Evolution In Europe Research Articles

Virtual paleoanthropology in karstic environments. The challenging case of the Neanderthal skeleton from Altamura (southern Italy)

The so-called “Altamura Man” is a Neanderthal skeleton found in 1993 in the Lamalunga karstic system (southern Italy). The skeleton, dated between 172 and 130 ka, still lies deep within a spectacular cave setting, partly embedded within speleothems and extensively covered by coralloid concretions. These peculiar location and conditions would entail major difficulties in excavating and preserving ex-situ this skeleton. Moreover, a decision-making impasse among the institutions involved complicates the problem. Yet, this specimen is one of the best preserved human fossils known. From 2016 to 2020 we conducted extensive in situ investigations of the specimen. Digital techniques and equipment specifically designed for or adapted to the difficult underground context were used in carrying out the most detailed assessment possible of the skeleton. The data thus collected provide an insight into human evolution in Europe, and a first glance at the amount of information this amazing specimen could provide. In this contribution, we want to update the information on the problematic context of Lamalunga, and address the innovative solutions put in place in 2016–2020 to study and preserve the Neanderthal skeleton in this fragile environment.

A quantitative analysis of Final Palaeolithic/earliest Mesolithic cultural taxonomy and evolution in Europe.

Archaeological systematics, together with spatial and chronological information, are commonly used to infer cultural evolutionary dynamics in the past. For the study of the Palaeolithic, and particularly the European Final Palaeolithic and earliest Mesolithic, proposed changes in material culture are often interpreted as reflecting historical processes, migration, or cultural adaptation to climate change and resource availability. Yet, cultural taxonomic practice is known to be variable across research history and academic traditions, and few large-scale replicable analyses across such traditions have been undertaken. Drawing on recent developments in computational archaeology, we here present a data-driven assessment of the existing Final Palaeolithic/earliest Mesolithic cultural taxonomy in Europe. Our dataset consists of a large expert-sourced compendium of key sites, lithic toolkit composition, blade and bladelet production technology, as well as lithic armatures. The dataset comprises 16 regions and 86 individually named archaeological taxa ('cultures'), covering the period between ca. 15,000 and 11,000 years ago (cal BP). Using these data, we use geometric morphometric and multivariate statistical techniques to explore to what extent the dynamics observed in different lithic data domains (toolkits, technologies, armature shapes) correspond to each other and to the culture-historical relations of taxonomic units implied by traditional naming practice. Our analyses support the widespread conception that some dimensions of material culture became more diverse towards the end of the Pleistocene and the very beginning of the Holocene. At the same time, cultural taxonomic unit coherence and efficacy appear variable, leading us to explore potential biases introduced by regional research traditions, inter-analyst variation, and the role of disjunct macroevolutionary processes. In discussing the implications of these findings for narratives of cultural change and diversification across the Pleistocene-Holocene transition, we emphasize the increasing need for cooperative research and systematic archaeological analyses that reach across research traditions.

The First Loss of Romanian Commercial Vessels

The issue of Romanian commercial vessels during the Second World War has not been extensively presented in Romanian historiography, although it pertains to national security and defence. After great financial efforts, in 1939, Romania had a commercial fleet that ensured part of the transport needs of exported and imported goods. With the exception of the passenger ships sent to Istanbul, the other vessels, which were in ports in the Mediterranean, the USA and Great Britain, as well as those leased to Germany, were lost. Even if some shipowners managed to recover the vessels or their value, they did not sail under the Romanian flag. The mentioned situation was determined by the geopolitical and geostrategic evolution in Europe and worldwide. With regard to Romania, the proximity to Germany and, then, the “alliance” with the government in Berlin were catastrophic also from the perspective of the situation of the Romanian commercial fleet. The USA, Great Britain and the USSR acted in accordance with their interests both during the war and after its end, so that the Romanian state could not recover any vessel or the value of those lost

