Core Pillars Research Articles

Development and Predictive Validity of the Computational Thinking Disposition Questionnaire

Providing humans with quality education is regarded as one of the core pillars supporting the sustainable development of the world. The idea of computational thinking (CT) brings an innovative inspiration for people to adapt to our intelligent, changing society. It has been globally viewed as crucial that 21st-century learners should acquire the necessary skills to solve real-world problems effectively and efficiently. Recent studies have revealed that the nurture of CT should not only focus on thinking skills, but also on dispositions. Fostering students’ CT dispositions requires the cultivation of their confidence and persistence in dealing with complex problems. However, most of the existing measurement methods related to CT pivot on gauging thinking skills rather than dispositions. The framework of the CT disposition measurement model proposed in this paper was developed based on three theoretical features of thinking dispositions: Inclination, capability, and sensitivity. A two-phase analysis was conducted in this study. With the participation of 640 Grade 5 students in Hong Kong, a three-dimensional construct of the measurement model was extracted via exploratory factor analysis (16 items). The measurement model was further validated with another group of 904 Grade 5 students by confirmative factor analysis and structural equation modeling. The results align with the theoretical foundation of thinking dispositions. In addition, a CT knowledge test was introduced to explore the influences between students’ CT dispositions and their CT knowledge understanding.

Demonstrating library impact: Liaison assessment

Instruction, reference, and collection development have been the core pillars of traditional liaison librarianship, but in recent years, roles have expanded. Liaisons are increasingly expected to be well-versed about scholarly communication, able to troubleshoot the ever-changing landscape of technology, guide faculty to the best Open Educational Resources (OER), and more. As expectations continue to increase and budgets continue to decrease, two questions become clear: What does it mean to be an effective liaison? How can liaison work aid in demonstrating library impact? Considerations for assessing liaison impact are included, both at the programmatic and individual levels. Included is a framework for individual assessment that includes best practices for both traditional and emerging focus areas of liaisonship: Engagement, Teaching and Learning, Collection Development and Management, Research Support, and Scholarly Communication and Digital Initiatives. The framework encourages proactivity, and is designed to mesh with systems of tenure and promotion. Discussion includes considerations for implementing at one's own institution including institutional context, liaison roles and priorities, and appropriate data streams and their collection.

Framework for patient, family-centred care within an Australian Community Hospital: development and description

ObjectiveTo describe the development of a patient and family-centred care (PFCC) conceptual framework within a small community Australian Hospital.MethodsA scoping review of scientific and grey literature and community hospital stakeholder...

Exploiting online environment to engage customers: social commerce brand community

Purpose Taking jointly into account social commerce and online brand community, this paper aims to investigate how the growth of social commerce and the fast adoption of online brand communities have given firms the opportunity to establish a new kind of community, namely, the social commerce brand community. Adopting a managerial perspective, the research aims to identify the core dimensions of social commerce brand community and shed light on how they contribute in engaging customers and transform them into brand advocates. Design/methodology/approach Five social commerce retailers operating into five different sectors of activity have been involved in a multiple case study. Data retrieved from semi-structured interviews have been triangulated with information gathered from different sources to provide depth to the cases and enhance data validity. Findings This study substantiates the rise of social commerce brand community as a new phenomenon that differs from traditional online brand communities and provides firms with concrete support in selling activities and in managing relationships with customers. The multiple case study allows also to detect social commerce brand community core pillars, namely, participants’ identification, participation, conversation and social support. These four elements turned out to be crucial to develop an effective social commerce brand community. Research limitations/implications This study extends existing theory on social commerce and online brand community by investigating the social commerce brand community as a new phenomenon and clarifying the fundamental pillars on which it relies. Originality/value This study extends existing theory on social commerce and online brand community by investigating the social commerce brand community as a new phenomenon and clarifying the fundamental pillars on which it relies.

Changes to the ACGME Common Program Requirements and Their Potential Impact on Emergency Medicine Core Faculty Protected Time.

