Tangible Reality Research Articles

Beyond a surface gaze: inscribing the sensory

ABSTRACT This article argues that memory, nostalgia, place and sensory experience are inter-related and should not be relegated to the background, as they are indicative and productive of genesis, structure and process of social relations and ideals. The text addresses challenges of writing a narrative that includes diverse representations of mutually experienced events that reverberate in different spaces of the post-colonial world. In the research described, ancestors and their descendants co-exist and work together to fashion family histories in various examples from Madagascar and the United States. Conversations in the field, remembered with the odors, textures, and sounds of intimate exchanges, exposed a tangible reality and pervasive nostalgia that is not knowable through colonial records or national archives.

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of Meniere’s disease: vague future or tangible reality?

Meniere's disease is characterized by vertigo, inconsistent hearing loss and progressive deterioration of audiological and vestibular functions. The attacks of Meniere's disease occur without obvious triggers and disrupt social adaptation of patients. Radiation diagnostic methods have not been included into the list of diagnostic criteria by the European Consensus on Diagnosis and Management of Meniere's disease (2018). However, a number of studies have been published recently that indicate the feasibility of in vivo anatomical identification of endolymphatic hydrops, as the main disease substrate seen using contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Due to the progress in radiological visualization of the inner ear, some patterns have been identified and new data obtained for Meniere's disease. The choice of the best route for contrast administration (intratympanic or intravenous) is a matter of active debate. There is no consensus on the criteria for the assessment of hydrops' grade. Future developments of the technique are associated with improvements of diagnostic procedures and protocols, use of new contrast agents and diagnostic algorithms developed with consideration of the otological problem of patients.

Enabling a circular economy in the built environment sector through blockchain technology

The concept of a circular economy (CE) encompasses a comprehensive approach to conscious design and material choice, in addition to keeping products at their utmost utility during production, operation, and reuse cycles through the implementation of closed loops. A blockchain allows for a fast, secure, and accessible information network by providing a decentralized ledger where materials and products can be traced to their sources. This paper investigates blockchain as a promising technology for the facilitation of a CE in the built environment. In support of this, a blockchain model is presented and tested through a synthetic case study to provide a proof of concept as to the feasibility of blockchain as an enabler of a CE in the built environment. With utilization of a blockchain, the current state of each material and component can be tracked, making the proactive planning for their reusability a tangible reality. The findings of the synthetic case study reveal that a blockchain can provide full material and energy traceability, enabling the user to make predictions for the recycling and reuse of materials and goods used in the built environment. Blockchain is shown to be a feasible and novel approach for employing CE concepts in the built environment domain. Additionally, the framework presented here could be beneficial for smart cities and communities, where a blockchain style of information flow can produce synergy with other aspects of a smart and connected community.

A cascade of exclusion: administrative burdens and access to citizenship in the case of Argentina’s National Identity Document

Administrative burdens can hinder people’s social, political and economic participation. However, most empirical studies usually tackle the issue of how they affect access to citizenship merely indirectly. This article examines administrative exclusion from Argentina’s National Identity Document and its effects on a key social policy: the Universal Child Allowance. Findings indicate that: (1) administrative exclusion from official identity documents ‘feeds back’ into the construction of a vulnerable target group that is systematically excluded from social benefits and public services; and (2) limitations in the administrative capacity for identity registration and documentation ‘trickle down’ to complications in the implementation of social policies as target groups remain ‘off the radar’. Findings also demonstrate the importance of understanding administrative burdens as a systemic issue. Burdens manifest themselves at the level of citizen–state interactions but their causes and consequences are tied up with intractable institutional characteristics, administrative capacities and social inequalities. Points for practitioners Efforts by developing countries to develop effective social protection systems are often thwarted by limitations in the state’s capacity to identify and reach marginalized citizens. This suggests the need for a systemic perspective of the state’s entire capacity instead of merely focusing on the design of social protection programmes. Specifically, we demonstrate that complete, accessible and up-to-date civil registries, identity documents and other forms of registration are a precondition for transforming formal rights into a tangible reality for citizens.

