PECTORAL FROM TOVSTA MOHYLA AS A REMINISCENCE OF THE SHIELD OF ACHILLES: SEARCHING THE ORIGIN OF IDEA

Pectorals in form of breast decoration of a moon-like shape were not peculiar for the Scythian culture. Many ideas on manufacturing the pectoral, which was found by B. Mozolevsky in 1971 during the Tovsta Mohyla excavations, were borrowed by the craftsman from the other culture environment. By the opinion of many researchers, the influence of different traditions of the ancient Greek art is easy-to-see in the pectoral’s composition. Besides, it is inheriting in frieze forming similarelly to sculptural compositions fronton of the Parthenon, borrowing motives of floral ornaments, coin plots etc. But the creative work of the author of pectoral could have been influenced not only by decorative art but the literary monument too. To the latter the Homer’s «Iliad» can be named, especially its 18th playsong, which describes Hephaestus manufacturing the Shield of Achilles. It is interesting that the Pectoral from Tovsta Mohyla was compared with the Shield of Achilles by many researchers (I. V. Yatsenko, L. A. Lelekov and D. S. Rayevsky, V. Y. Mukhaylin). As at its core both Shield of Achilles and the pectoral are pieces of art of high artistic merit, which represent world cosmologic pictures with the help of the opposite action areas made with high relief figures. The breast collars, which are widely known by the findings of Thrace and Macedonia, could lead to generation of ideas that influenced the pectoral’s invention. Such breast collars actually were small hanging shields, which protected in battle the warrior’s weakest spot. By their form and functions they are close to peltes — light skin shields of a moon-like shape. Such peltes were not only well known by toreuts who worked on the Scythians’ orders, but also were recreated by them in battle-pieces on the comb from Soloha and on the calathus from Vylyka Blysnytsya. So it can be considered that the pectoral’s conception was based on the different but connected ideas, borrowed by the craftsman from the military sphere. As a result of the composed transformation of the association chain the Shield of Achilles — Peltes shield — breast collars (or vise versa) and synthesis of several ideas, there was formed a general vision of the pectoral with the corresponding shape, composition structure and separate ornamental patterns.

Representation of Skin of Color in Rheumatology Educational Resources

Objective To investigate the availability of images representing black, indigenous, and people of color in rheumatology educational resources. Methods Colorized images were collected from 5 major educational resources and cataloged by educational resources they came from, underlying rheumatic conditions, and skin type. Fitzpatrick skin type (FST) was used to categorize images into "light", "dark", or "indeterminate". The images were initially scored by a fellow in the Division of Rheumatology and subsequently validated by a faculty member from the Department of Dermatology. Results Of the thousands of images reviewed, 1604 images met study criteria. Fitzpatrick skin type validation from Dermatology resulted in the re-coding of 111 images. The final scoring revealed 86% of the images to be light skin, 9% of images to be dark skin, and 5% of images to be indeterminate. Conclusion The paucity of dark skin images in rheumatology resources is incongruent with current diversity estimates in the United States. Significant efforts should be made to incorporate images of black, indigenous, and people of color into educational resources.

Performance of Artificial Intelligence Imaging Models in Detecting Dermatological Manifestations in Higher Fitzpatrick Skin Color Classifications

Background The performance of deep-learning image recognition models is below par when applied to images with Fitzpatrick classification skin types 4 and 5. Objective The objective of this research was to assess whether image recognition models perform differently when differentiating between dermatological diseases in individuals with darker skin color (Fitzpatrick skin types 4 and 5) than when differentiating between the same dermatological diseases in Caucasians (Fitzpatrick skin types 1, 2, and 3) when both models are trained on the same number of images. Methods Two image recognition models were trained, validated, and tested. The goal of each model was to differentiate between melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. Open-source images of melanoma and basal cell carcinoma were acquired from the Hellenic Dermatological Atlas, the Dermatology Atlas, the Interactive Dermatology Atlas, and DermNet NZ. Results The image recognition models trained and validated on images with light skin color had higher sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and F1 score than the image recognition models trained and validated on images of skin of color for differentiation between melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. Conclusions A higher number of images of dermatological diseases in individuals with darker skin color than images of dermatological diseases in individuals with light skin color would need to be gathered for artificial intelligence models to perform equally well.

