Wider World Research Articles

Temporal inequality of RR intervals like a new psychophysiological indicator of mental stress

Introduction: Gini coefficient (Gini index or Gini ratio) is a parameter that is normally used in economy to measure the income distribution in a country or in the whole wide world, but it can be used to measure any kind of distribution. In the present study it is exposed an innovative proposal of application of the Gini coefficient to Heart Rate Variability (HRV) like a psychophysiological indicator of mental stress.Objective: to assess the application of the Gini coefficient as a psychophysiological indicator of mental stress.Methods: a non-observational crossover study, carried out in the biomedical laboratory of the Medical University of Santiago de Cuba. The involved participants are 13 healthy individuals (age 19 ± 1,5 years). Heart rate was continuously recorded at rest (5 minutes) and during a mental stress (5 minutes). Linear and nonlinear methods of heart rate variability were assessed, and 2 new indicators (Sequential and Non-Sequential Gini) were calculated and proposed to measure HRV differences between states.Results: when comparing rest and mental stress conditions, a sensible decrease of the traditional indicators of the HRV was founded (p<0,05), an increase of the heart rate (p=0,004) and of the Sequential Gini (p=0,004) and Non-Sequential Gini (p=0,04).Conclusions: the results suggest that temporary inequality of the RR intervals analyzed from the Gini coefficient could be an adequate indicator of sympathetic activity present during the mental stress

Beyond Long-Distance Nationalism: Khorasan and the Re-imagination of Afghanistan

Abstract This article explores the geographical imagination of diasporic activists from Afghanistan. It examines the significance of the historic-geographic region of Khorasan for their attempts to re-imagine Afghanistan and its place in the region and wider world. The article documents ethnographically the forms of intellectual exchange in which these intellectual-activists participate, and their modes of materializing the geographical imagination of Khorasan in everyday life. Rather than analyzing their geographical imagination solely through the lens of ethnicity, it treats it as reflecting the activists’ underlying yearning for sovereign agency and as an attempt to forge politically recognizable subjects capable of action.

Beyond the great firewall: EU and US responses to the China challenge in the global digital economy

ABSTRACT China’s Great Firewall was designed to control information flows to keep citizens in and the wider world out. Consequently, until recently China’s economic ascendancy was not mirrored in the global digital economy. However, China’s increasing digital footprint and championing of national technology firms present numerous economic and security challenges for the EU and US as the dominant digital powers. This paper investigates how growing perceptions of China-based threats in the digital domain have shaped EU (including Member State-level) and US policies. Two pertinent cases – Huawei (hardware provider) and TikTok (digital platform) – illustrate how threat perceptions have catalysed securitization moves to restrict Chinese firms’ roles within national digital economies. Western policymakers are increasingly concerned about China’s capacity to weaponize technologically interdependent relationships by exploiting its firms’ presence within Western networks. Yet significant differences between EU Member States’ perceptions precluded both a uniform EU-level response and more extensive transatlantic cooperation.

Chinese astronomy in a world context

Abstract This brief paper aims to indicate what the study of Chinese astronomy can add to our understanding of premodern astronomy in the wider world. Some aspects of Chinese astronomy enable us to perceive the interestingly contingent nature of much of what is often taken for granted about the way astronomy was done elsewhere, particularly in the premodern West. Two examples of East-West contact in astronomy are examined: exchanges with India, particularly in the Sui and Tang dynasties in the 7th and 8th centuries of the Common Era and contacts with astronomy from the 13th century CE Islamicate world. Finally the issue of the sphericity of the Earth is considered in a comparative context.

Toddlers’ engagements with preschool playgrounds: ethnographic insights from Sweden

ABSTRACT This article explores toddler – place relationships outdoors during early childhood education in Sweden. Informed by Tim Ingold’s theorization of movement, we explore toddlers’ embodied engagements with the preschool playground and how the human–non-human environments become entangled. The results show that, just as in the wider world, the processes enabling and limiting toddlers’ engagements in the playground are continuously in motion. Toddler–place relationships are continuously created through a mutual dependence between human and non-human entities. In this sense, toddlers’ engagements with playgrounds are not separate from the place through which they engage, but change place.

