Disaster Resilience Education and Research Roadmap for Europe 2030 : ANDROID Report

A disaster resilience education and research roadmap for Europe 2030 has been launched. This roadmap represents an important output of the ANDROID disaster resilience network, bringing together existing literature in the field, as well as the results of various analysis and study projects undertaken by project partners.The roadmap sets out five key challenges and opportunities in moving from 2015 to 2030 and aimed at addressing the challenges of the recently announced Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. This roadmap was developed as part of the ANDROID Disaster Resilience Network, led by Professor Richard Haigh of the Global Disaster Resilience Centre (www.hud.ac.uk/gdrc ) at the School of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Huddersfield, UK. The ANDROID consortium of applied, human, social and natural scientists, supported by international organisations and a stakeholder board, worked together to map the field in disaster resilience education, pool their results and findings, develop interdisciplinary explanations, develop capacity, move forward innovative education agendas, discuss methods, and inform policy development. Further information on ANDROID Disaster Resilience network is available at: http://www.disaster-resilience.netAn ANDROID Disaster Resilience Network ReportANDROI

Cenomanian transgression in the Basque-Cantabrian Basin (northern Spain) and associated faunal replacement

Abstract:The available data concerning the environmental changes and faunal replacements that occurred during the Cenomanian marine transgression in the North of Iberia are integrated and discussed on the basis of new evidence from the invertebrate and vertebrate fossil record. New stratigraphical data and the reassessment of known stratigraphic sections support the correlation of the Cenomanian carbonate-ramp successions from the Iberian margin to the centre of the Basque-Cantabrian Basin during a major transgressive episode. This new stratigraphical framework is the key to understand the changing oceanographic conditions in the area that resulted from a progressive inundation of the Iberian continental platform. This transgression seems to have triggered major faunal replacements in this particular geographic area, starting out around the Albian-Cenomanian transition. Ammonite faunal replacement led to a new radiation of this group that spread out rapidly until their new decline around the Cenomanian-Turonian boundary. A new record of Calycoceras (Newboldiceras) asiaticum spinosum and the first record of a Pachyrhizodontidae indet. (Actinopterygii, Teleostei, Crossognathiformes) from the Iberian Peninsula are reported here from the Cenomanian basal units of the major Late Cretaceous transgressive episode. The two new specimens come from the same level in an outer marine ramp succession near Amurrio, Basque Country, northern Spain, and are representatives of the Cenomanian faunal turnover. The new record of a pachyrhizodontoid fish from the Cretaceous of Iberia is an indication of the ichthyofaunal replacement in this part of the world. The relict fish faunas from the Early Cretaceous of the former island of Iberia were mostly formed by basal neopterygian taxa closely related to those of the marine Jurassic of other parts of Europe. During the Early-Late Cretaceous transition they were replaced by the teleostean-based new stock that constitutes the basis of the Late Cretaceous, Cenozoic, and Recent faunas.Resumen: Se integran y discuten los datos disponibles sobre los cambios ambientales y los reemplazamientos faunísticos que sucedieron en el norte de Iberia durante la transgresión del Cenomaniense, incluyéndose nuevas evidencias de los registros fósiles de invertebrados y vertebrados. Nuevos datos estratigráficos y la revisión de secciones estratigráficas conocidas proporcionan fundamentos para la correlación de las series de rampa carbonatada cenomanienses desde el margen ibérico hasta la zona central de la Cuenca Vasco-Cantábrica, desarrolladas durante un importante episodio transgresivo. Este nuevo esquema estratigráfico configura la base para entender las cambiantes condiciones oceanográficas en la zona de estudio, las cuales resultaron de una progresiva inundación del margen continental ibérico. Esta transgresión se vislumbra como factor determinante para reemplazamientos faunísticos en esta zona, que comenzaron durante el tránsito Albiense-Cenomaniense. Los cambios en las faunas de ammonites condujeron hacia una rápida radiación del grupo hasta un nuevo declive alrededor del tránsito Cenomaniense-Turoniense. Se describen aquí un nuevo registro de Calycoceras (Newboldiceras) asiaticum spinosum y el primer registro de Pachyrhizodontidae indet. (Actinopterigii, Teleostei, Crossognathiformes) de la Península Ibérica, provenientes de la parte basaldel episodio transgresivo cenomaniense. Ambos son representativos del cambio faunístico y proceden del mismo nivel estratigráfico en una serie de rampa carbonatada externa cerca de Amurrio, País Vasco, España. Asimismo, este primer Pachyrhizodontoidei del Cretácico de Iberia indica un cambio importante en las faunas de teleósteos en esta parte del mundo. Las faunas relictas de peces del Cretácico inferior de la entonces isla de Iberia estaban básicamente compuestas por neopterigios basales directamente relacionados con los del Jurásico marino de otras partes de Europa. Durante la transición Cretácico Inferior-Cretácico Superior fueron paulatinamente reemplazados por nuevos grupos de teleósteos, los cuales constituyen la mayor parte de las formas del Cretácico Superior, del Cenozoico y actuales

