Elite Class Research Articles

Redemption from Tyranny: Herman Husband’s American Revolution by Bruce E. Stewart

Reviewed by: Redemption from Tyranny: Herman Husband’s American Revolution by Bruce E. Stewart Chris Pearl (bio) Keywords American Revolution, Great Awakening, Evangelicalism, Herman Husband Redemption from Tyranny: Herman Husband’s American Revolution. By Bruce E. Stewart. (Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2020. Pp. 227. Cloth, $29.95.) Bruce E. Stewart’s biography of Herman Husband, Redemption from Tyranny, seamlessly charts Husband’s life from his early years as the rol-licking son of a well-off Maryland planter to a homespun-wearing evangelical radical championing “economic populism” during the Whiskey Rebellion. Since Husband’s life intersected with so many key moments in eighteenth-century America—the Great Awakening, North Carolina regulation, American Revolution, and Whiskey Rebellion—Stewart is able to successfully explore the “varied reasons behind the rise of radicalism and its impact on society during the long American Revolution”(5). The first two chapters describe Husband’s radicalization and increasing political activism. In these chapters, Stewart demonstrates how the Great Awakening’s equalizing message of spiritual independence gave new purpose to Husband’s life, provided a lens for him to view the world, and pushed him to question the inequality of organized religion, which unsurprisingly got him into trouble throughout his life. Even his Quaker meeting found Husband’s brand of spiritual equality a bit too much. Nevertheless, it was this experience that eventually intertwined with radical Whig protests against the Stamp Act to make him, Stewart argues, a “budding political activist” at odds with elites who monopolized positions of power and influence to the detriment of common farmers. [End Page 668] Moving to North Carolina’s frontier in 1755, Husband quickly became an important leader of backcountry resistance during the regulator movement because of his opposition to wealth inequality, resulting in his flight to Pennsylvania after the regulators’ defeat by government forces at the Battle of Alamance. These two chapters set the stage for the last three that explore how Husband became an avid revolutionary. That process began during the regulator movement, but came into full bloom in Pennsylvania, where, Stewart argues, Husband encountered another elite class of land speculators who controlled all the networks of interest, power, and patronage in the Quaker colony. Although Husband also speculated in land, amassing quite the fortune, which sits awkwardly in this book, Husband ultimately concluded that the colonial system was too corrupt to meet the needs of non-elite white farmers, and therefore he embraced American independence. It was during the American Revolution that Husband fully fused his evangelical worldview with politics. Embracing civil millenarianism, he saw in the revolution the possibility to create an equal society for white men with a perfected government, a divinely inspired “New Jerusalem” that would initiate the second coming of Jesus Christ. Among the many strengths of this book is Stewart’s ability to make Husband’s plans for this “New Jerusalem” accessible and understandable. Anyone who has read Husband’s sermons or tried to decipher his political cartography depicting a large hand or Jesus mapped onto North America understands that this is no easy task. In the end, Husband’s vision of a “new government of liberty” never came to be (143). As with the colonial period, Stewart describes a dark future in the revolution where even Husband’s narrow vision of equality for white men had little purchase. The American Revolution may have started with immense possibilities, Stewart argues, but those were easily engulfed by the power of self-interested capitalists like Robert Morris or Alexander Hamilton, setting the stage for Husband’s last effort to achieve his revolutionary dreams, the Whiskey Rebellion. Nevertheless, that movement was just as unsuccessful as the North Carolina regulation, but this time resulted in Husband’s death after seven grueling months in prison. Although Husband was consistently thwarted in his efforts, whether as a state legislator, traveling evangelist, or a populist leader of regulators, Stewart constantly points out Husband’s optimism; Husband never really [End Page 669] gave up hope in the possibilities of the American Revolution. Even in the face of George Washington’s Watermelon Army, he preached a message that embraced the democratic possibilities of the American Revolution. Given the insurmountable odds Stewart...

Welfare for Elites: The Student Health Center at Tokyo Imperial University and the Paradox of Medicare in Japanese Meritocracy.

