Mediterranean Context Research Articles

Comparative Analysis between Two Operational Irrigation Mapping Models over Study Sites in Mediterranean and Semi-Oceanic Regions

Accurate information about the irrigated surface is essential to help assess the impact of irrigation on water consumption, the hydrological cycle and regional climate. In this study, we compare recently developed operational and spatially transferrable classification models proposed for irrigation mapping. The first model suggests the use of spatio-temporal soil moisture indices derived from the Sentinel-1/2 soil moisture product (S2MP) at plot scale to map irrigated areas using the unsupervised K-means clustering algorithm (Dari model). The second model called the Sentinel-1/2 Irrigation mapping (S2IM) is a classification model based on the use the Sentinel-1 (S1) and Sentinel-2 (S2) time series data. Five study cases were examined including four studied years in a semi-oceanic area in north-central France (between 2017 and 2020) and one year (2020) in a Mediterranean context in south France. Main results showed that the soil-moisture based model using K-means clustering (Dari model) performs well for irrigation mapping but remains less accurate than the S2IM model. The overall accuracy of the Dari model ranged between 72.1% and 78.4% across the five study cases. The Dari model was found to be limited over humid conditions as it fails to correctly distinguish rain-fed plots from irrigated plots with an accuracy of the rain-fed class reaching 24.2% only. The S2IM showed the best accuracy in the five study cases with an overall accuracy ranging between 72.8% and 93.0%. However, for humid climatic conditions, the S2IM had an accuracy of the rain-fed class reaching 62.0%. The S2IM is thus superior in terms of accuracy but with higher complexity for application than the Dari model that remains simple yet effective for irrigation mapping.

Conjuring the Planetary Mine: Counter-Mapping the Heart of Extractive Capital

April 01 2022 Conjuring the Planetary Mine: Counter-Mapping the Heart of Extractive Capital Christopher Alton, Christopher Alton Christopher Alton is pursuing a PhD at the University of Waterloo. His work looks at the relationship between planning, extraction, and the production of landscapes in Canadian and Mediterranean contexts. He was lead researcher for the Canadian pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale of Architecture, is a visiting scholar at the Centre for Biocultural Landscape and Seascape in Sardinia, and is a Lecturer at Ryerson University. He holds an MDes from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Eric Robsky Huntley, Eric Robsky Huntley Erik Robsky Huntley, PhD, is a Lecturer in Urban Science and Planning in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They are also a Visiting Lecturer in Landscape Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, a research fellow of the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium, and a research associate of Catherine D’Ignazio’s Data + Feminism Lab. Robsky Huntley is a GIScientist, geographer, and designer who builds mapping tools in collaboration with and alongside movements for social justice. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Zulaikha Ayub Zulaikha Ayub Zulaikha Ayub is trained in the fields of architecture, critical geography, and nuclear politics. Her doctoral research deals with the spatio-temporal apparatuses of media, secrecy, and technology in relation to the Manhattan Project and subsequent nuclear armaments. Her institutional affiliations and collaborations include University of California, Berkeley, Mountainview Correctional Facility, Pratt Institute, European Council on Foreign Relations, City College of New York, Mississippi State University, and the Beyond Extraction Collective. Search for other works by this author on: This Site Google Scholar Author and Article Information Christopher Alton Christopher Alton is pursuing a PhD at the University of Waterloo. His work looks at the relationship between planning, extraction, and the production of landscapes in Canadian and Mediterranean contexts. He was lead researcher for the Canadian pavilion at the 2016 Venice Biennale of Architecture, is a visiting scholar at the Centre for Biocultural Landscape and Seascape in Sardinia, and is a Lecturer at Ryerson University. He holds an MDes from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Eric Robsky Huntley Erik Robsky Huntley, PhD, is a Lecturer in Urban Science and Planning in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. They are also a Visiting Lecturer in Landscape Architecture at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, a research fellow of the New England Regional Fellowship Consortium, and a research associate of Catherine D’Ignazio’s Data + Feminism Lab. Robsky Huntley is a GIScientist, geographer, and designer who builds mapping tools in collaboration with and alongside movements for social justice. Zulaikha Ayub Zulaikha Ayub is trained in the fields of architecture, critical geography, and nuclear politics. Her doctoral research deals with the spatio-temporal apparatuses of media, secrecy, and technology in relation to the Manhattan Project and subsequent nuclear armaments. Her institutional affiliations and collaborations include University of California, Berkeley, Mountainview Correctional Facility, Pratt Institute, European Council on Foreign Relations, City College of New York, Mississippi State University, and the Beyond Extraction Collective. Online Issn: 2572-7338 Print Issn: 1091-711X © 2022 JChristopher Alton, Eric Robsky Huntley, and Zulaikha Ayub2022Christopher Alton, Eric Robsky Huntley, and Zulaikha Ayub Thresholds (2022) (50): 239–255. https://doi.org/10.1162/thld_a_00765 Cite Icon Cite Permissions Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Search Site Citation Christopher Alton, Eric Robsky Huntley, Zulaikha Ayub; Conjuring the Planetary Mine: Counter-Mapping the Heart of Extractive Capital. Thresholds 2022; (50): 239–255. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/thld_a_00765 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll JournalsThresholds Search Advanced Search This content is only available as a PDF. © 2022 JChristopher Alton, Eric Robsky Huntley, and Zulaikha Ayub2022Christopher Alton, Eric Robsky Huntley, and Zulaikha Ayub Article PDF first page preview Close Modal You do not currently have access to this content.

