Search results for: intergenerational similarities
Commenced in January 2007
Frequency: Monthly
Edition: International
Paper Count: 579

Search results for: intergenerational similarities

399 Impact of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles on Terrestrial Flora and Microorganisms

Authors: L. Steponavičiūtė, L. Steponavičienė

Abstract:

Despite the rapid nanotechnology progress and recognition, its potential impact in ecosystems and health of humans is still not fully known. In this paper, the study of ecotoxicological dangers of nanomaterials is presented. By chemical reduction method, silver (AgNPs) and gold (AuNPs) nanoparticles were synthesized, characterized and used in experiments to examine their impact on microorganisms (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans) and terrestrial flora (Phaseolus vulgaris and Lepidium sativum). The results collected during experiments with terrestrial flora show tendentious growth stimulations caused by gold nanoparticles. In contrast to these results, silver nanoparticle solutions inhibited growth of beans and garden cress, compared to control samples. The results obtained from experiments with microorganisms show similarities with ones collected from experiments with terrestrial plants. Samples treated with AuNPs of size 13 nm showed stimulation in the growth of the colonies compared with 3,5 nm size nanoparticles.

Keywords: nanomaterials, ecotoxicology, nanoparticles, ecosystems

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398 The Construction of Malaysian Airline Tragedies in Malaysian and British Online News: A Multidisciplinary Study

Authors: Theng Theng Ong

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This study adopts a multidisciplinary method by combining the corpus-based discourse analysis study and language attitude study to explore the construction of Malaysia airline tragedies: MH370, MH17 and QZ8501 in the selected Malaysian and United Kingdom (UK) online news. The study aims to determine the ways in which Malaysian Airline tragedies MH370, MH17 and QZ8501 are linguistically defined and constructed in terms of keyword and collocation. The study also seeks to identify the types of discourse that are presented in the new articles. The differences or similarities in terms of keywords, topics or issues covered by the selected Malaysian and UK news media will also be examined. Finally, the language attitude study will be carried out to examine the Malaysia and UK university students’ attitudes toward the keywords, topics or issues covered by the selected Malaysian and UK news media pertaining to Malaysian Airline tragedies MH370, MH17 and QZ8501. The analysis is divided into two parts with the first part focusing on corpus-based discourse analysis on the media text. The second part of the study is to investigate Malaysians and UK news readers’ attitudes towards the online news being reported by the Malaysian and UK news media pertaining to the Airline tragedies. The main findings of corpus-based discourse analysis are essential in designing the questions in the questionnaires and interview and therefore led to the identification of the attitudes among Malaysian and UK news. This study adopts a multidisciplinary method by combining the corpus-based discourse analysis study and language attitude study to explore the construction of Malaysia airline tragedies: MH370, MH17 and QZ8501 in the selected Malaysian and United Kingdom (UK) online news. The study aims to determine the ways in which Malaysian Airline tragedies MH370, MH17 and QZ8501 are linguistically defined and constructed in terms of keyword and collocation. The study also seeks to identify the types of discourse that are presented in the new articles. The differences or similarities in terms of keywords, topics or issues covered by the selected Malaysian and UK news media will also be examined. Finally, the language attitude study will be carried out to examine the Malaysia and UK university students’ attitudes toward the keywords, topics or issues covered by the selected Malaysian and UK news media pertaining to Malaysian Airline tragedies MH370, MH17 and QZ8501. The analysis is divided into two parts with the first part focusing on corpus-based discourse analysis on the media text. The second part of the study is to investigate Malaysians and UK news readers’ attitudes towards the online news being reported by the Malaysian and UK news media pertaining to the Airline tragedies. The main findings of corpus-based discourse analysis are essential in designing the questions in the questionnaires and interview and therefore led to the identification of the attitudes among Malaysian and UK news.

Keywords: corpus linguistics, critical discourse analysis, news media, tragedies study

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397 Lesbian Stereotype Representation in Cinema in Turkey

Authors: Hasan Gürkan, Rengin Ozan

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Cinema, as a popular mass media tool, affects the general perception of the society against sexual identity. By establishing on interaction relationship with cinema and social reality, the study also tries to answer what the importance of lesbian identity in social life in films in Turkey is. This article focus on representing the description of the women characters who call their selves lesbian in Turkey cinema. The study tries to answer these three questions: First, how the lesbian characters are represented in films in Turkey? Second, what is the reality of the lesbian sexual identity in the films? Third, what are the differences and similarities between the lesbian characters in films in Turkey before 2000s and after 2000s? The films are analysed by the sociological film interpretation in this study. When comparing the films before 2000 and after 2000, it is possible to say that there have been no lesbian characters in many films. Especially almost all of the films (Haremde Dört Kadın, Ver Elini İstanbul, Dul Bir Kadın, Gramofon Avrat, Lola and Billidikid), during 1960s, just threw looks indirect the lesbian sex identity. Just in the films Düş Gezginleri, İki Genç Kız and Nar, the women character (also called them as lesbian) are the leading role and the plot of the films is progressing over these characters.

