Search results for " defence"
showing 10 items of 415 documents
Effects of a glyphosate-based herbicide on survival and oxidative status of a non-target herbivore, the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlin…
2018
Abstract Glyphosate is the globally most used herbicide against a wide range of weeds. Glyphosate has been considered safe to animals as it mainly targets physiological pathways in plants. However, recent toxicological studies have revealed that glyphosate can cause various toxic effects also on animals. In this study, we investigated the direct toxic effects of a glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH, Roundup® Bio) on 1) survival and 2) oxidative status of a non-target herbivore by using Colorado potato beetles (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), originating from Poland and USA, as model species. Larvae were randomly divided into three groups: 1) high concentration (100% Roundup Bio, 360 g/l), 2) low c…
Bioactive peptides as natural antioxidants in food products - A review
2018
Background: Diseases related to oxidative stress and food quality decay are of major concern worldwide as they can lead to economic losses in both public health and food production. The antioxidant peptides, extracted from food proteins, can be explored as natural new drug and food ingredient. Scope and approach Antioxidant peptides are extracted from non-antioxidant precursor proteins from different origin by the activity of either proteolytic microorganisms or isolated enzymes. In the present review, the main sources of bioactive peptides will be discussed. Moreover, the current strategies to obtain these compounds as well as their health benefits and in vivo biological effects will be ev…
Response of bird predators for female wood tiger moth chemical defences
2018
Multiple behavioural responses of blue tit predators to the defence fluids of wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) females that were either food deprived or fed ad libitum during development.
Stochastic Vulnerability Assessment of Masonry Structures: Concepts, Modeling and Restoration Aspects
2019
A methodology aiming to predict the vulnerability of masonry structures under seismic action is presented herein. Masonry structures, among which many are cultural heritage assets, present high vulnerability under earthquake. Reliable simulations of their response to seismic stresses are exceedingly difficult because of the complexity of the structural system and the anisotropic and brittle behavior of the masonry materials. Furthermore, the majority of the parameters involved in the problem such as the masonry material mechanical characteristics and earthquake loading characteristics have a stochastic-probabilistic nature. Within this framework, a detailed analytical methodological approac…
Adapting rail and road networks to weather extremes: Case studies for southern Germany and Austria
2013
Published version of an article in the journal: Natural Hazards. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-013-0969-3 The assessment of the current impacts of extreme weather conditions on transport systems reveals high costs in specific locations. Prominent examples for Europe are the economic consequences of the harsh winter periods 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 and the floods in Austria, Eastern Europe, Germany and the United Kingdom in 2005 and 2007. Departing from the EC-funded project WEATHER, this paper delves into the subject of adaptation strategies by revisiting the project’s general findings on adaptation strategies and by adding two specific cases: (1) adv…
A new hybrid procedure for the definition of seismic vulnerability in Mediterranean cross-border urban areas
2016
Assessment of seismic vulnerability of urban areas provides fundamental information for activities of planning and management of emergencies. The main difficulty encountered when extending vulnerability evaluations to urban contexts is the definition of a framework of assessment appropriate for the specific characteristics of the site and providing reliable results with a reasonable duration of surveys and post-processing of data. The paper proposes a new procedure merging different typologies of information recognized on the territories investigated and for this reason called “hybrid.” Knowledge of historical events influencing urban evolution and analysis of recurrent building technologie…
Comparison of Radiosonde and Remote Sensing Data to Evaluate Convective Forest Fire Risk: The Haines Index
2018
Haines Index (HI) has been associated with convective forest fires risk. Temperatures and humidities in low atmospheric levels are required to compute HI and usually, atmospheric sounding data are used for this purpose. However, spatial and temporal resolutions of these data are coarse and remote sensing data could improve them. Therefore, the aim of this work is to test remote sensing data from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on board the EOS Aqua satellite, specifically the Level 2 V6 products (AIRX2RET and AIRS2RET), for this purpose. First, we validated the remote sensing data with radiosonde daytime and nighttime data located in the Iberian Peninsula in 2014. Signifi…
Intervention and peace*
2018
Abstract Intervention often does not lead to peace, but rather to prolonged conflict. Indeed, we document that it is an important source of prolonged conflicts. We introduce a theoretical model of the balance of power to explain why this should be the case and to analyse how peace can be achieved: either a hot peace between hostile neighbours or the peace of the strong dominating the weak. Non-intervention generally leads to peace after defeat of the weak. Hot peace can be achieved with sufficiently strong outside intervention. The latter is thus optimal if the goal of policy is to prevent the strong from dominating the weak.
Eiropas aizsardzības stiprināšana un Baltijas valstu izaicinājumi
2018
Kopējās drošības un aizsardzības politika ir kļuvusi par vienu no lielākajām prioritātēm un kritiski apskatītāko diskusijas tematu Eiropas Savienībā, kas automātiski izveido jaunu platformu attīstībai valstīm, kuras ir vistuvāk ES ārējām robežām. Maģistra darba galvenais izvirzītais mērķis ir identificēt Eiropas Savienības aizsardzības un drošības sektora jaunās iespējas un piedāvātās metodes, kas tiks aktualizētas un īstenotas Daudzgadu finanšu shēmas (Multiannual Financial Framework) ietvaros no 2021. –2027.gadam, un piedāvāt ieteikumus un risinājumus, plānojot to iespējamo izmantošanu un pielietojumu Baltijas valstīs. Pētījuma rezultāti parāda, ka, pirmkārt, Eiropas Savienības valstis ir…
Bio-inspired security analysis for IoT scenarios
2020
Computer security has recently become more and more important as the world economy dependency from data has kept growing. The complexity of the systems that need to be kept secure calls for new models capable of abstracting the interdependencies among heterogeneous components that cooperate at providing the desired service. A promising approach is attack graph analysis, however, the manual analysis of attack graphs is tedious and error prone. In this paper we propose to apply the metabolic network model to attack graph analysis, using three interacting bio-inspired algorithms: topological analysis, flux balance analysis, and extreme pathway analysis. A developed framework for graph building…