Local Support Research Articles

French Centrism after the 2022 Elections: Strategy and Prospects

The article examines the political strategy of the centrist Democratic Movement (MoDem) party and its leader François Bayrou during the presidential and parliamentary elections of 2022 and at the beginning of the second presidency of Emmanuel Macron. At this stage, the MoDem is an important element of the ruling majority, having a stable fraction in the National Assembly, which has consolidated its influence against the background of the growing socio-economic crisis in the country. MoDem remains a unitary political structure, focused on the figure of Bayrou and his circle of close associates. In political terms, the party positions itself as the center-left, which gives it the opportunity to prevent the government majority from shifting to the right, influence the appointment of some figures in the government and express its point of view on current policy. Bayrou still defends the transition to a proportional electoral system, criticises the implementation of pension reform, and supports the environmental initiatives of the government. The main guideline for the centrists was the idea of “agreement” in order to prevent the imbalance in institutions and the deepening of the crisis in the country. At the same time, they are committed to the traditional Christiandemocratic culture, which was expressed towards the issue of including the right to abortion in the Constitution. The prospects of MoDem and Bayrou will be determined by the new electoral cycle (municipal and regional elections), the level of local voter support and the political configuration within the majority (for example, an alliance with Eduard Philippe) in the context of the presidential elections of 2027.

Europe and the End of Shogunate: Japan «Opening»

“Bakumatsu” is the period from 1853 to 1868, which can be translated as “The End of the Bakufu” or “The End of the Tokugawa Shogunate”. Japan, under pressure from the United States and European countries, was forced to open the country for trade and contacts, well realising that it could not resist foreigners due to its technological and military inferiority. The “opening” of the country took place under the confusion of the authorities and with the resistance of not only a large part of the authorities, but also the people, who readily rallied under easy understandable slogan of “honor emperor and expel barbarians” (sonno-joi). This led to military clashes between Japanese and foreigners and to acts of terrorism not only against “barbarians” but also against local supporters of the opening of the country. The result of the “opening” of the country was also the elimination of the traditional for Japan formal dual power, under which the power by law belonged to the Emperors in Kyoto, but the country was ruled by the military rulers ‒ Shogunate of the Tokugawa dynasty in Edo. In 1868, the Tokugawa shogunate was abolished and power passed to the 122nd Meiji Emperor. The capital was moved to Edo and named Tokyo (Eastern Capital). Although the USA was given primacy in “opening” Japan, the major role in its political and economic transformation was played by European countries. President Millard Filmore, who initiated Matthew Perry's expeditions to Japan, was not re-elected, and the new president Franklin Pierce (1804‒1874), was mainly preoccupied with the conflict between the American South and North, and did not pay much attention to the issue of relations with Japan. In 1861, the American Civil War broke out and European countries – Great Britain, France, the Netherlands and Russia – began to play a major role in Japan's foreign policy.

The gap between administration and migrants: Terminologies and experiences of urban-rural migration in Japan

This paper analyzes the discourse on urban-rural migration within contemporary Japan's administrative landscape, its representation in academic literature, along with local governments' support measures for urban-rural migrants and their experiences. I seek to unveil the consequences of imprecise definitions and ambiguous classifications of urban-rural migration, which can foster misunderstandings of the phenomenon, influencing both individual self-representation and support schemes. Drawing on ethnographic data collected over two years both online and onsite in two municipalities in northern Kyūshū, this article shows how the UIJ-turn classification and the ijū/teijū (migration/settlement) distinction are employed in Japanese political- administrative discourse and how this affects migrants' experiences. I investigate how administration and migrants conceptualize urban-rural migration differently. The discussion reveals a disconnect between the administrative narrative, which heavily relies on rigid classification terminology, and migrants' actual experiences, emphasizing the implications for support schemes, migrants' self-perception, and their integration into rural communities. This underscores the necessity to acknowledge changes in the rural population for a more comprehensive understanding of the future of rural communities in the Global North.

