An ancient debate on urban renewal and built heritage: Dio Chrysostom and the city of Prusa

Scholarship on architecture and urbanism in antiquity has focused on building activity and investment in the fabric of cities as positive processes, typically starting from the assumption that such developments were welcomed by inhabitants – but were they? This article examines objections to urban renewal and the construction of monumental public building in the Roman world. Specifically, it focuses on the city of Prusa and the controversy surrounding the renovation of its civic centre by the local politician Dio Chrysostom in the early 2nd century AD. Using speeches and letters written at the time, the article presents both a new interpretation of this specific episode and brings to the fore the rarely articulated and yet highly controversial nature of building projects that are traditionally thought of as being beneficial. In the conclusion, we also see how this example contributes to research on the issue of heritage as a pre-modern phenomenon.

Behavioral Observation Procedures and Tests to Characterize the Suitability of Sows for Loose-Housed Farrowing Systems

The objective of the study was to evaluate behavioral observation procedures and tests to characterize sows’ behavior for their suitability for free farrowing systems. Nest building activity (NB), lying-down behavior (LDB), and position after lying down (PLD) were assessed. Four tests were designed to characterize the reaction of sows to a novel object and an unexpected situation (Towel Test, TT), behavior towards humans (Dummy Arm Test, DAT; Trough Cleaning Test, TCT), and behavior towards piglets (Reunion Test, RT). The study was performed on a nucleus farm in 37 batches including 771 purebred landrace sows housed in farrowing pens with short-term fixation. The assessment of NB started 2 days before the expected date of the farrowing. In 56.2% of the observations, the sows showed increased chewing activity on gunnysacks. The LDB and PLD were assessed on days 3 and 19 post partum (p.p.). In 49.1% of the observations, sows showed careful lying-down behavior. In 50.1% of cases, sows preferred the stomach-teats-position when lying down. With the DAT on day 4 p.p., in 89.3% of observations, no or only slight reactions of the sow were documented. The TT and TCT were performed on days 3 and 10 p.p. Strong defensive reactions of animals towards humans were recorded in 4.5% of the observations in the TT, and in 4.0% of the observations in the TCT. In the RT on day 3 p.p., in 61.8%, a joyful response of the sows to the reunion with their piglets was observed. This study showed that the behavioral observation procedures and designed tests are suitable to characterize sows’ behavior towards humans and piglets with regard to traits that are particularly important in systems without fixation.

Augmented Reality for Supporting Adult-child Shared Reading

Augmented reality (AR) stories offer a new opportunity for parents and teachers at libraries and schools to explore electronic stories. Embedded with multimedia design, AR allows diverse paths of exploration in the story contexts for shared story-reading experiences among parents and children. In this study, parents in the reading community (a library and a school) were provided with AR guided support and a skill-building activity. Observations and in-depth interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data. Inductive analysis was used to summarize the findings. Results of the study were summarized in the following themes: Prior adult-child reading experiences; Novelty with AR reading; Parents’ scaffolding for using AR; Interactive reflective thinking from AR reading; Positive responses from learning of shared reading; and Parents’ suggestions and concerns. It was observed that the AR reflective reading approach encouraged parents to play an active role in guided reading. Children and parents were positive about their active participation in the AR-mediated exploratory reading context. With the AR guided support and skill-building activity, parents applied the scaffolded-reading skills in the AR reading intervention. The AR-mediated reading approach is promising and open to more dynamic design of interactive features.

Does emancipation devour its children? Beyond a stalled dialectic of emancipation

Emancipation serves not only as a midwife for progressive agendas such as greater equality and sustainability but also as their gravedigger. This diagnosis underpins Ingolfur Blühdorn’s ‘dialectic of emancipation’, which depicts a dilemma but offers no perspective on how to deal with it. By drawing on Foucault, this article suggests conceiving of emancipation as a task moderns are confronted with even if a given emancipatory project has come to devour its children. Claiming autonomy from given social constellations is key to this task; key also is judging between legitimate and illegitimate claims to autonomy. In late modernity, the criteria for such judgement are no longer universally given. Instead of regarding the latter as entry into mere subjectivism (Blühdorn), this article presents judgement as a key political, ‘world building’-activity (Arendt), a critical social theory may join in, by not only observing the world but by also taking sides in it.

Validating a Termite-Inspired Construction Coordination Mechanism Using an Autonomous Robot

Many species of termites build large, structurally complex mounds, and the mechanisms behind this coordinated construction have been a longstanding topic of investigation. Recent work has suggested that humidity may play a key role in the mound expansion of savannah-dwelling Macrotermes species: termites preferentially deposit soil on the mound surface at the boundary of the high-humidity region characteristic of the mound interior, implying a coordination mechanism through environmental feedback where addition of wet soil influences the humidity profile and vice versa. Here we test this potential mechanism physically using a robotic system. Local humidity measurements provide a cue for material deposition. As the analogue of the termite's deposition of wet soil and corresponding local increase in humidity, the robot drips water onto an absorbent substrate as it moves. Results show that the robot extends a semi-enclosed area outward when air is undisturbed, but closes it off when air is disturbed by an external fan, consistent with termite building activity in still vs. windy conditions. This result demonstrates an example of adaptive construction patterns arising from the proposed coordination mechanism, and supports the hypothesis that such a mechanism operates in termites.

