Conservation in the EU and all over the world aims at reducing biodiversity loss which has become a great issue in the last decades. However, despite existing efforts, Earth is assumed to face a sixth mass extinction. One major challenge for conservation is to reconcile the targets with conflicting interests, e.g. for food production in intensively used agricultural landscapes. Agriculture is an example of a coupled human-environment system that is approached in this thesis with the help of mathematical models from two directions. Firstly, the ecological subsystem is considered to find processes relevant for the effect of habitat connectivity on population abundances. Modelling theory predicts that the species-specific growth parameters (intrinsic growth rate and carrying capacity) indicate whether dispersal has a positive or negative effect on the total population size at equilibrium (r-K relationship). We use laboratory experiments in combination with a system of ordinary differential equations and deliver the first empirical evidence for a negative effect of dispersal on the population size in line with this theory. The result is of particular relevance for the design of dispersal corridors or stepping stones which are meant to increase connectivity between habitats. These measures might not be effective for biological conservation. A second population model, consisting of two coupled Ricker maps with a mate-finding Allee effect, is analyzed in order to examine the effect of bistability due to the Allee effect in combination with overcompensation in a spatial system. The interplay can cause complex population dynamics including multiple coexisting attractors, long transients and sudden population collapses. Essential extinction teaches us that not only small populations are prone to extinction but chaotic dynamics can drive a population extinct in a short period of time as well. By a comprehensive model analysis, we find that dispersal can prevent essential extinction of a population. In the context of conservation that is: habitat connectivity can promote rescue effects to save a population that exhibits an Allee effect. The two findings of the first part of this thesis have contrasting implications for conservation which shows that universal recommendations regarding habitat connectivity are impossible without knowledge of the specific system. Secondly, a model for the socio-economic subsystem is presented. Agri-environment schemes (AES) are payments that compensate farmers for forgone profits on the condition that they improve the ecological state of the agricultural system. However, classical economic models that describe the cost-effectiveness of AES often do not take the social network of farmers into account. Numerical simulations of the socio-economic model presented in this thesis suggest that social norms can hinder farmers from scheme participation. Moreover, social norms lead to multistability in farmers’ land-use decision behaviour. Informational campaigns potentially decrease the threshold towards more long-term scheme participation and might be a good tool to complement compensation payments if social norms affect land-use decisions. Finally, a coupled human-environment system is analyzed. An integrated economicecological model is studied to investigate the cost-effectiveness of AES if the species of concern exhibits an Allee effect. A numerical model analysis indicates large trade-offs between agricultural production and persistence probability. Moreover, conservation success strongly depends on the initial population size, meaning that conservation is well advised to start before the species is threatened. Spatial aggregation of habitat can promote rescue effects, suggesting land-sparing solutions for conservation. In that case,agglomeration bonuses may serve to increase the effectiveness of AES. Possible causes for population declines are diverse and can be a combination of human influences, e.g. due to habitat degradation and inherent ecosystem properties. That complicates the task of conservation. The models presented in this thesis simplify complex systems in order to extract processes relevant for biological conservation. The analysis of spatial effects and dynamical model complexity, e.g. due to Allee effects or a nonlinear utility function, allows us improve the understanding of coupled human-environment systems.

