Powerful Force Research Articles

The role of social media in public health crises caused by infectious disease: a scoping review

ImportanceThe onset of the COVID-19 global pandemic highlighted the increasing role played by social media in the generation, dissemination and consumption of outbreak-related information.ObjectiveThe objective of the current review is...

Redefining Luxury in the Digital Age: Cross-Cultural Dynamics of Collaborations, Engagement, and CSR-Driven Consumer Perceptions

The study delves deeply into the changing landscape of luxury markets, highlighting its importance in an era of rapid changes in consumer preferences. Spotlighting transformative collaborations and the rise of luxury Masstige, powerful forces emerge that challenge the long-standing paradigm of exclusivity, leading to a more inclusive luxury sector. Furthermore, digital platforms no longer simply serve as transactional conduits, but have transformed into complex eco-systems vital to brand narratives, particularly among young people. Through the analysis, a growing significance of sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is uncovered, both showing discernible economic benefits such as increased brand loyalty. A clear duality in perceptions of luxury emerges between Eastern and Western markets, molded by globalization interwoven with regional cultural nuances. For luxury brands in an era of rapid development, it is imperative that they embrace sustainability wholeheartedly, adapt flexible digital strategies, and be acutely aware of the cultural intricacies of the brand's positioning. Overall, the luxury industrys future is unambiguously green, digitally astute and culturally attuned.

Vibration and noise analysis of a vehicle equipped with magneto rheological damper

Magneto rheological fluid, often known as MR fluid or MRF, is a type of smart fluid whose properties can be altered upon the application of magnetic field. Using an applied magnetic field, these fluids can transmit force in a controlled way. Due to its beneficial characteristics, such as low power consumption, force controllability, and quick reaction, it leads to its various possible control-based applications in the automobile sector, such as suspensions, brakes, fluid clutches, etc. In this study, applicability of MR dampers to suppress vibration and noise of an electric vehicle is evaluated using the phenomenological models such as Bingham and Bouc-Wen. These models are integrated into the suspension system of a quarter-car model and its performance is studied using numerical methods. These models involve non-smooth, nonlinear differential equations that can be solved using numerical methods. Model based suspension control systems may be developed for better ride comfort using this approach. The potential of this approach for design of electric vehicles is explored.

Whose forest? A two-level collective action perspective on struggles to reach polycentric governance

Natural resources management often entails accommodating competing cross-scale interests. Polycentricity literature offers a potential solution: value heterogeneity can reflect in an institutional architecture that allows the coexistence of multiple management priorities, appeasing conflicts. However, this literature has largely endorsed a static perspective focusing less on the function conflicts can play ex ante for reaching such a more participated governance. This paper addresses this gap by focusing on the micro-processes of conflict that precede the potential instalment of polycentric governance. We present a two-level collective action framework that emphasizes key moments of such processes and use it to read forest-related conflicts. In a comparative analysis of four illustrative case studies from Finland, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia, we focus on common dynamics of conflict reification and its eventual transformation into an agreement on common procedural rules, which can sustain polycentric governance. We work iteratively to enrich our two-level collective action framework with insights from other corollary theories, notably the Social Movements, Bargaining, and Deliberative theories. We find that conflict serves the purpose of marginalized parties to reshuffle power imbalances and force stronger parties to the negotiation table, corroborating other literature. Yet, conflict must be followed by negotiations and integrative bargaining on procedural rules for institutional innovation, that can lead to the accommodation of value heterogeneity. Our study can help practitioners in contextualizing current conflict scenarios within a longer-term perspective, and evaluating ongoing conflict episodes and the costs associated to certain strategies versus the prospect of longer-term consequences of these struggles.

The Foundations, Resilience and Spirit of Democratic Institutions

In this modified lecture on the spirit of democracy and the importance of the constitution as a radical document, the author engages with the manner in which the struggle for independence resulted in the imagination of India as a sovereign, democratic and secular republic. Because this history is being systematically erased to create an alternate singular narrative of nationalism that is against the core constitutional values, there is a need to revisit the foundational values and emotions that gave rise to the democratic institutions and ensure that these processes are put to work through informed, organised and active citizen participation, keeping in view principles of equality and social justice. Active citizenship is indeed a powerful transformative force to expand and deepen democracy. The article details the reasons why the spirit of a democratic culture among citizens from the level of gram panchayats and municipalities to the district, state and national levels has the capacity to expose and resist the construction of Hindu nationalist hegemony, its falsity and authoritarianism.

