scholarly journals The challenge of abandonment for the sustainable management of Palaearctic natural and semi-natural grasslands

Hacquetia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orsolya Valkó ◽  
Stephen Venn ◽  
Michał Żmihorski ◽  
Idoia Biurrun ◽  
Rocco Labadessa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Economic Changes ◽  
The Core ◽  
Natural Grasslands ◽  
Biomass Removal ◽  
Management Regimes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Grassland Biodiversity

Abstract Disturbance by biomass removal is a crucial mechanism maintaining the diversity of Palaearctic grasslands, which are unique biodiversity hotspots. The century-long traditional land use of mowing, grazing and burning, has been fundamentally changed in many parts of the Palaearctic. Due to socio-economic changes, large areas of former pastures and meadows have been abandoned, leading to a succession towards secondary scrublands or forest and the encroachment of competitor grass species, all leading to a decrease in biodiversity. Here we report the causes and consequences of the cessation of traditional grassland management regimes, provide strategies for reducing the impact of abandonment and consider these from the perspective of sustainability. We consider the possibilities for initiating sustainable management regimes in the contemporary socio-economic environment, and discuss the prospects and limitation of alternative management regimes in the conservation of grassland biodiversity. These themes are also the core topics of this Special Feature, edited by the EDGG. We hope that this Special Feature will encourage steps towards more sustainable strategies for the conservation of Palaearctic grasslands and the integration of the sustainability perspective into their conservation.

Impact of grassland management regimes on bacterial endophyte diversity differs with grass species

2016 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 323-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Wemheuer ◽  
B. Wemheuer ◽  
D. Kretzschmar ◽  
B. Pfeiffer ◽  
S. Herzog ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grassland Management ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Bacterial Endophyte ◽  
Management Regimes

scholarly journals Means of mechanization and technological methods for the restoration of degraded mountain agricultural landscapes

2021 ◽  
pp. 38-45
Author(s):  
Irina Soldatova ◽  
Sergey Dzhibilov ◽  
Eduard Soldatov ◽  
Lyudmila Guluyeva
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Technical Solution ◽  
Resource Saving ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The authors present the results of R & D and new aggregates for improving degraded slope areas. The purpose of the study is to develop new systems of grassland management to increase soil fertility and accelerate the restoration of mountain areas. The object of the study is agricultural practices that increase the productivity of mountain phytocenoses with aggregates developed by the authors for the following operations: slitting, sowing grass seeds and applying mineral fertilizers. The tasks of the research included: to study the optimal distance between the springy stands of the chisel cultivator KCHG-2,4 and to assess the impact of the conducted agricultural practices on changing the floral composition of the grass stand, improving the plant nutrition regime and water-air regime, enriching the grass stands by seeding valuable grass species. The novelty of the technical solution is that new resource-saving methods have been developed to improve the phytocenosis of land using small-sized universal aggregates. The tests were carried out in the mountain zone of the RNO – Alania (Dargava basin, the stronghold of the SKNIIGPSH) at an altitude of 1540m above sea level in the south-eastern exposure with a slope steepness of up to 150. The pasture area is heavily degraded. The experimental section is divided into three repetitions. The width of each repetition is 2.4 m, the length is 10 m, the dividing strips are 1m, the side strips are 2.4 m. The total area of the experimental site located across the slope is 184.2 m2. Results. It was found that a higher yield for three years of observations was revealed in the variant with a distance between the slits of 1.5 m. In relation to the control variant, in the first year of observations, the increase in this variant was 8.9 c/ha of dry weight, and in the third year this indicator increased to 12.5 c/ha, while in the variant with slits after 1 m, this indicator was 5.2–6.7 c/ha, respectively, and at a distance of 2.4 m – 4.3–5.1 c/ha (42 % of the soil cover).

Soziale Disziplinierung im flexiblen Kapitalismus

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (136) ◽  
pp. 339-356
Author(s):  
Tobias Wölfle ◽  
Oliver Schöller
Keyword(s):  
Social Welfare ◽  
Second Step ◽  
Social Rights ◽  
Federal Law ◽  
Capitalist Development ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Municipal Level

Under the term “Hilfe zur Arbeit” (aid for work) the federal law of social welfare subsumes all kinds of labour disciplining instruments. First, the paper shows the historical connection of welfare and labour disciplining mechanisms in the context of different periods within capitalist development. In a second step, against the background of historical experiences, we will analyse the trends of “Hilfe zur Arbeit” during the past two decades. It will be shown that by the rise of unemployment, the impact of labour disciplining aspects of “Hilfe zur Arbeit” has increased both on the federal and on the municipal level. For this reason the leverage of the liberal paradigm would take place even in the core of social rights.

