Search results for: indigenous community

Authors: Kaesha M. Freyaldenhoven

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Chicago is a city in the United States whose cultural identity is largely shaped by public art pieces. Quintessential public works created by internationally renown artists – such as Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate in Millennium Park and 'The Picasso' in Daley Plaza – have historically contributed to developing a shared sense of community. In 2017, the city implemented a policy titled 50x50 Neighborhood Arts Project under the Chicago Public Art Plan. The policy promotes investments in contemporary public art to elevate neighborhood cultural assets and create a sense of place. Exclusively community-based artists were commissioned to accomplish the mission of the policy. Administrators felt only local artists would be capable of capturing the true essence of a neighborhood through art. This paper discusses the relationship between the public art and the culture of its respective neighborhood through close examination of aesthetic formal properties and social significance. Research compares the role of international artists with the role of local artists in cultivating the identity of a city through site-specific artworks in Chicago. Methodology unites theoretical research on understanding art and its function in the public space with empirical research on Chicago-based works. Theoretical frameworks provide an art historical foundation to explore the manner in which physical properties convey meaning through the work itself and its placement in an urban setting. Empirical research that examines policy documentation and press announcements released by the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events investigates project selection processes pertaining to the artists and neighborhoods. Ethnographies and interviews of individuals from diverse social segments in contemporary Chicago society measure impacts of the works on respective populations. Findings demonstrate works created by local artists activate neighborhoods and inculcate a sense of pride among community residents. Works created by international artists garner widespread media attention that frames the city’s cultural identity across temporal and geographic zones. This research can be utilized to inform future cultural policies pertaining to the commission of public art.

Keywords: Chicago, cultural policy, public art, urban art

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Authors: Jarot Mahendra

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The primary objective of this paper is to provide a view in the interpretation of the revitalization of heritage buildings. This objective is achieved by analyzing the concept of interpretation that is oriented in the perspective of law, urban spatial planning, and stakeholder perspective, and then develops the theoretical framework of interpretation in the cultural resources management through issues of identity, heritage as a process, and authenticity in heritage. The revitalization of heritage buildings with the interpretation of these three issues is that interpretation can be used as a communication process to express the meaning and relation of heritage to the community so as to avoid the conflict that will arise and develop as a result of different perspectives of stakeholders. Using case studies in Indonesia, this study focuses on the revitalization of heritage sites in the National Gallery of Indonesia (GNI). GNI is a cultural institution that uses several historical buildings that have been designated as heritage and have not been designated as a heritage according to the regulations applicable in Indonesia, in carrying out its function as the center of Indonesian art development and art museums. The revitalization of heritage buildings is taken as a step to meet space needs in running the current GNI function. In the revitalization master plan, there are physical interventions on the building of heritage and the removal of some historic buildings which will then be built new buildings at that location. The research matrix was used to map out the main elements of the study (the concept of GNI revitalization, heritage as identity, heritage as a process, and authenticity in the heritage). Expert interviews and document studies are the main tools used in collecting data. Qualitative data is then analyzed through content analysis and template analysis. This study identifies the significance of historic buildings (heritage buildings and buildings not defined as heritage) as an important value of history, architecture, education, and culture. The significance becomes the basis for revisiting the revitalization master plan which is then reviewed according to applicable regulations and the spatial layout of Jakarta. The interpretation that is built is (1) GNI is one of the elements of the embodiment of the National Cultural Center in the context of the region, where there are National Monument, National Museum and National Library in the same area, so the heritage not only gives identity to the past culture but the culture of current community; (2) The heritage should be seen as a dynamic cultural process towards the cultural change of community, where heritage must develop along with the urban development, so that the heritage buildings can remain alive and side by side with modern buildings but still observe the principles of preservation of heritage; (3) The authenticity of heritage should be able to balance the cultural heritage conservation approach with urban development, where authenticity can serve as a 'Value Transmitter' so that authenticity can be used to evaluate, preserve and manage heritage buildings by considering tangible and intangible aspects.

Keywords: authenticity, culture process, identity, interpretation, revitalization

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Authors: Saman Shafei

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Tourism has improved for several reasons, with the main objective of producing economic benefits, including foreign exchange earnings, income generation, employment, rising government incomes, and contributing to the financing of tourism infrastructure, which also has public consumption. Although today the interests of the tourism industry are not overlooked by anyone, the expansion and development of tourism services and products can make it competitive, and in this competition, those who bring creativity and diversity are ahead of other competitors. Developing creative tourism as third-generation tourism can help to attract visitors, increasing demand and diversifying it, achieving new markets and boosting growth. Creative tourism is a journey aimed at achieving a brand –new experience and is along with collaborative learning of arts, cultural heritage, or specific features of a place, and provides useful communication with the inhabitants of the tourism destination who is creators of the living culture of that place. The present study aims to identify and introduce the capabilities of the city of Isfahan in IRAN for the development of creative tourism and the role of creative tourism on the destination and the local community of this city. The research method is descriptive-analytical and field method, interviewing tool and questionnaire have been applied to obtain research findings. The results indicate that the city of Isfahan has the potential to develop creative tourism in the field of traditional handicrafts and traditional foods, and developing this kind of tourism will lead to the development of sustainable tourism in this destination and will bring numerous benefits for the local community.

