Averting biodiversity collapse in tropical forest protected areas

The rapid disruption of tropical forests probably imperils global biodiversity more than any other contemporary phenomenon(1-3). With deforestation advancing quickly, protected areas are increasingly becoming final refuges for threatened species and natural ecosystem processes. However, many protected areas in the tropics are themselves vulnerable to human encroachment and other environmental stresses(4-9). As pressures mount, it is vital to know whether existing reserves can sustain their biodiversity. A critical constraint in addressing this question has been that data describing a broad array of biodiversity groups have been unavailable for a sufficiently large and representative sample of reserves. Here we present a uniquely comprehensive data set on changes over the past 20 to 30 years in 31 functional groups of species and 21 potential drivers of environmental change, for 60 protected areas stratified across the world's major tropical regions. Our analysis reveals great variation in reserve `health': about half of all reserves have been effective or performed passably, but the rest are experiencing an erosion of biodiversity that is often alarmingly widespread taxonomically and functionally. Habitat disruption, hunting and forest-product exploitation were the strongest predictors of declining reserve health. Crucially, environmental changes immediately outside reserves seemed nearly as important as those inside in determining their ecological fate, with changes inside reserves strongly mirroring those occurring around them. These findings suggest that tropical protected areas are often intimately linked ecologically to their surrounding habitats, and that a failure to stem broad-scale loss and degradation of such habitats could sharply increase the likelihood of serious biodiversity declines.

The peptide NCbz-Val-Tyr-OMe and aromatic pi-pi interactions

The peptide N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-valyl-L-tyrosine methyl ester or NCbz-Val-Tyr-OMe (where NCbz is N-benzyloxycarbonyl and OMe indicates the methyl ester), C23H28N2O6, has an extended backbone conformation. The aromatic rings of the Tyr residue and the NCbz group are involved in various attractive intra- and intermolecular aromatic - interactions which stabilize the conformation and packing in the crystal structure, in addition to NH...O and OH...O hydrogen bonds. The aromatic - interactions include parallel-displaced, perpendicular T-shaped, perpendicular L-shaped and inclined orientations.

Differences in host species relationships and biogeographic influences produce contrasting patterns of prevalence, community composition and genetic structure in two genera of avian malaria parasites in southern Melanesia

1. Host-parasite interactions have the potential to influence broadscale ecological and evolutionary processes, levels of endemism, divergence patterns and distributions in host populations. Understanding the mechanisms involved requires identification of the factors that shape parasite distribution and prevalence. 2. A lack of comparative information on community-level host-parasite associations limits our understanding of the role of parasites in host population divergence processes. Avian malaria (haemosporidian) parasites in bird communities offer a tractable model system to examine the potential for pathogens to influence evolutionary processes in natural host populations. 3. Using cytochrome b variation, we characterized phylogenetic diversity and prevalence of two genera of avian haemosporidian parasites, Plasmodium and Haemoproteus, and analysed biogeographic patterns of lineages across islands and avian hosts, in southern Melanesian bird communities to identify factors that explain patterns of infection. 4. Plasmodium spp. displayed isolation-by-distance effects, a significant amount of genetic variation distributed among islands but insignificant amounts among host species and families, and strong local island effects with respect to prevalence. Haemoproteus spp. did not display isolation-by-distance patterns, showed marked structuring of genetic variation among avian host species and families, and significant host species prevalence patterns. 5. These differences suggest that Plasmodium spp. infection patterns were shaped by geography and the abiotic environment, whereas Haemoproteus spp. infection patterns were shaped predominantly by host associations. Heterogeneity in the complement and prevalence of parasite lineages infecting local bird communities likely exposes host species to a mosaic of spatially divergent disease selection pressures across their naturally fragmented distributions in southern Melanesia. Host associations for Haemoproteus spp. indicate a capacity for the formation of locally co-adapted host-parasite relationships, a feature that may limit intraspecific gene flow or range expansions of closely related host species.

Asymptotic behavior and interpretation of virtual states: The effects of confinement and of basis sets

A real-space high order finite difference method is used to analyze the effect of spherical domain size on the Hartree-Fock (and density functional theory) virtual eigenstates. We show the domain size dependence of both positive and negative virtual eigenvalues of the Hartree-Fock equations for small molecules. We demonstrate that positive states behave like a particle in spherical well and show how they approach zero. For the negative eigenstates, we show that large domains are needed to get the correct eigenvalues. We compare our results to those of Gaussian basis sets and draw some conclusions for real-space, basis-sets, and plane-waves calculations. (C) 2016 AIP Publishing LLC.

