GIS from a cultural heritage perspective: when past and future collide

Disserta����o apresentada como requisito parcial para obten����o do grau de Mestre em Ci��ncia e Sistemas de Informa����o Geogr��fica

Regional change in the Algarve: A Geographic Information System approach

Thesis submitted to the Instituto Superior de Estat��stica e Gest��o de Informa����o da Universidade Nova de Lisboa in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Information Management ��� Geographic Information Systems

06012-006 Lime Creek NPS Project Final Report

Lime Creek is a sub-watershed of the Cedar River above; approximately 25 miles from Cedar Rapids. The lower half of the stream is on the Iowa 2004 Section 303(d) impaired waters list. Monitoring by the Cedar River Watershed Monitoring Coalition documents that Lime Creek delivers above average amounts of nitrate+ nitrite-N, ammonia-Nand total phosphorus (above the 901 percentile) compared to other Cedar River sub-watersheds. The Cedar Rapids water utility is concerned about increasing delivery of nitrate+nitrate to the Cedar River, which provides drinking water for about 125,000 people in the area. A group of local citizens has formed the Lime Creek watershed council with the goal of reducing pollutant delivery to the creek and promoting sustainable, watershed-wide action by producers, urban and rural residents for improved environmental management. The council has established a performance-based program that rewards cooperators for improvement in research-based test and index scores which directly measure environmental impact of BMPs. The Iowa Com Growers Association is funding the performance rewards. The Watershed Coalition is contributing in-kind monitoring. Council and performance cooperators participate primarily with commitment of their own resources. WIRB funds will be used to increase program cooperators and for staff support. In addition to improvement of water quality in Lime Creek, the project will establish baseline values for arket-based a pro ch to valuing pollutant reduction by intensive livestock operations in eastern Iowa.

Multi-scale systems analysis of plant development : beyond cellular signaling and tissue morphodynamics