How did the Japanese establish a medical welfare system? In answering this question, historians of modern Japan have accentuated the assertive role of state bureaucrats, especially from those of the Home Ministry (naimushō). Historians of Japanese medicine also emphasized the role of the state. William Johnston, in his pioneering work on tuberculosis in Japan, explored the rise of a hygiene administration on this disease as a state enterprise. In the medical history of Japan, scholars highlighted the significance of the wartime period in the birth of this system. The emphasis on the Japanese wartime state is justified. The Japanese government managed to establish a national health insurance in 1935, while the United States government has not been able to establish a medical insurance for every citizen to this day. However, these scholars have not explored how welfare benefits were distributed to members of Japanese society. This article seeks to fill this historiographical gap by looking at the Student Health Center of Tokyo Imperial University (Tōdai), Japan's first state-established university founded in 1886. This university, I contend, was a critical locus in the birth of medical welfare in Japan. At this university were the most privileged medical facilities and practitioners who could provide medical services, as well as students without stable incomes of their own, thus in need of welfare support. The demand of staff of Tōdai's Student Association to establish a Student Health Center was accepted and realized in 1926, and Tōdai students became the beneficiaries of state-managed medical support. The Tōdai Student Health Center was different from other medicare facilities in that its role was not limited to save students from poverty. Student Health Center practitioners helped students check health for university admission, campus life, and job placement to be white-collar elites. Student Health Center practitioners evaluated students' health when they tried to enter Tōdai and get jobs and inculcated students in how to manage living as mental-worker "gentlemen," in coping with tuberculosis, venereal diseases, and neurotic breakdown. Also, they produced statistics about the health condition of Tōdai students, which immediately stimulated further investment in the facilities of Tōdai authorities for the center. Based on statistical data, Tōdai authorities developed a hygiene campaign against tuberculosis so that students could take advantage the of state-of-the-art treatments inexpensively. As such, Tōdai students became among the biggest beneficiaries of this process. In other words, the Student Health Center had a dual significance at Tōdai: a medicare institution as well as part of privileged campus culture. Tōdai was a symbolic locus that reveals the uneven diffusion of medical welfare benefits in Japanese society. Through the lens of this facility, this article seeks to explore the paradox of welfare in meritocracy that contributed to the formation of the elite class in modern Japan.

Conferred cosmopolitanism: class-making strategies of elite schools across the world

Drawing on a multi-sited global ethnography of elite schools, this article explores how these institutions work to produce subjects that will thrive in a globalized world. We examine how despite a similar commitment to global citizenship education and a cosmopolitan orientation across all schools, the intersections between the transnational and national sphere continue to shape the specific futures students are being prepared for. Thus, while all schools understand cosmopolitanism as being acquired by working across difference and having international mobility experiences, the specificities of the national socio-economic contexts and the founding principles of each institution, shapes the kinds of ‘leaders’ being formed, which in turn differentiates the specific cosmopolitan practices being promoted. Ultimately, these elite institutions are seeking to create an elite class by conferring a cosmopolitan status on their students which will have direct convertibility for the specific futures being envisioned for them.

New methods of integrated assessment of sows by indicators of reproductive qualities

The article presents the results of studies of indicators of reproductive qualities of sows of large white breed of various intrabreed differentiation according to some evaluation indices, the criteria for selecting highly productive animals and the economic efficiency of their use are determined. On the basis of experimental data, аppendix 10 to the Instruction on the grading of pigs (correction factor for correcting the weight of the piglet nest at weaning at 60 days of age) has been modified and a new method has been developed for assessing sows according to the indicator "uniformity (uniformity) of a sow's nest in terms of live weight of piglets at weaning time" (IVG60). The studies were carried out in the «Druzhba - Kaznacheevka» JLLC in the Dnepropetrovsk region and the animal husbandry laboratory of the State Institution Institute of Grain Crops of the NAAS. The work was carried out in accordance with PSR NAAS No. 30 “Innovative technologies for pedigree, industrial and organic production of pig products (“Pigbreeding”). The assessment of sows in terms of reproductive qualities was carried out taking into account the following characteristics: multiple fertility, head, large fertility, kg, number of piglets at weaning time, head, nest weight at weaning time, kg (actual), nest weight at weaning time of 60 days, kg (calculated), safety, %. A comprehensive assessment of sows in terms of reproducti-ve qualities was carried out according to breeding indices of reproductive qualities of sows (SIVKS) (A. N. Tserenyuk et al., 2010), the index of N.D. Berezovsky (cited by P. A. Vashchenko, 2019), biometric processing of research results – according to the methods of G. F. Lakin (1990). It was found that 26.4 7 % of sows of the controlled herd, according to the characteristics of reproductive qualities (abundance, head, nest weight at the time of weaning at the age of 60 days (calculated), kg) belong to the elite class, 65.44 – I class, 7.35 – II class. The number of animals, according to the average score, are categorized as "out of class" is 0.73 %. The multiplicity of sows is 11.1 ± 0.15 heads. (Cv = 15.76 %), large fruit – 1.41 ± 0.009 kg (Cv = 7.88 %), the number of piglets at weaning time – 9.7 ± 0.13 head (Cv = 16.60 %), weight nests at the time of weaning, kg (actual) – 74.3 ± 0.85 kg (Cv = 13.48 %), weight of the nest at the time of weaning in 60 days, kg (calculated) – 175.9 ± 2.160 kg (Cv = 13.43 %), safety – 87.9 ± 0.49 % (Cv = 6.84 %). The index of uniformity (uniformity) of a sow's nest in terms of live weight of piglets at the time of birth is 5.21 ± 0.076 points (Cv = 17.11 %), at the time of weaning – 8.32 ± 0.156 points (Cv = 21.98 %), selection sow reproductive qualities index (SIVKS) – 88.31 ± 1.118 points (Cv = 14.77 %). Coefficients of pair correlation between the estimated indices IVG0, IVG60, SIVKS and signs of reproductive qualities range from -0.438 (index of uniformity (uniformity) of the nest of a sow in terms of live weight of piglets at the time of weaning, point (IVG60) × large fruit) to + 0.988 ± 0, 0020 (breeding index of reproductive qualities of a sow (SIVKS) × multiple pregnancy). The maximum increase in additional products received from animals of class M+ – 27.60 %, and its cost is equal to 685.33 UAH/head. Key words: sow, reproductive qualities, integrated assessment, evenness (uniformity) of the nest, variability, correlation, economic efficiency.