Bridging The Gap: Demanding 1-1 Representation of Dark-Light Skin Tones Within Medical Lectures/Resources

Being a good physician means having the ability to recognize diseases in all kinds of individuals. This is especially true for skin lesions (e.g., acne, cancer), which present differently based on skin color and tone. Developing skin-tone-dependent diagnosing skills depends on the medical education (e.g., lectures, medical textbooks, and online board certification prep resources) and hands-on clinical experiences doctors receive. We find it alarming that medical students' gold standard resources overrepresent light skin and underrepresent dark skin to the point where many medical students can recognize a lesion on white skin but fail to recognize a similar lesion on dark skin. This lack of representation perpetuates race as a social determinant of health, leading to missed diagnoses and diagnosis at a later/worse stage in people of color. To combat this underrepresentation within medical education, we propose the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) amend Accreditation Standard 7: Curricular Content, Subsection 7.6: Cultural Competence and Health Care Disparities. The amendment is to include 1 of the 2 following policy changes, with preference for the top-down mandate: 1) Top-down Mandate: An objective measure and subsequent goal (1:1 representation) for the representation of skin of color within a school's medical lectures, which is evaluated by an LCME-approved curriculum committee and mandated for schools wishing to continue to be LCME accredited. 2) Bottom-up Individualized Institutional Goals: A requirement for schools to choose their own goal, create their committee, and evaluate their progress. These progress reports will be submitted to the LCME annually.

BLACK GIRL TRIES KOREAN MAKEUP: RACE, GENDER, AND TRANSNATIONAL PLATFORM

This study aims to theorize how YouTube fundamentally capitalizes the racial and gender identity of women of color and local culture in a way it facilitates inter-racial and inter-cultural conflicts. I specifically focus on so-called K-beauty (Korean beauty), a catchy trend on YouTube which encompasses aesthetics, cosmetic products, and beauty ideals from South Korea, characterized by pursuing glowing, dewy, and light skin tone featuring a variety of skincare products. K-beauty is now being adopted by non-Koreans in North America including Black women influencers on the borderless platform of YouTube, who created the Black Girl Tries Korean Makeup video series. By using a Critical Technocultural Discourse Analysis approach, I examined YouTube videos, comments, as well as the module titled “Building a Global Channel” to analyze not only the contents and discourses around that but also the platform that might have shaped this intercultural flow on YouTube. Black women YouTubers actively critiqued the light skin preference, as well as anti-Blackness reflected in K-beauty brands through the Black Girls, Tries Korean Makeup video series. Korean viewers, on the other hand, strongly rejected these accusations of the anti-Black aspect of K-beauty, explaining distinctive Korean racial dynamic as a one-ethnic country where the light skin preference is not translated to the anti-Blackness. I argue that this inter-cultural and inter-racial conflict arguably has been shaped by YouTube’s digital infrastructure that prioritizes short, trendy, how-to-style videos, that do not require a lengthy contextualization of each culture’s beauty practices, and history of oppressions.

