In an era of acute concern about airline safety, bird strikes are still one of the major hazards to aviation worldwide. The severity of the problem is such that it is mandatory in all developed countries to include bird management as part of airport safety management programs. In Australia, there are approximately 500 bird aircraft strikes per year (Bailey 2000). Brisbane airport has a relatively high occurrence of strikes, with an average of 77 recorded every year (2002-2004). Given the severity of the problem, a variety of techniques have been employed by airports to reduce bird strikes. Scare devices, repellents, continuous patrols for bird hazing, use of raptors to clear airspace of birds and depredation are used by many airports. Even given the diversity of control methods available, it is accepted that habitat management is the most effective long term way to control birds in and around the airport space. Experimental studies have shown that habitat manipulation and active scaring measures (shooting, scaring etc), can reduce bird numbers to an acceptable level. The current study investigated bird populations in six major vegetation habitat types identified within the operational and surrounding areas of Brisbane airport. In order to determine areas where greater bird control and management should be focused, bird abundance, distribution, and activity were recorded and habitats that pose the greatest bird strike risk to aircraft were identified. Secondly, species with high hazard potential were identified and ranked according to their hazard potential to aircraft. This study also investigated the effectiveness of different vegetation management options to reduce bird species abundance within operational areas of Brisbane airport. Four different management options were compared. Each management option was assessed for grass structural complexity and potential food resources available to hazardous bird species. Analysis of recorded data showed that of the habitats compared within the Brisbane airport boundaries, grasslands surrounding runways, taxiways and aprons possess the greatest richness and abundance of bird species that pose the greatest potential hazard to aircraft. Ibis and the Australian kestrel were identified as the bird species that pose the greatest risk to aircraft at Brisbane airport, and both were found in greatest numbers within the managed grasslands surrounding operational areas at the airport. An improved reporting process that allows correct identification of all individual bird species involved in bird strikes will not only increase the accuracy of risk assessments, but will also allow implementation of more effective control strategies at Brisbane airport. Compared with current grassland management practice, a vegetation management option of maintaining grass height at 30-50cm reduced total bird utilisation by 89% while utilisation of grassland by potentially hazardous birds was also reduced by 85%. Maintaining grass height within the 30-50cm range also resulted in a 45% reduction in the number of manipulations required per year (11 to 6), when compared with current management practices, and a 64% reduction in annual maintenance cost per hectare. When extrapolated to the entire maintained grass area at Brisbane airport, this resulted in a saving of over $60 000 annually. Optimisation of potential hazard reduction will rely on future studies that investigate the effect of particular vegetation species that could replace the existing mix of grasses used at Brisbane airport and an understanding of the relative importance of vegetation structure and food supply in determining utilisation by potentially hazardous bird species.

