Search results for "Direct"

Joint Methodology for the Identification and Assessment of Groundwater Dependent Terrestrial Ecosystems in Estonia and Latvia

2020

Dynamic interactions between ground- and surface water are widely known, but the role of groundwater in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems is often poorly understood and documented due to the spatiotemporal complexity. Many countries have not yet completed the assessment of groundwater dependent ecosystems (GDEs). GDEs are valuable ecosystems that depend on groundwater input and can not be considered and assessed separately. Changes in the quantity and chemical composition of groundwater recharge may result in significant and permanent damage on GDE flora and fauna. Aquifers are dynamic systems which are not subject to administrative boundaries and borders, therefore should be managed in cl…

Spatial and temporal variability of diatom and macroinvertebrate communities: How representative are ecological classifications within a river system?

2012

Evaluation of river condition is complicated by dynamic relationships between river assemblages and their environment. We assessed variation of ecological status classifications of stream diatom and macroinvertebrate communities within a boreal river system. We specifically examined whether results of ecological classifications are concordant across taxonomic groups and among main channel and headwater side tributaries of this river system. We further assessed whether ecological classifications are stable from year to year and whether classifications show predictable relationships to major stressor gradients. The estimated ecological condition varied considerably among and between reaches o…

Geometric and morphologic evolution of normal fault planes and traces from 2D to 4D data

2003

Abstract The detailed 3D geometry of normal fault planes is described and analysed using datasets from outcrop studies (2D), seismic surveys (3D) and analogue models (4D). Different geometric configurations of simple isolated normal faults are studied by reference to processes of normal fault propagation. When a normal fault propagates without interacting with other fault zones, the entire border of the principal plane displays characteristic connected secondary structures. These secondary structures cause bifurcations of the principal fault terminations. The along-strike terminations of the principal plane display typical bifurcation configurations (‘ear geometry‘). The orientation of the …

Response of macrophyte communities and status metrics to natural gradients and land use in boreal lakes

2012

Abstract We studied the relations of aquatic macrophyte communities, ecological quality metrics and water quality to lake characteristics and to land use defined at multiple spatial scales (three lake marginal zones (LMZs) of contrasting width and the whole topographic catchment) in 110 boreal lakes in Finland using ordination and generalised additive modelling. Variation in macrophyte community composition of our lakes was related to water quality, land use, latitude and lake morphology. Relationships of macrophyte status metrics – the proportion of type-specific species (TT50), Percent Model Affinity (PMA) and Trophic Index (TI) – to land use were scale dependent. The proportion of agricu…

Evaluation of cliff recession in the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento (Sicily)

2015

Abstract The sacral complex of the Valle dei Templi in Agrigento, added in the UNESCO Heritage Site List, stands over the crest of a rigid calcarenite cuesta, which overlies a layer of partially saturated (S = 6–12%) carbonate sand. In turn, the sand stratum lies on a thick stratum of clays. The environment is highly prone to landslides as highlighted by several previous studies that identify the undermining of slopes and the discontinuity pattern, occurred in the late Neotectonic phase, as causes of cliff failure. For wider and less exposed areas, where the undermining local instabilities can be present because of the specific morphology of the site, a recent research has proposed a new in…

Methodologies for feasibility studies related to wastewater reclamation and reuse projects

2006

Abstract About 20% of the total surface water in Europe is strongly threatened due to pollution problems, and 60% of European cities over-exploit their groundwater resources. The European Framework Water Directive established that by the year 2015 “a good ecological state” of all European water resources and a sustainable use of water must be achieved. Wastewater reuse presents a promising solution to the growing pressure on Europe's water resources. However, wastewater reuse implementation in Europe faces obstacles that include insufficient public acceptance; technical, economic and hygienic risks; and lack of regulations. On the other hand, a very important aspect to implement a water reu…

Directionlets: Anisotropic Multidirectional representation with separable filtering

2006

In spite of the success of the standard wavelet transform (WT) in image processing in recent years, the efficiency of its representation is limited by the spatial isotropy of its basis functions built in the horizontal and vertical directions. One-dimensional (1-D) discontinuities in images (edges and contours) that are very important elements in visual perception, intersect too many wavelet basis functions and lead to a nonsparse representation. To efficiently capture these anisotropic geometrical structures characterized by many more than the horizontal and vertical directions, a more complex multidirectional (M-DIR) and anisotropic transform is required. We present a new lattice-based pe…

Model uncertainty and variable selection: an application to the modelization of FDI determinants in Europe

2019

Las últimas décadas han visto un interés cada vez mayor en la IED, y un debate creciente sobre su modelización en términos de las variables consideradas como sus determinantes, la especificación del modelo y los métodos de estimación del modelo de gravedad de la IED. Esto se debe a la incertidumbre que rodea tanto las teorías como los enfoques empíricos de la IED. Esta Tesis doctoral tiene como objetivo contribuir a la literatura mediante la investigación de las fuerzas impulsoras de las actividades de las EMNs hacia y desde los países europeos, tanto a nivel regional como nacional, abordando los problemas de selección de variables e incertidumbre del modelo que se enfrentan al modelizar la…

Spatially dependent parton distribution functions and hard processes in nuclear collisions

2014

Restrictions for reimbursement of interferon-free direct-acting antiviral drugs for HCV infection in Europe

2018

All-oral direct-acting antiviral drugs (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus, which have response rates of 95% or more, represent a major clinical advance. However, the high list price of DAAs has led many governments to restrict their reimbursement. We reviewed the availability of, and national criteria for, interferon-free DAA reimbursement among countries in the European Union and European Economic Area, and Switzerland. Reimbursement documentation was reviewed between Nov 18, 2016, and Aug 1, 2017. Primary outcomes were fibrosis stage, drug or alcohol use, prescriber type, and HIV co-infection restrictions. Among the 35 European countries and jurisdictions included, the most commonly reimbursed …