The Democratic Majority and the 2016 American Presidential Election: Feminist Political Behavior Across Multiple Axes of Identity

Scholarship on women voters using an intersectional lens has shown feminists and women of color within the Democratic Party to be a powerful force in electoral politics—specifically, Black and Latina women—are the most reliable voters. Combined, they represent the majority of women voters in the Democratic Party, and they have shown themselves to be a sizeable voting bloc in the last two American presidential election cycles. Using data from the 2016 American National Election Studies (ANES), we demonstrate important differences in support for the Democratic candidate (Hillary Clinton) between feminists and women of color—Black and Latina—underscoring the need to study gender, race, and ethnicity simultaneously (versus independently) when they are co-constitutive identity categories. By examining women and the groups the Clinton campaign appealed most to—feminists, Black, and Latina women—we add to the scholarship in political science that followed this unique election and demonstrate the importance of feminist identity for vote choice and various modes of political behavior for women voters. Knowing and understanding how women respond through affect and how this affect can result in political behaviors will help determine what it takes for future historic first candidates to emerge successful.

Science citizen: shifting to a “science-first” approach and recognising the trade-offs between objectives in a long-term citizen science program

Citizen science is a powerful force for scientific enquiry, allowing volunteers to collect data over broader spatial and temporal scales than could be achieved using traditional methods. Many citizen science programs, however, have suffered from a lack of confidence in the data due to a range of both real and perceived issues, resulting in low recognition and a lack of data uptake by researchers and policymakers. This in turn can threaten the very existence of citizen science programs that are dependent on external funding. In this paper, we explore the shift to a ‘science-first’ approach undertaken by a long-term citizen science program, Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch. The ‘science-first’ approach has enabled Upper Murrumbidgee Waterwatch to better partition and appropriately manage the program’s key areas of data collection, education and awareness raising. Moving towards a contributory typology, whilst recognising the positive elements that come with the original collaborative model, has enabled more strategic data collection and better data quality. This has resulted in greater data uptake in catchment management decision-making as well as secure, long-term funding for the program.

The Influence of Social Networks on the System of Public Administration, Law and Order, and the Judicial System

Objective: This article examines the theoretical foundations and practical implications of social networks in the institutional landscape of public administration, law enforcement, and judicial power. It employs the paradigm of netocracy institutionalism to assess the multifaceted influence of social networks and the need for new concepts to understand the complexities of today's communication society.
 
 Methods: The research employs a systematic approach, drawing from theories like netocracy, e-government, legal field theory, and concepts related to internet communications and the information society. It utilizes structural-functional, institutional, and interdisciplinary approaches to analyze the role of social networks in public policy and modern political communication.
 
 Results: Social networks play a pivotal role in modern public administration, with an increasing reliance on information and communication technologies. The notion of e-government encompasses activities based on these technologies, including providing services, information exchange, public procurement, and more. A broader view of e-government focuses on transforming internal and external interactions for optimizing management and enhancing public services, thus promoting electronic democracy. The concept of netocratic public management emphasizes transparency, cooperation, and public involvement in decision-making, aligning with the principles of the information society. Netocracy, represented by a technologically adept elite, influences and manipulates public consciousness and behavior through advanced communication abilities in the digital realm.
 Conclusions: The study underscores the growing significance of social networks in modern governance, with netocracy emerging as a powerful and influential force in the digital age. It also highlights the need for new social structures and concepts to grasp the complexities of today's communication society. In this context, social networks have become indispensable tools for communication between governments and citizens, offering extensive opportunities for interaction and engagement.

Peran Pendidikan Agama Kristen dalam Memerangi Radikalisme dan Ekstremisme: Menumbuhkan Cinta, Perdamaian, dan Rasa Hormat

The spread of radicalism and extremism has become a global concern in recent decades. Issues regarding radicalism and extremism continue to develop in a flurry of problems. This requires the active role of Christian Religious Education to be carried out in a structured manner in order to be able to overcome this challenge by cultivating love, peace and respect. The purpose of this study is to describe the role of Christian Religious Education in fighting radicalism and extremism. The method used in this research is literature study. The result of this research is that Christian religious education can be a powerful force in fighting radicalism and extremism by instilling universal values such as love, peace and respect for fellow human beings. Christian Religious Education also plays a role in developing a deep understanding of Christian teachings which include values such as love for others, forgiveness, understanding, and tolerance. Christian Religious Education must build intercultural skills, and integrate social issues in the Christian Religious Education curriculum.