Index selection of Kazakh karakul sur-type sheep with platinum shades

Aim of the study: Karakul sheep farming is one of the effective subsectors of animal breeding in the southwestern region of Kazakhstan. Sheep coloring is a result of genetic factors. Breeding can provide farmers with offspring of the desired color through the selection of parental couples. Materials: This research introduces an index method for breeding sur-type sheep with the proportion of underfur fibers under 25%. Such a proportion of underfur fibers provides a 15.25% deeper color within the breed at the 25.3% higher chance of getting platinum shades. Methods: Platinum coloring in sheep makes them less piebald. The inheritance index is quite stable and is within 55.66-65.66%. In the breeding flock, the initial proportion of sur-type lambs which could be used in coat making (elite class) was up to 8.72%. The analysis of platinum color heritability by Kazakh sur-type karakul sheep shows that this color is inherited as a dominant one in the line breeding. The share of sur-type sheep with platinum shades was between 85.85% and 87.27%. Results: The difference in the inherited trait between the groups of sheep selected according to the proportion of underfur fibers was insignificant, 0.99-1.42% (P > 0.05). The stabilizing selection introduced into the theory of line breeding of Kazakh sur-type sheep allowed optimizing the variability of selected features to the level of desired parameters. The authors have proposed the index selection method for sur-type sheep breeding that can be applied to improve the Atyrau sheep flock, to increase their genetic potential, and to apply various line breeding levels to accelerate the breeding process. Conclusions: The originally designed method for improving breeding indexes will be useful when setting optimal breeding goals (fur color and quality) and assessing genetic parameters of a certain sheep flock. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee attached to the Far Eastern State Agrarian University (Protocol No. 5 of 25 May 2010).

A Dialectical Inquest into the Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria: Exploring the Neoliberal State Thesis

Scholarly opinions have clearly identified governance deficits, Islamization agenda, power contestations among the elite class, heterogeneous character of African states, dysfunctional socio-economic system and external conspiracy as factors fueling and sustaining the recent wave of terrorism in Northeast Nigeria. Although these varied perspectives have been relied on by most scholars to explain the phenomenon of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, they have increasingly appeared insufficient in understanding the evolution, dynamics and seemingly intractable character of the conflict. The present study therefore explores the neoliberal economic link which provides the grand perspective and heuristically excellent foundation for explaining the intensification and seeming intractability of Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria. Using the theory of dialectics, the study argues that the neoliberal economy foisted a failed system which could not provide social safety nets, qualitative education and affordable healthcare delivery to the people. Indeed, the ensuing condition of hopelessness generated by the withdrawal of the state in providing essential services to the citizens undoubtedly provided a fertile ground for the birth of Boko Haram insurgency. The study among other things, recommends an economic reform that prioritizes the development of the productive forces in consonance with the autochthonous development conditions of the polity.

