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Simple Summary: Although Anaplasma (A.) phagocytophilum infection in cats is considered to be less frequent compared with dogs, there is evidence indicating that the risk of the infection in cats might be underestimated. The study aimed to find out if infections in cats are underestimated and to discover which factors increase the risk of infection. Blood samples of 1015 cats across Europe were tested for A. phagocytophilum DNA from 2017 to 2022. The number of samples sent for testing increased over the 6 years. Anaplasma phagocytophilum DNA was found in 76 out of 1015 cats (7.5%). Infections were more common in Northern Europe than in Central or Southern Europe. During summer, the number of positive samples was significantly higher compared with winter (p = 0.047). The risk for A. phagocytophilum infection in cats should not be underestimated, especially in Northern Europe. Preventing tick bites is essential for cats' health all over Europe, not just in the Mediterranean regions. Infections with Anaplasma (A.) phagocytophilum in cats seem to be rare. The study aimed to determine whether infections in cats are underestimated and to identify the risk factors for infection. Blood samples of 1015 cats across Europe (2017–2022), sent to IDEXX Laboratories, Germany, were tested for A. phagocytophilum DNA. The influence of the cats' origin on A. phagocytophilum infection was assessed by univariable analysis, while multivariable logistic regression evaluated associations with the cats' sex and age, and the years, and seasonality of the samples' submission. Furthermore, univariable linear regression was used to determine patterns in PCR orders. The number of submitted samples increased significantly during the 6 years (p = 0.042). Anaplasma phagocytophilum DNA was detected in 76/1015 of cats (7.5%, 95% CI 6.0–9.3%). Infections were significantly more common in Northern compared to Central (p < 0.001, OR: 8.70) and Southern Europe (p < 0.001, OR: 39.94). A significantly higher likelihood for infections during the summer compared with winter (p = 0.047, OR: 3.13) was found. Bacteremia with A. phagocytophilum in European cats is not uncommon. Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection should be considered an important risk, particularly in Northern Europe. Effective tick prevention is crucial for managing feline health across Europe, not just in the Mediterranean region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lynchets, often the defining component of historic agricultural landscapes in northern Europe, are generally associated with soft-limestone geologies and are particularly well developed on loess-mantled landscapes. To understand their formation and chronology, the authors present their geoarchaeological analyses of lynchet soils and loess deposits at Blick Mead and Charlton Forest in southern England, and Sint Martens-Voeren in Belgium. The lynchets date from the late prehistoric to the medieval periods and were constructed by plough action at the English sites, and by both cut-and-fill and ploughing in Belgium. This has resulted in the preservation of highly fertile loessic soils across chalk slopes, lost elsewhere. Although each example is associated with local/regional agricultural histories, the lynchets' effective soil-retention capacities allowed them to survive as important heritage features with environmental benefits over millennia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a case study of the Danish and German translations of the American revolutionary Joel Barlow's 'Advice to the Privileged Orders of Europe' (1792), this article explores the role of translations and the example of the American Revolution in forming ideas of republicanism in the Age of Revolutions. While it is today a little-known text, the article shows that Barlow's Advice had a significant impact on the formation of revolutionary ideology in the Northern Germany and Denmark. The article furthermore argues that contrary to what historians have hitherto believed, republicanism did make its way into Denmark in the period. Here, the article shows, it influenced the political ideas of key intellectuals such as Christen Henriksen Pram, August Hennings, and C.U.D. von Eggers. Because censorship made it difficult to express republican ideas, studying translations may give us a fuller and more precise picture of political ideas in the Age of Revolutions including in places like Denmark. The article thus argues that Barlow and his text was part of a broader ‘republic of translations,’ which was transformed in the wake of the American and French Revolutions and through which spread republicanism across the world, including Northern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines Russia's evolving information confrontation strategy in the Nordic region between 2022–2023. It assesses Russia's approaches toward NATO members Norway, new member Finland, and prospective member Sweden. Despite decreased regional influence, the article finds that Russia persists with sub-threshold information confrontation tactics to bypass NATO deterrence. The strategy aims to shape NATO's presence, undermine Western cohesion, and reduce support for Ukraine. These sub-threshold activities underscore the coercive utility of Russia's information confrontation strategy in Russian strategic thinking. As tensions escalate due to the Ukraine conflict, Moscow will continue seeking to influence domestic debates in Nordic and European countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the life and career of Cesare Mazzetti, a Piedmontese banker who emigrated to Friesland in the late 16th century. Topics include his financial career and integration into Dutch society, the personal conflicts with his Italian relatives over feudal rights in Monferrato, and the broader historical context of Lombardi bankers operating in Northern Europe since the Middle Ages.

