The CuSPED Mission: CubeSat for GNSS Sounding of the Ionosphere-Plasmasphere Electron Density

Science.gov (United States)

Gross, Jason N.; Keesee, Amy M.; Christian, John A.; Gu, Yu; Scime, Earl; Komjathy, Attila; Lightsey, E. Glenn; Pollock, Craig J.

2016-01-01

The CubeSat for GNSS Sounding of Ionosphere-Plasmasphere Electron Density (CuSPED) is a 3U CubeSat mission concept that has been developed in response to the NASA Heliophysics program's decadal science goal of the determining of the dynamics and coupling of the Earth's magnetosphere, ionosphere, and atmosphere and their response to solar and terrestrial inputs. The mission was formulated through a collaboration between West Virginia University, Georgia Tech, NASA GSFC and NASA JPL, and features a 3U CubeSat that hosts both a miniaturized space capable Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver for topside atmospheric sounding, along with a Thermal Electron Capped Hemispherical Spectrometer (TECHS) for the purpose of in situ electron precipitation measurements. These two complimentary measurement techniques will provide data for the purpose of constraining ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling models and will also enable studies of the local plasma environment and spacecraft charging; a phenomenon which is known to lead to significant errors in the measurement of low-energy, charged species from instruments aboard spacecraft traversing the ionosphere. This paper will provide an overview of the concept including its science motivation and implementation.

A case study of electron precipitation fluxes due to plasmaspheric hiss

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Hardman, R.; Clilverd, M. A.; Rodger, C. J.; Brundell, J. B.; Duthie, R.; Holzworth, R. H.; Mann, I. R.; Milling, D. K.; Macúšová, Eva

2015-01-01

Roč. 120, č. 8 (2015), s. 6736-6748 ISSN 2169-9380 Institutional support: RVO:68378289 Keywords : plasmasphere * plasmaspheric hiss * electron precipitation * radiation belt electrons Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 3.318, year: 2015 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2015JA021429/abstract

The fate of the outer plasmasphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elphic, R.C.; Thomsen, M.F.; Borovsky, J.E.

1997-01-01

Both the solar wind and the ionosphere contribute to Earth close-quote s magnetospheric plasma environment. However, it is not widely appreciated that the plasmasphere is a large reservoir of ionospheric ions that can be tapped to populate the plasma sheet. We employ empirical models of high-latitude ionospheric convection and the geomagnetic field to describe the transport of outer plasmasphere flux tubes from the dayside, over the polar cap and into the magnetotail during the early phases of a geomagnetic storm. We calculate that this process can give rise to high densities of cold plasma in the magnetotail lobes and in the near-Earth plasma sheet during times of enhanced geomagnetic activity, and especially during storms. This model can help explain both polar cap ionization patches and the presence of cold flowing ions downtail.copyright 1997 American Geophysical Union

On a possible nature of the ''hot'' zone in the Earth plasmasphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krinberg, I.A.; Tashchilin, A.V.; Fridman, S.V.

1980-01-01

The structure of the Earth plasmasphere according to the data obtained by the ''Prognoz'' satellite is discussed. According to the measurements of ion temperature TsuO(i) the Earth plasmasphere is divided into two zones: ''cold'' inner with Tsub(i) 4 K and ''hot'' outer with Tsub(n) >= 10 5 K. For theoretic study of the plasma sphere peculiarities a previously developed model of the ionosphere-plasmasphere system is used. Numerical solution of hydrodynamic equations for O + and H + ions and electrons along separate geomagnetic force tubes, at the ends of which the fluxes of particles and energy are supposed to be equal to zero, is the model basis. To study the effect of hot plasmaspheric ions with Tsub(i)=10 5 K upon the ionosphere below the geomagnetic force tube with L=5 is chosen. Distributions of ion compositions and temperatures depending on the height along the force line for 14 hr LT are presented. It is shown that ''hot'' zone of plasmasphere presents a region where alongside with thermal plasma with the temperature of approximately 10 4 K hot protons with the energy E > 0.1 keV and concentration of approximately 1 cm -3 are present [ru

Obervations of low energy magnetospheric plasma outside the plasmasphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hultqvist, B.

1985-01-01

After some introductory discussions about morphological concepts and limitations of various measurement techniques, existing low energy plasma data, orginating primarily from the GEOS, Dynamics Explorer, and Prognoz spacecraft, is described and discussed. The plasmasphere measurements are not included (but for some observations of plasmasphere refilling). It is finally concluded that we are very far from a complete picture of the low-energy plasma component in the magnetosphere and that this problem has to be given high priority in planning payloads of future space plasma physics missions. (Author)

Some characteristics of midlatitude F layer storms generated by thermosphere-plasmasphere coupling processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, N.J.

1983-01-01

In this dissertation, calculations are interpreted that have been made to describe stormtime variations in equinoctial dayside plasma parameters when the variations are primarily caused by processes dependent upon collisional coupling between the thermosphere and the plasmasphere. The calculations are made with a computer model formed by linking two theoretical models: a pre-existing thermospheric model that describes dayside variations in thermospheric parameters during stormtime heating of the thermosphere; a plasmaspheric model which was developed to describe dayside plasmaspheric variations caused by the thermospheric variations described by the thermospheric model and by variations in a magnetospheric electric field. Both portions of the computerized storm model solve partial differential equations describing conservation of species, momentum, and energy by replacing dependent variables with expansions in time series. The thermospheric portion of the storm model solves for variations in gas temperature, horizontal wind velocity, and densities of atomic oxygen and molecular nitrogen while the plasmaspheric portion of the storm model solves for variations in ion densities of oxygen and hydrogen, ion fluxes and electrons, and heat fluxes through ions and electrons. Other calculations that have been used to describe variations in thermospheric and plasmaspheric parameters are summarized and the advantages and limitations of the model calculations used to obtain results presented in this dissertation are noted

Plasmasphere dynamics in the duskside bulge region: A new look at old topic

Science.gov (United States)

Carpenter, D. L.; Giles, B. L.; Chappell, C. R.; Decreau, P. M. E.; Anderson, R. R.; Persoon, A. M.; Smith, A. J.; Corcuff, Y.; Canu, P.

1993-01-01

Data acquired during several multiday periods in 1982 at ground stations Siple, Halley, and Kerguelen and on satellites Dynamics Explorer 1, International Sun Earth Explorer 1, and GEOS 2 have been used to investigate thermal plasma structure and dynamics in the duskside plasmasphere bulge region of the Earth. The distribution of thermal plasma in the dusk bulge sector is difficult to describe realistically, in part because of the time integral manner in which the thermal plasma distribution depends upon on the effects of bulk cross-B flow and interchange plasma flows along B. While relatively simple MHD models can be useful for qualitatively predicting certain effects of enhanced convection on a quiet plasmasphere, such as an initial sunward entrainment of the outer regions, they are of limited value in predicting the duskside thermal plasma structures that are observed. Furthermore, use of such models can be misleading if one fails to realize that they do not address the question of the formation of the steep plasmapause profile or provide for a possible role of instabilities or other irreversible processes in plasmapause formation. Our specific findings, which are based both upon the present case studies and upon earlier work, include the following: (1) during active periods the plasmasphere appears to become divided into two entities, a main plasmasphere and a duskside bulge region. (2) in the aftermath of an increase in convection activity, the main plasmasphere tends (from a statistical point of view) to become roughly circular in equatorial cross section, with only a slight bulge at dusk; (3) the abrupt westward edge of the duskside bulge observed from whistlers represents a state in the evolution of sunward extending streamers; (4) in the aftermath of a weak magnetic storm, 10 to 30% of the plasma 'removed' from the outer plasmasphere appears to remain in the afternoon-dusk sector beyond the main plasmasphere. (5) outlying dense plasma structures may

Improved analysis of plasmasphere motion using the VLA radio interferometer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. W. Hoogeveen

1997-02-01

Full Text Available Observations using the very large (VLA radio interferometer during the past five years have enabled the discovery of a new type of plasmasphere disturbance, the magnetic eastward-directed wave. Previous work indicated these disturbances were likely frozen to the geomagnetic field as determined from their azimuth distributions. This work provides a method to explain more accurately the azimuth distribution, thereby allowing the calculation of the disturbances' location in the plasmasphere independently of the measured velocity. The measurable velocity due to corotation is calculated and subtracted from the measured trace velocity. This difference, or deviation from corotation, is attributed to electrodynamic convection; the measurement of plasmaspheric convection may lead to the eventual monitoring of mid-latitude electric fields. Disturbances are seen convecting predominantly westward, with the fastest having angular velocities greater than the anticorotating VLA line of sight. The direction of convection and conditions of observations indicate that the disturbances are likely the same phenomenon seen by the Los Alamos satellite beacon array.

Improved analysis of plasmasphere motion using the VLA radio interferometer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. W. Hoogeveen

Full Text Available Observations using the very large (VLA radio interferometer during the past five years have enabled the discovery of a new type of plasmasphere disturbance, the magnetic eastward-directed wave. Previous work indicated these disturbances were likely frozen to the geomagnetic field as determined from their azimuth distributions. This work provides a method to explain more accurately the azimuth distribution, thereby allowing the calculation of the disturbances' location in the plasmasphere independently of the measured velocity. The measurable velocity due to corotation is calculated and subtracted from the measured trace velocity. This difference, or deviation from corotation, is attributed to electrodynamic convection; the measurement of plasmaspheric convection may lead to the eventual monitoring of mid-latitude electric fields. Disturbances are seen convecting predominantly westward, with the fastest having angular velocities greater than the anticorotating VLA line of sight. The direction of convection and conditions of observations indicate that the disturbances are likely the same phenomenon seen by the Los Alamos satellite beacon array.

RANSAC approach for automated registration of terrestrial laser scans using linear features

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Al-Durgham

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The registration process of terrestrial laser scans (TLS targets the problem of how to combine several laser scans in order to attain better information about features than what could be obtained through single scan. The main goal of the registration process is to estimate the parameters which determine geometrical variation between the origins of datasets collected from different locations. Scale, shifts, and rotation parameters are usually used to describe such variation. This paper presents a framework for the registration of overlapping terrestrial laser scans by establishing an automatic matching strategy that uses 3D linear features. More specifically, invariant separation characteristics between 3D linear features extracted from laser scans will be used to establish hypothesized conjugate linear features between the laser scans. These candidate matches are then used to geo-reference scans relative to a common reference frame. The registration workflow simulates the well-known RANndom Sample Consensus method (RANSAC for determining the registration parameters, whereas the iterative closest projected point (ICPP is utilized to determine the most probable solution of the transformation parameters from several solutions. The experimental results prove that the proposed methodology can be used for the automatic registration of terrestrial laser scans using linear features.

Plasmaspheric hiss properties: Observations from Polar

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tsurutani, B. T.; Falkowski, B. J.; Pickett, J. S.; Santolík, Ondřej; Lakhina, G. S.

2015-01-01

Roč. 120, č. 1 (2015), s. 414-431 ISSN 2169-9380 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP205/10/2279 Institutional support: RVO:68378289 Keywords : plasmasphere * hiss * Polar Subject RIV: BL - Plasma and Gas Discharge Physics Impact factor: 3.318, year: 2015 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2014JA020518/abstract

Topics in planetary plasmaspheres

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, C.K.

1977-01-01

Contributions to the understanding of two distinct kinds of planetary plasmaspheres: namely the earth-type characterized by an ionospheric source and a convection limited radial extent, and the Jupiter-type characterized by a satellite source and a radial extent determined by flux tube interchange motions. In both cases the central question is the geometry of the plasma distribution in the magnetosphere as it is determined by the appropriate production and loss mechanisms. The contributions contained herein concern the explication and clarification of these production and loss mechanisms

CIMI simulations with newly developed multiparameter chorus and plasmaspheric hiss wave models

Science.gov (United States)

Aryan, Homayon; Sibeck, David G.; Kang, Suk-Bin; Balikhin, Michael A.; Fok, Mei-Ching; Agapitov, Oleksiy; Komar, Colin M.; Kanekal, Shrikanth G.; Nagai, Tsugunobu

2017-09-01

Numerical simulation studies of the Earth's radiation belts are important to understand the acceleration and loss of energetic electrons. The Comprehensive Inner Magnetosphere-Ionosphere (CIMI) model considers the effects of the ring current and plasmasphere on the radiation belts to obtain plausible results. The CIMI model incorporates pitch angle, energy, and cross diffusion of electrons, due to chorus and plasmaspheric hiss waves. These parameters are calculated using statistical wave distribution models of chorus and plasmaspheric hiss amplitudes. However, currently, these wave distribution models are based only on a single-parameter, geomagnetic index (AE) and could potentially underestimate the wave amplitudes. Here we incorporate recently developed multiparameter chorus and plasmaspheric hiss wave models based on geomagnetic index and solar wind parameters. We then perform CIMI simulations for two geomagnetic storms and compare the flux enhancement of MeV electrons with data from the Van Allen Probes and Akebono satellites. We show that the relativistic electron fluxes calculated with multiparameter wave models resemble the observations more accurately than the relativistic electron fluxes calculated with single-parameter wave models. This indicates that wave models based on a combination of geomagnetic index and solar wind parameters are more effective as inputs to radiation belt models.

Simulation and measurement of the plasmaspheric electron content. Final report, 1 October 1974--30 September 1976

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poletti-Liuzzi, D.A.; Yeh, K.C.; Liu, C.H.

1976-09-01

Two techniques are used to measure the plasmaspheric electron content. The Faraday effect, which is weighted by the Earth magnetic field, is insensitive to electrons in the plasmasphere. The differential group delay is equally sensitive to all electrons along the radio path. Therefore, by combining these techniques, the plasmaspheric content can be measured. However, the sensitivity of the techniques depend on the ionospheric parameters. Therefore, in order to obtain consistent results from the data, computer simulations investigating the sensitivity of the techniques to different ionospheric models are carried out and discussed. The equipment contribution and effects to the measurements are also investigated. Results of the measured plasmaspheric content from the ATS-6 data under normal geomagnetic conditions and during magnetic storms are presented. The possible causes of the observed behavior are also presented

A new electron density model of the plasmasphere for operational applications and services

Science.gov (United States)

Jakowski, Norbert; Hoque, Mohammed Mainul

2018-03-01

The Earth's plasmasphere contributes essentially to total electron content (TEC) measurements from ground or satellite platforms. Furthermore, as an integral part of space weather, associated plasmaspheric phenomena must be addressed in conjunction with ionosphere weather monitoring by operational space weather services. For supporting space weather services and mitigation of propagation errors in Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) applications we have developed the empirical Neustrelitz plasmasphere model (NPSM). The model consists of an upper L shell dependent part and a lower altitude dependent part, both described by specific exponential decays. Here the McIllwain parameter L defines the geomagnetic field lines in a centered dipole model for the geomagnetic field. The coefficients of the developed approaches are successfully fitted to numerous electron density data derived from dual frequency GPS measurements on-board the CHAMP satellite mission from 2000 to 2005. The data are utilized for fitting up to the L shell L = 3 because a previous validation has shown a good agreement with IMAGE/RPI measurements up to this value. Using the solar radio flux index F10.7 as the only external parameter, the operation of the model is robust, with 40 coefficients fast and sufficiently accurate to be used as a background model for estimating TEC or electron density profiles in near real time GNSS applications and services. In addition to this, the model approach is sensitive to ionospheric coupling resulting in anomalies such as the Nighttime Winter Anomaly and the related Mid-Summer Nighttime Anomaly and even shows a slight plasmasphere compression of the dayside plasmasphere due to solar wind pressure. Modelled electron density and TEC values agree with estimates reported in the literature in similar cases.

Numerical solution of the kinetic equation for photoelectrons in the plasmasphere with account for free and trapped zones

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khazanov, G.V.; Koen, M.A.; Burenkov, S.I.

1979-01-01

Considered is the dinamics of photoelectron fluxes formation in the Earth plasmasphere with account of zone interaction of free and trapped photoelectrons. An algorithm and the results of numerical solution of the equation are presented. The problem of boundary condition choice is discussed. The angular distribution of 10 eV energy photoelectrons at different altitudes of plasmasphere is presented as an example. It is shown that the changes of photoelectron distribution function from bottom of plasmasphere to the top of a force line of the geomagnetic field are within the 1.6 limits. Presented is the estimate of plasmasphere transmittance value and its comparison with the experiment for Mc Ilwain parameter L=2

Unexpected storm-time nightside plasmaspheric density enhancement at low L shell

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, X.; Bortnik, J.; Denton, R. E.; Yue, C.

2017-12-01

We have developed a three-dimensional dynamic electron density (DEN3D) model in the inner magnetosphere using a neural network approach. The DEN3D model can provide spatiotemporal distribution of the electron density at any location and time that spacecraft observations are not available. Given DEN3D's good performance in predicting the structure and dynamic evolution of the plasma density, the salient features of the DEN3D model can be used to gain further insight into the physics. For instance, the DEN3D models can be used to find unusual phenomena that are difficult to detect in observations or simulations. We report, for the first time, an unexpected plasmaspheric density increase at low L shell regions on the nightside during the main phase of a moderate storm during 12-16 October 2004, as opposed to the expected density decrease due to storm-time plasmaspheric erosion. The unexpected density increase is first discovered in the modeled electron density distribution using the DEN3D model, and then validated using in-situ density measurements obtained from the IMAGE satellite. The density increase was likely caused by increased earthward transverse field plasma transport due to enhanced nightside ExB drift, which coincided with enhanced solar wind electric field and substorm activity. This is consistent with the results of physics-based simulation SAMI3 model which show earthward enhanced plasma transport and electron density increase at low L shells during storm main phase.

Automated Feature Extraction of Foredune Morphology from Terrestrial Lidar Data

Science.gov (United States)

Spore, N.; Brodie, K. L.; Swann, C.

2014-12-01

Foredune morphology is often described in storm impact prediction models using the elevation of the dune crest and dune toe and compared with maximum runup elevations to categorize the storm impact and predicted responses. However, these parameters do not account for other foredune features that may make them more or less erodible, such as alongshore variations in morphology, vegetation coverage, or compaction. The goal of this work is to identify other descriptive features that can be extracted from terrestrial lidar data that may affect the rate of dune erosion under wave attack. Daily, mobile-terrestrial lidar surveys were conducted during a 6-day nor'easter (Hs = 4 m in 6 m water depth) along 20km of coastline near Duck, North Carolina which encompassed a variety of foredune forms in close proximity to each other. This abstract will focus on the tools developed for the automated extraction of the morphological features from terrestrial lidar data, while the response of the dune will be presented by Brodie and Spore as an accompanying abstract. Raw point cloud data can be dense and is often under-utilized due to time and personnel constraints required for analysis, since many algorithms are not fully automated. In our approach, the point cloud is first projected into a local coordinate system aligned with the coastline, and then bare earth points are interpolated onto a rectilinear 0.5 m grid creating a high resolution digital elevation model. The surface is analyzed by identifying features along each cross-shore transect. Surface curvature is used to identify the position of the dune toe, and then beach and berm morphology is extracted shoreward of the dune toe, and foredune morphology is extracted landward of the dune toe. Changes in, and magnitudes of, cross-shore slope, curvature, and surface roughness are used to describe the foredune face and each cross-shore transect is then classified using its pre-storm morphology for storm-response analysis.

Kinetic Framework for the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Plasmasphere-Polar Wind System: Modeling Ion Outflow

Science.gov (United States)

Schunk, R. W.; Barakat, A. R.; Eccles, V.; Karimabadi, H.; Omelchenko, Y.; Khazanov, G. V.; Glocer, A.; Kistler, L. M.

2014-12-01

A Kinetic Framework for the Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Plasmasphere-Polar Wind System is being developed in order to provide a rigorous approach to modeling the interaction of hot and cold particle interactions. The framework will include ion and electron kinetic species in the ionosphere, plasmasphere and polar wind, and kinetic ion, super-thermal electron and fluid electron species in the magnetosphere. The framework is ideally suited to modeling ion outflow from the ionosphere and plasmasphere, where a wide range for fluid and kinetic processes are important. These include escaping ion interactions with (1) photoelectrons, (2) cusp/auroral waves, double layers, and field-aligned currents, (3) double layers in the polar cap due to the interaction of cold ionospheric and hot magnetospheric electrons, (4) counter-streaming ions, and (5) electromagnetic wave turbulence. The kinetic ion interactions are particularly strong during geomagnetic storms and substorms. The presentation will provide a brief description of the models involved and discuss the effect that kinetic processes have on the ion outflow.

Pitch Angle Scattering of Energetic Electrons by Plasmaspheric Hiss Emissions

Science.gov (United States)

Tobita, M.; Omura, Y.; Summers, D.

2017-12-01

We study scattering of energetic electrons in pitch angles and kinetic energies through their resonance with plasmaspheric hiss emissions consisting of many coherent discrete whistler-mode wave packets with rising and falling frequencies [1,2,3]. Using test particle simulations, we evaluate the efficiency of scattering, which depends on the inhomogeneity ratio S of whistler mode wave-particle interaction [4]. The value of S is determined by the wave amplitude, frequency sweep rate, and the gradient of the background magnetic field. We first modulate those parameters and observe variations of pitch angles and kinetic energies of electrons with a single wave under various S values so as to obtain basic understanding. We then include many waves into the system to simulate plasmaspheric hiss emissions. As the wave packets propagate away from the magnetic equator, the nonlinear trapping potential at the resonance velocity is deformed, making a channel of gyrophase for untrapped electrons to cross the resonance velocity, and causing modulations in their pitch angles and kinetic energies. We find efficient scattering of pitch angles and kinetic energies because of coherent nonlinear wave-particle interaction, resulting in electron precipitations into the polar atmosphere. We compare the results with the bounce averaged pitch angle diffusion coefficient based on quasi-linear theory, and show that the nonlinear wave model with many coherent packets can cause scattering of resonant electrons much faster than the quasi-linear diffusion process. [1] Summers, D., Omura, Y., Nakamura, S., and C. A. Kletzing (2014), Fine structure of plasmaspheric hiss, J. Geophys. Res., 119, 9134-9149. [2] Omura, Y., Y. Miyashita, M. Yoshikawa, D. Summers, M. Hikishima, Y. Ebihara, and Y. Kubota (2015), Formation process of relativistic electron flux through interaction with chorus emissions in the Earth's inner magnetosphere, J. Geophys. Res. Space Physics, 120, 9545-9562. [3] Nakamura, S., Y

Application of multi-parameter chorus and plasmaspheric hiss wave models in radiation belt modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Aryan, H.; Kang, S. B.; Balikhin, M. A.; Fok, M. C. H.; Agapitov, O. V.; Komar, C. M.; Kanekal, S. G.; Nagai, T.; Sibeck, D. G.

2017-12-01

Numerical simulation studies of the Earth's radiation belts are important to understand the acceleration and loss of energetic electrons. The Comprehensive Inner Magnetosphere-Ionosphere (CIMI) model along with many other radiation belt models require inputs for pitch angle, energy, and cross diffusion of electrons, due to chorus and plasmaspheric hiss waves. These parameters are calculated using statistical wave distribution models of chorus and plasmaspheric hiss amplitudes. In this study we incorporate recently developed multi-parameter chorus and plasmaspheric hiss wave models based on geomagnetic index and solar wind parameters. We perform CIMI simulations for two geomagnetic storms and compare the flux enhancement of MeV electrons with data from the Van Allen Probes and Akebono satellites. We show that the relativistic electron fluxes calculated with multi-parameter wave models resembles the observations more accurately than the relativistic electron fluxes calculated with single-parameter wave models. This indicates that wave models based on a combination of geomagnetic index and solar wind parameters are more effective as inputs to radiation belt models.

Multi-spacecraft observations of small-scale fluctuations in density and fields in plasmaspheric plumes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. Matsui

2012-03-01

Full Text Available In this event study, small-scale fluctuations in plasmaspheric plumes with time scales of ~10 s to minutes in the spacecraft frame are examined. In one event, plasmaspheric plumes are observed by Cluster, while IMAGE measured density enhancement at a similar location. Fluctuations in density exist in plumes as detected by Cluster and are accompanied by fluctuations in magnetic fields and electric fields. Magnetic fluctuations are transverse and along the direction of the plumes. The E/B ratio is smaller than the Alfvén velocity. Another similar event is briefly presented. We then consider physical properties of the fluctuations. Alfvén mode modulated by the feedback instability is one possibility, although non-local generation is likely. It is hard to show that the fluctuations represent a fast mode. Interchange motion is possible due to the consistency between measurements and expectations. The energy source could be a pressure or density gradient in plasmaspheric plumes. When more events are accumulated so that statistical analysis becomes feasible, this type of study will be useful to understand the time evolution of plumes.

The Study of the plasmaspheric refilling using the data from the ERG, the VAPs, the ground-based magnetometers and the IPE model

Science.gov (United States)

Obana, Y.; Maruyama, N.; Masahito, N.; Matsuoka, A.; Teramoto, M.; Nomura, R.; Fujimoto, A.; Tanaka, Y.; Shinohara, M.; Kasahara, Y.; Matsuda, S.; Kumamoto, A.; Tsuchiya, F.; Yoshizumi, M.; Shinohara, I.

2017-12-01

Earth's inner magnetosphere is a complex dynamical region of geo space comprising plasma populations with wide energy ranges, the plasmasphere, ring current, and radiation belts. They form a closely coupled system, thus, the plasmasphere is the lowest energy population in the inner magnetosphere, but the accurate prediction of the evolution of the plasmasphere is critical in understanding the dynamics of the inner magnetosphere, which include even the highest energy population, the radiation belts. In this study, we study plasmaspheric refilling following geomagnetic storms using data from ERG-MGF, ERG-PWE, RBSP-EMFISIS and Ground-based magneto­meters. DC magnetic field data measured by ERG-MGF, RBSP-EMFISIS and ground-based magnetometers provides the frequency of the toroidal mode field line resonances. From this information, the equatorial plasma mass density is estimated by solving the MHD wave equation for suitable models of the magnetic field and the field line density distribution. ERG-PWE and RBSP-EMFISIS provide measurements of wave electric and magnetic field, thus we can estimate the local electron density from the plasma wave spectrograms by identifying narrow-band emission at the upper-hybrid resonance frequency. Furthermore, using Ionosphere Plasmasphere Electrodynamics Model (IPE), we calculate the plasmaspheric refilling rates and evaluate the relative contribution of various mechanisms (heating, neutral particle density, composition and wings, etc.) to the refilling rate.

A Parametric Study of the Cold Plasma Refilling Rate on the Plasmasphere and Inner Magnetosphere Dynamics during the 17-March-2013 and 28-June-2013 Magnetic Storms

Science.gov (United States)

Lemon, C.; Bishop, R. L.; Coster, A. J.; Nikoukar, R.; Chen, M.; Turner, D. L.; Roeder, J. L.; Shumko, M.; Payne, C.; Bhatt, R.

2017-12-01

Magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling is a complex process, and researchers must consider a number of factors: particle transport in the electric and magnetic fields drives plasma from the high latitude tail to the mid-latitude inner magnetosphere; particle precipitation into the ionosphere, which is frequently driven by wave-particle interactions, enhances the ionospheric conductivities; feedback of the ionospheric conductivities on the electric fields determines how well the convection electric field penetrates to the mid-latitude ionosphere; and the erosion and refilling of cold plasma in the plasmasphere substantially determines the mass of plasma on magnetospheric field lines and the subsequent wave environment that drives particle precipitation. While we model all of these processes, in this presentation we focus on the role of the plasmasphere and its role in M-I coupling. We present RCM-E simulations in which particle transport through self-consistent fields controls the drainage of the plasmasphere, an outflow model determines the plasmasphere refilling rate, and electron and ion precipitation influences the electric field by enhancing the ionospheric conductivity. The plasmasphere significantly affects the spatial structure of the wave environment and electron precipitation rates. This impacts the dynamics of the sub-auroral polarization stream (SAPS) in the pre-midnight region equatorward of the auroral boundary, which itself drives erosion of the plasmasphere through strong westward electric fields near the plasmapause. We present comparisons with Van Allen Probes, THEMIS, the Plasmasphere Data Assimilation (PDA) model, and line-of-sight observations from Millstone Hill ISR and space-based GPS receivers, showing how our modeled plasmasphere compares with observational data during the 17-March-2013 and 28-June-2013 magnetic storms. To better understand refilling, we focus particular attention on densities in the recently-depleted flux tubes in the

Magnetic storm effects on the mid-latitude plasmasphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, A.J.; Clilverd, M.A.

1991-01-01

Whistler mode group delays observed at Faraday, Antarctica (65 o S,64 0 W) decrease after the onset of magnetic storms, and slowly recover to normal levels in 1 or 2 days. This is interpreted as a decrease (typically of ∼50%) and recovery of the plasmaspheric electron density at L = 2.5. Within 1 day of the main phase of storms with K p (max) between 6 and 8, the number of observed whistler ducts increases by a factor of 2 or 3, recovering in a few days. During the most intense storms (K p > 8) the duct number decreases. The frequency of occurrence of observed whistler mode signals increases during storms, due probably to enhanced ionospheric propagation of the signals; the storm time dependence implies that there is no link with the apparent increase in duct numbers. The amplitudes of received whistler mode signals are increased by up to a factor of 10 during storms: this is interpreted in terms of magnetospheric amplification through wave-particle interactions, though the evidence suggests that amplification is not necessarily the mechanism by which increased duct numbers are observed. There appears to be a real increase in the duct formation rate, consistent with Walker's (1978) theory in which ring current penetration of the plasmasphere creates a preferential region for duct formation 1.5 R E inside the plasmapause. (author)

Link between EMIC waves in a plasmaspheric plume and a detached sub-auroral proton arc with observations of Cluster and IMAGE satellites

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Zhigang; Deng, Xiaohua; Lin, Xi; Pang, Ye; Zhou, Meng; Décréau, P. M. E.; Trotignon, J. G.; Lucek, E.; Frey, H. U.; Wang, Jingfang

2010-04-01

In this paper, we report observations from a Cluster satellite showing that ULF wave occurred in the outer boundary of a plasmaspheric plume on September 4, 2005. The band of observed ULF waves is between the He+ ion gyrofrequency and O+ ion gyrofrequency at the equatorial plane, implying that those ULF waves can be identified as EMIC waves generated by ring current ions in the equatorial plane and strongly affected by rich cold He+ ions in plasmaspheric plumes. During the interval of observed EMIC waves, the footprint of Cluster SC3 lies in a subauroral proton arc observed by the IMAGE FUV instrument, demonstrating that the subauroral proton arc was caused by energetic ring current protons scattered into the loss cone under the Ring Current (RC)-EMIC interaction in the plasmaspheric plume. Therefore, the paper provides a direct proof that EMIC waves can be generated in the plasmaspheric plume and scatter RC ions to cause subauroral proton arcs.

Empirical Modeling of the Plasmasphere Dynamics Using Neural Networks

Science.gov (United States)

Zhelavskaya, I. S.; Shprits, Y.; Spasojevic, M.

2017-12-01

We present a new empirical model for reconstructing the global dynamics of the cold plasma density distribution based only on solar wind data and geomagnetic indices. Utilizing the density database obtained using the NURD (Neural-network-based Upper hybrid Resonance Determination) algorithm for the period of October 1, 2012 - July 1, 2016, in conjunction with solar wind data and geomagnetic indices, we develop a neural network model that is capable of globally reconstructing the dynamics of the cold plasma density distribution for 2 ≤ L ≤ 6 and all local times. We validate and test the model by measuring its performance on independent datasets withheld from the training set and by comparing the model predicted global evolution with global images of He+ distribution in the Earth's plasmasphere from the IMAGE Extreme UltraViolet (EUV) instrument. We identify the parameters that best quantify the plasmasphere dynamics by training and comparing multiple neural networks with different combinations of input parameters (geomagnetic indices, solar wind data, and different durations of their time history). We demonstrate results of both local and global plasma density reconstruction. This study illustrates how global dynamics can be reconstructed from local in-situ observations by using machine learning techniques.

Plasmasphere and ring current electric fields observed by GEOS 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, R.; Pedersen, A.

1988-01-01

The electric field double probe data from GEOS 2 have been statistically examined to study the consecutive passage of the afternoon plasmaspheric bulge and the trough at the geostationary orbit. It was found that the average location of the bulge depends on the magnetic activity and was encountered at earlier local times for higher magnetospheric activity. Within the bulge the electric field showed very frequently a typical directional change from dawnward outside to duskward inside the bulge. The magnitude of the magnetic field was frequently much smaller near the outbound crossing of the plasmaspheric bulge than is expected from a long-term average. The E x B/B-squared drift pointed azimuthally eastward prior to the encounter of the bulge and rotated into the sunward direction within the bulge. Following its passage through the dense, cold plasma in the bulge, GEOS 2 encountered a hot and tenuous plasma sheet-type plasma in the trough that occasionally corrupted the electric field measurements. Generally, the electric field in the trough is much smaller than in the bulge. A possible cause of the sunward plasma flow within the bulge is discussed on the basis of these data. 13 references

The Inversion of Ionospheric/plasmaspheric Electron Density From GPS Beacon Observations

Science.gov (United States)

Zou, Y. H.; Xu, J. S.; Ma, S. Y.

It is a space-time 4-D tomography to reconstruct ionospheric/ plasmaspheric elec- tron density, Ne, from ground-based GPS beacon measurements. The mathematical foundation of such inversion is studied in this paper and some simulation results of reconstruction for GPS network observation are presented. Assuming reasonably a power law dependence of NE on time with an index number of 1-3 during one ob- servational time of GPS (60-90min.), 4-D inversion in consideration is reduced to a 3-D cone-beam tomography with incomplete projections. To see clearly the effects of the incompleteness on the quality of reconstruction for 3-D condition, we deduced theoretically the formulae of 3-D parallel-beam tomography. After establishing the mathematical basis, we adopt linear temporal dependence of NE and voxel elemental functions to perform simulation of NE reconstruction with the help of IRI90 model. Reasonable time-dependent 3-D images of ionosphere/ plasmasphere electron density distributions are obtained when taking proper layout of the GPS network and allowing variable resolutions in vertical.

Comparison of the measured and modelled electron densities and temperatures in the ionosphere and plasmasphere during 20-30 January, 1993

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V. Pavlov

2000-10-01

Full Text Available We present a comparison of the electron density and temperature behaviour in the ionosphere and plasmasphere measured by the Millstone Hill incoherent-scatter radar and the instruments on board of the EXOS-D satellite with numerical model calculations from a time-dependent mathematical model of the Earth's ionosphere and plasmasphere during the geomagnetically quiet and storm period on 20–30 January, 1993. We have evaluated the value of the additional heating rate that should be added to the normal photoelectron heating in the electron energy equation in the daytime plasmasphere region above 5000 km along the magnetic field line to explain the high electron temperature measured by the instruments on board of the EXOS-D satellite within the Millstone Hill magnetic field flux tube in the Northern Hemisphere. The additional heating brings the measured and modelled electron temperatures into agreement in the plasmasphere and into very large disagreement in the ionosphere if the classical electron heat flux along magnetic field line is used in the model. A new approach, based on a new effective electron thermal conductivity coefficient along the magnetic field line, is presented to model the electron temperature in the ionosphere and plasmasphere. This new approach leads to a heat flux which is less than that given by the classical Spitzer-Harm theory. The evaluated additional heating of electrons in the plasmasphere and the decrease of the thermal conductivity in the topside ionosphere and the greater part of the plasmasphere found for the first time here allow the model to accurately reproduce the electron temperatures observed by the instruments on board the EXOS-D satellite in the plasmasphere and the Millstone Hill incoherent-scatter radar in the ionosphere. The effects of the daytime additional plasmaspheric heating of electrons on the electron temperature and density are small at the F-region altitudes if the modified electron heat flux is

Outlying plasmasphere structure detected by whistlers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, D.; Carpenter, D.L.

1976-01-01

Whistlers recorded at Eights (L approximately equal to 4) and Byrd (L approximately equal to 7), Antarctica have been used to study large-scale structure in equatorial plasma density at geocentric distances approximately equal to 3 to 6 Rsub(E). The observations were made during conditions of magnetic quieting following moderate disturbance. The structures were detected by a 'scanning' process involving relative motion, at about one tenth of the Earth's angular velocity or greater, between the observed density features and the observing whistler station or stations. Three case studies are described, from 26 March 1965, 11 May 1965 and 29 August 1966. The cases support satellite results by showing outlying high density regions at approximately equal to 4 to 6 Rsub(E) that are separated from the main plasmasphere by trough-like depressions ranging in width from 0.2 to 1 Rsub(E). The structures evidently endured for periods of 12 hr or more. In the cases of deepest quieting their slow east-west motions with respect to the Earth are probably of dynamo origin. The cases observed during deep quieting (11 May 1965 and 29 August 1966) suggest the approximate rotation with the Earth of structure formed during previous moderate disturbance activity in the dusk sector. The third case, from 26 March 1965, may represent a structure formed near local midnight. The reported structures appear to be closely related to the bulge phenomenon. The present work supports other experimental and theoretical evidence that the dusk sector is one of major importance in the generation of outlying density structure. (author)

Refilling process in the plasmasphere: a 3-D statistical characterization based on Cluster density observations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. Lointier

2013-02-01

Full Text Available The Cluster mission offers an excellent opportunity to investigate the evolution of the plasma population in a large part of the inner magnetosphere, explored near its orbit's perigee, over a complete solar cycle. The WHISPER sounder, on board each satellite of the mission, is particularly suitable to study the electron density in this region, between 0.2 and 80 cm−3. Compiling WHISPER observations during 1339 perigee passes distributed over more than three years of the Cluster mission, we present first results of a statistical analysis dedicated to the study of the electron density morphology and dynamics along and across magnetic field lines between L = 2 and L = 10. In this study, we examine a specific topic: the refilling of the plasmasphere and trough regions during extended periods of quiet magnetic conditions. To do so, we survey the evolution of the ap index during the days preceding each perigee crossing and sort out electron density profiles along the orbit according to three classes, namely after respectively less than 2 days, between 2 and 4 days, and more than 4 days of quiet magnetic conditions (ap ≤ 15 nT following an active episode (ap > 15 nT. This leads to three independent data subsets. Comparisons between density distributions in the 3-D plasmasphere and trough regions at the three stages of quiet magnetosphere provide novel views about the distribution of matter inside the inner magnetosphere during several days of low activity. Clear signatures of a refilling process inside an expended plasmasphere in formation are noted. A plasmapause-like boundary, at L ~ 6 for all MLT sectors, is formed after 3 to 4 days and expends somewhat further after that. In the outer part of the plasmasphere (L ~ 8, latitudinal profiles of median density values vary essentially according to the MLT sector considered rather than according to the refilling duration. The shape of these density profiles indicates that magnetic flux tubes are not

Solar-terrestrial physics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patel, V.L.

1977-01-01

The Glossary is designed to be a technical dictionary that will provide solar workers of various specialties, students, other astronomers and theoreticians with concise information on the nature and the properties of phenomena of solar and solar-terrestrial physics. Each term, or group of related terms, is given a concise phenomenological and quantitative description, including the relationship to other phenomena and an interpretation in terms of physical processes. The references are intended to lead the non-specialist reader into the literature. This section deals with: geomagnetic field; coordinate systems; geomagnetic indices; Dst index; auroral electrojet index AE; daily, 27-day and semi-annual variations of geomagnetic field; micropulsation; geomagnetic storms; storm sudden commencement (SSC) or sudden commencement (SC); initial phase; ring current; sudden impulses; ionosphere; D region; polar cap absorption; sudden ionospheric disturbance; E region; sporadic E; equatorial electrojet; solar flare effect; F 1 and F 2 regions; spread F; travelling ionospheric disturbances; magnetosphere; magnetospheric coordinate systems; plasmasphere; magnetosheath; magnetospheric tail; substorm; radiation belts or Van Allen belts; whistlers; VLF emissions; aurora; auroral forms; auroral oval and auroral zones; auroral intensity; stable auroral red arcs; pulsing aurora; polar glow aurora; and airglow. (B.R.H.)

New aspects in plasmaspheric ion temperature variations from INTERBALL 2 and MAGION 5 measurements

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kotova, G.; Bezrukikh, V.; Verigin, M.; Šmilauer, Jan

2008-01-01

Roč. 70, 2-4 (2008), s. 399-406 ISSN 1364-6826 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z30420517 Keywords : Plasmasphere * Ion temperature * Electron temperature * Magnetic storm Subject RIV: JV - Space Technology Impact factor: 1.667, year: 2008

Development of a methodology for deriving Plasmaspheric Total Electron Content from In-Situ electron density measurements in highly eccentric equatorial orbits

Science.gov (United States)

Sadhique, Aliyuthuman; Buckley, Andrew; Gough, Paul; Sussex Space Science Centre Team

2017-10-01

The contribution of the Upper Plasmasphere (defined as the altitudes above semi-synchronous orbit height to the Plasmapause height) to the TEC has been and continues to be un-quantified. The PEACE instrument in the Chinese - ESA Double Star TC1 satellite, the mission's orbit's high eccentricity, low perigee, high apogee and the resulting smaller incident angle while in the above altitude range provide the ideal geometric opportunity to build a methodology and to utilize its empirical in-situ electron density measurements to determine the Upper Plasmaspheric TEC component. Furthermore, the variation of the Inclination Angle of TC1 makes it a suitable equatorial mission confined to the Near-Equatorial region, ie 200 - 250 on either sides of the magnetic equator. As the most pronounced absolute TEC values and variations are within this region, it offers an excellent opportunity to build a Upper Plasmaspheric TEC database. This research generates such, first-ever database along its orbital path, using a methodology of approximation equating arcs of the orbits to straight-line TEC Bars, utilizing complex mathematics, also enabling the determination of the whole Plasmaspheric TEC from any eccentric orbital probe. Presented the paper in 15th International Workshop on Technical and Scientific Aspects of MST radar (MST15/iMST2)'' and ``18th EISCAT Symposium (EISCAT18)'' in Tokyo, Japan and The Royal Astronomical Society National Astronomy Meeting 2017.

A case study of storm commencement and recovery plasmaspheric electric fields near L=2.5 at equinox

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

H. F. Balmforth (*

Full Text Available Data from the VLF Doppler experiment at Faraday, Antarctica (65° S, 64° W are used to study the penetration of the high-latitude convection electric field to lower latitudes during severely disturbed conditions. Alterations of the electric field at L-values within the range 2.0 - 2.7 are studied for two cases at equinox (10 - 12 September 1986 and 1 - 3 May 1986. The recovery of the electric field is found to be approximately an exponential function of time. Values for the equatorial meridional E×B drift velocity, inferred from the data, are used as inputs to a model of the plasmasphere and ionosphere. The model and experimental results are used to investigate the post-storm alteration of ionospheric coupling processes. The magnitude of the effect of ionosphere-plasmasphere coupling fluxes on N_mF2 values and the O⁺-H⁺ transition height is dependent on the local time of storm commencement, and on the orientation of the electric field. The coupling fluxes appear to have a maximum influence on ionospheric content during the main phase of geomagnetic activity that produces outward motion of plasmaspheric whistler ducts.

Study on plasmaspheric electric fields and theirs influences on charged particle dynamics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendes Junior, O.

1986-04-01

An analysis of plasmaspheric electric field measurements obtained by the S3-3 satellite in 1976-77, at L approx. 2 an during periods of intense geomagnetic activity, is presented. It is concluded that these measurements must have contributions both of the penetration electric field, associated with convection at the outer magnetosphere, as well as of the fields due to the 'disturbed' ionospheric dynamo. A study of the dynamics of electrons (within 10 -1 to 10 2 KeV) and protons (within 10 -1 to 10 2 KeV) inside the plasmasphere is also presented. It is concluded that, during quiet geomagnetic periods, electrons tend to corrotate with the Earth and simultaneously drift away from it. On the other hand, protons show a more complex dynamical behaviour, strongly depending on energy and on local time; presenting open orbits, similar to those of the electrons, except for an energy range in which closed orbits exist within determinate intervals of local time. During magnetically disturbed periods, the behaviour of electrons and protons remain approximately unaltered, although the energy intervals for which the open and closed orbits of protons occur get shifted. (author) [pt

Interaction of ring current and radiation belt protons with ducted plasmaspheric hiss. 2. Time evolution of the distribution function

Science.gov (United States)

Kozyra, J. U.; Rasmussen, C. E.; Miller, R. H.; Villalon, E.

1995-11-01

The evolution of the bounce-averaged ring current/radiation belt proton distribution is simulated during resonant interactions with ducted plasmaspheric hiss. The plasmaspheric hiss is assumed to be generated by ring current electrons and to be damped by the energetic protons. Thus energy is transferred between energetic electrons and protons using the plasmaspheric hiss as a mediary. The problem is not solved self-consistently. During the simulation period, interactions with ring current electrons (not represented in the model) are assumed to maintain the wave amplitudes in the presence of damping by the energetic protons, allowing the wave spectrum to be held fixed. Diffusion coefficients in pitch angle, cross pitch angle/energy, and energy were previously calculated by Kozyra et al. (1994) and are adopted for the present study. The simulation treats the energy range, E>=80 keV, within which the wave diffusion operates on a shorter timescale than other proton loss processes (i.e., Coulomb drag and charge exchange). These other loss processes are not included in the simulation. An interesting result of the simulation is that energy diffusion maximizes at moderate pitch angles near the edge of the atmospheric loss cone. Over the simulation period, diffusion in energy creates an order of magnitude enhancement in the bounce-averaged proton distribution function at moderate pitch angles. The loss cone is nearly empty because scattering of particles at small pitch angles is weak. The bounce-averaged flux distribution, mapped to ionospheric heights, results in elevated locally mirroring proton fluxes. OGO 5 observed order of magnitude enhancements in locally mirroring energetic protons at altitudes between 350 and 1300 km and invariant latitudes between 50° and 60° (Lundblad and Soraas, 1978). The proton distributions were highly anisotropic in pitch angle with nearly empty loss cones. The similarity between the observed distributions and those resulting from this

Quantitative simulation of a magnetospheric substorm 3. Plasmaspheric electric fields and evolution of the plasmapause

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spiro, R.W.; Harel, M.; Wolf, R.A.; Reiff, P.H.

1981-01-01

Results of the Rice University substorm simulation have been used to investigate the penetration of substorm-associated electric fields into the plasmasphere. Near 4 R/sub E/ in the equatorial plane, our time dependent electric field model is characterized by eastward components in the dusk-midnight local time sector and westward components after midnight. Except for a small region just before dusk, the model predicts eastward electric field components throughout the daytime sector. The characteristic radial component is directed inward at all local times except for a small region just after dawn. These results compare favorably with available whistler and incoherent-scatter radar measurements obtained during magnetically disturbed periods. By assuming an initial plasmapause shape and by followig the computed E> x B> drift trajectories of plasma flux tubes from that initial boundary we have examined the short term evolution of the plasmapause during the substorm-like event of September 19, 1976. We find that narrow filamentary tails can be drawn out from the plasmasphere near dusk within hours of substorm onset. These tail-like appendages to the plasmasphere subsequently drift rapidly from the dusk sector toward the daytime magnetopause. Investigation of the large-scale time dependent flow of plasma in the evening sector indicates that some mid-latitude plasma flux tubes that drift eastward past the dusk terminator reverse their motion between dusk and midnight and begin to drift westward toward dusk. Such time dependent changes in flow trajectories may be related to the formation of F region ionization troughs

Regions of low electron density in the Earth plasmasphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grigor'eva, V.P.; Pisareva, V.V.

1987-01-01

Regions with low electron density N e were detected in night, morning and evening hours according to observations of natural noise, made on board ''Prognos-5'' satellite from January till June, 1977 in the plasmasphere for the southern Earth semisphere. The largest regions with low N e values were located in the region of the Brazil magnetic anomaly in the range of geographic latitudes ∼ ± 30 deg from the equator and longitudes from 100 up to 240 deg E, as well as in the latitudes near-by the geomagnetic equator and in the regions with slight shift from it to the winter hemisphere

Model of electron lifetimes inside the plasmasphere calculated using a CRRES derived hiss wave amplitude model

Science.gov (United States)

Orlova, Ksenia; Spasojevic, Maria; Shprits, Yuri

Particle populations in the inner magnetosphere can change by orders of magnitude on very short time scales. For the last decade observations and theoretical computations showed that resonant interaction of electrons with various plasma waves plays an important role in acceleration and loss mechanisms. Using data from the CRRES plasma wave experiment, we develop quadratic fits to the mean of the wave amplitude squared for plasmaspheric hiss as a function of geomagnetic activity (Kp) and magnetic latitude (lambda) for the dayside (6pitch-angle diffusion coefficients of energetic and relativistic electrons. We take into account the obliqueness of hiss waves and increase of plasmaspheric density with increasing magnetic latitude. The lifetimes of electrons are then calculated from the diffusion coefficients. The obtained lifetimes are parameterized as a function of energy, Kp-index, L-shell and can be used in 2D/3D/4D convection and particle tracing codes.

Observations of inner plasmasphere irregularities with a satellite-beacon radio-interferometer array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobson, A.R.; Hoogeveen, G.; Carlos, R.C.; Wu, G.; Fejer, B.G.; Kelley, M.C.

1996-01-01

A radio-interferometer array illuminated by 136-MHz beacons of several geosynchronous satellites has been used to study small (≥10 13 m -2 ) transient disturbances in the total electron content along the lines of sight to the satellites. High-frequency (f>3 mHz) electron content oscillations are persistently observed, particularly during night and particularly during geomagnetically disturbed periods. The oscillations move across the array plane at speeds in the range 200 endash 2000 m/s, with propagation azimuths that are strongly peaked in lobes toward the western half-plane. Detailed analysis of this azimuth behavior, involving comparison between observations on various satellite positions, indicates compellingly that the phase oscillations originate in radio refraction due to geomagnetically aligned plasma density perturbations in the inner plasmasphere. The motion of the phase perturbations across the array plane is caused by EXB drift of the plasma medium in which the irregularities are embedded. We review the statistics of 2.5 years of around-the-clock data on the local time, magnetic disturbance, seasonal, and line-of-sight variations of these observed irregularities. We compare the irregularities close-quote inferred electrodynamic drifts to what is known about midlatitude plasma drift from incoherent scatter. Finally, we show in detail how the observation of these irregularities provides a unique and complementary monitor of inner plasmasphere irregularity incidence and zonal drift.copyright 1996 American Geophysical Union

Self-Consistent Model of Magnetospheric Electric Field, Ring Current, Plasmasphere, and Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves: Initial Results

Science.gov (United States)

Gamayunov, K. V.; Khazanov, G. V.; Liemohn, M. W.; Fok, M.-C.; Ridley, A. J.

2009-01-01

Further development of our self-consistent model of interacting ring current (RC) ions and electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves is presented. This model incorporates large scale magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling and treats self-consistently not only EMIC waves and RC ions, but also the magnetospheric electric field, RC, and plasmasphere. Initial simulations indicate that the region beyond geostationary orbit should be included in the simulation of the magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. Additionally, a self-consistent description, based on first principles, of the ionospheric conductance is required. These initial simulations further show that in order to model the EMIC wave distribution and wave spectral properties accurately, the plasmasphere should also be simulated self-consistently, since its fine structure requires as much care as that of the RC. Finally, an effect of the finite time needed to reestablish a new potential pattern throughout the ionosphere and to communicate between the ionosphere and the equatorial magnetosphere cannot be ignored.

3D Reconfigurable NoC Multiprocessor Portable Sounder for Plasmaspheric Studies

Science.gov (United States)

Dekoulis, George

2016-07-01

The paper describes the development of a prototype imaging sounder for studying the irregularities of the ionospheric plasma. Cutting edge three-dimensional reconfigurable logic has been implemented allowing highly-intensive scientific calculations to be performed in hardware. The new parallel processing algorithms implemented offer a significant amount of performance improvement in the range of 80% compared to existing digital sounder implementations. The current system configuration is taking into consideration the modern scientific needs for portability during scientific campaigns. The prototype acts as a digital signal processing experimentation platform for future larger-scale digital sounder instrumentations for measuring complex planetary plasmaspheric environments.

Modeling Saturn's Inner Plasmasphere: Cassini's Closest Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, L.; Mendillo, M.

2005-05-01

Ion densities from the three-dimensional Saturn-Thermosphere-Ionosphere-Model (STIM, Moore et al., 2004) are extended above the plasma exobase using the formalism of Pierrard and Lemaire (1996, 1998), which evaluates the balance of gravitational, centrifugal and electric forces on the plasma. The parameter space of low-energy ionospheric contributions to Saturn's plasmasphere is explored by comparing results that span the observed extremes of plasma temperature, 650 K to 1700 K, and a range of velocity distributions, Lorentzian (or Kappa) to Maxwellian. Calculations are made for plasma densities along the path of the Cassini spacecraft's orbital insertion on 1 July 2004. These calculations neglect any ring or satellite sources of plasma, which are most likely minor contributors at 1.3 Saturn radii. Modeled densities will be compared with Cassini measurements as they become available. Moore, L.E., M. Mendillo, I.C.F. Mueller-Wodarg, and D.L. Murr, Icarus, 172, 503-520, 2004. Pierrard, V. and J. Lemaire, J. Geophys. Res., 101, 7923-7934, 1996. Pierrard, V. and J. Lemaire, J. Geophys. Res., 103, 4117, 1998.

Effects of ion temperature anisotropy on the interhemispheric plasma transport during plasmaspheric refilling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, N.; Torr, D.G.

1990-01-01

Effects of temperature anisotropies on the early stage refilling of the outer plasmasphere are studied by solving an appropriate set of hydrodynamic equations. The anisotropies result from the supersonic outflows from the conjugate ionospheres and from the perpendicular ion heating in the equatorial region. The equatorial ion heating affected by wave-particle interaction is included phenomenologically. Even for the equatorial heating associated with moderate wave levels, the mirror force on the flows severely limits the interhemispheric plasma exchange. The temporal evolution of the flow developing in an empty flux tube is characterized by: (1) supersonic plasma outflows from the conjugate ionospheres, (2) reflections of the flows by the mirror force as they begin to penetrate into the opposite hemispheres, (3) formation of shocks in the reflection region and (4) propagations of the shocks to the ionospheres of the origins of the flows. In the quasi-steady state when flow completely subsides, the density distribution in the flux tube shows distinctive large-scale features, determined by the balance between electric, pressure and anisotropy forces. The latter force becomes significant in a broad equatorial region where T t >> T p and also at relatively high geomagnetic latitudes where T t p ; T t and T p are the perpendicular and parallel ion temperatures, respectively

Quantitative Simulation of a Magnetospheric Substorm. 3. Plasmaspheric Electric Fields and Evolution of the Plasmapause.

Science.gov (United States)

1980-01-25

plasmaspheric electric fields during magnetically disturbed periods are based on incoherent scatter radar results fromn St. Santin [ Testud et al., 1975...Millstone Hill radar results showing westward F-region ion drifts of almost 200 m/sec in the afternoon sector on 14 May, 1969. Testud et al. [1975...electrojet (AE) index. Testud et al. [1975] and Blanc et al. £1977] have both presented St. Santin backscatter measurements that show westward and

Resonant scattering of energetic electrons in the plasmasphere by monotonic whistler-mode waves artificially generated by ionospheric modification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. S. Chang

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Modulated high-frequency (HF heating of the ionosphere provides a feasible means of artificially generating extremely low-frequency (ELF/very low-frequency (VLF whistler waves, which can leak into the inner magnetosphere and contribute to resonant interactions with high-energy electrons in the plasmasphere. By ray tracing the magnetospheric propagation of ELF/VLF emissions artificially generated at low-invariant latitudes, we evaluate the relativistic electron resonant energies along the ray paths and show that propagating artificial ELF/VLF waves can resonate with electrons from ~ 100 keV to ~ 10 MeV. We further implement test particle simulations to investigate the effects of resonant scattering of energetic electrons due to triggered monotonic/single-frequency ELF/VLF waves. The results indicate that within the period of a resonance timescale, changes in electron pitch angle and kinetic energy are stochastic, and the overall effect is cumulative, that is, the changes averaged over all test electrons increase monotonically with time. The localized rates of wave-induced pitch-angle scattering and momentum diffusion in the plasmasphere are analyzed in detail for artificially generated ELF/VLF whistlers with an observable in situ amplitude of ~ 10 pT. While the local momentum diffusion of relativistic electrons is small, with a rate of −7 s−1, the local pitch-angle scattering can be intense near the loss cone with a rate of ~ 10−4 s−1. Our investigation further supports the feasibility of artificial triggering of ELF/VLF whistler waves for removal of high-energy electrons at lower L shells within the plasmasphere. Moreover, our test particle simulation results show quantitatively good agreement with quasi-linear diffusion coefficients, confirming the applicability of both methods to evaluate the resonant diffusion effect of artificial generated ELF/VLF whistlers.

Newly Discovered Silicate Features in the Spectra of Young Warm Debris Disks: Probing Terrestrial Regions of Planetary Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Ballering, N.; Rieke, G.

2014-03-01

Terrestrial planets form by the collisional accretion of planetesimals during the first 100 Myr of a system’s lifetime. For most systems, the terrestrial regions are too near their host star to be directly seen with high-contrast imaging (e.g. with HST, MagAO, or LBTI) and too warm to be imaged with submillimeter interferometers (e.g. ALMA). Mid-infrared excess spectra—originating from the thermal emission of the circumstellar dust leftover from these collisions—remain the best data to constrain the properties of the debris in these regions. The spectra of most debris disks are featureless, taking the shape of (modified) blackbodies. Determining the properties of debris disks with featureless spectra is complicated by a degeneracy between the grain size and location (large grains near the star and small grains farther from the star may be indistinguishable). Debris disk spectra that exhibit solid state emission features allow for a more accurate determination of the dust size and location (e.g. Chen et al. 2006; Olofsson et al. 2012). Such features probe small, warm dust grains in the inner regions of these systems where terrestrial planet formation may be proceeding (Lisse et al. 2009). We report here a successful search for such features. We identified our targets with a preliminary search for signs of emission features in the Spitzer IRS spectra of a number of young early type stars known to harbor warm debris disks. We fit to each target a physically-motivated model spectrum consisting of the sum of the stellar photosphere (modeled as a blackbody) and thermal emission from two dust belts. Each belt was defined by 6 parameters: the inner and outer orbital radii (rin and rout), the index of the radial surface density power law (rexp), the minimum and maximum grain sizes (amin and amax), and the index of the grain size distribution power law (aexp). aexp was fixed to -3.65 and amax was fixed to 1000 μm for all models; all other parameters were allowed to

Recent progress in satellite radio beacon studies with particular emphasis on the ATS-6 radio beacon experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davies, K.

1980-01-01

In May 1974 a new era in satellite radio beacon studies of the ionosphere opened with the ATS-6 Radio Beacon Experiment. The history of radio beacon studies up to that time is reviewed briefly and the particular features of the ATS-6 beacon are discussed together with the basic theory required to interpret the measurements. The main emphasis is on the ATS-6 beacon experiment but other beacon data are discussed which provide the necessary background. The diurnal and seasonal variations of the total electron content and the plasmaspheric content are presented for the U.S.A. and Europe. In winter the plasmaspheric content over the Western Hemisphere maximizes at night while in Europe and the Pacific it appears to peak near noon. This is thought to be caused by flow of plasma from the local and conjugate ionospheres. Night maxima of total electron content are found showing that they do not arise from depletions of the plasmaspheric content. The plasmaspheric content is highly sensitive to solar-terrestrial disturbance, it reaches a minimum on the third day of a storm and may take between 10 and 20 days of partial filling and emptying to recover. Travelling disturbances in U.S.A., Europe, and India show similarities of speeds but not of direction. Beacon observations of micropulsations in total content, tropospheric fluctuations and Fresnel diffraction by intense ionospheric irregularities are discussed together with radio wave scintillations and some applications of beacon radio data to communications and navigation. (orig.)

Investigation of the single layer model of GPS ionospheric data processing using IRI-90 and the attached diffusive equilibrium model of plasmaspheric electron density

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Bànyai

1997-06-01

Full Text Available The single layer model of GPS ionospheric data processing is compared with the International Reference Ionosphere í 1990 and the attached Diffusive Equilibrium model of Plasmasphere (IRI-90+DEP which proved to be a good supplement to GPS data processing. These models can be used to estimate the single layer height and to improve the mapping function in day-time. The code delays estimated from IRI-90+DEP models are compared with GPS measurements carried out by TurboRogue receiver. These models can be used to estimate the preliminary receiver biases especially in the case of cross-correlation tracking mode. The practical drawback of the IRI-90 model is the sharp discontinuity of the ion components during sunset and sunrise at an elevation of 1000 km, because it also causes a sharp discontinuity in the TEC values computed from the DEP model. The GPS data may be a good source to improve the topside region of the IRI model estimating smooth TEC transition before and after sunrise in the plasmasphere.

Durable terrestrial bedrock predicts submarine canyon formation

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Elliot; Finnegan, Noah J.; Mueller, Erich R.; Best, Rebecca J.

2017-01-01

Though submarine canyons are first-order topographic features of Earth, the processes responsible for their occurrence remain poorly understood. Potentially analogous studies of terrestrial rivers show that the flux and caliber of transported bedload are significant controls on bedrock incision. Here we hypothesize that coarse sediment load could exert a similar role in the formation of submarine canyons. We conducted a comprehensive empirical analysis of canyon occurrence along the West Coast of the contiguous United States which indicates that submarine canyon occurrence is best predicted by the occurrence of durable crystalline bedrock in adjacent terrestrial catchments. Canyon occurrence is also predicted by the flux of bed sediment to shore from terrestrial streams. Surprisingly, no significant correlation was observed between canyon occurrence and the slope or width of the continental shelf. These findings suggest that canyon incision is promoted by greater yields of durable terrestrial clasts to the shore.

Riparian vegetation in the alpine connectome: Terrestrial-aquatic and terrestrial-terrestrial interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaharescu, Dragos G; Palanca-Soler, Antonio; Hooda, Peter S; Tanase, Catalin; Burghelea, Carmen I; Lester, Richard N

2017-12-01

Alpine regions are under increased attention worldwide for their critical role in early biogeochemical cycles, their high sensitivity to environmental change, and as repositories of natural resources of high quality. Their riparian ecosystems, at the interface between aquatic and terrestrial environments, play important geochemical functions in the watershed and are biodiversity hotspots, despite a harsh climate and topographic setting. With climate change rapidly affecting the alpine biome, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the extent of interactions between riparian surface, lake and catchment environments. A total of 189 glacial - origin lakes were surveyed in the Central Pyrenees to test how key elements of the lake and terrestrial environments interact at different scales to shape riparian plant composition. Secondly, we evaluated how underlying ecotope features drive the formation of natural communities potentially sensitive to environmental change and assessed their habitat distribution. At the macroscale, vegetation composition responded to pan-climatic gradients altitude and latitude, which captured in a narrow geographic area the transition between large European climatic zones. Hydrodynamics was the main catchment-scale factor connecting riparian vegetation with major water fluxes, followed by topography and geomorphology. Lake sediment Mg and Pb, and water Mn and Fe contents reflected local influences from mafic bedrock and soil water saturation. Community analysis identified four keystone ecosystems: (i) damp ecotone, (ii) snow bed-silicate bedrock, (iii) wet heath, and (iv) calcareous substrate. These communities and their connections with ecotope elements could be at risk from a number of environmental change factors including warmer seasons, snow line and lowland species advancement, increased nutrient/metal input and water level fluctuations. The results imply important natural terrestrial-aquatic linkages in the riparian environment

Linking animals aloft with the terrestrial landscape

Science.gov (United States)

Buler, Jeffrey J.; Barrow, Wylie; Boone, Matthew; Dawson, Deanna K.; Diehl, Robert H.; Moore, Frank R.; Randall, Lori A.; Schreckengost, Timothy; Smolinsky, Jaclyn A.

2018-01-01

Despite using the aerosphere for many facets of their life, most flying animals (i.e., birds, bats, some insects) are still bound to terrestrial habitats for resting, feeding, and reproduction. Comprehensive broad-scale observations by weather surveillance radars of animals as they leave terrestrial habitats for migration or feeding flights can be used to map their terrestrial distributions either as point locations (e.g., communal roosts) or as continuous surface layers (e.g., animal densities in habitats across a landscape). We discuss some of the technical challenges to reducing measurement biases related to how radars sample the aerosphere and the flight behavior of animals. We highlight a recently developed methodological approach that precisely and quantitatively links the horizontal spatial structure of birds aloft to their terrestrial distributions and provides novel insights into avian ecology and conservation across broad landscapes. Specifically, we present case studies that (1) elucidate how migrating birds contend with crossing ecological barriers and extreme weather events, (2) identify important stopover areas and habitat use patterns of birds along their migration routes, and (3) assess waterfowl response to wetland habitat management and restoration. These studies aid our understanding of how anthropogenic modification of the terrestrial landscape (e.g., urbanization, habitat management), natural geographic features, and weather (e.g., hurricanes) can affect the terrestrial distributions of flying animals.

Global screening for Critical Habitat in the terrestrial realm.

