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Ceramic Blackware Urn with Lid
No full textBurnished black-slip impasto ware urn with single round handle decorated with incised geometric designs. The irregular, hand-made two-tiered shape resembles two cones, one placed on top of the other. The lid, shaped like a bowl with its own round handle, has a different type of design – and may not have belonged to the urn. Characteristic of the Villanovan period, such vessels contained the cremated remains of the deceased.https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etruscan/1013/thumbnail.jp
Ukraine’s Proxy War Against Russia and its Lessons for Europe
No full textMuch focus in the research on the topic of proxies and Ukraine is on the Russian proxies in the Donbas. But Ukraine itself is fielding several proxy groups formed from Russian exiles and minorities such as Chechen\u27s fighting for the freedom of their home. By interpreting Ukraine’s proxy war against Russia as a means of inter-war deterrence this article proposes that Ukraine aims at deterring Russia from a general mobilization and an all-out escalation of the war. The effectiveness of this approach, its limits, and problems are analyzed, as well as the mistakes Ukraine has made in taking this approach. Further, the usefulness and viability of such a strategy for the wider defense of Eastern Europe against Russian aggression is discussed, as well as the implications for deterrence and proxy strategy
Millions of Tons, Billions in Dollars: Unexploded Ordnance in Ukraine
No full textMines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in Ukraine had killed over 400 civilians and wounded nearly 1,000 more as 2024 approached its final weeks. Late 2023 estimates pegged the cost of neutralization at 37 billion in lurking peril and looming expenditure. Current munitions design and targeting decisions often overlook the potential for reducing the costs in human lives and fiscal expenditure. Observations seeking to redress this shortfall appear at the article’s end
Private Latrine of the Peristyle (2)
No full textThe floor of this private latrine is formed by rectangular or scaled polychrome mosaic tiles. In the center of the mosaic moving counterclockwise is imagery depicting a donkey, a hare, two birds, and a cat. The rendering of the profiles of animals and shadows, often drawn with a curved line, recurs in form and style in other mosaics in the rooms of the villa. The original walls are preserved up to 2.4 meters high. On the west wall there is a rectangular masonry basin covered with grey marble. These occupied the curved side of the space and that of the adjacent walls. The waste waters, to which were added those coming from the garden of the peristyle, flowed into the sewer beneath.https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/idex_casale/1030/thumbnail.jp
Bi-apsidal Hall (3)
No full textThis large room is about 22 meters long and 6 meters wide. The grandeur of the space suggests a public destination. The hall was accessed by two entrances. The southern entrance was for visitors. The eastern entrance was for the Dominus and his family. The floor mosaic is a representation of a chariot race that takes place in the Circus Maximus in Rome. The four factions shown are the factio prasina (green), the russata (red), the albata (white) and the veneta (blue). The story of the race starts in the northern section of the mosaic and moves counterclockwise, including a crash between the green and red chariots and ending with the factio prasina’s win. In addition to the mosaic, this room is the only one to preserve frescoed walls up to almost 3 meters high.https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/idex_casale/1029/thumbnail.jp
Second Service Room (23)
No full textThe use of this room as a second service room is confirmed by the execution of the geometric mosaic. The marginal flounce of the mosaic covering is profiled along the entire perimeter. The central part of the mosaic and a section of the east side are affected by gaps. The decoration appears almost uniformly in black and white, with hints of red or pink in some ornamental background elements. Surrounded by a large black band with six rows, located near the walls followed by a white band, the field is decorated with a pattern of adjacent hexagons with four-pointed black stars of different sizes. The four-pointed stars include a square inside, with a Solomon’s knot in the center. The lack of color and attention to detail in the making of this ornate mosaic make it an oddity compared to the others in the villa.https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/idex_casale/1027/thumbnail.jp
GNSI Decision Brief: Summary Report on GNSI Research Initiative “Axis of Resistance”
No full textSince May 2025, the Global and National Security Institute (GNSI) has run the Axis of Resistance Initiative, convening eight panels and multiple expert interviews on Iran’s proxy network (Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen), anchored by a review of Iran’s national security strategy. These discussions underscored that Tehran’s reliance on proxies is not simply a tool for expanding influence: it also helps limit attribution for attacks and brings the conflict to Israel’s borders rather than Iranian territory. This decision brief distills those discussions into a current assessment of proxy capabilities and trajectories two years on from October 7, 2023.https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/gnsi_decision_briefs/1033/thumbnail.jp
The integrated monitoring of karst systems (MIKS) model, applied in karst studies in Bulgaria
No full textKarst is a widespread natural phenomenon that is highly sensitive and very vulnerable to both natural and various anthropogenic impacts. This is due to the complex structure of karst territories, which comprise both surface forms and complex systems of underground cavities. Therefore, the study of karst requires a geosystem approach and integrated monitoring, which gives a real idea of the state of karst geosystems and the impacts of global changes on karstogenesis. The article presents a model of this approach, which is applied in karst studies in Bulgaria. The methodological basis is the original ProKARSTerra paradigm, based on the geosystem approach. Its main part is the Integrated Monitoring of Karst Systems (MIKS). It combines six types of monitoring, and it is carried out in three forms: expeditionary, remote and stationary with continuous instrumental measurements. They are concentrated in cave systems representative of karst in Bulgaria, in two of which networks of underground monitoring stations (Speleo-MIKS) have been built. The most important problems in the organization and maintenance of MIKS are summarized based on many years of experience. Examples of interpretation of results from the conducted long-term monitoring using the geosystem approach are presented in Supplementary information to the article
A secret society of readers: College-age mentors’ literacy experiences with young adolescent mentees
No full textThis study occurred within Year One and Year Two of an ongoing literacy initiative designed to build reader identities among underserved middle school students. Using a near-peer mentoring model, mentees were paired with college-student mentors to interact weekly around books and reading. Reader interests and identities are influenced by affective and relational approaches through mentored reading experiences and a variety of texts. This qualitative case study (n = 11 of 24 Year One and n = 13 of 37 Year Two mentors) aimed to identify the ways mentor/mentee relationships affect reader interests, attitudes, and skills, and to evaluate the initiative. We codified key themes in the interview data and identified ideas that were recurrent and reinforced. We assert that near-peer relationships were central, group dynamics matter, reader interests and identities were key, reader identities were (re)discovered, and time proved both structural and relational. Literacy practices through mentored reading experiences compel us to consider how interactions with texts and each other shape who we are and who we become
