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Contraception use among refugee and internally displaced women in Nigeria: A scoping review
No full textBackground: Nigeria, which has a large population of displaced women, lacks a current review of literature on the use of modern contraception in this group. This scoping review study aimed to map the literature on contraception use among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) living in refugee and IDP camps in Nigeria in the last five years. Methods: A literature search was conducted for full-text peer-reviewed original research articles published in English, which included women of reproductive age in refugee and internally displaced camps over the last five years. The literature search was conducted in PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and grey literature. Results: Four studies that met the eligibility criteria were selected for the review- one survey, two qualitative studies, and a mixed-methods study. Findings suggest the prevalence of knowledge of modern contraception was reported as 34%, while knowledge of sources of contraception was reported at 24% and 12%. The use of modern contraception was reported at 9% and 21.8%. Underutilization of contraceptives is related to poor knowledge, poor access to health facilities and contraceptives, and misconceptions about contraception. Discussion: The prevalence of knowledge and utilization of modern contraception was low due to factors such as poverty and lack of resources, poor decision-making, and child marriage. Condoms were the most used form of contraception due to their dual purpose. As well, the lack of knowledge about contraception sources was a significant barrier to access. Conclusion: The underutilization of contraception reported calls for health intervention through the provision of health infrastructure including contraceptives for displaced women in Nigeria. More research is recommended on the displaced women in Nigeria.
One Too Many, I Remember...
No full textThis poem, written collaboratively by two Lebanese sisters and aspiring healthcare professionals, delves into themes of contemplation, longing, and introspection. Through a heart-rending conversation with a foreigner, the sisters navigate Lebanon\u27s recent news, sparking a journey through memories of its better days. With evocative references to topics such as security, safety, infrastructure, healthcare, and mental health, this poem paints a collective portrait of Lebanon\u27s past and present echoes, inviting readers to reflect on its evolving situation.
 
Pixelated Personalities: Videogames, personality tests and what their confluence says about us.
No full textIn an era where digital landscapes bleed into people’s lives, the convergence of narrative videogames and personality tests stands as an intriguing yet overlooked frontier. This presentation delves into this intersection, drawing inspiration from the thought-provoking Black Mirror episode "Hang the DJ." It unfolds in a world where a dating system dictates the course of romantic relationships. Participants use a digital assistant to navigate a series of predetermined relationships, with the ultimate goal of finding their perfect match. The episode\u27s exploration of how technology influences and, at times, dictates personal connections provides a thematic backdrop for our investigation.
Our journey then ventures into “Swipe Night: Killer Weekend”, a narrative experience within the match-making app Tinder. Unlike "Hang the DJ", “Swipe Night: Killer Weekend” introduces users to a branching narrative structure, allowing them to make choices and influence the plot at critical junctures – and the potential matches. For a brief period, Tinder transformed into a dynamic storytelling platform, reshaping the way individuals connect in the digital realm: it challenged traditional paradigms, introducing a brand-new way to know more about a potential match’s personality based on their choices during the game.
Our exploration further extends to “FREERIDE”, a distinctive videogame contributing to the understanding of the intersection between gaming narratives and personality profiling. It transcends conventional gaming experiences by seamlessly blending open-world exploration with personality-driven decision-making and Daniel Vella’s concept of ludic subjectivity. Players traverse a richly detailed virtual environment while their choices subtly shape the unfolding narrative – and giving them a final judgement based on their decisions. Are you more of an explorer? Are you sociable? This game gives you actual scores after calculating how you controlled your avatar during your run.
As this presentation connects the dots between these three titles, it also aims to shed light on the consequences of integrating branching narratives\u27 elements and personality tests into digital platforms. It unveils a captivating landscape where pixels and personalities intertwine. From the speculative future of dating apps inspired by Black Mirror\u27s conceptual groundwork to the real-world experiments of “Swipe Night: Killer Weekend” and the immersive gameplay of “FREERIDE”, this presentation invites participants to contemplate the evolving relationship between digital narratives and the understanding of human personalities in our interconnected age. The synthesis of storytelling and user-driven choices not only redefines traditional gaming experiences; it also offers a glimpse into the transformative potential of interactive narratives in shaping the ways in which we humans connect, engage, and know ourselves. 
Optional Thinking and Loop Disentanglement Strategies in Films and Videogames
No full textOptional thinking (OT) is the cognitive ability to generate and compare alternative hypotheses to explain events. Not deploying OT in real-life may lead to premature acceptance of inadequate hypotheses and can result in dire consequences.(see Ben Shaul), 2012 for the methodological framework, research objectives and hypotheses underlying this proposal.). The skill of OT requires flexible cognition, not unlike the one sought for within the Cognitive Flexibility Theory (Spiro, 1992). The opposite to OT is closed- mindedness whereby holding a certain proposition true impedes the consideration of alternatives. The concept of data-base narration (Manovich, 2000)), stemming from digital culture and media, whereby different narrative trajectories or “algorithms” can run over the same database, is concurrent with Interactive narration, particularly in contemporary videogames where each gamer intervention bifurcates the story into different developments. The concept of database narration with its attendant interactive narration indicates a new moment in the history of classical narrative complexification (preceded by the Soviet Revolutionary films of the 1920s (e.g., Djiga Vertov’s Man with a Movie Camera (1929); the 1960s narrative complexity, particularly that of French New Wave film directors like Alain Resnais’s Last Year at Marienbad (1961); and contemporary complexification as in Christopher Nolan’s Memento (2000).
