Search results for "Processes"
showing 10 items of 3831 documents
Habitat quality is more important than matrix quality for bird communities in protected areas
2018
Protected areas are meant to preserve native local communities within their boundaries, but they are not independent from their surroundings. Impoverished habitat quality in the matrix might influence the species composition within the protected areas through biotic homogenization. The aim of this study was to determine the impacts of matrix quality on species richness and trait composition of bird communities from the Finnish reserve area network and whether the communities are being subject of biotic homogenization due to the lowered quality of the landscape matrix. We used joint species distribution modeling to study how characteristics of the Finnish forest reserves and the quality of t…
Modelling vertical and lateral weed seed movements during mouldboard ploughing with a skim-coulter
2001
Abstract The vertical distribution of weed seeds in soil is crucial because seedling emergence varies with seed depth, whereas lateral soil displacement during mouldboard ploughing contributes to weed dispersal within the tilled field. In order to model vertical and lateral seed displacements during ploughing, an existing model describing soil particle movements for different ploughing characteristics (depth and width) and soil structures was adapted to integrate the effect of a skim-coulter. This model was tested in two field trials, in Northern France, using coloured plastic beads to imitate weed seeds. The trial in Dijon was set up on an eutric cambisol and comprised both compacted and u…
The unique inflorescence structure of Dorema aucheri (Apiaceae): An adaptation to the arid environment
2021
Abstract Arid environments demand specific adaptations from plants in vegetative and reproductive systems. Self–compatibility, high pollen production and few well developed fruits are adapted to increase sexual reproductive success. Dorema aucheri is an arid–adapted, perennial monocarpic species endemic to southern Iran. It has a unique inflorescence structure. In this study, significance of inflorescence architecture for reproductive success was investigated in a wild population. The huge yellow inflorescences were frequently visited by manifold insects. The species is andromonoecious and spatially subdivided in a distal part with perfect flowers and a proximal part with male flowers. Flow…
The ormer (Haliotis tuberculata): A new, promising paleoclimatic tool
2015
International audience; This study aimed to investigate the environmental controls on the oxygen isotope composition of shells of the European abalone, Haliotis tuberculata. Seasonal delta O-18 profiles from the outer prismatic layer of four abalone shells, collected live in northwest Brittany (France) in 2002 and 2012, were compared to local temperatures and salinities. According to the findings herein, delta O-18 variations in abalone shells corresponded to seasonal variations, and thus, shell composition represented a reliable tool for aging and growth studies. Seawater temperatures estimated from the abalone collected in 2012 reflected the in situ measured temperatures, but the reconstr…
Plasmonic nanosensors reveal a height dependence of MinDE protein oscillations on membrane features
2018
6 p.-4 fig.
Granulites and Palaeoproterozoic lower crust of the Baidarik Block, Central Asian Orogenic Belt of NW Mongolia
2017
Abstract Mafic granulite xenoliths are hosted by garnetiferous charnockites in the Archaean to Palaeoproterozoic Bumbuger Complex of northwestern Mongolia, one of the exotic basement terranes in the Central Asian Orogenic Belt. These rocks crystallized at ca. 1850 Ma under granulite-facies conditions (800 ± 27 °C, 6.8 ± 0.6 kbar) in the lower crust and were partly retrogressed to amphibolite-facies during ascent to higher crustal levels as a result of strong deformation resulting in northwest-trending isoclinal folds. The mafic xenoliths are likely derived from gabbroic protoliths, and geochemical, Hf-in-zircon and Nd whole-rock isotopic data suggest these rocks to have originated from pare…
Life Cycle Energy Consumption and Carbon Dioxide Emissions of Agricultural Residue Feedstock for Bioenergy
2021
The depletion of fossil fuels and climate change concerns are drivers for the development and expansion of bioenergy. Promoting biomass is vital to move civilization toward a low-carbon economy. To meet European Union targets, it is required to increase the use of agricultural residues (including straw) for power generation. Using agricultural residues without accounting for their energy consumed and carbon dioxide emissions distorts the energy and environmental balance, and their analysis is the purpose of this study. In this paper, a life cycle analysis method is applied. The allocation of carbon dioxide emissions and energy inputs in the crop production by allocating between a product (g…
Solar and Heat Pump Systems for Domestic Hot Water Production on a Small Island: The Case Study of Lampedusa
2020
The achievement of United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, related to energy and resource use, is a critical issue for small and insulated communities. In many minor islands, solar energy is not correctly exploited, and electrical heaters are connected to weak grids with very a high share of generation by fossil fuels. As a consequence, there is the necessity to assess the potential and the suitability of diffusion of alternative systems to avoid dependency on the electrical grid and reduce carbon emissions. This paper aims to evaluate the technical and economic performances of some alternative systems exploiting renewable energy for domestic hot water production. Four different syste…
Optimization of photovoltaic solar power plant locations in northern Chile
2017
The optimization of photovoltaic solar power plants location in Atacama Desert, Chile, is presented in this study. The study considers three objectives: (1) Find sites with the highest solar energy potential, (2) determine sites with the least impact on the environment, and (3) locate the areas which produce small social impact. To solve this task, multi-criteria decision analyses (MCDAs) such as analytical hierarchy process and ordered weighted averaging were applied in a GIS environment. In addition, survey results of social impacts were analyzed and included into the decision-making process, including landscape values. The most suitable sites for solar energy projects were found near roa…
Definition of the thermographic regions of interest in cycling by using a factor analysis
2016
Abstract Research in exercise physiology using infrared thermography has increased in the last years. However, the definition of the Regions of Interest (ROIs) varies strongly between studies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to use a factor analysis approach to define highly correlated groups of thermographic ROIs during a cycling test. Factor analyses were performed based on the moment of measurement and on the variation of skin temperatures as a result of the cycling exercise. 19 male participants cycled during 45 min at 50% of their individual peak power output with a cadence of 90 rpm. Infrared thermography was used to measure skin temperatures in sixteen ROIs of the trunk and lowe…