Evaluating Wildlife–Vehicle Collision Hotspots Using Kernel-Based Estimation: a Focus on the Endangered Asiatic Cheetah in Central Iran

The transportation networks within and adjacent to protected areas degrade natural habitats and contribute to a higher risk of mortality through roadkill. Following years of unplanned and unsustainable road network development in Iran, the protected areas of significant biodiversity value have suffered from such phenomenon. Yazd Province, one of Iran’s important biodiversity reservoirs for large mammals, especially the Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus), has witnessed a noticeable rate of road expansion along with an associated anthropogenic development. A large percentage (7 out of 50–70) of Asiatic cheetahs has been lost due to vehicle collisions in the region over the last decade. In this study, we employed a well-known spatially-explicit algorithm for density-based calculation of collision locations, adopting kernel density estimation method. We evaluated the location of 31 wildlife–vehicle collisions (WVCs) from 2007 to 2011, including 12 Persian gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), 6 Asiatic cheetah, 5 striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), 5 golden jackal (Canis aureus), 2 caracal (Caracal caracal), and 1 gray wolf (Canis lupus). Our results detected 4 hotspots of vehicle collisions in the Kalmand-Bahadoran Protected Area. The findings of this study could be employed to protect the populations of the Asiatic cheetah and other threatened species in this area. Potential mitigation strategies proposed include: wildlife warning sign usage, increasing public awareness, traffic devices to reduce vehicle speed in dangerous areas, utilization of warning lights for drivers, and improved crossing structures

Sistema de túneles del jerbo iraní (Alloctaga firouzi Womochel, 1978)

Iranian jerboa was recorded as a new species for Iran near village of Shah-Reza, Isfahan province. It is considered as a data deficient species according to IUCN criteria. Since, No data have been yet reported, on the relationship between architecture of burrows and the social organization of this species, this study aimed to identify the burrow systems of the species. We excavated 15 burrows of Iranian jerboa in the type locality of the species. The burrow system of Iranian jerboa is composed of three types including: temporary, summer and winter burrows. The length of tunnels were significantly different (P=0.00) in winter burrows. General burrow described for Small Five-toed jerboa Allactaga elater was similar with these burrows except having reproduction burrow. Results show that depth of nest chamber in third type of burrow was deeper than in temporary and summer (P=0.00, P=0.003 respectively).El jerbo iraní fue registrado como nueva especie para Irán cerca del poblado de ShahRezam, provincia Isfahan, y de acuerdo con los criterios de la IUCN esta información es considerada como deficiente. Desde su descripción, ningún dato ha sido publicado sobre interrelaciones entre la arquitectura de sus túneles y la organización social de la especie. El presente estudio identifica el sistema de túneles de esta especie. El sistema de túneles del jerbo iraní está compuesto de tres tipos de túneles: temporal, de verano y de invierno. El análisis ANOVA mostró que la longitud media de los túneles es más grande en el invierno (P = 0.00). En general, los túneles descritos para el pequeño jerbo de cinco dedos Alloctaga elater fue parecido con los túneles de A. firouzi, excepto túnel de reproducción. Los resultados muestran que la profundidad de la cámara nido en el tercer tipo de túnel fue más profunda que los túneles temporal y de verano (P = 0.00, P =.003, respectivamente)

Breeding Biology of Grey Heron Ardea cinerea in Siahkeshim Protected Area, Northern Iran

Abstract: The breeding ecology of Grey Heron was studied during 2008 and 2009 breeding seasons in Siahkeshim Protected Area of Anzali Wetland. In this study the chicks have been monitored in the nesting, egg-laying and fledgling stages. The nests were oval-shaped and the following parameters were measured: greater and smaller external diameter, greater and smaller internal diameter, external height and depth of nest. In the first year, the average clutch size (totaling 91 eggs) was 4.33±0.68, whereas the average number of hatched eggs and the average numbers of chicks surviving to fledging were 80.2% and 78.02%, respectively. In other words, 3.38 chicks, on average, arrived to fledging per nest in this region. But, in the second year, there were only five active nests with a total of 14 eggs from which only one egg hatched and fledged. The reduction of nesting and breeding success in the second year is compared and discussed

Upconverting nano-engineered surfaces: maskless photolithography for security applications