Keywords: creative tourism, tourism, Isfahan city, sustainable tourism development

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Authors: Afsaneh Jasmine Majidi

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Language testing is an important part of language teaching experience and language learning process as it presents assessment strategies for teachers to evaluate the efficiency of teaching and for learners to examine their outcomes. However, language testing is demanding and challenging because it should provide the opportunity for proper and objective decision. In addition to all the efforts test designers put to design valid and reliable tests, there are some other determining factors which are even more complex and complicated. These factors affect the educational system, individuals, and society, and the impact of the tests vary according to the scope of the test. Seemingly, the impact of a simple classroom assessment is not the same as that of high stake tests such as International English Language Testing System (IELTS). As the importance of the test increases, it affects wider domain. Accordingly, the impacts of high stake tests are reflected not only in teaching, learning strategies but also in society. Testing experts use the term ‘washback’ or ‘impact’ to define the different effects of a test on teaching, learning, and community. This paper first looks at the theoretical background of ‘washback’ and ‘impact’ in language testing by reviewing of relevant literature in the field and then investigates washback effects of IELTS test of on Iranian IELTS teachers and students. The study found significant relationship between the washback effect of IELTS test and teaching strategies of Iranian IELTS teachers as well as performance of Iranian IELTS candidates and their community.

Keywords: high stake tests, IELTS, Iranian Candidates, language testing, test impact, washback

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Authors: Himanshi Allahabadi

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Plants have found a widespread use in medicine traditionally, including the treatment of cognitive disorders, especially, neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. In terms of indigenous medicine, it has been found that many potential drugs can be isolated from plant products, including those for dementia. Plant product is widely distributed in plant kingdom and forms a major antioxidant source in the human diet, is Polyphenols. There are four important groups of polyphenols: phenolic acids, flavonoids, stilbenes, and lignans. Due to their high antioxidant capacity, interest in their study has greatly increased. There are several methods for discovering and characterizing active compounds isolated from plant sources, now available. The results obtained so far seem fulfilling, but additionally, mechanism of functioning of polyphenols at the molecular level, as well as their application in human health need to be researched upon. Also, even though the neuroprotective effects of flavonoids have been much talked about, much of the data in support of this statement has come from animal studies rather than human studies. This review is based on a multi-faceted study of medicinal plants, i.e. phytochemicals, with special focus on flavanones and their relevance in remedy of Parkinson's disease.

Keywords: dementia, parkinson's disease, flavanones, polyphenols, substantia nigra

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Authors: Todd Zhou, Mikhail Yurochkin

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Out-of-distribution (OOD) detection is receiving increasing amounts of attention in the machine learning research community, boosted by recent technologies, such as autonomous driving and image processing. This newly-burgeoning field has called for the need for more effective and efficient methods for out-of-distribution generalization methods. Without accessing the label information, deploying machine learning models to out-of-distribution domains becomes extremely challenging since it is impossible to evaluate model performance on unseen domains. To tackle this out-of-distribution detection difficulty, we designed a model selection pipeline algorithm and developed a model selection framework with different impurity and randomness measurements to evaluate and choose the best-performing models for out-of-distribution data. By exploring different randomness scores based on predicted probabilities, we adopted the out-of-distribution entropy and developed a custom-designed score, ”CombinedScore,” as the evaluation criterion. This proposed score was created by adding labeled source information into the judging space of the uncertainty entropy score using harmonic mean. Furthermore, the prediction bias was explored through the equality of opportunity violation measurement. We also improved machine learning model performance through model calibration. The effectiveness of the framework with the proposed evaluation criteria was validated on the Folktables American Community Survey (ACS) datasets.

Keywords: model selection, domain generalization, model fairness, randomness measurements, bias index

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Authors: Lauren B. Birney

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The project utilizes the Billion Oyster Project (BOP-CCERS) place-based “restoration through education” model to promote computational thinking in NYC high school teachers and their students. Key learning standards such as Next Generation Science Standards and the NYC CS4All Equity and Excellence initiative are used to develop a computer science curriculum that connects students to their Harbor through hands-on activities based on BOP field science and educational programming. Project curriculum development is grounded in BOP-CCERS restoration science activities and data collection, which are enacted by students and educators at two Restoration Science STEM Hubs or conveyed through virtual materials. New York City Public School teachers with relevant experience are recruited as consultants to provide curriculum assessment and design feedback. The completed curriculum units are then conveyed to NYC high school teachers through professional learning events held at the Pace University campus and led by BOP educators. In addition, Pace University educators execute the Summer STEM Institute, an intensive two-week computational thinking camp centered on applying data analysis tools and methods to BOP-CCERS data. Both qualitative and quantitative analyses were performed throughout the five-year study. STEM+C – Community Based Restoration STEM Hubs. STEM Hubs are active scientific restoration sites capable of hosting school and community groups of all grade levels and professional scientists and researchers conducting long-term restoration ecology research. The STEM Hubs program has grown to include 14 STEM Hubs across all five boroughs of New York City and focuses on bringing in-field monitoring experience as well as coastal classroom experience to students. Restoration Science STEM Hubs activities resulted in: the recruitment of 11 public schools, 6 community groups, 12 teachers, and over 120 students receiving exposure to BOP activities. Field science protocols were designed exclusively around the use of the Oyster Restoration Station (ORS), a small-scale in situ experimental platforms which are suspended from a dock or pier. The ORS is intended to be used and “owned” by an individual school, teacher, class, or group of students, whereas the STEM Hub is explicitly designed as a collaborative space for large-scale community-driven restoration work and in-situ experiments. The ORS is also an essential tool in gathering Harbor data from disparate locations and instilling ownership of the research process amongst students. As such, it will continue to be used in that way. New and previously participating students will continue to deploy and monitor their own ORS, uploading data to the digital platform and conducting analysis of their own harbor-wide datasets. Programming the STEM Hub will necessitate establishing working relationships between schools and local research institutions. NYHF will provide introductions and the facilitation of initial workshops in school classrooms. However, once a particular STEM Hub has been established as a space for collaboration, each partner group, school, university, or CBO will schedule its own events at the site using the digital platform’s scheduling and registration tool. Monitoring of research collaborations will be accomplished through the platform’s research publication tool and has thus far provided valuable information on the projects’ trajectory, strategic plan, and pathway.