Presbítero Manuel Maximiliano Alberti (1763-1811) : párroco de San Nicolás de Bari y vocal de la Primera Junta. En el bicentenario de su muerte

Resumen: El artículo presenta las sucesivas etapas que configuraron el derrotero del sacerdote patriota en las primeras horas del movimiento independentista. Se destacan tanto los valores de su desempeño ministerial como su ascendencia social y política en el ambiente porteño, con la perspectiva propia de los ideales ilustrados de su tiempo y en particular durante el curato en San Nicolás de Bari, la segunda parroquia más importante de la ciudad. Con información bien documentada da cuenta de su nacimiento y de su formación desde sus estudios humanísticos, se reconstruyen los años siguientes dedicados al oficio pastoral de regreso en Buenos Aires y en Maldonado (Uruguay) en tiempos de las invasiones inglesas, su ministerio en San Nicolás de Bari cuando acontece la Revolución de Mayo y su tarea a favor de la causa patriótica desde su participación en el Cabildo Abierto del 22 y su incorporación como vocal de la Primera Junta. Se despliegan los aspectos sobresalientes de esta última misión y los aspectos que se destacan en este recorrido por la vida y la obra de este cura patriota son: compromiso honesto, integridad y actitud de servicio sin reservas desde la función pública.

La teología de Nicolás de Cusa : un desafío para la elaboración de una teología natural

Resumen: El cardenal Nicolás de Cusa se propuso resolver el impasse que en el campo teológico implica la descalificación que desde el nominalismo se hizo conocimiento metafísico. Fue su particular interpretación de la naturaleza de Dios y su modo de conocerla, la que le permitió fundar una nueva teología con la que pretendía superar las limitaciones de un saber que en su opinión sólo era apto para conocer el orden finito. Para ello propone sustituir la vía de conocimiento racional, por otra de carácter puramente intuitivo, cuyo rasgo esencial es el saber del no saber, esto es, la vía de la “docta ignorancia”. Con lo cual el hombre está en condiciones de alcanzar un tipo de saber de orden místico sólo parangonable con el que se puede alcanzar en la bienaventuranza eterna. Es propósito del presente estudio determinar si, sobre las bases presentadas por el Cusano es posible erigir el saber que conviene a una teología natural, e incluso al de una teología mística.

Report of the 2005 Workshop on Ocean Ecodynamics Comparison in the Subarctic Pacific

