Thorn Tree Research Articles

Ferals and gentrification in urban Australia: place, death and memory

ABSTRACT In the city of Newcastle on Australia’s east coast, murky distinctions between feral and native, public and private, domestic and wild are being delineated and firmed as the city rapidly gentrifies. The suburb of Stockton, a peninsula with deep working-class roots, has long been considered an urban frontier, a liminal zone for plants, animals and humans. Here, ferality is entangled with place, with frontier-ness. As the area undergoes changes in step with gentrification in Newcastle and coastal Australia more generally, species once tolerated are being identified as risky and then eliminated. In this article, we focus on two feral species subject to elimination in Stockton, the Thorn Tree and the Breakwater Cats. We argue that shifting nature-city boundaries impacts urban frontiers during periods of gradual, then rapid, gentrification, disrupting the relationship between frontiers and feral ecologies. Second, while literature tends to focus on feral plants or animals, we consider the ways that hardening nature-city boundaries can make both plants and animals vulnerable to elimination. Third, despite their elimination, the Thorn Tree and the Breakwater Cats are subject to memory practices in the community, suggesting that even as the urban frontier amalgamates with the rest of the city, memories of feral co-habitants remain for some members of the human community.

Dinner under the camel thorn trees: The safari tourist’s travel back in time

Safari holidays are now a major part of the African tourist industry and food has become an essential aspect of the adventure. In the late nineteenth century, rugged imperialist explorers shot and consumed many of the large African animals, while after the First World War, luxury safaris for the rich became the norm. First as gentlemen explorers, and then as guides on hunting safaris, ‘Great White Hunters’ and their pervasive ideology of muscular Christianity prevailed. The period from the late nineteenth through the first part of the twentieth century is looked back upon as the golden age of the safari. Today, many safari tourists are provided with ‘fine cuisine’, but with accompanying ‘nods’ to the food of this golden age. At the same time, some safari guides provide reenactments of cooking on an open fire in the bush. Safari lodges and camps have had to cater to an increasing diversity of tourists and to manage the disruption caused by the Covid pandemic. Online advertisements for Safari companies depict carefully organized meals with views across the African savannah where dangerous encounters with wild animals may be envisaged. The companies often promote subtle and nostalgic invocations of the past providing the tourists with a ‘back in time tourism’. In preparing this article, books on safari cuisine, accounts by safari guides and some individual tourists, and many safari company online websites were studied.

Paradigm Splits and Hiatus Forms: The Origins of Modern Irish Sceach and Scottish Gaelic Sgitheach 'Thorn Tree', and the Old Irish Precursor of Scottish Gaelic Dìthean 'Flower'

Paradigm Splits and Hiatus Forms: The Origins of Modern Irish Sceach and Scottish Gaelic Sgitheach 'Thorn Tree', and the Old Irish Precursor of Scottish Gaelic Dìthean 'Flower'

Characterization, pathogenicity and host range studies of Paecilomyces formosus associated with dieback of Christ's thorn trees (Paliurus spina‐christi Mill.) in Iran

AbstractChrist's thorn (Paliurus spina‐christi Mill.) tree is an important and valuable forestry species and has significant potential in afforestation and reforestation systems. In recent years, dieback symptoms were observed on Paliurus spina‐christi trees in Gilan‐e Gharb region of Kermanshah province, west Iran. During 2020 to 2021, Christ's thorn trees that exhibit branch dieback symptoms were sampled for fungal isolations. The pathogenicity tests, biochemical assay of growth, acid production on creatine sucrose agar (CREA) medium and morphological and molecular investigations (ITS and β‐tubulin regions) identified Paecilomyces formosus as a dieback causal agent. This is the first report of P. formosus pathogenicity on Paliurus spina‐christi trees. Furthermore, disease severity was assayed on 11 tree species under three different temperatures 15, 25 and 35°C. Disease severity caused by all isolates on detached branches was greater at 35°C than at 15 and 25°C. This study presents the host range of this pathogen and showed that these potential hosts are prone to this pathogen under high temperatures, which forest trees experienced in recent decades.

