18,702 research outputs found
A conceptual framework for supporting gender inclusivity in games
No full textGender inclusivity in games is still exploratory and, despite an increase in games and gender research, many challenges remain in designing a more gender-inclusive game. This thesis addresses the problem of how to support gender inclusivity in games by combining theories in games and gender. Existing research in games and gender tend to focus on finding out how each gender plays and their preferences in games. However, there is little evidence that researchers have approached the issue of gender inclusivity in games with the intent of building a cohesive understanding of gender inclusivity in games and the relationships that exist between the different dimensions and components. Consequently, this research has developed a conceptual framework that supports gender inclusivity in games.A central contribution of this research is the development of a Gender Inclusivity Framework (GIF) to support an integrative approach to understanding and evaluating gender inclusivity in games. The framework enables understanding of the makeup of gender inclusivity in games and measures the level of gender inclusivity in games. Drawing upon established theories and prior research findings, the framework indicates that gender inclusivity in games can be determined by three dimensions: (1) gameplay, which relates to game behaviours; (2) content, which relates to aesthetics elements of a game; and (3) genre, which relates to types of games. Each dimension in the framework is divided into individual components that can be modified or further investigated in future studies. Each component in combination describes the dimension in terms that can be measured and evaluated in empirical studies. Hence, the combination of dimensions and components used to construct the framework provide the description of gender inclusivity in games, which in turn predicts the degree of gender inclusivity in games.An example of GIF application has been demonstrated through the development of a novel measuring instrument called Gender Inclusivity Rating Scale (GIRS) and through a series of experiments, the GIRS has been validated and used in a research scenario to investigate the differences in gender inclusivity in game component between a gamer's gender role orientations.This thesis presents a detailed discussion of the GIF development, validation and application. For researchers, the GIF provides a common framework in which to conceptualise their research and make it easier to see how individual variables fit into the larger picture. For game designers, the GIF enables deconstruction of the concept of gender inclusivity in games into smaller, conceptually distinct and manageable components to guide the design of gender inclusivity in games
The Story of "Me" Contemporary American Autofiction
No full textCover -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Masculinity, Whiteness, and Postmodern Self-Consciousness -- 2. Rage against the Dying of the Author -- 3. The New Journalism as the New Fiction -- 4. Trauma Autofiction, Dissociation, and the Authenticity of "Real" Experience -- 5. Memoir vs. Autofiction as the Story of Me vs. the Story of "Me" -- Coda -- Appendix -- Notes -- References -- IndexDescription based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries
Remember Me A Novella about Finding Our Way to the Cross
No full textShades of Light.Cover -- Title Page -- Copyright -- Dedication Page -- Contents -- 1 The Word Became Flesh -- 2 The Gift of Myrrh -- 3 Taking the Cup -- 4 With a Kiss -- 5 Awakened -- 6 Accused -- 7 Bearing the Cross -- 8 Lament -- 9 Stripped -- 10 Pierced -- 11 It Is Finished -- 12 Into Your Hands -- 13 Buried -- 14 Risen -- Epilogue -- Journey to the Cross -- Acknowledgments -- Also Available -- Praise for Remember Me -- About the Author -- More Titles from InterVarsity PressShades of Light.Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries
"Test me and treat me" - attitudes to vitamin D deficiency and supplementation: a qualitative study
No full text© 2015 BMJ Open, "Test me and treat me"-attitudes to vitamin D deficiency and supplementation: a qualitative study. This manuscript version is made available under the Creative Commons Attribution Licens
ME-FastQ-R1andR2
No full textThe dataset is from a metabarcoding project on sediment samples from Lake Constance, Germany. The file corresponds to forward and reverse sequences representing Microbial ecology
Abdullah Ibrahim Interview by Dan Ouellette, 2019
No full textDan Ouellette on Abdullah Ibrahim:
The South African-born, Germany-based Abdullah Ibrahim was awarded a NEA Jazz Masters award in 2019. Known as Dollar Brand until his conversion to Islam in 1968, the pianist lived under the South African regime of apartheid, was exiled for playing jazz, was discovered by Duke Ellington while living and playing in Zurich, and launched into the jazz scene as a young upstart who jammed with Coleman Hawkins and became influenced by Thelonious Monk. He said recently, “I introduced myself to Monk, and I said, ‘I\u27m from South Africa, I think you’re great and thank you very much for inspiring me.’ He looked at me quizzically and walked around the room a couple of times and came back again and said that I was the first piano player to tell him that.” On his return to perform at the inauguration of Nelson Mandala, the new president of free South Africa called him “our Mozart.” Today the maestro of improvisation continues to enchant. “It’s the idea of being free,” he said. “It’s almost like abandonment, just playing with your feel and forgetting about the notes.
