Contemporary Perspectives Research Articles

Analysis of Spatial Distribution of Climatic Comfort Conditions in Diyarbakır City

Cities have more adverse thermal comfort conditions than the rural and semi-rural areas around them. In this study, it is aimed to examine the spatial distribution of thermal comfort conditions in Diyarbakir, a historical city in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. Thermal comfort can be defined as the state of people feeling comfortable or happy in their environment or thermal environment. Uncomfortable conditions lead to social, economic and physical negativities, especially to human health. Thermal comfort conditions were calculated with the Physiological Equivalent Temperature index obtained from the RayMan model using hourly measurement data for the 2015 – 2021 (7 years) period of four meteorological stations in the field. In the study, while 'cold' and 'cool' stresses are experienced in the winter season in Diyarbakır, 'warm', 'hot' and 'very hot' stresses were determined in the 5-month hot period of the year (May-September). Evaluations revealed that densely built urban areas in the city center (approximately 15%) have more unfavourable thermal conditions than low-density urban areas (approximately 30%) and rural areas (approximately 20%) around them. It is a vital necessity to design and plan with a contemporary smart geographical perspective to reduce the negative thermal conditions of cities and for sustainable healthy cities.

The Right to Privacy Regime in India: A Controlled and Authoritative Approach

Unlike in some other countries, the right to privacy is not considered a fundamental right in India. The constitution of India does not recognize it in any form—not even home privacy which is recognized as the right to be secure against unreasonable search and seizure. In case [2011]8SCR725, the Supreme Court of India first recognized the “right to privacy as an integral part of right to life”. Since then, India has made four attempts to secure a right to privacy through legislation. Recently the revised Personal Data Protection Bill (2019) was introduced and is still under review. This article explores the perspective of India on the right to privacy from a historical and contemporary perspective, in two aspects: judicial and governmental. In doing so, more than 39 judicial judgments on the right to privacy and four major draft enactments are analyzed. The study affirms that Indian legislatures hold a political, controlled and authoritarian approach towards the right to privacy resulting in a conflict of interest with the people. Keywords: Right to privacy, Home privacy, E-privacy, Information privacy, Communication privacy, Protected zones, India.

High Dare/High Care Compass: A Guide to Transforming Trouble and Ethical Disorientation in Psychotherapy

The therapeutic relationship is a place in which the unresolved hurts, traumas, and confusions of the past, and confusions of the past, held in both the conscious and unconscious, can play out. Where we were hurt in relationship becomes the opportunity to heal in relationship. The therapist’s job is to navigate the hurt toward healing. This paper is about that process and draws on a contemporary relational perspective on games, enactments, and the heart of deconfusion in psychotherapy. The author develops Sills’s idea of the exploratory contract, introduces the therapeutic role of trouble in relation to affective confusion, and offers a model of the high dare/high care compass to navigate the ethical disorientation that forms a necessary foundation for deconfusion work.

Re-imagining Draupadi: Tracing the Journey from Nationalist Icon to Subaltern Voice in The Palace of Illusions

The research paper aims to explore the evolution of the character of Draupadi in the Indian epic Mahabharata and how she has been portrayed in various adaptations throughout history. From being a simple housewife in the original epic to a nationalist icon during the colonial and post-colonial eras, Draupadi has undergone significant transformations in the way she is depicted. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in subaltern studies, which seek to shed light on the experiences and perspectives of marginalized communities. As a result, Draupadi has been reimagined as a subaltern figure, exploring the complexities of her experiences as a subaltern woman and a victim of political manipulation. This paper focuses on the subaltern portrayal of Draupadi in the novel The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee, where she is depicted as a courageous and bold woman who defies societal expectations and reclaims her agency. The study highlights the significance of revisiting ancient texts and reinterpreting their characters in light of contemporary perspectives. This research paper provides ample evidence of Draupadi's transformation from a nationalist icon to a subaltern subject in the novel The Palace of Illusions.