Keywords: cinema in Turkey, lesbian identity, representation, stereotype

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396 Women with Invisible Wounds: A Qualitative Exploration of Emotional Abuse

Authors: Mehar Pruthi, Manjula V.

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For the longest time, Indian households have been hosts to a variety of domestic evils such as intimate partner violence, physical abuse, sexual assaults, and more commonly gender-based violence. The prevalence of such heinous acts against women is often swept under the carpet of patriarchy and leaves women scarred. Many times, these wounds are caused by more insidious and subtle acts of violence. For this study, the choice of term for these acts is Emotional Abuse. The ill effects of emotional abuse on the victim’s sense of self and psychological health have been widely established. The current study takes a qualitative approach to explore women’s experiences at the brunt of emotional abuse. To this end, six participants (N=6) were identified using purposive and snowball sampling which was followed by a pre-screening form to assess for the presence of emotional abuse. A semi-structured interview guide was employed to investigate the victim’s perception of emotional abuse, the manifestation of emotional abuse in a patriarchal society, and the reasons women remain in abusive relationships. Each interview lasted about 50-60 mins and was accompanied by extensive note-making. A preliminary analysis of the interviews was done using the Interpretative Phenomenological Approach. Initial findings reveal the emergence of themes such as feelings of loneliness, intergenerational transmission of violence, denial, justifying the partner’s behavior, staying because of children, hoping things would change, and faith in God. The study is instrumental in conceptualizing the patterns of emotional abuse keeping in mind the patriarchal context of the Indian society. It has implications for professionals in the mental health field who work with this population so they can better understand their plight. Future research could focus on rebuilding relationships for those partners who decide to sustain such relationships and focus on various coping mechanisms with special emphasis on religious beliefs.

Keywords: emotional abuse, gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, marriage, patriarchy

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395 Children’s (re)actions in the Scaffolding Process Using Digital Technologies

Authors: Davoud Masoumi, Maryam Bourbour

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By characterizing children’s actions in the scaffolding process, which is often undermined and ignored in the studies reviewed, this study aimed to examine children’s different (re)actions in relation to the teachers’ actions in a context where digital technologies are used. Over five months, 22 children aged 4-6 with five preschool teachers were video observed. The study brought in rich details of the children’s actions in relation to the teacher’s actions in the scaffolding process. The findings of the study reveal thirteen (re)actions, including Giving short response; Explaining; Participating in the activities; Examining; Smiling and laughing; Pointing and showing; Working together; Challenging each other; Problem-solving skills; Developing vocabulary; Choosing the activity; Expressing of the emotions; and Identifying the similarities and differences. Our findings expanded and deepened the understanding of the scaffolding process, which can contribute to the notion of scaffolding and help us to gain further understanding about scaffolding of children’s learning. Characterizing the children’s (re)action in relation to teacher’s scaffolding actions further can contribute to ongoing discussions about how teachers can scaffold children’s learning using digital technologies in the learning process.

Keywords: children’ (re)actions, scaffolding process, technologies, preschools

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394 Fertility Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role Family Planning Programs

Authors: Vincent Otieno, Alfred Agwanda, Anne Khasakhala

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Among the neo-Malthusian adherents, it is believed that rapid population growth strain countries’ capacity and performance. Fertility have however decelerated in most of the countries in the recent past. Scholars have concentrated on wide range of factors associated with fertility majorly at the national scale with some opining that analysis of trends and differentials in the various fertility parameters have been discussed extensively. However, others believe that considerably less attention has been paid to the fertility preference- a pathway through which various variables act on fertility. The Sub-Saharan African countries’ disparities amid almost similarities in policies is a cause of concern to demographers. One would point at the meager synergies that have been focused on the fertility preference as well, especially at the macro scale. Using Bongaarts reformulation of Easterlin and Crimmins (1985) conceptual scheme, the understanding of the current transition based on the fertility preference in general would help to provide explanations to the observed latest dynamics. This study therefore is an attempt to explain the current fertility transition through women’s fertility preference. Results reveal that indeed fertility transition is on course in most of the sub-Saharan countries with huge disparities in fertility preferences and its implementation indices.

Keywords: fertility preference, the degree of implementation index, sub-Saharan Africa, transition

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393 Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: A Case Study and Discussion of Its Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Management

Authors: Zayd Parekh, Amish Prasad, Baraa Souman

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Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is characterized by orthostatic intolerance due to an exaggerated tachycardia in response to standing upright. This exaggerated orthostatic tachycardia is defined as the heart rate (HR) rising 30 beats above a baseline value while supine or seated within ten minutes. The tachycardia can lead to symptoms of orthostatic intolerance such as palpitations, lightheadedness, exercise intolerance, fatigue, and anxiety. POTS can go undiagnosed for many years due to its similarities with other cardiac and psychiatric conditions and nonspecific presentation, making it crucial to raise awareness for it in the medical field. The following case study discusses a 30-year-old female who was evaluated in the emergency room several times before being referred to the clinic for POTS. An overview of what tests are performed with this patient is also provided, highlighting the diagnostic work-up for POTS and the process of ruling out other differentials being considered. Finally, the epidemiology, the various theories regarding its pathophysiology, the diagnostic process, and pharmacological and non-pharmacological management for POTS are reviewed.

