Availability Of Free Space Research Articles

ГНУЧКА АРХІТЕКТУРА СУЧАСНИХ ЛІКУВАЛЬНО-ПРОФІЛАКТИЧНИХ ЗАКЛАДІВ

The article is devoted to the study of architecture, design of the internal environment, features of the design and modernization of medical and preventive facilities, the possibility of their adaptation to modern needs due to the rapid development of medicine by means of providing premises with such criteria as the flexibility of the environment, its high adaptability to rapid changes and new requests. Medical institutions are humanitarian institutions obliged to provide maximum care for people, and at the same time high-tech "production enterprises". That is why they are among the complex types of institutions from the point of view of architectural design, since they must not only carry out diagnostics, provide medical assistance, provide a wide range of medical services, solve administrative and economic tasks, satisfy socio-cultural needs, meet various standards and requirements, but also to create comfortable conditions, primarily for patients. Examples of world experience in which architects and designers, when forming the architecture and spatial environment of buildings of medical institutions, focus directly on the patient and staff are given. Creating a comfortable environment for a patient's 24-hour stay is an important part of a successful treatment process. Based on the analyzed world experience in the design of treatment and preventive facilities, a number of factors are given that affect the comfortable stay of patients and their faster recovery and increase the efficiency of the staff: the ability of the patient to navigate in the medical institution; seclusion (separate ward); aesthetics in the design of the medical environment; noise reduction; the correct choice of colors; application of advanced medical technologies and their constant innovation; availability of recreational areas and landscaping; sufficient lighting; availability of free space; digital integration.

Material City

Urban development hinges on the availability of free space. The planned growth of Helsinki as reflected in the General plan of 2016 relies on identifying areas for infill in the urban fabric. In built-up areas there is a tendency to let the processes of urban change take place instead of top-down planning. This change is therefore not managed, but piecemeal, resulting in a patchwork of ‘stamp’ plans directed by narrow private economic considerations. The life-span of buildings varies according to their material composition – also the type of a building and its spatial configuration affect its vitality. These attributes and conditions play a part in how long a building can endure before confronting the need for radical changes, and can be aggregated from open-source data and modeled using historical referents as benchmarks. This information forms a layer of probabilities in the city, revealing dormant locations facing imminent change. By mapping the information of the material conditions on the topography of the city, we can identify potentials for development. Identifying these latent sites in the city and engaging proprietors and landowners would give new tools for the City to affect the change and renewal associated with turnover of the building stock.

Study on Oil Holding Capacity of Calotropis Gigantea Fiber

ABSTRACT Plant cellulosic, calotropis gigantea fiber properties, and natural oils were discovered in this study. This study consists of various experimental values of the calotropis gigantea fiber and the results such as chemical composition, Assessment of Hollowness Free Space, X-ray Diffraction Analysis, FTIR, SEM, Density Gradient Column (DGC), free space availability calculation, and oil-holding capacity were discussed in this study. The results were found to depend on density of the oil and web, and the method has appeared to be promising. It is revealed that calotropis gigantea fiber has large free spaces, which are used for holding oils. The equations established would support the correlation in such as oil-holding capacity. The web of calotropis gigantea fiber has a high degree of oil absorption for all the three types of oils such as the coconut oil, castor oil, and ground nut oil. It can be seen that the mass of the oil absorbed for coconut oil is about 9 g when expressed as percentage over the actual mass of the web, it goes to about 1800%.

Social environment mediates habitat shifts in a range-restricted giant limpet

The individuals of many species shift habitats at different stages in their lives. Sometimes, these habitat shifts coincide with an ontogenetic transition. These ontogenetic habitat shifts can allow species to access nutritional resources, avoid conspecific aggression or predation, or secure breeding opportunities when it is advantageous to do so. The Kermadec Islands giant limpet Scutellastra kermadecensis is a protandrous hermaphrodite endemic to Rangitāhua, the Kermadec Islands. These limpets have an unusual habit whereby small limpets (piggies) piggy-back on the shells of larger individuals rather than living on the rocky substrate. We investigated whether the ontogenetic habitat shift between the piggy-backing and rock-attached limpets was determined by the availability of free space on the rock or whether the ontogenetic habitat shift was a response to the properties of the surrounding limpet population. We found that the available rock space did not influence the size at which an individual transitioned from being a piggy to being rock-attached. Furthermore, larger rock-attached limpets were more likely to have piggies, they had more piggies, and the piggies were larger. Overall, our results suggest that Kermadec giant limpets are motivated to piggy-back by the properties of the social environment rather than space constraints. The piggy-backing behaviour may be a mechanism to avoid bulldozing by larger limpets, to access grazing opportunities on the shells of larger limpets, and/or to monopolise breeding opportunities with larger rock-attached females. We discuss the repercussions of this life-history strategy for this extremely range-restricted species, with reference to how these populations may be monitored and maintained.

