scholarly journals Let’s go fishing: A quantitative analysis of subsistence choices with a special focus on mixed economies among small-scale societies

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. e0254539
Author(s):  
Virginia Ahedo ◽  
Débora Zurro ◽  
Jorge Caro ◽  
José Manuel Galán
Keyword(s):  
Small Scale ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Subsistence Economies ◽  
Machine Learning Approach ◽  
Major Turning Point ◽  
Transition To Agriculture ◽  
Ethnographic Data ◽  
Economic Choices

The transition to agriculture is regarded as a major turning point in human history. In the present contribution we propose to look at it through the lens of ethnographic data by means of a machine learning approach. More specifically, we analyse both the subsistence economies and the socioecological context of 1290 societies documented in the Ethnographic Atlas with a threefold purpose: (i) to better understand the variability and success of human economic choices; (ii) to assess the role of environmental settings in the configuration of the different subsistence economies; and (iii) to examine the relevance of fishing in the development of viable alternatives to cultivation. All data were extracted from the publicly available cross-cultural database D-PLACE. Our results suggest that not all subsistence combinations are viable, existing just a subset of successful economic choices that appear recurrently in specific ecological systems. The subsistence economies identified are classified as either primary or mixed economies in accordance with an information-entropy-based quantitative criterion that determines their degree of diversification. Remarkably, according to our results, mixed economies are not a marginal choice, as they constitute 25% of the cases in our data sample. In addition, fishing seems to be a key element in the configuration of mixed economies, as it is present across all of them.

scholarly journals Archeologie in musea: een passend verleden voor de Sami?

Paleo-aktueel ◽  
2018 ◽  
pp. 115-123
Author(s):  
Mathilde van den Berg
Keyword(s):  
Material Culture ◽  
Linear Time ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Reindeer Herding ◽  
Cultural Expression ◽  
General Acceptance

A Sami past. The Sami are still struggling for general acceptance of their identity and cultural expression. They are the indigenous population of Fennoscandia, and although now mostly associated with reindeer herding, historically their subsistence was based mostly on fishing, hunting, agriculture, animal husbandry, and only small-scale reindeer herding. In this paper it is probed how contemporary majority and Sami museums convey information about the Sami and their past, with a special focus on the role of archaeology. This is important because museums have an active role in the creation of knowledge and identity. There are several discrepancies between what archaeology is and can present, and how the Sami see their culture and past. Archaeology works with linear time, and focuses on material culture that is, landscape-wise, taken out of context. By contrast, Sami culture emphasizes the importance of material culture within the landscape, feels affiliated with circular time and nature, and does not accept all material culture that archaeology classifies as Sami. In the case of the Sami, archaeology is a less-than-ideal way to communicate about their past and culture.

scholarly journals Directions for the future of technology in pronunciation research and teaching

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Grantham O’Brien ◽  
Tracey M. Derwing ◽  
Catia Cucchiarini ◽  
Debra M. Hardison ◽  
Hansjörg Mixdorff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Computer Assisted ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Teaching Resources ◽  
Future Developments ◽  
Research And Teaching ◽  
Future Work ◽  
Point Of Departure

Abstract This paper reports on the role of technology in state-of-the-art pronunciation research and instruction, and makes concrete suggestions for future developments. The point of departure for this contribution is that the goal of second language (L2) pronunciation research and teaching should be enhanced comprehensibility and intelligibility as opposed to native-likeness. Three main areas are covered here. We begin with a presentation of advanced uses of pronunciation technology in research with a special focus on the expertise required to carry out even small-scale investigations. Next, we discuss the nature of data in pronunciation research, pointing to ways in which future work can build on advances in corpus research and crowdsourcing. Finally, we consider how these insights pave the way for researchers and developers working to create research-informed, computer-assisted pronunciation teaching resources. We conclude with predictions for future developments.

scholarly journals Water quality assessment of East Kolkata Wetland with a special focus on bioremediation by nitrifying bacteria

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mousumi Saha ◽  
Agniswar Sarkar ◽  
Bidyut Bandyopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Physicochemical Properties ◽  
Physicochemical Parameters ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Water Quality Assessment ◽  
Nitrifying Bacteria ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
East Kolkata Wetland ◽  
Tce Degradation

Abstract East Kolkata Wetlands (EKW) is designated as International Ramsar site and are the hotspot for large-scale wastewater aquaculture practices. However, the continued surveillance of physicochemical properties of water and application of an eco-friendly approach are essential to ensure safe aquaculture practices. In the present study, we assessed the seasonal variation in physicochemical parameters of water across EKW and investigated the role of nitrifying bacteria as probiotics. We statistically analyzed various physicochemical properties of water samples from EKW. Results of the statistical analysis indicated a significant variation in all the physicochemical parameters across the selected water bodies of EKW (p < 0.01). We isolated and enumerated Nitrosomonas sp. and Nitrobacter sp. and assessed their ability to degrade trichloroethylene (TCE). The role of Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter sp. were further investigated and established through a small-scale experiment. Two microbial isolates, NSW3 and NBW2, displayed superior TCE degradation ability at pH 5, and the application of these strains as probiotics were found to improve the quality of water and survival rate of fishes in the treated experimental tanks. Our findings suggest that the application of the above mixed bacterial cultures in aquaculture could be an effective and environment-friendly approach for safe and productive aquaculture operations.

