Search results for: children in conflict

Authors: Meenakshi

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Background: The complications during pregnancy are the major cause of morbidity and deaths among women in the reproductive age group. Childbearing is the most important phase in women’s lives that occur mainly in the adolescent and adult years. Maternal health, thus is an important issue as this as this is important phase is also productive time for women as they strive fulfill their capabilities as an individual, mothers, family members and also as a citizen. The objective of the study is to document the coverage of ANC and its determinants among domestic workers. Method: A survey of 300 domestic workers were carried in Delhi. Only respondents in the age group (15-49) and whose recent birth was of 5 years preceding the survey were included. Socio-demographic data and information on maternal health was collected from these respondents Information on ANC was collected from total 300 respondents. Standard of living index were composed based on households assists and similarly autonomy index was computed based on women decision making power in the households taking certain key variables. Cross tabulations were performed to obtain frequency and percentages. Potential socio-economic determinants of utilization of ANC among domestic workers were examined using binary logistic regressions. Results: Out of 300 domestic workers survey, only 70.7 per cent per cent received ANC. Domestic workers who married at age 18 years and above are 4 times more likely to utilize antenatal services during their last birth (***p< 0.01). Comparison to domestic workers with number of living children two or less, domestic workers with number of living children more than two are less likely to utilize antenatal care services (**p< 0.05). Domestic workers belonging to Other Backward Castes are more likely to utilize antenatal care services than domestic workers belonging to scheduled tribes ((**p< 0.05). Conclusion: The level of utilization of maternal health services are less among domestic workers is less, as they spend most of their time at the employers household. Though demonstration effect do have impact on their life styles but utilization of maternal health services is poor. Strategies and action are needed to improve the utilization of maternal health services among this section of workers as they are vulnerable because of no proper labour legislations.

Keywords: antenatal care, domestic workers, health services, maternal health, women’s health

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Authors: Avigail Moor

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A decline in women’s sexual desire over the course of long-term relationships, relative to men’s, has been frequently noted. Yet, while there is ample evidence that this change in women is quite common, it is still generally pathologized. Moreover, little is known regarding its true meaning for women and the effect it has on their wellbeing. In light of that, our primary goal was to investigate women's subjective experiences of this reality. Do they connect it to dysfunction in self or marriage, or rather they don't equate love and sex, which for them simply become less connected with time, even as the relationship remains entirely fulfilling? A second goal was to explore how such gender-based differences in sexual desire impact women, and indirectly the couple and partner, in terms of wellbeing and satisfaction from the relationship. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 women in committed long-term relations, aged 25 and over. The findings indicate that for women, there is no contradiction between a loving relation and a decline in spontaneous sexual desire. At the same time, while not rooted in a problem, it does create some. Tension, frustration, conflict, and pressure are some of the negative sequelae that carry adverse effects for women’s wellbeing, the solution to which requires, in their opinion, honest dialogue, mutual respect, and reasonable compromise.

Keywords: gender, sexuality, sexual desire, well being

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Authors: Giancarlo La Marca, Engy Shokry, Fabio Villanelli

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Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, with an estimated prevalence of 50 million people worldwide. Twenty five percent of the epilepsy population is represented in children under the age of 15 years. For antiepileptic drugs (AED), there is a poor correlation between plasma concentration and dose especially in children. This was attributed to greater pharmacokinetic variability than adults. Hence, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is recommended in controlling toxicity while drug exposure is maintained. Carbamazepine (CBZ) is a first-line AED and the drug of first choice in trigeminal neuralgia. CBZ is metabolised in the liver into carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide (CBZE), its major metabolite which is equipotent. This develops the need for an assay able to monitor the levels of both CBZ and CBZE. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a LC-MS/MS method for simultaneous quantification of CBZ and CBZE in dried blood spots (DBS). DBS technique overcomes many logistical problems, ethical issues and technical challenges faced by classical plasma sampling. LC-MS/MS has been regarded as superior technique over immunoassays and HPLC/UV methods owing to its better specificity and sensitivity, lack of interference or matrix effects. Our method combines advantages of DBS technique and LC-MS/MS in clinical practice. The extraction process was done using methanol-water-formic acid (80:20:0.1, v/v/v). The chromatographic elution was achieved by using a linear gradient with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile-water-0.1% formic acid at a flow rate of 0.50 mL/min. The method was linear over the range 1-40 mg/L and 0.25-20 mg/L for CBZ and CBZE respectively. The limit of quantification was 1.00 mg/L and 0.25 mg/L for CBZ and CBZE, respectively. Intra-day and inter-day assay precisions were found to be less than 6.5% and 11.8%. An evaluation of DBS technique was performed, including effect of extraction solvent, spot homogeneity and stability in DBS. Results from a comparison with the plasma assay are also presented. The novelty of the present work lies in being the first to quantify CBZ and its metabolite from only one 3.2 mm DBS disc finger-prick sample (3.3-3.4 µl blood) by LC-MS/MS in a 10 min. chromatographic run.

Keywords: carbamazepine, carbamazepine-10, 11-epoxide, dried blood spots, LC-MS/MS, therapeutic drug monitoring

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Authors: Sarah M. Bolger

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There is a clear recognition that humanitarian and development workers are operating more and more frequently in situations of protracted crises, with conflict and violence undermining long-term development efforts. First coined at the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016, the humanitarian-development-peacebuilding nexus – or 'Triple Nexus' - seeks to promote greater cooperation and policy and program coherence amongst organizations working within and across the nexus. However, despite the clear need for such an approach, the Triple Nexus has failed to gain much traction. This is largely due to the lack of conceptual clarity for actors on the ground and the disconnect between the theory of the Triple Nexus and what that means in practice. This paper seeks to identify the key challenges in shifting from the conceptual definition of the Triple Nexus and what that can look like, particularly for multi-mandated organizations, to the operationalization of the Triple Nexus approach. It adopts a case study approach, examining a selection of organizations and programs and their approaches to the Triple Nexus in order to extract key challenges and lessons learned. Finally, key recommendations are provided on how these challenges can be overcome, allowing for the operationalization of the Triple Nexus and ultimately for a more integrated and sustainable approach to humanitarian, development, and peacebuilding work.