The relevance of this study is conditioned by the accession of Sweden and Finland to the North Atlantic Al- liance, which has changed the European security system. The purpose of this study was to analyse the consequences of Finland and Sweden’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance for the European Union’s security system. The study used the methods of analysis and synthesis, comparison, and the abstract logical method. The study found that the reasons for the analysed countries’ accession to the Alliance were geopolitical, historical, and military-strategic. The key reasons for Sweden and Finland’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance include Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, their proximity and shared borders with Russia, a strategy of neutrality that was losing its effectiveness, and the merger of the countries’ military-industrial complexes. This accession radically changed the security system of Europe. It was found that the ac- cession of Finland and Sweden to the North Atlantic Alliance had both positive and negative consequences for the overall security system of European countries. On the one hand, the accession of these countries to the North Atlantic Alliance and the integration of their military forces into the Alliance helped to improve military capabilities, especially in the Baltic region, where the Allies did not have sufficient military power. On the other hand, the accession of new countries to the Alliance has also had negative consequences, such as complicating the defence decision-making process and increasing the confrontation between the Alliance countries in northern Europe and Russia. The findings of this study are of practical importance, as they present a holistic picture of changes in the European security system and can be used in practice by the legislative bodies of Ukraine in developing and implementing the country’s foreign policy

This article employs ethnographic material from Sweden and Estonia to examine the relationship between religion and the love of nature in Northern Europe – a region known for its widespread secularisation. We propose that the existential depth that is often ascribed to nature experiences in this part of the world points to a facet of the secularisation process, indicating that love of nature among today's Northern Europeans is deeply entangled with the processes of modernisation. The article provides a historical analysis of how this phenomenon arose and explores ways of approaching it that move beyond the religious-secular dichotomy. It concludes by construing love of nature as belonging to an 'existential field' in the Northern European cultural landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With Finland and Sweden joining NATO, the Nordics will be united for the first time in a military alliance encompassing not only northern Europe but also the broader transatlantic region. It will eventually fortify northern European security, but several obstacles must be overcome first. NATO has done a formidable job since 2014 in updating its defence plans, cumulating in the Deterrence and Defence of the Euro-Atlantic Area (DDA) family of plans approved in Vilnius 2023. Now Finland and Sweden need to be incorporated into these plans. A more challenging task is to implement NATO's New Force Model which is tremendously ambitious. Finland and Sweden's contributions will be important, but new investments must be made. NATO's Command Structure is yet to be fully reformed and fitted to the DDA. Joint Force Command Norfolk must urgently be staffed, without undue politicization in NATO. Nordic defence buildup can draw on regional cooperation in particular in five areas: in strengthening the area's command design through functional double-hatted headquarters; developing close air power cooperation through e.g. a Combined Joint Air Operations Centre; strengthening total defence cooperation across borders and expanding logistical infrastructure; establishing joint intelligence task forces; and joint training and exercises. The contributions of the United States and United Kingdom are indispensable when it comes to upholding the alliance's guarantee in northern Europe. The recent signing of Defense Cooperation Agreements between the US and the Nordics reinforces this—together with an increased presence of air and naval assets in the region. The same applies to the UK and the Joint Expeditionary Force which now has shifted its focus towards northern Europe. This engagement is a crucial addition to Nordic and NATO plans and activities in a period when growth in Nordic defence structures is occurring at a relatively slow pace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Mesolithic burial site Groß Fredenwalde, NE-Germany, discovered in 1962, had remained a poorly understood part of the Mesolithic burial record for decades. Since 2012, the site has been under re-investigation. New discoveries confirm the presence of several single and multiple inhumation graves. Groß Fredenwalde stands out as the largest and one of the oldest Mesolithic cemeteries in North-central Europe. Its use period can be separated into two phases: a main phase in the late seventh millennium cal BC to the early sixth millennium cal BC and a later single burial c. 4900 cal BC. Here the state of research on the site is presented and selected characteristics are discussed in the context of early cemeteries of Northern and North-eastern Europe.

The primary objective of the article is to evaluate the significance of status and allied reputation within Denmark’s strategic culture. Amongst Danish international relations scholars, there is a well-established notion that one of the key motivations for the use of military force in Danish foreign policy was the aspiration to cultivate special relations with the United States and achieve the status of a privileged ally. This status would confirm guarantees for Denmark’s national security, provide the country with an opportunity for distinctive influence in decision-making and agenda-setting in NATO, the EU, and transatlantic cooperation. A qualitative content analysis of the 2017—2018, 2019—2020 and 2022 Danish foreign policy strategies was carried out to determine the effect of such expert perceptions on the texts of the guiding foreign policy documents. The analysis highlighted and confirmed the ‘super Atlanticism’ tendencies in Denmark’s contemporary strategic culture, revealing its close ties with the Danish perception of the US as the safeguard for the liberal world order and associated multilateral institutions. Denmark’s value-driven militarised foreign political activism in the post-Cold War era is thus not only pragmatic but also ideological as it seeks to promote liberal values, democracy and human rights under American leadership. The article concludes that factoring in status and reputation in strategic culture studies may complement the explanations of security community formation, alliance strategies and the dynamics behind relations within different types of alliances.

