scholarly journals Violence and Warfare in Precontact Melanesia

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen M. Younger

Levels of interpersonal violence and warfare for 30 Melanesian societies at the time of contact with Europeans are estimated based on ethnographic and historical records. While violence was common in indigenous Melanesia, it was not ubiquitous and some societies experienced extended periods of internal and external peace. Interpersonal violence and warfare were correlated-when one occurred there was a high probability of finding the other. Violence was not dependent on total population. It was, however, higher for population density greater than 50 persons per square kilometer. Violence in Melanesia may have been stimulated by the large number of relatively small polities, many of which competed with one another for prestige and, in some cases, land.

Proceedings ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 9
Author(s):  
Sebastiano Trevisani

Modern Earth Scientists need also to interact with other disciplines, apparently far from the Earth Sciences and Engineering. Disciplines related to history and philosophy of science are emblematic from this perspective. From one side, the quantitative analysis of information extracted from historical records (documents, maps, paintings, etc.) represents an exciting research topic, requiring a truly holistic approach. On the other side, epistemological and philosophy of science considerations on the relationship between geoscience and society in history are of fundamental importance for understanding past, present and future geosphere-anthroposphere interlinked dynamics.


1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (1) ◽  
pp. 208-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan L. Johnson ◽  
Heather C. Proctor

The effect of predator presence on the adult sex ratio of a spider mite (Panonychus ulmi) was examined in a field experiment. Phytoseiid predators (chiefly Typhlodromus occidentalis) were removed from 32 trees harboring P. ulmi populations, and allowed to remain at natural levels on 32 other trees. Both total population density and proportion of males in the prey population were significantly higher in predator-free trees. Mechanisms that could explain the increase in the proportion of males are examined. The most probable is that greater male activity results in a higher encounter rate between predator and prey, and that subsequent higher male mortality when predators are present exaggerates the female-biased sex ratio. The theoretical effects of sex-biased predation on diplo-diploid and haplo-diploid organisms are discussed.


Author(s):  
David Wiggins

The third philosophical stratagem for cutting off inquiry consists in maintaining that this, that, or the other element of science is basic, ultimate, independent of aught else and utterly inexplicable- not so much from any defect in our knowing as because there is nothing beneath it to know. The only type of reasoning by which such a conclusion could be reached is retroduction.Now nothing justifies a retroductive inference except its affording an explanation of the facts. It is, however, no explanation at all of a fact to pronounce it inexplicable.That, therefore, is a conclusion which no reasoning can ever justify or excuse. (Peirce, Collected Papers 1.139)Abduction consists in studying facts and devising a theory to explain them. Its only justification is that, if we are ever to understand things at all, it must be in that way. (Peirce, Collected Papers, 5.145)[Scientific procedure] will at times find a high probability established by a single confirmatory instance, while at others it will dismiss a thousand as almost worthless. (Frege, Foundations of Arithmetic (1884), p. 16)


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 536-551
Author(s):  
Lijuan Chen ◽  
◽  
Tingting Liu ◽  
Fengde Chen

<abstract><p>A two-patch model with additive Allee effect is proposed and studied in this paper. Our objective is to investigate how dispersal and additive Allee effect have an impact on the above model's dynamical behaviours. We discuss the local and global asymptotic stability of equilibria and the existence of the saddle-node bifurcation. Complete qualitative analysis on the model demonstrates that dispersal and Allee effect may lead to persistence or extinction in both patches. Also, combining mathematical analysis with numerical simulation, we verify that the total population abundance will increase when the Allee effect constant $ a $ increases or $ m $ decreases. And the total population density increases when the dispersal rate $ D_{1} $ increases or the dispersal rate $ D_{2} $ decreases.</p></abstract>


2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 16-17
Author(s):  
Fuad Ismayilov

Azerbaijan is a nation with a Turkic population which regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It has an area of approximately 86 000 km2. Georgia and Armenia, the other countries comprising the Transcaucasian region, border Azerbaijan to the north and west, respectively. Russia also borders the north, Iran and Turkey the south, and the Caspian Sea borders the east. The total population is about 8 million. The largest ethnic group is Azeri, comprising 90% of the population; Dagestanis comprise 3.2%, Russians 2.5%, Armenians 2% and others 2.3%.


