Struggling for land access: The success and failure of social movement actors’ framing strategies in conflicts over large-scale land transformations

Konflikte um großflächige Landtransformationen zugunsten von Bergbau und Agrarindustrie haben in den letzten Jahren stark zugenommen. Dieser Artikel untersucht die diskursive Dimension dieser Konflikte. Im Zentrum steht die Frage nach dem Erfolg oder Misserfolg von framing Strategien sozialer Bewegungsakteure. Ob framing Strategien erfolgreich sind oder nicht lässt sich einerseits anhand von diskursiven Gelegenheitsstrukturen (DOS) erklären. Andererseits beeinflussen die Konstruktion ihrer Zukunftsvisionen und Fähigkeiten unterschiedlicher Bewegungsakteure, sowie ihrer Gegenspieler_innen, inwiefern Bewegungsakteure sich mit ihren Forderungen durchsetzen können. Empirisch wird ein Konflikt um eine Goldmine mit einem Konflikt um ein agrarindustrielles Projekt im Senegal verglichen. Dieser Vergleich zeigt, dass DOS unterschiedlich ausgestaltet sind, abhängig vom Zweck der Inwertsetzung von Land, also für Bergbau oder Agrarindustrie. Gleichzeitig gibt es Gemeinsamkeiten in den Diskursen, in Bezug auf die Abwägung von sozialen und ökologischen Risiken. Diese übergreifende Struktur der Diskurse kann jedoch von unterschiedlichen Akteuren nicht gleichermaßen genutzt werden. Der Artikel leistet einen Beitrag zum Verständnis der Bedeutung von Diskursen und framing Strategien in Konflikten um großflächige Landtransformationen. Gleichzeitig werden Stärken und Schwächen eines theoretischen Rahmens aufgezeigt, der DOS und framing kombiniert.Struggles over meaning construction are an essential part of conflicts over large-scale land transformations. To advance the land access claims of local communities, social movement actors engage in specific framing strategies to mobilize resources and support. This article explores how the discursive context shapes the success or failure of social movement actors’ framing strategies in conflicts over large-scale mining and agro-industrial projects. Discursive opportunity structures (DOS) and framing are the key theoretical concepts used. I argue that the outcomes of framing strategies can only be understood when we combine DOS with a thorough analysis of social movement actors’ ability to act on the opportunities provided by discursive structures. Empirically, the study compares conflicts over gold mining and agro-industry in Senegal. Some elements of the discursive structures differ depending on the purpose of the large-scale land transformation in question and as such provide distinct opportunities for social movement actors. Other elements of the discursive structure are tied to large-scale land transformations in general. As the empirical analysis shows, not all social movement actors can use these opportunities in the same way. The article contributes to our understanding of the importance of discourses and framing strategies in conflicts over large-scale land transformations. Conceptually, I explore the strengths and weaknesses of a theoretical framework combining DOS and framing

The precision of line position measurements of unresolved quasar absorption lines and its influence on the search for variations of fundamental constants

Optical quasar spectra can be used to trace variations of the fine-structure constant alpha. Controversial results that have been published in last years suggest that in addition to to wavelength calibration problems systematic errors might arise because of insufficient spectral resolution. The aim of this work is to estimate the impact of incorrect line decompositions in fitting procedures due to asymmetric line profiles. Methods are developed to distinguish between different sources of line position shifts and thus to minimize error sources in future work. To simulate asymmetric line profiles, two different methods were used. At first the profile was created as an unresolved blend of narrow lines and then, the profile was created using a macroscopic velocity field of the absorbing medium. The simulated spectra were analysed with standard methods to search for apparent shifts of line positions that would mimic a variation of fundamental constants. Differences between position shifts due to an incorrect line decomposition and a real variation of constants were probed using methods that have been newly developed or adapted for this kind of analysis. The results were then applied to real data. Apparent relative velocity shifts of several hundred meters per second are found in the analysis of simulated spectra with asymmetric line profiles. It was found that each system has to be analysed in detail to distinguish between different sources of line position shifts. A set of 16 FeII systems in seven quasar spectra was analysed. With the methods developed, the mean alpha variation that appeared in these systems was reduced from the original Dalpha/alpha=(2.1+/-2.0)x10^-5 to Dalpha/alpha=(0.1+/-0.8)x10^-5. We thus conclude that incorrect line decompositions can be partly responsible for the conflicting results published so far

Quasisymmetric distortion spectrum

We give improved bounds for the distortion of the Hausdorff dimension under quasisymmetric maps in terms of the dilatation of their quasiconformal extension. The sharpness of the estimates remains an open question and is shown to be closely related to the fine structure of harmonic measure.Comment: 14 page

