Classical Studies Research Articles

The evolution and diversity of actin-dependent cell migration.

Many eukaryotic cells, including animal cells and unicellular amoebae, use dynamic-actin networks to crawl across solid surfaces. Recent discoveries of actin-dependent crawling in additional lineages have sparked interest in understanding how and when this type of motility evolved. Tracing the evolution of cell crawling requires understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying motility. Here we outline what is known about the diversity and evolution of the molecular mechanisms that drive cell motility, with a focus on actin-dependent crawling. Classic studies and recent work have revealed a surprising number of distinct mechanical modes of actin-dependent crawling used by different cell types and species to navigate different environments. The overlap in actin network regulators driving multiple types of actin-dependent crawling, along with cortical-actin networks that support the plasma membrane in these cells, suggest that actin motility and cortical actin networks might have a common evolutionary origin. The rapid development of additional evolutionarily diverse model systems, advanced imaging technologies, and CRISPR-based genetic tools, is opening the door to testing these and other new ideas about the evolution of actin-dependent cell crawling.

Analysis of the Transformation and Influential Factors of Western Female's Social Image from the Perspective of Mass Media

This paper analyzes the evolution of the Western female social image and the influential factors from the perspective of mass media. The research background highlights the historical process of female emancipation, which has sparked the development of a more diverse and pluralistic social imagination about female social image. The paper aims to determine the significance of mass media in driving these changes through a classic case study of garment advertising. The highly summarized research content includes an in-depth review of historical and documentary evidence, an analysis of the correlation between transformation of females social image and the media, and an examination of various influence factors that have contributed to the change of Western females social image. Additionally, the paper examines the role and significance of inclusive concepts in this process. Predictions for future trends in females social images are also made with academic rigor. The research result conclusion presents novel insights and discussions on the interplay between the female social image, traditional media, and the fashion industry, providing a comprehensive understanding of the forces driving changes in the social image of females. The significance of this paper lies in offering insights into the past, present, and future implications of these changes, contributing to a better comprehension of the complex relationship between traditional media, culture, and females social image and garment. This topic assumes great significance as it facilitates a deeper understanding of the current social status and position of women in modern society, thereby bolstering the comprehension of society and culture.

Earthquakes Parameters from Citizen Testimonies: A Retrospective Analysis of EMSC Database

Abstract We aim to compute macroseismic parameters (location and magnitude) using the BOXER code for the first time on the citizen testimonies, that is, individual intensity data points (IDPs) at the global scale collected and made available by the LastQuake system of the European–Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC). IDPs available for different earthquakes are selected to eliminate those that are geographically inconsistent with most data; then they are clustered spatially based on various methods. For each cluster with at least three IDPs, a macroseismic data point (MDP), corresponding to an intensity value assessed for given localities as in classical macroseismic studies, is computed by various central tendency estimators (average, median, and trimmed averages). Finally, macroseismic parameters are obtained by MDP distribution using two location methods of BOXER code. For each earthquake, we used raw and corrected intensities and 132 different combinations of grouping methods, estimators, and BOXER methods. We assigned a ranking to the combinations that best reproduce instrumental parameters and used such a ranking to select preferred combinations for each earthquake. We analyzed retrospectively the reliability of the parameters as a function of time and space. The results are essentially identical using original and corrected intensities and show higher reliability for BOXER’s method 1 than for method 0; they are dependent on the geographical area, and generally improve over time and with the number of IDPs collected. These findings are useful for the future real-time analyses, and for evaluating the location and magnitude of earthquakes whenever a sufficient number of IDPs are available and with a distribution such that MDPs can be derived and the BOXER method applied.

