Foster Integration Research Articles

Exchange Rate Flexibility and Macroeconomic Stability: A Panel Data Modeling Approach

The exchange rate regime is a central element of a country’s economic policy, playing a crucial role in its macroeconomic stability and global competitiveness. Over the decades, Morocco, like many other countries, has seen its exchange rate regime evolve significantly. After more than ten years under a controlled exchange rate regime, the country adopted a semi-floating exchange rate regime in 2018, characterized by occasional central bank interventions. This transition reflects the fundamental objectives of Moroccan economic policy, aiming to ensure macroeconomic and financial stability, promote economic growth, and foster integration into the global economy. This evolution raises crucial questions about the impact of exchange rate flexibility on macroeconomic instability. This article aims to empirically analyze the impact of exchange rate flexibility on macroeconomic instability by addressing the following central question: To what extent would the Moroccan economy have been unstable if the country had adopted a floating exchange rate regime? Would a floating exchange rate have been preferable to a quasi-fixed regime? To address this issue, our work is structured into two distinct parts. The first part offers a brief literature review on exchange rate regimes and macroeconomic stability, providing a solid theoretical framework. The second part includes an empirical study using panel data from four countries (Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, and Turkey) for a comparative analysis.

Shining a Light on Hidden Containers and Invisible Systems

This article presents an analysis from the perspective of a participant-observer in the "Rethinking DF 2030" project, conducted in Brazil. In this project, Theory U was applied as a journey to foster integration between policymakers and the citizens for whom these policies are designed. The article sheds light on the importance of building both hidden and visible "containers"—purposefully held environments where the quality of collective attention aligns with intention. Through the author's active engagement in this project, the article simultaneously explores the methodological and experiential aspects of Theory U, including its capacity to guide and weave into the application of various other methodologies. The findings highlight both the challenges and potential of a Theory U practitioner's role in a highly complex participatory process.

Acculturative stress and identity challenges undermine the successful reintegration of Australian veterans.

Reintegration into civilian society following military separation is a challenging process. There is a dearth of research into the impact of these factors on Australian veteran reintegration. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of Australian veterans during reintegration, through the lens of acculturative stress and identity. Ten interviews were conducted with ex-serving members of the Australian Defence Force. Post-1990 veterans of all genders, who were at least 18 years of age, from all service branches were eligible for the study. Thematic analysis revealed two overarching themes each with three main themes; acculturative stress (assimilation, societal issues, social isolation), and integrated identity (acceptance, integrated communities, and adapting to the civilian world). Each main theme contained two subthemes illustrating their significance. Difficulty integrating civilian and veteran identities was a key barrier to successful reintegration and negative separation experiences undermined integration of civilian and veteran identities. Acculturative stressors identified were poor understanding by family, community, and clinicians of the incompatibility between military and civilian cultures. Education is needed for clinicians, the community, and families about military culture and difficulties for veterans when reintegrating into civilian society. Support for reintegration should be tailored to the needs of veterans encompassing personally meaningful activities, use of military skills in civilian contexts, ongoing membership of the military community and engagement with other veterans. This will ultimately foster integration of veteran and civilian identities, enabling veterans to retain their veteran identity in a manner that is adaptive for the civilian context. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The changing landscape of text mining: a review of approaches for ecology and evolution.

In ecology and evolutionary biology, the synthesis and modelling of data from published literature are commonly used to generate insights and test theories across systems. However, the tasks of searching, screening, and extracting data from literature are often arduous. Researchers may manually process hundreds to thousands of articles for systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and compiling synthetic datasets. As relevant articles expand to tens or hundreds of thousands, computer-based approaches can increase the efficiency, transparency and reproducibility of literature-based research. Methods available for text mining are rapidly changing owing to developments in machine learning-based language models. We review the growing landscape of approaches, mapping them onto three broad paradigms (frequency-based approaches, traditional Natural Language Processing and deep learning-based language models). This serves as an entry point to learn foundational and cutting-edge concepts, vocabularies, and methods to foster integration of these tools into ecological and evolutionary research. We cover approaches for modelling ecological texts, generating training data, developing custom models and interacting with large language models and discuss challenges and possible solutions to implementing these methods in ecology and evolution.

