Key Characters Research Articles

ТЕМА КОЛОНИЗАЦИИ В РОМАНЕ КЕДРА МИТРЕЯ «ТЯЖКОЕ ИГО»

This article is devoted to the problem of internal colonization of the north of Udmurtia on the example of Kedra Mitrey’s anti-church novel “Heavy Yoke”. Kedra Mitrey (Dmitry Ivanovitch Korepanov, 1892–1949) depicts the process of Christianization as one of the main instruments in the colonization of the Udmurts in the 19th century. Local residents adopt the skills of land cultivation from Russian settlers. Udmurts and Russians form interethnic families. The Udmurt peasant Dangyr and the Russian priest Ilariy are key characters in the novel. Dangyr has a negative attitude towards the construction of a new second church, since Ilariy uses most of the resources for personal selfish purposes. At the same time, Dangyr is drawn to reading and writing, without renouncing the pagan faith, he is baptized and learns the Russian language at a church school. The author of the novel sympathizes with Dangyr, but the priest Ilariy, conceived as a negative character, begins to reveal himself as a complex and contradictory figure. To fulfill his Orthodox mission, Ilariy learns the Udmurt language, gets acquainted with the faith and customs of the local population, and temporarily exempts baptized peasants from paying taxes. According to Kedra Mitrey, integration into the Russian space is a great boon for the Udmurts, but the tsarist policy, aimed at forcible Christianization and justifying the arbitrariness of local officials, most often turns into evil and becomes a ‘heavy yoke’ for the people.

Taxonomic Hierarchy and Evolutionary Scenario of the Genus Group Apodemus s. l. (Muridae) of the Palearctic Based of Genetic Differentiation in the Cytochrome-1 (cyt-b) Gene

Characters of taxonomy and evolutionary scenario based on genetic differentiation of generic groups of forest and field mice Apodemus s. l. were established by analyzing the variability of the cyt-b (cytochrome-1, cytb) gene. For this purpose, 124 sequences of Apodemus s. l. and other Palaearctic Muridae genera (Mus, Micromys, Rattus) were downloaded from GenBank. The adequacy of the categories of semispecies, allospecies, species, whose genetic differentiation corresponds to GD ranges of 0.03–0.06, 0.06–0.1 and 0.1–0.15, has been proven. Within the genus Sylvaemus the following species are recognised: S. (Sylvaemus) alpicola, S. (S.) arianus (= witherbyi), S. (S.) flavicollis, S. (S.) hyrcanicus, S. (S.) ponticus, S. (S.) (superspecies) sylvaticus, S. (S.) (superspecies) uralensis, S. (Karstomys) epimelas, S. (K.) mystacinus, S. rusiges: within Apodemus: A. agrarius, A. chevrieri, within Alsomys: Al. argenteus, Al. (superspecies) major (= peninsulae), Al. nigrus, Al. semotus, Al. speciosus. Generic taxonomy remains ambiguous, which is caused not only by different scales of differentiation of most species of Western and Eastern Palaearctic lineages, but also by the lack of information on key genus-specific characters: the number of roots on upper molars and number of mammary glands for most East Asian species.

Morphological and molecular characterisation of Tristoma integrum Diesing, 1850 (Monogenea, Capsalidae), including its complete mitogenome

Capsalids are monopisthocotylean monogenean parasites found on the skin and gills of fish. Capsalines (subfamily Capsalinae) are large-sized capsalids, parasitic on highly prized gamefish, and species of Tristoma parasitise only the gills of swordfish (Xiphias gladius). We obtained specimens of Tristoma integrum Diesing, 1850 from swordfish collected off Algeria in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, we describe the specimens, including the key systematics characters of dorsolateral body sclerites. One specimen was used for a next generation sequencing analysis but a part of it, including the sclerites, was mounted on a permanent slide, drawn, and deposited in a curated collection. We characterised the complete mitogenome, the ribosomal cluster (including 18S and 28S) and additional genes such as Elongation factor 1 alpha (EF1α) and Histone 3. We also retrieved molecular information from the host tissue present in the gut of the monogenean and provide the sequence of the complete rRNA cluster of the host, X. gladius. The mitogenome of T. integrum is 13968 bp in length and codes for 12 protein, 2 rRNA and 22 tRNA. Phylogenies of capsalids were generated from 28S sequences and concatenated mitochondrial protein-coding genes, respectively. In the 28S phylogeny, most subfamilies based on morphology were not found to be monophyletic, but the Capsalinae were monophyletic. In both phylogenies, the closest member to Tristoma spp. was a member of the Capsaloides. In an Appendix, we report the complex nomenclatural history of Tristoma Cuvier, 1817 and its species.

