Search results for: aid autonomy

Authors: Mehran Memari, Bita Asadi

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Second language (L2) classrooms in academic contexts usually consist of learners with diverse L2 proficiency levels. One solution for managing such heterogeneous classes and addressing individual needs of students is to improve learner autonomy by using technological innovations such as blogging. The focus of this study is on investigating the effects of blogging on improving the quality of Iranian university students' writings. For this aim, twenty-six Iranian university students participated in the study. Students in the experimental group (n=13) were required to blog daily while the students in the control group (n=13) were asked to write a daily schedule using paper and pencil. After a 3-month period of instruction, the five last writings of the students from both groups were rated by two experienced raters. Also, students' attitudes toward the traditional method and blogging were surveyed using a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The research results showed evidences in favor of the students who used blogging in their writing program. Also, although students in the experimental group found blogging more demanding than the traditional method, they showed an overall positive attitude toward the use of blogging as a way of improving their writing skills. The findings of the study have implications for the incorporation of computer-assisted learning in L2 academic contexts.

Keywords: blogging, computer-assisted learning, paper and pencil, writing

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Authors: Nickolay Jelev, Andy Keane, Carren Holden, András Sóbester

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In aircraft design, the jump from the conceptual to preliminary design stage introduces a level of complexity which cannot be realistically handled by a single optimiser, be that a human (chief engineer) or an algorithm. The design process is often partitioned along disciplinary lines, with each discipline given a level of autonomy. This introduces a number of challenges including, but not limited to: coupling of design variables; coordinating disciplinary teams; handling of large amounts of analysis data; reaching an acceptable design within time constraints. A number of classical Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation (MDO) architectures exist in academia specifically designed to address these challenges. Their limited use in the industrial aircraft design process has inspired the authors of this paper to develop an alternative strategy based on well established ideas from Decision Support Systems. The proposed rule based architecture sacrifices possibly elusive guarantees of convergence for an attractive return in simplicity. The method is demonstrated on analytical and aircraft design test cases and its performance is compared to a number of classical distributed MDO architectures.

Keywords: Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation, Rule Based Architecture, Aircraft Design, Decision Support System

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Authors: Lucas Oliveira Gomes Ferreira, André Luiz Marques Serrano

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The fiscal decentralization driven by the 1988 Constitution was responsible for granting greater autonomy to Brazilian subnational entities, as states and municipalities were entrusted with greater responsibilities to provide local public goods and services. However, the revenues necessary to implement the new attributions are largely received through intergovernmental transfers and not by local tax collection. The literature points out that public spending increases more by receiving unconditional and nonmatching (lump sum) intergovernmental grants than by an increase in taxpayers' income. This effect, called the flypaper effect, happens because the funds received could be used to reduce local taxes, meaning an increase in the citizen's private income. However, they are applied in the public sector in the form of expenses. The present work investigates the existence of the flypaper effect in Brazilian municipalities during the first two decades of the 21st century. The research uses the Municipal Participation Fund (FPM) as a grant proxy from 2000 to 2019 through econometrics of cross-section and panel data for all 5,568 municipalities. The results indicate the flypaper effect in Brazilian municipalities, as well as the proportional relationship between the receipt of constitutional transfers and the increase in public expenditure.

Keywords: flypaper effect, intergovernmental transfers, municipal participation fund, fiscal federalism

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Authors: Rana Tajammal Rashid

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Federalism is a political system in which government power and responsibility are divided between a federal legislature and units of the state or provincial legislatures. This system provides the structure for the states having large territory and through that can manage the state affairs and administration easily. Many of the largest countries in the world are federations, like; The United States, Canada, India, Pakistan South Africa, Argentina, and Australia. Every large democratic nation has a federal system of government. This study will explore the feature and good governance of two developed countries Canada and Australia. This study will be helpful to the developing countries like Pakistan, India which have a federal form of structure to run the affairs of the state. In the federal system of Pakistan there are lot of issues and conflicts with the provinces with a comparative study of these two developed countries, i.e., Australia and Canada, our policy and decision maker political actors will understand in which way a state will successfully manage the issues related to federalism. This study will also provide the help to the students of comparative politics that how to analysis the different political system of the developed countries of the world.

