Changing World Research Articles

Beyond ‘musicking’: the linguistic significance of the Atumpan of the Akan of Ghana

ABSTRACT The Atumpan, a talking drum central to Akan culture in Ghana, has historically functioned as a musical instrument and a speech surrogate for communicating messages, honouring dignitaries, and preserving oral traditions. In this article, I explore the evolution of the Atumpan’s communicative role in contemporary Akan society, particularly as it intersects with digital communication and globalisation. Using an autoethnographic approach and drawing on musico-linguistic theory, I analyse how the Atumpan’s significance has shifted from a functional speech tool to one more centred on symbolic, ceremonial, and performative meanings. This shift reflects a broader trend in which traditional instruments retain cultural authority but are reshaped by modern technological practices. The article offers insights into the enduring power of the Atumpan in a changing world, and explore ways in which they continue to shape cultural identity, while acknowledging the limitations posed by its diminished role in direct communication in the digital age.

Integrating animal tracking and trait data to facilitate global ecological discoveries.

Understanding animal movement is at the core of ecology, evolution and conservation science. Big data approaches for animal tracking have facilitated impactful synthesis research on spatial biology and behavior in ecologically important and human-impacted regions. Similarly, databases of animal traits (e.g. body size, limb length, locomotion method, lifespan) have been used for a wide range of comparative questions, with emerging data being shared at the level of individuals and populations. Here, we argue that the proliferation of both types of publicly available data creates exciting opportunities to unlock new avenues of research, such as spatial planning and ecological forecasting. We assessed the feasibility of combining animal tracking and trait databases to develop and test hypotheses across geographic, temporal and biological allometric scales. We identified multiple research questions addressing performance and distribution constraints that could be answered by integrating trait and tracking data. For example, how do physiological (e.g. metabolic rates) and biomechanical traits (e.g. limb length, locomotion form) influence migration distances? We illustrate the potential of our framework with three case studies that effectively integrate trait and tracking data for comparative research. An important challenge ahead is the lack of taxonomic and spatial overlap in trait and tracking databases. We identify critical next steps for future integration of tracking and trait databases, with the most impactful being open and interlinked individual-level data. Coordinated efforts to combine trait and tracking databases will accelerate global ecological and evolutionary insights and inform conservation and management decisions in our changing world.

How might turbulence affect animal flight in a changing world?

The influence of wind on animal flight costs and flight decisions is well established. Far less is known about the effects of turbulence. Indeed, a mechanistic framework allowing researchers to predict the costs and consequences of turbulence for flapping flight is lacking. This is a notable knowledge gap, as turbulence is ubiquitous within the natural flight environment, and its characteristics and distribution are changing across the spectrum of animal flight heights as a result of, for example, land use change and increasing atmospheric instability. Here, I briefly assess naturally occurring and anthropogenic drivers of turbulence before considering how turbulence affects the metabolic costs of flight and how animals might respond in the wild. Turbulence has a measurable effect on flight costs when eddy diameter is comparable to the wingspan. The few metabolic data on this suggest that turbulence can increase flight power by 25-100%. The ability to meet the costs of turbulence should decrease with increasing body mass, because of the negative relationship between available power and mass. Larger flapping fliers may therefore show stronger behavioural responses to turbulence. Consistent with this, waterbirds and large seabirds show marked avoidance of offshore wind farms, but this has yet to be analysed in relation to turbulence. Overall, the integration of laboratory and field approaches should provide new insight into the conditions animals avoid, the associated costs (according to eddy size, velocity and flight morphology) and the implications for flight in changing airscapes.

New Challenges in a Changing World

New Challenges in a Changing World

Living in Disadvantaged Neighborhoods: Experiential Narratives of Residents Facing Daily, Economic, Environmental, and Social Challenges

Being both a driver and a manifestation of the current ecological, climate, and social crises, urban sustainability has become a major contemporary issue. Rather than framing the challenges that populations are confronted to as external factors, especially in deprived and segregated neighborhoods, we collected narratives about their experience of their living environments. Our work assumed an innovative interdisciplinary perspective in response to the complex interconnexions of the issues at stake. We aimed to highlight the significance of a situated perspective and an experience-based approach to fully embrace the idea of a research engaged with and for the communities, especially those suffering from marginalization and social deprivation. Our empirical results, rooted in expressions of place attachment (or not), in four disadvantaged neighborhoods in France, are presented in the form of a heuristic device, a non-normative framework that iteratively produced a representation with six dimensions that we called feelings. Together, they can be used to explore the manifestations of well-being, through place attachment related to one’s living environment, in a relational and open way, as people make sense of their place and possibly engage in its defense. We suggest further attention should be directed to concepts such as agency, freedom, and social recognition, as major conditions of the possibility of well-being or leading a good life. These dimensions could be major targets for policies trying to respond to the current sustainability challenges, such as social and environmental justice in the face of an unequal and changing world.

