Academic literature on the topic 'Wheat debris'

Various factors influencing the amount of disease on the stem-base of wheat, when grown as a component of a bicrop, with white clover, are described. The amount of crop debris on the soil surface remained higher in monocrop than bicropped plots. Furthermore, the rate of debris decay was faster in bicrops than in monocrops. Population levels of P. herpotrichoides and Fusarium spp. were higher on debris within bicrops than on debris within monocrop plots. However, because debris decomposition was more rapid in bierops, inoculum availability was of shorter duration in bicrops than monocrop plots. ln soil, populations of P. herpotrichmoides were greater in bicropped plots than in monocrops, although no significant differences were observed for Fusarium spp. population levels. Pathogen cross-infection between bicrop components and changes in microclimate within crop canopies were shown to occur, and isolates of Fusarium from clover were shown to induce significant levels of disease on cereal seedlings. The effects of each of these factors on disease development are discussed in relation to previous reports of disease levels in the field.

he time necessary to larvae of <em>Rhyzopertha dominica</em> to drill kernels with or without dusts (semolina or debris from adults), and the possibility of development on semolina were evaluated. T ests were carried out on durum wheat kernels (<em>Triticum durum</em> Desfontaines), debris deriving from rearing, and semolina. Development was observed also on 0.5 and 6 mm of semolina and of debris. T hirty replicates were carried out for each test. The number of first instar larvae, that successfully drill sound kernels within 10 days, was higher by adding semolina or debris. When only kernels were provided, the time needed to larvae to drill increased. Development and the number of emerging adults were not significantly influenced by the addition of semolina to the kernels. Larvae couldn&rsquo;t develop on 0.5 mm, while an equal number of individuals completed the development to adult in 6 mm of semolina as in the tests with kernels. When development was on debris, a lower number of emerged adults was observed.

The spatial pattern of Fusarium head blight (FHB) incidence was studied in 70 winter wheat fields in New York over a period of 3 years. Incidence of FHB was randomly distributed among 60 sampling areas in 64 of the 70 fields. Fields with random FHB ranged from 0.05 to 23% in average incidence of FHB and followed bean, cabbage, corn, oat, pea, sorghum, and soybean. There was strong evidence of aggregation in FHB only in three fields that had large concentrations of corn debris. Many fields had small, scattered fragments of corn debris in evidence from a corn crop two or more years prior to wheat. The lack of aggregation in FHB and low incidences of FHB in these fields suggests that weathered corn debris contributed relatively little within-field inoculum for FHB. Based on the predominantly random patterns of FHB, disease in rotational wheat fields of New York appears to be initiated primarily by deposition of spores from diffuse atmospheric populations of G. zeae. We hypothesize that these airborne spores may originate largely from inoculum sources external to wheat fields. Over-wintered corn residue, especially from the preceding crop season, on the soil surface is the most likely potential source of regional atmospheric inoculum for FHB in New York. Accepted for publication 10 March 2003. Published 18 April 2003.

AbstractWe monitored emergence of morning-glory, pigweed, and prickly sida from seeded populations in no-till plots with no debris (reference plots) or with crimson clover, subterranean clover, rye, or wheat debris. Cover crops were either desiccated by glyphosate or mowed and tilled into the soil. Debris levels, soil temperature, moisture, pH, nitrate, total phenolic acid and compaction were monitored during May to August in both 1992 and 1993. Seedling emergence for all three weed species ranged from <1 to 16% of seeds sown. Surface debris treatments delayed weed seedling emergence compared with the reference plots. Rye and wheat debris consistently suppressed weed emergence; in contrast, the effects of clover debris on weed emergence ranged from suppression to stimulation. Gfyphosate application resulted in a longer delay and greater suppression of seedling emergence in May than in April. In 1993, plots in which living biomass was tilled into the soil were also included and monitored. Weed seedling emergence was stimulated when living biomass was incorporated into the soil. Covariate, correlation and principle component analyses did not identify significant relationships between weed seedling emergence and soil physical and chemical characteristics (e.g., total phenolic acid, nitrate, moisture, temperature). We hypothesize that the observed initial delay of the weed seedling emergence for all three species was likely due to low initial soil moisture. The subsequent rapid recovery of seedling emergence of morning-glory and pigweed but notprickfy sida in the clover compared with the small grain debris plots was likely due to variation in soil allelopathic agents or nitrate-N levels. The stimulation of weed seedling emergence when living biomass was incorporated into the soil was likely caused by an increase in “safe” germination sites coupled with the absence of a zone of inhibition resulting from tillage.

The higher magnifications and resolution possible with scanning electron microscopy can provide more detailed information on chromosome morphology than light microscopy. However, overlying cell debris can obscure surface details. A method is described whereby standard organic acid–alcohol fixatives and slightly modified techniques of routine plant chromosome squash preparations can be used to provide samples of mitotic and meiotic chromosomes of wheat suitable for examination by scanning electron microscopy.Key words: scanning electron microscopy, light microscopy, wheat, chromosomes.

Knowledge of the movement of Gibberella zeae (Fusarium graminearum) from a local source of inoculum in infested cereal debris is critical to the management of Fusarium head blight (FHB) of wheat. Previous spatial dissemination and infection studies were unable to completely distinguish the contributions of released inocula from those of background inocula. Clones of G. zeae were released and recaptured in five wheat fields in New York and Virginia in 2007 and 2008. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms were used to track and unambiguously identify the released clones in heterogeneous populations of the fungus recovered from infected wheat spikes collected at 0, 3, 6, and ≥24 m from small-area sources of infested corn residues. The percent recovery of the released clones decreased significantly at fairly short distances from the inoculum sources. Isolates of G. zeae recovered at 0, 3, 6, and ≥24 m from the center of source areas shared 65, 19, 13, and 5% of the genotypes of the released clones, respectively. More importantly, the incidence of spike infection attributable to released clones averaged 15, 2, 1, and <1% at 0, 3, 6, and ≥24 m from source areas, respectively. Spike infection attributable to released clones decreased an average of 90% between 3 and 6 m from area sources of inoculum, and the spike infection potential of inocula dispersed at this range did not differ significantly from background sources. Our data suggest that FHB field experiments including a cereal debris variable should incorporate debris-free borders and interplots of at least 3 m and preferably 6 m to avoid significant interplot interference from spores originating from within-field debris.

The survival of the mycobiota on pod and stem debris of soybean produced in a no-tillage system with cover crops of alfalfa, canola, rye, or wheat or with no cover was studied during 1994 and 1995. Fiberglass mesh bags containing pods and stems were assayed every 28 to 31 days to determine the isolation frequency of fungi. Over 90% of the 11,906 isolates obtained were members of the Deuteromycotina. The most common genera isolated were Alternaria, Cercos-pora, Colletotrichum, Epicoccum, Fusarium, and Phoma. Alternaria spp. had the greatest isolation frequencies and constituted 40% of the total cultures. Numbers of total fungi (all fungi isolated) on sampling dates in 1994 were similar to the totals in 1995. In May 1994, the mean isolation rates for many of the fungal species were significantly lower (P = 0.05) in several of the cover crops, but no consistent pattern could be determined. Common soybean pathogens isolated included Colletotrichum spp., Diaporthe spp., and Cercospora kikuchii. Fusarium graminearum, which is responsible for several diseases of maize and wheat, was commonly isolated during this study. Of the Diaporthe spp. (anamorph Phomopsis spp.), 87% were identified as D. phaseolorum var. sojae. Colletotrichum spp. were identified as C. truncatum in 85% of the isolates, C. destructivum (teleomorph Glomerella glycines) in 12%, and both species in 3%. Cercospora kikuchii was more commonly isolated from pods than from stem tissue, and Colletotrichum spp. occurred more frequently on stems. Isolation frequencies of Diaporthe spp. were greater in May of both years than in the preceding months. These results show that no-tillage soybean debris harbors numerous fungi pathogenic to soybean, and producers who grow soybeans continuously may find more disease in this crop and lower yields. Fungi that attack crops such as maize and wheat were commonly isolated from soybean debris in both years, and a no-tillage rotation which includes maize or wheat could result in increased disease in these crops. Isolation frequencies of the fungi from cover crops varied with the sampling date, but no consistent patterns could be determined for a particular cover crop or fungal species. This is the first detailed study of survival rates of soybean, maize, and wheat pathogens that overwinter on soybean debris in a no-tillage system.

Abstract Polarimetric measurements recorded by a mobile X-band radar are combined with photographs of the Dodge City, Kansas, tornado to quantitatively document the evolving debris cloud. An inner annulus or tube of high radar reflectivity encircled the tornado at low levels. A column of low cross-correlation coefficient ρhv was centered on the funnel cloud during the early stage of the tornado’s life cycle. In addition, two areas of low ρhv were located near the inner annulus of high radar reflectivity and were hypothesized to be regions of high debris loading that have been reproduced in simulations of lofted debris. Another column of low ρhv was a result of strong wind speeds that were progressively lofting small debris and dust as inflow rotated around and within the weak echo notch of the hook echo. A column of negative differential reflectivity ZDR was also centered on the tornado and was hypothesized to result from common debris alignment. The polarimetric structure undergoes a dramatic transition when the debris cloud was prominent and enveloped most of the funnel cloud. The weak echo column (WEC) began to fill at lower levels as large amounts of debris were lofted into the circulation. The axis of minimum ρhv shifted to a radius just beyond the funnel cloud. A column of positive ZDR was collocated with the funnel surrounded by negative ZDR. The negative ZDR and low ρhv within the debris cloud were likely the result of some common debris alignment from wheat stems. The positive ZDR within the funnel signified the presence of a few hydrometeors.

