Regular and Other Kinds of Extensions of Topological Spaces

∗ This work was partially supported by the National Foundation for Scientific Researches at the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science under contract no. MM-427/94.

M_2RSbO_6:R~(3+)复合氧化物的合成组成结构和性能的研究(M = Ba、Sr、Ca, R = La、Gd、Y、Bi, R' = Sm、Eu、Dy、Ho、Er、Tm)

对于稀土与非稀土所组成的二元复合氧化物的研究国外已有较多的报导。但是，对于稀土和锑的复合氧化物只是近年来才开始有些研究工作。含锑与稀土的多元复合氧化物的报导就更少。本文在我们实验室张静筠等人三元复合氧化物研究的基础上，开展Mo—Sb_2O_5—R_2O_3—R'_2O_3—Bi_2O_3多元体系的研究工作，这对于我国丰产元素稀土和锑的应用以及利用Bi~(3+)的激活与敏化将是有益的。本文按Thornton等人的方法合成了Ba_2BiSbO_6，Ba_2GdSbO_6，按EγΦECEHKO等人的方法合成了M_2RSbO_6 (M = Ba、Sr、Ca, R = La Y)。并以M_2RSbO_6为基质，掺Sm~(3+)、Eu~(3+)、Dy~(3+)、Ho~(3+)、Er~(3+)、Tm~(3+)和Bi~(3+)，研究它们的化学组成，晶体结构与发光性能的关系及规律，Bi~(3+)的荧光和敏作用。同时研究了它们的磁学和热学性能。化学组成的分析结果表明，计算的含量与实验测得的含量符合较好，说明化学反应是按化学计量比进行的。通过X-射线粉沫物相分析和晶胞参数的理论计算确定M_2RSbO_6(M = Ba、Sr、R = La、Y、Gd、Bi)复合氧化物是属于立方钙钛太型化合物。空间群为Fm3m，点群为Oh。用计算机计算了Ca_2YSbO_6的晶胞参数并结合荧光光谱分析确定它属于畸变的单斜钙钛矿，空间群为P_(21)。用磁天平测量了样品M_2RSbO_6 (M = Ba、Sr、Ca; R = Gd、Y、Bi)的磁化率。除Ba_2GdSbO_6是顺磁性物质外共余的都是反磁性的物质。按所用原料Sb_2O_5计算的磁化率与测量值符合较好，表明在所研究的M_2RSbO_6化合物中锑是正五价的。用热重热差分析仪测量了样品在反应中的热性能，观察到在化合物形成的过程中所用原料Sb_2O_3大约在520 ℃左右氧化变为Sb_2O_5。除所用原料碳酸盐分解外没有挥发性的物质，这就进一步证明化学组成分析和磁化率测量的结果是正确的。光学测量的结果表明，所有的磷光体随着激活离子浓度的不同其光谱都发生规律性的变化。对于不同Eu~(3+)浓度的Ba_2YSbO_6:Eu~(3+)和Br_2YSbO_6:Eu~(3+), Bi~(3+)体系用254nm激发时均能观察到Eu~(3+)于595nm的尖峰发射。用基质和Bi~(3+)的激发峰325nm激发时，明显地看到敏化剂Bi~(3+)到Eu~(3+)的能量传递，使Eu~(3+)于595nm的发射大大增强，我们认为Bi~(3+)对Eu~(3+)的敏化作用是由于基质和Bi~(3+)的~1S。→ 3P_1的跃迁吸收了激发的能量，然后无辐射弛豫到Eu~(3+)的激发态~5D_0，产生~5D_0 → 7F_1的磁偶极跃迁。对于不同Eu~(3+)浓度的Sr_2YSbO_6:Eu~(3+)和Sr_2YSbO_6:Eu~(3+), Bi~(3+)体系用245nm激发时均能观察到Eu~(3+)于595nm的尖峰发射。用基质和Bi~(3+)的激发峰335nm激发时，观察到基质和Bi~(3+)对Eu~(3+)具有某种能量传递。敏化作用机理与上述的Ba_2YSbO_6:Eu~(3+)和Ba_2YSbO_6:Eu~(3+), Bi~(3+)体系相同。对于不同Eu~(3+)浓度的Ca_2YSbO_6:Eu~(3+)和Ca_2YSbO_6:Eu~(3+), Bi~(3+)体系用396nm激发时，均能观察到Eu~(3+)于613nm很强的尖峰发射。用基质和Bi~(3+)的激发峰313nm激发时，见到Bi~(3+)和基质对Eu~(3+)具有某种能量传递，这种敏化作用主要是由于基质和Bi~(3+)的3P_1 → ~1S_0的400nm的宽带发射和Eu~(3+)的~7F_0 → ~5L_6的396nm的吸收相匹配产生~5L_6→~5D_0→~7F_2的跃迁。通过对激发光谱和荧光光谱的分析给出了Ca_2Y_(0.96)Eu_(0.04)SbO_6的能级图，从实验上可见，Eu~(3+)的发光强烈地依赖于钙钛矿的结构，当Eu~(3+)在空间群为Fm3m 的Ba_2YSbO_6和Sr_2YSbO_6中处于Oh点对称性时，主要是~5D_0 → ~7F_1的磁偶极跃迁。当Eu~(3+)在空间群为P_(21)的单斜钙钛矿中时，主要是~5D_0 → ~7F_2的电偶极跃迁。对于不同掺杂浓度M_2YSbO_6:R~(13+)(M = Ba、Ca; R' = Sm、Dy、Ho、Er、Tm)体系，通过激发和荧光光谱的研究，合理地确定了谱项。发现基质对Sm~(3+)、Dy~(3+)、Ho~(3+)具有敏化作用。对不同Bi~(3+)浓度的Ca_2YSbO_6:Bi~(3+)，由激发和荧光光谱可见Bi~(3+)具有二个激发带，第一激发带位于240nm处相当于~1S_0 → ~1P_1的跃迁，第二激发带位于315nm处相当于~1S_0 → ~3P_1的跃迁。有一个很强的兰紫色发射位于400nm处相当于~3P_1 →~1S_0的跃迁。