Keywords: development, humanitarian, peacebuilding, triple nexus

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Authors: Qusai Alshahwan

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The arbitrator’s duties of independence and impartiality play a significant role in delivering arbitral awards which legitimate the fundamental of arbitration concepts. For this reason, the international and national arbitration rules require arbitrators to be independent and impartial to solve the arbitration disputes fairly between the parties. However, solving the disputes fairly also requires arbitrators to disclose any existing conflicts of interest with the parties to avoid misunderstanding and late challenges. In contrary with the international and national arbitration rules, the English Arbitration Act 1996 does not include independence as a separate ground for arbitrator’s removal, and importantly the English Arbitration Act 1996 is deliberately silent to the arbitrator duty of disclosure. The absence of arbitrator duty of disclosure is an issue had generated uncertainty and concerns for the arbitration community under the English jurisdiction, particularly when the English courts rejected the IBA guidelines of arbitrator conflict of interest such as in case of Halliburton v Chubb for example. This article is highlighting on the legal consequences of the absence of arbitrator duty of disclosure under the English Arbitration Act 1996 and the arbitrator's contractual obligations.

Keywords: arbitration, impartiality, independence, duty of disclosure, English Arbitration Act 1996

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Authors: Brian Smith

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This paper seeks to contrast the contemporary anti-immigration rhetoric since the US pullout of Afghanistan with the debate about enemy aliens in the early modern period. In the seventeenth century, Sir Edward Coke declared that “infidels” should be seen as perpetui inimici (perpetual enemies) since their values were inimical to those of Christian states. As such, they could be perpetually excluded and denied legal standing. Even at that time, these anti-“infidel” arguments clashed with the natural law tradition of hospitality, which assumed that states had a moral responsibility to admit and care for strangers. In particular, this paper looks at the conflict between Hugo Grotius, Samuel Pufendorf, and John Locke. Grotius argues that states have a duty to admit foreigners. He goes out of his way to plan for the admittance of Jewish immigrants. In contrast, Pufendorf claimed that sovereigns had a duty exclude foreigners who would alter the constitutional character of the state. Much like Grotius, Locke argued that non-Christian peoples should be treated as friends and admitted without reservation.

Keywords: enemy aliens, perpetual enemies, hospitality, refugees

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Authors: Mohammed Saleh Lahmdi, Hassan Obeid Alfadly

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This study explores an optimality-theoretic account of Indian loanwords in Hadhrami Arabic (henceforth HA), a variety of Arabic spoken in Hadhramout Province in the coastal areas and Hadhramout Valley. The purpose of this paper is to find out how the phonological forms of Indian loanwords can be accounted for from an OT standpoint. To achieve this purpose, two main instruments were implemented: participant observation and interview. The sample of this study was selected carefully with certain characteristics by judgment sampling consisting of eleven informants. An ethnographic qualitative approach was employed to find out the phonological articulations that the researcher encountered during the implementation. Many phonological processes are used and several markedness and faithfulness constraints have been interacted in conflict in order to choose the optimal form of Hadhrami realisations. The findings of the study confirm that the Hadhrami syllable structure prevails over the donor language, i.e., the Indian (mainly Urdu) language. Specifically, markedness constraints dominate faithfulness ones when most of the Indian loanwords are incorporated into HA.

Keywords: linguistic borrowing, optimality theory, Hadhrami Arabic, loanword, phonological processes

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Authors: Mustafa Metin Donma, Orkide Donma

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Childhood obesity is an important clinical problem because it may lead to chronic diseases during the adulthood period of the individual. Obesity is a metabolic disease associated with low-grade inflammation. The liver occurs at the center of metabolic pathways. Adropin, fibroblast growth factor-21 (FGF-21), and fetuin-A are hepatokines. Due to the immense participation of the liver in glucose metabolism, these liver-derived factors may be associated with insulin resistance (IR), which is a phenomenon discussed within the scope of obesity problems. The aim of this study is to determine the concentrations of adropin, FGF-21, and fetuin-A in childhood obesity, to point out possible differences between the obesity groups, and to investigate possible associations among these three hepatokines in obese and morbidly obese children. A total of one hundred and thirty-two children were included in the study. Two obese groups were constituted. The groups were matched in terms of mean ± SD values of ages. Body mass index values of obese and morbidly obese groups were 25.0 ± 3.5 kg/m² and 29.8 ± 5.7 kg/m², respectively. Anthropometric measurements including waist circumference, hip circumference, head circumference, and neck circumference were recorded. Informed consent forms were taken from the parents of the participants. The ethics committee of the institution approved the study protocol. Blood samples were obtained after overnight fasting. Routine biochemical tests, including glucose- and lipid-related parameters, were performed. Concentrations of the hepatokines (adropin, FGF-21, fetuin A) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Insulin resistance indices such as homeostasis model assessment for IR (HOMA-IR), alanine transaminase-to aspartate transaminase ratio (ALT/AST), diagnostic obesity notation model assessment laboratory index, diagnostic obesity notation model assessment metabolic syndrome index as well as obesity indices such as diagnostic obesity notation model assessment-II index, and fat mass index were calculated using the previously derived formulas. Statistical evaluation of the study data as well as findings of the study was performed by SPSS for Windows. Statistical difference was accepted significant when p is smaller than 0.05. Statistically significant differences were found for insulin, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of the groups. A significant increase was observed for FGF-21 concentrations in the morbidly obese group. Higher adropin and fetuin-A concentrations were observed in the same group in comparison with the values detected in the obese group (p > 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the ALT/AST values of the groups. In all of the remaining IR and obesity indices, significantly increased values were calculated for morbidly obese children. Significant correlations were detected between HOMA-IR and each of the hepatokines. The highest one was the association with fetuin-A (r=0.373, p=0.001). In conclusion, increased levels observed in adropin, FGF-21, and fetuin-A have shown that these hepatokines possess increasing potential going from obese to morbid obese state. Out of the correlations found with the IR index, the most affected hepatokine was fetuin-A, the parameter possibly used as the indicator of the advanced obesity stage.

