Search results for: non-governmental organization role

Authors: Kuo-Wei Hsu, Wei-Chin Lo

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In these years, urban agriculture development has been wide spreading all over the world. The development of urban agriculture is an evolution process of highly urbanization, as well as an agricultural phenomenon closely related to the development of economy, society and culture in urban areas. It provides densely populated areas with multi-functional uses of land, impacting strategic development of both large and small towns in the area. In addition, the participation of social enterprises keeps industrial competitiveness and makes gains when facing rapid transformation of industrial structures and new patterns of lifestyles in urban areas. They create better living conditions as well as protect the environment with innovative business beliefs, which give new ways for development of urban agriculture. Also, through building up the value chain, these social enterprises are capable of creating value for urban agriculture. Most of research regarding to social enterprises currently explore the relationship between corporate responsibilities and its role play, operational mode and performance and organizational patterns. Merely some of them discuss the function of social entrepreneurship in the development of urban agriculture. Moreover, none of them have explored the value creation for development of urban agriculture processed by social enterprises, as well as how social enterprises operate to increase competitive advantages, which make it possible to achieve industrial innovation, increase corporate value and even provide services with value creation. Therefore, this research mainly reviews current business patterns and operational conditions of social enterprises. This research endowed social responsibilities, and discusses current development process of urban agriculture. This research adopts Value Chain perspective to discuss key factors for value creation with respect to the development of urban agriculture processed by social enterprises. Thereby after organization and integration this research develops the prospect of value creation referring to urban agriculture processed by social enterprises and builds the value chain for urban agriculture. In conclusion, this research explored the relationship between value chain and value creation, which relates to values of customer, enterprise, society and economy referring to the development of urban agriculture uniquely, in consideration of the participation of social enterprises, and hence built the connection between value chain and value creation in the development of urban agriculture by social enterprises. The research found, social enterprises help to enhance the connection between the enterprise value and society value, mold corporate image with social responsibility and create brand value, and therefore impact the increase of economic value.

Keywords: urban agriculture development, value chain, social enterprise, urban systems

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Authors: Masami Usui

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Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day (1989) underlines another holocaust, an imprisonment of human life, dignity, and self in the globalizing sphere of the twentieth century. The Remains of the Day delineates the invisible and cruel space of “lost and found” in the postcolonial and post-imperial discourse of this century, that is, the Holocaust. The context of the concentration camp or wartime imprisonment such as Auschwitz is transplanted into the public sphere of modern England, Darlington Hall. The voice is retrieved and expressed by the young journalist and heir of Darlington Hall, Mr. David Cardinal. The new media of journalism is an intruder at Darlington Hall and plays a role in revealing the wrongly-input ideology. “Lost and Found” consists of the private and public retrieved voices. Stevens’ journey in 1956 is a return to the past, especially the period between 1935 and 1936. Lost time is retrieved on his journey; yet lost life cannot be revived entirely in his remains of life. The supreme days of Darlington Hall are the terrifying days caused by the Nazis. Fascism, terrorism, and militarism destroyed the wholesomeness of the globe. Into blind Stevens, both Miss Kenton and Mr. Cardinal bring out the common issue, that is, the political conflicts caused by Nazis. Miss Kenton expresses her own ideas against anti-Semitism regarding the Jewish maids in the crucial time when Sir Oswald Mosley’s Blackshirts organization attacked the Anglo Jews between 1935 and 1936. Miss Kenton’s half-muted statement is reinforced and assured by Cardinal in his mention of the 1934 Olympic Rally threatened by Mosley’s Blackshirts. Cardinal’s invasion of Darlington Hall embodies the increasing tension of international politics related to World War II. Darlington Hall accommodates the crucial political issue that definitely influences the fate of the house, its residents, and the nation itself and that is retrieved in the newly progressive and established media.

Keywords: modern English literature, culture studies, communication, history

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Authors: Sohail Ahmad Umer

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Since last few decades a question is raising on the subject of the importance of women in different societies of the world particularly in the developing societies of Asia and Africa. Female population constitutes almost 50% of the total population of the world and is playing a significant role in the economy with male population. In Pakistan, a developing country of Asia with majority of Muslim population, working women role is more focused. Women of rural background who are working as voluntary workers and their working hours are neither recorded nor recognized. Agricultural statistics shows that the female participation rate is below 40% while other sources claim them below 20%. Here in present study, another effort has been made to compare the women role in two different provinces of Pakistan to analyze the participation of women in agricultural activities like sowing, picking, irrigating the fields, harvesting and threshing of crops, caring and feeding of the animals, collecting the firewood and etc,as without these activities the farming would be incomplete. One hundred villages in the district Khushab (Punjab) and one hundred villages in district D.I.Khan (KPK) were selected and 33% of the families of each village have been interviewed to study their input in agriculture work. Another important feature is the social stratification therefore the contribution by different variables like the ownership, tenancy, education and caste has also been studied.

