Search results for: local social ties

Authors: Beulah Rani Inbanathan

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In the present era, it is vivid from the numerous outcomes that data privacy is being compromised in various ways. Machine learning is one technology that uses the centralized server, and then data is given as input which is being analyzed by the algorithms present on this mentioned server, and hence outputs are predicted. However, each time the data must be sent by the user as the algorithm will analyze the input data in order to predict the output, which is prone to threats. The solution to overcome this issue is federated learning, where the models alone get updated while the data resides on the local machine and does not get exchanged with the other local models. Nevertheless, even on these local models, there are chances of data poisoning, and it is crystal clear from various experiments done by many people. This paper delves into many ways where data poisoning occurs and the many methods through which it is prevalent that data poisoning still exists. It includes the poisoning attacks on IoT devices, Edge devices, Autoregressive model, and also, on Industrial IoT systems and also, few points on how these could be evadible in order to protect our data which is personal, or sensitive, or harmful when exposed.

Keywords: data poisoning, federated learning, Internet of Things, edge computing

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Authors: Hussin K. Ragb, Vijayan K. Asari

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In this paper, we present a pedestrian detection descriptor called Fused Structure and Texture (FST) features based on the combination of the local phase information with the texture features. Since the phase of the signal conveys more structural information than the magnitude, the phase congruency concept is used to capture the structural features. On the other hand, the Center-Symmetric Local Binary Pattern (CSLBP) approach is used to capture the texture information of the image. The dimension less quantity of the phase congruency and the robustness of the CSLBP operator on the flat images, as well as the blur and illumination changes, lead the proposed descriptor to be more robust and less sensitive to the light variations. The proposed descriptor can be formed by extracting the phase congruency and the CSLBP values of each pixel of the image with respect to its neighborhood. The histogram of the oriented phase and the histogram of the CSLBP values for the local regions in the image are computed and concatenated to construct the FST descriptor. Several experiments were conducted on INRIA and the low resolution DaimlerChrysler datasets to evaluate the detection performance of the pedestrian detection system that is based on the FST descriptor. A linear Support Vector Machine (SVM) is used to train the pedestrian classifier. These experiments showed that the proposed FST descriptor has better detection performance over a set of state of the art feature extraction methodologies.

Keywords: pedestrian detection, phase congruency, local phase, LBP features, CSLBP features, FST descriptor

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Authors: Kedar Nath Nepal, Tek Bahadur Thapa, David Guerena;

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The community participation is central to the in-situ project objectives, as farming communities are key stakeholders in the on-farm conservation of agricultural bio- diversity. Besides technical means to adding benefits, the complimentary strategy includes creating market-based value adding measures by increasing users’ awareness of the value of traditional foods and nutritional values; exhibitions and improved processing; and policy incentives. This paper presents various participatory activities carried out in Nepal as options for enhancing benefits to local communities by increased utilization of local crop diversity on -the farm through non-breeding discussed, and outcomes are documented using farmers’ perception data and secondary information. The paper focuses on three major areas of public awareness, market incentives and non-market incentives that may enhance on -farm conservation and use of biodiversity.

Keywords: biodiversity, in-situ, market-based, non-market

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Authors: Melissa L Gould

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The uptick in social media users during the COVID-19 lockdowns has accelerated concerns about cellphone addiction, cyberbullying, and exposure to harmful content, particularly mis- and disinformation and extremist content. The validity of these concerns is synthesized for media technologists to expose the strategies behind social media and search platform technology and explain why they restrict their children from using it. Banning cell phones in schools, increasing age limits on social media accounts, and putting warning labels on social media are some of the solutions proposed to protect young people from smartphones and social media. Largely missing from these conversations are the voices of young people (rangatahi). Instead, their lived experiences are being told and managed by adults. This presentation will outline my research that amplified the voices and lived experiences of young people by positioning them as experts. Using The Social Dilemma as a discussion prompt, the focus groups of rangatahi in Aotearoa, New Zealand, provide a space for young people to articulate their own lived experiences and respond to the dominant narratives on their generation's use of smartphones and social media.