Arthropod-borne viral diseases are likely to be affected by the consequences of climate change with an increase in their distribution and intensity. Among these infectious diseases, chikungunya and dengue viruses are two (re)emergent arboviruses transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes and which have recently demonstrated their capacity for rapid expansion. They most often cause mild diseases, but they can both be associated with complications and severe forms. In Europe, following the establishment of invasive Aedes spp, the first outbreaks of autochtonous dengue and chikungunya have already occurred. Northern Europe is currently relatively spared, but climatic projections show that the conditions are permissive for the establishment of Aedes albopictus (also known as the tiger mosquito) in the coming decades. It is therefore essential to question and improve the means of surveillance in northern Europe, at the dawn of inevitable future epidemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Most government efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic revolved around non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) and vaccination. However, many respiratory diseases show distinctive seasonal trends. In this manuscript, we examined the contribution of these three factors to the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Pearson correlation coefficients and time-lagged analysis were used to examine the relationship between NPIs, vaccinations and seasonality (using the average incidence of endemic human beta-coronaviruses in Sweden over a 10-year period as a proxy) and the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic as tracked by deaths; cases; hospitalisations; intensive care unit occupancy and testing positivity rates in six Northern European countries (population 99.12 million) using a population-based, observational, ecological study method. Findings: The waves of the pandemic correlated well with the seasonality of human beta-coronaviruses (HCoV-OC43 and HCoV-HKU1). In contrast, we could not find clear or consistent evidence that the stringency of NPIs or vaccination reduced the progression of the pandemic. However, these results are correlations and not causations. Implications: We hypothesise that the apparent influence of NPIs and vaccines might instead be an effect of coronavirus seasonality. We suggest that policymakers consider these results when assessing policy options for future pandemics. Limitations: The study is limited to six temperate Northern European countries with spatial and temporal variations in metrics used to track the progression of the COVID-19 pandemic. Caution should be exercised when extrapolating these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The political, social, and institutional environments in which contemporary universities operate have changed rather dramatically over the past two decades in ways that threaten the resilience of the academic core, both in its ability to map knowledge comprehensively and also to maintain a balance between the branches of the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. This paper traces historical changes (2003–2019) in the academic core of two "flagship" research-intensive universities located in Northern Europe. The results show that some branches of the academic core are undergoing dynamic processes of program churn that make them resilient. Furthermore, the data show that this resilience is enabled in large part by bridging different branches of knowledge by establishing what we term interbranch programs. In addition to the abovementioned findings, the paper links ongoing discussions regarding change in HE systems and institutions to the literature on organizational resilience, and it advances insights for a possible future theory of how adaptation plays out in the academic core over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the distance between their different communities and the difficulties of medieval travel, the Jews of northern Europe developed typical common legal and communal traditions. Rabbinic students traveled hundreds of kilometers to study with famous rabbis, rabbis themselves often relocated from one community to another, and questions were regularly sent to faraway rabbinic authorities and were quickly answered. This article sheds light on the movement and communication patterns of medieval Jewish scholars as a social group. It includes three sections; the first focuses on the movement patterns of prominent rabbis, the second on their forms of communication, and the third on the way these practices were reflected in the organization of larger communal structures. Overall, the article highlights the major role that networks of movement and communication played in the intellectual culture of the rabbinic elite (and other Jews as well) in high medieval northern Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large reductions in fish biomass are common both as a method of managing lake ecosystems by fish removals (biomanipulation) and as naturally occurring fish kills. To further understand how fish reductions change feeding patterns of fish, we studied the diets of small‐ to medium‐sized roach (Rutilus rutilus) and European perch (Perca fluviatilis) on a monthly basis using gut‐content analysis during an 18‐month period before and after a whole‐lake fish removal in a eutrophic shallow lake. Further, we performed in‐depth analyses of zoobenthos communities of the profundal and littoral zones, as well as analysed the zooplankton community in the littoral and pelagic parts of the lake to estimate abundance and biomass of potential diet items. We found that, in general, there was a trend toward increased zoobenthivory in both species and among all‐sized fish after fish removal, regardless of prior diet preference. Reduced piscivory among larger perch (>150 mm) and reduced zooplanktivory among smaller perch and roach (<150 mm) were also observed. Moreover, during a short period of high zooplankton biomass after fish removal, both perch and roach (all sizes) shifted their diet toward daphnids, which likely caused a decrease in daphnid population. We suggest that such change toward periodical zooplanktivory across fish species and size groups may lead to unexpectedly high top‐down control by fish after lake restoration by fish removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 16th-century Riddarholmen Ship was discovered in the middle of Stockholm in 1930. Despite being exhibited since 1947, the efforts to reconstruct the ship have been limited. A substantial portion of the recovered parts has never been put on display. This paper aims to shed new light on the ship's architecture using the original material from the excavation together with an inventory of the timbers in the collections of the Medieval Museum. From this, it is argued that the ship originally had a full deck, three masts, and a forecastle and that it resembles an early purpose-built, gun-carrying warship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grey mould, caused by Botrytis cinerea and other Botrytis spp., is a major cause of fruit rot in strawberries and other fruit crops worldwide. Repeated fungicide applications are essential in order to secure harvests. However, resistance to all currently registered single-site fungicides is widespread. The rising importance of strains with multiple resistance to most or all fungicides is of particular concern. These strains may be introduced into fields via contaminated nursery plants and/or by immigration from adjacent plots. On the basis of research conducted in northern German and Danish strawberry production, a concept to manage fungicide resistance under northern European conditions has been developed and put into regional strawberry production practice. This principally includes the testing of nursery plants for fungicide-resistant Botrytis strains prior to planting; the restricted and specific use of fungicides at flowering in the production fields, taking account of the resistance spectrum within the local Botrytis population; and crop sanitation measures such as the removal of rotting fruits at the beginning of harvest. Further options such as protected cultivation, reduced fertilisation and biological control are also discussed. The practical implementation of such a strategy in northern Germany and Denmark has been shown to reduce the occurrence of multi-resistant strains to a tolerable steady-state level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arthropod-borne viral diseases are likely to be affected by the consequences of climate change with an increase in their distribution and intensity. Among these infectious diseases, chikungunya and dengue viruses are two (re)emergent arboviruses transmitted by Aedes species mosquitoes and which have recently demonstrated their capacity for rapid expansion. They most often cause mild diseases, but they can both be associated with complications and severe forms. In Europe, following the establishment of invasive Aedes spp, the first outbreaks of autochtonous dengue and chikungunya have already occurred. Northern Europe is currently relatively spared, but climatic projections show that the conditions are permissive for the establishment of Aedes albopictus (also known as the tiger mosquito) in the coming decades. It is therefore essential to question and improve the means of surveillance in northern Europe, at the dawn of inevitable future epidemics.

