Ecological flexibility and conservation of Fleurette's sportive lemur, Lepilemur fleuretae, in the lowland rainforest of Ampasy, Tsitongambarika Protected Area

Ecological flexibility entails an expansion of niche breadth in response to different environmental conditions. Sportive lemurs Lepilemur spp. are known to minimise energetic costs via short distances travelled, small home ranges, increased resting time, and low metabolic rates. Very little information, however, is available in the eastern rainforest, the habitat where this genus has its highest diversity. I investigate whether L. fleuretae inhabiting Tsitongambarika (TGK), the southernmost lowland rainforest in Madagascar, shows similar behavioural and ecological adaptations to the sportive lemurs inhabiting dry and deciduous forests. I collected data from July 2015 to July 2016 at Ampasy, northernmost portion of TGK. To understand patterns of resource availability, I collected phenological data on 200 tree species. I explored the ecology of L. fleuretae by gathering data on its diet, ranging patterns, and by reconstructing the activity profiles via a novel method, the unsupervised learning algorithm on accelerometer data. I estimated the anthropogenic pressure in the area and I evaluated whether local management and researchers’ presence had an effect in decreasing it. Lepilemur fleuretae at Ampasy is hyperactive when compared to other species of this genus, with longer distances travelled, larger home ranges, and less time spent resting. The species seems to reduce the competition with the folivorous A. meridionalis by including a higher proportion of fruits and flowers in their diet than other sportive lemurs. The activity of L. fleuretae is influenced by photoperiod and moon luminosity, indicating the importance of synchronizing activities with the seasonal resource availability. A combination of local management and related development strategies, such as the installation of a research station, can assist in preserving the TGK forest. My results on L. fleuretae unveiled the flexibility of the genus Lepilemur and its ability to adapt to different habitats. This study showed that the use of automatic loggers such as accelerometers can provide novel information on cryptic species difficul to achieve via direct observations. The use of these devices may shed the light on new behavioural and ecological patterns and lead to a new approach on the study of cryptic animals

Modelling of tunnelling currents in Hf-based gate stacks as a function of temperature and extraction of material parameters

In this paper we show that through electrical characterization and detailed quantum simulations of the capacitance-voltage and current-voltage characteristics it is possible to extract a series of material parameters of alternative gate dielectrics. We have focused on HfO2 and HfSiXOYNZ gate stacks and have extracted information on the nature of localized states in the dielectric responsible for a trap-assisted tunneling current component and for the temperature behavior of the I-V characteristics. Simulations are based on a 1D Poisson-Schrdinger solver capable to provide the pure tunneling current and Trap Assisted Tunneling component. Energy and capture cross section of traps responsible for TAT current have been extracted.Comment: Preprint version of a paper submitted to TED, Transaction on Electron Devices. this is the final reviewed version. This work studies HfO2 and HfSiXOYNZ gate stacks, their C-V and I-V characteristics. A temperature dependent Trap Assisted Tunnneling model was developed to explain the temperature dependence of the I-V chaacteristic

Eco-ethology of the red collared brown lemur (Eulemur collaris): comparison between groups living in well preserved and degraded littoral forest fragments, in South-eastern Madagascar

The red collared brown lemur, Eulemur collaris, is a cathemeral lemur with an extraordinary ecological flexibility that allows this lemur to live in almost every forest type in Madagascar. The littoral forests of southeastern Madagascar are among the most endangered habitats in the world, and Eulemur collaris is well adapted to live in these forests. The red collared brown lemur is mostly frugivorous, and it is an important seed disperser for a large number of plant species. Our goal was to study ecological and behavioral differences between groups of collared brown lemurs living in a more intact and in a more degraded forest fragment. For this, two groups in Mandena (a more degraded fragment) and two groups in Sainte Luce (a more intact fragment) were studied for 7 months. Each month, we collected data during 4 days per group and 1 night per site, from 06:00 to 18:00 for diurnal and from 18:00 to 06:00 for nocturnal sessions. We collected data on habitat use, activity patterns, feeding behavior, behavioral thermoregulation and social structure. Overall, lemurs at Mandena had a lower group size, had greater home ranges, spent more time resting and used more energy-saving behaviors compared to lemurs at Sainte Luce