Keywords: environmental science, citizen science, STEM, technology

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Authors: Ayesha Inam, R. Moazzam, Z. Akhtar

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School readiness plays a significant role in helping a child deal with various school demands and expectations as well as in determining academic success outcomes. There is a scarcity of data concerning the condition of school readiness in Pakistan. This qualitative research seeks to examine the perspective of mothers about school readiness along with its four domains (self-care, socio-emotional, physical and cognitive) as well as about the appropriate age of entry into formal preschool. Fifteen interviews were conducted with mothers of pre-school children in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It was found that mothers shared the common perception that children should be socially, emotionally, physically and cognitively prepared to be ready for pre-school. The results concluded that the mothers unanimously agreed in their perceptions that three to four years was the appropriate age range for children to begin pre-school and that early or late entry into pre-school had negative implications for children’s ability to learn and understand, and hence, their school readiness. Mental age was perceived as a more important criterion for deciding when to send children to pre-school. Mothers were found to send their children to school earlier, and children were found to be increasingly exposed to technology, both of which were found to influence children’s readiness for school. Both schools and mothers were found to play an instrumental role in preparing children for school and in school adjustment by nurturing their skills and abilities.

Keywords: perception of mothers, Pakistan, school readiness, entry to preschool

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Authors: Amar Ramesh Wayal

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Marathi cinema, an integral part of India’s diverse film industry, has significantly evolved in its storytelling and aesthetics, with the Tamasha genre being central to this evolution. Tamasha, a traditional form of Marathi theatre, features vibrant dance and music, especially the rhythmic and often suggestive musical genre, lavani. It gained cinematic prominence in the 1960s with Anant Mane’s Sangtye Aika (1959), which brought and popularized Tamasha to the silver screen, and V. Shantaram’s Pinjra (1972), an iconic Tamasha drama. Despite early success, Tamasha films declined in popularity until Natarang (2010) revitalized interest in this traditional form. This study examines the relevance and evolution of the Tamasha genre in Marathi cinema through contemporary films like Ek Hota Vidushak by Jabbar Patel (1992), Natarang (2010) by Ravi Jadhav, and Tamasha Live (2022) by Sanjay Jadhav. The selection of the films is based on their significant roles in the evolution of the Tamasha in Marathi cinema. Ek Hota Vidushak explores socio-political themes through Tamasha, Natarang depicts the struggles and emotional depth of Tamasha performers, and Tamasha Live integrates traditional Tamasha into modern cinema. By analysing films from different periods, this study highlights the genre’s reinterpretation and adaptation over time. The study employs a qualitative approach, utilizing textual analysis and cultural critique to examine the portrayal and evolution of Tamasha in selected films. It aims to illuminate the complex relationship between tradition and modernity in Marathi cinema through Foucauldian discourse analysis and Pierre Bourdieu’s concept of “vernacular habitus,” which refers to local, indigenous cultural spaces that shape people’s perceptions and expressions. By analyzing these films, the study seeks to understand how traditional cultural forms are integrated into contemporary cinematic narratives. However, this method has limitations, such as subjectivity in interpretation and the need for extensive contextual knowledge. Qualitative research can be subject to researcher bias, affecting analysis and conclusions. To mitigate this, this study maintains rigorous reflexivity and transparency regarding the researcher’s positionality. Furthermore, findings from specific film analyses may not be universally applicable to all Tamasha films or broader Marathi cinema. To enhance the study’s robustness, future research could incorporate comparative or quantitative data to complement qualitative insights. Despite these challenges, qualitative research is crucial for exploring cultural artifacts and their significance within specific contexts. By triangulating qualitative findings with diverse perspectives and acknowledging limitations, this study aims to provide a nuanced understanding of how Tamasha cinema preserves and revitalizes Maharashtra’s folk traditions while adapting them to contemporary contexts. Analyzing films by Jabbar Patel, Ravi Jadhav, and Sanjay Jadhav shows how these filmmakers balance traditional aesthetics with modern storytelling, bridging historical continuity with contemporary relevance. This study offers insights into how indigenous traditions like Tamasha continue to shape and define cinematic narratives in Maharashtra.

Keywords: Marathi cinema, Tamasha genre, vernacular habitus, discourse analysis, cultural evolution

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Authors: Chhabi Paudel

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The food and nutrition security of the people of the mountain of Karnali province of Nepal is dependent on traditional crop biodiversity. The altitude range of the study area is 1800 meters to 2700 meters above sea level. The climate is temperate to alpine. Farmers are adopting subsistent oriented diversified farming systems and selected crop species, cultivars, and local production systems by their own long adaptation mechanism. The major crop species are finger millet, proso millet, foxtail millet, potato, barley, wheat, mountain rice, buckwheat, Amaranths, medicinal plants, and many vegetable species. The genetic and varietal diversity of those underutilized indigenous crops is also very high, which has sustained farming even in uneven climatic events. Biodiversity provides production synergy, inputs, and other agro-ecological services for self-sustainability. But increase in human population and urban accessibility are seen as threats to biodiversity conservation. So integrated conservation measures are suggested, including agro-tourism and other monetary benefits to the farmers who conserve the local biodiversity.

Keywords: crop biodiversity, climate change, in-situ conservation, resilience, sustainability, agrotourism

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Authors: Parvaneh Ziviyar, Simin Armaghan

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Traditional house in Rasht contains monuments and heritage of ancestors who once lived in these houses. These houses represent the customs, culture and lifestyle of the people of Rasht and bridge the gap between modern people and their past that is being forgotten. Maintenance of the buildings and architectural heritage together with their unique architecture and climatic related construction has an important role in tourism attraction and sustainable development. The purpose of this study was to develop a new definition of vacation shacks that is different with the definition of Cultural Heritage Organization. The place to stay and visit that is rebuilt or renovated based on traditional architectural style of Rasht and yet provides modern amenities so that it would not undermine indigenous traditional sense of the house. Data collection for this study is based on review of literature and field study. Results and the statistics of this study will prove that the research hypothesis is supported and there is a correlation between traditional houses of Rasht, as tourism–accommodation place and tourist attraction. It also indicates the capability and potential of these ancient monuments in the introduction of the culture of this land, and calling people and many tourists come to visit and stay in such places.

