European Provenance Research Articles

Comparison of the timing of spring phenological events between phenological garden trees and wild populations

Abstract Phenological research is engaged in monitoring the influence of climate change on the natural environment. The International Phenological Gardens (IPG) network provides a valuable dataset of standardized tree phenology records dating back to the mid-20th century. To make best use of this actively growing record, it is important to investigate how network data can be applied to predict the timing of phenological events in natural populations. This study compared clonally propagated IPG downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) and hazel (Corylus avellana L.) specimens of central European provenance to nearby wild populations at the western-most margin of the IPG network, in the south-west of Ireland. In addition to monitoring by trained scientists, observations by citizen scientists were included. The order of the timing of phenological events among sites was consistent across 2 years, confirming reproducibility of the results. IPG trees had the earliest B. pubescens leaf unfolding and C. avellana flowering dates of the sites studied. In addition, leaf unfolding occurred later in the wild populations than expected from the temperature responses of the B. pubescens and C. avellana IPG clones. Natural variation in phenology also exceeded the historical change observed at the IPG site, suggesting a potential genetic basis for climate adaptation. Trunk circumference, reflecting the age-dependent increase in tree size, was found to influence C. avellana phenology, with earlier timing of phenological events in larger trees. This finding highlights tree size as an important consideration in the management of phenological gardens and tree phenology research in general.

Fateful Periods: Routinisation of a Wittenberg Chronological and Eschatological Concept within Bohemian University Humanism (c. 1550–1620)

The article deals with ways in which one of the most important chronological tools of Lutheran historical writing and eschatology—the “fateful periods” that were based on Daniel’s prophecy and predicted originally the demise of the Holy Roman Empire and the End of the World—was modified when it spread from Wittenberg to the University of Prague. The study does not seek to illustrate the importance of apocalyptic imagination by adding further examples of Central European provenance; rather, its goal is to demonstrate how eschatological discourses became absorbed into scholarly material, how they were rewritten and reapplied in individual humanist texts and, particularly, how their meanings and functions changed in the process of cultural exchange. Calculations based on “fateful periods” of 500 or 250 years were made part of the ordinary curriculum of the University of Prague and became one of the basic intellectual themes employed by non-theologians in various subjects, for example in different historical narratives, strategies for seeking patronage or as a tool for producing a community and shared identity among humanist scholars.

Fashion and Image as Anthropographic Elements in Nineteenth-century Colombia

Abstract This article is the product of a research project about the role of image in the creation of the Colombian nation during the nineteenth century. Part of that image depended on the individuals it identified, their social status, their lifestyle, and their occupation. The image of fashion as a characteristic social identifier, as an icon, was a bearer of anthropographic symbols. In nineteenth-century Colombia, those symbols were connected to a republican identity characterized by its colonial heritage, determined by race, and by garments distinctive of specific social classes: formerly subjects and, later, citizens. Thus, the image that fashion conveyed as the “skin of the skin” of the republican ancestors, the elite, and the people constitutes a legacy that encompasses everything, from the manufacture of textiles and the indigenous ruana, to a kind of textile mestizaje with aspects of European provenance. Items from collections in museums, libraries, and archives, were compared to texts composed by travelers and illustrators, in order to unveil elements of national identity in what emerges as the landscape of fashion in Colombia during the nineteenth century.

Where does Arctic beach debris come from? Analyzing debris composition and provenance on Svalbard aided by citizen scientists