Examination of globalisation’s clouts on Ghana’s tertiary education policy

The paper examined and analysed the extent globalisation and its dimensions impinged Ghana’s tertiary education policy landscape in global and national historical and contemporary perspectives. Historical and contemporary policy documents and articles, that help to understand how globalisation and its antecedents have interwoven and permeated the dynamics underpinning Ghana’s tertiary education policy, were used as conduits for the analysis. Within the context of structural adjustment and democratisation juggernauts triggered by the West, neoliberal reforms were initiated in the early 1990s. They were characterised by the liberalisation of the sector for the establishment of private tertiary education institutions, creation of buffer agencies to ensure effective stakeholder control in policy and quality assurance of those institutions, initiating laissez-faire financial reforms and incorporating non-governmental financial responsibility. Nonetheless, they concomitantly spurred the tertiary education institutions to drift towards entrepreneurialism and innovation through activities such as research, fee policies and collaborations with vital stakeholders. Although the reforms were geared towards market, the Ghanaian system of tertiary education remains a quasi-market system with substantial governmental control.

Transforming global health professions education for sustainability.

Health professions education (HPE) must keep pace with rapid shifts in learning and societal contexts, control of resources, knowledge and environmental concerns. Sustainability is increasingly seen as complex, balancing the three pillars of economy, society and the environment and addressing the current generation's needs without compromising future generations' needs. We aim to orient three-pillar sustainability in (HPE) from a decolonial global perspective. Future-proofing imperatives compel HPE to respond to sustainability calls in contexts of globalisation and internationalisation. International conferences are sites of power in knowledge production and dissemination because themes and invited speakers determine who experts in the field are and what knowledge is important. Scholarly communities, dominating the discourse, determine the nature of reality or 'truth' (ontology), theoretical foundations of that reality and approaches to knowing (epistemology). Using one international conference as a case study, we found few scholarly presentations on sustainability, especially economic disparities. Discourse in HPE is still dominated by Global North 'experts'. Conferences are important discursive spaces for knowledge production and exchange. Increasing attention to social justice and planetary health must include a global perspective on three-pillar sustainability. Historical and contemporary perspectives about disparities on health should exceed Eurocentric epistemologies alone. These are areas ripe for innovative research in HPE. Promisingly, there is increasing attention to curricula around health equity, disparities and clinical rotations in rural and underserved communities among educational institutions around the world. Future-proofing HPE requires addressing three sustainability pillars simultaneously. Conferences as influential knowledge production spaces are mostly characterised by Global North to South flow of knowledge. Global North-dominated discourse fails to reflect on the impact of historical disparities including colonialism that thwart equivalence. Transforming HPE can occur through a sustainability perspective that advances three-pillar global approaches for inclusive global legitimacy in HPE narratives and standards.

‘Mirror, Mirror on the Wall’: Female Subjective Dialectics in the Work of Paul Howard, Louise O’Neill and Naoise Dolan

This essay will examine how the three authors Paul Howard, Louise O’Neill and Naoise Dolan see the gaze, and the male gaze, as constitutive of subjectivity and identity in a twenty-first-century Irish context. It uses a theoretical matrix that combines the work of Jacques Lacan, Laura Mulvey and a range of contemporary feminist perspectives to critique the hermeneutics of identity and the concept of the image. In Howard’s work, Ross, the central character, reifies and commodifies women according to how they look, as being with a woman who is beautiful is how he validates his own quite insecure masculinity; his is the gaze of commodification and power. In Asking for It, Louise O’Neill offers a binary image of the power and the allure of visual beauty as her central character looks for the gaze of the other and manipulates it, but is then subject to the rape and the aftermath wherein she has no control over her images on social media and the subjective dehiscence that ensues. In Exciting Times, Naoise Dolan’s central character is the object of a male and female gaze, as a bisexual character who oscillates between two lovers; Ava, therefore, problematizes and complicates the theory of reflection and the gaze.

