Concrete Practices Research Articles

Security, digital border technologies, and immigration admissions: Challenges of and to non-discrimination, liberty and equality

Normative debates on migration control, while characterised by profound disagreement, do appear to agree that the state has at least a prima facie right to prevent the entry of security threats. While concern is sometimes raised that this ‘security exception’ can be abused, there has been little focus by normative theorists on concrete practices of security, and how we can determine what a ‘principled’ use of the security exception would be. I argue that even if states have a right to prevent migrants from entering on grounds of security, the practices required to implement this right will likely compromise core liberal democratic values in ways that have not been sufficiently appreciated. I draw on literature from Science and Technology Studies and Critical Security Studies to examine the proliferation of digital border control technologies which are increasingly dominating state security practices, and explain the challenges these technologies pose to non-discrimination, liberty and equality. I also highlight the difficulties of taking these principles as presumptive limitations on the operation of the security exception. A more sustained conversation among ethical theorists is needed to address the profound ethical challenges that the ever-increasing use of these technologies poses, particularly in pursuit of security.

Prediction of Concrete Constituents’ Behavior Using Internet of Things (IoT)

Due to the challenges of providing constant observation and control of the curing environment, the effectiveness of the conventional concrete process on site is poor. This causes a significant difference in the curing regimes encountered by various concrete pours. Yet, the potential of Internet of things (IoT) technologies has not yet been exploited in this context. To improve concrete practice, technologies have been harnessed that reduce human participation and enable more rigorous management of the ambient variables impacting curing. The interior temperature of concrete may be directly measured in real time and continuously monitored by a management system for in-place concrete using an all-in-one wireless sensor network (WSN) during the initial phases of curing. Without considering the wiring at the building site, the algorithm may also provide a well-informed choice about the removal of the formworks. To monitor and regulate the moisture content of hardening concrete to the levels necessary for high-quality hardened concrete, this research study looked at an IoT-based concrete curing control system based on sensor technologies. The effectiveness of this IoT-based technique was compared to the effectiveness of conventional curing procedures based on on-site trials. According to the findings, the system developed beats the conventional method in terms of both the effectiveness of concrete curing and the amount of time required for supervision.

Practices of the “Library as Place” in Norway

ABSTRACTIn modern society, though public libraries must be equal and neutral “places” to address social problems such as the crisis of democracy and social isolation, it is unclear how the roles and functions of “Library as Place” appear in modern library management policies or practices. This study aimed to clarify the characteristics of public library policies in Norway and Oslo and the practices of the Oslo public library from the perspective of the “Library as Place.” Using Kawamoto and Koizumi's (2023) model, a qualitative content analysis and case analysis were conducted of the roles and functions of “Libraries as Place” in Oslo, Norway, identifying the access to materials and information that libraries have traditionally afforded alongside the implementation of distinctive functions such as Cultural activities, Cutting edge, Improving life skills, and Meeting place as concrete practices. These functions contribute to public libraries becoming places in the heart of the community whose services are accessible to all.

Public Library‐University Partnerships in Library and Information Science: Approaches, Challenges, Implications for Translating Research into Practice

ABSTRACTWhile the potential and benefits of research‐practice partnership are well documented, there is limited discussion around approaches and challenges of establishing and sustaining public library‐university partnerships in LIS research to bridge the gap between research and practice. This panel brings together five groups of panelists to highlight a diversity of public library‐university partnerships within LIS and their approaches, models, practices, and implications toward consequential pedagogies and programming at public libraries. Through a collaborative panel discussion, this 90‐minute panel will convene scholars and members of the ASIS&T community to improve concrete approaches and practices involved in public library‐university partnerships to develop pedagogies and programming that are informed by the voices, needs, and interests across various communities.

Infrastructure and Dignity: Notes on the Becoming of the Chilean Revolt

The result of the 2022 plebiscite in Chile indicates a new stage of the Chilean neoconservative and oligarchic reaction, as well as of the mood of the social forces that developed with the 2019 revolt. Drawing on political research collective Vitrina Dystópica's archive of dialogues, interviews, and interventions, this article proposes an analytical exercise that seeks to challenge the ongoing totalitarian coup of the political imagination. This exploration of the memory of struggles allows for gathering techniques, strategies, and moments of vitalization to affirm the affective defeat and recompose collective forces in new questions for the future, joy, and dignity. The reflections shared here take place in a concrete practice of political reorganization that the authors call espacio.tierra, and they argue that the revolt does not start on October 18, 2019, nor does it end with the plebiscite on September 4, 2022; rather, it exists in the affective infrastructures over which collective questions and practices are raised for the reproduction and multiplication of life.