Paradigm Splits and Hiatus Forms: The Origins of Modern Irish Sceach and Scottish Gaelic Sgitheach 'Thorn Tree', and The Old Irish Precursor of Scottish Gaelic Dìthean 'Flower'

Abstract: This paper consists of two notes. The first argues that Scottish Gaelic sgitheach and Modern Irish sceach both have their origins in plural forms of Early Irish scé 'thorn tree', a paradigm in which we would expect to find alternation between iä and e . Similar paradigm splits and instances of paradigmatic levelling are discussed, with examples from Old, Middle and Early Modern Irish. The second note draws on the evidence of Scottish Gaelic dìthean 'flower' to clarify the earlier form of the word attested in Early Modern Irish manuscripts as dithan or dithen 'corn marigold'. It is argued that dìthean most likely goes back to Early Irish díán . This discussion also sheds some light on the form of the Early Irish word for 'purple foxglove'.

Fuel exploitation and environmental degradation at the Iron Age copper industry of the Timna Valley, southern Israel

Economic and industrial progress frequently comes at the expense of environmental sustainability. For the early Iron Age (~ eleventh to ninth centuries BCE) smelters of the ancient copper industry of the Timna Valley, southern Israel, where today the hyper-arid Aravah Desert provides sparse vegetation, woody fuel for metallurgical furnaces constituted the greatest limiting factor for continued operations. This study presents the first investigation into the fuel sources relied upon by this industry during its most intensive period, as reflected by hundreds of charcoal samples collected from two well-stratified and chronologically anchored accumulations of industrial waste. The two sites demonstrate similar results: a heavy reliance on the local vegetation, particularly Retama raetam (white broom) and the ecologically significant Acacia spp. (acacia thorn trees), two high-calorific and high-burning taxa best suited for such purposes. It was also observed that over the course of the industry, the search for fuel expanded, as evidenced by the later appearance of taxa unsuited for the prevailing regional conditions, hinting at the detrimental toll the industry took on the local ecosystem. Altogether, it is suggested that the lucrative copper industry ended due to limits in the availability of fuel, caused by anthropogenic hastening of desertification and environmental degradation.

Sahel:Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara

Sahel:Art and Empires on the Shores of the Sahara

Metabolomic Profiling of Antioxidant Compounds in Five Vachellia Species.

The genus Vachellia, previously known as Acacia, belongs to the family Fabaceae, subfamily Leguminosae, which are flowering plants, commonly known as thorn trees. They are traditionally used medicinally in various countries including South Africa for the treatment of ailments such as fever, sore throat, Tuberculosis, convulsions and as sedatives. The aim of this study was to determine biochemical variations in five Vachellia species and correlate their metabolite profiles to antioxidant activity using a chemometric approach. The antioxidant activity of five Vachellia aqueous-methanolic extracts were analyzed using three methods: 2,2-di-phenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging assay, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS+) analysis and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay by means of serial dilution and bioautography with the thin-layer chromatography (TLC) method. Amongst the Vachellia extracts tested, V. karroo, V. kosiensis and V. xanthophloea demonstrated the highest DPPH, ABTS+ and FRAP inhibitory activity. The antioxidant activities of DPPH were higher than those obtained by ABTS+, although these values varied among the Vachellia species. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR), coupled with multivariate statistical modeling tools such as principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA), were performed to profile metabolites responsible for the observed activity. The OPLS-DA categorized the five Vachellia species, separating them into two groups, with V. karroo, V. kosiensis and V. xanthophloea demonstrating significantly higher radical scavenging activity than V. tortilis and V. sieberiana, which clustered together to form another group with lower radical scavenging activity. Annotation of metabolites was carried out using the ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-qTOF-MS), and it tentatively identified 23 metabolites of significance, including epigallocatechin (m/z = 305.0659), methyl gallate (m/z = 183.0294) and quercetin (m/z = 301.0358), amongst others. These results elucidated the metabolites that separated the Vachellia species from each other and demonstrated their possible free radical scavenging activities.

