Search results for: issues and challenges

Authors: Mohamad Saifudin Mohamad Saleh

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This paper provides a discussion of the importance of sustainability education among the Malaysian media. Without doubt, media play a crucial role in promoting the sustainable or so called “eco-system” society for a better future. Since 2002, the role of media as one of the vital stakeholders particularly in educating the society in three main areas of sustainable education including on environment, economy and society has been clearly highlights on the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) that was held in Johannesburg. In this paper, six media practitioners from two local Malaysia newspapers organization were interviewed by the researcher in order to identify their understanding about sustainability education; their perception about the pivotal role in sustainability education and the challenges faced by them in the process of educating society about sustainability issues. The findings of this study showed that most of Malaysian media practitioners have displayed clear understanding about sustainability education and they also realize their huge responsibility for not only informing but also educating society in having a sustainable lifestyle. The ultimate challenge in sustainability education faced by the media is to make the public really understand the importance of sustainable lifestyle. Overall, from this study, it is hoped to provide more possible direction in sustainability education not only among the Malaysian media but also all media in the entire world, particularly the developing and Southeast Asian countries.

Keywords: media, sustainability education, Malaysia

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Authors: Majid Alsubaie, Hamed Sarbazhosseini

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Many working environments have experienced increased uncertainty due to the fast-moving and unpredictable world. IT systems development projects, in particular, face several challenges because of their rapidly changing environments and emerging technologies. Information technology organizations within these contexts adapt systems development methodology and new software approaches to address this issue. One of these methodologies is the Agile method, which has gained huge attention in recent years. However, due to failure rates in IT projects, there is an increasing demand for the use of hybrid Agile methods among organizations. The scarce research in the area means that organizations do not have solid evidence-based knowledge for the use of hybrid Agile. This research was designed to provide further insights into the development of hybrid Agile methods within systems development projects, including how frameworks and processes are used and what benefits and challenges are gained and faced as a result of hybrid Agile methods. This paper presents how three organizations (two government and one private) use hybrid Agile methods in their Agile environments. The data was collected through interviews and a review of relevant documents. The results indicate that these organizations do not predominantly use pure Agile. Instead, they are waterfall organizations by virtue of systems nature and complexity, and Agile is used underneath as the delivery model. Prince2 Agile framework, SAFe, Scrum, and Kanban were the identified models and frameworks followed. This study also found that customer satisfaction and the ability to build quickly are the most frequently perceived benefits of using hybrid Agile methods. In addition, team resistance and scope changes are the common challenges identified by research participants in their working environments. The findings can help to understand Agile environmental conditions and projects that can help get better success rates and customer satisfaction.

Keywords: agile, hybrid, IT systems, management, success rate, technology

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Authors: Pablo Chico De Guzman, Cesar Sanchez

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Microservice architectures are increasingly in distributed cloud applications due to the advantages on the software composition, development speed, release cycle frequency and the business logic time to market. On the other hand, these architectures also introduce some challenges on the testing and release phases of applications. Container technology solves some of these issues by providing reproducible environments, easy of software distribution and isolation of processes. However, there are other issues that remain unsolved in current container technology when dealing with multiple machines, such as networking for multi-host communication, service discovery, load balancing or data persistency (even though some of these challenges are already solved by traditional cloud vendors in a very mature and widespread manner). Container cluster management tools, such as Kubernetes, Mesos or Docker Swarm, attempt to solve these problems by introducing a new control layer where the unit of deployment is the container (or the pod — a set of strongly related containers that must be deployed on the same machine). These tools are complex to configure and manage and they do not follow a pure immutable infrastructure approach since servers are reused between deployments. Indeed, these tools introduce dependencies at execution time for solving networking or service discovery problems. If an error on the control layer occurs, which would affect running applications, specific expertise is required to perform ad-hoc troubleshooting. As a consequence, it is not surprising that container cluster support is becoming a source of revenue for consulting services. This paper presents i2kit, a deployment tool based on the immutable infrastructure pattern, where the virtual machine is the unit of deployment. The input for i2kit is a declarative definition of a set of microservices, where each microservice is defined as a pod of containers. Microservices are built into machine images using linuxkit —- a tool for creating minimal linux distributions specialized in running containers. These machine images are then deployed to one or more virtual machines, which are exposed through a cloud vendor load balancer. Finally, the load balancer endpoint is set into other microservices using an environment variable, providing service discovery. The toolkit i2kit reuses the best ideas from container technology to solve problems like reproducible environments, process isolation, and software distribution, and at the same time relies on mature, proven cloud vendor technology for networking, load balancing and persistency. The result is a more robust system with no learning curve for troubleshooting running applications. We have implemented an open source prototype that transforms i2kit definitions into AWS cloud formation templates, where each microservice AMI (Amazon Machine Image) is created on the fly using linuxkit. Even though container cluster management tools have more flexibility for resource allocation optimization, we defend that adding a new control layer implies more important disadvantages. Resource allocation is greatly improved by using linuxkit, which introduces a very small footprint (around 35MB). Also, the system is more secure since linuxkit installs the minimum set of dependencies to run containers. The toolkit i2kit is currently under development at the IMDEA Software Institute.

