Conceptual Elements Research Articles

Towards a future conceptualization of destination resilience: exploring the role of actors, agency and resilience narratives

PurposeDespite the widespread use and application of resilience, much uncertainty about the conceptualization and operationalization in the context of tourism destinations still exists. The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual elaboration on destination resilience and to introduce a model for an improved understanding of the concept.Design/methodology/approachTaking a conceptual research approach, this paper seeks to untangle the fuzziness surrounding the destination and resilience concept by providing a new interpretation that synthesizes theories and concepts from various academic disciplines. It analyses the current debate to derive theoretic baselines and conceptual elements that subsequently inform the development of a new “Destination Resilience Model”.FindingsThe contribution advances the debate by proposing three key themes for future resilience conceptualizations: (1) the value of an actor-centered and agency-based resilience perspective; (2) the importance of the dynamic nature of resilience and the (mis)use of measurement approaches; (3) the adoption of a dualistic resilience perspective distinguishing specified and general resilience. Building on these propositions, we introduce a conceptual model that innovatively links elements central to the concepts of destination and risk and combines different narratives of resilience.Originality/valueThe contribution advances the debate surrounding destination resilience by critically examining the conceptualization and operationalization of destination resilience within previous research and by subsequently proposing a “Destination Resilience Model” that picks up central element of the three new frontiers identified in the conceptually driven review. The innovative integration strengthens the comprehension of the resilience concept at destination level and supports building future capacities to manage immediate adverse impacts as well as novel and systemic risks.

Spatial Visioning: Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda

The contribution is a systematic literature review of empirical works on visions and vision-making. It provides a conceptual basis, meanings and interpretations assigned to the terms and highlights practical challenges involved in vision-based planning. Analyzing the state of knowledge on visioning produced in the last twenty years, the review not only outlines key conceptual elements but also the shortcomings and what more needs to be done for visioning to move beyond realpolitik and consensual vocabularies. In addition to presenting insights from empirical works, the review identifies areas of scholarly engagement to make visioning an effective planning technique.

Reconciling Children’s Best Interests and Right to be Heard

Abstract This article explores the tension between the child’s best interests principle and children’s participation and examines the inherent challenges and different approaches to reconcile the dilemma in law and practice: how can children’s best interests be reconciled with their right to be heard? By exploring different systems’ institutional approaches and empirical ability to implement and honour children’s right to participation in national contexts, this article reviews the literature and suggests a framework for understanding participation through a lens of a global typology of child protection systems. Drawing on the conceptual and empirical reviews and elements from the deliberative ideal for decision-making, the article concludes by drawing up a sketch for a best interest model for meaningful, respectful and successful participation with global applicability. The model aims to enhance children’s citizenship and legitimacy of decision-making in child protection.

The explanatory function of metaphor scenario in the Serbian pro-vaccine discourse

Metaphor has been established and extensively examined as one of the tools experts deploy to explain, simplify and transform complex scientific discourse into the knowledge suitable for the audience of non-experts. However, relatively little research has been conducted on metaphor scenario (Musolff 2006, 2016a) and its role in this process. Therefore, in this paper we explore how metaphor scenario is used to explain Covid-19 vaccines’ safety and effectiveness to the population in an understandable manner in order to speed up the immunization process in Serbia. By analysing a data set gathered from various Serbian electronic news media sources ( NovaS , N1 , Danas , Vreme , Večernje novosti , Mondo , Politika , Telegraf , Krug ) published from January to December 2021, we aim to explore (1) how the three metaphor scenarios, combat, container and movement, may help simplify complex scientific concepts in the pro-vaccine discourse; and (2) how the conceptual elements of these scenarios and their interconnected relations are used for this purpose. The findings showed that these conventional scenarios manifest their explanatory potential by means of several sub-scenarios, whose conceptual elements establish useful mappings relying on rarely used components of source domains. The results confirm that metaphor scenarios may be used strategically by medical experts as an apt explanatory tool to simplify challengingly complex scientific concepts to the general public. The paper contributes to current research on the role that metaphor and other cognitive instruments play in science popularization.