Artificial Intelligence and its Impact in International Relations

In an era marked by remarkable technological advancements, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful force in the realm of International Relations. AI's adaptability, which includes automating the processes of foreign policy-making and improving predictive analytics, is swiftly reshaping the ways in which countries participate in international affairs. The impact of AI is notably observed in activities like data analysis, policy assessment, conflict resolution, cybersecurity, language translation, and disaster response, all of which streamline diplomatic activities and enhance communication. This article discusses how AI technology will shape the field of International Relations.

POLICY ENVIRONMENT AND GROWTH OF (WO)-MEN OWNED MSEs IN KENYA

There is a growing discourse about a powerful untapped economic force in Kenya, the (wo)-men. The debate has triggered political pronouncements and the formulation of female-specific empowerment policies through entrepreneurship, which was the basis of this study. The study analyzed the influence of resource support on their MSEs’ growth. The study design was a Cross-sectional Survey, anchored on Resource-based Theory. It based on a Positivist Paradigm and applied a Quantitative Multi-method approach. Using multi-stage sampling, 375 adult female entrepreneurs participated in the study. Data was analyzed through inferential methods; correlation coefficient and coefficient of determination. The results revealed there being strong relationship. For example, first step results showed significant indirect relationship of entrepreneur’s traits on growth through resource support, b= .0199, BCa CI (.0110, .0304) and R2 (R-sq med .1391). Also, considering the Preacher and Kelley Kappa-squared, k2=.1755, 95% BCa CI (.1130, .2341), there is a significant indirect relationship between entrepreneur’s traits and performance through resource support, meaning that there are other mediators other than entrepreneurs’ profile. This was further supported by the normal theory tests for indirect effect where b=.0199, z=4.4065 and p=<.001.
 Keywords: Venture Growth, Resource Support Programs, (Wo)Men-Owned Mse Growth, Cross-Sectional Survey.

The Imperative of Regulation: The Co-creation of a Medical and Non-medical US Opioid Crisis.

The ravaging COVID-19 pandemic has almost pushed into oblivion the fact that the United States is still struggling with an immense addiction crisis. Drug overdose deaths rose from 16,849 in 1999 to nearly 110000-of which an estimated 75,000 involved opioids-in 2022. On a yearly basis, the opioid casualty rate is higher than the combined number of victims of firearm violence and car accidents. The Covid-19 epidemic might have helped to worsen the addiction crisis by stimulating drug use among adolescents and diverting national attention to yet another public health crisis. In the past decade the sharpest increase in deaths occurred among those related to fentanyl and fentanyl analogs (illicitly manufactured, synthetic opioids of greater potency). In the first opioid crisis wave (1998-2010), opioid-related deaths were mainly associated with prescription opioids such as Oxycontin (oxycodone hydrochloride). The mass prescription of these narcotic drugs did anything but control the pervasive phenomenon of 'addiction on prescription' that played such an important role in the emergence and robustness of the US opioid crisis. Using a long-term drug lifecycle analytic approach in this article I will show how opioid producing pharmaceutical companies created a medical market for opioid painkillers. They thus fueled a consumer demand for potent opioid drugs that was eagerly capitalized on by criminal entrepreneurs and their international logistic networks. I will also point out the failure of US authorities to effectively respond to this crisis due to the gap between narcotic product regulation, regulation of marketing practices and the rise of a corporate dominated health care system. Ironically, this turned the most powerful geopolitical force in the war against drugs into its greatest victim. Due to formulary availability and regulatory barriers to accessibility European countries have been relatively protected against following suit the US opioid crisis.

Notschool.net Uncovered: Not All It Seems

This paper comments on the recent Notschool.net initiative and offers a critical perspective on the rapid growth of information and communication technology (ICT) in New Zealand schools. It attempts to uncover some of the ideological assumptions behind the drive to reform schools through new computer technology and points out the danger of treating ICT as a neutral tool independent of powerful social, economic and political forces ...