REDD+ organisational arrangements and potential for sectoral integration: Evidence from Cameroon

AbstractThe organisational arrangements of the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) mechanism have been scrutinised for their capacity to support emissions reduction and promote local stakeholder participation. Yet, whether they facilitate REDD+ integration into land use sectors driving deforestation has received little attention. We assess the potential of the organisational arrangements of the Cameroonian REDD+ scheme to support sectoral integration. We draw on analysis of documentary material and conceptual literature on organisational structures for environmental integration, which distinguishes horizontal and vertical integration mechanisms with distinct features and potentials to foster integration. Our analysis reveals that the Cameroonian REDD+ scheme chaired by the environmental department and featuring a multisectoral steering committee aligns with horizontal integration. Such arrangements would infuse the REDD+ mechanism with the technical expertise of the leading department, but expose REDD+ integration to sectoral resistance and funding challenges because of the limited institutional leverage of the environmental department. The organisational reforms proposed by the national REDD+ strategy featuring the Prime Minister's leadership of the REDD+ process might enhance political support for REDD+ integration, but could expose REDD+ development to the vagaries of political shifts. We propose a hybrid organisational arrangement combining horizontal and vertical integration mechanisms, with the potential to minimise their respective weaknesses, maximise their strengths, and enhance REDD+ integration into land‐use sectors. We recommend further feasibility analyses into the applicability of the proposed arrangement to other settings.

Alternative Dispute Resolution in Marine Pollution: Advancing Ecological Justice through the Polluter Pays Principle

This study seeks to elucidate the challenges associated with compensation in marine pollution disputes through the lens of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) model. Governed by UUPPLH Number 32 of 2009, polluters are mandated to provide compensation for both affected parties and environmental restoration. However, the implementation of the ADR model in practice has seen polluters compensating only the affected communities, notably fishermen. This research endeavors to develop an ADR legal framework that encapsulates ecological justice, ensuring fairness for both society and the environment. The methodology employed in this study is non-doctrinal legal research, which involves analyzing legal phenomena within their social and cultural context. Findings from this research indicate that pollution disputes in the waters in Cilacap were resolved using the ADR model, with a disproportionate focus on compensating fishing communities. This results in environmental damage due to minimal environmental ADR legal framework grounded in the Polluter Pays principle. Such a framework should encompass legal provisions for environmental prevention, mitigation, and restoration. From a structural perspective, it is imperative to foster integration and connectivity between the community and ministries responsible for addressing marine environmental pollution, to facilitate effective environmental mitigation and restoration efforts. Additionally, in the realm of legal culture, there is a crucial need to cultivate legal awareness among the public regarding environmental conservation and management. This awareness should permeate all levels of society, including business entities, legislative bodies, the government, and law enforcement agencies. A robust legal system is essential for making ADR an equitable mechanism for resolving disputes, benefiting both victims of pollution and the environment.

Nursing home residents’ perspectives on oral health: An in-depth interview study

BackgroundOral health is associated with general health and care dependency, but is often neglected in nursing homes. Integration of oral care into general care is necessary, but is hampered by multiple barriers at different levels. This study is part of research into the implementation of the new Oral Health Section for use within the interRAI Long-Term Care Facilities instrument, which is used to assess care needs of nursing home residents. This new Oral Health Section evaluates nine aspects of oral health and results in two Collaborative Action Points. ObjectiveTo identify residents' perspectives on oral health, oral care, and on the assessment of their oral health using the new Oral Health Section DesignQualitative design using in-depth interviews. Setting(s)Three nursing homes ParticipantsResidents were selected using purposeful sampling in nursing homes participating in research evaluating the use of the new Oral Health Section. The selection was based on their oral status for maximum variation and on their cognitive performance score. Twenty-two residents from three Flemish nursing homes agreed to participate. MethodsResidents’ oral health was assessed using the new Oral Health Section and dental indices. In-depth interviews were conducted, including the validated short-form Oral Health Impact Profile to evaluate the impact of oral conditions on residents’ well-being. The interviews were coded and analysed by three researchers and mapped into a model to understand participants’ oral health behaviours. ResultsLow Oral Health Impact Profile scores indicated a low impact of oral health issues on participants’ lives. However, despite 77.3 % of the participants reporting satisfaction with their oral health, 86.4 % had poor oral hygiene and 68.2 % required referral to a dentist, suggesting a tendency to overestimate their oral health. Their oral health behaviour was determined by a lack of oral health knowledge (Capability), positive attitudes towards oral health and autonomy (Motivation), upbringing and social support (Opportunity). Participants considered assessments with the new Oral Health Section acceptable. ConclusionsThis study shows how older people perceive their oral health and oral healthcare. Understanding their wishes and needs will not only facilitate their involvement in their oral care, but is also likely to enable the improvement of their oral hygiene and the development of effective oral care strategies for the future. Policy makers and managers of care organisations may use these results to foster integration of oral care guidelines into care protocols within nursing homes, including collaboration with dentists and dental hygienists. Tweetable abstractOral health assessments with the new Oral Health Section for use within interRAI were positively perceived by nursing home residents.