Ascocarps of Phaeosphaeria nodorum, which causes Stagonospora nodorum blotch (SNB) of wheat, have not been found by others in the eastern United States despite extensive searches. We sampled tissues from living wheat plants or wheat debris in Kinston, NC, each month except June from May to October 2003. Additional wheat samples were gathered in Kinston, Salisbury, and Plymouth, NC, in 2004 and 2005. For the 3 years, in all, 2,781 fruiting bodies were dissected from the wheat tissues and examined microscopically. Fruiting bodies were tallied as P. nodorum pycnidia or ascocarps, “unknown” (not containing spores, potentially P. nodorum or other fungi), or “other fungi.” In the 2003 sample, asco-carps of P. nodorum were present each month after May at a frequency of 0.8 to 5.4%, and comprised a significantly higher percentage of fruiting bodies from wheat spikes than of those from lower stems and leaves. Ascocarps also were found at frequencies <10% in some wheat debris samples from 2004 and 2005. Analysis of the nucleotide sequences of internally transcribed spacer regions of 18 genetically distinct North Carolina isolates from 2003 suggested that all were P. nodorum, not the morphologically similar P. avenaria f. sp. triticea. Neither the 18 isolates from 2003 nor a set of 77 isolates derived from 2004 Kinston leaf samples gave reason to suspect a mating-type imbalance in the larger P. nodorum population (P ≥ 0.4). We conclude that, in North Carolina, sexual reproduction plays a role in initiation of SNB epidemics and the creation of adaptively useful genetic variability, although its relative importance in structuring this population is uncertain.

Gibberella zeae (anamorph: Fusarium graminearum) is the causal agent of fusarium head blight (FHB) and maize ear rot, two major diseases of wheat and corn in Eastern Canada.
In Quebec, Microsphaeropsis sp., an antagonist of Venturia inaequalis, the causal agent of apple scab, was isolated from the apple leaf litter. This fungus, well adapted to Quebec climate, can reduce the initial inoculum of V. inaequalis. FHB and Gibberella ear rot are similar to apple scab because the major inoculum source comes from melanized structures produced on crop residues. Consequently, we evaluated the potential of Microsphaeropsis sp. (isolate P130A) to inhibit ascospore production of G. zeae when applied to crop residues as post harvest or pre-planting applications. Under in vitro conditions, the antagonist significantly reduced ascospore production on wheat and corn residues, when applied prior to (82% and 92% respectively) or at the same time as the pathogen (36% and 58% respectively). Under field conditions, the antagonist had no effect on the pattern of perithecia maturation but significantly reduced the number of ascospores produced on two sampling dates, May 1998 and July 1999. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

The architectures of debris disks encode the history of planet formation in these systems. Studies of debris disks via their spectral energy distributions (SEDs) have found infrared excesses arising from cold dust, warm dust, or a combination of the two. The cold outer belts of many systems have been imaged, facilitating their study in great detail. Far less is known about the warm components, including the origin of the dust. The regularity of the disk temperatures indicates an underlying structure that may be linked to the water snow line. If the dust is generated from collisions in an exo-asteroid belt, the dust will likely trace the location of the water snow line in the primordial protoplanetary disk where planetesimal growth was enhanced. If instead the warm dust arises from the inward transport from a reservoir of icy material farther out in the system, the dust location is expected to be set by the current snow line. We analyze the SEDs of a large sample of debris disks with warm components. We find that warm components in single-component systems (those without detectable cold components) follow the primordial snow line rather than the current snow line, so they likely arise from exo-asteroid belts. While the locations of many warm components in two-component systems are also consistent with the primordial snow line, there is more diversity among these systems, suggesting additional effects play a role.

Les maladies foliaires fongiques sont une contrainte majeure des systèmes céréaliers. Elles constituent par ailleurs de précieux modèles d'étude pour comprendre comment commence une épidémie, questionnement récurrent en épidémiologie végétale. Dans cette thèse ont été étudiés trois des principaux déterminants des phases précoces des épidémies de septoriose du blé causée par Zymoseptoria tritici : quantité, efficacité et origine de l'inoculum primaire. L'étude a porté sur deux épidémies successives dans deux parcelles de blé proches l’une de l’autre au sein d'un dispositif pluriannuel (2011-2013 ; Grignon, France). La première parcelle, caractérisée par l'absence de résidus, était exposée à des sources distantes d'inoculum primaire, et la seconde, en monoculture de blé depuis plusieurs années, présentait une quantité importante de résidus contaminés agissant comme source locale d'inoculum primaire. Dans la première partie de la thèse, la capture d’ascospores à l’aide d’un piège volumétrique couplé à une quantification de l'ADN par qPCR a permis de quantifier l'inoculum primaire présent dans l'air au-dessus des parcelles pendant les phases épidémiques précoces. Les limites de détection et de quantification ont été déterminées, discutées et utilisées afin d'estimer de faibles quantités d’ascospores. Ni la présence locale de résidus contaminés ni la quantité d’inoculum au-dessus des parcelles n'ont été corrélées avec la précocité des deux épidémies. Dans la seconde partie, la pathogénicité des ascospores et des pycnidiospores de Z. tritici a été estimée sur plante adulte et comparée. La période de latence consécutive à une infection par ascospore a été plus longue de 60 degrés-jour qu’après une infection par une pycnidiospore. Dans la troisième partie de la thèse, qui visait à identifier l'origine de l'inoculum primaire, deux stratégies ont été adoptées. La première stratégie a consisté à rechercher des changements dans la structure génétique de différentes sous-populations collectées dans les deux parcelles sur une période de trois années en utilisant des marqueurs neutres (SSR). Aucune structure n'a été identifiée, mais de légères différenciations chez certaines sous-populations, cohérentes avec le contexte épidémiologique (nature du cycle de reproduction dont elles découlent, période épidémique, intensité de maladie), ont été mises en évidence. Ces résultats n'ont toutefois pas permis de déterminer l'origine de l'inoculum primaire puisqu'aucune différence entre les sous-populations résidantes (locales) et immigrantes (distantes), ni de discontinuité génétique entre sous-populations de fin (saison n) et de début d'épidémie (saison n+1), n'a été mise en évidence. La seconde stratégie a consisté à comparer le profil d'agressivité (capacité de sporulation et période de latence) d’une population de Z. tritici collectée en début d’épidémie dans la parcelle en monoculture de blé, à celui d'une population résidante (ascospores issues des résidus présents dans la parcelle) et d'une population immigrante (lésions provoquées par des ascospores d'origine distante). Le profil de la population testée, plus proche de celui de la population résidante, a suggéré que l'épidémie avait été déclenchée majoritairement par un inoculum primaire d’origine locale. Il ressort de cette étude de cas qu’une gestion quantitative (réduction) de l'inoculum primaire serait probablement très peu efficace, tandis que sa gestion qualitative, tenant compte de l'adaptation différentielle de populations pathogènes à leurs hôtes, mériterait d’être intégrée dans des stratégies de protection (alternance de variétés dans le temps). Pour finir, la définition du début et de la fin d'une épidémie a été discutée, selon que l’on se place à une échelle annuelle (absence de l’hôte comme critère de début/fin) ou pluriannuelle (discontinuité de pression pathogène comme critère de début/fin, indépendamment de l’absence de l'hôte)
Fungal foliar diseases are a major constraint to cereal production systems. They constitute relevant models to elucidate how an epidemic begins, which is a recurrent question in plant disease epidemiology. In this thesis three of the main components of the early stages of the epidemics of septoria tritici blotch, a wheat disease caused by Zymoseptoria tritici, were studied: the quantity, the efficiency and the origin of primary inoculum. The study focused on epidemics occurring over the 2011-2013 cultural seasons in two wheat plots located close to each other in Grignon (France). The first plot, characterized by the absence of debris, was exposed to distant sources of primary inoculum, while the second plot, grown in wheat for several years, had a large amount of contaminated debris acting as a local source of primary inoculum. In the first part of the thesis, ascospore trapping using a volumetric spore trap combined with DNA quantification by qPCR allowed to quantify the inoculums present in the air above the wheat plots during the early stages of the epidemics. The limits of detection and quantification were determined, discussed and used to estimate small amounts of ascospores. Neither the local presence of contaminated debris nor the quantity of inoculum above the plots was correlated with the earliness of the epidemics. In the second part, the pathogenicity of Z. tritici ascospores and pycnidiospores was estimated on adult plants. The latent period following infections by ascospores was 60 degree-days longer than following infection by pycnidiospores. In the third part of the thesis, which aimed to identify the source of primary inoculum, two strategies were developed. The first strategy investigated changes in the genetic structure of different subpopulations collected from both wheat plots over a period of three years using neutral markers (SSR). No structure was identified, but slight differentiations in some subpopulations, consistent with the epidemiological context (nature of the reproduction cycle from which they derived, epidemic period, disease intensity) were highlighted. These results, however, did not allow to determine the origin of the primary inoculum because no difference between resident (local) and immigrant (distant) subpopulations, or a genetic discontinuity between subpopulations from the end (season n) and the beginning of epidemics (season n + 1), were identified. The second strategy compared the aggressiveness profile (sporulation capacity and latent period) of a Z. tritici population collected at the beginning of an epidemic in the monoculture wheat plot and of a resident population (ascospores ejected from debris present in the plot) and to an immigrant population (leaf lesions caused by ascospores of distant origin). The profile of the tested population, closer to that of the resident population, suggested that the epidemic was mainly initiated by primary inoculum of local origin. This case study showed that a quantitative management (reduction) of the primary inoculum would be probably inefficient, while its qualitative management, taking into account the differential adaptation of pathogen populations to their hosts, deserves to be taken into account in crop protection strategies (alternating wheat cultivars in time). Finally, the definition of the beginning and the end of an epidemic was discussed, depending if we consider an annual scale (absence of the host as a beginning or end criterion) or a multiannual scale (pathogen pressure discontinuity as the beginning or end criterion, regardless of the absence of the host)