The Hypocrisy Behind Oscar Wilde's Conviction: A Tale of British Victorian Secrecy

Well-known author Oscar Wilde led a life of aesthetic luxury and wrote stories which toed the lines of public decency and morality in the seemingly conservative nineteenth-century British society. Ideals of increased democracy and scientific advancement, modesty, and personal responsibility were flaunted as morals of the Victorian era. This essay explores the underlying reasons that may have led to Oscar Wilde’s trial and conviction in 1895 for the crime of homosexuality. It analyzes evidence towards the possibility that Wilde’s prison sentence may have been the elite classes’ way of maintaining control over public ideas, as Wilde’s power to share new and unexpected ideas through his unpunished existence posed a threat to the societal order of Victorian society. Wilde’s breaking of public molds was dangerous to the status quo, as his flow of ideas had the potential of inspiring oppressed members of society into demanding greater democracy and access to services which were exclusive to the elite as a result of their socioeconomic status. This essay also explores the tragic parallelism between author Oscar Wilde and his main character Dorian Gray in The Picture of Dorian Gray, as Wilde’s very own literary warnings seem to come alive in the outcome of his trials and incarceration.

Multi-sited understandings: complicating the role of elite schools in transnational class formation

It has been argued that a transnational elite class is emerging, and that elite schools are ‘choreographing’ this process. This article nuances this developing theoretical framework with empirical data from an economically elite boarding school in Switzerland. It demonstrates that young men and women at this site linked to a global economy whilst refracting geopolitical tensions in their interactions with one another. This draws our attention to the multi-sited understandings that elite young people develop, despite the widespread assumption that in modern globalisation, wealth can break down cultural and juridical borders. This paper thus importantly contributes to an emerging discussion about the possibilities and constraints of transnational class formation at elite schools. In particular, it suggests that different kinds of elite schools may fill different kinds of roles when it comes to such processes.

Monitoring productivity of Kazakh Bactrian and Arvana camels of Kazakhstan population

The purpose of the study is to perform monitoring of camels of Kazakh Bactrian and Arvana dromedary breeds in the South West region of Kazakhstan; to determine perspective genotypes of purebred camels according to their dairy productivity. The study of class composition of the selected Arvana female camels of the 1st lactation with a milk yield of not less than 1950 kg allowed identifying 21.8% of Elite Class and 78.2% of Class I among 125 animal units. Kazakh Bactrian female camels of the first lactation are also selected with the yield of 1000 kg minimum in the number of 309 animals in the basic collective farms of camel breeding zones. It was found out that of 309 animals, 23.0% compose the Elite Class and 77.0% make the Class I. The estimation of Kazakh Bactrian female camels according to the milking capacity coefficient allowed determining that the optimal parameter for selection is Rank 1.5-1.9. It was found that in female camels according to the fertility index of Rank 1 (up to 42%), colt safety is reliably higher that compared with female camels of the same age with Rank 2 (42-47%) and Rank 3 (47% and higher).

Portrayal of Families in Prime Time Urdu Drama

The current study was conducted to analyze the portrayal of families in Urdu drama serials right from the start of television drama to 2016. The Urdu drama serial period was divided in to two eras, pre-cable era and cable era. Through the lens of cultivation theory, message system analysis was done of Urdu drama serial for more than five decades. It was hypothesized that pre-cable era will depict more extended families and cable-era depict more nuclear families. The finding of study revealed that our assumption was not supportive and more nuclear families were found in both the eras. Similarly, the other important variable was sibling in pre-cable and cable era. Maximum dramas showed only two to three children in families of both the eras. More diversity of culture was found in terms of family depiction in pre-cable era, and more homogenous and urban elite class was found in cable era.

Impact of Music on Vocally Expressed Emotions and Moods in Nostalgia

The impetus of this research work is to study the impact of musical therapy and songs to excite the human emotion with respect to the past memory. At the primitive music history, music was the tool of entertainment and was in the access of elite class only. But now a day it is in the access of every hand in the form of mobile music player. This will figure out the role of music in our life with respect to its role in emotion driving ability. Considering the influence and the role of music in controlling our psychology, it is much important that it should be used as positive emotion driver. This research will help us to explore the use of music in our routine life and endeavours to determine its value to our emotions. Private school teachers will be asked to share their experience about Nostalgia remembering their past

Polygenic hereditary traits of young pigs and their association with the melanocortin receptor gene – 4 (MC4R)