Plastic debris is ubiquitous in all ecosystems and has even reached locations that humans will hardly reach such as the deep ocean floor and the atmosphere. Research has highlighted that plastic debris is now pervasive even in remote Arctic regions. While modeling projections indicated local sources and long-distance transport as causes, empirical data about its origin and sources are scarce. Data collected by citizen scientists can increase the scale of observations, especially in such remote regions. Here, we report abundance and composition data of marine debris collected by citizen scientists on 14 remote Arctic beaches on the Spitsbergen archipelago. In addition, citizen scientists collected three large, industrial sized canvas bags (hereafter: big packs), filled with beached debris, of which composition, sources and origin were determined. A total debris mass of 1,620 kg was collected on about 38,000 m2 (total mean = 41.83 g m-2, SEM = ± 31.62). In terms of abundance, 23,000 pieces of debris were collected on 25,500 m2 (total mean = 0.37 items of debris m-2, SEM = ± 0.17). Although most items were plastic in both abundance and mass, fisheries waste, such as nets, rope, and large containers, dominated in mass (87%), and general plastics, such as packaging and plastic articles, dominated in abundance (80%). Fisheries-related debris points to local sea-based sources from vessels operating in the Arctic and nearby. General plastics could point to both land- and ship based sources, as household items are also used on ships and debris can be transported to the north via the oceans current. Overall, 1% of the items (206 out of 14,707 pieces) collected in two big packs (2017 and 2021), bore imprints or labels allowing an analysis of their origin. If the categories ‘global’ and ‘English language’ were excluded, most of identifiable items originated from Arctic states (65%), especially from Russia (32%) and Norway (16%). But almost a third of the items (30%) was of European provenance, especially from Germany (8%). Five percent originated from more distant sources (e.g. USA, China, Korea, Brazil). Global measures such as an efficient and legally binding plastic treaty with improved upstream measures and waste management are urgently needed, to lower the amount of plastic entering our environments and in turn lifting the pressure on the Arctic region and its sensitive biota.

The Indentation Size Effect (ISE) of Ag–Cu Alloys

The literature regarding the Indentation Size Effect (ISE) in metal alloys is scarce. The content of this article is the study of the relationship between the applied load and the measured values of the Vickers micro-hardness of silver and copper alloys, measured with a Hanemann hardness tester. The load values ranged between 0.09807 N (10 g) and 0.9807 N (100 g). The size and character of the ISE were evaluated using Meyer’s power law (index n), Proportional Specimen Resistance (PSR) and the Hays–Kendall method. Coins and utility objects of Central European provenance with a silver content of 50 to 99.99% were used as samples. All samples showed a reverse effect (RISE) with a value of n > 2, which is typical for plastic materials. The relatively high variability of the measured micro-hardness and consequently of the index n is related to other factors, such as the age of the sample (age hardening by the precipitation of copper), the uneven degree of deformation and microstructure. The analyzed Ag–Cu alloys show a gradual increase in the Meyer index n with the increase in the silver content, while the ISE has a reverse character throughout the range. The obtained data make it possible to determine the approximate age of artifacts from the mentioned alloys.

"… In the extremity of an impotent despair": "Whatever Singularity," Postcolonial Ab-Use, and Erik Matti's On The Job

This essay investigates how concepts with a European provenance may be productively utilized as tools for analysis in the postcolony without reproducing the epistemic violence characteristic of colonial discourse. More specifically, this essay examines the key ideas of Giorgio Agamben, a philosopher repeatedly accused of insufficiently addressing the role empire plays in shaping history, to determine how his political ontology might be conscripted to understand the biopolitical logic of postcolonial states. We subject Agamben's ideas to what Gayatri Spivak refers to as "ab-use" by placing them in a staged confrontation with a postcolonial text, which we argue could stand in as a generative dialectical antithesis. We argue that Erik Matti's On the Job (2013), a cinematic text about prisoners who serve as government agents, is marked by the Philippines' history of multiple colonizations, a historical legacy that serves to mark the limits of Agamben's philosophy. We examine the discourse of religion and benevolent assimilation—emblematic of Spanish and American colonization of the Philippines, respectively—which are expressed metaphorically in the film in terms of sacrifice and cleanliness. We suggest that this method of discrediting the universal address of Agamben's thought clarifies its utility as it renders legible the unique form of biopower exerted by the Philippine postcolonial state.

Losing Freud

Losing Freud

Led Around by the Nose

Led Around by the Nose

From New Spain to Damascus: Ottoman Religious Authorities and the Making of Medical Knowledge on Tobacco

Abstract This article examines the translation, circulation, and adaptation of the medical opinion of Spanish physician Nicolas Monardes (d. 1588) on tobacco in the Ottoman Empire. In addition to medical and encyclopedist authors, the spread of new medical knowledge in learned and eventually popular registers was the result of the efforts of religious authorities. These latter authorities, namely jurists, Sufis, and preachers, took an interest in the bodily and mental effects of smoking for its moral implications. In forming their medical-moral discourse, they sought and studied contemporary medical works of both Ottoman and European provenance. Challenging the strict division between learned and popular medicine, this article argues that Ottoman religious authorities, while often excluded from the history of medicine, played significant roles in the circulation, adaptation, and localization of medical knowledge.

