Functional Complexity: The source of value in biodiversity.

Biodiversity may be seen as a scientific measure of the complexity of a biological system, implying an information basis. Complexity cannot be directly valued, so economists have tried to define the services it provides, though often just valuing the services of 'key' species. Here we provide a new definition of biodiversity as a measure of functional information, arguing that complexity embodies meaningful information as Gregory Bateson defined it. We argue that functional information content (FIC) is the potentially valuable component of total (algorithmic) information content (AIC), as it alone determines biological fitness and supports ecosystem services. Inspired by recent extensions to the Noah's Ark problem, we show how FIC/AIC can be calculated to measure the degree of substitutability within an ecological community. Establishing substitutability is an essential foundation for valuation. From it, we derive a way to rank whole communities by Indirect Use Value, through quantifying the relation between system complexity and the production rate of ecosystem services. Understanding biodiversity as information evidently serves as a practical interface between economics and ecological science. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Mitochondrial DNA haplotype analysis of liver fluke in bison from Bialowieza Primaeval Forest indicates domestic cattle as the likely source of infection

We have determined the mitochondrial genotype of liver fluke present in Bison (Bison bonasus) from the herd maintained in the Bialowieza National Park in order to determine the origin of the infection. Our results demonstrated that the infrapopulations present in the bison were genetically diverse and were likely to have been derived from the population present in local cattle. From a consideration of the genetic structure of the liver fluke infrapopulations we conclude that the provision of hay at feeding stations may be implicated in the transmission of this parasite to the bison. This information may be of relevance to the successful management of the herd. © 2012 Elsevier B.V.

Hand-related rather than goal-related source of gaze-dependent errors in memory-guided reaching

Mechanisms for visuospatial cognition are often inferred directly from errors in behavioral reports of remembered target direction. For example, gaze-centered target representations for reach were first inferred from reach overshoots of target location relative to gaze. Here, we report evidence for the hypothesis that these gaze-dependent reach errors stem predominantly from misestimates of hand rather than target position, as was assumed in all previous studies. Subjects showed typical gaze-dependent overshoots in complete darkness, but these errors were entirely suppressed by continuous visual feedback of the finger. This manipulation could not affect target representations, so the suppressed gaze-dependent errors must have come from misestimates of hand position, likely arising in a gaze-dependent transformation of hand position signals into visual coordinates. This finding has broad implications for any task involving localization of visual targets relative to unseen limbs, in both healthy individuals and patient populations, and shows that response-related transformations cannot be ignored when deducing the sources of gaze-related errors.

Reinforced concrete wall construction formed with OSB:First published use in the United Kingdom and acknowledged by Terry Pawson Architects as the source of inspiration for the internal concrete finish of the 2010 Carlow VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art.

The artefact was published in the following :

Bennett, D., (October 2007), Architectural Insitu Concrete, RIBA Publishing, London, , ISBN 124-3671-245, pp 101-103

Bennett, D., (2008), Concrete Elegance Four, London, Concrete Centre and RIBA Publishing, pp cover, c, 4, 9-12 & back.

Stacey, Professor M., (2011) Concrete: a studio design guide, London, Concrete Centre and RIBA Publishing, pp74-75.

Carbon availability affects nitrogen source utilisation by Hymenoscyphus ericae

We compared the ability of five strains of the ericoid mycorrhizal fungus Hymenoscyphus ericae to utilise glutamine, ammonium or nitrate at high or low carbon (C) availability. The pattern of intraspecific variation in growth was affected by C availability. When C supply was high, growth differences between strains were explained by the total amount of nitrogen (N) taken up, suggesting variation in uptake kinetics. Under C-limiting conditions, strain differences were linked with their nitrogen use efficiency, implying intraspecific differences in N metabolism. The relationship between growth on glutamine and pH shifts in the media indicated that there was intraspecific variation in glutamine transporters. In addition, the correlation between pH changes and the amount of glutamine-N recovered as ammonium in the media indicated that there were intraspecific variations within the enzymatic pathways involved in glutamine metabolism. Our findings, compared with those of a previous study involving the same ericoid strains, draw attention to the temporal variation in nitrogen source utilisation by ericoid mycorrhizal fungi when maintained in axenic culture.

Influences of anthropogenic pollution on mycorrhizal fungal communities

Mycorrhizal fungi form complex communities in the root systems of most plant species and are thought to be important in terrestrial ecosystem sustainability. We have reviewed the literature relating to the influence of the major forms of anthropogenic pollution on the structure and dynamics of mycorrhizal fungal communities. All forms of pollution have been reported to alter the structure of below-ground communities of mycorrhizal fungi to some degree, although the extent to which such changes will be sustained in the longer term is at present not clear. The major limitation to predicting the consequences of pollution-mediated changes in mycorrhizal fungal communities to terrestrial habitats is our limited understanding of the functional significance of mycorrhizal fungal diversity. While this is identified as a priority area for future research, it is suggested that, in the absence of such data, an understanding of pollution-mediated changes in mycorrhizal mycelial systems in soil may provide useful indicators for sustainability of mycorrhizal systems.

