bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Macular Hole Formation After Pars Plana Vitrectomy for Diabetic Tractional Retinal Detachment
Authors: Sokol Jared T. , Ferenchak Kevin , Rosen Darin T. , Schechet Sidney A. , Skondra Dimitra
Published: December 2018

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

To investigate the incidence, clinical features, and outcomes of patients with macular hole (MH) formation after pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for diabetic tractional retinal detachment (TRD).

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective review of all cases of PPV for diabetic TRD performed by a surgeon (DS) at a large county hospital between November 2013 and August 2016.

RESULTS:

Ninety consecutive eyes of 79 patients were included in this case series, of which four eyes developed MH, yielding an incidence of 4.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.2%–11.0%). The mean interval between PPV for TRD and MH formation was 7.0 ± 5.5 (mean ± 1 standard deviation) months, and mean follow-up time was 29.6 months ± 6.9 months. Three of the four eyes that developed MH underwent intervention, and of the three that underwent intervention, all had successful hole closure.

CONCLUSION:

In this case series, the incidence of MH after PPV for TRD is 4.4% (95% CI, 1.2%–11.0%). The mechanism of MH formation after diabetic TRD repair is not certain but may be related to a taut internal limiting membrane, epiretinal membrane formation, macular edema, or residual vitreous contraction.

[
Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina.
2018;49:e256–e262.]
Effect of Subretinal Fluid Drainage Using Perfluorocarbon During Retinal Detachment Repair on Postoperative Metamorphopsia
Authors: Sternfeld Amir , Gal-Or Orly , Budnik Ivan , Gutkovich Elena , Axer-Siegel Ruth , Ehrlich Rita
Published: December 2018

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE:

To determine whether subretinal fluid drainage (SRF) using perfluorocarbon (PFC) during rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) repair reduces postoperative metamorphopsia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:

Consecutive patients after RRD were evaluated for best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), funduscopy, and metamorphopsia using M-CHARTS. Fundus autofluorescence and optical coherence tomography were performed. Clinical and operative data were collected.

RESULTS:

The cohort included 30 patients, of whom 11 (36.7%) underwent intraoperative PFC injection. Rates of macula-off RRD were similar in the two groups (54.5% and 47.4%,
P
= .705). No association was found between PFC injection and metamorphopsia score. Preoperative macula-off RRD was associated with significantly higher vertical and horizontal metamorphopsia scores than preoperative macula-on. BCVA was significantly worse in the patients with metamorphopsia (logMAR 0.15 vs. logMAR 0.04;
P
= .042)

CONCLUSION:

Intraoperative SRF drainage with PFC appears to have no beneficial effect on postoperative metamorphopsia. Metamorphopsia is associated with macular status.

[
Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina
. 2018;49:e263–e270.]
Long-Term Follow-Up of an Atypical Case of Idiopathic Macular Telangiectasia
Authors: Mucciolo Dario Pasquale , Murro Vittoria , Giorgio Dario , Sodi Andrea , Virgili Gianni , Rizzo Stanislao
Published: December 2018

The authors present a 6-year follow-up of an atypical case of idiopathic macular telangiectasia (IMT) type 1 in a 67-year-old man treated with intravitreal injections of anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and subthreshold micropulse yellow laser. In this case, the authors detected a bilateral idiopathic macular telangiectasia. The right eye was characterized by a severe cystoid macular edema, whereas in the left eye, small cysts with small pseudovitelliform macular lesion were detected. Anti-VEGF intravitreal injections were performed in absence of functional or anatomical results in the right eye. After a single subthreshold micropulse yellow laser treatment, the authors reported an important reduction of intraretinal cysts with the restoration of the foveal depression in the right eye. During the follow-up, the left eye remained stable. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first reported case of macular telangiectasia with a such long optical coherence tomography follow-up treated using micropulse yellow laser. The follow-up examination is fundamental to disentangle atypical cases, especially in these conditions in which there is an overlap of different clinical elements.

[
Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina.
2018;49:e278–e283.]
Progressively Growing Arteriovenous Malformation
Authors: Le Rouic Jean Francois , Brejtfus-Thomas Joanna
Published: December 2018

Retinal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a rare unilateral developmental disease that is stable over time in most cases. The authors present a case of a man who was diagnosed with an asymptomatic juxtapapillary AVM of the left eye at the age of 25 years. Visual acuity was 20/20. Fundus pictures realized during an 11-year follow-up disclosed a slowly progressive enlargement of the lesion with vascular loops increasing in number and size. Vision remained stable. No complication was observed. This case demonstrates that retinal AVMs may progressively grow and remain asymptomatic and uncomplicated for a long period of time.

[
Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina.
2018;49:e284–e286.]
Peripheral Linear Streaks in Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum
Authors: Marchese Alessandro , Arrigo Alessandro , Bandello Francesco , Parodi Maurizio Battaglia
Published: December 2018

The authors report a case of unilateral curvilinear streaks occurring in a patient with pseudoxanthoma elasticum. These represent a previously unreported finding in this disease, as usually found in inflammatory or infective conditions.