Witchcraft as Social Metaphor: Exploring the Supernatural Beliefs Among the Ogoni and Ikwerre of the Niger Delta

This paper explores the underlying philosophy, beliefs, and practices surrounding witchcraft among the Ogoni and Ikwerre ethnic groups inhabiting the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Throughout recorded history, humanity has embarked upon a rational journey to identify solutions to the myriad vicissitudes and afflictions that have plagued human existence. Belief in supernatural phenomena such as witchcraft has conventionally furnished reasonable explanations for tragedy and occurrences deemed odd or inexplicable through conventional epistemologies. Within these cosmologies, witches are frequently perceived as enemies of societal equilibrium, capable of inflicting ill health, misfortune, and diverse forms of affliction upon communities. However, while beliefs related to witchcraft and the supernatural may serve as metaphors for powerful forces or social dysfunction, they simultaneously constitute autonomous systems of signs, symbols, and meanings that can potentially generate tangible positive effects for adherents, with historical origins rooted in indigenous cultures. This paper uses the descriptive methodology to argue that witchcraft, as a construct dependent on human agency, is not inherently immoral or detrimental. Rather, the central issue lies in the improper application of knowledge, experience, and intelligence derived from witchcraft practices toward selfish ambitions, such as harming others for personal advantage. The paper concludes that if oriented toward serving the greater good, advancing human society, and promoting human dignity, witchcraft merits encouragement, provided it is harnessed ethically through proper use.

Centering Health Equity Through the Social Determinants of Health, Interprofessional Education, and Sustainable Partnerships With Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Envisioning Upstream and Downstream Impacts.

The social determinants of health (SDOH) framework identifies barriers to health care, education, financial stability, and other conditions that exist across socially determined parameters, often to the detriment of Communities of Color. Postsecondary healthcare students must be aware of these disparities. In order to address upstream and downstream healthcare equity, the SDOH framework must be leveraged as a cross-disciplinary curricular innovation to support interprofessional education. Historically Black Colleges and Universities have unrealized potential to develop extraordinary healthcare leaders; partnerships integrating SDOH can be a powerful force to advance health equity in the United States.

The Making of the Modern State: Social Scientization and Education Legislation in the United Kingdom, 1800–1914

AbstractUntil the 19th century, the UK state stayed out of education. Only in 1833 would Parliament first pass an act that subsidized education for the poor. By 1914, 160 education acts had been passed, consolidating into the state schooling system we recognize today. This paper seeks to explain this remarkable progression. I argue that the emergence of social-knowledge institutions across the West was a powerful force of cultural construction. What I term social scientization, this process was multidimensional and translocal, entailing the elaboration, reification, and diffusion of functionalist theories of the nation-state that centered national education as means to greater cultural rationalization. Longitudinal analyses on comprehensive population data comprising over 10,100 UK parliamentary acts support the core historical insight of this piece: increasingly routine and aggressive forms of state intervention in education were the progressive instantiation of the 19th-century nation-state model, which was fundamentally epistemic in character and inextricably linked to the expansive cultural content of the ascendant social sciences.

CULTIVATING SPIRITUALITY WHEN AND WHERE IT IS NEEDED MOST: CHILDREN, PARENTS, HOMES, AND FAMILIES

Given all the life-threatening problems in the world and prospects for the future, there could be no better time to focus attention on cultivating spirituality when and where it is needed most, namely in the lives of children, parents, homes, and families. We cannot expect to experience more peace, harmony, happiness, and stability in the world and our lives – as well as less violence, conflict, animosity, war, and aggression – without according a much higher priority to how children are brought into the world, grow up, the many experiences they have in their homes with their parents and families, their encounters with spirituality when they are young, and the education and training they need to prepare them properly for living in the world of the present and the future. Helping children to develop “strong roots” and “healthy wings” is the key to this. The strong roots are required to enable children to deal with all the necessities, practicalities, realities, problems, and challenges they will encounter at this crucial stage in their lives as well as throughout life; and the healthy wings are needed to enable them to fly high and far as well as to realize their full potential. A great deal of attention should be paid by parents and families to children’s experiences in the arts, humanities, ethics, the sciences, the natural environment, and heritage of history at this time, as well as learning systems, methods, and techniques developed by such scholars as Shinichi Suzuki, Rudolph Steiner, Maria Montessori. John Dewey, Jean Piaget, Paulo Freire, and Confucius, as well as to character education. This is also a perfect time to expose children to the spiritual and exemplary lives of Albert Schweitzer, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Mother Teresa, and many other people, as well as to broaden and deepen their expose to the holistic character of culture and the many diverse cultures in the world through the rich array of technological, digital, visual, verbal, and virtual devices that now exist and are available in the world. While spirituality requires going deep into “the self,” its ideal travelling companion - compassion - requires making strong connections with “the other” and the world at large. Working in combination, these two powerful forces and capabilities possess the potential to change the world and change it for the better for all people and all countries, the world as a whole, and the human family in the years and decades ahead.