Keywords: federalism, features of federalism, types of federalism, history of federalism, Australian federalism, Canadian federalism, federalism developments, executives, federal and provincial autonomy legislative, judicial

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Authors: Yoonjeogn Kim

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The concept of flâneur means a walking observer with subjectivity in the urban city and at the same time, an idiomatic and unnamed existence in public. In the modern city, an individual, flâneur walking on the street, observes the street and collects the memories of the past, during which process the individual comes to understand what the past means. However, the concept tends to be narrowly applied to the white middle-class males, thereby excluding females and other marginalized groups. This paper expands the concept to examine black immigrants and black women, who traditionally fall outside the scope of the flâneur. Placing the black immigrants on the trajectory of literary figure of flâneur by reading Tony Morrison's Jazz, this essay revisits the relationship between street and characters in Jazz. In particular, this essay focuses on characters strolling on the street as well as their surroundings. Based on the traditional characteristics of the flâneur, this essay explicates how the black characters in Jazz are reinvented as the flâneur and moving observers with their autonomy to stroll around the city, while the city, which used to be an observer watching and predicting what happens to the characters, takes a position as a mere onlooker. This paper concludes with illustrating the black characters stroll on the street in Harlem and thereby recreating ordinary people living in Harlem as flâneur.

Keywords: jazz, the arcades project, flâneur, flânerie, street, city

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Authors: Olivia Bory Devisme, Denis Genon-Catalot, Frederic Alicalapa, Pierre-Olivier Lucas De Peslouan, Jean-Pierre Chabriat

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In the context of climate change, it is essential that island territories gain energy autonomy. Currently mostly dependent on fossil fuels, the island of Reunion lo- cated in the Indian Ocean nevertheless has a high potential for solar energy. As the market for photovoltaic panels has been growing in recent years, the issues of energy losses linked to the multiple conversions from direct current to alternating current are emerging. In order to quantify these advantages and disadvantages by a comparative study, this document present the measurements carried out on a direct current test bench, particularly for lighting, ventilation, air condi- tioning and office equipment for the tertiary sector. All equipment is supplied with DC power from energy produced by photovoltaic panels. A weather sta- tion, environmental indoor sensors, and drivers are also used to control energy. Self-consumption is encouraged in order to manage different priorities between user consumption and energy storage in a lithium iron phosphate battery. The measurements are compared to a conventional electrical architecture (DC-AC- DC) for energy consumption, equipment overheating, cost, and life cycle analysis.

Keywords: DC microgrids, solar energy, smart buildings, storage

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Authors: Seyed Ebrahim Hosseini, Shahbaz Pervez

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As people go through aging, maintenance and improvement of the quality of life become more important for them. To know the role of smartphone technology and communications applications on quality of life, a sample group of old people living in Dar-Iran was selected for a quasi-experimental study. The participants were registered senior inhabitants from public health centers in Dar, Iran in 2022. The number of participants was 39. Participants were randomly categorized into intervention and control groups. A validated Persian version of the Control, Autonomy, Self-realisation, Pleasure scale (CASP-19) scale questionnaire was provided for them which answers were used for the quality of life assessment. The paired t-test between pre-and post-test (t= -8.45, p<.00), post-and follow-up-test (t= -2.12, p=.01), and pre-test and the follow-up test (t= -8.27, p<.00) in the intervention group revealed a considerable mean difference. Based on the results of paired t-test for the control group, this was not significant between pre-test and post-test (t= 1.26, p=.15), post-test and follow-up test (t= .33, p=.67) and pre-test and follow-up test (t= 1.85, p=.08) for quality of life. Considering the educational training associated with it, this study aimed at helping families and aging field practitioners to understand the essentiality of modern communication technology teaching in promoting a greater life quality of the elderly’s community.

Keywords: Iranian elderly, quality of life, smartphone, social applications, CASP-19

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Authors: Win Thandar Soe, Innocent Mpawenimana, Mathieu Di Fazio, Cécile Belleudy, Aung Ze Ya

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Intelligent electronic equipment and automation network is the brain of high-tech energy management systems in critical role of smart homes dominance. Smart home is a technology integration for greater comfort, autonomy, reduced cost, and energy saving as well. These services can be provided to home owners for managing their home appliances locally or remotely and consequently allow them to automate intelligently and responsibly their consumption by individual or collective control systems. In this study, three smart plugs are described and one of them tested on typical household appliances. This article proposes to collect the data from the wireless technology and to extract some smart data for energy management system. This smart data is to quantify for three kinds of load: intermittent load, phantom load and continuous load. Phantom load is a waste power that is one of unnoticed power of each appliance while connected or disconnected to the main. Intermittent load and continuous load take in to consideration the power and using time of home appliances. By analysing the classification of loads, this smart data will be provided to reduce the communication of wireless sensor network for energy management system.

