Deep Changes Research Articles

From Surplus and Scarcity toward Abundance: Understanding the Use of ICT in Food Resource Sharing Practices

Food practices have become an important context for questions around sustainability. Within HCI, sustainable HCI and human-food-interaction have developed as a response. We argue, nevertheless, that food practices as a social activity remain relatively under-examined, and further that sustainable food practices hinge on communal activity. We present the results of action-oriented research with a grassroots movement committed to sustainable food practices at a local, communal level, thereby demonstrating the role of ICT in making food resource sharing a viable practice. We suggest that the current focus on food sharing might usefully be supplemented by attention to food resource sharing, an approach that aligns with a paradigm shift from surplus to abundance. We argue for a design that aims to encourage food resource sharing at a local level but that also has wider ramifications. These “glocal” endeavors recognize the complexity of prosumption practices and foster aspirations for “deep change” in food systems.

Typologies of stations’ catchment areas in metropolitan urban peripheries: From car-oriented to sustainable urban strategies

After decades of sprawl and car-dependent urban developments, especially on the peripheries of metropolitan areas, new policies are being oriented towards more efficient and sustainable mobility. In the process of change towards more sustainable mobility patterns in peripheral areas, commuter railways must play a predominant role because of their capacity and speed. The main aim of this paper is to analyse commuter rail stations’ catchment areas (SCAs) to identify typologies of these nodes in large metropolitan areas as a key step in proposing strategies for making mobility much more sustainable, both in the medium and proximity scales, by promoting soft mobility towards stations, a strategy that will facilitate commuters’ use of daily rail transport. The method proposed is based on a twofold clustering analysis. The first is to consider urban-planning variables to detect consolidated stations; the second is to use both public space and land-use variables to characterise the quality of the urban environment for walking/cycling. These methods are applied in the metropolitan area of Madrid and offer some key insights. The results show that different typologies are found – from consolidated, dense and mixed-use SCAs, with large residential developments, to low-density SCAs in sprawl areas or low consolidated mixed-use SCAs with large parking spaces, following the park-and-ride model, among others. This identification of SCAs’ typologies is key for policy makers to propose different strategies, which could be small projects oriented towards improving public spaces promoting soft mobility, or deeper changes that require a re-densification process in the stations’ surroundings, breaking with the rigid definition of transit-oriented developments and adapting the decisions taken to each context.

SOME THOUGHTS ON A RENEWED MANAGEMENT COMPETENCY-BASED HUMAN RESOURCES WITHIN THE MOROCCAN CIVIL SERVICE

Virtually all companies and public organization are facing a new challenge in today’s world. They need to know how to best manage change. The simple real-time management of human resources remains insufficient to ensure the smooth functioning of organizations, faced with the acceleration of changes that affect jobs. In this changing context, the Moroccan public administration is obliged to continuously adapt and to opt, where appropriate, for deeper changes in its management methods, including the issue of skills and human resources management. The purpose of this work is to present, through a literature review, some avenues for reflection for a renewal of human resource management practices based on competency logic. Investigations show that the Public Service has great difficulty in implementing modern skills management capable of improving its HRM practices and therefore, it is necessary to renovate the traditional practices of personnel management and to implement a real strategy of dynamic HRM, evolving and professionalizing taking into account the change of its environment

Moho Inversion by Gravity Anomalies in the South China Sea: Updates and Improved Iteration of the Parker‐Oldenburg Algorithm