Characteristic-time of strain induced crystallization of crosslinked natural rubber

International audienceReal time Wide-Angle X-ray Scattering (WAXS) measurements during cyclic tensile tests at high strain rates (from 8 s−1–280 s−1) and at room temperature on crosslinked Natural Rubber (NR) are performed thanks to a specific homemade device. From the observed influence of the frequency on the crystallization index at the maximum sample elongation, a characteristic crystallization time is deduced. This is done taking into account the material self-heating during such unusually high strain rates. Two regimes for the dynamic process of strain induced crystallization are evidenced. For the NR tested, the obtained characteristic time is around 20 ms when the material average elongation during the cyclic test is above a critical elongation value λc. λc is the minimum elongation needed to induce crystallization during low strain rate tensile tests. Moreover, a rapid increase of this characteristic time is found when the average elongation decreases below this critical value

Mechanical ventilation with a heat recovery system in renovated apartment buildings

Abstract. Renovation of existing buildings offers a great opportunity to reduce energy consumption, but often it also reduces indoor air quality, as buildings which were originally designed for natural ventilation are made highly air tight. A solution to the problem would be a mechanical ventilation system, but several problems are experienced when implementing it -no place for installing air ducts, cold air inflow or additional energy needed for incoming air preheating. Ventilation using heat recovery units is the one method out of many other energy saving measures. The advantage of using heat recovery units is energy saving, and as a result, savings on costs of the operation of the ventilation system. This paper describes the renovation carried out in 4-storey apartment buildings. In the course of the study, two buildings were analysed, both belonging to the series buildings of the Soviet Era (103 series), built in 1970 using the same materials, the same construction solutions. The renovation was carried out by one company, using the same materials and the same renovation principles for both buildings. The only difference after the renovation is that a new centralized mechanical ventilation system with a heat recovery unit is installed in one of the buildings, while in the second building the natural ventilation system is preserved. The arrangement of the mechanical ventilation system is rather innovative as the ventilation ducts in the building for fresh air supply are integrated into the facade's insulation layer and enter the living room through the wall directly behind heating radiators. The main questions studied in the course of the research are the efficiency of the mechanical ventilation system heat recovery, the building's air tightness, and the overall system efficiency

