scholarly journals Ontogenetic structure of populations of forest-forming species of the Left-Bank Polissya of Ukraine

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Viktoriia Skliar ◽  
Kateryna Kyrylchuk ◽  
Olena Tykhonova ◽  
Liudmyla Bondarieva ◽  
Halyna Zhatova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Communities ◽  
Normal Population ◽  
Population Analysis ◽  
Left Bank ◽  
Young Generation ◽  
Ontogenetic Structure ◽  
Species Population ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Forest Phytocoenosis

The results of study of the population ontogenetic structure of the main forest-forming species (Pinus sylvestris, Quercus robur, Acer platanoides, Betula pendula, Populus tremula) of the Left Bank Polissia of Ukraine are presented. The study covered plant communities, which are the most common and typical in the region. They are represented by four formations of forest vegetation, viz. Pineta sylvestris, Querceta roboris, Betuleta pendulae, Populeta tremulae, and belonged to 24 syntaxes in the rank of association groups and up to 42 syn-taxons in the rank of associations. The study was based on the use of geobotanical and population-ontogenetic approaches and methods. It was established that in the forests of the region, the most part of main forest-forming species populations have left-sided ontogenetic spectrum. Invasive populations are the predominant category. Only in the populations of the species involved in the formation of the second and especially the first tier of stands reveals the centred and bimodal spectra. In these species, the frequency of normal population occurrence increased, but their proportion was within 6.7–13.6%. No regressive populations were found in the main forest-forming species of the region. It was fixed that the ontogenetic spectra of the most of populations of the studied species were incomplete due to the absence of plants of some ontogenetic states. It was noted that the individual extinction of the young generation before they reached the generative ontogenetic state, was the clear evidence of significant disturbance in the region forests of the generation variability in forest-forming species. The limited representation of windfall microsite complexes in the composition of the forest plant communities of the Left-Bank Polissia of Ukraine as well as gaps enough in size to ensure successful undergrowth development and formation of a continuous flow of generations is one of the consequences of long-term man-made impact on these forests. Keywords: forest phytocoenosis, forest-forming tree species, population analysis, population structure, ontogenetic spectrum, Polissia of Ukraine

Humus state of chernozem at different ways of tillage in the agrosystems of the left-bank forest steppe of Ukraine

2015 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 61-77
Author(s):  
O. Demydenko ◽  
V. Velychko
Keyword(s):  
Soil Cover ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
Left Bank ◽  
Energy Reserves ◽  
Soil Resources ◽  
Global Soil ◽  
Humus Accumulation ◽  
By Products ◽  
The Way

The contemporary condition of soil cover in Ukraine is characterized. The attention is focused onto widespread degradation processes in soils. The causes that determine the development of these negative processes are considered. The contemporary informational support for the condition of soil cover in Ukraine is estimated. In general, the current available information is of narrow-departmental nature, obtained by different methods and non-correlated monitoring programs. As a rule, it is stored in under-structured databases, incompatible with other information systems; mainly recorded on paper media unusable with modern technologies, whereby such information resources are diffi cult to be compiled together. These disadvantages are strong constraints against consistent usage of materials for evaluation, forecast and management of changes in the soil cover. The Soil Observation program should thereby be combined with Agrochemical Passportization and ecology-ameliora- tive monitoring; in other words, the application of innovative soil-agrochemical methodology is considered. Each individual type of surveys shall complement the others, and taken altogether, they shall constitute a con- sistent Information System, capable of solving the problems of assessing the condition, forecasting, manage- ment, usage and protection of soil resources. The monitoring procedures should be conducted on the basis of a new soil concept in line with unifi ed programs and methods, so as to meet European approaches to the maxi- mum extent. Such a technical composition enables getting information on present-day processes in soils, and is the only combination that actually helps us to “ecologize” our knowledge of soils, which is the leading trend in the scope of global soil-science. Thus obtained results will serve as a State-owned tool which would subse- quently facilitate the use and protection of soil resources all over the country, to be involved in a united global soil-information scope. The attention is focused onto social signifi cance of the information on soils and their fertility in terms of land resources optimization, as well as the formation of sustainable land use in Ukraine. Aim. To demonstrate the long-term effect of different ways of tillage of typical low-humus chernozem on the change in humus content and composition and the direction of transformation processes of organic fertili- zers. To study the changes in the structure of energy reserves in group and fractional composition of humus in typical low-humus light-loamy chernozem of the Forest-Steppe of Ukraine. Methods. Field, laboratory, microbiological, computational, mathematical and statistical. Results. It was determined that in conditions of long-term subsurface tillage the most effi cient humus accumulation occurs in the 0–20 cm layer of chernozem with simultaneous increase in its content in the lower part of the processed layer without any accumulation differentiation. Surface tillage leads to expressed differentiation in humus accumulation in the 0–20 cm layer of soil (0.005 % per year). When 6 t/ha of humus are replaced by 7 t/ha of by-products the intensity of humus accumulation is decreasing regardless of the way of tillage, but humus accumulation was found to be the most effi cient for subsurface tillage. The application of subsurface tillage leads to the increase in the ratio of C HA : C FA , which is conditioned by the increase in the humifi cation of plant remains of by-products in the 0−20 cm layer of soil by 110–112 % – for subsurface tillage, and by 105 % – for surface tillage. Conclusions. It was established that systematic subsurface tillage of typical chernozem of the Left-Bank Forest-Steppe of Ukraine leads to the structuring both of the total reserves of energy С org , and its quality content, aimed at the increase in the intensity of the processes of humifi cation and accumulation of organic carbon, and the decrease in miner- alization. The ratio of energy reserves С org of humic acids to fulvic acids in the 0−30 cm layer of chernozem is 1.85−1.87 regardless of the way of tillage, which testifi es to the repeatability of humus accumulation, but the total reserves of energy С org was higher for subsurface tillage (+ 31 Teracalorie/ha) compared to deep plough- ing. As for the surface tillage, the energy enrichment was at the level of deep ploughing.

