Search results for "TW"

Environmental Challenges in the Philippines

2017

The Republic of the Philippines is one of most exposed countries in the world to many “natural” hazards: earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami, lahar flows, typhoons, flooding, landslides, and sea level rise. Earthquake risks make Metro Manila especially vulnerable, due to the high population density and the poor quality of buildings, partly linked to corruption. This chapter examines the current policies to reduce risk in the metropolis and the scales of vulnerability, both at the national, regional, community and individual levels, focusing on the resilience of people and society when confronted with danger. Their vulnerability is heightened with several forms of environmental degradat…

Management Elements for Two Alburninae Species, Alburnus alburnus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Alburnoides bipunctatus (Bloch, 1782) Based on a Decision-Supp…

2019

Abstract ADONIS:CE has been used as a base to create a support-system management decision-making model for Alburnus alburnus (Linnaeus, 1758) and Alburnoides bipunctatus (Bloch, 1782) species. Investigation of the habitat necessities and the identification of the necessary elements for a good status of conservation of these two fish species populations has revealed the pressures and threats to these congener species, for which specific management activities have been finally recommended.

Decision support systems (DSS) for wastewater treatment plants - A review of the state of the art.

2019

The use of decision support systems (DSS) allows integrating all the issues related with sustainable development in view of providing a useful support to solve multi-scenario problems. In this work an extensive review on the DSSs applied to wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is presented. The main aim of the work is to provide an updated compendium on DSSs in view of supporting researchers and engineers on the selection of the most suitable method to address their management/operation/design problems. Results showed that DSSs were mostly used as a comprehensive tool that is capable of integrating several data and a multi-criteria perspective in order to provide more reliable results. Only …

Modeling dense inflorescences

2016

Showy inflorescences - clusters of flowers - are a common feature of many plants, greatly contributing to their beauty. The large numbers of individual flowers (florets), arranged in space in a systematic manner, make inflorescences a natural target for procedural modeling. We present a suite of biologically motivated algorithms for modeling and animating the development of inflorescences with closely packed florets. These inflorescences share the following characteristics: (i) in their ensemble, the florets form a relatively smooth, often approximately planar surface; (ii) there are numerous collisions between petals of the same or adjacent florets; and (iii) the developmental stage and ty…

Structure and vulnerability of the multi‐interaction network in macrophyte‐dominated lakes

2019

The network approach is crucial to understand how ecosystems are structured and how they will respond to the disturbances (e.g. the current global change). We have recreated the multi‐interaction network of a shallow freshwater lake dominated by submerged macrophytes (Charophytes), a known system very vulnerable to environmental changes, considering both trophic and non‐trophic relationships among its elements. To minimize the environmental variability, we established it in an experimental mesocosm, including three habitats: the pelagic, the habitat around the meadow and the periphytic community living on macrophytes. We aimed to study the structure of this network and the roles of its elem…

2020

Abstract Facing the loss of biodiversity caused by landscape fragmentation, implementation of ecological networks to connect habitats is an important biodiversity conservation issue. It is necessary to develop easily reproducible methods to identify and prioritize actions to maintain or restore ecological corridors. To date, several competing methods are used with recurrent debate on which is best and if expert-based approaches can replace data-driven models. We compared three methods: knowledge-driven (expert based), data-driven (based on species distribution model), and a mixed approach. We quantified their differences in habitat and corridor mapping, and prioritizations of landscape elem…

Mechanisms of reciprocity and diversity in social networks: a modeling and comparative approach

2018

Individual-based computer models show that different mechanisms, proximity-based or emotional bookkeeping, can lead to reciprocation. By comparing social networks from different computer models with those of empirical data, we show that the models’ social networks bear limited resemblance with some features of the observed social networks. This indicates that additional social processes (third-party awareness) may be needed in these models to represent more accurately the social behavior and interaction patterns observed in group-living animals.

Innovative technologies for encapsulation of Mediterranean plants extracts

2017

Abstract Background High-added value biological compounds (BACs) from herbal and plant sources, such as essential oils (EO), antioxidants and volatile compounds, often exhibit remarkable features, ranging from nutritive and medicinal properties, as well as antimicrobial and antioxidant activities, which can be exploited in the production of functional foods. However, most BACs exhibit low water solubility, strong off-flavors/odors, and are generally unstable and easily degraded under common processing and storage conditions. Encapsulation is a technology that enables the delivery in food systems, the protection, as well as the controlled and targeted release of BACs. Scope and approach The …

Parameter identification and state estimation of a microalgae dynamical model in sulphur deprived conditions: Global sensitivity analysis, optimizati…

2014

International audience; In this article, a dynamic model describing the growth of the green microalgae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii , under light attenuation and sulphur‐deprived conditions leading to hydrogen production in a photobioreactor is presented. The strong interactions between biological and physical phenomena require complex mathematical expressions with an important number of parameters. This article presents a global identification procedure in three steps using data from batch experiments. First, it includes the application of a sensitivity function analysis, which allows one to determine the parameters having the greatest influence on model outputs. Secondly, the most influentia…

Landmarks in the historical development of twenty first century food processing technologies.

2017

International audience; Over a course of centuries, various food processing technologies have been explored and implemented to provide safe, fresher-tasting and nutritive food products. Among these technologies, application of emerging food processes (e.g., cold plasma, pressurized fluids, pulsed electric fields, ohmic heating, radiofrequency electric fields, ultrasonics and megasonics, high hydrostatic pressure, high pressure homogenization, hyperbaric storage, and negative pressure cavitation extraction) have attracted much attention in the past decades. This is because, compared to their conventional counterparts, novel food processes allow a significant reduction in the overall processi…