Impacts of ocean warming and acidification on the larval development of the barnacle Amphibalanus improvisus

The world's oceans are warming and becoming more acidic. Both stressors, singly or in combination, impact marine species, and ensuing effects might be particularly serious for early life stages. To date most studies have focused on ocean acidification (OA) effects in fully marine environments, while little attention has been devoted to more variable coastal ecosystems, such as the Western Baltic Sea. Since natural spatial and temporal variability of environmental conditions such as salinity, temperature or pCO2 impose more complex stresses upon organisms inhabiting these habitats, species can be expected to be more tolerant to OA (or warming) than fully marine taxa. We present data on the variability of salinity, temperature and pH within the Kiel Fjord and on the responses of the barnacle Amphibalanus improvisus from this habitat to simulated warming and OA during its early development. Nauplii and cyprids were exposed to different temperature (12, 20 and 27°C) and pCO2 (nominally 400, 1250 and 3250 µatm) treatments for 8 and 4 weeks, respectively. Survival, larval duration and settlement success were monitored. Warming affected larval responses more strongly than OA. Increased temperatures favored survival and development of nauplii but decreased survival of cyprids. OA had no effect upon survival of nauplii but enhanced their development at low (12°C) and high (27°C) temperatures. In contrast, at the intermediate temperature (20°C), nauplii were not affected even by 3250 µatm pCO2. None of the treatments significantly affected settlement success of cyprids. These experiments show a remarkable tolerance of A. improvisus larvae to 1250 µatm pCO2, the level of OA predicted for the end of the century.

Effect of ocean acidification and pH fluctuations on the growth and development of coralline algal recruits, and an associated benthic algal assemblage

Coralline algae are susceptible to the changes in the seawater carbonate system associated with ocean acidification (OA). However, the coastal environments in which corallines grow are subject to large daily pH fluctuations which may affect their responses to OA. Here, we followed the growth and development of the juvenile coralline alga Arthrocardia corymbosa, which had recruited into experimental conditions during a prior experiment, using a novel OA laboratory culture system to simulate the pH fluctuations observed within a kelp forest. Microscopic life history stages are considered more susceptible to environmental stress than adult stages; we compared the responses of newly recruited A. corymbosa to static and fluctuating seawater pH with those of their field-collected parents. Recruits were cultivated for 16 weeks under static pH 8.05 and 7.65, representing ambient and 4*preindustrial pCO2 concentrations, respectively, and two fluctuating pH treatments of daily (daytime pH = 8.45, night-time pH = 7.65) and daily (daytime pH = 8.05, night-time pH = 7.25). Positive growth rates of new recruits were recorded in all treatments, and were highest under static pH 8.05 and lowest under fluctuating pH 7.65. This pattern was similar to the adults' response, except that adults had zero growth under fluctuating pH 7.65. The % dry weight of MgCO3 in calcite of the juveniles was reduced from 10% at pH 8.05 to 8% at pH 7.65, but there was no effect of pH fluctuation. A wide range of fleshy macroalgae and at least 6 species of benthic diatoms recruited across all experimental treatments, from cryptic spores associated with the adult A. corymbosa. There was no effect of experimental treatment on the growth of the benthic diatoms. On the community level, pH-sensitive species may survive lower pH in the presence of diatoms and fleshy macroalgae, whose high metabolic activity may raise the pH of the local microhabitat.

International Regulation of Emerging Technologies: Global Ideologies and Local Headaches

This paper begins to address the international regulation of emerging technologies taking an approach that includes the co-production of technologies and the nature of wicked problems. Both the development of technologies over time, the role of science in regulation, and results from case studies in the regulation of biotechnologies are discusses. Biotechnology, nanotechnology and synthetic biology receive the most attention.

Agricultural Policies and Development of Myanmar's Agricultural Sector: An Overview

This paper reviews the development of the agricultural sector in Myanmar after the transition to an open economy in 1988 and analyzes the nature as well as the performance of the agricultural sector. The avoidance of social unrest and the maintenance of control by the regime are identified as the two key factors that have determined the nature of agricultural policy after 1988. A major consequence of agricultural policy has been a clear difference in development paths among the major crops. Production of crops that had a potential for development showed sluggish growth due to policy constraints, whereas there has been a self-sustaining increase in the output of those crops that have fallen outside the remit of agricultural policy.