The article presents the results of studies of fattening and meat qualities of young pigs of different genealogical lines of large white breed and genotypes by the gene of melanocortin receptor – 4 (MC4R). The research was conducted in “Druzhba-Kaznacheyivka” LLC, the genetics laboratory of the Institute of Pig Breeding and APV NAAS and the animal husbandry laboratory of the State Institution Institute of Grain Crops NAAS. The work was performed according to the research program of NAAS №30 “Innovative technologies of breeding, industrial and organic production of pig products” (“Pig Breeding”). DNA-typing of the melanocortin-4 receptor gene (MC4R) was performed by Kim K., Larsen N., Short T. et al. (2000). Evaluation of young pigs for fattening and meat qualities was carried out taking into account the following quantitative characteristics: the average daily increase in live weight during the period of control fattening, g; age of live weight 100 kg, days; fat thickness at the level of 6–7 thoracic vertebrae, mm; the length of the cooled carcass cm; the length of the bacon half of the cooled half-carcass, cm. The length of the cooled carcass was measured with a measuring tape from the edge of the fusion of the pubic bones to the anterior surface of the first cervical vertebra; the length of the bacon half of the cooled half-carcass - from the anterior edge of the pubic bone to the middle of the anterior edge of the first rib (Berezovsky, Khatko, 2005). Conditions for feeding and keeping young pigs of the experimental groups were identical and complied with zootechnical standards. Economic efficiency of use of animals of various genotypes (МС4RАА, МС4RАG) and biometric processing of the received data (Lakin, 1990). calculated according to generally accepted methods. It is established that young pigs of large white breed of controlled population at the age of reaching live weight of 100 kg exceed the minimum requirements of the elite class by 6.73, fat thickness at the level of 6–7 thoracic vertebrae – 30.84, length of chilled carcass – 3.52 %. Significant difference between animals of different genotypes by melanocortin 4 receptor gene (МС4RАА, МС4RАG) was established by the average daily gain of live weight during the control period of fattening, the age of reaching live weight of 100 kg, fat thickness at the level of 6–7 thoracic vertebrae, length half of the cooled half-carcass and a complex index of fattening and meat qualities (B. Tyler's index). Young pigs of large white breed line Kotilo UA 8819347 outperformed peers line Azuro UA 8800557 on average daily live weight gain during the control period of fattening by 5.29%, the age of 100 kg live weight – 3.29 %, fat thickness at the level of 6–7 breasts vertebrae – 7.14 %. The longer length of chilled carcass (by 1.13 %) and the length of bacon half of chilled half carcass (by 2.68 %) were characterized by animals of Azuro UA 8800557. The correlation coefficient between fattening and meat qualities in young pigs of large white breed of the controlled herd varies ranging from –0.865 (tr = 22.26, P < 0.001) to +0.913 (tr = 35.43, P < 0.001). The maximum increase in additional products was obtained from young pigs of the МС4RАG genotype (+2.57 %) and the genealogical line Kotilo UA 8819347 (+4.86 %), and its cost is +694.26 – 1312.88 UAH/head. in accordance.

ОЗНАКИ ВІДТВОРЮВАЛЬНИХ ЯКОСТЕЙ СВИНОМАТОК РІЗНОЇ ЕКСПЛУАТАЦІЙНОЇ ЦІННОСТІ ТА РІВЕНЬ ЇХ ДИСКРЕТНОСТІ

Досліджено показники відтворювальних якостей свиноматок великої білої породи, зважаючи на їхню експлуатаційну цінність, розраховано рівень дискретності зазначеної групи ознак та економіч-ну ефективність результатів експерименту. Дослідження проведено в умовах племінного репродук-тора з розведення свиней великої білої породи СТОВ «Дружба-Казначеївка» Дніпропетровської обла-сті та лабораторії тваринництва Державної установи Інститут зернових культур НААН. Оцінку свиноматок великої білої породи за основними показниками рівня адаптації та відтворювальних яко-стей по групі (S) та сукупності загалом (σ) проводили, зважаючи на такі кількісні ознаки: трива-лість життя, міс., тривалість племінного використання, одержано опоросів (S1, σ1), одержано по-росят усього, гол. (S2, σ2), одержано живих поросят, гол. (S3, σ3), багатоплідність гол. (S4, σ4), маса гнізда на час відлучення у віці 28 діб, кг (S5, σ5), збереженість, %, тривалість міжопоросного періоду, діб, кількість непродуктивних діб з розрахунку на один опорос. Експлуатаційну цінність тварин ос-новного стада досліджували за методикою Коряжнова Е. В. (1985), рівень дискретності (D) – Се-ромолота В. В., Святченко С. И. (1984). Біометричну обробку одержаних результатів досліджень проводили за методикою Г. Ф. Лакіна (1990). Встановлено, що свиноматки великої білої породи під-контрольного стада за основними показниками відтворювальних якостей (багатоплідність, гол.; маса гнізда на час відлучення у віці 28 діб, кг) відповідають мінімальним вимогам І класу та класу еліта. Достовірну різницю між групами тварин категорій «висока експлуатаційна цінність» та «низька експлуатаційна цінність» встановлено за показниками «тривалість життя, міс.» (29,9 міс., td=13,71), «тривалість племінного використання, міс.» (29,6 міс., td=14,50), «одержано опоросів» (5,7 опоросів, td=14,50), «одержано поросят усього, гол.» (70,5 гол., td=13,85), «одержано живих поросят, гол.» (67,7 гол., td=20,83), «багатоплідність, гол.» (3,3 гол., td=10,31), «маса гнізда на час відлучення у віці 28 діб (6,5 кг, td=2,55). Коефіцієнт дискретності (D) ознак відтворювальних якос-тей свиноматок різної експлуатаційної цінності коливався в межах від 0,765 до 0,992. Максимальну прибавку додаткової продукції за показником «маса гнізда на час відлучення у віці 28 діб, кг» одер-жано від свиноматок категорії «висока експлуатаційна цінність» – 6,03 %.