Keywords: caste, social stratification, tenancy, voluntary workers

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Authors: Tetyana Baydyk, Ernst Kussul, Sandra Bonilla Meza

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There are many articles that attempt to establish the role of different facial fragments in face recognition. Various approaches are used to estimate this role. Frequently, authors calculate the entropy corresponding to the fragment. This approach can only give approximate estimation. In this paper, we propose to use a more direct measure of the importance of different fragments for face recognition. We propose to select a recognition method and a face database and experimentally investigate the recognition rate using different fragments of faces. We present two such experiments in the paper. We selected the PCNC neural classifier as a method for face recognition and parts of the LFW (Labeled Faces in the Wild) face database as training and testing sets. The recognition rate of the best experiment is comparable with the recognition rate obtained using the whole face.

Keywords: face recognition, labeled faces in the wild (LFW) database, random local descriptor (RLD), random features

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Authors: Mark Omu

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Education has remained the greatest fulcrum on which the developmental aspirations of societies and the world over is Anchored. This has been the case from the antiquity. As a result of recognition of this fact, education occupies a crucial and centripetal position at different epochs of societal formation and transformation. This paper recognized the all-embracing role of education to society and it utilized the literary research and review of literature to espouse on the role of alternative sources of financing education. This position was borne out of the dwindling resources available to education. Especially to finance teaching, learning, research and retraining of staffers. This paper found among other things that alternative funding of education is possible and it can be achieved through selling of its research products like entrepreneurial skills, collaborative ventures in public private partnership, philanthropic of endowments, etc. These are capable of bridging the financial gap currently bedevilling the educational sectors.

Keywords: alternative sources, funding, tertiary, education, society, partnership, Nigeria

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Authors: M. Toygar, I. Aydin, M. Agilli, F. N. Aydin, M. Oztosun, H. Gul, E. Macit, Y. Karslioglu, T. Topal, B. Uysal, M. Honca

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Paraquat (PQ) is a well-known quaternary nitrogen herbicide. The major target organ in PQ poisoning is the lung. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation play a crucial role in the development of PQ-induced pulmonary injury. Neopterin is synthesized in macrophage by interferon g and other cytokines. We aimed to evaluate the utility of neopterin as a diagnostic marker in PQ-induced lung toxicity. Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups (sham and PQ), administered intraperitoneally 1 mL saline and PQ (15 mg/kg/mL) respectively. Blood samples and lungs were collected for analyses. Lung injury and fibrosis were seen in the PQ group. Serum total antioxidant capacity, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and lung transforming growth factor-1 (TGF-1) levels were significantly higher than the sham group (in all, p< 0.001). In addition, in the PQ group, serum neopterin and lung malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were also significantly higher than the sham group (in all, p 1/4 0.001). Serum neopterin levels were correlated with LDH activities, lung MDA, lung TGF-1 levels, and the degree of lung injury. These findings demonstrated that oxidative stress, reduction of antioxidant capacity, and inflammation play a crucial role in the PQ-induced lung injury. Elevated serum neopterin levels may be a prognostic parameter to determine extends of PQ-induced lung toxicity. Further studies may be performed to clarify the role of neopterin by different doses of PQ.

Keywords: paraquat, inflammation, oxidative stress, neopterin, lung toxicity

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Authors: Ian Christopher Rocha

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This study aimed to determine the association of the quality of life (QOL) of the caregivers of children in need of special protection (CNSP) in child-caring institutions in Metro Manila with the levels of their role overload (RO) and role distress (RD). The CNSP in this study covered the orphaned, abandoned, abused, neglected, exploited, and mentally-challenged children. In this study, the domains of QOL included physical health (PH), psychological health, social health (SH), and living conditions (LC). It also intended to ascertain the association of their personal and work-related characteristics with their RO and RD levels. The respondents of this study were 130 CNSP caregivers in 17 residential child-rearing institutions in Metro Manila. A purposive non-probability sampling was used. Using a quantitative methodological approach, the survey method was utilized to gather data with the use of a self-administered structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Results revealed that the level of RO, the level of RD, and the QOL of the CNSP caregivers were all moderate. Data also suggested that there were significant positive relationships between the RO level and the caregivers’ characteristics, such as age, the number of training, and years of service in the institution. At the same time, the findings revealed that there were significant positive relationships between the RD level and the caregivers’ characteristics, such as age and hours of care rendered to their care recipients. In addition, the findings suggested that all domains of their QOL obtained significant relationships with their RO level. For the correlations of their level of RO and their QOL domains, the PH and the LC obtained a moderate negative correlation with the RO level while the rest of the domains obtained weak negative correlations with RO level. For the correlations of their level of RD and the QOL domains, all domains, except SH, obtained strong negative correlations with the level of RD. The SH revealed to have a moderate negative correlation with RD level. In conclusion, caregivers who are older experience higher levels of RO and RD; caregivers who have more training and years of service experience the higher level of RO; and caregivers who have longer hours of rendered care experience the higher level of RD. In addition, the study affirmed that if the levels of RO and RD are high, the QOL is low, and vice versa. Therefore, the RO and RD levels are reliable predictors of the caregivers’ QOL. In relation, the caregiving situation in the Philippines revealed to be unique and distinct from other countries because the levels of RO and RD and the QOL of Filipino CNSP caregivers were all moderate in contrast with their foreign counterparts who experience high caregiving RO and RD leading to low QOL.

