Journal articles on the topic 'Gwydir River System (N S W )'

The drivers that determine the hydrological connectivity (HC) are complex and interrelated, and disentangling this complexity will improve the administration of the river–lake interconnection system. Dongting Lake, as a typical river–lake interconnected system, is freely connected with the Yangtze River and their HC plays a major role in keeping the system healthy. Climate, hydrology, and anthropogenic activities are associated with the HC. In this study, hydrological drivers were divided into the total flow of three inlets (T-flow) and the total flow of four tributaries (F-flow). To elucidate the HC of the Dongting Lake, HC was calculated by geostatistical methods in association with Sentinel-2 remote sensing images. Then, the structural equation model (SEM) was used to quantify the impacts of hydrology (F-flow, and T-flow) and meteorology (precipitation, evaporation, and temperature) on HC. The geostatistical analysis results demonstrated that the HC showed apparent seasonal change. For East and West Dongting Lake, the dominant element was north–south hydrological connectivity (N–S HC), and the restricted was west–east hydrological connectivity (W-E HC), but the dominant element was E–W HC and the restricted was N–S HC in South Dongting Lake. The results of SEM showed that N–S HC was mainly explained by T-flow (r = 0.49, p < 0.001) and F-flow (r = 0.28, p < 0.05). T-flow, temperature (r = 0.33, p < 0.05), and F-flow explained E–W HC. The finding of this work supports the management of both the Dongting Lake floodplain and other similar river–lake floodplain systems.

Two crossed fault systems with NW-SE and E-W directions affect on the central and southern part of the Almyros basin. The uplift movement in the western part of the basin, with importance vertical displacement (up to 200m) of the lignite layers and the formation river terraces are related with the activity of the first fault NWSE direction. The second fault with E-W direction, located along Xerias river, affect on drainage system with hydrographie network from the south to the north development. In the southern part of the basin and on the Orthrys mountain a fault system with E-W trending affects on alpine basement and neogene deposits. This fault system forms the southern boundary of the Almyros basin. The recent brittle tectonic during Neogene-Quaternary is connected with the evolution and the configuration of the Almyros basin as well as volcanic activity of the area. The morphological differentiations of Almyros basin, the drainage system and the recent landforms with morphogenic activity are controlled by the recent brittle tectonics. The normal fault systems in the studied area caused by the extensional stress field (σ3), trending N-S to NNW-SSE, which controls the geodynamic regime since Lower Pleistocene. This geodynamic regime has defined the recent morphological and morphotectonic evolution of the studied area.

Many water sources around us which have kinetic energy to run waterwheels are not optimally utilized. This energy can be converted into an energy source that can produce electricity. Therefore this study produced a design of a waterwheel that could be used in low-flow rivers to produce electricity by adding generators. Waterwheel modeling using Ansys is calculated based on flow assumptions. Modeling using this system provides advantages in the form of computational power efficiency, the stability of numerical calculations and the accuracy of the resulting solutions. Numerical analysis of the waterwheel is assumed that the waterwheel is half floating on the surface of the water. As stated in the limitation of the problem that the incoming water flowing at a speed of 5 m/s from the flow moves the wheel. The flow rate of water that hit the blade on the waterwheel causes the waterwheel to rotate which is pressured by the flow of water with a number of 12 blades. With a relatively simple design, the waterwheel produces a wheel rotation I of 91 Rpm and II of 78 Rpm, with a torque of 39.2 N by using some analysis of this design can be applied to river flow with low flow velocity. The relatively simple design makes it easy to be produced and maintenance. River flow used is in the Malang District with a flow velocity of 1 m/s gets a power of 1128 W on waterwheel I while on waterwheel II gets a power of 967 W.

New species of Hydraenidae are described in the genera Prosthetops Waterhouse (1), Pterosthetops Perkins (1), Parasthetops Perkins & Balfour-Browne (13), and Mesoceration Janssens (24). New collecting locality data are given for the following species described by Perkins & Balfour-Browne (1994): Parasthetops aeneus, P. nigritus, P. spinipes, P. curidius, Mesoceration distinctum, M. rivulare, M. jucundum, M. splendorum, M. rubidum, M. fusciceps, M. languidum, M. dissonum, M. rufescens, and M. brevigranum. High resolution digital images of the holotypes of new species are presented (online version in color), and male genitalia are illustrated. Distribution maps are provided for all prosthetopine species in the genera Prosthetops, Pterosthetops, Parasthetops, and Mesoceration. The following 39 new species are described (type locality in South Africa unless otherwise given): Prosthetops gladiator (Eastern Cape Province, summit of Prentjiesberg); Pterosthetops hawequas (Western Cape Province, Hawaquas radio tower); Parasthetops benefossus(Western Cape Province, Wiedouw farm), P. buunicornus (Lesotho: Drakensberg, Sani Pass Valley), P. confluentus (Eastern Cape Province, Little Karroo, Baviaanskloof N valley), P. lemniscus (Lesotho: Drakensberg, Sani Pass Valley), P. namibiensis (Namibia: Windhoek, Eros Mt.), P. pampinus (Western Cape Province, Dorps River into Prins Albert, Swartbergpas), P. parallelus (Northern Cape Province, Richtersveld, Oemsberg), P. propitius (Lesotho: Drakensberg, Sani Pass Valley), P. retinaculus (Eastern Cape Province, Sundays River system, Letskraal), P. sebastiani (Lesotho: Drakensberg, Sani Pass Valley), P. semiplanus (Eastern Cape Province, Sundays River system, Letskraal), P. striatus (Northern Cape Province, Namaqualand, Kamieskroon), P. unicornus (Eastern Cape Province, Naudes Nek, 12 miles ENE Rhodes); Mesoceration barriotum (Western Cape Province, Cape-Swartberg, Seweweekspoort Kloof), M. bicurvum (Eastern Cape Province, Wildebees River), M. bispinum (KwaZulu-Natal Province, Weza, Impetyene Forest), M. compressum (Eastern Cape Province, S. coast, Dwesa forest reserve), M. concavum (Mpumalanga Province, Blyderiver Canyon), M. curvosum (KwaZulu-Natal Province, Umtamvuna River), M. disjunctum (Eastern Cape Province, Nature's Valley Reserve), M. drakensbergensis (Lesotho, Drakensberg, Sani Pass Valley), M. durabilis (Western Cape Province, 2 miles SW of Citrusdal), M. granulovestum (Western Cape Province, Cederberg, Eikenboom), M. incarinum (Lesotho, Drakensberg, Sani Pass Valley), M. integer (KwaZulu-Natal Province, Busheladi Stream on Lundy's Hill near Deepdale), M. littlekarroo (Western Cape Province, Little Karroo, Rus-en-vredewaterf), M. longipennis (Western Cape Province, W. Wiedouw farm), M. maluti (Lesotho, Drakensberg, Sani Pass Valley), M. natalensis (KwaZulu-Natal Province, Umkomaas River, where crossed by Himeville to Impendhle road), M. periscopum (Western Cape Province, Cederberg, Eikenboom), M. piceum (Western Cape Province, Cederberg, Eikenboom), M. rapidensis (Western Cape Province, S. W. Cape Mts., Hawequas SE), M. repandum (Western Cape Province, Cederberg, Eikenboom), M. reticulatum (Western Cape Province, Nuweberg Forest Station), M. semicarinulum (Western Cape Province, Groot Toren farm), M. tabulare (Western Cape Province, Platteklip Gorge, north face of Table Mountain), M. umbrosum (Western Cape Province, Wiedouw farm).

Minimum tillage reportedly reduce erosion, avoid soil degradation and improve crop productivity. This study aimed to determine how tillage operations may affect either nutrient accumulation or nutrient losses by erosion. The study was, carried out from December, 2000 to March, 2001, in the watershed of the Caetés River, in Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil (22º25'43"S, 43º25'07"W). The experiment was set up in sandy clay Kandiudult soil, 60% slope, under cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) crop. Soil samples were collected before planting and after harvest, on 22.0 X 4.0 m Greeoff plots. After each rainfall, fine sediments carried by runoff were deposited into two collecting tanks in a row, installed at the end of each plot, and were later dried, weighed and stored for analyses. Treatments (n = 4) were characterized by different tillage systems: (i) downhill plowing followed by the burning of crop residues (DPB); (ii) downhill plowing with no burning of the crop residues (DPNB); (iii) animal traction contour plowing, with strips of guinea grass planted at a spacing of 7.0 m (AT); and (iv) minimum tillage (MT). Samples of the soil-plowed layer were collected before planting and after harvest, between the rows and from the plants. Total concentration of Ca, Mg, K and P were determined after extraction with nitric perchloride digestion. Labile P and exchangeable K were extracted with the Mehlich 1 extractant solution. The MT system reduced losses of both exchangeable bases (15%) and P (8%), and affected the distribution of labile and organic P. Crop residues left on soil surface in the MT system, resulted in increased organic matter content. Downhill plowing, the most used tillage operation in the region, resulted in the greatest losses of Ca, Mg, K, and P.

Rapid urbanization rates impact significantly on the nature of Land Cover patterns of the environment, which has been evident in the depletion of vegetal reserves and in general modifying the human climatic systems (Henderson, et al., 2017; Kumar, Masago, Mishra, & Fukushi, 2018; Luo and Lau, 2017). This study explores remote sensing classification technique and other auxiliary data to determine LULCC for a period of 50 years (1967-2016). The LULCC types identified were quantitatively evaluated using the change detection approach from results of maximum likelihood classification algorithm in GIS. Accuracy assessment results were evaluated and found to be between 56 to 98 percent of the LULC classification. The change detection analysis revealed change in the LULC types in Minna from 1976 to 2016. Built-up area increases from 74.82ha in 1976 to 116.58ha in 2016. Farmlands increased from 2.23 ha to 46.45ha and bared surface increases from 120.00ha to 161.31ha between 1976 to 2016 resulting to decline in vegetation, water body, and wetlands. The Decade of rapid urbanization was found to coincide with the period of increased Public Private Partnership Agreement (PPPA). Increase in farmlands was due to the adoption of urban agriculture which has influence on food security and the environmental sustainability. The observed increase in built up areas, farmlands and bare surfaces has substantially led to reduction in vegetation and water bodies. The oscillatory nature of water bodies LULCC which was not particularly consistent with the rates of urbanization also suggests that beyond the urbanization process, other factors may influence the LULCC of water bodies in urban settlements. Keywords: Minna, Niger State, Remote Sensing, Land Surface Characteristics References Akinrinmade, A., Ibrahim, K., & Abdurrahman, A. (2012). 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Can Gio mangrove forest (CGM) is located downstream of Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), situated between an estuarine system of Dong Nai - Sai Gon river and a part of Vam Co river. The CGM is the largest restored mangrove forest in Vietnam and the UNESCO’s Mangrove Biosphere Reserve. The CGM has been gradually facing to numeric challenges of global climate change, environmental degradation and socio-economic development for the last decades. To evaluate sediment quality in the CGM, we collected 13 cores to analyze for sediment grain size, organic matter content, and trace element concentration of Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn. Results showed that trace element concentrations ranged from uncontaminated (Cd, Cu, and Zn) to very minor contaminated (Cr, Ni, and Pb). The concentrations were gradually influenced by suspended particle size and the mangrove plants.ReferencesAnh M.T., Chi D.H., Vinh N.N., Loan T.T., Triet L.M., Slootenb K.B.-V., Tarradellas J., 2003. 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The alkali volcanics and intrusive rocks, dated at around 35-33Ma, are cut by mineralised northeast and east trending faults showing predominant evidence for strike-slip. Mineralisation includes haematite-Au-Cu and is accompanied by iron-rich alteration of the volcanic rocks. Detailed assessment of the geometry of the fault system at Pu Sam Cap suggests that the faults formed as a Riedel shear system during left-lateral slip within the Song Hong-Song Chay shear zone and the numerous contemporaneous northwest trending faults to the south; the northeast trending faults are interpreted as dextral “book-end’’ faults between major northwest trending faults enclosing the Pu Sam Cap massif. As mineralisation is hosted within these faults and is also associated with lamprohyric dykes it confirms a thermal event younger than the alkaline volcanics and syenitic intrusives at Pu Sam Cap, suggesting a hidden, young porphyry system. The age of faulting, and thus the maximum age for this young intrusive event, is attributed to the 23-21Ma period of late-stage left-lateral strike-slip motion across northwest Vietnam.ReferencesAnczkiewicz R., Viola G., Muntener O., Thrirlwall M., Quong N.Q., 2007. Structure and shearing conditions in the Day Nui Con Voi massif: implications for the evolution of the Red River Fault. Tectonics 26: TC2002.Cao Shunyun, Liu Junlai, Leis B., Zhao Chunquiang 2010. New zircon U/Pb geochronology of the post-kinematic granitic plutons in Diancang Shan Massif along the Ailao-Shan-Red River Shear Zone and its geological implications. Acta Geologica Sinica (English Edition), 84, 1474-1487.Chung S.-L., Lee T., Lo C., et al., 1997. Intraplate extension prior to continental extrusion along the Ailao Shan-Red River shear zone.Geology, 25, 311-314.Cloos H., 1928. Experimentezurinnern Tektonik. Zentralblatt fur Mineralogie und Palaeontologie, 1928, 609-621.Findlay R.H., Phan Trong Trinh 1997. 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PRODUÇÃO E RESPOSTAS FISIOLÓGICAS DA MANGUEIRA CV. KEITT SOB DIFERENTES SISTEMAS DE IRRIGAÇÃO NO SUBMÉDIO DO SÃO FRANCISCO WELSON LIMA SIMÕES1; PEDRO PAULO BEZERRA FERREIRA2; MARIA APARECIDA DO CARMO MOUCO3; MARIA AUXILIADORA COELHO DE LIMA4; MIGUEL JULIO MACHADO GUIMARÃES5 E JOSÉ ALIÇANDRO BEZERRA DA SILVA6 1 Embrapa Semiárido, rodovia BR-428, Km 152, s/n, Zona Rural, EMBRAPA, Petrolina, PE, CEP 56302-970. E-mail: welson.simoes@embrapa.br2 Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco, UNIVASF, Juazeiro, BA, CEP 48.902-300. E-mail: pedro_k77@hotmail.com3 Embrapa Semiárido, rodovia BR-428, Km 152, s/n, Zona Rural, EMBRAPA, Petrolina, PE, CEP 56302-970. E-mail: maria.mouco@embrapa.br4 Embrapa Semiárido, rodovia BR-428, Km 152, s/n, Zona Rural, EMBRAPA, Petrolina, PE, CEP 56302-970. E-mail: auxiliadora.lima@embrapa.br5 Engenharia Agrícola - Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, UFRPE, Recife, PE, CEP 52171-900. E-mail: mjmguimaraes@hotmail.com6 Departamento de fisiologia, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco, UNIVASF, Juazeiro, BA, CEP 48.902-300. E-mail: jose.alicandro@univasf.edu.br 1 RESUMO O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a influência de quatro arranjos de sistemas de irrigação sobre a fisiologia, a produtividade e a qualidade pós-colheita dos frutos da mangueira (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Keitt, no Submédio do Vale São Francisco. O experimento foi conduzido no delineamento experimental em blocos casualizados, com 04 tratamentos e 05 repetições, durante dois ciclos de cultivo. Os tratamentos foram: T1 – Um microaspersor sob copa; T2 – Um microaspersor entre plantas; T3 – Duas linhas laterais de gotejadores por fileira de planta; e T4 – Uma faixa de gotejo em formato de anel ou espiral (rabo de porco) ao redor da planta. Foram avaliadas: as respostas fisiológicas das plantas (fotossíntese líquida, condutância estomática, transpiração e temperatura foliar); o peso médio dos frutos; a produtividade; a quantidade de frutos por planta; e a qualidade dos frutos: volume, densidade, firmeza da polpa, teor de sólidos solúveis e acidez titulável. O sistema de irrigação por gotejamento é o mais indicado para o cultivo da mangueira cv. Keitt no Submédio do Vale do São Francisco, por interferir positivamente na fisiologia e na produtividade da planta e no número e firmeza dos frutos. Palavras-chave: fotossíntese, produtividade, qualidade de fruto SIMÕES, W. L.; FERREIRA, P. P. B.; MOUCO, M. A. do C.; LIMA, M. A. C.; GUIMARÃES, M. J. M.; SILVA, J. A. B. da.PRODUCTION AND PHYSIOLOGICAL RESPONSES OF MANGO CV. KEITT UNDER DIFFERENT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN SÃO FRANCISCO RIVER’S LOWER MIDDLE 2 ABSTRACT In order to assess the effect of four irrigation systems on post-harvest physiology, productivity and quality of mango (Mangifera indica L.) cv. Keitt fruits, in São Francisco river’s lower middle, an experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with 04 treatments and 05 repetitions for two crop cycles. The treatments were: T1 - One micro-sprinkler under plant; T2 – One micro-sprinkler between plants; T3 - Two lines of drippers per plant; and T4 - One line of drippers around the plant. The physiological characteristics of plants (net photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, transpiration and leaf temperature); the average weigh of fruits; productivity; amounts of fruits per plant; and fruit quality (volume, density, pulp firmness, content of soluble solids, and titratable acidity) were assessed. It was found that the drip irrigation system is best suited for the cultivation of mango cv. Keitt in São Francisco river lower middle, for positively affecting the plant physiology and productivity and the number firmness of fruits. Keywords: photosynthesis, productivity, fruit quality

