Cultural Variants Research Articles

Raw Materials in the Paste of Ceramics of the Kulaika Culture Surgut Variant (Based on Samples from Barsova Gora)

A multidisciplinary analysis of ceramics from six sites of the Surgut variant of the Kulaika culture at Barsova Gora was made. Technology was assessed using traceological, petrographic, and X-ray phase analyses. At all the sites, the potters used ferruginous clays tempered with grus, grog, sand, and organic material. Fragments in the clay were either rounded, as in sand, or coarse, as in grus. The sand was mainly represented by feldspar and quartz, suggesting that this type of raw material was extracted from nearby non-metallic mineral deposits. The grus consisted of fragments of basaltoids, amphiboles, and pyroxenes, evidencing that it came from igneous common rocks associated with the Surgut volcanic fi eld and spread over a large area. Rocks were probably mined near settlements, perhaps on the floodplain of the Ob. Grog in all the samples was similar to the basic clay in terms of its composition. Three groups of sites were identified, differing in the composition of the clay of which the ceramics were made. This may indicate the presence of several groups within the Iron Age Kulaika population, utilizing various sources of clay.

Поселення та городища зарубинецької культури Черкаської області

Sites of the Zarubinets culture of the Cherkasy region constitute the southern part of the Middle Dnieper local version of this culture. In the article, a brief historiographical review of the vestiges is carried out: their topography, chronology, classification and state of study are considered. The article presents a concise catalogue of Zarubynets settlements and hillforts located in Cherkasy region. Among them are 13 settlements and 10 hillforts. The general chronological boundaries of the culture constitute in III/II cent. B.C. – I cent. A.D. The sites considered in the work represent all stages of cultural development: early – 3rd – 1st cent. B.C., middle – 1st cent. B.C. – the end of the 1st cent. A.D., late – middle of the 1st cent. B.C. – the end of the 2nd cent. A.D. Since the last period (the second half of the 1st – the 2nd cent. AD) is currently considered by most researchers to be the time of the existence of late Zarubinets vestiges, we can consider the late stage of the «classical» Zarubinets culture precisely from the middle/end of the 1st cent. B. C. – the end of the 1st cent. A.D. E.V. Maksimov identified two types of settlements of the Middle Dnieper variant of the Zarubinets culture based on topography: sites located on capes, and located in floodplains, supraflood terraces or slopes. The article considers the settlement near the villages Moshny, Mezhyrich, Zalevky, Zhabotyn, Orlovets, the Cherkasy city of the Cherkasy district; hillforts near the village Buchak, Subotiv, Sakhnivka, Trakhtemiriv, the cities of Kaniv, Cherkasy of the Cherkasy district. In contrast to the burial grounds of the Zarubinets culture, the study of settlements began exclusively in the period after the end of the Second World War. Most of the settlements and hillforts are known only from reconnaissance materials. Systematic excavations by E.V. Maksimov investigated only three hillforts: Pylypenkova Hill, Babyna Hill, and Monastyrok. During the last decades, stationary excavations of settlements were not carried out. Obviously, the mentioned sites existed throughout the entire chronological period of the development of the Zarubinets culture, i.e., during the III/II centuries B.C. – I century A.D. In order to obtain new information about the settlement sites of the Zarubinets culture, it is necessary to conduct a new stage of research using new methods and technologies. Key words: Zarubinets culture, Middle Dnieper variant, settlement, hillfort, chronology.

Decreased inter-hemispheric connectivity predicts a coherent retrieval of auditory symbolic material

Investigating the transmission of information between individuals is essential to better understand how humans communicate. Coherent information transmission (i.e., transmission without significant modifications or loss of fidelity) helps preserving cultural traits and traditions over time, while innovation may lead to new cultural variants. Although much research has focused on the cognitive mechanisms underlying cultural transmission, little is known on the brain features which correlates with coherent transmission of information. To address this gap, we combined structural (from high-resolution diffusion imaging) and functional connectivity (from resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI]) with a laboratory model of cultural transmission, the signalling games, implemented outside the MRI scanner. We found that individuals who exhibited more coherence in the transmission of auditory symbolic information were characterized by lower levels of both structural and functional inter-hemispheric connectivity. Specifically, higher coherence negatively correlated with the strength of bilateral structural connections between frontal and subcortical, insular and temporal brain regions. Similarly, we observed increased inter-hemispheric functional connectivity between inferior frontal brain regions derived from structural connectivity analysis in individuals who exhibited lower transmission coherence. Our results suggest that lateralization of cognitive processes involved in semantic mappings in the brain may be related to the stability over time of auditory symbolic systems.

