Testing the consistency of wildlife data types before combining them: the case of camera traps and telemetry.

Wildlife data gathered by different monitoring techniques are often combined to estimate animal density. However, methods to check whether different types of data provide consistent information (i.e., can information from one data type be used to predict responses in the other?) before combining them are lacking. We used generalized linear models and generalized linear mixed-effects models to relate camera trap probabilities for marked animals to independent space use from telemetry relocations using 2 years of data for fishers (Pekania pennanti) as a case study. We evaluated (1) camera trap efficacy by estimating how camera detection probabilities are related to nearby telemetry relocations and (2) whether home range utilization density estimated from telemetry data adequately predicts camera detection probabilities, which would indicate consistency of the two data types. The number of telemetry relocations within 250 and 500 m from camera traps predicted detection probability well. For the same number of relocations, females were more likely to be detected during the first year. During the second year, all fishers were more likely to be detected during the fall/winter season. Models predicting camera detection probability and photo counts solely from telemetry utilization density had the best or nearly best Akaike Information Criterion (AIC), suggesting that telemetry and camera traps provide consistent information on space use. Given the same utilization density, males were more likely to be photo-captured due to larger home ranges and higher movement rates. Although methods that combine data types (spatially explicit capture-recapture) make simple assumptions about home range shapes, it is reasonable to conclude that in our case, camera trap data do reflect space use in a manner consistent with telemetry data. However, differences between the 2 years of data suggest that camera efficacy is not fully consistent across ecological conditions and make the case for integrating other sources of space-use data

THE SOCIAL COMPONENT OF THE COMMUNITY JUSTICE REFORM

The European Convention on Human Rights established an unprecedented system ofprotection of individual rights and freedoms applicable in the present, in almost all Europeancountries.The creation of a Permanent Court in 1988, was motivated essentially by the increasing the number ofindividual complaints the settlement of which was not possible under the old procedure. The number ofindividual complaints continued to increase on an accelerated rhythm and therefore the number ofcases in which settlement was required has increased considerably.The growing number of individual applications impose Community Justice System permanent reformand consideration of issues raised in the findings of this paper.community justice reform, European citizenship, European Court of Human Rights.

A New Educational Model for Criminality Prevention

Solon said that, in order to be free, a citizen had to study; education was the ground of democracy and in Athens there was no illiterate citizen. The education was both of the body as well as of the soul in a natural continuity... Plato was even aware that in all that there was, there was a core of “dissension” (entropie) that sooner or later led to the fall. He tried to set a fortress model that would minimize the effects of this core of destruction. In the dialogue entitled „Republica”, he pointed out that it was in the power of man to minimize the evil and to build a harmonious fortress that would prevent the destruction. The idea of harmony, which is to be found also in music and mathematics, is extended also to the relations between people.

Forest Succession and Amphibian Migrations: Implications for Landscape Connectivity

Conservation of forest-dependent amphibians is dependent on finding a balance between timber management and species’ habitat requirements. Accurate predictions of the response of amphibian communities to disturbance rely on a good understanding of the scales at which ecological processes affect distribution and abundance through space and time. I investigated the response of 14 species to four different forestry treatments (partial harvest, clearcut with coarse woody debris [CWD] removed, clearcut with CWD retained, and uncut control) over a six-year period, using 2.1-ha experimental treatments. Forest amphibians showed a strong negative response to complete canopy removal at a broad spatial scale, but site-specific variation in the use of forestry treatments was the norm at a finer scale. Four forest-dependent species showed substantial declines in abundance beginning at 2 – 3 years post-disturbance. Avoidance of clearcuts by forest species and site-specific patterns of habitat use were maintained throughout the study. 2 Incipient vegetative succession and retaining CWD did not mitigate the effects of clearcutting; I found only a modest positive effect of succession on habitat use by emigrating juvenile wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). I studied the permeability to juvenile wood frogs movements of four forestry treatments (recent clearcut, mature forest, 11-year-old conifers, and 20-year-old natural regeneration). I conducted experimental releases in 50 x 3 m terrestrial enclosures built in each treatment. Recent clearcuts and young coniferous stands were significant barriers to movements, and were three times less permeable to movement compared to the mature forest and 20-year-old regeneration. In addition, I found that juvenile wood frogs reared in semi-matural conditions did not show inherited directionality upon emergence, rely on proximate cues for orientation, and avoided forested wetland cues. Vegetative succession in young stands (5-6-year-old) mitigated the effects of clearcutting on microclimate, but juvenile wood frogs strongly avoided these stands. Thus, microclimate cannot be used as a sole parameter to predict potential habitat use by amphibians. Closed-canopy habitat was preferred by all terrestrial life stages of forest amphibians. A viable forest management strategy is to plan for spatially and temporally-structured harvests that retain canopy between high-quality breeding sites, and avoid clearcutting and conversion to conifer plantations

