To be or not to be: reassessing the origins of portable art in the Cantabrian Region (Northern Spain)

The characterization of the first portable artistic depictions in Cantabrian Spain is crucial for comprehension of the symbolic development of Neandertals and Homo sapiens in the context of the passage from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic. However, despite the importance of these first graphic representations, their study has tended to lack the application of suitable methodologies to be able to discriminate between graphic activity and other kind of alterations (use-wear, taphonomic, or post-depositional). The present study has examined a significant sample of Middle and Upper Paleolithic lithic and osseous objects from Cantabrian Spain that have been cited as evidence of graphic activity in the literature. The contexts in which the objects were found have been considered, and the objects have been analyzed through the microscopic observation of the marks to distinguish between incisions, pecking, and engraving made for a non-functional purpose (graphic activity) and those generated by diverse functional actions or taphonomic processes (cutmarks, trampling, root marks, percussion scars, and use-wear). The results show that some regional Middle Paleolithic osseous objects display incisions that are neither functional nor taphonomic and whose characteristics are similar to graphic evidence attributed to Neandertals in Europe and the Near East. In turn, the first portable art produced by Homo sapiens in the Cantabrian Spain seems to be limited mostly to linear signs, and no figurative representation can be recognized until the Gravettian. This appears to indicate a particular idiosyncrasy of the region in the Early Upper Paleolithic, which, in comparison with other regions such as south-west France and the Swabian Jura, shows a later and less abundant production of portable art.

Overimitation in Dogs: Is there a Link to the Quality of the Relationship with the Caregiver?

Overimitation, the copying of causally irrelevant or non-functional actions, is well-known from humans but completely absent in other primates. Recent studies from our lab have provided evidence for overimitation in canines. Previously, we found that half of tested pet dogs copied their human caregiver's irrelevant action, while only few did so when the action was demonstrated by an unfamiliar experimenter. Therefore, we hypothesized that dogs show overimitation as a result of socio-motivational grounds. To test this more specifically, here we investigated how the relationship with the caregiver influenced the eagerness to overimitate. Given the high variability in the tendency to overimitate their caregiver, we hypothesized that not only familiarity, but also relationship quality influences whether dogs faithfully copy their caregiver. For this purpose, we measured on the one hand the overimitation tendency (with the same test as in the two studies before) and on the other hand the relationship quality between the dogs and their caregivers. Although not significant, results revealed that dogs who overimitated seemed to show more referential and affiliative behaviours towards the owner (like gazing, synchronization and greeting) than dogs who showed less or no copying of the irrelevant action. Possible reasons for these findings are discussed.

THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF FORMATION OF THE MECHANISM OF MANAGEMENT OF FINANCIAL STABILITY OF THE ENTERPRISE

The article considers the policy of managing the financial stability of the enterprise. The interpretation of the concept of financial stability by economists is compared, the definition is compared. Ensuring the financial stability of enterprises and strengthening its competitiveness through the use of a set of measures to improve financial management in the short term is analyzed. The financial stability management mechanism is presented as a set of interconnected blocks and a sequence of interconnected stages. The necessity to apply the tools of financial stability management to harmonize the purpose of the developed strategy with the general strategy of the enterprise for further implementation is substantiated. In addition, the mechanism for managing the financial stability of the enterprise is presented as a system of subjects for managing the financial stability of the enterprise and their parameters of the structure and volume of financial assets. It is analyzed that the content of this control mechanism is manifested in its functions, which ensure the achievement of the goal and the implementation of a certain set of tasks. The complexity of the organization of the mechanism of management of financial stability of the industrial enterprise is caused. It is determined that the purpose of the mechanism is to form a management that should ensure a balance between the internal system of the enterprise and its external environment, taking into account the preservation of integrity in the process of structural change, performance of functional actions and expanded reproduction of capital.

Trace Amine-Associated Receptor 1 Contributes to Diverse Functional Actions of O-Phenyl-Iodotyramine in Mice but Not to the Effects of Monoamine-Based Antidepressants

Trace Amine-Associated Receptor 1 (TAAR1) is a potential target for the treatment of depression and other CNS disorders. However, the precise functional roles of TAAR1 to the actions of clinically used antidepressants remains unclear. Herein, we addressed these issues employing the TAAR1 agonist, o-phenyl-iodotyramine (o-PIT), together with TAAR1-knockout (KO) mice. Irrespective of genotype, systemic administration of o-PIT led to a similar increase in mouse brain concentrations. Consistent with the observation of a high density of TAAR1 in the medial preoptic area, o-PIT-induced hypothermia was significantly reduced in TAAR1-KO mice. Furthermore, the inhibition of a prepulse inhibition response by o-PIT, as well as its induction of striatal tyrosine hydroxylase phosphorylation and elevation of extracellular DA in prefrontal cortex, were all reduced in TAAR1-KO compared to wildtype mice. O-PIT was active in both forced-swim and marble-burying tests, and its effects were significantly blunted in TAAR1-KO mice. Conversely, the actions on behaviour and prefrontal cortex dialysis of a broad suite of clinically used antidepressants were unaffected in TAAR1-KO mice. In conclusion, o-PIT is a useful tool for exploring the hypothermic and other functional antidepressant roles of TAAR1. By contrast, clinically used antidepressants do not require TAAR1 for expression of their antidepressant properties.

