Mértola in Late Antiquity: new archeological and epigraphic data

En Mértola se ha encontrado recientemente un considerable grupo de inscripciones paleocristianas que se asocian a dos monumentos de la Antigüedad Tardía. Uno de ellos parcialmente conocido, otro totalmente inédito. Los dos han sido objeto de excavaciones entre 2008 y 2009. Los nuevos textos epigráficos vienen a aumentar la ya numerosa colección epigráfica conocida y a reforzar la idea del uso de las lenguas griega y latina en el seno de una misma comunidad, la del puerto fluvial de Mértola, en el siglo VI d.C.Recently a new group of paleochristian inscriptions and two new monuments were found in Mértola. One of them was already known, but the other was ignored till now. Both were excavated between 2008 and 2009. The new epigraphic texts increase the large epigraphical collection already known, reinforcing the idea that both latin and greek were used within the same community, in the fluvial harbour of Mértola, in VI century a.C

Biotic integrity of the arthropod communities in the natural forests of Azores

Copyright © Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2006.The loss of biotic integrity in ecosystems due to human pressure has been receiving much attention from the scientific community. The primary aim of this study is to understand how the increasing human pressure on natural forests in the Azorean archipelago (North Atlantic) is affecting their epigean arthropod communities and which biological parameters it affects most. An expert team did fieldwork covering most of the natural forests (mainly inside nature reserves) of the archipelago using standardized pitfall trapping. To build a multimetric index we tested a number of taxonomic and ecological parameters that can potentially be influenced by disturbance. Sixteen of these were found to be significantly influenced by disturbance in forests. We retained seven metrics due to both, desirable scalability properties and relatively low correlation between them. These included the percentages of endemic and predator species richness and also predator abundance, which are inversely related to disturbance; and the percentages of native and saprophagous species richness and introduced and herbivore abundance, which are positively related to disturbance. All seven metrics were combined in an Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) value. We then proceeded to understand which potential disturbance factors are influencing the biotic integrity of communities and how such influence is felt. Five disturbance factors were found to influence the IBI, although in different ways: the size and fragmentation of reserves, the distance of sites to the reserve borders, the invasion by alien plants and the density of human paths at the sites. Given that only percentages of taxonomical or ecological characteristics were chosen as metrics, we tested and found the scalability of the IBI to be possible, allowing the comparison of sites with different collecting effort or even the comparison of reserves with different areas and numbers of collecting sites in each. Finally, we propose a novel graphical representation for multimetric indices like the IBI, one which allows retaining much of the information that is usually lost in multimetric indices

Evaluating the performance of species richness estimators: sensitivity to sample grain size

Copyright © 2006 British Ecological Society.1. Fifteen species richness estimators (three asymptotic based on species accumulation curves, 11 nonparametric, and one based in the species-area relationship) were compared by examining their performance in estimating the total species richness of epigean arthropods in the Azorean Laurisilva forests. Data obtained with standardized sampling of 78 transects in natural forest remnants of five islands were aggregated in seven different grains (i.e. ways of defining a single sample): islands, natural areas, transects, pairs of traps, traps, database records and individuals to assess the effect of using different sampling units on species richness estimations. 2. Estimated species richness scores depended both on the estimator considered and on the grain size used to aggregate data. However, several estimators (ACE, Chao1, Jackknife1 and 2 and Bootstrap) were precise in spite of grain variations. Weibull and several recent estimators [proposed by Rosenzweig et al. (Conservation Biology, 2003, 17, 864-874), and Ugland et al. (Journal of Animal Ecology, 2003, 72, 888-897)] performed poorly. 3. Estimations developed using the smaller grain sizes (pair of traps, traps, records and individuals) presented similar scores in a number of estimators (the above-mentioned plus ICE, Chao2, Michaelis-Menten, Negative Exponential and Clench). The estimations from those four sample sizes were also highly correlated. 4. Contrary to other studies, we conclude that most species richness estimators may be useful in biodiversity studies. Owing to their inherent formulas, several nonparametric and asymptotic estimators present insensitivity to differences in the way the samples are aggregated. Thus, they could be used to compare species richness scores obtained from different sampling strategies. Our results also point out that species richness estimations coming from small grain sizes can be directly compared and other estimators could give more precise results in those cases. We propose a decision framework based on our results and on the literature to assess which estimator should be used to compare species richness scores of different sites, depending on the grain size of the original data, and of the kind of data available (species occurrence or abundance data)