AbstractThe Moho is the interface between crust and mantle, and accurate location of the Moho is important for both resource exploration and deep earth condition and structural change investigations. The theory of the traditional Parker‐Oldenburg (P‐O) method is quite simple and it is widely applied in the frequency domain of Moho depth inversion. However, Moho fluctuation simulations using the P‐O method are not reliable because of the lack of field geographic data constraints during the inversion process and the excessively smoothing of data details caused by using filters to correct the source data signals. To solve those problems, we propose an improved iteration P‐O method with a variable density contrast model, the iterative process is constrained by geological data in the inversion parameters, and the variable depth of the gravity interface is iterated using an equivalent form of upward continuation in the Fourier domain, which is more stable and convergent than downward continuation term in original P‐O method. Synthetic experiments indicate that improved method has the better consistency among the simulations than original method, and our improved method has the smallest root mean square (RMS) of 0.59 km. In a real case, we employed the improved method to invert for the Moho depth of the South China Sea (SCS), and the RMS between our Moho depth model and the seismological data is the smallest value of 2.27 km. The synthetic experiments and application of the model to the SCS further prove that our method is practical and efficient.

Changes in Molecular Structure of Humic Substances in Cambisols under Agricultural Use

Soil organic matter stability and transformation affected by agriculture is a global problem of great concern. This study aimed to reveal structural changes in humic molecules under conventional soil tillage in Cambisols of the Transbaikal area. Humic acids were isolated from the humus horizons of native and arable variants of Eutric Cambisol Cryic (gleyic, humic, loamic) from the forest steppe, and Haplic Cambisol (arenic, humic, protocalcic) from the steppe zone. The changes in the humic substances’ quality were evaluated by means of an elemental analysis and 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The results indicate that different agronomic management affected the changes in the composition and molecular structure of humic acids. Soil tillage induced an increase in the carbon content, the proportion of aromatic compounds and carboxyl groups and the depletion in nitrogen. As measured by 13C NMR spectroscopy, the intensity of these changes was determined by soil properties and the hydrothermal regime. Organic matter from Eutric Cambisol Cryic was suggested as providing significant environmental resistance to the agricultural impact due to the optimization of the water regime and a loamy texture. Prolonged ploughing of sandy Haplic Cambisol under the arid conditions promoted deep changes in the humic substances’ composition and chemical structure.

INVESTIGATION OF CHRONIC TOXICITY OF A PHARMACOLOGICAL COMPOSITION BASED ON BACTERIOCIN-NISIN AND SILICON GLYCEROLATES

The use of new drugs on productive animals is possible only after identifying the long-term effects of the use of substances included in the composition on the functional state of organs, tissues and systems. As a result, the goal of our work was to study the chronic toxicity of the developed composition and the possibility of using it on highly productive cows in the treatment of mastitis. The studied composition was developed at the I.Ya. Postovsky Insititute of Organic Synthesis of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciencesand corresponds to the composition: silicon glycerolates – 3,0%, nisin – 0,3%, glycerin – 10%, distilled water – up to 100 %. Chronic toxicity studies were performed on female non-linear white laboratory rats (n=40) using hematological, biochemical, pathomorphological and histological research methods. When conducting hematological studies, it was found that the indicators of the composition of the blood elements of laboratory rats when using the studied composition in different dosages were within the limits. A study of the biochemical parameters of the blood of laboratory animals receiving the composition at a dose of 500 mg/kg and 1000 mg / kg found that the metabolic parameters corresponded to physiological values. Feeding of the studied composition at a dose of 750 mg / kg led to changes in the form of an increase in the enzymatic activity of alkaline phosphatase, a decrease in cholesterol, however, the data obtained cannot confirm the negative effect of the studied dose on the liver, due to the absence of pathological changes in this organ at the cellular level. Histological studies have established that the developed composition can cause changes in organs depending on the dosage used. Based on the research results, we determined that the composition can be recommended for clinical trials on productive animal species at a dose of no more than 500 mg/kg. The use of a dose of 750 mg / kg is recommended to be used with caution in animals with severe liver dysfunction. During further tests, it is necessary to refrain from the critical dose of 1000 mg / kg, which leads to deeper changes in the organs.