Evaluación de una herramienta educativa en conocimiento de donación y trasplante de órganos y tejidos en Colombia

El trasplante de órganos es considerado uno de los avances más significativos de la medicina moderna y es un procedimiento cada vez más exitoso en términos de supervivencia de los pacientes, siendo actualmente la mejor opción de tratamiento para los pacientes con innumerables patologías. El proceso de donación es insuficiente para cubrir las necesidades de trasplante de la población, por lo tanto, se hace necesario el desarrollo de nuevas estrategias para fortalecer la experiencia y efectividad de los programas existentes. La falta de conocimiento de los profesionales de la salud, su percepción y actitud hacia temas relacionados con el proceso de donación, pueden convertirlos en facilitadores o barreras para la identificación de potenciales donantes. Por esta razón, los recursos disponibles, las actitudes hacia la donación, la legislación y conocimiento de los procesos involucrados en la donación de tejidos y órganos son críticos. Dada la influencia de los profesionales de salud se definen los objetivos de este proyecto de tesis: determinar cuál es el conocimiento y las habilidades de los profesionales de la salud encargados de los trasplantes de órganos y de tejidos en la regional 1, evaluados mediante una herramienta educativa para contribuir a mejorar un programa eficiente de Donación de Órganos y tejidos y así mismo, fijar recomendaciones en aras de aumentar las tasas de donación, con especial énfasis en la actividad hospitalaria en el país. METODOLOGIA Se realizó un estudio basado en el análisis de la evaluación de conocimientos del proceso donación- trasplante de órganos y tejidos en el personal de salud participante en la herramienta educativa llamada “Curso taller primer respondiente del potencial donante de órganos y tejidos”. Este curso incluía un formato evaluativo que fue diligenciado de manera anónima por los participantes antes y después de recibir el contenido del curso. El estudio se desarrolló en personal de la Salud de IPS pertenecientes a la Regional I, de la Red Nacional de donación y trasplantes de órganos y tejidos. Con el fin de evidenciar si existen diferencias en el conocimiento de los participantes del curso antes y después de asistir al mismo, se utilizó la prueba de McNemar (p< 0.05). RESULTADOS Entre julio del 2011 y junio del 2012, se realizó el “Curso taller primer respondiente del potencial donante de órganos y tejidos” y se obtuvieron 303 encuestados incluidos médicos, enfermeras y auxiliares de enfermería. Al inicio del curso las respuestas acertadas con relación a legislación, selección del donante, muerte encefálica y mantenimiento del donante estuvieron alrededor del 50%. No fue posible detectar la profesión que pudiese generar riesgo en la detección del donante y los procesos asociados. Posterior al curso, el 72% de las preguntas se respondieron de manera correcta, lo que representa un incremento estadísticamente significativo. Este cambio evidenció significancia estadística al usar la prueba de McNemar y arrojar un valor de p=0.00. .DISCUSIÓN El personal de salud participante en el curso taller proveniente de unidades involucradas como generadoras de donantes muestra un déficit de conocimientos del proceso donación trasplantes lo que puede convertirlos en limitantes para dicho proceso

