A comparison of three methods to survey saproxylic beetles in hollow oaks

One of the most endangered assemblages of species in Europe is insects associated with old trees. For that reason there is a need of developing methods to survey this fauna. This study aims at comparing three methods — window trapping, pitfall trapping and wood mould sampling — to assess species richness and composition of the saproxylic beetle fauna in living, hollow oaks. We have used these methods at the same site, and to a large extent in the same trees. Useful information was obtained from all methods, but they partially target different assemblages of species. Window trapping collected the highest number of species. Pitfall trapping collected beetles associated with tree hollows which rarely are collected by window traps and therefore it is profitable to combine these two methods. As wood mould sampling is the cheapest method to use, indicator species should preferrably be chosen among species which are efficiently collected with this method

The influence of forest regrowth, original canopy cover and tree size on saproxylic beetles associated with old oaks

Abandoned management has caused many sites with free-standing, large oaks (Quercus robur) to become more shaded. This study shows how forest regrowth affects beetle species associated with old oaks in south-eastern Sweden. Beetles were trapped by pitfall traps placed in hollows and window traps placed near hollows in oak trunks in pasture woodlands. We assessed the influence of forest regrowth, tree size and original canopy cover on the species richness of saproxylic beetles (a total of 120 species identified) and the occurrence of 68 saproxylic beetle species in particular. Species richness was greatest in stands with large, free-standing trees. Large girth as well as low canopy cover increased frequency of occurrence for several species. Forest regrowth was found to be detrimental for many beetle species. As most localities with endangered beetles living in old oaks are small and isolated, ongoing management and the restoration of abandoned pasture woodlands should have a high priority in nature conservation

Quelle similitude de la faune saproxylique des vieux chênes (Quercus spp.) entre la Turquie et la Suède?

The number of old oaks has decreased during the last century and the saproxylic insects associated with the oak are one of the most endangered organism group all over Europe and Turkey. The beetle fauna on old hollow oaks was studied in Sweden and Turkey with window- and pit-fall traps. The most species rich families in the study were Anobidae and Tenebrionidae. The number of saproxylic beetle species was higher at the Turkish sites in comparison with the Swedish. This was most obvious for the families Elateridae, Cleridae, Anobiidae and Tenebrionidae. The overlap among the saproxylic beetle species at the sites in Turkey and Sweden was small. Only 14 (8%) of the 166 species found were shared between the sites in the two countries, most of them being Tenebrionidae. Many of the found beetle species are very rare and can be found on national redlists in many European countries. One good example is the Violet click beetle (Limoniscus violaceus) found at one of the Turkish sites. It is a very rare beetle all over its European range and is listed in Annexe II of the EC Habitat Directive. Three species from the family Staphylinidae were new to science and have been described as Hesperus gozukarai, H. turcicus and H. auricomusLe nombre des vieux chênes a chuté durant le siècle passé et les insectes saproxyliques associés au chêne sont l'un des groupes d'organismes les plus menacés dans l'ensemble de l'Europe et en Turquie. Les coléoptères des vieux chênes creux ont été étudiés en Suède et en Turquie avec des pièges à vitre et des pièges-fosses. Les familles les plus riches en espèces furent les Anobidae et les Tenebrionidae. Le nombre d'espèces de coléoptères saproxyliques était plus élevé sur les sites turcs que sur les suédois. Cela était le plus évident pour les Elateridae, Cleridae, Anobiidae et Tenebrionidae. Le recouvrement des listes de coléoptères saproxyliques entre les sites turcs et suédois était faible. Seules 14 (8%) des 166 espèces trouvées étaient communes aux sites des deux pays, la plupart étant des Tenebrionidae. Beaucoup des coléoptères trouvés sont des espèces rares qui figurent sur les listes rouges de beaucoup de pays européens. Un bon exemple en est Limoniscus violaceus trouvé sur l'un des sites turcs. C'est un coléoptère très rare sur l'ensemble de son aire de répartition européenne et il est inscrit en Annexe II de la Directive Habitat de la Communauté européenne. Trois espèces de la famille des Staphylinidae étaient nouvelles pour la science et ont été décrites comme Hesperus gozukarai, H. turcicus et H. auricomus