Karst Water Resources in a Changing World: Review of Solute Transport Modeling Approaches

Karst Water Resources in a Changing World: Review of Solute Transport Modeling Approaches

Soil Multitrophic Interactions in a Changing World

ABSTRACTMultitrophic interactions in the soil food web represent an important factor in shaping the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions (BEF) under the changing environmental conditions. Despite some recent advancements, the relative contribution, and mechanisms by which multitrophic interactions affect ecosystem functions and stability, however, remain poorly understood. Here, we provide an overview of the current understanding of the role of multitrophic interactions in BEF and explore mechanistic pathways that may underpin their role in ecosystem functions and stability. We also discuss potential approaches to quantify the contribution of the multitrophic interactions in the soil food web. Specifically, we highlight the need for improvements in empirical frameworks and analytical tools for quantifying the strength of these interactions in the soil food web. We argue that addressing the key knowledge gaps in current understanding, BEF research requires integration of multitrophic interactions as a key factor when predicting the rate and stability of ecosystem multifunctionality under changing climatic conditions.

Responses of freshwater organisms to multiple stressors in a climate change scenario: a review on small-scale experiments.

This review summarizes how salinity and temperature, two key global factors driven by climate change in freshwater systems, interact with other stressors on organisms in controlled small-scale factorial experiments at the population, individual, or subindividual level (excluding mesocosm and field studies). Despite the growing interest, research following all these criteria remains limited with 156 publications of which 50% analyzed stressors + salinity, 46% stressors + temperature, and only 4% involved the triple combination. Research on the combined effect of temperature and salinity predominantly focused on metals, pesticides, and, to a lesser extent, emergent contaminants, such as microplastics and nanomaterials, encompassing various biological models and responses. In general, increased temperature amplifies the single effect of stressors, whereas salinity leads to a higher diversity of responses, with similar proportions of synergisms and antagonisms. Fish (Salmoniformes, Perciformes, and Cypriniformes) were the most studied organisms. Among Crustacea, only cladocerans of the genera Daphnia and Ceriodpahnia were considered. The present review highlights the need to include other species that play key roles in freshwater food webs and to increase triple combination studies to understand complex interactions and develop adaptation and mitigation strategies to preserve the environment and its services in this changing world.

Transforming Customer Relationship Management through Disruptive Technology: An Empirical Study on Role of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Businesses, in an effort to keep up with the changing world, are now finding new ways to connect with their customers, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is playing a big role in this change. AI tools like chatbots and systems that predict what customers need help companies be more efficient and give faster, more personalized, and more helpful service. Al and Machine Learning (ML) make it easier for businesses to understand their customers and build trust with them. AI is also helping businesses learn more about customer behavior and it is getting possible to solve problems even before they happen. But using AI isn’t always easy. Companies need to make sure customer data is safe, use AI responsibly, and keep a balance between technology and human connection. This paper looks at how disruptive technologies like AI and ML are changing customer relationship management (CRM), the benefits it brings, and the challenges businesses face. With careful planning, AI can help businesses grow while creating better connections with their customers. A sample of 219 was collected to find the result of the study. The factors identify the impact of AI and ML on Customer Relationship Management are Personalization and Customer Experience, Data Processing and Management, Enhanced Decision-Making, and System Automation.

The European Commission as an engine for international cooperation

Collaboration is crucial to pool the expertise and resources needed to devise solutions to tackle pressing global challenges. Unprecedented global challenges cannot be solved without world-leading research and the funding opportunities and initiatives provided by the European Commission (EC) are built on this premise. A document called the EC’s Global Approach to Research and Innovation 2021, sets out Europe’s strategy for international cooperation in a changing world. A key part of this is open and balanced collaborations. It highlights the important role of innovators in ensuring the wellbeing of citizens for generations to come and emphasises the need for stronger than ever cross-border collaboration to produce innovative solutions that align with the sustainable development goals and promote Europe’s resilience and competitiveness. There is an emphasis on partnerships with countries that share the same values as the EU. By developing frameworks for cooperation with non-EU countries, the goal is to push forward global efforts to solve global challenges. Strategic objectives are the promotion of open and inclusive collaboration, strengthening global partnerships and tackling global challenges through the development of solutions that will benefit everyone. There is emphasis on balancing openness with the need to protect data security, ensuring fair access to funding opportunities, strengthening frameworks for collaboration, supporting research and innovation in partner countries and supporting Horizon Europe initiatives. Horizon Europe is key to facilitating global collaboration in research and innovation. The Global Gateway is another key initiative in the EC’s strategy to enhance collaboration. Von der Leyen called it a ‘roadmap for major investment in infrastructure development around the world’.

