Comment on “CCSD study of anharmonic Raman cross sections of fundamental, overtone, and combination transitions”

Equations (36) and (37) in L. N. Vidal, P. A. M. Vazquez, Int. J. Quantum Chem. 2012, 112, 3205 are wrong. The agreement between theoretical and experimental Raman cross sections is greatly improved with use of the corrected expressions

Corrigendum to "The upper atmosphere of the exoplanet HD209458b revealed by the sodium D lines: Temperature-pressure profile, ionization layer and thermosphere" [2011, A&A, 527, A110]

An error was detected in the code used for the analysis of the HD209458b sodium profile (Vidal-Madjar et al. 2011). Here we present an updated T-P profile and briefly discuss the consequences.Comment: Published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, 533, C

Ford Hall Forum Poster , 1973

Poster advertising speakers for the 66th year of the Ford Hall Forum, 1973. Speakers include Tom Wicker, Carl Bernstein, Bob Woodward, Sir Bernard Lovell, Ayn Rand, Reverend Jesse Jackson, Gore Vidal, Dr. Thomas A. Harris, Judith Christ, Commissioner Robert J. di Grazia, and Herman Kahn.https://dc.suffolk.edu/fhf-docs/1020/thumbnail.jp

The red vented-bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) : invasion dynamics and ecological impacts of an introduced pest bird in New Caledonia and implications for management : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand

This thesis is constructed as a series of connected manuscripts which had been published or accepted for publication in open access publications at the time of thesis submission: 1. Thibault, M., Vidal, E., Potter, M. A., Dyer, E., and Brescia, F. (2018). The red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer): Serious pest or understudied invader? Biological Invasions, 20(1), 121-136. doi: 10.1007/s10530-017-1521-2 2. Thibault, M., Vidal, E., Potter, M.A., Masse, F., Pujapujane, A., Fogliani, B., Lannuzel, G., Jourdan, H., Robert, N., Demaret, L., Barré, N., and Brescia F. (Accepted). Invasion by the red-vented bulbul: An overview of recent studies in New Caledonia. In: C.R. Veitch, M.N. Clout, A. Martin, J. Russell and C. West (Eds.), Island Invasives: Scaling up to meet the challenge. Gland: IUCN. 3. Thibault, M., Vidal, E., Potter, M. A., Sanchez, T., and Brescia, F. (2018). The invasive Red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) outcompetes native birds in a tropical biodiversity hotspot. PLoS ONE, 13(2), e0192249. https://doi-org./10.1371/journal.pone.0192249 4. Thibault, M., Masse, F., Pujapujane, A., Lannuzel, G., Bordez, L, Potter, M.A., Fogliani, B., Vidal, E. and Brescia, F. “Liaisons dangereuses”: The invasive red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer), a disperser of exotic plant species in New Caledonia. Ecology and Evolution, 8(18), 9259-9269. doi: 10.1002/ece3.4140Invasive alien species are a major cause of biodiversity loss globally, especially on islands where high species richness and levels of endemism accentuate their impacts. Various international institutions have constructed lists of the most harmful invasive species to help environment managers at both global and local scales to prioritize their efforts. The red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) is a passerine bird species considered among the three worst invasive birds on the planet. This species is currently spreading over the tropical archipelago of New Caledonia, one of the 36 world biodiversity hotspots. This dissertation presents the findings of a PhD study conducted in New Caledonia with two objectives: 1) to describe this introduced population, and 2) to evaluate the threats from its dispersal using both existing knowledge and new in-situ and ex-situ data and a variety of analysis techniques. From the literature, I identified three key impacts explaining the species’ status: i) damage to agricultural crops, ii) noxious seed dispersal, and iii) competition with other avifauna. I estimated the local population size (approx. 140,000 individuals), its habitat use (inhabited areas), its density along an urbanization gradient (30-120 ind/km2), and I produced lists of consumed plant and animal species and identified a color preference in the foraging strategy of the red-vented bulbul. Exploration of each impact category revealed i) substantial losses on fruit production (18% of tomato production), ii) impact on the abundance of nine native bird species that may be driving a spatial reassembly of the community, and iii) a short distance dispersal (77-92 m) that could promote the dispersal of introduced plant species at the expense of endemic species. Finally, through modelling, I estimated the climatic niche of the species at a global scale and identified that most island territories as suitable for the establishment of this invasive bird species. Regardless of whether the red-vented bulbul deserves its status as “world worst” species, quantitative impact assessments in its alien range such as the studies presented here are needed to prevent the dispersal and harmful impacts of this species on human activities and sensitive ecosystems. Implications for management are discussed

J. Maluquer de Motes, Tartessos. La ciudad sin historia (estudio preliminar de Mª Eugenia Aubet y Francisco Gracia). Urgoiti : Pamplona. ISBN: 978-84-940991-8-2 (€16)

Obra ressenyada: J. MALUQUER DE MOTES, Tartessos. La ciudad sin historia. Pamplona: Urgoiti, 2016

Dificultats per a la conservació de l'ase català

L'ase català és un dels que corren més perill en el món. En aquest estudi, els investigadors J.P. Gutierrez, J. Marmi, F. Goyache i J. Jordana varen analitzar la informació de l'arbre genealògic de l'ase català par tal de valorar la diversitat genètica i l'estructura de la població. Van descobrir que l'ase català ha patit una pèrdua important de diversitat genètica.El asno catalán es uno de los que corren mayor peligro en el mundo. En este estudio, los investigadores J.P. Gutierrez, J. Marmi, F. Goyache i J. Jordana analizaron la información del árbol genealógico del asno catalán para valorar la diversidad genética y la estructura de la población. Descubrieron que el asno catalán ha sufrido una pérdida importante de diversidad genética

A. Bernabé / J. A. Álvarez-Pedrosa (eds.), Orientalística en tiempos de crisis. Actas del VI Congreso Nacional del Centro de Estudios del Próximo Oriente. Pórtico, Zaragoza 2015. ISBN : 978-84-7956-142-0 (€46)

Obra ressenyada: A. BERNABÉ / J. A. ÁLVAREZ-PEDROSA (eds.), Orientalística en tiempos de crisis. Actas del VI Congreso Nacional del Centro de Estudios del Próximo Oriente. Zaragoza: Pórtico, 2015

La Concepció dels moviments socials en la teoria de Jürgen Habermas

Aquest article es centra en el concepte de moviment social en la teoria de J. Habermas, el qual emmarca el fenomen en una crítica enfront del sistema capitalista. Habermas dóna una caràcterística política als moviments socials, centrant-se especialment en els aspectes socialpsicològics, derivats de la descomposició de la funció integradora de les condicions de vida socials en les societats de capitalisme tardà.This article focuses on the concept of social movement theorised by J. Habermas, which places the phenomenon within the capitalist system. Habermas gives a political characteristic to social movements, and he focuses especially in the socio-psycological aspects, stemming from the decomposition of the integrated functions of the conditions of social hives in late capitalist societies