The results of long-term studies of the vegetation of chalk outcrops of the Orenburg region (Russian Federation) and North-West Kazakhstan on Sub-Ural plateau and adjacent territories are presented. Chalk outcrops are unique botanical-geographical sites located in steppe and desert zones of Eurasia. Specific communities of calcephyte plant species have spread in these areas, in places of outcrops or close occurrence from the surface of upper-Cretaceous carbonate rocks. The flora of chalk outcrops is characterized by a great amount of rare species, mainly ende­mic, associated with peculiar substrates, the locality of habitats, and the historical past of the area of outcrops location (Matyshenko, 1985) The history of the study of flora and vegetation of chalk outcrops is given. Synthaxonomic studies of chalk vegetation as part of the ecological-floristic approach cover only territories west of the Volga river (Poluyanov, 2009; Averinova, 2011, 2016; Demina, 2014; Demina et al., 2016; Didukh et al., 2018). Chalk highlands of the North-West Kazakhstan and adjacent regions of the Russian Federation occupy quite large areas. However, up to date, there is no data on the vegetation diversity of these territories based on complete geobotanical relevés, that is why their synthaxonomy remains undeveloped. The study area with 15 massifs of chalk outcrops (Fig. 1) includes the Orenburg region (Novosergievsky, Perevolotsky, Sol-Iletskiy, Akbulak and Gaysky districts), and Aktobe (Hobdinsky, Uilsky and Bayganinsky district) and Atyrau (Zhylyoysky district) regions of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The largest massifs in the Orenburg region of the Russian Federation are: Starobelogorskie (Fig. 2), Chesnokov­skie (Fig. 3), Verkhnechibendinskie (Fig. 6), Troits­kie (Fig. 7), Pokrovskie Chalk Mountains (Fig. 4) and Durtel mountain (Fig. 5). Chalk massif Akshatau (Fig. 8) and the range Aktolagai (Fig. 9) are the largest within Aktobe region. The investigated sites are mostly located on the Sub-Ural Plateau, which extended from the southern regions of the Orenburg region to the Emba River in the territory of Aktobe region. They are less common within the Obschiy Syrt and sporadic in the Guberlinskie mountains. The study area covers a wide range of zonal vegetation from dry steppes in the northern part of the gradient to northern deserts in the southern one. The dataset includes 270 relevés of chalk outcrops communities performed by the authors in 2014–2019. The primary classification was carried out using TWINSPAN algorithm. As a result three groups of communities are established. The first group is communities of the Emben Plateau, the most southern area; second is communities on relatively developed soils in the slopes bases, depressions between chalk ridges and on their flat tops; third is widespread communities on most of the Podural Plateau and Obschy Syrt, excluding the Emben Plateau. Comparison with associations of calcephyte, semidesert and steppe vegetation (Golub, 1994; Kolomiychuk, Vynokurov, 2016; Lysenko, Yamalov, 2017; Didukh et al., 2018; Korolyuk, 2017) was made to determine the position of studied communities in the system of ecological-floristic classification of the herbasceous vegetation of Eurasia. Cluster analysis results (Fig. 10) revealed the significant specificity the chalk outcrops of the Sub-Ural Plateau in comparison with calciphytic communities of Eastern Europe, as well as with deserts and steppes zonal vegetation. That was the reason to describe a new class for vegetation of the studied chalk outcrops. The class Anabasietea cretaceae Golovanov class nov. hoc loco. Diagnostic species: Anabasis cretacea, Anthemis trotzkiana, Artemisia salsoloides, Atraphaxis decipiens,Crambe aspera, Echinops meyeri, Jurinea kirghisorum, Hedysarum tscherkassovae, Lepidium meyeri, Limonium cretaceum, Linaria cretacea, Matthiola fragrans, Nanophyton erinaceum, Seseli glabratum, Zygophyllum pinnatum;holotypus is order Anabasie­talia cretaceae ord. nov. hoc loco. Class combines calciphytic, mainly semi-shrub communities on the outcrops of chalk and marl rocks of the south of the Orenburg region and North-West Kazakhstan within the steppe (subzones of the true and desert steppes) and desert zone. The central order, Anabasietalia cretaceae Golovanov ord. nov. hoc loco, is described;holotypus is alliance Anthemido trotzkianae–Artemision salsoloidis all. nov. hoc loco. Three alliances identified within the order reflect both community distribution along the latitudinal gradient and succession stages. The alliance Sileno fruticulosae–Nanophytonion erinacei Lebedeva all. nov hoc loco is poor-species communities, located mainly on the chalk massifs in the southern part of the Sub-Ural Plateau (Emben Plateau) and adjacent territories. Holotypus of the alliance is ass. Onosmo staminei–Anabasietum cretaceae ass. nov. hoc loco with highly constant desert plant species (Anabasis salsa, Artemisia terrae-albae, Atriplex cana, Limonium suffruticosum, Rhammatophyllum pachyrhizum, etc.). It includes the ass. Onos­mo staminei–Anabasietum cretaceae ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 3, syntaxa 1–3; Tables 4–6). Holotypus hoc loco: Table 4, rel. no. 9 (YS19-034): Republic of Kazakhstan, Atyrau region, Zhylyojskij district, 10 km W Aktologay ridge, 47.48514° N, 54.97647° E, 19.05.2019, collector Yamalov S. M.) The alliance Anabasio cretaceae–Agropyrion desertorum Korolyuk all. nov hoc loco.Holotypus is ass. Agropyro desertorum–Artemisietum lessingianae ass. nov. hoc loco. Alliance includes communities in flat habitats with well-developed soils at the foot of the chalk hills in the central and northern parts of the Sub-Ural Plateau, on the chalk rock outflows, as well on their tops. Active are species of deserts and galophytic communities of the classes Artemisietea lerchianae and Festuco-Puccinellietea, as well as these of dry and desert steppes of the order Tanaceto achilleifolii–Stipetalia lessingianae. There are 2 associations: Agropyro desertorum–Artemisietum lessingianae ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 3, syntaxon 4; Table 7; fig. 23; holotypus hoc loco: Table 7, rel. no 8 (YS15-019)), Russian Federation, Orenburg region, Sol-Ilets­kiy district, Troitsk Chalk Mountains, 10 km SW vil. Troitsk, 50.65317° N, 54.542° W, 06.06.2015, collector Yamalov S. M.) and Psephello marschallianae–Artemisietum lerchianae ass. nov. hoc loco ((Table. 3, syntaxon 5; Table 8; fig. 24); holotypus hoc loco: Table 8, rel. no 15 (YS19-050), Republic of Kazakhstan, Aktyubinsk region, Hobdinsky district, chalk mountains 16 km NE vil. Zhantalap, 50.39986° N, 56.05054° N, 21.05.2019, collector Yamalov S. M.). The alliance Anthemido trotzkianae–Artemision salsoloidis Yamalov all. nov hoc loco.Holotypus is ass. Anthemido trotzkianae–Artemisietum salsoloi­dis ass. nov. Alliance includes the cenoses of the chalk highlands of the Sub-Ural Plateau (except for its extremely southern part) and the Obschiy Syrt. These are both communities of the initial and more advanced succession stages. The high constancy of Anthemis trotzkiana and Artemisia salsoloides, as well as the presence of petrophytic species widely distributed in the rocky steppes of the Southern Ural (Alyssum tortuosum, Centaurea marchalliana, Euphorbia seguieriana, Galium octonarium) are character for the alliance cenophlora. There are three associations— Nanophytono erinacei–Jurinetum kirghisori ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 3, syntaxon 6; Table 9; Fig. 25; holotypus hoc loco: Table 9, rel. no 7 (GY18-070)), Russian Federation, Orenburg region, Sol-Iletskiy district, Verhnechibendinskie Chalk Mountains, 10 km W vil. Troitsk, 50.6562° N, 54.44272° W, 07.06.2016, collector Golovanov Ya. M.); Anthemido trotzkianae–Artemisietum salsoloidis ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 3, syntaxa 7, 8; Tables 10, 11; Fig. 26; holotypus hoc loco: Table 10, rel. no 20 (GY15-047)), Russian Federation, Orenburg region, Sol-Iletskiy district, Troitsk Chalk Mountains, 10 km NW vil. Troitsk, 50.65267° N, 54.54217° E, 06.06.2015, collector Golovanov Ya. M.); Onosmo simplicissimae–Anthemietum trotzkianae ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 3, syntaxon 9; tab. 12; Fig. 27); holotypus hoc loco: Table 12, rel. no 1 (GY19-011)), Republic of Kazakhstan, Aktyubinsk region, Uilskii district, Terektytau, 10 km NE vil. Akshatau, 49.43507° N, 54.60127° E, 15.05.2019, collector — Golovanov Ya. M.). There are 2 associations in the class Festuco-Brometea. Within the dry steppe order Tanaceto achilleifolii–Stipetalia lessingianae this is Bassio prostratae–Agropyretum desertorum ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 3, syntaxa 10, 11; Table 13), holotypus hoc loco: Table 13, rel. no 8 (GY19-004)), Republic of Kazakhstan, Aktyubinsk region, Uilskii district, Terektytau, 10 km NE vil. Akshatau, 49.42942° N, 54.60047° E, 15.05.2019, collector Golovanov Ya. M.); within the true steppe order Helictotricho-Stipetalia this isass. Anthemido trotzkianae–Thymetum guberlinensis ass. nov. hoc loco (Table 3, syntaxon 12; Table 14); holotypus hoc loco: Table 14, rel. no 8 (GY14-012)), Russian Federation, Orenburg region, Gayskii district, chalk mountain Dyurtel, 4 km NE vil. Starohalilovo, 51.504° N, 58.157° E, 27.06.2014, collector Golovanov Ya. M.). The result of the research of chalk outcrops ve­getation of Sub-Ural plateau and adjacent territories is new class Anabasietea cretaceae which includes 1 order, 3 alliances, 6 associations, 3 subassociations, 2 variants and 9 facies.