Keywords: orthostatic intolerance, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, syncope, tachycardia

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392 The Potential of Shifting Urban Village to Public Housing through Sharing Economy: Case Study of Shenzhen

Authors: Xinrui Gao

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This research aims to explore the potential of shifting urban villages to public housing in China. In common practice, the central and local governments established two divided systems of urban redevelopment and public housing, including aims, design ideas, policy, headquarters, and branch offices. In most cases, the urban regeneration and public housing projects satisfy only the selected part of the society who can afford it (urban regeneration) or meet the requirements (public housing), which fail to cover the housing demand. However, there are many similarities between these two types of housing under the background of a shared economy, especially in target groups, affordable prices, and efficient use of spaces. Shenzhen always takes the lead in China’s urban regeneration and housing reformation. There are some top-down approaches to transforming housing in the urban village into public housing at present. These new approaches will provide a good chance to evaluate existing practices and explore the future development path of urban villages; while at the same time it could positively influence the housing problem in China.

Keywords: urban village, public housing, sharing economy, urban redevelopment

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391 Market Driven Unsustainability: Tragedy of Indigenous Professionals

Authors: Sitaram Dahal

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Sustainable Development, a universal need for the present generation and the future generation, is an accepted way to assure intra and inter-generational equity. International movements like Rio Earth Summit 1992, Stockholm Conference 1972, Kyoto Protocol, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proclaim the need of sustainable globe. The socio- economic disparity prevailing in the society shows that the indigenous peoples are living life far below poverty line. These indigenous people, aboriginal social groups sharing common cultural values and with a unique identity, are away from development being merely focused on the growth. Though studies suggest that most of the indigenous practices are often environment-friendly, alert about the plunging trend of the practices. This study explores the trend of intergenerational transmission of indigenous profession of pottery making of Kumal community (Meghauli Village Development Committee of Chitwan district) and factors affecting the trend. The SD indicators - contribution of IP to well-being of pottery makers had been query in the study. The study reveals that the pottery making profession can stand sustainable in terms of environment and socio-economic capital compared to modern technologies. However, the number of practitioners has been decreasing and youths hardly show interest to continue their indigenous profession. The new generations are not in a stage of accepting pottery in complete profession, that challenges the social and cultural sustainability of the profession. Indigenous profession demand people investments over modern technology and innovations. The relative investment of human labour is dramatically high with the indigenous profession. In addition, the fashion and innovations of market rule challenge the sustainability of the pottery making profession. The practice is limited to small cluster as a show piece at present. The study illustrates the market driven unsustainability of indigenous profession of Kumal community.

Keywords: professional unsustainability, pottery making, Kumal Community, Indigenous Professoin

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390 Lifelong Multiple Victimization among Native and Immigrant Women in Portugal: Prevalence and Emotional (Dis)Adjustment

Authors: Mariana Goncalves, Marlene Matos

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Despite the scientific attention that it has received, the research on the victimization of women continues to neglect some factors that may enhance the risk of women to victimization. This study sought to identify the prevalence and the lifelong trajectories of multiply victimized women (childhood, adolescence, and adulthood), the co-occurrence of different types of victimization, the contexts of occurrence and emotional adjustment and resilience. We used a convenience sample of 120 women multiply victimized, including 35 Portuguese natives and 85 immigrant women (e.g., Brazilian, African) who were recruited from support institutions and shelters. The results documented the similarities and differences concerning victimization between these groups and the intersectional factors that may elucidate vulnerability to victimization. There was a high co-occurrence of types of victimization, particularly in adulthood. The victimization reported occurred frequently in different contexts: familiar, workplace and helping institutions. A higher number of victimization experiences was related with more emotional symptomatology, less familiar cohesion and less social resources. The implications of the results are discussed.

Keywords: multiple victimization, lifetime, natives, immigrants, prevalence, emotional adjustment

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389 Comparison between Radiocarbon and Dendrochronology Ages Obtained on a 700 Years Tree-Ring Sequence from Northern Romania

Authors: G. Sava, I. Popa, T. Sava, A. Ion, M. Ilie, C. Manailescu, A. Robu

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At the RoAMS laboratory in Bucharest we have looked for a head-to-head meeting between AMS radiocarbon dating and dendrochronology dating, aiming to point out and explain any differences or similarities that might appear between their output results. As a subject of this investigation, we have fixed our attention on a sequence of tree rings spanning on a period of 700 years, starting with 1000 AD. The samples were collected from the northern Romanian territory within Moldavia region, and were provided by the ‘Marin Dracea - National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry’. All the 23 single ring wood samples were radiocarbon dated using alpha-cellulose extraction, followed by graphitization in an AGE3 installation. A wiggle matching procedure was applied to reduce the radiocarbon uncertainties for the calibrated ages. The results showed a good agreement on 3 out of 4 wood cores, the age-shifting of one of the wood cores being interpreted as an uncertain dendrochronology matching, which was further corrected.

