Context Of Change Research Articles

Cultural transposition: Adapting an Appreciative Inquiry to support organisational change in a non-Western context

This doctoral research study employed an Appreciative Inquiry as a culturally adjusted method for enabling six university educators to develop critical thinking (ijtihad) in Yemeni graphic design education.[1] Emanating from a constructivist paradigm, the study recognised the role of sociocultural contexts in knowledge formation. The Appreciative Inquiry was divided into four stages (Discovery, Dream, Design, and Destiny) based on Cooperrider and Whitney’s (2005) model. The study utilised Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoP)[2] based on a traditional cultural construct known as Halakat Elm (حلقات علم, knowledge circles). These circles were shaped by three cultural principles: wa’adeuk fa’ajbuh (واذا دعاك فأجبه); Husn al-Dhann (حسن الظن); and sadakat al elm (صدقة العلم). Key themes were identified through a Reflexive Thematic Analysis (RTA). The outcomes demonstrated that an Appreciative Inquiry developed inside the culturally specific construct of the Halakat Elm can serve as an effective, culturally responsive approach for developing co-creative approaches to organisational and pedagogical reform. [1] The project was granted ethics approval (21/129) on July 8, 2021. [2] A Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP) operates online. Here, individuals engage in instruction-based learning or group discussions within a specific domain, forming social structures to facilitate knowledge sharing and creation (Wenger-Trayner, 2015).

Interaction in a time of crisis: buyer-supplier adaptation in public healthcare

Purpose This paper aims to examine adaptation in buyer–seller relationships in a time of crisis and to explore what consequences adaptation has for the actors involved. The authors are particularly interested in examining how suppliers and public buyers adapt in turbulent situations where public policy opens for interaction in a mode represented by studies in the industrial marketing and purchasing research approach. The COVID-19 pandemic represents such a unique research setting, as it opens up insights into how buyers and suppliers had to adapt in a matter of days in response to rapid and turbulent changes in their business environment. In this paper, the authors seek insights into the following research questions: What role do the actors’ interpretation of the situation play in the adaptation process? How do adaptation processes unfold in a time of national crisis? What are the actor and relationship-specific outcomes from adaptation in such a situation? Design/methodology/approach To answer these questions, the authors present data from an exploratory case study of intra- and interfirm adaptation processes between public buyers and private suppliers in the health-care sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic opened for access to a unique data from personal interviews and secondary data, from public reports and newspaper/media coverage at intervals during the outbreak and at the aftermath of the pandemic. Findings The authors find that the actors’ interpretation of the situation and their motivation to engage in adaptations play an important role in the adaptation processes. In particular, a normative commitment based on a moral duty to contribute to dealing with the turbulent situation of society is found to be a main driver. In these situations, shared sensemaking and alignment of mental models help to mobilise actors, resources and activities into new interaction patterns. At the same time, mutual affective commitment between the buyer and suppliers is not significant over time, thus constraining and eventually terminating the adaptation processes. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of interaction between public buyers and suppliers during turbulent situations. Changes in the adaptation context opens for extensive interaction, thus enabling actors to combine and exploit resources of value, but temporary adaptations do not create long-term effects on the ability to develop buyer–supplier interaction in public markets.

Examining the influence of encoding and retrieval contexts on 2- to 4-year-olds' acquisition of nouns and verbs.

This study investigates whether the context in which a word is learnt affects noun and verb learning. There is mixed evidence in studies of noun learning, and no studies of background perceptual context in verb learning. Two-, three-, and four-year-olds (n = 162) saw a novel object moved in a novel way while hearing four novel words, either nouns or verbs. They were asked to generalize the word to a similar action or object shown in the same or different context. Results demonstrate that 2- and 3-year-olds were more accurate at test when learning nouns than verbs, demonstrating that verb learning is difficult; 4-year-olds were successful at learning both word types. For all ages, and both word types, context changes did not impact word learning. These results extend previous findings that context does not influence noun learning, while suggesting perceptual context may not play a major role in verb learning, which is a new finding.

