Search results for: foreign culture

Authors: Myrto Dagkouli-Kyriakoglou

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Southern European countries tend to have a lot of connections in their culture, customs, ideals and attitude towards everyday aspects. On the contrary, all of them demonstrate a lot of differences in their history, political life and economic situation. Nevertheless, the state welfare and its insufficiency to deal with citizens’ needs, is common for the whole region. As the global financial crisis initiated, all of them gradually were affected and established austerity measures. Consequently, there were crucial budget cuts in state welfare and accordingly limited support to the citizens at a time that is most needed as the economic difficulties of the households are rising rapidly. Crisis in connection with austerity measures brought up a housing problem which was hidden for decades with the assistance of the institution of the Southern European family. New or old copying practices concerning housing are already developed and more will rise in order to survive this new era. Expressly, youth is one of the most vulnerable groups in this situation and therefore there is a special focus on the policies that affect their housing as well as their copying practices in connection with the family/kinship strategies.

Keywords: housing, coping practices, Greece, familism

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Authors: Yijie Wang, Tianyue Wang

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In the past two decades, there has been a great ‘piano lesson frenzy’ among Chinese middle-class families, with a large number of parents adding piano training to children’s extra-curriculum lists. Superficially, the frenzy reflects a rather ‘leisurely’ attitude: parents typically claim that pianos lessons are ‘just for fun’ and will hopefully render children’s life more exciting. However, a closer scrutiny reveals that there is great social-status anxiety hidden beneath this ‘leisurely’ surface. Based on pre-interviews of six Chinese middle-class parents who have enthusiastically signed their children up for piano lessons, several tentative analysis are made: 1. Owing to a series of historical and social factors, the Chinese middle-class have yet to establish their cultural norms in the past few decades, resulting in great confusion concerning how to cultivate cultural tastes in their offspring. And partly due to the fact that the middle-class status of the past Chinese generation is mostly self-acquired rather than inherited, parents are much less confident about their cultural resources—which require long-time accumulation—than material ones. Both factors combine to lead to a sort of blind, overcompensating enthusiasm in culture-related education, and the piano frenzy is but a demonstration. 2. The piano has been chosen to be the object of the frenzy partly because of its inherent characteristics as well as socially-constructed ones. Costly, large in size, imported from another culture and so forth, the piano has acquired the meaning of being exclusive, high-end and exotic, which renders it a token of top-tier status among Chinese people, and piano lessons for offspring have therefore become parents’ paths towards a kind of ‘symbolic elevation’. A child playing piano is an exhibition as well as psychological assurance of the families’ middle-class status. 3. A closer look at children’s piano training process reveals that there is much more anxiety than leisurely elements involved. Despite parents’ claim that ‘piano is mainly for kids to have fun,’ the whole process is evidently of a rather ‘ascetic’ nature, with the demands of diligence and senses of time urgency throughout, and techniques rather than flair or styles are emphasized. This either means that the apparent ‘piano-for-fun’ stance is unauthentic and is only other motives in disguise, or that the Chinese middle-class parents are not yet capable of shaking off the sense of anxiety even if they sincerely intend to. 4. When viewed in relation to Chinese formal school system as well as the job market at large, it can be said that by signing children up for piano lessons, parents are consciously or unconsciously seeking to prepare for, or reduce the risks of, their children’s future social mobility. In face of possible failures in the highly-crucial, highly-competitive formal school system, piano-playing as an extra-curriculum activity may be conveniently transferred into an alternative career path. Besides, in contemporary China, as the occupational structure goes through change, and the school-related certificates decline in value, aspects such as a person’s overall deportment, which can be gained or proved by piano-learning, have been gaining in significance.

Keywords: extra-curriculum activities, middle class, piano lesson frenzy, status anxiety

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Authors: Farideh Tabatabaee Yazdi, Fereshteh Falah, Alireza Vasiee

