Yau̯nā and Sakā: Identity Constructions at the Margins of the Achaemenid Empire

The Achaemenid Empire can be reasonably considered an “empire of peoples” from both an ideological and structural perspective. It included all the lands of the peoples of the world and all people helped to maintain imperial order and prosperity. In reality, the empire had boundaries and there were peoples who lived near and beyond them. Under King Darius I, groups of people were annexed at the northeastern and northwestern margins of the imperial territory, thus entering the imperial space and consequently also the Achaemenid documents. The border peoples of the Yau̯nā and Sakā were the only peoples of the empire to be differentiated through epithets, which were added to their collective names in the texts. This shows a unique process of group identity constructions by the authorities on the edges of the imperial space. The analysis of the system of epithets used to indicate the Yau̯nā and Sakā conducted in this paper allows us to draw some conclusions on the mechanisms and reasons behind these specific forms of identity constructions at the margins. Moreover, it shows how this process reflected the main directions of imperial expansion under the first Achaemenids

Actividad microbiana y número de nitrificadores y celulolíticos en un suelo cultivado con trigo bajo distintos sistemas de labranza

El propósito de este trabajo fue evaluar el efecto de los sistemas de labranza sobre la actividad microbiana y la biomasa de organismos oxidantes de celulosa y amonio. El experimento se realizó con trigo en el Ciclo Agrícola (C. A.) 1995/96 sobre dos sistemas de siembra: convencional y directa fertilizados con urea. En el C. A. 1996 se repitieron los tratamientos agregándose labranza mínima con cincel. Los resultados mostraron que los cambios en el reciclado de Carbono y Nitrógeno no fueron provocados por cambios de la biomasa microbiana sino por la actividad de la comunidad microbiana. La fertilización con urea puede actuar como buen inductor del crecimiento pero sólo si es agregado en el momento de la siembra. El potencial de mineralización del nitrógeno de suelos bajo labranza convencional o labranza mínima fue similar.The aim of this paper was to evaluate the effect of different management systems on the microbial activity and the biomass of cellulose and nitrogen oxidizers. The experiments were performed in 1995 and repeated in 1996. In 1995, we experimented the conventional and integrated no tillage systems on wheat fertilized with urea. In 1996, we repeated the conventional and integrated tillage systems on wheat and added an alternative integrated system the chisel. Our results suggest that changes in C and N turnover were not provoked by changes in microbial biomass but by the activity of the microbial comunity. Nitrogen fertilization with urea can act as a good starter only if it is added at the seeding stage. The nitrogen mineralizable potential of conventional and integrated labored soils were similar

Teaching for social capital outcomes: The case of adult literacy and numeracy courses

There is strong evidence that participation in education and training can produce social capital outcomes. There is also strong evidence that such outcomes are useful outcomes; they can enhance the development of other outcomes often called human capital and they can contribute to the social-economic wellbeing of the learners and the communities in which they live. Yet, little research has been done on the pedagogy and other conditions that produce social capital outcomes in education and training. This paper reports on a research project that investigated what teachers do to produce social capital outcomes in adult literacy and numeracy course

Reconnecting young people with learning: A social capital approach in VET

This paper contributes to pedagogical debates on how to meet the learning needs o/young people who are disconnected from school It presents a case study 0/ a program which aimed to prepare students for their Year 10 equivalent school leaving qualification in a basic education section 0/ a Technical and Further Education (TAFE) college in Australia. Most 0/ the students were between 15 and 17 years 0/ age, had experienced literacy and numeracy difficulties in forma/learning, and for various reasons were disconnected from the school system. The paper explains how an approach to learning in VET led to important human and social capital outcomes, and in particular, a changed sense o/4ficacy on the part o/students in the program. The two key elements 0/ this VET pedagogy were: individualised, self-paced learning within a flexible program structure; and the fostering o/social capital including mutual trust and respect, through the course-related learning network 0/ teachers and students and other influential networks, including peer networks. Analysis 0/ interview transcript data with students and teachers revealed the mutuaUy reinforcing role 0/ these elements of VET pedagogy

Social capital outcomes: The new focus for adult literacy and numeracy courses

Since the early 1990s in Australia, adult literacy and numeracy courses in vocational education and training (VET) have been focused on human capital outcomes, that is, on developing the literacy and numeracy skills believed to improve the economic performance of individuals, enterprises and the national generally. However, some researchers have expressed the concern that these outcomes are insufficient in explaining the socio-economic impacts of these courses. This paper reports on a recent study of the social capital outcomes of adult literacy and numeracy courses (Balatti, Black & Falk, 2006). The finding indicate that it is a complex mix of both human and social capital outcomes from these courses that results in socio-economic impacts. The authors contend that social capital outcomes should be recognized, and accounted for, along with human capital skills, in a reframing of adult literacy and numeracy policy and practice

A Systematic Analysis of Errors in the Simplification of a Rational Expression

Exploring the errors that mathematics students frequently make is a means by which teachers can gain a better understanding of students’ difficulties. Reported here are the process by which the algebraic working of 95 undergraduate students who incorrectly simplified a rational expression was analysed and the results of the analysis. Initially, a deductive approach to analysing the errors was planned, categorising students’ mistakes using the error types identified, named and described in the literature. In reviewing the literature, however, it became clear that this would be no simple task. The large body of literature, while rich in examples of “typical errors” that could be expected in students’ working, had two limitations. Firstly, the error types lacked precise descriptions and were mainly described by example only. Secondly, insufficient details of the procedures used to categorise the errors prevented replication of the categorising process. Consequently, a mainly inductive approach, that categorised the errors by their location and inferred student operation was devised. This systematic approach resulted in generating descriptions of three error categories

Closely related strains of <i>Bradyrhizobium</i> contained in commercial inoculates of soybean are identified by a set of PCR reactions

The aim of this work was to identify closely related rhizobia, used to formulate commercial inoculants, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Repetitive extra-genic palindromic (REP) and BOX fingerprints hardly discriminate among a set of commercial strains. PCR targeted at repetitive RSα successfully allow discriminating within representatives of Bradyrhizobium. These fingerprints clustered isolates at a higher level of similarity and proved to be an important tool to complement the information provided by the other markers. The results suggest that mutants occur along the bacterial culture, during inoculant production. However, independently of the number of amplification reactions used to characterize and identify organisms, mispriming always generates artifactual diversity. In addition to this, it seems that combining reactions such as BOX or REP fingerprinting with reactions targeted at the RSα sequence, generates a more reliable identification tool to characterize closely related bradyrhizobia.Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestale