bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Características de compósitos laminados manufaturados com polietileno de alta densidade (PEAD) e diferentes proporções de casca de arroz e partículas de madeira.
Authors: Pauleski Dalva Teresinha , Haselein Clovis Roberto , Santini Elio José , Rizzatti Eduardo
Published: August 2016

Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a viabilidade da utilização de casca de arroz e partículas de madeira para a manufatura de compósitos, tendo como agente ligante o polietileno de alta densidade (PEAD). Os compósitos foram produzidos com casca de arroz e partículas de madeira de Eucalyptus grandis, puras ou misturadas, sendo que cada tipo participou com 0, 25, 50, 75 e 100% em proporção de peso seco. O PEAD foi usado como matriz na confecção destes, sendo testadas três proporções: 60, 75 e 90%. Os compósitos foram manufaturados de forma similar à fabricação de chapas aglomeradas com as dimensões de 0,5 x 5 x 25 cm formados em camadas em um molde de aço, e foram avaliadas as propriedades de flexão estática, ligação interna, absorção d'água e inchamento em espessura após 24 horas e após 15 ciclos de imersão. Os valores das propriedades de flexão estática foram influenciados pela massa específica do compósito. No caso da ligação interna, os valores ficaram dentro dos padrões estabelecidos pelas normas de comercialização para aglomerados convencionais, sendo o PEAD o parâmetro de maior correlação com essa propriedade. A casca de arroz provocou menor inchamento em espessura e, independente do tipo de matéria-prima utilizada, os valores diminuíram à medida que a proporção de PEAD foi aumentada. Combinações com maior porcentagem de PEAD apresentaram valores mínimos ou, em alguns casos, nulos de absorção d'água. Para a absorção d'água e inchamento em espessura após 15 ciclos, o comportamento dos resultados foi semelhante aos dos testes de inchamento em espessura após 24 horas e absorção d'água após 24 horas. Os resultados permitem concluir que os compósitos produzidos com PEAD, casca de arroz e partículas de madeira puras ou misturadas apresentaram boa qualidade quando comparados aos aglomerados convencionais, evidenciando a viabilidade de uso desses materiais na confecção desse tipo de painel.
Variação genética entre e dentro de populações de candeia (Eremanthus erythropappus (DC.) MacLeish).
Authors: Silva Ana Carolina da , Rosado Sebastião Carlos da Silva , Vieira Cenir Teodoro , Carvalho Dulcinéia de
Published: August 2016

Entre as espécies indicadas para a restauração da vegetação arbórea em sítios degradados no sul de Minas Gerais, destaca-se a candeia (Eremanthus erythropappus (DC.) MacLeish), que ocorre naturalmente em solos pobres e pedregosos, além de possuir atributos relativos à durabilidade natural da madeira e à qualidade de óleo essencial para uso na farmacologia. O sucesso da recuperação dessas áreas está relacionado com a rapidez com que a vegetação é restabelecida. Assim, a busca de genótipos superiores e adaptados, que possam rapidamente recolonizar a área, é de grande importância econômica e ambiental. Neste estudo, foram coletadas sementes de polinização livre de 27 matrizes em duas populações de candeia distintas, São Tomé das Letras e Carrancas, localizadas no Estado de Minas Gerais. Após a germinação, as mudas foram repicadas para tubetes e arranjadas em blocos casualizados completos, com três repetições. Três meses após a repicagem, foi avaliada a variação entre e dentro das populações. Verificou-se, pela análise de variância, que existem diferenças significativas entre e dentro de populações para o caráter diâmetro do caule. As variações entre as progênies foram significativas dentro da população de São Tomé das Letras para o diâmetro, e, dentro da população de Carrancas, para o caráter altura total das mudas. Porém, para a seleção de genótipos, é necessário maior tempo de avaliação, visto que grande parte da variação apresentada na fase de mudas pode ser decorrente do efeito materno, o qual não é transmitido para a geração seguinte.
Crescimento de plantas jovens de açoita-cavalo em quatro diferentes substratos.
Authors: Grave Fernanda , Franco Elcí Terezinha Henz , Pacheco Jardel Pizzatto , Santos Sidney Rodrigues
Published: August 2016

A espécie Luehea divaricata Mart. & Zucc., da família Malvaceae, possui madeira de alta qualidade, que tem sido empregada principalmente na confecção de móveis vergados, razão pela qual se encontra atualmente dizimada. A reposição em matas remanescentes bem como a sua utilização em projetos de reflorestamento necessitam da produção de mudas em larga escala. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o crescimento de plântulas de Luehea divaricata obtidas por semente, cultivadas em quatro substratos. Foram colocadas quatro sementes por tubete nos substratos Plant Max®, turfa, casca de arroz carbonizada e Mec Plant®. Aos 25 dias após a semeadura, foi efetuada a repicagem das mudas dentro de cada tratamento e, aos 50 dias, foi efetuado o desbaste. Avaliaram-se: percentagem de germinação das sementes, massa seca das raízes (g), massa seca da parte aérea (g), diâmetro do colo (cm), altura da parte aérea (cm) e número médio de folhas. O delineamento adotado foi o inteiramente casualizado, os dados foram submetidos à análise da variância, e as médias comparadas ao teste de Duncan. As plantas cultivadas no substrato Plant Max® apresentaram quatro vezes mais massa seca das raízes e da parte aérea aos 180 dias. O crescimento das plântulas em turfa e casca de arroz foi menor em todos os parâmetros analisados. A propagação de Luehea divaricata a partir de sementes é tecnicamente viável nos substratos Plant Max® e Mec Plant®, os quais proporcionaram maior crescimento e qualidade às mudas.
Banco de sementes do solo de uma Floresta Estacional Semidecidual, em Viçosa, Minas Gerais.
Authors: Neto Juvenal Pinheiro Batista , Reis Maria das Graças Ferreira , Reis Geraldo Gonçalves dos , Silva Alexandre Francisco da , Cacau Filipe Valadão
Published: August 2016

