Cryopreservation of winter-dormant apple: iii - bud water status and survival after cooling to -30°C and during recovery from cryopreservation

In a continuing study to improve the efficiency of dormant bud cryopreservation for tissues hardened in maritime climates, the water status of dormant buds was monitored between -4 degree C and recovery from liquid nitrogen (LN). Measurement of water content, simple thermal analysis and differential scanning calorimetry were employed. Buds did not lose water during cooling to, or holding at -30 degree C indicating that cryodehydration and/or other adaptive responses contributed during this essential step. A bud exotherm that was an artefact of warming was detected due to necessary handling at -4 degree C before cooling to -30 degree C. There were no significant differences between cultivars with respect to water status at -30 degree C or immediately upon rewarming from LN despite significant differences in post-LN survival. Buds rehydrated in 5 days, but up to 14 days may be needed for recovery for some cultivars. In some instances buds could be grafted without rehydration, taking up water across the early graft union.     

Recovery of cryopreserved embryogenic cultures of maritime pine--effect of cryoprotectant and suspension density

Embryogenic cultures were obtained from seeds of open-pollinated maritime pine trees representing part of a breeding population. The aim of the present study was to develop and optimize a protocol for cryopreservation of Pinus pinaster somatic embryogenic tissue. The density of the embryogenic suspension and the type of pre-treatment significantly affected the recovery of cryopreserved embryogenic cultures, as evaluated by their survival and regrowth rate. An initial density of the suspension culture of 250 mg/ml improved the regrowth rate of the embryogenic lines. Pre-treatment with maltose 0.4 M significantly increased the regrowth rate when compared to the other tested carbohydrates. Also, the addition of DMSO in a mixture of PEG 4000 and sucrose (PSD solution), instead of DMSO alone, at the same final concentration, was clearly beneficial for recovery of cryopreserved tissues. This improved method for the cryopreservation of P pinaster embryogenic of cultures allowed the successful recovery of 97 percent of the lines stored in liquid of nitrogen.     

气溶胶对大气CO_2短波红外遥感探测影响的模拟分析

气溶胶引起的光学路径长度改变是影响高分辨率近红外光谱反演大气CO_2浓度的重要误差源.本文利用高精度大气辐射传输模式模拟中国碳卫星观测,结合CALIPSO(Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations)卫星的气溶胶廓线产品研究了不同特性的气溶胶对卫星观测光谱的影响.模拟结果显示:气溶胶散射引起的光学路径长度改变与气溶胶类型、模态以及垂直分布密切相关;城市型和海洋型气溶胶对观测光谱影响很大;多层分布的积聚模态大陆型和海洋型气溶胶在光学厚度小于0.3时,会引起5%以内的负辐射变化,随光学厚度不断增加会引起正的辐射变化;主要以粗粒子模态存在的气溶胶在不同的垂直分布情况下均会引起辐射的负变化,从而造成CO_2浓度的高估;另外,随气溶胶分布高度变高,负的辐射变化程度会逐渐减小.     

High-accuracy acoustic detection of nonclassical component of material nonlinearity

The aim is to assess the nonclassical component of material nonlinearity in several classes of materials with weak, intermediate, and high nonlinear properties. In this contribution, an optimized nonlinear resonant ultrasound spectroscopy (NRUS) measuring and data processing protocol applied to small samples is described. The protocol is used to overcome the effects of environmental condition changes that take place during an experiment, and that may mask the intrinsic nonlinearity. External temperature fluctuation is identified as a primary source of measurement contamination. For instance, a variation of 0.1?°C produced a frequency variation of 0.01%, which is similar to the expected nonlinear frequency shift for weakly nonlinear materials. In order to overcome environmental effects, the reference frequency measurements are repeated before each excitation level and then used to compute nonlinear parameters. Using this approach, relative resonant frequency shifts of 10(-5) can be measured, which is below the limit of 10(-4) often considered as the limit of NRUS sensitivity under common experimental conditions. Due to enhanced sensitivity resulting from the correction procedure applied in this work, nonclassical nonlinearity in materials that before have been assumed to only be classically nonlinear in past work (steel, brass, and aluminum) is reported.     

