European Elite Research Articles

The Beowulf Group: Taking the lead to defend Europe

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has exposed divisions in European strategic culture and threat perception. The search for a lowest-common-denominator response to the threat has hampered the European reply to the Russian aggression, often forcing the EU to move at the speed of its slowest member, whether in supplying ammunition and equipment to Ukraine or setting up the defence industry needed to accelerate such a supply in the future. Notwithstanding the importance of keeping a broad coalition together, this article argues that it is now time to create a vanguard of like-minded European nations, led by France, Poland and, though not an EU member, the UK, but open to other states, which can force the creation of a new strategic culture able to meet the Russian threat. This ‘Beowulf Group’, named after the Danish hero from the Anglo-Saxon epic who stood up to the marauding monster Grendel, could establish a Strategic College for Europe, a joint Elite European Reserve Legion and a strategic communications centre, to move European policy in a more active direction.

Genetic adaptation of phenological stages in Chinese and European elite soybeans (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) across latitudes in Central Europe

Genetic adaptation of phenological stages in Chinese and European elite soybeans (<scp><i>Glycine max</i></scp> [L.] Merr.) across latitudes in Central Europe

Capitalizing on genebank core collections for rare and novel disease resistance loci to enhance barley resilience.

In the realm of agricultural sustainability, the utilization of plant genetic resources for enhanced disease resistance is paramount. Preservation efforts in genebanks are justified by their potential contributions to future crop improvement. To capitalize on the potential of plant genetic resources, we focused on a barley core collection from the German ex situ genebank and contrasted it with a European elite collection. The phenotypic assessment included 812 plant genetic resources and 298 elites, with a particular emphasis on four disease traits (Puccinia hordei, Blumeria graminis hordei, Ramularia collo-cygni, and Rhynchosporium commune). An integrated genome-wide association study, employing both Bayesian-information and linkage-disequilibrium iteratively nested keyway (BLINK) and a linear mixed model, was performed to unravel the genetic underpinnings of disease resistance. A total of 932 marker-trait associations were identified and assigned to 49 quantitative trait loci. The accumulation of novel and rare resistance alleles significantly bolstered the overall resistance level in plant genetic resources. Three plant genetic resources donors with high counts of novel/rare alleles and exhibiting exceptional resistance to leaf rust and powdery mildew were identified, offering promise for targeted pre-breeding goals and enhanced resilience in future varieties. Our findings underscore the critical contribution of plant genetic resources to strengthening crop resilience and advancing sustainable agricultural practices.

Ivan Argunov’s Portrait of Anna Kalmykova

This article examines Ivan Petrovich Argunov’s 1767 painting of Anna Nikolaevna Kalmykova, one of many Kalmyk children removed from their families by the Russian military and forcibly adopted by elite Russians and Europeans. Both sitter and painter were, in different ways, unfree: Argunov was enserfed by the Sheremetev family and Kalmykova was their ward. Examining the portrait’s many visual antecedents and references, this paper argues that Argunov used the intimate, informal styles of Enlightenment portraiture in a way that enmeshed its subject and author in the harsh social hierarchies of the Sheremetev household and imperial society. The relatively loose facture of the painting and its attention to the sitter’s liveliness and youth demonstrate Argunov’s skill as a modern portraitist. But although Kalmykova dominates the composition of her own portrait (which makes it unlike most other portraits of Kalmyk people in Russia during this period), Argunov makes clear that she is subordinate to her patron and other members of her “adoptive” family. Mapping the power structures of the household that enserfed him, Argunov combined private and ceremonial idioms in a way that said much about Kalmykova’s status and his own – a manner of portraiture that could only be copied by other artists from outside the household.

Nutrition for European Elite Fencers: A Practical Tool for Coaches and Athletes.

