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HOW METAVERSE EVOLVES THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
Get PDFArchitects have long relied on visualization tools to develop their concepts for specific design problems. From the early traditional drawings to the three-dimensional visualizations and virtual environments, all have enabled architects to demonstrate design outputs relatively early in the process. Real-world projects are similar to what architects imagined from the beginning. In other words, the design process has always started by creating the digital representation of a project and then attempting to replicate it in real life. Once the digital representation of design parts is complete, architects prepare their design for construction. However, the final visualization emerges from actual architectural functions, structure constraints, Gravity, materiality, privacy, and physical laws, meaning that architecture evolves the digitally represented visualizations. With the growth of the metaverse, all physical restrictions are being eliminated, and architects can expand the boundaries of how spaces can be represented regardless of being virtual or physical. As a virtual environment on the internet, the metaverse redefines the rules of architecture and offers endless possibilities for architectural innovation. This article aims to explore the role the metaverse plays in designing architecture. It outlines the fundamental concepts of the metaverse to identify significant elements that could influence architecture design
REVIEW ON CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF GENUS RUMEX
Get PDFGenus Rumex belongs to the family Polygonaceae that is distributed worldwide and used in the treatment of different illnesses. Different parts of this plant are employed in the treatment of a number of ailments such as diarrhea, jaundice, hypertension, dermatopathy and inflammation. It was reported that they possess anti-oxidative, antimicrobial, antiviral and anti-cancer activities due to the presence of several phenolic constituents, anthraquinones and flavonoids such as rutin, luteolin and apigenin. Flavonoids play an important role against cardiovascular diseases by reducing oxidation of low-density lipoproteins. This article covers most of constituents of plants of genus Rumex reported from 2001 up to 2022. Furthermore, the biological activities of plants of genus Rumex are presented
TOWARDS URBAN BIODIVERSITY: SIMULATING DESIGN PARAMETERS FOR WILDLIFE-INCLUSIVE GREEN INFRASTRCUTURE
Get PDFAs of 2021, more than half of the global population resides in urban areas. This resulted in an overwhelming footprint affecting species habitat areas leading to biodiversity loss. By definition, urban biodiversity is the diversity of living things within the urban realm. By providing chances for habitat as part of new developments, preserving on-site habitats, and attempting to connect with the local ecosystems, we can help promote biodiversity. Green infrastructure (GI), which includes all semi-natural areas in the urban context, can serve as a vessel for biodiversity. Therefore, the problem can be defined by the urban footprint that expands on the expense of native habitats, leading directly to biodiversity loss and impacts on human health, and indirectly affecting livelihoods. Moreover, often times the approaches are sometimes limited to ‘green’ in more aesthetic ways than operational. It is also important to seek socio-ecological frameworks to promote adequate interaction of urban communities with wildlife. Therefore, this research aims to simulate design parameters for wildlife-inclusive green infrastructure to contribute to the creation of built environments that support urban biodiversity. If equipped with a socio-ecological framework, beyond ‘green’ results can be yielded. Using a case study method, the author will provide an application of the extracted parameters from the literature on a chosen geography with reference of ecological data provided of the ‘Shouf Biosphere Reserve’ of Lebanon to provide supported insight into wildlife-inclusive green infrastructure examples. In the context of this literature, we need to examine the manifestation of those concepts mainly on an operative level with respect to ecology. Also, it is required to examine the socio-cultural aspects of this interaction through architecture. In conclusion, as presented in the case study of SBR, the additional ecological and socio-cultural layers in planning of green infrastructure, can yield beyond ‘green’ results as a whole system designed with both the local ecosystems and urban inhabitants in mind within the landscape. Each geography will display its endemic version of ‘green’ as well. Variations of wildlife species can become parameters that also help shape our built environments. ‘Our’ built environment exists in the larger scope of the natural setting. Nature-based solutions can be implemented for our urban problems. A geographically specific GI network can provide alternative infrastructure for local ecosystems. Therefore, with increasing repercussions of urban expansion on habitat areas, immediate action plans must be formulated to stop species loss
EVIDENCE ON THE IMPACT OF CORRUPTION ON ECONOMIC GROWTH: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW
Get PDFThe relationship between corruption and economic growth is complex and has been extensively studied. Till recent days it is still one of the most genuine political challenges that all countries face. Even though anti-corruption measures have improved, they still lack consistency and clarity. Accordingly, this paper reviews the extant literature on this issue, by examining 66 research papers on the impact of corruption on economic growth. The study was aided by analysis of the theme Corruption and economic growth identified in the present literature. Impact of Corruption on economic growth has been tested in multiple studies utilizing time series, panel, and cross-sectional data for various time periods and locations. Although most empirical research has supported the idea that corruption has a considerable impact on economic growth, others have demonstrated that corruption has no significant impact on economic growth. The study draws its conclusions from a variety of investigations. The literature identified that depending on the circumstances, corruption can have both good and bad consequences on economic growth. Besides, the impact of corruption on economic growth varies per country, and time period under consideration based on a variety of characteristics such as economic development, political system, and legal system
MECHANICAL AND DURABILITY PROPERTIES OF FLY ASH GEOPOLYMER CONCRETE – A REVIEW
Get PDFGeopolymers have emerged as a promising alternative for Ordinary portland cement (OPC) in construction industry, due to their potential to minimize the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) and improve the efficiency of waste recycling. This paper aims to study the fresh and hardened properties of fly ash geopolymer concrete (GPC), as well as to review the raw materials used in the production of geopolymers. Several factors impact the mechanical and durability properties of fly ash GPC, including the specific type of fly ash utilized, the curing temperature, the alkaline activator (AA) concentration, and the type of AA used. As a substitute for OPC concrete, fly ash GPC provides better mechanical and durability properties, as well as reducing CO2 emissions
IMPACT OF PERCEIVED ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT, EMPLOYEE EMPOWERMENT, AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT ON TURNOVER INTENTION IN THE LEBANESE SMEs SECTOR: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT
Get PDFThis study investigates the impact of perceived organizational support (POS), employee empowerment (EE), and organizational commitment (OC) on turnover intention (TI) in the Lebanese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) sector. The study also examines the mediating role of employee engagement (EEG) in this relationship. A sample of 390 employees from SMEs in Lebanon was surveyed using a structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). The results show that POS, EE, and OC are negatively related to TI in the Lebanese SMEs sector. Moreover, EEG mediates the relationship between POS, EE, and OC and TI. Specifically, the study found that the more employees perceive support from their organization, feel empowered, and are committed to the organization, the more engaged they are, which in turn reduces their intention to leave the organization. These findings have several implications for SMEs in Lebanon. First, the study suggests that SMEs should provide employees with support, empowerment, and opportunities fo organizational commitment to reduce TI. Second, the study highlights the importance of employee engagement in mediating the relationship between these variables and TI. Thus, SMEs should focus on improving employee engagement through various means, such as fostering a positive work environment, providing growth and development opportunities, and recognizing employees\u27 contributions
WRITE TO HEAL: THE THEATRICAL WORKSHOP FOR THINKING AND HEALING WOUNDS
Get PDFLebanon, a beautiful country, warm and welcoming, continues to live in a cycle of crises like Sisyphus. Barely has a wound healed than a new drama hits him, putting him back to zero hour and perhaps below. Faced with this series of disasters, writers, artists and intellectuals engage and encourage through their creative work to reflect, resist, revolt and ultimately transform the society. It is a quasi-therapeutic process driven by art. Beyond writing, how does this healing through a theatrical workshop move from the “individual” me to the “collective” us
BETWEEN ESCAPE AND EMIGRATION: THE QUEST FOR AN IDENTITY
Get PDFA real doubt marks the enterprise of an individual, to think of a human dimension that is internal to him, but grows outside him. The desire born in him, develops externally and depends on environmental events. What does separation do as a traumatic incident hindering desire for a young person ?
The best way to define desire, in the psychosocial and geocultural context of this century, would be to raise it in relation to its lack. Indeed, this paradox is inherent in the definition itself. At a certain level a schism takes place in human thought: a schism already existing in the very conception of desire, since wanting something presupposes a priori that this something is missing. Schism whose weight will be estimated with the clinical examination of the meetings and separations made by Rodrigue during his life. This case expose the extent of the psychic disaster caused by emigration.
Lacan affirmed that Desire is fundamentally [a priori or structurally] lacking in being. We will refer to the psychodynamic approach through the psychoanalyst Freud to understand & treat the patient in his separation problematic. Unlike Christophe Colombe who had gone to discover the new world, Rodrigue qualified as a troubadour given his many journeys punctuated by separations, only followed his parents on the path of their own emigration.
