Research Research Articles

Changing pasture management practices on the Greek island of Samothraki: Obstacles and opportunities

ContextOn the Greek island of Samothraki, decades of overgrazing by the large domestic population of small ruminants accelerated soil degradation and surface erosion, with direct consequences for ecosystem functioning and the delivery of ecosystem services. ObjectiveThis manuscript reports on a 5-year research project to achieve more sustainable pasture management practices among small ruminant farmers on the island, through the introduction of Sown Biodiverse Pastures (SBP). This practice, based on sowing a seed mixture of legumes and grasses that increase pasture productivity, has proven to be a successful tool to overcome degradation of ruminant pastures in Portugal. MethodsLocal small ruminant farmers on Samothraki, a difficult group when it comes to the acceptance of new practices and ideas, were engaged in the transdisciplinary research process, and trained in appropriate management practices of SBP. This led to the adoption and implementation of SBP by nine farmers on 13 parcels. Results and conclusionsQuantitative data on species composition and productivity shows that the performance and persistence of SBP on Samothraki is favourable, if soil preparation and sowing is practiced as recommended, and relevant management practices are adopted. Comparing with conventional agricultural practices, i.e. annual crop – fallow rotation, productivity in SBP outperformed the forage quantity in fallow land, while yield in the annual crop was approximately equal as compared to SBP. The increasing forage capacity of SBP instigates several environmental and economic benefits, such as a reduction of grazing pressure in vulnerable areas, and less expenditure on supplementary feed requirements. However, lack of will and trust in these new practices and seed mixtures among local farmers resulted in discontinuation in almost half of the parcels. The adoption of new management practices by the farming community on Samothraki required continuous efforts, and the short-term framework of the research project did not favour long-term success. SignificanceIt is recommended for any programs aiming at changing farming practices to engage with local stakeholders, especially farmers, and to closely collaborate with local institutional partners who can carry the work forward after scientific researchers have left.

Design and performance evaluation of a 350 m free space optical communications link for pico-macrocell backhauling

Fibreless optics or free space optical communications (FSOC) has been at the forefront of many academic research in telecommunications due to its numerous benefits of large spectrum, high-speed data transmission, security, low transmit power, unlicensed spectrum and non-interfering links. Among the technical challenges of dense deployment of small cells in heterogeneous networks (HetNet) is a flexible and cost-effective backhaul link. This paper proposes, designs, simulates and evaluates the performance of a 350 m FSOC link under different atmospheric impairments for picocell to macrocell backhauling applications. The performance of the FSOC link is assessed by evaluating bit error rate (BER), eye diagram and quality factor (Q-factor). Results obtained recommend the FSOC link deployment for pico-macrocell backhauling under the weather conditions of clear sky with/without turbulence, heavy rain, heavy haze, heavy fog and wet snow.

Local recycling and reuse of concrete and soil: The societal impact of double-loop learning from circular urban transformation projects

The article presents certain findings from a large European research and development project aiming to generate societal impact through multi-stakeholder collaboration based on circular economy principles in the built environment. In the project, eight apartment buildings were demolished, and recycled aggregate concrete was used to cast the foundation for a new city hall being constructed nearby. Additionally, excavated soil from the construction of the city hall was transported to the urban development site where apartment buildings had been demolished, and the excavated soil was used in the terrain for the new urban development in the area. The local reuse of excavated soil significantly reduced transport volumes as the soil would otherwise have been transported long distances out of the city. The primary impact of the project was the direct environmental effects associated with the local concrete and soil recycling. The secondary impacts were linked to improved coordination and management of circular construction projects in the municipality through knowledge and competences being developed during the project (single-loop learning). Finally, the project also created awareness in the municipal organisation about strategic and organisational changes needed to facilitate future circular construction projects (double-loop learning).

Gamified flipped classroom in education: a systematic review

Nowadays, gamified flipped classrooms (GFC) are a cutting-edge teaching method. Using gamification techniques with flipped classrooms (FC) significantly positively affects teachers and students. This study reviews the impact of GFC research on education methodically. Hence, the study investigated a comprehensive literature review of 52 empirical research publications published between 2018 and 2022 in various electronic databases and on the web. Note that the review established the foundation for the significance of upcoming research projects by critically assessing and evaluating the different inconsistencies in the literature. In addition to examining the contradictory results of previous research, the study offer a framework as well as guidance for future researchers in terms of theoretical models, methodology, game tools or online platforms, game activity, game elements, variables, and the impact of a GFC.