The rph2 Gene Is Responsible for High Level Resistance to Phosphine in Independent Field Strains of Rhyzopertha dominica

The lesser grain borer Rhyzopertha dominica (F.) is one of the most destructive insect pests of stored grain. This pest has been controlled successfully by fumigation with phosphine for the last several decades, though strong resistance to phosphine in many countries has raised concern about the long term usefulness of this control method. Previous genetic analysis of strongly resistant (SR) R. dominica from three widely geographically dispersed regions of Australia, Queensland (SRQLD), New South Wales (SRNSW) and South Australia (SRSA), revealed a resistance allele in the rph1 gene in all three strains. The present study confirms that the rph1 gene contributes to resistance in a fourth strongly resistant strain, SR2(QLD), also from Queensland. The previously described rph2 gene, which interacts synergistically with rph1 gene, confers strong resistance on SRQLD and SRNSW. We now provide strong circumstantial evidence that weak alleles of rph2, together with rph1, contribute to the strong resistance phenotypes of SRSA and SR2(QLD). To test the notion that rph1 and rph2 are solely responsible for the strong resistance phenotype of all resistant R. dominica, we created a strain derived by hybridising the four strongly resistant lines. Following repeated selection for survival at extreme rates of phosphine exposure, we found only slightly enhanced resistance. This suggests that a single sequence of genetic changes was responsible for the development of resistance in these insects.

Rainbow Connection Number and Radius

Rainbow connection number, rc(G), of a connected graph G is the minimum number of colours needed to colour its edges, so that every pair of vertices is connected by at least one path in which no two edges are coloured the same. In this note we show that for every bridgeless graph G with radius r, rc(G) <= r(r+2). We demonstrate that this bound is the best possible for rc(G) as a function of r, not just for bridgeless graphs, but also for graphs of any stronger connectivity. It may be noted that, for a general 1-connected graph G, rc(G) can be arbitrarily larger than its radius (K_{1,n} for instance). We further show that for every bridgeless graph G with radius r and chordality (size of a largest induced cycle) k, rc(G) <= rk. Hitherto, the only reported upper bound on the rainbow connection number of bridgeless graphs is 4n/5 - 1, where n is order of the graph [Caro et al., 2008]