PITYOPHAGUS QUERCUS REITTER, 1877, A NEW SAPROXYLIC SAP BEETLE FOR THE ITALIAN FAUNA (Coleoptera, Nitidulidae)

During ecological investigations on saproxylic beetle communities of central Italy (Latium), at Bosco Polverino (a mixed evergreen/deciduous forest fragment dominated by cork oaks), and at Allumiere (a small fragment of beech forest surrounded by turkey oak stands), the authors found three specimens of Pityophagus quercus Reitter, 1877 (Coleoptera, Nitidulidae). These are the first known records of this species in Italy, and the first one in association with an evergreen oak, Quercus suber. This discovery led us to review both bionomical and faunistic data so far available on this exceedingly rare and poorly known species

Brandteknisk riskvärdering av Torpa Stenhus

A risk evaluation with regards to fire safety has been performed at Torpa Stenhus. The focus of the evaluation was the safety of the people inside the building in case of a fire. As part of the education for future fire protection engineers at LTH a risk evaluation report is performed in the course Brandteknisk riskvärdering (VBR054). Torpa Stenhus was built during the 15th century and is located in the vicinity of Borås by the lake Åsunden. Torpa Stenhus is one of the best preserved castles in Sweden. The building is open for the general public but it is also used for other events such as weddings, parties and conferences. The two main halls have a capacity of 100 and 110 persons each. Torpa Stenhus has only got one door leading outside. The five floors of Torpa Stenhus are linked by a common stairwell. The existing systems with regards to fire safety consist of optical smoke detectors and handheld fire-extinguishers spread across the five floors. The project was initiated by an onsite visit where the students, accompanied by mentors from both the Södra Älvsborgs fire department and LTH, met the owner and operator Pehr Zethelius. During the onsite visit focus was directed towards identifying all plausible fire scenarios and noting the physical measurements of the building. Objectives for an adequate level of protection and the highest acceptable levels of exposure in case of a fire were defined in light of the report’s focus. The objectives were that none of the persons evacuating the building should be exposed to these highest acceptable levels. A coarse analysis of all plausible scenarios gave the most hazardous fire scenarios. This analysis was made by comparing statistics from similar buildings and via subjective assessments where the probability and consequence was transformed into a risk. Using an event tree, different scenarios based on what sort of evacuation that took place were obtained. Using computer programs, namely FDS, Simulex and DETACT T2 different evacuation and fire scenarios were simulated. The different simulations combined with reasoning supported by experimental data led to that both the total evacuation time and the time until the highest acceptable exposure levels was exceeded, were obtained. By comparing these two times in an event tree for every scenario the conclusion was made that at present day Torpa Stenhus does not fulfill the objectives for and adequate level of protection in case of a fire. To reach an adequate level of protection in case of a fire the following measures should be adopted: - Accommodate safe evacuation through the stairwell - Install sealed doors - Install automatic door closers to the chapel - Improve the possibilities of navigations in the building - Replace the existing evacuation signs to backlit evacuation signs - Install backlit evacuation signs for the new evacuation route - Measures for systematic fire prevention - Staffeducation - Inspections - Responsibility areas for the staff - Install a detector in the Staffroom - Reduce the risk of fire in the Staffroom - Reduce the amount of combustible material - Install a timer on electrical outlets - Install spoken message as an evacuation alarm - Reopena evacuation route - Install exit devices - Provide evacuation route with emergency lightning and railings To further improve the level of protection in case of a fire the following measures may be taken: - Request a response plan from the Rescue Service - Install a lightning rod - Reduce the use of candles - Flameproof furnishing and interiors - Change the detectors error message - Install automatic fire alarm - Install manual buttons to alarm rescue services - Regularly inspect the electrical equipment and cabling - Lower the maximum allowed capacity of the two main hall