Development and validation of an early diagnosis model for bone metastasis in non-small cell lung cancer based on serological characteristics of the bone metastasis mechanism

Bone metastasis significantly impact the prognosis of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, reducing their quality of life and shortening their survival. Currently, there are no effective tools for the diagnosis and risk assessment of early bone metastasis in NSCLC patients. This study employed machine learning to analyze serum indicators that are closely associated with bone metastasis, aiming to construct a model for the timely detection and prognostic evaluation of bone metastasis in NSCLC patients. The derivation cohort consisted of 664 individuals with stage IV NSCLC, diagnosed between 2015 and 2018. The variables considered in this study included age, sex, and 18 specific serum indicators that have been linked to the occurrence of bone metastasis in NSCLC. Variable selection used multivariate logistic regression analysis and Lasso regression analysis. Six machine learning methods were utilized to develop a bone metastasis diagnostic model, assessed with Area Under the Curve (AUC), Decision Curve Analysis (DCA), sensitivity, specificity, and validation cohorts. External validation used 113 NSCLC patients from the Medical Alliance (2019-2020). Furthermore, a prospective validation study was conducted on a cohort of 316 patients (2019-2020) who were devoid of bone metastasis, and followed-up for at least two years to assess the predictive capabilities of this model. The model's prognostic value was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Through variable selection, 11 serum indictors were identified as independent predictive factors for NSCLC bone metastasis. Six machine learning models were developed using age, sex, and these serum indicators. A random forest (RF) model demonstrated strong performance during the training and internal validation cohorts, achieving an AUC of 0.98 (95% CI 0.95-0.99) for internal validation. External validation further confirmed the RF model's effectiveness, yielding an AUC of 0.97 (95% CI 0.94-0.99). The calibration curves demonstrated a high level of concordance between the anticipated risk and the observed risk of the RF model. Prospective validation revealed that the RF model could predict the occurrence of bone metastasis approximately 10.27±3.58 months in advance, according to the results of the SPECT. An online computing platform (https://bonemetastasis.shinyapps.io/shiny_cls_1model/) for this RF model is publicly available and free-to-use by doctors and patients. This study innovatively employs age, gender, and 11 serological markers closely related to the mechanism of bone metastasis to construct an RF model, providing a reliable tool for the early screening and prognostic assessment of bone metastasis in NSCLC patients. However, as an exploratory study, the findings require further validation through large-scale, multicenter prospective studies. This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NO.81974315); Shanghai Municipal Science and Technology Commission Medical Innovation Research Project (NO.20Y11903300); Shanghai Municipal Health Commission Health Industry Clinical Research Youth Program (NO.20204Y034).

Improved Hemodynamics with Self-Expanding Compared to Balloon Expandable Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation in Small Annulus Patients: A Propensity-Matched Analysis

Patients with small aortic annuli (SAA) pose a challenge in aortic valve replacement patients due to potential for prosthesis-patient mismatch (PPM). The objective of this study was to compare clinical and hemodynamic outcomes of self-expandable valves (SEV) versus balloon-expandable valves (BEV) transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in patients with severe aortic stenosis and SAA. All patients who underwent TAVI for severe native aortic stenosis with a SAA between January 2018 and December 2022 were retrospectively included in the study from a single center. Propensity score matching was performed to balance baseline characteristics. Bioprosthesis valve dysfunction (BVD) was based on modified Valve Academic Research Consortium 3 (VARC-3) criteria. A total of 1170 TAVI procedures were performed between 2018 and 2022. After applying the exclusion criteria, 332 patients reported a SAA at CT scan and matching created 109 balanced pairs. Echocardiographic data at discharge showed higher mean transvalvular gradients (p<0.001), higher grades of mitral regurgitation (p=0.029), and lower ejection fraction (p<0.043) in BEV when compared to SEV. At follow-up, significant differences favoring the SEV group regarding BVD were observed (p=0.002), especially in terms of severe PPM (p=0.046), and at least moderate structural valve deterioration (p=0.040). In conclusion, TAVI in patients with SAA using a BEV was associated with lower valve areas, higher mean pressure gradients and PPM (including severe) compared to SEV. Short- and midterm all-cause and cardiac-related mortality did not differ between the two groups. Future randomized studies with extended follow-ups are warranted to validate these outcomes.