Keywords: architecture, traditional houses, vacation shacks, tourism

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Authors: Kristina Gordon

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One in three children in the United States is a victim of a maltreatment investigation, and about one in nine children has a substantiated investigation. Home visiting is one of several preventative strategies rooted in an early childhood approach that fosters maternal, infant, and early childhood health, protection, and growth. In the United States, 88% of states report administering home visiting programs or state-designed models. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review on home visiting programs in the United States focused on the prevention of child abuse and neglect. This systematic review included 17 articles which found that most of the studies reported optimistic results. Common across studies was program content related to (1) typical child development, (2) parenting education, and (3) child physical health. Although several factors common to home visiting and parenting interventions have been identified, no research has examined the common components of manualized home visiting programs to prevent child maltreatment. Child maltreatment can be addressed with home visiting programs with evidence-based components and cultural adaptations that increase prevention by assisting families in tackling the risk factors they face. An innovative approach to child maltreatment prevention is bringing together at-risk families with the aging community. This innovative approach was prompted due to existing home visitation programs only focusing on improving skillsets and providing temporary relationships. This innovative approach can provide the opportunity for families to build a relationship with an aging individual who can share their wisdom, skills, compassion, love, and guidance, to support families in their well-being and decrease child maltreatment occurrence. Families would be identified if they experience any of the risk factors, including parental substance abuse, parental mental illness, domestic violence, and poverty. Families would also be identified as at risk if they lack supportive relationships such as grandparents or relatives. Families would be referred by local agencies such as medical clinics, hospitals, schools, etc., that have interactions with families regularly. The aging community would be recruited at local housing communities and community centers. An aging individual would be identified by the elderly community when there is a need or interest in a relationship by or for the individual. Cultural considerations would be made when assessing for compatibility between the families and aging individuals. The pilot program will consist of a small group of participants to allow manageable results to evaluate the efficacy of the program. The pilot will include pre-and post-surveys to evaluate the impact of the program. From the results, data would be created to determine the efficacy as well as the sufficiency of the details of the pilot. The pilot would also be evaluated on whether families were referred to Child Protective Services during the pilot as it relates to the goal of decreasing child maltreatment. The ideal findings will display a decrease in child maltreatment and an increase in family well-being for participants.

Keywords: child maltreatment, home visiting, neglect, preventative, abuse

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Authors: Ifegbo Lawrencia Ifegbo

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Nigeria is a country with many ethnic groups and therefore endowed with festival of different types and nature, yet no concerted effort is committed towards their development for cultural tourism. This paper assessed the adequacy of tourism potential of the festivals, and most importantly investigated the impediments surrounding their non-development. Ikeji, a masquerade festival of the people of Arondizuogu clan in Imo State of Nigeria was selected for the study. Ethnographic research using observer-as-participant technique was used for conducting the study. This was supplemented by focused group discussion (FGD), key informant and unstructured interviews. The result revealed that there exist so much potentials like masquerading, cultural dances, native and highlife music, drumming, role reversals and traditional dishes in the festival. It was further deduced that poor supply of amenities and infrastructural facilities, insecurity of life, lack of trained indigenous experts in tourism, lack of awareness and publicity for the festival on the part of the host communities were responsible for the non-development into tourism destinations. The implication of this is that unless the government resolves to provide the needed resources for the development of the enormous festivals, and restores security and peace in the country, cultural tourism will rarely thrive in Nigeria.

Keywords: festivals, cultural tourism, tourism potential, cultural resources, tourism development

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Authors: A. Arjomand Kermani, N. Charbgoo, M. Alalhesabi

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In the situation of great acceleration of changes and the need for new developments in the cities on one hand and conservation and regeneration approaches on the other hand, place identity and its relation with heritage context have taken on new importance. This relation is generally mutual and complex one. The significant point in this relation is that the process of identifying something as heritage rather than just historical  phenomena, brings that which may be inherited into the realm of identity. In planning and urban design as well as environmental psychology and phenomenology domain, place identity and its attributes and components were studied and discussed. However, the relation between physical environment (especially heritage) and identity has been neglected in the planning literature. This article aims to review the knowledge on this field and develop a model on the influence and relation of these two major concepts (heritage and identity). To build this conceptual model, we draw on available literature in environmental psychology as well as planning on place identity and heritage environment using a descriptive-analytical methodology to understand how they can inform the planning strategies and governance policies. A cross-disciplinary analysis is essential to understand the nature of place identity and heritage context and develop a more holistic model of their relationship in order to be employed in planning process and decision making. Moreover, this broader and more holistic perspective would enable both social scientists and planners to learn from one another’s expertise for a fuller understanding of community dynamics. The result indicates that a combination of these perspectives can provide a richer understanding—not only of how planning impacts our experience of place, but also how place identity can impact community planning and development.

Keywords: heritage, inter-disciplinary study, place identity, planning

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Authors: Shaimaa Alobaidi

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The presentation examines how urbanization opens possibilities for American Indian characters like Zits in Alexie’s Flightto explore new definitionsoftheirtribal self-identification. Zits travels in time and views the world from different bodies, ages, and races; his journeys end with different perspectives on the idea of nationhood as an American Indian. He is an example of Vine Deloria’s statementthat “urban Indians have become the cutting edge of the new Indian nationalism” (248). Flight is chosen because the momentZits leaves the real world for time-traveling adventures is very critical; it is a moment of rage that ends in the mass murder of many Anglo-Americans. The paper focus on the turning point when he returns into his body with new opportunities towards his existence among the majority of anglo-Americans who cannot help but see him American Indian minority in need of help and assistance. Characters, such as Zits, attempt to outlive alienation, and Alexie gives new definitionsof their ethnic nationhood. Futuristicdoes not mean the very far unpredictable future; it is rather a nearpotential future for teenagers of American Indians, like Zits, Arnold, andCoyoteSprings- the band in ReservationBlues; all revolutionary personalitiesin Alexie’s works. They will be analyzed as Gerald Vizenor’s “postindianwarriors” who have the ability to identify Indigenous nationalism in a post-colonial context.