Risk effects of environmental factors on human brucellosis in Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang, China, 2014–2023

The context of rapid global environmental change underscores the pressing necessity to investigate the environmental factors and high-risk areas that contribute to the occurrence of brucellosis. In this study, a maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model was employed to analyze the factors influencing brucellosis in the Aksu Prefecture from 2014 to 2023. A distributed lag nonlinear model (DLNM) was employed to investigate the lagged effect of meteorological factors on the occurrence of brucellosis. A total of 17 environmental factors were identified as affecting the distribution of brucellosis to varying degrees. The largest contributing was the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), followed by gross domestic product (GDP), and then meteorological factors such as average temperature, average relative humidity, and average wind speed. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve demonstrated that the MaxEnt model exhibited a high degree of predictive efficacy, with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.921. The impact of high temperature (25℃ with a 2-month lag, RR = 3.130, 95% CI 1.642 ~ 5.965), low relative humidity (28% with a 2.5-month lag, RR = 1.795, 95% CI 1.298 ~ 2.483), and low wind speed (1.9 m/s with a 0-month lag, RR = 2.408, 95% CI 1.360 ~ 4.264) are the most significant meteorological factors associated with the incidence of brucellosis. The trends in the impact of extreme meteorological conditions on the spread of brucellosis were found to be generally consistent. Stratified analyses indicated that males were more affected by meteorological factors than females. The prevalence of brucellosis is influenced by a range of socio-economic and meteorological factors, and a multifaceted approach is necessary to prevent and control brucellosis.

Reproductive and Hormonal Factors and Thyroid Cancer Risk: Pooled Analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies in the Asia Cohort Consortium.

Given the female predominance of thyroid cancer (TC), particularly in the reproductive age range, female sex hormones have been proposed as an aetiology; however, previous epidemiological studies have shown conflicting results. We conducted a pooled analysis using individual data from 9 prospective cohorts in the Asia Cohort Consortium, to explore the association between 10 female reproductive and hormonal factors and TC risk. Using Cox proportional hazards models, cohort-specific hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated and then pooled using a random-effects model. Analyses were stratified by country, birth years, smoking status, body mass index, and TC risk based on age of diagnosis was also examined. Among 259,649 women followed for a mean 17.2 years, 1,353 incident TC cases were identified, 88% (n=1,140) being papillary TC. Older age at first delivery (≥26 vs 21-25 years) was associated with increased TC risk (p-trend=0.003, HR=1.16, 95% CI:1.03-1.31), particularly when diagnosed later in life (≥55 vs <55 years) [p-trend=0.003; HR=1.19, 95% CI:1.02-1.39]. Among younger birth cohorts, women with more number of deliveries showed an increased TC risk [p-trend=0.0001, HR=2.40, 95% CI:1.12-5.18 (≥5 vs 1-2 children)], and there was no substantial trend in older cohorts. Distinct patterns were observed for the number of deliveries and TC risk across countries, with a significant positive association for Korea [p-trend=0.0008, HR=1.89, 95% CI:1.21-2.94 (≥5 vs 1-2 children)], and non-significant inverse associations for China and Japan. Contextual and macrosocial changes in reproductive factors in Asian countries may influence thyroid cancer risk.

Role of micronutrients in production and reproduction of farm animals under climate change scenario.

Climate change poses significant challenges to livestock production worldwide. Wherein, it affects communities in developing nations primarily dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry. Its direct and indirect deleterious effects on agriculture and animal husbandry includes aberrant changes in weather patterns resulting in disturbed homeorhetic mechanism of livestock vis a vis indirectly affecting nutrient composition of feed and fodder. The nutritional stress (i.e. non-availability of nutrients in the required quantity and quality for particular livestock) is the critical factor affecting livestock performance, productivity, and reproductive efficiency. Nutritional stress may arise from both macro- and micro- nutrient imbalances; however, micronutrients are of paramount importance in climate change context due to their role in various vital functions of body namely, body metabolism, production, reproduction, and health. The micronutrients, minerals and vitamins, when supplied in adequate quantity and proportion aid in mitigating the stress induced by climate change on animals. Here, we tried to discuss the impact of climate change induced stresses on milk production, reproduction, and metabolic acclimation of heat-stressed animals. Furthermore, emphasis is given on the importance of dietary micronutrients management strategies to support livestock health and resilience during changing climatic conditions. By addressing the nutritional needs of livestock, farmers can achieve sustainability and well-being in livestock production under changing climatic condition.

Fast updating feedback from piriform cortex to the olfactory bulb relays multimodal identity and reward contingency signals during rule-reversal

While animals readily adjust their behavior to adapt to relevant changes in the environment, the neural pathways enabling these changes remain largely unknown. Here, using multiphoton imaging, we investigate whether feedback from the piriform cortex to the olfactory bulb supports such behavioral flexibility. To this end, we engage head-fixed male mice in a multimodal rule-reversal task guided by olfactory and auditory cues. Both odor and, surprisingly, the sound cues trigger responses in the cortical bulbar feedback axons which precede the behavioral report. Responses to the same sensory cue are strongly modulated upon changes in stimulus-reward contingency (rule-reversals). The re-shaping of individual bouton responses occurs within seconds of the rule-reversal events and is correlated with changes in behavior. Optogenetic perturbation of cortical feedback within the bulb disrupts the behavioral performance. Our results indicate that the piriform-to-olfactory bulb feedback axons carry stimulus identity and reward contingency signals which are rapidly re-formatted according to changes in the behavioral context.