Investigating the ascendancy of brand experience on brand equity: A Literature review

This literature review aims to analyze the correlations amid brand experience and brand equity. The whole range of sensory, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral reactions that customers exhibit towards a brand is encompassed by brand experience. It highlights the significance of establishing memorable and meaningful engagements that surpass the practical characteristics of a product or service. The evaluation examines an extensive array of academic articles, research papers, and industry reports to get a thorough comprehension of the current body of knowledge about this correlation. The assessment additionally highlights certain deficiencies in the current body of knowledge. Additional investigation is necessary to understand the specific ways in which brand experience impacts brand equity. In summary, this literature study offers a thorough examination of the associating between brand experience and brand equity. The upshots indicate that brand experience is indispensable in constructing and improving brand equity. This statement emphasizes the importance of brand experiences in developing a strong brand value, and it advocates for additional research to enhance our comprehension of this connection in different circumstances. This review offers significant insights for marketing practitioners seeking to effectively maintain and enhance brand equity through strategic brand experiences.

Quantitative and qualitative phytochemical analysis of ethanol leaf extract of Pleiocarpa mutica

This research project examined Pleiocarpa mutica leaf extract, extracted from ethanol using both quantitative and qualitative phytochemical analysis. Sourced is at Ugbene-Ajima in the Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State, Nigeria, where fresh Pleiocarpa mutica leaves were collected. After been gathered, the newly sprouted P. mutica leaves were cleaned. We then shade-dried the leaves until they were crispy, rotating them frequently to prevent them from rotting. A mechanical grinder was utilized to reduce the dried leaves to a powdered state while a maceration flask was used to macerate 1.5 kg of the known weight of the ground leaves in 10 liters of 100% ethanol. In using a muslin cloth, the mixture was filtered into a flask with a flat bottom after being left for 72 hours with irregular stirring. Quantitative phytochemical analysis procedures identified the specific concentration of a certain chemical constituent present in a plant sample using methods such as mass spectrometry, chromatography, and spectrophotometry. This makes it possible to determine the concentration of a component in the plant material. Qualitative phytochemical analysis techniques focus on identifying the presence or absence of several chemical groups in a plant sample. Discovering the existence of substances such as alkaloids, phenols, terpenoids, and flavonoids often requires a range of chemical analyses or the use of specific reagents. Thus, the standard quantitative and qualitative phytochemical analysis technique were used to investigate the chemical composition of plants and identify bioactive compounds that may offer nutritional, medicinal, or pharmacological advantages. Hence, it has been shown that the ethanol leaves extract of P. mutica contains various concentrations of phytochemical constituents, which might be responsible for its biological activities.

Science diplomacy for stronger bilateral relations? The role of Arctic science in Iceland’s relations with Japan and China

ABSTRACT The aurora borealis research carried out by China and Japan in the Arctic state of Iceland has been received very differently both in Iceland and abroad. While the Japanese research has gone almost unnoticed for decades, the Chinese research has been received with much scepticism and negative media coverage, including talk of a possible security threat. This paper presents a comparative study which explores the history of the two research projects, as well as their execution and reception. Through the lens of the aurora research, the paper also explores the broader implications of Arctic and science diplomacy on bilateral relations between Iceland and the two Asian powerhouses. As the aurora research in Iceland has so far received limited academic attention outside the natural sciences, the paper is largely based on primary research, including thirteen in-depth interviews with key individuals closely connected to the projects. The paper demonstrates the different reception of the two projects in Iceland and discusses both organisational issues, such as differences in scale and capacity, and underlying factors related to international politics. Furthermore, the research demonstrates that the Japanese case is a purely science-focused collaboration devoid of science diplomacy, while in the Chinese case, science has been used as a tool to facilitate more strategic diplomatic goals – most importantly the bilateral Free Trade Agreement between China and Iceland.