The impact of agricultural intensification on soil degradation now is occurring in tropical countries. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of long-term tillage and N fertilization on soil properties and crop yields in corn-soybean rotation. This long-term study which initiated since 1987 was carried out on a Typic Fragiudult soil at Politeknik Negeri Lampung, Sumatra (105o13’45.5"-105o13’48.0"E, 05o21’19.6"-05o21’19.7"S) in 2010 and 2011. A factorial experiment was arranged in a randomized block design with four replications. The first factor was tillage system namely intensive tillage (IT) and conservation tillage (CT) which consist of minimum tillage (MT) and no-tillage (NT); while the second factor was N fertilization with rates of 0, 100 and 200 kg N ha-1 applied for corn, and 0, 25, and 50 kg N ha-1 for soybean. The results showed that bulk density and soil strength at upper layer after 24 years of cropping were similar among treatments, but the soil strength under IT at 50-60 cm depth was 28.2% higher (p<0.05) than NT. Soil moisture and temperature under CT at 0-5 cm depth were respectively 38.1% and 4.5% higher (p<0.05) than IT. High N rate decreased soil pH at 0-20 cm depth as much as 10%, but increased total soil N at 0-5 cm depth as much as 19% (p<0.05). At 0-10 cm depth, MT with no N had highest exchangeable K, while IT with medium N rate had the lowest (p<0.05). At 0-5 cm depth, MT with no N had highest exchangeable Ca, but it had the lowest (p<0.05) if combined with higher N rate. Microbial biomass C throughout the growing season for NT was consistently highest and it was 14.4% higher (p<0.05) than IT. Compared to IT, Ap horizon of CT after 24 years of cropping was deeper, with larger soil structure and more abundance macro pores. Soybean and corn yields for long-term CT were 64.3% and 31.8% higher (p<0.05) than IT, respectively. Corn yield for long-term N with rate of 100 kg N ha-1 was 36.4% higher (p<0.05) than with no N.Keywords: Conservation tillage, crop yields, N fertilization, soil properties[How to Cite: Utomo M, IS Banuwa, H Buchari, Y Anggraini and Berthiria. 2013.Long-term Tillage and Nitrogen Fertilization Effects on Soil Properties and Crop Yields. J Trop Soils 18 (2): 131-139. Doi: 10.5400/jts.2013.18.2.131][Permalink/DOI: www.dx.doi.org/10.5400/jts.2013.18.2.131] REFERENCESAl-Kaisi and X Yin. 2005. Tillage and crop residue effects on soil carbon dioxide emission in corn- soybean rotation. J Environ Qual 34: 437-445. Pub Med. Barak P, BO Jobe, AR Krueger, LA Peterson and DA Laird. 1997. Effects of long-term soilacidification due to nitrogen inputs in Wisconsin. Plant Soil 197: 61-69.Blake GR and KH Hartge. 1986. Bulk density. In: A Klute (ed). Methods of Soil Analysis. ASA and SSSA. 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To improve online learning pedagogy within the field of paralegal education, this study investigated how paralegal students and paralegal instructors perceived the effectiveness of synchronous and asynchronous online paralegal courses. This study intended to inform paralegal instructors and course developers how to better design, deliver, and evaluate effective online course instruction in the field of paralegal studies.Survey results were analyzed using independent samples t-test and correlational analysis, and indicated that overall, paralegal students and paralegal instructors positively perceived synchronous and asynchronous online paralegal courses. Paralegal instructors reported statistically significant higher perceptions than paralegal students: (1) of instructional design and course content in synchronous online paralegal courses; and (2) of technical assistance, communication, and course content in asynchronous online paralegal courses. Instructors also reported higher perceptions of the effectiveness of universal design, online instructional design, and course content in synchronous online paralegal courses than in asynchronous online paralegal courses. Paralegal students reported higher perceptions of asynchronous online paralegal course effectiveness regarding universal design than paralegal instructors. No statistically significant differences existed between paralegal students’ perceptions of the effectiveness of synchronous and asynchronous online paralegal courses. A strong, negative relationship existed between paralegal students’ age and their perceptions of effective synchronous paralegal courses, which were statistically and practically significant. Lastly, this study provided practical applicability and opportunities for future research. Akyol, Z., & Garrison, D. R. (2008). 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The challenge for rural communities to provide quality education for early childhood in Indonesia is difficult. National politics, policies, and economic and cultural conditions affect the Early Childhood Education system, and Indonesia is a large multicultural country, so, even the quality of education is difficult. This study aims to look at the quality of children's education in Pandalungan. Using qualitative methods with ethnographic design, data collection techniques using interviews, observation, and documentation. The results showed that educational institutions for children in urban areas can be categorized quite high. However, for early childhood education services in Desa Sukorambi Pandalungan, the quality is quite poor. Research suggestions are the need for follow-up related to social, economic, cultural and environmental factors at the level of Pandalungan community awareness of early childhood education. Keywords: Early Childhood, Learning Quality, Pandalungan Community References: Bernal, R., & Ramírez, S. M. (2019). Improving the quality of early childhood care at scale: The effects of “From Zero to Forever.” World Development, 118, 91–105. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2019.02.012 Bers, M. U., González-González, C., & Armas-Torres, M. B. (2019). Coding as a playground: Promoting positive learning experiences in childhood classrooms. Computers and Education, 138, 130–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.04.013 Biersteker, L., Dawes, A., Hendricks, L., & Tredoux, C. (2016). Center-based early childhood care and education program quality: A South African study. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 36, 334–344. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2016.01.004 Burchinal, M. (2018). Measuring Early Care and Education Quality. Child Development Perspectives, 12(1), 3–9. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12260 Church, A., & Bateman, A. (2019). Methodology and professional development: Conversation Analytic Role-play Method (CARM) for early childhood education. Journal of Pragmatics, 143(xxxx), 242–254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2019.01.022 Ciolan, L. E. (2013). Play to Learn, Learn to Play. Creating Better Opportunities for Learning in Early Childhood. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 76, 186–189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.04.096 Correia, N., Camilo, C., Aguiar, C., & Amaro, F. (2019). Children’s right to participate in early childhood education settings: A systematic review. Children and Youth Services Review, 100, 76–88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.02.031 Cycyk, L. M., & Hammer, C. S. (2018). Beliefs, values, and practices of Mexican immigrant families towards language and learning in toddlerhood: Setting the foundation for early childhood education. Early Childhood Research Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecresq.2018.09.009 Dick, C. & C. (2009). 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Climate change induced sea-level rise (SLR) is on its increase globally. Regionally the lowlands of China, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and islands of the Malaysian, Indonesian and Philippine archipelagos are among the world’s most threatened regions. Sea-level rise has major impacts on the ecosystems and society. It threatens coastal populations, economic activities, and fragile ecosystems as mangroves, coastal salt-marches and wetlands. This paper provides a summary of the current state of knowledge of sea level-rise and its effects on both human and natural ecosystems. The focus is on coastal urban areas and low lying deltas in South-East Asia and Vietnam, as one of the most threatened areas in the world. About 3 mm per year reflects the growing consensus on the average SLR worldwide. The trend speeds up during recent decades. The figures are subject to local, temporal and methodological variation. In Vietnam the average values of 3.3 mm per year during the 1993-2014 period are above the worldwide average. Although a basic conceptual understanding exists that the increasing global frequency of the strongest tropical cyclones is related with the increasing temperature and SLR, this relationship is insufficiently understood. Moreover the precise, complex environmental, economic, social, and health impacts are currently unclear. SLR, storms and changing precipitation patterns increase flood risks, in particular in urban areas. Part of the current scientific debate is on how urban agglomeration can be made more resilient to flood risks. Where originally mainly technical interventions dominated this discussion, it becomes increasingly clear that proactive special planning, flood defense, flood risk mitigation, flood preparation, and flood recovery are important, but costly instruments. Next to the main focus on SLR and its effects on resilience, the paper reviews main SLR associated impacts: Floods and inundation, salinization, shoreline change, and effects on mangroves and wetlands. The hazards of SLR related floods increase fastest in urban areas. This is related with both the increasing surface major cities are expected to occupy during the decades to come and the increasing coastal population. In particular Asia and its megacities in the southern part of the continent are increasingly at risk. The discussion points to complexity, inter-disciplinarity, and the related uncertainty, as core characteristics. An integrated combination of mitigation, adaptation and resilience measures is currently considered as the most indicated way to resist SLR today and in the near future.References Aerts J.C.J.H., Hassan A., Savenije H.H.G., Khan M.F., 2000. Using GIS tools and rapid assessment techniques for determining salt intrusion: Stream a river basin management instrument. 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The experiment was conducted in the Agronomy Field, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU), Dhaka-1207 during the period of November 17, 2016 to March 29, 2017 on growth and yield performance of selected wheat genotypes at variable irrigation. In this experiment, the treatment consisted of three varieties viz. V1 = BARI Gom 26, V2 = BARI Gom 28, V3 = BARI Gom 30, and four different irrigations viz. I0 = No Irrigation throughout the growing season, I1 = One irrigation (Irrigate at CRI stage), I2= Two irrigation (Irrigate at CRI and grain filling), I3= Three irrigation (irrigate at CRI, booting and grain filling stages). The experiment was laid out in two factors split plot with three replications. The collected data were statistically analyzed for evaluation of the treatment effect. Results showed that a significant variation among the treatments in respect majority of the observed parameters. Results showed significant variation in almost every parameter of treatments. The highest Plant height, number of effective tillers hill-1, spike length, number of grain spike-1 was obtained from BARI Gom-30. The highest grain weight hectare-1 (3.44 ton) was found from wheat variety BARI Gom-30. All parameters of wheat showed statistically significant variation due to variation of irrigation. The maximum value of growth, yield contributing characters, seed yield was observed with three irrigation (irrigate at CRI, booting and grain filling stages). The interaction between different levels of variety and irrigation was significantly influenced on almost all growth and yield contributing characters, seed yield. The highest yield (3.99 t ha-1) was obtained from BARI Gom-30 with three irrigation (irrigate at CRI, booting and grain filling stages). The optimum growth and higher yield of wheat cv. BARI Gom-30 could be obtained by applying three irrigations at CRI, booting and grain filling stages. Introduction Wheat (Triticumaestivum L.) is one of the most important cereal crops cultivated all over the world. Wheat production was increased from 585,691 thousand tons in 2000 to 713,183 thousand tons in 2013 which was ranked below rice and maize in case of production (FAO, 2015). In the developing world, need for wheat will be increased 60 % by 2050 (Rosegrant and Agcaoili, 2010). The International Food Policy Research Institute projections revealed that world demand for wheat will increase from 552 million tons in 1993 to 775 million tons by 2020 (Rosegrantet al.,1997). Wheat grain is the main staple food for about two third of the total population of the world. (Hanson et al., 1982). It supplies more nutrients compared with other food crops. Wheat grain is rich in food value containing 12% protein, 1.72% fat, 69.60% carbohydrate and 27.20% minerals (BARI, 2006). It is the second most important cereal crop after rice in Bangladesh. So, it is imperative to increase the production of wheat to meet the food requirement of vast population of Bangladesh that will secure food security. During 2013-14 the cultivated area of wheat was 429607 ha having a total production of 1302998 metric tons with an average yield of 3.033 metric tons ha-1whereas during 2012-13 the cultivated area of wheat was 416522 ha having a total production of 1254778 metric tons with an average yield of 3.013 tons ha-1 (BBS, 2014). Current demand of wheat in the country is 3.0-3.5 million tons. Increasing rate of consumption of wheat is 3% per year (BBS, 2013). Wheat production is about 1.0 milllion from 0.40 million hectares of land. Bangladesh has to import about 2.0-2.5-million-ton wheat every year. Wheat is grown all over Bangladesh but wheat grows more in Dhaka, Faridpur, Mymensingh, Rangpur, Dinajpur, Comilla districts. Wheat has the umpteen potentialities in yield among other crops grown in Bangladesh. However, yield per hectare of wheat in Bangladesh is lower than other wheat growing countries in the world due to various problems. Increasing food production of the country in the next 20 years to much population growth is a big challenge in Bangladesh. It is more difficult because, land area devoted to agriculture will decline and better-quality land and water resources will be divided to the other sector of national economy. In order to grow more food from marginal and good quality lands, the quality of natural resources like seed, water, varieties and fuel must be improved and sustained. Variety plays an important role in producing high yield of wheat because different varieties responded differently for their genotypic characters, input requirement, growth process and the prevailing environment during growing season. In Bangladesh the wheat growing season (November-March) is in the driest period of the year. Wheat yield was declined by 50% owing to soil moisture stress. Irrigation water should be applied in different critical stages of wheat for successful wheat production. Shoot dry weight, number of grains, grain yield, biological yield and harvest index decreased to a greater extent when water stress was imposed at the anthesis stage while water stress was imposed at booting stage caused a greater reduction in plant height and number of tillers (Gupta et al., 2001). Determination of accurate amount of water reduces irrigation cost as well as checks ground water waste. Water requirements vary depending on the stages of development. The pick requirement is at crown root initiation stage (CRI). In wheat, irrigation has been recommended at CRI, flowering and grain filling stages. However, the amount of irrigation water is shrinking day by day in Bangladesh which may be attributed to filling of pond river bottom. Moreover, global climate change scenarios are also responsible for their scarcity of irrigation water. So, it is essential to estimate water saving technique to have an economic estimate of irrigation water. Information on the amount of irrigation water as well as the precise sowing time of wheat with change in climate to expedite wheat production within the farmer’s limited resources is inadequate in Bangladesh. The need of water requirement also varies with sowing times as the soil moisture depletes with the days after sowing in Bangladesh as there is scanty rainfall after sowing season of wheat in general in the month of November. With above considerations, the present research work was conducted with the following objectives: To evaluate yield performance of selected wheat genotypes(s) at variable irrigation management. To identify the suitable genotype (s) of wheat giving higher yield under moisture stress condition. Materials and Methods Description of the experimental site The experiment was conducted in the Research Field, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University (SAU), Dhaka-1207 during the period of November, 2016 to March, 2017 to observe the growth and yield performance of selected wheat genotypes at variable irrigation management. The experimental field is located at 23041´ N latitude and 90º 22´ E longitude at a height of 8.6 m above the sea level belonging to the Agro-ecological Zone “AEZ-28” of Madhupur Tract (BBS, 2013). Soil characteristics The soil of the research field is slightly acidic in reaction with low organic matter content. The selected plot was above flood level and sufficient sunshine was available having available irrigation and drainage system during the experimental period. Soil samples from 0-15 cm depths