Formation Of Communities Research Articles

Online University Students’ Perceptions of institution and Program Community and the Activities that Support Them

The forty-item, Sense of Online Community Scale was completed by 293 online students at a mid-sized southeastern United States university to ascertain community importance and activities associated with its formation and maintenance. A large majority of these students believed that a sense of community was important and that a sense of belonging, affiliation, and trust were valuable for community formation. Participants also believed that program and institutional activities, both academic and social, played key roles in community formation. However, academic activities (e.g., advising, program milestones, writing centers, library support) were rated as more influential than social activities (e.g., get-togethers, online games, institution sporting events). When demographic characteristics were considered, non-White participants rated their sense of affiliation with their program/institution higher than White participants. Participants who lived within a one-hour commute to campus (51% of our sample) rated institutional social activities higher than those who lived farther out. Doctoral students rated program activities as more conducive to community formation than masters, and graduate certificate students and undergraduate students rated affiliation to their program/institution higher than masters and graduate certificate students.

Neutrophils seeking new neighbors: radiotherapy affects the cellular framework and the spatial organization in a murine breast cancer model

Neutrophils are known to contribute in many aspects of tumor progression and metastasis. The presence of neutrophils or neutrophil-derived mediators in the tumor microenvironment has been associated with poor prognosis in several types of solid tumors. However, the effects of classical cancer treatments such as radiation therapy on neutrophils are poorly understood. Furthermore, the cellular composition and distribution of immune cells in the tumor is of increasing interest in cancer research and new imaging technologies allow to perform more complex spatial analyses within tumor tissues. Therefore, we aim to offer novel insight into intra-tumoral formation of cellular neighborhoods and communities in murine breast cancer. To address this question, we performed image mass cytometry on tumors of the TS/A breast cancer tumor model, performed spatial neighborhood analyses of the tumor microenvironment and quantified neutrophil-extracellular trap degradation products in serum of the mice. We show that irradiation with 2 × 8 Gy significantly alters the cellular composition and spatial organization in the tumor, especially regarding neutrophils and other cells of the myeloid lineage. Locally applied radiotherapy further affects neutrophils in a systemic manner by decreasing the serum neutrophil extracellular trap concentrations which correlates positively with survival. In addition, the intercellular cohesion is maintained due to radiotherapy as shown by E-Cadherin expression. Radiotherapy, therefore, might affect the epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity in tumors and thus prevent metastasis. Our findings underscore the growing importance of the spatial organization of the tumor microenvironment, particularly with respect to radiotherapy, and provide insight into potential mechanisms by which radiotherapy affects epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity and tumor metastasis.

Research of plant resources of the European North of the USSR in the first half of the twentieth century.

The problem of providing the European north of Russia with food and fodder worsened after the civil War in the process of a significant increase in the population when solving national economic tasks for the development of the territory. The article aims to show the main directions of research and pedagogical activity of corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR geobotanist Alexander Petrovich Shennikov on the study of plant resources of the modern Komi Republic, the creation of the herbarium of the Institute of Biology of the Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the education of highly qualified specialists. The object of the study is the personality of the scientist, the subject is the representation of personality through the analysis of the content of the documents of the Scientific Archive of the Federal Research Center "Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences" introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. The appearance in Syktyvkar of the reporting documents of Shennikov and his young colleagues on geobotanical expeditions of the 1920s-1930s was explained by the evacuation of the Northern Base of the USSR Academy of Sciences from Arkhangelsk to Syktyvkar at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The documents testify to the established scientific and organizational authority of Shennikov by the time of participation in the Pechora Brigade of the Polar Commission of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1933) and the formation of the scientific community of geobotanists under his leadership. The post-war letters of the scientific consultant of the Komi branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences A.P. Shennikov and his wife Maria Mikhailovna reflect the pedagogical and scientific principles of the professor as an educator of researchers; show how the herbarium of the modern Institute of Biology of the Komi Scientific Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences was formed; prove the long-term creative cooperation with the botanists of Syktyvkar.

