Tartu Research Articles

Constructing Sacred Sites as a Form of Collective Memory: The Sacrificial Stone on Toomemägi Hill in Tartu

Sacred natural sites retained their relevance in Estonian culture during and after the shift from mainly oral to mainly literary culture. However, the framework for conceptualising sacred natural sites has changed. Premodern sites have acquired new meanings and functions (notably those associated with national identity) and new sites have been taken into use. The article will present a typology describing the different ways of conceptualising the sacred natural sites that is current in Estonian culture and will offer a case study of a sacred site with a pivotal role in Estonian national identity, the sacrificial stone on Toomemägi hill in the city of Tartu.

Hogyan befolyásolják a politikai értékek a színház működését? : Az észtországi Tartu példája összehasonlító európai perspektívában

The paper introduces the results of an empirical research studing the functioning of theatre (the production, distribution and reception domain and their relationships) in the city of Tartu. All public theatrical events during one year were counted and categorized into types and genres. In addition, quantitative and qualitative audience and reception research was carried out. The methodology was developed by an international research group STEP (Project on European Theatre Systems) and comparative aspects of the study are also presented. Even though theatre systems have cultural roots and clearly are the outcomes of particular cultural, political and social history, it is also the priorities in theatre politics and the structure of the theatre system that have a direct influence on the functioning of theatre.

Lithuanian lichens and lichenicolous fungi in the herbaria of the University of Tartu (Estonia) and the University of Latvia

Herbarium collections are particularly significant in countries where systematic studies of specific taxonomic groups have not been carried out, such as in the case of lichens in Lithuania. Collections prior to the 1990s are scarce, so all historical material is of great value. This paper presents the results of a study of lichen collections in the herbaria of the University of Tartu (TU) and the University of Latvia (RIG). A total of 425 herbarium envelopes (84 RIG and 341 TU) were examined. A total of 170 species were identified, including 157 lichen species, 12 lichenicolous and one non-lichenized saprobic fungi species. Nine lichen species were identified from envelopes that did not indicate the exact location except for the country (Lithuania). Two lichenicolous fungi, Endococcus nanellus and Stigmidium lecidellae, are new records for the country.

Developing the University of Tartu in Estonia into a well-networked Patient Safety Research Centre (PATSAFE): A study protocol

Background Patient safety (PS) is a serious global public health problem affecting all countries. Estimates show that around 10 percent of the patients are harmed during hospital care, resulting in 23 million disability-adjusted life years lost per year. Experts emphasize research advancements as a key precondition for safer care. Aim The Patient Safety Research Centre (PATSAFE) project enhances the Institute of Clinical Medicine of the University of Tartu’s (ICM-UT) research potential and capacities in PS in order to improve and strengthen knowledge and skills in methods, techniques and experience for PS research. Methods A strategic partnership with Avedis Donabedian Research Institute in Spain, and IQ Healthcare in the Netherlands, both international leaders in PS research, enables the development of a long-lasting knowledge exchange, allowing the ICM-UT to capitalise on its current achievements and to overcome gaps in scientific excellence in the field of PS research. These twining activities will strengthen and raise the research profile of the ICM-UT academic staff and early-stage researchers (ESRs), by implementing the hands-on training on methods, techniques, and experience in PS research. The project also encourages the active participation of ESRs in PS research by increasing their soft skills, to ensure the continuity and sustainability of PS research in ICM-UT. Finally, development of the research strategy on PS contributes to the long-term sustainability of PS research in Estonia. To implement these activities, PATSAFE foresees a comprehensive strategy consisting of knowledge exchange, soft research skills capacity building, strategic planning, and strong dissemination and exploitation efforts. Expected results As a result of the project, ICM-UT will have the capacity to carry out PS research using the appropriate methodology and the competences to apply state-of-the-art evidence-based strategies for PS research.