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), which regulates residency and fellowship training in the United States, recently revised the minimum standards for all training programs. These standards are codified and published as the Common Program Requirements. Recent specific revisions, particularly removing the requirement ensuring protected time for core faculty, are poised to have a substantial impact on emergency medicine training programs.A group of representatives and relevant stakeholders from national emergency medicine (EM) organizations was convened to assess the potential effects of these changes on core faculty and the training of emergency physicians. We reviewed the literature and results of surveys conducted by EM organizations to examine the role of core faculty protected time. Faculty nonclinical activities contribute greatly to the academic missions of EM training programs. Protected time and reduced clinical hours allow core faculty to engage in education and research, which are two of the three core pillars of academic EM. Loss of core faculty protected time is expected to have detrimental impacts on training programs and on EM generally. We provide consensus recommendations regarding EM core faculty clinical work hour limitations to maintain protected time for educational activities and scholarship and preserve the quality of academic EM.

FAIR Practices in Europe

Institutions driving fundamental research at the cutting edge such as for example from the Max Planck Society (MPS) took steps to optimize data management and stewardship to be able to address new scientific questions. In this paper we selected three institutes from the MPS from the areas of humanities, environmental sciences and natural sciences as examples to indicate the efforts to integrate large amounts of data from collaborators worldwide to create a data space that is ready to be exploited to get new insights based on data intensive science methods. For this integration the typical challenges of fragmentation, bad quality and also social differences had to be overcome. In all three cases, well-managed repositories that are driven by the scientific needs and harmonization principles that have been agreed upon in the community were the core pillars. It is not surprising that these principles are very much aligned with what have now become the FAIR principles. The FAIR principles confirm the correctness of earlier decisions and their clear formulation identified the gaps which the projects need to address.

Self-aligned double patterning for active trim contacts with anisotropic pattern pitches in sub-20 nm dynamic random access memories

Background: With continuous decrease in the technology node of dynamic random access memories (DRAMs) down to sub-20 nm, the self-aligned double patterning (SADP) is an effective approach to generate two-dimensional (2-D) patterns, particularly contact arrays. Aim: We demonstrate a patterning scheme using the SADP technique to produce active trim contacts with anisotropic pattern pitches. Approach: The proposed scheme uses two consecutive spacer-formation processes. Results: By making the ellipsoidal core pillars and minimizing the spacer thickness, 2-D critical dimensions (CDs) for self-generated contacts match well with those for core contacts. In addition, an interesting cross-dependence of X -CD and Y -CD variations for the core and self-generated contacts is observed. Conclusion: This patterning approach is useful for forming active trim contacts in sub-20 nm DRAMs using fewer numbers of ArF immersion photolithography steps.

Saba Mahmood on Concepts and Their Unequal Careers

How should issues of historical and cultural specificity inform both the analytics and politics of any feminist project? —Politics of Piety (1) How do we render such historical differences conceptually visible, while at the same time being attentive to the globally shared features of secularism? —Religious Difference in a Secular Age (10) ANYBODY WHO HAS SEEN Saba Mahmood engrossed in a heated debate would have seen her signature drive to question key concepts and the distinct social and political imaginaries they release in the world. In her two major works, Politics of Piety (2005) and Religious Difference in a Secular Age (2016a), Mahmood’s writings likewise deliver a searing inquiry into the universalizing ideals of freedom and equality, two core pillars of secular-liberalism that have animated feminist and secularist movements with transnational reach. Central to her scholarly ethic is a mode of critique that counters the taken-for-granted terms often translated unthinkingly across historical periods and geographic regions. Mahmood’s critical practice was one of interrogating the unequal power relations that concepts carry and as they unfold in specific times and spaces. To the extent that her vigilance was directed toward the hierarchies at play in any conceptual endeavor, she might also be remembered for her commitment to cultivating the as-yet-unforeseen ends of freedom and equality (Mahmood 2016b).

Can smallholder farmers buffer rainfall variability through conservation agriculture? On-farm practices and maize yields in Kenya and Malawi

Reduced tillage, permanent ground cover and crop diversification are the three core pillars of Conservation Agriculture (CA). We assess and compare on-farm effects of different practices related to the three pillars of CA on maize yields under ENSO-driven rainfall variability in Kenya and Malawi. Reduced tillage practices increased yields per hectare by 250 kg on average in Malawi under below-average rainfall conditions and by 700 kg in Kenya under above-average rainfall, but did not have any significant effect on yields under below-average rainfall conditions in Kenya. Ground cover had a positive impact on yields in Malawi (dry conditions) but not in Kenya (both dry and wet conditions), where mixed crop and livestock systems limited this practice. Crop diversification had positive impacts in Kenya (both dry and wet conditions), where maize-legume crop rotation is practiced, but not in Malawi where landholdings are too small to allow rotation. Our findings suggest that isolated CA techniques can have positive effects on yields even after only a few years of practice under variable rainfall conditions. This strengthens empirical evidence supporting the value of CA in resilience building of agricultural systems, and suggests that both full and partial adoption of CA practices should be supported in areas where climate change is leading to more variable rainfall conditions.

