A large fraction of the current environmental crisis derives from the large rates of human-driven biodiversity loss. Biodiversity conservation questions human practices towards biodiversity and, therefore, largely conflicts with ordinary societal aspirations. Decisions on the location of protected areas, one of the most convincing conservation tools, reflect such a competitive endeavor. Operations Research (OR) brings a set of analytical models and tools capable of resolving the conflicting interests between ecology and economy. Recent technological advances have boosted the size and variety of data available to planners, thus challenging conventional approaches bounded on optimized solutions. New models and methods are needed to use such a massive amount of data in integrative schemes addressing a large variety of concerns. This study provides an overview on the past, present and future challenges that characterize spatial conservation models supported by OR. We discuss the progress of OR models and methods in spatial conservation planning and how those models may be optimized through sophisticated algorithms and computational tools. Moreover, we anticipate possible panoramas of modern spatial conservation studies supported by OR and we explore possible avenues for the design of optimized interdisciplinary collaborative platforms in the era of Big Data, through consortia where distinct players with different motivations and services meet. By enlarging the spatial, temporal, taxonomic and societal horizons of biodiversity conservation, planners navigate around multiple socioecological/environmental equilibria and are able to decide on cost-effective strategies to improve biodiversity persistence under complex environments.

A remarkably well-preserved, almost complete and articulated new specimen (GP/2E 9266) of Tupandactylus navigans is here described for the Early Cretaceous Crato Formation of Brazil. The new specimen comprises an almost complete skeleton, preserving both the skull and post-cranium, associated with remarkable preservation of soft tissues, which makes it the most complete tapejarid known thus far. CT-Scanning was performed to allow the assessment of bones still covered by sediment. The specimen can be assigned to Tupa. navigans due to its vertical supra-premaxillary bony process and short and rounded parietal crest. It also bears the largest dentary crest among tapejarine pterosaurs and a notarium, which is absent in other representatives of the clade. The new specimen is here regarded as an adult individual. This is the first time that postcranial remains of Tupa. navigans are described, being also an unprecedented record of an articulated tapejarid skeleton from the Araripe Basin.

Abstract Enhancer binding proteins (EBPs) are key players of σ54-regulation that control transcription in response to environmental signals. In the anaerobic microorganism Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hildenborough (DvH), orp operons have been previously shown to be coregulated by σ54-RNA polymerase, the integration host factor IHF and a cognate EBP, OrpR. In this study, ChIP-seq experiments indicated that the OrpR regulon consists of only the two divergent orp operons. In vivo data revealed that (i) OrpR is absolutely required for orp operons transcription, (ii) under anaerobic conditions, OrpR binds on the two dedicated DNA binding sites and leads to high expression levels of the orp operons, (iii) increasing the redox potential of the medium leads to a drastic down-regulation of the orp operons expression. Moreover, combining functional and biophysical studies on the anaerobically purified OrpR leads us to propose that OrpR senses redox potential variations via a redox-sensitive [4Fe?4S]2+ cluster in the sensory PAS domain. Overall, the study herein presents the first characterization of a new Fe?S redox regulator belonging to the σ54-dependent transcriptional regulator family probably advantageously selected by cells adapted to the anaerobic lifestyle to monitor redox stress conditions.

We propose a stochastic algorithm for global optimisation of a regular function, possibly unbounded, defined on a bounded set with regular boundary; a function that attains its extremum in the boundary of its domain of definition. The algorithm is determined by a diffusion process that is associated with the function by means of a strictly elliptic operator that ensures an adequate maximum principle. In order to preclude the algorithm to be trapped in a local extremum, we add a pure random search step to the algorithm. We show that an adequate procedure of parallelisation of the algorithm can increase the rate of convergence, thus superseding the main drawback of the addition of the pure random search step.

We propose and study a simple model for microcredit using two sums, with a random number of terms, of identically distributed random variables, the number of terms being Poisson distributed; the first sum accounts for the payments { the payables{ made to the collective vault by the participants and the second sum, subtracted to the first, accounts for the loans received by the participants, the receivables.
Under a global independence hypothesis we define, by mean of moment generating functions, an easily
implementable condition for the sustainability of the collective vault. That is, if, for all the participants and at any time, on average, the sum of the loans is strictly less than the sum of the payments to the collective vault then the probability of the collective vault failing can be made arbitrarily small, provided the loans only start to be accepted after a sufficiently large delay. We present numerical illustrations of collective vaults for exponential and chi-squared distributed random terms. For the practical management of such a collective vault it may be advisable to have loan granting rules that destroy independence of the random terms. We present a first simulation study that shows the effect of such a breaking dependence loan granting rule on maintaining the stability of the collective vault.

