Alfareros de aquí o de allá: Identidad estilística y tecnológica en el valle de Pachacamac (costa central peruana)

The recognition of ethnic and political identities in pre-Conquest Peru has been traditionally based on ceramic styles. In the Central Coast, taking advantage of the existence of historical sources about the Lurin Valley, it has been suggested that coastal ayllus were using preferably Ychsma Style utilitarian pottery, which would also define the culture of the same name; the inhabitants of headwaters of the valley (Huarochirí) would have used so-called «Serrano» Style pottery. The frequency of occurrence of this style in excavated or surveyed sites at Lower Lurin Valley has been interpreted as evidence for highland presence and political importance on the coast. The article tests this hypothesis by analyzing, through Laser Ablation Inducted Couple Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS), 600 potsherds from Lower, Middle and Upper Lurin Valley and 116 clay samples from Chillon, Rimac, Lurin and Chilca valleys; the results has been processed by multivariate statistics and spatial analysis (SIG) in order to correlate ensembles of pottery workshops and stylistic groups with areas of clay extraction. The final results show that the Lurin Valley and the Rimac Valley each had its own stylistic and technological tradition in utilitarian pottery; they also show that the hypothetical «Serrano» Style was characteristic of potters in the Lurin Valley, while Ychsma Style was mainly produced in the Rimac Valley. Such findings force us to reinterpret the relationship between highlands and coast during the Late Horizon, including the early Colonial Period, and to subject to criticism the existence of the «Ychsma culture» in the territory of the hypothetical chiefdom of the same name.El reconocimiento de identidades étnicas y políticas previas a la conquista española en Perú se ha basado tradicionalmente en los estilos cerámicos. En la costa central, aprovechando la existencia de fuentes sobre la cuenca del Lurín, se ha sugerido que los ayllus costeños se servían preferentemente de la cerámica utilitaria de estilo Ychsma, que definiría también a la cultura del mismo nombre; los habitantes de la cabecera del valle (Huarochirí) habrían utilizado recipientes cerámicos del estilo llamado «Serrano». La frecuente aparición de este segundo estilo en los sitios excavados o prospectados en el valle bajo del Lurín, se ha interpretado como prueba de la presencia e importancia política serrana en la costa. El artículo contrasta esta hipótesis mediante el análisis de Espectrometría de Masas por Ablación Láser con fuente de Plasma de Acoplamiento Inductivo (LA-ICP-MS) de 600 fragmentos de cerámica del valle bajo, medio y alto del Lurín y 116 muestras de arcilla de los valles del Chillón, Rímac, Lurín y Chilca, procesando los resultados mediante estadística multivariante y análisis espacial (SIG) con objeto de correlacionar conjuntos de alfares y grupos estilísticos con las áreas de extracción de la materia prima. Los resultados finales muestran que el valle del Lurín y el valle del Rímac tuvieron cada uno su propia tradición estilística y tecnológica en las vasijas de uso utilitario; indican, asimismo, que el hipotético «Estilo Serrano» caracteriza a la producción de alfareros del valle del Lurín, mientras que el estilo Ychsma se produce principalmente en el valle del Rímac. Estas conclusiones obligan a reinterpretar las relaciones entre sierra y costa durante el Horizonte Tardío, incluyendo el comienzo del Periodo Colonial, y a someter a crítica la existencia de la «cultura Ychsma» en el territorio del hipotético señorío del mismo nombre

Changes in the Language of the Reformed Church in the Second Half of the 20ᵗʰ Century: The Convergence of Oral History and Big Data

The author’s journey begins with a deep immersion in his traditional Protestant faith, where he was taught to thoroughly know both the Old and the New Testament. As he reflects on his faith, the concept of being a “stranger and sojourner” comes to the forefront, highlighting the feeling of alienation within the secular world. The narrative takes an interesting turn when the author discusses the impact of changing political language on his perspective. The introduction of new political ideas and discourse challenges the previously straightforward worldview, leading to a sense of uncertainty in decision-making. Believers find themselves in a world with a multiplicity of perspectives that require a re-evaluation of what it means to “deny” or to make choices. In a changing social and political context, the narrative continually explores the intricate connection between faith and language. The author’s experiences and reflections provide a compelling insight into the complexities of navigating a shifting spiritual landscape while grappling with the ever-evolving meaning of words and beliefs. The second half of the article presents the results of a computer analysis of the vocabulary of two Bible translations that defined the language usage of the Reformed Church in the second half of the 20th century: the 1908 Károli and the 1975 New Translation. The analysis focuses on words that present difficulties in understanding due to their archaic or religious nature. As a point of comparison, it also showcases the vocabulary of the Gospel of John, where a mere 199 word roots constitute 80% of word occurrences

Praxis pietatis, avagy a kegyesség gyakorlata. Hit és cselekedet kapcsolata az Újszövetségben – egy hatástörténeti csomópontból nézve

Praxis Pietatis, or the Practice of Piety: The Relationship between Faith and Deeds in the New Testament ─ From the Perspective of a Historical Impact Point This article delves into the intricate relationship between faith and deeds as it pertains to the teachings of the New Testament, drawing from the legacy of the Reformation. It emphasizes the necessity of re-evaluating church doctrine based on the foundation of the Scripture. However, it recognizes that understanding the message of the Scripture is not an objective, detached process but rather one that is deeply entwined with individual religious experiences and interpretations. The dynamic interaction between faith and the tangible, visible world shapes our comprehension of the Bible’s words and meanings. The complex interplay of faith and deeds is recognized, as various denominations stress different aspects of biblical teachings. The role of faith in the New Testament is not solely to lead to salvation; it also establishes a framework for the believer’s relationship with good deeds, setting it within a temporal framework. The New Testament understanding of salvation, whether it is eternal life or the acquisition of God’s kingdom, is framed by the faith of God’s chosen people, and this faith presupposes the intervention of God. Thus, faith cannot be separated from God’s action, making it the foundation for understanding good deeds