Sequential Detection of Three-Dimensional Signals under Dependent Noise

We study detection methods for multivariable signals under dependent noise. The main focus is on three-dimensional signals, i.e. on signals in the space-time domain. Examples for such signals are multifaceted. They include geographic and climatic data as well as image data, that are observed over a fixed time horizon. We assume that the signal is observed as a finite block of noisy samples whereby we are interested in detecting changes from a given reference signal. Our detector statistic is based on a sequential partial sum process, related to classical signal decomposition and reconstruction approaches applied to the sampled signal. We show that this detector process converges weakly under the no change null hypothesis that the signal coincides with the reference signal, provided that the spatial-temporal partial sum process associated to the random field of the noise terms disturbing the sampled signal con- verges to a Brownian motion. More generally, we also establish the limiting distribution under a wide class of local alternatives that allows for smooth as well as discontinuous changes. Our results also cover extensions to the case that the reference signal is unknown. We conclude with an extensive simulation study of the detection algorithm

Regional networking as success factor in the transformation processes of maritime industry: Experiences and perspectives from Baltic Sea countries

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Baltic States logistics and the East-West transport corridor

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E-governmental services in the Baltic Sea Region

This paper will present results of the surveys and new trends which were related to e-governmental issues. A common understanding of e-government is usage of ICT means in the public sector for delivering information and services to its customers and enterprises. The objective is improvement of public services and strengthening democratic processes. E-government is a popular topic in the political agenda throughout the Baltic Sea Region (BSR) with all countries having ICT development strategies, policies or agendas. However, often are missing goals for thematic developments which would take into account the needs of potential users. The structure of the paper is ordered to present firstly, the overall objectives of e-governance and e-services. Secondly, the data about the satisfaction level of enterprises for e-services is given. As there are not many comparable results available about the needs of the enterprises, the paper is based on two main sources. One of the important outcomes of the LogOn Baltic project was to provide empirical data about satisfaction level of enterprises with existing eservices and about the needs for new services. The aim of the INTERREG III B project LogOn Baltic was to present solutions for improving the interplay between Logistics and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) competence and spatial planning, strengthening the small and medium-sized enterprises' (SMEs) competitiveness in the BSR. The ICT-related results of the LogOn Baltic project provide an overview of the existing ICT structures and services in the BSR, mainly based on a web-based scientific survey with nearly 1,100 responses. A second source is the survey on the satisfaction level with public services among enterprises in Estonia in the City of Tallinn, which shows similar trends with the LogOn Baltic project. The third part of the paper introduces some case studies on innovative e-services in Estonia and Germany together with the European initiative for the BSR to improve e-services for companies. --

Inventory Routing for Ammonia Supply in German Ports

Following the International Maritime Organization (IMO), in order to safeguard the realization of the Paris Agreement on climate protection, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have to be reduced by 50% by the year 2050. This objective shall be reached by decarbonization of maritime traffic, which is why ship operators currently increasingly search for alternative fuels. Moreover, since the start of the Ukrainian war in February 2022, this issue of alternative fuels has gained central importance in political agendas. A promising candidate for clean shipping that meets the IMO goals is ammonia since it is a carbon-free fuel. Ammonia (NH3) shows good advantages in handling and storage, and it ensures long sea voyages without any significant loss in cargo space for a reasonable price. Hence, ammonia has the potential to improve the environmental footprint of global shipping enormously. Induced by the introduction of stricter regulations in the so-called emission control areas (ECAs) in Northern Europe in 2015 as well as the renewed global sulfur cap, which entered into force in 2020, ship operators had to decide between different compliance methods, among which the most popular solutions are related to the use of expensive low-sulfur fuel oils, newbuilds and retrofits for the usage of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or the installation of scrubber technology. A change to ammonia as a marine alternative fuel represents an additional novel future option, but the successful implementation depends on the availability of NH3 in the ports, i.e., on the installation of the maritime NH3 infrastructure. Currently, the single German NH3 terminal with maritime access is located in Brunsbüttel, the western entrance to Kiel Canal. The distribution of NH3 from the existing NH3 hub to other German ports can be analyzed by the mathematical model of an inventory routing problem (IRP) that is usually solved by combinatorial optimization methods. This paper investigates the interrelated research questions, how the distribution of marine NH3 fuel can be modeled as an IRP, which distribution mode is the most economic one for the German ports and which modal mix for the NH3 supply leads to the greenest distribution. The results of this paper are empirically validated by data that were collected in several EU projects on sustainable supply chain management and green logistics. The paper includes a special section that is dedicated to the discussion of the economic turbulences related to the Ukrainian war together with their implications on maritime shipping.Wismar University Research FundsPeer Reviewe

The East-West Transport Corridor and the shuttle train 'VIKING'

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A hunt for sharp LpL ^p-estimates and rank-one convex variational integrals

Learning how to figure out sharp $L^p$-estimates of nonlinear differential expressions, to prove and use them, is a fundamental part of the development of PDEs and Geometric Function Theory (GFT). Our survey presents, among what is known to date, some notable recent efforts and novelties made in this direction. We focus attention here on the historic Morrey's Conjecture and Burkholder's martingale inequalities for stochastic integrals. Some of these topics have already been discussed by the present authors [5] and by Rodrigo Ba\~{n}uelos [10]. Nevertheless, there is always something new to add.Comment: 24 page