Eastern Periphery Research Articles

Linguistic areas in the history of the Mansi language

The article is devoted to the reconstruction of historical contacts of the Mansi language with Samoyedic languages. On the modern linguistic map of Western Siberia these languages are not in direct contact, however, linguistic data make it possible to reconstruct several contact situations of varying degrees of temporal depth. I suppose that in the region of the Upper Ob there was a historical linguistic area, which included the Mansi, Selkup, and Kamas languages. In the eastern periphery of this zone, some limited contacts between the Selkups and the Kets took place. The Khanty language was widespread north of the Mansi language, possibly, in the northern periphery of this area. The ancestor of the modern Eastern Khanty language was located closest to the Mansi language. The Mansi contacted with the speakers of the Southern Samoyedic languages most probably across the rivers of Chizhapka and Parabel. Within the same area E. G. Bekker identifi ed the zone of distribution of the Kamas toponymy. During the period of these contacts, in my opinion, Kamas and Selkup were already two separate languages, but the dialectal diff erentiation of Selkup had not yet begun: the article proposes a number of Mansi-Selkup areal isoglosses, equally represented in all Selkup dialects. Subsequently, the relative position of the Khanty and Mansi languages on the linguistic map of Western Siberia changed. The Eastern Khanty penetrated the Upper Ob area. Then the Northern and Southern Khanty settled in a wide zone stretching from north to south along the course of the Middle Ob and Irtysh. This interrupts the connection between the Mansi and the Eastern Khanty and cuts off the Mansi from the Upper Ob area. During this period, the modern “Ostyak” area including the Selkup, Ket, and Khanty languages began to form in the Upper Ob region. The formation of this “Ostyak” area should be attributed to the period after the dialectal differentiation of the both mentioned Uralic languages: this area includes only the easternmost dialects of Khanty and only the Northern and Tym dialects of Selkup.

The vicinal road between Sirmium and the great canal of Probus. Exploring roman roads in the Glac study area

As part of a comprehensive archaeological survey of the area around the site of Glac in the north-west of Serbia, a detailed examination has been undertaken of the pattern of the Roman roads, including the location of a vicinal road that led from the eastern periphery of ancient Sirmium along the Sava river to the Great Canal of the emperor Probus, the present-day Jarcina channel. The context of vicinal roads in the general pattern of Roman roads together with the implications of the road construction and usage throughout the Roman period including changes in the settlements pattern along its route are explored.

Quarticciolo

Applying case study methodology, this article addresses problematics related to the identity and origin of the Italian fascist-era residential satellite areas constructed around the capital, Rome. The article focuses on one such suburb, Quarticciolo, built mainly between 1940 and 1943 on the eastern periphery of the city. Three narratives contributing to the formation of the area’s identity are identified and presented: Quarticciolo as (i) an expression of the fascist government’s aspirations, (ii) a significant centre of anti-fascist resistance, and (iii) an example of modern rationalist architecture.
 The three narratives, along with their constitutive elements, are then compared, and counterarguments to them are presented. It is argued that although all the narratives, in different ways, are connected to historical facts, each one of them on its own offers a one-sided interpretation. The narratives are then connected to the process of the public memorialization of the fascist era and the resistance, and to broader ongoing discussions concerning the architecture of totalitarian and dictatorial regimes as ‘dissonant heritage’.

From Constantinople to Vienna: On the Different Tendensies in Greek Orthodox Ecclesiastical Embroidery (17th‑18th Centuries)

Abstract: The following article aims at providing an illustrative overview of the representative characteristics of three Schools of embroidery which are linked to Byzantine tradition. Our investigation will consider works of the 17th and 18th centuries produced in Constantinople, Vienna, and lands which used to belong to the eastern periphery of Byzantium, such as Georgia and the Pontus. Our interdisciplinary approach, based on technical art historical enquiry, effectively combines the analysis of iconography, style, and technique. In order to attribute the artifacts to specific workshops we focus on their construction as well as on different factors which characterise their cultural environment.