were collected from experimental field. The experimental plot was also high land, having pH 5.56. Climate condition The experimental field was situated under sub-tropical climate; usually the rainfall is heavy during Kharifseason, (April to September) and scanty in Rabi season (October to March). In Rabi season temperature is generally low and there is plenty of sunshine. The temperature tends to increase from February as the season proceeds towards kharif. Rainfall was almost nil during the period from November 2016 to March 2017 and scanty from February to September. Planting material The test crop was wheat (Triticumaestivum). Three wheat varieties BARI Gom-26, BARI Gom-28 and BARI Gom-30 were used as test crop and were collected from Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Joydebpur, Gazipur. Treatments The experiment consisted of two factors and those were the wheat genotypes and irrigation. Three wheat genotypes and four irrigations were used under the present study. Factor A: three wheat varieties- V1 = BARI Gom-26, V2 = BARI Gom-28 and V3= BARI Gom-30. Factor B: four irrigations- I0 = No Irrigation throughout the growing season, I1 = One irrigation (Irrigate at CRI stage), I2= Two irrigation (Irrigate at CRI and grain filling) and I3= Three irrigation (Irrigate at CRI, booting and grain filling stages). The experiment was laid out in a split plot design with three replications having irrigation application in the main plots, verities in the sub plots. There were 12 treatments combinations. The total numbers of unit plots were 36. The size of unit plot was 2 m x 2 m = 4.00 m2. The distances between sub-plot to sub-plot, main plot to main plot and replication to replication were, 0.75, 0.75 and 1.5 m, respectively. Statistical analysis The collected data on each plot were statistically analyzed to obtain the level of significance using the computer-based software MSTAT-C developed by Gomez and Gomez, 1984. Mean difference among the treatments were tested with the least significant difference (LSD) test at 5 % level of significance. Results and Discussion Plant height Plant height varied significantly among the tested three varieties (Table 1). At, 75 DAS, BARI Gom 30 showed the tallest plant height (34.72 cm) and BARI Gom 26 recorded the shortest plant height (32.32 cm). At, 90 DAS, BARI Gom 30 recorded the highest plant height (76.13 cm) was observed from BARI Gom 26. However, BARI Gom 26 recorded the shortest plant height (75.01 cm) which was also statistically similar with BARI Gom 28. Islam and Jahiruddin (2008) also concluded that plant height varied significantly due to various wheat varieties. Plant height of wheat showed statistically significant variation due to amount of irrigation at 75, 90 DAS under the present trial (Table 2). At 75 DAS, the tallest plant (34.78 cm) was recorded from I3 (Three irrigation) while the shortest plant (32.02 cm) was observed from I0 (No Irrigation throughout the growing season) treatment. At 60 DAS, the tallest plant (77.51 cm) was found from I3, which was statistically similar with I2 (Two irrigation) and I1 (One irrigation). The shortest plant (71.29 cm) was observed from I0. Plant height was likely increased due to applying higher amount of irrigation compared to less amount of irrigation. Sultana (2013) stated that increasing water stress declined the plant height. Interaction effect of variety and different amount of irrigation showed significant differences on plant height of wheat at 75 and 90 DAS (Table 3). The highest plant height at 30 was 38.00 cm obtained from V3I3 treatment combination. The shortest plant height at 30 was 30.67 cm obtained from V1I0 treatment combination. At 60 DAS, plant height was 78.50 cm obtained from V3I3 and lowest was 69.83 cm obtained from V1I0 treatment combination, which was statistically similar with V2I0 and 3I0 treatment combination. Table 1. Effect of variety on plant height of wheat at different days after sowing Table 2. Effect of irrigation on plant height of wheat at different days after sowing Table 3. Interaction effect of variety and irrigation on plant height of wheat Number of effective tiller hill-1 Number of effective tillers hill-1of wheat was not varied significantly due to varieties (Table 4). BARI Gom 30 produced the highest number of effective tillers hill-1 (9.33) and the lowest number of effective tillers hill-1(8.58) was observed in BARI Gom 26. Different levels of irrigation varied significantly in terms of number of effective tillers hill-1 of wheat at harvest under the present trial (Table 5). The highest number of effective tillers hill-1 9.89 was recorded from I3 treatment, while the corresponding lowest number of effective tillers hill-1 were 7.89 observed in I0 treatment. Sultana (2013) stated that increasing water stress reduced the number of tillers per hill. Variety and irrigation showed significant differences on number of effective tillers hill-1 of wheat due to interaction effect (Table 6). The highest number of effective tillers hill-1 10.33 were observed from V3I3 treatment combination, while the corresponding lowest number of effective tillers hill-1 as 7.33 were recorded from V1I0 treatment combination. Number of non-effective tiller hill-1 Number of non-effective tillers hill-1of wheat was not varied significantly due to varieties (Table 4). BARI Gom 26 produced the highest number of non-effective tillers hill-1 (1.33) and the lowest number of non-effective tillers hill-1(1.00) was observed in BARI Gom 30. Different levels of irrigation varied significantly in terms of number of non-effective tillers hill-1 of wheat at harvest under the present trial (Table 5). The highest number of non-effective tillers hill-1 (2.00) was recorded from I0, while the corresponding lowest number of non-effective tillers hill-1 (0.67) was observed in I3. Variety and irrigation showed significant differences on number of non-effective tillers hill-1 of wheat due to interaction effect (Table 6). The highest number of non-effective tillers hill-1 (2.33) were observed from V1I0 treatment combination, while the corresponding lowest number of non-effective tillers hill-1 (0.33) were recorded from V3I2 treatment combination. Table 4. Effect of variety on yield and yield contributing characters of wheat Table 5. Effect of irrigation on yield and yield contributing characters of wheat Table 6. Interaction effect of variety and irrigation on yield and yield contributing characters of wheat Spike length (cm) Insignificant variation was observed on spike length (cm) at applied three types of modern wheat variety as BARI Gom-26 (V1), BARI Gom-28 (V2), and BARI Gom-30 (V3). From the experiment with that three types of varieties BARI Gom-30 (V3) (8.46 cm) given the largest spike length and BARI Gom-26 (V1) (8.08 cm) was given the lowest spike length (Table 4). Similar result was found using with different type varieties by Hefniet al. (2000). Different irrigation application has a statistically significant variation on spike length as irrigated condition (I3) was given the maximum result (9.17 cm) and non-irrigated condition (I0) given the lowest spike length (7.17 cm) (Table 5). Interaction effect of improved wheat variety and irrigation showed significant differences on spike length. Results showed that the highest spike length was obtained from V3I3 (10.33 cm). On the other hand, the lowest spike length was observed at V1I0 (6.50cm) treatment combination (Table 6). Grain spike-1 Significant variation was observed on grain spike-1 at these applied three types of modern wheat variety. The BARI Gom-30 (V3) (37.75) given the maximum number of grain spike-1 and BARI Gom-26 (V1) (36.92) was given the lowest number of grain spike-1, which was statistically similar with V2 treatment (Table 4). Different wheat genotypes have significant effect on grain spike-1 observed also by Rahman et al. (2009). Different irrigation application has a statistically significant variation on grain spike-1 as the irrigation condition (I3) was given the maximum result (39.33), which was statistically similar with I2 and non-irrigated condition (I0) given the lowest grain spike-1 (34.56) (Table 5). Sarkar et al. (2010) also observed that irrigation have a significant effect on grain spike-1. Interaction effect of improved wheat variety and irrigation showed significant differences on grain spike-1. Results showed that the highest grain spike-1 was obtained from V3I3 (41.0). On the other hand, the lowest grain spike-1 was observed at V1Io (34.00) which were also statistically similar with V3Io (34.67) (Table 6). 3Thousand Seed weight There was significant variation was observed on thousand seed weight due to different types of modern wheat variety. The wheat variety of BARI Gom-30 (V3) (50.40 g) given the maximum thousand seed weight and statistically different from BARI Gom-28 (V2) (46.74 g). BARI Gom-26 (V1) (46.22 g) was given the lowest thousand seed weight (Table 7). Rahman et al. (2009), Islam et al. (2015) also conducted experiment with different variety and observed have effect of varieties on yield. Different irrigation application has a statistically significant variation on thousand seed weight. The I3 was given the maximum thousand seed weight (48.91) and non-irrigated condition (I0) given the lowest yield (46.13 g) (Table 8). Sarkar et al. (2010), Baser et al. (2004) reported that grain yield under non-irrigated conditions was reduced by approximately 40%. Bazzaet al. (1999) reported that one water application during the tillering stage allowed the yield to be lower only than that of the treatment with three irrigations but Meenaet al. (1998) reported that wheat grain yield was the highest with 2 irrigations (2.57 ton/ha in 1993 and 2.64 ton/ha) at flowering and/or crown root initiation stages. Wheat is sown in November to ensure optimal crop growth and avoid high temperature and after that if wheat is sown in the field it faces high range of temperature for its growth and development as well as yield potential. Islam et al. (2015) reported that late planted wheat plants faced a period of high temperature stress during reproductive stages causing reduced kernel number spike-1 as well as the reduction of grain yield. Interaction effect of improved wheat variety and irrigation showed significant differences on thousand seed weight (Table 9). Results showed that the highest thousand seed weight (52.33 g) was obtained from V3I3 which was statistically similar with V3I2 (52.06 g). On the other hand, the lowest yield (45.36 g) was observed at V1I1. Table 7. Effect of variety on yield and yield of wheat Table 8. Effect of irrigation on yield and yield of wheat Table 9. Interaction effect of variety and irrigation on yield and yield of wheat Grain yield (t ha-1) Different wheat varieties showed significant difference for grain weight hectare-1 (Table 7). The highest grain yield hectare-1 (3.44 ton) was found from wheat variety BARI Gom-30 (V3), which was statistically similar with V2, whereas the lowest (3.21 ton) was observed from wheat variety BARI gom 26. Rahman et al. (2009), Islam et al. (2015) also conducted experiment with different variety and observed have effect of varieties on yield. Significant difference was observed for yield for different irrigation application. The three irrigation (I3) was given the maximum yield (3.74 t ha-1), which was statistically similar with I2 treatment and non-irrigated condition (I0) given the lowest yield (2.97 t ha-1) (Table 8). Sarkar et al. (2010), Baser et al. (2004) reported that grain yield under non-irrigated conditions was reduced by approximately 40%. Bazzaet al. (1999) reported that one water application during the tillering stage allowed the yield to be lower only than that of the treatment with three irrigations but Meenaet al. (1998) reported that wheat grain yield was the highest with 2 irrigations (2.57 ton/ha in 1993 and 2.64 ton/ha) at flowering and/or crown root initiation stages. Wheat is sown in November to ensure optimal crop growth and avoid high temperature and after that if wheat is sown in the field it faces high range of temperature for its growth and development as well as yield potential. Islam et al. (2015) reported that late planted wheat plants faced a period of high temperature stress during reproductive stages causing reduced kernel number spike-1 as well as the reduction of grain yield. Interaction effect of improved wheat variety and irrigation showed significant differences on yield (t ha-1). Results showed that the highest yield (3.99 t ha-1) was obtained from V3I3, which was statistically similar with V2I3 and V3I2. On the other hand, the lowest yield (2.93 t ha-1) was observed at V1I0 (Table 7). Straw yield (t ha-1) Applied three types of wheat variety have a statistically significant variation on straw yield (t ha-1). The maximum straw yield (1.95 t ha-1) was obtained from BARI Gom-30 and BARI Gom-26 (V1) was given the lowest straw yield (1.87 t ha-1), which was statistically similar with V2 treatment. Different irrigation application has a statistically significant variation on straw yield (t ha-1) of wheat. The I3 treatment for straw yield (2.01 t ha-1) was given the maximum result and non-irrigated condition (I0) given the lowest (1.80 t ha-1). Similar results were found by Ali and Amin (2004) through his experiment. Interaction effect of improved wheat variety and irrigation showed significant differences on straw yield (t ha-1). The highest straw yield (2.08 t ha-1) was obtained from V3I3 which was statistically similar with V3I2 (2.07 t ha-1) treatment combination. On the other hand, the lowest straw yield (1.78 t ha-1) was observed at V1Io, which was statistically similar with V2I0 (2.07 t ha-1) treatment combination. Biological yield Significant variation was attained for biological yield for different wheat varieties. The variety BARI Gom-30 given the maximum biological yield (5.39 t ha-1) and BARI Gom-26 (V1) was given the lowest biological yield (5.078 t ha-1). Different irrigation application has a statistically significant variation biological yield (t ha-1) of wheat. The I3 treatment for biological yield (5.76 t ha-1) was given the maximum result and non-irrigated condition (I0) given the lowest (4.77 t ha-1). Similar results were found by Ali and Amin (2004) through his experiment. At the time of biological yield (t ha-1) consideration with variety and irrigation statistically significance variation was observed as maximum biological yield (t ha-1) at V3I3 (6.07 t ha-1). On the other hand, the lowest result was given at V1Io (4.72 tha-1). Summary And Conclusion It may be concluded within the scope and limitation of the present study that the optimum growth and higher yield of wheat cv. BARI Gom-30 could be obtained by applying three irrigations at irrigate at CRI, booting and grain filling stages. However, further studies are necessary to arrive at a definite conclusion. References Ali, M. N.; and Amin, M.S. Effect of single irrigation and sowing date on growth and yield of wheat. M. S. thesis, SAU, Dhaka, Bangladesh. 2004. (Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute). Hand book of Agricultural Technology. Joydebpur, Gazipur. 2006, 9. Baser, I.; Sehirali, S.; Orta, H.; Erdem, T.; Erdem, Y.; Yorganclar, O. Effect of different water stresses on the yield and yield components of winter wheat. Cereal Res. Comn. 2004, 32(2), 217-223. Bazza, S. S.; Awasthi, M. K.; Nema, R. K. Studies on Water Productivity and Yields Responses of Wheat Based on Drip Irrigation Systems in Clay Loam Soil. Indian J. Sci. Tech. 1999, 8(7), 650-654. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Planning, Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, Dhaka. 2013. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Ministry of Planning, Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, Dhaka. 2014. K. A.; Gomez, A. A. Statistical Procedures for Agricultural Research. 2nd edition. John Willy and Sons, New York. 1984, 28-192. Gupta, P. K.; Gautam, R. C.; Ramesh, C. R. Effect of water stress on different stages of wheat cultivation. Plant Nutri. and Fert. Sci. 2001, 7(2), 33-37. Hanson, M.; Farooq, M.; Shabir, G.; Khan, M. B.; Zia, A. B.; Lee, D. G. Effect of date sowing and rate of fertilizers on the yield of wheat under irrigated condition. J. Agril. & Biol. 1982, 14(4), 25-31. Hefni, S.; Sajjad, A.; Hussain M. I.; Saleem, M. Growth and yield response of three wheat varieties to different seeding densities. J. Agric. Biol. 2000, 3(2), 228-229. Islam, S.; Islam, S.; Uddin, M. J.; Mehraj, H.; Jamal Uddin, A. F. M. Growth and yield response of wheat to irrigation at different growing stages. J. Agron. Agril. Res. 2015, 6(1), 70-76. Meena, B. N.; Tunio, S. D.; Shah, S. Q. A.; Sial, M. A.; Abro, S. A. Studies on grain and grain yield associated traits of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) varieties under water stress conditions. Pakistan J. Agril. Engin. Vet. Sci. 1998, 24(2), 5-9. Rahman, M. ; Hossain, A.; Hakim, M. A.; Kabir, M. R; Shah, M. M. R. Performance of wheat genotypes under optimum and late sowing condition. Int. J. Sustain Crop Prod. 2009, 4(6), 34-39. Rosegrant, M. W.; Agcaoili, M. Global food demand, supply, and price prospects to 2010. Washington, DC: Int. Food Policy Res. Inst. 2010. Rosegrant, M. W.; Sombilla, M. A.; Gerpacio R. V.; Ringler, C. Global food markets and US exports in the twenty-first century. Paper prepared for the Illinois World Food and Sustainable Agriculture Program Conference ‘Meeting the Demand for Food in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities for Illinois Agriculture’, 1997. Sarker, S.; Singh, S. K.; Singh, S. R.; Singh, A. P. Influence of initial profile water status and nitrogen doses on yield and evapotranspiration rate of dryland barley. Indian Soc. Soil Sci. 2010, 47(1), 22-28. Sultana, F. Effect of irrigation on yield and water use of wheat. M.S. Thesis, Dept. of Irrigation and Water Management. Bangladesh Agril. Univ., Mymensingh. 2013.