Semicrystalline polymers are an important class of materials for their prevalence in today's markets and their desirable properties. These properties depend on the early stages of the polymer crystallization process where a crystal nucleates from the polymer melt. This nucleation process is conventionally understood via an extension of Classical Nucleation Theory to polymers (CNTP). However, recent experimental and simulation evidence points to nucleation mechanisms that do not agree with the predictions of CNTP. Specifically, these experiments suggest a previously unrecognized role of nematic phases in mediating the melt"“crystal transtion. To explain these observations, several new theories of nucleation alternate to CNTP have emerged in the literature, all of which suggest specific modifications to the free energy landscape (FEL) near-equilibrium. To address these theoretical controversies, this dissertation aimed to study the equilibrium phase behavior of polymers via Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Simulating equilibrium phase behavior of polymer melts is not a trivial task due to the large free energy barriers involved. Throughout this research, we employed a combination of strategies to speed up these molecular simulations. First, we employed a domain decomposition to divide the simulation box into multiple independent simulations that execute independent MC trajectories in parallel. The novel GPU-accelerated MC algorithm successfully and accurately simulated the phase behavior of bead spring chains. Additionally, it sped up MC simulations of Lennard Jones chains by up to 10 times. In its current form, the GPU-accelerated algorithm did not achieve significant speedups to improve outcomes of simulating large polymer melts with detailed potentials. We recommended various strategies to improving the current algorithm. This reality motivated the use of biased MC simulations to study the phase behavior of polymers more expediently without the need for GPU acceleration. Specifically, the latter part of the Dissertation employed Wang Landau MC (WLMC) simulations to build phase diagrams and expanded ensemble density of states (EXEDOS) simulations to construct FELs. Phase diagrams from WLMC simulations divided volume-temperature space into melt, nematic and crystal phases. Then, FELs from EXEDOS simulations at equilibrium provided direct access to the relative stability and minimum free energy paths between coexistant states. By employing a two-dimensional EXEDOS sampling in both crystal and nematic order for hard bead semiflexible oligomers with a stepwise bending stiffness, we built FELs that show that the crystalline transition cooperatively and simultaneously formed crystal and nematic order. This nucleation mechanism was not in agreement with predictions from CNTP or newer theoretical formulations. To investigate the sensitivity of the phase behavior to the employed polymer model, we then employed WLMC simulations to build phase diagrams for a number of different polymer models to ascertain their impact on the resulting nucleation mechanism. We found that the phase behavior was sensitive to the form of the bending stiffness potential used. Chains with a stepwise bending stiffness yielded the previously mentioned cooperative and simultaneous crystal and nematic ordering. In contrast, chains with a harmonic bending stiffness potential crystallized via a two-step nucleation process, first forming a nematic phase that nucleates the crystal. The latter nucleation mechanism was in line with predictions from new theories of nucleation that incorporate the nematic phase as a precursor. Furthermore, we found that it is important to correct for excluded volume differences when comparing chains with soft and hard beads or chains with differing bending stiffnesses.

International climate mitigation agendas increasingly focus on the conservation of tropical forests such as the Amazon due to their high potential of sequestering large amounts of carbon. At the same time, Peru’s Amazonian frontier is increasingly subject to market pressures and other factors contributing to deforestation and the expansion of the agricultural frontier. In the face of these processes, the perspectives of local people and indigenous communities are often rendered invisible. Therefore, it becomes increasingly relevant to align goals of forest conservation with strategies to not compromise livelihood needs for rural populations. This thesis explores unheard perspectives of local people and the corresponding struggles to make a life in the Peruvian Amazon. More concrete, it is a case study on livelihoods in the indigenous community Naranjal in San Martín, one of the upper eastern jungle regions of Peru. Through using the conceptual lens of the ‘Extended Livelihood Framework’ and theories rooted in political ecology, the different livelihood activities are analysed both on the village and household level as well as in relation to wider political trends influencing these. Methodologically, qualitative PRA tools such as semi-structured interviews with households and key informants were used. The Findings demonstrate household complexity and livelihood diversity in which tensions between the different activities followed by villagers arise. The contested institutional landscape around Naranjal forms part of this puzzle. A crucial concern is the access to livelihood resources such as old-growth forests and farming land. These are in turn influenced by external ecological and demographic changes as well as political interests by the Peruvian state. Access mechanisms such as social networks and social identity in terms of indigeneity as well as farmer’s local knowledge on ecologies were highlighted, among others. It is argued that political and development actors should consider features of these mechanisms and livelihoods found in Naranjal, as they hold potential to contribute to a more sustainable future for indigenous communities in rural Amazonia. Equally, more collaboration among different development interventions should be aspired to build on synergies and head towards an integrative development approach which includes and considers villager’s own concerns and perspectives.

No description available.