Keywords: energy management, load profile, smart plug, wireless sensor network

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Authors: Claudia Valderrama-Ulloa, Cristian Schmitt, Juan Pablo Marchetti, Viviana Bucarey

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Access to adequate housing is a fundamental human right and a crucial factor for health. Housing should be inclusive, accessible, and able to meet the needs of all its inhabitants at every stage of their lives without hindering their health, autonomy, or independence. This article addresses the importance of designing housing for people with disabilities, which varies depending on individual abilities, preferences, and cultural considerations. Based on the components of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, wheelchair users, little people (achondroplasia), children with autism spectrum disorder and Down syndrome were characterized, and six domains of activities related to daily life inside homes were defined. The article describes the main barriers homes present for this group of people. It proposes a list of architectural and design aspects to reduce barriers to housing use. The aspects are divided into three main groups: space management, building services, and supporting facilities. The article emphasizes the importance of consulting professionals and users with experience designing for diverse needs to create inclusive, safe, and supportive housing for people with disabilities.

Keywords: achondroplasia, autism spectrum disorder, disability, down syndrome, wheelchair user

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Authors: Emine Akar

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The majority of privacy-related regulation has traditionally focused on concepts that are perceived to be well-understood or easily describable, such as certain categories of data and personal information or images. In the past century, such regulation appeared reasonably suitable for its purposes. However, technologies such as AI, combined with ever-increasing capabilities to collect, process, and store “big data”, not only require calibration of these traditional understandings but may require re-thinking of entire categories of privacy law. In the presentation, it will be explained, against the background of various emerging technologies under the umbrella term “emotional artificial intelligence”, why modern privacy law will need to embrace human emotions as potentially private subject matter. This argument can be made on a jurisprudential level, given that human emotions can plausibly be accommodated within the various concepts that are traditionally regarded as the underlying foundation of privacy protection, such as, for example, dignity, autonomy, and liberal values. However, the practical reasons for regarding human emotions as potentially private subject matter are perhaps more important (and very likely more convincing from the perspective of regulators). In that respect, it should be regarded as alarming that, according to most projections, the usefulness of emotional data to governments and, particularly, private companies will not only lead to radically increased processing and analysing of such data but, concerningly, to an exponential growth in the collection of such data. In light of this, it is also necessity to discuss options for how regulators could address this emerging threat.

Keywords: AI, privacy law, data protection, big data

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Authors: Francisco José Plácido da Cunha, Tassio Ferenzini Martins Sirqueira, Marx Leles Viana, Carlos José Pereira de Lucena

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Open Multiagent Systems (MASs) are societies in which heterogeneous and independently designed entities (agents) work towards similar, or different ends. Software agents are autonomous and the diversity of interests among different members living in the same society is a fact. In order to deal with this autonomy, these open systems use mechanisms of social control (norms) to ensure a desirable social order. This paper considers the following types of norms: (i) obligation — agents must accomplish a specific outcome; (ii) permission — agents may act in a particular way, and (iii) prohibition — agents must not act in a specific way. All of these characteristics mean to encourage the fulfillment of norms through rewards and to discourage norm violation by pointing out the punishments. Once the software agent decides that its priority is the satisfaction of its own desires and goals, each agent must evaluate the effects associated to the fulfillment of one or more norms before choosing which one should be fulfilled. The same applies when agents decide to violate a norm. This paper also introduces a framework for the development of MASs that provide support mechanisms to the agent’s decision-making, using norm-based reasoning. The applicability and validation of this approach is demonstrated applying a traffic intersection scenario.

Keywords: BDI agent, BDI4JADE framework, multiagent systems, normative agents

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Authors: Abdelaadim Bidaoui

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As one of the most important linguistic inquiries, the topic of the intertwined relationship between language, the mind, and the world has attracted many scholars. In the fifties, Sapir and Whorf advocated the hypothesis that language shapes our cultural realities as an early attempt to provide answers to this linguistic inquiry. Later, discursive psychology views the linguistic behavior as “a dynamic form of social practice which constructs the social world, individual selves and identity.” (Jorgensen & Phillips 2002, 118). Discursive psychology also considers discourse as a trigger of social action and change. Building on discursive psychology and motivation theory, this paper examines the impact of linguistic behavior of the Moroccan coach Walid Reggragui on the Moroccan team’s exceptional performance in Qatar 2022 Soccer World Cup. The data used in the research is based on interviews conducted by the Moroccan coach prior and during the World Cup. Using a discourse analysis of the linguistic behavior of Reggragui, this paper shows how the linguistic behavior of Reggragui provided support for the three psychological needs: sense of belonging, competence, and autonomy. As any CDA research, this paper uses a triangulated theoretical framework that includes language, cognition and society.

