US Buyers’ Behavior Towards Social Sustainable Certificates

Growing awareness of the fashion industry\u27s environmental footprint in terms of water and chemical use, carbon emissions, textile waste, energy usage, and water pollution has focused international attention on sustainability issues in apparel industries. To showcase their commitment to sustainability, many fashion companies turn to certifications and accreditations from third-party organizations. These certifications and accreditations not only help improve a company\u27s performance and marketability but also give them an advantage over their competitors. US textile buyers are also becoming more selective in their purchasing decisions, looking for high-quality products that are produced in a sustainable and socially responsible manner. This is driving textile manufacturers to adopt sustainable practices and to make sure they are providing the best products to their customers. Therefore, it is necessary to understand how social sustainable certificates are valued in a buyer-supplier relationship, how sustainable certificates help buyers building trust towards their suppliers, and how the authenticity of certificates influences the relationship between a buyer and their suppliers. To achieve these goals, a semi-structured interview approach was utilized to understand the U.S. fashion buyers’ perspective on social sustainable certification. The study findings revealed significant knowledge of the buyers regarding sustainable certification. The buyers talked about greenwashing, worker’s wages, child labor, fire safety, and building collapse in connection to certification. However, not all participants prioritize certifications as a factor in their decision-making process. Another finding revealed that even though the buyers are aware of what is going on in the fashion industry and they also agreed that certification does offer certain benefits, they do not practice certification requirements in real life

La révolte d’Iphicrate dans la scène première de L’Île des esclaves :un modèle de l’art du simulacre dans le théâtre de Marivaux

L'île des esclaves est souvent considérée comme un apologue, et on estime que la scène I expose le début de la révolte de l'esclave Arlequin. Or cette exposition comporte une invraisemblance majeure : pourquoi Iphicrate éprouve-t-il le besoin d'informer son esclave du lieu où ils ont atterri, puisqu'il en connaît les dangers ? Dès lors, si on examine la pièce différemment, d'un point de vue strictement théâtral, on s'aperçoit qu’elle propose d'abord une permutation d'emplois d'acteurs, impossible réellement selon la réalité théâtrale de 1725. Il en ressort que, s'il y a révolte à la fin de la scène I, c'est celle d'Iphicrate, tant du point de vue de la scène que du point de vue de la fiction. Il apparaît donc qu’en amont de la fiction sociale apparente, Marivaux a construit une fiction scénique, cachée, mais première et nécessaire à la vérité de l’autre, dont elle est le simulacre parfait quoique retors.L'île des esclaves is often regarded as an apologue, and it is estimated that scene I exposes the beginning of the revolt of the Arlequin slave. However this exposure comprises a major improbability: why does Iphicrate feel the need to inform his slave of the place where they landed, as he knows the dangers of this island ? Thenceforth, if we examine the play, differently, from a strictly theatrical point of view, we notice that she proposes at first a permutation of actors' lines, impossible really according to the theatrical reality of 1725. This reveals that, if there is revolt at the end of scene I, it is that of Iphicrate, as much from the point of view of the scene as from the point of view of the fiction. It thus appears that, behind the apparent social fiction, Marivaux built a scenic fiction, hidden, but first and necessary to the truth of the other, of which it is the perfect simulacrum, though twisted

La révolte d’Iphicrate dans la scène première de L’Île des esclaves :un modèle de l’art du simulacre dans le théâtre de Marivaux

L'île des esclaves est souvent considérée comme un apologue, et on estime que la scène I expose le début de la révolte de l'esclave Arlequin. Or cette exposition comporte une invraisemblance majeure : pourquoi Iphicrate éprouve-t-il le besoin d'informer son esclave du lieu où ils ont atterri, puisqu'il en connaît les dangers ? Dès lors, si on examine la pièce différemment, d'un point de vue strictement théâtral, on s'aperçoit qu’elle propose d'abord une permutation d'emplois d'acteurs, impossible réellement selon la réalité théâtrale de 1725. Il en ressort que, s'il y a révolte à la fin de la scène I, c'est celle d'Iphicrate, tant du point de vue de la scène que du point de vue de la fiction. Il apparaît donc qu’en amont de la fiction sociale apparente, Marivaux a construit une fiction scénique, cachée, mais première et nécessaire à la vérité de l’autre, dont elle est le simulacre parfait quoique retors.L'île des esclaves is often regarded as an apologue, and it is estimated that scene I exposes the beginning of the revolt of the Arlequin slave. However this exposure comprises a major improbability: why does Iphicrate feel the need to inform his slave of the place where they landed, as he knows the dangers of this island ? Thenceforth, if we examine the play, differently, from a strictly theatrical point of view, we notice that she proposes at first a permutation of actors' lines, impossible really according to the theatrical reality of 1725. This reveals that, if there is revolt at the end of scene I, it is that of Iphicrate, as much from the point of view of the scene as from the point of view of the fiction. It thus appears that, behind the apparent social fiction, Marivaux built a scenic fiction, hidden, but first and necessary to the truth of the other, of which it is the perfect simulacrum, though twisted

Stratégie et équipements de prévention vis-à-vis du gel de printemps et de la grêle. Perspectives en lien avec les changements climatiques, projet ADVICLIM