The Role of Communication Technology in Building Social Interaction and Increasing Digital Literacy in Ibu Sibuk Community

Digital transformation involves deep changes in businesses and organizations, with maximizing changes and opportunities in technology and social impact as top priorities. Further research was conducted to analyze the effects of digital transformation on communication in communities and identify effective strategies to overcome communication breakdowns arising from technological change. This research discusses the important role of communication technology in a community, namely the IbuSibuk community. The method used is a case study, with the data collection technique being structured interviews. The results showed that the use of communication technology has a significant role in facilitating social interaction, information exchange, and the self-development of members in the IbuSibuk Community. Platforms such as Instagram, WhatsApp, and Telegram allow members to share information, ideas, and support, while identity as a member of IbuSibuk provides additional benefits, such as the opportunity to collaborate with brands or companies. There are some technical barriers and a lack of digital literacy that affect the use of technology in the community. Therefore, efforts are needed to improve digital literacy so that all members can utilize technology effectively and participate actively in the community. Improving digital literacy includes aspects of digital ethics, digital culture, and digital safety. Support and education on the use of technology can be organized through external initiatives as well as internal activities within the IbuSibuk community

RESEARCH OF THE CATEGORY "UPBRINGING" BY MEANS OF SCIENTIFIC ANALYSIS

The category "upbringing" is studied by means of content analysis and linguistic analysis. The relevance of the article stems from a certain underestimation of personality upbringing and scientific knowledge in the organization of the upbringing process in the educational systems of Ukraine and foreign countries, from deep qualitative changes occurring in modern youth environment, as well as from the fact that there is a different understanding of the mentioned phenomenon both in the context of pedagogical theory and in the field of sociolinguistic studies, which reveal multifarious content of the category "upbringing" in different languages, which affects its content. The article provides the correlation of the features of the concept "upbringing" obtained through linguistic analysis and content analysis.
 On the basis of the conducted research, upbringing as a category used in the context of Ukrainian-language scientific and pedagogical literature is identified as a process of conscious development of an independent personality, which is carried out under the influence of a teacher-educator in the process of joint reciprocal activity of all participants in the educational process, aimed at mastering the methods of their moral self-development and the experience of social relations. At the same time, the process of upbringing involves the actualization of hidden potential resources of the child's psyche under the socializing influence of society, as well as family and school as social institutions. Under such conditions, upbringing has revealed a social, purposeful, formative, conscious character, its result is the psychic development of the personality as an organized, multifactorial social and personality educational process aimed at forming a person's ability for self-development, self-education, and self-determination.
 At large, the process of upbringing is understood as a socio-historical phenomenon and the process of transmitting the accumulated experience of humanity from generation to generation; as a process that leads to certain changes in the personality sphere, as a mediated mutual influence of all participants in the educational process, being in unity with the process of interaction of various objective and subjective factors of personality formation; as a developmental activity; as management and control of personality development.

Exploratory study about achievements and issues of university social responsibility — “USR” as a dynamic process

“University Social Responsibility”, commonly abbreviated as USR, is a term that was created at the beginning of the 2000 s. The term USR was advocated by the inspiration of “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)” under the rapid progression of globalization. CSR is understood as being a corporate management way through which a company achieves a balance of economic, environmental, and social imperatives, while at the same time addressing the needs of stakeholders. Hence this term includes an idea of corporate management and competition theory. In this respect, USR can be said to differ from previously used terms to discuss universities’ roles and missions. Positioning this point as a property of USR, this study focused on this term. This is a literature review that aims to extract features of USR based on its nature and to consider achievements and issues. This study classified the research topics using the text mining method first and dug deep changes in the research trends by reading papers that were selected along with those topics carefully. As a result, three features were detected: a dynamic process on the practice base, a methodology to design corporative university management, and a top-down style concept. The concept of USR differed depending on the social situation in each country, while USR has converged as a way to meet the demands of social contribution to universities in the practice process. Since around 2018, there has been a trend toward improving the substantial quality of education while intending to differentiate from other universities.