I. Scientific Issues Posed by OECOS II. Participant Contributions to the OECOS Workshop A. ASPECTS OF PHYTOPLANKTON ECOLOGY IN THE SUBARCTIC PACIFIC Microbial community compositions by Karen E. Selph Subarctic Pacific lower trophic interactions: Production-based grazing rates and grazing-corrected production rates by Nicholas Welschmeyer Phytoplankton bloom dynamics and their physiological status in the western subarctic Pacific by Ken Furuya Temporal and spatial variability of phytoplankton biomass and productivity in the northwestern Pacific by Sei-ichi Saitoh, Suguru Okamoto, Hiroki Takemura and Kosei Sasaoka The use of molecular indicators of phytoplankton iron limitation by Deana Erdner B. IRON CONCENTRATION AND CHEMICAL SPECIATION Iron measurements during OECOS by Zanna Chase and Jay Cullen 25 The measurement of iron, nutrients and other chemical components in the northwestern North Pacific Ocean by Kenshi Kuma The measurement of iron, nutrients and other chemical components in the northwestern North Pacific Ocean by Kenshi Kuma C. PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY, FINE-SCALE DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS AND AUTONOMOUS DRIFTERS The use of drifters in Lagrangian experiments: Positives, negatives and what can really be measured by Peter Strutton The interaction between plankton distribution patterns and vertical and horizontal physical processes in the eastern subarctic North Pacific by Timothy J. Cowles D. MICROZOOPLANKTON Microzooplankton processes in oceanic waters of the eastern subarctic Pacific: Project OECOS by Suzanne Strom Functional role of microzooplankton in the pelagic marine ecosystem during phytoplankton blooms in the western subarctic Pacific by Takashi Ota and Akiyoshi Shinada E. MESOZOOPLANKTON Vertical zonation of mesozooplankton, and its variability in response to food availability, density stratification, and turbulence by David L. Mackas and Moira Galbraith Marine ecosystem characteristics and seasonal abundance of dominant calanoid copepods in the Oyashio region by Atsushi Yamaguchi, Tsutomu Ikeda and Naonobu Shiga OECOS: Proposed mesozooplankton research in the Oyashio region, western subarctic Pacific by Tsutomu Ikeda Some background on Neocalanus feeding by Michael Dagg Size and growth of interzonally migrating copepods by Charles B. Miller Growth of large interzonal migrating copepods by Toru Kobari F. MODELING Ecosystem and population dynamics modeling by Harold P. Batchelder III. Reports from Workshop Breakout Groups A. PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL ASPECTS WITH EMPHASIS ON IRON AND IRON SPECIATION B. PHYTOPLANKTON/MICROZOOPLANKTON STUDIES C. MESOZOOPLANKTON STUDIES IV. Issues arising during the workshop A. PHYTOPLANKTON STOCK VARIATIONS IN HNLC SYSTEMS AND TROPHIC CASCADES IN THE NANO AND MICRO REGIMES B. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN EAST AND WEST IN SITE SELECTION FOR OECOS TIME SERIES C. TIMING OF OECOS EXPEDITIONS D. CHARACTERIZATION OF PHYSICAL OCEANOGRAPHY V. Concluding Remarks VI. References (109 page document)

Proceedings of the 1998 Science Board Symposium on The Impacts of the 1997/98 El Niño Event on the North Pacific Ocean and Its Marginal Seas

Preface [pdf, 0.01 Mb] James J. O'Brien The big picture - The ENSO of 1997-98 [pdf, 0.01 Mb] James E. Overland, Nicholas A. Bond & Jennifer Miletta Adams Atmospheric anomalies in 1997: Links to ENSO? [pdf, 0.54 Mb] Vladimir I. Ponomarev, Olga Trusenkova, Serge Trousenkov, Dmitry Kaplunenko, Elena Ustinova & Antonina Polyakova The ENSO signal in the northwest Pacific [pdf, 0.47 Mb] Robert L. Smith, A. Huyer, P.M. Kosro & J.A. Barth Observations of El Niño off Oregon: July 1997 to present (October 1998) [pdf, 1.31 Mb] Patrica A. Wheeler & Jon Hill Biological effects of the 1997-1998 El Niño event off Oregon: Nutrient and chlorophyll distributions [pdf, 1.13 Mb] William T. Peterson Hydrography and zooplankton off the central Oregon coast during the 1997-1998 El Niño event [pdf, 0.26 Mb] William Crawford, Josef Cherniawsky, Michael Foreman & Peter Chandler El Niño sea level signal along the west coast of Canada [pdf, 1.25 Mb] Howard J. Freeland & Rick Thomson The El Niño signal along the west coast of Canada - temperature, salinity and velocity [pdf, 0.49 Mb] Frank A. Whitney, David L. Mackas, David W. Welch & Marie Robert Impact of the 1990s El Niños on nutrient supply and productivity of Gulf of Alaska waters [pdf, 0.06 Mb] Craig McNeil, David Farmer & Mark Trevorrow Dissolved gas measurements at Stn. P4 during the 97-98 El Niño [pdf, 0.13 Mb] Kristen L.D. Milligan, Colin D. Levings & Robert E. DeWreede Data compilation and preliminary time series analysis of abundance of a dominant intertidal kelp species in relation to the 1997/1998 El Niño event [pdf, 0.05 Mb] S.M. McKinnell, C.C. Wood, M. Lapointe, J.C. Woodey, K.E. Kostow, J. Nelson & K.D. Hyatt Reviewing the evidence that adult sockeye salmon strayed from the Fraser River and spawned in other rivers in 1997 [pdf,0.03 Mb] G.A. McFarlane & R.J. Beamish Sardines return to British Columbia waters [pdf, 0.34 Mb] Ken H. Morgan Impact of the 1997/98 El Niño on seabirds of the northeast Pacific [pdf, 0.06 Mb] Thomas C. Royer & Thomas Weingartner Coastal hydrographic responses in the northern Gulf of Alaska to the 1997-98 ENSO event [pdf, 0.76 Mb] John F. Piatt, Gary Drew, Thomas Van Pelt, Alisa Abookire, April Nielsen, Mike Shultz & Alexander Kitaysky Biological effects of the 1997/98 ENSO in Cook Inlet, Alaska [pdf, 0.22 Mb] H.J. Niebauer The 1997-98 El Niño in the Bering Sea as compared with previous ENSO events and the "regime shift" of the late 1970s [pdf, 0.10 Mb] A.S. Krovnin, G.P. Nanyushin, M.Yu. Kruzhalov, G.V. Khen, M.A. Bogdanov, E.I. Ustinova, V.V. Maslennikov, A.M. Orlov, B.N. Kotenev, V.V. Bulanov & G.P. Muriy The state of the Far East seas during the 1997/98 El Niño event [pdf, 0.15 Mb] Stacy Smith & Susan Henrichs Phytoplankton collected by a time-series sediment trap deployed in the southeast Bering Sea during 1997 [pdf, 0.21 Mb] Cynthia T. Tynan Redistributions of cetaceans in the southeast Bering Sea relative to anomalous oceanographic conditions during the 1997 El Niño [pdf, 0.02 Mb] Akihiko Yatsu, Junta Mori, Hiroyuki Tanaka, Tomowo Watanabe, Kazuya Nagasawa, Yikimasa Ishida, Toshimi Meguro, Yoshihiko Kamei & Yasunori Sakurai Stock abundance and size compositions of the neon flying squid in the central North Pacific Ocean during 1979-1998 [pdf, 0.11 Mb] O.B. Feschenko A new point of view concerning the El Niño mechanism [pdf, 0.01 Mb] Nathan Mantua 97/98 Ocean climate variability in the northeast Pacific: How much blame does El Niño deserve? [pdf, 0.01 Mb] Vadim P. Pavlychev Sharp changes of hydrometeorological conditions in the northwestern Pacific during the 1997/1998 El Niño event [pdf, 0.01 Mb] Jingyi Wang Predictability and forecast verification of El Niño events [pdf, 0.01 Mb] (Document contains 110 pages)

