In this research, a novel approach that utilizes Moran’s I statistical analyses to examine the spatio-temporal dispersal patterns of the White-Nose Syndrome currently affecting North American bat species is undertaken to further understand the disease transmission mechanism(s) of this emerging wildlife epidemic. White-Nose Syndrome has been responsible for in excess of five million bat deaths to date and has the potential to alter the ecological landscape significantly; however, due to a variety of factors, little research has been conducted into the patterns of infection on a national scale. Global and Local Moran’s I analyses were performed on the spatial-temporal variable of month and location from the initial outbreak site in order to address the spread of the Geomyces destructans fungus that causes White-Nose Syndrome. A comprehensive dataset of outbreak confirmation sites has been compiled and statistical analysis using ArcGIS reveals a complex pattern of disease dispersion since initial discovery of the disease, and shows important policy and management implications, in particular the need for more standardized and rigorous data collection and reporting procedures.

Critical to our understanding of wildlife diseases is the recovery phase, a period during which individuals clear infections and return to normal patterns of behavior and physiology. Most research on effects of white nose syndrome (WNS), an emerging fungal disease in bats, has focused on the pathophysiology of winter mortality and the effects of WNS on hibernating populations. The period immediately following emergence from hibernation has received little attention, but is a critically important time for survivors of the disease. During this time, survivors face significant physical and physiological challenges as they migrate to summer habitats, potentially begin gestation in the case of reproductive females, and begin to recover from wing damage caused by the fungus, which can be extensive and may greatly increase the energetic cost of flight. In this study, I (1) test the hypothesis that free-ranging bats heal from WNS-induced wing damage, (2) determine how WNS-induced wing damage changes skin surface lipid profiles on free-ranging bats, and (3) describe the temporal process of disease recovery in a colony of captive bats, including analyses of body mass, wing damage, pathogen load, skin surface lipid profiles, and histopathological metrics of WNS. I find that bats can quickly heal from wing damage in the wild and appear healthy as early as mid-July in New England. Analysis of skin surface lipids does not reveal any striking differences between bats with wing damage and those without, although there are trends towards lower total surface lipids and increased levels of cutaneous cholesterol in bats with severe wing damage. Finally, I show that within 40 days of emerging from hibernation, bats quickly clear the fungal infection and gain body mass, undergoing rapid healing of wing damage and changes in skin surface lipid composition. Bats depend on their wings for a variety of vital processes including physiological regulation, locomotion and feeding. To fully understand the consequences of WNS and develop actionable management strategies, it is important to consider the long-term effects of this disease. My study helps fill critical knowledge gaps and will aid in the future conservation and management of affected bat species.

No description available.

Submitted by SBI Biblioteca Digital (sbi.bibliotecadigital@puc-campinas.edu.br) on 2017-08-07T14:11:46Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RAFAEL GON?ALVES TOZZO.pdf: 13567008 bytes, checksum: 3305755519de6ae576b53dea1ba30527 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-07T14:11:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RAFAEL GON?ALVES TOZZO.pdf: 13567008 bytes, checksum: 3305755519de6ae576b53dea1ba30527 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-06-29 / Coordena??o de Aperfei?oamento de Pessoal de N?vel Superior - CAPES / The dissertation describes the development of an autonomous wireless network element, which enables researchers to gather information in outdoor environments. Investigating the autonomy of sensor nodes, and the dimensioning of a battery and a photovoltaic panel. For the validation of the solution, is used the sensor node developed in this work to collect data in external areas for periods of time. Applying strategies for dimensioning an energy system to aiming the needs of a sensor node in an external environment. An energy-saving strategy has been developed with sleep mode that allows higher work cycles to the NSS. The results are the finding that the NSS worked in the period, through the voltage level of the battery, which is related to the energy of the same. It can be affirmed that the NSS functioned and the objective of monitoring quantities in outdoor environments. / A disserta??o descreve o desenvolvimento de um elemento de rede sem fio aut?nomo, que possibilita a pesquisadores a coleta de informa??es em ambientes externos. Investigando a autonomia de n?s sensores, e o dimensionamento de uma bateria e de um painel fotovoltaico. Para a valida??o da solu??o, utiliza-se o n? sensor desenvolvido para a realiza??o de coletas de grandezas em ?reas externas por per?odos de tempo. Aplicando estrat?gias de dimensionamento de um sistema de energia visando as necessidades de um n? sensor em ambiente externo. Foi desenvolvida uma estrat?gia de economia de energia, com sleep mode que permite ciclos de funcionamento maiores ao NSS. Os resultados ? a constata??o de que o NSS funcionou no per?odo, atrav?s do n?vel de tens?o da bateria, que est? relacionado com a energia da mesma. Podendo afirmar-se que o NSS funcionou e atente ao objetivo de monitorar grandezas em ambientes externos.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-04T18:31:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LUCAS AUGUSTO DE ARAUJO MARQUES LEAO.pdf: 1843994 bytes, checksum: 99d00d63745d6c077be1b0e0f8b0d518 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-12 / Wireless Sensor Networks (WNS) have been applied as monitoring solution for building management systems. The sensors are responsible for monitoring environment aspects such as temperature, lighting and energy consumption. However, the sensors are exposed to adverse conditions and frequent environment changes, which can dramatically affect communication and data flow. Thus, this work proposes a routing algorithm based on fuzzy logic to identify the best routes in an indoor wireless sensor network. The evaluated parameters are presented (RSSI, Standard Deviation and Packet Error Rate) along with the cost definition process for each route, the best route identification sequence and the results obtained in simulation and experimentation. The proposed solution mixes WSN routing techniques along with fuzzy logic to characterize and define the link cost. The developed algorithm was faced with a routing solution based on RSSI. The experiments demonstrate that the solution allows the selection of higher quality links, reducing the probability of packet loss in comparison to the algorithm based on RSSI. / As Redes de Sensores Sem Fio (RSSF) t?m sido uma solu??o amplamente utilizada no contexto de sistemas de gerenciamento de edifica??es. Os sensores s?o respons?veis por monitorar diversos aspectos do ambiente, como temperatura, ilumina??o e consumo de energia. Entretanto, os sensores est?o expostos a condi??es adversas e mudan?as constantes do ambiente, que podem afetar de maneira definitiva a comunica??o e flu?ncia dos dados. Neste sentido, este trabalho apresenta uma proposta de algoritmo de roteamento baseado em l?gica difusa para identifica??o dos melhores caminhos em uma rede de sensores sem fio indoor. S?o apresentados os par?metros utilizados (RSSI, Desvio Padr?o do RSSI e Taxa de Erro de Pacote) para a defini??o do custo de cada caminho, a sequ?ncia de identifica??o de melhor caminho e os resultados obtidos em simula??o e aplica??o pr?tica. A solu??o proposta agrega t?cnicas de roteamento em RSSF ? utiliza??o de l?gica difusa para caracteriza??o e defini??o dos custos dos enlaces entre os sensores. O algoritmo desenvolvido foi confrontado com uma solu??o de roteamento baseada em RSSI. Os experimentos demonstram que a solu??o permite a sele??o de enlaces de melhor qualidade, reduzindo a probabilidade de perda de pacote em compara??o ao algoritmo baseado apenas em RSSI.

The objective of this thesis is to get familiar with wireless sensor networks technologies and with standard IEEE 802.15.4. and communication principle in wireless sensor networks built on this standard. Main goal of this project is to design a packet analyzer, which is capable to catch data on chosen channel and this data is able to analyze. Part of this project is production of necessary microcontroller software equipment. Another output of this project is do a research of available packet analyzers on market and compare them with analyzer build by this thesis.

No description available.