Concept and key criteria for evaluation of biodiversity of forest habitats in Germany

Mit den Vereinbarungen der Konferenz von Rio 1992 haben sich die Unterzeichnerstaaten in Kapitel 15 der Agenda 21 dazu verpflichtet, die Biodiversität (= biologische Vielfalt) zu erhalten. Die Europäische Union hat dazu die Initiative Natura2000 ins Leben gerufen, deren wichtigstes Instrumentarium die Fauna-Flora-Habitat-Richtlinie (FFH-RL 92/43/EWG) darstellt. Im folgenden wird ein Vorschlag gemacht, wie die Biodiversität von Wald-Lebensräumen in Deutschland erhoben und bewertet werden könnte. Dies ist ein Beitrag zu einer Nationalen Strategie zum Schutz der Biologischen Vielfalt.Biodiversity is currently an important issue for the EC (see Agenda 21, habitats directive). However, by which means can this be measured? First of all, the evaluation requires a concept of hierarchical natural units (WHITTAKER 1972, 1977, BEIERKUHNLEIN 2003), filled with ecologically significant and easily recordable key criteria. In order to ensure the meaningful application of the theoretical term to nature protection, qualitative restrictions are required as well: not the maximum of biodiversity, but the regionally characteristic and the individually distinctive biodiversity should be the objective of conservation

Decoding Acting Vocabulary

This paper compares seemingly similar words from a variety of acting teachers, and shows how it is impossible to draw clear comparisons between words that are often used as synonyms. The paper is a reflection of the journey from believing in translation to recognizing its impossibility. In Chapter 1 we focus on one of the most common elements in actor training, Attention/focus/concentration, and analyze the shades of meaning in those words and the difficulty of talking about them in isolation. In Chapter 2 we look at the way in which semiotic analysis can explain the words resistance to equivalence. In Chapter 3 we look at one of the central terms in most collegiate actor training objective, and see how it reveals both the problems inherent in translation. In Chapter 4 we look at how this knowledge can influence the classroom in a positive way

Forest Focus Monitoring Database System - Technical Report 2005 Level II Data

Forest Focus (Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003) is a Community scheme for harmonized, broad-based, comprehensive and long-term monitoring of European forest ecosystems. Under this scheme the monitoring of air pollution effects on forests is carried out by participating countries on the basis of the systematic network of observation points (Level I) and of the network of observation plots for intensive and continuous monitoring (Level II). According to Article 15(1) of the Forest Focus Regulation Member States shall annually, through the designated authorities and agencies, forward to the Commission geo-referenced data gathered under the scheme, together with a report on them by means of computer telecommunications and/or electronic technology. For managing the data JRC has implemented a Forest Focus Monitoring Database System. This Technical Report presents the results obtained from all processing stages (data reception, validation checks ¿ compliance, conformity, uniformity) for submitted data referring to the monitoring year 2005. This report presents the results at the end of the processing phase after data have been re-submitted in 2007. It presents in addition a brief comment on the data status for each NFC, for the reporting year, with respect to the parameter assessed and including analyses of spatial variability of data and temporal trends of parameters.JRC.DDG.H.7-Land management and natural hazard

Part VII.1: Assessment of Ground Vegetation.

This part of the Manual aims at providing a consistent methodology to collect high quality, harmonized and comparable forest ground vegetation data at selected UN/ECE ICP Forestsmonitoring plots. Harmonization of procedures is essential to enhance comparability of forest ground vegetation data. To have their data used in the international database and evaluations, National Focal Centres and their scientific partners participating to the UN/ECE ICP Forests programme should follow the methods described here

Forest Focus Monitoring Database System - Technical Report 2006 Level II Data

Forest Focus (Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003) is a Community scheme for harmonized, broadbased, comprehensive and long-term monitoring of European forest ecosystems. Under this scheme the monitoring of air pollution effects on forests is carried out by participating countries on the basis of the systematic network of observation points (Level I) and of the network of observation plots for intensive and continuous monitoring (Level II). According to Article 15(1) of the Forest Focus Regulation Member States shall annually, through the designated authorities and agencies, forward to the Commission geo-referenced data gathered under the scheme, together with a report on them by means of computer telecommunications and/or electronic technology. For managing the data JRC has implemented a Forest Focus Monitoring Database System. This Technical Report presents the results obtained from all processing stages (data reception, validation checks ¿ compliance, conformity, uniformity) for submitted data referring to the monitoring year 2006. This report presents the results at the end of the processing phase after data have been re-submitted in 2007 and 2008. It presents in addition a brief comment on the data status for each NFC, for the reporting year, with respect to the parameter assessed and including analyses of spatial variability of data and temporal trends of parameters.JRC.H.7-Land management and natural hazard

