Pertinent Concepts Research Articles

Sound, dispositif and power: sound formations in pop music

ABSTRACT Sound as a medium of music is pre-structured in the social context in which it circulates, representing an aesthetic meta-level of the musical. As a socially pertinent concept, “sound” implies different references to the sonic material, including different ways of listening. The result of a cultural formatting process, sound manifests in formations that audibly and conceptually correspond to the processes through which societies in which they are anchored organise themselves. Although this has been present in all societies and cultures at all times, it is particularly evident in the technical shaping of sound in recording studios. Every recording is based on a sound design determined by the technical setup prior to the recording process. The concept of the dispositif developed by Michel Foucault offers a way of relating the meta-aesthetic, cultural pre-structuring of sonic material within the dominant sound formation and the resulting sound design to fundamental processes of social reproduction, cultural power relations, modes of subjectivation and subject forms. The productivity dispositif, the identity dispositif and the creativity dispositif describe three fundamental constellations within the framework of modern capitalism. The corresponding sound design is analysed on the basis of pop music productions from the 1950s to the 1980s.

Environmental Crisis and Images of Desire in Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl and Pump Six and Other Stories

In the wake of mounting warnings from ecologists and other scientists, contemporary fiction writers have been alerting their readers to the environmental crisis as manifested in droughts, floods, wildfires, polar ice cap melting, rising sea levels, air, water, and soil pollution, species extinction, and a host of other ills. Within the realm of contemporary science fiction, Paolo Bacigalupi, a highly acclaimed American author, describes a world in the throes of catastrophic ecological change. Through his meticulously crafted narratives, Bacigalupi delivers a prophetic message, delineating environmental crises within the context of a posthuman world.Employing pertinent concepts derived from object-oriented ecological theory, this paper employs Jane Bennett’s notion of “vibrant matter”, Timothy Morton’s concept of “hyperobjects”, Stacy Alaimo’s theory of “trans-corporeality”, and Rob Nixon’s idea of “slow violence” to see how Bacigalupi engages in current discourses on the environmental crisis and images of desire in The Windup Girl and Pump Six and Other Stories. Bacigalupi presents grotesqueries against a background of multiple, post-apocalyptic disasters. While societal elites indulge in hedonistic experimentation, mega-corporations engage in genetic manipulation on humans, plants, and animals in pursuit of progress, aesthetic trends, profit, or survival. Humanity’s ongoing destruction of the planet in service to a consumer culture, along with the disastrous results of attempting scientific “fixes” without understanding the interconnecting causes or the scale of the phenomenon they are trying to “fix”, beg the question of whether science and technology will be able to prevent or ameliorate future ecological crises, or inadvertently precipitate even graver predicaments. Bacigalupi’s critique, illustrated through grim narratives replete with macabre examples, serves as a poignant exhortation, urging humans to meditate on and then prevent or mitigate the impending disasters of our own making.

Green Information Systems—A Bibliometric Analysis of the Literature from 2000 to 2023

This review investigates the evolution of green information systems (ISs) based on an examination of the literature spanning the years 2000 to 2023. Using bibliographic analysis, a method that enables the study of a large volume of sources, this paper establishes connections among pertinent concepts in the green ISs field, outlining the authors’ interests in the analysed period. Based on the identification of key trends, primary directions, interdisciplinary initiatives, and emerging areas, the assessment reveals that the interest in minimizing the negative impact of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on the environment is a relevant research topic, with significant evolution in the analysed period. On this basis, this study emphasizes the need for the integration of environmental protection in all stages of the IS life cycle and in all industries, a holistic approach we consider essential for the sustainable growth of the ICT-based societal domains.

Long live the Liver King: right-wing carnivorism and the digital dissemination of primal rhetoric

In this study, we link pertinent concepts from rhetorical studies of the alt-right, animality studies, and conspiracism to explicate the production and dissemination of “carnivore diets” through digital social networks. Taking the ideological and discursive interconnections of animality, hegemonic masculinity, and white nationalism seriously, we conceptualize primal rhetorical networks: a web of influencers and agitators who espouse an ahistorical, carnivorous primal rhetoric concerned with Modern Man's physical and spiritual downfall and his potential for resurrection by consuming nonhuman animals. We utilize a corpus of online texts and social media posts between 2020 and 2023 to perform an ideological rhetorical criticism of two interconnected, online Carnivore Diet gurus: the Liver King and the Raw Egg Nationalist. Drawing upon “conspiritual” tropes and raced/gendered depictions of nonhuman animal consumption, we demonstrate how these networked rhetors “sell” their lifestyles to make a profit and “convert” their followers into an ever-growing network of white nationalist, cisheterosexist, carnivorous ideologues.