Keywords: alienation, self-identification, nationhood, urbanization, postindian

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Authors: Mursal Ibrahim Zada

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Since 2001, the new Government of Afghanistan has put the improvement of transportation in rural area as one of the key issues for the development of the country. Since then, about 17,000 km of rural roads were planned to be constructed in the entire country. This thesis will assess the impact of rural road improvement on the development of rural communities and housing facilities. Specifically, this study aims to show that the improved road has leads to an improvement in the community, which in turn has a positive effect on the lives of rural people. To obtain this goal, a questionnaire survey was conducted in March 2015 to the residents of four different districts of Kabul province, Afghanistan, where the road projects were constructed in recent years. The collected data was analyzed using on a regression analysis considering different factors such as land price, waiting time at the station, travel time to the city, number of employed family members and so on. Three models are developed to demonstrate the relationship between different factors before and after the improvement of rural transportation. The results showed a significant change positively in the value of land price and housing facilities, travel time to the city, waiting time at the station, number of employed family members, fare per trip to the city, and number of trips to the city per month after the pavement of the road. The results indicated that the improvement of transportation has a significant impact on the improvement of the community in different parts, especially on the price of land and housing facility and travel time to the city.

Keywords: accessibility, Afghanistan, housing facility, rural area, land price

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Authors: Joy Shihyi Huang

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This paper discusses the concept of community in Anna Deavere Smith’s performance, one that challenges and explores existing notions of justice and the other. In contrast to unwavering assumptions of essentialism that have helped to propel a discourse on moral agency within the black community, Smith employs postmodern ideas in which the theatrical attributes of doubling and repetition are conceptualized as part of what Marvin Carlson coined as a ‘memory machine.’ Her dismissal of the need for linear time, such as that regulated by Aristotle’s The Poetics and its concomitant ethics, values, and emotions as a primary ontological and epistemological construct produced by the existing African American historiography, demonstrates an urgency to produce an alternative communal self to override metanarratives in which the African Americans’ lives are contained and sublated by specific historical confines. Drawing on Emmanuel Levinas’ theories in ethics, specifically his notion of ‘proximity’ and ‘the third,’ the paper argues that Smith enacts a new model of ethics by launching an acting method that eliminates the boundary of self and other. Defying psychological realism, Smith conceptualizes an approach to acting that surpasses the mere mimetic value of invoking a ‘likeness’ of an actor to a character, which as such, resembles the mere attribution of various racial or sexual attributes in identity politics. Such acting, she contends, reduces the other to a representation of, at best, an ultimate rendering of me/my experience. She instead appreciates ‘unlikeness,’ recognizes the unavoidable actor/character gap as a power that humbles the self, whose irreversible journey to the other carves out its own image.

Keywords: Anna Deavere Smith, Emmanuel Levinas, other, performance

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Authors: Junaid C, Sabique MK

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Introduction: MES Mamapd College is an autonomous college established in 1964 affiliated with the University of Calicut run by the Muslim Educational Society Kerala. The department of Arabic of the college is having a pivotal role in promoting Arabic language learning, teaching, research, and other allied academic activities. State of Problem: Department of Arabic of the college introduced before the academic committee the culture of international seminars. The department connected the academic community with foreign scholars and introduced industry-academia collaboration programs which are beneficial to the job seekers. These practices and innovations should be documented. Objectives: Create awareness of innovative practices implemented for the promotion of the Arabic language. Infuse confidence in learners in learning of Arabic language. Showcase the distinctive academic programs initiated by the department Methodology: Data will be collected from archives, souvenirs, and reports. Survey methods and interviews with authorities and beneficiaries will be collected for the data analysis. Major results: MES Mampad College introduced before its stakeholders different unique academic practices related to the Arabic language and literature. When the unprecedented pandemic situation pulled back all of the academic community, the department come forward with numerous academic initiatives utilizing the virtual space. Both arenas will be documented. Conclusion: This study will help to make awareness on the promotion of the Arabic language studies and related practices initiated by the department of Arabic MES Mampad College. These practices and innovations can be modeled and replicated.

Keywords: teaching Arabic language, MES mampad college, Arabic webinars, pandemic impacts in literature

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Authors: Aboagye Boye Gilbert

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Teaching and learning (Education), not only in Ghana but the whole world is regarded as the (Stepping stone) vehicle to accelerate the country’s economy, development and social growth. Basically the ingredients for human development and the country in general is Vocational and Technical education and this has been stressed in Ghana’s education system since Pre-independence. To this effect, this research seeks to determine using demonstration method of Teachings sewing to improve the skills of form 3 Fashion Designing students of Baworo Integrated Community Centre for Employable Skills. In this research, reviewed literature on opinions of other researchers and what other people have done and said on related articles or topics, analyzed the research design used, translate the data gathered in the study. The study was design to gather information from the school on how they use Teaching methods to teach sewing. The targeted respondent contacted to give assistance Consist of students from BICCES, fashion teachers and tailored garment makers. The sample size consisted of 5 teachers, 20 students and 5 tailors were selected to answer questionnaire items that were used to gather the data for the study. The study revealed that most teachers and students agreed to the fact that demonstration, teaching and learning materials had a positive attitude towards the students in learning sewing. The study recommends that there should be more mechanisms in place to serve as a guide.