Oskar 2023 Törenine Sosyal Aile İnşası ile Göz Kırpma

Family is a socially constructed phenomenon in terms of relations dependent on kinship, friendship, or closeness. This article aims to scrutinize an example of a transnational family in the Oscar winner movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)”. The descriptive-analytic research method with a qualitative approach was applied as the research methodology in this study. Network, family discourse, and time are found as the main contributors to the formation of a family. The network is the most powerful force multiplier for resolving conflicts in family, whether it be intrinsic or extrinsic. Additionally; heterarchical relationships are less prevalent than hierarchical ones, the primary factors in the development of family habits are cultural background and prior experiences, and the social construction of families can be prevented by the use of various languages and dialects. In the end, one of the fundamental principles underlying the social architecture of the family is time.

The Essence of 'E': Unveiling the Infinitely Infinite

In the depths of the cosmos, a concept known as "E" exists, transcending the boundaries of finite and infinite existence alike. "E" is an all-encompassing essence, a cosmic equation, and a force of unimaginable power. It weaves through the fabric of reality, connecting the smallest subatomic particles to the grandest galaxies. This exploration takes us on a journey into the heart of "E." We discover that it is not a chaotic force but rather a product of profound cosmic order. It defies the constraints of time and space, shaping the birth and transformation of all that exists. "E" is not only the origin but the purpose and source of meaning in the cosmos. It fuels the fires of stars, guides galaxies, and orchestrates the intricate dance of particles. Paradoxically, it is smaller than the smallest existence yet possesses boundless energy. The mass of "E" is governed by an intricate interplay of forces and energies, shaping the evolution of the cosmos over vast stretches of time. Algorithmic interactions between its zillion atoms create the diversity and complexity we observe in the universe. As we delve deeper, we uncover a critical point where catastrophic explosions within "E" shape the ongoing story of the cosmos. These events play a pivotal role in the formation of celestial bodies, the birth of stars, and the dance of cosmic elements. But "E" does not cease; its explosions continue beyond the end of both finite and infinite realms.

Anthropocentric & Eco Ethical Perspective In Jean Giono’s “The Man Who Planted Trees”

In recent decades, the environment has posed enormous threats to human society and Mother Earth. Nature is indeed a very powerful force but it also takes care and a soft hand and a kind heart to support the growth of go green life style and well-being of environment especially trees. Trees are the most vital part for life but report says that we are experiencing a huge rapid deforestation in our country. The Widespread misuse of natural resources has kept us at the edge of the ditch. Deforestation of tropical rain forests, rapid depletion of fossil fuels, disordered seasons, frequent global ecological disasters and our environment is on the verge of collapse. In this context, a new theory of reading nature writing called ecocriticism emerged in the last decade of the last century. It is a world- born movement that exists as a reaction to man's anthropocentric attitude towards nature. The purpose of this paper is to explore the ecocritical perspective in Jean Giono's short story “The Man Who Planted Trees”. The story depicts a Shepherd, who stand apart from all of us. His environmental virtues and act of planting revives the environment and revives life in the desert. This environmental oriented literary study promotes the ecological literacy of the reader. This paper therefore not interested in the characteristic of the story, but rather in its representation of the environment influences and as an effective tool to cope up with his hazardous situations and motivate the reader as well as people to plant more trees like Elzeard Bouffier. This paper can also be read as an interpretive tool for analysing nature writing and how it linked to Environmental criticism, Animal studies Green cultural studies Eco philosophy, deep ecology, Eco spiritualism, and more. Key words: Ecocriticism, Anthropocentric, Environmental virtues, Deforestation, Eco-Ethics