Bank Material Research Articles

P‐13.7: A novel approach to achieving high resolution of OLED display by ink‐jet printing method

A novel approach was used in this paper to achieving high resolution of organic light emitting diode (OLED) display by ink‐jet printing (IJP) method. In our work, a structure of line bank with two layers was utilized, in which the bottom and top layers were designed for pixel definition and ink restriction, respectively. As a result, the resolution of our OLED display reached 537 pixels per inch (PPI). Besides the structure, the interface factors of bank materials choice which affect the improvement of resolution was discussed.

A Remote Sensing-Based Approach to Identifying Spatio-Temporal Changes in Coastal Morphology in Bhola District, Bangladesh

Bhola, the largest island of Bangladesh located at the estuarine mouth bar of the Bay of Bengal is very dynamic and unique in nature due to its physiographical configurations and is experienced severe morphological i.e. erosion- accretion changes. Of late, monitoring of coastal morphology and changes in shoreline trend analysis has conveniently been done through the integration of remote sensing satellite imageries and GIS techniques. The present study is an endeavor to detect and analyze the morphological changes on Bhola Island. Multi-temporal satellite images are the main data sources to attain the objectives through the integration of RS and GIS. The study concludes from the recent 42 years (1974- 2016) satellite data that- the Island is in the losing phase since 1974. The erosion processes are still active along the eastern and northeastern parts of Bhola Island due to the direct influence of the Meghna Estuary on the land by the steep bank slope, high tidal water pressure, and loose bank materials. Erosion is the burning issue on Bhola Island and due to this a large number of people are landless every year. On another side, accretion is being operated in a large part surrounding the Island increasingly in the southern part due to backwash sediment deposition by channel and estuary with the favor of a gentle topographic slope along the bank.

Quantitative analysis of crevasse-splay systems from modern fluvial settings

ABSTRACTAlthough crevasse splays are a common constituent of many fluvial and fluvio-deltaic systems, they remain less well understood than the channel deposits in those settings, especially with respect to controls on their occurrence, distribution, and geometry. The current study aims to redress this balance and investigate controls on 1) splay formation and occurrence and 2) splay size and geometry. The study has used Google Earth-based satellite imagery to examine crevasse-splay deposits from eight modern fluvial systems. A total of 1556 crevasse splays were identified using imagery from 1984 to 2020. Most of the splays (c. 70%) occur on the outer sinuous river bank with offtake angles ranging from 10° to 140° (mean 75°) to the channel flow direction. Three different types of splays have been identified: i) single crevasse splays, ii) laterally amalgamated crevasse splays, and iii) crevasse-splay complexes. The areal extent of splay bodies varies widely and ranges from less than 1 km2 up to 221 km2. The single crevasse splays are the primary and smallest form of splay, with an average area of 0.61 km2. Compensational stacking or progradation significantly increase the splay area and form laterally amalgamated splays and splay complexes, respectively. The average areal extent of laterally amalgamated splays is 1.33 km2, and of splay complexes, 39 km2.The climate, discharge, floodplain morphology, vegetation, trunk channel slope, sinuosity, and sediment load primarily control the occurrence, geometry, and dimensions of crevasse splays. Results demonstrate that sparse or no floodplain vegetation favors the formation of elongated tongue-shaped crevasse splays while densely vegetated floodplains produce more lobate splays. The highest splay frequency occurs in systems where the river experiences sudden high magnitude variation in discharge, has a low cross-sectional area, and noncohesive bank materials. Larger splay size is correlated with lower river slope angles and higher sinuosity, discharge, and floodplain relief. Channel size has little influence on the extent of splays. This work suggests that autogenic factors such as trunk-channel slope and sinuosity are more influential in arid–semiarid settings while allogenic factors such as discharge are important in temperate–equatorial settings.

