Responses of the reflectance indices PRI and NDVI to experimental warming and drought in European shrublands along a north-south climatic gradient

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of ground-based canopy reflectance measurements to detect changes in physiology and structure of vegetation in response to experimental warming and drought treatment at six European shrublands located along a North-South climatic gradient. We measured canopy reflectance, effective green leaf area index (green LAIe) and chlorophyll fluorescence of dominant species. The treatment effects on green LAIe varied among sites. We calculated three reflectance indices: photochemical reflectance index PRI [531 nm; 570 nm], normalized difference vegetation index NDVI₆₈₀ [780 nm; 680 nm] using red spectral region, and NDVI₅₇₀ [780 nm; 570 nm] using the same green spectral region as PRI. All three reflectance indices were significantly related to green LAIe and were able to detect changes in shrubland vegetation among treatments. In general warming treatment increased PRI and drought treatment reduced NDVI values. The significant treatment effect on photochemical efficiency of plants detected with PRI could not be detected by fluorescence measurements. However, we found canopy level measured PRI to be very sensitive to soil reflectance properties especially in vegetation areas with low green LAIe. As both soil reflectance and LAI varied between northern and southern sites it is problematic to draw universal conclusions of climate-derived changes in all vegetation types based merely on PRI measurements. We propose that canopy level PRI measurements can be more useful in areas of dense vegetation and dark soils.     

Ionic conductivity of the Na1+xM x III Zr2−x(PO4)3 systems (M = Al,Ga, Cr,Fe, Sc,In, Y,Yb)

The existence and ionic conductivity of solid solutions Na_1+xM _x ^III Zr_2–x(PO₄)₃ with Nasicon-like structure have been investigated and the results compared with literature data. A limited range of solid solutions is formed with M^III = aluminium, gallium, yttrium, ytterbium, whereas a continuous series is obtained for M^III = chromium, iron, scandium, indium. The pure end member Na₃ln₂(PO₄)₃ is reported for the first time; according to powder diffraction data, it is hexagonal witha = 0.8966(1) andc = 2.2104(4) nm. The small monoclinic distortion already known for M^III = chromium, iron and scandium is restricted tox values very close to 2. Ionic conductivity measurements show that for a given value ofx, the mobility of the Na⁺ ions is strongly influenced both by the ionic radius and the type of electronic structure of the M^III ion. However, no simple correlation can be found.     

The transverse acoustic impedance of He II

The complex shear acoustic impedance of liquid He II has been measured at frequenciesf(=/2) of 20.5, 34.1, and 47.8 MHz from 30 mK to the -point T (2.176 K). The impedanceZ was found from the temperature dependence of the quality factor and the resonant frequency of a thickness shear mode quartz crystal resonator immersed in the liquid. The relationship for a hydrodynamic viscous liquidZ(T)=(1–i)(f _n )^1/2 was used to measure the temperature dependence of the viscosity (T) using tabulated values of the normal fluid density _n (T). Deviations from hydrodynamic behavior occurred when the viscous penetration depth was less than the superfluid healing length, the phonon mean free path, and the roton mean free path. Near the -point,Z(T)/Z(T) was frequency dependent and a value for the superfluid healing lengtha=(0.10±0.01)^–2/3 nm was found, where =(T–T)/T. The effects of van der Waals forces near the crystal surface were also observed and a layer model was used to interpret the measurements. Below 1.8 K only rotons contribute significantly toZ and we determined the roton relaxation time as _r =8.5×10^–14 T ^–1/3 exp (8.65/T) sec. Below 1.2 K, _r >1 and we investigated the breakdown of hydrodynamics in this region. ForT<0.6 K the resonant frequency of the crystals decreased by f/f=2×10^–7, but the origin of this effect is not yet known.Financial support provided by the SERC, Bedford College, and the Central Research Fund, University of London.     

Call admission control in the microcell/macrocell overlaying system

Call admission control can significantly affect the performance of a cellular system by adding additional bandwidth to a wireless network. In this paper, we show how call admission control can be used to optimize the performance of a hierarchical cellular system. The hierarchical system we study is based on a novel frequency planning scheme, whereby both the micro and macro layers can share the same spectrum and a hard partition of the frequency spectrum is not needed. The original analysis of the hierarchical system showed that a significant capacity gain can be achieved by the scheme. However, this capacity is gained at the expense of the carrier-to-interference ratio (C/I) performance of the macrocells. In this paper, we show that call admission control can be used in hierarchical cellular systems to achieve a capacity gain without sacrificing the C/I performance of the macrocells     

Rate matching: a new approach to hidden terminal problem in ad hoc networks

Prior works on the hidden terminal problem in wireless networks often assume that the SNR requirement and the transmission range in a network are fixed. In fact, they are rate dependent. Because of this assumption, many of the prior conclusions about the hidden terminal problem are not accurate. A new analysis of the hidden terminal problem is presented in the paper. The new insights provided by the analysis lead to a rate-matching scheme for tackling the hidden terminal problem in wireless networks. The new method is simple, yet efficient, and requires no protocol changes from the 802.11 standard. NS2-based simulations are given in the paper to demonstrate the advantages of the new scheme.     

Advantages of visualization of organelle structure by high resolution scanning electron microscopy

Examination of subcellular structures in detail and in three dimensions (3D) by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is now possible on a routine basis due to improvements in design of the modern scanning electron microscope and new methods of specimen preparation involving chemical removal of the cytosol and the cytoskeleton. Cells which have been fixed, frozen, cleaved, thawed, and subjected to cytosol removal exhibit constituents such as nuclear chromatin, cisternae of endoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria, and the Golgi complex in bold relief. This permits examination by SEM in 3D of these structures from several aspects at a resolution close to that of conventional transmission electron microscopy (TEM). As a result, minute changes in the 3D structure of subcellular components can now be easily and conveniently examined from many specimens and anatomical sites, in development, in a variety of physiological processes, and in disease. The SEM method offers many advantages over the various TEM techniques now used for similar purposes, since much larger areas of the specimen can be surveyed by SEM in a given time, sectioning is not required and minute 3D changes in nuclear and organelle structure can be identified and analyzed more easily. The advantages are such that a host of biological questions can now be answered by SEM which, so far, have resisted solution using only TEM techniques. In addition, a new field of pathological diagnosis using SEM may develop, using the advantages offered by the technique in exploring the cell's interior as well as cellular tissue organization.     

Effects of brefeldin-A on Golgi morphology in human cultured fibroblasts observed in three-dimensional stereo scanning electron microscopy

Brefeldin A (BFA) has been reported to cause disassembly of the Golgi. We have used three-dimensional (3-D) high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM) to investigate these effects in human skin fibroblast cells. The spontaneous reassembly during prolonged exposure to BFA and some effects of forskolin were observed. A BFA concentration of 5μg/ml caused Golgi complexes to become vesicular, resulting in a progressive decrease in the size of the Golgi. Morphologic changes were visible within 2 min of BFA incubation, and by 30 min no identifiable Golgi could be found. Spontaneous reassembly of the Golgi apparatus upon the removal of the BFA or with continued long-term exposure with BFA could not be confirmed. Preliminary experiments with forskolin were not effective in reversing or inhibiting the effects of BFA in human fibroblast cells grown in culture. This inability for spontaneous reassembly and nonreversal by forskolin may reflect a differential effect of BFA in various cell types. HRSEM has proven to be useful for observing 3-D morphologic effects of BFA in Golgi.