Image schemas in gestural metaphorical scenarios of swearing

Abstract The following study integrates the concept of image schema with the idea of gestural metaphorical scenario, showing how image schematic properties of gestures feed into a pragmatically-oriented gestural metaphorical scenario distributed across different speakers. The study shows that a gestural metaphorical scenario of swearing is based on several image schemas: the cognitively primary object image schema, the source-path-goal image schema, showing the trajectory of movement of an imaginary object, and the blockage image schema, enacting the meaning of not being willing to accept an imaginary object into the speaker’s personal space, effectively leading to blocking its way. The proposed integration also lends more credence to the idea of a multilevel metaphor, where a single metaphor is treated as consisting of various elements at different levels of schematicity. Apart from that, the study shows that the straight image schema, visible in pointing gestures, is a scenario-independent conceptual element surfacing when people use gestures while swearing, projecting a way out of the speaker’s personal space.

Tales and theories as levers of expert influence: A case study of the Norwegian Oil Fund

Abstract The power of economists in policymaking is widely recognized by both scholars and political actors. While the literature on expert influence has primarily focused on the intellectual features of expert arguments, we argue that economists’ strategic use of framing and normative reasoning wields more influence in policymaking than is acknowledged by current scholarship. Through a comprehensive investigation into the institutionalization of the Norwegian Oil Fund and its associated fiscal regime, drawing on 26 elite interviews with key political and technocratic actors, we unveil the considerable influence of state economists in shaping the policy for managing petroleum wealth. These economists not only played a crucial role in legitimizing and lending credibility to the new policy but also employed strategic framing as a reinforcing mechanism to sustain the policy regime, illustrating the essential role of economists as storytellers. Hence, we suggest including strategic framing as a conceptual element within the theoretical framework of expert influence.

The Felt Realism of “Unreal” Environments: Testing a Dual Awareness Model of Subjective Realism

In this paper, we empirically investigate VR users’ subjective experiences of realism. We conceptualise two operationally distinct processes: a top-down critical evaluation of realism and a bottom-up felt experience of realism. Study 1 investigated the latent factor structure of a measure of subjective realism responses to different virtual environments. Results indicated a three-factor structure: (i) felt realism – user’s feelings of realism, (ii) perceptual realism – evaluation of the realism of stimulus form or perceptual elements, and (iii) conceptual realism – evaluation of stimulus content or conceptual elements. Study 2 investigated the effect of two “objective realism” manipulations on the three “subjective realism” factors. We manipulated the visual quality and normality of the virtual setting. Results indicated that participants rated abnormal environments lower in perceptual realism and conceptual realism. However, the abnormal environments were reported higher in felt realism. The findings demonstrate the power of abnormal and “unreal” environments in inducing subjective realism for entertainment users. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, this research was conducted using 360 video stimuli, future research should test these findings with full HMD VR.

Inclusive learning communities: An English learner framework for all educators

AbstractEducators in many countries must meet the educational needs of students who are not fluent in the language of instruction. Professional learning focused on incremental or individual teacher change has failed to improve student learning trajectories (Cuban, 2013; Gorski & Zenkov, 2014). This article explores Brookfield's (2012) critical articulation of Mezirow's (2012) adult learning theory to support the complex and radical transformation needed from all educators—not just language specialists—to improve classroom learning and schooling. We present the inclusive learning communities framework, with conceptual and pedagogical growth targets, guiding a seven‐course English as a New Language Certification program for PreK‐12 preservice and in‐service teachers working with English learners (ELs) in general education and EL specialist classrooms. The conceptual and pedagogical elements leverage critical transformative learning theory to reframe educators' individual beliefs and practices while developing their collective capacity to challenge oppressive ideologies and systems in pursuit of equity. We conclude that radical improvement in EL outcomes requires all EL teacher educators to plan and evaluate university coursework programmatically in ways that demonstrate real‐world change.

Portrayal of Man’s Sorrows, Impotence, and Lack of Spirituality through Flowering Judas, Dogwood, Chestnut, Hyacinths, and Lilacs in T.S. Eliot’s Poems: A Textual and Analytical Study


 S. Eliot's poetry contains several floral references that are employed symbolically. This study investigates the symbolic connotations of T. S. Eliot's floristic symbolism in “Gerontion” and 'The Waste Land'. The form and essence of modernist symbols will be investigated to trigger profound and subconscious feelings in the reader, concentrating on the terminological and conceptual elements of the topic. The significance of flowering Judas, dogwood, chestnut, hyacinth, and lilac in Eliot's “Gerontion” and “The Waste Land” have been interpreted and explored using analytical, historical, and archetypal approaches as the “Gerontion” intended by the poet to be a prelude to “The Waste Land”. Textual and analytical research has been conducted to demonstrate the unusual utilisation of five flora referred to in ''Gerontion'' and ''The Waste Land''. The poems' texts and theoretical and historical sources have been examined to collect the required data for the paper. One of the most essential research objectives of the paper is to find out how these blossoms were used symbolically in two of Eliot's poems. In various contexts of the poem (historical, biographical, mythological, cultural, anthropological, etc.), the symbolic and common meanings of each flower has been investigated.

