Leaf area index (LAI) is a key parameter used to describe vegetation structures and is widely used in ecosystem biophysical process and vegetation productivity models. Many algorithms have been developed for the estimation of LAI based on remote sensing images. Our goal was to produce accurate and timely predictions of grassland LAI for the meadow steppes of northern China. Here, we compare the...

Changes in influenza viruses require regular reformulation of strain-specific influenza vaccines. Vaccines based on conserved antigens provide broader protection. Influenza matrix protein 2 (M2) is highly conserved across influenza A subtypes. To evaluate its efficacy as a vaccine candidate, we vaccinated mice with M2 peptide of a widely shared consensus sequence. This vaccination induced antib...

(4) Let K be a field and M1, M2, M3 be matrices over K. Suppose lenM1 = lenM2 and lenM2 = lenM3 and widthM1 = widthM2 and widthM2 = widthM3 and lenM1 > 0 and M1 + M3 = M2 +M3. Then M1 = M2. (5) For every field K and for all matrices M1, M2 over K such that lenM2 > 0 holds M1 − −M2 = M1 +M2. (6) For every field K and for all matrices M1, M2 over K such that lenM1 = lenM2 and widthM1 = widthM2 an...

We consider the low-energy limit of the two-dimensional theory on k M2-branes suspended between a straight M5-brane and a curved M5-brane. We argue that it is described by an N=(2, 2) supersymmetric gauge theory with no matter fields but with a non-trivial twisted superpotential, and also by an N=(2, 2) supersymmetric Landau-Ginzburg model, such that the (twisted) superpotentials are determined...

Abstract. This is the third and final installment in our series of papers applying the method of Atkin and Swinnerton-Dyer to deduce formulas for rank differences. The study of rank differences was initiated by Atkin and Swinnerton-Dyer in their proof of Dyson’s conjectures concerning Ramanujan’s congruences for the partition function. Since then, other types of rank differences for statistics ...

The M2-2 protein of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is involved in regulation of viral RNA transcription and replication. Encoded by the next-to-last gene of RSV, the M2-2 open reading frame (ORF) overlaps with the upstream M2-1 ORF, suggesting that the production of the M2-2 protein might be tightly regulated during virus replication. To evaluate the effect of M2-2 overexpression on RSV repl...