"I Hate Sim!"-Using Psychotherapeutic Concepts to Help Educators Attend to Challenging States of Mind During Simulation Prebriefs.

This article outlines the theoretical development of an approach to simulation prebriefing that we have adopted at Great Ormond Street Children's Hospital. Many educators struggle with anxious or reticent learners during simulation. This reticence often becomes apparent first during the simulation prebrief. Previous work highlights key points to cover in a prebrief. Less work has been done on the dilemma of how to engage such learners while also attempting to maintain a pedagogically effective stance for the entire group. This article pulls together current best practice guidance on prebriefing before exploring pertinent concepts from psychotherapeutic and pedagogical domains-the therapeutic setting, the therapeutic stance, and epistemic trust-which we believe can usefully and practically be applied to simulation practice in the service of engaging reticent learners while enhancing the psychological safety of both learners and educators.

CONSUMER PROTECTION LAWS IN COMMERCIAL TRANSACTIONS: EVALUATING THE CRUCIAL SIGNIFICANCE CONSUMER-CENTRIC COMMERCE REGULATIONS IN INDONESIA

In the context of daily commercial transactions within Indonesian society, the inherent activity of commercial transaction is omnipresent. This economic exchange predominantly involves two primary actors: the seller, functioning as a business entity, and the buyer, embodying the consumer role. Despite the ubiquity of such transactions, the imbalance in potential losses, particularly on the part of consumers, underscores a pressing concern. In response, Indonesia has instituted consumer protection laws to safeguard the rights of consumers. Nevertheless, a substantial knowledge gap persists among the populace regarding the critical significance of these legal provisions in the commercial transaction milieu. To bridge this awareness deficit, the researcher embarked on an inquiry aimed at elucidating the indispensable nature of consumer protection laws for both sellers operating as business entities and buyers assuming the consumer role. This article delves into the essence of commercial transaction, explicates the underpinnings of consumer protection laws, and articulates their pivotal role for sellers and buyers alike. By employing a descriptive methodology, this research illuminates pertinent concepts and conducts analyses to underscore the indispensability of consumer protection laws from both vantage points. The findings underscore that consumer protection laws are integral to the integrity of commercial transaction.

Establishing a Sustainable Shariah-Compliant Hospital in Malaysia: Exploring the Pertinent Concept

Malaysia has been a member of the Organization of Islamic Countries since 1969, and Islam is recognized as the federal religion in the country. The growing awareness of practicing Islam as a way of life among Muslims worldwide has significantly impacted the concept of hospitality services in the healthcare industry and tourism in Malaysia. As a result, there is an emergence of Shariah-compliant hospitals in the country to cater to the demand of Muslim consumers. However, the establishment of these hospitals lacks proper guidelines, leading to the need for developing standardized and regulated Islamic medical ethics and Shariah-compliant hospitals. This is crucial to ensure proper adherence to Islamic principles, especially in addressing concerns of the Muslim public and religious scholars regarding justified Islamic practices in medical treatment. To address this need, this study aimed to explore the elements or standards required in establishing Shariah-compliant hospitals (SCH). The study adopted a focus group discussion approach with 9 representatives selected through purposive sampling. Participants included hospital administrators, doctors, nurses, policymakers, academics, and representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Thematic analysis of the discussions revealed eight critical elements to consider when planning a sustainable Shariah-compliant hospital. These elements include ibadah-friendly infrastructure, Islamic medical ethics, Shariah compliance prescription, spiritual care support, Islamic medical service competencies, a conducive Islamic environment, affordability and accessibility, and an Islamic work culture. These findings serve as a foundation for future research aimed at developing a comprehensive framework for the establishment of standards for Shariah-compliant hospitals.
 Keywords: Shariah-compliant, hospital, concept