Employee Perceptions of Organizational Justice Amidst Threats to Civil Service Protections Through the Lens of Turnover Intention

Previous studies focusing on civil service reform efforts at the sub-national level have illustrated how such initiatives may adversely affect employee perceptions of organizational conditions. Despite the insights provided by existing literature, little is known as to how federal employees perceive organizational justice amidst uncertain contextual and political conditions, and how the organizational justice perceptions influence their intentions to stay or leave their organizations. Using data from the 2021 Merit Principles Survey, collected amidst deliberations regarding federal civil service reform initiatives, this study examines how federal employee perceptions of organizational justice affect their turnover intentions with different exit strategies against the backdrop of the contextual and political changes. The findings lend support to existing literature highlighting organizational justice as a key factor influencing employee intentions to remain or leave positions of federal employment. The article concludes by discussing the contributions and implications of the present research as well as its limitations.

Consistent Inconsistencies in the ECtHR’s Approach to Victim Status and Locus Standi

Abstract The ECtHR’s landmark judgment in the case Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland contains novel findings on procedural and substantive aspects of human rights protection in the climate change context. To reconcile effective protection of Convention rights with the exclusion of actiones populares, the Court set a high threshold for the individual applicants’ victim status while applying mostly formal criteria to the locus standi of the applicant association. On this count, only the association’s application was admissible. On the merits, the Court found violations of Articles 8 and 6(1) ECHR because Switzerland failed to comply with its positive obligation to protect individuals from the adverse effects of climate change and its courts did not engage seriously with the applicant association’s action. This case note takes a closer look at the ECtHR’s interpretation of standing for individuals and associations and discusses its (non-)alignment with previous case law. In particular, it reflects on the Court’s implicit understanding of the concept of victim in KlimaSeniorinnen and explores whether allowing representative standing is justified based on the Court’s existing case law. The case note concludes with an outlook on the enforcement of collective human rights issues through associations.

Paying attention to the SARS-CoV-2 dialect : a deep neural network approach to predicting novel protein mutations

Predicting novel mutations has long-lasting impacts on life science research. Traditionally, this problem is addressed through wet-lab experiments, which are often expensive and time consuming. The recent advancement in neural language models has provided stunning results in modeling and deciphering sequences. In this paper, we propose a Deep Novel Mutation Search (DNMS) method, using deep neural networks, to model protein sequence for mutation prediction. We use SARS-CoV-2 spike protein as the target and use a protein language model to predict novel mutations. Different from existing research which is often limited to mutating the reference sequence for prediction, we propose a parent-child mutation prediction paradigm where a parent sequence is modeled for mutation prediction. Because mutations introduce changing context to the underlying sequence, DNMS models three aspects of the protein sequences: semantic changes, grammatical changes, and attention changes, each modeling protein sequence aspects from shifting of semantics, grammar coherence, and amino-acid interactions in latent space. A ranking approach is proposed to combine all three aspects to capture mutations demonstrating evolving traits, in accordance with real-world SARS-CoV-2 spike protein sequence evolution. DNMS can be adopted for an early warning variant detection system, creating public health awareness of future SARS-CoV-2 mutations.

Human Emotions Associated with Climate Change at the Salache Campus of the Technical University of Cotopaxi, Ecuador

Objective: This study investigates human emotions associated with climate change among the university community at the Salache Campus of the Technical University of Cotopaxi, Ecuador, aiming to understand perceptions and responses to climate challenges in an academic environment, complying with SDG 3 on Health and well-being and SDG 11 related to Sustainable cities and communities. Theoretical Framework: The research is grounded in environmental psychology and climate change impact theories, focusing on key concepts such as eco-anxiety and solastalgia, while examining psychological responses to environmental changes across different demographic groups. Method: The study employs systematic observation and assessment of psychological responses to environmental changes, focusing on the university community's reactions to extreme weather events and climate-related transformations in their environment. Results and Discussion: Results revealed significant emotional impacts of climate change on the university community, particularly in relation to Ecuador's documented 40% glacier loss. These findings show manifestations such as anxiety, panic attacks, and sleep disturbances in response to environmental changes. Research Implications: The findings provide insights for improving climate change education and psychological support systems in academic institutions, with implications for educational policy and mental health services. Originality/Value: This study uniquely examines psychological impacts of climate change in an Ecuadorian academic context, offering new perspectives on how university communities process environmental challenges, while informing institutional responses to climate-related psychological stress.