Trade Agreements and Financial Market Integration in Latin America and the US

The primary objective of this study is to examine the extent of financial integration between Latin American and US financial markets, particularly in light of recent efforts to foster integration through trade agreements. Spanning from 1 January 1990 to 31 December 2019, the sample focuses on major market indices and key sectors. Financial integration is quantified using a DCC multivariate GARCH model, incorporating a smooth transition model, structural breaks, and regression-based approaches. Results indicate increased comovement with the US for main market indices in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, while Brazil shows a decrease. Similar trends are observed in sectoral analyses. This study also reveals heightened correlation post-trade agreements. Structural break analysis highlights significant shifts in dynamic correlations for countries with US free trade agreements. These findings support the argument of increased financial integration, bearing significance for portfolio diversification and international policy formulation.

An early-curricular team learning activity to foster integration of biochemical concepts and clinical sciences in undergraduate medical education.

The ability to connect key concepts of biochemistry with clinical presentations is essential for the development of clinical reasoning skills and adaptive expertise in medical trainees. To support the integration of foundational and clinical sciences in our undergraduate health science curricula, we developed a small group active learning exercise during which interprofessional groups of students use clinical cases to explore the biochemistry, diagnostic strategy, and evidence-based treatment options of inborn errors of metabolism (IEM). We designed multistage learning modules consisting of (1.) low-fidelity case simulations of pediatric patients presenting with IEMs, (2.) guided group discussions on clinical biochemistry, differential diagnoses, and diagnostic strategies, (3.) oral presentations of clinical reasoning strategies, and (4.) discussion of relevant evidence-based medicine topics related to the cases. These modules Scientific Knowledge Integrated in Patient Presentations (SKIPPs) were added to a first-semester foundational sciences course serving five health professions programs. The assessment of learning outcomes by students and faculty shows that SKIPPs sessions are well-received activities that significantly improve trainees' ability to integrate foundational science concepts into clinical scenarios, to practice interprofessional teamwork and to develop clinical reasoning skills.

Diversity of contributions is not efficient but is essential for science.

Dominant paradigms in science foster integration of research findings, but at what cost? Forcing convergence requires centralizing decision-making authority, and risks reducing the diversity of methods and contributors, both of which are essential for the breakthrough ideas that advance science.

The “Integrated Curriculum” for Primary Schools in Lesotho: Where Is the ‘Integration’?

In the era of reforms, the text of curriculum policy and its supporting documents provide a blueprint that drives the teaching and learning processes in the new directions envisaged by policymakers. One dominant narrative within new curriculum policies is ‘integration.’ However, education systems have embraced this narrative without much unpacking of what it means for the agents and their extant practices. The dominant narrative in Lesotho’s ‘new’ curriculum suggests that it was designed to foster integration in the country’s primary schools. This study sought to uncover evidence of integration and or lack thereof through the deconstruction of this narrative and by unpacking the curriculum discourse and its implications for practice. The paper uses Derrida’s deconstruction theory to read and engage with the discourse on curriculum integration in these documents: Curriculum and Assessment Policy (2009), Guide to Continuous Assessment and Integrated Curriculum (Grade 1-7 syllabi). By deconstructing the integration narrative in these policy documents, the study's findings reveal contradictory messages about integration within the curriculum policy and its supporting documents. The policy advocates for a ‘holistic view and treatment of issues', yet the syllabi promote compartmentalisation of subjects. The policy also espouses different integration models within the new curriculum. Therefore, this paper argues that the contradictory messages and the unclear integration model followed can lead to multiple interpretations by the implementing agents, which ultimately cripples the implementation at the classroom level. This deconstruction and unpacking of discourse may contribute to scholarship, curriculum evaluation and policy implementation during educational reforms.