Varieties of euro adoption strategies in Visegrad countries before the pandemic crisis

Abstract The enlargement of the euro area (EA), an unfinished process, was low on the European agenda in the period between the 2008 and the 2020 crises. The socio-economic consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and frictions in geopolitics would call for a coherent Europe, yet new and old fault-lines appeared in the EU involving the eastern periphery where sovereignty issues gained particular importance. The authors revisit the euro adoption process of the new member states, with a focus on the Visegrad Group (V4) countries, applying a two-track approach: a monetary policy analyses of EA entry as a rational cost/benefit issue and, second, a political economic survey of key stakeholders, set in the context of the dilemmas of retaining or sacrificing nominal monetary sovereignty. Even a piecemeal enlargement of the EA, involving Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania, would cause business consequences and political repercussions in the countries left out of EA. The paper concludes that further moves towards a developmental state model would preclude euro adoption and put such member state in collision course with the core Europe.

Diversity of littoral zoobenthos in Lake Arakhley (Transbaikalia) during the arid phase

There is little data available on the zoobenthos of the Baikal region’s eastern periphery water bodies in low-water years. The taxonomic diversity of zoobenthos of the littoral zone of a deep lake (Arakhley, Transbaikalia) was studied in an extremely low-water year, 2017. The zoobenthos of the lake littoral zone was represented by 44 taxa. Chironomids accounted for 41% of the zoobenthos taxonomic diversity, 14% each – gastropods and leeches. The taxonomic diversity of the littoral zoobenthos in different parts of the lake varied from 19 to 24 taxa and averaged 22.3 ± 1.97 taxa. The relationship between taxonomic diversity and depth in Lake Arakhley is described by polynomial dependence. Deviations from the relationship identified at the periphery of vegetation thickets were due to the ecotone effect. Obtained data shows the state of zoobenthos taxonomic diversity under conditions of climate aridization and the reduction of littoral sandy habitats.

Characterization of aquifers in contiguous parts of Bardhaman, Murshidabad and Birbhum districts, West Bengal, India

Aquifer mapping has been carried out in 2800 sq. km of contiguous parts of three districts in West Bengal. The study area is occupied mostly by alluvial plains, with flood plains in the eastern fringes. The entire area is covered by the Quaternary sediments. Mapping and characterization of individual aquifers have been carried out to understand their occurrence,

Dryland dunes and other dryland environmental archives as proxies for Late Quaternary stratigraphy and environmental and climate change in southern Africa

AbstractThe Namib Desert and the Kalahari constitute the drylands of southern Africa, with the current relatively humid portions of the latter having experienced periodically drier conditions during the Late Quaternary. This study explores the range of dryland archives and proxies available for the past ~190 ka. These include classic dryland geomorphological proxies, such as sand dunes, as well as water-lain sediments within former lakes and ephemeral fluvial systems, lake shorelines, sand ramps, water-lain calcrete and tufa sediments at the interface of surface hydrological and hydrogeological, speleothems and groundwater hydrogeological records, and hyrax middens. Palaeoenvironmental evidence can also be contained within geoarchaeological archives in caves, overhangs and rockshelters. This integration of records is undertaken with the aim of identifying a (or a number of) terrestrial regional chronostratigraphic framework(s) for this time period within southern Africa, because this is missing from the Quaternary stratigraphy lexicon. Owing to a lack of long, near-continuous terrestrial sequences in these drylands, the correspondence between nearby terrestrial records are explored as a basis for parasequences to build this chronostratigraphy. Recognising the modern climatological diversity across the subcontinent, four broad spatial subdivisions are used to explore potential sub-regional parasequences, which capture current climatic gradients, including the hyper-arid west coast and the decrease in aridity from the southwest Kalahari toward the north and east. These are the Namib Desert, the northern Kalahari, the southern Kalahari and the eastern fringes of the southern Kalahari. Terrestrial chronostratigraphies must start from premise that climate-driven environmental shifts may have occurred independently to those in other terrestrial locations and may be diachronous compared to the marine oxygen isotope stratigraphy (MIS), which serves as a global-scale master climatostratigraphy relating to global ice volume. The fragmented nature of preserved evidence means that we are still some way from producing unambiguous parasequences. There is however, a rich record to consider, compile and compare, within which seven broad wetter intervals are identified, with breaks between these inferred to be relatively drier, and some also have proxy evidence for drying. The onset and cessation of these wetter intervals does not align with MIS: they occur with greater frequency, but not with regular periodicity. Precession-paced insolation forcing is often invoked as a key control on southern African climate, but this does not explain the pacing of all of the identified events. Overall, the pattern is complex with some corresponding wetter intervals across space and others with opposing west-east trends. The evidence for drying over the past 10 ka is pronounced in the west (Namib Desert), with ephemerally wet conditions in the south (southern Kalahari). The patterns identified here provide a framework to be scrutinised and to inspire refinements to proposed terrestrial chronostratigraphies for southern Africa. Considering changes across this large geographic area also highlights the complexity in environmental responses across space as we continue to test a range of hypotheses about the nature of climatic forcing in this region.