Development of highly adaptable RT-PCR methods for identifying Delta and BA.1 variants in inactivated COVID-19 vaccines.

Background The emergence and rapid spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), poses a significant threat to human health and public safety. While next-generation sequencing (NGS) is capable of detecting and tracking new COVID-19 variants for disease diagnosis and prevention, its high cost and time-consuming nature limit its widespread use. In this study, our aim was to develop a highly adaptable and accurate RT-PCR method for identifying the Delta or BA.1 variants in inactivated COVID-19 vaccine. We devised three two-plex RT-PCR methods targeting specific mutation sites: S: Δ156-157, S: N211-, L212I, and S: Δ142-144, Y145D. The RT-PCR method targeting the S: Δ156-157 mutation site was able to distinguish the Delta variant from other COVID-19 virus strains, while the RT-PCR methods targeting the S: N211-, L212I or S: Δ142-144, Y145D mutation sites were able to distinguish the BA.1 variant from other COVID-19 virus strains. We separately validated these three two-plex RT-PCR methods, and the results demonstrated good linearity, repeatability, reproducibility, and specificity for each method. Moreover, all three methods can be applied in the production of SARS-CoV-2 variant inactivated vaccines, enabling the identification of Delta or BA.1 variants in virus cultures as well as in inactivated vaccine stocks. This study presents a systematic approach to identify COVID-19 variants using multiple RT-PCR methods. We successfully developed three two-plex RT-PCR methods that can identify Delta and BA.1 variants based on specific mutation sites, and we completed the validation of these three methods.

A Plant Model of α-Synucleinopathy: Expression of α-Synuclein A53T Variant in Hairy Root Cultures Leads to Proteostatic Stress and Dysregulation of Iron Metabolism.

Synucleinopathies, typified by Parkinson's disease (PD), entail the accumulation of α-synuclein (αSyn) aggregates in nerve cells. Various αSyn mutants, including the αSyn A53T variant linked to early-onset PD, increase the propensity for αSyn aggregate formation. In addition to disrupting protein homeostasis and inducing proteostatic stress, the aggregation of αSyn in PD is associated with an imbalance in iron metabolism, which increases the generation of reactive oxygen species and causes oxidative stress. This study explored the impact of αSyn A53T expression in transgenic hairy roots of four medicinal plants (Lobelia cardinalis, Artemisia annua, Salvia miltiorrhiza, and Polygonum multiflorum). In all tested plants, αSyn A53T expression triggered proteotoxic stress and perturbed iron homeostasis, mirroring the molecular profile observed in human and animal nerve cells. In addition to the common eukaryotic defense mechanisms against proteostatic and oxidative stresses, a plant stress response generally includes the biosynthesis of a diverse set of protective secondary metabolites. Therefore, the hairy root cultures expressing αSyn A53T offer a platform for identifying secondary metabolites that can ameliorate the effects of αSyn, thereby aiding in the development of possible PD treatments and/or treatments of synucleinopathies.

Comprehensive Evaluation of Novel Biomaterials for Dental Implant Surfaces: An In Vitro Comparative Study.