Terceira idade fácil : sistema de gerenciamento de medicação para idosos

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Razer Anthom Nizer Rojas MontañoMonografia (especialização) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Educação Profissional e Tecnológica, Curso de Especialização em Desenvolvimento Ágil de SoftwareInclui referênciasResumo: Diversos estudos indicam que baixa adesão a tratamento medicamentoso pode causar prejuízos graves à saúde de indivíduos de idade avançada. Idosos pertencem à faixa demográfica que mais depende de tratamentos médicos, porém que menos utiliza ferramentas tecnológicas modernas pessoais no auxílio de suas tarefas pessoais. Em muitos casos, faltas quanto a medicação são falhas de gestão da informação, o que apresenta a oportunidade do desenvolvimento de ferramentas para auxiliar nestas situações. Este trabalho apresenta o desenvolvimento de um sistema para suporte a aumento de índices de adesão a tratamento medicamentoso em idosos. O autor desenvolveu dois aplicativos em Flutter: um para gestão dos pacientes, medicamentos e cronogramas por parte de um usuário que assume papel de responsável pelos idosos, como um parente ou cuidador, e outro para os idosos poderem consultar os horários de suas próximas doses, examinar instruções de ministração de medicamentos e ver imagens de exemplo, e serem avisados dos horários das doses. Ambos aplicativos compartilham o mesmo servidor de aplicação desenvolvido em Spring e banco de dados PostgreSQL. O processo de gestão do projeto adotado foi uma simplificação do Scrum, com a construção incremental do sistema ao longo do desenvolvimento de itens de backlog que são entregues ao fim de sprint

The 2012 earthquake: An abacus of surveys & interventions in Mantua churches

After the earthquake of 2012, the ecclesiastical heritage of Mantua was so damaged to render unusable many buildings. Especially churches show a higher vulnerability in relation to their architectural features. From a recognition after the seismic event, more that 40% of the churches of Mantua were damaged with different intensity. After the first phase of expeditious damage detection, a methodical analysis has allowed to know the real state of conservation of many architectures. The Diocese of Mantua commissioned to the Mantua Campus of Politecnico di Milano the survey and digital documentation of 25 churches differently affected by the seismic event. The goal of the survey was double: a) realize the documentation necessary for the shoring and protection of damaged structures; b) prepare the drawing for the following interventions on the buildings such as restoration, reconstruction and retrofitting. Five years after the earthquake, many interventions of those identified were completed and concluded. Numerically, 129 churches were damaged and, nowadays, 115 have been restored and now they are fully open. The paper aims to illustrate the operational criteria used in the survey activity and repair operations carried out in order to identify guidelines that can direct operators in cases of new consolidation measures. All these directions were based on this premise: for historic structures, it is appropriate to accept a level of awareness with seismic risk higher than for ordinary structure, rather than act in the manner contrary to criteria of preservation of cultural heritage. In these years, we tried to identify the forms of dependence between observed damages, construction types and the conservative state before the earthquake. The goal in fact is to understand the cause of the wide loss of ecclesiastic heritage. The reason can be searched in the unfamiliarity of construction practices, techniques and materials with earthquakes or the inability of existing building to resist the seismic stress because badly maintained. These two possibilities conditioned the repair choices applied on the churches. The interventions regard different techniques which were optimized not only to be applied on buildings damaged by the earthquake but also on those that gradually show the necessity of accommodation measures. It is important, in order not to miss the operational experience gained in these years, to maximize the economic resources deployed by focusing the results achieved and verify if the followed path has been consistent and, if not, adjust the direction followed. In summary, the solutions adopted are for example: ties and anchor elements, repair works on vaults with mesh and plaster, repair works on vaults with addiction of lightweight ribs; repair works on cracked vaults with wood, steel wedges and injections of natural hydraulic lime, filling in the gaps of the masonry structure to reduce vulnerabilities

