Giorgi Mamadashvili, Antoine Brin, Maksym Chumak
et al.
Abstract The hyperdiverse wood‐inhabiting fungi play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle, but often are threatened by deadwood removal, particularly in temperate forests dominated by European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and Oriental beech (Fagus orientalis). To study the impact of abiotic drivers, deadwood factors, forest management and biogeographical patterns in forests of both beech species on fungal composition and diversity, we collected 215 deadwood‐drilling samples in 18 forests from France to Armenia and identified fungi by meta‐barcoding. In our analyses, we distinguished the patterns driven by rare, common, and dominant species using Hill numbers. Despite a broad overlap in species, the fungal composition with focus on rare species was determined by Fagus species, deadwood type, deadwood diameter, precipitation, temperature, and management status in decreasing order. Shifting the focus on common and dominant species, only Fagus species, both climate variables and deadwood type remained. The richness of species within the deadwood objects increased significantly only with decay stage. Gamma diversity in European beech forests was higher than in Oriental beech forests. We revealed the highest gamma diversity for old‐growth forests of European beech when focusing on dominant species. Our results implicate that deadwood retention efforts, focusing on dominant fungi species, critical for the decay process, should be distributed across precipitation and temperature gradients and both Fagus species. Strategies focusing on rare species should additionally focus on different diameters and on the conservation of old‐growth forests.
Even though many of the experiments leading to the standard model of particle physics were done at large accelerator laboratories in the US and at CERN, many exciting developments happened in smaller national facilities all over the world. In this report we highlight the history of accelerator facilities in Germany.
C. Benke, Lara K. Autenrieth, Eva Asselmann
et al.
Several studies have linked the COVID-19 pandemic to unfavorable mental health outcomes. However, we know little about long-term changes in mental health due to the pandemic so far. Here, we used longitudinal data from a general population sample of 1388 adults from Germany, who were initially assessed between April and May 2020 (i.e., at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany) and prospectively followed up after 6 ( n = 1082) and 12 months ( n = 945). Depressive and anxiety symptoms as well as loneliness did not change from baseline to 6-month follow-up. While anxiety symptoms did not change in the long run, depressive symptoms and loneliness increased and life satisfaction decreased from baseline to 12-month follow-up. Moreover, vulnerable groups such as younger individuals or those with a history of mental disorders exhibited an overall higher level of psychopathological symptoms across all assessment waves. Our findings suggest a deterioration in mental health during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, which emphasizes the importance to implement targeted health promotions to prevent a further symptom escalation especially in vulnerable groups.
The following case study clarifies how these three different functions of mission are discursively entangled with one another. Mission as a bridge-builder (between people, cultures, and religions of different origin), as a traitor (cooperating with corrupt colonial and imperial powers), and as a victim (finding misery and death on the mission field). Each of these three terms (bridge-builder, traitor, victim) is, to an extent, applicable to the events that took place during the night of 19–20 October 1896 in Akeri on the slopes of Mount Meru (former German East Africa, today Tanzania). Using the concept of entanglement history, I will analyze the death of two young German missionaries of the Lutheran Leipzig Mission, “caught in the crossfire” between the African community to be outreached and the German colonial military. We will see how various symbolic systems collide in the year 1896 at Akeri. The systems are represented by: (1) German Lutheran missions activities; (2) A German colonial and military expedition; and (3) The resistance of African Maasai societies’ leadership. “Akeri 1896” (I will continue to refer to this event specifically as “Akeri 1896” throughout the article) had become in the following 100 years a complex entanglement of metaphoric meanings. The same event can be a placeholder for victory, for defeat, for disaster, for martyrdom, for Christ-centredness (of the missionaries in their own perception), as well as for evil-centredness (the Africans in their perception of the Western foreigners).
Julia D. Sigwart, Angelika Brandt, Angelika Brandt
et al.