Dental implantology is continually evolving in its quest to discover new biomaterials to improve dental implant success rates. The study explored the potential of innovative biomaterials for dental implant surfaces, including titanium-zirconium (Ti-Zr) alloy, hydroxyapatite-coated titanium (HA-Ti), and porous polyetheretherketone (PEEK), in comparison to conventional commercially pure titanium (CP Ti). A total of 186 samples were harvested for the analysis. Biomaterials were thoroughly evaluated in terms of surface topography, chemical composition, biocompatibility, mechanical properties, osseointegration performance, and bacterial adhesion. Study methods and techniques included scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), cell culture variants, tensile tests, hardness measurements, histological analysis, and microbiological testing. Surface topography examination showed significant disparities between the biomaterials: Ti-Zr had a better roughness of 1.23 μm, while HA-Ti demonstrated a smoother surface at 0.98 μm. Chemical composition evaluation indicated the presence of a Ti-Zr alloy in Ti-Zr, calcium-phosphorus richness in HA-Ti, and high titanium amounts in CP Ti. The mechanical properties assessment showed that Ti-Zr and CP Ti had good tensile strengths of 750 MPa and 320 HV. In addition, bacterial adhesion tests showed low propensities for Ti-Zr and HA-Ti at 1200 and 800 cfu/cm2, respectively. Ti-Zr and HA-Ti performed better than the other biomaterials in surface topography and mechanical properties and against bacterial adhesion. This study emphasizes that multi-parameter analysis is critical for clinical decision-making, allowing for the selection of the currently available biomaterial, which could be conducive to the long-term success of the implant.

Chinese culture in Portuguese oral classes of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area: An intercultural perspective

Starting from the intercultural perspective, this analysis aims at analyzing the role of cultures in Portuguese, Chinese culture and the interaction between them in oral classes of PFL (Portuguese as foreign language) from higher education institutions based in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This study is based on quantitative research, through a questionnaire survey among 219 students. It is concluded that Portuguese language cultures have an unquestionable role in PFL oral classes. However, an imbalance has been observed in the introduction of different cultural variants of the Portuguese language in most oral classes, where Portuguese culture is mainly highlighted and other Portuguese language cultures are ignored. On the other hand, it was found that Chinese culture and interculturality are integrated in these classes, but in a small percentage. At the same time, there is a little space for Chinese culture and intercultural encounters in PFL oral classes.

О характере взаимоотношений различных секторов культуры

The article discusses the most common forms of relationships between the main sectors of culture (religion, science, morality, etc.): «dominance – subordination» and «equality, autonomy». It is shown that the predominance of certain forms of these relationships leads to the formation of various types of culture: monocentric culture, polycentric culture, «patchwork» culture. These types of culture are briefly described below. Such a variant of monocentric culture as a religio-centric culture is characterized in more detail. Special attention is also paid to the consideration of a polycentric culture formed on the basis of higher human values. It is emphasized that it is with such a variant of polycentric culture that humanity, most likely, should pin hopes for a more or less prosperous future.

On random conformity bias in cultural transmission of polychotomous traits

Mathematical models of conformity and anti-conformity have commonly included a set of simplifying assumptions. For example, (1) there are m=2 cultural variants in the population, (2) naive individuals observe the cultural variants of n=3 adult “role models,” and (3) individuals’ levels of conformity or anti-conformity do not change over time. Three recent theoretical papers have shown that departures from each of these assumptions can produce new population dynamics. Here, we explore cases in which multiple, or all, of these assumptions are violated simultaneously: namely, in a population with m variants of a trait where conformity (or anti-conformity) occurs with respect to n role models, we study a model in which the conformity rates at each generation are random variables that are independent of the variant frequencies at that generation. For this model a class of symmetric constant equilibria exist, and it is possible that all of these equilibria are simultaneously stochastically locally stable. In such cases, the effect of initial conditions on subsequent evolutionary trajectories becomes very complicated.

Burial complexes of the Catacomb culture: To the 20th anniversary of the work of the Steppe Archaeological Expedition of State Historical Museum in Remontnensky district in Rostov region

The study discusses the results of the excavations and the studies of the burial complexes of two local variants of the catacomb culture of the Middle Bronze Age of the Northwestern Caspian Sea region in the Remontnoye district (Rostov oblast). Being based on a comparative analysis, the author argues the validity of the allocation of local variants of catacomb culture - Eastern and Western that were adjacent to each other and entered into cultural contact. It is manifested in the use of similar tools, weapons, jewelry and dishes decorated in the same style but with the allocation of the local features of production technology figuration. According to the author, these features are the hallmark for determining the cultural identity of the burials of the Manych catacomb cultures.