The two complementary technologies of colloidal upconverting nanoemitters and maskless photolithography are exploited to fabricate nanoengineered optically active surfaces for anticounterfeiting applications based on the multiphoton absorption phenomenon in lanthanide nanocomposites with a visualization wavelength in the NIR. It is demonstrated that the unique optical, thermal, and temporal characteristics of these versatile upconverting surface distinguishes them from their counterparts. A unique behavior that is captured is the ability to actively tune their emission color by modifying the pumping power, temperature, and excitation frequency. A new low-cost negative photoresist is employed for implementation of maskless photolithography of single- and double-color labels using two efficient upconverting nanocomposites based on NaYF4:Yb3+, Er3+ and NaYF4:Yb3+, Tm3+ nanoemitters. In addition, it is shown that the detectability of the proposed anticounterfeiting approach can be carried out using just a smartphone. Each of the emission peaks of the upconversion nanoparticles is associated with a different multiphoton absorption mechanism and their thermosensitivity varies from one peak to another. Furthermore, their photoluminescent color changes by scanning the excitation beam impinging on the surfaces composed of both upconversion nanoparticles doped in the UV-curable resist. Long-term photostability of these surfaces under continuous excitation by a high power laser makes them a promising nanoemitters for the next generation of anticounterfeiting labels

Recent Development in Electricity Price Forecasting Based on Computational Intelligence Techniques in Deregulated Power Market

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) based techniques for electricity price forecasting (EPF) provides essential information to electricity market participants and managers because of its greater handling capability of complex input and output relationships. Therefore, this research investigates and analyzes the performance of different optimization methods in the training phase of artificial neural network (ANN) and adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) for the accuracy enhancement of EPF. In this work, a multi-objective optimization-based feature selection technique with the capability of eliminating non-linear and interacting features is implemented to create an efficient day-ahead price forecasting. In the beginning, the multi-objective binary backtracking search algorithm (MOBBSA)-based feature selection technique is used to examine various combinations of input variables to choose the suitable feature subsets, which minimizes, simultaneously, both the number of features and the estimation error. In the later phase, the selected features are transferred into the machine learning-based techniques to map the input variables to the output in order to forecast the electricity price. Furthermore, to increase the forecasting accuracy, a backtracking search algorithm (BSA) is applied as an efficient evolutionary search algorithm in the learning procedure of the ANFIS approach. The performance of the forecasting methods for the Queensland power market in the year 2018, which is well-known as the most competitive market in the world, is investigated and compared to show the superiority of the proposed methods over other selected methods.© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

Genetic structure of Afghan Pika (Ochotona rufescens) in Northern Khorasan Province

The aim of this research was to study the genetic structure of the Afghan Pika’s (Ochotona rufescens) populations in Northern Khorasan province in order to determine their isolation rate. A total of 122 samples from four sample groups (Ghorkhod, Golol-Sarani, Salouk and Sarigol) were selected and the genotypic features were detected using 7 microsatellite loci. The results showed that all of the loci were subject to polymorphism and the allele ranged from 2 – 7. Significant Fst and Rst values were found among the populations based on the AMOVA test. Based on the Assignment Test, more than 90 percent of the individuals of the populations belonged to their original population (only 10 percent of the individuals belonged to other populations). A Paired comparison of genetic differentiation between the populations revealed significant deferences among them. The results of the Prichard model grouping showed that the samples collected in this study were approximately 7 groups. The results of AMOVA analysis revealed a significant genetic structure among different populations. Also, the majority of the variance is related to the variance within the population. There seems to be a different but small genetic structure among the studied populations

Upward Altitudinal Shifts in Habitat Suitability of Mountain Vipers since the Last Glacial Maximum