The linkages between antecedents, processes and outcomes of internship

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify how different factors of antecedents and processes affect the outcomes of an internship, measured in terms of competency development.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used an internship questionnaire designed for the University of Tartu in Estonia. Responses were obtained from 178 students across different disciplines – humanities and the arts, social sciences, natural sciences and medicine – who had recently taken an internship. Based on current academic literature, the authors create a three-level model: antecedents-processes-outcomes. The antecedents and processes were both differentiated into three factors and tested with a structural equation model.FindingsThe model demonstrates that there are different antecedents that have an effect on internship outcomes, but these only work through internship processes. For example, the objective of the internship and clarity of instructions will only have a positive effect if there is relevant support from the supervisor at the employing company and if the student can use the knowledge and skills gained at university.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is based on survey data filled in by students, i.e. based on self-perception. Based on the results of the study, the authors claim that an active role and initiative-taking by students in finding suitable internships should be further encouraged.Originality/valueWhilst previous studies have used a two-level model of internship (or a three-level model for students satisfaction as an outcome) the authors create and test a three-level model measuring competency development as the outcome of an internship.

Leveraging IoT data stream for near‐real‐time calibration of city‐scale microscopic traffic simulation

AbstractThe emergence of smart cities is set to transform transportation systems by leveraging real‐time traffic data streams to monitor urban dynamics. This complements traditional microscopic simulation methods, offering a detailed digital portrayal of real‐time traffic conditions. A framework for near‐real‐time city‐scale traffic demand estimation and calibration is proposed. By utilising Internet of Things (IoT) sensors on select roads, the framework generates microscopic simulations in congested networks. The proposed calibration method builds upon the standard bi‐level optimization formulation. It presents a significant computational advantage over available methods by (i) formulating the optimization problem as a bounded variable quadratic programming, (ii) acquiring sequential optimization technique by splitting computations into short time frames while considering the dependency of the demand in successive time frames, (iii) performing parallel simulations for dynamic traffic assignment in corresponding time frames using the open source tool Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO), and (iv) feeding traffic count data of each time frame as a stream to the model. The approach accommodates high‐dimensional real‐time applications without extensive prior traffic demand knowledge. Validation in synthetic networks and Tartu City case study showcases scalability, accuracy, and computational efficiency.

High clergy feasts and suburban suppers: Diet and social status in Medieval and Early Modern Tartu, Estonia

This study explores the dietary habits of various social groups in Medieval and Early Modern Period Tartu in Estonia. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios from bone collagen were measured for 137 humans (115 adults and 22 non-adults) and 50 faunal specimens (including terrestrial mammals, birds, and fish). The results are in keeping with other comparable medieval and early modern European populations and indicate a diet largely based on terrestrial resources. Higher social status individuals from Tartu cathedral consumed significantly more marine protein than those from other burial locations. Dietary habits among commoners did not differ greatly between urban, suburban and rural locations. However, a distinct gender bias was apparent regarding access to higher trophic level protein with males having statistically significantly higher carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios compared to females.

Near-real-time dynamic noise mapping and exposure assessment using calibrated microscopic traffic simulations

With prospective applications ranging from improving the understanding of the daily and seasonal dynamics of noise exposure to raising public awareness of the associated health effects, dynamic noise mapping in real time is one of the next milestones in environmental acoustics. The present contribution proposes a methodology for near-real-time dynamic noise mapping, enabling the generation of dynamic noise maps and the calculation of advanced noise exposure indicators, here arbitrarily established for the previous day, on the scale of large urban areas. This methodology consists in (i) collecting live traffic counts, measured using dedicated IoT sensors, (ii) calibrating a microscopic traffic simulation using these sparsely distributed traffic counts, (iii) modelling noise emission and propagation from the microscopic traffic simulation, and finally, (iv) post-processing the noise simulation output for the calculation of a wide range of exposure indicators. The applicability of the method is demonstrated on the city of Tartu, Estonia.

Rudolf Richard Buchheim, the founder of pharmacology.

