13780 research outputs found
Sort by
Black Radio’s Contribution to Collective and Cultural Memory: Personnel Perspectives of Black Radio History in the United States
Get PDFThis interdisciplinary research investigates the significance of the community connection between Black radio personnel and their audiences through the lens of collective and cultural memory narratives. The study addresses two key research questions. First, how do Black radio personnel’s collective and cultural memories contribute to the Black public sphere? Second, what are the defining characteristics in developing parasocial relationships and interactions between Black radio personalities and their audiences? The qualitative research employs an autoethnographic methodology and a questionnaire, utilizing insights gained from the author’s experiences working at a Black-owned radio network and station. The questionnaire, distributed to key informants in the field, explores narratives related to Black radio station engagement, memorable moments, and public service programming. The findings reveal diverse stories, including community mobilization around social issues and the unique role of Black radio in shaping local and national events. The exploration of parasocial relationships among Black radio personnel demonstrates positive connections with listeners, ranging from on-air interactions to long-term friendships. Despite occasional challenges and boundary issues, the study highlights the deep emotional impact of these relationships and their role in fostering loyalty and engagement within the Black community. The research contributes to the documentation of Black radio history, emphasizing its role as a cultural memory maker and underscoring the need for expanded archival efforts in this area
An Ultra Low Voltage Energy Efficient Level Shifter with Current Limiter and Improved Split-Controlled Inverter
No full textThis brief introduces an improved Wilson current mirror level shifter (WCMLS) circuit designed in CMOS 55 nm technology, optimized for ultra-low voltage applications. We aim to balance speed, power, and area by employing specific architectural choices in its pull-up and pull-down networks. The pull-up network (PUN) employs a Wilson current mirror to effectively reduce static current. The pull-down network (PDN) incorporates a diode-connected P-type transistor as a current limiter, further reducing static power consumption. An improved split-controlled inverter is introduced as the output driver to further minimize both static and short-circuit currents. The proposed level shifter can operate at a minimum V_DDL of 100 mV at V_DDH= 1.2 V and 1 MHz input frequency. Performance comparison with prior works reveals a significant performance improvement in terms of delay, power-delay product (PDP), and energy-delay product (EDP), with a delay of 4.79 ns, a PDP of 355 ns*nW, and an EDP of 326 fJ*ns when operating in a conversion range of 0.3 - 1.2 V, making it a robust choice for energy-efficient ultra-low voltage level shifting applications
Seeing Through a Nuclear Glass Darkly: Envisioning Irreversible Nuclear Disarmament in the Middle East
No full textApplying the concept of Irreversible Nuclear Disarmament (IND) to the Middle East presents several challenges. Conceptually, the key frameworks for addressing the nuclear challenge in the region, namely the establishment of a zone free from all weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East (MEWMDFZ), lacks a robust disarmament pillar to anchor. A further challenge is structural and relates to the markedly different nuclear context prevailing in the Middle East to that which governed the evolution of the IND concept. Although still at a nascent stage, the conceptual and political frameworks underpinning irreversibility at the global level have evolved within the relatively stable context of strategic interactions between the Nuclear Weapons States and a well-defined global discourse regarding nuclear arms control and disarmament. Attempting to transpose frameworks of irreversibility as they have developed in this relatively stable context to the more complex, unstable and fluid regional setting of the Middle East is fraught with difficulty. This paper presents a first-cut attempt to address these challenges. It argues that the most viable approach for applying IND to the Middle East is through a regional multilateral framework embedded in the MEWMDFZ. However, the zone framework as it has been formulated thus far, requires further development. Specifically, there is a need to incorporate a viable disarmament pillar, as well as provisions aimed at mitigating regional nuclear hedging and latency dynamics in order to provide for a more conducive regional nuclear environment to achieve high levels of irreversibility
