Can wild ungulate carcasses provide enough biomass to maintain avian scavenger populations? An empirical assessment using a bio-inspired computational model

Background: The reduction in the amount of food available for European avian scavengers as a consequence of restrictive public health policies is a concern for managers and conservationists. Since 2002, the application of several sanitary regulations has limited the availability of feeding resources provided by domestic carcasses, but theoretical studies assessing whether the availability of food resources provided by wild ungulates are enough to cover energetic requirements are lacking. Methodology/Findings: We assessed food provided by a wild ungulate population in two areas of NE Spain inhabited by three vulture species and developed a P System computational model to assess the effects of the carrion resources provided on their population dynamics. We compared the real population trend with to a hypothetical scenario in which only food provided by wild ungulates was available. Simulation testing of the model suggests that wild ungulates constitute an important food resource in the Pyrenees and the vulture population inhabiting this area could grow if only the food provided by wild ungulates would be available. On the contrary, in the Pre-Pyrenees there is insufficient food to cover the energy requirements of avian scavenger guilds, declining sharply if biomass from domestic animals would not be available. Conclusions/Significance: Our results suggest that public health legislation can modify scavenger population trends if a large number of domestic ungulate carcasses disappear from the mountains. In this case, food provided by wild ungulates could be not enough and supplementary feeding could be necessary if other alternative food resources are not available (i.e. the reintroduction of wild ungulates), preferably in European Mediterranean scenarios sharing similar and socio-economic conditions where there are low densities of wild ungulates. Managers should anticipate the conservation actions required by assessing food availability and the possible scenarios in order to make the most suitable decisions.

Conservação pós-colheita de manga 'Tommy Atkins' orgânica sob recobrimentos bio-orgânicos

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a conservação pós-colheita de manga 'Tommy Atkins' orgânica destinada à exportação, colhida com Boas Práticas Agrícolas (CBP) e sem Boas Práticas Agrícolas (SBP), sob recobrimentos bio-orgânicos. Manga colhida na maturidade comercial foi recoberta com extrato de erva-doce a 1,5% (CBP+ED, SBP+ED), com extrato de erva-doce adicionada à fécula de mandioca a 3,0% (CBP+ED+F, SBP+ED+F) e Controle (sem recobrimento, CBP e SBP), armazenada a 10±0,5 ºC e 85±2% UR. O uso de BPA manteve a qualidade. O recobrimento com ED comprometeu a aparência da manga pela incidência de manchas na casca; recobrimento associando F + ED manteve a qualidade e retardou o amadurecimento.

Kuiva-, bio-, hyöty- ja ongelmajätteiden keskitetysti kilpailutettu kuljetusjärjestelmä Etelä-Karjalassa

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli tuottaa tietoa kuiva-, bio-, hyöty- ja ongelmajätteiden keskitetysti kilpailutetun kuljetusjärjestelmän eduista ja haitoista Etelä-Karjalan Jätehuolto Oy:n alueella. Tutkimuksessa esitellään jätteenkuljetusjärjestelmien ominaisuudet ja niiden suunnittelu sekä jätehuoltoa ja jätteenkuljetuksia koskeva lainsäädäntö. Keskitetysti kilpailutettu jätteenkuljetusjärjestelmä mitoitettiin järjestelmän nykytilan kuvauksen sekä muualla Suomessa kilpailutuksesta saatujen kokemusten avulla. Järjestelmää arvioitiin vertaamalla kaluston tarvetta, kuormapainoja sekä kuljetuskustannuksia nykyiseen tilanteeseen. Lopuksi arvioitiin jatkokehitystarpeita ja tarvittavia toimenpiteitä, kun keskitettyyn kilpailuttamiseen siirrytään. Jätteenkuljetusten keskitetyllä kilpailuttamisella voidaan saavuttaa etuja nykyiseen kuntakohtaiseen jätteenkuljetukseen verrattuna. Edut syntyvät kun päällekkäiset ajot sekä siirtoajot vähenevät ja kuormakoot kasvavat. Kuljetukset voidaan hoitaa pienemmällä kalustomäärällä, jolloin myös kuljetuskustannukset laskevat.

Aspectos bio y cronoestratigraficos del Mioceno de Bera (Tarragona )

Se estudian los Moluscos, Foraminíferos, Palinología, Nanoplancton calcáreo de unos nuevos niveles arcilloso-limosos descubiertos en la excavación de un pozo en las proximidades de la Ermita de Berà (Tarragona); la excelente conservación de los restos paleontológicos permite un estudio más exahustivo. En conjunto, la mayoría de las características indican que se trataría de una sedimentación en condiciones neríticas alrededor de los 30 metros de profundidad con ciertas influencias de carácter estuarino. La presencia de abundantes Orbulina, T. mayeri, junto con G. praemenardii y ausencia de G. fohsi peripheroronda (presente en otras secciones próximas) permite atribuir los niveles a la biozona de G. mayeri, de edad Serravalliense; los datos de Nanoplancton son acordes con dicha edad.