A generative model of memory construction and consolidation

Episodic memories are (re)constructed, share neural substrates with imagination, combine unique features with schema-based predictions and show schema-based distortions that increase with consolidation. Here we present a computational model in which hippocampal replay (from an autoassociative network) trains generative models (variational autoencoders) to (re)create sensory experiences from latent variable representations in entorhinal, medial prefrontal and anterolateral temporal cortices via the hippocampal formation. Simulations show effects of memory age and hippocampal lesions in agreement with previous models, but also provide mechanisms for semantic memory, imagination, episodic future thinking, relational inference and schema-based distortions including boundary extension. The model explains how unique sensory and predictable conceptual elements of memories are stored and reconstructed by efficiently combining both hippocampal and neocortical systems, optimizing the use of limited hippocampal storage for new and unusual information. Overall, we believe hippocampal replay training generative models provides a comprehensive account of memory construction, imagination and consolidation.

Public and common interest in sustainable contract farming

This research article uses a multidisciplinary view to address the issue of public and common interest in contract farming schemes. Humanity is at a crucial point where food systems and institutions must offer a radical change to guarantee people's right to food. Contract farming today, influenced by the commodification of food, nature and the land, and neoliberal ideology, must be restructured into a more sustainable model. In a sustainable vision, redesigned contract farming can be a factor of change, particularly in the agricultural sector development, and therefore positively impact the general welfare of farmers. This article addresses the role of contract farming within the process of neoliberal globalisation and commodification of food, as well as ways to reformulate these contracting schemes based on the public and common interest. It reviews the use of this legal tool from its beginnings in the US South to the current ideological battles. This essay addresses the conceptual elements of contract farming, as can be seen in its definition, based on a comparison between English and Spanish literature. The research employs legal and social methods such as the legal-doctrinal, comparative legal, document analysis, historical and, in a certain way, some legal-empirical approaches. We show the importance of reconfiguring contract farming based on sustainable schemes under public and common interest principles. Thus, the results show an updated and multidisciplinary view of contract farming and some ways to reformulate it, considering the general guidelines of the common and public interests. This article, therefore, provides a comparative, historical and current analysis of the components underlying contract farming and how to move towards a more sustainable variant based on a more humanistic and balanced approach for farmers and agribusiness.

Deliberative ecologies: a relational critique of deliberative systems

Abstract This paper advocates a move beyond the systemic approach in the field of Deliberative Democracy. It argues that the notion of deliberative ecology can deliver the necessary conceptual elements that deliberative democrats seek in deliberative systems without some of the problems they either overlook or embrace. To advocate the advantages of an ecological perspective to deliberation, the article focuses on six axes of comparison: (i) performances of actants (instead of functions of arenas and players); (ii) articulations and translations (instead of transmission); (iii) vulnerabilities (instead of pathologies and dysfunctions); (iv) practice (instead of institutionally-oriented design); (v) diverse temporalities (instead of linear temporality) and; (vi) hologram-based analysis (instead of systemic analysis). In a nutshell, the article claims that the ecological approach to deliberation has the advantage of conceptualizing an ever-changing web of relations of interdependency, which connects diverse entities that are either relevant to a public discussion or that hinder its enactment.

Conceptualization and Operationalization of the Concept of Moral Craftsmanship in advance

Prison work creates ethical challenges for which a training program was initiated for Dutch prison staff to foster their Moral Craftsmanship (MCS). The concept of MCS is not yet defined and operationalized in literature. This explorative study aims to 1) define MCS, 2) identify conceptual elements of MCS, and 3) develop a measurement tool for MCS. A document and literature study provided input for the definition and selection of conceptual elements related within DCIA policy documents, identifying three conceptual levels of MCS: individual (cognition, attitude, and actions), team, and leadership. This first MCSQ consists of seventy-one items distributed across the domains: values and norms, judgment and reasoning, consultation, implementation, looking back, interactions, and leadership. We tested its usability via ‘think-aloud interviews.’ Validation of the current version of the MCS-Questionnaire and consensus among experts about what to include or exclude in the concept of MCS are needed for further development.

