Oxidativ modifizierte Phospholipide haben PAF-ähnliche Struktur und zeigen in vitro PAF-ähnliche Wirkung. Dabei handelt es sich hauptsächlich um fragmentierte Phosphatidylcholine, die eine lange Fettsäure- oder Alkylkette in sn-1 Stellung und einen kurzen Acylrest (C4-C9) mit oxidiertem C-Atom in sn-2 Stellung haben und als PAF-ähnliche Lipide bezeichnet werden. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden durch eine neue HPLC-Fluoreszenzmethode ein Vertreter dieser in vivo existierender PAF-ähnlichen Lipide im Plasma quantifiziert. Dieses fragmentierte Phosphatidylcholin (FPC) besitzt einen Palmitoylrest in sn-1 Position, sowie eine C3 oder C4 Kette in sn-2 Position und erfüllt damit die strukturelle Voraussetzungen für biologische Aktivität. Weiterhin konnte gezeigt werden, dass FPC in biologisch aktiven Fraktionen enthalten war, deren biologische Aktivität jedoch nicht von PAF bewirkt wurde, sondern von PAF-ähnlichen Lipiden. Dies unterstützt die Vermutung, dass FPC biologische Aktivität zeigt. Im Plasma wird FPC von Lipoproteinen transportiert. Oxidativer Stress in biologischen Systemen, ausgelöst durch Tabakrauch, Organischämie/ Reperfusion, Vitamin E-Mangel oder Inkubation von Zellen mit H2O2, führte zu einer Erhöhung der FPC-Konzentration. Damit wurde gezeigt, dass die PAF-ähnlichen Lipide in vivo durch Radikal-induzierte Lipidperoxidation gebildet werden können. Trotz eines Konzentrationsanstiegs von FPC nach oxidativem Stress, kam es bei einer systemischen Inflammation, die von Radikal-bildenen Prozessen begleitet ist, jedoch nicht zu einer Anreicherung von FPC-ähnlichen Lipidperoxidationsprodukten. Ursache für die fehlende Anreicherung von oxidativ modifizierten Lipiden bei einer systemischen Inflammation könnte ihr rascher Abbau durch Phospholipasen, oder der Abbau von Vorstufen, bzw. die Substratrminderung, sein. / Oxidative modified phospholipids have PAF like structure and show in vitro PAF like activity. They consist of fragmented phosphatidylcholine with a long fatty acid or alkyl chain in sn-1 position and a short acylrest (C4-C9) with a oxidized C-atom in sn-2 position. According to their structure they are called PAF like lipids. In this paper one representative of these in vivo existing PAF like lipids are quantified in plasma by means of a new fluorescence HPLC method. These fragmented phosphatidylcholines consits of a palmitoylrest in sn-1 position and a C3 or C4 chain in sn-2 position and therefore they fullfill the strutural conditions to have biological activity. We further showed, that the biological active fractions contain FPC. The biological activity is not caused by PAF but by PAF like lipids. This fact supports the hypothesis that FPC are biological active. FPC is carried by lipoproteins in plasma. Oxidative stress caused by cigarette smoke, ischemia/ reperfusion, Vitamin E deficiency or incubation of cells with H2O2 leads to an increase of the concentration of FPC. Thereby it could be shown that PAF like lipids can be formed in vivo by means of radical induced lipidperoxidation. Many radical producing processes are involved in systemic inflammation. Despite of an increase of FPC's concentration after oxidative stress, there was no accumulation of FPC like lipidperoxidation products during systemic inflammation. One reason for the missing accumulation of oxidative modified lipids during systemic inflammation can be the fast degradation by phospholipases or the reduction of substrat.

In this study, I used restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis (DNA fingerprinting) to study the genetic population structure of wood frogs, Rana sylvatica, collected as egg masses from vernal pools within the Massachusetts Audubon Society Lincoln Woods Wildlife Sanctuary in Leominster, MA. The average genetic relatedness of sibling individuals, non-sibling individuals from within the same pool, and individuals from pools of close (5 m), far (200 m) and distant (40 km) spatial separations was calculated. The goal was to use genetic relatedness to estimate the breeding patterns of R. sylvatica and use that information to make general management recommendations that could be applied to other vernal pools breeders. I detected relative differences in genetic similarity between individuals from pools only 5 meters apart, however over a larger distance of 200 meters no significant genetic differences were present. This suggests that although wood frogs are known to be highly philopatric, they may use information other than simply proximity to their natal pool when choosing breeding sites. Factors such as species composition, water chemistry and heterogeneity of the landscape between pools may influence breeding site choice. Also, contrary to the findings of recent studies, the distance between vernal pools may not be the best indicator of the genetic similarity of the individuals they host. Pools in close proximity to one another may host genetically distinct populations, and therefore management decisions should be made on a pool-by-pool basis. Consequently, when managing populations of R. sylvatica, and possibly other vernal pool breeders, taking into account parameters other than simply the spatial separation of pools within an array may avoid decisions that could result in the loss of genetic diversity.