Commemorating a Providential Conquest in Valencia: The 9 October Feast

From 1338 onwards, the inhabitants of late-medieval Valencia celebrated a feast every 9 October commemorating the entrance into the city of King James I’s forces on that day in 1238. It has been argued that this was essentially a spiritual display from its establishment in 1338 until the beginning of the fifteenth century. The present study delves deeper into the religious and political aims of the feast from its origins, framing the celebration within a broader Mediterranean context. The first part analyses the 9 October feast in relation to two medieval liturgies that also commemorated crusading victories against Islam: the “Feast of the Liberation of Jerusalem” and the “Feast of the Banner of Majorca”. The second part focuses on the combination of performance and images during the ceremony, leading to the conclusion that the 9 October procession had similar goals to those in Jerusalem and Majorca. Indeed, the ceremony intended to convey an interpretation of the conquest as the continuation of Biblical history because it visibly and orally aligned the capture of Valencia with divine will and the sacred Scriptures.

Bringing journalism back to its roots: examining fact-checking practices, methods, and challenges in the Mediterranean context

The rise of fact-checking as an innovative tool aimed at improving democratic well-being has become a transnational movement in journalism. In June 2021, the Duke Reporters’ Lab database features 341 such initiatives around the world, including 33 active fact-checking projects in countries pertaining to the Mediterranean or Polarized Pluralist Model (Hallin; Mancini, 2004). Following previous research on fact-checking in other territories, this qualitative study expands the understanding of how this practice is performed by four platforms of countries belonging to this journalistic culture: Maldita.es (Spain), Les Surligneurs (France), Observador (Portugal), and Pagella Politica (Italy). Through in-depth interviews with their decision-makers, this work offers a deep understanding of the structure, agenda, practices, and values, the role of the public, and the challenges that these organizations face. Normally run by small but multidisciplinary teams, the studied initiatives show high levels of transparency and a tendency for continuous improvement and professionalization despite their limitations. Following the example of leading initiatives in the USA, the UK, Latin America and Europe, the analyzed organizations cover a wide range of thematic areas and make use of the latest digital tools. They employ robust methodologies when selecting the content they verify, consult an extensive range of sources, and set various control filters before publication, which proves their commitment to transparency and accountability. Furthermore, they guarantee the right of reply and are widely open to public participation and broader dissemination of their work through mainstream media. From difficulties in accessing public information to scarcity of resources and increased competition, fact-checking platforms in the Mediterranean context face major challenges that have forced them to rethink their role and find new revenue streams. These organizations highlight the need to enhance the impact of fact-checking among citizens, journalists, and politicians and, ultimately, to go back to the roots of journalism.