Research on the Study of Cultural Classics and the Cultivation of News Communication Talents

Research on the Study of Cultural Classics and the Cultivation of News Communication Talents

Artistic practices of Valery Hegamyan in the context of Ukrainian-Armenian intercultural ties

The purpose of the work is to investigate the artistic and stylistic practices of V. Hegemyan, which he applied in the process of creative activity in the context of the history of art of Armenia and Ukraine. Emphasis is placed on clarifying biographical facts about the artist and teacher. The research methodology consists in the application of general scientific and special research methods, in particular, analysis, synthesis, induction and deduction, generalization and abstraction, semitic, descriptive, which collectively allowed to consider artistic practices in the work of the artist V. Hegamyan. The scientific novelty of the work lies in the fact that for the first time the facts of the artist's creative biography were introduced into scientific circulation, which made it possible to reveal the intercultural influences of the environment of Ukrainian and Armenian cultures on the formation of V. Hegamyan's creative style. Conclusions. V. Hegamyan's creativity and teaching are frankly synthetic in nature. Both of his activities are based on classical traditions, but as a result are qualitatively new artistic phenomena. Hegamyan's artistic style is a kind of symbiosis of masterful realism and modernist principles of symbolism, expressionism, fauvism, and constructivism embodied in monumental techniques. V. Hegamyan's genre work is widely represented: from studies of classics, landscapes, still lifes, wonderful realistic and conventional portraits to huge genre paintings. There are strong ethnic motifs in the artist's work: both Armenian and Ukrainian, while the artist nevertheless operates with general aesthetic categories, finding his own symbolic and figurative meaning.
 Keywords: artistic practices, work of Valery Hegamyan, Armenian artists, painting, graphics, intercultural relations, Ukrainian art, artist-pedagogue.

Systematic heterogenization revisited: Increasing variation in animal experiments to improve reproducibility?

Life sciences are currently facing a reproducibility crisis. Originally, the crisis was born out of single alarming failures to reproduce findings at different times and locations. Nowadays, systematic studies indicate that the prevalence of irreproducible research does in fact exceed 50%. Viewed from a rather cynical perspective, Fett’s law of the lab “Never replicate a successful experiment” has thus taken on a completely new meaning. In this respect, animal research has come under particular scrutiny, as the stakes are high in terms of both research ethics and societal impact. To counteract this, it is essential to identify sources of poor reproducibility as well as to iron out these failures. We here review the current debate, briefly discuss potential reasons, and summarize steps that have already been undertaken to improve reproducibility in animal research. By the example of classical behavioural phenotyping studies, we particularly highlight the role strict standardization plays in exacerbating the crisis, and review the concept of systematic heterogenization as an alternative strategy to deal with variation in animal studies. Briefly, we argue that systematic variation rather than strict homogenization of experimental conditions benefits the robustness of research findings, and hence their reproducibility. To this end, we will present concrete examples for systematically heterogenized experiments and provide a practical guide on how to apply systematic heterogenization in experimental practice.

Teaching Greek mythology through a scenario-based game

AbstractIn this article, we showcase the pilot scenario of The Trojan War, an educational self-directed game that combines text inspired by ancient Greek (as well as Roman) literature with graphics based on the ‘Geometric style’, an authentic Greek style of painting contemporary with the composition of the Homeric epics. Our game uses interactive scenarios to support active learning strategies of students interested in Classical Studies in both tertiary and secondary education. Players can take on the role of key characters, making choices that can prevent, start, or stop the Trojan War, as well as determine their own personal outcomes. The learners are thus presented with the opportunity to explore alternative pathways to rewrite the history of the War. In the process, they can apply their subject knowledge and develop their intellectual and critical skills. They also become familiar with a distinctive and expressive early Greek artistic style, the so-called Geometric. Rather than focusing on winning, the game aims to give students the opportunity to engage with important ideas and values of ancient Greek culture by exploring multiple perspectives on the topic. It also provides a valuable lesson on the potentially wide-ranging consequences of individual choices, which is a core element of responsible citizenship.

Gaining confidence in Michotte’s classic studies on the perception of causality

Gaining confidence in Michotte’s classic studies on the perception of causality

The Role of Santri to Against Hoaxes

Against hoaxes, everyone's responsibilities A hoax is part of the crime that must be fought because it is troubling the public. The Santries have an obligation to against hoaxes. Through the literacy movement, the socialists can close the gaps in the viral hoax. The role of Santri in shaping the literacy movement has enabled the community to become aware of the knowledge provided by Santri through the media. The use of the boarding school website as part of the media to actualize Santri’s ideas on the Islamic teachings that are rahmah is part of cyber jihad. In addition, announcing activities such as classical book study, congregational prayer, discussion, and so on is part of introducing to the global world that Islam is a friendly religion that can be spread through the role of students at the boarding school. This research focuses on an analysis document on social media of pesantren, where santries are the official media of pesantren in Madura.

