The Role of the FIU Nature Preserve in Promoting Physical Activity

The FIU Nature Preserve was established over thirty-five years ago as an environmental educational center where visitors could experience and learn about local south Florida ecosystems and organisms. This 16-acre facility in the heart of the MMC campus has recently become a popular outdoor fitness destination since the inauguration of a jogging path during Fall 2013. This study set out to quantify how many people visit the FIU Nature Preserve annually, who they are, and what they are doing there. It is also assessing the effect of the FIU Nature Preserve on the overall health of the university community since studies have found that physical activity and contact with nature are positively associated with good health. A pilot was completed during Fall 2014, and the study is on track to finish March 22, 2015. To measure current visitation, two types of surveys were done on seven days across seven weeks during the spring of 2015, visitation counts and in-person surveys. By understanding the reasons and ways people discover and embark on regular use of natural areas, land managers and policy makers can make more informed decisions. As human population and development continue to grow, new ways to integrate natural areas into our urban environment and our lifestyles must be found. In this way, natural resource conservation could be championed as a way for communities to promote physical activity and good health beyond simply using their intrinsic value.

Can Permaculture Design Save the World?

This project will create a blueprint for an eco-settlement in the South Florida area that will house a total of ten people on a five acre plot of land. Using a combination of permaculture design principles and simple tech solutions, this settlement will be capable of supporting its inhabitants “off the grid”, or with no reliance on outside public utilities. More specifically, the settlement will be capable of supporting its inhabitants by producing a minimum of 80% of its resources on site using only all natural farming techniques, proper water management, companion planting and various other techniques. Instead of using modern agricultural practices that damage the land in the long term, all of the principles that will be used in this design will allow the land to heal over time while still producing most of what is needed for any inhabitants. This project is significant because all of the principles used are time-tested and capable of adapting to any type of environment. The principles used do not have a steep learning curve. In fact, anyone ranging from a kindergartener to a 90-year-old will be able to learn and teach the required skill sets in as little as one week. By contrast, in order to fully utilize GMO crops, first a scientist must spend a minimum of eight years getting degrees in various fields of study to even reach a textbook understanding of the exact science. In addition, several years must be spent in sterile lab environments to see the results of complex experiments that may not even be used, thus wasting time, money, and resources. I am certain that this will be successful because similar goals have already been reached by people around the world without access to modern utilities. The only major difference is that my approach will be documented scientifically, and show that not only is this way of life healthy, but also easy and practical. Because of this, my project will bring permaculture design into the spotlight, and will hopefully see widespread adoption. This will result in cities designed with the intent to live with nature instead of conquering it, and will hopefully aid the earth in healing for future generations.

Antropología de la Conservación en España. Balance y perspectivas

En este artículo presentamos un balance de la Antropología de la Conservación en el Estado español. Durante las últimas décadas, la protección de los espacios naturales ha aumentado de una manera exponencial en todo el mundo. A la vez que se extendía esta patrimonialización de la naturaleza, los trabajos etnográficos sobre las áreas protegidas han ido ganando terreno dentro de la disciplina y, en particular, en el campo de la Antropología Ambiental. La mencionada bibliografía ha puesto de relieve los múltiples aspectos derivados de las nuevas políticas territoriales de regulación, apropiación y mercantilización de la ‘naturaleza’. En este trabajo realizamos una revisión exhaustiva de la producción generada a raíz de este interés por las áreas protegidas en nuestro país subrayando sus principales aportaciones, características y debilidades. De este modo pretendemos reflexionar acerca de su continuidad, con el fin de evitar la mera reiteración y favorecer el avance en sus resultados.

Increased water charges improve efficiency and equity in an irrigation system

Conventional wisdom in many agricultural systems across the world is that farmers cannot, will not, or should not pay the full costs associated with surface water delivery. Across Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, only a handful can claim complete recovery of operation, maintenance, and capital costs; across Central and South Asia, fees are lower still, with farmers in Nepal, India, and Kazakhstan paying fractions of a U.S. penny for a cubic meter of water. In Pakistan, fees amount to roughly USD 1-2 per acre per season. However, farmers in Pakistan spend orders of magnitude more for diesel fuel to pump groundwater each season, suggesting a latent willingness to spend for water that, under the right conditions, could potentially be directed toward water-use fees for surface water supply. Although overall performance could be expected to improve with greater cost recovery, asymmetric access to water in canal irrigation systems leaves the question open as to whether those benefits would be equitably shared among all farmers in the system. We develop an agent-based model (ABM) of a small irrigation command to examine efficiency and equity outcomes across a range of different cost structures for the maintenance of the system, levels of market development, and assessed water charges. We find that, robust to a range of different cost and structural conditions, increased water charges lead to gains in both efficiency and concomitant improvements in equity as investments in canal infrastructure and system maintenance improve the conveyance of water resources further down watercourses. This suggests that, under conditions in which (1) farmers are currently spending money to pump groundwater to compensate for a failing surface water system, and (2) there is the possibility that through initial investment to provide perceptibly better water supply, genuine win-win solutions can be attained through higher water-use fees to beneficiary farmers.