The Brain Drain of the Egyptian Physicians: A Look from Both Sides
Get PDFThe brain drain of well-educated and trained workers is a problem that faces many nations. The pandemic revealed the importance of being ready with all resources, especially the healthcare workers. In Egypt, according to records of the Egyptian medical syndicate, half of the registered physicians in the syndicate are working abroad. In this study, we aimed to understand the relationship between individual satisfaction regarding work or family, his capability factors, and his intention to leave the country to work in another one. A quantitative approach was used by a self-administered online questionnaire. The results showed that 66.4% of physicians who are working in Egypt had the intention to leave. The factor that had the highest impact on their decision was work satisfaction, where the less satisfied physicians were 20 times more likely to leave. Besides, the participants with lower economic status were more willing to leave. Also, other factors that can be associated are gender, age, and being financially responsible. On the other hand, only 6.8% of Egyptian physicians who are living abroad were considering going back home and working there. The only factor that showed an association with their intention was their age, as more of the older participants had this intention. It is concluded that the high level of dissatisfaction among physicians with their work environment will lead to significant resource losses for other countries. Factors should be addressed, and intervention strategies are urgently needed for physicians retention to achieve Egypt’s Vision 2030 for health and economic growth
مختارات من ديوان \u3c/b\u3eحبيبي يطعمني ليمون الجنة\u3cb\u3e / Selected Poems from \u3ci\u3eMy Lover Feeds Me Grapefruit\u3c/i\u3e
No full textتقوم الشاعرة العربية الأمريكية مهجة قحف بتضمين الطعام بكثرة في أشعارها بوصفه وسيلة لإحياء رائحة البيت السوري في المنفى الإجباري الذي تعيشه منذ طفولتها حتى الآن. هاجرت قحف مع والديها إلى الولايات المتحدة وهي طفلة عمرها ثلاث سنوات ونصف، ولا تستطيع العودة إلى بلدها الأم حتى الآن. تكشف هذه الأشعار المترجمة من الإنجليزية إلى العربية للمرة الأولى، من أحدث كتبها حبيبي يطعمني ليمون الجنة (٢٠٢٠)، أن الطعام يلعب دوراً محورياً في رسم الذكريات والمشاعر. فتصوير الطعام، وطرق طهيه، وتقديمه، وتناوله، هي إستراتيجية يستعملها الكاتب في المهجر بقصد أو من دون قصد للإبقاء على ذاكرة الوطن، واستدعاء طعمه وشكله ورائحته.
Food features prominently in the poetry of the Arab-American writer, Mohja Kahf, as a tool to recreate the aroma of the Syrian home amid exile. A three-year-old Mohja migrated with her parents from Syria to the US and is still unable to return. These poems, presented in Arabic for the first time from Kahf’s My Lover Feeds Me Grapefruit (2020), reveal that food plays a pivotal role in sketching memories and emotions. Portraying food, its preparation, serving, and consumption is a strategy used by writers in exile, intentionally or subconsciously, to preserve the memory of home by summoning food, its taste, looks, and smells
الثقافة الجماهيرية وبناء الهُويّة: تحليل نقدي لخطاب أغاني الفول في مصر / Popular Culture and Identity Formation: Critical Discourse Analysis of \u3ci\u3eFūl\u3c/i\u3e Songs in Egypt
No full textتهدف المقالة إلى فهم دور الثقافة الجماهيرية في تشكيل الهُويات الجمعية من خلال الإجابة عن سؤالين: لماذا يتحول الطعام إلى ساحة لتسوية صراع الهُويات القُطرية والاجتماعية أو إذكائها؟ وكيف ﻳﻮﻇﱢﻒ الخطاب الغنائي الطعامَ أداةَ إدماج للهويات، أو تفتيتها، وأداة إذكاء للصراعات الطبقية أو تسكينها؟ تقدم المقالة تحليلاً لتسع أغان موضوعها الفول بنوعيه؛ المدمس والسوداني. ويكشف تحليل الأغاني عن تنوع وظائف الطعام بوصفه رمزاً هوياتياً، فقد ﻭﻇﱢﻒ الفول في إنتاج هُويات جمعية حيناً وقُطْرية حيناً آخر، كذلك استُعمل أداةً لتسكين التطلعات الطبقية، وتعزيز الصراعات بينها في سياقات أخرى. توصي المقالة بإنجاز دراسات مستقبلية حول العلاقة بين الطعام والهُوية في خطابات شعبية أخرى.
