A new series of 22 radiocarbon dates provides new insights on the origin and distribution of the Early Trypillian archaeological culture in modern-day Moldova and Ukraine. The paper presents data from the sites of preceding groups (5 dates), highlighting gaps in the agricultural settlement of the region, dates related to the Early Trypillia directly (14 dates) and dates from the ceramic hunter-gatherers’ sites that yielded some Early Trypillian pottery (3 dates). The results indicate that the expansion of Early Trypillia into Moldovan and Ukrainian forest-steppe took place during 47–45th centuries BCE and it was a relatively fast colonization likely spanning only 3–5 generations.

The chronology of the Inka Empire is poorly resolved, with most scholars utilizing a post hoc ethnohistoric reconstruction of imperial expansion as a common reference point. Radiocarbon-based analyses can now accomplish sufficient resolution for meaningful independent estimates of Inka chronology, however, and it is incumbent upon archaeologists to develop such appraisals. Here we produce a Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon data from the Upper Loa River area of northern Chile to estimate the timing of Inka incorporation of this region. In order to accurately associate samples with Inka rule, only radiocarbon dates from Inka sites without prior occupations are used (n = 34), producing a model for the onset of Inka rule of AD 1401–1437 (95% hpd) with a median date of AD 1420. This estimate is further used as a point of comparison for understanding diachronic imperial processes in the region. Site-level models of a variety of site types indicate that the Inka rapidly founded several administrative/mining bases at the onset, followed by the addition of smaller infrastructure components during a second pulse of activity near the middle of the 15th century. Date assemblages at the agricultural sites of Topaín and Paniri also indicate a decline in activity at the former and an increase in activity at the latter from early on in Inka rule. These results provide a high-resolution data point for reconstructing Inka imperial chronology, and expanding such studies will be essential to understanding processes of Inka imperialism at larger scales.

Within computer-based and live electronic music, the values of competition, power, control and innovation dominate. Women continue to be under-represented in technical roles across production, management and software development. To address this imbalance, I examine how feminist frameworks and values can be applied to challenging the biases that influence uneven gender distribution within music technology development. Focusing on live embodied composition and computing where performative and design roles intersect, I explore the work of women composers who design or co-create bespoke systems that feature the body, reimagining the norms of music technology development while exposing insights about gender, race and body types in the sound and music industries. Referencing the work of Laetitia Sonami and Lauren Sarah Hayes, I argue that their embodied design practices constitute a type of activism that promote the feminist values of human computer interaction (HCI), including collaboration, transparency and empathy, countering dominant audio equipment and software design values oriented towards precise, perfected and disposable designs created in a hierarchical fashion.

This research communication aimed at assessing the microbial quality and preparation practices of dahi/thayir, a popular traditional fermented milk product, in households from two distinct agroecological zones in Kerala, India, namely the high-range and central midland, We highlighted the significant variations and potential food safety concerns associated with regional differences in production methods. The local climate significantly influenced the incubation temperature of dahi/thayir, thereby influencing the types of microflora involved in the fermentation process. Data on preparation practices and sensory preferences were collected from producers during the sampling process, covering 200 households. There were significant variations in preparation practices between the two regions, particularly concerning the type of container used, inoculation rate and incubation period. Samples from the high-range region exhibited significantly higher acidity and coliform count as well as yeast and mold count than the central midland region. The household fermentation of milk is often uncontrolled, causing increased acidity levels. This uncontrolled fermentation favored the growth of contaminants such as coliforms and yeast, posing a potential threat to food safety. This study underscores the importance of understanding microbial quality variations and preparation practices in dahi/thayir production, emphasizing the need for proper fermentation techniques and hygienic practices to ensure the safety and quality of this traditional fermented milk product.

Within British-Italian history of the Second World War, there are several questions surrounding the sinking of the SS Arandora Star, on 2 July 1940, which still remain problematic. Nevertheless, this tragedy continues to play a prominent role in the heritage and memories of the Anglo-Italian communities in the UK. This article focuses on the experiences and memories of the Arandora Star from the perspective of members of the Italian community in the North-East of England. Oral histories of Italian civilian internees who were embarked onto the ocean liner were collected via qualitative interviews with descendants of victims and survivors. This article contributes to raising awareness of Arandora scholarship by articulating how memories were interpreted retrospectively and transmitted down generations. Informing the debate on the purpose of misremembering in oral history, this article sheds light on the events and their imaginary reconstruction.

There are two different ways to seek relevance in the history of education field. One involves closely aligning with contemporary debates to offer a “ready-to-use” historical perspective to education system stakeholders. The other entails diverging from conventional problem frameworks to tackle commonly overlooked or unexplored questions. This requires drawing new perspectives, ideas and knowledge from other research fields.

Michèle Le Dœuff has devoted several decades to the exploration of the relations between women, philosophy and feminism. With this in mind I went to meet the philosopher, who generously accepted to establish a correspondence with me during my doctoral research. My questions all aimed at understanding how a woman, in the 1970s, had come to devote herself to the problematical relations between women and philosophy, and to consider such a question as a legitimate philosophical object that should be explored. It was thus a question of better knowing the feminist line that runs through her whole work, based on a displacement of this problematic from the margins to the center of the philosophical thought.

Integrons are important genetic elements that allow easy acquisition and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance genes. Studies reporting occurrence of integrons in Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) isolated from bovine mastitis in large dairy farms across China are scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of class 1 integrons (intI1), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and associated genes in S. aureus isolated from bovine mastitis and their associations. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined to evaluate the AMR phenotypes, whereas PCR was carried out to assess the occurrence of AMR genes and intI1. In addition, index cluster analysis was used to estimate associations between AMR phenotype, genotype and intI1 in 103 isolates. Overall, 83% of S. aureus were intI1-positive and 5 types of gene cassettes were detected. Susceptibility against single antimicrobial agents ranged from 0% (erythromycin), 12% (ampicillin) and 16% (penicillin G) to 96% (gentamicin). Most isolates (64%) were intermediate-resistant against erythromycin, whereas resistance against ceftriaxone (22%), clindamycin (4%), cefotaxime (2%), tetracycline (1%) and ciprofloxacin (1%) were relatively uncommon. The predominant resistant gene was blaZ gene (n = 88, 85%) followed by tetD gene (n = 85, 83%). With an estimated prevalence of 12% of the mecA gene, methicillin-resistant S. aureus isolates had higher MIC50 and MIC90 for majority of antimicrobials than methicillin-susceptible S. aureus isolates. Presence of the ermC gene was associated with erythromycin resistance. Ampicillin, erythromycin and penicillin G resistance were associated with intI1. The data presented in our study indicated that class 1 integron-mediated resistance possibly plays an important role in dissemination of AMR in S. aureus isolated from bovine mastitis.