Impacts of Forest Management on Forest Bird Occurrence Patterns-A Case Study in Central Europe

The global increase in demand for wood products, calls for a more sustainable management of forests to optimize both the production of wood and the conservation of forest biodiversity. In this paper, we evaluate the status and future trends of forest birds in Central European forests, assuming different forest management scenarios that to a varying degree respond to the demand for wood production. To this end, we use niche models (Boosted Regression Trees and Generalized Linear Models) to model the responses of 15 forest bird species to predictors related to forest stand (e.g., stand volume of specific tree species) and landscape structure (e.g., percentage cover), and to climate (bioclimatic variables). We then define five distinct forest management scenarios, ranging from set-aside to productivity-driven scenarios, project them 100 years into the future, and apply our niche models into these scenarios to assess the birds' responses to different forest management alternatives. Our models show that the species' responses to management vary reflecting differences in their ecological niches, and consequently, no single management practice can benefit all species if applied across the whole landscape. Thus, we conclude that in order to promote the overall forest bird species richness in the study region, it is necessary to manage the forests in a multi-functional way, e.g., by spatially optimizing the management practices in the landscape

Некоторые особенности структурной динамики межсекторальных ресурсных потоков в научной системе Украины

Представлен анализ динамики финансирования научно-технической деятельности в аспекте основных источников средств и исполнителей за весь период независимости Украины. Изложен авторский подход к оцениванию роли государства и других экономических субъектов, который адаптирует требования международных учетных стандартов к реалиям отечественной экономики.Представлено аналіз динаміки фінансування науково-технічної діяльності в аспекті головних джерел коштів та виконавців за весь період незалежності України. Викладено авторський підхід до оцінювання ролі держави та інших економічних суб’єктів, що адаптує вимоги міжнародних облікових стандартів до реалій вітчизняної економіки.An analysis of the R&D funding dynamics in terms of main funding sources and performers over the period of the Ukrainian independence is given. The author’s approach to evaluating the role of the government and other economic entities, which adapts the requirements of international accounting standards to the realities of the national economy, is shown

Ionising radiation metrology for the metallurgical industry

Every year millions tons of steel are produced worldwide from recycled scrap loads. Although the detection systems in the steelworks prevent most orphan radioactive sources from entering the furnace, there is still the possibility of accidentally melting a radioactive source. The MetroMetal project, carried out in the frame of the European Metrology Research Programme (EMRP), addresses this problem by studying the existing measurement systems, developing sets of reference sources in various matrices (cast steel, slag, fume dust) and proposing new detection instruments. This paper presents the key lines of the project and describes the preparation of radioactive sources as well as the intercomparison exercises used to test the calibration and correction methods proposed within the project.JRC.D.4-Standards for Nuclear Safety, Security and Safeguard

Immunogenicity of Self-Associated Aggregates and Chemically Cross-Linked Conjugates of the 42 kDa Plasmodium falciparum Merozoite Surface Protein-1

Self-associated protein aggregates or cross-linked protein conjugates are, in general, more immunogenic than oligomeric or monomeric forms. In particular, the immunogenicity in mice of a recombinant malaria transmission blocking vaccine candidate, the ookinete specific Plasmodium falciparum 25 kDa protein (Pfs25), was increased more than 1000-fold when evaluated as a chemical cross-linked protein-protein conjugate as compared to a formulated monomer. Whether alternative approaches using protein complexes improve the immunogenicity of other recombinant malaria vaccine candidates is worth assessing. In this work, the immunogenicity of the recombinant 42 kDa processed form of the P. falciparum merozoite surface protein 1 (MSP142) was evaluated as a self-associated, non-covalent aggregate and as a chemical cross-linked protein-protein conjugate to ExoProtein A, which is a recombinant detoxified form of Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A. MSP142 conjugates were prepared and characterized biochemically and biophysically to determine their molar mass in solution and stoichiometry, when relevant. The immunogenicity of the MSP142 self-associated aggregates, cross-linked chemical conjugates and monomers were compared in BALB/c mice after adsorption to aluminum hydroxide adjuvant, and in one instance in association with the TLR9 agonist CPG7909 with an aluminum hydroxide formulation. Antibody titers were assessed by ELISA. Unlike observations made for Pfs25, no significant enhancement in MSP142 specific antibody titers was observed for any conjugate as compared to the formulated monomer or dimer, except for the addition of the TLR9 agonist CPG7909. Clearly, enhancing the immunogenicity of a recombinant protein vaccine candidate by the formation of protein complexes must be established on an empirical basis

A virtual reality collaborative planning simulator and its method for three machines in a fully mechanized coal mining face

The existing automatic control program and its parameters for three machines in a fully mechanized Coal Mining face are static and simplex and are therefore inadequate for satisfying the complex and dynamic environment of underground coal mines. To overcome this problem, a collaborative mathematical model is established that includes the effects of a dynamic environment. A virtual reality collaborative planning simulator with methods for the three machines is also proposed based on a multi-agent system. According to the dynamic characteristics of the environment, equipment, and technologies, a fully mechanized Unity3D simulator (FMUnitySim) is designed in terms of multiple factors and multiple dimensions. The factors affecting the coordinated operation of the three machines are analyzed and modeled. The communication modes, coordination, and redundant sensing process among multiple agents, which include the shearer agent and the scraper conveyor agent, are also investigated in detail. Using this system, the key parameters of the three machines can be planned and adjusted online to design and distinctly observe the corresponding collaborative simulations of coordinated operation with multiple perspectives and in real time. Tests of different maximum shearer haulage speeds for regular or reverse transporting coal are designed; their key parameters, including the average shearer haulage speed, average follower distance, and average scraper conveyor load, are planned and simulated using FMUnitySim. The optimal parameter combination is obtained by analyzing and comparing the simulation results. The proposed FMUnitySim offers an effective means and theoretical basis for the rapid planning and safe automatic production of a fully mechanized Coal Mining face

Surface velocity contour analysis in the airborne dust generation due to open storage piles

In the framework of the Research Project CTM2005-00187/TECNO, \u93Prediction models and prevention systems in the particle atmospheric contamination in an industrial environment\u94 of the Spanish National R+D Plan of the Ministry of Education and Science, 2004-2007 period, there have been developed several CFD models to simulate particulated material emission from mineral stockpiles. US EPA regulation determines the influence of the wind in the pile surface through tables and figures obtained from several tests done in atmospheric wind tunnels, depending on two typical shapes of stockpiles: a cone and a flat top pile. In order to create a computer based system that obtains the particulated material emission factor, CFD was selected as the way to simulate the effect of wind gusts in the pile surface. Several models were developed using the commercial code Ansys CFX 10.0, starting from several 3-D meshes of different resolutions generated using ICEM CFD 10.0. There were selected medium complexity turbulence models in order to obtain affordable resolution times in single processor machines, as well as following advices contained in related bibliography. These models were: k-epsilon (with and without surface roughness) and k-w based Shear-Stress-Transport (SST), combined with different logarithmic and plain wind profiles. Results were compared against the experimental data included within EPA and the best fit was obtained with a roughness k-epsilon model using a logarithmic wind profile