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Die englischsprachige Publikation erzählt die Geschichte der schweizerischen Uhrenmanufaktur 'International Watch Company' (IWC) der Jahre 1875 bis 1890. Den Autoren ist es in jahrelanger Forschungsarbeit gelungen, die Geschichte von unbekannten IWC-Uhrwerken aus dieser Zeit zu dokumentieren. Die passionierten Forscher beschreiben mit Liebe zum Detail den damaligen Stand der Technik und das Umfeld, in dem sich die IWC-Uhrenmanufaktur behaupten musste. Die Zeit ist besonders interessant, da IWC viele verschiedene Uhrwerke lancierte und zur Marktreife brachte. Nach turbulenten Anfangsjahren gelang es dem 1868 gegründeten Unternehmen, sich am Markt zu behaupten und zu einem führenden Hersteller von Luxusuhren aufzusteigen. Mit dem hochwertig verarbeiteten Bildband wird die Geschichte des Uhrmacherhandwerks im 19. Jahrhundert erfahrbar und Sammler:innen historischer Uhren können sich über das umfangreiche Quellenmaterial freuen. This English-language publication tells the story of the Swiss watch manufacturer 'International Watch Company' (IWC) from the years 1875 to 1890. The authors have succeeded in documenting the history of unknown IWC movements from this period through years of research work. The passionate researchers describe with attention to detail the state of the art of IWC at the time and the business environment in which the Schaffhausen based company had to perform. The period is particularly interesting because IWC launched many different movements and brought them to market. After challenging early years, the company, founded in 1868, managed to hold its own in the market and rise to become a leading manufacturer of luxury watches. With this high-quality illustrated book, the history of the watchmaking trade in the 19th century can be experienced and collectors of historical watches can enjoy the extensive source material.

Over the past half century, the global environment has become subject to an accelerated pace of mediation and datafication. This ongoing transition has become so comprehensive that the knowledge, management and governance of the Earth system is dependent on enormous flows of data from a “vast machine” of measuring tools. These processes combined have formed what we call a “mediated planet,” subject to interpretation and shared human decision-making – that should ideally be democratic, inclusive and accountable. As environmental datafication continues to accelerate, private corporations are gaining increasing influence on and power over the associated collections of data. This is a cause for concern, as the global environmental commons are a public interest of concern to all people. This article argues for the need to critically research the challenges and risks associated with the rapid datafication of the environment, specifically in relation to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for climate change (13), the ocean (14), biodiversity (15) and inclusive and accountable institutions (16). More knowledge is needed of how the SDGs and their supporting networks influence data-generation on a mediated planet, and how issues of access to and use of environmental data, as well as data ownership and AI implementation, can best be navigated. We contend that such knowledge can help enhance the democratic potential of the SDGs to build public trust and secure broad participation in global environmental governance in ways that also support peaceful and inclusive societies, as promised by SDG 16. QC 20240115

Viele Hochschulbibliotheken in Deutschland unterstützen mittlerweile die Forschung und Lehre in den Digital Humanities. Die jüngsten Fachdiskussionen über den DH-Dienst an wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken befassen sich entsprechend intensiv mit den konkreten Inhalten des DH-Dienstes und sprechen sich mehrheitlich dafür aus, den DH-Dienst an wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken inhaltlich nah an der Forschung anzusiedeln und nicht lediglich als eine infrastrukturelle Unterstützungsleistung zu begreifen. Die vorliegende Studie prüft anhand von zehn Interviews mit DH-Akteur*innen an 9 verschiedenen wissenschaftlichen Bibliotheken in Deutschland, ob und inwiefern das für DH zuständige Personal tatsächlich nah an der DH-Forschung und -Lehre arbeitet. Die Ergebnisse der Studie zeigen, dass alle DH-Fachreferent*innen in dem Sinne forschungsnah beschäftigt sind, dass sie in ihrer Arbeit direkt mit den Belangen der DH-Forschenden zu tun haben und dass sie aufmerksam den aktuellen Entwicklungen in der DH-spezifischen Fachdiskussion folgen, um ihrer Rolle als DH-Fachreferent*innen gerecht zu werden. Der Umfang und die konkreten Inhalte ihrer DH-Dienste weisen allerdings große Unterschiede in Abhängigkeit von der DH-Forschungslandschaft an der jeweiligen Universität und von der organisatorischen Struktur der jeweiligen Bibliothekseinrichtung auf. Diese Veröffentlichung geht zurück auf eine Masterarbeit im weiterbildenden Masterstudiengang im Fernstudium Bibliotheks- und Informationswissenschaft (Library and Information Science, M.A. (LIS)) an der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin aus dem Jahr 2023.