Stepparent–Child Relationship Quality and Couple Relationship Quality: Stepfamily Household Type as a Moderating Influence

Stepparent–child relationships and new couple relationships are core pillars of stepfamily functioning and well-being. Although research generally indicates that stepparent–child relationship quality and couple relationship quality are positively associated, questions remain about in which contexts and from whose perspective this association holds. Using reports from parents and stepparents in a sample of 291 stepfamily heterosexual couples, we assess whether stepfamily household type (i.e., mother–stepfather, father–stepmother) moderates the association between stepparent–child relationship quality and couple relationship quality. Results indicate that stepparent–child relationship quality and couple relationship quality are positively associated in both mother–stepfather and father–stepmother families, and from the vantage point of both parents and stepparents. The positive association is significantly larger in mother–stepfather families from the vantage point of stepfathers. Implications for future research and practice with stepfamilies are discussed.

Adaptation of the Engineering Curriculum in the Age of Industry 4.0

Abstract With the rapid proliferation of Industry 4.0 across the globe there is an immediate need for institutes of higher learning to adapt their curriculums, especially in the fields of engineering and IT, in order to ensure relevance to both industry and society. Industry 4.0 is synonymous with cyber-physical systems, AI and the internet of things and requires a knowledgeable workforce that are both inter- and multi-disciplinary skilled. This paper proposes a framework for a three- or four-year electronic engineering degree that aligns itself with the needs of Industry 4.0. The framework is comprised of three core pillars and provides a roadmap for the adaptations required in the curriculum, practical work and competency components of the qualification. In addition to knowledge attributes we also discuss the notion of graduate attributes as well the assessment of these outcomes. A three-year bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering that applies this framework is currently being offered at the Durban University of Technology, South Africa.

What is enterprise risk management?

Enterprise risk management (ERM) is the set of activities used to affect the management of risk across the whole institution, as opposed to discrete risks inside business silos. Most financial institutions have highly developed, specialised risk functions or ‘risk stripes’ that focus on the key individual risk types. Historically, these risk stripes have concentrated on financial threats like credit risk and market risk. More recently, nonfinancial risks like operational, compliance and cyber risk have captured the attention of risk managers. For the most part, risk stripes address the risks of the individual business silos, which typically include deposit taking, lending and trading. This overview paper seeks to explain the objectives of an enterprise approach to risk management as distinct from a purely risk-stripe and silo-based approach. What are some of the recent trends that make the ERM aspect of risk management more important than ever, and what does a good ERM framework look like, given the comparative advantage of ERM, namely the enterprise-wide view (the E in ERM)? This paper presents the four pillars of ERM: a coordinating role through the ownership of the risk management framework; the creation of the risk appetite statement, a foundational element of that framework; development of aggregating risk measures; and rounding up of cross-cutting risks – the stuff that is hard to identify and quantify. In addition to these core pillars, The paper describes a set of ‘nice-to-have’ functions, such as stress testing and risk data ownership, and we discuss some organisational features and capabilities one looks for in an effective ERM group.

A framework for value-creating learning health systems

BackgroundInterest in value-based healthcare, generally defined as providing better care at lower cost, has grown worldwide, and learning health systems (LHSs) have been proposed as a key strategy for improving value in healthcare. LHSs are emerging around the world and aim to leverage advancements in science, technology and practice to improve health system performance at lower cost. However, there remains much uncertainty around the implementation of LHSs and the distinctive features of these systems. This paper presents a conceptual framework that has been developed in Canada to support the implementation of value-creating LHSs.MethodsThe framework was developed by an interdisciplinary team at the Institut national d’excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS). It was informed by a scoping review of the scientific and grey literature on LHSs, regular team discussions over a 14-month period, and consultations with Canadian and international experts.ResultsThe framework describes four elements that characterise LHSs, namely (1) core values, (2) pillars and accelerators, (3) processes and (4) outcomes. LHSs embody certain core values, including an emphasis on participatory leadership, inclusiveness, scientific rigour and person-centredness. In addition, values such as equity and solidarity should also guide LHSs and are particularly relevant in countries like Canada. LHS pillars are the infrastructure and resources supporting the LHS, whereas accelerators are those specific structures that enable more rapid learning and improvement. For LHSs to create value, such infrastructures must not only exist within the ecosystem but also be connected and aligned with the LHSs’ strategic goals. These pillars support the execution, routinisation and acceleration of learning cycles, which are the fundamental processes of LHSs. The main outcome sought by executing learning cycles is the creation of value, which we define as the striking of a more optimal balance of impacts on patient and provider experience, population health and health system costs.ConclusionsOur framework illustrates how the distinctive structures, processes and outcomes of LHSs tie together with the aim of optimising health system performance and delivering greater value in health systems.