The Extraordinary Rainfall over the Eastern Periphery of the Tibetan Plateau in August 2020

The Extraordinary Rainfall over the Eastern Periphery of the Tibetan Plateau in August 2020

Shadow of the colossus: Euro area spillovers and monetary policy in Central and Eastern Europe

Closer integration between Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the EU has opened up channels facilitating the propagation of economic shocks from the core to the eastern periphery. This paper examines the effects of such shocks to economic activity and monetary conditions originating in the Euro Area (EA) on output, prices, money, and interest rates in 10 CEE countries over the period 2005–2018 using a bilateral restricted VAR framework. In contrast to previous studies, we use Divisia monetary aggregates and compare the effects of EA spillovers to domestic shocks. The results indicate that EA shocks explain the majority of variation across all macroeconomic indicators, with money supply shocks playing the most prominent role. Despite some heterogeneity, the impulse response of monetary aggregates to domestic and EA monetary shocks is almost identical across countries. The impact of the EA shock increases over time and persists, while the domestic shock dies out relatively quickly. Accordingly, we find no meaningful monetary independence in the majority of CEE countries. This is likely to prove detrimental to the effectiveness of monetary policies in CEE.

Roughness into the Channel Create the Flood Situation - A Case Study at Lower Reach of Shilabati River Basin, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal

Roughness into the channel of streams and rivers determines several important hydraulic parameters must be properly represented in models for estimating water discharge and sediment transport. Hydraulic parameters mainly gradient, hydraulic radius, width, width-depth ratio, wetted perimeter and cross sectional area are considered for analysing the ability of channels to carry discharge but resisting forces are opposing component of this movement. This paper reviews to evaluate the different approaches used to identify the roughness and to understanding of how flow resistance is created by roughness in open channel flows. The Shilabati river basin embraces a portion of the eastern fringe of the Chotonagpur plateau. South west monsoon is the principal source of rainfall in this area. After the heavy storm, the low lying depression in the lower reach of this catchment attracts huge flood water and sediments from it upper catchment, sub-tributaries and larger catchments of neighbouring rivers mainly Damodar, Darakeswar, and Kangsabati. The upper courses are steeper (0.84) and rocky facilitating easy drainage, that gradually concentrates at lower reach as it lost its capacity due to sudden reduction of gradient (Gadghat, 0.08; Bandar, 0.02). In the Shilabati river the cross sectional area changes through time in response to fluctuations in discharge. Channel slopes near these gauging stations are surveyed, that shows continuously decreasing tendency towards lower catchment. Capacity of channel is measured by conveyance of flow. Roughness coefficient value at three gauging station (Banka 0.50, Gadghat near Ghatal 0.82 and at estuary, Banka,1) measuring by the Manning’s equation depicts that the resistance to flow increases steadily at downstream. Channel substrate mainly vegetation and netting also influences the boundary roughness and flow resistance. Friction from sediment load mainly grain roughness are responsible for generating resistance which steadily declines movement and create jamming of water which ultimately leads to flood and water storage situation.