A Bacia do Alto rio Coxim (BAC) tem uma área de aproximadamente 1.375 km² distribuídos na porção norte do Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul em parte dos municípios de São Gabriel do Oeste-MS e Camapuã-MS. O rio Coxim está instalado na Bacia Sedimentar do Paraná, porém pertence à Bacia Hidrográfica do Alto Rio Paraguai. O objetivo desta pesquisa foi propor um modelo de ordenamento físicoterritorial para a BAC, por meio da elaboração de um zoneamento ambiental, utilizando dados de sensoriamento remoto e técnicas de geoprocessamento. A base teórico-metodológica constituiu-se na realização de análises integradas do ambiente sob a perspectiva sistêmica do conceito de unidade ecodinâmica. Os dados espaciais utilizados foram organizados em um banco de dados geográfico implementados num Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG) composto por cartas topográficas na escala de 1:100.000, imagens dos satélites LANDSAT 5 e 7, imagem do RADAR interferométrico SRTM, mapas temáticos pré-existentes e dados de campo. A geração do modelo de ordenamento físico-territorial da BAC passou pela elaboração do mapeamento do relevo, potencial natural à erosão, fragilidade ambiental, legislação ambiental e avaliação das transformações no uso da terra e cobertura vegetal durante os anos de 1966, 1986 e 2006. Os resultados indicaram uma expressiva relação entre as formas de relevo e seus respectivos usos: agricultura mecanizada na Chapada de São Gabriel e o desenvolvimento da pecuária nos morros e colinas do Planalto do Taquari. As áreas de maior degradação ambiental foram identificadas no baixo curso associadas à atividade pecuária que corresponde à porção mapeada como de maior potencial à erosão e elevada fragilidade ambiental. O mapeamento da legislação ambiental apresentou um elevado índice de incompatibilidade entre o uso da terra e a legislação ambiental vigente, agravada, principalmente na década de 1980. Foram identificadas quatro zonas ambientais: a) Zona de Restrições Legais; b) Zona Produtiva Rural; c) Zona Urbana; e, d) Zona de Incongruências. As diretrizes estabelecidas pelo modelo de ordenamento territorial propostas foram: a) Áreas prioritárias à preservação permanente (manutenção da vegetação natural e das áreas de preservação permanente); b) Área prioritária à recuperação e preservação (nas zonas de incongruências executar o reflorestamento com espécies nativas do cerrado); e, c) Áreas destinadas ao uso sustentável (destinação à exploração agrícola, agropecuária e agroflorestal ou silvicultura). / The upper Coxim River Basin (UCB) has an area of approximately 1375 km² distributed in the northern portion of Mato Grosso do Sul in São Gabriel do Oeste-MS and Camapuã-MS cities. The Coxim River is inserted in the Paraná River Sedimentary Basin, but it belongs to the Upper Paraguay River Basin. The main goal of this research is to propose a model of physical-territorial management for the UCB through the preparation of an environmental zoning using remote sensing and geoprocessing techniques. The theoretical and methodological basis consisted of environmental integrated analyses starting from the systemic perspective of the concept ecodynamics unities. Spatial data used were arranged in a database implemented in a Geographic Information System (GIS). It consists in topographic maps at 1:100.000 scale, satellite images, Landsat 5 and 7, SRTM interferometric radar image, thematic maps existing and field data. The generation of the of physicalterritorial management model was carried out considering preparation of UCB relief mapping, potential natural erosion, environmental fragility, environmental legislation and evaluation of land-use and land-cover changes during the years 1966, 1986 and 2006. Results indicated a significant relationship between landforms and their uses: mechanized agriculture in the Chapada of the São Gabriel and livestock development on the Plateau Taquari hills. The major areas of environmental degradation were identified in the lower course associated with livestock activity mapped as the highest potential erosion and high fragility area. The mapping of environmental legislation presented strong incompatibility between land use and environmental regulations especially aggravated in the 1980s. We identified four environmental areas: a) Area of Legal Restrictions, b) Productive Rural Area, c) urban area, and d) Zone of incongruities. The guidelines set out by the type of land use proposals were: a) Priority areas for permanent preservation (maintenance of natural vegetation and permanent preservation areas), b) priority area for rehabilitation and preservation (in areas of inconsistencies run the reforestation with native species savanna), c) Areas for sustainable use (allocation of farming, agriculture and agroforestry or forestry).

The thesis deals with the development of systems for intelligent building, focused on wiring system, division of them and comparison of their differences. The advantages of these systems like comfort, energy reduction, etc. are also mentioned. Nowadays several standards of systems for intelligent building exist as KNX/EIB or LON, therefore thesis concerns to trade-off these standards too. Main part of the thesis is focused on system Egon made by company ABB where the system concept as well as bus modules are described that allow different functions, mutual connection of modules and their programming. Tutorial panel with ABB Ego-n wiring system, which will be used for study purpose, is designed in the practical part of the work. It includes scheme of the panel, electric linkage of components and photographs of constructed panel as documentation. In the final part of the work two examples of laboratory exercise for installation and setting are listed, including programming description.