Keywords: VOTEC, BECE, BICCES, SHS

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Authors: H. Shola Adeosun, F. Ajoke Adebiyi

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This study appraises the impact of television on the coverage of Lassa Fever disease. The objectives of the study are to find out whether television is an effective tool for raising awareness about Lassa fever shapes the perception of members of the public. The research work was based on the theoretical foundation of Agenda – setting and reinforcement theory. Survey research method was adopted in the study to elicit data from the residents of Obafemi Owode Local Government, area of Ogun state. Questionnaire and oral interview were adopted as a tool for data gathering. Simple random sampling techniques were used to draw a sample for this study. Out of filled 400 questionnaires distributed to the respondents. 37 of them were incorrectly filled and returned at the stipulated time. This is about (92.5% Tables, percentages, and figures were used to analyse and interpret the data and hypothesis formulation for this study revealed that Lassa fever diseases with higher media coverage were considered more serious and more representative of a disease and estimated to have lower incidents, than diseases less frequently found in the media. Thus, 92% of the respondents agree that they have access to television coverage of Lassa fever disease led to exaggerated perceptions of personal vulnerability. It, therefore, concludes that there is a need for relevant stakeholders to ensure better community health education and improved housing conditions in southwestern Nigeria, with an emphasis on slum areas and that Nigeria need to focus on the immediate response, while preparing for the future because a society or community is all about the people who inhabit. Therefore every effort must be geared towards their society and survival.

Keywords: impact, television, coverage, Lassa fever disease

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Authors: Basyir Yaman, Fades Br. Gultom

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The picture and pattern of Islamic education in the Prophet's period in Mecca and Medina is the history of the past that we need to bring back. The Basic Education Institute called Kuttab. Kuttab or Maktab comes from the word kataba which means to write. The popular Kuttab in the Prophet’s period aims to resolve the illiteracy in the Arab community. In Indonesia, this Institution has 25 branches; one of them is located in Semarang (i.e. Kuttab Al-Fatih). Kuttab Al-Fatih as a non-formal institution of Islamic education is reserved for children aged 5-12 years. The independently designed curriculum is a distinctive feature that distinguishes between Kuttab Al-Fatih curriculum and the formal institutional curriculum in Indonesia. The curriculum includes the faith and the Qur’an. Kuttab Al-Fatih has been licensed as a Community Activity Learning Center under the direct supervision and guidance of the National Education Department. Here, we focus to describe the implementation of curriculum Kuttab Al-Fatih Semarang (i.e. faith and al-Qur’an). After that, we determine the relevance between the implementation of the Kuttab Al-Fatih education system with the formal education system in Indonesia. This research uses literature review and field research qualitative methods. We obtained the data from the head of Kuttab Al-Fatih Semarang, vice curriculum, faith coordinator, al-Qur’an coordinator, as well as the guardians of learners and the learners. The result of this research is the relevance of education system in Kuttab Al-Fatih Semarang about education system in Indonesia. Kuttab Al-Fatih Semarang emphasizes character building through a curriculum designed in such a way and combines thematic learning models in modules.

Keywords: Islamic education system, implementation of curriculum, Kuttab Al-Fatih Semarang, formal education system, Indonesia

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Authors: Isabel Latz, Mark Lusk, Josiah Heyman

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The rise of restrictive U.S. immigration policies and their strengthened enforcement has reportedly caused concerns among providers about their inadvertent effects on service utilization among Latinx and immigrant communities. This study presents perceptions on this issue from twenty service providers in health care, mental health, nutrition assistance, legal assistance, and immigrant advocacy in El Paso, Texas. All participants were experienced professionals, with fifteen in CEO, COO, executive director, or equivalent positions, and based at organizations that provide services for immigrant and/or low-income populations in a bi-national border community. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected by two primary investigators via semi-structured telephone interviews with an average length of 20 minutes. A survey script with closed and open-ended questions inquired about participants’ demographic information and perceptions of impacts of immigration enforcement policies under the current federal administration on their work and patient or client populations. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed to produce descriptive statistics and identify salient themes, respectively. Nearly all respondents stated that their work has been negatively (N=13) or both positively and negatively (N=5) affected by current immigration enforcement policies. Negative effects were most commonly related to immigration enforcement-related fear and uncertainty among patient or client populations. Positive effects most frequently referred to a sense of increased community organizing and greater cooperation among organizations. Similarly, the majority of service providers either reported an increase (N=8) or decrease (N=6) in service utilization due to changes in immigration enforcement policies. Increased service needs were primarily related to a need for public education about immigration enforcement policy changes, information about how new policies impact individuals’ service eligibility, legal status, and civil rights, as well as a need to correct misinformation. Decreased service utilization was primarily related to fear-related service avoidance. While providers observed changes in service utilization among undocumented immigrants and mixed-immigration status families, in particular, participants also noted ‘spillover’ effects on the larger Latinx community, including legal permanent and temporary residents, refugees or asylum seekers, and U.S. citizens. This study reveals preliminary insights into providers’ widespread concerns about the effects of current immigration enforcement policies on health, social, and legal service utilization among Latinx individuals. Further research is necessary to comprehensively assess impacts of immigration enforcement policies on service utilization in Latinx and immigrant communities. This information is critical to address gaps in service utilization and prevent an exacerbation of health disparities among Latinx, immigrant, and border populations. In a global climate of rising nationalism and xenophobia, it is critical for policymakers to be aware of the consequences of immigration enforcement policies on the utilization of essential services to protect the well-being of minority and immigrant communities.

