Climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessment for Fiji

All nations, including Fiji, that are signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) are obliged to provide National Communications to the Conference of Parties (COP) of the UNFCCC. The COP4 stressed the need for parties to the Convention to take into account the need for establishing implementation strategies for adaptation to climate and sea-level changes. As such, Fiji is required to submit a National Communication document that shall include information on climate change vulnerability and adaptation implementation policies and strategies. The methodology used in this assessment is based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) technical guidelines (Carter et al, 1994) for assessing climate change impacts and adaptation. Firstly, the present conditions are examined and key sectors identified. Then, future climatic and non-climatic scenarios are used to examine the possible effects of climate and sea-level changes on the various sectors identified. These then form the basis for identifying possible adaptation response measures for endorsement, adoption and implementation by the Fiji government. Because of the many gaps in present knowledge, and the fact that this study is focussed only on Viti Levu, the recommendations in this report should be seen as starting point for an on-going process of vulnerability and adaptation assessment in Fij

Estudio de la fauna de El Castejón

En este trabajo se estudian los restos de fauna del yacimiento de “El Castejón” (Bargota, Navarra) cuya cronología se extiende desde finales del Hierro I hasta el Hierro II. Se observa un claro predominio de las especies domésticas entre las que destaca el ganado bovino seguido del ovicaprino y del cerdo. Se compara la estructura faunística de esta muestra con la de otros asentamientos coetáneos de la Península Ibérica. Se analiza la representación anatómica de los restos, la distribución de edades y sexos así como la osteometría de cada cabaña doméstica para establecer los modelos de aprovechamiento y explotación de los distintos componentes ganaderos

Raman Spectroscopy, a Useful Tool to Study Nuclear Materials

The use of the Raman technique is nowadays being widely spread in many scientific and industrial disciplines. The rise of this spectroscopy is due to the technology developed in some of its main components (the laser, charge-coupled device (CCD) sensors, gratings, filters, etc.), what reduces the cost of the equipment. Characterization by Raman spectroscopy has long and well-established tradition in fields such as condensed matter physics and chemistry. In nuclear sciences, by contrast, it is far from being extensively applied, even though this technique can be especially useful. It is a fact that only a scarce number of Raman laboratories dealing with nuclear materials exist, and therefore a limited database related to these materials. In such a context, this chapter is devoted to the practical use of Raman spectroscopy for nuclear materials characterization

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as bioprotector agents against wilt induced by Verticillium spp. in pepper.

Verticillium dahliae Kleb. is a vascular pathogen that alters water status and growth of pepper plants and causes drastic reductions in yield. Its control is difficult because it can survive in field soil for several years. The application of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as bioprotector agents against V. dahliae is an alternative to the use of chemicals which, in addition, is more respectful with the environment. The establishment of the mutualistic association of plant roots and AMF involves a continuous cellular and molecular dialogue between both symbionts that includes the preactivation of plant defense responses that may enhance the resistance or tolerance of mycorrhizal plants to soil-borne pathogens. Some AMF can improve the resistance of Capsicum annuum L. against V. dahliae. This is especially relevant for pepper cultivars (i.e. cv. Piquillo) that exhibit high susceptibility to this pathogen. Compared with non-mycorrhizal plants, mycorrhizal pepper can exhibit more balanced antioxidant metabolism in leaves along the first month after pathogen inoculation, which may contribute to delay both the development of disease symptoms and the decrease of photosynthesis in Verticillium-inoculated plants with the subsequent benefit for yield. In stems, mycorrhizal pepper show earlier and higher deposition of lignin in xylem vessels than nonmycorrhizal plants, even in absence of the pathogen. Moreover, AMF can induce new isoforms of acidic chitinases and superoxide dismutase in roots. Mycorrhizal-specific induction of these enzymatic activities together with enhanced peroxidase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase in roots may also be involved in the bioprotection of Verticillium-induced wilt in pepper by AM

A decision support system for modelling and implementing the supply network configuration and operations scheduling problem in the machine tool industry

[EN] This paper presents a decision support system to simultaneously solve the supply network configuration problem and the operations scheduling problem for the machine tool industry. A novel database structure, which is able to consider alternative operations and alternative bills of material, has been used. An algorithm for complete enumeration to determine all the feasible solutions using stroke graphs is introduced. A multiagent-based simulator evaluates the different key performance indicators that the supply network deals with for each alternative solution (e.g. workload, profits, delivery times, etc.) to determine that ‘satisficed’ by the collaborative decision-making among its members. A case study based on a Spanish company that assembles highly customised machines and tools in several European plants is considered. From the experiments results based on data linked to this industry, it will be demonstrated that the tool is potentially useful for stakeholders and for the central decision-maker to make decisions collaboratively in a multisite context caseWe thank the EWG-DSS and their four expert anonymous referees as well as the guest editorial board for their useful suggestions and criticism on earlier versions of this paper. The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement no. NMP2-SL-2009-229333 and has been partially supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation within the 'Proyectos de Investigacion Fundamental No Orientada Programme' through Project 'CORSARI MAGIC DPI2010-18243'. Julien Maheut holds a VALi+d grant funded by the Regional Valencian Government (Ref. ACIF/2010/222).Maheut, JPD.; Besga, JM.; Uribetxebarria, J.; García Sabater, JP. (2014). A decision support system for modelling and implementing the supply network configuration and operations scheduling problem in the machine tool industry. Production Planning and Control. 25(8):679-697. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2013.798087S67969725

Climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessment for Fiji: Supplementary Fiji coastal impacts study

This document presents extended case studies of the impacts of climate change on the Fiji coast. In particular the study evaluates: 1. Coastal erosion at 3 representative sites on the coast of Viti Levu. 2. Inundation at 3 representative sites on the coast of Viti Levu

Development and Utility of Quality Metrics for Ambulatory Pediatric Cardiology in Kawasaki Disease.