Keywords: wiggle matching, tree-ring radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology, AMS radiocarbon dating, radiocarbon dating in Romania

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388 Socio-Ecological Factors Characterising Migrants and Refugee Youth’s Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Authors: Michaels Aibangbee, Sowbhagya Micheal, Pranee Liamputtong, Elias Mpofu, Tinashe Dune

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Background: The challenges migrants and refugee youth (MRY) experience in maintaining their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) continues to be a global public health issue. Consequently, MRY is more likely to encounter adverse SRH experiences due to limited access to and knowledge of SRH services. Using a socio-ecological framework, this study examined the MRY’s SRHR micro-level experiences to macro-levels analyses of SRH-related social systems and constructions. Methods: Eighteen focus groups were conducted using participatory action research (PAR) methodology to understand the phenomena. The focus groups included MRY participants (ages 16-26) living in Greater Western Sydney and facilitated by youth project liaisons (YPL). The data was afterward synthesised and analysed using the thematic-synthesis method. Results: In total, 86 MRY (male n= 25, female n= 61) MRY (across 20 different cultural backgrounds) participated in the focus groups. The findings identified socio-ecological factors characterising MRY SRHR, highlighting facilitators such as social media and significant barriers such as lack of access to services and socio-cultural dissonance, and the under-implementation of SRHR support and services by MRY. Key themes from the data included traditional and institutional stigma, lack of SRH education, high reliance on social media for SRH information, anonymity, and privacy concerns. Conclusion: The data shows a limited extent to which MRY SRHR is considered and the intergenerational understanding and stigma affecting the rights of MRY. Therefore, these findings suggest a need for policies and practices to empower MRY’s agency through a collaborative SRHR strategy and policy design to maintain relevance in multicultural contexts.

Keywords: migrant and refugee youth, sexual health, reproductive health, sexual and reproductive health and rights, culture, agency

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387 Software Engineering Inspired Cost Estimation for Process Modelling

Authors: Felix Baumann, Aleksandar Milutinovic, Dieter Roller

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Up to this point business process management projects in general and business process modelling projects in particular could not rely on a practical and scientifically validated method to estimate cost and effort. Especially the model development phase is not covered by a cost estimation method or model. Further phases of business process modelling starting with implementation are covered by initial solutions which are discussed in the literature. This article proposes a method of filling this gap by deriving a cost estimation method from available methods in similar domains namely software development or software engineering. Software development is regarded as closely similar to process modelling as we show. After the proposition of this method different ideas for further analysis and validation of the method are proposed. We derive this method from COCOMO II and Function Point which are established methods of effort estimation in the domain of software development. For this we lay out similarities of the software development rocess and the process of process modelling which is a phase of the Business Process Management life-cycle.

Keywords: COCOMO II, busines process modeling, cost estimation method, BPM COCOMO

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386 Comparitive Analysis of Islamic and Conventional Banking Systems in Terms of Profitability: A Study on Emerging Market Economies

Authors: Alimshan Faizulayev, Eralp Bektas, Abdul Ghafar Ismail, Bezhan Rustamov

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This paper performs empirical analysis on determinants of profitability in Islamic and Conventional Banks. The main focus of this study is to evaluate and measure of financial performance of Islamic banking firms operating in Egypt, Iran, Malaysia, Pakistan, Turkey, UAE in contrast to Conventional ones in those countries. To evaluate empirically performance of the banks, various financial ratios are employed. We measure performance in terms of liquidity, profitability, solvency, and efficiency. In this work, t-test, F-test, and OLS analysis are used to make hypothesis tests. Our findings reveal that there are similarities and differences in profitability determinants of Islamic and Conventional banking firms. The cost to revenue ratio has inverse relationship with profitability indicators in both banking systems. However, there are differences in financial performances between Conventional Banks and Islamic banks which are found in overall picture of all banks in terms of net income margin.