Revisiting Online Tourism Forums as Vehicles for Value Co-destruction

ABSTRACT This paper revisits the value of online tourism forums as a vehicle for value co-destruction and corresponding responses by different users. Employing a content analysis of 469 trolling episodes recorded on Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forums, the research showed how such incidents allude to value co-destruction. However, the research also showcases how trolling victims respond to these unprovoked episodes by employing one, or a combination of three approaches—ignoration, rebuttal and re-orientation to deal with value co-destruction. In doing so, the research has contributed to a nuanced understanding of value co-destruction triggered by trolling, and corresponding responses as within forums. This provides a useful starting block for destination social media accounts to ensure that they take proactive measures to address trolling before they can create toxic online environments.

Faunal input at host plants: Can camel thorn trees use nutrients imported by resident sociable weavers?

“Islands of fertility” result from the focussing of water and nutrients around many shrub or tree species due to plants foraging for resources. Plant–animal feedbacks may amplify the development of such islands through environmental modification due to, for example, faunal deposition of nutrients and seeds. Fauna residing within vegetation clumps are likely to exert stronger feedbacks on their hosts than itinerant species. We studied the interaction between camel thorn trees (Vachellia erioloba) and the colonial nests of sociable weavers (Philetairus socius) in the Kalahari. We hypothesized that the accumulation of biological material below the nests will alter the nutrient status of the soil beneath the nest trees, in relation to unoccupied trees and the surrounding grassland. We also suggested that this association will have both positive and negative effects on the camel thorn trees. We found that soil concentrations of N, P, and K were, respectively, 4, 4.6, and 1.2 times higher below trees with nests compared to control trees, indicating faunal concentration of nutrients. Soil δ15N values were higher below trees with nests than below control trees without nests. Foliar δ15N values were also higher in nest trees than in control trees, showing the trees accessed faunally derived N. Furthermore, foliar biomass per diameter of terminal branches was 27% higher in nest trees, suggesting that trees respond to nutrient input from the weavers with increased growth. Large barren areas in the subcanopy vegetation directly beneath the colonies were attributed to decreased water infiltration rates, as a result of accumulation of organic matter due to continuous deposition of feces, possibly limiting competitive species from establishing in the subcanopy. On the other hand, canopy volume was reduced in trees with nests due to nests occupying large volumes within the canopy, and nests frequently causing branch fall, indicating costs associated with hosting weaver colonies. Synthesis: We found nutritional benefits to camel thorn trees when hosting sociable weaver colonies. These benefits can potentially overcome important environmental constraints, but these are partially offset by the resulting costs to the host trees.

Enhancement of infiltration rate of clogged porous beds in the vicinity of dams in arid zones by the roots of indigenous Ziziphus spina‐christ trees

AbstractSiltation of reservoir beds of recharge dams in arid climates seriously diminishes dams' storage capacity, lessens infiltration and deep percolation rates, increases water loss via evaporation, and ultimately lowers the recharge efficiency to the underlying unconfined aquifer. This study explores possibilities for enhancing the infiltration rate of a silt‐clogged recharge‐dam bed by cultivation of the Christ's thorn tree (Ziziphus spina‐christ), locally known as Sidr, as a hydro‐ecoengineering technique. We experimentally quantified the effect of this indigenous tree on the infiltration rates and moisture dynamics in soil tanks and pots. Descriptive statistics and a two‐way‐repeated‐measures analysis at p < .05 were used to compare the effects of the Christ's thorns' roots and plant growth over time on the infiltration rate of silty loam soils (sediments) in the pots and tanks. The Christ's thorn trees significantly increased the steady state infiltration rate of the sediments by 1.9–5.9 times and by 1.7–3.3 times compared to the control (bare soil) in the tank and pot experiments, respectively (p < .05). This study demonstrates the possibility of applying hydro‐ecoengineering techniques for improving the infiltration rate and hence the recharge efficiency of recharge dams in arid areas.