1975 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 771-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. McCarthy ◽  
Omer R. Galle ◽  
William Zimmern

1976 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Y. Chen

In reconstructing protoforms and linguistic histories, many methods can and have been employed with varying degrees of effectiveness (cf. Bonfante, 1945, for a general discussion). For the specific purpose of establishing the time sequence of phonological changes according to which sound systems have evolved, traditionally two procedures have been most frequently followed: one is to sift the historical records for clues to the dates of linguistic innovations, and the other is to infer from the systematic correspondences between protoforms and their modern reflexes the internally motivated order of diachronic rules.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-201
Author(s):  
Lidiia Khuda ◽  
Larysa Cheban ◽  
Oleksii Khudyi

We studied the possibility of using low frequency laser emission to improve production properties of feed hydrobionts, in particular microalgae Desmodesmus armatus and Daphnia magna, which are highly applied in aquaculture. It was shown that low-frequency laser emission with the wavelength 650 nm has a positive influence on production properties of both phyto- and zooplankton. In 24 hours the biomass of irradiated D. armatus was 25% larger than non-irradiated one. Meanwhile, application λ 420 and 530 nm did not show credible accumulation of microalgae biomass. If it comes to daphnia, positive dynamic in population density enlarging was observed only since 5-7th day of cultivation, depending on emission exposition. Differences in low-frequency laser emission with λ 420 and 530 efficacy on D. magna production properties were observed while using different exposition. Thus, maximal culture density was observed when λ 420 nm for 90 s and λ 650 nm for 60 s were applied. Longer irradiation with red laser did not have positive effect. It was established that in daphnia tissues, which were influenced by λ 420 nm laser emission, TBA-active products were accumulating more. Meanwhile, for daphnias, which were irradiated with red laser, TBA amount was not different from the control group one. Catalase activity increased while applying λ 650 nm laser emission. On the other hand, λ 420 nm did not cause credible increasing of catalase activity in comparison with control group. Taking received results about photobiological effects of low-frequency laser emission on D. armatus and D. magna into consideration, both biomasses enlargement during co-cultivation can be obtained if wavelength 650 nm is used.


2002 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. L. PARAENSE

A redescription of conchological and anatomical characters of the planorbid mollusc Plesiophysa ornata (Haas, 1938) is presented, based on topotypic material and specimens from 14 additional localities in the Brazilian states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba, Sergipe, Bahia, Espírito Santo and Minas Gerais. Due to the close similarity of their shells, a sure discrimination of the five species of Plesiophysa described so far (P. pilsbryi, P. granulata, P. guadeloupensis, P. ornata and P. hubendicki) is only possible through their anatomical features. The present study points to the high probability of synonymy of P. hubendicki with P. ornata. Investigations on the anatomy of P. pilsbryi and P. guadeloupensis are needed to define their taxonomic relation with the other nominal species.


2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 137-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
LC. Sanchez ◽  
M. Busch

Size distribution, sex ratio and use of burrows of the burrowing toad Rhinella fernandezae were studied in Buenos Aires province, Argentina. Two sites separated by approximately 300 m were studied: one was a road next to a swamp, and the other a garden of a country house located further from the swamp. We identified toad burrows, and individuals were sexed, measured and given an individual mark. Burrows were examined in subsequent months after the first sampling to assess the presence of toads. We found significant differences in the size distribution between areas, being the proportion of juveniles greater at the site next to the swamp where the reproduction of the species was observed. This result may suggest that the site located near to the swamp functions as a source habitat of individuals that migrate to the other site, where recruitment would be very scarce. Sex proportion of adults did not differ from 1:1 in neither the total population nor in each site, suggesting that there was not differential mortality by sex. Some toads changed burrows throughout the study period, but there were not differences in the frequency of change between adults and juveniles.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document