Channel bar development, braiding and bankline migration of the Brahmaputra-Jamuna river, Bangladesh through RS and GIS techniques

ABSTRACT Erosion of banks and channel migrations are usually common phenomenon and recurring geo-hazardous problem in the Brahmaputra-Jamuna river system of Bangladesh. The present study intensively analysed multi-temporal Landsat satellite imageries (Landsat MSS, Landsat TM, Landsat ETM+, Landsat OLI TIRS), historical documents (Hunter maps), and literature information employing Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System techniques, and estimation of braiding and sinuosity indices especially emphasizing channel bar development, braiding, and bank-line migration of the river. The computed braiding indices of the river were 1.5, 10.3, 13.4, 11.0, 10.6 and 14.6 for the year of 1853–1857, 1977, 1989, 2000, 2014 and 2018, respectively (overall deciphering increasing trend). Similar to the braiding indices, the sinuosity indices (2.58, 7.02, 9.92, 8.31, 7.42 and 11.25 for the same selected years) of the river have also been changed over time. During 1853–1857 to 2018, 766.7 and 1624.2 km2 of lands extensively eroded on the east and west bank, respectively at a rate of 4.8 and 10.1 km2 yr−1. However, from 1977 to 2018, the erosion rates were 14.4 and 12.5 km2 yr−1, respectively. High discharges, sediment transport associated with random bars formation related braiding expansion, and weak bank materials are presumably the governing factors for causing such simultaneous severe bank erosion and remarkable bank-line migration phenomenon. Although, from 1853–1857 to 1977 the erosion of the river followed the river flow direction. It is expected that the outcomes of this research can contribute further research on morphodynamic characteristics of the braided river for better understanding the river characteristics, the river hydromorphology, water and sediment transport, its bank erosion, and formulating protective measurement plan for their sustainable current flow path maintenance.

Freeze-Thaw Effect on Riverbank Stability

The stability of riverbanks in cold regions is affected by the freeze-thaw action. The freeze-thaw process causes changes in the moisture content, friction angle, and cohesiveness of the bank material. Together with the freeze-thaw effect, seepage pressure influenced by the changing water levels, and the bank slope are the key factors affecting bank stability. A limit equilibrium bank stability model considering the infiltration water pressure effect is developed and applied to the Shisifenzi section of Inner Mongolia reach of the Yellow River. Laboratory tests of field samples with moisture contents of 15%, 18%, 21%, and saturated showed that the freeze-thaw action reduced the degree of saturation by 34.37 %, 30.71%, 32.48%, and 46.23%, respectively, accompanied by reductions in the internal friction angles by 1.78%, 2.74%, 6.33%, and 5.32%. These changes resulted in a 24.35% to 29.13% reduction in the safety factor of bank stability. Together with seasonal variations in the water levels the field data showed that the bank stability safety factor in the study site increases gradually through the melting period, dry period, wet period, flooding period, and low flow period. The slope stability safety factor increases with the stage of the river but decreases with the groundwater level.

Differential Bank Migration Limits the Lifespan and Width of Braided Channel Threads

AbstractSuccessful management of flooding and erosion hazards on floodplains depends on our ability to predict a river channel's shape and the lifespan during which it will continue to flow. Recent progress has improved our understanding of what sets the lifespan and width of single‐thread channels; the next challenge is to extend this knowledge to braided channels and their interwoven sub‐channels (threads). In this study, we investigate the lifespan and width of braided channel threads in a large experimental data set, coupled with particle‐image velocimetry‐derived measurements of riverbank erosion and accretion. We find that, unlike single‐thread channels, braided channels in the experiment do not exhibit an equilibrium between bank erosion and accretion. Instead, bank erosion outpaces lateral accretion, causing individual threads to widen and infill until they are abandoned. Thread lifespan is limited to the time it takes for threads to triple their width: tripling of the width yields enough bank material to aggrade more than half the channel depth, at which point flow is rerouted to a narrower thread. In consequence the width of active threads is limited to three times their initial width. Threshold channel theory accurately predicts the median thread width, which is roughly double the initial width and two‐thirds the limiting width. The results are consistent with existing field data and suggest that differential bank migration is sufficient to explain why braided channels show greater width variability and higher width‐to‐depth ratios than their single‐thread counterparts.

Integrated remote sensing and field-based approach to assess the temporal evolution and future projection of meanders: A case study on River Manu in North-Eastern India.

