Sustainable Commodity Use

This open access book examines the governance and legal landscape of the global commodity sector. For that purpose, the author conceptualises both Global Commodity Governance (GCG) as well as Transnational Commodity Law (TCL). He defines the key terms of Global Commodity Governance, delineates the underlying legal framework of Transnational Commodity Law, and assesses the effectiveness of Transnational Commodity Law in fostering a functional commodity sector. “Sustainable Commodity Use” is based on a comprehensive analysis of over 250 international agreements, standards, and guiding documents. The author distils the main findings into a conceptualisation of Transnational Commodity Law and provides the reader with a succinct overview of its normative configurations as well as regulatory gaps. Moreover, he elaborates a taxonomy of International Commodity Agreements. In addition, an outline of the normative substance of Transnational Commodity Law features in an appendix to the main text. The author concludes by making concrete suggestions on how rules regulating commodity activities de lege ferenda could and should be designed to improve the effectiveness of law regulating transnational commodity activity. In doing so, he demonstrates the application of the sustainable use principle as the overall objective and purpose of Transnational Commodity Law and discusses International Commodity Agreements as future regulatory instruments. This book may assist lawmakers, practitioners, civil society advocates, and academics worldwide in developing a legal framework for sustainable global commodity activity

Defining an approximation to formally verify cryptographic protocols

Electronic forms of communication are abundant in todays world, and much emphasis is placed on these methods of communication in every day life. In order to guarantee the secrecy and authenticity of information exchanged, it is vital to formally verify the cryptographic protocols used in these forms of communications. This verification does, however, present many challenges. The systems to verify are infinite, with an infinite number of sessions and of p articipants. As if this was not enough, there is also a reactive element to deal with: th e intruder. The intruder will attack the protocol to achieve his goal: usurping identity, stealing confidential information, etc. His behavior is unpredictable! This thesis describes a method of verification based 011 the verification of systems by approximation. Starting from an initial configuration of the network, an overapproximation of the set of messages exchanged is automatically computed. Secrecy and authentication properties can then be checked on the approximated system. Starting from an existing semi-automatic proof method developed by Genet and Klay, an automatic solution is developed. Starting from an existing semi-automatic proof method developed by Genet and Klay, an automatic solution is developed. This thesis defines a particular approximation function that can be generated automatically and that guarantees that the computation of the approximated system terminates. Th e verification by approximation only tells if properties are verified. When the verification fails no conclusion can be drawn on the property. Thus, this thesis also shows how the approximation technique can easily be combined with another verification technique to combine the strengths of both approaches. Finally, the tool developed to validate these developments and the results of cryptographic protocol verifications carried out in the course of this research are included

Revision of Entrophospora and description of Kuklospora and Intraspora, two new genera in the arbuscular mycorrhizal Glomeromycetes

Five mycorrhizal fungal species of the Glomeromycetes which were organized in the genus Entrophospora are revised. They all form their spores within the hyphal stalk directly beneath or in some distance of a sporiferous saccule formed intercalary or terminally in the mycelium. Based on differences respective similarities in spore morphologies and root infection characteristics only Entrophospora infrequens and Entrophospora baltica remain in this genus. The genus is the type genus for the new family Entrophosporaceae. The other three species are organized in two new genera. Kuklospora gen. nov. with Kuklospora colombiana and Kuklospora kentinensis (formerly Entrophospora colombiana and Entrophospora kentiniensis) is placed into the family of the Acaulosporaceae. Intraspora gen. nov. so far contains only Intraspora schenckii (the former Entrophospora schenckii) and is included into the family of the Archaeosporaceae. The morphological differences between the genera and the distribution of these fungal species in ecosystems are discussed

Diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in no-till and conventionally tilled vineyards