Le premier chapitre de cette thèse étudie l’efficience d’accumulation des RI et de la stérilisation dans les pays dollarisés et endettés, en mesurant le coefficient de stérilisation, et le coefficient de retournement. Ce chapitre explore le lien existant entre les sources des réserves et les dettes externes. En appliquant le modèle de régression 2SLS, nous identifions les variables explicatives qui nous permettent d’estimer les coefficients cités. Les résultats obtenus indiquent que malgré l’application théorique et correcte de la politique de stérilisation, les contraintes économiques contribuent à réduire l’efficience attendue des politiques monétaires. Le deuxième chapitre consiste à envisager les probabilités des pays endettés de tomber en crises financières malgré le fait qu’ils accumulent les réserves internationales agissant en tant que choc modérateur et/ou auto-assurance. Nous utilisons l’Indicateur de Stress Financier ISF, proposé par Balakrishnan et al (2009) et le FMI qui couvre les divers aspects de crises financières. Nous appliquons le modèle Markov Switching à probabilité variée. Nous obtenons comme résultat que les dettes augmentent la probabilité qu’un pays souffre d’une crise financière, par contre, les RI ne procurent pas forcément les « paix » dans l’économie, à l’exception des quelques cas. Cependant, les effets négatif des dettes emportent sur les effets positifs des RI surtout dans les pays relativement plus dollarisés. Le troisième chapitre mesure tout d’abord le degré des indices du trilemme: Stabilité du taux de change, indépendance monétaire et ouverture du compte capital, tout en tenant compte de l’accumulation des ratios RI par rapport au PIB ou Dettes Externes ou Dettes Externes (DE) à court terme. L’évolution des indices du trilemme montre que les pays qui adoptent « de facto » un taux de change flexible, profitent des avantages des RI pour adopter un régime de taux de change administré, qui consiste à atteindre simultanément les trois objectifs du trilemme sans renoncer à un d’eux. Les interprétations peuvent changer si les RI sont prises en fonctions des dettes, autrement dit, l’utilisation des RI/Dettes devrait être envisagée dans de telles études. Ensuite, nous trouvons qu’en ce qui concerne les pays qui adoptent de facto un régime de taux de change fixe, les RI (différents ratios) ne jouent aucun rôle quant à l’évolution du triangle de Mundell et n’interviennent pas dans les décisions politiques monétaires des autorités monétaires. Enfin, ce chapitre traite l’aspect normatif du trilemme, reliant les choix politiques aux résultats macroéconomiques tels que la volatilité de la croissance de production. Nous remarquons que les résultats sont différents selon les pays, et dépendent des différents ratios de mesure du RI. Nous concluons que l’impact des RI sur la volatilité de la croissance de production peut changer selon le niveau des DE et selon le régime de taux de change adopté
The first chapter of this thesis investigates the efficiency of Hoarding IR and Sterilization in dollarized and indebted countries by measuring the sterilization coefficient, and the offset coefficient. It also focuses on exploring the link between the sources of Reserves and the external debt. We applied a 2SLS regression models and we identified explanatory variables that enabled us to estimate the aforementioned coefficients. Our results show that despite their theoretical correct practice of sterilization policy, economic constrains contribute to weaken the efficiency expected from monetary policies. The second chapter consists of estimating the probability whether an indebted country is vulnerable to crises despite its accumulation of IR -acting as a buffer stock and self-insurance. We use the Financial Stress Indicator (FSI) proposed by Balakrishnan et al (2009) and IMF which covers several aspects of financial crisis- and apply the Markov switching model with time varying, We found that debt had increased the likelihood for a country to suffer from financial crisis, however IR did not necessarily provide “Peace” in the indebted countries except of some exceptions. Thus, consistent with, Calvo (2003, 2006), who found that a country that has an excessive external debt, hoarding reserves will not be sufficient to avoid a crisis, but may be useful during the "sudden stop" crises, we conclude that the deleterious effects of ED might outweigh in most cases the beneficial effects of IR especially in more dollarized countries The third chapter measures first, the degree of trilemma indexes: exchange rate stability, monetary independence and capital account openness while taking into account the increase of hording IR ratio over GDP, over External Debt and over Short Term External Debt. The evolution of the trilemma indexes shows that countries applying de facto flexible Exchange Rate Regime (ERR) take advantage of the IR and become able to adopt a managed ERR that consist of achieving the three trilemma indexes simultaneously without renouncing to anyone of them. We found that different IR ratio could have different interpretations and different directions of monetary policies, where external debt should be taken into consideration in such study while using the IR. As for the country that is applying a de facto fixed exchange rate regime, the IR (different ratio) do not play any role in changing the patter of the Mundell trilemma and do not intervene in monetary authority policies. This chapter treats as well the normative aspects of the trilemma, relating the policy choices to macroeconomic outcomes such as the volatility of output growth. We found different results from country to another, while taking different ratios of measuring IR, concluding that the impact of IR on the output volatility could change due to the level of external debt and adopted exchange rate regime