Citizen Deliberation Online

2019 ◽  
pp. 689-712
Author(s):  
Patrícia Rossini ◽  
Jennifer Stromer-Galley
Keyword(s):  
Political Engagement ◽  
Future Research ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Digital Platforms ◽  
The Core ◽  
Political Conversation ◽  
Political Talk ◽  
Citizen Deliberation ◽  
The Impact

Political conversation is at the heart of democratic societies, and it is an important precursor of political engagement. As society has become intertwined with the communication infrastructure of the Internet, we need to understand its uses and the implications of those uses for democracy. This chapter provides an overview of the core topics of scholarly concern around online citizen deliberation, focusing on three key areas of research: the standards of quality of communication and the normative stance on citizen deliberation online; the impact and importance of digital platforms in structuring political talk; and the differences between formal and informal political talk spaces. After providing a critical review of these three major areas of research, we outline directions for future research on online citizen deliberation.

Static and dynamic response of sandwich beams with lattice and pantographic cores

2021 ◽  
pp. 109963622110338
Author(s):  
Yury Solyaev ◽  
Arseniy Babaytsev ◽  
Anastasia Ustenko ◽  
Andrey Ripetskiy ◽  
Alexander Volkov
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Performance ◽  
Lattice Structure ◽  
Unit Length ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Plane Geometry ◽  
Sandwich Beams ◽  
Static Tests ◽  
Three Point Bending ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Impact

Mechanical performance of 3d-printed polyamide sandwich beams with different type of the lattice cores is investigated. Four variants of the beams are considered, which differ in the type of connections between the elements in the lattice structure of the core. We consider the pantographic-type lattices formed by the two families of inclined beams placed with small offset and connected by stiff joints (variant 1), by hinges (variant 2) and made without joints (variant 3). The fourth type of the core has the standard plane geometry formed by the intersected beams lying in the same plane (variant 4). Experimental tests were performed for the localized indentation loading according to the three-point bending scheme with small span-to-thickness ratio. From the experiments we found that the plane geometry of variant 4 has the highest rigidity and the highest load bearing capacity in the static tests. However, other three variants of the pantographic-type cores (1–3) demonstrate the better performance under the impact loading. The impact strength of such structures are in 3.5–5 times higher than those one of variant 4 with almost the same mass per unit length. This result is validated by using numerical simulations and explained by the decrease of the stress concentration and the stress state triaxiality and also by the delocalization effects that arise in the pantographic-type cores.

Comparative crosstalk performance analysis of different configurations of heterogeneous multicore fiber

2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Umar Farooque ◽  
Rakesh Ranjan
Keyword(s):  
Refractive Index ◽  
Mode Coupling ◽  
The Other ◽  
Heterogeneous Multicore ◽  
Coupled Mode ◽  
The Core ◽  
Bending Radius ◽  
Multicore Fiber ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Core Pitch

AbstractIn order to select the heterogeneous multicore fiber (MCF) configuration with ultra-low crosstalk and low peak bending radius, comparative crosstalk analysis have been done for the three possible core configurations, namely, Configuration 1 - different refractive index (R.I.) and different radius, Configuration 2 - different R.I., and Configuration 3 - different radius. Using the coupled mode equation and the simplified expressions of mode coupling coefficient (MCC) for different configurations of heterogeneous cores, the crosstalk performance of all the heterogeneous MCF configurations along with the homogeneous MCF have been investigated analytically with respect to core pitch (D) and fiber bending radius (${R}_{b}$). Further, these expressions of MCC have been extended to obtain the simplified expressions of MCC for the estimation of crosstalk levels in respective trench-assisted (TA) heterogeneous MCF configurations. It is observed from the analysis that in Configuration 1, crosstalk level is lowest and the rate of decrease in the crosstalk with respect to the core pitch is highest compared to the other configurations of heterogeneous MCF. The values of crosstalk obtained analytically have been validated by comparing it with the values obtained from finite element method (FEM) based numerical simulation results. Further, we have investigated the impact of a fixed percent change (5%) in the core parameters (radius and/or R.I.) of one of the core of a homogeneous MCF, to realize the different heterogeneous MCF configurations, on the variations in crosstalk levels, difference in the mode effective refractive index of the core 1 and core 2 ($\Delta {n}_{eff}={n}_{eff1}-{n}_{eff2}$), and the peak bending radius (${R}_{pk}$). For the same percent variations (5%) in the core parameters (radius and/or R.I.) of different configurations of cores (Config. 1-Config. 3), Config. 1 MCF has highest variation in $\Delta {n}_{eff}$ value compared to other configurations of MCF. Further, this highest variation in $\Delta {n}_{eff}$ value of Config. 1 MCF results in smallest peak bending radius. The smaller value of peak bending radius allows MCF to bend into smaller radius. Therefore, Configuration 1 is the potential choice for the design of MCF with smaller peak bending radius and ultra-low crosstalk level compared to the other configurations of SI-heterogeneous MCF.