No description available.

Dricksvatten är en essentiell del av ett hållbart samhälle. Därför är det viktigt att säkerställa säkert dricksvatten genom fungerande vattenreningsverk. En viktig förorening att behandla är NOM, som i sig är ofarligt men som kan producera farliga föroreningar. En teknik som används för behandling av NOM är kolfiltrering. Hur ökad flödeshastighet och ökad kontakttid påverkade kolfiltrens effektivitet undersöktes vid dricksvattenreningsverket Norrvatten. De undersökta parametrarna var partiklar, ultraviolett absorbans vid 254 nm, turbiditet, konduktivitet, fluorescent löst organiskt material, totalt organiskt kol, kemisk syreförbrukning, odlingsbara mikroorganismer och lukt. Tre kolfilter studerades vid olika flödeshastigheter; 190, 220, 250 och 280 L/s under ett dygn var. Samtidigt hade två filter ökad kontakttid på 60 och 76 % under sex veckor, medan ett filter fortsatte med den vanliga flödeshastigheten på 190 L/s. Utgående vatten från filtren analyserades för att se om dessa ändringar hade någon effekt på vattenreningen. Denna preliminära studie fann ingen signifikant effekt på kolfiltreringens rening på grund av ökad flödeshastighet eller uppehållstid. Detta kan vara en indikation på att kolfiltreringen kan hantera en framtida flödesökning och därmed vara en väsentlig del av en framtida expansionen av vattenreningsverket. De tecken som visade på att kolfiltren påverkades av ökningen av flödeshastigheter kunde förklaras av fluktuationer i inkommande vatten och skillnader mellan de olika filtren. I framtiden bör effekten av inkommande vatten studeras i detalj. En mer ingående analys av både inkommande och utgående vatten till kolfiltren bör utföras, där provtagning sker oftare för att bättre förstå fluktuationerna i inkommande föroreningskoncentrationer. Dessutom bör testerna upprepas för att se hur reningen skiljer sig från dag till dag. Hur kolfiltren hanterar ökade flödeshastigheter över längre tidsperioder bör också undersökas vidare. / Drinking water is an essential part of a sustainable society. In the future, the demand for drinking water will increase and contaminants in the water sources are also predicted to increase. Therefore, it is essential to ensure safe drinking water through functioning drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). One important contaminant to treat is natural organic matter (NOM), which is harmless in itself but can produce harmful products. One technique to use for treating NOM is carbon filters (CFs). The effect of increased flow rate and increased empty bed contact time (EBCT) on the CF efficiency was investigated at a DWTP. The investigated parameters were particles, ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm, turbidity, conductivity, cultivable microorganisms, fluorescent dissolved organic matter, total organic carbon, chemical oxygen demand, and odour. Three CFs were studied at different flow rates; 190, 220, 250, and 280 L/s for 24 hours each. Additionally, two filters had increased EBCT of 60 and 76 %, while one filter continued with the regular flow rate of 190 L/s for six weeks. Outgoing water from the filters was analysed to see if the change had any effect on the DWTP. This preliminary study did not find any significant effect on the CF treatment caused by increased flow rate or EBCT. This could be an indication that the CFs can handle a future increase in flow rate and thus be an essential part of a future expansion of the DWTP. The indications of CFs being affected by the increase in flow rates for some of the parameters could be explained by fluctuations in incoming water or differences between the separate filters. In the future, a more thorough analysis of both incoming and outgoing water to the CFs should be done, where sampling occurs more frequently to better understand the fluctuations in incoming contaminant concentrations. The measurements should also be repeated to see how the treatment differs from day to day. How the CFs handle increased flow rates over longer time periods should also be investigated further.