The Implementation of Project Based Learning in the Concrete Practice Course

A learning model that can be implemented in the Stone and Concrete Practice course is the Project Based Learning (PjBL) model, which emphasizes project-based learning. The objective of this research is to provide a description of the implementation of project-based learning in the stone and concrete practice courses. This study employs a Pre-Experimental Design utilizing a One-Shot Case Study design. The instrument utilized in this research is the assessment of skills in Project Based Learning. From the results of the study it can be interpreted that the application of Project Based Learning in the Stone and Concrete Practice course obtains the proportion of Respondent Achievement Level (TCR) of the six assessment components of 83.85% which belongs to the good category. Consequently, the application of the Project Based Learning learning model in the Stone and Concrete Practice course leads to an improvement in students' masonry and concrete work skills.

Society Bites: Phenomenological Aesthetics of the Ordinary and the Ordinary Cannibal

Abstract Drawing on phenomenological aesthetics and on the haptic aesthetics of eating as a form of everyday aesthetics, I examine the phenomenon of eating our own as meaningful in three dimensions: vital/natural, somatic/individual, and cross-cultural. Usually conceived as a concrete, rare, and foreign practice, I show how cannibalism is present in our daily lives, both symbolically and as a liminal possibility towards which – as Freud noticed in 1913 – we all tended as children. Cannibalism is present not only in cinematic, literary, or visual art, and in anthropological research that situates it far from “us,” but through narratives and carnal dispositifs of differentiation/assimilation of the Same and the Other, fundamental for our subjective constitution. I conclude with a reflection on how the classical aesthetics of the sovereign subject develops towards alternative models like Pelluchon’s gourmet ego that re-establish the connexion and moral engagement lost by solipsism by means of alimentary metaphors, but also romanticizing them, failing to address the problem of voracity and overconsumption, both at a social and at an individual level. This is more suitably addressed by Viveiros de Castro’s idea of a cannibal cogito, but even better understood by Emmanuel Levinas’ enjoyment-contact model of subjectivity.

Influence of Temperature on Shear Behavior of Lightweight Reinforced Concrete Beams Using Pozzolana Aggregate and Expanded Polystyrene Beads

The innovation inherent to employing expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads lies in its transformative impact on traditional concrete practices. Through the incorporation of EPS beads in concrete mixtures, a novel approach emerges that significantly alters the material’s characteristics, and opens up new avenues for construction and design. Studying the shear behavior of RC beams made with EPS beads is essential for advancing knowledge, improving design practices, ensuring structural integrity, and promoting the effective and responsible use of innovative materials in construction. This research experimentally investigated the effect of using EPS beads and pozzolana aggregate (PA) on the shear behavior of the RC beams. A total of 27 simply supported rectangular beams were cast, using three novel distinct mix designs, and were subjected to two-point load testing until failure. These three mixes were categorized as follows: a control mix, a mix with only EPS, and a mix with EPS, along with an additive. The ultimate failure load was experimentally recorded for all specimens, and the influence of the temperature (300 °C and 600 °C) on the RC beams made with EPS was examined. The findings revealed a reduction in the concrete compressive strength and density in the beams containing EPS and EPS with superplasticizers of (21.7%, 24.9%) and (11.3%, 16.2%), respectively. Additionally, EPS played a significant role in diminishing the ultimate shear capacity of the beams, compared to the control beams, by about 19.4%. However, the addition of a superplasticizer along with the EPS helped to maintain the beam capacity, to some extent. Conversely, the beams exposed to a temperature of 300 °C exhibited an almost similar capacity to that of the control beams without heating. Nevertheless, at 600 °C, the beams displayed a noticeable decrease in the ultimate load capacity, compared to the unheated control beams.

Innovations in Recycling Technologies to Create Food-Grade Recycled Polyolefins from Post Consumer Plastics

UNEP – The United Nations Environment Program recently published an impactful report laying out concrete practices, market shifts, and legislation they propose international policymakers implement to pursue an 80 percent reduction in global plastic pollution by 2040. It is a sobering thought that none of their suggestions will be achievable without disrupting an industry that has longstanding and cost-efficient practices that did not take CO2 emissions into account.

야외 운동기구를 활용한 서킷트레이닝이 저 체력 학생의 건강체력 및 신체적 자기효능감에 미치는 영향

The purposes of this study are to plan a circuit training exercise program with outdoor exercise equipment on physical fitness and physical self-efficacy. among the 1st grade male students of T High School in Gimpo City, 40 students lowphysical strength were the subjects of the study. The findings were as follows: First, the students engaged in self-directed physical activities by devising a specific instructional plan for circuit training exercise and concrete circuit practice methods and participating in them for themselves to promote their health-related physical fitness; secondly, the circuit training exercise program stimulated the students' internal participation motivation and encouraged them to improve their health-related physical fitness in muscular strength, power, flexibility, and cardiopulmonary endurance; and finally, the circuit training exercise program helped the students shake off the stereotype that exercise was tiresome and hard, change their perception of exercise as an easy and fun activity, and improve their physical self-efficacy.