The gain-of-function mutation blf13 in the barley orthologue of the rice growth regulator NARROW LEAF1 is associated with increased leaf width.

Canopy architecture in cereals plays an important role in determining yield. Leaf width represents one key aspect of this canopy architecture. However, our understanding of leaf width control in cereals remains incomplete. Classical mutagenesis studies in barely identified multiple morphological mutants, including those with differing leaf widths. Of these, we characterized the broad leaf13 (blf13) mutant in detail. Mutant plants form wider leaves due to increased post-initiation growth and cell proliferation. The mutant phenotype perfectly co-segregated with a missense mutation in the HvHNT1 gene which affected a highly conserved region of the encoded protein, orthologous to the rice NARROW LEAF1 (NAL1) protein. Causality of this mutation for the blf13 phenotype is further supported by correlative transcriptomic analyses and protein-protein interaction studies showing that the mutant HvNHT1 protein interacts more strongly with a known interactor than wild-type HvHNT1. The mutant HvHNT1 protein also showed stronger homodimerization compared with wild-type HvHNT1, and homology modelling suggested an additional interaction site between HvHNT1 monomers due to the blf13 mutation. Thus, the blf13 mutation parallels known gain-of-function NAL1 alleles in rice that increase leaf width and grain yield, suggesting that the blf13 mutation may have a similar agronomic potential in barley.

A combination of restudy and retrieval practice maximizes retention of briefly encountered facts

IntroductionIs retrieval practice always superior to restudy? In a classic study by Roediger and Karpicke, long-term retention of information contained in prose passages was found to be best when opportunities to restudy were replaced with opportunities to self-test. We were interested whether this striking benefit for repeated testing at the expense of any restudy replicates when study opportunities are brief, akin to a single mention of a fact in an academic lecture. We were also interested in whether restudying after a test would provide any additional benefits compared to restudying before test.MethodIn the current study, participants encountered academically relevant facts a total of three times; each time either studied (S) or self-tested (T). During study, participants predicted how likely they were to remember each fact in the future. During self-test, participants performed covert cued recall and self-reported their recall success. Final test followed immediately or after a delay (Experiment 1: 2 days, Experiment 2: 7 days).ResultsContrary to prior work, long-term memory was superior for facts the were restudied in addition to self-tested (SST > STT = SSS). We further investigated whether restudy after a test (STS) provides additional benefits compared to restudy before test (SST). Restudying after a retrieval attempt provided an additional benefit compared to restudying before a retrieval attempt on an immediate test, but this benefit did not carry over a delay. Finally, exploratory analyses indicated that restudy after test improved the accuracy of participants' subjective predictions of encoding success.DiscussionTogether, our results qualify prior work on the benefits of repeated testing, indicating that balancing testing with repetition may allow for more information to be learned and retained. These findings offer new insights into the conditions that promote encoding and long-term retention, provide new constraints for existing cognitive theories of testing effects, and have practical implications for education.

The mechanistic, genetic and evolutionary causes of bird eye colour variation

Birds display a rainbow of eye colours, but this trait has been little studied compared with plumage coloration. Avian eye colour variation occurs at all phylogenetic scales: it can be conserved throughout whole families or vary within one species, yet the evolutionary importance of this eye colour variation is under‐studied. Here, we summarize knowledge of the causes of eye colour variation at three primary levels: mechanistic, genetic and evolutionary. Mechanistically, we show that avian iris pigments include melanin and carotenoids, which also play major roles in plumage colour, as well as purines and pteridines, which are often found as pigments in non‐avian taxa. Genetically, we survey classical breeding studies and recent genomic work on domestic birds that have identified potential ‘eye colour genes’, including one associated with pteridine pigmentation in pigeons. Finally, from an evolutionary standpoint, we present and discuss several hypotheses explaining the adaptive significance of eye colour variation. Many of these hypotheses suggest that bird eye colour plays an important role in intraspecific signalling, particularly as an indicator of age or mate quality, although the importance of eye colour may differ between species and few evolutionary hypotheses have been directly tested. We suggest that future studies of avian eye colour should consider all three levels, including broad‐scale iris pigment analyses across bird species, genome sequencing studies to identify loci associated with eye colour variation, and behavioural experiments and comparative phylogenetic analyses to test adaptive hypotheses. By examining these proximate and ultimate causes of eye colour variation in birds, we hope that our review will encourage future research to understand the ecological and evolutionary significance of this striking avian trait.