Aquatic Pollution Study Based on Analysis of Mollusk Diversity as a Bioindicator

This research aims to determine the condition of coastal water quality at Sam Ratulangi University's Marine Field Station by looking at the diversity of mollusks and the physical and chemical parameters of the waters as supporting parameters. The method used to determine the research location was the Quadratic Transect method, while to determine the sampling point the random sampling method was used, namely selecting sampling locations randomly based on areas with dominant activities. The mollusks taken are mollusks that are still alive and can be seen attached, both on the surface of the substrate and inside the substrate. Observations of the place and substrate where the individual attached/immersed themselves were carried out by measuring the water quality, where the temperature was 300C, salinity 28%0, and pH 8). The identification results obtained were 29 types. In the final step after the sample has been identified, all data obtained will be analyzed to obtain results from the research carried out. This research is expected to provide information about the condition of water pollution at Sam Ratulangi University's Marine Field Station in determining management policies and preserving the aquatic ecosystem. Keywords: Bioindicators, Molluscs, Diversity, Pollution. Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui kondisi kualitas perairan pesisir Marine Field Station Universitas Sam Ratulangi dengan melihat keanekaragaman moluska serta parameter fisika kimia perairan sebagai parameter pendukung.  Metode yang digunakan dalam menentukan lokasi penelitian adalah metode Transek Kuadrat, sedangkan untuk menentukan titik pengambilan sampel digunakan metode random sampling, yaitu pemilihan lokasi pengambilan sampel secara acak berdasarkan kawasan dengan kegiatan yang dominan. Moluska yang diambil adalah Moluska dalam keadaan masih hidup yang terlihat menempel, baik di permukaan substrat maupun di dalam subtrat. Pengamatan tentang tempat maupun substrat dimana individu tersebut menempel/membenamkan diri dilakukan pengukuran kualitas air, di mana suhu 300C, salinitas 28%0 dan pH 8). Hasil  indentifikasi diperoleh sebanyak 29 jenis. Langkah terakhir setelah sampel diidentifikasi, semua data yang diperoleh akan dianalisis untuk memperoleh hasil dari penelitian yang dilakukan. Penelitian ini diharapkan sebagai informasi tentang kondisi pencemaran perairan Marine Field Station Universitas Sam Ratulangi dalam penentuan kebijakan pengelolaan serta menjaga kelestarian ekosistem perairan. Kata kunci: Bioindikator, Moluska, Keanekaragaman, Pencemaran

Towards systematic conservation planning in the Azores

Several field methodologies, analytical measures and theoretical patterns have been explored for conservation planning for arthropods in native forests of the Azores archipelago. Here, the outcomes are assembled to make recommendations on practical strategies to assess arthropod diversity and to select and manage protected native forests in the Azores. Suggestions are made on how to apply similar plans for conservation of other plant and animal groups in these forests. Potential threats to the Azorean native forest are described and measures to minimize them are proposed. Future studies are also suggested that would improve the present knowledge of arthropod diversity and distribution in Azorean native forests and could assist in the identification of suitable conservation strategies

Diversity and distribution of arthropods in native forests of the Azores archipelago

Since 1999, our knowledge of arthropods in native forests of the Azores has improved greatly. Under the BALA project (Biodiversity of Arthropods of Laurisilva of the Azores), an extensive standardised sampling protocol was employed in most of the native forest cover of the Archipelago. Additionally, in 2003 and 2004, more intensive sampling was carried out in several fragments, resulting in nearly a doubling of the number of samples collected. A total of 6,770 samples from 100 sites distributed amongst 18 fragments of seven islands have been collected, resulting in almost 140,000 specimens having been caught. Overall, 452 arthropod species belonging to Araneae, Opilionida, Pseudoscorpionida, Myriapoda and Insecta (excluding Diptera and Hymenoptera) were recorded. Altogether, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Araneae and Lepidoptera comprised the major proportion of the total diversity (84%) and total abundance (78%) found. Endemic species comprised almost half of the individuals sampled. Most of the taxonomic, colonization, and trophic groups analysed showed a significantly left unimodal distribution of species occurrences, with almost all islands, fragments or sites having exclusive species. Araneae was the only group to show a strong bimodal distribution. Only a third of the species was common to both the canopy and soil, the remaining being equally exclusive to each stratum. Canopy and soil strata showed a strongly distinct species composition, the composition being more similar within the same stratum regardless of the location, than within samples from both strata at the same location. Possible reasons for these findings are explored. The procedures applied in the sampling protocol are also discussed