Phenacoccus peruvianus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is an invasive mealybug of Neotropical origin, first reported in the Mediterranean Basin in Almeria (Spain) in 1999. In the following years the mealybug spread into other Mediterranean regions and has also been recorded in Portugal and France, as well as in Sicily, Corsica and the Balearic Islands. Phenacoccus peruvianus is a polyphagous species and damages economically important ornamental plants. Since this was a relatively unknown species, during the first years of invasion, the mealybug was managed by the application of chemical treatments with wide-spectrum pesticides. However, the latest European directive on pesticide use reduces or even forbids pesticide applications in a wide range of urban green areas, giving significant priority to biological control (European Parliament and Council 2009). This thesis sets the basis for introducing biological control into a P. peruvianus management program in urban landscapes, focusing on its characterization, sampling, biology and control. In order to facilitate the identification of this and other mealybug species, we characterised 33 mealybug populations infesting crops and ornamental plants in Eastern Spain, using a combination of molecular and morphological techniques. This characterisation led to the identification of ten mealybug species and made routine identification possible through DNA sequencing or the use of derived species-specific molecular tools. The sequences obtained also add to the phylogenetic knowledge of the Pseudococcidae family and provide insight into the invasion history of some species. Phenacoccus peruvianus populations were high in bougainvillea plants during spring and summer, declining to almost undetectable levels in autumn and winter. The mealybug was mainly found in bracts and there were no significant migrations between plant strata. Phenacoccus peruvianus showed a high aggregated distribution on bracts, leaves and twigs. We recommend a binomial sampling of 200 leaves and an action threshold of 55% infested leaves for IPM purposes in urban landscapes. Its most abundant natural enemies were found to be the primary parasitoids Acerophagus n. sp. near coccois and Leptomastix epona Walker (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). We also identified several predator species from the Anthocoridae, Coccinellidae, Chamaemyiidae, and Chrysopidae families. Phenacoccus peruvianus populations were lower during the second and third year of the survey, coinciding with an increase in the parasitoid Acerophagus sp. populations, which displaced the native L. epona. Differential female offspring and resource preemption are discussed as the main reasons for this displacement. To obtain further information on the biology of the new parasitoid Acerophagus sp. we determined some traits of its reproductive and feeding strategies. Acerophagus sp. egg load reached its maximum when it was 5 days old with almost 30 mature eggs. Phenacoccus peruvianus second and third nymphal instars and adults were suitable for parasitism and efficient encapsulation was low (10.76 ± 0.31 %). The parasitoid always preferred older instars when different host instars were available. Acerophagus sp. developed as a solitary parasitoid in the second instar and as a gregarious parasitoid in older instars (2¿4 parasitoids per host). Moreover, it reproduced parthenogenetically and all the emerged offspring were females. Immature development lasted between 20 and 22 days at 25°C and 65% HR. Under these conditions, adults lived for longer than 20 days when fed on honey, but fewer than 3 days when fed on naturally occurring sugar sources (host honeydew and Bougainvillea glabra flowers). / Beltrà Ivars, A. (2014). Biology and management of the invasive mealybug Phenacoccus peruvianus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) in urban landscapes [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/37233

På grund av fördelar som bland annat flexibilitet, kostnadsbesparingar, och ökat samarbete mellan anställda har konceptet öppna kontorslandskap blivit en trend över hela världen. Flera studier har dock påvisat konceptets nackdelar där anställda och organisationer i helhet påverkas negativt, men ändå fortsätter organisationer att omvandla sina cellkontor till öppna kontorslandskap. Vissa verkar tycka om öppna kontorslandskap medan andra är mer negativt inställda. Denna uppsats har i syfte att undersöka vad medarbetare tycker om öppna kontorslandskap. Undersökningen tog plats på en kundserviceavdelning på ett pappersföretag. Åtta respondenter intervjuades då en kvalitativ studie utfördes. Vi har använt oss av bekvämlighetsurval och till viss del strategiskt urval, då vi hade en bekant som arbetade i det öppna kontorslandskapet på pappersföretaget som kunde förse oss med respondenter av intresse för studien. Relevanta begrepp och teorier presenteras i teoriavsnittet, för att förse läsaren med information och kunskap inom ämnet. Dessa teorier används även för att utforma intervjuguiden och hitta teman i det insamlade materialet från intervjuerna. Dessa teman kunde vi även använda oss av när vi analyserade materialet. Resultatet visade att inställningen till öppna kontorslandskap är högst individuell. Även om hälften av respondenterna var mer positiva och den andra hälften var mer negativa, fann vi att det var individuella skillnader i varför de var positivt eller negativt inställda. De anställdas inställning grundar sig i tidigare erfarenheter av andra kontorstyper, samt faktorer på arbetsplatsen såsom ljud/buller, ljusförhållanden, och luftkvaliteten. Unika fynd i studien var tystnaden i det öppna kontorslandskapet och hur detta påverkade de anställda. Utmärkande med just denna studie är att de flesta ljudkällorna som orsakade buller återfanns utanför det öppna kontorslandskapet.

