Overview of Digital Library Components and Developments

Digital libraries are being built upon a firm foundation of prior work as the high-end information systems of the future. A component architecture approach is becoming popular, with well established support for key components like the repository, especially through the Open Archives Initiative. We consider digital objects, metadata, harvesting, indexing, searching, browsing, rights management, linking, and powerful interfaces. Flexible interaction will be possible through a variety of architectures, using buses, agents, and other technologies. The field as a whole is undergoing rapid growth, supported by advances in storage, processing, networking, algorithms, and interaction. There are many initiatives and developments, including those supporting education, and these will certainly be of benefit in Latin America

Environmental governance of sand mining in an urban setting : Macassar Dunes, Cape Town, South Africa

Includes bibliographical references.Sand is a resource in high demand for urban expansion and development. Sand mining operations are often located on the edges of cities. The Macassar Dunes are an important source of building sand for the City of Cape Town. The area is located within the Cape Floral Kingdom, the smallest and richest of the six floral kingdoms of the world. The Macassar Dunes area has been identified as a core flora conservation site due to its unique habitat diversity and quality. South Africa is a developing country and this case study is used to highlight the tensions that arise between the need to provide building sand for development and the need for integrated and accountable management that allows for the sustainable functioning of natural physical and ecological processes as well as enhanced social and economic benefits for people

Simple identification tools in FishBase

Simple identification tools for fish species were included in the FishBase information system from its inception. Early tools made use of the relational model and characters like fin ray meristics. Soon pictures and drawings were added as a further help, similar to a field guide. Later came the computerization of existing dichotomous keys, again in combination with pictures and other information, and the ability to restrict possible species by country, area, or taxonomic group. Today, www.FishBase.org offers four different ways to identify species. This paper describes these tools with their advantages and disadvantages, and suggests various options for further development. It explores the possibility of a holistic and integrated computeraided strategy

THE STUDY OF SOIL EROSION UNDER A SYSTEMIC CONCEPTION

This article aimed to understand how erosion processes can be analyzed from a systemic point of view. Soil erosion is considered here a naturally occurring phenomenon, which can be (and usually is) influenced by human activities, constituting one of the main environmental problems of the planet, in addition to being the main modeling agent of the terrestrial surface. The consequences of the accelerated action of erosion processes are numerous, such as: reduction of natural fertility and productive capacity of soils; silting and pollution of water bodies; impoverishment of rural communities; rural exodus; among many others. Understanding the dynamics of this phenomenon becomes fundamental because a comprehension of a spatio-temporal scope, coupled with the knowledge of the possible problems that may occur with its accelerated performance, provides support for the development of sustainable management.  Given that soils are the 'foundation' of the fauna, flora, and mainly of human subsistence, it is a valuable resource. The analytical procedures of this manuscript followed the construction of a system based on a case study, exemplifying how the systemic approach can be developed in the studies of erosive processes. By analyzing soil erosion from a systemic approach, it was possible to observe how the different flows of matter and energy occurred between the variables, explain the importance of understanding erosion processes in an integrated way, and avoid fragmented and reductionist interpretations

Program and Proceedings: The Nebraska Academy of Sciences 1880-2009

PROGRAM FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 2009 REGISTRATION FOR ACADEMY, Lobby of Lecture wing, Olin Hall Aeronautics and Space Science, Olin 249 Collegiate Academy, Biology Session A, Olin B Earth Science, Olin 224 Collegiate Academy, Chemistry and Physics, Session A, Olin 324 Biological and Medical Sciences, Session A, Olin 112 Biological and Medical Sciences, Session B, Smith Callen Conference Center Junior Academy, Senior High REGISTRATION, Olin Hall Lobby NWU Health and Sciences Graduate School Fair, Olin and Smith Curtiss Halls Junior Academy, Senior High Competition, Olin 124, Olin 131 Aeronautics and Space Science, Poster Session, Olin 249 History and Philosophy of Science, Olin 325, combined section Teaching of Science and Math, Olin 325, combined section MAIBEN MEMORIAL LECTURE, OLIN B Dr. Donald Frey, Chair, Department of Family Practice, Creighton University Medical Center LUNCH, PATIO ROOM, STORY STUDENT CENTER (pay and carry tray through cafeteria line, or pay at NAS registration desk) Policy and Program Committee Luncheon, Roundup Room Emeriti Luncheon, Presidents Room Aeronautics Group, Conestoga Room Anthropology, Olin 111 Biological and Medical Sciences, Session C, Olin 112 Biological and Medical Sciences, Session D, Smith Callen Conference Center Chemistry and Physics, Section A, Chemistry, Olin A Chemistry and Physics, Section B, Physics, Planetarium Collegiate Academy, Biology Session A, Olin B Collegiate Academy, Biology Session B, Olin 249 Collegiate Academy, Chemistry and Physics, Session A, Olin 324 Junior Academy, Junior High REGISTRATION, Olin Hall Lobby Junior Academy, Senior High Competition, (Final), Olin 110 Junior Academy, Junior High Competition, Olin 124, Olin 131 NJAS Board/Teacher Meeting, Olin 219 Junior Academy, General Awards Presentations, Smith Callen Conference Center BUSINESS MEETING, OLIN B SOCIAL HOUR for Members, Spouses, and Guests First United Methodist Church, 2723 N 50th Street, Lincoln, NE ANNUAL BANQUET and Presentation of Awards and Scholarships First United Methodist Church, 2723 N 50th Street, Lincoln, N