黄土高原植被恢复与新产业带形成的生态学基础研究

从生态地理背景论草地畜牧业产业在黄土高原农业可持续发展中的战略地位 黄土高原要实现生态与生产双赢的目标，契机是退耕还林还草，突破口是建立能兼顾生态生产协调发展的主导产业。从地形地貌、水热分布及自然植被特征的角度分析，黄土高原实施以农为主或农林牧综合发展的方略，均有悖于黄土高原生态地理背景。而草地畜牧业产业的生产要素及其过程在较大程度上吻合了黄土高原的生态地理背景，具有生态的适应性和生产的有效性，应作为黄土高原优化的生态生产范式建制中的主导产业。未来黄土高原产业的发展格局应该是以草地畜牧业为主导，农业和林业作为补充和完善的产业发展体系。此外，未来黄土高原草地畜牧业家畜养殖应以舍饲为主。 黄土高原自然植被演替过程中的物种特征与土壤养分动态研究 在3—149年的时间尺度上，对黄土高原自然植被次生演替过程中物种特征和土壤养分动态进行了研究。结果表明：1）随着演替时间尺度的延伸，土壤全C、全N含量呈增加趋势，而土壤全K、全Na和土壤pH值呈下降趋势，土壤全P变化趋势不明显;此外，表层( 0~10 cm)土壤Ca0含量呈下降趋势，深层( 20-30 cm，40-50 cm)则呈增加趋势。演替过程对土壤养分动态影响的程度随着取样深度的增加而减弱;2）植物群落物种丰富度在演替的中间阶段最高，后者对应于中等土壤养分水平;3）在演替的早期阶段，植物群落优势种往往具有稳定的土壤种子库，CR-生活史对策和S．繁殖对策，在贫瘠的土壤上具有较强的竞争能力;而具有较强的水平扩展能力和克隆繁殖能力，C-生活史对策、对土壤C，N具有较强竞争能力的多年生植物在演替中后期占据群落的优势地位。此外，在所涉及的物种生物学特征中，多年生生活史，C-、CR-、SC-、SR-、S．对策，以及R-、W-、Bs-、VBs-和V-繁殖对策等在非优势物种中有较高的出现频率。4）C-、 SC-对策，克隆能力，多年生生活史，水平扩展能力，种子的动物传播方式，秋季开花，荚果、坚果等特征的比例在一定程度上与土壤全C，全N和全K含量正相关; 而S一、SR-、R-、CR-对策，一、二年生生活史，种子繁殖，S．繁殖对策，以及胞果、蒴果等特征的比例与土壤全Na，Ca0含量和土壤pH正相关。在演替过程中出现的物种均属草本植物生活型，因此，草原可能是黄土高原上受制于大尺度环境条件（显域生境）下的优势植被类型（特别是降雨量不超过550 mm的地区）。 黄土高原植被恢复过程中几种优势植物叶片碳稳定性同位素和氮含量的动态特征 探讨了黄土高原植被恢复过程中六种优势植物叶片碳稳定性同位素(6 13C)和氮含量的季节动态、种间差异及其与植被恢复过程的关系。六种优势植物分别是猪毛蒿( Artemisia scoparia)，出现在演替的先锋阶段：达乌里胡枝子( Lespedeza davurica)，出现在演替的第二阶段;长芒草(Stipabungeana)、万年蒿(Artemisia gmelinii)和茭蒿(Artemisia giraldii)，出现在演替的第三阶段; 白羊草( Bothriochloa ischaemun)出现在演替的顶级阶段。六种优势植物叶片碳稳定性同位素比率分别是-26.89±0.66‰，-26.24±0.48‰, -26.21±0.49‰, -26.86±1.09‰, -27.61±0.39‰和-15 .81±1. 79‰;氮含量分别是2.36±0.63%，2.38±0.29%，2.0±0.29%，2.0±0.25%，1.50±0.37% 和1.24±0.19%。白羊草、长芒草、茭蒿和达乌里胡枝子叶片氮含量季节变化与土壤水分呈正相关．猪毛蒿和铁杆蒿叶片氮含量季节变化与土壤水分呈负相关。白羊草叶片δ 13C与土壤水分呈正相关，而其他5个优势种叶片δ 13C与土壤水分呈负相关。不同演替阶段优势种的δ 13C值和氮含量特征表明：处于演替顶级阶段的优势种具有最高的水分利用效率，净光合产量较低，但光合作用动态对土壤水分的季节波动表现出较强的可塑性;相反，处于先锋阶段的优势种水分利用效率较低，叶片净光合产量较高，光合作用对土壤水分波动的可塑性较低。本文的主要结论是：黄土高原植被恢复过程中处于不同演替阶段的优势种无论是在叶片δ 13C，氮含量均存在差异。优势种叶片δ 13C和氮含量季节动态反映了不同物种在环境（主要指土壤水分）波动条件下的生理生态对策。具有最高的水分利用效率（而非最高光和能力）和最高光合可塑性的物种将成为黄土高原自然植被顶级植物群落中的最终统治者。 黄土高原草地畜牧业产业形成与发展的牧草生产力基础 遵循生产-生态兼顾的原则，在黄土高原197个区县土地利用方式重新规划的基础上，对支撑黄土高原畜牧业产业形成与发展的牧草生产潜力进行了分析预测。结果表明：规划的牧、林、农、果用地占生产用地的比例分别是草地44%、林地22%、基本农田20%、果园14%; 197个县区预测的总牧草生产潜力达1，0488，1028t.y-l，可载畜1，0488，1028个羊单位．y-1。按1999年不变价格计算，黄土高原预测的畜牧业总产值将达到524，4051万元．y-1，是1999年畜牧业总产值的5.3倍，超过1999年黄土高原农业总产值14 %。农业人口人均预测畜牧业产值大于1000元的区县占59%;小于1000元的区县占41%。此外，黄土高原预测的农业总产值将达到1147.2234亿元RMB.yr-1。畜牧业、果业、林业和基本农田产值占农业总产值的比例分别是46%、27%、14%和13%。随着畜牧业产业链的逐步建立与完善，产业发展布局的日趋合理，黄土高原畜牧业生产总值将有较大幅度的提高。黄土高原草地畜牧业蕴藏着巨大的发展潜力，有望成为黄土高原优化的生产．生态范式建制中的主导产业。