Keywords: quality of life, caregivers, children in need of special protection, physical health, psychological health, social health, living conditions, role overload, role distress

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Authors: Michael Safwat Kotit Istemalek

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In this study, a project on a small project called Zeytinseli, which plays an important role from the beginning to the end of olive oil and olive oil production, is presented with the help of tourism companies that play an important role in the tourism sector. In the study, first of all, a framework of ideas about travel agency, tourism, specific tourism agency and rural tourism was created and tourism knowledge in the modern world was emphasized. After this, the "olive", which had an important place in both mythology and the religion of God, disappeared in the field of rural tourism. Since Didim Zeytinseli is the Aydın district, accommodation prices were calculated within the scope of the project and a 15-day factory tour was given at the end of the project. It can be said that the study is an original study as it covers not only environmental and agricultural tourism but also cultural tourism and non-traditional tourism98.

Keywords: financial problems, the problems of tourism businesses, tourism businesses, internet, marketing, tourism, tourism management economic competitiveness, enhancing competitiveness

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Authors: Caroline Nnokwe, Iheanyi Eneremadu

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Teachers and principals are vital and integral parts of the educational system. For educational objectives to be met, the role of teachers and the functions of the principals are not to be overlooked. However, the inability of teachers and principals to carry out their roles effectively has impacted the outcome of the students’ performance. The study, therefore, examined teachers’ roles and principal’s administrative functions as correlates of effective academic performance of public secondary school students in Imo state, Nigeria. Four research questions and two hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted a correlation research design. The sample size was 5,438 respondents via the Yaro-Yamane technique, which consists of 175 teachers, 13 principals and 5,250 students using the proportional stratified random sampling technique. The instruments for data collection were a researcher-made questionnaire titled Teachers’ Role/Principals’ Administrative Functions Questionnaire (TRPAFQ) with a Cronbach Alpha coefficient of .82 and student's internal results obtained from the school authorities. Data collected were analyzed using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and simple linear regression. Research questions were answered using Pearson Product Moment Correlation statistics, while the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using regression analysis. The findings of the study showed that the educational qualification of teachers, organizing, and planning correlated student’s academic performance to a great extent, while availability and proper use of instructional materials by teachers correlated the academic performance of students to a very high extent. The findings also revealed that there is a significant relationship between teachers’ role, principals’ administrative functions and student’s academic performance of public secondary schools in Imo State, The study recommended among others that there is the need for government, through the ministry of education, and education authorities to adequately staff their supervisory department in order to carry out proper supervision of secondary school teachers, and also provide adequate instructional materials to ensure greater academic performance among secondary school students of Imo state, Nigeria.

Keywords: instructional materials, principals’ administrative functions, students’ academic performance, teacher role

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Authors: Mamta

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Communication is the mixture of the various activities such as words, body language, volume and voice tone. Mankind has always throughout its history had the necessity for communication. It starts from birth and continues throughout life. Communication is just the right means of success and advancement in a workplace. Communication is one of the means to connect to different people at far distances. The modern workplace is inherently collaborative, and this collaboration relies on effective communication among co-workers. Also it has been observed that a lack in good communication skills especially within a workplace can result in conflicts and chaos hence hindering the productivity of an organization. Thus there is a dire need for developing good and effective communication skills which will result in increase in productivity and will enhance its efficiency.

Keywords: communication skills, professional communication, workplace communication, workplace efficiency

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Authors: Lina Tenjo, Ilba Rodríguez

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The role of cultural identity in bilingual programs has been barely discussed in regards to SLA. This research focuses on providing relevant information that helps in having more knowledge about the experiences that an elementary student has during the second language learning process in a bilingual program within a multicultural context. This study explores the experience of 18 students in a dual language program, in a public elementary school in Northern Virginia, USA. It examines their dual language experience and the different ways this experience contributes to the formation of their cultural identity. The findings were studied with the purpose of determining the relationship between participants and certain aspects of cultural identity in a multicultural context. The reflections that originate from the voices of children are the key source that helps us to better understand the particular needs that young learners have during their participation in a DLP.