Introduction. A revision of syntaxa was carried out within the framework of the classification of the Brown-Blanquet school identified in the Russian Arctic. A geodatabase (GDB) and GIS, which include several interconnected main modules (see: Matveyeva et al., 2019a, b), with information on species composition, structure, ecology, and geography of syntaxa of all levels, integrated in these databases, became the basis of the presented checklist. This is the first result of compiling information on the vegetation classification, performed with the prospect to produce Prodromus of syntaxa, identified in this territory, with detailed information (character/differential/diagnostic species, ecology, zonal position, geography, bibliography), available in the GDB. It will be in time included in the Prodromus and later will become the basis for a volume in multivolume series on the vegetation of the Russian Federation (see: Plugatar et al., 2020). Territory. The checklist contains information on syntaxa established in the Russian Arctic within the boundaries of the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map (hereafter CAVM) (CAVM Team, et al., 2003; Walker et al., 2005; Raynolds et al., 2019), as well as on the Barents Sea coast of the Kola Peninsula, which is referred to the tundra zone in accordance with the zonation of the Russian Arctic flat territory (see: Matveyeva, 1998). The list includes syntaxa found north of the treeline — in the tundra zone (subzones of the southern, typical, and arctic tundra) and polar deserts.1 Hence, it follows that there are no syntaxa from the forest-tundra as well as those above the treeline in the mountains adjacent to the tundra zone (Putorana and Anabarskoe plateaus). The syntaxa from the territory of the «Russian Arctic» (Barentsburg, Pyramida) on the West Spitsbergen Island (Spitsbergen archipelago) are also not taken into account (their positioning is logical in Spitzbergern syntaxonomy). History. The study of the Russian Arctic plant cover began in the second third of the XIXth century in the north-east of the European Russia (Schrenk, 1855) and in Siberia on the Taymyr Peninsula (Middendorf, 1860–1867). After a significant break, it continued in the USSR in the pre-war time and intensified after the end of the Great Patriotic War. The most intense (both in the size of the studied areas and the numbers and duration of the field works) was the period from the mid-1960s to the early 1990s. Researchers working both in other zones and in the Arctic processed the obtained data in accordance with the approaches of the dominant classification, and the relevés were either not published or presented in a small (4–5) number for association. Despite the obvious limitations of this approach, there were published (both in the form of text with listing of few dominants and with relevé tables) both general (Gorodkov, 1935) and regional (Andreev, 1932; Bogdanovskaya-Giyenef, 1938; Smirnova, 1938; Dedov, 2006 [1940]; Aleksandrova, 1956, 1983; Gorodkov, 1956, 1958 a, b; Katenin, 1972) classifications, and checklists — a draft classification of vegetation of the whole Arctic (Aleksandrova, 1979) and classification of Taymyr vegetation (Matveyeva, 1985). In the late 1980s, Russian phytosociologists turned to the Brown-Blanquet floristic (= floristic-sociological (Theurillat et al., 2021), or ecological-floristic (Mirkin, Naumova, 2014)), classification system as the most conceptually substantiated, with generally accepted rules for describing communities in the field and the technique of relevé tabular processing, and also with clear rules for the formation of syntaxon names. In this system, the obligatory publication of the original data and the requirements for its validity when describing the basic syntaxon are strictly postulated, which provides an objective comparison and classification of any plant community types, in whatever system these data are not submitted. Just as it is impossible to imagine the development of taxonomy without the existence of herbarium collections, so it should be an axiom for phytosociologists that since the relevé is the only documentary reflection of a natural phenomenon named «plant community» (Matveyeva, 2008), it should be available for analysis to all syntaxonomists. Since the second decade of the XXth century, the followers of the Braun-Blanquet system have published thousands of relevés from different regions of the globe, which made it possible to produce a unified classification of vegetation from the Arctic to the tropics and its constant replenishment. Currently, the process of creating electronic databases (archives) of relevés, including the Arctic Vegetation Archive, which accumulates information on circumpolar vegetation is accumulated, is actively underway (Walker et al., 2018). The starting point when Russian tundra experts began to work consistently, following the principles of this classification, is the first International Meeting on the Classification and Mapping of Arctic Vegetation, which took place in 1992 in Boulder, CO (USA). For the publication of its data, a special issue of the Journal of Vegetation Science (1994, Vol. 5, N 6) named «Circumpolar arctic vegetation» (where 4 papers by Russian syntaxonomists were published) was provided. After 1992, when the intensity of field works decreased sharply, the number of publications with complete characteristics of the communities of the Russian Arctic increased rapidly.The proposed checklist of syntaxa is the result of this almost 30-year acti­vity. The checklist structure. The arrangement of syntaxa of class rank is mainly the same as in the EuroVegChecklist — hereafter EVC (Mucina et al., 2016): zonal and intrazonal communities of the polar desert zone (one class); zonal (one class) and landscape-forming intrazonal (five classes) communities of the tundra zone; intrazonal communities (13 classes), united into groups according to the gradients of moisture, snow depth and soil mechanical composition. A syntaxon is represented as follows: — higher units of the rank Class/Order/Allian­ce (Suballiance): number (for Class), abbreviated rank in English (Cl., Ord., All. (Suball.)), in square brackets — code (if any) from EVC (Mucina et al., 2016); full name, author(s) and year; below is a brief description in two languages: English — in general as in the cited paper with some corrections due to the specificity in syntaxon geography and ecology in the Asian part; Russian — partly in accordance with the English version and/or to Prodromus of higher vegetation units of Russia (Ermakov, 2012), sometimes with minor corrections or clarifications. For new orders and alliances within the zonal tundra class differential taxon combinations are listed; — syntaxa of the rank Association, Community Type, Community, established on the territory of the Russian Arctic: abbreviated rank in English (Ass., Com. Type, Com.), name, author(s) and year (besides association, the cited papers are included in the Refe­rences). If syntaxon was previously described by European/American authors outside the Russian Fede­ration, the link to the publication, where it was found in the Russian Arctic, is placed in brackets. The ­arrangement of associations is alphabetical; — syntaxa of units of a lower (within association) rank (subassociation and vicariant, variant, subvariant, facies): abbreviated rank in English (subass. and vicar., var., subvar., fac.), name, in brackets author, year (besides subassociation, the cited papers are included in the References). The arrangement of the syntaxa is as follows: typicum(-cal, -ca), inops, then alphabetically. For subass. typicum authors are not listed (Theurillat et al., 2021), but if it was described by another author and/or in another paper, then the link to it is given in brackets and the paper is included in the References. All names of syntaxa are given in the author’s edition (as it was published), including the endings of a typical syntaxon within an association (subassociation, vicariant, variant, facia) — typicum, typical, typica. In different papers, there are two English spellings of Russian surnames: Aleksandrova/Alexandrova, Andreev/Andreyev, Bogdanovskaya-Giyenef/Bogdanovskaya-Gienef, Pristyazhnyuk/Prystyazhnyuk, Savich/Savič. A uniform (the first one) spelling of the surname is used here. If there was something that caused a disagreement with the author’s decision (including the assignment of an association to a syntaxon of a higher rank), there is a superscript number before the syntaxon name, or before the author’s surname (when it is in brackets), referring to critical comments. Critical comments. 1 – The name is invalid or needs change because: 1a – no reference to the nomenclature type; 1b – published ineffectively (names published as ‘manuscript’ or ‘unpublished’); 1c – not accompanied by a sufficient diagnosis, no tables with original relevés; 1d – suggested by the author as preliminary; 1e – not obvious from what species syntaxon epithet is formed and it cannot be extracted from the diagnosis and/or tables); 1f – syntaxon with the same name was described earlier (including the case of inversion); 1g – the form of the syntaxon name does not correspond to Art. 10 of «International Code of Phytosociological Nomenclature» — hereafter ICPN (Theurillat et al., 2021); 1h – the given nomenclature type belongs to a different syntaxon, validation does not correspond to ICPN; 1i – the relevé chosen as an association or subassociation nomenclature type does not contain the name-giving taxon of this syntaxon; 1j – there is a subspecies in the original diagnosis and in the tables, while in the syntaxon name the species name is used; 1k – the nomenclature type is given for 2 variants of the vicariant, among which there is no tyicum one; 1l – published or validated in 2002 or later with no indication of novelty (like, Ass. nov.). 2 – the author(s) did not place the syntaxon among the higher units. 3 – the author(s) placed the syntaxon in other higher units than suggested in this list. 4 – the syntaxon was renamed due to a change in its rank; in this checklist it is also given under a new name. 5 – the syntaxon is described by the author(s) in the Community rank but is assigned within the known association as a unit of it internal division. 6 – the author(s) assigned the syntaxon to this class with a question. 7 – the author(s) unreasonably (noted in literature) placed the communities in given syntaxon that needs revision. 8 – in the EVC there is only one author, while in the original source there are two. 9 – it is written that the title proposed by the first author was valid, but according to Principle II of the ICPN it is not. 10 – the author(s) of the syntaxon is(are) incorrect: the syntaxonomic units originally described in the framework of the ecological-physiognomic classification are invalid in accordance with Principle II (Art. 3d ICPN), and have been validated by subsequent authors. 11 – the author(s) assigned the syntaxon to this class/order, but did not refer to an alliance or placed in the alliance other than that proposed in this checklist. 12 – the author(s) attributed the syntaxon to this alliance, but as part of a different class/order, or not attributed to the class/order. 13 – the author(s) changed the rank of the syntaxon in comparison with the original description. 14 – the spelling of the syntaxon name does not correspond to the rules of the ICPN; the correct name [recte[ is given in square brackets. 15 – in the EVC the alliance is placed in another order. 16 – the author(s) of the syntaxon are incorrect, the first author (in brackets) did not give such a name, or incorrect year. 17 – the author(s) of the syntaxon incorrectly cited, priority belongs to other author(s) who published the name earlier and/or effectively. 18 – in the EVC the alliance is placed in synonyms for another alliance, which name was changed but not yet approved (nom. mut. propos). THE CHECKLIST — see the main text. Brief analysis of the composition. The checklist is based upon analysis of more than 70 papers, professionally reviewed and published, which contain more than 6,000 geobotanical relevés, that make available information on the composition and structure of 734 syntaxa ranging from association/community type/community to facies. At the mid-2021, the checklist includes 241 associations (152 subassociations and 25 vicariants, 190 variants and 61 subvariants, 13 facies), 35 types of communities and 17 communities from 62 alliances (6 suballiances), 33 orders and 20 classes. Most of the higher rank units — Class/Order/Alliance — are taken from the classification of vegetation in Europe (Mucina et al., 2016) Class. Of the 20 classes, 19 are in EVC (Mucina et al., 2016), to which we have assigned 207 associations, although we do not consider this decision final. A new class for zonal tundra vegetation Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani class. prov.2 so far is left in the provisional status. Conventionally is used the class Betulo carpaticae–Alnetea viridis which contains willow scrubs in the valleys and on the interfluves. Order. Of the 33 orders 29 are in EVC. Among the known ones there is formally described Salicetalia glauco-lanatae so far located in Betulo carpaticae–Alnetea viridis. Three orders (Arctophiletalia fulvae; Chamerio–Betuletalia nanae; Schulzio crini­tae–Aquilegietalia glandulosae) were described by Russian authors. Three new orders (Salici polaris–Hylocomietalia alaskani ord. nov. prov., Caricetalia arctisibiricae-lugentis ord. nov. prov., Eriophoretalia vaginati ord. nov. prov.) are suggested here in the provisional status, for establishing within the tund­ra zonal class Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani class. prov. Nameless order is proposed for communities dominated by mesophytic arctic and/or arcto­alpine herbs often with dwarf shrubs (Salix arctica/polaris/reticulata, Dryas octopetala/punctata) and few mosses on the southern slopes of hills and high river banks in the tundra zone of Eurasia; conventionally it is placed in the Mulgedio–Aconitetea. According to both species composition and habitat the order Arabidetalia caeruleae is moved from Thlaspietea rotundifolii (as in EVC) into Salicetea herbaceae. Alliance. Of the 62 alliances 36 are in EVC, 5 of which (Arctophilion fulvae; Caricion stantis, Chamerio angustifolii–Matricarion hookeri; Dryado octopetalae–Caricion arctisibiricae, Polemonio acutiflorum–Veratrion lobeliani) are described by Russian authors. Alliance Oxytropidion nigrescentis, validated in 1998 (Matveyeva 1998, p. 81), is given as valid. The following 8 alliances are valid: Aulacomnio palustris–Caricion rariflorae, Polemonio acutiflorum–Salicion glaucae and Rubo chamaemori–Dicranion elongati on the European North, Carici concoloris–Aulacomnion turgidi, Oxytropido sordidae–Tanacetion bipinnati in Siberia, Androsaco arctisibiricae–Aconogonion laxmannii, Aulacomnio turgidi–Salicion glaucae, Salici pulchrae–Caricion lugentis on Chukotka. Another 7 alliances have invalid names (suggested as preliminary, no nomenclature type was chosen, etc.). For 6 of these validation is necessary and quite simple. An exeption is the alliance Luzulo–Festucion rubrae (Ektova, Ermokhina, 2012), with all invalid associations (no both relevés and diagnoses); after the later are validated they logically could be placed in Loiseleurio-Arctostaphylion. Within the tundra zonal class the alliance Salici polaris–Hylocomion alaskani all. nov. is formally described and the alliances Cassiopo tetragonae–Eriophorion vaginati all. nov. prov. and Poo arcticae–Calamagrostion holmii all. nov. prov. are proposed provisionally. It is recommended to establish 6 alliances (in the checklist with no name) in classes Drabo corymbosae–Papaveretea dahliani (3), Betulo carpaticae–Alnetea viridis (1), Thlaspietea rotundifolii (1) and Mulgedio-Aconitetea (1). Syntaxonomic decisions, other than those derived from the EVC, are made on the positions of 4 alliances within the higher-rank units: Caricion stantis was moved from Sphagno warnstorfii–Tomentypnetalia to Caricetalia fuscae; Dryado octopetalae–Caricion arctisibiricae — from Carici rupestris–Kobresietea bellardii to Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani class. prov. (see: Lavrinenko, Lavrinenko, 2018a); Potentillo–Polygonion vivipari is recognized (Koroleva et al., 2019) as different from Kobresio-Dryadion, synonym with which it is given in the EVC; the Honckenyo–Leymion arenarii is used compare to the EVC where it is the synonym of Agropyro–Honckenyion peploidis nom. mut. propos. Compared to the author’s decision, the alliance Carici concoloris–Aulacomnion turgidi from Loiseleurio procumbentis–Vaccinietea is moved to Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani class. prov. Suballiance. Of the 6 suballiances 4 (Androsaco arctisibiricae–Aconogonenion laxmannii; Astragalo pseudadsurgentis–Calamagrostienion purpurascentis; Caricenion rariflorae; Oxytropido vassilczenkoi–Dryadenion punctatae) are valid, and two (Anemono parviflorae–Salicenion and Pediculari lapponicae–Salicenion) require validation. The suballiance Caricenion rariflorae placed in the checklist in Scheuchzerion palustris was originally established within the Sphagnion baltici, which in the EVC is synonymous with the first name. Association. Of 241 associations only 34 are known outside the Russian Arctic, and the remaining 207 are new. The known ones are mainly on coastal bio­topes — marshes (15) and dunes (3) — and extremely wet habitats (9). There are 4 associations described earlier in Europe within the large landscape-forming classes (Dryadetum octopetalae, Empetro–Betuletum nanae, Loiseleurio-Diapensietum, Phyllodoco–Vaccinietum myrtilli) which distribution ranges are extended to the European North of Russia, and 3 within small intrazonal classes (Geranietum sylvatici, Potentillo crantzii–Polygonetum vivipari, and Rumici–Salicetum lapponi) found on Kola Peninsula. Only 2 associations, described by European (Dryado–Cassiopetum tetragonae) and American syntaxonomists (Sphagno–Eriophoretum vaginati), occur in the Asian part of the Russian Arctic (with new subunits within both). The most association-rich are 8 main classes. The two zonal classes include Drabo corymbosae–Papaveretea dahliani (20 associations) in the polar desert zone and Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani class. prov. (34 associations) in the tundra zone — 54 in total. 129 associations are identified in the 6 main classes of intrazonal vegetation: Be­tulo carpaticae–Alnetea viridis (29 associations) Loiseleurio procumbentis–Vaccinietea 1960 (22 associations), Carici rupestris–Kobresietea (21 associations), Salicetea herbaceae (16), Scheuchzerio palustris–Caricetea fuscae (25 associations); Juncetea maritimi (16 associations) — 187 in total. The vegetation of other 12 classes is described locally geographically and selectively syntaxonomically. 37 associations were not assigned to any of the known classes. This, in particular, was the case with the vegetation of the polar desert zone (Matveyeva, 2006) before Drabo corymbosae–Papaveretea dahliani class was described in 2016. But it also happened when deciding to assign an association to some well-known class, authors stressed that they did this forcibly in the absence of an adequate unit. For example, before the proposal, albeit provisionally, of the class Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskanii class. prov., even zonal communities from the Arctic tundra subzone were placed in the Loiseleurio procumbentis–Vaccinietea class accentuating that they do not contain a single characteristic species of this class (Kholod, 2007). Community type is distinguished when author does not establish new association due to the small number (less than 10) relevés in one location, leaving this for the future There are 35 such units, most of which (9) are in the Drabo corymbosae–Papaveretea dahliani in the polar desert zone. It is worth noting two points: 1) almost never Community types reach the association status; 2) not all authors are stopped by a small number of relevés, when naming syntaxa, and many associations are based upon on less than not 10, but even 5 relevés. As a result, units of different status often contain equally little information about their composition. Community. This rank exists when there is only one relevé, due to both the type rarity and the lack of time. There are 17 such units, with 7 in the polar desert zone. Two main subordinate levels are used within the association: the first — subassociation and vicariant (not protected by the ICPN), the second — variant. Both reflect small but obvious differences in composition, abundance, constancy of species from the type of association (typicum), conditioned edaphically, locally-climatically, chorologically (Ellenberg, 1956; Braun-Blanquet, 1964) or indicate different stages of succession (Westhoff, van der Maarel, 1978). Differences in the listed characteristics from the type group (typicum) due to ecology are an undoubted reason for identifying several subassociations even in a landscape. To reflect similar differences due to the object location in several areas on latitudinal (in different tundra subzones) or longitudinal (in different sectors of the same zone/subzone) gradients in similar habitats (on the same landscape elements, with the same soil type), subassociation (a unit protected by the ICPN) is used as well. However, the desire to distinguish the reasons that caused such differences is also understandable. Hence, understandable is the interest to the concept of geographic vicariant, perceived by some Russian syntaxonomists working in the Arctic, which is reflected in the checklist (since the unit is not protected by ICPN, after the name in brackets there is a link to References). Leading European phytosociologists E. van der Maarel and W. Westhoff, who in 1993 reviewed an article by N. Matveyeva on the vegetation of Taymyr (Matveyeva, 1994), recalling the concept of geographical races (Becking, 1957), or vicariants (Barkman, 1958), recommended to use the status of a geographic vicariant to reflect changes in the composition of communities of one association related with a geographic location, leaving ecologically determined differences for subassociations.The need for such a division is reflected in the famous paper of F. Daniëls (1982) on Greenland, where the author distinguishes ecologically (habitat-differential) and geographically (area-differential) determined syntaxa, although uses only the name of subassociations. It is a great pity that the concept of a geographical vicariant, which was formed in the minds of the classics of phytosociology almost 60 years ago, did not find formal support: this unit was not included nor in the 3rd edition of the ICPN (Weber et al., 2000), neither in the 4th (Theurillat et al., 2021). The question of whether such a unit should be covered by the ICPN regulations «... can be resolved with the accumulation of experience in its application» (Weber et al., 2000, p. 6); the results of such experience are reflected in this checklist. Subassociation. There are 152 subassociations within 71 associations: most of all in the Carici arctisibiricae–Hylocomietea alaskani (24), slightly less in Loiseleurio procumbentis–Vaccinietea (21) and Betulo carpaticae–Alnetea viridis (23), more than 11 in Carici rupestris–Kobresietea bellardii (16), Scheuchzerio palustris–Caricetea fuscae (17), Juncetea maritimi (12) and Thlaspietea rotundifolii (12). Usually there are 2–3 subassociations in one association. Vicariant. There are 25 vicarians in the 14 associations. 19 of these are latitudinal in associations of zonal, mire, snowbed (Matveyeva, 1994, 1998, 2006) and herb meadow (Zanokha, 1993, 1995a, b) communities within 3 tundra subzones and syntaxa, replacing them in the polar deserts on Severnaya Zemlya (Zanokha, 2001; Matveyeva, 2006. The appeal to the concept of vicariant on Taymyr, where in the only place on the Earth on the mainland at about 900 km a full latitudinal gradient from the tree line to the polar deserts is expressed (Matveyeva, 1998), is quite understandable and logical. The other 6 vicariants are longitudinal: 1 in the European North of Russia (Matveyeva, Lavrinenko, 2011) and 5 on Wrangel Isl. (Kholod, 2007). Variant. There are 190 variants within 66 associations. There are no clearly formulated rules regarding their fundamental difference from subassociations. It is also not obvious whether the level of variant is the next after subassociation in association subdivision, or these are units of the same rank: in 31 associations, variants are allocated within subassociations or vicariants, in 34 — directly in the association. There is no clear logic behind why even one and the same author follows the first way in some cases, and the second in others. Subvariant. This unit was used for the division of variants of technogenically disturbed vegetation (Sumina, 2012, 2018), where 54 subvariants (2–5 in each) were identified in 20 variants of 6 associations, as well as of the baydzharakh vegetation in the arctic tundra subzone in Siberia (7 subvariants). Facies. The unit without differentiaal taxa, recognized by the predominance (with a high abundance) of a species of the «normal» floristic complex of the association, due to particular or sometimes ­extreme abiotic factors, or under anthropogenic impact (Westhoff, van der Maarel, 1978). There are 14 facies in 2 associations of 2 classes on Wrangel Isl. (Kholod, 2007) and in 3 syntaxa of 3 classes in the Bolshezemelskaya tundra (Neshataev, Lavrinenko, 2020). Conclusion. One of the purposes of publishing this checklist is to draw the attention of northern phytosociologists to assessing the validity of syntaxa and the legality of their position in the Braun-Blanquet system. Our task was to bring together all available information, which is done in this article. Even a simple list of syntaxa makes it possible to assess the completeness of the geographical and syntaxonomic knowledge of vegetation. Geographically, sytaxonomic information is available for 12 of the 13 Russian floristic provinces (according to CAVM), in which about 130 districts have been investigated. The most studied provinces (from west to east) are Kanino-Pechora, Yamalo-Gydan, Taymyr, East Chukotka, Wrangel Island (the number of published relevés in each more than 600. There are no published data for the Kharaulakh province. It is not possible to say for sure to what extent the number of associations reflects the presence and distribution communities of 20 classes in different regions of the Russian Arctic. The completeness of the vegetation study depended on the tasks and on the possibility of their implementation. High attention to zonal vegetation is natural, since it is used for subdivision of the territory, for zonal division, and for maps of various scales. Both snowless (Carici rupestris–Kobresietea bellardii) and snowbed (Salicetea herbaceae) communities, as specific for the Arctic, are also always in the sphere of interests. Polygonal mires and bog-hollow vegetation (Scheuchzerio palustris–Caricetea) certainly require much more research, due to their vast areas in the eastern regions of the Siberian Arctic, where these types are not described. For the relatively well-studied shrub communities in the Asian part (conditionally assigned to the Betulo carpaticae–Alnetea viridis), validation of many syntaxa are required; the gap in the description of this object in the northern European regions has just begun to be filled. For 12 associations of grass-forbs communities on the well heated slopes conditionally positioned in the Mulgedio-Aconitetea, new orders and allian­ces, and, potentially, the class are necessary to be established. Unreasonably little data are available for raised bogs (Oxycocco-Sphagnetea), if even these are ­rather common of the southern regions of the tundra zone. Very scattered geographically and sparse syntaxonomic data are on the vegetation of naturally eroded mobile substrates (sand screes, gravel debris, landslides). In the Arctic, as in other regions of the globe, communities are placed in this class not by their species composition, but by habitat (unstable substrate), and the fact of the sparse cover. Only recently the zonal vegetation of polar deserts on horizontal surfaces with quite stable loamy substrates has been classified as a distinct class (Daniëls et al., 2016). In the list of habitat types with associated described Brown-Blanquet syntaxa from Arctic regions of Europe, Greenland, western North America, and Alaska, there are 5 classes (Walker et al., 2018) which are absent in our checklist: Juncetea trifidi Hadač in Klika et Hadač 1994, Saxifrago cernuae–Cochlearietea groenlandica Micuna et Daniëls in Mucina et al. 2016, Vaccinio-Piceetea Br.-Bl. in Br.-Bl. et al. 1939, Asplenietea trichomanis (Br.-Bl. in Meier et Br.-Bl. 1934) Oberd. 1977, Salicetea purpureae Moor 1958. Communities of these classes either exist in the Russian Arctic, but were not described (e. g. forest «islets» in tundra landscapes — Vaccinio-Piceetea, and the vegetation of rocks and rubble talus — Asplenietea trichomanis), or they exist, but are positioned in the other classes. An open question remains with Junce­tea trifidi on acidic substrates. Final conclusions on these classes will become possible after the thorough analysis of syntaxa throughout the entire circumpolar space. Even a very brief analysis of the available data revealed numerous cases of invalid names of syntaxa (no indication of the nomenclature type) or inconsistency names with ICPN rules (correct [recte] names are given for 43 ones); leaving the association outside of higher-level units or assigning one basic unit to ­several higher ones, etc. There are more such cases than we have noted now, especially taking into ­account the new edition of the ICPN (for example, the obligatory Latin or English terminology for denoting ranks and new units (ICPN 4th, Art. 3d, 3i, 3o, 5), mutation ­cases (Lat. mutatum, ICPN. 4th, Art. 45), inversions (Lat. inversum, ICPN. 4th, Art. 42) of names and autonym (Lat. autonym, ICPN 4th, Art. 13b, 4d). Now it becomes possible for each author to take measures to eliminate errors of various kinds to validate their syntaxa. Consolidated participation in joint publication is also possible. This is a necessary step for the next action — preparing the Prodromus of the vegetation syntaxa of the Russian Arctic with the expanded characteristics for all levels.