Avaliou-se quantitativa e qualitativamente a florística do banco de sementes do solo de um fragmento de Floresta Estacional Semidecidual Montana, no município de Viçosa, MG. No final da estação chuvosa (março/2004), foram coletadas duas amostras de solo de 20 x 15 cm, com 5 cm de profundidade, no centro de seis subparcelas contíguas de 10 x 20 m, em dez parcelas permanentes de 20 x 60 m, em dez locais, totalizando 120 amostras (3,6 m2). As amostras de solo foram colocadas em estruturas de sombreamento de 11,5 % e 60 %, e as sementes germinadas foram identificadas em graminóides, herbáceo-cipós, arbustivas e arbóreas. Foram registradas 3.416 sementes germinadas, sendo 30,2 % graminóides, 29,2 % herbáceo-cipós, 17,5 % arbustivas e 23,1 % arbóreas, estas duas últimas distribuídas em 17 famílias, 25 gêneros e 31 espécies. Melastomataceae, Cecropiaceae e Piperaceae contribuíram com 31,8 %, 10,0 % e 8,8 % do total de espécies, respectivamente, sendo que Miconia cinnamomifolia e Leandra purpurascens foram responsáveis por 59,3 % das sementes arbustivo-arbóreas germinadas. As pioneiras se destacaram com 61,3 % das espécies e 88,5 % das sementes germinadas. Não foram registradas espécies secundárias tardias. A densidade média de sementes germinadas para todos os hábitos e locais foi de 949 sementes/m2. O número de espécies e de sementes germinadas do grupo arbustivo-arbóreo diferiu significativamente pelo teste Kruskal-Wallis (P ≤ 0,05) entre os locais estudados. Esses resultados indicam que, no banco de sementes do solo, há predomínio de espécies pioneiras que são importantes para a sucessão em clareiras ou após o corte da floresta. Porém, esse estoque de sementes não é suficiente para a continuidade do processo de sucessão, que inclui o estabelecimento de maior proporção de espécies secundárias iniciais e tardias. Isso indica que há necessidade de um manejo adequado do banco de plântulas para assegurar a continuidade da regeneração natural em florestas secundárias.
Efeito da intensidade de desbaste nas características dendrométricas e tecnológicas da madeira de Eucalyptus grandis.
Authors: Trevisan Rômulo , Haselein Clovis Roberto , Santini Elio José , Schneider Paulo Renato , Menezes Leonel Freitas de
Published: August 2016

Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o efeito de diferentes intensidades de desbaste nas características dendrométricas e tecnológicas da madeira de Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden, aos 14 anos de idade, situado próximo ao litoral do Rio Grande do Sul. O delineamento utilizado foi em blocos ao acaso, com quatro tratamentos (T1 = 1638 árvores/ha; T2 = 1150 árvores/ha; T4 = 589 árvores/ha e T8 = 192 árvores/ha) e quatro repetições. As árvores foram selecionadas com base nos diâmetros dominante e médio de cada tratamento, e, após o abate, foram medidas e cubadas pelo método de Smalian, sendo retirados os discos nas posições 0, 25, 50, 75 e 100% da altura comercial e no DAP, destinados à determinação da massa específica básica, massa seca e retratibilidade radial. Com relação às características dendrométricas, os resultados mostraram que a aplicação de desbastes mais pesados ocasionaram ganhos significativos em diâmetro à altura do peito, altura e volume para as árvores médias, não tendo influenciado as árvores dominantes. Em relação às características tecnológicas, verifica-se que a massa específica básica das árvores médias foi influenciada pelo desbaste, porém sem apresentar tendência clara em relação à intensidade da intervenção. A produção de massa seca das árvores médias aumentou com a intensidade do desbaste e não afetou a produção das árvores dominantes. A retratibilidade radial das árvores dominantes e médias cresceu no sentido medula-casca, não sendo alterada pelos desbastes. Os resultados permitem concluir que as intervenções silviculturais aplicadas no povoamento florestal influem na qualidade da madeira.
Longitudinal associations between humor styles and psychosocial adjustment in adolescence
Authors: Fox Claire Louise , Hunter Simon Christopher , Jones Siân Emily
Published: August 2016

This study assessed the concurrent and prospective associations between psychosocial adjustment and four humor styles, two of which are adaptive (affiliative, self-enhancing) and two maladaptive (aggressive, self-defeating). Participants were 1,234 adolescents (52% female) aged 11-13 years, drawn from six secondary schools in England. Self-reports of psychosocial adjustment (loneliness, depressive symptomatology, and self-esteem) and humor styles were collected at two time points (fall and summer). In cross-lagged panel analyses, self-defeating humor was associated with an increase in both depressive symptoms and loneliness, and with a decrease in self-esteem. In addition, depressive symptoms predicted an increase in the use of self-defeating humor over time, indicating that these may represent a problematic spiral of thoughts and behaviors. Self-esteem was associated with an increase in the use of affiliative humor over the school year but not vice-versa. These results inform our understanding of the ways in which humor is associated with psychosocial adjustment in adolescence.
The German version of the Humor Styles Questionnaire: Psychometric properties and overlap with other styles of humor
Authors: Ruch Willibald , Heintz Sonja
Published: August 2016