The paradise fish, an advanced animal model for behavioral genetics and evolutionary developmental biology.

Paradise fish (Macropodus opercularis) is an air-breathing freshwater fish species with a signature labyrinth organ capable of extracting oxygen from the air that helps these fish to survive in hypoxic environments. The appearance of this evolutionary innovation in anabantoids resulted in a rewired circulatory system, but also in the emergence of species-specific behaviors, such as territorial display, courtship and parental care in the case of the paradise fish. Early zoologists were intrigued by the structure and function of the labyrinth apparatus and a series of detailed descriptive histological studies at the beginning of the 20th century revealed the ontogenesis and function of this specialized system. A few decades later, these fish became the subject of numerous ethological studies, and detailed ethograms of their behavior were constructed. These latter studies also demonstrated a strong genetic component underlying their behavior, but due to lack of adequate molecular tools, the fine genetic dissection of the behavior was not possible at the time. The technological breakthroughs that transformed developmental biology and behavioral genetics in the past decades, however, give us now a unique opportunity to revisit these old questions. Building on the classic descriptive studies, the new methodologies will allow us to follow the development of the labyrinth apparatus at a cellular resolution, reveal the genes involved in this process and also the genetic architecture behind the complex behaviors that we can observe in this species.

Hydration structure and dynamics, ultraviolet–visible and fluorescence spectra of caffeine in ambient liquid water. A combined classical molecular dynamics and quantum chemical study

The hydration structure and related dynamics of caffeine diluted in ambient liquid water have been extensively studied by performing classical molecular dynamics simulations, using our previously developed potential model of caffeine and the TIP4P/2005 water model. The results obtained have revealed that the first hydration shell of caffeine contains on average 56 water molecules. Hydrated caffeine forms in total 3 hydrogen bonds with its neighbor water molecules, with the Ocaffeine … Hwater hydrogen bonds exhibiting similar lifetimes with the ones corresponding to Owater … Hwater hydrogen bonds in liquid water. The self-diffusion coefficient of caffeine has been found to be four times lower than the corresponding value for water, being also in agreement with recent experimental measurements. The presence of water molecules inside the solvation shell of caffeine changes significantly their low-frequency intermolecular vibrations, as reflected on the calculated atomic velocity time correlation functions and corresponding spectral densities. Using the estimated average intermolecular structure of the first hydration shell of caffeine, the molecular cluster caffeine@W56 was optimized via quantum chemical calculations and subsequently the time-dependent density functional theory was used in order to predict the ultraviolet–visible and fluorescence spectra of hydrated caffeine. The results obtained are in agreement with recent experimental studies, which have proposed that such spectroscopic measurements can be used for the direct determination of alkaloids in aqueous extracts of natural products. In this framework, multi-scale molecular modelling providing accurate predictions of experimental data could also be a very useful tool, linking theoretical physical chemistry with analytical chemistry applications.

Measuring and modeling forces generated by microtubules.

Tubulins are essential proteins, which are conserved across all eukaryotic species. They polymerize to form microtubules, cytoskeletal components of paramount importance for cellular mechanics. The microtubules combine an extraordinarily high flexural rigidity and a non-equilibrium behavior, manifested in their intermittent assembly and disassembly. These chemically fueled dynamics allow microtubules to generate significant pushing and pulling forces at their ends to reposition intracellular organelles, remodel membranes, bear compressive forces, and transport chromosomes during cell division. In this article, we review classical and recent studies, which have allowed the quantification of microtubule-generated forces. The measurements, to which we owe most of the quantitative information about microtubule forces, were carried out in biochemically reconstituted systems in vitro. We also discuss how mathematical and computational modeling has contributed to the interpretations of these results and shaped our understanding of the mechanisms of force production by tubulin polymerization and depolymerization.