A capital federal e a constituição da república : apello ao Congresso Nacional

Desenvolve argumentos políticos, financeiros e de segurança, no sentido de mostrar a necessidade urgente de retirar a capital do país do Rio de Janeiro e mudá-la para um ponto mais central do território brasileiro. Afirma que o local mais viável para o assentamento da nova capital seria a cidade de Belo Horizonte.

Mussel Community Studies [Year One].

Mytilus californianus communities (mussel beds) were examined from six geographic localities in Southern California. These included two mainland sites, Coal Oil Point and San Diego; and four island sites, San Miguel, Santa Cruz, San Nicholas, and Santa Barbara Islands. Optimal sample sizes were determined for each locality. In general, a sample, size of 1500 cm2 (five cores) was optimal for the "typical" mussel bed. However, structurally unique mussel beds required individual consideration. Community biomass, diversity, species richness, and species evenness were calculated quarterly for the island localities and biannually for mainland locations. The molluscs, primarily the mussels, accounted for 90% of the total biomass while all other groups combined accounted for 10% or less of the total biomass. The mussel communities from all localities contributed to the master species list which conservatively contained 346 species. The most diverse localities were Coal Oil Point and Santa Cruz Island with an average number of 73 and 74 species/O.lS m respectively. No overall seasonal patterns existed in community composition. The community similarity analyses showed the mainland localities biotically dissimilar from the islands and both groups were characterized by distinct faunal assemblages. In addition, San Miguel Island biota were unique among the island sites. The most important mussel bed structural attributes provided habitats for the associated community and included sediment and coarse fraction features. Food-related resources provided by the mussel bed were secondarily important. Community diversity generally increased with the quantity of habitat and food resources. (PDF contains 138 pages)

Mussel Community Studies [Year Two].