Thermoenergetic Performance of Phase Change Materials in Building Envelopes Under Future Climate Scenario

This study evaluates the thermal and energy performance of building envelopes incorporating phase change materials (PCM) compared with traditional resistive thermal insulation, considering future climate scenarios. Using EnergyPlus simulations, the study analyzes a medium office building with varying envelope compositions in two distinct Brazilian climates—Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro—representing bioclimatic zones 1 and 8, respectively. The PCM used, SP24E, aligns with the HVAC system setpoints, and climate projections for 2050 and 2080 are integrated using the Climate Change World Weather File Generator (CCWorldWeatherGen) based on the A2 emissions scenario. Results indicate that in mild climates like Curitiba, PCM significantly improves energy efficiency, reducing annual Energy Use Intensity (EUI) by 8.2% in 2050 and 10% in 2080 compared with resistive insulation. Conversely, in hotter climates like Rio de Janeiro, PCM increases EUI by 12.1% in 2050 and 20.7% in 2080 compared with resistive insulation. This study highlights the varying effectiveness of PCM in different climatic conditions and its implications for future building energy performance.

A review on modelling forest biogeochemistry and the coupled forest – soil interactions in a changing world

A review on modelling forest biogeochemistry and the coupled forest – soil interactions in a changing world

Maize2035: A decadal vision for intelligent maize breeding.

Maize2035: A decadal vision for intelligent maize breeding.

Current account dynamics and saving-investment nexus in a changing and uncertain world

Current account dynamics and saving-investment nexus in a changing and uncertain world

Insurgent memory, post-imperial governance, and change: reassessing the truth about Portugal’s colonial history

ABSTRACT The historical memory of the imperial past is central to Portuguese national identity. However, in recent years, this memory has been challenged, both from outside, due to changing international norms about colonial violence, and from within, with national organisations mobilising against the Portuguese state’s failure to acknowledge the harm caused by Portuguese colonialism. This article focuses on the ongoing dispute between opposing conceptions of the historical truth about Portugal’s colonial past. It contrasts the official memory of the state with the insurgent counter-memory practices of civil society, explaining the state’s reluctance to address the wrongs of the colonial past. It identifies the main actors and initiatives in promoting post-colonial justice, examines how the state has responded to their demands, and how truth-seeking processes have contributed to social change. The article also places these struggles in the context of current social, political, and epistemic changes resulting from changing world geopolitics and global political and economic crises. In this context, post-colonial memory is conceived as a space of dissent, conflict, exchange, and negotiation, within which civil society plays a fundamental role in the search for historical truth, recognition, and social justice.

Publishing and reviewing in the changing world of pathology journals

Publishing and reviewing in the changing world of pathology journals

Psychologists return to the first question of Western philosophy.

When ancient humans gained the ability to investigate abstract questions, what first question did they pose? This article offers a novel, sweeping, historical analysis with important implications for psychological theory. The story begins with identifying the first question in Ancient Greek philosophy as "Where am I?" with particular interest in the world's overarching basic traits. For example, Pythagoras proposed the world was defined by beauty and Heraclitus suggested change. Though this discourse has traditionally puzzled historians, recent psychological research suggests it might have been largely a debate over primal world beliefs, an emerging research topic that this article introduces and situates historically. Recently, the latent structure of primal world beliefs was mapped statistically, revealing 26 dimensions. Most of these beliefs were new to psychologists, yet already posed by ancient philosophers-including Pythagoras' Beautiful world belief and Heraclitus' Changing world belief. Identifying first questions in early history may have value for psychological theorizing because it hints at something that social psychologists have long suspected: that humans are creatures fundamentally driven to understand their situation and what it calls for. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Multi-scale urban ecosystem service changes and their impact mechanisms on human well-being.

Multi-scale urban ecosystem service changes and their impact mechanisms on human well-being.

VISUAL-BASED LEARNING MEDIA IN THE FORM OF “ULAR TANGGA” GAME TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LEARNING AND TEACHING

One of the Government policies mentioned in the points of the National Education Policy Direction in the field of Elementary and Secondary Education in 2001/2004 was to reform and strengthen the system. The quality of education at elementary level is demanded to always be better along with the world's changing. The teacher as the leading role in teaching and studying activity is expected to be able to use acceptable media to improve student's learning interest. Visual based teaching media in game formation is one of effective alternative media to improve studying quality. Children in elementary level have a tendency to play. Fun and relaxing situations will help children to increase their learning interest. There is a new paradigm recently that through playing children will be able to learn more and their studying activity will be more effective when the situation is set to be fun. The development of this learning media in the form of “ular tangga”game is aimed at giving discourse about alternative teaching media for elementary level. The use of this alternative media is expected to improve the quality of teaching and studying activities at elementary level.

Mental health promotion and prevention: Adjusting to the changing world

Mental health promotion and prevention: Adjusting to the changing world