Before the Great States. Caucasians from the Neolithic to the Early Iron Age

This article focuses on the history of the Caucasus and its people from the 5th to the 2nd millennium BC. One of the first significant developments in the history of the South Caucasus was the Kuro-Araxes culture, which united various Caucasian peoples living in the South Caucasus region, Anatolia, northwestern Iran, and northern Mesopotamia. This culture served as an ancestral foundation for the Proto-Kolkh, Trialet, Karmirberd, Kizylvank, and Uzerlin-Sevan cultures. In the North Caucasus, the Maikop and Dolmen cultures were prominent during the Bronze Age. These cultures provided a basis from which the Abkhaz-Adyghe peoples would later emerge. A significant phase in this history was characterized by the North Caucasian cultural-historical community, within which several local groups evolved. Notably, the Kobans maintained close contacts with the steppe tribes, such as the Srubniks and the Kartvelian Colchis. The Western variant of the Koban culture, along with the Kuban metallurgy center, laid the groundwork for the development of the Proto-Abkhazian-Adyghe community. In addition, the Proto-Colchian and Trialetian cultures contributed to the formation of the Kartvelian peoples. The Hattians were associated with the Central Anatolian culture, although limited information is available about them. In contrast, the history of the Hurrians is much better documented. The Hurrians migrated to the Near East from the Armenian Highlands, drawn by Akkadian trade routes. By the end of the 3rd millennium BC, they had begun to settle in southeastern Anatolia and northern Syria. The establishment of the kingdom of Mitanni was largely a response to the need to counter Hittite expansion. Before this, the Hurrians were mostly on the fringes of the interests of the Akkadian kings, the kings of Ur, and the Babylonian rulers of the Gutian and Kassite dynasties. Although Mitanni experienced an influx of Indo-Europeans, it fundamentally remained a Hurrian state until its decline in the middle of the 13th century BC. After the fall of Mitanni, smaller Hurrian states emerged, participating in the Assyrian-Urartian wars. The military campaigns of the Assyrian kings during the Middle Assyrian period were crucial to the decline of Mitanni.

Translating the pet man: the “milky puppy” imaginary and neoliberal subjectivity

ABSTRACT The term “milky puppy” (xiao naigou) gained popularity as a slang term in Chinese cyberspace since 2017, symbolizing a young, endearing, and adorable male figure, much like the perception of a puppy. This phenomenon, influenced by Hallyu 4.0 and the toshishita romantic motif prevalent in Japanese and Korean popular cultures, has led to the emergence of an “older woman-younger man” relationship pattern as a new trend in Chinese digital entertainment, particularly TV dramas. In this context, the younger, “pet” boyfriend is commonly referred to as a “milky puppy.” This article investigates the transnational flow and cultural translation of the Pet Man imaginary in East Asia, arguing that the bodily rhetoric of “milky puppy” signifies a Chinese variant of moe culture and represents the commodification of the male body. The article presents critical analyses of two recent Chinese TV dramas within this romantic subgenre, Find Yourself and The Rational Life, and compares them to the South Korean drama Something in the Rain. Through this comparative study, the article aims to identify distinctive Chinese characteristics in the portrayal of pet man masculinity in these dramas. By engaging with feminist and governmentality theories, the study explores how gender dynamics in these dramas negotiate between neoliberal subjectivity and the resilience of patriarchal gender norms in postsocialist China.

Ceramics of «kargopol type» on multilayer monuments of Vodlozero (experience of planigraphic and stratigraphic analysis)

The purpose of this study is to analyze the planigraphic and stratigraphic occurrence of pit–comb ceramics and dishes of the «kargopol type» on the multilayer settlements of Somboma I and Okhtoma I, III, the complexes of which contain ceramics of the «kargopol type» numbering more than 20 vessels on each monument. As a result, it was established that ceramics of the kargopol «type» are concentrated in certain parts of the excavations, and are absent in some excavations, while pit-comb dishes are distributed throughout the entire area of settlements. There are quite a lot of household objects associated with pit-comb dishes, as well as a ground dwelling, at the same time, no household objects are associated with ceramics of the «kargopol type», which indicates a short-term stay of carriers of this type of dishes on the shores of Lake Vodlozero. Thus, pit-comb ceramics and dishes of the «kargopol type» represent two different groups of the population. If we accept the correctness of M.G. Kosmenko assumption, that the ground dwelling with pit-comb ceramics belongs to the north-eastern local variant of the kargopol culture, and not the Karelian culture of pit-comb ceramics, then it becomes clear that the spread of ceramics of the «kargopol type» only on the territory of eastern Karelia.