A Systematic Approach for Converting Relational to Graph Databases

In database design, a system can be abstracted into three conceptual elements: a collection of entities, the relationships among them, and the attributes describing each entity. The database serves as a system for storing data through the mentioned conceptual elements. Different database design approaches are customized to suit particular use cases e.g. the comparison between graph databases and relational databases. Graph databases are particularly wellsuited for handling data with dense relationships, as they are designed to store and represent complex networks of interconnected data. Relational databases pose a challenge in scenarios where the graph would be better suited. The migration process involves restructuring the data and adapting the application logic which can be resource-intensive and time-consuming. Current solutions for database migration are often too generalized, resulting in a lack of effectiveness in addressing common migration cases. These solutions fail to provide the necessary level of specificity required to overcome the challenges that arise during the migration process. This paper proposes a structured approach for transferring data from a relational to a graph database. The proposed approach introduces strategies dedicated to the conversion of specific relational elements, such as associations, specializations, and many-to-many relationships. The approach was tested using Microsoft’s Northwind sample database. Upon transferring the data from a relational to a graph database, the paper reports that queries produced identical results, indicating that the details of the data were accurately preserved during the migration. Following an experimental analysis, the results indicate that the proposed approach exhibits better performance, as evidenced by shorter query execution times. These findings affirm the feasibility and veracity of the proposed approach.

The Baseline of Multicultural Education: An Examination from Islamic and Buddhist Standpoints

This paper examines the fundamental principles of multicultural education within the philosophical frameworks of Buddhism and Islam. The significance of this subject lies in the fact that the examination of multicultural education is mostly focused on accounts of educational reform methods and movements, with very little exploration of the theoretical underpinnings and conceptual elements, particularly in relation to the philosophical foundations of multicultural education. This report compiles data from many literary sources, employing a qualitative analysis approach. This study scrutinizes the comparative analysis of multicultural education through the lens of Buddhism and Islam, utilizing a conceptual framework that emphasizes the investigation of ontology, epistemology, and axiology as key variables for comparison. The study revealed that there exist conceptual distinctions in the context of multiculturalism when comparing Buddhism and Islam. Divergences arise due to the distinct historical foundations of Islam and Buddhism. However, it is essential to note that there exist inherent similarities in the domains of ontology, epistemology, and axiology, thus indicating a convergence between Islam and Buddhism in the context of developing a multicultural framework for education. Islamic philosophy and Buddhist philosophy offer a solid foundation for the practical application of multicultural education.

Construirea unui etos fictiv prin diagrafuri co-operative. Studiu de caz

The author analyzes the morphological features of the popular novel Barlaam Josaphat. The novel was translated by Udriște Năsturel from Slavonic into Romanian in 1648. The examples were extracted from the oldest copy of this writing, which is found In this study we explore ho w Damian Anfile, theologian, historian and cultural storytel ler, constructs a gravedigger ethos over the course of several podcasts in which he is a guest. We show that the work of identifying and understanding this ethos by podcast followers (of which the author of this article is a member) requires not only stere otypical (conceptual and imagistic) elements, but also information that can be drawn from literary works, dictionary articles, visual art and so on. In this way, not only is a fictional ethos cons tructed (among Damian Anfile’s other identities), but one th at is fuelled by fictional elements. We also try to highlight the role of co operative diagraphs in the construction of the fictional ethos and its relationship to Damian Anfile’s multiple identit ies.