Eco-evolutionary dynamics of cooperation in the presence of policing

Ecology and evolution are inherently linked, and studying a mathematical model that considers both holds promise of insightful discoveries related to the dynamics of cooperation. In the present article, we use the prisoner’s dilemma (PD) game as a basis for long-term apprehension of the essential social dilemma related to cooperation among unrelated individuals. We upgrade the contemporary PD game with an inclusion of evolution-induced act of punishment as a third competing strategy in addition to the traditional cooperators and defectors. In a population structure, the abundance of ecologically-viable free space often regulates the reproductive opportunities of the constituents. Hence, additionally, we consider the availability of free space as an ecological footprint, thus arriving at a simple eco-evolutionary model, which displays fascinating complex dynamics. As possible outcomes, we report the individual dominance of cooperators and defectors as well as a plethora of mixed states, where different strategies coexist followed by maintaining the diversity in a socio-ecological framework. These states can either be steady or oscillating, whereby oscillations are sustained by cyclic dominance among different combinations of cooperators, defectors, and punishers. We also observe a novel route to cyclic dominance where cooperators, punishers, and defectors enter a coexistence via an inverse Hopf bifurcation that is followed by an inverse period doubling route.

Exploring Battery‐Type ZnO/ZnFe2O4 Spheres‐3D Graphene Electrodes for Supercapacitor Applications: Advantage of Yolk−Shell over Solid Structures

AbstractRecently, a ZnO/ZnFe2O4 composite has been reported to be a promising material for energy storage, owing to its large specific capacity and good redox activity. However, due to the inability to accommodate its strong volumetric variations during operation, it fails to retain its capacitance, which remains as a significant hitch. Herein, we present our attempt towards solving this through a binder‐free electrode design comprising a porous yolk−shell ZnO/ZnFe2O4 composite matrixed inside a 3D network of graphene, which, in turn, is grown on Ni foam. The design exhibits a four‐fold increase in its specific capacitance, yielding 1334 F g−1 (specific capacity of 370.5 mAh g−1) at a current density of 0.5 A g−1 in comparison to that of the ZnO/ZnFe2O4 electrodes (309 F g−1 (85.8 mAh g−1) at 0.5 A g−1) comprising solid metal oxide spheres. The major advantage of the design is the well‐defined yolk−shell architecture that provides free space for volume expansion during long cycling processes and channels for ionic transportation; whereas, the conductive 3D graphene network and porous Ni foam facilitate electronic conduction. The availability of free space in yolk−shell sphere electrodes facilitates the capacitance retention of up to 80 % beyond 5000 cycles at a current density of 1 A g−1, which is in contrast to the capacitance retained by the solid spheres of only approximately 60 %. These results directly demonstrate the significant consequence of the yolk−shell architecture‐based binder‐free design and its promising potential in high‐performing supercapacitors and batteries.

Is climate the key factor limiting the natural regeneration of silver fir beyond the northeastern border of its distribution range?

Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) is one of the most important forest tree species in Europe potentially prone to climate changes. The northern limit of its distribution is in central Poland but fir stands were planted also in northern part of the country. It gives opportunity to investigate the potential for silver fir to expand into northern (cooler) Europe which could be an important issue in the face of changing climate. The aim of this research was to identify factors influencing the establishment and advancement of silver fir regeneration within and outside its natural range. Using data collected on sample plots in 48 stands, we examined influences of climatic and stand factors on establishment and development of silver fir regeneration. The Boruta algorithm was used to identify variables relevant for particular stages of fir regeneration (short and tall seedlings and saplings). The variable location (indicating that the analysed plot was located inside or outside the natural range of silver fir) was not the most important variable for any size classes of silver fir regeneration (Boruta algorithm). We found that the mean values of diameter of breast height (DBH) and height of the dominant firs were larger for northerly plantations than for stands within the natural range. The density of seedlings was similar within and outside the natural range but density of saplings was lower, especially tall saplings. Climatic variables (continentality index and summer heat: moisture ratio) were significant in the models predicting the probability of establishing tall seedlings and short saplings. Stand composition was an important factor for all the regeneration stages. For short seedlings, local (sample plot) stand composition was important. The establishment of short seedlings was negatively influenced by shade-tolerant species (sum of the heights of the shade-tolerant trees per plot). Species composition at the forest stand spatial scale was more important for tall seedlings and saplings. The proportion of Scots pine in forest stand volume positively influenced the establishment of tall seedlings. We found that with the growth of regeneration, the role of free space availability increased. The occurrence of tall seedlings and saplings was negatively influenced by increased space filling. Introducing silver fir outside of its natural range requires adjustment to management practices such as creation of vertically diversified mixed stands, decreasing stand stocking, regulation of stand species composition. A lack of experience with silver fir silviculture in northern Poland is one of important factors limiting the advancement of regeneration to the stage of high saplings outside the natural range.