Volatile campaigns? The effects of shocks on campaign effectiveness in British general elections

Some political events, such as the referendum on the UK's continued membership of the EU in 2016, have the potential to alter substantially the electoral landscape, changing long-standing patterns of party alignment and support. Recent work suggests they also have the capacity to influence where and how much parties' local campaign efforts might affect their support. Analysis of the fallout from the UK's Brexit referendum suggests that after the vote, pro-Brexit parties' campaigns yielded greater rewards the lower the local support for Brexit, while pro-Brexit parties' campaigns became more effective where support for Brexit was higher. In this paper, we subject that claim to further scrutiny. Firstly, we employ alternative measures of campaign intensity with greater coverage of cases to assess whether the findings hold. Secondly, we broaden our understanding by looking at the campaigns of a wider range of parties than in the previous research. Thirdly, we extend the analysis to examine another political shock with major electoral consequences, the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence. Our results broadly confirm previous research findings, but we also uncover some important variations and differences. Parties do not campaign in a vacuum: no matter how professional their operations, the climate of national and local opinion affects their capacity to gain a hearing.

Partisan winds: Group-level polarization and issue-framing propel attitudes about local wind farms

Political polarization is an obstacle to public support and effective communication for renewable energy projects. Depolarizing messages can be helpful, but it is difficult to determine where to concentrate efforts until social scientists first disentangle the effects of unconscious issue-based and conscious group norm-based polarization processes. This study investigates the extent to which attitudes towards wind energy development are polarized in the United States, focusing on attitudes about local wind farms. We tested different frames in a survey with 1300 U.S. participants, combining implicit and explicit attitude measures to measure unconscious and conscious attitudes towards nearby wind farms, respectively. Our findings suggest that explicit attitudes towards wind farms are more polarized than implicit attitudes, emphasizing the role of conscious processes in shaping attitudes. Furthermore, perceptions of within-party support significantly influence explicit attitudes, indicating the importance of group norm-based polarization in this context. While our framing interventions aimed at addressing issue-based polarization yielded mixed results, the moderating effect of perceived within-party support underscores the potential efficacy of interventions targeting group-level processes. Regarding policy implications, our findings highlight the importance of considering both issue-based and group norm-based polarization when developing and implementing communication strategies for garnering local support for nearby renewable energy developments.

First Nations Peoples' perspectives on telehealth physiotherapy: a qualitative study focused on the therapeutic relationship.

Relationships are the core of Indigenous Peoples' spiritual and cultural identities, and therapeutic relationships are an integral part of the physical rehabilitation process, directly influencing health outcomes. However, participating in therapeutic relationships can be difficult for First Nations Peoples, particularly in the virtual landscape. There is limited understanding of First Nations Peoples' perspectives on this issue, and this understanding is crucial to developing culturally safe and effective telehealth physiotherapy programs. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the perspectives of First Nations Peoples from British Columbia, Canada, on telehealth physiotherapy, with an emphasis on the virtual therapeutic relationship. A narrative qualitative study that utilized one-on-one, semistructured interviews was conducted with 19 First Nations adults from remote and rural First Nations communities in north-central British Columbia, Canada. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using an inductive approach to reflexive thematic analysis. Three themes emerged from data analysis. 'Therapist's attitude and rapport' captures participants' perceptions of what matters the most in how physiotherapists relate to First Nations Peoples and carry out their work. 'Remote nature of virtual care' encompasses the main challenges of virtual care visits, particularly how these were perceived to impact establishing and maintaining solid therapeutic relationships. 'Fostering culturally appropriate and safe telehealth physiotherapy' focuses on what is needed to advance telehealth physiotherapy in a manner that respects and reflects First Nations cultures, equipping all involved parties to provide comprehensive and sensitive services. Our findings advocate a hybrid model that combines in-person and telehealth visits to address communication barriers and the absence of physical interaction. Bridging the digital health literacy gap through training and collaboration with local support staff is crucial (as it is to bridge the possible cultural literary gap of therapists), and the incorporation of cultural elements holds promise for enhancing the engagement and effectiveness of telehealth services in these communities. The pursuit of equitable health care for First Nations communities demands not only increased access but also a thoughtful, culturally safe, trauma-informed, and holistic approach. This approach must be tailored to the unique needs of First Nations Peoples, emphasizing the integration of cultural elements and community support. A hybrid model combining in-person and telehealth visits is recommended to address logistical challenges and enhance the therapeutic relationship, ensuring that care is both effective and respectful of cultural values and practices.