Long-term dynamics and destruction of marsh vegetation in the Kolokolkova Bay of the Barents Sea

2012 ◽  
pp. 66-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. A. Lavrinenko ◽  
O. V. Lavrinenko ◽  
D. V. Dobrynin
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Barents Sea ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Marsh Vegetation ◽  
Composition And Structure ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Species Composition And Structure

The satellite images show that the area of marshes in the Kolokolkova bay was notstable during the period from 1973 up to 2011. Until 2010 it varied from 357 to 636 ha. After a severe storm happened on July 24–25, 2010 the total area of marshes was reduced up to 43–50 ha. The mean value of NDVI for studied marshes, reflecting the green biomass, varied from 0.13 to 0.32 before the storm in 2010, after the storm the NDVI decreased to 0.10, in 2011 — 0.03. A comparative analysis of species composition and structure of plant communities described in 2002 and 2011, allowed to evaluate the vegetation changes of marshes of the different topographic levels. They are fol­lowing: a total destruction of plant communities of the ass. Puccinellietum phryganodis and ass. Caricetum subspathaceae on low and middle marches; increasing role of halophytic species in plant communities of the ass. Caricetum glareosae vic. Calamagrostis deschampsioides subass. typicum on middle marches; some changes in species composition and structure of plant communities of the ass. Caricetum glareosae vic. Calamagrostis deschampsioides subass. festucetosum rubrae on high marches and ass. Parnassio palustris–Salicetum reptantis in transition zone between marches and tundra without changes of their syntaxonomy; a death of moss cover in plant communities of the ass. Caricetum mackenziei var. Warnstorfia exannulata on brackish coastal bogs. The possible reasons of dramatic vegetation dynamics are discussed. The dating of the storm makes it possible to observe the directions and rates of the succession of marches vegetation.

The Acceptance of Party Unity in Parliamentary Democracies

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Willumsen
Keyword(s):  
Political Parties ◽  
Costs And Benefits ◽  
Parliamentary Democracies ◽  
Survey Questions ◽  
Ideal Policy ◽  
Central Argument ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Policy Incentives

The central argument of this book is that voting unity in European legislatures is not primarily the result of the ‘disciplining’ power of the leadership of parliamentary parties, but rather the result of a combination of ideological homogeneity through self-selection into political parties and the calculations of individual legislators about their own long-term benefits. Despite the central role of policy preferences in the subsequent behaviour of legislators, preferences at the level of the individual legislator have been almost entirely neglected in the study of parliaments and legislative behaviour. The book measures these using an until now under-utilized resource: parliamentary surveys. Building on these, the book develops measures of policy incentives of legislators to dissent from their parliamentary parties, and show that preference similarity amongst legislators explains a very substantial proportion of party unity, yet alone cannot explain all of it. Analysing the attitudes of legislators to the demands of party unity, and what drives these attitudes, the book argues that what explains the observed unity (beyond what preference similarity would explain) is the conscious acceptance by MPs that the long-term benefits of belonging to a united party (such as increased influence on legislation, lower transaction costs, and better chances of gaining office) outweigh the short-terms benefits of always voting for their ideal policy outcome. The book buttresses this argument through the analysis of both open-ended survey questions as well as survey questions on the costs and benefits of belonging to a political party in a legislature.