The presence of domestic animals is a key feature of the Neolithic. Their earliest presence in archaeological contexts across the European continent is often interpreted as reflecting farming practices. However, domestic animals often escape, survive, and become feral. Using the comparative example of colonial North America, this article's aim is to illustrate what happens when livestock are introduced to a new, continental temperate environment. Taking a dual historical and archaeological perspective, the author reiterates and elaborates on the suggestion that feral animals were almost certainly a feature of the European Neolithization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acidification has harmed freshwater ecosystems in Northern Europe since the early 1900s. Stricter regulations aimed at decreasing acidic emissions have improved surface‐water chemistry since the late 1980s but the recovery of biotic communities has not been consistent. Generally, the recovery of flora and fauna has been documented only for a few lakes or regions and large‐scale assessments of long‐term dynamics of biotic communities due to improved water quality are still lacking. This study investigates a large biomonitoring dataset of pelagic and littoral crustacean zooplankton (Cladocera and Copepoda) from 142 acid‐sensitive lakes in Norway spanning 24 years (1997–2020). The aims were to assess the changes in zooplankton communities through time, compare patterns of changes across lake types (defined based on calcium and humic content), and identify correlations between abiotic and biological variables. Our results indicate chemical and biological recovery after acidification, as shown by a general increase in pH, acid neutralizing capacity, changes in community composition and increases in the total number of species, number of acid‐sensitive species and functional richness through time. However, the zooplankton responses differ across lake types. This indicates that the concentration of calcium (or alkalinity) and total organic carbon (or humic substances) are important factors for the recovery. Therefore, assessment methods and management tools should be adapted to the diverse lake types. Long‐term monitoring of freshwater ecosystems is needed to fully comprehend the recovery dynamics of biotic communities from acidification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following deglaciation during the final stages of the Pleistocene, vast landscapes became increasingly accessible for human dispersal. With no historical analogs, it remains uncertain how people were adapting to these unknown and often unstable environments and whether dispersals were sustained or characterized by local retreat or extinction events. We here address these uncertainties by using climate niche modeling to investigate the relationship between climate and the archaeological record of such a dispersal event: the Late Upper Paleolithic Hamburgian settlement of northern Europe. Our models consider temperature and precipitation from paleoclimate models with high temporal and spatial resolution. They suggest that rising temperatures instead of precipitation changes drove dispersal events by allowing carriers of the Hamburgian tradition to occupy a specific northward-shifting climate space. Similarly, our models suggest a subsequent constriction and fragmentation of this climate space caused by declining temperatures. This climatic downturn and shifting climate space coincide with the disappearance of the Hamburgian tradition from the archaeological record. We argue that this sudden climatic change altered the social and demographic costs of northward dispersal to become unsustainable, leading to a depopulation of the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The premodern European transport network was accompanied by a number of institutions that affected the transaction costs related to commercial travel, such as fairs, staple markets and toll stations. With digital techniques and big datasets, it is now possible to study these phenomena on a grand scale and to reveal patterns in supraregional economic exchange. Using the Viabundus dataset on premodern transport and mobility in northern Europe (13501650), this article explores the possibilities that such data offer for understanding large-scale economic activity. By employing GIS mapping for visualisation purposes and methods of network analysis such as the calculation of betweenness centrality, the data on fairs, staple markets and toll stations can help us understand the institutional structure of the premodern economy in which merchants operated.