‘How shall we kill him? By sword, fire or lions?’: The Aramaic Targum and the Midrashic narrative on Haman’s gallows

The Midrashic literature and biblical translations focus majorly on the verses that describe the gathering in Haman’s house and the preparing of the gallows for Mordechai the Jew (Es 5:14). The goal of this study is to discuss the narrative shaped by the Targum and Midrashic sources and to examine both the realistic domain concerning methods of punishment that were suggested and the theological–educational meaning of the punishment and the type of tree chosen. Targum Rishon develops the contents of the conversation in Haman’s house as to how Mordechai should be executed. While according to the text, the suggestion to hang Mordechai appears to have been the only method agreed upon by all those present at the meeting, Targum Rishon includes several forms of killing and torture that were proposed and considered. While Targum Rishon presents the theological meaning of the choice to kill Mordechai specifically by hanging him from a gallows, a Midrash aggadah attempts to clarify the species of the tree used to prepare Mordechai’s gallows and comes to the surprising conclusion that it was a type of thorn tree. Regarding Haman’s search for a suitable beam on which to hang Mordechai, Midrash Abba Gorion relates that the beam was found in the king’s palace or, according to another opinion, the sawed beam found originated from Noah’s ark.Contribution: The Midrashic sources portray an entire scene that includes discourse, deliberations and choice in Haman’s house and in heaven. It seems that the authors of the Midrash and the Targum not only clarify the text and complement the story by adding missing realistic details, they also enrich the text with new meanings that serve their theological concepts.

한국청소년연극축제 창작극제 수상작 고찰 : 『소녀, 가시나무에 별을 걸다』를 중심으로

이 연구는 한국청소년연극축제 창작극제 수상작을 모은 『소녀, 가시나무에 별을 걸다』에 실린 희곡을 분 석하는 것을 목적으로 한다. 연구 결과는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 인물 측면에서 주인공은 청소년이었고, 청소 년의 주변에 있는 친구들이나 성인들을 등장시켜 청소년들이 고민을 표현하는 데 힘쓰고 있었다. 둘째, 사건 측면에서는 장애에 대한 편견이나 연애 감정 등 청소년 개인의 갈등에 주목한 희곡이 두 편 있었고, 장래 희망이나 사후장기기증에 관한 이견으로 청소년과 성인(부모)이 갈등하는 작품이 두 편 있었으며, 나머지 여섯 편은 두 가지 갈등이 혼합된 희곡으로 청소년 사이의 갈등과 청소년과 성인 사이의 갈등이 중첩되어 나타나고 있었다. 셋째, 배경은 현대가 많았고, 공간적 배경은 청소년들이 사는 현실 공간인 학 교나 집 또는 동네가 많았다. 이런 일상적인 배경은 청소년들이 겪고 있는 현실 삶 속에 갈등이 많고, 첨예 하다는 것을 의미했다. 넷째, 이 희곡집에 실린 희곡의 대사가 정선되어 있고, 청소년의 마음을 나타내는 인상적인 대사들이 많았다. 다만 생동감이 없는 어휘나 시대 흐름에 벗어난 지문은 앞으로 수정을 해야 한다. 이 연구는 한국청소년연극축제 가운데 희곡으로 정리된 창작극제의 일부 성과를 살피는 한계를 가 지고 있다. 이런 연구의 제한점을 극복하여, 창작극제나 한국청소년연극축제 전체를 연구하고, 희곡뿐만 아니라 공연이나 그 밖의 여러 측면을 탐구하여 우리나라 청소년연극 연구를 더 활성화하기를 기대한다.

Transpiration dynamics and water sources for selected indigenous trees under varying soil water content

The major route through which water from the earth’s surface re-enters the hydrologic cycle in forested ecosystems is via tree transpiration (T). It is therefore important to have detailed understanding of the quantity and source of water transpired by different tree species. The aims of this study were to i) assess the trends of T for selected tree species (camel thorn, sweet thorn, shepherd’s tree and buffalo thorn) across a range of soil water content conditions and ii) partition the total T of the selected tree species growing in arid environments dominated by open cast mining activities into soil water and groundwater. Tree T was measured using the compensation heat pulse velocity (CHPV) method, while soil water content was monitored using DFM capacitance probes. The soil water content within the upper 50 cm soil profile ranged from 11 mm during the dry season to 20 mm during the wet season. The deeper soil layer (50–120 cm) was generally wetter compared to the top layer with water content was up to >30 mm during the wet season. The measured tree T ranged from 0.2 mm day−1 on buffalo thorn during the dry season to 1.9 mm day−1 on sheperd’s tree in summer. It was also revealed that T of large (diameter at breast height =46 cm) camel thorn trees is not responsive to seasonal variations of soil water availability and remained constant at approximately 1.2 mm day−1. Diurnal patterns of T did not effect changes on the soil water depletions within the top 120 cm soil profile, which indicated that the trees sourced water beyond this zone. Signs of daytime redistribution were observed within the canopy areas of the investigated trees during very limited soil water conditions of the dry season. It was concluded that the water use of trees is inclined to the seasonal variations, which however is not the case in old trees. Close to 100% of the water transpired by trees in the study area is sourced below 1.2 m (vadose zone and water table). We recommended investigation of daytime redistribution among the indigenous tree species of the study area. We also recommended extension of tree water use studies to other species for comprehensive catchment tree water use calculations to inform water budgets.