The aim of this narrative review is to create a comprehensive, innovative, and pragmatic resource to guide elite fencers and coaches in making strategic nutritional choices to enhance performance and facilitate recovery. The literature review identified only 12 articles specifically addressing the topic of nutrition for fencers. Thus, the recommendations provided in this review derive also from articles dealing with similar sports, such as martial arts, and from investigations with European elite fencers and their coaches. For elite fencers, it is suggested to consume daily 7-11 g/kg of body weight (BW) of carbohydrates and 1.5-2 g/kg of BW of proteins and allocate 25% to 30% of the total energy intake to essential fats, with a specific focus on omega-3 fatty acids. The timing of meals, ideally within one hour after exertion, plays a pivotal role in restoring glycogen reserves and preventing injuries. The intake of leucine, creatine, omega-3, collagen, and vitamins C and D is proposed as a strategy for injury recovery. It is worth acknowledging that even when personalized plans are provided, implementation can be challenging, especially during competitions and training camps.

Garden city planning and Nordic (de)colonial ambivalence in Tanga, Mbeya and Moshi master plans (1973–1975)

Researchers from former colonial powers and their respective former colonies have made extensive accounts of colonial planning heritage. The Nordic countries are mostly excluded from such historical narratives and rather interpreted as having been neutral, benevolent, and solidary foreign aid agents. This case study analysis of Tanga, Mbeya, and Moshi master plans (1973–1975), implemented with Finnish technical assistance, challenges this narrative and shows that Finnish agents operated in an ambivalent environment of (de)colonialism and moved between layers of colonial heritage, decolonial policy, and neo-colonial praxis. In the conflicting political pressure, they adopted and developed a planning dialect that translated the travelling concepts of suburbanisation, neighbourhood models, and urban gardening into the language of Tanzanian decolonial policy. The Tanga, Mbeya, and Moshi master plans utilised garden city planning ideas to extend the planning principles formerly reserved for the white European elite to include the entire urban population and advance the socialist project of ujamaa.

Данилов В. ОСОБЛИВОСТІ ВИСВІТЛЕННЯ ПАЛЕСТИНО-ІЗРАЇЛЬСЬКОГО КОНФЛІКТУ У СВІТОВИХ ЗМІ

The article attempts to identify the peculiarities of the coverage of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict in the world media. The research was based on publications from the websites of three media outlets - «The Washington Post», «The Guardian» and «Al Jazeera». The author talks about the difficulties that journalists may face when covering armed conflicts. Firstly, it is the threats to the physical and mental health of the journalist. Secondly, it is the difficulty of abstracting from one's own preferences in the conflict. Thirdly, it is difficulty in determining the status of the parties to the conflict. The author notes that in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict there are difficulties in determining the status of Hamas, since not all countries in the world consider the group to be terrorists. The article examines the views on the conflict of two high-quality private newspapers - «The Washington Post» and «The Guardian». The intrigue of the position of quality publications is that they are located in the United States and Europe, i.e., they should hypothetically support Israel against the collective Arab world. In fact, both media outlets have maintained a high level of quality and have covered the conflict in a balanced manner. Moreover, the newspapers' coverage is somewhat critical of the Jewish state. While «The Washington Post's» criticism is more of a guess, the Guardian's journalists express it quite frankly and emotionally. When expressing its attitude, an American newspaper must take into account the views of the powerful Jewish diaspora in the United States. As for the Guardian, the newspaper criticizes Israel from the liberal anti-war position of the British and European elite. The state-owned Qatari television company Al Jazeera has long been criticized for its bias and rather open communication with individuals whose activities are considered terrorist by some parts of the world. The intrigue with the Qatari media's coverage of the conflict is whether they will at least try to pretend to be objective to a global audience. In practice, the Arab media's website is falling into outright anti-Israeli and anti-American propaganda. It uses a selection of «correct» sources of information, mockery and manipulation of facts. The author of the article assumes that media workers are well aware of their target audience, which is quite effectively influenced by such publications.

Optimization of Sprint Training Among European Coaches: Quality Over Quantity.