Keywords: Islamic banking, conventional banking, GDP growth, emerging market economies

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385 Stripping of Flavour-Active Compounds from Aqueous Food Streams: Effect of Liquid Matrix on Vapour-Liquid Equilibrium in a Beer-Like Solution

Authors: Ali Ammari, Karin Schroen

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In brewing industries, stripping is a downstream process to separate volatiles from beer. Due to physiochemical similarities between flavour components, the selectivity of this method is not favourable. Besides, the presence of non-volatile compounds such as proteins and carbohydrates may affect the separation of flavours due to their retaining properties. By using a stripping column with structured packing coupled with a gas chromatography, in this work, the overall mass transfer coefficient along with their corresponding equilibrium data was investigated for a model solution consist of water, ethanol, ethyl acetate and isoamyl acetate. Static headspace analysis also was employed to derive equilibrium data for flavours in the presence of beer dry matter. As it was expected ethanol and dry matter showed retention properties; however, the effect of viscosity in mass transfer coefficient was discarded due to the fact that the viscosity of solution decreased during stripping. The effect of ethanol and beer dry matter were mapped to be used for designing stripping could.

Keywords: flavour, headspace, Henry’s coefficient, mass transfer coefficient, stripping

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384 Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering Based on Morphmetric Parameters of the Populations of Labeo rohita

Authors: Fayyaz Rasool, Naureen Aziz Qureshi, Shakeela Parveen

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Labeo rohita populations from five geographical locations from the hatchery and riverine system of Punjab-Pakistan were studied for the clustering on the basis of similarities and differences based on morphometric parameters within the species. Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) was done by using Pearson Correlation Coefficient and Unweighted Pair Group Method with Arithmetic Mean (UPGMA) as Agglomeration method by XLSTAT 2012 version 1.02. A dendrogram with the data on the morphometrics of the representative samples of each site divided the populations of Labeo rohita in to five major clusters or classes. The variance decomposition for the optimal classification values remained as 19.24% for within class variation, while 80.76% for the between class differences. The representative central objects of the each class, the distances between the class centroids and also the distance between the central objects of the classes were generated by the analysis. A measurable distinction between the classes of the populations of the Labeo rohita was indicated in this study which determined the impacts of changing environment and other possible factors influencing the variation level among the populations of the same species.

Keywords: AHC, Labeo rohita, hatchery, riverine, morphometric

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383 The Book of Lies: The Christian Bible's Colonialism over and Appropriation of Occultism

Authors: Samantha Huff

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This research seeks to examine the relationship between occultism and the traditional religion of Christianity. The focus of this particular project is to deconstruct occultism and occult religion: how it develops, where it is applied, how and when it is applied. The next step is to make connections between the structure of occultism and the structure of Christianity. Do Christianity and the Occult appear, textually, the same way? What does that mean culturally? This project seeks to examine the historical similarities of occultism and Christianity practices and tradition, and how, as a whole, Christianity appropriates and colonializes occultism through examination into the Christian Bible and popular occult texts: The Book of the Law by Aleister Crowley and The Secret Doctrine: The Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philosophy by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. Through examining occultism and Christianity and applying it to popular cultural theories (Ritual Space by Nick Couldry, Muted Group Theory by Shirley Ardener, and Mythologies by Roland Barethes), it is entirely possible to see how Christianity appropriates occultism and uses their stronghold on society as a means to colonialize occult traditions and practices.

Keywords: appropriation, Christianity, colonialism, cultural theory, muted group theory, mythologies, occultism, ritual space

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382 Case Study: Institutionalization of CSR Activities of MRGC through an NGO (OSDI)

Authors: Aasim Siddiqui

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In a country where 45.6 per cent of the total population lives below the poverty line, according to the Human Development Report 2014 by UNDP, an increasing number of private companies are now dedicating their resources to remedy this situation of chronic poverty. Most corporations in Pakistan now have a separate and dedicated department for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), albeit with varying goals and hence different strategies for achieving those goals. Similarly, Marine Group of Companies (MRGC) also has a robust CSR policy which the group implements through a Non-Government Organization (NGO) called Organization for Social Development Initiatives (OSDI). This organization, which operates under the ambit of MRGC’s CSR division, has a concentrated focus on helping the poorest communities in the rural areas of Pakistan to break out of intergenerational poverty. This paper maps the theoretical strategies as well as practical activities undertaken by OSDI for poverty alleviation via rural development in Pakistan. To obtain in-depth information of demographics, livelihood and socio-economic indicators in OSDI’s focused districts; a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies was used during the course of this research. The paper highlights and explains OSDI’s unique three-pronged approach which aims at reducing poverty through income generation via the livelihood assistance program and through the provision of access to the most basic services (including health and education) via the community development and food security programs. Modeled on the concept of capacity building, OSDI’s modus operandi is centered on disbursing timely microcredit facilities to farmers who can benefit from these funds by investing in productive assets to foster financial capability for the future. With a focus on increasing the income of poor farmers, OSDI’s approach is to integrate all the socio-economic facets: education, health and sanitation and food security, to induce a sustained positive impact on their living standards.