Local and translocal social capital in flood adaptation: evidence from Indonesian coastal communities

ABSTRACT Environmental change and sea level rise challenge urban coastal communities, especially in the Global South. Existing hazard research emphasises the vital role of social capital in adaptation but often overlooks translocal social capital, which encompasses social support and resources that extend beyond local boundaries and connect people at different places. To reduce this research gap, this study investigates the impact of local and translocal social capital on flood-prone households in Padang and Denpasar, Indonesia, using survey data (N = 620) and social network data (N = 1169). The results show translocal contacts provide more emotional, moral, financial, and material support, while local contacts share flood-related knowledge, skills, advice, and practical support. Further, our findings show that the effectiveness of social support varies: local support is strengthened by community ties and diverse forms of support, whereas translocal support's significant role in mental health relies on intimacy and reliability in strong personal relationships. Well-connected support contacts help households to access broader social networks. These findings highlight the different roles of local and translocal social capital in long-term adaptation, which partly complement each other. Households benefit from maintaining diverse support networks, with each type of social capital playing distinct yet interdependent roles in enhancing resilience against environmental changes.

Negotiating Urban Development in Africa: Transnational Communities of Embedded Support in Dar es Salaam

ABSTRACTThis article brings together recent debates in urban and development studies to illuminate the understudied politics and compromise involved in the rollout of globally funded urban development in Africa. The argument presented builds on a detailed analysis of the World Bank's urban development portfolio in Tanzania, with a specific focus on the Dar es Salaam Metro‐politan Development Project, to draw attention to the disjuncture between rising urban investments and persistently low levels of city‐level autonomy in urban Africa. Challenging views of cities as either active agents or mere subjects of urban development, the article focuses on the negotiation strategies that have been employed by donors and recipients alike to enable the continued disbursement of urban development funding. The pragmatic and non‐confrontational nature of these negotiation strategies is illustrated by highlighting the role of a transnational community of urban development professionals who contribute to embedding local support for policy reform from within. It is argued that while this community has been key to enabling the massive growth of the World Bank's urban lending portfolio in Tanzania, it has also contributed to undermining effective local government reform, thereby reshaping conventionally assumed pathways and understandings of urban agency and development.

Analysis of Swamp Buffalo Tourism Potential to Improve Community Welfare in Paharangan Village, South Kalimantan

This study explores the potential of swamp buffalo tourism in Paharangan Village, South Kalimantan, as a means to improve community welfare. By examining the cultural and economic value of swamp buffalo, the study highlights how community-based tourism could enhance local livelihoods and support sustainable development. Using interviews, observations, and SWOT analysis, findings reveal that swamp buffalo tourism has strong potential due to the cultural uniqueness of the buffalo and the village’s natural setting, despite challenges such as limited infrastructure and marketing support. Opportunities lie in the growing interest in eco-tourism and cultural experiences, which could position Paharangan as a distinctive destination. The study recommends a community-based model for tourism development, involving locals directly in planning, training, and promotional activities, thus enabling economic benefits and preserving cultural heritage. This research underscores the role of community-driven tourism in enhancing rural welfare and sustaining traditional practices in alignment with environmental conservation goals.

