Social Identity of an Ancestral Religious Group: A Study of the Hamai People in Northeast India

An ancestral group, with a native religion, views its religion from a strictly confined group’s identity perspective. This narrowly confined identity narrative of their origin, rooted in their relationship with their proto-ancestor’s creator, contributes towards their belief systems that naturally precludes all other groups and thus results in a cautiously guarded religion of their ancestral group. The social identity process of religion shields it from evolving into a more universal belief system that cuts across cultures and languages. Nevertheless, the social identity process of the religion of an ancestral group is certainly a phenomenon that allows one to better comprehend the various intricate dynamics within an ancestral group and their inter-group dynamics. The article is contextualised within an ancestral group known as Hamai who come under Zeliangrong, an organisation formed for the socio-economic and political objectives of a section of the Hamai people of Manipur, Nagaland and Assam.

How can an infaunal brooding echinoid be maintained in the laboratory? A case study with Cassidulus mitis (Echinoidea: Cassiduloida)

Introduction: Cassiduloids play a prominent role in echinoid evolutionary history because they probably are the ancestral group of clypeasteroids. Some extant species are brooding and rare in the environment. Consequently, there are no studies on their maintenance in the laboratory. Objective: Establish an efficient aquarium system for C. mitis, endemic to Brazil, for ontogenetic studies. Methods: Four aquarium systems were built, with 3 replicates each one: (1) with seawater flow [F]; (2) with seawater flow and air injection into sediment [FA]; (3) without seawater flow but with air injection into the sediment [A]; and (4) without both seawater flow and air injection into the sediment [C]. Each experimental aquarium (three per treatment) had two adults. Each of the two sets of experiments lasted about 60 days. Results: We observed low mortality in the first 30 days in all systems and, after 30 days, it was higher in those with air-pumped into the sediment (system A in the first set of experiments, and system FA in the second one). Conclusions: For experiments lasting 30 days, our four systems are suitable. For longer periods, we recommend aquaria with seawater flow and without air-pumps into the sediment.

Historical Fantasies, Fantastical Myths

This chapter undertakes a careful analysis of commercial iconography and accompanying slogans and textual references to Norse and Germanic mythology in T-shirts and other products. It combines the analysis with interview data explaining how youth interpret the meaning of these symbols and myths. The chapter argues that the fantasy of Nordic heritage—and all the positive traits associated to be a part of that heritage—including loyalty, purity, beauty, integrity, and honesty—appeal to youth as a strategy for handling the uncertainty of the postmodern era. It shows how fantastical myths and symbols are used to directly depict or evoke a sense of loss, a sense of a particular way of life “slipping away,” or a sense of urgency around a need for preservation, survival, resurrection, or rebirth of a particular kind of nation. The chapter argues that they help to crystallize a kind of “magical thinking” about the death (or potential death) of a blood-based ancestral group. In closing, the chapter links these arguments to new theoretical work about the appeal of Nazism and fascism as rooted in the loss of stability in the global, postmodern era.