Keywords: adropin, fetuin A, fibroblast growth factor-21, insulin resistance, pediatric obesity

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Authors: Egena Obaje Innocent

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In Africa generally and Nigeria in particular one the major setbacks for the girl-child is her deprivation or denial if you like to equal opportunity to education. In most Nigerian communities which are male dominated parents make no pretense of their preference of the male children when it come to the choice of who to send to school between the male and female child. Indeed, certain inhibiting cultural and religious practices are the root cause of this annually. It is against this background that this paper looked at the phenomenon the girl-child education, causes of the negligent its effects on the girl child and nation remedies and conclusion.

Keywords: education, empowerment, girl child, gender equality

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Authors: Sasha Mullally

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This paper investigates the transnational circulation of European Nordic ideas about and programs for manual education and training over the decades spanning the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Based on the unexamined but voluminous correspondence (English-language) of Otto Salomon, an internationally famous education reformer who popularized a form of manual training called "slöjd" (anglicized as "sloyd"), this paper examines it's circulation and translation across global cultures. Salomon, a multilingual promoter of new standardized program for manual training, based his curricula on traditional handcrqafts, particularly Swedish woodworking. He and his followers claimed that the integration of manual training and craft work provided primary and secondary educators with an opportunity to cultivate the mental, but also the physical, and tangentially, the spiritual, health of children. While historians have examined the networks who came together in person to train at his slöjd school for educators in western Sweden, no one has mapped the international community he cultivated over decades of letter writing. Additionally, while the circulation of his ideas in Britain and Germany, as well as the northeastern United States has been placed in a broader narrative of "western" education reform in the Progressive or late Victorian era, no one has examined the correspondence for evidence of the program's wider international appeal beyond Europe and North America. This paper fills this gap by examining the breadth of his reach through active correspondence with educators in Asia (Japan), South America (Brazil), and Africa (South Africa and Zimbabwe). As such, this research presents an opportunity to map the international communities of education reformers active at the turn of the last century, compare and contrast their understandings of and interpretations of "holistic" education, and reveal the ways manual formation was understood to be foundational to the healthy development of children.

Keywords: history of education, history of medicine and psychiatry, child health, child formation, internationalism

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Authors: Maaza Saeed, Caina Li

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The current 2-wave longitudinal study attempts to illuminate the well-established association between parental warm support and academic achievement through the mediating role of self-control while taking into account the moderating role of teacher emotional support. The present research has assessed 2569 Chinese students (aged 10-18 years, M = 13.27, SD = 0.67). They were recruited from the three public middle schools in Xi’an, a middle-sized city in the central part of China. Meditation analysis revealed that self-control mediated the relationship between parental warm support and academic achievement. Additionally, it was found the direct effect of parental warm support was not significant after controlling for the age and gender. Furthermore, moderation analysis revealed high parental warm support and higher teacher emotional support was related to increased self-control compared to lower teacher emotion support. The findings highlighted the importance of parental warm support, teacher emotional support, and self-control on academic achievement.

Keywords: self control, academic achievement, teacher emotional support/conflict, adolescent

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Authors: Seung Won Park

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Pornographic images are becoming increasingly normalized as innovations in media technology arise, the porn industry explosively grows, and transnational capitalism spreads due to government deregulation and privatization of media. As the media evolves, pornography has become more and more violent and non-consensual; this growth of ‘raunch culture’ reifies the traditional power balance between men and women in which men are dominant, and women are submissive. This male domination objectifies and commodifies women, reducing them to merely sexual objects for the gratification of men. Women are exposed to pornographic images at younger and younger ages, providing unhealthy sexual role models and teaching them lessons on sexual behavior before the onset of puberty. The increasingly sexualized depiction of women in particular positions them as appropriately desirable and available to men. As a result, women are not only viewed as sexual prey but also end up treating themselves primarily as sexual objects, basing their worth off of their sexuality alone. Although many scholars are aware of and have written on the great lack of agency exercised by women in these representations, the general public tends to view some of these women as being empowered, rather than exploited. Scholarly discourse is constrained by the popular misconception that the construction of women’s sexuality in the media is controlled by women themselves.

