Meteorological Droughts in Europe: Events and Impacts - Past Trends and Future Projections

Observational records from 1950 onwards and climate projections for the 21st century provide evidence that droughts are a recurrent climate feature in large parts of Europe, especially in the Mediterranean, but also in western, south-eastern and central Europe. Trends over the past 60 years show an increasing frequency, duration and intensity of droughts in these regions, while a negative trend has been observed in north-eastern Europe. With a changing climate, this tendency is likely to be reinforced during the 21st century, affecting a wide range of socioeconomic sectors. The report provides a detailed description of the characteristics of drought events (i.e. their frequency, duration, intensity, severity) across Europe, and their evolution over the period 1950 to 2012, as well as projections until the end of the 21st century. A pan-European database of meteorological drought events for the period 1950-2012 and of their related sectorial impacts was built and a framework developed that links drought severity to expected damages under present and future climate.Fil: Spinoni, Jonathan. European Commission Joint Research Centre; ItaliaFil: Naumann, Gustavo. European Commission Joint Research Centre; Italia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Vogt, Jürgen. European Commission Joint Research Centre; ItaliaFil: Barbosa, Paulo. European Commission Joint Research Centre; Itali

Dever de convalidação do ato administrativo: sob a ótica da proteção à confiança

TCC(graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro de Ciências Jurídicas. Direito.Este trabalho tem o objetivo de analisar os fundamentos jurídicos da discussão sobre a obrigatoriedade ou discricionariedade da convalidação do ato administrativo diante da aplicação do princípio da proteção à confiança. O método empregado é o dedutivo com pesquisa bibliográfica. O ato administrativo representa um meio de controle da função administrativa, porque possibilita a sua obediência à legalidade. No caso de invalidade do ato administrativo, é necessário que a Administração Pública corrija a ilegalidade. Quando se tratar de ato com irregularidade ou defeitos sanáveis, a convalidação é um meio de preservar a situação jurídica relacionada com o ato defeituoso, porque esse instituto corrige a ilegalidade mediante um novo ato que confere validade ao ato anterior com efeitos retroativos desde a sua origem. Entretanto, não é pacífico o caráter do instituto, quanto a ele ser uma faculdade discricionária ou obrigatória. Sobre isso, o trabalho demonstra que os princípios da legalidade e da segurança jurídica determinam a obrigatoriedade na sua aplicação. O princípio da proteção à confiança é decorrente da segurança jurídica e possui normatividade no direito brasileiro. Esse princípio confirma a obrigatoriedade de convalidar, porque por ele são protegidas as expectativas legítimas criadas nos administrados com o ato inválido. A conclusão do trabalho é no sentido de que a convalidação é um dever para a Administração Pública, diante da aplicação do princípio da proteção à confiança, porque são protegidas as expectativas legítimas criadas no administrado

Developing and validating an isotrigon texture discrimination task using Amazon Mechanical Turk

The human visual system must employ mechanisms to minimize informational redundancy whilst maintaining that which is behaviorally relevant [1, 2]. Previous research has concentrated on two-point correlations via spatial frequency and orientation tuning. Higher-order correlations are less studied, but they may inform us about cortical functioning [3]. Isotrigon textures can be used to probe the sensitivity of the human visual system as their structure is exclusively due to 4th and higher-order spatial correlations [4]. Although artificially generated, the same features that give isotrigons salience also create salience in natural images [2]. We implemented an isotrigon discrimination task using the crowdsourcing platform Amazon Mechanical Turk (mTurk) [5]. An important secondary aim was to evaluate the suitability of mTurk for visual psychometric studies as very few exist [6]. 960 HITs were uploaded to mTurk and 121 naïve subjects participated. Based on data quality, 91% of HITs were retained at a cost of $0.132 AUD per HIT. The mTurk data was compared to two supervised lab datasets. Lab and mTurk performance functions were very similar (Figure 1A) and highly correlated (Figure 1B). Bland-Altman plots were examined and the mean lab/mTurk coefficient of repeatability was 15.5%. Factor analysis was performed on the combined data and 2 principal factors were identified. Previous studies support that the number of mechanisms is less than 10 [7] and more likely 2-4 [8, 9]. The congruence between the lab and mTurk data is striking considering the unsupervised mode of delivery. In conclusion, mTurk is an underutilized platform for visual psychometric research which can produce data of comparable quality to lab samples at reduced cost and increased scale