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Introduction: Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a non-protein amino acid that is widely present in organisms. GABA is a kind of pharmacological and biological component and its application is wide and useful. Several important physiological functions of GABA have been characterized, such as neurotransmission and induction of hypotension. GABA is also a strong secretagogue of insulin from the pancreas and effectively inhibits small airway-derived lung adenocarcinoma and tranquilizer. Many microorganisms can produce GABA, and lactic acid bacteria have been a focus of research in recent years because lactic acid bacteria possess special physiological activities and are generally regarded as safe. Among them, the Lb. Brevis produced the highest amount of GABA. The major factors affecting GABA production have been characterized, including carbon sources and glutamate concentration. The use of food industry waste to produce valuable products such as amino acids seems to be a good way to reduce production costs and prevent the waste of food resources. In a dairy factory, a high volume of sludge is produced from a separator that contains useful compounds such as growth factors, carbon, nitrogen, and organic matter that can be used by different microorganisms such as Lb.brevis as carbon and nitrogen sources. Therefore, it is a good source of GABA production. GABA is primarily formed by the irreversible α-decarboxylation reaction of L-glutamic acid or its salts, catalysed by the GAD enzyme. In the present study, this aim was achieved for the fast-growing of Lb.brevis and producing GABA, using the dairy industry sludge as a suitable growth medium. Lactobacillus Brevis strains obtained from Microbial Type Culture Collection (MTCC) were used as model strains. In order to prepare dairy sludge as a medium, sterilization should be done at 121 ° C for 15 minutes. Lb. Brevis was inoculated to the sludge media at pH=6 and incubated for 120 hours at 30 ° C. After fermentation, the supernatant solution is centrifuged and then, the GABA produced was analyzed by the Thin Layer chromatography (TLC) method qualitatively and by the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method quantitatively. By increasing the percentage of dairy sludge in the culture medium, the amount of GABA increased. Also, evaluated the growth of bacteria in this medium showed the positive effect of dairy sludge on the growth of Lb.brevis, which resulted in the production of more GABA. GABA-producing LAB offers the opportunity of developing naturally fermented health-oriented products. Although some GABA-producing LAB has been isolated to find strains suitable for different fermentations, further screening of various GABA-producing strains from LAB, especially high-yielding strains, is necessary. The production of lactic acid, bacterial gamma-aminobutyric acid, is safe and eco-friendly. The use of dairy industry waste causes enhanced environmental safety. Also provides the possibility of producing valuable compounds such as GABA. In general, dairy sludge is a suitable medium for the growth of Lactic Acid Bacteria and produce this amino acid that can reduce the final cost of it by providing carbon and nitrogen source.

Keywords: GABA, Lactobacillus, HPLC, dairy sludge

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Authors: Hung Lin-Zin, Lai Mei-Yen

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Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed male cancer in the U.S. The prevalence is around 1 in 8. The etiology of prostate cancer is still unknown, but some predisposing factors, such as age, black race, family history, and obesity, may increase the risk of the disease. In 2020, a total of 7,178 Taiwanese people were nearly diagnosed with prostate cancer, accounting for 5.88% of all cancer cases, and the incidence rate ranked fifth among men. In that year, the total number of deaths from prostate cancer was 1,730, accounting for 3.45% of all cancer deaths, and the death rate ranked 6th among men, accounting for 94.34% of the cases of male reproductive organs. Looking for domestic and foreign literature on the use of OMOP (Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership, hereinafter referred to as OMOP) database analysis, there are currently nearly a hundred literature published related to nursing-related health problems and nursing measures built in the OMOP general data model database of medical institutions are extremely rare. The OMOP common data model construction analysis platform is a system developed by the FDA in 2007, using a common data model (common data model, CDM) to analyze and monitor healthcare data. It is important to build up relevant nursing information from the OMOP- CDM database to assist our daily practice. Therefore, we choose prostate cancer patients who are our popular care objects and use the OMOP- CDM database to explore the common associated health problems. With the assistance of OMOP-CDM database analysis, we can expect early diagnosis and prevention of prostate cancer patients' comorbidities to improve patient care.

Keywords: OMOP, nursing diagnosis, health problem, prostate cancer

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Authors: Fátima Gonçalves, Joaquim Brigas, Jorge Gonçalves

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As a way of managing the increasing volume and complexity of information that circulates in the present time, graphical representations are increasingly used, which add meaning to the information presented in communication media, through an efficient communication design. The visual culture itself, driven by technological evolution, has been redefining the forms of communication, so that contemporary visual communication represents a major impact on society. This article presents the results and respective comparative analysis of four publications in the Iberian press, focusing on the formal aspects of newspapers and the space they dedicate to the various communication elements. Two Portuguese newspapers and two Spanish newspapers were selected for this purpose. The findings indicated that the newspapers show a similarity in the use of graphic solutions, which corroborate a visual trend in communication design. The results also reveal that Spanish newspapers are more meticulous with graphic consistency. This study intended to contribute to improving knowledge of the Iberian generalist press.

Keywords: communication design, graphic resources, Iberian press, visual journalism

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Authors: Janki Shankar, Shu-Ping Chen

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This Canadian study explored the perspectives of recent immigrant workers regarding occupational health and safety (OHS) and workplace conditions that increase workers’ vulnerability to sustaining injury or illness. Using an interpretive research approach and semi structured qualitative interviews, 42 recent immigrant workers from a range of industries operating in two cities in a province in Canada were interviewed. A constant comparative approach was used to identify key themes across the workers’ experiences. The findings revealed that these workers have an incomplete understanding of OHS. In many workplaces, poor job training, little worker support, lack of power in the workplace, and a poor workplace safety culture make it difficult for recent immigrant workers to acquire OHS information and implement safe work practices. This study proposes workplace policies and practices that will improve worker OHS awareness and make workplaces safer for immigrant workers.