Influence of precision livestock farming on the environmental performance of intensive dairy goat farms

The implementation of Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) concepts has been pointed out as an indirect strategy that could potentially help mitigating the environmental impacts of livestock production systems. To date, few studies have focused on analyzing specifically the relationship among PLF adoption and environmental performance, so sustainability benefits have not yet been quantified for many technologies. Moreover, studies evaluating the environmental impact of dairy production have traditionally focused on cattle, and when exploring sheep or goats, they have often involved extensive, low-productive systems, providing an incomplete picture of the sector. In this study we apply life cycle assessment (LCA) to analyze the environmental impact associated to intensive dairy goat production, and to explore the influence of adopting a smart-farming PLF platform on the environmental performance of a group of dairy goat farms in Spain. The PLF-platform relies on systematic on-farm monitoring of individual animal data, coupled with big data processing and interpretation, which supports farmers to take adequate -and timely-farm management decisions. In order to capture its influence, two different periods were analyzed in five selected farms: a baseline year just before innovation was implemented (2014) and four years after (2018), when most of the effect of improved management was reflected. Results after the PLF-platform implementation showed significant reductions (−11%) in greenhouse gas emissions and similar trends in other impact categories (9–16% reductions). The PLF platform provided a precise monitoring of the productivity, genetic merit and physiological state of each animal, allowing adequate criteria for a number of decision-making processes, such as selecting animals for breeding, replacement or culling. This optimization led to an increase in the genetic selection progress, ultimately reflected on milk productivity. Moreover, a reduction of unproductive periods such as first partum age or dry period length was often achieved. As a result of this general improvement, the efficiency of resource usage in relation to milk (and meat) production was increased, with positive effect on the environmental performance. Production of 1 kg of fat and protein corrected milk (FPCM) resulted in 1.53–1.71 kg CO2 eq. Results in other impacts categories were also in a similar range than previously reported values for highly productive dairy systems, including dairy cattle, which stresses the important role that small ruminant farming can play on environmentally sustainable livestock production, particularly in the Mediterranean context.

A risk index for assessing heat stress mitigation strategies. An application in the Mediterranean context

In many Mediterranean cities, there are densely built up settlements characterized by the lack of green spaces and the abundant use of impervious construction materials, so the phenomenon of heat stress is exacerbated and mitigation strategies are key to improve thermal conditions of pedestrians.The present study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of heat stress mitigation strategies by proposing a new heat stress risk index that comprehensively accounts for hazard, vulnerability and exposure of the urban context. The index is tested with the assessment of two different greenery scenarios based on the introduction of vegetation in the existing street spaces rearranged according to the principles of traffic calming and vertical vegetated surfaces. These scenarios have been simulated in a district of the metropolitan city of Catania (Italy) through the combined use of GIS software and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations in ENVI-met.Results showed that mitigation scenarios improve outdoor thermal conditions for pedestrians because about 66% of the domain area showed Tmrt reductions in the range of 2.5 °C–7.5 °C with respect to the existing scenario. Furthermore, the no hazard area for 80+ residents is increased from 63% of current scenario to 83% of the advanced scenario, thus demonstrating the usefulness of the new index in giving a synthetic measure of effectiveness to decision makers. Further studies are planned to stress the capabilities of the index in contrasting heat stress risk and mitigation solutions for different urban tissues and climates.

Water Governance in Mediterranean Farming Systems through the Social-Ecological Systems Framework—An Empirical Case in Southern Portugal

Water governance is a major challenge in the Mediterranean context. Any action to drive water governance towards sustainability needs to be grounded in a holistic understanding of such challenges. Therefore, a first step towards the improvement of water governance is a grounded understanding of what is at stake, who are the actors involved, and how they interact. To achieve this level of understanding, we propose the use of the social–ecological Systems (SES) framework. This framework was developed to grasp the complexity of issues related to the sustainable use of public goods such as water. This study looks at water governance in the farming sector of three municipalities in the Alentejo and Algarve, in the south of Portugal. Data were collected using a literature review and 22 semi-structured interviews with territorial actors (i.e., public administration, non-governmental associations, private sector, decision-makers, and farmers). By using the SES framework, we provide an integrated characterization of water governance in the case study and identify the implicated factors. Between these factors, and focusing on the overlap between literature and actors’ perspectives, are (1) the lack of integrated and supported strategies for development, and (2) lack of communication between the actors that need to congregate efforts towards sustainable use of water resources. The study found few examples of collective efforts and long-lasting networks of collaboration, especially between science and practice. We conclude by arguing that place-based tailored policies are needed. Such policies should promote communication and collective actions between researchers, local organizations, public administration, and farmers.