The oilseed crop winter camelina (Camelina sativa) is attracting increasing interest for biofuel production. This study assessed the climate impacts of growing camelina as an intermediate crop in northern Europe (Sweden) for the production of vegetable oil and biofuel. Climate impacts were analyzed using life cycle assessment (LCA), while impacts on biodiversity and eutrophication were discussed. Three functional units were considered: 1 ha of land use, 1 kg of oil, and 1 MJ biofuel (hydrogenated vegetable oil, HVO). The results showed that dry matter yield over the whole crop rotation was higher in the camelina crop rotation, despite the lower yield of peas due to relay cropping with camelina. In the whole camelina crop rotation, fat production more than doubled, protein and fiber production marginally increased, and the production of carbohydrates decreased. Higher climate impacts related to field operations and fertilizer use in the camelina crop rotation, with associated N2O emissions, were compensated for by increased soil carbon accumulation due to the increased return of organic matter from the additional crop in the rotation. The total climate impact was around 0.5 kg CO2 eq/kg camelina oil when macronutrient allocation was used. The global warming potential was 15 g CO2 eq/MJ HVO, or 27 g CO2 eq/MJ HVO when soil organic carbon effects were not included, representing an 84% and 71% reduction, respectively, compared with fossil fuels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After centuries of overexploitation, European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) habitats are increasingly being protected and large‐scale oyster habitat restoration projects have been initiated in the North Sea, the English Channel, the Irish Sea and the north‐eastern Atlantic.Understanding the habitat requirements of flat oysters is key in the selection process of restoration sites.In this study, a theoretical niche for all life stages of the flat oyster is determined using a dynamic energy budget model forced with temperature, chlorophyll a and salinity in combination with sediment composition. The suitability of Northern Europe's marine environment for flat oysters is evaluated by applying the proposed niche model on a spatial scale and evaluating spatio‐temporal variability in life history traits and metabolic characteristics, such as fitness, reproductive output, settlement success and growth.Results show that habitat suitability is limited by low maximum summer temperature and low food availability at higher latitudes and in areas under strong influence of the Atlantic Ocean. Restoration efforts in Ireland and Scotland should be confined to protected and shallow coastal environments. Suitability in the southern North Sea is patchy and mainly depends on seabed substrate. The nearshore areas of the English Channel are highly suitable.The georeferenced dataset shared in this study will be useful for restoration practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The understandings of Baltic space are numerous, partly overlapping, partly contradicting, and in addition changing over time. These spatial notions do not only depend on physical geography and thus do not create natural or indisputable units, but they are first of all based on often transnationally entangled political, social, and cultural imaginaries, which depend on temporal, national, and regional perspectives. The article focuses on the major trajectories of scholarly and political concepts connected to Baltic space since the 19th century. Such a transnational history of ideas reveals the tidal nature of terms describing Baltic space. In addition, North-Eastern Europe is discussed as an epistemological notion, which addresses the inherent question of unity in diversity.

