Commercial Exchanges Research Articles

Research on the Spatial–Temporal Distribution and Morphological Characteristics of Ancient Settlements in the Sichuan Basin

An investigation into the spatial–temporal distribution characteristics of ancient settlements and their relationship with the environment in the Sichuan Basin can enhance our understanding of the evolution of the regional human–land relationship. Utilizing kernel density analysis by GIS, this paper obtained the spatial distribution characteristics of 1100 settlements in the Neolithic, Shang–Zhou, and Qin to Southern Dynasties periods. Subsequently, a GIS spatial analysis was performed to examine the distribution of these settlements in relation to the natural environment, focusing on four aspects: elevation, slope, aspect, and water buffer zone. The results demonstrate that: (1) The distribution of settlements from the Neolithic to the Southern Dynasties has expanded from the Chengdu Plain in the west and the Xiajiang Area in the east to the hilly areas in the center. (2) The settlements in the Neolithic and Shang–Zhou periods are predominantly located at elevations between 300–600 m, slopes between 0–3°, aspects between 135–225°, distances to rivers between 0–1000 m, and soil choice on Luvisols, Cambisols, Regosols, and Anthrosols. The influence of aspect on settlements during the Qin–Southern Dynasties period was notably reduced. The settlements mainly grow in the Chengdu Plain and the smaller plains along the river from the Neolithic to the Southern Dynasties in the Sichuan Basin. (3) The emergence and advancement of primitive agriculture, the construction of early water conservancy facilities, commercial and trade exchanges, and the establishment of regimes led to a shift from a double core to a more dispersed distribution in the Sichuan Basin from the Neolithic to the Southern Dynasties periods. The evolution of settlements reflects the adaption and competition of the residents to the natural environment in the Sichuan Basin. Furthermore, it provides insights into the complex social development in the region, ranging from the formation of early states to the establishment of the Qin and Han Empires.

Comparative Dynamics of the Belt and Road Initiative: Unveiling the Unique Position and Implications of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

The Belt and Road Initiative introduced by China is one of the biggest infrastructure and development projects striving to facilitate commercial exchanges and stimulate growth through construction, trade, and investment links across countries and continents. Under this grand framework, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) arose as a significant and novel dimension of the deepening bilateral relationship between Beijing and Islamabad Meanwhile CPEC plays a strategic role as a critical artery that aims to redefine the regional dynamics. This article undertakes analytical research to disclose the position as well as consequences of CPEC among other projects comprising the BRI on a global scale. Through fine-grained analysis of the political, economic, and social dimensions of CPEC somehow positioned next to other BRI projects, this study can identify the uniqueness of CPEC at the level of its ambitions, challenges, and implications on both regional geopolitics and economic frameworks. The paper draws upon a combination of qualitative and quantitative data, comprising CPEC project results, bilateral agreements, and economic indicators, among others, to demonstrate how CPEC functions as a driving force towards economic transformation in Pakistan with associated implications for international trade corridors. Moreover, the research sheds light on the geopolitical strategies behind China’s investments and brings to the surface how CPEC is not only employed in economic affairs but rather military and geopolitical interests for China in South Asia as well. Such a comparative study assists in the process of knowing the multilayered nature of the BRI, and bringing forth those emerging insights on how projects like CPEC can form the structure of global economic and governance engagement of the 21st century.

