Search

The dye injection method has been applied to many species to analyze the xylem water transport pathway in trees. However, traditional dye injection methods introduced dye tracers from the surface of cut stems, including several annual rings. Furthermore, the traditional dye injection method did not evaluate radial water movement from the outermost annual rings to the inner annual rings. In this study, we assessed the difference in radial water movement visualized by an injected dye, between stem base cut and current-year root cut samples of Salix gracilistyla Miq., with current-year roots grown hydroponically. The results showed that the number of stained annual rings in the root cut samples was smaller than that in the stem cut samples, and the percentage of stained vessels in the root cut samples was significantly smaller than that in the stem base cut samples in the second and third annual rings. In the current-year root cut samples, water transport mainly occurred in the outermost rings from the current-year roots to leaves. In addition, the theoretical hydraulic conductivity of stained vessels in the stem cut samples was higher in the current-year root cut samples in the second and third annual rings. These findings indicate that the previously reported dye injection method using stem cut samples overestimated the water transport pathway in the inner part of the stems. Moreover, previous hydraulic conductivity measurement methods might not have considered the effects of radial resistance through the annual ring boundary, and they might have overestimated the hydraulic conductivity in the inner annual rings.

We extend the speed limit of a distance between two states evolving by different generators for quantum systems [K. Suzuki and K. Takahashi, Phys. Rev. Res. 2, 032016(R) (2020)] to the classical stochastic processes described by the master equation. We demonstrate that the trace distance between arbitrary evolving states is bounded from above by using a geometrical metric. The geometrical bound reduces to the Fisher information metric for the distance between the time-evolved state and the initial state. We compare the bound in relaxation and annealing processes with a different type of bound known for nonequilibrium thermodynamical systems. For dynamical processes such as annealing and pumping processes, the distance between the time-evolved state and the instantaneous stationary state becomes a proper choice and the bound is represented by the Fisher information metric of the stationary state. The metric is related to the counterdiabatic term defined from the time dependence of the stationary state., 10 pages, 5 figures; revised for publication

We discuss the optimum communication capacity of bosonic information carriers propagating through a tunnel junction. Based on the multi-contour Keldysh Green function, we evaluate the information generating function, or the Renyi entanglement entropy, of the reduced density matrix subjected to the constraint of local heat quantity in the steady state. The Renyi entanglement entropy of order zero is the partition function, which exponentially depends on the optimum capacity. For the perfect transmission, the self-information and the local heat quantity, i.e., the energy of signals, are perfectly linearly correlated. The water-filling theorem is recovered in the wave-like regime.

We theoretically analyze spin filtering in two-terminal systems, induced by the spin-orbit interaction (SOI), as a possible origin of the ``chirality-induced spin selectivity'' (CISS) effect observed experimentally in chiral molecules, such as DNA. Due to Bardarson's theorem, spin filtering cannot be realized in a molecule containing one orbital-channel. However, when two orbitals are involved, SOI can induce spin filtering in a molecule coupled to two terminals without braking time-reversal symmetry. In particular, we provide an example of a $4 \times 4$ reflection matrix for a spinful electron passing through a molecule containing two orbital-channels, which complies with Bardarson's theorem and produces a finite spin conductance. As a microscopic toy model realizing a single strand of DNA, we consider a $p$-orbital helical atomic chain with intra-atomic SOI's and a strong crystalline field along the helix. This model exhibits two-orbital spin filtering: For various parameters preserving the helical symmetry, the model hosts spin asymmetric states carrying pairs of up and down spins propagating in opposite directions. The typical energy scale of the helical states is the product of the intra-atomic SOI and the curvature. The large value of this energy identifies our model as a likely candidate to explain the CISS in organic molecules., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

Tree age derived from annual-ring counts provides fundamental information on forest stands and individual trees in temperate forests. However, discontinuous growth in the trunk may cause inaccuracies in annual-ring counts, and the effect of radial growth rate and interspecific differences on discontinuous ring formation have not been evaluated in the same forest stand. We investigated the occurrence of discontinuous rings at the base of 435 tree trunk disks of 16 evergreen and 15 deciduous hardwood tree species growing in a temperate forest of Japan. The effects of tree age and radial growth rate on frequency of discontinuous rings and their interspecific differences were evaluated by a generalized linear mixed-effect model. Discontinuous rings were observed in 29 of the 31 species in 330 individuals, which is about 75% of the total number of individuals examined. The number of discontinuous rings proportionally decreased with the growth rate and increased with the tree age. On the other hand, the effects of the growth rate were different among species. The majority of species at the study site contained frequent discontinuous rings in the trunk base. Annual-ring counts from a single core would lead to underestimation of tree ages in this case. Stem disks or increment cores taken in multiple directions at ground level would be useful for accurate estimation of tree age in temperate hardwood forests.

