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Difficult heritage or historical trash? : ‘Critical care’ for industrial legacies in eastern Ukraine, 2014–2022
Get PDFIn this article, I take up this notion of ‘difficult heritage’ to explore the management of industrial legacies in eastern Ukraine, with a focus on developments between 2014 and 2022. While acknowledging that industrial heritage is not ‘difficult’ in the same way as inherited sites of genocide or internment, I contend that it too was ‘contested and awkward’, unsettling attempts to rebrand and reimagine the region in line with shifts in national memory politics. As the environmentally damaging infrastructural inheritance of empire, which nevertheless also played a community-shaping role in the local context, industrial legacies were present in the landscape in ‘disruptive ways’, opening up social divisions and exposing cultural fractures. In this article, I explore how local artists and activists responded to the condition of state abandonment of this heritage, developing the analytical category of ‘critical care’ to describe processes of community-led preservation and creative repurposing at this time. Peer reviewe
Impact of pollution on the temperature sensitivity of multiple Norway spruce tree-ring parameters in Central Europe
Get PDFFunding: This research was undertaken as part of the REPLICATE project (20-22351Y) funded by the Czech Science Foundation (GAČR), as well as by the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague institutional project (IGA Grant funding 2022/2023, project No A_21_22). JT was supported by Charles University [PRIMUS/24/SCI/004] and Programme JAC [CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004605]. JB received funding from the SNF Sinergia project CALDERA (no.183571). JB and GvA received funding from the SNF project XELLCLIM (no. 200021_182398).Central European forests experienced high rates of air pollution in the second half of the 20th century, especially along the borders of Czechia, Germany and Poland. Consequently, tree-growth declines were detected in heavily polluted forests. However, information about how pollution has influenced growth-climate responses beyond tree-ring width (RW) in pollution-affected forests remains sparse. In this study, we investigated the impact of high-level pollution during 1960s-1980s in Central Europe on the climatic signals of various tree-ring parameters of Norway spruce, including RW, latewood Blue Intensity (LWBI), and maximum cell wall thickness (CWT), to understand how tree growth and climatic sensitivity were affected. Tree-ring cores were collected from six temperature-limited high-elevation sites within four pollution-affected regions in Czechia and northern Slovakia. RW and LWBI were measured for all samples and CWT was produced from two sites with contrasting pollution impacts. Distinct pollution-related RW growth suppression was detected in 1970s to 1980s at several sites. LWBI and CWT chronologies were highly correlated (rLWBI = 0.52–0.75; rCWT = 0.63–0.68) with growing season (April-September) temperature and did not exhibit clear signs of distortion by pollution compared to RW (rRW = 0.28–0.58). Pollution stress seemed to reduce tree growth by decreasing cell numbers and made RW less sensitive to climate. This study reveals that impacts of pollution on different tree-ring parameters varied which can further influence their climatic sensitivities. It provides valuable insight in improving the utility of pollution-affected tree-ring chronologies by choosing appropriate parameters, which can ultimately contribute to substantially improving the calibration of climate reconstructions from heavily polluted regions.Peer reviewe
Double standards in the treatment of refugees : why are people more likely to help Ukrainian compared to Syrian refugees?