Viruses are entities which are made of a few genes and are reliant on obligate parasitism to propagate. Due to the obligate connection to their hosts, virus evolution is constrained to the type of host. Viruses however do transmit to evolutionary distinct hosts; in these cases, the phylogenetic relationship of the hosts usually are close. In some instances, RNA-viruses have made host jumps between evolutionary distant hosts, such as the host jump from invertebrates to vertebrates, and fungi to arthropod. Partitiviruses are double stranded RNA viruses which mainly infect fungi and plants. The defining characteristic of these double stranded RNA viruses are the double layered capsids which are formed by a single open reading frame (ORF). The capsid proteins form icosahedral virus particles which are in the magnitude of 30-40 nm. Metagenomic studies have discovered partitiviruses originating from an insect in the Odanata family, a finding which contradicts the fungal host specificity of partitiviruses. The finding of the Hubei.PLV 11 thus implies the existence of a partitiviruses containing structural elements in their capsids which could be involved in the infection of arthropods. Thus, this virus could be used as a model for a structural comparison with its fungi infecting relatives with hopes to identify common viral structural factors necessary for the infection of arthropods. For this purpose, the Hubei.PLV ORF was cloned and then transfected into insect Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf-9) cells using a baculovirus expression system, “bac-to-bac” expression system. The FLAG-tagged capsid proteins were expressed by the Sf-9 cells to be approximately 60 kDa. After ultra-centrifugation in a sucrose gradient, some spontaneous assembly into the expected ~40 nm icosahedral virus-like particles were observed using low resolution scanning electron microscopy. The observed particles were also confirmed by a dynamic light scattering experiment (DLS) and a higher resolution cryo-EM microscope. Thus, the bac-to-bac expression system can be used to produce VLPs from this genus of viruses, and this metagenomically derived virus genome. However, for future success in defining a high-resolution model of this virus, it is recommended that the Sf-9 culture volume is sufficiently high for enough particle production which is necessary for a high-resolution map. The other virus, the Southern pygmy squid Flavilike virus (SpSFV) has been suggested to be the oldest relative of the land based flaviviruses. The SpSFV was found to be the most divergent of the flaviviruses, and to infect invertebrates. Solving for the structure of the SpSFV and comparing it to vertebrate infecting flaviviruses could therefore lead to the identification of factors necessary for the adaptation to vertebrates and thus the humoral immunity by flaviviruses. The soluble E-protein was expressed using the bac-to-bac expression system. The protein was indicated to be multiglycosylated and approximately 50 kDa which is in line with other strains in the genus. Affinity chromatography did not elute this protein, likely due to the His-tag not being spatially available. Cation exchange could elute some protein, but not much from the small ~30 mL culture. To conclude, VLP assembly was confirmed by the Hubei.PLV, thus, solving for the structure is a distinct possibility when a larger Sf-9 culture is used to produce the VLPs. For the SpSFV soluble E-protein, the protein is secreted into the supernatant of the Sf-9 cultures, making purification a possibility. For this, a large Sf-9 culture can be used to produce this protein and then purify it with a cat-ion exchange chromatography.