We determined the effects of past and future climate changes on the distribution of the Montivipera raddei species complex (MRC) that contains rare and endangered viper species limited to Iran, Turkey and Armenia. We also investigated the current distribution of MRC to locate unidentified isolated populations as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of the current network of protected areas for their conservation. Present distribution of MRC was modeled based on ecological variables and model performance was evaluated by field visits. Some individuals at the newly identified populations showed uncommon morphological characteristics. The distribution map of MRC derived through modeling was then compared with the distribution of protected areas in the region. We estimated the effectiveness of the current protected area network to be 10%, which would be sufficient for conserving this group of species, provided adequate management policies and practices are employed. We further modeled the distribution of MRC in the past (21,000 years ago) and under two scenarios in the future (to 2070). These models indicated that climatic changes probably have been responsible for an upward shift in suitable habitats of MRC since the Last Glacial Maximum, leading to isolation of allopatric populations. Distribution will probably become much more restricted in the future as a result of the current rate of global warming. We conclude that climate change most likely played a major role in determining the distribution pattern of MRC, restricting allopatric populations to mountaintops due to habitat alterations. This long-term isolation has facilitated unique local adaptations among MRC populations, which requires further investigation. The suitable habitat patches identified through modeling constitute optimized solutions for inclusion in the network of protected areas in the region

Approche empirique de la restructuration urbaine : application d'un Système Multi Agent (SMA) à Strasbourg 1982

The impact of spatial characteristics on the dynamics of urban development is a topic of great interest in urban studies. The interaction between the residents and the spatial characteristics is of particular interest in the context of urban models where some of the most famous urban models have been based on the process of individual settlements in some specific parts of cities.This research investigates the dynamism of urban development modeled by Cellular Automata and Multi-Agent System. The urban development, in this study embraces urban renewal and residential mobility. It corresponds to the residential mobility of households, attracted by residential and centrality comfort; these comforts are crystallized in some areas and residences of Strasbourg. The diversity and quality of these comforts become criteria for residential choice in a way that the households seek for proximity to these comforts.The Cellular Automata in this study, models the spatial characteristics of urban spatial units and they are identified by some inherent attributes that are equal to the comfort in residences and urban areas. The Multi- Agent System represent a system in which the population of the city interact between them and between them and the city; the agents delegate the socio-professional classes of households. During the spatiotemporal change, the aspiration of households forms the socio-spatio-temporal development of the city.L’Impact des caractéristiques spatiales sur les dynamiques de développement urbain est d’un grand intérêt dans les études urbaines. L’interaction entre les résidents et les caractéristiques spatiales est d’un intérêt particulier dans le contexte des modèles urbains car de nombreux modèles urbains sont fondés sur le processus d’installation des individus dans des parties spécifiques des villes. Il s’agit d’une étude sur la dynamique de développement urbain avec des Automates Cellulaires et un Système Multi-Agent. Le développement urbain de cette étude recouvre le « urban renewal » et la mobilité résidentielle. Il correspond à la mobilité résidentielle des ménages qui sont attirés par le confort résidentiel et le confort de centralité ; ces conforts sont localisés dans quelques quartiers de Strasbourg. La diversité et la qualité de ces conforts deviennent des critères pour les choix résidentiels de telle façon que chaque ménage recherche la proximité de ces conforts. Dans cette étude l’Automate Cellulaire modélise les caractéristiques techniques des unités spatiales, celles-ci sont identifiées par des attributs inhérents qui sont égaux aux conforts dans les résidences et dans les zones urbaines. Dans le Système Multi-Agent la population de la ville de Strasbourg interagit entre elle et avec la ville. Les agents représentent les classes socio-professionnelles des ménages. Pendant un changement spatio- temporel, l’aspiration des ménages forme le développement socio-spatio-temporelle de la ville

Minimum emissions earthmoving and optimum fleet size

Earthmoving operations in construction and mining, using diesel powered equipment, produce large quantities of emissions. There is an increasing public awareness of the need to reduce these emissions due to their negative impacts on the environment. A reduction in emissions can be achieved by, amongst other things, employing different management strategies. This paper examines emissions associated with earthmoving equipment from an operational standpoint. The paper’s results will be of interest to those designing, implementing and managing earthmoving operations and those interested in emissions in the earthmoving, quarrying and open-cut mining sectors. This paper summarizes and evaluates research on emissions associated with earthmoving operations, including research on percentage increases in emissions for equipment working at reduced operational efficiencies. The percentage increase in pollution emitted through variable fleet size in under-and over-trucked operations is analyzed and exampled, and optimum fleet sizes in terms of unit emissions are investigated. The paper's results will give engineers a better understanding of the relationship between emissions and earthmoving operations, and the impact of under-trucking and over-trucking

Ségrégation écologique et morphologique dans le genre "Oenanthe" (oiseaux, passériformes, turdidés)

MONTPELLIER-BU Sciences (341722106) / SudocSudocFranceF