Keywords: social media, smart phones, young people, social dilemma

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Authors: Chiao-Chen Chang, Yang-Chieh Chin

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Social media has created a change in the way the network community is clustered, especially from the location of the community, from the original virtual space to the intertwined network, and thus the communication between people will change from face to face communication to social media-based communication model. However, social media users who have had a fixed engagement may have an intention to switch to another service provider because of the emergence of new forms of social media. For example, some of Facebook or Twitter users switched to Instagram in 2014 because of social media messages or image overloads, and users may seek simpler and instant social media to become their main social networking tool. This study explores the impact of system features overload, information overload, social monitoring concerns, problematic use and privacy concerns as the antecedents on social media fatigue, dissatisfaction, and alternative attractiveness; further influence social media switching. This study also uses the online questionnaire survey method to recover the sample data, and then confirm the factor analysis, path analysis, model fit analysis and mediating analysis with the structural equation model (SEM). Research findings demonstrated that there were significant effects on multiple paths. Based on the research findings, this study puts forward the implications of theory and practice.

Keywords: social media, switching, social media fatigue, alternative attractiveness

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Authors: Jagannath Mohanty, Shiv Nath Sinha

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India is the first country in the world, where spending on Corporate Social Responsibily (CSR) has been made mandatory. Predominantly Indian enterprises have been philanthrophic for hundreds of years, where giving back to the society is the religious duty of the rich. Therefore Indian businesses have been voluntarily spending on CSR activities, while several businesses kept spending on non business activities a significant number of entrepreneurs abstained from social spending, leading Government of India to take the lesgislative route by mandating 2% spend of net profit on CSR activities failing which companeis will be dealt legally. While the legislation on suface appers progressive and pro social, yet the consequences of making a rather volutary action a legally binding act is yet to be seen. This paper examines the possible social impact of the legislation and potential response of the corporate to a legislation of this kind.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility (CSR), companies act 2013, corporate citizenship, social spending

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Authors: Yasemin Gülşen Yılmaz, Süleyman Hakan Yılmaz, Muhammet Erbay

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Social media is among the most important means of communication. Social media offers individuals and groups with an opportunity for participatory socialization over the internet, which is free of any time and place restrictions. Social media is a kind of interactive communication and bilateral social network. Various communication contents can be shared and put into mass circulation easily and quickly through social media. These sharings are not only limited to individuals but also happen to groups, institutions, and different constitutions. Their contents consist of any type of written message, audio and video files. We are living in the social media era now. It is not surprising that social media which has extensive communication facilities and massive prevalence is used in politics. Therefore, the use of social media (Facebook) by political parties during the Turkish general elections held on June 7, 2015, has been chosen as our research subject. Four parties namely, AKP, CHP, MHP and HDP who have the majority of votes in Turkey and participate in elections in Konya have been selected for our study. Their provincial centers’ and parliamentary candidates` use of social media (Facebook) on the last three days prior to the election have been examined and subjected to a qualitative analysis by means of content analysis.

Keywords: social media, June 7 general elections, politics, Facebook

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Authors: Saowapa Phaithayawat

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The objectives of the study are the following: 1) To study the way of life in terms of one hundred years co-existence of the Muslim and local community in this area 2) To analyze factors affect to this community with happy co-existence. The study requires quantitative research to study a history together with the study of humanity. The result of this study showed that the area of Petchburi 7 community is an ancient area which has owned by the Muslim for almost 100 years. There is a sanctuary as the center of unity. Later Bangkok becomes more developed and provides more infrastructures like the motorway and other transportation: however, the owners of lands in this community still keep their lands and build many buildings to run the business. With this purpose, there are many non-Muslim people come to live here with co-existence. Not only do they convenient to work but also easy to transport by sky train. There are factors that make them live harmonious as following: 1) All Muslims in this area are strict to follow their rules and allocate their community for business. 2) All people, who come and live here, are middle-aged and working men and women. They rent rooms closed to their work. 3) There are Muslim food and desserts, especially Roti, the popular fried flour, and local Chachak, tea originated from the south of Thailand. All these food and deserts are famous for working men and women to home and join after work 4) All Muslim in this area are independent to lead their own lives although a society changes rapidly.

