Search results for: South African foreign policy

Authors: Nelli R. Khachaturian

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The development of modern societies is largely associated with ethno-religious processes. The study of diasporas through the prism of religious processes is primarily aimed at identifying the impact of religious consciousness and behavior on the processes of reproduction of ethnic identity. Most often, it is religion that is associated with ethnic culture and historical heritage. Due to the peculiarities of the country of residence, different segments of the same ethnic group may demonstrate different religious consciousness and behavior. This paper is devoted to a comparative analysis of the religious behavior and consciousness of the representatives of the Armenian communities of Tbilisi and Tehran, based on the data obtained from the large-scale ethnic-sociological studies realized from 2013 to 2017 in Tehran and Tbilisi in the context of various spheres of public relations. Such research experience is of interest not only for understanding the dynamics of ethno-religious processes in the diasporas but also for understanding the role of religion as one of the most important factors in the formation of the mechanisms of self-preservation of an ethnic group, its current state and development prospects in the context of its own, different ethnic and / or foreign religious (non-confessional) environment.

Keywords: Armenian ethnicity, Armenian diaspora, religious consciousness, religious behavior, Armenian community of Tbilisi, Armenian community of Tehran

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Authors: Tanju Deveci

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It appears that the speech act of complaint has not received as much attention as other speech acts. However, the face-threatening nature of this speech act requires a special attention in multicultural contexts in particular. The teaching context in the UAE universities, where a big majority of teaching staff comes from other cultures, requires investigations into this speech act in order to improve communication between students and faculty. This session will outline the results of a study conducted with this purpose. The realization of complaints by Freshman English students in Communication courses at Petroleum Institute was investigated to identify communication patterns that seem to cause a strain. Data were collected using a role-play between a teacher and students, and a judgment scale completed by two of the instructors in the Communications Department. The initial findings reveal that the students had difficulty putting their case, produced the speech act of criticism along with a complaint and that they produced both requests and demands as candidate solutions. The judgement scales revealed that the students’ attitude was not appropriate most of the time and that the judges would behave differently from students. It is concluded that speech acts, in general, and complaint, in particular, need to be taught to learners explicitly to improve interpersonal communication in multicultural societies. Some teaching ideas are provided to help increase foreign language learners’ sociolinguistic competence.

Keywords: speech act, complaint, pragmatics, sociolinguistics, language teaching

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Authors: Francis Nanda Prakash Monteiro, Shyna Quadras, Tanush Shetty

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The association between human physique and morbidity and mortality resulting from coronary artery disease has been studied extensively over several decades. Multiple studies have also been done on the correlation between grade of atherosclerosis, coronary artery diseases and anthropometrical measurements. However, the number of autopsy-based studies drastically reduces this number. It has been suggested that while in living subjects, it would be expensive, difficult, and even harmful to subject them to imaging modalities like CT scans and procedures involving contrast media to study mild atherosclerosis, no such harm is encountered in study of autopsy cases. This autopsy-based study was aimed to correlate the anthropometric measurements and indices of obesity, such as waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), body mass index (BMI) and waist hip ratio (WHR) with the degree of atherosclerosis in the right coronary artery (RCA), main branch of the left coronary artery (LCA) and the left anterior descending artery (LADA) in 95 South Indian origin victims of both the genders between the age of 18 years and 75 years. The grading of atherosclerosis was done according to criteria suggested by the American Heart Association. The study also analysed the correlation of the anthropometric measurements and indices of obesity with the number of coronaries affected with atherosclerosis in an individual. All the anthropometric measurements and the derived indices were found to be significantly correlated to each other in both the genders except for the age, which is found to have a significant correlation only with the WHR. In both the genders severe degree of atherosclerosis was commonly observed in LADA, followed by LCA and RCA. Grade of atherosclerosis in RCA is significantly related to the WHR in males. Grade of atherosclerosis in LCA and LADA is significantly related to the WHR in females. Significant relation was observed between grade of atherosclerosis in RCA and WC, and WHR, and between grade of atherosclerosis in LADA and HC in males. Significant relation was observed between grade of atherosclerosis in RCA and WC, and WHR, and between grade of atherosclerosis in LADA and HC in females. Anthropometric measurements/indices of obesity can be an effective means to identify high risk cases of atherosclerosis at an early stage that can be effective in reducing the associated cardiac morbidity and mortality. A person with anthropometric measurements suggestive of mild atherosclerosis can be advised to modify his lifestyle, along with decreasing his exposure to the other risk factors. Those with measurements suggestive of higher degree of atherosclerosis can be subjected to confirmatory procedures to start effective treatment.

