The present moment raises many questions about the workings and resilience of parliamentary democracy in Western-type democracies, including the former socialist states of the East Central European ...region, where various forms of populism and illiberal democracy are taking shape. Among these, Slovenia is taken as a case study, since it is not only a former socialist state, but was also for a long time acknowledged as a post-socialist success story. Focusing on the central state institution in systems of parliamentary democracy, i.e. the parliament, and its members (MPs) this paper considers speech as performed during parliamentary sessions by MPs from populist and non-populist political parties between the years 1992 and 2018, the period of a fully democratic Slovene national parliament. It combines the methodological approaches of cultural history with corpus linguistics in order to map any possible differences in populist and non-populist discourse of MPs. Special attention is given to situations where MPs mentioned the public, thus testing the hypothesis that populist MPs engage more with the public as a part of their populist political style.
We present a map that correlates tectonic units between Alps and western Turkey accompanied by a text providing access to literature data, explaining the concepts used for defining the mapped ...tectonic units, and first-order paleogeographic inferences. Along-strike similarities and differences of the Alpine-Eastern Mediterranean orogenic system are discussed. The map allows (1) for superimposing additional information, such as e.g., post-tectonic sedimentary basins, manifestations of magmatic activity, onto a coherent tectonic framework and (2) for outlining the major features of the Alpine-Eastern Mediterranean orogen. Dinarides-Hellenides, Anatolides and Taurides are orogens of opposite subduction polarity and direction of major transport with respect to Alps and Carpathians, and polarity switches across the Mid-Hungarian fault zone. The Dinarides-Hellenides-Taurides (and Apennines) consist of nappes detached from the Greater Adriatic continental margin during Cretaceous and Cenozoic orogeny. Internal units form composite nappes that passively carry ophiolites obducted in the latest Jurassic–earliest Cretaceous or during the Late Cretaceous on top of the Greater Adriatic margin successions. The ophiolites on top of composite nappes do not represent oceanic sutures zones, but root in the suture zones of Neotethys that formed after obduction. Suturing between Greater Adria and the northern and eastern Neotethys margin occupied by the Tisza and Dacia mega-units and the Pontides occurred in the latest Cretaceous along the Sava-İzmir-Ankara-Erzincan suture zones. The Rhodopian orogen is interpreted as a deep-crustal nappe stack formed in tandem with the Carpatho-Balkanides fold-thrust belt, now exposed in a giant core complex exhumed in late Eocene to Miocene times from below the Carpatho-Balkan orogen and the Circum-Rhodope unit. Its tectonic position is similar to that of the Sakarya unit of the Pontides. We infer that the Rhodope nappe stack formed due to north-directed thrusting. Both Rhodopes and Pontides are suspected to preserve the westernmost relics of the suture zone of Paleotethys.
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•Tectonic map correlates tectonic units between Alps and western Turkey.•Profiles visualize architecture of Alpine-eastern Mediterranean orogens.•Review provides overview of Alpine-type orogens across national boundaries.
•A random forest algorithm was applied for modelling basal area increment (BAI).•The R2 for independent data varied from 0.57 (silver fir) to 0.29 (Scots pine).•The most important predictor variables ...were the basal area of trees and competition.•The highest growth potential was modelled for Norway spruce and silver fir.•High competitive potential was shown by common beech.
Here, we present one of the first attempts to use a machine learning model for the prediction and interpretation of tree basal area increment (BAI) based on data from the National Forest Inventory (NFI). The developed model is based on the random forest (RF) algorithm, trained with 18 independent variables and 15,580 data points (trees from the Slovenian NFI). The RF model was trained for four individual species and two groups of species and evaluated using 10-fold blocked cross-validation. Squared correlation coefficients calculated for independent data ranged from 0.289 for Scots pine (Pinus Sylvestris) to 0.342 for maple and ash species (Acer sp. and Fraxinus sp.), 0.429 for oak species (Quercus sp.), 0.475 for Norway spruce (Picea abies), 0.486 for common beech (Fagus sylvatica), and 0.565 for silver fir (Abies alba). The most important predictor variables were the basal areas of individual trees and their competition status, expressed as the basal area in larger trees and tree social position. Simulations of selected key variables revealed different ecological traits of the studied species: silver fir and Norway spruce have the highest growth characteristics, while common beech has the strongest competition potential. For valuable broadleaves and silver fir, site specific conditions play an important role in tree growth, while oaks and Scots pine have less site-specific demands and wider ecological amplitudes. Finally, in comparison to BAI models from similar studies, the presented RF model showed similar accuracy and could potentially be used as a tool in forest management practices and for making professionally informed decisions.
In this study, we propose an analysis of the earthquake clusters that occurred in North-Eastern Italy and western Slovenia from 1977 to today. Given a mainshock generating alarm in the population, we ...are interested in forecasting if a similar magnitude earthquake will follow. We classify the earthquake clusters associated with mainshocks of magnitude Mm into two classes: if the strongest aftershock has a magnitude ≥Mm-1 (swarms or large aftershock seismic sequences) as type A, otherwise (smaller aftershocks seismic sequences) as type B. A large aftershock following a main shock can cause significant damages to already weakened buildings and infrastructures, so a timely advisory information to the civil protection is of great interest for effective decision-making. For the first time, we applied to a new catalogue a pattern recognition algorithm for cluster type forecasting that we developed for all Italy (Gentili and Di Giovambattista, 2017). Thanks to the lower completeness magnitude of the local OGS catalogue, compared to the national one, and to a new version of the algorithm, we were able to lower the threshold of the clusters mainshocks magnitude from 4.5 to 3.7. The method has been validated by rigorous statistical tests. We tested the algorithm on the 1976 highly destructive earthquake cluster (mainshock magnitude 6.5 – the strongest in the last 80 years in the region) and we retrospectively forecasted it as an A cluster. Successful results were obtained also on other three smaller earthquake clusters in 2019.