The communities associated with Mytilus californianus (mussel) beds from eleven geographic localities in Southern California were examined. The localities included four mainland sites - Government Point, Goleta Point, Corona del Mar and San Diego; and seven offshore islands including - San Miguel Island, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Island, Santa Barbara Island, Santa Catalina Island, San Nicholas Island and San Clemente Island. This geographic coverage. was much more complete than the previous year (1975-1976 program). However, it is still less than ideal. In particular a single island collection locality may not be representative of an entire island. Therefore greater geographic coverage of the islands is recommended for the future. In general, the 1500 cm2 sample size adopted during the 1975-1976 program proved adequate for sampling most of the structurally diverse mussel beds this year. This sample size supplied information on the characteristic and abundant species inhabiting a particular mussel bed, and provided data which was well suited to intersite community comparisons. This sample size was too small in several instances to include the rarer, less abundant species. The mussel communities from all localities contributed to the master species list which contained conservatively 481 species of animals and 63 specie s of algae. The most diverse collections came from Santa Cruz Island and Corona del Mar, and these areas contained 120 and 119 species respectively. The lowest diversity was recorded for the mussel beds from Goleta Point: which contained 57 species. Mussel community samples were collected from upper and lower intertidal areas occupied by the mussel beds within a locality. In general, community differences both in composition and abundance were associated with these collections. (PDF contains 158 pages)

Mussel Community Studies [Year Three].

The communities associated with Mytilus californianus (mussel) beds from 20 geographic sites in southern California were examined. The study areas included six mainland sites - Government Point, Goleta Point, Ventura, Corona del Mar, Carlsbad, and San Diego,and two sites on opposite sides of seven offshore islands - San Miguel Island, Santa Rosa Island, Santa Cruz Island, Anacapa Island, San Nicholas Island, Santa Cruz Island and San Clemente Island. : The mussel communities from all areas contributed to the master species list which now encompasses conservatively, 610 species of animals and 141 species of algae. The most diverse collection came from Cat Rock, Anacapa Island where the mussel beds supported 174 species of invertebrates. The lowest diversity was recorded for mussel beds from Ben Weston, Santa Catalina Island which contained 46 species. In general, the island mussel beds supported a greater diversity of both animals and plants. Mussel community samples were collected from upper and lower intertidal areas occupied by the mussel beds within a locality. Community differences in both composition and abundance were associated with these collections. Overall. community similarity analysis revealed five major patterns which corresponded to characteristic species assemblages occupying the mussel beds from the various geographic areas. The patterns included: (1) clusters of localities which display a north-south geographic pattern with respect to the similarity of their respective mussel communities, (2) a separation of selected island and mainland communities because of dissimilarities in their species composition, (3) differences between mussel communities. on opposite sides of the offshore islands, (4) clusters of species whose highest abundances characterize selected localities, (5) species groups ubiquitous to all mussel beds examined. The results of the community analysis further suggest that predictions can be made delineating the probable mussel community inhabitants of areas not sampled. The species distribution patterns observed appear to correspond in part to the influence of currents and water masses which bear planktonic larvae and impinge on selected localities. The most important mussel bed features associated with community differences were quantitative and qualitative differences in the potential microhabitats. Those features associate~ with greater species diversity include the pore base of coarse fraction shell and rock debris, skewness and kurtosis of the sediment grain-size distributions and mussel bed thickness. Those features associated with lower species diversity included the quantity of tar. and rock and shell debris trapped within the mussel bed. (PDF contains 51 pages)

Effects of particle size ratio on single particle motion in colloidal dispersions

