Search results for " LIFE+"

A Place for Life

2010

The belief in the existence of extraterrestrial civilizations starts from the so-called principle of mediocrity. This principle postulates that Earth is a normal planet that rotates around a normal star, which in turn is located in a normal galaxy. That is to say, there is nothing so special in our world as to make it unique. This is a logical conclusion, toward which we are guided by the successive “Copernican turns” that science has suffered throughout its long history, and which has ­removed us from the central position we once believed to occupy in the universe.

Les traitements de pasteurisation et de séchage de l'oeuf entier ainsi que l'étuvage à sec du blanc d'oeuf modifient le coefficient d'efficacité prot…

2009

Minerality in wines: mental expectations of Swiss and French consumers

2014

Today the concept of minerality in wines is omnipresent. It appears in marketing discourses, in oenological critics and commercial communication. However, there is no common agreement on a general definition. This paper aims to study the different expectations that Swiss and French consumers have about minerality. The multidimensionality of the term is reflected through stereotypes like the odor of flint, the impression of "sucking a stone", or referring to acidity or to the Terroir. Thus, the term minerality appears as a unstable concept and providing a precise definition remains consequently difficult for many consumers.

Absolute quantification of noncoding RNA by microscale thermophoresis

2019

Abstract Accurate quantification of the copy numbers of noncoding RNA has recently emerged as an urgent problem, with impact on fields such as RNA modification research, tissue differentiation, and others. Herein, we present a hybridization‐based approach that uses microscale thermophoresis (MST) as a very fast and highly precise readout to quantify, for example, single tRNA species with a turnaround time of about one hour. We developed MST to quantify the effect of tRNA toxins and of heat stress and RNA modification on single tRNA species. A comparative analysis also revealed significant differences to RNA‐Seq‐based quantification approaches, strongly suggesting a bias due to tRNA modifica…

A new approach for estimating a nonlinear growth component in multilevel modeling

2011

This study presents a new approach to estimation of a nonlinear growth curve component with fixed and random effects in multilevel modeling. This approach can be used to estimate change in longitudinal data, such as day-of-the-week fluctuation. The motivation of the new approach is to avoid spurious estimates in a random coefficient regression model due to the synchronized periodical effect (e.g., day-of-the-week fluctuation) appearing both in independent and dependent variables. First, the new approach is introduced. Second, a Monte Carlo simulation study is carried out to examine the functioning of the proposed new approach in the case of small sample sizes. Third, the use of the approac…

Depressive symptoms during adolescence: Do learning difficulties matter?

2011

To examine whether learning difficulties play a role in depressive symptoms, 658 Finnish adolescents were asked to complete scales for depression three times during the transition to post-comprehensive education. They also reported on their learning difficulties and feelings of inadequacy as a student. The results showed that learning difficulties prospectively predicted depressive symptoms. Moreover, the impact of learning difficulties was mediated via inadequacy as a student: learning difficulties predicted feelings of inadequacy as a student which, in turn, contributed to greater increases in depressive symptoms. Finally, gender moderated the association between learning difficulties an…

Simultaneous optimization of harvest schedule and measurement strategy

2013

In many recent studies, the value of forest inventory information in the harvest scheduling has been examined. Usually only the profitability of measuring simultaneously all the stands in the area is examined. Yet, it may be more profitable to concentrate the measurement efforts to some subset of them. In this paper, the authors demonstrate that stochastic optimization can be used for defining the optimal measurement strategy simultaneously with the harvest decisions. The results show that without end-inventory constraints, it was most profitable to measure the stands that were just below the medium age. Measuring the oldest stands was not profitable at all. It turned out to be profitable t…

Domain Specific Case Tool for ICT-Enabled Service Design

2014

One major problem in service design is the limited availability of information gathered during the development process. In particular, information on end-user requirements is difficult for designers, developers, and maintainers to access. Here, we provide a mechanism that supports the gathering and modeling of various types of information throughout the service and software development life cycle. As various existing tools focus on a particular part of the life cycle, essential information is not available, or it is more difficult to obtain in later stages. The linkage between information collected in the different stages is often lost. The implemented tool support enables the modeling of r…

Grazing intensity in subarctic tundra affects the temperature adaptation of soil microbial communities

2015

Abstract Grazing by large ungulates, such as reindeer (Rangifer tarandus L.), in subarctic tundra exerts a considerable effect on the soil microclimate. Because of higher insulation by the aboveground vegetation in light versus heavily grazed areas, soil temperatures during the growing season are considerably higher under heavy grazing. Here, we hypothesized that these grazer-induced changes in soil microclimate affect the temperature sensitivity of soil microbial activity. To test this hypothesis, we conducted soil incubations at different temperatures (4 °C, 9 °C and 14 °C) for six weeks using soils from sites with contrasting long-term grazing intensities. Microbial respiration at low te…

Comparing Conservation Value Maps and Mapping Methods in a Rural Landscape in Southern Finland

2015

We tested to what extent conservation value maps are different if the valuation and mapping method is changed. We compared 66 different conservation value and 4 different ecosystem service maps. Using remote sensing and other georeferenced data, we produced 2 different habitat type maps, which were 50 % similar. We valued each mapped habitat type based on rarity corrected potential number of vascular plant species and naturalness using 6 different valuation alternatives. We mapped habitat type connectivity and complementarity using 2 main approaches. The habitat type valuation alternatives were quite similar, but if the habitat type naturalness was taken into account, differences were large…