Peatlands in Maputaland: Genesis, substrates and properties exemplified by the region of “Greater Manguzi”

Moore in Südafrika sind wichtige, aber bedrohte Ökosysteme. Etwa 20.200 ha, zwei Drittel der südafrikanischen Moore, befinden sich auf der Maputaland Coastal Plain. Eukalyptusplantagen und gängige Anbaumethoden, die Dränung beinhalten, bedrohen die Existenz der Moore. Ein besseres Verständnis von Prozessen und Eigenschaften der Moore Maputalands ist dringend erforderlich, um effektive Schutzstrategien zu entwickeln. Diese Dissertation untersucht die Moorbildung in Maputaland aus einer bodenkundlichen Perspektive, um Voraussetzungen für effektive Schutzmaßnahmen und Renaturierungsmaßnahmen abzuleiten sowie Ratschläge für nachhaltigere Anbaumethoden auszuarbeiten. Per Großrestanalyse wurden Moor- und Torfbildungsprozesse untersucht. Auf Grundlage von 141 in Feldarbeit untersuchten Bodenprofilen wurden 15 unterschiedliche Moorsubstrate beschrieben und in genetische Substratgruppen sowie botanische Torftypen kategorisiert. Für diese Substrate wurden die folgenden physikalischen und chemischen Bodeneigenschaften bestimmt: Kohlenstoffgehalt, C/N Verhältnis, elektrische Leitfähigkeit, pH-Wert, Trockenrohdichte, Porenverteilung, gesättigte und ungesättigte hydraulische Leitfähigkeit sowie maximaler kapillarer Aufstieg. Zudem wurden die Auswirkungen von Degradierung auf die physischen und chemischen Eigenschaften der Moore untersucht. Hierfür wurden die eben benannten Kenngrößen für Substrate in verschiedenen Degradierungsstufen gemessen. Auf Grundlage der Veränderungen der Bodeneigenschaften werden die Verluste von Ökosystemfunktionen durch Degradierung diskutiert. Anhand der Häufigkeit der Substrattypen in den unterschiedlichen hydrogeomorphologischen Moortypen werden angepasste Empfehlungen für Schutz, Renaturierung und nachhaltigere landwirtschaftliche Nutzung der Moore erarbeitet, basierend auf den ermittelten Substrateigenschaften. Darüber hinaus werden auf Grundlage aktueller Klimaprognosen zukünftige Stresssituationen für die Moore durch den Klimawandel analysiert.Peatlands in South Africa are important and threatened ecosystems. They are of great socio-ecological significance, as sources of freshwater, fertile land, material for construction, medicinal plants, habitat for specialised plants and animals, and as an attraction for ecotourists. Some 20.200 ha, about two thirds of South Africa’s peatlands, are located at the Maputaland Coastal Plain. Eucalyptus plantations and common cultivation practices which include drainage are threatening the existence of the peatlands. This dissertation investigates peatland formation in Maputaland from a soil-related point of view, in order to identify the requirements for effective conservation and restoration measures, as well as more sustainable cultivation practices. Insights into peat formation processes were obtained through a macrofossil analysis. Based on the field examination of 141 soil profiles, 15 different peatland substrates were described and categorised into genetic substrate groups, and botanical peat types. Mean values for the following physical and chemical properties were determined for each substrate: Carbon content, C/N ratio, electrical conductivity, pH-value, bulk density, pore size distribution, saturated hydraulic conductivity, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity and maximum capillary rise. Moreover, the effect of degradation on the physical and chemical properties of South African peatlands was explored. Therefore, the aforementioned properties were measured for substrates at different degrees of degradation. Based on the changes in the soil properties thus established, the loss of ecosystem functions through degradation is discussed. By considering the frequency of occurrence of the substrate types in different hydrogeomorphic peatland types, adapted implications for conservation, restoration and cultivation are derived. In addition, based on the actual projections of climate change, estimations about future stress on the peatlands were derived

Análisis de la apropiación de la gráfica chicha como comunicador de identidad cultural en campañas publicitarias. Casos: “Más peruano qué…” y “El Perú tiene sabor de oro”

