Trends in the development of fine arts during the independence of Ukraine

The purpose of the article is to highlight the search for new trends in the development of fine arts during Ukraine's independence, which acquired individual self-expression and became a subcategory of media culture, offering the audience a complex and technically high-quality visual product focused on understanding the relationship Soviet times and aimed at world universal values. The methodological basis was the methods of critical analysis of art, historical, literary sources, and specific historical analysis in studying the development of new trends in fine arts during Ukraine's independence, which allowed to explore the creative components of artists, as Ukrainian art was and is an integral part of the world art process while leaving their own national creative individuality. The scientific novelty lies in the conceptualization of modern trends in the development of fine arts, the formation of artistic styles as a factor in reflecting historical and artistic processes in the system of interaction between Ukrainian art and society. Conclusions. The study found that each generation studies, reviews and proves its vision of the history of its people. The twentieth century has come to an end, and the development of new trends in fine arts during Ukraine's independence encourages scholars to the analytical rethinking of his achievements from the standpoint of the new Ukrainian artistic life and its entry into the world art space. The global integration processes of the modern world are an objective trend in the development of fine arts, which should be considered in the context of trends in world art, including European. Global transformation processes have affected all spheres of public life, becoming determinants of shaping the way and quality of life of contemporary Ukrainian artists, found their concretization in the process of forming a single artistic space, and returned the right of Ukrainian art to its place in the world art space. Fine art during the independence of Ukraine reflects the laws, realities of life, processes, and phenomena that take place in it, has acquired tendencies of individual self-expression of the artist, and supports the free development of all styles and genres at the state level. Key words: fine arts, Ukraine, trends, artist, creative personality of the artist.

Innovation and selection of family farms’ marketing channels in Henan Province under the “Internet+” environment

With the continuous improvement of China’s market economy and the intensification of global integration trends, the relationship between the supply and demand of China’s agricultural products has also undergone significant changes. From the previous short supply to the current oversupply, the sales of agricultural products have become a key factor restricting the development of the Chinese rural economy. Solving the problem of agricultural sales has become the internal driving force to promote the steady development of family farms, which is also the fundamental purpose of this paper. Therefore, this paper makes an empirical analysis of the factors influencing the choice of agricultural products’ sales channels among 170 family farms in Henan Province using a logistic regression model. The results show that selling agricultural products from family farms to consumers, enterprises, and large sales households are the main sales channels, accounting for 17.3%, 15.3%, and 15.2% respectively. The proportion of Internet sales ranks seventh among the eight channels, which has not been widely recognized. The regression results and assumptions are verified. The brand and certification of family farms’ agricultural products, business form of a farm, and understanding of the Internet have a significant impact on the choice of sales channels. According to the weight of influencing factors, the paper puts forward four suggestions for the selection and innovation in sales channels of family farms’ agricultural products. AcknowledgmentThis study is funded by The National Social Science Fund of China (grant no: 19BJ1Y144).

Resting-State Electroencephalography Functional Connectivity Networks Relate to Pre- and Postoperative Language Functioning in Low-Grade Glioma and Meningioma Patients

Introduction: Preservation of language functioning in patients undergoing brain tumor surgery is essential because language impairments negatively impact the quality of life. Brain tumor patients have alterations in functional connectivity (FC), the extent to which brain areas functionally interact. We studied FC networks in relation to language functioning in glioma and meningioma patients.Method: Patients with a low-grade glioma (N = 15) or meningioma (N = 10) infiltrating into/pressing on the language-dominant hemisphere underwent extensive language testing before and 1 year after surgery. Resting-state EEG was registered preoperatively, postoperatively (glioma patients only), and once in healthy individuals. After analyzing FC in theta and alpha frequency bands, weighted networks and Minimum Spanning Trees were quantified by various network measures.Results: Pre-operative FC network characteristics did not differ between glioma patients and healthy individuals. However, hub presence and higher local and global FC are associated with poorer language functioning before surgery in glioma patients and predict worse language performance at 1 year after surgery. For meningioma patients, a greater small worldness was related to worse language performance and hub presence; better average clustering and global integration were predictive of worse outcome on language function 1 year after surgery. The average eccentricity, diameter and tree hierarchy seem to be the network metrics with the more pronounced relation to language performance.Discussion: In this exploratory study, we demonstrated that preoperative FC networks are informative for pre- and postoperative language functioning in glioma patients and to a lesser extent in meningioma patients.

