| 1. |
- Muscarella, Robert, et al.
(författare)
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The global abundance of tree palms
- 2020
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Ingår i: Global Ecology and Biogeography. - : Wiley. - 1466-822X .- 1466-8238. ; 29:9, s. 1495-1514
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AimPalms are an iconic, diverse and often abundant component of tropical ecosystems that provide many ecosystem services. Being monocots, tree palms are evolutionarily, morphologically and physiologically distinct from other trees, and these differences have important consequences for ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration and storage) and in terms of responses to climate change. We quantified global patterns of tree palm relative abundance to help improve understanding of tropical forests and reduce uncertainty about these ecosystems under climate change.LocationTropical and subtropical moist forests.Time periodCurrent.Major taxa studiedPalms (Arecaceae).MethodsWe assembled a pantropical dataset of 2,548 forest plots (covering 1,191 ha) and quantified tree palm (i.e., ≥10 cm diameter at breast height) abundance relative to co‐occurring non‐palm trees. We compared the relative abundance of tree palms across biogeographical realms and tested for associations with palaeoclimate stability, current climate, edaphic conditions and metrics of forest structure.ResultsOn average, the relative abundance of tree palms was more than five times larger between Neotropical locations and other biogeographical realms. Tree palms were absent in most locations outside the Neotropics but present in >80% of Neotropical locations. The relative abundance of tree palms was more strongly associated with local conditions (e.g., higher mean annual precipitation, lower soil fertility, shallower water table and lower plot mean wood density) than metrics of long‐term climate stability. Life‐form diversity also influenced the patterns; palm assemblages outside the Neotropics comprise many non‐tree (e.g., climbing) palms. Finally, we show that tree palms can influence estimates of above‐ground biomass, but the magnitude and direction of the effect require additional work.ConclusionsTree palms are not only quintessentially tropical, but they are also overwhelmingly Neotropical. Future work to understand the contributions of tree palms to biomass estimates and carbon cycling will be particularly crucial in Neotropical forests.
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| 2. |
- Araujo, Jefferson, et al.
(författare)
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Characterizing complex mineral structures in thin sections of geological samples with a scanning hall effect microscope
- 2019
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Ingår i: Sensors. - : MDPI AG. - 1424-8220. ; 19:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We improved a magnetic scanning microscope for measuring the magnetic properties of minerals in thin sections of geological samples at submillimeter scales. The microscope is comprised of a 200 µm diameter Hall sensor that is located at a distance of 142 µm from the sample; an electromagnet capable of applying up to 500 mT DC magnetic fields to the sample over a 40 mm diameter region; a second Hall sensor arranged in a gradiometric configuration to cancel the background signal applied by the electromagnet and reduce the overall noise in the system; a custom-designed electronics system to bias the sensors and allow adjustments to the background signal cancelation; and a scanning XY stage with micrometer resolution. Our system achieves a spatial resolution of 200 µm with a noise at 6.0 Hz of 300 nT rms /(Hz) 1/2 in an unshielded environment. The magnetic moment sensitivity is 1.3 × 10 −11 Am 2 . We successfully measured the representative magnetization of a geological sample using an alternative model that takes the sample geometry into account and identified different micrometric characteristics in the sample slice.
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| 3. |
- Gonzalez-Moya, Johan R., et al.
(författare)
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Effects of the large distribution of CdS quantum dot sizes on the charge transfer interactions into TiO2 nanotubes for photocatalytic hydrogen generation
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nanotechnology. - : IOP Publishing. - 0957-4484 .- 1361-6528. ; 27:28
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hydrogen fuels generated by water splitting using a photocatalyst and solar irradiation are currently gaining the strength to diversify the world energy matrix in a green way. CdS quantum dots have revealed a hydrogen generation improvement when added to TiO2 materials under visible-light irradiation. In the present paper, we investigated the performance of TiO2 nanotubes coupled with CdS quantum dots, by a molecular bifunctional linker, on photocatalytic hydrogen generation. TiO2 nanotubes were obtained by anodization of Ti foil, followed by annealing to crystallize the nanotubes into the anatase phase. Afterwards, the samples were sensitized with CdS quantum dots via an in situ hydrothermal route using 3-mercaptopropionic acid as the capping agent. This sensitization technique permits high loading and uniform distribution of CdS quantum dots onto TiO2 nanotubes. The XPS depth profile showed that CdS concentration remains almost unchanged (homogeneous), while the concentration relative to the sulfate anion decreases by more than 80% with respect to the initial value after similar to 100 nm in depth. The presence of sulfate anions is due to the oxidation of sulfide and occurs in greater proportion in the material surface. This protection for air oxidation inside the nanotubular matrix seemingly protected the CdS for photocorrosion in sacrificial solution leading to good stability properties proved by long duration, stable photocurrent measurements. The effect of the size and the distribution of sizes of CdS quantum dots attached to TiO2 nanotubes on the photocatalytic hydrogen generation were investigated. The experimental results showed three different behaviors when the reaction time of CdS synthesis was increased in the sensitized samples, i.e. similar, deactivation and activation effects on the hydrogen production with regard to TiO2 nanotubes. The deactivation effect was related to two populations of sizes of CdS, where the population with a shorter band gap acts as a trap for the electrons photogenerated by the population with a larger band gap. Electron transfer from CdS quantum dots to TiO2 semiconductor nanotubes was proven by the results of UPS measurements combined with optical band gap measurements. This property facilitates an improvement of the visible-light hydrogen evolution rate from zero, for TiO2 nanotubes, to approximately 0.3 mu mol cm(-2) h(-1) for TiO2 nanotubes sensitized with CdS quantum dots.
