Diversity and habitat preference of medium and large-sized mammals in an urban forest fragment of southwestern Amazon

We assessed the species composition and abundance of medium and large-sized mammals in an urban forest fragment in the Brazilian Amazon, and recorded the preference of some species for particular phytophysiognomies. We placed nine transects with 20 sand plots each in three phytophysiognomies: open rainforest with a dominance of bamboos (OFB), open rainforest with palm trees (OFP), and dense rainforest (DF). We calculated species abundance as the number of records/plot.day, in a total of 2,700 plots.day. We recorded twelve mammal species; Sylvilagus brasiliensis (Linnaeus, 1758) and Dasyprocta fuliginosa (Wagler, 1831) were the most abundant. The results differed among phytophysiognomies: DF presented the highest mammal diversity, whereas the species composition of OFP was less similar than that of other phytophysiognomies. Rodents showed higher preference for OFP and Sylvilagus brasiliensis was more abundant in OFB. The study area showed high species richness, with the occurrence of mesopredators, but there was a predominance of common species adaptable to disturbed environments, which reflects the severe isolation degree of the forest fragment and the hunting pressure that is still present.

Medium and large-sized mammals in a private reserve of natural heritage in the municipality of Ja��, S��o Paulo, Brazil

Medium and large-sized mammals control invertebrate and vertebrate populations and are important seed dispersers. These animals are losing their territory and living range due to deforestation and the fragmentation of natural areas, particularly in the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado. The Private Reserve of Natural Heritage (PRNH) Amadeu Botelho is isolated from other forest fragments and is thus a wildlife refuge in the region of Ja��, central-western region of state of S��o Paulo, southeastem Brazil. Animals as such as the puma (Puma concolor), ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) and jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi) have been sighted in the reserve by wildlife guards and residents. This reserve, which belongs to ���Santo Ant��nio dos Ip��s��� farm, is surrounded by several plantations, and is very close to the center of the city of Ja��. In addition to surveying the mammal species in the reserve, this study diagnosed the influence of the farm���s activities and the proximity to the center of the municipality of Ja�� on the fauna under study

Russia, China, India Foresight for Small and Medium size Enterprises in Uusimaa : Changes forecast in the Russian, Chinese and Indian operating environments from the viewpoint of small and middle-sized enterprises in Uusimaa

The report describes those factors of the future that are related to the growth and needs of Russia, China, and India and that may provide significant internationalisation potential for Uusimaa companies. The report examines the emerging trends and market-entry challenges for each country separately. Additionally, it evaluates the training needs of Uusimaa companies in terms of the current offerings available for education on topics related to Russia, China, and India. The report was created via the Delphi method: experts were interviewed, and both Trendwiki material and the latest literature were used to create a summary of experts��� views, statements, and reasons behind recent developments. This summary of views was sent back to the experts with the objective of reaching consensus synthesising the differing views or, at least, of providing argumentation for the various alternative lines of development. In addition to a number of outside experts and business leaders, all heads of Finpro���s Finland Trade Centers participated in the initial interviews. The summary was commented upon by all Finpro consultants and analysts for Russia, China, and India, with each focusing on his or her own area of expertise. The literature used consisted of reports, listed for each country, and an extensive selection of the most recent newspaper articles. The report was created in January-April 2010. On 22 April 2010 its results were reviewed at the final report presentation in cooperation with the Uusimaa ELY Centre.

Forecasting with Medium and Large Bayesian VARs

This paper is motivated by the recent interest in the use of Bayesian VARs for forecasting, even in cases where the number of dependent variables is large. In such cases, factor methods have been traditionally used but recent work using a particular prior suggests that Bayesian VAR methods can forecast better. In this paper, we consider a range of alternative priors which have been used with small VARs, discuss the issues which arise when they are used with medium and large VARs and examine their forecast performance using a US macroeconomic data set containing 168 variables. We nd that Bayesian VARs do tend to forecast better than factor methods and provide an extensive comparison of the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches. Our empirical results show the importance of using forecast metrics which use the entire predictive density, instead of using only point forecasts.