Pay discrimination litigation: Lessons learned

Orientation: We investigated the reasons for success or failure of pay discrimination claims in South Africa.Research purpose: To learn from reasons for judgements in equal pay litigation to clarify pertinent legal concepts and principles related to equal pay, towards improved pay practices.Motivation of the study: To clarify the concepts of justifiable and unfair pay discrimination. To make recommendations preventing unnecessary breakdown of the employer-employee relationship, curtailing unproductive pay discrimination legal action.Research approach/design and method: Content analysis was used to categorise the reasons for the success or failure of 22 pay discrimination litigation cases brought before the CCMA, Labour Courts, and the Labour Appeal Court (1999–2020). Cases were examined prior to and after amendments Section 6(4), of the Employment Equity Amendment Act 47 of 2013.Main findings: Contrary to the expectation of more positive outcomes for employees after changes to the EEA came into effect, 21 out of 22 cases were unsuccessful. Legal reasons are detailed in the findings. Claimants were from the lower income bands. Case arguments often misguided. Union representation seems ineffectual.Practical/managerial implications: There is a lack of understanding of the requirements to argue unfair pay discrimination before a court. Organisations should mediate in cases where employees claim unfair discrimination, to prevent the irretrievable breakdown or the employer–employee relationship resulting in litigation. Organisations should refrain form intentional or unintentional unfair discrimination.Contribution/value-add: This study demonstrates that employees and their representatives lack knowledge of pay discrimination legislation. We provide explanation of pertinent concepts and principles when judging the merits of a pay discrimination case.

Decolonizing Global Child Health Education for More Equitable and Culturally Safe Collaborations.

Global health (GH) as an academic field is fraught with both historical and present systemic injustice, including unilateral partnerships; power asymmetry in grant funding and research agenda setting; lack of acknowledgment of contributions from low- and middle-income country collaborators; and disadvantageous bias toward low- and middle-income country institutions. Reflecting on the legacies of colonialism and White supremacy is vital for training pediatricians to actively work to improve the health of all children worldwide, within bidirectional and culturally safe partnerships in which power dynamics and ethnocentrism are dismantled. In this article, we discuss the present challenges within academic GH education (GHE) and offer four key action steps to decolonize GHE: (1) reflecting on the history of global child health; (2) creating a new language framework on pertinent concepts in GHE; (3) developing cultural humility, antiracism, and decolonization curricula; and (4) intentional institutional action steps to decolonize and sustain culturally safe global child health education. [Pediatr Ann. 2023;52(9):e344-e350.].

Chemical toxic exposures and chronic ocular pain.

Chronic ocular pain is a common, debilitating chronic pain condition with significant morbidity and negative impact in patients' quality of life. Several, diverse types of insults to the ocular surface can lead to acute, and under certain conditions to chronic ocular pain, and these include toxic irritants. Exposure of ocular surface to toxic irritants, in addition to direct tissue injury, carries the capacity to generated intense immune and neuronal responses with hyper-excitability, sensitization and chronic pain. Because, chronic ocular pain subsequent to toxic exposures is relatively unrecognized clinical entity, this brief review highlights pertinent concepts of its epidemiology, pathogenesis/pathophysiology, clinical progression, with recommendations for its clinical management that clinicians may find helpful. Suppression of pain signaling, generating neuronal sensitization, and prevention of chronicity of neuropathic pain is particularly emphasized in this respect.

Machine learning aided dimensionality reduction toward a resource efficient projective quantum eigensolver: Formal development and pilot applications.

In recent times, a variety of hybrid quantum-classical algorithms have been developed that aim to calculate the ground state energies of molecular systems on Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices. Albeit the utilization of shallow depth circuits in these algorithms, the optimization of ansatz parameters necessitates a substantial number of quantum measurements, leading to prolonged runtimes on the scantly available quantum hardware. Through our work, we lay the general foundation for an interdisciplinary approach that can be used to drastically reduce the dependency of these algorithms on quantum infrastructure. We showcase these pertinent concepts within the framework of the recently developed Projective Quantum Eigensolver (PQE) that involves iterative optimization of the nonlinearly coupled parameters through repeated residue measurements on quantum hardware. We demonstrate that one may perceive such a nonlinear optimization problem as a collective dynamic interplay of fast and slow relaxing modes. As such, the synergy among the parameters is exploited using an on-the-fly supervised machine learning protocol that dynamically casts the PQE optimization into a smaller subspace by reducing the effective degrees of freedom. We demonstrate analytically and numerically that our proposed methodology ensures a drastic reduction in the number of quantum measurements necessary for the parameter updates without compromising the characteristic accuracy. Furthermore, the machine learning model may be tuned to capture the noisy data of NISQ devices, and thus the predicted energy is shown to be resilient under a given noise model.

Investigating metaverse marketing for travel and tourism

The metaverse, defined as an interoperated persistent network of shared virtual environments, engenders perception of holistic presence for audiences through avatar embodiment as well as psychological and physiological immersion in synchronous interaction with other agents and objects. Metaverse tours is a newly emerged phenomenon requiring deepened understanding in the travel and tourism industry. The current study, applying pertinent concepts of enactive cognition and positive psychology, proposes and verifies a theoretical framework. As the research result suggests, concomitant effect exercised by perception of holistic presence containing subdimensions of spatial-presence, social-presence, and self-presence alongside holistic happiness comprising hedonia and eudaimonia serves to reinforce actual visit intention towards a tourism destination in the metaverse context. The current study contributes to explicating an effective avenue conducive to bringing out optimal impact of metaverse tours for travel and tourism marketing.