Some Aspects of the Criminalization of Drug Trafficking

ABSTRACT: Drug trafficking expresses, in a juridical - criminal context, the situation in which an individual or a group of individuals commit acts of non - observance of the legal regime of movement of substances with psychoactive effects under legal control. Trafficking is essentially, but not limited to, the action of some people to produce, transport and/or put into circulation an illicit commodity. The criminological analysis of the way in which drug trafficking is regulated at the international, European and national level reflects the lack of a clear definition of this type of crime, a situation also encountered in other types of crimes such as human trafficking, organized crime or large criminality. There are several ways to address the trends that encouraged incrimination at one point, and legalization at another point of certain drugs, and the analysis of legal instruments offers interesting milestones. KEYWORDS: Criminology, Drug Trafficking, Law, Organized Crim

Evaluating fence-end treatments for migratory amphibians

Migratory amphibians require movements to complete their biphasic life cycle, often across altered landscapes fragmented by roadways, which can have severe consequences on their populations. To manage this threat, transportation agencies have begun to implement exclusion fencing to separate natural areas from the roadway to prevent wildlife-vehicle collisions. Although fences are an effective conservation tool, the tendency of animals to access the road by circumventing the fence ends, known as the fence-end effect, threatens to jeopardize management efforts to reduce road associated mortality. One strategy to lessen the impacts of the fence-end effect is to construct fence-end treatments to block amphibian movement and guide the animals to safe crossing locations. By using experimental fence arenas, we examined how nine amphibian species responded to two alternative fence-end structures: horizontal v-shape and perpendicular fence-end treatments. Using a generalized linear model framework, we found both fence-end treatments to be an effective strategy to reduce the impacts of the fence-end effect, with our predictor variable, fence-end treatment, explaining most of the variation in amphibian response. Structure effectiveness also started to improve by 20% with each 7°C increase in temperature, however, this was not significant. Despite these promising findings, we also found for each additional 312 s an amphibians spent attempting to navigate around the experimental fence resulted in a 25% decline in structure effectiveness, suggesting longer fences are not an adequate protection measure to combat the fence-end effect for amphibians. In addition, Anaxyrus americanus was not found to differ in their response, performing equally well to both experimental fence-end treatments. In contrast, Rana spp., Pseudacris crucifer, and Notopthalmus viridescens showed a greater response to the horizontal v-shape fence-end treatment compared to the perpendicular fence-end treatment. Variation in response for Ambystoma spp. could not be detected due to a small sample size; however, no individuals responded positively to the perpendicular fence-end treatment. Guidelines for amphibian fences should continue to incorporate fence-end treatments into the design and implementation to mitigate for the fence-end effect, and preferably angle the fence-ends inward in the horizontal v-shape pattern with the fence ends diagonal to the road for migratory amphibians

Clearcutting has a long-lasting effect on habitat connectivity for a forest amphibian by decreasing permeability to juvenile movements

Conservation of forest amphibians is dependent on finding the right balance between management for timber production and meeting species\u27 habitat requirements. For many pond-breeding amphibians, successful dispersal of the juvenile stage is essential for long-term population persistence. We investigated the influence of timber-harvesting practices on the movements of juvenile wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus). We used a chronosequence of stands produced by clear-cutting to evaluate how stand age affects habitat permeability to movements. We conducted experimental releases of juveniles in 2008 (n = 350) and 2009 (n = 528) in unidirectional runways in four treatments: mature forest, recent clearcut, 11-year-old, and 20-year-old regeneration. The runways were 50 x 2.5-m enclosures extending into each treatment, perpendicular to a distinct edge, with four tracking stations at 10, 20, 30, and 40 m from the edge. We recorded the number of animals reaching each tracking station, and the proportion of animals changing their direction of movement at each distance. We found that the mature forest was 3.1 and 3.7 times more permeable than the 11-year-old regeneration and the recent clearcut, respectively. Animals actively avoided open-canopy habitats and sharp edges; significantly more animals returned toward the closed-canopy forest at 0 m and 10 m in the less permeable treatments. There were no significant differences in habitat permeability between the mature forest and the 20-year-old regeneration. Our study is the first to directly assess habitat permeability to juvenile amphibian movement in relation to various forestry practices. We argue that habitat permeability at this scale is largely driven by the behavior of animals in relation to habitat disturbance and that caution needs to be used when using spatial modeling and expert-derived permeability values to assess connectivity of amphibian populations. The effects of clear-cutting on the migratory success of juvenile L. sylvaticus are long-lasting. Forestry practices that involve canopy removal and conversion of natural forest to conifer plantations may affect regional population viability by hindering successful dispersal