Potential of local bio-geoengineering to mitigate dangerous temperature increases in a global warming scenario

Crops and forests are already responding to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide and air temperatures. Increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations are expected to enhance plant photosynthesis. Nevertheless, after long-term exposure, plants acclimate and show a reduction in photosynthetic activity (i.e. down-regulation). If in the future the Earth"s temperature is allowed to rise further, plant ecosystems and food security will both face significant threats. The scientific community has recognized that an increase in global temperatures should remain below 2°C in order to combat climate change. All this evidence suggests that, in parallel with reductions in CO2 emissions, a more direct approach to mitigate global warming should be considered. We propose here that global warming could be partially mitigated directly through local bio-geoengineering approaches. For example, this could be done through the management of solar radiation at surface level, i.e. by increasing global albedo. Such an effect has been documented in the south-eastern part of Spain, where a significant surface air temperature trend of -0.3°C per decade has been observed due to a dramatic expansion of greenhouse horticulture.

Bio-inspired Mechanisms for Artificial Self-organised Systems

Self-organization is a growing interdisciplinary field of research about a phenomenon that can be observed in the Universe, in Nature and in social contexts. Research on self-organization tries to describe and explain forms, complex patterns and behaviours that arise from a collection of entities without an external organizer. As researchers in artificial systems, our aim is not to mimic self-organizing phenomena arising in Nature, but to understand and to control underlying mechanisms allowing desired emergence of forms, complex patterns and behaviours. Rather than attempting to eliminate such self-organization in artificial systems, we think that this might be deliberately harnessed in order to reach desirable global properties. In this paper we analyze three forms of self-organization: stigmergy, reinforcement mechanisms and cooperation. The amplification phenomena founded in stigmergic process or in reinforcement process are different forms of positive feedbacks that play a major role in building group activity or social organization. Cooperation is a functional form for self-organization because of its ability to guide local behaviours in order to obtain a relevant collective one. For each forms of self-organisation, we present a case study to show how we transposed it to some artificial systems and then analyse the strengths and weaknesses of such an approach

Power Consumption in Carbon Capture and Storage Systems (CCS) and Possibilities to Reduce Power Consumption with Variable Speed Drives

The aim of this master´s thesis is to study which processes increase the auxiliary power consumption in carbon capture and storage processes and if it is possible to reduce the auxiliary power consumption with variable speed drives. Also the cost of carbon capture and storage is studied. Data about auxiliary power consumption in carbon capture is gathered from various studies and estimates made by various research centres. Based on these studies a view is presented how the power auxiliary power consumption is divided between different processes in carbon capture processes. In a literary study, the operation of three basic carbon capture systems is described. Also different methods to transport carbon dioxide and carbon dioxide storage options are described in this section. At the end of the thesis processes that consume most of the auxiliary power are defined and possibilities to reduce the auxiliary power consumption are evaluated. Cost of carbon capture, transport and storage are also evaluated at this point and in the case that the carbon capture and storage systems are fully deployed. According to the results, it can be estimated what are the processes are where variable speed drives can be used and what kind of cost and power consumption reduction could be achieved. Results also show how large a project carbon capture and storage is if it is fully deployed.

Aplicações de QCM, EIS e SPR na investigação de superfícies e interfaces para o desenvolvimento de (bio)sensores

The use of the quartz crystal microbalance process, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and surface plasmon resonance for characterizing thin films and monitoring interfaces is presented. The theorical aspects of QCM, EIS and SPR are introduced and the main application areas are outlined. Future prospects of the combined applications of QCM, EIS and SPR methods in the studies of interfacial processes at surfaces are also discussed.

Bio-based composites from stone groundwood applied to new product development

This paper deals with the product design, engineering, and material selection intended for the manufacturing of an eco-friendly chair. The final product is expected to combine design attributes with technical and legal feasibility with the implementation of new bio-based materials. Considering the industrial design, a range of objectives and trends were determined after setting the market requirements, and the final concept was proposed and modeled. The product geometry, production technology, and legal specifications were the input data for product engineering. The material selection was based on the technical requirements. Polypropylene (PP) composite materials based on coupled-fiberglass, sized-fiberglass, and coupled-stone ground wood reinforcements were prepared and characterized. Final formulations based on these PP composites are proposed and justified