Transformation of a Woodworking and Furniture Industrial District in Kampala, Uganda: Dichotomous Development of SME Cluster and Large Firm Sector

Clustering small manufacturers are believed to attain various types of collective efficiency. A woodworking and furniture SME district in Uganda has created a learning environment for artisans to start up their own workshops. In the district workers can access various managerial information including business skills and input materials easily than outside. Hence it attracted new entrants to follow and district growth continued. On contrary large firms are locating separately and dispersedly from SME district and have a negative image to SME. This dichotomy has been created partly through spatial division of two sectors and partly through policy favouritism toward large firms.

International labor migration in Vietnam and the impact of receiving countries' policies

Labor export has been part of Vietnam’s socio-economic development strategy since the beginning of the doi moi era. Recent years, Vietnam has sent about 80,000 workers abroad per year. Vietnam has become a major source country of unskilled foreign workers for high-income East Asian countries. However, in these receiving countries, the desertion rate among Vietnamese workers is quite high, compared with that for workers from other countries. This paper examines the impact of Korean and Japanese policies for receiving foreign workers applied to and implemented in Vietnam, as well as the impact of Vietnamese labor sending system, on the problem of runaway workers.

The Analysis of Airline Business Models in the Development of Possible Future Business Options

Innovations in the current interconnected world of organizations have lead to a focus on business models as a fundamental statement of direction and identity. Although industry transformations generally emanate from technological changes, recent examples suggest they may also be due to the introduction of new business models. In the past, different types of airline business models could be clearly separated from each other. However, this has changed in recent years partly due to the concentration process and partly to reaction caused by competitive pressure. At least it can be concluded that in future the distinction of different business models will remain less clear. To advance the use of business models as a concept, it is essential to be able to compare and perform analyses to identify the business models that may have the highest potential. This can essentially contribute to understanding the synergies and incompatibilities in the case of two airlines that are going in for a merger. This is illustrated by the example of Swiss Air-Lufthansa merger analysis. The idea is to develop quantitative methods and tools for comparing and analyzing Aeronautical/Airline business models. The paper identifies available methods of comparing airline business models and lays the ground work for a quantitative model of comparing airline business models. This can be a useful tool for business model analysis when two airlines are merged

Development of mathematical models to elaborate strategies, select alternatives and development of plans for adaptation of communities to climate change in different geographical areas including costs to implement it.

There is evidence that the climate changes and that now, the change is influenced and accelerated by the CO2 augmentation in atmosphere due to combustion by humans. Such ?Climate change? is on the policy agenda at the global level, with the aim of understanding and reducing its causes and to mitigate its consequences. In most countries and international organisms UNO (e.g. Rio de Janeiro 1992), OECD, EC, etc . . . the efforts and debates have been directed to know the possible causes, to predict the future evolution of some variable conditioners, and trying to make studies to fight against the effects or to delay the negative evolution of such. The Protocol of Kyoto 1997 set international efforts about CO2 emissions, but it was partial and not followed e.g. by USA and China . . . , and in Durban 2011 the ineffectiveness of humanity on such global real challenges was set as evident. Among all that, the elaboration of a global model was not boarded that can help to choose the best alternative between the feasible ones, to elaborate the strategies and to evaluate the costs, and the authors propose to enter in that frame for study. As in all natural, technological and social changes, the best-prepared countries will have the best bear and the more rapid recover. In all the geographic areas the alternative will not be the same one, but the model must help us to make the appropriated decision. It is essential to know those areas that are more sensitive to the negative effects of climate change, the parameters to take into account for its evaluation, and comprehensive plans to deal with it. The objective of this paper is to elaborate a mathematical model support of decisions, which will allow to develop and to evaluate alternatives of adaptation to the climatic change of different communities in Europe and Latin-America, mainly in especially vulnerable areas to the climatic change, considering in them all the intervening factors. The models will consider criteria of physical type (meteorological, edaphic, water resources), of use of the ground (agriculturist, forest, mining, industrial, urban, tourist, cattle dealer), economic (income, costs, benefits, infrastructures), social (population), politician (implementation, legislation), educative (Educational programs, diffusion) and environmental, at the present moment and the future. The intention is to obtain tools for aiding to get a realistic position for these challenges, which are an important part of the future problems of humanity in next decades.