Co-optation, Counter-Narratives, and Repression: Protesting Lebanon's Sectarian Power-Sharing Regime

This article focuses on how the Lebanese government and political establishment reacted to two waves of protest movements that used slogans decrying the country's sectarian system of government. Much of the literature on Lebanon's power-sharing regime has focused on internal schisms and the challenges of mobilization against it, but little has been done to understand how it responds to anti-sectarian mobilization. I argue that the government and sectarian establishment employ co-optation, counter-narratives, and repression to demobilize protests that challenge the core pillars of sectarian representation.

Research on Main Geological Controls and Enrichment Model of Coalbed Methane Distribution in China

The distribution and enrichment of coalbed methane in China are controlled by various geological factors. A systematic study has been carried out on six aspects: geological structure conditions, burial depth, hydrogeological conditions, sedimentary environment, physical properties and magmatic activities of coalbed methane. The results show that tectonic subsidence, hydraulic sealing and gas control, reverse faults and synclinal core are controlled by structural subsidence, hydraulic sealing and gas control. It is advantageous to CBM occurrence; tectonic uplifting, hydraulic migration and dissipation, normal faults, anticlinal core and subsidence pillars are disadvantageous to CBM occurrence; with the increase of coal seam burial depth, the adsorption capacity of CBM increases gradually, and decreases after the critical burial depth; the thicker the thickness of coal seam roof and floor, the more dense of the lithology, the more favorable to CBM preservation; the content of CBM is positively correlated with coal thickness. According to the influence degree of geological factors, the distribution and occurrence of coalbed methane can be summarized as two types: comprehensive control of multiple factors and main control of one or two factors.

Quality Label in Buildings and Construction – a Green Label Supporting the Sustainability of Buildings in Slovenia

Sustainable actions in the building sector need to be supported by appropriate quality assurance (QA) and control protocols and tools. In late 1990s the first – and to this date the only comprehensive – quality label for construction products and services was established in Slovenia: the Quality Label in Buildings and Construction (ZKG). It is a voluntary green label addressing not only the specific technical characteristics of products and services, but among other also the production process quality, internal QA schemes, regular training and education of staff, innovation and development activities, economic aspects, the impact of the activities on the environment, and the social role of the company in the local area. In this way it addresses the three core pillars of sustainability. The label has gained a prominent status and is being referred to in calls for tenders both in public and private sectors and in national subsidy schemes. The paper presents the structure and content of the assessment scheme and ranking system exposing their core elements. A more detailed approach is presented on the case of a window as a construction product and on the case of installation of windows as a service, underlining the positive role of the label with regard to raising the quality standards in the building sector on the national level.

Towards Financial Semiology

This paper offers a new avenue in contemplating semiology beyond linguistics: it introduces accounting as ‘Financial Semiology’. The paper discusses the implications of a semiological theorisation of accounting, particularly in problematising the conventional assumptions underlying two important accounting issues: recognition and measurement of the firm's assets, specifically with respect to the notion of alleged 'representation' of assets and their seemingly 'intrinsic value'. Through two core pillars in Saussure's semiology, re-titled here as 'reciprocal articulation' and 'value constellation', the paper offers an alternative theorisation of such accounting procedures. The paper also shows the implications of such Financial Semiology for the general theory of semiology, and distils its core characteristics as a framework for explicating the non-substantive operation of social sign systems.