Resurgence of African Spiritualities in the New Prophetic Churches

The current developments in New Prophetic Churches (NPCs) raise the necessity for theological research. There are some practices within these formations, similar to African spiritualities. Spirituality is defined and some reflections on African spiritualities highlighted. This article identifies the NPCs and African spiritualities and how the two converge towards spiritual formation for Christians in these churches. Literature review and social media are used to research and conclude the research question, which is the resurgence of African spiritualities in faith formation of this faith community. Justification for this resurgence is based on both theological and etymological analyses of features, especially occultism and deliverance. Research finding is that many believers abandon Christian faith or opt to be opponents of the Gospel when promised prophecies are not fulfilled. Hence a conclusion is arrived at as an appeal for the return to Christian apologetics and vivacious socio-cultural contextual studies in the church. Robust dialogue with NPC leaders is long overdue, as at the end the local pastors are the ones engaged with damage control after the prophet has passed. Minimum standards should be suggested to minimize emotional damage in individuals and communities of faith, and discipleship into Christian faith needs to be heightened.

Structure of Zoocenoses in the Ephemeral Pond Lilov Vir, Western Bulgaria

This study aimed to observe the development of zoocenoses in an ephemeral karst water body providing a dynamically changing habitat and unstable hydrological regime with an emphasis on assessing the main factors influencing the structure of the macrozoobenthos and zooplankton communities. The study was conducted in Pond Lilov Vir near Karlukovo Vil., Western Bulgaria. The main physicochemical parameters and the concentrations of nutrients were recorded. The macrozoobenthos (MZB) and zooplankton samples were taxonomically determined and statistical analyses of the obtained results were performed. The results have shown that the pond supports a variety of species and species typical to temporary waters. The variation in hydroperiod (HP) duration over the years leads to the formation of different communities. Longer HPs suggest greater biodiversity. In drying pools, especially those with a short HP, the leading factor for structuring communities is the abiotic environmental factors-HP and water volume (WVOL). Biotic factors, such as competition and predation, are not leading, due to the lack of fish and insufficient time for the development of invertebrate predators.

HOW INTELLIGENT TECHNOLOGIES ARE CHANGING SOCIETY AND THE SPACE OF A BIG CITY

The study examines the evolution of the urban environment in the context of the third and, in the XXI century, the fourth industrial revolution. Special attention is paid to the changes taking place in big cities under the influence of digitalization, modern information technologies and social needs of society. The work describes the formation of communities and communities that arise in the virtual space and are transferred to the urban environment. Exhibitions, as part of the fundamental space of large cities, are a public metamodern filled with cultural and innovative capitalist forms. For the first time, the concept of the chronotope and its role as a driving force uniting time and space in the formation of culture, public life and the development of urban spaces is used. The study highlights changes in social connections, the emergence of new forms of communication and the impact of technological progress on urban dynamics. In general, the paper analyzes the evolution of the urban environment and exhibition activities under the influence of modern technologies, socio-cultural changes and identifies key trends and challenges facing modern cities.

Thor's hammer: How warfare enables and disables nation formation

AbstractScholars have neglected at a theoretical level the structuring role of warfare in the rise of nations and states. I argue that war‐making has been a constitutive force in the emergence and persistence of many national identities in four ways. First, wars can act as ‘turning points’ for good or ill to become national mythomoteurs. Second, they can create enduring popular we–they stereotypes against significant others. Third, they can generate a gemeinschaft of national sacrifice that anchors the nation after a return to peace. Finally, the outcomes of wars can legitimate ruling establishments or mobilise peoples against them. However, warfare can also disable nation formation. I shall focus on the impact of imperial wars on Eurasian borderland populations. While generating nationalism in these regions, such wars create shatter zones, marked by ethnic diversity and conflict that frustrate the formation of stable national communities.

