Kind granddaughters of angry grandmothers: The effect of domestication on vocalization in cross-bred silver foxes

a b s t r a c t The genetic basis of the effects of domestication has previously been examined in relation to morphological, physiological and behavioural traits, but not for vocalizations. According t

Факторы социальной напряженности: проблемы оценки и анализа (на примере города Омска)

The study describes the problems of social tension factors measurement and estimation in cities and its current state in Omsk. The empirical basis of the study is the sociological survey data, conducted by the Omsk Regional Center of Public Relations and the Sociology Department of Dostoevsky Omsk State University. 975 people from 5 urban districts of Omsk were interviewed during the survey. Data analysis was carried out using frequency analysis methods and contingency tables. The significance and essentiality of the differences were estimated using the chi-square and Cramer’s V criteria. Age and education turn out to have the most significant impact on respondents’ opinions; people with secondary or higher education are more often dissatisfied with the situation in the region, as for the age criterion, the group from 30 to 44 is the most dissatisfied one. The ranking of problems by importance from the respondents’ point of view was done on the basis of frequency analysis. The leading positions are occupied by the social and economic problems such as low salaries, consumer goods prices, infrastructure of the city and public utilities, as well as bureaucracy of local authorities. Judging by the protest potential of Omsk citizens, it was concluded that the population is dissatisfied with the work of the local government. However, the protest potential is estimated as low, which is partially explained by the growing negative migration balance. As a result, recommendations on improving monitoring and analysis of social tension factors in the city have been offeredСтатья посвящена проблемам оценки факторов социальной напряженности в крупных городских агломерациях, а также ее фактического состояния в городе Омске. В основу статьи легли данные социологического исследования, проведенного Региональным центром по связям с общественностью Омска при участии кафедры социологии ОмГУ им. Ф.М. Достоевского. В ходе проведения анкетирования опрошено 975 человек, проживающих на территории пяти административных округов города Омска. Анализ данных проведен с применением методов частотного анализа и таблиц сопряженности. Оценку значимости и существенности различий производили с использованием критериев хи-квадрат и V-Крамера. В результате было выявлено, что наиболее значимое влияние среди рассматриваемых характеристик респондентов оказывают возраст и образование: респонденты, имеющие среднее или высшее образование, чаще отмечают недовольство ситуацией в регионе, тогда как по возрасту недовольство в основном испытывает возрастная категория от 30 до 44 лет. На основе частотного анализа проведено ранжирование проблем, волнующих население в наибольшей степени. Лидирующие позиции занимают социально-экономические проблемы оплаты труда, цен на потребительские товары, инфраструктуры города и ЖКХ, а также бюрократизм местных властей. Исходя из измерения протестного потенциала граждан города Омска сделан вывод о низком уровне удовлетворенности жителей местной властью. Однако при этом протестный потенциал оценен как низкий, что может быть частично объяснено нарастающим отрицательным миграционным сальдо. В результате на основе проведенного исследования разработаны рекомендации по совершенствованию мониторинга и анализа факторов социальной напряженности в город

The Zhenya Mammoth ( Mammuthus primigenius (Blum.)): Taphonomy, geology, age, morphology and ancient DNA of a 48,000 year old frozen mummy from western Taimyr, Russia

This paper reports the results of an in-depth analysis of the frozen remains of a woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) named Zhenya, which has been dated to 48,000 cal BP. The carcass, found near the mouth of the Yenisey River in eastern Siberia, was a juvenile male whose ontogenetic age at death was 8-10 AEY. Its reconstructed live height at the shoulders (pSH 227.4 cm) was the equal of some adult female woolly mammoths and extant elephants. The large stature and a flaked off tusk tip that matches breaks on tusks of male African elephants are indirect indications that this mammoth most likely had reached sexual maturity, had been expelled from its maternal herd, and had been in at least one fight with another male. The mammoth's bones were relatively healthy, although some had minor lesions. Rudimentary upper second molars (M2/m2) were present, but no lower second molars were found in the alveoli, and the left tusk had never developed. Despite the abnormal development of the upper and lower second molars, the cheek teeth which were in wear (Dp4/dp4 and M1/m1) showed normal function without any indications of developmental delay. The completed growth of the light-colored dentin bands on the tusk strongly suggests the Fall of the year was the season of death. This season is also supported by accumulated fat in the upper parts of the torso, indicative of physiological preparation for the winter ahead. The few minor traces of carnivore scavenging, the little disturbed condition of the carcass, and the absence of bone modifications made by human actions, along with the social status of this young male animal, are interpreted here as highly probable evidence that the Zhenya Mammoth died from unrecoverable injuries inflicted during a bull-to-bull fight. The mineralogical analysis of site sediments revealed that the mammoth's burial in situ took place in the Yenisey River valley seasonally inundated by the river, which together with Fall's freezing temperatures protected the carcass from scavengers. An analysis of ancient DNA provides strong support for Zhenya's mitochondrial lineage within the deeply diverging clade III haplogroup B