Broad Objectives Research Articles

Managing for RADical ecosystem change: applying the Resist‐Accept‐Direct (RAD) framework

Ecosystem transformation involves the emergence of persistent ecological or social–ecological systems that diverge, dramatically and irreversibly, from prior ecosystem structure and function. Such transformations are occurring at increasing rates across the planet in response to changes in climate, land use, and other factors. Consequently, a dynamic view of ecosystem processes that accommodates rapid, irreversible change will be critical for effectively conserving fish, wildlife, and other natural resources, and maintaining ecosystem services. However, managing ecosystems toward states with novel structure and function is an inherently unpredictable and difficult task. Managers navigating ecosystem transformation can benefit from considering broader objectives, beyond a traditional focus on resisting ecosystem change, by also considering whether accepting inevitable change or directing it along some desirable pathway is more feasible (that is, practical and appropriate) under some circumstances (the RAD framework). By explicitly acknowledging transformation and implementing an iterative RAD approach, natural resource managers can be deliberate and strategic in addressing profound ecosystem change.

Microgrid Communication and Security: State-Of-The-Art and Future Directions

The microgrid communication network with proper connectivity among microgrid resources is play important role to maintain a stability and reliability of the microgrid. Application of suitable communication network and protocol and highlighted the best security measurement is one of the elements to achieve those broad objectives. The communication network and protocol that has been implemented in existing microgrid has different types and objective which is depend on specific application. To secure the communication network and protocol, many security approaches is proposed. In this paper, a review of microgrid communication and its security is shown and future direction of communication network and protocol with its security also provided.

US Security Assistance to Pakistan in Post 9/11 Period

This paper attempts to understand the dynamics of United States aid assistance to Pakistan in the light of post 9/11 security developments in the world. The analysis of US foreign policy aid instruments generally indicates three broad objectives: strategic/politico-security benefits, economic interests and humanitarian concerns. Although one consistently recurring theme in US foreign policy aid provision, both in the Cold War period and the newer post 2001 ‘War on Terror’ period has been security. This theme has also defined US-Pakistan aid relationship in different times, with the exception of Bush administration, who unlike the Cold War period made an alteration byspecifying funds forpurpose-basedusage in sub-fields. This paper argues that Bush administration sought to achieve US foreign policy objectives by providing strategic aid to Pakistan much at the expense of domestic public opinion. It further stresses that change in administration in the US brought obstacles in aid flows to Pakistan as President Obama not only reduced the amount of aid under specific heads, but also openly accused Pakistan of fomenting the militants (the good Taliban), which in turn hurt the US broader strategic goals in the region and raised irreconcilable issues of trust between the two countries. The new administration of Trump went a step ahead by suspending many of the aid programmes to Pakistan, bringing the all-time trust-deficit between the two countries to an all-time low. This paper primarily applies the realist and neo-realist theoretical framework to understand the aid and security relationship paradigm between the US and Pakistan.

Differential and interacting impacts of invasive plants and white-tailed deer in eastern U.S. forests

Forests in eastern North America are experiencing high densities of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and encroachment by invasive plants, both of which threaten native biodiversity. We review the literature on deer and invasive plant impacts focusing on studies that simultaneously evaluate the consequences of both. Deer have more frequent and more consistently negative effects than invasive plants. Widespread deer impacts now threaten many native plant species through much of their range. In contrast, invasive plant effects currently remain more localized and/or of smaller extent within forests. Deer impacts are also cumulative, hitting preferred plant species especially hard as they decline in density. This generates difficult-to-reverse legacy effects. Invasive plant effects, in contrast, tend to be more diffuse and may be more readily reversed. High deer populations also shift physical and chemical conditions in soils promoting “invasion cascades” involving non-native earthworms and certain introduced plants. Removing invasive plants without reducing deer populations can increase deer impacts on native species. Management should be integrated to address both deer and invasive plants. To safeguard and restore native biota when resources are limited, however, it may be most effective for managers to first reduce deer populations before investing in efforts to reduce invasive populations (except when invasions are at an early stage). We should rethink and reform traditional approaches to managing deer so that we can better integrate land vegetation with wildlife management to achieve broad public objectives. Interacting effects of high ungulate populations and invasive plants deserve further study to determine whether similar recommendations apply to other regions.

