bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An auto-ethnographic enquiry : critical reflection on the influences in the development of a black African male educator
Authors:   , Gumede Jerome Thamsanqa
Published: September 2021

This thesis sets out to demonstrate the influences on the personality of a Black African Male Educator – specifically mine - as I enquire: ―Why do I do things the way I do?‖ and ―What has enabled me to meet, face and resolve the challenges that I have come across in life?‖ I have addressed these questions from a self-study perspective, using narrative enquiry, living theories methods and auto-ethnography. I have written this thesis aware that I lived the first thirty seven years of my life under the potentially personality deforming oppression of apartheid, and that I have conducted my study and written my thesis in the context of the HIV&AIDS pandemic. In creating my own ―living theory‖ philosophy, I look at my epistemology - How do I know what/that I know? - my ontology – Who am I? Who am I becoming? What do I believe? and my axiology – What do I value? In creating my own ―living theory‖ (Whitehead, 2008), I examine the influences which have informed my personality development and that of my research participants. The originality of the contribution of this thesis to the academy is to demonstrate the influence of one person‘s personal origin and naming, carers and family, childhood experiences and learning, sport and sport instructors on his personality development. In addition, the thesis highlights the usefulness of forms of knowledge - herding and induku - that have not been explicitly declared as useful and included formally in education. To this end, I demonstrate the connections that exist between, induku, herding, work, community involvement and education as influential in personality development. I use my personal beliefs and values – principally ubuntu and ukuhlonipha – and the Critical Cross Field Outcomes to demonstrate the relationship between these values and outcomes, my personal account and the development of my human personality. I look at the implications for education. I review the Republic of South Africa‘s National Curriculum Statement in Life Orientation Grades 10–12. I suggest ways in which the Beliefs and Values demonstrated and examined in this thesis, and Critical Cross Field Outcomes can be incorporated in Community Service Integrated Projects that can help learners to make their beliefs and values explicit in their learning, all to the end of influencing values-informed personal development.
A self study of curriculum design for the teaching and learning of isiZulu as an additional language in primary schools in the Maye babo! series
Authors:   , Soni Sumithra Jaysooklal
Published: September 2021

This autoethnographic self study tracks my new ways of knowing in the various roles I play from daughter (passive recipient) to curriculum designer (active analytical composer). It retells my journey in the teaching profession at a school in Durban, in South Africa. The story occurs during a period when schools were racially desegregated in order to address the anti-apartheid policies that were prevalent prior to the first democratic elections in 1994. The story captures the challenges I faced during the transformation era in education and how I went about addressing two of the main challenges I faced: 1. Cultural diversity in racially desegregated schools. 2. Teaching isiZulu as an additional language as a pioneer, non- mother tongue teacher of learners with mixed abilities in an environment deprived of resources in terms of mentorship, and teacher/learner resource material. This study reveals how the challenges I experienced were, in retrospect, the disguised opportunities that led to my growth from teacher to textbook writer. It gives an account of the “behind the scenes making”, of the Maye babo! series, with a view to offer an exemplar for curriculum development. The study uses autoethnography (Ellis 2004) as a method to bring to life the teaching of isiZulu as an additional language in South Africa. It defines some of the difficulties experienced by teachers during a transformation era in education. In this study I clarify the relationship between Outcomes Based Education and the National Curriculum Statement (NCS), as well as where the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) is located within the NCS. More importantly, I use the tacit knowledge gained from intuition and experience to demonstrate how these policies can be applied in the classroom to achieve effective learning, an aspect often ignored in in-service teacher education. Readers (particularly teachers) will resonate with the experiences described in the stories, and, in so doing, gain a better understanding of themselves and their teaching practices; this might provide the much needed optimism amongst teachers, and might motivate and inspire them to grow professionally. The personal benefit in writing this thesis is that it renewed my place in the academic world, and more importantly, it has satisfied my quest for self realisation. Through personal exploration, questions such as who am I? and how did I become? reveal my evolvement. This project has been a soul satisfying and enriching journey. It is hoped that this study will in some way contribute to the transformation in education process in post liberation South Africa.
Foundation phase educators' knowledge and attitudes towards implementation of the National Reading Strategy
Authors:   , Singh Prabitha
Published: September 2021

In response to the alarmingly low literacy rates in South Africa and to improve reading instruction in schools, the National Department of Education introduced the National Reading Strategy (NRS) in primary schools in 2008. The NRS was developed for educators from grades R to 9 to facilitate reading literacy but foundation phase educators are faced with many challenges in implementing the NRS which include among others: teaching or facilitating reading in English in their multicultural, multilingual classrooms where the majority of their learners do not speak English as a first language; catering for different levels of understanding and proficiency in the language of instruction and reading within time-table and resource constraints; and adapting to changing curricula and requirements without receiving training to do so. In the absence of training, educators are left to interpret the NRS on their own. Recognising that the above factors impact on performance in the classroom this study investigated foundation phase educators’ knowledge and attitudes towards implementation of the NRS. Grounded within a social constructivist paradigm and underpinned by Vygotsky’s theory of the zone of proximal development, this study used a mixed methods approach to gather both qualitative and quantitative data from foundation phase educators and learners in the Phoenix-North region in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Questionnaires were administered to foundation phase educators to gather data to determine their knowledge and attitude towards implementing the National Reading Strategy. Focus group discussions were conducted with learners to establish the effect of educators’ implementation of the NRS on their “actual level” of development in terms of reading. Analysis of data revealed that despite a relatively positive attitude towards teaching reading, educators’ level of confidence to implement the NRS was low as many of them were teaching reading in their second language. In the absence of training workshops and professional development, there was conflict between educators’ existing knowledge and the requirements of the NRS. This study also found that educators’ knowledge and attitudes towards implementation of the NRS had a direct impact on learners’ reading progress as they are dependent on the educator for guidance and assistance within their zone of proximal development. Based on the findings, this study developed a training framework towards vi improving foundation phase educators’ knowledge and attitudes in order to facilitate reading and implementation of the NRS.
The relationship between script and image with specific reference to the work of Celeste van der Merwe, Willem Boshoff and Barbara Kruger
Authors:   , Van der Merwe Celeste
Published: September 2021

The crux of my thesis is the study of the relationship of script and image in the work of contemporary arts. I chose to focus on three selected artists, i.e. myself, Celeste van der Merwe, a local South African male artist named Willem Boshoff and an international female artist, Barbara Kruger. My intention was to write a readable self-study thesis that would be both informative and educational while simultaneously appealing to the heart of the reader. In order to realise this intention, I focussed on how the above-mentioned artists used script and image to address social issues prevalent in society today. I also made social statements through the medium of my art based on the familiar allegory, Little Red Riding Hood. My aim has been to address the breakdown of the family structure by focussing on the suffering of teenagers as a result of dysfunctional family structures and behaviours. I explored the powerful and provocative manner in which Barbara Kruger effectively wields the combination of script and image in her work. Boshoff on the other hand is a South African linguist who incorporates script in a variety of disciplines such as installations, visual poetry, concrete poetry, sculpture. In my own art I deconstructed and transformed materials and found that the process of breaking down and rebuilding reflected the breakdown and restoration in/of the lives of children. By consciously investigating my practice as a creative artist using script and image I have gained a better understanding of myself and I believe I am now able to improve my practise. Through this self-study research I have grown in self-discovery and self-actualization as an artist and have developed as a researcher. Finally, I concluded that the relationship between script and image is open-ended, not conclusive and differs in each work of art.
The effect of anti-establishment branding on teenage consumer behaviour within the action sportswear market
Authors:   , Slattery Leonie
Published: September 2021

This study aims to investigate the effect anti-establishment branding has on teenage consumer behaviour within the action sports market, as well as the various factors which influence teenagers when purchasing clothing. The study challenges the notion that teenage consumers respond to, and are influenced by the unconventional marketing campaigns of action sports brands. The results of this study indicate that the action sports market initially captivated the attention of the youth by offering teenagers a sense of acceptance through rebellion. Unfortunately, as the movement grew in popularity the exclusivity of the movement decreased and the clothing associated with it became viewed as too ‘mainstream’ by the wearers. Although the anti-establishment movement is striving for individuality and shies away from conformity, the study found that there appears to be a misconception in the notion that all ‘brands’ are susceptible to ‘trends’ which are driven by ‘designers’. Therefore, there can never be a pure ‘anti-establishment brand’ as the concept of a brand rejects the purpose of anti- establishment rebellion.
The eco-bride : development of an environmentally-friendly bridal collection for a South African market
Authors:   , Schultz Wendy Lynn
Published: September 2021

The Eco-Bride study is a practical product development research project in the fields of fashion, textiles, and sustainability. Currently it is considered fashionable to host an "eco-friendly" wedding, both because people are becoming more environmentally conscious with the prospect of global warming and also because the fashion industry, too, is attempting to reduce its impact on the environment. However, in spite of a growing trend in "eco-weddings", the bridal gown remains a conventional garment with a heavy carbon footprint. The intention of this study was thus to develop and produce a range of environmentally-friendly bridal gowns in order to create alignment between trendy eco-weddings and the bridal gowns worn to these functions. this was considered to fill a gap in the local market and to work toward educating both brides and industry as to a product offering which is less harmful to the environment. To this end, mixed methods action research was carried out within a constructivist worldview, firstly, to explore what might be construed as an environmentally-friendly bridal gown and secondly, to establish what would appeal to South African brides. The concepts of eco-friendly design models, sustainable fashion, celebrity and product fetish, customer behaviour and product development strategies were investigated in order to conceptualise, design and produce a collection of ten Eco-Bride-branded gowns for the South African market. It was hoped that the development of an environmentally-friendly bridal collection might assist in opening up the market to eco-fashion bridal wear. Further products of the research included instructional videos of the eco-friendly design-make process, which were intended to create awareness of the various eco-options in both the textile industry and bridal fashion market.
Silver diamine fluoride as a minimally invasive and aerosol free approach in pediatric dentistry: An extensive case series
Authors: Soni Abhishek , Paul Sanchit , Sachdeva Priyanka
Published: September 2021

