Money Lending and Settling Debts in and around Meran (South Tirol) in the 14th Century

Recent studies of credit practices in (northwestern) Europe have shown that credit markets already existed in the medieval period in the towns and countryside. Little is known, however, about how these credit markets in large parts of medieval Europe allowed a reallocation of capital and how they actually worked. Market structures that helped to limit transaction costs were usually an exponent of the social structure, for example by regulating access to the market or protecting property rights. Thus, market structures – and the development of credit markets – differed from region to region. Exploring the practices of money lending in the Alpine region of South Tirol may offer new insights into the functioning of medieval capital markets.The registers (imbreviatura) of several Tirolian notaries (particularly 1390-1392), and records of provincial courts (eleich taidings; 1388-1391) are used in this paper to describe the credit market in Meran (South Tirol) and its hinterland in the 14th century. As will be shown, several social groups ranging from nobles to urban citizens and peasants from the countryside were engaged in the credit market. The analysis of the transactions documented by the notaries and the provincial courts provides a picture of a dynamic credit market that permeated not only Meran but also small towns in the countryside like Naturns, Partschins, Lana, Algund, Forst and Riffian. To further profile the 14th century credit market in South Tirol, a comparison is made between the debts recorded by notaries and the (defaulted) debts litigated before the provincial courts. To what extent did the clientele differ (social group, place of residence)? Was there a difference in their borrowing behaviour? Moreover, what economic mechanisms were used to guarantee repayment? Besides, it will be tested whether urban centres were a prerequisite for functioning credit markets.The general picture that emerges from the study is that different credit practices and institutions (written evidence provided by notaries, pawn broking, legal courts, practice of pledging) helped different social groups to gain access to the capital market

Evaluation of the online-based self-help programme “Selfapy” in patients with unipolar depression: study protocol for a randomized, blinded parallel group dismantling study

Background: Patients with mild to moderate depressive symptoms can have limited access to regular treatment; to ensure appropriate care, low-threshold treatment is needed. Effective online interventions could increase the supply of low-threshold treatment. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of online interventions. This study aims to evaluate the online-based self-help programme "Selfapy" on a sample of depressive subjects and compares the impact of the programme's unaccompanied version with its therapeutic accompanied version. Methods: A sample of 400 subjects that have a mild to severe depressive episode (Becks Depression Inventory - II and Hamilton Depression Scale) will be used. Subjects are randomly assigned to immediate access to an unaccompanied course (no support from psychologist via weekly phone calls), immediate access to an accompanied course (support from a psychologist via weekly phone calls) or a waiting list control group (access to the intervention after 24weeks). The intervention will last for a period of 12weeks. Depressive symptoms as a primary parameter, as well as various secondary parameters, such as life satisfaction, therapeutic relationships, social activation, self-esteem, attitudes towards Internet interventions and drop-out rates, are recorded at four different points in time: at baseline (T1), 6weeks after the start of the intervention (T2), 12weeks after the start of the intervention (T3) and 3months after completion of the treatment follow-up (T4). Conclusion: This randomized and controlled, blinded study will make use of a "dismantled" approach to adequately compare the accompanied and unaccompanied versions of the intervention. Positive and meaningful results are expected that could influence the acceptance and implementation of online interventions. Trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00017191. Registered on 14 June 201

Lithium Treatment Over the Lifespan in Bipolar Disorders

Lithium has been the treatment of choice for patients with bipolar disorder (BD) for nearly 70 years. It is recommended by all relevant guidelines as a first-line treatment for maintenance therapy. In this review, we outline the current state of evidence for lithium in the treatment of BD over the lifespan. First, we summarize the evidence on efficacy in general, from relapse prevention to acute anti-manic treatment and its role in treating mood episodes with mixed features and bipolar depression. As patients are often treated for many years and different aspects have to be considered in different phases of life, we discuss the particularities of lithium in the treatment of paediatric BD, in older aged individuals and in pregnant women. Lastly, we discuss the evidence on lithium's proposed suicide-preventive effects, the dangers of rapid discontinuation and lithium's adverse effects, particularly with regard to long-term treatment

