scholarly journals Optimal Inventorying and Monitoring of Taxon, Phylogenetic and Functional Diversity

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Cardoso ◽  
José C. Carvalho ◽  
Luis C. Crespo ◽  
Miquel A. Arnedo
Keyword(s):  
Functional Diversity ◽  
Optimization Procedure ◽  
Optimal Combination ◽  
Optimal Monitoring ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
True Diversity ◽  
Sampling Protocols ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Time Required

Abstract1. Inventorying requires comprehensive sampling, while monitoring should build on it and focus on as few components as possible to detect changes in time or space. To sample or acquire information for both purposes can therefore be viewed as different processes, herewith called α-sampling and β-sampling. Biodiversity covers species, their genetic diversity and the way they interact in communities and ecosystems. Quantifying these aspects leads to the need to study taxon (TD), phylogenetic (PD) and functional diversity (FD). Here we propose and test a method for the optimization of sampling protocols to inventorying and monitoring TD, PD and FD for a wide range of taxa.2. We used spiders as a case-study, although the same optimization procedure could be applied to any taxon requiring a combination of sampling methods. Spiders were sampled in multiple sites in the Iberian Peninsula. PD and FD were measured as the sum of the length of branches on a phylogenetic or functional tree. To reach the optimal combination of methods for inventory, we followed an iterative procedure optimizing the accumulation curve of diversity values. Optimal monitoring in space or time required minimizing the difference between sampled and true β-diversity. We used a framework that disentangles species replacement and richness differences contributions to overall β-diversity.3. For α-diversity, the optimal combination of 24 samples for TD, PD and FD allowed sampling more than 50% of real diversity. For β-diversity, the optimal combination of six samples for all measures allowed reaching a bias (difference between sampled and true diversity) below 0.08.4. The widespread use of similar sampling protocols worldwide and regular repetition in time can have a major impact on the scope and usefulness of global monitoring projects. In addition, the comparable sampling of biodiversity in space and/or time allows reusing of data collected for specific purposes, potentiating a synergistic effect among different projects. This makes data useful much beyond their initial plan. We strongly advocate the optimization, standardization and widespread adoption of sampling protocols for all taxa at a global level, for both inventory and monitoring of all levels of biodiversity: taxon, phylogenetic and functional.

Microwaves: Application in Electron Microscopy

1990 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 140-141
Author(s):  
Anthony S-Y Leong ◽  
David W Gove
Keyword(s):  
Electron Microscopy ◽  
Light Microscopy ◽  
Chemical Reactions ◽  
Electromagnetic Waves ◽  
Tissue Fixation ◽  
Primary Method ◽  
Dipolar Molecules ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Cryostat Sections

Microwaves (MW) are electromagnetic waves which are commonly generated at a frequency of 2.45 GHz. When dipolar molecules such as water, the polar side chains of proteins and other molecules with an uneven distribution of electrical charge are exposed to such non-ionizing radiation, they oscillate through 180° at a rate of 2,450 million cycles/s. This rapid kinetic movement results in accelerated chemical reactions and produces instantaneous heat. MWs have recently been applied to a wide range of procedures for light microscopy. MWs generated by domestic ovens have been used as a primary method of tissue fixation, it has been applied to the various stages of tissue processing as well as to a wide variety of staining procedures. This use of MWs has not only resulted in drastic reductions in the time required for tissue fixation, processing and staining, but have also produced better cytologic images in cryostat sections, and more importantly, have resulted in better preservation of cellular antigens.

Comparative Effects of High-Tech Visual Scene Displays and Low-Tech Isolated Picture Symbols on Engagement From Students With Multiple Disabilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 693-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Holyfield ◽  
Sydney Brooks ◽  
Allison Schluterman
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Multiple Disabilities ◽  
Visual Scene ◽  
Future Research ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Single Subject ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Difference