To describe how high-level European sprint coaches (from 100 to 400m) work to improve important factors associated with the quality of the holistic training process and the quality of the specific training session. A descriptive analysis was conducted using questionnaires from 31 European elite sprint coaches (ie,training athletes defined as tiers 3, 4, and 5) who participated voluntarily. The coaches used traditional periodization (45%) with a 10- to 15-day tapering phase (48%) that includes a reduction in volume, maintenance of intensity, and focus on correct technical execution. In the 3 mesophases, coaches prioritized the basic development of strength and sprint work in the first phases of the season and emphasized more sprint-specific work in the competitive phase. Before sessions, adjustments were made based on factors such as psychological (77%), technical (48%), and physical (39%) parameters. In-session load management relies on a combination of objective and subjective measures (55%), in which the dialogue with athletes (65%) was regarded as the main resource. Feedback during and after sessions covers technical (54%), psychological (48%), and physical (35%) aspects. Recovery protocols after sessions mainly involve rest and professional guidance (42%). For performance assessment and testing, coaches utilize countermovement jump (52%), force-velocity profile (45%), and 30-m flying (61%) as main tools. European sprint coaches demonstrated a comprehensive approach to planning and management, shedding light on the multifaceted nature of their training methodologies and the diverse tools employed for athlete testing and monitoring.

What did 16th-century tomatoes look like?

Soon after the Spanish conquest of the Americas, the first tomatoes were presented as curiosities to the European elite and drew the attention of 16th-century Italian naturalists. Despite their scientific interest in this New World crop, most Renaissance botanists did not specify where these „golden apples” or „pomi d’oro” came from. It is likely that tomatoes were brought to Europe after the Spanish sieged the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City) in 1521 and after they conquered the Peruvian Inca emperors in 1531. Tomatoes and other New World domesticates must have been brought to the Spanish court, and were probably planted in the royal gardensin Madrid, after which they were likely shipped from Sevilla to Italy, but no written evidence have been found so far for these events. The debate on the first European tomatoes and their origin is often hindered by erroneous dating, botanical misidentifications and inaccessible historical sources. So, who saw the first 16th-century tomatoes that entered Europe? What did they look like? Who made the first botanical description, collection and/or illustration? And where did these tomatoes come from?

‘Odin fra Lejre’ i rustning

‘Odin fra Lejre’ in armourA new interpretation of an iconic silver figurine from the Viking Age&#x0D; The little silver figurine ‘Odin from Lejre’ (fig. 1) has been the subject of vigorous debate, especially as to whether it is wearing a dress. In this article it is discussed in the light of Viking Age and medieval parallels: other small figurines, chess pieces and depictions of men on thrones and wearing armour. On this basis, ‘Odin from Lejre’ is interpreted as depicting the god in full armour and wearing a helmet (parallels: figs. 2 &amp; 4). He has bushy eyebrows and a moustache and is wearing a ring around his neckand chainmail beneath his cloak. He is sitting on a throne with two ravens on the armrests and is flanked by wolves. All of these characteristics can be linked to Odin via his various names and the mythology surrounding him as the supreme (war) god (fig. 10): Odin has names associated with a helmet, bushy eyebrows, a missing eye, a moustache and the wearing of a cloak. He has two ravens (Huginn and Muninn), two wolves (Geri and Freki), a ring (Draupnir) and a throne (Hlidskjalf). Odin is described as wearing a (golden) helmet and chainmail. Considering all of Odin’s names, it is argued that as many as possible have been incorporated into the little figurine (it is only 1.75 cm tall).The figurine is interpreted as wearing male garments covering the legs (parallels: fig. 5a-c), following European elite fashion. Such garments would have been an obvious choice when the Lejre elite wished to depict the ultimate god. Ulla Mannering has argued that long garments were female characteristics, but when ‘Odin from Lejre’ is compared to depictions of emperors and kings on thrones, it is obvious that high-ranking men could also wear these (see figs. 6, 7a-d &amp; fig. 9a-c). The ornamental sash hanging across the figurine’s long garments has parallels on Ottonian depictions of emperors (fig. 9a-d). While parallels to chainmail are evident on several depictions of warriors (see fig. 3) and on other small figurines (see fig. 4). The combination of armour and long garments is seen on members of the Byzantine cavalry (fig. 8). The most likely interpretation of the function of the figurine is as part of a völva’s staff. Odin has a name meaning Staff-wielder, Sorcerer, and Odin in full armour would be a fitting motif if the staff was used in some way in war-seiðr (-sorcery). The staff found at Fyrkat and the four examples from Birka are from fortified sites and the Ladby staff was placed in a warship, similarly a military context; these staffs could therefore also have had a similar purpose. If this interpretation is correct, it tells us about how Odin was worshipped at Lejre, as a god of war.