Today, the University of Tartu (earlier Dorpat) belongs among the 250 best universities of the world. Its international team of pharmacologists uses powerful confocal microscopes to study apoptosis and cell death within an international consortium. Science is working on solutions to fight Alzheimer disease, which is a torture for humankind. For this to happen today, the foundation was laid by scientists of previous centuries who deserve our great respect, all of them together and everyone separately. Johannes Piiper, a well-known professor of physiology, once told me in a conversation that articles should be published in every 10years about the men who have served as examples for the science of the present-day world and about the conditions in which their research was done. It is essential that researchers working in modern laboratories would not forget in their smugness that the laboratory has not always been a warm and well-lit room full of expensive technology, and not always have millions been allocated for research grants. Electricity came to Dorpat as late as in 1892. In the harsh Estonian winter, ice sometimes covered the inner walls of the Old Anatomical Theatre. Dorpat received railway connection in 1876. When I have made presentations in American countries, I have repeatedly been asked why the pharmacologists of the University of Tartu have not published an illustrated biography of Rudolf Richard Buchheim. As I have worked in the rooms the construction of which was directed by R. Buchheim as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, I am trying to correct this shortcoming at least to some extent. I have written about Buchheim earlier, but then the print volume was limited. In this article, I have attempted to fill the gaps where the earlier materials have been erroneous or incomplete. So, the article will explain the formation of the large family of Buchheims. Several articles have given the impression that when Buchheim arrived in Dorpat, there were no facilities at all, and, therefore, he founded the laboratory in the basement of his dwelling house. This article will also bring clarity to that. Through O. Schmiedeberg's memories, we will see the great difficulties with which Buchheim's viewpoints broke through and were accepted. The question where Buchheim's laboratory was situated after Buchheim moved house in 1852 until the completion of the annex to the Old Anatomical Theatre in 1860 will also be answered. The article also brings some clarity about R. Buchheim's children. For the first time, it has been summed up how R. Buchheim is commemorated in different towns and countries. The article includes photos from Estonian and foreign archives; some photos have also been received from cooperation partners. Photos available on the Internet as freeware have also been used. The mid-nineteenth century brought a whole constellation of talented scientists to the German-language University of Dorpat (now Tartu in Estonia, founded 1632) on the outskirts of the Russian Empire. They did not tinker on their own but were engaged in successful cooperation. Thus, the celebrities who happened to work in Tartu simultaneously included Professor of Anatomy and Physiology Georg Friedrich Karl Heinrich Bidder; founder of physiological chemistry, chemist Carl Ernst Heinrich Schmidt; and Rudolf Richard Buchheim whom Professors E. A. Carus and F. Bidder had invited to Tartu to work as Head of the Department of Materia Medica, Dietetics and History of Medicine. Together, the three talented and hardworking scientists cleared the path to research-based medicine and wrote their names into the history of world medicine forever. By introducing chemical analysis and animal experiments, R. Buchheim laid the foundation to scientific pharmacology.

Is the Northern Goshawk an Efficient Bioindicator of Avian Abundance and Species Richness in Urban Environments?

Monitoring of biodiversity in expanding urban areas is an essential part of wildlife conservation. There is evidence that raptors, such as Northern Goshawks (Accipiter gentilis), are effective bioindicator species in urban areas, however, their relationship with other bird populations is not clearly established. We asked whether activity patterns of Goshawks are a reliable indicator of wintering bird abundance and diversity in urban ecosystems. We tracked the movement of eight GPS-tagged Goshawks in the city of Tartu (Estonia) and analysed the numbers and diversity of birds in the same area using direct mapping and occasional data obtained from birdwatchers. The direct mapping approach revealed that the number of birds and avian species richness were higher in Goshawk activity hotspots than at random sites in 2022, however, no such differences were detected in 2023. Analysis of occasional citizen-collected data showed no effect of avian abundance nor species richness on the distribution of Goshawk activity. These results suggested that the movements of Goshawks may indicate the abundance and diversity of its prey, however, this relationship depends on the detection methodology. Hence, raptors are a promising bioindicator in urban environments, but results should be interpreted with caution, particularly when using citizen-collected data.

