Population genomics of the emerging forest pathogen Neonectria neomacrospora

ABSTRACTThe fungal pathogen Neonectria neomacrospora is of increasing concern in Europe where, within the last decade, it has caused substantial damage to forest stands and ornamental trees of the genus Abies (Mill.). Using whole-genome sequencing of a comprehensive collection of isolates, we show the extent of three major clades within N. neomacrospora, which most likely diverged around the end of the last Ice Age. We find it likely that the current European epidemic of N. neomacrospora was founded from a population belonging to the east North American clade. All European isolates (1957-2019) had a common evolutionary history, but substantial and asymmetrical gene flow from the larger American source population could be detected. The European population shows multiple signs of having gone through a bottleneck and subsequent population expansion.

Technology transfer of urban highways and interchange design in the 1960s: The case of the Ayalon Crosstown Expressway, Israel

This paper reconstructs the design history of the Ayalon Crosstown Expressway in Tel Aviv, a project that initiated the technology transfer of American and European transport planning methods to Israel. It examines the unstable, evolving dynamics between agents pushing the technology such as the World Bank and international traffic planning firms, and local institutions pulling or opposing it such as the city, the highway company, and various competing governmental departments. The five successive plans developed for that highway by Canadian, American, French, and British planners offer themselves to comparative analysis of national design philosophies of urban highway systems. Through a close reading of the different geometric plans of one bifurcating interchange, the paper analyses how the technology was adapted to fit the Israeli political, administrative, and economic environment, and identifies a shift in highway planning rationality and techniques for governing mobility at the American source of innovation.

Validation of the Short and Extra-Short Forms of the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2) and Their German Adaptations

The present study investigates the validity and utility of the German adaptations of the two short forms of the Big Five Inventory-2 (BFI-2), the 30-item BFI-2-S, and the 15-item BFI-2-XS, developed by Soto and John (2017b) . Both scales assess the Big Five domains. The BFI-2-S allows, in addition, the brief assessment of three facets per domain. Based on a large and heterogeneous sample, we show that the psychometric properties of these adapted short scales are consistent with those of the Anglo-American source versions, and we demonstrate substantial convergence between the adaptations and the source versions. Extending the original scale development study, we demonstrate high retest stability of the scales and their facets. Our results clearly indicate the construct and criterion validity of the two scales: Both show substantial convergence with the NEO-PI-R domain scales. Moreover, the distinctive correlation pattern found between the facets of the BFI-2 and the NEO-PI-R could be replicated for the facets of the BFI-2-S. Furthermore, we show that the domain scales of both instruments are associated in the hypothesized directions with important life outcomes, such as life satisfaction and intelligence, and that the facets of the BFI-2-S have incremental validity for predicting these outcomes.

MERCOSUR, UNASUR AND BRAZILIAN DIPLOMATIC MEASURES FOR THE PREVENTION AND FIGHTING OF ILLICIT TRAFFICKING OF CULTURAL PROPERTY: PURPOSES, STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE RECENTLY CREATED MULTILATERAL AND NATIONAL SPECIALIZED COMMITTEES

ABSTRACTThe illicit trafficking of cultural property is a reality in most South American countries. For years, although cultural diplomacy has evolved in the national and multilateral spheres, no significant concrete measures have been taken to fight the illicit trafficking, which has kept developing even after the 1970 UNESCO Convention. In that context, two recent initiatives seem to promote new perspectives. The Mercosur-Unasur Technical Committee for the Prevention and Fighting of Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property establishes a multilateral dialogue in the field, fostering respect and promotion of the cultural diversity in the region. The Brazilian National Committee for the Fighting of Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Property, which still has not been institutionalized, intends to be a discussion venue in the field, establishing a multi-stakeholder approach in the national level. The main challenges that will be faced by both committees concern the implementation of concrete measures within South American source countries, as well as possibly exercising pressure to induce market-end states to adopt the necessary reforms to fight the illicit trafficking of cultural property.KEYWORDS: Cultural diplomacy; Mercosur; Unasur; illicit trafficking of cultural property.RESUMOO tráfico ilícito de bens culturais é uma realidade na maioria dos países sul-americanos. Durante anos, embora a diplomacia cultural tenha progredido nas esferas nacional e multilateral, não foram tomadas medidas concretas significativas para combater o tráfico ilícito, o qual continuou se desenvolvendo mesmo após a Convenção da UNESCO de 1970. Nesse contexto, duas iniciativas recentes parecem promover novas perspectivas. O Comitê Técnico para a Prevenção e o Combate ao Tráfico Ilícito de Bens Culturais do Mercosul-Unasul estabelece um diálogo multilateral sobre o tema, impulsionando o respeito e a promoção da diversidade cultural na região. O Comitê Nacional de Combate ao Tráfico Ilícito de Bens Culturais, que ainda não foi institucionalizado, pretende ser um foro de discussão sobre o tema, estabelecendo uma abordagem a partir da participação de diversos atores em nível brasileiro. Os principais desafios que ambos os comitês terão de enfrentar consistem na implementação de medidas concretas nos países de origem sul-americanos, bem como possivelmente o exercício de pressão para induzir países destinatários do mercado final de bens culturais a adotar as reformas necessárias para combater o tráfico ilícito de bens culturais.PALAVRAS-CHAVE: Diplomacia cultural; Mercosul; Unasul; tráfico ilícito de bens culturais.