Keywords: new immigrant workers, occupational health and safety, workplace challenges, policy, practice

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Authors: Siti Sara binti Hj Ahmad, Adil Elshiekh Abdalla

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The Arabic and Malay languages belong to different language’s families; while the Arabic language descends from the Semitic language, Malay belongs to the Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian) family. Hence, the grammatical systems of the two languages differ from each other. Arabic, being a language found in the heart of the dessert, and Malay is the language found in the heart of thick equatorial forests, is another source of vital cultural differences. Consequently, it is expected that this situation will create differences in the ways of how speakers of the two languages perceive the world around them, convey and understand their messages. On the other hand, as the majority of the speakers of Malay language are Muslims, Arabic language found its way in this region; currently, Arabic is widely taught in school, some terms of it found their way in the Malay language. Accordingly, the Arabic language and culture have widely penetrated into the Malay language. This study is proposed with the aim to find out the differences and similarities between the two languages, in the term of the nonverbal communication. The result of this study will be of high significance, as it will help in enhancing the mutual understanding between the speakers of these languages. The comparative analysis approach will be utilized in this study.

Keywords: gesture, Arabic language, Malay language, comparative analysis

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Authors: Lina Wu, Wenyi Lu, Ye Li

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Regarding heavy video game players for boys and super online chat lovers for girls as a symbolic phrase in the current adolescent culture, this project of data analysis verifies the displacement effect on deteriorating mathematics performance. To evaluate correlation or regression coefficients between a factor of playing video games or chatting online and mathematics performance compared with other factors, we use multivariate analysis technique and take gender difference into account. We find the most important reason for the negative sign of the displacement effect on mathematics performance due to students’ poor academic background. Statistical analysis methods in this project could be applied to study internet users’ academic performance from the high school education to the college education.

Keywords: correlation coefficients, displacement effect, multivariate analysis technique, regression coefficients

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Authors: Shagufta Jahangir, Raisa Jahangir

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According to researches the 3rd world youth crave to go to developed countries just merely to get sustainable economic situation. To accomplish their wish they use each and every thing like cross boarder marriages is one of them. The basic and main point of cross boarder marriages is financial sustainability neither cross boarder culture nor cross boarder religion or others. The consequences of this research are that 60% to 70% men of 3rd world do cross boarder marriages just for only economic firmness. Due to this thoughts these men flipside to their native areas with only economic firmness rather social attitudes, moral attitudes behaviors, norms, myths and religion.40% to 50 % men do cross boarder marriages to get firmness even they have families in their native areas.2nd family formation is the easy way to get their desired, according to their eyes. After satisfying their needs they back unaccompanied to their native areas even they leave their offspring. They give precedence to their inhabitant families. This study has been design to find out that economic perspective is the basic phenomena of cross boarder marriages in the 3rd world countries men.

Keywords: cross boarder marriages, moral attitudes, native areas, flipside, norms

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Authors: Nurdan Tumbek Tekeoglu

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With rising importance in all over the world, crowdfunding has become a new financing and marketing method for film industry. Crowdfunding is a new practice in film industry for funding a film project by raising monetary contributions from a large group of people. By crowdfunding an estimate fund of 20 billion USD has been raised in 2015. Through the crowdfunding platforms not only the film makers, but also the entrepreneurs and nongovernmental organizations finance and market their projects. Among the prominent crowdfunding platforms in Turkey, we can list Crowdfon, Fonlabeni, Kickstarter, Indiego, Bi Ayda, and Fongogo platforms. In 2014 the Turkish film industry celebrated its 100th anniversary and reached its peak producing around 150-200 films a year reminding the brilliant years of Yesilcam period. In general feature films apply for crowdfunding. Until April 2015 more than 190 films applied for crowdfunding platforms. Crowdfunding has a promising future in Turkey, since donation traditions has an important place in Turkish culture traditionally. This paper is exploring the marketing of the crowdfunding platforms established in Turkey in order for the films meet their target groups during the pre-production period.

Keywords: crowdfunding, marketing of films, Turkey, Turkish film industry

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Authors: Vicky Khasandi-Telewa, Sinfree Makoni

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This paper examines the lived experiences of Kenyans caught between the two main varieties of English and the communication challenges they often face. The paper aims to provide evidence for the challenges that Kenyan speakers of English have experienced as a result of the confluence between British English (BrE) and American English (AmE). The study is explorative thus, qualitative and a descriptive research design was used. The objectives were to describe the communication challenges Kenyans encounter due to the differences in grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary, and pragmatics between AmE and BrE and, to illuminate these variations to enable the Kenyan English learner to communicate appropriately. The purposive sample consisted of sixty five subjects, all who were from a top girls national high school in Kenya, therefore, many are in high-end positions nationally and internationally and well-travelled; in fact, seven are based in the USA, two in the United Kingdom and one lives in Australia. Using interviews, they were asked about their experiences with the different varieties of English, and their responses recorded. Autoethnography, a qualitative research method that involves introspection and cultural analysis, was also used. Thematic content analysis was used to extract the themes and group them for data analysis. The theoretical framework used is World Englishes by Kachru. The results indicate that there is indeed some communication breakdown due to linguistic varieties, but the differences are largely understood by speakers of the different varieties. Attitude plays a major role in communication challenges between the different Englishes, especially among teachers. The study urges acceptance of different varieties of English so long as communication takes place. This has implications for teaching English to Kenyan and speakers of other languages to whom English is taught as a Second Language or Foreign language.