Los cambios ya son una realidad tangible en la Revista Española de Geriatría y Gerontología

Los cambios ya son una realidad tangible en la Revista Española de Geriatría y Gerontología

Derecho a la información y protección de datos personales en el neoconstitucionalismo iberoamericano

El derecho a la información es uno de los derechos fundamentales consagrados enla Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos. En el mundo contemporáneo, en laera de la información, el acceso a ella se facilita como nunca en la historia, debido a quees posible transmitir datos de voz, texto y video en tiempo real. A pesar de la brechadigital que persiste en la región iberoamericana, es posible argumentar que esta se ha idocerrando de manera paulatina en los últimos años. La digitalización de la interacción social,la educación y los servicios públicos y privados se han convertido en una realidad tangible,con una enorme repercusión económica, social y política. Pero, también, los datos personales se encuentran, como nunca en la historia, expuestos a ser utilizados con fines ajenosal consentimiento del usuario. En el presente artículo buscaremos describir algunas de lasposibilidades y retos del derecho a la información y la protección a los datos personales.Igualmente, estudiaremos la manera en que ambos derechos deben ser protegidos porel constitucionalismo iberoamericano. El Estado mexicano no ha sido pionero en AméricaLatina en protección de datos personales, ni existen en su territorio garantías lo suficientemente efectivas para disuadir a los traficantes de datos que todos los días manipulany comercializan con ellos. No obstante, se han realizado los primeros intentos para transitar hacia un régimen más transparente, en el que el derecho de acceso a la informaciónpública sea un peldaño para fortalecer el tan debilitado Estado democrático de derecho.

Cabiria, opera d'arte autonoma

Cabiria is ‘an autonomous work of art’, between aesthetical and stylistic peculiarities. In order to legitimately recognise these specificities, we should not exalt the high level of the technical cleverness mixed with ‘tricks’ or mechanisms of technological artificiality. On the contrary, we should – first and foremost – be aware of the identity of the movie, expression of the figurative art which combines painting, sculpture, architecture, theatre and cinematograph, constitutive nucleus of a poetics of the marvellous, created by d’Annunzio’s fervid fantasy and by the director Pastrone, invention – though in a real historical context – precise as regards the chronological limits, of forms, visible signs, allegories and symbols of the Jungian ‘collective subconscious’. Visions of a tangible reality, concrete, recovered by the truth, but raised to the realm of dream, in the oneiric atmosphere of the unreal, conquer the human sensibility. It is like the idea by de Chirico, who thinks the picture as a mental theatre, stage and ideal container of a moving drama that conveys the familiarity of the represented environment with figurative clarity. Thus, the work of the master-director-demiurge becomes an organic solution of all the arts between innovation and modernity.

Hacia una investigación artística sin concepto, ni método, o Sobre cómo acariciar una mesa

Un estudio en torno a la dificultad metodológica de la Investigación artística en el contexto académico y, en concreto, en el nivel de doctorado. Se cuestiona sobre qué tipo de aportación o resultado ofrece este campo de estudio a la academia y su interrelación con la praxis artística actual. Desde ahí, se proponen dos desplazamientos: de la hipótesis a la intuición y de la estrategia a la técnica. Ambos desencadenan la posibilidad de una investigación sin concepto y sin método que, en su proceder, da a ver una oscilación continua entre lo deliberado y lo no deliberado, entre el conocimiento y la emoción, entre el rigor y la pasión, etc. Estos vaivenes propios del proceso y de la investigación artística, recuerdan que la ciencia no es sólo un sistema para conocer la realidad visible y tangible, sino que también es un arte que trata de acceder a lo real.

DIRECTING THE CREATIVE ABILITIES OF WOMEN AND MOTIVATING THEM TO SET UP SMALL, REALISTIC PROJECTS

The International Labour Organization announced that one out of every four women has an economic activity, and this will not achieve the ambitious increase in this activity, as the goal to achieve sustainable development 2030 AD is to increase the rate of gross domestic product growth to 7%, and the regional director of the International Labour Organization office in Cairo explained Egyptian women are underrepresented in the labour market, as the percentage of their participation in the workforce is 22.8% according to recent statistics in Egypt. Therefore, cooperation has taken place between the Federation of Egyptian Industries and the International Labour Organization to establish a unit to support businesswomen by providing the technical support and expertise necessary to establish and manage this unit This unit aims to design and implement training programs aimed at building capacity, raising awareness, and improving the economic and professional performance of women in business. The problem comes that what has been prepared for and implementing programs for a group of businesswomen who have projects to raise and support these projects. It is not for the woman with the talent and creativity behind the walls of her home and she does not know how to start activating this creative energy and transforming it into a realistic small project that makes her a business master that benefits her country It expresses itself and translates the creativity fuelled within it into a tangible reality