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| 4. |
- González-Moya, Johan R, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of the large distribution of CdS quantum dot sizes on the charge transfer interactions into TiO2 nanotubes for photocatalytic hydrogen generation
- 2016
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Ingår i: Nanotechnology. - : Institute of Physics (IOP). - 0957-4484 .- 1361-6528. ; 27:28
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Hydrogen fuels generated by water splitting using a photocatalyst and solar irradiation are currently gaining the strength to diversify the world energy matrix in a green way. CdS quantum dots have revealed a hydrogen generation improvement when added to TiO2 materials under visible-light irradiation. In the present paper, we investigated the performance of TiO2 nanotubes coupled with CdS quantum dots, by a molecular bifunctional linker, on photocatalytic hydrogen generation. TiO2 nanotubes were obtained by anodization of Ti foil, followed by annealing to crystallize the nanotubes into the anatase phase. Afterwards, the samples were sensitized with CdS quantum dots via an in situ hydrothermal route using 3-mercaptopropionic acid as the capping agent. This sensitization technique permits high loading and uniform distribution of CdS quantum dots onto TiO2 nanotubes. The XPS depth profile showed that CdS concentration remains almost unchanged (homogeneous), while the concentration relative to the sulfate anion decreases by more than 80% with respect to the initial value after ~100 nm in depth. The presence of sulfate anions is due to the oxidation of sulfide and occurs in greater proportion in the material surface. This protection for air oxidation inside the nanotubular matrix seemingly protected the CdS for photocorrosion in sacrificial solution leading to good stability properties proved by long duration, stable photocurrent measurements. The effect of the size and the distribution of sizes of CdS quantum dots attached to TiO2 nanotubes on the photocatalytic hydrogen generation were investigated. The experimental results showed three different behaviors when the reaction time of CdS synthesis was increased in the sensitized samples, i.e. similar, deactivation and activation effects on the hydrogen production with regard to TiO2 nanotubes. The deactivation effect was related to two populations of sizes of CdS, where the population with a shorter band gap acts as a trap for the electrons photogenerated by the population with a larger band gap. Electron transfer from CdS quantum dots to TiO2 semiconductor nanotubes was proven by the results of UPS measurements combined with optical band gap measurements. This property facilitates an improvement of the visible-light hydrogen evolution rate from zero, for TiO2 nanotubes, to approximately 0.3 μmol cm–2 h–1 for TiO2 nanotubes sensitized with CdS quantum dots.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Schuettpelz, Eric, et al.
(författare)
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A community-derived classification for extant lycophytes and ferns
- 2016
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Ingår i: Journal of Systematics and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 1674-4918 .- 1759-6831. ; 54:6, s. 563-603
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Phylogeny has long informed pteridophyte classification. As our ability to infer evolutionary trees has improved, classifications aimed at recognizing natural groups have become increasingly predictive and stable. Here, we provide a modern, comprehensive classification for lycophytes and ferns, down to the genus level, utilizing a community-based approach. We use monophyly as the primary criterion for the recognition of taxa, but also aim to preserve existing taxa and circumscriptions that are both widely accepted and consistent with our understanding of pteridophyte phylogeny. In total, this classification treats an estimated 11 916 species in 337 genera, 51 families, 14 orders, and two classes. This classification is not intended as the final word on lycophyte and fern taxonomy, but rather a summary statement of current hypotheses, derived from the best available data and shaped by those most familiar with the plants in question. We hope that it will serve as a resource for those wanting references to the recent literature on pteridophyte phylogeny and classification, a framework for guiding future investigations, and a stimulus to further discourse.
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| 7. |
- Zaman, Quaid, et al.
(författare)
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Water Diffusion Effectsat Gold-Graphene Interfaces Supporting Surface Plasmon Polaritons
- 2022
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Ingår i: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 126:32, s. 13905-13919
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a detailed investigation on the effects of water diffusion at the different interfaces of gold-graphene plasmonic sensors on the propagation of the supported surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). The substrate/metal interfacial chemical reactions are investigated by monitoring the full width at half-maximum of the SPR reflectivity curve. Although protection by single-layer graphene (SLG) grown by chemical vapor deposition inhibits the chemical reactions happening at the metal-dielectric interfaces, SPR experimental results confirm that water diffusion paths through the borders of graphene domains are still present into the plasmonic sensors. Density functional theory calculations show that the doping level of SLG after the transfer on gold as well as interfacial charge transfer can be tuned in the presence of water molecules. On these bases, we propose a simplified effective medium approach for heterogeneous metal-carbon interfaces, where the interaction between the surface atomic layers of the gold thin film, water molecules, and the SLG induces the creation of an extended charge density difference region crossing the Au/H2O/SLG/H2O heterointerface. The latter is modeled as an ultrathin effective medium with a thickness and extraordinary optical susceptivity and conductivity that are different from those of the free-standing graphene. In this context, the extraordinary refractive index and thickness of the graphene-gold effective medium are measured in the near-infrared on the low-damping SPR platforms by applying the two-medium SPR method. The results are coherent with graphene n-doping in water environment, showing that the optically excited electrons along the extraordinary axis have a substantial bonding character and that the enhancement of the sensitivity of the gold-graphene plasmonic sensors is not related to a shift in the plasma frequency of the metal layer but to the changes in the extraordinary polarizability of graphene. The research highlights the importance of the SLG-substrate and SLG-environment interactions in graphene-protected plasmonics and optoelectronics.
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