Performance of Artificial Intelligence Imaging Models in Detecting Dermatological Manifestations in Higher Fitzpatrick Skin Color Classifications (Preprint)

BACKGROUND The performance of deep-learning image recognition models is below par when applied to images with Fitzpatrick classification skin types 4 and 5. OBJECTIVE The objective of this research was to assess whether image recognition models perform differently when differentiating between dermatological diseases in individuals with darker skin color (Fitzpatrick skin types 4 and 5) than when differentiating between the same dermatological diseases in Caucasians (Fitzpatrick skin types 1, 2, and 3) when both models are trained on the same number of images. METHODS Two image recognition models were trained, validated, and tested. The goal of each model was to differentiate between melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. Open-source images of melanoma and basal cell carcinoma were acquired from the Hellenic Dermatological Atlas, the Dermatology Atlas, the Interactive Dermatology Atlas, and DermNet NZ. RESULTS The image recognition models trained and validated on images with light skin color had higher sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and F1 score than the image recognition models trained and validated on images of skin of color for differentiation between melanoma and basal cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS A higher number of images of dermatological diseases in individuals with darker skin color than images of dermatological diseases in individuals with light skin color would need to be gathered for artificial intelligence models to perform equally well.

South Asian Youth in Canada : Young Women Negotiating Mainstream Representations of Colour

South Asian women in Canada negotiate mainstream representations of skin colour, in a context where light skin is systemically privileged through marketing “whiteness” as a desirable and attainable ideal for beauty and success. A semiotic analysis of two web spaces target at young, South Asian woman in the West will be undertaken, to reveal the constructions of colour which favour dominant ideology. However, it can also be seen that such spaces serve as a means to challenge hegemonic constructions and provide a platform for South Asian visibility in the mainstream. In considering colourism within the South Asian context, it is imperative to reflect on systemic power imbalances and colonial history, which have shaped the experiences of South Asian communities. Key words: South Asia; Gender; Colourism; Youth; Semiotic analysis; Media representations.

South Asian Youth in Canada : Young Women Negotiating Mainstream Representations of Colour

South Asian women in Canada negotiate mainstream representations of skin colour, in a context where light skin is systemically privileged through marketing “whiteness” as a desirable and attainable ideal for beauty and success. A semiotic analysis of two web spaces target at young, South Asian woman in the West will be undertaken, to reveal the constructions of colour which favour dominant ideology. However, it can also be seen that such spaces serve as a means to challenge hegemonic constructions and provide a platform for South Asian visibility in the mainstream. In considering colourism within the South Asian context, it is imperative to reflect on systemic power imbalances and colonial history, which have shaped the experiences of South Asian communities. Key words: South Asia; Gender; Colourism; Youth; Semiotic analysis; Media representations.

Genetic analysis of the human remains of the burials of the 17th–18th centuries of the Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh (Belarus)

During archaeological excavation in the territory of the Corpus Christi Church in Nesvizh, the regular burials dated to the 17th–18th centuries were discovered. The genetic material extracted from the bones of seven unidentified individuals was analyzed using the forensic genetics approaches, including STR profiling and DNA phenotyping. The genetic examination revealed that the remains of three samples (#1, #2, #6) belonged to women, and the four others (#3, #4, #5, and #7) belonged to men. Autosomal STR-data and Y-chromosomal profiles were obtained for five samples. The kinship analysis excluded that woman #1 and men #3, #4, #5, #7 were first-degree relatives. According to the Y-STR profiles, men #3, #4, #7 referred to the haplogroup R1a, the haplotype of individual #5 corresponded to I2. The both haplogroups are widely represented in Eastern Europe, which, with a high degree of probability, suggests the Slavic origin of the individuals under investigation. To predict eye and hair color, we used the HIrisPlex DNA phenotyping system. The analysis gave the satisfactory results for woman #1 and man #7. In correspondence to the allelic variants of the 24 SNP system, woman #1 had an intermediate type of iris pigmentation and dark blond hair (p = 0.635) with dark shade (0.639), light skin tone, low tendency to sunburn, and a high probability of freckles and pigmented spots of the skin. For male #7, the HIrisPlex model predicted blue eye color with a high probability (p = 0.915), as well as blond hair color (p = 0.915) and light hair color shade (p = 0.962). Our data allow us to conclude that the unknown individuals under investigation have significant genetical and phenotypical similarity with the modern Belarusian population.