Mid-20th Century Research Articles

Nitrogen cycle module for INM RAS climate model

Abstract Nitrogen is one of the most abundant chemical elements on the Earth and plays an important role in global environmental change. Leading Earth system models include coupled carbon and nitrogen cycle modules of varying complexity, but the INM RAS climate model family has not yet included an explicit N-cycle description. This paper presents a parameterization of the terrestrial N-cycle based on a simplification of the JULES-CN model, adapted for coupled use with the INM-CM land C-cycle module. Numerical simulations were carried out with a standalone carbon cycle model with nitrogen feedback disabled and enabled versions for the period 1850–2100. The simulated global pools show good agreement with results of other models with an implemented N-cycle. Taking into account the N-limitation of the C-cycle, the modelled dynamics of total carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems from 1850 to the mid-20th century is specified.

Integrated rehabilitation of reinforced concrete buildings: Combining seismic retrofit by means of low-damage exoskeleton and energy refurbishment using multi-functional prefabricated facade

The European building stock was mostly built before the mid-20th century and is characterized by buildings with high energy demand and high seismic vulnerability. Integrated upgrading interventions are therefore urgently needed for moving towards a more resilient community. In this study, rehabilitation interventions are proposed for reinforced concrete buildings to improve their energy efficiency as well as their structural/seismic performance. An integrated refurbishment aiming at structural, architectural, and energy upgrading is targeted. Energy retrofitting with multifunctional wood-based prefabricated modular facades has been evaluated, as capable of reducing heat consumption by an average of 84 % in different climate zones. More specifically, an exoskeleton system consisting of Prestressed Laminated timber (Pres-Lam) technology is considered, which will act as a structural support-skeleton system for a high-performance “double-skin” solution composed of prefabricated panels. This solution can reduce the seismic risk class in high seismic zones. The seismic-energetic integrated intervention is developed for a representative case study building and evaluated with reference to different climates and seismic zones. Furthermore, a preliminary cost-benefit analysis of the integrated solution has been performed, showing higher benefits when compared to the sole energy retrofit. Specifically, considering the seismic retrofit interventions, the cost analysis pointed out that moving up to higher-use classes results in higher performance and costs. Nevertheless, approximately comparable breakeven times have been obtained in the same seismic region by achieving higher targets. The proposed integrated solution is a promising alternative to demolition and reconstruction, providing a deep energy renovation and structural retrofit, avoiding inevitable waste production, additional energy consumption, and C02 emissions; and allowing for a sustainable renovation of the existing building stock.

From a grand hotel to an urban symbol: the Astor Hotel in old and new Tianjin

This article examines the enduring iconicity, multifaceted functions, and changing meanings of the Astor Hotel in Tianjin—one of the first international hotels in modern China—from the mid-19th century to the 21st century. Originally built more than 150 years ago, the Astor Hotel still stands exactly where it did in the former British Concession in Tianjin. This hotel was not only a venue boasting Tianjin’s most expensive accommodations but also a crucial site where politics, technology, economics, social, and cultural changes intersected and developed in its treaty port incarnation. Moreover, the expansion of the Astor Hotel evolved along with the development of Tianjin from a hypercolonial city to a Chinese-run metropolis. Shortly after the Communist Revolution in China, its ownership was overtaken by the Tianjin Municipal Government. Following a sequence of major renovations and commercial relaunches in the 1990s, the Astor Hotel was restored and reconstructed as an emblem of Tianjin’s historical status as an international and cosmopolitan city in China. Both continuity and changes will be emphasised in the discussion of the Astor Hotel’s history, as well as its multiple functions and shifting symbolic significance.