Keywords: co-existence, Muslims, other group of people, the ancient community, social sciences

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Authors: Rahma Amri, Narjès Bellamine Ben Saoud

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Sustainable development or sustainability is one of the most urgent issues in actual debate in almost domains. Particularly the significant way the software pervades our live should make it in the center of sustainability concerns. The social aspects of sustainability haven’t been well studied in the context of software systems and still immature research field that needs more interest among researchers’ community. This paper presents a Goal-Question-Metric based approach to assess social sustainability of software systems. The approach is based on a generic social sustainability model taken from Social sciences.

Keywords: software assessment approach, social sustainability, goal-question-metric paradigm, software project metrics

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Authors: Kruti Dave

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Social media marketing is an essential component of 21st-century business. Social media platforms enable small and medium-sized businesses to enhance brand recognition, generate leads and sales. However, the research on social media marketing is still fragmented and focuses on specific topics, such as effective communication techniques. Since the various ways in which social media impacts individuals and companies alike, the authors of this article focus on the origin, impacts, and current state of Social Media, emphasizing their significance as customer empowerment agents. It illustrates their potential and current responsibilities as part of the corporate business strategy and also suggests several methods to engage them as marketing tools. The focus of social media marketing ranges from defenders to explorers, the culture of Social media marketing encompasses the poles of conservatism and modernity, social media marketing frameworks lie between hierarchies and networks, and its management goes from autocracy to anarchy. This research proposes an integrative framework for small and medium-sized businesses through social media, and the influence of the same will be measured. This strategy will help industry experts to understand this new era. We propose an axiom: Social Media is always a function of marketing as a revenue generator.

Keywords: social media, marketing strategy, media marketing, brand awareness, customer engagement, revenue generator, brand recognition

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Authors: Larysa Novak-Kalyayeva, Aleksander Kuczabski, Orystlava Sydorchuk, Nataliia Fersman, Tatyana Zemlinskaia

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The article presents the results of the creative analysis and comparison of trends in the development of the theory of public administration during the period from the second half of the 20^th to the beginning of the 21^st century. The process of conceptualization of the priorities of public administration in the dynamics of reforming was held under the influence of such factors as globalization, integration, information and technological changes and human rights is examined. The priorities of the social state in the concepts of the second half of the 20^th century are studied. Peculiar approaches to determining the priorities of public administration in the countries of "Soviet dictatorship" in Central and Eastern Europe in the same period are outlined. Particular attention is paid to the priorities of public administration regarding the interaction between public power and society and the development of conceptual foundations for the modern managerial process. There is a thought that the dynamics of the formation of concepts of the European governance is characterized by the sequence of priorities: from socio-economic and moral-ethical to organizational-procedural and non-hierarchical ones. The priorities of the "welfare state" were focused on the decent level of material wellbeing of population. At the same time, the conception of "minimal state" emphasized priorities of human responsibility for their own fate under the conditions of minimal state protection. Later on, the emphasis was placed on horizontal ties and redistribution of powers and competences of "effective state" with its developed procedures and limits of responsibility at all levels of government and in close cooperation with the civil society. The priorities of the contemporary period are concentrated on human rights in the concepts of "good governance" and all the following ones, which recognize the absolute priority of public administration with compliance, provision and protection of human rights. There is a proved point of view that civilizational changes taking place under the influence of information and technological imperatives also stipulate changes in priorities, redistribution of emphases and update principles of managerial concepts on the basis of publicity, transparency, departure from traditional forms of hierarchy and control in favor of interactivity and inter-sectoral interaction, decentralization and humanization of managerial processes. The necessity to permanently carry out the reorganization, by establishing the interaction between different participants of public power and social relations, to establish a balance between political forces and social interests on the basis of mutual trust and mutual understanding determines changes of social, political, economic and humanitarian paradigms of public administration and their theoretical comprehension. The further studies of theoretical foundations of modern public administration in interdisciplinary discourse in the context of ambiguous consequences of the globalizational and integrational processes of modern European state-building would be advisable. This is especially true during the period of political transformations and economic crises which are the characteristic of the contemporary Europe, especially for democratic transition countries.

