Context Of Current Changes Research Articles

Digital literacy and technopolitics, core enablers in a disintermediated digital political communication age

The growing interconnection of technology and politics and the enactment of particular political goals (technopolitics) has been closely articulated with emotions and the building of foreign policy narratives. In the current context of change in the communication paradigm, global and disintermediated, bringing together in the same digital space distinct actors, and having wide diffusion and reach, the challenges to international politics are diverse. Digital and media literacy are, in this regard, key to address the implications of these changes, avoiding the spreading of disinformation, fake news and distorted practices that might have profound effects at societal and political level. In this context, this paper aims at providing a basis for understanding the emerging and increasingly clear connection between political communication, polarization, disinformation, and emotions in social networks and digital literacy as a central factor explaining misuse or alleviating deficiencies, on the one hand, and how this context is affecting the reconfiguration of international relations and politics, on the other hand. The case of the war in Ukraine is illustrative of these trends and dynamics.

Mapping a Green Infrastructure Network: a framework for spatial connectivity applied in Northern Italy

Global environmental changes, including landscape fragmentation, are threatening the integrity of ecosystems and reducing their capacity to deliver ecosystem services. Spatial configuration of a green network supports ecological functions and services, that depend on living organisms and material movements across the landscape. It is important to study the structure of green infrastructure networks and to develop robust methodologies that can inform future planning. In this paper we describe a framework for connectivity analysis and enhancement within the green infrastructure networks. We review and combine methods to map and analyse the current spatial network configuration of green elements, in order to identify the key nodes and links that can maintain connectivity and consequently support the benefits provided across the landscape. The study explores the creation of network scenarios and the improvement or reduction of connectivity by adding, preserving, or removing corridors and core areas. Methods include morphological spatial pattern analysis, landscape connectivity metrics and graph theory elements. The analysis has been applied in the Northern Italian Plain, considering green riparian zones and the protected areas as elements of the network. The results show that this method can be used to analyse the status of green infrastructure networks and to identify the main needs for maintaining and improving network connectivity. This is important in the current context of change, as it may support decision-makers in developing tailored adaptation strategies that exploit nature-based solutions to reduce the risks caused by the major drivers of change.

Do Fire Regime Attributes Affect Soil Biochemical Properties in the Same Way under Different Environmental Conditions?

Global change is altering fire frequency and severity in many regions across the world. In this work, we studied the impact of different frequency and severity regimes on the soil biochemical properties in burned areas with different environmental conditions. We selected three sites dominated by pine ecosystems along a Mediterranean-Transition-Oceanic climatic gradient, where we determined the fire frequency, and severity of the last wildfire. Four years after the last wildfire, we established 184 4 m2 plots. In each plot, we collected a composed soil sample from a 3 cm depth, and measured several ecological variables potentially affected by the fire frequency and severity (cover of bare soil, cover of fine and coarse plant debris, cover of vegetation, and vegetation height). From each soil sample, we analyzed the enzymatic activities corresponding to the biogeochemical cycles of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus (β-glucosidase, urease, and acid-phosphatase, respectively), and the microbial biomass carbon. The results indicated that fire frequency only played a significant role in soil biochemical properties at the Mediterranean and Transition sites. Specifically, we found that increases in frequency contributed to increased urease and phosphatase activities (at the Transition site), as well as microbial biomass carbon (at the Mediterranean and Transition sites). In relation to burn severity, we found opposite patterns when comparing the Mediterranean and Oceanic sites. Specifically, increased severity significantly decreased β-glucosidase, urease, and microbial biomass carbon at the Mediterranean site, whereas at the Oceanic one, severity significantly increased them. Burn severity also decreased microbial biomass carbon at the Transition site. Our results also indicated that, overall, fire frequency determined the studied ecological variables at the Mediterranean and Transition sites, but clear indirect effects on biochemical properties due to changes in ecological variables were not found. This study adds to the knowledge on the impact of shifts in fire regimes on soils in the current context of change.

Disrupting metaphors of coloniality to mediate social inclusion in the global South

ABSTRACTNew voices emerging in the global South are contesting the academy’s elitist and exclusionary ethos by disrupting the normalcy of coloniality. Concerns raised by the student protests of 2015 and 2016 have challenged the higher education sector to rethink its traditional teaching, learning, and assessment practices in response to student calls for decolonised and transformative curricula. This paper explores the ‘voice’ of the marginalised, who dare to ‘speak’ in authentic and provocative ways to call the university to action. We pose the questions: are alternative voices enough to inspire institutional change if traditional hierarchies of power remain intact? What does this mean for the collective project of re-imagining a university that carries a promise of social inclusion and social justice? What are the implications for academic development (AD) work, which finds itself on the margins, in service of mainstream (and dominant) epistemic and pedagogic practices? Using reflective narratives, and drawing on decolonial scholarship, this study explores a group process involved in curriculum change work at a university in South Africa. It raises challenges for AD and its role in the current context of change.