Global perspectives on heart disease rehabilitation and secondary prevention: a scientific statement from the Association of Cardiovascular Nursing and Allied Professions, European Association of Preventive Cardiology, and International Council of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death, morbidity, disability, and reduced health-related quality of life, as well as economic burden worldwide, with some 80% of disease burden occurring in the low- and middle-income country (LMIC) settings. With increasing numbers of people living longer with symptomatic disease, the effectiveness and accessibility of secondary preventative and rehabilitative health services have never been more important. Whilst LMICs experience the highest prevalence and mortality rates, the global approach to secondary prevention and cardiac rehabilitation, which mitigates this burden, has traditionally been driven from clinical guidelines emanating from high-income settings. This state-of-the art review provides a contemporary global perspective on cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention, contrasting the challenges of and opportunities for high vs. lower income settings. Actionable solutions to overcome system, clinician, programme, and patient level barriers to cardiac rehabilitation access in LMICs are provided.

Hydrosocial territories in transition: Implications of traditional agricultural and irrigation water management practices under the effects of social, institutional, and environmental changes in Ladakh, India

Traditional societies have played a vital role in the management and development of their local environments through their knowledge and practices. The engagement of people with their immediate environment has historically shaped the landscapes and their way of life. This reciprocal relationship between human beings and their natural environments, both in its historical and contemporary perspectives, is significant in sustainability research. Ladakh in India is a high-altitude cold desert region. Water is a scarce resource, and the local communities have developed unique water management practices that shape livelihoods and landscapes. This study aims to analyze the traditional water management practices in Ladakh through the lens of human–nature relationships to establish its significance in the contemporary regional context. It utilizes primary survey data and GIS to establish how traditional water management practices are bounded by hydrosocial territories. Using the social-ecological systems framework, this study identifies the changes experienced by these hydrosocial territories in the context of social, institutional, and environmental spheres. The results from this study contribute to the scholarship on hydrosocial territories in Ladakh that represent a balanced human–nature relationship by means of traditional water management practices, and highlight its significance in framing policies for sustainable management of scarce water resources in the region.

Biomarkers of ageing: Current state‐of‐art, challenges, and opportunities

AbstractGiven the unprecedented phenomenon of population ageing, studies have increasing captured the heterogeneity within the ageing process. In this context, the concept of “biological age” has been introduced as an integrated measure reflecting the individualized ageing pace. Identifying reliable and robust biomarkers of age is critical for the accurate risk stratification of individuals and exploration into antiageing interventions. Numerous potential biomarkers of ageing have been proposed, spanning from molecular changes and imaging characteristics to clinical phenotypes. In this review, we will start off with a discussion of the development of ageing biomarkers, then we will provide a comprehensive summary of currently identified ageing biomarkers in humans, discuss the rationale behind each biomarker and highlight their accuracy and clinical value with a contemporary perspective. Additionally, we will discuss the challenges, potential applications, and future opportunities in this field. While research on ageing biomarkers has led to significant progress and applications, further investigations are still necessary. We anticipate that future breakthroughs in this field will involve exploring potential mechanisms, developing biomarkers by combining various data sources or employing new technologies, and validating the clinical value of existing and emerging biomarkers through comprehensive collaboration and longitudinal studies.

Baroque metaphors and Nietzschean influence in Vivaldi Metal Project’s The Four Seasons

In this article I will analyse how a widespread metaphor of Renaissance and Baroque literature, the comparison between the stages of life and the seasons of the year, is updated via a contemporary perspective and transformed through an intertextual relation with Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra in Vivaldi Metal Project’s The Four Seasons. I highlight the strong presence of Baroque aesthetics in symphonic metal and I aim to propose, from a literary perspective, a model for the analysis of the presence and transformation of Baroque elements in this subgenre.