Keywords: atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, indices, obesity

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Authors: Leila H. Khiabani, Mohammadreza Vafaee, Farshad Hashemzadeh

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Industrial waste management regulates different stages of production, storage, transfer, recycling and waste disposal. There are several common practices for industrial waste management. However, due to various local health, economic, social, environmental and aesthetic considerations, the most optimal principles and measures often vary at each specific industrial zone. In addition, waste management strategies are heavily impacted by local administrative, legal, and financial regulations. In this study, a hybrid qualitative and quantitative research methodology has been designed for waste management planning in an industrial city. Firstly, following a qualitative research methodology, the most relevant waste management strategies for the specific industrial city were identified through interviews with environmental planning and waste management experts. Forty experts participated in this study. Alborz industrial city in Iran, which hosts more than one thousand industrial units in nine hundred acres, was chosen as the sample industrial city in this study. The findings from the expert interviews at the first phase were then used to design a quantitative questionnaire for the second phase of the study. The aim of the questionnaire was to quantify the relative impact of different waste management strategies in the sample industrial city. Eight waste management strategies and three implementation policies were included in the questionnaire. The experts were asked to rank the relative effectiveness of each strategy for environmental planning of the sample industrial city. They were also asked to rank the relative effectiveness of each planning policy on each of the waste management strategies. In the end, the weighted average of all the responses was calculated to identify the most effective waste management strategy and planning policies for the sample industrial city. The results suggested that among the eight suggested waste management strategies, industrial composting is the most effective (31%) strategy based on the collective evaluation of the local expert. Additionally, the results suggested that the most effective policy (58%) in the city’s environmental planning is to reduce waste generation by prolonging the effective life of industrial products using higher quality and recyclable materials. These findings can provide useful expert guidelines for prioritization between different waste management strategies in the city’s overall environmental planning roadmap. The findings may also be applicable to similar industrial cities. In addition, a similar methodology can be utilized in the environmental planning of other industrial cities.

Keywords: environmental planning, industrial city, quantitative research, waste management

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Authors: Mikiale Gebreslase Gebremariam, Chai Huaqi, Tesfay Gebretsdkan Gebremichael, Dawit Nega Bekele

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In recent years, brownfield redevelopment projects (BRPs) have contributed to the overarching paradigm of the United Nations 2030 agendas. In the present circumstance, most developed nations adopted BRPs, an efficacious urban policy tool. However, in developing and some advanced countries, BRPs are lacking due to limitations of awareness, policy tools, and financial capability for cleaning up brownfield sites. For example, the growth and development of Ethiopian cities were achieved at the cost of poor urban planning, including no community consultations and excessive urbanization for future growth. The demand for land resources is more and more urgent as the result of an intermigration to major cities and towns for socio-economic reasons and population growth. In the past, the development mode of spreading major cities has made horizontal urbanizations stretching outwards. Expansion in search of more land resources, while the outer cities are growing, the inner cities are polluted by environmental pollution. It is noteworthy that the rapid development of cities has not brought about an increase in people's happiness index. Thus, the proposed management framework for managing brownfields in Ethiopia as a lesson to the developing nation facing similar challenges and growth will add immense value in solving the problems and give insights into brownfield land utilization. Under the umbrella of the grey incidence decision-making model and with the consideration of multiple stakeholders and tight environmental and economic constraints, the proposed management framework integrates different criteria from economic, social, environmental, technical, and risk aspects into the grey incidence decision-making model and gives useful guidance to manage brownfields in Ethiopia. Furthermore, it will contribute to the future development of the social economy and the missions of the 2030 UN sustainable development goals.

Keywords: Brownfields, environmental sustainability, Ethiopia, grey-incidence decision-making, sustainable urban development

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Authors: Bhumika Gupta, Jeayaram Subramanian, Hardik Vachhrajani, Avinash Shivdas

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Indian food processing industry is one of the largest in the world in terms of production, consumption, exports and growth opportunities. SMEs play a crucial role within this. Large manufacturing firms largely dominate innovation studies in India. Innovation sources used by SMEs are often different from that of large firms. This paper focuses on exploring various sources of innovation adopted by food processing SMEs in Kerala, South India. Outcome suggests that SMEs use various sources like suppliers, competitors, employees, government/research institutions and customers to get new ideas.

Keywords: food processing, innovation, SMEs, sources of innovation

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Authors: Osa D Egonwa

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In the 21^st century, the disciplinary boundaries of past centuries that we often create through mainstream art historical classification, techniques and sources may have been eroded by visual culture, which seems to provide a more inclusive umbrella for the new ways artists go about the creative process and its resultant commodities. Over the past four decades, artists in Africa have resorted to new materials, techniques and themes which have affected our ways of research on these artists and their art. Frontline artists such as El Anatsui, Yinka Shonibare, Erasmus Onyishi are demonstrating that any material is just suitable for artistic expression. Most of times, these materials come with their own techniques/effects and visual syntax: a combination of materials compounds techniques, formal aesthetic indexes, halo effects, and iconography. This tends to challenge the categories and we lean on to view, think and talk about them. This renders our main stream art historical research methods inadequate, thus suggesting new discursive concepts, terms and theories. This paper proposed the Africanist eclectic methods derived from the dual framework of Masquerade Theory and What Comes Behind Six is More Than Seven. This paper shares thoughts/research on art historical methods, terminological re-alignments on classification/source data, presentational format and interpretation arising from the emergent trends in our subject. The outcome provides useful tools to mediate new thoughts and experiences in recent African art and visual culture.