Post-COVID-19 European Country-Specific Recommendations on adult education, training, and skills: Content, focus, shifts, and patterns

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted economic and social life across Europe and the wider world. Currently, the European Commission is heavily investing in recovery and resilience facilities to encourage economic and social reforms in Member States. As part of the European Semester, the Commission formulates annual Country-Specific Recommendations (CSRs) to steer and advice Member States on their policy directions. This paper aims to investigate to what extent the European Commission’s recommendations include advice on education, training, and skills development to boost economic and social progress. Four specific aims were to investigate (1) the content of CSRs that mention the need for actions relevant to adult education, training, and skills development, (2) the extent to which these CSRs focus on economic versus social goals, or both, (3) the extent to which the content and focus of these CSRs shifts over years, and (4) the extent to which there are visible patterns within the content and focus of CSRs across the 27 EU Member States. Results indicate that CSRs in the first year of the COVID-19 lockdowns – 2020 – heavily focussed on the need for digital skills development. CSRs in 2022 were not dominated by advice on education, training, and skills development apart from the focus on skills mismatches in some countries. The 2023 CSRs were strongly targeted towards the need for green skills development. In line with previous academic debates around education and training, CSRs contained text on economic and social goals, although social aspects tend to lead back to the integration of vulnerable adults in the labour market for economic purposes, instead of treating education holistically. While CSRs are country-specific, it is clear from the analyses that core recommendations feature across Member States, linked to broad European agendas such as the Twin transition to a green and digital economy.

Mule trains to mountain roads: the role of working mules in supporting resilient communities in the Himalayas.

Working equids play a central role in mountainous communities, but their work often goes unnoticed by the wider world, with sparse documentation of their role, value, or welfare - a state which often extends to their human counterparts. Communities living in the remote Manaslu Valley, Nepal, face a number of uncertainties, including extreme weather events due to the seasonal monsoon and, more recently, the construction of a new road network. Using semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and Equine Assessment Research and Scoping (EARS) welfare assessments, we outline the specific role of pack mules in supporting the lives of local people, explain the nuanced links between human experience and mule welfare, and gain insight into how people living in this volatile environment manage uncertainty and risk. Mule work was felt to be the 'only option' for a sustainable livelihood for most mule owners although, in some cases, mules had enabled respondents to diversify their income. Mule owners with more husbandry experience did not own mules in more positive behavioural states, which may suggest a lack of generational knowledge and support networks. Short-term ongoing risks, such as the monsoon or unstable tracks, had a larger impact both financially and emotionally than the long-term but distant implications of the road construction. Mule owners must constantly balance the risk of working during the monsoon season, when conditions are treacherous but pay was higher, with losing valuable income but keeping themselves and their mules safe; they do, however, have a more mobile option for employment than non-owners. Mules enable a level of resilience and agility for communities living with constant uncertainty and change, which is only beginning to be recognised formally within the sustainable development sphere. Integration of animal welfare into the SDGs would allow humanitarian aid initiatives to strengthen support networks around working equids, which would greatly benefit the mules and humans alike.

Learning to the rhythm: On the potential of music in fostering relations in the classroom

AbstractThis article draws on a case study of a third‐year geography course to explore the potential of music in fostering relational pedagogy in higher education. We argue that the reciprocal nature of music sharing generates a dialogical space that allows for multiple relations to be developed between the learners and their selves, among students and peers, between learners and teachers, as well as between students and the materials they study and the wider world. Furthermore, music encourages an approach to pedagogy that is emancipatory and which is characterised by genuine care, humility and trust.