Assessment of the bioaccumulation pattern of Pb, Cd, Cr and Hg in edible fishes of East kolkata Wetlands, India

Waste water fed pisciculture is nowadays a common feature in aquaculture belts across the globe. East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) a nature’s wonder where waste water fed natural aquaculture beltis is active for more than 70 years now and is efficiently operating as a natural waste management system. The peri urban wetland is also a site of international importance and is listed in Ramsar. Field and lab-based investigations were carried out using three commonly edible carp variety of fishes such as Rohu (Labeorohita), Catla (Catlacatla) and Nile Tilapia (Oreochromisniloticus) collected from ponds (bheries) of the wetland located on the eastern fringes of Kolkata, India. The lab-based analysis revealed the presence of toxic metals such as Cr, Pb, Cd and Hg in the samples with the seasonal order of accumulation being monsoon > post-monsoon > winter > pre-monsoon in the successive years of 2016, 2017 and 2018. Bio-accumulation of toxic heavy metals in fishes follows the order Tilapia > Rohu > Catla where as the bioaccumulation pattern of toxic metals shows the trend Pb > Cd > Cr > Hg across all the seasons and years. The ambient media was also investigated to understand in detail the bioaccumulation pattern at different trophic levels of the ecosystem. Water and sediments were analyzed to evaluate the contamination of toxic heavy metals from point and non-point sources. Current study shows the observed bioaccumulation pattern of the toxic heavy metals in one of the fragile ecosystems that raises an important question of environmental safety in the food we intake on daily basis.

Gradients of genetic diversity and differentiation across the distribution range of a Mediterranean coral: Patterns, processes and conservation implications

AbstractAimHow historical and contemporary eco‐evolutionary processes shape the patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation across species’ distribution range remains an open question with strong conservation implications. Focusing on the orange stony coral, Astroides calycularis, we (a) characterized the pattern of neutral genetic diversity across the distribution range; (b) gave insights into the underlying processes; and (c) discussed conservation implications with emphasis on a national park located on a hotspot of genetic diversity.LocationSouth Mediterranean Sea and Zembra National Park.MethodsWe combined new data from 12 microsatellites in 13 populations located in the Centre and in the Western Periphery of the distribution range with a published dataset including 16 populations from the Western and Eastern Peripheries. We analysed the relationship among parameters of genetic diversity (He, Ar(g)) and structure (population‐specific FST) and two measures of geographic peripherality. We compared two estimators of pairwise genetic structure (GST, DEST) across the distribution range. The evolutionary and demographic history of the populations following the Last Glacial Maximum was reconstructed using approximate Bayesian computations and maximum‐likelihood analyses. We inferred the contemporary connectivity among populations from Zembra National Park and with the neighbouring area of Cap Bon.ResultsWe demonstrate a decrease in genetic diversity and an increase in genetic differentiation from the Centre to the Eastern and Western Peripheries of the distribution range. Populations from Zembra show the highest genetic diversity reported in the species. We identified a spillover effect towards Cap Bon.Main conclusionsThe patterns of genetic diversity and differentiation are most likely explained by “the postglacial range expansion hypothesis” rather than the “central–peripheral hypothesis.” Enforcement of conservation measures should be considered to protect this genetic diversity pattern, in particular when considering the low effective population size inferred at many sites.

Territorial Conflict, Domestic Crisis, and the Covid-19 Pandemic in the South Caucasus. Explaining Variegated EU Responses.

Territorial Conflict, Domestic Crisis, and the Covid-19 Pandemic in the South Caucasus. Explaining Variegated EU Responses.

Using GIS to Understand the Influence of Hurricane Harvey on Spatial Access to Primary Care.

Hurricanes can have a significant impact on the functioning and capacity of healthcare systems. However, little work has been done to understand the extent to which hurricanes influence local residents' spatial access to healthcare. Our study evaluates the change in spatial access to primary care physicians (PCPs) between 2016 and 2018 (i.e., before and after Hurricane Harvey) in Harris County, Texas. We used an enhanced 2-step floating catchment area (E2SFCA) method to measure spatial access to PCPs at the census tract level. The results show that, despite an increased supply of PCPs across the county, most census tracts, especially those in the northern and eastern fringe areas, experienced decreased access during this period as measured by the spatial access ratio (SPAR). We explain this decline in SPAR by the shift in the spatial distribution of PCPs to the central areas of Harris County from the fringe areas after Harvey. We also examined the socio-demographic impact in the SPAR change and found little variation in change among different socio-demographic groups. Therefore, public health professionals and disaster managers may use our spatial access measure to highlight the geographic disparities in healthcare systems. In addition, we recommend considering other social and institutional dimensions of access, such as users' needs, preferences, resource capacity, mobility options, and quality of healthcare services, in building a resilient and inclusive post-hurricane healthcare system.

