Berry's Phase in the Presence of a Stochastically Evolving Environment: A Geometric Mechanism for Energy-Level Broadening

The generic Berry phase scenario in which a two-level system is coupled to a second system whose dynamical coordinate is slowly-varying is generalized to allow for stochastic evolution of the slow system. The stochastic behavior is produced by coupling the slow system to a heat resevoir which is modeled by a bath of harmonic oscillators initially in equilibrium at temperature T, and whose spectral density has a bandwidth which is small compared to the energy-level spacing of the fast system. The well-known energy-level shifts produced by Berry's phase in the fast system, in conjunction with the stochastic motion of the slow system, leads to a broadening of the fast system energy-levels. In the limit of strong damping and sufficiently low temperature, we determine the degree of level-broadening analytically, and show that the slow system dynamics satisfies a Langevin equation in which Lorentz-like and electric-like forces appear as a consequence of geometrical effects. We also determine the average energy-level shift produced in the fast system by this mechanism.Comment: 29 pages, RevTex, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Solving spin quantum-master equations with matrix continued-fraction methods: application to superparamagnets

We implement continued-fraction techniques to solve exactly quantum master equations for a spin with arbitrary S coupled to a (bosonic) thermal bath. The full spin density matrix is obtained, so that along with relaxation and thermoactivation, coherent dynamics is included (precession, tunnel, etc.). The method is applied to study isotropic spins and spins in a bistable anisotropy potential (superparamagnets). We present examples of static response, the dynamical susceptibility including the contribution of the different relaxation modes, and of spin resonance in transverse fields.Comment: Resubmitted to J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. Some rewriting here and there. Discussion on positivity in App.D3 at request of one refere

In-situ upgrading of Napier grass pyrolysis vapour over microporous and hierarchical mesoporous zeolites

This study presents in-situ upgrading of pyrolysis vapour derived from Napier grass over microporous and mesoporous ZSM-5 catalysts. It evaluates effect of process variables such catalyst–biomass ratio and catalyst type in a vertical fixed bed pyrolysis system at 600 °C, 50 °C/min under 5 L/min nitrogen flow. Increasing catalyst–biomass ratio during the catalytic process with microporous structure reduced production of organic phase bio-oil by approximately 7.0 wt%. Using mesoporous catalyst promoted nearly 4.0 wt% higher organic yield relative to microporous catalyst, which translate to only about 3.0 wt% reduction in organic phase compared to the yield of organic phase from non-catalytic process. GC–MS analysis of bio-oil organic phase revealed maximum degree of deoxygenation of about 36.9% with microporous catalyst compared to the mesoporous catalysts, which had between 39 and 43%. Mesoporous catalysts promoted production olefins and alkanes, normal phenol, monoaromatic hydrocarbons while microporous catalyst favoured the production of alkenes and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. There was no significant increase in the production of normal phenols over microporous catalyst due to its inability to transform the methoxyphenols and methoxy aromatics. This study demonstrated that upgrading of Napier grass pyrolysis vapour over mesoporous ZSM-5 produced bio-oil with improved physicochemical properties

Incorporating physiology into species distribution models moderates the projected impact of warming on Mediterranean marine species

Species distribution models (SDMs) correlate species occurrences with environmental predictors, and can be used to forecast distributions under future climates. SDMs have been criticized for not explicitly including the physiological processes underlying the species response to the environment. Recently, new methods have been suggested to combine SDMs with physiological estimates of performance (physiology-SDMs). In this study, we compare SDM and physiology-SDM predictions for select marine species in the Mediterranean Sea, a region subjected to exceptionally rapid climate change. We focused on six species and created physiology-SDMs that incorporate physiological thermal performance curves from experimental data with species occurrence records. We then contrasted projections of SDMs and physiology-SDMs under future climate (year 2100) for the entire Mediterranean Sea, and particularly the ‘warm’ trailing edge in the Levant region. Across the Mediterranean, we found cross-validation model performance to be similar for regular SDMs and physiology-SDMs. However, we also show that for around half the species the physiology-SDMs substantially outperform regular SDM in the warm Levant. Moreover, for all species the uncertainty associated with the coefficients estimated from the physiology-SDMs were much lower than in the regular SDMs. Under future climate, we find that both SDMs and physiology-SDMs showed similar patterns, with species predicted to shift their distribution north-west in accordance with warming sea temperatures. However, for the physiology-SDMs predicted distributional changes are more moderate than those predicted by regular SDMs. We conclude, that while physiology-SDM predictions generally agree with the regular SDMs, incorporation of the physiological data led to less extreme range shift forecasts. The results suggest that climate-induced range shifts may be less drastic than previously predicted, and thus most species are unlikely to completely disappear with warming climate. Taken together, the findings emphasize that physiological experimental data can provide valuable supplemental information to predict range shifts of marine species