The Universal Precautionary Principle: New Pillars and Pathways for Environmental, Sociocultural, and Economic Resilience

Global environmental degradation is linked to a worldwide erosion of ethnic identity and cultural diversity, as well as market disruption. Cultures rely heavily on the local environment around them, and local communities play a key role in conserving natural resources. People’s identity, connection with land, and the adaptation of Indigenous and local knowledge are prerequisites for resilience. Though the Environmental Precautionary Principle (EPP) aims to tackle environmental degradation by privileging the environment in the face of uncertainty, it is not sufficient on its own; it does not take into account the intimate connection between nature and local culture, nor does it prioritize community or cultural wellbeing. We suggest expanding this concept into a multi-faceted Universal Precautionary Principle (UPP), which recognizes people’s connection to the land, and elevates community, cultural, and economic wellbeing as equally important values alongside environmental concerns. Here, we coin the Universal Precautionary Principle, outline its four core pillars—systems, governance, diversity, and resilience—and introduce its three subsets: Environmental Precautionary Principle, Sociocultural Precautionary Principle, and Economic Precautionary Principle. We discuss potential outcomes of its application, and offer operational guidelines to implement the Universal Precautionary Principle in practice, before concluding that it is a crucial tool to build environmental, sociocultural, and economic resilience. In essence, reciprocity is the keystone for continuance—if the environment is healthy, people are more likely to be healthy. Equally, if people are healthy, the environment is more likely to be healthy; for both people and the environment to be healthy, their culture and economy must be healthy.

Immaterial Indigenous Modernities in the Struggle against Illegal Fencing in the N≠a Jaqna Conservancy, Namibia: Genealogical Ancestry and ‘San-ness’ in a ‘Traditional Community’

For several years, livestock farmers from different parts of Namibia have settled in the N≠a Jaqna Conservancy – an area mostly inhabited by San (Bushmen) – and have illegally erected fences to keep livestock. As a result of this encroachment, communal land in N≠a Jaqna has become de facto privatised. In response, the local San present themselves as the ‘indigenous’ inhabitants, even though many of them do not originate from the area. They have mobilised the Conservancy as their legal entity – including in a court case – despite Namibia’s lack of a legal framework for the recognition and enforcement of global indigenous rights. We analyse their strategic usage of ‘traditional community’, which is a legal term in Namibia, in this land politics. To this aim, we use the four core pillars (characteristics) of the global concept of ‘indigeneity’, namely genealogical ancestry, cultural difference (in this case ‘San-ness’), non-dominance and self-ascription, with specific emphasis on the first two. Whereas genealogical ancestry appears to be a ‘weak’ argument for the San at first glance, cultural difference (supported by non-dominance and self-ascription) has proven crucial to winning the court case. We show that the use of ‘traditional community’ enables these four pillars to play an important role in defining who has access to the land and its resources. As such, we argue, traditional community and indigeneity (even though the latter is not formally acknowledged) provide the San of the N≠a Jaqna Conservancy with ‘immaterial indigenous modernities’: modern values or ideas in society that can be used strategically by local, marginalised groups to reach political goals.

Risk communication during disease outbreak response in post-Ebola Liberia: experiences in Sinoe and Grand Kru counties.

IntroductionLessons learned from the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak enabled Liberia to develop a health plan for strengthening public health capacity against potential public health threats. risk communication is one of the core pillars that provide life-saving information and knowledge for the public to take preventive and proactive actions against public health threats. These were applied in response to the post-ebola meningococcal septicemia and meningitis outbreaks in Sinoe and Grand Kru counties. This paper documents risk communication experiences in these post-ebola outbreaks in Liberia.MethodsRisk Communication and health promotion strategies were deployed in developing response plans and promptly disseminating key messages to affected communities to mitigate the risks. Other strategies included engagement of community leaders, partnership with the media and dissemination of messages through the community radios, active monitoring community risk perceptions and compliance, rumor management, mobile stage and interpersonal communication (IPC) during the Meningococcal disease outbreaks in Sinoe and Grand Kru counties.ResultsIn Sinoe, about 36,891 households or families in 10 health districts were reached through IPC and dialogue. Circulating rumors such as “Ebola” was the cause of deaths was timely and promptly mitigated. There was increased trust and adherence to health advice including prompt reporting of sick people to the nearest health facility in the two counties.ConclusionRisk communication and health promotion encouraged community support and involvement in any response to public threats and events. No doubt, risk communication and health promotion play an important role in preparedness and response to public health emergencies.