Smart systems approach for development of explicit congestion marking and traffic engineering model for Diffserv/MPLS networks

The scheduling, control, and management of traffic load in multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) are important aspects supporting the quality of service (QoS) and optimizing the network performance. In addition, ensuring the QoS in the Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the main issues of current research in this area. The IoT provides the ability for humans and computers to learn and interact with billions of things, including sensors, actuators, services, and other Internet-connected objects. MPLS offers the possibility for effective traffic control mechanisms within limited network capabilities. Traffic engineering in the MPLS domain provides alterations of the traffic routes to improve network resources or avoid network traffic congestion. Static management of traffic flows has failed to enhance the QoS of the network performance. Therefore, many researchers have attempted to use a dynamic management of traffic flow to enhance the QoS; however, more enhancements are needed. In this paper, we propose a new scheme to solve the problem of dynamic management of traffic flow through various links and routers in the network, and describe its application to an MPLS network. The proposed scheme works by utilizing queues, re-distribution, and re-balancing of streams before or during periods of congestion. It solves the problem of QoS violation, and tags, upgrades, or downgrades the traffic between queues based on the availability of free space of other queues and QoS parameters. We simulate the proposed scheme using OPNET, and the effect of implementing our method on low- and high-priority queues is analyzed and finally validated in conjunction with the ITU QoS measures.

Model-based analysis of urban settlement process in eco-sensitive area of developing country: a study with special reference to hills of an Indian city

Rapid and unplanned expansion of a city into its eco-sensitive areas like hills, wetlands, and forests is becoming a major concern, particularly in developing countries. Understanding the process and causes of such unplanned urban expansion is of paramount importance for framing sustainable urban development policies. This paper presents a modelling concept that relates urban settlement in such eco-sensitive areas with potential socio-economic, demographic and geographical factors. The model is applied to an Indian city Guwahati, which is experiencing serious environmental degradation due to unplanned urban settlement in its eco-sensitive hilly areas. While topographical and settlement data were derived using satellite data in GIS platform, all other necessary data were collected from relevant government organizations. On validation of the multi-linear regression model, the coefficient of determination and the root mean square error are obtained as 0.938 and 1.7, respectively. Model results show that geographical parameters are less influencing as compared to the other socio-economic and demographic factors. Sensitivity analysis of urban settlements in hills of Guwahati city carried out with respect to the considered factors reveals that land value and free space availability in the surrounding area of a hill are the most sensitive parameters. This indicates that city development plans should give more importance to outward spatial expansion in plain areas with regulated land value and zoning scheme to minimize unauthorized settlement in eco-sensitive hilly areas of Guwahati city.

Killing by Type VI secretion drives genetic phase separation and correlates with increased cooperation

By nature of their small size, dense growth and frequent need for extracellular metabolism, microbes face persistent public goods dilemmas. Genetic assortment is the only general solution stabilizing cooperation, but all known mechanisms structuring microbial populations depend on the availability of free space, an often unrealistic constraint. Here we describe a class of self-organization that operates within densely packed bacterial populations. Through mathematical modelling and experiments with Vibrio cholerae, we show how killing adjacent competitors via the Type VI secretion system (T6SS) precipitates phase separation via the ‘Model A’ universality class of order-disorder transition mediated by killing. We mathematically demonstrate that T6SS-mediated killing should favour the evolution of public goods cooperation, and empirically support this prediction using a phylogenetic comparative analysis. This work illustrates the twin role played by the T6SS, dealing death to local competitors while simultaneously creating conditions potentially favouring the evolution of cooperation with kin.