A common phenomenon associated with alluvial rivers is their meander evolution, eventually forming cutoffs. Point bar deposits and ox-bow lakes are the products of lateral bend migration and meander cutoff. The present study focuses on identifying the meanders of River Manu and their cutoffs. Moreover, this study compares the temporal evolution and predicts the progress of selected meanders of River Manu. In the present research, the Survey of India topographical map, satellite imagery, and geographic information system (GIS) technique were used to examine the evolution of the Manu River meander. Subsequently, a field visit was done to the selected cutoffs and meanders of River Manu to ascertain the present status and collect data. It has been observed that many cutoffs have undergone temporal changes, and their sizes have decreased. Some have become dried or converted to agricultural fields. The width of River Manu has decreased in all the selected bends from 1932 to 2017. The sinuosity index has changed from 2.04 (1932) to 1.90 (2017), and the length of the river has decreased by 7 km in 85 years (1932–2017). The decrease in length is evident from lowering the number of meanders. Uniformity coefficient and coefficient of curvature of the bank soil samples were calculated, indicating that the soil is poorly graded and falls under the cohesionless category. Based on cross-section analysis, sediment discharge, grain-size analysis of the bank material, channel planform change, and radius of curvature, it can be stated that almost all the selected bends have the probability of future cutoff. The highest probabilities were observed in bend 3 (Jalai) and bend 4 (Chhontail). This work is aimed to provide planners with decisions regarding the construction of roads and bridges in areas that show the huge dynamicity of river meandering.

Використання кліматичного маркування як інструменту зеленого бюджетування в Україні: рекомендації та перспективи

Introduction. Achieving climate neutrality by countries in the face of increasing uncertainty in policymaking due to the accumulation of adverse factors such as war, pandemic and natural disasters requires the development of green budgeting techniques as budgeting by priorities integration in public ?nancial management. A detailed study of ?nancial opportunities in ?nancial relations expands the range of public ?nance operations with “green” characteristics. Problem Statement. The development of green budgeting from a partly impact to a systemic impact on the result embedded in public policy has been studied. A promising tool for green budgeting in Ukraine is climate marking of budget indicators both at the level of main manager of budget funds and at the level of budget programs. Purpose.To reveal the essential characteristics of the climate marking tool and systematize the developments on its use in green budgeting as a necessary condition for modern e?ective budgeting in public ?nance. Methods. The study used methods of theoretical generalization based on the analysis of budgeting practices components based on the OECD, the UN, the World Bank materials, foreign authorities documents and regulatory documents of Ukraine. Results. The use of the green budget tagging tool in modern green budgeting for the budgetary funds use and the green policy goals achievement is considered. The necessity of a systematic approach is substantiated and a strategic framework for the use of green budget tagging in budgeting is proposed. A methodic for separating climatic impacts during green budget tagging into negative, ambiguous and positive is proposed. The objects for monitoring and assessment after green budget tagging use in the country’s budget is grouped. Conclusions. The use of green budget tagging at all levels of the main manager of budget funds network will allow monitoring of climate impact in the results of budgeting for its further assessment.

Flow and Bed Conditions Jointly Control Debris‐Flow Erosion and Bulking

AbstractDebris flows can grow greatly in size and hazardous potential by eroding bed and bank materials. However, erosion mechanisms are poorly understood because debris flows are complex hybrids between a fluid flow and a moving mass of colliding particles, bed erodibility varies between events, and field measurements are hard to obtain. Here, we identify the key controls on debris‐flow erosion based on a field data set that combines information on flow properties, bed conditions, and bed and bank erosion. We show that flow conditions and bed wetness jointly control debris‐flow erosion. Flow conditions describing the cumulative forces exerted at the bed during an event best explain erosion. Shear forces and particle‐impact forces are strongly correlated and act in conjunction in the erosion process. A shear‐stress approach accounting for bed erodibility may therefore be applicable for modeling and predicting debris‐flow erosion. This work provides a foundation for developing effective debris‐flow erosion models.

SETTLING OF THE FOREST-STEPPE OF DNIEPER LEFT BANK AREA IN THE 6TH CENTURY BC: THE POPULATION EXPLOSION OR NEW MIGRATION?