Fast compressive Raman bio-imaging via matrix completion

Raman microscopy is a powerful method combining non-invasiveness with no special sample preparation. Because of this remarkable simplicity, it has been widely exploited in many fields, ranging from life and materials sciences to engineering. Notoriously, due to the required imaging speeds for bio-imaging, it has remained a challenge how to use this technique for dynamic and large-scale imaging. Recently, a supervised compressive Raman framework has been put forward, allowing for fast imaging, therefore alleviating the issue of speed. Yet, due to the need for strong a priori information of the species forming the hyperspectrum, it has remained elusive how to apply this supervised method for microspectroscopy of (dynamic) biological tissues. Combining an original spectral under-sampling measurement technique with a matrix completion framework for reconstruction, we demonstrate fast and inexpensive label-free molecular imaging of biological specimens (brain tissues and single cells). Using the matrix completion outcome with the supervised method allows for large compressions (64 × ) and bio-imaging speeds surpassing current technology in spontaneous Raman microspectroscopy. Therefore, our results open interesting perspectives for clinical and cell biology applications using the much faster compressive Raman framework

T-Branes and G2G_2 Backgrounds

Compactification of M- / string theory on manifolds with $G_2$ structure yields a wide variety of 4D and 3D physical theories. We analyze the local geometry of such compactifications as captured by a gauge theory obtained from a three-manifold of ADE singularities. Generic gauge theory solutions include a non-trivial gauge field flux as well as normal deformations to the three-manifold captured by non-commuting matrix coordinates, a signal of T-brane phenomena. Solutions of the 3D gauge theory on a three-manifold are given by a deformation of the Hitchin system on a marked Riemann surface which is fibered over an interval. We present explicit examples of such backgrounds as well as the profile of the corresponding zero modes for localized chiral matter. We also provide a purely algebraic prescription for characterizing localized matter for such T-brane configurations. The geometric interpretation of this gauge theory description provides a generalization of twisted connected sums with codimension seven singularities at localized regions of the geometry. It also indicates that geometric codimension six singularities can sometimes support 4D chiral matter due to physical structure "hidden" in T-branes.Comment: v2: 47 pages, 3 figures, references and clarifications added, typos correcte

Global population‐weighted degree‐day projections for a combination of climate and socio‐economic scenarios

AbstractThe projected global temperature increase in the 21st century is expected to have consequences on energy consumption due to increase (decrease) in energy demand to cool (heat) the built environments. Such increase (decrease) also depends on the number of end users for such energy, thus it is crucial to include population into the analyses. This study presents population‐weighted (w) cooling (CDD), heating (HDD), and energy (EDD) degree‐day projections at global, regional, and local scales for the 21st century. We used a large ensemble of high‐resolution (0.44°) climate simulations from the COordinated Regional‐climate Downscaling EXperiment (CORDEX) to compute degree‐days for baseline (1981–2010) and global warming levels (GWLs from 1.5°C to 4°C), based on two representative concentration pathways. We used population projections from the NASA‐SEDAC datasets, driven by five socio‐economic scenarios (SSPs). The progressive increase in CDD outbalances the decrease in HDD in Central and South America, Africa, and Oceania and the opposite situation is likely to occur in North America, Europe, and Asia; at global scale, they are balanced. However, if results are weighted according to population, the increase in wCDD outbalances the decrease in wHDD almost everywhere for most GWLs and SSPs. Few regions show a decreasing tendency in wEDD at high GWLs for all SSPs: central Europe, northwestern, northeastern, and eastern Asia. Globally, wEDD are likely to double at 2°C compared to 1981–2010 independently of the SSP. Under the worst‐case scenario (SSP3), at 4°C wCDD are approximately 380% higher and wHDD approximately 30% lower than in the recent past, leading to an increase in wEDD close to 300%

A DINÂMICA DO CONHECIMENTO NA CONSTRUÇÃO DE UMA UNIVERSIDADE EMPREENDEDORA: POTENCIALIDADES E FRAGILIDADES OBSERVADAS NA UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE PERNAMBUCO