Prima pierdere a navelor comerciale românești

The issue of Romanian commercial vessels during the Second World War has not been extensively presented in Romanian historiography, although it pertains to national security and defence. After great financial efforts, in 1939, Romania had a commercial fleet that ensured part of the transport needs of exported and imported goods. With the exception of the passenger ships sent to Istanbul, the other vessels, which were in ports in the Mediterranean, the USA and Great Britain, as well as those leased to Germany, were lost. Even if some shipowners managed to recover the vessels or their value, they did not sail under the Romanian flag. The mentioned situation was determined by the geopolitical and geostrategic evolution in Europe and worldwide. With regard to Romania, the proximity to Germany and, then, the “alliance” with the government in Berlin were catastrophic also from the perspective of the situation of the Romanian commercial fleet. The USA, Great Britain and the USSR acted in accordance with their interests both during the war and after its end, so that the Romanian state could not recover any vessel or the value of those lost

Zircon U-Pb-Hf isotope systematics of southern Black Forest gneiss units (Germany) – Implications for the pre-Variscan evolution of Central Europe

Presently, little is known about depositional ages, geological setting, and provenance of (meta)sedimentary rocks constituting the southern part of the Black Forest Gneiss Complex, preventing detailed reconstructions of the Cadomian to Variscan geodynamic evolution in Europe. Here, we present the first systematic U-Pb-Hf isotope data of detrital zircon grains combined with geochemical data of metasedimentary rocks from the Murgtal, Todtmoos, and Wiese-Wehra gneiss units, preserving different stages of the pre-, syn- and post-Cadomian evolution. Protoliths of Murgtal metagreywackes were deposited during the Ediacaran at <550 Ma and sourced from the Avalonian-Cadomian Belt (550–700 Ma; ∼70 %) and Africa (760–1045 Ma, 1850–2250 Ma, 2720–3230 Ma; ∼30 %). In contrast, metasedimentary rocks of the Wiese-Wehra and Todtmoos gneiss units show late Devonian depositional ages at <375 Ma, but in different geotectonic settings. Data from Wiese-Wehra metagreywackes provide evidence for the existence of a pre-Cadomian oceanic arc formed at 610 Ma (εHft = +5 to +8), accreted to the Avalonian-Cadomian Belt at ca. 540 Ma, and successively reworked until 380 Ma (εHft = +1 to +6). Finally, these rocks became part of an early Variscan arc-back arc system with juvenile input at ca. 375 Ma (εHft = 0 to +10). Todtmoos metaarkoses mainly reflect subduction-related magmatism at 420–490 Ma (∼88 %), and at 380 Ma (∼10 %) in a continental arc setting (εHft = −2 to −8), and rare Cadomian arc input (560–700 Ma; εHft = −10 to +3; ∼2 %). Zircon grains of some samples reveal a Variscan metamorphic overprint at 340–335 Ma. In combination, new and existing data from the Black Forest and other basement units throughout Europe provide evidence for the amalgamation of pre-Cadomian juvenile terranes along the northern margin of Gondwana until 540 Ma, followed by a complex rift history, accompanied by subduction between 500 and 400 Ma. Furthermore, they indicate the existence of an oceanic arc-back arc system, which was located south of the Armorican Terrane Assemblage at 380–350 Ma, immediately prior to Variscan subduction-accretion at <345 Ma.

The Convergence Evolution in Europe from a Complex Networks Perspective

The evolution of the convergence among the European countries, including both Eurozone as well as non-Eurozone economies, is investigated in this paper. To do so, we construct correlation-based networks and study them by employing the Threshold Weighted-Minimum Dominating Set (TW–MDS) algorithm and analyzing standard quantitative performance graph theory metrics. Each country is represented by a network node, while the edges represent the cross-correlations calculated for a specific macroeconomic variable, for a given time window. To study the intertemporal evolution of the network’s interconnections, we examine its structure in three consecutive time intervals: 1999–2004, 2005–2010 and 2011–2019. The empirical findings provide a mixed pattern. The European countries exhibit a common behavior over time for some macroeconomic variables, but not for all of them.

Comparative Aspects Regarding Local Police Services in Romania and France

This paper includes a comparative study on local police services in Romania and France and was designed to facilitate the understanding of the mechanisms of organization and operation of this public service in the two countries. Throughout the paper, the pieces that make up this complex defence mechanism at the level of territorial administrative units, which are called local /municipal police, will be specified and presented. The focus will be on the efficiency of the local police in Romania in relation to France (where it is called municipal police) and the level at which it stands as modernization and evolution in Europe.

