The performance of global forest governance: three contrasting perspectives

The scope and complexity of international forest-related governance have expanded tremendously over the last decades. As many as 41 ‘institutional elements’ were counted by scholars (from UNFF to UNFCCC to SDGs). The questions of how these governance arrangements ‘perform’, for what purpose and for whom are widely contested between scholars and practitioners. This paper compares three different analytical frames, which have been employed by some of the authors. These are 1) the consequences of a fragmented regime complex, 2) the global-local nexus and 3) the critical global political economy. The frames map out their contributions and key differences in analytical perspective and help focus and advance debates. Each perspective is based on different theories, epistemologies and methodological approaches and hence yields different key results. The first frame emphasises institutional and policy fragmentation, the symbolic nature of the agreements and the ineffectiveness of the policy measures; the second shows progress in discourses, institutional design, and on-the-ground performance, while the third finds global governance has reinforced inequalities in power and access to land and natural resources. All authors agree, however, that a shift in the balance of power and novel actor coalitions are necessary to change the current global forest governance trajectory significantly. They also acknowledge the need for much greater diversity in voice and representation in both the research and practice of global forest governance

The selective bradycardic effects of zatebradine (UL-FS 49) do not adversely affect left ventricular function in conscious pigs with chronic coronary artery occlusion

Summary This study was designed to test whether the selective bradycardic effects of zatebradine (UL-FS 49) were altered in the setting of chronic mild left ventricular dysfunction secondary to a myocardial infarction. We therefore administered four doses of UL-FS 49 at 15-min intervals (cumulative doses of 10, 30, 100, and 300 μg/kg) to eight normal conscious pigs and to seven pigs in which the left circumflex coronary artery was occluded 3 weeks previously. Left ventricular dysfunction in this second group of animals was manifested by an increase in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP 11±2 mmHg vs. 7±1 mmHg, respectively; p<0.05) and a decrease in LVdP/dtmax (3020±210 mmHg vs. 3720±210 mmHg, respectively; p<0.05). The results showed that UL-FS 49 was equally effective in reducing heart rate in both groups of animals [from 126±4 to 95±2 beats/min and from 140±5 to 98±6 beats/min for the normal animals and for the animals with a chronic myocardial infarction (MI), respectively]. The duration of left ventricular systole was not affected, but the duration of diastole was prolonged from 290±10 msec to 420±20 msec in the normal animals and from 250±10 msec to 430±30 msec in the animals with MI (both p<0.05). Up to 100 μg/kg UL-FS 49 did not affect arterial blood pressure, whereas LVdP/dtmax and cardiac output decreased by less than 10% in either group. With the highest dose there were decreases in cardiac output (20%) and LVdP/dtmax (15%) and a 5–6 mmHg increase in left ventricular end-diastolic pressure in both groups. The data suggest that UL-FS 49 in doses up to 100 μg/kg may also, in the setting of chronic mild left ventricular dysfunction, be an attractive agent when heart rate has to be reduced selectively

Statistical approach to dislocation dynamics: From dislocation correlations to a multiple-slip continuum plasticity theory

Due to recent successes of a statistical-based nonlocal continuum crystal plasticity theory for single-glide in explaining various aspects such as dislocation patterning and size-dependent plasticity, several attempts have been made to extend the theory to describe crystals with multiple slip systems using ad-hoc assumptions. We present here a mesoscale continuum theory of plasticity for multiple slip systems of parallel edge dislocations. We begin by constructing the Bogolyubov-Born-Green-Yvon-Kirkwood (BBGYK) integral equations relating different orders of dislocation correlation functions in a grand canonical ensemble. Approximate pair correlation functions are obtained for single-slip systems with two types of dislocations and, subsequently, for general multiple-slip systems of both charges. The effect of the correlations manifests itself in the form of an entropic force in addition to the external stress and the self-consistent internal stress. Comparisons with a previous multiple-slip theory based on phenomenological considerations shall be discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figure

Unified scenario for the morphology of crack paths in two-dimensional disordered solids

A combined experimental and numerical investigation of the roughness of intergranular cracks in two-dimensional disordered solids is presented. We focus on brittle materials for which the characteristic length scale of damage is much smaller than the grain size. Surprisingly, brittle cracks do not follow a persistent path with a roughness exponent ζ≈0.6-0.7 as reported for a large range of materials. Instead, we show that they exhibit monoaffine scaling properties characterized by a roughness exponent ζ=0.50±0.05, which we explain theoretically from linear elastic fracture mechanics. Our findings support the description of the roughening process in two-dimensional brittle disordered solids by a random walk. Furthermore, they shed light on the failure mechanism at the origin of the persistent behavior with ζ≈0.6-0.7 observed for fractures in other materials, suggesting a unified scenario for the geometry of crack paths in two-dimensional disordered solids