Rawanbuki, a variety of Japanese butterbur (Petasites japonicus subsp. giganteus), grow naturally along the Rawan River, Hokkaido, northern Japan. Most plants reach 2–3 m in height and 10 cm in diameter in 2 months and are much larger than those grown along other rivers. We examined the hypothesis that nutrients exported from upland streams enhance the growth of the Rawanbuki. Nutrient concentrations, including nitrogen, phosphorus, and base cations, in the Rawan River were much higher than those in rivers of adjacent watersheds. High nutrient concentrations and moisture contents were found in soil along the Rawan River and a significant relationship was found between physicochemical soil conditions and aboveground biomass of butterburs. This indicates that extremely large Rawanbuki plants could be caused by these high nutrient concentrations and moisture contents in the soils. A manipulation experiment showed that fertilization simulated the growth environment along the Rawan River and enhanced the stem height and stem diameter of butterburs. This study concluded that the extremely large butterburs are caused by a large amount of nutrients exported from upland areas. These results are the first demonstration of the role of stream water nutrients in enlarging agricultural crops.

We investigate an asymptotic expansion of the solution of the master equation under the modulation of control parameters. In this case, the non-decaying part of the solution becomes the dynamical steady state expressed as an infinite series using the pseudo-inverse of the Liouvillian, whose convergence is not granted in general. We demonstrate that for the relaxation time approximation model, the Borel summation of the infinite series is compatible with the exact solution. By exploiting the series expansion, we obtain the analytic expression of the heat and the activity. In the two-level system coupled to a single bath, under the linear modulation of the energy as a function of time, we demonstrate that the infinite series expression is the asymptotic expansion of the exact solution. The equality of a trade-off relation between the speed of the state transformation and the entropy production (Shiraishi, Funo, and Saito, Phys. Rev. Lett. ${\bf 121}$, 070601 (2018)) holds in the lowest order of the frequency of the energy modulation in the two-level system. To obtain this result, the heat emission and absorption at edges (the initial and end times) or the differences of the Shannon entropy between the instantaneous steady state and the dynamical steady state at edges are essential: If we ignore these effects, the trade-off relation can be violated., Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures

Time-reversal symmetric charge and spin transport through a molecule comprising two-orbital channels and connected to two leads is analyzed. It is demonstrated that spin-resolved currents are generated when spin-flip processes are accompanied by a flip of the orbital channels. This surprising finding does not contradict Bardarson's theorem [J. H. Bardarson, J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41, 405203 (2008)] for two-terminal junctions: the transmission does possess two pairs of doubly-degenerate eigenvalues as required by the theorem. The spin-filtering effect is explicitly demonstrated for a two-terminal chiral molecular junction, modeled by a two-orbital tight-binding chain with intra-atomic spin-orbit interactions (SOI). In the context of transport through organic molecules like DNA, this effect is termed "chirality-induced spin selectivity" (CISS). The model exhibits spin-splitting without breaking time-reversal symmetry: the intra-atomic SOI induces concomitant spin and orbital flips. Examining these transitions from the point of view of the Bloch states in an infinite molecule, it is shown that they cause shifts in the Bloch wave numbers, of the size of the reciprocal single turn, whose directions depend on the left-and right-handedness of the helix. As a result, spin-up and spin-down states propagate in the opposite directions, leading to the CISS effect. To further substantiate our picture, we present an analytically-tractable expression for the 8$\times$8 scattering matrix of such a (single) molecule., 19 pages, 7 figures

We have investigated the electronic structure of iridates in the double perovskite crystal structure containing either Ir$^{4+}$ or Ir$^{5+}$ using hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The experimental valence band spectra can be well reproduced using tight binding calculations including only the Ir $5d$, O $2p$ and O $2s$ orbitals with parameters based on the downfolding of the density-functional band structure results. We found that regardless of the A and B cations, the A$_2$BIrO$_6$ iridates have essentially zero O $2p$ to Ir $5d$ charge transfer energies. Hence, double perovskite iridates turn out to be extremely covalent systems with the consequence being that the magnetic exchange interactions become very long-ranged, thereby hampering the materialization of the long-sought Kitaev physics. Nevertheless, it still would be possible to realize a spin-liquid system using the iridates with a proper tuning of the various competing exchange interactions., 9 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Physical Review B