Energy Efficacious IoT Based Nifty Parking Information System

Urbanization has inflated populace. This has upsurged traffic and pollution turning traffic management into a tangible reality. Gazillions of people around the globe prefer ownership of private vehicles over public mode of transportation. There is an imbalance between the available parking space and demand. The proposed Internet-of-Things (IoT) based nifty parking information system (IPIS) module is deployed on-site to monitor vehicles, signal the availability of parking space to the user, facilitate reservation of the parking slot and thereby reduce the time in finding the parking slot. MIT App Inventor creates applications on Android operating system to facilitate slot reservation for authenticated users. IPIS integrates IoT based Raspberry Pi module with the mobile Application to design an eased parking system operable with minimal energy. The user details are recorded in a server database. Based on this, an RFID tag permits user entry and exit into the parking slot. A Raspberry-Pi(R-Pi) camera module captures the license plate image and uses image recognition algorithm to match the license plate of the vehicle with the database, authenticates and then allows the member to park his vehicle in the respective slot. IPIS provides highly secured, double verified user vehicle authentication. The Raspberry- Pi also adjusts the intensity of the lights using machine learning based on the density of the traffic recorded by the camera module. This research focuses on slot reservation for authenticated users, providing map guidance to the booked slot, maximizing slot utilization, facilitating with vehicle and user timestamp transit details in real time for surveillance, conserving parking slot light energy utilization while regulating the cars through parking spaces and also performs predictive analysis on evaluating the optimum distance between the camera and number plate for recognition and power dissipation.

EU Operational Powers and Legal Protection. A Legal Theory Perspective on the Operational Powers of the European Border and Coast Guard

For the first time in its history the EU is in the process of acquiring significant and genuine permanent operational powers. A new Regulation on the European Border and Coast Guard provides Frontex with a permanent corps of 10,000 border guards of which 3,000 will be EU agents, its own equipment and its own competences to intervene along the borders of the EU and beyond. The operational powers will allow the EU to directly intervene physically in tangible reality. This article argues that the conferral of operational powers on the EU poses a risk to individual legal protection. Because once authorities have acquired operational powers of a certain extent and quality, they can afford to act against or without the law by simply overpowering or eluding the legal mechanisms that normally constrain the exercise of public power. So far Members of the European Parliament and academics critical of Frontex and the new Regulation have overlooked this issue and concentrated exclusively on how to legally constrain the exercise of operational powers. The article addresses this blind spot by examining whether and how public law should place legal constraints not only on the exercise but also on the build-up of operational powers.

Proposta de adoção de sistema de milhagem por aplicativos de carona

Shared economy is a tangible reality today. This type of economy has introduced a new form of consumption, one in which people prefer to rent, borrow or share rather than buy. With the intention of studying this increasingly present phenomenon, this research analyzes the main applications of carpool and proposes a technological adequacy for implementation of loyalty program aiming at the popularization and incentive of this type of service. It is a research of a technological nature, exploratory with a bibliographical survey. Three car sharing applications were compared seeking to verify the suitability of the chosen applications. For proposal validation purposes simulations were performed. It was possible to verify that the use of mileage systems can be included as a form of payment in the applications.

The promises and realization of the right to development in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

This paper examines, from a legal and socio-economic perspective, how the right to development materializes its promises and realization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). In this regards, it analyzes its incorporation in the Congolese legal order, defines its constituent elements, and the measures which have been adopted to implement the constitutional framework. It also identifies challenges to the right to development in the DRC and permissive conditions for its effective enjoyment. The main conclusion is that the right to development enshrined in the Congolese law remains more a matter of claims and aspirations than a tangible reality reflecting an increase in the quality of life of the Congolese people. Obstacles to the realization and enjoyment of the right to development include the adverse effects of capitalist liberalism, the extraversion of Congolese development policies, and the culture of predation which dates back to the colonial period. The Congolese leadership has a historic responsibility to trigger or impose the much needed change. This will require not only the integration of the DRC’s international commitments in its domestic development policies based on an internal dynamic putting Congolese at the center of every socio-economic initiative, but also a state which has effective authority over its territory to defend the rule of law, is more interventionist so as to stop the current intentional destruction of the country, and promotes ethical behaviours in public services.