Kritsana son nong: The politics and practice of manners in modern Thailand (1950s–1970s)

This article discusses the early 1960s Thai etiquette manualKritsana son nong: Naenam marayat thi ngam haeng araya samai[Kritsana's instructions to Little Sister: An introduction to the fine manners of the civilised period]. A comparison between this book and its American source reveals literary mechanisms devised by the Thai author to negotiate conflicts arising from the domestication of Western-based manners in Thai society.Kritsana son nong'sspecial emphasis on women reflects a perceived need to control and regulate female social interaction with and in comparison to their male counterparts during a period of rapid and profound socioeconomic change. This study of a Thai ettiquette manual and its historical context demonstrates that manners are a cultural artefact whose meanings are open to contest. This complex negotiation between local and foreign practices is often overlooked in the history of and the discussions about manners in modern Thai society.

Reflections on the theme issue outcomes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to profile the Worldwide Hospitality and Tourism Themes (WHATT) theme issue “Services management and the growing number of Asian travellers: what needs re-thinking?” with reference to the experiences of the theme editor and the theme issue outcomes from countries within and beyond Asia. Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses structured questions to enable the theme editor to reflect on the rationale for the theme issue question, the starting point, the selection of the writing team and material and the editorial process. Findings – This paper reports on research and discussions between academics and practitioners about an issue faced by many countries with established hospitality, tourism and travel industries. Specifically, what are the adjustments needed to mirror the radically changing demographic landscape of inbound tourism – now characterized by more affluent and mobile Asian visitors? Practical implications – This paper builds on the outcomes of an international conference on “Managing and Delivering Services in the Asian Century”, and offers a response to the changes needed to better serve Asian travellers. Originality/value – It provides guidelines for destinations, hospitality organizations and travel operators that have traditionally relied on European and American source markets to help them re-think their service delivery process, management and operations.

Rodents of the Caribbean: origin and diversification of hutias unravelled by next-generation museomics

The Capromyidae (hutias) are endemic rodents of the Caribbean and represent a model of dispersal for non-flying mammals in the Greater Antilles. This family has experienced severe extinctions during the Holocene and its phylogenetic affinities with respect to other caviomorph relatives are still debated as morphological and molecular data disagree. We used target enrichment and next-generation sequencing of mitochondrial and nuclear genes to infer the phylogenetic relationships of hutias, estimate their divergence ages, and understand their mode of dispersal in the Greater Antilles. We found that Capromyidae are nested within Echimyidae (spiny rats) and should be considered a subfamily thereof. We estimated that the split between hutias and Atlantic Forest spiny rats occurred 16.5 (14.8–18.2) million years ago (Ma), which is more recent than the GAARlandia land bridge hypothesis (34–35 Ma). This would suggest that during the Early Miocene, an echimyid-like ancestor colonized the Greater Antilles from an eastern South American source population via rafting. The basal divergence of the Hispaniolan Plagiodontia provides further support for a vicariant separation between Hispaniolan and western islands (Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica) hutias. Recent divergences among these western hutias suggest Plio-Pleistocene dispersal waves associated with glacial cycles.

The American Memory Project

The American Memory Project is a digital collection of historical resources maintained by the Library of Congress and freely available to the public at large. Created initially as an educational resource, the project grew to a diverse historical and cultural collection, culled from a wide variety of American source materials. Originally, under the aegis of the National Digital Library Program, the American Memory Project undertook an ambitious collaboration with the private sector to make the treasures of its archives, and of the archives of other institutions as well, available to the general public in online formats and without cost. Numerous technological obstacles needed to be considered, particularly with respect to the selection of metadata to be used by the different organizations involved, the variety of types of materials to be digitized, and an overarching concern to make access to the content as widely available as possible to the intended users.

Change in dust variability in the Atlantic sector of Antarctica at the end of the last deglaciation

We present a Rare Earth Elements (REE) record determined on the EPICA ice core drilled at Dronning Maud Land (EDML) in the Atlantic sector of the East Antarctic Plateau. The record covers the transition from the last glacial stage (LGS) to the early Holocene (26 600–7500 yr BP) at decadal to centennial resolution. Additionally, samples from potential source areas (PSAs) for Antarctic dust were analyzed for their REE characteristics. The dust provenance is discussed by comparing the REE fingerprints in the ice core and the PSA samples. We find a shift in variability in REE composition at ~15 000 yr BP in the ice core samples. Before 15 000 yr BP, the dust composition is very uniform and its provenance was most certainly dominated by a South American source. After 15 000 yr BP, multiple sources such as Australia and New Zealand become relatively more important, although South America remains the major dust source. A similar change in the dust characteristics was observed in the EPICA Dome C ice core at around ~15 000 yr BP, accompanied by a shift in the REE composition, thus suggesting a change of atmospheric circulation in the Southern Hemisphere.