Shanin, Chayanov and peasant studies of Russia and beyond

This text is based on the presentation at the roundtable in memory of Teodor Shanin (Moscow, 23 October 2020) and on the recent author's paper in press, which surveys Shanin's work of the 1970s and 1980s. The author provides a guide to tracing Shanin'’s main themes and issues. First, the family farm is usually if not invariably featured first in Shanin's characterizations of peasants as a general or generic type. Second, Shanin sought explanations of peasant household reproduction in his model of 'multidirectional and cyclical mobility' against the 'biological determinism' linked to the organization-production school and against the 'economic determinism' of Marxists. Third, Shanin emphasized "life of a small community within which most of the peasant needs of social living and social reproduction can be met", but he aimed to avoid a romantic view of the mir. Fourth, Shanin believed that "the definitions of peasantry, which view it as representing an aspect of the past surviving in the modern world, seem, on the whole, valid", and that rural society can be understood in terms of labour and capital flows which are broader than agriculture. Fifth, Shanin wrote that the triple origins of Marx's analytical thought suggested by Engels - German philosophy, French socialism and British political economy - should be supplemented by the Russian revolutionary populism. Sixth, Shanin argued that the concept of 'peasant mode of production' had too many heuristic limitations to be sustained. Finally, Shanin's vision of an alternative to both capitalist development and the projects of Soviet style was firmly rooted in the legacy of Chayanov

Can modernity accommodate african ‘peasants’?

This paper interprets ‘modernity’ in Africa today as the consequences of historically specific patterns of capitalist development, or ‘actually existing capitalism’, with special reference to African ‘peasants’. Their social conditions of existence are fundamentally, if not exclusively, those of capitalist class relations and dynamics, internalised in the functioning of ‘household’ farming. Many, perhaps the majority, of Africans with a rural base are better considered as ‘classes of labour’ than as ‘peasants

Rural futures. How much should markets rule?

The paper distinguishes different approaches to markets in, and affecting, rural sub-Saharan Africa, and present some associated policies, notably ‘market-friendly’ and ‘market-challenging’. We then propose a political economy approach as a more satisfactory way of grasping the complex social dynamics of ‘real markets’ and their forms of unequal power. This is illustrated in relation to the class differentiation of ‘small farmers’ and its effects for rural ‘livelihood diversification'

Electrode and Headgear Design for Accurate TDCS

Stimulating the brain with a low current that is focused on specific regions of the brain has been shown to modify brain function and treat various neurological diseases. Transcranial direct current stimulation (TDCS) has been an effective and life changing alternative treatment for a vast range of neurological conditions including depression, epilepsy, stroke rehabilitation, addiction and chronic pain but only if it is administered correctly. During TDCS, a weak constant current is applied to precise locations on the scalp to modulate brain activity. Those locations can be determined by the cumbersome 10-20 EEG measurement system, transcranial magnetic stimulation or neuronavigation. These various methods require highly trained technicians, are extremely expensive, and magnetic stimulation and neuronavigation are not mobile enough to be done outside a clinical setting. After the time consuming routine of finding the locations for the electrodes, technicians then must perform a complicated multistep setup in order to setup the device, secure the electrodes to a patient’s head and start the treatment. Making TDCS simple and easy enough for a patient with M.S. to setup and administer treatment without the help of a caregiver can immeasurably increase the number of patients that are able to be treated with TDCS, researchers studying its effects and increase its efficiency. 3 Improving the design of the sponge electrodes and making a TDCS headgear that ensures the precise placement of the electrodes all while making the process and equipment simpler is one way to increase the use of TDCS. This paper discusses the background on TDCS and other brain stimulation methods and will explain how improving the equipment used for TDCS will make it easier, safer, cheaper and more efficient. A novel TDCS headgear was designed that has snap sponge electrodes that can be setup by a patient at home or their caregiver. The accuracy of the headgear was validated by testing repeated placements of the headgear and measuring the displacement of the electrodes from their predetermined positions. The data obtained from this study was then analyzed by computational modeling and it was determined that the headgear would be an ideal option for at home TDCS. The headgear has been adopted by many successful studies and may very likely be more accurate than the most widely used previous method of utilizing the 10-20 EEG System. This new method saves time, money, and increases the accessibility of treatment. It is also more accurate and replicable than a trained technician using previous methods. These updates to inadequate headgear permit the headgear to be used by disabled patients at home which will enable studies to include many more patients because of saved time and funding which will expand the number of patients treated by breakthrough technology and immensely improve the efficacy and reproducibility of treatment

Soberania alimentar: uma perspectiva cética

Este trabalho busca identificar e avaliar alguns dos principais elementos que ‘delimitam’ a questão da Soberania Alimentar: (i) um ataque global à agricultura industrial e suas consequências ecológicas, no atual momento da globalização; (ii) a defesa de um (do) “modo camponês” como base de um sistema alimentar sustentável e socialmente justo; e (iii) um programa para concretizar esse objetivo mundial-histórico. Embora acolha o primeiro desses elementos, sou muito mais cético quanto ao segundo, em razão do modo como a soberania alimentar concebe os “camponeses” e do seu postulado de que pequenos produtores adeptos da agricultura ecológica – tida como de baixo consumo de insumos (externos) e intensiva em trabalho – podem abastecer o mundo. Isso leva ao argumento de que a soberania alimentar é incapaz de construir um programa viável (o terceiro elemento) para vincular as atividades de pequenos agricultores às necessidades alimentares de não agricultores, cujos números vêm crescendo, tanto absolutamente quanto como proporção da população mundial

Materials Issues For Users Of Gas Turbines.

Tutorialpg. 197-214Material issues are of paramount importance for the reliable and cost effective operation of gas turbine engines. Because of the high turbine temperatures, the materials degrade over time, which requires their repair or replacement. Rapid degradation or the inability to repair these complex materials result in excessively high operating costs. This paper concentrates upon the hot section components, because this is where the majority of turbine distress occurs. Superalloys, both nickel based and cobalt based, and high temperature coatings are discussed from a user's perspective. The degradation of the hot section components--combustor hardware, blades, and vanes-is described. This degradation includes that due to creep, thermal mechanical fatigue, high temperature oxidation, and hot corrosion. Approaches to determining the remaining life of these components is discussed, including the data that the user must supply. A computer program for determining the remaining life of the first stage blades and vanes is presented. Finally, the repair and rejuvenation of the materials and components are described, including heat treatment, welding, brazing, and recoating

Yisrael : drama muy ezmoviente en tres actos

Copia digital. Madrid : Ministerio de Cultura. Subdirección General de Coordinación Bibliotecaria, 201