Character formation and emerging adulthood

Adolescence and emerging adulthood are characterized by developing owned values, ideas, lifestyle habits, etc. Character expresses values and virtues we consider to be important, relates to goals we aim at and deals with both emotions (desires) and cognitions, it is about attitudes in concrete practices. Moral conversion refers to the process through which this character is formed. It includes one’s faith, identity, and moral journey. Amid a diversity of social contexts, spiritual resources, and communities; people demonstrate how they respond to situations and whether character is indeed demonstrated. Character could also be formed in these varying contexts and situations. We develop further knowledge about emerging adults and character (formation) and would like to know how young people live out any specific values, grow and change in their moral attitude through participating in certain practices. We assume the intention of our acts, show moral considerations, and is for Christians somehow connected to the gospel, but this truth remains to be evidenced empirically. Through empirical research conducted with emerging adults studying theology in South Africa and Netherlands, this article investigates how these emerging adults consider character formation through their lenses of religious beliefs and in the midst of certain practices or situations, in particular crises.

Interpretation of the Self-revolution System and Standard System in the New Era: Based on the Social System Research Methods

Self-revolution is the fundamental driving force to maintain advanced nature and purity and realize long-term governance. The self-revolution system standard system boosts the transformation of self-revolution theory into concrete practice, and constructs the system fortress for the realization of self-revolution. Based on the research method of social system, this paper expounds and studies the system of self-revolution from the perspective of the four principles of integrity, structure, hierarchy and openness, so as to realize the multi-dimensional understanding of the system of self-revolution, and then leads the social revolution with self-revolution.

‘The existential tendency’ in climate change education: an empirically informed typology

Climate change education (CCE) brings about existential concerns of students. Teachers in turn are confronted with didactic demands to take into account the existential challenge climate change elicits. However, conceptual haziness about how to understand ‘the existential’ in CCE complicates didactic research on the topic, impedes researchers to get a nuanced understanding of ‘the existential’ in CCE, and, thus, hinders the development of empirically grounded knowledge that can offer guidance for teachers. Therefore, this article presents an empirically informed typology that categorises and illustrates diverse expressions of the existential dimension of CC in concrete educational practice. It employs a methodology inspired by Wittgenstein’s user perspective on language, focusing on ordinary and basic traits in our use of language to identify and classify diverse recognisable ways in which the existential is expressed in educational practices. The empirical material comes from case studies of 15 CCE courses in higher education in Belgium. The results distinguish Existential moment, Life quake, Existential dilemma, Existential deliberation, Existential reflection on existential questions, Existential reflection on existential experiences and Existential norm. This typology can be seen as an analytical tool for didactic research on how to recognise and handle expressions of the existential tendency in practice.

Participation in the classroom as a basis for democracy education? A conceptual analysis of the concept of student participation

In our conceptual analysis, we focus on the concept of student participation and argue for a differentiated consideration of the same. To this end, we elaborate on constituent elements and first address the definitional understanding of the concept considered as well as the participation postulate. Furthermore, we name and discuss possible purposes and qualities of participatory practice and we give an overview of the established conceptualization of participation by means of a stage model and the interdependence of autonomy and heteronomy expressed in this model. We then address participatory fields in the classroom, concrete practices of participatory decision-making, prerequisites and implications of participatory classroom practices, and possible scopes of participatory influence.

The Impact of Learning Organization on Intrapreneurship: The Case of Jordanian Pharmaceutics

Due to the competitive and uncertain environment nowadays, organizations could respond to these environmental factors effectively by being more learning-oriented, where individuals and teams are encouraged to constantly learn and grow and knowledge is shared and disseminated throughout the organization. This may allow the organization to better understand its environment and respond to changing circumstances in a more effective and efficient way. By improving the organization towards learning organization, the organization could continuously improve its ability to adapt and change through the acquisition and application of new knowledge and skills. Moreover, intrapreneurship could assist organizations in adapting to internal and external environmental changes, which in turn could help firms to innovate and revitalize their businesses. To actualize this study, data were gathered from 263 managers in Jordanian pharmaceutical companies. The collected data were coded against SPSS 25, then normality, validity, and reliability were tested and multiple regressions were used to examine the hypotheses. Thus, this research found an effect for learning organization dimensions (supportive learning environment, concrete learning processes and practices, leadership that reinforces learning, and creating learning structures) on intrapreneurship the context of Jordanian pharmaceutical companies.

Rethinking a Danish information state: information in the trading zone

In this article, I will discuss how the information state provides a new way of understanding the absolute Danish-Norwegian state (1660–1814). Following recent research about the role of communication in the Danish-Norwegian state, I will argue for an understanding of the information state that stresses the population as a formative part of state building. The studies favour a communicative approach, which includes circulation of information as an integral part. My contribution to the discussion of the information state emphasises that exchange of information between state and population implies negotiations and the use of genre systems in a trading zone. The meeting between ideology and everyday practices and cultures is a negotiation that shows how ideologies, purposes, and ideas are sifted and negotiated through concrete practices that are formed by but also shape technologies and materialities.