Die internationale Staatengemeinschaft steht Sezessionsbestrebungen zur Aufspaltung bestehender Staaten gewöhnlich ablehnend gegenüber. Gleichzeitig wendet sie in vielen Ländern Instrumente der Entwicklungspolitik an und greift so auch in den dortigen politischen Prozess ein. Untersucht wird, inwiefern Entwicklungspolitik so gestaltet werden kann, dass sie nicht, quasi als Nebenwirkung, einer Sezessionsbewegung zum Durchbruch verhilft. Betrachtet wird dabei neben der gezielten Förderung wirtschaftlichen Wachstums auch das Instrument der Dezentralisierung, das oft als Mittel zur „Beruhigung“ separatistischer Bestrebungen vorgeschlagen wird. Zuvor jedoch wird aufgewiesen, dass eine Politik, die Sezessionen verhindern will, zumindest in vielen Fällen auch moralphilosophisch schlüssig begründet werden kann. Den Abschluss der Arbeit bilden drei Fallstudien zu Sezessionen auf dem Gebiet der ehemaligen Sowjetunion. / The international community is usually set against secessionist movements that aim at the splitting up of existing states. At the same time, in many countries instruments of development policy are applied, that automatically influence the political process there. The investigation here seeks to answer the question whether development policies can be designed in a way that they don’t unwillingly trigger secession as a side effect. In doing so, the focus is not only on growth-enhancing policies, but also on the instrument of decentralization, which is often presented as a tool suited to appease separatist movements. Prior to that, though, it is demonstrated that a policy aiming at the prevention of secessions can – in many cases at least – be justified with sound arguments of moral philosophy. The concluding chapter looks at three case studies of secessions that have been attempted on the territory of the former Soviet Union.

Since the 1960s the literature on demography of rural northern Sweden has focussed on 'decline' - noting loss of population, population ageing, yourth outmigration and other 'negative' demographic developments (Friedlander, 1969; Hjort, 2009; Stone 1971); recent studies suggest that such generalizations may overlook the diversity of experiences of rural areas (D. Carson and Koch, 2013; Cernic-Maly, Koch and Koch, 2014; Hedlund, 2014; Hoggart and Paniagua, 2001; Koch and Carson, 2012). The purpose of this thesis is to explore aspets of the diversity of experiences of demographic change in one part of rural northern Sweden, focusing on differences between villages and towns within a single municipality. Theoretically, the large body of scientific studies of 'rural' tend to be at macro-scale and from the 'urban' perspective, which might provide generalized and biased assumptions of 'rural'; this study may contribute to the understanding of 'rural' by describing it 'how it really is' and by looking into demographic diversity and change at the micro-scale. Practically, the thesis might assist local planners to take 'place-based' decisions when planning for the future of rural areas when deciding where to place schools, health centres, youth activities centres, playgrounds, or invest in economic opportunities, etc. Moreover, this thesis should answer the following research questions:  Q1: Is there diversity in demographic characteristics when comparing proximate locations in the Swedish rural setting? Q2: If there is, is it something that has recently emerged, or sothing that has been present for a long period of history? The thesis studied the case of Vilhelmina municipality, in this case defined by local government boundaries, in three stages: first, looked at how settlement patterns within the area have changed over time - where has there been population growth? Decline? Both? Neither? - using data from 1890, 1970 and 2015. Second, selected five individual locations (defined by village' borders) within the area that have featured at those points in time, and compared them in terms of age, sex, age dependency ratios, and child-woman rates. Third, accessed secondary historical data and interviewed key informants with knowledge of these places to check which events could have influenced shaping them over the time. The findings of the thesis were: 'fragmentedä development over time, differences between individual places at different time; differences between different places at the same time; local, regional, national and international events and trends are likely to have played a role in these results. According to the findings, I can conclude that even since the 1960s, not all locations in rural northern Sweden have had the same experience of 'decline'. Furthermore, not all places share the presumed characteristics of rural areas - i.e. some are younger and some are older, etc. Hence, even the same events influence proximate places in different ways depending on their specific location (e.g. near geographical feature that become more or less valued), their connections with other places (through economic activities, communications, family ties, etc), rules and regulations especially regarding land use, and availability of infrastructure. This thesis describes the demographics of a case in rural northern Sweden in the micro perspective related to temporal and spatial scales. This study provides empirical evidence and might support arguments about the importance of scale and diversity of rural conditions. Moreover, it emphasises, as Koch and Carson (2012) did, the need to understand the spatial scale at which assessments of rural demographic change are being made. Lastly, more academics should perform this genre of research, so that we move past incomplete messages and concepts about rural development that have dominated in northern Sweden since the 1960s.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Michigan State University. Dept. of Geography, 2008. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed on July 22, 2009) Includes bibliographical references (p. 228-249). Also issued in print.

