Lead Chestnut blight caused by the fungus Cryphonectria parasitica is an introduced disease responsible for a widespread decline of European chestnut forests. In this project, we aim to provide the scientific basis for biological control of this devastating tree disease. Background Biological control is a highly desirable means of pest and disease management in natural and managed forest ecosystems. This control method depends on the invasion of a pest population by a biocontrol agent (e.g. a hyperparasite), which ideally can spread and establish in a self-sustainable way. The Cryphonectria hypovirus1 (CHV-1) infects the chestnut blight fungus C. parasitica and has the potential to be used as a biological control agent of this pathogen. The invasion of C. parasitica populations by the hypovirus appears to be highly influenced by the population biology of the fungus. Spread of the hypovirus is favoured by low diversity of vegetative compatibility (vc) types and limited sexual reproduction. Therefore, the information and understanding of the population structure and epidemiology of C. parasitica and the hypovirus is important for the success of biological control of chestnut blight. Objectives The project has two main objectives, (1) to investigate the population structure and colonization history of the chestnut blight fungus C. parasitica in Georgia and the Balkans by using different types of genetic markers, and (2) to evaluate novel application methods and perform practical biological control experiments in collaboration with end users. Significance European chestnut is an important multipurpose tree species grown for fruit and wood production in many rural areas of Europe. Our project will contribute to a better understanding of a serious disease of chestnut trees and will help to restore and protect infested chestnut orchards and forests. This multilateral project will also allow the continuation and strengthening of partnerships among research groups from Switzerland, Macedonia, Croatia, and Georgia.
In Südamerika sind Millionen von Menschen von Wasserressourcen abhängig, die in der hoch gelegenen Paramo Graslandschaft sowie den tropischen Bergwäldern der Anden und an der Atlantikküste gebildet werden. Diese Wasserressourcen stehen unter zunehmenden Druck, hervorgerufen durch Landnutzungsänderungen und Klimawandel. Investitionen in wasserbezogene Dienstleistungen in Wassereinzugsgebieten (Investments in Watershed Services, IWS) sind starke, wenn auch bislang nicht ausgeschöpfte Maßnahmen, die eine einmalige Gelegenheit bieten, die Auswirkungen von Landnutzungsänderungen und Klimawandel auf Wasserressourcen in diesen sensiblen Bergregionen zu bewerten. ClimateWIse will den Erfolg der jetzigen Investitionen in wasserbezogene Dienstleistungen überprüfen und ihre Wirksamkeit unter Klimaänderung bewerten. Auf diese Weise werden Forschungsergebnisse erlangt, die die weitgefassten Fragen hinsichtlich der hydrologischen Auswirkungen durch Landnutzungs- und Klimaänderungen in den tropischen Bergwäldern Südamerikas adressieren. Zunächst werden wir untersuchen, ob Investitionen in wasserbezogene Dienstleistungen gegenwärtig die Situation der Wasserressourcen in den Einzugsgebieten verbessern. Dazu werden wir 1.1) die von den IWS Interessengruppen erwarteten Ergebnisse evaluieren; 1.2) neue Daten zur IWS-Überwachung erheben und 1.3) vorhandene Simulationsmodelle zu Ausarbeitung und Bewertung von IWS-Maßnahmen verbessern. Um aber die Anpassungsfähigkeit von IWS-Maßnahmen an zukünftige Klimaveränderungen zu ermitteln, werden wir 2.1) die Berücksichtigung von Klimaaspekten in IWS Planungen überprüfen; 2.2) die Prognosen der Auswirkungen von Klimawandel und weiteren Veränderungen verbessern, sowie 2.3) die Möglichkeiten prüfen, Angaben zu Klimaänderungen in IWS zu integrieren, was zu einer Verbesserung der Widerstandsfähigkeit von IWS-Maßnahmen führt und darüber hinaus auch zur Anpassung an den Klimawandel beiträgt. ClimateWIse baut auf die Forschungsarbeiten beteiligter Projektpartner auf: diese reichen von Forschungsaktivitäten im Bereich hydrologische Konnektivität in den tropischen Bergregionen Südamerikas im Allgemeinen, bis hin zur Beurteilung von IWS-Maßnahmen im Speziellen. Diese Expertise wird erstmalig in diesem Projektantrag zusammengebracht. In diesem Zusammenhang werden wir auch die existierenden Beziehungen zum Latin American Water Funds Partnership und Brazilian Water Producer Program nutzen. ClimateWIse will die Bewirtschaftung der Wasserressourcen verbessern, die wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnisse über die Auswirkungen von Landnutzungs- und Klimaänderungen auf den hydrologischen Kreislauf in tropischen Bergregionen erweitern, die wissenschaftlichen Grundlagen im Bereich ökosystemorientierter Bewirtschaftung ausbauen sowie Ergebnisse für die Wassernutzer in der gesamten Region fördern. Die mit ClimateWIse erzielten Erkenntnisse werden für die Wasserwirtschaft innerhalb Südamerikas aber auch über den Kontinent hinaus von direktem Nutzen sein.
Umweltfreundlich und ohne eigenes Auto mobil zu sein: das ist in ländlichen Räumen oftmals besonders schwierig. Die Gründe dafür liegen im demographischen Wandel, in knappen öffentlichen Kassen und in einer unzureichenden Zusammenarbeit relevanter Institutionen. Das Interreg-Projekt Peripheral Access - 'Transnational cooperation and partnership for better public transport in peripheral and cross-border regions' - will daher die Mobilität in ländlichen Räumen, im Hinterland von Ballungsräumen und in Grenzregionen verbessern. Es sollen mehr Menschen davon überzeugt werden, ihr Auto stehen zu lassen und den öffentlichen Nahverkehr zu nutzen. Um das zu erreichen, setzt das Projekt auf neue Mobilitätsstrategien. So zum Beispiel auf Busse, die auch Fahrräder befördern, oder auf Rufbusse, die die Passagiere per Smartphone bestellen können.