A new species of Pisione (Annelida, Sigalionidae) from Palk Bay, India

Abstract Pisione Grube, 1857 was considered rare animals, but its numbers have increased in recent decades. New species have been described, mainly from the Indo-Pacific region. In this study, we described Pisione balasubramaniani sp. nov., from Tamil Nadu, southeastern coast of India. The new species resembles other species in the ‘remota complex’ in the shape of the copulatory organs, elongated ventral cirri on the first segment and a short dorsal cirrus on the second segment. It can be distinguished from members of this group by having protruding notoacicula from the anteriormost to the very last chaetigers, three pairs of copulatory organs on chaetigers 15–17 and variances in the morphology of the copulatory organ. We also provide an updated comparison between all known species of Pisione based on key morphological characters. We also present a discussion of species of this genus in India and nearby regions.

Gelidocalamusalbozonatus (Poaceae, Bambusoideae), a new species from the southeast of Chongqing, China, and analysis of the morphological diversity in the core group of Gelidocalamus.

Gelidocalamusalbozonatus W. G. Zhang, S. R. Yi & Y. L. Li, a new species of Gelidocalamus, collected from Pengshui County of Chongqing City in China, was described and illustrated herein. In this study, key morphological characters were compared between the new species and other eight "gelido-" members of Gelidocalamus. By using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), its leaf epidermal characters were observed in comparison with those of another three Gelidocalamus representatives. Our results show that the new taxon has the typical characteristics of the genus Gelidocalamus, both macromorphologically and micromorphologically. Moreover, it was most similar to G.tessellatus, but differed by a ring of white tomenta below per node, culm sheath base with densely purple verrucous setae and foliage leaf blades mesophyll.

New Representative of <i>Pinus</i> L. from Jurassic Deposits of Belgorod Region, Russia

A new species of fossil pines, P. bukatkinii sp. nov., was found in the Middle Jurassic of Stoilensk open mine (the vicinity of Stary Oskol town, Belgorod Region). Seed cones of the new species possess four key diagnostic characters of representatives of the genus Pinus L.: thickened scale apices with apophyses and umbo; trace to the seed scale and bract represents a single unit; resin canals enter the seed scale base abaxially; adaxially concave vascular bundles in the seed scale. The distinctive feature of the new species is a strong sclerification of the seed scale ground tissue. Galleries, made by herbivores, were found in seed cones of P. bukatkinii sp. nov., that represents the oldest documented evidence of parasitism on pinaceous seed cones.

Learning Through Story

Stories are how we make sense of facts and create meaning. However, in an academic and professional setting, it can be hard to know how to tell stories effectively, or even to identify what a story is. This paper explores a particular type of storytelling: the use of specific, personal moments to facilitate learning and transformation and to accomplish the telling of stories. The focus is primarily on the narrative arc and a subset of literary techniques that connect personal experiences to values in a way that engages experiential sensemaking for the audience. These are considered from the perspective of both storyteller and story listener. I use personal examples, as well as some drawn from the stories, techniques, and themes shown in other Advances in Peer-Led Learning (APLL) articles, to demonstrate how a few key descriptive techniques, narrative arcs, character archetypes, and plot types can all be applied in straightforward ways to enhance engagement and learning and result in good, successful, storytelling.

The Impact of Colonization on African Identity and Culture in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart

This research paper aims to explore the profound impact of colonization on African identity and culture as portrayed in Chinua Achebe’s seminal novel Things Fall Apart. The research examines the pre-colonial Igbo society’s rich cultural traditions, values, and belief systems, emphasizing the vitality of these aspects in shaping African identity. It delves into the arrival of European colonizers and their disruptive influence, which upends established social structures and cultural practices. Through an analysis of key events and characters, the paper investigates the erosion of African identity and the erosion of cultural norms caused by colonization. The research explores the notion of cultural assimilation and hybridity as a response to colonial dominance. It examines how the Igbo community grapples with the intrusion of Western values and the consequent fragmentation of their cultural identity. This research paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the lasting impacts of colonization on African identity and culture as reflected in Things Fall Apart. It underscores the importance of recognizing and preserving African heritage and raises critical questions about the complex dynamics between colonizers and the colonized.