Keywords: CSR, poverty, rural, sustainability

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381 LEED Empirical Evidence in Northern and Southern Europe

Authors: Svetlana Pushkar

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The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building rating system is recognized in Europe. LEED uses regional priority (RP) points that are adapted to different environmental conditions. However, the appropriateness of the RP points is still a controversial question. To clarify this issue, two different parts of Europe: northern Europe (Finland and Sweden) and southern Europe (Turkey and Spain) were considered. Similarities and differences in the performances of LEED 2009-new construction (LEED-NC 2009) in these four countries were analyzed. It was found that LEED-NC 2009 performances in northern and southern parts of Europe in terms of Sustainable Sites (SS), Water Efficiency (WE), Materials and Resources (MR), and Indoor Environmental Quality (EQ) were similar, whereas in Energy and Atmosphere (EA), their performances were different. WE and SS revealed high performances (70-100%); EA and EQ demonstrated intermediate performance (40-60%); and MR displayed low performance (20-40%). It should be recommended introducing the following new RP points: for Turkey - water-related points and for all four observed countries - green power-related points for improving the LEED adaptation in Europe.

Keywords: green building, Europe, LEED, leadership in energy and environmental design, regional priority points

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380 Naturalistic Neuroimaging: From Film to Learning Disorders

Authors: Asha Dukkipati

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Cognitive neuroscience explores neural functioning and aberrant brain activity during cognitive and perceptual tasks. Neurocinematics is a subfield of cognitive neuroscience that observes neural responses of individuals watching a film to see similarities and differences between individuals. This method is typically used for commercial use, allowing directors and filmmakers to produce better visuals and increasing their results in the box office. However, neurocinematics is increasingly becoming a common tool for neuroscientists interested in studying similar patterns of brain activity across viewers outside of the film industry. In this review, it argue that neurocinematics provides an easy, naturalistic approach for studying and diagnosing learning disorders. While the neural underpinnings of developmental learning disorders are traditionally assessed with well-established methods like EEG and fMRI that target particular cognitive domains, such as simple visual and attention tasks, there is initial evidence and theoretical background in support of neurocinematics as a biomarker for learning differences. By using ADHD, dyslexia, and autism as case studies, this literature review discusses the potential advantages of neurocinematics as a new tool for learning disorders research.

Keywords: behavioral and social sciences, neuroscience, neurocinematics, biomarkers, neurobehavioral disorders

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379 The Differences and Similarities between the Ship Waste Tracking Regulations of Turkey and Particular European Union Member Countries

Authors: Kaan Koyuncu, Umut Celen Arican, Sevilay Can

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In the maritime industry, there have been regulations to prevent pollution, and the first attempt to offer a legal basis was Marpol Convention which was held in 1973 in order to provide a framework for the disposal of ship wastes. Based on this convention, ports are obliged to build waste receiving facilities. European Union regulations make several member countries to follow these directions, In Turkey, under Blue Card System, the quantity and types of wastes, the delivery time, the capacity of the receiving facilities, and other required information can be monitored online. Therefore, yachts and other boats with the bilge, sewage, and waste which illegally discharge into the sea, can be blocked. This system is an outcome of the law adopted from European Union regulations. In this study, the present systems in Turkey which occurred in 2010 after the integration of the system, which has been put in the force in 2000 in Europe will be analyzed and interpreted to provide a useful comparison, a practical guide, and a roadmap for potential improvements.

Keywords: Europe-Turkey, blue card, marine environment, ship waste tracking system

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378 Information and Communication Technology Learning between Parents and High School Students

Authors: Yu-Mei Tseng, Chih-Chun Wu

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As information and communication technology (ICT) has become a part of people’s lives, most teenagers born after the 1980s and grew up in internet generation are called digital natives. Meanwhile, those teenagers’ parents are called digital immigrants. They need to keep learning new skills of ICT. This study investigated that high school students helped their parents set up social network services (SNS) and taught them how to use ICT. This study applied paper and pencil anonymous questionnaires that asked the ICT learning and ICT products using in high school students’ parents. The sample size was 2,621 high school students, including 1,360 (51.9%) males and 1,261 (48.1%) females. The sample was from 12 high school and vocational high school in central Taiwan. Results from paired sample t-tests demonstrated regardless genders, both male and female high school students help mothers set up Facebook and LINE more often than fathers. In addition, both male and female high school students taught mothers to use ICT more often than fathers. Meanwhile, both male and female high school students teach mothers to use SNS more often than fathers. The results showed that intergenerational ICT teaching occurred more often between mothers and her children than fathers. It could imply that mothers play a more important role in family ICT learning than fathers, or it could be that mothers need more help regarding ICT than fathers. As for gender differences, results from the independent t-tests showed that female high school students were more likely than male ones to help their parents setup Facebook and LINE. In addition, compared to male high school students, female ones were more likely to teach their parents to use smartphone, Facebook and LINE. However, no gender differences were detected in teaching mothers. The gender differences results suggested that female teenagers offer more helps to their parents regarding ICT learning than their male counterparts. As for area differences, results from the independent t-tests showed that the high school in remote area students were more likely than metropolitan ones to teach parents to use computer, search engine and download files of audio and video. The area differences results might indicate that remote area students were more likely to teach their parents how to use ICT. The results from this study encourage children to help and teach their parents with ICT products.