Keywords: art historical methods, classifications, concepts, re-alignment

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Authors: Hassidou Saidou, Soulé Aminou

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As in many towns of African countries, the waste management, in particularly solid constitutes a major problem for the municipal authorities of Maradi. The aim of this study is to make a diagnosis of the present system of waste management in the town of Maradi. The approach was consisted to some interviews with the municipal authorities, cleaning up and health technicians and some housewives investigations. According to the health technicians of the town, the causes due to the problem of waste management in Maradi town are: collecting capacity insufficient, lack of effective sensitization of people, undeveloped and uncontrolled rubbish dumps, lack of gutter and its maintenance, and insufficient and unqualified human resources. As to the authorities, they denounce always the attitude and the behavior of citizens on the waste issue. The waste evacuation is doing by municipal collecting or by depositing in wild rubbish dump. Some people eliminate their waste by burning or duping in the streets or in their houses. According to our investigations, 52% of population evacuates their waste daily. The satisfaction rate of municipal collecting is for 32%. The analysis showed that the present system of waste management in Maradi town is failing. As solutions, we proposed to equip the technical offices with appropriated material and financial means, reinforce the involved actor’s capacities and making in application the operatives regulations for the waste management.

Keywords: maradi, municipal authorities, Niger Republic, solid waste management

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Authors: Patrícia Alexandra Rodrigues Monteiro

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The way modern societies relate with their architectural heritage has become increasingly difficult. This fact is clearer in historic centres of Portuguese peripheral cities or villages, constantly on the balance between its growth needs and the restrictions imposed by the policies for the built heritage preservation. Nowadays, gentrification phenomenon has levelled the differences between architecture, from north to south of the country, under false pretences of modernity and promises of better living conditions for local populations who inhabit historic centres. With this essay, we will address some of the main problems of southern Portugal’s historic centres, reflecting on the concept of sustainability which, also in this context, has acquired an unavoidable relevance.

Keywords: architecture, art, heritage, portugal

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Authors: Nina Berding

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Migration and the ensuing diversity are integral parts of urban societies. However, engaging with the urban society and its diversification is rarely perceived as something trivial but rather as a difficult task and a major challenge. A central aspect of the discourse is the current migration of refugees from countries of the southern hemisphere to Europe and the resulting challenges for cities, their municipalities and the civil society as a whole. Based on exploratory field research in a German inner-city neighborhood, it is aimed to show that the discourses about migration and diversity are completely contrary to the everyday life actions of the urban society. Processes of migration that include leaving one’s hometown and moving to other places, searching for ‘safe’ environments or better opportunities are, historically speaking, not a new phenomenon. The urban dwellers have a large repertoire of strategies in managing processes of difference in everyday life situations, guided them well for centuries and also in these contemporary processes with an increased mobility and diversity. So there is obviously a considerable discrepancy between what is practically lived in everyday life, and how it is talked about. The results of the study demonstrate that the current discourse about the challenges of migration seems to legitimize interventions beyond humanist approaches where migrants serve as collective scapegoats for social problems and affected by different discrimination and criminalization processes. On the one hand, everyone takes advantage of the super-mobility and super-diversity in their daily lives and on the other hand, powerful stakeholders and designated authorities operate a sort of retro- nationalism and identity collectivism. Political players, the municipalities and other stakeholders then follow an urban public policy that takes actions (increasing police presence, concepts and activities for special groups, exclusion from active social life, preventing participation etc.) towards different ‘groups’ of residents, produced along ‘ethnic’ lines. The results also show that, despite the obstacles and adversities placed in their way, the excluded residents perpetually relocate and re-position themselves and attempt to empower themselves by redefining their identities in their neighborhood.

Keywords: coexistence, everyday life, migration and diversity regimes, urban policy

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Authors: Partha Saha, Uttam Kumar Banerjee

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Maternal and Child Healthcare (MCH) has always been regarded as one of the important issues globally. Reduction of maternal and child mortality rates and increase of healthcare service coverage were declared as one of the targets in Millennium Development Goals till 2015 and thereafter as an important component of the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the last decade, worldwide MCH indicators have improved but could not match the expected levels. Progress of both maternal and child mortality rates have been monitored by several researchers. Each of the studies has stated that only less than 26% of low-income and middle income countries (LMICs) were on track to achieve targets as prescribed by MDG4. Average worldwide annual rate of reduction of under-five mortality rate and maternal mortality rate were 2.2% and 1.9% as on 2011 respectively whereas rates should be minimum 4.4% and 5.5% annually to achieve targets. In spite of having proven healthcare interventions for both mothers and children, those could not be scaled up to the required volume due to fragmented health systems, especially in the developing and under-developed countries. In this research, a knowledge discovery based interactive Decision Support System (DSS) has been developed on web platform which would assist healthcare policy makers to develop evidence-based policies. To achieve desirable results in MCH, efficient resource planning is very much required. In maximum LMICs, resources are big constraint. Knowledge, generated through this system, would help healthcare managers to develop strategic resource planning for combatting with issues like huge inequity and less coverage in MCH. This system would help healthcare managers to accomplish following four tasks. Those are a) comprehending region wise conditions of variables related with MCH, b) identifying relationships within variables, c) segmenting regions based on variables status, and d) finding out segment wise key influential variables which have major impact on healthcare indicators. Whole system development process has been divided into three phases. Those were i) identifying contemporary issues related with MCH services and policy making; ii) development of the system; and iii) verification and validation of the system. More than 90 variables under three categories, such as a) educational, social, and economic parameters; b) MCH interventions; and c) health system building blocks have been included into this web-based DSS and five separate modules have been developed under the system. First module has been designed for analysing current healthcare scenario. Second module would help healthcare managers to understand correlations among variables. Third module would reveal frequently-occurring incidents along with different MCH interventions. Fourth module would segment regions based on previously mentioned three categories and in fifth module, segment-wise key influential interventions will be identified. India has been considered as case study area in this research. Data of 601 districts of India has been used for inspecting effectiveness of those developed modules. This system has been developed by importing different statistical and data mining techniques on Web platform. Policy makers would be able to generate different scenarios from the system before drawing any inference, aided by its interactive capability.

