Where are we now with European forest multi-taxon biodiversity and where can we head to?

The European biodiversity and forest strategies rely on forest sustainable management (SFM) to conserve forest biodiversity. However, current sustainability assessments hardly account for direct biodiversity indicators. We focused on forest multi-taxon biodiversity to: i) gather and map the existing information; ii) identify knowledge and research gaps; iii) discuss its research potential. We established a research network to fit data on species, standing trees, lying deadwood and sampling unit description from 34 local datasets across 3591 sampling units. A total of 8724 species were represented, with the share of common and rare species varying across taxonomic classes: some included many species with several rare ones (e.g., Insecta); others (e.g., Bryopsida) were represented by few common species. Tree-related structural attributes were sampled in a subset of sampling units (2889; 2356; 2309 and 1388 respectively for diameter, height, deadwood and microhabitats). Overall, multi-taxon studies are biased towards mature forests and may underrepresent the species related to other developmental phases. European forest compositional categories were all represented, but beech forests were over-represented as compared to thermophilous and boreal forests. Most sampling units (94%) were referred to a habitat type of conservation concern. Existing information may support European conservation and SFM strategies in: (i) methodological harmonization and coordinated monitoring; (ii) definition and testing of SFM indicators and thresholds; (iii) data-driven assessment of the effects of environmental and management drivers on multi-taxon forest biological and functional diversity, (iv) multi-scale forest monitoring integrating in-situ and remotely sensed information

A NEW HABITAT CLASSIFICATION AND MANUAL FOR STANDARDIZED HABITAT MAPPING

Today the documentation of natural heritage with scientific methods but for conservation practice – like mapping of actual vegetation – becomes more and more important. For this purpose mapping guides containing only the names and descriptions of vegetation types are not sufficient. Instead, new, mapping-oriented vegetation classification systems and handbooks are needed. There are different standardised systems fitted to the characteristics of a region already published and used successfully for surveying large territories. However, detailed documentation of the aims and steps of their elaboration is still missing. Here we present a habitat-classification method developed specifically for mapping and the steps of its development. Habitat categories and descriptions reflect site conditions, physiognomy and species composition as well. However, for species composition much lower role was given deliberately than in the phytosociological systems. Recognition and mapping of vegetation types in the field is highly supported by a definition, list of subtypes and list of ‘types not belonging to this habitat category’. Our system is two-dimensional: the first dimension is habitat type, the other is naturalness based habitat quality. The development of the system was conducted in two steps, over 200 mappers already tested it over 7000 field days in different projects

Social Potential Models For Modeling Traffic And Transportation

The Social Potential , which the authors will refer to as the SP, is the name given to a technique of implementing multi-agent movement in simulations by representing behaviors, goals, and motivations as artificial social forces. These forces then determine the movement of the individual agents. Several SP models, including the Flocking, Helbing-Molnar-Farkas-Visek (HMFV), and Lakoba-Kaup-Finkelstein (LKF) models, are commonly used to describe pedestrian movement. A systematic procedure is described here, whereby one can construct and use these and other SP models. The theories behind these models are discussed along with the application of the procedure. Through the use of these techniques, it has been possible to represent schools of fish swimming, flocks of birds flying, crowds exiting rooms, crowds walking through hallways, and individuals wandering in open fields. Once one has an understanding of these models, more complex and specific scenarios could be constructed by applying additional constraints and parameters. The models along with the procedure give a guideline for understanding and implementing simulations using SP techniques. © 2009, IGI Global

"Social Potential" Models for Modeling Traffic and Transportation

The Social Potential , which the authors will refer to as the SP, is the name given to a technique of implementing multi-agent movement in simulations by representing behaviors, goals, and motivations as artificial social forces. These forces then determine the movement of the individual agents. Several SP models, including the Flocking, Helbing-Molnar-Farkas-Visek (HMFV), and Lakoba-Kaup-Finkelstein (LKF) models, are commonly used to describe pedestrian movement. A systematic procedure is described here, whereby one can construct and use these and other SP models. The theories behind these models are discussed along with the application of the procedure. Through the use of these techniques, it has been possible to represent schools of fish swimming, flocks of birds flying, crowds exiting rooms, crowds walking through hallways, and individuals wandering in open fields. Once one has an understanding of these models, more complex and specific scenarios could be constructed by applying additional constraints and parameters. The models along with the procedure give a guideline for understanding and implementing simulations using SP techniques. © 2009, IGI Global

Human-Robot Teams Collaborating Socially, Organizationally, and Culturally

We describe an approach examining multi-level collaboration challenges by integrating social, organizational, and cultural factors for human-robot teams operating in the real world. We discuss the research at three levels of social interaction: within a team, within a social environment, and within a culture. We first describe research exploring psychologically and biologically inspired models of behavior to extend the capabilities of heterogeneous multi-human, multi-robot teams. We then discuss research issues that must be addressed to provide insights on how robots can correctly vary actions in response to cultural populations and geospatial environments by recognizing and properly interpreting human configurations, cultural artifacts and behaviors. The goal is to make it possible for robots to function effectively within dynamic operational and social situations

A Placebo-Controlled Study to Assess the Sensitivity of Finger Tapping to Medication Effects in Parkinson's Disease

Background Movement Disorder Society-Unified Parkinson's Rating Scale Part III (MDS-UPDRS III) is the gold standard for assessing medication effects in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, short and rater-independent measurements would be ideal for future trials. Objectives To assess the ability of 3 different finger tapping tasks to detect levodopa/carbidopa-induced changes over time and to determine their correlation and compare their discriminatory power with MDS-UPDRS III. Methods This was a randomized, double-blind, crossover study in 20 patients with PD receiving levodopa/carbidopa and placebo capsules after overnight medication withdrawal. Pre- and up to 3.5 hours postdose, MDS-UPDRS III and tapping tasks were performed. Tasks included 2 touchscreen-based alternate finger tapping tasks (index finger versus index-middle finger tapping) and a thumb-index finger task using a goniometer. Results In the alternate index finger tapping task, levodopa/carbidopa compared with placebo resulted in significantly faster (total taps: 12.5 [95% confidence interval, CI, 6.7-18.2]) and less accurate tapping (total spatial error: 240 mm [95% CI, 123-357 mm]) with improved rhythm (intertap interval standard deviation [SD], -16.3% [95% CI, -29.9% to 0.0%]). In the thumb-index finger task, tapping was significantly faster (mean opening velocity, 151 degree/s [64-237 degree/s]), with a higher mean amplitude (8.4 degrees [3.7-13.0 degrees]) and improved rhythm (intertap interval SD, -46.4% [95% CI, -63.7% to -20.9%]). The speed-related endpoints showed a moderate-to-strong correlation with the MDS-UPDRS III (r = 0.45-0.70). The effect sizes of total taps and spatial error in the alternate index finger tapping task and opening velocity in the thumb-index finger task were comparable with the MDS-UPDRS III. In contrast, the MDS-UPDRS III performed better than the alternate index-middle finger task. Conclusion The alternate index finger and the thumb-index finger tapping tasks provide short, rater-independent measurements that are sensitive to levodopa/carbidopa effects with a similar effect size as the MDS-UPDRS III.Perioperative Medicine: Efficacy, Safety and Outcome (Anesthesiology/Intensive Care