The observation of chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) in biological molecules still awaits a full theoretical explanation. In a recent Rapid Communication, Varela et al. [Phys. Rev. B 101, 241410(R) (2020)] presented a model for electron transport in biological molecules by tunneling in the presence of spin-orbit interactions. They then claimed that their model produces a strong spin asymmetry due to the intrinsic atomic spin-orbit strength. As their Hamiltonian is time-reversal symmetric, this result contradicts a theorem by Bardarson [J. Phys. A: Math. Theor. 41, 405203 (2008)], which states that such a Hamiltonian cannot generate a spin asymmetry for tunneling between two terminals (in which there are only a spin-up and a spin-down channels). Here we solve the model proposed by Varela et al. and show that it does not yield any spin asymmetry, and therefore cannot explain the observed CISS effect.

A node is the point of attachment of the leaf to the stem of a plant; gaps associated with nodes have been viewed as discontinuities of the stem vascular system. We tested the hypothesis that the node/gap is a spring-like joint that impacts stem flexibility even well after the leaves have been shed, with some stems specialized for elongation and others for flexibility. Four-point bending tests were done using an Instron Mechanical Testing Device with the independent variable being the number of nodes in the stem segment and dependent variables being Modulus of Elasticity (MOE), Modulus of Rupture (MOR), and xylem density. Node anatomy was examined microscopically to assess structure and function. The stiffness of the stem was inversely proportional to the frequency of leaf nodes. Surprisingly, xylem density was inversely proportional to the frequency of leaf nodes in stems of adult trees. The tissue around nodes/gaps consisted of twisted and contorted cells that may be effective at absorbing compressive and tensile stresses. Because nodes behave as spring-like joints, the frequency of nodes relates to function, with some stems specialized for vertical expansion and others for light capture and damping of wind stress. The ultimate stems on a tree are the most bendable, which may allow the trees to avoid breakage.

The suppression of apical growth and radial trunk growth in trees under shade is a key factor in the competition mechanism among individuals in natural and artificial forests. However, the timing of apical and radial growth suppression after shading and the physiological processes involved have not been evaluated precisely. Twenty-one Abies sachalinensis seedlings of 5-years-old were shaded artificially under a relative light intensity of 5% for 70 days from August 1, and the histological changes of the terminal bud and terminally lateral bud of terminal leader and the cambial zone of the trunk base were analyzed periodically. In shade-grown trees, cell death of the leaf primordia in a terminal bud of terminal leader was observed in one of the three samples after 56 and 70 days of shading, whereas the leaf primordia in a terminal bud of terminal leader in all open-grown trees survived until the end of the experiment. In addition, the leaf primordia of the terminally lateral buds of terminal leader retained their cell nuclei until the end of the experiment. No histological changes were observed in the cambial cells after shading, but the shade-grown trees had less cambial activity than the open-grown trees through the experiment. Strong shading appeared to inhibit the formation and survival of cells in the terminal bud of terminal leader rather than the terminally lateral buds of terminal leader and the cambium. The suppression of the terminal bud growth and elongation of the surviving lateral buds would result in an umbrella-shaped crown under shade.

Complete differentiation of the first earlywood vessels occurred earlier in upper regions of stems than in middle and lower regions when buds swelling in a ring-porous hardwood Quercus serrata seedlings. In deciduous ring-porous hardwoods, the timing of the onset of conduction of water via the networks of the current year’s earlywood vessels is very important for the growth of buds and shoots because the main pathways for conduction of water are the networks of the current year’s earlywood vessels. The purpose of this study was to visualize the formation of the networks of first earlywood vessels in the current year’s xylem of seedlings of the deciduous ring-porous hardwood Quercus serrata. We monitored the distribution of water in the current and the previous year’s secondary xylem at the cellular level in upper, middle and lower regions of stems during the formation of earlywood vessels by cryo-scanning electron microscopy after freeze-etching. We also examined how changes in water distribution were correlated with leaf phenology. The contents of the first vessel elements in the upper region of the stem changed from cytoplasm-rich to water earlier than those in middle and lower regions of the stem when buds were increasing in size. At bud break, vessel elements were filled with water throughout the entire stem. When the cambium was dormant and during formation of earlywood vessels, the previous year’s latewood vessels were filled with water. Our results showed that complete differentiation of vessel elements occurred earlier in upper regions of stems than in middle and lower regions. Moreover, the functional networks of the previous year’s latewood vessels appeared to be involved in supplying water to new networks of earlywood vessels in the current year’s xylem.