Evaluating the design of digital tools for the transition to an e-continuous assessment in higher education

Evaluation is a crucial part of the teaching and learning process in any higher education institution and one that has gone through a deep change. This has been particularly true since the Bologna Declaration (http://www.ehea.info/page-ministerial-conference-bologna-1999, 1999) ushered in the European higher education area, with the subsequent major rise in the employment of continuous assessment methods focused on student participation. This article analyses the impact on academic performance of e-continuous assessment based on e-tests on a virtual platform as a previous step towards the substitution of the traditional evaluation system, based on a final exam, with a continuous evaluation system, prescribed as an alternative preferred by the regulations of multiple Spanish universities. Microeconometric models have been applied to a database of 250 first-year students on the Business Administration and Management course at the University of Seville (Spain). Our findings show that e-tests could prevent the risk of students dropping out and could also provide a credible predictor of students’ academic marks in the theoretical contents of the subject, but not in those of a practical or applied nature. Based on the results of this evaluation, an e-continuous assessment has been developed in the subject, which has become the majority option for students, with 90% participation, while also increasing pass rates. Moreover, the positive effect of a computing environment does not appear to be limited to the classroom, but also extends to students’ home environments. This teaching experience shows that the swift feedback that e-tools provides, especially in especially in environments of large class size such as in the class evaluated, could support instructors’ personal tutoring of students’ progress and promote a greater implementation of e-continuous assessment in Spanish higher education.

Bitemporal Remote Sensing Image Change Detection Network Based on Siamese-Attention Feedback Architecture

Recently, deep learning-based change detection methods for bitemporal remote sensing images have achieved promising results based on fully convolutional neural networks. However, due to the inherent characteristics of convolutional neural networks, if the previous block fails to correctly segment the entire target, erroneous predictions might accumulate in the subsequent blocks, leading to incomplete change detection results in terms of structure. To address this issue, we propose a bitemporal remote sensing image change detection network based on a Siamese-attention feedback architecture, referred to as SAFNet. First, we propose a global semantic module (GSM) on the encoder network, aiming to generate a low-resolution semantic change map to capture the changed objects. Second, we introduce a temporal interaction module (TIM), which is built through each encoding and decoding block, using the feature feedback between two temporal blocks to enhance the network’s perception ability of the entire changed target. Finally, we propose two auxiliary modules—the change feature extraction module (CFEM) and the feature refinement module (FRM)—which are further used to learn the fine boundaries of the changed target. The deep model we propose produced satisfying results in dual-temporal remote sensing image change detection. Extensive experiments on two remote sensing image change detection datasets demonstrate that the SAFNet algorithm exhibits state-of-the-art performance.

Digital destination branding: A framework to define and assess European DMOs practices

The current tourism scenario is complex, marked by deep crises and changes due to Covid-19 pandemic impacts. Tourist destinations more than ever need to assert their brand on the global market. This paper proposes a framework for setting up destination branding choices in the digital realm and for measuring the choices made by tourismplayers such as Destination Marketing Organisations (DMOs).This study proposes a Digital Destination Branding (DDB) framework drawing from the academic literature and practitioners’ perspectives. This framework is organised on three dimensions in which the main digital branding choices are grouped to promote a tourist destination, engage visitors and offer them services for a superior visiting experience: Social Network Presence (SNP), Social Network Content (SNC) and Digital Tourism Services (DTS). Each of these pillars is based on multiple items and micro-items. Assigning scores to each element of the framework allows for measuring compliance with the model’s requirements for digital destination branding. Applying our proposed framework, the empirical component of the study provides a comparative evaluation of the DDB practices of the 2021 top 10 European destinations. The results provide an overview of how DMOs are currently using digital channels and tools for destination branding.