Functional actions of hands and tools influence attention in peripersonal space

Human perceptual and attentional systems operate to help us perform functional and adaptive actions in the world around us. In this review, we consider different regions of peripersonal space—peri-hand space, reachable space, and tool space when used in both peri- and extrapersonal space. Focusing on behavioural and electrophysiology/event-related potentials (EEG/ERP) studies using comparable target detection paradigms, we examine how visuospatial attention is facilitated or differentiated due to the current proximity and functional capabilities of our hands and the tools we hold in them. The functionality of the hand and tool is defined by the action goals of the user and the available functional affordances or parts available to achieve the goals. Finally, we report recent tool-use studies examining how the distribution of attention to tool space can change as a result of tool functionality and directional action crossing peripersonal and extrapersonal space boundaries. We propose that the functional capabilities of the hand and tools direct attention to action-relevant regions of peripersonal space. Although neural mechanisms such as bimodal neurons may enhance the processing of visual information presented in near-hand regions of peripersonal space, functional experience and the relevance of the space for upcoming actions more strongly direct attention within regions of peripersonal space. And, while some aspects of functionality can be extended into extrapersonal space, the multimodal nature of peripersonal space allows it to be more modifiable in the service of action.

Estimation of Efficiency of Functional Additives in Winter Diesel Fuels of Different Hydrocarbon-Type Content

The paper reviews the structural and group composition of three basic winter diesel fuels and its influence on the low-temperature and lubricating properties of fuels. It is shown that a high content of saturated hydrocarbons, primarily medium-molecular n-alkanes, and arenes with a higher proportion of substitution leads to a deterioration of low-temperature properties. A decrease in the proportion of medium-molecular alkanes and even a slight increase in the content of bi - and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons impairs the lubricating properties of the fuel.The influence of the component composition of diesel fuels on the effectiveness of anti-wear and depressor-dispersing additives was noted. The study of compatibility of additives of different functional actions revealed that the anti-wear additive based on fatty acids of tallow oil does not affect the activity of the depressant-dispersing additive, while the combined use of these additives slightly worsens the lubricating properties, but does not lead this indicator beyond the established standards.

Wayfinding: How Ecological Perspectives of Navigating Dynamic Environments Can Enrich Our Understanding of the Learner and the Learning Process in Sport

Wayfinding is the process of embarking upon a purposeful, intentional, and self-regulated journey that takes an individual from an intended region in one landscape to another. This process is facilitated through an individual’s capacity to utilise temporally structured, functional actions embedded within a particular environmental niche. Thus, individuals learn of their performance landscapes by experiencing them through interactions, detecting and exploiting its many features to ‘find their way’. In this opinion piece, we argue that these ecological and anthropological conceptualisations of human navigation can, metaphorically, deepen our understanding of the learner and the learning process in sport, viewed through the lens of ecological dynamics. Specifically, we consider sports practitioners as (learning) landscape designers, and learners as wayfinders; individuals who learn to skilfully self-regulate through uncharted fields (composed of emergent problems) within performance landscapes through a deeply embodied and embedded perception-action coupling. We contend that, through this re-configuration of the learner and the learning process in sport, practitioners may better enact learning designs that afford learners exploratory freedoms, learning to perceive and utilise available opportunities for action to skilfully navigate through emergent performance-related problems. We conclude the paper by offering two practical examples in which practitioners have designed practice landscapes that situate learners as wayfinders and the learning process in sport as wayfinding.

Modeling of reasoning when searching for objects in images

Visual patterns, for example, handwritten letters or objects of aerospace observations, are highly variable. The high variety and large volume of unstructured information lead to the need for complex and resource-intensive calculations. Unfortunately, image analysis approaches based on the domain ontology do not specify any method for automatic selection of criteria (features) and decision-making rules. Insufficient structuredness of cases and a large variability of object images lead to a rapid growth of the case base, which significantly reduces the performance of the decision support system. The article proposes an approach to the structural analysis of images, which consists in sequential refinement of objects' features and weakening of interpretation rules during an iterative search of facts using the ontology of images represented as attributed graphs of relationships between elements of objects. The algorithm of reasoning on graphic information consists in the sequence of task (functional) actions necessary for processing and analyzing the image in accordance with the task, the actions of the system to prepare conditions for their implementation, as well as to organize and manage the reasoning process.

Defining Key Determinants of the Strategic Economic Security of the Agro-Industrial Complex in Terms of Stabilizing Political Course

The key determinants of the strategic economic security of the agro-industrial complex in the conditions of a stabilizing political course on food security ensure the state of the facility in which it is possible to carry out conceptual and functional actions built on goals and principles. The composition and structure of the agro-industrial complex of the state is multicomponent and systemic, it contains many internal connecting blocks and interdependent structures. The uneven development of some agricultural systems occures in the lag of technologies and assortment content. Disruptions in supply and marketing, as well as emergency circumstances cause crop failure, cattle death, which significantly affects the systemic component of economic security. A decrease in food security leads to a decrease in the country’s food security due to the decline in the development of an entire industry.

Information and Communication (Computer) Technologies in the Musical Art of Pop: Pedagogical Aspect

Theincentive to writethis article was the author’s belief that one of the promising directions of further development of the musical art of pop is the introduction of information and communication (computer) technologies in the process of training students in the class of pop vocal. Special attention in the article is paid to the characterization of indicators of professional training of future musicians for working with information (electronic) resources. In the context of the use of electronic educational resources in an information educational environment, the functional actions are listed that are performed by students in mastering such resources. A review of the approaches of researchers to the interpretation of concepts is presented: “pedagogical technology”, “teaching computer technologies”, “music­computer technologies”. The author’s classification of electronic educational resources is given, which is based on the classification developed by S. P. Polozov. The modification proposed in the article is made taking into account the use of such resources in the process of teaching musicians to pop vocals.