Gravity modeling of the Alpine lithosphere affected by magmatism based on seismic tomography

Abstract. The southern Alpine regions were affected by several magmatic and volcanic events between the Paleozoic and the Tertiary. This activity undoubtedly had an important effect on the density distribution and structural setting at lithosphere scale. Here the gravity field has been used to create a 3D lithosphere density model on the basis of a high-resolution seismic tomography model. The results of the gravity modeling demonstrate a highly complex density distribution in good agreement with the different geological domains of the Alpine area represented by the European Plate, the Adriatic Plate and the Tyrrhenian basin. The Adriatic-derived terrains (Southalpine and Austroalpine) of the Alps are typically denser (2850 kg m−3), whilst the Alpine zone, composed of terrains of European provenance (Helvetic and Tauern Window), presents lower density values (2750 kg m−3). Inside the Southalpine, south of the Dolomites, a well-known positive gravity anomaly is present, and one of the aims of this work was to investigate the source of this anomaly that has not yet been explained. The modeled density suggests that the anomaly is related to two different sources; the first involves the middle crust below the gravity anomaly and is represented by localized mushroom-shaped bodies interpreted as magmatic intrusions, while a second wider density anomaly affects the lower crust of the southern Alpine realm and could correspond to a mafic and ultramafic magmatic underplating (gabbros and related cumulates) developed during Paleozoic extension.

Laveineopteris polymorpha FROM THE lower Westphalian (Langsettian) “fern ledges” at Saint John, new brunswick, Canada, and comparison with Laveineopteris hollandica from Europe

A documentation is presented of the pteridosperm (?) foliage species Laveineopteris polymorpha (Dawson, 1862) comb. nov. from its type locality at Saint John, New Brunswick. This Canadian species is also present in the United States and in the British Isles. The similar species Laveineopteris hollandica (Stockmans, 1933) Cleal & Shute, 1995, of European provenance, is discussed for detailed comparison. Lists of synonymy are provided for both species. These are commented on in detail. The stratigraphic and geographic distribution of these two species is discussed as well.

FIVE DEPICTIONS OF THE CIRCUMCISION OF JESUS CHRIST FROM THE CROATIAN SACRAL HERITAGE

Male circumcision has been perceived differently in different cultures. In modern times, if it is a non-medical indication, circumcision becomes the starting point of many ethical and other discussions. Its rootedness in Christianity is fixed, among other things, in sacral art and iconography. This article presents five sacral images of the Circumcision of Christ from the holdings of the Croatian sacral heritage with the aim of noticing their iconographic and sacral-medical values. In this article, it is presented the results of field research related to the identification and medical-iconographic presentation of the motive for the circumcision of Jesus Christ in the area of the northern and central Adriatic coast. Five such paintings have been recorded and will be described and compared with similar works by European masters. These are the works of Venetian and Central European provenance and were created between the 16th and 18th centuries. The basic traditional Jewish iconography is visible in all the paintings but modified according to current religious standards. These depictions from the area of Croatia contextualizing and filling in the gaps in verbal records on this topic in our region fit Croatia into an undoubted component of the European Judeo-Christian heritage and when it comes to rare iconographic depictions.

Counter-Intuitive Response to Water Limitation in a Southern European Provenance of Frangula alnus Mill. in a Common Garden Experiment

Climate change will intensify drought periods during the growing season in Western Europe. We mimicked this prediction by withholding water in summer from young rooted cuttings of Frangula alnus Mill., a common shrub species, originating from different latitudes in Europe (Italy, Belgium and Sweden) and growing in a common garden environment in Belgium. We followed the responses to the drought up to two years after the treatment. Counter-intuitively, the Italian provenance displayed earlier symptoms and stronger effects of water limitation than the other two provenances. A putative higher transpiration in this provenance could be suggested based on a relative larger shoot growth, larger leaves and a higher stomatal density. After the post-drought re-watering, the droughted plants of the Italian provenance entered leaf senescence later than the control plants, likely as a compensation mechanism for the lost growing time. Bud burst in the first year after the drought treatment and leaf senescence in the next autumn were both advanced in the drought treated group when compared with the control plants. Bud burst in the second year after the drought treatment did not display any differentiation anymore between control and drought treated plants. Growth traits also displayed legacies of the water limitation. For example, the drought treated plants showed a lower number of reshoots upon pruning in the year after the drought treatment. Our results suggest that assisted migration from southern Europe to western Europe as a climate change adaptation strategy might not always follow the expected patterns.