The sentinel plantation concept consists of assessing the impact of exotic factors, such as pests and pathogens, on plants of interest by planting them out of their native range. This tool is a way to enhance knowledge for pest risk analysis (PRA) by guiding decisions on how quarantine organisms should be regulated and where to focus prevention and surveillance efforts for an early detection. In this study, the sentinel method was used in the case of research on Xylella fastidiosa, a plant pathogenic bacterium that has recently been found established in southern Europe, but whose potential impact and possible host range are still poorly documented in northern areas where the bacterium is not known to occur. To improve knowledge on the susceptibility of potential hosts of X. fastidiosa in northern Europe, a sentinel plantation of Prunus domestica cv. Opal, Quercus petraea and Salix alba was established in the X. fastidiosa-infected area of Majorca. In order to assess the circulation of the bacterium in the sentinel plot and around it, surveys of the local flora and insect vectors were carried out, as well as the planting of a network of rosemary "spy plants". Symptomatic monitoring and molecular analyses were performed on the sentinel plants for four years. During these years, X. fastidiosa was never detected in our sentinel plants most likely because of the low infectivity pressure recorded in the surroundings. This study underlines the complexity of conducting sentinel plantation assays combined with X. fastidiosa research, highlighting the need for long-term investigation and questioning the efficiency of the sentinel tool. However, this study is placed in perspective with other valuable sentinel plantations. It also highlights the complementarity of the tool and proposes elements to improve or re-orientate the implementation of future sentinel projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the aftermath of the Euro debt crisis, negative stereotypes about Southern Europeans were (re)activated across Northern European countries. Because these stereotypes make explicit reference to productivity-relevant traits, they have the potential to influence employers' hiring decisions. We draw on a sub-sample of the Growth, Equal Opportunities, Migration and Markets discrimination study (GEMM) to investigate the responses of over 3500 firms based in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway to identical (fictitious) young applicants born to Greek, Spanish, Italian and native-born parents. Using French descendants as a placebo treatment and sub-Saharan African descendants as a benchmark treatment, we find severe levels of hiring discrimination against Southern European descendants in both Norway and the Netherlands, but not in Germany. Discrimination in Norway seems largely driven by employers' preferences for applicants of native descent, while in the Netherlands discrimination seems specifically targeted against Greek and Spanish descendants. Dutch employers' propensity to penalize these two groups seems driven by information deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the interrelationships between carbon emissions, foreign direct investment (FDI), economic growth, and gross value added (GVA) in agriculture, service, manufacturing, and resource-extensive industries, including the construction sector. We classified European regions into four-panel groups, Eastern Europe (EE), Southern Europe (SE), Northern Europe (NE), and Western Europe (WE). A 3SLS (three-stage least squares) simultaneous equation estimation was performed to cheque the causality between the four European panel groups using World Bank data from 2000 to 2018. This study further discusses the challenges technologically rich economies face in growing industrialisation when formulating policies to reduce CO2 emissions. The results show that the causality among the variables, carbon emissions, economic growth, FDI, and all four sectors of GVA varies according to the region. This study indicates that CO2 emissions have bidirectional causality with the GVA output in all four industrial sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increase in heatwave intensity, causing heat stress and crop failures in many regions is a concerning impact of global climate change. In northern Europe, significant interannual variability previously prevented robust assessments of trends in heat extremes. However, with a large-ensemble seasonal hindcasts and archived forecasts dataset covering 1981–2022 multiple realisations of weather patterns can be pooled and assessed. What are recent trends of extreme temperatures? Has the risk for a 100-year heatwave event increased in Northern Europe? We apply the UNSEEN (UNprecedented Simulated Extremes using ENsembles) approach to assess the credibility of the model ensemble and use non-stationary extreme value analysis to quantify recent trends in extreme 3-day heatwaves in late spring and early summer (May to July). We find significant non-stationarity and positive trends in annual maximum heatwave intensity. We also show that heatwave volatility, i.e. the risk of clearly outstanding heatwaves, is highest in central Scandinavia.

Despite the distance between their different communities and the difficulties of medieval travel, the Jews of northern Europe developed typical common legal and communal traditions. Rabbinic students traveled hundreds of kilometers to study with famous rabbis, rabbis themselves often relocated from one community to another, and questions were regularly sent to faraway rabbinic authorities and were quickly answered. This article sheds light on the movement and communication patterns of medieval Jewish scholars as a social group. It includes three sections; the first focuses on the movement patterns of prominent rabbis, the second on their forms of communication, and the third on the way these practices were reflected in the organization of larger communal structures. Overall, the article highlights the major role that networks of movement and communication played in the intellectual culture of the rabbinic elite (and other Jews as well) in high medieval northern Europe.

Oilseed rape (Brassica napus) has numerous insect pests, some of which are stem-miners. Currently, blue stem weevil (Ceutorhynchus sulcicollis) is not considered a pest of oilseed rape. In the present study, a total of 60 (30 untreated, 30 insecticide-treated) oilseed rape plants were dissected; and stem-mining larvae were collected, and subsequently allowed to pupate in soil. After pupation, all emerged adult weevils were identified as either blue stem weevil (C. sulcicollis) or cabbage stem weevil (Ceutorhynchus pallidactylus). We report that under favourable conditions C. sulcicollis was capable of reaching pest status, and was significantly more abundant than C. pallidactylus, indicating a critical need for future studies regarding C. sulcicollis.