The motion of a single Brownian particle of arbitrary size through a dilute colloidal dispersion of neutrally buoyant bath spheres of another characteristic size in a Newtonian solvent is examined in two contexts. First, the particle in question, the probe particle, is subject to a constant applied external force drawing it through the suspension as a simple model for active and nonlinear microrheology. The strength of the applied external force, normalized by the restoring forces of Brownian motion, is the Péclet number, Pe. This dimensionless quantity describes how strongly the probe is upsetting the equilibrium distribution of the bath particles. The mean motion and fluctuations in the probe position are related to interpreted quantities of an effective viscosity of the suspension. These interpreted quantities are calculated to first order in the volume fraction of bath particles and are intimately tied to the spatial distribution, or microstructure, of bath particles relative to the probe. For weak Pe, the disturbance to the equilibrium microstructure is dipolar in nature, with accumulation and depletion regions on the front and rear faces of the probe, respectively. With increasing applied force, the accumulation region compresses to form a thin boundary layer whose thickness scales with the inverse of Pe. The depletion region lengthens to form a trailing wake. The magnitude of the microstructural disturbance is found to grow with increasing bath particle size -- small bath particles in the solvent resemble a continuum with effective microviscosity given by Einstein's viscosity correction for a dilute dispersion of spheres. Large bath particles readily advect toward the minimum approach distance possible between the probe and bath particle, and the probe and bath particle pair rotating as a doublet is the primary mechanism by which the probe particle is able to move past; this is a process that slows the motion of the probe by a factor of the size ratio. The intrinsic microviscosity is found to force thin at low Péclet number due to decreasing contributions from Brownian motion, and force thicken at high Péclet number due to the increasing influence of the configuration-averaged reduction in the probe's hydrodynamic self mobility. Nonmonotonicity at finite sizes is evident in the limiting high-Pe intrinsic microviscosity plateau as a function of bath-to-probe particle size ratio. The intrinsic microviscosity is found to grow with the size ratio for very small probes even at large-but-finite Péclet numbers. However, even a small repulsive interparticle potential, that excludes lubrication interactions, can reduce this intrinsic microviscosity back to an order one quantity. The results of this active microrheology study are compared to previous theoretical studies of falling-ball and towed-ball rheometry and sedimentation and diffusion in polydisperse suspensions, and the singular limit of full hydrodynamic interactions is noted.

Second, the probe particle in question is no longer subject to a constant applied external force. Rather, the particle is considered to be a catalytically-active motor, consuming the bath reactant particles on its reactive face while passively colliding with reactant particles on its inert face. By creating an asymmetric distribution of reactant about its surface, the motor is able to diffusiophoretically propel itself with some mean velocity. The effects of finite size of the solute are examined on the leading order diffusive microstructure of reactant about the motor. Brownian and interparticle contributions to the motor velocity are computed for several interparticle interaction potential lengths and finite reactant-to-motor particle size ratios, with the dimensionless motor velocity increasing with decreasing motor size. A discussion on Brownian rotation frames the context in which these results could be applicable, and future directions are proposed which properly incorporate reactant advection at high motor velocities.

Quantum simulation of enzyme catalysis

Separating the dynamics of variables that evolve on different timescales is a common assumption in exploring complex systems, and a great deal of progress has been made in understanding chemical systems by treating independently the fast processes of an activated chemical species from the slower processes that proceed activation. Protein motion underlies all biocatalytic reactions, and understanding the nature of this motion is central to understanding how enzymes catalyze reactions with such specificity and such rate enhancement. This understanding is challenged by evidence of breakdowns in the separability of timescales of dynamics in the active site form motions of the solvating protein. Quantum simulation methods that bridge these timescales by simultaneously evolving quantum and classical degrees of freedom provide an important method on which to explore this breakdown. In the following dissertation, three problems of enzyme catalysis are explored through quantum simulation.

Selective data gathering in community sensor networks

Smartphones and other powerful sensor-equipped consumer devices make it possible to sense the physical world at an unprecedented scale. Nearly 2 million Android and iOS devices are activated every day, each carrying numerous sensors and a high-speed internet connection. Whereas traditional sensor networks have typically deployed a fixed number of devices to sense a particular phenomena, community networks can grow as additional participants choose to install apps and join the network. In principle, this allows networks of thousands or millions of sensors to be created quickly and at low cost. However, making reliable inferences about the world using so many community sensors involves several challenges, including scalability, data quality, mobility, and user privacy.

This thesis focuses on how learning at both the sensor- and network-level can provide scalable techniques for data collection and event detection. First, this thesis considers the abstract problem of distributed algorithms for data collection, and proposes a distributed, online approach to selecting which set of sensors should be queried. In addition to providing theoretical guarantees for submodular objective functions, the approach is also compatible with local rules or heuristics for detecting and transmitting potentially valuable observations. Next, the thesis presents a decentralized algorithm for spatial event detection, and describes its use detecting strong earthquakes within the Caltech Community Seismic Network. Despite the fact that strong earthquakes are rare and complex events, and that community sensors can be very noisy, our decentralized anomaly detection approach obtains theoretical guarantees for event detection performance while simultaneously limiting the rate of false alarms.