Suitable methods for landscape evaluation and valorization: the third dimension in landscape metrics

Landscape metrics have been widely developed over the last two decades. One of the major recent developments in landscape metrics analysis was the integration of the third dimension. Topography has an extremely important role in ecosystems function and structure, even though the common analysis in landscape ecology only considers a planimetric surface, which leads to some erroneous results particularly in mountain areas. In this study we tested landscape metrics behaviour in 13 sample areas of 10,000 m2 each in several topographical conditions of Central Alentejo, Portugal. The significance analysis of the results achieved in planimetric and three-dimensional environments is presented

The third dimension in landscape metrics analysis applied to Central Alentejo-Portugal

Landscape metrics have been widely developed over the last two decades, although the question remains: How does landscape metrics relates with ecological processes? One of the major recent developments in landscape metrics analysis was the third dimension integration. Topography has an extremely important role on ecosystems function and structure, even though the common analysis in landscape ecology only conceives planimetric surface which leads to some erroneous results, particularly in mountain areas. The analytical process tested patch, class and landscape metrics behavior in 11 sample areas of 100 sqkm each in several topographical conditions of Central Alentejo. It is presented the significance analysis of the results achieved in planimetric and 3D environments

Recent nonmetropolitan demographic trends in the Midwest

This research1 examines demographic trends in nonmetropolitan areas of the United States and the Midwest2 since the 1990 census using the federal-state series of county population estimates. Review of such timely information is important because nonmetropolitan demographic trends have been extremely fluid during the past 30 years (Long and DeAre, 1988). Historically, nonmetropolitan demographic change, both in the Midwest and the US, has been dominated by an excess of births over deaths sufficient to offset the net ..

Interview with the Coordinator Prof. Giuseppe Di Giovanni, University of Malta, Department of Physiology and Biochemistry

Interview with the Coordinator of the Malta Neuroscience Network Programme, Prof. Giuseppe Di Giovanni regarding the Malta Neuroscience Net- work. "With the creation of the Malta Neuroscience Network, we will be keeping up with the most important developments with regard to brain research world- wide: multi-disciplinary collaboration. Understanding the way the brain works, and above all brain diseases is extremely complicated, and requires the involvement of researchers coming from a number of diff erent scientifi c disciplines and clinical areas collaborating in new ways."peer-reviewe

A brief historical perspective of the Wiener-Hopf technique

It is a little over 75 years since two of the most important mathematicians of the 20th century collaborated on finding the exact solution of a particular equation with semi-infinite convolution type integral operator. The elegance and analytical sophistication of the method, now called the Wiener–Hopf technique, impress all who use it. Its applicability to almost all branches of engineering, mathematical physics and applied mathematics is borne out by the many thousands of papers published on the subject since its conception. The Wiener–Hopf technique remains an extremely important tool for modern scientists, and the areas of application continue to broaden. This special issue of the Journal of Engineering Mathematics is dedicated to the work of Wiener and Hopf, and includes a number of articles which demonstrate the relevance of the technique to a representative range of model problems

Real-time and fault tolerance in distributed control software

Closed loop control systems typically contain multitude of spatially distributed sensors and actuators operated simultaneously. So those systems are parallel and distributed in their essence. But mapping this parallelism onto the given distributed hardware architecture, brings in some additional requirements: safe multithreading, optimal process allocation, real-time scheduling of bus and network resources. Nowadays, fault tolerance methods and fast even online reconfiguration are becoming increasingly important. All those often conflicting requirements, make design and implementation of real-time distributed control systems an extremely difficult task, that requires substantial knowledge in several areas of control and computer science. Although many design methods have been proposed so far, none of them had succeeded to cover all important aspects of the problem at hand. [1] Continuous increase of production in embedded market, makes a simple and natural design methodology for real-time systems needed more then ever

Relation of ERTS-1 detected geologic structure to known economic ore deposits

A preliminary analysis of ERTS-1 imagery of the Northern Coast Ranges and Sacramento Valley, California, has disclosed a potentially important fracture system which may be one of the controlling factors in the location of known mercury deposits in the Coast Ranges and which appears to be associated with some of the oil and gas fields within the Sacramento Valley. Recognition of this fracture system may prove to be an extremely useful exploration tool, hence careful analysis of subsequent ERTS imagery might delineate areas for field evaluation

On the balance between strategic-basic and applied agricultural research

Strategic‐basic research refers to basic research conducted in strategically selected areas expected to be of social benefit. Recent literature on the processes of basic research and its links to applied research has not been widely discussed in relation to agricultural research. This may have important implications for the question of the optimal allocation of research resources. The links are reviewed and combined into a framework for considering the allocation question. A numerical model suggests that only a small number of the model’s parameters substantially affect the optimal level of basic research, and that it is not important to identify the optimal solution precisely, since the benefit function is extremely flat around the optimum.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Data Needs for Consumer and Retail Firm Studies

Growing concentration in the retail grocery sector raises new economic questions that are difficult to answer with existing data sources. In part because of concentration in the retail data industry as well the fact that these data are not primarily collected for academic research purposes, currently available grocery-level datasets are extremely expensive, not properly randomized, and lack critical information. We discuss the increase in concentration at the retail level, concentration in data provision, data needs for a number of important research areas, and possible solutions.Agribusiness, Consumer/Household Economics,