The goals of the international project North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling (NEEM) are to obtain a reliable high-resolution northern hemisphere ice core record of the onset of the Eemian period (about 135,000 years ago) and, if possible, to provide first ice samples from the preceding glacial epoch from Greenland. This project has been declared top priority by IPICS, the International Partnership in Ice Core Science, and is the first of four internation polar ice drilling projects to be realised. Here we seek basic financial support to become a full partner of NEEM, to support the logistic cost at a very moderate but important level, and to be able to contribute to the NEEM project our unique scientific expertise in high-resolution ice core measurement. The focus of our research will be to perform firn gas measurements in the field and provide crucial information for ice core dating and the determination of the gas age-ice age relationshiop. We will deploy to NEEM Station our newly developed Continuous Flow Analyses (CFA) device with which we will produce high-resolution measurements of a series of chemical components on a meltwater stream from a section of the entire ice core. In addition, air will be extracted continuously from the meltwater in order to det4ermine air content as well as the CH4 concentration using a gas chromatograph coupled to the CFA device. These data will be measured in the framework of the science program during the three field seasons of ice core drilling at NEEM Station.
LCA approaches are part of the broader field of sustainability assessment often connected to different disciplines. To increase the efficacy of sustainability decision making, LCA is to take into account broader externalities, broader interrelations and different application/user needs with often conflicting requirements (dynamic models; integration of environmental, economic, and social aspects; accessibility and user friendliness, etc). Roughly, development should be oriented to: - 'deepening', to improve reliability and usability by more adequately incorporating empirical mechanisms - 'broadening', to improve the significance, by expanding the scope of sustainability impacts and better linking to neighbouring models - 'leaping forward' by a revision/enrichment of foundations, through the crossing with other disciplines for sustainability evaluation. CALCAS develops analysis and development along two lines: 1 science framework; 2 user needs (Industry, Research organisations, Government, Consumers, NGOs); the results, are crossed to draw up mid- long-term research lines and road maps, including measures for implementation. Advanced results will often not be in line with the current ISO14040 series definitions and requirements on LCA, creating a need for reformulation. Partnership combines LCA 'producers' and 'users' and involves, with different responsibilities, a significant and highly qualified part of European scientists. Thus, the project promotes the networking both 'cross', among the scientific sectors, and 'vertical' between them and users. Expert working groups, cross-fertilisation workshops, and an open consultation of all scientific sectors and users, based on a Blue Paper combining intermediate proposals are inputs to the final results, both as described models and tools and as research tasks to be accomplished. They also promote dissemination and joint actions for training, knowledge exchanges and common projects. Prime Contractor: Ente per le Nuove Tecnologie, l'Energia elL'Ambiente; Roma; Italy.
The Focus Area Cultural Heritage (FACH) is one of the 7 Focus Areas (FAs) of the European Construction Technology Platform (ECTP). So far, a first version of the FACH Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) has been launched in Dec 2005 and integrated into the ECTP and its SRA through the ECTP Support Group (SG). An Action Plan for its sound integration into the ECTP and FP7 is starting now. The overall objective of CHRAF is to support the FACH activities regarding Cultural Heritage (CH) research, its dissemination, coordination and integration into the ECTP and FP7. Partial objectives: - To help identify priorities and develop strategies regarding CH Research as input to the ECTP and its SRA as well as to future FP7, - To support the organisation and co-ordination of the FACH of the ECTP and its Working Groups (WGs) in relation to the other ECTP FAs and its WGs, - To promote the exchange of information and dissemination of results of FP5-FP6 projects in CH research. Main measurable results: - 3 updated & upgraded versions of FACH SRA implemented within the ECTP, - Synthesis of clear research priorities recommendations for FACH s SRA implementation in FP7 work programme for 2007, 2008 and 2009, - A secretariat for the FACH, set up and recommendations for future structure of the FACH within the ECTP and relations with other Fora and European Platforms CH related, - Mapping FP5-FP6 projects in CH and information exchange activities, - Assessment of results regarding FP5-FP6 projects in CH & recommendations for further exploitation, - Dissemination and exploitation plans & deployment. The consortium is formed by 4 partners from 3 member states: VINCI and UL FGG, as FACH co-ordinators and members of the ECTP s SG, CSTB as ECTP secretariat and Labein, as a relevant FACH and ECTP member. FACH s relevant members will participate in the project as subcontractors. In total it will represent 10 research institutes, 7 universities and 6 industries or SMEs. 1017903 The PICTURE project aims at providing a substantial contribution to the fight against illegal trade and theft of coins which appears to be a major part of the illegal antiques market. For this goal, state-of-art Information Technology will be used. The project will develop standardized inventories by defining a domain ontology based on CIDOC-CRM, the standard ontology for Cultural Heritage, and a multilingual thesaurus. Data management tools will be created as well, and a specialized web search tool. The recognition of coins will be based on new algorithms of pattern recognition and image processing, in a field (classification and identification of ancient coins) as yet unexplored. The project will disseminate its results also by means of a demonstrator freely accessible on the Internet. Substantial contribution to the project will come from stakeholders, some of which are present in the partnership, which includes the Italian law enforcement organisation Carabinieri and three major national museums wit
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