Les plantes sont essentielles pour les soci��t��s humaines. Notre alimentation quotidienne, les mat��riaux de constructions et les sources ��nerg��tiques d��rivent de la biomasse v��g��tale. En revanche, la compr��hension des multiples aspects d��veloppementaux des plantes est encore peu exploit��e et repr��sente un sujet de recherche majeur pour la science. L'��mergence des technologies �� haut d��bit pour le s��quen��age de g��nome �� grande ��chelle ou l'imagerie de haute r��solution permet �� pr��sent de produire des quantit��s ��normes d'information. L'analyse informatique est une fa��on d'int��grer ces donn��es et de r��duire la complexit�� apparente vers une ��chelle d'abstraction appropri��e, dont la finalit�� est de fournir des perspectives de recherches cibl��es. Ceci repr��sente la raison premi��re de cette th��se. En d'autres termes, nous appliquons des m��thodes descriptives et pr��dictives combin��es �� des simulations num��riques afin d'apporter des solutions originales �� des probl��mes relatifs �� la morphog��n��se �� l'��chelle de la cellule et de l'organe. Nous nous sommes fix��s parmi les objectifs principaux de cette th��se d'��lucider de quelle mani��re l'interaction crois��e des phytohormones auxine et brassinostero��des (BRs) d��termine la croissance de la cellule dans la racine du m��rist��me apical d'Arabidopsis thaliana, l'organisme mod��le de r��f��rence pour les ��tudes mol��culaires en plantes. Pour reconstruire le r��seau de signalement cellulaire, nous avons extrait de la litt��rature les informations pertinentes concernant les relations entre les prot��ines impliqu��es dans la transduction des signaux hormonaux. Le r��seau a ensuite ��t�� mod��lis�� en utilisant un formalisme logique et qualitatif pour pallier l'absence de donn��es quantitatives. Tout d'abord, Les r��sultats ont permis de confirmer que l'auxine et les BRs agissent en synergie pour contr��ler la croissance de la cellule, puis, d'expliquer des observations ph��notypiques paradoxales et au final, de mettre �� jour une interaction clef entre deux prot��ines dans la maintenance du m��rist��me de la racine. Une ��tude ult��rieure chez la plante mod��le Brachypodium dystachion (Brachypo- dium) a r��v��l�� l'ajustement du r��seau d'interaction crois��e entre auxine et ��thyl��ne par rapport �� Arabidopsis. Chez ce dernier, interf��rer avec la biosynth��se de l'auxine m��ne �� la formation d'une racine courte. N��anmoins, nous avons isol�� chez Brachypodium un mutant hypomorphique dans la biosynth��se de l'auxine qui affiche une racine plus longue. Nous avons alors conduit une analyse morphom��trique qui a confirm�� que des cellules plus anisotropique (plus fines et longues) sont �� l'origine de ce ph��notype racinaire. Des analyses plus approfondies ont d��montr�� que la diff��rence ph��notypique entre Brachypodium et Arabidopsis s'explique par une inversion de la fonction r��gulatrice dans la relation entre le r��seau de signalisation par l'��thyl��ne et la biosynth��se de l'auxine. L'analyse morphom��trique utilis��e dans l'��tude pr��c��dente exploite le pipeline de traitement d'image de notre m��thode d'histologie quantitative. Pendant la croissance secondaire, la sym��trie bilat��rale de l'hypocotyle est remplac��e par une sym��trie radiale et une organisation concentrique des tissus constitutifs. Ces tissus sont initialement compos��s d'une douzaine de cellules mais peuvent ais��ment atteindre des dizaines de milliers dans les derniers stades du d��veloppement. Cette ��chelle d��passe largement le seuil d'investigation par les moyens dits 'traditionnels' comme l'imagerie directe de tissus en profondeur. L'��tude de ce syst��me pendant cette phase de d��veloppement ne peut se faire qu'en r��alisant des coupes fines de l'organe, ce qui emp��che une compr��hension des ph��nom��nes cellulaires dynamiques sous-jacents. Nous y avons rem��di�� en proposant une strat��gie originale nomm��e, histologie quantitative. De fait, nous avons extrait l'information contenue dans des images de tr��s haute r��solution de sections transverses d'hypocotyles en utilisant un pipeline d'analyse et de segmentation d'image �� grande ��chelle. Nous l'avons ensuite combin�� avec un algorithme de reconnaissance automatique des cellules. Cet outil nous a permis de r��aliser une description quantitative de la progression de la croissance secondaire r��v��lant des sch��mas d��veloppementales non-apparents avec une inspection visuelle classique. La formation de p��le de phlo��mes en structure r��p��t��e et espac��e entre eux d'une longueur constante illustre les b��n��fices de notre approche. Par ailleurs, l'exploitation approfondie de ces r��sultats a montr�� un changement de croissance anisotropique des cellules du cambium et du phlo��me qui semble en phase avec l'expansion du xyl��me. Combinant des outils g��n��tiques et de la mod��lisation biom��canique, nous avons d��montr�� que seule la croissance plus rapide des tissus internes peut produire une r��orientation de l'axe de croissance anisotropique des tissus p��riph��riques. Cette pr��diction a ��t�� confirm��e par le calcul du ratio des taux de croissance du xyl��me et du phlo��me au cours de d��veloppement secondaire ; des ratios ��lev��s sont effectivement observ��s et concomitant �� l'��tablissement progressif et tangentiel du cambium. Ces r��sultats sugg��rent un m��canisme d'auto-organisation ��tabli par un gradient de division m��rist��matique qui g��n��rent une distribution de contraintes m��caniques. Ceci r��oriente la croissance anisotropique des tissus p��riph��riques pour supporter la croissance secondaire. - Plants are essential for human society, because our daily food, construction materials and sustainable energy are derived from plant biomass. Yet, despite this importance, the multiple developmental aspects of plants are still poorly understood and represent a major challenge for science. With the emergence of high throughput devices for genome sequencing and high-resolution imaging, data has never been so easy to collect, generating huge amounts of information. Computational analysis is one way to integrate those data and to decrease the apparent complexity towards an appropriate scale of abstraction with the aim to eventually provide new answers and direct further research perspectives. This is the motivation behind this thesis work, i.e. the application of descriptive and predictive analytics combined with computational modeling to answer problems that revolve around morphogenesis at the subcellular and organ scale. One of the goals of this thesis is to elucidate how the auxin-brassinosteroid phytohormone interaction determines the cell growth in the root apical meristem of Arabidopsis thaliana (Arabidopsis), the plant model of reference for molecular studies. The pertinent information about signaling protein relationships was obtained through the literature to reconstruct the entire hormonal crosstalk. Due to a lack of quantitative information, we employed a qualitative modeling formalism. This work permitted to confirm the synergistic effect of the hormonal crosstalk on cell elongation, to explain some of our paradoxical mutant phenotypes and to predict a novel interaction between the BREVIS RADIX (BRX) protein and the transcription factor MONOPTEROS (MP),which turned out to be critical for the maintenance of the root meristem. On the same subcellular scale, another study in the monocot model Brachypodium dystachion (Brachypodium) revealed an alternative wiring of auxin-ethylene crosstalk as compared to Arabidopsis. In the latter, increasing interference with auxin biosynthesis results in progressively shorter roots. By contrast, a hypomorphic Brachypodium mutant isolated in this study in an enzyme of the auxin biosynthesis pathway displayed a dramatically longer seminal root. Our morphometric analysis confirmed that more anisotropic cells (thinner and longer) are principally responsible for the mutant root phenotype. Further characterization pointed towards an inverted regulatory logic in the relation between ethylene signaling and auxin biosynthesis in Brachypodium as compared to Arabidopsis, which explains the phenotypic discrepancy. Finally, the morphometric analysis of hypocotyl secondary growth that we applied in this study was performed with the image-processing pipeline of our quantitative histology method. During its secondary growth, the hypocotyl reorganizes its primary bilateral symmetry to a radial symmetry of highly specialized tissues comprising several thousand cells, starting with a few dozens. However, such a scale only permits observations in thin cross-sections, severely hampering a comprehensive analysis of the morphodynamics involved. Our quantitative histology strategy overcomes this limitation. We acquired hypocotyl cross-sections from tiled high-resolution images and extracted their information content using custom high-throughput image processing and segmentation. Coupled with an automated cell type recognition algorithm, it allows precise quantitative characterization of vascular development and reveals developmental patterns that were not evident from visual inspection, for example the steady interspace distance of the phloem poles. Further analyses indicated a change in growth anisotropy of cambial and phloem cells, which appeared in phase with the expansion of xylem. Combining genetic tools and computational modeling, we showed that the reorientation of growth anisotropy axis of peripheral tissue layers only occurs when the growth rate of central tissue is higher than the peripheral one. This was confirmed by the calculation of the ratio of the growth rate xylem to phloem throughout secondary growth. High ratios are indeed observed and concomitant with the homogenization of cambium anisotropy. These results suggest a self-organization mechanism, promoted by a gradient of division in the cambium that generates a pattern of mechanical constraints. This, in turn, reorients the growth anisotropy of peripheral tissues to sustain the secondary growth.