Love and Emotions in Pietist Hymnography—From the Past to Us: Musical Examples

This study aims to analyze, through religious hymns in the German-speaking area from the early 18th century, the influence that the Pietist theological movement, starting from Philipp Jacob Spener’s Pia Desideria, had on the centralization of the self in the Protestant religious world, through the introduction of personal feelings of love towards God. On the one hand, the origins of Pietism can already be traced back to the late 16th century in areas affected by the radical reforms of the Anabaptists. On the other hand, it is from the late 17th century and throughout the 18th century that this theological and spiritual movement destabilized orthodox Lutheranism in some symbolic cities of Protestant Germany, such as Frankfurt am Main, Halle, and the Duchy of Westphalia, up to Moravia. The extensive publication of hymnals and musical compendia for the use of individuals, lay groups (collegia pietatis), faith communities, and churches denotes a fervor and a desire to preach their way of “practicing” spirituality, which greatly contrasts with both orthodox Lutheranism and the prevailing rationalism in the religious and philosophical sphere in Germany of the mid-18th century. For the first time since the Reformation, Lutheranism saw the use, in the theology of the preached and sung Word, of personal feelings and emotions that connect the individual with God, who is made an object of individual as well as collective worship. This was one of the most significant accusations that came from the University of Wittenberg against Pietism, namely the shift of theological and spiritual focus from the centrality of God to the centrality of the self, which manifests its faith through the most intimate emotions and feelings. Through the analysis of some examples taken from hymnographic and theological production, centered on the individual feelings of the believer, this article focuses on how this influenced the religious revival movements that would pervade England and the United States of America for more than two centuries (from the First Great Awakening in the late 18th century to the Pentecostal movements of the 20th century), with a spotlight on Italian hymnody during the Risorgimento.

One Health policy for combatting African trypanocide resistance

The rise of African trypanocide resistance (ATr) is influenced by various factors such as evolutionary changes in the pathogen, the presence of resistance genes in the population, poor policy decisions, limited private-public partnerships to engage local communities, and insufficient funding for the development of new drugs over the past sixty years. These challenges have been exacerbated by the inadequate implementation of drug liberalization policies in the mid 20th century, leading to poor pharmacovigilance practices for veterinary drugs in low and middle income countries (LMICs). One health (OH), a disease management framework, provides practical solutions for addressing ATr, drawing on its success in managing previous epidemics like avian influenza in 2004 and the recent COVID-19 pandemic, where institutional collaborations were rapidly established. To combat ATr, OH initiatives involving both international and local partners at the policy and grassroots levels are crucial to generate community interest. The importance of political commitment, media involvement, and nongovernmental organizations cannot be overstated, as they are essential for resource mobilization and long-term sustainability in LMICs.

Darwin and the biological rhythms.

While the formalization of chronobiology as a scientific discipline occurred in the mid-20th century, the exploration of rhythmic phenomena has a longer history, notably exemplified by De Mairan's observations of Mimosa pudica in darkness in 1729. In this historical narrative, Charles Darwin is known for his investigations into the "sleep movements" of plants. Nevertheless, the complete scope of Darwin's exploration of biological rhythms remains incompletely understood. Through a detailed examination of Darwin's writings, meticulous observations, experiments, and conceptualizations, we unveil a depth of engagement that surpasses his widely acknowledged work on plants, revealing a more extensive interest in and insight into biological rhythms than traditionally recognized.

A Theoretical Article: Exploring the Evolutionary Dynamics of Couples and Family Therapy

This article provides a comprehensive review of how the field of family therapy has evolved, tracing its roots from early practices influenced by eugenics to its current diverse theoretical frameworks, which are ever-expanding. In the mid-20th century, family therapy expanded beyond its eugenic roots, embracing diverse theoretical frameworks and giving rise to various therapeutic modalities like behavioral and emotionally focused family and couples therapy. However, due to cultural disparities, these concepts and models cannot holistically capture the essence of family therapy in India. They do not compute the central role of the intergenerational subsystem or understand hierarchical dynamics. What is deemed “okay” in the Western context does not hold true in the Indian context. Postmodern approaches show a marked improvement in dealing with these problems in cultural adaptations of family and couples therapy by integrating diverse therapeutic practices, technological advances, and cultural and diversity-sensitive practices. However, despite these advancements, the adapted modalities have a scope for improvement, posing a pressing need for research that bridges this gap. Moving forward research should focus on family change mechanisms, symptom improvement factors, and prioritizing culturally sensitive approaches to meet the unique needs of Indian families.