A Two-Eyed Seeing Teaching and Learning Framework for Science Education

Worldwide, education jurisdictions are looking for authentic ways to address First Nations perspectives in the K-12 curriculum, including science education. At the same time, there have been ongoing efforts to integrate authentic and engaging approaches to teaching science, including those that are student-centred, inquiry-based, multimodal, and linked to meaningful contexts. Both goals may be realised through the principle of Two-Eyed Seeing (TES), which seeks to integrate the strengths of Indigenous ways of knowing with one eye, and Western ways of knowing with the other eye, for the benefit of all students. This theoretical paper presents a Two-Eyed Seeing for Science Education (TESSE) Framework, which brings together two pedagogical models. One is from a contemporary science perspective, the 5Es representation-rich inquiry approach, which scaffolds authentic student-centred conceptually focused learning experiences. The other is from an Indigenous perspective, the 8 Aboriginal Ways of Learning, which illustrates different ways of knowing—many of which are familiar with First Peoples across the world (e.g., place-based, visual, holistic). The TESSE Framework aims to act as a strengths-based interface between the two knowledge systems to support a culturally responsive approach to teaching and learning science. It is designed to support meaningful connections through curriculum and pedagogy in ways that are contextually relevant to place. Through empirical investigation and in collaboration with local communities, the Framework has the potential to inform current approaches to science education in schools and universities and provide a pathway towards decolonisation and reconciliation.

Spiritual warfare in Africa: Towards understanding the classical model in light of witchcraft practices and the Christian response

The socio-religious panorama of the African religion deserves a close observation of its foundation and function. The perception of the spirit world is dominant in Africa. Similarly, spiritual warfare in the African context is prevalent in the mind and worldview of an African. Spiritual warfare derives its framework from African Traditional Religion (ATR). Hence, understanding ATR’s complexity helps us with the understanding of spiritual warfare. Some essential questions to understand would be what is spiritual warfare from an ATR perspective? How do Africans perceive spiritual warfare? And how do Africans engage in spiritual warfare? What is the place of ATR in spiritual warfare? African Traditional Religion acknowledges the reality and functionality of witchcraft. The perception of the reality of evil forces in Africa attracts all forms of spiritual rites, seeking more extraordinary spiritual powers for defensive and offensive spiritual warfare. This article argues that the effectual Christian response to spiritual warfare with witchcraft practices in Africa is ‘the classical model’ of spiritual warfare. The article provides a synopsis of the models of spiritual warfare, that is, the classical model (CW), world systems model (WSM), ground-level deliverance model (GLDM), and strategic-level deliverance model (SLSW). Subsequently, the article provides the framework for African spiritual warfare and witchcraft practices from traditional and contemporary perspectives. Lastly, the article argues that the Evangelical Christian Response to witchcraft practices is rooted in ‘the classical model’ of spiritual warfare.Contribution: The article contributes to African religiosity within the African context. It reveals the ongoing argument about the continuity and discontinuity of the ATR beliefs and practices in Christianity. The article adds to the evangelical or classical arguments in support of the discontinuity of ATR beliefs and practices in Christianity.

How times have changed; a contemporary perspective on a long-term study of thoracoscopic surgical ablation.

Thoracoscopic surgical ablation of lone atrial fibrillation: long-term outcomes at 7 yearsThe Annals of Thoracic SurgeryPreviewAntiarrhythmic drugs and transcatheter ablation in atrial fibrillation(AF) provide suboptimal rhythm control with a not negligible rate of failure in paroxysmal and non-paroxysmal AF at mid and long-term follow-up. This study evaluates safety profile and long-term efficacy of thoracoscopic ablation in patients with lone AF. Full-Text PDF