GENOMOSYSTEMATICS OF RICKETTSIAE

The definition of the term genome was given by the German botanist G. Winkler almost one hundred years ago in 1920. A genome definition for bacterial (rickettsia) with a single chromosome was recently presented from the perspective of information theory, biology and bioinformatics as the information chain of nucleotides. The systematics of rickettsiae (obligate intracellular microorganisms) is based on a limited number of phenotypic characters. Classifications built on the analysis of genes, fragments of genomes and their concatenations cause discussion. Application of the Formal Order Analysis (FOA, http://foarlab.org) in the study of complete genomes allowed to submit the systematics of representatives of the family Rickettsiaceae. This approach confirmed the existence of typhus group (TG), spotted fever group (SFG), and an «ancestral» group within the genus Rickettsia, and allowed the isolation of the Rickettsia felis group within this genus, located between the «ancestral» group and the SFG and the R. akari group on the border between the SFG group and the genus Orientia. The development of the tools of FOA — «Map of Genes» and «Matrix of Similarity» — helped to conduct an in-depth study of the complete genomes of rickettsia, taking into account the characteristics of their genes and noncoding sequences. Application of these instruments, with the help of the obtained classification, confirmed the notion of ecological features of rickettsia, the structure of nosological forms and the epidemiological patterns of rickettsiosis, and made it possible to assess the virulence of the strains of the two most pathogenic species of rickettsia, R. prowazekii and R. rickettsia. In this work, for the first time, a holistic, consistent and multidimensional observation of a set of closely related bacteria (a family of bacteria) and the manifestations associated with them was carried out. The basis of the developed and herein described systematic approach to the study of bacteria is a new mathematical model — the arrangement of nucleotides in a complete genome and its sensitive unambiguous numerical characteristics. A new methodological approach named genomosystematics and based on mathematical modeling of complete genomes of rickettsiae (bacteria) using FOA. Classification of rickettsiae and rickettsioses obtained with the help of this approach corresponds to ecological, epidemiological and etiological principles. Application of the genomosystematics can serve the goals and objectives of preventive medicine. The publication completes a series of scientific works presenting the methodology of an integrated approach based on the application of mathematical analysis tools in the study of objects and laws of natural science disciplines of biological and medical profile.

Comparing Timeline Rhythms in Pygmy and Bushmen Music

Combining theories of African rhythm from ethno/musicology and findings from anthropological research and population genetics with musical analyses based on transcriptions and computational phylogenetic techniques, this article compares rhythms used in Pygmy and Bushmen music in an attempt to provide new perspectives on an old debate that these musical cultures may share a common heritage. To do this, the comparative analyses focus on timelines: foundational rhythmic features that provide the structural basis of the music. The findings suggest that Pygmy and Bushmen timelines are interrelated and that most are organised according to the principles of 'rhythmic oddity' and maximal evenness. Generative theory suggests that commonly used rhythmic cells, in particular the 3:2 pattern, form the structural basis of many Pygmy/Bushmen timelines as well as many other timelines featured in African and African-derived musics. Timelines are also multi-purpose musical devices used in various different social contexts and their structure appears to be resilient to radical change. Phylogenetic analysis of timelines provides no clear Pygmy/Bushmen ancestral timeline, although it is possible that foundational rhythms such as the 3:2 pattern may have featured in the music of a common ancestral group.

Application of the Numerical Characteristic of Formal Order Analysis of the Prokaryotic Genomes for Reclassification within the Genus Rickettsia

Genomes representing Rickettsiaceae family were analyzed using formal order analysis (FOA) of information chain in order to develop a new approach for the classification of prokaryotes. Average remoteness – the numerical characteristic of order was used to compare the genomes. FOA allows one to directly take into account arrangement of nucleotides in each sequence. The obtained results clarified the previously known classification. In addition Rickettsia felis group was discovered between the ancestral group and spotted fever group (SFG) and R. akari group located between the SFG and genus Orientia. Software used for the analysis of nucleotide sequences with FOA is freely available at http://foarlab.org.

New gastropods from the Jurassic of Orville Coast, eastern Ellsworth Land, Antarctica

The Latady Group (southern Antarctic Peninsula) hosts the most diverse assemblage of Jurassic molluscs from this continent. A new gastropod mollusc, Silberlingiella latadyensis sp. nov. and three forms assigned to Rissoidae, Pseudomelaniidae and Bullinidae from the Middle-Late Jurassic, Bathonian–Kimmeridgian Hauberg Mountains Formation, Ellsworth Land, Antarctic Peninsula are described here. Silberlingiella is transferred to Eustomatidae and is the first confirmed record of this family in the Southern Hemisphere, indicating a much more widespread Jurassic distribution. The Triassic and Jurassic species of Silberlingiella are compared with the coeval European genus Diatinostoma. Eustomatidae is proposed as an ancestral group for Potamididae and Batillariidae. The composition of the gastropod association described herein differs markedly from the only other Antarctic Jurassic fauna from Alexander Island.