Landsat phenological metrics and their relation to aboveground carbon in the Brazilian Savanna.

Background: The quantification and spatially explicit mapping of carbon stocks in terrestrial ecosystems is important to better understand the global carbon cycle and to monitor and report change processes, especially in the context of international policy mechanisms such as REDD+ or the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Especially in heterogeneous ecosystems, such as Savannas, accurate carbon quantifications are still lacking, where highly variable vegetation densities occur and a strong seasonality hinders consistent data acquisition. In order to account for these challenges we analyzed the potential of land surface phenological metrics derived from gap-filled 8-day Landsat time series for carbon mapping.

Nanopatterning by block copolymer micelle nanolithography and bioinspired applications.

This comprehensive overview of block copolymer micelle nanolithography (BCMN) will discuss the synthesis of inorganic nanoparticle arrays by means of micellar diblock copolymer approach and the resulting experimental control of individual structural parameters of the nanopattern, e.g., particle density and particle size.

Cell interactions with hierarchically structured nano-patterned adhesive surfaces.

The activation of well-defined numbers of integrin molecules in predefined areas by adhesion of tissue cells to biofunctionalized micro-nanopatterned surfaces was used to determine the minimum number of activated integrins necessary to stimulate focal adhesion formation. This was realized by combining micellar and conventional e-beam lithography, which enabled deposition of 6 nm large gold nanoparticles on predefined geometries. Patterns with a lateral spacing of 58 nm and a number of gold nanoparticles, ranging from 6 to 3000 per adhesive patch, were used.

Caffeine content of beverages as consumed.

Quantitative analysis of beverages prepared at home by staff of the Addiction Research Foundation revealed a lower and much more variable caffeine content of both tea and coffee than had been reported in earlier studies, most of which were based on analysis of laboratory-prepared beverages. Median caffeine concentration of 37 home-prepared samples of tea was 27 mg per cup (range, 8 to 91 mg); for 46 coffee samples the median concentration was 74 mg per cup (range, 29 to 176 mg). If tea and coffee as drunk contain less caffeine than generally supposed, the potency of caffeine may be greater than commonly realized, as may the relative caffeine content of certain commercial preparations, including chocolate and colas.