MULTISTAGE SAMPLING FOR TRANSLATIONAL COMMUNITY RESEARCH: ZOOMING OUT TO HONE IN ON PLACE-BASED HEALTH DISPARITIES

Abstract ​​Whereas researchers strive for generalizability, community-engaged research (CEnR) typically involves only a few specific communities. Drawing on Weberian ideal type, I outline the use of an innovative blended-methods approach to sample the communities in which CEnR practitioners would collect in-depth data. To complement typical practices of entering a community without preconceived ideas, understanding how communities in the sampling frame relate to one another is important for equigenic (place-based health equity) implementations. The selection of neighborhood communities from quadrants in 2x2 matrices allows pertinent concepts to emerge and relevant solutions to be drawn from thriving communities to aid program co-creation and implementation in other communities. For example, this has led to the identification of communities in British Columbia with differing socioeconomic status, social capital, and coping during COVID-19. This methodological innovation is congruent with asset-based community development (ABCD) to minimize arbitrariness in sampling decisions and advance health equity in our cities.

The hope and hype of neuromarketing: a bibliometric analysis

PurposeRecent years have witnessed a rise in interest in neuromarketing from academia and industry, as it offers practical tools for determining consumers' subconscious reactions to marketing stimuli. Despite this, the current state of neuromarketing research is not well supported by empirical data. To offer a thorough overview of the studies conducted on this discipline in the past few years, a bibliometric analysis of neuromarketing is carried out, taking into account its techniques, key areas and publication patterns trends from several viewpoints.Design/methodology/approachThis study searched 463 documents for the web of science databases published during the previous sixteen years and visualized them. The graphical display of data was created using the VOS Viewer software.FindingsElectroencephalogram (EEG) appeared as a predominantly tool used in neuromarketing research. EEG is either used alone or together with Human Eye-Tracking (HET). “Emotions” was identified in the study as a crucial area of neuromarketing, among other pertinent concepts. The study's results also showed that authors from the United States produced the most articles on neuromarketing, followed by those from the United Kingdom and Spain. The publishing trend, sources and major contributors in neuromarketing are identified using Web of Science data from 2006 to 2021. Overall, the research provides insight into neuromarketing's past, present and future as well as the most widely utilized analytical techniques.Originality/valueThe study's conclusions will be of interest to researchers in understanding the journals that publish neuromarketing research, the themes that contributors and writers have identified, and the countries where research is carried out. This is the first comprehensive study, to the authors' knowledge, that provides a general summary of the key trends in neuromarketing research throughout its history. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first thorough study that offers a broad overview of the most important developments in neuromarketing research from 2006 to 2021.

An Exploratory Study for the Development of a Survey on Learning Team Process, Impact, and Tutor’s Role (PIT) in Facilitating Online Learning

The aim of this article is to learn about teamwork in an online learning environment. to achieve this purpose, we developed a questionnaire based on three initial concepts, learning team process, learning teamwork impact, and tutor’s facilitation of learning teamwork. The PIT questionnaire is an instrument that could be used to identify critical factors that online students perceived as important in enhancing their learning and improve their experiences. We used some open-ended questions to support the questionnaire’s items analysis. We claim that learning team processes as well as tutor’s facilitations does have an impact on students’ experiences and learning. For a purposeful learning team, members should set clear goals outlining expectations and that every member should feel a sense of belonging and safe to contribute their ideas. The learning teamwork impact component contributed for the most variance in the PIT questionnaire. Apart from learning content, students indicated that with learning teams they gained collaborative skills, felt motivated and learned pertinent concepts from their peers from different backgrounds. We conclude that online learning teams are a form of community of learners, a place where students and tutors are actively and intentionally constructing knowledge together.

THE OCCURRENCE OF CODE-SWITCHING AMONG MALAYSIAN UNDERGRADUATES ON WHATSAPP: REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

This research proffers a critical overview of the theoretical and analytical occurrence of code-switching by reviewing a range of empirical and relevant studies. In particular, the dominating and governing factor of computer-mediated communication and code-switching. This research also probes the pertinent concepts, focusing on the types of code-switching and its correlation with computer mediated communication. Subsequently, it reviews the structural features of WhatsApp, deliberating the occurrence of code-switching among UiTM undergraduates in Malaysia, noting the social motivation of style-shifting. The research concludes with recommendations for future research, emphasising on the issue of its applicability to the analysis of second language acquisition and learning.
 