Thesis (M.S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Zoology, 2006. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references.

Submitted by Maria de Lourdes Mariano (lmariano@ufscar.br) on 2017-01-12T19:24:51Z No. of bitstreams: 1 CONRADO_Ludmila Pereira_2016.pdf: 10153126 bytes, checksum: f7c09775254235adf2760cfd25fb8a1b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria de Lourdes Mariano (lmariano@ufscar.br) on 2017-01-12T19:25:04Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 CONRADO_Ludmila Pereira_2016.pdf: 10153126 bytes, checksum: f7c09775254235adf2760cfd25fb8a1b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Maria de Lourdes Mariano (lmariano@ufscar.br) on 2017-01-12T19:25:12Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 CONRADO_Ludmila Pereira_2016.pdf: 10153126 bytes, checksum: f7c09775254235adf2760cfd25fb8a1b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-01-12T19:25:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 CONRADO_Ludmila Pereira_2016.pdf: 10153126 bytes, checksum: f7c09775254235adf2760cfd25fb8a1b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-04 / Não recebi financiamento / In Brazil, there are about 6,500 individuals of Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus (Hyacinth macaw) in wild, located in three physiognomically distinct regions. The specie is demanding as to breeding habitat, and can be regarded as feeding specialist. Currently, the species is endangered because the reduction of their originally habitat, as consequence of the disorderly process of land occupation. This process, broadly, causes negative effects on landscape, in particular the remaining native forest vegetation. In this context, the study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of Hyacinth macaw in mosaic Carajás landscape, considering the intrinsic characteristics of the landscape structure and biology of this species. We considered three regions of the Carajás mosaic: R1- Itacaiúnas river, R2-FLONA Itacaiúnas and, R3 - Canaã dos Carajás. The sampling of Hyacinth macaw was done through direct observation and calculated the frequency records for R1 (1.26 region/hour), R2 (0.38 reg./hour) and R3 (0.44 reg. /hour), and after, was estimated area of life for each region (R1 = 22187.87 ha; R2= 66397.0ha, R3 = 41841.2ha). We made the land-use/land-cover map to support evaluation of the landscape, through unsupervised classification of satellite images. The final map was reclassified two classes: forest and non-forest. The follow landscape metrics were calculated: distance between fragments (R2 = 499 m; R3 = 364m), midsize (R2 = 148,5ha; R3 = 10,6ha), the size of the largest fragment (R2 = 39.360,8ha; R3 = 888,1ha), and number of fragments (R2 = 337, R3 = 863). From the results, we can said that forested areas with riparian vegetation presence appear to be more propitious to Hyacinth macaw occurrence in the mosaic Carajás, Pará, Brazil, but the preference for open areas is not ruled out. Furthermore, the species occupy different degraded patterns landscape, because there is a large displacement capacity and proximity to the mosaic. Atropism and interaction with other species, such as red macaws may be other factors that affect the distribution of species in the Carajás region. / No Brasil, estima-se um total de 6.500 indivíduos de Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus (araraazul-grande) em vida livre, distribuídos em três regiões fisionomicamente distintas. A espécie é exigente quanto ao seu hábitat reprodutivo, e pode ser considerada especialista quanto à alimentação. Encontra-se, atualmente, ameaçada de extinção em função da redução de seu habitat natural, por consequência do processo desordenado de uso e ocupação do solo. Este processo, por sua vez, acarreta efeitos negativos na paisagem como um todo e, em especial nos remanescentes de vegetação florestal nativa. Nesse contexto, o trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a ocorrência da arara-azul-grande, na paisagem do mosaico Carajás, considerando as características intrínsecas da estrutura da paisagem e a biologia da espécie. Considerou-se para o estudo, três regiões do mosaico Carajás: R1- rio Itacaiúnas, R2- FLONA Itacaiúnas, R3- Canaã dos Carajás. Para a amostragem da arara-azul-grande foi feita observação direta e calculou-se a frequência de avistamentos para R1 (1,26 reg./hora), R2 (0,38reg./hora) e R3 (0,44 reg./hora), posteriormente foi estimada a área de vida da espécie em cada região (R1= 22.187,87 ha; R2= 66.397,0ha; R3= 41.841,2ha). Para subsidiar a avaliação da paisagem foi feito o mapa de uso e cobertura do solo, através da classificação não supervisionada de imagens orbitais, sendo que as classes resultantes foram reclassificadas em floresta e não floresta. As métricas da paisagem calculadas foram: distância entre fragmentos (R2= 499 m; R3=364m), tamanho médio (R2=148,5ha; R3= 10,6ha), tamanho do maior fragmento (R2= 39.360,8ha; R3=888,1ha) e número de fragmentos (R2= 337; R3=863). A partir dos resultados obtidos pode-se dizer que as áreas florestadas, com presença de mata ciliar, parecem ser um ambiente mais propicio à ocorrência da arara-azul-grande no mosaico Carajás/PA, porém a preferência por áreas abertas não é descartada. Além disso, os indivíduos da espécie ocupam diferentes padrões de paisagem degradada, devido sua ampla capacidade de deslocamento e proximidade com o mosaico. Entre outros fatores que podem afetar sua ocorrência na região de Carajás, pode-se citar a antropização e interação com outras espécies, como a arara-vermelha.