A scanning electron microscope installed cryo-unit (cryo-SEM) allows specimen observation at subzero temperatures and has been used for exploring water distribution in plant tissues in combination with freeze fixation techniques using liquid nitrogen (LN2). For woody species, however, preparations for observing the xylem transverse-cut surface involve some difficulties due to the orientation of wood fibers. Additionally, higher tension in the water column in xylem conduits can occasionally cause artifactual changes in water distribution, especially during sample fixation and collection. In this study, we demonstrate an efficient procedure to observe the water distribution within the xylem of woody plants in situ by using a cryostat and cryo-SEM. At first, during sample collection, measuring the xylem water potential should determine whether high tension is present in the xylem conduits. When the xylem water potential is low (< ca. −0.5 MPa), a tension relaxation procedure is needed to facilitate better preservation of the water status in xylem conduits during sample freeze fixation. Next, a watertight collar is attached around the tree stem and filled with LN2 for freeze fixation of the water status of xylem. After harvesting, care should be taken to ensure that the sample is preserved frozen while completing the procedures of sample preparation for observation. A cryostat is employed to clearly expose the xylem transverse-cut surface. In cryo-SEM observations, time adjustment for freeze-etching is required to remove frost dust and accentuate the edge of the cell walls on the viewing surface. Our results demonstrate the applicability of cryo-SEM techniques for the observation of water distribution within xylem at cellular and subcellular levels. The combination of cryo-SEM with non-destructive in situ observation techniques will profoundly improve the exploration of woody plant water flow dynamics.

The performance of communication through a quantum conductor is limited by the laws of physics. The optimum channel capacity, the maximum rate at which information can be transmitted under a given signal power, i.e., the heat current, connects the theory of communication, quantum physics, and thermodynamics. Here, the author calculates the distribution of fluctuations of self-information and finds a Jarzynski equality like universal relation connecting the fluctuations of information, the R\'enyi entropy of order zero, and the optimum capacity.

We analyse the appearance of a mechanical torque that acts on a chiral molecule: a single-stranded DNA, in which the spin-orbit interaction is expected to induce a spin-selectivity effect. The mechanical torque is shown to appear as a result of the non-conservation of the spin current in the presence of the spin-orbit interaction. Adopting a simple microscopic model Hamiltonian for a chiral molecule connected to source and drain leads, and accounting for the mechanical torque acting on the chiral molecule as the back action on the electrons traversing the molecule, we derive the spin continuity-equation. It connects the spin current expressed by a Landauer-type formula and the mechanical torque. Thus, by injecting a spin-polarized current from the source electrode, it is possible to generate a torque, which will rotate the DNA molecule., Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures

Xylem tension relaxation is an important procedure that closely resembles the in vivo xylem water distribution when measuring conductivity or observing water distribution of plant tissue samples by cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM). Recent studies have shown that partial xylem embolism occurs when samples under tension are cut under water and that gas-filled vessels are refilled during tension relaxation. Furthermore, the frequency of gas-filled vessels has been reported to increase in samples without tension relaxation before cryo-fixation by liquid nitrogen, particularly in samples with significant tension. Here, we examined the effect of tension relaxation on these artifacts in Carpinus tschonoskii and Cercidiphyllum japonicum using magnetic resonance imaging. We observed that xylem embolism rarely occurs in bench-dried samples cut under water. In both species, a small portion of the xylem was refilled within ~1 h after tension relaxation. Cryo-SEM observations revealed that short-time (