This study is focused on analyzing the behavior of oil/gas plumes from blowouts into deepwater, located at the northern Brazil continental shelf. The Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) model is used to simulate ocean dynamics in the region 60.5°-24.0°W/5°S-16°N with 0.25° of resolution, 32 vertical levels and considering the discharges of the Amazon and Pará Rivers. The ROMS output are compared to Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) dataset. Three points were selected to make the numerical simulations, located at (50°W, 5.25°N), (44.5°W, 0.5°N) and (42.75°W, 1°S). The time step suggested by Lee and Cheung (1990) was adjusted due to the particular oceanographic conditions at each point, in which, the initial velocity tends to zero and the coefficient 0.1 of the original equation was replaced by 0.0250 and 0.0375. All the plumes behaved as type 3. The seasonal current speed was small from the bottom to the surface, usually not exceeding 0.25 ms-1; the maximum displacement of the plumes from its point of origin was not greater than 1 m. The mean plumes diameter on the surface ranged 54 - 79.7 m and the arrival time to the surface was from 7.25 to 8.05 hours.

The article studies the impact of mercury-containing bottom sediments on the pollution of the surface water body – the Elkhovka River, which for a long time was affected by the enterprises of the Kirovo-Chepetsk industrial hub, to assess the possibility of ensuring the standard water quality in the Elkhovka River.Based on the data obtained as a result of determination of the mercury content in water samples, bottom sediments and measurements of the second-long water flow in the Elokhovka River along the watercourse length calculation of the mercury migration processes in the “water-bottom sediments” system has been carried out. 105 Water Sector of ruSSiascientific/practical journal No 5, 2020 г.It has been established that the decisive role in the formation of pollution belongs to migration processes in the system «water – bottom sediments», and the bottom sediments themselves have a dominant effect on the pollution of the Elkhovka River with mercury in c onc ent r at ion s e xc e e d i n g M P C i n fi s her y w at er. M i g r at ion of merc u r y f rom b ot t om s e d i ment s in the Elkhovka river riverbed in the coming years will not allow to ensure the standard water quality (MPC in fishery water) in the water body. A possible solution to this problem may be the laying of a new river channel with subsequent reclamation of the old channel.

The oval shaped Kathmandu valley stretches 30 km E-W and 25 km in N-S direction encompasing an area of about 647 sq. km. The valley is drained by 10 different tributaries of the Bagmati river forming a typical Centripetal drainage system. The drainages consisting of Dhobi khola from Shivapuri Range, Bishnumati khola from Shivapuri and Nagarjung ranges, Hanumante and Manohara kholas from Nagarkot range, Nakhu, Kodku and Godawari Kholas from Phulchowki range and Balkhu and Bosan kholas from Chandragiri range, have originated from different directions. Bagmati, Dhobi, Balkhu and Bosam kholas form the 4th order network whereas the remaining drainages form the 5th order network and the Kathmandu Valley as a whole is taken into the 6th order network.

Abstract A total of 30 specimens of the Amazonian electric knifefish, Brachyhypopomus beebei Schultz, 1944 (Gymnotiformes: Hypopomidae), were collected from the Peixe-Boi River in the state of Pará, Brazil (1°06’59” S; 47°18’26” W). Fragments of the brain tissue were extracted for analysis via optical microscopy, and 18 specimens (60%) presented microparasites of the genus Myxobolus, with unequal capsules. The spores were 18.6 µm (17.7-19.8 µm) long and 8.6 µm (8.4-9.0 µm) wide; the largest polar capsule was 13.0 µm (12.4-13.4 µm) long and 5.6 µm (5.3-6.0 µm) wide, and the smallest capsule was 5.0 µm (4.5-5.3 µm) long and 2.5 µm (2.3-2.6 µm) wide. Infected brain fragments were extracted for histological processing and staining with hematoxylin-eosin and Ziehl-Neelsen. Some fragments were conserved in ethanol for molecular genetics analysis. A partial sequence of the 18S DNA gene was obtained from the spores, which did not correspond to any other sequences deposited in GenBank, although it did form a clade with other Myxobolus parasites of the nervous system. The morphological data, together with molecular phylogeny, supported the designation of a new species Myxobolus freitasi n. sp.

Abstract Documenting neotectonic instabilities and determining the style and time of deformation in the vast and difficult to access central Amazonia region is challenging. We focus on these issues by investigating a large area of the Negro River drainage basin, applying morphostructural analysis based on synthetic aperture radar data. The digital elevation models of the C-band Shuttle Radar Topography Mission and the L-band Protection System of Amazonia were used as the database. We also used subsurface magnetic information from the Earth Magnetic Anomaly Grid global model to validate the morphostructures. The results revealed NW-oriented morphostructural lineaments bounding multiple depositional valley fills. These were extensively fragmented to form regularly distributed en échelon rectangular blocks commonly offset horizontally by several kilometers. Strike-slip faults and oblique, either normal or reverse, faults are present. These structures were reactivated along the main NE- and SW-oriented regional structural trends due to N-S-oriented horizontal compression and E-W-oriented horizontal extension in the late Pleistocene and Holocene. The extensive neotectonic faulting results from the interplay of plate motion and Andean uplifting since the late Pleistocene, combined with local stresses.

In this paper, a combination of high-calcium fly ash (HCFA) and ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) was used along with a combination of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium silicate(Na2SiO3 ) as alkaline activators (AAs) to produce geopolymer paste and mortar. The alkaline activator ratio (AAR) was maintained at 1.5 apart from their molarity at 10 for the study. A rational method, namely minimum voids approach was used for the mix design. A commercially available glass fibre mesh was used as reinforcement in the geopolymer mortar produced above, to assess its potential for use as a flooring tile. The influence of W/S (water-to-solids) ratio and the influence of various fine aggregates, namely, river sand (R), manufactured sand (M) and construction demolition waste (D) on the various geopolymer system (GP) and on the strength characteristics, are highlighted. A maximum transverse strength (TS) of 6.25 N/mm2 could be attained by the geopolymer tile, using three layers of glass fibre mesh and GP mortar developed. The study indicates that a combination of FA and GGBFS helps us to attain substantial strength under ambient temperature in geopolymer mortar

AbstractSubri River Forest Reserve (SR) is the most extensive forest area in Ghana with an accompanying rich floral species. Over the years, logging from both legally prescribed and illegal operations remain the predominant forest disturbance in SR. Gap creation following logging is crucial in determining tree species composition and diversity. Hence, the study evaluated the composition and diversity of naturally regenerated tree species in logging gaps of different sizes and, again examined the roles of these tree species in fulfilling the economic and ecological agenda of sustainable forest management after logging in SR. Twelve gaps were randomly selected: 4 each were grouped into small size (≤ 200 m2), medium size (201–300 m2), and large size (≥ 300 m2). Data were gathered from 1 m2 circular area at gap centres and repeatedly inside 1 m width strip along 20 m individual N-S-E-W transects. Species diversity differed significantly between gap sizes. Higher diversity indices were measured in large size gaps. Gap sizes shared similar species. There were significant differences among various height groupings of tree species across all three gap sizes. Pioneers preferred medium to large size gaps, while shade-tolerant tree species preferred small size gaps for their abundance. Vulnerable and Lower Risk Near Threatened tree species under Conservation Status and, Premium and Commercial tree species under Utilisation Status preferred small size gaps for their proliferation and conservation. Therefore, we recommend the single tree-based selective logging for ensuring creations of small to medium size (200–300 m2) gaps through adjustments to the logging permit process, revision of Allocation Quota Permit, strict adherence to the 40-year polycyclic selection system, along with more dedicated enforcement and monitoring. Changes along these protocols would tremendously facilitate natural regeneration of different suites of timber species resulting in the improvement of the overall biodiversity conservation associated with the forest, more sustainable forest harvests and more income to those who receive permits.

Environmental factors and meiofauna communities in the organic shrimp farms located in Tam Giang commune, Nam Can District, Ca Mau province were investigated in March (dry season), July (transfer season) and November (wet season) of 2015. The results recorded that the environmental factors were not quite optimal for shrimp farming such as the high percentage of TN and TOC and anaerobic condition in sediment. The results were also indicated that DO, TOC and TN showed significant correlation with characteristics of meiofauna communities. Following results were indicated that the meiofauna communities were expressed as the high abundance and slightly biodiversity that is a rich natural food sources for shrimp in the organic shrimp farms ponds. Further more, nematoda dominate numerically in the meiofauna communities. Keywords Biodiversity, Ca Mau, mangroves, meiofauna, organic shrimp farms References [1]. S. Trent, J. Williams, C. Thornton, M. Shanahan, Farming the sea, costing the earth: why we must green the blue revolution (2004).[2]. P. N. Hong, H. T. San, Mangroves of Vietnam 7 (1993) IUCN.[3]. B. T. Nga, Hệ thống rừng-tôm trong phát triển bền vững vùng ven biển đồng bằng sông Cửu Long, Tạp chí Khoa học Trường Đại học Cần Thơ 10 (2008) 6. [4]. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural development, 2016. https://tongcucthuysan.gov.vn/en-us/aquaculture/doc-tin/006222/2016-10-28/ca-mau-set-outs-to-become-viet-nams-largest-shrimp-hub. Truy cập ngày 14/8/2017.[5]. Thai agricutural standard (TAS), Organic marine shrimp farming, Royal Gazette 124 (2007)[6]. T. T. Thai, N. T. My Yen, N. Tho, N. X. Quang, Meiofauna in the mangrove–shrimp farms ponds, ca mau province. Journal of Science and Technology, 55 (2017) 271.[7]. N. Tho, V. N. Ut, R. Merckx, Physico‐chemical characteristics of the improved extensive shrimp farming system in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, Aquaculture Research 42 (2011) 1600.[8]. R. P. Higgins, H. Thiel, Introduction to the Study of Meiofauna, Smithsonian Institute Press, Washington DC, 1988.[9]. B. C. Coull, Role of meiofauna in estuarine soft‐bottom habitats, Austral Ecology 24 (1999) 327.[10]. N. Majdi, W. Traunspurger, Free-living nematodes in the freshwater food web: a review, Journal of nematology, 47(2015) 28.[11]. C. L. Marte, The Food and Feeding Habit of Penaeus Monodon Fabricius Collected From Makato River, Aklan, Philippines (Decapoda Natantia) 1, Crustaceana 38 (1980) 225.[12]. M. Vincx, Meiofauna in marine and freshwater sediments, In G. S. Hall (Ed.), Methods for the examination of organismal diversity in soils and sediments Wallinfort, UK, 1996[13]. S. Porrello, P. Tomassetti, L. Manzueto, M. G. Finoia, E. Persia, I. Mercatali, P. Stipa, The influence of marine cages on the sediment chemistry in the Western Mediterranean Sea, Aquaculture, 249 (2005) 145.[14]. P. Munsiri, C. E. Boyd, D. Teichert-Coddington, B. F. Hajek, Texture and chemical composition of soils from shrimp ponds near Choluteca, Honduras, Aquaculture International 4 (1996) 157.[15]. C.E. Boyd, Best management practices for water and soil management in shrimp farming. Workshop (2003) in MazatlaŁn, Mexico.[16]. X. N. Quang, A. Vanreusel, N. V. Thanh, N. Smol, Biodiversity of meiofauna in the intertidal Khe Nhan mudflat, Can Gio mangrove forest, Vietnam with special emphasis on free living nematodes, Ocean Science Journal 42 (2007) 135.[17]. X. N. Quang , A. Vanreusel, N. Smol, N. N. Chau, Meiobenthos assemblages in the mekong estuarine system with special focus on free-living marine nematodes, Ocean Science Journal 45 (2010) 213.[18]. S. Vanhove, M. Vincx, D.V. Gansbeke, W. Gijselinck, D. Schram, The meiobenthos of five mangrove vegetation types in Gazi Bay, Kenya, Hydrobiologia 247 (1992) 99.[19]. B. Kondalarao, Distribution of meiobenthic harpacticoid copepods in Gautami-Godavari estuarine system, Indian Journal of Marine Sciences 13 (1984) 80.[20]. A.M.A. Sultan, K. Krishnamurthy, M.J.P. Jeyaseelan,. Energy flows through the benthic ecosystem of the mangroves with special reference to nematodes. Mahasagar Bull. Nat. Inst. Oceanogr., 16 (1983) 317.[21]. A.H. Dye, Vertical and horizontal distribution of meiofauna in mangrove sediments in Transkei, Southern Africa, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 16 (1983) 591.[22]. D.M. Alongi, Intertidal zonation and seasonality of meiobenthos in tropical mangrove estuaries, Marine Biology 95 (1987) 447.[23]. N. K. Panikkar, Possibilities of further expansion of fish and prawn cultural practices in India, Current Science 21 (1952) 29.[24]. V. C. Chong, A. Sasekumar, Food and feeding habits of the white prawn Penaeus merguiensis, Marine ecology progress series 5 (1981) 185.[25]. Z. A. Ansari, B. S. Ingole, A. H. Abidi, Organic enrichment and benthic fauna–Some ecological consideration, Indian Journal of Geo-Marine Sciences 43 (2014) 554.

Key Performance Indicators in performance management system was attracted by researchers and practitioners. In order to effective implemented KPIs in SMEs, managers must deeply understand about the KPIs, role of KPIs, implemented KPIs. Based on the quantitative method by doing survey with 162 SEMs, author indicated the current situation of the perception of SMEs manager about the fundamental of KPI, roles of KPIs and difficulty implemented KPIs in performance management system. Based on the consistent theory about KPIs , author proposed some solution for manager to enhance their knowledge of KPIs. Keywords SMEs, KPIs , Performance appraisal References Ahmad, M. M., & Dhafr, N. (2002). Establishing and improving manufacturing performance measures. Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 18(3), 171-176. Aylin Ates, Patrizia Garengo, Paola Cocca, Umit Bititci (2013), The development of SME managerial practice for effective performance management, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 20(1), 28-54Ayoup, H., Omar, N. H., & Rahman, I. K. A. (2012). Implementation of Balance Scorecard (BSC) in a Malaysian GLC: Perceptions of Middle Managers. Asia-Pacific Management Accounting Journal, 7(2), 99-126.Barney, J. (1991), ‘Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage’ Journal of Management, 17(1), 99-120Cagliano, R., Blackmon, K. and Voss, C. (2001).Small firms under microscope: international differences in production/operations management practices and performance. Integrated Manufacturing Systems, 12, 469– 482.Corbett, L. M. (1998). Benchmarking manufacturing performance in Australia and New Zealand. Benchmarking for Quality Management & Technology, 5(4), 271-282. De Waal, A. A. (2003). Behavioral factors important for the successful implementation and use of performance management systems. Management Decision, 41(8), 688-697.Garengo, P., Biazzo, S., & Bititci, U. S. (2005). Performance measurement systems in SMEs: A review for a research agenda. International journal of management reviews, 7(1), 25-47.Epstein, M. J., & Roy, M.-J. (2001). Sustainability in action: Identifying and measuring the key performance drivers. Long range planning, 34(5), 585-604. Evans, N. (2005). Assessing the Balanced Scorecard as a Management Tool for Hotels, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality, Management Accounting, 17, 5 : 376-390.Jakelski, D., & Lebrasseur, R. (1997). Implementing continuous improvement in the North American mining industry. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 55(2), 165-177. Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., Anderson, R. E., & Tatham, R. L. (1998). Multivariate data analysis (Vol. 5): Prentice hall Upper Saddle River, NJ.Lado, A. A., & Wilson, M. C. (1994), ‘Human resource systems and sustained competitive advantage: A competency-based perspective’, Academy of management review, 19(4), 699-727.Mai Thanh Lan (2016), Xây dựng các năng lực cho nhà quản trị cấp trung nhằm nâng cao năng lực cạnh tranh của doanh nghiệp, Tạp chí Kinh tế & phát triển, 225, 90-99.Lê Quân (2015), Lãnh đạo doanh nghiệp Việt Nam: Hội đồng quản trị; Ban điều hành; Khung năng lực; Thẻ điểm cân bằng; Chỉ số hoàn thành, NXB Đại học Quốc Gia Hà Nội, Hà Nội.Martins, R.A. and Salerno, M.S. (1999). Use of new performance measurement system, some empirical findings. In Managing Operations Networks – VI International EurOMA Conference, Venice, Italy, 7–8 JuneParmenter, D. (2010). Key performance indicators (KPI): developing, implementing, and using winning KPIs: John Wiley & Sons.Rodriguez, R. R., Saiz, J. J. A., & Bas, A. O. (2009). Quantitative relationships between key performance indicators for supporting decision-making processes. Computers in Industry, 60(2), 104-113. Shahin, A., & Mahbod, M. A. (2007). Prioritization of key performance indicators: An integration of analytical hierarchy process and goal setting. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 56(3), 226-240.Nguyễn Đình Thọ (2012). Phương pháp nghiên cứu khoa học trong kinh doanh. Thiết kế và thực hiện. Hà Nội: Nhà xuất bản Lao động xã hộiTsai, Y.-C., & Cheng, Y.-T. (2012). Analyzing key performance indicators (KPIs) for E-commerce and Internet marketing of elderly products: A review. Archives of gerontology and geriatrics, 55(1), 126-132. Yeung, J. F., Chan, A. P., & Chan, D. W. (2009). A computerized model for measuring and benchmarking the partnering performance of construction projects. Automation in Construction, 18(8), 1099-1113.