The Potential of Territorial Communities as a Factor of Socio-Environmental Development of Territories

The aim of the article was to examine the potential of territorial communities as a factor in the socio-environmental development of territories. Comparison and observation were the main methodological tools. The conducted research revealed that the potential of territories in the EU countries serves to increase the capacity of communities in the field of decentralization and socio-environmental development. A public energy system in Oberrosphe, which is based on communal heating, is promising. The project of the city of Tartu which provides for the involvement of the population in the conservation and restoration of biodiversity is worth noting. The appropriateness and potential of using the integrated modification methodology (IMM) in the development of design for sustainable urban development were established. The design maximizes the use of the potential of territorial communities, social and environmental levers. The Porto di Mare eco-project in Milan, which provides for the transformation of a polluted and degraded area into a self-sufficient ecological and social territory with the involvement of territorial potential deserves consideration. Similar initiatives can be implemented in Ukraine in the context of sustainable development of the country in the course of post-war socio-environmental restoration of the affected territories.

“Kunstiajalugu on ju siinses ülikoolis uus distsipliin.” Tartu ülikooli kunstiajaloo kabineti rajamine

“Kunstiajalugu on ju siinses ülikoolis uus distsipliin.” Tartu ülikooli kunstiajaloo kabineti rajamine

Activities of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) during the Georgian-Abkhaz Conflict in the 1990s

Abstract The article deals with the activities of the Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organization (UNPO) in mediating the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict both during the war (1992–1993) and after it in the 1990s. These activities of UNPO were mainly coordinated from the Estonian city of Tartu, where the UNPO Tartu Coordination Office was located. The task of the Office was to organize the work of the UNPO on the territory of the former Soviet Union. Many of the regional meetings of the UNPO, which discussed the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict, took place in different Estonian cities in the 1990s. The article analyses also the UNPO’s missions in the conflict area. The documents of the UNPO Tartu Coordination Office, which are compiled in Tartu, were used as the main sources.

Developing the University of Tartu in Estonia into a well-networked Patient Safety Research Centre (PATSAFE): A study protocol.

Patient safety (PS) is a serious global public health problem affecting all countries. Estimates show that around 10 percent of the patients are harmed during hospital care, resulting in 23 million disability-adjusted life years lost per year. Experts emphasize research advancements as a key precondition for safer care. The Patient Safety Research Centre (PATSAFE) project enhances the Institute of Clinical Medicine of the University of Tartu's (ICM-UT) research potential and capacities in PS in order to improve and strengthen knowledge and skills in methods, techniques and experience for PS research. A strategic partnership with Avedis Donabedian Research Institute in Spain, and IQ Healthcare in the Netherlands, both international leaders in PS research, enables the development of a long-lasting knowledge exchange, allowing the ICM-UT to capitalise on its current achievements and to overcome gaps in scientific excellence in the field of PS research. These twining activities will strengthen and raise the research profile of the ICM-UT academic staff and early-stage researchers (ESRs), by implementing the hands-on training on methods, techniques, and experience in PS research. The project also encourages the active participation of ESRs in PS research by increasing their soft skills, to ensure the continuity and sustainability of PS research in ICM-UT. Finally, development of the research strategy on PS contributes to the long-term sustainability of PS research in Estonia. To implement these activities, PATSAFE foresees a comprehensive strategy consisting of knowledge exchange, soft research skills capacity building, strategic planning, and strong dissemination and exploitation efforts. As a result of the project, ICM-UT will have the capacity to carry out PS research using the appropriate methodology and the competences to apply state-of-the-art evidence-based strategies for PS research.

Real-Time System for Daily Modal Split Estimation and OD Matrices Generation Using IoT Data: A Case Study of Tartu City.

In recent years, we have witnessed the emergence of the implementation and integration of significant working solutions in transportation, especially within the smart city concept. A lot of cities in Europe and around the world support this initiative of making their cities smarter for enhanced mobility and a sustainable environment. In this paper, we present a case study of Tartu city, where we developed and designed a daily real-time system for extracting and performing a modal split analysis. Our web-based platform relied on an optimization approach for calibrating our simulation in order to perform the analysis with the use of real data streams from IoT devices installed around the city. The results obtained from our system demonstrated acceptable performance versus the quality of the available data source. In addition, our platform provides downloadable OD matrices for each mode of mobility for the community.