Keywords: critical discourse analysis, motivation theory, discursive psychology, linguistic behavior

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Authors: W. M. Ng, O. B. Iskender, L. Simonini, J. M. Gonzalez

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A multitude of factors, including mechanical imperfections of the deployment system and separation instance of satellites from launchers, oftentimes results in highly uncontrolled initial tumbling motion immediately after deployment. In particular, small satellites which are characteristically launched as a piggyback to a large rocket, are generally allocated a large time window to complete detumbling within the early orbit phase. Because of the saturation risk of the actuators, current algorithms are conservative to avoid draining excessive power in the detumbling phase. This work aims to enable time-optimal switching of control modes during the early phase, reducing the time required to transit from launch to sun-pointing mode for power budget conscious satellites. This assumes the usage of B-dot controller for detumbling and PD controller for pointing. Nonlinear Euler's rotation equations are used to represent the attitude dynamics of satellites and Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) reaction wheels and magnetorquers are used to perform the manoeuver. Simulation results will be based on a spacecraft attitude simulator and the use case will be for multiple orbits of launch deployment general to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.

Keywords: attitude control, detumbling, small satellites, spacecraft autonomy, time optimal control

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Authors: Maria Francesca Maunes

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Life is never the same when an adolescent becomes a teenage parent. Living in a developing country with the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the Asia-Pacific region, it is necessary to address the psychological well-being of Filipino teenage parents and be put into consideration. Thus, this quantitative study used both descriptive statistics and quantitative techniques on a total of 70 participants, consisting of 32 teenage fathers and 38 teenage mothers to describe the level of psychological well-being among teenage parents according to the six domains of Ryff’s eudaimonic well-being—autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations with others, purpose in life, and self-acceptance, and to determine the difference between the psychological well-being of teenage fathers and teenage mothers. Results show that there is no significant difference in the overall psychological well-being between the two groups of participants, yet, when compared by each domain, it is found that there is a significant difference between their purpose in life. While both teenage fathers and teenage mothers are high scorers across all the domains, this does not serve as an assurance that the sustained increase in the number of teenage pregnancies in the Philippines does not anymore pose as a national issue. This could only signify that despite dire circumstances, Filipino teenage parents are able to continue make meaning in their lives and strive to keep living in comfort and contentment, not only for themselves but for their children as well. Additional findings as well as its implications are further discussed. Recommendations and suggestions for further study are presented.

Keywords: adolescence, adolescent psychology, eudaimonic psychological well-being, positive psychology, teenage fathers, teenage mothers, teenage parents, teenage pregnancy in the Philippines

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Authors: Phillip Garrad, Saritha Unnikrishnan

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The recent popularity of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) corresponds with an increase in the risk of cyber-attacks. These cyber-attacks have been instigated by both researchers or white-coat hackers and cyber-criminals. As Connected Vehicles move towards full autonomy, the impact of these cyber-attacks also grows. The current research details challenges faced in cybersecurity testing of CAV, including access and cost of the representative test setup. Other challenges faced are lack of experts in the field. Possible solutions to how these challenges can be overcome are reviewed and discussed. From these findings, a software simulated CAV network is established as a cost-effective representative testbed. Penetration tests are then performed on this simulation, demonstrating a cyber-attack in CAV. Studies have shown Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve runtime, increase efficiency and comprehensively cover all the typical test aspects in penetration testing in other industries. There is an attempt to introduce similar AI models to the software simulation. The expectation from this implementation is to see similar improvements in runtime and efficiency for the CAV model. If proven to be an effective means of penetration test for CAV, this methodology may be used on a full CAV test network.

Keywords: cybersecurity, connected vehicles, software simulation, artificial intelligence, penetration testing

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Authors: Amy Bromley

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Child protection practitioners are a vital part of systems designed to protect children from abuse and neglect. Reforms in Anglo-American systems have shown a trend towards compliance-culture that reduces practitioner autonomy and empowerment, increasing staff turnover and negatively impacting outcomes for children. This explanatory mixed-methods study examined psychological empowerment in a national sample of child protection practitioners in Australia (n=109) using the Psychological Empowerment Instrument followed by semi-structured interviews (n=19). The results show that practitioners experience the sub-dimensions of psychological empowerment differently, perceiving themselves to have high levels of competence and satisfaction in their work but limited opportunities for self-determination and low levels of impact on decision-making in their organizations. The qualitative data revealed that practitioners do not trust systemic reforms and have experienced them as ineffective, politically driven, and bureaucratic. The increased compliance demanded from these reforms has left practitioners feeling that their expertise is not valued, leading many to leave their organizations. The practitioners who remain employed in child protection identified their use of advocacy, curiosity, and child-centered values as ways of protecting their psychological empowerment. The findings highlight the ways psychological empowerment can be promoted within child protection systems, improving staff retention and building expertise.