The paper is devoted to one of the important pages of the ethnic and cultural history of the population of the forest-steppe of Dnieper Left Bank area in the Scythian Age — settling of the forest-steppe parts of the basins of Sula, Psel, Seim, Seversky Donets and Middle Don rivers.
 The analysis of material culture of new sites in the region allowed us to make several conclusions. Most of the handmade pottery forms and the main decorative elements of the ceramic complex of the sites of Eastern Bil’s’k type dating to the middle — second half of the 6th century BC are genetically related to the forest-steppe of Dnieper Right Bank area and to more western regions of forest-steppe. Materials from the Vorskla sites of the second half of 6th century BC are significantly differ and continue the local traditions of the previous time. The differences are clearly visible when comparing the material culture of that time of Western and Eastern fortifications of the Bil’s’k settlement. This indicates that the settlements of the Dnieper-Donets forest-steppe at this time did not reason due to the demographic explosion in the Vorskla and Psel interfluves. The set of the jewelry and a costume of the migrants of the mid-6th century BC at the forest-steppe of Dnieper Left Bank area has straight analogies among the materials of the Right Bank of the Early Scythian Age.
 It can be assumed that the initial migration areas could have been the Kyiv Dnieper region, the eastern and western Podolyan groups of the sites where the settlement systems and burials disappeared simultaneously. The participation of the population from Ros’ river and other regions in this process can’t be ruled out.
 Thus, in the development of the settlement system of the forest-steppe of Dnieper Left Bank area two main events that radically influenced the settling of the region by the sedentary population during the Scythian Age can be distinguished. First, during the Zhabotin period, on the territory of the Lower Vorskla and the Vorskla and Psel interfluve the settlements of the migrants from the forest-steppe of Dnieper Right Bank area appeared. In the Middle Scythian Age, as a result of the new movement of the tribes from the west, a ramified settlement system emerged. New migrants have created the settlements that are geographically united into several local groups: two in Sula, Vorskla and Seim basins, three in Psel and one each in Uday, Merle and Kolomak basins. It is interesting that new groups of the population bypassed in their resettlement the territories occupied at that time by migrants of the Zhabotin period.

Geospatial and fluvio-geomorphological investigation of confluence dynamics of river Raidak within Himalayan foreland basin, India

ABSTRACT Confluence of river channels plays a significant role in channel avulsion, flood plain evolution and dynamics of the fluvial system. The principal objectives of the present study are (i) to analyze the direction and degree of confluence shifting through the recent past (1955–2020) by applying geospatial techniques and (ii) to find out the probable causes of confluence dynamics of the Raidak river system within quaternary geological sites of a Himalayan foreland basin in West Bengal, India, applying fluvio-geomorphological and sedimentary bank facies. Modified Normalized Difference Water Index method is also used. The result shows that the Raidak-Sankosh confluence (RSC) shifted by 9.94 km of the total distance between 1955 and 2020, whereas Raidak-I-Torsa confluence (RTC) has shifted 4.29 km overall distance during the same period. Both confluences were shifted toward the south and south-east directions. Total erosion and accretion area at the proximity of RSC and RTC has been registered as 40.1 sq km and 47.57 sq km and 39.67 sq km and 37.99 sq km, respectively, for the 65-year period. The key factors of confluence dynamics are regular flood events and channel avulsion, non-cohesive bank materials and huge channel bed sedimentation with multiple bars.

Impacts of tracer type, tracer selection, and source dominance on source apportionment with sediment fingerprinting

Sediment fingerprinting estimates the proportional contribution of fine sediment from distinct catchment sources delivered to downstream receiving environments. Increased attention has focused on assessing the accuracy of source contribution estimates, particularly in relation to tracer selection and statistical un-mixing procedures. However, no studies have systematically tested the impact of source combination or dominance on the accuracy of source estimates. Here, we assess sensitivity to tracer type, selection, and number of sources, and examine how variations in the dominant sediment source affect the accuracy of source apportionments using numerical mixtures. Sources were sampled according to erosion process and land cover from a New Zealand catchment. Topsoil and subsoil (landslide) samples were collected from pasture, harvested pine, kānuka scrub, and native forest, while banks were sampled along the main channel. Samples were analysed for bulk geochemistry, fallout radionuclides, and compound specific stable isotopes (CSSIs). Source apportionment accuracy tended to decrease as source number increased, which reflected decreasing source discrimination. Tracer selection showed variations in accuracy but exhibited no clear pattern overall. Source combination and particularly the dominant source had the largest impact on accuracy, reflecting the level of discrimination for each source. Notably, channel bank was frequently identified as the dominant source when using CSSI tracers. While this partly reflected lower levels of discrimination, the CSSI apportionment was particularly sensitive to the use of post-unmixing corrections routinely applied to derive soil proportional contributions from isotopic proportions. This sensitivity likely related to the low organic carbon content in bank material and the assumption that source apportionments based on isotopic proportions can be corrected using a linear relationship with organic carbon content. These results indicate that the use of CSSI tracers in catchments where erosion sources exhibit large differences in soil organic carbon content may introduce significant unquantified error in source apportionments.