[
Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina
. 2018;49:e292–e295.]
Best Practice Focused Occupationally-Directed Education, Training and Development Practice Prospects Linked to Workplace E-learning
Authors: Londt Cindy , Moldenhauer Lize
Published: December 2018

Currently, South Africa offers learning that is credit bearing and directly linked to workplace based learning programmes and qualifications. However, e-learning in South Africa is under-developed, and information is not readily available on how universities and colleges are dealing with the advent of e-learning, and how it is linked to occupational learning based qualifications.

Learning has changed over the years, but it is assumed that the e-learning model is aimed at people who are technologically more knowledgeable, and who wish to interact electronically with the learning experience.

Considering the various challenges linked to all types of learning, providing critical research on the success of implementing an e-learning approach is required. In addition to this, it is necessary to identify the efficacy of such a model in specific industries.

 Challenges are identified but not limited to:

a)     The profile of the learner

b)     Computer literacy of learners

c)     Socio-economic status of learners

d)     Collecting evidence from workplace

e)     Learner motivation and its management

Occupationally Directed Education Training and Development Practice is an innovative opportunity to create e-learning opportunities that are contextualized to industry specific needs. In addition to this, e-learning is no longer linked to a computer but all forms of devices that enable user interaction. Enabling learning to be shared through phones and tablets provides continuous opportunities for improvement of education and access to such education.

In response to these needs, the e-learning model will attempt to offer learners support specifically for those in an industry where there are time constraints.

This research attempts to clarify the debates that industry and academia are engaged with surrounding the efficacy of e-learning and how to create opportunities that are linked to the socio-economic status of a country. Furthermore, it provides a practical analysis of a learning intervention in which skills and knowledge are conventionally passed through workplace-based specific e-learning opportunities.
Case Study: Voxy "English for Software Engineering" – The Conception and Creation of an E-Learning English-Language Course Tailored to Learners’ Real-World Needs
Authors: Nielson Katharine B
Published: December 2018

This case study provides an overview of Voxy’s language-learning platform and the needs analysis conducted to determine the content required for its “English for Software Engineering” course, which received a 2018 International E-Learning Award in the Business Division. This study documents Voxy’s methodology and theoretical underpinnings.  Further, the report outlines the rationale behind using authentic, real-world content, how the company identified the English skills that software engineers require to do their jobs, and how a team of working software engineers provided both guidelines and raw materials to help develop the course content.
Experiential Learning at Scale with Computer-Based Roleplay Simulations
Authors: Kok Bethany E , Dagger Declan , Gaffney Conor , Kenny Austin
Published: December 2018

Experiential learning is an effective method for changing behavior and teaching new material at work.  Unfortunately, experiential learning is difficult to deliver at scale as it requires hands-on participation and interactivity.

EmpowerTheUser (ETU)’s computer-based roleplay simulations enable experiential learning at scale.  In a simulation, learners take on a role and have to react to various situations and make choices that have downsteam consequences.  ETU Simulations engage the learner in cycles of assessment and practice, with summative scoring in the assessment mode and real time coaching and feedback in the practice mode.   

ETU partnered with one of the oldest custodian banks headquartered in New York to deliver a series of three simulations on risk management to nearly 6,000 managers on five continents.  User feedback shows that learners are highly satisfied with the program.  Performance improved from simulation I to simulation II, indicating transfer of learning.  Underperforming learners were remediated using the assess/practice/assess learning loop, resulting in a 227% improvement in performance.

EmpowerTheUser Simulations provided fast, consistent training in risk management.  Feedback was overwhelmingly favorable and decision tracking within the simulations demonstrated effective learning.
Play and Learn 3D (PAL3D®) A collaborative Way of Learning Project Management with Minecraft®
Authors: Alcelay Claudia
Published: December 2018

This is an amazing way of learning about Project Management (PM) and developing managerial skills with a team in "extreme" circumstances. Plan you project in teams, calculate budget and time requirements, introduce this data in our App and play Minecraft® in our server. App and server are connected so the student will always know the impact of his/her performance and will introduce corrective measures if required, with consensus with the team. Teachers can analyze their learning patterns and infer behavioral models.
Quand les propriétés des plantes défiaient l’entendement
Authors: Cabo-González Ana M.
Published: December 2018

Notre but est d’analyser la transmission de certaines croyances ou propriétés supposées, mais parfois véritables, attribuées aux plantes, de l’Antiquité à la littérature géographique arabo-musulmane. Nous analyserons puis comparerons la description de plantes et de leurs merveilles chez certains auteurs anciens et chez les géographes arabo-musulmans.
Deviser les merveilles du monde
Authors: Collet Hadrien
Published: December 2018