冲绳海槽西南端中全新世以来的沉积特征及其物源与环境意义

作为大陆向大洋的过渡带，由于享有得天独厚的沉积环境，具有独特的构造特征以及与黑潮主流之间的密切关系，一直以来，冲绳海槽都是中外学者研究的重点靶区。2005年5月，由我国与法国联合主持的IMAGES 航次在台湾东北海域获取MD05-2908柱状岩芯（24º48.04′N,122 º29.35′E,水深为1275米），该柱状岩芯为一34.17米长高质量的连续沉积记录，岩性以深灰色粘土质粉砂为主，含水量较高，粘性、可塑性强，含有数层厚度不等的夹层。岩芯年龄模式依据17个AMS 14C定年数据建立，岩芯底部年代约6.8ka，为中全新世以来的沉积。在实验室对样品按照2cm的间隔进行分割后分别进行了粒度分析、粘土矿物提取与测试、碎屑矿物提取与鉴定、常微量元素和稀土元素分析等实验。 粒度分析结果显示，MD05-2908岩芯沉积物粒度垂向上总体比较均一，以细颗粒的粘土与粉砂质为主，但不同层位也稍有差别，表现为底部层位粒度较粗，含砂量较高，说明底部沉积环境比较复杂。粘土粒级（<2µm）矿物主要由四种粘土矿物和少量石英、长石碎屑组成。其中，粘土矿物相对含量变化中，伊利石（～68％）与绿泥石（～17%）构成主要成分，含有蒙皂石（～10％）和高岭石（～5％）。结合台湾东北外海表层沉积物的研究，利用粘土矿物伊利石/蒙皂石和绿泥石/高岭石比值得出岩芯粘土矿物主要为陆源碎屑粘土矿物，其源岩主要为台湾中央山脉的变质岩与台湾东部的沉积岩。重矿物分析共选取了41个层位，对63~250μm粒级的样品在实体镜和偏光显微镜下进行鉴定，结果显示，岩芯重矿物主要由绿泥石（29%）、普通角闪石（22%）、白云石（10%）、黑云母（8%）、绿帘石（7%）、白云母（7%）、褐铁矿（5%）等组成。稳定矿物少，矿物成熟度低。碎屑矿物风化程度低，磨蚀不明显，分选较差，表明沉积物来自于近源，后期改造作用不明显。常量元素分析结果表明，SiO2 、Al2O3和Fe2O3是岩芯沉积物中的最主要组分，这三种组分占沉积物总量的82%左右。 整个岩芯自下而上各常量组分变化不大，其平均值与东海陆架沉积物基本接近。微量元素变化比较明显， Ba、Cr、Cu、Zn元素的含量比东海陆架沉积物中的含量要高，而Sr的含量明显低于东海陆架。对常微量元素的R型因子分析表明，常量元素SiO2、Al2O3、Fe2O3、MgO和K2O，微量元素Cr、Cu、Ni、Zn、Pb、Rb和Mn可代表陆源物质；常量元素CaO和微量元素Sr、Ba可代表生物源物质。岩芯沉积物以陆源物质为主，生源物质的贡献起次要作用。岩芯沉积物中稀土元素总量平均为169.87×10-6，并且轻稀土含量均高于重稀土，LREE/HREE平均值为10.14，表明了轻稀土对稀土总量的贡献远高于重稀土，沉积物富集轻稀土，反映了沉积物的陆源特征。 岩芯MD05-2908中全新世以来平均5m/ka的高沉积速率主要源于丰富的物质供应和适宜的沉积环境。岩芯细粒级沉积物中，地球化学特征表明沉积物主要来源于陆源碎屑物质，粘土矿物特征与台湾东部陆源物质相同；粗粒级沉积物中，重矿物含量及矿物特征也表明岩芯沉积物粗颗粒组分主要来自于近源沉积。台湾宜兰境内的兰阳溪每年携带约一千万吨冲积物入海成为研究区重要的物质来源。由于受到黑潮的强烈影响，逆时针涡流及底层反向流的存在是岩芯高沉积速率重要控制因素。因此，利用动力分选的粉砂组分可以用来示踪古洋流强度，结果显示，6.8ka以来黑潮的强弱波动频繁，并表现出一定的旋回性变化，频谱分析表明，其具有的千年尺度周期（1500a）、百年尺度周期（604a、242a、192a、153a、133a）与十年尺度周期（22a）的周期性变化均与太阳辐射量变化有密切关系，因此，黑潮的强弱变化在大背景上是由太阳活动所控制的。 根据测年资料可以识别出岩芯存在5期快速堆积事件，这与区域性降水增加有关，降雨量增加导致陆源物质输入的增加。另外，岩芯位于大陆斜坡区，附近存在有三支海底峡谷，并且地震活动频繁，沉积在宜兰陆架及东海陆架处的浅海沉积物由于受到地震、风暴等活动的影响而受扰动崩塌、因重力作用而向低处输送，产生二次侵蚀并经由海底峡谷搬运到冲绳海槽南段堆积,使得沉积环境更为复杂，但同时也为冲绳海槽提供了丰富的物质供应。

Bridging the gap between marine biogeochemical and fisheries sciences; configuring the zooplankton link

