The new Australasian goblin spider genus Prethopalpus (Araneae, Oonopidae)

The new goblin spider genus Prethopalpus is restricted to the Australasian tropics, from the lower Himalayan Mountains in Nepal and India to the Malaysian Peninsula, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Australia. Prethopalpus contains those species with a swollen palpal patella, which is one to two times the size of the femur, together with a cymbium and bulb that is usually separated, although it is largely fused in four species. The type species Opopaea fosuma Burger et al. from Sumatra, and Camptoscaphiella infernalis Harvey and Edward from Western Australia are newly transferred to Prethopalpus. The genus consists of 41 species of which 39 are newly described: P. ilam Baehr (♂, ♀) from Nepal; P. khasi Baehr (♂), P. madurai Baehr (♂), P. mahanadi Baehr (♂, ♀), and P. meghalaya Baehr (♂, ♀) from India; P. bali Baehr (♂), P. bellicosus Baehr and Thoma (♂, ♀), P. brunei Baehr (♂, ♀), P. deelemanae Baehr and Thoma (♂), P. java Baehr (♂, ♀), P. kranzae Baehr (♂), P. kropfi Baehr (♂, ♀), P. leuser Baehr (♂, ♀), P. magnocularis Baehr and Thoma (♂), P. pahang Baehr (♂), P. perak Baehr (♂, ♀), P. sabah Baehr (♂, ♀), P. sarawak Baehr (♂), P. schwendingeri Baehr (♂, ♀), and P. utara Baehr (♂, ♀) from Indonesia and Malaysia; and P. alexanderi Baehr and Harvey (♂), P. attenboroughi Baehr and Harvey (♂), P. blosfeldsorum Baehr and Harvey (♂), P. boltoni Baehr and Harvey (♂, ♀), P. callani Baehr and Harvey (♂, ♀), P. cooperi Baehr and Harvey (♂), P. eberhardi Baehr and Harvey (♂, ♀), P. framenaui Baehr and Harvey (♂, ♀), P. humphreysi Baehr and Harvey (♂, ♀), P. kintyre Baehr and Harvey (♂), P. scanloni Baehr and Harvey (♂), P. pearsoni Baehr and Harvey (♂), P. julianneae Baehr and Harvey (♂), P. maini Baehr and Harvey (♂, ♀), P. marionae Baehr and Harvey (♂, ♀), P. platnicki Baehr and Harvey (♂, ♀), P. oneillae Baehr and Harvey (♂), P. rawlinsoni Baehr and Harvey (♂), and P. tropicus Baehr and Harvey (♂, ♀) from Australia and Papua New Guinea. Three separate keys to species from different geographical regions are provided. Most species are recorded from single locations and only three species are more widely distributed. A significant radiation of blind troglobites comprising 14 species living in subterranean ecosystems in Western Australia is discussed. These include several species that lack abdominal scuta, a feature previously used to define subfamilies of Oonopidae.

Potential and limitations of Burgundy truffle cultivation

Burgundy truffles (Tuber aestivum syn. Tuber uncinatum) are the highly prized fruit bodies of subterranean fungi always occurring in ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with host plants. Successful cultivation can be achieved through artificial mycorrhization and outplanting of mostly oaks and hazel on suitable terrain. Here, we review ecological requirements, the influence of environmental factors, and the importance of molecular techniques for a successful cultivation of T. aestivum across Europe. The historical background and current knowledge of T. aestivum cultivation are discussed in light of its socioeconomic relevance.