The Humor Styles Questionnaire (HSQ; Martin et al., 2003) is one of the most frequently used questionnaires in humor research and has been adapted to several languages. The HSQ measures four humor styles (affiliative, self-enhancing, aggressive, and self-defeating), which should be adaptive or potentially maladaptive to psychosocial well-being. The present study analyzes the internal consistency, factorial validity, and factorial invariance of the HSQ on the basis of several German-speaking samples combined (total N = 1,101). Separate analyses were conducted for gender (male/female), age groups (16–24, 25–35, >36 years old), and countries (Germany/Switzerland). Internal consistencies were good for the overall sample and the demographic subgroups (.80–.89), with lower values obtained for the aggressive scale (.66–.73). Principal components and confirmatory factor analyses mostly supported the four-factor structure of the HSQ. Weak factorial invariance was found across gender and age groups, while strong factorial invariance was supported across countries. Two subsamples also provided self-ratings on ten styles of humorous conduct (n = 344) and of eight comic styles (n = 285). The four HSQ scales showed small to large correlations to the styles of humorous conduct (-.54 to .65) and small to medium correlations to the comic styles (-.27 to .42). The HSQ shared on average 27.5–35.0% of the variance with the styles of humorous conduct and 13.0–15.0% of the variance with the comic styles. Thus–despite similar labels–these styles of humorous conduct and comic styles differed from the HSQ humor styles.
Un demi-siècle de recherche étudiante : une analyse des thèses et mémoires du Département de démographie de l’Université de Montréal (1965-2015)
Authors: Pelletier David , Simard-Gendron Anaïs
Published: August 2016

Cette étude s’intéresse à l’évolution de la recherche étudiante au cours des 50 premières années d’existence du Département de démographie de l’Université de Montréal. Nous avons recueilli diverses informations relatives aux auteurs et au contenu des 398 mémoires de maîtrise et thèses de doctorat qui y ont été réalisés entre 1965 et 2015. Un intérêt particulier a été porté aux différents thèmes abordés, aux principales aires géographiques étudiées, aux types d’analyses produites, aux sources de données utilisées de même qu’aux différences entre étudiantes et étudiants ou entre mémoires et thèses. Il en ressort que la recherche étudiante a évolué de pair avec la discipline dans son ensemble. Les sources de données et les méthodes se sont graduellement diversifiées et les femmes ont pris une place de plus en plus importante. De manière générale, les étudiants à la maîtrise ont situé leur recherche essentiellement à l’échelle locale (Canada et Québec) alors que les doctorants se sont tournés plus souvent vers l’étranger, surtout vers l’Afrique francophone. À l’instar de changements se faisant sentir à l’échelle mondiale, la part des mémoires et thèses portant sur des enjeux tels que la mortalité, le vieillissement ou la santé a crû alors que celle des documents portant sur des questions plus méthodologiques a diminué.
Similar GABAA receptor subunit composition in somatic and axon initial segment synapses of hippocampal pyramidal cells
Authors: Kerti-Szigeti Katalin , Nusser Zoltan
Published: August 2016

Hippocampal pyramidal cells (PCs) express many GABAAR subunit types and receive GABAergic inputs from distinct interneurons. Previous experiments revealed input-specific differences in α1 and α2 subunit densities in perisomatic synapses, suggesting distinct IPSC decay kinetics. However, IPSC decays evoked by axo-axonic, parvalbumin- or cholecystokinin-expressing basket cells were found to be similar. Using replica immunogold labeling, here we show that all CA1 PC somatic and AIS synapses contain the α1, α2, β1, β2, β3 and γ2 subunits. In CA3 PCs, 90% of the perisomatic synapses are immunopositive for the α1 subunit and all synapses are positive for the remaining five subunits. Somatic synapses form unimodal distributions based on their immunoreactivity for these subunits. The α2 subunit densities in somatic synapses facing Cav2.1 (i.e. parvalbumin) or Cav2.2 (cholecystokinin) positive presynaptic active zones are comparable. We conclude that perisomatic synapses made by three distinct interneuron types have similar GABAA receptor subunit content.
Optical–digital hybrid image search system in cloud environment
Authors: Ikeda Kanami , Kodate Kashiko , Watanabe Eriko
Published: August 2016

To improve the versatility and usability of optical correlators, we developed an optical–digital hybrid image search system consisting of digital servers and an optical correlator that can be used to perform image searches in the cloud environment via a web browser. This hybrid system employs a simple method to obtain correlation signals and has a distributed network design. The correlation signals are acquired by using an encoder timing signal generated by a rotating disk, and the distributed network design facilitates the replacement and combination of the digital correlation server and the optical correlator.
A resource-based game theoretical approach for the paradox of the plankton
Authors: Huang Weini , de Araujo Campos Paulo Roberto , Moraes de Oliveira Viviane , Fagundes Ferrreira Fernando
Published: August 2016