Keywords: concepts of public administration, democratic transition countries, human rights, the priorities of public administration, theory of public administration

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Authors: Sawitree Wongkittirungrueang

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The objectives of this research were: 1) to study the effect of social stories on social interaction of students with autism. The sample was Pratomsuksa level 5 student with autism, Khon Kaen University Demonstration School, who was diagnosed by the Physician as High Functioning Autism since he was able to read, write, calculate and was studying in inclusive classroom. However, he still had disability in social interaction to participate in social activity group and communication. He could not learn how to develop friendship or create relationship. He had inappropriate behavior in social context. He did not understand complex social situations. In addition, he did seemed not know time and place. He was not able to understand feeling of oneself as well as the others. Consequently, he could not express his emotion appropriately. He did not understand or express his non-verbal language for communicating with friends. He lacked of common interest or emotion with nearby persons. He greeted inappropriately or was not interested in greeting. In addition, he did not have eye contact. He used inadequate language etc. He was elected by Purposive Sampling. His parents were willing to allow them to participate in this study. The research instruments were the lesson plan of social stories, and the picture book of social stories. The instruments used for data collection, were the social interaction evaluation of autistic students. This research was Quasi Experimental Research as One Group Pre-test, Post-test Design. For the Pre-test, the experiment was conducted by social stories. Then, the Post-test was implemented. The statistic used for data analysis, included the Mean, and Standard Deviation. The research findings were shown by Graph. The findings revealed hat the autistic students taught by social stories indicated better social interaction after being taught by social stories.

Keywords: social story, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), autism, social interaction

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Authors: Uwonkunda Jeanne, J. Godwin Prem Singh, Anjaneyalu Subbiah

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HIV/AIDS is known to affect an individual not only physically but also mentally, socially, and financially. It is a syndrome that builds a vacuum in a person affecting his/her life as a whole.

Keywords: People living with HIV, social dysfunction, stigma, and Social support.

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Authors: Imen Douzi, Karim Ben Kahla

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In spite of the growing attention for social innovation, it is still considered to be in a stage of infancy with minimal progress in theory development. Upon examining the field of study, one would have to conclude that, over the past two decades, academic research has focused primarily on establishing a conceptual foundation. This has resulted in a considerable stream of conceptual papers which have outnumbered empirical articles. Nevertheless, despite its growing popularity, scholars and practitioners are far from reaching a consensus as to what social innovation actually means which resulted in competing definitions and approaches within the field of social innovation and lack of unifying conceptual framework. This paper reviews empirical research studies on social innovation, classifies them along three dimensions and summarizes research findings for each of these dimensions. Preliminary to the analysis of empirical researches, an overview of different perspectives of social innovation is presented.

Keywords: analysis of empirical research, definition, empirical research, social innovation perspectives

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Authors: Jaan Lellep, Shahid Mubasshar

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A numerical solution is developed for simply supported nanoarches based on the non-local theory of elasticity. The nanoarch under consideration has a step-wise variable cross-section and is weakened by crack-like defects. It is assumed that the cracks are stationary and the mechanical behaviour of the nanoarch can be modeled by Eringen’s non-local theory of elasticity. The physical and thermal properties are sensitive with respect to changes of dimensions in the nano level. The classical theory of elasticity is unable to describe such changes in material properties. This is because, during the development of the classical theory of elasticity, the speculation of molecular objects was avoided. Therefore, the non-local theory of elasticity is applied to study the vibration of nanostructures and it has been accepted by many researchers. In the non-local theory of elasticity, it is assumed that the stress state of the body at a given point depends on the stress state of each point of the structure. However, within the classical theory of elasticity, the stress state of the body depends only on the given point. The system of main equations consists of equilibrium equations, geometrical relations and constitutive equations with boundary and intermediate conditions. The system of equations is solved by using the method of separation of variables. Consequently, the governing differential equations are converted into a system of algebraic equations whose solution exists if the determinant of the coefficients of the matrix vanishes. The influence of cracks and steps on the natural vibration of the nanoarches is prescribed with the aid of additional local compliance at the weakened cross-section. An algorithm to determine the eigenfrequencies of the nanoarches is developed with the help of computer software. The effects of various physical and geometrical parameters are recorded and drawn graphically.