夏秋两季洱海、太湖表层混合层的深度变化特征及其机理分析

湖泊表层混合层深度的变化不仅影响湖泊水生生态系统的演变, 而且影响流域的局地气候、降水量的时空格局等. 基于2008年夏秋两季洱海(高原湖泊)和太湖(平原湖泊)的气象与水温廓线观测资料, 分析探讨了两湖表层混合层深度的变化特征及其机制. 结果表明: 夏季洱海能维持持续的分层现象, 秋季有明显的日分层现象, 而在相应的两季中, 太湖仅可能存在日分层现象; 洱海表层混合层深度较同期太湖更浅; 太湖两季的表层混合层深度变化较洱海频繁, 即太湖水体混合与分层的交替过程对气象条件的响应较洱海更为迅速. 太湖这类浅水湖泊, 水深是抑制其存在稳定、持续分层的关键因素, 在合适的辐射条件下, 可形成日分层现象; 而洱海这类深度的湖泊, 净热量通量是影响其是否存在持续、稳定分层的主要因子. 该研究为进一步探讨湖泊与大气两种湍流运动的耦合机制及水生生态环境演替规律等提供了有力的参考.     

Optimization and numerical evaluation of multi-compartment diffusion MRI using the spherical mean technique for practical multiple sclerosis imaging

BackgroundThe multi-compartment diffusion MRI using the spherical mean technique (SMT) has been suggested to enhance the pathological specificity to tissue injury in multiple sclerosis (MS) imaging, but its accuracy and precision have not been comprehensively evaluated.MethodsA Cramer-Rao Lower Bound method was used to optimize an SMT protocol for MS imaging. Finite difference computer simulations of spins in packed cylinders were then performed to evaluate the influences of five realistic pathological features in MS lesions: axon diameter, axon density, free water fraction, axonal crossing, dispersion, and undulation.ResultsSMT derived metrics can be biased by some confounds of pathological variations, such as axon size and free water fraction. However, SMT in general provides valuable information to characterize pathological features in MS lesions with a clinically feasible protocol.ConclusionSMT may be used as a practical MS imaging method and should be further improved in clinical MS imaging.     

Matched-field processing gain degradation caused by tidal flow over continental shelf bathymetry

Temporally variable, range dependent sound-speed profiles measured during ebb flow and estimated for slack flow are used to quantify the variability of matched-field signal-processing gain degradation in shallow water propagation channels controlled by tidally driven stratified flow over variable bathymetry. Calculations along a 9.3 km range establish phase changes in the acoustic signal as the primary cause of a 3-9 dB degradation in the coherent matched-field processing output of a full water column vertical array. The work indicates that over a tidal cycle acoustic signal properties and matched-field processing gain can be expected to change continuously in a shallow water stratified channel that has bathymetry variability. Acoustic signals propagating in such tidal flow-controlled environments may be expected to display repeatable (over successive tidal cycles) and predictable changes in their phase coherent properties. These results suggest that matched-field processor replica fields used in the shelf/slope propagation environment will have to be updated regularly during a tidal cycle to maintain maximum processor gain.     

Seasonal variations in fish delta13C and delta15N in two West African reservoirs, Sélingué and Manantali (Mali): modifications of trophic links in relation to water level

Most regions in the tropics undergo high seasonal precipitation that produces cyclic patterns of riverine discharge, resulting in periods characterized by low and high water levels. Many chemical and bio-logical factors are affected by this hydrologic seasonality, and it therefore appeared to be very likely that aquatic food webs would also differ during the low and high water periods. Available carbon sources for fish are thought to be less varied during low water periods, but flooding during high water periods could bring fish into contact with a greater abundance and diversity of food sources such as terrestrial plants or the biofilms that grow on submerged terrestrial plants. At low water levels, higher fish densities may lead to more piscivory and less omnivory when compared with the high water periods. Therefore, trophic links within the fish communities may then be modified by water level changes in tropical reservoirs. To address this prediction, we performed stable isotope analyses of the most common species in Sélingué and Manantali, two large reservoirs in Mali (West Africa). Allochthonous and littoral carbon sources were shown to support fish production to a significant extent, even during low water periods. However, the allochthonous or littoral carbon contributions that sustained the top-predators production were indeed greater during the high water periods as expected. The expected higher omnivory in the high water period might have shortened the food chain when compared with the low water period. Some carnivorous fish species were shown to feed at lower trophic levels during high water periods in both reservoirs, but this was not a general pattern. Flooding did not, therefore, necessarily result in a shorter food chain when water levels were high.     

