Village Cultures Research Articles

A village in a dish model system for population-scale hiPSC studies

The mechanisms by which DNA alleles contribute to disease risk, drug response, and other human phenotypes are highly context-specific, varying across cell types and different conditions. Human induced pluripotent stem cells are uniquely suited to study these context-dependent effects but cell lines from hundreds or thousands of individuals are required. Village cultures, where multiple induced pluripotent stem lines are cultured and differentiated in a single dish, provide an elegant solution for scaling induced pluripotent stem experiments to the necessary sample sizes required for population-scale studies. Here, we show the utility of village models, demonstrating how cells can be assigned to an induced pluripotent stem line using single-cell sequencing and illustrating that the genetic, epigenetic or induced pluripotent stem line-specific effects explain a large percentage of gene expression variation for many genes. We demonstrate that village methods can effectively detect induced pluripotent stem line-specific effects, including sensitive dynamics of cell states.

Analisis Bentuk, Pola Pelaksanaan dan Peran ‘Basiru’ dalam Pembangunan Pedesaan di Desa Selante Kabupaten Sumbawa

One widely applied strategy for accelerating rural development is the "mutual help tradition." People in Sumbawa Regency call it 'Basiru.' Today, only a few villages in Sumbawa still claim and preserve 'Basiru' as a valuable tradition, one of which is Selante Village. This study was conducted from April until September 2022 and aimed to analyze and describe the forms, implementation patterns, and roles of 'Basiru' in the rural development of Selante Village. Data was collected through participated observation, in-depth interviews, and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The number of the informant was ten; they were the village government, community leaders, and the residents who briefly recognized and understood Selante village's cultures. The data is analyzed by organizing it, describing it, synthesizing it, compiling it into patterns, choosing which ones are important, and making conclusions. The finding shows there are three forms of 'Basiru' implemented in Selante Village, namely; (1) 'Basiru' Services, (2) 'Basiru' Money, and (3) 'Basiru' Goods. Those forms of 'Basiru' are carried out in agricultural, infrastructure construction, social activities, livestock, and educational activities. 'Basiru' is used as a rural development instrument in infrastructure construction, the arrangement of the community's economic and social character and culture in Selante Village.

Spatial Distribution and Cultural Features of Traditional Villages in Beijing and Influencing Factors

Traditional villages are important part of Beijing, an internationally famous historic and cultural city. Exploring the spatial distribution and cultural features of traditional villages, and the factors that have shaped them, will help promote the protection and utilization of traditional villages in Beijing. ArcGIS spatial analysis, literature analysis, fieldwork and in-depth interviews were mainly carried out to analyze the spatial distribution and cultural features of traditional villages in Beijing and their influencing factors. The results show three main features. (1) The overall distribution of traditional villages in Beijing is random, although there are more traditional villages in the southwest and northeast and less in the southeast and northwest. Most of them are distributed along the higher piedmont plains or intermountain basins, and most of them are backed by hills and surrounded by rivers or along the ancient road. (2) There are some cultural commonalities among the traditional villages in Beijing, and nine typical traditional village cultures have been formed, including traditional residential culture, traditional folklore culture, the Great Wall garrison culture, mausoleum guarding culture, etc. (3) The formation of the spatial distribution and cultural features of traditional villages in Beijing is influenced by natural environmental factors like terrain, climate, and rivers, as well as human activities such as royal life, capital construction, ancient military defense, transportation, trade, etc. This study can provide a reference for the scientific protection and effective utilization of traditional villages in Beijing and all over the country.

Monitoring of village cultures viral infections in the territory of Ukraine

Selection of plants of the family Cucurbitaceae and Solanaceae was performed on the characteristic symptoms. With the help of ELISA and electron microscopy were identified 5 types of viruses among vegetable crops in Ukraine. We found the following viral antigens, namely: cucumber mosaic virus, tobacco mosaic virus, watermelon mosaic virus 2, zucchini yellow mosaic virus, and mosaic virus of tomatoes.

Evolution of Tonal Organization in Music Optimizes Neural Mechanisms in Symbolic Encoding of Perceptual Reality. Part-2: Ancient to Seventeenth Century.

This paper reveals the way in which musical pitch works as a peculiar form of cognition that reflects upon the organization of the surrounding world as perceived by majority of music users within a socio-cultural formation. Part-1 of this paper described the origin of tonal organization from verbal speech, its progress from indefinite to definite pitch, and the emergence of two main harmonic orders: heptatonic and pentatonic, each characterized by its own method of handling tension at both domains, of tonal and social organization. Part-2, here, completes the line of historic development from Antiquity to seventeenth century. Vast archeological data is used to identify the perception of music structures that tells apart the temple/palace music of urban civilizations and the folk music of village cultures. The “mega-pitch-set” (MPS) organization is found to constitute the principal contribution of a math-based music theory to a new diatonic order. All ramifications for psychology of music are discussed in detail. “Non-octave hypermode” is identified as a peculiar homogenous type of MPS, typical for plainchant. The origin of chromaticism is thoroughly examined as an earmark of “art-music” that opposes earlier forms of folk music. The role of aesthetic emotions in formation of chromatic alteration is defined. The development of chromatic system is traced throughout history, highlighting its modern implementation in “hemiolic modes.” The connection between tonal organization in music and spatial organization in pictorial art is established in the Baroque culture, and then tracked back to prehistoric times. Both are shown to present a form of abstraction of environmental topographic schemes, and music is proposed as the primary medium for its cultivation through the concept of pitch. The comparison of stages of tonal organization and typologies of musical texture is used to define the overall course of tonal evolution. Tonal organization of pitch reflects the culture of thinking, adopted as a standard to optimize individual perception of reality within a social group in a way optimal for one's success, thereby setting the conventions of intellectual and emotional intelligence.