The current pandemic of COVID-19 warrants a repeal from conventional dentistry to an aerosol free, minimally invasive yet maximally effective clinical approach. Silver diamine fluoride (SDF) is an established modality for caries arrest in children fulfilling all the above. This extensive 25 case series highlights various clinical situations in which SDF was successfully used in children between 1-12 years of age with asymptomatic carious lesions of ICDAS score 2 or more in primary and permanent teeth. Primary outcome measure was caries arrest in the form of the hard and shiny lesion with no/minimal sensitivity. The secondary outcome measure was the zombie effect which was the residual staining on other tooth surfaces and indications of substantivity. SDF can be effectively and efficaciously used across different behaviour patterns and age groups of children in a various clinical scenario for both primary and permanent teeth routinely experienced in a paediatric dental office especially during these pandemic times with minimal aerosol generation.
Comparative evaluation of the efficacy of chitosan and formocresol as medicaments for pulpotomy in primary molars: A clinical pilot study
Authors: R Kothari Nihal , Srinath S K , S Sulakshana , T Aswathy , S Padmapriya
Published: September 2021

Aim: To compare the clinical and radiographic effectiveness of chitosan and formocresol as pulpotomy medicaments in primary molars. Methods: Children of age 4-8 years old, who were physically and mentally healthy without any known medical history of systemic conditions contraindicating pulp therapy with at least one deep carious primary molars indicated for pulpotomy, were recruited. Pulpotomies were performed on 64 teeth divided into 2 groups, Group A (chitosan) and Group B (formocresol), followed by stainless steel crowns. Evaluation of clinical and radiological success was done at 1, 3 and 6 months follow up. Chi Square Test was used to compare the clinical and radiological parameters between study groups at different time intervals (p < 0.05) Results: Clinical success rate in both groups was 96.6% and radiographic success rate in chitosan was 96.6%, but formocresol was 89.6%. Conclusions: Chitosan was found to be an effective medicament for pulpotomy in primary molars. While chitosan also showed improved success rate compared to formocresol, it was not statistically significant.
Litiasis renal en niños
Authors: Chacón-Retana Gloriana , Fernández Rojas Sara
Published: September 2021

Justificación y objetivo: la litiasis renal se debe a la precipitación de cristales por un desequilibrio en la orina entre sustancias promotoras y las sustancias inhibitorias. Es una patología con una prevalencia entre 2-10% en la población pediátrica, con una incidencia que ha aumentado en los últimos 25 años; razón por la cual este estudio pretende conocer la prevalencia, las manifestaciones clínicas y metabólicas de la litiasis renal en la población pediátrica del Hospital Nacional de Niños de Costa Rica.
Métodos: Es un estudio retrospectivo, descriptivo y observacional, mediante la revisión de expedientes de pacientes menores a 18 años con el diagnóstico de litiasis renal, atendidos en el Hospital Nacional de Niños, en el periodo comprendido entre enero del año 2000 al 2018.
Resultados: se incluyeron un total de 106 pacientes. El 57,5% hombres, la edad promedio al diagnóstico de 6,6 ± 3,8 años; la frecuencia de casos se ha incrementado en 5,5 veces en los últimos 5 años. Factores de riesgo detectados: anormalidades del tracto urinario 22,6% y antecedentes familiares de litiasis 17,9%. El análisis metabólico mostró un gasto urinario bajo en el 74,3%, hiperfosfaturia en un 43,2%, hipomagnesuria 39,2% e hipercalciuria 37,8%. Etiologías determinadas: metabólica 54,7%, malformaciones de las vías urinarias 16% e idiopática en un 30,9%. La litotricia intracorpórea se aplicó en un 61,2%. La recidiva se observó en el 28,5% de los casos, se encontró relación entre la incidencia de recidiva con el tamaño del lito (p = 0,001) y el tratamiento quirúrgico. (p = 0,010).
Conclusiones: Existe un aumento en la frecuencia de casos de litiasis pediátrica con una etiología multifactorial en el Hospital Nacional de Niños de Costa Rica.
When is CT with rectal contrast indicated in patients suspected with anastomotic leak?
Authors: Arumugam Sathyaseelan , Leivers Emily , Chasi Ishmael
Published: September 2021

There is no clear guidance about the use of intraluminal rectal contrast combined with computerised tomography (CT) scan when assessing for anastomotic leak (AL) following colorectal resections. ALs most commonly manifest after post-operative day 5, presenting with fevers, abdominal pain, tachycardia and rising inflammatory markers. However, some patients with AL also present with subtle symptoms and failure to progress. CT with or without luminal contrast is the most commonly used investigation for diagnosis; however, there is no consensus on the best protocol. This case report highlights a need for having criteria, which include intra- and post-operative pointers when having a luminal contrast may aid diagnosis, in difficult cases. Studies show that routine contrast enema is not recommended, and furthermore, no gold standard investigation is available. This case report explores the need for a low threshold to use rectal contrast in CT in cases of prolonged ileus.
Fate of migrant workers during lockdown with special reference to Tamenglong District of Manipur
Authors: Newme Moses , Thangjom Dr.Lalzo S.
Published: September 2021