Keywords: American english, british english, kenyan english, englishes, teaching of english to speakers of other languages (TeSOL)

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Authors: F. Saptouw

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This paper will examine the value of introducing social justice issues into the tertiary fine art curriculum at a first-year level. The paper will present detail of the conceptual impetus and the logistics related to the execution of a collaborative teaching project. The cohort of students was registered for the Fine Art Foundation course at the Michaelis School of Fine Art at the University of Cape Town. The course is dedicated to the development of critical thinking, communication skills, and varied approaches to knowledge construction within the first-year cohort. A core component of the course is the examination of the representation of gender, identity, politics, and power. These issues are examined within a range of public and private representations like art galleries, museum spaces, and contemporary popular culture. This particular project was a collaborative project with the Office of Inclusivity and Change, and the project leaders were Fabian Saptouw and Gabriel Khan. The paper will conclude by presenting an argument for the importance of such projects within the tertiary environment.

Keywords: art, education, gender-based violence, social responsiveness

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Authors: Hirreche Baghdad Mohamed

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One of the main texts in popular culture in Algeria is a symbolic and imaginary tale, through which the author was able to derive from the world and popular cultural stock and symbolic capital elements that enabled him to create a synthesis between a number of imaginary and real events. Thanks to the level of spirituality that the author was experiencing, he was able to go deep in order to redraw the boundaries of human life in view of its existence and status (life experiences, its end, and its fate). It is a text that is consistent with religious values and has a philosophical depth. This poem can be shared in official and unofficial meetings, during feasts, and during popular celebrations, such as circumcision ceremonies, marriage, and condolences. It has also the ability to draw attention and appeal to the listener and let him travel into the imaginary world. It is the text related to the story of "Ras b’nadem", or "the head of a man", or rather, a "human skull", for which only a few academic studies have been devoted, and there are two copies of it, one attributed to Lakhdar Ibn Khalouf as a matter of suspicion, while the other is attributed to Qadour Ibn Ashour Al-Zarhouni.

Keywords: ras B’Nadam, ras al mahna, lakhdar ibn khalouf, qadour ibn ashour, sufism, melhoun poetry, resistance poetry

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Authors: Teo Yen Nee, Tham Siew Yean, Andrew Kam Jia Yi

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There are growing concerns about the effect of increasing outward foreign direct investment (OFDI) from Malaysia. These concerns emerged when OFDI surpassed inward FDI for the first time in 2007 and in the subsequent years as well. From a theoretical point of view, the effect of OFDI on exports remains inconclusive depending on the types and/or motivations of investment. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of Malaysia’s OFDI on manufacturing exports, using a reduced form exports model. The manufacturing data used in this study covered 24 manufacturing industries for the period 2003-2010. The manufacturing sector is the fourth largest sector invested by Malaysia’s OFDI abroad. However, this sector is chosen for this study because total manufacturing trade contributed significantly to Malaysia’s economy growth as reflected by its significant share in the country’s gross domestic product (138.7%) in 2013. Furthermore, Malaysia’s exports are dominated by manufacturing goods. Consequently, the drastic increase in OFDI added concerns about its impact on the country’s exports. Since OFDI activities are still relatively new in Malaysia, this study is exploratory in nature due to a lack of firm level data. Using industry level panel data, the value added of this paper is to meet the research gap by examining the effect of Malaysia’s outward FDI on manufacturing exports. Overall, the findings show that lagged inward FDI, technology development, and industry size are found to positive and significantly influence manufacturing exports as compared to other factors. The insignificant impact of OFDI on manufacturing exports suggests market seeking investment is the main form of OFDI from Malaysia and the destination markets are not served by exports before so that there are no new exports created or displacement of exports. While the results show that there is no need to worry about OFDI’s negative impact on exports, policies should be undertaken to encourage OFDI from Malaysia to create new exports for the country.

Keywords: OFDI, manufacturing industries, exports, Malaysia

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Authors: Behzad Moeini Sam, Sara Mohammadi Avandi

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The rituals of fire among the Iranians go back to the general Proto-Indo-European and Indo-Iranian eras when they lived in regions known as the Pontic-Caspian (Indo-Europeans) and Kazakhstan (the Andronovo culture belonging to the Indo-Iranian tribes), and we can get to know about their vulgar heritage despite their separation from each other during several millennia. The early Aryan settlers of Iran had brought their cults to their new home and were bequeathed to them by their Indo-Iranian ancestors. Tradition speaks of several great sacred Iranian fires consecrated by the pre-Zoroastrian kings. Ātar or fire corresponds to the Vedic Agni Atar's functions are elaborately delineated in the Later Avesta. This paper aims to show the fire cults among the Iranian Lur tribes that originate in the past. Therefore, it will be searched for rituals in equally Indo-European and Indo-Iranian Periods and Old Iranian Texts and their frequency among the Lur tribes. In addition to the library books, we tried to interview the chiefs of Lur tribes. Finally, we concluded that the fire among the Lur Tribes is a sequence of beliefs of the Proto-Indo-European and Indo-Iranian Periods reflected in Old and Middle Iranian texts.