Keywords: container, deployment, immutable infrastructure, microservice

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Authors: Kemi Olalekan Oduntan

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Transformation is a strong word that portends a radical, structural and basic reappraisal of the basic assumptions that underline our economic reform and developmental efforts. The challenges before government are how to move the nation away from an oil-dominated economy, institute the basics for a private sector-driven economy, build the local economy on international best practices, transform a passive oil industry to a more pro-active one and reposition the country along the lines of a more decentralized federalism. But beyond this, Nigeria is faced with management and leadership challenges to contend with building an efficient and effective polity, inspiring a shared vision, remodeling a corrupt polity, redefining the essentials of transformational leadership and creating Nigerian dream that will inspire patriotism and commitment in the citizenry.

Keywords: economic, economic growth, patriotism, polity, transformational

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Authors: Kerryn Burgoyne

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Statement of the Problem: Women who suffer mental health issues, because of Autism Spectrum Disorder has a significant impact on their lives, especially if they’ve been bullied or discriminated against for the majority of their lives. Autism can impact one's mental health in many ways (child like behaviour), social anxieties or overload. The impact of mental health can also be experienced when the person does not have a good quality of life for themselves (eg employment, independent living skills), or have support from family/friends/society). Mental health issues were also suffered during COVID 19 Lockdown here in Melbourne Australia. It was stated by the Government at the time that people weren’t allowed to travel more than 5 km outside of their residential areas to prevent the spread of COVID to others. Medical appointments were an exception. Kerryn/KTalk will be doing a paper on this topic for the conference if accepted by the committee.

Keywords: Autism, mental health, living & learning, KTalk

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Authors: Ali Alshamrani

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This article aims to give a comprehensive and critical review of sukuk issuance in Saudi Arabia, and the extent to which the issuance of sukuk in Saudi Arabia is consistent with Shariah requirements. The article is divided into two sections. Accordingly, the first section of this article begins with an examination of sukuk in general, and includes the concept of sukuk, the basic principles of sukuk, common types of sukuk, and a critical analysis of the most important differences between sukuk and conventional bonds. The second section gives a critical analysis of how sukuk work in Saudi Arabia, offering the regulatory framework of the issuance of sukuk in the KSA, and the legal challenges from Shariah point of view, and provide recommendations to overcome these challenges.

Keywords: sukuk issuance, Shariah, Saudi Arabia, capital market authority

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Authors: Jane O`Halloran

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This research aims to identify the issues and challenges of teaching English as a Foreign Language to Japanese university students who have special learning needs. This study sought to investigate factors influencing the academic performance of students with special or additional needs in an inclusive education context. This study will focus on a consideration of the methods available to support those with hearing impairments. While the study population is limited, it is important to give classes to be inclusive places where all students receive equal access to content. Hearing impairments provide an obvious challenge to language learning and, therefore, second-language learning. However, strategies and technologies exist to support the instructor without specialist training. This paper aims to identify these and present them to other teachers of English as a second language who wish to provide the best possible learning experience for every student. Two case studies will be introduced to compare and contrast the experience of in-class teaching and the online option and to share the positives and negatives of the two approaches. While the study focuses on the situation in a university in Japan, the lessons learned by the author may have universal value to any classroom with a student with a hearing disability.