Keywords: crack, nanoarches, natural frequency, step

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Authors: Yuanhao Chang, Senbo Xiao, Zhiliang Zhang, Jianying He

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The role of nanoparticles (NPs) in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is being increasingly emphasized. In this study, the motion of NPs and local stress distribution of tapped oil droplet/nanofluid in nanochannels are studied with coarse-grained modeling and molecular dynamic simulations. The results illustrate three motion patterns for NPs: hydrophilic NPs are more likely to adsorb on the channel and stay near the three-phase contact areas, hydrophobic NPs move inside the oil droplet as clusters and more mixed NPs are trapped at the oil-water interface. NPs in each pattern affect the flow of fluid and the interfacial thickness to various degrees. Based on the calculation of atomistic stress, the characteristic that the higher value of stress occurs at the place where NPs aggregate can be obtained. Different occurrence patterns correspond to specific local stress distribution. Significantly, in the three-phase contact area for hydrophilic NPs, the local stress distribution close to the pattern of structural disjoining pressure is observed, which proves the existence of structural disjoining pressure in molecular dynamics simulation for the first time. Our results guide the design and screen of NPs for EOR and provide a basic understanding of nanofluid applications.

Keywords: local stress distribution, nanoparticles, enhanced oil recovery, molecular dynamics simulation, trapped oil droplet, structural disjoining pressure

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Authors: Luisa Carrer, Lorenzo De Masi

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In this paper, we exploit the massive amount of information from Facebook to build a measure of gender attitudes in Italy at a previously impossible resolution—the municipal level. We construct our index via a machine learning method to replicate a benchmark region-level measure. Interestingly, we find that most of the variation in our Gender Norms Index (GNI) is across towns within narrowly defined geographical areas rather than across regions or provinces. In a second step, we show how this local variation in norms can be leveraged for identification purposes. In particular, we use our index to investigate whether these differences in norms carry over to the policy activity of politicians elected in the Italian Parliament. We document that females are more likely to sit in parliamentary committees focused on gender-sensitive matters, labor, and social issues, but not if they come from a relatively conservative town. These effects are robust to conditioning the legislative term and electoral district, suggesting the importance of social norms in shaping legislators’ policy activity.

Keywords: gender equality, gender norms index, Facebook, machine learning, politics

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Authors: Hyeondal Jeong, Yoonjung Baek

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This study was carried out a meta-analysis on team workforce diversity and team outcomes. Using data from 3,534 teams in 13 studies conducted in team-level settings, we examined whether contextual factors at research local and team-size, influenced team outcomes of team workforce diversity. This meta-analytic examines the team workforce diversity and team outcomes. 13 studies included in the analysis are studies published from 2009 to 2014. We first examined the correlations between all types of diversity and team performance, significant result (Fisher`s Z = .112, k = 32, 95% CI = 0.039 to 0.183). After the analysis was conducted to moderating effect of research local (Republic of Korea=1, other area=0) and team-size. As a result, research local moderating effect had a significant but team-size was not supported. Based on the above findings suggest implications and future research directions.

Keywords: team workforce diversity, team outcomes, meta- analytic, cross-cultural research

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Authors: Taiwo Frances Gbadegesin

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Children’s capacity to contribute to social and economic status of a nation has been given more recognition than ever. Global policy priority aimed at ensuring sustainable development has been extended to the developing nations of the world. However, many developing countries have continued to puzzle out the extent and possibilities of exploring sustainability within their socio-economic environment. This paper considers ways in which the theoretical framework of Dahlberg, Moss and Pence (1999; 2007) and Moss (2007; 2012) that embraces meaning-making, social construction of childhood experiences and democratic perspectives can be used to understand children’s capacity for building a sustainable future. This paper presents data collected through interviews and observations from ECCE teachers and children in Lagos, Nigeria. A distinct finding is that children’s participation in building sustainable future is a consequence of the knowledge of the workings of their social, economic and cultural nuances and not a matter of economic wealth per se. It further argues that sustainability is situated within a complex network of local and global contexts. It thus challenges the present neo-liberal approach and advocates a democratic approach to preparing children for a sustainable society. It concludes that sustainability cannot be built on what may be seen as decontextualized responses by relevant stakeholders to the needs and experiences of the “whole child”.