Purpose Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is an intervention approach that can promote communication and language in children with multiple disabilities who are beginning communicators. While a wide range of AAC technologies are available, little is known about the comparative effects of specific technology options. Given that engagement can be low for beginning communicators with multiple disabilities, the current study provides initial information about the comparative effects of 2 AAC technology options—high-tech visual scene displays (VSDs) and low-tech isolated picture symbols—on engagement. Method Three elementary-age beginning communicators with multiple disabilities participated. The study used a single-subject, alternating treatment design with each technology serving as a condition. Participants interacted with their school speech-language pathologists using each of the 2 technologies across 5 sessions in a block randomized order. Results According to visual analysis and nonoverlap of all pairs calculations, all 3 participants demonstrated more engagement with the high-tech VSDs than the low-tech isolated picture symbols as measured by their seconds of gaze toward each technology option. Despite the difference in engagement observed, there was no clear difference across the 2 conditions in engagement toward the communication partner or use of the AAC. Conclusions Clinicians can consider measuring engagement when evaluating AAC technology options for children with multiple disabilities and should consider evaluating high-tech VSDs as 1 technology option for them. Future research must explore the extent to which differences in engagement to particular AAC technologies result in differences in communication and language learning over time as might be expected.

Patterns in diversity and composition of the microbenthos of subarctic intertidal beaches with different morphodynamics

2020 ◽  
Vol 648 ◽  
pp. 19-38
Author(s):  
AI Azovsky ◽  
YA Mazei ◽  
MA Saburova ◽  
PV Sapozhnikov
Keyword(s):  
Species Abundance ◽  
Abundance Ratio ◽  
Wave Action ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Sediment Properties ◽  
Β Diversity ◽  
Α Diversity ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Similar Mode ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

Diversity and composition of benthic diatom algae and ciliates were studied at several beaches along the White and Barents seas: from highly exposed, reflective beaches with coarse-grained sands to sheltered, dissipative silty-sandy flats. For diatoms, the epipelic to epipsammic species abundance ratio was significantly correlated with the beach index and mean particle size, while neither α-diversity measures nor mean cell length were related to beach properties. In contrast, most of the characteristics of ciliate assemblages (diversity, total abundance and biomass, mean individual weight and percentage of karyorelictids) demonstrated a strong correlation to beach properties, remaining low at exposed beaches but increasing sharply in more sheltered conditions. β-diversity did not correlate with beach properties for either diatoms or ciliates. We suggest that wave action and sediment properties are the main drivers controlling the diversity and composition of the intertidal microbenthos. Diatoms and ciliates, however, demonstrated divergent response to these factors. Epipelic and epipsammic diatoms exhibited 2 different strategies to adapt to their environments and therefore were complementarily distributed along the environmental gradient and compensated for each other in diversity. Most ciliates demonstrated a similar mode of habitat selection but differed in their degree of tolerance. Euryporal (including mesoporal) species were relatively tolerant to wave action and therefore occurred under a wide range of beach conditions, though their abundance and diversity were highest in fine, relatively stable sediments on sheltered beaches, whereas the specific interstitial (i.e. genuine microporal) species were mostly restricted to only these habitats.

COMBINATORIAL POLYNOMIALLY COMPUTABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF SUBSTITUTIONS AND THEIR PROPERTIES

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
VLADIMIR NIKONOV ◽  
◽  
ANTON ZOBOV ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Expectation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Small Range ◽  
Computational Point ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Bijective Function ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Element Base ◽  
Selection Of

The construction and selection of a suitable bijective function, that is, substitution, is now becoming an important applied task, particularly for building block encryption systems. Many articles have suggested using different approaches to determining the quality of substitution, but most of them are highly computationally complex. The solution of this problem will significantly expand the range of methods for constructing and analyzing scheme in information protection systems. The purpose of research is to find easily measurable characteristics of substitutions, allowing to evaluate their quality, and also measures of the proximity of a particular substitutions to a random one, or its distance from it. For this purpose, several characteristics were proposed in this work: difference and polynomial, and their mathematical expectation was found, as well as variance for the difference characteristic. This allows us to make a conclusion about its quality by comparing the result of calculating the characteristic for a particular substitution with the calculated mathematical expectation. From a computational point of view, the thesises of the article are of exceptional interest due to the simplicity of the algorithm for quantifying the quality of bijective function substitutions. By its nature, the operation of calculating the difference characteristic carries out a simple summation of integer terms in a fixed and small range. Such an operation, both in the modern and in the prospective element base, is embedded in the logic of a wide range of functional elements, especially when implementing computational actions in the optical range, or on other carriers related to the field of nanotechnology.

