Parallel-plate viscometer

Viscometer consists of movable vertical rod with one optical flat fixed to its lower end and centered over second optical flat held rigidly parallel to moveable flat. Two perforated diaphragms of thin metal permit limited amount of vertical movement of rod carrying movable flat, but resist lateral movement

Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor 2022: Assessing the transparency and integrity of companies emission reduction and net-zero targets

The Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor evaluates the transparency and integrity of companies' climate pledges. The objectives of the Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor are:Identify and highlight good practice approaches that can be replicated by other companies, recognising that companies are experimenting to work out what is constructive and credible practice.Reveal the extent to which major companies' climate leadership claims have integrity, and provide a structured methodology for others to replicate such an evaluation.Scrutinise the credibility of companies' plans for offsetting their emissions through carbon dioxide removals or emission reduction credits, recognising that voluntary carbon markets are highly fragmented and there remains a lot of uncertainty on credible good practice.The Corporate Climate Responsibility Monitor focuses on four main areas of corporate climate action: tracking and disclosure of emissions, setting emission reduction targets , reducing own emissions and taking responsibility for unabated emissions through climate contributions or offsetting. Finally, it evaluatates 25 major global companies' transparency and integrety across these four areas

Effects of excluding grazing on the vegetation and soils of degraded sparse-elm grassland in the Horqin Sandy Land, China

Livestock grazing is a crucial cause of vegetation degradation and desertification in sandy lands. The sparse-elm grassland of Horqin Sandy Land, China has suffered severe degradation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Management to exclude grazing is often necessary for ecological restoration, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. We report effects on vegetation and soils in a 10-year experiment to exclude livestock, completely or seasonally, in comparison with a continuously grazed area in Horqin. Complete exclusion of grazing and restriction of grazing to summer both led to significantly increased plant cover and density relative to the grazed control. Species richness increased, reflected in higher Shannon-Wiener indices; only complete exclusion increased the Simpson diversity index, whereas Pielou evenness was significantly lowest under seasonal grazing. Exclosure treatments were also associated with improved soil texture, and increased water retention, available nitrogen, total nitrogen, total carbon and total phosphorus. Soil pH and C/N ratio were highest under the seasonal grazing regime. The results indicated that exclosure management indeed improved biodiversity and ecosystem services in an erosion-prone region. Although total exclosure was most effective in restoration of degraded sparse-elm grassland, seasonal grazing management was highly beneficial and represented a good compromise with resource utilization and economic development

Spatial and temporal variations in soil and vegetation dynamics on stabilized desert dunes in Ningxia, China

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Wolverhampton for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyThe dynamics of vegetated dune stabilization were investigated at two field stations of the Institute of Desert Research, Academia Sinica, during the summers of 1993 and 1994. The majority of research was conducted at Shapotou Research Station, where an area of dunes, representing a 37 year stabilization chronosequence, allowed the progress of vegetated dune stabilization to be investigated. Investigations were made into dune vegetation dynamics, aeolian deposition, microphytic crust formation and function, dune surface micromorphology and hydrology. Following stabilization by a combination of straw checkerboards and planted shrubs at Shapotou, aeolian deposits formed a finer textured 'grey sand' layer at the dune surface, which thickened at 1.3 - 1.9 mm y-1. Dust gauging and measurement of aeolian enrichment of the stabilized dune surface revealed a complex pattern of deposition, which varied with shrub cover, topography and distance from the margin of the stabilized dunes. An extensive microphytic crust, comprised of cyanobacteria and bryophytes, formed over the surface of the stabilized dunes. The microphytic crusts proved effective stabilizers, protecting deposited dust and promoting the development of the 'grey sand' layer. The accumulation of 'grey sand' and development of the associated microphytic crust appeared to be controlling features of the dune stabilization process at Shapotou. Dune hydrology altered significantly upon stabilization. Dune moisture is transpired by planted shrubs and subsequent recharge is restricted by the moisture retentive 'grey sand' and microphytic crust. This leads to a progressive desiccation of deeper dune sand and an increase in available moisture at the dune surface. Evaporative losses were increased by the development of the 'grey sand' and microphytic crust, which also significantly decreased infiltration rates. The nocturnal distillation and condensation at the dune surface of subsurface moisture became increasingly significant as dune stabilization progressed. Vegetation responded to these changes in surface stability and hydrology. Shrub cover declined with the desiccation of deeper dune sand, whilst the cover afforded by the microphytic crust and annual species increased in response to the increasing availability of near-surface moisture. Initially straw checkerboards and planted shrubs ensure surface stabilization, but as dune stabilization progresses, the surface stability afforded by the microphytic crust becomes of increasing importance

An unusual brood of Lycaena phlaeas L

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Sight Lines

'Sight Lines' is a site specific exhibition of 25 photographs in 25 local shop windows and community venues. The photographs were a collection of impressions of life along the East coast and were taken by Holger Mohaupt and Tracey Fearnehough. The exhibition opened at the international art festival 'Fringe by the Sea' in North Berwick, East Lothian. The exhibition at FBTS had a footfall of 60,000 visitors