Effect of metabolic activity of lactic acid bacteria and propionibacteria on cheese protein digestibility and fatty acid profile

This study aimed at investigating the influence of different variants of bacterial starter cultures on the metabolism of the bacteria used, cheese protein digestibility, and fatty acid profile. The results revealed that lactic acid bacteria had a significant effect on the proportions of fatty acids in cheeses, with saturated fatty acids being predominant in in all cheese variants. Fatty acid proportions are complex and depend on the type of cheese culture and monoculture used. Additionally, the analysis of fatty acid composition showed variations in the proportion of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, impacting the values of atherogenic and thrombogenic indices. Notably, the atherogenic index was highest in samples of mature cheeses obtained from a typical mesophilic cheese culture, whereas it was lowest in samples of fresh milk and mature cheeses obtained from a mesophilic cheese culture and monocultures of Lacticaseibacillus casei and Propionibacterium. The study also highlighted the influence of lactobacilli on the content of available free lysine, glycine, and methionine in cheese proteins. Mature cheeses obtained with Propionibacterium and L. casei starter cultures exhibited higher free lysine and glycine content compared with fresh cheeses and those obtained solely with the cheese culture. Additionally, mature cheeses obtained with starter cultures of mesophilic cheese culture, Propionibacterium, and L. casei had the highest free methionine content. Based on these findings, it is evident that the choice of cheese making cultures and monocultures can significantly affect the fatty acid composition and amino acid content of cheese and fresh milk, potentially bearing important health implications.

Vulnerable Vagina: A Case of Delusional Parasitosis with Folie-a-Deux: Cultural Variant of Ekbom's Syndrome?

Vulnerable Vagina: A Case of Delusional Parasitosis with Folie-a-Deux: Cultural Variant of Ekbom's Syndrome?

Краниологическая находка на площади Никульцинского могильника фатьяновской культуры эпохи бронзы в Ярославской области

The results of a craniometric study of the skull of a man from a destroyed burial on the territory of the burial ground of the Upper Volga variant of the Fatyanovo culture are published. It belongs to a long-headed hyperdolichocrane very Caucasoid anthropological type with moderate latitudinal parameters of the facial structure, characterizing the physical appearance of the population of the Fatyanovo culture. To verify the assumption of a different cultural and chronological affiliation of the cranium, a principal component analysis was carried out. It includes individual measurements of skulls of the same subgroup of the Upper Volga group of the Fatyanovo culture, craniological materials from the medieval burial mounds of the Yaroslavl Krivichs, and to clarify the scale of statistical comparison, a skull from the burial culture of the Ryazan-Oka burial grounds from the burial of Undrich-90. A set of features distinguishing the population of the Fatyanovo culture and the medieval one on the territory of the Yaroslavl Volga region, and largely corresponding to epochal trends, is highlighted. It includes larger total dimensions of the skull sections, a slightly more inclined forehead, a clinognathic horizontal profiling at the upper level of a more orthognathic facial section, a higher nose bridge and significantly outstanding nasal bones on Bronze Age materials. According to the results of statistical analysis, the skull from the Nikultsino burial ground differs from the medieval ones, and morphologically is most similar to the materials of the Fatyanovo culture, especially from the same and neighboring Voronkovo burial grounds.

