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Georgia is an important source of grapevine intra-specific variability for viticulture. This biodiversity can be a suitable tool to face the challenge of climate change. Nevertheless, it is important to take into account the interaction between the interest genotype and the local environment, whose climate is changing due to global heating. In this work, we put in relation the phenotypic behavior of some neglected Georgian cultivars (‘Tabidziseuli’, ‘Daisi’, ‘Qvelouri’, ‘Bazaleturi Colikouri’) from the Mtskheta-Mtianeti Georgian region to the agro-climatology of the region itself. The phenological phases and the vegetation length of these four grape varieties were described, as well as their principal ampelographic characters. The impact of global heating on the agro-climatology of the Mtskheta-Mtianeti region has also been established, by comparing the sum of active temperatures (>10°C) of multi-years (1948-2017) with those calculated for the future scenario (2020-2050, temperature increase by 2°C). Based on this comparison, three agro-climatic zones have been confirmed within the region: dry subtropical, mountain and high mountain. The scenario of temperature increase by 2°C in the next three decades will cause the sum of active temperatures to reach 3900-4000°C in the dry subtropical zone, 3400-3500°C in the mountain zone and 1900-2000°C in the high mountain zone. Considering the vegetation length of the cultivars analyzed, it can be expected a shift of the most suitable sites for viticulture from the dry subtropical zone to the mountain area. High mountain seems not to be suitable for the cultivation of the studied cultivars. Given this environmental variability within the region, the increase in temperature will not suppress viticulture in Mtskheta-Mtianeti, if the real temperature does not exceed the level predicted by scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A crystalline porous Ni-MOF catalyst was fabricated successfully through hydrothermal method and shown to exhibit excellent catalytic performance for NH 3 -SCR. This prepared Ni-MOF showed better thermal stability than other reported Cu-BTC or MIL-100(Fe) SCR catalyst material. It could keep a satisfactory stable crystalline structure when the reaction temperature reached up to 440 °C. Moreover, it was found that the catalytic activity of Ni-MOF was significantly improved after preheat treatment in N 2 atmosphere. The Ni-MOF catalyst activated at 220 °C achieved more than 92% NO conversion efficiency with a large operating-temperature window from 275 to 440 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the active sum of daily average air temperature above 5, 10, and 15 °C, and with the length of the vegetation season which is given by values of the daily average values of air temperature exceeding the given threshold (5, 10, 15 °C). The average values of four long-term periods (1931–1960, 1961–1990, 2021–2050, and 2071–2100) were compared to one another. A gradual increase of all the above mentioned characteristics was found. The area of interest involves several localities in south Moravia (the Czech Republic). These fi ndings were confronted with a long-term (1931–2012) analysis of spring barley’s phenological phases and with the date of sowing and the beginning of harvest. A prolongation of the interval between sowing and harvest was found; this was probably caused by agronomy machinery advancement. A prolongation of the interval between sowing and emergence and between heading and harvest, and a shortening of the interval between emergence and heading was also proved. A trend analysis of spring barley phenophases during 1961–1990 did not prove almost any signifi cant changes, except for a 12-day delay of the beginning of the harvest day, which was probably caused by a more effective mechanization.

An accurate simulation of snowmelt runoff is of much importance in arid alpine regions. Data availability is usually an obstacle to use energy-based snowmelt models for the snowmelt runoff simulation, and temperature-based snowmelt models are more appealing in these regions. The snow runoff model is very popular nowadays, especially in the data sparse regions, because only temperature, precipitation and snow cover data are required for inputs to the model. However, this model uses average temperature as index, which cannot reflect the snowmelt simulation in the high altitude band. In this study, the snow runoff model is modified on the basis of accumulated active temperature. Snow cover calculation algorithm is added and is no longer needed as input but output. This makes the model able to simulate long-time runoff and long-time snow cover variation in every band. An examination of the improved model in the Manas River basin showed that the model is effective. It can reproduce the behaviour of the hydrology and can reflect the actual snow cover fluctuation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study molecular motor-induced microtubule self-organization in dilute and semi-dilute filament solutions. In the dilute case, we use a probabilistic model of microtubule interaction via molecular motors to investigate microtubule bundle dynamics. Microtubules are modeled as polar rods interacting through fully inelastic, binary collisions. Our model indicates that initially disordered systems of interacting rods exhibit an orientational instability resulting in spontaneous ordering. We study the existence and dynamic interaction of microtubule bundles analytically and numerically. Our results reveal a long term attraction and coalescing of bundles indicating a clear coarsening in the system; microtubule bundles concentrate into fewer orientations on a slow logarithmic time scale. In semi-dilute filament solutions, multiple motors can bind a filament to several others and, for a critical motor density, induce a transition to an ordered phase with a nonzero mean orientation. Motors attach to a pair of filaments and walk along the pair bringing them into closer alignment. We develop a spatially homogenous, mean-field theory that explicitly accounts for a force-dependent detachment rate of motors, which in turn affects the mean and the fluctuations of the net force acting on a filament. We show that the transition to the oriented state can be both continuous and discontinuous when the force-dependent detachment of motors is important. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A variety of definitions involving body temperature (Tb), metabolic rate and behavior have been used to define torpor in mammals and birds. This problem is confounded in some studies of free-ranging animals that employ only skin temperature (Tsk), a measure that approximates but may not precisely reflect Tb. We assess the accuracy of Tsk in the context of a recent definition for torpor called active temperature. We compared the active temperatures of individual big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus), which aggregate in cavities, with solitary, foliage-roosting hoary bats (Lasiurus cinereus). In captive big brown bats, we compared Tsk and core Tb at a range of ambient temperatures for clustered and solitary roosting animals, compared Tsk and Tb during arousal from torpor, and quantified the effect of flight on warming from torpor. Hoary bats had significantly lower active temperatures than big brown bats despite having the same normothermic Tsk. Tsk was significantly lower than Tb during normothermia but often greater than Tb during torpor. Flight increased the rate of warming from torpor. This effect was more pronounced for Tsk than Tb. This suggests that bats could rely on heat generated by flight muscles to complete the final stages of arousal. Using active temperature to define torpor may underestimate torpor due to ambient cooling of external transmitters or animals leaving roosts while still torpid. Conversely, active temperature may also overestimate shallow torpor use if it is recorded during active arousal when shivering and non-shivering thermogenesis warm external transmitters. Our findings illuminate the need for laboratory studies that quantify the relationship between metabolic rate and Tsk over a range of ambient temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]