NAVIGATING NEW CHALLENGES: WESTERN BALKANS AT THE CROSSROADS OF EU INTEGRATIONS

For several years now, European integration has been recognized as a key strategy to achieve dual goals in the Western Balkans: peace and stability. The European perspective is a commitment not only to the foreign policy of this region but also a great expectation of the citizens of these countries. The Western Balkans, as the European Union calls it after the integration of Bulgaria and Romania in 2007, is a political notion with more than a geographical definition. The Western Balkans, a region which includes: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Kosovo, throughout the Cold War period was the area where East and West were divided. After the fall of the communist regimes in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, which followed the signing of the Maastricht Treaty and the establishment of the European Union, euphoria and enthusiasm for joining a united Europe grew. Thus, the prospect of a common future of the Western Balkans in a democratic and prosperous Europe now seemed more than feasible. Today, the countries of the Western Balkans that have passed the transition period, still encounter the difficulties of their consolidation or the stability of bilateral agreements. Although they are located in the European continent with cultural diversity in a narrow space, they continue to remain out of place in the Euro-integration process. Economic development, commercial exchanges, investments, unemployment, etc., are another dimension of the countries of the Western Balkans, but also the initiatives of some countries for an opening within the area called a mini-Schengen, and then turned into “Open Balkan” which was specifically replaced by the “Berlin Process”, which began in 2014, as a proposal by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to accelerate the European integration of the Western Balkan countries. The difficult economic situation combined with inherited political problems has created large discrepancies between countries of this region in relation to the benefits that come from the EU. The created situation has contributed to some states expanding and increasing their influencing power in this region, such as the influence of Russia. These issues represent some of the main points of view of the conference, which aims to bring together researches from the countries of the region to present their studies and views on the issues of the integration of Western Balkans into the EU and to exchange experiences, ideas and discuss other relevant issues related to the topics of the conference.

The Influential Influenza: The "Russian Catarrh" Pandemic of 1781-1782.

The influenza pandemic of 1781-1782 was remarkably well-documented, with investigations and treatment records produced in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and Russia. Everyone agreed that outbreak began in St. Petersburg in December 1781 and then spread across northern Europe, but the medical communities' consensus did not solve all issues. Two questions would inspire years of debate. The first concerned the transmission vector of the pandemic: was it the result of neo-Hippocratic, miasmatic, or contagionist exposure? This was perhaps the greatest concern of the late-eighteenth century, and multiple physicians hoped the latest influenza pandemic could provide an answer. The second was no less difficult - where did the disease originate? This was not only because geography affected both prophylactic measures and treatment options but also produced diplomatic and commercial consequences. Was a quarantine necessary, preventing commercial exchanges? Did the risk of infection result in peace negotiations being delayed, potentially extending the American Revolution and the ongoing naval conflict in the Atlantic? Even if a consensus could be reached that this was a "Russian" catarrh, this would not resolve the method of disease transmission. The pandemic of 1781-1782 was not a turning point in the arguments among neo-Hippocratic, miasmatic, and contagionist physicians, but rather reveals all three positions could be held simultaneously.

Obsolete Pasts? Globalization as an Analytical Prism in Vincenzo Formaleoni’s History of the Black Sea (1788–89)

Abstract It is not a surprise that, in times when beliefs about the cost-free benefits of infinite economic growth are urgently discussed, we find ourselves tempted to look back at the times when it emerged as a desirable future for the planet. This essay proposes an analysis of the Storia filosofica e politica della navigazione, del commercio e delle colonie degli antichi nel Mar Nero (Venice, 2 vols., 1788–89) written by Venetian polygrapher Vincenzo Formaleoni, who, urging the Venetians to regain their glorious trade in the Black Sea, revisited several centuries of ancient history. Building on Formaleoni’s reflection, I show that the increasingly global extension of commercial exchanges experienced in the 18th century reshaped contemporary ways to narrate the past, comprehend the present and conceive the future, a future which increasingly appeared as inescapably global. I argue that, beyond different economic doctrines, 18th-century historical narratives produced a vision where the history of humankind was essentially appreciated through an economic gaze – a sense of history that still prevails today.