Keywords: children, ECCE, sustainable development, Nigeria

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Authors: Silvija Šiljeg, Ante Šiljeg, Branko Cavrić

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Housing is considered as a basic human need and important component of the quality of life (QoL) in urban areas worldwide. In contemporary housing studies, the concept of the quality of housing (QoH) is considered as a multi-dimensional and multi-disciplinary field. It emphasizes connection between various aspects of the QoL which could be measured by quantitative and qualitative indicators at different spatial levels (e.g. local, city, metropolitan, regional). The main goal of this paper is to examine the QoH and compare results of quantitative analysis with the clutter land use categories derived for selected local communities in Croatian Coastal City of Zadar. The qualitative housing analysis based on the four housing indicators (out of total 24 QoL indicators) has provided identification of the three Zadar’s local communities with the highest estimated QoH ranking. Furthermore, by using GIS overlay techniques, the QoH was merged with the urban environment analysis and introduction of spatial metrics based on the three categories: the element, class and environment as a whole. In terms of semantic-content analysis, the research has also generated a set of indexes suitable for evaluation of “housing state of affairs” and future decision making aiming at improvement of the QoH in selected local communities.

Keywords: housing, quality, indicators, indexes, urban environment, GIS, element, class

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Authors: Tracy B.E. Omorogiuwa

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Understanding the role of social work in improving societal well-being cannot be separated from the place of field education, which is an integral aspect of social work education. Field learning provides students with knowledge and opportunities to experience solving issues in the field and giving them a clue of the practice situation. Despite being a crucial component in social work curriculum, field education occupies a large space in learning outcome, given the issues and challenges pertaining to its purpose and significance in the society. The drive of this paper is to provide insight on the specific ways in which field education has been conceived, realized and valued in the society. Emphasis is on the significance of field instruction; the link with classroom learning; and the structure of field experience in social work education. Given documented analysis and experience, this study intends to contribute to the development of social work curriculum, by analyzing the pattern, issues and challenges fronting the social work field education in the University of Benin, Nigeria.

Keywords: challenges, curriculum, field education, social work education

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Authors: Jagbir Singh Kadyan, C. A. Suman Kadyan

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The researchers attempts to establish whether a relationship exists between the social activities undertaken & the funds that has been spent by the selected corporate organisations. Corporate listed on the (NSE) National Stock Exchange of India, under different categories shall be selected as a sample for the purpose of this study. The researches shall also study the dynamics of corporate social responsibility funding, financing & management of corporate social responsibility funds by the above selected organisations in the Indian context. The rationale behind selecting & undertaking specific corporate social responsibility activities shall be analysed & interpreted to discover the real drivers of corporate social responsibility. Besides above, an attempt shall further make an effort to understand & analyse the nature of impact on the selected corporate organisations on its overall performances due to the activities undertaken under their specific corporate social responsibility programs.

Keywords: corporate social responsibility, organisational performance, national stock exchange, sustainability, society, health, education, sanitation, environment

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Authors: Digby Warren, Jiri Kropac

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While aspirations of social justice are often articulated by universities as a “feel good” mantra, what is meant by education for social justice deserves deeper consideration. Based on in-depth interviews with academics (voluntary participants in this research) in different disciplines and institutions in the UK, Czech Republic, and other EU countries, this comparative study presents thematic findings regarding lecturers’ conceptions of education for social justice -what it is, why it is important, why they are personally committed to it, how it connects with their own values- and their practice of it- how it is implemented through curriculum content, teaching and learning activities, and assessment tasks. It concludes by presenting an analysis of the challenges, constraints, and enabling factors in practising social justice education in different subject, institutional and national contexts.

Keywords: higher education, social justice, inclusivity, diversity

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Authors: Xin-Hua Zhao

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In recent years, the growth rate of social responsibility reports disclosed by Chinese corporations has grown rapidly. The economic effects of the growing corporate social responsibility reports have become a hot topic. The article takes the chemical listed engineering corporations that disclose social responsibility reports in China as a sample, and based on the information asymmetry theory, examines the economic effect generated by corporate social responsibility disclosure with the method of ordinary least squares. The research is conducted from the perspective of analysts’ earnings forecasts and studies the impact of corporate social responsibility information disclosure on improving the accuracy of analysts' earnings forecasts. The results show that there is a statistically significant negative correlation between corporate social responsibility disclosure index and analysts’ earnings forecast error. The conclusions confirm that enterprises can reduce the asymmetry of social and environmental information by disclosing social responsibility reports, and thus improve the accuracy of analysts’ earnings forecasts. It can promote the effective allocation of resources in the market.