Science.gov (United States)

Brauneder, Kerstin M; Montes, Chloe; Blyth, Simon; Bennun, Leon; Butchart, Stuart H M; Hoffmann, Michael; Burgess, Neil D; Cuttelod, Annabelle; Jones, Matt I; Kapos, Val; Pilgrim, John; Tolley, Melissa J; Underwood, Emma C; Weatherdon, Lauren V; Brooks, Sharon E

2018-01-01

Critical Habitat has become an increasingly important concept used by the finance sector and businesses to identify areas of high biodiversity value. The International Finance Corporation (IFC) defines Critical Habitat in their highly influential Performance Standard 6 (PS6), requiring projects in Critical Habitat to achieve a net gain of biodiversity. Here we present a global screening layer of Critical Habitat in the terrestrial realm, derived from global spatial datasets covering the distributions of 12 biodiversity features aligned with guidance provided by the IFC. Each biodiversity feature is categorised as 'likely' or 'potential' Critical Habitat based on: 1. Alignment between the biodiversity feature and the IFC Critical Habitat definition; and 2. Suitability of the spatial resolution for indicating a feature's presence on the ground. Following the initial screening process, Critical Habitat must then be assessed in-situ by a qualified assessor. This analysis indicates that a total of 10% and 5% of the global terrestrial environment can be considered as likely and potential Critical Habitat, respectively, while the remaining 85% did not overlap with any of the biodiversity features assessed and was classified as 'unknown'. Likely Critical Habitat was determined principally by the occurrence of Key Biodiversity Areas and Protected Areas. Potential Critical Habitat was predominantly characterised by data representing highly threatened and unique ecosystems such as ever-wet tropical forests and tropical dry forests. The areas we identified as likely or potential Critical Habitat are based on the best available global-scale data for the terrestrial realm that is aligned with IFC's Critical Habitat definition. Our results can help businesses screen potential development sites at the early project stage based on a range of biodiversity features. However, the study also demonstrates several important data gaps and highlights the need to incorporate new and

Water vapor estimation using digital terrestrial broadcasting waves

Science.gov (United States)

Kawamura, S.; Ohta, H.; Hanado, H.; Yamamoto, M. K.; Shiga, N.; Kido, K.; Yasuda, S.; Goto, T.; Ichikawa, R.; Amagai, J.; Imamura, K.; Fujieda, M.; Iwai, H.; Sugitani, S.; Iguchi, T.

2017-03-01

A method of estimating water vapor (propagation delay due to water vapor) using digital terrestrial broadcasting waves is proposed. Our target is to improve the accuracy of numerical weather forecast for severe weather phenomena such as localized heavy rainstorms in urban areas through data assimilation. In this method, we estimate water vapor near a ground surface from the propagation delay of digital terrestrial broadcasting waves. A real-time delay measurement system with a software-defined radio technique is developed and tested. The data obtained using digital terrestrial broadcasting waves show good agreement with those obtained by ground-based meteorological observation. The main features of this observation are, no need for transmitters (receiving only), applicable wherever digital terrestrial broadcasting is available and its high time resolution. This study shows a possibility to estimate water vapor using digital terrestrial broadcasting waves. In the future, we will investigate the impact of these data toward numerical weather forecast through data assimilation. Developing a system that monitors water vapor near the ground surface with time and space resolutions of 30 s and several kilometers would improve the accuracy of the numerical weather forecast of localized severe weather phenomena.

The Distribution of Chorus and Plasmaspheric Hiss Waves in the Inner Magnetospahere as Functions of Geomagnetic Activity and Solar Wind Parameters as Observed by The Van Allen Probes.

Science.gov (United States)

Aryan, H.; Sibeck, D. G.; Balikhin, M. A.; Agapitov, O. V.; Kletzing, C.

2015-12-01

The dynamics of the radiation belts is dependent upon the acceleration and loss of radiation belt electrons that is largely determined by the interaction of georesonant wave particles with chorus and plasmaspheric hiss waves. The distribution of these waves in the inner magnetosphere is commonly presented as a function of geomagnetic activity as expressed by the geomagnetic indices (Ae, Kp, and Dst). However, it has been shown that not all geomagnetic storms necessarily increase the flux of energetic electrons at the radiation belts. In fact, almost 20% of all geomagnetic storms cause a decrease in the flux of energetic electrons, while 30% has relatively no effect. Also, the geomagnetic indices are indirect, nonspecific parameters compiled from imperfectly covered ground based measurements that lack time history. This emphasises the need to present wave distributions as a function of both geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters, such as velocity (V), density (n), and interplanetary magnetic field component (Bz), that are known to be predominantly effective in the control of radiation belt energetic electron fluxes. This study presents the distribution of chorus and plasmaspheric hiss waves in the inner magnetosphere as functions of both geomagnetic activity and solar wind parameters for different L-shell, magnetic local time, and magnetic latitude. This study uses almost three years of data measured by the EMFISIS on board the Van Allen Probes. Initial results indicate that the intensity of chorus and plasmaspheric hiss emissions are not only dependent on the geomagnetic activity but also dependent on solar wind parameters. The largest average wave intensities are observed with equatorial chorus in the region 4

Reply to [“Comment on “There is no magnestosphere...nor is there a plasmasphere!’”

Science.gov (United States)

Fraser-Smith, A. C.

Despite the thorough introduction to four-letter words being given to our children at an early age by the television and recording industries, it is difficult to avoid the impression that accuracy in the use of words is declining in our society. Indeed, Orwellian doublespeak has become the norm at the leadership level: we all know what tax reform really means, for example. With this background, it is a pleasure to see Behannon and Anderson consulting their dictionaries and taking me to task for my literal interpretation of the “sphere” in magnetosphere and plasmasphere. However, I had earlier rejected the “sphere of influence,” or “place or range of action or existence” connotation, and I continue to do so, for the following reasons.

Gene expression in chicken reveals correlation with structural genomic features and conserved patterns of transcription in the terrestrial vertebrates.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Haisheng Nie

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The chicken is an important agricultural and avian-model species. A survey of gene expression in a range of different tissues will provide a benchmark for understanding expression levels under normal physiological conditions in birds. With expression data for birds being very scant, this benchmark is of particular interest for comparative expression analysis among various terrestrial vertebrates. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We carried out a gene expression survey in eight major chicken tissues using whole genome microarrays. A global picture of gene expression is presented for the eight tissues, and tissue specific as well as common gene expression were identified. A Gene Ontology (GO term enrichment analysis showed that tissue-specific genes are enriched with GO terms reflecting the physiological functions of the specific tissue, and housekeeping genes are enriched with GO terms related to essential biological functions. Comparisons of structural genomic features between tissue-specific genes and housekeeping genes show that housekeeping genes are more compact. Specifically, coding sequence and particularly introns are shorter than genes that display more variation in expression between tissues, and in addition intergenic space was also shorter. Meanwhile, housekeeping genes are more likely to co-localize with other abundantly or highly expressed genes on the same chromosomal regions. Furthermore, comparisons of gene expression in a panel of five common tissues between birds, mammals and amphibians showed that the expression patterns across tissues are highly similar for orthologous genes compared to random gene pairs within each pair-wise comparison, indicating a high degree of functional conservation in gene expression among terrestrial vertebrates. CONCLUSIONS: The housekeeping genes identified in this study have shorter gene length, shorter coding sequence length, shorter introns, and shorter intergenic regions, there seems

Terrestrial neutron-induced soft errors in advanced memory devices

CERN Document Server

Nakamura, Takashi; Ibe, Eishi; Yahagi, Yasuo; Kameyama, Hideaki

2008-01-01

Terrestrial neutron-induced soft errors in semiconductor memory devices are currently a major concern in reliability issues. Understanding the mechanism and quantifying soft-error rates are primarily crucial for the design and quality assurance of semiconductor memory devices. This book covers the relevant up-to-date topics in terrestrial neutron-induced soft errors, and aims to provide succinct knowledge on neutron-induced soft errors to the readers by presenting several valuable and unique features. Sample Chapter(s). Chapter 1: Introduction (238 KB). Table A.30 mentioned in Appendix A.6 on

Comparision of the Martian Gullies With Terrestrial Ones

Science.gov (United States)

Cedillo-Flores, Y.; Durand-Manterola, H. J.

2005-12-01

Some of the geomorphological features in Mars are the gullies. Some theories developed tried to explained its origin, either by liquid water, liquid carbon dioxide or flows of dry granular material. We made a comparative analysis of the Martian gullies with the terrestrial ones. We present the characteristics of some terrestrial gullies formed at cold enviroment, sited at the Nevado de Toluca volcanoe near Toluca City, Mexico. We compare them with Martian gullies, choisen from four different areas, to recognize possible processes evolved in its formation. Also, we measured the lenghts of those Martian gullies and their range was from 24 m 1775 m.

Solar, interplanetary and terrestrial features associated with periods of prolonged positive and negative Dst index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rajaram, G.

1989-01-01

From a survey of the published final values of the geomagnetic index D st for the period 1958-1972, we found long time intervals of over 25-30 days, during which this index remained consistently positive (D st +) or negative (D st -). A study is made of relevant parameters on the ground, in the magnetosphere, in the solar wind and on the Sun to seek out systematic features associated with the two conditions. In order to eliminate factors arising from seasonal and solar cycle variations, we selected pairs of D st + and D st - which involve successive months of the same year, or the same month of two successive years. Three parameters which show a systematic difference between D st + and D st - intervals are found to be 1) the state of solar photospheric magnetic fields 2) the flux density of solar MeV protons measured in the magnetosphere and 3) the southward component of the interplanetary magnetic field. While the effect of the last on geomagnetic activity has been well-discussed in the literature, it is suggested that the correlations of the first two to the conditions of D st + and D st - demand a careful scrutiny of the solar-terrestrial relationship. (author)

Solar-terrestrial disturbances of June-September 1982, 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ondoh, Tadanori; Nakamura, Yoshikatsu; Watanabe, Shigeaki

1986-01-01

Wide-band VLF hisses similar to the auroral hiss, choruses and a hook-type emission were observed at mid-latitudes during the daytime of four geomagnetic storms in July and September 1982 by ISIS satellites at Kashima Station, Radio Research Laboratories (RRL), Japan. The occurrences of the high-latitude-type VLF emissions in mid-latitudes are clearly caused by geomagnetic storm effects. During the main phase of geomagnetic storm on July 14, 1982, auroral-type hisses occurred at frequencies above 4 kHz at invariant latitudes above 43 deg which were below the observed latitude, 47 deg of whistler echo trains. The auroral type hiss observed at mid-latitudes seems to be generated by the Cherenkov radiations from precipitating electrons with energy above a few keV. The precipitating electrons may result from an interaction of the ring current particles with the plasmaspheric cold plasma. The occurrence of choruses at mid-latitudes during the geomagnetic storm of September 22 seems to represent inward movements of the outer-radiation-zone electrons due to an enhanced westward electric field in the magnetosphere during the geomagnetic storm. Another storm effect observed is that the upper limit frequency, lower limit frequency and bandwidth of ELF hiss became smaller at lower latitudes. This effect seems to be caused by the ionic compositions of the topside ionosphere and the conditions of the outer plasmasphere, where the ELF hiss is generated, during geomagnetic storms. (author)

Terrestrial rock glaciers: a potential analog for Martian lobate flow features (LFF)

Science.gov (United States)

Sinha, Rishitosh K.; Vijayan, Sivaprahasam; Bharti, Rajiv R.

2016-05-01

Rock glaciers, regarded as cryospheric ice/water resource in the terrestrial-glacial systems based on their tongue/lobate-shaped flow characteristic and subsurface investigation using ground-penetrating radar. We examined the subsurface, geomorphology, climate-sensitivity and thermophysical properties of a Lobate Flow Feature (LFF) on Mars (30°-60° N and S hemispheres) to compare/assess the potentials of rock glaciers as an analog in suggesting LFFs to be a source of subsurface ice/water. LFFs are generally observed at the foot of impact craters' wall. HiRISE/CTX imageries from MRO spacecraft were used for geomorphological investigation of LFF using ArcMap-10.0 and subsurface investigation was carried out using data from MRO-SHARAD (shallow radar) after integrating with SiesWare-8.0. ENVI-5.0 was used to retrieve thermophysical properties of LFF from nighttime datasets (12.57 μm) acquired by THEMIS instrument-onboard the Mars Odyssey spacecraft and derive LFFs morphometry from MOLA altimeter point tracks onboard MGS spacecraft. Integrating crater chronology tool (Craterstats) with Arc Map, we have derived the formation age of LFF. Our investigation and comparison of LFF to rock glaciers revealed: (1) LFFs have preserved ice at depth 50m as revealed from SHARAD radargram and top-layer composed of rocky-debris material with thermal inertia ( 300-350 Jm-2 K-1s-1/2). (2) LFF formation age ( 10-100 Ma) corresponds to moderate scale debris covered glaciation of a shorter-span suggesting high sensitivity to obliquity-driven climatic shifts. (3) Presence of polygon cracks and high linear-arcuate furrow-and-ridges on the surface indicates presence of buried ice. This work is a significant step towards suggesting LFF to be a potential source of present-day stored ice/water on Mars.

Resonant Scattering of Relativistic Outer Zone Electrons by Plasmaspheric Plume Electromagnetic Ion Cyclotron Waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhen-Peng, Su; Hui-Nan, Zheng

2009-01-01

The bounce-averaged Fokker–Planck equation is solved to study the relativistic electron phase space density (PSD) evolution in the outer radiation belt due to resonant interactions with plasmaspheric plume electromagnetic ion cyclotron (EMIC) waves. It is found that the PSDs of relativistic electrons can be depleted by 1–3 orders of magnitude in 5h, supporting the previous finding that resonant interactions with EMIC waves may account for the frequently observed relativistic electron flux dropouts in the outer radiation belt during the main phase of a storm. The significant precipitation loss of ∼MeV electrons is primarily induced by the EMIC waves in H + and He + bands. The rapid remove of highly relativistic electrons (> 5 MeV) is mainly driven by the EMIC waves in O + band at lower pitch-angles, as well as the EMIC waves in H + and He + bands at larger pitch-angles. Moreover, a stronger depletion of relativistic electrons is found to occur over a wider pitch angle range when EMIC waves are centering relatively higher in the band

Species-specific differences in the accumulation features of organohalogen contaminants and their metabolites in the blood of Japanese terrestrial mammals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mizukawa, Hazuki; Nomiyama, Kei; Nakatsu, Susumu; Yachimori, Shuuji; Hayashi, Terutake; Tashiro, Yutaka; Nagano, Yasuko; Tanabe, Shinsuke

2013-01-01

Residue levels and patterns of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), their hydroxylated metabolites (OH-PCBs, OH-PBDEs), and methoxylated PBDEs (MeO-PBDEs) in the blood of various terrestrial mammals in Japan, including cats, raccoon dogs, dogs, masked palm civets, foxes, raccoons, badgers, and mongooses were determined. Tri- through penta-chlorinated OH-PCBs were predominant in cat blood, whereas hexa- through octa-chlorinated OH-PCBs were found in other species. High proportion of BDE209 was found in all species, suggesting exposure to municipal waste and soil containing higher levels of deca-BDE products. 6OH-/MeO-BDE47 and 2′OH-/MeO-BDE68 were dominant in all terrestrial mammals. This is first report on the detection of OH-/MeO-PBDEs in the blood of terrestrial mammals. High concentrations of OH-/MeO-PBDEs were found in cats, suggesting the intake of these compounds from seafood. Cats exhibited higher accumulation and specific patterns of OH-PCBs, OH-PBDEs, and MeO-PBDEs, they may be at a high risk from these metabolites. -- Highlights: ► Analysis of organohalogen metabolites in the blood of Japanese terrestrial mammals. ► First study on analysis of OH-/MeO-PBDEs in terrestrial mammals. ► Cats showed specific residue pattern of OH-PCBs compare to other species. ► Metabolic capacities of PCBs in carnivore were higher than marine mammals. ► Marine natural occurrence OH-/MeO-PBDEs were found in terrestrial mammals. -- Cats showed specific residue pattern of OH-PCBs compare to other species and marine natural occurrence OH-/MeO-PBDEs were detected in terrestrial mammals

Linking terrestrial and marine conservation planning and threats analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Tallis, Heather; Ferdaña, Zach; Gray, Elizabeth

2008-02-01

The existence of the Gulf of Mexico dead zone makes it clear that marine ecosystems can be damaged by terrestrial inputs. Marine and terrestrial conservation planning need to be aligned in an explicit fashion to fully represent threats to marine systems. To integrate conservation planning for terrestrial and marine systems, we used a novel threats assessment that included 5 cross-system threats in a site-prioritization exercise for the Pacific Northwest coast ecoregion (U.S.A.). Cross-system threats are actions or features in one ecological realm that have effects on species in another realm. We considered bulkheads and other forms of shoreline hardening threats to terrestrial systems and roads, logging, agriculture, and urban areas threats to marine systems. We used 2 proxies of freshwater influence on marine environments, validated against a mechanistic model and field observations, to propagate land-based threats into marine sites. We evaluated the influence of cross-system threats on conservation priorities by comparing MARXAN outputs for 3 scenarios that identified terrestrial and marine priorities simultaneously: (1) no threats, (2) single-system threats, and (3) single- and cross-system threats. Including cross-system threats changed the threat landscape dramatically. As a result the best plan that included only single-system threats identified 323 sites (161,500 ha) at risk from cross-system threats. Including these threats changed the location of best sites. By comparing the best and sum solutions of the single- and cross-system scenarios, we identified areas ideal for preservation or restoration through integrated management. Our findings lend quantitative support to the call for explicitly integrated decision making and management action in terrestrial and marine ecosystems.

Inter-annual variabilities in biogeophysical feedback of terrestrial ecosystem to atmosphere using a land surface model

Science.gov (United States)

Seo, C.; Hong, S.; Jeong, H. M.; Jeon, J.

2017-12-01

Biogeophysical processes of terrestrial ecosystem such as water vapor and energy flux are the key features to understand ecological feedback to atmospheric processes and thus role of terrestrial ecosystem in climate system. For example, it has been recently known that the ecological feedback through water vapor and energy flux results in regulating regional weathers and climates which is one of the fundamental functions of terrestrial ecosystem. In regional scale, water vapor flux has been known to give negative feedback to atmospheric warming, while energy flux from the surface has been known to positive feedback. In this study, we explored the inter-annual variabilities in these two biogeophysical features to see how the climate regulating functions of terrestrial ecosystem have been changed with climate change. We selected a land surface model involving vegetation dynamics that is forced by atmospheric data from NASA including precipitation, temperature, wind, surface pressure, humidity, and incoming radiations. From the land surface model, we simulated 60-year water vapor and energy fluxes from 1961 to 2010, and calculates feedbacks of terrestrial ecosystem as in radiation amount into atmosphere. Then, we analyzed the inter-annual variabilities in the feedbacks. The results showed that some mid-latitude areas showing very high variabilities in precipitation showed higher positive feedback and/or lower negative feedback. These results suggest deterioration of the biogeophyisical factor of climate regulating function over those regions.

Morphological and molecular characterization and phylogenetic relationships of a new species of trypanosome in Tapirus terrestris (lowland tapir), Trypanosoma terrestris sp. nov., from Atlantic Rainforest of southeastern Brazi.

Science.gov (United States)

Acosta, Igor da Cunha Lima; da Costa, Andrea Pereira; Nunes, Pablo Henrique; Gondim, Maria Fernanda Naegeli; Gatti, Andressa; Rossi, João Luiz; Gennari, Solange Maria; Marcili, Arlei

2013-12-11

The Lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) is the largest Brazilian mammal and despite being distributed in various Brazilian biomes, it is seriously endangered in the Atlantic Rainforest. These hosts were never evaluated for the presence of Trypanosoma parasites. The Lowland tapirs were captured in the Brazilian southeastern Atlantic Rainforest, Espírito Santo state. Trypanosomes were isolated by hemoculture, and the molecular phylogeny based on small subunit rDNA (SSU rDNA) and glycosomal-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (gGAPDH) gene sequences and the ultrastructural features seen via light microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy are described. Phylogenetic trees using combined SSU rDNA and gGAPDH data sets clustered the trypanosomes of Lowland tapirs, which were highly divergent from other trypanosome species. The phylogenetic position and morphological discontinuities, mainly in epimastigote culture forms, made it possible to classify the trypanosomes from Lowland tapirs as a separate species. The isolated trypanosomes from Tapirus terrestris are a new species, Trypanosoma terrestris sp. n., and were positioned in a new Trypanosoma clade, named T. terrestris clade.

The Geology of Inferno Chasm, Idaho: a Terrestrial Analog for Lunar Rilles?

Science.gov (United States)

Garry, William B.; Hughes, Scott S.; Kobs Nawotniak, Shannon E.; Neish, Catherine D.; Haberle, Christopher W.; Heldmann, Jennifer L.; Lim, Darlene S. S.

2014-01-01

Lunar sinuous rilles are thought to have formed by thermal erosion, mechanical erosion, construction, or a combination of these processes via emplacement by lava tubes or lava channels. The investigation of Hadley Rille by Apollo 15 provided the first field observations of a rille, but remote sensing observations remain our primary method for studying these features. Terrestrial volcanic features with similar morphologies to lunar rilles can provide insight into their formation on the Moon.

Contaminant exposure in terrestrial vertebrates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Philip N.; Cobb, George P.; Godard-Codding, Celine; Hoff, Dale; McMurry, Scott T.; Rainwater, Thomas R.; Reynolds, Kevin D.

2007-01-01

Here we review mechanisms and factors influencing contaminant exposure among terrestrial vertebrate wildlife. There exists a complex mixture of biotic and abiotic factors that dictate potential for contaminant exposure among terrestrial and semi-terrestrial vertebrates. Chemical fate and transport in the environment determine contaminant bioaccessibility. Species-specific natural history characteristics and behavioral traits then play significant roles in the likelihood that exposure pathways, from source to receptor, are complete. Detailed knowledge of natural history traits of receptors considered in conjunction with the knowledge of contaminant behavior and distribution on a site are critical when assessing and quantifying exposure. We review limitations in our understanding of elements of exposure and the unique aspects of exposure associated with terrestrial and semi-terrestrial taxa. We provide insight on taxa-specific traits that contribute, or limit exposure to, transport phenomenon that influence exposure throughout terrestrial systems, novel contaminants, bioavailability, exposure data analysis, and uncertainty associated with exposure in wildlife risk assessments. Lastly, we identify areas related to exposure among terrestrial and semi-terrestrial organisms that warrant additional research. - Both biotic and abiotic factors determine chemical exposure for terrestrial vertebrates

Surface exposure dating of non-terrestrial bodies using optically stimulated luminescence: A new method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sohbati, Reza; Jain, Mayank; Murray, Andrew

2012-01-01

We propose a new method for in situ surface exposure dating of non-terrestrial geomorphological features using optically stimulated luminescence (OSL); our approach is based on the progressive emptying of trapped charge with exposure to light at depth into a mineral surface. A complete model of t...... charge population. The potential dating applications for (a) include dust accumulation, volcanic rocks and impact-related sediments, and for (b) fault scarps, rock-falls, landslides and ice-scoured bedrock. Using assumptions based on terrestrial observations we expect that this approach...

Evaluation of Terrestrial LIDAR for Monitoring Geomorphic Change at Archeological Sites in Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Science.gov (United States)

Collins, Brian D.; Brown, Kristin M.; Fairley, Helen C.

2008-01-01

This report presents the results of an evaluation of terrestrial light detection and ranging (LIDAR) for monitoring geomorphic change at archeological sites located within Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz. Traditionally, topographic change-detection studies have used total station methods for the collection of data related to key measurable features of site erosion such as the location of thalwegs and knickpoints of gullies that traverse archeological sites (for example, Pederson and others, 2003). Total station methods require survey teams to walk within and on the features of interest within the archeological sites to take accurate measurements. As a result, site impacts may develop such as trailing, damage to cryptogamic crusts, and surface compaction that can exacerbate future erosion of the sites. National Park Service (NPS) resource managers have become increasingly concerned that repeated surveys for research and monitoring purposes may have a detrimental impact on the resources that researchers are trying to study and protect. Beginning in 2006, the Sociocultural Program of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center (GCMRC) initiated an evaluation of terrestrial LIDAR as a new monitoring tool that might enhance data quality and reduce site impacts. This evaluation was conducted as one part of an ongoing study to develop objective, replicable, quantifiable monitoring protocols for tracking the status and trend of variables affecting archeological site condition along the Colorado River corridor. The overall study consists of two elements: (1) an evaluation of the methodology through direct comparison to geomorphologic metrics already being collected by total station methods (this report) and (2) an evaluation of terrestrial LIDAR's ability to detect topographic change through the collection of temporally different datasets (a report on this portion of the study is anticipated early in 2009). The main goals of the first

He+ dominance in the plasmasphere during geomagnetically disturbed periods: 1. Observational results

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. R. Wilford

Full Text Available Observations made by the DMSP F10 satellite during the recovery phase from geomagnetic disturbances in June 1991 show regions of He+ dominance around 830 km altitude at 09:00 MLT. These regions are co-located with a trough in ionisation observed around 55° in the winter hemisphere. Plasma temperature and concentration observations made during the severe geomagnetic storm of 24 March 1991 are used as a case study to determine the effects of geomagnetic disturbances along the orbit of the F10 satellite. Previous explanations for He+ dominance in this trough region relate to the part of the respective flux tubes that is in darkness. Such conditions are not relevant for this study, since the whole of the respective flux tubes are sunlit. A new mechanism is proposed to explain the He+ dominance in the trough region. This mechanism is based on plasma transport and chemical reaction effects in the F-region and topside ionosphere, and on the time scales for such chemical reactions. Flux tubes previously depleted by geomagnetic storm effects refill during the recovery phase from the ionosphere as a result of pressure differences along the flux tubes. Following a geomagnetic disturbance, the He+ ion recovers quickly via the rapid photoionisation of neutral helium, in the F-region and the topside. The recovery of the O+ and H+ ions is less rapid. This is proposed as a result of the respective charge exchange reactions with neutral atomic hydrogen and oxygen. Preliminary model calculations support the proposed mechanism.Key words. Magnetospheric physics (storms and sub-storms, plasmasphere

Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring Plan

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Tom; Payne, J.; Doyle, M.

The Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF), the biodiversity working group of the Arctic Council, established the Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP) to address the need for coordinated and standardized monitoring of Arctic environments. The CBMP includes an international...... on developing and implementing long-term plans for monitoring the integrity of Arctic biomes: terrestrial, marine, freshwater, and coastal (under development) environments. The CBMP Terrestrial Expert Monitoring Group (CBMP-TEMG) has developed the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring Plan (CBMP......-Terrestrial Plan/the Plan) as the framework for coordinated, long-term Arctic terrestrial biodiversity monitoring. The goal of the CBMP-Terrestrial Plan is to improve the collective ability of Arctic traditional knowledge (TK) holders, northern communities, and scientists to detect, understand and report on long...

Carbon Sequestration in Terrestrial Ecosystems: A Status Report on R and D Progress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacobs, G.K.

2001-01-01

Sequestration of carbon in terrestrial ecosystems is a low-cost option that may be available in the near-term to mitigate increasing atmospheric CO(sub 2) concentrations, while providing additional benefits. Storing carbon in terrestrial ecosystems can be achieved through maintenance of standing aboveground biomass, utilization of aboveground biomass in long-lived products, or protection of carbon (organic and inorganic) compounds present in soils. There are potential co-benefits from efforts to sequester carbon in terrestrial ecosystems. For example, long-lived valuable products (wood) are produced, erosion would be reduced, soil productivity could be improved through increased capacity to retain water and nutrients, and marginal lands could be improved and riparian ecosystems restored. Another unique feature of the terrestrial sequestration option is that it is the only option that is ''reversible'' should it become desirable or permissible. For example, forests that are created are thus investments which could be harvested should CO(sub 2) emissions be reduced in other ways to acceptable levels 50-100 years from now

Identification of fruits of Tribulus terrestris Linn. and Pedalium murex Linn.: A pharmacognostical approach

Science.gov (United States)

Kevalia, Jignesh; Patel, Bhupesh

2011-01-01

Gokshura is a well-known Ayurvedic drug that is used in many preparations. Botonically it is identified as Tribulus terrestris Linn., especially the roots and fruits of the plant. But instead the fruits of another plant Pedalium murex Linn. are commonly used and the drug is frequently substituted. Pharmacognostical study has been carried out to identify the distinguishing features, both morphological and microscopic, of the fruits of Tribulus terrestris Linn. and Pedalium murex Linn. This knowledge should help reduce the problem of substitution of the genuine drug. PMID:22661853

Microplastics in the terrestrial ecosystem: Implications for Lumbricus terrestris (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huerta Lwanga, Esperanza; Gertsen, H.F.; Gooren, H.; Peters, P.D.; Salanki, T.E.; Ploeg, van der M.J.C.; Besseling, E.; Koelmans, A.A.; Geissen, V.

2016-01-01

Plastic debris is widespread in the environment, but information on the effects of microplastics on terrestrial fauna is completely lacking. Here, we studied the survival and fitness of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae) exposed to microplastics (Polyethylene, <150 μm)

DECIPHERING THERMAL PHASE CURVES OF DRY, TIDALLY LOCKED TERRESTRIAL PLANETS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koll, Daniel D. B.; Abbot, Dorian S., E-mail: dkoll@uchicago.edu [Department of the Geophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States)

2015-03-20

Next-generation space telescopes will allow us to characterize terrestrial exoplanets. To do so effectively it will be crucial to make use of all available data. We investigate which atmospheric properties can, and cannot, be inferred from the broadband thermal phase curve of a dry and tidally locked terrestrial planet. First, we use dimensional analysis to show that phase curves are controlled by six nondimensional parameters. Second, we use an idealized general circulation model to explore the relative sensitivity of phase curves to these parameters. We find that the feature of phase curves most sensitive to atmospheric parameters is the peak-to-trough amplitude. Moreover, except for hot and rapidly rotating planets, the phase amplitude is primarily sensitive to only two nondimensional parameters: (1) the ratio of dynamical to radiative timescales and (2) the longwave optical depth at the surface. As an application of this technique, we show how phase curve measurements can be combined with transit or emission spectroscopy to yield a new constraint for the surface pressure and atmospheric mass of terrestrial planets. We estimate that a single broadband phase curve, measured over half an orbit with the James Webb Space Telescope, could meaningfully constrain the atmospheric mass of a nearby super-Earth. Such constraints will be important for studying the atmospheric evolution of terrestrial exoplanets as well as characterizing the surface conditions on potentially habitable planets.

Microplastics in the Terrestrial Ecosystem: Implications for Lumbricus terrestris (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae).

Science.gov (United States)

Huerta Lwanga, Esperanza; Gertsen, Hennie; Gooren, Harm; Peters, Piet; Salánki, Tamás; van der Ploeg, Martine; Besseling, Ellen; Koelmans, Albert A; Geissen, Violette

2016-03-01

Plastic debris is widespread in the environment, but information on the effects of microplastics on terrestrial fauna is completely lacking. Here, we studied the survival and fitness of the earthworm Lumbricus terrestris (Oligochaeta, Lumbricidae) exposed to microplastics (Polyethylene, digestion of ingested organic matter, microplastic was concentrated in cast, especially at the lowest dose (i.e., 7% in litter) because that dose had the highest proportion of digestible organic matter. Whereas 50 percent of the microplastics had a size of earthworms. These concentration-transport and size-selection mechanisms may have important implications for fate and risk of microplastic in terrestrial ecosystems.

V. Terrestrial vertebrates

Science.gov (United States)

Dean Pearson; Deborah Finch

2011-01-01

Within the Interior West, terrestrial vertebrates do not represent a large number of invasive species relative to invasive weeds, aquatic vertebrates, and invertebrates. However, several invasive terrestrial vertebrate species do cause substantial economic and ecological damage in the U.S. and in this region (Pimental 2000, 2007; Bergman and others 2002; Finch and...

Transverse eV Ion Heating by Random Electric Field Fluctuations in the Plasmasphere

Science.gov (United States)

Artemyev, A. V.; Mourenas, D.; Agapitov, O. V.; Blum, L.

2017-01-01

Charged particle acceleration in the Earth inner magnetosphere is believed to be mainly due to the local resonant wave-particle interaction or particle transport processes. However, the Van Allen Probes have recently provided interesting evidence of a relatively slow transverse heating of eV ions at distances about 2-3 Earth radii during quiet times. Waves that are able to resonantly interact with such very cold ions are generally rare in this region of space, called the plasmasphere. Thus, non-resonant wave-particle interactions are expected to play an important role in the observed ion heating. We demonstrate that stochastic heating by random transverse electric field fluctuations of whistler (and possibly electromagnetic ion cyclotron) waves could explain this weak and slow transverse heating of H+ and O+ ions in the inner magnetosphere. The essential element of the proposed model of ion heating is the presence of trains of random whistler (hiss) wave packets, with significant amplitude modulations produced by strong wave damping, rapid wave growth, or a superposition of wave packets of different frequencies, phases, and amplitudes. Such characteristics correspond to measured characteristics of hiss waves in this region. Using test particle simulations with typical wave and plasma parameters, we demonstrate that the corresponding stochastic transverse ion heating reaches 0.07-0.2 eV/h for protons and 0.007-0.015 eV/h for O+ ions. This global temperature increase of the Maxwellian ion population from an initial Ti approx. 0.3 eV could potentially explain the observations.

Improvements to and Comparison of Static Terrestrial LiDAR Self-Calibration Methods

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Preston Hartzell

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Terrestrial laser scanners are sophisticated instruments that operate much like high-speed total stations. It has previously been shown that unmodelled systematic errors can exist in modern terrestrial laser scanners that deteriorate their geometric measurement precision and accuracy. Typically, signalised targets are used in point-based self-calibrations to identify and model the systematic errors. Although this method has proven its effectiveness, a large quantity of signalised targets is required and is therefore labour-intensive and limits its practicality. In recent years, feature-based self-calibration of aerial, mobile terrestrial, and static terrestrial laser scanning systems has been demonstrated. In this paper, the commonalities and differences between point-based and plane-based self-calibration (in terms of model identification and parameter correlation are explored. The results of this research indicate that much of the knowledge from point-based self-calibration can be directly transferred to plane-based calibration and that the two calibration approaches are nearly equivalent. New network configurations, such as the inclusion of tilted scans, were also studied and prove to be an effective means for strengthening the self-calibration solution, and improved recoverability of the horizontal collimation axis error for hybrid scanners, which has always posed a challenge in the past.

Terrestrial Analogs to Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Farr, T. G.; Arcone, S.; Arvidson, R. W.; Baker, V.; Barlow, N. G.; Beaty, D.; Bell, M. S.; Blankenship, D. D.; Bridges, N.; Briggs, G.; Bulmer, M.; Carsey, F.; Clifford, S. M.; Craddock, R. A.; Dickerson, P. W.; Duxbury, N.; Galford, G. L.; Garvin, J.; Grant, J.; Green, J. R.; Gregg, T. K. P.; Guinness, E.; Hansen, V. L.; Hecht, M. H.; Holt, J.; Howard, A.; Keszthelyi, L. P.; Lee, P.; Lanagan, P. D.; Lentz, R. C. F.; Leverington, D. W.; Marinangeli, L.; Moersch, J. E.; Morris-Smith, P. A.; Mouginis-Mark, P.; Olhoeft, G. R.; Ori, G. G.; Paillou, P.; Reilly, J. F., II; Rice, J. W., Jr.; Robinson, C. A.; Sheridan, M.; Snook, K.; Thomson, B. J.; Watson, K.; Williams, K.; Yoshikawa, K.

2002-08-01

It is well recognized that interpretations of Mars must begin with the Earth as a reference. The most successful comparisons have focused on understanding geologic processes on the Earth well enough to extrapolate to Mars' environment. Several facets of terrestrial analog studies have been pursued and are continuing. These studies include field workshops, characterization of terrestrial analog sites, instrument tests, laboratory measurements (including analysis of Martian meteorites), and computer and laboratory modeling. The combination of all these activities allows scientists to constrain the processes operating in specific terrestrial environments and extrapolate how similar processes could affect Mars. The Terrestrial Analogs for Mars Community Panel has considered the following two key questions: (1) How do terrestrial analog studies tie in to the Mars Exploration Payload Assessment Group science questions about life, past climate, and geologic evolution of Mars, and (2) How can future instrumentation be used to address these questions. The panel has considered the issues of data collection, value of field workshops, data archiving, laboratory measurements and modeling, human exploration issues, association with other areas of solar system exploration, and education and public outreach activities.

Accuracy assessment of a mobile terrestrial lidar survey at Padre Island National Seashore

Science.gov (United States)

Lim, Samsung; Thatcher, Cindy A.; Brock, John C.; Kimbrow, Dustin R.; Danielson, Jeffrey J.; Reynolds, B.J.

2013-01-01

The higher point density and mobility of terrestrial laser scanning (light detection and ranging (lidar)) is desired when extremely detailed elevation data are needed for mapping vertically orientated complex features such as levees, dunes, and cliffs, or when highly accurate data are needed for monitoring geomorphic changes. Mobile terrestrial lidar scanners have the capability for rapid data collection on a larger spatial scale compared with tripod-based terrestrial lidar, but few studies have examined the accuracy of this relatively new mapping technology. For this reason, we conducted a field test at Padre Island National Seashore of a mobile lidar scanner mounted on a sport utility vehicle and integrated with a position and orientation system. The purpose of the study was to assess the vertical and horizontal accuracy of data collected by the mobile terrestrial lidar system, which is georeferenced to the Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988. To accomplish the study objectives, independent elevation data were collected by conducting a high-accuracy global positioning system survey to establish the coordinates and elevations of 12 targets spaced throughout the 12 km transect. These independent ground control data were compared to the lidar scanner-derived elevations to quantify the accuracy of the mobile lidar system. The performance of the mobile lidar system was also tested at various vehicle speeds and scan density settings (e.g. field of view and linear point spacing) to estimate the optimal parameters for desired point density. After adjustment of the lever arm parameters, the final point cloud accuracy was 0.060 m (east), 0.095 m (north), and 0.053 m (height). The very high density of the resulting point cloud was sufficient to map fine-scale topographic features, such as the complex shape of the sand dunes.

A half-century of terrestrial analog studies: From craters on the Moon to searching for life on Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Léveillé, Richard

2010-03-01

Terrestrial analogs to the Moon and Mars have been used to advance knowledge in planetary science for over a half-century. They are useful in studies of comparative geology of the terrestrial planets and rocky moons, in astronaut training and testing of exploration technologies, and in developing hypotheses and exploration strategies in astrobiology. In fact, the use of terrestrial analogs can be traced back to the origins of comparative geology and astrobiology, and to the early phases of the Apollo astronaut program. Terrestrial analog studies feature prominently throughout the history of both NASA and the USGS' Astrogeology Research Program. In light of current international plans for a return missions to the Moon, and eventually to send sample return and manned missions to Mars, as well as the recent creation of various analog research and development programs, this historical perspective is timely.

FEATURES OF THE GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF TERRESTRIAL MOLLUSCS IN THE CAUCASUS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Z. Magomedova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Aim. High population, high proliferation rates, a large species diversity, low mobility and small ability to overcome geographic barriers, ease of collecting material and sensitive response to changes in the external environment makes this group a convenient object of biogeographic and ecological research. Methods. The inventory of Caucasian ground malacofauna made it possible to make a complete list of species; their characteristics were determined by the geographical distribution of major natural regions of the Caucasus. Results. The comparative analysis of the geographical distribution of terrestrial molluscs on key areas of the Caucasus showed that among the 352 species belonging to 140 genera of 36 families, most richly represented Western Caucasus, which accounts for 51% or 181 species from 80 genera of 20 families, while the share of Armenian, Eastern and Central Caucasus accounts for 35-37%. Talysh, in turn, is characterized by the presence of only 11% of the species composition of the Caucasian land mollusc. Caucasus limited in distribution among the analyzed species is 72% or 255 species belonging to 104 genera of 24 families. Conclusion. The results prove the species diversity of the different regions of theCaucasus and could serve as the basis to reconsider the possible ways of formation of fauna of the region discussed. 

SAR mapping of Burfellshraun: A terrestrial analog for recent volcanism on Mars

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haack, Henning; Rossi, Matti; Dall, Jørgen

2006-01-01

between 10 and 100 Myr. Parts of the lava flows show smooth kilometer-sized plates that appear to have rafted on the moving lava flow. We have found a terrestrial analogue with similar features, the Burfellshraun lava flow in Northern Iceland. This is the only known lava flow on Earth where kilometer......-sized rafting plates are observed and constitute the dominating feature. Using a combination of airborne remote sensing data and field observations we have studied the emplacement and physical properties of the flow. On the basis of our observations we have reconstructed the sequence of events that led...

Least-squares gradient calculation from multi-point observations of scalar and vector fields: methodology and applications with Cluster in the plasmasphere

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. De Keyser

2007-05-01

Full Text Available This paper describes a general-purpose algorithm for computing the gradients in space and time of a scalar field, a vector field, or a divergence-free vector field, from in situ measurements by one or more spacecraft. The algorithm provides total error estimates on the computed gradient, including the effects of measurement errors, the errors due to a lack of spatio-temporal homogeneity, and errors due to small-scale fluctuations. It also has the ability to diagnose the conditioning of the problem. Optimal use is made of the data, in terms of exploiting the maximum amount of information relative to the uncertainty on the data, by solving the problem in a weighted least-squares sense. The method is illustrated using Cluster magnetic field and electron density data to compute various gradients during a traversal of the inner magnetosphere. In particular, Cluster is shown to cross azimuthal density structure, and the existence of field-aligned currents in the plasmasphere is demonstrated.

Geological remote sensing signatures of terrestrial impact craters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garvin, J.B.; Schnetzler, C.; Grieve, R.A.F.

1988-01-01

Geological remote sensing techniques can be used to investigate structural, depositional, and shock metamorphic effects associated with hypervelocity impact structures, some of which may be linked to global Earth system catastrophies. Although detailed laboratory and field investigations are necessary to establish conclusive evidence of an impact origin for suspected crater landforms, the synoptic perspective provided by various remote sensing systems can often serve as a pathfinder to key deposits which can then be targetted for intensive field study. In addition, remote sensing imagery can be used as a tool in the search for impact and other catastrophic explosion landforms on the basis of localized disruption and anomaly patterns. In order to reconstruct original dimensions of large, complex impact features in isolated, inaccessible regions, remote sensing imagery can be used to make preliminary estimates in the absence of field geophysical surveys. The experienced gained from two decades of planetary remote sensing of impact craters on the terrestrial planets, as well as the techniques developed for recognizing stages of degradation and initial crater morphology, can now be applied to the problem of discovering and studying eroded impact landforms on Earth. Preliminary results of remote sensing analyses of a set of terrestrial impact features in various states of degradation, geologic settings, and for a broad range of diameters and hence energies of formation are summarized. The intention is to develop a database of remote sensing signatures for catastrophic impact landforms which can then be used in EOS-era global surveys as the basis for locating the possibly hundreds of missing impact structures

Young Debris Disks With Newly Discovered Emission Features

Science.gov (United States)

Ballering, N.

2014-04-01

We analyzed the Spitzer/IRS spectra of young A and F stars that host debris disks with previously unidentified silicate emission features. Such features probe small, warm dust grains in the inner regions of these young systems where terrestrial planet formation may be proceeding (Lisse et al. 2009). For most systems, these regions are too near their host star to be directly seen with high-contrast imaging and too warm to be imaged with submillimeter interferometers. Mid-infrared excess spectra - originating from the thermal emission of the debris disk dust - remain the best data to constrain the properties of the debris in these regions. For each target, we fit physically-motivated model spectra to the data. Typical spectra of unresolved debris disks are featureless and suffer severe degeneracies between the dust location and the grain properties; however, spectra with solid-state emission features provide significantly more information, allowing for a more accurate determination of the dust size, composition, and location (e.g. Chen et al. 2006; Olofsson et al. 2012). Our results shed light on the dynamic properties occurring in the terrestrial regions of these systems. For instance, the sizes of the smallest grains and the nature of the grain size distribution reveal whether the dust originates from steady-state collisional cascades or from stochastic collisions. The properties of the dust grains - such as their crystalline or amorphous structure - can inform us of grain processing mechanisms in the disk. The location of this debris illuminates where terrestrial planet forming activity is occurring. We used results from the Beta Pictoris - which has a well-resolved debris disk with emission features (Li et al. 2012) - to place our results in context. References: Chen et al. 2006, ApJS, 166, 351 Li et al. 2012, ApJ, 759, 81 Lisse et al. 2009, ApJ, 701, 2019 Olofsson et al. 2012, A&A, 542, A90

Hidden dental diversity in the oldest terrestrial apex predator Dimetrodon.

Science.gov (United States)

Brink, Kirstin S; Reisz, Robert R

2014-01-01

Paleozoic sphenacodontid synapsids are the oldest known fully terrestrial apex predators. Dimetrodon and other sphenacodontids are the first terrestrial vertebrates to have strong heterodonty, massive skulls and well-developed labio-lingually compressed and recurved teeth with mesial and distal cutting edges (carinae). Here we reveal that the dentition of Dimetrodon and other sphenacodontids is diverse. Tooth morphology includes simple carinae with smooth cutting edges and elaborate enamel features, including the first occurrence of cusps and true denticles (ziphodonty) in the fossil record. A time-calibrated phylogenetic analysis indicates that changes in dental morphology occur in the absence of any significant changes in skull morphology, suggesting that the morphological change is associated with changes in feeding style and trophic interactions in these ecosystems. In addition, the available evidence indicates that ziphodonty evolved for the first time in the largest known species of the genus Dimetrodon and independently from the ziphodont teeth observed in some therapsids.

Terrestrial planet formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Righter, K; O'Brien, D P

2011-11-29

Advances in our understanding of terrestrial planet formation have come from a multidisciplinary approach. Studies of the ages and compositions of primitive meteorites with compositions similar to the Sun have helped to constrain the nature of the building blocks of planets. This information helps to guide numerical models for the three stages of planet formation from dust to planetesimals (~10(6) y), followed by planetesimals to embryos (lunar to Mars-sized objects; few 10(6) y), and finally embryos to planets (10(7)-10(8) y). Defining the role of turbulence in the early nebula is a key to understanding the growth of solids larger than meter size. The initiation of runaway growth of embryos from planetesimals ultimately leads to the growth of large terrestrial planets via large impacts. Dynamical models can produce inner Solar System configurations that closely resemble our Solar System, especially when the orbital effects of large planets (Jupiter and Saturn) and damping mechanisms, such as gas drag, are included. Experimental studies of terrestrial planet interiors provide additional constraints on the conditions of differentiation and, therefore, origin. A more complete understanding of terrestrial planet formation might be possible via a combination of chemical and physical modeling, as well as obtaining samples and new geophysical data from other planets (Venus, Mars, or Mercury) and asteroids.

Consequences of simulating terrestrial N dynamics for projecting future terrestrial C storage

Science.gov (United States)

Zaehle, S.; Friend, A. D.; Friedlingstein, P.

2009-04-01

We present results of a new land surface model, O-CN, which includes a process-based coupling between the terrestrial cycling of energy, water, carbon, and nitrogen. The model represents the controls of the terrestrial nitrogen (N) cycling on carbon (C) pools and fluxes through photosynthesis, respiration, changes in allocation patterns, as well as soil organic matter decomposition, and explicitly accounts for N leaching and gaseous losses. O-CN has been shown to give realistic results in comparison to observations at a wide range of scales, including in situ flux measurements, productivity databases, and atmospheric CO2 concentration data. Notably, O-CN simulates realistic responses of net primary productivity, foliage area, and foliage N content to elevated atmospheric [CO2] as evidenced at free air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) sites (Duke, Oak Ridge). We re-examine earlier model-based assessments of the terrestrial C sequestration potential using a global transient O-CN simulation driven by increases in atmospheric [CO2], N deposition and climatic changes over the 21st century. We find that accounting for terrestrial N cycling about halves the potential to store C in response to increases in atmospheric CO2 concentrations; mainly due to a reduction of the net C uptake in temperate and boreal forests. Nitrogen deposition partially alleviates the effect of N limitation, but is by far not sufficient to compensate for the effect completely. These findings underline the importance of an accurate representation of nutrient limitations in future projections of the terrestrial net CO2 exchanges and therefore land-climate feedback studies.

Aquatic and Terrestrial Environment 2004

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, J. M.; Boutrup, S.; Bijl, L. van der

This report presents the 2004 results of the Danish National Monitoring and Assess-ment Programme for the Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments (NOVANA). 2004 was the first year in which terrestrial nature was included in the monitoring pro-gramme. The report reviews the state of the groundwater......, watercourses, lakes and marine waters and the pressures upon them and reviews the monitoring of terrestrial natural habitats and selected plants and animals. The report is based on the annual reports prepared for each subprogramme by the Topic Centres. The latter reports are mainly based on data collected...

Anthropogenic transformation of the terrestrial biosphere.

Science.gov (United States)

Ellis, Erle C

2011-03-13

Human populations and their use of land have transformed most of the terrestrial biosphere into anthropogenic biomes (anthromes), causing a variety of novel ecological patterns and processes to emerge. To assess whether human populations and their use of land have directly altered the terrestrial biosphere sufficiently to indicate that the Earth system has entered a new geological epoch, spatially explicit global estimates of human populations and their use of land were analysed across the Holocene for their potential to induce irreversible novel transformation of the terrestrial biosphere. Human alteration of the terrestrial biosphere has been significant for more than 8000 years. However, only in the past century has the majority of the terrestrial biosphere been transformed into intensively used anthromes with predominantly novel anthropogenic ecological processes. At present, even were human populations to decline substantially or use of land become far more efficient, the current global extent, duration, type and intensity of human transformation of ecosystems have already irreversibly altered the terrestrial biosphere at levels sufficient to leave an unambiguous geological record differing substantially from that of the Holocene or any prior epoch. It remains to be seen whether the anthropogenic biosphere will be sustained and continue to evolve.

Histories of terrestrial planets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Benes, K.

1981-01-01

The uneven historical development of terrestrial planets - Mercury, Venus, Earth, Moon and Mars - is probably due to the differences in their size, weight and rotational dynamics in association with the internal planet structure, their distance from the Sun, etc. A systematic study of extraterrestrial planets showed that the time span of internal activity was not the same for all bodies. It is assumed that the initial history of all terrestrial planets was marked with catastrophic events connected with the overall dynamic development of the solar system. In view of the fact that the cores of small terrestrial bodies cooled quicker, their geological development almost stagnated after two or three thousand million years. This is what probably happened to the Mercury and the Moon as well as the Mars. Therefore, traces of previous catastrophic events were preserved on the surface of the planets. On the other hand, the Earth is the most metamorphosed terrestrial planet and compared to the other planets appears to be atypical. Its biosphere is significantly developed as well as the other shell components, its hydrosphere and atmosphere, and its crust is considerably differentiated. (J.P.)

Evidence for and implications of an Early Archean terrestrial impact record

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lowe, D.R.; Byerly, G.R.

1988-01-01

Early Archean, 3.5 to 3.2 Ga, greenstone sequences in South Africa and Western Australia contain a well-preserved record of early terrestrial meteorite impacts. The main impact-produced deposits are layers, 10 cm to over 1 m thick, composed largely of sand-sized spherules, 0.1 to 4 mm in diameter. The beds studied to date show an assemblage of features indicating formation by the fall of debris from impact-generated ejecta clouds. Some presented data effectively rule out normal magmatic or sedimentary processes in the origin of these units and provide substantial support for an origin by large impacts on the early earth. The presence of at least four, remarkably thick, nearly pure spherule layers suggests that smaller-scale impact deposits may be even more abundant in these sequences. The existence of a well-preserved Archean terrestrial impact record suggests that a direct source of evidence is available regarding a number of important aspects of early earth history

Does terrestrial epidemiology apply to marine systems?

Science.gov (United States)

McCallum, Hamish I.; Kuris, Armand M.; Harvell, C. Drew; Lafferty, Kevin D.; Smith, Garriet W.; Porter, James

2004-01-01

Most of epidemiological theory has been developed for terrestrial systems, but the significance of disease in the ocean is now being recognized. However, the extent to which terrestrial epidemiology can be directly transferred to marine systems is uncertain. Many broad types of disease-causing organism occur both on land and in the sea, and it is clear that some emergent disease problems in marine environments are caused by pathogens moving from terrestrial to marine systems. However, marine systems are qualitatively different from terrestrial environments, and these differences affect the application of modelling and management approaches that have been developed for terrestrial systems. Phyla and body plans are more diverse in marine environments and marine organisms have different life histories and probably different disease transmission modes than many of their terrestrial counterparts. Marine populations are typically more open than terrestrial ones, with the potential for long-distance dispersal of larvae. Potentially, this might enable unusually rapid propagation of epidemics in marine systems, and there are several examples of this. Taken together, these differences will require the development of new approaches to modelling and control of infectious disease in the ocean.

Terrestrial laser scanning point clouds time series for the monitoring of slope movements: displacement measurement using image correlation and 3D feature tracking

Science.gov (United States)

Bornemann, Pierrick; Jean-Philippe, Malet; André, Stumpf; Anne, Puissant; Julien, Travelletti

2016-04-01

Dense multi-temporal point clouds acquired with terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) have proved useful for the study of structure and kinematics of slope movements. Most of the existing deformation analysis methods rely on the use of interpolated data. Approaches that use multiscale image correlation provide a precise and robust estimation of the observed movements; however, for non-rigid motion patterns, these methods tend to underestimate all the components of the movement. Further, for rugged surface topography, interpolated data introduce a bias and a loss of information in some local places where the point cloud information is not sufficiently dense. Those limits can be overcome by using deformation analysis exploiting directly the original 3D point clouds assuming some hypotheses on the deformation (e.g. the classic ICP algorithm requires an initial guess by the user of the expected displacement patterns). The objective of this work is therefore to propose a deformation analysis method applied to a series of 20 3D point clouds covering the period October 2007 - October 2015 at the Super-Sauze landslide (South East French Alps). The dense point clouds have been acquired with a terrestrial long-range Optech ILRIS-3D laser scanning device from the same base station. The time series are analyzed using two approaches: 1) a method of correlation of gradient images, and 2) a method of feature tracking in the raw 3D point clouds. The estimated surface displacements are then compared with GNSS surveys on reference targets. Preliminary results tend to show that the image correlation method provides a good estimation of the displacement fields at first order, but shows limitations such as the inability to track some deformation patterns, and the use of a perspective projection that does not maintain original angles and distances in the correlated images. Results obtained with 3D point clouds comparison algorithms (C2C, ICP, M3C2) bring additional information on the

Terrestrial Steering Group. 2014. Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring Plan

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Aastrup, Peter; Aronsson, Mora; Barry, Tom

capacity and information may be currently available and (b) to outline near-term required steps to begin implementing the plan and reporting on an initial set of Arctic terrestrial biodiversity focal ecosystem component attributes. The specific objectives of the workshop were to: Identify key products...... for TSG for the next two years. Identify key components of a pan-Arctic status report for priority focal ecosystem components (FEC) attributes for policy and decision makers. Develop a prioritized set of activities to meet reporting objectives. Identify key milestones and timelines for the successful...... implementation of the Arctic Terrestrial Biodiversity Monitoring Plan for the next two years. Identify expert networks required for successful implementation of the plan. Identify key gaps and opportunities for the TSG related to plan implementation and identify near-term next steps to address gaps....

MODIS-derived terrestrial primary production [chapter 28

Science.gov (United States)

Maosheng Zhao; Steven Running; Faith Ann Heinsch; Ramakrishna Nemani

2011-01-01

Temporal and spatial changes in terrestrial biological productivity have a large impact on humankind because terrestrial ecosystems not only create environments suitable for human habitation, but also provide materials essential for survival, such as food, fiber and fuel. A recent study estimated that consumption of terrestrial net primary production (NPP; a list of...

The Planetary Terrestrial Analogues Library (PTAL)

Science.gov (United States)

Werner, S. C.; Dypvik, H.; Poulet, F.; Rull Perez, F.; Bibring, J.-P.; Bultel, B.; Casanova Roque, C.; Carter, J.; Cousin, A.; Guzman, A.; Hamm, V.; Hellevang, H.; Lantz, C.; Lopez-Reyes, G.; Manrique, J. A.; Maurice, S.; Medina Garcia, J.; Navarro, R.; Negro, J. I.; Neumann, E. R.; Pilorget, C.; Riu, L.; Sætre, C.; Sansano Caramazana, A.; Sanz Arranz, A.; Sobron Grañón, F.; Veneranda, M.; Viennet, J.-C.; PTAL Team

2018-04-01

The Planetary Terrestrial Analogues Library project aims to build and exploit a spectral data base for the characterisation of the mineralogical and geological evolution of terrestrial planets and small solar system bodies.

Terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Davis-Reddy, Claire

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Ecoregions Terrestrial Biomes Protected Areas Climate Risk and Vulnerability: A Handbook for Southern Africa | 75 7.2. Non-climatic drivers of ecosystem change 7.2.1. Land-use change, habitat loss and fragmentation Land-use change and landscape... concentrations of endemic plant and animal species, but these mainly occur in areas that are most threatened by human activity. Diverse terrestrial ecosystems in the region include tropical and sub-tropical forests, deserts, savannas, grasslands, mangroves...

Utilization of the terrestrial cyanobacteria

Science.gov (United States)

Katoh, Hiroshi; Tomita-Yokotani, Kaori; Furukawa, Jun; Kimura, Shunta; Yokoshima, Mika; Yamaguchi, Yuji; Takenaka, Hiroyuki

The terrestrial, N _{2}-fixing cyanobacterium, Nostoc commune has expected to utilize for agriculture, food and terraforming cause of its extracellular polysaccharide, desiccation tolerance and nitrogen fixation. Previously, the first author indicated that desiccation related genes were analyzed and the suggested that the genes were related to nitrogen fixation and metabolisms. In this report, we suggest possibility of agriculture, using the cyanobacterium. Further, we also found radioactive compounds accumulated N. commune (cyanobacterium) in Fukushima, Japan after nuclear accident. Thus, it is investigated to decontaminate radioactive compounds from the surface soil by the cyanobacterium and showed to accumulate radioactive compounds using the cyanobacterium. We will discuss utilization of terrestrial cyanobacteria under closed environment. Keyword: Desiccation, terrestrial cyanobacteria, bioremediation, agriculture

Terrestrial and extraterrestrial fullerenes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Heymann, D.; Jenneskens, L.W.; Jehlicka, J; Koper, C.; Vlietstra, E. [Rice Univ, Houston, TX (United States). Dept. of Earth Science

2003-07-01

This paper reviews reports of occurrences of fullerenes in circumstellar media, interstellar media, meteorites, interplanetary dust particles (IDPs), lunar rocks, hard terrestrial rocks from Shunga (Russia), Sudbury (Canada) and Mitov (Czech Republic), coal, terrestrial sediments from the Cretaceous-Tertiary-Boundary and Pennian-Triassic-Boundary, fulgurite, ink sticks, dinosaur eggs, and a tree char. The occurrences are discussed in the context of known and postulated processes of fullerene formation, including the suggestion that some natural fullerenes might have formed from biological (algal) remains.

Plasmapause Dynamics Observed During the 17 March and 28 June 2013 Storms

Science.gov (United States)

Bishop, R. L.; Coster, A. J.; Turner, D. L.; Nikoukar, R.; Lemon, C.; Roeder, J. L.; Shumko, M.; Bhatt, R.; Payne, C.; Bust, G. S.

2017-12-01

Earth's plasmasphere is a region of cold (T ≤ 1 eV), dense (n 101 to 104 cm-3) plasma located in the inner magnetosphere and coincident with a portion of the ionosphere that co-rotates with the planet in the geomagnetic field. Plasmaspheric plasma originates in the ionosphere and fills the magnetic flux tubes on which the corotation electric field dominates over the convection electric field. The corotation electric field results from Earth's spinning magnetic field while the convection electric field results from the solar wind driving of global plasma convection within the magnetosphere. The outer boundary of the plasmasphere is the plasmapause, and it corresponds to the transition region between corotation-driven vs. convection-driven plasmas. When the convection electric field is enhanced during active solar wind periods, such as magnetic storms, the plasmasphere can rapidly erode to L 2.5 or less. During subsequent quiet periods of low solar wind speed and weak interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), ionospheric outflow from lower altitudes refills the plasmasphere over the course of several days or more, with the plasmapause expanding to higher L-shells. The combination of convection, corotation, and ionospheric plasma outflow during and after a storm leads to characteristic features such as plasmaspheric shoulders, notches, and plumes. In this presentation, we focus on the dynamics of the plasmapause during two storms in 2013: March 17 and June 28. The minimum Dst for the two storms were -139 and -98 nT, respectively. We examine plasmapause dynamics utilizing data from an extensive global network of ground-based scientific GPS receivers ( 4000) and line-of-sight observations from the GPS receivers on the COSMIC and C/NOFS satellites, along with data from THEMIS and van Allen Probes, and Millstone Hill Incoherent Scatter Radar. Using the various datasets, we will compare the pre-storm and storm-time plasmasphere. We will also examine the location, evolution

Parallel Computing for Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon Modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Dali; Post, Wilfred M.; Ricciuto, Daniel M.; Berry, Michael

2011-01-01

Terrestrial ecosystems are a primary component of research on global environmental change. Observational and modeling research on terrestrial ecosystems at the global scale, however, has lagged behind their counterparts for oceanic and atmospheric systems, largely because the unique challenges associated with the tremendous diversity and complexity of terrestrial ecosystems. There are 8 major types of terrestrial ecosystem: tropical rain forest, savannas, deserts, temperate grassland, deciduous forest, coniferous forest, tundra, and chaparral. The carbon cycle is an important mechanism in the coupling of terrestrial ecosystems with climate through biological fluxes of CO 2 . The influence of terrestrial ecosystems on atmospheric CO 2 can be modeled via several means at different timescales. Important processes include plant dynamics, change in land use, as well as ecosystem biogeography. Over the past several decades, many terrestrial ecosystem models (see the 'Model developments' section) have been developed to understand the interactions between terrestrial carbon storage and CO 2 concentration in the atmosphere, as well as the consequences of these interactions. Early TECMs generally adapted simple box-flow exchange models, in which photosynthetic CO 2 uptake and respiratory CO 2 release are simulated in an empirical manner with a small number of vegetation and soil carbon pools. Demands on kinds and amount of information required from global TECMs have grown. Recently, along with the rapid development of parallel computing, spatially explicit TECMs with detailed process based representations of carbon dynamics become attractive, because those models can readily incorporate a variety of additional ecosystem processes (such as dispersal, establishment, growth, mortality etc.) and environmental factors (such as landscape position, pest populations, disturbances, resource manipulations, etc.), and provide information to frame policy options for climate change

Microplastics as an emerging threat to terrestrial ecosystems.

Science.gov (United States)

de Souza Machado, Anderson Abel; Kloas, Werner; Zarfl, Christiane; Hempel, Stefan; Rillig, Matthias C

2018-04-01

Microplastics (plastics plastic litter or from direct environmental emission. Their potential impacts in terrestrial ecosystems remain largely unexplored despite numerous reported effects on marine organisms. Most plastics arriving in the oceans were produced, used, and often disposed on land. Hence, it is within terrestrial systems that microplastics might first interact with biota eliciting ecologically relevant impacts. This article introduces the pervasive microplastic contamination as a potential agent of global change in terrestrial systems, highlights the physical and chemical nature of the respective observed effects, and discusses the broad toxicity of nanoplastics derived from plastic breakdown. Making relevant links to the fate of microplastics in aquatic continental systems, we here present new insights into the mechanisms of impacts on terrestrial geochemistry, the biophysical environment, and ecotoxicology. Broad changes in continental environments are possible even in particle-rich habitats such as soils. Furthermore, there is a growing body of evidence indicating that microplastics interact with terrestrial organisms that mediate essential ecosystem services and functions, such as soil dwelling invertebrates, terrestrial fungi, and plant-pollinators. Therefore, research is needed to clarify the terrestrial fate and effects of microplastics. We suggest that due to the widespread presence, environmental persistence, and various interactions with continental biota, microplastic pollution might represent an emerging global change threat to terrestrial ecosystems. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The analysis of influence of field of co-rotation on motion of submicronic particles in the Earth's plasmasphere

Science.gov (United States)

Yakovlev, A. B.

2018-05-01

The analysis of the motion of micro-particles with radii of several dozens of nanometers in the Earth's plasmasphere has confirmed that the earlier proved statement about conservation of the form for an orbit of a particle with constant electric charge which moves in superposition of the central gravitational field and the field of a magnetic dipole is true also for the case of a quasi-equilibrium electric charge. For a wide range of altitudes and the sizes of micro-particles other forces that act on the charged grain make considerably smaller impact on its motion. On the basis of numerical simulation it has been shown that for motion in an equatorial plane the field of co-rotation leads to very small monotonous growth of the semimajor axis and an orbit eccentricity, and for not-equatorial orbits there are fluctuations of the semimajor axis, an eccentricity and an inclination of an orbit with the period that considerably exceeds the period of orbital motion. In this paper, on the basis of the analysis of the canonical equations of the motion of a micro-particle in superposition of the central gravitational field and the field of co-rotation the explanation of the time dependences obtained numerically for the basic characteristics of an orbit of a micro-particle is proposed.

Characterizing Terrestrial Exoplanets

Science.gov (United States)

Meadows, V. S.; Lustig-Yaeger, J.; Lincowski, A.; Arney, G. N.; Robinson, T. D.; Schwieterman, E. W.; Deming, L. D.; Tovar, G.

2017-11-01

We will provide an overview of the measurements, techniques, and upcoming missions required to characterize terrestrial planet environments and evolution, and search for signs of habitability and life.