The abyssal plains are vast areas without large scale relief that occupy much of the ocean floor. Although long considered relatively featureless, they are now known to display substantial biological heterogeneity across different spatial scales. Ecological research in these regions benefits increasingly from non-destructive visual sampling of epifaunal organisms with imaging technology. We analysed images from ultra-high-definition towed camera transects at depths of around 3500 m across three stations (100–130 km apart) in the Bering Sea, to ask whether the density and distribution of visible epifauna indicated any substantial heterogeneity. We identified 71 different megafaunal taxa, of which 24 occurred at only one station. Measurements of the two most abundant faunal elements, the holothurian Elpidia minutissima and two xenophyophores morphotypes (the more common identifiable as Syringammina limosa), indicated significant differences in local densities and patchy aggregations that were strikingly dissimilar among stations. One station was dominated by xenophyophores, one was relatively depauperate in both target taxa as well as other identified megafauna, and the third station was dominated by Elpidia. This is an unexpected level of variation within comparable transects in a well-mixed oceanic basin, reinforcing the emerging view that abyssal habitats encompass biological heterogeneity at similar spatial scales to terrestrial continental realms.
Science, General. Including nature conservation, geographical distribution
Vladimir V. Olkhovik, Roman S. Afanasev, Edvardas Juchnevicius
et al.
The issue of stimulating domestic production is multifaceted and has a long history of study. At present, it is particularly relevant due to the introduction of restrictive measures, including the termination of supplies of a number of foreign goods to the Russian Federation. As one of the possible measures to increase the production of goods by Russian companies and entrepreneurs, the authors consider a new incentive mechanism of redistribution of value added tax (VAT) received by the federal budget, which implies the direction of the amounts of social grants taking into account the economic activity of the region associated with the production of value added on its territory. The purpose of the article is to justify a new methodology that includes a financial mechanism for redistributing the amounts of VAT in the form of grants to producers, aimed at creating effective budgetary incentives for regions to organize their own production of goods. For this purpose, the experience of VAT distribution in two BRICS countries — Brazil and China — is considered. In addition, the article summarizes effective measures of Germany, France, Greece, Austria and Norway to optimize calculation and payment of VAT, which resulted in economic growth. Discussion. One notable approach proposed by the authors to create a new incentive mechanism for redistribution of VAT revenues to the federal budget. This mechanism involves the allocation of social grants depending on the economic activity of the regions, particularly related to the production of valueadded goods on their territory. This approach represents a departure from traditional fiscal policies aimed at aligning incentives with local production. Results. This research represents a significant contribution to the ongoing debate on stimulating domestic production. By advocating a new mechanism of VAT redistribution and drawing on international experiences, the study seeks to address the challenges posed by restrictive measures and promote economic growth in the Russian Federation.
Julia Offermann, Martina Ziefle, Nataliya Sira
et al.
Introduction The increasing number of older adults in need of care, the resulting rise in demand for care services and the shortage of nursing staff are major challenges for society. In these situations, the use of telemedicine seems promising – especially in nursing homes when the focus is on rapid support in acute medical cases. However, in addition to the medical and technical potential, the acceptability and usability of the use of telemedical consultations are crucial for a sustainable implementation and acceptance. Our research aims at a holistic identification of socially and ethically relevant parameters for the evaluation of telemedical consultations in nursing homes. Methods Presentation of the empirical approach of an interdisciplinary cooperation that combines social and ethical research perspectives during an entire research project. Qualitative analysis of social and ethical aspects based on an interview study with care personnel (N = 14) who have experiences with telemedical consultations in nursing homes, as an example of this interdisciplinary collaboration and to show first insights. Results The results of the interview study show a slightly positive evaluation of the use of telemedical consultations in nursing homes. Six main categories were identified to capture and differentiate ethically and socially relevant perceived benefits and barriers (contact with physicians, general, personnel-related, residents-related, technical, and organizational aspects). Conclusion The study results allow initial recommendations for the implementation of telemedicine consultations in nursing homes considering socially and ethically relevant aspects. These recommendations can be used to inform medical and technical experts in the field of telemedicine. In addition, the presentation of the interdisciplinary collaboration shows that the close integration of social and ethical aspects in research enables a holistic dimension of the use of telemedicine.
Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics
Objectives: The aim of this issue of the journal is to study the way in which "making a family" influences access to rights and the integration of migrant families in Europe (France, Germany), North America (Quebec) and Djibouti, from Yemen, Syria, Tunisia, Mozambique or Brazil. Similarly, and reciprocally, he is interested in the impact of law on family experiences in a migratory context.Methodology: The ethnographic observation approach, through the cross-referenced collection of life stories and the reconstruction of the life contexts of these migrants (while respecting their words and their anonymity) makes it possible to discover, sometimes in a counter-intuitive way, the effects of the policies on their lives.Results: It often happens that within the same migrant family the legal status of its members is different, and therefore their rights to be regularised or not. As a result, these families - and more broadly, entire groups of migrants - have to carry out important work in terms of information for access to residence rights, work, access to schooling for their children, health, nationality, etc. Nothing is guaranteed a priori.Conclusion: We can imagine how much migration will continue in the face of climate change and political unrest throughout history. It is likely that a policy evaluation approach, or lack thereof, by those affected, will be increasingly necessary in the future.Contribution: This thematic issue of the journal Enfances Familles Générations highlights, from a historical and comparative approach, the impact of the legitimacy of being part of the national community to which these men and women have migrated (Destremau, 2022).
Ethnology. Social and cultural anthropology, The family. Marriage. Woman
The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) is a research activity that started in the late 1950s, predating the arrival of "Big History" and "Astrobiology" by several decades. Many elements first developed as part of the original SETI narrative are now incorporated in both of these emergent fields. However, SETI still offers the widest possible perspective, since the topic naturally leads us to consider not only the future development of our own society but also the forward trajectories (and past histories) of many other intelligent extraterrestrial forms. In this paper, I present a provocative view of Big History, its rapid convergent focus on our own planet and society, its oversimplified and incomplete view of events in cosmic history, and its limited appreciation of how poorly we understand some aspects of the physical world. Astrophysicists are also not spared - in particular those who wish to understand the nature of the universe in "splendid isolation", only looking outwards and upwards. SETI can help re-expand all of our horizons but the discovery of extraterrestrial intelligence may also require its own practitioners to abandon preconceptions of what constitutes intelligent, sentient, thinking minds.
The article is studying the historical process of formation of rulemaking activity and rulemaking powers of medieval states (after the fall of the Roman Empire before the discovery of America, namely 476–1492 years), including Kievan Rus, on the basis of legal monuments and historiographical sources. The reasons for the monopolization of rulemaking by the ruling elite and rulers, influence on the process of formation of external forms of law of the historical, cultural and socio-economic conditions of the existence of states, power and tradition of the peoples are revealed. Features of procedures of preparation and adoption of legal acts are considered, the history of codification of customary law, peculiarities of elaboration of rules of legal technique, as well as the process of gradual reception of the revised, codified and updated European University of Roman Law in Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, France cantons, Scandinavian countries, which replaced the ancient custom and resulted from the development of socio-economic relations. The article substantiates the conclusion that the nature of rule-making powers of the states during the Middle Ages stemmed from the theological justification of power and the corresponding conception of the divine election of the ruler, which led to the increase of absolutist tendencies in the exercise of state power, although some manifestations of influence and traceability were observed, although there were some manifestations of the influence of the population on power, and there were elements of the election of rulers in separate historical periods. However, there was a predominant concentration of rulemaking functions in the hands of the supreme power, which were used to effectively control the population with broad discretionary powers of the supreme power. Also noted as a general tendency is the further increase in the professionalisation of rulemaking activities in the period under review, the strengthening of the process of codification of customary law and the almost universal reception of Roman law in Western Europe, which was also characteristic of Kievan Rus.