Keywords: child protection, implementation, psychological empowerment, systems theory

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Authors: Diogo Ferreira Lima Filho, José Roberto Amazonas

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Nanotechnology opens the door to new paradigms that introduces a variety of novel tools enabling a plethora of potential applications in the biomedical, industrial, environmental, and military fields. This work proposes an integrated node model by applying the same concepts of TCNet to networks of nanodevices where the nodes are cooperatively interconnected with a low-complexity Mealy Machine (MM) topology integrating in the same electronic system the modules necessary for independent operation in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), consisting of Rectennas (RF to DC power converters), Code Generators based on Finite State Machine (FSM) & Trellis Decoder and On-chip Transmit/Receive with autonomy in terms of energy sources applying the Energy Harvesting technique. This approach considers the use of a Graphene Composite Substrate (GCS) for the integrated electronic circuits meeting the following characteristics: mechanical flexibility, miniaturization, and optical transparency, besides being ecological. In addition, graphene consists of a layer of carbon atoms with the configuration of a honeycomb crystal lattice, which has attracted the attention of the scientific community due to its unique Electrical Characteristics.

Keywords: composite substrate, energy harvesting, finite state machine, graphene, nanotechnology, rectennas, wireless sensor networks

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Authors: Amy Elkington

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Women in abusive relationships who commit crimes under duress are unfairly treated by the English legal system. Despite the offence of Coercive Control being introduced in 2015 that recognises that a woman’s autonomy has been eroded, coercion is no longer a defence to women who feel compelled to act due to their partner’s behavior or abuse. This problem is intensified by the fact that women in abusive relationships are more likely to commit crimes to ensure their survival. Furthermore, the very fact that they are ‘associating’ with their abusive partners means that they are excluded from pleading a defence of duress. Women who kill their abusers may be able to reduce their conviction from murder to manslaughter, but this depends on successfully pleading either loss of control or diminished responsibility, both not without their issues, but this does not provide a defence where a lesser crime is committed. Self-defence is also widely unavailable to either murder or non-fatal offences, as the amount of force used is often deemed disproportionate because women are more likely to use weapons in their defence. Regardless, this would not provide a defence where the crime committed is one such as theft. An alternative that has been proposed would be to introduce a new defence that would work similarly to the exemption to prosecution afforded to those who are trafficked that commit crime under duress. Despite having support in the Lords in March 2021, this recommendation has been rejected by the Government on the basis that it would not achieve an appropriate balance of justice. The result is that abused women who commit crime are left without an appropriate defence. A doctrinal approach highlights the injustices in these types of cases and concludes that it is time for the current law of duress to change.

Keywords: coercive control, crime, defences, duress

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Authors: Isabel Stolz, Vera Tillmann, Volker Anneken

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The relationship between sport participation and psychological need satisfaction was examined by an analysis of interest and involvement in the sport of 937 children and adolescents with disabilities and their self-perceived need satisfaction. The Children’s intrinsic need-satisfaction Scale (CINSS) has been used to measure sport-related need satisfaction in this cross-sectional study. CINSS scores for the dimensions competence, autonomy and relatedness of the study’s participants were generally located in higher score levels. Significant relations between interest and involvement in sport and higher levels of psychological need satisfaction were found in the questioned children and adolescents. Examining the results of each need, the competence-dimension displayed a particular relevance for an increased sport-related lifestyle. The further results showed a negative correlation between children’s need satisfaction and a lack of confidence of participating in sport. A negative correlation was also found between children’s need satisfaction and experiencing difficulties in making contact with others. Despite the general interest in sport and the wish to participate in another sporting activity, the participation of the questioned children and adolescents in organized sport is comparatively low and decreases with age. Participation in sport seems to be beneficial to children and adolescents with disabilities’ psychological need satisfaction. This research highlights the positive impact of sport on psychological need satisfaction of children and adolescents with disabilities and emphasizes the demand for greater participation in organized sport for children and adolescents with disabilities.