Estado situacional de los modelos basados en agentes y su impacto en la investigaci��n organizacional

En un mundo hiperconectado, din��mico y cargado de incertidumbre como el actual, los m��todos y modelos anal��ticos convencionales est��n mostrando sus limitaciones. Las organizaciones requieren, por tanto, herramientas ��tiles que empleen tecnolog��a de informaci��n y modelos de simulaci��n computacional como mecanismos para la toma de decisiones y la resoluci��n de problemas. Una de las m��s recientes, potentes y prometedoras es el modelamiento y la simulaci��n basados en agentes (MSBA). Muchas organizaciones, incluidas empresas consultoras, emplean esta t��cnica para comprender fen��menos, hacer evaluaci��n de estrategias y resolver problemas de diversa ��ndole. Pese a ello, no existe (hasta donde conocemos) un estado situacional acerca del MSBA y su aplicaci��n a la investigaci��n organizacional. Cabe anotar, adem��s, que por su novedad no es un tema suficientemente difundido y trabajado en Latinoam��rica. En consecuencia, este proyecto pretende elaborar un estado situacional sobre el MSBA y su impacto sobre la investigaci��n organizacional.

Nitrosyl ethylenediaminetetraacetate ruthenium(II) complex promotes cellular growth and could be used as nitric oxide donor in plants

Over recent years nitric oxide (NO) not only has appeared as an important endogenous signaling molecule in plants and as a mediator in many developmental and physiological processes, but has also received recognition as a plant hormone. The impressive recent achievements in elucidating the role of NO in plants have come about by the application of NO donors. The aim herein was to study the effects of the different NO donors, sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and the nitrosyl ethylenediaminetetraacetate ruthenium(II) ([Ru(NO)(Hedta)]) complex on cellular growth in embryogenic suspension cultures of Araucaria angustifolia. Appraisal of our data revealed that [Ru(NO)(Hedta)] stimulated about 60% of cellular growth in embryogenic suspension cultures of A. angustifolia, with results similar to those observed with the SNP donor. Nevertheless, application of the NO scavenger PTIO (2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide) inhibited this cellular growth in both. Cellular growth was correlated with an increase in endogenous NO levels after 21 days of culture, especially in treatments with NO donors. Our results demonstrated that the [Ru(NO)Hedta] complex could possibly be used as a NO donor in plants. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Conflito de usos da ��gua e ocupa����o do solo da Bacia Hidrogr��fica do rio Pitimbu no munic��pio de Maca��ba, RN