Ibn Baṭṭūṭa, « le voyageur de l’Islam », a narré ses aventures dans sa relation de voyage, baptisée la Riḥla. La question semble entendue. Pourtant, une étude attentive du contexte de production de l’œuvre conduit à réévaluer la lecture habituelle qui l’a accompagnée depuis au moins l’époque moderne. La Tuḥfat al-nuẓẓār fī ġarāʾib al-amṣār wa-ʿaǧāʾib al-asfār, titre authentique du livre, écrite à quatre mains, propose un récit polymorphe construisant un monde structuré autour de la manifestation d’une typologie de merveilles et de la civilisation universelle apportée sur terre par l’islam. Dans cette perspective, nous procédons à une relecture de la riḥla sūdāniyya, le voyage au sultanat du Mali, à la lumière du projet littéraire et de l’économie de l’œuvre.
Animaux et savoirs parascientifiques en Islam médiéval
Authors: Escanilla Ingrid Bejarano
Published: December 2018

Dans cette contribution, notre objectif est d’analyser la transmission de certaines croyances et d’idées, parfois réelles, parfois fantastiques, de l’Antiquité à la géographie arabo-musulmane. Nous partirons de l’analyse textuelle des descriptions animalières et de leurs merveilles dans certains passages de Pline, Élien et Aristote, ainsi que d’autres œuvres appartenant aux géographes arabes du Moyen Âge.
Les fouilles d’Henry Viollet à Samarra
Authors: Rose Vanessa
Published: December 2018

Henry Viollet (1880-1955), architecte et archéologue français, fut le premier à entreprendre les fouilles du site de Samarra en Iraq et à en faire des relevés précis. La capitale éphémère du calife abbasside de 836 à 892, installée sur les bords du Tigre, fut l’objet de l’intérêt de nombreux voyageurs et archéologues occidentaux à partir du xixe siècle. Henry Viollet se rendit à deux reprises à Samarra entre 1907 et 1910 et publia ses travaux dès 1909. Il documenta en partie ses recherches de terrain, mais cette documentation est méconnue, de même que son travail à Samarra. Ses résultats ont en effet été éclipsés par les découvertes majeures de l’équipe allemande d’Ernst Herzfeld et Friedrich Sarre entre 1911 et 1913. L’étude du fonds Viollet conservé à la Bulac à Paris permet pour la première fois d’évaluer le travail de l’archéologue à Samarra, le matériel existant, et son apport pour la connaissance de la capitale abbasside.
L’esprit des lieux
Authors: Caiozzo Anna
Published: December 2018

La cosmographie est un genre littéraire qui fleurit dans le monde musulman médiéval entre le xiie et le xve siècle, mais les copies illustrées valorisent surtout les versions de ʿAǧāʾib al‑maḫlūqāt d’al-Qazwīnī en arabe et en persan, tandis que la cosmographie d’al-Ṭūsī Salmānī, plus diversifiée pour l’aspect monumental, est malheureusement plus rare, voire unique par son exemplaire jalayride de la BnF. La représentation des curiosités des pays peut aussi s’observer dans d’autres corpus tels que les manuscrits de Firdawsī ou de Niẓāmī. Les merveilles des lieux offrent une vision du monde marquée par le mystère, l’enchantement, le poids de la magie mais aussi des signes divins. Les illustrations insistent sur trois aspects principaux, la nature enchantée, les curiosités des pays construites par les hommes ou de mystérieux acteurs, et enfin les lieux de culte, de l’Inde à la Méditerranée offrant une panoplie des différentes religions du monde connu.
Dangers of Residual Dependency in State-permeated Capitalism: The Case of Brazil during Labor Party Rule
Authors: May Christian , Nölke Andreas
Published: December 2018

In contrast to China and India, Brazil shows some marked deviations from the model of a state-permeated economy. While it shares a focus on a large domestic market, crucial institutional complementarities and a substantial ability for coordination between state and business, it still suffers from the remaining residual dependency on Western capitalism. From this perspective, Brazil moved into a promising direction during the rule of the Labour Party. However, the Labour Party governments were unable to fully unfold the institutional complementarities in state-permeated capitalism in order to make the Brazilian economy more independent from external pressures. They suffered from a limited ability to use the large domestic market for the support of domestic Brazilian companies, from negative consequences of financialization, and from numerous frictions for domestic economic coordination due to the forceful presence of foreign multinationals in economic sectors that are key for productivity development.
La suppression de l’impôt de solidarité sur la fortune : réforme économique ou idéologique ?
Authors: Merle Pierre
Published: December 2018

L’année 2018 se caractérise par la suppression de l’impôt de solidarité sur la fortune. Cette réforme fiscale majeure est censée favoriser l’investissement, la croissance économique et l’emploi. L’analyse socio-économique ne valide ni les effets négatifs attribués à cet impôt, ni les effets positifs associés à sa suppression. La taxation de la richesse n’est pas seulement une question économique et fiscale. Elle exerce aussi des effets sur la répartition des pouvoirs et l’organisation politique.
Is There a Diversity of Dependent Capitalisms in Latin America?
Authors: Bizberg Ilán
Published: December 2018