Mantle sources and magma evolution in Europe's largest rare earth element belt (Gardar Province, SW Greenland): New insights from sulfur isotopes

Alkaline igneous complexes are often rich in rare earth elements (REE) and other metals essential for modern technologies. Although a variety of magmatic and hydrothermal processes explain the occurrence of individual deposits, one common feature identified in almost all studies, is a REE-enriched parental melt sourced from the lithospheric mantle. Fundamental questions remain about the origin and importance of the mantle source in the genesis of REE-rich magmas. In particular, it is often unclear whether localized enrichments within an alkaline province reflect heterogeneity in the mantle source lithology (caused by prior subduction or plume activity) or variations in the degree of partial melting and differentiation of a largely homogeneous source. Sulfur isotopes offer a means of testing these hypotheses because they are unaffected by high temperature partial melting processes and can fingerprint different mantle sources. Although one must be careful to rule out subsequent isotope fractionation during magma ascent, degassing and crustal interactions.Here, we present new S concentration and isotope (δ34S) measurements, as well as a compilation of major and trace element data, for a suite of alkaline magmatic units and crustal lithologies from the Mesoproterozoic Gardar Province. Samples span all phases of Gardar magmatism (1330–1140 Ma) and include regional dykes, rift lavas and the alkaline complexes Motzfeldt and Ilímaussaq, which represent two of Europe's largest REE deposits. We show that the vast majority of our 115 samples have S contents >100 ppm and δ34S of −1 to 5‰. Only 8 samples (with low S contents, <100 ppm) show evidence for crustal interactions, implying that the vast majority of Gardar melts preserve the S isotopic signature of their magma source. Importantly, samples from across the Gardar Province have δ34S above the canonical mantle range (≤−1.4‰) and therefore require recycled surface S in their mantle source. Elevated δ34S values are explained by a period of Andean-style subduction and mantle metasomatism which took place ∼500 Ma before rift onset and are also supported by trace elements signatures (e.g. Ba/La) which match modern subduction zones.Comparing the various generations of Gardar magmas, we find that δ34S values, large ion lithophile elements (K, Ba, P) and selective incompatible elements (Nb and light REE) are particularly enriched in the Late Gardar dykes, alkaline complexes and clusters of silica-undersaturated dykes spatially associated with the alkaline complexes. These data indicate that subduction-related metasomatism of the Gardar mantle was spatially heterogeneous, and that alkaline complexes are sourced from localized mantle domains highly enriched in 34S, REE, alkalis and volatiles (particularly, F). Since alkalis and volatiles play an essential role in driving extreme differentiation of alkaline melts and fluids, we suggest the co-location of these species plus incompatible metals at high concentrations in the lithospheric mantle is a critical first-step in the genesis of a world-class alkaline REE deposit. S isotopes are powerful tools for identifying enriched mantle domains and the sources of mineralized alkaline igneous bodies.

Cultural mosaics, social structure, and identity: The Acheulean threshold in Europe

The period between 600 and 400 ka is a critical phase for human evolution in Europe. The south and northwest saw a dramatic increase in sites, the spread of handaxe technology alongside bone and wooden tool manufacture, efficient hunting techniques, and the use of fire. Lithic assemblages show considerable variation, including the presence/absence of handaxes and tool morphology. To explain this variation, we propose the Cultural Mosaic Model, which suggests that there is a range of expressions of the Acheulean, with local resources being instrumental in creating distinct material cultures with or without handaxes. We argue that if typologically and technologically distinct assemblage types are regionally distributed, chronologically separated, and persistent over time, then they are unlikely to be caused purely by raw material constraints or functional variation but rather reflect populations with different material cultures. We initially assess the model using British data. Britain was a northwestern peninsula of Europe, and oscillations in climate led to episodic occupation. The terraces of the pre-MIS 12 Bytham River provide a framework for dating occupation to MIS 13 and 15, while during MIS 11, archaeological sites with rich environmental records can be dated to substage level. We suggest there are six chronologically and typologically distinct assemblage types that reflect a series of population incursions into Britain. We review the broader European lithic record, which is consistent with the Cultural Mosaic Model. In developing the model, we suggest that during stable climate, localized cultures developed, while climatic change led to shifts in population, with increased knowledge exchange and gene flow. We suggest that group expression through material culture was an important stage in social development by promoting group cohesion, larger group size, better cooperation, improved knowledge transfer, and enabling populations to survive in larger foraging territories in northern Europe.