The role of collective identifications in family processes of post-trauma reconstruction: An exploratory study with Kurdish refugee families and their diasporic community

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth Kevers ◽  
Peter Rober ◽  
Lucia De Haene
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Family Processes ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Refugee Families ◽  
Family Contexts ◽  
Diasporic Community ◽  
And Coping

While collective identifications of diasporic Kurds have attracted considerable scholarly interest, their possible role in familial processes of post-trauma reconstruction has hardly been studied. The aim of this article is therefore to develop an explorative understanding of the deployment and meaning of collective identifications in intimate family contexts by examining the interconnectedness between the transmission of cultural and political belonging and post-trauma meaning-making and coping in Kurdish refugee families. After contextualising diasporic Kurds’ collective identifications through an ethnographic depiction of the Kurdish diasporic community in Belgium, this article reports on findings from a small-scale, exploratory study with five Kurdish refugee families in Belgium. Thematic analysis of family and parent interviews indicates how cultural and political identifications may operate as sources of (1) dealing with cultural bereavement and loss; (2) commemorating trauma; and (3) reversing versus reiterating trauma. Overall, this study’s findings support an explorative understanding of collective identifications as meaningful resources in families’ post-trauma reconstruction.ABSTRACT IN KURMANJIRola nasnameyên komelî di pêvajoyên malbatî yên vesazkirina paş-trawmayê de: Xebateke raveker li ser malbatên kurd ên penaber û civakên wan ên dîasporayêTevî ku nasnameyên komelî yên kurdên dîasporayê ta radeyeke baș bûye mijara lêkolînan, rola wan a muhtemel di pêvajoyên malbatî yên vesazkirina (selihandin) paş-trawmayê qet nehatine vekolîn. Lewma armanca vê gotarê ew e têgihiştineke raveker pêş bixe li ser rol û wateya nasnameyên komelî yên di çarçoveya mehremiya malbatê de, ku vê yekê jî dê bi rêya vekolîna wê têkiliya rijd bike ya di navbera neqlkirina aidiyetên çandî-siyasî û rêyên sazkirina wateyê û serederîkirina li dû trawmayê di nav malbatên kurd ên penaber de. Piştî diyarkirina çarçoveya nasnameya komelî ya Kurdên diasporayê bi rêya teswîreke etnografîk a cemaeta diasporaya Kurd li Belçîkayê, ev gotar encamên ji xebateke biçûk a bi pênc malbatên kurd ên penaber ên li Belçîkayê pêşkêş dike. Tehlîla babetî ya hevpeyvînên ligel malbatan û dayik û bavan nîşan dide ka çawa nasnameyên çandî û siyasî dikarin bibin çavkanî ji bo (1) serederîkirina bi mehrûmiyeta çandî û windahiyên xwe; (2) bibîranîna trawmayê; û (3) kêmrengkirin an, beramber vê yekê, dubarekirina trawmayê. Bi giştî, encamên vê xebatê wê têgihiştineke raveker tesdîq dikin ku nasnameyên kolektîf çavkaniyên kêrhatî ne di vesazkirina paş-trawmayê ya malbatan de. ABSTRACT IN SORANIDewrî nasname bekomellekan le prose binemalleyîyekanî sazkirdinewey paş-trawmayîda: lêkollîneweyekî şirovekarî binemalle penabere kurdekan û civatî ewan le diyasporaLe katêkda nasname bekomellekanî kurdekanî diyaspora le layen şarezakanewe giringîyekî berçawî pê drawe û serincî ewanî bo lay xoyî rakêşawe, bellam sebaret be egerî dewrî prose binemalleyîyekanî sazkirdinewey paş-tirawma be degmen lêkollîneweyek encam drawe. Ke wate, amancî em wutare perepêdan be têgeyîştinêkî şirovekarane lemerr bekarhênan û manay nasname bekomellekan le bestênekanî têkellawîy binemalleyîdaye, ke le rêgey peywendîy nêwan rewtî gwastineweyî grêdraweyî kultûrî û siyasî, sazbûnî mana û herweha rahatin legell kêşekanî qonaẍî paş tirawma le binemalle kurde penaberekanda taqî krawetewe. Dway awirrdanewe le civakî diyasporay kurd le Belcîka, nasname bekomellekanî kurdekanî diyaspora le bestênî xoyda xwêndinewey bo krawe û bem gêreye lem wutareda lêkollîneweyekî şirovekarane bo qebareyekî biçûk le pênc binemalley kurdî penaber le Belcîka dekrê û encamekanî billaw dekrêtewe. Şîkarîyekî babetiyaney wutuwêj legell binemalle û dayk û bawkekan nîşanî dedat ke çon dekrê nasname kultûrî û siyasîyekan wek serçaweyek bo em sê mijare derbikewn: (1) gîrodebûn be ledestçûn û bizirbûnî kultûr; (2) webîrhênanewey tirawma; û (3) pêçewanebûnî tirawma leberamber dûbarebûneweyda. Beşêweyekî giştî, encamekanî em lêkollîneweye piştgîrî le têgeyîştinêkî şirovekarane le nasname bekomellekan dekat ke wekû serçaweyekî giring bo sazkirdinewey binemallekan le dway qonaẍî paş-tirawma seyr dekrêt.