AFRICA BUILD Portal: developing a social network of African health researchers and educators

One of the main outputs of the project is a collaborative platform which integrates a myriad of research and learning resources. This article presents the first prototype of this platform: the AFRICA BUILD Portal (ABP 1.0). The ABP is a Web 2.0 platform which facilitates the access, in a collaborative manner, to these resources. Through a usable web interface, the ABP has been designed to avoid, as much as possible, the connectivity problems of African institutions. In this paper, we suggest that the access to complex systems does not imply slow response rates, and that their development model guides the project to a natural technological transfer, adaptation and user acceptance. Finally, this platform aims to motivate research attitudes during the learning process and stimulate user?s collaborations.

Variable Speed Limits. Review and development of an aggregate indicator based on floating car data.

Changing factors (mainly traffic intensity and weather conditions) affecting road conditions require a suitable optimal speed at any time. To solve this problem, variable speed limit systems (VSL) ? as opposed to fixed limits ? have been developed in recent decades. This term has included a number of speed management systems, most notably dynamic speed limits (DSL). In order to avoid the indiscriminate use of both terms in the literature, this paper proposes a simple classification and offers a review of some experiences, how their effects are evaluated and their results This study also presents a key indicator, which measures the speed homogeneity and a methodology to obtain the data based on floating cars and GPS technology applying it to a case study on a section of the M30 urban motorway in Madrid (Spain).

Development and implementation of a virtual laboratory for training process improvement in the mechanics of continuous media

The project arises from the need to develop improved teaching methodologies in field of the mechanics of continuous media. The objective is to offer the student a learning process to acquire the necessary theoretical knowledge, cognitive skills and the responsibility and autonomy to professional development in this area. Traditionally the teaching of the concepts of these subjects was performed through lectures and laboratory practice. During these lessons the students attitude was usually passive, and therefore their effectiveness was poor. The proposed methodology has already been successfully employed in universities like University Bochum, Germany, University the South Australia and aims to improve the effectiveness of knowledge acquisition through use by the student of a virtual laboratory. This laboratory allows to adapt the curricula and learning techniques to the European Higher Education and improve current learning processes in the University School of Public Works Engineers -EUITOP- of the Technical University of Madrid -UPM-, due there are not laboratories in this specialization. The virtual space is created using a software platform built on OpenSim, manages 3D virtual worlds, and, language LSL -Linden Scripting Language-, which imprints specific powers to objects. The student or user can access this virtual world through their avatar -your character in the virtual world- and can perform practices within the space created for the purpose, at any time, just with computer with internet access and viewfinder. The virtual laboratory has three partitions. The virtual meeting rooms, where the avatar can interact with peers, solve problems and exchange existing documentation in the virtual library. The interactive game room, where the avatar is has to resolve a number of issues in time. And the video room where students can watch instructional videos and receive group lessons. Each audiovisual interactive element is accompanied by explanations framing it within the area of knowledge and enables students to begin to acquire a vocabulary and practice of the profession for which they are being formed. Plane elasticity concepts are introduced from the tension and compression testing of test pieces of steel and concrete. The behavior of reticulated and articulated structures is reinforced by some interactive games and concepts of tension, compression, local and global buckling will by tests to break articulated structures. Pure bending concepts, simple and composite torsion will be studied by observing a flexible specimen. Earthquake resistant design of buildings will be checked by a laboratory test video.

Desing and development of a robotic platform for the evaluation of search algorithms

Plant diseases represent a major economic and environmental problem in agriculture and forestry. Upon infection, a plant develops symptoms that affect different parts of the plant causing a significant agronomic impact. As many such diseases spread in time over the whole crop, a system for early disease detection can aid to mitigate the losses produced by the plant diseases and can further prevent their spread [1]. In recent years, several mathematical algorithms of search have been proposed [2,3] that could be used as a non-invasive, fast, reliable and cost-effective methods to localize in space infectious focus by detecting changes in the profile of volatile organic compounds. Tracking scents and locating odor sources is a major challenge in robotics, on one hand because odour plumes consists of non-uniform intermittent odour patches dispersed by the wind and on the other hand because of the lack of precise and reliable odour sensors. Notwithstanding, we have develop a simple robotic platform to study the robustness and effectiveness of different search algorithms [4], with respect to specific problems to be found in their further application in agriculture, namely errors committed in the motion and sensing and to the existence of spatial constraints due to land topology or the presence of obstacles.