Wind resource evolution in Europe under different scenarios of climate change characterised by the novel Shared Socioeconomic Pathways

Wind energy is a fundamental pillar of the energy mix in Europe – hence the need for understanding the evolution of the wind energy resource under climate change. For this purpose, near-, mid- and long-term wind speed projections from 18 global climate models are considered and a multi-model ensemble is constructed with the ones found to best reproduce past-present conditions. The evolution and temporal variability of wind power is investigated considering different climate change scenarios through the novel Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). More specifically, two SSPs are considered, each corresponding to its own socio-economic and political environment and, therefore, its own level of greenhouse emissions: SSP5-8.5 (highest emissions scenario) and SSP2-4.5 (intermediate emissions scenario). Both scenarios lead to a significant reduction (up to 35%) in wind power density in northern Continental Europe and the Central Mediterranean, and an increase of similar magnitude in West Finland. Over the Atlantic Ocean, Ireland and Britain the resource is also projected to decrease significantly. In other regions, however, the general trend (positive or negative) depends on the SSP scenario. This is the case, notably, of Central Europe, with considerable growth in SSP2-4.5 but some reduction in SSP5-8.5. Thus, in the intermediate emissions scenario (SSP2-4.5) both growth and decline in wind power density are forecast, depending on the region. By contrast, in the highest emissions scenario (SSP5-8.5) the forecast is a general decrease, of the order of 15% overall, with an annual rate of change of approximately –0.2% and an increase in seasonal variability. These trends will affect the energy production of wind farms and, therefore, need to be accounted for in assessing wind power projects in Europe.

First record of mawsoniid coelacanths (Actinistia, Sarcopterygii) from the marine Rhaetian (Upper Triassic) of Bonenburg, Germany

ABSTRACT Coelacanths are represented today by a single genus, Latimeria. They are known to be ‘living fossils’, because their evolutionary history dates back into the Devonian. Through the Upper Triassic, coelacanths are represented by two families, the Latimeriidae and Mawsoniidae. While latimeriids represent their marine lineage, mawsoniids were, until recently (Deesri et al., 2018), thought to be exclusively freshwater inhabitants. Through the Late Triassic, mawsoniids originated in freshwater environments of America, and only little is known about their evolution in Europe during this time period. Here we report on two morphotypes of mawsoniid basisphenoids from the marine Rhaetian (Upper Triassic) Bonenburg locality (Kreis Höxter, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany) showing that (1) Late Triassic coelacanths from Germany can be assigned to the family level, specifically to Mawsoniidae, (2) mawsoniid coelacanths were already present in Europe in the Late Triassic, and (3) these inhabited marine environments at the end of the Triassic, supporting the affinities of habitat preference of previous finds from France (Deesri et al., 2018). The results strengthen the hypothesis an intermediate marine phase between the origin of Mawsoniidae in freshwater environments of nowadays North America during the Late Triassic and their final occurrence in continental deposits of Western Gondwana (Africa and South America) and nowadays Europe in the Late Cretaceous (Cavin et al., 2019).

Coping with arid environments: A critical threshold for human expansion in Europe at the Marine Isotope Stage 12/11 transition? The case of the Iberian Peninsula