This paper intends to understand the challenges faced by the migrant workers during the lockdown. On 25th March, 2020 the Government of India announced the nationwide lockdown which restricted the movement of individuals as preventive measure against the Covid-19 pandemic in India. Millions of migrant workers were stranded without jobs and left no other options but to return home owing to sudden lockdown. Many economic activities or work place were shut down during the lockdown as a result, many workers lost their livelihoods. A study was carried out in order to understand the socio-economic conditions and challenges faced by migrant workers during the lockdown, and respondents were randomly selected among the migrant’s workers (or returnees) in Tamenglong district of Manipur. The results show that most of the migrant workers faced the problems of unemployment, financial crisis, lack of transportation facilities, food and accommodation, psychological stress and social stigma.
DISCURSO POLÍTICO: LEITURAS E INFERÊNCIAS
Authors: Lima Marilurdes Menezes de , Coutinho Diogenes José Gusmão
Published: September 2021

O presente artigo apresenta abordagens bibliográficas de autores que discorrem acerca de discursos políticos, como eram desenvolvidos antes e agora, qual objetivo dos mesmos e como as pessoas viam e refletiam sobre tais ações pretendidas pelos políticos. O artigo desenvolve a metodologia qualitativa e bibliográfica de estudiosos que discutem o poder do discurso político como forma de persuadir o eleitor, objetivo esse que prevalecem até hoje. O discurso político é um ato que leva o ser humano (político) a mascarar uma fala que tem como objetivo persuadir o leitor/ouvinte (eleitor) que por sua vez busca analisar as propostas de trabalho apresentadas em discurso público em períodos eleitorais para que o candidato (político) seja eleito. Não se pode negar que as propostas enchem os olhos dos eleitores que ouvem e criam ilusões com as possíveis soluções para os problemas que afligem tantos cidadãos brasileiros. Desde que o mundo existe, há a questão política. Antes o poder que muitos buscam era concentrado em apenas uma pessoa que nomeava seus súditos e governava o lugar ou nação. A política e o discurso político sempre existiram e vai continuar existindo, antes o eleitor não tinha opinião, sua vontade era ignorada, hoje o discurso viabiliza mais o eleitor, pois a liberdade de expressão e muitas outras conquistas levam o eleitor a refletir melhor na escolha de seu candidato, ainda se tem pessoas que são submissas a seus candidatos. Hoje o poder de persuasão não é tão forte quanto antes. É preciso sim, convencer o eleitor, fazer com que ele seja um disseminador das ideias que o seu candidato defende, mas com segurança de que as propostas de trabalho possam ser postas em prática realmente, uma vez que as eleições ocorrem de quatro em quatro anos, e os problemas vão se acumulados e muitas vezes são esquecidos, para serem lembrados no próximo período eleitoral. Este artigo busca a compreensão, por meio de Arendt, da diferenciação por ele estabelecida entre a fala pública referente à dominação e o discurso político e os conceitos de Patrick Charaudeau à respeito das imagens dos atores políticos entre outros conceitos de estudiosos acerca do discurso político.
THE ONLINE LIFE OF LITERACY EDUCATION: HOW THE 2018 #PHONICSDEBATE IS RESHAPING THE FIELD
Authors: Barnes Naomi Joy
Published: September 2021

This paper provides an overview of the Reading Wars as a site of discursive struggle. Using a Bourdieu (1993) facilitated digital sociology, this paper will present a case study of the 2018 hashtag #PhonicsDebate to illustrate how literacy researchers and cognitive scientists used social media as a space to navigate, negotiate and reimagine the contours of the field of literacy. Using a digital sociological account of online events associated with the 2018 Phonics Debate hosted by the Australian Centre for Educational Research and the think tank the Centre for Independent Studies, this paper works to illuminate and challenge contemporary understanding of the politics online. If policy researchers are to clarify the relationship between politics and their field in the 21st century we must understand how boundaries are negotiated using digital tools and how fields are imagined.
AFFORDANCES IN DIGITAL DETOX AND PRODUCTIVITY APPS
Authors: Karlsen Faltin
Published: September 2021

The smartphone has become a crucial devise in everyday life, providing access to a range of communication, entertainment and utility tools. This has led to concern about intrusive media and worries that tech companies take advantage of our "easily distracted mind". This has also incited a booming app industry where digital detox and productivity apps are offered as tools to restrain smartphone use. The aim of this study is to add new empirical data and a conceptual framework to shed new light on this issue. The analysis is based on descriptions of 70 digital detox and productivity apps retried from the App Store and Google Play. The analysis focus on affordances, and distinguishes between two broad categories: undesign affordances, which comprise affordances that punish or inhibit certain types of use and gamification affordances which, in general, reward the user or encourage certain user behavior. The product description is also subject to a discourse analysis. A general finding is gamification affordances such as rewards, achievements, and ratings are generously used in most apps regardless of what kind of context it is meant to be used. More relentless undesign affordances, such as complete blocking of the smartphone is uses to a much lesser degree. The frequent use of gamification design means that the apps can, paradoxically, direct more attention toward the smartphone.
CONSTRUCTING CONTEMPORARY PARENTHOOD IN DIGITAL SPACES: A WALKTHROUGH OF INFANT FEEDING APPLICATIONS
Authors: Langton Katrin
Published: September 2021