Assessing Nigeria’s National Communication Policy’s Capacity to Address the Challenges of Its Film Industry

This paper assesses a portion of Nigeria’s national communication policy being policies on the film industry. Its perspective is that although the media policy appears comprehensive as it attempts to address its fundamental ideology and purpose being national development, promotion of national culture and the advancement of individual standards of living through film and its proceeds, the policy on film is monotonous, theoretical, and lacking in key challenging areas faced by the industry. Hence, the paper’s position that the policy is outdated, slow and grinding to a halt in applicability as it is addressing broad national film objectives and not focusing on the pressing issues and minute details that add up to ensuring that the broader objectives are achieved. In other words, the national policy as regards the film industry needs to be updated to address current film industry challenges, take cognizance of minute setbacks while enacting policies that will help avoid certain anti-national media policy ideology and guide in the implementation of the updated policy. Keywords: Nigeria Film policy, Nigeria’s National Communication Policy, Nollywood, Nigeria’s Film Industry DOI: 10.7176/JAAS/72-03 Publication date: May 31 st 2021

Environmental Management in cities: A Perspective from the Akure Solid Waste Management Authority, Ondo State, Nigeria.

Management of wastes which is a part of the daily activities of man is an important aspect of environmental management. Over the years, there have been concerted efforts made towards adequately solving the problems created by improper waste management and disposal in Nigeria cities. This study, appraises environmental management in cities; a perspective from the Ondo state Waste Management Authority (OSWMA) Akure. The broad objectives of this study are to identify types of wastes managed by OSWMA, describe the attitude and role of residents (household) toward solid waste management, and examine the possible constraints faced by OSWMA, Akure in the discharge of their duties. Samples were drawn from the total number of OSWMA staff and clients served by the authority in the core, transition and peripheral districts of Akure. 53 questionnaires were administered to the staff representing 10% of the total number of staff while 324 questionnaires representing 1% of residents were administered, collated and analyzed using SPSS version 19. The results of the analysis, revealed that majority (81.1%) of the staff respondents opined that the type of waste managed by the Authority is solid waste; using the door to door method of solid waste collection as submitted by 54.5% of the staff. On the other hand, majority of the households’ respondents (81.4%) expressed willingness to pay for service rendered by the authority. Findings also revealed that poor funding was the main constraints faced by the authority. The study therefore recommends proper funding, provision of equipment and facilities needed for smooth running of the authority in order to ensure effective collection and management of waste in the study area.

PERENCANAAN PROGRAM KEAGAMAAN DALAM MENINGKATKAN MUTU LULUSAN AGAMA

SDN 1 Karanglo Lor strives to make a superior and quality institution among other educational institutions. This can be seen from the religious program in every class level. Intended so that students when graduating already have a strong religious knowledge that can help in the face of the rigors of life. Therefore, it is hoped that this state school will be able to excel in accordance with the expectations of the demands and needs of the times.So this research aims to describe the quality standards of graduates in the field of religion, the program, and planning at SDN 1 Karanglo Lor. The research method used is qualitative with the type of case studies and data collection methods using interviews, observation, and documentation. This research resulted in the quality standard of graduates in the religious fields at SDN 1 Karanglo Lor, that is able to read the Koran, understand recitation, memorize juz 30, be able to preach, be able to pray orderly, be fasting, can be recluse, can adhan, can pray, can memorize hadith, can write Arabic and can speak Arabic. The quality standard is an additional value of 8 National Education Standards. The religious program at SDN 1 Karanglo Lor is: a) Tahfidz based on quran, b) Hadrah and vocals based on social skills, and c) Madrasah diniyah based on pesantren. Planning religious programs using a comprehensive model. The plan is as a guide to outlining plans more specifically towards broad objectives.

