scholarly journals The Importance of Linear Landscape Elements for Bats in a Farmland Area: The Influence of Height on Activity

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Toffoli
Keyword(s):  
Physical Structure ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Landscape Elements ◽  
Consequent Reduction ◽  
Linear Landscape Elements ◽  
Bat Conservation ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
Surrounding Landscape ◽  
North Western

Abstract In the past 50 years, widespread removal of hedges and hedgerows in many European regions, with a consequent reduction in biodiversity, has occurred as a result of farming intensification. Acknowledging the ecological importance of linear farmland landscape elements, many agro-environmental schemes provide financial support for the management, conservation and reconstruction of hedges and hedgerows. The efficacy of such initiatives, also aimed at bat conservation, could be enhanced by including the role of hedges and hedgerows correlated to the variability of their physical structure and to the surrounding landscape context. Linear landscape elements are in fact of great importance to bats, whose flight activity tends to increase in proximity to hedges and hedgerows, used both during foraging and as commuting routes. Nevertheless, information concerning the correlation between various physical structures of hedges and flight and foraging techniques in bats is still lacking. The present study analyses the activity of bats along two different hedge types, with and without trees, and in open spaces, in an area of the Padana plane (North-western Italy) as a function of different flight behaviours. Activity in bats appears higher along hedges than in open spaces but no significant differences are noted between the various hedge types under investigation. Foraging behaviour is primarily detected along hedges with trees but is lower along hedges without trees and in open spaces. This is particularly evident in bat species that have adapted to foraging in closed spaces surrounded by foliage (Myotis and Plecotus genera) or at the periphery of these environments (Pipistrellus genus), whereas it not seen species that forage in open spaces (Nyctalus genus). Hedge reconstruction aimed at bat conservation ought to, therefore, favour tall hedges with trees as opposed to low hedges without trees.

Training of Village Teachers in Vilna Educational District in the 1860s and 1870s

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 ◽  
pp. 181-192
Author(s):  
Anna A. Komzolova
Keyword(s):  
Educational Reform ◽  
Rural Teachers ◽  
Cultural Brokers ◽  
The North ◽  
Central Russia ◽  
Russian Intelligentsia ◽  
Trained Teachers ◽  
The Village ◽  
North Western

One of the results of the educational reform of the 1860s was the formation of the regular personnel of village teachers. In Vilna educational district the goal was not to invite teachers from central Russia, but to train them on the spot by establishing special seminaries. Trained teachers were supposed to perform the role of «cultural brokers» – the intermediaries between local peasants and the outside world, between the culture of Russian intelligentsia and the culture of the Belarusian people. The article examines how officials and teachers of Vilna educational district saw the role of rural teachers as «cultural brokers» in the context of the linguistic and cultural diversity of the North-Western Provinces. According to them, the graduates of the pedagogical seminaries had to remain within the peasant estate and to keep in touch with their folk «roots». The special «mission» of the village teachers was in promoting the ideas of «Russian elements» and historical proximity to Russia among Belarusian peasants.

scholarly journals Between Pleasure and Resistance: The Role of Substance Consumption in an Italian Working-Class Subculture

Societies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 58
Author(s):  
Placido
Keyword(s):  
Working Class ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Critical Criminology ◽  
Ethnographic Case Study ◽  
Youth Cultures ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Substance Consumption ◽  
North Western

In this article I discuss how illegal substance consumption can act as a tool of resistance and as an identity signifier for young people through a covert ethnographic case study of a working-class subculture in Genoa, North-Western Italy. I develop my argument through a coupled reading of the work of the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) and more recent post-structural developments in the fields of youth studies and cultural critical criminology. I discuss how these apparently contrasting lines of inquiry, when jointly used, shed light on different aspects of the cultural practices of specific subcultures contributing to reflect on the study of youth cultures and subcultures in today’s society and overcoming some of the ‘dead ends’ of the opposition between the scholarly categories of subculture and post-subculture. In fact, through an analysis of the sites, socialization processes, and hedonistic ethos of the subculture, I show how within a single subculture there could be a coexistence of: resistance practices and subversive styles of expression as the CCCS research program posits; and signs of fragmentary and partial aesthetic engagements devoid of political contents and instead primarily oriented towards the affirmation of the individual, as argued by the adherents of the post-subcultural position.