Cross-cutting concepts to transform agricultural research

Agriculture is an important link to many issues that challenge society today, including adaptation to and mitigation of climate change, food security, and communicable and non-communicable diseases in animals and humans. Transformation of agriculture and food systems has become a priority for a range of federal agencies and global organizations. It is imperative that food and agricultural researchers effectively harness the global convergence of priorities to overcome research “silos” through deep and sustained systemic change. Herein, we identify intersections in federal and global initiatives encompassing climate adaptation and mitigation; human health and nutrition; animal health and welfare; food safety and security; and equity and inclusion. Many agencies and organizations share these priorities, but efforts to address them remain uncoordinated and opportunities for collaboration untapped. Based on the interconnectedness of the identified priority areas, we present a research framework to catalyze agricultural transformation, beginning with the research enterprise. We propose that transformation in agricultural research should incorporate (1) innovation, (2) integration, (3) implementation, and (4) evaluation. This framework provides approaches for food and agricultural research to contribute to sustainable, flexible, and coordinated transformation in the agricultural sector.

Preparing Students for a World of Continuous Societal and Workplace Disruption

There is a perception today that is broadly held but rarely voiced: That our political, economic, social, and academic institutions are increasingly unfit for public purpose. How students experience and prepare for a world of deep social change and unrelenting technological advances is something that educators can influence profoundly. There are four mindset capabilities that serve as an illuminating lens for viewing one’s teaching with fresh eyes and a reassuring sense of clarity regarding how to prepare learners to adapt and embrace a world of continuous societal and workplace disruption: Psychological Safety, Empathic Concern, Step Up-Step Back Leadership, and Community Problem Solving.

Spatial Morphological Characteristics and Evolution of Traditional Villages in the Mountainous Area of Southwest Zhejiang

National-level traditional villages in Liandu District and Qingyuan County, Lishui City, in the southwestern mountainous area of Zhejiang Province serve as research objects in our exploration of the external representation and deep spatial structure changes in traditional village spatial forms from a synchronic and diachronic perspective. We use morphological indices, space syntax, city image surveys, and other analysis methods to reveal the formation and evolution of these forms. We find that: (1) Traditional village boundaries in the mountainous area of southwest Zhejiang are mainly clusters and bands, which are restricted by geographical conditions and tend to expand in the direction of rivers and roads. (2) The original spatial forms of settlements effectively organize the travel activities of local residents and external visitors, while the corresponding two fabric centers basically coincide. However, with the continuous evolution of settlements and the intervention of modern construction projects, the centers have shifted slightly. (3) Factors such as the natural environment, clan consanguinity, and economic and technological conditions jointly act on spatial forms manifesting as “stability maintenance” and “sudden change” games; thus, the forms show overlapping and integration across multiple temporal and spatial points.

Deep unsupervised learning for 3D ALS point clouds change detection

Change detection from traditional 2D optical images has limited capability to model the changes in the height or shape of objects. Change detection using 3D point cloud from photogrammetry or LiDAR surveying can fill this gap by providing critical depth information. While most existing machine learning based 3D point cloud change detection methods are supervised, they severely depend on the availability of annotated training data, which is in practice a critical point. To circumnavigate this dependence, we propose an unsupervised 3D point cloud change detection method mainly based on self-supervised learning using deep clustering and contrastive learning. The proposed method also relies on an adaptation of deep change vector analysis to 3D point cloud via nearest point comparison. Experiments conducted on an aerial LiDAR survey dataset show that the proposed method obtains higher performance in comparison to the traditional unsupervised methods, with a gain of about 9% in mean accuracy (to reach more than 85%). Thus, it appears to be a relevant choice in scenario where prior knowledge (labels) is not ensured. The code will be made available at https://github.com/IdeGelis/torch-points3d-SSL-DCVA.