A comparative study of medium and large pore zeolites in alkylation reactions

In this thesis an attempt has been made to compare the catalytic activity of some medium and large pore zeolites in a few alkylation and acylation reactions. The work reported in the present study is basically centered around the following zeolites namely, ZSM-5, mordenite, zeolite Y and beta. The major reactions carried out were benzoylation of o-xylene, propionylation of toluene and anisole and benzylation of 0xylene.The programme involves the synthesis, modifications and characterization of the zeolite catalysts by various methods. The influence of various parameters such as non-framework cations, Si/AI ratio of zeolites, temperature of the reaction, catalyst concentration, molar ratio of the reactants and recycling of the catalysts were also examined upon the conversion of reactants and the formation of the desired products in the alkylation / acylation reactions.The general conclusions drawn by us from the results obtained are summarized in the last chapter of the thesis. Zeolite beta offers interesting opportunities as a potential catalyst in alkylation reactions and the area of catalysis by medium and large pore zeolites is very fascinating and there is plenty of scope for further research in this field. Moreover, zeolite based catalysts are effective in meeting current industrial processing and more stringent environment pollution limits.

���A comparative study of medium and large pore zeolites in alkylation reactions���

Zeolites have established themselves as industrial catalysts for over two decades for a variety of hydrocarbon processing reactions where acidity and shape selectivity are important factors. As solid catalysts, zeolites may be advantageous and superior compared to their homogenous counterparts due to their characteristic properties. It is only in recent years that the utility of zeolites for organic synthesis is recognized for producing specific organic intermediates and fine chemicals in high selectivity. In this thesis an attempt has been made to compare the catalytic activity of some medium and large pore zeolites in a few alkylation and acylation reactions. The work reported in the present study is basically centered around the following zeolites namely, ZSM-5, mordenite, zeolite Y and beta. The major reactions carried out were benzoylation of o-xylene, propionylation of toluene and anisole and benzylation of oxylene. . The programme involves the synthesis, modifications and characterization of the zeolite catalysts by various methods. The influence of various parameters such as non-framework cations, Si/Al ratio of zeolites, temperature of the reaction, catalyst concentration, molar ratio of the reactants and recycling of the catalysts were also examined upon the conversion of reactants and the formation of the desired products in the alkylation/ acylation reactions. The general conclusions drawn by us from the results obtained are summarized in the last chapter of the thesis. Zeolite beta ofi'ers interesting opportunities as a potential catalyst in alkylation reactions and the area of catalysis by medium and large pore zeolites is very fascinating and there is plenty of scope for further research in this field. Moreover, zeolite based catalysts are effective in meeting current industrial processing and more stringent environment pollution limits.

Employee benefits in medium and large private establishments [electronic resource] /

Coverage as of 2/20/03: 1997.

Employment-based health insurance : medium and large employers can purchase coverage, but some workers are not eligible : report to Congressional committees /

"B-278073"--P. 1.

Employee benefits in medium and large private establishments /

Mode of access: Internet.

Preserva����o digital nas m��dias e grandes empresas portuguesas: estudo de caso e recomenda����o de boas pr��ticas