Dry paths effectively reduce road mortality of small and medium-sized terrestrial vertebrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Niemi, Milla; Jääskeläinen, Niina C; Nummi, Petri; Mäkelä, Tiina; Norrdahl, Kai

2014-11-01

Wildlife passages are widely used mitigation measures designed to reduce the adverse impacts of roads on animals. We investigated whether road kills of small and medium-sized terrestrial vertebrates can be reduced by constructing dry paths adjacent to streams that pass under road bridges. The study was carried out in southern Finland during the summer of 2008. We selected ten road bridges with dry paths and ten bridges without them, and an individual dry land reference site for each study bridge on the basis of landscape and traffic features. A total of 307 dead terrestrial vertebrates were identified during the ten-week study period. The presence of dry paths decreased the amount of road-killed terrestrial vertebrates (Poisson GLMM; p road-kills on mammals was not such clear. In the mammal model, a lack of dry paths increased the amount of carcasses (p = 0.001) whereas the number of casualties at dry path bridges was comparable with dry land reference sites. A direct comparison of the dead ratios suggests an average efficiency of 79% for the dry paths. When considering amphibians and mammals alone, the computed effectiveness was 88 and 70%, respectively. Our results demonstrate that dry paths under road bridges can effectively reduce road-kills of small and medium-sized terrestrial vertebrates, even without guiding fences. Dry paths seemed to especially benefit amphibians which are a threatened species group worldwide and known to suffer high traffic mortality. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Commercialization of terrestrial applications of aerospace power technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Landsberg, D.R.

1992-01-01

The potential for commercialization of terrestrial energy systems based upon aerospace power technology's explored. Threats to the aerospace power technology industry, caused by the end of the cold war and weak world economy are described. There are also new opportunities caused by increasing terrestrial energy needs and world-wide concern for the environment. In this paper, the strengths and weaknesses of the aerospace power industry in commercializing terrestrial energy technologies are reviewed. Finally, actions which will enable the aerospace power technology industry to commercialize products into terrestrial energy markets are described

Terrestrial carbohydrates support freshwater zooplankton during phytoplankton deficiency.

Science.gov (United States)

Taipale, Sami J; Galloway, Aaron W E; Aalto, Sanni L; Kahilainen, Kimmo K; Strandberg, Ursula; Kankaala, Paula

2016-08-11

Freshwater food webs can be partly supported by terrestrial primary production, often deriving from plant litter of surrounding catchment vegetation. Although consisting mainly of poorly bioavailable lignin, with low protein and lipid content, the carbohydrates from fallen tree leaves and shoreline vegetation may be utilized by aquatic consumers. Here we show that during phytoplankton deficiency, zooplankton (Daphnia magna) can benefit from terrestrial particulate organic matter by using terrestrial-origin carbohydrates for energy and sparing essential fatty acids and amino acids for somatic growth and reproduction. Assimilated terrestrial-origin fatty acids from shoreline reed particles exceeded available diet, indicating that Daphnia may convert a part of their dietary carbohydrates to saturated fatty acids. This conversion was not observed with birch leaf diets, which had lower carbohydrate content. Subsequent analysis of 21 boreal and subarctic lakes showed that diet of herbivorous zooplankton is mainly based on high-quality phytoplankton rich in essential polyunsaturated fatty acids. The proportion of low-quality diets (bacteria and terrestrial particulate organic matter) was <28% of the assimilated carbon. Taken collectively, the incorporation of terrestrial carbon into zooplankton was not directly related to the concentration of terrestrial organic matter in experiments or lakes, but rather to the low availability of phytoplankton.

Louisiana ESI: T_MAMMAL (Terrestrial Mammal Polygons)

Data.gov (United States)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce — This data set contains sensitive biological resource data for terrestrial mammals in Louisiana. Vector polygons in this data set represent terrestrial mammal...

ABIOTIC OXYGEN-DOMINATED ATMOSPHERES ON TERRESTRIAL HABITABLE ZONE PLANETS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wordsworth, Robin; Pierrehumbert, Raymond

2014-01-01

Detection of life on other planets requires identification of biosignatures, i.e., observable planetary properties that robustly indicate the presence of a biosphere. One of the most widely accepted biosignatures for an Earth-like planet is an atmosphere where oxygen is a major constituent. Here we show that lifeless habitable zone terrestrial planets around any star type may develop oxygen-dominated atmospheres as a result of water photolysis, because the cold trap mechanism that protects H 2 O on Earth is ineffective when the atmospheric inventory of non-condensing gases (e.g., N 2 , Ar) is low. Hence the spectral features of O 2 and O 3 alone cannot be regarded as robust signs of extraterrestrial life

The decadal state of the terrestrial carbon cycle : Global retrievals of terrestrial carbon allocation, pools, and residence times

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bloom, A Anthony; Exbrayat, Jean-François; van der Velde, Ivar R; Feng, Liang; Williams, Mathew

2016-01-01

The terrestrial carbon cycle is currently the least constrained component of the global carbon budget. Large uncertainties stem from a poor understanding of plant carbon allocation, stocks, residence times, and carbon use efficiency. Imposing observational constraints on the terrestrial carbon cycle

A segmentation approach for a delineation of terrestrial ecoregions

Science.gov (United States)

Nowosad, J.; Stepinski, T.

2017-12-01

Terrestrial ecoregions are the result of regionalization of land into homogeneous units of similar ecological and physiographic features. Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World (TEW) is a commonly used global ecoregionalization based on expert knowledge and in situ observations. Ecological Land Units (ELUs) is a global classification of 250 meters-sized cells into 4000 types on the basis of the categorical values of four environmental variables. ELUs are automatically calculated and reproducible but they are not a regionalization which makes them impractical for GIS-based spatial analysis and for comparison with TEW. We have regionalized terrestrial ecosystems on the basis of patterns of the same variables (land cover, soils, landform, and bioclimate) previously used in ELUs. Considering patterns of categorical variables makes segmentation and thus regionalization possible. Original raster datasets of the four variables are first transformed into regular grids of square-sized blocks of their cells called eco-sites. Eco-sites are elementary land units containing local patterns of physiographic characteristics and thus assumed to contain a single ecosystem. Next, eco-sites are locally aggregated using a procedure analogous to image segmentation. The procedure optimizes pattern homogeneity of all four environmental variables within each segment. The result is a regionalization of the landmass into land units characterized by uniform pattern of land cover, soils, landforms, climate, and, by inference, by uniform ecosystem. Because several disjoined segments may have very similar characteristics, we cluster the segments to obtain a smaller set of segment types which we identify with ecoregions. Our approach is automatic, reproducible, updatable, and customizable. It yields the first automatic delineation of ecoregions on the global scale. In the resulting vector database each ecoregion/segment is described by numerous attributes which make it a valuable GIS resource for

Laboratory simulation of infrared astrophysical features

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rose, L.A.

1979-01-01

Laboratory infrared emission and absorption spectra have been taken of terrestrial silicates, meteorites and lunar soils in the form of micrometer and sub-micrometer grains. The emission spectra were taken in a way that imitates telescopic observations. The purpose was to see which materials best simulate the 10 μm astrophysical feature. The emission spectra of dunite, fayalite and Allende give a good fit to the 10 μm broadband emission feature of comets Bennett and Kohoutek. A study of the effect of grain size on the presence of the 10 μm emission features of dunite shows that for particles larger than 37 μm no feature is seen. The emission spectrum of the Murray meteorite, a Type 2 carbonaceous chondrite, is quite similar to the intermediate resolution spectrum of comet Kohoutek in the 10 μm region. Hydrous silicates or amorphous magnesium silicates in combination with high-temperature condensates, such as olivine or anorthite, would yield spectra that match the intermediate resolution spectrum of comet Kohoutek in the 10 μm region. Glassy olivine and glassy anorthite in approximately equal proportions would also give a spectrum that is a good fit to the cometary 10 μm feature. (Auth.)

The physical and theoretical basis of solar-terrestrial relationships 1. Equatorial locations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Njau, E.C.

1988-07-01

The theory of solar-terrestrial relationships developed earlier by the author is extended to incorporate expressions that represent the non-linear responses of the earth-atmosphere system to incoming solar radiation in a more detailed manner. Application of the extended theory to equatorial locations leads to new and interesting features that are consistent with past observations. It also predicts the existence of new oscillations in the equatorial atmosphere whose causative physical processes are given and explained. Non-equatorial locations are treated along similar lines in Part 2 of the series. (author). 44 refs

ANALYSIS OF TERRESTRIAL PLANET FORMATION BY THE GRAND TACK MODEL: SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE AND TACK LOCATION

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brasser, R.; Ida, S. [Earth-Life Science Institute, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8550 (Japan); Matsumura, S. [School of Science and Engineering, Division of Physics, Fulton Building, University of Dundee, Dundee DD1 4HN (United Kingdom); Mojzsis, S. J. [Collaborative for Research in Origins (CRiO), Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado, UCB 399, 2200 Colorado Avenue, Boulder, Colorado 80309-0399 (United States); Werner, S. C. [The Centre for Earth Evolution and Dynamics, University of Oslo, Sem Saelandsvei 24, NO-0371 Oslo (Norway)

2016-04-20

The Grand Tack model of terrestrial planet formation has emerged in recent years as the premier scenario used to account for several observed features of the inner solar system. It relies on the early migration of the giant planets to gravitationally sculpt and mix the planetesimal disk down to ∼1 au, after which the terrestrial planets accrete from material remaining in a narrow circumsolar annulus. Here, we investigate how the model fares under a range of initial conditions and migration course-change (“tack”) locations. We run a large number of N-body simulations with tack locations of 1.5 and 2 au and test initial conditions using equal-mass planetary embryos and a semi-analytical approach to oligarchic growth. We make use of a recent model of the protosolar disk that takes into account viscous heating, includes the full effect of type 1 migration, and employs a realistic mass–radius relation for the growing terrestrial planets. Our results show that the canonical tack location of Jupiter at 1.5 au is inconsistent with the most massive planet residing at 1 au at greater than 95% confidence. This favors a tack farther out at 2 au for the disk model and parameters employed. Of the different initial conditions, we find that the oligarchic case is capable of statistically reproducing the orbital architecture and mass distribution of the terrestrial planets, while the equal-mass embryo case is not.

Sex ratio variation in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Duchateau, Marie José; Velthuis, Hayo H. W.; Boomsma, Jacobus Jan

2004-01-01

Bombus terrestris, bumblebees, colony development, queen control, reproductive strategies, sex allocation......Bombus terrestris, bumblebees, colony development, queen control, reproductive strategies, sex allocation...

GNIS: Natural Terrestrial Features

Data.gov (United States)

Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) actively seeks data from and partnerships with Government agencies at all levels and other interested organizations....

CO-REGISTRATION OF DSMs GENERATED BY UAV AND TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNING SYSTEMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. A. Persad

2016-06-01

Full Text Available An approach for the co-registration of Digital Surface Models (DSMs derived from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs and Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLS is proposed. Specifically, a wavelet-based feature descriptor for matching surface keypoints on the 2.5D DSMs is developed. DSMs are useful in wide-scope of various applications such as 3D building modelling and reconstruction, cultural heritage, urban and environmental planning, aircraft navigation/path routing, accident and crime scene reconstruction, mining as well as, topographic map revision and change detection. For these listed applications, it is not uncommon that there will be a need for automatically aligning multi-temporal DSMs which may have been acquired from multiple sensors, with different specifications over a period of time, and may have various overlaps. Terrestrial laser scanners usually capture urban facades in an accurate manner; however this is not the case for building roof structures. On the other hand, vertical photography from UAVs can capture the roofs. Therefore, the automatic fusion of UAV and laser-scanning based DSMs is addressed here as it serves various geospatial applications.

The Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program Terrestrial Plan

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Tom; Payne, J.; Doyle, M.

, understand and report on long-term change in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity, and to identify knowledge gaps and priorities. This poster will outline the key management questions the plan aims to address and the proposed nested, multi-scaled approach linking targeted, research based monitoring...... and coastal environments. The CBMP Terrestrial Plan is a framework to focus and coordinate monitoring of terrestrial biodiversity across the Arctic. The goal of the plan is to improve the collective ability of Arctic traditional knowledge (TK) holders, northern communities, and scientists to detect...

Terrestrial nitrogen-carbon cycle interactions at the global scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Zaehle, S

2013-07-05

Interactions between the terrestrial nitrogen (N) and carbon (C) cycles shape the response of ecosystems to global change. However, the global distribution of nitrogen availability and its importance in global biogeochemistry and biogeochemical interactions with the climate system remain uncertain. Based on projections of a terrestrial biosphere model scaling ecological understanding of nitrogen-carbon cycle interactions to global scales, anthropogenic nitrogen additions since 1860 are estimated to have enriched the terrestrial biosphere by 1.3 Pg N, supporting the sequestration of 11.2 Pg C. Over the same time period, CO2 fertilization has increased terrestrial carbon storage by 134.0 Pg C, increasing the terrestrial nitrogen stock by 1.2 Pg N. In 2001-2010, terrestrial ecosystems sequestered an estimated total of 27 Tg N yr(-1) (1.9 Pg C yr(-1)), of which 10 Tg N yr(-1) (0.2 Pg C yr(-1)) are due to anthropogenic nitrogen deposition. Nitrogen availability already limits terrestrial carbon sequestration in the boreal and temperate zone, and will constrain future carbon sequestration in response to CO2 fertilization (regionally by up to 70% compared with an estimate without considering nitrogen-carbon interactions). This reduced terrestrial carbon uptake will probably dominate the role of the terrestrial nitrogen cycle in the climate system, as it accelerates the accumulation of anthropogenic CO2 in the atmosphere. However, increases of N2O emissions owing to anthropogenic nitrogen and climate change (at a rate of approx. 0.5 Tg N yr(-1) per 1°C degree climate warming) will add an important long-term climate forcing.

Ontogenetic shifts in terrestrial reliance of stream-dwelling brown trout

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Javier Sánchez-Hernández

2016-07-01

Full Text Available This study focuses on terrestrial reliance of brown trout (Salmo trutta and compared it to the potential prey available (macrozoobenthos and drifting invertebrates in three temperate rivers (Galicia, NW Spain, with special emphasis on variations in terrestrial energy intake through the ontogeny of brown trout. Additionally, we paid particular attention to individual variation of terrestrial resource use within and between age classes. Prey items were grouped in four categories: i aquatic invertebrates; ii imagoes of aquatic invertebrates; iii terrestrial invertebrates; and iv fish prey. Next, energy composition was measured according to dry weight-energy equations for each individual in line with above-mentioned prey categories. Our findings illustrate that terrestrial invertebrates appeared to be scarce in the environment, whereas aquatic food resources were rather abundant and accessible. The use of terrestrial invertebrates tended to increase with age, but with a high degree of inter-individual variation in resource use. In fact, the individual reliance of brown trout on terrestrial invertebrates may vary considerably (between 0% and 76.9%. Besides, the frequency of terrestrial foragers, i.e., individuals with terrestrial invertebrates in their stomachs, increased with age, except in one population which had the maximum value in the age-2 class. The acquisition of terrestrial invertebrates thus appears to be a process strongly dependent upon the actual food availability in the environment, but with a high degree of individual variance in resource use within the same age class. Finally, we discuss that terrestrial invertebrates may largely contribute to cover the energy intake of the species, highlighting the interface between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and thereby the importance of riparian canopy cover as a key factor for food supply of stream-dwelling salmonids species.

Priapism caused by 'Tribulus terrestris'.

Science.gov (United States)

Campanelli, M; De Thomasis, R; Tenaglia, R L

2016-01-01

A 36-year-old Caucasian man was diagnosed with a 72-h-lasting priapism that occurred after the assumption of a Herbal supplement based on Tribulus terrestris, which is becoming increasingly popular for the treatment of sexual dysfunction. The patient underwent a cavernoglandular shunt (Ebbehoj shunt) in order to obtain complete detumescence, from which derived negative post-episode outcomes on sexual function. All patients consuming non-FDA-approved alternative supplements such as Tribulus terrestris should be warned about the possible serious side effects.

Observation of magntosphere and ionosphere through HF and VLF standard waves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogawa, Toru

1974-01-01

The observation of magnetosphere and ionosphere through HF and VLF standard waves is a part of the IMS research subject I on the structure and dynamics of the earth's plasmasphere. By receiving the HF and VLF standard waves with high accuracy, and through the changes of the phase and frequency, continuous observation is made concerning the lower plasmasphere at equator and middle/low latitudes and the upper layers in polar regions. In this way, the dynamic state at the time of disturbance such as magnetic storm can be explored. The following matters are described: features of standard-wave observation, purpose and observation plans, the exhcange of data with overseas countries and satellites, and the results of observation expected. (Mori, K.)

Photosynthetic response of the floating-leaved macrophyte Nymphoides peltata to a temporary terrestrial habitat and its implications for ecological recovery of Lakeside zones

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu H.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available For the ecological recovery of lakeside zones in shallow eutrophic lakes, choosing suitable aquatic macrophytes which could adapt to the temporary terrestrial habitat due to water level change is very important. In the present study, an experimental approach was carried out to explore the photosynthetic response of the typical floating-leaved aquatic plant Nymphoides peltata (N. peltata to varying environmental factors. N. peltata grown under aquatic and terrestrial habitats showed similar photosynthesis-irradiance response patterns. The investigation of diurnal changes in gas exchange revealed that the net photosynthetic rate (PN and water-use efficiency (WUE of the N. peltata grown in the terrestrial habitat were 68% and 94% higher, respectively, than those in the aquatic habitat at nine in the morning. N. peltata grown in the terrestrial habitat had approximately 51% less stomatal density and a 77% smaller stomatal aperture area compared with those grown in aquatic habitats. The above results indicated that N. peltata could be well-acclimated to the terrestrial habitat by developing a series of photosynthetic acclimation features. Our study may provide an important reference for restoration in lakeside zones of shallow eutrophic lakes.

Tribulus terrestris Extract Improves Human Sperm Parameters In Vitro

Science.gov (United States)

Khaleghi, Sara; Bakhtiari, Mitra; Asadmobini, Atefeh; Esmaeili, Farzane

2016-01-01

Objective. The object of present study was to investigate the effects of direct addition of Tribulus terrestris extract on human sperm parameters. Design. Semen specimens from 40 healthy men volunteers were divided into 4 groups: one group received no treatment (control group) while the others were incubated with 20, 40, and 50 µg/mL of T terrestris extract (experimental groups). Motility, viability, and DNA fragmentation were assessed in all groups. Results. The incubation of human semen with 40 and 50 μg/mL of T terrestris extract significantly enhanced total sperm motility, number of progressive motile spermatozoa, and curvilinear velocity over 60 to 120 minutes’ holding time (P terrestris extract (P terrestris extract to human sperm could affect male fertility capacity. PMID:27694560

Tribulus terrestris Extract Improves Human Sperm Parameters In Vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Khaleghi, Sara; Bakhtiari, Mitra; Asadmobini, Atefeh; Esmaeili, Farzane

2016-09-30

The object of present study was to investigate the effects of direct addition of Tribulus terrestris extract on human sperm parameters. Semen specimens from 40 healthy men volunteers were divided into 4 groups: one group received no treatment (control group) while the others were incubated with 20, 40, and 50 µg/mL of T terrestris extract (experimental groups). Motility, viability, and DNA fragmentation were assessed in all groups. The incubation of human semen with 40 and 50 μg/mL of T terrestris extract significantly enhanced total sperm motility, number of progressive motile spermatozoa, and curvilinear velocity over 60 to 120 minutes' holding time (P terrestris extract (P terrestris extract to human sperm could affect male fertility capacity. © The Author(s) 2016.

Hepatoprotective and Antioxidant Activities of Tribulus Terrestris

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Harraz, Fathalla M; Ghazy, Nabila M; Hammoda, Hala M; Nafeaa, Abeer A.; Abdallah, Ingy I.

2015-01-01

Tribulus terrestris L. has been used in folk medicine throughout history. The present study examined the acute toxicity of the total ethanolic extract of T. Terrestris followed by investigation of the hepatoprotective activity of the total ethanolic extract and different fractions of the aerial

Debris disks as signposts of terrestrial planet formation

Science.gov (United States)

Raymond, S. N.; Armitage, P. J.; Moro-Martín, A.; Booth, M.; Wyatt, M. C.; Armstrong, J. C.; Mandell, A. M.; Selsis, F.; West, A. A.

2011-06-01

There exists strong circumstantial evidence from their eccentric orbits that most of the known extra-solar planetary systems are the survivors of violent dynamical instabilities. Here we explore the effect of giant planet instabilities on the formation and survival of terrestrial planets. We numerically simulate the evolution of planetary systems around Sun-like stars that include three components: (i) an inner disk of planetesimals and planetary embryos; (ii) three giant planets at Jupiter-Saturn distances; and (iii) an outer disk of planetesimals comparable to estimates of the primitive Kuiper belt. We calculate the dust production and spectral energy distribution of each system by assuming that each planetesimal particle represents an ensemble of smaller bodies in collisional equilibrium. Our main result is a strong correlation between the evolution of the inner and outer parts of planetary systems, i.e. between the presence of terrestrial planets and debris disks. Strong giant planet instabilities - that produce very eccentric surviving planets - destroy all rocky material in the system, including fully-formed terrestrial planets if the instabilities occur late, and also destroy the icy planetesimal population. Stable or weakly unstable systems allow terrestrial planets to accrete in their inner regions and significant dust to be produced in their outer regions, detectable at mid-infrared wavelengths as debris disks. Stars older than ~100 Myr with bright cold dust emission (in particular at λ ~ 70 μm) signpost dynamically calm environments that were conducive to efficient terrestrial accretion. Such emission is present around ~16% of billion-year old Solar-type stars. Our simulations yield numerous secondary results: 1) the typical eccentricities of as-yet undetected terrestrial planets are ~0.1 but there exists a novel class of terrestrial planet system whose single planet undergoes large amplitude oscillations in orbital eccentricity and inclination; 2) by

The fragmentation of Pangaea and Mesozoic terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Vavrek, Matthew J

2016-09-01

During the Mesozoic (242-66 million years ago), terrestrial regions underwent a massive shift in their size, position and connectivity. At the beginning of the era, the land masses were joined into a single supercontinent called Pangaea. However, by the end of the Mesozoic, terrestrial regions had become highly fragmented, both owing to the drifting apart of the continental plates and the extremely high sea levels that flooded and divided many regions. How terrestrial biodiversity was affected by this fragmentation and large-scale flooding of the Earth's landmasses is uncertain. Based on a model using the species-area relationship (SAR), terrestrial vertebrate biodiversity would be expected to nearly double through the Mesozoic owing to continental fragmentation, despite a decrease of 24% in total terrestrial area. Previous studies of Mesozoic vertebrates have generally found increases in terrestrial diversity towards the end of the era, although these increases are often attributed to intrinsic or climatic factors. Instead, continental fragmentation over this time may largely explain any observed increase in terrestrial biodiversity. This study demonstrates the importance that non-intrinsic effects can have on the taxonomic success of a group, and the importance of geography to understanding past biodiversity. © 2016 The Author(s).

Ancient Terrestrial Carbon: Lost and Found

Science.gov (United States)

Freeman, K. H.

2017-12-01

Carbon fluxes in terrestrial environments dominate the global carbon cycle. The fluxes of terrestrial carbon are strongly tied to regional climate due to the influences of temperature, water, and nutrient dynamics on plant productivity. However, climate also influences the destruction of terrestrial organic matter, through weathering, erosion, and biomass loss via fire and oxidative microbial processes. Organic geochemical methods enable us to interrogate past terrestrial carbon dynamics and learn how continental processes might accelerate, or mitigate carbon transfer to the atmosphere, and the associated greenhouse warming. Terrestrial soil systems represent the weathering rind of the continents, and are inherently non-depositional and erosive. The production, transport, and depositional processes affecting organics in continental settings each impart their own biases on the amount and characteristics of preserved carbon. Typically, the best archives for biomarker records are sediments in ancient lakes or subaqueous fans, which represents a preservation bias that tends to favor wetter environments. Paleosols, or ancient soils, formed under depositional conditions that, for one reason or another, truncated soil ablation, erosion, or other loss processes. In modern soils, widely ranging organic carbon abundances are almost always substantially greater than the trace amounts of carbon left behind in ancient soils. Even so, measureable amounts of organic biomarkers persist in paleosols. We have been investigating processes that preserve soil organic carbon on geologic timescales, and how these mechanisms may be sensitive to past climate change. Climate-linked changes in temperature, moisture, pH, and weathering processes can impact carbon preservation via organo-mineral sorption, soil biogeochemistry, and stability based on the physical and chemical properties of organic compounds. These will be discussed and illustrated with examples from our studies of Cenozoic

Accelerator mass analyses of meteorites - carbon-14 terrestrial ages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miura, Y.; Rucklidge, J.; Beukens, R.; Fireman, E.

1988-01-01

Carbon-14 terrestrial ages of ten Antarctic meteorites have been measured by the IsoTrace accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). The 14 C terrestrial age of 1 gram sample was determined from 14 C concentrations collected at melt and re-melt temperatures, compared with the 14 C concentration of the known Bruderheim chondrite. Yamato-790448 (LL3) chondrite was found to be the oldest terrestrial age of 3x10 4 years in the nine Yamato chondrites, whereas Yamato-791630 (L4) chondrite is considered to be the youngest chondrites less than thousand years. Allan Hills chondrite of ALH-77231 (L6) shows older terrestrial age than the nine Yamato chondrites. New accelerator data of the terrestrial age show higher accuracy with smaller sample than the previous counting method. (author)

Structure of the terrestrial planets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyttleton, R.A.

1977-01-01

Recent reviews (cf. Runcorn, 1968; or Cook, 1972, 1975) on the structure of the planets omit reference to the phase-change hypothesis for the nature of the terrestrial core, despite that numerous prior predictions of the theory based on this hypothesis have subsequently been borne out as correct. These reviews also ignore the existence of theoretical calculations of the internal structure of Venus which can be computed with high accuracy by use of the terrestrial seismic data. Several examples of numerous mistakes committed in these reviews are pointed out. (Auth.)

The physical and theoretical basis of solar-terrestrial relationships 2. Non-equatorial locations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Njau, E.C.

1988-07-01

The basic formulations presented in Part 1 of this series (hereinafter simply referred to as ''Paper 1'') are modified in order to mathematically represent the expected solar-terrestrial influences in non-equatorial regions. Analysis and interpretation of these formulations lead to the establishment of several new periodicities as well as other features associated with the non-equatorial atmosphere. Besides, we show through suitable examples that the physical processes that cause and influence some previously observed climatic and upper atmospheric variations in temperate and polar regions are easily deduced from our formulations. (author). 35 refs

Community Decadal Panel for Terrestrial Analogs to Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Barlow, N. G.; Farr, T.; Baker, V. R.; Bridges, N.; Carsey, F.; Duxbury, N.; Gilmore, M. S.; Green, J. R.; Grin, E.; Hansen, V.; Keszthelyi, L.; Lanagan, P.; Lentz, R.; Marinangeli, L.; Morris, P. A.; Ori, G. G.; Paillou, P.; Robinson, C.; Thomson, B.

2001-11-01

It is well recognized that interpretations of Mars must begin with the Earth as a reference. The most successful comparisons have focused on understanding geologic processes on the Earth well enough to extrapolate to Mars' environment. Several facets of terrestrial analog studies have been pursued and are continuing. These studies include field workshops, characterization of terrestrial analog sites for Mars, instrument tests, laboratory measurements (including analysis of martian meteorites), and computer and laboratory modeling. The combination of all these activities allows scientists to constrain the processes operating in specific terrestrial environments and extrapolate how similar processes could affect Mars. The Terrestrial Analogs for Mars Community Panel is considering the following two key questions: (1) How do terrestrial analog studies tie in to the MEPAG science questions about life, past climate, and geologic evolution of Mars, and (2) How can future instrumentation be used to address these questions. The panel is considering the issues of data collection, value of field workshops, data archiving, laboratory measurements and modeling, human exploration issues, association with other areas of solar system exploration, and education and public outreach activities.

Terrestrial magnetosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pande, D.C.; Agarwal, D.C.

1982-01-01

This paper presents a review about terrestrial magnetosphere. During the last few years considerable investigation have been carried out about the properties of Solar Wind and its interaction with planetary magnetic fields. It is therefore of high importance to accumulate all the investigations in a comprehensive form. The paper reviews the property of earth's magnetosphere, magnetosheath, magneto pause, polar cusps, bow shook and plasma sheath. (author)

Introduced Terrestrial Species (Future)

Data.gov (United States)

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — These data represent predicted future potential distributions of terrestrial plants, animals, and pathogens non-native to the Middle-Atlantic region. These data are...

TERRESTRIAL, HABITABLE-ZONE EXOPLANET FREQUENCY FROM KEPLER

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Traub, Wesley A.

2012-01-01

Data from Kepler's first 136 days of operation are analyzed to determine the distribution of exoplanets with respect to radius, period, and host-star spectral type. The analysis is extrapolated to estimate the percentage of terrestrial, habitable-zone (HZ) exoplanets. The Kepler census is assumed to be complete for bright stars (magnitude 0.5 Earth radius and periods β–1 , with β ≅ 0.71 ± 0.08; and an extrapolation to longer periods gives the frequency of terrestrial planets in the HZs of FGK stars as η ⊕ ≅ (34 ± 14)%. Thus about one-third of FGK stars are predicted to have at least one terrestrial, HZ planet.

Spatial vision in Bombus terrestris

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aravin eChakravarthi

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Bombus terrestris is one of the most commonly used insect models to investigate visually guided behavior and spatial vision in particular. Two fundamental measures of spatial vision are spatial resolution and contrast sensitivity. In this study, we report the threshold of spatial resolution in B. terrestris and characterize the contrast sensitivity function of the bumblebee visual system for a dual choice discrimination task. We trained bumblebees in a Y-maze experimental set-up to associate a vertical sinusoidal grating with a sucrose reward, and a horizontal grating with absence of a reward. Using a logistic psychometric function, we estimated a resolution threshold of 0.21 cycles deg-1 of visual angle. This resolution is in the same range but slightly lower than that found in honeybees (Apis mellifera and A. cerana and another bumblebee species (B. impatiens. We also found that the contrast sensitivity of B. terrestris was 1.57 for the spatial frequency 0.09 cycles deg-1 and 1.26. for 0.18 cycles deg-1.

Soil and terrestrial biology studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1976-01-01

Soil and terrestrial biology studies focused on developing an understanding of the uptake of gaseous substances from the atmosphere by plants, biodegradation of oil, and the movement of Pu in the terrestrial ecosystems of the southeastern United States. Mathematical models were developed for SO 2 and tritium uptake from the atmosphere by plants; the uptake of tritium by soil microorganisms was measured; and the relationships among the Pu content of soil, plants, and animals of the Savannah River Plant area were studied. Preliminary results are reported for studies on the biodegradation of waste oil on soil surfaces

PHOTOCHEMISTRY IN TERRESTRIAL EXOPLANET ATMOSPHERES. II. H{sub 2}S AND SO{sub 2} PHOTOCHEMISTRY IN ANOXIC ATMOSPHERES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu Renyu; Seager, Sara; Bains, William, E-mail: hury@mit.edu [Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)

2013-05-20

Sulfur gases are common components in the volcanic and biological emission on Earth, and are expected to be important input gases for atmospheres on terrestrial exoplanets. We study the atmospheric composition and the spectra of terrestrial exoplanets with sulfur compounds (i.e., H{sub 2}S and SO{sub 2}) emitted from their surfaces. We use a comprehensive one-dimensional photochemistry model and radiative transfer model to investigate the sulfur chemistry in atmospheres ranging from reducing to oxidizing. The most important finding is that both H{sub 2}S and SO{sub 2} are chemically short-lived in virtually all types of atmospheres on terrestrial exoplanets, based on models of H{sub 2}, N{sub 2}, and CO{sub 2} atmospheres. This implies that direct detection of surface sulfur emission is unlikely, as their surface emission rates need to be extremely high (>1000 times Earth's volcanic sulfur emission) for these gases to build up to a detectable level. We also find that sulfur compounds emitted from the surface lead to photochemical formation of elemental sulfur and sulfuric acid in the atmosphere, which would condense to form aerosols if saturated. For terrestrial exoplanets in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars or M stars, Earth-like sulfur emission rates result in optically thick haze composed of elemental sulfur in reducing H{sub 2}-dominated atmospheres for a wide range of particle diameters (0.1-1 {mu}m), which is assumed as a free parameter in our simulations. In oxidized atmospheres composed of N{sub 2} and CO{sub 2}, optically thick haze, composed of elemental sulfur aerosols (S{sub 8}) or sulfuric acid aerosols (H{sub 2}SO{sub 4}), will form if the surface sulfur emission is two orders of magnitude more than the volcanic sulfur emission of Earth. Although direct detection of H{sub 2}S and SO{sub 2} by their spectral features is unlikely, their emission might be inferred by observing aerosol-related features in reflected light with future generation

The early evolution of the atmospheres of terrestrial planets

CERN Document Server

Raulin, François; Muller, Christian; Nixon, Conor; Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings : Volume 35

2013-01-01

“The Early Evolution of the Atmospheres of Terrestrial Planets” presents the main processes participating in the atmospheric evolution of terrestrial planets. A group of experts in the different fields provide an update of our current knowledge on this topic. Several papers in this book discuss the key role of nitrogen in the atmospheric evolution of terrestrial planets. The earliest setting and evolution of planetary atmospheres of terrestrial planets is directly associated with accretion, chemical differentiation, outgassing, stochastic impacts, and extremely high energy fluxes from their host stars. This book provides an overview of the present knowledge of the initial atmospheric composition of the terrestrial planets. Additionally it includes some papers about the current exoplanet discoveries and provides additional clues to our understanding of Earth’s transition from a hot accretionary phase into a habitable world. All papers included were reviewed by experts in their respective fields. We are ...

Evolution of the cell wall components during terrestrialization

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alicja Banasiak

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Colonization of terrestrial ecosystems by the first land plants, and their subsequent expansion and diversification, were crucial for the life on the Earth. However, our understanding of these processes is still relatively poor. Recent intensification of studies on various plant organisms have identified the plant cell walls are those structures, which played a key role in adaptive processes during the evolution of land plants. Cell wall as a structure protecting protoplasts and showing a high structural plasticity was one of the primary subjects to changes, giving plants the new properties and capabilities, which undoubtedly contributed to the evolutionary success of land plants. In this paper, the current state of knowledge about some main components of the cell walls (cellulose, hemicelluloses, pectins and lignins and their evolutionary alterations, as preadaptive features for the land colonization and the plant taxa diversification, is summarized. Some aspects related to the biosynthesis and modification of the cell wall components, with particular emphasis on the mechanism of transglycosylation, are also discussed. In addition, new surprising discoveries related to the composition of various cell walls, which change how we perceive their evolution, are presented, such as the presence of lignin in red algae or MLG (1→3,(1→4-β-D-glucan in horsetails. Currently, several new and promising projects, regarding the cell wall, have started, deciphering its structure, composition and metabolism in the evolutionary context. That additional information will allow us to better understand the processes leading to the terrestrialization and the evolution of extant land plants.

[Retaining and transformation of incoming soil N from highland to adjacent terrestrial water body in riparian buffer zone].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qing-cheng; Yu, Hong-li; Yao, Qin; Han, Zhuang-xing; Qiao, Shu-liang

2007-11-01

Highland soil nitrogen can enter adjacent water body via erosion and leaching, being one of the important pollutants in terrestrial water bodies. Riparian buffer zone is a transitional zone between highland and its adjacent water body, and a healthy riparian buffer zone can retain and transform the incoming soil N through physical, biological, and biochemical processes. In this paper, the major pathways through which soil nitrogen enters terrestrial water body and the mechanisms the nitrogen was retained and transformed in riparian buffer zone were introduced systematically, and the factors governing the nitrogen retaining and transformation were analyzed from the aspects of hydrological processes, soil characters, vegetation features, and human activities. The problems existing in riparian buffer zone study were discussed, and some suggestions for the further study in China were presented.

The decadal state of the terrestrial carbon cycle

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Velde, van der I.R.; Bloom, J.; Exbrayat, J.; Feng, L.; Williams, M.

2016-01-01

The terrestrial carbon cycle is currently the least constrained component of the global carbon budget. Large uncertainties stem from a poor understanding of plant carbon allocation, stocks, residence times, and carbon use efficiency. Imposing observational constraints on the terrestrial carbon cycle

Phytopharmacology of Tribulus terrestris.

Science.gov (United States)

Shahid, M; Riaz, M; Talpur, M M A; Pirzada, T

2016-01-01

Tribulus terrestris is an annual herb which belongs to the Zygophyllaceae family. This plant has been used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases for hundreds of decades. The main active phytoconstituents of this plant include flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, lignin, amides, and glycosides. The plant parts have different pharmacological activities including aphrodisiac, antiinflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidant potential. T. terrestris is most often used for infertility and loss of libido. It has potential application as immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic, anthelmintic and anticarcinogenic activities. The aim of the present article is to create a database for further investigation of the phytopharmacological properties of this plant to promote research. This study will definitely help to confirm its traditional use along with its value-added utility, eventually leading to higher revenues from the plant.

Equilibration of the terrestrial water, nitrogen, and carbon cycles

OpenAIRE

Schimel, David S.; Braswell, B. H.; Parton, W. J.

1997-01-01

Recent advances in biologically based ecosystem models of the coupled terrestrial, hydrological, carbon, and nutrient cycles have provided new perspectives on the terrestrial biosphere’s behavior globally, over a range of time scales. We used the terrestrial ecosystem model Century to examine relationships between carbon, nitrogen, and water dynamics. The model, run to a quasi-steady-state, shows strong correlations between carbon, water, and nitrogen fluxes that l...

A survey of natural terrestrial and airborne radionuclides in moss samples from the peninsular Thailand.

Science.gov (United States)

Wattanavatee, Komrit; Krmar, Miodrag; Bhongsuwan, Tripob

2017-10-01

The aim of this study was to determine the activity concentrations of natural terrestrial radionuclides ( 238 U, 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K) and airborne radionuclides ( 210 Pb, 210 Pb ex and 7 Be) in natural terrestrial mosses. The collected moss samples (46) representing 17 species were collected from 17 sampling localities in the National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries of Thailand, situated in the mountainous areas between the northern and the southern ends of peninsular Thailand (∼7-12 °N, 99-102 °E). Activity concentrations of radionuclides in the samples were measured using a low background gamma spectrometer. The results revealed non-uniform spatial distributions of all the radionuclides in the study area. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis revealed two distinct origins for the studied radionuclides, and furthermore, the Pearson correlations were strong within 226 Ra, 232 Th, 238 U and 40 K as well as within 210 Pb and 210 Pb ex , but there was no significant correlation between these two groups. Also 7 Be was uncorrelated to the others, as expected due to different origins of the airborne and terrestrial radionuclides. The radionuclide activities of moss samples varied by moss species, topography, geology, and meteorology of each sampling area. The observed abnormally high concentrations of some radionuclides probably indicate that the concentrations of airborne and terrestrial radionuclides in moss samples were directly related to local geological features of the sampling site, or that high levels of 7 Be were most probably linked with topography and regional NE monsoonal winds from mainland China. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Taiwan's industrial heavy metal pollution threatens terrestrial biota

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hsu, M.J.; Selvaraj, K.; Agoramoorthy, G.

2006-01-01

The bioconcentration levels of essential (Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn) and non-essential (As, Cd, Hg, Pb, and Sn) elements have been investigated in different terrestrial biota such as fungi, plant, earthworm, snail, crab, insect, amphibian, lizard, snake, and bat including the associated soil, to investigate the ecosystem health status in Kenting National Park, Taiwan. High bioconcentrations of Cd, Hg, and Sn in snail, earthworm, crab, lizard, snake, and bat indicated a contaminated terrestrial ecosystem. High concentrations of Cd, Hg, and Sn in plant species, effective bioaccumulation of Cd by earthworm, snail, crab and bat, as well as very high levels of Hg found in invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles revealed a strong influence from industrial pollution on the biotic community. This study for the first time presents data on the impact of heavy metal pollution on various terrestrial organisms in Taiwan. - Metal effects occur at any terrestrial levels in Taiwan

Terrestrial Energy bets on molten salt reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2015-01-01

Terrestrial Energy is a Canadian enterprise, founded in 2013, for marketing the integral molten salt reactor (IMSR). A first prototype (called MSRE and with an energy output of 8 MW) was designed and operated between 1965 and 1969 by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. IMSR is a small, modular reactor with a thermal energy output of 400 MW. According to Terrestrial Energy the technology of conventional power reactors is too complicated and too expensive. On the contrary IMSR's technology appears to be simple, easy to operate and affordable. With a staff of 30 people Terrestrial Energy appears to be a start-up in the nuclear sector. A process of pre-licensing will be launched in 2016 with the Canadian nuclear safety authority. (A.C.)

Effects of an inhibitor of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase on photosynthesis of the terrestrial forms of amphibious Eleocharis species.

Science.gov (United States)

Ueno, Osamu; Ishimaru, Ken

2002-01-01

The leafless amphibious sedge Eleocharis vivipara develops culms with C(4) traits and Kranz anatomy under terrestrial conditions, but develops culms with C(3) traits and non-Kranz anatomy under submerged conditions. The culms of the terrestrial form have high C(4) enzyme activities, while those of the submerged form have decreased C(4) enzyme activities. The culms accumulate ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) in the mesophyll cells (MC) and the bundle sheath cells. The Rubisco in the MC may be responsible for the operation of the C(3) pathway in the submerged form. To verify the presence of the C(3) cycle in the MC, we examined the effects of 3,3-dichloro-2-(dihydroxyphosphinoylmethyl) -propenoate (DCDP), an inhibitor of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase (PEPC), on photosynthesis in culms of the terrestrial forms of E. vivipara and related amphibious species, E. baldwinii and E. retroflexa ssp. chaetaria. When 1 mM DCDP was fed via the transpiration stream to excised leaves, photosynthesis was inhibited completely in Fimbristylis dichotoma (C(4) control), but by only 20% in potato (C(3) control). In the terrestrial Eleocharis plants, the degree of inhibition of photosynthesis by DCDP was intermediate between those of the C(4) and C(3) plants, at 58-81%. These results suggest that photosynthesis under DCDP treatment in the terrestrial Eleocharis plants is due mainly to fixation of atmospheric CO(2) by Rubisco and probably the C(3) cycle in the MC. These features are reminiscent of those in C(4)-like plants. Differential effects of DCDP on photosynthesis of the 3 Eleocharis species are discussed in relation to differences in the degree of Rubisco accumulation and C(3) activity in the MC.

Interworking evolution of mobile satellite and terrestrial networks

Science.gov (United States)

Matyas, R.; Kelleher, P.; Moller, P.; Jones, T.

1993-01-01

There is considerable interest among mobile satellite service providers in interworking with terrestrial networks to provide a universal global network. With such interworking, subscribers may be provided a common set of services such as those planned for the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), the Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), and future Intelligent Networks (IN's). This paper first reviews issues in satellite interworking. Next the status and interworking plans of terrestrial mobile communications service providers are examined with early examples of mobile satellite interworking including a discussion of the anticipated evolution towards full interworking between mobile satellite and both fixed and mobile terrestrial networks.

Application of a Terrestrial LIDAR System for Elevation Mapping in Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hyoungsig Cho

2015-09-01

Full Text Available A terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR system has high productivity and accuracy for topographic mapping, but the harsh conditions of Antarctica make LIDAR operation difficult. Low temperatures cause malfunctioning of the LIDAR system, and unpredictable strong winds can deteriorate data quality by irregularly shaking co-registration targets. For stable and efficient LIDAR operation in Antarctica, this study proposes and demonstrates the following practical solutions: (1 a lagging cover with a heating pack to maintain the temperature of the terrestrial LIDAR system; (2 co-registration using square planar targets and two-step point-merging methods based on extracted feature points and the Iterative Closest Point (ICP algorithm; and (3 a georeferencing module consisting of an artificial target and a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS receiver. The solutions were used to produce a topographic map for construction of the Jang Bogo Research Station in Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. Co-registration and georeferencing precision reached 5 and 45 mm, respectively, and the accuracy of the Digital Elevation Model (DEM generated from the LIDAR scanning data was ±27.7 cm.

Application of a Terrestrial LIDAR System for Elevation Mapping in Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Hyoungsig; Hong, Seunghwan; Kim, Sangmin; Park, Hyokeun; Park, Ilsuk; Sohn, Hong-Gyoo

2015-09-16

A terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) system has high productivity and accuracy for topographic mapping, but the harsh conditions of Antarctica make LIDAR operation difficult. Low temperatures cause malfunctioning of the LIDAR system, and unpredictable strong winds can deteriorate data quality by irregularly shaking co-registration targets. For stable and efficient LIDAR operation in Antarctica, this study proposes and demonstrates the following practical solutions: (1) a lagging cover with a heating pack to maintain the temperature of the terrestrial LIDAR system; (2) co-registration using square planar targets and two-step point-merging methods based on extracted feature points and the Iterative Closest Point (ICP) algorithm; and (3) a georeferencing module consisting of an artificial target and a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver. The solutions were used to produce a topographic map for construction of the Jang Bogo Research Station in Terra Nova Bay, Antarctica. Co-registration and georeferencing precision reached 5 and 45 mm, respectively, and the accuracy of the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generated from the LIDAR scanning data was ±27.7 cm.

Divergent apparent temperature sensitivity of terrestrial ecosystem respiration

Science.gov (United States)

Bing Song; Shuli Niu; Ruise Luo; Yiqi Luo; Jiquan Chen; Guirui Yu; Janusz Olejnik; Georg Wohlfahrt; Gerard Kiely; Ako Noormets; Leonardo Montagnani; Alessandro Cescatti; Vincenzo Magliulo; Beverly Elizabeth Law; Magnus Lund; Andrej Varlagin; Antonio Raschi; Matthias Peichl; Mats B. Nilsson; Lutz Merbold

2014-01-01

Recent studies revealed convergent temperature sensitivity of ecosystem respiration (Re) within aquatic ecosystems and between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. We do not know yet whether various terrestrial ecosystems have consistent or divergent temperature sensitivity. Here, we synthesized 163 eddy covariance flux sites across the world and...

Evolutionary tracks of the terrestrial planets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsui, Takafumi; Abe, Yutaka

1987-01-01

On the basis of the model proposed by Matsui and Abe, the authors show that two major factors - distance from the Sun and the efficiency of retention of accretional energy - control the early evolution of the terrestrial planets. A diagram of accretional energy versus the optical depth of a proto-atmosphere provides a means to follow the evolutionary track of surface temperature of the terrestrial planets and an explanation for why the third planet in our solar system is an 'aqua'-planet. 15 refs; 3 figs

Intersystem Interference Reduction for Overlaid HAPS-Terrestrial CDMA System

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Jeng-Ji; Wang, Wei-Ting; Li, Mingfu; Shiung, David; Ferng, Huei-Wen

In this letter, we propose that directional antennas, combined with power management, be incorporated to reduce intersystem interference in a shared band overlaid high altitude platform station (HAPS)-terrestrial code division multiple access (CDMA) system. To eliminate the HAPS to terrestrial interference, the HAPS is accessed only via directional antennas under the proposed scheme. By doing so, the uplink power to the HAPS can accordingly be increased, so that the terrestrial to HAPS interference is also effectively suppressed.

Investigation on the toxic potential of Tribulus terrestris in vitro.

Science.gov (United States)

Abudayyak, M; Jannuzzi, A T; Özhan, G; Alpertunga, B

2015-04-01

Tribulus terrestris L. (Zygophyllaceae) has been commonly used to energize, vitalize, and improve sexual function and physical performance in men. This study investigates the potential cytotoxic and genotoxic, and endocrine disrupting activities of T. terrestris in vitro. The whole T. terrestris plant was extracted with water, methanol, and chloroform. The genotoxic potential of T. terrestris extracts at 3-2400 µg/mL was assessed by Comet assay in a rat kidney cell line (NRK-52E) and by Ames assay in Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 strains. Endocrine disrupting effects of the extracts at concentrations of 0.22-25 000 µg/mL were assessed by YES/YAS assay in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Cytotoxic activity of the extracts was determined by the MTT test in NRK-52E cells. The different exposure times were used for four tests (3-48 h). The methanol extract of T. terrestris IC50 value was 160 µg/mL. The other extracts did not show cytotoxic effects. In the Comet and Ames genotoxicity assays, none of the extracts possessed genotoxic activities at concentrations of 0-2400 µg/mL. Only the water extract of T. terrestris induced frame shift mutations after metabolic activation. The water extract also showed estrogenic activity by YES/YAS assay in S. cerevisiae at concentrations ≥27 µg/mL (≥2.6-fold), while the other T. terrestris extracts had anti-estrogenic properties. Tribulus terrestris had estrogenic and genotoxic activities. The study was useful in determining its toxicological effects and the precautions regarding consumption.

Magnetospheric and atmospheric physics at the University of Natal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, A.D.M.

1982-01-01

A historical outline of geophysical work done at the University of Natal from 1938-1982 is given. Mention is also made of experimental work concerning whistlers and VLF, low-light level TV and geomagnetic pulsations. Current work on the magnetosphere, namely plasma convection in plasmasphere, auroral features, geomagnetic pulsations and the measuring of plasma properties is discussed

Island-specific preferences of tourists for environmental features: implications of climate change for tourism dependent states

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Uyarra, M.C.; Cote, I.M. [East Anglia Univ., Norwich (United Kingdom). Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation; Gill, J.A. [East Anglia Univ., Norwich (United Kingdom). School of Environmental Sciences; Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Norwich (United Kingdom); Tinch, R.T. [East Anglia Univ., Norwich (United Kingdom). School of Environmental Sciences; Macaulay Land Use Research Inst., Aberdeen (United Kingdom); Viner, D. [East Anglia Univ., Norwich (United Kingdom). Climate Research Unit; Watkinson, A.R. [East Anglia Univ., Norwich (United Kingdom). Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation; East Anglia Univ., Norwich (United Kingdom). School of Environmental Sciences

2005-03-15

Climate change may affect important environmental components of holiday destinations, which might have repercussions for tourism-dependent economies. This study documents the importance of environmental attributes in determining the choice and holiday enjoyment of tourists visiting Bonaire and Barbados, two Caribbean islands with markedly different tourism markets and infrastructure. Three hundred and sixteen and 338 participants from Bonaire and Barbados, respectively, completed standardized questionnaires. Warm temperatures, clear waters and low health risks were the most important environmental features determining holiday destination choice. However, tourists in Bonaire thereafter prioritized marine wildlife attributes (i.e. coral and fish diversity and abundance) over other environmental features, whereas tourists in Barbados exhibited stronger preferences for terrestrial features, particularly beach characteristics. The willingness of tourists to revisit these islands was strongly linked to the state of the preferred environmental attributes. More than 80% of tourists in Bonaire and Barbados would be unwilling to return for the same holiday price in the event, respectively, of coral bleaching as a result of elevated sea surface temperatures and reduced beach area as a result of sea level rise. Climate change might have a significant impact on Caribbean tourism economy through alteration of environmental features important to destination selection. Island-specific management strategies, such as focusing resources on the protection of key marine or terrestrial features, may provide a means of reducing the environmental and economic impacts of climate change. (author)

THE COMPOSITIONAL DIVERSITY OF EXTRASOLAR TERRESTRIAL PLANETS. II. MIGRATION SIMULATIONS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carter-Bond, Jade C.; O'Brien, David P.; Raymond, Sean N.

2012-01-01

Prior work has found that a variety of terrestrial planetary compositions are expected to occur within known extrasolar planetary systems. However, such studies ignored the effects of giant planet migration, which is thought to be very common in extrasolar systems. Here we present calculations of the compositions of terrestrial planets that formed in dynamical simulations incorporating varying degrees of giant planet migration. We used chemical equilibrium models of the solid material present in the disks of five known planetary host stars: the Sun, GJ 777, HD4203, HD19994, and HD213240. Giant planet migration has a strong effect on the compositions of simulated terrestrial planets as the migration results in large-scale mixing between terrestrial planet building blocks that condensed at a range of temperatures. This mixing acts to (1) increase the typical abundance of Mg-rich silicates in the terrestrial planets' feeding zones and thus increase the frequency of planets with Earth-like compositions compared with simulations with static giant planet orbits, and (2) drastically increase the efficiency of the delivery of hydrous phases (water and serpentine) to terrestrial planets and thus produce waterworlds and/or wet Earths. Our results demonstrate that although a wide variety of terrestrial planet compositions can still be produced, planets with Earth-like compositions should be common within extrasolar planetary systems.

Terrestrial propagation of long electromagnetic waves

CERN Document Server

Galejs, Janis; Fock, V A

2013-01-01

Terrestrial Propagation of Long Electromagnetic Waves deals with the propagation of long electromagnetic waves confined principally to the shell between the earth and the ionosphere, known as the terrestrial waveguide. The discussion is limited to steady-state solutions in a waveguide that is uniform in the direction of propagation. Wave propagation is characterized almost exclusively by mode theory. The mathematics are developed only for sources at the ground surface or within the waveguide, including artificial sources as well as lightning discharges. This volume is comprised of nine chapte

Research progress in airborne surveys of terrestrial gamma radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Burson, Z.G.

1974-01-01

Progress during the last few years in airborne surveys of terrestrial gamma radiation, i.e. in the measuring, recording, and interpreting of gamma ray signals in NaI(Tl) crystals, is discussed. Non-terrestrial background contributions have been accurately characterized. The feasibility of determining the water equivalent of snow cover by aerial survey techniques has been demonstrated. Repeat surveys over areas surrounding reactor sites can now be used to detect average differences of less than 1.0 μR/hr in terrestrial gamma radiation levels. New data acquisition and recording systems allow isotope concentrations and total inventories to be measured in spatial resolutions of a few hundred feet. Aerial survey data have been combined with population distribution data to obtain population exposure values from natural terrestrial gamma radiation around reactor sites

Study of Subtropical Forestry Index Retrieval Using Terrestrial Laser Scanning and Hemispherical Photography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ting Yun

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In order to retrieve gap fraction, leaf inclination angle, and leaf area index (LAI of subtropical forestry canopy, here we acquired forestry detailed information by means of hemispherical photography, terrestrial laser scanning, and LAI-2200 plant canopy analyzer. Meanwhile, we presented a series of image processing and computer graphics algorithms that include image and point cloud data (PCD segmentation methods for branch and leaf classification and PCD features, such as normal vector, tangent plane extraction, and hemispherical projection method for PCD coordinate transformation. In addition, various forestry mathematical models were proposed to deduce forestry canopy indexes based on the radiation transfer model of Beer-Lambert law. Through the comparison of the experimental results on many plot samples, the terrestrial laser scanner- (TLS- based index estimation method obtains results similar to digital hemispherical photograph (HP and LAI-2200 plant canopy analyzer taken of the same stands and used for validation. It indicates that the TLS-based algorithm is able to capture the variability in LAI of forest stands with a range of densities, and there is a high chance to enhance TLS as a calibration tool for other devices.

Grazing livestock are exposed to terrestrial cyanobacteria

OpenAIRE

McGorum , Bruce C; Pirie , R Scott; Glendinning , Laura; McLachlan , Gerry; Metcalf , James S; Banack , Sandra A; Cox , Paul A; Codd , Geoffrey A

2015-01-01

While toxins from aquatic cyanobacteria are a well-recognised cause of disease in birds and animals, exposure of grazing livestock to terrestrial cyanobacteria has not been described. This study identified terrestrial cyanobacteria, predominantly Phormidium spp., in the biofilm of plants from most livestock fields investigated. Lower numbers of other cyanobacteria, microalgae and fungi were present on many plants. Cyanobacterial 16S rDNA, predominantly from Phormidium spp., was detected in al...

Coexistence of Terrestrial and HAP 3G Networks during Disaster Scenarios

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Pechac

2008-12-01

Full Text Available The aim of this paper is to show the possible coexistence of an HAP and a terrestrial component of 3G networks at a single carrier frequency. The main goal is to compare the basic parameters of terrestrial and HAP com-ponent 3G networks modeled in suburban (macrocell and urban (macro/microcell areas and to demonstrate the way they impact on each other. This study should present what we assume are the better capabilities of HAP 3G networks compared to their terrestrial counterparts. The parameters of the HAP and terrestrial component of 3G networks, were the terrestrial cells to be disabled during disasters, are also presented.

Broad-Scale Comparison of Photosynthesis in Terrestrial and Aquatic Plant Communities

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sand-Jensen, Kaj; Krause-Jensen, D.

1997-01-01

Comparisons of photosynthesis in terrestrial and aquatic habitats have been impaired by differences in methods and time-scales of measurements. We compiled information on gross photosynthesis at high irradiance and photosynthetic efficiency at low irradiance from 109 published terrestrial studies...... communities probably due to more efficient light utilization and gas exchange in the terrestrial habitats. By contrast only small differences were found within different aquatic plant communities or within different terrestrial plant communities....... of forests, grasslands and crops and 319 aquatic studies of phytoplankton, macrophyte and attached microalgal communities to test if specific differences existed between the communities. Maximum gross photosynthesis and photosynthetic efficiency were systematically higher in terrestrial than in aquatic...

Impact of non-native terrestrial mammals on the structure of the terrestrial mammal food web of Newfoundland, Canada.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Justin S Strong

Full Text Available The island of Newfoundland is unique because it has as many non-native terrestrial mammals as native ones. The impacts of non-native species on native flora and fauna can be profound and invasive species have been identified as one of the primary drivers of species extinction. Few studies, however, have investigated the effects of a non-native species assemblage on community and ecosystem properties. We reviewed the literature to build the first terrestrial mammal food web for the island of Newfoundland and then used network analyses to investigate how the timing of introductions and trophic position of non-native species has affected the structure of the terrestrial mammal food web in Newfoundland. The first non-native mammals (house mouse and brown rat became established in Newfoundland with human settlement in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Coyotes and southern red-backed voles are the most recent mammals to establish themselves on the island in 1985 and 1998, respectively. The fraction of intermediate species increased with the addition of non-native mammals over time whereas the fraction of basal and top species declined over time. This increase in intermediate species mediated by non-native species arrivals led to an overall increase in the terrestrial mammal food web connectance and generality (i.e. mean number of prey per predator. This diverse prey base and sources of carrion may have facilitated the natural establishment of coyotes on the island. Also, there is some evidence that the introduction of non-native prey species such as the southern red-backed vole has contributed to the recovery of the threatened American marten. Long-term monitoring of the food web is required to understand and predict the impacts of the diverse novel interactions that are developing in the terrestrial mammal food web of Newfoundland.

Scaling of olfactory antennae of the terrestrial hermit crabs Coenobita rugosus and Coenobita perlatus during ontogeny

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lindsay D. Waldrop

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Although many lineages of terrestrial crustaceans have poor olfactory capabilities, crabs in the family Coenobitidae, including the terrestrial hermit crabs in the genus Coenobita, are able to locate food and water using olfactory antennae (antennules to capture odors from the surrounding air. Terrestrial hermit crabs begin their lives as small marine larvae and must find a suitable place to undergo metamorphosis into a juvenile form, which initiates their transition to land. Juveniles increase in size by more than an order of magnitude to reach adult size. Since odor capture is a process heavily dependent on the size and speed of the antennules and physical properties of the fluid, both the transition from water to air and the large increase in size during ontogeny could impact odor capture. In this study, we examine two species of terrestrial hermit crabs, Coenobita perlatus H. Milne-Edwards and Coenobita rugosus H. Milne-Edwards, to determine how the antennule morphometrics and kinematics of flicking change in comparison to body size during ontogeny, and how this scaling relationship could impact odor capture by using a simple model of mass transport in flow. Many features of the antennules, including the chemosensory sensilla, scaled allometrically with carapace width and increased slower than expected by isometry, resulting in relatively larger antennules on juvenile animals. Flicking speed scaled as expected with isometry. Our mass-transport model showed that allometric scaling of antennule morphometrics and kinematics leads to thinner boundary layers of attached fluid around the antennule during flicking and higher odorant capture rates as compared to antennules which scaled isometrically. There were no significant differences in morphometric or kinematic measurements between the two species.

Multi-model analysis of terrestrial carbon cycles in Japan: reducing uncertainties in model outputs among different terrestrial biosphere models using flux observations

Science.gov (United States)

Ichii, K.; Suzuki, T.; Kato, T.; Ito, A.; Hajima, T.; Ueyama, M.; Sasai, T.; Hirata, R.; Saigusa, N.; Ohtani, Y.; Takagi, K.

2009-08-01

Terrestrial biosphere models show large uncertainties when simulating carbon and water cycles, and reducing these uncertainties is a priority for developing more accurate estimates of both terrestrial ecosystem statuses and future climate changes. To reduce uncertainties and improve the understanding of these carbon budgets, we investigated the ability of flux datasets to improve model simulations and reduce variabilities among multi-model outputs of terrestrial biosphere models in Japan. Using 9 terrestrial biosphere models (Support Vector Machine-based regressions, TOPS, CASA, VISIT, Biome-BGC, DAYCENT, SEIB, LPJ, and TRIFFID), we conducted two simulations: (1) point simulations at four flux sites in Japan and (2) spatial simulations for Japan with a default model (based on original settings) and an improved model (based on calibration using flux observations). Generally, models using default model settings showed large deviations in model outputs from observation with large model-by-model variability. However, after we calibrated the model parameters using flux observations (GPP, RE and NEP), most models successfully simulated seasonal variations in the carbon cycle, with less variability among models. We also found that interannual variations in the carbon cycle are mostly consistent among models and observations. Spatial analysis also showed a large reduction in the variability among model outputs, and model calibration using flux observations significantly improved the model outputs. These results show that to reduce uncertainties among terrestrial biosphere models, we need to conduct careful validation and calibration with available flux observations. Flux observation data significantly improved terrestrial biosphere models, not only on a point scale but also on spatial scales.

Coastal niches for terrestrial predators: a stable isotope study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mellbrand, K.; Hamback, P.A., E-mail: peter.hamback@botan.su.se [Stockholm Univ., Dept. of Botany, Stockholm (Sweden)

2010-12-15

The purpose of this study was to identify the use of marine versus terrestrial food items by terrestrial arthropod predators on Baltic Sea shores. The inflow of marine nutrients in the area consists mainly of marine algal detritus and emerging aquatic insects (e.g., chironomids). Diets of coastal arthropods were examined using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis in a two source mixing model. The results suggest that spiders are the terrestrial predators mainly utilizing nutrients and energy of marine origin on Baltic Sea shores, whereas insect predators such as beetles and heteropterans mainly utilize nutrients and energy derived from terrestrial sources, possibly owing to differences in hunting behaviour. That spiders are the predators which benefit the most from the marine inflow suggest that eventual effects of marine subsidies for the coastal ecosystem as a whole are likely mediated by spiders. (author)

Coastal niches for terrestrial predators: a stable isotope study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mellbrand, K.; Hamback, P.A.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to identify the use of marine versus terrestrial food items by terrestrial arthropod predators on Baltic Sea shores. The inflow of marine nutrients in the area consists mainly of marine algal detritus and emerging aquatic insects (e.g., chironomids). Diets of coastal arthropods were examined using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analysis in a two source mixing model. The results suggest that spiders are the terrestrial predators mainly utilizing nutrients and energy of marine origin on Baltic Sea shores, whereas insect predators such as beetles and heteropterans mainly utilize nutrients and energy derived from terrestrial sources, possibly owing to differences in hunting behaviour. That spiders are the predators which benefit the most from the marine inflow suggest that eventual effects of marine subsidies for the coastal ecosystem as a whole are likely mediated by spiders. (author)

Origin and evolution of life on terrestrial planets.

Science.gov (United States)

Brack, A; Horneck, G; Cockell, C S; Bérces, A; Belisheva, N K; Eiroa, Carlos; Henning, Thomas; Herbst, Tom; Kaltenegger, Lisa; Léger, Alain; Liseau, Réne; Lammer, Helmut; Selsis, Franck; Beichman, Charles; Danchi, William; Fridlund, Malcolm; Lunine, Jonathan; Paresce, Francesco; Penny, Alan; Quirrenbach, Andreas; Röttgering, Huub; Schneider, Jean; Stam, Daphne; Tinetti, Giovanna; White, Glenn J

2010-01-01

The ultimate goal of terrestrial planet-finding missions is not only to discover terrestrial exoplanets inside the habitable zone (HZ) of their host stars but also to address the major question as to whether life may have evolved on a habitable Earth-like exoplanet outside our Solar System. We note that the chemical evolution that finally led to the origin of life on Earth must be studied if we hope to understand the principles of how life might evolve on other terrestrial planets in the Universe. This is not just an anthropocentric point of view: the basic ingredients of terrestrial life, that is, reduced carbon-based molecules and liquid H(2)O, have very specific properties. We discuss the origin of life from the chemical evolution of its precursors to the earliest life-forms and the biological implications of the stellar radiation and energetic particle environments. Likewise, the study of the biological evolution that has generated the various life-forms on Earth provides clues toward the understanding of the interconnectedness of life with its environment.

Terrestrial forest management plan for Palmyra Atoll

Science.gov (United States)

Hathaway, Stacie A.; McEachern, Kathryn; Fisher, Robert N.

2011-01-01

This 'Terrestrial Forest Management Plan for Palmyra Atoll' was developed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) for The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Palmyra Program to refine and expand goals and objectives developed through the Conservation Action Plan process. It is one in a series of adaptive management plans designed to achieve TNC's mission toward the protection and enhancement of native wildlife and habitat. The 'Terrestrial Forest Management Plan for Palmyra Atoll' focuses on ecosystem integrity and specifically identifies and addresses issues related to assessing the status and distribution of resources, as well as the pressures acting upon them, most specifically nonnative and potentially invasive species. The plan, which presents strategies for increasing ecosystem integrity, provides a framework to implement and track the progress of conservation and restoration goals related to terrestrial resources on Palmyra Atoll. The report in its present form is intended to be an overview of what is known about historical and current forest resources; it is not an exhaustive review of all available literature relevant to forest management but an attempt to assemble as much information specific to Palmyra Atoll as possible. Palmyra Atoll is one of the Northern Line Islands in the Pacific Ocean southwest of the Hawai`ian Islands. It consists of many heavily vegetated islets arranged in a horseshoe pattern around four lagoons and surrounded by a coral reef. The terrestrial ecosystem consists of three primary native vegetation types: Pisonia grandis forest, coastal strand forest, and grassland. Among these vegetation types, the health and extent of Pisonia grandis forest is of particular concern. Overall, the three vegetation types support 25 native plant species (two of which may be extirpated), 14 species of sea birds, six shore birds, at least one native reptile, at least seven native insects, and six native land crabs. Green and hawksbill turtles forage at Palmyra Atoll

A novel antilithiatic protein from Tribulus terrestris having cytoprotective potency.