scholarly journals Title I: Modernizing Definitions and Programs Under the Administration on Aging

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 714-715
Author(s):  
Marie Gualtieri
Keyword(s):  
Title I ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Older Americans ◽  
Aging Society ◽  
Program Adaptation ◽  
Older Americans Act ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Older Adult Population

Abstract The recent reauthorization of the Older Americans Act adds language and definitions to current issues facing the aging population. Specifically, Title I includes definitions related to program adaptation and coordination, workforce and long-term care issues, nutrition and social isolation, as well as family caregivers. Different from the last authorization, these definitions span beyond the individual experience to include other entities impacted by an aging society, such as the workforce and families. Overall, the Title I reauthorization seeks to modernize policy to reflect the current influx of the older adult population and its consequences.

scholarly journals Housing adaptations and housing accessibility problems among older adults with long-standing spinal cord injury

2020 ◽  
pp. 030802262097951
Author(s):  
Lizette Norin ◽  
Björn Slaug ◽  
Maria Haak ◽  
Susanne Iwarsson
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injuries ◽  
Occupational Performance ◽  
Environmental Barriers ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Long Term Follow Up ◽  
Societal Level ◽  
The Individual

Introduction Adults with spinal cord injuries are living longer than previously, and a majority are living in ordinary housing in the community. Housing accessibility is important for maintaining independent occupational performance for this population, but knowledge in this area is insufficient. We investigated housing adaptations and current accessibility problems among older adults with long-standing (>10 years) spinal cord injuries. Method Data from home visits among 122 older adults with spinal cord injuries in Sweden were used. Housing adaptations and environmental barriers were descriptively analysed. Findings Kitchens, entrances, and hygiene areas were common locations for housing adaptations and environmental barriers that generated accessibility problems. The most common adaptations were ramps, wheelchair-accessible stovetops, and ceiling-lifts. Wall-mounted cupboards and high shelves (kitchen), inaccessible storage areas (outside the dwelling), and a lack of grab bars (hygiene area) generated the most accessibility problems. Conclusion Despite housing adaptations, there are considerable accessibility problems in the dwellings of older adults with long-standing spinal cord injuries in Sweden, indicating that long-term follow-up of the housing situation of this population is necessary. Focusing on accessible housing as a prerequisite for occupational performance is at the core of occupational therapy, deserving attention on the individual as well as the societal level.

scholarly journals Genetic Susceptibility to Periodontal Disease in Down Syndrome: A Case-Control Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6274
Author(s):  
María Fernández ◽  
Alicia de de Coo ◽  
Inés Quintela ◽  
Eliane García ◽  
Márcio Diniz-Freitas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Metabolic Pathways ◽  
Nominal Significance ◽  
Severe Periodontitis ◽  
Gene Level ◽  
Individual Marker ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Control Study ◽  
Marker Level

Severe periodontitis is prevalent in Down syndrome (DS). This study aimed to identify genetic variations associated with periodontitis in individuals with DS. The study group was distributed into DS patients with periodontitis (n = 50) and DS patients with healthy periodontium (n = 36). All samples were genotyped with the “Axiom Spanish Biobank” array, which contains 757,836 markers. An association analysis at the individual marker level using logistic regression, as well as at the gene level applying the sequence kernel association test (SKAT) was performed. The most significant genes were included in a pathway analysis using the free DAVID software. C12orf74 (rs4315121, p = 9.85 × 10−05, OR = 8.84), LOC101930064 (rs4814890, p = 9.61 × 10−05, OR = 0.13), KBTBD12 (rs1549874, p = 8.27 × 10−05, OR = 0.08), PIWIL1 (rs11060842, p = 7.82 × 10−05, OR = 9.05) and C16orf82 (rs62030877, p = 8.92 × 10−05, OR = 0.14) showed a higher probability in the individual analysis. The analysis at the gene level highlighted PIWIL, MIR9-2, LHCGR, TPR and BCR. At the signaling pathway level, PI3K-Akt, long-term depression and FoxO achieved nominal significance (p = 1.3 × 10−02, p = 5.1 × 10−03, p = 1.2 × 10−02, respectively). In summary, various metabolic pathways are involved in the pathogenesis of periodontitis in DS, including PI3K-Akt, which regulates cell proliferation and inflammatory response.