Rural Settlement in Iron Age Cessetania (Northeastern Iberian Peninsula)

Recent research has demonstrated the importance of rural settlement in the Iberian culture, although there are still few rural sites explored in depth. ‘Rural settlement’ is the term we use to designate the small habitation sites or agricultural structures that became common from the Middle Iberian Period (450–200 bc) onward; such sites constituted the basis of a hierarchical settlement system characteristic of societies developing towards archaic states. These settlements consist of one or two buildings together with silos and/or artisanal features. The main difficulty in studying such sites is their poor preservation. They are usually located on flat areas suitable for cultivation, and research has traditionally prioritised the study of larger sites. In this study, we revise the data from previous investigations in the territory of ancient Iberian Cessetania and present the results of recent research, paying particular attention to the Rabassats site. We compare these rural settlements to those in other nearby territories in the Iberian area as well as in the wider Mediterranean context. Detailed analyses of the remains of rural sites show a greater complexity than is often assumed and suggest that a variety of small settlements, from an economic and probably also from a social point of view, should be included under the generic heading of ‘fourth order’.

Assessment of changes in Grenache grapevine maturity in a Mediterranean context over the last half-century

This study aims to i) evaluate some descriptive variables for Grenache berry composition over the last 50 years in the southern Rhône Valley wine-growing region and ii) analyse the impacts of climate on the main annual developmental phases of the Grenache berry to understand recent changes observed in the vineyard. A large and spatialised historical, open database from the Rhône Valley grape maturity network (1969–2020) was used to explore trends in grape profile during maturity and at harvest. Then, gridded climate data was used for processing phenological stages and ecoclimatic indicators. Significant changes in grapevine phenology and maturity dynamics were found and linked with changes to ecoclimatic indicators by carrying out a correlation analysis. Depending on the phenological phases, a limited number of ecoclimatic indicators had a significant effect on the maturity profile. The results highlight direct climate impacts on different maturity and yield variables over the last 50 years. These results provide important information about future issues in grape production and the implications for managing viticulture adaptation strategies and thus serve as a basis for assessing, prioritising and optimising technical means of maintaining current grape quality and yield.This study uses an ecoclimatic approach for examining in detail the effects of climate change on the Grenache grape variety in a Mediterranean context. The open database provides the latest information from a large network of plots and over a long period of time, making it possible to validate many results recorded in the literature. This is the first study to use this open database and we wish this database could lead to further explorations and results in viticulture and climate change issues.

Irrigation management or climate change ? Which is more important to cope with water shortage in the production of table grape in a Mediterranean context

Table grape production requires large amount of water, which can be problematic in semi-arid Mediterranean regions, where climate change projections anticipated reductions in water availability associated to decreases in precipitation and increases in temperature. In this context, this study aims to evaluate the effect of contrasting irrigation strategies and climate change scenarios on key water balance variables using a Chilean Table grape crop as case study. A standard and an improved irrigation management treatments were implemented in situ during the 2015/2016 and the 2016/2017–2017/2018 observed growing seasons, respectively. Then, the HYDRUS-1D water transfer model was run to simulate the three observed growing seasons and 27 near future growing seasons (2019/2020–2044/2015) under climate change conditions. Satisfactory calibration and validation results against soil moisture and water storage measurements were obtained within the first and the second observed growing seasons respectively (RRMSE values below 5%). Results during the observed seasons showed that by changing the standard irrigation by the improved irrigation management, the water use efficiency (WUEi) increases from 49.5% to 55.7%. For the near future, the calibrated model shows that under all the tested climate change scenarios, irrigation strategies based on supplying 80% and 50% of the crop evapotranspiration (ETc) (deficit irrigation scenarios) have larger efficiencies compared to the standard irrigation management (presenting a higher actual basal crop coefficient and lower percolation). Similar results were obtained under future extreme climate change years, defined as the ratio between model-based projections of reference evapotranspiration (ET0) and precipitation, with the deficit irrigation scenarios having larger efficiencies than the standard irrigation management. Based on these results, it is concluded that by mid- century, the irrigation management has more relevance than climate change impacts for tables grapes growing under a Mediterranean climate in central Chile.