L'objectif de notre thèse est d'évaluer le rôle de l'alcool et autres substances psychoactives dans la survenue et la gravité des traumatismes dus aux Accidents de la Voie Publique (AVP) en Côte d'Ivoire. Nous avons initié un recueil de données sur 893 victimes tuées ou blessées suite à un AVP, et admises aux urgences ou à l'Institut de Médecine Légale d'Abidjan. Ces données hospitalières ont été couplées aux données policières et aux résultats d'analyses toxicologiques. La méthode de dosage de l'alcoolémie par CPG-FID a démontré qu'elle répond parfaitement aux critères de performances analytiques recommandés en termes de fidélité, d'exactitude, de linéarité, de stabilité et de limite de quantification. Les niveaux d'alcoolémie chez les victimes au moment de l'AVP, sont élevés et compatibles avec un profil d'alcoolisation excessive. Plus de 75% des conducteurs alcoolisés ont une alcoolémie supérieure à 1g/L. Les prévalences d'alcoolémie au-delà de 0,8g/L sont de 41% chez les conducteurs de véhicules légers 4 roues, 35% chez les 2-roues, 17% chez les piétons et 13% chez les passagers. L'usage des autres substances psychoactives est moins fréquent chez les victimes (11%) et souvent associé à une alcoolémie supérieure à 0,8g/L. L'évaluation du risque de blessures graves (NISS9+) en fonction du degré d'alcoolisation suggère que les victimes avec une alcoolémie modérée ont un risque de blessures graves plus élevé en comparaison avec les victimes sobres (OR = 7,7; IC95% : 2,5-24,2). Au terme de cette thèse, nous proposons une procédure fiable de dosage de l'alcoolémie chez les victimes d'AVP et des mesures concrètes pour la prévention des traumatismes par AVP en Côte d'Ivoire / We implemented a data collecting process including 893 victims who died or were injured following a RTA, and were admitted to the Emergency Room or to the Forensic Institute in Abidjan. This hospital-based data was linked with police data and toxicological testing. The method developed in our laboratory for blood alcohol determination using GC-FID demonstrated a good compliance with analytical performance requirements in terms of repeatability, accuracy, linearity, stability and limit of quantification. Blood alcohol levels found in victims at the time of the RTA were compatible with an excessive alcohol intake. More than 75% of drivers with a positive alcohol test had a blood alcohol concentration greater than 1g/L. Prevalence of alcohol above 0.8g/L reaches 41% in light four-wheel drivers, 35% in two-wheel riders, 17% in pedestrian and 13% in passengers. The prevalence of psychoactive drugs was lower (11%) compared to alcohol and usually associated with blood alcohol level greater than 0.8g/L. The assessment of the risk of serious injury (NISS9+) associated to the level of blood alcohol content suggest that victims showing a moderate blood alcohol level are more at risk to sustain serious injury compared to sober victims (OR = 7.7; IC95% : 2.5 – 24.2). In conclusion, we make some practical proposals to strengthen and for facilitating the application of the current law concerning driving under the influence of alcohol. We also make recommendations for prevention of road traffic injuries in the Ivory Coast

No description available.

No description available.

Leaf rust caused by Puccinia hordei is an important disease of barley (Hordeum vulgare) in many regions of the world. Yield losses up to 62% have been reported in susceptible cultivars. The Rph5 gene confers resistance to the most prevalent races (8 and 30) of barley leaf rust in the United States. Therefore, the molecular mapping of Rph5 is of great interest. Genetic studies were performed by analysis of 93 and 91 F2 plants derived from the crosses 'Bowman' (rph5) x 'Magnif 102' (Rph5) and 'Moore' (rph5) x Virginia 92-42-46 (Rph5), respectively. Linkage analysis positioned the Rph5 locus to the extreme telomeric region of the short arm of barley chromosome 3H at 0.2 cM proximal to RFLP marker VT1 and 0.5 cM distal from RFLP marker C970 in the Bowman x Magnif 102 population. Synteny between rice chromosome 1 and barley chromosome 3 was employed to saturate the region within the sub-centimorgan region around Rph5 using sequence-tagged site (STS) markers that were developed based on barley expressed sequence tags (ESTs) syntenic to the phage (P1)-derived artificial chromosome (PAC) clones comprising distal region of the rice chromosome 1S. Five rice PAC clones were used as queries to blastn 370,258 barley ESTs. Ninety four non-redundant EST sequences were identified from the EST database and used as templates to design 174 pairs of primer combinations. As a result, 10 EST-based STS markers were incorporated into the 'Bowman' x 'Magnif 102' high-resolution map of the Rph5 region. More importantly, six markers, including five EST-derived STS sequences, co-segregate with Rph5. Genes, represented by these markers, are putative candidates for Rph5. Results of this study demonstrate the usefulness of rice genomic resources for efficient deployment of barley EST resources for marker saturation of targeted barley genomic region. / Ph. D.