New developments in UAV remote sensing for pest management and the implications for cotton

Efficient crop monitoring and pest damage assessments are key to protecting the Australian agricultural industry and ensuring its leading position internationally. An important element in pest detection is gathering reliable crop data frequently and integrating analysis tools for decision making. Unmanned aerial systems are emerging as a cost-effective solution to a number of precision agriculture challenges. An important advantage of this technology is it provides a non-invasive aerial sensor platform to accurately monitor broad acre crops. In this presentation, we will give an overview on how unmanned aerial systems and machine learning can be combined to address crop protection challenges. A recent 2015 study on insect damage in sorghum will illustrate the effectiveness of this methodology. A UAV platform equipped with a high-resolution camera was deployed to autonomously perform a flight pattern over the target area. We describe the image processing pipeline implemented to create a georeferenced orthoimage and visualize the spatial distribution of the damage. An image analysis tool has been developed to minimize human input requirements. The computer program is based on a machine learning algorithm that automatically creates a meaningful partition of the image into clusters. Results show the algorithm delivers decision boundaries that accurately classify the field into crop health levels. The methodology presented in this paper represents a venue for further research towards automated crop protection assessments in the cotton industry, with applications in detecting, quantifying and monitoring the presence of mealybugs, mites and aphid pests.

The importance of cotton disease surveys in Queensland for monitoring endemic diseases and detecting new pathogens and pests

The cotton industry in Australia funds biannual disease surveys conducted by plant pathologists. The objective of these surveys is to monitor the distribution and importance of key endemic pests and record the presence or absence of new or exotic diseases. Surveys have been conducted in Queensland since 2002/03, with surveillance undertaken by experienced plant pathologists. Monitoring of endemic diseases indicates the impact of farming practices on disease incidence and severity. The information collected gives direction to cotton disease research. Routine diagnostics has provided early detection of new disease problems which include 1) the identification of Nematospora coryli, a pathogenic yeast associated with seed and internal boll rot; and 2) Rotylenchulus reniformis, a plant-parasitic nematode. This finding established the need for an intensive survey of the Theodore district revealing that reniform was prevalent across the district at populations causing up to 30% yield loss. Surveys have identified an exotic defoliating strain (VCG 1A) and non-defoliating strains of Verticillium dahliae, which cause Verticillium wilt. An intensive study of the diversity of V. dahliae and the impact these strains have on cotton are underway. Results demonstrate the necessity of general multi-pest surveillance systems in broad acre agriculture in providing (1) an ongoing evaluation of current integrated disease management practices and (2) early detection for a suite of exotic pests and previously unknown pests.

(Re)lire Albert Camus - Préface

De La Mort heureuse à Le Premier homme, Camus est l’homme de lettres français dont l’œuvre n’a cessé, d’un siècle à l’autre, d’interpeller et de séduire ses lecteurs dans le monde entier. Cette universalité est due, n’en doutons pas, à une perception acérée de la condition humaine née de l’expérience de la vie, tant de ses joies que de ses misères ; expérience qui se reflète dans un art qui, s’adressant à notre conscience individuelle et collective, nous invite à réfléchir au simple fait d’exister et à nous interroger sur notre place dans l’univers. Aujourd’hui, cent ans après sa naissance, quelle place occupe l’œuvre littéraire de Camus dans la littérature d’expression française et étrangère ? Quel est le bilan littéraire de l’œuvre de Camus ? Quelle est la pertinence et l’actualité de sa pensée en ce début de XXIe siècle ? Simples questions autour desquelles se sont réunis, en novembre 2013, à l’Université d’Évora (Portugal), des chercheurs intéressés par les études camusiennes, lors du Congrès International – Centenaire Albert Camus – Lectures interdisciplinaires ; congrès qui est à l’origine de ce volume. Le centenaire de la naissance d’Albert Camus a donné lieu à de nombreuses manifestations – expositions, débats, colloques, publications – qui toutes témoignent de l’actualité de l’œuvre et de la pensée d’un écrivain, philosophe, homme de théâtre et journaliste qui ont indéniablement marqué le paysage intellectuel mondial de l’après-guerre. Admiré par les uns, critiqué voire même répudié par d’autres – tant de son vivant qu’après sa mort – de par ses idées politiques et ses manifestations de solidarité envers les Français d’Algérie, et plus timidement, envers la population autochtone – Albert Camus est, de fait, l’homme politique que l’on réfère naturellement lorsqu’on aborde la situation politique actuelle en Algérie, mais aussi mondiale, notamment quand il s’agit de radicalismes politico-religieux, sources d’attentats et de nombreuses victimes civiles.