The Romania-Brazil Trade Relationship under the Threat of the Coronavirus Pandemic and the War in Ukraine

Abstract The year 2020 began with a health crisis, asserted in the same year, as the coronavirus pandemic. In this sense, world governments have taken measures to protect their national economies, measures such as limiting exports or social distancing. In 2022, the economy showed signs of recovery, when in February, war broke out between Ukraine and Russia. Thus, the two events negatively impacted world trade. In this paper, the aim is to point out the impact of the health, economic and war crisis on Romania-Brazil commercial relations, in the period 2019–2023, on Brazilian investments in Romania and on Romanian investments in Brazil. Romania is part of the European Union, being also a military, humanitarian and economic support for Ukrainians. Otherwise, Brazil is part of a totally different political structure, being a partner and ally of Russia. A descriptive research will be carried out on Romania-Brazil trade, in the period 2019–2023, based on the information on the Comexstat platform. In order to identify Brazilian investments in Romania, the research will be carried out conformable of the information provided by the National Trade Registry Office, and the research on Romanian investments in Brazil will be carried out conformable of the information provided by Banco Central do Brasil. The year 2023 represents the best economic year for trade between Romania and Brazil from the period 2019–2023, as commercial exchanges increased by 16% in 2023, compared to 2019. Regarding Brazilian investments in Romania, they are increasing, but Romanian investments in Brazil are decreasing. This work is innovative, because it sheds light on the commercial relationship between two countries with a similar culture, during a period of crisis, countries that are located in two different political and ideological blocs.

The FIFTH WALL. On DIGITAL PERFORMANCE between USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN and the METAVERSE

Before and since the pandemic, online virtual environments have emerged as critical sites for social and cultural experiences, facilitating conversations, creative projects, collective endeavours, and commercial exchanges. The rise of the Metaverse (Ball, 2021) represents a fundamental shift in today's digital presence. After Eva and Franco Mattes' historical happenings in Second Life, some recent hypermedia performances force a re-evaluation of the nature of performance, with a recontextualisation of the notions of reality, presence, community, and simulation. UX design reshapes and situates the emergence of 'metaverse-native' art in adjacent fields such as online 3D collaboration platforms: actual and perfect virtual stages.  Since the mid-1990s, the user has increasingly been invited to live an unusual experience in which the physical and the digital merge. The noun 'user experience' refers to how people experience the encounter with a system. It extends traditional human-computer interaction design by addressing all aspects of the product or service as perceived by the user, increasing satisfaction and loyalty by improving usability. The UX classification system is based on the user's emotions, preferences, attitudes, and emotional responses (Hussain et al., 2021). Its dramaturgical importance in an online digital performance has yet to be recognised.  This article proposes the analysis of three examples of digital performances (Dixon, 2007), in virtual 3D online environments, following the philosophy of User Experience Design, focusing on the perspectives and productions of Italian artists.Before and since the pandemic, online virtual environments have emerged as critical sites for social and cultural experiences, facilitating conversations, creative projects, collective endeavours, and commercial exchanges. The rise of the Metaverse (Ball, 2021) represents a fundamental shift in today's digital presence. After Eva and Franco Mattes' historical happenings in Second Life, some recent hypermedia performances force a re-evaluation of the nature of performance, with a recontextualisation of the notions of reality, presence, community, and simulation. UX design reshapes and situates the emergence of 'metaverse-native' art in adjacent fields such as online 3D collaboration platforms: actual and perfect virtual stages.  Since the mid-1990s, the user has increasingly been invited to live an unusual experience in which the physical and the digital merge. The noun 'user experience' refers to how people experience the encounter with a system. It extends traditional human-computer interaction design by addressing all aspects of the product or service as perceived by the user, increasing satisfaction and loyalty by improving usability. The UX classification system is based on the user's emotions, preferences, attitudes, and emotional responses (Hussain et al., 2021). Its dramaturgical importance in an online digital performance has yet to be recognised.  This article proposes the analysis of three examples of digital performances (Dixon, 2007), in virtual 3D online environments, following the philosophy of User Experience Design, focusing on the perspectives and productions of Italian artists.