Archaeological remains have highlighted the fact that the interglacial Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 11 was a threshold from the perspective of hominin evolution in Europe. After the MIS 12 glaciation, considered one of the major climate-driven crises experienced by hominins, the archaeological records show an increasing number of occupations, evidence of new subsistence behaviors, and significant technical innovations. Here, we used statistical and geographic techniques to analyze the amphibian- and reptile-based paleoclimate and habitat reconstructions generated from a large data set of the Iberian Peninsula to (1) investigate if temperature, precipitation, and/or forest cover may have impacted the hominin occupation of the territory during the Early and Middle Pleistocene, (2) propose an ‘Iberian’ ecological model before and after the MIS 12/11 transition, and (3) evaluate, based on this model, the potential hominin occupation at a European scale. The results indicate the existence of climatic constraints on human settlement related to rainfall and environmental humidity. The Early Pleistocene and the first half of the Middle Pleistocene are dominated by the occupation of relatively humid wooded areas, whereas during the second part of the Middle Pleistocene, a broadening of the earlier ecological niche is clearly observed toward the occupation of more open arid areas. Based on the estimated occupational niche for hominins, a maximum potential distribution for early hominins is proposed in Europe before and after 426 ka. Results also indicate that parts of the Iberian Peninsula may not have been suitable for early hominin occupation. Our ecological model is consistent with the pattern of hominin occupation observed in northern and central Europe, where the earliest evidence reflects only pioneering populations merely extending their ranges in response to the expansion of their preferred habitats, as compared with a more sustained occupation by 400 ka.

Conceptual Basis of Art Jewelry Development in Europe in the 1960-1980s.

The purpose of the article deals with the analysis of art jewelry formation in Europe, in particular the UK, the Netherlands, and Germany in the 1960-1980s. The representatives of these countries had their own traits and character, due to the specificity of the cultural environment. The methodology is based on a combination of historical and systemic approaches that have become an integral set of all the selected methods, as well as the methods of comparative, system-comparative, and art criticism analyses. The scientific novelty of the study is in the highlighting of the peculiarity of jewelry evolution in Europe in the 1960-1980s, which is associated with the emergence of new conceptual foundations of creation: the use of different materials - from expensive to alternative, new aesthetic and conceptual forms, which is considered as an independent artistic phenomenon for the first time. Conclusions. The deviation of adornments from classic jewelry and the establishment of their independent aesthetic role in the system of applied art is accompanied by an active creative experiment in the countries of Europe from the 1960s to the early 1980s. From then on, main conceptual foundations are being formed: the change of art jewelry interpretation paradigm as the work of art on the verge of decorative and visual arts; experiments with art jewelry in the practical and theoretical context; the use of non-traditional materials.

QUESTÕES AMAZÔNICAS E SEUS REFLEXOS NO TRATADO UNIÃO EUROPEIA – MERCOSUL: UMA REFLEXÃO ACERCA DAS RESPONSABILIDADES DE TODOS PAÍSES ENVOLVIDOS

Historicamente os problemas envolvendo o meio ambiente não eram o foco central dos pactos internacionais europeus. No entanto, o Tratado Internacional União Europeia – Mercosul, apesar de passados vinte e um anos da assinatura do Acordo-Quadro, ainda não avançou para celebração do Acordo de Associação Inter-Regional, tendo em vista que o bloco Europeu acusa principalmente o Brasil da não preservação da região Amazônica. Todavia, atualmente a Europa é uma das principais consumidoras de produtos oriundos do agronegócio, um dos maiores responsáveis pelo desmatamento e queimadas na região. Dessa forma, demonstrar-se-á que a evolução do interesse ambiental da Europa em seus tratados carece também de cuidados nas políticas internacionais de importação. Para solução do problema, a presente pesquisa investiga se a responsabilidade pela assinatura do Tratado União Europeia – Mercosul é exclusivamente do governo brasileiro e suas políticas ambientais. Para alcançar o objetivo proposto, utilizou-se da metodologia jurídico-teórica, bem como de um raciocínio dedutivo e pesquisa doutrinária e jurisprudencial. Concluiu-se que a as degradações sofridas pela Amazônia não tem responsabilidade apenas dos países componentes da região, mas também dos que se beneficiam dos insumos produzidos na região, como a Europa.