Effects of Soil Quality on the Microbial Community Structure of Poorly Evolved Mediterranean Soils.

Physical and chemical alterations may affect the microbiota of soils as much as the specific presence of toxic pollutants. The relationship between the microbial diversity patterns and the soil quality in a Mediterranean context is studied here to test the hypothesis that soil microbiota is strongly affected by the level of anthropogenic soil alteration. Our aim has been to determine the potential effect of organic matter loss and associated changes in soil microbiota of poorly evolved Mediterranean soils (Leptosols and Regosols) suffering anthropogenic stress (i.e., cropping and deforestation). The studied soils correspond to nine different sites which differed in some features, such as the parent material, vegetation cover, or soil use and types. A methodological approach has been used that combines the classical physical and chemical study of soils with molecular characterization of the microbial assemblages using specific primers for Bacteria, Archaea and ectomycorrhizal Fungi. In agreement with previous studies within the region, physical, chemical and biological characteristics of soils varied notably depending on these factors. Microbial biomass, soil organic matter, and moisture, decreased in soils as deforestation increased, even in those partially degraded to substitution shrubland. Major differences were observed in the microbial community structure between the mollic and rendzic Leptosols found in forest soils, and the skeletic and dolomitic Leptosols in substitute shrublands, as well as with the skeletic and dolomitic Leptosols and calcaric Regosols in dry croplands. Forest soils displayed a higher microbial richness (OTU’s number) and biomass, as well as more stable and connected ecological networks. Here, we point out how human activities such as agriculture and other effects of deforestation led to changes in soil properties, thus affecting its quality driving changes in their microbial diversity and biomass patterns. Our findings demonstrate the potential risk that the replacement of forest areas may have in the conservation of the soil’s microbiota pool, both active and passive, which are basic for the maintenance of biogeochemical processes.

Historical Horizons of the Modern Culture: A Mediterranean Context

The article introduces the range of questions that are discussed in the part of the present issue of the journal dedicated to the historical horizon of modern civilization. In Antiquity and the Middle Ages, the most important ideas for modern civilization were formulated. Scientific, legal and social ideas that arose in the distant past created the horizon of modern culture, which begins to take on more or less distinct contours now. The development of this topic by the scholars, which were invited to collaborate in the issue, has produced an interesting additional result: it became clear that purely historical themes can be comprehended in terms of the theory of Human Capital. Moreover, the authors have focused on the socio-anthropological aspect of the problem, which allows us to see in the practices and activities of people those ways of thinking, mental paradigms, forms of knowledge and social strategies that constituted structural elements of their culture, which were formed in the deep Past.

Medieval Private Property in Cilician Armenia: the Mediterranean Context (the 13th-14th centuries)

Abstract: When in the 12th century the King Levon I (as prince Levon II — 1187–1198, as king — 1198–1219) united the state with a huge part of the northeastern shore of the Mediterranean sea, Cilicia Armenia quickly became involved in the most developed financial and economic relations of the time, the Mediterranean system. The accessibility of documenting private capital through paper changed the way people treated and used their private property. If in earlier centuries, only people of higher social strata could document their property using parchment, then the wide circulation of paper and the increase in its production volumes made it possible to document property to different classes, including both men and women. The capital and the issue of private property are components characterising the culture of medieval everyday life. The types and transformations of private properties in Cilician Armenia are reflected in historical sources, particularly in the codes of Mkhitar Gosh and Smbat Constable. There are numerous legal points in their works, as well as numerous evidences about the division of different types of properties, marital property etc. There is plenty of evidence in the documents drawn up in Cilician Armenia by notarial agents mainly from Genoa and Venice, which are unique sources for this issue.

