Border-Crossings and Migration in the Croatian and Slavonian Military Frontiers in the Early Modern Period

Significant geographical discoveries and the emergence of modern cartography, when combined with the concept of a territorial state, brought meaningful changes how borders were conceived during the early modern period. A diffuse image that had prevailed from antiquity to the late Middle Ages was replaced by a clear idea of a fixed border (Baramova, 2010). The role of the Military Frontier as a wider borderland was two-fold: It served as a buffer zone against the Ottoman Empire for the Habsburg hereditary lands and the still unconquered Croatian territories, and it was also an area of intense migration, especially for the Vlach population from the southeastern Dinaric region. After the suppression of the Ottomans and the first international demarcation of the Croatian territories in 1699/1700, migration to the Military Frontier increased, both from the central European area and from the southern and southwestern parts of the Balkan Peninsula. This paper discusses the role and perception of this borderland and especially of Croatia’s Military Frontier. Through interpretation and explanation of several typical examples of border crossings in this area, both before and after the first official demarcation in 1699, the paper will attempt to answer the question of how the migration processes influence the development and strengthening of the early modern state and its institutions.

Documentary-based climate reconstructions in the Czech Lands 1501–2020 CE and their European context

Annual and seasonal temperature, precipitation and drought index (SPI, SPEI, Z-index, PDSI) series covering the Czech Lands territory (now the Czech Republic) over 520 years (1501–2020 CE) reconstructed from documentary data combined with instrumental observations were analysed herein. The temperature series exhibits a statistically significant increasing trend, rising from ~1890 and particularly from the 1970s; 1991–2020 represents the warmest and driest 30-year period since 1501 CE. While the long-term precipitation total fluctuations (and derived SPI fluctuations) remain relatively stable with annual and decadal variabilities, past temperature increases are the key factor affecting recent increasing dryness in the SPEI, Z-index and PDSI series. The seasonal temperature series represent a broad European area, while the seasonal precipitation series show lower spatial correlations. A statistical attribution analysis conducted utilizing regression and wavelet techniques confirmed the influence of covariates related to volcanic activity (prompting temporary temperature decreases, especially during summer) and the North Atlantic Oscillation (influential in all seasons except summer) in the Czech climate reconstructions. Furthermore, components tied to multidecadal variabilities in the northern Atlantic and northern Pacific were identified in the temperature and precipitation series and in the drought indices, revealing notable shared oscillations, particularly at periods of approximately 70–100 years.

Very Fast RP–UHPLC–PDA Method for Identification and Quantification of the Cannabinoids from Hemp Oil

In recent years, hemp oils have become ubiquitous in health products on the European market. As the trend continues to grow and more cannabinoids are researched for their therapeutic benefits, more academic and industrial interests are drawn to this direction. Cannabidiol, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, and their acidic forms remain the most examined cannabinoids in hemp and cannabis oils, in the case of cannabidiol due to its proven health implications in numerous articles, and in the case of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, due to the legislation in the European area. These oils sold on the internet contain a wide range of cannabinoids that could demonstrate their effects and benefits. As a result of these claims, we developed a robust and rapid method that can identify and quantify 10 of the most common cannabinoids found in hemp oils: cannabivarin, cannabidiolic acid, cannabigerolic acid, cannabigerol, cannabidiol, cannabinol, Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabichromene, and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid in less than 11 min, with reverse-phase–high-performance liquid chromatography–photodiode matrix system (RP–UHPLC–PDA) equipped with C18 column, eluting in a gradient using water and acetonitrile with formic acid as mobile phases. The quantification of 9 sample products presented in different matrixes was performed using a calibration curve obtained by analyzing standard solutions from a 10-cannabinoid-mix-certified reference standard. The developed method demonstrated the ability to identify and quantify the main cannabinoids in hemp oil and is a useful tool for pharmaceutical professionals.

Genome-wide association study for morphological, phenological, quality, and yield traits in einkorn (Triticum monococcum L. subsp. monococcum)

Einkorn (Triticum monococcum L. subsp. monococcum, 2n = 2× = 14, AmAm) is a diploid wheat whose cultivation was widespread in the Mediterranean and European area till the Bronze Age, before it was replaced by the more productive durum and bread wheats. Although scarcely cultivated nowadays, it has gained renewed interest due to its relevant nutritional properties and as source of genetic diversity for crop breeding. However, the molecular basis of many traits of interest in einkorn remain still unknown. A panel of 160 einkorn landraces, from different parts of the distribution area, was characterized for several phenotypic traits related to morphology, phenology, quality, and yield for 4 years in two locations. An approach based on co-linearity with the A genome of bread wheat, supported also by that with Triticum urartu genome, was exploited to perform association mapping, even without an einkorn anchored genome. The association mapping approach uncovered numerous marker-trait associations; for 37 of these, a physical position was inferred by homology with the bread wheat genome. Moreover, numerous associated regions were also assigned to the available T. monococcum contigs. Among the intervals detected in this work, three overlapped with regions previously described as involved in the same trait, while four other regions were localized in proximity of loci previously described and presumably refer to the same gene/QTL. The remaining associated regions identified in this work could represent a novel and useful starting point for breeding approaches to improve the investigated traits in this neglected species.