•We study the occurrence of large aftershocks for NE Italy – W Slovenia earthquakes.•NESTORE pattern recognition approach estimates of the probability of occurrence.•We use features based on the ongoing seismic activity after the mainshock.•We retrospectively forecast strong aftershocks for 1976 Friuli earthquake.
In this article, we investigate the potential for detection and characterization of sinkholes under dense forest cover by using airborne laser scanning data. Laser pulse returns from the ground ...provide important data for the estimation of digital elevation model (DEM), which can be used for further processing. The main objectives of this study were to map and determine the geomorphometric characteristics of a large number of sinkholes and to investigate the correlations between geomorphology and vegetation in areas with such characteristics. The selected study area has very low anthropogenic influences and is particularly suitable for studying undisturbed karst sinkholes. The information extracted from this study regarding the shapes and depths of sinkholes show significant directionality for both orientation of sinkholes and their distribution over the area. Furthermore, significant differences in vegetation diversity and composition occur inside and outside the sinkholes, which indicates their presence has important ecological impacts.
Rural environments are specific for some crime forms, which can be divided into four categories: 1) agricultural or farm crime, 2) equine crime, 3) wildlife crime, and 4) heritage crime (Hacin and ...Eman, 2019). Pomurje is one of the most remote and least developed regions in Slovenia, where the rural environment predominates. In the article, the rural crime occurrence and related rural policing in areas of Pomurje are discussed. We analysed crime statistics and conducted structured interviews with the commanders of five police stations in the area of Police Directorate Murska Sobota, where each police station's area has its specifics with accordingly organized police work. Individual criminal offences are typical in all areas and do not differ from criminal offences in urban areas (e.g., theft, robbery, vandalism, fraud). Illegal migration, crime related to motorway stops along the Pomurje motorway, environmental crime, crime related to Roma, domestic violence, especially against the women and elderly, and the production of illegal drugs are the most prominent forms of rural crime in the Pomurje region. Socio-economic factors of smaller environments are reflected in rural settings and impact crime and policing. The police work in rural areas depends on residents' trust and respect for the police. This significantly affects the resident's willingness to cooperate with the police. Small size, mutual knowledge, and coherence reduce police operations' rigor and affect police officers' judgment. Police officers in Pomurje stick to the words 'together with the people for a safe local community'. Results show that police officers in a rural environment perceive neighbourhood safety more positively than colleagues in the urban environment. Good interpersonal relations and cooperation with the residents, committed and professional police officers, and management support are essential factors for successful policing in rural areas, reflected in a high percentage of investigated criminal offences.
•Rural crime can be divided into four categories: 1) agricultural or farm crime, 2) equine crime, 3) wildlife crime, and 4) heritage crime.•Pomurje is one of the most remote and least developed regions in Slovenia, where the rural environment predominates.•In the area of Police Directorate Murska Sobota, Pomurje, (Slovenia) individual criminal offences are typical in all areas and do not differ from criminal offences in urban areas (e.g., theft, robbery, vandalism, fraud). Illegal migration, crime related to motorway stops along the Pomurje motorway, environmental crime, crime related to Roma, domestic violence, especially against the women and elderly, and the production of illegal drugs are the most prominent forms of rural crime in the Pomurje region.•Socio-economic factors of smaller environments are reflected in rural settings and impact crime and policing.•The police work in rural areas depends on residents' trust and respect for the police.•Police officers in Pomurje stick to the words 'together with the people for a safe local community'.•Results show that police officers in a rural environment perceive neighbourhood safety more positively than colleagues in the urban environment.•Good interpersonal relations and cooperation with the residents, committed and professional police officers, and management support are essential factors for successful policing in rural areas, reflected in a high percentage of investigated criminal offences.
SUMMARY
Western Slovenia is part of an actively deforming region accommodating anticlockwise rotation of Adria and its continuous collision with Eurasia. The geometry of the active faulting system in ...this plate boundary is not well defined. In this study, detailed analysis of earthquake activity was performed with relocation of earthquakes in the period between 2006 and 2017. With inspection of the waveform data, slight temporal clustering of activity was observed. To increase the detection rate of microearthquakes we used a matched filter detection algorithm method. Templates of earthquakes were created and a database of continuous waveform data within the period 2006–2017 was investigated. As a result, high temporal correlation allowed us to identify swarms and earthquake sequences that affected the active fault system in the study region.
Relocated seismicity allowed us to constrain the geometry of 5 nearly parallel faults, namely: Ravne, Idrija, Predjama, Selce and Raša faults. All these faults do have an expression in the geomorphology and reach a seismogenic depth of up to 20 km. Vertical and along strike extents of these active faults can favour earthquakes of moment magnitude equal to 7 or larger. The most recent large earthquake that occurred in this region is the 1511 earthquake with a magnitude 6.8.
The leading fault in the system being the Idrija right-lateral strike-slip fault, experiences earthquake activity from 5 to 20 km on its northern segment, while on its southern segment no earthquake activity is detected over the decade of observations. We show that the interseismic loading on the southern segment of Idrija fault is likely unclamping the locked adjacent faults promoting the observed bursts of seismicity. Moreover, in 2009 the Predjama fault accommodated a sudden increase of the surface deformation at the extensometer accompanied by a simultaneous swarm activity at its seismogenic depth. This behaviour might correspond to velocity strengthening and weakening processes taking place at both the surface and depth terminations of a locked vertical fault. These processes can be driven by a slow-slip event on the deeper part of Idrija fault that would generate a temporary acceleration of the interseismic loading rate along with a change within the fluid circulation.
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