Tracking Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Land-based Ecosystems

Land-based, or ‘terrestrial’, ecosystems can act as both a sink and a source of greenhouse gases. An active field of research centres on understanding which environmental parameters turn a carbon sink into a carbon source. Dr Ülo Mander from the University of Tartu in Estonia concentrates his work on predicting greenhouse gas fluxes from terrestrial ecosystems and monitoring how environmental conditions, such as soil moisture and temperature, influence emissions. He aims to use his research to help resolve numerous environmental issues, including climate change.

Muuseumikogudes ja suulises ajaloos säilib ajalik looming / Transient treasures are kept in museums and memories

Vanda Juhansoo. Artist or Eccentric Woman?Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design18.01.–01.03.2020, Tartu City Museum 19.06.–26.09.2021.Exhibition curated by: Andreas Kalkun (Estonian Literary Museum)and Rebeka Põldsam, graphic design: Stuudio Stuudio.
 Vanda Juhansoo (1889–1966) was by education a porcelain painter and furniture designer; she was, however, known as a textile and craft artist, traveller, polyglot, notable art teacher, interior decorator, advocate of women’s craft, soroptimist and gardener. Sometimes she was also known as the ‘Witch of Valgemetsa’. She graduated from the Central School of Applied Arts Ateneum in Finland, which makes her one of the first Estonian women artists with a higher education at the beginning of the 20th century.
 Even though Vanda Juhansoo specialised in ceramics and furniture design, as a student she received the most recognition (as well as travel grants) for her embroidery. From then on, Vanda spent her next thirty summers travelling in Europe. Between 1912 and 1945, she exhibited her ceramics, embroidered doilies and curtains in various places, including the first ever Estonian women artists’ show in 1939. Vanda Juhansoo worked with the Kodukäsitöö limited company, that had been established in 1927 with the aim of reducing unemployment among women. Alongside craft and women’s magazines, the Kodukäsitöö was the most significant promoter of women’s craft in Estonia, regularly organising exhibition-sales and taking Estonian craft to international shows. Unfortunately, most of Vanda Juhansoo’s oeuvre was so ephemeral that there is very little trace of it now. The Karilatsi Open Air Museum near Vanda’s home in Valgemetsa and the collection of the Estonian National Museum hold items given to the museum by Vanda’s cousin’s family, which Vanda herself most likely wore – these are made to fit her petite size and there are photos of Vanda wearing these garments. Her signature style used floral motifs embroidered onto the thin textiles she wove herself. Like a painter, she spent hours embroidering, casting ethnographic patterns aside when creating her original designs. Even though the Estonian National Museum has exhibited Vanda Juhansoo’s embroidered cardigans as examples of Estonian folk art, these are, in fact, clearly original artistic designs.
 After World War II, Vanda stopped exhibiting and publishing her patterns in craft magazines. Instead, she committed herself to teaching drawing and supervised a number of children’s art classes in Tartu that produced many wellknown artists. The memory of Vanda has largely been kept alive by her students, who remember her as a particularly bright and optimistic person. In addition to her embroidery, Vanda’s original style remained visible as she expressed it in her memorable multicoloured hair nets and abundant jewellery, as well as in the striking Valgemetsa summer house and garden.
 The curators tried to trace back and recreate some of the wonderful world that Vanda created all around herself with her designs, handicraft, paintings, photos and memories from museums, archives, and from people who knew her. Looking at the life, work and legacy of Vanda Juhansoo, the exhibition asked: What were the choices for women artists in Estonia at the beginning of the 20th century? Why are Vanda’s works found mainly in the collections of ethnographic memory institutions rather than in art museums? Why did Vanda become the so-called ‘Witch of Valgemetsa’ and not a recognised applied artist?
 In the present review, the reception of the exhibition is summarised and juxtaposed with the few studies on Vanda Juhansoo’s textile work from the perspective of craft studies and the history of applied art.