Alexa, What classes do I have today? The use of Artificial Intelligence via Smart Speakers in Education.

Looking back to the rumours from the early 2000’s, when the world of technology bloomed together with the curiosity towards what was next to come, by 2020, robots should have assisted and supported almost every task from our daily life. While this may seem as a Sci-Fi movie scenario, it is partially a tangible reality, that we quickly got used to, thanks to the introduction of smart speakers.As the world changes, so does the future of our students. In this respects, the evolution of the technology comes up with specific environments for educational purpose. Building smart learning environments supported by e-learning platforms is an important area of research in education domain within our days. The evolution of these smart learning environments is justified by some events (Covid19) that force students to learn remotely.The paper proposes a software application component using Alexa smart speaker, that integrates different services (Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Services) for a proper virtual environment platform, for both students and teachers. It addresses the main concerns of the current educational system, and provides a smart solution through the use of Artificial Intelligence based tools. The proposed approach not only achieves unifying data and knowledge-share mechanisms in a remotely mode, but it brings also a good learning experience, increasing the effectiveness and the efficiency of the learning process.

Entropy vs. human ontogeny: the Shannon information measure; a reliable general indicator of human health?

ABSTRACT A measure of health based on exact sciences is not considered by social sciences to evaluate human development. We propose the H measure of information of Shannon ([1948]. “A Mathematical Theory of Communication.” The Bell Systems Technical Journal 27 (3): 379–423, 623–656), renamed as H cto , as a general indicator of human health which can be subsequently aggregated at any statistical level. Several advantages of H cto are explained: (i) connections with thermodynamics and information theory; (ii) combination of physical and statistical elements; (iii) measurements of entropy and/or information depending on the reference point, and (iv) a collection of examples based on the scientific literature that supports the application of H cto . Simplified graphical models of the ontogeny of health condition are also shown. The empirical feasibility of using H cto is also analysed, by concluding that it could be a tangible reality in the near future.

Investigation of chaos in the absence of programming skill

Studying chaotic systems at all levels of physics education can highly motivate students to learn physics. In this paper two simple systems, the Duffing oscillator and compass needle motion, are presented, which were used in a high school and in a university setting for teaching the basic ideas of chaotic motion. Studying both systems can begin with their simple mechanical models, which connect the mathematical description to tangible reality for the students. To surmount the mathematical difficulties of the theoretical treatment of the models, freeware software, the Dynamics Solver (DS), was applied. It will be shown how DS can facilitate students’ first steps toward chaotic systems both at college and high school levels. Downloadable materials in ZIP format, related to this paper, can be found in our web page ( http://csodafizika.hu/ds_girepmptl ).

Carthusian symbolism in Architecture and Art: San Lorenzo of Padula

The aim of this contribution is to demonstrate through the study of the concrete example of the Charterhouse di San Lorenzo in Padula (Province of Salerno, Italy) how and to what extent, the utopian value of the spirituality of the Carthusian monks - inspired by the model of the Desert Fathers and the Church of primitive Christianity, devoted to the practices of strict enclosure, of rigorous abstinence, of meditation, of contemplation and of prayer - has affected the definition and development of a specific iconography; both for what concerns the figurative arts, which have as a milestone the theme of martyrdom and angels (the creatures closest to God), present within the monasteries of the order, both for what interests the architectural structure of buildings. Always the same as themselves, especially for the design, distribution and function of the spaces, which as a whole and in particular, they reflect, strictly and everywhere, the immutability of the Carthusian Rule, never changed since the foundation of the order in 1084. Following the model of the first monastery, built on the Chartreuse massif, in Grenoble (France), made by St. Bruno of Cologne, new settlements were erected and spread throughout Europe, with an exponential growth that does not suffer interruptions until the end of eighteenth century and that, left a deep and unequivocal cultural mark in the territory on which they extended. The Charterhouse model, a kind of Earthly Jerusalem like an imitation of the Celestial Jerusalem, can be well included in the universe of utopian architecture, but of the possible ones, where spirituality became tangible reality and where the sacredness of space conceived and built by the monks puts us in touch today the man with sensitive and perceptible experience, the so-called hierophany.

Is the 21th-century school library a fiction or a tangible reality?