BAHASA DALAM KELUARGA MELAYU DI BANSIR DARAT, PONTIANAK

In Indonesia there are several ethnic groups and national cultures. Management must be aware of the unique culture of each ethnic group in order to apply it more effectively and skillfully in the home environment. Malay culture and ethnicity, which is the largest ethnic group in Indonesia, is the focus of this study. The national cultural component is used to differentiate cultural variants among diverse ethnic groups. To form an effective family, communication is interaction that occurs in groups, especially in family interactions where a child is expected to understand and follow the directions of his parents. Similarly, parents must provide a good education to their children. In order to obtain data sources for this study, a family residing in Indonesia—specifically, West Kalimantan in Pontianak City—was interviewed and observed. This interview was conducted using particular questions on language and ethnicity. It is obvious that the responses to the questions will depend on how well the study subjects—namely, the two family members—understand them. Second, there is mutual understanding among Malay family members, wherein family members may mold personalities. These two factors together help produce a tranquil home atmosphere where children can be more readily overseen by parents in their growth. Third, communication between family members using Malay is done for harmony, with parents recognizing the problems and sentiments of children as well as parents' hectic schedules.

Name Transmission Relationships in England (1838-2014)

Baby names are often used to model the mechanisms of cultural evolution, as they are not given arbitrarily but on the basis of their perceived associations. Datasets showing birth registrations over time track changes in these perceptions, and thereby in tastes and ideas. Using birth registration data, numerous transmission biases have been identified that predispose someone to favour one cultural variant (i.e., a name) over another. While this research is facilitated by the annual release of many countries’ birth registration data, these datasets are typically limited to yearly counts of forenames. To gain insight into name transmission biases not detectable from birth registration data alone, this study parses the birth, marriage, and death registers of England to generate a dataset of 690,603 name transmission relationships, given between 1838 and 2014, and linking the names of both parents and child. The data reveal long-term trends in matro- and patronymic naming, once common practices affecting approximately 15% of male and 8% of female records per year throughout the 19th century. These practices declined precipitously throughout the 20th century, in the aftermath of the First World War. These results highlight the importance of contextualising birth registration data when identifying naming trends.

The interplay between age structure and cultural transmission.

Empirical work has shown that human cultural transmission can be heavily influenced by population age structure. We aim to explore the role of such age structure in shaping the cultural composition of a population when cultural transmission occurs in an unbiased way. In particular, we are interested in understanding the effect induced by the interplay between age structure and the cultural transmission process by allowing cultural transmission from individuals within a limited age range only. To this end we develop an age-structured cultural transmission model and find that age-structured and non age-structured populations evolving through unbiased transmission possess very similar cultural compositions (at a single point in time) at the population and sample level if the copy pool consists of a sufficiently large fraction of the population. If, however, an age constraint-a structural constraint restricting the pool of potential role models to individuals of a limited age range- exists, the cultural compositions of age-structured and non age-structured population show stark differences. This may have drastic consequences for our ability to correctly analyse cultural data sets. Rejections of tests of neutrality, blind to age structure and, importantly, the interaction between age structure and cultural transmission, are only indicative of biased transmission if it is known a priori that there are no or only weak age constraints acting on the pool of role models. As this knowledge is rarely available for specific empirical case studies we develop a generative inference approach based on our age-structured cultural transmission model and machine learning techniques. We show that in some circumstances it is possible to simultaneously infer the characteristics of the age structure, the nature of the transmission process, and the interplay between them from observed samples of cultural variants. Our results also point to hard limits on inference from population-level data at a single point in time, regardless of the approach used.

How does disgust regulate social rejection? a mini-review.

The need to belong is a fundamental aspect of human nature. Over the past two decades, researchers have uncovered many harmful effects of social rejection. However, less work has examined the emotional antecedents to rejection. The purpose of the present article was to explore how disgust--an emotion linked to avoidance and social withdrawal--serves as an important antecedent to social rejection. We argue that disgust affects social rejection through three routes. First, disgust encourages stigmatization, especially of those who exhibit cues of infectious disease. Second, disgust and disease-avoidance give rise to cultural variants (e.g., socially conservative values and assortative sociality), which mitigate social interaction. Third, when the self is perceived as a source of contamination, it promotes shame, which, subsequently, encourages withdrawal from social interaction. Directions for future research are also discussed.