Common goals, different stages: the state of the ARTs for reptile and amphibian conservation.

Amphibians and reptiles are highly threatened vertebrate taxa with large numbers of species threatened with extinction. With so many species at risk, conservation requires the efficient and cost-effective application of all the tools available so that as many species as possible are assisted. Biobanking of genetic material in genetic resource banks (GRBs) in combination with assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) to retrieve live animals from stored materials are two powerful, complementary tools in the conservation toolbox for arresting and reversing biodiversity decline for both amphibians and reptiles. However, the degree of development of the ARTs and cryopreservation technologies differ markedly between these two groups. These differences are explained in part by different perceptions of the taxa, but also to differing reproductive anatomy and biology between the amphibians and reptiles. Artificial fertilisation with cryopreserved sperm is becoming a more widely developed and utilised technology for amphibians. However, in contrast, artificial insemination with production of live progeny has been reported in few reptiles, and while sperm have been successfully cryopreserved, there are still no reports of the production of live offspring generated from cryopreserved sperm. In both amphibians and reptiles, a focus on sperm cryopreservation and artificial fertilisation or artificial insemination has been at the expense of the development and application of more advanced technologies such as cryopreservation of the female germline and embryonic genome, or the use of sophisticated stem cell/primordial germ cell cryopreservation and transplantation approaches. This review accompanies the publication of ten papers on amphibians and twelve papers on reptiles reporting advances in ARTs and biobanking for the herpetological taxa.

СТРАТЕГІЧНІ НАПРЯМИ ДЕРЖАВНОЇ ПОЛІТИКИ ВІДНОВЛЕННЯ ТА РЕСТРУКТУРИЗАЦІЇ ПРОМИСЛОВОСТІ НА ІННОВАЦІЙНІЙ ОСНОВІ

Introduction. For Ukraine, which, despite the broad international support for economic recovery and further socio-economic development, the strategic directions for innovative restructuring of the industry have not yet been finally formed. And the initiatives from the industrial sector representatives are not systematic and do not provide an integrated approach to the development of an innovative industrial development strategy. Careful planning will expand the local production and innovation base, promote the restructuring of the industrial sector to create products with higher added value. The paper is focused on studying foreign experience in identifying strategic directions and tools for their implementation to stimulate innovative renewal and restructuring of the industrial sector on new technological foundations. Materials and methods. The methodological basis of the research is general and special scientific methods: analysis and synthesis, in particular, elements of the case study and logical-historical analysis; deduction and induction; comparisons and generalization; institutional analysis; meta-analysis; statistical and tabular methods. The information base of the study was made up of statistical materials of the World Bank and Eurostat. Results and discussion. The innovative development of the industry depends on the nature of the market and public institutions, which have formed a certain type of business system. According to the theory of R. Whitley, six such systems are distinguished, differing in the degree of control of the owners, coordination between the state and the market, the degree of state intervention and interaction with employees. On the example of Denmark, Spain, China, Japan and other countries, the ways of innovative industrial restructuring in different business systems are demonstrated. An analysis of foreign experience has revealed two key areas of post-crisis industrial development strategies: public financing of innovative activities and high-tech sectors or market liberalization and the formation of effective mechanisms for structural changes in industry in basis of market signals. It is determined that Ukraine is characterized by a fragmented business system, which complicates the choice of approach to the strategy of industrial development. Conclusions. Despite hostilities in Ukraine, in order to ensure its competitiveness in the future, it is necessary to take advantage of the window of opportunity that opens up global competition and socio-economic and technological challenges by developing an integrated industrial strategy to address complex issues and interdependencies on the principles of "triple helix". Such a strategy should proceed from the type of innovative development business system, the existing institutional characteristics of the state and taking into account the structural and institutional changes that will occur in the state under the influence of fulfilling the conditions for entering the EU and compliance with technical regulations and the needs of the European and other promising markets.