Exploring climate and anthropogenic impacts on marine ecosystems requires an understanding of how trophic components interact. However, integrative end-to-end ecosystem studies (experimental and/or modelling) are rare. Experimental investigations often concentrate on a particular group or individual species within a trophic level, while tropho-dynamic field studies typically employ either a bottom-up approach concentrating on the phytoplankton community or a top-down approach concentrating on the fish community. Likewise the emphasis within modelling studies is usually placed upon phytoplankton-dominated biogeochemistry or on aspects of fisheries regulation. In consequence the roles of zooplankton communities (protists and metazoans) linking phytoplankton and fish communities are typically under-represented if not (especially in fisheries models) ignored. Where represented in ecosystem models, zooplankton are usually incorporated in an extremely simplistic fashion, using empirical descriptions merging various interacting physiological functions governing zooplankton growth and development, and thence ignoring physiological feedback mechanisms. Here we demonstrate, within a modelled plankton food-web system, how trophic dynamics are sensitive to small changes in parameter values describing zooplankton vital rates and thus the importance of using appropriate zooplankton descriptors. Through a comprehensive review, we reveal the mismatch between empirical understanding and modelling activities identifying important issues that warrant further experimental and modelling investigation. These include: food selectivity, kinetics of prey consumption and interactions with assimilation and growth, form of voided material, mortality rates at different age-stages relative to prior nutrient history. In particular there is a need for dynamic data series in which predator and prey of known nutrient history are studied interacting under varied pH and temperature regimes.