Deciduous ring-porous species in Japan shed all of their leaves under severe water stress before large vessels in earlywood are embolized, and embolization take place during winter. Water in deciduous ring-porous species is mainly conducted upward via large earlywood vessels of the current year. Water columns in large vessels are vulnerable to drought-induced and freeze stress-induced embolisms. Although a vulnerability curve can be created to estimate the hydraulic capacity of plants, it remains unclear why the loss of conductivity in potted plants of ring-porous species does not reach 100 % under severe drought stress. In this study, two deciduous ring-porous species in Japan (Kalopanax septemlobus and Toxicodendron trichocarpum) were used to explain the species-specific pattern in the water-conducting pathway of the stem. We monitored and visualized the spatial distribution of xylem embolisms in the stem of K. septemlobus saplings under drought stress and freeze stress using compact magnetic resonance imaging and cryo-scanning microscopy. In addition, we evaluated the water ascent in the stems of both species using a dye uptake method. Although embolisms of large vessels were observed under drought stress and in winter, all leaves were dropped to avoid fatal water loss after embolization of some large vessels. In contrast, all large vessels were embolized in winter. Larger-diameter vessels of latewood in T. trichocarpum tended to function in trees growing in the warm temperate zone. Thus, our results suggest that the unclear curve may be derived from a discrepancy between leaf water potential and actual water potential in the xylem under severe drought stress. The frequency of xylem embolisms in deciduous ring-porous species in Japan mainly depends on the number of freeze–thaw cycles.

Although previous studies have suggested that branch dieback and whole-plant death due to drought stress occur at 50-88% loss of stem hydraulic conductivity (P50 and P88, respectively), the dynamics of catastrophic failure in the water-conducting pathways in whole plants subjected to drought remain poorly understood. We examined the dynamics of drought stress tolerance in 3-year-old Japanese black pine (Pinus thunbergii Parl.). We nondestructively monitored (i) the spatial distribution of drought-induced embolisms in the stem at greater than P50 and (ii) recovery from embolisms following rehydration. Stem water distributions were visualized by cryo-scanning electron microscopy. The percentages of both embolized area and loss of hydraulic conductivity showed similar patterns of increase, although the water loss in xylem increased markedly at -5.0 MPa or less. One seedling that had reached 72% loss of the water-conducting area survived and the xylem water potential recovered to -0.3 MPa. We concluded that Japanese black pines may need to maintain water-filled tracheids within earlywood of the current-year xylem under natural conditions to avoid disconnection of water movement between the stem and the tops of branches. It is necessary to determine the spatial distribution of embolisms around the point of the lethal threshold to gain an improved understanding of plant survival under conditions of drought.

Yb$_2$Si$_2$Al may be a prototype for exploring different aspects of the Shastry-Sutherland lattice, formed by planes of orthogonally coupled Yb ions. Measurements of the magnetic susceptibility find incoherently fluctuating Yb$^{3+}$ moments coexisting with a weakly correlated metallic state that is confirmed by measurements of the electrical resistivity. Increasing signs of Kondo coherence are found with decreasing temperature, including an enhanced Sommerfeld coefficient and Kadowaki-Woods ratio that signal that the metallic state found at the lowest temperatures is a Fermi liquid where correlations have become significantly stronger. A pronounced peak in the electronic and magnetic specific heat indicates that the coupling of the Yb moments to the conduction electrons leads to an effective Kondo temperature that is approximately 30 K. The valence of Yb$_2$Si$_2$Al has been investigated with electron spectroscopy methods. Yb$_2$Si$_2$Al is found to be strongly intermediate valent ($v_F=2.68(2)$ at 80 K). Taken together, these experimental data are consistent with a scenario where a coherent Kondo lattice forms in Yb$_2$Si$_2$Al from an incoherently fluctuating ensemble of Yb moments with incomplete Kondo compensation, and strong intermediate valence character., Submitted to Physical Review B

We report a combined experimental and theoretical x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) spectroscopy study at the Ir-${L}_{2,3}$ edges on the ${\mathrm{Ir}}^{5+}$ ions of the layered hybrid solid state oxide ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{Co}}_{0.5}{\mathrm{Ir}}_{0.5}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ with the ${\mathrm{K}}_{2}{\mathrm{NiF}}_{4}$ structure. From theoretical simulation of the experimental Ir-${L}_{2,3}$ XMCD spectrum, we found a deviation from a pure ${J}_{\mathrm{eff}}=0$ ground state with an anisotropic orbital-to-spin moment ratio (${L}_{x}/2{S}_{x}=0.43$ and ${L}_{z}/2{S}_{z}=0.78$). This deviation is mainly due to multiplet interactions being not small compared to the cubic crystal field and due to the presence of a large tetragonal crystal field associated with the crystal structure. Nevertheless, our calculations show that the energy gap between the singlet ground state and the triplet excited state is still large and that the magnetic properties of the ${\mathrm{Ir}}^{5+}$ ions can be well described in terms of singlet Van Vleck paramagnetism.