Forest Focus Monitoring Database System - Technical Report 2001 Level II Data

Forest Focus (Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003 ) is a Community scheme for harmonised, broad-based, comprehensive and long-term monitoring of European forest ecosystems. It concentrates in particular on protecting forests against air pollution and fire. To supplement the monitoring system, Forest Focus stipulates the development of new instruments relating to soil monitoring, carbon sequestration, biodiversity, climate change and protective functions of forests. Under this scheme the monitoring of air pollution effects on forests is carried out by participating countries on the basis of the systematic network of observation points (Level I) and of the network of observation plots for intensive and continuous monitoring (Level II). The monitoring activity continues from the network and plots established and implemented under Council Regulation (EEC) No 3528/86 .and Regulations (EEC) No 1696/87 and (EC) No 1091/94 . The monitoring programme of air pollution effects is linked to International Cooperative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air Pollution Effects on Forest (ICP Forests). ICP Forests reports to the working Group on Effects of the Convention of the Long-Range Trans-boundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP) of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE). Forest Focus Article 15(1) stipulates that the Member States shall annually, through the designated authorities and agencies, forward to the Commission geo-referenced data gathered under the scheme, together with a report on them by means of computer telecommunications and/or electronic technology. For managing the data DG JRC has implemented a Forest Focus Monitoring Database System. The system was developed and realized under contract by a Consortium, coordinated by I-MAGE Consult with Nouvelles Solutions Informatiques s.a. (NSI) as consortium partner and the Bundesforschungsanstalt für Forst- und Holzwirtschaft (BFH) as sub-contractor. The designated authorities and agencies submitted annually to DG Joint Research Centre of the European Commission their observations made on the network of observation plots for intensive and continuous monitoring (Level II). Data are submitted via a Web-Module specifically designed for the task as part of the Forest Focus Monitoring Database System.JRC.DDG.H.7-Land management and natural hazard

Forest Focus Monitoring Database System - Executive Summary Report 2005 Level II Data

Forest Focus (Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003) is a Community scheme for harmonized, broad-based, comprehensive and long-term monitoring of European forest ecosystems. Under this scheme the monitoring of air pollution effects on forests is carried out by participating countries on the basis of the systematic network of observation points (Level I) and of the network of observation plots for intensive and continuous monitoring (Level II). According to Article 15(1) of the Forest Focus Regulation Member States shall annually, through the designated authorities and agencies, forward to the Commission geo-referenced data gathered under the scheme, together with a report on them by means of computer telecommunications and/or electronic technology. For managing the data JRC has implemented a Forest Focus Monitoring Database System. This Executive Report presents the results obtained from all processing stages (data reception, validation checks ¿ compliance, conformity, uniformity) for submitted data referring to the monitoring year 2005. This report presents the results at the end of the processing phase after data have been re-submitted in 2006 and 2007. It presents in addition a brief comment on the data status for each NFC, for the reporting year, with respect to the parameter assessed and including analyses of spatial variability of data and temporal trends of parameters.JRC.H.7-Land management and natural hazard

Forest Focus Monitoring Database System - Executive Summary Report 2006 Level II Data