Genesis, current status, and prospects for the development of the institution of negotiation in Ukraine

As of 2024, the use of alternative dispute resolution is becoming increasingly relevant caused by the complicated access to justice due to martial law. The purpose of this study was to analyse the historical experience of using negotiations in Ukraine from the Middle Ages to the present day and to identify the vectors for further development of this institution. Both general scientific and special scientific methods were employed: formal legal and comparative legal methods. It was found that the term “negotiation” can be used in several meanings: 1) the process of reaching an agreement; 2) the stage of court proceedings; 3) the stage of mediation, conciliation, or other methods of alternative dispute resolution; 4) a separate method of alternative dispute resolution. As the times of Kyivan Rus, the Ruska Pravda prescribed an analogue of negotiations – the replacement of blood revenge with a payoff; in the 16th-century Lithuanian statutes, the negotiation process was called “unity”. The “Rights by which the Little Russian people are judged” of the mid-18th century defined two forms of documents drafted as a result of negotiations: a conciliation agreement (without the participation of mediators) and a conciliation verdict (with the participation of mediators). During the Soviet era, legislation tended to establish the right to judicial protection depending on the previous use of alternative dispute resolution. However, since Ukraine’s independence, this trend has changed, and the law now prescribes the right of everyone to choose how to protect their rights. Further vectors for the development of the institution of negotiations in Ukraine may include the introduction of various types of platforms for remote participation in the negotiation process, as well as the development of the legal framework towards detailing negotiation procedures. The findings of this study can be used in teaching disciplines of the historical and legal cycle in higher education institutions of Ukraine, as well as for further forecasting the development of this institution and its improvement

The edges of humanism of the Renaissance in the mid-13th – the mid-16th century: Part 2

The edges of humanism of the Renaissance in the mid-13th – the mid-16th century: Part 2

Tumors of the central nervous system. Classification of the World Health Organization 2021. Towards a paradigm shift.

The study of central nervous system (CNS) tumors is a subject of great interest and such knowledge is of great importance in medical practice. The classifications of CNS neoplasms began in the mid-19th century, until the World Health Organization (WHO) published, in 1979, the first edition of a useful systematic review for the purpose of establishing a common language for all medical specialties. To date, 5 updated editions of neoplastic taxonomy have been published. The fifth edition, from 2021, consolidates the paradigm shift brought about by molecular advances, although the transition between morphological and molecular biological characterization is still in progress. In this article, the new modifications introduced in the different most frequent families of tumors in pediatrics are analyzed, emphasizing useful information for pediatricians in their daily practice and multidisciplinary consultations.

Podiatric surgery: a canary in the coalmine for professional monopolies.

What is known about the topic? The health workforce and health tasks are highly contested and largely controlled by regulation. Since the introduction of medical regulation in the mid-19th century, the practice of surgery has been largely dominated by medically trained surgeons. A small group of Australian podiatrists have defied these historic boundaries by creating their own colleges of training and convincing government and regulators of their safety and efficacy in surgical practice. The Podiatry Board of Australia commissioned an independent review of the regulation and regulatory practices of podiatric surgeons in Australia. What does this paper add? This paper discusses the implications of a regulatory review of the role of podiatric surgeons for professional role boundaries. What are the implications for practitioners? Despite historic role boundaries and definitions, with appropriate training, regulation, and financing, the health workforce can be mobilised in different ways to meet population needs, overcoming a professional monopoly over roles.

Land-use change as a major driver for mid-20th-century flood intensity reduction in the Southeastern US

Abstract Land-use changes affect hydrologic processes, but their impact on flooding remains obscure amid increasingly heavy precipitation. Instrumental records are short relative to land-use change history and inadequate for flood attribution studies. Here we integrate a high-resolution paleodischarge record spanning the past ~200 years from the largest basin in the Southeastern United States with instrumental data and hydrological modeling. We find that the 100-yr flood magnitude for large regional rivers exhibits 50–75% reductions in the mid-20th century. We attribute at least 50% of the reductions to a regional shift from widespread agricultural land to conservation and reforestation and the rest to streamflow regulations. A sensitivity test of the largest post-1950s flood in our study area using the WRF-Hydro model shows that the peak early-1900s agriculture activity in the region could have doubled the flood’s magnitude. Our findings suggest that land-use change can profoundly impact flood severity at catchment to regional scales. Therefore, reforestation and soil conservation contribute to alleviating flood hazard in some regions, while aggressive agriculture expansion in other areas will amplify the hazard.

Self-Healing Materials for Bioelectronic Devices.