Este estudo tem como objetivo analisar o estado atual da preserva����o digital no tecido empresarial portugu��s, particularmente nas empresas de m��dia e grande dimens��o. Para tal, exp��s-se o referencial te��rico da preserva����o digital, necess��rio para uma melhor compreens��o desta tem��tica, nomeadamente atrav��s da apresenta����o de defini����es de diversos autores, de estrat��gias e boas pr��ticas, e de algumas das iniciativas internacionais mais relevantes. De seguida apresentou-se a import��ncia que a informa����o tem para uma organiza����o, sobretudo aquela informa����o criada no ��mbito laboral. Realizou-se, tamb��m, uma caracteriza����o dos v��rios tipos de empresas, de acordo com diretivas europeias, e efetuou-se uma breve an��lise das empresas portuguesas. Para atingir esse objetivo elaborou-se um inqu��rito, por question��rio, fazendo- se uso de uma plataforma de question��rios online. Este foi remetido a 1.358 m��dias e grandes empresas que atuam em Portugal, com o objetivo de compreender ��� entre outros ��� a import��ncia dada, pelas empresas, ao material existente em formato digital, quais as tecnologias respons��veis pelo seu armazenamento e quais os cuidados realizados para assegurar o seu acesso por longos per��odos de tempo. Ao analisar os resultados, e pese embora a baixa taxa de resposta ao question��rio, foi poss��vel concluir que quase todas as empresas participantes j�� procuram substituir os documentos em papel por documentos em formato digital e que se preocupam em manter o acesso prolongado �� informa����o. N��o obstante, dois ter��os dos participantes conhecem o conceito de preserva����o digital e apenas 44% afirmam aplicar estrat��gias desse tipo na sua empresa. Apesar de cerca de 70% dos participantes reconhecerem a import��ncia do uso de formatos abertos para a preserva����o digital, na realidade ainda se verifica uma utiliza����o massiva de formatos propriet��rios ao n��vel dos documentos de texto e das folhas de c��lculo. Para al��m deste contributo anal��tico sobre o estado da preserva����o digital no tecido empresarial portugu��s, prepararam-se alguns documentos que visam auxiliar a elabora����o de um plano de preserva����o digital e, consequentemente, permitir a sustentabilidade a longo prazo da informa����o digital.

Las TIC en la administraci��n de la cadena de suministro y su incidencia en el desempe��o operacional

Las tecnolog��as de la informaci��n han empezado a ser un factor importante a tener en cuenta en cada uno de los procesos que se llevan a cabo en la cadena de suministro. Su implementaci��n y correcto uso otorgan a las empresas ventajas que favorecen el desempe��o operacional a lo largo de la cadena. El desarrollo y aplicaci��n de software han contribuido a la integraci��n de los diferentes miembros de la cadena, de tal forma que desde los proveedores hasta el cliente final, perciben beneficios en las variables de desempe��o operacional y nivel de satisfacci��n respectivamente. Por otra parte es importante considerar que su implementaci��n no siempre presenta resultados positivos, por el contrario dicho proceso de implementaci��n puede verse afectado seriamente por barreras que impiden maximizar los beneficios que otorgan las TIC.

Comparing methods for sampling large- and medium-sized mammals: camera traps and track plots

Activities involving fauna monitoring are usually limited by the lack of resources; therefore, the choice of a proper and efficient methodology is fundamental to maximize the cost-benefit ratio. Both direct and indirect methods can be used to survey mammals, but the latter are preferred due to the difficulty to come in sight of and/or to capture the individuals, besides being cheaper. We compared the performance of two methods to survey medium and large-sized mammal: track plot recording and camera trapping, and their costs were assessed. At Jatai Ecological Station (S21 degrees 31`15 ``- W47 degrees 34`42 ``-Brazil) we installed ten camera traps along a dirt road directly in front of ten track plots, and monitored them for 10 days. We cleaned the plots, adjusted the cameras, and noted down the recorded species daily. Records taken by both methods showed they sample the local richness in different ways (Wilcoxon, T=231; p;;0.01). The track plot method performed better on registering individuals whereas camera trapping provided records which permitted more accurate species identification. The type of infra-red sensor camera used showed a strong bias towards individual body mass (R(2)=0.70; p=0.017), and the variable expenses of this method in a 10-day survey were estimated about 2.04 times higher compared to track plot method; however, in a long run camera trapping becomes cheaper than track plot recording. Concluding, track plot recording is good enough for quick surveys under a limited budget, and camera trapping is best for precise species identification and the investigation of species details, performing better for large animals. When used together, these methods can be complementary.

Integration of R&D and new product development: case studies of Brazilian high-tech firms

One of the aspects that influence good performance of new product development (NPD) at high-tech companies is the integration of research and development (R&D) and the other functions involved with NPD. The objective of this paper is to examine why Brazilian medium and large sized high-tech companies are different with respect to the integration of R&D with NPD. An analysis of case studies was conducted at five Brazilian high-tech firms. Among the results, collectivism, which is characteristic of the Brazilian organisational culture, was seen to manifest itself in companies through the adoption of cross-functional teams; the valorisation of personal relations, which is stimulated by physical proximity; and project managers��� ample participation in different functions involving NPD.