Keywords: construction of gender, hypersexualization, media, objectification

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Authors: Carmen Pena-Díaz

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Linguistic and cultural difficulties regarding the access and use of public services, as well as facilitating communication at all levels, are problems which have not yet been tackled by authorities in Spain. In fact, linguistic and cultural issues are often not recognised as an integral part of migratory movements or social integration. While professionals of interlinguistic and intercultural communication (translators, interpreters, mediators) know that language and culture are key components to achieve immigrant integration and consolidate a truly multilingual society, policymakers at local, national, or supranational levels do not always seem aware of the risks and costs of not providing interpreting and translation services, particularly those affecting the health of users. Regarding the services currently used to cover the communication-related needs between the non-Spanish speaking population and healthcare professionals, evidence proves that there are no effective provisions for communication problems at present in Spanish hospitals. An example that suggests the poor management of the situation in relation to the migrants’ access to public healthcare is the fact that relying on a family member (often a minor) in medical consultations is one of the main practices that affects communication. At present, most medical professionals will explain that in their consultations with migrants who do not speak Spanish, they ask them to bring along a family member or friend who speaks Spanish. In fact, an abundant body of literature describes situations in which family members, children, friends, or anyone who speaks or understands a language helps to break language barriers in hospitals, not only in Spain. It is not difficult to see the problems this may cause, from ethical issues to comprehension problems and misunderstandings. This paper will present the results of Narrative Inquiry from a sample of eight clinicians about their perceptions and experiences using child language brokers in their appointments with non-Spanish speaking families. The main aim is to collect information about child language brokering as recalled and perceived by clinicians who present CLB as a routine practice and express their concerns and worries about using children to convey negative news to their parents or family members.

Keywords: child language brokering, community interpreting, healthcare, PSIT

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Authors: Irene Capecchi, Tommaso Borghini, Iacopo Bernetti

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An important tool for the enhancement of cultural sites is serious games (SG), i.e., games designed for educational purposes; SG is applied in cultural sites through trivia, puzzles, and mini-games for participation in interactive exhibitions, mobile applications, and simulations of past events. The combination of Augmented Reality (AR) and digital cultural content has also produced examples of cultural heritage recovery and revitalization around the world. Through AR, the user perceives the information of the visited place in a more real and interactive way. Another interesting technological development for the revitalization of cultural sites is the combination of AR and Global Positioning System (GPS), which integrated have the ability to enhance the user's perception of reality by providing historical and architectural information linked to specific locations organized on a route. To the author’s best knowledge, there are currently no applications that combine GPS AR and SG for cultural heritage revitalization. The present research focused on the development of an SG based on GPS and AR. The study area is the village of Caldana in Tuscany, Italy. Caldana is a fortified Renaissance village; the most important architectures are the walls, the church of San Biagio, the rectory, and the marquis' palace. The historical information is derived from extensive research by the Department of Architecture at the University of Florence. The storyboard of the SG is based on the history of the three characters who built the village: marquis Marcello Agostini, who was commissioned by Cosimo I de Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, to build the village, his son Ippolito and his architect Lorenzo Pomarelli. The three historical characters were modeled in 3D using the freeware MakeHuman and imported into Blender and Mixamo to associate a skeleton and blend shapes to have gestural animations and reproduce lip movement during speech. The Unity Rhubarb Lip Syncer plugin was used for the lip sync animation. The historical costumes were created by Marvelous Designer. The application was developed using the Unity 3D graphics and game engine. The AR+GPS Location plugin was used to position the 3D historical characters based on GPS coordinates. The ARFoundation library was used to display AR content. The SG is available in two versions: for children and adults. the children's version consists of finding a digital treasure consisting of valuable items and historical rarities. Players must find 9 village locations where 3D AR models of historical figures explaining the history of the village provide clues. To stimulate players, there are 3 levels of rewards for every 3 clues discovered. The rewards consist of AR masks for archaeologist, professor, and explorer. At the adult level, the SG consists of finding the 16 historical landmarks in the village, and learning historical and architectural information interactively and engagingly. The application is being tested on a sample of adults and children. Test subjects will be surveyed on a Likert scale to find out their perceptions of using the app and the learning experience between the guided tour and interaction with the app.

Keywords: augmented reality, cultural heritage, GPS, serious game

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Authors: E. Oliver, A. Cebolla, A. Dominguez, A. Gonzalez-Segura, E. de la Cruz, S. Albertini, L. Ferrini, K. Kronika, T. Nilsen, R. Baños

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The main objective of MEAL is to develop a pedagogical tool aimed to help teachers and nutritionists (students and professionals) to acquire, train, promote and deliver to children basic nutritional education and healthy eating behaviours competencies. MEAL is focused on eating behaviours and not only in nutritional literacy, and will use new technologies like Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and serious games (SG) platforms to consolidate the nutritional competences and habits.

Keywords: nutritional education, pedagogical ICT platform, serious games, training course

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Authors: Helge Rupprich, Elke Knisel

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In a time of mediazation and reduced physical movement, it is important to change passivity (akinesa) into physical activity to improve health. The approach is to encourage children, junior athletes, recreational athletes, and semi-professional athletes to do sports while attending a top sport event. The concept has the slogan: get out off your seat and move! A top sport event of a series of professional beach volleyball tournaments with 330.000 life viewers, 13,70 million cumulative reach viewers and 215,13 million advertising contacts is used as framework for different sports didactic approaches, social integrative approaches and migration valuations. An important aim is to use the big radiant power of the top sport event to extract active participants from the viewers of the top sport event. Even if it is the goal to improve physical activity, it is necessary to differentiate between the didactic approaches. The first approach contains psycho motoric exercises with children (N=158) between two and five years which was used in the project ‘largest sandbox of the city’. The second approach is social integration and promotion of activity of students (N=54) in the form of a student beach volleyball tournament. The third approach is activity in companies. It is based on the idea of health motivation of employees (N=62) in a big beach volleyball tournament. Fourth approach is to improve the sports leisure time activities of recreational athletes (N=292) in different beach volleyball tournaments. Fifthly approach is to build a foreign friendly measure which is implemented in junior athlete training with the French and German junior national team (N=16). Sixthly approach is to give semi professional athletes a tournament to develop their relation to active life. Seventh approach is social integration for disadvantaged people (N=123) in form of training with professional athletes. The top sport beach volleyball tournament had 80 athletes (N=80) and 34.000 viewers. In sum 785 athletes (N=785) did sports in 13 days. Over 34.000 viewers where counted in the first three days of top sport event. The project was evaluated positively by the City of Dresden, Politics of Saxony and the participants and will be continued in Dresden and expanded for the season 2015 in Jena.