This thesis focuses on tribal engagement and tribal consultation in the United States. In the thesis, I discuss my experience working on an interdisciplinary research team completing a formal ethnographic study which was submitted to a federal agency. Using insights gained from this experience and additional experience working with American Indian tribes, I discuss historic, contemporary, and potential future strategies for involving and engaging American Indian tribes in land and resource stewardship decisions in the United States.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The landscape of James A. Garfield’s Mentor, Ohio home (now preserved at James A. Garfield National Historic Site) contains multiple layers of historical meanings and values. The landscape as portrayed in political biographies, political cartoons, and other ephemera during Garfield’s 1880 presidential campaign reveals the existence of the dual cultural values of agrarian tradition and agricultural progress in the late nineteenth century. Although Garfield did not depend on farming exclusively for his livelihood, he, like many agriculturalists of this era participated in a process of mediation between these dual values. The function of the landscape of Garfield’s farm between 1876 and 1880 is a reflection of this process of mediation. After President Garfield’s assassination in 1881, his wife and children returned to their Mentor home. Between 1885 and c. 1905, Garfield’s widow Lucretia made numerous changes to the agricultural landscape, facilitating the evolution of the home from farm to country estate. Despite the rich history of this landscape, its cultural complexity and evolution over time makes it difficult to interpret for public audiences. Additionally, the landscape is currently interpreted exclusively through indoor museum exhibits and outdoor wayside panels, two formats with severe limitations. I propose the integration of deep mapping into interpretation at James A. Garfield National historic site in order to more effectively represent the multi-layered qualities of its historic landscape.

This dissertation undertakes a comparative study of certain works of literature concerning Vietnamese and American troops during the United States’ involvement in Southeast Asia in the 1960s and 1970s. My assumption was that during war it is possible to conclude that enemy forces behave in the same manner in order to reach the identical goal, that of victory over the ‘other’ side. I sought to ascertain how under the selfsame conditions they could be considered as enemies. Divided only by the 17th Parallel: A Study of Similarities Between American and Vietnamese Soldiers in Selected Works By close reading of six texts, three from Vietnamese and three from American perspectives, I have attempted to extract their similar views from each in order to create a context in which the likeness of each side is demonstrated. This was achieved by exploring four themes: those of landscape, time, conflict and ghosts. It was discovered that the protagonists’ behaviour was the same and that rather than being the others’ adversary their true enemies were found within their own ranks. The results indicate that a wider perspective should be adopted on war than one which regards it as a simplistic binary consisting of two opposing sides. Contrary to any supposition that enemies must remain separated, there is more than enough evidence for one to conclude that they actually occupied mutual psychological territory. Key Terms: Landscape, time, ghosts, psychological damage, Reader Response, CSR, PTSD, New Historicism, dehumanisation, conditions of war, 1954 Geneva Agreement, ideology, war literature. / English Literature / M.A. (English Literature)

This thesis considers a selection of modern landscape poetry from an ecocritical perspective, arguing that this poetry demonstrates how the term landscape might be re-imagined in relation to contemporary environmental concerns. Each chapter discusses poetic responses to a different kind of landscape: gardens, forests, rivers and islands. Chapter One explores how, in the poetry of Ian Hamilton Finlay, Douglas Dunn, Louise Glück and David Harsent, gardens are culturally constructed landscapes in which ideas of self, society and environment are contemplated; I ask whether gardening provides a positive example of how people might interact with the natural world. My second chapter demonstrates that for Sorley MacLean, W.S. Merwin, Susan Stewart and Kathleen Jamie, forests are sites of memory and sustainable ‘dwelling', but that deforestation threatens both the ecology and the culture of these landscapes. Chapter Three compares river poems by Ted Hughes and Alice Oswald, considering their differing approaches to river sources, mystical immersion in nature, water pollution and poetic experimentation; I discuss how in W.S. Graham's poetry the sea provides a complex image of the phenomenal world similar to Oswald's river. The final chapter examines the extent to which islands in poetry are pastoral landscapes and environmental utopias, looking in particular at poems by Dunn, Robin Robertson, Iain Crichton Smith and Jen Hadfield. I reflect upon the potential for island poetry to embrace narratives of globalisation as well as localism, and situate the work of George Mackay Brown and Robert Alan Jamieson within this context. I engage with a range of ecocritical positions in my readings of these poets and argue that the linguistic creativity, formal inventiveness and self-reflexivity of poetry constitute a distinctive contribution to contemporary understandings of landscape and the environment.