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Eutrophication is a widespread environmental change that usually reduces the stabilizing effect of plant diversity on productivity in local communities. Whether this effect is scale dependent remains to be elucidated. Here, we determine the relationship between plant diversity and temporal stability of productivity for 243 plant communities from 42 grasslands across the globe and quantify the effect of chronic fertilization on these relationships. Unfertilized local communities with more plant species exhibit greater asynchronous dynamics among species in response to natural environmental fluctuations, resulting in greater local stability (alpha stability). Moreover, neighborhood communities that have greater spatial variation in plant species composition within sites (higher beta diversity) have greater spatial asynchrony of productivity among communities, resulting in greater stability at the larger scale (gamma stability). Importantly, fertilization consistently weakens the contribution of plant diversity to both of these stabilizing mechanisms, thus diminishing the positive effect of biodiversity on stability at differing spatial scales. Our findings suggest that preserving grassland functional stability requires conservation of plant diversity within and among ecological communities., Eutrophication has been shown to weaken diversity-stability relationships in grasslands, but it is unclear whether the effect depends on scale. Analysing a globally distributed network of grassland sites, the authors show a positive role of beta diversity and spatial asynchrony as drivers of stability but find that nitrogen enrichment weakens the diversity-stability relationships at different spatial scales.

A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-20997-9.

Manual and ultrasonic evaluation of the the reproductive organs of 62 dairy cows and heifers belonging to smallholder farms was conducted. The objective was to assess the efficiency of visual estrus detection method in the dairy animals that were presented for artificial insemination. Data were collected on reproductive status, body condition, estrus signs, and findings of rectal examination. Thirty-three animals were inseminated after ultrasonic evaluation while 29 animals were inseminated after manual evaluation through rectal palpation. Pregnancy diagnosis was performed using ultrasound 30 days post insemination. The most frequently observed estrus signs by the dairy owners were mucus discharge (83.9%) and mounting (67.7%) while the most frequently confirmed physical signs of estrus by rectal examination were cervical opening (88.7%), and uterine turgidity (82.3%). The overall mean (±SD) diameter of the largest follicle was 12.9 ± 3.4 mm with an average number of 3.5 follicles per ovary. The overall pregnancy rate was 29%. Evaluation of post-insemination records showed a significant difference (P

http://tartu.ester.ee/record=b2656361~S1

Objective: We aimed to determine the impact of clinic based retinal photography on access to appropriate screening for diabetic retinopathy (DR). Design, setting and participants: We opportunistically recruited patients undergoing their annual diabetic cycle of care over a two year period in the urban Indigenous primary health care clinic. Data were collected on retinal outcomes, health variables and referral patterns. Main outcome measures: Access to appropriate screening and ophthalmic follow up, prevalence of DR, acceptability and feasibility of clinic-based retinal photography were the main outcome measures of this study. Results: One hundred and thirty-two of a possible 147 patients consented to participate. 30% of participants had DR. Appropriate screening and ophthalmic follow up increased six fold, from 20 to 124 participants, following the introduction of the retinal camera. Most participants felt very positive about DR screening. Conclusions: Primary care DR screening using retinal photography can improve access to DR screening for indigenous patients, reduce the burden on busy outpatient departments and should reduce visual loss. Policy-makers could contribute to screening sustainability by funding a medicare item-number for primary care based DR screening associated with the annual diabetic cycle of care. An upfront Practice Incentive Program (PIP) payment could offset set up costs.

https://www.ester.ee/record=b5466683*est

Keywords: utopia, ideal city, planning, absolutism, totalitarianism. Summary: An ideal world has been dreamed about throughout human history. Utopian ideas about ideal societies, countries, or cities have been presented primarily as philosophies and theories, as artistic or literary fantasies, but attempts have also been made to actually implement them. Thus social, political and humanist utopias have influenced the planning and building of cities. Especially radical changes have been planned at the beginning of new political formations and urban planning periods. Therefore, utopian urban planning ideas are always connected to the ruling power – absolutism and totalitarianism. Being in the service of new ideologies, the utopian building plans for ideal cities can be viewed as the visual and aesthetic forms of social and political ideas. The article provides a survey of renaissance-era ideal cities, the cities from the Enlightenment that reflected ideal order, and the total modernisation of cities in the 20th century. Attention is directed at utopias with nostalgia for the past and ones that plan for the future. Similarly to Europe, a survey of the various construction periods of Estonian cities provides a basis to state that the changes and planning that have occurred during their development is connected to phenomena characteristic of utopias. CV: Lilian Hansar has graduated Estonian Academy of Art as an architect (1975), she has obtained masters degree on protection and restoration of heritage (2002) and her PhD thesis (2010) treated the transformation of town structures in Estonian small towns from the 13th to 20th century. Hansar is since 2007 professor and Head of the Department of Protection and Restoration of Heritage at the Estonian Academy of Arts. Her publications mainly concentrate on the history and protection of city building as well as its meaning as a milieu.