Sports historians have argued that the type of ball games common in the British Isles, which were practiced by two teams and in which the ball was driven with sticks towards predetermined goals – i.e., hurling, shinty, bandy and hockey – were never played in early modern Sweden. By highlighting descriptions of ballgames in Johannes Schefferus’s The History of Lapland (1674), a source previously ignored by sports historians, this article challenges such a claim. One of the games described by Schefferus has some similarities with the violent stick-and-ball game known in Icelandic sagas as knattleikr. Even greater similarities (such as the start of the game with a face-off and the goals consisting of lines on the short edges) emerge when the game is compared with the Scottish game of shinty. Thus, pre-modern Scandinavia does not appear to have been as isolated in terms of sports and games as has been suggested by Swedish sports historians. QC 20240223

While existing cross-language studies on the perception of non-native tones primarily focus on naïve listeners, this study addresses an obvious gap by investigating learners from diverse language backgrounds. Specifically, it investigates Mandarin tone perception in two groups of learners from Nordic languages, Swedish (a pitch-accent language), and Danish (a non-tonal language), as well as in a group of native Chinese speakers. Analysis of their performance in tone identification task revealed a slight advantage for Swedish learners, implying the influence of their pitch accent background in learning Mandarin tones. However, both Swedish and Danish learners who excelled in the tone identification task exhibited similar perception of within-category tonal variations but differed from native Chinese speakers. Additionally, the study found that the presence of length contrast, a prosodic feature in the learners’ native languages, significantly influences their perception of Mandarin tones.

AbstractMixed turbidite–contourite depositional systems result from interactions between down‐slope turbidity currents and along‐slope bottom currents, comprising excellent records of past oceanographic currents. Modern and ancient systems have been widely documented along the continental margins of the Atlantic Ocean. Yet, few examples have so far been identified on the North‐west African continental margin, limiting understanding of the sedimentary and palaeoceanographic evolution in this area. This work uses two‐dimensional seismic reflection profiles to report, for the first time, the presence of three giant sediment mounds beneath the headwall region of the Sahara Slide Complex. The sediment mounds are elongated and separated by two broad canyons, showing a north‐west/south‐east orientation that is roughly perpendicular to the continental margin. These mounds are 24 to 37 km long and 12 to 17 km wide, reaching a maximum height of ca 1000 m. Numerous slide scarps are observed within and along the flanks of the mounds, hinting at the occurrence of submarine landslides during their development. Based on their geometries, external shapes, internal seismic architecture and stratigraphic stacking patterns, it is proposed that these sediment mounds comprise down‐slope elongated mounded drifts formed in a mixed turbidite–contourite system during four evolutionary stages: onset, growth, maintenance and burial. The significance of this work is that it demonstrates the gradual transition from a turbidite system to a full mixed turbidite–contourite system to be associated, in the study area, with the establishment of strong ocean currents along north‐west Africa.

Research background: Digital ecosystems in Europe are heterogenous organizations involving different economies, industries, and contexts. Among them, Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) are considered a policy-driven organization fostered by the European Commission to push companies’ digital transition through a wide portfolio of supporting services. Purpose of the article: There are DIHs existing in all European economies, but literature needs more precise indications about their status and nature. The purpose is to study a distribution of DIHs and differences in portfolios of DIHs’ services across European economies. Therefore, the paper wants to deliver more precise data on effects on national and European policies. This is required to define their final role and scope in the complex dynamics of the digital transition, depending on regional context and heterogeneity of industries. Methods: Data on 38 economies was collected from the S3 platform (on both existing and in preparation DIHs) and further verified by native speaking researchers using manual web scrapping of websites of DIHs identified from S3. To find potential similarities of digital ecosystems in different economies as emanated by the existence of DIHs, clusterization (Ward’s method and Euclidean distances) was applied according to the services offered. Economies were clustered according to the number of DIHs and the spread of DIHs intensity in different cities. The results were further analyzed according to the scope of the provided services. Findings & value added: The applied clustering classified European economies in four different sets, according to the types of services offered by the DIHs. These sets are expression of the different digitalization statuses and strategies of the selected economies and, as such, the services a company can benefit from in a specific economy. Potential development-related reasons behind the data-driven clustering are then conjectured and reported, to guide companies and policy makers in their digitalization strategies. QC 20240221

This study presents an in-depth analysis of 69 case studies focusing on the energy retrofit of historic buildings, uncovering challenges, best practices, and lessons learned to balance energy efficiency improvements with heritage preservation. The findings highlight several challenges encountered during renovations, such as complex heritage evaluations, restrictions on alterations, coordination issues with authorities, technical limitations, higher investment costs, and knowledge gaps. On the other hand, identifying factors promoting renovation, including demonstrating energy savings while respecting heritage, early collaboration between planners and authorities, and quantifying investments, could incentivize owners and authorities. The limitations of a still-limited sample size, occasional incomplete data, and potential sample bias call for cautious interpretation of the presented analysis. Despite these, the study provides valuable insights into successful projects, emphasizing the need for scalability, knowledge transfer from innovative policies, and targeted policy-making for successful replication. The study concludes with a call for further development of the HiBERatlas (Historic Building Energy Retrofit atlas), an extensive resource for historic building renovation, expanding its database, collaborating with agencies, and tailoring guidance for stakeholders to foster energy retrofits in heritage buildings.