The Use of the Wheel in the Production of Pithoi: Preliminary Results and Lessons Learnt from Experimental Sessions

Large earthenware storage vessels, known as pithoi, were very widespread in the Mediterranean Basin area, both in domestic and non-domestic contexts, throughout the entire Bronze Age. From a technological point of view, due to their large dimensions, the production of pithoi is very demanding and requires highly skilled and expert artisans. However, despite their large diffusion and their prominent role in resource management, pithoi have received less attention in terms of research in comparison to other types of vessels; technological studies, in particular, stand out for their relative rarity. Indeed, experimental approaches are scant, thus preventing a comprehensive understanding of the manufacturing process of pithoi. This paper presents the preliminary results of two experimental sessions dedicated to the examination of the use of the wheel in the manufacture of these large clay containers. Experimental vessels have been analysed by way of the naked eye and through X-ray analysis.

Can Precise Irrigation Support the Sustainability of Protected Cultivation? A Life-Cycle Assessment and Life-Cycle Cost Analysis

To address sustainability challenges, agricultural advances in Mediterranean horticultural systems will necessitate a paradigmatic shift toward smart technologies, the impacts of which from a life cycle perspective have to be explored. Using life cycle thinking approaches, this study evaluated the synergistic environmental and economic performance of precise irrigation in greenhouse Zucchini production following a cradle-to-farm gate perspective. A cloud-based decision support system and a sensor-based irrigation management system (both referred to as “smart irrigation” approaches) were analyzed and compared to the farmer’s experience-based irrigation. The potential environmental indicators were quantified using life cycle assessment (LCA) with the ReCiPe 2016 method. For the economic analysis, life cycle costing (LCC) was applied, accounting not only for private product costs but also for so-called “hidden” or “external” environmental costs by monetizing LCA results. Smart irrigation practices exhibited similar performance, consuming on average 38.2% less irrigation water and energy, thus generating environmental benefits ranging from 0.17% to 62%. Single score results indicated that life cycle environmental benefits are up to 13% per ton of product. The cost-benefit analysis results showed that even though the implementation of smart irrigation imposes upfront investment costs, these costs are offset by the benefits to water and energy conservation associated with these practices. The reduction of investment costs and higher water costs in future, and lower internal rate of return can further enhance the profitability of smart irrigation strategies. The overall results of this study highlight that smart and innovative irrigation practices can enhance water-energy efficiency, gaining an economic advantage while also reducing the environmental burdens of greenhouse cultivation in a Mediterranean context.

Modelling cabotage. Coastal navigation in the western Mediterranean Sea during the Early Iron Age

The study of population mobility and its impact on societies throughout history has undergone significant changes as a field in recent years. When we refer to maritime mobility applied to Early Iron Age (EIA) societies in the Mediterranean context, the predominance of coastal or cabotage navigation activity allows us to define this mobility as maritime transhumance. Over time, this mobility has defined the degree of connectivity of some areas with others, thus marking the cultural interactions of each space. This paper introduces the development of a working methodology through the creation of a GIS navigation model complemented by a social network analysis model (SNA). The nautical capabilities of the Gyptis—a replica of the sixth-century BC Archaic Greek Jules-Verne 9 shipwreck (from Marseille, France)—are applied in the context of the western Mediterranean Sea, along with forecasting parameters such as wave height, wind force and direction, combined with coastal visibility. The results reveal a workflow applicable to the analysis defining the physical and social characteristics applied to a specific vessel. While GIS enables mathematical calculations of navigational difficulty, SNA helps explore the relationship between communities connected by coastal navigation. In conclusion, the combination of GIS and SNA allows a closer examination of micro-regions. The concept of micro-regions integrates the Mediterranean Sea as a whole, as well as interactions between the maritime cultures that define it.

Pocket parks towards more sustainable cities. Architectural, environmental, managerial and legal considerations towards an integrated framework: A case study in the Mediterranean region

Pocket-sized urban parks may contribute to more widely distributing the advantages created by parks in urban neighborhoods, allowing more citizens to benefit more frequently from park environments. Notwithstanding their several benefits, including citizens’ psychological, physiological and physical well-being; possibilities for recreational activities; and improved economic attractiveness of a neighborhood, pocket parks (PPs) are not yet widely diffused worldwide. Considering the state of the art of PPs, we identify four main perspectives that characterize them: architectural, microclimate, managerial and legal. Focusing on a relevant case study, i.e., the Mediterranean context, we analyze the multi-disciplinary challenges – connected to the four identified dimensions – for their diffusion elsewhere. Finally, we provide a general framework for favoring PPs’ creation and management, as the original contribution of this work. Besides advancing scientific knowledge about PPs, our results also interest policymakers and public organizations, as the diffusion of PPs can mitigate urban environmental challenges by creating pleasant experiences for citizens and favoring economic activities.