Proposing Certificate Plan for Controlling Electric Pollution on Cloud Data Storage Center

The area of green computing has been emerged as an interesting field of research in this technology oriented world. Even small activities in daily life are dependent upon computer based technologies. This paper proposes a new methodology to provide Certificate Plan for Controlling Electric Pollution on Cloud Data Storage Centers with the purpose to control electric pollution and that provides a healthier and safer environment from different types of hazardous materials and other related computer electronics devices. The motivation towards this work is to improve our environmental conditions and reduce the effect of toxic electronics based materials. The function of new designed methodology actually analyze and measure the amount of carbon footprint by utilizing different instruments and methods that comes out from CRT’S (cathode ray tubes) and radiations emitted through other different parts of computer electronics in the form of hazardous gases (No2, Co2) and hazard metals as like lead, cadmium and mercury. Authors are considering one more important parameter in this paper named as “load balancing”. It describes if the government allotted space will be fulfilled in particular cloud data storage center (CDSC) then rather than implemented a new servers on that particular cloud data storage center that cloud storage agency may shift their data for storage in nearby any other cloud storage agency after analyzing the free space availability with the permission of government as well as that particular agency owner. This agreement must be signed legally by both the parties before the transfer of data.

Not all space is created equal: Distribution of free space and its influence on heat-stress and the limpet Patelloida latistrigata

For most marine benthic communities unoccupied primary substrata, or free space, is considered the principle limiting resource. Substratum temperatures, desiccation rates and hydrodynamic characteristics of free space, however, may vary depending on patch size and isolation and therefore potentially influence biotic processes. This paper investigates the relationship between small-scale changes in the availability and configuration of free space, heat stress and abundance of the small rocky intertidal gastropod Patelloida latistrigata within southeastern Australia. Using infrared thermography I show that heat stress of rocky intertidal communities increased linearly with increasing amounts of free space on three neighbouring shores during four separate sampling intervals from October 2009 to January 2010. Abundances of P. latistrigata generally declined with increasing availability of free space and the associated increases in heat stress. An experimental manipulation that altered the configuration but not the availability of free space demonstrated that both heat stress and P. latistrigata abundance are not affected by small-scale changes in the configuration of free space. The small-scale distribution of P. latistrigata, however, was significantly influenced by differences in the configuration of free space with limpets displaying bimodal distributions within areas characterised by unevenly distributed free space. Since the distribution of Patelloida varies depending on the configuration of free space but thermal properties at the scale of individual limpets do not then we might expect Patelloida to be responding to changes in other abiotic factors, such as hydrodynamic forces and desiccation rates, which may change with the configuration of free space. This study highlights the dynamic and usually unexamined relationship between abiotic stress and the availability and acquisition of resources by marine benthic invertebrates.

The regime of climate-related disturbance and nutrient enrichment modulate macroalgal invasions in rockpools

Patterns of invasion by the seaweeds Grateloupia turuturu Yamada and Sargassum muticum (Yendo) Fensholt under crossed combinations of the regime (mean intensity and temporal variability) of climate-related mechanical disturbance and constant nutrient enrichment were experimentally examined in rockpools in north Portugal. The cover of both species was larger under high compared to low intensity of disturbance, but this effect was enhanced by events more heterogeneously distributed over a period of 19 months. The invasion by G. turuturu was also larger in enriched pools, but only when disturbance was applied at high intensity. The richness of native taxa was increased by high intensity events of disturbance evenly distributed over time and by low intensity events heterogeneously distributed, while no differences were documented for other treatments. Temporal variability of disturbance and nutrients interactively affected the total cover of native taxa and the availability of bare rock in different directions. Enriched conditions increased the space occupancy by natives and reduced substratum availability only when associated to heterogeneous events of disturbance. At the same time, relatively more variable disturbances caused a reduced cover by native taxa and an increased availability of free space, but only under natural nutrient levels. Present findings contribute to understand the conditions that would be more likely to facilitate the spread of G. turuturu and S. muticum under current and predicted scenarios of compounded environmental changes and in relation to traits of recipient systems that are considered relevant for the success of invasions, including the native richness and the degree of usage of resources, i.e. primarily space.