The contribution of image processing in the evaluation of guided bone regeneration

One of the most ambitious goals of modern bone surgery is to predict the shape of the bone defect, monitor the progress of bone regeneration, and assess the quantity and quality of newly formed bone. Calcium phosphate biomaterials such as hydroxyapatite and tricalcium phosphate are commonly used as bone substitutes in maxillofacial and dental surgery. The objective of this work is to use cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and image processing to assess the spatial (architectural) layout, rate of bone generation and osseointegration of implanted commercial granules (PAH 40%, β-TCP 60%, size 0.5 to 1 mm) in the bone defect generated after tooth extraction. CBCT measurements were performed at 48 hours and 12 months. The analysis of 3D images and the application of appropriate morphological mathematical operations allowed us to evaluate the volume of the cavity to be filled, the volume occupied by the granules and the volume of porosity generated by the random stacking of the granules. The result shows that the bone generation rate reaches a value of 89% after one year of implantation. This study shows that by using 3D image processing techniques CBCT, the same results as classical anatomical and histological studies can be obtained.

格物致知章의 구성에 대한 조선 후기 학자들의 입장

Gewuzhizhi chapter is very important in the understanding of the text 『The Great Learning(大學)』. Ju-hee said that the Gewuzhizhi chapter was disappeared, and he created it himself and transferred it to 『The Great Learning(大學)』. Many people questioned that the contents of the Confucian classics were created by individuals. Donggye Jo Gwi-myeong also argues that the Gewuzhizhi chapter did not disappear in the first place, and that the contents can be restored by correcting the mixed order.
 This paper is the result of introducing the contents and considering the meaning of <Daehak Seol(大學說)>, a new material containing Donggye Jo Gwi-myong's arguments. The writings of Jo Gwi-myeong and Lee Heon-kyung, which were used as data in this paper, have not yet been mentioned in academia. Jo Gwi-myeong widely reviewed the previous data and insisted on his new theory. There are not many similar cases in the history of the study of Confucian classics in Joseon dynasty, and the contents are also very original. Donggye's <Daehak Seol> is a work that coincides with Donggye's original work in terms of sentences, and it is considered to be an important material to be studied and remembered.

Trends and Relationships in the Convergence of Classical Studies and Digital Humanities : Centering on Classical Novels

Trends and Relationships in the Convergence of Classical Studies and Digital Humanities : Centering on Classical Novels

Digitalization in Entrepreneurship Education: In Search of a New Approach

The paper aims to search for new approaches to entrepreneurship education in the digital age-related to the use of digital tools to achieve study results, such as expanding knowledge and increasing students’ entrepreneurial intention. This study examines various sources of scientific literature on digitization trends and challenges for entrepreneurship education and provides a statistical analysis of primary data. Identification of innovative learning tools, such as digital automatic software, and empirical research on the effectiveness of using the digital tool KABADA in the study process was carried out. The study reveals that university culture, lecturers’ and students’ competencies, and industry expectations are essential factors for the introduction of digitization in entrepreneurship education. The authors identified a new approach to entrepreneurship education using the digital automated software KABADA to create structured business plans that promote entrepreneurial intentions, but its use must be combined with classical studies.

Capturing chaos: a multidisciplinary approach to nonlinear population dynamics

The hypothesis of chaotic population dynamics was proposed in ecology by Robert May in the mid-1970s. At that time the idea was controversial, and it remains a fascinating and unsettled issue today. We report the results of a 20-year laboratory research programme that continued in the tradition of the pioneering ecologist Thomas Park using the Tribolium flour beetle model. We present biological evidence of complex population dynamics – including bifurcations, chaos, saddle nodes, phase switching, resonance effects, and multiple attractors – by using a low-dimensional difference equation model for Tribolium together with carefully designed, conducted, and statistically analysed experiments. The model, parameterized with data, also explains the results of historical Tribolium experiments, such as the classical competition studies of Thomas Park and his colleagues. Our research programme has inspired other studies using the Tribolium mathematical and laboratory model. This work was conducted by a multidisciplinary team, which included Jim Cushing.