The urban socio-environmental impact of a mixed-use street in fostering refugee integration in the host society

ABSTRACT Türkiye has recently welcomed a significant number of Syrian refugees into its cities and camps. This research hypothesizes that with access to appropriate resources, refugees can leverage their cultural backgrounds, prior professional experiences, and economic skills to enhance social integration and contribute positively to their new communities. The study focuses on the urban characteristics and sustainability of mixed streets, believed to influence social life in refugee neighborhoods, ultimately promoting social justice. The research methodology involves a literature review on sustainability and social development in mixed streets. It also includes a case study of Selçuk Street in Ankara, tracking its development since the arrival of Syrian refugees. Behavioral observations, data recording, documentation, and mapping of refugee activities are used to visualize social interactions within the street. The central question is whether urban development and the sustainability of mixed streets can effectively promote social justice and the integration of refugees into their new societies. This research provides insights for academics and urban designers, guiding future efforts to foster integration and coexistence in these evolving communities.

Status and Countermeasures of Art Education in Primary and Secondary Schools in Ethnic Minority Areas

Fine art is a crucial discipline within the field of aesthetics, and fine art education serves as a significant component of aesthetic education. It holds great importance in providing a comprehensive education and fostering the holistic development and well-being of primary and secondary school students. The deficiency in fine art education within primary and secondary schools located in ethnic minority areas necessitates that teachers acknowledge these gaps, analyze their underlying causes, and explore effective measures to promote its development. Revitalizing fine art education is both the mission and responsibility of schools and teachers, as well as a shared aspiration of all sectors of society. In order to achieve this, teachers must enhance their ideological awareness, innovate institutional mechanisms, foster integration and collaboration, and prioritize and strengthen fine art education. Furthermore, it is essential to identify gaps, address deficiencies, increase investment in education, and expand access to high-quality resources. Leveraging the cultural characteristics of ethnic minorities, schools should develop curriculum that is tailored to their specific needs. Additionally, efforts should be made to enrich the teaching force and elevate teaching standards, including forging partnerships with local universities to enhance the professionalism of fine art teachers and strengthen the collective capacity.This study focuses on the current state of fine art education in primary and secondary schools within the Enshi Grand Canyon Scenic Area Administration in Enshi City, Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei Province. By utilizing interviews and documentary analysis, the author examines and dissects a primary and secondary school located in a remote town. The aim is to reflect upon and analyze the existing conditions and challenges of fine art education in primary and secondary schools within ethnic minority areas, explore novel ideas in fine art education, and propose measures for improvement and advancement.

CPEC: An Outline for the Future Development of the Region

Over the course of time, the bilateral ties between Pakistan and China, characterized by their enduring friendship, have seen significant advancements in the realms of economics, politics, and strategic cooperation. Both parties place significant emphasis on their economic relationship, which has been consistently overlooked throughout the course of history. In 2013, a significant achievement was reached with the conclusion of the CPEC deal, which served as a catalyst for enhancing economic ties. The proposed project has the ability to not only establish a connection between Pakistan and China but also to foster integration among other Asian nations. It will make a significant contribution to the region's overall enhancement of its strategic and economic environment. Due to the fact that the project will have a variety of consequences on the political interests of many players, there may be certain difficulties. The primary aim of this research is to elucidate the economic and strategic significance of the CPEC and to ascertain its effects on the growth of Pakistan. In order to attain the aforementioned aim, a technique that incorporates empirical, analytical, and predictive approaches is used. The findings of this study suggest that the implementation of the project has the potential to significantly alter the current landscape.

