Water Erosion on an Oxisol under Integrated Crop-Forest Systems in a Transitional Area between the Amazon and Cerrado Biomes

ABSTRACT Water erosion is one of the main factors driving soil degradation, which has large economic and environmental impacts. Agricultural production systems that are able to provide soil and water conservation are of crucial importance in achieving more sustainable use of natural resources, such as soil and water. The aim of this study was to evaluate soil and water losses in different integrated production systems under natural rainfall. Experimental plots under six different land use and cover systems were established in an experimental field of Embrapa Agrossilvipastoril in Sinop, state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, in a Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo Distrófico (Udox) with clayey texture. The treatments consisted of perennial pasture (PAS), crop-forest integration (CFI), eucalyptus plantation (EUC), soybean and corn crop succession (CRP), no ground cover (NGC), and forest (FRS). Soil losses in the treatments studied were below the soil loss limits (11.1 Mg ha-1 yr-1), with the exception of the plot under bare soil (NGC), which exhibited soil losses 30 % over the tolerance limit. Water losses on NGC, EUC, CRP, PAS, CFI and FRS were 33.8, 2.9, 2.4, 1.7, 2.4, and 0.5 % of the total rainfall during the period of study, respectively.

Environment and dispersal paths override life strategies and residence time in determining regional patterns of invasion by alien plants.

We describe a novel dissimilarity framework to analyze spatial patterns of species diversity and illustrate it with alien plant invasions in Northern Portugal. We used this framework to test the hypothesis that patterns of alien invasive plant species richness and composition are differently affected by differences in climate, land use and landscape connectivity (i.e. Geographic distance as a proxy and vectorial objects that facilitate dispersal such as roads and rivers) between pairs of localities at the regional scale. We further evaluated possible effects of plant life strategies (Grime's C-S-R) and residence time. Each locality consisted of a 1 km(2) landscape mosaic in which all alien invasive species were recorded by visiting all habitat types. Multi-model inference revealed that dissimilarity in species richness is more influenced by environmental distance (particularly climate), whereas geographic distance (proxies for dispersal limitations) is more important to explain dissimilarity in species composition, with a prevailing role for ecotones and roads. However, only minor differences were found in the responses of the three C-S-R strategies. Some effect of residence time was found, but only for dissimilarity in species richness. Our results also indicated that environmental conditions (e.g. climate conditions) limit the number of alien species invading a given site, but that the presence of dispersal corridors determines the paths of invasion and therefore the pool of species reaching each site. As geographic distances (e.g. ecotones and roads) tend to explain invasion at our regional scale highlights the need to consider the management of alien invasions in the context of integrated landscape planning. Alien species management should include (but not be limited to) the mitigation of dispersal pathways along linear infrastructures. Our results therefore highlight potentially useful applications of the novel multimodel framework to the anticipation and management of plant invasions. (C) 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Dynamic modulation of CCR7 expression and function on naive T lymphocytes in vivo.

The chemokine receptor CCR7 is critical for the recirculation of naive T cells. It is required for T cell entry into secondary lymphoid organs (SLO) and for T cell motility and retention within these organs. How CCR7 activity is regulated during these processes in vivo is poorly understood. Here we show strong modulation of CCR7 surface expression and occupancy by the two CCR7 ligands, both in vitro and in vivo. In contrast to blood, T cells in SLO had most surface CCR7 occupied with CCL19, presumably leading to continuous signaling and cell motility. Both ligands triggered CCR7 internalization in vivo as shown in Ccl19(-/-) and plt/plt mice. Importantly, CCR7 occupancy and down-regulation led to strongly impaired chemotactic responses, an effect reversible by CCR7 resensitization. Therefore, during their recirculation, T cells cycle between states of free CCR7 with high ligand sensitivity in blood and occupied CCR7 associated with continual signaling and reduced ligand sensitivity within SLO. We propose that these two states of CCR7 are important to allow the various functions CCR7 plays in T cell recirculation.