This doctoral thesis explores under what circumstances executive actors, political parties and interest groups gain visibility in EU (European Union) related debates in the Spanish media for the period 2005-2015. The case of Spain allows exploring aspects so far subjected to little empirical investigations. For example, the motivations of Europhile parties’ to pay attention to the EU, to what extent parties use an EU frame to achieve political goals in a multilevel system of government, or the changing patterns of politicization of EU issues in one of the countries more seriously hit by the euro crisis. The analysis relies on the content analysis of 40.000 stories and 354.000 claims of political actors published in El País and El Mundo from 2005 to 2015. The first chapter, devoted to the analysis of executive actors and political parties, corroborates that political actors react to top-down pressures. Executive actors, those with more media visibility, mainly react to the approval of new EU normative and events, such as European Council meetings, while the visibility of political parties is more associated to European parliament elections. Yet, the thesis shows that political actors do not react only to EU processes and events. Even if European integration is not a politicized issue in Spain, the analysis of public debates on EU affairs show that parties use Europe strategically, as part of their competition to each other in the domestic political arena. Results also illustrate that the euro crisis did not redistribute significantly political actors’ visibility in the media. Even if challenger parties were very critical of most decisions adopted to overcome the crisis, their visibility on EU related public debates did not significantly increase during this critical juncture. Finally, even if European integration is not a politicized issue, as far as the EU is associated with domestic political debates, patterns of media political parallelism emerge. For example, the visibility of secessionist Catalan parties in EU related debates only increases parallel to increasing support for independence in El Mundo. The second chapter, devoted to the analysis of interest groups, corroborates that in this case top-down processes do not play an important role in explaining their visibility in EU related debates. Interest groups do not obtain more media coverage when new normative is discussed at the EU level, not even on those policy areas where the EU has more competences. Yet, stories where new EU regulation in the fields of energy, environment, labor and social issues is discussed, show higher diversity of interest groups than policy domains of economic nature, which are monopolized by few groups. The analysis also shows that debates related to the European parliament and the European Commission are generally associated with a more pluralistic patterns, involving interest groups of different types, than those where the European Council participate. The visibility of interest groups does not increase neither during the approval of new EU normative, nor when their implementation is discussed at domestic level. Interest groups with a role in the implementation process have no visibility in public debates on European affairs, not even on highly politicized issues. Regarding the impact of the euro crisis, it did raise attention to previously excluded groups in EU related debates, such as labor unions or citizens groups. Yet, important differences exist between El Mundo and El País. The analysis of interest groups further corroborates that the media are not passive actors but may be actively involved in the process of giving some actors more attention in public debates to support their political allies.
Aquesta tesi doctoral explora les circumstàncies en les que actors de l'executiu, partits polítics i grups d'interès obtenen visibilitat en els debats relacionats amb la UE (Unió Europea), publicats pels mitjans de comunicació espanyols durant el període 2005-2015. El cas d'Espanya permet explorar aspectes poc investigats des d’un punt de vista empíric fins ara. Per exemple, les motivacions per les quals els partits euròfils presten atenció a la UE, fins a quin punt utilitzen un emmarcat europeu per a aconseguir objectius polítics en un sistema de govern multinivell, o els canvis en els patrons de politització dels assumptes europeus en un dels països més afectats per l'Euro crisi. L'estudi es basa en l'anàlisi del contingut de 40.000 notícies i 354.000 afirmacions d'actors polítics, publicats en El País i El Mundo entre 2005 i 2015. El primer capítol, enfocat en l'anàlisi dels actors de l'executiu i els partits polítics, corrobora que els actors polítics reaccionen a pressions top-down. Els actors de l'executiu, aquells amb més visibilitat mediàtica, reaccionen principalment a l'aprovació de nova normativa i esdeveniments europeus, com, per exemple, reunions del Consell Europeu, mentre que la visibilitat dels partits polítics està més associada amb les eleccions al Parlament Europeu. No obstant això, aquesta tesi mostra que els actors polítics no només reaccionen a processos i esdeveniments europeus. Fins i tot si la integració europea no és un assumpte polititzat a Espanya, l'anàlisi dels debats públics sobre assumptes europeus mostra que els partits utilitzen Europa de manera estratègica, com a part de la competició partidista en l’arena política domèstica. Els resultats il·lustren que l'Euro crisi no va implicar una redistribució significativa de la cobertura mediàtica dels actors polítics. Malgrat els partits challenger van ser molt crítics amb la majoria de les decisions adoptades per a superar la crisi, la seva visibilitat en els debats públics relacionats amb la UE no va augmentar significativament durant aquesta conjuntura crítica. Finalment, la tesi mostra que tot i que la integració europea no és un assumpte polititzat, en la mesura en que la UE s'associa amb debats polítics domèstics, emergeixen patrons de paral·lelisme polític en la cobertura mediàtica. Per exemple, la visibilitat dels partits catalans secessionistes en debats on es fa referència a la UE només augmenta paral·lelament a l'increment del suport a la independència a El Mundo. El segon capítol, centrat en l'anàlisi dels grups d'interès, demostra que els processos top-down no juguen un paper important a l’hora d’explicar la seva visibilitat en els debats relacionats amb la UE. Els grups d'interès no obtenen major cobertura mediàtica quan es debat nova normativa europea, ni tan sols en aquells àmbits en els que la UE té més competències. No obstant això, notícies sobre l'aprovació de nova regulació europea en àmbits com l'energia, el medi ambient, el treball o els assumptes socials mostren una major diversitat de grups d'interès que aquelles sobre assumpres econòmics, monopolitzades per pocs grups. L'anàlisi també mostra que els debats relacionats amb el Parlament Europeu i la Comissió Europea, generalment es troben associats amb patrons més plurals, involucrant diferents grups d'interès, que aquells en els quals participa el Consell Europeu. La visibilitat dels grups d'interès no és elevada durant la discussió de normativa a nivell europeu ni tampoc durant el procés d’implementació a nivell domèstic. Els grups d'interès amb un rol en el procés d'implementació no obtenen visibilitat en els debats públics sobre els assumptes europeus, ni tant sols en assumptes molt polititzats. Respecte a l'impacte de l'Euro crisi, aquesta va augmentar l'atenció a grups prèviament exclosos dels debats sobre la UE, com, per exemple, sindicats i grups de ciutadans. No obstant, existeixen diferències importants entre El País i El Mundo. L'anàlisi sobre els grups d'interès corrobora que els mitjans de comunicació no són actors passius, sinó que participen activament en el procés, donant més cobertura mediàtica a determinats actors amb l’objectiu de donar suport als seus aliats polítics.
Esta tesis doctoral explora las circunstancias en las que actores del ejecutivo, partidos políticos y grupos de interés obtienen visibilidad en los debates relacionados con la UE (Unión Europea), publicados por los medios de comunicación españoles durante el periodo 2005-2015. El caso de España permite explorar aspectos poco investigados desde un punto de vista empírico hasta el momento. Por ejemplo, las motivaciones por las que los partidos eurófilos prestan atención a la UE, hasta qué punto usan un enmarcado europeo para lograr sus objetivos políticos en un sistema de gobierno multinivel, o los cambios en los patrones de politización de los asuntos europeos en uno de los países más afectados por la Euro crisis. El estudio se basa en el análisis del contenido de 40.000 noticias y 354.000 afirmaciones de actores políticos, publicadas en El País y El Mundo entre 2005 y 2015. El primer capítulo, centrado en el análisis de los actores del ejecutivo y los partidos políticos, corrobora que los actores políticos reacciones a presiones top- down. Los actores del ejecutivo, aquellos con más visibilidad mediática, reaccionan principalmente a la aprobación de nueva normativa y eventos europeos, como, por ejemplo, reuniones del Consejo Europeo, mientras que la visibilidad de los partidos políticos está más asociada con las elecciones al Parlamento Europeo. Sin embargo, esta tesis muestra que los actores políticos no sólo reaccionan a estos procesos y eventos europeos. Incluso si la integración europea no es un asunto politizado en España, el análisis de los debates públicos sobre asuntos europeos muestra que los partidos usan Europa de forma estratégica, como parte de la competición partidista en la arena política doméstica. Los resultados también ilustran que la Euro crisis no implicó una redistribución significativa de la cobertura mediática de los actores políticos. A pesar de que los partidos challenger fueron muy críticos con la mayoría de las decisiones adoptadas para superar la crisis, su visibilidad en los debates públicos relacionados con la UE no aumentó significativamente durante esta coyuntura crítica. Finalmente, la tesis muestra que a pesar de que la integración europea no es un asunto politizado, en la medida en que la UE se asocia con debates políticos domésticos, emergen patrones de paralelismo político en la cobertura mediática. Por ejemplo, la visibilidad de los partidos catalanes secesionistas en debates en los que se hace referencia a Europa solo aumenta paralelamente al incremento del apoyo a la independencia en El Mundo. El segundo capítulo, centrado en el análisis de los grupos de interés, demuestra que los procesos top-down no juegan un papel importante para explicar su visibilidad en los debates relacionados con la UE. Los grupos de interés no obtienen mayor cobertura mediática cuando se debate nueva normativa europea, ni siquiera en aquellos ámbitos en los que la UE tiene más competencias. No obstante, noticias sobre la aprobación de nueva regulación europea en ámbitos como la energía, el medio ambiente, el trabajo o los asuntos sociales muestran una mayor diversidad de grupos de interés que aquellas sobre asuntos económicos, monopolizadas por pocos grupos. El análisis también muestra que los debates relacionados con el Parlamento Europeo y la Comisión Europea, generalmente se encuentran asociados con patrones más plurales, involucrando diferentes grupos de interés, que aquellos en los que participa el Consejo Europeo. La visibilidad de los grupos de interés no es elevada durante la discusión de normativa a nivel europeo ni tampoco durante el proceso de implementación a nivel doméstico. Los grupos de interés con un rol en el proceso de implementación no obtienen visibilidad en los debates públicos sobre los asuntos europeos, ni siquiera en asuntos muy politizados. Con respecto al impacto de la Euro crisis, ésta aumentó la atención a grupos previamente excluidos de los debates sobre la UE, como, por ejemplo, sindicatos y grupos de ciudadanos. No obstante, existen diferencias importantes entre El País y El Mundo. El análisis sobre los grupos de interés corrobora que los medios de comunicación no son actores pasivos, sino que participan activamente en el proceso, dando más cobertura mediática a determinados actores con el objetivo de apoyar a sus aliados políticos.

AbstractThis chapter is written primarily for those planning to implement, or wanting to evaluate the effectiveness of, natural flood management (NFM) interventions. To support evidence-based decision making, we describe applications of a range of spatial Policy Support Systems as well as the Eco:Actuary Investment Planner, which focuses on understanding the investment costs associated with different types and magnitudes of NFM. We also outline deployment of //Smart: monitoring equipment to evaluate existing NFM interventions. We focused on three types of NFM intervention – leaky debris dams, retention ponds and regenerative agriculture, all of which are deployed in the Thames Basin of the United Kingdom. In 2017, the UK government encouraged and funded NFM projects by community groups and local councils. This funding came with an obligation to monitor how well the interventions worked. However many organisations lacked the technical and/or financial capacity to undertake this monitoring within the financial constraints of the grant (most projects were <50 K GBP). Responding to this need, we developed novel, low-cost decision support tools, monitoring equipment and protocols which are described in Chap. 4. Here, in Chap. 12 we apply two of these tools: the Eco:Actuary Investment Planner and the FreeStation low-cost monitoring systems, in projects throughout the Thames Basin.