Une grande partie du vignoble a été touchée par l'épisode de gel qui est intervenu sur plusieurs jours fin avril 2017 et qui a occasionné des dégâts pour de nombreuses régions françaises y compris méridionales, ainsi que d'autres pays de la zone Ouest de l'Europe (Angleterre, Allemagne, Italie, Suisse, etc.). Le gel, la grêle et une sécheresse très marquée dans les zones méridionales ont abouti à une baisse d'environ 10 millions d'hectolitres par rapport à 2016 ce qui correspond, par rapport à une moyenne décennale, à une diminution de l'ordre de 18 %. En 2018, de nombreuses régions viticoles France ont été touchées par la grêle. Le projet CLIMFROST, financé par France Agrimer, a pour objectif d'aider la profession viticole française à appréhender les risques de gel de printemps et de grêle dans leur contexte local, afin d'adopter une stratégie (réserves climatiques, assurances, mesures agronomiques, techniques de protection) permettant de réduire l'impact financier direct et indirect. En complément des aspects techniques, la communication a pour objectif de resituer ces phénomènes climatiques extrêmes dans la perspective des changements climatiques, en lien notamment avec le projet européen LIFE ADVICLIM www.adviclim.eu. Cette communication présente une synthèse d'une plaquette « aléas climatiques de la vigne : grêle, gel de printemps », téléchargeable sur le site www.vignevin.com

Mosquito Consumption by Insectivorous Bats: Does Size Matter?

Abstract Insectivorous bats have often been touted as biological control for mosquito populations. However, mosquitoes generally represent only a small proportion of bat diet. Given the small size of mosquitoes, restrictions imposed on prey detectability by low frequency echolocation, and variable field metabolic rates (FMR), mosquitoes may not be available to or profitable for all bats. This study investigated whether consumption of mosquitoes was influenced by bat size, which is negatively correlated with echolocation frequency but positively correlated with bat FMR. To assess this, we investigated diets of five eastern Australian bat species (Vespadelus vulturnus Thomas, V. pumilus Gray, Miniopterus australis Tomes, Nyctophilus gouldi Tomes and Chalinolobus gouldii Gray) ranging in size from 4-14 g in coastal forest, using molecular analysis of fecal DNA. Abundances of potential mosquito and non-mosquito prey were concurrently measured to provide data on relative prey abundance. Aedes vigilax was locally the most abundant mosquito species, while Lepidoptera the most abundant insect order. A diverse range of prey was detected in bat feces, although members of Lepidoptera dominated, reflecting relative abundance at trap sites. Consumption of mosquitoes was restricted to V. vulturnus and V. pumilus, two smaller sized bats (4 and 4.5 g). Although mosquitoes were not commonly detected in feces of V. pumilus, they were present in feces of 55 % of V. vulturnus individuals. To meet nightly FMR requirements, Vespadelus spp. would need to consume ~600-660 mosquitoes on a mosquito-only diet, or ~160-180 similar sized moths on a moth-only diet. Lower relative profitability of mosquitoes may provide an explanation for the low level of mosquito consumption among these bats and the absence of mosquitoes in feces of larger bats. Smaller sized bats, especially V. vulturnus, are likely to be those most sensitive to reductions in mosquito abundance and should be monitored during mosquito control activities

Round Table: Target Groups, Users, Followers, Fans – The Nature and Potential of Social Data in Archaeology

 At the 21st  Cultural Heritage and New Technologies conference (CHNT), which took place from Novembe 16th to 18th 2016 in Vienna, Austria, Carmen Löw organized a round table to discuss first experiences with social data from the use of social media in archaeology. The participants presented two Facebook accounts and one weblog owned by a UNESCO World Heritage, a research project and a private company. So far, social data has received too little attention in archaeology. Regardless of the limitations encountered with a user group with special age, sex and other regulations, social data helps us to understand at least a part of our stakeholders better and to adjust the information we offer in social media to their interests. To communicate in a professional manner, it is mandatory to understand who is on the receiving end of the information transportation process. Tools, all well-known and widely used in the world of economics, are often not affordable for scientific research in humanities and so we could mostly only guess who might be listening to us. Since archaeology is widely present in the internet, and since there are Facebook-accounts, websites and weblogs, it is now possible for us to get some reliable information about our followers and supporters. In this article, we provide basic information on communication, with a special focus on communication in the archaeological field, as well as figures on the current use of the Internet. We present data, possibilities for their interpretations and general observations on users, followers and fans in selected tools from the three examples mentioned above

Woodland Recovery after Suppression of Deer: Cascade effects for Small Mammals, Wood Mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) and Bank Voles (Myodes glareolus)

Over the past century, increases in both density and distribution of deer species in the Northern Hemisphere have resulted in major changes in ground flora and undergrowth vegetation of woodland habitats, and consequentially the animal communities that inhabit them. In this study, we tested whether recovery in the vegetative habitat of a woodland due to effective deer management (from a peak of 0.4–1.5 to <0.17 deer per ha) had translated to the small mammal community as an example of a higher order cascade effect. We compared deer-free exclosures with neighboring open woodland using capture-mark-recapture (CMR) methods to see if the significant difference in bank vole (Myodes glareolus) and wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) numbers between these environments from 2001–2003 persisted in 2010. Using the multi-state Robust Design method in program MARK we found survival and abundance of both voles and mice to be equivalent between the open woodland and the experimental exclosures with no differences in various metrics of population structure (age structure, sex composition, reproductive activity) and individual fitness (weight), although the vole population showed variation both locally and temporally. This suggests that the vegetative habitat - having passed some threshold of complexity due to lowered deer density - has allowed recovery of the small mammal community, although patch dynamics associated with vegetation complexity still remain. We conclude that the response of small mammal communities to environmental disturbance such as intense browsing pressure can be rapidly reversed once the disturbing agent has been removed and the vegetative habitat is allowed to increase in density and complexity, although we encourage caution, as a source/sink dynamic may emerge between old growth patches and the recently disturbed habitat under harsh conditions