Refugee Entrepreneurship

Purpose: This paper sought to examine the multifaceted term refugee entrepreneurship from a global level, to a more focused view of the Kenyan context. As such, the authors of this paper examined the general understanding of refugee entrepreneurship in Kenya, assessed the effect of talent displacement with regards to refugee entrepreneurship in Kenya and analyzed the effect of integration and social economic inclusion in relation to refugee entrepreneurship in Kenya.
 Design/methodology/approach: The paper utilized qualitative research where available secondary data on refugee entrepreneurship was analyzed.
 Findings: The study found that there appeared to be no clear-cut understanding of refugee entrepreneurship in the Kenyan context, no systematic approach to tackle talent displacement with regards to refugee entrepreneurship in Kenya, and there continued to be barriers to full integration and social economic inclusion with regards to refugee entrepreneurship in Kenya.
 Research limitations/implications: This study also noted that there is no current global solution to the issue of the ever-increasing number of internally displaced persons, asylum seekers or refugees. On the contrary, the year 2022 has seen an increase in civil strife around the world including; the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Tigray-Ethiopia war and the more than 20-year-old ongoing conflicts in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Other conflicts of concern on the African continent include; South Sudan, Somalia, Mozambique and other West African nations, while Libya and other North African states have suffered similar civil strife. Despite these ongoing challenges, this study established that there are significant socio-economic contributions of refugee entrepreneurship to host communities.
 Practical implications: Consequently, the study recommended a more in-depth understanding of refugee entrepreneurship in the context of Kenya, nurture refugee talents and skills while enacting and enabling policies that foster integration and social economic inclusion with regards to refugee entrepreneurship in Kenya. The Government and people of Kenya stand to reap the benefits of refugee entrepreneurship, which in turn reduced refugee talent displacement and continued government handouts that have promoted dependency, rather than self-reliance. Refugee entrepreneurship, if well cultivated, is an avenue for adding to Kenya’s bread basket through taxation, employment and investment.
 Paper type: Research paper

Obuntu bulamu: Parental peer-to-peer support for inclusion of children with disabilities in Central Uganda.

Obuntu bulamu, a peer-to-peer support intervention for children, parents and teachers to improve the participation and inclusion of children with disabilities (CwD), was developed and tested in Uganda. The intervention consisted of disability-inclusive peer-to-peer training and support activities. In this article, parent participation in and evaluation of the intervention are discussed. The study aims to evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of the intervention. A qualitative Afrocentric intervention study was implemented in 10 schools in Wakiso district in Central Uganda. Researchers purposely selected CwD aged 8-14 years, their peers and parents from 10 primary schools with on average three CwD per school. A total of 64 study parents (33 parents of CwD and 31 peers) were interviewed at baseline and endline. Two focus group discussions were held with 14 parents at midline. Parents also participated in a consultative meeting about the intervention design at baseline and two evaluation and feedback workshops at midline and endline. Thematic data analysis was conducted. Findings showed that parents found the intervention inspiring, acceptable, culturally appropriate and supportive, as it built on values and practices from their own cultural tradition. Parents reported that the intervention enhanced a sense of togetherness and belonging and helped them to develop more positive attitudes towards CwD and disability inclusion. They felt the intervention increased participation and inclusion of CwD at home, school and in communities. The Obuntu bulamu peer-to-peer support intervention is an acceptable, culturally appropriate intervention with the potential to improve inclusion of CwD. Further studies are recommended to measure the effectiveness of the intervention. The paper contributes to existing evidence that there is need for more Afrocentric interventions, which built on cultural values and practices. Interventions based on indigenous values have a greater potential to be acceptable, can foster integration and are likely to be more sustainability to achieve disability inclusion. In the article we describe parental perspectives of the Obuntu bulamu intervention, an intervention to improve inclusion of children with disabilities, which was designed by children, parents, teachers, educationalists, and academics from Uganda.

Approche par problème et formation d’enseignants de mathématiques : comment se diffusent, en formation, les résultats de la recherche ?