© 2020, The Author(s). Eutrophication is a widespread environmental change that usually reduces the stabilizing effect of plant diversity on productivity in local communities. Whether this effect is scale dependent remains to be elucidated. Here, we determine the relationship between plant diversity and temporal stability of productivity for 243 plant communities from 42 grasslands across the globe and quantify the effect of chronic fertilization on these relationships. Unfertilized local communities with more plant species exhibit greater asynchronous dynamics among species in response to natural environmental fluctuations, resulting in greater local stability (alpha stability). Moreover, neighborhood communities that have greater spatial variation in plant species composition within sites (higher beta diversity) have greater spatial asynchrony of productivity among communities, resulting in greater stability at the larger scale (gamma stability). Importantly, fertilization consistently weakens the contribution of plant diversity to both of these stabilizing mechanisms, thus diminishing the positive effect of biodiversity on stability at differing spatial scales. Our findings suggest that preserving grassland functional stability requires conservation of plant diversity within and among ecological communities.

A Thesis for applying for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Landscape Architecture The goal of the case studies was to identify a semiosphere in landscape, the properties characteristic of memory and reminiscences, in order to identify the universal functioning mechanisms of the object and to comprehend the inner logics of the functioning of landscape. Several traits characteristic of semiospheres are present in landscapes, such as delimitation, unevenness, homogeneity, individuality, wholeness. The semiospheric border of landscape determines the structural and functional nature of landscape as semiosphere, which enables objects with similar structure or function to be separated from the rest without defining the location of the physical border. Dispersion is typical of a landscape’s semiospheric border and the border may be both spatial and temporal. The unevenness, homogeneity and individuality of the landscape impacts the speed of the changes, the landscape’s stage of development and location in the general structure. The integrity of the landscape is expressed in the principle of the hermeneutical circle, in which the understanding of the whole ensure the understanding of the parts and vice-versa, the comprehension of the parts helps to under the whole. The process occurring in the landscape is comprised of three parts: recording information, storing information and using information. Writing a text in the landscape (recording information) can occur in the following ways: between, besides, on top of and over. The means of writing has a direct impact on the durability of the landscape. The preservation of the landscape (storage of information) is dependent on the speed of changes. In the case of sudden changes that occur over a short period of time the landscape can actually survive quite well. The appearance of the opposite tendency can be observed in the case of constant and long-term changes. In order for memories to be evoked, they must first be stored, and thereafter, their sign must be recognised. Memories can be stored with the help of both personal and collective memory, but recognition depends on personal experience. Lefebvre’s spatial triad divides the landscape into spaces that are distinguished from each other by characteristic words: lived, perceived, and conceived. If conceived space is a two-dimensional plan, then perceiv ed space is comprised of the surrounding space that lacks memories. Lived space does not develop before it is filled with personal memories. Space does not become lived space until the subject (person) and object (landscape) have made contact, when the contact that actives the memory occurs. Euroopa maastikukonventsiooni definitsiooni kohaselt on maastik inimeste poolt tajutav ("Landscape" means an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors). Tajutavat maastiku vaadeldi semiosfääri, mälu ja mälestuste kaudu, mida mõjutavad erinevad dünaamilised protsessid nagu gentrifikatsiooni, maastiku muutused, sotsiaalsete representatsioonide ja sotsiaalse kapitali avaldume jms. Leiti, et maastikus avalduvad mitmed semiosfäärile iseloomulikud omadused. Maastiku semiosfääriline piir määrab maastiku kui semiosfääri strukturaalse ja funktsionaalse olemuse, mis võimaldab eraldada sarnase struktuuri või funktsiooniga objektid ülejäänutest, ilma füüsilise piiri asukohta määramata. Maastiku semiosfäärilisele piirile on omane hajuvus ning piir võib olla nii ruumiline kui ajaline. Ebaühtsust, homogeensust ja individuaalsust mõjutab muutuste kiirus, maastiku arenguaste ja paiknemine üldise struktuuri suhtes. Maastiku terviklikkus avaldub hermeneutilise ringi printsiibis, kus tervikust arusaamine tagab osadest arusaamise ja vastupidi, osade mõistmine aitab mõista tervikut. Maastikus toimuv protsess koosneb kolmest osast: info salvestamine, info talletamine, info kasutamine. Maastikku teksti kirjutamine (info salvestamine) võib toimuda: vahele, kõrvale, peale või üle. Kirjutamise viis avaldab otsest mõju maastiku säilivusele. Maastiku säilivus (info talletamine) on sõltuvuses muutuste kiirusega. Järsku ja lühikese aja jooksul toimunud muutuste puhul, võib maastik hästi säilida, vastupidise tendentsi avaldumist võib täheldada pidevate ja pikaajaliste muutuste puhul. Mälestuse esilekerkimiseks on vaja esmalt mälestus talletada ja seejärel see ära tunda. Mälestuse talletamine võib toimuda nii isikliku kui kollektiivse mälu abil, kuid äratundmine sõltub isiklikust kogemusest. Lefebvre ruumitriaad jagab maastiku ruumideks, mida eristab üksteisest iseloomustavate sõnadega: elatud, tajutav, kujutatav. Kui kujutatav on kahemõõtmeline plaan (planeeringu joonis), siis tajutava ruumi moodustab ümbritsev ruum, milles puuduvad mälestused, elatud ruum tekib alles siis, kui see on täidetud isiklike mälestustega. Elatud ruum saab ruumiks alles peale subjekti (inimese) ja objekti (maastiku) kokkupuudet, mis käivitab mälestuse.