Connecting Smallholders’ Marketplace Decisions to Agricultural Market Reform Policy in India – An Empirical Exploration

Governments in developing countries have attempted to reform inefficient agricultural markets through direct interventions, market-oriented approaches, and institutional mechanisms, with one of the aims being improving the lot of smallholder farmers. However, such interventions often fell short of yielding desired results, perhaps because broad macro objectives failed to take into account micro-level processes. This study examines smallholder farmers’ market selection decisions and attempts to establish if these have a bearing on legislative goals of agricultural marketing reforms. Analysis of survey data using binary logistic regression, reveals that farmers choose between two prominent marketplaces – APMC and farm gate – on the basis of factors such as perishability of produce, quality testing infrastructure at the marketplace, and services provided by buyers such as grading and sorting or transportation. Findings are reinforced by an extended part of the study where farmers ranked assumptive marketplace scenarios developed by incorporating different marketplace features. Results demonstrate the possibility of enabling systemic changes in agricultural markets by catering to grassroots decision mechanisms. Implications for policy and relevant players engaged in agricultural markets are discussed.

Reformulating the value proposition of water in agriculture under changing conditions*

AbstractAgri‐water holds the key for many of the world's most profound development issues, if the sector is willing and able to rethink its responses. The sector is far from addressing these challenges and needs to reformulate its metrics of success along broad development objectives in light of the water, jobs, food and climate crises. Sector interventions and reforms need to be placed on a more outcome‐oriented trajectory. This includes sustaining water resources through the irrigation sector, and attuning water services to changing agricultural needs. It requires a fundamental shift towards service delivery as the core focus of institutional reform in large‐scale irrigation, a recognition of, and support to, farmer‐driven irrigation development in diverse circumstances, and an action‐oriented approach to bring this vision into practice at systems level. This paper presents the World Bank water strategy and points of emphasis for action, and calls for programmatic approaches to work towards this vision and transformation of the sector to meet today's and future challenges.

Identifying Climate Change Adaptation Efforts in the Batutegi Forest Management Unit, Indonesia

The Batutegi Forest Management Unit (FMU) in Lampung Province, Indonesia is beginning to observe the consequences of climate change. Meanwhile, communities in Batutegi are also suggesting that effects of climate change are becoming more prominent in their region. Indicators include rising air temperature and the increasing regularity of extreme weather changes. Studies show that land cover has decreased by up to 95% in the region. As these trends intensify, predictions note that the Batutegi reservoir and the productivity of the surrounding protected forests will be affected. This research examines FMU efforts to adapt to vulnerabilities from environmental and climate change. The broader objective of this research is to determine the appropriate climate change adaptation efforts, specifically regarding the management of sustainable forest protection. The method is conducted through regression analysis to identify significant variables and applies the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) to identify priorities for planned interventions for climate change adaptation by the FMU. Based on regression results there were four significant variables, i.e. appropriate agroforestry initiatives, non-timber forest products, community institutional support, and local policy engagement. This research also considers various kinds of technologies of adaptation applied by local communities. Examining community efforts also presents possibilities for improving FMU institutional planning that is locally responsive. This is done primarily through agroforestry techniques and other community conservation practices. Based on the result of the AHP analysis, the findings highlight various programs related to agroforestry technologies as the top priority. Thereafter, priorities point to institutional development policies. Together, these priorities can form the basic considerations for developing climate change adaptation policies in Batutegi. These policies can be applied with, and by communities in managing forests through agroforestry, beginning with support for high quality seed procurement that also supports all phases of cultivation and supply chain through final product marketing. As a result, forest productivity and support for local income can form a robust approach for fulfilling community needs despite the effects of environmental and climate change in Batutegi.