Keywords: maternal and child heathcare, decision support systems, data mining techniques, low and middle income countries

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Authors: Zeynep Selin Acar

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In the world of wars, it is aimed to find ways to protect civilians propound by political elites. Current threats may come from edges of the security concerns, meaning uncontrollable terrorist groups, unanticipated government-supported armed groups or separatists, and unimaginable merge of the previous with foreign supports or oppositions of which could flow into all groups– flaws of international state system. These threats resulted in transformation of inter-state system into a world system with distinctive actors and brought along the changes in strategic plans of political and military bodies, as well as adaptations of principles framing the strategies in terms of may-be-applicable international law constrained by ethical considerations. This paper aims to analyse the Responsibility to Protect (RtoP), being one of those, with its criteria aiming to regulate military interventions taking the protection of civilians both as the reason for intervention, jus ad bellum or right to war, and as the duties during the intervention, jus in bello or how to conduct the war. In addition it will discuss the rise of its bindingness in terms of Responsibility Not to Veto (RNtoV), Franco/Mexican Political Declaration opened in signature for UN member states on September 2015.

Keywords: civilian protection, protection as responsibility, responsibility to protect, responsibility not to veto

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Authors: Narimen Rdhaounia Mohamed Kouni

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Our aim in this paper is to identify the origins of inflation in Tunisia on the period from 1988 to 2018. In order to estimate the model, an ARDL methodology is used. We studied also the effect of informal economy on inflation. Indeed, we estimated the size of the informal economy in Tunisia based on Gutmann method. The results showed that there are three main origins of inflation. In fact, the first origin is the fiscal policy adopted by Tunisia, particularly after revolution. The second origin is the increase of monetary variables. Finally, informal economy played an important role in inflation.

Keywords: inflation, consumer price index, informal, gutmann method, ARDL model

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Authors: Md. Rakeb-Ul Islam, Daniel J. Schmidt, Jane M. Hughes

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Population connectivity plays an important role in the conservation and recovery of declining species. It affects genetic diversity, adaptive potential and resilience of species in nature. Loss of genetic variation can affect populations by limiting their ability to persist in stressful environmental conditions. Generally, freshwater fishes show higher levels of genetic structuring and subdivision among populations than those inhabiting estuarine or marine environments due to the presence of artificial (e.g. dams) and natural (e.g. mountain ranges) barriers to dispersal in freshwater ecosystems. The Australian smelt (Retropinnidae: Retropinna spp.) is a common freshwater fish species which is widely distributed throughout coastal and inland drainages in South - eastern Australia. These fish are found in a number of habitats from headwaters to lowland sites. They form large shoals in the mid to upper water column and inhabit deep slow – flowing pools as well as shallow fast flowing riffle-runs. Previously, Australian smelt consisted of two described taxa (Retropinna semoni and Retropinna tasmanica), but recently a complex of five or more species has been recognized based on an analysis of allozyme variation. In many area, they spend their entire life cycle within freshwater. Although most populations of the species are thought to be non-diadromous, it is still unclear whether individuals within coastal populations of Australian Retropinna exhibit diadromous migrations or whether fish collected from marine/estuarine environments are vagrants that have strayed out of the freshwater reaches. In this current study, the population structure and genetic differentiation of Australian smelt fish were investigated among eight rivers of South-East Queensland (SEQ), Australia. 11 microsatellite loci were used to examine genetic variation within and among populations. Genetic diversity was very high. Number of alleles ranged from three to twenty. Expected heterozygosity averaged across loci ranged from 0.572 to 0.852. There was a high degree of genetic differentiation among rivers (FST = 0.23), although low levels of genetic differentiation among populations within rivers. These extremely high levels of genetic differentiation suggest that the all smelt in SEQ complete their life history within freshwater, or, if they go to the estuary, they do not migrate to sea. This hypothesis is being tested further with a micro-chemical analysis of their otoliths.