Keywords: analysts' earnings forecasts, corporate social responsibility disclosure, economic effect, information asymmetry

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Authors: Ali N. Suri, Ahmad A. Al-Makhlufi

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Sandwich construction is widely accepted as a method of construction especially in the aircraft industry. It is a type of stressed skin construction formed by bonding two thin faces to a thick core, the faces resist all of the applied edge loads and provide all or nearly all of the required rigidities, the core spaces the faces to increase cross section moment of inertia about common neutral axis and transmit shear between them provides a perfect bond between core and faces is made. Material for face sheets can be of metal or reinforced plastics laminates, core material can be metallic cores of thin sheets forming corrugation or honeycomb, or non-metallic core of Balsa wood, plastic foams, or honeycomb made of reinforced plastics. For in plane axial loading web core and web-foam core Sandwich panels can fail by local buckling of plates forming the cross section with buckling wave length of the order of length of spacing between webs. In this study local buckling of web core and web-foam core Sandwich panels is carried out for given materials of facing and core, and given panel overall dimension for different combinations of cross section geometries. The Finite Strip Method is used for the analysis, and Fortran based computer program is developed and used.

Keywords: local buckling, finite strip, sandwich panels, web and foam core

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Authors: Avneet Kaur

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India is a nation of villages. Traditionally, women had enjoyed a high social status in India. Our mythology, folklore and history are full of women who were epitomes of virtue, wisdom, power, and position. The important concern about their entry into the politics is of great importance all over the world. Women have performed excellently in social, economic and political sphere. However, the fact remains that despite constituting half of the population their representation among elected post continue to remain negligible in Panchayati Raj Institutions. Women in India suffered from many social economic handicaps such as illiteracy, economically dependent, social customs, traditions and rituals that are the main causes of their inactive participation in local governance. There is still widespread patriarchal outlook in the villages and the lack of experience on the part of women leadership are some of the major issues of debate. The implementation of the 73rd Amendment Act of the Indian Constitution in 1992 reserved 1/3 rd of the seats for women empowerment. It was a major step to encourage them to take part in the village politics. This kind of revolution was the beginning of women leadership in villages. The paper intends to study the role and importance of women leadership in Panchayati Raj Institutions in India. The paper is divided into four sections. First section deals with the introduction by taking into account the available research on this particular subject. Second section talks about the role played by women leadership in these institutions after the passing of 73rd Amendment Act. Third section deals with some of the critical insights of the study by discussing the problems faced by the active women’s leadership at the grassroots. Finally, the paper concludes with policy suggestions.

Keywords: women, leadership, grassroots, Panchayati Raj

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Authors: Adfer Rashid Shah

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This study brings an introduction to the concept of waqf and explores the institution of waqf in the valley of Kashmir. Waqfs (pl. Auqaf) are Islamic endowments which can be movable or immovable property by Muslims for the welfare of the poor and the upkeep of the mosques, shrines, imambaras, madrassas, orphanages, etc,. The study was undertaken to venture into the sociology of these endowments and see the dynamics and role of waqf institution in the welfare of masses especially the deserving populace of the state of Jamu and Kashmir. The Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Waqf Board (JKMWB) is a significant religio-social organization for it possesses the largest assets after the State government and has an immense potential and ownership in terms of huge properties besides having rich and perpetual cash and kind donations, gold, silver and other commodities from the believers. It is certainly the perpetual wealth of faith. Therefore this study besides exploring the waqf institution, sociologically probed into the social, religious and philanthropic interventions of the Wakf Board besides studying the waqf of education (both religious and general). Also, a passing reference on personalized Auqaf, local waqf committees particularly shia Auqaf was also made. As far methodology employed, the study was purely a qualitative study using various sociological perspectives like functionalism, grounded theory besides a range other concepts to see the total role of waqf that it has been playing for the people’s welfare in the valley of Kashmir since its establishment in 1940’s. The overall discussion revealed the social dynamics of waqf institution in Kashmir valley is increasing its social interventions and making difference in the lives of many deserving Muslims within its capacities.