How Medical Marijuana Policies Reproduce the Status Quo

Public attitudes have dramatically transformed from stigmatization to acceptance of medical marijuana legalization. However, the federal government upholds its Schedule I Classification, preventing medical access and barring scientific research. States rapidly working towards the legalization of medical marijuana points to progressive future policies, but as long as the federal government fails to acknowledge marijuana’s medicinal properties and continues the War on Drugs, legal changes remain at a standstill. This paper uses the umbrella term conflict paradigm to incorporate common ideological tenets of conflict theories. In relation to medical marijuana legislation, the law is viewed as repressive via differential law enforcement. In addition, the law is not considered value-neutral in relation to economic accessibility seemingly skewed toward the wealthy. Lastly, the law functions as a tool for the powerful elite as noted through discarded scientific research and links to special interest groups. As illustrated by the conflict paradigm, racist legal prejudices, economic burdens, and the politicized federal hesitancy to legalize medical marijuana portray how current medical marijuana laws reproduce social hegemony. In utilizing this theoretical framework to evaluate Pennsylvania’s Medical Marijuana Program, this review argues that without movement on the federal level, states’ medical marijuana policies will fail to provide relief to many vulnerable populations and reproduce social inequalities

A Simple Method to Evaluate Series-Type Extension Programs

This article describes how to evaluate the impact of a series-type Extension program. Evaluating program impact is essential for Extension accountability. The evaluation method described in this article is simple and effective in documenting the impact of one Extension program taught as a series. This approach can be used to evaluate other series-type Extension programs by modifying the behavior section of the instrument presented in this article to match the program content and objectives. This evaluation tool not only helps Extension agents document impact but also helps them to focus on the program objectives during the program delivery process

Disentangling the contributions of dispersal limitation, ecological drift, and ecological filtering to wild bee community assembly

The species composition within communities is highly dependent on the rate of species immigration and whether immigrating species possess the functional traits required by the prevailing environmental conditions. Once established, random fluctuations in birth and death rates may reduce the diversity of ecologically equivalent species if local populations are not replenished by immigrating individuals. Consequently, three key processes drive community assembly: dispersal limitation, ecological filtering, and ecological drift. However, disentangling the relative contribution of these processes remains a challenge in community ecology. We used a binomial generalized linear mixed model to test whether the occurrences of solitary bees within 46 communities in southeast Norway were driven by (1) dispersal limitation, that is, the geographic distance to the nearest site where conspecifics occurred; (2) ecological filtering, that is, if forb species richness selected for non-Ericaceae-affiliated species; and (3) ecological drift, that is, if small, isolated communities were dominated by regionally common species. The regression slopes from the model for each potential driver of community composition were compared with those expected under a null model, in which species were treated as ecologically equivalent. Both dispersal limitation and ecological filtering influenced the probability of species occurring within communities. The occurrence of species decreased with elevation, and this relationship depended on the relative commonness of species and their floral preferences. For non-Ericaceae-affiliated species, the patterns of occurrence mirrored that expected under the null (neutral) model, resulting in the same patterns as would be expected under ecological drift. In contrast, the response of Ericaceae-affiliated species differed from what would be expected from the null model. Our results also indicate that processes leading to neutral dynamics in species compositions drive a large part of the gradient in species richness in Norwegian bee communities. These processes seem related to sampling effects so that large and interconnected communities have a higher probability of including regionally rare species than small, isolated communities. Our results suggest that targeting habitats—where the influence of ecological filtering is expected to be greater than that of neutral dynamics—can increase the success of habitat management plans aimed at promoting rare species

Relationship of coarse woody debris to arthropod Availability for Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers and other bark-foraging birds on loblolly pine boles.

Abstract This study determined if short-term removal of coarse woody debris would reduce prey available to red-cockaded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis Vieillot) and other bark-foraging birds at the Savannah River Site in Aiken and Barnwell counties, SC. All coarse woody debris was removed from four 9-ha plots of mature loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) in 1997 and again in 1998. We sampled arthropods in coarse woody debris removal and control stands using crawl traps that captured arthropods crawling up tree boles, burlap bands wrapped around trees, and cardboard panels placed on the ground. We captured 27 orders and 172 families of arthropods in crawl traps whereas 20 arthropod orders were observed under burlap bands and cardboard panels. The most abundant insects collected from crawl traps were aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae) and ants (Hymenoptera: Forrnicidae). The greatest biomass was in the wood cockroaches (Blattaria: Blattellidae), caterpillars (Lepidoptera) in the Family Noctuidae, and adult weevils (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). The most common group observed underneath cardboard panels was lsoptera (termites), and the most common taxon under burlap bands was wood cockroaches. Overall, arthropod abundance and biomass captured in crawl traps was similar in control and removal plots. In contrast, we observed more arthropods under burlap bands (mean & SE; 3,021.5 k 348.6, P= 0.03) and cardboard panels (3,537.25 k 432.4, P= 0.04) in plots with coarse woody debris compared with burlap bands (2325 + 171.3) and cardboard panels (2439.75 + 288.9) in plots where coarse woody debris was removed. Regression analyses showed that abundance beneath cardboard panels was positively correlated with abundance beneath burlap bands demonstrating the link between abundance on the ground with that on trees. Our results demonstrate that short-term removal of coarse woody debris from pine forests reduced overall arthropod availability to bark-foraging birds