Keywords: children and adolescents, health, physical activity, sport

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Authors: Lin Yanyan

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This research set out to understand early childhood practitioners’ perceptions of continuous professional development (CPD) opportunities and its relationship to career progression and leadership roles in Singapore. The small-scale qualitative inductive study was conducted in two phases. Phase one used close-ended questionnaires with a total of 24 early years practitioner participants, while phase two included a total of 5 participants who were invited to participate in the second part of the data collection. Semi-structured interviews were used at phase two to elicit deeper responses from parents and teachers. Findings from the study were then thematically coded and analysed. The findings from both questionnaires and interviews showed that early years practitioners perceived CPD to be important to their professional growth, but there was no conclusive link that CPD necessarily led to the progression of leadership roles in the early years. Participants experience of CPD was strongly determined by their employer- the preschool operator, being government-funded or a private entity, which resulted in key differences emerging between their responses. Participants also experienced road blocks in their pursuit of CPD, in the form of staff shortage, budget constraints and lack of autonomy as their employers imposed specific CPD courses on them to suit the organisational needs, rather than their personal or professional needs.

Keywords: continuous professional development (CPD), early years practitioners (EYP), career progression, leadership

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Authors: Tabiti S. Tabiti, A. M. Jinadu, Daramola Japheth

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Urban insecurity is among the challenges militating against sustainable urban governance; in the first place it distorts the peace of urban areas making them unsafe. On the other hand it hinders the effective performance of urban functions. Urban security challenges manifest in different forms such as, street violence, theft and robbery, accidents of different types kidnapping, killings etc.. Efforts to address urban security challenges in Nigeria have been concentrated in legislative, law enforcement and the use of community vigilante groups. However in this study, the place of physical planning strategy through effective neighbourhood renewal as practiced in Mokola is presented as an effective complementary approach for addressing urban insecurity. On this backdrop, the paper recommends the need for gradual rehabilitation of urban slum neighborhoods by the state government in collaboration with World Bank and other development financiers. The local governments should be made autonomy in Nigeria so as to make them more responsible to the people. Other recommendations suggested in the paper include creating enabling environment that will promote economic empowerment and public enlightment on personal and community sanitation. It is certain that if these recommendations are adopted the challenge of urban insecurity will reduce significantly in Nigerian cities.

Keywords: neighbourhood renewal, pilot project, slum upgrading, urban security

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Authors: Mehravar Javid

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This case study delves into the psychological complexities of a 33-year-old woman, the second of three children, whose upbringing under a critical mother and a high-expectation father has significantly shaped her psychological landscape. Exhibiting a blend of worthlessness and a grandiose self, her life is a constant struggle between idealizing her father and devaluing her mother and sisters, coupled with a fear of intimacy and a desire for merger. This internal conflict manifests in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and a pattern of forming and quitting multiple relationships, all driven by a deep-seated need for validation and approval. The therapeutic journey reveals her resistance to treatment, particularly when her defense mechanisms are challenged, reflecting a complex transference dynamic where she yearns for merger yet fears it. The treatment focuses on empathetically addressing her idealization and mirroring needs, allowing for autonomy while repairing communication gaps. This approach not only confronts her emotional deficits rooted in her family dynamics but also aids in her quest for self-identity, navigating through her feelings of emptiness, inferiority, and powerlessness. The study highlights the nuanced interplay of family influence on the development and maintenance of narcissistic traits, offering insights into the therapeutic strategies that can facilitate growth and self-awareness in similar cases.

Keywords: narcissistic personality disorder, merger transference, treatment interruption, case study, family dynamics

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Authors: Elahesadat Emrani

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The role of psychology in language teaching has gained significant recognition and importance in recent years. This article explores the intersection of psychology and language teaching and highlights the profound impact that psychological principles and theories have on language learning and instruction. It discusses how an understanding of learners' cognitive processes, motivations, and affective factors can inform instructional strategies, curriculum design, and assessment practices. Additionally, the article sheds light on the importance of considering individual differences and diverse learning styles within the psychological framework of language teaching. This article emphasizes the significance of incorporating psychological insights into language classrooms to create a supportive and effective learning environment. Furthermore, it acknowledges the role of psychology in fostering learner autonomy, enhancing learner motivation, promoting effective communication, and facilitating language acquisition. Overall, this article underscores the necessity of integrating psychology into language teaching practices to optimize learning outcomes and nurture learners' linguistic and socio-emotional development. So far, no complete research has been done in this regard, and this article deals with this important issue for the first time. The research method is based on qualitative method and case studies, and the role of psychological principles in strengthening the learner's independence, increasing motivation, and facilitating language learning. Also, the optimization of learning results and fostering language and social development are among the findings of the research.

Keywords: language, teaching, psychology, methods

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Authors: Piedad Lucia Bolivar Goez, Daniel Ignacio Garzon Luna, Maria Camila Balcero Angel, Sara Carolina Martinez Roman, Daniela Natalia Polo Rivas, Sandra Liliana Rocha Guitierrez

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This article provides a critical analysis on the conception of disorders of sexual development (DSDs) within the bioethics framework. By means of analytical thought, the objective is to approach topics such as the rediscovery of the body, the reinvention of sexuality and link them to the liability that health personnel have to inform people about the options they have to decide over their health and body. The medicalization of sexed bodies in both psychosocial and anatomo-morpho-physiological dimensions from a legal standpoint were analyzed. Its also explored the gender stereotypes established by society and the role of laws in guaranteeing the right of autonomy that takes on greater relevance in DSD. Through this analysis, it was concluded that despite intersexuality having been analyzed by Colombia’s Constitutional Court, that it is stated as a fair entity, the stigmatization by society has not allowed these individuals to belong to an egalitarian context in which everyone has the same opportunities of access to the goods and services that they need. This leads individuals to hide their identity and expression of genre in order to be accepted in a set of contexts. Thus creating a vulnerability that the health system must be able to identify and in which it is necessary to intervene at a biopsychosocial level, in order to guarantee the protection of the individual within an unquestionable frame of equality and solidarity.

Keywords: disorders of sex development, gender identity, sexuality, transgender persons

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Authors: Katerine Moraes dos Satons, Gisele Massante Peixoto Tracera, Regina Célia Gollner Zeitoune

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To analyze the psychosocial risks related to the organization of nursing work in outpatient clinics of university hospitals. Cross-sectional epidemiological study developed in 11 outpatient units linked to the three public universities of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Participants were 388 nursing professionals who worked in patient care at the time of the research. Data were collected from July to December 2018, using a self-applicable instrument. A questionnaire was used for sociodemographic, occupational and health characterization, and the Work Organization Scale. The bivariate analyses were performed using the odds ratio (OR), with a confidence interval of 95%, significance level of 5%. The organization of nursing work received an assessment of medium psychosocial risk by the professionals participating in the research, demanding interventions in the short and medium term. There was no association between sociodemographic, occupational and health characteristics and the organization of outpatient work. Interventional measures should be performed in the psychosocial risk factors presented in this research, with a view to improving the work environment, so that the importance of maintaining satisfactory material conditions is considered, as well as the adequate quantity of human resources. In addition, it aims to expand the spaces of nursing participation in decision- making, strengthening its autonomy as a profession.

Keywords: occupational risks, nursing, nursing team, worker’s health, psychosocial risks

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Authors: Noha Desouky Aly, Maged Makram Habib

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Given the imperative role educational institutions have in the creation of a motivational learning community that develops and engages their students, the influence of evoking the same environment for their teachers needs to be examined. Teachers and their role lie at the core of the efficiency of the learning experience. One exigent aspect in the process of providing professional development to teachers is to involve them in this process, and the best manner would be through creating a learning community in which they are directly engaged and responsible for their own learning. An educational institution that thinks first of its teachers learning and growth would achieve its goals in providing an effective education for its students. The purpose of this research paper is to examine the effect of engaging teachers in a learning community in which they are responsible for their own learning through conducting and providing the material required for the training on their self efficacy, engagement, and perceived autonomy. The sample includes twenty instructors at the German University in Cairo teaching Academic skills at the Department of English and Scientific Methods. The courses taught at the department include Academic skills, writing argumentative essays, critical thinking, communication and presentation skills, and research paper writing. Procedures for the duration of eight weeks will entail pre-post measures to include The Teachers Self Efficacy Scale and an interview. During the weekly departmental meeting, teachers are to share resources and experiences or research and present a topic of their choice that contributes to their professional development. Results are yet to be found.