Science.gov (United States)

Aggarwal, Anshu; Tandon, Simran; Singla, Surinder Kumar; Tandon, Chanderdeep

2012-08-01

Adhesion of calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystals to kidney cells is a key event in kidney stones associated with marked hyperoxaluria. As the propensity of stone recurrence and persistent side effects are not altered by surgical techniques available, phytotherapeutic agents could be useful as an adjuvant therapy. The present study is aimed at examining the antilithiatic potency of the protein biomolecules of Tribulus terrestris, a plant which is a common constituent of herbal marketed preparations to treat urolithiasis. Various biochemical methods with mass spectrometry were used to purify and characterize the purified protein. The protective potency of the protein was tested on the oxalate induced injury on renal epithelial cell lines (NRK 52E). An antilithiatic protein having molecular weight of ~ 60kDa was purified. This purified protein showed similarities with Carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 7 (CCD7) of Arabidopsis thaliana after matching peptide mass fingerprints in MASCOT search engine. An EF hand domain was identified in CCD7 by SCAN PROSITE. Presence of an EF hand domain, a characteristic feature of calcium binding proteins and a role in the synthesis of retinol which is transported by retinol binding protein, a protein found in kidney stone matrix; of CCD7 support the role of TTP as an antilithiatic protein. The protective potency of TTP on NRK 52E was quite comparable to the aqueous extract of cystone. Our findings suggest that this purified protein biomolecule from Tribulus terrestris could open new vista in medical management of urolithiasis.

Working group 4: Terrestrial

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

A working group at a Canada/USA symposium on climate change and the Arctic identified major concerns and issues related to terrestrial resources. The group examined the need for, and the means of, involving resource managers and users at local and territorial levels in the process of identifying and examining the impacts and consequences of climatic change. Climatic change will be important to the Arctic because of the magnitude of the change projected for northern latitudes; the apparent sensitivity of its terrestrial ecosystems, natural resources, and human support systems; and the dependence of the social, cultural, and economic welfare of Arctic communities, businesses, and industries on the health and quality of their environment. Impacts of climatic change on the physical, biological, and associated socio-economic environment are outlined. Gaps in knowledge needed to quantify these impacts are listed along with their relationships with resource management. Finally, potential actions for response and adaptation are presented

Carbon dioxide efficiency of terrestrial enhanced weathering

OpenAIRE

Moosdorf, Nils; Renforth, Philip; Hartmann, Jens

2014-01-01

Terrestrial enhanced weathering, the spreading of ultramafic silicate rock flour to enhance natural weathering rates, has been suggested as part of a strategy to reduce global atmospheric CO2 levels. We budget potential CO2 sequestration against associated CO2 emissions to assess the net CO2 removal of terrestrial enhanced weathering. We combine global spatial data sets of potential source rocks, transport networks, and application areas with associated CO2 emissions in optimistic and pessimi...

Pulses, linkages, and boundaries of coupled aquatic-terrestrial ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Tockner, K.

2009-04-01

Riverine floodplains are linked ecosystems where terrestrial and aquatic habitats overlap, creating a zone where they interact, the aquatic-terrestrial interface. The interface or boundary between aquatic and terrestrial habitats is an area of transition, contact or separation; and connectivity between these habitats may be defined as the ease with which organisms, matter or energy traverse these boundaries. Coupling of aquatic and terrestrial systems generates intertwining food webs, and we may predict that coupled systems are more productive than separated ones. For example, riparian consumers (aquatic and terrestrial) have alternative prey items external to their respective habitats. Such subsidized assemblages occupy a significant higher trophic position than assemblages in unsubsidized areas. Further, cross-habitat linkages are often pulsed; and even small pulses of a driver (e.g. short-term increases in flow) can cause major resource pulses (i.e. emerging aquatic insects) that control the recipient community. For example, short-term additions of resources, simulating pulsed inputs of aquatic food to terrestrial systems, suggest that due to resource partitioning and temporal separation among riparian arthropod taxa the resource flux from the river to the riparian zone increases with increasing riparian consumer diversity. I will discuss the multiple transfer and transformation processes of matter and organisms across aquatic-terrestrial habitats. Key landscape elements along river corridors are vegetated islands that function as instream riparian areas. Results from Central European rivers demonstrate that islands are in general more natural than fringing riparian areas, contribute substantially to total ecotone length, and create diverse habitats in the aquatic and terrestrial realm. In braided rivers, vegetated islands are highly productive landscape elements compared to the adjacent aquatic area. However, aquatic habitats exhibit a much higher decomposition

Terrestrial Analogs to Mars: NRC Community Panel Decadal Report

Science.gov (United States)

Farr, T. G.

2002-12-01

A report was completed recently by a Community Panel for the NRC Decadal Study of Solar System Exploration. The desire was for a review of the current state of knowledge and for recommendations for action over the next decade. The topic of this panel, Terrestrial Analogs to Mars, was chosen to bring attention to the need for an increase in analog studies in support of the increased pace of Mars exploration. It is well recognized that interpretations of Mars must begin with the Earth as a reference. The most successful comparisons have focused on understanding geologic processes on the Earth well enough to extrapolate to Mars' environment. Several facets of terrestrial analog studies have been pursued and are continuing. These studies include field workshops, characterization of terrestrial analog sites, instrument tests, laboratory measurements (including analysis of martian meteorites), and computer and laboratory modeling. The combination of all of these activities allows scientists to constrain the processes operating in specific terrestrial environments and extrapolate how similar processes could affect Mars. The Terrestrial Analogs for Mars Community Panel has considered the following two key questions: (1) How do terrestrial analog studies tie in to the overarching science questions about life, past climate, and geologic evolution of Mars, and (2) How can future instrumentation be used to address these questions. The panel considered the issues of data collection and archiving, value of field workshops, laboratory measurements and modeling, human exploration issues, association with other areas of solar system exploration, and education and public outreach activities. Parts of this work were performed under contract to NASA.

Radionuclides in terrestrial ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bocock, K.L.

1981-01-01

This report summarizes information on the distribution and movement of radionuclides in semi-natural terrestrial ecosystems in north-west England with particular emphasis on inputs to, and outputs from ecosystems; on plant and soil aspects; and on radionuclides in fallout and in discharges by the nuclear industry. (author)

Growing technology earthy Tribulus terrestris (Tribulus terrestris L.) and its use

OpenAIRE

HUDSKÁ, Miluše

2015-01-01

This bachelor thesis deals with Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris) as for planting, content substances, pharmacological use and with influences of planting technology or elicitors upon the active substance contents. Saponines, flavonoids, and phytosterols are the main active substances of Puncturevine. The saponines act as aphrodisiacs, the flavonoids treat with heart diseases and the phytosterols decrease the cholesterol concentration in blood plasma. The active substance contents depend on ...

Transfer coefficients for terrestrial foodchain: their derivation and limitations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, Y.C.; Colsher, C.S.; Thompson, S.E.

1979-01-01

Transfer coefficients to predict the passage of isotopes from the environment to terrestrial foods have been derived for various radionuclides of importance in the nuclear fuel cycle. These data update and extend previously recommended handbook values. We derive transfer coefficients to terrestrial foods and describe the systematics of the derived transfer coefficients. Suggestions are offered for changes in the values of transfer coefficients to terrestrial foods that now appear in federal regulatory guides. Deficiencies in our present knowledge concerning transfer coefficients and limitations in the use of these values to ensure compliance with radiation protection standards are discussed

Magnetic reconnection in the terrestrial magnetosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Feldman, W.C.

1984-01-01

An overview is given of quantitative comparisons between measured phenomena in the terrestrial magnetosphere thought to be associated with magnetic reconnection, and related theoretical predictions based on Petschek's simple model. Although such a comparison cannot be comprehensive because of the extended nature of the process and the relatively few in situ multipoint measurements made to date, the agreement is impressive where comparisons have been possible. This result leaves little doubt that magnetic reconnection does indeed occur in the terrestrial magnetosphere. The maximum reconnection rate, expressed in terms of the inflow Mach number, M/sub A/, is measured to be M/sub A/ = 0.2 +- 0.1

Implications of Uncertainty in Fossil Fuel Emissions for Terrestrial Ecosystem Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

King, A. W.; Ricciuto, D. M.; Mao, J.; Andres, R. J.

2017-12-01

Given observations of the increase in atmospheric CO2, estimates of anthropogenic emissions and models of oceanic CO2 uptake, one can estimate net global CO2 exchange between the atmosphere and terrestrial ecosystems as the residual of the balanced global carbon budget. Estimates from the Global Carbon Project 2016 show that terrestrial ecosystems are a growing sink for atmospheric CO2 (averaging 2.12 Gt C y-1 for the period 1959-2015 with a growth rate of 0.03 Gt C y-1 per year) but with considerable year-to-year variability (standard deviation of 1.07 Gt C y-1). Within the uncertainty of the observations, emissions estimates and ocean modeling, this residual calculation is a robust estimate of a global terrestrial sink for CO2. A task of terrestrial ecosystem science is to explain the trend and variability in this estimate. However, "within the uncertainty" is an important caveat. The uncertainty (2σ; 95% confidence interval) in fossil fuel emissions is 8.4% (±0.8 Gt C in 2015). Combined with uncertainty in other carbon budget components, the 2σ uncertainty surrounding the global net terrestrial ecosystem CO2 exchange is ±1.6 Gt C y-1. Ignoring the uncertainty, the estimate of a general terrestrial sink includes 2 years (1987 and 1998) in which terrestrial ecosystems are a small source of CO2 to the atmosphere. However, with 2σ uncertainty, terrestrial ecosystems may have been a source in as many as 18 years. We examine how well global terrestrial biosphere models simulate the trend and interannual variability of the global-budget estimate of the terrestrial sink within the context of this uncertainty (e.g., which models fall outside the 2σ uncertainty and in what years). Models are generally capable of reproducing the trend in net terrestrial exchange, but are less able to capture interannual variability and often fall outside the 2σ uncertainty. The trend in the residual carbon budget estimate is primarily associated with the increase in atmospheric CO2

Comprehensive Analysis of the Geoeffective Solar Event of 21 June 2015: Effects on the Magnetosphere, Plasmasphere, and Ionosphere Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Piersanti, Mirko; Alberti, Tommaso; Bemporad, Alessandro; Berrilli, Francesco; Bruno, Roberto; Capparelli, Vincenzo; Carbone, Vincenzo; Cesaroni, Claudio; Consolini, Giuseppe; Cristaldi, Alice; Del Corpo, Alfredo; Del Moro, Dario; Di Matteo, Simone; Ermolli, Ilaria; Fineschi, Silvano; Giannattasio, Fabio; Giorgi, Fabrizio; Giovannelli, Luca; Guglielmino, Salvatore Luigi; Laurenza, Monica; Lepreti, Fabio; Marcucci, Maria Federica; Martucci, Matteo; Mergè, Matteo; Pezzopane, Michael; Pietropaolo, Ermanno; Romano, Paolo; Sparvoli, Roberta; Spogli, Luca; Stangalini, Marco; Vecchio, Antonio; Vellante, Massimo; Villante, Umberto; Zuccarello, Francesca; Heilig, Balázs; Reda, Jan; Lichtenberger, János

2017-11-01

, to investigate the influence of the disturbed electric field on the low-latitude ionosphere induced by geomagnetic storms, we focused on the morphology of the crests of the equatorial ionospheric anomaly by the simultaneous use of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers, ionosondes, and Langmuir probes onboard the Swarm constellation satellites. Moreover, we investigated the dynamics of the plasmasphere during the different phases of the geomagnetic storm by examining the time evolution of the radial profiles of the equatorial plasma mass density derived from field line resonances detected at the EMMA network (1.5 < L < 6.5). Finally, we present the general features of the geomagnetic response to the CME by applying innovative data analysis tools that allow us to investigate the time variation of ground-based observations of the Earth's magnetic field during the associated geomagnetic storm.

Transformation procedures in 3D terrestrial coordinate systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sedlák Vladimír

2001-12-01

Full Text Available Transformation procedures belong to the main tasks of surveyor working in a field of geodesy, for example in satellite geodesy or astronomical geodesy. It is necessary to know transformation procedures in 3D terrestrial (Earth coordinate systems. Increasingly a dynamic advance growth of application of satellite navigation systems, for example GPS (Global Positioning System into engineering surveying, real estate register and others spheres of applied geodesy and geo-surveying (mine surveying exacts knowledge of these transformation procedures between coordinates in various coordinate systems. These tasks are common for daily work for various practical surveyors too, not only for theoretical scientific working surveyors.Conventional Terrestrial System is 3D coordinate system what is the most important coordinate system in global geodesy. Conventional Terrestrial System is an approximation of the nature coordinate system of the Earth. The origin of this coordinate system is placed in the earth substantial centre of gravity and in the centre of geoid. Conventional Terrestrial System is the Cartesian right-handed coordinate system, i.e. positive one. The Local Astronomical System is 3D coordinate system too and it belongs to an important coordinate system in geodesy from its practical point of view. Many geodetic measurements are realized in this coordinate system. Designation of this coordinate system as astronomical system expresses its sticking to a normal line to an equipotential plane, i.e. to a vertical. Local Astronomical system is the left-handed cartesian coordinate system.Transformation procedures in 3D terrestrial coordinate systems with theory of these systems are presented in the paper. Transformation in the local astronomical coordinate system presents common transformation in a frame of an adjustment of various local geodetic networks. In a case of satellite measurements (GPS, satellite altimetry, etc. transformation between local and

AUTOMATED FEATURE BASED TLS DATA REGISTRATION FOR 3D BUILDING MODELING

OpenAIRE

K. Kitamura; N. Kochi; S. Kaneko

2012-01-01

In this paper we present a novel method for the registration of point cloud data obtained using terrestrial laser scanner (TLS). The final goal of our investigation is the automated reconstruction of CAD drawings and the 3D modeling of objects surveyed by TLS. Because objects are scanned from multiple positions, individual point cloud need to be registered to the same coordinate system. We propose in this paper an automated feature based registration procedure. Our proposed method does not re...

Terrestrial carbohydrates support freshwater zooplankton during phytoplankton deficiency

OpenAIRE

Taipale, Sami J.; Galloway, Aaron W. E.; Aalto, Sanni L.; Kahilainen, Kimmo K.; Strandberg, Ursula; Kankaala, Paula

2016-01-01

Freshwater food webs can be partly supported by terrestrial primary production, often deriving from plant litter of surrounding catchment vegetation. Although consisting mainly of poorly bioavailable lignin, with low protein and lipid content, the carbohydrates from fallen tree leaves and shoreline vegetation may be utilized by aquatic consumers. Here we show that during phytoplankton deficiency, zooplankton (Daphnia magna) can benefit from terrestrial particulate organic matter by using terr...

STUDY OF ANTIBACTERIAL EFFECT OF TRIBULUS TERRESTRIS EXTRACT.

OpenAIRE

Mohanad H. Hussein.

2018-01-01

This study was designed to evaluated antimicrobial activity of Tribulus terrestris aqueous extract against some pathogenic microorganisms. So that, the aqueous extract of Tribulus terrestris was screened for its anti-microbial activity using the plate agar diffusion method. It was tested against four bacteria species; two Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus) and two Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The susceptibility of the...

Integration of aerial oblique imagery and terrestrial imagery for optimized 3D modeling in urban areas

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Bo; Xie, Linfu; Hu, Han; Zhu, Qing; Yau, Eric

2018-05-01

Photorealistic three-dimensional (3D) models are fundamental to the spatial data infrastructure of a digital city, and have numerous potential applications in areas such as urban planning, urban management, urban monitoring, and urban environmental studies. Recent developments in aerial oblique photogrammetry based on aircraft or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer promising techniques for 3D modeling. However, 3D models generated from aerial oblique imagery in urban areas with densely distributed high-rise buildings may show geometric defects and blurred textures, especially on building façades, due to problems such as occlusion and large camera tilt angles. Meanwhile, mobile mapping systems (MMSs) can capture terrestrial images of close-range objects from a complementary view on the ground at a high level of detail, but do not offer full coverage. The integration of aerial oblique imagery with terrestrial imagery offers promising opportunities to optimize 3D modeling in urban areas. This paper presents a novel method of integrating these two image types through automatic feature matching and combined bundle adjustment between them, and based on the integrated results to optimize the geometry and texture of the 3D models generated from aerial oblique imagery. Experimental analyses were conducted on two datasets of aerial and terrestrial images collected in Dortmund, Germany and in Hong Kong. The results indicate that the proposed approach effectively integrates images from the two platforms and thereby improves 3D modeling in urban areas.

Applications of landscape genetics to connectivity research in terrestrial animals [Chapter 12

Science.gov (United States)

Lisette P. Waits; Samuel A. Cushman; Steve F. Spear

2016-01-01

Landscape genetic studies have focused on terrestrial animals more than any other taxonomic group. This chapter focuses on applications of landscape genetics for understanding connectivity of terrestrial animal populations. It starts with a general introduction covering unique characteristics and challenges of the terrestrial study system. This is followed by...

Importance of terrestrial arthropods as subsidies in lowland Neotropical rain forest stream ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Small, Gaston E.; Torres, Pedro J.; Schwizer, Lauren M.; Duff, John H.; Pringle, Catherine M.

2013-01-01

The importance of terrestrial arthropods has been documented in temperate stream ecosystems, but little is known about the magnitude of these inputs in tropical streams. Terrestrial arthropods falling from the canopy of tropical forests may be an important subsidy to tropical stream food webs and could also represent an important flux of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in nutrient-poor headwater streams. We quantified input rates of terrestrial insects in eight streams draining lowland tropical wet forest in Costa Rica. In two focal headwater streams, we also measured capture efficiency by the fish assemblage and quantified terrestrially derived N- and P-excretion relative to stream nutrient uptake rates. Average input rates of terrestrial insects ranged from 5 to 41 mg dry mass/m2/d, exceeding previous measurements of aquatic invertebrate secondary production in these study streams, and were relatively consistent year-round, in contrast to values reported in temperate streams. Terrestrial insects accounted for half of the diet of the dominant fish species, Priapicthys annectens. Although terrestrially derived fish excretion was found to be a small flux relative to measured nutrient uptake rates in the focal streams, the efficient capture and processing of terrestrial arthropods by fish made these nutrients available to the local stream ecosystem. This aquatic-terrestrial linkage is likely being decoupled by deforestation in many tropical regions, with largely unknown but potentially important ecological consequences.

Effect of Tribulus terrestris on Haloperidol-induced Catalepsy in Mice

Science.gov (United States)

Nishchal, B. S.; Rai, S.; Prabhu, M. N.; Ullal, Sheetal D.; Rajeswari, S.; Gopalakrishna, H. N.

2014-01-01

Haloperidol, an antipsychotic drug, leads to the development of a behavioural state called catalepsy, in which the animal is not able to correct an externally imposed posture. In the present study we have attempted to evaluate the anticataleptic effect of Tribulus terrestris on haloperidol-induced catalepsy in albino mice. Mice were allocated to four groups, each group containing six animals. Both, the test drug, Tribulus terrestris and the standard drug trihexyphenidyl were uniformly suspended in 1% gum acacia solution. Catalepsy was induced in mice with haloperidol (1.0 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). The first group received the vehicle (10 ml/kg, orally), the second group received trihexyphenidyl (10 mg/kg, orally) and the remaining two groups received Tribulus terrestris (100, 200 mg/kg, orally). The animals were assessed after single and repeated dose administration for ten days, 30 min prior to haloperidol, using standard bar test. The result of the present study demonstrates Tribulus terrestris has a protective effect against haloperidol-induced catalepsy, which is comparable to the standard drug used for the same purpose. Our study indicates Tribulus terrestris can be used to prevent haloperidol-induced extrapyramidal side effects. PMID:25593394

Effect of Tribulus terrestris on Haloperidol-induced Catalepsy in Mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Nishchal, B S; Rai, S; Prabhu, M N; Ullal, Sheetal D; Rajeswari, S; Gopalakrishna, H N

2014-01-01

Haloperidol, an antipsychotic drug, leads to the development of a behavioural state called catalepsy, in which the animal is not able to correct an externally imposed posture. In the present study we have attempted to evaluate the anticataleptic effect of Tribulus terrestris on haloperidol-induced catalepsy in albino mice. Mice were allocated to four groups, each group containing six animals. Both, the test drug, Tribulus terrestris and the standard drug trihexyphenidyl were uniformly suspended in 1% gum acacia solution. Catalepsy was induced in mice with haloperidol (1.0 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). The first group received the vehicle (10 ml/kg, orally), the second group received trihexyphenidyl (10 mg/kg, orally) and the remaining two groups received Tribulus terrestris (100, 200 mg/kg, orally). The animals were assessed after single and repeated dose administration for ten days, 30 min prior to haloperidol, using standard bar test. The result of the present study demonstrates Tribulus terrestris has a protective effect against haloperidol-induced catalepsy, which is comparable to the standard drug used for the same purpose. Our study indicates Tribulus terrestris can be used to prevent haloperidol-induced extrapyramidal side effects.

MEASURING LEAF WATER CONTENT USING MULTISPECTRAL TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNING

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S. Junttila

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Climate change is increasing the amount and intensity of disturbance events, i.e. drought, pest insect outbreaks and fungal pathogens, in forests worldwide. Leaf water content (LWC is an early indicator of tree stress that can be measured remotely using multispectral terrestrial laser scanning (MS-TLS. LWC affects leaf reflectance in the shortwave infrared spectrum which can be used to predict LWC from spatially explicit MS-TLS intensity data. Here, we investigated the relationship between LWC and MS-TLS intensity features at 690 nm, 905 nm and 1550 nm wavelengths with Norway spruce seedlings in greenhouse conditions. We found that a simple ratio of 905 nm and 1550 nm wavelengths was able to explain 84 % of the variation (R2 in LWC with a respective prediction accuracy of 0.0041 g/cm2. Our results showed that MS-TLS can be used to estimate LWC with a reasonable accuracy in environmentally stable conditions.

Measuring Leaf Water Content Using Multispectral Terrestrial Laser Scanning

Science.gov (United States)

Junttila, S.; Vastaranta, M.; Linnakoski, R.; Sugano, J.; Kaartinen, H.; Kukko, A.; Holopainen, M.; Hyyppä, H.; Hyyppä, J.

2017-10-01

Climate change is increasing the amount and intensity of disturbance events, i.e. drought, pest insect outbreaks and fungal pathogens, in forests worldwide. Leaf water content (LWC) is an early indicator of tree stress that can be measured remotely using multispectral terrestrial laser scanning (MS-TLS). LWC affects leaf reflectance in the shortwave infrared spectrum which can be used to predict LWC from spatially explicit MS-TLS intensity data. Here, we investigated the relationship between LWC and MS-TLS intensity features at 690 nm, 905 nm and 1550 nm wavelengths with Norway spruce seedlings in greenhouse conditions. We found that a simple ratio of 905 nm and 1550 nm wavelengths was able to explain 84 % of the variation (R2) in LWC with a respective prediction accuracy of 0.0041 g/cm2. Our results showed that MS-TLS can be used to estimate LWC with a reasonable accuracy in environmentally stable conditions.

3D Reconfigurable NoC Multiprocessor Imaging Interferometer for Space Climate

Science.gov (United States)

Dekoulis, George

2016-07-01

This paper describes the development of an imaging interferometer for long-term observations of solar activity related events. Heliospheric physics phenomena are responsible for causing irregularities to the ionospheric-magnetospheric plasmasphere. Distinct signatures of these events are captured and studied over long periods of time deducting crucial conclusions about the short-term Space Weather and in the long run about Space Climate. The new prototype features an eight-channel implementation. The available hardware resources permit a 256- channel configuration for accurate beam scanning of the Earth's plasmasphere. A dual-polarization scheme has been implemented for obtaining accurate measurements. The system is based on state-of-the-art three-dimensional reconfigurable logic and exhibits a performance increase in the range of 70% compared to similar instruments in operation. Special circuits allow measurements of the most intense heliospheric physics events to be fully captured and analyzed.

An investigation of Martian and terrestrial dust devils

Science.gov (United States)

Ringrose, Timothy John

2004-10-01

It is the purpose of this work to provide an insight into the theoretical and practical dynamics of dust devils and how they are detected remotely from orbit or in situ on planetary surfaces. There is particular interest in the detection of convective vortices on Mars; this has been driven by involvement in the development of the Beagle 2 Environmental Sensor Suite. This suite of sensors is essentially a martian weather station and will be the first planetary lander experiment specifically looking for the presence of dust devils on Mars. Dust devils are characterised by their visible dusty core and intense rotation. The physics of particle motion, including dust lofting and the rotational dynamics within convective vortices are explained and modelled. This modelling has helped in identifying dust devils in meteorological data from both terrestrial and martian investigations. An automated technique for dust devil detection using meteorological data has been developed. This technique searches data looking for the specific vortex signature as well as detecting other transient events. This method has been tested on both terrestrial and martian data with surprising results. 38 possible convective vortices were detected in the first 60 sols of the Viking Lander 2 meteorological data. Tests were also carried out on data from a terrestrial dust devil campaign, which provided conclusive evidence from visual observations of the reliability of this technique. A considerable amount of this work does focus on terrestrial vortices. This is to aid in the understanding of dust devils, specifically how, why and when they form. Both laboratory and terrestrial fieldwork is investigated, providing useful data on the general structure of dust devils.

NASA HRP Immunology Discipline - Use of Terrestrial Analogs

Science.gov (United States)

Crucian, Brian

2014-01-01

Due to the cost and operational constraints, as well as technical implementation limitations, it is desirous to perform relevant space physiology investigations first in terrestrial 'space analogs'. This is particularly true for initial investigations, which may then provide appropriate focus for subsequent flight investigations, or for mechanistic investigations that simply cannot be performed during spaceflight. Appropriate analog choice is extremely important. There are a wide variety of terrestrial space analogs, each relevant to a particular physiological discipline (or disciplines) and each with a particular fidelity (or lack thereof) to spaceflight, and each with unique operational constraints. The HRP Immunology Discipline is tasked with managing the HRP Risk concerning clinical risk for Astronaut crews related to spaceflight-associated immune dysregulation. Such dysregulation has been documented to occur during spaceflight, and found to persist for the duration of a 6-month ISS mission. Studies continue to characterize the onorbit phenomenon, but it generally consists of diminished immunocyte function, dysregulated cytokine profiles, and persistent herpesvirus reactivation. Causes are thought to synergistically include microgravity, psychological or physiological stress, radiation, and/or circadian misalignment. An appropriate terrestrial analog for immune dysregulation would replicate as many of these influences as possible. Such analogs may include clinostat or bioreactor cell culture (microgravity), hindlimb suspension (stress, fluid shifts, hypokinesis), or human deployment to remote or extreme environments (isolation, stress, circadian). Also, the laboratory setting may be used as an analog, or to augment analogs, such as sleep deprivation/misalignment or human centrifugation to replicate gravitational stress. As an appropriate example of a NASA Disciplines use of Terrestrial space analogs, this talk will discuss spaceflight associated immune

Preparation and characterization of Tribulus terrestris-loaded nanoparticles

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Khanavi*

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Background and objectives: Tribulus terrestris is a flowering herb (Zygophyllaceae with several properties in folk medicine such as diuretic, tonic, aphrodisiac, analgesic, astringent, and stomachic-lithotripter activities. Although, some extracts and phytochemicals represent excellent bio-activity in vitro, less or no in vivo activity is observed due to their improper molecular size. The intend of this research was investigation of the feasibility of encapsulating T. terrestris into [poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid] PLGA nanoparticles. Methods: Aerial parts of the plant were extracted with aqueous ethanol 85% by percolation apparatus. The nanoparticles of T. terrestris-loaded were prepared using a modified simultaneous double-emulsion solvent evaporation/diffusion method. Elucidations were made on the basis of scanning electron microscopy (SEM and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC. The content of nanoparticles was analyzed by HPLC with indirect method. Results: The results stated that increasing the portion of plant extract could cause bigger size with no considerable increase in polydispersity index (PDI. The encapsulation efficiency of T. terrestris-loaded nanoparticles was 40.3 to 78.5 and the drug loadings were 0.806 to 6.104, with different ratios of extract. The overall pattern of the release in SDS 1% in dialysis bag in all formulations showed similar and biphasic release kinetic, an initial burst release in the first day followed by constant release over 10 days. Conclusion: An effective approach for the preparation of T. terrestris-loaded PLGA nanoparticles was performed. The controlled release profile showed that these biodegradable PLGA nanoparticles had great potential and should be given particular consideration in further biological researches.

Facial trauma among victims of terrestrial transport accidents.

Science.gov (United States)

d'Avila, Sérgio; Barbosa, Kevan Guilherme Nóbrega; Bernardino, Ítalo de Macedo; da Nóbrega, Lorena Marques; Bento, Patrícia Meira; E Ferreira, Efigênia Ferreira

2016-01-01

In developing countries, terrestrial transport accidents - TTA, especially those involving automobiles and motorcycles - are a major cause of facial trauma, surpassing urban violence. This cross-sectional census study attempted to determine facial trauma occurrence with terrestrial transport accidents etiology, involving cars, motorcycles, or accidents with pedestrians in the northeastern region of Brazil, and examine victims' socio-demographic characteristics. Morbidity data from forensic service reports of victims who sought care from January to December 2012 were analyzed. Altogether, 2379 reports were evaluated, of which 673 were related to terrestrial transport accidents and 103 involved facial trauma. Three previously trained and calibrated researchers collected data using a specific form. Facial trauma occurrence rate was 15.3% (n=103). The most affected age group was 20-29 years (48.3%), and more men than women were affected (2.81:1). Motorcycles were involved in the majority of accidents resulting in facial trauma (66.3%). The occurrence of facial trauma in terrestrial transport accident victims tends to affect a greater proportion of young and male subjects, and the most prevalent accidents involve motorcycles. Copyright © 2015 Associação Brasileira de Otorrinolaringologia e Cirurgia Cérvico-Facial. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Terrestrial dissolved organic matter distribution in the North Sea.

Science.gov (United States)

Painter, Stuart C; Lapworth, Dan J; Woodward, E Malcolm S; Kroeger, Silke; Evans, Chris D; Mayor, Daniel J; Sanders, Richard J

2018-07-15

The flow of terrestrial carbon to rivers and inland waters is a major term in the global carbon cycle. The organic fraction of this flux may be buried, remineralized or ultimately stored in the deep ocean. The latter can only occur if terrestrial organic carbon can pass through the coastal and estuarine filter, a process of unknown efficiency. Here, data are presented on the spatial distribution of terrestrial fluorescent and chromophoric dissolved organic matter (FDOM and CDOM, respectively) throughout the North Sea, which receives organic matter from multiple distinct sources. We use FDOM and CDOM as proxies for terrestrial dissolved organic matter (tDOM) to test the hypothesis that tDOM is quantitatively transferred through the North Sea to the open North Atlantic Ocean. Excitation emission matrix fluorescence and parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) revealed a single terrestrial humic-like class of compounds whose distribution was restricted to the coastal margins and, via an inverse salinity relationship, to major riverine inputs. Two distinct sources of fluorescent humic-like material were observed associated with the combined outflows of the Rhine, Weser and Elbe rivers in the south-eastern North Sea and the Baltic Sea outflow to the eastern central North Sea. The flux of tDOM from the North Sea to the Atlantic Ocean appears insignificant, although tDOM export may occur through Norwegian coastal waters unsampled in our study. Our analysis suggests that the bulk of tDOM exported from the Northwest European and Scandinavian landmasses is buried or remineralized internally, with potential losses to the atmosphere. This interpretation implies that the residence time in estuarine and coastal systems exerts an important control over the fate of tDOM and needs to be considered when evaluating the role of terrestrial carbon losses in the global carbon cycle. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sampling Terrestrial Environments for Bacterial Polyketides

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Patrick Hill

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Bacterial polyketides are highly biologically active molecules that are frequently used as drugs, particularly as antibiotics and anticancer agents, thus the discovery of new polyketides is of major interest. Since the 1980s discovery of polyketides has slowed dramatically due in large part to the repeated rediscovery of known compounds. While recent scientific and technical advances have improved our ability to discover new polyketides, one key area has been under addressed, namely the distribution of polyketide-producing bacteria in the environment. Identifying environments where producing bacteria are abundant and diverse should improve our ability to discover (bioprospect new polyketides. This review summarizes for the bioprospector the state-of-the-field in terrestrial microbial ecology. It provides insight into the scientific and technical challenges limiting the application of microbial ecology discoveries for bioprospecting and summarizes key developments in the field that will enable more effective bioprospecting. The major recent efforts by researchers to sample new environments for polyketide discovery is also reviewed and key emerging environments such as insect associated bacteria, desert soils, disease suppressive soils, and caves are highlighted. Finally strategies for taking and characterizing terrestrial samples to help maximize discovery efforts are proposed and the inclusion of non-actinomycetal bacteria in any terrestrial discovery strategy is recommended.

Microbial rhodopsins on leaf surfaces of terrestrial plants

OpenAIRE

Atamna-Ismaeel, Nof; Finkel, Omri M.; Glaser, Fabian; Sharon, Itai; Schneider, Ron; Post, Anton F.; Spudich, John L.; von Mering, Christian; Vorholt, Julia A.; Iluz, David; Béjà, Oded; Belkin, Shimshon

2011-01-01

The above-ground surfaces of terrestrial plants, the phyllosphere, comprise the main interface between the terrestrial biosphere and solar radiation. It is estimated to host up to 1026 microbial cells that may intercept part of the photon flux impinging on the leaves. Based on 454-pyrosequencing-generated metagenome data, we report on the existence of diverse microbial rhodopsins in five distinct phyllospheres from tamarisk (Tamarix nilotica), soybean (Glycine max), Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis t...

Accelerated tests for the soft error rate determination of single radiation particles in components of terrestrial and avionic electronic systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flament, O.; Baggio, J.

2010-01-01

This paper describes the main features of the accelerated test procedures used to determine reliability data of microelectronics devices used in terrestrial environment.This paper focuses on the high energy particle test that could be performed through spallation neutron source or quasi-mono-energetic neutron or proton. Improvements of standards are illustrated with respect to the state of the art of knowledge in radiation effects and scaling down of microelectronics technologies. (authors)

Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets

Science.gov (United States)

Mackwell, Stephen J.; Simon-Miller, Amy A.; Harder, Jerald W.; Bullock, Mark A.

Public awareness of climate change on Earth is currently very high, promoting significant interest in atmospheric processes. We are fortunate to live in an era where it is possible to study the climates of many planets, including our own, using spacecraft and groundbased observations as well as advanced computational power that allows detailed modeling. Planetary atmospheric dynamics and structure are all governed by the same basic physics. Thus differences in the input variables (such as composition, internal structure, and solar radiation) among the known planets provide a broad suite of natural laboratory settings for gaining new understanding of these physical processes and their outcomes. Diverse planetary settings provide insightful comparisons to atmospheric processes and feedbacks on Earth, allowing a greater understanding of the driving forces and external influences on our own planetary climate. They also inform us in our search for habitable environments on planets orbiting distant stars, a topic that was a focus of Exoplanets, the preceding book in the University of Arizona Press Space Sciences Series. Quite naturally, and perhaps inevitably, our fascination with climate is largely driven toward investigating the interplay between the early development of life and the presence of a suitable planetary climate. Our understanding of how habitable planets come to be begins with the worlds closest to home. Venus, Earth, and Mars differ only modestly in their mass and distance from the Sun, yet their current climates could scarcely be more divergent. Our purpose for this book is to set forth the foundations for this emerging science and to bring to the forefront our current understanding of atmospheric formation and climate evolution. Although there is significant comparison to be made to atmospheric processes on nonterrestrial planets in our solar system — the gas and ice giants — here we focus on the terrestrial planets, leaving even broader comparisons

Aerosol-induced thermal effects increase modelled terrestrial photosynthesis and transpiration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Steiner, Allison L.; Chameides, W.L.

2005-01-01

Previous studies suggest that the radiative effects of atmospheric aerosols (reducing total radiation while increasing the diffuse fraction) can enhance terrestrial productivity. Here, simulations using a regional climate/terrestrial biosphere model suggest that atmospheric aerosols could also enhance terrestrial photosynthesis and transpiration through an interaction between solar radiation, leaf temperature and stomatal conductance. During midday, clear-sky conditions, sunlit-leaf temperatures can exceed the optimum for photosynthesis, depressing both photosynthesis and transpiration. Aerosols decrease surface solar radiation, thereby reducing leaf temperatures and enhancing sunlit-leaf photosynthesis and transpiration. This modelling study finds that, under certain conditions, this thermal response of aerosols can have a greater impact on photosynthesis and transpiration than the radiative response. This implies that a full understanding of the impact of aerosols on climate and the global carbon cycle requires consideration of the biophysical responses of terrestrial vegetation as well as atmospheric radiative and thermodynamic effects

Taiwan's industrial heavy metal pollution threatens terrestrial biota

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hsu, M.J. [Department of Biological Sciences, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan (China); Selvaraj, K. [Institute of Marine Geology and Chemistry, National Sun Yat-sen University, Kaohsiung 804, Taiwan (China); Agoramoorthy, G. [Department of Pharmacy, Tajen University, Yanpu, Pingtung 907, Taiwan (China)]. E-mail: agoram@mail.tajen.edu.tw

2006-09-15

The bioconcentration levels of essential (Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Zn) and non-essential (As, Cd, Hg, Pb, and Sn) elements have been investigated in different terrestrial biota such as fungi, plant, earthworm, snail, crab, insect, amphibian, lizard, snake, and bat including the associated soil, to investigate the ecosystem health status in Kenting National Park, Taiwan. High bioconcentrations of Cd, Hg, and Sn in snail, earthworm, crab, lizard, snake, and bat indicated a contaminated terrestrial ecosystem. High concentrations of Cd, Hg, and Sn in plant species, effective bioaccumulation of Cd by earthworm, snail, crab and bat, as well as very high levels of Hg found in invertebrates, amphibians, and reptiles revealed a strong influence from industrial pollution on the biotic community. This study for the first time presents data on the impact of heavy metal pollution on various terrestrial organisms in Taiwan. - Metal effects occur at any terrestrial levels in Taiwan.

Limno-terrestrial Tardigrada of the Nearctic Realm

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Juliana G. HINTON

2007-09-01

Full Text Available We examined all available records of limno-terrestrial tardigrade distribution in the Nearctic realm (Greenland, Canada, Alaska, the continental United States of America, and northern Mexico, both to compare this fauna with other realms and to investigate distribution within North America. We included only those records in which tardigrades had been identified to species. Of 204 Nearctic limno-terrestrial tardigrade species, 38 were cosmopolitan, while 55 were unique to the Nearctic realm. The Nearctic tardigrade fauna is most similar to the Palearctic, with 135 species in common, 39 of which have not been reported elsewhere. The Nearctic realm shares 82 species with the Neotropical realm, only 10 which are not also Palearctic. These data are consistent with the geological history of the three realms, and indicate a distinction between Laurasian and Gondwanan tardigrade faunas. Although little is known about limno-terrestrial tardigrade distribution in much of North America, there are several excellent regional or local surveys. Many species are distributed widely throughout the continent, but 30.0% of Nearctic species have been reported from a single site. Cluster analysis of the fauna of 11 Nearctic regions shows that the Arctic and sub-Arctic fauna constitute a regional fauna distinct from the rest of the continent. Ecological analysis is hampered by inconsistent reporting of tardigrade substrate, though available data suggest little substrate specificity in terrestrial tardigrades. Most species are found in both mosses and lichens. Many are also present in soil and leaf litter, but few are found only in these substrates.

Terrestrial carbon storage dynamics: Chasing a moving target

Science.gov (United States)

Luo, Y.; Shi, Z.; Jiang, L.; Xia, J.; Wang, Y.; Kc, M.; Liang, J.; Lu, X.; Niu, S.; Ahlström, A.; Hararuk, O.; Hastings, A.; Hoffman, F. M.; Medlyn, B. E.; Rasmussen, M.; Smith, M. J.; Todd-Brown, K. E.; Wang, Y.

2015-12-01

Terrestrial ecosystems have been estimated to absorb roughly 30% of anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Past studies have identified myriad drivers of terrestrial carbon storage changes, such as fire, climate change, and land use changes. Those drivers influence the carbon storage change via diverse mechanisms, which have not been unified into a general theory so as to identify what control the direction and rate of terrestrial carbon storage dynamics. Here we propose a theoretical framework to quantitatively determine the response of terrestrial carbon storage to different exogenous drivers. With a combination of conceptual reasoning, mathematical analysis, and numeric experiments, we demonstrated that the maximal capacity of an ecosystem to store carbon is time-dependent and equals carbon input (i.e., net primary production, NPP) multiplying by residence time. The capacity is a moving target toward which carbon storage approaches (i.e., the direction of carbon storage change) but usually does not attain. The difference between the capacity and the carbon storage at a given time t is the unrealized carbon storage potential. The rate of the storage change is proportional to the magnitude of the unrealized potential. We also demonstrated that a parameter space of NPP, residence time, and carbon storage potential can well characterize carbon storage dynamics quantified at six sites ranging from tropical forests to tundra and simulated by two versions (carbon-only and coupled carbon-nitrogen) of the Australian Community Atmosphere-Biosphere Land Ecosystem (CABLE) Model under three climate change scenarios (CO2 rising only, climate warming only, and RCP8.5). Overall this study reveals the unified mechanism unerlying terrestrial carbon storage dynamics to guide transient traceability analysis of global land models and synthesis of empirical studies.

Beyond the principle of plentitude: a review of terrestrial planet habitability.

Science.gov (United States)

Gaidos, E; Deschenes, B; Dundon, L; Fagan, K; Menviel-Hessler, L; Moskovitz, N; Workman, M

2005-04-01

We review recent work that directly or indirectly addresses the habitability of terrestrial (rocky) planets like the Earth. Habitability has been traditionally defined in terms of an orbital semimajor axis within a range known as the habitable zone, but it is also well known that the habitability of Earth is due to many other astrophysical, geological, and geochemical factors. We focus this review on (1) recent refinements to habitable zone calculations; (2) the formation and orbital stability of terrestrial planets; (3) the tempo and mode of geologic activity (e.g., plate tectonics) on terrestrial planets; (4) the delivery of water to terrestrial planets in the habitable zone; and (5) the acquisition and loss of terrestrial planet carbon and nitrogen, elements that constitute important atmospheric gases responsible for habitable conditions on Earth's surface as well as being the building blocks of the biosphere itself. Finally, we consider recent work on evidence for the earliest habitable environments and the appearance of life itself on our planet. Such evidence provides us with an important, if nominal, calibration point for our search for other habitable worlds.

Generation of terrestrial radiation database in the Larsemann Hills, Antarctica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pal, Rupali; Dhabekar, Bhushan; Jose, Jis Romal; Chinnaesakki, S.; Bakshi, A.K.; Datta, D.; Pradeepkumar, K.S.

2018-01-01

Natural background radiation in the environment includes terrestrial radiation, cosmic radiation from space and air activity due to radon/thoron. It is known that cosmic contribution increases near the poles. The terrestrial component is largely due to 232 Th and 238 U series and 40 K. BARC under the cosmic ray dosimetry project with National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research (NCAOR) has taken up measurement of natural background radiation at Larsemann Hills, Antarctica. The project includes generation of baseline data on terrestrial radioactivity in water, soil and rock and estimation of cosmic ray doses. Extensive radiation surveys were carried out by the BARC team in the 35 th and 36 th expedition in and around Larsemann hills in East Antarctica where the third Indian station 'Bharati' is situated. This paper presents mapping of terrestrial radiation levels in Antarctica which will help in strengthening the background radiation database and develop a Radiation Informatics System (RIS)

Histopathological changes in Poecilia latipinna male gonad due to Tribulus terrestris administration.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavitha, P; Ramesh, R; Subramanian, P

2012-05-01

Tribulus terrestris is a traditionally known non-toxic aphrodisiac herb for maleness. It was experimented recently to understand the effect and mechanism on mono sex production in Poecilia latipinna. It would help to develop a new eco-friendly way to masculinize P. latipinna, since males have higher commercial value than females. The different concentration (100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 mg/L) of T. terrestris extract and a control were tested for their effect on sex transformation/reversal in P. latipinna by immersing the newly born young ones in the respective concentrations for 2 mo. The obtained results indicate that a dose dependant masculinization is obtained due to T. terrestris administration, which improved the male proportion. Histological results revealed that the testes of fish treated with T. terrestris extract contained all stages of spermatogenesis, clearly demonstrating that the administration of T. terrestris extract to P. latipinna stimulated spermatogenesis. Thus, it is discernible that 0-d-old hatchlings of P. latipinna exposed to T. terrestris extract orient/reverse their sex more towards maleness besides yielding better growth and spermatogenesis which is a mandate for fancy fish industry.

Removal of terrestrial DOC in aquatic ecosystems of a temperate river network

Science.gov (United States)

Wollheim, W.M.; Stewart, R. J.; Aiken, George R.; Butler, Kenna D.; Morse, Nathaniel B.; Salisbury, J.

2015-01-01

Surface waters play a potentially important role in the global carbon balance. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes are a major transfer of terrestrial carbon to river systems, and the fate of DOC in aquatic systems is poorly constrained. We used a unique combination of spatially distributed sampling of three DOC fractions throughout a river network and modeling to quantify the net removal of terrestrial DOC during a summer base flow period. We found that aquatic reactivity of terrestrial DOC leading to net loss is low, closer to conservative chloride than to reactive nitrogen. Net removal occurred mainly from the hydrophobic organic acid fraction, while hydrophilic and transphilic acids showed no net change, indicating that partitioning of bulk DOC into different fractions is critical for understanding terrestrial DOC removal. These findings suggest that river systems may have only a modest ability to alter the amounts of terrestrial DOC delivered to coastal zones.

Dietary characterization of terrestrial mammals.

Science.gov (United States)

Pineda-Munoz, Silvia; Alroy, John

2014-08-22

Understanding the feeding behaviour of the species that make up any ecosystem is essential for designing further research. Mammals have been studied intensively, but the criteria used for classifying their diets are far from being standardized. We built a database summarizing the dietary preferences of terrestrial mammals using published data regarding their stomach contents. We performed multivariate analyses in order to set up a standardized classification scheme. Ideally, food consumption percentages should be used instead of qualitative classifications. However, when highly detailed information is not available we propose classifying animals based on their main feeding resources. They should be classified as generalists when none of the feeding resources constitute over 50% of the diet. The term 'omnivore' should be avoided because it does not communicate all the complexity inherent to food choice. Moreover, the so-called omnivore diets actually involve several distinctive adaptations. Our dataset shows that terrestrial mammals are generally highly specialized and that some degree of food mixing may even be required for most species.

Climate control of terrestrial carbon exchange across biomes and continents

Science.gov (United States)

Chuixiang Yi; Daniel Ricciuto; Runze Li; John Wolbeck; Xiyan Xu; Mats Nilsson; John Frank; William J. Massman

2010-01-01

Understanding the relationships between climate and carbon exchange by terrestrial ecosystems is critical to predict future levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide because of the potential accelerating effects of positive climate-carbon cycle feedbacks. However, directly observed relationships between climate and terrestrial CO2 exchange with the atmosphere across biomes...

Phenological Stages of Development of Tribulus terrestris L. (Zygophyllaceae R. Br.) Under the Conditions of the Thracian Lowland Floristic Region of Bulgaria

OpenAIRE

SEMERDJIEVA, Ivanka; TAHSINT, Nuretin; YANKOVATSVETKOVA, Elina

2015-01-01

The phenological stages of Tribulus terrestris L. in the Thracian Lowland floristic region of Bulgaria were studied. Growth characteristics of the species, the length of the vegetation period and the duration of each phenological stage were studied in three consecutive years. A detailed phonological spectrum was presented. A direct relation was established between the duration of the phenological stages, the calendar periods and the climatic features of the respective year

Evaluation of radiological doses to the terrestrial plants around Trombay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ajay Kumar; Singhal, R.K.; Preetha, J.; Joshi, S.N.; Hegde, A.G.

2005-01-01

Existing policies for radiation protection do not provide explicit criteria for the protection of species other than humans, i.e. not for flora and fauna. Concern over this omission is now being widely expressed and moves are under way to evaluate the doses to terrestrial and aquatic biota. During the present work radiological doses (external and internal) to the terrestrial plants were evaluated by estimating the concentration of anthropogenic ( 137 Cs, 90 Sr) and natural radionuclides ( 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K) in the plant leaves and by measuring the external gamma radiation due to different radionuclide. The soil and vegetation sample were collected from fifteen sampling locations around the different locations at Trombay. The samples were processed as per IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) protocol for the estimation of naturally occurring and anthropogenic radionuclides in soil and terrestrial plants. The gamma emitting radionuclides were measured by high resolution gamma (HPGe) spectrometry system. Maximum exposure (external + internal) to the terrestrial plants was observed due to 232 Th while 238 U showed minimum exposure. The average value of radiation exposure to the terrestrial plants for 40 K, 137 Cs, 90 Sr, 238 U and 232 Th was 1555.2 ± 92.4, 691.2 ± 54.3, 2564.1 ± 534.9, 82.5 ±5.2, and 4419.6 ± 1165.5 μGy/y respectively. The radiation exposure (external + internal ) to the terrestrial plants due to all radionuclides was found within the permissible limits (i.e. 10 mGy/d) as per recommended by the United States, Department of Energy (DOE). (author)

Variations and trends of terrestrial NPP and its relation to climate ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Using global terrestrial ecosystem net primary productivity (NPP) data, we validated the simulated multi-model ensemble ..... tion on the solar radiation at six Canadian stations; Solar ... balance have enhanced the terrestrial carbon sink in the.

Busting dust: from cosmic grains to terrestrial microbes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendis, D.A.

2001-01-01

Electrostatic charging can have important consequences for both the growth and disruption of microparticulates immersed in a plasma. In this topical review, my emphasis is on the latter process, while I extend the term microparticulates not only to include ordinary inanimate cosmic or terrestrial dust but also to include terrestrial microbes whose sizes range from tens of nanometers (viruses) to tens of micrometers (bacteria). Following a description of the basic mechanism of electrostatic disruption of a solid body, I will discuss the role of size, shape and surface irregularity on the process. I will also consider the mitigating role of electric field emission of electrons on the disruption process of a negatively charged grain as its size falls below a critical size. I will conclude by reviewing some early evidence for the electrostatic disruption of cosmic grains, and the very recent evidence for the electrostatic disruption of the bacterial cell membranes in terrestrial sterilization experiments. (orig.)

Terrestrial invasion of pomatiopsid gastropods in the heavy-snow region of the Japanese Archipelago

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kato Makoto

2011-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Gastropod mollusks are one of the most successful animals that have diversified in the fully terrestrial habitat. They have evolved terrestrial taxa in more than nine lineages, most of which originated during the Paleozoic or Mesozoic. The rissooidean gastropod family Pomatiopsidae is one of the few groups that have evolved fully terrestrial taxa during the late Cenozoic. The pomatiopsine diversity is particularly high in the Japanese Archipelago and the terrestrial taxa occur only in this region. In this study, we conducted thorough samplings of Japanese pomatiopsid species and performed molecular phylogenetic analyses to explore the patterns of diversification and terrestrial invasion. Results Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed that Japanese Pomatiopsinae derived from multiple colonization of the Eurasian Continent and that subsequent habitat shifts from aquatic to terrestrial life occurred at least twice within two Japanese endemic lineages. Each lineage comprises amphibious and terrestrial species, both of which are confined to the mountains in heavy-snow regions facing the Japan Sea. The estimated divergence time suggested that diversification of these terrestrial lineages started in the Late Miocene, when active orogenesis of the Japanese landmass and establishment of snowy conditions began. Conclusions The terrestrial invasion of Japanese Pomatiopsinae occurred at least twice beside the mountain streamlets of heavy-snow regions, which is considered the first case of this event in the area. Because snow coverage maintains stable temperatures and high humidity on the ground surface, heavy-snow conditions may have paved the way for these organisms from freshwater to land via mountain streamlets by preventing winter desiccation in mountain valleys. The fact that the terrestrialization of Pomatiopsidae occurred only in year-round wet environments, but not in seasonally dried regions, provides new insight into ancient

Quantitative Morphometric Analysis of Terrestrial Glacial Valleys and the Application to Mars

Science.gov (United States)

Allred, Kory

Although the current climate on Mars is very cold and dry, it is generally accepted that the past environments on the planet were very different. Paleo-environments may have been warm and wet with oceans and rivers. And there is abundant evidence of water ice and glaciers on the surface as well. However, much of that comes from visual interpretation of imagery and other remote sensing data. For example, some of the characteristics that have been utilized to distinguish glacial forms are the presence of landscape features that appear similar to terrestrial glacial landforms, constraining surrounding topography, evidence of flow, orientation, elevation and valley shape. The main purpose of this dissertation is to develop a model that uses quantitative variables extracted from elevation data that can accurately categorize a valley basin as either glacial or non-glacial. The application of this model will limit the inherent subjectivity of image analysis by human interpretation. The model developed uses hypsometric attributes (elevation-area relationship), a newly defined variable similar to the equilibrium line altitude for an alpine glacier, and two neighborhood search functions intended to describe the valley cross-sectional curvature, all based on a digital elevation model (DEM) of a region. The classification model uses data-mining techniques trained on several terrestrial mountain ranges in varied geologic and geographic settings. It was applied to a select set of previously catalogued locations on Mars that resemble terrestrial glaciers. The results suggest that the landforms do have a glacial origin, thus supporting much of the previous research that has identified the glacial landforms. This implies that the paleo-environment of Mars was at least episodically cold and wet, probably during a period of increased planetary obliquity. Furthermore, the results of this research and the implications thereof add to the body of knowledge for the current and past

Influence of multiple global change drivers on terrestrial carbon storage

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Yue, Kai; Fornara, Dario A; Yang, Wanqin

2017-01-01

The interactive effects of multiple global change drivers on terrestrial carbon (C) storage remain poorly understood. Here, we synthesise data from 633 published studies to show how the interactive effects of multiple drivers are generally additive (i.e. not differing from the sum of their indivi......The interactive effects of multiple global change drivers on terrestrial carbon (C) storage remain poorly understood. Here, we synthesise data from 633 published studies to show how the interactive effects of multiple drivers are generally additive (i.e. not differing from the sum...... additive effects of multiple global change drivers into future assessments of the C storage ability of terrestrial ecosystems....

Terrestrial and exposure histories of Antarctic meteorites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishiizumi, K.

1986-01-01

Records of cosmogenic effects were studied in a large suite of Antarctic meteorites. The cosmogenic nuclide measurements together with cosmic ray track measurements on Antartic meteorites provide information such as exposure age, terrestrial age, size and depth in meteoroid or parent body, influx rate in the past, and pairing. The terrestrail age is the time period between the fall of the meteorite on the Earth and the present. To define terrestrial age, two or more nuclides with different half-lives and possibly noble gases are required. The cosmogenic radionuclides used are C-14, Kr-81, Cl-36, Al-26, Be-10, Mn-53, and K-40

Terrestrial and exposure histories of Antarctic meteorites

Science.gov (United States)

Nishiizumi, K.

1986-01-01

Records of cosmogenic effects were studied in a large suite of Antarctic meteorites. The cosmogenic nuclide measurements together with cosmic ray track measurements on Antartic meteorites provide information such as exposure age, terrestrial age, size and depth in meteoroid or parent body, influx rate in the past, and pairing. The terrestrail age is the time period between the fall of the meteorite on the Earth and the present. To define terrestrial age, two or more nuclides with different half-lives and possibly noble gases are required. The cosmogenic radionuclides used are C-14, Kr-81, Cl-36, Al-26, Be-10, Mn-53, and K-40.

Terrestrial ecosystems in a changing world

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Canadell, J.G. [CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research, Canberra, ACT (Australia). Global Carbon Project; Pataki, D.E. [California Univ., Irvine, CA (United States). Dept. of Earth System Science]|[California Univ., Irvine, CA (United States). Dept. of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Pitelka, L.F. (eds.) [Maryland Univ., Frostburg, MD (United States). Appalachian Lab.

2007-07-01

Over 100 authors present 25 contributions on the impacts of global change on terrestrial ecosystems including: * key processes of the earth system such as the CO2 fertilization effect, shifts in disturbances and biome distribution, the saturation of the terrestrial carbon sink, and changes in functional biodiversity, * ecosystem services such the production of wheat, pest control, and carbon storage in croplands, and * sensitive regions in the world threaten by rapid changes in climate and land use such as high latitudes ecosystems, tropical forest in Southeast Asia, and ecosystems dominated by Monsoon climate. The book also explores new research developments on spatial thresholds and nonlinearities, the key role of urban development in global biogeochemical processes, and the integration of natural and social sciences to address complex problems of the human-environment system. (orig.)

Insights and issues with simulating terrestrial DOC loading of Arctic river networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Kicklighter, David W; Hayes, Daniel J; McClelland, James W; Peterson, Bruce J; McGuire, A David; Melillo, Jerry M

2013-12-01

Terrestrial carbon dynamics influence the contribution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to river networks in addition to hydrology. In this study, we use a biogeochemical process model to simulate the lateral transfer of DOC from land to the Arctic Ocean via riverine transport. We estimate that, over the 20th century, the pan-Arctic watershed has contributed, on average, 32 Tg C/yr of DOC to river networks emptying into the Arctic Ocean with most of the DOC coming from the extensive area of boreal deciduous needle-leaved forests and forested wetlands in Eurasian watersheds. We also estimate that the rate of terrestrial DOC loading has been increasing by 0.037 Tg C/yr2 over the 20th century primarily as a result of climate-induced increases in water yield. These increases have been offset by decreases in terrestrial DOC loading caused by wildfires. Other environmental factors (CO2 fertilization, ozone pollution, atmospheric nitrogen deposition, timber harvest, agriculture) are estimated to have relatively small effects on terrestrial DOC loading to Arctic rivers. The effects of the various environmental factors on terrestrial carbon dynamics have both offset and enhanced concurrent effects on hydrology to influence terrestrial DOC loading and may be changing the relative importance of terrestrial carbon dynamics on this carbon flux. Improvements in simulating terrestrial DOC loading to pan-Arctic rivers in the future will require better information on the production and consumption of DOC within the soil profile, the transfer of DOC from land to headwater streams, the spatial distribution of precipitation and its temporal trends, carbon dynamics of larch-dominated ecosystems in eastern Siberia, and the role of industrial organic effluents on carbon budgets of rivers in western Russia.

Insights and issues with simulating terrestrial DOC loading of Arctic river networks

Science.gov (United States)

Kicklighter, David W.; Hayes, Daniel J.; McClelland, James W.; Peterson, Bruce J.; McGuire, A. David; Melillo, Jerry M.

2013-01-01

Terrestrial carbon dynamics influence the contribution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) to river networks in addition to hydrology. In this study, we use a biogeochemical process model to simulate the lateral transfer of DOC from land to the Arctic Ocean via riverine transport. We estimate that, over the 20th century, the pan-Arctic watershed has contributed, on average, 32 Tg C/yr of DOC to river networks emptying into the Arctic Ocean with most of the DOC coming from the extensive area of boreal deciduous needle-leaved forests and forested wetlands in Eurasian watersheds. We also estimate that the rate of terrestrial DOC loading has been increasing by 0.037 Tg C/yr2 over the 20th century primarily as a result of climate-induced increases in water yield. These increases have been offset by decreases in terrestrial DOC loading caused by wildfires. Other environmental factors (CO2 fertilization, ozone pollution, atmospheric nitrogen deposition, timber harvest, agriculture) are estimated to have relatively small effects on terrestrial DOC loading to Arctic rivers. The effects of the various environmental factors on terrestrial carbon dynamics have both offset and enhanced concurrent effects on hydrology to influence terrestrial DOC loading and may be changing the relative importance of terrestrial carbon dynamics on this carbon flux. Improvements in simulating terrestrial DOC loading to pan-Arctic rivers in the future will require better information on the production and consumption of DOC within the soil profile, the transfer of DOC from land to headwater streams, the spatial distribution of precipitation and its temporal trends, carbon dynamics of larch-dominated ecosystems in eastern Siberia, and the role of industrial organic effluents on carbon budgets of rivers in western Russia.

Dynamic modeling system for the transfer of radioactivity in terrestrial food chains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simmonds, J.R.; Linsley, G.S.

1981-01-01

A dynamic modeling system is described for the transfer of radionuclides in terrestrial food chains. The main features of the system are its ability to predict the time dependence of the major transfer processes and its flexibility and applicability to a range of contamination scenarios. The modeling system is regarded as a basic framework on which more realistic models can be based, given the availability of reliable environmental transfer data. An example of such a development is included for 90 Sr in the pasture-cow-milk pathway. The model predicts annual average concentrations of 90 Sr in milk caused by fallout in the United Kingdom to within 15% of measured values for over most of the 20-y period for which data exist. It makes possible the evaluation of the time dependence of the contributions of various transfer processes. Following acute releases to the atmosphere or releases in any other contamination scenario where direct deposition is absent, certain pathways often not considered in food-chain models, such as the external contamination of plants caused by resuspension processes or the ingestion of contaminants together with soil by grazing animals, are shown to be potentially important in the transfer of activity to man. The main application of dynamic food-chain models is the prediction of the consequences of accidental releases to the terrestrial environment. The predictions can be used in planning countermeasures and in assessing the health, economic, and social impacts of accidental release

Effects and Mechanism of Action of a Tribulus terrestris Extract on Penile Erection

Science.gov (United States)

Do, Jungmo; Choi, Seemin; Choi, Jaehwi

2013-01-01

Purpose Tribulus terrestris has been used as an aphrodisiac. However, little is known about the effects and mechanism of action of T. terrestris on penile erection. Therefore, the effect of a T. terrestris extract and the mechanism of action of the extract on relaxation of the corpus cavernosum (CC) were investigated. The erectogenic effects of an oral preparation of the extract were also assessed. Materials and Methods The relaxation effects and mechanism of action of the T. terrestris extract on rabbit CC were investigated in an organ bath. The intracavernous pressure (ICP) was calculated after oral administration of the extract for 1 month to evaluate whether the relaxation response of the CC shown in the organ bath occurred in vivo. Additionally, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) were measured in the CC by immunoassay. Smooth muscle relaxation was expressed as the percentage decrease in precontraction induced by phenylephrine. The ICP was also assessed in rats after oral administration of the extract for 1 month, and changes in concentrations of cGMP and cAMP were monitored. Results Concentration-dependent relaxation effects of the extract on the CC were detected in the organ bath study. Relaxation of the CC by the T. terrestris extract was inhibited in both an endothelium-removed group and an L-arginen methyl ester pretreatment group. The ICP measured after oral administration of the T. terrestris extract for 1 month was higher than that measured in the control group, and a significant increase in cAMP was observed in the T. terrestris extract group. Conclusions The T. terrestris extract induced concentration-dependent relaxation of the CC in an organ bath. The mechanism included a reaction involving the nitric oxide/nitric oxide synthase pathway and endothelium of the CC. Moreover, in an in vivo study, the T. terrestris extract showed a significant concentration-dependent increase in ICP. Accordingly, the T

Effects and Mechanism of Action of a Tribulus terrestris Extract on Penile Erection.

Science.gov (United States)

Do, Jungmo; Choi, Seemin; Choi, Jaehwi; Hyun, Jae Seog

2013-03-01

Tribulus terrestris has been used as an aphrodisiac. However, little is known about the effects and mechanism of action of T. terrestris on penile erection. Therefore, the effect of a T. terrestris extract and the mechanism of action of the extract on relaxation of the corpus cavernosum (CC) were investigated. The erectogenic effects of an oral preparation of the extract were also assessed. The relaxation effects and mechanism of action of the T. terrestris extract on rabbit CC were investigated in an organ bath. The intracavernous pressure (ICP) was calculated after oral administration of the extract for 1 month to evaluate whether the relaxation response of the CC shown in the organ bath occurred in vivo. Additionally, cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) were measured in the CC by immunoassay. Smooth muscle relaxation was expressed as the percentage decrease in precontraction induced by phenylephrine. The ICP was also assessed in rats after oral administration of the extract for 1 month, and changes in concentrations of cGMP and cAMP were monitored. Concentration-dependent relaxation effects of the extract on the CC were detected in the organ bath study. Relaxation of the CC by the T. terrestris extract was inhibited in both an endothelium-removed group and an L-arginen methyl ester pretreatment group. The ICP measured after oral administration of the T. terrestris extract for 1 month was higher than that measured in the control group, and a significant increase in cAMP was observed in the T. terrestris extract group. The T. terrestris extract induced concentration-dependent relaxation of the CC in an organ bath. The mechanism included a reaction involving the nitric oxide/nitric oxide synthase pathway and endothelium of the CC. Moreover, in an in vivo study, the T. terrestris extract showed a significant concentration-dependent increase in ICP. Accordingly, the T. terrestris extract may improve erectile function.

Data base for terrestrial food pathways dose commitment calculations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, C.E.