Seasonal variations in fish δ13C and δ15N in two West African reservoirs,Sélingué and Manantali (Mali): Modifications of trophic links in relation to water level§

Most regions in the tropics undergo high seasonal precipitation that produces cyclic patterns of riverine discharge, resulting in periods characterized by low and high water levels. Many chemical and bio-logical factors are affected by this hydrologic seasonality, and it therefore appeared to be very likely that aquatic food webs would also differ during the low and high water periods. Available carbon sources for fish are thought to be less varied during low water periods, but flooding during high water periods could bring fish into contact with a greater abundance and diversity of food sources such as terrestrial plants or the biofilms that grow on submerged terrestrial plants. At low water levels, higher fish densities may lead to more piscivory and less omnivory when compared with the high water periods. Therefore, trophic links within the fish communities may then be modified by water level changes in tropical reservoirs. To address this prediction, we performed stable isotope analyses of the most common species in Sélingué and Manantali, two large reservoirs in Mali (West Africa). Allochthonous and littoral carbon sources were shown to support fish production to a significant extent, even during low water periods. However, the allochthonous or littoral carbon contributions that sustained the top-predators production were indeed greater during the high water periods as expected. The expected higher omnivory in the high water period might have shortened the food chain when compared with the low water period. Some carnivorous fish species were shown to feed at lower trophic levels during high water periods in both reservoirs, but this was not a general pattern. Flooding did not, therefore, necessarily result in a shorter food chain when water levels were high.     

[15N]Methacetin-und [15N]Ammoniumtest zur Leberfunktionsprüfung im Kindesalter

The stable isotope content of samples of precipitation and of the river water throughout the Piracicaba basin in Brazil was measured over a two-year period. The isotope values of precipitation follow a consistent pattern of relatively depleted values of both deuterium and oxygen 18 during the rainy summers and enriched ones during the dry winters, with all values aligned slightly above the Global Meteoric Water Line. The isotopic composition of the river water throughout the basin shows a remarkable spatial coherence and much smaller scatter of data than those of the precipitation. The isotope composition of river water is close to that of the precipitation in the rainy season, however, with a consistent lower d-excess value by 1‰–2‰. This is attributed to evaporative water loss in the basin, in part an expression of the recycling of water due to the anthropogenic activity in the region. The more divergent values are recorded during high-water stages in the rivers. In many cases, the floods during the beginning of the rainy season are characterized by an enrichment of the heavy isotopes and lower d-excess values when compared to the precipitation, with the opposite situation later in the rainy season. This is interpreted as resulting from the watershed/riverflow interaction pattern, and it thus suggests that the isotope composition can monitor the hydrologic situation in the basin and its changes.     

The Piracicaba River basin: isotope hydrology of a tropical river basin under anthropogenic stress

The stable isotope content of samples of precipitation and of the river water throughout the Piracicaba basin in Brazil was measured over a two-year period. The isotope values of precipitation follow a consistent pattern of relatively depleted values of both deuterium and oxygen 18 during the rainy summers and enriched ones during the dry winters, with all values aligned slightly above the Global Meteoric Water Line. The isotopic composition of the river water throughout the basin shows a remarkable spatial coherence and much smaller scatter of data than those of the precipitation. The isotope composition of river water is close to that of the precipitation in the rainy season, however, with a consistent lower d-excess value by 1/1000-2/1000. This is attributed to evaporative water loss in the basin, in part an expression of the recycling of water due to the anthropogenic activity in the region. The more divergent values are recorded during high-water stages in the rivers. In many cases, the floods during the beginning of the rainy season are characterized by an enrichment of the heavy isotopes and lower d-excess values when compared to the precipitation, with the opposite situation later in the rainy season. This is interpreted as resulting from the watershed/riverflow interaction pattern, and it thus suggests that the isotope composition can monitor the hydrologic situation in the basin and its changes.     

Propagation modeling of ocean-scattered low-elevation GPS signals for maritime tropospheric duct inversion

The maritime tropospheric duct is a low-altitude anomalous refractivity structure over the ocean surface,and it can significantly affect the performance of many shore-based/shipboard radar and communication systems.We propose the idea that maritime tropospheric ducts can be retrieved from ocean forward-scattered low-elevation global positioning system(GPS) signals.Retrieval is accomplished by matching the measured power patterns of the signals to those predicted by the forward propagation model as a function of the modified refractivity profile.On the basis of a parabolic equation method and bistatic radar equation,we develop such a forward model for computing the trapped propagation characteristics of an ocean forward-scattered GPS signal within a tropospheric duct.A new GPS scattering initial field is defined for this model to start the propagation modeling.A preliminary test on the performance of this model is conducted using measured data obtained from a 2009-experiment in the South China Sea.Results demonstrate that this model can predict GPS propagation characteristics within maritime tropospheric ducts and serve as a forward model for duct inversion.     