Insegnare italiano L2 ad adulti migranti di livello pre A1. Un’indagine sul territorio lombardo

In this paper we present the results of a survey, conducted in the Italian region of Lombardy, on teaching Italian as a second language to adult migrants at Pre A1 level of competence, i.e. in the case of semi-literate learners. The first purpose of this research was to describe the characteristics of the teaching practices of Italian as a second language in Pre A1 level courses for migrants, collecting data through a questionnaire addressed to teachers in adult education centres in Lombardy. Then, a broader objective was to encourage the teachers’ metacognitive thinking, in order to enhance and disseminate existing good practices and promote methodological innovation, with particular attention to the role of grammatical reflection in the case of semi-literate learners. After showing the theoretical framework and the methodology of the research, we analyse the collected data, which allow to outline some implications for teaching practice and teacher training.

Expected Roles and Functions of the School Management Committee: An Investigation for Effective Functioning

Community has always been essential in giving significant education to children and members of a community have taken the liability of educating their children. Attempts have been made to improve participation of the community in schools by creating committees like Village Education Committees and School Management Committees. But questions always remain, how far are the communities practically engaged with schools? Significant provisions concerning constitution and functions of SMCs are given in sections of the RTE Act, 2009. With the above in background the present study was taken up with two broad objectives: first, to study the expected roles and functions of the school management committee; and, second to find out and suggest measures for smooth functioning of school management committee. A descriptive survey method was used to collect the data from 390 school management committee members using Questionnaire. The data were quantitatively analyzed using percentage. Responses obtained through questionnaire were converted in to frequencies followed by their conversion in to percentage. Findings revealed that members involved themselves in the monitoring of the admission, attendance and participation of child but didn’t ensure some of the key expected roles and functions and in order to function smoothly, SMCs should be elected through proper election process as per RTE act and SMC members should be oriented by the principals and other authorities. This study can be useful for all the stakeholders involved at the planning, implementing and evaluating the functioning of the School management Committee or community participation in schools. This study focusses on expected roles and functions of school management committee as per the RTE Act and finds new that if members do not function as per the RTE Act, municipal school which is the miniature of the society is going to suffer in providing the quality education as well as implementation of true decentralization.

Collaborative alignment of design partners: first step towards the definition of multiple design process models used by an automotive supplier according to specific carmakers

Each player in the automotive value chain usually has its own design process model. Suppliers must evaluate the process by eliminating, adjusting (crashing), or fast-tracking steps according to each demand of a specific project. Sometimes a carmaker involves a supplier too late in the overall design process. Consequently, suppliers must pass over some validation activities and accelerate others to keep pace with the carmaker. This research aims to create a supplier design process model aligned with a carmaker's, which can support the collaborative design and prevent future problems. Based on this experiment, the broader objective is to define a set of process models for any relationship with specific carmakers. The methodology adopted is insider action research carried out in a real environment. One of the researchers is an employee of the company, which provided many insights for this research. The results confirm the reduction of the design development effort measured in engineering hours and development costs. The development lead time was also reduced, but other practices such as joint meetings may have contributed to this reduction. These practices were deployed from the integrated and aligned collaborative process model.

Historiography and the Shaping of Regional Identity in Europe: Regions in Clio's Looking Glass ed. by Dick E. H. de Boer and Luĺs Adão da Fonseca