Critiquing Islamic Feminism from a Social Psychological Perspective

Islamic feminism represents a feminist discourse that seeks to reinterpret the Qur'an from a contemporary egalitarian perspective, challenging the traditional and patriarchal interpretations of Islam. By doing so, Islamic feminists aim to reclaim an ethical vision of the Qur'an, especially concerning verses that have historically deprived women of equal rights within the family and society. Through their efforts, Islamic feminism introduces new discourses and debates on gender relations within an Islamic context, fostering a greater gender and religious consciousness and furthering the cause of gender equality. This paper takes a critical approach to Islamic feminism, employing a social psychological perspective on gender, using Abdulkarim Soroush's theory. According to Soroush, revelation is understood as the prophet's inspired expression resulting from his religious experience. It is not a direct word from God but rather Muhammad's interpretation of a divine experience. In this context, the paper examines the lived experience of the prophet as a man in a specific historical epoch where women's lived experiences were not adequately represented. It highlights how the revelation or the Qur'an is rooted in a male lived experience. The paper begins with an overview of Islamic feminists and Islamic reformists, both of whom strive to view the revelation as the prophet's word rather than attributing the non-scientific content of the Qur'an directly to God's word. Subsequently, it delves into a critique of Islamic feminism through the lens of Abdulkarim Soroush's theory on recognizing the revelation as the prophet's word. Additionally, the paper draws upon gender theories from the field of social psychology to provide a comprehensive analysis of the subject matter.

Rediscovery of Remarkably Rare Anaerobic Tentaculiferous Ciliate Genera Legendrea and Dactylochlamys (Ciliophora: Litostomatea).

Free-living anaerobic ciliates are of considerable interest from an ecological and an evolutionary standpoint. Extraordinary tentacle-bearing predatory lineages have evolved independently several times within the phylum Ciliophora, including two rarely encountered anaerobic litostomatean genera, Legendrea and Dactylochlamys. In this study, we significantly extend the morphological and phylogenetic characterization of these two poorly known groups of predatory ciliates. We provide the first phylogenetic analysis of the monotypic genus Dactylochlamys and the three valid species of Legendrea based on the 18S rRNA gene and ITS-28S rRNA gene sequences. Prior to this study, neither group had been studied using silver impregnation methods. We provide the first protargol-stained material and also a unique video material including documentation, for the first time, of the hunting and feeding behavior of a Legendrea species. We briefly discuss the identity of methanogenic archaeal and bacterial endosymbionts of both genera based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, and the importance of citizen science for ciliatology from a historical and contemporary perspective.

Predictors of 1-and 12-month mortality in bifurcation coronary intervention: a contemporary perspective.

Aim: Bifurcation-PCI is performed frequently, although without extensive evidence to back up a definitive solution for its complexity. We set out to identify factors associated with 1- and 12-month mortality after bifurcation-PCI between 2017 and 2021 in our tertiary centre in Wales, UK. Results: Of 732 bifurcation PCI cases (mean age 69; 25% female), 67% were in ACS, 42% were left main PCI and 25.3% involved two-stent strategy. 30-day and 12-month mortality were 1.9% and 8.2%, respectively. Age, diabetes, smoking and renal failure are associated with mortality after bifurcation-PCI, while the choice between provisional and 2-stent strategies did not impact mortality/TLR. Conclusion: Awareness of 'real-world' outcomes of bifurcation-PCI should be used for appropriate patient selection, technique planning and procedural consent.

The future of social policy in assessment of the student youth: the experience of a socio-pedagogical research