The digital era challenges the school library which loses connection with generation Z who speaks a different digital language to all other generations. The underfinanced school libraries with little or no budget for new acquisitions are no longer information centers, the least “information authorities” for youngsters. We need the secret elixir to convert the museum-like school libraries into creative learning spaces. In times of budget cut our creativity enables us to welcome various forms of the digital language Generation Z is a native speaker of. By implementing simple social media like activities into our library programs we might fill the old collections with a new vibe.
 The objectives of the presentation
 The audience will get an insight into the possibilities and the threats Hungarian school libraries are facing with. Instead of mourning over the gloomy reality the presentation aims to focus on creative possibilities which can help school librarians to give the students a 21st century-like experience within difficult circumstances. Creative school librarians might be inspired by a collection of activities where usual social media behavior is implemented into information literacy training classes.
 Participants will learn
 Library instruction together with improving information literacy and reading promotion are parts of the core curriculum in Hungary. School librarians are entitled to create programs that help students to become acquainted with the library spaces, get to know the collection and to find relevant information in order to create new content. However, the outdated collections of school libraries overshadow these promising possibilities. It is a challenge to motivate students - who never lived without the internet and being deprived of their smartphone is a major threat in their life - to use the library collection of 50 to 10 years old books joyfully.
 Whether we agree or not, with the definition of the selfie: as the beginning of the end of intelligent civilization, we have to admit that selfies play an important role in our lives. By encouraging students to take selfies in the library space, immediately adds a positive emotional impact on their library visit in. Selfies help to become acquainted with the library spaces especially if a group tries to reconstruct where the selfies had been taken.
 The social media presence is manifested in the endless circle of likes, dislikes, and comments. If we urge students to browse the selves and select random books to like or dislike we give them the opportunity to have a say in the collection. The student’s choice might mirror the current state of mind of the society. If the selected items are on display, other visitors are also motivated to reflect on them, fostering a certain discussion over the library collection.
 Reading promotion is a hard mission when the books teenagers like to read are not available at our school libraries. We can overcome this difficulty by encouraging students to present their favorite book’s trailer. The complexity of transforming a reading experience into a video or a visual presentation strengthens cognitive skills effectively. Book trailers are creative and are in line with the media consumption tendency of Generation Z whose focus moves from written resources to video content.
 These simple examples show that budget cuts must not discourage librarians! On the contrary, we have to find creative ways to provide students with a 21st century-like library experience at a 20th-century school library setting. We cannot change the environment but we can update the school library programs by welcoming the digital language of Generation Z students into our routine. If we learn and apply their language, we might win them over in the end.
 About the author
 Teacher Librarian and Art Teacher at a Spanish-Hungarian bilingual high school (2004-). Board member of the Hungarian SLA (2016-). Experienced in creating a school library program, planning curriculum and embracing creativity in the school library. Speaker at international conferences, IFLA WLIC 2017, Detroit 2017. Participant in several international projects from Zaragoza to New York and San Diego.

Semantic Limits of Law in the Conditions of Medial Turn: Theoretical Legal Interpretation

Semantic Limits of Law in the Conditions of Medial Turn: Theoretical Legal Interpretation

Kindness towards Others in Great Expectations

The novel, Great Expectations (1861) revolves around the universal theme of love and conflict, which influences the protagonist, Pip. Many critics have commented on the plot and background of the novel. The main aim of this study is to reveal various instances projecting kindness and sympathy in between the social conflict and social tension at the background of the novel “Great Expectations. The study will focus on the concept of kindness towards others which has been incorporated throughout the story of the novel between the narrator and the characters. Charles Dickens (1812- 1870) has shed light upon the theme of social mobility, manners, social injustice and prospect towards tangible reality. This study answers the question whether Dickens could be able to reflect the concept of kindness in the novel or not? Moreover, it will search whether the concept of kindness has been explored well in the story of the novel that it contains probable educational contents of kindness for research. To prove that, the article will explore various aspects of kindness, which has been observed during the course of the novel. The study would be based on qualitative research method from secondary resources. The aspect of kindness would be analyzed and highlighted through multiple scenes from the novel. The study would be concluded on the point where Dickens stresses on the dialect for up gradation of social status in Pip in order to establish himself as a desired partner of Estella despite having a social difference of class during the Victorian period.