Everydayness of the Ukrainian village in the conditions of the nazi occupation regime of 1941–1943 (on the materials of the left bank of Cherkash)

Purpose. The purpose of this investigation is to find out the main features of everyday life in theUkrainian countryside under the Nazi occupation regime and to substantiate the provisions of its terrorist andmisanthropic nature on the basis of archival and published sources, oral history, in the context of local wartimeevents.Scientific novelty. We can see it in the introduction into scientific circulation of hitherto unknown archivaland narrative sources, the publication of new facts of regional history on this basis, and the presence of originalinterpretive constructions.Conclusion. According to the empirical material, the everyday life of the villages of the Left Bank of Cherkasyregion under the Nazi occupation regime, despite certain peculiarities, generally fit into the all-Ukrainian contextof that extraordinary era. Many villagers fell victim to Nazi terror, were subjected to forced deportations and allsorts of restrictions. The occupiers considered the village as the primary source of replenishment of the Reich’sfood resources, so they pursued a policy of shameless looting, inhuman exploitation, and deportation. The reform ofagriculture declared by them was not realized due to the prevalence of Ukrainophobic intentions in the occupationpolicy. In the field of educational and cultural life, the occupiers consistently pursued a line of deintellectualizationand spiritual zombies of Ukrainians. The facts of local origin presented in the article convincingly consistentlyreveal the anti-Ukrainian and inhumane nature of the Nazi occupation regime. The everyday life of the village atthat time was characterized by the emergence of the problems of survival of the peasants under the occupationpressure.Given the epistemological prospects of the topic discussed in this article, it needs further study anddiversification based on the involvement of new facts of regional history.

Heavy Metal Dispersion in Stream Sediments in River Iyiudene, Abakaliki South-Eastern Nigeria: Source, Distribution Pattern, and Contamination Assessment

River Iyiudene is a vital distributary resource in Abakaliki, southeastern Nigeria and conveys an abundant amount of sediments to provincial and residual ecosystems. Although the importance of the river cannot be overemphasized, the geochemistry of its stream sediments is less investigated. Twenty (20) stream sediment samples were taken at the centre of the river channels to represent the entire drainage area well and avoid collapsed bank materials. The stream sediment samples were used to determine the dispersion, contamination status and sources of heavy metal concentrations. Total elemental digestion accompanied this with the use of aqua regia, an admixture of Hydrochloric acid (HCl) and Nitric acid (HNO3) in the ratio of 3:1 using the atomic absorption spectrometer (AAS). The heavy metal concentration levels in River Iyiudene were low compared with sediments from Imo River, Gulf of California, Upper continental crust, Average shale and surface horizons, excluding Cd, which showed high concentration levels than the other reference studies. The results delineated a wide contrast in the concentration levels of the heavy metals, with the mean contents in the order Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd > Ni > As. The pollution evaluation utilizing the Effect range low (ERL), Effect range median (ERM), single pollution index, and geo-accumulation index revealed Cd contamination. This study indicates that the heavy metals were sourced from the natural geological background of the river basin and possibly from agricultural runoff and atmospheric pollutants.

Catchment area, environmental variables and habitat type as predictors of the distribution and abundance of Portulaca oleracea L. in the riparian areas of Serbia

Portulaca oleracea L. is one of the most widely distributed plant species, invading a host of worldwide regions. Rivers and canals, as corridors connecting neighboring habitats, are known to exhibit high invasion levels. Consequently, the aim of this paper was to show which catchment areas, environmental factors and habitat types can be seen as predictors of the presence of this invasive species in the riparian areas of Serbia. Field research was carried out at 250 field sites, where the cover and abundance of P. oleracea, relevant environmental variables and habitat type were recorded. Redundancy analysis (RDA) and response curves fitted using a generalized linear model (GLM) were used to show the relation of the cover of P. oleracea and the following variables: catchment area, predominant bank material, elevation, and the total number of invasive species on site. A non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) was used to group sites where P. oleracea was found, based on the values of its cover. In general, primarily the rivers in the northern, low-lying part of Serbia can be seen as important corridors of the spread of P. oleracea. Its dominance is especially associated with areas draining into the Danube and Sava rivers and field sites characterized by a high pressure of invasive plants. Of the total number of records, the highest number of invaded field sites was recorded along the Danube, Tisa and Zapadna Morava rivers. Regarding the environmental and habitat predictors, the results have shown that the abundance of P. oleracea is associated with gravelly and sandy banks and grassland habitat types, primarily anthropogenic herb stands.