Forest Focus (Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003) is a Community scheme for harmonized, broad-based, comprehensive and long-term monitoring of European forest ecosystems. Under this scheme the monitoring of air pollution effects on forests is carried out by participating countries on the basis of the systematic network of observation points (Level I) and of the network of observation plots for intensive and continuous monitoring (Level II). According to Article 15(1) of the Forest Focus Regulation Member States shall annually, through the designated authorities and agencies, forward to the Commission geo-referenced data gathered under the scheme, together with a report on them by means of computer telecommunications and/or electronic technology. For managing the data JRC has implemented a Forest Focus Monitoring Database System. This Executive Report presents the results obtained from all processing stages (data reception, validation checks ¿ compliance, conformity, uniformity) for submitted data referring to the monitoring year 2006. This report presents the results at the end of the processing phase after data have been re-submitted in 2007 and 2008. It presents in addition a brief comment on the data status for each NFC, for the reporting year, with respect to the parameter assessed and including analyses of spatial variability of data and temporal trends of parameters.JRC.H.7-Land management and natural hazard

Bone collagen network integrity and transverse fracture toughness of human cortical bone

The final publication is available at Elsevier via https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2018.10.024 © 2019. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/Greater understanding of the determinants of skeletal fragility is highly sought due to the great burden that bone affecting diseases and fractures have on economies, societies and health care systems. Being a complex, hierarchical composite of collagen type-I and non-stoichiometric substituted hydroxyapatite, bone derives toughness from its organic phase. In this study, we tested whether early observations that a strong correlation between bone collagen integrity measured by thermomechanical methods and work to fracture exist in a more general and heterogeneous sampling of the population. Neighboring uniform specimens from an established, highly characterized and previously published collection of human cortical bone samples (femur mid-shaft) were decalcified in EDTA. Fifty-four of the original 62 donors were included (26 male and 28 females; ages 21–101 years; aging, osteoporosis, diabetes and cancer). Following decalcification, bone collagen was tested using hydrothermal isometric tension (HIT) testing in order to measure the collagen's thermal stability (denaturation temperature, Td) and network connectivity (maximum rate of isometric tension generation; Max.Slope). We used linear regression and general linear models (GLMs) with several explanatory variables to determine whether relationships between HIT parameters and generally accepted bone quality factors (e.g., cortical porosity, pentosidine content [pen], pyridinoline content [pyd]), age, and measures of fracture toughness (crack initiation fracture toughness, Kinit, and total energy release/dissipation rate evaluated at the point of unstable fast fracture, J-int) were significant. Bone collagen connectivity (Max.Slope) correlated well with the measures of fracture toughness (R2 = 24–35%), and to a lesser degree with bound water fraction (BW; R2 = 7.9%) and pore water fraction (PW; R2 = 9.1%). Significant correlations with age, apparent volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), and mature enzymatic [pyd] and non-enzymatic collagen crosslinks [pen] were not detected. GLMs found that Max.Slope and vBMD (or BW), with or without age as additional covariate, all significantly explained the variance in Kinit (adjusted-R2 = 36.7–49.0%). Also, the best-fit model for J-int (adjusted-R2 = 35.7%) included only age and Max.Slope as explanatory variables with Max.Slope contributing twice as much as age. Max.Slope and BW without age were also significant predictors of J-int (adjusted-R2 = 35.5%). In conclusion, bone collagen integrity as measured by thermomechanical methods is a key factor in cortical bone fracture toughness. This study further demonstrates that greater attention should be paid to degradation of the overall organic phase, rather than a specific biomarker (e.g. [pen]), when seeking to understand elevated fracture rates in aging and disease.U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ["1I01BX001018"]National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases ["AR063157"]National Science Foundation ["1068988"]Canadian Institutes of Health Research ["115089"

Forest Focus Monitoring Database System - Validation Methodology 2008

Forest Focus (Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003) is a Community scheme for harmonized, broadbased, comprehensive and long-term monitoring of European forest ecosystems. Under this scheme the monitoring of air pollution effects on forests is carried out by participating countries on the basis of the systematic network of observation points (Level I) and of the network of observation plots for intensive and continuous monitoring (Level II). According to Article 15(1) of the Forest Focus Regulation Member States shall annually, through the designated authorities and agencies, forward to the Commission geo-referenced data gathered under the scheme, together with a report on them by means of computer telecommunications and/or electronic technology. For managing the data JRC has implemented a Forest Focus Monitoring Database System. This report presents the methodology used to validate Level II data. The procedures applied at the various stages of checking data Compliance, Conformity and Uniformity are described. The report also provides detailed information on the interpretation of data formats and the threshold values used in the Conformity range tests.JRC.H.7-Land management and natural hazard