We review connections between the cumulant generating function of full counting statistics of particle number and the R\'enyi entanglement entropy. We calculate these quantities based on the fermionic and bosonic path-integral defined on multiple Keldysh contours. We relate the R\'enyi entropy with the information generating function, from which the probability distribution function of self-information is obtained in the nonequilibrium steady state. By exploiting the distribution, we analyze the information content carried by a single bosonic particle through a narrow-band quantum communication channel. The ratio of the self-information content to the number of bosons fluctuates. For a small boson occupation number, the average and the fluctuation of the ratio are enhanced., Comment: 16 pages, 5 figures

Through litter decomposition enormous amounts of carbon is emitted to the atmosphere. Numerous large-scale decomposition experiments have been conducted focusing on this fundamental soil process in order to understand the controls on the terrestrial carbon transfer to the atmosphere. However, previous studies were mostly based on site-specific litter and methodologies, adding major uncertainty to syntheses, comparisons and meta-analyses across different experiments and sites. In the TeaComposition initiative, the potential litter decomposition is investigated by using standardized substrates (Rooibos and Green tea) for comparison of litter mass loss at 336 sites (ranging from -9 to +26 °C MAT and from 60 to 3113 mm MAP) across different ecosystems. In this study we tested the effect of climate (temperature and moisture), litter type and land-use on early stage decomposition (3 months) across nine biomes. We show that litter quality was the predominant controlling factor in early stage litter decomposition, which explained about 65% of the variability in litter decomposition at a global scale. The effect of climate, on the other hand, was not litter specific and explained

It was recently reported that cutting artefacts occur in some species when branches under tension are cut, even under water. We used non-destructive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the change in xylem water distribution at the cellular level in Vitis coignetiae standing stems before and after relaxing tension. Less than 3% of vessels were cavitated when stems under tension were cut under water at a position shorter than the maximum vessel length (MVL) from the MRI point, in three of four plants. The vessel contents remained at their original status, and cutting artefact vessel cavitation declined to

Freezing with liquid nitrogen promotes the expansion of air in water columns of water-stressed, intact trees that are not transpiring. In analyses of the distribution of water-filled and embolized conduits, xylem sap is frozen with liquid nitrogen and visualized using cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM). However, artifacts may be introduced during preparation of samples for these analyses. If the xylem is frozen intact, conduits may embolize during freezing when xylem water potential (Ψ xylem) is substantially negative, whereas rehydration to release negative pressure may induce artifactual refilling. To evaluate these sampling phenomena during dehydration and rehydration, we monitored dynamic changes in xylem functional status in the stem of Dendropanax trifidus by compact magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI). We also visualized the water distribution in xylem (under low Ψ xylem and with no transpiration) after freezing D. trifidus and Carpinus tschonoskii stems with liquid nitrogen. Artifactual refilling of embolized conduits was sometimes observed in D. trifidus samples cut underwater prior to freezing; however, the extent of refilling may have no influence on hydraulic measurements. Living cells in all samples were dramatically restored after rehydration by cutting underwater. In the current-year xylem, intact saplings of C. tschonoskii frozen with liquid nitrogen after dehydration had a greater number of embolized vessels than samples cut underwater. When a low Ψ xylem (≤−2.5 MPa) was maintained, artifactual embolisms were rarely observed in samples directly frozen after rehydration. Thus, relaxation of negative Ψ xylem and rehydration are important factors for consideration when assessing the distribution of embolized conduits by cryo-SEM.