SPIRITUAL ORIGINS OF THE ARIA GENRE AND THE SPECIFICITY OF ITS FORMATION IN THE COMPOSITE WORKS OF EUROPE AND CHINA

The purpose of the article is to reveal common features in the interpretation of the genre of aria and its evolution in Europe and China from the Middle Ages to the beginning of Modern Times. The methodology is formed by music-cultural and intonational-stylistic analysis, as well as by a comparative style of styling. The scientific novelty is defined by revealing commonality in the development of certain phenomena in the development of the history of musical art of different countries, in particular, France and China due to the increased attention to the genre of the aria. Conclusions. The term "aria" in European music of this period meant three possible semantic nuances - "polite", "serious" and spiritual. Aria originated from the practice of French temple singing in the XII – XIII centuries, when high-frequency heterophony emphasized high and medium ("countertenor") voices and in which the free "rhetorical" development of the party was determined by the spiritual melody of the "tenor". In the future, the aria in the XVIIth century opera, according to the description, retained its connection with the old church singing tradition, which was subsequently abandoned. However, the genre of arias was actively used in the practice of the musical theater of China XV – XVI centuries (drama of Yuan, Kunqu), in which vocalization with its specific methods of sound production was generously filled with rhetoric of inventions and scenery, symbolizing the continuity of high traditions and church court lyrics in the era of national revival after liberation from the Mongol conquest. Aria is an important structural component of European and Chinese opera from the Middle Ages to the Modern Times. This historically defined this genre as the basic one for the representatives of the Far East, Tan Dun, and Yun Isang in their creative development of European composer technique and opera form.

Standardized assessment of personality disorders in older adults: State-of-the-art.

The double ageing evolution in Europe is a tremendous challenge for health care. Older adults with a personality disorder place an additional burden: they have more somatic and psychiatric co-morbidity than those without a personality disorder. Moreover, they experience less quality of life than individuals without personality disorders. This is in sharp contrast to the dearth of empirical research concerning the construct of personality disorders in later life, the very limited amount of available diagnostic tools, criteria of classification systems like DSM not being attuned to the elderly context and the lack of age-neutrality of popular instruments to measure personality disorders. Therefore, in the Netherlands and Belgium a start was made to develop and validate age-specific instruments and to examine the applicability of the alternative dimensional-hybrid DSM-5 classification of personality disorders in older adults. These recent developments and how to apply them for a personalized assessment in older adults will be discussed. Finally, we advise a phased test-based diagnostic approach in which the above-mentioned instruments, combined with measures of adaptive features or more specific tests, can contribute to an assessment optimizing the balance between restricting the load for the older patient and still being sufficiently comprehensive to result in a personalized approach of the diagnostic process.

Mammuthus meridionalis (Nesti, 1825) from Apollonia-1 (Mygdonia Basin, Northern Greece) and its importance within the Early Pleistocene mammoth evolution in Europe

In the present article, we study the mammoth remains from the late Villafranchian (Early Pleistocene) locality Apollonia-1 (Mygdonia Basin, Northern Greece). The material consists of a hemi-mandible with the m3, isolated m3/M3 and a maxilla fragment with DP2-DP3. The mandibular and dental features permit their attribution to the southern mammoth Mammuthus meridionalis (Nesti, 1825). Yet, the dental features indicate an evolutionary stage somewhat more derived than the Upper Valdarno mammoth (beginning of late Villafranchian) in terms of the higher number of plates in the DP3 and the marginally higher hypsodonty index in the M3. This is also revealed by the application of a Principal Component Analysis, where several dental features are combined. Moreover, the relatively deep mandibular corpus is a derived feature. In these aspects, the Apollonia-1 sample fits better with corresponding specimens from European localities correlated to the second part of the late Villafranchian and the Epivillafranchian. From this period, two subspecies have been proposed from Western Europe: M. m. vestinus (Azzaroli inAmbrosetti, Azzaroli, Bonadonna & Follieri, 1972) from Italian localities correlated to the Farneta Faunal Unit and M. m. deperetiCoppens & Beden, 1982 from Saint-Prest (France). We propose that M. m. vestinus can be regarded a valid subspecies of the southern mammoth and that M. m. depereti is possibly a junior synonym. The results of this study are in agreement with the existing biochronological correlation of the Apollonia-1 fauna and further support the potential biostratigraphic significance of M. meridionalis within the Early Pleistocene, albeit conclusions based on limited/fragmentary sample should always be taken with caution.

