Social Cohesion and Conflict Dynamics on Social Media

On May 20, 2021, the Canadian Association for Security and Intelligence Studies (CASIS) Vancouver hosted a digital roundtable where Dr. Lisa Schirch, Senior Research Fellow and Social Media, Technology and Peacebuilding Programme Director at the Toda Peace Institute, presented on Social Cohesion and Conflict Dynamics on Social Media. The presentation was followed by a question-and-answer period with questions from the audience and CASIS Vancouver executives.

Interview with professor of philosophy Hans-Martin Sass. November 15-18, 2020

Hans-Martin Sass, Honorary Professor of Philosophy (Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany). Founder and board member of the Centre for Medical Ethics (CME), Bochum, Germany. Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Honorary Professor of the Bioethics Research Centre, Beijing. He has written more than 60 books and pamphlets, more than 250 articles in professional journals. Editor of the Ethik in der Praxis/ Practical ethics, Muenster: Lit. Founder and co-editor of the brochures “Medizinethische Materialien”, Bochum: ZME. He has lectured in Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, the Chech Republic, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, France, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan. The interview devoted to exposition of the concept of bioethics in America and Germany, as well as the professor`s attitude to the idea of the integrative concept of bioethics. The concept of integrative bioethics has been developed in different countries, a component of this concept is the idea of the need for discussion on bioethics in various sectors of society (not only medical). Equally important in this concept are the definitions of bioethics and the bioethical imperative proposed by Fritz Jahr in 1926. The scientist`s article, which was discovered in 1997, contains a new format of bioethical ideas, as well as a valuable opportunity to enhance understanding the term of bioethics as an integrative science. Interview has been conducted by Hanna Hubenko as a part of the joint international course «Integrative Bioethics». At the meeting it was discussed the experience of cooperation and plans for the future. Cooperation and feedback between scientists remains an unconditional prerogative, also in a pandemic situation (to be continued).

REVIEW CULTURAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SLOVENIAN SOCIETY AND ITS ATTITUDE TOWARDS SECURITY AND THE MILITARY

In June 2021, a scientific monograph by Dr Janja Vuga Beršnak was published, titled Kulturne značilnosti slovenske družbe in njen odnos do varnosti: vojska na stičišču zahtev države, pričakovanj družbe in lastne pohlepnosti . It has been reviewed by DD Rudi Rizman, Professor Emeritus, from the Faculty of Arts in Ljubljana; Dr Majda Hrženjak, senior research fellow at the Peace Institute in Ljubljana, and Dr Ljubica Jelušič from the Faculty of Social Sciences in Ljubljana. The monograph has 180 pages and forms a part of the Varnostne študije (Security Studies) collection (ed. Dr Anton Grizold, Prof) published by the Faculty of Social Sciences publishing house. Methodologically, the monograph is divided into three content sets: macro-, mezzo- and micro level, and individual level. At the macro level, the author first describes Slovenian culture. This is followed by the description of Slovenian society and security culture in the context of acceptable "risk", which she calls “the security bubble”, and finally, by a chapter on Slovenian society and its armed forces. The mezzo- and micro levels are first devoted to the future of military organizations: their culture and identity, followed by a chapter on the gender representativeness of the military organization. The author concludes this set with a chapter on the motivation for the military profession. In the last set, she focuses on the psychosocial framework of the functioning of members of a military organization, and on the risk and protection factors affecting them and their families. The presented topics indicate a step forward in the study of military sociology-related contents in Slovenia, specifically in the field of health and well-being. Dr. Janja Vuga Beršnak is Associate Professor and Senior Research Fellow at the Faculty of Social Sciences. She has discoursed the cultural aspects of the activities of members of the armed forces in international operations and missions as early as in her dissertation. In this scientific monograph, she explores the rarely presented dimensions of security culture, i.e. the relationship between the military and security from a cultural perspective. Her work is based on the research by probably one of the most famous authors in the field of research of interactions the between national and organizational cultures, a Dutchman Geert Hofstede, who died last year at the age of 91. Hofstede included Slovenia in one of his researches in 1991, when he researched the culture of business corporations (IBM). As early as in that period, he discovered, what was later confirmed in 2021 by Dr Andreja Terpotec in her doctoral dissertation on national culture in Slovenia in connection with corruption, and by Dr Janja Vuga Beršnak on the case of Slovenian society and its attitude towards the military. Slovenian culture is predominantly female-oriented, which means that it is determined by female qualities such as modesty, helping others and the weak, caring and nurturing good interpersonal relationships, compared to male-determined cultures, which are characterized by self-confidence, strength, determination, competition and success. The military organization and its mission are both based on a male-determined culture. Its members must demonstrate strength, self-confidence, determination and success. Only with such a culture is it possible to defend the homeland and deter various forms of threats. We could make a rough estimate that, considering the attitude of the state and the society towards its military, Slovenia is experiencing a harmonious relationship between two partners. In more depth, however, the author of the monograph notes that these two different cultural determinants have certain characteristics that should be understood, researched and taken into account in many processes and public policies; all with one single purpose – to ensure the safety and successful performance of each individual in the military and families of these individuals, and the security of the country as a whole. The monograph brings valuable findings and a completely different, fresh, very welcome, new perspective of the understanding of certain phenomena and characteristics in the broader international environment, but especially in Slovenia. Ever since the last global financial crisis, when the funds for the Slovenian Armed Forces were steadily being cut, there has been an impression that the armed forces were experiencing long-lasting cramp twinges that were by no means easing away. There was an impression that the attitude of the Slovenian state and the society towards the national armed forces resembled a relationship between a stepmother and a stepchild, whereby the former only demands and never gives. Gradually and after a long time, the cramp twinges subsided. This new monograph will facilitate the understanding of Slovenian culture, our society, the Slovenian Armed Forces and its families, and our diverse relations. An important role in the understanding of all of the above is certainly played by the monograph’s author Dr Janja Vuga Beršnak. She has consistently followed the scientific methodology, laws, views and various pieces of literature and sources throughout her research, and at the same time has personal experience of what a military family is, what are its benefits, and what it requires, being a greedy institution.