Fattening and meat qualities of store pigs of large white breed of different intra-breed differentiation by melanocortin-4 receptor gene (MC4R)

The study presents the results of research on fattening and meat qualities of store pigs of large white breed of different intra-breeding differentiation by the gene of melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R). The study calculated the economic efficiency of animals of different genotypes. The following fattening and meat qualities were evaluated: average daily increase in live weight during the period of control fattening, g; age of live weight 100 kg, days; fat thickness at the level of 6-7 thoracic vertebrae, mm; the length of the cooled carcass, cm; length of bacon half of chilled half-carcass, cm. It was established that store pigs of controlled population at the age of reaching live weight of 100 kg, fat thickness at the level of 6-7 thoracic vertebrae, and length of chilled carcass exceed the minimum requirements of the elite class by 13.69%. A significant difference between animals of different genotypes by the gene of the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4RAA, MC4RAG) was established according to the average daily live weight gain during the control fattening period (4.24%, P <0.01), the age of reaching a live weight of 100 kg (2.18%, P <0,01), fat thickness at the level of 6–7 thoracic vertebrae (8,45%, P <0,05), length of chilled carcass (2,26%, P <0,001), length of bacon half of chilled half carcass (3.36%, P <0.001) and selection index (SI) (18.92%, P <0.05). Significant correlations in animals of different genotypes by the melanocortin-4 receptor gene (MC4RAA, MC4RAG) were identified regarding the following features: average daily live weight gain during the control period of fattening × age of 100 kg live weight (-0.475 – -0.853), average daily live weight for the period of control fattening × SI (+0.686 - +0.770), SI × age of reaching live weight 100 kg (+0.515 – -0.721), SI × fat thickness at the level of 6-7 thoracic vertebrae (-0.944 – -0.885), length of chilled carcass × length of bacon half of chilled carcass (+0.899 – +0.861). The maximum increase in additional products was obtained from the sale of young pigs by the gene for the melanocortin-4 receptor MC4RAG – +2.02%.

Killing the Priest-King: Addressing Egalitarianism in the Indus Civilization

The cities of the Indus civilization were expansive and planned with large-scale architecture and sophisticated Bronze Age technologies. Despite these hallmarks of social complexity, the Indus lacks clear evidence for elaborate tombs, individual-aggrandizing monuments, large temples, and palaces. Its first excavators suggested that the Indus civilization was far more egalitarian than other early complex societies, and after nearly a century of investigation, clear evidence for a ruling class of managerial elites has yet to materialize. The conspicuous lack of political and economic inequality noted by Mohenjo-daro’s initial excavators was basically correct. This is not because the Indus civilization was not a complex society, rather, it is because there are common assumptions about distributions of wealth, hierarchies of power, specialization, and urbanism in the past that are simply incorrect. The Indus civilization reveals that a ruling class is not a prerequisite for social complexity.