Promotion of polygeneration for buildings applications through sector- and user-oriented “high efficiency CHP” eligibility criteria

The eligibility criteria adopted to assess polygeneration plants as “highly efficient” can play a determinant role in favouring or discouraging the market growth of polygeneration systems, especially for buildings applications where economic viability is often more difficult to achieve. Based on the current European framework, in this paper the opportunity to adopt sector- and user-oriented criteria is discussed. After having identified three buildings with different uses (a large hotel, a hospital and an office building), the optimal lay-out and operation strategy of a polygeneration plant serving each building is determined; then, ex-post processing of economic and energetic results is used to assess at what extent sector-oriented eligibility criteria would be justified and could contribute to a more effective promotion of polygeneration. Finally, for a centralized polygeneration system serving the above three buildings, a particular context condition is analysed, that is the availability of free space to install a large heat storage; it will be shown that this condition moderately influences the amount of electricity assessed as “CHP electricity” and then eligible to obtain “guarantee of origin” and dispatching priority.

Interactions of Apolipoprotein A-I with High-Density Lipoprotein Particles

Although the partitioning of apolipoprotein A-I (apoA-I) molecules in plasma between high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-bound and -unbound states is an integral part of HDL metabolism, the factors that control binding of apoA-I to HDL particles are poorly understood. To address this gap in knowledge, we investigated how the properties of the apoA-I tertiary structure domains and surface characteristics of spherical HDL particles influence apoA-I binding. The abilities of 14C-labeled human and mouse apoA-I variants to associate with human HDL and lipid emulsion particles were determined using ultracentrifugation to separate free and bound protein. The binding of human apoA-I (243 amino acids) to HDL is largely mediated by its relatively hydrophobic C-terminal domain; the isolated N-terminal helix bundle domain (residues 1–190) binds poorly. Mouse apoA-I, which has a relatively polar C-terminal domain, binds to human HDL to approximately half the level of human apoA-I. The HDL binding abilities of apoA-I variants correlate strongly with their abilities to associate with phospholipid (PL)-stabilized emulsion particles, consistent with apoA-I–PL interactions at the particle surface being important. When equal amounts of HDL2 and HDL3 are present, all of the apoA-I variants partition preferentially to HDL3. Fluorescence polarization measurements using Laurdan-labeled HDL2 and HDL3 indicate that PL molecular packing is looser on the more negatively charged HDL3 particle surface, which promotes apoA-I binding. Overall, it is clear that both apoA-I structural features, especially the hydrophobicity of the C-terminal domain, and HDL surface characteristics such as the availability of free space influence the ability of apoA-I to associate with HDL particles.

Using infrared imagery to test for quadrat‐level temperature variation and effects on the early life history of a rocky‐shore barnacle

Most rocky intertidal studies examine early life‐history processes at the quadrat level, but few, if any, have measured temperature variation at this scale in the field. This is surprising because the early life stages of rocky‐shore invertebrates are considered particularly vulnerable to thermal and desiccation stresses and recruitment processes play a key role in structuring adult populations. We used infrared imagery to quantify in situ variation in rock temperatures during aerial exposure among 35 to 50 400‐cm2 quadrats (a typical size utilized in intertidal studies). We test whether natural variation in or experimental manipulation of free space, a potential limiting resource, influences temperature variability among quadrats. We then ask whether quadrat‐scale temperature variability and the availability of free space influence the early life‐history processes of the habitat‐forming barnacle Tesseropora rosea in southeastern Australia. Rock temperatures within quadrats separated by tens of meters differed by up to 8.2°C and temperatures within both natural and manipulated quadrats were positively related to free space. Early postsettlement performance was significantly related to this quadrat‐scale temperature variability. In unmanipulated quadrats with 100% free space, settlers in consistently “warmer” quadrats displayed reduced early growth and survival compared with settlers in consistently “cooler” quadrats (growth: r2 = 0.48, p = 0.001, n = 18; survival: r2 = 0.41, p < 0.01, n = 17). Although rock temperatures varied significantly with free space, early postsettlement growth and survival did not. Our results highlight both the strong response of early life stages to large natural variation in rock temperatures and the consequent importance of considering quadrat‐scale temperature variation in future manipulative experiments.

B-Spline Modeling of Road Surfaces With an Application to Free-Space Estimation

We propose a general technique for modeling the visible road surface in front of a vehicle. The common assumption of a planar road surface is often violated in reality. A workaround proposed in the literature is the use of a piecewise linear or quadratic function to approximate the road surface. Our approach is based on representing the road surface as a general parametric B-spline curve. The surface parameters are tracked over time using a Kalman filter. The surface parameters are estimated from stereo measurements in the free space. To this end, we adopt a recently proposed road-obstacle segmentation algorithm to include disparity measurements and the B-spline road-surface representation. Experimental results in planar and undulating terrain verify the increase in free-space availability and accuracy using a flexible B-spline for road-surface modeling.