scholarly journals Adaptations in traditional courtyard houses in Baghdad, Iraq

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 348-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rand H.M. Agha ◽  
John M. Kamara
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Full Range ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Study Analysis ◽  
Physical Spaces ◽  
Adaptation Model

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the adaptations that have been made to traditional courtyard houses (TCHs) in Baghdad, Iraq. The aim is to develop an understanding of various factors in the adaptation of these buildings to suit contemporary lifestyles, which will contribute to the wider field of building adaptability. Design/methodology/approach Empirical evidence was collected through case studies of 12 TCHs in the Al-Kadhimiya area of Baghdad, which involved a physical survey of buildings and semi-structured interviews with 24 occupants. Findings Case study analysis show that building adaptability involves both a change to physical spaces and also to lifestyles; with the latter being more likely when there are limitations in how much change can be made to the physical structure. Research limitations/implications The focus of this research is mainly on users’ adaptation of spaces and therefore does not consider the full range of stakeholders involved in the adaptation process. The findings also only apply to the cases considered and may not be applicable to other house types or locations. Originality/value Studies on building adaptability mostly focus on the ease of change to the building fabric, although the role of users is acknowledged. This study provides insights into the complexity and variety of changes that users can make, which are influenced by lifestyles and driven by the need for comfort. These insights are represented in an adaptation model, which can serve as a basis for further research.

Overall and repeated floral visitation by insects suggests flower flies (Syrphidae) as the major pollinator group of Alaska Wild Rhubarb (Koenigia alaskana var. glabrescens; Polygonaceae) in Northwest Territories, Canada

2021 ◽  
Vol 135 (2) ◽  
pp. 186-191
Author(s):  
Paul M. Catling ◽  
Brenda Kostiuk ◽  
Jeffrey H. Skevington
Keyword(s):  
Northwest Territories ◽  
Limiting Factor ◽  
Alpine Plant ◽  
Floral Visitors ◽  
Floral Visitation ◽  
Ecological Importance ◽  
Flower Flies ◽  
Northwestern North America ◽  
Northeast Corner

Alaska Wild Rhubarb (Koenigia alaskana var. glabrescens; Polygonaceae) is a native Arctic, subarctic, and alpine plant of northwestern North America. Although the plant has some economic and ecological importance, its biology is poorly known. At 11 sites in the northeast corner of its range in Northwest Territories, we found that 87% of its floral visitors were flies, mostly Syrphidae, a diverse family known to be important pollinators. Insects visiting consecutive flowers on different plants and, thus, likely effecting pollination were also flies (78.6%) and also mostly Syrphidae (72.7%) followed by Hymenoptera (20%). Although syrphids were the dominant potential pollinators at most sites, there was some variation among sites. Our results provide quantitative support for pollinator diversity and the major role of Syrphidae in pollination of Alaska Wild Rhubarb. We suggest that pollination is not a limiting factor in this plant’s spread, nor its rare and local occurrence and restricted distribution, because the majority of its pollinators are widespread.

scholarly journals National Timber Industry Complex: Changes in Spatial Distribution

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 5-20
Author(s):  
Natalia Antonova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Federal District ◽  
Timber Industry ◽  
The North ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Spatial Shift ◽  
Spatial Changes ◽  
Federal Districts ◽  
Timber Products ◽  
North Western

An assessment of spatial changes in the timber industry complex in Russia has been carried out. Based on the estimates obtained, it was concluded that the traditional leaders, which include the regions of the North-Western and Siberian Federal Districts, continue to determine the all-Russian trends in the timber industry. In the production of unprocessed wood and sawn wood, there has been a significant spatial shift in favor of the regions of the Siberian Federal District, which entailed an increase in the production of timber products on a national scale. The main factors that influenced the spatial shifts in the timber industry are identified, the leading role of the factors of external markets and internal institutional changes is shown, and their influence on the parameters of regional timber industry complexes is considered

scholarly journals Effect of inert agents on the flammability parameters of selected gases and organic liquid vapours