Mariani wine: What's really in it? Analysis of the most popular tonic drink of the 19th century after 100 years of storage

During the Belle Epoque, the use of cocaine, well known to the South American populations, spread among the European elite in the form of a tonic drink created from coca leaves macerated in Bordeaux wine, the Mariani wine. Nowadays, bottles in circulation are extremely rare but the investigations of a Parisian historian led him to the discovery of a bottle of wine that belonged to Angelo Mariani's estate at the end of the 19th century. Our laboratory was asked to analyse the contents of the bottle in order to search for the main active compounds and to estimate the state of preservation. The analysis of the centenarian product collected was aimed at identifying the alcohols and solvents by HS-GC/FID and HS-GC/MS after dilution in water, and the main alkaloids contained in all the samples by LC-HRMS screening and LC-MS/MS quantification. The Mariani wine presented an alcohol content of 15.7°. The screening and the subsequent dosage revealed the following substances: cocaine (86 ng/mL), benzoylecgonine (383 ng/mL), cocaethylene (17 ng/mL), ecgonine methyl ester (130 ng/mL), caffeine, cuscohygrine, cinnamoylcocaine and synephrine. The alkaloids found in the Mariani wine confirm the real presence of coca leaves in this drink. Their low concentrations may indicate drug instability. The presence of cocaethylene demonstrates that it can be formed without passing through the liver, which was supposed to be the site of production when cocaine and ethanol are present in the body at the same time. These appear to be the first report in the literature presenting the analysis of Mariani wine with the dosage of cocaine derivatives.

Genetic regions determine tolerance to nitrogen deficiency in European elite bread wheats grown under contrasting nitrogen stress scenarios.

Clustering 24 environments in four contrasting nitrogen stress scenarios enabled the detection of genetic regions determining tolerance to nitrogen deficiency in European elite bread wheats. Increasing the nitrogen use efficiency of wheat varieties is an important goal for breeding. However, most genetic studies of wheat grown at different nitrogen levels in the field report significant interactions with the genotype. The chromosomal regions possibly involved in these interactions are largely unknown. The objective of this study was to quantify the response of elite bread wheat cultivars to different nitrogen field stress scenarios and identify genomic regions involved in this response. For this purpose, 212 elite bread wheat varieties were grown in a multi-environment trial at different nitrogen levels. Genomic regions associated with grain yield, protein concentration and grain protein deviation responses to nitrogen deficiency were identified. Environments were clustered according to adjusted means for grain yield, yield components and grain protein concentration. Four nitrogen availability scenarios were identified: optimal condition, moderate early deficiency, severe late deficiency, and severe continuous deficiency. A large range of tolerance to nitrogen deficiency was observed among varieties, which were ranked differently in different nitrogen deficiency scenarios. The well-known negative correlation between grain yield and grain protein concentration also existed between their respective tolerance indices. Interestingly, the tolerance indices for grain yield and grain protein deviation were either null or weakly positive meaning that breeding for the two traits should be less difficult than expected. Twenty-two QTL regions were identified for the tolerance indices. By selecting associated markers, these regions may be selected separately or combined to improve the tolerance to N deficiency within a breeding programme.

The ‘pure polish people’ vs the ‘European elite’ – how do populism and Euroscepticism interact in Polish politics?

ABSTRACT There is a notable correlation between Eurosceptic and populist political actors, discourses and agendas across Europe. Since 2015, the ongoing conflict between Poland and the European Commission concerning the rule of law has brought European integration to the centre of Polish politics. The main focus of this article is on the relationship and interaction between populism and Euroscepticism, as analysed through the example of Polish political parties. To this end, the article investigates the different forms of EU contestation by Polish populist right-wing parties and assesses the extent to which these are expressed through populist discourse. We find a strong correlation between populist and Eurosceptic attitudes of Polish political parties. With the growing number of populist parties entering the mainstream and ‘uncivil society’ actors transforming into political parties, the anti-elitist discourse generates a need to locate the ‘corrupted elites’ outside of the national power structures.