지역 사회 세계시민 역량 지표 개발에 관한 델파이 조사 연구: 인천시 Y구 사례를 중심으로

The purpose of this study is to develop local community-level indicators that can monitor the capabilities of global citizens to measure the effectiveness of global citizenship education for adults amid the spread of global citizenship education. It followed the distinction of cognitive, social and emotional, and behavioral areas, which are the core competencies of global citizens presented by UNESCO. The categories were selected after reflecting the main conceptual words derived through prior research analysis and the preliminary survey results for related parties, and considering the major conceptual words necessary for Y-gu, Incheon. After that, an expert Delphi survey was conducted twice to develop indicators. The results of the study are as follows. A total of 46 indicators were developed, including 3 categories, 14 conceptual elements, and 17 questions in the cognitive domain, 3 categories, 13 concept elements, 15 questions in the social and emotional domain, and 3 categories, 10 concept elements, and 14 questions in the behavioral domain. Through this study, it was confirmed that global citizenship and local citizenship should be recognized from an integrated perspective, and that global problems should be viewed in connection with local daily lives. This study is meaningful in that it presented examples that can be appropriately used in other regions where global citizenship education is being conducted.

Value Creation, Value Appropriation, and Cooperation in Team Production

We propose a theoretical framework and develop a game-theoretical analysis to advance our understanding of the cooperation dilemma in team production. We conceptualize team production as a process where productive and appropriative activities coexist, shifting the focus from whether team members cooperate to what type of cooperative behavior they are willing to adopt. Depending on whether members cooperate to create value and compete to appropriate value, we can observe scenarios of full, partial, and no cooperation. After characterizing member behavior in the different scenarios, we study which form of cooperation can be sustained through repeated interaction, mutual monitoring, and reciprocity. To do so, we allow for different deviations from cooperation which are then accompanied by different reactions according to an equivalent retaliation strategy. Our focus is on how member behavior and incentives to cooperate relate to the size of the team. We also introduce conceptual elements that describe team production in organizational teams as well as inter-organizational relationships.

Hierarchy of legal norms and the use of new technologies for their consultation in the Electoral Court

This article aims to present theoretical and conceptual elements essential to the understanding of the hierarchical structure of the norms within the scope of the Brazilian legal system, to demonstrate the need for the use of technological resources to improve the jurisdictional activity within the scope of the Electoral Justice through system modeling resources that enable the consultation of legislation and normative acts in an efficient and systematized manner. At the methodological level, deductive reasoning was used in the development of theoretical aspects and inductive reasoning in the proposition of the application of a technological nature. The approach was qualitative and interdisciplinary in nature, enabling the analysis of the objects under study and the various dimensions involved in the research. The article was developed in five sections. In the first, the introduction was presented; in the second, theoretical aspects related to the structure of the Brazilian normative order and the hierarchy of legal norms were addressed; in the third session, the normative structure of Brazilian Electoral Law and the challenges for the exercise of jurisdictional activity in the electoral sphere were presented; in the fourth section, a technological application of legislative consultation capable of providing efficiency and systematicity to the jurisdictional action within the scope of the Electoral Justice was proposed; In the fifth section, the final considerations were presented with specific reflections on the theme developed.

Caregivers' burden and deep brain stimulation for Parkinson disease: A systematic review of qualitative studies.

The impact of subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) on caregivers' burden is understudied. We perform a systematic review and meta-synthesis aggregating qualitative studies involving partners of people with Parkinson disease (PwP) to explore their experiences and unmet needs. A systematic review for retrieving qualitative studies included six databases: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane, PsycInfo, and Scopus. Inclusion criteria were as follows: (i) studies on the experience of caregivers of PwP in the context of STN-DBS, (ii) English peer-reviewed articles, and (iii) qualitative or mixed methods studies reporting caregivers' quotations. After the appraisal of included studies, we performed meta-synthesis of qualitative findings. Descriptive themes and conceptual elements related to PwP partners' experiences and unmet needs were generated. A total of 1108 articles were screened, and nine articles were included. Three categories were identified: (i) dealing with Parkinson disease (PD) every day (the starting situation characterized by the impact of PD on ordinary life; the limitations to partners' socialization; partners' efforts in stepping aside for love and care activities), (ii) facing life changes with STN-DBS (the feeling of being unprepared for changes; the fear and concern due to loved ones' behavioral changes; struggling to find an explanation for those changes), and (iii) rebuilding the role of caregiver and partner after STN-DBS. This meta-synthesis elucidates concerns, challenges, and unmet needs of partners of PwP who underwent STN-DBS. It is important to provide them with information, education, and adequate support to face these challenges. Professionals need to involve partners in the care and decision process, because STN-DBS-related outcomes do not depend solely on the well-being of PwP but also on the well-being of individuals surrounding them.