Keywords: Indo-European, ancient Iran, fire, Lur, Zoroastrian

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Authors: R. T. Aggangan, R. J. Cabangon

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Bamboo is getting worldwide attention over the last 20 to 30 years due to numerous uses and it is regarded as the closest material that can be used as substitute to wood. In the domestic market, high quality bamboo products are sold in high-end markets while lower quality products are generally sold to medium and low income consumers. The global market in 2006 stands at about 7 billion US dollars and was projected to increase to US$ 17 B from 2015 to 2020. The Philippines had been actively producing and processing bamboo products for the furniture, handicrafts and construction industry. It was however in 2010 that the Philippine bamboo industry was formalized by virtue of Executive Order 879 that stated that the Philippine bamboo industry development is made a priority program of the government and created the Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council (PBIDC) to provide the overall policy and program directions of the program for all stakeholders. At present, the most extensive use of bamboo is for the manufacture of engineered bamboo for school desks for all public schools as mandated by EO 879. Also, engineered bamboo products are used for high-end construction and furniture as well as for handicrafts. Development of cheap adhesives, preservatives, and finishing chemicals from local species of plants, development of economical methods of drying and preservation, product development and processing of lesser-used species of bamboo, development of processing tools, equipment and machineries are the strategies that will be employed to reduce the price and mainstream engineered bamboo products in the local and foreign market. In addition, processing wastes from bamboo can be recycled into fuel products such as charcoal are already in use. The more exciting possibility, however, is the production of bamboo pellets that can be used as a substitute for wood pellets for heating, cooking and generating electricity.

Keywords: bamboo charcoal and light distillates, engineered bamboo, furniture and handicraft industries, housing and construction, pellets

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Authors: Muriel Canas-Walker

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The 2012 TV series "The Legend of Zhen Huan" is one of the most popular and influential historical dramas on Chinese television and is regularly discussed on Chinese social media such as Weibo. Set in the Qing dynasty, the 76 episodes series features palace intrigues focused on female characters. In the Forbidden City, concubines must survive the cruelty of an extreme polygamy system, constantly competing against each other. The patriarchal oppression of the women sequestred in the harem relies on fierce female competition and does not leave much room for compassion. Using Michel Foucault’s theory of power, feminist theories, and visual anthropology, this paper analyzes the complex relationships between the female characters, from their rise to power to their fall from grace, from alliances to betrayals, from sorority to sororicide. This analysis aims to understand what makes this series particularly popular with young female audiences in China and explain its importance in Chinese media.

Keywords: Chinese TV Drama, feminism, popular culture, Theory of Power

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Authors: M. Takhtravanchi, C. Pathirage

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In the construction industry, project members are conveyor of project knowledge which is, often, not managed properly to be used in future projects. As construction projects are temporary and unique, project members are willing to be recruited once a project is completed. Therefore, poor management of knowledge across construction projects will lead to a considerable amount of knowledge loss; the ignoring of which would be detrimental to project performance. This issue is more prominent in projects undertaken through the traditional procurement system, as this system does not incentives project members for integration. Thus, disputes exist between the design and construction phases based on the poor management of knowledge between those two phases. This paper aims to highlight the challenges of the knowledge management that exists within the traditional procurement system. Expert interviews were conducted and challenges were identified and analysed by the Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM) approach in order to summarise the relationships among them. Two identified key challenges are the Culture of an Organisation and Knowledge Management Policies. A knowledge of the challenges and their relationships will help project manager and stakeholders to have a better understanding of the importance of knowledge management.

Keywords: challenges, construction industry, knowledge management, traditional procurement system

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Authors: Bahman Gorjian

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The notorious COVID-19 is known as an illness that is caused by a novel coronavirus. Since its breakthrough, most governments have decided to temporarily close educational institutions in an attempt to reduce the spread of this disease. Distance education in Iran, like other countries, started from the beginning of the pandemic and caused the closure of schools and universities as an immediate response to control the spread of the virus. The present study followed two aims: First, to investigate if Iraqi M.A students majoring in TEFL who have been studying in Iranian universities during the pandemic believe that COVID-19 had negative/positive effects on their educational achievement; and second, to find how frequently these Iraqi M.A students have experienced psychological problems (e.g., anxiety, numbness, nightmares, nervousness) during the COVID-19. The participants were both male and female students who were admitted for M.A. TEFL courses at 4 Iranian Universities (Abadan Brach, Ahvaz Branch, Science and Research Branch, and Shiraz Branch of Islamic Azad University) for the winter academic term of 2020. The start of their classes coincided with the global outbreak of COVID-19. They were invited to take part in the present study through snowball sampling and were asked to provide their views on two questionnaires. The instruments used for gathering the data were the educational achievement questionnaire and self-rating anxiety scale. The results of the analysis suggested that the participants believed in the negative effects of COVID-19 on their education; the results also suggested COVID-19 affected participants’ psychological states. The discussed findings may have implications for international students and experts interested in the online education system.

