Application, validation and comparison in different geographical contexts of an integrated model for the design of ecological networks

The issue of the fragmentation of natural habitats is increasingly at the core of the scientific debate, yet it is not taken into account in planning tools, with particular reference to the dynamism and complexity of landscapes. As it has been recognised at a European level, in order to enable different species to remain in good functional status, a network of green infrastructures is required. The concept of “ecological island” is no longer sufficient to adequately protect the fauna and the ecosystem it lives in. As a consequence, ecological islands must turn into ecological networks. The Ecological connectivity refers to the way habitats are physically connected to each other and how easy it is for species to move in. Good ecological connectivity is fundamental to the effective conservation of biodiversity considering that most species and ecological functions provided by ecosystems (ecosystem services) require a much wider space than that available within the boundaries of a single protected area. The main objective of this paper is to critically compare the application of a model for the design of ecological networks to two very different environmental contexts. This model was first tested in a Mediterranean area (the Province of Reggio Calabria) in 2008; the goal was to integrate the traditional (physiographic and functional) approaches into the design of ecological networks by taking into account biological and orographic elements as well as the anthropic structure of the territory. In 2011, within the ECONNECT European project, the model was applied to the pilot region of South-Western Alps (including the French region of Provence-Alpes - Côte d’Azur and the Italian regions Piedmont and Liguria), which is one of the richest transnational districts in Europe in terms of biodiversity. In such a region, the issue of multidisciplinary ecological connectivity was tackled in order to provide a series of proposals aiming at the development of the ecological potential of the area. The two applications allowed to further investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the implemented model by integrating its validation with information on faunal presence, which obviated one of the major limitations occurred in the first application

Application, validation and comparison in different geographical contexts of an integrated model for the design of ecological networks

The issue of the fragmentation of natural habitats is increasingly at the core of the scientific debate, yet it is not taken into account in planning tools, with particular reference to the dynamism and complexity of landscapes. As it has been recognised at a European level, in order to enable different species to remain in good functional status, a network of green infrastructures is required. The concept of "ecological island" is no longer sufficient to adequately protect the fauna and the ecosystem it lives in. As a consequence, ecological islands must turn into ecological networks. The Ecological connectivity refers to the way habitats are physically connected to each other and how easy it is for species to move in. Good ecological connectivity is fundamental to the effective conservation of biodiversity considering that most species and ecological functions provided by ecosystems (ecosystem services) require a much wider space than that available within the boundaries of a single protected area. The main objective of this paper is to critically compare the application of a model for the design of ecological networks to two very different environmental contexts. This model was first tested in a Mediterranean area (the Province of Reggio Calabria) in 2008; the goal was to integrate the traditional (physiographic and functional) approaches into the design of ecological networks by taking into account biological and orographic elements as well as the anthropic structure of the territory. In 2011, within the ECONNECT European project, the model was applied to the pilot region of South-Western Alps (including the French region of Provence-Alpes - Côte d'Azur and the Italian regions Piedmont and Liguria), which is one of the richest transnational districts in Europe in terms of biodiversity. In such a region, the issue of multidisciplinary ecological connectivity was tackled in order to provide a series of proposals aiming at the development of the ecological potential of the area. The two applications allowed to further investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the implemented model by integrating its validation with information on faunal presence, which obviated one of the major limitations occurred in the first application

Densely calcified tuberculous constrictive pericarditis with concurrent active pulmonary tuberculosis infection

Though pulmonary tuberculosis is a common chronic infection in the developing countries like Nepal, the incidence of tubercular constrictive pericarditis is very low. Here we report a patient of active pulmonary tuberculosis with sputum positive for acid fast bacilli along with densely calcified constrictive pericarditis which has been reported as a very rare presentation in the literature.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/jcmsn.v10i2.12955 Journal of College of Medical Sciences-Nepal, 2014, Vol.10(2); 41-43</p

Landscape Planning and Ecological Networks. Part A. A Rural System in Nuoro, Sardinia

Urban-rural landscape planning research is nowadays focusing on strategies and tool s that support practitioners in designing integrated spaces starting from the analys is of local areas, where human and natural pressures interfere. A prominent framework is provided by the ecological networks, whose design regards the combination of a set of green areas or patches (the nodes) interconnected through environmental corridors (the edges). Ecological networks are useful for biodiversity protection and enhancement, as they are able to counteract fragmentation, and to create or strengthen relations and exchanges among otherwise isolated elements. Biodiversity evolution, indeed, depends on the quantity and quality of spatial cohesion of natural areas. In this paper, we aim at designing an ecological network for the periurban area on the town of Nuoro in central Sardinia. The narrative unfolds in two parts. Part A is presented in this paper and includes its methodological premises, i.e. biodiversity conservation and ecological network analysis and design, and the introductory elements of a spatial analysis on a pilot ecological network of one hundred patches. We locate patches by focusing on the ecosystems supported by the target vegetal species holmoak (Quercus ilex) and cultivated or wild olive (Olea europaea var. sativa, O. europaea var. sylverstis). These are very common plants species in the municipality and some animal species are active as seed dispersal. The reminder, i.e. Part B, of the essay is presented in an homonymous paper that focuses on the illustration of the network analys is conceived as a monitoring system and, in future perspective, as a planning support system

Urban–rural ecological networks for landscape planning

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Cyclometalated Platinum-Containing Diketopyrrolopyrrole Complexes and Polymers: Photophysics and Photovoltaic Applications

A series of organometallic complexes and polymers has been synthesized with an objective of studying their fundamental photophysical properties together with their organic photovoltaic and organic field-effect transistor properties. The metal chromophores consist of a diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) core, end functionalized with cyclometalated platinum “auxochrome”. The photophysical properties of the metal complex and polymers are compared with the unmetalated chromophore <b>DPP-C8-Th-Py</b>. The polymers <b>Poly-DPP-Th-Pt</b> and <b>Poly-DPP-Ph-Pt</b> differ structurally in their cyclometallating ligands, where they consist of 2-thienylpyridine and 2-phenylpyridine, respectively. Efficient solar spectrum coverage was observed for all chromophores; specifically, the polymer <b>Poly-DPP-Th-Pt</b> has an onset of absorption at ∼900 nm with an optical band gap of 1.4 eV. The triplet excited state was detected for all chromophores and probed by both nanosecond and picosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Both polymers were employed as donors in bulk-heterojunction solar cells with a polymer:<b>PC₇₁BM</b> ratio of 1:7. The thiophene-containing polymer <b>Poly-DPP-Th-Pt</b> shows a respectable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 1.66% with a high fill factor (FF) of ∼66%. Higher charge carrier mobility was observed for <b>Poly-DPP-Th-Pt</b> when used in field-effect transistors compared to <b>Poly-DPP-Ph-Pt</b>