Keywords: diadromous, genetic diversity, microsatellite, otolith

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Authors: Akachi Odoemene

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There is an ongoing grassroots war in Nigeria, particularly in its north central zone, as well as all through its southern parts, which have been most bloody. The war is between Fulani herdsmen and farming communities – an age-long problem which has escalated in the last decade and has assumed a very deadly dimension. In a typical scenario, Fulani herdsmen move into non-Fulani homelands with their cattle which graze on local farmlands, destroying farmers’ crops. This provokes their victims – the farmers – to acts of resistance, preventing the Fulani and their cattle from entering into farmlands. In some cases, there have been incidences of killing and/or stealing cattle, or poisoning of fields. In response, the herders wedge deadly attacks on farming communities, leading to the death of thousands of people. To be sure, this has been a major factor of instability in the rural areas of Nigeria. This paper aims at engaging the issues and cross-cutting issues of interest, as well as providing context and perspectives to the violent conflicts between Fulani herders and local communities in Nigeria. It particularly interrogates four central issues: (1) the nature and dynamics of the crisis, (2) the positions and stakes of the parties to the crisis, (3) the remedies available for containing/managing the conflicts and their desirability, and (4) perspectives on the positions of government(s) (and the African Union) on this conflict. Both primary and secondary sources were used for the purposes of this essay.

Keywords: Fulani Herdsmen, violent conflicts and insecurity, sustainable remedies, Nigeria

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Authors: Yenisleidy Martínez-Martínez, Yannay Casas-Ledón, Jo Dewulf

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Wind power constitutes a cleaner energy source with smaller unfavorable impacts on the environment than fossil fuels. Its development could be an alternative to fight climate change while meeting energy demands. However, wind energy development requires first determining the existing potential and areas with aptitude. Also, potential socio-economic and environmental impacts should be analyzed to prevent social rejection of this technology. In this context, this work performs a suitability assessment on a GIS environment to locate suitable areas for wind energy expansion in South-Central Chile. In addition, suitable areas were characterized in terms of potential goods and services to be produced as a proxy for analyzing potential impacts and trade-offs. First, layers of annual wind speed were generated as they represent the resource potential, and layer representing previously defined territorial constraints were created. Zones depicting territorial constraints were removed from resource measurement layers to identify suitable sites. Then, the appropriation of the primary production in suitable sites was determined to measure potential ecosystem services derived from human interventions in those areas. Results show that approximately 52% of the total surface of the study area has a good aptitude to install wind farms. In this area, provisioning services like food crops production, timber, and other forest resources like firewood play a key role in the regional economy and thus are the main cause of human interventions. This is reflected by human appropriation of the primary production values of 0.71 KgC/m².yr, 0.36 KgC/m².yr, and 0.14 KgC/m².yr, respectively. In this sense, wind energy development could be compatible with croplands, which is the predominant land use in suitable areas, and provide farmers with cheaper energy and extra income. Also, studies have reported changes in local temperature associated with wind turbines, which could be beneficial to crop growth. The results obtained in this study prove to be useful for identifying available areas for wind development, which could be very useful in decision-making processes related to energy planning.

Keywords: net primary productivity, provisioning services, suitability assessment, wind energy

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Authors: M. Jalali Azizpour, V.Tavvaf, E. Akhlaghi, H. Mohammadi Majd, A. Shirani, S. M. Moravvej, M. Kazemi, A. R. Aboudi Asl, A. Jaderi

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The static and corrosion behavior of the bridge using for pipelines in the south of country have been evaluated. The bridge was constructed more than 40 years ago on the Karoon River. Mentioned bridge is located in Khuzestan province and at a distance of 15 km east from the suburbs of Ahwaz. In order to determine the mechanical properties, the experimental tools such as measuring the thickness and static simulations based on the actual load were used. In addition, the metallurgical studies were used to achieve a rate of corrosion of pipes in the river and in the river bed. The aim of this project is to determine the remaining life of the bridge using mechanical and metallurgical studies.

Keywords: FEM, stress, corrosion, bridge

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Authors: S. Brahmi, S. Aitouche, M. D. Mouss

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Every modern company should measure the value of its intellectual capital and to report to complement the traditional annual balance sheets. The purpose of this work is to measure the intellectual capital in an Algerian company (or production system) using the Weightless Wealth Tool Kit (WWTK). The results of the measurement of intellectual capital are supplemented by traditional financial ratios. The measurement was applied to the National Company of Wells Services (ENSP) in Hassi Messaoud city, in the south of Algeria. We calculated the intellectual capital (intangible resources) of the ENSP to help the organization to better capitalize on its potential of workers and their know-how. The intangible value of the ENSP is evaluated at 16,936,173,345 DA in 2015.

Keywords: financial valuation, intangible capital, intellectual capital, intellectual capital measurement

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Authors: T. O. Adekunle, R. L. Makhubu, C. N. Ngwane

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This research was designed to assess the validity of the Sapir Whorf hypothesis in relation to the linguistic and cultural notions of the Yoruba and Zulu language speakers’ via the evaluation of the culture enriched dramatic text The Lion and The Jewel by Wole Soyinka. The study queried both the hypothesis’ strong version, (language governs thought: linguistic classifications restrain and influence mental classifications); and its weak version, (linguistic classifications and their use influence thought as well as some other classes of non-linguistic activities) and their possible reliability. Participants were purposively selected and their ages ranged from 16-46 years old. The participants amounted to 38 (18 Yoruba and 20 Zulu) students of DUT who all speak both English and Zulu (Zulu participants) and English and Yoruba (Yoruba participants) and the mixed methods approach was used. Thus with the use of questionnaire and interviews the research questions were answered and the findings provided support for validity of the linguistic relativity hypothesis, languages indeed influence thought. The findings also revealed that linguistic influence on cognition is not limited to different language users alone, but also same language speakers per level of exposure to other languages and concepts.

