Optimizing the electrode size and arrangement in a microbial electrolysis cell

This study investigates the influence of anode and cathode size and arrangement on hydrogen production in a membrane-less flat-plate microbial electrolysis cell (MEC). Protein measurements were used to evaluate microbial density in the carbon felt anode. The protein concentration was observed to significantly decrease with the increase in distance from the anode-cathode interface. Cathode placement on both sides of the carbon felt anode was found to increase the current, but also led to increased losses of hydrogen to hydrogenotrophic activity leading to methane production. Overall, the best performance was obtained in the flat-plate MEC with a two-layer 10 mm thick carbon felt anode and a single gas-diffusion cathode sandwiched between the anode and the hydrogen collection compartments.     

Unravelling the response of diurnal raptors to land use change in a highly dynamic landscape in northwestern Spain: an approach based on satellite earth observation data

Land use and land cover change (LULCC) is one of the main components of current anthropogenic global change. Unravelling the ecological response of biodiversity to the combined effect of land use change and other stressors is essential for effective conservation. For this purpose, we used co-inertia analysis to combine LULCC analysis of earth observation satellite data-derived maps and raptor data obtained from road censuses conducted in 2001 and 2014 at sampling unit level (10 km² spatial resolution), in northwestern Spain (province of Ourense, c. 7281 km²). In addition, habitat suitability models were also computed using ten widely used single-modelling techniques providing an ensemble of predictions at landscape level (four spatial resolutions: 500-m, 1-km, 2-km and 5-km radius around each sighting) for each year and raptor species to analyse the habitat suitability changes in the whole study area through three niche overlap indices. The models revealed an increase in occurrence and habitat suitability of forest raptor species coupled with a strong decrease in species associated with open habitats, mainly heaths and shrub formations. Open-habitat specialist species were negatively affected by the concomitant effects of intensive forest management and a long-lasting trend of rural abandonment coupled with an unusually high frequency of wildfires. Sustainable forest management and agricultural practices should be encouraged by both public and private sectors, through, e.g. policies related to European funds for rural and regional development (FEDER and FEADER programs) to effectively protect threatened habitats and species, and to comply with current environmental legislation. The combined use of satellite imagery and ground-level biodiversity data proved to be a cost-effective and systematic method for monitoring priority habitats and their species in highly dynamic landscapes.