Simulazione di gate stack alternativi per applicazioni di logica e memorie non volatili

Studio di gate stack alternativi, in particolare contenenti ossido di afnio e silicato di afnio, per lo studio di MOSFET di dimensioni nanometriche. La seconda parte è invece rivolta allo studio delle memorie a nanocristalli; l'introduzione di un modello fisico dei processi di generazione e ricombinazione cio ha permesso di simulare il comportamento del dot

Artificial canopy bridges improve connectivity in fragmented landscapes: The case of Javan slow lorises in an agroforest environment

Canopy bridges are increasingly used to reduce fragmentation in tropical habitats yet monitoring of their impact on the behavior of primates remains limited. The Javan slow loris (Nycticebus javanicus) is endemic to Java, Indonesia, where the species most often occurs in human-dominated, highly patchy landscapes. Slow lorises cannot leap, are highly arboreally adapted, and are vulnerable on the ground. To increase arboreal connectivity, as part of a long-term conservation project in Cipaganti, West Java, we built and monitored seven slow lorises bridges of two types – waterline or rubber – and monitored their use by seven adult individuals from 2016-2017. Motion triggered camera traps collected data for 195 ± SD 85 days on each bridge. We collected 341.76 hours (179.67 h before and 162.09 h after the installation of bridges) of behavioral and home range data via instantaneous sampling every 5-min, and terrestrial behavior (distance and duration of time spent on the ground) via all occurrences sampling. We found that slow lorises used bridges on average 12.9 ± SD 9.7 days after their instalment mainly for travelling. Slow lorises showed a trend towards an increase in their home range size (2.57 ha before, 4.11 ha after; p=0.063) and reduced ground use (5.98 s/h before, 0.43 s/h; p=0.063) after implementation of bridges. Although the number of feeding trees did not change, new feeding trees were included in the home range, and the proportion of data points spent travelling and exploring significantly decreased (p=0.018). Waterline bridges serve a purpose to irrigate the crops of local farmers who thus help to maintain the bridges, and also ascribe value to the presence of slow lorises. Other endemic mammal species also used the bridges. We advocate the use and monitoring of artificial canopy bridges as an important supplement for habitat connectivity in conservation interventions

Normal redefined: Exploring decontextualization of lorises (Nycticebus & Xanthonycticebus spp.) on social media platforms

Introduction: Decontextualization is a concept from psychology whereby new words are learned outside of the context of the here-and-now. Decontextualized language is used for discussing abstract concepts and is crucial to the development of academic language. When it comes to images, a dearth of context can lead to a lack of clarity, such as the use of ambiguous decontextualized images in environmental communication, leading to the promotion of greenwashing. Here we refer to decontextualization as the removal of wildlife from their wild ecological context. Images and videos of globally threatened species are increasingly popular on social media. Showing such taxa alongside humans may impact public perceptions of their abundance and need for conservation and can increase illegal trade. One group of animals that are particularly popular on social media platforms are the slow and pygmy lorises (Nycticebus spp., Xanthonycticebus spp.). Methods: Here, we examined 100 videos from three popular social media platforms (YouTube, TikTok, and Giphy) to calculate how often and in which ways these videos remove slow lorises from their natural ecological and behavioural context. We also examined views and likes to determine viewer engagement trends. We used relevant content from each site to assess the presence of decontextualization using five conditions. Results: In all but two videos, conditions of decontextualization were present and 77% of all videos had four to five conditions of decontextualization. Using Spearman correlation, we found a significant effect of decontextualization scores on the number of views and likes for YouTube and TikTok videos. Views were significantly higher when videos presented animals in anthropogenic settings (i.e., in human-made structures or in proximity of human artefacts). Additionally, views on TikTok and YouTube were significantly higher when animals displayed signs of stress or ill health and when they were in unnatural conditions. Discussion: Our case study of lorises provides an example of the danger of decontextualizing wild animals on social media. Public preference for imagery where animals are neglected is indicative that better guidelines need to be put in place and policed by social media platforms. Additionally, conservationists need to develop strategies to promote wild imagery and further explore decontextualization if we are to understand and address the drivers of the rampant illegal wildlife trade online