Chyi Yin Gwee, Kritika M Garg, Balaji Chattopadhyay
et al.
Archipelagoes serve as important ‘natural laboratories’ which facilitate the study of island radiations and contribute to the understanding of evolutionary processes. The white-eye genus Zosterops is a classical example of a ‘great speciator’, comprising c. 100 species from across the Old World, most of them insular. We achieved an extensive geographic DNA sampling of Zosterops by using historical specimens and recently collected samples. Using over 700 genome-wide loci in conjunction with coalescent species tree methods and gene flow detection approaches, we untangled the reticulated evolutionary history of Zosterops, which comprises three main clades centered in Indo-Africa, Asia, and Australasia, respectively. Genetic introgression between species permeates the Zosterops phylogeny, regardless of how distantly related species are. Crucially, we identified the Indonesian archipelago, and specifically Borneo, as the major center of diversity and the only area where all three main clades overlap, attesting to the evolutionary importance of this region.
A previous study of symmetric collisions of massive nuclei has shown that current models of multi-nucleon transfer (MNT) reactions do not adequately describe the transfer product yields. To gain further insight into this problem, we have measured the yields of MNT products in the interaction of 977 (E/A = 4.79 MeV) and 1143 MeV (E/A = 5.60 MeV) $^{204}$Hg with $^{208}$Pb. We find that the yield of multi-nucleon transfer products are similar in these two reactions and are substantially lower than those observed in the reaction of 1257 MeV (E/A = 6.16 MeV) $^{204}$Hg + $^{198}$Pt. We compare our measurements with the predictions of the GRAZING-F, di-nuclear systems (DNS) and improved quantum molecular dynamics (ImQMD) models. For the observed isotopes of the elements Au, Hg, Tl, Pb and Bi, the measured values of the MNT cross sections are orders of magnitude larger than the predicted values. Furthermore, the various models predict the formation of nuclides near the N=126 shell, which are not observed.
At a time where so few survivors remain alive and the extermination of European Jews is leaving the field of direct human experience, the evolving collective memory of the event is reflected in popular culture. There has recently been a rise in the number of graphic novels written on the subject of the Shoah, particularly in France, Germany, and North America. These works, written by second or even third-generation survivors nearly 80 years after the genocide, approach the event from perspectives that not only further Art Spiegelman’s path in that they challenge the so-called limits of Holocaust representations, but also open up new discussions on transgenerational trauma. Focusing on two graphic novels, Michel Kichka’s <i>Deuxième génération: Ce que je n’ai pas dit à mon père</i> (2012) and Jérémie Dres’ <i>Nous n’irons pas à Auschwitz</i> (2011), my aim here is to examine the new aspects of trauma that these texts present, more specifically the reluctance to deal with one’s past, the struggle to bear the weight of the ‘sacred’ memory of Auschwitz, and in some cases the lack of interest of the youth in the Shoah. Both these autobiographical texts narrate the story of men who end up making the conscious decision never to go to Auschwitz after finding out about their ancestors’ history, asserting their desire to not solely be defined by their family tragedy. These issues, which fit in with what Matthew Boswell and Joost Krijnen define as ‘Holocaust impiety’, mark a break with graphic novels from the 1970s and 1980s which, as Gillian Rose writes, ‘mystified’ the event as ‘something we dare not understand’.
Mathematical concepts and results have often been given a long history, stretching far back in time. Yet recent work in the history of mathematics has tended to focus on local topics, over a short term-scale, and on the study of ephemeral configurations of mathematicians, theorems or practices. The first part of the paper explains why this change has taken place: a renewed interest in the connections between mathematics and society, an increased attention to the variety of components and aspects of mathematical work, and a critical outlook on historiography itself. The problems of a long-term history are illustrated and tested using a number of episodes in the nineteenth-century history of Hermitian forms, and finally, some open questions are proposed.