Keywords: culture, cognition, DUT, language, linguistic relativity hypothesis, Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, The Lion and The Jewel, thought, Wole Soyinka, Yoruba, Zulu

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Authors: Lucia Silveira Alda

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This research aims to analyze critically a set of studies published in the Proceedings of the International Conference on Mobile Learning of IADIS, from 2008 until 2012, which addresses the issue of foreign language learning mediated by mobile phones. The theoretical review of this study is based on the Vygotskian assumptions about tools and mediated learning and the concepts of mobile learning, CALL and MALL. In addition, the diffusion rates of the mobile phone and especially its potential are considered. Through systematic review and meta-analysis, this research intended to identify similarities and differences between the identified characteristics in the studies on the subject of language learning and mobile phone. From the analysis of the results, this study verifies that the mobile phone stands out for its mobility and portability. Furthermore, this device presented positive aspects towards student motivation in language learning. The studies were favorable to mobile phone use for learning. It was also found that the challenges in using this tool are not technical, but didactic and methodological, including the need to reflect on practical proposals. The findings of this study may direct further research in the area of language learning mediated by mobile phones.

Keywords: language learning, mobile learning, mobile phones, technology

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Authors: Ali Akbar Zeinali

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Lack of appropriate equivalences for the terms or technical words is the result of ineffective translation guidelines adopted in the translation processes. The increasing number of foreign words and specific terms incorporated into the native language are due to the ongoing development of technology and science. Many problems appear in medical translation when the Persian translators try to employ non-Persian or imported words in medical texts, in which multiple equivalents may be created for one particular word based on the individual preferences of authors and translators in the target language due to lack of standardization. The study attempted to discuss the findings based on the compatibility of the international naming criteria, considering the translation procedures. About 67% of 339 equivalents under this study were grouped as incompatible words while about 33% of them were compatible terms. The similarities and differences were investigated and discussed according to the compatibility status of the equivalents with Sager’s criteria. Such equivalents have been classified into several groups through bi-dimensional descriptions that were different features of translation procedures related to the international naming criteria. In review of the frequency distribution of compatibilities, the equivalents were divided into two categories of compatibles and incompatibles, indicating the effectiveness of the applied translation procedures.

Keywords: linguistics, medical translation, naming, terminology

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Authors: R. Pääkkönen, L. Korpinen, F. Gobba

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The objective of our study is to investigate UV exposure in Finland through sample measurements as a typical case study in summer and winter. We measured UV-BC weighted radiation and calculated a daily dose, which is about 100–150 times the Finnish exposure limit value in summer and 1–6 times in winter. The measured ultraviolet indices varied from 0 to 7 (scale 0–18), which is less than the values obtained in countries that are located farther south from Tampere latitude of 61 degrees. In wintertime, the UV exposure was modest compared to summertime, 50–150 mW/m² and about 1–5 mW/m² in summer and winter, respectively. However, technical means to manage UV exposure in Scandinavia are also needed in summer- and springtime.

Keywords: ultraviolet radiation, measurement, winter, summer

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Authors: Gyan Shrivastava

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Civil Engineering education, at undergraduate and graduate levels, commenced at the University of the West Indies (UWI) in 1961, in collaboration with Imperial College in London. From its inception, it has concentrated on natural hazard resistant design of structures, given the occurrence of earthquakes, hurricanes and volcanic eruption in the Commonwealth Caribbean Islands. Against this background, a number of international students, from Botswana, Canada, Germany, India, Nigeria and South Africa, have studied Civil Engineering at UWI over the years. This paper outlines the author’s experience in teaching Fluid Mechanics and Engineering design to the said students, and in so doing highlights their strengths and weaknesses.

Keywords: Caribbean, civil engineering, education, natural hazards

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Authors: May Ling González-Ruiz, Ana Cristina Solís-Solís

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Everyday more people can thrive towards the dream of pursuing a university diploma. This can be more attainable for some than for others who may face different types of limitations. Even though not all limitations come from within the individual but most of the times they come from without it may include the environment, the support of the person’s family, the school – its infrastructure, administrative procedures, and attitudes. This is a qualitative type of research that is developed through a case study. It is based on the experiences of two students who are visually impaired and who have attended a public university in Costa Rica. We enquire about the experiences of these two students in the English as a Foreign Language courses at the university scenario. An in-depth analysis of their lived experiences is presented. Their values, attitudes, and expectations serve as the guiding elements for this research. Findings are presented in light of the Social Justice Approach to inclusive education. Some of the most salient aspects found have to do with the attitudes the students used to face challenges; others point at those elements that may have hindered the learning experience of the persons observed and to those that encouraged them to continue their journey and successfully achieve a diploma.