Marseille im Spätmittelalter

Gegenstand der Untersuchung ist es, die mittelalterliche Entwicklung der Stadt Marseille anhand zweier eng miteinander verknüpfter Ebenen (Politik und Wirtschaft) zu beschreiben. Im ersten Teil der Arbeit werden die politischen Strukturen der Stadt aufgezeigt, im zweiten Teil wird die wirtschaftliche Entwicklung Marseilles dargestellt. In beiden Abschnitten wird ein besonderer Fokus auf die handelnden Akteure gelegt. Die zentrale Fragestellung dreht sich darum, wer in Marseille bzw. unter der Flagge Marseilles Handel getrieben hatte. Der Stellung Marseilles im Mittelalter als Transithafen kann man nicht in Auferlegung lokaler Grenzen gerecht werden, daher gilt es das überregionale Netzwerk der Stadt zu erfassen. Dabei erstreckt sich das in der Arbeit berücksichtigte Gebiet über die „erweiterte Méditerranée“ – also vom Mittelmeer bis hin nach Nordeuropa. Der zeitliche Rahmen der Arbeit wurde mit dem Frühmittelalter bewusst sehr früh angesetzt, um die für das Hoch- und Spätmittelalter gewonnenen Ergebnisse besser interpretieren zu können. Als zeitliche Obergrenze wurde die endgültige Eroberung der Stadt durch Karl von Anjou 1264 gewählt. Die aufgrund der Primärquellen gewonnenen Erkenntnisse geben Grund zur Annahme, dass Marseille im Spätmittelalter für den gesamten südfranzösischen und auch Teile des norditalienischen Raumes der wichtigste Verteilerhafen war. Die Stadt forcierte eine aktive Handelspolitik, welche Kaufleute aus dem Großraum der Provence dazu gebracht hatte, über Marseille ihren Handel abzuwickeln. Die Rolle Marseilles kann erst durch Analyse dieses Einzugsgebietes der Stadt im Mittelmeer in vollem Ausmaß erfasst werden. Diese umfassenden politischen, wirtschaftlichen und kulturellen Beziehungen zwischen Marseille und anderen Hafenstädten aufzuzeigen war mir bei meiner Untersuchung ein besonderes Anliegen.There is a growing interest towards port cities in the Mediterranean Sea. Concerning the topic of Marseille, however, it looks like we enter virgin soil on the wide area of economic research in the Mediterranean. Nevertheless, Marseille was one of the big seafaring players in the Middles Ages – a fact that is rarely known outside the French-speaking guild of historians. Focusing on the general development of Marseille itself, I believe that this subject serves undoubtedly well for an in-depth study. In this thesis I have analyzed the development of Marseille focusing on two cohesive topics: First of all I had a look at the political structure of the city, which was directly linked with the economic success of the city itself. The second part of this thesis deals with the economic development of Marseille between 1100 and 1264. My theory is that Marseille served as a port for great parts of southern France, Catalonia and coastal regions of the Tyrrhenian Sea and especially many foreigners transacting their business there. This finding is backed by the examined primary sources of the archives in Marseille, which enable us to identify many of the merchants in Marseille as people from different cities, partial even from outside the Provence. However, these foreign traders usually sailed under the flag of Marseille and were therefore little-noticed. I hope that this special incident, which only recently aroused historical interest, will bring more light in this not (yet) adequately explored subject of the Mediterranean

Marseille, Montpellier und das Mittelmeer : die Entstehung des südfranzösischen Fernhandels im 12. und 13. Jahrhundert

Wie hat die Vernetzung lokaler südfranzösischer Kaufleute zum kommerziellen Aufschwung der Städte Marseille und Montpellier im 12. und 13. Jahrhundert beigetragen? Wie hat das Binnenland durch die Bereitstellung von Waren, Kapital und Menschen den expandierenden Mittelmeerhandel der größeren Küstenstädte ermöglicht? Der Ursprung des Fernhandels wird in dieser Studie nicht nur mit der Errichtung der Kreuzfahrerherrschaften im Osten erklärt, sondern direkt an seiner Wurzel erforscht, nämlich an den lokalen Handelskreisläufen im Hinterland der Hafenstädte. In mikrohistorischen Untersuchungen zu bestimmten Kaufmannsfamilien, Handelsschiffen und Handelsprivilegierungen werden bisher unbekannte Verbindungen zwischen den verschiedenen wirtschaftlichen Akteuren zum Vorschein gebracht und so neue Sichtweisen auf die Entwicklung des südfranzösischen Fernhandels im Mittelalter eröffnet

Comparing filtered and unfiltered metal concentrations in some swedish surface waters

