We examined the effect of chronic soil warming on microbial biomass, functional capacity, and community structure in soil samples collected from the Soil Warming Study located at the Harvard Forest ...Long-term Ecological Research (LTER) site. Twelve years of chronic soil warming at 5
°C above the ambient temperature resulted in a significant reduction in microbial biomass and the utilization of a suite of C substrates which included amino acids, carbohydrates, and carboxylic acids. Heating significantly reduced the abundance of fungal biomarkers. There was also a shift in the mineral soil microbial community towards gram positive bacteria and actinomycetes.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZRSKP
The terrestrial biosphere sequesters up to a third of annual anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions, offsetting a substantial portion of greenhouse gas forcing of the climate system. Although a ...number of factors are responsible for this terrestrial carbon sink, atmospheric nitrogen deposition contributes by enhancing tree productivity and promoting carbon storage in tree biomass. Forest soils also represent an important, but understudied carbon sink. Here, we examine the contribution of trees versus soil to total ecosystem carbon storage in a temperate forest and investigate the mechanisms by which soils accumulate carbon in response to two decades of elevated nitrogen inputs. We find that nitrogen-induced soil carbon accumulation is of equal or greater magnitude to carbon stored in trees, with the degree of response being dependent on stand type (hardwood versus pine) and level of N addition. Nitrogen enrichment resulted in a shift in organic matter chemistry and the microbial community such that unfertilized soils had a higher relative abundance of fungi and lipid, phenolic, and N-bearing compounds; whereas, N-amended plots were associated with reduced fungal biomass and activity and higher rates of lignin accumulation. We conclude that soil carbon accumulation in response to N enrichment was largely due to a suppression of organic matter decomposition rather than enhanced carbon inputs to soil via litter fall and root production.
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BFBNIB, DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NMLJ, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Recent advancements in the sensitivity of chemical instrumentation have led to increased interest in the use of microsamples for translational and biomedical research. Paper substrates are by far the ...most widely used media for biofluid collection, and mass spectrometry is the preferred method of analysis of the resultant dried blood spot (DBS) samples. Although there have been a variety of review papers published on DBS, there has been no attempt to unify the century old DBS methodology with modern applications utilizing modified paper and paper‐based microfluidics for sampling, storage, processing, and analysis. This critical review will discuss how mass spectrometry has expanded the utility of paper substrates from sample collection and storage, to direct complex mixture analysis to on‐surface reaction monitoring.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
One can be independent, or one can be subject to decisions made by others. This paper argues that this difference, embodied in the institutional distinction between the decision-making procedures ...'market' and 'hierarchy', affects individual wellbeing beyond outcomes. Taking self-employment as an important case of independence, it is shown that the self-employed derive higher satisfaction from work than those employed in organizations, irrespective of income gained or hours worked. This is evidence for procedural utility: people value not only outcomes, but also the processes leading to outcomes.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, INZLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NMLJ, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK, ZRSKP
Happiness is generally considered an ultimate goal of life; virtually everyone wants to be happy. It follows that economics is -- or should be -- about individual happiness; in particular, how do ...economic growth, unemployment and inflation, and institutional factors such as governance, affect individual well-being. In addition to this intrinsic interest, there are important reasons for economists to consider happiness research. The first is economic policy. Happiness research can also help us understand the formation of subjective well-being. This paper discusses the relationship between happiness and utility, and argues that reported subjective well-being is a satisfactory and empirical approximation of individual utility.