Infant feeding and baby tracking apps remain extremely popular mobile applications, downloaded by millions of parents to facilitate the feeding and care of children in their first year of life. These applications are commonly considered as part of a wider ecology of apps to manage reproductive health, which are typically gendered in design. Unsurprisingly, research on infant feeding apps to date has focussed on analysing these applications through a critical feminist lens, problematising the surveillance and disciplining of women’s bodies, since the tracking of infant care tracks the caregiver as much as the baby. These issues relate to broader societal trends around the datafication of family life, as well as participatory and co-surveillance practices, which ultimately support data-dependent surveillance capitalism. Yet, the predominant focus on critical perspectives on these technologies tends to construct their uses as disempowering, and their users as lacking agency. This work-in-progress paper explores how contemporary parenthood is constructed and mediated through the functionalities and technological design of infant feeding apps. It employs a feminist lens, while striking a balance between critical analysis and the identification of opportunities for user resistance, agency and empowerment. The app walkthrough method was used to examine two infant feeding applications, the commercial Feed Baby and the public health-oriented mum2mum. The study’s findings indicate that infant feeding applications are diverse in design and functionalities, providing opportunities for resistance and empowerment, that complicate and challenge understandings of parenting apps as (dis)empowering technologies.
INTERDEPENDENT PLATFORMS: ONLYFANS AS NSFW SOCIAL MEDIA LAYER
Authors: Van der Nagel Emily
Published: September 2021

This paper presents an analysis of 200 memes about content
subscription platform OnlyFans to discover that the platform imaginary is of heterosexual
women posting adult, or Not Safe For Work (NSFW) content. This platform imaginary contrasts
with OnlyFans' corporate communication, which insists that OnlyFans is for influencers of
all kinds. This challenges the platform imaginary, revealing two main strategies for this
emerging platform. First, that it would like to be known as a broader platform than just for
NSFW content creators – despite the platform imaginary that sets up an expectation of seeing
nude and lewd content. Second, that OnlyFans is not a “home base” or core platform from
which to create a profile and make connections. OnlyFans does not act as an independent
social media platform, but as one of many layers.
THE ROLE OF COMMUNICATION AFFORDANCES IN POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
SUPPORT GROUPS ON FACEBOOK AND WHATSAPP
Authors: Yeshua-Katz Daphna
Published: September 2021

Digital health research has highlighted the fact that people with
stigmatized health problems are drawn to online support groups (OSG) because these groups
help them to manage their stigmatized health conditions. However, little is known about how
media affordances— the interaction between the technology and the user—reconfigure the ways
in which stigmatized individuals use OSG and interact with others like themselves. The
current study applied an affordance framework to evaluate how Facebook and WhatsApp support
groups can help military veterans and their partners cope with posttraumatic stress disorder
(PTSD) and was based on interviews with 34 PTSD OSG members in Israel. This research
identified five affordances that members appraised to enhance their coping efforts in the
digital world: visibility, availability, multimediality, surveillance, and synchronicity.
This study reveals the connection between a specific stigmatizing mental health disorder
(i.e., PTSD), perceptions of communication technologies (i.e., affordances), and specifies
uses of technologies for coping with this mental health disorder. Moreover, this study may
inform digital intervention designers about which communication affordances can potentially
lead to better health outcomes.
“MY MINIMALIST JOURNEY:” NARRATIVE ANALYSIS OF YOUTUBE MINIMALISM
STORIES
Authors: Zhao Lizhen
Published: September 2021

The recent minimalist lifestyle is often claimed to be a way to
change your life by minimizing your spending, possessions, tasks, relationships, etc.
YouTube is an important venue where minimalist content is published and shared (Meissner,
2019). The current study focuses on “minimalist journey" narratives, where people tell their
stories of "encountering" the minimalist lifestyle. I collected “minimalist journey" stories
from 40 YouTube videos with their comments and analyzed them using narrative analysis
methods, both thematic and structural (Labov & Waletzky, 1997; Riessman, 2005). By
closely examining these narratives, this study sheds light on how people experience and make
sense of the minimalist lifestyle within the context of anti-consumerism and neoliberalism
in digital space. This study also contributes to digital culture studies by showcasing how
personal life narratives are constructed on video-sharing platforms like YouTube. Two themes
emerged in the analysis. In the “Hoarder to Minimalist” narrative, narrators were once
over-consuming hoarders and now minimalists. Minimalism facilitates discursive rejections
and behavior disruptions of consumerism. The "transformational" stories, however,
reinforcing the neoliberal sense of self that needs constant improvement. In the “Always
been a Minimalist” narrative, narrators have always been frugal due to underprivileged
social status. Minimalism empowers them by providing a set of vocabulary for recreating
meanings. It, however, downplays the class divisions in capitalist society as merely an
issue of “framing”; the struggles of lower social class people just need to be beautified as
“minimalism.”
"EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED": NETWORKED CONSPIRITUALITY IN NEW AGE MEDIA
Authors: Chia Aleena , Ong Jonathan Corpus , Davies Hugh , Hagood Mack
Published: September 2021