From deglaciation to postglacial filling: post-LGM evolution of an isolated glacier system at the northern fringe of the Eastern Alps (Austria)

ABSTRACT During the last glacial maximum (LGM), large parts of the European Alps were occupied by an extensive interconnected system of valley glaciers. At lower elevations on the eastern fringe of the Alps, only a patchy pattern of isolated glaciers developed. Erosion by many of these smaller glaciers was however sufficient to excavate subglacial basins (‘overdeepening’) large enough to act as sedimentary archives of deglaciation processes. To constrain the deglaciation history and the post-LGM evolution of an isolated glacial system, we analyzed the geomorphology and the sedimentary record of a local overdeepening at the northern fringe of the Northern Calcareous Alps. We focus on the heavily silted lake system Taferlklaussee (TKS) (Höllengebirge massif, Austria) confined by a succession of terminal moraines and a steep headwall. Field techniques (mapping, Direct Current Resistivity, and core drilling), lab techniques (lithostratigraphic analyses and radiocarbon dating) and Geographic Information System (GIS) analyses are employed to document dynamics of erosion and sedimentation after deglaciation. We discuss drivers and controls of paraglacial landscape evolution. The almost complete postglacial (lake) record indicates abundant sediment input during the lateglacial and early Holocene, but strongly reduced dynamics since the Mid-Holocene. Sediment storage volumes range between 3.83 Mm³ and 5.75 Mm³ and lithology-specific mechanical denudation rates range between 0.8 mm/a and 1.7 mm/a depending on the scenario used. The study provides a well-constrained reference for the depositional dynamics of isolated LGM glacier systems of the Eastern Alps. It highlights the potential of using related sedimentary records to constrain the local variability in postglacial landscape evolution.

DNA barcode identification of Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen, 1904) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) and other moths affecting cacao in Papua New Guinea

AbstractEconomically important cacao (Theobroma cacao Linnaeus 1753) plantations in South East Asia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) are significantly affected by the cocoa pod borer (CPB) moth. Species identity of the pest is attributed to Conopomorpha cramerella (Snellen 1904), a gracillariid moth endemic to Australasian and Oriental tropic regions that has evolved a host preference for introduced cacao. Suspected presence of cryptic CPB biotypes is largely unsupported by earlier genetic work but remains a concern to organisations developing species‐specific lure and/or control tools for managing this pest. We report the use of DNA barcoding to investigate population and species genetic diversity of CPB infecting cacao plantations in PNG at the eastern periphery of the pest's distribution. DNA barcodes from 94.4% of 179 moths from three disjunct PNG provinces (East Sepik, Bougainville and East New Britain) matched to reported C. cramerella sequence accessions. Genetic diversity among C. cramerella in PNG was limited to four closely related haplotypes, two of which were common in PNG and have previously been reported in the Malay Archipelago at different frequencies. We found evidence of significant population genetic structure between mainland and eastern offshore PNG provinces marked by a reduction of genetic diversity at the offshore provinces. We suggest C. cramerella populations in these offshore island provinces likely arose recently from a genetically depauperate cohort of founders from western sources. Ten moths were genetically unmatched to C. cramerella. Of these, six incidentally captured and degraded adults had novel unmatched DNA barcodes. Four larvae infesting cacao pods were genetically matched to Thaumatotibia zophophanes (Turner 1946) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and an undefined Conopomorpha species distantly related to C. cramerella. The extent to which these two additional moth species affect the cacao industry in PNG (and potentially elsewhere) remains unknown. However, their low representation here (<2.3% of samples) indicates they may be of lesser prominence than the widespread C. cramerella. Nevertheless, organisations designing and/or implementing CPB controls tailored specifically for C. cramerella will need to ensure empirical evidence of control efficiency is monitored with respect to species identity of the captured pests.