AbstractFor obvious reasons, space activities are generally classed as ultra-hazardous endeavours, i.e. they are inherently dangerous, not only for the various vehicles leaving the Earth atmosphere, but also the cargo such vehicles carry, be it human or otherwise. Additionally, space activities generate environmental risks in outer space that can, at times, impact the Earth as what goes up, must inevitably come down. The hazards of spaceflight come from multiple sources, including, but not limited to, the technology used (e.g. nuclear power sources) and the hostile nature of outer space which is difficult to reach, difficult to survive in and difficult to return from. This inherent danger has been tragically highlighted not only by the shuttle disasters involving Challenger (1986) and Columbia (2003) but also by the vast field of radioactive debris left in Canada after the uncontrolled re-entry of the Soviet satellite Cosmos 954 in 1977. The latter accident exemplifies that ultra-hazardous activities require liability rules because when something goes wrong, the consequences can be significant for any injured parties.

AbstractWriting at a time in which speculative ways of thinking appear to be undergoing a reprise across the social sciences and humanities – whether through engagements with speculative cosmology (Stengers, 2006), speculative empiricism (Debaise, 2017), speculative fabulation (Haraway, 2011), speculative research (Wilkie et al., 2017), or speculative realism (Bryant et al., 2011) – in this chapter we introduce Speculative Geographies and our motivation for assembling the collection as a way of considering what concepts and practices of speculation might mean for geography, and how speculation might itself be conceived as geographical. In approaching the relationship between speculation and geography, we introduce the book as a collective desire to complicate the modes of thought used to evaluate experience by crafting alternatives, pluralising perspectives, and thereby problematising the immediately given. Far from abstract thinking, in this chapter we conceptualise speculation, after A.N. Whitehead, as a task of thinking abstractions – a style of thinking that prioritises an openness to what thought might become, and which therefore reconfigures empirical problems beyond what seems given in an immediate experience. The chapter traces key genealogies of this speculative practice including speculative philosophy, speculative fiction, and speculative design. Finally, we provide an overview of how the three themes of the book – ethics, technologies, aesthetics – speak to the chapters making up this edited collection.

AbstractThis chapter intends to strengthen the institutional and psychological dimensions of the Barcelona School’s analysis of environmental conflicts. It does so by embedding environmental conflicts into other kinds of struggles over the economy, defined as the various ways by which humans organize their sustenance. It asks: What are the key triggers behind economic conflicts? What kinds of radical ideologies emerge from them? How are they able (or not) to sustain their radical projects? I suggest that the main conflicting points of today’s neoliberal capitalism are related to its metabolism (ecological), its debts (institutional), and to the widespread alienation it is creating (psychological). I argue that these particular points of contention are giving rise to a new blend of radical ideas around ‘degrowth’ and related movements. On one hand, this is so because degrowth confronts growthism and its unparalleled levels of ecological destruction and debt. On the other hand, degrowth seeks to address the problem of alienation by reconnecting economies to the conditions for flourishing. Collective flourishing requires, among other things, to work on one’s awareness. Such ‘inner work’ is necessary in any social movement, but it has received much less attention than the ‘outer work’ of changing the immediate or the structural triggers behind conflicts. I suggest that this disregard contributes to explaining why radical movements have so rarely been successful. I conclude that subjectivity and alienation are important frontiers of research for the Barcelona School.

The conclusion of contracts was known in ancient times and is still relevant today. Shares that are not distributed in kind can cause certain difficulties that force the interested parties to decide on distribution.Joint ownership of inherited property received from a family member necessitates joint decision-making on its maintenance, ownership, use, and disposal, and it is difficult to achieve such a consensus on all issues. Therefore, quite often a certain period may pass from the acquisition of the right to a share in the joint property to its distribution, but due to conflicts regarding the use of the property or in the case of the need to receive funds or for other reasons, the joint property is divided by the co-owners. That is, the reasons may even be questions of how to use agricultural land, for example, to rent it out, sow it yourself, plant a garden, etc. However, the complexity of the division of land plots is because it is difficult to «divide» agricultural lands at least. After all, their intended use depends on the size, etc. Quite often, disputes also arise regarding the use of residential buildings, since the size and location of the rooms make their use impossible or difficult, as well as the distribution in kind according to the inherited shares. In other words, there is a certain «trading» of assets. If the situation is related to the distribution of a small plot of land where the house is located, then questions also arise regarding the establishment of an easement, as well as mutual concessions for the compensation of a part of the house in exchange for most of the land. In general, there are protracted negotiations, from the point of view of which these parties, who are still in a family relationship, agree on the division of property.Factors that can affect the outcome of property division include unique family circumstances, the specific nature of assets, and traditional legal practices. The parties will use different mechanisms for the division of joint assets: sale, donation, or exchange, under the terms of which they «trade» with the consent of others their rights as co-owners of jointly owned objects. The various evolutionary stages of the agreement on the division of property by the testator’s family culminate in the final stage of agreeing. The agreement on the division of inheritance is a complex legal process. Potentially, in a single transaction, the beneficiaries can choose and implement the division by sale, exchange, or donation. These different legal constructions reflect the uniqueness of the decisions in each agreement and to some extent demonstrate the specific legal practice of the individual Old Babylonian city-state and the particular circumstances of each family.However, in addition to the division of property, there are other agreements regarding the division of inheritance. For example, an agreement on quasi-partition upon adoption (quasi-adoption), an agreement on the division of residential property by the owner between its future beneficiaries.The need to conclude such agreements arises when an agreement on the division of property is required, which differs from such concepts as sale, donation, exchange, etc.Domestic scientists consider the agreement on the distribution of joint property very broadly and include other types of agreements in the list of such agreements, establishing that the agreement on changing the succession of the right to inheritance by law is atypical. It was determined that the contract under investigation belongs to contracts on the distribution of inheritance. Agreements on the distribution of inheritance are concluded in the field of inheritance, which indicates that they belong to inheritance agreements. It is proposed to supplement the existing classifications of civil law contracts by distinguishing a new type of civil law contracts – contracts in the law of inheritance on the level with the selection of a new type of inheritance contracts – contracts on the distribution of inheritance.» This is a bold hypothesis, but it is difficult to agree with it for various reasons, not least because the distribution of inheritance has been known since ancient times.The factor that the term «distribution» of inheritance and giving it a broad legal meaning is analyzed is an interesting author’s hypothesis. At the same time, according to our position, the term «distribution of inheritance» is more balanced, since in Art. 1278 of the Civil Code does not quite successfully use the term «division», when in the content of this norm it is about the equality of shares in the inheritance and the allocation of a share in kind, and not about division. However, in Part 1 of Art. 1280 of the Civil Code, the term «distribution» is used with a direct meaning and «redistribution» as an opportunity to review the results of the distribution under new circumstances – in the case of acceptance of the inheritance by other heirs. In essence, the obvious meaning of the term «distribution» follows from this norm as the initial determination of the ownership of the share of each of the heirs. In this sense, the redistribution of the inheritance should be connected with the possible introduction of changes to the previously made distribution, that is, in this case, we do not limit the number of subsequent redistributions of the inheritance. This hypothesis is related to the fact that the number of heirs who missed the deadline for valid reasons is not limited by legislation and cannot be limited, but is determined by various legal circumstances.Therefore, it is hardly expedient and possible, to apply in Art. 1280 of the Civil Code, the concept of «distribution» should be given a wider meaning than it has in the Civil Code, as this would lead to its ambiguous perception and application both in theory and in legislation and practice. Usually, theoretical terms should be distinguished by being original and should accurately reflect the legal meaning of actions, events, or conditions.But an important element of the procedure for the distribution of common inheritance property or its redistribution are the subjects who must fix the relevant agreement or carry out such distribution according to their conviction.It is indicated that the practice of concluding contracts by the living owner with his future heirs is widespread in foreign countries. At the same time, German experts equate inheritance with what they consider to be contractual inheritance.It should be noted that the practice of concluding contracts on the distribution of inheritance in the practice of the Ukrainian notary is relatively new and does not have clear boundaries in regulation, which complicates the activity of notaries in certifying such contracts. There are several difficulties in the application of relevant legal norms in practice, as there is a lack of understanding of the legal nature and essence of the conclusion of contracts, the term of conclusion, and the procedure for notarization.The opinions of individual authors are studied, about legal relations regarding the division of inheritance characterized by a weak state policy, this obliges the participants of such relations to draw up the content of agreements on the division of inheritance independently. For agreements between heirs on the distribution of inheritance to be valid regulators of the relations of its participants (heirs), conditions (clauses) must be clarified and formulated, which will be disclosed with sufficient completeness and consistency of the content of the relevant agreement and the purpose of its conclusion.We do not agree with this point of view of the scientist regarding «weak state policy», since the Central Committee of Ukraine was not created by politicians or the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, but by leading scientists of Ukraine. It is also difficult to agree with the statement that the lack of clear regulation of the terms of inheritance contracts «obliges the participants of such relationships to independently draw up the content of inheritance distribution contracts.» In Ukraine, some good notaries and lawyers can draw up high-quality contracts for the distribution of inheritance. Moreover, according to Art. 4 of the Law of Ukraine «On Notaries», notaries have the right to draw up relevant draft contracts. In our opinion, it is worth emphasizing here that this is a right, not a duty of a notary public. That is, the notary may not undertake the drafting of the relevant project, but this provision is positive for interested parties since the lack of experience in drafting original contracts will most likely lead to the drafting of a low-quality draft contract. Indeed, in this case, it is worth looking for an experienced notary who will be able to draw up a draft contract, but this will make it possible to prevent errors in its drafting with a high probability.Thus, the agreement on the distribution of inheritance enters into force if the parties reach an agreement in the proper form on all the essential terms of the agreement. The main essential condition for agreeing on the division of inheritance is the subject of the agreement. However, either party may consider this condition insufficient and propose to include additional conditions in the contract. In this case, these conditions become essential. In connection with the instability of the regulation of the content of contracts between heirs on the distribution of inheritance, it can be concluded that the inclusion of normal conditions in the contract is currently impossible. We believe that such a general scheme of perception of contract terms is not entirely rational, since how to perceive ordinary terms or essential terms of a contract quite often in practice depends on the judgments of the parties to the contract unless otherwise regulated by legislation. This issue can be approached more precisely if we take into account the possibility of interpreting transactions and contracts (Article 213 of the Civil Code).So, based on the essence of the process of concluding contracts, it should be taken into account that the notary who drafts the contract can edit it, therefore it is worth recognizing the right of the notary to interpret it, since according to Art. 5 of the Law of Ukraine «On Notaries», he is obliged to clarify the legal consequences that will arise for persons after his certification. It follows from this that the notary must be given the official right to interpret the contract upon its certification, then it will be clear that after its certification, the court can interpret the content of the contract. In this regard, Art. 213 of the Civil Code is proposed to be supplemented with a corresponding provision regarding the powers of the notary, namely: his duty to interpret the content of the deed or contract before and during its certification.The Inheritance Regulation, which envisages wide acceptance of the inheritance contract, is considered. It is noted that it is worth revising Ukrainian inheritance law in advance for compliance with European standards since after Ukraine accedes to the EU it will be necessary to inform all EU countries about what types of contracts in Ukraine will be related to the issuance of the European Certificate of Succession.This is also important for inheritance by law, because, in case of non-fulfillment of the terms of the lifetime maintenance (care) agreement and the inheritance agreement, they will have to be terminated or recognized as invalid or unfulfilled by the acquirer, so the property that was the subject of this agreement will be inherited by law. At the same time, if the terms of these agreements are fulfilled, the part of the property that belonged to the testator will not be inherited but will become the property of the acquirers.The process of accepting the inheritance is quite long, and the inheritance law allows for several agreements between the heirs, which can significantly affect the size of the inheritance shares and the real things in each share in the inheritance. Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the possibility of agreements between the heirs at different stages of accepting or not accepting the inheritance. From communication with one of the clients, the author learned that the notary unofficially advised the heirs to agree on the distribution of the inheritance, as well as for certain heirs to waive the right to inheritance, but to receive a proper share of the inheritance in household items. When the author was informed of all the circumstances of the inheritance case, it became clear that the notary could not solve the complex inheritance problem, since the inheritance took place based on a will and some heirs had the right to a mandatory share, as well as part of the property remained. So, in such a situation, it was necessary to solve an arithmetical and at the same time legal problem, the complexity of which was determined by the complex subject composition of numerous heirs. Therefore, the notary tried to simplify its solution by artificially «transforming» the heirs who have the right to a mandatory share into ordinary heirs who claim property that is not subject to recording in the certificate of the right to inheritance.A natural will was considered, when the testator bequeathed the specific property to each of the heirs, namely: a house to a daughter, a factory to one son, and a yacht to another let’s say. In such a case, the will of the testator is formulated in the Shodo of the objects of inheritance, so it is difficult to perceive the consequences of the refusal of one of the heirs to inherit, when the yacht will be divided into equal shares between the son and the daughter, because: firstly, the value of the factory and the house will be different, so someone from the testator gave the children a larger inheritance than the other. Secondly, in the case of the existence of a part of the inheritance not covered by the will, it can be assumed with a high degree of probability that the will of the testator was formulated about a certain property and nothing more. Therefore, in case of refusal of one of the heirs to inherit under the will, the property bequeathed to him should be considered as not covered by the will and should be inherited according to the law. That is, if the will of the testator regarding the entire property is revealed, it can be assumed that he thus intended to deprive one of the heirs of the right to inheritance.At the same time, the will must be interpreted not only by the heirs under the will but also by the heirs under the law, when its content concerns the right to a mandatory share in the inheritance, which belongs to the heirs under the law of the first rank, who due to incapacity have the right to claim it, as well as the recipients of the response. With a high degree of probability, it can be assumed that the inheritance, which consists of household items, will be divided even without a written agreement. However, the interpretation of a will, which concerns a substantial inheritance between a significant number of heirs, requires not only a written form of recording of agreements – a contract, but also, in our opinion, a notarial form that will allow recording the agreement more reliably, to explain to the parties to the contract the consequences of its conclusion. If all interested parties sign the agreement, and the notary recognizes it as legal, then it will be difficult to recognize it as illegal or invalid in the next one. Therefore, the agreement on the interpretation of the will, which will establish the specific rights of the heirs and their obligations regarding the coverage of the testator’s debts, is a rational form of specification of the terms of the inheritance, which will allow establishing the executor of the will, if he was not determined by the testator.We can assume with a high degree of probability that similar «simplified calculations» are made by other notaries, as well as directly by the heirs, and certain agreements are not necessary here.