Carcass and meat quality attributes of Malawi Zebu steers fed <i>Vachellia polyacantha</i> leaves or <i>Adansonia digitata</i> seed as alternative protein sources to <i>Glycine max</i>

To enhance smallholder beef farmers’ capacity to cope with animal feed shortages, especially dietary protein induced by climate change, it is important to evaluate the feeding value of low-cost protein sources naturally available in the environment. The aim of the study was to evaluate carcass and meat quality of Malawi Zebu steers fed diets containing Adansonia digitata (baobab) seed meal or Vachellia polyacantha (white thorn tree) leaf meal as alternative protein sources to Glycine max (soybean) under feedlot conditions. Thirty Malawi Zebu steers (181 ± 21.4 kg body weight; 29 months old) were individually fed forage-based diets made up of rangeland hay and maize bran, with either baobab seed meal, Vachellia leaf meal or soybean meal as a protein source for 120 days. At the end of the feeding trial, animals were slaughtered and the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle sampled for meat quality analyses. Steers fed soybean and baobab diets had higher subcutaneous fat thickness, carcass weights than those fed the Vachellia diet. Meat from steers fed the Vachellia and baobab diets had higher ultimate pH and water-holding capacity, and lower drip and cooking losses than meat from steers fed the soybean diet. Feeding baobab and Vachellia diets produced beef with lower lightness (L*) values than the soybean diet, characteristic of dark, firm and dry (DFD) beef. Steers fed the baobab diet had the highest gross profits followed by those fed the Vachellia and soybean diets, respectively. Overall, feeding the baobab and Vachellia diets improved gross profit but produced DFD beef compared to the soybean diet.Keywords: beef cattle, baobab seed, soybean meal, smallholder production

The Implausibility of Gnus

The Implausibility of Gnus Dylan Carpenter Each time the implausibilityOf gnus would gallop pastThe wiry thorn trees under whichThe black-backed jackals massed, The air would tense, the earth would shake,The rattlesnakes would shedTheir flaky, diamond-banded skinAnd swarm a copperhead. Once, the black-backed jackals dashedOut from the thorn tree standAnd chased the implausibilityOf gnus from the desert land And thus the implausibilityOf gnus stopped galloping pastThe fractal thorn trees under whichThe black-backed jackals massed. [End Page 127] Dylan Carpenter Murcia Spain Copyright © 2019 Johns Hopkins University Press

A case report of a calcaneal osteomyelitis after 8 years since the injury by a thorn tree

A case report of a calcaneal osteomyelitis after 8 years since the injury by a thorn tree

Intake, digestibility, rumen protein synthesis, and growth performance of Malawi Zebu steers fed diets containing rangeland-based protein sources.

The study evaluated effects of feeding Malawi Zebu steers with diets containing baobab (Adansonia digitata) seed meal and white thorn tree (Vachellia polyacantha) leaf-meal as alternative protein sources to soybean meal on dry matter intake (DMI), total tract nutrient digestibility, rumen microbial nitrogen supply and growth performance. Thirty Malawi Zebu steers (181 ± 21.4kg and 29months), put into individual pens, were randomly assigned to three treatments (10 steers per treatment) made up of rangeland hay and maize bran with either baobab seed meal (baobab diet), V. polyacantha leaf-meal (Vachellia diet), or soybean meal (soybean diet, control) as the protein source. Steers fed the soybean and baobab diets had higher (P ≤ 0.05) DMI, final BW, average daily gain (ADG), and total tract nutrient digestibility of DM, NDF, CP and crude fat than those fed the Vachellia diet. Steers fed the soybean diet had the highest feed conversion ratio followed by those fed the baobab and Vachellia diets, respectively (P ≤ 0.05). Steers fed the baobab diet had the highest rumen microbial N followed by the soybean- and Vachellia-fed steers in that order (P ≤ 0.05). Steers fed the baobab diet had higher microbial N supply, comparable DMI, ADG, FCR, and nutrient digestibility to the soybean diet. The baobab seed meal could be an alternative protein source to the soybean meal for beef production in Malawi.

