of abuse. Nowadays, biologists usually regard ideas about the inheritance of acquired characters as nothing more than an interesting part of the history of biology. Lamarckian evolution is rejected on the grounds that there is no evidence for it, no mechanism that can produce it, and no need for it in evolutionary theory. Some people go even further and argue that the inheritance of acquired characters is theoretically impossible—it is incompatible with what is known about genetics and development.
Cellular heredity: epigenetic inheritance systems
Authors: Jablonka Eva , Lamb Marion J
Published: November 2023

It is commonly assumed that all heritable information resides in DNA base sequences, and that the only mechanism by which information is transferred from one generation to the next is through the semi-conservative replication of DNA. However, these assumptions are not correct. There are other self-sustaining, information-containing systems that function as inheritance systems. The most obvious of these are the systems through which culture is maintained and inherited, but the ones that concern us here are those which maintain and transmit cellular characteristics during ontogeny. Often they are referred to as ‘memory’ systems, rather than ‘inheritance’ systems, because it is assumed that they do not transmit information from parents to their progeny, and consequently that they have no direct evolutionary significance. The ultimate origin of cell characteristics is in the sequence of DNA bases, but even if DNA sequence is kept completely constant, cells can have very different phenotypes, and these phenotypes can be transmitted for many cell generations.
Heredity and the origin of species
Authors: Jablonka Eva , Lamb Marion J
Published: November 2023

Ever since Darwin wrote On the origin of species by means of natural selection, there has been a more or less continuous debate about the nature of species, the circumstances that lead to speciation, the nature of the speciation events, and the evolutionary significance of species and speciation. Many different definitions of species have been used, and this has complicated discussion of the origin of species, but since the advent of the Modern Synthesis, the species concept that has dominated evolutionary thinking has been that known as the ‘biological’ species concept, associated with the names of Dobzhansky, Muller, and Mayr.
Bats
Authors: Altringham John D
Published: November 2023

One-quarter of all mammals are bats and they are found all over the world. This book covers all the bats and their natural history and biology. Starting with a look at their origins and evolution, and a complete review of all known families, the topics range from the most distinctive features of bats (echolocation of prey, and flight), through to their behaviour as individuals and groups, their modes of reproduction and development, and their interactions with the environment and other organisms. In addition, by bringing in subjects such as adaptive radiation, optimal foraging, co-evolution, reciprocal altruism, and predator--prey arms races, the author gives meaning to the bare facts derived from observation and sets the fascinating natural history of bats in a modern biological context. Overall, this book provides an up-to-date and accurate picture of how bats spend their lives and will be an indispensable reference work for both professional and amateur naturalists.
Ecomorphology and anatomy
Authors: Hopkin Stephen p.
Published: November 2023

Some branches of traditional zoology have studied the comparative anatomy of animals with little regard for the functions of the features being described, or the selective pressures that have made them evolve in a particular way. Specimens preserved in alcohol have sometimes been regarded as objects for description rather than once-living dynamic organisms whose anatomy, physiology and behaviour are tuned acutely to their environment.
Interactions between Collembola and the abiotic environment
Authors: Hopkin Stephen p.
Published: November 2023

Collembola have been on the Earth for more than 400 million years. During this time they have evolved to fill a huge variety of niches. Among the reasons for this success are small size, which enables them to colonise the gaps between soil particles, dead vegetation and other confined spaces, and physiological and behavioural adaptability. Tradition regards springtails as sedentary moisture-loving organisms which cannot survive dryness. However, this view is manifestly untrue, as will be shown in this chapter. There are springtails in deserts, in the coldest and driest parts of the earth, on the surfaces of most freshwater bodies and at the tops of the tallest trees. The only environments which Collembola have been unable to colonise are deep water and the open ocean.
Ecology and conservation
Authors: Hopkin Stephen p.
Published: November 2023