From death comes life: Large vertebrate carrion enhances seedling establishment in clonal ericaceous shrubs

Abstract Carrion can have disproportionally large effects on ecological processes and community dynamics. During decomposition, the influx of growth‐limiting nutrients can create small‐scale disturbances with high soil cover known as ‘cadaver decomposition islands’ (CDIs). Such disturbances can allow for altered plant species composition, increased biomass production or provide microsites for regeneration. Carcasses also provide a resource for omnivorous scavengers, which have the potential to direct endozoochorous seed dispersal towards developing CDIs. In this study, we investigated functional links between the scavenger community, carcass‐induced disturbances in vegetation and the seedling establishment of berry‐producing ericaceous species. We experimentally placed out 30 vertebrate carcasses of various species in a boreal forest ecosystem, each paired with a control and a mechanically disturbed plot to track vertebrate animal activity (i.e. dispersal vectors), vegetation changes (i.e. recruitment windows) and seedling establishment. We hypothesized that carcass size and season of experimental deposition would affect (H1) scavenger community composition and (H2) formation of CDIs, and that (H3) seedling establishment of ericaceous species is more abundant at CDIs compared with control or disturbed plots without carcass deposition. We found that carcass presence effectively created a spatiotemporal hotspot of animal activity and that 94% of observations of vertebrates at carcasses were of species with the potential for ericaceous seed dispersal. Larger carcasses (e.g. moose, reindeer) attracted similar and abundant vertebrate communities, whereas observations at small carcasses (e.g. red fox) resembled those at control plots (H1). Only larger carcasses led to CDI formation (i.e. potential recruitment microsites), while plots with small carcasses resembled control plots (H2). Surprisingly, the season of carcass deposition did not influence vertebrate composition at carcass plots or CDI formation (H1–2). Seedlings were significantly more abundant in CDIs compared with mechanical disturbance and control plots (H3). Overall, CDIs contained about 4 and 19 times more seedlings compared with disturbed and controls, respectively. Our study demonstrates how individual carcasses in a boreal forest landscape can facilitate sexual reproduction in ericaceous keystone species. We suggest that this pathway also occurs in other ecosystems and that it may contribute to the genetic diversity of plant populations. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Aspired communities: Reconsidering community in light of the temporal dimensionality of social life

I argue in this article that our understanding of community is enhanced by examining the formation of collective aspirations for a shared future. Using examples from my fieldwork on long-term community recovery after the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011 in the town of Yamamoto, I illustrate the potential of using the social process of collective aspiring as an analytical tool in theorizing and studying community. Instead of treating community as a particular grouping or identity, I approach the concept of community as a processual analytical frame for understanding various forms of sociality constituted by continuous and mutually constitutive enacting and envisioning within social practices. This practice approach not only overcomes the tensions between the agency, structure, actualization, and abstraction characteristic of conceptualizations of community, but also enables us to explore the significance of the future dimension of social life. The concept of future orientation of collective aspiring allows us to ethnographically grasp the contingent formation of community in the dynamic process of striving toward the desired futures in contrast to anticipation of uncertain futures. To capture the many aspects of this process, aspiring is explored as shared objectives, action-oriented pursuing, and affectively charged yearning. This proposed analytical tool sheds light on ever-evolving forms of sociality not only in their unity and togetherness but particularly in their ambiguities, conflicts, and power relations.

Different seasonal dynamics, ecological drivers, and assembly mechanisms of algae in southern and northern drinking water reservoirs

The role of environmental factors on the community structure of algae has been intensively studied, but there are few analyses on the assembly mechanism of the algal community structure. Here, changes in the community structure of algae in different seasons, the effects of environmental variables on the algal community structure, and the assembly mechanism of the algal community structure in northern and southern reservoirs were investigated in this study. The study revealed that Bacillariophyta, Cyanophyta, and Chlorophyta were the predominant algal species in the reservoirs, with Bacillariophyta and Cyanophyta exhibiting seasonal outbreaks. Compared to the northern reservoirs, the algal diversity in the southern reservoirs was greater. The diversity and algal community structure could be significantly impacted by variations in water temperature and nitrogen level. According to the ecological model, the interaction among algal communities in reservoirs was primarily cooperation. The key taxa in the northern reservoirs was Aphanizomenon sp., while the outbreak in the southern reservoirs was Coelosphaerium sp. The community formation pattern of reservoirs was stochastic, with a higher degree of explanation observed in the southern reservoirs compared to the northern reservoirs. This study preliminarily explored the assembly mechanism of the algal community, providing a theoretical basis for the control of eutrophication in drinking water reservoirs.

COMMUNITY-BASED SOCIAL HEALING, COMMUNITY HEALING, AND THE ROLE OF “HEALING LEADER”

The guideline of "community-based social healing" is relevant nowadays. It is based on the importance of community in supporting individual healing (treatment and maintaining wholeness) and the efficiency of civil society. The article defines that the reverse and interdependent side of working with the community – both when the community is the goal of grassroots initiatives and when it is a means of "community-based social healing" – is the need for "community healing". A special need, urgent for the healing of collective traumas, is defined as the formation ("healing") of a specific healing community, which can be called "transformative" or "processual", which is aimed at the very process of transformation. The term "healing leader" is proposed to denote the special role in external healing intervention – for a person who serves the community, supports it from within, and at the same time, must maintain an external position for permanent analysis and readjustment.

Church Music, Community, and Faith Formation

Abstract Has there ever been a time in history when the status of music in worship was as high as it is now? From the early church to the present, the Word and the Lord’s Supper have formed an important framework for worship. This is an emphasis that transcends denominations and is found in any liturgy. However, after the praise and worship movement evolved in the 1960s, music in worship came to occupy an important place no less than that of the Word and the Lord’s Supper. Regardless of the denomination’s theology and liturgical traditions, it is no exaggeration to say that the first half of the service is dominated by the band-leading praise and worship style music. Believers of this age are looking for a church that longs for good quality of preaching, but at the same time, they are searching for a church that provides good worship music. While music ministries are in the spotlight, pastors and leaders have a fundamental question: Is church music necessary in worship? Would not the negative function of music be greater than the positive one in this era? What hymns will churchgoers sing in worship? What kind of music is suitable for worship? Why are church hymns important? Humans are created as homo musicus beings who love and use music. It expresses a person’s inner feelings and emotions and it shapes as well a person’s character and thoughts. Not only does the melody of music stimulate people’s nerves and bring about psychological changes, but the lyrics woven into the music also convey thoughts that become ingrained knowledge in the mind. Above all, music contributes to the togetherness of the community, its formation, identity, and transmission of its traditions. This study, due to space limitations, does not delve into the diverse views of theologians regarding church music or the historical controversies surrounding it. From a liturgical theological point of view, I will discuss why church music is important, which church music could be used, how church music forms personal faith identity, and how it affects community faith formation will be analysed. In the end, this article will demonstrate that the music people sing shapes the character of their faith.

PROBLEMS AND RISKS OF DECENTRALIZATION OF POWER IN UKRAINE: REVIEW OF EXPERT OPINION

Considered opinions of the expert community of Ukraine regarding threats and risks on the way to implementing the reform of power decentralization in Ukraine. The decentralization of power and the formation of united territorial communities as the main subjects of local self-government, as well as the creation of prerequisites for their self-sufficient and economically efficient development, are unanimously recognized by domestic experts as the main vector of the modern development of the state-building system of Ukraine. Decentralization of power should become an effective tool for socio-economic development of territories, thanks to the efforts of independence of local self-government and increasing its activity, strengthening of local democracy. The inevitability of problems and risks of decentralization of power, which are objectively determined by the conditions affecting decentralization in Ukraine, is asserted. Selected problems and risks of a political, economic, socio-demographic, ecological, spatial and psychological nature. Experts separately point out the risk of using the decentralization policy for further disintegration of Ukraine in conditions of armed aggression by the Russian Federation. At the same time, the policy of decentralization in Ukraine can become an attractive alternative to Russian versions of the federalization of Ukraine.