Applicant perspectives during selection

We provide a comprehensive but critical review of research on applicant reactions to selection procedures published since 2000 (n = 145), when the last major review article on applicant reactions appeared in the Journal of Management. We start by addressing the main criticisms levied against the field to determine whether applicant reactions matter to individuals and employers (“So what?”). This is followed by a consideration of “What’s new?” by conducting a comprehensive and detailed review of applicant reaction research centered upon four areas of growth: expansion of the theoretical lens, incorporation of new technology in the selection arena, internationalization of applicant reactions research, and emerging boundary conditions. Our final section focuses on “Where to next?” and offers an updated and integrated conceptual model of applicant reactions, four key challenges, and eight specific future research questions. Our conclusion is that the field demonstrates stronger research designs, with studies incorporating greater control, broader constructs, and multiple time points. There is also solid evidence that applicant reactions have significant and meaningful effects on attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. At the same time, we identify some remaining gaps in the literature and a number of critical questions that remain to be explored, particularly in light of technological and societal changes

Improved efficiency of soil solarization for growth and yield of greenhouse tomatoes

Soil solarization is a pre-planting treatment not based on chemicals, used in hot climates to control weeds and soil-borne pathogens. Its effectiveness has been widely demonstrated, for example, in the USA, Spain, Portugal, Egypt, Italy, Mexico, India and Iraq. However, an improvement in efficacy is needed before it can be widely adapted as a commercial practice. Supplementation of the soil with organic matter prior to solarization has been proposed as a management option, but its effectiveness has yet to be confirmed by any systematic study. Therefore, here we carried out a set of experiments in southern Italy over two seasons to study the effect of four levels of organic supplementation of 0, 0.35, 0.70 and 1.05 kg m−2 prior to solarization. Soil temperature and its chemical properties, as well as plant vegetation growth and fruit production were monitored for tomato plants grown under commercial greenhouse conditions. Organic supplementation increased the maximum soil temperature achieved through solarization by 3.9 °C to 4.7 °C. At 5 cm below the soil surface, a temperature of over 52 °C prevailed for 22 to 23 days when 0.70 kg m−2 organic supplement was incorporated, and for 14 to 13 days in the presence of 0.35 kg m−2 supplement, but this temperature was attained only for one day in the absence of any supplement. Organic supplementation significantly increased the soil concentration of ${\rm NO}_3^{-}-{\rm N}$, exchangeable K2O, Ca2+ and Mg2+ and electrical conductivity. Increased available P2O5 and total N at the end of the crop cycle were also associated with supplementation of solarized soil. Plant vegetative growth was improved by supplementation, with crop plant stem diameter enhanced by up to 18%, above-ground vegetative fresh and dry weight by up to, respectively, 53 and 44%, and the number of leaves per plant by up to 16%. As the supplementation rate was raised from 0 to 0.70 kg m−2, fruit yield was increased by about 70% (from 4.9 to 8.3 kg plant−1). Organic matter supplementation may provide the basis for a more favorable sink/source balance for tomato cropping. We conclude that organic supplementation represents a beneficial management measure to increase the effectiveness of soil solarization, and that these results provide encouragement for the future commercial application of this environmentally-friendly technique