The light given by Freud will allow as the analysis of the case progresses, to better understand Rodrigue, his psychological development, his flaws and tensions or the Identity defused. Anyone who has the misfortune to immigrate once - only once! - will always remain metic all his life, and a foreigner everywhere, even in his country of origin. It\u27s our curse as immigrants, says Pan Bouyoucas, a Canadian novelist born in Lebanon in 1946.
From the news relating to the successive emigrations of this century, and referring in particular to the last wave of Lebanese emigration preceded by a wave of Syrian emigration and before Iraqi, and before Armenian, in the 4 corners of the world, was inspired this problem. What are the psychological consequences of encounters in the life of a young individual subjected to the migration process?
Only in the course of these encounters, identity can curl, take risks, fade and verge on instability. From the Encounter to the Identity Crisis, there is only one step, crossed by the being who emigrates. There, in this no-man\u27s land, is the Subject more or less master of his destiny , prisoner of this in-between who lets the symptom sneak in, without being able to channel the anxiety, and then positions himself in neurosis. The case of Rodrigue, illustrates this journey, and shows how an Encounter can change a destiny. Its story will be divided into 6 parts:
The 1st speaks of the Encounter with the Other with a capital A, in the Lacanian sense of the term. The 2nd part looks at the Meeting of Different Cultures. The 3rd treats the Meeting when it presents itself as synonymous with Rupture. Part 4 tells the story of the encounter with the chemical substance as a parental substitute. The 5th part relates the Encounter with the past, through the return to the sources. The 6th part focuses on the Clinical sessions which is essentially done through the transfer
WRITING AS A MEAN TO REHABILITATE THE TRAUMATIZED SELF IN VIVRE VITE BY BRIGITTE GIRAUD
Get PDFIn her novel Vivre vite, Brigitte Giraud writes the story of a disaster that obsesses her: on June 22, 1999; her companion Claude died in a motorcycle accident in Lyon. This vehicle, a powerful and dangerous Honda, was prohibited on Japanese territory and was reserved for export to Europe. It did not belong to Claude, but to the writer\u27s brother. She was only able to return to the drama that inhabited her in 2022, that is to say twenty-three years after Claude\u27s death. The reader cannot help but wonder about this long silence and why this return to the minutiae of this accident. Perhaps she wanted to believe that this tragic accident could have been avoided, which is why she undertakes a final investigation, in “a tale in reverse”, by analyzing the various assumptions or possibilities that could arise to prevent the catastrophe. She multiplies the “if” to show all that is fortuitous in life and accidental in the drama. The verb tenses used reveal a form of fatality or destiny. They underline the absence of real choice and assert the predestination of events. To understand Giraud\u27s attitude to return to drama after a silent suffering of twenty years, we will analyze: - The traumatized memory, stunned by the tragic memory - The narrative processes used to understand what led to the accident; she comes back to it with a “litany of ifs”: is it chance, fate or a simple coincidence? Hence the importance of verb tenses in “the countdown story”- The therapy through writin
VOLAR V-Y ADVANCEMENT FLAPS IN RECONSTRUCTING FINGERTIP INJURIES
Get PDFFingertip injuries with exposed bones and joints require immediate or early closure for the preservation of function and avoidance of complications. The ideal procedure should maintain the length of the finger and cover the defect with non-tender, well-padded skin with normal sensation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of the different types of volar V-Y advancement flaps in reconstructing and resurfacing injuries of the fingertips at different levels and angles. Thirty patients (N=30) sustaining fingertip injuries of variable etiology and lost components, type III & IV according to Allen’s classification were divided into two groups (n=15) according to the extent of tissue loss.V-Y Volar flap has been used for patients of group I; Neurovascular V-Y Advancement Flap for patients of group II. All subjective complaints (tenderness, cold intolerance and incomplete extension) were resolved within six months of follow up. With respect to the complications there were no statistically significant difference in except for light touch examination. The simple V-Y volar advancement flap, with apex at DIP, and the neurovascular V-Y advancement flap, with the apex at PIP can be used in Allen III and IV types of fingertip injuries. The choice of either flap depends on the direction of injury. The former is better reserved for the dorsally-directed tissue loss. The latter is preferably used in either the volarly-slanting tissue loss or the perpendicular(guillotine) fingertip amputation