Diseño y desarrollo de un sistema basado en Learning Analytics para evaluar la competencia de trabajo en equipo.Design and development of a Learning Analytics System to evaluate group work competence

La adquisición de la competencia grupal es algo básico en la docencia universitaria. Esta tarea va a suponer evaluar diferentes factores en un número elevado de alumnos, lo que puede supone gran complejidad y un esfuerzo elevado. De cara a evitar este esfuerzo se puede pensar en emplear los registros de la interacción de los usuarios almacenados en las plataformas de aprendizaje. Para ello el presente trabajo se basa en el desarrollo de un sistema de Learning Analytics que es utilizado como herramienta para analizar las evidencias individuales de los distintos miembros de un equipo de trabajo. El trabajo desarrolla un modelo teórico apoyado en la herramienta, que permite relacionar las evidencias observadas de forma empírica para cada alumno, con indicadores obtenidos tanto de la acción individual como cooperativo de los miembros de un equipo realizadas a través de los foros de trabajo. Abstract — The development of the group work competence is something basic in university teaching. It should be evaluated, but this means to analyze different issues about the participation of a high number of students which is very complex and implies a lot of effort. In order to facilitate this evaluation it is possible to analyze the logs of students’ interaction in Learning Management Systems. The present work describes the development of a Learning Analytics system that analyzes the interaction of each of the members of working group. This tool is supported by a theoretical model, which allows establishing links between the empirical evidences of each student and the indicators of their action in working forums.

Ligand-dependent development of the endothelial and hemopoietic lineages from embryonic mesodermal cells expressing vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2

The existence of a common precursor for endothelial and hemopoietic cells, termed the hemangioblast, has been postulated since the beginning of the century. Recently, deletion of the endothelial-specific vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) by gene targeting has shown that both endothelial and hemopoietic cells are absent in homozygous null mice. This observation suggested that VEGFR2 could be expressed by the hemangioblast and essential for its further differentiation along both lineages. However, it was not possible to exclude the hypothesis that hemopoietic failure was a secondary effect resulting from the absence of an endothelial cell microenvironment. To distinguish between these two hypotheses, we have produced a mAb directed against the extracellular domain of avian VEGFR2 and isolated VEGFR2+ cells from the mesoderm of chicken embryos at the gastrulation stage. We have found that in clonal cultures, a VEGFR2+ cell gives rise to either a hemopoietic or an endothelial cell colony. The developmental decision appears to be regulated by the binding of two different VEGFR2 ligands. Thus, endothelial differentiation requires VEGF, whereas hemopoietic differentiation occurs in the absence of VEGF and is significantly reduced by soluble VEGFR2, showing that this process could be mediated by a second, yet unidentified, VEGFR2 ligand. These observations thus suggest strongly that in the absence of the VEGFR2 gene product, the precursors of both hemopoietic and vascular endothelial lineages cannot survive. These cells therefore might be the initial targets of the VEGFR2 null mutation.

Chemical synthesis of the precursor molecule of the Aequorea green fluorescent protein, subsequent folding, and development of fluorescence

The present paper describes the total chemical synthesis of the precursor molecule of the Aequorea green fluorescent protein (GFP). The molecule is made up of 238 amino acid residues in a single polypeptide chain and is nonfluorescent. To carry out the synthesis, a procedure, first described in 1981 for the synthesis of complex peptides, was used. The procedure is based on performing segment condensation reactions in solution while providing maximum protection to the segment. The effectiveness of the procedure has been demonstrated by the synthesis of various biologically active peptides and small proteins, such as human angiogenin, a 123-residue protein analogue of ribonuclease A, human midkine, a 121-residue protein, and pleiotrophin, a 136-residue protein analogue of midkine. The GFP precursor molecule was synthesized from 26 fully protected segments in solution, and the final 238-residue peptide was treated with anhydrous hydrogen fluoride to obtain the precursor molecule of GFP containing two Cys(acetamidomethyl) residues. After removal of the acetamidomethyl groups, the product was dissolved in 0.1 M Tris⋅HCl buffer (pH 8.0) in the presence of DTT. After several hours at room temperature, the solution began to emit a green fluorescence (λmax = 509 nm) under near-UV light. Both fluorescence excitation and fluorescence emission spectra were measured and were found to have the same shape and maxima as those reported for native GFP. The present results demonstrate the utility of the segment condensation procedure in synthesizing large protein molecules such as GFP. The result also provides evidence that the formation of the chromophore in GFP is not dependent on any external cofactor.