The subtropical thicket biome in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa has been heavily degraded and transformed due overutilization during the last century. The highly degraded and transformed areas exhibit a significant loss of above ground carbon stocks (AGC) and loss of SOC content. Information about land use /cover change and fragmentation dynamics is a prerequisite for measuring carbon stock changes. The main aim of this study is to assess the trends of land use/cover change, fragmentation dynamics, model the temporal changes of AGC stocks in the Great Fish River Nature Reserve and its environs from 1972 to 2010, quantify and map the spatial distribution of SOC concentrations in the partial subtropical thicket cover in the Great Fish River Nature Reserve and environs (communal rangelands). Multi-temporal analyses based on 1972 Landsat MSS, 1982 and 1992 Landsat TM, 2002 Landsat ETM and 2010 SPOT 5 High Resolution images were used for land use/cover change detection and fragmentation analysis. Object oriented post-classification comparison was applied for land use/cover change detection analysis. Fragmentation dynamics analysis was carried out by computing and analyzing landscape metrics in land use/cover classes. Landscape fragmentation analyses revealed that thicket vegetation has increasingly become fragmented, characterized by smaller less linked patches of intact thicket cover. Landscape metrics for intact thicket and degraded thicket classes reflected fragmentation, as illustrated by the increase in the Number of Patches (NP), Patch Density (PD), Landscape Shape Index (LSI), and a decrease in Mean Patch Size (MPS). The use of remote sensing techniques and landscape metrics was vital for the understanding of the dynamics of land use/cover change and fragmentation. Baseline land use/cover maps produced for 1972, 1982, 1992 2002 and 2010 and fragmentation analyses were then used for analyzing carbon stock changes in the study area. To model the temporal changes of AGC stocks in the Great Fish River Nature Reserve and its environs from 1972 to 2010, a method based on the integration of RS and GIS was employed for the estimation of AGC stocks in a time series. A non-linear regression model was developed using NDVI values generated from SPOT 5 HRG satellite imagery of 2010 as the independent variable and AGC stock estimates from field plots as the dependent variable. The regression model was used to estimate AGC stocks for the entire study area on the 2010 SPOT 5 HRG and also extrapolated to the 1972 Landsat MSS, 1982 and 1992 Landsat TM, and 2002 Landsat ETM. The AGC stocks for the period 1972 -1982, 1982-1992, 1992-200) and 2002-2010 were compared by means of change detection analysis. The comparison of AGC stocks was carried out at subtropical thicket class level. The results showed a decline of AGC stocks in all the classes from 1972 to 2010. Degraded and transformed thicket classes had the highest AGC stock losses. The decline of AGC stocks was attributed to thicket transformation and degradation which were caused by anthropogenic activities. To map and quantify SOC concentration in partial (fractional) thicket vegetation cover, the spectral reflectance of both thicket vegetation and bare-soils was measured in situ. Soil samples were collected from the sampling sites and transported to the laboratory for spectral reflectance and SOC measurements. Thicket vegetation and bare soil reflectance were measured using spectroscopy both in situ and under laboratory conditions. Their respective endmembers were extracted from ASTER imagery using the Pixel Purity Index (PPI). The endmembers were validated with in situ and laboratory thicket and bare-soil reflectance signatures. The spectral unmixing technique was applied to ASTER imagery to discriminate pure pixels of thicket vegetation and bare-soils; a residual spectral image was produced. The Residual Spectral Unmixing (RSU) procedure was applied to the residual spectral image to produce an RSU soil spectrum image. Partial Least Squares Regression (PSLR) model was developed using spectral signatures of a residual soil spectrum image as the independent variable and SOC concentration measured from soil samples as the dependent variable. The PSLR prediction model was used to predict SOC concentration on the RSU soil spectral image. The predicted SOC concentration was then validated with SOC concentration measured from the field plots. A Strong correlation (R2 = 0.82) was obtained between the predicted SOC concentration and the SOC concentration measured from field samples. The PSLR was then used to generate a map of SOC