In this paper we introduce the notion of an orientation-preserving transformation on an arbitrary chain, as
a natural extension for infinite chains of the well known concept for finite chains introduced in 1998 by McAlister and, independently, in 1999 by Catarino and Higgins.
We consider the monoid POP(X) of all orientation-preserving partial transformations on a finite or infinite chain X and its submonoids OP(X) and POPI(X) of all orientation-preserving full transformations and of all orientation-preserving partial permutations on X, respectively.
The monoid PO(X) of all order-preserving partial transformations on X and its injective counterpart POI(X) are also considered.
We study the regularity and give descriptions of the Green's relations of the monoids POP(X), PO(X), OP(X), POPI(X) and POI(X).

We formulate an optimization stochastic algorithm convergence theorem, of Solis and Wets type, and we show several instances of its application to concrete algorithms. In this convergence theorem the algorithm is a sequence of random variables and, in order to describe the increasing flow of information associated to this sequence we define a filtration – or flow of σ -algebras – on the probability space, depending on the sequence of random variables and on the function being optimized. We compare the flow of information of two convergent algorithms by comparing the associated filtrations by means of the Cotter distance of σ-algebras. The main result is that two convergent optimization algorithms have the same information content if both their limit minimization functions generate the full σ-algebra of the probability space.

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The test of independence of two groups of variables is addressed in the case where the sample size N is considered randomly distributed. This assumption may lead to a more realist testing procedure since in many situations the sample size is not known in advance. Three sample schemes are considered where N may have a Poisson, Binomial or Hypergeometric distribution. For the case of two groups with p1 and p2 variables, it is shown that when either p1 or p2 (or both) are even the exact distribution corresponds to a finite or an infinite mixture of Exponentiated Generalized Integer Gamma distributions. In these cases a computational module is made available for the cumulative distribution function of the test statistic. When both p1 and p2 are odd, the exact distribution of the test statistic may be represented as a finite or an infinite mixture of products of independent Beta random variables whose density and cumulative distribution functions do not have a manageable closed form. Therefore, a computational approach for the evaluation of the cumulative distribution function is provided based on a numerical inversion formula originally developed for Laplace transforms. When the exact distribution is represented through infinite mixtures, an upper bound for the error of truncation of the cumulative distribution function is provided. Numerical studies are developed in order to analyze the precision of the results and the accuracy of the upper bounds proposed. A simulation study is provided in order to assess the power of the test when the sample size N is considered randomly distributed. The results are compared with the ones obtained for the fixed sample size case.

Polynomial interpolation or regression models are an important tool in Derivativefree Optimization, acting as surrogates of the real function. In this work, we propose the use of these models in the multiobjective framework of directional direct search, namely the one of Direct Multisearch. Previously evaluated points are used to build quadratic polynomial models, which are minimized in an attempt of generating nondominated points of the true function, defining a search step for the algorithm. Numerical results state the competitiveness of the proposed approach.

Este capítulo apresenta uma visão geral da paleobiodiversidade alfa de Angola com base no registo fóssil disponível, o qual se limita às rochas sedimentares, a sua idade variando entre o Pré‑Câmbrico e o pre‑
sente. O período geológico com a maior paleobiodiversidade no registo fóssil angolano é o Cretácico, com mais de 80% do total dos táxones fósseis conhecidos, especialmente moluscos marinhos, sendo estes na sua maioria
amonites. Os vertebrados representam cerca de 15% da fauna conhecida e cerca de um décimo destes são espécies descritas pela primeira vez com base em espécimes de Angola.

This article focuses the choice and use of examples by two students of the 11th grade to prove or refute a set of statements. The use of representations of sequences and functions is also considered. The study adopts a qualitative approach and data were collected by interviews and documental gathering. The conclusions suggest most of the examples used were well-known sequences or functions. However, the students sought different purposes for the use of examples, such as understanding the conjecture, demonstrate the falsity or truthfulness of the statement and conveying a general argument. The students made a satisfactory articulation between the various types of representations but relied mostly in the cartesian graph.