Guest Editor's Introduction

Guest Editor's Introduction William Hirst (bio) when the editor of this journal asked me to guest-edit an issue on cultural trauma, neither she nor I anticipated that the world would be in the grip of the COVID-19 pandemic as the project was winding down. When this special issue was initiated, an exploration of what had become known as "cultural trauma" seemed more of an intellectual undertaking than a plunge into an ongoing crisis. Now, as I write this in early April and the timing of the pandemic's end is still unknown, one cannot read through the contributions to this special issue—most of which were written before anyone had heard of COVID-19—without asking how they might contribute to an understanding of the pandemic and the collective memories society might form of it. A number of contributors to this volume underscore the role social science can play both by revealing the way society responds to suffering and by offering means not just for individuals but for the population at large to cope with this ordeal. Quite a few years ago, in response to the AIDS crisis, Social Research sponsored and published the proceedings of a conference called In Time of Plague: The History and Social Consequences of Lethal Epidemic Disease, which has just been reissued. A similar exploration of the COVID-19 pandemic will need to wait for a time when we have some distance from the current crisis. Nevertheless, the present contributions may offer at least ways of thinking about how to frame this discussion. Without doubt, pandemics can have long-term consequences. During the bubonic plague pandemic of 1349, Jews were scapegoated, accused of poisoning wells, and, as a result, substantial portions of the Jewish populations in many German cities were killed (Benedictow 2004). The result was a mass migration of the remaining Jews to [End Page xxxiii] Poland, permanently changing the demographics of Europe. With the massive death toll it brought, the bubonic plague also altered labor relations, with the wages of workers doubling as a result of the ensuing labor shortage. To a large extent, it led to the end of feudalism as a social system. But my concern when putting this special issue together was not necessarily with such logistical societal consequences. Rather it was with the representations people form of the collective suffering. The two are separable, to a degree. After all, the increase in wages observed after the plague occurred because of the labor shortage itself, not necessarily because of the way the plague was represented by the public. In pursuit of this concern about representation, the contributors to this volume were asked to address questions such as: Does society remember a cultural trauma over the long term? How will society remember it? Will it alter societal actions not just in the near future but also for generations to come? Will it do so in a way that reflects the evolving representation? What are the forces behind shaping these representations? I find these questions to be as important as those about the logistical societal consequences because, in the end, they bear on a community's sense of itself and on the way the community deals with its past—and constructs its future. This evolving sense of identity has profound consequences on the way society itself evolves. The labor shortage following the bubonic plague may have increased wages and put financial strain on the elite class, but the way society reacted to this strain—either by suppressing the laboring class or responding to its demands—reflects, in a major way, how society has come to understand the trauma and its consequences. One might come to see the deaths of a substantial portion of the population as merely an unfortunate natural disaster of little meaning or a tragedy that needs to be responded to. Answers to questions about representations of collective suffering are not straightforward, of course. In what might be viewed as [End Page xxxiv] an enduring mystery, many pandemics seem to be forgotten rather than remembered, at least in the long term. They do not haunt us, generation after generation, much to our collective regret when new pandemics...

Operating value and economic efficiency of Large White breed sows

The article deals with the reproductive qualities of Large White breed sows of Hungarian origin and their operational value. We also determined they economic efficiency. The experimental part of the research was conducted in agricultural formations of Dnipro region (AALLC "Druzhba-Kaznachejivka", Ltd. "Vidrodzhennja") and livestock laboratories of the State establishment Institute of Grain Crops NAAS. Evaluation of sows on the main indicators of the level of adaptation and reproductive qualities was performed taking into account the following quantitative characteristics: life expectancy, months, duration of breeding use, farrowing was obtained, total piglets were obtained, heads, live piglets were obtained, heads, fertility of heads, nest masst at the time of weaning at the age of 28 days (kg), preservation (%), duration of between farrowing period, days, number of unproductive days per farrowing. It is defined that sows of Large White breed of the controlled herd on the main indicators of reproductive qualities (fertility, head; nest mass at the time of weaning at the age of 28 days, kg) meet the minimum requirements of class I and elite class. A significant difference between the groups of animals of the categories "high operational value" and “low operational value” was defined by indicators “life expectancy, months” (29.9 months, td = 13.71), ”duration of breeding use, months” (29.6 months, td = 14.50), "farrowings were obtained" (5.7 farrowings, td = 14.50), "total piglets were obtained, heads" (70.5, heads, td = 13.85), "obtained live piglets, heads" (67.7 heads, td = 20.83), "fertility, heads " (3.3 heads, td = 10.31), nest mass at the time of weaning at the age of 28 days (6.5 kg, td = 2.55). Coefficients of phenotypic consolidation of signs of reproductive qualities in sows of different operational value ranged from -0.785 to +0.856. The maximum supplement in additional products on the indicator “nest mass at the time of weaning at the age of 28 days, kg” was obtained from sows of the category "high operational value" - 6.03%.