Efectos de la reducción de la densidad de siembra en soja

La densidad óptima está sujeta a las condiciones ambientales y edáficas de cada zona. La variación de la cantidad de plantas afecta la capacidad de crecimiento individual debido la competencia en la línea de siembra. Sin embargo, el efecto en el rendimiento no es lineal, dado que los cambios en la disponibilidad de recursos estimulan mecanismos de compensación. En el caso de la Provincia de Entre Ríos la presencia de suelos vertisoles con elevado contenido de arcillas restringe el crecimiento de los cultivos. Con el objetivo de determinar la posibilidad de lograr altos rendimientos con densidades de siembra inferiores a las utilizadas en los planteos agrícolas actuales y determinar los mecanismos de compensación, se realizaron 4 ensayos durante 2013-2016 en lotes con suelos de textura arcillosa donde se utilizaron cultivares de grupo de madurez V y VI con densidades de 3 a 40 plantas m-2. Las menores densidades de 10 y 15 plantas m-2 presentaron diferencias en la intercepción de radiación en el inicio de llenado de granos. Se hallaron diferencias en el número de granos entre las densidades. Sin embargo, este componente presentó poca variación con una disminución del 15-32% al reducir en 61-80% el stand de plantas. El número de granos fue el componente que explicó las diferencias de rendimiento; A bajas densidades se observó mayor generación de nudos en las ramificaciones y además una mayor capacidad de fijar granos por planta. El peso de granos no fue afectado por la variación en la densidad. Esto permitió determinar que en estos cultivares de GM VI el rendimiento relativo del 95% se logra con densidades de 15-20 pl m-2. En los cultivares de GM V este umbral se encontraría en las 25 pl m-2, donde por debajo de este número de plantas el rendimiento se deprime

A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess HPV Knowledge and HPV Vaccine Acceptability in Mali

Despite a high prevalence of oncogenic human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer mortality, HPV vaccination is not currently available in Mali. Knowledge of HPV and cervical cancer in Mali, and thereby vaccine readiness, may be limited. Research staff visited homes in a radial pattern from a central location to recruit adolescent females and males aged 12–17 years and men and women aged ≥18 years (N = 51) in a peri-urban village of Bamako, Mali. Participants took part in structured interviews assessing knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to HPV, cervical cancer, and HPV vaccination. We found low levels of HPV and cervical cancer knowledge. While only 2.0% of respondents knew that HPV is a sexually transmitted infection (STI), 100% said they would be willing to receive HPV vaccination and would like the HPV vaccine to be available in Mali. Moreover, 74.5% said they would vaccinate their child(ren) against HPV. Men were found to have significantly greater autonomy in the decision to vaccinate themselves than women and adolescents (p = 0.005), a potential barrier to be addressed by immunization campaigns. HPV vaccination would be highly acceptable if the vaccine became widely available in Bamako, Mali. This study demonstrates the need for a significant investment in health education if truly informed consent is to be obtained for HPV vaccination. Potential HPV vaccination campaigns should provide more information about HPV and the vaccine. Barriers to vaccination, including the significantly lower ability of the majority of the target population to autonomously decide to get vaccinated, must also be addressed in future HPV vaccine campaigns

Further Confirmation of Broadly Conserved, Highly Immunogenic Cross-Clade HIV CTL Epitopes for Inclusion in the GAIA HIV Vaccine

Poster Presentation From AIDS Vaccine 2012 Boston, MA, USA. 9-12 September 201

Superexpressão do precursor de rubisco para aumento da produtividade e tolerância à seca em arroz.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi gerar plantas de arroz geneticamente modificado (GM) superexpressando o gene precursor da subunidade Large da enzima Rubisco (rbcL), com a finalidade de aumentar a produtividade de grão sob irrigação normal e sob deficit hídrico

Effects of sulfate starvation on agar polysaccharides of Gracilaria species (Gracilariaceae, Rhodophyta) from Morib, Malaysia

The effects of sulfate starvation on the agar characteristics of Gracilaria species was investigated by culturing two red algae from Morib, Malaysia, Gracilaria changii and Gracilaria salicornia in sulfate-free artificial seawater for 5 days. The seaweed samples were collected in October 2012 and March 2013, periods which have significant variation in the amount of rainfall. The agar yields were shown to be independent of sulfate availability, with only 0.60–1.20 % increment in treated G. changii and 0.31–1.40 % increment in treated G. salicornia while their gel strengths did not increase significantly (approximately 5–7 %) after sulfate starvation for both species. The gelling and melting temperatures did not vary between control and treated samples from both species, except for the treated G. changii collected in March 2013. The gel syneresis index of G. salicornia collected in March 2013 increased significantly after sulfate deprivation. Sulfate starvation introduced some variations in the content of 3, 6-anhydrogalactose and total sulfate esters, but the changes did not have a pronounced effect on the physical properties of agar