Variation in regrowth ability in relation to land-use intensity in three common grassland herbs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Kirschbaum ◽  
Oliver Bossdorf ◽  
J F Scheepens
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Phenotypic Plasticity ◽  
Temporal Variation ◽  
Temporal Stability ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Grassland Management ◽  
Land Use Intensity ◽  
Evolutionary Changes ◽  
Biomass Removal ◽  
Reproductive Biomass

Abstract Aims Plant populations in managed grasslands are subject to strong selection exerted by grazing, mowing and fertilization. Many previous studies showed that this can cause evolutionary changes in mean trait values, but little is known about the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in response to land use. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the relationships between phenotypic plasticity – specifically, regrowth ability after biomass removal – and the intensity of grassland management and levels of temporal variation therein. Methods We conducted an outdoor common garden experiment to test if plants from more intensively mown and grazed sites showed an increased ability to regrow after biomass removal. We used three common plant species from temperate European grasslands, with seed material from 58 – 68 populations along gradients of land-use intensity, ranging from extensive (only light grazing) to very intensive management (up to four cuts per year). Important findings In two out of three species, we found significant population differentiation in regrowth ability after clipping. While variation in regrowth ability was unrelated to the mean land-use intensity of populations of origin, we found a relationship with its temporal variation in P. lanceolata, where plants experiencing less variable environmental conditions over the last 11 years showed stronger regrowth in reproductive biomass after clipping. Therefore, while mean grazing and mowing intensity may not select for regrowth ability, the temporal stability of the environmental heterogeneity created by land use may have caused its evolution in some species.

scholarly journals Effects of Climate Change on Grassland Biodiversity and Productivity

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1047
Author(s):  
Gianni Bellocchi ◽  
Catherine Picon-Cochard
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Livestock Farming ◽  
Low Input ◽  
The Core ◽  
Fodder Production ◽  
Grassland Biodiversity ◽  
High Diversity

Associated with livestock farming, grasslands with a high diversity of plant species are at the core of low-input fodder production worldwide [...]

scholarly journals Formation of GW190521 from stellar evolution: the impact of the hydrogen-rich envelope, dredge-up and 12C(α, γ)16O rate on the pair-instability black hole mass gap

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guglielmo Costa ◽  
Alessandro Bressan ◽  
Michela Mapelli ◽  
Paola Marigo ◽  
Giuliano Iorio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stellar Evolution ◽  
Reaction Rate ◽  
Primary Component ◽  
Mass Reduction ◽  
Black Hole Mass ◽  
Core Mass ◽  
The Core ◽  
Mass Gap ◽  
M Stars ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Pair-instability (PI) is expected to open a gap in the mass spectrum of black holes (BHs) between ≈40 − 65 M⊙ and ≈120 M⊙. The existence of the mass gap is currently being challenged by the detection of GW190521, with a primary component mass of $85^{+21}_{-14}$ M⊙. Here, we investigate the main uncertainties on the PI mass gap: the 12C(α, γ)16O reaction rate and the H-rich envelope collapse. With the standard 12C(α, γ)16O rate, the lower edge of the mass gap can be 70 M⊙ if we allow for the collapse of the residual H-rich envelope at metallicity Z ≤ 0.0003. Adopting the uncertainties given by the starlib database, for models computed with the 12C(α, γ)16O rate −1 σ, we find that the PI mass gap ranges between ≈80 M⊙ and ≈150 M⊙. Stars with MZAMS > 110 M⊙ may experience a deep dredge-up episode during the core helium-burning phase, that extracts matter from the core enriching the envelope. As a consequence of the He-core mass reduction, a star with MZAMS = 160 M⊙ may avoid the PI and produce a BH of 150 M⊙. In the −2 σ case, the PI mass gap ranges from 92 M⊙ to 110 M⊙. Finally, in models computed with 12C(α, γ)16O −3 σ, the mass gap is completely removed by the dredge-up effect. The onset of this dredge-up is particularly sensitive to the assumed model for convection and mixing. The combined effect of H-rich envelope collapse and low 12C(α, γ)16O rate can lead to the formation of BHs with masses consistent with the primary component of GW190521.

scholarly journals A numerical study of the impact perforation of sandwich panels with graded hollow sphere cores

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 168781402110094
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Elnasri ◽  
Han Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Conditions ◽  
Hollow Sphere ◽  
Sandwich Panel ◽  
Numerical Study ◽  
Sandwich Panels ◽  
Hopkinson Bar ◽  
Core Density ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Force Displacement

In this study, we numerically investigate the impact perforation of sandwich panels made of 0.8 mm 2024-T3 aluminum alloy skin sheets and graded polymeric hollow sphere cores with four different gradient profiles. A suitable numerical model was conducted using the LS-DYNA code, calibrated with an inverse perforation test, instrumented with a Hopkinson bar, and validated using experimental data from the literature. Moreover, the effects of quasi-static loading, landing rates, and boundary conditions on the perforation resistance of the studied graded core sandwich panels were discussed. The simulation results showed that the piercing force–displacement response of the graded core sandwich panels is affected by the core density gradient profiles. Besides, the energy absorption capability can be effectively enhanced by modifying the arrangement of the core layers with unclumping boundary conditions in the graded core sandwich panel, which is rather too hard to achieve with clumping boundary conditions.

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