Better Alone Than in Bad Company: New Species of Caudofoveate Limifossorid (Mollusca, Aplacophora) Unravels Patterns of Distribution Hidden in the Deep Atlantic

Aplacophorans are common inhabitants of the deep-sea, where many places remain unexplored regarding their biodiversity. Filling a gap in knowledge about these animals from the South Atlantic, Scutopus variabilis sp. nov. (Caudofoveata, Limifossoridae) is described; further, species distribution modelling (SDM) was performed to elucidate the distribution patterns of Atlantic species of Scutopus. The type materials of S. megaradulatusSalvini-Plawen (1972) and S. chilensisSalvini-Plawen (1972), were examined and a search was performed for specimens of Scutopus held in museum collections. Scutopus variabilis sp. nov. has a slender and highly variable body form and a very distinct suture line is present midventrally. Two dominant types of trunk sclerites were observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM): one elongated with lateral margins slightly concave in medial portion, and another longer, with narrower base; its radula bears up to eight rows of heavily sclerotized teeth bearing 12–16 small denticles. The species occurs in a wide bathymetric range (40–1300 m), being more abundant at the edge between the continental shelf and upper slope. Outside the areas from where these samples were obtained, suitable areas for S. variabilis sp. nov. were found in the Southern Caribbean Sea (from where S. megaradulatus is recorded) and in the Brazilian Northern coast; the Gulf of Mexico and the Brazilian Northeastern coasts were found as unsuitable. Species of Scutopus appear to exhibit different patterns of geographical distribution: the European S. ventrolineatusSalvini-Plawen (1968) and S. robustusSalvini-Plawen (1970) are known as widely distributed, while non-European representants, the American S. megaradulatus, S. chilensis and S. variabilis sp. nov., and the Japanese S. schanderiSaito and Salvini-Plawen (2014) and S. hamatamiiSaito and Salvini-Plawen (2014) have more restricted distributions. However, clear and definite patterns of distribution of some of these species are probably blurred by sampling bias, for the European area is better studied. In the Atlantic, the SDM showed that species of Scutopus occur in a way that overlapping is minimized. Great sampling efforts combined with detailed descriptions based on SEM have revealed an interesting, abundant and up to now undescribed Brazilian deep-sea malacofauna.

Improving the Passive Energy Performance of the Buildings’ Envelope in the Southern European Area: A Study on the Integration of a Tensile Material

In this paper, the energy and environmental impacts of a passive retrofit action, involving the installation, on an office building, of a second-skin system with the external layer made of a PVC-coated polyester fabric, were evaluated in terms of primary energy saving and carbon dioxide equivalent emissions. The primary energy consumption and the carbon dioxide equivalent emissions associated with the considered case studies were evaluated through the dynamic simulation software TRNSYS, across a whole year. The study was carried out considering five cities (Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon, Marseille and Naples) in five different countries in southern Europe upon varying the orientation of the two main façades of building (north-south and east-west orientation were considered). The office building was modeled in detail considering different construction characteristics upon varying the country. The simulation results highlight that the best results in terms of PES (equal to 22.4%) in Naples, while the best results in terms of CO2 (equal to 32.0 MgCO2,eq) were obtained when the building is located in Athens. In addition, the adoption of the proposed passive lightweight retrofit solution allowed the reduction of both cooling and thermal yearly energy demand up to 57.7% (Marseille) and 17.8% (Barcelona), respectively.

Analysis of Exponent K Based on “Share” Project Data and Its Implications on Importance Factors of En 1998-1

This paper deals with seismic activity represented by a hazard curve through a single parameter – exponent k as given in EN 1998-1, as well as with its implications on importance factors. We have used the SHARE project dataset for calculation of exponent k for the wider European area and limited number of separate national studies for comparison of results since comparison to the SHARE results on the same dataset resulted with values of exponent k smaller by 1–1.5. The results indicate that recommended value of exponent k of 3 is rather an exception than expected value in seismically active regions, and that with the exclusion of Vrancea zone, for majority of Europe exponent k is well below assumed in EN 1998-1, which consequently indicate that importance factors for these locations should be larger than recommended in EN 1998-1.