Keywords: beach volleyball, event, sports didactic, sports project

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Authors: Bamlaku Tadesse Mengistu

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This article explores the link between climate change/variability and its adaptation/coping strategies with resource-based ethnic conflicts among the Afar, Issa-Somali, and Ittu-Oromo ethnic groups. The qualitative data were collected from community leaders, ordinary members of the communities, and administrative and political bodies at various levels through one-on-one interviews, focus group discussions and field observations. The quantitative data were also collected through a household survey from the randomly selected 128 households drawn from the three districts of Mieso-Mullu, Mieso, and Amibara districts. The study shows that there is a causal relationship between resource scarcity impacted by climate change/variability and ethnic conflicts. The study reveals that the increasing nature of resource scarcity and environmental problems, and also the changing nature of ethnic diversity will aggravate the resource-based inter-ethnic conflicts.

Keywords: Eastern Ethiopia, ethnic conflict, climate change, Afar, Issa, Ittu

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Authors: Nyamela M. ‘Masekhohola, Khanare P. Fumane

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The Lesotho downward trend in mathematics attainment at all levels is compounded by the absence of innovative approaches to teaching and learning in Early Childhood. However, studies have shown that play pedagogy can be used to mitigate the challenges of mathematics education. Despite the benefits of play pedagogy to rural learners, its full potential has not been realized in early childhood care and education classrooms to improve children’s performance in mathematics because the adoption of play pedagogy depends on a strength-based approach. The study explores the potential of play pedagogy to improve mathematics education in early childhood care and education in Lesotho. Strength-based approach is known for its advocacy of recognizing and utilizing children’s strengths, capacities and interests. However, this approach and its promisingattributes is not well-known in Lesotho. In particular, little is known about the attributes of play pedagogy that are essential to improve mathematic education in ECCE programs in Lesotho. To identify such attributes and strengthen mathematics education, this systematic review examines evidence published on the strengths of play pedagogy that supports the teaching and learning of mathematics education in ECCE. The purpose of this review is, therefore, to identify and define the strengths of play pedagogy that supports mathematics education. Moreover, the study intends to understand the rural teachers’ perceived intention of using play in ECCE math classrooms through a strength-based approach. Eight key strengths were found (cues for reflection, edutainment, mathematics language development, creativity and imagination, cognitive promotion, exploration, classification, and skills development). This study is the first to identify and define the strength-based attributes of play pedagogy to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics in ECCE centers in Lesotho. The findings reveal which opportunities teachers find important for improving the teaching of mathematics as early as in ECCE programs. We conclude by discussing the implications of the literature for stimulating dialogues towards formulating strength-based approaches to teaching mathematics, as well as reflecting on the broader contributions of play pedagogy as an asset to improve mathematics in Lesotho and beyond.

Keywords: early childhood education, mathematics education, lesotho, play pedagogy, strength-based approach.

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Authors: Sarah Reker, Christiane H. Kellner

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From the perspective of people with disabilities, inequalities can also emerge from spatial segregation, the lack of social contacts or limited economic resources. In order to reduce or even eliminate these disadvantages and increase general well-being, community-based participation as well as decentralisation efforts within exclusively residential homes is essential. Therefore, the new research project “Index for participation development and quality of life for persons with disabilities”(TeLe-Index, 2014-2016), which is anchored at the Technische Universität München in Munich and at a large residential complex and service provider for persons with disabilities in the outskirts of Munich aims to assist the development of community-based living environments. People with disabilities should be able to participate in social life beyond the confines of the institution. Since a diverse society is a society in which different individual needs and wishes can emerge and be catered to, the ultimate goal of the project is to create an environment for all citizens–regardless of disability, age or ethnic background–that accommodates their daily activities and requirements. The UN-Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Germany also ratified, postulates the necessity of user-centered design, especially when it comes to evaluating the individual needs and wishes of all citizens. Therefore, a multidimensional approach is required. Based on this insight, the structure of the town-like center will be remodeled to open up the community to all people. This strategy should lead to more equal opportunities and open the way for a much more diverse community. Therefore, macro-level research questions were inspired by quality of life theory and were formulated as follows for different dimensions: •The user dimension: what needs and necessities can we identify? Are needs person-related? Are there any options to choose from? What type of quality of life can we identify? The economic dimension: what resources (both material and staff-related) are available in the region? (How) are they used? What costs (can) arise and what effects do they entail? •The environment dimension: what “environmental factors” such as access (mobility and absence of barriers) prove beneficial or impedimental? In this context, we have provided academic supervision and support for three projects (the construction of a new school, inclusive housing for children and teenagers with disabilities and the professionalization of employees with person-centered thinking). Since we cannot present all the issues of the umbrella-project within the conference framework, we will be focusing on one project more in-depth, namely “Outpatient Housing Options for Children and Teenagers with Disabilities”. The insights we have obtained until now will enable us to present the intermediary results of our evaluation. The most central questions pertaining to this part of the research were the following: •How have the existing network relations been designed? •What meaning (or significance) does the existing service offers and structures have for the everyday life of an external residential group? These issues underpinned the environmental analyses as well as the qualitative guided interviews and qualitative network analyses we carried out.