Stellar Surface Magneto-Convection as a Source of Astrophysical Noise. I. Multi-component Parameterisation of Absorption Line Profiles

We outline our techniques to characterise photospheric granulation as an astrophysical noise source. A four component parameterisation of granulation is developed that can be used to reconstruct stellar line asymmetries and radial velocity shifts due to photospheric convective motions. The four components are made up of absorption line profiles calculated for granules, magnetic intergranular lanes, non-magnetic intergranular lanes, and magnetic bright points at disc centre. These components are constructed by averaging Fe I $6302 \mathrm{\AA}$ magnetically sensitive absorption line profiles output from detailed radiative transport calculations of the solar photosphere. Each of the four categories adopted are based on magnetic field and continuum intensity limits determined from examining three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations with an average magnetic flux of $200 \mathrm{G}$. Using these four component line profiles we accurately reconstruct granulation profiles, produced from modelling 12 x 12 Mm$^2$ areas on the solar surface, to within $\sim \pm$ 20 cm s$^{-1}$ on a $\sim$ 100 m s$^{-1}$ granulation signal. We have also successfully reconstructed granulation profiles from a $50 \mathrm{G}$ simulation using the parameterised line profiles from the $200 \mathrm{G}$ average magnetic field simulation. This test demonstrates applicability of the characterisation to a range of magnetic stellar activity levels.

Bright Laser-Driven Neutron Source Based on the Relativistic Transparency of Solids

Neutrons are unique particles to probe samples in many ?elds of research ranging from biology to material sciences to engineering and security applications. Access to bright, pulsed sources is currently
limited to large accelerator facilities and there has been a growing need for compact sources over the recent years. Short pulse laser driven neutron sources could be a compact and relatively cheap way to
produce neutrons with energies in excess of 10 MeV. For more than a decade experiments have tried to obtain neutron numbers suf?cient for applications. Our recent experiments demonstrated an ion acceleration mechanism based on the concept of relativistic transparency. Using this new mechanism, we produced an intense beam of high energy (up to 170 MeV) deuterons directed into a Be converter to
produce a forward peaked neutron ?ux with a record yield, on the order of 1010 n=sr. We present results comparing the two acceleration mechanisms and the ?rst short pulse laser generated neutron radiograph.

Source as a controlling factor on the quality and interpretation of sediment magnetic records from the northern North Atlantic

Magnetic properties of eight particle size ranges from nine locations in Iceland and 26 locations in southern Greenland reveal the importance of source variation for our understanding of paleomagnetic and environmental magnetic records in the marine environment. These terrestrial samples show varying degrees of particle size dependence with all samples showing that the silt fraction possesses greater concentrations of ferrimagnetic minerals than either clay or sand. Fine pseudo-single domain (PSD) size magnetic grains dominate the magnetic assemblage of all Icelandic fractions. In contrast, Greenlandic samples possess greater variation in magnetic grain size; only fine silt and clay are as magnetically fine as the Icelandic PSD grains, while Greenlandic silts and sands are dominated by coarser PSD and multi-domain grains. These observations from potential marine sediment sources suggest that the silt size fraction is a likely driver for much of the concentration-dependent parameters derived from bulk magnetic records and that the magnetic grain size of the silt fraction can be used to discriminate between Icelandic and Greenlandic sources. Using these results to examine magnetic grain size records from marine sediment cores collected across the northern North Atlantic suggests that source, not just transport-controlled physical grain-size, has a significant impact on determining the magnetic grain size at a particular location. Homogeneity of magnetic grain size in Icelandic sediments at least partially explains the consistent quality of paleomagnetic records derived from cores surrounding Iceland and their ability to buffer large environmental changes. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

The Source of 3 Minute Magnetoacoustic Oscillations in Coronal Fans

We use images of high spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution, obtained using both ground- and space-based instrumentation, to investigate the coupling between wave phenomena observed at numerous heights in the solar atmosphere. Analysis of 4170 Å continuum images reveals small-scale umbral intensity enhancements, with diameters ~0."6, lasting in excess of 30 minutes. Intensity oscillations of ˜3 minutes are observed to encompass these photospheric structures, with power at least three orders of magnitude higher than the surrounding umbra. Simultaneous chromospheric velocity and intensity time series reveal an 87?±8? out-of-phase behavior, implying the presence of standing modes created as a result of partial wave re?ection at the transition region boundary. We ?nd a maximum waveguide inclination angle of˜40? between photospheric and chromospheric heights, combined with a radial expansion factor of <76%. An average blueshifted Doppler velocity of ˜1.5 km s-1, in addition to a time lag between photospheric and chromospheric oscillatory phenomena, con?rms the presence of upwardly propagating slow-mode waves in the lower solar atmosphere. Propagating oscillations in EUV intensity are detected in simultaneous coronal fan structures, with a periodicity of 172±17 s and a propagation velocity of 45±7 km s-1. Numerical simulations reveal that the damping of the magnetoacoustic wave trains is dominated by thermal conduction. The coronal fans are seen to anchor into the photosphere in locations where large-amplitude umbral dot (UD) oscillations manifest. Derived kinetic temperature and emission measure time series display prominent outof-phase characteristics, and when combined with the previously established sub-sonic wave speeds, we conclude that the observed EUV waves are the coronal counterparts of the upwardly propagating magnetoacoustic slow modes detected in the lower solar atmosphere. Thus, for the ?rst time, we reveal how the propagation of 3 minute magnetoacoustic waves in solar coronal structures is a direct result of amplitude enhancements occurring in photospheric UDs.photospheric UDs.

Power Allocation Strategies across N Orthogonal Channels at Both Source and Relay

A wireless relay network with one source, one relay and one destination is considered, where nodes communicate via N orthogonal channels. We develop optimal power allocation strategies at both the source and relay for maximizing the overall source-destination capacity under individual power constraints at the source and relay. Some properties of the optimal solution are studied. © 2012 IEEE.