Search results for "Defence"
showing 10 items of 472 documents
Yielding of a quartz sand from saturated to dry state
2020
The paper presents the results of an experimental work where we analyse the behaviour of an unsaturated quartz sand in a wide range of degree of saturation (from saturated to dry state). The possibility of anticipating the hydro-mechanical behaviour of the soils when they approach the dry state is fundamental in many areas. An extensive experimental program, including controlled-suction and constant water content oedometric tests, was carried out to deeply analyse the water retention behaviour and the relationship between the yield stress and suction (Loading-Collapse curve). All elasto-plastic models provide a monotonically increase of the yield stress with suction. This assumption implies…
A physical model for the interaction between unsaturated soils and retaining structures
2020
Temporary and permanent retaining structures interact with soils that are usually in unsaturated conditions. In this work, a 1g-scale physical model is presented to investigate the interactions between retaining walls and unsaturated soils. The physical model is equipped with a water-filled hydraulic cylinder connected to a pressure-volume controller to measure the horizontal component of the later earth thrust and high capacity tensiometers to measure soil matric suction. A system of low-friction linear guideways has been installed at the base of the wall-model. The failure surface is observed through a 3 cm thick glass wall on one side of the container. A series of images are acquired dur…
Effectiveness of a New Drainage System for Decreasing Erosion in Road Hillslopes
2021
© The Author(s) 2021.
Charismatic Leaders in a New Perspective: Reality in Estonia and Italy
2020
The purpose of this explorative study is to put the existing theories on charismatic political leadership in a current post-web media context. It also seeks to better understand why “charismatic politicians” seem to have success in present-day cyber politics. The paper considers political charisma in a Weberian perspective and aims to explain what elements it includes in a current electoral environment characterized by a fast-changing media landscape. The paper places the existing theoretical models in the context of two European societies, by comparing Estonia and Italy as case studies. Estonia, a small ex-Soviet country has emerged in recent years as an advanced e-society with highly “int…
Host filtering, not competitive exclusion, may be the main driver of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community assembly under high phosphorus
2023
A major goal in ecology is understanding the factors which determine the diversity and distribution of organisms. The outcome of the symbiotic relationship between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi is strongly influenced by soil phosphorus (P) availability. Despite this knowledge, there is still much to uncover about how soil P status can shape the taxonomic and phylogenetic assembly of root-colonising AM fungi. Additionally, there is a paucity of understanding about the implications of these changes for the outcome of the AM symbiosis in terms of plant growth, nutrient status and defence traits. We conducted a factorial pot experiment where sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) was grown un…
Central, Eastern and East-Central Europle: on the History and the Current State of Conceptualization and Demarcation of Concepts
2019
The article is devoted to a historical overview and discussion of the current understanding and demarcation of the concepts “Central Europe”, “Eastern Europe” and “Central Eastern Europe”. The analysis is performed from a descriptive and comparative point of view, including a step‑by‑step generalization and separation of the above concepts and the verification of how natural, artificial or instrumental their character is, as well as by analysing their contrastive properties. In conclusion, the author has argued that the integration / disintegration and democratization / autocratization processes in the countries that used to be or now constitute different sub‑regions of Europe during the 20…
Ocena współczesnej kultury Zachodu w nauczaniu Benedykta XVI (Josepha Ratzingera)
2021
The Assessment of the Contemporary Western Culture in the Teaching of Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger)
 The article consists of two parts. In the first one, the authors pointed out an argument in the social sciences concerning ability to reasonably use the „culture” concept in scientific discourse. In the second one, they analyzed opinions Benedict XVI ( Joseph Ratzinger) expressed about present condition of the Western culture. Views of this figure were selected to study due to recognizing significant influential role the Pope plays in the public sphere. In the opinion of Benedict XVI, today there are two cultures of the West that coexist: rational Christian culture and Enlightenment (…
Critiquing and Joining Intersections of Disaster, Conflict, and Peace Research
2020
AbstractDisaster research, conflict research, and peace research have rich and deep histories, yet they do not always fully intersect or learn from each other, even when they investigate if and how disasters lead to conflict or peace. Scholarship has tended to focus on investigating causal linkages between disaster (including those associated with climate change) and conflict, and disaster diplomacy emerged as a thread of explanatory research that investigates how and why disaster-related activities do and do not influence peace and conflict. However, definitive conclusions on the disaster-conflict-peace nexus have evaded scientific consensus, in part due to conceptual, methodological, and …
Data from: How to fight multiple enemies: target-specific chemical defences in an aposematic moth
2017
Animals have evolved different defensive strategies to survive predation, among which chemical defences are particularly widespread and diverse. Here we investigate the function of chemical defence diversity, hypothesising that such diversity has evolved as a response to multiple enemies. The aposematic wood tiger moth (Arctia plantaginis) displays conspicuous hindwing colouration and secretes two distinct defensive fluids, from their thoracic glands and abdomen. We presented fluids from lab-reared moths to two biologically relevant predators, birds and ants, and measured their reaction in controlled bioassays (no information on colour was provided). We found that defensive fluids are targe…
Data from: Dynamic transmission, host quality and population structure in a multi-host parasite of bumble bees
2012
The evolutionary ecology of multi-host parasites is predicted to depend upon patterns of host quality and the dynamics of transmission networks. Depending upon the differences in host quality and transmission asymmetries, as well as the balance between intra- and inter-specific transmission, the evolution of specialist or generalist strategies is predicted. Using a trypanosome parasite of bumble bees we ask how host quality and transmission networks relate to parasite population structure across host species, and thus the potential for the evolution of specialist strains adapted to different host species. Host species differed in quality, with parasite growth varying across host species. Hi…