Forever transnational: The ambivalence of return and cross‐border activities of the Shan across the Thailand‐Myanmar border

Over the past two decades, northern Thailand has experienced a massive influx of Shan ethnic nationals from Myanmar migrating to escape economic hardship and political conflicts at home. Myanmar's recent reforms raise the question of whether these migrants will return. The paper brings together the context of current changes in Myanmar with migrants' prospects of return and the impact of large‐scale migration on homeland politics. On the one hand, the paper explores the possibility that Shan migrants could remain forever transnational, for many of them will most likely never return. On the other hand, it considers the perspective of Shan elites in Myanmar on the fact a large portion of young Shan now spend their adult lives living and working in Thailand. While out‐migration of young Shan threatens the social fabric of Shan community in Myanmar, Shan ethnonationalists strive across the Myanmar border to regain loyalty among the Shan migrant population in Thailand. By examining the two aspects, this paper attempts to shed light on the impact of transnational migration on both migrants and their home country.

Training realisation and training demand in the Rioja wine sector in Spain

ABSTRACTTraining has been identified as an effective tool in the development of human resources, especially in the current context of change. This work aims to analyse the realisation and demand on training courses in the Rioja wine sector in Spain. A representative sample of companies in the sector was interviewed using a questionnaire. Two types of analysis were conducted: univariate and a factorial analysis of variance. These analyses allow using a hypothesis test in which three independent variables are controlled – zone, ownership, and winery size. The results show that the realisation and demand for training are focused on topics related to wine production, and not on marketing. No significant differences were found regarding the realisation and demand for training and the independent variables.

SOCIAL REPRESENTATIONS OF COLLEGE APPLICANTS: (RE)CONSTRUCTING THE STEREOTYPE OF ACCOUNTING PROFESSIONALS

Professional stereotypes are the result of the social representations constructed in a determined social and cultural context that orient people and social groups in the understanding of professional roles. That is, stereotypes can influence the choice of a profession, notably among teenagers. In the case of Accounting professionals, the prevailing social representations do not attribute a very attractive image to them. The traditional stereotype of an accountant is characterized predominantly as a conservative and relatively inflexible male. Since social representations are constructed in determined historical contexts, stereotypes also change depending on them. This study examines the social representations of college applicants, for the purpose of analyzing their opinions regarding the Accounting profession, to compare them with the traditional stereotype of these professionals. For this purpose, a descriptive survey was conducted among 807 prospective college students who had just finished taking their entrance exams, using the photo-questionnaire tested and validated by Azevedo (2010). The aim was to find out whether the social representation of these college applicants corresponds to the traditional image of the accountant, in the current context of change that permeates accountancy. The results indicate a possible shift in the stereotype, based on the social representations of the respondents. In other words, the accounting professionals are not negatively stereotyped by the college applicants regarding the variables investigated in this study, as follows: “creativity”, “dedication to studies”, “teamwork”, “communication”, “leadership”, “risk propensity” and “ethics”. These representations obtained at the moment of choosing a major, and hence a likely profession, are important, since these college applicants constitute a new generation, whose vision of the world differs from that of previous generations and indicate a congruence with the changes that have occurred in Accounting, the market and society in general.

The development and psychometric evaluation of the Perceptions of Empowerment in Midwifery Scale

Objective to develop and psychometrically evaluate a scale to measure midwives’ perceptions of their levels of empowerment. Design a cross-sectional postal survey, carried out in May 2005. Participants a random sample of midwives practising in Ireland ( n=244). Measurement and findings the Perceptions of Empowerment in Midwifery Scale (PEMS) was developed and psychometrically evaluated in this study. Exploratory factor analysis was performed on the scale, using Principal Axis Factoring with an oblique (Direct Oblimin) rotation. This suggested three sub-scales: autonomous practice; effective management and women-centred practice. The scale was found to be a valid and reliable instrument. Key conclusions the PEMS is an appropriate tool to measure midwives’ perceptions of their levels of empowerment. Implications for practice within the current context of change in Irish midwifery, this research facilitates the articulation and measurement of the conditions that facilitate empowerment in midwifery, which can assist in enhancing the midwifery contribution to maternity care.

Modelo de clasificación y valoración multifuncional de una red de vías pecuarias: aplicación a dos subcomarcas madrileñas

The presence of public cattle ways process in the Spanish geography is very notable. In the current context of change and transformation of the rural space, the public cattle ways in Spain have also evolved acquiring new uses and functions. In the present work there has been designed a model of valuation and classification of public cattle ways. This model is a research work about the systematical study of the value of public cattle ways depending on the current and potential uses. Finally, this model provides a tool for advise in taking decisions in the work of planning and management ot these public cattle ways nets. There are exposed the principal theoretical basis of this model and as well as the results of its application in two areas of the region of Madrid.