Due to the increasing activities and its disordered occupation, the catchment of the Pitimbu river is reason of concern for the population, since the river empties in the lagoon of the Jiqui where 30% of the water of this lagoon are caught for the supplying the city of Natal, playing an important fuction in the supply of water superficial for the capital of the Rio Grande do Norte. The superior stretch of the hydrography catchment of the Pitimbu river - Maca��ba/RN, object of this study, is denoted by the eminently agricultural occupation with the use of the irrigated agriculture in the many properties that compose this stretch. Because of this becomes necessary to analyze the availability of the water resources in the catchment of the Pitimbu river, in the superior stretch, collating with the use and occupation of the existing terrain. The stretch in study was divided in eight points which had been performed tests throughout the water and analyzed the parameters physicist-chemistries and heavy metals that are praised by resolution CONAMA n�� 357 e, visits in field with photographic survey for characterization of this verifying the situation where if it finds the river. The stretch presented some divergence in the parameters of pH and iron, however the results denote a characteristic of the region. The great amount of slide barrages throughout the river and the wet street was observed, had also verified near the edges the launching of garbage and, the great amount of aquatic vegetation. With this it is concluded that the water of the river can be used for human supplying, therefore inside presents a quality of drinking waters of the standards demanded for resolution CONAMA n�� 357, in this way, the stretch in study could be adopted as an Envoiremental Area Protection (APA), to preserve and to guarantee, at least in this stretch, that its condition remains unchanged and continues to supply of permanent form a water of excellent quality

Proposta de zoneamento ambiental visando a prote����o dos recursos h��dricos de uma bacia hidrogr��fica

One of the most important natural resources for sustaining human life, water, has been losing the basic requirements of quality and quantity sufficient enough to attend the population due to water contamination'problems, often caused by human beings themselves. Because of this, the sources of this resource are often located in remote places of the natural environment to ensure the quality of the water. However, when urban expansion began to occupy these areas, which were once regarded as distant, environmental pollution problems began to occur due to occupation of the land without planning. Based on this occurrence, this study aims to propose environmental zoning for the Maxaranguape river watershed in order to protect its water resources. This is important because this river can serve as a source of supply for the metropolitan area of Natal, the capital of Rio Grande do Norte. In accordance to this proposition, the model of natural soil loss vulnerability (CREPANI et al., 2001), the model of aquifer pollution vulnerability (FOSTER et al., 2006), and the legal incompatibility map (CREPANI et al., 2001) were used to delimit the zones. All this was done with Geographic Information System (GIS) and also created a geographic database update of the basin. The results of the first model mentioned indicated that 63.67% of the basin was classified as moderately stable / vulnerable, 35.66% as moderately vulnerable, and 0.67% as vulnerable. The areas with high vulnerability degree correspond with sand dunes and river channels areas. The second model indicated that 2.84% of the basin has low vulnerability, 70.27%) has median vulnerability, and 26.76% and 0.13% has high vulnerability and extreme vulnerability, respectively. The areas with the highest vulnerability values also refer to part of the sand dunes and river channels besides other areas such as Pureza urban area. The legal incompatibility map indicated that the basin has 85.02 km2 of Permanent Protection Area (PPA) and 14.62% of this area has some incongruity of use. Based on these results it was possible to draw three main zones: Protection and Sustainable Use Zone (PSUZ), Protection and Environmental Restoration Zone (PERZ) and Environmental Control Zone, which are divided into A, B and C. The PSUZ refer to the coastal areas of the basin, where the sand dunes are located. These sites should be areas of environmental protection and of sustainable urban expansion. The ZPRA refer to river channels, which are in high need of rehabilitation. The third zone corresponds to the rest of the basin which should have, in general, the mapping of possible sources of contamination for further control on the use and occupation of the river

Estudo da vulnerabilidade �� eros��o com a aplica����o da Equa����o Universal de Perda de Solo na alta bacia hidrogr��fica do rio Jacar�� Pepira, utilizando SIG/SPRING

P��s-gradua����o em Geoci��ncias e Meio Ambiente - IGCE

Modelagem espacial din��mica para o monitoramento do aporte de sedimentos na sub-bacia do Rio Capivara, munic��pio de Botucatu - SP

