Are the Kalasha really of Greek origin? The Legend of Alexander the Great and the Pre-Islamic World of the Hindu Kush1

The paper refutes the claim that the Kalasha may be the descendants of the Greeks of Asia. First, traditions of Alexandrian descent in the Hindu Kush are examined on the basis of written sources and it is shown that such legends are not part of Kalasha traditional knowledge. Secondly, it is argued that the Kalasha were an integral part of the pre-Islamic cultural fabric of the Hindu Kush, and cannot be seen as intruders in the area, as legends of a Greek descent would want them. Finally, through comparative suggestions, it is proposed that possible similarities between the Kalasha and pre-Christian Europe are to be explained by the common Indo-European heritage rather than by more recent migrations and contacts

Texts from the Winter Feasts of the Kalasha of Birir

The author presents a collection of texts recorded in 2006–07 during the winter ritual cycle of the Kalasha of the Birir valley – in NorthWest Pakistan – who still practice an archaic form of polytheism with pre-Vedic roots. The fulcrum of the cycle is the Chaumos Winter Solstice Festival, but a number of other festivities follow it at intervals forming a sequence almost two months long, lasting until February. The selection includes texts of songs, chants or prayers from each of these festivities. To allow the reader to relate them to the context in which they were recorded, the texts are accompanied by explanatory ethnographic notes. An introduction sketches the broader scene in which the research was carried out. The texts are in the Birir dialect of Kalashamon, the language of the Kalasha, a North-West-Indo-Aryan, or Dardic, language

The Winter Solstice Festival of Kalasha of Birir: Some Comperative Suggestions

The Chaumos Winter Solstice Festival is the fulcrum of the ritual system of the Kalasha, the last polytheists of the Hindu Kush. The Chaumos of the Birir valley was documented for the first time in 2006 by the author. The article investigates the structure and the meanings of this complex ritual event and sketches a comparison with a better-known, and rather different, version of the same festival celebrated in the other Kalasha communities, highlighting connections with the Vedic pantheon

Texts from the Winter Feasts of the Kalasha of Birir

The author presents a collection of texts recorded in 2006–07 during the winter ritual cycle of the Kalasha of the Birir valley – in NorthWest Pakistan – who still practice an archaic form of polytheism with pre-Vedic roots. The fulcrum of the cycle is the Chaumos Winter Solstice Festival, but a number of other festivities follow it at intervals forming a sequence almost two months long, lasting until February. The selection includes texts of songs, chants or prayers from each of these festivities. To allow the reader to relate them to the context in which they were recorded, the texts are accompanied by explanatory ethnographic notes. An introduction sketches the broader scene in which the research was carried out. The texts are in the Birir dialect of Kalashamon, the language of the Kalasha, a North-West-Indo-Aryan, or Dardic, language

Bioengineering Approaches to Improve In Vitro Performance of Prepubertal Lamb Oocytes

Juvenile in vitro embryo technology (JIVET) provides exciting opportunities in animal reproduction by reducing the generation intervals. Prepubertal oocytes are also relevant models for studies on oncofertility. However, current JIVET efficiency is still unpredictable, and further improvements are needed in order for it to be used on a large-scale level. This study applied bioengineering approaches to recreate: (1) the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the cumulus-oocyte complex (COC), by constructing-via bioprinting technologies-alginate-based microbeads (COC-microbeads) for 3D in vitro maturation (3D-IVM); (2) dynamic IVM conditions, by culturing the COC in a millifluidic bioreactor; and (3) an artificial follicular wall with basal membrane, by adding granulosa cells (GCs) and type I collagen (CI) during bioprinting. The results show that oocyte nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation, as well as blastocyst quality, were improved after 3D-IVM compared to 2D controls. The dynamic 3D-IVM did not enhance oocyte maturation, but it improved oocyte bioenergetics compared with static 3D-IVM. The computational model showed higher oxygen levels in the bioreactor with respect to the static well. Microbead enrichment with GCs and CI improved oocyte maturation and bioenergetics. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that bioengineering approaches that mimic the physiological follicle structure could be valuable tools to improve IVM and JIVET

Investigating and Modelling an Engineered Millifluidic In Vitro Oocyte Maturation System Reproducing the Physiological Ovary Environment in the Sheep Model

In conventional assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs), oocytes are in vitro cultured in static conditions. Instead, dynamic systems could better mimic the physiological in vivo environment. In this study, a millifluidic in vitro oocyte maturation (mIVM) system, in a transparent bioreactor integrated with 3D printed supports, was investigated and modeled thanks to computational fluid dynamic (CFD) and oxygen convection-reaction-diffusion (CRD) models. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) from slaughtered lambs were cultured for 24 h under static (controls) or dynamic IVM in absence (native) or presence of 3D-printed devices with different shapes and assembly modes, with/without alginate filling. Nuclear chromatin configuration, mitochondria distribution patterns, and activity of in vitro matured oocytes were assessed. The native dynamic mIVM significantly reduced the maturation rate compared to the static group (p < 0.001) and metaphase II (MII) oocytes showed impaired mitochondria distribution (p < 0.05) and activity (p < 0.001). When COCs were included in a combination of concave+ring support, particularly with alginate filling, oocyte maturation and mitochondria pattern were preserved, and bioenergetic/oxidative status was improved (p < 0.05) compared to controls. Results were supported by computational models demonstrating that, in mIVM in biocompatible inserts, COCs were protected from shear stresses while ensuring physiological oxygen diffusion replicating the one occurring in vivo from capillaries