Mapping the COVID-19 Anti­‑Vaccination Communities on Facebook in Czechia

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in opposition to vaccination, hindering herd immunity. As social media play a major role in the formation of anti-vaccination communities, it is critical to monitor the discourse on the platforms to effectively counter the negative sentiment and encourage people to vaccinate. This study employs computational content analysis, specifically topic modeling and time series analysis, to monitor the COVID-19 anti-vaccination communities on Facebook in Czechia. The analysis generated 18 topics with politics, governance, and international affairs being the most discussed, and only five dealt with issues directly related to COVID-19. Discussions about information and its credibility were prevalent, and members of these anti-vaccination communities relied heavily on social media content and conspiracy websites as sources of information, while neglecting scientific resources. The study highlights the need for ongoing monitoring of anti-vaccination communities on social media and the development of effective communication strategies to promote vaccination.

Effect of environmental factors on seminal microbiome and impact on sperm quality.

This review provides a comprehensive overview of the existing research on the seminal microbiome and its association with male infertility, while also highlighting areas that warrant further investigation. A narrative review was conducted, encompassing all relevant studies published between 1980-2023 on the male reproductive tract microbiome in humans. This review considered studies utilizing culture-based, polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based, and next-generation sequencing (NGS)-based methodologies to analyze the microbiome. Data extraction encompassed sample types (semen or testicular tissue), study designs, participant characteristics, employed techniques, and critical findings. We included 37 studies comprising 9,310 participants. Among these, 16 studies used culture-based methods, 16 utilized NGS, and five employed a combination of methods for microorganism identification. Notably, none of the studies assessed fungi or viruses. All NGS-based studies identified the presence of bacteria in all semen samples. Two notable characteristics of the seminal microbiome were observed: substantial variability in species composition among individuals and the formation of microbial communities with a dominant species. Studies examining the testicular microbiome revealed that the testicular compartment is not sterile. Interestingly, sexually active couples shared 56% of predominant genera, and among couples with positive cultures in both partners, 61% of them shared at least one genital pathogen. In couples with infertility of known causes, there was an overlap in bacterial composition between the seminal and vaginal microbiomes, featuring an increased prevalence of Staphylococcus and Streptococcus genera. Furthermore, the seminal microbiome had discernible effects on reproductive outcomes. However, bacteria in IVF culture media did not seem to impact pregnancy rates. Existing literature underscores that various genera of bacteria colonize the male reproductive tract. These organisms do not exist independently; instead, they play a pivotal role in regulating functions and maintaining hemostasis. Future research should prioritize longitudinal and prospective studies and investigations into the influence of infertility causes and commonly prescribed medication to enhance our understanding of the seminal microbiota's role in reproductive health.

The Theo-Politics of Ritual: Defining and Contesting the Sacred Order of the Church

Abstract Both sociology of religion and statistical bodies within the Catholic Church approach the question of church membership in similar ways: they take participation in religious ritual as a benchmark of affiliation to a religious community. What seems to be a straightforward criterion for measuring membership actually speaks to a complex interplay in the constitution of political and cosmological order: the constitution of social order through practices such as religious rituals is, irreducibly, also a definition of the ‘extraordinary’. Thus, starting from the assumption that the formation of community is a political–theological practice of boundary-drawing that cannot but refer to a beyond, this article offers a theological critique of ritual participation as a criterion of ecclesial affiliation. Taking the performance ‘Verantwort: ich’ (Synodaler Weg, 2023) as a case, it shows that it rests on a theological concept of transcendence that is used as a hegemonic instrument to confirm the established order of belonging in the church. Arguing that the definition of ecclesial boundaries is an irreducibly powerful, even violent theo-political practice, it asks which theological notion of transcendence can best reckon with, and consequently offer tools for managing, rather than concealing, the normative violence that is at the heart of the question of who belongs to the church.