Abstract Background Residential wood combustion (RWC) is one of the largest sources of fine particles (PM2.5) in the Nordic cities. The current study aims to calculate the related health effects in four studied city areas in Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Denmark. Methods Health impact assessment (HIA) was employed as the methodology to quantify the health burden. Firstly, the RWC induced annual average PM2.5 concentrations from local sources were estimated with air pollution dispersion modelling. Secondly, the baseline mortality rates were retrieved from the national health registers. Thirdly, the concentration-response function from a previous epidemiological study was applied. For the health impact calculations, the WHO-developed tool AirQ + was used. Results Amongst the studied city areas, the local RWC induced PM2.5 concentration was lowest in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (population-weighted annual average concentration 0.46 µg m− 3) and highest in Oslo (2.77 µg m− 3). Each year, particulate matter attributed to RWC caused around 19 premature deaths in Umeå (95% CI: 8–29), 85 in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area (95% CI: 35–129), 78 in Copenhagen (95% CI: 33–118), and 232 premature deaths in Oslo (95% CI: 97–346). The average loss of life years per premature death case was approximately ten years; however, in the whole population, this reflects on average a decrease in life expectancy by 0.25 (0.10–0.36) years. In terms of the relative contributions in cities, life expectancy will be decreased by 0.10 (95% CI: 0.05–0.16), 0.18 (95% CI: 0.07–0.28), 0.22 (95% CI: 0.09–0.33) and 0.63 (95% CI: 0.26–0.96) years in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Umeå, Copenhagen and Oslo respectively. The number of years of life lost was lowest in Umeå (172, 95% CI: 71–260) and highest in Oslo (2458, 95% CI: 1033–3669). Conclusions All four Nordic city areas have a substantial amount of domestic heating, and RWC is one of the most significant sources of PM2.5. This implicates a substantial predicted impact on public health in terms of premature mortality. Thus, several public health measures are needed to reduce the RWC emissions.

The aim of this article is to analyze the social patterns of lovesickness in thirteenth century Iceland and Norway. I approach feelings from an anthropological perspective and understand them as emotional concepts that shed light not on the inner state of the individual, but rather on the social context in which one is integrated. Special attention is paid to the relationship between love and grief in Volsunga saga, Tristrams saga, and the Strengleikar. In these sources, most of the concepts for grief, pain, and sorrow are associated with love affairs, and can be the result of infatuation, of the impossibility for the sweethearts to stay together, or of the beloved's death. This affection is also understood as an illness whose only remedy lies in the loved person. The emphasis placed on the conjugal relationship runs parallel to historical changes in kinship structure and marriage rules. Thus, emotional concepts and literary expressions of love could react against social practices and pave the way for the insertion of Christian laws. However, the Christian marriage model was not totally opposed to secular interests, as the economic and political gains of marriages were still [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although numerous settlement sites of Corded Ware culture have been discovered in Finland, only a few houses have been identified. This is in stark contrast to the abundant number of pithouses of local hunter-gatherers. This paper takes a closer look at the houses associated with Corded Ware culture, first, by introducing a recently excavated Corded Ware house from southern Finland and other houses connected to Corded Ware culture from Finland and the Karelian Isthmus, Russia, and second, by outlining the various types of Corded Ware houses around the Baltic Sea. After that, the emerging picture suggesting interaction between the regional variants of Corded Ware culture as well as between Corded Ware cultures and local hunter-gatherers will be discussed. Even if the remains of Corded Ware houses are few and often quite ambiguous, it will be concluded that several types of houses have existed in the area north of the Gulf of Finland, and the contacts between cultural traditions affected settlement types and house structures in each party involved in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Lead-glazed potsherds from archaeological excavations at six Renaissance (1536–1660 CE) sites in southern Denmark and northern Germany have been subjected to etching experiments using 4 wt% acetic acid. The extracts of 45 sherds were analysed by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. At one site, the ducal hunting castle of Grøngaard, Pb levels in acid extracts from glazed dishes were so high (up to 29,000 µg Pb cm−2 day−1) that acute toxic effects likely occurred if the dishes were used for serving food containing vinegar. More moderate acid-etching Pb levels were found in dishes from other sites, but they still exceed the WHO critical level if used daily. Acetic acid etching experiments performed on pipkins (three-legged cooking pots with a handle) yielded somewhat lower Pb extract values, averaging ca. 25 µg Pb cm−2 day−1. Taking into account the widespread use of pipkins for cooking, they might easily have led to a higher weekly Pb intake than the use of the moderate-level dishes. The question remains whether such high levels of Pb exposure during meals led to injurious Pb intake. Prior skeletal analyses have shown that medieval to early modern individuals from the area, especially in towns, were exposed to Pb. While exposure could have come from various sources other than lead-glazed ceramics, such as cosmetics, paint, antibacterial ointments, and lead water pipes, widely distributed lead-glazed ceramics had the potential of being a main source of Pb. How the pottery was actually used is uncertain, and it certainly was not evenly distributed across all segments of society, but the etching experiment results suggest that severe poisonous effects could have resulted from the use of lead-glazed Renaissance ceramics.

