Potential Spread of Great Lakes Invasive Species Under Climate Change

In this study, we created models for how suitable habitat may change for 30 different invasive species under predicted climate conditions of the Great Lakes region in 2050 and 2070. We compared three different modeling approaches; Boosted Regression Trees (BRT), Maximum Entropy (Maxent) and the new Risk Assessment Mapping Program (RAMP). To quantitatively determine how species ranges may change, I developed a method using the countcolors package in RStudio to calculate the number of climate suitable pixels in each map. We conclude that patterns and impacts of invasive species in the Great Lakes will remain dynamic for decades to come

The diversity and sustainability of ornamental plants traded by guarani communities of Misiones Province, Argentina

The study covers ornamental plants species that are traded by two Guarani communities in Argentina. The trade is described, as well as the frequency, abundance and diversity of plants for sale on roadside stalls, along with the income they generate. Harvested and unharvested areas of forest are compared; the relative impacts of Guarani harvest and commercial timber extraction on ornamental plants are evaluated, and some traditional Guarani beliefs are described that regulate the harvest of ornamental plants by the Guarani.Fil: Keller, Hector Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Nordeste. Instituto de Botánica del Nordeste (i); ArgentinaFil: Clifford, Victoria. University Of Reading; Reino UnidoFil: Araujo, Jorge. Universidad Nacional de Misiones. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales; Argentin

Cellulose Nanomaterials - A Path Towards Commercialization Workshop Report

A U.S. Forest Service report detailing the pathway to commercializing affordable, renewable, and biodegradable cellulose nanomaterials from trees. Cellulosic nanomaterials are tiny, naturally occurring structural building blocks and hold great promise for many new and improved commercial products. Commercializing these materials also has the potential to create hundreds of thousands of American jobs while helping to restore our nation's forests. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), organized the Cellulose Nanomaterials Commercialization Workshop held on May 20–21, 2014, in Washington, DC. This workshop brought together a wide range of experts representing industry, academia, and government in an effort to strengthen cross-sector partnerships and ensure that future RD&D efforts are informed by market needs. The workshop generated market-driven input in three areas: Opportunities for Commercialization, Barriers to Commercialization, and Research and Development (R&D) Roles and Priorities

A novel carbon nanotube modified scaffold as an efficient biocathode material for improved microbial electrosynthesis

We report on a novel biocompatible, highly conductive three-dimensional cathode manufactured by direct growth of flexible multiwalled carbon nanotubes on reticulated vitreous carbon (NanoWeb-RVC) for the improvement of microbial bioelectrosynthesis (MES). NanoWeb-RVC allows for an enhanced bacterial attachment and biofilm development within its hierarchical porous structure. 1.7 and 2.6 fold higher current density and acetate bioproduction rate normalized to total surface area were reached on NanoWeb-RVC versus a carbon plate control for the microbial reduction of carbon dioxide by mixed cultures. This is the first study showing better intrinsic efficiency as biocathode material of a three-dimensional electrode versus a flat electrode: this comparison has been made considering the total surface area of the porous electrode, and not just the projected surface area. Therefore, the improved performance is attributed to the nanostructure of the electrode and not to an increase in surface area. Unmodified reticulated vitreous carbon electrodes lacking the nanostructure were found unsuitable for MES, with no biofilm development and no acetate production detected. The high surface area to volume ratio of the macroporous RVC maximizes the available biofilm area while ensuring effective mass transfer to and from the biofilm. The nanostructure enhances the bacteria-electrode interaction and microbial extracellular electron transfer. When normalized to projected surface area, current densities and acetate production rates of 3.7 mA cm-2 and 1.3 mM cm-2 d-1, respectively, were reached, making the NanoWeb-RVC an extremely efficient material from an engineering perspective as well. These values are the highest reported for any MES system to date

Embarazo y maternidad en niñas y adolescentes menores de 15 años: Aportes de evidencia socio-sanitaria y jurídica en la región