We are using pulsed holography to record the debris cloud resulting from the impact of 4 km/s projectiles with plates; this is four times faster than any previous results. Our raison d'etre is 3-D hydrocode verification. We are actually recording holographic shadowgrams of these ~50 mm diameter debris clouds. The object that is holographically recorded is a translucent screen located behind the cloud. Our double-YAG laser with a 5-ns pulse freezes shadows of the debris caught between the screen and the film. During the laser pulse, the particles move about 20 µm, which causes a slight blurring. The laser and the timing system are operational, and we have recorded a 4.2 km/s event. We are now improving the wave-front quality of the reference and reconstruction beams, which will increase our resolution. We are also studying methods of reducing speckle in the image and what the shadows of 3-dimensional particles look like. Finally, we are reviewing automated particle identification and cataloging schemes.

Belgoprocess started the industrial decommissioning of the main process building of the former Eurochemic reprocessing plant in 1987. In 2008 the eastern part was torn down and in 2010 the central part of the building was removed. The demolition of the third and last part is planned in 2014. At that point the area will be restored to brown field conditions. During the 25 years of decommissioning the Eurochemic installations a lot of effort has been invested in improving the efficiency. The Belgian decommissioning policy is based on maximizing effort for decontamination with the goal of unconditional release and minimization of nuclear waste. As a result a number of installations have been implemented that reduce the processing costs, increase the output of decontamination and increase the speed of release measurements. • The abrasive blasting installation is used to remove a thin layer from metal components and concrete objects. • The concrete crushing and sampling installation is used as the final measurement before unconditional release of concrete debris. • The concrete spec installation is used to separate the contaminated part from the non contaminated part of concrete debris. As the end of the decommissioning project is approaching the time is right to look back and evaluate the course of the project. Looking back what were the key decisions during the project, what were important milestones and what could or should have been done differently knowing what we know now.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued Generic Safety Issue (GSI) 191 covering the ability of nuclear reactor containment building (RCB) sumps to support long-term core cooling post-accident for Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). The issue is that a postulated Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA) for a PWR would result in the initial escape of high-pressure, high-temperature subcooled coolant from the pipe break location in the form of a two-phase jet. The impingement of the jet may damage materials used inside the RCB, resulting in the generation of debris. The debris transported to and through the sump screen when the Emergency Core Cooling (ECC) and the Containment Spray (CS) Systems are realigned to draw suction from the containment sump will be ingested by pumps in the flow path. Since wear affects the dynamics of the pump and hence vibration, the extent to which any pump can survive the abrasive nature of the ingested debris depends on how well one can predict the wear of pump critical dimensions using the debris mix and pump design parameters. This paper describes the issues to be considered in pump assessment and presents wear models that can be used to assess pump operability and performance. It shows that depending on assumptions made relative to the wear pattern, different results can be reached using the wear models. The question of what makes sense is discussed.