Keywords: inclusive learning, special needs, hearing impairments, teaching strategies

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Authors: Alireza Rahpeyma

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One of the most significant challenges faced by cities is inefficient and deteriorated urban fabric. Deteriorated areas bring about numerous issues, including economic, social, physical, and infrastructural problems, sewage management, environmental concerns, and security issues. One of the crucial necessities of modern urban life is the revitalization and renovation of these urban fabrics. Another important aspect is preserving a cohesive cultural and social identity during the urban renewal process. Urban renovation and upgrading are not a one-time occurrence but rather an ongoing process that ultimately needs to become ingrained in the system. This process is not swift; it involves sensitive and intricate stages that require well-designed plans within short, medium, and long-term timeframes. To revitalize dilapidated areas, a comprehensive understanding of the urban region's sustainability is essential. The goal of this study is to provide a suitable model for the upgrading and renewal of areas 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10 in Tehran, preserving the heritage within these urban fabrics (urban assets), including the valuable morphologies of these areas, to prevent financial wastage. This study was conducted descriptively and analytically using the SWOT technique and GIS software. The research results regarding urban upgrading and renewal bring about the following points: 1) Urban upgrading and renewal ensure satisfactory efficiency, justice, environmental quality, safety and security, hygiene, sewage management, and the comfort and aesthetics of urban spaces. 2) Employing the above processes in old city centers re-establishes the historical and cultural connection between people and their past, a past that is evolving and improving and will not repeat itself. 3) Despite the expansion and growth of Iranian cities, cultural and national identity can be preserved by adhering to healthy urban revitalization principles. 4) Proper urban upgrading and renewal prevent social fragmentation, deviant behavioral patterns, psychological and occupational disorders, and financial losses. In general, preserving the identity and urban life in renovation and upgrading must be comprehensive, encompassing various dimensions, including physical, social, economic, political, and administrative aspects.

Keywords: dilapidated areas, renovation, sustainable reconstruction, Tehran-Iran

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Authors: Yu-Ping Chiu, Dung-Ying Lin

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Traditional staff scheduling methods, relying on employee experience, often lead to inefficiencies and resource waste. The challenges of transferring scheduling expertise and adapting to changing labor regulations further complicate this process. Manual approaches become increasingly impractical as companies accumulate complex scheduling rules over time. This study proposes an algorithmic optimization approach to address these issues, aiming to expedite scheduling while ensuring strict compliance with labor regulations and company policies. The method focuses on generating optimal schedules that minimize weighted company objectives within a compressed timeframe. Recognizing the limitations of conventional commercial software in modeling and solving complex real-world scheduling problems efficiently, this research employs Tabu Search with both long-term and short-term memory structures. The study will present numerical results and managerial insights to demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach in achieving intelligent and efficient staff scheduling.

Keywords: intelligent memory structures, mixed integer programming, meta-heuristics, staff scheduling problem, tabu search

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Authors: Luljeta Plakolli-Kasumi

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In the digital age, the relationship between traditional property rights and online intellectual property rights is becoming increasingly complex. On the one hand, the internet and advancements in technology have allowed for the widespread distribution and use of digital content, making it easier for individuals and businesses to access and share information. On the other hand, the rise of digital piracy and illegal file-sharing has led to increased concerns about the protection of intellectual property rights. This paper aims to examine the relationship between traditional property rights and online intellectual property rights in the digital age by analyzing the current legal frameworks, key challenges and controversies that arise, and potential solutions for addressing these issues. The paper will look at how traditional property rights concepts such as ownership and possession are being applied in the online context and how they intersect with new and evolving forms of intellectual property such as digital downloads, streaming services, and online content creation. It will also discuss the tension between the need for strong intellectual property protection to encourage creativity and innovation and the public interest in promoting access to information and knowledge. Ultimately, the paper will explore how the legal system can adapt to better balance the interests of property owners, creators, and users in the digital age.

Keywords: intellectual property, traditional property, digital age, digital content

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Authors: Claudia Carbajal, Jija Dutt, Smriti Pahwa, Sumukhi Vaid, Karishma Vats

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ASER Centre, the research and assessment arm of Pratham Education Foundation sees measurement as the first stage of action. ASER uses primary research to push and give empirical foundations to policy discussions at a multitude of levels. At a household level, common citizens use a simple assessment (a floor-level test) to measure learning across rural India. This paper presents the evidence on the applicability of an ASER approach to the health sector. A citizen-led assessment was designed and executed that collected information from young mothers with children up to a year of age. The pilot assessments were rolled-out in two different models: Paid surveyors and student volunteers. The survey covered three geographic areas: 1,239 children in the Jaipur District of Rajasthan, 2,086 in the Rae Bareli District of Uttar Pradesh, and 593 children in the Bhuj Block in Gujarat. The survey tool was designed to study knowledge of health-related issues, daily practices followed by young mothers and access to relevant services and programs. It provides insights on behaviors related to infant and young child feeding practices, child and maternal nutrition and supplementation, water and sanitation, and health services. Moreover, the survey studies the reasons behind behaviors giving policy-makers actionable pathways to improve implementation of social sector programs. Although data on health outcomes are available, this approach could provide a rapid annual assessment of health issues with indicators that are easy to understand and act upon so that measurements do not become an exclusive domain of experts. The results give many insights into early childhood health behaviors and challenges. Around 98% of children are breastfed, and approximately half are not exclusively breastfed (for the first 6 months). Government established diet diversity guidelines are met for less than 1 out of 10 children. Although most households are satisfied with the quality of drinking water, most tested households had contaminated water.