Linguistic Problems in Light of General Semiotics

This article is based on several primary postulates. Here is the leading one: A science, called semiotics, which is rapidly developing before our eyes, has not yet developed a standard and acceptable scientific paradigm for most of its followers. It is interpreted in various ways by schools that have arisen in different countries, relying on completely different positions. The school from the Estonian city of Tartu, for example, is guided by the fact that all signs arose in inanimate nature and continued in the life of plants and all living beings, including humans. Thus, any cause leading to the same effect is a sign for this effect. The semiotic school in Gothenburg (Sweden) defends the thesis that images are the basis of all other sign formations. Many semioticians, following de Saussure, are convinced that linguistic signs are the leading and initial ones, and all other sign constructs follow them. The author of this work proceeds from the assumption that the symbolic storehouse contains signs for very different content and of very different origins. From natural signs that came to us from nature (we see smoke, it means something is burning; we hear thunder, it means that it is raining somewhere), to signs in mathematics, which all came from the human mind. Language constructions are included in this system along with signs of other types. None of these types is the leading and decisive one; all of them were born in the course of the development of human civilization, as the human spirit strengthened and developed. And each of them performs its own function – for example, images underlie all arts, and languages are called upon to explain everything and everyone. Therefore, each type of sign is specific, and all together they make up a complete set of tools with which we can understand the events taking place around us and influence them. A complete and deep explanation of the entire sphere of signs and sign systems is available only to general semiotics – it determines the place of each specific sign topic. This article is devoted to the definition of the possibilities of linguistic signs – it seems to be objective enough and it presents linguistic manifestations familiar to us in a new way. What is a word? What is grammar? What is lexicography? etc. But it presents them from a different point of view, from the point of view of semiotics.

Predicting course achievement of university students based on their procrastination behaviour on Moodle

A significant amount of educational data mining (EDM) research consider students’ past performance or non-academic factors to build predictive models, paying less attention to students’ activity data. While procrastination has been found as a crucial indicator which negatively affects performance of students, no research has investigated this underlying factor in predicting achievement of students in online courses. In this study, we aim to predict students’ course achievement in Moodle through their procrastination behaviour using their homework submission data. We first build feature vectors of students’ procrastination tendencies by considering their active, inactive, and spare time for homework, along with homework grades. Accordingly, we then use clustering and classification methods to optimally sort and put students into various categories of course achievement. We use a Moodle course from the University of Tartu in Estonia which includes 242 students to assess the efficacy of our proposed approach. Our findings show that our approach successfully predicts course achievement for students through their procrastination behaviour with precision and accuracy of 87% and 84% with L-SVM outperforming other classification methods. Furthermore, we found that students who procrastinate more are less successful and are potentially going to do poorly in a course, leading to lower achievement in courses. Finally, our results show that it is viable to use a less complex approach that is easy to implement, interpret, and use by practitioners to predict students’ course achievement with a high accuracy, and possibly take remedial actions in the semester.

Prediction of students’ procrastination behaviour through their submission behavioural pattern in online learning

Prediction of students' performance has been reported as a vital task which enables educators to take necessary actions to improve students’ learning. Numerous studies have concluded that students with lower procrastination tendencies archive more compared to those with higher procrastination tendencies. In this study, a new method is proposed to predict students’ procrastination tendencies discerned from their submission behavioural patterns in online learning. In this method, feature vectors signifying students’ submission patterns on homework are firstly drafted. Next, an ensemble clustering method is employed to optimally sort students into various categories of procrastination: procrastinator, procrastinator candidate, and non-procrastinator. Lastly, various classification methods are assessed to discern which one best predicts students’ procrastination tendencies. The efficacy of this approach is assessed through the data from a course comprised of 242 students at the University of Tartu in Estonia. Our study found that our method correctly identifies student procrastination from submission pattern data with 97% accuracy, and that the best performing classifier is linear support vector machine. Investigating the effect of different number of features (homework) on performance of clustering and classification methods indicate that finding the optimal number of feature to use in both clustering and classification methods is a vital task as it could potentially affect prediction power of our approach. More specifically, the results show that in our proposed approach, unlike clustering methods that show a better performance with lower number of features, classification methods mostly tend to show a better performance with larger number of features.