Social Stratification of the Alans of North Caucasus (IV-IX Cents. A.D.)

Dmitry Korobov. Social Stratification of the Alans of the North Caucasus (4th-9th Centuries A.D.) There were two stages to this project: studies of the differences between local groups of catacomb cemeteries in the North Caucasus, and an analysis of social ranks among the Alans on the basis of the large cemeteries. The first stage involved a cluster analysis of 100 cemeteries on the basis of the variables of longitude and latitude, which made it possible to identify 11 local groups of cemeteries. This was followed by a study of the difference between burial rites charcterising flat graves and barrow burials and between catacombs of different periods within these two main groups. Korobov then looked at the difference between the catacombs of various local groups. The second step was an investigation of the social structure of the Alanic tribes. Here Korobov first selected gender-specific grave goods of adult burials on the basis of large cemeteries, and compared single male and female burials on the basis of the associated grave goods. He then used a cluster analysis to draw up a subdivision of male and female burials according to their grave goods, and interpreted the results obtained with the help of ethnographic and written sources.

Social Representations of Politics

Cezary Trutkowski (Poland). Social representations of Politics. Mr. Trutkowski is an assistant in the Institute for Social Research of the University of Warsaw and worked on this research from August 1997 to July 1999. Research into social representations requires the use of various methods to show the phenomenon from different angles. In contrast with the contemporary trend towards the measurement of attitudes in opinion surveys, Trutkowski examined social representations of politics in order to study the problem of political participation. He thus aimed to study a problem which he sees as social in nature from a really sociological perspective. His research revealed a very distinctive difference between the social representations of politics shared by politicians and by the general public. The former consider politics in general as struggle for power which can be used to pursue their own vision of social order. They perceive political activity as a kind of homage to be paid to the greater idea that they pursue. At the same time, politicians admitted that politics is very often treated by political actors as a means of gaining personal profit, becoming purely a fight for the power to rule. According to voters, politicians should be treated as employees on a contract, the duration of which depends on their performance. Politics is therefore not a homage to an idea but a service to citizens. They did however admit that this is wishful thinking in Poland today. A content analysis of electoral campaigns confirmed the dark side of the representation of politics: politicians spend the campaign making promises and presenting visions on television, and quarrelling and fighting in everyday activities that were reported by the press. Trutkowski sees his research as a contribution to the foundations of a new approach to studying mass phenomena. By reviving some forgotten ideas of Durkheim and the Chicago School and incorporating the theory of social representations with a new methodological programme, he believes that it is possible to build a more social social psychology and sociology.

The Social Desintegration of an Ethnical German Group from Romanian Village Community Comparative with a Romanian Group and Hungarian Group from some Village Their Integration into the German Society

Zarna is witness to the disappearance of the Swabian community in Santana, a process which seems to date back to before the major changes in Central and Eastern Europe. His project showed how a strong German ethnic community, formed more than 250 years ago, has virtually disappeared from the village of Santana (Romania). Zarna presents the causes leading to the loss of their ethnic identity, of their culture, traditions and of the collective reproduction of their ethnicity, although the last Swabians remaining in the village have preserved their individual identity and not let themselves be assimilated. The policy of the former communist regime is not sufficient to explain the decline of the German ethnic group, nor is the present international context with its varying effects on the form and reproduction of their ethnic identity. Zarna has analysed the origins of the Swabian community, its development, historical changes (both desired and imposed) and the disappearance of elements that determined their German culture and their pride in being German. The Germans have demobilised more rapidly than other ethnic groups in Romania, partly because of Germany's pro-emigration policy over the last two decades. Many of the emigrants were however, poorly prepared for emigration and have not been able to recreate the prosperous financial situation which they left. The prevalent feeling among those interviewed was disappointment and this increases with age and education.

Men at risk The Physical, Mental and Social Health of Men in Massachusetts

In 2009, Clark University was accepted as the university to represent Massachusetts in the National Policy Institute for Family Impact Seminars at the University of Wisconsin – Madison (http://familyimpactseminars.org). Family Impact Seminars are a series of annual seminars, briefing reports, and discussion sessions that provide up-to-date, solution-oriented research on current issues for state legislators, their aides, and legislative support bureau personnel. The seminars provide objective, nonpartisan research on current issues and do not lobby for particular policies. Seminar participants discuss policy options and identify common ground where it exists.

Intra-annual radial growth and water relations of trees - implications towards a growth mechanism

There is a missing link between tree physiological and wood-anatomical knowledge which makes it impossible mechanistically to explain and predict the radial growth of individual trees from climate data. Empirical data of microclimatic factors, intra-annual growth rates, and tree-specific ratios between actual and potential transpiration (T PET−1) of trees of three species (Quercus pubescens, Pinus sylvestris, and Picea abies) at two dry sites in the central Wallis, Switzerland, were recorded from 2002 to 2004 at a 10 min resolution. This included the exceptionally hot and dry summer of 2003. These data were analysed in terms of direct (current conditions) and indirect impacts (predispositions of the past year) on growth. Rain was found to be the only factor which, to a large extent, consistently explained the radial increment for all three tree species at both sites and in the short term as well. Other factors had some explanatory power on the seasonal time-scale only. Quercus pubescens built up much of its tree ring before bud break. Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies started radial growth 1–2 weeks after Quercus pubescens and this was despite the fact that they had a high T PET−1 before budburst and radial growth started. A high T PET−1 was assumed to be related to open stomata, a very high net CO2 assimilation rate, and thus a potential carbon (C)-income for the tree. The main period of radial growth covered about 30–70% of the productive days of a year. In terms of C-allocation, these results mean that Quercus pubescens depended entirely on internal C-stores in the early phase of radial growth and that for all three species there was a long time period of C-assimilation which was not used for radial growth in above-ground wood. The results further suggest a strong dependence of radial growth on the current tree water relations and only secondarily on the C-balance. A concept is discussed which links radial growth over a feedback loop to actual tree water-relations and long-term affected C-storage to microclimate.

The Equilibrium Relations of Nickel Sulfide with Copper and Sodium Sulfides

The equilibrium relations of many of the metallic sulfides have long been a source of scientific and commer­cial interest, of particular interest, are the sulfides of nickel and copper, since the economic recovery of both of these useful metals, from their ores, involves the formation of a sulfide at some stage of the operations.