Get PDFFunding: The manuscript was supported by the project “Threat perceptions, feelings of belonging, acceptance of democratic sovereignty” (#B3-30), funded within the Cluster of Excellence "Religion and Politics, German Research Foundation (DFG) at the University of Münster and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) – SFB 1604 – 501120656. Study 3 was conducted by Marleen Shilling as part of her Master Thesis.We tested whether residents of Germany are more willing to help refugees from Ukraine compared to Syria and examined underlying psychological factors (perceptions of similarity, intergroup threat and the association with Islam). Across three experiments (total N = 3,119), a significant pro-Ukrainian preference emerged: Ukrainian refugees (vs. Syrian refugees) were perceived as less threatening (both realistically and symbolically), elicited less safety threat and were seen as more similar. Study 1 (N = 991) showed that perceptions of threat and similarity mediated the impact of refugees' nationality on helping intentions. Study 2 (N = 938) further demonstrated that perceptions of Syrian refugees as predominantly Muslim contributed to heightened perceptions of threat, which was associated with reduced helping intentions. In Study 3 (N = 1,190), we employed vignettes to manipulate refugees’ nationality (Ukrainian/Syrian) and religion (Muslim/Christian). Participants perceived Ukrainian refugees portrayed as Christian (vs. Muslim) as more similar to themselves and less threatening and were more willing to help them. There was no effect of religion on helping behaviour, threat and similarity perceptions for Syrian refugees. The implications of these findings are discussed.Peer reviewe
Understanding the crystal chemistry of phosphate cathode materials
No full textEight phosphate-based compounds, Co₃P₂O₈, Co₁.₅Mn₁.₅P₂O₈, Mn₃P₂O₈, alpha-FePO₄, Fe₃O₃PO₄, Mn₂P₂O₇, and Mn₂P₄O₁₂, were synthesised and evaluated as cathode materials for high-temperature lithium thermal batteries. These compounds were chosen for their structural diversity, thermal stability, and potential for conversion-type electrochemical energy storage.
Co-based materials had high thermal stability, with Co₃P₂O₈ showing positive thermal expansion (PTE), while Co₁.₅Mn₁.₅P₂O₈ and Mn₃P₂O₈ exhibited negative thermal expansion (NTE). Alpha-FePO₄ remained thermally stable up to 500 °C with PTE, whereas Fe₃O₃PO₄, particularly from the solution route, demonstrated NTE due to possible stoichiometric or compositional effects.
Mn₂P₂O₇, showed PTE up to 780 °C, while its presence within Mn₃P₂O₈ induced NTE behaviour, resembling the alpha-FePO₄/Fe₃O₃PO₄ system. Mn₂P₄O₁₂ displayed a 3.69% unit cell contraction up to 780 °C, indicating NTE and a possible phase transition. Electrochemical tests revealed that Co₃P₂O₈ and Co₁.₅Mn₁.₅P₂O₈ delivered a stable 2.2 V plateaux, with improved capacity in the Mn-substituted compound. Mn₃P₂O₈ showed a higher capacity and performance at high current densities. Fe₃O₃PO₄ offered enhanced capacity through mixed-phase activity, while Mn₂P₂O₇ and Mn₂P₄O₁₂ demonstrated multiple voltage plateaus and promising high-rate capabilities.
Post-mortem PXRD confirmed Li₃PO₄ and metal formation for these eight phosphates. This work highlights the potential of phosphate materials in thermal batteries, especially through compositional tuning, mixed-metal strategies, and solution-based synthesis."This work was supported by the AWE Plc. For 3.5 years ; and the HANDSEL Tuition Fee Scholarship."--Fundin
Daniele Barbaro in Padua during his formative yearsnew findings
No full textIn the early 16th century, Padua flourished as a cultural center attracting young scholars, offering a multidisciplinary environment which will be crucial for their future careers. Daniele Barbaro (1514-1570) embodies this path. This contribution, based on the analysis of largely unpublished documents, examines the context in which Barbaro developed his education in Padua, highlighting the importance of his relationships with various prominent figures of his time: his tutor Giovanni Benedetto Lampridio, and then Lorenzo Contarini, Cosimo Gheri, and Gasparo Contarini, who precociously recognised his notable intellectual gifts offering him support and stimulus. Also crucial in his network of contacts were Matteo Macigni (philosopher and mathematician) and Federico Delfino (mathematician and astronomer). The contribution redefines the chronology of Barbaro’s sojourn in Padua and sheds new light on the importance of these connections for the intellectual growth and collaborations of the future Patriarch-elect of Aquileia.Peer reviewe
Naval sonar induces an anaerobic swimming gait in beaked whales