Though the history of self-healing materials stretches far back to the mid-20th century, it is only in recent years where such unique classes of materials have begun to find use in bioelectronics-itself a burgeoning area of research. Inspired by the natural ability of biological tissue to self-repair, self-healing materials play a multifaceted role in the context of soft, wireless bioelectronic systems, in that they can not only serve as a protective outer shell or substrate for the internal electronic circuitry-analogous to the mechanical barrier that skin provides for the human body-but also, and most importantly, act as an active sensing safeguard against mechanical damage to preserve device functionality and enhance overall durability. This perspective presents the historical overview, general design principles, recent developments, and future outlook of self-healing materials for bioelectronic devices, which integrates topics in many research disciplines-from materials science and chemistry to electronics and bioengineering-together.

Editorial

This special issue of Euxeinos explores the ways that urban Poles, German-Austrians, Ukrainians and Soviets have imagined and constructed an image of the Carpathian mountains from the mid-19th century to the current day. The city is often seen as the epitome and engine of modernization and progress, whether through trade, technological advancements, or industrial development. It is in the city that cultural institutions, commerce, and political power predominantly reside. Urban centers, whether large or small, have been the epicenters of massive mediatization, shaping our imagination of places beyond the cities. Urban dwellers have actively imagined, reinvented, and transformed rural life, often through a process of destruction and reconstruction. Folk arts and rural lifestyles were invented and reinvented, imagined, and reimagined, resulting in new forms of culture. Natural phenomena, like mountains and rural areas, were transformed into imaginary spaces that expressed anxieties about urban conditions, community bonds, environmental crises, human relations and power structures. The landscape became integral to depicting practices and imposing ideas about belonging, authenticity, roots, communities, states, hierarchies, and borders.

Resilient Urban Communities: A Case Study of the Cvjetno Housing Estate, a Modern Period Predecessor in Urban Planning in Croatia

The paper analyzes the concept of resilience in the context of the Cvjetno housing estate in Zagreb, Croatia, a recognized cultural and historical complex. While extensive literature exists on the estate’s architectural and historical significance, limited research explores its resilience. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the Cvjetno estate’s planned resilience to natural hazards and socioeconomic challenges. It investigates the estate’s design, historical context, and physical characteristics through archival documents, historical records, and field research. The analysis focuses on the estate’s planned resilience to natural disasters, particularly flooding from the nearby river Sava and seismic risks due to its location in a seismically active area. Based on the literature on resilient communities, the study draws on dimensions, characteristics, and qualities of resilience, and explores how the Cvjetno estate exemplifies these traits. Future research could explore and compare similar mid-20th century European settlements to enhance the understanding of urban resilience during the modern era.

“We Must Participate with the Fruits of Our Faith in Building Socialism”. The Preaching Committee in the Danubian Reformed Church District in the Mid-20th Century

As a result of the communist takeover in 1948, the Bishop of the Danubian Reformed Church District, László Ravasz was deposed, and Albert Bereczky took his place. In the end of 1951, Bereczky wrote a report to the general meeting of the Reformed Church in which he requested the authorization to set up a “preaching committee” with the aim of supervising sermons. He believed it was important for the pastors to talk about issues of their time in sermons because “we don’t preach in a vacuum space but to real people”. In reality, the committee’s function was the full control over pastors and the search for the ideological/theological content (which is called “narrow-road” theology) in preachings. That is why every pastor was asked to send in one sermon that was to be delivered between 1/01/1952 and 25/02/1952. József Bodonhelyi, head teacher of practical theology at the Faculty of Theology of the Reformed Church, who was also member of this preaching committee, wrote notes about these received texts and sermons where he probably appeared in person. We could find certain qualifications in his notes that seriously affected the careers of the pastors (for example, “he doesn’t address the issues of our time”; “his teaching is dangerous”; “he must urgently retire”). Keywords: Albert Bereczky, Reformed homiletics, history of preaching, preaching, Church history

Does international trade promote economic growth? Europe, 19th and 20th centuries

In this paper, we analyse the relationship between international trade and economic growth in an unbalanced panel of 20 European countries in a long-term perspective, since the mid-19th century to present days, differentiating between the periods before and after the start of the Second World War. To this end, we perform Granger-causality tests between exports and GDP, and between imports and GDP, following the novel methodology of Juodis et al. (2021) for panel data models with large cross-sectional and time series dimensions. Our results support the existence of a bi-directional relationship between both trade variables and GDP, for the whole period and across subperiods.