Analiza la información relativa al embarazo y la maternidad en niñas y adolescentes menores de 15 años,tanto desde el punto de vista epidemiológico y de los factores condicionantes; como desde lo marcos legislativos y estrategias sanitarias para el abordaje de los mismos y el acceso a aborto seguro. Para ello, se presentan tres secciones: en la primera, se describe de manera general el problema con base en la evidencia epidemiológica de la región, teniendo en cuenta la multifactorialidad del mismo. En la segunda sección, se realiza una descripción analítica de regulaciones nacionales y subnacionales, así como documentos técnicos elaborados por algunos Estados para el abordaje del embarazo en Niñas y Adolescentes menores de 15 años. En la tercera sección se plantean conclusiones y recomendaciones para la construcción de propuestas regulatorias integrales con enfoque de género e interculturalidad, para el abordaje institucional del embarazo en Niñas y Adolescentes menores de 15 año

Compositional variability in mafic arc magmas over short spatial and temporal scales: evidence for the signature of mantle reactive melt channels

Understanding arc magma genesis is critical to deciphering the construction of continental crust, understanding the relationship between plutonic and volcanic rocks, and for assessing volcanic hazards. Arc magma genesis is complex. Interpreting the underlying causes of major and trace element diversity in erupted magmas is challenging and often non-unique. To navigate this complexity mafic magma diversity is investigated using sample suites that span short temporal and spatial scales. These constraints allow us to evaluate models of arc magma genesis and their geochemical implications based on physical arguments and recent model results. Young volcanic deposits (≲18 kyr) are analysed from the Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ), Chile, in particular suites of scoria cones on the flanks of arc stratovolcanoes that have erupted relatively primitive magmas of diverse compositions. Our study is centred on the high-resolution post-glacial tephrochronological record for Mocho-Choshuenco volcano where tight age constraints and a high density of scoria cones provide a spatially well-resolved mafic magma dataset. Two compositional trends emerge from the data. Firstly, magmas from cones on the flanks of the main edifice become more mafic with distance from the central vent. This is attributed to fractional crystallisation processes within the crust, with distal cones sampling less differentiated magmas. Secondly, there is a set of cones with distinct major and trace element compositions that are more primitive but enriched in incompatible elements relative to the central system and other ‘normal SVZ’ magmas. This distinct signature – termed the ‘Kangechi’ signature – is observed at three further clusters of cones within the SVZ. This is attributed to greater preservation of the enriched melt signature arising from reactive melt transport within the mantle wedge. Our model has important implications for arc magma genesis in general, and in particular for the spatial and temporal scales over which compositional variations are preserved in erupted magmas

The beta function of N=1 SYM in Differential Renormalization

Using differential renormalization, we calculate the complete two-point function of the background gauge superfield in pure N=1 Supersymmetric Yang-Mills theory to two loops. Ultraviolet and (off-shell) infrared divergences are renormalized in position and momentum space respectively. This allows us to reobtain the beta function from the dependence on the ultraviolet renormalization scale in an infrared-safe way. The two-loop coefficient of the beta function is generated by the one-loop ultraviolet renormalization of the quantum gauge field via nonlocal terms which are infrared divergent on shell. We also discuss the connection of the beta function to the flow of the Wilsonian coupling.Comment: 20 pages, 2 figures. Reference added, minor correction

Contrasting Patterns of Damage and Recovery in Logged Amazon Forests From Small Footprint LiDAR Data