The Latin American continent has been considered as a paradigm of dependent economies since the studies of the Dependency Theory in the sixties and seventies. That is why a study of this continent is a significant contribution to this particular issue of the Revue de la Regulation. Nonetheless, our main presupposition is that although the Latin American countries are all more or less dependent, we cannot characterize them equally. That is why in this article we propose a typology of the different types of capitalism that have been dominant in this continent. In order to construct our typology we consider six analytical dimensions that are central for the regulation theory: 1. The accumulation regime: what a country produces, how it produces it and the manner in which it redistributes wealth between profits and wages; 2. The international insertion; 3. The role of the State; 4. The dominant social coalition, especially the place that civil society occupies in it; 5. The state structure (federalism and centralization) and the political system; and finally 6. the social contract/ the wage regime that results of the interaction of the former five dimensions.
La cohérence institutionnelle d’une économie dépendante : formes de l’État et conflits redistributifs autour de la rente au Burkina Faso
Authors: Alenda Juliette , Robert Pierre
Published: December 2018

La dépendance, liée à une insertion déséquilibrée dans le commerce mondial, est une réalité au Burkina Faso. Elle se fonde sur un régime économique de type rentier, principalement basé sur les exportations agricoles. Cependant, les dynamiques de longue période qui traversent l’économie du Burkina Faso sont contrastées et amènent à nous interroger sur la cohérence d’ensemble d’un système économique tiré par la rente. Pour cela, nous étudions plus particulièrement les formes et le rôle de l’État au Burkina Faso d’un point de vue historique. À partir de l’approche régulationniste, nous développons une grille d’analyse qui met en tension les crises et régularités macroéconomiques et institutionnelles avec les rapports sociaux conflictuels qui traversent le pays et conduisent à des compromis institutionnalisés. Nous montrons que l’État, en Haute-Volta puis au Burkina Faso, est le résultat de luttes et d’ententes socio-politiques complexes entre différents groupes, autour de la redistribution des revenus rentiers. Ce système économique s’est maintenu depuis l’indépendance, car ses fondements externes que sont la forme monétaire et la forme d’insertion à l’international ont engendré des rapports de dépendance économique. Mais, il s’est également consolidé et développé par le biais de mécanismes internes, notamment la forme particulière de l’État burkinabé. Nous mettons en évidence également que, malgré les difficultés que pose l’approche régulationniste pour étudier les pays africains, elle reste pertinente pour appréhender les dynamiques de long terme sur ces terrains, car elle met en balance les logiques politiques et économiques.
Pathways of Divergence, Convergence, and Adaptation to Persistent Learning
Authors: Ford James R.
Published: December 2018

This chapter proposes to examine how rapid change occurring in all sectors of our society as they relate to education paradigms must be addressed to embrace new avenues of learning and new charters for educational change.
The Role of E-Collaboration in E-Learning
Authors: Elander Kelly R.
Published: December 2018

This chapter examines the relationship between collaboration and learning. Next, attention will be turned to how collaboration was transitioned from the classroom to the online environment, as e-collaboration. The case will be made that e-collaboration has provided solutions to at least four major areas of concern in e-learning: providing sufficient interaction for the learner, creating instructor and peer telepresence for learners, stimulating learning motivation online, and providing a vehicle to deliver authentic learning tasks and activities online. E-collaboration provides richer and more human interactions. E-collaboration provides the kind of telepresence that learners seek. E-collaboration can influence learning motivation. Finally, e-collaboration has made it possible to create authentic learning tasks, projects, and activities online. Additionally, many online collaborative tools, various platforms that can support e-collaboration, instructor techniques, and illustrative examples or stories will be shared.
Multi-Perspective Concept Mapping in a Digital Integrated Learning Environment
Authors: Nuninger Walter , Picardi Claudia , Goy Annamaria , Petrone Giovanna
Published: December 2018

Improving higher education requires a pedagogical transformation of the trainers but also of the learners committed in their learning activities. In the framework of distance learning and WIL, learner-centered pedagogical approaches are useful. Thus, the Conceptual Map Project (CMP) is proposed with the support of Perspec-Map, a software aimed at strengthening the knowledge acquisition in automatic control of the audience in WIL. Perspec-Map is a web application promoting reflexive learning based on the sharing of users' point of view, thanks to multi-perspectives. It is an additional support for collaboration and blended-course momentum, changing the behavior of all the parties involved. On the basis of an evaluation with users, several improvements are envisioned: easier map design; management of the trainer-perspective for an improved reference map enriched by the peer reviews; availability of a digitally assisted trainer dashboard for map quality assessment, skills recognition, and facilitated guidance. These last issues demand an ethics and learning analytics.
Classroom Applications of Automated Writing Evaluation
Authors: Palermo Corey , Thomson Margareta Maria
Published: December 2018