Keywords: citizen-led assessment, rapid health assessment, Infant and Young Children Feeding, water and sanitation, maternal nutrition, supplementation

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Authors: Elizabeth Owusu Asiamah

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The Ghanaian news media play a crucial role in shaping people's thinking patterns through the nature of the coverage they give to issues, events and personalities. Since the media do not work in a vacuum but within a broader spectrum, which is society, whatever stories they cover and the nature of frames used to narrate such stories go a long way to influence how citizens perceive issues in the country. Consequently, the National Media Commission and the National Communications Authority were instituted to monitor and direct the activities of the media to ensure professionalism that prioritizes society's interest over commercial interest. As the two media regulators go about their routine task of monitoring the operations of the media, they receive coverage from various media outlets (newspapers, radio, television and online). Some people believe that the kind of approach the regulators adopt depends on the nature of coverage the media give them in their reportage. This situation demands an investigation into how the media, regulated by these regulatory bodies, are representing the regulators in the public's eye and the issues arising from such coverage. Extant literature indicates that studies on media framing have centered on politics, environmental issues, public health issues, conflict and wars, etc. However, there appear to be no studies on media framing of media regulators, especially in the Ghanaian context. Since online newspapers have assumed more mainstream positions in the Ghanaian media and have attracted more audiences in recent times, this study investigates the nature of coverage given to media regulators by four purposively sampled online newspapers in Ghana. 96 news articles are extracted from the websites of the Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times, Daily Guide and Chronicle newspapers within a five-year period to identify the prominence given to stories about the two media regulators and the frames used to narrate stories about them. Data collected are thematically analyzed through the lens of agenda-setting and media-framing theories. The findings of the study revealed that the two regulators were not given much coverage by way of frequency; however, much prominence was given to them in terms of enhancements such as images. The study further disclosed that most of the news articles framed the regulators as weak and incompetent, which is likely to affect how the public also views the regulators. The study concludes that since frames around the supportive nature of the regulators to issues of the media were not hammered by the online newspapers, the public will not perceive the regulators as playing their roles effectively. Thus, a need for more positive frames to be used to narrate stories about the National Media Commission and the National Communication Authority to promote a cordial relationship between the two institutions and a good image to the public.

Keywords: agenda setting, media framing, media regulators, online newspapers

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Authors: Claude Tadonki

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We address the issues related to the computation of the covariance matrix. This matrix is likely to be ill conditioned following its canonical expression, thus consequently raises serious numerical issues. The underlying linear system, which therefore should be solved by means of iterative approaches, becomes computationally challenging. A huge number of iterations is expected in order to reach an acceptable level of convergence, necessary to meet the required accuracy of the computation. In addition, this linear system needs to be solved at each iteration following the general form of the covariance matrix. Putting all together, its comes that we need to compute as fast as possible the associated matrix-vector product. This is our purpose in the work, where we consider and discuss skillful formulations of the problem, then propose a parallel implementation of the matrix-vector product involved. Numerical and performance oriented discussions are provided based on experimental evaluations.

Keywords: covariance-matrix, multicore, numerical computing, parallel computing

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Authors: Sabyasachi Behera, Shiv Kumar, Pramod Gautam, Anisur Rahman, Pawan Pathak, Rahul Bhadouria

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Background: The increasing proportion of population especially urban poor and vulnerable groups or groups with specific needs, with health indicators worse than their rural counterparts in India face various issues related with availability and quality of health care. The reasons are myriad, starting from information and awareness of the community, especially, in a scenario wherein the needs and challenges of floating and migrant urban populations remain poorly understood. Weak linkages between health care facilities and slum dwellers and vulnerable populations hinder the improvement of health services for urban poor. Method: To address this issue, TCIHC program is helping health department of Indore city of Madhya Pradesh to establish a referral mechanism with a dual approach: at both community and facility level. The former is based on the premise of ‘building social capital’, i.e. norms and networks within a community facilitating collective action, helps improve the demand and supply of health services at appropriate levels of care (Minus 2: Accredited Social Health Activist and Community Health Groups; Minus 1: Urban Health Nutrition Days; Zero: Urban Primary Health Center; Plus 1: secondary facility with BEmONC services; Plus 2: secondary facilities with CEmONC services; Plus 3: tertiary level facility) for the urban poor. The latter focuses on encouraging the provision of all services at various levels of service delivery points and stakeholders to function in a coordinated manner to ensure better health service availability and coverage in underserved slum areas. Results: This initiative has enhanced the utilization of community based, primary and secondary level services through defined referral pathways that are clearly known to a community dweller. Conclusion: An ideal referral mechanism should begin with referral at the community level wherein services of a frontline health care provider are accessed by them at their door-step, causing no delay in both understanding and decision on the health issues faced by them.