Psychometric properties of the Arabic version of PHEEM applied on a sample of medical residents in Syria

BackgroundThe clinical learning environment (CLE) plays a crucial role in shaping the learning experiences and professional development of medical professionals. Understanding and optimising this environment is essential for improving doctors’ knowledge acquisition, clinical skills, and overall well-being. The development of the Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM) and its translation to numerous languages has been a milestone in clinical education. Even though PHEEM was recently translated into Arabic, its psychometric properties in this form remain unevaluated. Therefore, this study aims to conduct a comprehensive psychometric analysis of the Arabic version of the PHEEM questionnaire.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional questionnaire survey validation study. The defined population were medical residents in Damascus, Syria. A paper-based survey as well as an online-based one were conducted using several non-probability sampling methods namely, convenience, river and, snowball sampling between June 15, 2023, and June 21, 2023. Both exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analyses were conducted. Several psychometric criteria were applied including scree plot, eigenvalue > 1.5 and the ‘proportion of variance accounted for’ criterion.ResultsA total of 543 participants completed the questionnaire (56.9% female). Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure for sample adequacy was high (0.937) and the P-value for Bartlett’s test was < 0.001. EFA revealed five meaningful factors which were labelled: perception of teachers, learner’s engagement and social participation, external regulation, work culture, and living conditions. These factors had the following eigenvalues: 12.6, 2.18, 2.03, 1.86, and 1.41 respectively, with a total explained variance of 43.45%. Cronbach’s Alpha was 0.938. CFA confirmed the model structure of EFA (SRMR = 0.067 and RMSEA = 0.066). The Average Variance Explained (AVE) value of any given factor was > 0.7.DiscussionThe Arabic PHEEM inventory demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties. The extracted domains are of theoretical relevance to the psychosocial-material conceptual framework for learning environment. Nonetheless, this validation was performed in the Syrian context; therefore, future studies in other Arabic countries are recommended to support the applicability of Arabic PHEEM in the wide Arab World.

Unheard voices: foreign journalists’ coverage of Vietnamese prisoners during the American War in Vietnam

ABSTRACT This article examines how foreign journalists covered the Vietnam War by focusing on how they reported on the treatment of Vietnamese detainees. As transnational actors, reporters created sources that linked the local conflict in Southeast Asia to perceptions in the wider world. Unlike the coverage of the My Lai massacre, the many reports on the fate of Vietnamese prisoners had no serious impact on public attitudes or Congressional appropriations. By providing a classification of the various acts of violence covered, this article highlights the discrepancies between the prevailing official narratives and what reporters actually witnessed in the jungles of Vietnam.

The Role Played by the Merchants of al-Qasim in the Coffee Trade across the Arabian Gulf, 1870–1950

Abstract This article traces the coffee bean trade from its spread in central Arabia, focusing particularly on two groups of merchants in al-Qasim. The first group includes those who migrated and settled in countries of the Arabian Gulf, Iraq, India, or elsewhere and engaged in the trade in food, including in coffee. They amassed wealth and established large trading networks in the Hijaz, the Gulf coasts, Iraq, and India. The second group comprises traders who traveled from al-Qasim to the ports of the Arabian Gulf to purchase foodstuffs and export them to al-Qasim and other regions of central Arabia. The article emphasizes the strong relationships among these traders, how they were linked by the coffee trade, and how this trade also symbolized the connection between Najd and the wider world, contributing to its integration into the global economy.

Editorial. Bringing Forth a World: Inviting Maturana into the Conversation of the "Wide World Over"

Editorial. Bringing Forth a World: Inviting Maturana into the Conversation of the "Wide World Over"

Breaking the silence: empowering the mute-deaf community through automatic sign language decoding.