The patriarchal Western gaze and the discursive policing of fandom: “Koreaboo” as stigma

The derogatory label “Koreaboo,” used to stigmatize Korean popular culture fans, suggests Korean media's movements are treated as a contaminant rather than a welcome presence. In this research project, I conducted focus group research and analyses of Reddit threads to understand the ways women fans of color in this study interpret and navigate taste hierarchies that mock women's interests in celebrities and texts from a racialized Asian nation. Korean popular culture fans of color reject “Koreaboo” for themselves, but they project the label onto “bad” White fans, who are perceived as having inappropriate fannish interests that deviate from popularly held standards of intercultural and interracial fan interest. The self-disciplining within fandom distances itself from the Western patriarchal gaze by re-directing its focus. Even when fans of color seek Korean media to escape White hegemony and heteronormative patriarchy, they internalize and react to its gaze in their fan practice.

Accelerating handwritten number classifier with pipelined Multiply-Accumulate units in neural networks

This research project explores the development and assessment of a Handwritten Number Classifier based on Neural Networks, employing the widely used MNIST dataset. The primary objective of this study is to enhance computational efficiency, and to achieve this, it concentrates on integrating and contrasting non-pipelined and pipelined structures within the Multiply-Accumulate (MAC) unit. The initial phase involved conducting MATLAB simulations, which yielded promising results regarding the accuracy of weight calculations. Subsequently, Hardware Description Language (HDL) testing was carried out to further validate the classifiers performance. In the HDL testing phase, the classifier incorporating the pipelined MAC unit demonstrated a substantial 42.9% enhancement in processing speed when compared to its non-pipelined counterpart. These results highlight the potential advantages of employing pipeline processing in neural network architectures, emphasizing its effectiveness in achieving faster and more efficient image classification, particularly when dealing with extensive datasets. In conclusion, this research project not only presents valuable insights into improving the efficiency of neural network-based image classifiers but also lays the groundwork for potential future endeavors. These future directions may include adapting the classifier to handle more complex datasets and addressing emerging challenges.

What Lies in ‘Business Incubation and SMEs’ Research? A Literature Review and Roadmap for Future Research

The concept of ‘Business Incubation and SMEs’ has recently received a lot of interest in academic research and real-world business settings. Business incubator is a critical instrument for promoting entrepreneurial ecosystems and the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Business incubation is a process that nurtures and promotes the growth of start-ups and early-stage companies. The aim of this article was to examine the existing literature on business incubators and SMEs in order to identify and highlight major as well as relevant themes and trends that can influence future research. The Scopus database was used to extract the data file. To develop network structures biblioshiny package of RStudio and VOSviewer was used. The results from the literature survey show some key observations highlight business incubators’ changing nature, challenges, and impact on economic and entrepreneurship development. In addition, SMEs can be better served if incubation programmes are tailored to specific industries or technologies, for this, governments should encourage the establishment of specialised incubation centres.

Analysis of the Coupling Coordinated Development of the Water-Soil-Energy-Carbon System in Northwest China

The intricate interplay between water resources, land resources, energy systems, and carbon emissions has emerged as a prominent discourse in academic research. Nonetheless, there remains a dearth of comprehensive research dedicated to fostering environmentally friendly and low-carbon development through systematic integration and coordination efforts. This study aimed to fill this gap by integrating the coupling mechanism of the Water-Land-Energy-Carbon (WLEC) system, thereby constructing an evaluation index framework that assesses coordinated developments in Northwest China’s WLEC system. It scrutinizes the security levels within the Water-Land-Energy (WLE) subsystem while conducting quantitative analyses on the degrees of coupling coordination within the WLEC systems, alongside their associated hindering factors. The preliminary findings were as follows: Firstly, the safety development within the WLE system demonstrates a positive trend across Northwest China, with notable advancements primarily observed in the Qinghai and Gansu provinces. In 2021, all five Northwestern provinces exhibited moderate levels of safe development, except for the Qinghai province, which transitioned from moderate to robust. Secondly, the coupling coordination degree of the WLEC system across the five provinces has consistently illustrated an upward trajectory over the years. However, as of 2021, the system remains in a state characterized by marginal disorder. Notably, the Qinghai and Gansu provinces have shown particularly encouraging upward trends, with the Shaanxi province also making notable progress. Conversely, Xinjiang has declined since 2017 due to negative interactions between the subsystems of water, soil, energy, and carbon emissions. Thirdly, spatial variations exist in the distribution patterns between the provinces regarding the influence of obstructing factors on indicators related to coupled coordinated development, such as per capita arable land area, per capita energy consumption, per capita carbon emissions, per capita construction land area, and the proportion of groundwater water in the total amount of water supply, which demonstrated an increasing trend. These findings carry significant practical implications for actively and steadily promoting carbon peaking and carbon neutrality in Northwest China.