Keywords: acculturation, bilingual education, culture, dual language program, identity, second language acquisition

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Authors: Yolanda Ramirez, Angel Tejada, Agustin Baidez

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In the knowledge-based economy, intangible elements are considered essential in order to achieve competitive advantage in organizations. In this sense, the Balanced Scorecard is a very suitable tool to recognize value and manage intangibles because it translates an organization’s strategic objectives into a set of performance indicators from a financial, as well as customer perspective, internal process and learning and growth perspectives. The aim of this paper is to expose and justify the benefits that the Balanced Scorecard might have for identifying, measuring and managing intellectual capital at universities, by means of reviewing the most important Balanced Scorecard implementations at Spanish public universities.

Keywords: knowledge management, balanced scorecard, universities, Spain

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Authors: Hireni Mankodi

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The textile preforms for thermoplastic composite play a key role in providing the mechanical properties and gives the idea about preparing combination of yarn from Glass, Basalt, Carbon as reinforcement and PP, PET, Nylon as thermoplastic matrix at yarn stage for preforms to improve the quality and performance of laminates. The main objectives of this work are to develop the hybrid yarn using different yarn manufacturing process and prepare different performs using hybrid yarns. It has been observed that the glass/pp combination give homogeneous distribution in yarn. The proportion varied to optimize the glass/pp composition. The different preform has been prepared with combination of hybrid yarn, PP, glass combination. Further studies will investigate the effect of glass content in fabric, effect of weave, warps and filling density, number of layer plays significant role in deciding mechanical properties of thermoplastic laminates.

Keywords: thermoplastic, preform, laminates, hybrid yarn, glass

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Authors: Ebtissam Saleh Al-Meghaiseeb, Abdulaziz Al Masood, Abdulrahman Al-Robayan, Reem Al-Amro, Misbahul Arfin, Abdulrahman Al Asmari

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Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of apolipoprotein E (APOE) polymorphism on the onset of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Saudi patients. Methods: APOE gene was genotyped to evaluate the frequencies of the alleles and genotypes in Saudi subjects, including IBD patients (n=200) and matched controls (n=200), using APOE StripAssayTM kit (ViennaLab Labordiagnostika GmbH, Vienna, Austria). Results: The frequencies of alleles and genotypes of APOE differed in patients and controls. The APOE allele ε2 and ε4, genotype ε2/ε3 and ε2/ε4 were significantly higher in the IBD patients than the healthy controls. The frequencies of ε3 allele and ε3/ε3 genotype were higher in the control group as compared to patients. The higher prevalence of allele ε2 and ε4 allele in patients compared to that in controls suggested that ε2 and ε4 alleles may increase the risk of IBD. Results also indicated that APOE ε4 allele was associated with early age at onset of IBD. On the other hand, the decreased frequencies of ε3 allele and ε3/ε3 genotype in patients as compared to those in the controls suggested a protective effect of APOE ε3 for IBD susceptibility. In this study, the frequency distribution of APOE alleles and genotypes was not affected by the gender or type of IBD (familial or sporadic). Conclusion: This study indicates that APOE polymorphism plays a significant role in developing IBD and early age of onset in Saudi patients. However, further studies with large-size sample are warranted to confirm this relationship.

Keywords: APOE, polymorphism, IBD, saudis

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Authors: Mohammad Reza Babaei, Sanaz Kamrani

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The main problems That arise In adopting most Enterprise resources planning (ERP) strategies come from organizational, complex information systems like the ERP integrate the data of all business areas within the organization. The implementation of ERP is a difficult process as it involves different types of end users. Based on literature, we proposed a conceptual framework and examined it to find the effect of some of the individual, organizational, and technological factors on the usage of ERP and its impact on the end user. The results of the analysis suggest that computer self-efficacy, organizational support, training, and compatibility have a positive influence on ERP usage which in turn has significant influence on panoptic empowerment and individual performance.

Keywords: factor, influencing, enterprise, system

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Authors: Mani Gupta

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This study deals with question: i) Whether ICT plays a positive role in improvement of efficiency of LIPs in terms of providing efficient services to the Users in LICs? and ii) Role of finance in terms of required technological logistics and infrastructure for usage of ICT based services to comfort in accessing databases by Users in LICs. This is based on primary data which are collected from various libraries and Information Centers of NCR Delhi. The survey conducted during December 15 and 31, 2010 on 496 respondents across 96 libraries and information centers in NCR Delhi through electronic data collection method. There is positive and emphatic relationship between ICT and its effect on improving the level of efficient services providing by LIPs in LICs in NCR Delhi. This is divided into 6 sub-headings and finally the outcomes.