Tropical forests ecosystems respond dynamically to climate variability and disturbances on time scales of minutes to millennia. To date, our knowledge of disturbance and recovery processes in tropical forests is derived almost exclusively from networks of forest inventory plots. These plots typically sample small areas (less than or equal to 1 ha) in conservation units that are protected from logging and fire. Amazon forests with frequent disturbances from human activity remain under-studied. Ongoing negotiations on REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus enhancing forest carbon stocks) have placed additional emphasis on identifying degraded forests and quantifying changing carbon stocks in both degraded and intact tropical forests. We evaluated patterns of forest disturbance and recovery at four -1000 ha sites in the Brazilian Amazon using small footprint LiDAR data and coincident field measurements. Large area coverage with airborne LiDAR data in 2011-2012 included logged and unmanaged areas in Cotriguacu (Mato Grosso), Fiona do Jamari (Rondonia), and Floresta Estadual do Antimary (Acre), and unmanaged forest within Reserva Ducke (Amazonas). Logging infrastructure (skid trails, log decks, and roads) was identified using LiDAR returns from understory vegetation and validated based on field data. At each logged site, canopy gaps from logging activity and LiDAR metrics of canopy heights were used to quantify differences in forest structure between logged and unlogged areas. Contrasting patterns of harvesting operations and canopy damages at the three logged sites reflect different levels of pre-harvest planning (i.e., informal logging compared to state or national logging concessions), harvest intensity, and site conditions. Finally, we used multi-temporal LiDAR data from two sites, Reserva Ducke (2009, 2012) and Antimary (2010, 2011), to evaluate gap phase dynamics in unmanaged forest areas. The rates and patterns of canopy gap formation at these sites illustrate potential issues for separating logging damages from natural forest disturbances over longer time scales. Multi-temporal airborne LiDAR data and coincident field measurements provide complementary perspectives on disturbance and recovery processes in intact and degraded Amazon forests. Compared to forest inventory plots, the large size of each individual site permitted analyses of landscape-scale processes that would require extremely high investments to study using traditional forest inventory methods

Gay marriage, gender identity and the right to abortion in Argentina.

Los gobiernos 'progresistas' (pink tide) en materia socioeconómica del Cono Sur no tienen la misma trayectoria en el avance de los derechos de las mujeres y colectivos LGBT. Lo distintivo de la política sexual de la Argentina (2003-2015) es la tensión entre el avance de la agenda de derechos de la diversidad sexual, con la aprobación de leyes como matrimonio igualitario e identidad de género, y los esfuerzos frustrados del feminismo por legalizar el derecho al aborto. Este artículo presenta un estudio comparativo de estos tres intentos de reformas normativas durante el período de gobierno conocido como kirchnerismo. El análisis empírico identifica cuatro dimensiones fundamentales que, en su combinación, abren oportunidades o generan resistencias al cambio normativo en políticas de género y sexualidad: los vínculos entre Poder Ejecutivo e Iglesia; la política de partidos en un sistema presidencialista; los marcos interpretativos de cada demanda; las formas organizativas y estrategias de las organizaciones que las promueven.Os governos 'progressistas" (pink tide) do Cone Sul, em termos socioeconómicos, não têm a mesma trajetória no avanço dos direitos das mulheres e coletivos LGBT. A especificidade da política sexual Argentina (2003-2015) é a tensão entre o avanço da agenda de direitos da diversidade sexual, com a aprovação de leis como o matrimônio igualitário e identidade de gênero, e os esforços frustrados do feminismo para legalizar o direitos ao aborto. Este artigo apresenta um estudo comparativo destas três intenções de reformas normativas durante o período de governo conhecido como kirchnerismo. A análise empírica identifica quatro dimensões fundamentais que, combinadas, abrem oportunidades ou geram resistencias à mudança normativa em políticas de gênero e sexualidade: os vínculos entre Poder Executivo e igreja, a política de partidos em um sistema presidencialista, os marcos interpretativos de cada demanda, e as formas organizativas e as estratégias das organizações que as promovem.The pink tide of the Southern Cone in socio-economic terms have had a mix record in advancing legal reforms that promote women's and LGBT rights. Sexual politics in Argentina (2003-2015) are marked by the tension between the advancement of LGBT rights, with the passing of legislation on gay marriage and gender-identity, and the frustrated efforts of feminism to legalize women's rights to abortion. This article presents a comparative study of these three attempts to promote legal reforms under kirchnerism. The empirical analysis identifies four main dimensions that, combined, open opportunities or resist legal advances in gender and sexual policies: the links between the Executive branch and the Church, parliamentary party politics in a presidential system, the framing of demands, and the ways of organizing and the strategies put in motion by the organizations that promote the above mentioned legal reforms.Fil: Tabbush, Constanza. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Estudios de Género; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Diaz, María Constanza. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Estudios de Género; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Trebisacce, Catalina Paola. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Estudios de Género; ArgentinaFil: Keller, Victoria. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Filosofía y Letras. Instituto Interdisciplinario de Estudios de Género; Argentin