The miniature paleocontinent in the region of the São Francisco River valley, in eastern Brazil, holds the record of two different glacial epochs. The late Cryogenian Jequitaí Formation from the Bambuí Group is up to 100 m thick and covers areas mainly in the central São Francisco craton. Evidences for glacial sedimentation are beautifully preserved E-W grooves and striations, dropstones within fine-grained rocks, and a full set of diamictites enclosing a rich and complex depositional history. The Jequitaí Formation is in close link with the tectonic evolution of the São Francisco paleocontinent and the West Gondwana amalgamation. From west, the precocious Paranapanema and São Francisco blocks collision in late Cryogenian flexured the foreland lithosphere and created depozones that were infilled by glacial sediments. Toward east, the rifting and opening of the Adamastor Ocean allowed thick glacial and non-glacial deposits to form through subaqueous gravitational sedimentation. From west to east, proximal and distal glaciomarine, glaciocontinental, and non-glacial resedimentation are identified and linked to the evolving continental masses and climate during the Cryogenian and beginning of Ediacaran. The late Paleozoic Santa Fé Group is the youngest record of glaciation on the São Francisco craton. It is 60–80 m thick and yields consistent and confident glacial evidences such as N-S striations on top of Cambrian sandstones, ice-rafted debris, and rain-out diamictite, all preserved in small and patchy areas in the west-central São Francisco craton. Paleocurrents suggest a northern ice center and sedimentary facies indicate deposition in continental lakes and rivers. Although late Paleozoic, its age is poorly constrained and likely correlated with the uppermost Itararé Group (Taciba Formation) of Paraná Basin in south Brazil. Deglaciation and strong isostatic adjustments make up the termination of the Santa Fé Group sedimentary record and depict a glaciocontinental system evolved on an interior stable continental crust. The late Neoproterozoic Jequitaí Formation and the late Paleozoic Santa Fé Group are parts of the earth’s sedimentary history preserving a rich record of climate, tectonic, and surface processes in part controlled by the evolving continental masses on the São Francisco craton.

The Ganga-Brahmaputra river system together forms one of the largest deltas in the world comprising some 59570 sq km. The waterpower resources of the Brahmaputra have been presumed to be the fourth biggest in the world being 19.83 x 103 m3s1. The entire lower portion of the Brahmaputra consists of a vast network of distributary channels, which are dry in the cold season but are inundated during monsoon. The catchment area of the entire river is about 580,000 sq km, out of which 195,000 sq km lies in India. The maximum discharge as measured at Pandu in 1962 was of the order of 72800 m3 s-1 while the minimum was 1750 m3 s-1 in 1968. The drainage pattern in the valley is of antecedent type while the yazoo drainage pattern is most significant over the composite flood plain to the south of the Brahmaputra. The Brahmaputra valley is covered by Recent alluvium throughout its stretch except a few isolated sedimentary hills in the upper Assam, inselbergs/bornhardt of gneissic hills in the Darrang, Kamrup and Goalpara districts and a few inlying patches of Older Alluvium in the Darrang and Goalpara districts. The basin is very unstable. The present configuration of the basin is the result of uplift and subsidence of the Precambrian crystalline landmasses. Four geotectonic provinces can be delineated in the N-E India through which the Brahmaputra flows. These are bounded by major tectonic lineaments such as the basement E-W trending Dauki fault, a NE-SW trending structural feature of imbricate thrusts known as 'belt of Schuppen' and the NW-SE trending Mishmi thrust. Hydrogeologically, the Brahmaputra basin can be divided into two distinct categories, viz(a) dissected alluvial plain and (b) the inselberg zone. The first category is rep resented in the flood plain extending from the south of Sub-Himalayan piedmont fan zone in the north to right upto the main rock promontory of Garo Hills and Shillong Plateau. The inselberg zone is characterized by fractured, jointed and weathered ancient crystalline rocks with interhill narrow valley plains, consisting of thin to occasionally thick piles of assorted sediments. From the subsurface lithological data, two broad groups of aquifers are identified. These are i) shallow water table and ii) deeper water table or confined ones, separated by a system of aquicludes. The shallow aquifer materials, in general, consist of white to greyish white, fine grained micaceous sand and the thickness ranges from 1.2 to 10.3 m. The sand and clay ratio varies from 1: 2.5 to 1:26. The bedrock occurs at depth ranges of 30.4 to 39.5 m. The materials of the deeper aquifers comprise grey to greyish white, fine to medium grained sand. The sand and clay ratio varies from 1:2 to 1:7. The effective size of the aquifer materials varies from 0.125 to 0.062 mm with uniformity co-efficient around 4.00, porosity 38 to 42%, co-efficient of permeability 304 to 390 galls per day/0.3m2. The ground water is mildly alkaline with pH value 6.5 to 8.5, chloride 10 to 40 ppm, bi-carbonate 50 to 350 ppm, iron content ranges from a fraction of a ppm to 50 ppm. Total dissolved solids are low, hardness as CaCo3 50 to 300 ppm, specific conductance at 25 °C 150 to 650 mhos/cm. The yield from shallow aquifers is 1440 litres to 33750 litres/hour and for deeper aquifers ~ 1700 litres/hour at a drawdown of 13.41 m, specific capacity 21 litres/minute. The temperatures of ground water are 23°-25° C during winter, 24°-26° C during pre-monsoon and 27°- 28° C during peak monsoon. The general hydraulic gradient in the north bank is 1:800 whereas in the south bank it is 1: 300-400 The Tertiary sediments yield a range of water from 200 to 300 l.p.m whereas the yield from the Older Alluvium is 500 to 700 1.p.m. The estimated transmissibility and co-efficient of storage is of the order of ~ 800 1.p.m/ m and 8.2 x 10-3 respectively. Depths to water levels range from 5.3 to 10m below land surface (b.l.s). In the Younger or Newer Alluvium, ground water occurs both under water table and confined conditions. Depths to water levels vary from ground level to 10 m b.l.s. Depth to water ranges from 6 m b.l.s. to 2 m above land surface. The yield of the deep tubewells ranges from 2 to 4 kl/minute for a drawdown of 3 m to 6 m. The transmissibility of the aquifers varies from 69 to 1600 l.p.m/m and the storage co-fficient is of the order of 3.52 x 10-2.

Postmodernism is supposed to identify the conditions of contemporary cultural production when human affairs in general, and the dissemination of prevailing ideas in particular, have become fully enmeshed in relations of commodity exchange. (Martin 2002, p. 30) The accumulation of capital within industrial economies keyed on the surplus value derived from the production of raw materials into mass manufactured products, and their subsequent exchange in the capitalist marketplace. Within what Poster (1990) described as the contemporary mode of information , surplus capital is generated from the manufacturing of product’s symbolic values, which in turn substantiate their use and ultimately exchange values within the consumer market. This, in essence, is the centrifugal process undermining the brand (Klein 1999), promotional (Wernick 1991), or commodity sign (Goldman and Papson 1996), culture that characterizes contemporary capitalism: Through the creative outpourings of “cultural intermediaries” (Bourdieu 1984) working within the advertising, marketing, public relations, and media industries, commodities—routinely produced within low wage industrializing economies—are symbolically constituted to global consuming publics. This postmodern regime of cultural production is graphically illustrated within the sporting goods industry (Miles 1998) where, in regard to their use value, highly non-differentiated material products such as sport shoes are differentiated in symbolic terms through innovative advertising and marketing initiatives. In this way, oftentimes gaudy concoctions of leather, nylon, and rubber become transformed into prized cultural commodities possessing an inflated economic value within today’s informational-symbolic order (Castells 1996). Arguably, the globally ubiquitous Nike Inc. is the sporting brand that has most aggressively and effectively capitalized upon what Rowe described as the “culturalization of economics” in the latter twentieth century (1999, p. 70). Indeed, as Nike Chairman and CEO Phil Knight enthusiastically declared: For years, we thought of ourselves as a production-oriented company, meaning we put all our emphasis on designing and manufacturing the product. But now we understand that the most important thing we do is market the product. We’ve come around to saying that Nike is a marketing-oriented company, and the product is our most important marketing tool. What I mean is that marketing knits the whole organization together. The design elements and functional characteristics of the product itself are just part of the overall marketing process. (Quoted in (Willigan 1992, p. 92) This commercial culturalization of Nike has certainly sparked considerable academic interest, as evidenced by the voluminous literature pertaining to the various dimensions of its practices of cultural production (Donaghu and Barff 1990; Ind 1993; Korzeniewicz 1994; Cole and Hribar 1995; Boje 1998; Goldman and Papson 1998; Lafrance 1998; Armstrong 1999; Denzin 1999; Penaloza 1999; Sage 1999; Lucas 2000; Stabile 2000). Rather than contribute to this body of work, our aim is to engage a sporting shoe company attempting to establish itself within the brand universe defined and dominated by Nike. For this reason we turn to German-based Puma AG: a dynamic brand-in-process, seeking to differentiate itself within the cluttered sporting landscape, through the assertion of a consciously fractured brand identity designed to address a diverse range of clearly-defined consumer subjectivities. Puma’s history can be traced to post-war Germany when, in 1948, a fraternal dispute compelled Rudolf Dassler to leave Adidas (the company he founded with his brother Adi) and set up a rival sports shoe business on the opposite bank of the Moselle river in Herzogenaurach. Over the next three decades the two companies vied for the leadership in the global sports shoe industry. However, the emergence of Nike and Reebok in the 1980s, and particularly their adoption of aggressive marketing strategies, saw both Adidas and Puma succumbing to what was a new world sneaker order (Strasser and Becklund 1991). Of the two, Puma’s plight was the more chronic, with expenditures regularly exceeding moribund revenues. For instance, in 1993, Puma lost US$32 million on sales of just US$190 million (Saddleton 2002, p. 2). At this time, Puma’s brand presence and identity was negligible quite simply because it failed to operate according to the rhythms and regimes of the commodity sign economy that the sport shoe industry had become (Goldman and Papson 1994; 1996; 1998). Remarkably, from this position of seemingly terminal decline, in recent years, Puma has “successfully turned its image around” (Saddleton 2002, p. 2) through the adoption of a branding strategy perhaps even more radical than that of Nike’s. Led by the company’s global director of brand management, Antonio Bertone, Puma positioned itself as “the brand that mixes the influence of sport, lifestyle and fashion” (quoted in (Davis 2002, p. 41). Hence, Puma eschewed the sport performance mantra which defined the company (and indeed its rivals) for so long, in favour of a strategy centered on the aestheticization of the sport shoe as an important component of the commodity based lifestyle assemblages, through which individuals are encouraged to constitute their very being (Featherstone 1991; Lury 1996). According to Bertone, Puma is now “targeting the sneaker enthusiast, not the guy who buys shoes for running” (quoted in (Davis 2002, p. 41). While its efforts to “blur the lines between sport and lifestyle” (Anon 2002, p. 30) may explain part of Puma’s recent success, at the core of the company’s turnaround was its move to diversify the brand into a plethora of lifestyle and fashion options. Puma has essentially splintered into a range of seemingly disparate sub-brands each directed at a very definite target consumer (or perceptions thereof). Amongst other options, Puma can presently be consumed in, and through: the upscale pseudo-Prada Platinum range; collections by fashion designers such as Jil Sander and Yasuhiro Mihara; Pumaville, a range clearly directed at the “alternative sport” market, and endorsed by athletes such as motocross rider Travis Pastrana; and, the H Street range designed to capture “the carefree spirit of athletics” (http://www.puma.com). However, Puma’s attempts to interpellate (Althusser 1971) a diverse array of sporting subjectivies is perhaps best illustrated in the “Nuala” collection, a yoga-inspired “lifestyle” collection resulting from a collaboration with supermodel Christy Turlington, the inspiration for which is expressed in suitably flowery terms: What is Nuala? NUALA is an acronym representing: Natural-Universal-Altruistic-Limitless-Authentic. Often defined as "meditation in motion", Nuala is the product of an organic partnership that reflects Christy Turlington's passion for the ancient discipline of Yoga and PUMA's commitment to create a superior mix of sport and lifestyle products. Having studied comparative religion and philosophy at New York University, model turned entrepreneur Christy Turlington sought to merge her interest in eastern practices with her real-life experience in the fashion industry and create an elegant, concise, fashion collection to complement her busy work, travel, and exercise schedule. The goal of Nuala is to create a symbiosis between the outer and inner being, the individual and collective experience, using yoga as a metaphor to make this balance possible. At Nuala, we believe that everything in life should serve more than one purpose. Nuala is more than a line of yoga-inspired activewear; it is a building block for limitless living aimed at providing fashion-conscious, independant women comfort for everyday life. The line allows flexibility and transition, from technical yoga pieces to fashionable apparel one can live in. Celebrating women for their intuition, intelligence, and individuality, Nuala bridges the spacious gap between one's public and private life. Thus, Puma seeks to hail the female subject of consumption (Andrews 1998), through design and marketing rhetorics (couched in a spurious Eastern mysticism) which contemporary manifestations of what are traditionally feminine experiences and sensibilities. In seeking to engage, at one at the same time, a variety of class, ethnic, and gender based constituencies through the symbolic advancement of a range of lifestyle niches (hi-fashion, sports, casual, organic, retro etc.) Puma evokes Toffler’s prophetic vision regarding the rise of a “de-massified society” and “a profusion of life-styles and more highly individualized personalities” (Toffler 1980, pp. 231, 255-256). In this manner, Puma identified how the nurturing of an ever-expanding array of consumer subjectivities has become perhaps the most pertinent feature of present-day market relations. Such an approach to sub-branding is, of course, hardly anything new (Gartman 1998). Indeed, even the sports shoe giants have long-since diversified into a range of product lines. Yet it is our contention that even in the process of sub-branding, companies such as Nike nonetheless retain a tangible sense of a core brand identity. So, for instance, Nike imbues a sentiment of performative authenticity, cultural irreverence and personal empowerment throughout all its sub-brands, from its running shoes to its outdoor wear (arguably, Nike commercials have a distinctive “look” or “feel”) (Cole and Hribar 1995). By contrast, Puma’s sub-branding suggests a greater polyvalence: the brand engages divergent consumer subjectivities in much more definite and explicit ways. As Davis (2002, p. 41) emphasis added) suggested, Puma “has done a good job of effectively meeting the demands of disparate groups of consumers.” Perhaps more accurately, it could be asserted that Puma has been effective in constituting the market as an aggregate of disparate consumer groups (Solomon and Englis 1997). Goldman and Papson have suggested the decline of Reebok in the early 1990s owed much to the “inconsistency in the image they projected” (1996, p. 38). Following the logic of this assertion, the Puma brand’s lack of coherence or consistency would seem to foretell and impending decline. Yet, recent evidence suggests such a prediction as being wholly erroneous: Puma is a company, and (sub)brand system, on the rise. Recent market performance would certainly suggest so. For instance, in the first quarter of 2003 (a period in which many of its competitors experienced meager growth rates), Puma’s consolidated sales increased 47% resulting in a share price jump from ?1.43 to ?3.08 (Puma.com 2003). Moreover, as one trade magazine suggested: “Puma is one brand that has successfully turned its image around in recent years…and if analysts predictions are accurate, Puma’s sales will almost double by 2005” (Saddleton 2002, p. 2). 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Historic-Archaeological Research of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milano on the Indus Delta (2010-2018). The following text is only an abridged note on the excavations at Banbhore and some significant extra-moenia surveys carried out by the Italian Team within the Institutional framework of a “Pak-French-Italian Historical and Archaeological Research at Banbhore” on the basis of a Licence issued by the competent Pakistani Authorities (2010-2015 - Coordinator of the Project Dr Kaleemullah Lashari), and, some later, within a new institutional asset: a “Memorandum of Understanding” (MoU) signed in the 2017 between the Director General of the Department of Antiquities of Sindh (Manzoor A. Kanasro) and the Magnifico Rettore of the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart of Milan (Prof. Franco Anelli). Aims of the said MoU are: (a) historical-archaeological research-work at Banbhore and Rani Kot; (b) training (theoretical and on the job) to selected students and officers of the DAS. The Italian group works under the sponsorship of the Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs (now Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation/MAECI). Scientific director for the Italian Team is Prof. Valeria Piacentini, member of the Board of Directors of the Research Centre CRiSSMA of the Catholic University. In the following dissertation I won’t linger on the debated issue about the identification of the site of Banbhore with historic sites on the Indus delta (the historical Mihrān river) mentioned and described in the written sources of the past. Too many respected scholars and archaeologists have entered this debate since the end of the 19th Century, for which I refer to a well-known exhaustive literature. In the “50s of the previous century, Leslie Alckok – then official to the Department of Archaeology of Pakistan – carried out some preliminary excavations, followed by Dr Rafique Mughal and F.A. Khan. This latter carried out a systematic and extensive archaeological campaign of several years between the “50s and the “60s, well backed by one of the most authoritative Pakistani historians, N.A. Baloch. Khan brought to light extraordinary archaeological and architectural evidence, but, unfortunately, his excavation-notes have gone lost and little or nothing has been published. Thence, our research-work had to start from nothing. First of all and most urgent was an updated planimetric and altimetric study of the site by kite-photos: a massive wall of c. 1,4 km with 55 towers, 7 posterns, and major and secondary accesses to the citadel (2010-2012 by Y. Ubelman, S. Reynard, A. Tilia), regularly updated with advanced technologies (A. Tilia). Then, in collaboration with Dr M. Kervran, head of the French Team, we undertook an accurate study of the bastions and the shapes of its towers (squared, U-shaped, circular), which has brought to envisage three main occupational phases of the intra-moenia area: 1. Indo-Parthian/Indo-Kushan phase (c. III-II Century b.CE – III-IV Century CE); 2. Sasanian/Indo-Sasanian phase (c. III-IV Century – early VIII Century CE); 3. Islamic phase (VIII – XII/early XIII Century CE). Decay and/or abandonment and end of any settled life on the site can be dated around the XII-early XIII Century, due to attacks and pillaging by Turco-Mongol nomadic tribes, and/or the deviation of this branch of the Indus delta and consequent filling of the harbour, or both. Archaeological evidence come to light confirms the historical information. Our third aim (2010-2015) was to arrive to a first chronological panorama of the site through levels in stratigraphy and the assemblage of pottery and other significant evidence with the individual levels (N. Manassero – A. Fusaro – A. Tilia). Deep trenches were excavated (T/7 and T/9 on the Italian side; T/1 on the French side near the western portion of the bastions skirting the Hindu Temple. These brought to the very early Sasanian period or late Indo-Parthian (c. II-III Century CE), then the water-table invaded the trenches preventing us to go deeper; however, drillings (T/9) have allowed to go deeper for c.1,8 mt of shards …thus reaching a much earlier occupational phase. The question about an Hellenistic occupation at the bottom of the site (Arrian’s harbour of Alexander) is still unanswered… a dream…but the importance of Banbhore has induced to take it seriously and include it within our priorities. Ours and the French trenches have also produced significant information on the architectural panorama of the site for its earlier periods of life. A main N-S and E-W road axis was traced. The site was organised in insulae, each insula with its pits of organic and inorganic refusals, densely built along narrow roads by small mono-nuclear houses, roofed, bases in local stones and the elevation in unbacked bricks. Interesting the presence of refusals of some crafts, as if each building had at the same time the function of “home” and workshop. The refusals shew activities of ivory-working (T/1,T/4, T/9), and other crafts carried out “within the bastions of the citadel”, such as glass, shells and mother of pearl, alloys and various metallurgic activities, too, and so on. Significant the presence of a wealth of clay-moulds. T/5 has produced a clay-mould nearly intact in its shape. No less interesting, in the deeper layers, the presence of a well arranged organisation of the hydraulic resources (small canals, little domed cisterns in roughly cut local stones, wells..: T/9). One element of the site attracted our attention: the so called “Partition Wall”. It has a North-South direction; then, it bends Eastwards, including the Mosque and the Eastern lagoon, but cutting out the majestic Southern Gate. So far, it had been interpreted as a Wall that had a “religious” or “social” function to separate – after the Islamic conquest – the Muslims from the non-Muslim inhabitants of the site. Manassero dedicated the 2014 Field-Season to investigate: T/7 and T/8 were the trenches that gave a new profile to this structure and to the general occupational organisation of the citadel during its last period of life. The round-shaped tower in mud-bricks and the walls on both sides show that they had been hurriedly erected in a late phase of the life of the citadel (around the end of the X – early XI Century CE). They had been built on the top of pre-existing buildings either abandoned and collapsed or hastily flatted-down, likely to defend this eastern portion of the site and its Mosque by some human ravage that had succeeded to open a breach in the lower western bastion leaving the higher north-eastern area exposed to attacks (the skeleton found by Dr Kervran on her portion of the wall, and Khan’s skeletons with arrow-heads in their skulls and chests). According to F.A. Khan’s excavations and what he left us in his little booklet that so far – printed and re-printed – is the guide for visitors to Banbhore, in the eastern portion of the site during the latest stage of its life still stood beautiful palaces, the Friday Mosque, markets, and an eastern gate where a staircase (still in situ in the 2015) brought to a lagoon at the foot of the eastern bastions and to the river. At the end of this first stage of our historical and archaeological research-work, the identification of the site of Banbhore with the historic Sasanian/Indo-Sasanian fortified harbour-town seemed quite feasible. When we resumed our field-work in the 2017, we decided to go deeper in this direction. In the meantime, Dr Manassero had resigned due to personal choices of life. Dr Simone Mantellini bravely accepted to be our Field-Director for the archaeological sector. T/9 had unearthed an imposing Building (Building 1) running along the East-West road-axis, parallel to a second Building (Building 2). The road – wide about 5 meters – must have been a major road, that had played a central role within the general architectural urban asset of the site. Building 2 had the typical structure of the local houses: base in rough stones, elevation in mud-bricks. Excavations of Building 1 produced fillings well flatted and an endless chronological procession of floors in row mud, likely the re-occupation of an important palace during the last phase of the occupational life of Banbhore. The material (pottery and others) associated with the various levels in stratigraphy (Dr A. Fusaro) confirmed the dating of the dug portion from c. the early XIII to the XI Century CE. Historically speaking, it makes sense: chronicles of the time report about the invasion of Lower Sindh by the Seljuks (second half of the XI Century CE); they indulge on the assaults against the walls of its great harbour-town named Daybul, its long siege concluded with a peace-treaty that fixed the border with Makrān at Gwadar and gave to Daybul an autonomous status (nāḥiya) within the Seljuk dominion of Qāvurd-Khān ibn Chaghrī Beg. More interesting was the copious filling with ivory refusals. Along Building 2, were found semi-worked shells, glass, iron and brass rivets, iron instruments, alloys, coins and other. This induced to think to a late quarter of work-shops outside the Partition Wall, built on previous buildings. Lastly, some surveys extra-moenia and in the Lahiri Bandar and Mullah-ka Kot islands have revealed a close connection and interaction between these spaces and the citadel. Around the bastions: the remains of a densely settled area and a well organised regulation of the waters and the territory, rock quarries, urban quarters, dwellings, cairn-tombs (some of them re-used), an artificial lake of sweet water delimited to the south by a “barrage”, wells, and a vast so called “industrial area” to the north-northwest of the bastions, pottery kilns and others completed the image of a urban asset at least for a given span of time. Architectural and archaeological evidences have regularly been graphically, photographically and topographically documented (A. Tilia). Archaeometric analyses on the job (pottery, metals, alloys, coins…) and in Italy (ivory, glass, clay-moulds, shards…) have provided precious support and new elements to the archaeological work. We are now confronted with the plan of a positive shahristān. Banbhore is no longer only a fortified citadel. Written sources in Arabic and Persian confirm this feature. After the Jan.-Feb. 2018 field-season, the Islamic occupational phase of Banbhore and the “archaeological park” surrounding it enhanced this image: a positive fluvial and maritime system stemmed out, a well-fortified system and harbour-town, a centre of mercantile power, production and re-distribution of luxury goods, an international centre of pilgrimage and religious learning, too, outlet to the sea of the capital-city of the moment. For the forthcoming field-seasons, it was decided to concentrate the attention on the sector where the North-South axis crosses the East-West one. In particular: to further investigate Building 1; to look for the ivory-workshops that must be there around – given the copious pieces so far brought to light and used as refilling (more than 9.000 fragments) and some fragments of rough ivory (specialist of the Italian Team G. Affanni); to organise a deep-trench in the Pakistani sector (T/11), in order to resume Manassero’s investigations on the urban and architectural features of the pre-Islamic phases...and (why not?) try to overcome the water-table problem with the technological support offered by the Bahrya University of Karachi…the much dreamed quest of Alexander the Macedonian’s port. All in all and to conclude. Nowadays, at the end of this first stage of historical and archaeological research-work in collaboration with the DAS, the identification of the site of Banbhore and its surrounding area with the Sasanian/Indo-Sasanian and the Early-Islamic well-fortified harbour-town of Daybul/Debol can be confirmed. No other site with the characteristics described by the written sources of the time (chronicles, geographies, travelogues…plus Marco Polo and some significant Genoese archival documents) has so far come to light on the Indus deltaic region. Conversely, still un-answered are other queries: Banbhore can be identified also with the great harbour of Alexander the Macedonian? Or with the Barbaricum/Barbarikon/Barbariké, harbour-town of Parthian rulers or local lords of “Skuthia”, also mentioned in the Periplus Maris Erythraei? Or again with Dib/Deb, harbour mentioned in a Parthian-Manichaean text? Or again the Dibos of Greek sources? Or the Dêbuhl/Dêphul of an Arminian text à propos of the Prophet Mani? Wishful thinking; however, these queries represent some amongst the ambitious aims of our future research-work.