Keywords: decentralisation, environmental analyses, outpatient housing options for children and teenagers with disabilities, qualitative network analyses

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Authors: Maren J. Coffman, Victoria C. Scott, J. Claire Schuch, Ashley N. Kelley, Jeri L. Ryan

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Postpartum Depression (PPD) is a leading cause of postpartum morbidity. PPD affects 7.1% of postpartum women and 19.2% of postpartum women when including minor depression. Lower-income women and ethnic minorities are more at risk for developing PPD and face multiple attitudinal and institutional barriers to receiving care. This study aims to identify PPD among low-income women and connect them to appropriate services in order to reduce the illness burden and enhance access to care. Screenings were conducted in two Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) clinics in the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, USA, from April 2017 to April 2018. WIC is a supplemental nutrition program that provides healthcare and nutrition to low-income pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children under the age of 5. Additionally, a qualitative study was conducted to better understand the PPD continuum of care in order to identify opportunities for improvement. Mothers with infants were screened for depression risk using the PHQ-2. Mothers who scored ≥ 2 completed two additional standardized screening tools (PHQ-7, to complete the PHQ-9, and the Edinburgh) to assess depressive symptomatology. If indicated they may be suffering from depression, women were referred for case management services. Open-ended questions were used to understand treatment barriers. Four weeks after the initial survey, a follow-up telephone call was made to see if women had received care. Seven focus groups with WIC staff and managers, referral agency staff, local behavioral health professionals, and students examining the screenings, are being conducted March - April, 2018 to gather information related to current screening practices, referrals, follow up and treatment. Mothers (n = 231 as of February, 2018) were screened in English (65%) or Spanish (35%). According to preliminary results, 29% of mothers screened were at risk for postpartum depression (PHQ-2 ≥ 2). There were significant differences in preliminary screening results based on survey language (

Keywords: health disparities, maternal health, mental health, postpartum depression

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Authors: Marie-Claude Richard, Amelie Bolduc-Mokhtar, Mathieu Parent

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People who have experienced maltreatment in childhood subsequently face many parenting issues of their own, in particular when it comes to distancing themselves from the abusive behaviors they were exposed and had access to positive role models. Few studies have explored the factors explaining the ability to break the generational cycle of child maltreatment. However, deeper knowledge of the factors associated with intergenerational discontinuity could facilitate the development of innovative interventions and increase the preventive potential of existing programs. This poster presentation will be about a better understanding of the intergenerational transmission of maltreatment (IGTM) from the perspective of both youth protection workers and parents receiving child protection services. The data used to meet this goal were collected from a group interview with eight youth protection workers whose caseloads involved IGTM situations and through semi-structured interviews with four parents with a history of child protection services and who were currently receiving such services for at least one of their children. In the view of the youth protection workers, the IGTM refers to everything that is transmitted and not transmitted from one generation to the next within a family. The study participants painted quite a bleak portrait of the families affected by IGTM. However, three main avenues of intervention were mentioned by the participants: working within the network, favoring long-term interventions and being empathic. The results also show that the mothers were in a trajectory of intergenerational discontinuity in child maltreatment. Support from their families and friends as well as from formal support services brought out some possible explanatory factors for intergenerational discontinuity in child maltreatment. From a prevention perspective, developing meaningful and trusting relationships seems a source of resilience for parents who were placed in the care of the child protection system as children. The small number of participants limits the generalizability of these results. The difficulty of recruiting parents is a substantial challenge regarding gaining knowledge on the intergenerational transmission of child maltreatment. Future studies should examine this question and seek to develop effective strategies to help recruit study participants.

Keywords: child maltreatment, intergenerational transmission, prevention, qualitative data

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Authors: Egboja Simon, Agi Sunday

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One of the most important key to success of a nation is to ensure steady development and national economic self - sufficiency and independence. There have been challenges in food security related issues in many developing nations. The problems may be as a result of rise in food price across the globe diminishing global food reserve and erratic weather patterns among other factors. In Nigeria several Agricultural politics have been formulated to curtail food security challenges. Unfortunately, these policies have not yielded the deserved results of increase food production. This paper is designed to identify the various challenges confronting food security in Nigeria with a view of highlighting the reasons that accounting for these problems. This paper also suggests ways of addressing these challenges and concludes by saying that subsidization of the process of farm inputs like fertilizer, improved seed and agro chemicals education of the farmers on modern methods of farming through extension services, improvisation of villages based food storage mechanism and provision of infrastructural facilities in rural areas to facilitate the preservation and easy evacuation of farm produce should be encouraged.

Keywords: governance, security, food, development, conflict, hunger, society, sustainability

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Authors: Wiktor Stypczyński

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During the Cold War, both sides of the conflict developed advanced operational plans in case of a Third World War outbreak. In the Warsaw Pact, Soviet generals in Moscow chose targets for each army, but each country's General Staff had to create specific plans for their nation. This led to the creation of a Strategic Culture within the Warsaw Pact that was reflected in the plans of each army. This paper aims to showcase the Strategic Culture of the Warsaw Pact by using the plans of the People's Polish Army as an example. Examining one army at a time will allow for a more detailed and unique perspective on the matter. Understanding the past Strategic Culture is crucial in comprehending the current post-Soviet strategic situation in Eastern Europe, especially with the current situation in Ukraine. This paper is based on Benon Miśkiewicz's classic methodology of military history. While this methodology is the foundation, the research findings will also draw on the Strategic Studies methodology and the accomplishments of war and military science. Additionally, the Security and Political Studies methodology will be a crucial element in constructing the narrative.