EDUCATIONAL TRAVELS AS A PHENOMENON OF THE EARLY MODERN AGE (ON THE EXAMPLE OF STORIES OF EDUCATION ABROAD OF THE DESCENDANTS OF POLISH NOBLY FAMILIES OF THE RIGHT BANK OF UKRAINE IN THE XVI-XVIII CENTURIES)

The article highlights one of the newest forms of education in the mentioned period in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, namely educational journeys. These journeys became an important part of the educational program for the noble youth. Peregrination did not involve studying in a specific educational institution. The journey often took place parallel to institutional education or even without it. Besides knowledge, these journeys expanded cognitive horizons, social capital was accumulated, and contacts with representatives of the European elite were established. It is noteworthy that this expensive event contributed to preparing the nobles for future political careers.&#x0D; The educational component of life in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth of the XVI-XVIII centuries, which included some Ukrainian lands, had its own hierarchy. Its first degree was home education. Gradually, parents and the younger generation began to get used to the idea of upcoming separation. After the young nobleman began to attend an educational institution (the nearest geographically Jesuit collegium, taking into account the confessional peculiarity of the territory), the family mentally prepared for a new step – a trip to Europe to get education and acquire practical skills.&#x0D; The author also noted that the most extensive academic travels are represented in parental instructions. As a result, it became possible to present certain peculiarities of European society's development. It is mentioned that this issue is scarcely covered in Ukrainian history of pedagogy. Instead, it has attracted and continues to attract lively interest among Polish researchers.

Assessing performance of European elite bread wheat cultivars under Mediterranean conditions: Breeding implications

Context or problemIdentifying traits conferring high yield in target environments has become a main concern of wheat breeders. This is particularly relevant for the current Mediterranean conditions as well as for the expected scenarios driven by climate change for central and northern Europe. Objective or research questionThe objective of this study was to identify breeding traits conferring adaption of high-yielding European wheat cultivars to actual Mediterranean conditions. MethodsTwelve elite winter wheat cultivars from different European (northern, central and southern) regions were grown under Mediterranean continental conditions across three consecutive crop seasons and three different topdressing nitrogen fertilization levels. Phenology was assessed throughout the crop cycle. At maturity, grain yield (GY), grain number and thousand kernel weight (TKW) were determined. Further, carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope compositions and nitrogen concentration (N) were analyzed in mature grains as proxies for water and nitrogen status, respectively. ResultsThe nitrogen fertilization effect was minor for GY compared with the season and genotypic effects. Concerning genotypic performance, the effect of phenology varied across seasons, with longer crop durations being associated with higher GY under the wettest season (2017–2018), no effect under mildly wet conditions (2019–2020) and being negatively associated with GY under dry conditions (2018–2019). Furthermore, the relative duration of each phenological stage had an effect on genotypic performance, particularly during the dry season (2018–2019). Moreover, regardless of the season considered, the highest-yielding genotypes were associated with better water status (lower δ13C). Under wet season conditions, northern European genotypes had 6 % higher yields, whereas in the dry season, southern European genotypes had 2 % higher yields. ConclusionsThe differences in GY among the top wheat cultivars originating from different European regions were fairly minor across the seasons and across the N fertilization levels recommended in the region. Implications or significanceThe study suggests that, depending on the season, selection for the high-yielding conditions of central and northern Europe also delivers genetic increases in grain yield under Mediterranean conditions.

Analysis of goal-scoring in an elite European women’s football teams

Football is one of the sports with more audience and women’s football has undergone a notable evolution at all levels. Scoring goals is the most relevant indicator of success in football. The aims of this study were to analyse, looking for patterns and/or differences in how gools are obtained through European elite women's teams. The goals were analysed through: way of obtaining the goal, type of finishing, type of assistance, time interval in which the goal was scored, assistance zone and finishing zone. A frequency analyses was performed through total number of actions of 174 goals from French and English teams in the respective national championships. The highest percentage of goals was obtained through offensive organization, also giving importance to the number of goals through tactical schemes (set balls). The zone where most goal submissions occur was in the penalty area, and the time interval of the games where the most goals were scored was defined between the 31 and 61 minutes. Differently from men’s, elite women’s football teams obtain the highest percentage of goals through the offensive organization, with a substantial number of goals also being scored through tactical schemes.