Anthropogenic Nitrogen Deposition and Decomposer Fungi: Altered Composition and Function Fosters Greater Soil Carbon Storage

The anthropogenic deposition of reactive nitrogen (N) onto terrestrial ecosystems has accelerated dramatically in the last 160 years as the result of human activity, with future rates of deposition projected to increase further. In some temperate forests, experimental increases in N deposition have reduced decomposition and concomitantly increased soil carbon (C) storage. One mechanism proposed to explain this response is that experimental N deposition negatively affects fungal decomposers of lignin, a recalcitrant constituent of plant cells which limits the overall rate of plant litter decay. More specifically, anthropogenic N deposition is hypothesized to reduce fungal lignolysis, and, as a result, reduce the representation of lignolytic fungi while favoring fungal taxa which are less efficient lignin decomposers. I tested this mechanism by examining the composition and diversity of fungi and the lignolytic genes that they express in a long-term field experiment in a series of northern hardwood forests, which have received experimental N deposition (3 g N m-2 y-1) for nearly 20 years. First, I found that experimental N deposition altered the composition of the active fungal community in the forest floor, whereas it had miminal effect on fungal richness and diversity. In my second experiment, experimental N deposition reduced the abundance of lignolytic fungi occurring on high-lignin and wood substrates; this appeared to be part of an overall change in fungal community composition in response to experimental N deposition, wherein lignolytic taxa declined and cellulolytic fungi increased in relative abundance. In Chapter 3, I found that experimental N deposition altered the composition, but not the richness or diversity, of expressed class II fungal peroxidases in the forest floor. Together, my results revealed that experimental N deposition reduces decomposition of plant litter and increases soil C storage by altering the composition and activity of fungal decomposers. This research improves our understanding of the biological mechanism through which an agent of global change alters biogeochemical cycling in temperate forest ecosystems.PHDNatural Resources and EnvironmentUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135783/1/eentwis_1.pd

XV OPTIMA MEETING, Montpellier (France), 6-11 June 2016, Abstracts

Book of abstract of the XV OPTIMA MEETING held in Montpellier (France) from 6th to 11th June 201

Towards the biogeography of British soil microorganisms

PhD ThesisSoils are complex and highly variable ecosystems within which a multitude of diverse microbial populations can be found. Here the effects of co-correlating environmental variables and spatial separation upon the diversity and community structure of two microbial kingdoms is investigated using several molecular based community assessment methods. Using an optimised nucleic acid extraction procedure, suitable for landscape scale surveys of microbial biogeography, large scale bacterial and fungal targeted terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (t-RFLP) analysis was undertaken on soils collected as part of the Countryside Survey 2007 to show that populations of both kingdoms are structured, in part, by variability in environmental and edaphic conditions as well as spatial separation. In the case of soil bacteria, pH was identified as the most important environmental variable, although computed models suggest that many other environmental variables also play strong roles. Fungal systems have weaker relationships with environmental variability and stronger spatial relationships, although dominant plant species and soil pH were shown to significantly affect community structure. However, comparing results generated from different genes with different taxonomic resolutions hinders accurate comparisons between divergent microbial kingdoms. Pyrosequencing analysis was undertaken on 15 geographically isolated soil samples forming a natural pH gradient to address the changes in bacterial and fungal populations at great sequencing depth and at taxonomic resolutions closer to the species level. Again, in both cases, members of these kingdoms responded to differences in soil pH and the above ground plant community. A number of bacterial and fungal taxa were found to be responsible for the changes in community structure and diversity noted in the t-RFLP based experiments and are proposed as candidates for indicators of soil pH. In summary soil bacterial and fungal populations are structured according to complex laws relating to co-correlating environmental and spatial variables. This leads to the hypothesis that microbial communities are structured in similar ways to terrestrial macro organisms, and thus ecological theories derived from observations of larger animals may be investigated within the microbial world.NERC and CE

Aquilegia, Vol. 38 No. 5, Winter 2014: Newsletter of the Colorado Native Plant Society

The Colorado Native Plant Society Newsletter will be published on a bimonthly basis. The contents will consist primarily of a calendar of events, notes of interest, editorials, listings of new members and conservation news. Until there is a Society journal, the Newsletter will include short articles also. The deadline for the Newsletter is one month prior to its release.https://epublications.regis.edu/aquilegia/1194/thumbnail.jp

Cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are oxygenic organisms that play crucial roles in the cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. They are ideal model organisms for studying photosynthesis, nitrogen fixation, and other biological processes. In addition, cyanobacteria are well recognized for their potential for a variety of biotechnological applications. This book presents a comprehensive overview of this interesting and useful group of bacteria. Chapters discuss such topics as the molecular methods applied for identifying freshwater toxigenic cyanobacteria, the diverse industrial applications of cyanobacteria, the potential of cyanobacteria in wound healing, the production of a novel hemoglobin by Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, and the diversity, distribution, and applications of cyanobacteria in the Brazilian coastline