The maintenance of species diversity is a central focus in ecology. It is not rare to observe more species than the number of limiting resources, especially in plankton communities. However, such high species diversity is hard to achieve in theory under the competitive exclusion principles, known as the plankton paradox. Previous studies often focus on the coexistence of predefined species and ignore the fact that species can evolve. We model multi-resource competitions using evolutionary games, where the number of species fluctuates under extinction and the appearance of new species. The interspecific and intraspecific competitions are captured by a dynamical payoff matrix, which has a size of the number of species. The competition strength (payoff entries) is obtained from comparing the capability of species in consuming resources, which can change over time. This allows for the robust coexistence of a large number of species, providing a possible solution to the plankton paradox.
Ionospheric Characteristics and Models
Authors: Goodman John M.
Published: August 2016

The ionized region roughly between 60 and 1200 km above the earth's surface is generally referred to as the ionosphere, even though some ionization persists above and below these bounds. Since most practical problems relate to the free electron number densityNe, it is convenient to specify a restricted altitude regime since many legacy systems such as LEO satellite and HF communications, HFDF (i.e., direction finding), and surveillance systems such as OTHR (over‐the‐horizon radar) depend upon this restricted region in a substantive way. But there are other applications to be considered. For example, exoionospheric electrons will augment the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) encountered by GNSS signal waveforms and will introduce additional group path delay errors if compensation schema are not introduced. As a result, many ionospheric models include the plasmaspheric contribution to the TEC.

This article examines basic theory of the ionosphere, but much of the material details ionospheric structure, ranging from kilometer‐scale variations causing scintillation or spread‐F to the mesoscale features associated with electrodynamic forces, an imbedded geomagnetic field and upper atmospheric wind patterns. We look at these structures in both space and time for pertinent geographic regions, and identify relationships with solar–terrestrial physics, or space weather phenomena in the more modern vernacular. We examine traveling ionospheric disturbances (TID), an ionospheric tracer of atmospheric gravity waves (AGW), their properties, and their possible sources. Fundamental properties of the more relevant ionospheric models are identified and details are referenced. We cover real‐time forecasting and novel data assimilation schemes. We conclude with a section on challenges facing the ionospheric specialist.
Optically Pumped Terahertz (
THz
) Lasers
Authors: Mueller Eric R.
Published: August 2016

With the recent growth in interest in the terahertz region of the electromagnetic spectrum, there is a growing interest in laser sources for this area. There are many types of THz lasers including optically pumped, direct‐discharge, free‐electron lasers, THz quantum‐cascade lasers, and pulsed cyclotron resonance Ge lasers. This article will concentrate on the most common variety, optically pumped THz lasers, which, in‐turn, come in a number of versions including continuous wave (cw), pulse pumped, and cavity dumped. Within each of these categories, there are a large number of variations in cavity design and pump geometry. The present article will concentrate on the most ubiquitous of these, continuous‐wave optically pumped THz lasers.
Full‐Duplex in Wireless Communications
Authors: Riihonen Taneli , Wichman Risto
Published: August 2016

In‐band full‐duplex transceivers are able to transmit and receive simultaneously at the same frequency band. In wireless communications, such technology can offer potentially 100% increase in throughput when uplink and downlink simultaneously share the same band(s). In practice, this requires that a full‐duplex device is able to mitigate the inherent self‐interference caused by the leakage of the transmitted signal to the receiver chain. On the network level, full‐duplex devices change the statistics of cochannel interference in the system, which must be handled with appropriate medium access control. In addition, the capability of transmitting and receiving simultaneously gives gain only when there is enough buffered data to be transmitted in both ways. In practice, the gain from full‐duplex operation is less than 100%, but nevertheless theoretical studies and full‐duplex prototypes have demonstrated that it can still be substantial. This article presents an overview of the state‐of‐the‐art full‐duplex technology in wireless communications describing its performance and discussing challenges to make full‐duplex operation widely adopted in emerging systems.
Distributed Consensus in Networks
Authors: Chen Fei , Ren Wei
Published: August 2016

Consensus is a fundamental problem and plays an important role in many practical networked systems. This article gives a brief overview on distributed consensus in networks. The main focus is to present the most basic and fundamental results of consensus. Specifically, various definitions on consensus are introduced, such as average consensus, leader‐following consensus, and dynamic average consensus. Three main techniques for convergence analysis of consensus based on decoupling, infinite matrix products, and Lyapunov function are elaborated. Some design issues related to consensus are also discussed. Advanced topics on consensus, such as complicated agent dynamics, communication delays, quantization, event‐triggered mechanism, finite‐time convergence, and state constraints, are presented. The relation between consensus and other cooperative control problems is also established. Finally, future research directions are discussed.
Optical Coherence Tomography Image Analysis
Authors: Rabbani Hossein , Kafieh Raheleh , Amini Zahra
Published: August 2016

This article presents the fundamentals of optical coherence tomography (OCT) for ophthalmologic applications along with a comparison with other eye imaging techniques. A classification of image modeling methods is provided to elaborate the possible models for representing OCT datasets. Ophthalmologic OCTs are then classified into two main subcategories, corneal and retinal images, and an overview of available preprocessing (including motion artifact correction, despeckling, and registration) and automatic segmentation of retinal OCTs is presented. The last part of the article discusses OCT classification and explores the means for automatic diagnosis of eye diseases. Herein, one section focuses on imaging biomarkers as features for categorization of ocular disease. The article concludes with an overview of current research on classification of OCT images based on ocular diseases.
Chitin and Chitosan as Hemostatic Agents
Authors: M. Nivedhitha Sundaram , Mony Ullas , Jayakumar R.
Published: August 2016