Militarized policing in the hinterlands: A Blackwater training ground and the cultural conceptions of security

AbstractResearch in recent decades shows that private military and security contractors have reshaped the tenor and reach of US military power abroad while also accelerating the militarization of domestic policing. Previous work on militarized policing has primarily centered on urban environments. This article examines Blackwater North, a facility in a rural Illinois community, which provided privatized, militarized police training from 2007 through 2010. Drawing from newspaper accounts, government records, and ethnographic fieldwork conducted in the community after the facility's closure, I analyze residents’ recollections of the local support of and opposition to Blackwater North. I argue that local supporters promoted a culture of perpetual preparedness that positioned militarized policing as a rational form of harm reduction, as well as one that could yield economic benefits to struggling host communities. I also examine the opposition and analyze the insider/outsider divides that emerged within the debate surrounding Blackwater North. At stake for both supporters and opponents were differing cultural conceptions of what increases, and what erodes, security. This case study focuses on rural spaces’ role in the landscape of militarized policing and illuminates the cultural processes by which privatized military power and militarized policing become accepted and resisted at the community level.

Revolt of 1857 in Cachar District of Assam: A Re-emphasis

The revolt of 1857 had a significant impact in the Cachar district of Assam like other national allied activities. Many national historians asserts that the Cachar as well as Assam remained largely unaffected by the great revolt. But there are evidences which suggests that the echoes of the revolt felt in the Cachar district of southern Assam. The British administration, under figures like Captain Stewart, remained vigilant against potential uprisings, indicating an underlying tension despite a facade of tranquility. The common folk of Barak valley composed innumerable ballads and songs on the incident of the revolt which occurred in this region. There are also official documents to prove that the revolt affected the Cachar district. The revolt in Cachar emerged primarily as an extension of discontent from Bengal, with the local populace largely indifferent to the mutineers. The mutineers of 34th Native Infantry regiment marched to Cachar from Chittagong and the British army tried to suppress them. while the revolt of 1857 marked a pivotal moment in Indian history, its impact in Cachar was characterized by a lack of local support for the mutineers and minimal involvement from the common people. This paper aims to explore the nature and implications of the revolt in Cachar, detailing its limited but notable manifestations. The study indicates that while Cachar did not experience overt mutinies like other parts of India, it was not entirely insulated from the turmoil. The paper also discusses how the British forces managed to suppress potential uprisings, with notable incidents involving the 34th Native Infantry Regiment. Encounters between mutineers and colonial troops led to casualties and highlighted the region's precarious situation, exacerbated by the presence of tribal populations and discontented soldiers.

Impact of Long COVID symptoms on individuals in Hong Kong: Implications for occupational therapy practices

Introduction: From occupational therapy perspective, this study investigates the nature and impact of Long COVID symptoms on individuals in Hong Kong according to their gender, age, and occupation and to understand their treatment needs Method: A total of 193 participants with an acute COVID-19 episode 3 months ago and having recovered from it who were experiencing subjective symptoms of Long COVID were recruited through snowball sampling from local COVID-19 support groups and healthcare facilities to participate in a cross-sectional design via an online survey assessing their symptoms and the impact on daily activities, and exploring their treatment preferences. Findings: Respiratory, systemic, sleep, and cognitive symptoms were found to be the most prevalent, with significant variations in symptom severity and impact on daily life across different age and occupational status groups. The treatment preference was quite strongly inclined to traditional Chinese medicine. Conclusion: This study has uncovered the critical and yet recognized roles of occupational therapy in managing Long COVID impact by identifying the potential gaps of occupational therapy in its management and calling for advocating promotion in the community and interdisciplinary collaboration with traditional Chinese medicine. Implications about occupational therapy management and the healthcare policies for tailoring treatment programs are discussed.