Performance evaluation of a humidification–dehumidification unit integrated with wick solar stills under different operating conditions

A comprehensive hybrid distillation system of humidification and dehumidification (HDH) unit incorporated by six wick solar stills was designed, fabricated, combined, and experimented to investigate the system performance. In the humidifier, different packing materials (aspen pad and thorn trees) and various water flow rates (1, 2, 3, and 4 kg/min) were investigated. The generated vapor in the humidifier was forced to be condensed in the dehumidifier. The desalination system was tested during the day- and night times. Performance of the wick stills was evaluated. The wick stills were fed by the brine hot water ejected from the HDH unit. Results revealed that using the aspen pad inside the humidifier provided greater freshwater productivity than that of the thorn trees. HDH unit packed with aspen pad at 4 kg/min produced the greatest distillate. At 4 kg/min, average gained output ratio (GOR) was raised from 2.5 for HDH unit working through the daytime only to 4.5 for the same unit operating through the day- and night times. Additionally, the hybrid system obtained a doubled productivity compared to HDH unit only, and the overall average GOR was increased from 5.1 to 5.7 with increasing the water flow rate from 2 to 4 kg/min.

Wood-boring beetles associated with Acacia xanthophloea in Nairobi and Machakos Counties, Kenya.

Naivasha thorn tree, Acacia xanthophloea, is grown for foliage, timber, shade and rehabilitation of soils in areas with high water tables in Kenya. Its production is threatened by insect pests, which cause major losses. Very little is documented on wood-boring beetles which cause considerable economic damage to lumber used in a variety of applications, and little is known about their natural enemies in Kenya. We conducted the study to evaluate the occurrence of wood-boring beetles on A. xanthophloea in two different regions of Kenya. Infested wood samples of A. xanthophloea with fresh exit holes were collected from three sites in Kenyatta University (KU), Nairobi and Mitaboni in Machakos, Kenya. The samples were placed in clear plastic buckets and kept at ambient temperatures 23±2°C, 65±10% relative humidity and 12L: 12D in a laboratory where they were observed daily for adult emergence. Adult beetles were collected every three days for identification and data recording. The experiment was replicated four times and data collected twice a week for 6 months. Data on abundance was subjected to analysis of variance using SAS software. A total of 5,850 and 4,691 beetles were collected where 2,187 and 3,097 were Bostrichidae, accounting for 37% and 66% in KU and Mitaboni, respectively. A total of 12 bostrichid species was identified, including Sinoxylon ruficorne, S. doliolum, Xylion adustus, Xyloperthodes nitidipennis, Xyloperthella picea, Xylopsocus castanoptera, Lyctus brunneus, Heterbostrychus brunneus, Xylopsocus sp., and Dinoderus gabonicus. The most abundant species in KU was Xylion adustus with 1,915 beetles accounting for 88.4%, and Sinoxylon ruficorne in Mitaboni with 1,050 beetles accounting for 33.9% of the total. Sinoxylon ruficorne was only recorded in Mitaboni while only 2 specimens of D. gabonicus were found in KU. The mean number of exit holes on A. xanthophloea differed significantly between sites, which corresponded approximately to the amount of economic damage caused by the beetles to the structural integrity of the lumber. In addition, a number of predators in the family Cerambycidae, Cleridae, Histeridae and parasitoids from Braconidae, Ichneumonidae, and Chalcididae were recovered, suggesting a need to conduct further studies to document these species' diversity, parasitism rates and efficacy for possible biological control.