The use of a permanent vegetation cover or frequent tillage in vineyards may affect soil water budget, nutrient availability, soil compaction, soil erosion and soil microbe biodiversity, and through all these and other factors also yield and wine quality parameters. The abundance and diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) might also be influenced, but so far effects on AMF by permanent vege-tation cover (= no-tillage systems) or repeated chiseling and rotary-tillaging have rarely been compared in vineyards. The objective of this on-farm study was to determine AMF species richness and diversity in two adjacent vineyards in Palatinate (SW Germany). In both vineyards, grown on fertile Luvisols, the var. “Pinot Gris” was grown for 39 years, but with different soil cultivation and different fertilization strategies. In one vineyard, soil was maintained periodically without vegetation by passing rotatory cultivator and chiseling between the grapevine rows (‘inter-rows’) several times per year, preferably during spring and summer and in dependency of rainfall and ‘weed’ growth, and fertilization was mainly by organic fertilizers in the last ten years before soil sampling. In the other vineyard, a permanent vegetation has been established since planting, dominated by Lolium perenne, and mineral fertilizers were exclusively applied. Despite of similar high nutrient availability in both soils, in particular of phosphorus, astonishing high AMF species richness and diversity were found in both vineyards. In the no-tillage inter-rows, 34 AMF species were found, with a species composition typically for Central European permanent grasslands (Shannon diversity index 2.45). In the tillage system 24 AMF species were found with a composition as known for extensively used, cultivated Central European croplands (diversity index 2.26). We conclude that above all soil cultivation has affected AMF diversity in these Central European vineyards, while the level and type of fertilization affected the AMF communities only on a minor level

Sustainable Commodity Use

This open access book examines the governance and legal landscape of the global commodity sector. For that purpose, the author conceptualises both Global Commodity Governance (GCG) as well as Transnational Commodity Law (TCL). He defines the key terms of Global Commodity Governance, delineates the underlying legal framework of Transnational Commodity Law, and assesses the effectiveness of Transnational Commodity Law in fostering a functional commodity sector. “Sustainable Commodity Use” is based on a comprehensive analysis of over 250 international agreements, standards, and guiding documents. The author distils the main findings into a conceptualisation of Transnational Commodity Law and provides the reader with a succinct overview of its normative configurations as well as regulatory gaps. Moreover, he elaborates a taxonomy of International Commodity Agreements. In addition, an outline of the normative substance of Transnational Commodity Law features in an appendix to the main text. The author concludes by making concrete suggestions on how rules regulating commodity activities de lege ferenda could and should be designed to improve the effectiveness of law regulating transnational commodity activity. In doing so, he demonstrates the application of the sustainable use principle as the overall objective and purpose of Transnational Commodity Law and discusses International Commodity Agreements as future regulatory instruments. This book may assist lawmakers, practitioners, civil society advocates, and academics worldwide in developing a legal framework for sustainable global commodity activity

Rhizoglomus venetianum, a new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal species from a heavy metal-contaminated site, downtown Venice in Italy

Rhizoglomus venetianum, a new arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal species, has been isolated and propagated from a heavy metal-contaminated site in Sacca San Biagio island, downtown Venice, Italy. Interestingly, under the high levels of heavy metals occurring in the site, the new fungus was able to grow only intraradically. In greenhouse trap and single species cultures under low heavy metal levels, the fungus produced innumerous spores, clusters, and sporocarps extraradically, which were formed terminally on subtending hyphae either singly, in small spore clusters, or, preferably, in loose to compact non-organized sporocarps up to 2500 × 2000 × 2000 μm. Spores are golden-yellow to bright yellow brown, globose to subglobose to rarely oblong, 75–145 × 72–140 μm in diameter, and have four spore wall layers. Morphologically, the new fungus is similar to R. intraradices, and phylogenetically, it forms a monophyletic clade next to R. irregulare, which generally forms irregular spores and lacks, like R. intraradices, the flexible innermost wall layer beneath the structural/persistent third wall layer. A key for the species identification is presented comprising all 18 Rhizoglomus species, so far described or newly combined