concentration for the Great Fish River Nature Reserve and its environs. Areas with very low SOC concentrations were found in the degraded communal villages, as opposed to the higher SOC values in the protected area. The results confirmed that RS techniques are key to estimating and mapping the spatial distribution of SOC concentration in partial subtropical thicket vegetation. Partial thicket vegetation has a huge influence on the soil spectra; it can influence the prediction of SOC concentration. The use of the RSU approach eliminates partial thicket vegetation cover from bare soil spectra. The residual soil spectrum image contains enough information for the mapping of SOC concentration. The technique has the potential to augment the applicability of airborne imaging spectroscopy for soil studies in the sub-tropical thicket biome and similar environments.

Mesmo com o crescimento da dependência da vida humana em relação aos serviços ecossistêmicos, a taxa de perda de diversidade genética no planeta tem alcançado níveis semelhantes à de grandes eventos de extinção, evidenciando a necessidade de ações para a conservação dos recursos naturais. Em adição aos tradicionais instrumentos de comando e controle para a conservação, os instrumentos econômicos têm tido crescente atenção no mundo nos últimos anos, com especial destaque para os Pagamentos por Serviços Ambientais (PSA). A abordagem de pagamentos de incentivos tem crescido na última década e, apesar das potencialidades que o PSA apresenta, muitos programas falham em incorporar o conhecimento científico em sua execução, sendo esse um dos aspectos que podem acarretar baixo desempenho ambiental e econômico. Neste contexto, o presente projeto buscou avaliar a custo-eficácia do PSA em paisagens fragmentadas. A área de estudo é o estado de São Paulo, cuja fragmentação historicamente ocorre pela expansão agropecuária e pelos diversos impactos decorrentes do grande crescimento populacional em seu território. Foram distribuídos questionários para a obtenção das preferências dos proprietários rurais paulistas em relação aos programas de PSA para restauração de vegetação nativa. Os dados coletados foram relacionados a características socioeconômicas e ambientais e um modelo beta inflacionado de zero misto dentro da classe GAMLSS foi utilizado. Em seguida, o modelo foi utilizado para predizer os resultados para os proprietários não entrevistados e a curva de investimento para diferentes retornos para conservação foi construída. Os resultados apontaram que o PSA é uma alternativa muito custosa frente aos orçamentos ambientais paulistas e que traz poucos benefícios para a restauração no estado de São Paulo. A pesquisa possui uma vertente teórica, pois contribui para a compreensão da adequabilidade do PSA em paisagens fragmentadas, e uma vertente prática, pois explicita a quantidade de recursos necessária para a execução dos programas analisados. / Although the dependence of human activities on ecosystem services has risen in the past decades, the current rate of genetic diversity loss has substantially declined and reached alarming levels. In addition to the traditional command and control approach for the promotion of conservation, growing attention has been given to economic instruments, especially to Payments for Environmental Services (PES). Despite all potentialities of the PES instrument, many programs fail to introduce scientic knowledge in the execution. Such a lack of foundation may result in low environmental and economic performance. The present research aims at evaluating the cost-effectiveness of PES in fragmented landscapes. The study area is the state of São Paulo, which has been fragmented by the agricultural and pasture expansion, and the impacts linked to the large population growth. A survey with dierent PES programs was sent to rural landowners and responses were analyzed and linked to socioeconomic and environmental characteristics through a zero-inflated beta mixed model, within the GAMLSS framework. The model was used to predict enrollment of non-respondents in different PES programs. Finally, the relationship between total area for restoration and the amount of resources needed for each program was compared to the environmental budget of the state of São Paulo. Results show that PES is a very costly alternative that can provide only few results for restoration. The present work has a theoretical orientation, as it contributes to the comprehension of the feasibility of PES programs in fragmented landscapes, and a practical orientation, as it quantifies the amount of resources required by the programs analyzed.

No description available.