Gender inequality in self-reported health and its evolution in Europe between 2004 and 2016

Abstract Background That women generally have worse health than men has long been shown. Yet, the situation in Europe might have changed recently. Gender inequalities have decreased in access to education, employment, and political representation. However, women have increasingly adopted traditionally masculine unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking. Also, the Great Recession may have hurt women harder, due to their greater socioeconomic vulnerability. This study aims to analyze gender inequalities in 30 European countries, and its evolution over the 2004-2016 period. Methods We used data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), from people between 25 and 64 years old (N = 3,109,150). We modeled the probability of bad/very bad self-reported health as function of gender, adjusting for age, country and year, using logistic regressions. We further adjusted for education and employment. Then, we included interactions of gender and year to test changes in inequalities over time. Finally, we stratified the analysis according to countries grouped based on the Gender Development Index (GDI). Results Women were 16.8% more likely to report bad health (OR = 1.17, p &amp;lt; 0.01). Considering education and employment, women were 2.6% less likely to report bad health (OR = 0.97, p &amp;lt; 0.01). Over time, adjusting for age, the gender gap reduced from 81.1% (OR = 1.81, p &amp;lt; 0.01) in 2004 to 16.4% in 2016 (OR = 1.16, p &amp;lt; 0.01), and from 31.5% to 2.5% with socioeconomic adjustment. The reduction was larger in countries with a greater GDI. Conclusions Gender inequality has decreased, but was still present in 2016, in favor of men. This thinning is partly explained by the narrowing of inequalities in education and employment. A greater GDI has favored a larger improvement. Key messages Gender inequalities in self-reported health have narrowed over 2004-2006, following the narrowing of socioeconomic inequalities. A greater GDI has favored a larger improvement in gender inequalities.

The Institutionalization of Military Sociology: The Russian Path of Gains and Losses

This article contends that the current view of military sociology is neither complete nor detailed (particularly at the early stages of its development). It maintains that the institutionalization of military sociology is dominated by one perspective, that is, by the American tradition. Its evolution in Europe, including Russia, is underrepresented. Without claiming to be all encompassing, this article attempts to critically reconsider the Russian approach to the institutionalization of military sociology under the challenging conditions of an autocratic and totalitarian political regime. One of the most characteristic particularities of the Russian approach was the establishment and growth of the subfield primarily within the military itself—that is, the emergence and formation of “a science in uniform.” The article maintains that it would be useful to consider the Russian experience in order to reconstruct a global, multifaceted institutionalization of military sociology. In turn, this may lead to a more robust scholarly debate about the past, present and future prospects of this field of sociological study.

Past, Present, and Future of Marcescent Mediterranean Forests

Mediterranean forests are unique and one of the most threatened biomes worldwide (Klausmeyer and Shaw 2009). They are distributed through marked ecological gradients that are supported by a wide variety of diverse geology and contrasting bioclimatic conditions. Marcescence (i.e., the abscence of leaf fall abscission; Addicott 1982), is a life-history trait related to contrasting or transitional climatic areas such as those across Eurosiberian and Mediterranean Regions (García-Mijangos et al. 2014). Thus, marcescent forests are ecotones located in the transition between temperate areas with cold winters and mild rainy summers and mediterranean regions with dry and hot summers (Rivas-Martínez et al. 2017). We aim to provide a global overview of marcescent forests in the Mediterranean basin, a significant ecotone in terms of biogeography and conservation, by exploring the main ecological drivers that have promoted past, current and future changes in the distribution ranges of several oak species. We used a subset of oak species from the subsection Galliferae (Quercus L.), to unveil biogeographic relationships and recent or past contact between taxa, thus bringing insights to its evolutionary history and speciation. A database was built with records obtained from extensive fieldwork, herbaria review and online resources (e.g., Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), scrutinized by taxonomic experts. We used downscaled climate data to obtain potential distribution of each species through an ensemble-modelling framework (biomod2 - R package, Araújo and New 2007, Thuiller et al. 2009), across different past (Last Glacial Maximum and Middle Holocene), present and future scenarios (2050 and 2080 Hijmans et al. 2005; Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 IPCC 2013). Results provide new insights to advance our current understanding of the biogeographic trajectories of transiently co-occurring oak species, at the boundary of two major biomes and biogeographic regions in Southern Europe and North Africa. Furthermore, we highlight the importance of these forests for biodiversity conservation, not only as refuge of relict and narrow endemic species, but particularly for understanding white oak biogeography and evolution in Europe, anticipating future shifts driven by anthropogenic climate change.