Earlier sections of this book have covered interactions of Collembola with their abiotic and biotic environments. In this Chapter, the distribution of different species on the local through to global scale is examined. Following a discussion of observation and sampling techniques (Section 9.2), the distribution of springtails in space and time is reviewed (Section 9.3). Critically examined are the proposals that presence or absence of certain species of Collembola, or characteristic assemblages of species, can be used to indicate properties of habitats that would other wise be difficult to elucidate (Section 9.4). Conservation of Collembola is discussed (Section 9.5) and the Chapter ends with a short review of the biology and distribution of Collembola that occur in caves (Section 9.6).
Introduction
Authors: Eldridge Ken , Davidson John , Harwood Chris , Wyk Gerrit Van
Published: November 2023

Many people have asked us ‘how do you breed eucalypts?’ Although eucalypts are in great demand for planting because of their rapid growth of useful wood, many growers are not satisfied with the present yield and quality. They want improvements in such things as growth rate, stem straightness, wood quality, coppicing ability, and tolerance of salinity or frost. Therefore this book is directed to eucalypt breeders, plantation managers, students, and other people who will be involved in domesticating the eucalypts as crop plants for wood production. Eucalypt plantations are expanding so rapidly worldwide that by the year 2000 they may exceed 10 million ha, mainly little improved compared with their wild ancestors. We have aimed to establish, from scientific knowledge and practical experience, an up-to-date basis for making wise decisions in eucalypt breeding, both for the short and the long term.
Genetic resources of eucalypts
Authors: Eldridge Ken , Davidson John , Harwood Chris , Wyk Gerrit Van
Published: November 2023

It has been recognized by foresters for a long time that different geographic origins of seed used for planting a particular species of tree can lead to substantial differences in growth, form, and health of the resulting plantations. The differences within a species can be so large that one lot of seed will result in successful, profitable plantations and another in complete failure. Thus it is important for foresters to know the place of origin of seed and to obtain seed from the best places. In museums the place of origin of a specimen, for example a bone or a pot from an archaeological site, is described as its ‘provenance’. In forestry the term provenance is also used for ‘place of origin’, as defined in dictionaries, for example the Concise Oxford Dictionary. Also it is used to refer to the population of trees growing at the place of origin, the seed collected from them, and their progeny growing in plantations. The concept is clear enough when used to refer to the original geographic origin in a natural forest. However, it is not so clear or consistently used when the place of origin is a plantation, perhaps two or more generations removed from the original natural forest and possibly of mixed origin.
Matching species and provenances to site
Authors: Eldridge Ken , Davidson John , Harwood Chris , Wyk Gerrit Van
Published: November 2023

Scientific methods of making a good match between species and site have now become more precise, and are making an increasing contribution to species-site matching, but are still far from perfect. The most successful eucalypt introductions to date have been made by people with thorough knowledge and experience of eucalypt growing and of eucalypts in their natural habitat, and able to travel to make on-the-spot value judgements in order to match species to sites. In this chapter we consider the methods available for matching species and provenances to plantation sites. We assume that well-conducted land-use planning has shown that plantations of eucalypts are appropriate. In other cases eucalypts would not be appropriate and plantations of other genera, particularly nitrogen-fixing trees, might be considered. In some instances, particularly in dry areas, it may be that no large plantations should be made because fast-growing, close-spaced trees of any species would be likely to lower the water table to unacceptable levels.
Eucalyptus grandis and E. saligna
Authors: Eldridge Ken , Davidson John , Harwood Chris , Wyk Gerrit Van
Published: November 2023

Eucalyptus grandis,as recognized by Pryor and Johnson (1971), has its southern limit of distribution at Minmi near Newcastle, New South Wales, at 32°52’ S (Fig 11.1). Distribution from there is almost continuous up the New South Wales coast into southern Queensland to latitude 26°S. Further north the species is absent until about l 8°S. Its distribution in the northern area is patchy with populations on the Eungella Tableland near Mackay, near Ingham, on the Atherton Tableland, and on the Windsor Tableland at the northern extreme of its range, 16°S (Burgess 1983).
Eucalyptus viminalis
Authors: Eldridge Ken , Davidson John , Harwood Chris , Wyk Gerrit Van
Published: November 2023