Creating Ethical Markets or Marketing Ethics? A Critical Exploration of Ethical Value Networks in Chilean and Peruvian Viticulture and Oenology

<p>The global integration of agriculture has increasingly exposed rural groups in Latin America, and other regions of the Global South, to external economic forces. This integration, encouraged by neoliberal ideology, has in many ways exacerbated underdevelopment and peripherality of these regions. Small-scale farmers tend to disproportionately suffer from trade inequality and a range of negative social, economic, and environmental outcomes associated with the integration of agriculture. In response, consumers in the Global North have become more concerned about how food is being produced and to what standards, particularly when production takes place in the South. In part, this has driven the rise of what this research theorises as ethical value networks and linked product labels. Diverse networks and product labels based in social justice, sustainability, quality and origin have been promoted as alternative models to globalised agriculture. It is claimed that these alternative networks assist rural groups otherwise disadvantaged by neoliberal globalisation by facilitating access to higher-value ethical niche markets, while encouraging localised ethical forms of development. This research critically explores two examples of ethical value networks in South American viticulture. It examines the use of fair trade certifications in Chilean wine and the protected designation of origin mark on pisco from Peru. This research emphasises the importance of local social, economic, and political contexts in the formation and outcomes of ethical value networks. It argues that despite the potential of the two studied networks to encourage local social and community development, entrenched socio-economic inequalities in Chile and Peru have hindered the expected positive outcomes of these ethical value networks. Moreover, this thesis argues that the studied networks have in many ways worsened local rural inequalities by supporting industrial and newer producers while excluding the most vulnerable actors in the wine and pisco sectors. Therefore, although this thesis illustrates the potential capacities of ethical value networks in fostering local development outcomes through product labelling, it also reveals the main limitations of these networks as currently implemented.</p>

Creating Ethical Markets or Marketing Ethics? A Critical Exploration of Ethical Value Networks in Chilean and Peruvian Viticulture and Oenology

<p>The global integration of agriculture has increasingly exposed rural groups in Latin America, and other regions of the Global South, to external economic forces. This integration, encouraged by neoliberal ideology, has in many ways exacerbated underdevelopment and peripherality of these regions. Small-scale farmers tend to disproportionately suffer from trade inequality and a range of negative social, economic, and environmental outcomes associated with the integration of agriculture. In response, consumers in the Global North have become more concerned about how food is being produced and to what standards, particularly when production takes place in the South. In part, this has driven the rise of what this research theorises as ethical value networks and linked product labels. Diverse networks and product labels based in social justice, sustainability, quality and origin have been promoted as alternative models to globalised agriculture. It is claimed that these alternative networks assist rural groups otherwise disadvantaged by neoliberal globalisation by facilitating access to higher-value ethical niche markets, while encouraging localised ethical forms of development. This research critically explores two examples of ethical value networks in South American viticulture. It examines the use of fair trade certifications in Chilean wine and the protected designation of origin mark on pisco from Peru. This research emphasises the importance of local social, economic, and political contexts in the formation and outcomes of ethical value networks. It argues that despite the potential of the two studied networks to encourage local social and community development, entrenched socio-economic inequalities in Chile and Peru have hindered the expected positive outcomes of these ethical value networks. Moreover, this thesis argues that the studied networks have in many ways worsened local rural inequalities by supporting industrial and newer producers while excluding the most vulnerable actors in the wine and pisco sectors. Therefore, although this thesis illustrates the potential capacities of ethical value networks in fostering local development outcomes through product labelling, it also reveals the main limitations of these networks as currently implemented.</p>

Editorial

Film and media practitioners and educators have been expanding the use of digital through new experiences with unusual and innovative technical and artistic “approaches.” Likewise, researchers and academics are questioning and analyzing these new practices that increasingly dominate global society, as seen in the past months with the advent of the worldwide pandemic. In 2013, we created the IFM-Interactive Film and Media Conference to provide an inclusive educational space within the digital theory and interactive studies where researchers and practitioners could discuss and present their research and work in film and media. With this purpose, the IFM has partnered with universities worldwide and established a space for a global integration between academia and the audiovisual production community that aims to forge a valuable exchange between researchers, faculty, students, practitioners, and the community. The goal is to generate a broad debate, emphasizing the need to evaluate the increasing use of digital screens in contemporary society and how people respond artistically, socially, and politically to the challenges of the digital cultural space. The work of professors, researchers, and practitioners (artists, filmmakers, and videomakers) from various areas and several countries, including Italy, Brazil, England, Spain, Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, Scotland, Germany, and the United States, constitutes this special issue with selected articles and audiovisuals from the #IFM2014. The aim is to launch IFM Journal first issues while archiving our preliminary works.

Editorial

Film and media practitioners and educators have been expanding the use of digital through new experiences with unusual and innovative technical and artistic “approaches.” Likewise, researchers and academics are questioning and analyzing these new practices that increasingly dominate global society, as seen in the past months with the advent of the worldwide pandemic. In 2013, we created the IFM-Interactive Film and Media Conference to provide an inclusive educational space within the digital theory and interactive studies where researchers and practitioners could discuss and present their research and work in film and media. With this purpose, the IFM has partnered with universities worldwide and established a space for a global integration between academia and the audiovisual production community that aims to forge a valuable exchange between researchers, faculty, students, practitioners, and the community. The goal is to generate a broad debate, emphasizing the need to evaluate the increasing use of digital screens in contemporary society and how people respond artistically, socially, and politically to the challenges of the digital cultural space. The work of professors, researchers, and practitioners (artists, filmmakers, and videomakers) from various areas and several countries, including Italy, Brazil, England, Spain, Canada, New Zealand, Portugal, Scotland, Germany, and the United States, constitutes this special issue with selected articles and audiovisuals from the #IFM2014. The aim is to launch IFM Journal first issues while archiving our preliminary works.