2019 ◽  
pp. 108-114
Author(s):  
Paulina Flasińska
Keyword(s):  
Ambient Pressure ◽  
Organic Liquid ◽  
Explosion Hazard ◽  
European Standard ◽  
Flammability Limits ◽  
Open Spaces ◽  
Limiting Oxygen Concentration ◽  
Selection Of ◽  
Safe Working

Flammable substances may form explosive atmospheres when mixed with air. To prevent their formation or minimise the risk of their occurrence, it is necessary to understand the properties of the mixtures of flammable substances and to apprehend the properties characterising the course of a potential explosion. To minimise the risk of a fire or an explosion, a process called inerting is used in which, e.g. nitrogen plays the role of an inert agent. The article discusses the method for testing the flammability limits, the “bomb” method, in accordance with the European standard PN-EN 1839 and the limiting oxygen concentration (LOC) according to the European standard PN-EN 14756. The study shows the influence of inert gas on the flammability range of selected substances: hydrogen, methane, and hexane, which in practice allows the assessment of the explosion hazard of closed and open spaces, the establishment of safe working conditions, and the selection of equipment operating in given explosion hazard zones. The tests were carried out at 25 °C for hydrogen and methane and at 40 °C for hexane, at ambient pressure.

scholarly journals GIS analysis of change in an agriculture landscape in Central Finland

1996 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 567-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riitta Ruuska ◽  
Juha Helenius
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Landscape ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Aerial Photographs ◽  
Landscape Elements ◽  
Average Proportion ◽  
Linear Landscape Elements ◽  
Land Survey ◽  
Ecosystem Level ◽  
Agricultural Use ◽  
Index Value

Changes in landscape over a period of 50 years were analysed in a rural area of 324 ha in Central Finland. The data were digitized from aerial photographs of the National Land Survey taken in 1944, 1959, 1979 and 1991, and analysed with the IDRISI™ geographic information system (GIS). The average proportion of land in agricultural use in the sample area was 17.4%. The arable area declined from the maximum of 62.3 ha (1959) to 47.6 ha. The total length of linear landscape elements, predominantly ditch bank habitats, halved, from 876 m/ha of field (1944) to 449 m/ha by the end of the period. The average rate of loss of field boundary habitat was 9.1 m/ha/ year. At the same time, the Shannon-Weaver index of diversity of agricultural landscape elements dropped from 0.37 to 0.24. The number of field parcels declined by 29%, and the mean parcel size increased by 45%, from 1.2 ha to 1.7 ha. The index value of the fractal dimension measuring the complexity of parcel shapes also fell, from 1.88 (1959) to 1.86 (1991). The change in spatial structure reflects the intensification of farming in Finland. Biodiversity at ecosystem level has clearly declined. However, the implications for the agroecosystem and its sustainability are still unknown.

scholarly journals Generative Strategies of Russian Men in Terms of Depopulation

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 78-86
Author(s):  
Chulpan I. Ildarhanova ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Behavior ◽  
Family Relations ◽  
Federal District ◽  
Family Values ◽  
Value System ◽  
The North ◽  
The Family ◽  
Generative Behavior ◽  
North Western

Theoretical and methodological base of the research includes socio-demographic, thesaurus and generational approaches. Scientific and methodical base of the research is a survey held in the Volga Federal District (Republic of Tatarstan) and the North-Western Federal District (Vologda Region). This study reflects the rupture of the family thesaurus, the loss of the authoritarian value system of family relations, which leads to the leveling of responsibility, distortion of the forms of family relations, and orientation to false family values. Transmission of marital and reproductive behavior of Russian men in intergenerational aspect is analyzed on the base of the empiric survey, the role of father in comparative correlation with transmission of value heritage of fatherhood image is discovered. The scientific novelty of the study is to identify, based on the original methodology, problem areas for the implementation of various models of generative behavior of Russian men in the conditions of transformation of family and parenting institutions.

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