Comparative Studies on the Anti‐Corrosive Action of Waterproofing Agent and Plant Extract to Steel Rebar

AbstractReinforcement of steel rebar in concrete infrastructure practices for a long time, mostly to improve tensile strength as well their service time. However, shortcomings related to damage of reinforced concrete (RfC) infrastructures becomes the business of corrosion researchers over the past few years, primarily from a safety and economic perspective. In general, the steel‐reinforced concrete (SRC) infrastructures are porous, and thence water as well different atmospheric pollutant gases penetrate it, causing the corrosion damages of the rebar, which shorten the prolonged existence of the RfC structures. The research aims to differentiate the efficacy and prosperity of waterproofing chemicals and methanol extract of Mangifera indica plant leaves for controlling the RfC susceptibility using a half‐cell corrosion potential measurement method following ASTM standard. The methanolic extract of M. indica leaves and waterproofing agents show high anti‐corrosion characteristics and can prescribe for the protection of the RfC infrastructures. The corrosion controlling performance level of 1000 and 2000 ppm M. indica extracts on the steel rebars in concrete has higher than the additions of alike concentration of both the water‐repellents depend on open‐circuit corrosion potential (CoP) shifting values to a noble direction.

Residual load capacity of HVFA reinforced concrete after elevated temperature heating: Experimental and analytical study

High volume fly ash (HVFA) is used as structural concrete's main constituent in the current concrete construction practice. The residual load capacity of HVFA reinforced concrete after elevated temperature heating is needed for retrofitting compression members after fire exposure. In this experimental study, an effort has been made to estimate the axial load capacity of concrete containing HVFA after 28 and 90 days of curing after elevated temperature heating at 200 °C, 400 °C and 600 °C. The 35% and 50% amount of cement was partially replaced by fly ash. The weight loss and crack pattern in reinforced HVFA concrete were also studied. It has been observed that after heating at elevated temperature, the compression behavior of fly ash concrete is better than that of plain concrete. The analytical models are proposed to estimate the residual load capacity of HVFA concrete columns after exposure to elevated temperature. The model predictions are reasonably good. These models can be used to assess the load carrying capacity of columns in concrete buildings containing HVFA after elevated temperature exposure for deciding strengthening schemes.

The Politics of Theology: Deadly Christian Compromises in Bonhoeffer’s Germany

Generally, this essay employs the concept of ‘stance’ to try to understand the theological thoughts and activities of Bonhoeffer and the Christian community at large during the turbulent events which occurred in Nazi Germany. In particular, it attempts a brief exploratory sketch of how various socio-political contextual factors significantly shaped many of his central theological ideas and concepts. The essay suggests that Bonhoeffer’s doctrine of ethics cannot be adequately understood apart from the socio-political context of Hitler’s dictatorship and the actions of the Nazi National Socialist political regime within which it emerged and developed. His active role in the resistance movement to the point of losing his life and that of loved ones was Bonhoeffer’s way of putting his Christian beliefs into concrete practice. Horrified by the blind loyalty and obedience of the bulk of Christians to Nazi state authority, Bonhoeffer responded by formulating a theology to respond to what he viewed as transgressions against God, human life, and society itself. The essay concludes by asserting that all of Bonhoeffer’s discussions about ‘ethics’ regarding conscience, freedom, the Christian faith and church, responsibility, and even his central concept of ‘responsible action’ were formulated in direct response and challenge to Hitler’s political regime.

It’s All About “Being There”

Ethnomusicologists often move into the field to observe, analyse, and describe the knowledge creation and negotiation practices of a musical tradition. However, the scenarios caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have proven to be a challenge to the practice of our ethnographic work. We were prevented from going to the field and musicians could not meet physically to develop their musicking, partially transferring their practices to various digital platforms. Although the pandemic confronts us with previously unthinkable challenges, some of these situations are not new if we think about musical practices like those of TikTok. Beyond the time of the pandemic, these practices have already shown to be a challenge for various theoretical and methodological conceptions of our ethnographic work, since they do not materialize in concrete practices in a given place. In this article, drawing on my ethnographic research on TikTok musicking from an Austrian perspective, as well as my reflections as an ethnomusicologist during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, I will discuss the idea of musical geography through practice, as well as the concepts of presence and co-presence, to critically reflect on the ideas of “being there” or “being present”, so important in ethnographic work. In addition to these reflections, I will examine and discuss various experiences lived throughout the musicking of TikTok under a multimedia reality before and during the pandemic, in order to discuss the idea that musical geography through practice can change our perspectives on the field pre- and post-pandemic.