Sur les origines du mathématicien Grégoire de Saint Vincent

Bonte Germain, Jongmans François. Sur les origines du mathématicien Grégoire de Saint Vincent. In: Bulletin de la Classe des sciences, tome 9, n°7-12, 1998. pp. 295-323

Wine-Gauging at Damme [The evidence of a late medieval manuscript]

Abstract. During the late Middle Ages, Damme, the outport of Bruges, was an important staple town, i.a. for wines. The measurement of the volume of the barrels for tax and excise purposes was farmed out to the Hospital of St. John. Although the practice of measuring wine barrels was performed throughout the Middle Ages, few medieval documents about how this was done are known. The history of Damme shows that gauging was performed in the Low Countries as well as in France during this period, thereby undermining the assertion that the gauging rod is a Southern German invention. It will be shown that the manuscript which is presented here is one of the oldest in which the construction of the gauging rod is explained. The way in which this was done is very peculiar. Also on the back of the manuscript are some monastic ciphers; in this notation every number is written as a single cipher.Résumé. Jauger les tonneaux de vin dans le port de Damme. Le témoignage d'un manuscrit de la fin de l'époque médiévale. À la fin du Moyen Âge, Damme, Г avant-port de Bruges, était une importante ville d'étape, en particulier pour le commerce des vins. La mesure du volume des tonneaux était effectuée à des fins fiscales et était affermée à l'Hôpital Saint John. Quoique le jaugeage du vin fût courant tout au long du Moyen Âge, il subsiste peu de documents qui permettent de savoir de quelle manière il était pratiqué. L'histoire de Damme montre que cette technique était malgré tout employée aux Pays-Bas aussi bien qu'en France pendant toute cette période, détruisant par là l'assertion selon laquelle les instruments de jauge étaient une invention de l'Allemagne du Sud. On montrera que le manuscrit ici présenté est l'un des plus anciens dans lesquels la méthode de jauge soit explicitée et que la méthode utilisée était très particulière. En outre, au verso du manuscrit, se trouvent des nombres de type monastique qui correspondent à un système de notation original dans lequel chaque chiffre est figuré par un signe spécifique.Meskens Ad, Bonte Germain, Groot Jacques de, Jonghe Mieke de, King David A. Wine-Gauging at Damme [The evidence of a late medieval manuscript]. In: Histoire & Mesure, 1999 volume 14 - n°1-2. Varia. pp. 51-77

Long-Distance Dispersal of Non-Native Pine Bark Beetles From Host Resources

1. Dispersal and host detection are behaviours promoting the spread of invading populations in a landscape matrix. In fragmented landscapes, the spatial arrangement of habitat structure affects the dispersal success of organisms. 2. The aim of the present study was to determine the long distance dispersal capabilities of two non‐native pine bark beetles (Hylurgus ligniperda and Hylastes ater) in a modified and fragmented landscape with non‐native pine trees. The role of pine density in relation to the abundance of dispersing beetles was also investigated. 3. This study took place in the Southern Alps, New Zealand. A network of insect panel traps was installed in remote valleys at known distances from pine resources (plantations or windbreaks). Beetle abundance was compared with spatially weighted estimates of nearby pine plantations and pine windbreaks. 4. Both beetles were found ≥25 km from the nearest host patch, indicating strong dispersal and host detection capabilities. Small pine patches appear to serve as stepping stones, promoting spread through the landscape. Hylurgus ligniperda (F.) abundance had a strong inverse association with pine plantations and windbreaks, whereas H. aterabundance was not correlated with distance to pine plantations but positively correlated with distance to pine windbreaks, probably reflecting differences in biology and niche preferences. Host availability and dispersed beetle abundance are the proposed limiting factors impeding the spread of these beetles. 5. These mechanistic insights into the spread and persistence of H. ater and H. ligniperdain a fragmented landscape provide ecologists and land managers with a better understanding of factors leading to successful invasion events, particularly in relation to the importance of long‐distance dispersal ability and the distribution and size of host patches