The majority of United States students demonstrate only partial mastery of the knowledge and skills necessary for proficient writing. Researchers have called for increased classroom-based formative writing assessment to provide students with regular feedback about their writing performance and to support the development of writing skills. Automated writing evaluation (AWE) is a type of assessment for learning (AfL) that combines automated essay scoring (AES) and automated feedback with the goal of supporting improvements in students' writing performance. The current chapter first describes AES, AWE, and automated feedback. Next, results of an original study that examined students' and teachers' perceptions of automated feedback are presented and discussed. The chapter concludes with recommendations and directions for future research.
Virtual Learning Environments as a Continuous Assessment Tool in University Students
Authors: Román Piero Espino , Torres Eugenia Olaguez , Hernández Ricardo López
Published: December 2018

This chapter presents the development of a virtual learning environment through the use of e-assessment based on web technologies. This virtual environment development consists in the use of Code Igniter developed by EllisLab. Bootstrap was also simultaneously used, which is a framework developed within Twitter, with the objective of standardizing the tools that are used in the development. This virtual environment allowed to assess and keep track of the work of a selected group of students from the Mechatronics Engineering academic program of the Universidad Politécnica de Sinaloa in Mexico, which, throughout the course, allowed teachers to manage the students' assessments. As a conclusion, it was found that the virtual learning environment using e-assessment contributes to the teacher-student interaction within a virtual environment and in an online modality. Finally, it was reported that time spans in different areas were optimized, such as the areas of elaboration, design, application, and feedback of the university students' assessment.
Exploring the Effect of Emerging Technologies on Scientific Knowledge Production and the Industrial Advancement of Society
Authors: Díaz Vicente González-Prida , Bonilla Jesus Pedro Zamora
Published: December 2018

The main application area of the digital transformation has been so far on the industrial and manufacturing process. Nevertheless, the concept Industry 4.0 has enormous potential in other areas such as its combination with the scientific method and the empirical logic. The term technoscience, coined in the second half of the 20th century, links both fields, the technological and the scientific field, establishing a joint growth where scientific knowledge takes advantage (and requires) of a technological infrastructure in order to advance. This chapter proposes to analyze some of the most relevant concepts in these matters in order to provide a more philosophical approach to technology, its effect on the proper engineering and scientific knowledge, and what some of the social features are that are inferred from these emerging technologies.
Design Knowledge Development and Additive Manufacturing Systems
Authors: Walden Roderick , Lie Stefan
Published: December 2018

The adoption of new technology is key for any manufacturer wanting to stay relevant as the world transitions to Industry 4.0. The advance of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies—an important element of Industry 4.0—has become part of a globally accepted reality. However, conventional design practice and knowledge generation inside a manufacturing firm must evolve. Technology-driven innovation must embrace knowledge-directed design work that is aimed at forecasting and utilizing the potential of new technologies. The chapter includes two projects, both of which were manufactured using additive manufacturing laser sintering technology. Analysis of the projects positions them at either end of a wider spectrum of product design practice that more aptly captures the way design and industry must operate for technology-driven innovation and Industry 4.0. A place for conventional design for manufacture remains though the case studies indicate differences in the setting of values to inform practice, requiring new methods for creating and managing design knowledge in the future.
Decision Making in the Choice of Condition-Based Maintenance Techniques in a Subsidiary of a Petrochemical Company
Authors: Carnero-Moya María Carmen , Cárcel-Carrasco Francisco Javier
Published: December 2018

Condition-based maintenance (CBM) may be considered an essential part of the Industry 4.0 environment because it can improve production processes through the use of the latest digital technologies, which allows improvements to products, processes, and business models. Nonetheless, despite this importance, there are no models or methodologies in the literature to assist in choosing predictive techniques and the level of complexity to be used in a given organization. This chapter describes a model for choosing the most suitable CBM technique to be introduced in a subsidiary of a petrochemical plant. The predictive techniques of vibration analysis, lubricant analysis, and a combination of the two were considered at three technological levels. The model was built using the measuring attractiveness by a categorical based evaluation technique (MACBETH) approach. The present model could avoid failures in these programmes when making decisions about the techniques and technologies most suited to the characteristics of the industrial plant.
Determinants of Tourist Destination Competitiveness in a Low-Carbon Tourism
Authors: Patti Sebastiano
Published: December 2018

Low-carbon tourism represents a sustainable way to make tourist destinations more competitive and efficient. Therefore, tourist destination competitiveness has to consider natural resources preservation and environmentally sustainable development. Many cities have become more attractive through upgrading their quality of services, investing in low-carbon policies, and consequently, improving their competitiveness. In these contexts, innovation and technology were used to provide benefits to the tourist as well as to the resident like in the “smart city” model. Many tourist destinations are exposed to very high levels of competition, so it becomes really significant to change policy and strategy ameliorating environmental standards to maintain profit margins. The purpose of this chapter is to study the low-carbon tourists' destination competitiveness. It intends to contribute to the literature analyzing this topic and explaining how low-carbon goods and services can determine the competitiveness of a tourist destination.
Development of Positioning Taxonomy for a Tourist Destination Ladakh, India
Authors: Saqib Natasha
Published: December 2018