Keywords: levels of care, linkages, referral mechanism, service delivery

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Authors: Ali Ben Abbes, Imed Riadh Farah

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Due to the considerable advances in Multi-Temporal Satellite Images (MTSI), remote sensing application became more accurate. Recently, many advances in modeling MTSI are developed using various models. The purpose of this article is to present an overview of studies using Hidden Markov Model (HMM). First of all, we provide a background of using HMM and their applications in this context. A comparison of the different works is discussed, and possible areas and challenges are highlighted. Secondly, we discussed the difference on vegetation monitoring as well as urban growth. Nevertheless, most research efforts have been used only stationary data. From another point of view, in this paper, we describe a new non-stationarity HMM, that is defined with a set of parts of the time series e.g. seasonal, trend and random. In addition, a new approach giving more accurate results and improve the applicability of the HMM in modeling a non-stationary data series. In order to assess the performance of the HMM, different experiments are carried out using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) NDVI time series of the northwestern region of Tunisia and Landsat time series of tres Cantos-Madrid in Spain.

Keywords: multi-temporal satellite image, HMM , nonstationarity, vegetation, urban

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Authors: Mahmud Hafsat Hussaini, Eldah Ephraim Eldah, Bata Zoakah Amina

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This research work was aimed at examining the challenges faced by passengers using Arik air for domestic and international travels. Passengers do complain of delay flights, theft and rude behavior by Arik staff while on transit or in the process of travelling using the aircraft. Being the national carrier in Nigeria these behaviors have tarnished the image of the airline and makes travel experience to be challenging. Hundred survey questionnaires were administered to travellers who have used the airline for domestic and international flights. Findings show that the staff of the airline do lack customer care skills and are sometimes rude to customers. The airline does have different agents that book for international flights who delays confirming bookings even after payment. The website of the airline is mostly down and makes bookings difficult. Other findings related to the study are a delay of domestic flights within Nigeria. Passengers are sometimes kept for 8 hours in the airport due to delay of flights. The study, therefore, recommends that flight schedule should be adhered to and staff should be trained to meet of with passengers demand. The security of guest luggage at the airport should be put in place to avoid theft. An effective booking platform should be accessible to passengers for easy booking.

Keywords: examining, challenges, domestic, international, travels

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Authors: Odoh Ben Uruchi

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Information Technology is an outcome of the nexus between the computer technology and the communication technology which has grown as silver fiber in Nigeria. Information Technology represents the fourth generation of human communication after sight, oral and written communications. The internet, as with all path-breaking technological developments gives us all the ample privileges to act as a global community; advertise and operate across all frontiers; over boarders and beyond the control of any government. The security concerns, computer abuse and the side effects of this technology have moved to the forefront of the consciousness of law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, Nigeria is one of the very few countries in the world to have not legislated Cyber Laws, although several unsuccessful attempts have been made in recent times at providing the legal framework for regulating the activities in Nigerian cyberspace. Traditional legal systems have led to great difficulty in keeping pace with the rapid growth of the internet and its impact throughout Nigeria. The only existing legal frameworks are constantly being challenged by technological advancement. This has created a need to constantly update and adapt the way in which we organize ourselves as Legal Practitioners in order to maintain overall control of its domestic and national interests. This paper seeks to appraise the challenges facing the legal profession in Nigeria because of want of Cyber Laws. In doing this, the paper shall highlight the loopholes in the existing laws and recommends the way forward.