Eurasian vector of civilizational ideology of Russia

The paper considers the civilizational vector of the future of Russia in conjunction with the topic of the international scientific conference “Social and cultural transformations in the context of modern globalism” dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the Doctor of Philosophy, Professor V.Kh. Akaev. The authors put the ideas of the Russian Caucasian scientist, who influenced the study of spiritual processes that determine the future of Russian and North Caucasian civilization, to justify the content of Eurasianism as an ideological course of the Russian state. The constitutional refusal of the state from a single official ideology, as it seems to the authors of the article, does not mean the absence of ideologies in society, moreover, it needs it to build a civilizational strategy. Ideology is considered as a theoretical level of understanding the existence of Eurasian peoples, their self-awareness, it is based on a specific system of values, in the foundations of which Orthodoxy and Sufi Islam occupy a special place, which gives Eurasian ideology a pivotal role in the spiritual and cultural confrontation between the East and the West. The key character of the dozen civilizational, globalization and ideological-forming ideals from among political, ethical, epistemological and other values highlighted in the article will be emphasized. At the same time, the metamorphosis of the religious (Islamic) renaissance and the synergistic impact on humanity of the COVID-19 pandemic are taken into account. Eurasianism as a conceptual value system can not only be the basis of the corresponding social and state ideology. It has been necessary for Russia for a long time and immediately both for tactical (modernization) purposes, and for determining the civilizational strategy of the peoples of the vast post-Soviet space, for the efficiency of their comprehensive cooperation, and for pursuing an independent sovereign course towards the United States and Western Europe. Eurasian ideology is necessary for the preservation of Russian national culture and identity due to the threat of their erosion in the context of unifying globalization trends.

Image of a Chinese Revolutionary in the Era of the Civil War in the Far East: An Ideological Aspect (Based on the Novel My Great Brother by Ilya Chernev)

The aim of this interdisciplinary article is to analyse the image of a Chinese character, as well as reflect the historical facts of the presence of the Chinese in Russian fiction. The article focuses on the ideological context. The authors refer to My Great Brother (1954), a historical and revolutionary novel by Ilya Chernev. The novel highlights the main stages of the revolutionary struggle of the Amur and Trans-Baikal proletariat. Most of the key characters in the novel are Chinese people. In the article, following H. Gьnther, the authors single out four diverse characters, the Chinese, that reflect the participation of foreign revolutionaries during the civil war: a proletarian, a warrior, a victim, and a politician. The “historical” component of the article confirms that workers who were subjects of other states and stayed on the territory of Russia were recruited into armed formations to fight counter-revolutionary forces, taking an active part in the partisan movement, and supplying the partisans with food, medicines, and ammunition. The article identifies the reasons why the Chinese joined the revolutionary associations: liberation from exploitation, socialisation, but at the same time, the ideological instability of the Chinese revolutionaries due to the motley social composition and poor knowledge of the Russian language. The article discusses the artistic means Chernev employs to portray the Chinese characters. It is proved that the novel is an example of a work commissioned by the state. Even though the novel My Great Brother has not gained fame, its value is determined by the material itself underlying its artistic canvas. The participation of Chinese citizens in the civil war remains one of the little-studied topics of Russian history, and in literature, the novel My Great Brother is the only work of fiction on this topic.

Comparative Morphological Description of Mealybug Species in Cassava

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is an important tuber crop grown for food, feed and beverages. Because of its ability to grow on soil of low organic content and produce high yield, it is considered a food security crop in African countries. Now it became the industrial crop since it is raw material for the production of starch, energy and live stock feed. In Tamil Nadu, it is grown in Salem, Namakkal, Erode, Cuddalore, Dharmapuri and Kanyakumari districts, both in irrigated and rainfed condition. Recently , the major constraint in cassava production are mealybug damage. The invasive mealybug species, Phenococcus manihoti Matile-Ferrero (Pseudococcidae) was first reported from Salem district and its occurrence was found associated with other species of mealybug. The nymphs and adult of mealybugs were collected from farmer”s field in Namakkal, Salem and Tiruppur district and morphological characters were observed to identify the key characters of mealybug species. Among the specimens collected, the species identified with colour, wax coating and body filaments were Ferrisia virgata, Pseudococcus jackbeardsleyi and P. manihoti. P. manihotidifferentiated from the other species with its distinct symptom of distortion of leaves at tip (Bunchy top) and extensive honey dew secretion.

A novel coniothyrium-like genus in <i>Coniothyriaceae</i> ( <i>Pleosporales</i>) from salt marsh ecosystems in Thailand

In this study, a novel coniothyrium-like genus <italic>Coniothyrioides</italic> is introduced to <italic>Coniothyriaceae</italic> based on a fresh fungal collection from salt marsh habitats in Thailand. Coniothyrium-like taxa are taxonomically controversial and have been classified into different families in <italic>Pleosporales</italic> such as <italic>Didymosphaeriaceae</italic> (<italic>Alloconiothyrium</italic> and <italic>Paraconiothyrium</italic>), <italic>Coniothyriaceae</italic> (<italic>Coniothyrium</italic>) and <italic>Didymellaceae</italic> (<italic>Microsphaeropsis</italic>). However, our novel genus shares similar morphology to some key characters in <italic>Coniothyriaceae</italic> in having dark, globose pycnidia, uni-locular conidiomata, a central ostiole, a peridium of <italic>textura</italic> <italic>angularis</italic> cells, and doliiform conidiogenous cells with a periclinal thickening at the apex, while conidial morphologies are diverse. The presence of setae arising from the outer peridial wall is the main difference between <italic>Coniothyrioides</italic> and other closely related <italic>Coniothyriaceae</italic> genera. Phylogenetically, LSU-SSU-ITS sequence analyses confirm the placement of this novel genus as a distinct lineage within <italic>Coniothyriaceae</italic>. Species boundaries were defined, based on morphology and multi-gene phylogenetic analyses using maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses. The comprehensive descriptions and micrographs are provided. Our findings expand the taxonomic knowledge of <italic>Ascomycota</italic> in salt marsh ecosystems.

Taxonomy and Phylogeography of the Freshwater Crab Geothelphusa tawu Species Complex (Crustacea: Decapoda: Potamidae) from Southern Taiwan and Offshore Islets.

The freshwater crabs Geothelphusa tawu Shy, Ng & Yu, 1994, G. lutao Shy, Ng & Yu, 1994 and G. lanyu Shy, Ng & Yu, 1994 from southern Taiwan and the offshore islets, Lyudao (Green I.) and Lanyu (Orchid I.) are closely related in morphology and genetics, and have been proposed to be the same species. Examination of a series of specimens collected from the distributional ranges of the three species indicated that key characters of the ambulatory legs and the male first gonopod (G1) are too variable to support the identity of three species. Based on the mitochondrial 16S rDNA and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences, the phylogenetic analysis did not recover three clades corresponding to the three species, but only a main clade without further clear grouping. The interspecific distances of nucleotides are also too small to support the species delimitation. We conclude that the three species should be treated as a single species. Additionally, unique haplotypes of COI have been found in Lyudao and Lanyu, which are hypothesized as two founder populations that colonized the islets from the Taiwan main island during glacial maxima.

Key to Isotomidae (Collembola) of Iran and a photographic guide of key characters of species

Key to Isotomidae (Collembola) of Iran and a photographic guide of key characters of species

A Study on the Imagery of Liu Bang (劉邦) in the Geumhwasa Mongyurok (金華寺夢遊錄)

As the founding emperor of the Han Dynasty, Liu Bang made outstanding contributions to the development of the Han nationality in China and the formation of a unified country. So, he has become a key character in many literary works, historical works, folk legends and traditional dramas. The Korean novel Geumhwasa Mongyurok depicts dozens of famous emperors in Chinese history, among which Liu Bang is the most important. When the author portrays the image of Liu Bang, he mainly uses three perspectives, namely, ‘the perspective of a scholar in the dream’, ‘the perspective of Liu Bang himself’ and ‘the perspective of the Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty’. It can be seen from the comparison that the image of Liu Bang in the Geumhwasa Mongyurok demonstrates not only a direct acceptance of Chinese historical books by Korean writers, but also demonstrates unique creations of him by Korean writers. With regard to Liu Bang’s appearance, different versions of the Geumhwasa Mongyurok all take the Chinese historical book Records of the Historian as the basis. But when portraying Liu Bang’s temperament, because there was no specific historical book to refer to, Korean writers used the changing dragon to highlight Liu Bang’s noble temperament as an emperor according to the Chinese cultural tradition. In different versions of Geumhwasa Mongyurok, the authors expressed positive or negative attitudes towards Liu Bang, which is very similar to the way that Chinese drama writers in the Yuan and Ming dynasties used to portray the image of Liu Bang.

Describing Memes Referencing Vaping: Thematic Analysis

Background: Memes, images or videos with text overlay that embody a concept or belief about the contemporary society, are endemic to Internet culture, are popular among youth and diffuse rapidly across social media platforms. E-cigarettes and vaping have grown in popularity in the era of Internet culture however there is little research describing the intersection of memes and vaping. This is an important gap in the literature as memes may be part of the broader online e-cigarette information landscape that can normalize vaping among young people. Memes could also point to emerging trends in product preferences. This study content analyzed memes to identify key themes, characters and vape products depicted therein. Methods: Data were drawn from a sub-reddit devoted to vaping-related memes. Memes were electronically copied from the forum to analyze (n = 527). Using an inductive approach, the research team identified 14 themes. Results: In-group communication (n = 202, 38.33%) was the most predominant theme followed by Critique of vaping regulations and public perceptions (n = 76, 14.42%), and Vape device modifications and hacks (n = 62, 11.76%). Memes included Cartoons (n = 124, 23.53%), Celebrities (n = 75, 14.23%), and Fictional characters (n = 53, 10.06%). Memes referenced Tanks or mods (n = 120, 22.77%), Component parts (n = 96, 18.22%) and E-liquids/Nicotine salts (n = 81, 15.37%). Conclusion: Memes referenced in-group communication and cartoons among other youth friendly images, raising concern about the potential to normalize vaping-related behaviors. Future research should monitor emerging vape devices and determine the impact of memes on attitudes and behaviors among adolescents and young adults. Implications: Given the popularity and reach of memes among youth, continuous monitoring of vaping-related memes may reveal aspects that may be addressed in vaping prevention campaigns.

Sovereignty in Alexis Wright’s Carpentaria (2006)

In a 2013 interview, Alexis Wright explained the importance for Indigenous Australians of maintaining what she called a “sovereignty of the mind, even if we haven’t got sovereignty of the country or the land.” She went on to recount the story of an Indigenous leader who advised a meeting of Aboriginal people “if you think you are a sovereign people, act like it.” In her 2006 novel Carpentaria, Wright demonstrates how these two strands of Indigenous sovereignty are evident and practiced in contemporary Australia. Key Indigenous characters in the novel are revealed to both “think” sovereign and to “act like it.” Indigenous sovereignty, which has never been ceded but is still denied by Australian law, is performed on the land, in custom, in story and in song, in a multitude of ways. Wright thereby contributes to an assertion of sovereign, Indigenous epistemologies and ontologies in Australia. Significantly, cultural elders in Carpentaria are shown to take for granted their sovereign custodianship of Country regardless of who technically owns land within the colonised nation-space of the novel, thus revealing the rule of Aboriginal Law in Indigenous Australia over and against the assumed sovereign rule of the nation-state.

ФИЛЬМ «ЛЕТЯТ ЖУРАВЛИ»: ОПЫТ СИСТЕМНОГО КИНОАНАЛИЗА

The article provides a film analysis of the movie "The Cranes Are Flying", created in 1957 by a team of Soviet creative figures – director Mikhail Kalatozov, cameraman Sergei Urusevsky, screenwriter Viktor Rozov, composer Moisei Weinberg. The methodology of the study was the philosophical and art history analysis of works of art by V.I. Zhukovsky and N.P. Koptseva and the method of system film analysis by G. Korte. According to the results of the study, artistic differences were revealed between the text of the play by V. Rozov "Forever Alive", which is the basis of the script, and the plot of the film "The Cranes Are Flying"; analyzed the key characters of the film and the features of their representation on the screen with the help of visual images; the aesthetic features of the key scenes of the film are identified and analyzed, and it is also established that the film is a masterpiece of the world cinema art, as it contains the transition to the symbolic status of an artistic image.

A Note on Disporum cantoniense (Lour.) Merr., Collected from Bonai Forest Division, Odisha, India

Bonai Forest Division, Odisha is known as rich biodiversity and home of less populated plant species. During the floral exploration works in the year 2022, authors found an interesting plant, Disporum cantoniense (Lour.) Merr., growing near streams in Khajurdihi Reserve Forest, Koira Ranga and Phuljhar, Barsuan Range. Literature survey revealed that, it has limited distribution in Odisha state and growing in unique habitat as a high-altitude plant. Therefore, an attempt has been made to document its habitat, associated plants and key characters. The present study provides a base line data to identify the collected species and also will be helpful to make long term conservation plan.

A new genus and two new species of Australian Fulviini (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Cylapinae)

The genus Psallofulvius (Insecta: Heteroptera: Miridae: Cylapinae) and two of its species from Australia, Psallofulvius danbulla and Psallofuvlius dryander, are described as new two science. The diagnoses, descriptions, distribution maps, digital habitus images, SEM images and drawings of male and female genitalia are provided. Although the genus is placed to Fulviini, it also shares some characters with Psallops Usinger which is either placed in the separate subfamily Psallopinae or the tribe Psallopini within the Cylapinae. The key morphological characters and genera presumably related to Psallofulvius are discussed.