GOELRO plan is 100 years old

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 4-9
Author(s):  
Pavel A. BUTYRIN ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Soviet Period ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Efficient Production ◽  
Soviet Republic ◽  
Starting Conditions ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
State Plan

The historical context in which the State Plan for Electrification of Russia (GOELRO) was developed, establishment of the GOELRO Commission, the GOELRO Plan content, the specific features of its implementation, and the role of the plan in the soviet period of Russia’s history are considered. Attention is paid to the electrification plants of other countries and territories of all inhabited continents, and to the participation of states in the electrification of countries and regions with small-scale and agricultural production in the 1920 s. The specific features pertinent to the electrification of the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic are pointed out, namely, low starting conditions (in 1923, the energy consumption per capita in Russia was 100 times lower than that in Norway), its being state-owned in nature and revolutionary in its purpose: to get done with the main upheavals in the country and to shift the national economy for fore efficient production. The role of V.I. Lenin and G.M. Krzhizhanovsky, who were the initiators of the electrification of Russia, is analyzed in detail. A conclusion is drawn about the need to study both the GOELRO Plan itself and the specific features and circumstances of its implementation within the framework of training modern specialists in electrical engineering.

FAITH–BASED COMMUNITIES AND POLITICS IN DULLSTROOM-EMNOTWENI: LOCAL STORIES OF IDENTITY

2016 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Landman
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Traditional Role ◽  
Cultural Conflicts ◽  
Local Identities ◽  
Political Interests ◽  
Local Municipality ◽  
The Face

A majority of the black community of Dullstroom-Emnotweni in the Mpumalanga highveld in the east of South Africa trace their descent back to the southern Ndebele of the so-called ‘Mapoch Gronden’, who lost their land in the 1880s to become farm workers on their own land. A hundred years later, in 1980, descendants of the ‘Mapoggers’ settled in the newly built ‘township’ of Dullstroom, called Sakhelwe, finding jobs on the railways or as domestic workers. Oral interviews with the inhabitants of Sakhelwe – a name eventually abandoned in favour of Dullstroom- Emnotweni – testify to histories of transition from landowner to farmworker to unskilled labourer. The stories also highlight cultural conflicts between people of Ndebele, Pedi and Swazi descent and the influence of decades of subordination on local identities. Research projects conducted in this and the wider area of the eMakhazeni Local Municipality reveal the struggle to maintain religious, gender and youth identities in the face of competing political interests. Service delivery, higher education, space for women and the role of faith-based organisations in particular seem to be sites of contestation. Churches and their role in development and transformation, where they compete with political parties and state institutions, are the special focus of this study. They attempt to remain free from party politics, but are nevertheless co-opted into contra-culturing the lack of service delivery, poor standards of higher education and inadequate space for women, which are outside their traditional role of sustaining an oppressed community.

Can the Lewis basicity of an isolated solvent molecule be used for characterizing solvent effects?

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-François Gal ◽  
Pierre-Charles Maria
Keyword(s):  
Solvent Effects ◽  
Molecular Level ◽  
Solvent Molecule ◽  
Lewis Base ◽  
Bulk Liquid ◽  
Donor Number ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Solution Processes ◽  
Inert Solvent

Background: The ubiquitous Lewis acid/base interactions are important in solution processes. Analytical chemistry may benefit of a better understanding of the role of Lewis basicity, at the molecular level or acting through a bulk solvent effect. Objective: To clearly delineate (i) the basicity at a molecular level, hereafter referred as solute basicity, and (ii) the solvent basicity, which is a bulk-liquid property. Method: The literature that relates Lewis basicity scales and solvent effects is analyzed. A special focus is placed on two extensive scales, the Donor Number, DN, and the BF3 affinity scale, BF3A, which were obtained by calorimetric measurement on molecules as solutes diluted in a quasi-inert solvent, and therefore define a molecular Lewis basicity. We discuss the validity of these solute scales when regarded as solvent scales, in particular when the basicity of strongly associated liquids is discussed. Results: We demonstrate the drawbacks of confusing the Lewis basicity of a solvent molecule, isolated as solute, and that of the bulk liquid solvent itself. Conclusion: Consequently, we recommend a reasoned use of the concept of Lewis basicity taking clearly into account the specificity of the process for which a Lewis basicity effect may be invoked. In particular, the action of the Lewis base, either as an isolated entity, or as a bulk liquid, must be distinguished.

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