Reviewed by: Historiography and the Shaping of Regional Identity in Europe: Regions in Clio's Looking Glass ed. by Dick E. H. de Boer and Luĺs Adão da Fonseca Patrick Ball de Boer, Dick E. H., and Luĺs Adão da Fonseca, eds, Historiography and the Shaping of Regional Identity in Europe: Regions in Clio's Looking Glass ( Early European Research, 16), Turnhout, Brepols, 2020; hardback; pp. 301; 38 b/w illustrations; R.R.P. €85.00; ISBN 9782503590714. This book emerges from the EuroCORECODE programme, which funded research, under the European Science Foundation, into the development of regional cohesion from the Middle Ages to the present. EuroCORECODE comprised three 'Collaborative Research Projects': CURE (investigating the history of regional cohesion); CULTSYMBOLS (saints' cults as a focus for regionality); and UNFAMILIARITY (exploring perceptions of otherness). Contributions to this miscellany come from all three, though primarily the first: the volume's editors were CURE's project leaders. The scheme's nature was such that scholars from a nation were funded by that nation. Therefore, if a state chose not to participate there would be no research (generally speaking) on its regions. Since countries that opted out included France, Germany, United Kingdom, Spain, and Italy, those parts of Europe are not represented (Catalonia excepted). While this detracts from the volume's comprehensiveness, it is welcome to see a study go beyond the usual suspects and consider places that might otherwise receive less attention. As the foregoing perhaps suggests, the volume reflects strongly the institutional framework within which it arose. It opens with two chapters from the editors that introduce EuroCORECODE and the work's topic: regional history. The brief given to contributors was to describe how the historiography of their chosen region influenced its history. Then follow ten chapters, broken into two sets of five each. Part 1 deals with the medieval and early modern, as regional identity took shape; these manifest a close engagement with sources and chroniclers. Part 2 concerns nineteenth century attempts to enlist (pseudo-) historiography for nationalist purposes, with emphasis on the struggles of the day. The second section may be of less interest to Parergon's subscribers, except insofar as the material that nationalist historiographers drew upon referred, by definition, to the times that preceded their own. The focus, however, is the nineteenth century. Unfortunately, the two most intrinsically fascinating chapters in this section (Michael Bregnsbo on Schleswig-Holstein and Ad Knotter on Dutch Limburg) have the most incidental connection to these earlier periods. As large tracts of Europe are excluded from consideration, the contributions tend to cover broadly neighbouring districts: Bohemia, Silesia, and Upper Lusatia (and Transylvania); Guelders and Limburg; Schleswig-Holstein, Scandinavia, and Livonia. This potentially sets up resonances between chapters. Catalonia is the only wholly outlying region; it had been intended to pair Flocel Sabaté's chapter with one on Portugal, but the latter was omitted following the illness of one of the editors (Fonseca), who was to have co-authored it. To my mind, the best chapter of the first section is Job Weststrate's on Guelders. It also features a useful conceptual overview of the whole volume, possibly because Weststrate had a postdoctoral position within the CURE project. [End Page 204] It is possible to lose sight of the work's broader objective, so his restatement of its aims is valuable. The first three chapters concern contiguous regions, whose politics and history are related, so these are well considered together. Jana Fantysová-Matějková examines the chronicles of Bohemian writers such as Cosmas of Prague, noting that their search for a 'better identity' (p. 86) led them to suppress or highlight different aspects of regional identity—linguistic, ethnic, or religious—as circumstances changed. Przemysław Wiszewski contends that in the Middle Ages the notion of 'Silesia' did not play a significant role in promoting regional cohesion. Lenka Bobková, Petr Hrachovec, and Jan Zdichynec explore how Upper Lusatian towns' chronicles reflected awareness of a common regionality. Cornelia Popa-Gorjanu argues that sixteenth-century accounts of Transylvania aimed at persuading outsiders it was worth defending from the Ottomans, who then threatened it. The chapters in Part 2 constitute medievalism, aside from Bregnsbo...

Global warming city planning studies: A transdisciplinary approach to sustainable cities

This paper describes the shift in urban planning strategies toward more sustainable cities. The United Nations General Assembly's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) span from poverty eradication to education improvements to the preservation of global assets such as seas and climates. Achieving these broad objectives requires comprehensive and cross-disciplinary methods. Because the SDGs are inextricably linked to urban activities, urban planning is one of the most effective strategies for achieving them. In this article, we first outline a conceptual framework for the interplay of urbanization and climate change, and then predict the future trajectory of increasing worldwide urbanization in this century, as well as the resulting sustainability issues. Then, as sustainable science, we examine the path of urban planning analysis to address sustainability issues, and we suggest the cross-assessment method for vision-led urban planning. The cross-assessment method seeks to investigate synergistic solutions integrating various value systems by evaluating the effects of measures pursuing each value component on a variety of outcome indicators. The case studies for the cross-examination are drawn from Japanese public transportation policy. Finally, we examine the effects of socioeconomic changes and technical development on urban growth, particularly in the areas of transportation, building, and communication.