Bark isreproducible by the tree when its cambium is carefully left without damaging it by decorticate technicians.Throughout the world, reproduced bark has been traditionally used for daily commodities such as cork from cork oak (Quercussuber)in Portugal, or house buildings,such as roof tilesof 굴피rom sawtooth oak (Quercusacutissima) in Korea and Hiwadaroof plate from japanese cypress (Chamaecyparisobtusa) in Japan, etc.For traditional roof constructionin Japan, especially for national heritages, Hiwada bark is indispensable, and a number of cultural properties are awaiting for its supply for repairesthat arenecessary approximatedlyevery 40 years. However, Hiwada production is suffering from a shortageof old trees, which must bejapanese cypresstrees of more than 80 years old. Also,there is alack of traditional master technicians, motokawashi, who can decorticate the bark without damaging the cambium, and due tothe misunderstanding oftimber sellersthat decorticationimpaires the mechanical properties of the tree. We have been engaged in a series of research projects to solve this shortage of Hiwada. This study aimed to clarify whether bark decortication for Hiwada production changes the mechanical properties of the xylem,focusing on xylem production in the cambium after decortication, by measuring Young’s modulus and the cellulose-microfibrilangle. It is difficult to discuss the impact of decortication accuratelywithout considering other effectssuch asindividual variabilityand climate change. Bark was carefully removedincontrol experiments and by quantative treatments.A pair of trees, grown under very similar conditions, one of which was decorticated and the other was not treated, were compared. In order to remove the individual variability at each cell level, a series of daughter cells with the same mother cell in the cambium were sampled in annual rings and compared. Then, five to ten annual rings each before and after decortication and the changes in ratios were compared to the control, andthe impact of decortication itself was discussedandinvestigated.

We consider a bipartite quantum conductor and discuss the joint probability distribution of particle number in a subsystem and the self-information associated with the reduced density matrix of the subsystem. By extending the multi-contour Keldysh Green function technique, we calculate the R\'enyi entropy of a positive integer order $M$ subjected to the particle number constraint, from which we derive the joint probability distribution. For energy-independent transmission, we derive the time dependence of the accessible entanglement entropy, or the conditional entropy. We analyze the joint probability distribution for energy-dependent transmission probability at the steady state under the coherent resonant tunneling and the incoherent sequential tunneling conditions. We also discuss the probability distribution of the efficiency, which measures the information content transfered by a single electron., Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures

This study evaluated variation in the height at which absent rings and internodes were detected along stem of Abies sachalinensis trees grown under shade for 39 years. Eight sample trees planted in 1974 under a secondary forest in Japan were felled in 2013 and analyzed. A. sachalinensis is a monopodial species in which it is possible to measure annual apical growth using the distinct internodes. We applied microscopic analysis on 154 stem disks from the stem base to the top to evaluate the cessation of apical and radial growth caused by intensive shading. Cessation of apical stem growth for one or more years was found in 6 out of 8 sample trees. We termed this phenomenon as “absent internode”. In addition, the absent growth rings were detected more frequently in the lower part of sample stems, and the number of absent rings at the stem base did not correspond with the number of absent internodes in the six trees. From cellular level observation, the five suppressed trees had no living cambial cells at the stem base but had living cells at the stem top. The cessation of the apical and radial growth did not occur synchronously but did occur independently under a shade environment in A. sachalinensis.

Bulk sensitive hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data of the Ce 3$p$ core level of CeRu$_4$Sn$_6$ are presented. Using a combination of full multiplet and configuration iteration model we were able to obtain an accurate lineshape analysis of the data, thereby taking into account correlations for the strong plasmon intensities. We conclude that CeRu$_4$Sn$_6$ is a moderately mixed valence compound with a weight of 8% for the Ce $f^0$ configuration in the ground state., 4 pages, 3 figures, conference proceedings (SCES2016)

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and KLL Auger spectra of aqueous KCl solution were measured for the K$^+$ and Cl$^-$ edges. While the XPS spectra of potassium and chloride have similar structures, both exhibiting only weak satellite structures near the main line, the Auger spectra of these isoelectronic ions differ dramatically. A very strong satellite peak was found in the K$^+$ KLL Auger spectrum at the low kinetic energy side of the $^1$D state. Using equivalent core models and ab initio calculations this spectral structure was assigned to electron transfer processes from solvent water molecules to the solvated K$^+$ cation. Contrary to the potassium case, no extra peak was found in the KLL Auger spectrum of solvated Cl$^-$ indicating on a strong dependence of the underlying processes on ionic charge. The observed charge transfer processes are suggested to play an important role in charge redistribution following single and multiple core-hole creation in atomic and molecular systems placed into an environment.