This article aims to understand the role of popular culture in shaping collective identities through answering two questions: Why does food become an arena for resolving or stoking national and social struggles? How does lyrical discourse use food as a tool for integrating or fragmenting identities, and as a tool for inciting or allaying class conflicts? The article analyzes nine Egyptian songs about fūl (Beans and Peanuts), where fūl was used as a tool to produce collective and national identities, allay class aspirations, and reinforce conflicts between them. The article recommends further studies on the relationship between food and identity in other Egyptian popular discourses
Crafting Lives: Experiences of Ethiopian Refugees in Cairo
Get PDFThere has been an ongoing influx of refugees for years driven by political instability, famine, and prolonged conflicts in the region, leading many individuals to seek sanctuary in other countries. Egypt has become a host country for many years, whether for settlement or transit, for various populations from different nationalities hoping to find refuge. However, amidst this influx, Ethiopian refugees often find themselves overlooked or usually associated on the sidelines with other African nationalities; their stories and struggles are marginalized in broader narratives of displacement. The experience of Ethiopians is heterogeneous and multidimensional in terms of their intersectional identities of being a refugee, black, men or women, and discriminated against in the Egyptian milieu due to the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) crises. This is also triggered by an acute economic and legal situation, making living conditions for vulnerable populations worsen due to dramatic price hikes and uncertainty.
This thesis delves into the lived experiences of Ethiopian refugees in Cairo, specifically Oromo, focusing on their intersectional identities and the unique dynamics they navigate. The research traces the historical trajectories of the Ethiopian diaspora, examines labor dilemmas, and explores the confluence of identity axes in shaping their experiences and opportunities. Through a refugee-centered lens, the study analyzes how migration impacts and reshapes identity categorizations, and how Oromo in Egypt cope with these shifts in the face of the generalized disadvantaged position of victimization. By employing intersectionality as a guiding framework, the paper sheds light on the challenges Oromo Ethiopian refugees face in Egypt and the strategies they utilize to craft a life in such informality and liminality. Going beyond the mere ‘integration’ and nullifying the confines of the formal versus informal myopic dichotomy, labor as a nexus for accessing other needs and securing livelihoods will be a point of departure. Additionally, the role and dynamics of other entities in supporting the refugee community is explored. Through a detailed analysis of these themes, the research aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of the complexities of refugees’ experiences in Egypt and the broader implications for gender and refugee interdisciplinary studies
Assessing the Effects of Climate Change on Vulnerability to Poverty: the Case of Heat Waves and Construction Workers in Egypt
Get PDF“Doomsday, humanity’s extinction, the end of days”. Apocalyptic adjectives abound to highlight the danger looming over the planet, as the earth is warming up due to global warming and climate change. The picture painted over the canvas has consistently projected a gloomy image of low-income countries and of the poor. As the earth is gently boiling with heat, low-income groups in the Global South are predicted to be most affected. However, most of such warnings and studies focused on sectors directly dependent on suitable weather conditions such as agriculture, and sea tourism. While the climatic phenomena of heat waves may occur naturally, its increased frequency and magnitude induces Wet Bulb Temperatures (WBT), which represent the temperature of the human body under both heat and humidity. This study adopts a mixed methods approach and thoroughly dissects how increased Wet Bulb Temperature (WBT) affects the socioeconomic well-being of construction workers. The main variable of interest is the income of the construction worker. Additional data from the literature informed the addition of household food and health expenditure. The analysis reveals that increased WBT has an insignificant effect on construction workers who have a contract. However, the income of workers who are self-employed with daily targets is negatively and significantly affected by increased WBT. The analysis further shows a significant effect of WBT on households\u27 food expenditure. These effects generate a vicious cycle trapping the construction worker in poverty and precarity. Contrary to the literature, construction workers’ health in Egypt appears not to be affected by the increased WBT. Both the quantitative and qualitative data align in the same direction. Targeted interventions could contribute to breaking the vicious cycle generated by increased WBT to salvage the gloomy faith of the poor in the face of a boiling planet
How do the Entrepreneurial Motivations and Struggles of Egyptian Women Entrepreneurs Challenge Existing Perspectives?
