Managing the whole landscape: historical, hybrid, and novel ecosystems

The reality confronting ecosystem managers today is one of heterogeneous, rapidly transforming landscapes, particularly in the areas more affected by urban and agricultural development. A landscape management framework that incorporates all systems, across the spectrum of degrees of alteration, provides a fuller set of options for how and when to intervene, uses limited resources more effectively, and increases the chances of achieving management goals. That many ecosystems have departed so substantially from their historical trajectory that they defy conventional restoration is not in dispute. Acknowledging novel ecosystems need not constitute a threat to existing policy and management approaches. Rather, the development of an integrated approach to management interventions can provide options that are in tune with the current reality of rapid ecosystem change

Passive self adapting end-effectors for blind grappling on mars soil

The emphasis in placing intelligence on the control of robot arms and manipulators for high performance gripping that involves vision and other dimensional and proximity sensors plus active multi-axial movements, has resulted in complexity that would be counter productive in circumstances where reliability and timeless are of the utmost importance. This paper describes the alternative approach to design an end-effector that adapts to the shape of the object to be grasped in a passive way. A study of the shapes to be grasped has consolidated the adaptation to a few basic force balance rotation of the claws on the end-effector. The result simplifies the requirement for the robot arm and hence an increase in reliability. The philosophy is illustrated by the design of an end-effector for rock sampling on Mars to grapple individual rocks with high confidence and minimum amount of intelligence and agility required for the robot arm. The robot arm only requires the area of the image and its centre of gravity for guidance while the force balance rotation of the end-effector will mould it to the shape of the rock for secure holding

Metallic nanoparticles and nanostructures for bio-applications

This paper elaborates on approaches of synthesis of Au and Ag nanoparticles (NPs), deposition of colloid onto glass substrate and encapsulation of NPs with silicon dioxide (SiO(2)) thin shell. As one important bio application of metallic nanoparticles, both solution-based and substrate-based fluorescence enhancement tests are demonstrated

Coverage and determinants of influenza vaccine among pregnant women: A cross-sectional study

10.1186/s12889-019-7172-8BMC Public Health19189