Surgical antisepsis in Russia: historical parallels

The origins of surgery and the improvement of surgical practices did not always guarantee a favorable surgical outcome. Even a masterfully performed operation could lead to a purulent-inflammatory process. Even at the stage of empirical development of medicine, before the great microbiological discoveries, an understanding was formed about a certain “substrate” that penetrates the surgical wound from the external environment and causes its suppuration. Supporters of the contagionist theory called it contagium, and supporters of the miasmatic theory considered the external (air) environment as such a source. The ideas of the supporters of the contagionist theory of the occurrence of purulent-septic complications in surgery in the middle of the 18th century are reflected in the works of D.S. Samoilovich and I.F. Semmelweis; the latter proved the transmission of the infectious principle by the surgeon’s hands, which became the starting point for the development of preventive antiseptics. In historical retrospect, the technology and means used for surgical hand antisepsis in Russia were analyzed from the mid-18th to the early 20th centuries. Moreover, literary sources for the period from 1783 to 2023 were analyzed, containing information about the antiseptic treatment of surgeons’ hands. Historical, descriptive, evaluative, analytical, and bacteriological research methods were used. As an experiment, the original antiseptic recipe described by D.S. Samoilovich (1783) was restored, and its effectiveness was confirmed. During surgical practices in Russia, starting from the mid-18th century, facts about the use of drugs with antiseptic activity for hand treatment are described. It is shown how, in historical retrospect, views on the final result of surgical antisepsis changed: from partial to complete destruction of microorganisms, preventing their entry from the deep layers of the skin, to the destruction of transient microflora and reduction of the abundance of resident microflora. Despite the influence of the English (J. Lister) and German (P. Fürbringer, J.F. Ahlfeld) surgical schools on the development of antiseptics in Russia, it retained its originality, determined by the needs of society and the possibility of using certain chemical antiseptics and their compositions for its implementation. The contribution of domestic surgeons to the improvement of antiseptic technologies and drugs in military field conditions is shown (N.I. Pirogov, A.M. Zabludovsky, D.I. Tatarinov et al.).

Could an extremely cold central European winter such as 1963 happen again despite climate change?

Abstract. Central European winters have warmed markedly since the mid-20th century. Yet cold winters are still associated with severe societal impacts on energy systems, infrastructure, and public health. It is therefore crucial to anticipate storylines of worst-case cold winter conditions and to understand whether an extremely cold winter, such as the coldest winter on the historical record of Germany in 1963 (−6.3 °C or −3.4σ seasonal December–January–February (DJF) temperature anomaly relative to 1981–2010), is still possible in a warming climate. Here, we first show based on multiple attribution methods that a winter of similar circulation conditions to 1963 would still lead to an extreme seasonal cold anomaly of about −4.9 to −4.7 °C (best estimates across methods) under present-day climate. This would rank as the second-coldest winter in the last 75 years. Second, we conceive storylines of worst-case cold winter conditions based on two independent rare event sampling methods (climate model boosting and empirical importance sampling): a winter as cold as 1963 is still physically possible in central Europe today, albeit very unlikely. While cold winter hazards become less frequent and less intense in a warming climate overall, it remains crucial to anticipate the possibility of an extremely cold winter to avoid potential maladaptation and increased vulnerability.

A REVIEW OF MAIL ART WORKS IN TERMS OF ART PHILOSOPHY

Mail art emerged in the mid-20th century under the influence of movements such as Fluxus and Dada. It is generally defined as a type of artistic work sent via mail. Such artworks are often considered part of alternative art practice, disseminated using the postal system as a means of communication and transportation of works. Mail art is a populist art movement that focuses on sending small-scale works through the postal service. Mail art, which the artist uses as a means of expression, is a type of art that improves the artist's creativity, offers the opportunity to express himself in a different type of art, and can exhibit all forms of freedom (freedom of expression, freedom of creation, freedom of thought, freedom of will, etc.) as in other types of art. The artist creates mail art using his aesthetic perception with all his originality, because an aesthetic perspective is needed to create any art object. In order to examine this aesthetic and artistic view, technical and material knowledge is needed. Mail artists often use simple and inexpensive materials. These may include materials such as postcards, envelopes, stamps, newspaper clippings, stickers and handmade prints. Using a variety of techniques, artists can draw, create collages, or use other creative techniques on their posts. In this context, the importance of the aesthetic view of the designs made in mail art from past to present will be emphasized, and the mail art works made in various media and made by artists will be examined and how they are viewed from a design and aesthetic perspective will be examined. At the same time, art as a method in the art healing analysis of these treatments is viewed as an epistemological examination.