Historical comparisons show evolutionary changes in drought responses in European plant species after two decades of climate change

Plants must continuously respond to environmental changes, and a timely question is whether and how populations respond to ongoing global warming and increased drought frequencies and intensities. Plants can either respond through migration or through phenotypic plasticity or their populations can adapt evolutionarily, which encompasses the evolution of trait means and of trait plasticity. One way to detect such evolutionary changes within plant populations is through historical comparisons where plants grown from seeds collected in the past (“ancestors”) are compared to freshly collected seeds from the same populations (“descendants”) in common garden experiments. We used 21- to 26-year-old seeds stored in seed banks for two multi-species experiments that investigated changes in phenotypic traits and their plasticity conferring drought tolerance in early life stages of European plant species. In the first experiment, we used seedlings of four Mediterranean species, ceased watering and recorded their day of mortality. In the second experiment, we studied phenotypic responses to drought in juvenile plants of nine species originating from temperate regions in Europe. In one of four species in the first experiment, descendants survived significantly longer without watering and were smaller than their ancestors. In the second experiment, descendant plants were generally taller under well-watered conditions but smaller under drought than their ancestors, thus showing stronger plasticity. Our historical comparisons suggest that some populations have likely evolved through changes in trait means and plasticity in ways consistent with adaptation to increased drought. Using seed bank material for historical comparisons has several weaknesses, such as unknown sampling protocols or invisible fractions. However, we show how accurately sampled and stored seed bank collections can be used similar to the resurrection approach for investigating rapid evolutionary processes in early life stages of plants under climate change.

Spatiotemporal Patterns of Fractional Suspended Sediment Dynamics in Small Watersheds

AbstractUnderstanding suspended sediment dynamics and their driving factors is essential for effective watershed management. In this study, the spatiotemporal patterns of suspended sediment were identified for 11 sub‐watersheds of the Goodwin Creek, Mississippi, USA, for the period 1982–2002 using wavelet transforms. The continuous wavelet transform (CWT) results of streamflow time series showed that a near‐continuous annual periodicity influenced all stations over the study period, yet an overall decline occurred in wavelet spectral power of sediment load during the 1990s. This decline in sediment load is a result of the indirect effect of decreased cultivation on reducing the rate of peak flow and thus fluvial erosion processes. The CWTs of fine sediment (clays and silts) concentration (FSC) time series showed that factors other than land‐use (e.g., ponds, ephemeral gullies, and bed composition) better explain the variations in FSC. A comparison of CWTs of FSC at two stations with different bed composition in their channels showed that sandy channels are less responsive to erosion control measures compared to gravely channels indicating that they are major sources of sediment. A change in phase relationship between flow and FSC for the gravel‐dominated channel was associated with the transition in upland land‐use indicating a change in sediment supply mechanisms. The CWTs of sand concentrations reflected the spatiotemporal impact of bank materials, the growth cycle of riparian vegetation, and in‐channel sand availability on sand dynamics. While CWT‐based analysis is sensitive to input conditions, the method is able to provide valuable outcomes for distinguishing patterns in complex temporal datasets.

ЭКОНОМИКА КИТАЯ: ПРОБЛЕМЫ В ФИНАНСОВОЙ СИСТЕМЕ

The article presents a study of the problems of the national financial system of China. The relevance of problems in the financial system of this country was investigated through the analysis of current statistics, which are presented in the materials of the World Bank, IMF, OECD. The problems of financial sustainability of the financial system for any state, and not just the state, but the state, the leader who sets the main financial and economic trends for the entire world economy, are undoubtedly very relevant and important for understanding the processes in the world economy as a whole. Structurally, the work consists of an introduction, four sections and a conclusion. In the first section, Problems of the Bank of the regulator considers the issues of slowing down the growth of the Chinese economy. The failure of the stress test of more than 4,000 Chinese financial institutions, which were later recognized as highly risky, was recognized. The second part of Debt Obligations of outlines concern about the presence of a record number of Chinese companies that have declared bankruptcy. This is largely due to the creditworthiness of Chinese companies, especially the private sector. In the struggle to increase the imaginary property of companies, control over the possibility of returning credit resources is lost, the financial independence of companies is lost their financial stability. The third section of Defaults on bonds in noted a sharp increase in defaults on bonds in China, outlines the position of the Central Bank of China on this issue that this new normality. China's problem is that the broader trend masks the divide between public and private companies. The fourth section Protecting the economy from the influence of external factors justifies the course of the state leadership in protecting the country's economy from the influence of external factors.