Keywords: information technology, challenges, legal profession, Nigeria

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Authors: Iranlade Festus Adeyem

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This paper analyses the role played by the Nudge method as an artistic strategy in addressing the issues of Lagos waste management in Nigeria. As a Lagosian, experiential knowledge of Lagos’ dirty environment through careless littering, especially in the Lagos Mainland community, was helpful. Employing Nudge theory in creative waste recycling assists in persuading Lagosians through strategic sensitization to carefully weigh their options rather than being compelled to act in a dictated direction. Empirical awareness of Lagos’ environment and creative, reflective experiences were handy in inspiring the identified communities to subtly encourage the reuse, recycling and repurposing of generated waste instead of dumping it indiscriminately. The repurposed waste used to ‘upcycle’ and ‘downcycle’ contemporary artworks were displayed to highlight single-use materials as improvised alternatives to conventional ones. The Nudge concept application, therefore, persuades Lagosians, Lagos artists and trainees to see waste as untapped effective materials during the campaigns. Using the Nudge philosophy thus encourages Lagosians and creatives to use personal discretion in managing their generated waste naturally. Its application also helped intervene minimally in the Lagos waste objectives to prevent the attendant health issues that may occur. And inspire waste improvisation for the scarce, imported and expensive art materials in Lagos City.

Keywords: improvisation, nudge, upcycle and downcycle, strategy

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Authors: Haythem Yahyaoui, Samir Moalla, Mounir Bouden, Skander ghorbel

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Nowadays, Cloud environments are becoming a need for companies, this new technology gives the opportunities to access to the data anywhere and anytime, also an optimized and secured access to the resources and gives more security for the data which stored in the platform, however, some companies do not trust Cloud providers, in their point of view, providers can access and modify some confidential data such as bank accounts, many works have been done in this context, they conclude that encryption methods realized by providers ensure the confidentiality, although, they forgot that Cloud providers can decrypt the confidential resources. The best solution here is to apply some modifications on the data before sending them to the Cloud in the objective to make them unreadable. This work aims on enhancing the quality of service of providers and improving the trust of the customers.

Keywords: cloud, confidentiality, cryptography, security issues, trust issues

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Authors: Roman Kusaiko

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For decades, remaking was one of the film industry’s main practices but has become vivid in recent years. The latest geopolitical developments, though, are becoming a new challenge for filmmakers regarding cultural landscapes and contextual differences. Deglobalization may also affect transnational remaking practices. Thus, these upcoming challenges can be addressed through the analysis of contemporary academic thought, primarily from adaptation and film studies and their understanding of the issues of transmediality and how it affects film remaking. However, the analysis would be insufficient without conducting case studies. This paper is part of broader research about transnational remaking practices and their cultural and contextual specifics. This paper aims to understand whether shifting medium affects remaking as a critical category and present case studies of the popular Hong Kong motion picture Infernal Affairs and its transition into the Japanese remake Double Face. Consequently, the analysis of their contextual distinctions will lead to the correct categorization of the transnational remakes allowing scholars and filmmakers to better understand the existing remaking practices and whether they affect the final result.

Keywords: cinema, context, culture, films, remaking, transmediality

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Authors: Munaf Rashid

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For content-based human action retrieval systems, search accuracy is often inferior because of the following two reasons 1) global information pertaining to videos is totally ignored, only low level motion descriptors are considered as a significant feature to match the similarity between query and database videos, and 2) the semantic gap between the high level user concept and low level visual features. Hence, in this paper, we propose a method that will address these two issues and in doing so, this paper contributes in two ways. Firstly, we introduce a method that uses both global and local information in one framework for an action retrieval task. Secondly, to minimize the semantic gap, a user concept is involved by incorporating features weight updating (FWU) Relevance Feedback (RF) approach. We use statistical characteristics to dynamically update weights of the feature descriptors so that after every RF iteration feature space is modified accordingly. For testing and validation purpose two human action recognition datasets have been utilized, namely Weizmann and UCF. Results show that even with a number of visual challenges the proposed approach performs well.

Keywords: relevance feedback (RF), action retrieval, semantic gap, feature descriptor, codebook

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Authors: Festus Adedoyin, Nana Mbeah Otoo, Sofia Meacham

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Hypertension is one of the main health issues in Ghana, where prevalence is higher in rural than in urban areas. This is due to the challenges rural areas have in accessing technology and healthcare services for hypertension control. This study's goal is to create a digital healthcare solution to alleviate this inequality. Through an analysis of current technology and problems, using the ring onion methodology, the study determined the needs for the intervention and evaluated healthcare disparities. An online application with teleconsultation capabilities, reminder mechanisms, and clinical decision support is part of the suggested solution. In outlying areas, mobile clinics in containers with the required equipment will be established. Heuristic evaluation and think-aloud sessions were used to assess the prototype's usability and navigational problems. This study highlights the need to develop digital health interventions to help manage hypertension in rural locations and decrease healthcare disparities. To develop and improve digital healthcare solutions for rural areas worldwide and in Ghana, this study might be used as a tool for future research.