Implementation of Pirates VS Echinomonster Algebra Props To Improve Math Learning Outcomes

This research attempts to determine student learning results through the utilization of mathematical concepts and pirates vs. echinomonster props. This study is a qualitative, descriptive research project. The subject of this lesson is algebra. The study's subjects were five female students from SMP Al Kholili Kalisat Jember's class VII for the 2023–2024 academic year. The procedures of tests and interviews are employed in this research to collect data. Strategies for data analysis in this study are based on looking at how students tackle algebraic problems. The results showed that kids could solve algebraic problems with pirates vs. echinomonster props. The employment of pirates vs. echinomonster algebra props has been shown to improve students' mathematical learning outcomes by 1.2%, according to the study's findings.

Validity and reliability of the Persian version of food preferences questionnaire (Persian-FPQ) in Iranian adolescents

The assessment of dietary intakes and habits using reliable and youth-specific measurement tools during adolescence is essential. The aim of the present study was to culturally adapt and investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the food preferences questionnaire (Persian-FPQ) among Iranian adolescents. This methodological cross-sectional study was conducted among 452 Persian-speaking adolescents, living in Isfahan, Iran. Translation of the FPQ was performed using forward–backward method. Intra Class Correlation (ICC) and Cronbach’s α were used to assess test–retest reliability and internal consistency, respectively. Construct validity was investigated by using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Divergent validity was determined using correlation analysis with Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10). Known-group validity was assessed based on differences in mean food preference score between boys and girls and different categories of body mass index (BMI). The internal and external reliabilities for the Persian-FPQ were in the range of good to excellent in all domains (Cronbach’s α: 0.76–0.96 and ICCs: 0.982–0.998). Boys had higher scores of food preferences than girls, indicating good known-group validity. Construct validity evaluated by EFA led to extraction of seven factors (“Vegetables”, “Fruit”, “Dairy”, “Snacks”, “Meat/Fish”, “Starches” and “Miscellaneous foods”), explaining 37.8% of the variance. Divergent validity revealed significant negative correlations between five sub-scales of the Persian-FPQ and psychological distress. The Persian version of the FPQ is a reliable and valid instrument with applicability in a broad range of the population of Persian-speaking adolescents for assessing food preferences in community-based research projects.

Assessing the potential of BirdNET to infer European bird communities from large-scale ecoacoustic data

1.Passive acoustic monitoring has become increasingly popular as a practical and cost-effective way of obtaining highly reliable acoustic data in ecological research projects. Increased ease of collecting these data means that, currently, the main bottleneck in ecoacoustic monitoring projects is often the time required for the manual analysis of passively collected recordings. In this study we evaluate the potential and current limitations of BirdNET-Analyzer v2.4, the most advanced and generic deep learning algorithm for bird recognition to date, as a tool to assess bird community composition through the automated analysis of large-scale ecoacoustic data.2.To this end, we study 3 acoustic datasets comprising a total of 629 environmental soundscapes collected in 194 different sites spread across a 19° latitude span in Europe. We analyze these soundscapes using both BirdNET and manual listening by local expert birders, and we then compare the results obtained through the two methods to evaluate the performance of the algorithm both at the level of each single vocalization and for entire recording sequences (1, 5 or 10 min).3.Since BirdNET provides a confidence score for each identification, minimum confidence thresholds can be used to filter out identifications with low scores, thus retaining only the most reliable ones. The volume of ecoacoustic data used in this study did not allow us to estimate species-specific minimum confidence thresholds for most taxa, so we instead used and evaluated global confidence thresholds selected for optimized results when consistently applied across all species.4.Our analyses reveal that BirdNET identifications can be highly reliable if a sufficiently high minimum confidence threshold is used. However, the inevitable trade-off between precision and recall does not allow to obtain satisfactory results for both metrics at the same time. We found that F1-scores remain moderate (<0.5) for all datasets and confidence thresholds studied, and that acoustic datasets of extended duration seem to be currently necessary for BirdNET to provide a reliable and minimally comprehensive picture of the target bird community. We estimate, however, that the usage of species- and context-specific minimum confidence thresholds would allow to substantially improve the global performance benchmarks obtained in this study.5.We conclude that a judicious use of AI-based identifications provided by BirdNET can represent a powerful method to assist in the assessment of bird community composition through the automated analysis of ecoacoustic data, especially when applied to acoustic datasets of extended duration.