Based on the framework of meta-didactic transposition analysis (Arzarello et al., 2014) and specifically the concepts of brokering and boundary object, this paper studies how knowledge to teach algebra is exchanged during a training program involving nine mathematics teachers and two researchers specialised in algebra teaching and learning. Organized in three half-day sessions, this program is based on a problem pointed out in the research literature as particularly rich to develop algebraic thinking. In addition, the materials used in training are come directly from the classes of the teachers participating in the program. In this sense, the program values knowledge that makes sense in both research and teaching practice. The analysis of interactions between researchers and teachers highlights three types of collaborative activities between the two groups and thus questions the potential of such a mechanism to foster integration of research results by teachers.

English

This paper reviews biomass energy production and utilization trends, opportunities, challenges and strategies for sustainability in biomass energy sector in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).  This is because despite various benefits provided by the resource, it receives little attention in terms of policy formulation and planning to enhance adequate investments and allocation of funds. Therefore, with increasing demand rate of 3.3% over 27% of woodfuel in SSA will continue being produced unsustainably using inefficient technologies; leading to a deforestation and degradation rate of over 3.5 million ha per year. The situation is worse in some countries like Kenya where over 40% of biomass energy especially is obtained from arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) characterized by less than 4% productivity rate due to poor regeneration and vegetation growth rates.  Thus there is need to implement various strategies including adoption of improved and efficient production and utilization technologies, increase on-farm tree planting and enhanced tree out-grower systems, enactment and proper implementation of biomass energy policies, establishment of reliable biomass energy database, and recognition of biomass energy benefits to the society. These will foster integration of biomass energy into planning programmes to enhance investments in the sector and reduce biomass energy resource overexploitation. Key words: Biomass energy, sustainability, policy, technologies, deforestation, degradation.

Integrative Analysis of Rhythmicity: From Biology to Urban Environments and Sustainability.

From biological to socio-technical systems, rhythmic processes are pervasive in our environment. However, methods for their comprehensive analysis are prevalent only in specific fields that limit the transfer of knowledge across scientific disciplines. This hinders interdisciplinary research and integrative analyses of rhythms across different domains and datasets. In this paper, we review recent developments in cross-disciplinary rhythmicity research, with a focus on the importance of rhythmic analyses in urban planning and biomedical research. Furthermore, we describe the current state of the art of (integrative) computational methods for the investigation of rhythmic data. Finally, we discuss the further potential and propose necessary future developments for cross-disciplinary rhythmicity analysis to foster integration of heterogeneous datasets across different domains, as well as guide data-driven decision making beyond the boundaries of traditional intradisciplinary research, especially in the context of sustainable and healthy cities.

Precision medicine from a citizen perspective: a survey of public attitudes towards pharmacogenomics in Flanders

BackgroundPersonalized medicine is an emerging field, aiming to improve the safety and efficacy of pharmacotherapy. The field’s implementation in clinical care is steadily increasing. Pharmacogenomics are one example of personalized approaches in the clinic and direct-to-consumer (DTC) pharmacogenomic tests have become publicly available. We aimed to assess public opinion on pharmacogenomic research and testing to foster integration within Belgian health care.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was created and disseminated online, focusing on the citizen perspective. Participants’ willingness to engage in pharmacogenomic research was the primary outcome. In addition, their awareness, understanding, expectations and overall acceptance towards pharmacogenomic testing was investigated.ResultsA total of 156 participants (54.5% aged between 18 and 30 years, 45.5% > 30 years; 73.1% females) completed the survey. Half ever experienced side effects (46.2%) and treatment failure (52.6%). Up to 45.5% (n = 71) were willing to participate in pharmacogenomics research, and the majority (78.8%) were convinced that pharmacogenomic tests could help doctors to prescribe them the right medications. Additionally, 76.3% (n = 118) supported a partial reimbursement of pharmacogenomics tests. A minority (5.1%, n = 8) of participants showed interest in DTC tests, and 15.4% (n = 24) expressed privacy concerns regarding pharmacogenomics testing. Participants preferred their healthcare professionals’ to perform the test and access their data, but refused commercial providers.ConclusionOverall, participants showed a positive attitude towards precision medicine and pharmacogenomics research. Our findings may help guiding future pharmacogenomic implementation initiatives to optimize drug use by using pharmacogenomic information integrated within health care.