Subtle white matter volume differences in children treated for medulloblastoma with conventional or reduced dose craniospinal irradiation

Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children, and approximately seventy percent of average-risk patients will achieve long-term survival. Craniospinal irradiation (CSI), combined with chemotherapy and surgery, is currently the mainstay of treatment but places children who survive at risk for serious neurocognitive sequelae. These sequelae are intensified with a younger age at treatment, greater elapsed time following treatment, and an increased radiation dose. Many newer treatment approaches have attempted to address this problem by reducing the dose of the CSI component of radiation therapy while maintaining the current survival rates. This study evaluates longitudinal MR imaging during therapy to assess the impact of the two CSI doses (conventional [36 Gy] and reduced [23.4 Gy]) on normal appearing white matter volumes (NAWMV) evaluated in a single index slice. Twenty-six children and young adults at least three years of age enrolled on an institutional protocol for newly diagnosed, previously untreated primary medulloblastoma had at least four MR examinations over a minimum nine month period following CSI. These serial volumes were evaluated as a function of time since CSI in three analyses: 1) all subjects, 2) subjects stratified by age at CSI, and 3) subjects stratified by CSI dose. The first analysis demonstrated that medulloblastoma patients treated with CSI have a significant loss of NAWMV in contradistiction to normally expected maturation. Stratifying the patients by age at CSI found no significant differences in the rate of NAWMV loss. The final analysis stratified the patients by CSI dose and revealed that the rate of NAWMV loss was 23% slower in children receiving reduced-dose. Serial quantitative MR measures of NAWMV may provide a neuroanatomical substrate for assessing functional impact of CSI on normal brain function following treatment for medulloblastoma.     

Survival of freezing by free-living Antarctic soil nematodes

Free-living microbivorous nematodes become numerically dominant in Antarctic terrestrial faunas as environmental conditions become more severe, while also reaching very high levels of abundance in moist, vegetated habitats. Nematodes have little resistance to freezing via exogenous ice nucleation, such as would occur as their microhabitat freezes. We report the results of experiments testing the ability of seven maritime Antarctic nematode taxa to survive freezing in small water droplets at high sub-zero temperatures. Isolated individuals of these species possessed supercooling characteristics similar to those previously reported (supercooling points -6 to -25 degree C). When frozen in water at -3 to -6 degree C, most showed high (> 70%) survival both (i) after rapid cooling (1 degree C/min) to c. -60 degree C followed by immediate rewarming, and (ii) when held for 7-12 h at either -10 or -30 degree C, although the proportions surviving varied between species. We propose that the ability to survive freezing while fully hydrated at high sub-zero temperatures is one of the most important aspects of these species' survival tactics.     

An entropy-based approach to automatic image segmentation of satellite images

An entropy-based image segmentation approach is introduced and applied to color images obtained from Google Earth. Segmentation refers to the process of partitioning a digital image in order to locate different objects and regions of interest. The application to satellite images paves the way to automated monitoring of ecological catastrophes, urban growth, agricultural activity, maritime pollution, climate changing and general surveillance. Regions representing aquatic, rural and urban areas are identified and the accuracy of the proposed segmentation methodology is evaluated. The comparison with gray level images revealed that the color information is fundamental to obtain an accurate segmentation.     

宇宙线福布什下降期间羊八井云量的变化

进入地球大气中的宇宙线强度发生变化,可能导致气候,比如云量的变化. 利用羊八井中子监测器在2003—2004年观测到3次宇宙线福布什下降,在这期间同时记录了观测站点上空的云量变化. 通过对宇宙线福布什下降期间羊八井上空云量的统计分析发现,宇宙线福布什下降期间云量增加,即云量对宇宙线福布什下降表现出明显的负响应. 这表明,宇宙线福布什下降期间,低纬度薄云层地区云量增加,与其他观测结果相一致.     