Trade between the United States and Indochinese Union in the First Half of the 20th Century

This article aims to analyze the commercial activities between the Indochinese Union (Indochina) and the United States in the first half of the XX century. The study focuses on three fundamental issues: The US efforts to seek markets in the Indochina region; commercial exchanges between the French-controlled Indochina and the US in the first half of the XX century; and the commercial benefits that the parties obtained. The results show that the commercial exchange between the Indochina and the US was under the strict management and control of the French colonial government. The policies that France conducted in Indochina during this period caused many disadvantages for the Indochina - US commercial relationship. The Indochinese Union did not have much freedom in choosing trade partners and was highly dependent on France's policies in the colonies. Apart from the subjection to France’s manipulation, commercial exchanges between the Indochina and the US had different rules compared to other European and American countries. Starting from merely commercial activities, the US intervened more deeply in the region by launching a military invasion of Indochina. This study contributes to clarifying the commercial policies of France towards the Indochina during the colonial period, the commercial activities of the US in the Far East region, as well as the history of Vietnam in the first half of the XX century.

Roman amphorae discovered at Romula in the archaeological campaign of 2018

The article presents a lot of Roman amphorae, discovered at Romula, in the excavations from 2018. All presented amphorae were found in the central area of the former Roman city, so-called Central Fort. The amphorae represent an important number of all Roman pottery vessel discovered in 2018. They were found in all research units, and, in all archaeological levels. Almost all of them are certainly arrived at Romula from other Roman provinces as a part of a commercial exchanges. The study of them indicate an Oriental origins of this kind of vessel. Some of them were used specially for wine transport, other ones were used for more type of goods as olive oil, wine salted fish or fish sauce. The large number of this kind of vessels indicate a wealth category of people that could buy them that were more expensive that those of local origins.

Imigranci z Azji Południowo-Wschodniej w polityce zagranicznej Tajwanu

SOUTHEAST ASIAN IMMIGRANTS IN TAIWANESE FOREIGN POLICYThis article, through the analysis of the situation of permanent and labor immigrants in Taiwan, will try to show the different facets of Taiwanese foreign policy aimed at the Southeast Asian region. Announced by President Tsai Ingwen, the so-called New Southward Policy focuses on talent cultivation and industrial, commercial, cultural, educational and tourism exchanges. Its direct consequence is the exponentially increasing number of ASEAN nationals on the island, who come to Taiwan lured by the high standard of living and opportunities for high wages. From the perspective of the Taiwanese government, a special role is played by the second generation of immigrants from Southeast Asia, who are presented in popular discourse as the future of an island plagued by typical problems of developed countries such as low birth rates and gentrification.

Garum or Grain? Crimea and the Provisioning of Constantinople (7th to 9th centuries)

Historians have relied for too long on written sources (the letters that Pope Martin I wrote from Cherson, as well as De Administrando Imperio) to assess the economic situation in the Crimea, especially in Cherson, during the so-called Dark Ages (7th to 9th centuries). Many still believe that that city could not have survived without shipments of grain from the outside, particularly from the lands along the southern coast of the Black Sea. Seals of Byzantine officials found in Cherson tell a different story, as they indicate commercial exchanges between the Crimea and Constantinople. If the peninsula participated in trade, something must have been offered in exchange for the goods coming from the Capital. The archaeological evidence strongly suggests that during the 8th and 9th centuries, the hinterland of Cherson, as well as the Kerch Peninsula (eastern Crimea) witnessed rapid economic development, largely based on the cultivation of crops. Silos found on several settlement sites, both open and fortified, suggest a surplus, which was most likely commercialized. If so, the closest markets were across the Black Sea, to the south, primarily in Constantinople. Other commodities, such as wine transported in amphorae, traveled in the opposite direction, across the Sea of Azov and into the interior of Khazaria. In exchange, the peninsula received shipments of grain, which were then re-exported to Constantinople. Far from relying on shipments of grain from the Capital, Cherson and the rest of the Crimean Peninsula in fact supplied Constantinople with food. Numerous vats for the production of fish sauce have been found in Cherson, and many were in operation before 900. A good deal of the garum served at tables in Constantinople between the 7th and the 9th century must have come from Cherson. The archaeological evidence therefore calls for a re-assessment of the economic situation in the Crimean Peninsula during the “Dark Ages”.