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BFBNIB, CEKLJ, INZLJ, IZUM, KILJ, NMLJ, NUK, ODKLJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK, ZRSKP
MF59-adjuvanted H5N1, cell culture-derived inactivated influenza vaccine (aH5N1c, AUDENZ®, Seqirus) is available for persons 6 months of age and older. During a pandemic, lack of preexisting immunity ...to novel influenza strains increases morbidity and mortality. This study examined the potential for an adjuvanted vaccine to provide cross-protection to novel viruses. Two similarly designed studies involving separate cohorts aged 18-64 and ≥65 y assessed immune responses to five heterologous H5N1 influenza strains elicited by two 7.5 μg doses of aH5N1c given 3 weeks apart. Geometric mean titers (GMT) on Days 1 and 43 and Day 43/Day 1 geometric mean ratios (GMRs) were determined with hemagglutination inhibition (HI) and microneutralization (MN). Rates of seroconversion (SC) and percentages of subjects with HI and MN ≥ 1:40 were determined. Significant increases in GMTs were observed on Day 43 after vaccination for all 5 heterologous strains in all ages tested. SC rates were 28-55% and 17-46% among those aged 18-64 and ≥65 y, respectively. MN ≥ 1:40 was observed in 38-100% of younger and 37-97% of older subjects, and HI ≥ 1:40 was achieved by 28-64% of subjects aged 18-64 y and by 17-57% of subjects aged ≥65 y. A SC rate ≥40% (97.5% CI) was met for two heterologous strains tested in adults aged 18-64 y. In adults aged 18-64 and ≥65 y, two 7.5 μg doses of aH5N1c demonstrated increased immunogenicity from baseline against five heterologous H5N1 strains, illustrating the potential for aH5N1c to provide cross-protection against other H5N1 strains.
Why so many people pay their taxes, even though fines and audit probability are low, is a central question in the tax compliance literature. Positing a
homo oeconomicus having a refined motivation ...structure sheds light on this puzzle. This paper provides empirical evidence for the relevance of conditional cooperation, using survey data from 30 West and East European countries. We find a high correlation between perceived tax evasion and tax morale. The results remain robust after exploiting endogeneity and conducting several robustness tests. We also observe a strong positive correlation between institutional quality and tax morale.
Journal of Comparative Economics
35 (1) (2007) 136–159.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
Context. It will soon become possible to directly link the most accurate radio reference frame with the Gaia optical reference frame using many common extragalactic objects. It is important to know ...the level of coincidence between the radio and optical positions of compact active galactic nuclei (AGNs). Aims. Using the best catalogues available at present, we investigate how many AGNs with significantly large optical-radio positional offsets exist as well as the possible causes of these offsets. Methods. We performed a case study by finding optical counterparts to the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF2) radio sources in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) Data Release 9 (DR9). The ICRF2 catalogue was used as a reference because the radio positions determined by Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations are about two orders of magnitude more accurate than the optical positions. Results. We find 1297 objects in common for ICRF2 and SDSS DR9. Statistical analysis of the optical-radio differences verifies that the SDSS DR9 positions are accurate to ~55 milliarcseconds (mas) in both right ascension and declination, with no systematic offset with respect to ICRF2. We find 51 sources (~4% of the sample) for which the positional offset exceeds 170 mas (~3σ). Astrophysical explanations must exist for the majority of these outliers. There are three known strong gravitational lenses among them. Dual AGNs or recoiling supermassive black holes may also be possible. Conclusions. The most accurate Gaia-VLBI reference frame link will require a careful selection of a common set of objects by eliminating the outliers. On the other hand, the significant optical-radio positional non-coincidences may offer a new tool for finding e.g. gravitational lenses or dual AGN candidates. Detailed follow-up radio interferometric and optical spectroscopic observations are encouraged to investigate the outlier sources found in this study.
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FMFMET, NUK, UL, UM, UPUK
The Ionospheric Connection Explorer, or ICON, is a new NASA Explorer mission that will explore the boundary between Earth and space to understand the physical connection between our world and our ...space environment. This connection is made in the ionosphere, which has long been known to exhibit variability associated with the sun and solar wind. However, it has been recognized in the 21st century that equally significant changes in ionospheric conditions are apparently associated with energy and momentum propagating upward from our own atmosphere. ICON’s goal is to weigh the competing impacts of these two drivers as they influence our space environment. Here we describe the specific science objectives that address this goal, as well as the means by which they will be achieved. The instruments selected, the overall performance requirements of the science payload and the operational requirements are also described. ICON’s development began in 2013 and the mission is on track for launch in 2018. ICON is developed and managed by the Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, with key contributions from several partner institutions.
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DOBA, EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, IZUM, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OBVAL, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
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