Keywords: waqf, wakf board, religious waqf, philanthropy and education waqf, religious waqf, Kashmir

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Authors: U. Isyaku, C. Upton, J. Dickinson

Abstract:

Critical institutional approach for understanding pathways to shared prosperity among forest communities enabled questioning the underlying rational choice assumptions that have dominated traditional institutional thinking in natural resources management. Common pool resources framing assumes that communities as social groups share collective interests and values towards achieving greater development. Hence, policies related to natural resources management in the global South prioritise economic prosperity by focusing on how to maximise material benefits and improve the livelihood options of resource dependent communities. Recent trends in commodification and marketization of ecosystem goods and services into tradable natural capital and incentivising conservation are structured in this paradigm. Several researchers however, have problematized this emerging market-based model because it undermines cultural basis for protecting natural ecosystems. By exploring how forest people’s motivations for conservation differ within the context of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) project in Nigeria, we aim to provide an alternative approach to conceptualising prosperity beyond the traditional economic thinking. Through in depth empirical work over seven months with five communities in Nigeria’s Cross River State, Q methodology was used to uncover communities’ perspectives and meanings of forest values that underpin contemporary and historic conservation practices, expected benefits, and willingness to participate in the REDD+ process. Our study finds six discourses about forest and conservation values that transcend wealth creation, poverty reduction and livelihoods. We argue that communities’ decisions about forest conservation consist of a complex mixture of economic, emotional, moral, and ecological justice concerns that constitute new meanings and dimensions of prosperity. Prosperity is thus reconfigured as having socio-cultural and psychological pathways that could be derived through place identity and attachment, connectedness to nature, family ties, and ability to participate in everyday social life. We therefore suggest that natural resources policy making and development interventions should consider institutional arrangements that also include the psycho-cultural dimensions of prosperity among diverse community groups.

Keywords: critical institutionalism, Q methodology, REDD+, shared prosperity

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Authors: Jahnavi Priya Alluri, Sarang Barbarwar

Abstract:

With over 6000 years of sustained civilization, India has been home to diverse social customs and various communities. The country’s culture and architecture have been profoundly impacted by the extensive variation in its geography and climatic conditions. In its history, many kingdoms have ruled in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The vernacular constructions of this region have progressed considerably in this period. The paper discusses the impact on vernacular architecture in Venkatagiri, Andhra Pradesh, post the arrival of the British. The town was a small settlement that finds its roots in the Vijaynagara Empire. The study tries to highlight the amalgamation of colonial influences on the local construction techniques and material usage. It discusses the new variation in the style of architecture through the case of Venkatagiri Palace and its precincts. The paper also discusses the traits of distinction in the influence through various social and economic groups of the old city of the same town.

Keywords: vernacular architecture, colonial architecture, Venkatagiri, south Indian vernacular

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Authors: Yan Liu

Abstract:

The Gini coefficient indicates that the inequality of income distribution is rising in China. How individuals viewing the equality of current society is an important predicator of social turbulence. Perceptions of social justice may vary according to the social stratification. People usually use socioeconomic status to identify divisions between social stratifications. The objective of this study is to explore the potential influence of socioeconomic status on citizens’ perceptions of social justice in China. Socioeconomic status (SES) is usually reflected by either an SES indicator or a composite of three core dimensions: education, income and occupation. With data collected in the 2010 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), this study uses OLS regression analyses to examine the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and citizens’ perceptions of social justice. This study finds that most Chinese citizens believe that the current society is fair or more than fair. Socioeconomic status (SES) has a positive impact on citizens’ perceptions of social justice, which means individuals with higher indicator of socioeconomic status prefer to believe current society is fair. However, the three core dimensions which are used to measure socioeconomic status (SES) have different influences on perceptions of social justice: First, income helps enhance citizens’ sense of social justice. Second, education weakens citizens’ sense of social justice. Third, compared to the middle occupational status, people of both higher occupational status and lower occupational status have higher levels of perceptions of social justice. Though education creates a negative influence on perceptions of social justice, its effect is much weaker than that of income, which indicates income is a determining factor for enhancing people’s perceptions of social justice in China’s market society. Policy implications are discussed.

Keywords: education, income, occupation, perceptions of social justice, social stratification, socioeconomic status

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