Geographic Analysis of Forest Health Indicators Using Spatial Scan Statistics

Geographically explicit analysis tools are needed to assess forest health indicators that are measured over large regions. Spatial scan statistics can be used to detect spatial or spatiotemporal clusters of forests representing hotspots of extreme indicator values. This paper demonstrates the approach through analyses of forest fragmentation indicators in the southeastern United States and insect and pathogen indicators in the Pacific Northwest United States. The scan statistic detected four spatial clusters of fragmented forest including a hotspot in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain region. Three recurring clusters of insect and pathogen occurrence were found in the Pacific Northwest. Spatial scan statistics are a powerful new tool that can be used to identify potential forest health problems.     

Socio-economic Impacts of Local Environmental Policies: An analysis for the field of climate protection

Local environmental policies are sometimes seen as standing in the way of socio-economic progress. Against the background of these concerns, the actual socio-economic impacts of climate protection measures are discussed in this paper. It is structured as follows. First, the concept of primary and secondary effects of climate policies is introduced. Secondly, there is a discussion of financial and economic impacts of local climate policies. Finally, information is given on the consequences of such measures for local energy security and air quality. The main conclusion is that, at least in the field of climate policies, there is a huge potential for local measures that are socioeconomically attractive to local communities. HAUKE VON SEHT, Impactos socio-económicos de políticas del medio ambiente local, un análisis para el campo de protección climática . Las políticas ambientales locales son vistas algunas veces como si estuvieran en la via del progreso socio-económico. En contra de los antecedentes de estos asuntos, los impactos socio-económicos actuales de las medidas de protección climaticas son discutidos en este documento. Está extructurado de la siguiente manera: Primero serán introducidos el concepto de efectos primarios y secundarios de las políticas climáticas. Luego sigue una discusión de impactos económicos y financieros de las políticas climáticas locales, seguido por información de las consecuencias de tales medidas para la calidad del aire y seguridad de energía local. La conclusión principal es que por lo menos en el campo de las políticas climáticas hay un inmenso potencial de medidas locales que son socio-económicamente actractivas a las comunidades locales.     

Regulation von Leberfunktionen durch autonome hepatische Nerven

The liver is the glucose reservoir of the organism and moreover an important blood reservoir, which takes up or releases glucose and blood depending on demand. Activation of the sympathetic nerves increases glucose release, shifts lactate uptake to output and reduces a.o. oxygen uptake. Moreover, it elicits a reduction of blood flow, and, by closing of sinusoids, an intrahepatic redistribution as well as a mobilization of blood. Activation of parasympathetic nerves enhances glucose utilization and causes a re-opening of closed sinusoids. The actions of sympathetic nerves can be modulated by hormones. Extracellular calcium as well as the mediators noradrenaline and probably also prostaglandins are involved in the signal chain. Intracellularly the signal chain is propagated by an increase of cytosolic calcium.     

Innovative process routes for a high-quality concrete recycling

This study presents alternative methods for the processing of concrete waste. The mechanical stresses needed for the embrittlement of the mortar matrix and further selective crushing of concrete were generated by either electric impulses or microwaves heating. Tests were carried out on lab-made concrete samples representative of concrete waste from concrete mixer trucks and on concrete waste collected on a French demolition site. The results obtained so far show that both techniques can be used to weaken concrete samples and to enhance aggregate selective liberation (that is the production of cement paste-free aggregates) during crushing and grinding. Electric pulses treatment seems to appear more efficient, more robust and less energy consuming (1–3 kW h t^?1) than microwave treatment (10–40 kW h t^?1) but it can only be applied on samples in water leading to a major drawback for recycling aggregates or cement paste in the cement production process.