First person – Pragya Chandrakar

ABSTRACTFirst Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Journal of Cell Science, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Pragya Chandrakar is first author on ‘Jagged–Notch-mediated divergence of immune cell crosstalk maintains the anti-inflammatory response in visceral leishmaniasis’, published in JCS. Pragya conducted the research described in this article while a Senior Research Fellow in Dr Susanta Kar's lab at the CSIR Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, India. She is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the lab of Dr John Chan at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA, investigating the different possible mechanisms by which foreign pathogens breach the immune system.

THE RESEARCHS IN THE MIDDLE DNIESTER BASIN IN 2009—2019

The paper deals with the course of exploration of the multilayered archaeological sites of the Middle Dniester within the Kamianets-Podilskyi district of Khmelnytskyi region. During 2009—2014 P. Boltaniuk (Head of the «Museum of Antiquities» sector of the Kamianets-Podilskyi State Historical Museum-Reserve, hereinafter — K-PSHMR) and I. Starenkyi made a number of explorations on the multilayered site Kamianets-Podilskyi, Tatarysky (Trypillia culture, Chernyakhiv culture, Kievan Rus age) near the Smotrych village. In 2012 O. Mohylov (Senior Research Fellow, IA NAS of Ukraine) and P. Boltaniuk have explored the multilayered site Malynivtsi on the left bank of the Dniester (Early and Middle Trypillia, Late Chornolis, Early Scy­thian culture, antiquities of the Middle Ages — Modern age). In 2019 the study of this site was continued by the expedition of the K-PSHMR (authors and P. Boltaniuk) which also made further exploration along the left bank of the Dniester River to the Zhvanets village which permits to survey the sites Malynivtsi, Popivskyi Yar (Trypillia, Early Iron Age, Cherniakhiv, Kievan Rus antiquities), Babshyn (Trypillia A, Chernyakhiv culture), Braga (destroyed). The authors’ main focus was on the analysis of Middle Trypillia findings from the Kamianets-Podilskyi, Tatarysky and Malynivtsi sites of the BII stage. Firstly the characteristic ornamental features of the pottery were identified. The mapping of the site to the second phase of the Mereshovka local-chronological group was justified. Concerning the settlement of Malynivtsi the analysis of the pottery complex made it possible to trace the main features of the first phase of the Shypyntsi group and the influences of the Mereshovka ornamental traditions. As a result we managed to attribute the site to the Shypyntsi-Mereshovka contact area. The history of the study of these monuments is described, the materials obtained are analyzed, the attention is paid to the problems and prospects of studying and preserving the monuments.

