Communication and communicology in the didactic message

The article presents the results of multiyear studies on modern social relations. Author states that underuse of the results provided by previous communicology studies is a partial reason why communication skills of the Poles are so low. As a remedy the author postulates to modernize the core curriculum and implement both theoretical and practical teaching of communication in schools. This proposition is based on the author’s diagnosis and goals. Taking into account that communicology is a multidisciplinary field of study, the author emphasizes the importance of presenting the issues from various perspectives, depending on the school subject. The author states that it is the most effective way of neutralizing social aggression.

Venom and Social Behavior: The Potential of Using Spiders to Evaluate the Evolution of Sociality under High Risk

Risks of sociality, including competition and conspecific aggression, are particularly pronounced in venomous invertebrates such as arachnids. Spiders show a wide range of sociality, with differing levels of cannibalism and other types of social aggression. To have the greatest chance of surviving interactions with conspecifics, spiders must learn to assess and respond to risk. One of the major ways risk assessment is studied in spiders is via venom metering, in which spiders choose how much venom to use based on prey and predator characteristics. While venom metering in response to prey acquisition and predator defense is well-studied, less is known about its use in conspecific interactions. Here we argue that due to the wide range of both sociality and venom found in spiders, they are poised to be an excellent system for testing questions regarding whether and how venom use relates to the evolution of social behavior and, in return, whether social behavior influences venom use and evolution. We focus primarily on the widow spiders, Latrodectus, as a strong model for testing these hypotheses. Given that successful responses to risk are vital for maintaining sociality, comparative analysis of spider taxa in which venom metering and sociality vary can provide valuable insights into the evolution and maintenance of social behavior under risk.

Time budgets of group-housed pigs in relation to social aggression and production

Commercial producers house growing pigs by sex and weight to allow for efficient use of resources and provide pigs the welfare benefits of interacting with their conspecifics and more freedom of movement. However, introduction of unfamiliar pigs can cause increased aggression for 24-48 h as pigs establish social relationships. To address this issue, a better understanding of pig behavior is needed. The objectives of this study were to quantify time budgets of pigs following introduction into a new social group and how these changed over time, and to investigate how social aggression influences overall time budgets and production parameters. A total of 257 grow-finish Yorkshire barrows across 20 pens were introduced into new social groups at 10 wk of age (~23 kg) and observed for aggression and time budgets of behavior at 4 periods: immediately after introduction, 3, 6, and 9 wk later. Pigs were observed for duration of total aggression and initiated aggression (s) for 9 h after introduction and for 4 h at 3, 6, and 9 wk later. Time budgets were created by scan-sampling inactive, movement, ingestion, social, and exploration behaviors every 2 min for 4 h in the afternoon and summarizing proportion of time each behavior was performed by period. Least square means of each behavior were compared across time points. Pigs spent most of their time inactive. In general, the greatest change in pig behavior was observed between introduction and wk 3 (P<0.003), with gradual changes throughout the study period as pigs became more inactive (wk 3 vs. wk 6: P=0.209; wk 6 vs. wk 9: P=0.007) and spent less time on other behaviors. Pigs’ non-aggressive behavior and production parameters were compared to aggression using generalized linear mixed models. The time pigs spent on non-aggressive behaviors were negatively related to aggression (P<0.045) with few exceptions. Initiated aggression after introduction was negatively related to loin muscle area (P=0.003). These results show how finishing pigs spend their time in commercial facilities and indicate that behavior continues to change for up to 9 wk after introduction to a new social group. Efforts to reduce chronic levels of aggression should focus on promoting non-aggressive behaviors, such as exploration and movement, after the initial fighting that occurs immediately after introduction has waned and should be implemented for up at 9 wk after introduction into new social groups.

The Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War in the Tambov region: state and research prospects. Part 1. On the problems of conceptualization, methodology and methods of studying the history of the Civil War in the Tambov Governorate

The first part of this study examines the evolution and the current state of conceptualization and historiography of the “Antonovschina”, identifies the factors of the newest methodological and cognitive crisis in the study of the Civil War in Russia as a whole and its individual key, significant phenomena. In the second part of the study, proceeding from the principle of historicism, we propose our own conceptualization of the Civil War and the Tambov peasant uprisings as its “green” components, proceeding from the understanding of social history as a movement of a socio-natural hierarchical system that regulated the life of populations of any level. Civil War is presented as a rhythmic part of the phase of suppression of an overpopulated population by a complex of endogenous and exogenous factors of long (28-year, 112-year) natural-demographic cycles. The definitions of specific phenomena (“female attacks”, “demographic bag”, “Kotovsk case”, etc.), opened with the help of electronic databases (ED) in long continuous lines of socio-graphic information, are given. A method of marking the cyclic movement of different forms and channels of social aggression (activity) is proposed. The mechanism and manifestations of the work of the regulating socio-natural cycles are shown in tables and figures.

Peculiarities of the socio-economic and political situation of non-rebel territories of Tambov Governorate in 1917–1921

The relevance of the topic of food apportionment and the Antonov’s uprising is explained by the centenary of these events and the preservation of different approaches and opinions among historians on these issues. It is important to study the northern and western districts of the Tambov Governorate, which did not take a significant part in the Antonov’s uprising, since unde-servedly little attention is devoted to this topic. The main objectives of the study are to analyze the economic and economic situation in the “non-insurgent” counties in the context of their comparison with the southern counties (Tambovsky, Kirsanovsky and Borisoglebsky Counties) on the eve of the Tambov uprising of 1920–1921. To solve the set tasks, statistical information was used on the natural growth of the population, the size of cultivated areas, crop yields, etc. The significance of the work lies in the fact that the study adds more factual material about the reasons for the low level of social aggression among the peasantry of the northern and western counties on the eve of the insurrectionary movement in the Tambov Governorate.

Anterior cingulate cortex hypofunction causes anti-social aggression in mice

Controlling aggression is a crucial skill in social species like rodents and humans, and has been associated with anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Here, we demonstrate a causal link between ACC hypofunction and failed aggression control in BALB/cJ mice. We first show that ACC in BALB/cJ mice is structurally degraded: Neuron density is decreased, with pervasive neuron death and neuro-toxic astroglia. Gene-set enrichment analysis suggested that this process is driven by neuronal degeneration, which then causes toxic astrogliosis. cFos expression across ACC indicated functional consequences: During aggressive encounters, ACC was engaged in control mice, but not BALB/cJ mice. Chemogenetically activating ACC during aggressive encounters drastically suppressed anti-social aggression but left adaptive aggression intact. The network effects of our chemogenetic perturbation suggest that this behavioural rescue is mediated by suppression of amygdala and hypothalamus and activation of mediodorsal thalamus. Together, these findings highlight the causal role of ACC in curbing anti-social aggression.