Coupled atmosphere-biophysics-hydrology models for environmental modeling

The formulation and implementation of LEAF-2, the Land Ecosystem–Atmosphere Feedback model, which comprises the representation of land–surface processes in the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS), is described. LEAF-2 is a prognostic model for the temperature and water content of soil, snow cover, vegetation, and canopy air, and includes turbulent and radiative exchanges between these components and with the atmosphere. Subdivision of a RAMS surface grid cell into multiple areas of distinct land-use types is allowed, with each subgrid area, or patch, containing its own LEAF-2 model, and each patch interacts with the overlying atmospheric column with a weight proportional to its fractional area in the grid cell. A description is also given of TOPMODEL, a land hydrology model that represents surface and subsurface downslope lateral transport of groundwater. Details of the incorporation of a modified form of TOPMODEL into LEAF-2 are presented. Sensitivity tests of the coupled system are presented that demonstrate the potential importance of the patch representation and of lateral water transport in idealized model simulations. Independent studies that have applied LEAF-2 and verified its performance against observational data are cited. Linkage of RAMS and TOPMODEL through LEAF-2 creates a modeling system that can be used to explore the coupled atmosphere–biophysical–hydrologic response to altered climate forcing at local watershed and regional basin scales.

Land-atmosphere energy exchange in Arctic tundra and boreal forest: available data and feedbacks to climate

This paper summarizes and analyses available data on the surface energy balance of Arctic tundra and boreal forest. The complex interactions between ecosystems and their surface energy balance are also examined, including climatically induced shifts in ecosystem type that might amplify or reduce the effects of potential climatic change. High latitudes are characterized by large annual changes in solar input. Albedo decreases strongly from winter, when the surface is snow-covered, to summer, especially in nonforested regions such as Arctic tundra and boreal wetlands. Evapotranspiration (QE) of high-latitude ecosystems is less than from a freely evaporating surface and decreases late in the season, when soil moisture declines, indicating stomatal control over QE, particularly in evergreen forests. Evergreen conifer forests have a canopy conductance half that of deciduous forests and consequently lower QE and higher sensible heat flux (QH). There is a broad overlap in energy partitioning between Arctic and boreal ecosystems, although Arctic ecosystems and light taiga generally have higher ground heat flux because there is less leaf and stem area to shade the ground surface, and the thermal gradient from the surface to permafrost is steeper. Permafrost creates a strong heat sink in summer that reduces surface temperature and therefore heat flux to the atmosphere. Loss of permafrost would therefore amplify climatic warming. If warming caused an increase in productivity and leaf area, or fire caused a shift from evergreen to deciduous forest, this would increase QE and reduce QH. Potential future shifts in vegetation would have varying climate feedbacks, with largest effects caused by shifts from boreal conifer to shrubland or deciduous forest (or vice versa) and from Arctic coastal to wet tundra. An increase of logging activity in the boreal forests appears to reduce QE by roughly 50% with little change in QH, while the ground heat flux is strongly enhanced.

The influence of anthropogenic landscape changes on weather in south Florida

Using identical observed meteorology for lateral boundary conditions, the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System was integrated for July-August 1973 for south Florida. Three experiments were performed-one using the observed 1973 landscape, another the 1993 landscape, and the third the 1900 landscape, when the region was close to its natural state. Over the 2-month period, there was a 9% decrease in rainfall averaged over south Florida with the 1973 landscape and an 11% decrease with the 1993 landscape, as compared with the model results when the 1900 landscape is used. The limited available observations of trends in summer rainfall over this region are consistent with these trends.

Meiotic inhibition of bovine oocytes in medium supplemented with a serum replacer and hormones: effects on meiosis progression and developmental capacity

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)