Этническая идентичность в теории и цифрах: на примере коренных малочисленных северных народов

The actual study of ethnic identity is conditioned by the previous socio-political context. In the West, attention to ethnic identity is a marker of post-colonial studies, while in Russia it is a departure from the formation of a new historical community "Soviet people". Accordingly, the cognitive goals of studying ethnic identity also differ from the manipulation of ethnic identities, leading to the split in a previously unified society, to identifying factors that contribute to the preservation of ethnic minority cultures. Defining the content of ethnic identity as consisting of cognitive and behavioral components makes it possible to use the concepts of "ethnic identity" and "ethnicity" as synonyms. The instrumentalist approach combining the ideas of primordial and constructivist concepts was used in a concrete sociological study of the ethnic identity of the aboriginal people. The hypothesis put forward by the study about the threat to the ethnic identity of the minorities from the processes of globalization was confirmed, but required clarification. The influence of globalization on ethnic identity is indirect; the dominant national culture acts as a buffer between them.

From beginning to mature: investigating the development of teacher community through Lesson Study

This research investigates the potential of Lesson Study to develop teachers’ professional community. Situated in two case study schools, Doone and Crannog (both pseudonyms), where mathematics teachers participated in multiple, successive cycles of Lesson Study over the course of one academic year, the research details the development of teacher community through teachers’ conversations and reflections. Data was generated through audio recordings of teachers’ Lesson Study meetings and individual interviews with participating teachers. Analysis is based on a framework of professional teacher community which describes discrete phases of development from beginning to mature. Findings from the research suggest that groups of teachers may begin their Lesson Study work at different stages of evolution of teacher community and that Lesson Study has the potential to strength and develop such community over successive cycles. The research demonstrates that teachers’ participation in Lesson Study can provide them with opportunities to recognize and express communal responsibility for individual growth of colleagues, a key feature in the formation of teacher community. The research also highlights the importance of navigating fault lines or differences in ideas and opinions during the Lesson Study work. Findings may offer guidance to facilitators of Lesson Study on elements of teachers’ collaborative work which may benefit from additional focus, such as productively engaging with conflict within a group. This research contributes to the literature on Lesson Study in outlining how this model of professional development may provide a powerful structure within which teacher community can be developed.

Muslims in Britain: History, Diversity, Socio-Economic Status

This paper examines the growing presence of Muslims in the United Kingdom (UK), a community that, despite being a minority, is expanding rapidly according to data from the Oxford-based Migration Observatory. This research examines the diverse origins, cultures, languages, and religious beliefs of British Muslims, setting the stage to explore the multifaceted emergence of Islam and Muslims in the UK. The study investigates the various phases of Muslim migration, pinpointing the principal reasons for their arrival and the routes chosen by individuals from countries such as Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Syria, Somalia, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Yemen to settle in cities like London, Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff, Bradford, Liverpool, Hull, and Sheffield. It identifies key factors driving the formation of Muslim communities in the UK, including political instability, ethno-religious conflicts, natural disasters, civil unrest, decolonisation, and labour shortages. Additionally, the paper assesses the socioeconomic status of Muslims in England and concludes with strategic recommendations for policymakers. JEL Classification: A14, Z1.

The Importance of a House and the pandemic formation of the ATLFilmParty community

This article discusses the short films of the Atlanta-based black American filmmaker Olamma Oparah. Oparah’s film The Importance of a House was the winner of the inaugural ATLFilmParty (AFP) free film competition and industry networking event created by Brooke Sonenreich in the summer of 2021. Produced and directed in the era of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of the US racial reckoning after the murder of George Floyd, The Importance of a House iterates the home as a site of refuge. This article analyses Oparah’s short in the context of two other films she directed in the same period, Laundry Day and No One Heals Without Dying that similarly explore the meaning of home as a black, female, and spiritual space. Using an object-oriented and artist-centered methodology informed by the author’s work with the liquid blackness research group, this article argues that Oparah’s films as texts speak to the contextual needs that AFP meets in fostering a local and independent home for filmmakers in Atlanta facing global Hollywood’s increasingly dominant presence in the city and the region.