The objective of this study is to develop a system for automatic sign language recognition to improve the quality of life for the mute-deaf community in Egypt. The system aims to bridge the communication gap by identifying and converting right-hand gestures into audible sounds or displayed text. To achieve the objectives, a convolutional neural network (CNN) model is employed. The model is trained to recognize right-hand gestures captured by an affordable web camera. A dataset was created with the help of six volunteers for training, testing, and validation purposes. The proposed system achieved an impressive average accuracy of 99.65 % in recognizing right-hand gestures, with high precision value of 95.11 %. The system effectively addressed the issue of gesture similarity between certain alphabets by successfully distinguishing between their respective gestures. The proposed system offers a promising solution for automatic sign language recognition, benefiting the mute-deaf community in Egypt. By accurately identifying and converting right-hand gestures, the system facilitates communication and interaction with the wider world. This technology has the potential to greatly enhance the quality oflife for individuals who are unable to speak or hear, promoting inclusivity and accessibility.

Dressing Pope Francis: His Public Costume between Pontifical, Jesuit, and Franciscan Traditions

Abstract When Jorge Bergoglio became the first Jesuit to be elected as a successor to St. Peter, it created a novel problem in papal and Jesuit history: how would a Jesuit interpret the long-standing but ever-evolving traditions of pontifical dress? This article sets out how Francis’s public sartorial choices have developed as he has negotiated his twin roles within the church. It further considers the influence of both Jesuit and Franciscan visual and material culture on the image he cultivates and the intersections between them and the imperatives of papal fashion. Finally, it considers the contribution of clothing to Francis’s image and reputation within the church and in popular media in Italy and in the wider world.

Metacognition as a Transdiagnostic Determinant of Recovery in Schizotypy and Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders.

The term schizotypy refers to the latent personality organization that is thought to underpin the liability to develop schizophrenia and associated disorders. Metacognition, or the ability to understand and form increasingly complex and integrated ideas of oneself, others, and one's community, has been proposed to be an important transdiagnostic construct across schizophrenia spectrum disorders and a range of both clinical and non-clinical manifestations of schizotypy. In this paper, we review evidence that deficits in metacognition are present in individuals with relatively high levels of schizotypy and that these deficits are related to symptomology, function, and quality of life. We address the idea that decrements in metacognition may also contribute to the progression from schizotypy to more severe manifestations, while the amelioration of these deficits may enhance aspects of recovery, including the ability to form an integrated sense of self, others, and the wider world. We also review the following two recovery-oriented psychotherapies that target metacognition to promote recovery in individuals with clinical manifestations of schizotypy: Evolutionary Systems Therapy for Schizotypy (ESTS) and Metacognitive Reflection and Insight Therapy (MERIT).

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT AND DIGITAL PRINTING OF HOME FURNISHING ARTICLES USING “AQUATIC MOTIFS”

Textile designing is the most demanding and emerging field as it is full of scope and creativity but many individuals become quite lost when confronted with the task of finding “inspiration” any objects or thing we see in our daily routine are possible design sources. The sources of inspiration play a powerful role in the beginning of the design process and research and strategic collection planning. This study investigated the use of aquatic motifs on home furnishing items using digital printing, exploring their potential for product diversification and consumer acceptance. Fifteen captivating designs featuring aquatic themes were created for bed sheets, table covers with mats, and cushion covers using two designing software Corel Draw and Adobe Photoshop. A panel of thirty judges including renowned local designers and discerning boutique owners evaluated the developed designs for the selection of two most enthralling designs from each category for application on textiles in order to prepare home furnishing articles. Their enthusiastic response highlights the positive reception of the aquatic motifs. It concludes that use of aquatic motifs on home furnishing items using digital printing has paved the way for wide new world of product diversification in the home furnishing market.