Values of village fengshui forest patches in biodiversity conservation in the Pearl River Delta, China

Chinese village fengshui forests (VFF) are small remnant forest patches that coexist with natural villages. The indigenous residents protect the forest patches under traditional Chinese geomancy beliefs (namely fengshui). However, the VFF community features and conservation values and relationships with the indigenous people remain poorly understood. In this study, we evaluated tree species diversity conservation of regional VFF patches by sampling a 1200 m 2 transect within each patch. We also tested our hypothesis that patch size did not significantly impact interior forest community features of well-protected VFF patches. Thirty-two well-protected VFF patches in the Pearl River Delta, China were investigated. The average coefficient of similarity between transects (CS) was employed to evaluate community heterogeneity. Five forest community parameters (tree species richness per 1200 m 2, tree stem density, tree basal area density, Shannon–Wiener diversity index (SWI), and Simpson diversity index (SI)) were measured and compared with regional well-developed evergreen broadleaved, coniferous and coniferous-broadleaved mixed forests. The relationships between the five parameters versus patch size and elevation were analyzed. A total of 266 tree species comprised of 57 families were recorded in 32 transects, of which 258 (97%) species were indigenous and eight (3%) were exotic. Ten tree species were endangered, rare or nationally protected by the Chinese government, and 57 species were endemic to China. The average CS was 0.38; and the average five forest community parameter values were as follows: 46.8 for tree species richness; 3403 plants/ha for stem density, 49.1 m 2/ha for basal area, 4.04 for SWI and 0.90 for SI. These values were consistent with well-developed evergreen broadleaved forests and greater than coniferous and coniferous-broadleaved forests. No significant correlation was detected between the five community parameters and patch area or elevation. We conclude that VFF patches preserve abundant tree species and heterogeneous habitats, which are important for maintaining regional biodiversity. The interior community features of VFF patches were not significantly affected by patch size. We recommend protection of both large and small VFF patches, which can be substantially enhanced by the preservation of associated traditional relic village cultures.

Calculative practices in a total institution

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to present empirical evidence on how and why a poor rural community is engaged in certain calculative practices, and how these are embedded in a “total institution” defined in terms of “relations of production” and “relations in production”.Design/methodology/approachFocusing on the traditional fishing industry in the Sri Lankan village of Kalamatiya, this study employs a qualitative, ethnographic methodology to collect and analyse data.FindingsThe underlying calculative practices are shown to resemble an articulated mode of production fabricated with some heterogeneous complexities, especially patronage relations, village cultures, and local capital and political power, rather than mere economic rationalities.Originality/valueThe paper argues that the notions of the “total institution” and the “articulated MOP” can inform accounting researchers to conceptualise research sites beyond the organisation as a novel “field” for empirical studies.

Unge innvandrermenn, kriminalitet og kjønnskultur

Considerable differences regarding gender relations exist between the native Norwegian population and immigrants. The article raises the question whether such differences may influence criminal acts commited by some young, male immigrants. Based upon a discussion of the difficulties of a cultural explanation, the author argues that these young men's attitudes and practices regarding gender performance and relations cannot be seen as deriving from their parents, but should be understood as a new response to a new and complex situation. Stressing honour, comradeship and the male body as a force , these new subcultural expressions have much in common with other male working-class cultures, and may be as influenced by contemporary American youth cultures as by Pakistani or Turkish village cultures.

Two Eskimo Villages Assess Mental Health Strengths and Needs

Due to a growing consensus of the inadequacy of the current mental health system in rural Alaska, an assessment of mental health strengths and needs was conducted in two Eskimo villages. Respondents were 216 Eskimos who completed a structured interview. Results document perceptions of problems and strengths unique to the village cultures and settings. To increase effectiveness, programs must take into account the perspectives expressed by village people.

The bureaucratic context of international health: A social scientist's view

Using primary care as an example, this paper examines how the bureaucratic structures and culture of the international health agencies have affected the planning and delivery of health programs. Many primary health care programs were ineffective, as research undertaken in Nepal has shown, because they reflected the perspective and needs of the health bureaucracies involved rather than those of the local villages receiving services. Similarly, work in other South and Southeast Asian countries reveals that primary health care was interpreted differently in different bureaucratic settings and adapted to bureaucratic needs, but not necessarily adapted to village cultures and conditions. Social scientists, who are trained to analyze and articulate different cultural contexts, can play a key role in helping international health bureaucracies become more sensitive to the rural village cultures they serve.

Northern Plains Village Cultures: Internal Stability and External Relationships

Horticultural groups in the Northern Plains comprised a cultural continuum in stable equilibrium, having undergone only superficial modifications in technology, exploitative activities, and settlement patterning from their first appearance in the area. The positioning of villages along terraces overlooking the Missouri River floodplain placed the zoned resources within equal reach of all communities. Consequently, these politically autonomous villages were also economically self-sufficient. There was little reason for trade between villages, but there was extensive trade with nomads from outside the valley. This trade not only diffused elements between nomads and villagers, but it intensified the village way of life and helped stabilize it, thus reinforcing the division between nomad and villager. There were no village or regional specializations, and only a few social mechanisms to stimulate inter-village integration. These factors combined to help maintain the village groups at a tribal level of organization.