Keywords: immigration enforcement, immigration policy, provider perceptions, service utilization

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Authors: Meenakshi Srivastava, A. K. Mishra

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This study characterizes the metabolic versatility of denitrifying bacterial communities residing in the paddy soil using the GC-MS based Phospholipid Fatty Acid (PLFA) analyses simultaneously with nosZ gene based PCR-DGGE (Polymerase Chain Reaction-Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis) and real time Q-PCR analysis. We have analyzed the abundance of nitrous oxide reductase (nosZ) genes, which was subsequently related to soil PLFA profile and DGGE based denitrifier community structure. Soil denitrifying bacterial community comprised majority or dominance of Ochrobactrum sp. following Cupriavidus and uncultured bacteria strains in paddy soil of selected sites. Initially, we have analyzed the abundance of the nitrous oxide reductase gene (nosZ), which was found to be related with PLFA based lipid profile. Chandauli of Eastern UP, India represented greater amount of lipid content (C18-C20) and denitrifier’s diversity. This study suggests the positive co-relation between soil PLFA profiles, DGGE, and Q-PCR data. Thus, a close networking among metabolic abilities and taxonomic composition of soil microbial communities existed, and subsequently, such work at greater extent could be helpful in managing nutrient dynamics as well as microbial dynamics of paddy soil ecosystem.

Keywords: denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, DGGE, nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria, PLFA, Q-PCR

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Authors: Mick Jackowski

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In terms of popularity in the United States, horse racing has been in a steady state of decline since the 1970s. This trend can be attributed to deterioration in the prestige of the sport, due to a shift in cultural values around the treatment of horses, as well as the growing interest of other sports and gambling options. Despite this drift, horse racing still commands a significant piece of the sport landscape through specific events like the Triple Crown and the Breeders Cup. The 2024 Kentucky Derby enjoyed it largest peak television audience (20.1 million) ever. It is because of this still significant attraction to thoroughbred racing that hope exists, not only for the survivability of one of the oldest organized sports in North America, but also for its future growth. But the spectacle that makes select races very popular must be expanded to tracks around the country on a regular basis. The first step is to create a centralized governing body that regulates operation of all races at all tracks in the country, instead of the state-by-state government fiefdoms that currently oversee operations in each jurisdiction. One league office, if you will, can also better coordinate marketing efforts to promote races. These promotions, though, must be targeted to specific audiences, focusing on the strengths that horse racing has in relation to other recreational activities. The industry should utilize a multi-segment strategy that targets the following four groups: Families, Young Adults, Fashion-Conscious, and Sports Bettors. Beyond the traditional marketing mix, the most vital means of establishing and maintaining relationships with each of these consumer segments is through community building.

Keywords: community building, horse racing, sport marketing, thoroughbreds

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Authors: Aime P. Lampad-Dela Pena, Rhodora V. Azanza, Cesar L. Villanoy, Ephrime B. Metillo, Aletta T. Yniguez

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Phytoplankton community changes in relation to environmental parameters were compared between and within, the three interconnected basins. Phytoplankton samples were collected from thirteen stations of Baler Bay and Casiguran Sound, Aurora last May 2013 by filtering 10 L buckets of surface water and 5 L Niskin samples at 20 meters and at 30 to 40 meters depths through a 20um sieve. Duplicate samples per station were preserved, counted, and identified up to genus level, in order to determine the horizontal and vertical spatial variation of different phytoplankton functional groups during the summer ebb and flood flow. Baler Bay, Outer and Inner Casiguran Sound had a total of 89 genera from four phytoplankton groups: Diatom (62), Dinoflagellate (25), Silicoflagellate (1) and Cyanobacteria (1). Non-toxic diatom Chaetoceros spp. bloom (averaged 2.0 x 105 to 2.73 x 106 cells L⁻¹) co-existed with Bacteriastrum spp. at surface waters in Inner and Outer Casiguran. Pseudonitzschia spp. (1.73 x 106 cells L⁻¹) bloomed at bottom waters of the innermost embayment near Casiguran mangrove estuary. Cyanobacteria Trichodesmium spp. significantly increased during ebb tide at the mid-water layers (20 meters depth) in the three basins (ranged from 6, 900 to 15, 125 filaments L⁻¹), forming another bloom. Gonyaulax spp. - dominated dinoflagellate did not significantly change with depth across the three basins. Overall, diatoms and dinoflagellates community assemblages significantly changed between sites (p < 0.001) while diatoms and cyanobacteria varied within Casiguran outer and inner sites (p < 0.001) only. Tidal fluctuations significantly affected dinoflagellates and diatom groups (p < 0.001) in inner and baler sites. Chlorophyll significantly varied between (KW, p < 0.001) and within each basins (KW, p < 0.05), no tidal influence, with the highest value at inner Casiguran and at deeper waters indicating deep chlorophyll maxima. Aurora’s distinct shelf morphology favoring counterclockwise circulation pattern, advective transport, and continuous stratification of the water column could basically affect the phytoplankton assemblages and water quality of Baler Bay and Casiguran inner and outer basins. Observed spatial phytoplankton community changes with multi-species diatom and cyanobacteria bloom at different water layers of the three inter-connected embayments would be vital for any environmental management initiatives in Aurora.

Keywords: aurora fronting Philippines Rise, intermonsoon, multi-species diatom bloom, spatial variability

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Authors: Taguekou Kenfack Alexie

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For a long time, refugee protection has constituted one of the main concerns of the international community as a whole and for the South African government in particular.The focus of this paper is on the challenges refugees face in accessing their rights in South Africa. In particular, it analyses the legal framework for the protection of the socio economic rights of refugees under international law, regional and domestic law and the extent to which the rights have been realized. The main hypothesis of the study centered on the fact that the social protection of refugees in South Africa is in conformity with international standards. To test this hypothesis, the qualitative research method was applied. Refugee related legal instruments were analyzed as well as academic publications, organizational reports and internet sources. The data analyzed revealed that there has been enormous progress in meeting international standards in the areas of education, emergency relief and assistance, protection of women and refugee children. The results also indicated that much remain to be desired in such areas as nutrition, shelter, health care, freedom of movement and very importantly, employment and social security. The paper also seeks to address the obstacles which prevent the proper treatment of refugees and to make recommendations as how the South African government can better regulate the treatment of refugees living in its territory.Recommendations include the amendment of the legal instruments that provide the normative framework for protection and improvement of protection policies to reflect the changing dynamics.