New Strategic Actors of African Military Leaders (NSAAML) in the Path of International Relations (PIR) versus Mechanisms of Western Neo-Colonial Actors (MWNA): The Case of Burkina Faso in the 21st Century

The History of Africa in International Relations (HAIR) put at the disposal of Post-Graduate Students and other readers is well intensive using scrutinized research work of the specialization to make an in-depth understanding of the happenings since the second half of the 20th Century and what is occurring in the 21st Century with new leaders cropping up with more pragmatic ideologies of chasing out neo-colonialist for the benefit of their specific countries. This situation is very welcoming in West African countries with specific strategic of using military coup d’états to flush out puppet Western leaders in the names of Head of States. The cases of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger among others caught our attention more recently. Our inspirations are drawn from published scientific works, documentaries, related books and specialized websites consulted online following the recent occurring with specific focus concerning Burkina-Faso where on September 30, 2022 a military coup took place in Burkina Faso. As a result, Lieutenant Colonel Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba was overthrown and Captain Ibrahim Traoré replaced him in power. The constitution was suspended, state institutions were dissolved, borders were closed and the army imposed a curfew throughout the country thereby urging the Departure and end of French neo-colonialism with cancellation of specific accords of cooperation signed at independence This research is very interesting to students specializing in International Relations (IR) especially Africa in HAIR. However, a historical method was deem necessary with statistical tables giving some important representations and commercial exchanges between Burkina Faso and France barely a year before the cropping of conflicting bilateral relations since 2022.Our experiences from lecturing IR and HAIR with specific questions frequently asked by Post-Graduates students is among the motivated factors thereby highlighting issues which can be more valuable to other ..........

National Monetary Policy Responses in the COVID-19 Epidemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant influence on the economies of many different nations in the world. When the economy suffers a severe blow, monetary policy should help it get back on its feet. Building the home market and maximizing industrial allocation is now especially crucial because the COVID-19 outbreaks have made it difficult for countries to conduct normal commercial exchanges. The COVID-19 also exhibits the traits of persistent global epidemics. Every new outbreak of the disease has a detrimental effect on the economy and severely undermines consumer confidence. National monetary policy from the world's major central banks was quicker, broader, moreover, the response to the economic and financial crisis of COVID-19 was more broad than the one to the global financial crisis of 2008. The response of three major nations, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and China, to the COVID-19 will be critically analyzed in this paper. However, there are many potential threats to the government's easing of monetary policy to keep the economy stable while stopping the spread of the pandemic, which means that persistently low interest rates are no longer a sustainable option. Therefore, balancing the financial chaos and social problems caused by monetary policy is the key to ensure the sustainable development of the country.

EDUCATIONAL POLICY REFORMS IN ELEMENTARY EDUCATION IN TWO MERCOSUR COUNTRIES

This study aims to identify and describe a specific educational process that has been common in its general structure in at least two countries in the Mercosur region, in which the following countries were listed for analysis: Brazil and Argentina. Where a descriptive comparison will be made of its laws regulating education. In addition to the specific aspects that mark the particularity of each of these countries, there is also the parallel historical evolution, where the main milestones in terms of educational policy occurred almost at the same time in all of them. The educational policies in the countries that correspond to the MERCOSUR region, specifically Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina and Chile, the latter as an Associated State, that is, one of the countries that signed free trade agreements with MERCOSUR in order to boost their economies and commercial exchanges, but which do not have the same advantages as associate members.