Generalized Heterodyne Configurations for Photo-induced Force Microscopy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Wang ◽  
Devon Jakob ◽  
Haomin Wang ◽  
Alexis Apostolos ◽  
Marcos M. Pires ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Resolution ◽  
Repetition Rate ◽  
Modulation Frequency ◽  
High Harmonic ◽  
Chemical Imaging ◽  
Heterodyne Detection ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Afm Cantilever

<div>Infrared chemical microscopy through mechanical probing of light-matter interactions by atomic force microscopy (AFM) bypasses the diffraction limit. One increasingly popular technique is photo-induced force microscopy (PiFM), which utilizes the mechanical heterodyne signal detection between cantilever mechanical resonant oscillations and the photo induced force from light-matter interaction. So far, photo induced force microscopy has been operated in only one heterodyne configuration. In this article, we generalize heterodyne configurations of photoinduced force microscopy by introducing two new schemes: harmonic heterodyne detection and sequential heterodyne detection. In harmonic heterodyne detection, the laser repetition rate matches integer fractions of the difference between the two mechanical resonant modes of the AFM cantilever. The high harmonic of the beating from the photothermal expansion mixes with the AFM cantilever oscillation to provide PiFM signal. In sequential heterodyne detection, the combination of the repetition rate of laser pulses and polarization modulation frequency matches the difference between two AFM mechanical modes, leading to detectable PiFM signals. These two generalized heterodyne configurations for photo induced force microscopy deliver new avenues for chemical imaging and broadband spectroscopy at ~10 nm spatial resolution. They are suitable for a wide range of heterogeneous materials across various disciplines: from structured polymer film, polaritonic boron nitride materials, to isolated bacterial peptidoglycan cell walls. The generalized heterodyne configurations introduce flexibility for the implementation of PiFM and related tapping mode AFM-IR, and provide possibilities for additional modulation channel in PiFM for targeted signal extraction with nanoscale spatial resolution.</div>

TIME TO THE END OF PRIMARY CONSOLIDATION (EOP) OF SOFT CLAYEY SOILS: CONCERNING THE EFFECT OF ATTERBERG’S LIMIT AND CYCLIC LOADING HISTORY

2019 ◽  
Vol 128 (2B) ◽  
pp. 29-41
Author(s):  
Trần Thanh Nhàn
Keyword(s):  
Cyclic Loading ◽  
Pore Water ◽  
Pore Water Pressure ◽  
Water Pressure ◽  
Clayey Soils ◽  
Loading History ◽  
Cyclic Shear ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Primary Consolidation ◽  
Time Required

In order to observe the end of primary consolidation (EOP) of cohesive soils with and without subjecting to cyclic loading, reconstituted specimens of clayey soils at various Atterberg’s limits were used for oedometer test at different loading increments and undrained cyclic shear test followed by drainage with various cyclic shear directions and a wide range of shear strain amplitudes. The pore water pressure and settlement of the soils were measured with time and the time to EOP was then determined by different methods. It is shown from observed results that the time to EOP determined by 3-t method agrees well with the time required for full dissipation of the pore water pressure and being considerably larger than those determined by Log Time method. These observations were then further evaluated in connection with effects of the Atterberg’s limit and the cyclic loading history.

scholarly journals A Fast Retrieval of Cloud Parameters Using a Triplet of Wavelengths of Oxygen Dimer Band around 477 nm

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 152
Author(s):  
Haklim Choi ◽  
Xiong Liu ◽  
Gonzalo Gonzalez Abad ◽  
Jongjin Seo ◽  
Kwang-Mog Lee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Scattered Light ◽  
Trace Gas ◽  
Retrieval Algorithm ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Cloud Parameters ◽  
Retrieval Scheme ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Look ◽  
Time Required ◽  
Cloud Top Pressure