Toward nearshore, bathymetry induced wave amplification in False Bay, South Africa

A seamount called Rocky Bank (RB) has been suspected to spatially focus wave energy toward the eastern periphery of False Bay, South Africa, where it is not uncommon for fishermen to get washed off by waves. Situated at the bay’s mouth, the submerged seamount acts like a refracting lens for incoming long-crested swell. The present study aims at understanding the wave transformation effects of RB and the nearshore bathymetry using the phase-averaging spectral wave model simulating waves in the nearshore. Open ocean conditions around the Cape Peninsula, derived from National Center for Environmental Prediction reanalysis products, were used as model boundary conditions. To establish RB’s influence, a bathymetry without RB was created. The model output indicated that coastal significant wave heights were 9% greater when RB was removed. This difference was largest for smaller incident significant wave height and increasing incident peak period. RB also causes wave convergence via refraction and presents evidence for spatial focusing, a coincidental interference, extreme wave generating mechanism. This result, together with recorded incidents and anecdotal evidence, suggests that the wave transformation effects of RB may be leading to extreme waves along the eastern periphery. Evidence for spatial focusing toward the eastern periphery occurred for peak wave directions between 210° and 245° true north and for peak periods greater than 13 s. The likelihood of a wave leading to an incident is greater in smaller, long-crested seas based on the recent literature for the region. To extend this study to predict rogue wave events within False Bay, a phase-resolving model would be required.

The discovery, naming and typification of Michauxia campanuloides (Campanulaceae) with notes on its introduction into cultivation

Michauxia campanuloides (Campanulaceae) is a biennial to short-lived perennial characterized by white to purple-suffused, deeply lobed corollas with narrow and strongly reflexed corolla lobes. It occurs widely on the eastern fringe of the Mediterranean area in Turkey, Syria, Lebanon and Israel. First collected by Leonhard Rauwolf as early as 1575, it was made known by him through the publication of a description and an illustration. His herbarium specimen, among the first collected in the Near East, survives in Leiden. More than two centuries had to pass until André Michaux and, independently, Jean Jacques Houtou de Labillardière collected M. campanuloides again and made specimens and seeds available to the botanical community in Paris. On the basis of living material, but including references to herbarium specimens, Charles-Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle was the first to provide a binomial for this striking plant. This paper focuses on the widely unappreciated record of herbarium specimens and printed illustrations, and lists and comments on early specimens collected in the wild as well as those cultivated in botanical gardens up to 1800. In addition, the name M. campanuloides is properly lectotypified.Citation: Lack H. W. & Callmander M. W. 2021: The discovery, naming and typification of Michauxia campanuloides (Campanulaceae) with notes on its introduction into cultivation. – Willdenowia 51: 195–208.Version of record first published online on 21 June 2021 ahead of inclusion in August 2021 issue.

Anthropogenic stress on a Ramsar site, India: Study towards rapid transformation of the health of aquatic environment

The East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) region is an important Ramsar Site (huge provisional, regulatory, cultural and spiritual ecosystem services) which is located at the eastern periphery of Kolkata Metropolitan City (India). But in the recent years, illegal land acquisition, wetlands conversion, aquatic species depletion as well as water pollution related diseases have been experienced in different pockets of EKW region. The main objective is to determine regulating factors and stages of eutrophication. The water samples of consecutive three years 2017, 2018 and 2019 (pre and post monsoon) have been obtained from selective 20 wetlands in EKW. The important physicochemical parameters (temperature, electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity, total alkalinity, pH, total hardness, total dissolved solids (TDS), dissolved oxygen (DO), inorganic nitrogen, total phosphorus, potassium, ammonium-nitrogen (NH4+-N), biological oxygen demand (BOD), Secchi disk depth, chlorophyll - a), trophic status index and statistical techniques (like principal component analysis, hierarchical cluster analysis) have been considered to analyze the water quality of these wetlands. The results portray that the magnification of inorganic nitrogen, total phosphorus, potassium and ammonium-nitrogen accelerates the mechanism of eutrophication in the selective wetlands. The DO level has been diminished during 2019 while the BOD level and chlorophyll concentration have been accelerated amidst 2019.The results reveal that about 40% of wetlands i.e. wetland no. 5, 7, 10, 16, 17 (TSI value – 50–70) and wetland no. 8 and 11 (TSI value – 70–100) come under eutrophic and hyper-eutrophic stages respectively due to higher accumulation of nitrogen and phosphorus contents in the wetlands from various non-point sources and these principal components stimulate the processes of eutrophication of the water bodies. Some relevant mitigation measures have been recommended to protect the “kidney of Kolkata Metropolitan City”.