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Consumer acceptance and willingness to pay for cow housing systems in eight European countries

AbstractFree walk housing systems aim to address major animal health issues for dairy cows and support higher animal welfare. The purpose of this study is to estimate consumer acceptance of different housing systems and willingness to pay (WTP) for milk from tie-stall, cubicle, compost-bedded, and artificial floor housing systems in addition to attitudes toward animal welfare. Focus groups were held to identify the pertinent concepts for an online quantitative survey conducted in eight European countries. A discrete choice experiment was included for estimating WTP. Consumers are found to care about animal welfare and grazing. Results indicate consumers like the compost-bedded system the best followed by the artificial floor system; however, no positive WTP for these systems was found. Consumers seem to find the current labeling rules regarding organic production and grazing sufficiently informative. The results can help producers make more informed investment and marketing decisions regarding cow husbandry.

Writing a Teaching Case and Teaching Note: A Reference Guide

Writing a teaching case and teaching note differs from writing a research paper. In this guide, we explain what an author needs to consider to write a good teaching case and accompanying teaching note. We describe how to increase a case’s teaching value by linking it to pertinent concepts or theories, how to make a case more appealing to students through contextual nuances, and what content to include to enhance the usefulness of the teaching note for instructors. We write this paper to address the increased interest in writing teaching cases in recent years and to update an earlier CAIS paper that the third author wrote alone. We hope that the guide will help enable and not unduly constrain IS scholars who wish to bring realistic and helpful real-life examples from our field to our students.

Reliability Characterization of Binary-Imaged Multi-State Coherent Threshold Systems

A notable reliability model is the binary threshold system (also called the weighted-k-out-of-n system), which is a dichotomous system that is successful if and only if the weighted sum of its component successes exceeds or equals a particular threshold. The aim of this paper is to extend the utility of this model to the reliability analysis of a homogeneous binary-imaged multi-state coherent threshold system of (m+1) states, which is a non-repairable system with independent non-identical components. The paper characterizes such a system via switching-algebraic expressions of either system success or system failure at each non-zero level. These expressions are given either (a) as minimal sum-of-products formulas, or (b) as probability–ready expressions, which can be immediately converted, on a one-to-one basis, into probabilities or expected values. The various algebraic characterizations can be supplemented by a multitude of map representations, including a single multi-value Karnaugh map (MVKM) (giving a superfluous representation of the system structure function S), (m+1) maps of binary entries and multi-valued inputs representing the binary instances of S, or m maps, again of binary entries and multi-valued inputs, but now representing the success/failure at every non-zero level of the system. We demonstrate how to reduce these latter maps to conventional Karnaugh maps (CKMs) of much smaller sizes. Various characterizations are inter-related, and also related to pertinent concepts such as shellability of threshold systems, and also to characterizations via minimal upper vectors or via maximal lower vectors.

العمليات النفسية ضد مصر: دراسة في المحتوى والتأثير

This paper examines the content and impact of negative messages targeting the Egyptian state, its figures, and institutions. After laying out the relevant literature and history of the pertinent concepts such as fourth-generation warfare, media propaganda, rumors and framing, this analysis limits its data to two months of anti-Egyptian rhetoric aired by Al-Jazeera Mubasher (based in Qatar), Mekamelin, and Al-Sharq (based in Turkey); and their social media outlets from August 25th through October 25th, 2019. Upon dissecting these negative messages, the author found that there is consistency among the three outlets in attacking the Egyptian president, his family, the military and intelligence institutions, and public opinion leaders, among others. Among the techniques used by these outlets are false flag, sensationalism, disparagement, defaming, segmentation and targeting, and dissemination of rumors, as well as others. To examine the impact of these negative messages on the targeted groups of educated youths, an illustrative sample of 174 students from two universities (Cairo University and British University in Egypt) were asked to take part in a social experiment. The students were exposed to the anti-Egyptian state messages as depicted in the three mentioned media outlets, then were asked to respond to a survey measuring the impact of these messages on them. Then they were exposed to another set of pro-Egypt messages with another survey measuring the impact of the new set of messages. A series of focus group discussions were conducted to add depth to the survey. The study found that the anti-Egyptian state messages had a minor impact on participants, yet this impact was almost reversed when respondents were exposed to pro-Egyptian state messages.