Keywords: international community, refugee, socioeconomic rights, social protection

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Authors: Angelica Salmeron Alcocer, Deifilia Ahuatzi Chacon, Felipe Rodriguez Casasola

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Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are produced naturally (forest fires, volcanic eruptions) and human activity (burning fossil fuels). Concern for PAHs is due to their toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic effects and so pose a potential risk to human health and ecology. Therefore these are considered the most toxic components of oil, they are highly hydrophobic, making them easily depositable on the floor, air and water. One method of removing PAHs of contaminated soil used surfactants such as Tween 80, which it has been reported as less toxic and also increases the solubility of the PAH compared to other surfactants, fluoranthene is a PAH with molecular formula C16H10, its name derives from the fluorescence which presents to UV light. In this paper, a study of the fluoranthene removal solubilized with Tween 80 in synthetic wastewater using a microbial community (isolated from soil of coffee plantations in the state of Veracruz, Mexico) and Fenton oxidation method was performed. The microbial community was able to use both tween 80 and fluoranthene as carbon sources for growth, when the biological treatment in batch culture was applied, 100% of fluoranthene was mineralized, this only occurred at an initial concentration of 100 ppm, but by increasing the initial concentration of fluoranthene the removal efficiencies decay and degradation time increases due to the accumulation of byproducts more toxic or less biodegradable, however when the Fenton oxidation was previously applied to the biological treatment, it was observed that removal of fluoranthene improved because it is consumed approximately 2.4 times faster.

Keywords: fluoranthene, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, biological treatment, fenton oxidation

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Authors: Elisa Silva, Rui Lança, Fátima Farinha, Miguel José Oliveira, Manuel Duarte Pinheiro, Cátia Miguel

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Tourism is one of the global engines of development. With good planning and management, it can be a positive force, bringing benefits to touristic destinations around the world. However, without constrains, boundaries well established and constant survey, tourism can be very harmful and induce destination’s degradation. In the interest of the tourism sector and the community it is important to develop the destination maintaining its sustainability. The OBSERVE project is an instrument for monitoring and evaluating the sustainability of the region of Algarve. Its main priority is to provide environmental, economic, social-cultural and institutional indicators to support the decision-making process towards a sustainable growth. In the pursuit of the objectives, it is being developed a digital platform where the significant indicators will be continuously updated. It is known that the successful development of a touristic region depends from the careful planning with the commitment of central and regional government, industry, services and community stakeholders. Understand the different perspectives of stakeholders is essential to engage them in the development planning. However, actual stakeholders’ engagement process is complex and not easy to accomplish. To create a consistent system of indicators designed to monitor and evaluate the sustainability performance of a touristic region it is necessary to access the local data and the consideration of the full range of values and uncertainties. This paper presents the OBSERVE project and describes the stakeholders´ engagement process highlighting the contributions, ambitions and constraints.

Keywords: sustainable tourism, stakeholders' engagement, OBSERVE project, Algarve region

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Authors: Xiaoxue Jin, Qiong Zhang

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The rapid influx and ongoing flow of young migrants in large cities, alongside the emergence and evolution of new social media, have led to increased interpersonal alienation and weakened place attachment. In the interplay between individuals and space, urban public spaces play a pivotal role in meeting the multifaceted needs of individuals and fostering a sense of attachment. This article aims to investigate the relationship between the place characteristics of public spaces and individuals' needs and perceptions, with an aim to identify the factors influencing place attachment among the youth. This study is conducted in the Shekou community of Shenzhen, focusing on the youth residents to evaluate their place attachment levels and to analyze their perceptions of the place characteristics of selected public spaces. The influencing factors of public spaces on place attachment were sorted out through detailed data analysis. Research has found that rapid urbanization has led to spatial homogenization and spatial segregation caused by uneven resource distribution, which in turn diminishes the utilization of public spaces. The social characteristics of public spaces, such as the quality of social activities and spatial openness, are critical in forming place attachment. In this research, place characteristics impacting place attachment are categorized, aiming to reconstruct the characteristics of public space places and use them as a medium to explore the place attachment of young people, promote their independent creation and participation in public life, and enhance the dynamism between individuals and spaces.

Keywords: place attachment, place characteristics, public spaces, spatial perception

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Authors: Itay Harlap

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Over the past decade, LGBT figures have become increasingly visible on Israeli television in its various channels and genres. In recent years, however, the representation of gays on Israeli television has undergone an interesting shift, whereby many television texts feature gay people as fathers. These texts, mostly news items and documentaries, usually present gay parenthood as a positive phenomenon. The question in paper is whether LGBT parenting (in reality and as representation) fated to be part of the homonormativity that characterizes the LGBT community in Israel, or can it be an alternative to the hegemonic discourse? This paper embraces a dialectical position and explores the tension between mainstream and radical, or homonormativity and queer politics in the specific Israeli Jewish context through a textual and discursive reading of a selection of television programs that revolve principally around gay parenting in Israel. The first part of this lecture addresses the cultural and social context that generated these representations, dealing with three key Israeli areas: The fertility cult, the evolution of the LGBT community, and the evolution of local television. The second part offers a queer reading of these ‘positive’ representations (mainly in special reports on the news and programs labeled as ‘documentaries’ by broadcasters) and highlight the possible price of the ‘bear hug’ given by Israeli media to gay parents. The last part focuses on a single case study, the TV serial drama Ima Veabaz, and suggests that this drama exposes the performative aspect of parenting and the connection between ethnicity and fertility, and offers an alternative to normative displays of gay parenting.

Keywords: fatherhood, heteronormativity, Israel, queer theory, television

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