Keywords: learning community, self- efficacy, teachers, learning experience

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Authors: S. Alyami, S. Mohammad

Abstract:

These Risk management practices have a significant impact on construction SMEs. The effective utilisation of these practices depends on culture change in order to optimise decision making for critical activities within construction projects. Thus, successful implementation of empowerment strategies would enhance operational employees to participate in effective decision making. However, there remain many barriers to individuals and organisations within empowerment strategies that require empirical investigation before the industry can benefit from their implementation. Gaps in understanding the relationship between employee empowerment and risk management practices still exist. This research paper aims to examine the impact of the structural empowerment on risk management practices in construction SMEs. The questionnaire has been distributed to participants (162 employees) that involve projects and civil engineers within a case study from Saudi construction SMEs. Partial least squares based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was utilised to perform analysis. The results reveal a positive relationship between empowerment and risk management practices. The study shows how structural empowerment contributes to operational employees in risk management practices through involving activities such as decision making, self-efficiency, and autonomy. The findings of this study will contribute to close the current gaps in the construction SMEs context.

Keywords: construction SMEs, culture, decision making, empowerment, risk management

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Authors: Robyn Moloney, HuiLing Xu

Abstract:

Many countries wish to produce Asia-literate citizens, through language education. International contexts of Chinese language education are seeking pedagogical innovation to meet local contextual factors frequently holding back learner success. In multicultural Australia, innovative pedagogy is urgently needed to support motivation in sustained study, with greater strategic integration of technology. This research took a qualitative approach to identify need and solutions. The paper analyses strategies that three secondary school teachers are adopting to meet specific challenges in the Australian context. The data include teacher interviews, classroom observations and student interviews. We highlight the use of task-based learning and differentiated teaching for multilevel classes, and the role which digital technologies play in facilitating both areas. The strategy examples are analysed in reference both to a research-based framework for describing quality teaching, and to current understandings of motivation in language learning. The analysis of data identifies learning featuring deep knowledge, higher-order thinking, engagement, social support, utilisation of background knowledge, and connectedness, all of which work towards the learners having a sense of autonomy and an imagination of becoming an adult Chinese language user.

Keywords: Chinese pedagogy, digital technologies, motivation, secondary school

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Authors: Andrew Anis Fakhrey Mosaad

Abstract:

Objectives: Physiotherapy in the intensive care unit (ICU) improves patient outcomes. We aimed to determine the characteristics of physiotherapy practice and critical barriers to applying physiotherapy in ICUs. Materials and Methods: A 54-item survey for determining the characteristics physiotherapists and physiotherapy applications in the ICU was developed. The survey was electronically sent to potential participants through the Turkish Physiotherapy Association network. Sixty-five physiotherapists (47F and 18M; 23–52 years; ICU experience: 6.0±6.2 years) completed the survey. The data were analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods. Results: The duration of ICU practice was 3.51±2.10 h/day. Positioning (90.8%), active exercises (90.8%), breathing exercises (89.2%), passive exercises (87.7%), and percussion (87.7%) were the most commonly used applications. The barriers were related to physiotherapists (low level of employment and practice, lack of shift); patients (unwillingness, instability, participation restriction); teamwork (lack of awareness and communication); equipment (inadequacy, non-priority to purchase); and legal (reimbursement, lack of direct physiotherapy access, non-recognition of autonomy) procedures. Conclusion: The most common interventions were positioning, active, passive, breathing exercises, and percussion. Critical barriers toward physiotherapy are multifactorial and related to physiotherapists, patients, teams, equipment, and legal procedures. Physiotherapist employment, service maintenance, and multidisciplinary teamwork should be considered for physiotherapy effectiveness in ICUs.

Keywords: intensive care units, physical therapy, physiotherapy, exercises

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Authors: Ritchie Ann Dionela, Jorilyn Tabuena

Abstract:

This study measured the economic empowerment of women from small-scale fisheries and agriculture sector of Sebaste, Antique. There were a total of 199 respondents selected using stratified random sampling. The Five Domains of Empowerment (5DE) Index was used in measuring the economic empowerment of study participants. Through this composite index, it was determined how women scored in the five domains of empowerment, namely production, resources, income, leadership, and time. The result of the study shows that women fishers are more economically empowered than women farmers. The two sectors showed high disparity in their scores on input in productive decision; autonomy in production; ownership of assets; control over use of income; group member; speaking in public; workload; and leisure. Group member indicator contributed largely to the disempowered population in both sectors. Although income of women farmers is higher than that of women fishers, the latter are still economically empowered which suggests that economic empowerment is not dependent on income alone. The study recommends that fisheries and agriculture organization for women should be established so that their needs and concerns will be heard and addressed. It is further recommended that government projects focused on enhancing women empowerment should also give importance on other factors such as organization and leisure and not just income to totally promote of women empowerment. Further studies on measuring women’s empowerment using other methods should be pursued to provide more information on women’s well-being.

Keywords: agriculture, composite index, fisheries, women economic empowerment

Procedia PDF Downloads 202