The young, educated, minorities and the poor move out from south central Ethiopia

High population growth fragmented rural landholdings leading to low harvests and crop yields per acre per annum creating surplus labour that may resort to migration as a coping mechanism in least developing countries including Ethiopia. The main aim of the study is to assess trends and differentials of out-migration in south central Ethiopia. The Butajira demographic surveillance system database from 1987 to 2008 was used to conduct event history analysis. There were 3.97 out-migrations per 100 person years. Probability of out-migration was higher among males, teenagers, the youth, completed primary and secondary plus education; not in marital union; Christians, urbanites; lived in rented and owed house compared to their respective counterparts. The higher chances of out-migration among these groups may have social and economic significance.

Crop Insurance For Maryland Field Crops And Livestock

Multi-peril crop insurance is a valuable risk management tool which allows you to insure against losses on your farm due to adverse weather conditions, price fluctuations, and unavoidable pests and diseases. It shifts unavoidable production risks to an insurance company for the payment of a fixed amount of premium per acre. This publication assists readers in understanding the basics of the federal crop insurance program.

Farm land, value of products, and tenancy in the southeast /

"4-63."

Alterações causadas por incêndio florestal na composição de espécies de uma floresta primária no sudoeste da Amazônia brasileira.

A floresta amazônica é impactada por agressões antrópicas e pelas mudanças climáticas. Devido à alta umidade retida a floresta amazônica é considerada imune a queimadas, todavia, sob condições climáticas extremas torna-se vulnerável. Este estudo objetiva avaliar os impactos de incêndios florestais ocorridos na grande seca de 2005 sobre a composição de espécies de uma floresta natural primária sob manejo florestal, localizada no estado do Acre. Foram implantadas 40 parcelas amostrais permanentes de 400 m2 cada e monitorados os efeitos do fogo em árvores lenhosas, palmeiras e cipós em três níveis de amostragem: I - DAP ≥ 5 cm; II - 5 cm > DAP ≥ 2 cm; e III - DAP < 2 cm e altura ≥ 1 m. Foram efetuadas cinco avaliações entre novembro de 2005 e janeiro de 2009. Os resultados mostraram que quanto menor o tamanho das árvores, maiores são as taxas de mortalidade e as alterações na estrutura das espécies. Ainda que tenha havido aumento de 42,5% no número de espécies na regeneração (Nível III), o monitoramento revelou expressiva redução nos demais níveis de amostragem (15,6% no Nível I; 32,3% no Nível II; 28,8% nos níveis I e II juntos e 16,1% nos três níveis juntos), indicando que a floresta foi modificada quanto à sua composição de espécies.

Alterações na fertilidade em solos tratados com resíduos orgânicos.

2015

Nanofiltração na produção de vinhos: redução de acidez volátil e de compostos fenólicos indesejados

Dissertação de Mestrado, Engenharia Biológica, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias, Universidade do Algarve, 2014

O Neo-Peplum: Hollywood e a herança do cinema popular europeu no séc. XXI

Através de uma análise histórico-formal este artigo propõe-se analisar a influência do peplum, um conjunto de filmes de aventuras produzidos na Europa mediterrânea entre 1958 e 1964, no cinema de Hollywood contemporâneo, em particular num ciclo de filmes que denominámos de neo-peplums pois, tal como o peplum europeu, estes caraterizam-se pela recriação fantasiosa do Mundo Antigo e pela hipertrofia do trabalho formal, utilizando os novos recursos tecnológicos na criação de uma mise-en-scène altamente estilizada.

Viabilidade operacional e econômica da utilização de micro tratores em sistema de manejo florestal comunitário no oeste da Amazônia.

Em meados da década de 1990, a Embrapa Acre iniciou o desenvolvimento de um projeto de manejo florestal comunitário no Projeto de Colonização Pedro Peixoto, no Acre, o qual propõe métodos acessíveis para produtores rurais de baixa renda e que consideram suas relações com a floresta, os meios que dispõem e suas tradições como agricultores familiares. Originalmente, no sistema de manejo do PC Peixoto o transporte primário da madeira da floresta até as vias de escoamento é praticado com animais (bois de carga), no entanto, é verificado que a eficiência desse método é baixa. Diante dessa limitação, foi proposto substituir os animais por micro tratores, acoplados a carretas basculantes. Este trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar os índices técnicos e econômicos da colheita de madeira do PC Peixoto com a inserção de um micro trator em substituição aos animais. O equipamento foi o micro trator Yanmar Agritech TC-14, 14 cv. Comparado aos animais, o micro trator mostrou-se vantajoso em muitos aspectos, tanto na melhoria do desempenho e produtividade, que praticamente dobrou, como também em relação aos custos, apontando para a viabilidade da sua utilização.