Future Leader to Watch – Fabrizio Alberti

ABSTRACTFuture Leader to Watch is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of Reviews published in Biology Open, helping early-career researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Fabrizio Alberti is first author on ‘Recent developments of tools for genome and metabolome studies in basidiomycete fungi and their application to natural product research’, published in BiO. Fabrizio is a Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow (Senior Research Fellow) at the School of Life Sciences and Department of Chemistry, University of Warwick, UK, investigating the discovery and biosynthetic characterisation of natural products made by fungi and bacteria.

Interview with Dr Crystal Abidin

Dr Crystal Abidin is a digital anthropologist and ethnographer who examines internet culture, based at Curtin University in Western Australia as a Senior Research Fellow and ARC DECRA fellow in Internet Studies. Her current research focuses on influencer cultures, online visibility, and social media pop cultures, especially in East Asia and the Asia Pacific, reflecting also on life as an anthropologist whose work traverses both online and physical spaces and relationships. In her visit to Bangor as a keynote speaker for the Evolution of Media MeCCSA PGN conference, Dr Crystal discussed one of her more recent projects about vulnerable communities on Tumblr, exploring the evolution of culture, practice, and her research within this space.

THEORIST, PRACTITIONER, ORGANIZER OF EXPERIMENTAL WORK IN ANIMAL HUSBANDRY OF UKRAINE

The article purpose is to cover main milestones of life and scientific path, systematize scientific heritage of famous scientist-breeder in field of animal husbandry, Doctor of Agricultural science, Professor V. Yu. Nedava (1925–2009). Material and methods of research are based on general scientific principles of historical accuracy, objectivity, systematicity, complexity, scientificness, miltifactoriality and comprehensiveness. The source base of the research is manuscripts (archives) and printed documents (statistical materials, scientific papers). It is identified three periods of scientific activity Professor V. Yu. Nedava. During first of them (1950–1961) he worked at Transcarpathian State Agricultural Experimental Station as Senior Research Fellow, Head of Department of Animal Husbandry and Depute Director on Scientific Path. The main directions of scientific activities, which were characteristic for this period, improvement of Brown Carpathian cattle. Like the most significant achievements the authors considered establishing the bread area, its origin, studing the exterior-constitutional features, patterns of dairy and beaf productivity formation, drawing up the first perspective plan of breeding work with the breed. Scientist have developed and introduced an oroginal method of ecological selection on the exampl of Brown Carpathian cattle. The second period (1961–1975) was marked his activities on base Kyiv Experimental Station of Animal Husbandry «Terezine» in the positions Senior Research Fellow, Head of Department of Cattle Breeding and Depute Director on Scientific Work. He developed the basics of improving the productive and tribal qualities of the Simmental and Black-and-White cattle at pure breeding and crossbreeding, as well as the production of beef by commercial crossing. The most important achievements are the method of estimation of tribal animals for feed conversion with milk, the basics of the increasing of milk fat of the Simmental by the method of introductive crossing. The third period of scientist activities covered 1975–1986 and related to his leading of Ukrainian Scientific Research Institute of Breeding and Artificial Insemination of Cattle (now Institute Animal Breeding and Genetics named after M.V.Zubets NAAS. Key directions of scientist activities are organization of material and technical base, deployment of system scientific researches on breeding and selection, genetics and reproduction of farm animal. It is shown that due to his purposeful activity the experimental and tribal bases of the institute were created, that contributed to the organization of successful scientific efforts of its collective, introduction of the most promising scientific developments in the tribal farms. V. Yu. Nedava main achievements of this period – creation high-productive competitive specialized breeds and types of cattle on the base reproductive crossing, modern methods of genetics and biotechnology were highlighted. Since 1986 he moved to teaching work in National Agrarian University (now National University of Life and Environmental Sciences of Ukraine). The scientific heritage of the scientist was systematized into such blocks: planning and organization of breed work; schemes for organization of large-scale selection in animal husbandry; substantiation of the concept of development of specialized cattle breeding; introduction of intensive technologies of milk and beef production; principles of the theory of tribal selection; breeding, estimation and bull rational use; fundamentals of increasing of cattle milk fat; use the heterosis effect in cattle breeding and others.