Keywords: adult ICT learning, family ICT learning, ICT learning, urban-rural gap

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377 Different Friendships' Influences on Chinese High School Students' Mental Well Beings

Authors: Richard Chen

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The study is mainly focused on the influence of different kinds of friendships on the well being of Chinese high school students. The main objective is to find out whether friendship style focusing on depth rather than breadth and whether making friends based on similarities in personality and character rather than interests and hobbies improve students’ mental state. Overall, 262 high school participants completed our study by filling out questionnaires online across China. Data showed, unexpectedly, optimal combinations of friendship styles indicate that students who seek depth of connection in friendship benefit more by focusing more on hobbies than on personalities, and those aiming to expand their social connections would be happier and less stressed when they made friends with those who shared their personalities rather than hobbies. The relationship between stress and the frequency of self-talk was also investigated, and a positive correlation between the pressure a student felt, and the frequency of self-talk behavior was confirmed. The results shed light on relationship management and wellbeing among Chinese high school students and may be applied by counselors and teachers to improve the overall level of satisfaction for Chinese high school students.

Keywords: hobbies, personalities, happiness, pressure, self-talk

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376 Experienced Chronic Sorrow in Mothers of Children with Cancer: A Phenomenological Study

Authors: Nikfarid Lida, Maryam Rassouli, Leili Borimnejad, Hamid Alavi Majd

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Purpose: Chronic sorrow is experienced by mothers of children with cancer. It is a multidimensional concept and is experienced by mothers in different ways depends on their various contexts. Little is known about the concept of chronic sorrow in mothers of children with cancer living in Iran. This study aimed to clarify the concept and explain lived experiences of chronic sorrow in Iranian mothers of children with cancer. Methods: In this hermeneutic phenomenological study, 8 mothers of children with cancer participated in semi structured in-depth interviews about their experiences of chronic sorrow. Interviews continued until data saturation was reached. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, analyzed, and interpreted using 7 steps of the Dickelman et al’s phenomenological approach. Results: Three main themes emerged from mothers’ experiences of chronic sorrow related to child’s cancer. These main themes were ‘climbing up shaky rocks,’ ‘fear and hope,’ and ‘continuous role changing.’ Each of these themes consisted of several subthemes. Conclusion: There are similarities in experiencing chronic sorrow by mothers of children with chronic diseases in different societies. However some experiences are unique in Iranian mothers of children with cancer.

Keywords: cancer, children, mothers, Iran, phenomenology

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375 Being Young in Times of Change: Transformative Aspects of Migration across Generations in South Wollo, Ethiopia

Authors: Adamnesh A. Bogale, Dorte Thorsen

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This paper aims to learn how children/siblings left behind due to parental migration experience care and the effects of the separation. It also aims to unpack the experiences of youth migrants in rural Ethiopia. It focuses specifically on how children and youth are affected in order to highlight in which areas intervention can enhance or inadvertently undermine the development impact of migration on young people. Based on a qualitative study in South Wollo, Ethiopia, which was undertaken in three stages in 2017-19 and involved 34 households and a number of key informants, the analysis offers insights into how migration contributes to household sustainability and, in the process, alters intergenerational relationships and dynamics. Contemporary migration in Ethiopia is complex and highly gendered. For young women, the migration corridor from Ethiopia to the Middle East is the most important, whereas young men mostly engage in local migration or travel to South Africa or Sudan. Arguing that children and youths’ experience of migration must be understood in the context of the moral, affective, and material economies, the paper distinguishes between young people’s experiences of migration as children of migrants, as siblings of a migrant, and as migrants. The material shows that children and youths demonstrate different experiences in parental migration depending on age, care arrangement, and the ability to communicate with an absent mother. Migration has a different implication for younger siblings depending on their gender. The division of work and future responsibilities post marriage combine to disadvantage female siblings while male siblings are either unaffected or reaped the benefits of investments made with remittances. Finally, migration is a mechanism to change generational power relationships. As remitters, young migrants yield better recognition in the family, though not always to the degree that they can control the use of remittances. The power to make decisions is not tied only to material resources and the household; migration facilitates social change that opens space for young women to have more influence over their own lives.

Keywords: migration, youth, Ethiopia, generations

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374 A Comparative Analysis of Green Buildings Rating Systems

Authors: Shadi Motamedighazvini, Roohollah Taherkhani, Mahdi Mahdikhani, Najme Hashempour

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Nowadays, green building rating systems are an inevitable necessity for managing environmental considerations to achieve green buildings. The aim of this paper is to deliver a detailed recognition of what has been the focus of green building policymakers around the world; It is important to conduct this study in a way that can provide a context for researchers who intend to establish or upgrade existing rating systems. In this paper, fifteen rating systems including four worldwide well-known plus eleven local rating systems which have been selected based on the answers to the questionnaires were examined. Their similarities and differences in mandatory and prerequisite clauses, highest and lowest scores for each criterion, the most frequent criteria, and most frequent sub-criteria are determined. The research findings indicated that although the criteria of energy, water, indoor quality (except Homestar), site and materials (except GRIHA) were common core criteria for all rating systems, their sub-criteria were different. This research, as a roadmap, eliminates the lack of a comprehensive reference that encompasses the key criteria of different rating systems. It shows the local systems need to be revised to be more comprehensive and adaptable to their own country’s conditions such as climate.