Exploring the relationship between mindfulness and rock-climbing: a controlled study

Mindfulness is a meditative practice that has received increasing attention within positive psychology as an effective tool to increase wellbeing and decrease anxiety. Previous research has demonstrated that rock-climbers have a higher endorsement of mindfulness and life satisfaction than the general population; yet to date, no research has empirically explored the relationship between mindfulness and rock-climbing. In the current study fifty-nine participants ($$ \overline{\mathrm{x}} $$ x ¯ = 20.63, SD = 1.60) were asked to complete measures of mindfulness, wellbeing and anxiety before and after participating in an ‘intervention’. The intervention consisted of a mindfulness activity followed by either indoor bouldering (a form of rock-climbing) versus a physical activity control. A mixed ANOVA revealed that participation in bouldering increased the measure of mindfulness significantly more than the control activity; however, no significant group differences were found for the measures of wellbeing and anxiety. A regression analysis then revealed that group condition accounted for 33% of the variance in post-intervention mindfulness levels when controlling for baseline levels of mindfulness. This is the first study to experimentally demonstrate that engagement with rock-climbing increases mindfulness in young adults. Theoretically, the results have implications for our understanding of “flow” and optimal human experience. Practically, the study highlights the potential to implement rock-climbing as a resilience-building activity and integrate the sport within therapeutic frameworks.

Construction as Depicted in Western Art

The Art of Building has captured the interest of artists from the Roman period to today. The process of construction appears in western art in all its details, trades, and operations. Michael Tutton investigates the representation of building processes and materials through an examination of paintings, illuminated manuscripts, watercolours, prints, drawings and sculpture. Technical terms are explained and detailed interpretations of each work are provided, with insights into the artists' inspiration and themes. Even paintings not wholly or principally devoted to construction sites may give tantalising glimpses of building activity. How do these images convey meaning? How much is imagined; how much is authentic? Fully referenced endnotes, bibliography, and glossary complement the text and captions, informing not only the architectural and construction historian, but also those simply interested in art.

ECOSYSTEMS STATE OF EASTERN AND WESTERN BASINS OF SAKSKOE LAKE (CRIMEAN REPUBLIC)

Sakskoe Lake is the most thoroughly studied water body in Crimea. Its therapeutic mud and brine are exploited by balneological treatment methods. During the two centuries, when the lake was used by humans, it was subdivided into seven water bodies by dams, with two of these bodies (Eastern and Western) being now utilized for medical purposes, and the other five being protective. The Eastern (currently exploited) basin is now used to produce therapeutic mud and brine. The bottoms of the saline basins are covered by sediments: an upper layer of black silt, which is underlain by gray, steel-gray, occasionally bluish silt, which is used as therapeutic mud. The lake is fed by surface and groundwaters. Retaining dams and flood embankments erected in nearby ravines preclude desalination of the lake with flood and rain waters. Seawater is pumped to the lake through channels to preclude its drying. A quay is now actively constructed around the lake and will likely notably affect its hydrological and ecological conditions. The aim of the present study was the comparative analysis of the chemical and physical characteristics of the Eastern and Western basins of the Sakskoe Lake at the period of intensive building activity on their coasts at the summer period of 2019. Brine samples were collected at two tested sites in each of the lakes. Water salinity was measured by a PAL-06S LTA GO (Japan) refractometer and was expressed in ‰. The pH and Eh of the waters and oxygen dissolved in them were determined in the laboratory by an Expert-001 (Econix-Expert Moexa CoLtd, Russia) analyzer, with the use of appropriate Volta (Russia) selective electrodes. Ions concentration was determined spectrophotometrically and by atomic absorption method. Various living stages of Artemia populations in two water bodies were studied according the standard microscopic methods. The obtained results demonstrated, that the total content of the cations in the brine of the Western basin was in 1,5-fold higher as compared with the data of the brine in the Eastern basin (108,4 and 71,2 g/l respectively). The values were directly correlated with the high salinity of the Western basin brine. The identical trend was shown for the anions concentration, which was significantly greatly in the Western basin related to Eastern one (193,14 and 125,41 g/l correspondingly), which was connected with the different hydrogeological conditions of the formation of the ecosystems of the tested water bodies. At the other hand, pH, salinity and Eh of the brine in the Eastern basin were lower than in the brine of the Western basin, while the concentration of dissolved oxygen was higher. In the brine of the Eastern basin of the lake all living stages of Artemia, including cysts, nauplia and adults were found, while in the Western basin only cysts were shown. Therefore, according the obtained results we could suggest, that anthropogenic processes which were taken place on the coasts of the Sakskoe Lake accompanied with the intensive building activity did not influence on the lake ecosystem. The further monitoring studies including the testing of the ions concentrations in the brine of two basins, Artemia populations state are required for the understanding the changes of the both ecosystems and the possible reasons of their changes. It is important for development of the optimization of the management of Sakskoe lake and its resources exploitation.