Freeway Work Zone Lane Capacity, TPF-5(081), 2009

The focus of this report is a capacity analysis of two long-term urban freeway Work Zones. Work Zone #1 tapered four mainline lanes to two, using two separate tapers; Work Zone #2 tapered two mainline lanes to one. Work Zone throughput was analyzed throughout the day over multiple days and traffic operations conditions were analyzed up to a distance of five miles upstream of the Work Zone entrance. Historical data from pavement-embedded detectors were used to analyze traffic conditions. The database consisted of five-minute volume, speed and occupancy data collected from 78 detectors for a total of 50 days. Congestion during each analyzed Work Zone existed for more than fourteen hours each day; Work Zone impacts adversely affected freeway operations over distances of 3.7 to 4.2 miles. Speed and occupancy conditions further upstream were, however, not affected, or even improved due to significant trip diversion. Work Zone capacity was defined based on the maximum traffic flows observed over a one-hour period; throughput values were also compiled over longer periods of time when traffic was within 90% of the maximum observed one-hour flows, as well as over the multi-hour mid-day period. The Highway Capacity Manual freeway capacity definition based on the maximum observed 15-min period was not used, since it would have no practical application in estimating Work Zone throughput when congested conditions prevail for the majority of the hours of the day. Certain noteworthy changes took place for the duration of the analyzed Work Zones: per-lane throughput dropped; morning peak periods started earlier, evening peak periods ended later and lasted longer; mid-day volumes dropped accompanied by the highest occupancies of the day. Trip diversion was evident in lower volumes entering the analyzed freeway corridor, higher volumes using off-ramps and lower volumes using onramps upstream of the Work Zones. The majority of diverted traffic comprised smaller vehicles (vehicles up to 21 feet in length); combination truck volumes increased and their use of the median lane increased, contrary to smaller vehicles that shifted toward a heavier use of the shoulder lane.

Surface Improvement and Dust Palliation of Unpaved Secondary Roads and Streets, HR-151, 1973

As of December 31, 1970 there were 57,270 miles of Local Secondary roads and 32,958 miles of Farm to Market roads in the Iowa secondary road system. The Local Secondary system carried a traffic load of 2,714,180 daily vehicle miles, accounting for 32% of all traffic in the secondary system. For all Local Secondary roads having some form of surfacing, 98% were surfaced with gravel or crushed stone. During the 1970 construction year 335 miles of surfaced roads were constructed in the Local Secondary system with 78% being surfaced with gravel or crushed stone. The total maintenance expenditure for all secondary roads in Iowa during 1970 amounted to $40,086,091. Of this, 42%, or $17,020,332, was spent for aggregate replacement on existing gravel or crushed stone roads with an additional 31% ($12,604,456) being spent on maintenance other than resurfacing. This amounts to 73% of the total maintenance budget and are the largest two maintenance expenditure items out of a list of 10 ranging from bridges to drainage assessments. The next largest item was 7%, for maintenance of existing flexible bases. Three concurrent phases of study were included in this project: (1) laboratory screenings studies of various additives thought to have potential for long-lasting dust palliation, soil additive strength, durability, and additive retention potential; (2) test road construction using those additives that indicated promise for performance-serviceability usage; and (3) observations and tests of constructed sections for evaluation of the additive's contribution to performance and serviceability as well as the relationship to initial costs.

07039-014 Miners Creek Final Report

This project brings together rural and urban partners to address the impairment of Miners Creek, a cold water trout stream in Northeast Iowa. It eliminates point source pollution contributions from the City of Guttenberg, decreases non-point source pollution and increases in-stream and near stream habitat in the Miners Creek Watershed. It specifically eliminates sewage and storm water runoff from the City of Guttenberg into Miners Creek; it develops, enhances and preserves wetlands; reduces direct livestock access to the. stream through rotational grazing systems; completes stream bank stabilizatio11 and in-stream habitat creation; targets upland land treatment; and promotes targeted application of continuous CRP and forestry practices. This project recognizes that non-point source pollution improvements could be hampered by point source pollutants ihat inhibit biologic reproduction and survival. It takes appropliate measures to improve all aspects of the stream ecosystem.

Diagnosi del canvi d'usos i cobertes del sòl a Sant Pere de Vilamajor (Vallès Oriental) : analitzant el passat per a entendre el present (1956-2010)

El projecte es centra en analitzar les transformacions en els usos i cobertes del sòl al municipi de Sant Pere de Vilamajor, com a conseqüència d’un conjunt de forces inductores de canvi global. Primerament, s’ha realitzat la caracterització social, econòmica, demogràfica i ambiental de la zona d’estudi des de mitjans del segle passat fins a l’actualitat. Posteriorment, l’estudi es centra en l’anàlisi cartogràfica de la zona, realitzat a través de Sistemes d’Informació Geogràfica (SIG), utilitzant el programa MiraMon, per tal de comparar els usos i cobertes del sòl entre 1956 i 2010. Les principals transformacions experimentades són la transició dels estatges de vegetació herbacis i matollars a bosc i la transformació dels cultius en sòl urbà. L’abandonament de les pràctiques agràries conjuntament amb el desenvolupament de les urbanitzacions a l’àmbit d’estudi són els principals agents de canvi, fruit del procés de la industrialització i terciarització de l’economia.