El siguiente trabajo de investigación tiene como principal objetivo dar un primer alcance al análisis de la apropiación de la gráfica chicha como comunicador de identidad en campañas publicitarias en el Perú. Para ello se inicia contextualizando el nacimiento y los cambios que ha tenido el estilo chicha, los primeros usos y el motivo por el cual fue creado en el mercado social peruano. Cabe resaltar que, tras los años, algunas marcas del territorio peruano recurrieron al uso de esta gráfica popular como imagen para sus campañas publicitarias, pero ya no solo como un tema de estética, sino insertando un mensaje de identidad cultural y con insights de distintos sectores de la sociedad local. Los casos específicos que serán analizados son las campañas “Más peruano que…” de la Marca Perú y “¿Sabes qué pasa cuando un peruano escucha cumbia? de la marca Oro, y para darle un previo sustento a ello, en el presente trabajo se analiza estudios y artículos que tienen como casos centrales la gráfica chicha, la publicidad popular y el sentimiento de identidad cultural en campañas publicitarias en el Perú. Algunas definiciones que se harán presentes durante la lectura serán vínculos entre los signos culturales y el diseño gráfico, apropiación de elementos culturales en la publicidad, mensaje de identidad en las campañas y el uso de elementos gráficos chicha en las marcas.The following research work deepens and its main objective is to give a first scope of the analysis of the appropriation of the chicha graphic as an identity communicator in advertising campaigns in Peru. To do this, it begins by contextualizing the birth and the changes that the chicha style has had, the first uses and the reason why it was created in the Peruvian social market. It should be noted that over the years some brands in the Peruvian territory resorted to the use of this popular graphic as an image for their advertising campaigns, but not only as a theme of aesthetics, but also inserting a message of cultural identity and with insights from different sectors of the local society. The specific cases that will be analyzed are the campaigns "More Peruvian than ..." of the Peru Brand and "Do you know what happens when a Peruvian listens to cumbia? of the Oro brand, and to give prior support to it, in this paper we analyze studies and articles whose central cases are chicha graphics, popular advertising and the feeling of cultural identity in certain Peruvian campaigns. Some definitions that will be present during the reading will be links between cultural signs and graphic design, appropriation of cultural elements in advertising, identity message in campaigns and the use of chicha graphic elements in brands.Trabajo de investigació

South African peatlands:A review of Late-Pleistocene-Holocene dvelopments using radiocarbon dating

South Africa has a limited number of peatlands and most of them are relatively small compared to those in cooler temperate regions in the northern hemisphere. We gathered 40 basal peat samples representative of South Africa’s peatlands to explore their development during the Late Pleistocene and Holocene. Depth profiles of nine of them were also investigated using radiocarbon dating, which yielded information on past environmental changes affecting South African peatlands. The data showed three peaks in the frequency of peatland initiation, which are consistent with available climatic and sea level fluctuation data: one after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and two during the Mid to Late Holocene. Inland peatlands in mountain valleys showed optimal growing conditions during the glacial-interglacial transition, continuing until the Early-Holocene. This is due to the switch to the wet and warm interglacial climate. In contrast, coastal peatlands showed optimal initiation conditions over two phases during the Holocene, which is consistent with sea level rise peaks that led to optimal moist conditions occurring ca. 6,000–3,000 and 1,000 years ago. Sea level rise reduced groundwater drainage, which led to a rise in the primary groundwater table. However, data from some of the coastal peatlands indicate independence from the sea level fluctuation, and that they are rather controlled by climatic conditions and their local hydrogeomorphic setting, e.g. perched groundwater aquifers. Some peatland complexes show a pattern of phased initiation with peat initiation consistent with altitude difference, which could be due to a positive feedback of blocking caused by peat accumulation in lower reaches, reducing groundwater drainage to the sea

Modular, Digital Shopfloor Management Model – A Maturity Assessment For A Human-Oriented Transformation Process

Currently digitization and Industry 4.0 are some of the most important trends influencing production processes and companies. In a lot of companies Shopfloor Management (SFM) is used to manage production and sustain as well as grow a strategic leadership through lean and efficient processes. Its main goal is to bring focus back to the shopfloor, where value-adding processes are performed, and to increase the connection between managers and shopfloor workers. In light of the aforementioned trend towards continued digitization, this produces a field of tension in which a trend enabling increasingly remote control of production through new digital solutions meets a principle focusing on being on site as well as intensive communication. Combing both aspects can prove to be complex as can be seen by studies showing a wide distribution of SFM in a selection of German production companies, but with exceptionally low usage of digital technology. A significant cause of this is the overwhelming number of possible aspects of Industry 4.0 increasing the difficulty of selecting manageable ideas, aggravated by a lack of integration of necessary employee and organizational change. Purpose of this paper is, therefore, to propose a theoretical basis for a digitization of SFM through the development of a model including disjunct aspects of SFM as well as a maturity index providing a means to discern different levels of digital solutions. To provide a practical viewpoint in addition to the theoretical basis, concrete SFM methods are collected and mapped to fitting areas as well as maturity levels of the underlying model. Additionally, a two-step questionnaire is conceived to allow for a selective proposition of said methods to derive an implementation sequence. All aspects of the approach are finally validated with an example company

Dimensionamiento de la fuente de alimentación de energía mediante el diseño de un banco de baterías para el prototipo de Buggy híbrido 4x4.