The Tropical Seagrass Halophila stipulacea: Reviewing What We Know From Its Native and Invasive Habitats, Alongside Identifying Knowledge Gaps

Halophila stipulacea is a small tropical seagrass, native to the Red Sea, Persian Gulf, and the Indian Ocean. It invaded the Mediterranean Sea 150 years ago as a Lessepsian migrant, but so far has remained in insulated, small populations across this basin. Surprisingly, in 2002 it was reported in the Caribbean Sea, where within less than two decades it spread to most of the Caribbean Island nations and reaching the South American continent. Unlike its invasion of Mediterranean, in the Caribbean H. stipulacea creates large, continuous populations in many areas. Reports from the Caribbean demonstrated the invasiveness of H. stipulacea by showing that it displaces local Caribbean seagrass species. The motivation for this review comes from the necessity to unify the existing knowledge on several aspects of this species in its native and invasive habitats, identify knowledge gaps and develop a critical strategy to understand its invasive capacity and implement an effective monitoring and conservation plan to mitigate its potential spread outside its native ranges. We systematically reviewed 164 studies related to H. stipulacea to create the "Halophila stipulacea database." This allowed us to evaluate the current biological, ecological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular knowledge of H. stipulacea in its native and invasive ranges. Here we (i) discuss the possible environmental conditions and plant mechanisms involved in its invasiveness, (ii) assess the impact of H. stipulacea on native seagrasses and ecosystem functions in the invaded regions, (iii) predict the ability of this species to invade European and transoceanic coastal waters, (iv) identify knowledge gaps that should be addressed to better understand the biology and ecology of this species both in its native and non-native habitats, which would improve our ability to predict H. stipulacea's potential to expand into new areas in the future. Considering the predicted climate change scenarios and exponential human pressures on coastal areas, we stress the need for coordinated global monitoring and mapping efforts that will record changes in H. stipulacea and its associated communities over time, across its native, invasive and prospective distributional ranges. This will require the involvement of biologists, ecologists, economists, modelers, managers, and local stakeholder

Solarização em microcosmo: efeito de materiais vegetais na sobrevivência de fitopatógenos de solo e na produção de voláteis

Além das brassicaceas associadas à solarização do solo, novos materiais vegetais como a mandioca e a mamona têm apresentado potencial no controle de fitopatógenos de solo. Assim, objetivou-se verificar os efeitos da incorporação e decomposição de parte aérea de brócolis, mamona e mandioca brava e mansa, associadas à solarização, em conjuntos de microcosmos, sob condições de ambiente controlado, na sobrevivência das estruturas de resistência de Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici Raça 2, Macrophomina phaseolina, Rhizoctonia solani AG-4 HGI e Sclerotium rolfsii; e identificar e apontar o(s) volátil(eis) emanado(s) pela decomposição dos materiais, que poderia(m) estar correlacionado(s) com a inativação dos fitopatógenos. Quanto à sobrevivência dos patógenos, quatro ensaios idênticos foram instalados nos microcosmos, com quatro períodos de exposição independentes (7, 14, 21 e 28 dias). A identificação dos voláteis contou com ensaios realizados sob as mesmas condições da sobrevivência, mas em frascos âmbar e com cromatografia gasosa com detectores por espectrometria de massas (GC-MS) e por ionização em chama (GC-FID), utilizando a técnica de Microextração em Fase Sólida - SPME. Os tratamentos solo+materiais vegetais, ao longo dos períodos testados, reduziram a sobrevivência das estruturas de resistência de todos os fungos. No geral, destacaram-se o brócolis e a mandioca brava, além da mandioca mansa para S. rolfsii. Os voláteis identificados foram oriundos da decomposição de brócolis, mamona e mandioca mansa. Foram identificados 26, 37 e 29 compostos voláteis para brócolis, mamona e mandioca mansa, respectivamente. Correlações positivas e negativas foram observadas entre alguns voláteis e a média dos compostos com a sobrevivência das estruturas de resistência dos fitopatogênicos