Keywords: cold war, operetional plans, strategic culture, polish people's army

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Authors: Godiya Pius Atsiya

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One of the most devastating impacts of terrorism on the Nigerian state is the danger it has posed on women, children and other vulnerable groups. The complexity of terrorism in Nigeria, especially in most parts of Northern Nigeria has entrenched unprecedented security challenges such as refugee crisis, kidnapping, food shortages, increase in death tolls, malnutrition, fear, rape and several other psychological factors. Of particular interest in this paper as it relates to terrorism is the high rate of Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs), with women, children and the aged being the most affected. Empirical evidence arising from recent development in Nigeria’s North-East geo-political zone shows that large numbers of refugees fleeing the Boko Haram attacks have doubled. The attendant consequences of this mass exodus of people in the affected areas are that the victims now suffer untold and unwarranted economic hardship. In another dimension, recent findings have it that most powerless women and young teenage girls have been forcefully conscripted into the Islamic extremist groups and used as shields. In some respect, these groups of people have been used as available tools for suicide bombing and other criminal tendencies, the result of which can be detrimental to social cohesion and integration. This work is a theoretical insight into terrorism discourses; hence, the paper relies on existing works of scholars in carrying out the research. The paper argues that the implications of terrorism on women gender have grounding effects on the moral psyche of women who are supposed to be home managers and custodians of morality in society. The burden of terrorism and all it tends to propagate has literally upturned social lives and hence, Nigeria is gradually being plunged into the Hobesian state of nature. As a panacea to resolving this social malaise, the paper submits that government and indeed, all stakeholders in the nation’s democratic project must expedite action to nip this trend in the bud. The paper sums up with conclusion and other alternative policy measures to mitigate the challenges of terrorism in Nigeria.

Keywords: changing democratic state, policy measures, terrorism, women

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Authors: Ronald L. Kaunda

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The education system in Zambia still bears scars of colonialism in the area of policy, curriculum and implementation. This historical context resulted in the failure by the Government of the Republic of Zambia to achieve literacy goals expected among school going children. Specifically, research shows that the use of English for initial literacy and Western based teaching methods to engage learners in literacy activities at lower levels of education including preschool has exacerbated this situation. In 2014, the Government of the Republic of Zambia implemented a new curriculum that, among others things, required preschool teachers to use local and cultural materials and familiar languages for early literacy teaching from preschool to grade 4. This paper presents findings from a study that sought to establish ways in which preschool teachers use Zambian Indigenous knowledge systems and Indigenous teaching strategies to support literacy development among preschool children. The study used Indigenous research methodology for data collection and iterative feature of Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) in the data collection process and analysis. This study established that, as agents of education, preschool teachers represented community adult educators because of some roles which they played beyond their academic mandate. The study further found that classrooms as venues of learning were equipped with learning corners reflecting Indigenous literacy materials and Indigenous ways of learning. Additionally, the study found that learners were more responsive to literacy lessons because of the use of familiar languages and local contextualized environments that supported their own cultural ways of learning. The study recommended that if the education system in Zambia is to be fully inclusive of Indigenous knowledge systems and cultural ways of learning, the education policy and curriculum should include conscious steps on how this should be implemented at the classroom level. The study further recommended that more diverse local literacy materials and teaching aids should be produced for use in the classroom.

Keywords: agents of learning, early literacy, indigenous knowledge systems, venues of education

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Authors: Gemala Dewi, Wirdyaningsih, Farida Prihatini

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The development of sharia business activities at present has solidified its societal mark and has crossed influence between several nations. In the practice, there may be disputes, breaches and other forms of conflict that occurred along the way. In the meantime, alternative settlements of disputes are utilized differently between nations in the context of their political, social, economic, legal and infrastructural (technology and transportation) scope. Besides the various conditions, there is a common driving factor, which is a consequence of the need for businesses to settle conflicts in an efficient and cost-efficient manner. This factor is paired symbiotically with the limitations of the court and legal processes. Knowing this, Indonesia and Egypt represent countries that have similar social, political, economic and legal conditions. This academic research establishes a normative analysis that looks and compares the rules that regulate the prospects and challenges in the regards of dispute settlements in reference to sharia economics in Indonesia and Egypt. This work recommends that sharia economics dispute settlement is significant to be incorporated in both Indonesian and Egyptian legal systems.

Keywords: sharia economics, dispute resolution, Indonesia, Egypt

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Authors: Mo Zhou, Samantha Ashby, Lyn Ebert

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In China, the changes that men experience in the perinatal period are not well researched. Men are also at risk of maladaptation to parenthood. The aim of this research is to review current studies regarding changes that Chinese men experience during transitioning to parenthood. 5 databases were employed to search relevant papers. The search found 128 articles. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 35 articles were included in this integrative review. Results showed the changes that Chinese fathers experienced during the transition to parenthood can be divided into two aspects: family relationships and mental problems. During transition to parenthood, fathers usually experienced an increase in their disappointment with marital conflict resolution and decreased sexual intimacy with their partner. Mental health declined, with fathers often feeling depressed and/or anxious during this time. Some men were diagnosed with clinical depression. The predictors of these changes included three domains: personal background (age and income), family background (gender of infant, relationship status and unplanned child) and cultural background (‘doing the month’, Confucianism, policy, social support).

