State of the art nano materials

ABSTRACT: The special issue of ANM2017 is a collection of papers from the 9th series ANM (Advanced Nano Materials) conference, which was held at the University of Aveiro, Portugal, from 19-21 July 2017. State of the art results were discussed by eminent researchers on a wide range of subjects including nanomaterials, graphene materials, polymer nanocomposites, magnetic materials, spintronics materials, hydrogen energy, nanoelectronics and solar energy materials. We thank all the reviewers for their detailed reviews which immensely helped the authors to improve the quality of their papers. Advanced Nano Materials, ANM (https://www.advancednanomaterials-conference.com/) is an annual conference at the University of Aveiro, Portugal and we invite all our colleagues working in the field of energy materials to attend the next ANM.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

State of the art energy materials

ABSTRACT: The special issue of AEM2017 is a collection of papers from the second series of AEM (Advanced Energy Materials) conference, which was held at the University of Surrey, England, from 11-13 September 2017. State of the art results were discussed by eminent researchers on a wide range of subjects including battery, fuel cells, catalysis, carbon materials, photovoltaics, biofuels, polymer-based hydrogen storage, hydrogen production by various methods, crystalline porous materials for hydrogen storage. We thank all the reviewers for their detailed reviews which immensely helped the authors to improve the quality of their papers. Advanced Energy Materials, AEM (www.advanced-energymaterialsconference.com) is an annual conference and we invite all our colleagues working in the field of energy materials to attend the next AEM.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Kink scattering in the presence of geometric constrictions

We investigate kink-antikink collisions in a model characterized by two scalar fields in the presence of geometric constrictions. The model includes an auxiliary function that modifies the kinematics associated with one of the two fields. An important fact is that one of the fields can be solved independently, being responsible for changing the internal structure of the second one. We performed several collisions and observed the presence of resonance windows for small values of the parameters. Furthermore, we have been able to show the alternation between the appearance of oscillating pulses, as well as the annihilation and formation of kink-antikink pairs when the geometric constriction is more pronounced. The study of kink dynamics in models with geometric constrictions is connected with issues of interest such as domain wall formation and magnetization at the manometric scale.Comment: 30 pages, 17 figures, final version to be published in JHE

Simple camera calibration for light measurements

The availability and decreasing prices of digital photographic cameras using megapixel sensors could point to its use as high quality light measuring devices if simple and effective calibration procedures could be put to work.This paper proposes such a system, using a common digital camera combined with low cost reference color charts. The procedure to obtain the response function of the camera, the production of the color chart and its calibration is presented.In this way, it is possible to obtain light measurements otherwise only possible with sophisticated and expensive equipments.The research work is being conducted with partial funding from FCT (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology)

Calibration of camera for light quality measurements of low-power lamps

Environmental concerns and power efficiency point to increased use of power efficient lamps. Different manufacturers and price targets produce a wide range of light outputs, varying in intensity and spectral distribution. This type of apparatus also presents a non-linear load to the electric power supply, introducing some problems that should be taken in consideration and corrected as much as possible. To be able to measure light quality, we propose a technique that uses a conventional digital photographic camera and a set of colour-reference reflective cards. By analysis of the obtained images, a colour quality index can be computed and used to compare different type of lamps. The calibration of the set-up is crucial for the approach and some problems need to be solved for the reliability of the method.This work is being conducted at Algoritmi Research Centre, University of Minho and sponsored by FCT- Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, Portugal

Unintended multispecies co-benefits of an Amazonian community-based conservation programme

Urgent challenges posed by widespread degradation in tropical ecosystems with poor governance require new development pathways to reconcile biodiversity conservation and human welfare. Community-based conservation management has shown potential for integrating socio-economic needs with conservation goals in tropical environments; however, assessing the effectiveness of this approach is often held back by the lack of comprehensive ecological assessments. We conduct a robust ecological evaluation of the largest community-based conservation management initiative in the Brazilian Amazon over the last 40 years. We show that this programme has induced large-scale population recovery of the target giant South American turtle (Podocnemis expansa) and other freshwater turtles along a 1,500-km section of a major tributary of the Amazon River. Poaching activity on protected beaches was around 2% compared to 99% on unprotected beaches. We also find positive demographic co-benefits across a wide range of non-target vertebrate and invertebrate taxa. As a result, beaches protected by local communities represent islands of high biodiversity, while unprotected beaches remain ‘empty and silent’, showing the effectiveness of empowering local conservation action, particularly in countries experiencing shortages in financial and human resources