Role of public health and trade for achieving sustainable development goals

The United Nations General Assembly adopted “2030 agenda” for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the objective of “transforming our world.” Provision of health and trade services is central in SDGs. This study focuses on broad objectives of public health and trade, which would significantly contribute to satisfying the health and trade‐related targets of the SDGs. The paper outlines the key provisions in recent trade agreements that constrain policy space for implementing universal health coverage. It focuses on actions of relevance to health innovations and access to health products with the contribution of health and trade policies. Regarding innovation, short‐term, mid‐term and long‐term measures are proposed concerning the General Agreement on Trade in Services, Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures and Agreement on Trade‐Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). For intellectual property, four actions are proposed, which are empiric assessments; adoption of an integrated approach; intensive use of the TRIPS flexibilities and agreeing on the meaning of pharmaceutical innovation.

Financial Inclusion and Stability: Review of Theoretical and Empirical Links

Abstract This paper reviews the literature on financial stability and financial inclusion—two broad objectives of financial policy that may be mutually dependent. The review suggests the possible co-dependence of stability and inclusion. We build on this theoretical motivation by exploring stylized facts (correlations) obtained from data sets that have been widely used in the literature on financial inclusion and stability. The empirical correlations suggest that, on average, financial inclusion and stability correlate negatively, but the correlations vary systematically across individuals, firms, and country contexts. Depending on the financial instrument and stability measure, positive correlations are also likely. These associations reflect some findings in the existing literature, but also point to knowledge gaps that can be addressed by future research.

El antídoto de la corrupción: la calidad de la gobernanza

Este artículo defiende la necesidad de vincular el combate contra la corrupción con un objetivo mucho más amplio como el de la mejora de la calidad de la gobernanza, pero sin el que las estrategias anticorrupción están llamadas a fracasar. Los países que mejor controlan la corrupción, son también aquellos con una mayor calidad de gobierno. Un poder ejecutivo sometido a límites efectivos en su ejercicio para garantizar la salvaguardia del interés público en todas sus actuaciones, no solo permite un mejor control de la corrupción, sino que, al mismo tiempo, también asegura unos mejores niveles de prosperidad, un mayor grado de igualdad de oportunidades, y, asimismo, unas dosis más altas de confianza institucional y social.

Sostenibilidad y Políticas Públicas: Tratamiento en Educación Ambiental Contemporánea

El estudio en foco apunta a explorar las correspondencias entre las aplicaciones de las políticas públicas y la sostenibilidad, a través de una revisión teórica, como la condición por la cual este tema conceptual dirige el tratamiento en la educación ambiental contemporánea. La metodología utilizada para lograr este objetivo fue cualitativa con una naturaleza descriptiva, debido al uso de un examen teórico de especificidad analítica sobre sostenibilidad y políticas públicas: tratamiento en educación ambiental en los tiempos contemporáneos. Al calcular los resultados, se encontró la situación de pérdida del potencial para la integración de la sociedad industrial, toda esa protección entendida por el Estado de Bienestar reveló un grupo de incertidumbres y desconfianza. Fue posible identificar una doble dificultad: estipular un grupo de acciones ciudadanas que vinculen esta educación con el objetivo más amplio de las políticas públicas y recuperar la idea de sostenibilidad como vehículo para la expresión sociopolítica.

Strategies in Organ Preservation-A New Golden Age.

Strategies in Organ Preservation-A New Golden Age.