No full textThis paper examines ten profiles of Egyptian women entrepreneurs and compares their perspectives to the widespread and main arguments in the existing literature reviewed on the topic; mainly their entrepreneurial motivation and challenges. The paper reveals similarities and contradictions, and introduces different angles to perceiving both aspects. The researcher concludes that contextualizing entrepreneurial motivations can, therefore, disclose deeper dimensions to the subject matter, and as for the challenges, it can change their relative importance. For the primary data collection, the paper follows a non-probability sampling approach by applying a purposive sampling technique. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted accordingly. The women entrepreneurs chosen varied in operating sector, age, marital status, and educational background. Yet, they all belonged to an affluent socio-economic class, which is utilized by the researcher for contextualization.
The results showcase that the sample’s entrepreneurial motivations cover a variety of features, including social, economic, familial, and personal aspects, rather than primarily being necessity-driven. As for the challenges, the results illustrate that the sample perceives the primarily ones reported in the literature with less intensity and that they are generally satisfied with the sized and performance of their businesses. Furthermore, they highlight interlinkages between the entrepreneurial motivations and the challenges reported by the interviewees that have gone unseen in previous studies.
The research concludes the need to approach the study of women entrepreneurship with gendered-lens. This entitles revisiting definitions, such as success. Moreover, the paper concludes that coupling the integration of context with the integration of gendered frameworks is essential in understanding the dynamics of women entrepreneurs in Egypt and in assessing their progress, and hence, in developing more relevant support mechanisms and interventions.
The research on Egyptian women entrepreneurs is vital as this paper is a response to 1) the scarcity of existing research within the context of Egypt, 2) the lack of thorough interpretations of women entrepreneurial drivers and challenges, and 3) the absence of contextualization in existing studies on the entrepreneurial motivations of Egyptian women and their main challenges
Machine Learning Multimodal Framework for Fake News Detection and Mitigation
Get PDFSocial media has become our new reality, people wake up every morning and the first thing they do before getting out of bed, is check their social media. Nowadays, people rarely read newspapers, they even rarely watch TV news or listen to radio broadcasts. In recent years, we have witnessed lots of fake news roaming social media every second, with people simply believing it and spreading it even more without checking the credibility of this news. This fake news affected several domains like what happened in the US election in 2016 and again in 2020, the false information about Covid-19 treatment, status in countries, vaccines, and others. A rumor can affect the stock market dramatically and cause a major economic crisis. Some websites are taking part in fighting this by relying on experts to fact-check news and they keep their websites updated with the fact-checked news and how real or fake they are. The main thing is that manual fact-checking requires quite a man labor and time that does not match the speed the news spreads. Therefore, the need for automatic fact-checking tools is becoming more urgent. In social media, the text of the post is not the only factor in spreading the news. The users’ engagement, by reposting, liking, commenting, and replying, affects the spread of the post. The credibility of the user also affects how people in the same circle react to the post. The way the news propagates in the network through time and the circle of networks is also an important factor. Much research has tackled the problem by considering mainly the textual content of posts, and some others focused on the user features. This research aims to develop a comprehensive machine learning framework for detecting fake news on social media by incorporating multiple modalities of data. The research proposes of a multimodal approach that integrates content-based, user-based, and propagation-based approaches. Specifically, it will examine how contextual information can enhance detection of fake social posts and the extent to which integrating news articles can further enhance this performance. Large langugae models are used for textual representation of social posts and news articles, and deep learning neural networks are used to capture the contextual features of the text and identify the post as fake or real. This integration yielded the TChecker model which could achieve an F1 score of 0.93 compared to 0.91 for state of the art models integrating both social posts and news articles. Additionally, the investigation will delve into the impact of social post metrics like retweets, replies, and likes and user features such as follower count and account age on the performance of fake news detection models. Those features are fed to the TChecker model resulting in the TChecker+ model which could achieve an F1 score of 0.94. Furthermore, the study will assess how the spread of news through social networks influences the identification of fake news and how the combination of propagation features with textual features can improve detection processes. Ultimately, the research will seek to identify the most effective approach for integrating these approaches to advance the reliability of fake news detection on social media platforms through proposing the Multimodal model. The results show an enhancement of the performance of the Multimodal model over stand-alone models that rely on one or two modes of features. The Multimodal model could achieve an F1 score of 0.96 compared to 0.91 by the state-of-the-art model that integrates the textual content of the post and its social context