We have carried out bulk-sensitive hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HAXPES) measurements on in-situ cleaved and ex-situ polished SmB6 single crystals. Using the multiplet-structure in the Sm 3d core level spectra, we determined reliably that the valence of Sm in bulk SmB6 is close to 2.55 at ~5 K. Temperature dependent measurements revealed that the Sm valence gradually increases to 2.64 at 300 K. From a detailed line shape analysis we can clearly observe that not only the J=0 but also the J=1 state of the Sm 4f 6 configuration becomes occupied at elevated temperatures. Making use of the polarization dependence, we were able to identify and extract the Sm 4f spectral weight of the bulk material. Finally, we revealed that the oxidized or chemically damaged surface region of the ex-situ polished SmB6 single crystal is surprisingly thin, about 1 nm only., Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures

The relaxation phenomena of spin-torque oscillators consisting of nanostructured ferromagnets are interesting research targets in magnetism. A theoretical study on the relaxation time of a spin-torque oscillator from one self-oscillation state to another is investigated. By solving the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation both analytically and numerically, it is shown that the oscillator relaxes to the self-oscillation state exponentially within a few nanoseconds, except when magnetization is close to a critical point. The relaxation rate, which is an inverse of relaxation time, is proportional to the current. On the other hand, a critical slowing down appears near the critical point, where relaxation is inversely proportional to time, and the relaxation time becomes on the order of hundreds of nanoseconds. These conclusions are primarily obtained for a spin-torque oscillator consisting of a perpendicularly magnetized free layer and an in-plane magnetized pinned layer, and are further developed for application to arbitrary types of spin-torque oscillators., Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures

Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) are known to play an important role in atmospheric chemistry due to their high reactivity and high emission rates. Therefore, in recent decades, many efforts have been made to estimate the emission rates, composition and allocation of the BVOCs. Monoterpenes (MNTs) and sesquiterpenes (SQTs) are major groups of BVOCs and mainly emitted from coniferous trees. There is quite a few reports discussing the seasonality of basal emission rate, which is a normalized emission rate at a set of standard conditions (e.g. temperature, light intensity), of the BVOCs. Three field measurements were conducted using branch enclosure techniques to determine MNTs and SQTs emission measured from mature trees of Cryptomeria japonica and Chamaecyparis obtusa , which are the most dominant trees in Japan and account for about 40–50% of Japanese forest in leaf amount throughout the four seasons in southern Japan in 2010. The results are compared with the measurements for the same compound classes obtained at a suburban area of Tokyo, Japan in 2009. The seasonal variation in the basal emissions of MNTs from both tree species at Shiiba did not show significant seasonal changes. For both tree species, the variations in the basal emission of MNTs differ in the two sites, while those of SQTs showed relatively similar variations. Chemical composition of SQTs showed clear and continued seasonal variations, while MNTs did not show any clear seasonal variation for these tree species at both sites. It can be hypothesized that the emissions of BVOC classes (e.g. MNTs and SQTs) depend on leaf age. In this paper, we discuss about the seasonal variations in the basal emission rates and chemical compositions of BVOCs obtained from the two dominant coniferous tree species in Japan based on nine field measurement campaigns conducted at two different sites.

The coupling of the charge carriers passing through a molecule bridging two bulky conductors with local vibrational modes of the molecule gives rise to distinct features in the electronic transport properties on one hand and to nonequilibrium features in the vibrations’ properties, e.g., their population, on the other. Here we explore theoretically a generic model for a molecular junction biased by an arbitrary dc voltage in the weak-coupling regime. We succinctly summarize parts of our past work related to the signature of the electron-vibration interaction on the full-counting statistics of the current fluctuations (i.e., the cumulant generating-function of the current correlations). In addition, we provide a novel account of the response to an ac field exerted on the junction (on top of the dc bias voltage); in particular, we study the nonequilibrium distribution and the displacement fluctuations of the vibrational modes. Remarkably, we find a behavior pattern that cannot be accounted for by classical forced oscillations. The calculations use the technique of nonequilibrium Green’s functions and treat the electron-vibration coupling in perturbation theory, within the random-phase approximation when required.

We investigate the conditional average and the conditional variance of dissipated energy considering, as a prototypical example, a driven spin-boson system. We follow a measurement protocol in which the spin is prepared in a certain initial state before undergoing a periodic driving. Subsequently, the spin is projected onto a post-selected final state. We compare the conditional average of dissipated energy to the lower bound which directly follows from the well known fluctuation relations. We further report that a special selection of the initial (pre-selected) and final (post-selected) spin states leads to an enhanced energy emission with simultaneous noise suppression at driving times of order of the relaxation time., Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures