Homologació de rareses ornitològiques a Balears. Informe de 2009

Homologació de rareses ornitològiques a Balears. Informe de 2009. dinovè informe anual que presenta el Comitè de Rareses Ornitològiques del GOB. S’han homologat 31 registres, corresponents a les seguents espècies, de les quals destaca un re gistre homologat per primera vegada a les Balears, la gralla Corvus monedula. Altres cites són: negreta Melanitta nigra, rascletó Porzana parva, fuell de collar Charadrius morinellus, gavina atlàntica Larus argentatus, gavinot Larus marinus, cotoliu Lullula arborea, bosqueta pàl·lida Hippolais opaca, busqueret emmascarat Sylvia hortensis, ull de bou ibèric Phylloscopus ibericus, capsigrany roig Lanius collurio, gorrió d’ala blanca Montifringilla nivalis, pinsà trompeter Bucanetes githagineus, hortolà blanc Plectrophenax nivalis i hortolà groc Emberiza citrinella. També s’hi in clouen 15 observa cions a Balea rs homologa des pel Comité de Rarezas de la Sociedad Españo la de Ornitolo gía (CR-SeO), en què destaquen quatre re gistres homologats per primera vegada a les Balears, el moretó de collar Aythya collaris, corriol coablanca Calidris fuscicollis, boscarla de Blyth Acrocephalus dumetorum i busqueret sard Sylvia sarda. les altres observacions són l’arpella pàl·lida Circus macrourus, cegall reial Gallinago media, titina d’esquena olivàcia Anthus hodgsoni, busqueret xerraire Sylvia curruca, busqueret garriguer subespècie oriental Sylvia cantillans albistriata, i ull de bou de dues retxes Phylloscopus inornatus.Balearic Bird Rarities Committee report for 2009. The Ornithological Rarities Committee of the GOB presents its annual report. A total of 31 records was accepted corresponding to the following species, which include one first Balearic record, jackdaw Corvus monedula. The other records were: common scoter Melanitta nigra, little crake Porzana parva, dotterel Charadrius morinellus, herring gull Larus argentatus, great black-backed gull Larus marinus, woodlark Lululla arborea, western olivaceous warbler Hippolais opaca, orphean warbler Sylvia hortensis, iberian chiffchaff Phylloscopus ibericus, red-backed shrike Lanius collurio, snowfinch Montifringilla nivalis, trumpeter finch Bucanetes githagineus, snow bunting Plectrophenax nivalis, yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella. An additional 15 Balearic records were determined by the national Rarities Committee of the Sociedad española de Ornitologia (CR-SeO), the most notable of which were 4 first records for the Balearics: ring-necked duck Aythya collaris, white-rumped sandpiper Calidris fuscicollis, Blyth’s reed warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum and Marmora’s warbler Sylvia sarda. The other accepted records were pallid harrier Circus macrourus, great snipe Gallinago media, olive-backed pipit Anthus hodgsoni, lesser whitethroat Sylvia curruca, the eastern subspecies of the subalpine warbler Sylvia cantillans albistriata and yellowbrowed warbler Phylloscopus inornatus

Human rights, health and the state in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: This paper broadly discusses the role of the State of Bangladesh in the context of the health system and human rights. The interrelation between human rights, health and development are well documented. The recognition of health as a fundamental right by WHO and subsequent approval of health as an instrument of welfare by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the International Covenant on Social, Economic and Cultural Rights (ICSECR) further enhances the idea. Moreover, human rights are also recognized as an expedient of human development. The state is entrusted to realize the rights enunciated in the ICSECR. DISCUSSION: In exploring the relationship of the human rights and health situation in Bangladesh, it is argued, in this paper, that the constitution and major policy documents of the Bangladesh government have recognized the health rights and development. Bangladesh has ratified most of the international treaties and covenants including ICCPR, ICESCR; and a signatory of international declarations including Alma-Ata, ICPD, Beijing declarations, and Millennium Development Goals. However the implementation of government policies and plans in the development of health institutions, human resources, accessibility and availability, resource distribution, rural-urban disparity, the male-female gap has put the health system in a dismal state. Neither the right to health nor the right to development has been established in the development of health system or in providing health care. SUMMARY: The development and service pattern of the health system have negative correlation with human rights and contributed to the underdevelopment of Bangladesh. The government should take comprehensive approach in prioritizing the health rights of the citizens and progressive realization of these rights

Homologació de rareses ornitològiques a Balears. Informe de 2010

Homologació de rareses ornitológiques a Balears. Informe de 2010. Vintè informe anual que presenta el Comitè de Rareses Ornitològiques del GOB. S’han homologat 31 registres, corresponents a les seguents espècies, de les quals destaquen dos re gistre homologats per primera vegada a les Balears, de la gavina atlàntica subespècie Larus argentatus argentatus. Altres cites són: rascletó Porzana parva, rasclet gris Porzana pusilla, fuell de collar Endromias morinellus, gavina atlàntica Larus argentatus, llambritja becvermella Hydroprogne caspia, siboc Caprimulgus ruficollis, coadreta Cercotrichas galactotes, boscaler Locustella luscinioides, bosqueta pàl·lida Hippolais opaca, busqueret emmascarat Sylvia hortensis, capsigrany d’esquena roja Lanius collurio, gorrió d’ala blanca Montifringilla nivalis, pinsà trompeter Bucanetes githagineus i sit blanc Plectrophenax nivalis. També s’hi in clouen 10 observa cions a Balea rs homologa des pel Comité de Rarezas de la Sociedad Españo la de Ornitolo gía (CR-SEO), en què destaquen un re gistre homologat per primera vegada a les Balears, coa-roja diademada Phoenicurus moussieri. Les altres observacions són cegall reial Gallinago media, tórtora del Senegal Streptopelia senegalensis, titina de Hodgson Anthus hodgsoni, busqueret xerraire Sylvia curruca, ull de bou de dues retxes Phylloscopus inornatus, menjamosques de collar Ficedu la albicollis.Ratification of ornithological rarities in the Balearics. 2010 Report. The twentieth annual report of the GOB Ornithological Rarities Committee is presented. Thirty-one records have been accepted relating to the following species, including the first two Balearic sightings of the Herring gull subspecies Larus argentatus argentatus. The remaining records comprise Little crake Porzana parva, Baillon’s crake Porzana pusilla,Dotterel Endromias morinellus, herring gull L. argentatus, Caspian tern Hydroprogne caspia, Red-necked nightjar Caprimulgus ruficollis, Rufous bush robin Cercotrichas galactotes, Savi’s warbler Locustella luscinioides, Western olivaceous warbler Hippolais opaca, Orphean warbler Sylvia hortensis, red-backed shrike Lanius collurio, snow finch Montifringilla nivalis, Trumpeter finch Bucanetes githagineus and Snow bunting Plectrophenax nivalis. Also included are ten Balearic records accepted by the Spanish Rarities Committee (CR-SEO), the most notable of which is the first record of Moussier’s redstart Phoenicurus moussieri. The others are great snipe Gallinago media, Laughing dove Streptopelia senegalensis, Olive-backed pipit Anthus hodgsoni, Lesser whitethroat Sylvia curruca, Yellow-browed warbler Phylloscopus inornatus and Collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis

Valuing Ecosystem Services in Semi-arid Rangelands through Stochastic Simulation

Ecosystem services and economic returns from semi-arid rangelands are threatened by land degradation. Policies to improve ecosystem service delivery often fail to consider uncertainty in economic returns gained through different land uses and management practices. We apply an analytical framework using stochastic simulation to estimate the range of potential monetary outcomes of rangeland ecosystem services under different land uses, including consideration of the uncertainty and variability of model parameters. We assess monetary and non-monetary dimensions, including those ecosystem services with uncertain and missing information, for communal rangelands, commercial ranches, game farms and Wildlife Management Areas in southern Kgalagadi District, Botswana. Public land uses (communal grazing areas and protected conservation land in Wildlife Management Areas) provide higher economic value than private land uses (commercial ranches and game farms), despite private land uses being more profitable in their returns from meat production. Communal rangelands and protected areas are important for a broader range of ecosystem services (cultural/spiritual services, recreation, firewood, construction material and wild food), which play a key role in sustaining the livelihoods of the largest share of society. The full range of ecosystem services should therefore be considered in economic assessments, while policies targeting sustainable land management should value and support their provision and utilisation. By forecasting the range of plausible ecosystem values of different rangeland land uses in monetary terms, our analysis provides policymakers with a tool to assess outcomes of land use and management decisions and policies

Barriers of solar energy uptake and the potential for mitigation solutions in Barbados

Understanding the barriers that inhibit the deployment of renewable energy technologies to achieve long-term reductions in carbon emissions from the use of fossil fuels is paramount to Barbados. Although there are targets towards renewable energy (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal) uptake, the share of these technologies in the energy mix does not exist in Barbados due to the total dependence on fossil fuels. In this paper, a review of potential challenges and the main problems for deployment of alternative energy sources is presented. Through interviews, questionnaires with a focus group of key personnel’s, the paper documents the lack of renewable energy sources (with emphasis on solar energy) as one of the main alternatives to meet the carbon emission targets set by the country. The barriers and challenges facing the implementation of solar energy deployment have been clarified. From the results, it is evident that significant policy barriers still exist at the country level, which has reduced the effectiveness of a concerted national effort to deploy renewables. The current policy landscape which benefits from fossil fuel imports, the lack of technical know-how and the lack of research and development in the renewable energy space are amongst the key barriers identified. The paper also outlines the key policy’s frameworks, regulatory environment and the lack of incentives, which encompasses the renewable energy sector, and presents a critical analysis of the barriers faced by the industry. A mitigation framework is proposed to bridge the gap of solar energy (renewable energy) deployment

SLXL1, a novel acrosomal protein, interacts with DKKL1 and is involved in fertilization in mice

BACKGROUND: Spermatogenesis is a complex cellular developmental process which involves diverse families of genes. The Xlr (X-linked, lymphocyte regulated) family includes multiple members, only a few of which have reported functions in meiosis, post-meiotic maturation, and fertilization of germ cells. Slx-like1 (Slxl1) is a member of the Xlr family, whose expression and function in spermatogenesis need to be elucidated. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The mRNA and protein expression and localization of Slxl1 were investigated by RT-PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry in different tissues and at different stages of spermatogenesis. The interacting partner of SLXL1 was examined by co-immunoprecipitation and co-localization. Assessment of the role of SLXL1 in capacitation, acrosome reaction, zona pellucida binding/penetration, and fertilization was carried out in vitro using blocking antisera. The results showed that Slxl1 mRNA and protein were specifically expressed in the testis. SLXL1 was exclusively located in the acrosome of post-meiotic germ cells and interacts with DKKL1 (Dickkopf-like1), which is an acrosome-associated protein and plays an important role in fertilization. The rates of zona pellucida binding/penetration and fertilization were significantly reduced by the anti-SLXL1 polyclonal antiserum. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: SLXL1 is the first identified member of the XLR family that is associated with acrosome and is involved in zona pellucid binding/penetration and subsequent fertilization. These results, together with previous studies, suggest that Xlr family members participate in diverse processes from meiosis to fertilization during spermatogenesis

The concept of transport capacity in geomorphology

The notion of sediment-transport capacity has been engrained in geomorphological and related literature for over 50 years, although its earliest roots date back explicitly to Gilbert in fluvial geomorphology in the 1870s and implicitly to eighteenth to nineteenth century developments in engineering. Despite cross fertilization between different process domains, there seem to have been independent inventions of the idea in aeolian geomorphology by Bagnold in the 1930s and in hillslope studies by Ellison in the 1940s. Here we review the invention and development of the idea of transport capacity in the fluvial, aeolian, coastal, hillslope, débris flow, and glacial process domains. As these various developments have occurred, different definitions have been used, which makes it both a difficult concept to test, and one that may lead to poor communications between those working in different domains of geomorphology. We argue that the original relation between the power of a flow and its ability to transport sediment can be challenged for three reasons. First, as sediment becomes entrained in a flow, the nature of the flow changes and so it is unreasonable to link the capacity of the water or wind only to the ability of the fluid to move sediment. Secondly, environmental sediment transport is complicated, and the range of processes involved in most movements means that simple relationships are unlikely to hold, not least because the movement of sediment often changes the substrate, which in turn affects the flow conditions. Thirdly, the inherently stochastic nature of sediment transport means that any capacity relationships do not scale either in time or in space. Consequently, new theories of sediment transport are needed to improve understanding and prediction and to guide measurement and management of all geomorphic systems