Keywords: China, men, fatherhood, life change, postpartum

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Authors: Christina Largent, Tazley Hobbs

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Objective: A literature review was performed to examine the existing research on COVID-19 lockdown as it relates to ADHD child/adolescent individuals, media use, and impact on educational performance/learning. It was surmised that with the COVID-19 shut-down and transition to remote learning, a less structured learning environment, increased screen time, in addition to potential difficulty accessing school resources would impair ADHD individuals’ performance and learning. A resulting increase in the number of youths diagnosed and treated for ADHD would be expected. As of yet, there has been little to no published data on the incidence of ADHD as it relates to COVID-19 outside of reports from several nonprofit agencies such as CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder ), who reported an increased number of calls to their helpline, The New York based Child Mind Institute, who reported an increased number of appointments to discuss medications, and research released from Athenahealth showing an increase in the number of patients receiving new diagnosis of ADHD and new prescriptions for ADHD medications. Methods: A literature search for articles published between 2020 and 2021 from Pubmed, Google Scholar, PsychInfo, was performed. Search phrases and keywords included “covid, adhd, child, impact, remote learning, media, screen”. Results: Studies primarily utilized parental reports, with very few from the perspective of the ADHD individuals themselves. Most findings thus far show that with the COVID-19 quarantine and transition to online learning, ADHD individuals’ experienced decreased ability to keep focused or adhere to the daily routine, as well as increased inattention-related problems, such as careless mistakes or lack of completion in homework, which in turn translated into overall more difficulty with remote learning. To add further injury, one study showed (just on evaluation of two different sites within the US) that school based services for these individuals decreased with the shift to online-learning. Increased screen time, television, social media, and gaming were noted amongst ADHD individuals. One study further differentiated the degree of digital media, identifying individuals with “problematic “ or “non-problematic” use. ADHD children with problematic digital media use suffered from more severe core symptoms of ADHD, negative emotions, executive function deficits, damage to family environment, pressure from life events, and a lower motivation to learn. Conclusions and Future Considerations: Studies found not only was online learning difficult for ADHD individuals but it, in addition to greater use of digital media, was associated with worsening ADHD symptoms impairing schoolwork, in addition to secondary findings of worsening mood and behavior. Currently, data on the number of new ADHD cases, in addition to data on the prescription and usage of stimulants during COVID-19, has not been well documented or studied; this would be well-warranted out of concern for over diagnosing or over-prescribing our youth. It would also be well-worth studying how reversible or long-lasting these negative impacts may be.

Keywords: COVID-19, remote learning, media use, ADHD, child, adolescent

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Authors: Arushi S. Goyal, Jo Aggarwal, Ravi Jasuja

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Statement of the Problem: Vapes have always been marketed as safer alternatives to traditional cigarettes; however, research suggests that perceived safety of e-cigarettes use may be overstated. While the addictive properties of nicotine have garnered significant scientific interest, the adverse effects of ‘inert’ ingredients in vapes are being investigated only recently. Seemingly harmless components in vapes such as propylene glycol have been shown to damage astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, and certain flavorings are causatively associated with neuroinflammation. With ease of concealment and varied aromas, vape usage amongst high school students continues unabated in countries like India, which have instituted comprehensive bans on e-cigarettes. With overt government ban, there is paucity of public data on determinants of teenage vaping patterns and parental engagement in curbing this debilitating dependency. Additionally, the large body of peer reviewed studies on vaping have been primarily conducted in Western countries. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to examine the factors affecting the causes and attitudes towards vaping among adolescents in urban India, as well as the gaps in parental awareness. We posit that this study would lay out a reusable framework for extending the studies across conservative societies where adolescents support vaping behavior even with strong governmental policies. Methodology & Theoretical Orientation: Two surveys were used to collect data. Participants from eight private schools in Bangalore completed an online survey. The first survey sampled adolescents aged 14-18, while the second surveyed the parents of children in the same age group from the same schools. Informed consent was obtained from all participants, and all data collected was anonymous. Results: We find substantial discordance in self-reported vape use by the adolescents and the parents’ knowledge of their child’s exposure to vaping. Over one fifth of respondents (22.4%) reported using e-cigarettes, while only 5% of parents reported that their children used e-cigarettes. Even though over 70% of adolescents believe that vaping is addictive, only 22.8% of respondents were aware of the components, or the extent of its impact. While peer pressure is often perceived to be the enabling factor, curiosity was reported as the primary reason for the initiation. Adolescents who vape saw regulations on sales and marketing as the most effective deterrent. In contrast, parents and other students leaned on school infrastructure to intervene. There has been a significant increase in vaping and a substantial discordance between parental perceptions and adolescent vaping. Conclusion & Significance: Despite a complete ban, vapes continue to be easily accessible. The data suggests that an open discussion about the adverse health consequences of untested, “seemingly inert” ingredients in these unregulated vape liquids would galvanize the student community by demystifying vaping. While increased regulation against the sale of vapes deters open use, increased parental involvement could enable open dialog with children and assist in reducing the prevalence of vaping. A reduction in vaping could have a considerable impact on the health and educational outcomes for the youth of India.

Keywords: adolescent, e-cigarettes, health consequences, India, parental awareness, vapes

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Authors: John Chan, Jake Linnenbank, Gavin Caird

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Automatic Selective Door Operation (ASDO) systems are increasingly used in railways to provide Correct Side Door Enable (CSDE) protection as well as to protect passenger doors opening off the platform where the train is longer than the platform, or in overshoot or undershoot scenarios. Such ASDO systems typically utilise trackside-installed RFID beacons, such as Eurobalises for odometry positioning purposes. Installing such trackside infrastructure may not be desirable or possible due to various factors such as conflict with existing infrastructure, potential damage from track tamping and jurisdiction constraints. Ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning technology could enable ASDO positioning requirements to be met without requiring installation of equipment directly on track since UWB technology can be installed on adjacent infrastructure such as on platforms. This paper will explore the feasibility of upgrading existing ASDO systems with UWB positioning technology, the feasibility of retrofitting UWB-enabled ASDO systems onto unfitted trains, and any other considerations relating to the use of UWB positioning for ASDO applications.

Keywords: UWB, ASDO, automatic selective door operations, CSDE, correct side door enable

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