Get PDFData collection in The Bahamas was funded by the United States (U.S.) Office of Naval Research (www.onr.navy.mil) Grants N00014-07-10988, N00014-07-11023, N00014-08-10990, N00014-15-12553; the U.S. Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (www.serdp.org) Grant SI-1539, the Environmental Readiness Division of the U.S. Navy (http://www.navy.mil/local/n45/), the U.S. Chief of Naval Operations Submarine Warfare Division (Undersea Surveillance), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (National Marine Fisheries Service, Office of Science and Technology) (http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/), U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ocean Acoustics Program (http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/acoustics/), and the Joint Industry Program on Sound and Marine Life of the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (www.soundandmarinelife.org). Data collection in the Canary Islands was funded by the Office of Naval Research, Strategic Environmental Research, Development Program (SERDP) under program CS-1188, the National Ocean Partnership Program, the Packard Foundation, and the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), by a consortium consisting of the Canary Islands Government, the Spanish Ministry of Environment and the Spanish Ministry of Defence and by the European environmental funding LIFEINDEMARES program for the inventory and designation of the Natura 2000 network in marine areas of the Spanish territory, headed by Fundación Biodiversidad, with additional support from the Cabildo Insular of El Hierro. Data collection in the Ligurian sea was funded by the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP). Data collection in Azores was funded by the Office of Naval Research Marine Mammal Biology Program, USA (ONR; grant numbers N00014-15-1-2341, N00014-17-1-2715, N00014-20-1-2702; program manager, M. Weise), the Dutch Research Council (NWO; Veni grant 016. Veni.181.086). Data collection in the Southern California Bight was funded by the US Navy Chief of Naval Operations, Environmental Readiness Program, the Naval Postgraduate School, and the National Research Council; the Office of Naval Research and the MASTS pooling initiative (Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland; supported by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions). Data collection in Jan Mayen was funded by the US Office of Naval Research (ONR grants N00014-15-1-2533 and N00014-16-1-3059), the Norwegian Ministry of Defence, The Netherlands Ministry of Defence, the US Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP award RC-2337), the French Ministry of Defence (DGA) and the MASTS pooling initiative (Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland; supported by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions).Naval sonar can disrupt beaked whale diving behaviour, in some cases leading to lethal strandings. Diving disruption likely involves a physiological response, which remains poorly understood. Beaked whales may exceed their aerobic dive limit during long-duration deep-foraging dives and later in those dives, during ascent, initiate a unique strong gait (B-strokes), hypothesized to recruit anaerobic fast-twitch fibres. We compared the use of B-strokes during exposed and unexposed dives in four species of beaked whales. Contrasting the highly context-specific use of B-strokes during ascents from deep-dives in baseline conditions, during sonar exposure, B-strokes were used during descent and ascent phases of both deep and shallow dives. B-stroke onset occurred during all sonar exposure periods with levels above 100 dB re 1 µPa that lasted more than three minutes. The use of B-strokes during descent indicates these animals start using an oxygen-saving strategy earlier in exposed (16 ± 13 min) vs. unexposed dives (33 ± 14 min). This change in swimming gait when exposed to an external threat likely evolved to enable flexible escape responses from predators. However, if prolonged, such responses could lead to physiological changes that contribute to gas bubble formation and growth that could lead to animals stranding.Peer reviewe
Contributions of epigenomic and epitranscriptomic methylation to animal colouration
Get PDFFunding: We thank NERC IAPTEUS2 for funding N.S. PhD research with K.R.E., D.R.V., and M.G.R.Due to its high variation and its diversity of functional roles, animal colouration has long been a fascinating phenotype for geneticists. While the loci underpinning colour are relatively well known, there remain components of unexplained variation. The contribution of DNA and RNA methylation to these molecular mechanisms of colouration is only now being explored. Recent research has shown that DNA (m5C) methylation plays a role in plastic colouration change, the development of colour, and adult intra- and interindividual colouration differences. Studies on RNA (m6A) methylation are few but suggest that it also contributes to colour differences. Emerging advances in native DNA and RNA sequencing will allow a novel understanding of methylation contributions to colour evolution and development.Peer reviewe
Unsupervised port berth localization from automatic identification system data
