Romania’s Regional Development in the Economical Reform Process

The scientific basis of regional development strategies implies the most exact possible knowledge of the development level of each region in the field of national development complexity, the mutations that occurred from one period to another. The diversity of activities which take place within villages, regions etc. do not permit their addition only. In this context, their merging into one single synthetic indicator is necessary. We believe that this indicator can be determined starting with the basic principles of information energy. Such a synthetic, aggregated indicator allows the setting of direct connections between certain parts of development, measured by different indicators, as well as their importance, the specific transformations of the quantitative aspects of the development in their qualitative elements. By this approach, the premises of the implied organisms in this field are created, to set the realistic political coordinates of regional development, which are meant to decrease the existent differences between regions and to prevent the appearance of other differences, and to assure as similar as possible working and living conditions for the inhabitants of all regions.banque, divergence de pratiques, changement culturel, entreprise multinationale

Decline in condition of northern bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in the Gulf of Maine

The northern bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) is a highly mobile apex predator in the Gulf of Maine. Despite current stock assessments that indicate historically high abundance of its main prey, Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus), commercial fishermen have observed declines in the somatic condition of northern bluefin tuna during the last decade. We examined this claim by reviewing detailed logbooks of northern bluefin tuna condition from a local fishermen’s cooperative and applying multinomial regression, a robust tool for exploring how a categorical variable may be related to other variables of interest. The data set contained >3082 observations of condition (fat and oil content and fish shape) from fish landed between 1991 and 2004. Energy from stored lipids is used for migration and reproduction; therefore a reduction in energy acquisition on bluefin tuna feeding grounds could diminish allocations to growth and gamete production and have detrimental consequences for rebuilding the western Atlantic population. A decline in northern bluefin tuna somatic condition could indicate substantial changes in the bottom-up transfer of energy in the Gulf of Maine, shifts in their reproductive or migratory patterns, impacts of fishing pressure, or synergistic effects from multiple causes

El treball per Projectes a l’Educació Secundària. Aprendre de forma competencial

Els canvis que ha experimentat la nostra societat tenen una forta incidència en els interessos, motivacions i circumstàncies d’aprenentatge dels joves. Per respondre a les necessitats i als reptes del món d’avui cal una pràctica docent que els contempli i apropi la realitat a l’àmbit escolar. El treball per projectes és una eina que facilita la integració d’aquests elements a l’aula, ja que posa en relació diverses estratègies i metodologies d’aprenentatge que orienten la finalitat de l'educació secundària obligatòria. El procés de construcció del coneixement que segueix l’alumnat en desenvolupar un projecte implica la integració dels coneixements i dels nous aprenentatges de forma interdisciplinària i amb un grau molt elevat de funcionalitat. Aquest fet facilita la transferència dels sabers interioritzats, per abordar noves situacions i aprenentatges, on l’aplicació de destreses i coneixements adquirits siguin necessaris. La funció del professorat és orientar el procés de construcció i reconstrucció d’aprenentatges, per tal de poder aportar els suports necessaris a l’alumnat en cadascuna de les fases del procés. Ara bé, per a que es doni un veritable aprenentatge competencial s’ha de potenciar que sigui l’alumnat qui es faci responsable, de forma autònoma, de l’elaboració i dels resultats

Somatic condition, growth and distribution of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in the Gulf of Maine

Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), a highly migratory apex predator, utilize temperate feeding grounds to place their tissues into positive lipid balance following reproduction and subsequent migration to northern latitudes. Commercial fishermen target Atlantic bluefin tuna between June and October, but landings have declined 70% from 2004-2009 suggesting adult bluefin tuna may no longer be utilizing the Gulf of Maine as a foraging ground. A series of linear and additive models fitted to multiple fishery dependent datasets identified significant declines in the somatic condition of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine. Significant changes in the somatic condition of Atlantic herring, increases in the landings of the commercial herring fleet and changes in Atlantic herring gonad size were also identified. New growth parameters were estimated for Atlantic bluefin tuna sampled in the western Atlantic and these are significantly different than previous estimates for bluefin tuna greater than eight years of age. Finally, there has been a significant shift in the distribution of Atlantic bluefin tuna surface schools greater than 350 kilometers to the east over the past 28 years. Significant associations between Atlantic bluefin tuna and Atlantic herring schools were also identified, but long-term shifts in Atlantic herring distributions did not follow the same trend as Atlantic bluefin tuna. These results suggest bottom-up and top-down mechanisms are responsible for the changes in somatic condition and distribution of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine

Classification of wetlands and deepwater habitats of the United States

100 pagesThis classification, to be used in a new inventory of wetlands and deepwater habitats of the United States, is intended to describe ecological taxa, arrange them in a system useful to resource managers, furnish units for mapping, and provide uniformity of concepts and terms. Wetlands are defined by plants (hydrophytes), soils (hydric soils), and frequency of flooding. Ecologically related areas of deep water, traditionally not considered wetlands, are included in the classification as deepwater habitats.http://gbic.tamug.edu/request.ht

Does Uptake of Pharmaceuticals Vary Across Earthworm Species?

This study compared the uptake and depuration of four commonly used pharmaceuticals (carbamazepine, diclofenac, fluoxetine and orlistat) in two earthworm species (Lumbricus terrestris and Eisenia fetida). L. terrestris are a larger species and often found in deep burrows whereas E. fetida prefer to reside near the soil surface. Species burrowing habits and sizes may alter uptake by earthworms. All four pharmaceuticals were taken up into both L. terrestris and E. fetida tissue after 21 days exposure to spiked soil. Bioconcentration factors (BCFs) ranged between 1.72 and 29.83 for L. terrestris and 1.14 and 63.03 for E. fetida. For carbamazepine and diclofenac, BCFs were similar whereas for fluoxetine and orlistat, BCFs in E. fetida were more than double those seen in L. terrestris. Results indicate that uptake into earthworms cannot be generalised between species and that the influence of species traits can vary depending on the nature of the study chemical

Antibiotic resistance in the environment, with particular reference to MRSA

The introduction of β-lactam antibiotics (penicillins and cephalosporins) in the 1940s and 1950s probably represents the most dramatic event in the battle against infection in human medicine. Even before widespread global use of penicillin, resistance was already recorded. E. coli producing a penicillinase was reported in Nature in 1940 (Abraham, 1940) and soon after a similar penicillinase was discovered in Staphylococcus aureus (Kirby, 1944). The appearance of these genes, so quickly after the discovery and before the widespread introduction of penicillin, clearly shows that the resistance genes pre-dated clinical use of the antibiotic itself

Sexual Size Dimorphism and Body Condition in the Australasian Gannet

Funding: The research was financially supported by the Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment. Acknowledgments We thank the Victorian Marine Science Consortium, Sea All Dolphin Swim, Parks Victoria, and the Point Danger Management Committee for logistical support. We are grateful for the assistance of the many field volunteers involved in the study.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Classification of Wetlands and Deepwater Habitats of the United States

This classification, to be used in a new inventory of wetlands and deepwater habitats of the United States, is intended to describe ecological taxa, arrange them in a system useful to resource managers, furnish units for mapping, and provide uniformity of concepts and terms.Wetlands are defined by plants (hydrophytes), soils (hydric soils), and frequency of flooding. Ecologically related areas of deep water, traditionally not considered wetlands, are included in the classification as deepwater habitats. Systems form the highest level of the classification hierarchy; five are defined—Marine, Estuarine, Riverine, Lacustrine, and Palustrine. Marine and Estuarine Systems each have two Subsystems, Subtidal and Intertidal; the Riverine System has four Subsystems, Tidal, Lower Perennial, Upper Perennial, and Intermittent; the Lacustrine has two, Littoral and Limnetic; and the Palustrine has no Subsystems