Tecnología e incertidumbre en la práctica del riego en la provincia de Córdoba

En el presente trabajo se busca caracterizar a los regantes de Río Segundo, Córdoba, en términos comparativos y en vinculación con la tecnología. Se trata de pequeños y medianos productores localizados en el Espinal cordobés, límite de la región pampeana argentina, que se dedican a la agricultura extensiva de cereales y oleaginosas utilizando riego suplementario con agua subterránea. El objeto de estudio se aborda considerando que las lógicas de conocimiento atraviesan la producción y que el crecimiento de la incertidumbre es impulsado por la práctica de la innovación y la búsqueda de eficiencia. La gestión profesionalizada de la producción que lleva a la planificación de las actividades productivas en base a la reflexión permanente, revela la necesidad de conocer aquello que aún no se conoce, lo cual está en relación directa con la incertidumbre y con una mayor toma conciencia de los riesgos, tanto climáticos como económicos que se vinculan con la producción. Para alcanzar los objetivos propuestos se utilizó una metodología cualitativa basada en el trabajo de campo, la realización de entrevistas en profundidad y un marco interpretativo crítico complementado con elementos de la teoría social del riesgo.

Tecnología e incertidumbre en la práctica del riego en la provincia de Córdoba

En el presente trabajo se busca caracterizar a los regantes de Río Segundo, Córdoba, en términos comparativos y en vinculación con la tecnología. Se trata de pequeños y medianos productores localizados en el Espinal cordobés, límite de la región pampeana argentina, que se dedican a la agricultura extensiva de cereales y oleaginosas utilizando riego suplementario con agua subterránea. El objeto de estudio se aborda considerando que las lógicas de conocimiento atraviesan la producción y que el crecimiento de la incertidumbre es impulsado por la práctica de la innovación y la búsqueda de eficiencia. La gestión profesionalizada de la producción que lleva a la planificación de las actividades productivas en base a la reflexión permanente, revela la necesidad de conocer aquello que aún no se conoce, lo cual está en relación directa con la incertidumbre y con una mayor toma conciencia de los riesgos, tanto climáticos como económicos que se vinculan con la producción. Para alcanzar los objetivos propuestos se utilizó una metodología cualitativa basada en el trabajo de campo, la realización de entrevistas en profundidad y un marco interpretativo crítico complementado con elementos de la teoría social del riesgo.

Tecnología e incertidumbre en la práctica del riego en la provincia de Córdoba

En el presente trabajo se busca caracterizar a los regantes de Río Segundo, Córdoba, en términos comparativos y en vinculación con la tecnología. Se trata de pequeños y medianos productores localizados en el Espinal cordobés, límite de la región pampeana argentina, que se dedican a la agricultura extensiva de cereales y oleaginosas utilizando riego suplementario con agua subterránea. El objeto de estudio se aborda considerando que las lógicas de conocimiento atraviesan la producción y que el crecimiento de la incertidumbre es impulsado por la práctica de la innovación y la búsqueda de eficiencia. La gestión profesionalizada de la producción que lleva a la planificación de las actividades productivas en base a la reflexión permanente, revela la necesidad de conocer aquello que aún no se conoce, lo cual está en relación directa con la incertidumbre y con una mayor toma conciencia de los riesgos, tanto climáticos como económicos que se vinculan con la producción. Para alcanzar los objetivos propuestos se utilizó una metodología cualitativa basada en el trabajo de campo, la realización de entrevistas en profundidad y un marco interpretativo crítico complementado con elementos de la teoría social del riesgo.

Radiocarbon dates of Mytilus shells and peat and wood samples collected on Drayton Island

A multidisciplinary study was undertaken at the Qijurittuq Site (IbGk-3) on Drayton Island in Low-Arctic Quebec (Canada) to document the relationships between climatic, environmental, and cultural changes and the choice of Thule/Inuit dwelling style in the eastern Arctic. Several marine terraces were 14C-dated with shells in order to reconstruct the area's uplift (glacioisostatic rebound) curve. Plant macrofossil analysis of peat was conducted to reconstruct past vegetation and, indirectly, past climate. Archaeological surveys and excavations characterized the structure of subterranean sod houses at the Qijurittuq Site and were supplemented with open interviews with Inuit elders for a better understanding of site location and the use of household space. The sites selected for habitation were well-drained sandy marine terraces in a valley sheltered from prevailing winds. Sod houses were in turn made possible by the abundance of driftwood on the island and the presence of nearby peatland. Thule/Inuit people used semi-subterranean houses rather than igloos at the Qijurittuq Site during the dry, cold conditions toward the end of the Little Ice Age. Stable environmental conditions and food supply during winter possibly explain the use of those semipermanent houses on Drayton Island. However, it does not exclude the use of igloos during short expeditions on ice.