Clouds act as a major reflector that changes the amount of sunlight reflected to space. Change in radiance intensity due to the presence of clouds interrupts the retrieval of trace gas or aerosol properties from satellite data. In this paper, we developed a fast and robust algorithm, named the fast cloud retrieval algorithm, using a triplet of wavelengths (469, 477, and 485 nm) of the O2–O2 absorption band around 477 nm (CLDTO4) to derive the cloud information such as cloud top pressure (CTP) and cloud fraction (CF) for the Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS). The novel algorithm is based on the fact that the difference in the optical path through which light passes with regard to the altitude of clouds causes a change in radiance due to the absorption of O2–O2 at the three selected wavelengths. To reduce the time required for algorithm calculations, the look-up table (LUT) method was applied. The LUT was pre-constructed for various conditions of geometry using Vectorized Linearized Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer (VLIDORT) to consider the polarization of the scattered light. The GEMS was launched in February 2020, but the observed data of GEMS have not yet been widely released. To evaluate the performance of the algorithm, the retrieved CTP and CF using observational data from the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment-2 (GOME-2), which cover the spectral range of GEMS, were compared with the results of the Fast Retrieval Scheme for Clouds from the Oxygen A band (FRESCO) algorithm, which is based on the O2 A-band. There was good agreement between the results, despite small discrepancies for low clouds.

scholarly journals Natural Science and Supernatural Thought Experiments

Religions ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 389
Author(s):  
James Robert Brown
Keyword(s):  
Natural Science ◽  
Thought Experiment ◽  
Thought Experiments ◽  
The Other ◽  
Space And Time ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Theological Thought

Religious notions have long played a role in epistemology. Theological thought experiments, in particular, have been effective in a wide range of situations in the sciences. Some of these are merely picturesque, others have been heuristically important, and still others, as I will argue, have played a role that could be called essential. I will illustrate the difference between heuristic and essential with two examples. One of these stems from the Newton–Leibniz debate over the nature of space and time; the other is a thought experiment of my own constructed with the aim of making a case for a more liberal view of evidence in mathematics.

Analysis and Reduction of the Waste in the Work Process Using Time Study Analysis: A Case Study

2014 ◽  
Vol 660 ◽  
pp. 971-975 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohd Norzaim bin Che Ani ◽  
Siti Aisyah Binti Abdul Hamid
Keyword(s):  
Cycle Time ◽  
Lean Manufacturing ◽  
Value Added ◽  
Time Study ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Root Cause ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Unit Of Work ◽  
Time Required ◽  
The Impact

Time study is the process of observation which concerned with the determination of the amount of time required to perform a unit of work involves of internal, external and machine time elements. Originally, time study was first starting to be used in Europe since 1760s in manufacturing fields. It is the flexible technique in lean manufacturing and suitable for a wide range of situations. Time study approach that enable of reducing or minimizing ‘non-value added activities’ in the process cycle time which contribute to bottleneck time. The impact on improving process cycle time for organization that it was increasing the productivity and reduce cost. This project paper focusing on time study at selected processes with bottleneck time and identify the possible root cause which was contribute to high time required to perform a unit of work.

An experimental assessment of the evaporation correlations for natural, forced and combined convection regimes

2011 ◽  
Vol 226 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Jodat ◽  
M Moghiman
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Convection ◽  
Forced Convection ◽  
Evaporation Rate ◽  
Density Variation ◽  
Convection Regime ◽  
Combined Convection ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Rate Of Evaporation ◽  
Evaporation Models

In the present study, the applicability of widely used evaporation models (Dalton approach-based correlations) is experimentally investigated for natural, forced, and combined convection regimes. A series of experimental measurements are carried out over a wide range of water temperatures and air velocities for 0.01 ≤ Gr/Re2 ≤ 100 in a heated rectangular pool. The investigations show that the evaporation rate strongly depends on the convection regime's Gr/ Re2 value. The results show that the evaporation rate increases with the difference in vapour pressures over both forced convection (0.01 ≤ Gr/Re2 ≤ 0.1) and turbulent mixed convection regimes (0.15 ≤ Gr/Re2 ≤ 25). However, the escalation rate of evaporation decreases with Gr/ Re2 in the forced convection regime whereas in the turbulent mixed convection it increases. In addition, over the range of the free convection regime ( Gr/Re2 ≥ 25), the evaporation rate is affected not only by the vapour pressure difference but also by the density variation. A dimensionless correlation using the experimental data of all convection regimes (0.01 ≤ Gr/Re2 ≤ 100) is proposed to cover different water surface geometries and airflow conditions.

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