A number of metals (vanadium, chromium, manganese, iron, cobalt, nickel, copper, zinc, arsenic, molybdenum, cadmium and lead) were analyzed in a large number of Swedish surface waters in both filtered and unfiltered samples. Concentrations of most metals are not significantly affected by the method of sampling, sample separation and preservation technique commonly used within the Swedish National Environmental Monitoring program. Copper, zinc, cadmium, chromium, nickel, arsenic and vanadium are in a majority of the samples in the so called dissolved form (94%+/-154% ) and the fraction of filtered to total metal indicates no trend with potential driving variables such as iron, pH or total organic carbon for these metals. Lead, vanadium and cobalt have concentrations that are much lower (up to a factor of four) in filtered as compared to unfiltered samples (70%+/-48%). For all three metals the relative fraction is related to the aforementioned driving variables with both TOC and iron leading to increased fraction of filtered metal. The effect with pH is the opposite. In 10% of all samples lead and cobalt are more than 60% in the particulate form. As the dissolved part is of interest only, correction factors of around 4 would need to be applied when defining the availability of lead and cobalt in the studied Swedish surface waters. Filtered metal concentrations were lower at around 40% of the sites that had elevated unfiltered metal concentrations. This indicates that it might be worthwhile starting site specific sampling campaigns at individual sites with the aim of identifying sites with elevated filtered concentrations before taking legal action. The following answers to the posed questions may be formulated: - There is no significant bias in metal concentration if the samples are treated according to the Swedish procedure or acidified and then filtered. - There is no significant bias in metal concentration if the samples are filtered in the field or in the lab but are otherwise treated similarly. The few differences that occurred may all be traced down to 2-3 sampling sites that were known to have temporary problems with metal contamination. - Except for chromium, were slight changes in concentration occurred; there is no significant bias in concentration if the time the samples are left acidified during the sedimentation step is varied. - A large bias in metal concentration (up to a factor of four) between samples that are acidified left for sedimentation and then decanted between those that are first filtered and then acidified as described in the guidance document No 19 occurs for the metals lead, vanadium and cobalt. - For all other metals, and considering the lower 25% of the sample population, the difference is on average below 35%. This is within the range of temporal variation observed at all sites and thus needs no further study. Prolonged sampling at selected sites at least during another 6 months encompassing both spring flood and part of the summer is still necessary for a more thorough analysis of the controlling factors of the ratio of filtered to total metal concentration, especially at situation with more extreme flow conditions. Also, given the good results for transferring unfiltered to filtered concentrations in the case of lead, we recommend to study potential methods for estimating filtered metal concentrations for other metals including filtered and unfiltered absorbance, filtered organic carbon (DOC) absorbance spectra and other parameters if possibl

Analys av försurningsbedömning av små vattendrag med stöd av MAGIC

This report documents necessary stages of data collection when applying MAGIC for quantifying the acidification status of smaller headwater catchments. Some important uncertainties of input data and model assumptions are discussed for one site within the boreal forested region of Northern Sweden. Potential implications for future studies are stated especially with regards to sulfur dynamics in areas with significant amount of wetland

pH beräkningar för ytvatten

Medan modellerade MAGIC ANC oftast överensstämde någorlunda bra med uppmätt ANC så förekom det emellertid stora skillnader mellan uppmätta och modellerade pH värden. Medelfel i pH beräknad med Excel (”pH-snurran”) och konstanterna från Hruska et al (2003) låg runt 0.3 pH-enheter och var så hög som 0.5 pH enheter (Köhler 2011, Fölster 2011 samt figurer i appendix). Medelfel i pH beräknad med Excel (”pH-snurran”) ligger nu runt 0.05 pH-enheter om man använder de nya modellkonstanterna. Osäkerheten i modellerade pH värden påverkas kraftigt av osäkerheten i ANC. Skillnader i uppmätt eller olika typer av modellerat ANC kan lätt vara 0.005 mekv L-1. Enligt Köhler et al. (2002) kan sådana skillnader förorsaka pH-fel av upp till 0.7 pH enheter. För att kunna modellera pH utan några systematiska fel från MAGIC modellerat ANC krävs tillgång till data för NH4, F samt objektspecifika löslighetskonstanter för gibbsit. Det slumpvisa felet som införs när man använder sig av uppmätt ANC för pH beräkningar är runt 0.3 pH enheter. Bedömningar av försurning som baseras på enbart uppmätt ANC och pH-skillnader av bara 0.4 pH enheter måste således bedömas som tämligen osäkert. Validering eller prediktion av pH värden vid kalkavslut eller under episoder bör göras med modellen enligt Köhler och Hruska (2014) och CBALK eftersom precisionen är mycket bättre. Stora systematiska skillnader i pH kan orsakas av felaktiga kolsyratryck. Antingen kan man räkna enligt Sobek et al. (2003) eller med ett fast kolsyratryck

Landscape scale patterns in the character of natural organic matter in a Swedish boreal stream network

This paper defines landscape-scale patterns in the character of natural organic matter (NOM) and tests for relationships to catchment soil, vegetation and topography. The drainage network of a boreal catchment, subcatchment size 0.12–78km2, in Northern Sweden was sampled in August 2002 during a period of stable low water flow. The NOM was characterized with UV/Vis spectroscopy, fluorescence, XAD-8 fractionation (%humic substances), gel permeation chromatography (apparent molecular weight), and elemental composition (C:N). The largest spatial variation was found for C:N, absorbance ratio, and specific visible absorptivity. The lowest variation was in fluorescence index, %humic substances and molecular retention time. But the variation in total organic carbon (TOC), iron and aluminium concentration was more than twice that of C:N. Between headwater and downstream sites no significant changes were distinguished in the NOM character. At stream reaches, junctions and lakes little change (<10%) in NOM character was observed. Common factor analysis and partial least squares regression (PLS) revealed that the spatial variation in surface coverage of lakes and mires could explain some of the variation of TOC and NOM character. Our suggestion is that the mosaic of landscape elements (different amounts of water from lakes, forest soil and mires) delivers NOM with varying characteristics to a channel network that mixes conservatively downstream, with possible small changes at some 20 stream reaches, junctions and lake