Hemostatic agents can facilitate a rapid and effective hemostasis, thereby controlling the loss of blood during massive hemorrhage. Numerous biological‐ and nonbiological‐based hemostatic agents are widely used in clinics for control of bleeding. The use of biologically active agents to bring about hemostasis has a few disadvantages, such as their origin, handling procedure, and potential for disease transmission. Nonbiological agents, such as chitin and chitosan, gained popularity as hemostatic agents as they do not depend on the native coagulation cascade to control bleeding. Several FDA‐approved commercially available hemostatic agents are derived from chitin and chitosan. Chitosan bandage is even used in military as it could bring about rapid hemostasis during massive hemorrhage. This article presents various hemostatic agents used for bleeding control. We particularly focus on the chemical structure and properties of chitin and chitosan that give them hemostatic properties. Advantages of using chitin and chitosan as hemostatic agents are also discussed.
Small global effect on terrestrial net primary production due to increased fossil fuel aerosol emissions from East Asia since the turn of the century
Authors: O'Sullivan M. , Rap A. , Reddington C. L. , Spracklen D. V. , Gloor M. , Buermann W.
Published: August 2016

The global terrestrial carbon sink has increased since the start of this century at a time of growing carbon emissions from fossil fuel burning. Here we test the hypothesis that increases in atmospheric aerosols from fossil fuel burning enhanced the diffuse light fraction and the efficiency of plant carbon uptake. Using a combination of models, we estimate that at global scale changes in light regimes from fossil fuel aerosol emissions had only a small negative effect on the increase in terrestrial net primary production over the period 1998–2010. Hereby, the substantial increases in fossil fuel aerosol emissions and plant carbon uptake over East Asia were effectively canceled by opposing trends across Europe and North America. This suggests that if the recent increase in the land carbon sink would be causally linked to fossil fuel emissions, it is unlikely via the effect of aerosols but due to other factors such as nitrogen deposition or nitrogen‐carbon interactions.
Remote influence of Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation on the South Atlantic meridional overturning circulation variability
Authors: Lopez Hosmay , Dong Shenfu , Lee Sang‐Ki , Campos Edmo
Published: August 2016

This study explores potential factors that may influence decadal variability of the South Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (SAMOC) by using observational data as well as surface‐forced ocean model runs and a fully coupled climate model run. Here we show that SAMOC is strongly correlated with the leading mode of sea surface height (SSH) variability in the South Atlantic Ocean, which displays a meridional dipole between north and south of 20°S. A significant portion (~45%) of the South Atlantic SSH dipole variability is remotely modulated by the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO). Further analysis shows that anomalous tropical Pacific convection associated with the IPO forces robust stationary Rossby wave patterns, modulating the wind stress curl over the South Atlantic Ocean. A positive (negative) phase IPO increases (decreases) the westerlies over the South Atlantic, which increases (decreases) the strength of the subtropical gyre in the South Atlantic and thus the SAMOC.
A novel algorithm for monitoring reservoirs under all‐weather conditions at a high temporal resolution through passive microwave remote sensing
Authors: Zhang Shuai , Gao Huilin
Published: August 2016

Flood mitigation in developing countries has been hindered by a lack of near real‐time reservoir storage information at high temporal resolution. By leveraging satellite passive microwave observations over a reservoir and its vicinity, we present a globally applicable new algorithm to estimate reservoir storage under all‐weather conditions at a 4 day time step. A weighted horizontal ratio (WHR) based on the brightness temperatures at 36.5 GHz is introduced, with its coefficients calibrated against an area training data set over each reservoir. Using a predetermined area‐elevation (A‐H) relationship, these coefficients are then applied to the microwave data to calculate the storage. Validation results over four reservoirs in South Asia indicate that the microwave‐based storage estimations (after noise reduction) perform well (with coefficients of determination ranging from 0.41 to 0.74). This is the first time that passive microwave observations are fused with other satellite data for quantifying the storage of individual reservoirs.
Climatic consequences of adopting drought‐tolerant vegetation over Los Angeles as a response to California drought
Authors: Vahmani P. , Ban‐Weiss G.
Published: August 2016

During 2012–2014, drought in California resulted in policies to reduce water consumption. One measure pursued was replacing lawns with landscapes that minimize water consumption, such as drought‐tolerant vegetation. If implemented at broad scale, this strategy would result in reductions in irrigation and changes in land surface characteristics. In this study, we employ a modified regional climate model to assess the climatic consequences of adopting drought‐tolerant vegetation over the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Transforming lawns to drought‐tolerant vegetation resulted in daytime warming of up to 1.9°C, largely due to decreases in irrigation that shifted surface energy partitioning toward higher sensible and lower latent heat flux. During nighttime, however, adopting drought‐tolerant vegetation caused mean cooling of 3.2°C, due to changes in soil thermodynamic properties and heat exchange dynamics between the surface and subsurface. Our results show that nocturnal cooling effects, which are larger in magnitude and of great importance for public health during heat events, could counterbalance the daytime warming attributed to the studied water conservation strategy. A more aggressive implementation, assuming all urban vegetation was replaced with drought‐tolerant vegetation, resulted in an average daytime cooling of 0.2°C, largely due to strengthened sea breeze patterns, highlighting the important role of land surface roughness in this coastal megacity.
Slip model of the 17 November 2015 Mw = 6.5 Lefkada earthquake from the joint inversion of geodetic and seismic data
Authors: Chousianitis Konstantinos , Konca A. Ozgun , Tselentis G.‐Akis , Papadopoulos Gerassimos A. , Gianniou Michail
Published: August 2016