(Table 2) Number of identified specimens and individuals from bones and bone fragments at site IbGk-3, Drayton Island

An interdisciplinary study was conducted at Qijurittuq (IbGk-3), an archaeological site located on Drayton Island along the eastern shore of Hudson Bay, Nunavik. Local Inuit made important contributions to the research. High school students participated in the field school, and elders shared their traditional knowledge. The elders expressed an interest in the source of the wood used to construct Qijurittuq's semi-subterranean dwellings, and this inspired us to expand our research in that direction. This interdisciplinary study included a reconstruction of the geomorphological and environmental history of Drayton Island, wood provenance and dendrochronology studies, research on house architecture and settlement patterns, and a zooarchaeological analysis. This paper synthesizes the preliminary results of this interdisciplinary investigation within the context of climate change. We discuss the persistence of semi-subterranean dwellings in eastern Hudson Bay long after they had been abandoned elsewhere. At Qijurittuq, their abandonment corresponds with the end of Little Ice Age. However, at the same time, the development of more permanent contact with Euro-Canadians was having a strong impact upon Inuit culture.

Identificación de los riesgos ambientales y sanitarios de la producción de gas mediante fracturación hidráulica y bases para una propuesta metodológica de vulnerabilidad de las aguas subterráneas

Hasta ahora, la gran mayoría de los recursos explotados de gas natural procedían de acumulaciones convencionales de gas aislado y de gas asociado y disuelto en el petróleo. Sin embargo, el gas natural se encuentra también en yacimientos que, debido a su baja porosidad y permeabilidad, tienen unas características que hacen que hasta muy recientemente no hayan sido económicamente rentables y que sólo puedan ser explotados mediante técnicas no convencionales, dando lugar al denominado gas no convencional. Las técnicas utilizadas para su extracción son la fracturación hidráulica o “fracking” y la perforación horizontal. Entre los diversos tipos de gas no convencional, es de prever que el gas de pizarra sea el que sufra mayor desarrollo a medio plazo en nuestro país, por lo que se están generando grandes debates, debido al riesgo de contaminación de las aguas superficiales y subterráneas del entorno, provocados por la elevada cantidad de agua utilizada, los aditivos empleados, los fluidos de retorno, por la alteración del medio físico, así como por la dificultad de monitorización de estos procesos. En este proyecto se identifican los riesgos ambientales y sanitarios asociados a la extracción de gas no convencional. El trabajo se basa principalmente en experiencias ocurridas en países donde el fracking se ha convertido en una práctica habitual. Se trata además de establecer las bases necesarias para la estimación de la vulnerabilidad de los acuíferos frente a la contaminación inducida por la fracturación hidráulica. Abstract Until now, most of the natural gas resources exploited were from isolated conventional gas accumulations and associated and dissolved gas in oil. However, the natural gas is also in reservoirs that, due to their low porosity and permeability, have characteristics that make until recently not been economically profitable and can be exploited only by unconventional techniques, leading to the so called unconventional gas. The techniques used for extraction are hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" and horizontal drilling. Among the various types of unconventional gas, it is expected that shale gas is the suffering greater medium-term development in our country, so it is generating much debate, due to the risks of contamination in surface waters and subterranean environment, caused by the high amount of water used, the additives used, the return fluid, by altering the physical environment, and the difficulty of monitoring these processes. In this project identifies the environmental and health risks associated with unconventional gas extraction. The work is mainly based on experiences that occurred in countries where fracking has become a common practice. This is for establish the necessary basis for estimating the vulnerability of aquifers from contamination induced by hydraulic fracturing.