Conspirituality refers to the confluence of New Age spirituality and conspiracism that frame reality through holistic thinking—connecting events and energies, the inner self to the outer world in unseen ways. Conspirituality has thrived online: between the pleasure of the weekly horoscope and the obsession with the QAnon drop is a mode of causal promiscuity in which, as Q puts it, “future proves past.” This panel traces forms of conspirituality from MAGA mystics to New Age influencers, from technolibertarian imageboards to Silicon Valley vision quests. While conspirituality marks an online psychographic segmentation, it also traces a formal quality that organizes ways of navigating, knowing, and critiquing the internet, which is undergirded by New Age spirituality’s perennialism: a belief that different spiritual traditions are equally valid, because they all essentially worship the same divine source that emanates throughout the cosmos and the human body. The internet supercharges perennialism, providing a connective medium for New Age ideology of manifesting: the belief that we create our own reality. As users trawl the internet for snippets and statistics to feed their confirmation bias and populate their vision boards, the connective medium of the internet manifests toxicity and misinformation at scale. The papers in this panel develop a line of research on the coevolution of spirituality and technology from organized to new religious movements. Instead of demystification, we use ethnographic, textual, and hermeneutic approaches—examining internet users, governance, genealogies, and internet studies itself—to politicize networked conspirituality as vernacular theories of power and powerlessness.
PLAYING AT THE POLLS: VIDEO GAMES IN/AS PLATFORMS OF POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
Authors: Tran Christine H. , Ruberg Bonnie "Bo" , Guarriello Nicholas-Brie , Lark Daniel
Published: September 2021

This panel explores the rise of ludic technologies as both figurative and computational “platforms” for American political participation. As COVID-19 forced many politicians to abandon massive rallies and other in-person engagement into 2020, American politicians turned to video games for alternative means of public outreach, from “Biden Island” in $2 to Twitch streams with Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez and Bernie Sanders. This panel contextualizes these and other “ludopolitical” phenomena from a variety of perspectives, ranging from digital media studies to queer studies and political economy. We attend to the mass re-politicization of games and question the politics of identity, content moderation, and labour that are downloaded onto policy when party communication becomes strategically playful.
OPEN PEDAGOGY: INDEPENDENCE AND INTERDEPENDENCE IN TEACHING ABOUT NEW MEDIA
Authors: Cuillier Cheryl , Daly Diana
Published: September 2021

In the quest for independence from traditional media constraints, open pedagogy — involving students in the creation of openly licensed materials — offers training in open culture practices alongside deeper learning. Our research builds upon an exploratory study by Hilton et al. (2019). We collected quantitative and qualitative data about the experiences of 85 students participating in an open pedagogy course project: creating content for the open textbook Humans R Social Media (HRSM). We asked students to compare their experiences working on HRSM with traditional learning activities (e.g., writing papers, taking quizzes). About 66% of students said the HRSM project had greater educational value than traditional learning activities. Most students (54.1%) also reported that HRSM helped them master more core academic content, and 51.8% said the project helped them become more collaborative learners. Although a small percentage preferred traditional learning activities, most students reported that open pedagogy’s focus on agency and choice enabled them to share their individuality and creativity. We also found that students valued knowing their work could be shared beyond the classroom; and that publishing, in the words of one student, “gave me more incentive to make sure my assignments were my best product.” This study tentatively reinforces the benefits of independent, hands-on learning as well as collaborative interdependence in an online environment. These findings suggest the active nature of open pedagogy holds rich possibilities for cultivating participatory learning activities, involving students in the creation of knowledge as they learn, and cultivating interdependent connection and community.
PRIVACY, COVID-19 AND ONLINE TEACHING: A COMPARATIVE STUDY IN ESTONIA, FRANCE AND ISRAEL
Authors: Epstein Dmitry , John Nicholas , Willhelm Carsten , Barats Christine , Siibak Andra
Published: September 2021