Pattern formation by local amplification and lateral inhibition: Examples from biology and geology

This article provides an overview of current and prospected climate changes, their causes and implied threats, and of a possible route to keep the changes within a tolerable level. The global mean temperature has up to 2005 risen by almost 0.8°C, and the change expected by 2100 is as large as glacial-interglacial changes in the past, which were commonly spread out over 10000 years. As is well known, the principle actor is man-made CO₂, which, together with other anthropogenic gases, enhances the atmosphere’s greenhouse effect. The only man-made cooling agent appears to be atmospheric aerosols. Atmospheric CO₂ has now reached levels unprecedented during the past several million years. Principal threats are a greatly reduced biodiversity (species extinction), changes in the atmospheric precipitation pattern, more frequent weather extremes, and not the least, sea level rise. The expected precipitation pattern will enhance water scarcity in and around regions that suffer from water shortage already, affecting many countries. Sea level rise will act on a longer time scale. It is expected to amount to more than 50 cm by 2100, and over the coming centuries the potential rise is of the order of 10 m. A global-mean temperature increase of 2°C is often quoted as a safe limit, beyond which irreversible effects must be expected. To achieve that limit, a major, rapid, and coordinated international effort will be needed. Up to the year 2050, the man-made CO₂ releases must be reduced by at least 50%. This must be accompanied by a complete overhaul of the global energy supply toward depending increasingly on the Sun’s supply of energy, both directly and in converted form, such as wind energy. Much of the information and insight available today has been generated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in particular its Fourth Assessment Report of 2007, which greatly advanced both public attention and political action.     

The temperature dependence of the diffusion coefficient and of the trapping rate of positrons in metals

The paper explores the consequences of metastable self-trapping of positrons for the temperature variation of positron diffusion coefficients and trapping rates. It is shown that the diffusion coefficient is expected to decrease with increasing temperatures from a value determined by the scattering of positron Bloch waves by acoustic phonons to a much lower one governed by a hopping process. The temperature variation of the rate of trapping by small defects such as vacancies is more complicated since only at high temperatures can we expect it to be limited by the positron diffusion coefficient. At low temperatures the observed magnitude of the rate of trapping at monovacancies can only be understood if the trapping rate is controlled by the rate of capture of positrons that have arrived at the trap.     

Rapid cold-hardening in Zaprionus vittiger (Coquillett) (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Low temperature injury can be significantly reduced by pre-treatment at sub-lethal low temperatures of only a few hours--a phenomenon termed 'rapid cold-hardening' (RCH). However, most studies to date have focused extensively on only a few key insect taxa, e.g. Drosophila melanogaster within the Drosophilidae family. Further studies on other closely-related species are required to better understand evolutionary and ecological variation in the magnitude of the RCH response in terrestrial arthropods. Here, we investigated RCH in a previously unstudied fruit fly, Zaprionus vittiger, following a range of high and low pretreatment temperatures. There was a significant improvement in Z. vittiger survival of lethal temperatures (2 h at -3 degrees C) following a 2 h pretreatment at 4, 7 and 10 degrees C as well as 30 degrees C for 2 h. Maximum survival (60-70%) during RCH was achieved following hardening at 7 degrees C and 10 degrees C but is lower than some Drosophila species under similar treatment conditions. Therefore, since RCH was detected in a confamilial species, we propose that RCH might be a widely conserved response to temperature variation in the family Drosophilidae, although some variation in the magnitude of the response can be detected.     

Stable isotopic and geochemical variability within shallow groundwater beneath a hardwood hammock and surface water in an adjoining slough (Everglades National Park,Florida, USA)

Data from a 10-month monitoring study during 2007 in the Everglades ecosystem provide insight into the variation of δ¹⁸O, δD, and ion chemistry in surface water and shallow groundwater. Surface waters are sensitive to dilution from rainfall and input from external sources. Shallow groundwater, on the other hand, remains geochemically stable during the year. Surface water input from canals derived from draining agricultural areas to the north and east of the Everglades is evident in the ion data. δ¹⁸O and δD values in shallow groundwater remain near the mean of?2.4 and?12 ‰, respectively. ¹⁸O and D values are enriched in surface water compared with shallow groundwater and fluctuate in sync with those measured in rainfall. The local meteoric water line (LMWL) for precipitation is in close agreement with the global meteoric water line; however, the local evaporation line (LEL) for surface water and shallow groundwater is δ D=5.6 δ¹⁸O+1.5, a sign that these waters have experienced evaporation. The intercept of the LMWL and LEL indicates that the primary recharge to the Everglades is tropical cyclones or fronts. δ deuterium to δ¹⁸O excess (D_ex values) generally reveal two moisture sources for precipitation, a maritime source during the fall and winter (D _ex>10 ‰) and a continental-influenced source (D _ex<10 ‰) in the spring and summer.