P��s-gradua����o em Geoci��ncias e Meio Ambiente - IGCE

Marchas e contramarchas na luta pela moradia na Terra Firme (1979-1994)

A disserta����o historiou a luta pela moradia desenvolvida na Bacia Hidrogr��fica do Igarap�� Tucunduba, especificamente no bairro da Terra Firme entre os anos de 1979 a 1994. A pesquisa teve como prop��sito analisar as contribui����es produzidas nesse processo, que projetaram elementos de resist��ncia e organiza����o social por parte dos moradores daquele lugar. Utilizamos prioritariamente fontes jornal��sticas e entrevistas com lideran��as. Durante a d��cada de oitenta, acontecimentos pol��ticos agitaram o pa��s, promovidos pelo retorno das multid��es ��s pra��as e colocaram na ordem do dia um conjunto de demandas sociais, dentre as quais a reforma urbana. Em Bel��m, o Movimento de Titula����o e Urbaniza����o da ��rea do Tucunduba ��� MOTUAT, tornou-se uma das refer��ncias sociais ao tornar-se representante das reivindica����es populares na luta pelo direito de morar em terras consideradas da Universidade Federal do Par�� - UFPA.

Modelagem din��mica espacial de mudan��as no uso do solo urbano: contribui����o metodol��gica

Coordena����o de Aperfei��oamento de Pessoal de N��vel Superior (CAPES)

Teores e quantidade de alguns elementos no c��rrego Lavap��s, sub-bacia do rio Sorocaba, S��o Paulo, Brasil

Funda����o de Amparo �� Pesquisa do Estado de S��o Paulo (FAPESP)

Caracteriza����o do uso da terra em diferentes ��pocas na bacia hidrogr��fica do ribeir��o para��so- s��o manuel sp, por meio de sistemas de informa����es geogr��ficas

This study aimed to evaluate a period of 38 years, the use and soil occupation of the Paradise River watershed, inserted in the citys of S��o Manuel and Arei��polis-SP using aerial photographs for the year 1972 and TM image (Thematic Mapper) obtained by the Landsat-5 satellite, in 2010, using geoprocessing techniques. The watershed in question is very important for the city of S��o Manuel-SP, because its urban area is inserted in its divisors which part of it belongs to the Environmental Protection Area (APA) Perimeter Botucatu-SP, considered a recharge area of the aquifer Guarani. Today, the development of agriculture faces challenges, which is to produce more food without impacting the environment. Allied to this concern, research institutions have sought new technologies that allow the detection and quantification of human actions, enabling interventions in order to minimize possible damage to the environment. Among these technologies can be cited Geographic Information Systems (GIS), which a large volume of data and information stored in a region at different times can be evaluated in the same time, suggesting different approaches to the planning of land use. The results of the mapping of areas of use and soil occupation result nine classes in 1972, and the coffee culture showed the biggest occupation (37.94%) of the total area. The 2010 mapping formulated twelve classes of use, which demonstrated the predominance of sugar cane (37.94%), on the areas occupied by coffee and pasture before. The land use maps of 1972 and 2010 showed results that show intense human activity in the modification of natural landscape.

Value creation in capital waterway projects: Application of a transaction cost and transaction benefit framework for the Miami River and the New Orleans Inner Harbour Navigation Canal

Waterways have many more ties with society than as a medium for the transportation of goods alone. Waterway systems offer society many kinds of socio-economic value. Waterway authorities responsible for management and (re)development need to optimize the public benefits for the investments made. However, due to the many trade-offs in the system these agencies have multiple options for achieving this goal. Because they can invest resources in a great many different ways, they need a way to calculate the efficiency of the decisions they make. Transaction cost theory, and the analysis that goes with it, has emerged as an important means of justifying efficiency decisions in the economic arena. To improve our understanding of the value-creating and coordination problems for waterway authorities, such a framework is applied to this sector. This paper describes the findings for two cases, which reflect two common multi trade-off situations for waterway (re)development. Our first case study focuses on the Miami River, an urban revitalized waterway. The second case describes the Inner Harbour Navigation Canal in New Orleans, a canal and lock in an industrialized zone, in need of an upgrade to keep pace with market developments. The transaction cost framework appears to be useful in exposing a wide variety of value-creating opportunities and the resistances that come with it. These insights can offer infrastructure managers guidance on how to seize these opportunities.