Positioning strategies designed by organizations for the destinations might fail when implemented if they are designed from the organization's perspective and not from the consumers' perspective. The chapter develops a positioning taxonomy for a tourist destination by measuring the perception and satisfactions of consumers of the tourism product of Ladakh, India and identifies potential niche markets that could be used in the development of the destination's positioning strategy. Self-completion questionnaires were distributed to tourists visiting the region. Data from 468 completed questionnaires were analyzed quantitatively. Results indicate three positioning strategies for the tourist destination: adventures and sports, natural attractions, and cultural attractions. Also four possible niche markets are identified that can inform the development of the destination's positioning strategy: adventure tourism, cultural tourism, nature-based tourism, and wildlife tourism.
Collective Identity in National Anthems
Authors: Mesbah Hesham
Published: December 2018

This chapter explores how national anthems of African and non-African Arab nations reflect a collective national identity. The national anthems of 22 Arab countries were analyzed using the textual thematic analysis to identify the common attributes of national identity in these anthems and the variance in referring to political entities, national symbols, and natural artifacts according to the political system (republic vs. monarchy) in the country. The analysis shows five thematic components of the national identity presented by those anthems, with an emphasis on the themes of religion and local political leaders in the anthems of monarchies. On the other hand, republics base their identity on religion, history, and nation-related natural and national artifacts. The anthems of the republics show a higher level of complexity (thematic richness) and more tendency to use emotionally charged, forceful language, in contrast to the anthems of the monarchies.
Ṣaworoidẹ
Authors: Abiolu Rhoda Titilopemi Inioluwa , Teer-Tomaselli Ruth E.
Published: December 2018

Ṣaworoidẹ is a Nigerian film about the Yorùbá people in Nigeria. It accentuates the socio-cultural and political activities and nuances in Jogbo, representational of the “old Nigeria.” Ṣaworoidẹ itself is a “talking drum” laced with brass bells along its beatable surface. The “talking drum” is an indigenous musical instrument in West Africa, whose functionalities are those of communication and entertainment. But enshrined in this unique instrument are political and socio-cultural characteristics as represented in Ṣaworoidẹ. This chapter identifies those characteristics and their prominence in present-day Nigeria, particularly among the Yorùbá people. The authors unravel the notable and multifaceted use of the “talking drum” for political, religious, traditional, and mass mobilization activities. They suggest that cultural heritage policies of Nigeria, including curricula that facilitate indigenous knowledge, should provide support for this rich drumming tradition, especially in educational institutions.
Campaign Songs and Political Advertising in Ghana
Authors: Amoakohene Margaret Ivy , Tietaah Gilbert K. M. , Normeshie Favour Esinam , Sesenu Fidelis Yayra
Published: December 2018

As persuasive tools for political campaigns, songs and music are integral features of electioneering in Africa. Since Ghana's return to multiparty democracy in 1992, election cycles in the country have been heralded and accentuated by campaign songs which extol the virtues of their sponsors and/or denigrate the achievements and their suitability for political office. This chapter examines the use of repetitions, testimonials, and biblical imagery in campaign songs of two major political parties in Ghana—the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC)—during the 2012 and 2016 elections. Eight campaign songs were analyzed. The findings show that the songs sought to communicate messages/themes of submissiveness/humility, divine choice/prophecy, achievers/achievement, and opponents as failures/deceivers about the political parties and their candidates.
“Onaapo” vs. “One Factory”
Authors: Agbozo G. Edzordzi , Edward Mary , Inusah Fatiatu
Published: December 2018

In this chapter, the authors investigated how ideological differences between the two main political traditions in Ghana manifested in their campaign lyrics. The authors diachronically interrogated the 2012 and 2016 campaign songs of the National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party of Ghana using critical discourse analysis. The findings suggest that there are no clear manifestations of ideological differences between the two political traditions in their campaign songs. The songs had pragmatic themes that essentially dwelt on the lived socio-economic conditions of the voters. As such, these daily economic needs of the voters became the defining concerns in political campaign songs rather than ideological affinity.
Protest Music and Political Consciousness Among Nigerian Youths
Authors: Osuagwu Titilayo Remilekun
Published: December 2018

Over the decades, music and songs have been used to highlight the ills in various societies. Nonetheless, disparities sometimes exist between musicians' intensions and how their music is received. Thus, it is possible for people to listen to the melodies of songs without comprehending the socio-political messages embedded in the lyrics. This observation underscores the importance of this chapter, which examined the Nigerian youths' response to the messages in the lyrics of songs released by two Nigerian musicians, Eedris Abdulkareem (Jaga Jaga) and Techno (Rara). This study surveyed youths in the South-South region of Nigeria. Focus group discussions of the same population were also held. The findings primarily show that the youths were highly aware of the socio-political messages in the songs.
Deepening of Critical Thinking Skills Through the Use of Civic Engagement
Authors: Hunter Marcia F.
Published: December 2018