Nevertheless, the classical narrative scheme of “exposition, complication and resolution” is still resilient along with its close-minding consequences. This viewer close-minding results chiefly from the use of suspense strategies and the imparting of a deterministic sense that things could not have turned out in any other way despite the inherent basis of probability underlying all narration.
This database narrative complexity permeates interactive narration, particularly in contemporary videogames where each gamer intervention bifurcates the story into different developments as in “open World Games such as the Venice sequence in Assassin’s Creed where the gamer navigates his/her avatar, making different choices that lead to different optional trajectories a across the labyrinthine city. This is particularly relevant in respect of the “loop “inhering in the film Run Lola Runwhereby, in principle, Lola could restart at the end of a run further runs as she crosses Berlin again and again, This loop is also evident in the practice of video-gaming where the gamer often loops in his/her recurring attempts to overcome a game obstacle. These recurring attempts by video gamers to break free of the loop encourages optional thinking in gamers, due to their need to develop optional strategies at each recurring attempt at overcoming a difficult obstacle. This optional thinking process is beneficial and aids the exit of the loop as evidenced in Run Lola Run’s final scream scene and in the loop brake achieved upon successful decoding of a videogame obstacle’s previous impermeability
Communities, Structures, Entanglements: Critical Convergences in Interactive Practice and Theory
No full textThis editorial introduces Volume 4 of the Interactive Film and Media Journal, which brings together scholarly video essays and research-creation projects presented at the VI Interactive Film and Media Conference (#IFM2024), themed Communities – Structures – Entanglements. Framing interactivity not merely as a technical affordance but as a relational practice, the ensemble of presentations of this volume explores how digital media can reconfigure the conditions of storytelling, agency, and collaboration.
Contributions investigate the construction and mediation of community through participatory and counterpublic media; the ideological and experiential implications of narrative structures in interactive environments; and the epistemological, ethical, and affective dimensions of entanglement across digital systems, bodies, and spaces. By highlighting how these three conceptual pillars intersect across interdisciplinary, political, and aesthetic terrains, this collection affirms the vitality of interactive film and media as a tool for critical inquiry, speculative design, and socio-cultural transformation in an era marked by ecological uncertainty, technological proliferation, and shifting modalities of human connection
A Genetic Algorithm for Designing Cost Effective Multiphase Steels
No full textIn this paper a micro-genetic algorithm is presented to determine the optimal chemical compositions and thermomechanical processing of steel to generate low-cost steels with specific material properties. The algorithm utilizes an artificial neural network for the reduced order hardness model, correlation equations for tensile strength and elongation, and calculates the manufacturing cost to minimize a cost function. With this, the algorithm successfully generated steels that meet specified target hardness and tensile strength requirements, and it was successfully verified using the artificial neural network phase prediction model
Slow Shot Profile in High Pressure Die Casting
No full textIn High Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) the plunger moves with a specified shot profile, forcing the molten metal from the shot sleeve into the die cavity. The shot profile consists of two phases: a slow shot followed by a fast shot. Hence, it has a significant impact on the amount of entrained air during the metal feeding into the die cavity. The amount of entrained air affects the porosity of the casting. The level of porosity has a direct impact on the casting’s mechanical properties, its elongation, and strength. Numerical simulations have been carried out using Ansys-CFX to investigate the effect of various shot profiles on the amount of entrained air during the slow shot phase of the shot profile. Time-dependent simulations captured the effect of plunger speed on the wave forming inside the shot sleeve. The effect of critical slow shot velocities reported in the literature has been investigated
Asymmetric Modes In Transport Power Supply Systems
No full textWhen the voltage deviates from the nominal values, the operation of the power equipment of electric powersystems deteriorates. When the voltage in the network decreases, power losses increase and, as a result, fuel burnincreases to compensate for these losses. In addition, the performance of self-powered engines decreases, which canlead to a decrease in electricity generation. With an increase in voltage, the rate of aging of the insulation of electricalequipment increases, which can be the cause of emergencies. As the voltage increases, losses in the steel of powertransformers increase, which leads to an increase in the temperature of the steel. With an increase in voltage, thegeneration of reactive power by overhead power lines and batteries of static capacitors increases, which can lead to largevoltage rises in the network and the danger of breakdown of the insulation of electrical equipment. The listed harmfuleffects of voltage deviations in the network from the nominal values require measures to regulate the voltage in the network
Operation of Vehicles in Climatic Conditions of Uzbekistan and their Impact on Ecology.
No full textThe progressive development of the society is reflected in the changes in the existing nature and environment, along
with the simplification of the human way of life. Including the transport sector, which is an integral part of society, economy
and technical development, is not an exception. The effects that vehicles exert on nature and the environment directly
depend on the type and quality of fuel used when they are used, there are various ways to optimize these effects, and we
will cite the information and analyzes we have collected in our article. The effects that vehicles exert on nature and the
environment directly depend on the type and quality of fuel used when they are used, there are different ways to optimize
these effects. All fuel types currently in use have their own impact on ecology , but make it possible to assess usability
alternatives through analysis of their exploitation process. During the practical tests, we witnessed that alternative fuels
were able to show their good side more than traditional fuels. It was also considered that not only a significant minimum of
environmental impact, but at the same time could increase the operational period of the vehicle. The results of tests show
that when using alternative fuels correctly, it was found that vehicle detonation and adverse effects on ecology can be
minimized, as well as prolonging the period of use of internal combustion engines due to a decrease in thermal voltages
under proper operating conditions