How to build a powerline: Fast policies for decarbonization, the slow work of public participation, and the profitability of energy capital

Community opposition to new low-carbon energy infrastructure – and resulting project delays and cancellations – is increasingly taken by some climate activists, policymakers, and scholars as evidence of the incompatibility between urgent decarbonization and expanded public participation. This paper argues that too narrow a focus on this duality risks overlooking an additional mandate: the profitability of energy capital. This paper intervenes in the ‘rapid vs. just transitions’ debate by arguing that building low-carbon energy infrastructure requires a balancing of trade-offs between speed, local support, and profit for private developers. Using a case study of a controversial transmission project in the northeastern United States, I argue that project delays are attributable not (just) to uncooperative publics, but to energy capital's drive for profit, which discourages compromises with host communities that would increase project costs but cultivate local support. By treating the social legitimacy of low-carbon energy infrastructure as contingent on its ability to meet criteria for public acceptability, this paper argues that the slow work of public participation can in fact be the route to ‘fast policies’ for decarbonization when it fosters developer norms in line with community expectations for projects.

ATLAS ITk-Pixel DAQ system

During the ATLAS High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) upgrade, the current inner detector is going to be replaced by an all-silicon Inner Tracker (ITk). The pixel detector, located in the innermost part of the ITk, comprises 9716 modules arranged in 5 cylindrical layers around the beam line. The ITk-Pixel Data AcQuisition (DAQ) system basic read-out chain includes the YARR software, communicating with the FELIX PCIe board acting as an interface connected through lpGBT transceivers to the on-detector front-end (FE) chips ITkPix. The FEs are grouped in triplet (3-FE) and mostly in 4-FE Quad Modules (QM), that are installed on local supports, which are integral parts of the ITk structure. The FELIX system is also used for performing Quality Control (QC) tests during integration. The work describes the development steps and corresponding testing and read-out chain validation results. A representative read-out sub-system will be used to develop and validate the different aspects of the read-out chain. This subsystem can be a Loaded Local Support (LLS) comprising few tens of ITkPix QMs with serial powering (SP) and opto-box connection. In order to have the readout chain validated, developments on trigger and command sending and data reading of YARR FelixClient controller were consequently required, working first on a lab setup with a couple of ITkPix single chip cards (SCCs) and QMs. This step has been carried out successfully, paving the road to the next LLS sub-system readout test, once more QMs are available.

Spatiotemporal Localization of GPR Sequence Images With 3DResNet18

Abstract Localizing Ground Penetrating Radar can provide a reliable support for current autonomous navigation and localization. Based on the characteristics of ground penetrating radar images, sequence-based matching and localization can effectively improve the problem of a large number of mismatched candidates in single frame image matching. Convolutional neural network is a deep model that can act directly on the original input, 2D convolutional neural network mainly extracts spatial information, we use 3DResNet18 model to extract features from both spatial and temporal dimensions by 3D convolution, so as to capture information in multiple neighbouring frames, to generate multiple channels of information from input frames, and finally combine the information from all the channels together to get a high-level feature for matching. We use the model for localizing of ground penetrating radar sequence images and it achieves better performance compared to the baseline approach.

Menyelusuri kearifan budaya Suku Osing warisan tradisi dan keunikan identitas lokal

In the background context, the Osing Tribe, an ethnic group in East Java, Indonesia, has been a custodian of rich cultural wisdom. This article explores important aspects of Osing life and identity, focusing on history, cultural values, traditions, and preservation challenges. Through a literature review approach, we gather and analyze various relevant sources to highlight the uniqueness of Osing culture and their preservation efforts. From ritual traditions to belief systems, we find that the Osing exhibit a close relationship between humans, nature, and spirituality in their daily lives. Despite facing pressures from globalization and modernization, Osing cultural preservation efforts continue through local community initiatives and external support. Our conclusion emphasizes the importance of appreciation and support for the sustainability of Osing culture as an integral part of Indonesia's cultural wealth. Thus, the article underscores the need to preserve and understand the valuable heritage of the Osing tribe for a sustainable future.