Critical thinking is an underlying goal of modern education. It is also a needed skill for effectively navigating life in modern society. It is frequently however, not taught in school systems. Students are therefore left at a disadvantage. Civil engagement is the process by which people work together for the betterment of society. A pertinent skill of civic engagement is critical thinking. This chapter proposes a model for bringing civic engagement and critical thinking together to meet both educational and societal needs. This model provides effective strategies for teaching civic engagement outside of the classroom.
How Communication Technologies Function as Platforms and Pathways to Civic and Political Engagement
Authors: McCarthy-Latimer Christopher , Kendrick, Jr. J. Richard
Published: December 2018

This paper is an assessment of what we know empirically about how communication technologies are being used by young people (typically defined as those between the ages of 18 and 29) as both platforms and pathways for civic and political engagement. An overview of existing research is utilized as the basis for this investigation. Research on this topic is limited in several ways, including its failure to acknowledge the distinction between individuals who are engaged merely by using communication technologies (technology as a platform for participation) versus those who are engaged beyond the exclusive use of communication technologies (technology as a pathway for participation). Understanding this distinction can better enable scholars, policy-makers, and practitioners to develop inclusive strategies for engaging young people. The authors' analysis reveals that recent research demonstrates that new technologies can serve as both platforms and pathways for civic and political engagement, and, with this distinction in mind, they provide recommendations to policy- and decision-makers and scholars interested in this issue.
Public Perception Spatial Data From the PPGIS Jaguarão Experiment
Authors: Bugs Geisa , Kyttä Marketta
Published: December 2018

This chapter addresses PPGIS (Public Participation Geographic Information Systems), a participatory method through which the public can produce maps and spatial data that represent their perceptions of the urban space in question. Specifically, it analyzes the data collected from an experiment in Jaguarão, Brazil. The data represents the perceptions of a small group of inhabitants about the problems and potential of the city's urban area. The procedures include an exploratory analysis and data visualization in the form of maps that allow describing a variable's distribution and identifying patterns. Moreover, for some issues, the authors cross the perception collected data with infrastructure data, socioeconomic data, and cadastral data to study possible associations among these different types of information layers. The results show that public perception, collected through PPGIS, forms an additional information layer that could be analyzed together with other information layers commonly used in urban planning, and thus to be taken into account for designing better cities.
Development of an Inclusive Participatory Democracy System
Authors: Oni Aderonke A. , Ayo Charles K. , Azeta Ambrose A.
Published: December 2018

Barriers such as unequal access, lack of digital skill, low income and disability constitute limiting factors for technology-mediated citizens and government interaction in developing countries. It is against this backdrop that this work explores the integration of Voice, Web and SMS technologies, in Nigeria's democratic process. The proposed system takes advantage of the ubiquitous nature of mobile devices to explore the plausibility of increasing the level of citizens' participation in democratic practices, particularly, those in rural areas with no Internet access and the physically challenged electorates. The server module for the e-democracy system was developed in PHP. Ozeki SMS server and Voxeo Voice server were used for SMS transaction code and VoiceXML code respectively. The prototype e-democracy system shows that developing nations can take advantage of their present level of technological development to give voice to the voiceless and improve their democratic system.
Developer Challenges as a Platform for Citizen Engagement With Open Government Data
Authors: Caceres Raul Alberto , Royds Kelly
Published: December 2018

Every year, state and national governments churn out enormous quantities of data on public life. The rapid growth of information and communication technologies presents new opportunities for everyday citizens to manipulate, use and disseminate these data in innovative ways. “Developer challenges” harness this potential by inviting citizens to experiment, play and develop data-based applications for the public benefit. This chapter explores the evolution of government initiated developer challenges in Australia and uses existing theoretical approaches to assess their impact, benefit and potential to generate value. The authors find that while developer challenges can provide an effective platform for citizen engagement, more attention must be paid to the quality of the data and to the activities carried out after the events finish. Moreover, the authors propose that in order to generate value there needs to be a higher level of involvement from the government with the applications developed during these challenges.
Connecting Concepts of Self-Efficacy, Engaged Scholarship, and Civic Responsibility Among Student-Veterans
Authors: Dials-Corujo Shaneen
Published: December 2018

An estimated 23 million veterans lived in the United States in 2013, when the U.S. spent approximately $99 billion on veterans' benefits, $4.4 billion of which funded education and vocational rehabilitation. This denotes increased presence of combat student-veterans in colleges, which signifies a growing need to understand their educational experiences. Research connects high self-efficacy and academic achievement. This study aimed for a deeper understanding of the educational experiences of combat student-veterans who had achieved academic degrees following deployment in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Qualitative methodology was used as a source of in-depth exploration to identify conditions enhancing combat student-veterans' motivation in the college classroom. Using Yin's multiple-case-study research design, information was gathered from nine individual combat student-veteran perspectives. Findings indicated that mastery experience, vicarious experience and social persuasion were major sources of self-efficacy among student-veterans.
Smart Urbanism and Digital Activism in Southern Italy
Authors: Di Bella Arturo
Published: December 2018