05046-017 Dry Run Creek Watershed Final Report

Dry Run Creek Watershed was designated an impaired waterbody by DNR in 2002, following an assessment of the biota in the stream by DNR Biologist, Tom Wilton. Subsequent studies by IOWATER Snapshot effort in 2003, found e-coli bacteria concentrations and high nitrate readings in excess of the State of Iowa limits for recreational streams. The Dry Run Creek Watershed Improvement Project is comprised of five major components. Three components will feature demonstrations of structural best management practices (BMPs) to protect water quality in Dry Run Creek. The fourth is an educational workshop to "kick-off" the initiative and background the stakeholders of the watershed in new stormwater management strategies for water quality protection. The fifth is a monitoring program that will provide data on the effectiveness of the practices to be demonstrated. Measurable outcomes from these projects include monitoring to document the effectiveness of infiltration­ based BMPs to reduce pollutant loading in urban stormwater runoff and reducing the volume of stormwater discharged directly into Dry Run Creek via storm sewer flows. Understanding of and social acceptance of new stormwater strategies and practices will also be monitored by surveys of watershed stakeholders and compared to findings of a survey done before the start of the project.

Corridor Management Pilot Projects, 2004

Managing existing and newly constructed highway corridors has recently become a significant concern in many states, including Iowa. As urban land and land on the urban fringe develops, there is pressure to add features such as commercial driveways, at-grade public road intersections, and traffic signals to arterial highway routes that should primarily serve high-speed traffic. This diminishes the speed and traffic capacity of such roadways and can also cause significant safety issues. if mobility and safety are diminished, the value of the highway investment is diminished. Since a major highway corridor improvement may cost tens of millions of dollars or more, corridor management is as critical to preserving that investment as is more "hard side" management practices such as pavement or bridge management. Corridor management is a process that applies access management principles to highway corridors in an attempt to balance the competing needs of traffic service, safety, and support for land development. This project helped to identify routes that should be given high priority for corridor management. The pilot study in the form of two corridor management case studies provides an analytical process that can be replicated along the other Iowa commuting corridors using commonly available transportation and land use data resources. It also offers a general set of guidelines for the Iowa Department of Transportation to use in the development of its own comprehensive corridor management program.

05017-006 Lake Storm Lake Watershed Final Report

This project will include the construction of four separate drainage and retention facilities to handle urban runoff that currently flows directly into Lake Storm Lake. These facilities will filter storm water from approximately 503 acres of urban land including two large industrial users Tyson Fresh Meats and Sara Lee Turkey Processing as well as other commercial and residential sections that currently go directly to the lake without filtration. Specifically the project involves the construction of a two cell dry bottomed detention pond system, construction of two rain gardens/bio retention areas, construction of rain gardens along storm water intakes on Highway 7, and construction of a porous rock detention area. The completed project will provide for cleaner water outleting to the fake in an area that has the largest potential for pollutants to enter the lake. This project is being done in conjunction with other watershed improvements including two additional rain gardens already in place and a multi-year dredging effort of Lake Storm Lake that will be starting its fifth year in 2006. Improvements in the rural water shed are also taking place with the help of a watershed coordinator. Some of these projects include buffer strips and filter slips along the waterways in the watershed.

05018-007 Storm Lake Watershed Final Report

The enclosed project request for funding will address needed conservation work within the Storm Lake Watershed. The proposed conservation practices and activities have been planned for several years but due to funding limitations have not been completed. These innovative practices will address some of the remaining and hard to address problem areas of sediment and nutrient loading within the watershed. The four goals of this project are: installation of four in-stream Boulder Weirs, planting of native grasses around ten surface intakes, completion of three urban rain gardens and hiring of a part-time Iowater monitoring coordinator. Through the new Awaysis destination park project Storm Lake is truly placing a high value on our watershed and lake as a major asset to the area. Awaysis is a $30 million project that's success will hinge on maintaining the highest standards in regard to the water quality of the lake and its watershed.