Introduction. Global crises connected with the epidemiological situation, negative tendencies in economics, and international conflicts in 21st century are accompanied by increased attention of population including the student youth to social support measures and functioning of the social system as a whole. Therefore there is a contradiction between the necessity of future social policy image creation in the view of the contemporary studying youth and insufficient detectability of symbolic constructions of higher school students. The research aim is to conduct a socio-pedagogical analysis and determine symbolic constructions representing images of future social policy in contemporary Russia and perspectives its future development in the view of the student youth. Materials and methods. The authors conducted their research found on studying international documents, Laws of Russian Federation, woks of leading scientists, practitioners in the sphere of political science, sociology, social pedagogy and other related disciplines. The problem is viewed in terms of two main paradigmatic solutions: paternalism and liberalism. The methodological basis of the study is based on the application of a systematic, integrated approach to research of perspectives and images of social policy in the assessment of the student youth. Sociological survey results were used as the main empirical base, the survey was conducted in January 2023 by the method of representative sociological survey (questionnaire) of students in Lipetsk region. 360 people from higher education students were interviewed as respondents. Research results. While analyzing goals of social policy, prioritized focus-groups and factors greatly influencing the perspective development of social protection sphere the authors identified preferable for the studying youth social policy and perspectives of Russian social situation development. Students considering the format of social policy prefer coherent targeted support of all categories of people (71,7%). Most students hold the state responsible for functioning of virtually all spheres of social life. Young people do not see the state leaving the sphere of social policy; do not support the transfer of social protection functions to citizens and business organizations, linking their positive expectation with health care (44,7%), quality of education (42,5%) and fertility (41,4%), support the lowering of the retirement age (73,3%), expansion of pension public funding (59,2%). Preferable image of social policy is closely connected with the image of Russia as a country surplus budget of which makes it possible to finance socially without direct borrowing from citizens (66,9%). Conclusions. The results obtained can be applied when making management decisions on the formation of social policy at all management levels and implementing social policy and priority national projects “Education” and “Demography”. Keywords: higher education, students, social policy, social support of citizens

제주를 보는 근대적 시선의 형성

The way of seeing Jejudo before the modern era during the Joseon Dynasty can be summarized as ‘the aesthetics of scenic landscapes, the barrenness of the climate, and the vulgarity of customs’. During Japanese colonial rule, ‘a new way of seeing Jejudo’—the discourse of ‘Paradise Jeju’—appeared, replacing the Ten Scenes of Yeongju in the late Joseon Dynasty and forming the basis for the symbolic landscape of Jeju Island until the late 20th century. This was a process in which the industrial potential of Jeju’s climate and resources were re-evaluated in the context of capitalism and industrialization. The image of Jeju’s scenery as an exotic tourist attraction continued even after the liberation. However, the development of Jejudo has been understood as a history of hardships for Jeju residents who overcame a barren environment. According to Confucian scholars on the mainland during the Joseon Dynasty, Jejudo was a barren land, and this was the cause of the Jeju people’s poverty. The discourse of Paradise Jeju coined by Japan can be seen as a complete reversal of the climate determinism-the theory of 風土 of the Joseon Dynasty, and as a colonial project as well as a modern perspective as a new ‘invention’. Paradise Jeju discourse serves as a link between endemic environmentalist thoughts on Jeju in the Joseon Dynasty and contemporary romantic perspectives on Jeju, which can also be an important reference for contemplating a new vision for the development of Jeju in the 21st century and the formation of Jeju identity.

Theory and Applications of Web 3.0 in the Media Sector

We live in a digital era, with vast technological advancements, which, among others, have a major impact on the media domain. More specifically, progress in the last two decades led to the end-to-end digitalization of the media industry, resulting in a rapidly evolving media landscape. In addition to news digitization, User-Generated Content (UGC) is dominant in this new environment, also fueled by Social Media, which has become commonplace for news publishing, propagation, consumption, and interactions. However, the exponential increase in produced and distributed content, with the multiplied growth in the number of plenary individuals involved in the processes, created urgent needs and challenges that need careful treatment. Hence, intelligent processing and automation incorporated into the Semantic Web vision, also known as Web 3.0, aim at providing sophisticated data documentation, retrieval, and management solutions to meet the demands of the new digital world. Specifically, for the sensitive news and media domains, necessities are created both at the production and consumption ends, dealing with content production and validation, as well as tools empowering and engaging audiences (professionals and end users). In this direction, state-of-the-art works studying news detection, modeling, generation, recommendation, evaluation, and utilization are included in the current Special Issue, enlightening multiple contemporary journalistic practices and media perspectives.