Aplicación de la regresión logística en la predicción empírica de fenómenos complejos en obras subterráneas : squeezing y rotura de pilares de carbón

La heterogeneidad del medio geológico introduce en el proyecto de obra subterránea un alto grado de incertidumbre que debe ser debidamente gestionado a fin de reducir los riesgos asociados, que son fundamentalmente de tipo geotécnico. Entre los principales problemas a los que se enfrenta la Mecánica de Rocas moderna en el ámbito de la construcción subterránea, se encuentran la fluencia de roca en túneles (squeezing) y la rotura de pilares de carbón. Es ampliamente conocido que su aparición causa importantes perjuicios en el coste y la seguridad de los proyectos por lo que su estudio, ha estado tradicionalmente vinculado a la predicción de su ocurrencia. Entre las soluciones existentes para la determinación de estos problemas se encuentran las que se basan en métodos analíticos y numéricos. Estas metodologías son capaces de proporcionar un alto nivel de representatividad respecto del comportamiento geotécnico real, sin embargo, su utilización solo es posible cuando se dispone de una suficiente caracterización geotécnica y por tanto de una detallada definición de los parámetros que alimentan los complejos modelos constitutivos y criterios de rotura que los fenómenos estudiados requieren. Como es lógico, este nivel de definición solo es posible cuando se alcanzan etapas avanzadas de proyecto, incluso durante la propia construcción, a fin de calibrar adecuadamente los parámetros introducidos en los modelos, lo que supone una limitación de uso en etapas iniciales, cuando su predicción tiene verdadero sentido. Por su parte, los métodos empíricos permiten proporcionar soluciones a estos complejos problemas de un modo sencillo, con una baja parametrización y, dado su eminente enfoque observacional, de gran fiabilidad cuando se implementan sobre condiciones de contorno similares a las originales. La sencillez y escasez de los parámetros utilizados permiten a estas metodologías ser utilizadas desde las fases preliminares del proyecto, ya que estos constituyen en general, información habitual de fácil y económica adquisición. Este aspecto permite por tanto incorporar la predicción desde el principio del proceso de diseño, anticipando el riesgo en origen. En esta tesis doctoral, se presenta una nueva metodología empírica que sirve para proporcionar predicciones para la ocurrencia de squeezing y el fallo de pilares de carbón basada en una extensa recopilación de información de casos reales de túneles y minas en las que ambos fenómenos fueron evaluados. Esta información, recogida de referencias bibliográficas de prestigio, ha permitido recopilar una de las más extensas bases de datos existentes hasta la fecha relativa a estos fenómenos, lo que supone en sí mismo una importante contribución sobre el estado del arte. Con toda esta información, y con la ayuda de la teoría de clasificadores estadísticos, se ha implementado sobre las bases de datos un clasificador lineal de tipo regresión logística que permite hacer predicciones sobre la ocurrencia de ambos fenómenos en términos de probabilidad, y por tanto ponderar la incertidumbre asociada a la heterogeneidad incorporada por el medio geológico. Este aspecto del desarrollo es el verdadero valor añadido proporcionado por la tesis y la principal ventaja de la solución propuesta respecto de otras metodologías empíricas. Esta capacidad de ponderación probabilística permite al clasificador constituir una solución muy interesante como metodología para la evaluación de riesgo geotécnico y la toma de decisiones. De hecho, y como ejercicio de validación práctica, se ha implementado la solución desarrollada en un modelo coste-beneficio asociado a la optimización del diseño de pilares involucrados en una de mina “virtual” explotada por tajos largos. La capacidad del clasificador para cuantificar la probabilidad de fallo del diseño, junto con una adecuada cuantificación de las consecuencias de ese fallo, ha permitido definir una ley de riesgo que se ha incorporado al balance de costes y beneficios, que es capaz, a partir del redimensionamiento iterativo del sistema de pilares y de la propia configuración de la mina, maximizar el resultado económico del proyecto minero bajo unas condiciones de seguridad aceptables, fijadas de antemano. Geological media variability introduces to the subterranean project a high grade of uncertainty that should be properly managed with the aim to reduce the associated risks, which are mainly geotechnical. Among the major problems facing the modern Rock Mechanics in the field of underground construction are both, the rock squeezing while tunneling and the failure of coal pillars. Given their harmfulness to the cost and safety of the projects, their study has been traditionally linked to the determination of its occurrence. Among the existing solutions for the determination of these problems are those that are based on analytical and numerical methods. Those methodologies allow providing a high level of reliability of the geotechnical behavior, and therefore a detailed definition of the parameters that feed the complex constitutive models and failure criteria that require the studied phenomena. Obviously, this level of definition is only possible when advanced stages of the project are achieved and even during construction in order to properly calibrate the parameters entered in the models, which suppose a limited use in early stages, when the prediction has true sense. Meanwhile, empirical methods provide solutions to these complex problems in a simple way, with low parameterization and, given his observational scope, with highly reliability when implemented on similar conditions to the original context. The simplicity and scarcity of the parameters used allow these methodologies be applied in the early stages of the project, since that information should be commonly easy and cheaply to get. This aspect can therefore incorporate the prediction from the beginning of the design process, anticipating the risk beforehand. This thesis, based on the extensive data collection of case histories of tunnels and underground mines, presents a novel empirical approach used to provide predictions for the occurrence of both, squeezing and coal pillars failures. The information has been collected from prestigious references, providing one of the largest databases to date concerning phenomena, a fact which provides an important contribution to the state of the art. With all this information, and with the aid of the theory of statistical classifiers, it has been implemented on both databases, a type linear logistic regression classifier that allows predictions about the occurrence of these phenomena in terms of probability, and therefore weighting the uncertainty associated with geological variability. This aspect of the development is the real added value provided by the thesis and the main advantage of the proposed solution over other empirical methodologies. This probabilistic weighting capacity, allows being the classifier a very interesting methodology for the evaluation of geotechnical risk and decision making. In fact, in order to provide a practical validation, we have implemented the developed solution within a cost-benefit analysis associated with the optimization of the design of coal pillar systems involved in a "virtual" longwall mine. The ability of the classifier to quantify the probability of failure of the design along with proper quantification of the consequences of that failure, has allowed defining a risk law which is introduced into the cost-benefits model, which is able, from iterative resizing of the pillar system and the configuration of the mine, maximize the economic performance of the mining project under acceptable safety conditions established beforehand.