Keywords: digital health, health inequalities, hypertension management, rural areas

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Authors: S. Vlasyan

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The article deals with the implementation of the right to self-determination of peoples on the example of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. The problem of correlation of two fundamental principles of international law i. e. territorial integrity and the right to self-determination of peoples is considered to be one of the vital issues in the field of international law for several decades. So, in this article, the author analyzes the decision of the Supreme Court of Canada regarding specific issues of secession of Quebec from Canada, as well as the decision of the International Court of Justice in the case concerning East Timor (Portugal v. Australia), and in the case of Western Sahara. The author formulates legal conditions of Nagorno-Karabakh secession.

Keywords: right of self-determination, territorial integrity, the principles of International Law, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

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Authors: Alexander Kelisek, Stanislava Strelcova

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Developing of business in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is a specific especially for its flexibility and rapid adaptation to the conditions of turbulent market environment compared to large enterprises. Therefore, an importance of SMEs is growing rapidly in Slovakia but also in other EU countries. Small and medium enterprises are characterized by transparent organizational structure, as it allows the realization of direct management and information flow without significant negative aspects. In the national economy small and medium-sized enterprises represent a significant potential when performs a several important functions (e.g. social, economic, export-import, etc.) The significance of these enterprises is not only at national, but also at transnational level. Importance of SMEs is also aware of the EU, which declared this statement in a key document for SMEs called Small Business Act. In this document, SMEs are characterized, as the backbone of the EU economy and also as a key source of jobs opportunities. In addition to these aspects, SMEs attaches high innovation and development potential. The authors of the article are dealing with the current status of SMEs development in the Slovak Republic and highlight the current challenges that entrepreneurs face in their small and medium enterprises.

Keywords: small and medium enterprises (SMEs), business support, SMEs development, SMEs funding

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Authors: Yafa Haron, Hanna Adami

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Background: World Health Organization emphasizes the contribution of nurses in planning and implementing health policies and reforms. Aim: To evaluate nursing students’ attitudes towards nurses’ involvement in health policy issues. Methods: Mixed-methods; qualitative and quantitative – a descriptive study. Participants - nursing students who were enrolled in their last year in the undergraduate program (BSN). Qualitative data included two open-ended questions: What is health policy and what is the importance of studying health policy, and 18 statements on the Likert Scale range 1-5. Results: Qualitativeanalysisrevealed that the majority of students defined health policy as a set of rules and regulations that defined procedures, borders, and proper conduct. 73% of students responded that nurses should be active in policymaking, but only 22% thought that nurses were currently involved in political issues. 28% thought that nurses do not have the knowledge and the time needed (60%) for political activity. 77% thought that the work environment did not encourage nurses to be politically active. Nursing students are aware of the importance towards nurses’ involvement in health policy issues, however, they do not have role models based on their low evaluation regarding nurses’ involvement in the health policy decision making process at the local or national level. Conclusions: Results emphasize the importance and the need of implementation the recommendation to include “advance policy changes” as core competency in nursing education and practice.

Keywords: health policy, nursing education, health systems, student perceptions

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Authors: Araba A. Z. Osei-Tutu, Ebenezer Odame, Joseph Bawa, Samuel Amponsah

Abstract:

Education is recognized as a fundamental human right and a catalyst for development. Despite progress in the provision of higher education on the African continent, there persist challenges with the tripartite areas of access, equity and quality. Therefore, this systematic review aimed at providing a comprehensive overview of conversations and voices of scholars on these three concepts in HE in Africa. The systematic review employed a thematic analysis approach, synthesizing findings from 38 selected sources. After a critical analysis of the sources included in the systematic review, deficits in access, quality, and equity were outlined, focusing on infrastructure, regional disparities, and privatization challenges. The review also revealed the weak enforcement of quality assurance measures. Strategies for improvement, proffered by the study, include expanding public sector HE, deregulating the educational sector, promoting open and distance learning, implementing preferential admission policies, and enhancing financial aid. This research contributes valuable insights for policymakers, educators, and stakeholders, fostering a collaborative approach to address challenges and promote holistic development in African higher education.