The COVID-19 crisis is a potential watershed moment for privacy with profound long-term effects on the organization and practices of work, education, and civic engagement. In this study we focus on the profound re-negotiation of mediated personal boundaries in times of mass lockdowns and social distancing. To understand how these new social conditions might be playing out in the field of privacy, we interviewed 90 faculty in higher education in Estonia, France and Israel. Participants were asked about changes in their ICT use for personal and work purposes, with the practice of distance teaching serving as a common experience for the discussion of possible changes in their views and practices of privacy. Our findings point to the precedence of $2 considerations of privacy over $2 considerations. In other words, interviewees had very little to say about the broader forms of data collection by their employers, the state, or commercial companies that are enabled by the adoption of new ICTs. They did, though, have much to say about their mediated relations with students and colleagues, and were very much concerned with self-presentation and impression management as well as with sustaining meaningful teaching situations. In general, the prism of privacy unearths the hidden social structures of teaching and interacting online.
SURVEILLANCE FOR INDEPENDENCE: DISCURSIVE FRAMEWORKS IN SMART CARE FOR DEMENTIA
Authors: Hine Christine , Barnaghi Payam
Published: September 2021

Smart technologies promise a future in which the care needed by vulnerable people can be delivered at a distance, informed by Internet of Things-enabled remote sensing and by artificial intelligence used to identify problematic patterns in physiological readings and behavioural data. In this context, surveillance is widely portrayed as a means to maintain the independence of those being monitored. This paper examines the promise of smart care through analysis of documentation from policy, from research and development settings and from marketing materials aimed at carers, people living with dementia and social care agencies in the UK. For informal carers, the monitoring carried out by smart care systems is predominantly framed as reassurance for the carer, while for the person living with dementia a reassurance is offered that there will be help at times of need. For healthcare professionals, lack of knowledge is positioned as a limiting factor on providing optimal care and hence the monitoring offered by smart care becomes an ethical responsibility in the search for improved care as well as a means to increased efficiency. While smart care aims to promote independence, this form of surveillance and the AI-generated predictions that are built upon it can offer imperatives to action that may act against autonomy. To evaluate ethical implications more fully we need to move beyond the promotional discourse to find out more about how people live with such systems and how these systems become a part of the relations of expertise and responsibility that pervade care.
NOT YOUR ROBIN HOOD: GAMESTOP AND PLATFORM ECONOMICS AT PLAY
Authors: Stanfill Mel , Salter Anastasia
Published: September 2021

In January 2021, GameStop and AMC, stocks with no discernable reason
for an increase in value, rose abruptly in price. This was soon understood as the result of
manipulation by members of the r/WallStreetBets subreddit. While individualized stock
trading is often framed as equalizing the playing field, everyday people remain second-class
participants in the stock market, which quickly became clear as trading was suspended on
stocks the Redditors targeted. Backlash against this decision played out across platforms.
We argue that this incident is the inevitable result of treating platforms (and economics)
through the lens of gaming and trolling. The first key issue in the r/WallStreetBets
incident was content moderation, as the Robinhood trading app stopped the trading, the
subreddit the traders used to organize went private, and the corresponding Discord server
was banned. The second important factor in this incident was coordinated inauthentic action,
as thwarted traders immediately turned to the app store and targeted Robinhood with a review
bombing campaign. Third, while the popular response to the r/WallStreetBets saga was
frequently celebratory, seeing their actions as a challenge to capitalism and evidence of
progressive politics, longstanding tropes associating Jewish people with capital, meant that
Redditors’ anti-capitalism slid easily into anti-Semitism. Ultimately, many of the patterns
of the Reddit stock incident locate it in a long history of coordinated internet action
steeped in toxic technocultures. However, the expansion of these practices into taking
direct action on economic systems worth billions of dollars is new and calls for rigorous
attention
Factors Associated with Spontaneous Abortion among Reproductive Aged Women
Authors: Pun Khagi Maya , Silwal Kalpana , Poudel Ambika
Published: September 2021

Introduction: One of the adverse outcomes of pregnancy is spontaneous abortion (SA), which poses a significant obstacle for maternal health promotion. The present study is aimed to examine the factors associated with SA among reproductive aged women.
Method: A hospital-based case- control study was conducted at tertiary hospital Lalitpur, Nepal. The consecutive sampling technique was used to select the cases (84) and purposive sampling technique was used for controls (168) in a 1:2 ratio. Ethical approval was obtained. Data were collected through face to face interviews using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive and inferential statistics analysis (Chi-square and Fisher exact test) were used for analyzing the data. P-value was set at 0.05.
Results: We found that the type of family, preconceptionally intake of folic acid and antenatal checkup were significantly associated with spontaneous abortion. Similarly, monthly income was inversely associated with the SA (p-value < 0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the findings of our study it can be concluded that socio-demographic variables (staying in the joint or nuclear family, intake of folic acid, monthly income and antenatal checkup) and reproductive history also play significant role for spontaneous abortion.

Key words: Factors associated; reproductive aged women; spontaneous abortion.
Effectiveness of Planned Teaching Programme on The Levels of Knowledge Regarding Breast Feeding Problems among Primigravid Mothers at Urban Health Center, KASPA, Vellore
Authors: V Sasikala. , R Sudha.
Published: September 2021

Pregnancy is a journey of creating a new life. Motherhood makes this journey memorable and happy. During pregnancy, the mother and baby are considered a single unit because the baby gets the essential nutrition from the mother through the placenta. At birth, this bond is replaced by breastfeeding. A mother who is breastfeeding for the first time is in a vulnerable position and requires support, encouragement and knowledgeable assistance. There are many possible breast abnormalities that breastfeeding mothers may encounter. Identifying these issues are very important to continue a healthful breastfeeding relationship with the child. The research approach selected for the study is quantitative research approach quasi experimental design with one group pre and post test design. Through the Non probability purposive sampling technique was used to select 60 primigravid mothers from Urban Health Centre. Demographic variables were collected by using a structured questionnaire. Planned teaching programme was given to the primigravid mothers by using charts, models, and pamphlets. Post test was conducted after giving planned teaching programme. The collected data were analysed based on the objectives using Descriptive and inferential statistics were used for analysis and interpretation of data. The study results revealed that the pretest knowledge mean score was 18 ± 2. After the planned teaching programme, the posttest knowledge mean score was 24 ± 2. The calculated paired‘t’ test value19 was greater than the table value 1.96 which is highly significant at p < 0.05 level. Hence the research hypothesis H1was accepted. The study was a significant increase in the levels of knowledge, after planned teaching programme among primigravid mothers regarding breast feeding problems. This shows that the planned teaching programme was effective.

Keywords: Breastfeeding problems, Primigravid mothers.
To Assess and Correlate Resting Heart Rate, Body Composition and Heart Rate Variability in Judo and Wushu Players
Authors: Yadav Sapna , Kadyan Gaurav
Published: September 2021

Background: This study aimed to compare and correlate the resting heart rate, body composition and heart rate variability among judo and wushu players.
Method: 40 athletes (20 judo and 20 wushu players) were included in the study. Body composition (BMI, subcutaneous body mass, skeletal body mass, body fat %, body density, Visceral fat, Lean body mass) was evaluated with the help of 7 skinfold thickness and body circumferences with the help of Harpenden calliper and measuring tape respectively. HRV (RMSSD, SDNN, LF/HF, LFnu and HFnu) was recorded in resting state (~5min) with the help of Heart wear shimmer ECG device.
Result: No significant difference of body composition and HRV variables (p> 0.05) was found between the two groups except Body fat % and body density (p<0.05) which differ significantly among the two groups. In Judo, LF/HF and LFnu showed significant positive correlation with BMI (p<0.05, r=-0.488), subcutaneous whole-body mass (p<0.05, r=-0.464), visceral fat (p<0.05, r =-0.508), and body fat % (p<0.05, r =-0.626. Whereas HFnu showed significant negative correlation with BMI (p<0.05, r=-0.488), subcutaneous whole-body mass (p<0.05, r=-0.464), visceral fat (p<0.05, r=-0.505) and body fat % (p<0.05, r=-0.626). Whereas no correlation was found between HRV and Body composition in wushu players.
Conclusion: Reduction in body fat % and visceral fat in judo players indicate improved sympathovagal balance which can be due to the adaptation induced by training loads. Similar results were not seen in wushu players because of high amount of body fat% and visceral fat.

Keywords: Body composition, combat sports, heart rate variability, Body fat %, resting heart rate.
Indicadores de la sustentabilidad. Propuestas de aplicación
Authors: Iglesias Piña David , Carreño Meléndez Fermín , Carrasco Aquino Roque Juan
Published: September 2021

Evaluar la sustentabilidad llevará a considerar la posibilidad de mostrar un aspecto contradictorio a dicho proceso; la insustentabilidad. Entonces la sustentabilidad e insustentabilidad se muestran como dos aspectos de una misma contradicción en un proceso mucho más amplio de análisis, experiencias y resultados de la humanidad por equilibrar armónicamente su relación con la naturaleza. Equilibrio o destrucción, ambas acepciones tendrán al centro de su proceso la vida en general y la supervivencia de la especie humana. La sociedad y las instituciones requieren de un sistema de señales que orienten la perspectiva de la sustentabilidad, mismas que se traduzcan en indicadores de la trayectoria del proceso. Éstos son sin duda una herramienta útil que contribuyen a objetivizar las principales tendencias ambientales, económicas, sociales y territoriales. Existe una gama de indicadores ambientales o de desarrollo sustentable de países con mayor poder económico o de agencias de desarrollo que han instrumentado su utilización.
Entre el protagonismo y el heroísmo
Authors: Rivera-Betancur Jerónimo León
Published: September 2021

El cine actual está lleno de superhéroes. Desde hace casi dos décadas, las películas más taquilleras las protagonizan personajes con superpoderes que pretenden salvar a la humanidad de sus males, pero ¿qué pasa cuando los protagonistas de las películas no son héroes ni pretenden serlo, o cuando las condiciones de un contexto determinado impiden o dificultan el heroísmo? En este capítulo exploramos algunas características del cine colombiano, una cinematografía asociada a la dura realidad del país en la que el contexto aparece como un entorno caótico y de valores invertidos que dificultan la forja de personas heroicas en las películas y que, como resultado de esto, despoja de personajes de referencia o dignos de imitación a los espectadores que ven estas historias.