Spectral Library of Plant Species from Montesinho Natural Park in Portugal

In this work, we present and describe a spectral library (SL) with 15 vascular plant species from Montesinho Natural Park (MNP), a protected area in Northeast Portugal. We selected species from the vascular plants that are characteristic of the habitats in the MNP, based on their prevalence, and also included one invasive species: Alnus glutinosa (L.) Gaertn, Castanea sativa Mill., Cistus ladanifer L., Crataegus monogyna Jacq., Frangula alnus Mill., Fraxinus angustifolia Vahl, Quercus pyrenaica Willd., Quercus rotundifolia Lam., Trifolium repens L., Arbutus unedo L., Dactylis glomerata L., Genista falcata Brot., Cytisus multiflorus (L'H & eacute;r.) Sweet, Erica arborea L., and Acacia dealbata Link. We collected spectra (300-2500 nm) from five records per leaf and leaf side, which resulted in 538 spectra compiled in the SL. Additionally, we computed five vegetation indices from spectral data and analysed them to highlight specific characteristics and differences among the sampled species. We detail the data repository information and its organisation for a better understanding of the data and to facilitate its use. The SL structure can add valuable information about the selected plant species in MNP, contributing to conservation purposes. This plant species SL is publicly available in Zenodo platform.This research was supported by Portuguese national funds through FCT—Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology I.P., under MontObEO—Montesinho biodiversity observatory: an Earth Observation tool for biodiversity conservation (FCT: MTS/BRB/0091/2020). Cátia Rodrigues de Almeida was financially supported by Portuguese national funds through FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology I.P. (Grant: PRT/BD/153518/2021). Neftalí Sillero is supported by a CEEC2017 contract (CEECIND/02213/2017) from FCT. João C. Campos and Nuno Garcia are supported respectively by a research contract and grants from MontObEO project (MTS/BRB/0091/2020). Salvador Arenas-Castro is supported by a María Zambrano fellowship funded by the Spanish Ministry of Universities and the European Union-Next Generation Plan.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Comportamento das paredes não estruturais a ações sísmicas

A análise dos resultados dos sismos recentes relativamente a edifícios de betão armado com paredes de enchimento em alvenaria é preocupante. As imagens de expulsões para fora do plano e dano excessivo no plano são recorrentes e são também testemunhos de práticas erradas, soluções inadequadas e / ou projeto deficiente. A normativa europeia, a aplicar num futuro muito próximo, responsabiliza o projetista de estruturas pelo desempenho dos elementos não estruturais e obrigará a alterações radicais na forma como construímos as paredes de alvenaria, impedindo a utilização de panos de preenchimento de alvenaria não armada em Portugal. A Universidade do Minho, em colaboração com o Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil, desenvolveu recentemente um amplo programa de investigação que inclui ensaios estáticos e dinâmicos em pórticos de betão armado preenchidos com panos alvenaria armados e não armados. No presente artigo, apresentam-se, de forma breve, os resultados obtidos, bem como a normativa nacional aplicável e recomendações para projeto

Climate- and fire-smart landscape scenarios call for redesigning protection regimes to achieve multiple management goals

Integrated management of biodiversity and ecosystem services (ES) in heterogeneous landscapes requires considering the potential trade-offs between conflicting objectives. The UNESCO's Biosphere Reserve zoning scheme is a suitable context to address these trade-offs by considering multiple management zones that aim to minimise conflicts between management objectives. Moreover, in Mediterranean ecosystems, management and planning also needs to consider drivers of landscape dynamics such as wildfires and traditional farming and forestry practices that have historically shaped landscapes and the biodiversity they host. In this study, we applied a conservation planning approach to prioritise the allocation of management zones under future landscape and climate scenarios. We tested different landscape management scenarios reflecting the outcomes of climate-smart and fire-smart policies. We projected the expected landscape dynamics and associated changes on the distribution of 207 vertebrate species, 4 ES and fire hazard under each scenario. We used Marxan with Zones to allocate three management zones, replicating the Biosphere Reserves zoning scheme (“Core area”, “Buffer zone” and “Transition area”) to address the various management objectives within the Biosphere Reserve. Our results show that to promote ES supply and biodiversity conservation, while also minimising fire hazard, the reserve will need to: i) Redefine its zoning, especially regarding Core Areas, which need a considerable expansion to help mitigate changes in biodiversity and accommodate ES supply under expected changes in climate and species distribution. ii) Revisit current management policies that will result in encroached landscapes prone to high intensity, uncontrollable wildfires with the potential to heavily damage ecosystems and compromise the supply of ES. Our results support that both climate- and fire-smart policies in the Meseta Ibérica can help develop multifunctional landscapes that help mitigate and adapt to climate change and ensure the best possible maintenance of biodiversity and ES supply under uncertain future climate conditions.This study was supported by national funds - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology, under the “FirESmart” project (PCIF/MOG/0083/2017), and the project UIDB/04033/2020. CCS is supported by the “Financiamento Programático” UIDP/04050/2020 funded by national funds through the FCT I.P. VH was funded by the Junta de Andalucía through an Emergia contract (EMERGIA20_00135). AR is supported by ‘Juan de la Cierva’ fellowship program funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (IJC2019-041033-I). ÂS received support from the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through Ph.D. Grant SFRH/BD/132838/2017, funded by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, and by the European Social Fund - Operational Program Human Capital within the 2014–2020 EU Strategic Framework.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio