Myth as a Means of Ordering and Organizing Social Reality

This study investigates the phenomenon of social myth as a factor of forming and transforming the consciousness of social actors. It is defined that one of the factors of appealing to mythological representation of reality is the crisis of scientific orientations of modernism. In this plane, the article studies phenomenological receptions of myth as well as the process of mythologization of modern social reality. Moreover, attention is drawn to the fact that mythologization fixes an idea of social reality and its axiological (value) dimension in the consciousness of separate individuals and their groups. Myths are axiological indicators; the more controversial society values are the greater number of myths is produced by social consciousness to eliminate these contradictions. The difference between modern and archaic myth has both qualitative and quantitative aspects. Modern society generates a great number of myths with much more narrow content. This is a consequence of "specialization" of myths, their orientation towards solving particular local tasks: political, economic, etc. Functional and structural changes of social myths can be accounted for by critical, permanently transitional condition of society in which myth compensates the unformed elements of new social practices. However, the content side of myth is not a crisis but social request and values of particular culture. The question about the necessity to fight against myths probably should be answered negatively if we don’t mean the most dangerous myths posing a serious threat for society. Myths are in harmony with social consciousness and arise in places where there is a fault between current and desirable normativity. Thus, when social practices become stable social consciousness itself displaces and nullifies myths that are responsible for harmonization of new order and they become demanded

DNA methylation is an epigenetic biomarker of aging

The aim of the study – to show the role of DNA methylation in the aging process of the body.Цель исследования – показать роль метилирования ДНК в процессе старения организма

Spectroscopic observations of the exoplanet WASP-32b transit

© 2017, Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.We present first results of spectroscopic observations of transiting exoplanets in the Special Astrophysical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences with the Main Stellar Spectrograph of the 6-m BTA telescope. For the exoplanetWASP-32b, we detected a significant variation of intensity and equivalent width in the Hα spectral line of the parent star at the time of a transit. The equivalent width of the line during transit is by 8–10% larger than outside the planet passage. Residual intensity in the core of the line reveals the following tendency: the line is by 10–15% deeper inside transit than outside it. Observations with the long-slit spectrograph of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory at the 2.6-m ZTSh telescope also showed a transit event in the Hα line, although, with a smaller amplitude and shape inverted in relation to the data from the 6-m telescope. While in the observations with the BTA the Hα line becomes deeper during the transit, in the ZTSh observations, the residual intensity of the Hα line decreases during the transit. Reducing and analysis of the archive data of WASP-32b observations with the HARPS spectrograph also confirm the Hα line modulation at the time of the transit. The observed data give evidence of the envelope in WASP-32b filling the Roche lobe and a comet-like tail of changing geometry and orientation relative to the observer. These changes determine different depths and shapes of the Hα spectral line at the time of transits

The Effect of Mechanical Activation on the Physico-Chemical Properties of Carbon Black and Rubber Mixtures Filled with It

Исследовано влияние механической активации на пористость, структурность по абсорбции дибутилфталата (ДБФ), размеры агломератов и функциональный покров поверхности технического углерода (ТУ) марки N375. Установлено, что в процессе механической активации возрастает количество кислородсодержащих групп на поверхности ТУ от 0,12 до 0,34 мэкв/г и снижается размер агрегатов от 300 до 3-5 мкм. Одновременно снижается величина абсорбции ДБФ. Резина, получаемая на основе смеси каучука марки СКМС-30 АРК и механоактивированного ТУ, отличается повышенными значениями относительного удлинения при растяжении и более низким модулем упругостиThe influence of mechanical activation on porosity, structure (by absorption of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), the size of the agglomerates and the functional surface of the carbon black (CB) N375 was investigated. It was established that in the process of mechanical activation, the number of oxygencontaining groups on the surface CB increases to 0.34 meq/g and the size of the aggregates decreases from 300 to 3-5 microns. At the same time, the amount of absorption of DBP decreases. The rubber obtained on the basis of a mixture of SKMS-30 ARK rubber and mechanically activated CB is characterized by increased values of relative elongation under tension and a lower modulus of elasticit

The psychological science accelerator’s COVID-19 rapid-response dataset

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Psychological Science Accelerator coordinated three large-scale psychological studies to examine the effects of loss-gain framing, cognitive reappraisals, and autonomy framing manipulations on behavioral intentions and affective measures. The data collected (April to October 2020) included specific measures for each experimental study, a general questionnaire examining health prevention behaviors and COVID-19 experience, geographical and cultural context characterization, and demographic information for each participant. Each participant started the study with the same general questions and then was randomized to complete either one longer experiment or two shorter experiments. Data were provided by 73,223 participants with varying completion rates. Participants completed the survey from 111 geopolitical regions in 44 unique languages/dialects. The anonymized dataset described here is provided in both raw and processed formats to facilitate re-use and further analyses. The dataset offers secondary analytic opportunities to explore coping, framing, and self-determination across a diverse, global sample obtained at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which can be merged with other time-sampled or geographic data

A global experiment on motivating social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic

Finding communication strategies that effectively motivate social distancing continues to be a global public health priority during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-country, preregistered experiment (n = 25,718 from 89 countries) tested hypotheses concerning generalizable positive and negative outcomes of social distancing messages that promoted personal agency and reflective choices (i.e., an autonomy-supportive message) or were restrictive and shaming (i.e., a controlling message) compared with no message at all. Results partially supported experimental hypotheses in that the controlling message increased controlled motivation (a poorly internalized form of motivation relying on shame, guilt, and fear of social consequences) relative to no message. On the other hand, the autonomy-supportive message lowered feelings of defiance compared with the controlling message, but the controlling message did not differ from receiving no message at all. Unexpectedly, messages did not influence autonomous motivation (a highly internalized form of motivation relying on one’s core values) or behavioral intentions. Results supported hypothesized associations between people’s existing autonomous and controlled motivations and self-reported behavioral intentions to engage in social distancing. Controlled motivation was associated with more defiance and less long-term behavioral intention to engage in social distancing, whereas autonomous motivation was associated with less defiance and more short- and long-term intentions to social distance. Overall, this work highlights the potential harm of using shaming and pressuring language in public health communication, with implications for the current and future global health challenges