Keywords: COVID-19, distance education, Iraqi M.A. students, teaching English as a foreign language, educational impacts, psychological impacts

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Authors: Schnell Zsuzsanna

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Background: The interpretation of written texts, language processing in the visual domain, in other words, atypical reading abilities, also known as dyslexia, is an ever-growing phenomenon in today’s societies and educational communities. The much-researched problem affects cognitive abilities and, coupled with normal intelligence normally manifests difficulties in the differentiation of sounds and orthography and in the holistic processing of written words. The factors of susceptibility are varied: social, cognitive psychological, and linguistic factors interact with each other. Methods: The research will explain the psycholinguistics of dyslexia on the basis of several empirical experiments and demonstrate how domain-general abilities of inhibition, retrieval from the mental lexicon, priming, phonological processing, and visual modality transfer affect successful language processing and interpretation. Interpretation of visual stimuli is hindered, and the problem seems to be embedded in a sociocultural, psycholinguistic, and cognitive background. This makes the picture even more complex, suggesting that the understanding and resolving of the issues of dyslexia has to be interdisciplinary, aided by several disciplines in the field of humanities and social sciences, and should be researched from an empirical approach, where the practical, educational corollaries can be analyzed on an applied basis. Aim and applicability: The lecture sheds light on the applied, cognitive aspects of interpretation, social cognitive traits of language processing, the mental underpinnings of cognitive interpretation strategies in different languages (namely, Hungarian and English), offering solutions with a few applied techniques for success in foreign language learning that can be useful advice for the developers of testing methodologies and measures across ESL teaching and testing platforms.

Keywords: dyslexia, social cognition, transparency, modalities

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Authors: Wildan Maulana, M. Machfudz Sa'idi

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Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) has more than one hundred campuses of State Universities, and private sector amounted to 137, of course, is not a small amount, from 137 universities in the province there are hundreds of thousands of students, therefore, many kinds of businesses and business opportunities can provide support facilities supporting the needs of students ranging from life support classes or students who come from various regions in Indonesia and Abroad can be fulfilled during his education in DI Yogyakarta including the need for primary and secondary needs. KedaiKampus present to facilitate the needs of students in providing secondary needs such as clothing Students and merchandise or trinkets typical college respectively, but the difference with the other, KedaiKampus is to provide distinctive products and clothing and merchandise every college respectively. One goal KedaiKampus presence is to create a culture of confidence in every student who is proud of the college with the products of KedaiKampus because not a few students who are not accepted at State Universities have not been able to forget. In producing a wide range of products, we work with young entrepreneurs engaged in creative services and souvenirs. In addition, we are also working with various designers reliable to make the best design.

Keywords: markedplace, sociopreneur, merchandise, creative services

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Authors: Jahnavi Priya Alluri, Sarang Barbarwar

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With over 6000 years of sustained civilization, India has been home to diverse social customs and various communities. The country’s culture and architecture have been profoundly impacted by the extensive variation in its geography and climatic conditions. In its history, many kingdoms have ruled in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The vernacular constructions of this region have progressed considerably in this period. The paper discusses the impact on vernacular architecture in Venkatagiri, Andhra Pradesh, post the arrival of the British. The town was a small settlement that finds its roots in the Vijaynagara Empire. The study tries to highlight the amalgamation of colonial influences on the local construction techniques and material usage. It discusses the new variation in the style of architecture through the case of Venkatagiri Palace and its precincts. The paper also discusses the traits of distinction in the influence through various social and economic groups of the old city of the same town.

Keywords: vernacular architecture, colonial architecture, Venkatagiri, south Indian vernacular

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Authors: Rachel Barker

Abstract:

The exponential velocity in the truly knowledge-intensive world today has increasingly bombarded organizations with unfathomable challenges. Hence organizations are introduced to strange lexicons of descriptors belonging to a new paradigm of who, what and how knowledge at individual and organizational levels should be managed. Although organizational knowledge has been recognized as a valuable intangible resource that holds the key to competitive advantage, little progress has been made in understanding how knowledge sharing at individual level could benefit knowledge use at collective level to ensure added value. The research problem is that a lack of research exists to measure knowledge sharing through a multi-layered structure of ideas with at its foundation, philosophical assumptions to support presuppositions and commitment which requires actual findings from measured variables to confirm observed and expected events. The purpose of this paper is to address this problem by presenting a theoretical approach to measure knowledge sharing in emerging knowledge organizations. The research question is that despite the competitive necessity of becoming a knowledge-based organization, leaders have found it difficult to transform their organizations due to a lack of knowledge on who, what and how it should be done. The main premise of this research is based on the challenge for knowledge leaders to develop an organizational culture conducive to the sharing of knowledge and where learning becomes the norm. The theoretical constructs were derived and based on the three components of the knowledge management theory, namely technical, communication and human components where it is suggested that this knowledge infrastructure could ensure effective management. While it is realised that it might be a little problematic to implement and measure all relevant concepts, this paper presents effect of eight critical success factors (CSFs) namely: organizational strategy, organizational culture, systems and infrastructure, intellectual capital, knowledge integration, organizational learning, motivation/performance measures and innovation. These CSFs have been identified based on a comprehensive literature review of existing research and tested in a new framework adapted from four perspectives of the balanced score card (BSC). Based on these CSFs and their items, an instrument was designed and tested among managers and employees of a purposefully selected engineering company in South Africa who relies on knowledge sharing to ensure their competitive advantage. Rigorous pretesting through personal interviews with executives and a number of academics took place to validate the instrument and to improve the quality of items and correct wording of issues. Through analysis of surveys collected, this research empirically models and uncovers key aspects of these dimensions based on the CSFs. Reliability of the instrument was calculated by Cronbach’s a for the two sections of the instrument on organizational and individual levels.The construct validity was confirmed by using factor analysis. The impact of the results was tested using structural equation modelling and proved to be a basis for implementing and understanding the competitive predisposition of the organization as it enters the process of knowledge management. In addition, they realised the importance to consolidate their knowledge assets to create value that is sustainable over time.