Keywords: modern globalization, linear correlation, efficient service, internet revolution, logistics

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Authors: Mohammad Mahdi Mohammadi Dehnavi, Alessandra De Angelis, Maria Rosaria Pecce

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This paper deals with the role of studs in the structural response of steel-concrete composite beams. A tri-linear slip-shear strength law is assumed according to literature and codes provisions for developing a finite element (FE) model of a case study of a composite deck. The variation of the strength and ductility of the connection is implemented in the numerical model carrying out nonlinear analyses. The results confirm the utility of the model to evaluate the importance of the studs capacity, ductility and strength on the global response (ductility and strength) of the structures but also to analyze the trend of slip and shear at interface along the beams.

Keywords: stud connectors, finite element method, slip, shear load, steel-concrete composite bridge

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Authors: Julius Niba Fon, Jean Hude E. Moudingo

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Mangrove ecosystems in Cameroon are valuable both in services and functions as they play host to carbon sinks, fishery breeding grounds and natural coastal barriers against storms. In addition to the globally important biodiversity that they contain, they also contribute to local livelihoods. Despite these appraisals, a reduction of about 30 % over a 25 years period due to anthropogenic and natural actions has been recorded. The key drivers influencing mangrove change include population growth, climate change, economic and political trends and upstream habitat use. Reversing the trend of mangrove loss and growing vulnerability of coastal peoples requires a real commitment by the government to develop and implement robust level policies. It has been observed in Cameroon that special ecosystems like mangroves are insufficiently addressed by forestry and/or environment programs. Given these facts, the Food Agriculture Organization (FAO) in partnership with the Government of Cameroon and other development actors have put in place the project for sustainable community-based management and conservation of mangrove ecosystems in Cameroon. The aim is to address two issues notably the present weak institutional and legal framework for mangrove management, and the unrestricted and unsustainable harvesting of mangrove resources. Civil society organizations like the Cameroon Wildlife Conservation Society, Cameroon Ecology and Organization for the Environment and Development have been working to reduce the deforestation and degradation trend of Cameroon mangroves and also bringing the mangrove agenda to the fore in national and international arenas. Following a desktop approach, we found out that in situ and ex situ initiatives on mangrove management and conservation exist on propagation of improved fish smoke ovens to reduce fuel wood consumption, mangrove forest regeneration, shrimps farming and mangrove protected areas management. The evidence generated from the field experiences are inputs for processes of improving the legal and institutional framework for mangrove management in Cameroon, such as the elaboration of norms for mangroves management engaged by the government.

Keywords: mangrove ecosystem, legal and institutional framework, climate change, civil society organizations

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Authors: Thomas Kipkurgat, Silahs Chemwaina

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Communication and ICT is a crucial component in realization of vision 2030, radio has played a key role in dissemination of information to mass audience. Since time immemorial, mass media has played a vital role in passing information on agricultural development issues both locally and internationally. This paper aimed at assessing the role of community radio stations in enhancing agricultural development in Kenya. The paper sought to identify the main contributions of KASS FM radio in the agricultural development especially in rural areas, the study also aimed to establish the appropriate adjustments in editorial policies of KASS FM radio in helping to promote agricultural development related programmes in rural areas. Despite some weaknesses in radio programming and the mode of interaction with the rural people, the findings of this study showed that the rural communities are better off today than in the old days when FM radios were non-existent. KASS FM has come up with different developmental programmes that have positively contributed to changing the rural people’s ways of life. These programmes include farming, health, marital values, environment, cultural issues, human rights, democracy, religious teachings, peace and reconciliation. Such programmes feature experts, professionals and opinion leaders who address numerous topics of interest to the community. The local people participate in the production of these programmes through letters to the editor, and phone-ins, among others. Programmes such as political talk shows, which feature in KASS FM, has become one of the most important ways of community participation. The interpretation and conclusions are based on the empirical data analysis and the theories of development advanced by international development communication scholars, as presented in the paper. The study ends with some recommendations on how KASS FM can best serve the interests of the poor people in rural areas, and helps improve their lives.

Keywords: agriculture, development, communication, KASS FM, radio, rural areas, Kenya

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Authors: Minghao Liu

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This paper uses the theory of communication in the context of mass communication, from the construction of communication symbols, communication flow organization, communication experience perception of the three levels of the old industrial factory landscape transformation research and analysis, summarizes the old industrial factory landscape in the communication process to create strategies and design methods for the old industrial factories carried by the urban culture of how to enter the public's life more widely in the existing environment and be familiar with the significance of the exploration, to provide a new idea for the renewal of the urban stock, and ultimately to achieve the sustainable development of the city.

