“
“The pursuit of ever higher field strengths and faster data acquisitions has led to the construction of coil arrays with high numbers of elements. With the sensitivity encoding (SENSE) technique, it has been shown that the sensitivity of those elements can be used for spatial image encoding. Here, a proof-of-principle is presented of a method that can be considered an extreme case of the SENSE approach, completely abstaining from using encoding gradients. The resulting sensitivity encoded free-induction decay (FID) data GSK3326595 research buy are then not used for imaging, but for determining B-0 field inhomogeneity distribution.
The method has therefore been termed “SENSE shimming” (SSH). In phantom experiments the method’s ability to detect inhomogeneities of up to the second order is demonstrated. Magn Reson Med 62:1319-1325, 2009. (C) 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.”
“Premise of the study : Seabirds often cause significant changes
to soil properties, and seabird-dominated systems often host unique plant communities. This study experimentally (1) examined species-specific responses to seabird guano gradients, (2) considered Adavosertib the role that differential functional traits among species play in altering plant response to guano, and (3) investigated the implications of seabird guano on range-expanding species.\n\nMethods : Using a greenhouse fertilization experiment, we examined how guano fertilization affects the growth and functional traits of four tree species dominant in the Pacific Islands: Cocos nucifera, Pisonia grandis, Scaevola sericea, and Tournefortia argentea. In these systems, seabirds are frequently found in association with three of these four species; the remaining species, C. nucifera, is a recently proliferating species commonly found in the region but rarely associated with seabirds.\n\nKey results : We determined that responses to guano addition differed significantly between species in ways that were consistent with predictions based on differing functional traits among species. Notably, we demonstrated that C. nucifera showed no growth responses to guano additions, whereas all seabird-associated plants showed strong responses.\n\nConclusions
: These results provide experimental evidence of differential species find more response to guano additions, suggesting that differences in species functional traits may contribute to changes in plant communities in seabird-dominated areas, with seabird-associated species garnering performance advantages in these high-nutrient environments. Among these species, results also suggest that C. nucifera may have a competitive advantage in low-nutrient environments, providing an unusual example of how a range-expanding plant species can profit from low-nutrient environments.”
“The start of the cholera epidemic in Haiti quickly highlighted the necessity of the implementation of an Alert and Response (A&R) System to complement the existing national surveillance system.