Integrating Nature-Based Solutions for Increased Resilience to Urban Flooding in the Climate Change Context

As climate change intensifies with more frequent and severe flood events, urban areas face increasing challenges to protect population wellbeing. Amid urban development challenges, political uncertainty, and socioeconomic pressures, finding sustainable solutions to enhance urban resilience has become urgent and complex. This article explores the limitations of traditional drainage systems in an urban zone of Bucharest, Romania, and the integration of nature-based solutions for flood mitigation. We compare the existing situation with those simulated in a climate change scenario before and after implementing green solutions. The imperviousness of parking lots was set at 60%, that of green roofs at 65%, and that of parking lots at 85%. A hydraulic model was used for this purpose. The results demonstrate that the current stormwater systems struggle to meet the demands of increasing rainfall intensity and highlight how sustainable strategies can effectively address extreme weather challenges while contributing to the restoration of natural environments within the city. In the case of using ‘gray’ solutions, only 10–20% of the area affected by floods is reduced. In comparison, a combination of gray and green infrastructure achieved an average reduction in peak water levels of 0.76 m.

Cohabitation and Mortality Across the Life Course: A Longitudinal Cohort Study with Swedish Register-Based Sibling Comparisons

Research has shown that married individuals live longer lives than unmarried women and men. A smaller number of studies have included non-marital cohabitation and have found that their mortality falls between the married and other unmarried groups. There are indications that the cohabiting population is diverse in terms of mortality risk, yet very little is known about how the association is related to age and stages of the life course. Sweden is a forerunner in family trends, and this is the first study that examines cohabitation and mortality in a Swedish context. Using Swedish register data for the years 2012–2017, we investigated how different partnership statuses are related to mortality for men and women at different ages (N = 5,572,011). We also examine whether the association between cohabitation and mortality is similar after accounting for family-of-origin effects through the use of a sibling comparison design. Our findings confirmed the notion of cohabiters as a diverse group whose relative mortality risk differs depending on the timing of cohabitation. Never-married cohabiters had a mortality risk similar to married couples at younger ages and a gradually increased risk with age. Divorced and widowed cohabiters exhibited an age gradient in the opposite direction. Future research should consider how the context of cohabitation changes across the life course.

CLIMATE CHANGE AS A SECURITY THREAT. LOSSES, DAMAGES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING POLICY

This paper is an argue for considering climate change as a security threat, with all the advantages, disadvantages and implications involved in. Our work provides a condensed scientific explanation of how global warming leads to climate change and extreme weather events, and then frame climate change through both a narrow and broad understanding of security. The main research questions addressed in the study are: In what sense might climate change be viewed as a security threat? What are the advantages and disadvantages of viewing climate change as a security threat? What are the funding policy implications in the context of existing climate justice models? With appropriate literature references we argue that climate change can be viewed as a security threat because of its consequences for migration, civil war and interstate conflict, and for human security. Therefore we address the main advantages for considering climate change a security threat (namely the chance for states to prepare for worst-case scenarios) and the main disadvantages (namely the securitisation of climate change). An outline of the components of ‘loss and damage’ policies was made, explaining exactly what sort of measures are required by developing countries and climate-vulnerable countries to respond to climate disasters. Next, four different models for prescribing responsibility onto developed countries for funding climate justice were assessed and critically evaluated. Lastly, concluding remarks covered the overall need for caution when discussing climate change in a security context and the need to ensure a balance is struck between militaristic and humanitarian approaches to climate change.

Implikasi Filsafat Aliran Esensialisme Dalam Budaya Pendidikan Indonesia Di Sekolah Dasar

Essentialism is a philosophical school that emphasizes the existence of an essence or essential core in every object, concept, or entity. This school argues that every individual or entity has basic characteristics that determine its identity, which are independent of social context or external changes. Essentialist education includes science, art and everything related to human will. The aim of this research is to determine the influence and implications of essentialism in emphasizing local cultural values, the importance of basic knowledge, and character education which has a positive impact on students' development in facing the challenges of everyday life. The data collection method used was by collecting literature studies in the form of journals and interviewing elementary school teachers at Runiah School to gain a deep understanding of the implications of essentialism in the culture of education in elementary schools. The results of research on essentialism in education encourage the integration of cultural values, basic knowledge including subjects subjects such as mathematics, science, and language. The essentialism approach has a main focus on building student character. There are advantages and disadvantages to this essentialism school. Through this approach, students can develop positive attitudes and good behavior in everyday life while understanding and appreciating the cultural diversity around them and essentialism encouraging the integration of local cultural values, such as mutual cooperation activities, social responsibility, and respect for parents, into the educational curriculum.