Keywords: environmental assessment, green buildings, green building criteria, green building rating systems, sustainability, rating tools

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373 Ideology and Brainwashing: Psychological Manipulation in Religious Sects

Authors: Andreas Aceranti, Simonetta Vernocchi, Marco Colorato, Pozzaglio Carolina

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This work analyses the term sect or religious cult and the general traits of those groups and the people involved so as to better understand this unexpectedly popular reality. Some translations taken from research papers as well as academic articles are likewise taken into consideration. We have carried out an in-depth analysis of the topics presented. Firstly we defined magic related to religion and all the similarities and differences between magical thinking and religious thinking, religion, and superstition. Secondly, the term “sect” was defined, and the phenomenon was dealt with, along with the listing of all kinds of existing groups. Then we studied the recruitment process in general and recruitment according to the brainwashing theory. We then analysed the criminological aspects that entail their harmfulness with a particular focus on the structure of those religious communities and the theories regarding the people involved: leader, members, and the group, as it has its own pattern of behaviour and its conformism. Finally, we studied the ideology and the techniques of manipulation used, such as brainwashing, which got already introduced in previous chapters trying to explain this reality not only in theory but studying and trying to understand some of the most famous religious cults.

Keywords: psychological manipulation, brainwashing, love bombing, magic and religion

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372 Parental Expectations and Student Performance in Secondary School Mathematics Education

Authors: Daya Weerasinghe

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Parental expectations often differ to that of their children and the influence and involvement of parents, at home, may affect the student performance in the classroom. This paper presents results from a survey of Asian and European background secondary school mathematics students (N=128) in Melbourne, Australia. Student responses to survey questions were analysed using confirmatory factor analysis, followed by t-tests and ANOVA. The aim of the analysis was to identify similarities and differences in parental expectations in relation to ethnicity, gender, and the year level of the students. The notable findings from the analysis showed no significant difference (at 0.05 level) in parental expectations and student performance, in relation to ethnicity or gender. Conversely, there was a significant difference in both parental expectations and student performance between year 7 and year 12 students. Further, whilst there was a significant difference in parental expectations between year 7 and year 11 students, the students’ performances were not significantly different. The results suggest further research may be needed to understand the parental expectations and student performance between the lower and upper secondary school mathematics students.

Keywords: ethnic background, gender, parental expectations, student performance, year level

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371 International Student Recruitment in Higher Education: A Comparative Study of the Countries in the Middle East

Authors: Ali Arabkheradmand, Enayat A. Shabani, Shabnam Ranjbar Nikkhoo

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Historical and ancestral bonds of the countries in the Middle East have led to similarities in culture and context of their societies. In addition, economic resources, such as the oil industry, have generally been an integrative point in the region. Higher education of a country is influenced by different national and international factors and regarding the mentioned bonds, it is inviting to study the development of the countries of the Middle East in higher education and draw some practical implications which can be used in the educational policy-making of the region. This review includes a data analysis on the population of international students in the countries of the Middle East. As its second objective, a review study on the successful countries, that is those which host the highest number of international students and the strategies they have developed to reach this state among the countries of the region has been conducted. Suggestions are made as to the strategies in higher education systems of these countries which could prove useful and practical in the development of internationalization of higher education in the region, specifically with regard to the recruitment of international students.

Keywords: internationalization of higher education, international student recruitment, Middle East countries, educational policy making

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370 Using A Corpus Approach To Investigate Positive University Images: A Comparison Between Chinese And ESC Universities

Authors: Han Hongmei

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University image is receiving attention because of its key role in influencing student choice, faculty loyalty, and social recognition. Therefore, all universities strive to promote their positive images. However, for most people, the positive image of a university is often from fragmented perceptual understanding. Since universities’ official websites are important channels for image promotion, a corpus approach to university profiles in their official websites can reveal holistic positive images of universities. This study aims to compare positive images of high-level universities in China and English-speaking countries based on a profile corpus of theseuniversities. It is found that the positive images revealed in these university profiles are similar, with some minor differences. The similarities are reflected in the campus environment, historical achievements, comprehensive characteristics, scientific research institutions, and diversified faculty; while the differences are reflected in their unique characteristics. Furthermore, the findings also reveal a gap between Chinese universities and high-level universities in the English-speaking countries.

Keywords: university image, positive image, corpus of university profiles, comparative analysis, high-frequency words

Procedia PDF Downloads 86