We inferred the rupture process of the 2015 Lefkada earthquake by combining teleseismic and near‐field strong motion data, together with static and dynamic GPS displacements. The joint inversion of all data sets revealed a relatively complex slip pattern with a heterogeneous distribution. Slip is confined in the upper 10 km. Two principal asperities with peak slip amplitude of 2.35 m, which released 65% of the total seismic moment, were recovered southwest of the epicenter. Remarkably, the 2015 earthquake ruptured the part of the Cephalonia Transform Fault Zone that remained unbroken during the 2003 event, revealing a pattern of rupture segmentation along the fault zone. In this context the Lefkada segment can be divided into a northern and southern part. Preseismic deformation onshore southern Lefkada revealed that since the 2003 rupture, the northern part of the Lefkada segment continuously loaded the southern part, which eventually broke during the 2015 event.
SMAP soil moisture drying more rapid than observed in situ following rainfall events
Authors: Shellito Peter J. , Small Eric E. , Colliander Andreas , Bindlish Rajat , Cosh Michael H. , Berg Aaron A. , Bosch David D. , Caldwell Todd G. , Goodrich David C. , McNairn Heather , Prueger John H. , Starks Patrick J. , van der Velde Rogier , Walker Jeffrey P.
Published: August 2016

We examine soil drying rates by comparing surface soil moisture observations from the NASA Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission to those from networks of in situ probes upscaled to SMAP's sensing footprint. SMAP and upscaled in situ probes record different soil drying dynamics after rainfall. We modeled this process by fitting an exponential curve to 63 drydown events: the median SMAP drying timescale is 44% shorter and the magnitude of drying is 35% greater than in situ measurements. We also calculated drying rates between consecutive observations from 193 events. For 6 days after rainfall, soil moisture from SMAP dries at twice the rate of in situ measurements. Restricting in situ observations to times of SMAP observations does not change the drying timescale, magnitude, or rate. Therefore, observed differences are likely due to differences in sensing depths: SMAP measures shallower soil moisture than in situ probes, especially after rainfall.
Fast modulations of pulsating proton aurora related to subpacket structures of Pc1 geomagnetic pulsations at subauroral latitudes
Authors: Ozaki M. , Shiokawa K. , Miyoshi Y. , Kataoka R. , Yagitani S. , Inoue T. , Ebihara Y. , Jun C.‐W , Nomura R. , Sakaguchi K. , Otsuka Y. , Shoji M. , Schofield I. , Connors M. , Jordanova V. K.
Published: August 2016

To understand the role of electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves in determining the temporal features of pulsating proton aurora (PPA) via wave‐particle interactions at subauroral latitudes, high‐time‐resolution (1/8 s) images of proton‐induced N2+ emissions were recorded using a new electron multiplying charge‐coupled device camera, along with related Pc1 pulsations on the ground. The observed Pc1 pulsations consisted of successive rising‐tone elements with a spacing for each element of 100 s and subpacket structures, which manifest as amplitude modulations with a period of a few tens of seconds. In accordance with the temporal features of the Pc1 pulsations, the auroral intensity showed a similar repetition period of 100 s and an unpredicted fast modulation of a few tens of seconds. These results indicate that PPA is generated by pitch angle scattering, nonlinearly interacting with Pc1/EMIC waves at the magnetic equator.
MMS observations of ion‐scale magnetic island in the magnetosheath turbulent plasma
Authors: Huang S. Y. , Sahraoui F. , Retino A. , Le Contel O. , Yuan Z. G. , Chasapis A. , Aunai N. , Breuillard H. , Deng X. H. , Zhou M. , Fu H. S. , Pang Y. , Wang D. D. , Torbert R. B. , Goodrich K. A. , Ergun R. E. , Khotyaintsev Y. V. , Lindqvist P.‐A. , Russell C. T. , Strangeway R. J. , Magnes W. , Bromund K. , Leinweber H. , Plaschke F. , Anderson B. J. , Pollock C. J. , Giles B. L. , Moore T. E. , Burch J. L.
Published: August 2016

In this letter, first observations of ion‐scale magnetic island from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission in the magnetosheath turbulent plasma are presented. The magnetic island is characterized by bipolar variation of magnetic fields with magnetic field compression, strong core field, density depletion, and strong currents dominated by the parallel component to the local magnetic field. The estimated size of magnetic island is about 8 di, where di is the ion inertial length. Distinct particle behaviors and wave activities inside and at the edges of the magnetic island are observed: parallel electron beam accompanied with electrostatic solitary waves and strong electromagnetic lower hybrid drift waves inside the magnetic island and bidirectional electron beams, whistler waves, weak electromagnetic lower hybrid drift waves, and strong broadband electrostatic noise at the edges of the magnetic island. Our observations demonstrate that highly dynamical, strong wave activities and electron‐scale physics occur within ion‐scale magnetic islands in the magnetosheath turbulent plasma.
Evidence for universal earthquake rupture initiation behavior
Authors: Meier Men‐Andrin , Heaton Thomas , Clinton John
Published: August 2016