Keywords: communication, old industrial factor, urban renewal, landscape design

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Authors: Valerie Porr, Sydney A. DeCaro

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TARA for borderline personality disorder (BPD), an education and advocacy organization, helps families to compassionately and effectively deal with troubling BPD behaviors. Our psychoeducational programs focus on understanding underlying neurobiological features of BPD and evidence-based methodology integrating dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and mentalization based therapy (MBT,) clarifying the inherent misunderstanding of BPD behaviors and improving family communication. TARA4BPD conducts online surveys, workshops, and topical webinars. For over 25 years, we have collected data from BPD helpline callers. This data drew our attention to particular childhood idiosyncrasies that seem to characterize many of the children who later met the criteria for BPD. The idiosyncrasies we observed, heightened sensory sensitivity and hypervigilance, were included in Adolf Stern’s 1938 definition of “Borderline.” This aspect of BPD has not been prioritized by personality disorder researchers, presently focused on emotion processing and social cognition in BPD. Parents described sleep reversal problems in infants who, early on, seem to exhibit dysregulation in circadian rhythm. Families describe children as supersensitive to sensory sensations, such as specific sounds, heightened sense of smell, taste, textures of foods, and an inability to tolerate various fabrics textures (i.e., seams in socks). They also exhibit high sensitivity to particular words and voice tones. Many have alexithymia and dyslexia. These children are either hypo- or hypersensitive to sensory sensations, including pain. Many suffer from fibromyalgia. BPD reactions to pain have been studied (C. Schmahl) and confirm the existence of hyper and hypo-reactions to pain stimuli in people with BPD. To date, there is little or no data regarding what comprises a normative range of sensitivity in infants and children. Many parents reported that their children were tested or treated for sensory processing disorder (SPD), learning disorders, and ADHD. SPD is not included in the DSM and is treated by occupational therapists. The overwhelming anecdotal data from thousands of parents of children who later met criteria for BPD led TARA4BPD to develop a sensitivity survey to develop evidence of the possible role of early sensory perception problems as a pre-cursor to BPD, hopefully initiating new directions in BPD research. At present, the research community seems unaware of the role supersensory sensitivity might play as an early indicator of BPD. Parents' observations of childhood sensitivity obtained through family interviews and results of an extensive online survey on sensory responses across various ages of development will be presented. People with BPD suffer from a sense of isolation and otherness that often results in later interpersonal difficulties. Early identification of supersensitive children while brain circuits are developing might decrease the development of social interaction deficits such as rejection sensitivity, self-referential processes, and negative bias, hallmarks of BPD, ultimately minimizing the maladaptive methods of coping with distress that characterizes BPD. Family experiences are an untapped resource for BPD research. It is hoped that this data will give family observations the critical credibility to inform future treatment and research directions.

Keywords: alexithymia, dyslexia, hypersensitivity, sensory processing disorder

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Authors: Danhua Xu, Zhenlan Qian, Zhu Wang, Jiayan Fu, Ling Wang

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A new business mode called rural complex is proposed by the China’s government to promote the development the economy in the rural area. However, for the sake of current national conditions including the great number of labor farmers owning the small scale farmlands and the uncertain enthusiasm from the enterprises, it is challenging to develop the big scale rural complex. To react to the dilemmas, this paper puts forward the micro-rural complex to boost the small scale farms by co-participation from a bottom-up mode. By analyzing the potential opportunities to find the suitable mode, exploring the interdisciplinary and interdepartmental co-participation way beyond architecture design and spatial planning between different actors, the paper tries to find a complete process towards the sustainable micro-rural complex and conducts an ongoing practice to optimize it, to bring new insights and reference to the rural development. According to the transformation of the economy, the micro-rural complex will develop into two phases, both of which can be discussed in three parts, the economic mode, the spatial support, and the Cooperating mechanism. The first stage is the agriculture co-participation based on the rise of Community supported agriculture (CSA) in which the consumers buy the products planted in an organic way from the farmers directly with a higher price to support the small-scale agriculture and overcome the food safety issues. The following stage sets up the agritourism catering the citizens with the restaurants, inns and other tourist service facilities to be planned and designed. In the whole process, the interdisciplinary co-participation will play an important role to provide the guidelines and consultation from the agronomists, architects and rural planners to the farmers. This mode has been applied to an on-going farm project, from which to explore the mode in a more practical way. In conclusion, the micro-rural complex aims at creating a balanced urban-rural relationship by co-participation taking advantage of the different actors. The spatial development is considered from the economic mode and social organization. The integration of the mode based on the small-scale agriculture will contribute to a sustainable growth and realize the long run development in the rural area.