1979-01-01

A computer program is under development to allow calculation of the dose-to-man in Georgia and South Carolina from ingestion of radionuclides in terrestrial foods resulting from deposition of airborne radionuclides. This program is based on models described in Regulatory Guide 1.109 (USNRC, 1977). The data base describes the movement of radionuclides through the terrestrial food chain, growth and consumption factors for a variety of radionuclides

Environmental radionuclides tracers and timers of terrestrial processes

CERN Document Server

Froehlich, Klaus

2009-01-01

The book presents a state-of-the-art summary of knowledge on the use of radionuclides to study processes and systems in the continental part of the Earth's environment. It is conceived as a companion to the two volumes of this series, which deal with isotopes as tracers in the marine environment (Livingston, Marine Radioactivity) and with the radioecology of natural and man-made terrestrial systems (Shaw, Radioactivity in Terrestrial Ecosystems). Although the book focuses on natural and anthropogenic radionuclides (radioactive isotopes), it also refers to stable environmental isotopes, which i

Terrestrial plant methane production

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mikkelsen, Teis Nørgaard; Bruhn, Dan; Møller, Ian M.

We evaluate all experimental work published on the phenomenon of aerobic methane (CH4) generation in terrestrial plants. We conclude that the phenomenon is true. Four stimulating factors have been observed to induce aerobic plant CH4 production, i.e. cutting injuries, increasing temperature...... the aerobic methane emission in plants. Future work is needed for establishing the relative contribution of several proven potential CH4 precursors in plant material....

Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris L.: noxious weed or powerful medical herb

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zvonko Pacanoski

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Tribulus terrestris L., an annual dicot species of the family Zygophyllaceae, is a common herb that is often found in disturbed habitats and agricultural areas in many parts of the temperate, tropical and desert regions of the world. T. terrestris is an aggressive species that has the potential to injure livestock, reduce hay and wool values, detour recreationists and reduces plant biodivesity. The species may become troublesome because of its weedy potential. It has been declared a weed in at least 37 countries and in at least 21 crops (cotton, maize, vineyards, orchards, etc.. It is adapted to a wide range of climatic conditions and grows on a wide variety of soil types. The management of T. terrestris can be achieved by herbicide application, mechanical (hand pulling, hoeing, mulching and biological control methods. Beside its invasive potential as a noxious and troublesome weed, T. terrestris is considered highly useful herb which is used for various purposes in folk and modern medicine and sport, as well.

Estimating Tropical Forest Structure Using a Terrestrial Lidar.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Palace

Full Text Available Forest structure comprises numerous quantifiable biometric components and characteristics, which include tree geometry and stand architecture. These structural components are important in the understanding of the past and future trajectories of these biomes. Tropical forests are often considered the most structurally complex and yet least understood of forested ecosystems. New technologies have provided novel avenues for quantifying biometric properties of forested ecosystems, one of which is LIght Detection And Ranging (lidar. This sensor can be deployed on satellite, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and terrestrial platforms. In this study we examined the efficacy of a terrestrial lidar scanner (TLS system in a tropical forest to estimate forest structure. Our study was conducted in January 2012 at La Selva, Costa Rica at twenty locations in a predominantly undisturbed forest. At these locations we collected field measured biometric attributes using a variable plot design. We also collected TLS data from the center of each plot. Using this data we developed relative vegetation profiles (RVPs and calculated a series of parameters including entropy, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT, number of layers and plant area index to develop statistical relationships with field data. We developed statistical models using a series of multiple linear regressions, all of which converged on significant relationships with the strongest relationship being for mean crown depth (r2 = 0.88, p < 0.001, RMSE = 1.04 m. Tree density was found to have the poorest significant relationship (r2 = 0.50, p < 0.01, RMSE = 153.28 n ha-1. We found a significant relationship between basal area and lidar metrics (r2 = 0.75, p < 0.001, RMSE = 3.76 number ha-1. Parameters selected in our models varied, thus indicating the potential relevance of multiple features in canopy profiles and geometry that are related to field-measured structure. Models for biomass estimation included

Estimating Tropical Forest Structure Using a Terrestrial Lidar.

Science.gov (United States)

Palace, Michael; Sullivan, Franklin B; Ducey, Mark; Herrick, Christina

2016-01-01

Forest structure comprises numerous quantifiable biometric components and characteristics, which include tree geometry and stand architecture. These structural components are important in the understanding of the past and future trajectories of these biomes. Tropical forests are often considered the most structurally complex and yet least understood of forested ecosystems. New technologies have provided novel avenues for quantifying biometric properties of forested ecosystems, one of which is LIght Detection And Ranging (lidar). This sensor can be deployed on satellite, aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, and terrestrial platforms. In this study we examined the efficacy of a terrestrial lidar scanner (TLS) system in a tropical forest to estimate forest structure. Our study was conducted in January 2012 at La Selva, Costa Rica at twenty locations in a predominantly undisturbed forest. At these locations we collected field measured biometric attributes using a variable plot design. We also collected TLS data from the center of each plot. Using this data we developed relative vegetation profiles (RVPs) and calculated a series of parameters including entropy, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), number of layers and plant area index to develop statistical relationships with field data. We developed statistical models using a series of multiple linear regressions, all of which converged on significant relationships with the strongest relationship being for mean crown depth (r2 = 0.88, p < 0.001, RMSE = 1.04 m). Tree density was found to have the poorest significant relationship (r2 = 0.50, p < 0.01, RMSE = 153.28 n ha-1). We found a significant relationship between basal area and lidar metrics (r2 = 0.75, p < 0.001, RMSE = 3.76 number ha-1). Parameters selected in our models varied, thus indicating the potential relevance of multiple features in canopy profiles and geometry that are related to field-measured structure. Models for biomass estimation included structural canopy

Guidelines to elaborate a migration plan for digital terrestrial television in Venezuela

OpenAIRE

José Rafael Uzcátegui; José Francisco Torres; Nelson Pérez García; Luís Duque; Zeldívar Bruzual

2011-01-01

In October 2009, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela adopted the ISDB-Tb (Integrated Services Digital Broadcasting - Terrestrial Built On), released by Japan, with some improvement made by Brazil, as Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) to be deployment in Venezuela. After standard choice, has been start the route towards the solution of transcendental aspects of legal and technical nature to enable the provision of digital terrestrial television service harmonized with the goals of true soc...

Shell bone histology indicates terrestrial palaeoecology of basal turtles.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheyer, Torsten M; Sander, P Martin

2007-08-07

The palaeoecology of basal turtles from the Late Triassic was classically viewed as being semi-aquatic, similar to the lifestyle of modern snapping turtles. Lately, this view was questioned based on limb bone proportions, and a terrestrial palaeoecology was suggested for the turtle stem. Here, we present independent shell bone microstructural evidence for a terrestrial habitat of the oldest and basal most well-known turtles, i.e. the Upper Triassic Proterochersis robusta and Proganochelys quenstedti. Comparison of their shell bone histology with that of extant turtles preferring either aquatic habitats or terrestrial habitats clearly reveals congruence with terrestrial turtle taxa. Similarities in the shell bones of these turtles are a diploe structure with well-developed external and internal cortices, weak vascularization of the compact bone layers and a dense nature of the interior cancellous bone with overall short trabeculae. On the other hand, 'aquatic' turtles tend to reduce cortical bone layers, while increasing overall vascularization of the bone tissue. In contrast to the study of limb bone proportions, the present study is independent from the uncommon preservation of appendicular skeletal elements in fossil turtles, enabling the palaeoecological study of a much broader range of incompletely known turtle taxa in the fossil record.

Similar Running Economy With Different Running Patterns Along the Aerial-Terrestrial Continuum.

Science.gov (United States)

Lussiana, Thibault; Gindre, Cyrille; Hébert-Losier, Kim; Sagawa, Yoshimasa; Gimenez, Philippe; Mourot, Laurent

2017-04-01

No unique or ideal running pattern is the most economical for all runners. Classifying the global running patterns of individuals into 2 categories (aerial and terrestrial) using the Volodalen method could permit a better understanding of the relationship between running economy (RE) and biomechanics. The main purpose was to compare the RE of aerial and terrestrial runners. Two coaches classified 58 runners into aerial (n = 29) or terrestrial (n = 29) running patterns on the basis of visual observations. RE, muscle activity, kinematics, and spatiotemporal parameters of both groups were measured during a 5-min run at 12 km/h on a treadmill. Maximal oxygen uptake (V̇O 2 max) and peak treadmill speed (PTS) were assessed during an incremental running test. No differences were observed between aerial and terrestrial patterns for RE, V̇O 2 max, and PTS. However, at 12 km/h, aerial runners exhibited earlier gastrocnemius lateralis activation in preparation for contact, less dorsiflexion at ground contact, higher coactivation indexes, and greater leg stiffness during stance phase than terrestrial runners. Terrestrial runners had more pronounced semitendinosus activation at the start and end of the running cycle, shorter flight time, greater leg compression, and a more rear-foot strike. Different running patterns were associated with similar RE. Aerial runners appear to rely more on elastic energy utilization with a rapid eccentric-concentric coupling time, whereas terrestrial runners appear to propel the body more forward rather than upward to limit work against gravity. Excluding runners with a mixed running pattern from analyses did not affect study interpretation.

Subsidy or subtraction: how do terrestrial inputs influence consumer production in lakes?

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Stuart E.; Solomon, Christopher T.; Weidel, Brian C.

2012-01-01

Cross-ecosystem fluxes are ubiquitous in food webs and are generally thought of as subsidies to consumer populations. Yet external or allochthonous inputs may in fact have complex and habitat-specific effects on recipient ecosystems. In lakes, terrestrial inputs of organic carbon contribute to basal resource availability, but can also reduce resource availability via shading effects on phytoplankton and periphyton. Terrestrial inputs might therefore either subsidise or subtract from consumer production. We developed and parameterised a simple model to explore this idea. The model estimates basal resource supply and consumer production given lake-level characteristics including total phosphorus (TP) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration, and consumer-level characteristics including resource preferences and growth efficiencies. Terrestrial inputs diminished primary production and total basal resource supply at the whole-lake level, except in ultra-oligotrophic systems. However, this system-level generalisation masked complex habitat-specific effects. In the pelagic zone, dissolved and particulate terrestrial carbon inputs were available to zooplankton via several food web pathways. Consequently, zooplankton production usually increased with terrestrial inputs, even as total whole-lake resource availability decreased. In contrast, in the benthic zone the dominant, dissolved portion of the terrestrial carbon load had predominantly negative effects on resource availability via shading of periphyton. Consequently, terrestrial inputs always decreased zoobenthic production except under extreme and unrealistic parameterisations of the model. Appreciating the complex and habitat-specific effects of allochthonous inputs may be essential for resolving the effects of cross-habitat fluxes on consumers in lakes and other food webs.

Mercury in the Canadian Arctic terrestrial environment: an update.

Science.gov (United States)

Gamberg, Mary; Chételat, John; Poulain, Alexandre J; Zdanowicz, Christian; Zheng, Jiancheng

2015-03-15

Contaminants in the Canadian Arctic have been studied over the last twenty years under the guidance of the Northern Contaminants Program. This paper provides the current state of knowledge on mercury (Hg) in the Canadian Arctic terrestrial environment. Snow, ice, and soils on land are key reservoirs for atmospheric deposition and can become sources of Hg through the melting of terrestrial ice and snow and via soil erosion. In the Canadian Arctic, new data have been collected for snow and ice that provide more information on the net accumulation and storage of Hg in the cryosphere. Concentrations of total Hg (THg) in terrestrial snow are highly variable but on average, relatively low (Porcupine caribou herd vary among years but there has been no significant increase or decrease over the last two decades. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Terrestrial gamma radiation baseline mapping using ultra low density sampling methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kleinschmidt, R.; Watson, D.

2016-01-01

Baseline terrestrial gamma radiation maps are indispensable for providing basic reference information that may be used in assessing the impact of a radiation related incident, performing epidemiological studies, remediating land contaminated with radioactive materials, assessment of land use applications and resource prospectivity. For a large land mass, such as Queensland, Australia (over 1.7 million km 2 ), it is prohibitively expensive and practically difficult to undertake detailed in-situ radiometric surveys of this scale. It is proposed that an existing, ultra-low density sampling program already undertaken for the purpose of a nationwide soil survey project be utilised to develop a baseline terrestrial gamma radiation map. Geoelement data derived from the National Geochemistry Survey of Australia (NGSA) was used to construct a baseline terrestrial gamma air kerma rate map, delineated by major drainage catchments, for Queensland. Three drainage catchments (sampled at the catchment outlet) spanning low, medium and high radioelement concentrations were selected for validation of the methodology using radiometric techniques including in-situ measurements and soil sampling for high resolution gamma spectrometry, and comparative non-radiometric analysis. A Queensland mean terrestrial air kerma rate, as calculated from the NGSA outlet sediment uranium, thorium and potassium concentrations, of 49 ± 69 nGy h −1 (n = 311, 3σ 99% confidence level) is proposed as being suitable for use as a generic terrestrial air kerma rate background range. Validation results indicate that catchment outlet measurements are representative of the range of results obtained across the catchment and that the NGSA geoelement data is suitable for calculation and mapping of terrestrial air kerma rate. - Highlights: • A baseline terrestrial air kerma map of Queensland, Australia was developed using geochemical data from a major drainage catchment ultra-low density sampling program

Terrestrial Analogs for Surface Properties Associated with Impact Cratering on the Moon - Self-secondary Impact Features at Kings Bowl, Idaho

Science.gov (United States)

Matiella Novak, M. A.; Zanetti, M.; Neish, C.; Kukko, A.; Fan, K.; Heldmann, J.; Hughes, S. S.

2017-12-01

The Kings Bowl (KB) eruptive fissure and lava field, located in the southern end of Craters of the Moon National Monument, Idaho, is an ideal location for planetary analogue field studies of surface properties related to volcanic and impact processes. Here we look at possible impact features present in the KB lava field near the main vent that resulted in squeeze-ups of molten lava from beneath a semi-solid lava lake crust. These may have been caused by the ejection of blocks during the phreatic eruption that formed the Kings Bowl pit, and their subsequent impact into a partially solidified lava pond. We compare and contrast these features with analogous self-secondary impact features, such as irregular, rimless secondary craters ("splash craters") observed in lunar impact melt deposits, to better understand how self-secondary impacts determine the surface properties of volcanic and impact crater terrains. We do this by analyzing field measurements of these features, as well as high-resolution DEM data collected through the Kinematic LiDAR System (KLS), both of which give us feature dimensions and distributions. We then compare these data with self-secondary impact features on the Moon and related surface roughness constrained through Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter observations (Mini-RF and LROC NACs). Possible self-secondary impact features can be found in association with many lunar impact craters. These are formed when ballistic ejecta from the crater falls onto the ejecta blanket and melt surrounding the newly formed crater. Self-secondary impact features involving impact melt deposits are particularly useful to study because the visibly smooth melt texture serves to highlight the impact points in spacecraft imagery. The unusual morphology of some of these features imply that they formed when the melt had not yet completely solidified, strongly suggesting a source of impactors from the primary crater itself. We will also discuss ongoing efforts to integrate field

Terrestrial water fluxes dominated by transpiration.

Science.gov (United States)

Jasechko, Scott; Sharp, Zachary D; Gibson, John J; Birks, S Jean; Yi, Yi; Fawcett, Peter J

2013-04-18

Renewable fresh water over continents has input from precipitation and losses to the atmosphere through evaporation and transpiration. Global-scale estimates of transpiration from climate models are poorly constrained owing to large uncertainties in stomatal conductance and the lack of catchment-scale measurements required for model calibration, resulting in a range of predictions spanning 20 to 65 per cent of total terrestrial evapotranspiration (14,000 to 41,000 km(3) per year) (refs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). Here we use the distinct isotope effects of transpiration and evaporation to show that transpiration is by far the largest water flux from Earth's continents, representing 80 to 90 per cent of terrestrial evapotranspiration. On the basis of our analysis of a global data set of large lakes and rivers, we conclude that transpiration recycles 62,000 ± 8,000 km(3) of water per year to the atmosphere, using half of all solar energy absorbed by land surfaces in the process. We also calculate CO2 uptake by terrestrial vegetation by connecting transpiration losses to carbon assimilation using water-use efficiency ratios of plants, and show the global gross primary productivity to be 129 ± 32 gigatonnes of carbon per year, which agrees, within the uncertainty, with previous estimates. The dominance of transpiration water fluxes in continental evapotranspiration suggests that, from the point of view of water resource forecasting, climate model development should prioritize improvements in simulations of biological fluxes rather than physical (evaporation) fluxes.

Data-driven diagnostics of terrestrial carbon dynamics over North America

Science.gov (United States)

Jingfeng Xiao; Scott V. Ollinger; Steve Frolking; George C. Hurtt; David Y. Hollinger; Kenneth J. Davis; Yude Pan; Xiaoyang Zhang; Feng Deng; Jiquan Chen; Dennis D. Baldocchi; Bevery E. Law; M. Altaf Arain; Ankur R. Desai; Andrew D. Richardson; Ge Sun; Brian Amiro; Hank Margolis; Lianhong Gu; Russell L. Scott; Peter D. Blanken; Andrew E. Suyker

2014-01-01

The exchange of carbon dioxide is a key measure of ecosystem metabolism and a critical intersection between the terrestrial biosphere and the Earth's climate. Despite the general agreement that the terrestrial ecosystems in North America provide a sizeable carbon sink, the size and distribution of the sink remain uncertain. We use a data-driven approach to upscale...

Shell bone histology indicates terrestrial palaeoecology of basal turtles

OpenAIRE

Scheyer, Torsten; Sander, P. Martin

2009-01-01

The palaeoecology of basal turtles from the Late Triassic was classically viewed as being semi-aquatic, similar to the lifestyle of modern snapping turtles. Lately, this view was questioned based on limb bone proportions, and a terrestrial palaeoecology was suggested for the turtle stem. Here, we present independent shell bone microstructural evidence for a terrestrial habitat of the oldest and basal most well-known turtles, i.e. the Upper Triassic Proterochersis robusta and Proganochelys que...

Factors influencing aquatic-to-terrestrial contaminant transport to terrestrial arthropod consumers in a multiuse river system.

Science.gov (United States)

Alberts, Jeremy M; Sullivan, S Mažeika P

2016-06-01

Emerging aquatic insects are important vectors of contaminant transfer from aquatic to terrestrial food webs. However, the environmental factors that regulate contaminant body burdens in nearshore terrestrial consumers remain largely unexplored. We investigated the relative influences of riparian landscape composition (i.e., land use and nearshore vegetation structure) and contaminant flux via the emergent aquatic insect subsidy on selenium (Se) and mercury (Hg) body burdens of riparian ants (Formica subsericea) and spiders of the family Tetragnathidae along 11 river reaches spanning an urban-rural land-use gradient in Ohio, USA. Model-selection results indicated that fine-scale land cover (e.g., riparian zone width, shrub cover) in the riparian zone was positively associated with reach-wide body burdens of Se and Hg in both riparian F. subsericea and tetragnathid spiders (i.e., total magnitude of Hg and Se concentrations in ant and spider populations, respectively, for each reach). River distance downstream of Columbus, Ohio - where study reaches were impounded and flow through a large urban center - was also implicated as an important factor. Although stable-isotope analysis suggested that emergent aquatic insects were likely vectors of Se and Hg to tetragnathid spiders (but not to F. subsericea), emergent insect contaminant flux did not emerge as a significant predictor for either reach-wide body burdens of spider Hg or Se. Improved understanding of the pathways and influences that control aquatic-to-terrestrial contaminant transport will be critical for effective risk management and remediation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lunar Surface Potential Increases during Terrestrial Bow Shock Traversals

Science.gov (United States)

Collier, Michael R.; Stubbs, Timothy J.; Hills, H. Kent; Halekas, Jasper; Farrell, William M.; Delory, Greg T.; Espley, Jared; Freeman, John W.; Vondrak, Richard R.; Kasper, Justin

2009-01-01

Since the Apollo era the electric potential of the Moon has been a subject of interest and debate. Deployed by three Apollo missions, Apollo 12, Apollo 14 and Apollo 15, the Suprathermal Ion Detector Experiment (SIDE) determined the sunlit lunar surface potential to be about +10 Volts using the energy spectra of lunar ionospheric thermal ions accelerated toward the Moon. We present an analysis of Apollo 14 SIDE "resonance" events that indicate the lunar surface potential increases when the Moon traverses the dawn bow shock. By analyzing Wind spacecraft crossings of the terrestrial bow shock at approximately this location and employing current balancing models of the lunar surface, we suggest causes for the increasing potential. Determining the origin of this phenomenon will improve our ability to predict the lunar surface potential in support of human exploration as well as provide models for the behavior of other airless bodies when they traverse similar features such as interplanetary shocks, both of which are goals of the NASA Lunar Science Institute's Dynamic Response of the Environment At the Moon (DREAM) team.

CONTOURS BASED APPROACH FOR THERMAL IMAGE AND TERRESTRIAL POINT CLOUD REGISTRATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. Bennis

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Building energetic performances strongly depend on the thermal insulation. However the performance of the insulation materials tends to decrease over time which necessitates the continuous monitoring of the building in order to detect and repair the anomalous zones. In this paper, it is proposed to couple 2D infrared images representing the surface temperature of the building with 3D point clouds acquired with Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS resulting in a semi-automatic approach allowing the texturation of TLS data with infrared image of buildings. A contour-based algorithm is proposed whose main features are : 1 the extraction of high level primitive is not required 2 the use of projective transform allows to handle perspective effects 3 a point matching refinement procedure allows to cope with approximate control point selection. The procedure is applied to test modules aiming at investigating the thermal properties of material.

Application of Terrestrial Environments in Orion Assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Barbre, Robert E.

2016-01-01

This presentation summarizes the Marshall Space Flight Center Natural Environments Terrestrial and Planetary Environments (TPE) Team support to the NASA Orion space vehicle. The TPE utilizes meteorological data to assess the sensitivities of the vehicle due to the terrestrial environment. The Orion vehicle, part of the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle Program, is designed to carry astronauts beyond low-earth orbit and is currently undergoing a series of tests including Exploration Test Flight (EFT) - 1. The presentation describes examples of TPE support for vehicle design and several tests, as well as support for EFT-1 and planning for upcoming Exploration Missions while emphasizing the importance of accounting for the natural environment's impact to the vehicle early in the vehicle's program.

Northern Marshall Islands radiological survey: terrestrial food chain and total doses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Robison, W.L.; Mount, M.E.; Phillips, W.A.; Conrado, C.A.; Stuart, M.L.; Stoker, C.E.

1982-01-01

A radiological survey was conducted from September through November of 1978 to assess the concentrations of persistent manmade radionuclides in the terrestrial and marine environments of 11 atolls and 2 islands in the Northern Marshall Islands. The survey consisted mainly of an aerial radiological reconnaissance to map the external gamma-ray exposure rates over the islands of each atoll. The logistical support for the entire survey was designed to accommodate this operation. As a secondary phase of the survey, shore parties collected appropriate terrestrial and marine samples to assess the radiological dose from pertinent food chains to those individuals residing on the atolls, who may in the future reside on some of the presently uninhabited atolls, or who collect food from these atolls. Over 5000 terrestrial and marine samples were collected for radionuclide analysis from 76 different islands. Soils, vegetation, indigenous animals, and cistern water and groundwater were collected from the islands. Reef and pelagic fish, clams, lagoon water, and sediments were obtained from the lagoons. The concentration data for 90 Sr, 137 Cs, 238 Pu, 239 240 Pu, and 241 Am in terrestrial food crops, fowl, and animals collected at the atolls or islands are summarized. An assessment of the total dose from the major exposure pathways including external gamma, terrestrial food chain including food products and drinking water, marine food chain, and inhalation is provided. Radiological doses at each atoll or island are calculated from the average radionuclide concentrations in the terrestrial foods, marine foods, etc. assuming the average daily intake for each food item

Differentiation of water-related traits in terrestrial and epiphytic Cymbidium species

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shi-Bao eZhang

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Epiphytes that grow in the canopies of tropical and subtropical forests experience different water regimes when compared with terrestrial plants. However, the differences in adaptive strategies between epiphytic and terrestrial plants with respect to plant water relations remain poorly understood. To understand how water-related traits contrast between epiphytic and terrestrial growth forms within the Cymbidium (Orchidaceae, we assessed leaf anatomy, hydraulics, and physiology of seven terrestrial and 13 epiphytic species using a common garden experiment. Compared with terrestrial species, epiphytic species had higher values for leaf mass per unit area (LMA, leaf thickness (LT, epidermal thickness, saturated water content (SWC and the time required to dry saturated leaves to 70% relative water content (T70. However, vein density (Dvein, stomatal density (SD, and photosynthetic capacity (Amax did not differ significantly between the two forms. T70 was positively correlated with LT, LMA, and SWC, and negatively correlated with stomatal index (SI. Amax showed positive correlations with SD and SI, but not with Dvein. Vein density was marginally correlated with SD, and significantly correlated with SI. Overall, epiphytic orchids exhibited substantial ecophysiological differentiations from terrestrial species, with the former type showing trait values indicative of greater drought tolerance and increased water storage capacity. The ability to retain water in the leaves plays a key role in maintaining a water balance in those epiphytes. Therefore, the process of transpiration depends less upon the current substrate water supply and enables epiphytic Cymbidium species to adapt more easily to canopy habitats.

Variations and trends of terrestrial NPP and its relation to climate

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Considering global climate change, near surface temperature is the major factor affecting the terrestrial ecosystem, followed by the precipitation. This means terrestrial ecosystem NPP is more closely related to near surface temperature than precipitation. Between 1976 and 2005, NPP shows an obvious increasing temporal ...

Pengaruh Jamu Dengan Tribulus Terrestris Terhadap Kualitas Sperma Tikus Wistar Jantan (Rattus Norvegicus)

OpenAIRE

Pelealu, Delano; Tendean, Lydia; Wantouw, Benny

2015-01-01

: Tribulus terrestris dikenal sebagai bahan yang dapat memperbaiki kualitas sperma. Salah satu jenis jamu yang diproduksi di Indonesia mengandung Tribulus terrestris Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh jamu dengan Tribulus terrestris terhadap konsentrasi, motilitas, dan morfologi spermatozoa tikus wistar jantan (Rattus norvegicus). Penelitian ini menggunakan metode eksperimental. Sampel 9 ekor tikus wistar jantan (Rattus norvegicus) dibagi menjadi 3 kelompok yakni, kelompok P0 ...

Terrestrial biosphere carbon storage under alternative climate projections

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schaphoff, S.; Lucht, W.; Gerten, D.; Sitch, S.; Cramer, W. [Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, P.O. Box 601203, D-14412 Potsdam (Germany); Prentice, I.C. [QUEST, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Wills Memorial Building, Bristol, BS8 1RJ (United Kingdom)

2006-01-15

This study investigates commonalities and differences in projected land biosphere carbon storage among climate change projections derived from one emission scenario by five different general circulation models (GCMs). Carbon storage is studied using a global biogeochemical process model of vegetation and soil that includes dynamic treatment of changes in vegetation composition, a recently enhanced version of the Lund-Potsdam-Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (LPJ-DGVM). Uncertainty in future terrestrial carbon storage due to differences in the climate projections is large. Changes by the end of the century range from -106 to +201 PgC, thus, even the sign of the response whether source or sink, is uncertain. Three out of five climate projections produce a land carbon source by the year 2100, one is approximately neutral and one a sink. A regional breakdown shows some robust qualitative features. Large areas of the boreal forest are shown as a future CO2 source, while a sink appears in the arctic. The sign of the response in tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems differs among models, due to the large variations in simulated precipitation patterns. The largest uncertainty is in the response of tropical rainforests of South America and Central Africa.

Terrestrial biosphere carbon storage under alternative climate projections

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaphoff, S.; Lucht, W.; Gerten, D.; Sitch, S.; Cramer, W.; Prentice, I.C.

2006-01-01

This study investigates commonalities and differences in projected land biosphere carbon storage among climate change projections derived from one emission scenario by five different general circulation models (GCMs). Carbon storage is studied using a global biogeochemical process model of vegetation and soil that includes dynamic treatment of changes in vegetation composition, a recently enhanced version of the Lund-Potsdam-Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model (LPJ-DGVM). Uncertainty in future terrestrial carbon storage due to differences in the climate projections is large. Changes by the end of the century range from -106 to +201 PgC, thus, even the sign of the response whether source or sink, is uncertain. Three out of five climate projections produce a land carbon source by the year 2100, one is approximately neutral and one a sink. A regional breakdown shows some robust qualitative features. Large areas of the boreal forest are shown as a future CO2 source, while a sink appears in the arctic. The sign of the response in tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems differs among models, due to the large variations in simulated precipitation patterns. The largest uncertainty is in the response of tropical rainforests of South America and Central Africa

Protective effect of Tribulus terrestris fruit extract on cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in mice

Science.gov (United States)

Borran, Mina; Minaiyan, Mohsen; Zolfaghari, Behzad; Mahzouni, Parvin

2017-01-01

Objective: Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antimicrobial activities of Tribulus terrestris (T. terrestris) could be helpful in the treatment of acute pancreatitis; thus, this study was designed to investigate the effects of T. terrestris on cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in mice. Materials and Methods: Three doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) of T. terrestris hydro-alcoholic extract were administered both orally (60 minutes before pancreatitis induction, p.o.) and intra-peritoneally (30 minutes before pancreatitis induction, i.p.) to different groups of mice (n=6). Pancreatitis was induced by five injections (i.p.) of cerulein 50μg/kg body weight with 1 hr intervals. Animals were euthanized 5 hr after the last injection of cerulein and tissue injures were assessed biochemically and pathologically. Results: T. terrestris extract 200 and 400mg/kg (p.o.) and T. terrestris extract 400 mg/kg (i.p.) reduced pancreatic tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and serum amylase and lipase levels and alleviated histological parameters. Conclusion: These data suggest that T. terrestris hydro-alcoholic extract was effective in protecting against experimental acute pancreatitis and possibly the efficacy depends on dose and route of administration. PMID:28748172

Protective effect of Tribulus terrestris fruit extract on cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in mice.

Science.gov (United States)

Borran, Mina; Minaiyan, Mohsen; Zolfaghari, Behzad; Mahzouni, Parvin

2017-01-01

Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antimicrobial activities of Tribulus terrestris ( T. terrestris ) could be helpful in the treatment of acute pancreatitis; thus, this study was designed to investigate the effects of T. terrestris on cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in mice. Three doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg) of T. terrestris hydro-alcoholic extract were administered both orally (60 minutes before pancreatitis induction, p.o.) and intra-peritoneally (30 minutes before pancreatitis induction, i.p.) to different groups of mice (n=6). Pancreatitis was induced by five injections (i.p.) of cerulein 50μg/kg body weight with 1 hr intervals. Animals were euthanized 5 hr after the last injection of cerulein and tissue injures were assessed biochemically and pathologically. T. terrestris extract 200 and 400mg/kg (p.o.) and T. terrestris extract 400 mg/kg (i.p.) reduced pancreatic tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and serum amylase and lipase levels and alleviated histological parameters. These data suggest that T. terrestris hydro-alcoholic extract was effective in protecting against experimental acute pancreatitis and possibly the efficacy depends on dose and route of administration.

Protective effect of Tribulus terrestris fruit extract on cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in mice

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mina Borran

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Objective: Antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and antimicrobial activities of Tribulus terrestris (T. terrestris could be helpful in the treatment of acute pancreatitis; thus, this study was designed to investigate the effects of T. terrestris on cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis in mice. Materials and Methods: Three doses (100, 200 and 400 mg/kg of T. terrestris hydro-alcoholic extract were administered both orally (60 minutes before pancreatitis induction, p.o. and intra-peritoneally (30 minutes before pancreatitis induction, i.p. to different groups of mice (n=6. Pancreatitis was induced by five injections (i.p. of cerulein 50μg/kg body weight with 1 hr intervals. Animals were euthanized 5 hr after the last injection of cerulein and tissue injures were assessed biochemically and pathologically. Results: T. terrestris extract 200 and 400mg/kg (p.o. and T. terrestris extract 400 mg/kg (i.p. reduced pancreatic tissue myeloperoxidase (MPO activity and serum amylase and lipase levels and alleviated histological parameters. Conclusion: These data suggest that T. terrestris hydro-alcoholic extract was effective in protecting against experimental acute pancreatitis and possibly the efficacy depends on dose and route of administration.

Comparative analyses of olfactory systems in terrestrial crabs (Brachyura: evidence for aerial olfaction?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jakob Krieger

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Adaptations to a terrestrial lifestyle occurred convergently multiple times during the evolution of the arthropods. This holds also true for the “true crabs” (Brachyura, a taxon that includes several lineages that invaded land independently. During an evolutionary transition from sea to land, animals have to develop a variety of physiological and anatomical adaptations to a terrestrial life style related to respiration, reproduction, development, circulation, ion and water balance. In addition, sensory systems that function in air instead of in water are essential for an animal’s life on land. Besides vision and mechanosensory systems, on land, the chemical senses have to be modified substantially in comparison to their function in water. Among arthropods, insects are the most successful ones to evolve aerial olfaction. Various aspects of terrestrial adaptation have also been analyzed in those crustacean lineages that evolved terrestrial representatives including the taxa Anomala, Brachyura, Amphipoda, and Isopoda. We are interested in how the chemical senses of terrestrial crustaceans are modified to function in air. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed the brains and more specifically the structure of the olfactory system of representatives of brachyuran crabs that display different degrees of terrestriality, from exclusively marine to mainly terrestrial. The methods we used included immunohistochemistry, detection of autofluorescence- and confocal microscopy, as well as three-dimensional reconstruction and morphometry. Our comparative approach shows that both the peripheral and central olfactory pathways are reduced in terrestrial members in comparison to their marine relatives, suggesting a limited function of their olfactory system on land. We conclude that for arthropod lineages that invaded land, evolving aerial olfaction is no trivial task.

Knuckle-walking anteater: a convergence test of adaptation for purported knuckle-walking features of African Hominidae.

Science.gov (United States)

Orr, Caley M

2005-11-01

Appeals to synapomorphic features of the wrist and hand in African apes, early hominins, and modern humans as evidence of knuckle-walking ancestry for the hominin lineage rely on accurate interpretations of those features as adaptations to knuckle-walking locomotion. Because Gorilla, Pan, and Homo share a relatively close common ancestor, the interpretation of such features is confounded somewhat by phylogeny. The study presented here examines the evolution of a similar locomotor regime in New World anteaters (order Xenarthra, family Myrmecophagidae) and uses the terrestrial giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) as a convergence test of adaptation for purported knuckle-walking features of the Hominidae. During the stance phase of locomotion, Myrmecophaga transmits loads through flexed digits and a vertical manus, with hyperextension occurring at the metacarpophalangeal joints of the weight-bearing rays. This differs from the locomotion of smaller, arboreal anteaters of outgroup genera Tamandua and Cyclopes that employ extended wrist postures during above-branch quadrupedality. A number of features shared by Myrmecophaga and Pan and Gorilla facilitate load transmission or limit extension, thereby stabilizing the wrist and hand during knuckle-walking, and distinguish these taxa from their respective outgroups. These traits are a distally extended dorsal ridge of the distal radius, proximal expansion of the nonarticular surface of the dorsal capitate, a pronounced articular ridge on the dorsal aspects of the load-bearing metacarpal heads, and metacarpal heads that are wider dorsally than volarly. Only the proximal expansion of the nonarticular area of the dorsal capitate distinguishes knuckle-walkers from digitigrade cercopithecids, but features shared with digitigrade primates might be adaptive to the use of a vertical manus of some sort in the stance phase of terrestrial locomotion. The appearance of capitate nonarticular expansion and the dorsal ridge of the

Radio Astronomy Explorer (RAE) 1 observations of terrestrial radio noise

Science.gov (United States)

Herman, J. R.; Caruso, J. A.

1971-01-01

Radio Astonomy Explorer (RAE) 1 data are analyzed to establish characteristics of HF terrestrial radio noise at an altitude of about 6000 km. Time and frequency variations in amplitude of the observed noise well above cosmic noise background are explained on the basis of temporal and spatial variations in ionospheric critical frequency coupled with those in noise source distributions. It is shown that terrestrial noise regularly breaks through the ionosphere and reaches RAE with magnitudes 15 or more db higher than cosmic noise background. Maximum terrestrial noise is observed when RAE is over the dark side of the Earth in the neighborhood of equatorial continental land masses where thunderstorms occur most frequently. The observed noise level is 30-40 db lower with RAE over oceans.

Earth as a radio source: terrestrial kilometric radiation. Progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gurnett, D.A.

1974-02-01

Radio wave experiments on the IMP-6 and 8 satellites have shown that the earth emits very intense electromagnetic radiation in the frequency range from about 50 kHz to 500 kHz. A peak intensity the total power emitted in this frequency range is about 1 billion watts. The earth is, therefore, a very intense planetary radio source, with a total power output comparable to the decametric radio emission from Jupiter. This radio emission from the earth is referred to as terrestrial kilometric radiation. Terrestrial kilometric radiation appears to originate from low altitudes (less than 3.0 Re) in the auroral region. Possible mechanisms which can explain the generation and propagation of the terrestrial kilometric radiation are discussed. (U.S.)

Mitigation of greenhouse gases emissions impact and their influence on terrestrial ecosystem.

Science.gov (United States)

Wójcik Oliveira, K.; Niedbała, G.

2018-05-01

Nowadays, one of the most important challenges faced by the humanity in the current century is the increasing temperature on Earth, caused by a growing emission of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Terrestrial ecosystems, as an important component of the carbon cycle, play an important role in the sequestration of carbon, which is a chance to improve the balance of greenhouse gases. Increasing CO2 absorption by terrestrial ecosystems is one way to reduce the atmospheric CO2 emissions. Sequestration of CO2 by terrestrial ecosystems is not yet fully utilized method of mitigating CO2 emission to the atmosphere. Terrestrial ecosystems, especially forests, are essential for the regulation of CO2 content in the atmosphere and more attention should be paid to seeking the natural processes of CO2 sequestration.

Application of terrestrial laser scanning to the development and updating of the base map

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klapa Przemysław

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The base map provides basic information about land to individuals, companies, developers, design engineers, organizations, and government agencies. Its contents include spatial location data for control network points, buildings, land lots, infrastructure facilities, and topographic features. As the primary map of the country, it must be developed in accordance with specific laws and regulations and be continuously updated. The base map is a data source used for the development and updating of derivative maps and other large scale cartographic materials such as thematic or topographic maps. Thanks to the advancement of science and technology, the quality of land surveys carried out by means of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS matches that of traditional surveying methods in many respects.

Medicinal properties, phytochemistry and pharmacology of tribulus terrestris l. (zygophyllaceae)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hashim, S.; Bakht, T.

2014-01-01

Tribulus terrestris (puncture vine) belongs to family Zygophyllaceae and it is a herbaceous, mat forming plant in nature. It extensively grows in warm dry tropics all over the world and ecologically adaptated as a typical C4 xeromorphic plant. T. terrestris is a noxious weed along with its use in many countries as a folk medicine for different purposes from time immemorial. Ancient records describe various medicinal properties of T. terrestris as a popular source to cure variety of different disease conditions in China, India, and Greece. The plant is used directly as a herb or as a main component for production of a number of medicines and food supplements such as for physical rejuvenation, therapy for the conditions affecting liver, kidney, cardiovascular system and immune systems. Also it is used as a folk medicine for increased muscle strength, sexual potency and in treatments of urinary infections, heart diseases and cough. It is considered invigorating stimulant, aphrodisiac, and nutritive. This review discusses the most commonly recognized medicinal properties of this herb. The chemistry of T. terrestris extracts to establish the relationship between medicinal properties of this important plant will also be reviewed. (author)

Comparison of Single and Multi-Scale Method for Leaf and Wood Points Classification from Terrestrial Laser Scanning Data

Science.gov (United States)

Wei, Hongqiang; Zhou, Guiyun; Zhou, Junjie

2018-04-01

The classification of leaf and wood points is an essential preprocessing step for extracting inventory measurements and canopy characterization of trees from the terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data. The geometry-based approach is one of the widely used classification method. In the geometry-based method, it is common practice to extract salient features at one single scale before the features are used for classification. It remains unclear how different scale(s) used affect the classification accuracy and efficiency. To assess the scale effect on the classification accuracy and efficiency, we extracted the single-scale and multi-scale salient features from the point clouds of two oak trees of different sizes and conducted the classification on leaf and wood. Our experimental results show that the balanced accuracy of the multi-scale method is higher than the average balanced accuracy of the single-scale method by about 10 % for both trees. The average speed-up ratio of single scale classifiers over multi-scale classifier for each tree is higher than 30.

Spiral arms, comets and terrestrial catastrophism

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clube, S.V.M.; Napier, W.M.

1982-01-01

A review is presented of an hypothesis of terrestrial catastrophism in which comets grow in molecular clouds and are captured by the Sun as it passes through the spiral arms of the Galaxy. Assuming that comets are a major supplier of the Earth-crossing (Appollo) asteroid population, the latter fluctuates correspondingly and leads to episodes of terrestrial bombardment. Changes in the rotational momentum of core and mantle, generated by impacts, lead to episodes of magnetic field reversal and tectonic activity, while surface phenomena lead to ice-ages and mass extinctions. An episodic geophysical history with an interstellar connection is thus implied. If comets in spiral arms are necessary intermediaries in the process of star formation, the theory also has implications relating to early solar system history and galactic chemistry. These aspects are briefly discussed with special reference to the nature of spiral arms. (author)

CYLINDER-BASED SELF-CALIBRATION OF A PANORAMIC TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. O. Chan

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Terrestrial Laser Scanners (TLSs have become state-of-the-art metrological sensors for many surveying purposes in recent years. Due to the demand for high precision surveying with TLSs, efficient, rigorous and in-situ calibration methodologies are always desired. Recent research on in-situ calibration with planar features has demonstrated improved cost-effectiveness and promising results (Glennie and Lichti, 2010; Chow et al., 2011; Chow et al., 2012. However, if there is a need for calibrating the scanners when sufficient plane surfaces with several orientations are not available, as commonly occurs indoors, other common geometric features, namely cylindrical structures, can be used as alternative geometric constraints for in-situ self-calibration. Cylindrical features can be found in indoor environments such as water pipes attached to the walls or suspended from ceilings, concrete pillars, metal poles and many others. In this paper, three 3D models of cylinders, with vertical and horizontal orientations containing one scaling, two rotational and two translational parameters are discussed. The cylinder models are parameterized with the sexternal orientation parameters and the additional parameters as the least-squares functional models for the self-calibration. The selfcalibration is examined with the real data obtained from the Lecia HDS6100 panoramic TLS. The results of vertical, horizontal and mixed cylinder-based calibration with data captured by different scanner position are analysed in detail in terms of the parameters correlations. The results show realistic estimation of calibration parameters for several cases. The results also suggest that using both vertical and horizontal cylinders for the calibration can effectively decorrelate the parameters especially for the case of lack of cylinder point cloud overlap. The concepts developed in this paper might also be extended to the hybrid type TLSs, as well as to the self-calibration of

Terrestrial gamma radiation baseline mapping using ultra low density sampling methods.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleinschmidt, R; Watson, D

2016-01-01

Baseline terrestrial gamma radiation maps are indispensable for providing basic reference information that may be used in assessing the impact of a radiation related incident, performing epidemiological studies, remediating land contaminated with radioactive materials, assessment of land use applications and resource prospectivity. For a large land mass, such as Queensland, Australia (over 1.7 million km(2)), it is prohibitively expensive and practically difficult to undertake detailed in-situ radiometric surveys of this scale. It is proposed that an existing, ultra-low density sampling program already undertaken for the purpose of a nationwide soil survey project be utilised to develop a baseline terrestrial gamma radiation map. Geoelement data derived from the National Geochemistry Survey of Australia (NGSA) was used to construct a baseline terrestrial gamma air kerma rate map, delineated by major drainage catchments, for Queensland. Three drainage catchments (sampled at the catchment outlet) spanning low, medium and high radioelement concentrations were selected for validation of the methodology using radiometric techniques including in-situ measurements and soil sampling for high resolution gamma spectrometry, and comparative non-radiometric analysis. A Queensland mean terrestrial air kerma rate, as calculated from the NGSA outlet sediment uranium, thorium and potassium concentrations, of 49 ± 69 nGy h(-1) (n = 311, 3σ 99% confidence level) is proposed as being suitable for use as a generic terrestrial air kerma rate background range. Validation results indicate that catchment outlet measurements are representative of the range of results obtained across the catchment and that the NGSA geoelement data is suitable for calculation and mapping of terrestrial air kerma rate. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficacy of Tribulus Terrestris Extract on the Serum Glucose and Lipids of Women with Diabetes Mellitus.

Science.gov (United States)

Samani, Nasrin Babadai; Jokar, Azam; Soveid, Mahmood; Heydari, Mojtaba; Mosavat, Seyed Hamdollah

2016-05-01

Considering folkloric use of Tribulus terrestris (T. terrestris) in diabetes and proven anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects of T. terrestris in animal studies, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the hydro alcoholic extract of T. terrestris on the serum glucose and lipid profile of women with diabetes mellitus. Ninety-eight diabetic women were randomly allocated to receive the T. terrestris (1000 mg/day) or placebo for three months. The patients were evaluated in terms of the fasting blood glucose, 2-hour postprandial glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin and lipid profile. T. terrestris showed a significant blood glucose lowering effect in diabetic women compared to placebo (Pterrestris group was significantly reduced compared with placebo, while no significant effect was observed in the triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein levels. This study showed preliminary promising hypoglycemic effect of T. terrestris in diabetic women.

The circumpolar biodiversity monitoring program - Terrestrial plan

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Tom; Payne, J.; Doyle, M.

, northern communities, and scientists to detect, understand and report on long-term change in Arctic terrestrial ecosystems and biodiversity. This presentation will outline the key management questions the plan aims to address and the proposed nested, multi-scaled approach linking targeted, research based...... monitoring with survey-based monitoring and remotely sensed data. The CBMP Terrestrial Plan intends to build upon and expand existing monitoring networks, engaging participants across a range of capacity and interests. The presentation will summarize the recommended focal soil ecosystem components...... and attributes to monitor in the plan related to soil invertebrates. Focal Ecosystem Components (FECs) of the soil decomposer system include the soil living invertebrates such as microarthropods, enchytraeids and earthworms and the functions performed by microorganisms such as nitrification, decomposition...

Excess 129Xe in terrestrial samples: A non-primordial hypothesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caffee, M.W.; Hudson, G.B.

1987-03-01

Excesses of 129 Xe relative to the isotopic composition in air are observed in some terrestrial samples. Traditionally these 129 Xe excesses have been thought to be related to 129 I that was present in abundance in the early solar system. We propose an alternative hypothesis to explain terrestrial 129 Xe excesses based on the production of 129 I from the spontaneous fission of 238 U

Forest inventory with terrestrial LiDAR

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bauwens, Sébastien; Bartholomeus, Harm; Calders, Kim; Lejeune, Philippe

2016-01-01

The application of static terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) in forest inventories is becoming more effective. Nevertheless, the occlusion effect is still limiting the processing efficiency to extract forest attributes. The use of a mobile laser scanner (MLS) would reduce this occlusion. In this

The solar generation childhood and adolescence of terrestrial photovoltaics

CERN Document Server

Wolfe, Philip R

2018-01-01

The first book to address the early development of the photovoltaic industry, and the pioneering researchers and companies in the sector. Well before the end of this century, solar power will be the world's dominant power source. This book looks at the origins of this smart sustainable energy technology, tracing the pioneering years from its inception following the 1973 oil crisis to the end of the last millennium—just as the sector was poised for explosive growth. It focuses on the progress of the early terrestrial photovoltaic sector, often in the face of skepticism or apathy. It also covers the research and achievements of people and organizations within the PV business. Written by a leader in the field with more than 40 years of experience and an international reputation in the sustainable energy industry, The Solar Generation: Childhood and Adolescence of Terrestrial Photovoltaics offers enlightening coverage on the terrestrial PV industry. The first part of this 3-volume set provides a historical bac...

Microalgal and Terrestrial Transport Biofuels to Displace Fossil Fuels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucas Reijnders

2009-02-01

Full Text Available Terrestrial transport biofuels differ in their ability to replace fossil fuels. When both the conversion of solar energy into biomass and the life cycle inputs of fossil fuels are considered, ethanol from sugarcane and biodiesel from palm oil do relatively well, if compared with ethanol from corn, sugar beet or wheat and biodiesel from rapeseed. When terrestrial biofuels are to replace mineral oil-derived transport fuels, large areas of good agricultural land are needed: about 5x108 ha in the case of biofuels from sugarcane or oil palm, and at least 1.8-3.6x109 ha in the case of ethanol from wheat, corn or sugar beet, as produced in industrialized countries. Biofuels from microalgae which are commercially produced with current technologies do not appear to outperform terrestrial plants such as sugarcane in their ability to displace fossil fuels. Whether they will able to do so on a commercial scale in the future, is uncertain.

A terrestrial ecosystem model (SOLVEG) coupled with atmospheric gas and aerosol exchange processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katata, Genki; Ota, Masakazu

2017-01-01

In order to predict the impact of atmospheric pollutants (gases and aerosols) to the terrestrial ecosystem, new schemes for calculating the processes of dry deposition of gases and aerosols, and water and carbon cycles in terrestrial ecosystems were implemented in the one-dimensional atmosphere-SOiL-VEGetation model, SOLVEG. We made performance tests at various vegetation areas to validate the newly developed schemes. In this report, the detail in each modeled process is described with an instruction how to use the modified SOLVEG. The framework of 'terrestrial ecosystem model' was developed for investigation of a change in water, energy, and carbon cycles associated with global warming and air pollution and its impact on terrestrial ecosystems. (author)

[Feasibility study for whole plant medicinal use of Tribulus terrestris].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Li; Wang, Chunyu; Han, Meiw; Yang, Limin

2009-09-01

The content differences of leaf, plant and fruit of Tribulus terrestris was compared to study the feasibility of whole plant medicinal use. The samples were collected in three typical habitats and six different production areas of T. terrestris. The main medicinal ingredients saponins and flavonoids were determined in root, stem, leaf and fruit during the harvest time. The two ingredients were abounded in leaf and more than 2.61 times as in other parts of the plant. The results showed that there were no differences between the whole plant and the fruit. It should pay more attentions on the collection, preservation and utilization of the leaf of T. terrestris in the harvesting and processing stage. The whole plant for medical use was feasibility based on the content of the ingredients.

Efficacy of Tribulus Terrestris Extract on the Serum Glucose and Lipids of Women with Diabetes Mellitus

Science.gov (United States)

Samani, Nasrin Babadai; Jokar, Azam; Soveid, Mahmood; Heydari, Mojtaba; Mosavat, Seyed Hamdollah

2016-01-01

Background: Considering folkloric use of Tribulus terrestris (T. terrestris) in diabetes and proven anti-hyperglycemic and anti-hyperlipidemic effects of T. terrestris in animal studies, we aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the hydro alcoholic extract of T. terrestris on the serum glucose and lipid profile of women with diabetes mellitus. Methods: Ninety-eight diabetic women were randomly allocated to receive the T. terrestris (1000 mg/day) or placebo for three months. The patients were evaluated in terms of the fasting blood glucose, 2-hour postprandial glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin and lipid profile. Results: T. terrestris showed a significant blood glucose lowering effect in diabetic women compared to placebo (Pterrestris group was significantly reduced compared with placebo, while no significant effect was observed in the triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein levels. Conclusion: This study showed preliminary promising hypoglycemic effect of T. terrestris in diabetic women. PMID:27840471

A meteorological distribution system for high-resolution terrestrial modeling (MicroMet)

Science.gov (United States)

Glen E. Liston; Kelly Elder

2006-01-01

An intermediate-complexity, quasi-physically based, meteorological model (MicroMet) has been developed to produce high-resolution (e.g., 30-m to 1-km horizontal grid increment) atmospheric forcings required to run spatially distributed terrestrial models over a wide variety of landscapes. The following eight variables, required to run most terrestrial models, are...

Sustained periodic terrestrial locomotion in air-breathing fishes.

Science.gov (United States)

Pace, C M; Gibb, A C

2014-03-01

While emergent behaviours have long been reported for air-breathing osteichthyians, only recently have researchers undertaken quantitative analyses of terrestrial locomotion. This review summarizes studies of sustained periodic terrestrial movements by air-breathing fishes and quantifies the contributions of the paired appendages and the axial body to forward propulsion. Elongate fishes with axial-based locomotion, e.g. the ropefish Erpetoichthys calabaricus, generate an anterior-to-posterior wave of undulation that travels down the axial musculoskeletal system and pushes the body against the substratum at multiple points. In contrast, appendage-based locomotors, e.g. the barred mudskipper Periophthalmus argentilineatus, produce no axial bending during sustained locomotion, but instead use repeated protraction-retraction cycles of the pectoral fins to elevate the centre of mass and propel the entire body anteriorly. Fishes that use an axial-appendage-based mechanism, e.g. walking catfishes Clarias spp., produce side-to-side, whole-body bending in co-ordination with protraction-retraction cycles of the pectoral fins. Once the body is maximally bent to one side, the tail is pressed against the substratum and drawn back through the mid-sagittal plane, which elevates the centre of mass and rotates it about a fulcrum formed by the pectoral fin and the ground. Although appendage-based terrestrial locomotion appears to be rare in osteichthyians, many different species appear to have converged upon functionally similar axial-based and axial-appendage-based movements. Based on common forms observed across divergent taxa, it appears that dorsoventral compression of the body, elongation of the axial skeleton or the presence of robust pectoral fins can facilitate effective terrestrial movement by air-breathing fishes. © 2014 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Substrate attributes determine gait in a terrestrial gastropod.

Science.gov (United States)

McKee, Amberle; Voltzow, Janice; Pernet, Bruno

2013-02-01

Some terrestrial gastropods are able to move using two gaits: adhesive crawling, where the entire foot is separated from the substrate only by a thin layer of mucus and the snail leaves a continuous mucus trail; and loping, where regions of the foot arch above the substrate and the snail leaves a discontinuous mucus trail. Loping has been interpreted as a means of rapidly escaping predators. We found that the pulmonate Cornu aspersum moved using adhesive crawling on dry acrylic or glass substrates, but loped on dry concrete or wood. Loping snails did not move more rapidly than snails using adhesive crawling. Snails moving on concrete secreted a greater volume of pedal mucus per area of trail than those moving on acrylic; locomotion on concrete thus requires greater expenditure of mucus than does locomotion on acrylic. Because loping snails deposit a smaller area of mucus per distance traveled than do snails using adhesive crawling, loping may conserve mucus when moving on porous, absorbent substrates. Members of several other terrestrial pulmonate taxa can also lope on concrete, suggesting that this plasticity in gait is widespread among terrestrial snails.

Terrestrial ecosystems: an ecological content for radionuclide research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heal, O.W.; Horrill, A.D.

1983-01-01

The distribution and retention of radionuclides within terrestrial ecosystems varies greatly with both the radionuclide and the environmental conditions. Physico-chemical conditions, particularly those of the soil, strongly influence element retention but superimposed and interacting with these conditions are the biological processes which control the dynamics of the labile fraction of most elements. Net ecosystem production expresses the complementary biological processes of primary production and decomposition which control the internal element dynamics and the balance of inputs to and outputs from terrestrial ecosystems. Analysis of ecosystem structure and function has shown that although research often concentrates on relatively stable stages of ecosystem development, element retention is high during the early stages of ecosystem succession through the accumulation of plant biomass and dead organic matter. Element output tends to increase with time reaching a balance with inputs in mature ecosystems. Following disturbance, plant uptake tends to be reduced and decomposition stimulated, resulting in increased output until secondary succession and accumulation is re-established. Research on element dynamics in ecosystems indicates that major factors influencing the mobility of radionuclides in terrestrial systems will be the successional state of the ecosystem and intensity of disturbance. (author)

Terrestrial radioactivity monitoring programme (TRAMP) report for 1986

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-01-01

The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF) undertakes a comprehensive independent monitoring programme for radioactivity in terrestrial foodstuffs in England and Wales, this report presents the results from the first full year of operation of this programme and complements the data published annually by the Ministry's Directorate of Fisheries Research in respect of the aquatic environment. This work is undertaken in Wales on behalf of the Secretary of State. The Terrestrial Radioactivity Monitoring Programme (TRAMP) concentrates on samples of agricultural produce (milk, crops, meat) collected from the vicinity of the major nuclear sites in England and Wales and is independent of monitoring undertaken for various purposes by site operators. (author)

Cumulus convection and the terrestrial water-vapor distribution

Science.gov (United States)

Donner, Leo J.

1988-01-01

Cumulus convection plays a significant role in determining the structure of the terrestrial water vapor field. Cumulus convection acts directly on the moisture field by condensing and precipitating water vapor and by redistributing water vapor through cumulus induced eddy circulations. The mechanisms by which cumulus convection influences the terrestrial water vapor distribution is outlined. Calculations using a theory due to Kuo is used to illustrate the mechanisms by which cumulus convection works. Understanding of these processes greatly aids the ability of researchers to interpret the seasonal and spatial distribution of atmospheric water vapor by providing information on the nature of sources and sinks and the global circulation.

Halogens in chondritic meteorites and terrestrial accretion

Science.gov (United States)

Clay, Patricia L.; Burgess, Ray; Busemann, Henner; Ruzié-Hamilton, Lorraine; Joachim, Bastian; Day, James M. D.; Ballentine, Christopher J.

2017-11-01

Volatile element delivery and retention played a fundamental part in Earth’s formation and subsequent chemical differentiation. The heavy halogens—chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br) and iodine (I)—are key tracers of accretionary processes owing to their high volatility and incompatibility, but have low abundances in most geological and planetary materials. However, noble gas proxy isotopes produced during neutron irradiation provide a high-sensitivity tool for the determination of heavy halogen abundances. Using such isotopes, here we show that Cl, Br and I abundances in carbonaceous, enstatite, Rumuruti and primitive ordinary chondrites are about 6 times, 9 times and 15-37 times lower, respectively, than previously reported and usually accepted estimates. This is independent of the oxidation state or petrological type of the chondrites. The ratios Br/Cl and I/Cl in all studied chondrites show a limited range, indistinguishable from bulk silicate Earth estimates. Our results demonstrate that the halogen depletion of bulk silicate Earth relative to primitive meteorites is consistent with the depletion of lithophile elements of similar volatility. These results for carbonaceous chondrites reveal that late accretion, constrained to a maximum of 0.5 ± 0.2 per cent of Earth’s silicate mass, cannot solely account for present-day terrestrial halogen inventories. It is estimated that 80-90 per cent of heavy halogens are concentrated in Earth’s surface reservoirs and have not undergone the extreme early loss observed in atmosphere-forming elements. Therefore, in addition to late-stage terrestrial accretion of halogens and mantle degassing, which has removed less than half of Earth’s dissolved mantle gases, the efficient extraction of halogen-rich fluids from the solid Earth during the earliest stages of terrestrial differentiation is also required to explain the presence of these heavy halogens at the surface. The hydropilic nature of halogens, whereby they track

Nitrogen attenuation of terrestrial carbon cycle response to global environmental factors

Science.gov (United States)

Atul Jain; Xiaojuan Yang; Haroon Kheshgi; A. David McGuire; Wilfred Post; David. Kicklighter

2009-01-01

Nitrogen cycle dynamics have the capacity to attenuate the magnitude of global terrestrial carbon sinks and sources driven by CO2 fertilization and changes in climate. In this study, two versions of the terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycle components of the Integrated Science Assessment Model (ISAM) are used to evaluate how variation in nitrogen...

Rates and patterns of molecular evolution in freshwater versus terrestrial insects.

Science.gov (United States)

Mitterboeck, T Fatima; Fu, Jinzhong; Adamowicz, Sarah J

2016-11-01

Insect lineages have crossed between terrestrial and aquatic habitats many times, for both immature and adult life stages. We explore patterns in molecular evolutionary rates between 42 sister pairs of related terrestrial and freshwater insect clades using publicly available protein-coding DNA sequence data from the orders Coleoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera, Hemiptera, Mecoptera, Trichoptera, and Neuroptera. We furthermore test for habitat-associated convergent molecular evolution in the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene in general and at a particular amino acid site previously reported to exhibit habitat-linked convergence within an aquatic beetle group. While ratios of nonsynonymous-to-synonymous substitutions across available loci were higher in terrestrial than freshwater-associated taxa in 26 of 42 lineage pairs, a stronger trend was observed (20 of 31, p binomial = 0.15, p Wilcoxon = 0.017) when examining only terrestrial-aquatic pairs including fully aquatic taxa. We did not observe any widespread changes at particular amino acid sites in COI associated with habitat shifts, although there may be general differences in selection regime linked to habitat.

The energetic contributions of aquatic primary producers to terrestrial food webs in a mid-size river system.

Science.gov (United States)

Kautza, Adam; Mazeika, S; Sullivan, P

2016-03-01

Rivers are increasingly recognized as providing nutritional subsidies (i.e., energy and nutrients) to adjacent terrestrial food webs via depredation of aquatic organisms (e.g., emergent aquatic insects, crayfish, fish) by terrestrial consumers. However, because these prey organisms assimilate energy from both aquatic (e.g., benthic algae, phytoplankton, aquatic macrophytes) and terrestrial (e.g., riparian leaf detritus) primary producers, river subsidies to terrestrial consumers represent a combination of aquatically and terrestrially derived energy. To date, the explicit contribution of energy derived from aquatic primary producers to terrestrial consumers has not been fully explored yet might be expected to be quantitatively important to terrestrial food webs. At 12 reaches along a 185-km segment of the sixth-order Scioto River system (Ohio, USA), we quantified the relative contribution of energy derived from aquatic primary producers to a suite of terrestrial riparian consumers that integrate the adjacent landscape across multiple spatial scales through their foraging activities (tetragnathid spiders, rove beetles, adult coenagrionid damselflies, riparian swallows, and raccoons). We used naturally abundant stable isotopes (13C and 15N) of periphyton, phytoplankton, macrophytes, and terrestrial vegetation to evaluate the energetic contribution of aquatic primary producers to terrestrial food webs. Shoreline tetragnathid spiders were most reliant on aquatic primary producers (50%), followed by wider-ranging raccoons (48%), damselflies (44%), and riparian swallows (41%). Of the primary producers, phytoplankton (19%) provisioned the greatest nutritional contribution to terrestrial consumers (considered collectively), followed by periphyton (14%) and macrophytes (11%). Our findings provide empirical evidence that aquatic primary producers of large streams and rivers can be a critical nutritional resource for terrestrial food webs. We also show that aquatically

The Scattering Properties of Natural Terrestrial Snows versus Icy Satellite Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Domingue, Deborah; Hartman, Beth; Verbiscer, Anne

1997-01-01

Our comparisons of the single particle scattering behavior of terrestrial snows and icy satellite regoliths to the laboratory particle scattering measurements of McGuire and Hapke demonstrate that the differences between icy satellite regoliths and their terrestrial counterparts are due to particle structures and textures. Terrestrial snow particle structures define a region in the single particle scattering function parameter space separate from the regions defined by the McGuire and Hapke artificial laboratory particles. The particle structures and textures of the grains composing icy satellites regoliths are not simple or uniform but consist of a variety of particle structure and texture types, some of which may be a combination of the particle types investigated by McGuire and Hapke.

Osmotic stress tolerance in semi-terrestrial tardigrades

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heidemann, Nanna W T; Smith, Daniel K.; Hygum, Thomas L.

2016-01-01

Little is known about ionic and osmotic stress tolerance in tardigrades. Here, we examine salt stress tolerance in Ramazzottius oberhaeuseri and Echiniscus testudo from Nivå (Denmark) and address whether limno-terrestrial tardigrades can enter a state of quiescence (osmobiosis) in the face of high......-ionic osmolytes as compared to NaCl. Ramazzottius oberhaeuseri furthermore readily regained activity following gradual increases in non-ionic osmolytes and NaCl of up to 2434 ± 28 and 1905 ± 3 mOsm kg−1, respectively, showing that short-term acclimation promoted salt stress tolerance. Our results suggest...... that the limno-terrestrial R. oberhaeuseri enters a state of quiescence in the face of high external osmotic pressure and that it, in this state, is highly tolerant of ionic and osmotic stress....