Keywords: inclusion, case study, visually impaired student, learning experience, social justice approach

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Authors: Abhinav Kumar Rajverma, Arun Kumar Misra, Abhijeet Chandra

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Family involvement in business is universal across countries, with varying characteristics. Firms of developed economies have diffused ownership structure; however, that of emerging markets have concentrated ownership structure, having resemblance with that of family firms. Optimization of dividend payout and leverage are very crucial for firm’s valuation. This paper studies dividend paying behavior of National Stock Exchange listed Indian firms from financial year 2007 to 2016. The final sample consists of 422 firms and of these more than 49% (207) are family firms. Results reveal that family firms pay lower dividend and are more leveraged compared to non-family firms. This unique data set helps to understand dividend behavior and capital structure of sample firms over a long-time period and across varying family ownership concentration. Using panel regression models, this paper examines factors affecting dividend payout and capital structure and establishes a link between the two using Two-stage Least Squares regression model. Profitability shows a positive impact on dividend and negative impact on leverage, confirming signaling and pecking order theory. Further, findings support bankruptcy theory as firm size has a positive relation with dividend and leverage and volatility shows a negative relation with both dividend and leverage. Findings are also consistent with agency theory, family ownership concentration has negative relation with both dividend payments and leverage. Further, the impact of family ownership control confirms the similar finding. The study further reveals that firms with high family ownership concentration (family control) do have an impact on determining the level of private benefits. Institutional ownership is not significant for dividend payments. However, it shows significant negative relation with leverage for both family and non-family firms. Dividend payout and leverage show mixed association with each other. This paper provides evidence of how varying level of family ownership concentration and ownership control influences the dividend policy and capital structure of firms in an emerging market like India and it can have significant contribution towards understanding and formulating corporate dividend policy decisions and capital structure for emerging economies, where majority of firms exhibit behavior of family firm.

Keywords: dividend, family firms, leverage, ownership structure

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Authors: Essang Anwana Onuntuei, Chinyere Blessing Azunwoke

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The study used secondary data from foreign and local organizations to explore major challenges and opportunities abound in Information Communication. The study aimed at exploring the tie between tele density (network coverage area) and the number of network subscriptions, probing if the degree of consumer complaints varies significantly among network providers, and assessing if network subscriptions do significantly influence the sector’s GDP contribution. Methods used for data analysis include Pearson product-moment correlation and regression analysis, and the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) as well. At a two-tailed test of 0.05 confidence level, the results of findings established about 85.6% of network subscriptions were explained by tele density (network coverage area), and the number of network subscriptions; Consumer Complaints’ degree varied significantly among network providers as 80.158291 (F calculated) > 3.490295 (F critical) with very high confidence associated p-value = 0.000000 which is < 0.05; and finally, 65% of the nation’s GDP was explained by network subscription to show a high association.

Keywords: tele density, subscription, network coverage, information communication, consumer

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Authors: Maryam Beiranvand

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Multi-drug resistance in various microorganisms has increased globally in many healthcare facilities. Less effective antimicrobial activity of drug therapies for infection control becomes trouble. Since 1980, no new type of antimicrobial drug has been identified, even though combinations of antibiotic drugs have been discovered almost every decade. Between 1981 and 2006, over 70% of novel pharmaceuticals and chemical agents came from natural sources. Microorganisms have yielded almost 22,000 natural compounds. The identification of antimicrobial components from endophytes bacteria could help overcome the threat posed by multi-drug resistant strains. The project aims to analyze and identify antimicrobial peptides isolated from entophytic bacteria and their activity against multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in South Korea. Endophytic Paenibacillus polymyxa. 4G3 isolated from the plant, Gynura procumbery exhibited considerable antimicrobial activity against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and Escherichia coli. The Rapid Annotations using Subsystems Technology showed that the total size of the draft genome was 5,739,603bp, containing 5178 genes with 45.8% G+C content. Genome annotation using antiSMASH version 6.0.0 was performed, which predicted the most common types of non-ribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) and polyketide synthase (PKS). In this study, diethyl aminoethyl cellulose (DEAEC) resin was used as the first step in purifying for unknown peptides, and then the target protein was identified using hydrophilic and hydrophobic solutions, optimal pH, and step-by-step tests for antimicrobial activity. This crude was subjected to C18 chromatography and elution with 0, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, 90%, and 100% methanol, respectively. Only the fraction eluted with 20% -60% methanol demonstrated good antimicrobial activity against MDR E. coli. The concentration of the active fragment was measured by the Brad-ford test, and Protein A280 - Thermo Fisher Scientific at the end by examining the SDS PAGE Resolving Gel, 10% Acrylamide and purity were confirmed. Our study showed that, based on the combined results of the analysis and purification. P polymyxa. 4G3 has a high potential exists for producing novel functions of polymyxin E and bacitracin against bacterial pathogens.

Keywords: endophytic bacteria, antimicrobial activity, antimicrobial peptide, whole genome sequencing analysis, multi -drug resistance gram negative bacteria

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Authors: Muhammad Tahir Hassan, Stas Burek, Muhammad Asif, Mohamed Emad