Keywords: access, equity, quality, higher education, Africa, systematic review, strategies

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Authors: Masood Ahmed

Abstract:

There is a plethora of literature (including judicial and extra-judicial comments) concerning the virtues of alternative dispute resolution processes within the English civil justice system. Lord Woolf in his Access to Justice Report ushered in a new pro-ADR philosophy and this was reinforced by Sir Rupert Jackson in his review of civil litigation costs. More recently, Briggs LJ, in his review of the Chancery Court, reiterated the significant role played by ADR and the need for better integration of ADR processes within the Chancery Court. His Lordship also noted that ADR which had failed to produce a settlement (i.e. a failed-ADR) continued to play a significant role in contributing to a ‘substantial narrowing of the issues or increased focus on the key issues’ which were ‘capable of assisting both the parties and the court in the economical determination of the dispute at trial.’ With the assistance of empirical data, this paper investigates the nature of failed-ADR and, in particular, assesses the effectiveness of failed-ADR processes as a tool in: (a) narrowing the legal and/or factual issues which may assist the courts in more effective and efficient case management of the dispute; (b) assisting the parties in the future settlement of the matter. This paper will also measure the effectiveness of failed-ADR by considering the views and experiences of legal practitioners who have engaged in failed-ADR.

Keywords: English civil justice system, alternative dispute resolution processes, civil court process, empirical data from legal profession regarding failed ADR

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Authors: Akiko Kondo, Akio Kondo

Abstract:

We are facing serious problems related to a long-term depopulation and an aging society with a falling birth rate in Japan. In this situation, we are suffering from a shortfall in human resources as well as a shortage of workforce in rural regions. In addition, we are struggling with a protracted economic slump and excess concentration of population in the Tokyo Metropolitan area. It is an urgent national issue to consider how to live in this country and what kind of structure of society and administration policy is needed. It is necessary to clarify people’s desire for their way of living and social assistance to be provided. The aim of this study is to clarify the characteristics of regional issues and the degree of their seriousness in local municipalities of Japan. We conducted a questionnaire survey about regional agenda in all local municipalities in Japan. We obtained responses concerning the degree of seriousness of regional issues and degree of importance of policies. Based on the data gathered from the survey, it is apparent that many local municipalities are facing an aging population and declining population. We constructed a model to analyze factors for declining population. Using the model, it was clarified that a population’s age structure, job opportunities, and income level affect the decline of population. In addition, we showed the way of the evaluation of the state of a local municipality.

Keywords: evaluation, local municipality, regional analysis, regional issue

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Authors: Sudheer Gupta

Abstract:

Approximately 4 billion citizens of the world live on the equivalent of less than $8 a day. This segment constitutes a $5 trillion global market that remains under-served. Multinational corporations have historically tended to focus their innovation efforts on the upper segments of the economic pyramid. The academic literature has also been dominated by theories and frameworks of innovation that are valid when applied to the developed markets and consumer segments, but fail to adequately account for the challenges and realities of new product and service creation for the poor. Theories of entrepreneurship developed in the context of developed markets similarly ignore the challenges and realities of operating in developing economies that can be characterized by missing institutions, missing markets, information and infrastructural challenges, and resource constraints. Social entrepreneurs working in such contexts develop solutions differently. In this talk, we summarize lessons learnt from a long-term research project that involves data collection from a broad range of social entrepreneurs in developing countries working towards solutions to alleviate poverty, and grounded theory-building efforts. We aim to develop a better understanding of consumers, producers, and other stakeholder involvement, thus laying the foundation to build a robust theory of innovation and entrepreneurship for the poor.

Keywords: poverty alleviation, social enterprise, social innovation, development

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Authors: Amrin Moger, Martin Mathew, Sagar Bhalerao

Abstract:

Mass media may be categorized into print and digital, former being the traditional form of reaching the masses to inform and educate on various issues. The Indian print media is more than two centuries old. Its strengths have largely been shaped by its historical experience and, in particular, by its association with the freedom struggle as well as movements for social emancipation, reform, and amelioration. Therefore, it is highly regarded in the Indian society. Persons with disability are part of Indian Society. Persons with Disability have always been looked down upon and not considered as part of the society. People with disabilities were commonly feared, pitied, and neglected. Much of the literature on disability in India has pointed to the importance of the concept of karma in attitudes to disability, with disability perceived either as punishment for misdeeds in the past lives of the PWD, or the wrongdoings of their parents. Some Indian authors consider the passage of the PWD Act as a landmark step in the history of rehabilitation services in India have put it, ‘At a profoundly serious and spiritual level, disability represents divine justice’. The newspaper has to play a role where it changes this attitude of the people. A short comparative content analysis of two English newspapers of Mumbai edition was selected, to analyze the language that is used for reporting disability issues. Software Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to gather and analyze data.

Keywords: content analysis, disability, newspaper dailies, language

Procedia PDF Downloads 286