Robust Segmentation of Planar and Linear Features of Terrestrial Laser Scanner Point Clouds Acquired from Construction Sites

Science.gov (United States)

Maalek, Reza; Lichti, Derek D; Ruwanpura, Janaka Y

2018-01-01

Automated segmentation of planar and linear features of point clouds acquired from construction sites is essential for the automatic extraction of building construction elements such as columns, beams and slabs. However, many planar and linear segmentation methods use scene-dependent similarity thresholds that may not provide generalizable solutions for all environments. In addition, outliers exist in construction site point clouds due to data artefacts caused by moving objects, occlusions and dust. To address these concerns, a novel method for robust classification and segmentation of planar and linear features is proposed. First, coplanar and collinear points are classified through a robust principal components analysis procedure. The classified points are then grouped using a new robust clustering method, the robust complete linkage method. A robust method is also proposed to extract the points of flat-slab floors and/or ceilings independent of the aforementioned stages to improve computational efficiency. The applicability of the proposed method is evaluated in eight datasets acquired from a complex laboratory environment and two construction sites at the University of Calgary. The precision, recall, and accuracy of the segmentation at both construction sites were 96.8%, 97.7% and 95%, respectively. These results demonstrate the suitability of the proposed method for robust segmentation of planar and linear features of contaminated datasets, such as those collected from construction sites. PMID:29518062

Heinrich event 4 characterized by terrestrial proxies in southwestern Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. M. López-García

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Heinrich event 4 (H4 is well documented in the North Atlantic Ocean as a cooling event that occurred between 39 and 40 Ka. Deep-sea cores around the Iberian Peninsula coastline have been analysed to characterize the H4 event, but there are no data on the terrestrial response to this event. Here we present for the first time an analysis of terrestrial proxies for characterizing the H4 event, using the small-vertebrate assemblage (comprising small mammals, squamates and amphibians from Terrassa Riera dels Canyars, an archaeo-palaeontological deposit located on the seaboard of the northeastern Iberian Peninsula. This assemblage shows that the H4 event is characterized in northeastern Iberia by harsher and drier terrestrial conditions than today. Our results were compared with other proxies such as pollen, charcoal, phytolith, avifauna and large-mammal data available for this site, as well as with the general H4 event fluctuations and with other sites where H4 and the previous and subsequent Heinrich events (H5 and H3 have been detected in the Mediterranean and Atlantic regions of the Iberian Peninsula. We conclude that the terrestrial proxies follow the same patterns as the climatic and environmental conditions detected by the deep-sea cores at the Iberian margins.

Rhabdomyosarcoma in a terrestrial tortoise (Geochelone nigra in Nigeria: A case report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Oghenemega D. Eyarefe

2012-11-01

Full Text Available A skeletal muscle tumour (rhabdomysarcoma was diagnosed in a 4-year-old captive female terrestrial tortoise (Geochelone nigra weighing 7 kg presented at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. The tumour was located at the anterior right portion of the body and ventral to the carapace. The location of the tumour prevented the tortoise from extending its head from the body. The tumour was a sessile, smooth white mass, with a soft myxomatous consistency. The histological features that were diagnostic of rhabdomyosarcoma included a sparse population of haphazardly arranged spindle-shaped cells within a homogenous matrix (anisocytosis, occasional tumour giant and binucleate cells, and some well differentiated myofibrils with cross striations within the cytoplasm. The paucity of information on tumours in the land tortoise was the reason for this report, which appears to be the first report of rhabdomyosarcoma in the tortoise.

Effect of Tribulus terrestris on Haloperidol-induced Catalepsy in Mice

OpenAIRE

Nishchal, B. S.; Rai, S.; Prabhu, M. N.; Ullal, Sheetal D.; Rajeswari, S.; Gopalakrishna, H. N.

2014-01-01

Haloperidol, an antipsychotic drug, leads to the development of a behavioural state called catalepsy, in which the animal is not able to correct an externally imposed posture. In the present study we have attempted to evaluate the anticataleptic effect of Tribulus terrestris on haloperidol-induced catalepsy in albino mice. Mice were allocated to four groups, each group containing six animals. Both, the test drug, Tribulus terrestris and the standard drug trihexyphenidyl were uniformly suspend...

Effects of atmospheric deposition of pesticides on terrestrial organisms in the Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jong FMW de; Luttik R; SEC

2004-01-01

At present there is much focus on the atmospheric dispersal of pesticides. However, there is very little known about the effects of atmospheric deposition, especially in terrestrial ecosystems. In the study described here, a start has been made to clarify the possible effects on terrestrial

Can polar bears use terrestrial foods to offset lost ice-based hunting opportunities?

Science.gov (United States)

Rode, Karyn D.; Robbins, Charles T.; Nelson, Lynne; Amstrup, Steven C.

2015-01-01

Increased land use by polar bears (Ursus maritimus) due to climate-change-induced reduction of their sea-ice habitat illustrates the impact of climate change on species distributions and the difficulty of conserving a large, highly specialized carnivore in the face of this global threat. Some authors have suggested that terrestrial food consumption by polar bears will help them withstand sea-ice loss as they are forced to spend increasing amounts of time on land. Here, we evaluate the nutritional needs of polar bears as well as the physiological and environmental constraints that shape their use of terrestrial ecosystems. Only small numbers of polar bears have been documented consuming terrestrial foods even in modest quantities. Over much of the polar bear's range, limited terrestrial food availability supports only low densities of much smaller, resident brown bears (Ursus arctos), which use low-quality resources more efficiently and may compete with polar bears in these areas. Where consumption of terrestrial foods has been documented, polar bear body condition and survival rates have declined even as land use has increased. Thus far, observed consumption of terrestrial food by polar bears has been insufficient to offset lost ice-based hunting opportunities but can have ecological consequences for other species. Warming-induced loss of sea ice remains the primary threat faced by polar bears.

Mercury exposure in terrestrial birds far downstream of an historical point source

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jackson, Allyson K., E-mail: allyson.jackson@briloon.org [Biodiversity Research Institute, 19 Flaggy Meadow Road, Gorham, ME 04038 (United States); Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies, Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187 (United States); Evers, David C.; Folsom, Sarah B. [Biodiversity Research Institute, 19 Flaggy Meadow Road, Gorham, ME 04038 (United States); Condon, Anne M. [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6669 Short Lane, Gloucester, VA 23061 (United States); Diener, John; Goodrick, Lizzie F. [Biodiversity Research Institute, 19 Flaggy Meadow Road, Gorham, ME 04038 (United States); McGann, Andrew J. [Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies, Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187 (United States); Schmerfeld, John [U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 6669 Short Lane, Gloucester, VA 23061 (United States); Cristol, Daniel A. [Institute for Integrative Bird Behavior Studies, Department of Biology, College of William and Mary, PO Box 8795, Williamsburg, VA 23187 (United States)

2011-12-15

Mercury (Hg) is a persistent environmental contaminant found in many freshwater and marine ecosystems. Historical Hg contamination in rivers can impact the surrounding terrestrial ecosystem, but there is little known about how far downstream this contamination persists. In 2009, we sampled terrestrial forest songbirds at five floodplain sites up to 137 km downstream of an historical source of Hg along the South and South Fork Shenandoah Rivers (Virginia, USA). We found that blood total Hg concentrations remained elevated over the entire sampling area and there was little evidence of decline with distance. While it is well known that Hg is a pervasive and long-lasting aquatic contaminant, it has only been recently recognized that it also biomagnifies effectively in floodplain forest food webs. This study extends the area of concern for terrestrial habitats near contaminated rivers for more than 100 km downstream from a waterborne Hg point source. - Highlights: > We report blood mercury levels for terrestrial songbirds downstream of contamination. > Blood mercury levels remain elevated above reference for at least 137 km downstream. > Trends vary based on foraging guild and migration strategy. > Mercury affects terrestrial biota farther downstream than previously documented. - Blood mercury levels of forest songbirds remain elevated above reference levels for at least 137 km downstream of historical point source.

Alternative treatment of ovarian cysts with Tribulus terrestris extract: a rat model.

Science.gov (United States)

Dehghan, A; Esfandiari, A; Bigdeli, S Momeni

2012-02-01

Tribulus terrestris has long been used in traditional medicine to treat impotency and improve sexual functions in man. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of T. terrestris extract in the treatment of polycystic ovary (PCO) in Wistar rat. Estradiol valerate was injected to 15 mature Wistar rats to induce PCO. Rats were randomly divided into three groups (control, low-dose and high-dose groups) of five each and received 0, 5 and 10 mg of T. terrestris extract, respectively.Treatments began on days 50 and 61 after estradiol injection; at the same time, vaginal smear was prepared. The ovaries were removed on day 62, and histological sections were prepared accordingly. The number and diameter of corpora lutea, thickness of the theca interna layer and the number of all follicles were evaluated in both ovaries. In comparison with the control group, the number of corpora lutea and primary and secondary follicles significantly increased following T. terrestris treatment; however, the number of ovarian cysts significantly decreased. It can be concluded that T. terrestris have a luteinizing effect on ovarian cysts, which may relate to its gonadotropin-like activity; also, a high dose of the extract can efficiently remove ovarian cysts and resume ovarian activity. © 2011 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Antibacterial activity of Tribulus terrestris methanol extract against clinical isolates of Escherichia coli

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Batoei Sara

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction:Tribulus terrestris L. is traditionally used for treatment of urinary tract infections. Escherichia coli, as the most prominent agent of urinary tract infections, can be sensitive to T. terrestris extract.

A morphologic characterisation of the 1963 Vajont Slide, Italy, using long-range terrestrial photogrammetry

Science.gov (United States)

Wolter, Andrea; Stead, Doug; Clague, John J.

2014-02-01

The 1963 Vajont Slide in northeast Italy is an important engineering and geological event. Although the landslide has been extensively studied, new insights can be derived by applying modern techniques such as remote sensing and numerical modelling. This paper presents the first digital terrestrial photogrammetric analyses of the failure scar, landslide deposits, and the area surrounding the failure, with a focus on the scar. We processed photogrammetric models to produce discontinuity stereonets, residual maps and profiles, and slope and aspect maps, all of which provide information on the failure scar morphology. Our analyses enabled the creation of a preliminary semi-quantitative morphologic classification of the Vajont failure scar based on the large-scale tectonic folds and step-paths that define it. The analyses and morphologic classification have implications for the kinematics, dynamics, and mechanism of the slide. Metre- and decametre-scale features affected the initiation, direction, and displacement rate of sliding. The most complexly folded and stepped areas occur close to the intersection of orthogonal synclinal features related to the Dinaric and Neoalpine deformation events. Our analyses also highlight, for the first time, the evolution of the Vajont failure scar from 1963 to the present.

Level of terrestrial gamma radiation and doses to population in Jiangsu province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1985-01-01

In this paper the results of investigation of terrestrial gamma radiation level in Jiangsu Province are reported and the population doses due to this radiation are estimated. The sketch map of the geographical distribution of the terrestrial gamma radiation level is given. In this investigation FD-71 portable scintillation counters and RSS-111 high pressure ionization chambers were used. The results showed that the terrestrial gamma absorbed dose rates in air for indoors and outdoors were 10.7 x 10 -8 Gy/h and 6.5 x 10 -8 Gy/h (weighted values) respectively. The indoors-to-outdoors ratio was 1.65. The total (indoor plus outdoor) annual effective dose equivalent from terrestrial gamma radiation, averaged over the population in this province, was 6.0 x 10 -4 Sv. The collective annual effective dose equivalent was 3.6 x 10 4 man.Sv. Therefore, the absorbed dose to population in Jiangsu Province is in the range of the normal background

Terrestrial ecology. Comprehensive study of the grassland biome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1976-01-01

Terrestrial ecology and grassland biome studies are designed to characterize the biota of the Hanford Reservation, elucidate seasonal dynamics of plant productivity, decomposition and mineral behavior patterns of important plant communities, and, to study the response of these communities to important natural environmental stresses, such as weather, wildfire and man-induced alterations of communities (influenced by grazing cattle and severe mechanical disturbance of the soil, such as affected by plowing or burial of waste materials or construction activities). A detailed account of the important findings of a 5-yr study is currently being prepared by the terrestrial ecology section staff for publication as a contribution to the International Biological Program Grassland Biome project

Global Drainage Patterns to Modern Terrestrial Sedimentary Basins and its Influence on Large River Systems

Science.gov (United States)

Nyberg, B.; Helland-Hansen, W.

2017-12-01

Long-term preservation of alluvial sediments is dependent on the hydrological processes that deposit sediments solely within an area that has available accomodation space and net subsidence know as a sedimentary basin. An understanding of the river processes contributing to terrestrial sedimentary basins is essential to fundamentally constrain and quantify controls on the modern terrestrial sink. Furthermore, the terrestrial source to sink controls place constraints on the entire coastal, shelf and deep marine sediment routing systems. In addition, the geographical importance of modern terrestrial sedimentary basins for agriculture and human settlements has resulted in significant upstream anthropogenic catchment modification for irrigation and energy needs. Yet to our knowledge, a global catchment model depicting the drainage patterns to modern terrestrial sedimentary basins has previously not been established that may be used to address these challenging issues. Here we present a new database of 180,737 global catchments that show the surface drainage patterns to modern terrestrial sedimentary basins. This is achieved by using high resolution river networks derived from digital elevation models in relation to newly acquired maps on global modern sedimentary basins to identify terrestrial sinks. The results show that active tectonic regimes are typically characterized by larger terrestrial sedimentary basins, numerous smaller source catchments and a high source to sink relief ratio. To the contrary passive margins drain catchments to smaller terrestrial sedimentary basins, are composed of fewer source catchments that are relatively larger and a lower source to sink relief ratio. The different geomorphological characteristics of source catchments by tectonic setting influence the spatial and temporal patterns of fluvial architecture within sedimentary basins and the anthropogenic methods of exploiting those rivers. The new digital database resource is aimed to help

Effect factors for terrestrial acidification in Brazil

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Crespo Mendes, Natalia; Laurent, Alexis; Hauschild, Michael Zwicky

conditions, which is an essential approach considering countries like Brazil, with high biodiversity. Previous studies have assessed the impacts of terrestrial acidification from the estimations of the potential losses of vascular plants species richness as a result of exposure to acidifying substances...... for 13 biomes, with 2409 species addressed for whole world. In this context this work aims to provide spatially-differentiated effect factors (EF) for terrestrial acidification in Brazil and support the development of spatially-differentiated characterization factors for Brazil. In order to maintain...... in Brazil, represented by 33167 species, indicating that this is a comprehensive study. Maps of soil pH in Brazil were extracted at 1-km resolution and pH values were extracted for the depth range of 0-30cm. For each ecoregion, species richness was plotted against soil pH and the exposure-response curves...

Biodiversity of Terrestrial Vegetation during Past Warm Periods

Science.gov (United States)

Davies-Barnard, T.; Valdes, P. J.; Ridgwell, A.

2016-12-01

Previous modelling studies of vegetation have generally used a small number of plant functional types to understand how the terrestrial biosphere responds to climate changes. Whilst being useful for understanding first order climate feedbacks, this climate-envelope approach makes a lot of assumptions about past vegetation being very similar to modern. A trait-based method has the advantage for paleo modelling in that there are substantially less assumptions made. In a novel use of the trait-based dynamic vegetation model JeDi, forced with output from climate model HadCM3, we explore past biodiversity and vegetation carbon changes. We use JeDi to model an optimal 2000 combinations of fifteen different traits to enable assessment of the overall level of biodiversity as well as individual growth strategies. We assess the vegetation shifts and biodiversity changes in past greenhouse periods to better understand the impact on the terrestrial biosphere. This work provides original insights into the response of vegetation and terrestrial carbon to climate and hydrological changes in high carbon dioxide climates over time, including during the Late Permian and Cretaceous. We evaluate how the location of biodiversity hotspots and species richness in past greenhouse climates is different to the present day.

Natural radiation doses for cosmic and terrestrial components in Costa Rica

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mora, Patricia; Picado, Esteban; Minato, Susumu

2007-01-01

A study of external natural radiation, cosmic and terrestrial components, was carried out with in situ measurements using NaI scintillation counters while driving along the roads in Costa Rica for the period July 2003-July 2005. The geographical distribution of the terrestrial air-absorbed dose rates and the total effective dose rates (including cosmic) are represented on contour maps. Information on the population density of the country permitted the calculation of the per capita doses. The average effective dose for the total cosmic component was 46.88±18.06 nSv h -1 and the average air-absorbed dose for the terrestrial component was 29.52±14.46 nGy h -1 . The average total effective dose rate (cosmic plus terrestrial components) was 0.60±0.18 mSv per year. The effective dose rate per capita was found to be 83.97 nSv h -1 which gives an annual dose of 0.74 mSv. Assuming the world average for the internal radiation component, the natural radiation dose for Costa Rica will be 2.29 mSv annually

A study of the terrestrial and cosmic gamma-rays in Jordan

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mansi, M. A.

1996-01-01

Natural terrestrial gamma and cosmic radiations dose rates in Jordan were measured during a period of three years in thirty four stations distributed over all Jordanian territories using the thermoluminescence dosimeter(TLD) Coso 4 :Tm. The average absorbed dose rates in air from terrestrial gamma and cosmic radiations were found to vary from(57 ±3;9) n Gy/hr in Assafi to (350 ± 14; 42) n Gy/hr in Manjam Alhisa. The mean dose rate due to terrestrial gamma radiations was found to be equal to (55 ± 2; 13) nGy/hr, and that due to cosmic radiations was calculated to be(35 ± 1;4) n Gy/hr. The annual effective dose equivalent from terrestrial and cosmic gamma radiations was found to be equal to(0.65±0.02; 0.12)mSv/year. It was found that the absorbed dose rate due to cosmic radiations in Jordan can be fitted by the formula, D c osmic=27+5.2 h+1.86 h 2 where h is the altitude reference to the Dead Sea measured in km. 19 refs., 17 figs., 6 tabs.(Author)

Tribulus terrestris for treatment of sexual dysfunction in women: randomized double-blind placebo - controlled study

Science.gov (United States)

2014-01-01

Background Tribulus terrestris as a herbal remedy has shown beneficial aphrodisiac effects in a number of animal and human experiments. This study was designed as a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial to assess the safety and efficacy of Tribulus terrestris in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder during their fertile years. Sixty seven women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder were randomly assigned to Tribulus terrestris extract (7.5 mg/day) or placebo for 4 weeks. Desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain were measured at baseline and after 4 weeks after the end of the treatment by using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Two groups were compared by repeated measurement ANOVA test. Results Thirty women in placebo group and thirty women in drug group completed the study. At the end of the fourth week, patients in the Tribulus terrestris group had experienced significant improvement in their total FSFI (p Tribulus terrestris may safely and effectively improve desire in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Further investigation of Tribulus terrestris in women is warranted. PMID:24773615

Tribulus terrestris for treatment of sexual dysfunction in women: randomized double-blind placebo - controlled study.

Science.gov (United States)

Akhtari, Elham; Raisi, Firoozeh; Keshavarz, Mansoor; Hosseini, Hamed; Sohrabvand, Farnaz; Bioos, Soodabeh; Kamalinejad, Mohammad; Ghobadi, Ali

2014-04-28

Tribulus terrestris as a herbal remedy has shown beneficial aphrodisiac effects in a number of animal and human experiments. This study was designed as a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial to assess the safety and efficacy of Tribulus terrestris in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder during their fertile years. Sixty seven women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder were randomly assigned to Tribulus terrestris extract (7.5 mg/day) or placebo for 4 weeks. Desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain were measured at baseline and after 4 weeks after the end of the treatment by using the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Two groups were compared by repeated measurement ANOVA test. Thirty women in placebo group and thirty women in drug group completed the study. At the end of the fourth week, patients in the Tribulus terrestris group had experienced significant improvement in their total FSFI (p Tribulus terrestris may safely and effectively improve desire in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder. Further investigation of Tribulus terrestris in women is warranted.

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Mars: Remote Sensing and Terrestrial Analogs

Science.gov (United States)

2004-01-01

The session "Mars: Remote Sensing and Terrestrial Analogs" included the following:Physical Meaning of the Hapke Parameter for Macroscopic Roughness: Experimental Determination for Planetary Regolith Surface Analogs and Numerical Approach; Near-Infrared Spectra of Martian Pyroxene Separates: First Results from Mars Spectroscopy Consortium; Anomalous Spectra of High-Ca Pyroxenes: Correlation Between Ir and M ssbauer Patterns; THEMIS-IR Emissivity Spectrum of a Large Dark Streak near Olympus Mons; Geomorphologic/Thermophysical Mapping of the Athabasca Region, Mars, Using THEMIS Infrared Imaging; Mars Thermal Inertia from THEMIS Data; Multispectral Analysis Methods for Mapping Aqueous Mineral Depostis in Proposed Paleolake Basins on Mars Using THEMIS Data; Joint Analysis of Mars Odyssey THEMIS Visible and Infrared Images: A Magic Airbrush for Qualitative and Quantitative Morphology; Analysis of Mars Thermal Emission Spectrometer Data Using Large Mineral Reference Libraries ; Negative Abundance : A Problem in Compositional Modeling of Hyperspectral Images; Mars-LAB: First Remote Sensing Data of Mineralogy Exposed at Small Mars-Analog Craters, Nevada Test Site; A Tool for the 2003 Rover Mini-TES: Downwelling Radiance Compensation Using Integrated Line-Sight Sky Measurements; Learning About Mars Geology Using Thermal Infrared Spectral Imaging: Orbiter and Rover Perspectives; Classifying Terrestrial Volcanic Alteration Processes and Defining Alteration Processes they Represent on Mars; Cemented Volcanic Soils, Martian Spectra and Implications for the Martian Climate; Palagonitic Mars: A Basalt Centric View of Surface Composition and Aqueous Alteration; Combining a Non Linear Unmixing Model and the Tetracorder Algorithm: Application to the ISM Dataset; Spectral Reflectance Properties of Some Basaltic Weathering Products; Morphometric LIDAR Analysis of Amboy Crater, California: Application to MOLA Analysis of Analog Features on Mars; Airborne Radar Study of Soil Moisture at

A novel proxy for terrestrial organic matter in sediments based on branched and isoprenoid tetraether lipids

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Hopmans, E.C.; Weijers, J.W.H.; Schefuß, E.; Herfort, L.; Schouten, S.

2004-01-01

We propose a novel tracer for terrestrial organic carbon in sediments based on the analysis of tetraether lipids using high-performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS). Analysis of terrestrial soil and peats shows that branched tetraether lipids are predominant in terrestrial

Digital terrestrial broadcasting receiver in the U.K; Eikoku chijoha digital hoso jushinki

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-03-01

Digital terrestrial broadcasting is broadcasted in parallel with existing UHF analog broadcasting, whereas each of allocated channel frequencies can transmit five to six programs simultaneously. Each home can receive a number of programs with the existing antenna without a need of installing a new satellite antenna or cable. Among the countries of the world running forward to digitization of broadcasting all at once, the U.K. develops advancing movements and leads the world by starting the digital terrestrial broadcasting. In addition to the digitized broadcasting of conventional analog broadcasting programs, the `Ondigitals` (broadcasting operators) have started newly the pay broadcasting. Toshiba has been selected as one of the six developers and manufacturers of digital terrestrial broadcasting receivers, and has developed the digital terrestrial broadcasting receiver DTB2000. For the modulation system, the orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) was chosen as a system being strong against ghost and most suitable for digital terrestrial broadcasting. In addition, the receiver is equipped with software download function by using the broadcasting waves, and the common interface being the communication specification specified in the DVB (digital video broadcasting) to provide future function expandability. (translated by NEDO)

Aquatic pollution increases use of terrestrial prey subsidies by stream fish

Science.gov (United States)

Kraus, Johanna M.; Pomeranz, Justin F.; Todd, Andrew S.; Walters, David M.; Schmidt, Travis S.; Wanty, Richard B.

2016-01-01

Stream food webs are connected with their riparian zones through cross-ecosystem movements of energy and nutrients. The use and impact of terrestrial subsidies on aquatic consumers is determined in part by in situ biomass of aquatic prey. Thus, stressors such as aquatic pollutants that greatly reduce aquatic secondary production could increase the need for and reliance of stream consumers on terrestrial resource subsidies.

A new feruloyl amide derivative from the fruits of Tribulus terrestris.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xiaopo; Wei, Na; Huang, Jian; Tan, Yinfeng; Jin, Dejun

2012-01-01

A new feruloyl amide derivative, named tribulusamide C, was isolated from the fruits of Tribulus terrestris. Its structure was determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis including IR, 1-D-, 2-D-NMR and HR-ESI-MS. The structure of tribulusamide C was characterised by a unit of pyrrolidine-2,5-dione, which distinguished it from other lignanamides previously isolated from the fruits of T. terrestris.

Mercury exposure in terrestrial birds far downstream of an historical point source

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jackson, Allyson K.; Evers, David C.; Folsom, Sarah B.; Condon, Anne M.; Diener, John; Goodrick, Lizzie F.; McGann, Andrew J.; Schmerfeld, John; Cristol, Daniel A.

2011-01-01

Mercury (Hg) is a persistent environmental contaminant found in many freshwater and marine ecosystems. Historical Hg contamination in rivers can impact the surrounding terrestrial ecosystem, but there is little known about how far downstream this contamination persists. In 2009, we sampled terrestrial forest songbirds at five floodplain sites up to 137 km downstream of an historical source of Hg along the South and South Fork Shenandoah Rivers (Virginia, USA). We found that blood total Hg concentrations remained elevated over the entire sampling area and there was little evidence of decline with distance. While it is well known that Hg is a pervasive and long-lasting aquatic contaminant, it has only been recently recognized that it also biomagnifies effectively in floodplain forest food webs. This study extends the area of concern for terrestrial habitats near contaminated rivers for more than 100 km downstream from a waterborne Hg point source. - Highlights: → We report blood mercury levels for terrestrial songbirds downstream of contamination. → Blood mercury levels remain elevated above reference for at least 137 km downstream. → Trends vary based on foraging guild and migration strategy. → Mercury affects terrestrial biota farther downstream than previously documented. - Blood mercury levels of forest songbirds remain elevated above reference levels for at least 137 km downstream of historical point source.

Automatic Stem Mapping by Merging Several Terrestrial Laser Scans at the Feature and Decision Levels

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juha Hyyppä

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Detailed up-to-date ground reference data have become increasingly important in quantitative forest inventories. Field reference data are conventionally collected at the sample plot level by means of manual measurements, which are both labor-intensive and time-consuming. In addition, the number of attributes collected from the tree stem is limited. More recently, terrestrial laser scanning (TLS, using both single-scan and multi-scan techniques, has proven to be a promising solution for efficient stem mapping at the plot level. In the single-scan method, the laser scanner is placed at the center of the plot, creating only one scan, and all trees are mapped from the single-scan point cloud. Consequently, the occlusion of stems increases as the range of the scanner increases, depending on the forest’s attributes. In the conventional multi-scan method, several scans are made simultaneously inside and outside of the plot to collect point clouds representing all trees within the plot, and these scans are accurately co-registered by using artificial reference targets manually placed throughout the plot. The additional difficulty of applying the multi-scan method is due to the point-cloud registration of several scans not being fully automated yet. This paper proposes a multi-single-scan (MSS method to map the sample plot. The method does not require artificial reference targets placed on the plot or point-level registration. The MSS method is based on the fully automated processing of each scan independently and on the merging of the stem positions automatically detected from multiple scans to accurately map the sample plot. The proposed MSS method was tested on five dense forest plots. The results show that the MSS method significantly improves the stem-detection accuracy compared with the single-scan approach and achieves a mapping accuracy similar to that achieved with the multi-scan method, without the need for the point-level registration.

Feasibility of Machine Learning Methods for Separating Wood and Leaf Points from Terrestrial Laser Scanning Data

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, D.; Hollaus, M.; Pfeifer, N.

2017-09-01

Classification of wood and leaf components of trees is an essential prerequisite for deriving vital tree attributes, such as wood mass, leaf area index (LAI) and woody-to-total area. Laser scanning emerges to be a promising solution for such a request. Intensity based approaches are widely proposed, as different components of a tree can feature discriminatory optical properties at the operating wavelengths of a sensor system. For geometry based methods, machine learning algorithms are often used to separate wood and leaf points, by providing proper training samples. However, it remains unclear how the chosen machine learning classifier and features used would influence classification results. To this purpose, we compare four popular machine learning classifiers, namely Support Vector Machine (SVM), Na¨ıve Bayes (NB), Random Forest (RF), and Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), for separating wood and leaf points from terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data. Two trees, an Erytrophleum fordii and a Betula pendula (silver birch) are used to test the impacts from classifier, feature set, and training samples. Our results showed that RF is the best model in terms of accuracy, and local density related features are important. Experimental results confirmed the feasibility of machine learning algorithms for the reliable classification of wood and leaf points. It is also noted that our studies are based on isolated trees. Further tests should be performed on more tree species and data from more complex environments.

FEASIBILITY OF MACHINE LEARNING METHODS FOR SEPARATING WOOD AND LEAF POINTS FROM TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNING DATA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Wang

2017-09-01

Full Text Available Classification of wood and leaf components of trees is an essential prerequisite for deriving vital tree attributes, such as wood mass, leaf area index (LAI and woody-to-total area. Laser scanning emerges to be a promising solution for such a request. Intensity based approaches are widely proposed, as different components of a tree can feature discriminatory optical properties at the operating wavelengths of a sensor system. For geometry based methods, machine learning algorithms are often used to separate wood and leaf points, by providing proper training samples. However, it remains unclear how the chosen machine learning classifier and features used would influence classification results. To this purpose, we compare four popular machine learning classifiers, namely Support Vector Machine (SVM, Na¨ıve Bayes (NB, Random Forest (RF, and Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM, for separating wood and leaf points from terrestrial laser scanning (TLS data. Two trees, an Erytrophleum fordii and a Betula pendula (silver birch are used to test the impacts from classifier, feature set, and training samples. Our results showed that RF is the best model in terms of accuracy, and local density related features are important. Experimental results confirmed the feasibility of machine learning algorithms for the reliable classification of wood and leaf points. It is also noted that our studies are based on isolated trees. Further tests should be performed on more tree species and data from more complex environments.

RELATIONSHIP OF AMEBOCYTES AND TERRESTRIAL ELEMENTS TO ADULT SHELL DEPOSITION IN EASTERN OYSTERS

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, William S. Submitted. Relationship of Amebocytes and Terrestrial Elements to Adult Shell Deposition in Eastern Oysters. J. Shellfish Res. 30 p. (ERL,GB 1197). Freshwater runoff contains terrestrial elements from geological deposits that may be vital to eastern oys...

Dechlorane Plus flame retardant in terrestrial raptors from northern China.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Da; Wang, Yan; Yu, Lehuan; Luo, Xiaojun; Mai, Bixian; Li, Shaoshan

2013-05-01

While a number of studies have addressed the environmental presence and behavior of the Dechlorane Plus (DP) flame retardant, there is still a dearth of information in terrestrial ecosystems. The present study revealed that median ∑DP (including anti- and syn-DP isomers) concentrations ranged from 10 to 810 ng/g lipid weight in muscle and liver tissues of six terrestrial raptor species collected in 2004-2006 from Beijing, China. Some concentrations rival the greatest DP burdens ever reported in global wildlife. Significant, positive correlations were observed between fanti (concentration ratio of anti-isomer to ∑DP) and ∑DP concentrations in the Eurasian sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) tissues. These results suggested that the DP burdens could be substantially driven by the accumulation of the anti-isomer in terrestrial birds. The tissue-specific accumulation of DP further suggested that factors (e.g., hepatic binding enzymes) other than lipid solubility could be important in determining tissue deposition of DP. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Distribution of {sup 129}I in terrestrial surface water environments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chen, Xuegao [State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098 (China); College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing (China); Gong, Meng [College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing (China); Yi, Peng, E-mail: pengyi1915@163.com [State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098 (China); College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing (China); Aldahan, Ala [Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden); Department of Geology, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain (United Arab Emirates); Yu, Zhongbo [State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098 (China); College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing (China); Possnert, Göran [Tandem Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala (Sweden); Chen, Li [State Key Laboratory of Hydrology-Water Resources and Hydraulic Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098 (China); College of Hydrology and Water Resources, Hohai University, Nanjing (China)

2015-10-15

The global distribution of the radioactive isotope iodine-129 in surface waters (lakes and rivers) is presented here and compared with the atmospheric deposition and distribution in surface marine waters. The results indicate relatively high concentrations in surface water systems in close vicinity of the anthropogenic release sources as well as in parts of Western Europe, North America and Central Asia. {sup 129}I level is generally higher in the terrestrial surface water of the Northern hemisphere compared to the southern hemisphere. The highest values of {sup 129}I appear around 50°N and 40°S in the northern and southern hemisphere, separately. Direct gaseous and marine atmospheric emissions are the most likely avenues for the transport of {sup 129}I from the sources to the terrestrial surface waters. To apply iodine-129 as process tracer in terrestrial surface water environment, more data are needed on {sup 129}I distribution patterns both locally and globally.

Uranium determinations by 133Xe in terrestrial zircon, apatite and chromite; comparative study of thermal releases of fissiogenic xenon from terrestrial and meteoritic minerals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakamoto, K.; Hamajima, Y.; Itoh, K.; Yamazaki, K.

1980-01-01

Terrestrial zircon and apatite, as examples of uranium rich refractory minerals, and chromite, also highly refractory but uranium poor, were neutron-irradiated for their 133 Xe release studies. Uranium determination by 133 Xe was found not to be successful in these refractory samples, due to incomplete fissiogenic-xenon release at 1600 deg C as revealed by stepwise heating experiment. In these terrestrial materials the high temperature release peaks appeared at >=1500 deg C, but in meteoritic whitlockite and chromite values of 1000 approximately 1200 deg C were reported. (author)

Automatic registration of Iphone images to LASER point clouds of the urban structures using shape features

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Sirmacek

2013-10-01

Full Text Available Fusion of 3D airborne laser (LIDAR data and terrestrial optical imagery can be applied in 3D urban modeling and model up-dating. The most challenging aspect of the fusion procedure is registering the terrestrial optical images on the LIDAR point clouds. In this article, we propose an approach for registering these two different data from different sensor sources. As we use iPhone camera images which are taken in front of the interested urban structure by the application user and the high resolution LIDAR point clouds of the acquired by an airborne laser sensor. After finding the photo capturing position and orientation from the iPhone photograph metafile, we automatically select the area of interest in the point cloud and transform it into a range image which has only grayscale intensity levels according to the distance from the image acquisition position. We benefit from local features for registering the iPhone image to the generated range image. In this article, we have applied the registration process based on local feature extraction and graph matching. Finally, the registration result is used for facade texture mapping on the 3D building surface mesh which is generated from the LIDAR point cloud. Our experimental results indicate possible usage of the proposed algorithm framework for 3D urban map updating and enhancing purposes.

South African red data book - Terrestrial mammals

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Smithers, RHN

1986-01-01

Full Text Available Currently, 243 species of terrestrial wild mammals are known to occur in the Republic of South Africa. Using the well established IUCN definitions, 42 of these may be considered as exposed to some level of threat of extinction. Three species...

Ethnopharmacological Studies of Tribulus Terrestris (Linn). in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Synergism and antagonism impact of different plant metabolites present in crude fruit extract of Tribulus terrestris 'the herbal Viagra' have been studied. Variability in plant composition, biomass and metabolites concentration in different modules was significantly contributed by spatial factor. However the edhaphic ...

The carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems of China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pilli R

2009-05-01

Full Text Available A comment is made on a recent letter published on Nature, in which different methodologies are applied to estimate the carbon balance of terrestrial ecosystems of China. A global carbon sink of 0.19-0.26 Pg per year is estimated during the 1980s and 1990s, and it is estimated that in 2006 terrestrial ecosystems have absorbed 28-37 per cent of global carbon emissions in China. Most of the carbon absorption is attributed to large-scale plantation made since the 1980s and shrub recovery. These results will certainly be valuable in the frame of the so-called “REDD” (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation forest Degradation in developing countries mechanism (UN convention on climate change UNFCCC.

Environmental aspects: - Atmospheric, - aquatic, - terrestrial dispersion of radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kirchmann, R.

1982-01-01

After general introductory remarks the paper deals with the dispersion of radionuclides in the atmosphere and in the aquatic environment as well as with the transfer through the terrestrial environment. (RW)

The cosmic gorilla effect or the problem of undetected non terrestrial intelligent signals

Science.gov (United States)

G. De la Torre, Gabriel; Garcia, Manuel A.

2018-05-01

This article points to a long lasting problem in space research and cosmology, the problem of undetected signs of non terrestrial life and civilizations. We intentionally avoid the term extraterrestrial as we consider other possibilities that may arise but not fall strictly within the extraterrestrial scope. We discuss the role of new physics including dark matter and string theory in the search for life and other non terrestrial intelligence. A new classification for non terrestrial civilizations with three types and five dimensions is also provided. We also explain how our own neurophysiology, psychology and consciousness can play a major role in this search of non terrestrial civilizations task and how they have been neglected up to this date. To test this, 137 adults were evaluated using the cognitive reflection test, an attention/awareness questionnaire and a visuospatial searching task with aerial view images to determine the presence of inattentional blindness.

1km Global Terrestrial Carbon Flux: Estimations and Evaluations

Science.gov (United States)

Murakami, K.; Sasai, T.; Kato, S.; Saito, M.; Matsunaga, T.; Hiraki, K.; Maksyutov, S. S.

2017-12-01

Estimating global scale of the terrestrial carbon flux change with high accuracy and high resolution is important to understand global environmental changes. Furthermore the estimations of the global spatiotemporal distribution may contribute to the political and social activities such as REDD+. In order to reveal the current state of terrestrial carbon fluxes covering all over the world and a decadal scale. The satellite-based diagnostic biosphere model is suitable for achieving this purpose owing to observing on the present global land surface condition uniformly at some time interval. In this study, we estimated the global terrestrial carbon fluxes with 1km grids by using the terrestrial biosphere model (BEAMS). And we evaluated our new carbon flux estimations on various spatial scales and showed the transition of forest carbon stocks in some regions. Because BEAMS required high resolution meteorological data and satellite data as input data, we made 1km interpolated data using a kriging method. The data used in this study were JRA-55, GPCP, GOSAT L4B atmospheric CO2 data as meteorological data, and MODIS land product as land surface satellite data. Interpolating process was performed on the meteorological data because of insufficient resolution, but not on MODIS data. We evaluated our new carbon flux estimations using the flux tower measurement (FLUXNET2015 Datasets) in a point scale. We used 166 sites data for evaluating our model results. These flux sites are classified following vegetation type (DBF, EBF, ENF, mixed forests, grass lands, croplands, shrub lands, Savannas, wetlands). In global scale, the BEAMS estimations was underestimated compared to the flux measurements in the case of carbon uptake and release. The monthly variations of NEP showed relatively high correlations in DBF and mixed forests, but the correlation coefficients of EBF, ENF, and grass lands were less than 0.5. In the meteorological factors, air temperature and solar radiation showed

Carbon Fluxes and Transport Along the Terrestrial Aquatic Continuum

Science.gov (United States)

Butman, D. E.; Kolka, R.; Fennel, K.; Stackpoole, S. M.; Trettin, C.; Windham-Myers, L.

2017-12-01

Terrestrial wetlands, inland surface waters, tidal wetlands and estuaries, and the coastal ocean are distinct aquatic ecosystems that integrate carbon (C) fluxes and processing among the major earth system components: the continents, oceans, and atmosphere. The development of the 2nd State of the Carbon Cycle Report (SOCCR2) noted that incorporating the C cycle dynamics for these ecosystems was necessary to reconcile some of the gaps associated with the North American C budget. We present major C stocks and fluxes for Canada, Mexico and the United States. North America contains nearly 42% of the global terrestrial wetland area. Terrestrial wetlands, defined as soils that are seasonally or permanently inundated or saturated, contain significant C stocks equivalent to 174,000 Tg C in the top 40 cm of soil. While terrestrial wetlands are a C sink of approximately 64 Tg C yr-1, they also emit 21 Tg of CH4 yr-1. Inland waters are defined as lakes, reservoirs, rivers, and streams. Carbon fluxes, which include lateral C export to the coast, riverine and lacustrine CO2 emissions, and C burial in lakes and reservoirs are estimated at 507 Tg yr-1. Estuaries and tidal wetlands assimilate C and nutrients from uplands and rivers, and their total C stock is 1,323 Tg C in the top 1 m of soils and sediment. Accounting for soil accretion, lateral C flux, and CO2 assimilation and emission, tidal wetlands and estuaries are net sinks with a total flux equal to 6 Tg C yr-1. The coastal ocean and sea shelfs, defined as non-estuarine waters within 200 nautical miles (370 km) of the coast, function as net sinks, with the air-sea exchange of CO2 estimated at 150 Tg C yr-1. In total, fluxes from these four aquatic ecosystems are equal to a loss of 302 Tg C yr-1. Including these four discrete fluxes in this assessment demonstrates the importance of linking hydrology and biogeochemical cycling to evaluate the impacts of climate change and human activities on carbon fluxes across the

Influence of Tribulus terrestris on testicular enzyme in fresh water ornamental fish Poecilia latipinna.

Science.gov (United States)

Kavitha, P; Subramanian, P

2011-12-01

The influence of Tribulus terrestris on the activities of testicular enzyme in Poecilia latipinna was assessed in lieu of reproductive manipulation. Different concentrations of (100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 mg) Tribulus terrestris extract and of a control were tested for testicular activity of enzymes in Poecilia latipinna for 2 months. The testis and liver were homogenized separately in 0.1 mol/l potassium phosphate buffer (0.1 mol/l, pH 7.2). The crude homogenate was centrifuged, and supernatant obtained was used as an enzyme extract for determination of activities. The activities of testicular functional enzyme ALP, ACP, SDH, LDH, and G6PDH levels were changed to different extent in treated groups compared with that of the control. The total body weight and testis weight were increased with the Tribulus terrestris-treated fish (Poecilia latipinna). These results suggest that Tribulus terrestris induced the testicular enzyme activity that may aid in the male reproductive functions. It is discernible from the present study that Tribulus terrestris has the inducing effect on reproductive system of Poecilia latipinna.

The characteristic response of whistler mode waves to interplanetary shocks

Science.gov (United States)

Yue, C.; Chen, L.; Bortnik, J.; Ma, Q.; Thorne, R. M.; Angelopoulos, V.; Li, J.; An, X.; Zhou, C.

2017-12-01

Magnetospheric whistler mode waves play a key role in regulating the dynamics of the electron radiation belts. Recent satellite observations indicate a significant influence of interplanetary (IP) shocks on whistler mode wave power in the inner magnetosphere. In this study, we statistically investigate the response of whistler mode chorus and plasmaspheric hiss to IP shocks based on Van Allen Probes and THEMIS satellite observations. Immediately after the IP shock arrival, chorus wave power is usually intensified, often at dawn, while plasmaspheric hiss wave power predominantly decreases near the dayside but intensifies near the nightside. We conclude that chorus wave intensification outside the plasmasphere is probably associated with the suprathermal electron flux enhancement caused by the IP shock. On the other hand, the solar wind dynamic pressure increase changes the magnetic field configuration to favor ray penetration into the nightside and promote ray refraction away from the dayside, explaining the magnetic local time (MLT) dependent responses of plasmaspheric hiss waves following IP shock arrivals.

The importance of the human footprint in shaping the global distribution of terrestrial, freshwater and marine invaders.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Belinda Gallardo

Full Text Available Human activities such as transport, trade and tourism are likely to influence the spatial distribution of non-native species and yet, Species Distribution Models (SDMs that aim to predict the future broad scale distribution of invaders often rely on environmental (e.g. climatic information only. This study investigates if and to what extent do human activities that directly or indirectly influence nature (hereafter the human footprint affect the global distribution of invasive species in terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems. We selected 72 species including terrestrial plants, terrestrial animals, freshwater and marine invasive species of concern in a focus area located in NW Europe (encompassing Great Britain, France, The Netherlands and Belgium. Species Distribution Models were calibrated with the global occurrence of species and a set of high-resolution (9×9 km environmental (e.g. topography, climate, geology layers and human footprint proxies (e.g. the human influence index, population density, road proximity. Our analyses suggest that the global occurrence of a wide range of invaders is primarily limited by climate. Temperature tolerance was the most important factor and explained on average 42% of species distribution. Nevertheless, factors related to the human footprint explained a substantial amount (23% on average of species distributions. When global models were projected into the focus area, spatial predictions integrating the human footprint featured the highest cumulative risk scores close to transport networks (proxy for invasion pathways and in habitats with a high human influence index (proxy for propagule pressure. We conclude that human related information-currently available in the form of easily accessible maps and databases-should be routinely implemented into predictive frameworks to inform upon policies to prevent and manage invasions. Otherwise we might be seriously underestimating the species and areas under

Quantifying the influence of the terrestrial biosphere on glacial-interglacial climate dynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Davies-Barnard, Taraka; Ridgwell, Andy; Singarayer, Joy; Valdes, Paul

2017-10-01

The terrestrial biosphere is thought to be a key component in the climatic variability seen in the palaeo-record. It has a direct impact on surface temperature through changes in surface albedo and evapotranspiration (so-called biogeophysical effects) and, in addition, has an important indirect effect through changes in vegetation and soil carbon storage (biogeochemical effects) and hence modulates the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The biogeochemical and biogeophysical effects generally have opposite signs, meaning that the terrestrial biosphere could potentially have played only a very minor role in the dynamics of the glacial-interglacial cycles of the late Quaternary. Here we use a fully coupled dynamic atmosphere-ocean-vegetation general circulation model (GCM) to generate a set of 62 equilibrium simulations spanning the last 120 kyr. The analysis of these simulations elucidates the relative importance of the biogeophysical versus biogeochemical terrestrial biosphere interactions with climate. We find that the biogeophysical effects of vegetation account for up to an additional -0.91 °C global mean cooling, with regional cooling as large as -5 °C, but with considerable variability across the glacial-interglacial cycle. By comparison, while opposite in sign, our model estimates of the biogeochemical impacts are substantially smaller in magnitude. Offline simulations show a maximum of +0.33 °C warming due to an increase of 25 ppm above our (pre-industrial) baseline atmospheric CO2 mixing ratio. In contrast to shorter (century) timescale projections of future terrestrial biosphere response where direct and indirect responses may at times cancel out, we find that the biogeophysical effects consistently and strongly dominate the biogeochemical effect over the inter-glacial cycle. On average across the period, the terrestrial biosphere has a -0.26 °C effect on temperature, with -0.58 °C at the Last Glacial Maximum. Depending on

Quantifying the influence of the terrestrial biosphere on glacial–interglacial climate dynamics

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Davies-Barnard

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The terrestrial biosphere is thought to be a key component in the climatic variability seen in the palaeo-record. It has a direct impact on surface temperature through changes in surface albedo and evapotranspiration (so-called biogeophysical effects and, in addition, has an important indirect effect through changes in vegetation and soil carbon storage (biogeochemical effects and hence modulates the concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The biogeochemical and biogeophysical effects generally have opposite signs, meaning that the terrestrial biosphere could potentially have played only a very minor role in the dynamics of the glacial–interglacial cycles of the late Quaternary. Here we use a fully coupled dynamic atmosphere–ocean–vegetation general circulation model (GCM to generate a set of 62 equilibrium simulations spanning the last 120 kyr. The analysis of these simulations elucidates the relative importance of the biogeophysical versus biogeochemical terrestrial biosphere interactions with climate. We find that the biogeophysical effects of vegetation account for up to an additional −0.91 °C global mean cooling, with regional cooling as large as −5 °C, but with considerable variability across the glacial–interglacial cycle. By comparison, while opposite in sign, our model estimates of the biogeochemical impacts are substantially smaller in magnitude. Offline simulations show a maximum of +0.33 °C warming due to an increase of 25 ppm above our (pre-industrial baseline atmospheric CO2 mixing ratio. In contrast to shorter (century timescale projections of future terrestrial biosphere response where direct and indirect responses may at times cancel out, we find that the biogeophysical effects consistently and strongly dominate the biogeochemical effect over the inter-glacial cycle. On average across the period, the terrestrial biosphere has a −0.26 °C effect on temperature, with −0.58 °C at the

Strategies for Constraining the Atmospheres of Temperate Terrestrial Planets with JWST

Science.gov (United States)

Batalha, Natasha E.; Lewis, Nikole K.; Line, Michael R.; Valenti, Jeff; Stevenson, Kevin

2018-04-01

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) is expected to discover dozens of temperate terrestrial planets orbiting M-dwarfs with atmospheres that could be followed up with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Currently, the TRAPPIST-1 system serves as a benchmark for determining the feasibility and resources required to yield atmospheric constraints. We assess these questions and leverage an information content analysis to determine observing strategies for yielding high-precision spectroscopy in transmission and emission. Our goal is to guide observing strategies of temperate terrestrial planets in preparation for the early JWST cycles. First, we explore JWST’s current capabilities and expected spectral precision for targets near the saturation limits of specific modes. In doing so, we highlight the enhanced capabilities of high-efficiency readout patterns that are being considered for implementation in Cycle 2. We propose a partial saturation strategy to increase the achievable precision of JWST's NIRSpec Prism. We show that JWST has the potential to detect the dominant absorbing gas in the atmospheres of temperate terrestrial planets by the 10th transit using transmission spectroscopy techniques in the near-infrared (NIR). We also show that stacking ⪆10 transmission spectroscopy observations is unlikely to yield significant improvements in determining atmospheric composition. For emission spectroscopy, we show that the MIRI Low Resolution Spectroscopy (LRS) is unlikely to provide robust constraints on the atmospheric composition of temperate terrestrial planets. Higher-precision emission spectroscopy at wavelengths longward of those accessible to MIRI LRS, as proposed in the Origins Space Telescope concept, could help improve the constraints on molecular abundances of temperate terrestrial planets orbiting M-dwarfs.

Forelimb bone curvature in terrestrial and arboreal mammals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keith Henderson

2017-04-01

Full Text Available It has recently been proposed that the caudal curvature (concave caudal side observed in the radioulna of terrestrial quadrupeds is an adaptation to the habitual action of the triceps muscle which causes cranial bending strains (compression on cranial side. The caudal curvature is proposed to be adaptive because longitudinal loading induces caudal bending strains (increased compression on the caudal side, and these opposing bending strains counteract each other leaving the radioulna less strained. If this is true for terrestrial quadrupeds, where triceps is required for habitual elbow extension, then we might expect that in arboreal species, where brachialis is habitually required to maintain elbow flexion, the radioulna should instead be cranially curved. This study measures sagittal curvature of the ulna in a range of terrestrial and arboreal primates and marsupials, and finds that their ulnae are curved in opposite directions in these two locomotor categories. This study also examines sagittal curvature in the humerus in the same species, and finds differences that can be attributed to similar adaptations: the bone is curved to counter the habitual muscle action required by the animal’s lifestyle, the difference being mainly in the distal part of the humerus, where arboreal animals tend have a cranial concavity, thought to be in response the carpal and digital muscles that pull cranially on the distal humerus.

Genomics-informed isolation and characterization of a symbiotic Nanoarchaeota system from a terrestrial geothermal environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Wurch, Louie; Giannone, Richard J; Belisle, Bernard S; Swift, Carolyn; Utturkar, Sagar; Hettich, Robert L; Reysenbach, Anna-Louise; Podar, Mircea

2016-07-05

Biological features can be inferred, based on genomic data, for many microbial lineages that remain uncultured. However, cultivation is important for characterizing an organism's physiology and testing its genome-encoded potential. Here we use single-cell genomics to infer cultivation conditions for the isolation of an ectosymbiotic Nanoarchaeota ('Nanopusillus acidilobi') and its host (Acidilobus, a crenarchaeote) from a terrestrial geothermal environment. The cells of 'Nanopusillus' are among the smallest known cellular organisms (100-300 nm). They appear to have a complete genetic information processing machinery, but lack almost all primary biosynthetic functions as well as respiration and ATP synthesis. Genomic and proteomic comparison with its distant relative, the marine Nanoarchaeum equitans illustrate an ancient, common evolutionary history of adaptation of the Nanoarchaeota to ectosymbiosis, so far unique among the Archaea.

Modeling and estimation of a low degree geopotential model from terrestrial gravity data

Science.gov (United States)

Pavlis, Nikolaos K.

1988-01-01

The development of appropriate modeling and adjustment procedures for the estimation of harmonic coefficients of the geopotential, from surface gravity data was studied, in order to provide an optimum way of utilizing the terrestrial gravity information in combination solutions currently developed at NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, for use in the TOPEX/POSEIDON mission. The mathematical modeling was based on the fundamental boundary condition of the linearized Molodensky boundary value problem. Atmospheric and ellipsoidal corrections were applied to the surface anomalies. Terrestrial gravity solutions were found to be in good agreement with the satellite ones over areas which are well surveyed (gravimetrically), such as North America or Australia. However, systematic differences between the terrestrial only models and GEMT1, over extended regions in Africa, the Soviet Union, and China were found. In Africa, gravity anomaly differences on the order of 20 mgals and undulation differences on the order of 15 meters, over regions extending 2000 km in diameter, occur. Comparisons of the GEMT1 implied undulations with 32 well distributed Doppler derived undulations gave an RMS difference of 2.6 m, while corresponding comparison with undulations implied by the terrestrial solution gave RMS difference on the order of 15 m, which implies that the terrestrial data in that region are substantially in error.

Reciprocal subsidies and food web pathways leading to chum salmon fry in a temperate marine-terrestrial ecotone.

Science.gov (United States)

Romanuk, Tamara N; Levings, Colin D

2010-04-08

Stable isotope analysis was used to determine the relative proportions of terrestrial and marine subsidies of carbon to invertebrates along a tidal gradient (low-intertidal, mid-intertidal, high-intertidal, supralittoral) and to determine the relative importance of terrestrial carbon in food web pathways leading to chum salmon fry Oncorhynchus keta (Walbaum) in Howe Sound, British Columbia. We found a clear gradient in the proportion of terrestrially derived carbon along the tidal gradient ranging from 68% across all invertebrate taxa in the supralittoral to 25% in the high-intertidal, 20% in the mid-intertidal, and 12% in the low-intertidal. Stable isotope values of chum salmon fry indicated carbon contributions from both terrestrial and marine sources, with terrestrially derived carbon ranging from 12.8 to 61.5% in the muscle tissue of chum salmon fry (mean 30%). Our results provide evidence for reciprocal subsidies of marine and terrestrially derived carbon on beaches in the estuary and suggest that the vegetated supralittoral is an important trophic link in supplying terrestrial carbon to nearshore food webs.

Radio Astronomy Explorer /RAE/. I - Observations of terrestrial radio noise.

Science.gov (United States)

Herman, J. R.; Caruso, J. A.; Stone, R. G.

1973-01-01

Radio Astronomy Explorer (RAE) I data are analyzed to establish characteristics of HF terrestrial radio noise at an altitude of about 6000 km. Time and frequency variations in amplitude of the observed noise well above cosmic noise background are explained on the basis of temporal and spatial variations in ionospheric critical frequency coupled with those in noise source distributions. It is shown that terrestrial radio noise regularly breaks through the ionosphere and reaches RAE with magnitudes 15 dB and more above cosmic noise background, on frequencies above the F-layer critical frequency.

Synthesis, characterization and catalytic activity of silver nanoparticles using Tribulus terrestris leaf extract.

Science.gov (United States)

Ashokkumar, S; Ravi, S; Kathiravan, V; Velmurugan, S

2014-01-01

Biomediated silver nanoparticles were synthesized with the aid of an eco-friendly biomaterial, namely, aqueous Tribulus terrestris extract. Silver nanoparticles were synthesized using a rapid, single step, and completely green biosynthetic method employing aqueous T. terrestris leaf extracts as both the reducing and capping agent. Silver ions were rapidly reduced by aqueous T. terrestris leaf extracts, leading to the formation of highly crystalline silver nanoparticles. An attempt has been made and formation of the silver nanoparticles was verified by surface plasmon spectra using an UV-vis (Ultra violet), spectrophotometer. Morphology and crystalline structure of the prepared silver nanoparticles were characterized by TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) and XRD (X-ray Diffraction), techniques, respectively. FT-IR (Fourier Transform Infrared), analysis suggests that the obtained silver nanoparticles might be stabilized through the interactions of carboxylic groups, carbonyl groups and the flavonoids present in the T. terrestris extract. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Incorporation of microplastics from litter into burrows of Lumbricus terrestris.

Science.gov (United States)

Huerta Lwanga, Esperanza; Gertsen, Hennie; Gooren, Harm; Peters, Piet; Salánki, Tamás; van der Ploeg, Martine; Besseling, Ellen; Koelmans, Albert A; Geissen, Violette

2017-01-01

Pollution caused by plastic debris is an urgent environmental problem. Here, we assessed the effects of microplastics in the soil surface litter on the formation and characterization of burrows built by the anecic earthworm Lumbricus terrestris in soil and quantified the amount of microplastics that was transported and deposited in L. terrestris burrows. Worms were exposed to soil surface litter treatments containing microplastics (Low Density Polyethylene) for 2 weeks at concentrations of 0%, 7%, 28%, 45% and 60%. The latter representing environmentally realistic concentrations found in hot spot soil locations. There were significantly more burrows found when soil was exposed to the surface treatment composed of 7% microplastics than in all other treatments. The highest amount of organic matter in the walls of the burrows was observed after using the treatments containing 28 and 45% microplastics. The highest microplastic bioturbation efficiency ratio (total microplastics (mg) in burrow walls/initial total surface litter microplastics (mg)) was found using the concentration of 7% microplastics, where L. terrestris introduced 73.5% of the surface microplastics into the burrow walls. The highest burrow wall microplastic content per unit weight of soil (11.8 ± 4.8 g kg- 1 ) was found using a concentration of 60% microplastics. L. terrestris was responsible for size-selective downward transport when exposed to concentrations of 7, 28 and 45% microplastics in the surface litter, as the fraction ≤50 μm microplastics in burrow walls increased by 65% compared to this fraction in the original surface litter plastic. We conclude that the high biogenic incorporation rate of the small-fraction microplastics from surface litter into burrow walls causes a risk of leaching through preferential flow into groundwater bodies. Furthermore, this leaching may have implications for the subsequent availability of microplastics to terrestrial organisms or for the transport

Sequential optimization of a terrestrial biosphere model constrained by multiple satellite based products

Science.gov (United States)

Ichii, K.; Kondo, M.; Wang, W.; Hashimoto, H.; Nemani, R. R.

2012-12-01

Various satellite-based spatial products such as evapotranspiration (ET) and gross primary productivity (GPP) are now produced by integration of ground and satellite observations. Effective use of these multiple satellite-based products in terrestrial biosphere models is an important step toward better understanding of terrestrial carbon and water cycles. However, due to the complexity of terrestrial biosphere models with large number of model parameters, the application of these spatial data sets in terrestrial biosphere models is difficult. In this study, we established an effective but simple framework to refine a terrestrial biosphere model, Biome-BGC, using multiple satellite-based products as constraints. We tested the framework in the monsoon Asia region covered by AsiaFlux observations. The framework is based on the hierarchical analysis (Wang et al. 2009) with model parameter optimization constrained by satellite-based spatial data. The Biome-BGC model is separated into several tiers to minimize the freedom of model parameter selections and maximize the independency from the whole model. For example, the snow sub-model is first optimized using MODIS snow cover product, followed by soil water sub-model optimized by satellite-based ET (estimated by an empirical upscaling method; Support Vector Regression (SVR) method; Yang et al. 2007), photosynthesis model optimized by satellite-based GPP (based on SVR method), and respiration and residual carbon cycle models optimized by biomass data. As a result of initial assessment, we found that most of default sub-models (e.g. snow, water cycle and carbon cycle) showed large deviations from remote sensing observations. However, these biases were removed by applying the proposed framework. For example, gross primary productivities were initially underestimated in boreal and temperate forest and overestimated in tropical forests. However, the parameter optimization scheme successfully reduced these biases. Our analysis

Terrestrial ages of ordinary chondrites from the lewis cliff stranding area, East Antarctica

Science.gov (United States)

Welten, K. C.; Lindner, L.; Alderliesten, C.; van der Borg, K.

1999-07-01

We determined terrestrial ages of ordinary chondrites from the Lewis Cliff stranding area, East Antarctica, on the basis of the concentrations of cosmogenic 10Be (t1/2 = 1.51 Ma), 26Al (t1/2 = 0.705 Ma) and 36Cl (t1/2 = 0.301 Ma). After an initial 26Al -ray survey of 91 meteorites suggested that many have terrestrial ages larger than 0.1 Ma, we selected 62 meteorites for 10Be and 26Al measurements by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and measured 36Cl in twelve of those. Low terrestrial ages (Ma) were found for about 60% of the meteorites, whereas all others have ages between 0.1 and 0.5 Ma, except for one exceptional age of >2 Ma (Welten et al., 1997). Our major conclusions are: (1) The Lewis Cliff H-chondrites show similar ages as those from the Allan Hills Ice-fields, but the L-chondrites are about a factor of two younger than those from Allan Hills, which indicates that Lewis Cliff is a younger stranding area. (2) The terrestrial age distributions at different parts of the Lewis Cliff stranding area generally agree with simple meteorite concentration models, although differences in weathering rate may also play a role. (3) We confirm that meteorites with natural thermoluminescence (TL) levels >80 krad are associated with low terrestrial ages (Benoit et al., 1992), but conclude that natural TL levels <80 krad can not be used to calculate the terrestrial age of a meteorite. Natural TL levels do seem useful to estimate relative terrestrial ages of large groups of meteorites and to determine differences in surface exposure age of paired meteorite fragments. (4) Of the 62 meteorites measured with AMS, 31 were assigned to eleven different pairing groups, mainly on the basis of their cosmogenic nuclide record. The meteorites are estimated to represent between 42 and 52 distinct falls.

Learned Compact Local Feature Descriptor for Tls-Based Geodetic Monitoring of Natural Outdoor Scenes

Science.gov (United States)

Gojcic, Z.; Zhou, C.; Wieser, A.

2018-05-01

The advantages of terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) for geodetic monitoring of man-made and natural objects are not yet fully exploited. Herein we address one of the open challenges by proposing feature-based methods for identification of corresponding points in point clouds of two or more epochs. We propose a learned compact feature descriptor tailored for point clouds of natural outdoor scenes obtained using TLS. We evaluate our method both on a benchmark data set and on a specially acquired outdoor dataset resembling a simplified monitoring scenario where we successfully estimate 3D displacement vectors of a rock that has been displaced between the scans. We show that the proposed descriptor has the capacity to generalize to unseen data and achieves state-of-the-art performance while being time efficient at the matching step due the low dimension.

Direct and terrestrial vegetation-mediated effects of environmental change on aquatic ecosystem processes

Science.gov (United States)

Becky A. Ball; John S. Kominoski; Heather E. Adams; Stuart E. Jones; Evan S. Kane; Terrance D. Loecke; Wendy M. Mahaney; Jason P. Martina; Chelse M. Prather; Todd M.P. Robinson; Christopher T. Solomon

2010-01-01

Global environmental changes have direct effects on aquatic ecosystems, as well as indirect effects through alterations of adjacent terrestrial ecosystem structure and functioning. For example, shifts in terrestrial vegetation communities resulting from global changes can affect the quantity and quality of water, organic matter, and nutrient inputs to aquatic...

Terrestrial Zone Exoplanets and Life

Science.gov (United States)

Matthews, Brenda

2018-01-01

One of the most exciting results from ALMA has been the detection of significant substructure within protoplanetary disks that can be linked to planet formation processes. For the first time, we are able to observe the process of assembly of material into larger bodies within such disks. It is not possible, however, for ALMA to probe the growth of planets in protoplanetary disks at small radii, i.e., in the terrestrial zone, where we expect rocky terrestrial planets to form. In this regime, the optical depths prohibit observation at the high frequencies observed by ALMA. To probe the effects of planet building processes and detect telltale gaps and signatures of planetary mass bodies at such small separations from the parent star, we require a facility of superior resolution and sensitivity at lower frequencies. The ngVLA is just such a facility. We will present the fundamental science that will be enabled by the ngVLA in protoplanetary disk structure and the formation of planets. In addition, we will discuss the potential for an ngVLA facility to detect the molecules that are the building blocks of life, reaching limits well beyond those reachable with the current generation of telescopes, and also to determine whether such planets will be habitable based on studies of the impact of stars on their nearest planetary neighbours.

Energy-Efficient Optimal Power Allocation in Integrated Wireless Sensor and Cognitive Satellite Terrestrial Networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Shi, Shengchao; Li, Guangxia; An, Kang; Gao, Bin; Zheng, Gan

2017-09-04

This paper proposes novel satellite-based wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which integrate the WSN with the cognitive satellite terrestrial network. Having the ability to provide seamless network access and alleviate the spectrum scarcity, cognitive satellite terrestrial networks are considered as a promising candidate for future wireless networks with emerging requirements of ubiquitous broadband applications and increasing demand for spectral resources. With the emerging environmental and energy cost concerns in communication systems, explicit concerns on energy efficient resource allocation in satellite networks have also recently received considerable attention. In this regard, this paper proposes energy-efficient optimal power allocation schemes in the cognitive satellite terrestrial networks for non-real-time and real-time applications, respectively, which maximize the energy efficiency (EE) of the cognitive satellite user while guaranteeing the interference at the primary terrestrial user below an acceptable level. Specifically, average interference power (AIP) constraint is employed to protect the communication quality of the primary terrestrial user while average transmit power (ATP) or peak transmit power (PTP) constraint is adopted to regulate the transmit power of the satellite user. Since the energy-efficient power allocation optimization problem belongs to the nonlinear concave fractional programming problem, we solve it by combining Dinkelbach's method with Lagrange duality method. Simulation results demonstrate that the fading severity of the terrestrial interference link is favorable to the satellite user who can achieve EE gain under the ATP constraint comparing to the PTP constraint.

Terrestrial pesticide exposure of amphibians: an underestimated cause of global decline?

Science.gov (United States)

Brühl, Carsten A; Schmidt, Thomas; Pieper, Silvia; Alscher, Annika

2013-01-01

Amphibians, a class of animals in global decline, are present in agricultural landscapes characterized by agrochemical inputs. Effects of pesticides on terrestrial life stages of amphibians such as juvenile and adult frogs, toads and newts are little understood and a specific risk assessment for pesticide exposure, mandatory for other vertebrate groups, is currently not conducted. We studied the effects of seven pesticide products on juvenile European common frogs (Rana temporaria) in an agricultural overspray scenario. Mortality ranged from 100% after one hour to 40% after seven days at the recommended label rate of currently registered products. The demonstrated toxicity is alarming and a large-scale negative effect of terrestrial pesticide exposure on amphibian populations seems likely. Terrestrial pesticide exposure might be underestimated as a driver of their decline calling for more attention in conservation efforts and the risk assessment procedures in place do not protect this vanishing animal group.