An Open Letter on Advancing HIV prevention: Augmenting an ecosystem-based approach to understand prevention decision-making

In the last two decades, HIV programs have been able to avert millions of AIDS-related deaths and reduce HIV incidence. However, the 1.3 million new HIV infections in 2022 remain significantly above the UNAIDS target of fewer than 370,000 new infections by 2025. HIV programs worldwide also did not achieve the UN’s 90-90-90 target for testing and treatment set for 2020. Within this broader picture, HIV continues to disproportionately affect key and at-risk populations, including gay men and other men who have sex with men, female sex workers, and adolescent girls and young women. As HIV incidence declines and biomedical advances continue, it will become critical for public-health practitioners to reach key and at-risk populations with prevention services and limit primary transmission. In this Open Letter, we focus on factors that influence uptake of HIV prevention products and thereby demand for HIV prevention products and services. These factors exist at three levels of the decision-making ecosystem – the individual level, interaction level and systemic level. We argue that approaching HIV prevention solely through the lens of these levels creates a static view of prevention decision-making. There is a need instead for a dynamic viewpoint that can mirror the changing contexts in which users find themselves and make prevention decisions. We demonstrate that the current ecosystem viewpoint is useful to understand the gaps that exist in program implementation, but does not provide adequate insights into the underlying behaviors that contribute to these gaps. To address this, we suggest an approach to include dynamic aspects of decision-making with factors that influence the individual’s assessment of risk, their evaluation of the opportunities to use HIV prevention, and their effective use of prevention products.

Arts Entrepreneurial Work in Changing Contexts

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly shifted the context of artistic and creative work, forcing individuals to adapt to wide-reaching changes in the way they operated in both work and life. Relying on interviews with data from 66 U.S.-based arts graduates, this article speaks to needs in sustaining creative life and work after the first year of the pandemic. Interviewees related that their needs for a sustainable creative work and life were primarily that they needed the social and physical distancing restrictions of the pandemic to end, more time and capacity to be creative, and monetary support. Ultimately, we argue that the changing context of the pandemic required substantial entrepreneurial ability toward being adaptable, superseding capacity for creativity during the first year of the pandemic. Our findings reflect that when arts entrepreneurs’ self-structured careers required new or intensified effort toward non-arts aspects of their work, their feelings of, or capacity for, creativity may be diminished.

Migration surge under the context of climate change: a case study of China

Migration surge under the context of climate change: a case study of China

Editorial Volume 50 Issue 2

The Editorial team completed and released this issue as the calendar changed to 2025. CJLT’s scope covers all things relevant to education and technology use. The current state of Canadian and global education includes demands for change in response to social and economic challenges. According to a well-known GenAI program, the two biggest issues facing education in Canada are accessibility and quality. More distressing is that the Education in Canada Current Issues Report of May 1994 identifies those same two issues as education’s most critical. Despite significant contextual changes, and those in technology and education design, these two things continue to plague us. CJLT provides research addressing this changing education context, the same issues of accessibility and quality, and emerging education theories and practices.

Persuasions in United Nations Climate Change Speeches

This paper examines the persuasive rhetoric used in political speeches at United Nations Climate Change Conferences. It addresses the significant global challenge of climate change and the pivotal role of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNCCC) and related events like the United Nations Climate Action Summit and World Earth Day in formulating policies and action plans through international cooperation. The study focuses on the rhetorical techniques employed in these speeches which not only enhance the persuasive impact of the speeches but also contribute to their artistic and expressive quality. Despite extensive research on political speeches within the UN context, there’s a noticeable research gap in examining persuasive rhetoric beyond the UN platform. This paper seeks to bridge this gap by providing a comprehensive analysis of persuasive rhetoric and discourse analysis in political speeches on climate change in various international and national contexts. The methodology includes a thorough review of related literature on rhetoric, communication, discourse analysis, and writing strategies. The study employs qualitative research methods, focusing on discourse and rhetorical analysis of speeches by world leaders from the seven continents at the United Nations Climate Change Conference. The research aims to understand the structures, key elements, and dominant rhetorical appeals used in these speeches. It also seeks to develop an instructional plan to enhance skills in writing persuasive texts, with significant implications for policymakers, communication specialists, and researchers in the field of climate change. In summary, this paper provides valuable insights into the persuasive strategies used in climate change speeches, offering guidance for effective communication and policy-making in addressing the challenges of climate change.