Markers of microbial translocation during pregnancy: differences among HIV+ women of African and European provenance.

Microbial translocation (MT) markers are indicators of HIV-related immune activation, but reference values are mostly derived from European or North American populations and could be substantially different in populations living in developing countries. Here we evaluate possible differences in MT markers levels in HIV+ pregnant women of different geographical provenance. This study is nested within an observational study of pregnant women with HIV in Italy. Women were dichotomized on the basis of provenance in two groups of European (n = 14) and African (n = 26) origin. Soluble CD14, lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) and intestinal-fatty acid binding protein (I-FABP) were measured in plasma samples collected between the first and second trimester of pregnancy. Demographic and viroimmunological characteristics were similar between groups, although European women were more commonly smokers and HCV-coinfected. Irrespective of origin, LBP plasma levels were positively correlated with I-FABP (r = 0.467, p = 0.004) and sCD14 levels (r = 0.312 p = 0.060). Significantly higher levels of sCD14 (1885 vs. 1208 ng/mL, p = 0.005) LBP (28.5 vs. 25.3 µg/mL, p = 0.050) and I-FABP (573.4 vs. 358.2 pg/mL, p = 0.002) were observed in European compared with African women. A multivariable linear regression analysis, adjusted for smoking and HCV coinfection confirmed the association between sCD14 levels and women provenance (p = 0.03). Our observations indicate significant differences in soluble markers among women of different provenance. In the design and analysis of studies evaluating MT markers, population-specific reference values should be considered.

Common garden comparisons confirm inherited differences in sensitivity to climate change between forest tree species.

The natural distribution, habitat, growth and evolutionary history of tree species are strongly dependent on ecological and genetic processes in ecosystems subject to fluctuating climatic conditions, but there have been few experimental comparisons of sensitivity between species. We compared the responses of two broadleaved tree species (Fagus sylvatica and Quercus petraea) and two conifer tree species (Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies) to climatic transfers by fitting models containing the same climatic variables. We used published data from European provenance test networks to model the responses of individual populations nested within species. A mixed model approach was applied to develop a response function for tree height over climatic transfer distance, taking into account the climatic conditions at both the seed source and the test location. The two broadleaved species had flat climatic response curves, indicating high levels of plasticity in populations, facilitating adaptation to a broader range of environments, and conferring a high potential for resilience in the face of climatic change. By contrast, the two conifer species had response curves with more pronounced slopes, indicating a lower resilience to climate change. This finding may reflect stronger genetic clines in P. sylvestris and P. abies, which constrain their climate responses to narrower climatic ranges. The response functions had maxima that deviated from the expected maximum productivity in the climate of provenance towards cooler/moister climate conditions, which we interpreted as an adaptation lag. Unilateral, linear regression analyses following transfer to warmer and drier sites confirmed a decline in productivity, predictive of the likely impact of ongoing climate change on forest populations. The responses to mimicked climate change evaluated here are of considerable interest for forestry and ecology, supporting projections of expected performance based on “real-time” field data.

Intentionality and Kabbalistic Practices in Early Modern East-Central Europe

Abstract Kavanot, or mystical intentions, have acquired varied meanings and interpretations in kabbalistic literatures, from the practice of harmonising one’s mind with the requirement of performed ritual to elaborate processes of mental focus, exercised during prayer and other ritual acts, on divine attributes signified by divine names and stipulated meticulously in kabbalistic prayer-books. Early modern practical kabbalistic manuals also, to no surprise, abound with instructions which recommend a variety of kavanot. In many of these manuals and books of recipes, it is the intention that enables extending of one’s mind toward matter, and builds a new type of continuity between the practitioner and the outside world. Intentionality in kabbalistic practice thus channels the emergence of the performing, knowledgeable self, engaged in shaping the material world, a development which runs parallel to the emergence of new configurations of knowledge in the early modern period. This rise of intentional self, manifest in kabbalistic practices as expressed in early modern handwritten books of recipes of East-Central European provenance, will be the focus of this article.