Microbial communities in Cerrado soils under native vegetation subjected to prescribed fire and under pasture

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effects of fire regimes and vegetation cover on the structure and dynamics of soil microbial communities, through phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. Comparisons were made between native areas with different woody covers ("cerrado stricto sensu" and "campo sujo"), under different fire regimes, and a 20-year-old active palisadegrass pasture in the Central Plateau of Brazil. Microbial biomass was higher in the native plots than in the pasture, and the highest monthly values were observed during the rainy season in the native plots. No significant differences were observed between fire regimes or between communities from the two native vegetation types. However, the principal component (PC) analysis separated the microbial communities by vegetation cover (native x pasture) and season (wet x dry), accounting for 45.8% (PC1 and PC3) and 25.6% (PC2 and PC3), respectively, of the total PLFA variability. Changes in land cover and seasonal rainfall in Cerrado ecosystems have significant effects on the total density of soil microorganisms and on the abundance of microbial groups, especially Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

Local and Regional Scale Determinants of Biodiversity Patterns in Boreal Agricultural Landscapes

This thesis examines the local and regional scale determinants of biodiversity patterns using existing species and environmental data. The research focuses on agricultural environments that have experienced rapid declines of biodiversity during past decades. Existing digital databases provide vast opportunities for habitat mapping, predictive mapping of species occurrences and richness and understanding the speciesenvironment relationships. The applicability of these databases depends on the required accuracy and quality of the data needed to answer the landscape ecological and biogeographical questions in hand. Patterns of biodiversity arise from confounded effects of different factors, such as climate, land cover and geographical location. Complementary statistical approaches that can show the relative effects of different factors are needed in biodiversity analyses in addition to classical multivariate models. Better understanding of the key factors underlying the variation in diversity requires the analyses of multiple taxonomic groups from different perspectives, such as richness, occurrence, threat status and population trends. The geographical coincidence of species richness of different taxonomic groups can be rather limited. This implies that multiple geographical regions should be taken into account in order to preserve various groups of species. Boreal agricultural biodiversity and in particular, distribution and richness of threatened species is strongly associated with various grasslands. Further, heterogeneous agricultural landscapes characterized by moderate field size, forest patches and non-crop agricultural habitats enhance the biodiversity of rural environments. From the landscape ecological perspective, the major threats to Finnish agricultural biodiversity are the decline of connected grassland habitat networks, and general homogenization of landscape structure resulting from both intensification and marginalization of agriculture. The maintenance of key habitats, such as meadows and pastures is an essential task in conservation of agricultural biodiversity. Furthermore, a larger landscape context should be incorporated in conservation planning and decision making processes in order to respond to the needs of different species and to maintain heterogeneous rural landscapes and viable agricultural diversity in the future.

Project controlling and risk management in German machine and plant engineering industry

Tutkielman tavoitteena on määritellä projektikontrolloinnin ja - riskijohtamisen roolit ja toiminnot saksalaisissa kone- ja tehdassuunnitteluteollisuusyrityksissä. Tämä on kvalitatiivinen tutkielma, jossa käytetään voimakkaasti kuvailevia metodeita. Materiaali tutkimuksen empiiriseen osaan kerättiin kyselykaavakkeen avulla. Kyselykaavakkeiden tulokset käsiteltiin Microsoft Office Access- ohjelmalla ja analysoitiin Microsoft Office Excel- ohjelmalla ja Pivot table- työkalun avulla. Tutkimustulokset osoittavat, että asianmukaisessa projektikontrollointi- ja riskijohtamismetodien käytössä ja käyttötiheydessä esiintyy puutteita saksalaisissa kone- ja tehdassuunnitteluteollisuusyrityksissä. Tehostamalla ja keskittymällä enemmän projektikontrollointi- ja riskijohtamismetodeihin ja prosesseihin sekä projektien että yritysten suorituskyky paranisi.