Blessings for the sailors. The cult of the Great Gods of Samothrace in the Mediterranean context between the Hellenistic and Roman Ages

Abstract The aim of this paper is to underline some cultic features of the cult of the Great Gods of Samothrace, in its development between Hellenistic and Roman Age. In this regard, we analyze the mythological background of this cult, with particular reference to Trojan war and Aeneas saga and the influences on the cultic performances and ideology in Roman age. Our main goal is to show, through an analysis of the different syncretic cults (Dioskuroi, Penates, Lares) and the archaeological data, how the metaphors of sea and sailing influenced the transmission of this soteriological cult in Rome and how these cultural changes represent a weighty argument to demonstrate the very important revolution introduced by the Samothracian cult in the religious thought of classical world.

Genetic Variability, Population Differentiation, and Correlations for Thermal Tolerance Indices in the Minute Wasp, Trichogramma cacoeciae.

Simple SummaryAugmentative biological control relies on the more or less frequent/abundant releases of biological control agents (BCAs) that have to be adapted to their short-term local environment including (micro-)climatic conditions. Thermal biology of BCAs is thus a key component for their success. The extent to which thermal tolerance indices may be relevant predictors of the field efficiency is however still poorly documented. Within this frame, we investigated the intraspecific variability for the ability to move at low temperatures in the minute wasp, Trichogramma cacoeciae. We collected, molecularly characterized, and compared for their thermal tolerance indices numerous strains originating from three contrasting geographic areas. Our findings evidenced both a geographic differentiation between strains for one of the thermal tolerance indices and a positive correlation between two of them, demonstrating the existence of an intraspecific variability. Temperature is a main driver of the ecology and evolution of ectotherms. In particular, the ability to move at sub-lethal low temperatures can be described through three thermal tolerance indices—critical thermal minimum (CTmin), chill coma temperature (CCT), and activity recovery (AR). Although these indices have proven relevant for inter-specific comparisons, little is known about their intraspecific variability as well as possible genetic correlations between them. We thus investigated these two topics (intraspecific variability and genetic correlations between thermal tolerance indices) using the minute wasp, Trichogramma cacoeciae. Strains from T. cacoeciae were sampled across three geographic regions in France—two bioclimatic zones along a sharp altitudinal cline in a Mediterranean context (meso-Mediterranean at low elevations and supra-Mediterranean at higher elevations) and a more northwestern area characterized by continental or mountainous climates. Our results evidenced a significant effect of both the longitude and the severity of the cold during winter months on CCT. Results were however counter-intuitive since the strains from the two bioclimatic zones characterized by more severe winters (northwestern area and supra-Mediterranean) exhibited opposite patterns. In addition, a strong positive correlation was observed between CCT and CTmin. Neither strain differentiation nor the covariations between traits seem to be linked with the molecular diversity observed on the part of the mitochondrial marker COI.

Prelude: The sleeping song of the Gran Teatro Cervantes de Tangier

The recording through the still and moving image of two buildings of an alleged symbolic nature in the city of Tangier -in the surroundings of the Cornisse- addresses the identity issue in the Mediterranean cultural context and the need to recover a collective memory.The first project, entitled Crossing Lines, registers the Palace of Arts and Culture of Tangier under construction. The second, a videographic performance that gives the title to this contribution, registers as a “reopening” the Gran Teatro de Cervantes in Tangier, currently in ruins, where a Tangerian singer on his stage challenges this devastation with his song. Large erased cartouches with the names of Aeschylus, Corneille, Lope de Rueda, Schiller, Goldoni, Sophocles, Molière or Goethe, peaks of European literature, are revealed in front of his eyes.With both representations, the idea of ​​ruin and that of a project under construction are simultaneously raised to speak of the postcolonial moment of culture and its role in the expanded context of globalization. I intend to open a reflection on the difficulty that currently exists when it comes to articulating cultural meeting spaces between both shores of the Mediterranean.