Eucalyptus viminalis (ribbon gum, or manna gum) is one of the most geographically widespread eucalypts in south-eastern Australia (Boland et al 1984), and occupies a very wide range of ecological conditions. On well-watered, fertile soils of gullies and hillsides it forms a tall forest, either alone or with other species including E. amygdalina, E. dives, E.fastigata, E. obliqua, E. radiata, and E. regnans. On drier, poorer sites on the plains and tablelands, on a variety of soil types, it occurs in low, open forests or woodlands, alone or with species such as E. amygdalina,E. dives, E. obliqua, E. paucifiora, and E. radiata. The geographic range is from southern Tasmania (latitude 43°S), through Victoria, southern South Australia, eastern New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, with high altitude stands extending to the Queensland border (29°S) (Fig. 17.1).
Breeding strategies and breeding plans
Authors: Eldridge Ken , Davidson John , Harwood Chris , Wyk Gerrit Van
Published: November 2023

The tree breeder’s work program to achieve a supply of genetically improved planting stock consists of many activities, most of them seasonal: collecting seed, running a nursery, making grafts and cuttings, planting and measuring progeny tests, statistical analysis, interpreting results, preparing budgets and plans for future years, and so on. The breeder’s efficiency will be increased by putting all the current activities into order, providing a framework of ideas for the future, and writing a plan for several years ahead. A breeding strategy is an overview or philosophy of the management of genetic improvement of a tree species used in manmade forests. A well-planned strategy makes one aware that current activities can have a great influence on future opportunities for genetic gain, and can help avoid the cost and embarrassment of having to scrap an existing program and start again.
Origin, autecology, and spread of some of the world’s most troublesome aquatic weeds
Authors: Cook C D K
Published: November 2023

Aquatic plants are only troublesome when they grow where they are not wanted. There is no aquatic plant that is ipso facto harmful and can be considered a weed throughout its geographical range. There are even cases of plants that are protected in one region and ‘hunted’ in another, for example, Heteranthera reniformis (mud plantain) is on the list of endangered plants in Connecticut, USA, and is perhaps the worst weed today in the northern Italian rice fields. Trapa natans (water chestnut) is extinct or endangered in many parts of Europe, an important crop plant in India, a noxious weed in eastern North America and a very serious threat to the sturgeon fisheries (caviar industry) in the southern part of the Caspian Sea.
Physical control of aquatic weeds
Authors: Wade P M
Published: November 2023

The Physical control of those aquatic plants inimical to man’s activities goes back to the first time that man used his hands and sticks to clear away weeds blocking the passage of boats or denying access to good fishing spots. As irrigation and drainage channels were constructed, so the need to control aquatic plants increased. At present, the physical control option continues to play an important role in aquatic plant management together with chemical and biological control. To assess the role of the physical approach in the armoury of techniques available to manage aquatic weed infestations, it is necessary to examine the different forms which physical control can take: manual, mechanical, and other. The more important techniques need to be compared with other forms of control, both from the economic standpoint and in terms of the ecological implications of their use.
Present status and prospects of integrated control of aquatic weeds
Authors: Murphy K J , Pieterse A H
Published: November 2023

Integrated control has been broadly defined as a ‘management system that utilizes all suitable techniques to reduce pest populations and maintain them at levels below those causing economic injury’ (van den Bosch et al. 1971). This implies a combination of different control measures instead of an approach based on a single procedure. Although this definition was drawn up in the context of invertebrate pest management, it may equally apply to integrated aquatic weed management (Aurand, Tyndall, and Trudeau 1982). It should be noted, however, that the term integrated control also refers to approaches aimed at minimizing the use of pesticides. The report on Terminology in Weed Science (Coi::irdinatiecommissie Onkruidonderzoek 1984) defines integrated control as a ‘control system based upon the population of a harmful organism or virus, taking into account natural resistance factors and based upon a minimal use of techniques and products harmful to the environment’
Relationships between survival strategies of aquatic weeds and control measures
Authors: van Vierssen W
Published: November 2023

Aquatic macrophytes are an increasing nuisance in many areas of the world. The various control methods available to cope with this problem, are usually aimed at killing or removing aquatic plants, without considering the relative vulnerability of the different life-cycle stages of the species involved. Instead, the aquatic weed problems are commonly controlled only when they become troublesome, i.e. when they have formed a dense vegetation.