Abstract Electric line deployed well intervention technologies are continuing to grow in use and relevance, this is due to the value provided by a highly efficient and effective means of intervention. It is light on equipment, personnel and logistics, is controlled and precise in its in-well execution, and is less obtrusive to the wellbore, the reservoir and the environment. These valuable characteristics are making electric line deployed solutions the preferred choice of customers for many interventions, whether that be for addressing new well completion, old well rejuvenation or repair, or eventual plug and abandon (P&A) operational scope. Preference is also increasing with those customers who are keen to push the boundaries of these technologies to leverage their beneficial impact across a broader range of intervention operations. Often, the tasks or workscope assigned to electric line deployed intervention technologies are reserved for what would be considered the lighter end of the spectrum, for example, low volume debris cleanout, small component milling and low force tool manipulation. However, as full system-based intervention technology platforms are developed, incorporating advanced interconnected technology components, the magnitude of what can be achieved has expanded electric line intervention solutions into the realms of work scope previously reserved for heavier methods, like coiled tubing or drill pipe based. That, coupled with the efficient and precise execution and inherently light footprint that electric line deployed intervention brings, is adding to the increased interest in expanding its use. Two recent electric line deployed wellbore cleanout operations carried out on the Norwegian Continental Shelf involving high volumes of debris demonstrate the advantages this advanced intervention technology platform has enabled, the scalability of its performance, and why it is challenging the traditional thinking and perception of what is possible on electric line. In the case operation 1, extensive volumes of produced sand had accumulated in a large mono-bore completion preventing the execution of a required P&A operation. In case operation 2, the well had significant Barium Sulphate (BaSO4) scale deposits over much of its length, which prevented well access for a required gas lift valve (GLV) change out. In both these cases, efficient and effective electric line deployed remediation was possible due to the increased performance, in-well task visibility and real-time task control provided by the advanced electric line intervention technology platform that was utilised. Attempting both these cases was strongly encouraged by the customer, leading a one team approach. For case operation 1, high speed tractor conveyance speeds of over 26 meters/minute were achieved on this multi-run operation. Instrumentation provided real-time indication of collection chambers being full, ensuring minimal time on depth during collection. Consistent high volume recovery rates of 100% were achieved on all but one of the collection runs, with a total of 1400 liters of sand debris being collected, clearing 280 meters of wellbore, at an average of 140 liters per 24 hours. For case operation 2, over 2000 meters of hard scale was milled, at a rate of penetration (ROP) of 44 meters/hour, on average, re-establishing access for required electric line intervention runs and the subsequent change out of the leaking GLV to restore the integrity of the well, enabling it to be put back on line and resume production. Record breaking achievements regarding the volume of debris removed and depth intervals cleaned via the intervention technology platform were made in both cases.

Abstract Chemical cleaning is used in gas pipelines to remove debris that was resistant to mechanical cleaning. The cleaner is a liquid mixture of a hydrocarbon-based solvent and a surfactant. It is transported down the pipeline either batched between two cleaning tools or pushed by a single tool. During a chemical cleaning run, liquid will leak into any side branch it passes. Consequently, gas quality problems may arise when the pipeline returns to regular operations as the leaked liquid hydrocarbons evaporate into the gas stream. Furthermore, operational problems such as flooded separators can occur if a large volume of liquid is lost. Currently, there is no understanding of what factors influence the liquid’s leak rate into side branches. This paper aspires to address this knowledge gap. A water flow loop was set up to investigate the effect on leak rate of mainline pipe size, side branch pipe size, side branch length, and mainline liquid velocity. The leak rate is found to increase with the side branch pipe size, while remaining unaffected by the mainline pipe size and side branch length. At mainline velocities below the critical velocity, gravitational effects such as the downstream back pressure significantly affect the leak rate. At mainline velocities above the critical velocity these effects disappear, and the leak rate decreases as the mainline liquid velocity increases.

A cooling mechanism due to boiling in a gap between the debris crust and the reactor pressure vessel (RPV) wall was proposed for the TMI-2 reactor accident analysis. If there is enough heat transfer through the gap to cool the outer surface of the debris and the inner surface of the wall, the RPV wall may preserve its integrity during a severe core melt accident. If the heat removal through gap cooling relative to the counter-current flow limitation (CCFL) is pronounced, the safety margin of the reactor can be far greater than what had been previously known in the severe accident management arena. Should a severe accident take place, the RPV integrity will be maintained because of the inherent nature of degraded core coolability inside the lower head due to boiling in a narrow gap between the debris crust and the RPV wall. As a defense-in-depth measure, the heat removal capability by gap cooling coupled with external cooling can be examined for the Korean Standard Nuclear Power Plant (KSNPP) and the Advanced Power Reactor 1400MWe (APR1400) in light of the TMI-2 vessel survival. A number of studies were carried out to investigate the complex heat transfer mechanisms for the debris cooling in the lower plenum. However, these heat transfer mechanisms have not been clearly understood yet. The CHFG (Critical Heat Flux in Gap) experiments at KAERI were carried out to develop the critical heat flux (CHF) correlation in a hemispherical gap, which is the upper limit of the heat transfer. According to the CHFG experiments performed with a pool boiling condition, the CHF in a parallel gap was reduced by 1/30 compared with the value measured in the open pool boiling condition. The correlation developed from the CHFG experiment is based on the fact that the CHF in a hemispherical gap is governed by the CCFL and a Kutateladze type CCFL parameter correlates CCFL data well in hemispherical gap geometry. However, the results of the CHFG experiments appear to be limited in their value because the power of the heaters was restricted by the three-dimensional (3D) geometry. The two-dimensional (2D) geometry relative to the 3D geometry enables the heaters to produce higher power. Experiments were conducted to develop the CHF correlation for gap cooling with the 2D slices. The experimental facility consisted of a heater, a pressure vessel, a heat exchanger and the pressure and temperature measurement system. Tests were carried out in the pressure range of 0.1 to 1 MPa for the gap sizes of 1mm and 2mm using demineralized water.

Numerous studies have been conducted to evaluate the effects of micro dimple surface texturing on friction reduction in mechanical seals [1–7]. Optimum ratios for a dimple configuration, depth (h) to diameter (D) (Fig. 1), range from 0.02 to 0.5, and area density ratio, ratio of dimple area to seal face area, range from 20 to 55%. Within this range it has been shown that friction can be reduced by as much as 50%. These studies indicate that if the ratio of depth to dimple diameter is reduced below 0.02 a dramatic reduction in performance is seen. Also observed in one investigation [8] is the possibility that micro dimples can become filled with debris. This may degrade performance over time. This report will show that with the use of a unique macro/micro feature it is possible to achieve a reduction in friction of 65%, significantly lower face temperature, exhibit debris resistance, showing low to zero measureable leakage, and low to zero wear when compared to an untextured seal face. The term macro/micro feature is used to describe a feature that has a depth to size ratio, h/L (Fig.2), which is two orders of magnitude smaller than current dimple configurations, well below what may be considered useful from a performance standpoint. This new macro/micro feature, a tapered channel, demonstrates significant cavitation affects as well as hydrodynamic load support. These features are believed to be responsible for its low leakage as well as it low friction/wear characteristics.

In September 2004, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued Generic Letter GL2004-02 “Potential Impact of Debris Blockage on Emergency Recirculation during Design Basis Accidents at Pressurized-Water Reactors” to address Generic Safety Issue 191 (GSI-191) “Assessment of debris accumulation on PWR sump performance.” [1] GL2004-02 requested pressurized water reactor (PWR) licensees to perform a “downstream effects” evaluation of their emergency core cooling (ECCS) and containment spray systems (CSS). GL2004-02 also gave guidance on what analysis had to be completed in order to resolve GSI-191. These evaluations included a wear and plugging assessment of all ECCS and CSS components, including valves. During preliminary “downstream effects” analysis of a plant, it was determined that the positions of ECCS throttle valves could be such that the flow clearances through the valves would be too small to meet the criteria developed for component plugging or wear assessment. This suggested that a modification to the system needs to be made which allows the throttle valves to be more fully opened. In order to allow the throttle valves to be opened more fully, additional hydraulic resistance (i.e. pressure drop at the design flow rate) was added at another location. Several orifice designs were considered to provide the needed resistance. Since the required additional pressure drop was a substantial fraction of the total pressure drop, special design features of the orifice were necessary to preclude system instabilities due to cavitation, degassing and flow swirl. The purpose of this paper is to present a method for assessing the effectiveness of a multi-stage orifice that can be placed in the system to provide the required resistance, thus permitting the throttle valves to be used more efficiently. The paper presents the design aspects of the multi-stage breakdown orifice, CFD modeling used to select the design, and the system condition testing results.

Southwest Utah contains what may be the largest landslide complex on land in the world. This complex includes three ancient side-by-side gigantic slides that cover an area roughly the size of Yellowstone National Park with a volume of slide debris that would nearly fill the Grand Canyon to its rim. Geologists call it the Marysvale gravity slide complex— “Marysvale” for the namesake volcanic field that partly failed catastrophically three separate times, and “gravity slide” to call attention to a special class of extremely large and geologically complex landslides several tens to thousands of square miles in extent. Here we refer to them simply as mega-landslides or slides—they are larger and far more interesting than geologists could ever have imagined.