A single case neuroimaging study of tickertape synesthesia

Reading acquisition is enabled by deep changes in the brain’s visual system and language areas, and in the links subtending their collaboration. Disruption of those plastic processes commonly results in developmental dyslexia. However, atypical development of reading mechanisms may occasionally result in ticker-tape synesthesia (TTS), a condition described by Francis Galton in 1883 wherein individuals “see mentally in print every word that is uttered (…) as from a long imaginary strip of paper”. While reading is the bottom–up translation of letters into speech, TTS may be viewed as its opposite, the top–down translation of speech into internally visualized letters. In a series of functional MRI experiments, we studied MK, a man with TTS. We showed that a set of left-hemispheric areas were more active in MK than in controls during the perception of normal than reversed speech, including frontoparietal areas involved in speech processing, and the Visual Word Form Area, an occipitotemporal region subtending orthography. Those areas were identical to those involved in reading, supporting the construal of TTS as upended reading. Using dynamic causal modeling, we further showed that, parallel to reading, TTS induced by spoken words and pseudowords relied on top–down flow of information along distinct lexical and phonological routes, involving the middle temporal and supramarginal gyri, respectively. Future studies of TTS should shed new light on the neurodevelopmental mechanisms of reading acquisition, their variability and their disorders.

Follow-up of liver metastases: a comparison of deep learning and RECIST 1.1.

To compare liver metastases changes in CT assessed by radiologists using RECIST 1.1 and with aided simultaneous deep learning-based volumetric lesion changes analysis. A total of 86 abdominal CT studies from 43 patients (prior and current scans) of abdominal CT scans of patients with 1041 liver metastases (mean = 12.1, std = 11.9, range 1-49) were analyzed. Two radiologists performed readings of all pairs; conventional with RECIST 1.1 and with computer-aided assessment. For computer-aided reading, we used a novel simultaneous multi-channel 3D R2U-Net classifier trained and validated on other scans. The reference was established by having an expert radiologist validate the computed lesion detection and segmentation. The results were then verified and modified as needed by another independent radiologist. The primary outcome measure was the disease status assessment with the conventional and the computer-aided readings with respect to the reference. For conventional and computer-aided reading, there was a difference in disease status classification in 40 out of 86 (46.51%) and 10 out of 86 (27.9%) CT studies with respect to the reference, respectively. Computer-aided reading improved conventional reading in 30 CT studies by 34.5% for two readers (23.2% and 46.51%) with respect to the reference standard. The main reason for the difference between the two readings was lesion volume differences (p = 0.01). AI-based computer-aided analysis of liver metastases may improve the accuracy of the evaluation of neoplastic liver disease status. AI may aid radiologists to improve the accuracy of evaluating changes over time in metastasis of the liver. • Classification of liver metastasis changes improved significantly in one-third of the cases with an automatically generated comprehensive lesion and lesion changes report. • Simultaneous deep learning changes detection and volumetric assessment may improve the evaluation of liver metastases temporal changes potentially improving disease management.

The liberal limits to transformation in the Green Climate Fund

ABSTRACT International climate finance institutions increasingly articulate their goals as catalyzing transformation, but can these institutions bring about deep structural change when they reflect the same liberal logics that arguably created the challenges they are designed to address? In this analysis, we use a virtual ethnography of Green Climate Fund (GCF) board meetings. We ask: how does the GCF navigate the tensions between different conceptualizations of transformation? Our sample included deliberations on 181 projects, and over 42 h of board meetings. Discussions were thematically coded to reveal concerns raised by board members and observers, followed by a structured content analysis. We found that while the transformational potential of proposals featured prominently in deliberations, there was no unified vision or clear definition of transformation. However, approaches that emphasized economic efficiency, technology and infrastructure, and market mechanisms and the private sector aligned with the liberal logic of the fund, while proposals that framed transformation in other ways faced more scrutiny. Board members and observers also raised concerns that proposals had the potential to increase vulnerability or cause harm. Despite this, almost all projects in our sample were approved, suggesting that more work is needed to expand beyond liberal understandings of transformation.

Deep Brain Stimulation and Changes in “Personality”: A Catch-All with Merits and Pitfalls

Deep Brain Stimulation and Changes in “Personality”: A Catch-All with Merits and Pitfalls