Artistic, Commercial, and Confessional Exchanges between Venetian Crete and Western Europe: The Multiple Lives of an Icon of the Virgin and Child from Harvard Art Museums

In the collections of the Harvard Art Museums there is an icon of the Virgin and Child with Saints John the Baptist and Roch. Although a typical product of Cretan icon painting of the turn of the sixteenth century, the icon stands out from similar contemporary artworks due to its unusual subject matter and materiality. The iconographic analysis of the icon places it at the intersection of the Latin and Byzantine traditions and suggests that it was intended as a votive offering against the plague, featuring one of the earliest depictions of the anti-plague saint, Roch of Montpellier in Eastern Orthodox art. Examination of the verso of the icon further underscores the Western European associations of the panel. The presence of an elaborate incised design on the back side of the icon suggests that the wooden panel originated from a reused piece of furniture, in all probability, a fifteenth-century Italian chest. With this case study as a point of reference, this article discusses the commercial, artistic, and cross-confessional exchanges that took place in the ethnically and culturally pluralistic societies of Venice and its Mediterranean colonies, including the trans-confessional spread of cults, the dissemination of artistic trends, as well as the mutual transfer of artworks and objects of prestige, such as icons and chests.

Modelling the Potential Human Exposure to Japanese Encephalitis Virus (JEV) in Case of Introduction into Reunion Island

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a vector-borne zoonotic virus and the leading cause of human acute encephalitis in Asia. Continuous human and commercial exchanges between Southeast Asia where JE is endemic and Reunion Island increase the risk of introducing JEV on the island, where putative vectors of JEV such as Culex quinquefasciatus and amplifying hosts such as pigs are present. Each of the 255 Reunionese pig farms was assumed to harbor a Cx. quinquefasciatus population and, together with the competent hosts: pigs and poultry and noncompetent hosts: humans, dogs, and cattle, located within a radius of 1 km, formed an epidemiological unit. We used a deterministic compartmental model to investigate whether these epidemiological units could be invaded by JEV in the event of an introduction. Since the vector population size changes seasonally, we computed the basic reproduction number (R0) using vector population sizes ranging from 100 to 100,000 vectors for each of the 255 epidemiological units. The size of the potentially exposed human population was calculated in the case where the virus would be introduced in a single epidemiological unit and in the extreme case where the virus would have spread over the whole island. For a vector population of 1,000 vectors per unit, 2 out of 255 units had an R0 ≥ 1. With 50,000 vectors per unit, more than 75% (193/255) of the units had an estimated R0 ≥ 1, representing a median of approximately 2,500 potentially exposed people if JEV was introduced in a single unit, and about 140,000 potentially exposed people if JEV had expanded throughout the island. The unit located a few kilometers from the large port area of Reunion Island had an estimated R0 ≥ 1 with at least 10,000 vectors, making it a potential gateway to JEV given a virus introduction of infected vectors.

The Three Ladies of London (ca. 1581): Re‐Reading Anxieties of Anglo‐Ottoman Exchanges Through Critical Race Theory

AbstractRobert Wilson's The Three Ladies of London (ca. 1581) is the earliest extant Turk play that features one of the earliest instances of direct anxieties regarding Anglo‐Ottoman encounters. Contemporary with the 1580 Ahdname (capitulations), the play provides a local point‐of‐view of the newly established Anglo‐Ottoman commercial relations. We observe how seemingly overpriced Turkish goods, such as perfumes and jewels, metaphorically conquer the English market and pose a threat to local businesses. The play's multi‐national commercial exchange is marked by how the Italian intermediate cheats both his Ottoman suppliers and his English customers. The play is usually studied for its use of allegory, its references to the anti‐usury proclamations, how it stood apart from the staging history of Jews on the early modern English stage and how the positive attitude might have reflected the emerging Anglo‐Ottoman relations, which have been analysed as separate entities. Yet, there is a need to focus on how the intersections of race, gender, class and early modern performance practices overlap and conflict with each other in order to have a comprehensive view about the anxieties about dominance within the Anglo‐Ottoman context. Therefore, using a critical race theory framework this essay aims to analyse Wilson's The Three Ladies of London and re‐examine how the anxieties about Anglo‐Ottoman commercial and cultural exchanges were reflected on the early modern commercial stage.