Earthquake onsets provide a unique opportunity to study physical rupture processes because they are more easily observable than later rupture stages. Despite this relative simplicity, the observational basis for rupture onsets is unclear. Numerous reports of evidence for magnitude‐dependent rupture onsets (which imply deterministic rupture behavior) stand in contradiction to a large body of physics‐based rupture modeling efforts, which are mostly based on inherently nondeterministic principles. Here we make use of the abundance of short‐distance recordings available today; a magnitude dependency of onsets should appear most prominently in such recordings. We use a simple method to demonstrate that all ruptures in the studied magnitude range (4 < M < 8) share a universal initial rupture behavior and discuss ensuing implications for physical rupture processes and earthquake early warning.
Finite‐frequency wave propagation through outer rise fault zones and seismic measurements of upper mantle hydration
Authors: Miller Nathaniel C. , Lizarralde Daniel
Published: August 2016

Effects of serpentine‐filled fault zones on seismic wave propagation in the upper mantle at the outer rise of subduction zones are evaluated using acoustic wave propagation models. Modeled wave speeds depend on azimuth, with slowest speeds in the fault‐normal direction. Propagation is fastest along faults, but, for fault widths on the order of the seismic wavelength, apparent wave speeds in this direction depend on frequency. For the 5–12 Hz Pn arrivals used in tomographic studies, joint‐parallel wavefronts are slowed by joints. This delay can account for the slowing seen in tomographic images of the outer rise upper mantle. At the Middle America Trench, confining serpentine to fault zones, as opposed to a uniform distribution, reduces estimates of bulk upper mantle hydration from ~3.5 wt % to as low as 0.33 wt % H2O.
A probabilistic prediction network for hydrological drought identification and environmental flow assessment
Authors: Liu Zhiyong , Törnros Tobias , Menzel Lucas
Published: August 2016

A general probabilistic prediction network is proposed for hydrological drought examination and environmental flow assessment. This network consists of three major components. First, we present the joint streamflow drought indicator (JSDI) to describe the hydrological dryness/wetness conditions. The JSDI is established based on a high‐dimensional multivariate probabilistic model. In the second part, a drought‐based environmental flow assessment method is introduced, which provides dynamic risk‐based information about how much flow (the environmental flow target) is required for drought recovery and its likelihood under different hydrological drought initial situations. The final part involves estimating the conditional probability of achieving the required environmental flow under different precipitation scenarios according to the joint dependence structure between streamflow and precipitation. Three watersheds from different countries (Germany, China, and the United States) with varying sizes from small to large were used to examine the usefulness of this network. The results show that the JSDI can provide an assessment of overall hydrological dryness/wetness conditions and performs well in identifying both drought onset and persistence. This network also allows quantitative prediction of targeted environmental flow required for hydrological drought recovery and estimation of the corresponding likelihood. Moreover, the results confirm that the general network can estimate the conditional probability associated with the required flow under different precipitation scenarios. The presented methodology offers a promising tool for water supply planning and management and for drought‐based environmental flow assessment. The network has no restrictions that would prevent it from being applied to other basins worldwide.
D
iamond–
B
lackfan Anaemia: From Genotype to Phenotype
Authors: Paolini Nahuel A , MacInnes Alyson W , von Lindern Marieke
Published: August 2016

Diamond–Blackfan anaemia (DBA) is a congenital disorder that presents in the first year of life as severe anaemia, and in several patients is coupled with developmental defects. DBA is a ribosomopathy because almost all known mutations or deletions occur in genes encoding ribosomal proteins (RPs) that impair ribosome biogenesis. However, atypical examples of patients carry mutations in the erythroid specific transcription factor GATA1. DBA is a rare disease that displays a high level of heterogeneity with respect to the affected RP and disease penetrance. The reduced availability of ribosomes affects several cellular processes, including stabilisation of the p53 tumour suppressor, and impaired messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) translation. Registration of the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of DBA patients worldwide is needed to understand the relation between mutations, patient symptoms and cellular processes that underlie this pathophysiology.

Key Concepts

Diamond–Blackfan anaemia (DBA) is caused by haploinsufficiency of one of several ribosomal proteins in at least two‐thirds of all patients; the disease causing mutation is unknown in approximately 30% of patients.

The mechanisms underlying the ribosomopathy DBA are multiple, and are incompletely understood.

Particularly, the roles of transcript specific translation and iron homeostasis are underestimated.

Defective mRNA translation in ribosomopathies such as DBA should be investigated in cells that are affected in the disease, because an mRNA translation defect depends on the cell's specific transcriptome.

DBA type I and DBA type II should be used to distinguish between patients carrying
RP
mutations versus those carrying mutations in genes that specifically affect erythropoiesis including
GATA1
.

The ribosomopathy Diamond–Blackfan anaemia should be renamed to Diamond–Blackfan syndrome to emphasise that it is a systemic disease of which severe anaemia at young age is the most common, but not the exclusive symptom.