Oliver Fuchs, Thomas Bahmer, Markus Weckmann
et al.
Abstract Background Asthma and wheezing disorders in childhood and adulthood are clinically heterogeneous regarding disease presentation, natural course, and response to treatment. Deciphering common disease mechanisms in distinct subgroups requires harmonized molecular (endo-) phenotyping of both children and adult patients with asthma in a prospective, longitudinal setting. Methods The ALL Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE) of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL) is a prospective, multi-center, observational cohort study with seven recruiting sites across Germany. Data are derived from four sources: (a) patient history from medical records, (b) standardized questionnaires and structured interviews, (c) telephone interviews, and (d) objective measurements. Objective measurements include amongst others lung function and quantitative assessment of airway inflammation and exhaled breath, peripheral blood, skin, nasal, pharyngeal, and nasopharyngeal swabs, nasal secretions, primary nasal epithelial cells, and induced sputum. In cases, objective measurements and biomaterial collection are performed regularly, while control subjects are only examined once at baseline. Discussion The standardized and detailed collection of epidemiological and physiological data, and the molecular deep phenotyping of a comprehensive range of biomaterials in a considerable number of study participants across all ages are the outstanding characteristics of this multi-center cohort. Despite extensive biomaterial sampling, and a recruitment strategy that also includes pre-school children as young as 6 months, attrition is low. In children 83.9%, and in adults 90.5% attended the 12-month follow-up. The earliest time-point to include cases, however, is disease manifestation. Therefore, unraveling mechanisms that drive disease onset is limited, as this question can only be answered in a population-based birth cohort. Nonetheless, ALLIANCE offers a unique, integrative and inter-disciplinary framework with a comprehensive molecular approach in a prospective and identical fashion across ages in order to identify biomarkers and predictors for distinct childhood wheeze and asthma trajectories as well as their further course during adulthood. Ultimately, this approach aims to translate its most significant findings into clinical practice, and to improve asthma transition from adolescence to adulthood. Trial registration NCT02496468 for pediatric arm, NCT02419274 for adult arm.
The award-winning film Almanya – Willkommen in Deutschland (2011) tells the migration story of a Turkish family and their journey to Turkey in a humorous way. In the narrative of the history of immigration, German is substituted by gibberish, and the Turkish language is substituted by German. In contrast, a realistic language usage dominates when events in the film presence are depicted. The aim of this article is to explain how this migration film reflects on language, which is a most important tool for integration, and to explore the purpose of this language reflection. Linguistic analysis shows that realistic and unrealistic language usages engage the audience to question concepts of language and multilingualism. Although the image of a Turkish family integrated in Germany is portrayed on the surface of the film, the deep structure reveals an implicit critique of the monolinguality of the third generation, which was born and grew up in Germany.
The results of the study of the new declassified documents of Russian archives lead to the conclusion that under the influence of “world politics” there were all directions of Afghanistan’s foreign policy. The history of Soviet-Afghan relations on the eve of the Second World War convincingly proves the fact that in the relations of Afghanistan with the Great Powers of that time there were no spheres of cooperation that would not be used by foreign states in the struggle for the “Afghan bridgehead”. A striking proof of this is the attempt of the Soviet government in the 1930s to coordinate the issue of grazing of Afghan herds on Turkmen pastures with a whole range of measures aimed at strengthening the positions of Germany and Japan in Afghanistan. Soviet diplomacy repeatedly asked Kabul about the pastoral convention to speed up the signing of the necessary Soviet treaties with Afghanistan. In 1936 the question of concluding a grazing convention was repeatedly raised during the negotiations on the extension of the Kabul Pact of 1931 (the Neutrality and Mutual Non-Aggression Treaty of 1931) and the conclusion of a general trade agreement with Afghanistan, through which the USSR sought to economically supplant German and Japanese goods from the market of Northern Afghanistan.