From reflective practice to action research and positive change: securing high levels of wellbeing among learners with autism spectrum condition in the mainstream setting

ABSTRACT This article details and reflects on an action research project that explored the in-class wellbeing of children with autism within a mainstream primary school in Wales. It also sets out why reflective practice alone may be insufficient in the process of achieving positive change. Through the iterative reflective cycles of action research, drivers that promoted positive wellbeing in children with additional learning needs were identified, and barriers to these children’s happiness were confronted. Driven by a commitment to effective inclusion of all learners, the initial reconnaissance phase of the research recorded that episodes of in-class low wellbeing experienced by children with autism were higher than those of their fellow classmates in terms of their frequency and severity. This discovery inspired a collaborative process of pedagogic inquiry to find positive change. Teachers working across year groups developed, trialled, and reflected on interventions that aimed to improve the daily lived experiences of children with additional learning needs and enhance educational outcomes. The exponential growth of children identified as having autism makes research into the in-school positive wellbeing of this group both necessary and urgent. It is hoped that this study will inspire others, both in school and in wider contexts, to undertake action research to improve the lives of children with additional learning needs, such as autism.

Temporal trends with the Evolut family of self-expanding transcatheter heart valves: A single-center experience.

The Evolut self-expanding valve (SEV) systems (Medtronic), were designed to accommodate varying valve sizes and reduce paravalvular leak (PVL) while maintaining a low delivery profile. These systems have evolved between product generations, alongside valve deployment techniques changing over time. This study aimed to examine whether these changes impacted clinical outcomes. EPROMPT is a prospective, investigator-initiated, postmarketing registry of consecutive patients undergoing transfemoral transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) using the Evolut PRO/PRO+SEV system. A total of 300 patients were divided into three consecutive cohorts of 100 patients according to implantation date (January to October 2018, November 2018 to July 2020, and August 2020 to November 2021). Procedural and clinical outcomes over these time periods were compared. Valve Academic Research Consortium (VARC)-2 device implantation success improved over time (70.0% vs. 78.0% vs. 88.8%, p = 0.01), with a similar trend for VARC-3 device success (94.7% vs. 81.7% vs. 96.8%, p < 0.001). PVL (all degrees) frequency was likewise reduced over time (31.0% vs. 17.0% vs. 19.2%, p = 0.04). Furthermore, a trend was noticed toward shorter procedure times and shorter length of stay. However, postprocedural pacemaker implantation rates did not significantly differ (15.2% vs. 21.1% vs. 14.0%, p = 0.43). During a 3-year period, we demonstrated better TAVR outcomes with newer SEV iterations, alongside changes in implantation techniques, which might result in better procedural and clinical outcomes. However, we did not see a significant change in peri-procedural pacemaker rates for SEV.

Exploring materiality and sensory experience through Viking Age reenactment

ABSTRACT Sensory archaeology explores how past individuals engaged with their world through all their senses. The use of senses is also a cornerstone in Viking Age reenactment. We argue that research on Viking Age material culture can benefit from the knowledge and experience of Viking Age reenactors, particularly when studying the sensory dimension of using and crafting objects. The traditional dichotomy between archaeologists and reenactors can also be challenged, as many individuals can be professional archaeologists but also reenactors. The application of reenactment in archaeological research is nevertheless situated on the boundary between subjective experiences and objective academic research. For this kind of research to work, methodological rigour and a theoretical framework is required to ensure the reliability and validity of interpretations. By applying a relevant theoretical framework, for example one that embraces the theories of sensory archaeology, while acknowledging the nuanced interplay of authenticity and subjectivity, Viking Age reenactment can provide a unique tool to study Viking Age material culture.

Critical Social Participatory Action Research for Conscientization: Pedagogies and Findings from Xochimilco

The Small Scale Food Production for Cultural Preservation and Economic Inclusion project is a critical social participatory action research project that utilizes critical pedagogies to facilitate spaces of learning and research where power differentials are both recognized and dismantled. The process of consciousness raising those results is an example of applied conscientization. The key pedagogical strategies explained in this article include co-constructed knowledge, critical praxis, a relational design rooted in dialogue and ongoing project partnership.