The heterogeneity with which DBA presents, even when family members carry the same mutation, needs to be investigated to find a proper treatment for severe DBA.
The Concept of ‘
G
aia’
Authors: Attfield Robin , Attfield Kate
Published: August 2016

The Gaia theory of James Lovelock proposes that the Earth is a self‐regulating system, or super‐organism, maintaining conditions hospitable to contemporary planetary biota. Objections to this theory, concerning its alleged untestability and circularity, are considered and countered. Favourable evidence includes Lovelock's Daisyworld model of a planet regulating its own temperatures and thus maintaining homeostasis, and his discoveries of actual regulatory mechanisms such as the biological generation of dimethyl sulphide, which removes sulfur from the oceans and seeds clouds whose albedo reduces solar radiation (a negative feedback mechanism). After some decades of scepticism, sections of the scientific community have partially endorsed Gaia theory, accepting that the Earth system behaves as if self‐regulating. Whether or not this theory is acceptable in full, it has drawn attention to the need for preserving planetary biological cycles and for the planetary dimension to be incorporated in ethical decision‐making, and thus for a planetary ethic.

Key Concepts

James Lovelock hypothesises that the planetary physical and biological system is a self‐regulating super‐organism.

There were precedents before Lovelock for ascribing life either to the planet or to the universe.

James W. Kirchner presents Gaia hypotheses as either unoriginal or untestable.

Lovelock demonstrates that Gaia theory is both original and testable, albeit indirectly.

Lovelock's theory can readily escape the charge of circularity.

Predictions of Gaia theory include the existence of biologically generated mechanisms of planetary regulation.

Lovelock's discovery of dimethyl sulphide discloses such a mechanism for the regulation of oceanic sulfur.

Both atmospheric oxygen and atmospheric nitrogen turn out to be biologically generated and maintained.

Philosophers such as Stephen Clark and Mary Midgley have made Gaia a symbol for the planetary thinking currently needed.

The Amsterdam Declaration of planetary scientists (Moore
et al
., 2001) accepted aspects of Gaia theory, without explicitly accepting the theory's planetary goal.
Human Topoisomerase
I
Inhibitors
Authors: Desideri Alessandro
Published: August 2016

Topoisomerases are ubiquitous enzymes that solve topological problems due to DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) supercoiling occurring during the replication, transcription, recombination and chromatin remodelling processes. Human topoisomerase IB (Topo IB) is the selective target of camptothecin, a natural compound from which two powerful anticancer drugs, topotecan and irinotecan, are produced. Camptothecin acts as an interfacial inhibitor interacting with both the enzyme and DNA stabilising the covalent enzyme–DNA complex, and slowing down the religation of the broken DNA strands brings cells to death. Topo IB is also important for transcription of genes involved in neurodevelopment, and its inhibition during critical stages of brain development may be responsible for neurodevelopmental disorders.

Key Concepts

Topoisomerases are crucial enzymes essential in the relaxation of supercoiled DNA.

Human topoisomerase IB cuts a single DNA strand forming a transient enzyme–DNA cleavage complex.

Camptothecin is a natural compound of which human topoisomerase IB is the only cellular target.

Camptothecin can trap the enzyme–DNA cleavage complex bringing cells to death.

Two camptothecin derivatives have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration: topotecan for ovarian and lung cancers and irinotecan for colorectal cancer.

Camptothecin and its derivatives act as interfacial inhibitors interacting with both the enzyme and the DNA.

Single topoisomerase mutation may induce resistance to camptothecin.

New non‐camptothecin derivatives are under development.

The cytotoxic activity of camptothecin increases in the presence of other compounds inhibiting enzymes involved in DNA repair.

Inhibition of topoisomerase IB has also a strong influence on the modulation expression of groups of genes associated with autism.
Controlled and Stabilized Light–Matter Interaction in Graphene: Plasmonic Film with Large‐Scale 10‐nm Lithography
Authors: Hu Yaowu , Kumar Prashant , Xuan Yi , Deng Biwei , Qi Minghao , Cheng Gary J.
Published: August 2016

Graphene–plasmonic metal nanostructures have great potential as optical metamaterials with strong light–matter interactions for applications in energy harvesting, biochemical sensing, and plasmonics. Currently, large‐scale fabrication of graphene–plasmonic hybrid systems have the following bottlenecks to realization of their full potential: 1) the geometry of metal nanostructures is not well controlled, 2) the substrates are rigid, and 3) low chemical and thermal stability of plasmonic metal nanostructures. Top‐down fabrication of a free‐standing hybrid film is demonstrated with graphene veiling for flexible‐substrate‐supported engineered plasmonic nanoarrays. Large‐scale graphene–plasmonic nanoengineered hybrid structures with the capability to generate large optical‐field enhancement, such as ultrasharp 3D pyramids, 10‐nm V‐grooves, and nanotrenches (10–100 nm), are nanoimprinted from physical‐vapor‐deposited nanocrystalline thin films on flexible substrates by laser‐shock‐induced 10‐nm lithography. Anisotropic light–matter interactions with tunable field enhancement, hot electron transfer at the graphene–metal interface, and optical reflectance in the graphene are shown in a sub‐100‐nm nanoengineered metal structure. The application of such hybrid films is demonstrated in trace‐level direct detection of antibiotics from their waste containers. This hybrid structure has excellent stability in a reactive environment (sulfur) and at elevated temperatures (ca. 300 °C). These 10‐nm lithography enabled graphene–plasmonic nanosystems will stimulate development of many novel devices in a hybrid, tunable hot‐carrier‐surface plasmonic concept.