O presente estudo visa refletir sobre potencialidades e fragilidades para o surgimento de uma Universidade Empreendedora, com base, principalmente, em pesquisas realizadas na Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) em 2013 e 2015. Destaca-se aqui a produção e disseminação do conhecimento, a inovação, a sociedade do conhecimento, a gestão e a burocracia como elos estruturadores da relação acadêmica e institucional com o mercado e a sociedade. Aborda-se, para tanto, a dinâmica do conhecimento e sua relevância no contexto da globalização e da atual sociedade, bem como as transformações que afetam o Estado e redefinem o seu papel. A metodologia adota uma abordagem qualitativa com a técnica de estudo de caso, valendo-se de análise de dados, a partir da análise argumentativa de Toulmin (2001) aplicada nas pesquisas supramencionadas. Os achados desta reflexão evidenciam a pertinência e atualidade dos estudos de Henry Etzkowitz (2009), sobre a relação Universidade-Indústria-Governo (hélice tríplice), e Peter Evans (2004), atinente à estrutura de Estado e relação Estado-Sociedade, ao explicarem aspectos importantes do processo de desenvolvimento econômico e social

Marketing de guerrilla en la microindustria de calzado de cuero

The present project aims to contribute to the micro industry in shoes, allowing it to increase its sales volumes and make its products known to the population in Latacunga in a different way than conventional with the application of guerrilla marketing strategy which will also help micro-industry in shoes is more competitive within the market. We can discover that some of the reasons why industry in shoes does not apply this type of marketing is because of their total inexperience of the same or the lack of academic preparation that exist in the owners of the micro industry in shoes, that is through the creation of the strategy done a diagnosis of the internal and external situation of the micro-industries will have a guide that facilitates the execution of these strategies. The researching project will have the application of techniques and tools that will contribute the development of this, which will be of great importance for their respective execution, the researching project has as its purpose to become a reference for micro industry of footwear leading them to be competitive within a changing market.El presente proyecto pretende contribuir con la microindustria del calzado, permitiéndole incrementar sus volúmenes de ventas y hacer conocer su productos a la población de Latacunga de una manera diferente a lo convencional con la aplicación de estrategia de marketing de guerrilla lo cual también ayudará a que las microindustria del calzado sean más competitivas dentro del mercado. Podemos descubrir que algunas de las causas por lo que las industria del calzado no aplican este tipo de marketing es por su total desconocimiento del mismo o la falta de preparación académica que existen en los propietario de las microindustria de calzado, es por eso q a través de la creación de la estrategia mediante un diagnóstico de la situación interna y externa de las microindustrias tendrán una guía que facilite la ejecución de dichas estrategias. El proyecto de investigación contara con la aplicación de técnicas y herramientas que contribuirán con el desarrollo del mismo los cuales serán de mucha importancia para su respectiva ejecución, el proyecto de investigación tiene como propósito convertirse en referente para las microindustria de calzado llevándolas así a ser competitivas dentro de un mercado cambiante

CAN LANDSCAPE UNITS MAP HELP THE CONSERVATION OF SPIX´S MACAW?

Several studies suggest that Cyanopsitta spixii occurs mainly in Tabebuia caraiba (Mart.) Bureau gallery woodlands of northern Bahia (Brazil). The recently creation of two Protected Areas (2018) is combining efforts to ensure the reintroduction and conservation of this Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct in the Wild) macaw. Achieving species conservation requires the definition of priority conservation areas and habitat recovery and the Landscape Cartography can be a relevant tool for this purpose. This research aimed to verify if there is a correlation between Landscape Units map and the Spix’s macaw occurrence. Here the Protected Areas landscape is described in three main components: land cover, landforms and superficial geology and then overlapped to occurrence map of Spix’s macaw and its most similar syntopic parrot, Primolius maracana. Spatial correlation revealed a correspondence of 85.48% to Dry River Environment Landscape pattern and C. spixii occurrence, indicating the importance to prioritize fluvial Landscapes conservation, combined with conservation strategies that must include the local population, since this are important territories for their survival