Impact of neoliberalism on the socioeconomic life and food system of Kondh tribes of Rayagada, Odisha

The paper focuses on how the neoliberal economy is changing the agriculture and traditional food system of the Kondh tribes of Odisha, India. As Kondhs’ culture and the ritual system moves around agriculture, its increasing commercialization has led to changes in the larger socioeconomic structure. The paper discusses the immediate impacts of neoliberalism on the Kondhs’ youths and rising materialism. Widespread cultivation of Bt. Cotton and GM seeds in the region are one of the ways to trace the impact of the neoliberal market system. Most commercial exchanges performed by Kondhs and nontribal middlemen are a site for multiple negotiations and terms for trading, in which Kondhs most loose, both ecologically and economically. The paper uses ethnographic data and experiences to discuss socioeconomic distress among Kondhs, changing from barter to a cash system. It concludes by discussing if local NGOs and food movements can become a solution.

‘A Modest, but Peculiar Style’: Self-Fashioning, Atlantic Commerce, and the Culture of Adornment on the Urban Gold Coast

AbstractThrough their participation in an unequal Atlantic commerce, African merchants on the Gold Coast consciously transformed their dress in ways that expressed their cultural dynamism and economic success in an increasingly interconnected world. In discussing the web of cross-cultural commercial exchanges between Africa, Asia, and Europe, this article moves away from the tendency to regard Africans who adorned themselves in imported European clothing and textiles as ‘creole’ or ‘Europeanized’ elites. Labels like these not only assume the existence of an African cultural essence, but (inadvertently) deny the dynamism that has always characterized African cultures prior to the Atlantic economy. In the case of the Gold Coast, I examine how the Gã and Fante mercantile elite translated imported textiles and clothing into new cultural meanings, aesthetics and norms that emphasized family integrity, power as well as the ancestral, material and commercial value of inherited imported articles of adornment.

Could secondary flows have made possible the cross-strait transport and explosive invasion of Rugulopteryx okamurae algae in the Strait of Gibraltar?

Presently, the Strait of Gibraltar is undergoing an unprecedented invasion of the alien alga Rugulopteryx okamurae of North Pacific origin. According to the scarce literature, the algae first settled in the south shore, probably following commercial exchanges with French ports where it was accidentally introduced together with Japanese oysters imported for mariculture. There is no certainty, however, that the algae first colonized the south shore of the Strait and, from there, spread to the north. It could well have been the opposite. Whatever the case, it spread all over the Strait and surrounding areas with amazing rapidity. Human-mediated vectors (algae attached to ship hulls or fishing nets, for example) can be behind the spread from the shore initially settled to the algae-free shore on the opposite side. But it could also have happened by means of hydrodynamic processes without direct human intervention. This possibility is assessed in this paper by revisiting historical current meter profiles collected in the Strait of Gibraltar searching for secondary cross-strait flows. All the stations present an intermediate layer of northward cross-strait velocity near the interface of the mean baroclinic exchange along with a surface layer above of southward velocity, whose lower part also overlaps the interface zone. The first one would back the south-to-north transport of algal fragments, the second one, the north-to south. In both cases, algae must reach the depth of the interface. The vertical velocity field in the area, which far exceeds the small sedimentation velocity of the algae, allows their vertical displacements throughout the water column. Its endurance to survive under the weak or no light conditions that will prevail during the cross-strait transport and its capability of reactivating the metabolism after this unfavorable period, offers chances for colonizing the opposite shore. Therefore, the propagation of the algae by hydrodynamic processes, without human intervention, cannot be ruled out.