Optimal pricing and lot-sizing policies under promotional expense for some Veblen products

The desire for social status motivates people to possess rare and exclusive luxury products. People like to consume expensive product and service in order to associate themselves with the elite class and build a distinct image of self in society. The demand of luxury products increases with the increase in the price. This phenomenon is also known as Veblen effect, and products with such characteristics are called Veblen products. The demand for products, in general, is positively influenced by promotional expenses. Research suggests that the promotional effort may provide an opportunity to charge more of selling price without sacrificing the demand. With this aspect, the paper focuses on determining the optimal sales price, lot-size as well as promotional expenses for Veblen products. The promotional expense for the two different markets; niche as well as the mass market has been considered. A mathematical model has been proposed for obtaining the optimal price, lot-size and promotional expenses for such product. Some illustrative numerical examples have been taken for both the markets and solved with the help of LINGO optimization software. The sensitivity analysis was also carried out and observed that ordering cost and holding cost rate has almost no impact on optimal inventory policy, but the unit cost has. The proposed formulation of the considered problem is a non-linear integer programming mathematical model and is thus NP-hard. Therefore, genetic algorithm and teaching–learning-based optimization (TLBO) based heuristics have been proposed for solving the problem in a computationally efficient manner. However, these methods were found to take more CPU time compared to LINGO optimization software. TLBO takes the highest CPU time but is rendering solutions like the ones from LINGO.

A Theoretic Perspective on Critical Communications, Mass Media and Effectual Democracy in Nigeria

In contemporary times, democracy has become the political buzzword and, indeed, the basic acceptable form of government with the emergence of liberalism which links democracy with freedom, consent, and political and legal equality. The mass media – which include newspapers, radio and television – play a prominent role in governance and democratic sustainability of any state. In fact, it is a truism that the media serve as the watchdog of governmental activities, ensuring that quality information with which the governed can hold their leaders accountable is made available. The mass media were actively involved in the struggles against colonialism and military rule, as well as the eventual restoration of democratic government in Nigeria. However, in Nigeria, the mass media are fast becoming a pawn in the hands of the government and party in power in particular, and are found in conspiracy with the political elite class in general. This article takes on the contributions of the mass media to effectual democracy in Nigeria. Using agenda setting theoretical framework, it x-rays the effectiveness and shortcomings of the media in delivering on its mandate as the fourth estate of the realm towards ensuring that democratic practices in Nigeria produce the intended result of promoting good and inclusive governance. The paper adopts qualitative research design with data drawn from secondary sources only. It equally uses descriptive and content data analysis. It is found that the mass media have indeed been the middlemen in entrenching democracy in Nigeria but these efforts are being undermined by pecuniary, ownership, political and structural-institutional influences. It is concluded that while the mass media strive to ensure the general inclusion of the populace in the process of governing which fulfills a core democratic tenet, they can do more to overcome the challenges. Among other things, this paper recommends that the government should be deliberate in guaranteeing the freedom of the press to allow for free transmission of information between the government and the people without fear or favour, and likewise, the press should be professional, objective, critical and independent in their reportage, embracing the virtue of investigative journalism.

The dietary impact of the Norman Conquest: A multiproxy archaeological investigation of Oxford, UK.

Archaeology has yet to capitalise on the opportunities offered by bioarchaeological approaches to examine the impact of the 11th-century AD Norman Conquest of England. This study utilises an integrated multiproxy analytical approach to identify and explain changes and continuities in diet and foodways between the 10th and 13th centuries in the city of Oxford, UK. The integration of organic residue analysis of ceramics, carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope analysis of human and animal bones, incremental analysis of δ13C and δ15N from human tooth dentine and palaeopathological analysis of human skeletal remains has revealed a broad pattern of increasing intensification and marketisation across various areas of economic practice, with a much lesser and more short-term impact of the Conquest on everyday lifestyles than is suggested by documentary sources. Nonetheless, isotope data indicate short-term periods of instability, particularly food insecurity, did impact individuals. Evidence of preferences for certain foodstuffs and cooking techniques documented among the elite classes were also observed among lower-status townspeople, suggesting that Anglo-Norman fashions could be adopted across the social spectrum. This study demonstrates the potential for future archaeological research to generate more nuanced understanding of the cultural impact of the Norman Conquest of England, while showcasing a method which can be used to elucidate the undocumented, everyday implications of other large-scale political events on non-elites.