Surface area of glaciers and perennial snow within Mount Rainier National Park were delineated based on 2021 aerial Structure-from-Motion (SfM) and satellite imagery to document changes to glaciers over the last 125 years. These extents were compared with previously completed databases from 1896, 1913, 1971, 1994, 2009, and 2015. In addition to the glacial features mapped at the Park, any snow patches noted in satellite- and fixed-wing- acquired aerial images in September 2021 were mapped as perennial snowfields. In 2021, Mount Rainier National Park contained a total of 28 named glaciers which covered a total of 75.496 ± 4.109 km2 (29.149 ± 1.587 mi2). Perennial snowfields added another 1.938 ± 0.112 km2 (0.748 ± 0.043 mi2), bringing the total perennial snow and glacier cover within the Park in 2021 to 77.434 ± 4.221 km2 (29.897 ± 1.630 mi2). The largest glacier at Mount Rainier was the Emmons Glacier, which encompasses 10.959 ± 0.575 km2 (4.231 ± 0.222 mi2). The change in glacial area from 1896 to 2021 was -53.812 km2 (-20.777 mi2), a total reduction of 41.6%. This corresponds to an average rate of -0.430 km2 per year (-0.166 mi2 × yr-1) during the 125 year period. Recent changes (between the 6-year period of 2015 to 2021) showed a reduction of 3.262 km2 (-1.260 mi2) of glacial area, or a 4.14% reduction at a rate of -0.544 km2 per year ( 0.210 mi2 × yr-1). This rate is 2.23 times that estimated in 2015 (2009-2015) of -0.244 km2 per year (-0.094 mi2 × yr-1). Changes in ice volume at Mount Rainier and estimates of total volumes were calculated for 1896, 1913, 1971, 1994, 2009, 2015, and 2021. Volume change between 1971 and 2007/8 was -0.65 km3 ( 0.16 mi3; Sisson et al., 2011). We used the 2007/8 LiDAR digital elevation model and our 2021 SfM digital surface model to estimate a further loss of -0.404 km3 (-0.097 mi3). In the 50-year period between 1971 and 2021, the glaciers and perennial snowfields of Mount Rainier lost a total of -1.058 km3 (-0.254 mi3) at a rate of -0.021 km3 per year (-0.005 mi3 × yr-1). The calculation of the total volume of the glaciers during various glacier extent inventories at Mount Rainier is not straightforward and various methods are explored in this paper. Using back calculated scaling parameters derived from a single volume measurement in 1971 and estimates completed by other authors, we have developed an estimate of glacial mass during the last 125-years at Mount Rainier that mostly agree with volumetric changes observed in the last 50 years. Because of the high uncertainty with these methods, a relatively modest 35% error is chosen. In 2021, Mount Rainier’s 28 glaciers contain about 3.516 ± 1.231 km3 (0.844 ± 0.295 mi3) of glacial ice, snow, and firn. The change in glacial mass over the 125-year period from 1896 to 2021 was 3.742 km3 (-0.898 mi3), a total reduction of 51.6%, at an average rate of -0.030 km3 per year ( 0.007 mi3 × yr-1). Volume change over the 6-year period of 2015 to 2021 was 0.175 km3 (-0.042 mi3), or a 4.75% reduction, at a rate of -0.029 km3 per year (-0.007 mi3 × yr-1). This survey officially removes one glacier from the Park’s inventory and highlights several other glaciers in a critical state. The Stevens Glacier, an offshoot of the Paradise Glacier on the Park’s south face, was removed due to its lack of features indicating flow, and therefore is no longer a glacier but instead a perennial snowfield. Two other south facing glaciers – the Pyramid and Van Trump glaciers – are in serious peril. In the six-year period between 2015 and 2021, these two glaciers lost 32.9% and 33.6% of their area and 42.0% and 42.9% of their volume, respectively. These glaciers are also becoming exceedingly fragmented and no longer possess what can be called a main body of ice. Continued losses will quickly lead to the demise of these glaciers in the coming decades. Overall, the glaciers on the south face of the mountain have been rapidly shrinking over the last 125 years. Our data shows a continuation of gradual yet accelerating loss of glacial ice at Mount Rainier, resulting in significant changes in regional ice volume over the last century. The long-term impacts of this loss will be widespread and impact many facets of the Park ecosystem. Additionally, rapidly retreating south-facing glaciers are exposing large areas of loose sediment that can be mobilized to proglacial rivers during rainstorms, outburst floods, and debris flows. Regional climate change is affecting all glaciers at Mount Rainier, but especially those smaller cirque glaciers and discontinuous glaciers on the south side of the volcano. If the regional climate trend continues, further loss in glacial area and volume parkwide is anticipated, as well as the complete loss of small glaciers at lower elevations with surface areas less than 0.2 km2 (0.08 mi2) in the next few decades.

Banco de la República provides a comprehensive overview of Colombia’s finan¬cial infrastructure in its Payment Systems Report, which is an important product of the work it does to oversee that infrastructure. The figures published in this edition of the report are for the year 2020, a pandemic period in which the con¬tainment measures designed and adopted to alleviate the strain on the health system led to a sharp reduction in economic activity and consumption in Colom¬bia, as was the case in most countries. At the start of the pandemic, the Board of Directors of Banco de la República adopted decisions that were necessary to supply the market with ample liquid¬ity in pesos and US dollars to guarantee market stability, protect the payment system and preserve the supply of credit. The pronounced growth in mone¬tary aggregates reflected an increased preference for liquidity, which Banco de la República addressed at the right time. These decisions were implemented through operations that were cleared and settled via the financial infrastructure. The second section of this report, following the introduction, offers an analysis of how the various financial infrastructures in Colombia have evolved and per¬formed. One of the highlights is the large-value payment system (CUD), which registered more momentum in 2020 than during the previous year, mainly be¬cause of an increase in average daily remunerated deposits made with Banco de la República by the General Directorate of Public Credit and the National Treasury (DGCPTN), as well as more activity in the sell/buy-back market with sovereign debt. Consequently, with more activity in the CUD, the Central Securi¬ties Depository (DCV) experienced an added impetus sparked by an increase in the money market for bonds and securities placed on the primary market by the national government. The value of operations cleared and settled through the Colombian Central Counterparty (CRCC) continues to grow, propelled largely by peso/dollar non-deliverable forward (NDF) contracts. With respect to the CRCC, it is important to note this clearing house has been in charge of managing risks and clearing and settling operations in the peso/dollar spot market since the end of last year, following its merger with the Foreign Exchange Clearing House of Colombia (CCDC). Since the final quarter of 2020, the CRCC has also been re¬sponsible for clearing and settlement in the equities market, which was former¬ly done by the Colombian Stock Exchange (BVC). The third section of this report provides an all-inclusive view of payments in the market for goods and services; namely, transactions carried out by members of the public and non-financial institutions. During the pandemic, inter- and intra-bank electronic funds transfers, which originate mostly with companies, increased in both the number and value of transactions with respect to 2019. However, debit and credit card payments, which are made largely by private citizens, declined compared to 2019. The incidence of payment by check contin¬ue to drop, exhibiting quite a pronounced downward trend during the past last year. To supplement to the information on electronic funds transfers, section three includes a segment (Box 4) characterizing the population with savings and checking accounts, based on data from a survey by Banco de la República con-cerning the perception of the use of payment instruments in 2019. There also is segment (Box 2) on the growth in transactions with a mobile wallet provided by a company specialized in electronic deposits and payments (Sedpe). It shows the number of users and the value of their transactions have increased since the wallet was introduced in late 2017, particularly during the pandemic. In addition, there is a diagnosis of the effects of the pandemic on the payment patterns of the population, based on data related to the use of cash in circu¬lation, payments with electronic instruments, and consumption and consumer confidence. The conclusion is that the collapse in the consumer confidence in¬dex and the drop in private consumption led to changes in the public’s pay¬ment patterns. Credit and debit card purchases were down, while payments for goods and services through electronic funds transfers increased. These findings, coupled with the considerable increase in cash in circulation, might indicate a possible precautionary cash hoarding by individuals and more use of cash as a payment instrument. There is also a segment (in Focus 3) on the major changes introduced in regulations on the retail-value payment system in Colombia, as provided for in Decree 1692 of December 2020. The fourth section of this report refers to the important innovations and tech¬nological changes that have occurred in the retail-value payment system. Four themes are highlighted in this respect. The first is a key point in building the financial infrastructure for instant payments. It involves of the design and im¬plementation of overlay schemes, a technological development that allows the various participants in the payment chain to communicate openly. The result is a high degree of interoperability among the different payment service providers. The second topic explores developments in the international debate on central bank digital currency (CBDC). The purpose is to understand how it could impact the retail-value payment system and the use of cash if it were to be issued. The third topic is related to new forms of payment initiation, such as QR codes, bio¬metrics or near field communication (NFC) technology. These seemingly small changes can have a major impact on the user’s experience with the retail-value payment system. The fourth theme is the growth in payments via mobile tele¬phone and the internet. The report ends in section five with a review of two papers on applied research done at Banco de la República in 2020. The first analyzes the extent of the CRCC’s capital, acknowledging the relevant role this infrastructure has acquired in pro¬viding clearing and settlement services for various financial markets in Colom¬bia. The capital requirements defined for central counterparties in some jurisdic¬tions are explored, and the risks to be hedged are identified from the standpoint of the service these type of institutions offer to the market and those associated with their corporate activity. The CRCC’s capital levels are analyzed in light of what has been observed in the European Union’s regulations, and the conclusion is that the CRCC has a scheme of security rings very similar to those applied internationally and the extent of its capital exceeds what is stipulated in Colombian regulations, being sufficient to hedge other risks. The second study presents an algorithm used to identify and quantify the liquidity sources that CUD’s participants use under normal conditions to meet their daily obligations in the local financial market. This algorithm can be used as a tool to monitor intraday liquidity. Leonardo Villar Gómez Governor