Keywords: innovation, intellectual capital, knowledge sharing, performance measures

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Authors: George-Anokwuru Chioma Chidinma Bernadette

Abstract:

This paper investigated the effect of trade liberalization on domestic private investment in Nigeria from 1981 to 2020. To achieve this objective, secondary data on domestic private investment, trade openness, exchange rate and interest rate were sourced from the statistical bulletin of Nigeria’s apex bank. The Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) technique was used as the main analytical tool. The ARDL Bounds test revealed the existence of long run association among the variables. The results revealed that trade openness and exchange rate have positive and insignificant relationship with domestic private investment both in the long and short runs. At the same time, interest rate has negative relationship with domestic private investment both in the long and short runs. Therefore, it was concluded that there is no significant relationship between trade openness, exchange rate, interest rate and domestic private investment in Nigeria during the period of study. Based on the findings, the study recommended that government should formulate trade policies that will encourage the growth of domestic private investment in Nigeria. To achieve this, government should ensure consistency in trade policies and at the same time strengthen the existing policies to build investors’ confidence. Also, government should make available an investment-friendly environment, as well as monitor real sector operators to ensure that foreign exchange allocations are not diverted. Government should increase capital investment in education, housing, transportation, agriculture, health, power, road construction, national defense, among others that will help the various sectors of the economy to function very well thereby making the business environment friendly thereby enhancing the growth and development of the country.

Keywords: trade openness, domestic private investment, ARDL, exchange rate

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Authors: Andreea Anamaria Anghel, Flaviu Mihai Frigura-Lliasa, Attila Simo

Abstract:

In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in revitalizing the historical area of Timisoara, a city located in western Romania, with a focus on preserving its architectural heritage while also promoting sustainable urban development. This has led to several initiatives aimed at improving public spaces, promoting sustainable transport, and encouraging the use of green infrastructure, such as green interior courtyards, to enhance the livability and sustainability of the area. A preliminary study regarding history, characteristics and current condition was carried out by the authors regarding these interior courtyards in the historical areas of Timisoara, the European Capital of Culture, in 2023, highlighting their potential to contribute to the sustainable development of the city. Modern interventions in interior historical courtyards should aim to preserve the historic character of these spaces while also promoting their sustainable and functional use in the 21st century. By doing so, these courtyards can continue to serve as vital urban oases and cultural landmarks for generations to come.

Keywords: architectural heritage, green interior courtyards, public spaces, sustainable development

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Authors: Amira Zatir, Abderahmane Mokhtari, Amina Foufa, Sara Zatir

Abstract:

It exists in several regions in the world, of numerous historic monuments, buildings and housing environment, built in traditional ways which survive for earthquakes, even in zones where the seismic risk is particularly raised. These constructions, stemming from vernacular architecture, allow, through their resistances in the time earthquakes, to identify the various sismo-resistant "local" techniques. Through the examples and the experiences presented, the remark which can be made, is that in the traditional built, two major principles in a way opposite, govern the constructions in earthquake-resistant. It is about the very big flexibility, whom answer very light constructions, like the Japanese wooden constructions, Turkish and even Chinese; that of the very big rigidity to which correspond constructions in masonry in particular stone, more or less heavy and massive, which we meet in particular in the Mediterranean Basin, and in the historic sanctuary of Machu Pacchu. In it sensible and well-reflected techniques of construction are added, of which the use of the humble materials such as the earth and the adobe. The ancient communities were able to face the seismic risks, thanks to them know-how reflected in their intelligently designed constructions, testifying of a local seismic culture.

Keywords: earthquake, architecture, traditional, construction, resistance

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Authors: Prakash Chandra Subedi

Abstract:

Family farming is the family based farming activities, where the farmers cultivate their farm themselves and all the members of the family are engaged in farming as per their skill, age, and physical strength. This study was conducted to examine the food sufficiency level of family farmers and, was carried in the four VDCs of Kavrepalanchowk district -Jaisithok Mandan, Mahadevsthan Mandan and Gairi Bisouna Deupur. A total of 115 households determined as the sample size from each of the four VDCs were randomly visited for interview in the study. The size of land holding was found to be very small and fragmented. The quality of soil was fertile and could yield high production if irrigation existed. The labour used patterns were significant number of family labour but due to high youth migration there were labour shortage. The rate of adoption of agri-technology was low but the households adopting insectides/pesticides and chemical fertilizers were found to be high without any knowledge regarding its using techniques. In conclusion, the study highpoint that the crop production and food sufficiency level of the family farmers of the Kavrepalanchowk district is decreasing. Many farmers were leaving their farming and started seeking opportunity to go for foreign employment or engaged in non-agricultural activities in urban areas. If no action is taken timely, there may come situation that we will have to depend on imports for all the food requirements. Thus, the study reveals that the family farming could act as an agent for ensuring food sufficiency for all, if proper policies is promoted to family farmers with legal titles to their land or promoted with sustainable agriculture methods or provided with proper agri-technology or given their share of respect and responsibilities that farming as honorable profession.