Pipe dream or closed shop? Experiencing the Champions League from the sidelines

ABSTRACT The article explores how Austrian football fans, in a country outside the “Big-five” leagues and (semi-)peripheral to European top football, relate to the European elite competition. Our research builds on interviews with fans of Sturm Graz and Wacker Innsbruck. These clubs represent two different fan milieus at the sidelines of the Champions League: one for which European-level competition has been accessible at qualification stages, and one club with a remarkable European history, for which these competitions are currently far out of reach. Our analysis reveals that the positioning of the Austrian league detaches fans from the Champions League. The main division, however, is not along clubs, nor is there an overarching “Austrian” perspective of marginalization. Rather, we find a dividing line between those who affirmatively consider the Champions League a pipe dream and those who criticize its closed shop-structure and reject it as over-commercialized reality of “modern football”.

Are English football players overvalued?

ABSTRACT It is often suggested by fans, the media, and football commentators that English players are over-valued and receive higher salaries than those of comparable players from different countries. This study examines whether the suggestion can be empirically substantiated. Using a unique database covering all of the European elite leagues, we show that there is an English player value premium of around 40% and a wage premium of 25%. Exploring the reasons for this phenomenon in a regression setting, we find that the excess valuation and salary differential can be partly justified by several factors. First, and most importantly, there is a higher value attributed and wages paid to players in the English Premier League (EPL); second, that English players are more likely to play as strikers than in other positions in EPL clubs; third, that their performance in some positions is somewhat better than the average of players from other nations; fourth, that there are fewer of them in the top European leagues, leading to a shortage in supply. There is, however, evidence that the higher valuation of English attackers and the higher salaries of English attackers and of English midfielders evades explanation by any of these groups of variables.

The geopolitics of the European super league: A historiographical approach and a media analysis of the failed project in 2021.

The main objective of this article is to analyse the reasons why the 2021 European Super League project failed. The authors ask whether, in addition to the popular clamour against a semi-closed competition, it was the combination of geopolitical interests of the different actors currently involved in European elite football that prevented the project from going ahead. The main methodological framework is based on a case study, which follows an Stakian approach. To do so, on the one hand, a historiographical analysis of the case has been done; on the other hand, authors have complemented this case study with an analysis of 23 pieces of news published on the website of five mainstream newspapers (from April to June 2021) from those countries with the most significant European football leagues: The United Kingdom (The Guardian), Spain (El País), France (Le Monde), Italy (La Repubblica) and Germany (Der Spiegel). To supplement the analysis of this phenomenon, authors have also considered other relevant news published in other mainstream press or news agencies (such as The New York Times, Politico, The Yorkshire Post, The Times, Marca, Bloomberg and Reuters). The authors conclude that, while financially the Super League debate has not been closed, in defending the current business and competition model of European football, UEFA has had the complicity of owners and shareholders of the founding clubs outside of their traditional historical roots, as well as governments that have made football an asset because of their geopolitical positioning, such as Qatar and the UK post-Brexit.

Genetic diversity in early maturity Chinese and European elite soybeans: A comparative analysis

Soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) is a legume crop important for global food security due to supplying high-quality vegetable protein and oil. China is the origin and rich center of soybean genetic diversity represented by numerous landraces and other genetic resources. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, world-wide dissemination of plant introductions laid the foundation of modern soybean production. Due to selection for regional adaptation, present-day elite soybean cultivars do have a comparatively narrow genetic base. However, as genetic variation is the major component of future breeding progress, diversity of early maturity Chinese and European elite soybeans was comparatively analyzed using a high-throughput functional SNP array and an SSR marker set. Results revealed a clear differentiation between Chinese and European elite cultivars, and the level of genetic diversity was similar between the two populations. Both in Chinese and European cultivars, unique SSR alleles were found which indicates that selection for specific adaptation can preserve genetic variation. The European population was markedly structured by maturity groups which was less clear in the Chinese population. Structure analysis indicated that European cultivars are based on two major ancestral lines, whereas Chinese elite soybean cultivars trace back to more ancestral lines pointing to the rich natural soybean diversity of China. The results confirm that long-term selection under divergent environmental and agronomic conditions can produce specific diversity which could potentially be utilized for future enhancing both Chinese and European soybean breeding.