The quiet time structure of energetic (35--560 keV) radiation belt electrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyons, L.R.; Williams, D.J.

1975-01-01

Detailed Explorer 45 equatorial observations of the quiet time structure of radiation belt electrons (35--560 keV) for 1.7approximately-less-thanLapproximately-less-than5.2 are presented. Throughout the slot region and outer regions of the plasmasphere the observed pitch angle distributions are found to agree with those expected from resonant interactions with the plasmaspheric whistler mode wave band. Coulomb collisions become the dominant loss mechanism within the inner zone. The overall two-zone structure of the observed radial profiles is found to agree with the equilibrium structure expected to result from a balance between pitch angle scattering losses and radial diffusion from an average outer zone source. This agreement suggests that the dominant quiet time source and loss mechanisms have been identified and evaluated for energetic radiation belt electrons within the plasmasphere. In the outer regions of the plasmasphere (Lapprox.5) the equilibrium structure is observed to be modified by daily flux variations associated with changes in the level of magnetic activity that occur even during relatively quiet times. Within the inner region of the plasmasphere (Lapproximately-less-than3.5), electron fluxes are decoupled from these magnetic activity variations by the long time scales (>10 days) required for pitch angle and radial diffusion. Consequently, fluxes of these electrons are observed to remain nearly constant at equilibrium levels throughout the quiet periods examined

Antartic observations of plasma convection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hansen, H.J.

1983-01-01

This thesis is concerned with the use of whistler duct tracking as a diagnostic for the behaviour of plasma in the plasmasphere. As a setting for the results given in the thesis, a broad review is presented which embraces pertinent aspects of previous experimental and theoretical studies of the plasmasphere. From a study of 24 hours of continuous whistler data recorded at Sanae, (L = 3,98), it is shown that associated with quiet magnetic conditions (Av Ksub(p)=1), there exists two plasmasphere bulges centred on about 1700 and 0100 UT. There is evidence that these plasmasphere bulge structures are part of a ground-state or reference base drift pattern. Electric field measurements provide some evidence that quiet time plasmasphere drift behaviour is controlled by the internal ionospheric current systems of dynamo origin, rather than being controlled by magnetospheric convection. Finally, this thesis describes an application of the whistler duct tracking technique to whistler data recorded simultaneously at two ground-based stations (Sanae (L = 3,98) and Halley (L = 4,23)). The identification of common whistler components on each station's data set provides a means of estimating the lifetimes of the associated whistler ducts. Duct lifetimes of as little as 30 minutes are found. Such short lived ducts have important implications for current theories of duct formation

Trophic Transfer of Arsenic from an Aquatic Insect to Terrestrial Insect Predators

OpenAIRE

Mogren, Christina L.; Walton, William E.; Parker, David R.; Trumble, John T.

2013-01-01

The movement of energy and nutrients from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems can be substantial, and emergent aquatic insects can serve as biovectors not only for nutrients, but also for contaminants present in the aquatic environment. The terrestrial predators Tenodera aridifolia sinensis (Mantodea: Mantidae) and Tidarren haemorrhoidale (Araneae: Theridiidae) and the aquatic predator Buenoa scimitra (Hemiptera: Notonectidae) were chosen to evaluate the efficacy of arsenic transfer between aqu...

Amphibians at risk? Susceptibility of terrestrial amphibian life stages to pesticides.

Science.gov (United States)

Brühl, Carsten A; Pieper, Silvia; Weber, Brigitte

2011-11-01

Current pesticide risk assessment does not specifically consider amphibians. Amphibians in the aquatic environment (aquatic life stages or postmetamorphic aquatic amphibians) and terrestrial living juvenile or adult amphibians are assumed to be covered by the risk assessment for aquatic invertebrates and fish, or mammals and birds, respectively. This procedure has been evaluated as being sufficiently protective regarding the acute risk posed by a number of pesticides to aquatic amphibian life stages (eggs, larvae). However, it is unknown whether the exposure and sensitivity of terrestrial living amphibians are comparable to mammalian and avian exposure and sensitivity. We reviewed the literature on dermal pesticide absorption and toxicity studies for terrestrial life stages of amphibians, focusing on the dermal exposure pathway, that is, through treated soil or direct overspray. In vitro studies demonstrated that cutaneous absorption of chemicals is significant and that chemical percutaneous passage, P (cm/h), is higher in amphibians than in mammals. In vivo, the rapid and substantial uptake of the herbicide atrazine from treated soil by toads (Bufo americanus) has been described. Severe toxic effects on various amphibian species have been reported for field-relevant application rates of different pesticides. In general, exposure and toxicity studies for terrestrial amphibian life stages are scarce, and the reported data indicate the need for further research, especially in light of the global amphibian decline. Copyright © 2011 SETAC.

Estimation of Global 1km-grid Terrestrial Carbon Exchange Part II: Evaluations and Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Murakami, K.; Sasai, T.; Kato, S.; Niwa, Y.; Saito, M.; Takagi, H.; Matsunaga, T.; Hiraki, K.; Maksyutov, S. S.; Yokota, T.

2015-12-01

Global terrestrial carbon cycle largely depends on a spatial pattern in land cover type, which is heterogeneously-distributed over regional and global scales. Many studies have been trying to reveal distribution of carbon exchanges between terrestrial ecosystems and atmosphere for understanding global carbon cycle dynamics by using terrestrial biosphere models, satellite data, inventory data, and so on. However, most studies remained within several tens of kilometers grid spatial resolution, and the results have not been enough to understand the detailed pattern of carbon exchanges based on ecological community and to evaluate the carbon stocks by forest ecosystems in each countries. Improving the sophistication of spatial resolution is obviously necessary to enhance the accuracy of carbon exchanges. Moreover, the improvement may contribute to global warming awareness, policy makers and other social activities. We show global terrestrial carbon exchanges (net ecosystem production, net primary production, and gross primary production) with 1km-grid resolution. The methodology for these estimations are shown in the 2015 AGU FM poster "Estimation of Global 1km-grid Terrestrial Carbon Exchange Part I: Developing Inputs and Modelling". In this study, we evaluated the carbon exchanges in various regions with other approaches. We used the satellite-driven biosphere model (BEAMS) as our estimations, GOSAT L4A CO2 flux data, NEP retrieved by NICAM and CarbonTracer2013 flux data, for period from Jun 2001 to Dec 2012. The temporal patterns for this period were indicated similar trends between BEAMS, GOSAT, NICAM, and CT2013 in many sub-continental regions. Then, we estimated the terrestrial carbon exchanges in each countries, and could indicated the temporal patterns of the exchanges in large carbon stock regions.Global terrestrial carbon cycle largely depends on a spatial pattern of land cover type, which is heterogeneously-distributed over regional and global scales. Many

Anthropomorphism in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence - The limits of cognition?

Science.gov (United States)

Bohlmann, Ulrike M.; Bürger, Moritz J. F.

2018-02-01

The question "Are we alone?" lingers in the human mind since ancient times. Early human civilisations populated the heavens above with a multitude of Gods endowed with some all too human characteristics - from their outer appearance to their innermost motivations. En passant they created thereby their own cultural founding myths on which they built their understanding of the world and its phenomena and deduced as well rules for the functioning of their own society. Advancing technology has enabled us to conduct this human quest for knowledge with more scientific means: optical and radio-wavelengths are being monitored for messages by an extra-terrestrial intelligence and active messaging attempts have also been undertaken. Scenarios have been developed for a possible detection of extra-terrestrial intelligence and post-detection guidelines and protocols have been elaborated. The human responses to the whole array of questions concerning the potential existence, discovery of and communication/interaction with an extra-terrestrial intelligence share as one clear thread a profound anthropomorphism, which ascribes classical human behavioural patterns also to an extra-terrestrial intelligence in much the same way as our ancestors attributed comparable conducts to mythological figures. This paper aims at pinpointing this thread in a number of classical reactions to basic questions related to the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence. Many of these reactions are based on human motives such as curiosity and fear, rationalised by experience and historical analogy and modelled in the Science Fiction Culture by literature and movies. Scrutinising the classical hypothetical explanations of the Fermi paradox under the angle of a potentially undue anthropomorphism, this paper intends to assist in understanding our human epistemological limitations in the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence. This attempt is structured into a series of questions: I. Can we be alone? II

Strategies for monitoring terrestrial animals and habitats

Science.gov (United States)

Richard Holthausen; Raymond L. Czaplewski; Don DeLorenzo; Greg Hayward; Winifred B. Kessler; Pat Manley; Kevin S. McKelvey; Douglas S. Powell; Leonard F. Ruggiero; Michael K. Schwartz; Bea Van Horne; Christina D. Vojta

2005-01-01

This General Technical Report (GTR) addresses monitoring strategies for terrestrial animals and habitats. It focuses on monitoring associated with National Forest Management Act planning and is intended to apply primarily to monitoring efforts that are broader than individual National Forests. Primary topics covered in the GTR are monitoring requirements; ongoing...

Structural Analysis of Hand Drawn Bumblebee Bombus terrestris Silk

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea L. Woodhead

2016-07-01

Full Text Available Bombus terrestris, commonly known as the buff-tailed bumblebee, is native to Europe, parts of Africa and Asia. It is commercially bred for use as a pollinator of greenhouse crops. Larvae pupate within a silken cocoon that they construct from proteins produced in modified salivary glands. The amino acid composition and protein structure of hand drawn B. terrestris, silk fibres was investigated through the use of micro-Raman spectroscopy. Spectra were obtained from single fibres drawn from the larvae salivary gland at a rate of 0.14 cm/s. Raman spectroscopy enabled the identification of poly(alanine, poly(alanine-glycine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, and methionine, which is consistent with the results of amino acid analysis. The dominant protein conformation was found to be coiled coil (73% while the β-sheet content of 10% is, as expected, lower than those reported for hornets and ants. Polarized Raman spectra revealed that the coiled coils were highly aligned along the fibre axis while the β-sheet and random coil components had their peptide carbonyl groups roughly perpendicular to the fibre axis. The protein orientation distribution is compared to those of other natural and recombinant silks. A structural model for the B. terrestris silk fibre is proposed based on these results.

Peatland geoengineering: an alternative approach to terrestrial carbon sequestration.

Science.gov (United States)

Freeman, Christopher; Fenner, Nathalie; Shirsat, Anil H

2012-09-13

Terrestrial and oceanic ecosystems contribute almost equally to the sequestration of ca 50 per cent of anthropogenic CO(2) emissions, and already play a role in minimizing our impact on Earth's climate. On land, the majority of the sequestered carbon enters soil carbon stores. Almost one-third of that soil carbon can be found in peatlands, an area covering just 2-3% of the Earth's landmass. Peatlands are thus well established as powerful agents of carbon capture and storage; the preservation of archaeological artefacts, such as ancient bog bodies, further attest to their exceptional preservative properties. Peatlands have higher carbon storage densities per unit ecosystem area than either the oceans or dry terrestrial systems. However, despite attempts over a number of years at enhancing carbon capture in the oceans or in land-based afforestation schemes, no attempt has yet been made to optimize peatland carbon storage capacity or even to harness peatlands to store externally captured carbon. Recent studies suggest that peatland carbon sequestration is due to the inhibitory effects of phenolic compounds that create an 'enzymic latch' on decomposition. Here, we propose to harness that mechanism in a series of peatland geoengineering strategies whereby molecular, biogeochemical, agronomical and afforestation approaches increase carbon capture and long-term sequestration in peat-forming terrestrial ecosystems.

Measurement Axis Searching Model for Terrestrial Laser Scans Registration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shaoxing Hu

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, terrestrial Lidar scans can cover rather a large area; the point densities are strongly varied because of the line-of-sight measurement principle in potential overlaps with scans taken from different viewpoints. Most of the traditional methods focus on registration algorithm and ignore searching model. Sometimes the traditional methods are directly used to align two point clouds; a large critically unsolved problem of the large biases will be created in areas distant from the overlaps while the local overlaps are often aligned well. So a novel measurement axis searching model (MASM has been proposed in this paper. The method includes four steps: (1 the principal axis fitting, (2 the measurement axis generation, (3 low-high-precision search, and (4 result generation. The principal axis gives an orientation to the point cloud; the search scope is limited by the measurement axis. The point cloud orientation can be adjusted gradually until the achievement of the global optimum using low- and high-precision search. We perform some experiments with simulated point clouds and real terrestrial laser scans. The results of simulated point clouds have shown the processing steps of our method, and the results of real terrestrial laser scans have shown the sensitivity of the approach with respect to the indoor and outdoor scenes.

HOVE-Wedge-Filtering of Geomorphologic Terrestrial Laser Scan Data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Helmut Panholzer

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Terrestrial laser scanning has become an important surveying technique in many fields such as natural hazard assessment. To analyse earth surface processes, it is useful to generate a digital terrain model originated from laser scan point cloud data. To determine the terrain surface as precisely as possible, it is often necessary to filter out points that do not represent the terrain surface. Examples are vegetation, vehicles, and animals. In mountainous terrain with a small-structured topography, filtering is very difficult. Here, automatic filtering solutions usually designed for airborne laser scan data often lead to unsatisfactory results. In this work, we further develop an existing approach for automated filtering of terrestrial laser scan data, which is based on the assumption that no other surface point can be located in the area above a direct line of sight between scanner and another measured point. By taking into account several environmental variables and a repetitive calculation method, the modified method leads to significantly better results. The root-mean-square-error (RSME for the same test measurement area could be reduced from 5.284 to 1.610. In addition, a new approach for filtering and interpolation of terrestrial laser scanning data is presented using a grid with horizontal and vertical angular data and the measurement length.

A collaborative approach for estimating terrestrial wildlife abundance

Science.gov (United States)

Ransom, Jason I.; Kaczensky, Petra; Lubow, Bruce C.; Ganbaatar, Oyunsaikhan; Altansukh, Nanjid

2012-01-01

Accurately estimating abundance of wildlife is critical for establishing effective conservation and management strategies. Aerial methodologies for estimating abundance are common in developed countries, but they are often impractical for remote areas of developing countries where many of the world's endangered and threatened fauna exist. The alternative terrestrial methodologies can be constrained by limitations on access, technology, and human resources, and have rarely been comprehensively conducted for large terrestrial mammals at landscape scales. We attempted to overcome these problems by incorporating local peoples into a simultaneous point count of Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus) and goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) across the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area, Mongolia. Paired observers collected abundance and covariate metrics at 50 observation points and we estimated population sizes using distance sampling theory, but also assessed individual observer error to examine potential bias introduced by the large number of minimally trained observers. We estimated 5671 (95% CI = 3611–8907) wild asses and 5909 (95% CI = 3762–9279) gazelle inhabited the 11,027 km2 study area at the time of our survey and found that the methodology developed was robust at absorbing the logistical challenges and wide range of observer abilities. This initiative serves as a functional model for estimating terrestrial wildlife abundance while integrating local people into scientific and conservation projects. This, in turn, creates vested interest in conservation by the people who are most influential in, and most affected by, the outcomes.

Automated Detection of Geomorphic Features in LiDAR Point Clouds of Various Spatial Density

Science.gov (United States)

Dorninger, Peter; Székely, Balázs; Zámolyi, András.; Nothegger, Clemens

2010-05-01

LiDAR, also referred to as laser scanning, has proved to be an important tool for topographic data acquisition. Terrestrial laser scanning allows for accurate (several millimeter) and high resolution (several centimeter) data acquisition at distances of up to some hundred meters. By contrast, airborne laser scanning allows for acquiring homogeneous data for large areas, albeit with lower accuracy (decimeter) and resolution (some ten points per square meter) compared to terrestrial laser scanning. Hence, terrestrial laser scanning is preferably used for precise data acquisition of limited areas such as landslides or steep structures, while airborne laser scanning is well suited for the acquisition of topographic data of huge areas or even country wide. Laser scanners acquire more or less homogeneously distributed point clouds. These points represent natural objects like terrain and vegetation and artificial objects like buildings, streets or power lines. Typical products derived from such data are geometric models such as digital surface models representing all natural and artificial objects and digital terrain models representing the geomorphic topography only. As the LiDAR technology evolves, the amount of data produced increases almost exponentially even in smaller projects. This means a considerable challenge for the end user of the data: the experimenter has to have enough knowledge, experience and computer capacity in order to manage the acquired dataset and to derive geomorphologically relevant information from the raw or intermediate data products. Additionally, all this information might need to be integrated with other data like orthophotos. In all theses cases, in general, interactive interpretation is necessary to determine geomorphic structures from such models to achieve effective data reduction. There is little support for the automatic determination of characteristic features and their statistical evaluation. From the lessons learnt from automated

Reconciling apparent inconsistencies in estimates of terrestrial CO2 sources and sinks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

House, J.I.; Prentice, I.C.; Heimann, M.; Ramankutty, N.

2003-01-01

The magnitude and location of terrestrial carbon sources and sinks remains subject to large uncertainties. Estimates of terrestrial CO 2 fluxes from ground-based inventory measurements typically find less carbon uptake than inverse model calculations based on atmospheric CO 2 measurements, while a wide range of results have been obtained using models of different types. However, when full account is taken of the processes, pools, time scales and geographic areas being measured, the different approaches can be understood as complementary rather than inconsistent, and can provide insight as to the contribution of various processes to the terrestrial carbon budget. For example, quantitative differences between atmospheric inversion model estimates and forest inventory estimates in northern extratropical regions suggest that carbon fluxes to soils (often not accounted for in inventories), and into non-forest vegetation, may account for about half of the terrestrial uptake. A consensus of inventory and inverse methods indicates that, in the 1980s, northern extratropical land regions were a large net sink of carbon, and the tropics were approximately neutral (albeit with high uncertainty around the central estimate of zero net flux). The terrestrial flux in southern extratropical regions was small. Book-keeping model studies of the impacts of land-use change indicated a large source in the tropics and almost zero net flux for most northern extratropical regions; similar land use change impacts were also recently obtained using process-based models. The difference between book-keeping land-use change model studies and inversions or inventories was previously interpreted as a 'missing' terrestrial carbon uptake. Land-use change studies do not account for environmental or many management effects (which are implicitly included in inventory and inversion methods). Process-based model studies have quantified the impacts of CO 2 fertilisation and climate change in addition to

Using traps of terrestrial insects in culture of rheophilic fish fingerling

OpenAIRE

HERCIG, Daniel

2008-01-01

Food is one of the most important items in fish culture economy. Juvenile fish prove the fastest growth rates and that is the reason why their appropriate nourishment is so important. Surface drift of terrestrial insects provides an excellent food for rheophilic fish species . Reophilic fishes are able to utilise also plants and particularly algae too. Terrestrial insects can be attracted to water surface by various ways. Is it a light trap during the night. The installation of colour traps i...

Role of Tribulus terrestris in Male Infertility: Is It Real or Fiction?

Science.gov (United States)

GamalEl Din, Sameh Fayek

2017-12-20

Tribulus terrestris is an annual herb of the Zygophyllaceae family and is commonly known as Gokshur, Gokharu, or puncturevine. Flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins, lignin, amides, and glycosides are the main active phytoconstituents of this plant. Infertility is defined by the failure to conceive a child after one year or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. Infertility affects society at large and has a negative impact on the social and emotional aspects of the patient. This in-depth review presents several studies that evaluate the role of Tribulus terrestris in a chronological order to help us better understand the exact mechanism by which this herbal medicine acts in male infertility. In conclusion, the exact role of Tribulus terrestris in male infertility is still controversial and needs future double-blind placebo-controlled studies that deploy larger cohorts.

Control of breathing in African lungfish (Protopterus dolloi): A comparison of aquatic and cocooned (terrestrialized) animals

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perry, S.F.; Euverman, R.; Wang, Tobias

2008-01-01

in terrestrialized fish consisted of multiple bouts of inspiration and expiration in rapid succession, the mean frequency of pulmonary breathing events was unaltered in the terrestrialized fish (16.7 ± 1.4 h-1 versus 20.1 ± 4.9 h-1 in the aquatic and terrestrialized fish, respectively). Hypoxia ( 20 mmHg) increased...... the frequency of breathing events by 16 and 23 h-1 in the aquatic and terrestrialized fish, respectively. Hyperoxia ( 550 mmHg) decreased breathing event frequency by 10 and 15 h-1 in the aquatic and terrestrialized animals. Aquatic hypercapnia ( 37.5 mmHg) increased pulmonary breathing frequency (from 15......African lungfish, Protopterus dolloi exhibited constant rates of O2 consumption before (0.95 ± 0.07 mmol kg-1 h-1), during (1.21 ± 0.32 mmol kg-1 h-1) and after (1.14 ± 0.14 mmol kg-1 h-1) extended periods (1-2 months) of terrestrialization while cocooned. Although a breathing event...

Isodose mapping of terrestrial gamma radiation dose rate of Selangor state, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sanusi, M.S.M.; Ramli, A.T.; Gabdo, H.T.; Garba, N.N.; Heryanshah, A.; Wagiran, H.; Said, M.N.

2014-01-01

A terrestrial gamma radiation survey for the state of Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya was conducted to obtain baseline data for environmental radiological health practices. Based on soil type, geological background and information from airborne survey maps, 95 survey points statistically representing the study area were determined. The measured doses varied according to geological background and soil types. They ranged from 17 nGy h −1 to 500 nGy h −1 . The mean terrestrial gamma dose rate in air above the ground was 182 ± 81 nGy h −1 . This is two times higher than the average dose rate of terrestrial gamma radiation in Malaysia which is 92 nGy h −1 (UNSCEAR 2000). An isodose map was produced to represent exposure rate from natural sources of terrestrial gamma radiation. - Highlights: • A methodology is presented to reduce terrestrial gamma dose rate field survey. • Geological background of acid intrusive of granitic type has the highest dose rates. • The mean dose rate is 2 times higher than the world average. • Isodose map of terrestrial gamma radiation for Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya was produced

[Effect of Tribulus terrestris extract on melanocyte-stimulating hormone expression in mouse hair follicles].

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Liu; Lu, Jian-wei; An, Jing; Jiang, Xuan

2006-12-01

To observe the effect of Tribulus terrestris extract on melanocyte stimulating hormone (MSH) expression in C57BL/6J mouse hair follicles, and investigate the role of Tribulus terrestris extract in activation, proliferation, epidermal migration of dormant hair follicle melanocytes. The aqueous extract of Tribulus terrestris was administered orally in specific pathogen-free C57BL/6J mouse at the daily dose equivalent to 1 g/1 kg in adult human, and the expression and distribution of MSH in the mouse hair follicles was observed with immunohistochemistry. The positivity rate of MSH expression in the hair follicle melanocytes was 75% in mice treated with the extract, significantly higher than the rate of only 18.75% in the control group (PTribulus terrestris can significantly increase MSH expression in the hair follicle melanocytes by activating tyrosinase activity and promoting melanocyte proliferation, melanine synthesis, and epidermal migration of dormant melanocytes.

Automatic concrete cracks detection and mapping of terrestrial laser scan data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mostafa Rabah

2013-12-01

The current paper submits a method for automatic concrete cracks detection and mapping from the data that was obtained during laser scanning survey. The method of cracks detection and mapping is achieved by three steps, namely the step of shading correction in the original image, step of crack detection and finally step of crack mapping and processing steps. The detected crack is defined in a pixel coordinate system. To remap the crack into the referred coordinate system, a reverse engineering is used. This is achieved by a hybrid concept of terrestrial laser-scanner point clouds and the corresponding camera image, i.e. a conversion from the pixel coordinate system to the terrestrial laser-scanner or global coordinate system. The results of the experiment show that the mean differences between terrestrial laser scan and the total station are about 30.5, 16.4 and 14.3 mms in x, y and z direction, respectively.

Tc Trends and Terrestrial Planet Formation: The Case of Zeta Reticuli

Science.gov (United States)

Adibekyan, Vardan; Delgado-Mena, Elisa; Figueira, Pedro; Sousa, Sergio; Santos, Nuno; Faria, Joao; González Hernández, Jonay; Israelian, Garik; Harutyunyan, Gohar; Suárez-Andrés, Lucia; Hakobyan, Artur

2016-11-01

During the last decade astronomers have been trying to search for chemical signatures of terrestrial planet formation in the atmospheres of the hosting stars. Several studies suggested that the chemical abundance trend with the condensation temperature, Tc, is a signature of rocky planet formation. In particular, it was suggested that the Sun shows 'peculiar' chemical abundances due to the presence of the terrestrial planets in our solar-system. However, the rocky material accretion or the trap of rocky materials in terrestrial planets is not the only explanation for the chemical 'peculiarity' of the Sun, or other Sun-like stars with planets. In this talk I madea very brief review of this topic, and presented our last results for the particular case of Zeta Reticuli binary system: A very interesting and well-known system (known in science fiction and ufology as the world of Grey Aliens, or Reticulans) where one of the components hosts an exo-Kuiper belt, and the other component is a 'single', 'lonely' star.

Linkages Among Water Vapor Flows, Food Production, and Terrestrial Ecosystem Services

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johan Rockström

1999-12-01

Full Text Available Global freshwater assessments have not addressed the linkages among water vapor flows, agricultural food production, and terrestrial ecosystem services. We perform the first bottom-up estimate of continental water vapor flows, subdivided into the major terrestrial biomes, and arrive at a total continental water vapor flow of 70,000 km3/yr (ranging from 56,000 to 84,000 km3/yr. Of this flow, 90% is attributed to forests, including woodlands (40,000 km3/yr, wetlands (1400 km3/yr, grasslands (15,100 km3/yr, and croplands (6800 km3/yr. These terrestrial biomes sustain society with essential welfare-supporting ecosystem services, including food production. By analyzing the freshwater requirements of an increasing demand for food in the year 2025, we discover a critical trade-off between flows of water vapor for food production and for other welfare-supporting ecosystem services. To reduce the risk of unintentional welfare losses, this trade-off must become embedded in intentional ecohydrological landscape management.

Can space ties on board GNSS satellites replace terrestrial ties in the implementation of Terrestrial Reference Frames?

Science.gov (United States)

Bruni, Sara; Zerbini, Susanna; Altamimi, Zuheir; Rebischung, Paul; Errico, Maddalena; Santi, Efisio

2016-04-01

The realization of Terrestrial Reference Frames (TRFs) must be periodically updated in order to account for newly acquired observations and for upgrades in data analysis procedures and/or combination techniques. Any innovative computation strategy should ameliorate the definition of the frame physical parameters, upon which a number of scientific applications critically rely. On the basis of the requirements of scientific cutting edge studies, the geodetic community has estimated that the present day challenge in the determination of TRFs is to provide a frame that is accurate and long-term stable at the level of 1 mm and 0.1 mm/y respectively. This work aims at characterizing the frame realized by a combination of Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) observations via their co-location on board GNSS spacecrafts. In particular, it is established how such a frame compares to the traditional ITRF computation and what is the impact on the realization of the frame origin and scale. Four years of data from a global network encompassing about one hundred GNSS stations and all SLR sites have been analyzed. In order to ensure the highest possible consistency, the raw data of both techniques are treated with the same analysis Software (Bernese GNSS Software 5.2) following IERS2010 Conventions. Both weekly and long term solutions are carried out exploiting either the Bernese or the Combination and Analysis of Terrestrial Reference Frames (CATREF) Software packages. We present the results of a combination study involving GNSS data and SLR observations to the two LAGEOS and to the GNSS satellites equipped with retroreflector arrays. The latter type of measurements is currently not included in the computation of the official ITRF solutions. The assessment of the benefit that they could provide to the definition of the origin and scale of the ITRF is however worth investigating, as such data provide the potential for linking the GNSS and

The effect of Tribulus terrestris extract on motility and viability of human sperms after cryopreservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Asadmobini, Atefeh; Bakhtiari, Mitra; Khaleghi, Sara; Esmaeili, Farzaneh; Mostafaei, Ali

2017-04-01

Semen cryopreservation produces significant amounts of reactive oxygen species (ROS), which may lead to impairment of sperm morphology, function, and ultimately, male fertility. Since Tribulus terrestris has antioxidant and free-radical-scavenging properties, this study aims to reveal the effect of the Tribulus terrestris extract on motility and vitality of human sperms after cryopreservation. Semen specimens from 80 healthy volunteers were divided into eight groups: fresh control (group I), freeze control (group II), groups III, IV, and V, which had 20, 40, and 50 μg/mL doses of Tribulus terrestris extract added before cryopreservation, and groups VI, VII, and VIII, which were supplemented by these extract doses after the freeze-thaw process. To evaluate the effects of the Tribulus terrestris extract, the semen samples were incubated with the extract and evaluated with a light microscope for motility and viability. After cryopreservation, a significant improvement in spermatozoa viability was observed in group VII. In groups VII and VIII, motility, according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, increased considerably (p Tribulus terrestris, which improves human sperm motility and viability, may be due to its antioxidant properties. On the basis of the results, the researchers concluded that Tribulus terrestris can be used as a safe therapeutic alternative to current modalities for the management of motility dysfunction in males. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Plant ABC transporters enable many unique aspects of a terrestrial plant's lifestyle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hwang, Jae-Ung; Song, Won-Yong; Hong, Daewoong

2016-01-01

Terrestrial plants have two to four times more ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter genes than other organisms, including their ancestral microalgae. Recent studies found that plants harboring mutations in these transporters exhibit dramatic phenotypes, many of which are related to developmental...... to propose that diverse ABC transporters enabled many unique and essential aspects of a terrestrial plant's lifestyle, by transporting various compounds across specific membranes of the plant....

Autogenic geomorphic processes determine the resolution and fidelity of terrestrial paleoclimate records

OpenAIRE

Foreman, Brady Z.; Straub, Kyle M.

2017-01-01

Terrestrial paleoclimate records rely on proxies hosted in alluvial strata whose beds are deposited by unsteady and nonlinear geomorphic processes. It is broadly assumed that this renders the resultant time series of terrestrial paleoclimatic variability noisy and incomplete. We evaluate this assumption using a model of oscillating climate and the precise topographic evolution of an experimental alluvial system. We find that geomorphic stochasticity can create aliasing in the time series and ...

Phylogeography and spatial structure of the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris, Perissodactyla: Tapiridae) in South America.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruiz-García, Manuel; Vásquez, Catalina; Sandoval, Sergio; Kaston, Franz; Luengas-Villamil, Kelly; Shostell, Joseph Mark

2016-07-01

We sequenced the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene of 141 lowland tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) - representing the largest geographical distribution sample of this species studied across of South America to date. We compare our new data regard to two previous works on population structure and molecular systematics of T. terrestris. Our data agree with the Thoisy et al.'s work in (1) the Northern Western Amazon basin was the area with the highest gene diversity levels in T. terrestris, being probably the area of initial diversification; (2) there was no clear association between haplogroups and specific geographical areas; (3) there were clear population decreases during the last glacial maximum for the different haplogroups detected, followed by population expansions during the Holocene; and (4) our temporal splits among different T. terrestris haplogroups coincided with the first molecular clock approach carried out by these authors (fossil calibration). Nevertheless, our study disagreed regard to other aspects of the Thoisy et al.'s claims: (1) meanwhile, they detected four relevant clades in their data, we put forward six different relevant clades; (2) the Amazon River was not a strong barrier for haplotype dispersion in T. terrestris; and (3) we found reciprocal monophyly between T. terrestris and T. pinchaque. Additionally, we sequenced 42 individuals (T. terrestris, T. pinchaque, T. bairdii, and the alleged "new species", T. kabomani) for three concatenated mitochondrial genes (Cyt-b, COI, and COII) agreeing quite well with the view of Voss et al., and against of the claims of Cozzuol et al. Tapirus kabomani should be not considered as a full species with the results obtained throughout the mitochondrial sequences.

Mechanistic controls on diverse fates of terrestrial organic components in the East China Sea

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zhu, C.; Wagner, T.; Talbot, H.M.; Weijers, J.W.H.; Pan, J.-M.; Pancost, R.D.

2013-01-01

Terrestrial carbon transferred from the land to sea is a critical component of the global carbon cycle. A range of geochemical proxies has been developed to fingerprint the fate of terrestrial organic matter (TOM) in marine sediments. However, discrepancies among different proxies limit our ability

Solar-terrestrial disturbances of June-September 1982, 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ondoh, Tadanori; Sano, Yukizo.

1985-01-01

Global equivalent-current systems for geomagnetic variations observed at various ground stations are described on the northern polar map at 1630 UT, July 13 just after the SC, at 2330 UT, July 13 in an initial part of the main phase and at 0030 UT, July 14 in a well-developed part of the main phase during the geomagnetic storm of July 13-14, 1982. The equivalent current system just after the SC has two polar current vortices which are similar to those of the geomagnetically quiet equivalent -current system, Ssub(q)sup(p) in the sunlit polar region and the former current density is about ten times the latter. The equivalent current system in an initial part of the geomagnetic-storm main phase is similar to the DP-2 current system, and it seems to be caused by an intensified magnetospheric plasma-convection due to an enhancement of the large scale westward cross-tail electric field. The equivalent current system in a well-developed part of the storm main phase consists of a global current vortex which extends to mid-latitudes and it has strong westward currents in the dayside active region. The geomagnetically active region in the dayside mid-latitudes coincides approximately with the auroral-type hiss region observed by the ISIS-2 during the storm main-phase of July 14, 1982. The storm-time ionospheric ionization produced by precipitating electrons from an interaction between the plasmasphere and well-developed ring-current particles seems to contribute considerably to the change in the equivalent current system from two current vortices of the DP-2 type to one current vortex. This change in equivalent current system corresponds apparently to an expansion of the auroral zone towards mid-latitudes during the main phase of geomagnetic storm. (author)

Solar-terrestrial disturbances of June-September 1982, 4

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ondoh, Tadanori; Sano, Yukizo.

1986-01-01

Global equivalent current-systems for geomagnetic variations observed at various ground stations are described on the northern polar map at 1630 UT, July 13 just after the SC, at 2330 UT, July 13 in an initial part of the main phase and at 0030 UT, July 14 in a well-developed part of the main phase during the geomagnetic storm of July 13 - 14, 1982. The equivalent current system just after the SC has two polar current cells which are similar to those of the geomagnetically quiet equivalent current system, S q p in the sunlit polar region and the current density of the former current system is one order larger than the latter. The equivalent current system in an initial part of the geomagnetic storm main phase is similar to the DP-2 current system, and it seems to be caused by an intensified magnetospheric plasma convection due to an enhancement of the large scale westward cross-tail electric field. The equivalent current system in a well-developed part of the storm main phase consists of a global current cell which extends to mid-latitudes and it has strong westward currents in the dayside active region. The geomagnetically active region in the dayside mid-latitudes coincides approximately with the auroral-type hiss region observed by ISIS-2 during the storm main-phase of July 14, 1982. The storm-time ionospheric ionization produced by precipitating electrons resulting from an interaction between the plasmasphere and well-developed equatorial ring-current particles seems to contribute considerably to the change in the equivalent current system from two current cells of the DP-2 type to one current cell. This change in equivalent current system corresponds apparently to an expansion of the auroral zeone towards mid-latitudes during the main phase of geomagnetic storm. (author)

Trophic Transfer of Arsenic from an Aquatic Insect to Terrestrial Insect Predators.

Science.gov (United States)

Mogren, Christina L; Walton, William E; Parker, David R; Trumble, John T

2013-01-01

The movement of energy and nutrients from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems can be substantial, and emergent aquatic insects can serve as biovectors not only for nutrients, but also for contaminants present in the aquatic environment. The terrestrial predators Tenodera aridifolia sinensis (Mantodea: Mantidae) and Tidarren haemorrhoidale (Araneae: Theridiidae) and the aquatic predator Buenoa scimitra (Hemiptera: Notonectidae) were chosen to evaluate the efficacy of arsenic transfer between aquatic and terrestrial environments. Culex tarsalis larvae were reared in either control water or water containing 1000 µg l(-1) arsenic. Adults that emerged from the control and arsenic treatments were fed to the terrestrial predators, and fourth instar larvae were fed to the aquatic predator reared in control or arsenic contaminated water. Tenodera a. sinensis fed arsenic-treated Cx. tarsalis accumulated 658±130 ng g(-1) of arsenic. There was no significant difference between control and arsenic-fed T. haemorrhoidale (range 142-290 ng g(-1)). Buenoa scimitra accumulated 5120±406 ng g(-1) of arsenic when exposed to arsenic-fed Cx. tarsalis and reared in water containing 1000 µg l(-1) arsenic. There was no significant difference between controls or arsenic-fed B. scimitra that were not exposed to water-borne arsenic, indicating that for this species environmental exposure was more important in accumulation than strictly dietary arsenic. These results indicate that transfer to terrestrial predators may play an important role in arsenic cycling, which would be particularly true during periods of mass emergence of potential insect biovectors. Trophic transfer within the aquatic environment may still occur with secondary predation, or in predators with different feeding strategies.

Trophic Transfer of Arsenic from an Aquatic Insect to Terrestrial Insect Predators

Science.gov (United States)

Mogren, Christina L.; Walton, William E.; Parker, David R.; Trumble, John T.

2013-01-01

The movement of energy and nutrients from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems can be substantial, and emergent aquatic insects can serve as biovectors not only for nutrients, but also for contaminants present in the aquatic environment. The terrestrial predators Tenodera aridifolia sinensis (Mantodea: Mantidae) and Tidarren haemorrhoidale (Araneae: Theridiidae) and the aquatic predator Buenoa scimitra (Hemiptera: Notonectidae) were chosen to evaluate the efficacy of arsenic transfer between aquatic and terrestrial environments. Culex tarsalis larvae were reared in either control water or water containing 1000 µg l−1 arsenic. Adults that emerged from the control and arsenic treatments were fed to the terrestrial predators, and fourth instar larvae were fed to the aquatic predator reared in control or arsenic contaminated water. Tenodera a. sinensis fed arsenic-treated Cx. tarsalis accumulated 658±130 ng g−1 of arsenic. There was no significant difference between control and arsenic-fed T. haemorrhoidale (range 142–290 ng g−1). Buenoa scimitra accumulated 5120±406 ng g−1 of arsenic when exposed to arsenic-fed Cx. tarsalis and reared in water containing 1000 µg l−1 arsenic. There was no significant difference between controls or arsenic-fed B. scimitra that were not exposed to water-borne arsenic, indicating that for this species environmental exposure was more important in accumulation than strictly dietary arsenic. These results indicate that transfer to terrestrial predators may play an important role in arsenic cycling, which would be particularly true during periods of mass emergence of potential insect biovectors. Trophic transfer within the aquatic environment may still occur with secondary predation, or in predators with different feeding strategies. PMID:23826344

Trophic Transfer of Arsenic from an Aquatic Insect to Terrestrial Insect Predators.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina L Mogren

Full Text Available The movement of energy and nutrients from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems can be substantial, and emergent aquatic insects can serve as biovectors not only for nutrients, but also for contaminants present in the aquatic environment. The terrestrial predators Tenodera aridifolia sinensis (Mantodea: Mantidae and Tidarren haemorrhoidale (Araneae: Theridiidae and the aquatic predator Buenoa scimitra (Hemiptera: Notonectidae were chosen to evaluate the efficacy of arsenic transfer between aquatic and terrestrial environments. Culex tarsalis larvae were reared in either control water or water containing 1000 µg l(-1 arsenic. Adults that emerged from the control and arsenic treatments were fed to the terrestrial predators, and fourth instar larvae were fed to the aquatic predator reared in control or arsenic contaminated water. Tenodera a. sinensis fed arsenic-treated Cx. tarsalis accumulated 658±130 ng g(-1 of arsenic. There was no significant difference between control and arsenic-fed T. haemorrhoidale (range 142-290 ng g(-1. Buenoa scimitra accumulated 5120±406 ng g(-1 of arsenic when exposed to arsenic-fed Cx. tarsalis and reared in water containing 1000 µg l(-1 arsenic. There was no significant difference between controls or arsenic-fed B. scimitra that were not exposed to water-borne arsenic, indicating that for this species environmental exposure was more important in accumulation than strictly dietary arsenic. These results indicate that transfer to terrestrial predators may play an important role in arsenic cycling, which would be particularly true during periods of mass emergence of potential insect biovectors. Trophic transfer within the aquatic environment may still occur with secondary predation, or in predators with different feeding strategies.

Terrestrial Planet Formation from an Annulus -- Revisited

Science.gov (United States)

Deienno, Rogerio; Walsh, Kevin J.; Kretke, Katherine A.; Levison, Harold F.

2018-04-01

Numerous recent theories of terrestrial planet formation suggest that, in order to reproduce the observed large Earth to Mars mass ratio, planets formed from an annulus of material within 1 au. The success of these models typically rely on a Mars sized embryo being scattered outside 1 au (to ~1.5 au) and starving, while those remaining inside 1 au continue growing, forming Earth and Venus. In some models the scattering is instigated by the migration of giant planets, while in others an embryo-instability naturally occurs due to the dissipation of the gaseous solar nebula. While these models can typically succeed in reproducing the overall mass ratio among the planets, the final angular momentum deficit (AMD) of the present terrestrial planets in our Solar System, and their radial mass concentration (RMC), namely the position where Mars end up in the simulations, are not always well reproduced. Assuming that the gas nebula may not be entirely dissipated when such an embryo-instability happens, here, we study the effects that the time of such an instability can have on the final AMD and RMC. In addition, we also included energy dissipation within embryo-embryo collisions by assuming a given coefficient of restitution for collisions. Our results show that: i) dissipation within embryo-embryo collisions do not play any important role in the final terrestrial planetary system; ii) the final AMD decreases only when the number of final planets formed increases; iii) the RMC tends to always be lower than the present value no matter the number of final planets; and iv) depending on the time that the embryo-instability happen, if too early, with too much gas still present, a second instability will generally happen after the dissipation of the gas nebula.

Risk assessment considerations for plant protection products and terrestrial life-stages of amphibians.

Science.gov (United States)

Weltje, Lennart; Ufer, Andreas; Hamer, Mick; Sowig, Peter; Demmig, Sandra; Dechet, Friedrich

2018-04-28

Some amphibians occur in agricultural landscapes during certain periods of their life cycle and consequently might be exposed to plant protection products (PPPs). While the sensitivity of aquatic life-stages is considered to be covered by the standard assessment for aquatic organisms (especially fish), the situation is less clear for terrestrial amphibian life-stages. In this paper, considerations are presented on how a risk assessment for PPPs and terrestrial life-stages of amphibians could be conducted. It discusses available information concerning the toxicity of PPPs to terrestrial amphibians, and their potential exposure to PPPs in consideration of aspects of amphibian biology. The emphasis is on avoiding additional vertebrate testing as much as possible by using exposure-driven approaches and by making use of existing vertebrate toxicity data, where appropriate. Options for toxicity testing and risk assessment are presented in a flowchart as a tiered approach, progressing from a non-testing approach, to simple worst-case laboratory testing, to extended laboratory testing, to semi-field enclosure tests and ultimately to full-scale field testing and monitoring. Suggestions are made for triggers to progress to higher tiers. Also, mitigation options to reduce the potential for exposure of terrestrial life-stages of amphibians to PPPs, if a risk were identified, are discussed. Finally, remaining uncertainties and research needs are considered by proposing a way forward (road map) for generating additional information to inform terrestrial amphibian risk assessment. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Point Cloud Classification of Tesserae from Terrestrial Laser Data Combined with Dense Image Matching for Archaeological Information Extraction

Science.gov (United States)

Poux, F.; Neuville, R.; Billen, R.

2017-08-01

Reasoning from information extraction given by point cloud data mining allows contextual adaptation and fast decision making. However, to achieve this perceptive level, a point cloud must be semantically rich, retaining relevant information for the end user. This paper presents an automatic knowledge-based method for pre-processing multi-sensory data and classifying a hybrid point cloud from both terrestrial laser scanning and dense image matching. Using 18 features including sensor's biased data, each tessera in the high-density point cloud from the 3D captured complex mosaics of Germigny-des-prés (France) is segmented via a colour multi-scale abstraction-based featuring extracting connectivity. A 2D surface and outline polygon of each tessera is generated by a RANSAC plane extraction and convex hull fitting. Knowledge is then used to classify every tesserae based on their size, surface, shape, material properties and their neighbour's class. The detection and semantic enrichment method shows promising results of 94% correct semantization, a first step toward the creation of an archaeological smart point cloud.

The terrestrial carbon cycle on the regional and global scale : modeling, uncertainties and policy relevance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Minnen, van J.G.

2008-01-01

Contains the chapters: The importance of three centuries of climate and land-use change for the global and regional terrestrial carbon cycle; and The terrestrial C cycle and its role in the climate change policy

Simulating Sources of Superstorm Plasmas

Science.gov (United States)

Fok, Mei-Ching

2008-01-01

We evaluated the contributions to magnetospheric pressure (ring current) of the solar wind, polar wind, auroral wind, and plasmaspheric wind, with the surprising result that the main phase pressure is dominated by plasmaspheric protons. We used global simulation fields from the LFM single fluid ideal MHD model. We embedded the Comprehensive Ring Current Model within it, driven by the LFM transpolar potential, and supplied with plasmas at its boundary including solar wind protons, polar wind protons, auroral wind O+, and plasmaspheric protons. We included auroral outflows and acceleration driven by the LFM ionospheric boundary condition, including parallel ion acceleration driven by upward currents. Our plasmasphere model runs within the CRCM and is driven by it. Ionospheric sources were treated using our Global Ion Kinetics code based on full equations of motion. This treatment neglects inertial loading and pressure exerted by the ionospheric plasmas, and will be superceded by multifluid simulations that include those effects. However, these simulations provide new insights into the respective role of ionospheric sources in storm-time magnetospheric dynamics.

Acclimation of a terrestrial plant to submergence facilitates gas exchange under water

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mommer, L.; Pedersen, O.; Visser, E. J. W.

2004-01-01

Flooding imposes stress upon terrestrial plants since it severely hampers gas exchange rates between the shoot and the environment. The resulting oxygen deficiency is considered to be the major problem for submerged plants. Oxygen microelectrode studies have, however, shown that aquatic plants...... of this terrestrial plant species to submergence for gas exchange capacity is also shown. Shoot acclimation to submergence involved a reduction of the diffusion resistance to gases, which was not only functional by increasing diffusion of oxygen into the plant, but also by increasing influx of CO2, which enhances...... maintain relatively high internal oxygen pressures under water, and even may release oxygen via the roots into the sediment, also in dark. Based on these results, we challenge the dogma that oxygen pressures in submerged terrestrial plants immediately drop to levels at which aerobic respiration is impaired...

Electrochemical Power Plant for Terrestrial Flight Platforms, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — An electrochemical power plant is proposed by MicroCell Technologies to provide power to terrestrial flight platforms. Our power plant is based upon a proton...

Terrestrial Microgravity Model and Threshold Gravity Simulation sing Magnetic Levitation

Science.gov (United States)

Ramachandran, N.

2005-01-01

What is the threshold gravity (minimum gravity level) required for the nominal functioning of the human system? What dosage is required? Do human cell lines behave differently in microgravity in response to an external stimulus? The critical need for such a gravity simulator is emphasized by recent experiments on human epithelial cells and lymphocytes on the Space Shuttle clearly showing that cell growth and function are markedly different from those observed terrestrially. Those differences are also dramatic between cells grown in space and those in Rotating Wall Vessels (RWV), or NASA bioreactor often used to simulate microgravity, indicating that although morphological growth patterns (three dimensional growth) can be successiblly simulated using RWVs, cell function performance is not reproduced - a critical difference. If cell function is dramatically affected by gravity off-loading, then cell response to stimuli such as radiation, stress, etc. can be very different from terrestrial cell lines. Yet, we have no good gravity simulator for use in study of these phenomena. This represents a profound shortcoming for countermeasures research. We postulate that we can use magnetic levitation of cells and tissue, through the use of strong magnetic fields and field gradients, as a terrestrial microgravity model to study human cells. Specific objectives of the research are: 1. To develop a tried, tested and benchmarked terrestrial microgravity model for cell culture studies; 2. Gravity threshold determination; 3. Dosage (magnitude and duration) of g-level required for nominal functioning of cells; 4. Comparisons of magnetic levitation model to other models such as RWV, hind limb suspension, etc. and 5. Cellular response to reduced gravity levels of Moon and Mars.

Structural monitoring of tunnels using terrestrial laser scanning

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Lindenbergh, R.C.; Uchanski, L.; Bucksch, A.; Van Gosliga, R.

2009-01-01

In recent years terrestrial laser scanning is rapidly evolving as a surveying technique for the monitoring of engineering objects like roof constructions, mines, dams, viaducts and tunnels. The advantage of laser scanning above traditional surveying methods is that it allows for the rapid

Inhibitory effects of chickpea and Tribulus terrestris on lipase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase.

Science.gov (United States)

Ercan, Pınar; El, Sedef Nehir

2016-08-15

The total saponin content and its in vitro bioaccessibilities in Tribulus terrestris and chickpea were determined by a static in vitro digestion method (COST FA1005 Action INFOGEST). Also, in vitro inhibitory effects of the chosen food samples on lipid and starch digestive enzymes were determined by evaluating the lipase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase activities. The tested T. terrestris and chickpea showed inhibitory activity against α-glucosidase (IC50 6967 ± 343 and 2885 ± 85.4 μg/ml, respectively) and α-amylase (IC50 343 ± 26.2 and 167 ± 6.12 μg/ml, respectively). The inhibitory activities of T. terrestris and chickpea against lipase were 15.3 ± 2.03 and 9.74 ± 1.09 μg/ml, respectively. The present study provides the first evidence that these food samples (T. terrestris, chickpea) are potent inhibitors of key enzymes in digestion of carbohydrates and lipids in vitro. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Amphibian populations in the terrestrial environment: Is there evidence of declines of terrestrial forest amphibians in northwestern California?

Science.gov (United States)

Hartwell H. Welsh Jr.; Gary M. Fellers; Amy J. Lind

2007-01-01

Amphibian declines have been documented worldwide; however the vast majority are species associated with aquatic habitats. Information on the status and trends of terrestrial amphibians is almost entirely lacking. Here we use data collected across a 12-yr period (sampling from 1984–86 and from 1993–95) to address the question of whether evidence exists for declines...

The behaviour of iodine in the terrestrial environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christiansen, J.V.

1990-02-01

Literature on the geochemistry of iodine is surveyed, focusing on fundamental chemical aspects which influence the migration behaviour of iodine in the terrestrial environment. It is stated that the organic fraction in soil plays the predominant role in the retention of iodine. Simple aromatic molecules serve as simple models for humic acid, and humic acid is iodinated catalyzed by haloperoxidases. The enzymatically controlled iodination of humic acid is described in detail and it is demonstrated that the results may reflect a kind of equilibrium. It is shown that soil extracts are able to catalyze the iodination of humic acid and it is suggested that extracellular peroxidases in soil are reponsible for the reaction. The enzymatically controlled iodination of humic acid is discussed and some considerations about the influence on the migration of iodine in the terrestrial environment are given. (author) 4 tabs., 26 ills., 82 refs

Terrestrial gamma dose rate in Pahang state Malaysia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gabdo, H.T.; Federal College of Education, Yola; Ramli, A.T.; Sanusi, M.S.; Saleh, M.A.; Garba, N.N.; Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria

2014-01-01

Environmental terrestrial gamma radiations (TGR) were measured in Pahang state Malaysia between January and April 2013. The TGR dose rates ranged from 26 to 750 nGy h -1 . The measurements were done based on geology and soil types of the area. The mean TGR dose rate was found to be 176 ± 5 nGy h -1 . Few areas of relatively enhanced activity were located in Raub, Temerloh, Bentong and Rompin districts. These areas have external gamma dose rates of between 500 and 750 nGy h -1 . An Isodose map of the state was produced using ArcGIS9 software version 9.3. To evaluate the radiological hazard due to terrestrial gamma dose, the annual effective dose equivalent and the mean population weighted dose rate were calculated and found to be 0.22 mSv year -1 and 168 nGy h -1 respectively. (author)

International solar-terrestrial physics program: a plan for the core spaceflight missions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1985-01-01

This brochure has been prepared to describe the scope of the science problems to be investigated and the mission plan for the core International Solar-Terrestrial Physics (ISTP) Program. This information is intended to stimulate discussions and plans for the comprehensive worldwide ISTP Program. The plan for the study of the solar - terrestrial system is included. The Sun, geospace, and Sun-Earth interaction is discussed as is solar dynamics and the origins of solar winds.

Groundwater and Terrestrial Water Storage

Science.gov (United States)

Rodell, Matthew; Chambers, Don P.; Famiglietti, James S.

2014-01-01

Terrestrial water storage (TWS) comprises groundwater, soil moisture, surface water, snow,and ice. Groundwater typically varies more slowly than the other TWS components because itis not in direct contact with the atmosphere, but often it has a larger range of variability onmultiannual timescales (Rodell and Famiglietti, 2001; Alley et al., 2002). In situ groundwaterdata are only archived and made available by a few countries. However, monthly TWSvariations observed by the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE; Tapley et al.,2004) satellite mission, which launched in 2002, are a reasonable proxy for unconfinedgroundwater at climatic scales.

Tribulus terrestris-induced severe nephrotoxicity in a young healthy male.

Science.gov (United States)

Talasaz, Azita Hajhossein; Abbasi, Mohammad-Reza; Abkhiz, Saeed; Dashti-Khavidaki, Simin

2010-11-01

Herbal medications are being progressively utilized all over the world. Nevertheless, herbal remedies are not without hazards and several cases of adverse reactions have been described. Tribulus terrestris is traditionally used because of its aphrodisiac and antiurolithiatic activities with almost complete inhibition of stone formation. We report a case of T. terrestris-induced hepatotoxicity, nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity in an Iranian male patient who used the plant's extract to prevent kidney stone formation. He presented with seizure and very high serum aminotransferases and creatinine after consuming herbal water for 2 days. Discontinuation of the herbal remedy resulted in improvement in symptoms and normalization of his liver enzymes.

The transfer of radionuclides in the terrestrial environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oehlenschlaeger, M.

1991-04-01

The transfer of radionuclides in the terrestrial environment have been investigated. The thesis is divided into two parts. Part I; Dynamic model for the transfer of radionuclides in the terrestrial environment. The study comprises the development of a compartment model, that simulates the dynamic transport of radioactive pollution in the terrestrial environment. The dynamic processes include, dry and wet deposition, soil resuspension, plant growth, root uptake, foliar interception, animal metabolism, agricultural practice, and production of bread. The ingested amount of radioactivity, by man, is multiplied by a dose conversion factor to yield a dose estimate. The dynamic properties and the predictive accuracy of the model have been tested. The results support the dynamics very well and predicitions within a factor of three, of a hypothetical accident, are likely. Part II; Influence of plant variety on the root transfer of radiocaesium. Studies of genetic differences, in plant uptake of radiocaesium, were concluded with a pot experiment. Four varieties of spring barley and three varieties of rye-grass have been tested in two types of soil. The results for barley showed a significant difference between the four varieties. Analyses of variance confirmed a high root uptake of radiocaesium in the variety Sila and a significantly lower root uptake in the variety Apex in each type of soil. The pattern between the varieties was identical in 1988, 1989 and 1990. Similarly for the grass varieties, one variety, the Italian rye grass, was identified as having the relatively highest uptake of radiocaesium. (author) 22 tabs., 30 ills., 56 refs

Terrestrial water fluxes dominated by transpiration: Comment

Science.gov (United States)

Daniel R. Schlaepfer; Brent E. Ewers; Bryan N. Shuman; David G. Williams; John M. Frank; William J. Massman; William K. Lauenroth

2014-01-01

The fraction of evapotranspiration (ET) attributed to plant transpiration (T) is an important source of uncertainty in terrestrial water fluxes and land surface modeling (Lawrence et al. 2007, Miralles et al. 2011). Jasechko et al. (2013) used stable oxygen and hydrogen isotope ratios from 73 large lakes to investigate the relative roles of evaporation (E) and T in ET...

The terrestrial ecosystems at Forsmark and Laxemar-Simpevarp. SR-Site Biosphere

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Loefgren, Anders [ed.; EcoAnalytica, Haegersten (Sweden)

2010-12-15

The ecosystem is in most cases the link between radionuclides released from a repository and the exposure of humans and other biota to them. This report describes the terrestrial ecosystems in the Forsmark and Laxemar-Simpevarp areas by summarizing and performing cross-disciplinary analyses of data from a large number of reports produced during the site investigations, Figure 1-2. The report describes the terrestrial landscape, divided here into the three main categories: forests, wetlands and agriculture land, by identifying properties that are important for element accumulation and transport

The terrestrial ecosystems at Forsmark and Laxemar-Simpevarp. SR-Site Biosphere

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Loefgren, Anders

2010-12-01

The ecosystem is in most cases the link between radionuclides released from a repository and the exposure of humans and other biota to them. This report describes the terrestrial ecosystems in the Forsmark and Laxemar-Simpevarp areas by summarizing and performing cross-disciplinary analyses of data from a large number of reports produced during the site investigations, Figure 1-2. The report describes the terrestrial landscape, divided here into the three main categories: forests, wetlands and agriculture land, by identifying properties that are important for element accumulation and transport

Vulnerability of the global terrestrial ecosystems to climate change.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Delong; Wu, Shuyao; Liu, Laibao; Zhang, Yatong; Li, Shuangcheng

2018-05-27

Climate change has far-reaching impacts on ecosystems. Recent attempts to quantify such impacts focus on measuring exposure to climate change but largely ignore ecosystem resistance and resilience, which may also affect the vulnerability outcomes. In this study, the relative vulnerability of global terrestrial ecosystems to short-term climate variability was assessed by simultaneously integrating exposure, sensitivity, and resilience at a high spatial resolution (0.05°). The results show that vulnerable areas are currently distributed primarily in plains. Responses to climate change vary among ecosystems and deserts and xeric shrublands are the most vulnerable biomes. Global vulnerability patterns are determined largely by exposure, while ecosystem sensitivity and resilience may exacerbate or alleviate external climate pressures at local scales; there is a highly significant negative correlation between exposure and sensitivity. Globally, 61.31% of the terrestrial vegetated area is capable of mitigating climate change impacts and those areas are concentrated in polar regions, boreal forests, tropical rainforests, and intact forests. Under current sensitivity and resilience conditions, vulnerable areas are projected to develop in high Northern Hemisphere latitudes in the future. The results suggest that integrating all three aspects of vulnerability (exposure, sensitivity, and resilience) may offer more comprehensive and spatially explicit adaptation strategies to reduce the impacts of climate change on terrestrial ecosystems. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Issues for the integration of satellite and terrestrial cellular networks for mobile communications

Science.gov (United States)

Delre, Enrico; Mistretta, Ignazio; Dellipriscoli, Francesco; Settimo, Franco

1991-01-01

Satellite and terrestrial cellular systems naturally complement each other for land mobile communications, even though present systems have been developed independently. The main advantages of the integrated system are a faster wide area coverage, a better management of overloading traffic conditions, an extension to geographical areas not covered by the terrestrial network and, in perspective, the provision of only one integrated system for all mobile communications (land, aeronautical, and maritime). To achieve these goals, as far as possible the same protocols of the terrestrial network should be used also for the satellite network. Discussed here are the main issues arising from the requirements of the main integrated system. Some results are illustrated, and possible future improvements due to technical solutions are presented.

Terrestrial and marine trophic pathways support young-of-year growth in a nearshore Arctic fish

Science.gov (United States)

von Biela, Vanessa R.; Zimmerman, Christian E.; Cohn, Brian R.; Welker, Jeffrey M.

2013-01-01

River discharge supplies nearshore communities with a terrestrial carbon source that is often reflected in invertebrate and fish consumers. Recent studies in the Beaufort Sea have documented widespread terrestrial carbon use among invertebrates, but only limited use among nearshore fish consumers. Here, we examine the carbon source and diet of rapidly growing young-of-year Arctic cisco (Coregonus autumnalis) using stable isotope values (δ13C and δ15N) from muscle and diet analysis (stomach contents) during a critical and previously unsampled life stage. Stable isotope values (δ15N and δ13C) may differentiate between terrestrial and marine sources and integrate over longer time frames (weeks). Diet analysis provides species-specific information, but only from recent foraging (days). Average δ13C for all individuals was −25.7 ‰, with the smallest individuals possessing significantly depleted δ13C values indicative of a stronger reliance of terrestrial carbon sources as compared to larger individuals. Average δ15N for all individuals was 10.4 ‰, with little variation among individuals. As fish length increased, the proportion of offshore Calanus prey and neritic Mysis prey increased. Rapid young-of-year growth in Arctic cisco appears to use terrestrial carbon sources obtained by consuming a mixture of neritic and offshore zooplankton. Shifts in the magnitude or phenology of river discharge and the delivery of terrestrial carbon may alter the ecology of nearshore fish consumers.

Terrestrial acidification during the end-Permian biosphere crisis?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sephton, Mark A.; Jiao, Dan; Engel, Michael H.; Looy, Cindy V.; Visscher, Henk

Excessive acid rainfall associated with emplacement of the Siberian Traps magmatic province is increasingly accepted as a major contributing factor to the end-Permian biosphere crisis. However, direct proxy evidence of terrestrial acidification is so far not available. In this paper, we seek to

Simultaneous reproduction of global carbon exchange and storage of terrestrial forest ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Kondo, M.; Ichii, K.

2012-12-01

Understanding the mechanism of the terrestrial carbon cycle is essential for assessing the impact of climate change. Quantification of both carbon exchange and storage is the key to the understanding, but it often associates with difficulties due to complex entanglement of environmental and physiological factors. Terrestrial ecosystem models have been the major tools to assess the terrestrial carbon budget for decades. Because of its strong association with climate change, carbon exchange has been more rigorously investigated by the terrestrial biosphere modeling community. Seeming success of model based assessment of carbon budge often accompanies with the ill effect, substantial misrepresentation of storage. In practice, a number of model based analyses have paid attention solely on terrestrial carbon fluxes and often neglected carbon storage such as forest biomass. Thus, resulting model parameters are inevitably oriented to carbon fluxes. This approach is insufficient to fully reduce uncertainties about future terrestrial carbon cycles and climate change because it does not take into account the role of biomass, which is equivalently important as carbon fluxes in the system of carbon cycle. To overcome this issue, a robust methodology for improving the global assessment of both carbon budget and storage is needed. One potentially effective approach to identify a suitable balance of carbon allocation proportions for each individual ecosystem. Carbon allocations can influence the plant growth by controlling the amount of investment acquired from photosynthesis, as well as carbon fluxes by controlling the carbon content of leaves and litter, both are active media for photosynthesis and decomposition. Considering those aspects, there may exist the suitable balance of allocation proportions enabling the simultaneous reproduction of carbon budget and storage. The present study explored the existence of such suitable balances of allocation proportions, and examines the

The impacts of past climate change on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradshaw, R.H.W.; Anderson, N.J.

2001-01-01

The last two million years of global history have been dominated by the impacts of rapid climate change. This influence is not immediately obvious to most biologists whose observations rarely extend beyond a period of a few years, but becomes apparent when interpreting long-term data sets whether they be population studies or palaeoecological data. It is appropriate therefore to consider how terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems have responded to climate change during the Quaternary when speculating about response to future climatic developments. In this chapter we discuss and illustrate the complex interactions between climate and anthropogenic influence on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems during the Holocene. Climate influences ecosystems both directly (e.g. physiological responses or lake thermal stratification) and indirectly (e.g. via fire frequency or catchment hydrology). Lake sediments can be used to study both past climatic change directly and the effects of past climatic variability. In this chapter we present summary examples of the influence of past climate change on terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems as well showing how lake sediment records can provide proxy records of past climate change. The geological record from the last 18 000 years documents large changes in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems that are primarily driven by climatic change, but are modified by internal ecosystem processes. These changes are comparable in magnitude and rapidity to those predicted for the near future. Species at their distributional limits are particularly sensitive to climate change and contractions of range can be sudden in response to extreme climatic events such as the storm of December 1999 that damaged Picea trees far more than tree species that lay within their natural range limits. Palaeoecological records provide compelling evidence for direct climate forcing of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems but importantly also permit comparative analyses of impacts

PHOTOCHEMISTRY IN TERRESTRIAL EXOPLANET ATMOSPHERES. I. PHOTOCHEMISTRY MODEL AND BENCHMARK CASES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu Renyu; Seager, Sara; Bains, William, E-mail: hury@mit.edu [Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139 (United States)

2012-12-20

We present a comprehensive photochemistry model for exploration of the chemical composition of terrestrial exoplanet atmospheres. The photochemistry model is designed from the ground up to have the capacity to treat all types of terrestrial planet atmospheres, ranging from oxidizing through reducing, which makes the code suitable for applications for the wide range of anticipated terrestrial exoplanet compositions. The one-dimensional chemical transport model treats up to 800 chemical reactions, photochemical processes, dry and wet deposition, surface emission, and thermal escape of O, H, C, N, and S bearing species, as well as formation and deposition of elemental sulfur and sulfuric acid aerosols. We validate the model by computing the atmospheric composition of current Earth and Mars and find agreement with observations of major trace gases in Earth's and Mars' atmospheres. We simulate several plausible atmospheric scenarios of terrestrial exoplanets and choose three benchmark cases for atmospheres from reducing to oxidizing. The most interesting finding is that atomic hydrogen is always a more abundant reactive radical than the hydroxyl radical in anoxic atmospheres. Whether atomic hydrogen is the most important removal path for a molecule of interest also depends on the relevant reaction rates. We also find that volcanic carbon compounds (i.e., CH{sub 4} and CO{sub 2}) are chemically long-lived and tend to be well mixed in both reducing and oxidizing atmospheres, and their dry deposition velocities to the surface control the atmospheric oxidation states. Furthermore, we revisit whether photochemically produced oxygen can cause false positives for detecting oxygenic photosynthesis, and find that in 1 bar CO{sub 2}-rich atmospheres oxygen and ozone may build up to levels that have conventionally been accepted as signatures of life, if there is no surface emission of reducing gases. The atmospheric scenarios presented in this paper can serve as the

NOVANA. National Monitering and Assessment Programme for the Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Svendsen, L. M.; Bijl, L. van der; Boutrup, S.