Soldier caste-specific gene expression in the mandibular glands of Hodotermopsis japonica (Isoptera: Termopsidae)

Although “polymorphic castes” in social insects are well known as one of the most important phenomena of polyphenism, few studies of caste-specific gene expressions have been performed in social insects. To identify genes specifically expressed in the soldier caste of the Japanese damp-wood termite Hodotermopsis japonica, we employed the differential-display method using oligo(dT) and arbitrary primers, compared mRNA from the heads of mature soldiers and pseudergates (worker caste), and identified a clone (PCR product) 329 bp in length termed SOL1. Northern blot analysis showed that the SOL1 mRNA is about 1.0 kb in length and is expressed specifically in mature soldiers, but not in pseudergates, even in the presoldier induction by juvenile hormone analogue, suggesting that the product is specific for terminally differentiated soldiers. By using the method of 5′- and 3′-rapid amplification of cDNA ends, we isolated the full length of SOL1 cDNA, which contained an ORF with a putative signal peptide at the N terminus. The sequence showed no significant homology with any other known protein sequences. In situ hybridization analysis showed that SOL1 is expressed specifically in the mandibular glands. These results strongly suggest that the SOL1 gene encodes a secretory protein specifically synthesized in the mandibular glands of the soldiers. Histological observations revealed that the gland actually develops during the differentiation into the soldier caste.