Comparative analysis of morphological characteristics of beech leaves from the European provenance trial

The paper presents the results of the research conducted within the European provenance beech trial, in the Teaching Base of the Faculty of Forestry - Debeli Lug. To assess the inter- -provenance genetic variability of beech, using morphological markers, and comparative analysis of the results obtained in two successive years, 10 trees per each selected provenance were sampled. Thirty leaves were collected from each tree (total of 300 leaves per provenance per year). The inter-provenance differences of all morphological leaf characteristics were statistically significant and can be assumed to be the result of the genetic constitution of the provenances themselves. Based on the comparative analysis of the morphological characteristics of beech leaves from 13 different provenances in two research years, it was found that the mean values of most analyzed morphological characteristics were higher in 2017, compared to the results from 2016. Such results could be explained by the different climatic conditions that prevailed in the provenance trial in research years.

Ecology and management of northern red oak (Quercus rubra L. syn. Q. borealis F. Michx.) in Europe: a review

AbstractNorthern red oak (Quercus rubra L. syn. Q. borealis F. Michx.) is a valuable broadleaved tree species originating from the eastern half of the USA and Canada. It was introduced to Europe in 1691 and currently covers over 350 000 ha, being found all over the continent, except the coldest part of Scandinavia. It is a fast-growing and valuable broadleaved tree due to its ecological characteristics, good wood properties and high economic value. Northern red oak prefers deep, loose, moderately humid and acid soils, without compact horizons and of at least moderate fertility. It does not grow well on dry, calcareous soils as well as waterlogged or poorly drained soils. It is either naturally regenerated using a group shelterwood system or planted using seedlings of European provenance, collected in certified seed stands. As northern red oak is light-demanding, its management should be ‘dynamic’ and includes heavy interventions (cleaning–respacing and thinning from above), in order to minimize crown competition between the final crop trees. These should produce large diameter trees for valuable end uses (e.g. veneer, solid furniture, lumber, etc.) within a rotation period generally of 80–100 years. The necessity for pruning (both formative and high) depends on the stand stocking at establishment, the subsequent silvicultural interventions as well as the occurrence of forking. The adaptation potential of northern red oak to predicted climate change, especially drought, seems to be higher than for European native oaks, the importance of the species is expected to increase in the future.

Fracture toughness and shear yield strength determination for two selected species of central European provenance

When offcut of wood is formed by shearing, Atkins’s analyses of sawing processes can be applied. Using this modern approach, it is possible to determine the fracture toughness and shear yield strength of wood. This model is only applicable for the axial-perpendicular cutting direction because both of these parameters are suitable for the given direction of cutting edge movement and cannot be considered material constants. Alternatively, these parameters can be recalculated for the perpendicular and axial directions of cutting when the parameters are considered non-variable quantities. The set of data necessary for calculation can be easily obtained while cutting wood with common circular saw blades. It is necessary to ensure a minimum of two levels of workpiece height and two diverse levels of feed speed. The main aim was to develop an alternative methodology for simultaneous determination of wood fracture toughness and shear yield strength for two principal directions regarding wood grains on the basis of cutting tests performed during circular saw blade cutting for two selected wood species of Central Europe provenance, such as spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.).

Concentrations, provenance and flux of aerosol trace elements during US GEOTRACES Western Arctic cruise GN01

The Arctic region is undergoing significant changes in climate, with a notable decrease in summertime sea ice coverage over the past three decades. This trend means an increasing proportion of Arctic Ocean surface waters can receive direct deposition of material from the atmosphere, potentially influencing marine biogeochemical cycles and delivery of pollutants to the Arctic ecosystem. Here, we present aerosol concentrations of selected trace elements (Al, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) measured during the US GEOTRACES Western Arctic cruise (GN01, also known as HLY1502) in August–October 2015. Concentrations of “lithogenic” elements (Al, Ti, V, Mn, Fe, and Co) were similar to those measured in remote and predominantly marine-influenced air masses in previous studies, reflecting the remoteness of the Arctic Ocean from major dust sources. Concentrations of Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd showed significant enrichments over crustal values, and were often of similar magnitude to concentrations measured over the North Atlantic in air masses of North American or European provenance. We use 7Be inventory and flux data from GN01 to estimate a bulk atmospheric deposition velocity during the study period, and combine it with our aerosol concentrations to calculate atmospheric deposition fluxes of the trace elements in the Arctic region during late summer. The resulting estimates for mineral dust and Fe deposition fall at the low end of global estimates and confirm the Arctic Ocean as a low-dust environment during the summer months.This article is part of a special issue entitled: Conway GEOTRACES - edited by Tim M. Conway, Tristan Horner, Yves Plancherel, and Aridane G. González.