The perspectives of key stakeholders on the reintroduction of apex predators to the United Kingdom

Apex predators were extirpated from the UK hundreds of years ago. Practitioners have recently advocated for reintroductions of predators in the UK given their role as keystone species. For a reintroduction to take place, a survey of public desirability needs to be conducted. We aimed to understand the perspectives of people across the United Kingdom on the reintroduction of Eurasian lynxes, gray wolves, and brown bears. We collected data via mixed-methods questionnaires from 78 key stakeholders, such as farmers, the general public, nature conservationists, and those in environmental sectors, with these areas being seen as the most affected by these reintroductions. It was organizations that front these stakeholder groups which mainly distributed the survey as well as social media groups. We ran a path analysis, which highlighted that there was a negative correlation between respondents viewing the species as a danger toward livestock and humans, and the respondent seeing it as being good to have that species in their region. Overall, participants who stated that rewilding their region was a priority also stated that it would be good to have Eurasian lynx in their region. That said, 70% of farmers strongly disagreed with the reintroduction of Eurasian lynx. These findings showed that much of the United Kingdom would welcome the reintroduction of Eurasian lynx, but both farmers and the public would fear the loss of livestock that may come along with these species. Support can be gained through education and knowledge, which is a necessary step needed especially targeting farmers before any reintroduction plans can be made

Temporal niche separation between the two ecologically similar nocturnal primates Avahi meridionalis and Lepilemur fleuretae

Time is considered a resource in limited supply, and temporal niche separation is one of the most common strategies that allow ecologically similar species to live in sympatry. Mechanisms of temporal niche separation are understudied especially in cryptic animals due to logistical problems in gathering adequate data. Using high-frequency accelerometers attached to radio-collars, we investigated whether the ecologically similar lemurs Avahi meridionalis and Lepilemur fleuretae in the lowland rainforest of Tsitongambarika, south-eastern Madagascar, show temporal niche separation. Accelerometers stored data with a frequency of 1 Hz for a total of 71 days on three individuals of A. meridionalis and three individuals of L. fleuretae. We extrapolated motor activity patterns via the unsupervised learning algorithm expectation maximisation and validated the results with systematic behavioural observations. Avahi meridionalis showed peaks of activity at twilights with low but consistent activity during the day, while L. fleuretae exhibited more activity in the central hours of the night. Both lemur species had their activity pattern entrained by photoperiodic variations. The pair-living A. meridionalis was found to be lunarphilic while the solitary-living L. fleuretae was lunarphobic. We suggest that these activity differences were advantageous to minimise feeding competition, as an anti-predator strategy, and/or for dietary-related benefits. These findings demonstrate a fine-tuned temporal partitioning in sympatric, ecologically similar lemur species and support the idea that an activity spread over the 24-h, defined here as cathemerality sensu lato, is more common than previously thought in lemurs. Significance statement. Ecologically similar species may exhibit temporal niche partitioning and separate their peaks of activity when co-occurring in an area. We show for the first time that the mainly nocturnal genus Avahi can exhibit high crepuscular activity with low but consistent bouts of activity (up to 44.6% of daily activity) during the day. We defined this activity as cathemerality sensu lato as opposed to the cathemerality sensu stricto observed in Eulemur sp. We suggest that this flexible activity may be advantageous for the species to minimise feeding competition and predatory pressure, and/or to provide dietary-related benefits. This finding in the secondary nocturnal genus Avahi supports the idea that activity patterns in lemurs are graded and traditional categorisations are inadequate