This chapter debates the competing approaches of the smart city model. It starts by critically discussing top-down approaches, focusing on influence of neoliberal urban experimentation, the role of dominant social interests, the reduction of the city and of urban citizenship, and the risks linked with its uncritical assumption. Then, attention shifts on counter-geographies of digital urbanism drawn from below by citizens, communities, and social movements, as part of a fragmented landscape of activism engaged in building alternative and bottom-up approaches of the smart city. Making use of the case study of a city in southern Italy, Catania, the aim of the chapter is threefold since it discusses the critical aspects linked with dissemination of smart city model as a means for investigating the evolutionary neoliberalization developed in southern Italy during last decades, the influence of neoliberal scripts of urban planning on policy practices, and then the potential alternative activities of digital urbanism hold for a more human-centered and socially embedded smart city.
Mobile Learning for Social Change
Authors: Alehegn Tseday , Mentor Dominic
Published: December 2018

This chapter focuses on how mobile apps and smartphones can be used to enhance democratic education in schools and society at large, why such opportunities need to be more seriously considered as integral to the school learning environment, and how it can empower citizens for civic engagement. Using Dewey's philosophy of democratic education this chapter provides examples of mobile apps designed through classroom, community-based or after school programs that provide youth with coding training opportunities as well as macro-level highlights of civic engagement for social change. Reviewing theories of technology – from determinism to social embeddedness – this chapter reflects on the inherent “democratic” design of mobile technologies, as well as the challenge to embrace the interest that youth and society in general have for mobile app use. It is a call to promote mobile-driven democratic education in an environment encouraging continuous learning as well as cultivating and leveraging mobile technologies to develop an informed public voice and participatory agency.
Mobile-Based Social Media Platforms and Women Mobilisation for Political Participation in Nigeria
Authors: Abubakar Abdulmutallib A.
Published: December 2018

There is volume of literature and growing studies on the roles and responsibilities of conventional mass media and to some extent computer-based social media in enhancing political engagement, mobilisation and participation in developed and emerging democracies such as Nigeria. However, a few studies exist that provide insight about the intersection between mobile-based social media platforms and political mobilisation and participation in various democracies (liberal and non-liberal, developed and developing). It is therefore pertinent to examine such relationship especially from Nigeria's perspective as emerging democracy that is struggling to mobilise and absorb people from all sectors and sections to ensure acceptance and institutionalisation of democratic ideals in the country. Thus, the focus of this chapter is to examine the roles, significance and application of mobile based social media platforms that can only be registered and used on mobile phones. The chapter also evaluated strategies and techniques required to enrich engagement, mobilisation and participation in democratic processes particularly in the Northern part of the country through these mobile-based social media. Thus political actors can use mobile based social media to engage and mobilise youth and women to participate keenly in political discourse, electioneering, policy formulation and implementation at various levels.
The Role of Collaboration to Encourage Civic Engagement Through the Arts
Authors: Dippert Tina , Gelles Erna , Merrick Meg
Published: December 2018

Historically governments have used art's universal language to achieve various goals, including political engagement through cultural enrichment. Employing nonprofit/public sector relationships for the arts presents myriad governance challenges, but always with the promise of intrinsic and extrinsic benefits. This chapter presents two cases to illustrate such collaborative relationships. Applying various nonprofit theories, stakeholder discussions and Sherry R. Arnstein's still relevant community engagement work to explore relationships between sectors in arts funding, the first involves the passage of a local tax to provide funding for arts education and arts organizations. The second illustrates an instrumental relationship between a local government and nonprofit to provide art programs to promote tolerance in an increasingly diverse community. Both cases present imperfect policies, but represent the continuation of an ancient practice wherein the arts are being used for more than arts' sake, but to serve a multitude of non-arts instrumental societal functions.
The Internet, Social Media, and Knowledge Production and Development of Political Marketing
Authors: Ahmad Nyarwi
Published: December 2018

Though the use and development of the Internet, World Wide Web and social media and their impacts on politics have been robustly investigated, specific attention has not yet been paid to explore the impact of adaptation and use of social media by political actors and organizations on the knowledge production and generation of political marketing. In order to fill this knowledge gap, a conceptual framework to explore modes of knowledge production and generation of political marketing has been proposed. The transcendental realism approach postulated by Bhaskar (1998, 2008) and the meta-theoretical assumptions of political marketing proposed by Henneberg (2008) were adopted. A content analysis of 320 articles of Journal of Political Marketing published in between 2002 and 2015 was carried out. This work reveals that the adaptation and use of the Internet and social media have been accounted for in producing and generating the operational or the rudimentary-conceptual or the established-conceptual knowledge of political marketing.