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Industrial sector in Pakistan accounts for 25% of total energy consumption in the country. The performance of this sector has been severely affected due to the adverse effect of current energy crises in the country. Energy conservation potentials of Pakistan’s industrial sectors through energy management can save wasted energy which would ultimately leads to economic and environmental benefits. However due to lack of financial incentives of energy efficiency and absence of energy benchmarking within same industrial sectors are some of the main challenges in the implementation of energy management. In Pakistan, this area has not been adequately explored, and there is a lack of focus on the need for industrial energy efficiency and proper management. The main objective of this research is to evaluate the current energy management performance of Pakistani industrial sector and empirical investigation of the existence of various barriers to industrial energy efficiency. Data was collected from the respondents of 192 small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s) of Pakistan i.e. foundries, textile, plastic industries, light engineering, auto and spare parts and ceramic manufacturers and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Current energy management performance of manufacturing SME’s in Pakistan has been evaluated by employing two significant indicators, ‘Energy Management Matrix’ and ‘pay-off criteria’, with modified approach. Using the energy management matrix, energy management profiles of overall industry and the individual sectors have been drawn to assess the energy management performance and identify the weak and strong areas as well. Results reveal that, energy management practices in overall surveyed industries are at very low level. Energy management profiles drawn against each sector suggest that performance of textile sector is better among all the surveyed manufacturing SME’s. The empirical barriers to industrial energy efficiency have also been ranked according to the overall responses. The results further reveal that there is a significant relationship exists among the industrial size, sector type and nature of barriers to industrial energy efficiency for the manufacturing SME’s in Pakistan. The findings of this study may help the industries and policy makers in Pakistan to formulate a sustainable energy policy to support industrial energy efficiency keeping in view the actual existing energy efficiency scenario in the industrial sector.

Keywords: barriers, energy conservation, energy management profile, environment, manufacturing SME's of Pakistan

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Authors: Ahmad Haidar

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Modern economic systems are characterized by growing complexity, and addressing their challenges requires innovative approaches. This study examines the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) on unemployment in Europe from a macroeconomic perspective, employing data modeling techniques to understand the relationship between AI integration and labor market dynamics. To understand the AI-unemployment nexus comprehensively, this research considers factors such as sector-specific AI adoption, skill requirements, workforce demographics, and geographical disparities. The study utilizes a panel data model, incorporating data from European countries over the last two decades, to explore the potential short-term and long-term effects of AI implementation on unemployment rates. In addition to investigating the direct impact of AI on unemployment, the study also delves into the potential indirect effects and spillover consequences. It considers how AI-driven productivity improvements and cost reductions might influence economic growth and, in turn, labor market outcomes. Furthermore, it assesses the potential for AI-induced changes in industrial structures to affect job displacement and creation. The research also highlights the importance of policy responses in mitigating potential negative consequences of AI adoption on unemployment. It emphasizes the need for targeted interventions such as skill development programs, labor market regulations, and social safety nets to enable a smooth transition for workers affected by AI-related job displacement. Additionally, the study explores the potential role of AI in informing and transforming policy-making to ensure more effective and agile responses to labor market challenges. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the macroeconomic implications of AI on unemployment in Europe, highlighting the importance of understanding the nuanced relationships between AI adoption, economic growth, and labor market outcomes. By shedding light on these relationships, the study contributes valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and researchers, enabling them to make informed decisions in navigating the complex landscape of AI-driven economic transformation.

Keywords: artificial intelligence, unemployment, macroeconomic analysis, european labor market

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Authors: Mokgadi Miranda Hlongwane, Ntebogeng Sharon Mokgalaka, Felix Dapare Dakora

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Lessertia (L.) frutescens (syn. Sutherlandia frutescens) is a leguminous medicinal plant indigenous to South Africa. Traditionally, L. frutescens has been used to treat cancer, diabetes, epilepsy, fever, HIV, stomach problems, wounds and other ailments. This legume is endemic to the Cape fynbos, with large populations occurring wild and cultivated in the Cape Florist Region. Its widespread distribution in the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal is linked to its increased use as a phytomedicine in the treatment of various diseases by traditional healers. The frequent harvesting of field plants for use as a medicine has made it necessary to undertake studies towards the conservation of Lessertia frutescens. As a legume, this species can form root nodules and fix atmospheric N₂ when in symbiosis with soil bacteria called rhizobia. So far, however, few studies (if any) have been done on the efficacy and diversity of native bacterial symbionts nodulating L. frutescens in South Africa. The aim of this project was to isolate and characterize L. frutescens-nodulating bacteria from five different locations in the Western Cape Province. This was done by trapping soil rhizobia using rhizosphere soil suspension to inoculate L. frutescens seedlings growing in sterilized sand and receiving sterile N-free Hoagland nutrient solution under glasshouse conditions. At 60 days after planting, root nodules were harvested from L. frutescens plants, surface-sterilized, macerated, and streaked on yeast mannitol agar (YMA) plates and incubated at 28 ˚C for observation of bacterial growth. The majority of isolates were slow-growers that took 6-14 days to appear on YMA plates. However, seven isolates were fast-growers, taking 2-4 days to appear on YMA plates. Single-colony cultures of the isolates were assessed for their ability to nodulate L. frutescens as a homologous host under glasshouse conditions. Of the 92 bacterial isolates tested, 63 elicited nodule formation on L. frutescens. Symbiotic effectiveness varied markedly between and among test isolates. There were also significant (p≤0.005) differences in nodulation, shoot biomass, photosynthetic rates, leaf transpiration and stomatal conductance of L. frutescens plants inoculated with the test isolates, which is an indication of their functional diversity.

Keywords: lessertia frutescens, nodulating, rhizobia, symbiotic effectiveness

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