SuicideGirls.com In September 2001 two entrepreneurs Missy (coal-black Betty Page bangs and numerous tattoos) and Sean launched SuicideGirls.com. With their backgrounds in graphic design, programming and photography, they came up with the idea of launching an alternative adult site that started out as “a kind of an art project” — it grew out of an interest in Bunny Yeager’s pinup photos, where the control and attitude of the sexy women were emphasized, only now it was about pierced and tattooed females. Missy describes the portrayal of women on the site in the following words: The site is about the girls being in control and being in charge of how they’re portrayed. It’s also proof that sexuality and beauty aren’t mutually exclusive of intelligence, and we wanted to showcase all of the girls, but leave people guessing a little bit. There’s no need to go full-blown porno. SuicideGirls.com is an adult community that offers a mix of eroticism, creativity, personality and intelligence. SuicideGirls is about so-called empowered eroticism; it provides a site where girls outside of mainstream culture can express their individual style through soft erotic images, and web logs. Every week the site introduces new SuicideGirls, every day new pictures are added; a full national calendar of events is frequently updated and is searchable by location, date or keyword — members can be looked up by name, age, location or keywords; the site also features a magazine section with original fiction, articles and interviews with celebrities. What makes this site especially interesting is that each SuicideGirl has her own page featuring a pertinent profile with personal information such as age, stats, body mods, favorite books, music, sex positions, and current crushes. She can also put up pictures and video materials — including a web cam — of herself, express her thoughts and share her daily experiences in a blog, comment on other blogs and message boards, chat in designated chat rooms, and organize online and offline events. Kate78, Texan-born, is a regular blogger. She writes about her studies in Kansas City, a city she has come to hate after she learned that her car insurance could only be renewed in Texas. She describes herself as a “punk rock chick” — illustrated by pictures that show her with long spiky hair; she has got her nose pierced and her many tattoos — and a “suicidegirl”. There are plenty of blogs — e.g. LiveJournal, Blogspot, Punklog — where girls write about wanting to become a SuicideGirl. The girls are mainly motivated by a wish to share their bodily art paralleled by a sense of being in control over their image and admirers (they keep control over the photo sets and shoots). SuicideGirls.com is foremost an online community and therefore girls from all over the world can potentially become a SuicideGirl, as long as they have access to the Internet in order to publish to their personal page. These girls are in charge of their own online presentation, supported by a lively community where both women and men interact by reading and posting to the girls and each other’s blogs. In addition, members of the site can also post local events to the SuicideGirl calendar or the message boards, comment on pictures, and even hook up with one another. With the ability for members to create their own page, with their own profile picture and personal information, members can search for one another based on location, age, sex and personal preferences. Indeed, not only the SuicideGirls themselves have online pages to fill: subscribers to SuicideGirls.com have similar ‘privileges’, with the exception that they have to pay a small fee of $4 per month — though they can never refer to themselves as SuicideGirl: anyone entering the site has to log in as either ‘SuicideGirl’ or ‘Member’. Thus, SuicideGirls.com mixes a DIY attitude with alternative culture — especially Gothic, Punk and Emo — resulting in an appealing grassroots approach to sexuality that is of interest to both women and men. At the same time, the public identity of a SuicideGirl is constructed within a particular textual context dependent on commercial drivers. Through attracting fans on the basis of her “autonomous” self-representation — Goth fans, for instance — she brings in customers, raising questions about the tensions between “grassroots” self-representation and corporate branding. Collaborative Eroticism as Business Model We should document the interactions that occur among media consumers, between media consumers and media texts and between media consumers and media producers. The new participatory culture is taking shape at the intersection between three trends: 1) new tools and technologies enable consumers to archive, annotate, appropriate and re-circulate media content; 2) a range of subcultures promote do-it-yourself (DIY) media production, a discourse that shapes how consumers have deployed those technologies; and 3) economic trends favoring the horizontally integrated media conglomerates encourage the flow of images, ideas and narratives across multiple media channels and demand more active modes of spectatorship” (Jenkins 157). Traditionally the organization of economic production is based on the idea that individuals order their productive activities either on managerial hierarchies, or on production that is based on market prices (Benkler). Peer production represents a new mode of organizing that is not based on relations of dependence (managerial hierarchies) nor relations of independence (markets) rather peer production involves relations of interdependence. Peer production is a heterarchy characterized by relations of minimal hierarchy and by organizational heterogeneity (Stark). While traditionally structured organizations attempt to maximize internal order and control by enforcing a hierarchical system and establishing standards and clear lines of authority (Powell), heterarchies exist through permitting and even fostering a diversity of organizational logics and minimizing conformity (Chan). With the introduction of Mosaic and the Pentium chip in the mid-1990s the notion of the organization of production profoundly changed. The Internet could be used for more than looking up information or sending email. Instead, it offers a structure where participants are not organized by managerial hierarchies nor governed by price signals rather where people formed networks to collaborate in open source software projects or effectively constructing ‘user-created search engines’ for the exchange of e.g., music files, games (KaZaA, Gnutella), news and chat. While the present moment is marked by a legal standoff between robust communities of users (cultural co-producers) and the established media industry (particularly the music and film industry), some elements of the corporate media world have taken a different approach, embracing the new technological use rather than attempting to outlaw it. These corporations have found their way to online participatory networks and are attempting to use them for their own good. For instance, companies like Coca-Cola, BMW, and Apple offer online spaces – often in the form of thinly veiled advertisements (‘advertainment’) – where people can play games, watch movies, share files and the like in order to create or promote a company’s product, service or brand. They crucially rely upon blurring the boundaries between production, distribution and consumption, encouraging the target audience to work for them. Whether by playing games with embedded advertising, or inadvertently sending marketing information back to advertisers, or simply by passing advertising texts within one’s circle of friends, the target audience and the larger dynamic of participatory networks are ‘used’ by corporations to achieve their ends. SuicideGirls.com is a good example example of this emerging mode of (commons-based) peer production in a digitally networked environment – i.e. groups of individuals who participate in online shared spaces driven by diverse motivations, and serving corporate as well as community needs. The SuicideGirls’ blogs are the shared currency that binds SuicideGirls.com and its erotic consumers together as a “community”: SuicideGirls.com taps into online communities by enabling collaborative eroticism. Moving beyond adult entertainment, this trend of using blogs for commercial purposes raises interesting questions regarding, on the one hand, the cultural status of online blogging from a commercial perspective, e.g., how should we consider the cultural status of artifacts such as blogs that have commerce at the core of their identity: Can we speak of a displacement of aesthetic experience by the branding experience, or might these two experiences be seen as part of a continuum?; and, on the other hand, regarding participatory culture in a commercially mediated environment: e.g., What is the status of b2c, c2c, and p2p in a commercially structured network; What are the implications for user appropriation? The answers to these questions among others studied by various academic disciplines may contribute to the building of a framework for examining the consequences of this strategic shift towards relating to, reaching out to and linking online customers in a commercial web (b)log. 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London: Pandora Press, 1990. MLA Style Van der Graf, Shenja. "Blogging Business: SuicideGirls.com." M/C Journal 7.4 (2004). 10 October 2004 <http://www.media-culture.org.au/0410/07_suicide.php>. APA Style Van der Graf, S. (2004 Oct 11). Blogging Business: SuicideGirls.com, M/C Journal, 7(4). Retrieved Oct 10 2004 from <http://www.media-culture.org.au/0410/07_suicide.php>