The Adult Congenital and Pediatric Cardiology (ACPC) Section of the American College of Cardiology sought to develop quality indicators/metrics for ambulatory pediatric cardiology practice. The objective of this study was to report the creation of metrics for patients with Kawasaki disease. Over a period of 5 months, 12 pediatric cardiologists developed 24 quality metrics based on the most relevant statements, guidelines, and research studies pertaining to Kawasaki disease. Of the 24 metrics, the 8 metrics deemed the most important, feasible, and valid were sent on to the ACPC for consideration. Seven of the 8 metrics were approved using the RAND method by an expert panel. All 7 metrics approved by the ACPC council were accepted by ACPC membership after an "open comments" process. They have been disseminated to the pediatric cardiology community for implementation by the ACPC Quality Network

Chromium Oxidation State in Planetary Basalts: Oxygen Fugacity Indicator and Critical Variable for Cr-Spinel Stability

Cr is a ubiquitous and relatively abundant minor element in basaltic, planetary magmas. At the reduced oxidation states (<FMQ) of many planetary basalts Cr is present in melts as both divalent and trivalent forms. The ratio of trivalent to divalent Cr present in the melt has many consequences for the stability and Cr concentration of magmatic phases such as spinel, clinopyroxene, and olivine. However, understanding the Cr valence in quenched melts has historically been plagued with analytical issues, and only recently has reliable methodology for quantifying Cr valence in quenched melts been developed. Despite this substantial difficulty, the pioneering works of Hanson and Jones and Berry and O'Neill provided important insights into the oxidation state of Cr in in silicate melts. Here we present a series of 1-bar gas mixing experiments performed with a Fe-rich basaltic melt in which have determined the Cr redox ratio of the melt at over a range of fO2 values by measuring this quantity in olivine with X-ray Absorption Near Edge Spectroscopy (XANES). The measured Cr redox ratio of the olivine phenocrysts can be readily converted to the ratio present in the conjugate melt via the ratio of crystal-liquid partition coefficients for Cr3+ and Cr2+. We have applied these results to modeling Cr spinel stability and Cr redox ratios in a primitive, iron-rich martian basalt

Response of mycorrhizal grapevine to Armillaria mellea inoculation: disease development and polyamines.

A study was conducted with the vine rootstock Richter 110 (Vitis berlandieri Planch. x Vitis rupestris L.) in order to assess whether the colonisation by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) Glomus intraradices (BEG 72) can delay the disease development in plants inoculated with the root-rot fungus Armillaria mellea (Vahl:Fr) Kummer, and to elucidate if the levels of polyamines (PAs) are modified in response to G. intraradices, A. mellea or by the dual infection. Four treatments were considered: control and G. intraradices-inoculated plants infected or not with A. mellea. Plant growth, mycorrhizal colonisation and disease development were monitored throughout the experiment. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) in combination with fluorescence spectrophotometry was used to separate and quantify free root and leaf polyamines. The slower development of pathogenic symptoms and the higher plant biomass of mycorrhizal plants inoculated with A. mellea indicate an increase of tolerance due to the AMF inoculation. The variations in free PA levels detected at the beginning of the pathogenic infection suggest that PAs may have a potential role in the signalling mechanisms of the tolerance of mycorrhizal plants against A. mellea

Growth, yield and physiology of Verticillium-inoculated pepper plants treated with ATAD and composted sewage sludge

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate the impact of sanitized sewage sludges, ATAD (aerobic thermophilic autothermic digestion) and composted, on Verticillium-induced wilt in pepper plants (Capsicum annuum L. cv. Piquillo). Two doses of ATAD (15 and 30% v/v) and three of composted sludge (15, 30 and 45% v/v) were applied to a peat-based potting mix. Unamended substrate was included as control. Half of the plants were inoculated with V. dahliae, whereas the other half remained non-inoculated. Result showed that ATAD and composted sludge increased growth and yield of non-inoculated plants. V. dahliae reduced net photosynthesis (P n), mainly as a consequence of stomatal closure, 5 weeks after pathogen inoculation. The actual photosystem II efficiency was also reduced and consequently the electron transport rate (ETR). No photoinhibitory damage was observed at this time in diseased plants. At the end of the experiment, diseased plants showed lower plant biomass and fruit yield. ATAD sludge had little effect on the disease. Compost slightly alleviated Verticillium-induced wilt when applied at lower doses (15% v/v), which resulted in increased P n and ETR, and higher plant biomass and fruit yield. By contrast, higher doses of compost (45% v/v) enhanced the effect of the pathogen, which was related to the high substrate salinity in this treatment