Comparison of Heating Strategies on Soil Water Measurement Using Actively Heated Fiber Optics on Contrasting Textured Soils.

The actively heated fiber optics (AHFO) technique has the potential to measure soil water at high spatial and temporal resolutions, and thus it can bridge the measurement gap from point to large scales. However, the availability of power might restrict its use, since high power is required to heat long fiber optic cables under field conditions; this can be a challenge for long-term soil water monitoring under field conditions. This study investigated the performance of different heating strategies (power intensity and heating duration) on soil water measurement by the AHFO technique on three different textured soils.

Effects of Initial Soil Moisture, Clod Size, and Clay Content on Ammonia Volatilization after Subsurface Band Application of Urea.

Ammonia losses from broadcast urea vary based on soil physical and chemical properties; however, less is known about how soil properties affect NH losses after subsurface banding of urea. Therefore, three field trials were established to determine how initial soil moisture, clod size, and clay content affect NH volatilization from subsurface-banded (0.025-m depth) urea using wind tunnels.

The heat penalty of walkable neighbourhoods.

"Walkability" or walking-friendliness is generally considered a favourable attribute of a neighbourhood that supports physical activity and improves health outcomes. Walkable neighbourhoods tend to have high-density infrastructure and relatively high amounts of concrete and pavement for sidewalks and streets, all of which can elevate local urban temperatures. The objective of this study was to assess whether there is a "heat penalty" associated with more walkable neighbourhoods in Montréal, Québec, Canada, using air temperature measurements taken in real time at street level during a heat event.

Multi-year net ecosystem carbon balance of a restored peatland reveals a return to carbon sink.

Peatlands after drainage and extraction are large sources of carbon (C) to the atmosphere. Restoration, through re-wetting and revegetation, aims to return the C sink function by re-establishing conditions similar to that of an undrained peatland. However, the time needed to re-establish C sequestration is not well constrained due to the lack of multi-year measurements.

Soil Water Measurement Using Actively Heated Fiber Optics at Field Scale.

Several studies have demonstrated the potential of actively heated fiber optics (AHFO) to measure soil water content (SWC) at high spatial and temporal resolutions. This study tested the feasibility of the AHFO technique to measure soil water in the surface soil of a crop grown field over a growing season using an in-situ calibration approach. Heat pulses of five minutes duration were applied at a rate of 7.

Modelling CO emissions from water surface of a boreal hydroelectric reservoir.

To quantify CO emissions from water surface of a reservoir that was shaped by flooding the boreal landscape, we developed a daily time-step reservoir biogeochemistry model. We calibrated the model using the measured concentrations of dissolved organic and inorganic carbon (C) in a young boreal hydroelectric reservoir, Eastmain-1 (EM-1), in northern Quebec, Canada. We validated the model against observed CO fluxes from an eddy covariance tower in the middle of EM-1.

Modeling surface energy fluxes and thermal dynamics of a seasonally ice-covered hydroelectric reservoir.

The thermal dynamics of human created northern reservoirs (e.g., water temperatures and ice cover dynamics) influence carbon processing and air-water gas exchange.

Daily steps are low year-round and dip lower in fall/winter: findings from a longitudinal diabetes cohort.

Background: Higher walking levels lead to lower mortality in type 2 diabetes, but inclement weather may reduce walking. In this patient population, we conducted a longitudinal cohort study to objectively quantify seasonal variations both in walking and in two vascular risk factors associated with activity levels, hemoglobin A1C and blood pressure.

Methods: Between June 2006 and July 2009, volunteer type 2 diabetes patients in Montreal, Quebec, Canada underwent two weeks of pedometer measurement up to four times over a one year follow-up period (i.

Action and puzzle video games prime different speed/accuracy tradeoffs.

To understand the way in which video-game play affects subsequent perception and cognitive strategy, two experiments were performed in which participants played either a fast-action game or a puzzle-solving game. Before and after video-game play, participants performed a task in which both speed and accuracy were emphasized. In experiment 1 participants engaged in a location task in which they clicked a mouse on the spot where a target had appeared, and in experiment 2 they were asked to judge which of four shapes was most similar to a target shape.

Walking behaviour and glycemic control in type 2 diabetes: seasonal and gender differences--study design and methods.

Background: The high glucose levels typically occurring among adults with type 2 diabetes contribute to blood vessel injury and complications such as blindness, kidney failure, heart disease, and stroke. Higher physical activity levels are associated with improved glycemic control, as measured by hemoglobin A1C. A 1% absolute increase in A1C is associated with an 18% increased risk for heart disease or stroke.

How to count curves: from nineteenth-century problems to twenty-first-century solutions.

Find the next term in the sequence 1, 1, 12, 620, 87304. This particular problem belongs to a branch of mathematics called enumerative geometry. This is concerned with curve-counting - counting the number of curves that can be drawn on a particular geometric object.