How Can National Competitiveness of Less Developed Countries be Enhanced? : A Case Study of Laos

<p>The current literature focuses primarily on the national competitiveness of developed or developing economies. However, minimal research exists on understanding the national competitiveness of less developed countries (LDCs) whose strengths in factor endowments, government institutions and the extent of global integration are not the same as those of developed or developing countries. This study aims to fill this research gap by exploring factors contributing to the competitiveness of Laos. Laos is a small, poor and land-locked country in Southeast Asia with rich natural resources. To achieve the study objectives, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior government officials, industrial representatives, professors and NGOs in Laos. The findings suggest three key factors are critical for enhancing Lao competitiveness: factor endowments, the role of government, and global integration. Laos‘ factor endowments include hydropower, mining, agriculture, garment and textile industries, and services. Laos is interacting more with the global economy as it gets set to embrace membership of the World Trade Organisation after approximately 15 years of membership of ASEAN. The government is playing a critical role by developing Lao factor endowments and developing policies required for global integration. However, the country faces challenges of value addition to the existing natural resources, developing and leveraging human capital, and further improvement in rules and regulations.</p>

How Can National Competitiveness of Less Developed Countries be Enhanced? : A Case Study of Laos

<p>The current literature focuses primarily on the national competitiveness of developed or developing economies. However, minimal research exists on understanding the national competitiveness of less developed countries (LDCs) whose strengths in factor endowments, government institutions and the extent of global integration are not the same as those of developed or developing countries. This study aims to fill this research gap by exploring factors contributing to the competitiveness of Laos. Laos is a small, poor and land-locked country in Southeast Asia with rich natural resources. To achieve the study objectives, 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with senior government officials, industrial representatives, professors and NGOs in Laos. The findings suggest three key factors are critical for enhancing Lao competitiveness: factor endowments, the role of government, and global integration. Laos‘ factor endowments include hydropower, mining, agriculture, garment and textile industries, and services. Laos is interacting more with the global economy as it gets set to embrace membership of the World Trade Organisation after approximately 15 years of membership of ASEAN. The government is playing a critical role by developing Lao factor endowments and developing policies required for global integration. However, the country faces challenges of value addition to the existing natural resources, developing and leveraging human capital, and further improvement in rules and regulations.</p>

Mass consumer culture in the information society of the 21st century

В статье отмечается, что массовая культура с момента своего возникновения существует уже на протяжении века. Приводится анализ ряда теоретических работ по проблеме массовой культуры. Отмечается, что развитие информационно-компьютерных технологий и Интернета, появление феномена виртуальной реальности оказало влияние на формы, способы, каналы распространения массовой культуры, поставив перед социологической наукой ряд гносеологических проблем, которые нуждаются в решении. В статье делается акцент на отличиях индустриального общества от информационного, в контексте которых и появляется массовая культура. Анализируется такая функция массовой культуры, как социокультурная общемировая интеграция. Отмечается, что массовая культура постепенно стала приобретать свойства медиакультуры, встраиваясь в пространство информационно-компьютерных и телекоммуникационных технологий. Вместе с тем распространение массовой культуры привело к деформации общественного сознания, усилению унификационных процессов, примитивизации культурных ценностей и росту потребительских аппетитов населения. В то же время, как показала общественно-историческая практика, многие алармистские оценки оказались преувеличены. В этой связи делается вывод о том, что в начале XXI столетия в общественном и научном сообществе возобладало конструктивное понимание функционала масскультурных процессов в изменении духовной жизни человечества. Mass culture since its inception has existed for a century. An analysis of a number of theoretical works on the problem of mass culture is given. The development of information and computer technologies and the Internet, the emergence of the phenomenon of virtual reality has influenced the forms, methods, and channels for spreading mass culture, posing a number of epistemological problems before sociological science that need to be solved. The paper emphasizes the differences between the industrial society and the information society, in the context of which mass culture appears. The function of mass culture, such as sociocultural global integration, is analyzed. It is noted that mass culture gradually began to acquire the properties of media culture, embedded in the space of information, computer and telecommunication technologies. At the same time, the spread of mass culture has led to a deformation of public consciousness, strengthening of unification processes, primitivization of cultural values and an increase in consumer appetites of the population. Simultaneously, as socio-historical practice showed, many alarmist assessments were exaggerated. In this connection, it is concluded that at the beginning of the 21st century, a constructive understanding of the functionality of mass-cultural processes in changing the spiritual life of mankind prevailed in the public and scientific community.