Evolution of genome–phenome diversity under environmental stress

The genomic era revolutionized evolutionary biology. The enigma of genotypic-phenotypic diversity and biodiversity evolution of genes, genomes, phenomes, and biomes, reviewed here, was central in the research program of the Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, since 1975. We explored the following questions. (i) How much of the genomic and phenomic diversity in nature is adaptive and processed by natural selection? (ii) What is the origin and evolution of adaptation and speciation processes under spatiotemporal variables and stressful macrogeographic and microgeographic environments? We advanced ecological genetics into ecological genomics and analyzed globally ecological, demographic, and life history variables in 1,200 diverse species across life, thousands of populations, and tens of thousands of individuals tested mostly for allozyme and partly for DNA diversity. Likewise, we tested thermal, chemical, climatic, and biotic stresses in several model organisms. Recently, we introduced genetic maps and quantitative trait loci to elucidate the genetic basis of adaptation and speciation. The genome–phenome holistic model was deciphered by the global regressive, progressive, and convergent evolution of subterranean mammals. Our results indicate abundant genotypic and phenotypic diversity in nature. The organization and evolution of molecular and organismal diversity in nature at global, regional, and local scales are nonrandom and structured; display regularities across life; and are positively correlated with, and partly predictable by, abiotic and biotic environmental heterogeneity and stress. Biodiversity evolution, even in small isolated populations, is primarily driven by natural selection, including diversifying, balancing, cyclical, and purifying selective regimes, interacting with, but ultimately overriding, the effects of mutation, migration, and stochasticity.

Effect of water vapour condensation on the radon content in subsurface air in a hypogeal inactive-volcanic environment in Galdar cave, Spain

Fluctuations of trace gas activity as a response to variations in weather and microclimate conditions were monitored over a year in a shallow volcanic cave (Painted Cave, Galdar, Canary Islands, Spain). 222Rn concentration was used due to its greater sensitivity to hygrothermal variations than CO2 concentration. Radon concentration in the cave increases as effective vapour condensation within the porous system of the rock surfaces inside the cave increases due to humidity levels of more than 70%. Condensed water content in pores was assessed and linked to a reduction in the direct passage of trace gases. Fluctuations in radon activity as a response to variations in weather and microclimate conditions were statistically identified by clustering entropy changes on the radon signal and parameterised to predict radon concentration anomalies. This raises important implications for other research fields, including the surveillance of shallow volcanic and seismic activity, preventive conservation of cultural heritage in indoor spaces, indoor air quality control and studies to improve understanding of the role of subterranean terrestrial ecosystems as reservoirs and/or temporary sources of trace gases.

Boston, Massachusetts, proposed subway route, 1895 (Raster Image)

This layer is a georeferenced raster image of the historic paper map entitled: Plan showing proposed route of subway, by the Boston Transit Commission. It was published by Geo. H. Walker & Co. in Feb. 1895. Scale [ca. 1:2,400]. The image inside the map neatline is georeferenced to the surface of the earth and fit to the Massachusetts State Plane Coordinate System, Mainland Zone (in Feet) (Fipszone 2001). All map collar and inset information is also available as part of the raster image, including any inset maps, profiles, statistical tables, directories, text, illustrations, or other information associated with the principal map. This map shows proposed subway route and stations from Causeway St. along Tremont St. to Boylston St., Boston, Massachusetts. It shows also features such as streets, station platforms, surface level and subterranean tracks, and more. This layer is part of a selection of digitally scanned and georeferenced historic maps of Massachusetts from the Harvard Map Collection. These maps typically portray both natural and manmade features. The selection represents a range of regions, originators, ground condition dates (1755-1922), scales, and purposes. The digitized selection includes maps of: the state, Massachusetts counties, town surveys, coastal features, real property, parks, cemeteries, railroads, roads, public works projects, etc.

World Beats : Beat Generation Writing and the Worlding of U.S. Literature /

A study of the Beat-era writers in a global context. This title was made Open Access by libraries from around the world through Knowledge Unlatched.

Chicago.

At head of title: Chicago public works: a history.