La batería de alto voltaje es uno de los elementos más importante en el prototipo de buggy hibrido 4X4. En este caso, es necesario dimensionar una fuente de alimentación de energía utilizando métodos ingenieriles para asegurar la calidad del ensamble para cumplir con los parámetros de funcionamiento del motor eléctrico. Se ha seleccionado las celdas de Níquel Hidruro-Metálico usadas en el vehículo hibrido más comercializados en el ecuador Toyota Prius. En la cual cada celda tiene un voltaje nominal de 7.2 V y un voltaje máximo de 9V, el voltaje de operación nominal requerido para el funcionamiento del motor eléctrico es de 48 V – 96V especificados por el fabricante. Para lo cual es necesario conectar 12 celdas en serie para formar un bloque de baterías obteniendo una tensión de 96 V, se colocó 3 bloques de baterías conectadas en paralelo para obtener un mayor rendimiento a lo que se refiere autonomía. Como toda fuente de alimentación requiere un cargador que permita realizar la carga de forma conjunta, para ello se implementó un sistema de carga el cual se puede conectar al tomacorriente de 110 que contienen las instalaciones, para ello se implementó un puente rectificador de diodos KBPC1510 que se encarga de rectificar la corriente alterna a continúa conectado a un Condensador electrolítico y varios elementos electrónicos para realizar una carga adecuada. Para las pruebas de funcionabilidad se procedió a la carga de la fuente de alimentación de energía durante 130 minutos luego se realizó pruebas de carretera dentro de un circuito determinado, en la cual se obtuvieron mediciones de voltaje y consumo de corriente obteniendo una autonomía de 800 metros, el mayor consumo de corriente por parte de la transmisión eléctrico fue de 90 Amperios al momento de superar la resistencia a la rodadura.The high voltage batteryis one of the most important elements in the 4x4 hibrid buggy prototipe . In this case , it is necessary to dimension an energy source using engineering methods to ensure the quality of the assembly to meet the operating parameters of the electric motor . The Niquel-Hydride-Metalic cells used in the most commercial hibrid vehicle in the Toyota Prius Ecuador have been selected . In which each cell has a nominal voltage of 7.2V and maximun voltage of 9V, the nominal operating voltage requiered for the operation of the electrc motor is 48V-96V specified by the manufacturer. For which it is necessary to connected 12 cells in series to form a block of batteries obtaining a voltage of 96V, placed 3 battery blocks connected in parallel to obtain a greater performance as regards autonomy. As any power supply requieres a charger that allows the face to be made jointly, for this a charging system was implemented which can be connected to the 100 outlet that contain the facilitiens, for this a KBPC 10 diode rectifier bridge was implemented that is in charge of rectifying the current it alternates to continuous connected to an electrolytic condenser and several electronic elements to realize a suitable load . For the test of functionality it proceeded to the load of power supply of energy during 130 minutes then it was made road tests inside a determined circuit, in which measurements of voltage and current consumption were obtained obtainig an autonomo 800 meters, the largest current consuption by the electric transmission was 90 Amps at the time of overcoming the residence to rollin

Capacidad antifúngica in vitro de Quitosano y Trichoderma Spp sobre Bipolaris Sp y Curvularia Sp, agentes causales del complejo de manchado del grano de arroz (Oriza sativa L.)

El arroz (Oryza sativa L.) es el alimento básico para más de la mitad de la población mundial,aunque es el más importante del mundo si se considera la extensión de la superficie en la que se cultiva y la población que depende de su cosecha. El manchado del grano constituye un factor limitante en el cultivo de arroz debido a la reducción que ocasiona tanto en el rendimiento como en la calidad del grano. El objetivo de este estudio fue determinar el potencial de control de patógenos del complejo de manchado del grano en arroz usando productos biológicos. El diseño metodológico utilizado fue un DCA y se determinaron parámetros morfométricos, el grado de antagonismo y porcentaje de inhibición de Trichoderma sobre los patógenos y a la vez un ensayo de sensibilidad in vitro con Quitosano sobre Bipolaris sp y Curvularia sp. Para el grado de antagonismo en Trichoderma spp/Curvularia sp se observó que a las 216 horas y a temperatura de 25°C el antagonista sobrecrece más de dos terceras partes de la placa. El mayor porcentaje de inhibición a las 216 horas y a temperatura de 25°C, lo presento el antagonista sobre Bipolaris sp encontrándose en la totalidad de la placa. Se observó que el mayor efecto de inhibición del crecimiento radial se presentó a las 72 y 144 horas en el T3 (0.5 g/l). La menor inhibición de crecimiento radial se obtuvo en el tratamiento T4 (0.7 g/l). La aplicación de las formulaciones a base de Quitosano en el ensayo de sensibilidad a bajas concentraciones T2 (0.3 m/l) presentó mayor efecto de inhibición desde las 24 a las 120 horas

Emerging Infectious Diseases in Water Buffalo: An Economic and Public Health Concern

Water buffalo is an indispensable livestock in Asia and other countries due to its high meat and milk quality, aside from draft power source. It adapts well to tropical climate and has significant contribution to the livestock industry, provided with improved breeding and good animal husbandry practices. Infectious diseases are hindrance to good reproductive performance of livestock, resulting in huge economic loss. In addition, most of these diseases are zoonotic, posing serious threats on human health. However, its degree of severity varies in each region and is often overlooked. This chapter reviews the common and current updates on emerging bacterial, viral, protozoal, fungal and endoparasitic pathogens that infect water buffaloes worldwide. All of the diseases directly affect the animals’ health condition except for schistosomiasis where water buffalo played an important role as shedder of infection to humans. Leptospirosis, brucellosis, Bovine Tb, BVDV and fasciolosis have projected economic impact to water buffalo industry as well as its effect as zoonoses. However, the data seem underquantified since most are neglected diseases and are highly prevalent in developing countries. Further studies are needed particularly in countries where water buffalo is the major livestock than cattle to fully utilize the potential of the animal