Keywords: micro-rural complex, co-participation, sustainable development, China

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Authors: Fernanda M. Bastos, Teógenes A. da Silva

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Extrapolation chambers were designed to be used as primary standard dosimeter for measuring absorbed dose in a medium in beta radiation and low energy x-rays. The International Organization for Standardization established series of reference x-radiation for calibrating and determining the energy dependence of dosimeters that are to be reproduced in metrology laboratories. Standardization of the low energy x-ray beams with tube potential lower than 30 kV may be affected by the instrument used for dosimetry. In this work, parameters of a 23392 model PTW extrapolation chamber were determined aiming its use in low energy x-ray beams as a reference instrument.

Keywords: extrapolation chamber, low energy x-rays, x-ray dosimetry, X-ray metrology

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Authors: Fernanda Garcia

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With the recent growth of refugees in the world, there has been an exponential increase in requests for asylum seeking in Brazil. When asylum seekers arrive in the country, the government initiates a process to evaluate the case, which will serve as grounds to determine the refugee status of the asylum seekers. During this process, an interview where the migrant has the chance to tell their story takes place. The aim of this article is to analyse how community interpreting is conducted in Brazil with regard to asylum seeking, as well as to analyse the role of the interpreter in the context of these official interviews to request refuge in Brazil. We investigate how the presence of an interpreter influences this interview, but more specifically, we study some of the linguistic techniques used by the interpreter in order to make the interaction more effective, as well as the challenges and difficulties they encounter during the interview. To do so, surveys with the interpreters took place, in addition to on-site observations. The interpreters involved in this research are volunteers as part of an extra-curricular extension programme from the University of Brasilia, in Brazil. Community Interpreting is a somewhat new field in Brazil, still facing several obstacles, such as the lack of professional community interpreters. This research illustrates some of these issues and, thus, has the potential to foster Brazilian literature in the matter as well as help understand the role of the interpreter in the interview to seek asylum in Brazil. The refugees’ situation in the world is certainly a pressing matter, and the language barrier is an issue of great importance. Hence, translation and interpretation studies have a fundamental role in this area, when it comes to contributing to a more inclusive world to those in need.

Keywords: asylum seeking, community interpreting, interviews, refugees

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Authors: Mohsin Raza, Arne Bilberg, Thomas Ditlev Brunø, Ann-Louise Andersen, Filip SKärin

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Shifting from a dedicated or flexible manufacturing system to a reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) requires a significant amount of time, money, and effort. Therefore, it is vital to verify beforehand that the potential reconfigurable solution will be able to achieve the organizational objectives. Discrete event simulation offers the opportunity of assessing several reconfigurable alternatives against the set objectives. This study signifies the importance of using discrete-event simulation as a tool to verify several reconfiguration options. Two different industrial cases have been presented in the study to elaborate on the role of discrete event simulation in the implementation methodology of RMSs. The study concluded that discrete event simulation is one of the important tools to consider in the RMS implementation methodology.

Keywords: reconfigurable manufacturing system, discrete event simulation, Tecnomatix plant simulation, RMS

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Authors: Navodita Mishra, T. J. Kamalanabhan

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Purpose: The primary purpose of this study was to identify the antecedents of sports commitment among cricket players and to understand demographic variables that may impact these factors. Commitment towards one’s sports plays a crucial role in determining discipline and efforts of the player. Moreover, demographic variables would seem to play an important role in determining which factors or predictors have the greatest impact on commitment level. Design /methodology/approach: This study hypothesized the effect of demographic factors on sports commitment among cricket players. It attempts to examine the extent to which demographic factors can differentially motivate players to exhibit commitment towards their respective sport. Questionnaire survey method was adopted using purposive sampling technique. Using Multiple Regression, ANOVA, and t-test, the hypotheses were tested based on a sample of 350 players from Cricket Academy. Findings: Our main results from the multivariate analysis indicated that enjoyment and leadership of coach and peer affect the level of commitment to a greater extent whereas personal investment is a significant predictor of commitment among rural background players Moreover, level of sport commitment among players is positively related to household income, the rural background players participate in sports to a greater extent than the urban players, there is no evidence of regional differentials in commitment but age differences (i.e. U-19 vs. U-25) play an important role in the decision to continue the participation in sports.

Keywords: Individual Sports Commitment, demographic indicators, cricket, player motivation

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Authors: Debi Konukcu Onal, Tarkan Cavusoglu

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In modern societies, the costs of public goods and services are shared through taxes paid by citizens. However, taxation has always been a frictional issue, as tax obligations are perceived to be a financial burden for taxpayers rather than being merit that fulfills the redistribution, regulation and stabilization functions of the welfare state. The tax compliance literature evolves into discussing why people still pay taxes in systems with low costs of legal enforcement. Related empirical and theoretical works show that a wide range of socially oriented behavioral factors can stimulate voluntary compliance and subversive effects as well. These behavioral motivations are argued to be driven by self-enforcing rules of informal institutions, either independently or through interactions with legal orders set by formal institutions. The main focus of this study is to investigate empirically whether institutional particularities have a significant role in explaining the cross-country differences in the tax noncompliance levels. A part of the controversy about the driving forces behind tax noncompliance may be attributed to the lack of empirical evidence. Thus, this study aims to fill this gap through regression estimates, which help to trace the link between institutional quality and noncompliance on a cross-country basis. Tax evasion estimates of Buehn and Schneider is used as the proxy measure for the tax noncompliance levels. Institutional quality is quantified by three different indicators (percentile ranks of Worldwide Governance Indicators, ratings of the International Country Risk Guide, and the country ratings of the Freedom in the World). Robust Least Squares and Threshold Regression estimates based on the sample of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries imply that tax compliance increases with institutional quality. Moreover, a threshold-based asymmetry is detected in the effect of institutional quality on tax noncompliance. That is, the negative effects of tax burdens on compliance are found to be more pronounced in countries with institutional quality below a certain threshold. These findings are robust to all alternative indicators of institutional quality, supporting the significant interaction of societal values with the individual taxpayer decisions.

Keywords: institutional quality, OECD economies, tax compliance, tax evasion

Procedia PDF Downloads 134

Authors: Jessica Beck

Abstract:

Despite efforts to address the issue through prevention and education, sexual assault remains an issue within the military. Rape supportive beliefs have been identified as a risk factor linked to sexually aggressive and coercive behaviours. Rape myth acceptance is part of a wider cognitive framework of attitudes which perpetuate negative sociocultural norms about the male role. Notwithstanding the established links between rape myth acceptance, attitudinal variables, and rape proclivity, relatively little research has been conducted with military samples. In this study, 151 British military veterans completed an online survey measuring their rape myth acceptance, attitudes towards women, belief in male role norms and basic personality traits. Consistent with previous research, male veterans had higher levels of rape myth acceptance, more negative attitudes towards women, and subscribed to more traditional notions of masculinity. The types of myths endorsed also varied by gender, with male veterans significantly more likely to blame rape victims or believe women regularly lie about being raped. A relationship between rape myth acceptance, negative attitudes towards women, and adherence to male norms was found, which explained a significant proportion of the variance in rape myth acceptance. Implications for sexual assault prevention programmes are discussed.

Keywords: rape myths, rape myth acceptance, military sexual assault, sexual assault beliefs

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Authors: Huma Khan, Faiza Akhtar

Abstract:

The present study investigates the effects of burnout toward job performance and job satisfaction with the moderating role of hope and self-efficacy. Findings from 310 frontline employees of Pakistani commercial banks (Lahore, Karachi & Islamabad) disclosed burnout has negative significant effects on job performance and job satisfaction. Simple random sampling technique was used to collect data and inferential statistics were applied to analyzed the data. However, results disclosed no moderation effect of hope on burnout, job performance or with job satisfaction. Moreover, Data significantly supported the moderation effect of self-efficacy. Study further shed light on the development of psychological capital. Importance of the implication of the current finding is discussed.

Keywords: burnout, hope, job performance, job satisfaction, psychological capital, self-efficacy

Procedia PDF Downloads 141

Authors: Anshu Radha Aggarwal

Abstract:

As per the Right to Education Act (RTE), 2009, every child in the age group of 6-14 years shall be admitted in a neighborhood school. All the Out of School Children identified have to be enrolled / mainstreamed in to age appropriate class and there-after be provided special training. This paper addresses issues emerging from provisions in the RTE Act that specifically refer to the enrolment of out-of school children into age appropriate classes and the requirement to provide special trainings that will enable this to take place. In the context of RTE Act, the Out-of-School Children are first enrolled in the formal school and then they are provided with Special Training through NRSTCs (Long Term / Short term basis). These centers are functioning in formal school campus itself. This paper specifies the role of special training centers (STC). It presents a re-envisioning of assessment that recognizes two principal functions of assessment, assessment for learning and assessment of learning, instead of the more familiar categories of formative, diagnostic, summative, and evaluative assessment. The use of these two functions of assessment highlights and emphasizes the role of special training centers (STC) to assess their level for giving them appropriate special training and to evaluate their improvement in learning level. Challenge of problem faced by teachers to do diagnostic assessment, including its place in the sequence of assessment procedures appropriate in identifying and addressing individual children’s learning difficulties are solved by special training centers (STC). It is important that assessment is used to identify children with learning difficulties at the earliest possible stage so that appropriate support and intervention can be put in place. So appropriate challenges with tools are presented here for their assessment at entry level and at completion level of primary children by special training centers (STC).

Keywords: right to education, assessment, challenges, out of school children

Procedia PDF Downloads 461