Child Sexual Abuse and Statements for the Purpose of Medical Diagnosis or Treatment

Two distinct rationales ensure the trustworthiness of hearsay evidence admitted under Federal Rule Evidence 803(4), which excepts statements for the purpose of medical diagnosis or treatment. First, a patient has a selfish interest in providing truthful information in order to obtain treatment. Second, a statement is reliable if a medical expert uses it to form a basis for diagnosis or treatment. Professor Mosteller examines how courts have analyzed and applied rule 803(4) in child sexual abuse cases, and concludes that their confusion of the two rationales has resulted in decisions which are theoretically, as well as constitutionally, infirm. He then offers guidance as to when and how rule 803(4) can be applied to achiece more accurate results

Meeting places and social capital supporting rural landscape stewardship : A Pan-European horizon scanning

Achieving sustainable development as an inclusive societal process in rural landscapes, and sustainability in terms of functional green infrastructures for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services, are wicked challenges. Competing claims from various sectors call for evidence-based adaptive collaborative governance. Leveraging such approaches requires maintenance of several forms of social interactions and capitals. Focusing on Pan-European regions with different environmental histories and cultures, we estimate the state and trends of two groups of factors underpinning rural landscape stewardship, namely, (1) traditional rural landscape and novel face-to-face as well as virtual fora for social interaction, and (2) bonding, bridging, and linking forms of social capital. We applied horizon scanning to 16 local landscapes located in 18 countries, representing Pan-European social-ecological and cultural gradients. The resulting narratives, and rapid appraisal knowledge, were used to estimate portfolios of different fora for social interactions and forms of social capital supporting landscape stewardship. The portfolios of fora for social interactions were linked to societal cultures across the European continent: “self-expression and secular-rational values” in the northwest, “Catholic” in the south, and “survival and traditional authority values” in the East. This was explained by the role of traditional secular and religious local meeting places. Virtual internet-based fora were most widespread. Bonding social capitals were the strongest across the case study landscapes, and linking social capitals were the weakest. This applied to all three groups of fora. Pan-European social-ecological contexts can be divided into distinct clusters with respect to the portfolios of different fora supporting landscape stewardship, which draw mostly on bonding and bridging forms of social capital. This emphasizes the need for regionally and culturally adapted approaches to landscape stewardship, which are underpinned by evidence-based knowledge about how to sustain green infrastructures based on both forest naturalness and cultural landscape values. Sharing knowledge from comparative studies can strengthen linking social capital

Skalbaggar på tre lövbännor i Örebro län

Skalbaggsfaunan knuten till barrskog inventerades med hjälp av fällor på tre platser i Örebro län under säsongen 1999. Alla tre platserna har brandhärjats för ca 100 år sedan, varför trädbeståndet idag har hög lövandel. De infångade insekterna artbestämdes med tyngdpunkten på de vedlevande skalbaggarna. Totalt artbestämdes 293 skalbaggsarter. Av dessa var 20 upptagna på den nationella hotlistan (Rödlistade everterbrater i Sverige, 1993) och 15 upptagna på den nya hotlistan (Gärdenfors, 2000) vilket ger totalt 25 arter om man slår ihop de olika listorna. Av de tre inventerade områdena var det Kamptjärnsbrännan (10 km NV om Kopparberg) som var det finaste med avseende på antalet funna rödlistade skalbaggar. Här återfanns 15 rödlistade arter på "gamla" rödlistan (och 9 på den nya vilket ger totalt 17). Vid Sandsjöåsbrännan (5 km NO Kopparberg) och Pippelåsbrännan (15 km SV Laxå) påvisades ca hälften så många rödlistade arter som vid Kamptjärnsbrännan (8 för båda på gamla rödlistan, 4 resp. 5 på nya vilket ger 9 resp. 10 totalt). Dessa resultat visar att alla de undersökta områdena har högt värde för vedlevande skalbaggar.Regionala inventeringsrapporter import från MDP 2015-05</p