Suchergebnisse

Balata or bullet tree of Guiana was known as one of the finest forest trees of British Guiana. This paper is based on reports from the 19th and 20th centuries (mainly from George Jenman and Everard im Thurn), publications, newspapers, and correspondence on British Guiana's balata, a rubber-like material. These references were cross-referenced with objects related to balata that are now preserved at the collection of Economic Botany, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, as well as with contemporary reports from Guyanese Amerindian. By doing this, a more precise image of this less known rubber material from Guyana came forth, as well as the issues and histories behind it, namely the cross-cultural encounters, the objects significance and their context, and how the colony was managed. Despite the fact that balata was seen, during the last years of the 19th century, as an alternative commodity and a possible answer to the sugar crisis, not much was done to improve its trade.

The EUR has been lagging behind the USD in terms of international usage since its creation. The purpose of this paper is to find possible explanations for this difference and discuss ways to diminish it by focusing on the development of the financial sector. To do that we implement a VAR model for the convenience yields in government bonds(target), the number of safe assets, and the deepness of the financial market. We find that public debt to GDP (quantity of safe assets)and stock market capitalization to GDP (deepness of the market) increase convenience yields in the long run.

UID/HIS/04209/2013 SFRH/BPD/108236/2015 ; This paper addresses a nineteenth century African manuscript map which has hitherto remained 'invisible'. This manuscript was produced by Friedrich Welwitsch (1806–1872), an Austrian botanist in the service of the Portuguese government, and held by the National Museum of Natural History and Science, University of Lisbon Museums/Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, Museus da Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal (MUHNAC). This historical document contains names of several travellers, many of them 'invisible' explorers, located in different parts of the African continent, depicting the relationships in both a visual and geographical way with notes and relevant historical observations. Welwitsch, as so many contemporary fellow botanists, was in contact with many scientists, exchanging not only correspondence but knowledge and collections. This map is a key document, a true hub of Welwitsch's network of knowledge in which the scientific networks, the types of actors, interactions, methodologies and practices of botany are revealed, providing insights into the botanical exchanges that contributed to the making of Welwitsch's African collections. ; authorsversion ; published

The interface between History, Science and Nature is dynamic and vital for deepening knowledge about the uses of the planet and nature (Earth / Oceans / Seas), understanding it as an agent of modernization of economic, social, scientific and cultural of states and nations (Horden et al. 2006; Rozwadowski 2014; García 2014). Nature can also be seen as an agent of new scientific and cultural practices of sociabilities, representative of new political, philosophical and social ideals, in which the production, circulation and appropriation of knowledge and its techniques is a reality (Wigen 2006; Brito 2010; Salgueiro et al. 2014). There is a brave new world waiting for new relations that unite different spatialities and mentalities, enhancing intercultural encounters, manifested in official reports, explorers' reports, and the constitution of libraries, museums, collections and scientific objects (Lopes 2009; Felismino 2014; Granato & Lourenço 2014; Albuquerque 2015; Nunes 2016; Pereira 2017).

History, Science and Nature: boundless frontiers...

Plant molecular farming (PMF) is a convenient and cost-effective way to produce high-value recombinant proteins that can be used in the production of a range of health products, from pharmaceutical therapeutics to cosmetic products. New plant breeding techniques (NPBTs) provide a means to enhance PMF systems more quickly and with greater precision than ever before. However, the feasibility, regulatory standing and social acceptability of both PMF and NPBTs are in question. This paper explores the perceptions of key stakeholders on two European Union (EU) Horizon 2020 programmes–Pharma-Factory and Newcotiana–towards the barriers and facilitators of PMF and NPBTs in Europe. One-on-one qualitative interviews were undertaken with N = 20 individuals involved in one or both of the two projects at 16 institutions in seven countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Israel, Spain and the UK). The findings indicate that the current EU regulatory environment and the perception of the public towards biotechnology are seen as the main barriers to scaling-up PMF and NPBTs. Competition from existing systems and the lack of plant-specific regulations likewise present challenges for PMF developing beyond its current niche. However, respondents felt that the communication of the benefits and purpose of NPBT PMF could provide a platform for improving the social acceptance of genetic modification. The importance of the media in this process was highlighted. This article also uses the multi-level perspective to explore the ways in which NPBTs are being legitimated by interested parties and the systemic factors that have shaped and are continuing to shape the development of PMF in Europe.