Keywords: family farming, technology transfer, crop production, food sufficiency

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Authors: E. Erdogan, H. A. Erdogan

Abstract:

FengShui, an old Chinese discipline, dates back to more than 5000 years, is one of the design principles that aim at creating habitable and sustainable spaces in harmony with nature by systematizing data within its own structure. Having emerged from Chinese mysticism and embodying elements of faith in its principles, FengShui argues that the positive energy in the environment channels human behavior and psychology. This argument is supported with the thesis of quantum physics that ‘everything is made up of energy’ and gains an important place. In spaces where living and working take place with several principles and systematized rules, FengShui promises a happier, more peaceful and comfortable life by influencing human psychology, acts, and soul as well as the professional and social life of the individual. Observing these design properties in houses, workplaces, offices, the environment, and daily life as a design paradigm is significant. In this study, how FengShui, a Central Asian culture emanated from Chinese mysticism, shapes design and how it is used as an element of sustainable design will be explained.

Keywords: Feng Shui, design principle, sustainability, philosophy

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Authors: Joseph G. Grzywacz, Azza O. Abdelmoneium, Abdallah M. Badahdah

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Qatar provides an interesting context for studying family-friendly policies for working adults because it is governed by monarchy and Sharia law provides the foundation for legislation. This study considers gender variation in the perceived importance of and satisfaction with 12 family-friendly benefits (e.g., paid parental leave, flexible work hours, onsite childcare). Data were from a 2017 national sample of native Qatari adults. The perceived importance of family-friendly benefits was comparable for women and men for 7 of 12 benefits. Men rated paid paternity leave higher than women, but women rated telecommuting, dedicated breastfeeding room, onsite childcare, and opportunities to job share higher than men. Women and men reported similar experiences for 9 of 12 family-friendly benefits, but men’s expectations were better met than women’s for flexible work arrangements, telecommuting, and financial support for athletic clubs.

Keywords: culture, family-friendly benefits, gender, work-family

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Authors: Omolola Ojetayo, Emmanuel Garuba, Obinna Ajunwa, Abiodun A. Onilude

Abstract:

Introduction: Biofilm is a functional community of microorganisms that are associated with a surface or an interface. These adherent cells become embedded within an extracellular matrix composed of polymeric substances, i.e., biofilms refer to biological deposits consisting of both microbes and their extracellular products on biotic and abiotic surfaces. Despite their detrimental effects in medicine, biofilms as natural cell immobilization have found several applications in biotechnology, such as in the treatment of wastewater, bioremediation and biodegradation, desulfurization of gas, and conversion of agro-derived materials into alcohols and organic acids. The means of enhancing immobilized cells have been chemical-inductive, and this affects the medium composition and final product. Physical factors including electrical, magnetic, and electromagnetic flux have shown potential for enhancing biofilms depending on the bacterial species, nature, and intensity of emitted signals, the duration of exposure, and substratum used. However, the concept of cell immobilisation by electrical and magnetic induction is still underexplored. Methods: To assess the effects of physical factors on biofilm formation, six American typed culture collection (Acetobacter aceti ATCC15973, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC9027, Serratia marcescens ATCC14756, Gluconobacter oxydans ATCC19357, Rhodobacter sphaeroides ATCC17023, and Bacillus subtilis ATCC6633) were used. Standard culture techniques for bacterial cells were adopted. Natural autoimmobilisation potentials of test bacteria were carried out by simple biofilms ring formation on tubes, while crystal violet binding assay techniques were adopted in the characterisation of biofilm quantity. Electroinduction of bacterial cells by direct current (DC) application in cell broth, static magnetic field exposure, and electromagnetic flux were carried out, and autoimmobilisation of cells in a biofilm pattern was determined on various substrata tested, including wood, glass, steel, polyvinylchloride (PVC) and polyethylene terephthalate. Biot Savart law was used in quantifying magnetic field intensity, and statistical analyses of data obtained were carried out using the analyses of variance (ANOVA) as well as other statistical tools. Results: Biofilm formation by the selected test bacteria was enhanced by the physical factors applied. Electromagnetic induction had the greatest effect on biofilm formation, with magnetic induction producing the least effect across all substrata used. Microbial cell-cell communication could be a possible means via which physical signals affected the cells in a polarisable manner. Conclusion: The enhancement of biofilm formation by bacteria using physical factors has shown that their inherent capability as a cell immobilization method can be further optimised for industrial applications. A possible relationship between the presence of voltage-dependent channels, mechanosensitive channels, and bacterial biofilms could shed more light on this phenomenon.

Keywords: bacteria, biofilm, cell immobilization, electromagnetic induction, substrata

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