Positive evolution in economic forecasting. Case study: the evolution of a company’s capital

For the economic sciences, mainly for the planning and organization disciplines, the models display a range of varieties.  For the last decades, though, the mathematics-based models seem to be the trend, partly because of their ability to rigorously concentrate the essentials and also to be programmed via the computer-based techniques, thus creating together an unheard of instrument of scientific investigation, a resourceful ‚extension’ of human intelligence.The article herein presents certain medium-term prognosis, via the dynamic modelling, elements of bifurcation theory and the Xpp software.  The case study has been the object of a research contract with the business environment. 

CORRELATIVE STUDY BETWEEN THE FAIR PLAY DISPLAYED IN COMPETITIONS AND THE ATHLETES’ BEHAVIOUR

Introduction. Fair play represents an ensemble of displayed moral qualities and attitudes, in order to perform sports activities in a climate favourable for sports performances, competition, supporters and athletes. Sport, by its purpose, represents the athletes’ capacity of winning honestly, by respecting their opponents, teammates, supporters, etc. Education in the spirit of fair play is done by the coach in collaboration with the athlete, based on the moral knowledge and values taught by family and school. The athletes with an adequate level of fair play displayed in trainings and competitions determine a proper behaviour and an easier social integration, starting from the observation that “well-raised persons” are significantly easier to accept than persons situated at the other extreme, from the perspective of behaviour in this case. The objective of our investigation consists of identifying the correlations between fair play in competitions and fair play displayed in the society. The research methods used within the study were the method of bibliographic study, the observation method, the survey method, (within which we applied the questionnaire for fair play) and the SPSS method of analysis and interpreting the results. Results and discussions. Results have demonstrated that the athletes displaying fair play behaviour in competitions have proper behaviour, by respecting the moral norms and values imposed by the society. Conclusions. The study confirms that fair play conduct is based on the moral dimension that must be controlled and learnt (as the case may be) in trainings, competitions and in social relationships outside arenas and gymnasiums. Thus, the athlete will represent a model for young people, for the future athletes, and he will integrate easily in the society, both while practicing sport and mostly after wrapping up the sports career and integrating in various fields of activity. REZUMAT. Studiu corelativ dintre fair-play-ul manifestat în competiţii şi conduita sportivilor. Introducere. Fair-play-ul reprezintă un cumul de calităţi morale şi atitudini manifestate, în vederea desfăşurării activităţilor sportive într-un climat favorabil performanţelor sportive, competiţiei, suporterilor şi sportivilor. Sportul, în funcţie de finalitatea sa, reprezintă capacitatea sportivilor de a câștiga în mod cinstit, respectând adversarii, coechipierii, suporterii, etc. Educaţia în spiritul fair-play-ului se face de antrenor în colaborare cu sportivul, având la bază un fundament al cunoștințelor şi valorilor morale din familie şi din şcoală. Sportivii care deţin un nivel adecvat al fair-play-ului şi îl manifestă în competiţii şi antrenamente, determină o conduită adecvată şi o integrare socială mai bună şi mai facilă pentru acesta, plecând de la considerentul că „oamenii binecrescuți” sunt mult mai ușor de acceptat decât cei care se află la polul opus, din punct de vedere al conduitei în acest caz. Obiectivului investigaţiei noastre constă în identificarea corelaţiilor dintre fair-play în competiţii şi fair-play-ul manifestat în societate. Metodele de cercetare utilizate in cadrul studiului au fost metoda studiului bibliografic, metoda observației, metoda anchetei în cadrul căreia am aplicat chestionarul pentru fair-play şi metoda de analiza şi interpretare a rezultatelor (SPSS). Rezultate şi discuţii. În urma rezultatelor s-a demonstrat că sportivii care manifestă o conduită fair-play în competiţii, manifestă o conduită adecvată, respectând normele şi valorile morale impuse de societate. Concluzii. Studiul confirma că la baza unei conduite fair-play, sta o bună fundamentare a dimensiunii morale care trebuie să fie controlată şi învăţată (după caz) în antrenamente, competiţii şi în relaţiile sociale dinafara stadioanelor şi a sălilor de sport. Astfel, sportivul va reprezenta un model pentru tineri, pentru viitorii sportivi şi se va integra cu uşurinţă în societate, atât pe parcursul practicării sportului cât, mai ales după încheierea carierei sportive și integrare în diverse domenii de activitate. Cuvinte cheie: Sport – fair-play – competiţie - conduită morală - integrare socială