Comparação da orientação institucional/ocupacional dos oficiais do Exército e da GNR

O presente trabalho pretende comparar as orientações profissionais dos oficiais do Exército e da GNR, à luz do modelo Institucional/Ocupacional de Moskos. Trata-se da comparação sobre quais serão os objectivos de ambas as organizações, enquanto entendidos pelos valores que orientam a actividade de um grupo de indivíduos: trabalhar segundo as leis do mercado ou efectuar um serviço à sociedade. Para este efeito são utilizados os resultados obtidos nas investigações realizadas por Sousa (1993) e Esteves (2006) a duas amostras representativas de ofi ciais dos Quadros Permanentes do Exército e da GNR. Os dados da investigação não confirmam a hipótese que sustentava que oficiais da GNR registariam orientações mais ocupacionais do que os oficiais do Exército, em virtude de um mais profundo relacionamento desta instituição com a sociedade civil. Ao contrário, os oficiais da GNR revelaram tendências mais próximas do pólo institucional que os seus colegas do Exército devido, fundamentalmente, a um sentimento mais forte de pertença à instituição. No entanto, revelaram também possuir uma visão mais burocrática da instituição. A coexistência destas orientações contraditórias parece, pois, sugerir que o modelo I/O não lida com pólos opostos de uma só dimensão mas sim com dimensões independentes, podendo um mesmo indivíduo expressar, em simultâneo, preocupações de carácter institucional e ocupacional

Arthropods as surrogates of diversity at different spatial scales

Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This study evaluates the effectiveness of taxonomic, colonization and trophic groups of arthropods from native forests of the Azores archipelago as surrogates of the diversity of other arthropod groups and of the remaining arthropods. Consistency in the performance of surrogates was tested across three spatial scales and using two measures of diversity. Pitfall and beating samples from 109 transects, 18 forest fragments and seven islands were analysed. The results showed that Araneae, Hemiptera and small orders taxonomic groups; native, endemic and introduced colonization groups; and the herbivores trophic group were consistent surrogates of the remaining diversity across the three spatial scales analysed, for both alpha and dissimilarity diversities. However, none of the subsets considered was significantly related with all of the other subsets at any of the three spatial scales. The effectiveness of surrogacy was dependent on the spatial level considered, and groups behaved inconsistently depending on the measure of diversity used. The value of a group as a diversity surrogate should be evaluated for a study area for a given spatial scale and diversity measure, in accordance with the scale and measure that will be used for biodiversity assessments and monitoring programs in that area

Arthropods as surrogates of diversity at different spatial scales

Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This study evaluates the effectiveness of taxonomic, colonization and trophic groups of arthropods from native forests of the Azores archipelago as surrogates of the diversity of other arthropod groups and of the remaining arthropods. Consistency in the performance of surrogates was tested across three spatial scales and using two measures of diversity. Pitfall and beating samples from 109 transects, 18 forest fragments and seven islands were analysed. The results showed that Araneae, Hemiptera and small orders taxonomic groups; native, endemic and introduced colonization groups; and the herbivores trophic group were consistent surrogates of the remaining diversity across the three spatial scales analysed, for both alpha and dissimilarity diversities. However, none of the subsets considered was significantly related with all of the other subsets at any of the three spatial scales. The effectiveness of surrogacy was dependent on the spatial level considered, and groups behaved inconsistently depending on the measure of diversity used. The value of a group as a diversity surrogate should be evaluated for a study area for a given spatial scale and diversity measure, in accordance with the scale and measure that will be used for biodiversity assessments and monitoring programs in that area

Road Motion Control Electric Vehicle with Speed and Torque Observer

This paper presents an electric vehicle (EV) with two independent rear wheel drives and with an electric differential system. A model of the vehicle dynamic model is presented. The electric differential was implemented assuring that, in straight right trajectory, the two wheels drives roll exactly at same velocity and, in curve, the difference between the two velocities assure a vehicle trajectory. A speed and torque observer for DC motor was also proposed and simulated. Analysis and simulation results of the proposed system are presented.Com o apoio RAADRI