Usages de l'eau à Gaya (Niger) : entre fortes potentialités et contraintes majeures

Résumé: Le département de Gaya, cadre de notre étude, est situé au sud-ouest de la république du Niger. Il dispose d'un important potentiel hydrique composé des eaux de surface (une centaine de mares permanentes, le fleuve Niger sur 106 km) et de sept aquifères superposés comprenant des nappes de subsurface (affleurantes par endroit) et des nappes artésiennes. L'étude sur les usages de l'eau à Gaya a été menée à travers plusieurs axes centrés sur l'estimation et la répartition spatiale des ressources en eau, le cadre juridique et institutionnel régulant leur mise en valeur, les différents secteurs d'utilisation de l'eau ainsi que les contraintes affectant cette utilisation. L'usage de la cartographie à travers les SIG dans le traitement et l'analyse des données, couplée à notre expérience d'une dizaine d'année de travaux dans la région, a permis de dresser des synthèses richement illustrées permettant de mieux comprendre tous les enjeux liés à la problématique des usages de l'eau dans cette partie du Niger. Contrairement à la vision que l'on a traditionnellement du Sahel où le manque d'eau constitue une des contraintes majeures au développement, ici des conditions locales particulières contredisent ce cliché et transposent le débat sur un autre plan. Il s'agit de la maîtrise de l'eau au niveau local à travers l'élaboration d'une politique appropriée qui tienne compte non seulement des spécificités locales de la ressource, mais aussi des différents types d'usages. La politique de l'eau au Niger, définie selon le Schéma directeur de mise en valeur et de gestion des ressources en eau, à travers la mise en place d'un important arsenal juridique et institutionnel, a eu le mérite de tracer un canevas sur la question, mais a montré ses limites au niveau pratique après dix ans d'essai. En effet au niveau de Gaya, ni l'Etat ni les partenaires au développement (bailleurs de fonds extérieurs) n'ont tenu compte des caractéristiques locales de la ressource ou du contexte socioéconomique particulier de la région. Ce qui a entraîné la réalisation d'infrastructures inadaptées aux réalités hydrogéologiques locales ainsi que des choix inappropriés au niveau de certains aménagements. En dépit de l'abondance de la ressource, son accès tant au niveau quantitatif que qualitatif, reste difficile pour une grande partie des acteurs ruraux. Les différents handicaps rencontrés dans la mise en valeur des ressources en eau résultent de cette incohérence de la politique nationale de l'eau, mais aussi de la difficulté de son application sur le terrain où persiste un pluralisme juridique caractérisé par la cohabitation de deux systèmes de régulation à savoir les droits coutumiers et la législation moderne. Ces différents éléments mis en évidence dans cette étude sur la zone de Gaya pourraient servir de base pour un meilleur aménagement des ressources en eau dans le cadre plus large d'une politique d'aménagement du territoire prenant en compte tous les facteurs tant physiques que socioéconomiques de la région. Abstract: The department of Gaya, in which this study was done, is located in the SW area of the Republic of Niger. It has an important hydrological potential composed of surface water (approximately 100 permanent ponds, 106 km of the Niger River) and 7 bodies of underground water sources including sub-surface and artresan wells. This study of the exploitation of wtaer in Gaya has been carried out employing several parameters based on: the estimation and spacial distribution of water ressources, the juridic and institutional rules governing their utilisation and the various constraints affecting this exploitation. The use of mapping when treating and analysing data, coupled with ten years personel field experience, resulted in a richly illustrated synthesis of this data. This, in turn, led to a better comprehension of all the factors related to problems of water utilisation in this particular region of Niger. Contrary to the generally accepted view that the lack of water ressources is a major contributing factor to the lack of development in the Sahel, in Gaya the local conditions contradict this statement. In this region, and at the local level, the proper use of water is based on the elaboration of an appropriate policy which takes into account not only the local specifics of water ressources but the various types of water utilsation as well. Local use of water and water ressources are dependant on established rules. Water policy in Niger is defined by the General Schema based on an important institutional and judicary arsenal of rules and regulations. However, after a ten-year trial period, this system was shown to have its limitations. In Gaya, neither the State nor the development agencies took into consideration local characteristics nor the socio-economic context of the region. This, in turn, resulted in putting in place infrastructures that were not adapted to local hydrogeological realities as well as inappropriate choices in land planning and development. In spite of the abundance of water ressources, access to them remains difficult for most of the rural population. The various difficulties encountered are the result of incoherent water policies on a national level as well as the lack of practical application in this area. This is due to a double judicary system where two regulatory systems co-exist:traditional laws and modern legislation. the different elements brought out by this study could serve as a basis for a better utilisation of water ressources on a larger scale in which land planning and development policies would take into consideration all the physcial as well as the socio-economical factors of this region.