This report is Part 2 of the Programme Description of NOVANA - the National Monitoring and Assessment Programme for the Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments. Part 2 comprises a de-tailed description of the nine NOVANA subprogrammes: Background monitoring of air......This report is Part 2 of the Programme Description of NOVANA - the National Monitoring and Assessment Programme for the Aquatic and Terrestrial Environments. Part 2 comprises a de-tailed description of the nine NOVANA subprogrammes: Background monitoring of air...

Herbivory and growth in terrestrial and aquatic populations of amphibious stream plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sand-Jensen, Kaj; Jacobsen, Dean

2002-01-01

1. Many amphibious plant species grow in the transition between terrestrial and submerged vegetation in small lowland streams. We determined biomass development, leaf turnover rate and invertebrate herbivory during summer in terrestrial and aquatic populations of three amphibious species...... production (average 1.2-5.1%) than aquatic populations (2.9-17.3%), while the same plant dry mass was consumed per unit ground area. 3. Grazing loss increased linearly with leaf age apart from the youngest leaf stages. Grazing loss during the lifetime of leaves was therefore 2.4-3.1 times higher than mean...... apparent loss to standing leaves of all ages. The results imply that variation in density of grazers relative to plant production can account for differences in grazing impact between terrestrial and aquatic populations, and that fast leaf turnover keeps apparent grazing damage down. 4. We conclude...

Aquatic carbon cycling in the conterminous United States and implications for terrestrial carbon accounting.

Science.gov (United States)

Butman, David; Stackpoole, Sarah; Stets, Edward; McDonald, Cory P; Clow, David W; Striegl, Robert G

2016-01-05

Inland water ecosystems dynamically process, transport, and sequester carbon. However, the transport of carbon through aquatic environments has not been quantitatively integrated in the context of terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we present the first integrated assessment, to our knowledge, of freshwater carbon fluxes for the conterminous United States, where 106 (range: 71-149) teragrams of carbon per year (TgC⋅y(-1)) is exported downstream or emitted to the atmosphere and sedimentation stores 21 (range: 9-65) TgC⋅y(-1) in lakes and reservoirs. We show that there is significant regional variation in aquatic carbon flux, but verify that emission across stream and river surfaces represents the dominant flux at 69 (range: 36-110) TgC⋅y(-1) or 65% of the total aquatic carbon flux for the conterminous United States. Comparing our results with the output of a suite of terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs), we suggest that within the current modeling framework, calculations of net ecosystem production (NEP) defined as terrestrial only may be overestimated by as much as 27%. However, the internal production and mineralization of carbon in freshwaters remain to be quantified and would reduce the effect of including aquatic carbon fluxes within calculations of terrestrial NEP. Reconciliation of carbon mass-flux interactions between terrestrial and aquatic carbon sources and sinks will require significant additional research and modeling capacity.

Short term impact of Tribulus terrestris intake on doping control analysis of endogenous steroids.

Science.gov (United States)

Saudan, Christophe; Baume, Norbert; Emery, Caroline; Strahm, Emmanuel; Saugy, Martial

2008-06-10

Tribulus terrestris is a nutritional supplement highly debated regarding its physiological and actual effects on the organism. The main claimed effect is an increase of testosterone anabolic and androgenic action through the activation of endogenous testosterone production. Even if this biological pathway is not entirely proven, T. terrestris is regularly used by athletes. Recently, the analysis of two female urine samples by GC/C/IRMS (gas chromatography/combustion/isotope-ratio-mass-spectrometry) conclusively revealed the administration of exogenous testosterone or its precursors, even if the testosterone glucuronide/epitestosterone glucuronide (T/E) ratio and steroid marker concentrations were below the cut-off values defined by World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). To argue against this adverse analytical finding, the athletes recognized having used T. terrestris in their diet. In order to test this hypothesis, two female volunteers ingested 500 mg of T. terrestris, three times a day and for two consecutive days. All spot urines were collected during 48 h after the first intake. The (13)C/(12)C ratio of ketosteroids was determined by GC/C/IRMS, the T/E ratio and DHEA concentrations were measured by GC/MS and LH concentrations by radioimmunoassay. None of these parameters revealed a significant variation or increased above the WADA cut-off limits. Hence, the short-term treatment with T. terrestris showed no impact on the endogenous testosterone metabolism of the two subjects.

Effect of aqueous extract of Tribulus terrestris on oxalate-induced oxidative stress in rats

Science.gov (United States)

Kamboj, P.; Aggarwal, M.; Puri, S.; Singla, S. K.

2011-01-01

The present study was aimed at studying the effect of Tribulus terrestris on different parameters of oxidative stress and gene expression profiles of antioxidant enzymes in renal tissues of male wistar rats after induction of hyperoxaluria. The animals were divided into three groups. The animals in group I (control) were administered vehicle only. In group II, the animals were treated with ethylene glycol (hyperoxaluric agent) and those in group III were administered T. terrestris plant extract in addition to ethylene glycol. All treatments were continued for a period of seven weeks. Ethylene glycol feeding resulted in hyperoxaluria as well as increased excretion of calcium and phosphate. Serum creatinine, uric acid and blood urea nitrogen levels were also altered in hyperoxaluric animals. Various oxidative stress parameters viz. lipid peroxidation and activity of antioxidant enzymes were used to confirm the peroxidant state. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was used to confirm whether steady-state transcription level of different antioxidant enzymes was altered. T. terrestris significantly reduced the excretion of oxalate, calcium, and phosphate along with decreased levels of blood urea nitrogen, uric acid and creatinine in serum. T. terrestris also reduced hyperoxaluria- caused oxidative stress, and restored antioxidant enzyme activity and their expression profile in kidney tissue. Histological analysis depicted that T. terrestris treatment decreased renal epithelial damage, inflammation, and restored normal glomerular morphology. PMID:21886973

Aquatic carbon cycling in the conterminous United States and implications for terrestrial carbon accounting

Science.gov (United States)

Butman, David; Stackpoole, Sarah; Stets, Edward; McDonald, Cory P.; Clow, David W.; Striegl, Robert G.

2016-01-01

Inland water ecosystems dynamically process, transport, and sequester carbon. However, the transport of carbon through aquatic environments has not been quantitatively integrated in the context of terrestrial ecosystems. Here, we present the first integrated assessment, to our knowledge, of freshwater carbon fluxes for the conterminous United States, where 106 (range: 71–149) teragrams of carbon per year (TgC⋅y−1) is exported downstream or emitted to the atmosphere and sedimentation stores 21 (range: 9–65) TgC⋅y−1 in lakes and reservoirs. We show that there is significant regional variation in aquatic carbon flux, but verify that emission across stream and river surfaces represents the dominant flux at 69 (range: 36–110) TgC⋅y−1 or 65% of the total aquatic carbon flux for the conterminous United States. Comparing our results with the output of a suite of terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs), we suggest that within the current modeling framework, calculations of net ecosystem production (NEP) defined as terrestrial only may be overestimated by as much as 27%. However, the internal production and mineralization of carbon in freshwaters remain to be quantified and would reduce the effect of including aquatic carbon fluxes within calculations of terrestrial NEP. Reconciliation of carbon mass–flux interactions between terrestrial and aquatic carbon sources and sinks will require significant additional research and modeling capacity. PMID:26699473

New insights in the bacterial spore resistance to extreme terrestrial and extraterrestrial factors

Science.gov (United States)

Moeller, Ralf; Horneck, Gerda; Reitz, Guenther

Based on their unique resistance to various space parameters, Bacillus endospores are one of the model systems used for astrobiological studies. The extremely high resistance of bacterial endospores to environmental stress factors has intrigued researchers since long time and many characteristic spore features, especially those involved in the protection of spore DNA, have already been uncovered. The disclosure of the complete genomic sequence of Bacillus subtilis 168, one of the often used astrobiological model system, and the rapid development of tran-scriptional microarray techniques have opened new opportunities of gaining further insights in the enigma of spore resistance. Spores of B. subtilis were exposed to various extreme ter-restrial and extraterrestrial stressors to reach a better understanding of the DNA protection and repair strategies, which them to cope with the induced DNA damage. Following physical stress factors of environmental importance -either on Earth or in space -were selected for this thesis: (i) mono-and polychromatic UV radiation, (ii) ionizing radiation, (iii) exposure to ultrahigh vacuum; and (iv) high shock pressures simulating meteorite impacts. To reach a most comprehensive understanding of spore resistance to those harsh terrestrial or simulated extraterrestrial conditions, a standardized experimental protocol of the preparation and ana-lyzing methods was established including the determination of the following spore responses: (i) survival, (ii) induced mutations, (iii) DNA damage, (iv) role of different repair pathways by use of a set of repair deficient mutants, and (v) transcriptional responses during spore germi-nation by use of genome-wide transcriptome analyses and confirmation by RT-PCR. From this comprehensive set of data on spore resistance to a variety of environmental stress parameters a model of a "built-in" transcriptional program of bacterial spores in response to DNA damaging treatments to ensure DNA restoration

Comparing marine and terrestrial ecosystems: Implications for the design of coastal marine reserves

Science.gov (United States)

Carr, M.H.; Neigel, J.E.; Estes, J.A.; Andelman, S.; Warner, R.R.; Largier, J. L.

2003-01-01

Concepts and theory for the design and application of terrestrial reserves is based on our understanding of environmental, ecological, and evolutionary processes responsible for biological diversity and sustainability of terrestrial ecosystems and how humans have influenced these processes. How well this terrestrial-based theory can be applied toward the design and application of reserves in the coastal marine environment depends, in part, on the degree of similarity between these systems. Several marked differences in ecological and evolutionary processes exist between marine and terrestrial ecosystems as ramifications of fundamental differences in their physical environments (i.e., the relative prevalence of air and water) and contemporary patterns of human impacts. Most notably, the great extent and rate of dispersal of nutrients, materials, holoplanktonic organisms, and reproductive propagules of benthic organisms expand scales of connectivity among near-shore communities and ecosystems. Consequently, the "openness" of marine populations, communities, and ecosystems probably has marked influences on their spatial, genetic, and trophic structures and dynamics in ways experienced by only some terrestrial species. Such differences appear to be particularly significant for the kinds of organisms most exploited and targeted for protection in coastal marine ecosystems (fishes and macroinvertebrates). These and other differences imply some unique design criteria and application of reserves in the marine environment. In explaining the implications of these differences for marine reserve design and application, we identify many of the environmental and ecological processes and design criteria necessary for consideration in the development of the analytical approaches developed elsewhere in this Special Issue.

2017 Annual Terrestrial Sampling Plan for Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico on Kirtland Air Force Base

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Griffith, Stacy R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2017-02-01

The 2017 Annual Terrestrial Sampling Plan for Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico on Kirtland Air Force Base has been prepared in accordance with the “Letter of Agreement Between Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Sandia Field Office (DOE/NNSA/SFO) and 377th Air Base Wing (ABW), Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) for Terrestrial Sampling” (signed January 2017), Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM). The Letter of Agreement requires submittal of an annual terrestrial sampling plan.

2018 Annual Terrestrial Sampling Plan for Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico on Kirtland Air Force Base.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Griffith, Stacy R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2018-01-01

The 2018 Annual Terrestrial Sampling Plan for Sandia National Laboratories/New Mexico on Kirtland Air Force Base has been prepared in accordance with the “Letter of Agreement Between Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, Sandia Field Office (DOE/NNSA/SFO) and 377th Air Base Wing (ABW), Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) for Terrestrial Sampling” (signed January 2017), Sandia National Laboratories, New Mexico (SNL/NM). The Letter of Agreement requires submittal of an annual terrestrial sampling plan.

Fungal decomposition of terrestrial organic matter accelerated Early Jurassic climate warming

Science.gov (United States)

Pieńkowski, Grzegorz; Hodbod, Marta; Ullmann, Clemens V.

2016-08-01

Soils - constituting the largest terrestrial carbon pool - are vulnerable to climatic warming. Currently existing uncertainties regarding carbon fluxes within terrestrial systems can be addressed by studies of past carbon cycle dynamics and related climate change recorded in sedimentary successions. Here we show an example from the Early Jurassic (early Toarcian, c. 183 mya) marginal-marine strata from Poland, tracking the hinterland response to climatic changes through a super-greenhouse event. In contrast to anoxia-related enhanced carbon storage in coeval open marine environments, Total Organic Carbon (TOC) concentrations in the Polish successions are substantially reduced during this event. Increasing temperature favoured fungal-mediated decomposition of plant litter - specifically of normally resistant woody tissues. The associated injection of oxidized organic matter into the atmosphere corresponds to abrupt changes in standing vegetation and may have contributed significantly to the amplified greenhouse climate on Earth. The characteristic Toarcian signature of multiple warm pulses coinciding with rapidly decreasing carbon isotope ratios may in part be the result of a radical reduction of the terrestrial carbon pool as a response to climate change.

A pharm-ecological perspective of terrestrial and aquatic plant-herbivore interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Forbey, Jennifer Sorensen; Dearing, M Denise; Gross, Elisabeth M; Orians, Colin M; Sotka, Erik E; Foley, William J

2013-04-01

We describe some recent themes in the nutritional and chemical ecology of herbivores and the importance of a broad pharmacological view of plant nutrients and chemical defenses that we integrate as "Pharm-ecology". The central role that dose, concentration, and response to plant components (nutrients and secondary metabolites) play in herbivore foraging behavior argues for broader application of approaches derived from pharmacology to both terrestrial and aquatic plant-herbivore systems. We describe how concepts of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics are used to better understand the foraging phenotype of herbivores relative to nutrient and secondary metabolites in food. Implementing these concepts into the field remains a challenge, but new modeling approaches that emphasize tradeoffs and the properties of individual animals show promise. Throughout, we highlight similarities and differences between the historic and future applications of pharm-ecological concepts in understanding the ecology and evolution of terrestrial and aquatic interactions between herbivores and plants. We offer several pharm-ecology related questions and hypotheses that could strengthen our understanding of the nutritional and chemical factors that modulate foraging behavior of herbivores across terrestrial and aquatic systems.

FLAVONOIDS IN THE GRASS OF TRIBULUS TERRESTRIS L.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. E. Khudenko

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The article presents active parts of Tribulus terrestris L. as a perspective sample for study. We have provided an example of flavo-noids determination with high-performance liquid chromatography / MS at the Waters Acquility chromatographer with tandem quad-rupolar MS-detector TQD (Waters.

Mixing of Marine and Terrestrial Sources of Strontium in Coastal Environments

Science.gov (United States)

Ryan, Saskia; Crowley, Quentin; Deegan, Eileen; Snoeck, Christophe

2017-04-01

87Sr/86Sr from bulk soils, soil extracts and plant material have been used to investigate and quantify the extent of marine-derived Sr in the terrestrial biosphere. Samples were collected along coastal transects and 87Sr/86Sr biosphere values (plant and soil) converge to marine values with increasing proximity to the coast. R2values indicate highly significant trends in certain regions. The National Soils Database (NSDB), TELLUS and TELLUS Border datasets, all of which are geochemical surveys have been employed to further test the extent of marine elemental contribution. Collectively these data cover all of Ireland and Northern Ireland, with varying degrees of sampling density. A strong spatial correlation exists between the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA; (Al2O3-(CaO*+Na2O)-K2O)) in topsoil (CIA <60; 27% n = 11651) and areas of blanket peat. The enrichment of Ca and Na in these regions would suggest a significant marine geochemical contribution. Topsoil CIA can therefore be used to identify areas likely to feature significant marine inputs and identify regions where the 87Sr/86Sr budget may deviate from bedrock values.

Floral display, reproductive success, and conservation of terrestrial orchids

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kindlmann, Pavel; Jersáková, Jana

2005-01-01

Roč. 26, - (2005), s. 136-144 ISSN 0361-185X Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z60870520 Keywords : deceptiveness * fruit set * number of flowers * Orchis morio * terrestrial orchids Subject RIV: EH - Ecology, Behaviour

[Extrasolar terrestrial planets and possibility of extraterrestrial life].

Science.gov (United States)

Ida, Shigeru

2003-12-01

Recent development of research on extrasolar planets are reviewed. About 120 extrasolar Jupiter-mass planets have been discovered through the observation of Doppler shift in the light of their host stars that is caused by acceleration due to planet orbital motions. Although the extrasolar planets so far observed may be limited to gas giant planets and their orbits differ from those of giant planets in our Solar system (Jupiter and Saturn), the theoretically predicted probability of existence of extrasolar terrestrial planets that can have liquid water ocean on their surface is comparable to that of detectable gas giant planets. Based on the number of extrasolar gas giants detected so far, about 100 life-sustainable planets may exist within a range of 200 light years. Indirect observation of extrasolar terrestrial planets would be done with space telescopes within several years and direct one may be done within 20 years. The latter can detect biomarkers on these planets as well.

Radiation safety standards: space hazards vs. terrestrial hazards

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sinclair, W.K.

1983-01-01

Policies regarding the setting of standards for radiation exposure for astronauts and other workers in space are discussed. The first recommendations for dose limitation and the underlying philosophy of these recommendations, which were put out in 1970, are examined, and consequences for the standards if the same philosophy of allowing a doubling in overall cancer risk for males aged 30-35 over a 20-year period were applied to more recent risk estimates are calculated, leading to values about a factor of 4 below the 1970 recommendation. Standards set since 1930 for terrestrial occupational exposures, which lead to a maximum lifetime risk of about 2.3 percent, are then considered, and the space and terrestrial exposure risks for fatal cancers at maximum lifetime dose are compared with industrial accidental death rates. Attention is also given to the question of the potential effects of HZE particles in space and to the possibility that HZE particle effects, rather than radiation carcinogenesis, might be the limiting factor. 17 references

Submarine groundwater discharge driven nitrogen fluxes to Long Island Sound, NY: Terrestrial vs. marine sources

Science.gov (United States)

Tamborski, J. J.; Cochran, J. K.; Bokuniewicz, H. J.

2017-12-01

Bottom-waters in Smithtown Bay (Long Island Sound, NY) are subject to hypoxic conditions every summer despite limited nutrient inputs from waste-water and riverine sources, while modeling estimates of groundwater inputs are thought to be insignificant. Terrestrial and marine fluxes of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) were quantified to Smithtown Bay using mass balances of 222Rn, 224Ra, 226Ra and 228Ra during the spring and summer of 2014/2015, in order to track this seasonal transition period. Intertidal pore waters from a coastal bluff (terrestrial SGD) and from a barrier beach (marine SGD) displayed substantial differences in N concentrations and sources, traced using a multi-isotope approach (222Rn, Ra, δ15N-NO3-, δ18O-NO3-). NO3- in terrestrial SGD did not display any seasonality and was derived from residential septic systems and fertilizer. Marine SGD N concentrations varied month-to-month because of mixing between oxic seawater and hypoxic saline pore waters; N concentrations were greatest during the summer, when NO3- was derived from the remineralization of organic matter. Short-lived 222Rn and 224Ra SGD fluxes were used to determine remineralized N loads along tidal recirculation flow paths, while long-lived 228Ra was used to trace inputs of anthropogenic N in terrestrial SGD. 228Ra-derived terrestrial N load estimates were between 20 and 55% lower than 224Ra-derived estimates (excluding spring 2014); 228Ra may be a more appropriate tracer of terrestrial SGD N loads. Terrestrial SGD NO3- (derived from 228Ra) to Smithtown Bay varied from (1.40-12.8) ∗ 106 mol N y-1, with comparable marine SGD NO3- fluxes of (1.70-6.79) ∗ 106 mol N y-1 derived from 222Rn and 224Ra. Remineralized N loads were greater during the summer compared with spring, and these may be an important driver toward the onset of seasonal hypoxic conditions in Smithtown Bay and western Long Island Sound. Seawater recirculation through the coastal aquifer can rival the N load from

Terrestrial Microgravity Model and Threshold Gravity Simulation using Magnetic Levitation

Science.gov (United States)

Ramachandran, N.

2005-01-01

What is the threshold gravity (minimum gravity level) required for the nominal functioning of the human system? What dosage is required? Do human cell lines behave differently in microgravity in response to an external stimulus? The critical need for such a gravity simulator is emphasized by recent experiments on human epithelial cells and lymphocytes on the Space Shuttle clearly showing that cell growth and function are markedly different from those observed terrestrially. Those differences are also dramatic between cells grown in space and those in Rotating Wall Vessels (RWV), or NASA bioreactor often used to simulate microgravity, indicating that although morphological growth patterns (three dimensional growth) can be successfully simulated using RWVs, cell function performance is not reproduced - a critical difference. If cell function is dramatically affected by gravity off-loading, then cell response to stimuli such as radiation, stress, etc. can be very different from terrestrial cell lines. Yet, we have no good gravity simulator for use in study of these phenomena. This represents a profound shortcoming for countermeasures research. We postulate that we can use magnetic levitation of cells and tissue, through the use of strong magnetic fields and field gradients, as a terrestrial microgravity model to study human cells. Specific objectives of the research are: 1. To develop a tried, tested and benchmarked terrestrial microgravity model for cell culture studies; 2. Gravity threshold determination; 3. Dosage (magnitude and duration) of g-level required for nominal functioning of cells; 4. Comparisons of magnetic levitation model to other models such as RWV, hind limb suspension, etc. and 5. Cellular response to reduced gravity levels of Moon and Mars. The paper will discuss experiments md modeling work to date in support of this project.

Myoglobin oxygen affinity in aquatic and terrestrial birds and mammals.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Traver J; Davis, Randall W

2015-07-01

Myoglobin (Mb) is an oxygen binding protein found in vertebrate skeletal muscle, where it facilitates intracellular transport and storage of oxygen. This protein has evolved to suit unique physiological needs in the muscle of diving vertebrates that express Mb at much greater concentrations than their terrestrial counterparts. In this study, we characterized Mb oxygen affinity (P50) from 25 species of aquatic and terrestrial birds and mammals. Among diving species, we tested for correlations between Mb P50 and routine dive duration. Across all species examined, Mb P50 ranged from 2.40 to 4.85 mmHg. The mean P50 of Mb from terrestrial ungulates was 3.72±0.15 mmHg (range 3.70-3.74 mmHg). The P50 of cetaceans was similar to terrestrial ungulates ranging from 3.54 to 3.82 mmHg, with the exception of the melon-headed whale, which had a significantly higher P50 of 4.85 mmHg. Among pinnipeds, the P50 ranged from 3.23 to 3.81 mmHg and showed a trend for higher oxygen affinity in species with longer dive durations. Among diving birds, the P50 ranged from 2.40 to 3.36 mmHg and also showed a trend of higher affinities in species with longer dive durations. In pinnipeds and birds, low Mb P50 was associated with species whose muscles are metabolically active under hypoxic conditions associated with aerobic dives. Given the broad range of potential globin oxygen affinities, Mb P50 from diverse vertebrate species appears constrained within a relatively narrow range. High Mb oxygen affinity within this range may be adaptive for some vertebrates that make prolonged dives. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Contaminants in the Greenland terrestrial and freshwater environment. National assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Riget, F.; Aastrup, P.; Dietz, R.

1997-01-01

The present report reviews the available information on heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants and radioactivity in the Greenland freshwater and terrestrial environments. Levels in lake sediments, soil, humus and organisms are presented, spatial and temporal trends are discussed and where possible also biological effects. Many of the contaminants that occur in the Greenland environment originate from distant sources outside of the region, and are transported to the Arctic via three major pathways - atmospheric, terrestrial/freshwater and marine. The main sources of pollution in Greenland is considered to be the industrialization of Eurasia. Pollutants are mainly. The organochlorine levels in Greenland char are typically in the low range compared to values reported from Canada. The Greenland sediment samples showed all organochlorine values below the detection limits of 0.1 μg/kg dry weight, thus being among the lowest contaminated sediments within the Arctic. The total content of PAH in the Greenland sediment samples ranged between 78-635 μ3 g/kg dry wight, with a geometric mean of 178 μg/kg, comparable to or lower than reported values from other arctic countries. The lowest concentrations of anthropogenic radionuclides in the Greenland terrestrial and freshwater environment are found in the northern parts of Greenland and the highest in the south western parts. The main source of anthropogenic radioactivity is nuclear weapons testing in the atmosphere and the fallout from this activity is closely related to the amounts of precipitation. The predominant foodchain in the Arctic with regard to transport of radiocaesium to man is: Lichen-reindeer-man. Although the doses from the terrestrial foodchain are 20 times higher than those received from the marine foodchain, they are not considered to be of any relevance for the human health in Greenland. 4 appendices contain experimental results. (EG)

Towards 250 m mapping of terrestrial primary productivity over Canada

Science.gov (United States)

Gonsamo, A.; Chen, J. M.

2011-12-01

Terrestrial ecosystems are an important part of the climate and global change systems. Their role in climate change and in the global carbon cycle is yet to be well understood. Dataset from satellite earth observation, coupled with numerical models provide the unique tools for monitoring the spatial and temporal dynamics of territorial carbon cycle. The Boreal Ecosystems Productivity Simulator (BEPS) is a remote sensing based approach to quantifying the terrestrial carbon cycle by that gross and net primary productivity (GPP and NPP) and terrestrial carbon sinks and sources expressed as net ecosystem productivity (NEP). We have currently implemented a scheme to map the GPP, NPP and NEP at 250 m for first time over Canada using BEPS model. This is supplemented by improved mapping of land cover and leaf area index (LAI) at 250 m over Canada from MODIS satellite dataset. The results from BEPS are compared with MODIS GPP product and further evaluated with estimated LAI from various sources to evaluate if the results capture the trend in amount of photosynthetic biomass distributions. Final evaluation will be to validate both BEPS and MODIS primary productivity estimates over the Fluxnet sites over Canada. The primary evaluation indicate that BEPS GPP estimates capture the over storey LAI variations over Canada very well compared to MODIS GPP estimates. There is a large offset of MODIS GPP, over-estimating the lower GPP value compared to BEPS GPP estimates. These variations will further be validated based on the measured values from the Fluxnet tower measurements over Canadian. The high resolution GPP (NPP) products at 250 m will further be used to scale the outputs between different ecosystem productivity models, in our case the Canadian carbon budget model of Canadian forest sector CBM-CFS) and the Integrated Terrestrial Ecosystem Carbon model (InTEC).

Oldest pathology in a tetrapod bone illuminates the origin of terrestrial vertebrates.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Peter J Bishop

Full Text Available The origin of terrestrial tetrapods was a key event in vertebrate evolution, yet how and when it occurred remains obscure, due to scarce fossil evidence. Here, we show that the study of palaeopathologies, such as broken and healed bones, can help elucidate poorly understood behavioural transitions such as this. Using high-resolution finite element analysis, we demonstrate that the oldest known broken tetrapod bone, a radius of the primitive stem tetrapod Ossinodus pueri from the mid-Viséan (333 million years ago of Australia, fractured under a high-force, impact-type loading scenario. The nature of the fracture suggests that it most plausibly occurred during a fall on land. Augmenting this are new osteological observations, including a preferred directionality to the trabecular architecture of cancellous bone. Together, these results suggest that Ossinodus, one of the first large (>2m length tetrapods, spent a significant proportion of its life on land. Our findings have important implications for understanding the temporal, biogeographical and physiological contexts under which terrestriality in vertebrates evolved. They push the date for the origin of terrestrial tetrapods further back into the Carboniferous by at least two million years. Moreover, they raise the possibility that terrestriality in vertebrates first evolved in large tetrapods in Gondwana rather than in small European forms, warranting a re-evaluation of this important evolutionary event.

Stimulation of terrestrial ecosystem carbon storage by nitrogen addition: a meta-analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Yue, Kai; Peng, Yan; Peng, Changhui; Yang, Wanqin; Peng, Xin; Wu, Fuzhong

2016-01-27

Elevated nitrogen (N) deposition alters the terrestrial carbon (C) cycle, which is likely to feed back to further climate change. However, how the overall terrestrial ecosystem C pools and fluxes respond to N addition remains unclear. By synthesizing data from multiple terrestrial ecosystems, we quantified the response of C pools and fluxes to experimental N addition using a comprehensive meta-analysis method. Our results showed that N addition significantly stimulated soil total C storage by 5.82% ([2.47%, 9.27%], 95% CI, the same below) and increased the C contents of the above- and below-ground parts of plants by 25.65% [11.07%, 42.12%] and 15.93% [6.80%, 25.85%], respectively. Furthermore, N addition significantly increased aboveground net primary production by 52.38% [40.58%, 65.19%] and litterfall by 14.67% [9.24%, 20.38%] at a global scale. However, the C influx from the plant litter to the soil through litter decomposition and the efflux from the soil due to microbial respiration and soil respiration showed insignificant responses to N addition. Overall, our meta-analysis suggested that N addition will increase soil C storage and plant C in both above- and below-ground parts, indicating that terrestrial ecosystems might act to strengthen as a C sink under increasing N deposition.

Implications of sensor configuration and topography on vertical plant profiles derived from terrestrial LiDAR

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Calders, K.; Armston, J.; Newnham, G.; Herold, M.; Goodwin, N.

2014-01-01

The vertical distribution of plant constituents is a key parameter to describe vegetation structure and influences several processes, such as radiation interception, growth and habitat. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS), also referred to as terrestrial LiDAR, has the potential to measure the canopy

Potential Applications of Gosat Based Carbon Budget Products to Refine Terrestrial Ecosystem Model

Science.gov (United States)

Kondo, M.; Ichii, K.

2011-12-01

Estimation of carbon exchange in terrestrial ecosystem associates with difficulties due to complex entanglement of physical and biological processes: thus, the net ecosystem productivity (NEP) estimated from simulation often differs among process-based terrestrial ecosystem models. In addition to complexity of the system, validation can only be conducted in a point scale since reliable observation is only available from ground observations. With a lack of large spatial data, extension of model simulation to a global scale results in significant uncertainty in the future carbon balance and climate change. Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT), launched by the Japanese space agency (JAXA) in January, 2009, is the 1st operational satellite promised to deliver the net land-atmosphere carbon budget to the terrestrial biosphere research community. Using that information, the model reproducibility of carbon budget is expected to improve: hence, gives a better estimation of the future climate change. This initial analysis is to seek and evaluate the potential applications of GOSAT observation toward the sophistication of terrestrial ecosystem model. The present study was conducted in two processes: site-based analysis using eddy covariance observation data to assess the potential use of terrestrial carbon fluxes (GPP, RE, and NEP) to refine the model, and extension of the point scale analysis to spatial using Carbon Tracker product as a prototype of GOSAT product. In the first phase of the experiment, it was verified that an optimization routine adapted to a terrestrial model, Biome-BGC, yielded the improved result with respect to eddy covariance observation data from AsiaFlux Network. Spatial data sets used in the second phase were consists of GPP from empirical algorithm (e.g. support vector machine), NEP from Carbon Tracker, and RE from the combination of these. These spatial carbon flux estimations was used to refine the model applying the exactly same

Solar and terrestrial radiation: methods and measurements

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Coulson, Kinsell L

1975-01-01

... AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, WITHOUT PERMISSION IN WRITING FROM THE PUBLISHER. ACADEMIC PRESS, INC. Ill Fifth Avenue, New York, New York 10003 United Kingdom Edition published by A C A D E M I C PRESS, INC. (LONDON) LTD. 24/28 Oval Road, London NW1 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Coulson, Kinsell L Solar and terrestrial radiation. Inclu...

High efficiency, long life terrestrial solar panel

Science.gov (United States)

Chao, T.; Khemthong, S.; Ling, R.; Olah, S.

1977-01-01

The design of a high efficiency, long life terrestrial module was completed. It utilized 256 rectangular, high efficiency solar cells to achieve high packing density and electrical output. Tooling for the fabrication of solar cells was in house and evaluation of the cell performance was begun. Based on the power output analysis, the goal of a 13% efficiency module was achievable.

Furostanol and Spirostanol Saponins from Tribulus terrestris.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Zhen-Fang; Wang, Bing-Bing; Zhao, Yang; Wang, Fang-Xu; Sun, Yan; Guo, Rui-Jie; Song, Xin-Bo; Xin, Hai-Li; Sun, Xin-Guang

2016-03-30

Twelve new steroidal saponins, including eleven furostanol saponins, terrestrinin J-T (1-11), and one spirostanol saponin, terrestrinin U (12), together with seven known steroidal saponins 13-19 were isolated from T. terrestris. The structures of the new compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic data, including 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS, and comparisons with published data.

A potential mechanism for allometric trabecular bone scaling in terrestrial mammals.

Science.gov (United States)

Christen, Patrik; Ito, Keita; van Rietbergen, Bert

2015-03-01

Trabecular bone microstructural parameters, including trabecular thickness, spacing, and number, have been reported to scale with animal size with negative allometry, whereas bone volume fraction is animal size-invariant in terrestrial mammals. As for the majority of scaling patterns described in animals, its underlying mechanism is unknown. However, it has also been found that osteocyte density is inversely related to animal size, possibly adapted to metabolic rate, which shows a negative relationship as well. In addition, the signalling reach of osteocytes is limited by the extent of the lacuno-canalicular network, depending on trabecular dimensions and thus also on animal size. Here we propose animal size-dependent variations in osteocyte density and their signalling influence distance as a potential mechanism for negative allometric trabecular bone scaling in terrestrial mammals. Using an established and tested computational model of bone modelling and remodelling, we run simulations with different osteocyte densities and influence distances mimicking six terrestrial mammals covering a large range of body masses. Simulated trabecular structures revealed negative allometric scaling for trabecular thickness, spacing, and number, constant bone volume fraction, and bone turnover rates inversely related to animal size. These results are in agreement with previous observations supporting our proposal of osteocyte density and influence distance variation as a potential mechanism for negative allometric trabecular bone scaling in terrestrial mammals. The inverse relationship between bone turnover rates and animal size further indicates that trabecular bone scaling may be linked to metabolic rather than mechanical adaptations. © 2015 Anatomical Society.

Allium hookeri , Thw. Enum. A lesser known terrestrial perennial ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A lesser known terrestrial perennial herb used as food and its ethnobotanical ... from the wilderness, for consumption and traditional healing of various ailments. ... plants, the lifestyles of the people are changed and they prefer 'junk foods'.

MAFF monitoring of the terrestrial environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sherlock, J.C.

1993-01-01

This paper addresses the food surveillance programme of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), in particular the Terrestrial Radioactivity Monitoring Programme (TRAMP) and the estimation of dietary intake of radionuclides. To define the surveillance programme the following issues need to be decided upon: 1) the type of food which should be analysed; 2) the nature of the contaminants which should be analysed; and 3) the geographical location from which the food samples should be taken. (author)

A Spherical Aerial Terrestrial Robot

Science.gov (United States)

Dudley, Christopher J.

This thesis focuses on the design of a novel, ultra-lightweight spherical aerial terrestrial robot (ATR). The ATR has the ability to fly through the air or roll on the ground, for applications that include search and rescue, mapping, surveillance, environmental sensing, and entertainment. The design centers around a micro-quadcopter encased in a lightweight spherical exoskeleton that can rotate about the quadcopter. The spherical exoskeleton offers agile ground locomotion while maintaining characteristics of a basic aerial robot in flying mode. A model of the system dynamics for both modes of locomotion is presented and utilized in simulations to generate potential trajectories for aerial and terrestrial locomotion. Details of the quadcopter and exoskeleton design and fabrication are discussed, including the robot's turning characteristic over ground and the spring-steel exoskeleton with carbon fiber axle. The capabilities of the ATR are experimentally tested and are in good agreement with model-simulated performance. An energy analysis is presented to validate the overall efficiency of the robot in both modes of locomotion. Experimentally-supported estimates show that the ATR can roll along the ground for over 12 minutes and cover the distance of 1.7 km, or it can fly for 4.82 minutes and travel 469 m, on a single 350 mAh battery. Compared to a traditional flying-only robot, the ATR traveling over the same distance in rolling mode is 2.63-times more efficient, and in flying mode the system is only 39 percent less efficient. Experimental results also demonstrate the ATR's transition from rolling to flying mode.

TAME - the terrestrial-aquatic model of the environment: model definition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Klos, R.A.; Mueller-Lemans, H.; Dorp, F. van; Gribi, P.

1996-10-01

TAME - the Terrestrial-Aquatic Model of the Environment is a new computer model for use in assessments of the radiological impact of the release of radionuclides to the biosphere, following their disposal in underground waste repositories. Based on regulatory requirements, the end-point of the calculations is the maximum annual individual dose to members of a hypothetical population group inhabiting the biosphere region. Additional mid- and end-points in the TAME calculations are dose as function of time from eleven exposure pathways, foodstuff concentrations and the distribution of radionuclides in the modelled biosphere. A complete description of the mathematical representations of the biosphere in TAME is given in this document, based on a detailed review of the underlying conceptual framework for the model. Example results are used to illustrate features of the conceptual and mathematical models. The end-point of dose is shown to be robust for the simplifying model assumptions used to define the biosphere for the example calculations. TAME comprises two distinct sub-models - one representing the transport of radionuclides in the near-surface environment and one for the calculation of dose to individual inhabitants of that biosphere. The former is the result of a detailed review of the modelling requirements for such applications and is based on a comprehensive consideration of all features, events and processes (FEPs) relevant to Swiss biospheres, both in the present-day biosphere and in potential future biosphere states. Representations of the transport processes are derived from first principles. Mass balance for water and solid material fluxes is used to determine the rates of contaminant transfer between components of the biosphere system. The calculation of doses is based on existing representations of exposure pathways and draws on experience both from Switzerland and elsewhere. (author) figs., tabs., refs

TAME - the terrestrial-aquatic model of the environment: model definition

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klos, R.A. [Paul Scherrer Inst. (PSI), Villigen (Switzerland); Mueller-Lemans, H. [Tergoso AG fuer Umweltfragen, Sargans (Switzerland); Dorp, F. van [Nationale Genossenschaft fuer die Lagerung Radioaktiver Abfaelle (NAGRA), Baden (Switzerland); Gribi, P. [Colenco AG, Baden (Switzerland)

1996-10-01

TAME - the Terrestrial-Aquatic Model of the Environment is a new computer model for use in assessments of the radiological impact of the release of radionuclides to the biosphere, following their disposal in underground waste repositories. Based on regulatory requirements, the end-point of the calculations is the maximum annual individual dose to members of a hypothetical population group inhabiting the biosphere region. Additional mid- and end-points in the TAME calculations are dose as function of time from eleven exposure pathways, foodstuff concentrations and the distribution of radionuclides in the modelled biosphere. A complete description of the mathematical representations of the biosphere in TAME is given in this document, based on a detailed review of the underlying conceptual framework for the model. Example results are used to illustrate features of the conceptual and mathematical models. The end-point of dose is shown to be robust for the simplifying model assumptions used to define the biosphere for the example calculations. TAME comprises two distinct sub-models - one representing the transport of radionuclides in the near-surface environment and one for the calculation of dose to individual inhabitants of that biosphere. The former is the result of a detailed review of the modelling requirements for such applications and is based on a comprehensive consideration of all features, events and processes (FEPs) relevant to Swiss biospheres, both in the present-day biosphere and in potential future biosphere states. Representations of the transport processes are derived from first principles. Mass balance for water and solid material fluxes is used to determine the rates of contaminant transfer between components of the biosphere system. The calculation of doses is based on existing representations of exposure pathways and draws on experience both from Switzerland and elsewhere. (author) figs., tabs., refs.

THE MORPHOLOGICAL PYRAMID AND ITS APPLICATIONS TO REMOTE SENSING: MULTIRESOLUTION DATA ANALYSIS AND FEATURES EXTRACTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laporterie Florence

2011-05-01

Full Text Available In remote sensing, sensors are more and more numerous, and their spatial resolution is higher and higher. Thus, the availability of a quick and accurate characterisation of the increasing amount of data is now a quite important issue. This paper deals with an approach combining a pyramidal algorithm and mathematical morphology to study the physiographic characteristics of terrestrial ecosystems. Our pyramidal strategy involves first morphological filters, then extraction at each level of resolution of well-known landscapes features. The approach is applied to a digitised aerial photograph representing an heterogeneous landscape of orchards and forests along the Garonne river (France. This example, simulating very high spatial resolution imagery, highlights the influence of the parameters of the pyramid according to the spatial properties of the studied patterns. It is shown that, the morphological pyramid approach is a promising attempt for multi-level features extraction by modelling geometrical relevant parameters.

The terrestrial biosphere in the SFR region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jerling, L; Isaeus, M [Stockholm Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Botany; Lanneck, J [Stockholm Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Physical Geography; Lindborg, T; Schueldt, R [Danish Nature Council, Copenhagen (Denmark)

2001-03-01

This report is a part of the SKB project 'SAFE' (Safety Assessment of the Final Repository of Radioactive Operational Waste). The aim of project SAFE is to update the previous safety analysis of SFR-1.SFR-1 is a facility for disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive waste, which is situated in bedrock beneath the Baltic Sea, one km off the coast near the Forsmark nuclear power plant in Northern Uppland. A part of the SAFE-analysis aims at analysing the transport of radionuclides in the ecosystems.To do so one has to build a model that includes a large amount of information concerning the biosphere.The first step is to collect and compile descriptions of the biosphere.This report is a first attempt to characterise the terrestrial environment of the SFR area of Forsmark. In the first part of the report the terrestrial environment, land class distribution and production of the area is described. The primary production in different terrestrial ecosystems is estimated for a model area in the Forsmark region. The estimations are based on the actual land class distribution and the values for the total primary production (d.w. above ground biomass)and the amount carbon produced, presented as g/m{sup 2} for each land class respectively. An important aspect of the biosphere is the vegetation and its development. The future development of vegetation is of interest since production,decomposition and thus storage of organic material, vary strongly among vegetation types and this has strong implications for the transport of radionuclides.Therefore an attempt to describe the development of terrestrial vegetation has been made in the second part. Any prediction of future vegetation is based on knowledge of the past together with premises for the future development.The predictions made, thus, becomes marred with errors enforced by the assumptions and incomplete information of the past. The assumptions made for the predictions in this report are crude and results in a

The terrestrial biosphere in the SFR region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jerling, L.; Isaeus, M.

2001-03-01

This report is a part of the SKB project 'SAFE' (Safety Assessment of the Final Repository of Radioactive Operational Waste). The aim of project SAFE is to update the previous safety analysis of SFR-1.SFR-1 is a facility for disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive waste, which is situated in bedrock beneath the Baltic Sea, one km off the coast near the Forsmark nuclear power plant in Northern Uppland. A part of the SAFE-analysis aims at analysing the transport of radionuclides in the ecosystems.To do so one has to build a model that includes a large amount of information concerning the biosphere.The first step is to collect and compile descriptions of the biosphere.This report is a first attempt to characterise the terrestrial environment of the SFR area of Forsmark. In the first part of the report the terrestrial environment, land class distribution and production of the area is described. The primary production in different terrestrial ecosystems is estimated for a model area in the Forsmark region. The estimations are based on the actual land class distribution and the values for the total primary production (d.w. above ground biomass)and the amount carbon produced, presented as g/m 2 for each land class respectively. An important aspect of the biosphere is the vegetation and its development. The future development of vegetation is of interest since production,decomposition and thus storage of organic material, vary strongly among vegetation types and this has strong implications for the transport of radionuclides.Therefore an attempt to describe the development of terrestrial vegetation has been made in the second part. Any prediction of future vegetation is based on knowledge of the past together with premises for the future development.The predictions made, thus, becomes marred with errors enforced by the assumptions and incomplete information of the past. The assumptions made for the predictions in this report are crude and results in a coarse

The terrestrial biosphere in the SFR region

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jerling, L.; Isaeus, M. [Stockholm Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Botany; Lanneck, J. [Stockholm Univ. (Sweden). Dept. of Physical Geography; Lindborg, T.; Schueldt, R. [Danish Nature Council, Copenhagen (Denmark)

2001-03-01

This report is a part of the SKB project 'SAFE' (Safety Assessment of the Final Repository of Radioactive Operational Waste). The aim of project SAFE is to update the previous safety analysis of SFR-1.SFR-1 is a facility for disposal of low and intermediate level radioactive waste, which is situated in bedrock beneath the Baltic Sea, one km off the coast near the Forsmark nuclear power plant in Northern Uppland. A part of the SAFE-analysis aims at analysing the transport of radionuclides in the ecosystems.To do so one has to build a model that includes a large amount of information concerning the biosphere.The first step is to collect and compile descriptions of the biosphere.This report is a first attempt to characterise the terrestrial environment of the SFR area of Forsmark. In the first part of the report the terrestrial environment, land class distribution and production of the area is described. The primary production in different terrestrial ecosystems is estimated for a model area in the Forsmark region. The estimations are based on the actual land class distribution and the values for the total primary production (d.w. above ground biomass)and the amount carbon produced, presented as g/m{sup 2} for each land class respectively. An important aspect of the biosphere is the vegetation and its development. The future development of vegetation is of interest since production,decomposition and thus storage of organic material, vary strongly among vegetation types and this has strong implications for the transport of radionuclides.Therefore an attempt to describe the development of terrestrial vegetation has been made in the second part. Any prediction of future vegetation is based on knowledge of the past together with premises for the future development.The predictions made, thus, becomes marred with errors enforced by the assumptions and incomplete information of the past. The assumptions made for the predictions in this report are crude and results

Datum Feature Extraction and Deformation Analysis Method Based on Normal Vector of Point Cloud

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, W.; Wang, J.; Jin, F.; Liang, Z.; Yang, Y.

2018-04-01

In order to solve the problem lacking applicable analysis method in the application of three-dimensional laser scanning technology to the field of deformation monitoring, an efficient method extracting datum feature and analysing deformation based on normal vector of point cloud was proposed. Firstly, the kd-tree is used to establish the topological relation. Datum points are detected by tracking the normal vector of point cloud determined by the normal vector of local planar. Then, the cubic B-spline curve fitting is performed on the datum points. Finally, datum elevation and the inclination angle of the radial point are calculated according to the fitted curve and then the deformation information was analyzed. The proposed approach was verified on real large-scale tank data set captured with terrestrial laser scanner in a chemical plant. The results show that the method could obtain the entire information of the monitor object quickly and comprehensively, and reflect accurately the datum feature deformation.

Radiation risk from terrestrial exposure for population in cities of Serbia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jankovic-Mandic, Lj.; Dragovic, S.; Jankovic-Mandic, Lj.)

2007-01-01

In this work total gamma dose rate, annual effective dose and external hazard index are calculated based on specific activities of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K determined by gamma-ray spectrometry. The average value of total gamma dose rate (61.8 n Gy/h) and annual effective dose (7.58·10 -5 Sv) from terrestrial exposure in 22 cities in Serbia are close to average world values. The average value of external hazard index of 0.35 showed that there is no significant radiation risk for population in cities of Serbia from terrestrial exposure. (author) [sr

Radionuclide biological half-life values for terrestrial and aquatic wildlife

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beresford, N.A.; Beaugelin-Seiller, K.; Burgos, J.; Cujic, M.; Fesenko, S.; Kryshev, A.; Pachal, N.; Real, A.; Su, B.S.; Tagami, K.; Vives i Batlle, J.; Vives-Lynch, S.; Wells, C.; Wood, M.D.

2015-01-01

The equilibrium concentration ratio is typically the parameter used to estimate organism activity concentrations within wildlife dose assessment tools. Whilst this is assumed to be fit for purpose, there are scenarios such as accidental or irregular, fluctuating, releases from licensed facilities when this might not be the case. In such circumstances, the concentration ratio approach may under- or over-estimate radiation exposure depending upon the time since the release. To carrying out assessments for such releases, a dynamic approach is needed. The simplest and most practical option is representing the uptake and turnover processes by first-order kinetics, for which organism- and element-specific biological half-life data are required. In this paper we describe the development of a freely available international database of radionuclide biological half-life values. The database includes 1907 entries for terrestrial, freshwater, riparian and marine organisms. Biological half-life values are reported for 52 elements across a range of wildlife groups (marine = 9, freshwater = 10, terrestrial = 7 and riparian = 3 groups). Potential applications and limitations of the database are discussed. - Highlights: • 1907 biological half-life values have been collated for wildlife species. • Data cover 52 elements. • 27 marine, freshwater, riparian and terrestrial organisms are included.

Synergistic Antimicrobial Effect of Tribulus terrestris and Bitter Almond Extracts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hamid Abtahi

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Background: The antimicrobial effects of the extracts of different kinds of plants have been demonstrated in several studies. However, no study has been conducted so far on the synergistic effects of two herbal extracts on their germicidal effects. In this study, in addition to antibacterial effects of the aqueous, methanol or ethanol extracts of Tribulus terrestris and bitter almond on some bacteria, the synergistic effects of the extracts of these two plants were also evaluated. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, water, methanol and ethanol extracts of seeds were screened against some bacterial strains. Seeds were extracted by percolation method. Aliquots of the extracts at variable concentrations were then incubated with different bacterial strains, and the antimicrobial activities of the extracts from seeds were determined by MIC. Three antibiotics were used as reference compounds for antibacterial activities. Seeds extract inhibited significantly the growth of the tested bacterial strains. Results: The greatest synergistic effect of T. terrestris and bitter almond extracts is detected in methanol and aqueous extracts. Among the bacterial strains tested, Staphylococcus aureus was most susceptibility. Conclusion: The results showed the highest antibacterial effect in the combination of methanol extract of T. terrestris and the aqueous extract of the bitter almond.

Development of ITS sequence based molecular marker to distinguish, Tribulus terrestris L. (Zygophyllaceae) from its adulterants.

Science.gov (United States)

Balasubramani, Subramani Paranthaman; Murugan, Ramar; Ravikumar, Kaliamoorthy; Venkatasubramanian, Padma

2010-09-01

Tribulus terrestris L. (Zygophyllaceae) is one of the highly traded raw drugs and also used as a stimulative food additive in Europe and USA. While, Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India recognizes T. terrestris as Goksura, Tribulus lanuginosus and T. subramanyamii are also traded by the same name raising issues of quality control. The nuclear ribosomal RNA genes and ITS (internal transcribed spacer) sequence were used to develop species-specific DNA markers. The species-specific markers efficiently amplified 295bp for T. terrestris (TT1F and TT1R), 300bp for T. lanuginosus (TL1F and TL1R) and 214bp for T. subramanyamii (TS1F and TS1R). These DNA markers can be used to distinguish T. terrestris from its adulterants. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Online feature selection with streaming features.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xindong; Yu, Kui; Ding, Wei; Wang, Hao; Zhu, Xingquan

2013-05-01

We propose a new online feature selection framework for applications with streaming features where the knowledge of the full feature space is unknown in advance. We define streaming features as features that flow in one by one over time whereas the number of training examples remains fixed. This is in contrast with traditional online learning methods that only deal with sequentially added observations, with little attention being paid to streaming features. The critical challenges for Online Streaming Feature Selection (OSFS) include 1) the continuous growth of feature volumes over time, 2) a large feature space, possibly of unknown or infinite size, and 3) the unavailability of the entire feature set before learning starts. In the paper, we present a novel Online Streaming Feature Selection method to select strongly relevant and nonredundant features on the fly. An efficient Fast-OSFS algorithm is proposed to improve feature selection performance. The proposed algorithms are evaluated extensively on high-dimensional datasets and also with a real-world case study on impact crater detection. Experimental results demonstrate that the algorithms achieve better compactness and higher prediction accuracy than existing streaming feature selection algorithms.

Amphibious fish jump better on land after acclimation to a terrestrial environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Brunt, Emily M; Turko, Andy J; Scott, Graham R; Wright, Patricia A

2016-10-15

Air and water differ dramatically in density and viscosity, posing different biomechanical challenges for animal locomotion. We asked how terrestrial acclimation influences locomotion in amphibious fish, specifically testing the hypothesis that terrestrial tail flip performance is improved by plastic changes in the skeletal muscle. Mangrove rivulus Kryptolebias marmoratus, which remain largely inactive out of water, were exposed to water or air for 14 days and a subgroup of air-exposed fish was also recovered in water. Tail flip jumping performance on land improved dramatically in air-acclimated fish, they had lower lactate levels compared with control fish, and these effects were mostly reversible. Muscle plasticity significantly increased oxidative muscle cross-sectional area and fibre size, as well as the number of capillaries per fibre. Our results show that reversible changes to the oxidative skeletal muscle of K. marmoratus out of water enhance terrestrial locomotory performance, even in the absence of exercise training. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

The annual terrestrial gamma radiation dose to the population of the urban Christchurch area

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, R.H.

1983-01-01

Natural terrestrial gamma radiation dose rates were measured with a high pressure ionization chamber at 70 indoor (195 site measurements) and 58 outdoor locations in the metropolitan Christchurch area. Based on these site measurements, the average gonad dose rate to the population from natural terrestrial gamma radiation was estimated to be 273+-56 microgray per annum. (auth)

Workshop on Oxygen in the Terrestrial Planets

Science.gov (United States)

2004-01-01

This volume contains abstracts that have been accepted for presentation at the Workshop on Oxygen in the Terrestrial Planets, July 20-23,2004, Santa Fe, New Mexico. The contents include: 1) Experimental Constraints on Oxygen and Other Light Element Partitioning During Planetary Core Formation; 2) In Situ Determination of Fe(3+)/SigmaFe of Spinels by Electron Microprobe: An Evaluation of the Flank Method; 3) The Effect of Oxygen Fugacity on Large-Strain Deformation and Recrystallization of Olivine; 4) Plagioclase-Liquid Trace Element Oxygen Barometry and Oxygen Behaviour in Closed and Open System Magmatic Processes; 5) Core Formation in the Earth: Constraints from Ni and Co; 6) Oxygen Isotopic Compositions of the Terrestrial Planets; 7) The Effect of Oxygen Fugacity on Electrical Conduction of Olivine and Implications for Earth s Mantle; 8) Redox Chemical Diffusion in Silicate Melts: The Impact of the Semiconductor Condition; 9) Ultra-High Temperature Effects in Earth s Magma Ocean: Pt and W Partitioning; 10) Terrestrial Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotope Variations: Primordial Values, Systematics, Subsolidus Effects, Planetary Comparisons, and the Role of Water; 11) Redox State of the Moon s Interior; 12) How did the Terrestrial Planets Acquire Their Water?; 13) Molecular Oxygen Mixing Ratio and Its Seasonal Variability in the Martian Atmosphere; 14) Exchange Between the Atmosphere and the Regolith of Mars: Discussion of Oxygen and Sulfur Isotope Evidence; 15) Oxygen and Hydrogen Isotope Systematics of Atmospheric Water Vapor and Meteoric Waters: Evidence from North Texas; 16) Implications of Isotopic and Redox Heterogeneities in Silicate Reservoirs on Mars; 17) Oxygen Isotopic Variation of the Terrestrial Planets; 18) Redox Exchanges in Hydrous Magma; 19) Hydrothermal Systems on Terrestrial Planets: Lessons from Earth; 20) Oxygen in Martian Meteorites: A Review of Results from Mineral Equilibria Oxybarometers; 21) Non-Linear Fractionation of Oxygen Isotopes Implanted in

TERRESTRIAL EFFECTS OF NEARBY SUPERNOVAE IN THE EARLY PLEISTOCENE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Thomas, B. C.; Engler, E. E. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Washburn University, Topeka, KS 66621 (United States); Kachelrieß, M. [Institutt for fysikk, NTNU, Trondheim (Norway); Melott, A. L. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045 (United States); Overholt, A. C. [Department of Science and Mathematics, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Olathe, KS 66062 (United States); Semikoz, D. V., E-mail: brian.thomas@washburn.edu [APC, Universite Paris Diderot, CNRS/IN2P3, CEA/IRFU, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Paris Cite, F-119 75205 Paris (France)

2016-07-20

Recent results have strongly confirmed that multiple supernovae happened at distances of ∼100 pc, consisting of two main events: one at 1.7–3.2 million years ago, and the other at 6.5–8.7 million years ago. These events are said to be responsible for excavating the Local Bubble in the interstellar medium and depositing {sup 60}Fe on Earth and the Moon. Other events are indicated by effects in the local cosmic ray (CR) spectrum. Given this updated and refined picture, we ask whether such supernovae are expected to have had substantial effects on the terrestrial atmosphere and biota. In a first look at the most probable cases, combining photon and CR effects, we find that a supernova at 100 pc can have only a small effect on terrestrial organisms from visible light and that chemical changes such as ozone depletion are weak. However, tropospheric ionization right down to the ground, due to the penetration of ≥TeV CRs, will increase by nearly an order of magnitude for thousands of years, and irradiation by muons on the ground and in the upper ocean will increase twentyfold, which will approximately triple the overall radiation load on terrestrial organisms. Such irradiation has been linked to possible changes in climate and increased cancer and mutation rates. This may be related to a minor mass extinction around the Pliocene-Pleistocene boundary, and further research on the effects is needed.

Understanding Legacy Features with Featureous

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olszak, Andrzej; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard

2011-01-01

Java programs called Featureous that addresses this issue. Featureous allows a programmer to easily establish feature-code traceability links and to analyze their characteristics using a number of visualizations. Featureous is an extension to the NetBeans IDE, and can itself be extended by third...

A STUDY ABOUT TERRESTRIAL LASER SCANNING FOR RECONSTRUCTION OF PRECAST CONCRETE TO SUPPORT QLASSIC ASSESSMENT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. A. Aziz

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Nowadays, terrestrial laser scanning shows the potential to improve construction productivity by measuring the objects changes using real-time applications. This paper presents the process of implementation of an efficient framework for precast concrete using terrestrial laser scanning that enables contractors to acquire accurate data and support Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC. Leica Scanstation C10, black/white target, Autodesk Revit and Cyclone software were used in this study. The results were compared with the dimensional of based model precast concrete given by the company as a reference with the AutoDesk Revit model from the terrestrial laser scanning data and conventional method (measuring tape. To support QLASSIC, the tolerance dimensions of cast in-situ & precast elements is +10mm / -5mm. The results showed that the root mean square error for a Revit model is 2.972mm while using measuring tape is 13.687mm. The accuracy showed that terrestrial laser scanning has an advantage in construction jobs to support QLASSIC.

a Study about Terrestrial Laser Scanning for Reconstruction of Precast Concrete to Support Qlassic Assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Aziz, M. A.; Idris, K. M.; Majid, Z.; Ariff, M. F. M.; Yusoff, A. R.; Luh, L. C.; Abbas, M. A.; Chong, A. K.

2016-09-01

Nowadays, terrestrial laser scanning shows the potential to improve construction productivity by measuring the objects changes using real-time applications. This paper presents the process of implementation of an efficient framework for precast concrete using terrestrial laser scanning that enables contractors to acquire accurate data and support Quality Assessment System in Construction (QLASSIC). Leica Scanstation C10, black/white target, Autodesk Revit and Cyclone software were used in this study. The results were compared with the dimensional of based model precast concrete given by the company as a reference with the AutoDesk Revit model from the terrestrial laser scanning data and conventional method (measuring tape). To support QLASSIC, the tolerance dimensions of cast in-situ & precast elements is +10mm / -5mm. The results showed that the root mean square error for a Revit model is 2.972mm while using measuring tape is 13.687mm. The accuracy showed that terrestrial laser scanning has an advantage in construction jobs to support QLASSIC.

Lead concentrations: bats vs. terrestrial small mammals collected near a major highway

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Clark, D.R.

1979-03-01

Lead concentrations in two species of bats and three species of terrestrial small mammals (meadow voles, short-tailed shrews, and white-footed mice) collected near a heavily travelled highway are compared. Roosting bats away from the parkway contained as much or more lead as the terrestrial mammals that were collected within 18 m of the road. Estimated doses of lead ingested by little brown bats, shrews, and voles equal or exceed doses that have caused mortality or reproductive impairment in domestic mammals. (24 references, 3 tables)

Terrestrial Planet Finder Coronagraph High Accuracy Optical Propagation, Phase I

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) project is considering several approaches to discovering planets orbiting stars far from earth and assessing their suitability to...

Non-terrestrial food source for Fiordland brachiopods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lyon, G.L.; Richardson, Joyce

1983-05-01

Carbon-13 analyses were determined for brachiopods and particulate organic matter from Fiordland waters. Brachiopod delta 13 $ 0 C are about -18 per mille which is significantly enriched in 13 C relative to the particulate matter (about -23 per mille) and different from local terrestrial matter (about -28 per mille). There is no carbon-13 evidence for non-marine food in the diet of brachiopods

Furostanol and Spirostanol Saponins from Tribulus terrestris

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhen-Fang Wang

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Twelve new steroidal saponins, including eleven furostanol saponins, terrestrinin J–T (1–11, and one spirostanol saponin, terrestrinin U (12, together with seven known steroidal saponins 13–19 were isolated from T. terrestris. The structures of the new compounds were established on the basis of spectroscopic data, including 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS, and comparisons with published data.

GRACE-derived terrestrial water storage depletion associated with the 2003 European heat wave

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, Ole Baltazar; Seneviratne, S.I.; Hinderer, J.

2005-01-01

water storage depletion observed from GRACE can be related to the record-breaking heat wave that occurred in central Europe in 2003. We validate the measurements from GRACE using two independent hydrological estimates and direct gravity observations from superconducting gravimeters in Europe. All...... datasets agree well with the GRACE measurements despite the disparity of the employed information; the difference between datasets tends to be within GRACE margin of error. The April-to-August terrestrial water storage depletion is found to be significantly larger in 2003 than in 2002 from both models......The GRACE twin satellites reveal large inter-annual terrestrial water-storage variations between 2002 and 2003 for central Europe. GRACE observes a negative trend in regional water storage from 2002 to 2003 peaking at -7.8 cm in central Europe with an accuracy of 1 cm. The 2003 excess terrestrial...

Automatic Tree Data Removal Method for Topography Measurement Result Using Terrestrial Laser Scanner

Science.gov (United States)

Yokoyama, H.; Chikatsu, H.

2017-02-01

Recently, laser scanning has been receiving greater attention as a useful tool for real-time 3D data acquisition, and various applications such as city modelling, DTM generation and 3D modelling of cultural heritage sites have been proposed. And, former digital data processing were demanded in the past digital archive techniques for cultural heritage sites. However, robust filtering method for distinguishing on- and off-terrain points by terrestrial laser scanner still have many issues. In the past investigation, former digital data processing using air-bone laser scanner were reported. Though, efficient tree removal methods from terrain points for the cultural heritage are not considered. In this paper, authors describe a new robust filtering method for cultural heritage using terrestrial laser scanner with "the echo digital processing technology" as latest data processing techniques of terrestrial laser scanner.

Experimental terrestrial soil-core microcosm test protocol. A method for measuring the potential ecological effects, fate, and transport of chemicals in terrestrial ecosystems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Van Voris, P.; Tolle, D.A.; Arthur, M.F.

1985-06-01

In order to protect the environment properly and have a realistic appraisal of how a chemical will act in the environment, tests of ecological effects and chemical fate must be performed on complex assemblages of biotic and abiotic components (i.e., microcosms) as well as single species. This protocol is one which could be added to a series of tests recently developed as guidelines for Section 4 of the Toxic Substances Control Act (P.L. 94-469; U.S.C., Section 2601-2629). The terrestrial soil-core microcosm is designed to supply site-specific and possibly regional information on the probable chemical fate and ecological effects resulting from release of a chemical substance to a terrestrial ecosystem. The EPA will use the data resulting from this test system to compare the potential hazards of a chemical with others that have been previously evaluated.

Priority conservation plans of ecological function areas for terrestrial endangered mammals in China

OpenAIRE

Gongqi Sun; Yi Qu; Meiqing Tang; Xiao Liu; Xiaofeng Luan

2013-01-01

To reduce costs and maximize species protection in China, we identified conservation priorities of endangered terrestrial mammals. Using geographic information system (GIS), we identified the irreplaceable values (IR) of 1,434 units of the terrestrial ecological function areas. Based on the IR values of the units, we divided the units into three classes with decreasing priorities, including the mandatory reserve (MR) units (20), the negotiable reserve (NR) units (29), and the partially reserv...

Plastic bag derived-microplastics as a vector for metal exposure in terrestrial invertebrates

OpenAIRE

Hodson, Mark Edward; Duffus-Hodson, Calum; Clark, Andy; Prendergast-Miller, Miranda Tendai; Thorpe, Karen Louise

2017-01-01

Microplastics are widespread contaminants in terrestrial environments but comparatively little is known about interactions between microplastics and common terrestrial contaminants such as zinc (Zn). In adsorption experiments fragmented HDPE bags c. 1 mm2 in size showed similar sorption characteristics to soil. However, when present in combination with soil, concentrations of adsorbed Zn on a per mass basis were over an order of magnitude lower on microplastics . Desorption of the Zn was mini...

Enhanced Estimation of Terrestrial Loadings for TMDLs: Normalization Approach

Science.gov (United States)

TMDL implementation plans to remediate pathogen-impaired streams are usually based on deterministic terrestrial fate and transport (DTFT) models. A novel protocol is proposed that can effectively, efficiently, and explicitly capture the predictive uncertainty of DTFT models used to establish terres...

NACP Site: Terrestrial Biosphere Model Output Data in Original Format

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — ABSTRACT: This data set contains the original model output data submissions from the 24 terrestrial biosphere models (TBM) that participated in the North American...