Grey mould, caused by Botrytis cinerea and other Botrytis spp., is a major cause of fruit rot in strawberries and other fruit crops worldwide. Repeated fungicide applications are essential in order to secure harvests. However, resistance to all currently registered single-site fungicides is widespread. The rising importance of strains with multiple resistance to most or all fungicides is of particular concern. These strains may be introduced into fields via contaminated nursery plants and/or by immigration from adjacent plots. On the basis of research conducted in northern German and Danish strawberry production, a concept to manage fungicide resistance under northern European conditions has been developed and put into regional strawberry production practice. This principally includes the testing of nursery plants for fungicide-resistant Botrytis strains prior to planting; the restricted and specific use of fungicides at flowering in the production fields, taking account of the resistance spectrum within the local Botrytis population; and crop sanitation measures such as the removal of rotting fruits at the beginning of harvest. Further options such as protected cultivation, reduced fertilisation and biological control are also discussed. The practical implementation of such a strategy in northern Germany and Denmark has been shown to reduce the occurrence of multi-resistant strains to a tolerable steady-state level.

The article aims to identify the main trends in the development of international trade in the Nordic Countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland) over the past decade. To achieve it, the author sets three interrelated tasks. The first is to trace the general dynamics of exports and imports of goods, to identify common and special features. The second task is to determine how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected commodity flows and the state of the trade balance. The third task is to analyze the state and dynamics of the foreign trade of these countries with China, which has significantly increased its share in world trade over the past decade. A comparison of the developments that have arisen in the entire international trade of the Nordic countries and in their trade with China may be of considerable research and practical interest. Based on the analysis, it was found that before the coronacrisis, all of Nordic Countries had a steady increase in the cost of imports except Finland, which is most dependent on Russia in this regard. The cost of exports grew more slowly in these countries, and in Norway, as a result of falling energy resource prices, it decreased significantly. The coronacrisis hit all the countries of Northern Europe, but Finland’s foreign trade suffered the most. The volume of trade with China in these countries has increased over the period under review. Even in 2020, there was an increase in almost all indicators. At the same time, the cost of exports to China grew faster than the cost of imports (with the exception of Finland). But the trade balance still remained negative for everyone except Sweden.

The Arctic as a territory of strategic presence is in the field of close attention of many players in the geopolitical and international economic arena. The Arctic tourism development over the past 15 years is due not only to the influence of business, social and cultural factors, as well as the growing interest of consumers to get a unique experience of travel to northern tourism destinations but is also associated with the development of global economic processes and diplomatic relations, which determine successful bilateral cooperation in interdepartmental and intergovernmental level. Multilateral cooperation and the implementation of jointly adopted tourism development programs within the framework of the activities of international organizations are also of great importance. With the restrictions on international and domestic travel in two recent years, the global tourism market entered a crisis state, which affected the dynamics of tourist arrivals in the Arctic and slowed down this development. The author, drawing attention to the current bilateral and intergovernmental agreements on cooperation in tourism between Russia and the Nordic countries and the Plan of significant events in connection with Russia's chairmanship in the Arctic Council in 2021–2023 proposes to support a peaceful and friendly policy of good-neighbourliness and cooperation in matters of sustainable tourism development in the Arctic, despite the claims of the European Union for interference in Arctic affairs, which were reflected in the European Commission's Joint Communication dated October 13, 2021.

This article presents current research on cooking stone pits in northern Germany and southern Scandinavia and examines their function and interpretation. It focuses on recent findings at the site of Mang de Bargen in northern Germany, which contained pit arrangements in various configurations, including a new circular one. The latest 14C dates from Mang de Bargen suggest that the circular formations constitute the earliest evidence of cooking stone pits known so far. A supra-regional comparison, concentrating on the distribution and dating of cooking stone pits in northern Europe, and an analysis of their content, arrangement, and topographic location allows the author to propose how they may have been used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pyralid moth Loryma egregialis (Herrich-Schäffer, 1838) is reported new to the British and northern European fauna from Buckinghamshire in July 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]