The Content Analysis of Grammar Activities in 'Wider World 2' Student’s Book by Pearson for Grade Seven Students

The objective of this study is to use Bloom's revised taxonomy to analyze the context of the grammar activities in Wider World 2 Student’s Book. To achieve the research goal, a content analysis was performed. The researcher analyzed the textbook based on Bloom's revised taxonomy. According to the data, the textbook has dominant grammar activities, particularly on the cognitive process of "understand" and "remember" with 47% and 32% out of 189 grammar activities. Moreover, the data shows that the grammar activities in the textbook have an uneven distribution of higher and lower cognitive processes. There is a vast lower thinking skills percentage since most grammar activities focus on the "understand" aspect. While the second dominant aspect is "remember" which includes lower thinking skills. Therefore, Wider World 2 Students’ Book highlights Bloom’s revised taxonomy’s lower cognitive thinking process, represented by the “understand” and “remember” thinking processes.

What compels bipartisan lawmakers to support coral reef legislation in the U.S. Congress

As coral reef ecosystems disappear at an alarming rate, the United States and the wider world need bold policy action to stop the loss of climate sensitive ecosystems like coral reefs. How are coral reef conservation policies making it onto the policy agenda? This research analyzes the rationale behind partisan policy-maker support for conservation of climate-vulnerable ecosystems. Using public policy theory that focused on theories of communication including framing and ambiguity, the authors evaluated 137 policy documents from three cases of conservation policy at international, national, and subnational scales. This research finds that legislators from different political parties have two main rationales for supporting coral reef conservation policy: ideas of governance and economics. Coral reefs are used by legislators to showcase their capacity to enact governance in a bipartisan way. Lawmakers from both parties increasingly prioritize grass roots or community-based conservation conservation as their preferred institutional framework for governance as seen in our data. For economic rationale, lawmakers emphasize community development efforts that complement coral reef conservation. Other significant predictors of rationale for support for coral reef conservation policy include lawmakers belonging to the Democratic Party, possessing a long-term liberal ideology, and coming from states that have coral reefs or coastlines.This study proposes a new model of why decision-makers support conservation policy which includes the presence of agreement on governance, human well-being, economics, geography, home ecosystems amid differing political parties. This research provides evidence of how conservation policy agendas are set despite gridlock in legislatures, and how more controversial policies (e.g. those that address climate change) may come to be included on the future agenda.

Conceptualizing Place Borders as Narrative: Observations From Berlin-Wedding, a Neighbourhood in Transformation

Place is of central significance to urban planning processes that specifically target community involvement and co-ownership of development decisions. Consequently, the intriguing but often daunting task of understanding how a sense of place emerges, develops, and evolves has been a subject of interdisciplinary study that links the social sciences, humanities, and more recently, cognitive sciences. Since Kevin Lynch’s classic study of urban images and mental maps, borders within cities have either directly or indirectly featured as vital meaning-making elements of place identities. However, despite some remarkable precedents, analysis of political and socio-cultural borders has only begun to link place-making and bordering processes in ways that resonate with urban planning studies. In this article, we will suggest that borders emerge in the embodied creation of social space as a means to interpret the environment and stabilise ways of knowing the wider world. Building on our own previous research on participatory place-making initiatives in Berlin, we will indicate how border stories (i.e., the social communication of neighbourhood distinction, relationality, and transformation) represent vital knowledges of place. These knowledges reflect embodied experiences of place as well as contestations and tensions that characterise place development processes. Perhaps most importantly in terms of planning, the salience of urban borders lies in broadening understanding of how and why places function—or fail to function—as communities.

Human Rights and Social Work: Making the Case for Human Rights Plus (hr+)

Abstract Human rights are declared to be ‘fundamental’ and ‘foundational’ to social work. Such rights are part of the ‘DNA’ of the profession. This understanding is central to the profession’s self-image, and it reflects how social work portrays its ethical base to the general public and the wider world. However, uncritical uses of ‘human rights’ by its promulgators and (re)producers occlude a range of important questions; for example, around the failure to historise the political reanimation of the phrase and concept, especially in the 1970s. Drawing on an expansive literature, the article aspires to deepen and trouble social work engagement. It is also proposed that the notion of ‘human rights plus’ (hr+) might potentially expand the political reach of the usage of the term within social work.