scholarly journals Corruption, Taxation and the Impact on the Shadow Economy

Economies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Němec ◽  
Eva Kotlánová ◽  
Igor Kotlán ◽  
Zuzana Machová
Keyword(s):  
Tax Evasion ◽  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
Shadow Economy ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Destructive Effect ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
Initial Assumption ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Impact

While assessing the economic impacts of corruption, the corruption-related transmission channels which influence taxation as such have to be duly considered. Taking the example of the Czech Republic, this article aims to evaluate the impacts corruption has on the size of the shadow economy as well as on the individual sources of long-term economic growth, making use of a transmission channel through which corruption affects the tax burden components. Using the method of an extended DSGE model, it confirms the initial assumption that an increase in perceived corruption supports the shadow economy’s growth, but at the same time, it demonstrates that corruption and especially its perception has a significantly different effect on two key areas—the capital accumulation and the labour force size. It further identifies another sector of the economy representing taxes which are prone to tax evasion while asserting that corruption has a much more destructive effect on this sector of the economy, offering generalized implications for other post-communist EU member states in a similar situation.

scholarly journals Detection of epileptic activity in presumably normal EEG

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Baldini ◽  
Francesca Pittau ◽  
Gwenael Birot ◽  
Vincent Rochas ◽  
Miralena I Tomescu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Focal Epilepsy ◽  
Epileptic Activity ◽  
Scalp Eeg ◽  
Vigilance State ◽  
Explained Variance ◽  
Long Term Monitoring ◽  
Interictal Discharges ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Term Monitoring

Abstract Monitoring epileptic activity in the absence of interictal discharges is a major need given the well-established lack of reliability of patients’ reports of their seizures. Up to now, there are no other tools than reviewing the seizure diary; however, seizures may not be remembered or dismissed voluntarily. In the present study, we set out to determine if EEG voltage maps of epileptogenic activity in individual patients can help to identify disease activity, even if their scalp EEG appears normal. Twenty-five patients with pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy were included. For each patient, 6 min of EEG with spikes (yes-spike) and without visually detectable epileptogenic discharges (no-spike) were selected from long-term monitoring recordings (EEG 31–37 channels). For each patient, we identified typical discharges, calculated their average and the corresponding scalp voltage map (‘spike-map’). We then fitted the spike-map for each patient on their (i) EEG epochs with visible spikes, (ii) epochs without any visible spike and (iii) EEGs of 48 controls. The global explained variance was used to estimate the presence of the spike-maps. The individual spike-map occurred more often in the spike-free EEGs of patients compared to EEGs of healthy controls (P = 0.001). Not surprisingly, this difference was higher if the EEGs contained spikes (P < 0.001). In patients, spike-maps were more frequent per second (P < 0.001) but with a shorter mean duration (P < 0.001) than in controls, for both no-spike and yes-spike EEGs. The amount of spike-maps was unrelated to clinical variables, like epilepsy severity, drug load or vigilance state. Voltage maps of spike activity are present very frequently in the scalp EEG of patients, even in presumably normal EEG. We conclude that spike-maps are a robust and potentially powerful marker to monitor subtle epileptogenic activity.

scholarly journals Dominance relationships and coalitionary aggression against conspecifics in female carrion crows

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Benedikt Holtmann ◽  
Julia Buskas ◽  
Matthew Steele ◽  
Kristaps Solokovskis ◽  
Jochen B. W. Wolf
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Social Benefits ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
The Third ◽  
Dominance Relationships ◽  
Dominant Individual ◽  
The Individual

Abstract Cooperation is a prevailing feature of many animal systems. Coalitionary aggression, where a group of individuals engages in coordinated behaviour to the detriment of conspecific targets, is a form of cooperation involving complex social interactions. To date, evidence has been dominated by studies in humans and other primates with a clear bias towards studies of male-male coalitions. We here characterize coalitionary aggression behaviour in a group of female carrion crows consisting of recruitment, coordinated chase, and attack. The individual of highest social rank liaised with the second most dominant individual to engage in coordinated chase and attack of a lower ranked crow on several occasions. Despite active intervention by the third most highly ranked individual opposing the offenders, the attack finally resulted in the death of the victim. All individuals were unrelated, of the same sex, and naïve to the behaviour excluding kinship, reproduction, and social learning as possible drivers. Instead, the coalition may reflect a strategy of the dominant individual to secure long-term social benefits. Overall, the study provides evidence that members of the crow family engage in coordinated alliances directed against conspecifics as a possible means to manipulate their social environment.

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