Coordination of trivalent lanthanum with polyethylene glycol in the presence of picrate anion: Spectroscopic and X-ray structural studies

The effect of polyethylene chain length on molecular structures of lanthanum–picrate–polyethylene glycol (PEG) complexes has been studied. The change in the ability of the inner coordination sphere to accommodate the largest size of La 3+ has been investigated in complexes with the ligands triethylene glycol (EO3), tetraethylene glycol (EO4), and pentaethylene glycol (EO5). The X-ray studies demonstrated that the complexes [La(Pic) 2(EO3) 2] +(Pic) − ( I and II), [La(Pic) 2(OH 2)(EO4)] +(Pic) −·H 2O ( III), and [La(Pic) 2(EO5)] +(Pic) − ( IV) crystallized in the monoclinic system in space groups P2 1/c ( I and IV), Pn ( II), and C2/c ( III). Compounds I and II are polymorphs. The La 3+ coordination with the PEG ligand in the presence of picrate anion (Pic) showed a coordination number of 10. The number of oxygen donor atoms dictated the geometry of the inner coordination sphere and the formation of additional inner-sphere ligands through the incorporation of water molecules, especially in III. The result with III is due to the availability of free space in the complex and to the lack of saturation of the inner coordination sphere. All crystals were further stabilized by π–π interactions stacking along the a-axis. No dissociation of La–O bonds in solution was observed in NMR studies conducted at different temperatures.

Colonization by barnacles on fossil Clypeaster : an exceptional example of larval settlement

The presence of c. 1450 individuals of the balanid barnacle Balanus crenatus Bruguiere encrusting the test of a clypeasteroid sea urchin from the Late Miocene of the Guadalquivir Basin (southwestern Spain) allows proposing a settlement pattern linked to the growth of the encrusting organism. The possible influence of dip angle was controlled by dividing the test into four concentric zones ranging from lowest margin to apex (0–15°, 15–30°, 30–50° and 0°). Contour diagrams were prepared to identify areas of highest barnacle density as well as size categories distribution in relationship to the pitch of the sea urchin test. The orientation of balanid tests was recorded and plotted on rose diagrams from 0° to 180°. Four size categories of barnacles were distinguished: (1) < 1 mm, (2) 1–2 mm, (3) 2–3 mm and (4) 3–4 mm; these correspond to a growth sequence ranging from post-larval forms to juveniles. Two areas of maximum settlement density are situated on the posterior margin of the test, on aboral as well as oral surfaces. The aboral surface shows the maximum number of barnacles. Two groups of individuals are defined on the basis of their location, that is, those encrusting the posterior medium part of the urchin, and those located on the anterior half. The results suggest that larval settlement was initially controlled by the availability of free space and afterwards by an intensification effect. Orientation and dip of the test may have played a secondary role in the settlement of the larvae. Substrate colonization seems to have been closely related to the biostratinomic history of the sea urchin test and although several scenarios are possible, our data are congruent with a synchronous settlement of both surfaces (aboral and oral) by one spat or several.

Mega capture of the Rio Negro and formation of the Anavilhanas Archipelago, Central Amazônia, Brazil: Evidences in an SRTM digital elevation model

In the Central Amazônia (Brazil), the Solimões River and the Negro River (“Rio Negro”) merge to form the Amazonas, the largest river in the world. Analysis of a digital elevation model produced by the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) in that region reveals the relicts of a large ancient drainage system hidden by the tropical rain forest. Interpretation of this unreported terrain feature in the context of the regional geological framework indicates that the present lower course of the Rio Negro results from a mega fluvial capture driven by an active tectonic regime prevailing in the Amazonian basin. The diversion of the Rio Negro was controlled by pre-existing NW–SE structural features, in which the arrangement of fault blocks compelled the river to funnel down into a strait. Partially blocked by this natural barrier, the Rio Negro widens upstream, assuming a lake-like appearance (up to 20 km-wide). Free space availability and low energy favored the deposition of sediments to form the Anavilhanas Archipelago, the largest group of freshwater islands on the world, refuge of a diversified fauna and flora.