Holistic Learning Models in Remote Areas: Enhancing Student Motivation through Local Wisdom, Parental Collaboration, Teacher Capacity, and Government Support

Holistic Learning Models in Remote Areas: Enhancing Student Motivation through Local Wisdom, Parental Collaboration, Teacher Capacity, and Government Support

The power of networking in science and academia.

In science and academia, success is often shaped by both knowledge and networking. Reflecting on nearly two decades in academic research, I recount my experience as a postdoctoral immunologist returning to Australia with limited local connections and support. Upon re-establishing myself in Australia, I initially faced barriers that restricted my visibility and collaborations. A turning point came when personal challenges motivated me to actively network, leading to valuable collaborations and career opportunities. By initiating conversations with academic leaders and peers, I expanded my network and established numerous leadership roles, even as a "junior" postdoc through founding a symposium, engaging with an immunology society, volunteering on various academic and advocacy committees, contributing to public outreach and nationally advocating for gender equity in science. These experiences reinforced that networking is about fostering meaningful relationships and creating opportunities to grow professionally. I provide advice on how to increase your networks by volunteering at work, when attending conferences, through contributing to societies and building a social media presence. My journey highlights the importance of being proactive in building networks, which can open doors, amplify one's voice, and drive career advancement in science and academia.

A Base-Map-Guided Global Localization Solution for Heterogeneous Robots Using a Co-View Context Descriptor

With the continuous advancement of autonomous driving technology, an increasing number of high-definition (HD) maps have been generated and stored in geospatial databases. These HD maps can provide strong localization support for mobile robots equipped with light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensors. However, the global localization of heterogeneous robots under complex environments remains challenging. Most of the existing point cloud global localization methods perform poorly due to the different perspective views of heterogeneous robots. Leveraging existing HD maps, this paper proposes a base-map-guided heterogeneous robots localization solution. A novel co-view context descriptor with rotational invariance is developed to represent the characteristics of heterogeneous point clouds in a unified manner. The pre-set base map is divided into virtual scans, each of which generates a candidate co-view context descriptor. These descriptors are assigned to robots before operations. By matching the query co-view context descriptors of a working robot with the assigned candidate descriptors, the coarse localization is achieved. Finally, the refined localization is done through point cloud registration. The proposed solution can be applied to both single-robot and multi-robot global localization scenarios, especially when communication is impaired. The heterogeneous datasets used for the experiments cover both indoor and outdoor scenarios, utilizing various scanning modes. The average rotation and translation errors are within 1° and 0.30 m, indicating the proposed solution can provide reliable localization support despite communication failures, even across heterogeneous robots.

Stakeholder Participation in The Revitalization of Peneleh Tourist Area in Surabaya City

This study aims to identify the form of stakeholder participation and collaboration in the revitalization of Peneleh tourism area to become an area of historical value and maintain the authenticity of the area. A qualitative method with stakeholder analysis was used to examine the participation and collaboration of stakeholders, including the government, local communities, academics, mass media and financial institutions. The analysis found that the active involvement of stakeholders through the Pentahelix model is crucial for successful revitalization. The results show that stakeholder participation in Peneleh revitalization includes the participation of ideas, skills, energy, property, and money. In addition, collaboration between stakeholders in idea development, decision making, human resource development, revitalization implementation and preservation of revitalization results play an important role in the revitalization of Peneleh. Begandring Soerabaia community, as one of the key players in this project, successfully collaborated with various parties including the city government, academics, pokdarwis, mass media, Bank Indonesia and international institutions such as Time Amsterdam. The conclusion of this study is that strong collaboration between various stakeholders, supported by active participation from the local community and support from other institutions, is the key to success in revitalizing a historical area such as Peneleh. This research also underlines the importance of a holistic approach, which includes physical, historical and cultural aspects in preserving historical heritage. Keywords: Stakeholder Participation, Form of Participation, Pentahelix, Stakeholder Analysis, Revitalization