Get PDFFunding: This work was co-financed by the European Union—NextGenerationEU, through the Research and Innovation Foundation with grant number CODEVELOP-GT/0322/0096 (ADAPTATION), and the EU H2020 Research and Innovation Programmes under Grant Agreements No. 857586 (CMMI-MaRITeC-X) and No. 101158669 (AXOLOTL).Port berthing sites are regions of high interest for monitoring and optimizing port operations. Data sourced from the Automatic Identification System (AIS) can be superimposed on berths, enabling their real-time monitoring and revealing long-term utilization patterns. Ultimately, insights from multiple berths can uncover bottlenecks, and lead to the optimization of the underlying supply chain of the port and beyond. However, publicly available documentation of port berths, even when available, is frequently incomplete—e.g., there may be missing berths or inaccuracies such as incorrect boundary boxes—necessitating a more robust, data-driven approach to port berth localization. In this context, we propose an unsupervised spatial modeling method that leverages AIS data clustering and hyperparameter optimization to localize berthing sites. Trained on one month of freely available AIS data and evaluated across ports of varying sizes, our models significantly outperform competing methods, achieving a mean Bhattacharyya distance of 0.85 when comparing Gaussian Mixture Models trained on separate data splits, compared to 13.56 for the best existing method. Qualitative comparison with satellite images and existing berth labels further supports the superiority of our method, revealing more precise berth boundaries and improved spatial resolution across diverse port environments.Peer reviewe
Quantifying gene-culture coevolution : toward an empirical science of interaction in human dual inheritance
No full textGene-culture coevolution, the reciprocal interactions between genetic and cultural inheritance systems, provides a uniquely powerful framework for understanding human evolution. However, empirical evidence for these coevolutionary processes remains limited, partially due to both conceptual and methodological issues in empirical studies of dual-inheritance. In this thesis, I set out to address some of these issues, in the geographic context of the Pacific Islands. I start by reviewing the gene-culture coevolution literature and propose an expanded conceptual framework distinguishing "narrow" (adaptive) from "broad" (including non-adaptive) coevolution. The remaining chapters are situated within that conceptual set-up and adopt landscape genomic approaches to test for gene-culture interactions in Oceanic populations. First, I investigate temporal patterns of selection in contemporary Hawai’ian genomes using the admixture-aware selection scan method AdaptMix, finding that immune-related selection dominates while evidence for recent culturally-mediated dietary adaptation remains sparse. In the next chapter, I examine genetic associations with traditional subsistence practices across 24 Pacific populations utilising a gene-environment association framework. Using latent factor mixed modelling and partial redundancy analysis, I identify signatures of local adaptation in metabolic pathways showing significant correlations with marine-to-terrestrial dietary gradients. In the final data chapter, I explore non-adaptive evolutionary dynamics by testing whether potentially culturally evolved patterns of conflict have shaped neutral genetic variation in the Pacific and contributed to the regional decline of long-distance voyaging. Using archaeological fortification data and genetic dispersal surfaces generated through the MAPS method, I demonstrate that warfare seems to have substantially reduced gene flow between island populations during the late pre-Contact period, in line with archaeological and anthropological predictions. Collectively, these results reveal multiple pathways through which culture may shape genetic evolution including, but also going beyond, classical selective scenarios. I conclude by discussing how future work, further integrating with theoretical modelling and archaeological data, may build on this approach
Classifying constructivism : carving out metanormative real estate
Get PDFI argue that constructivism about normative properties and reasons offers a metanormative position distinct from realism and antirealist expressivism. I defend my position by arguing that constructivism can offer a normative psychology distinct from realist and expressivist accounts, that positions of this kind can explain why we have non-arbitrary reasons for certain normative standards, and that an account of constructed normative properties can resist realist and expressivist interpretations. This defense spans across four chapters. Chapter One offers a new account of valuing attitudes as the conceptual foundation for my constructivist position. Chapter Two shows that, as a consequence of my position, our practical deliberations commit us to the categorical imperative. Building on the prior chapters, Chapter Three then proposes a constructivist foundation for normative properties that distinguishes the view from canonical forms of realism and expressivism. Finally, Chapter Four offers my defense against shmagency-style arguments that would challenge a metanormative constructivism that utilizes constitutivist arguments. Together, I offer these four chapters as an initial sketch, and collective defense, of metanormative constructivism
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