Book of the month: Kennetta Hammond Perry's London is the Place for Me
No full textAuthor: Desmond L. Kemp Indiana University Purdue University Our book recommendation of the month is London is the Place for me whereby activism in London and America has been an ongoing challenge for Black people. Perry delivers a solid account of how post-war Afro-Caribbean migrants resisted British racism to establish their citizenship in England. The introduction begins with a calypso music tribute in "Windrush Politics", sets the tone of social history for migrants with a tale of the arr..
Investigating the link between ICT intervention and human development using the capability approach: A case study of the computerised electricity management system
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel UniversityThere has been an increasing amount of investment in Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) interventions in developing countries under the premise of accelerating the process of social, economic and political development. These interventions are usually driven by the symbolic power of ICTs which signify progress and upon which the governments of developing countries try to draw to modernise the functioning of the state and to further enhance public service delivery to citizens. However, in this thesis it is argued that the actions and events that lead to the design and implementation of ICT4D tend to be politically motivated because ICT4D are simply interventions used by powerful actors and institutions to achieve their goals. These powerful actors include international donor agencies, politicians, top bureaucrats and private entities. In addition, it is argued that, due to these politically motivated agendas, ICT4D projects tend to be implemented in a top-down fashion and within an economic development perspective that appears to isolate the concerns of the country itself and the wellbeing of its citizens.
In an attempt to try and redress social exclusion and imbalance, the capability approach drawn from the work of Amartya Sen (1999) stresses the enhancement of human capabilities and the moral aspects of development. Theoretically, the study is based on the key concepts of Sen’s Capability Approach. However, Lukes’s (1974) concepts of power are also drawn upon to address the limitation of the capability approach in addressing the concept of power. The research questions guiding this thesis are as follows: (1) How do the underlying motivations of different actors drive the design and implementation of ICT4D initiatives in developing countries? (2) How can researchers usefully conceptualise the relationship between ICT and development given the complexities in which ICT4D initiatives are undertaken?
What conceptual framework could help theorise the complex relationship between ICT and development? Epistemologically, the study was conducted by following an interpretive research approach. The research was carried out in two states of Nigeria, Abuja and Plateau, and took place during the period of 2010-2011. The case-study centres on the initiation and implementation of the Computerised Electricity Management System (CEMS). Empirically, data collection techniques include 65 individual interviews, field observations and document analysis.
The following are key findings of this thesis:
ICT4D interventions are a complex process shaped at two levels. At the international level, they are shaped by donor agendas such as privatisation, and at the national or local level they are shaped by political and private interests. These agendas and interest are driven by powerful actors such as international donor agencies that often impose such interventions as a condition of aid, politicians who often use such interventions as campaign tools, and other top public and private actors who often use such interventions for personal gain. Hence, the beneficiaries of these projects usually have no say in the design of ICT4D projects but are rather forced to accept these interventions.
Corruption is a major obstacle that hinders the expected ICT4D contributions in terms of individual opportunities and freedoms of living better lives inscribed in ICT4D interventions. Corruption exists as a “network” involving different actors present at three levels of ICT4D projects, namely the design, implementation and usage stages. Viewed from this perspective, the findings of this study show that international donor agencies, politicians, public bureaucrats and private entities are equally responsible for promoting corrupt practices in the context of ICT4D interventions. Theoretically, this thesis progresses the operationalisation of the capability approach (CA) by encapsulating the central aspect of the approach and Lukes’s (1974) concept of power. This is an innovative way of operationalising the capability approach by addressing its limitations in explaining the notion of power; the study thereby contributes to the field of IS using the capability approach and expanding the scope of theoretical analysis of contemporary ICT4D studies.
Practically, to make the relationship between ICT and development more effective in meeting broader development goals, it is necessary for government policies to move beyond the mere provision of technology to also concentrate on the cultural, institutional, social and political aspects in ensuring the effective use of ICT resources, which should serve to improve people’s opportunity to participate more in social, political and economic activities
Dr. Ibrahim Gashi, veprimtar i përkushtuar për shqiptarizmin
No full textOn the fourth anniversary of his death the author writes about their life time friendship. Then he talks about his dedicated work on the field of education, and national culture highlighting some of his publications as a social activist. We find out that Dr. Ibrahim Gashi was born on August 23rd 1935 in Kruja region where his parents emigrated from Kosova as a result of Serb genocide. He studied at Tirana University and went on to work as teacher at high school. During 1984-1990 he lectured as an outsider at the Faculty of Natural Science at Tirana University. During his life was associated with Albanian Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization. He worked as a diplomat on Albanian Embassy in Slovenia during January 1993 - September 1996. He has published eleven books and many scientific paper work until he passed away on May the 9th 2012.Në 4-vjetorin e ndarjes nga jeta, autori ia kushton shkrimin e tij dr. Ibrahim Gashit. Në fillim, tregohen lidhjet e tyre miqësore, për një periudhë disavjeçare. Në vijim ndalemi në punën e përkushtuar të tij në fushën e arsimit dhe kulturës kombëtare shqiptare; spikasin veprimtaritë e palodhura të tij si aktivist shoqëror sidomos me disa botime të çmuara. Më tej, tregohet se dr.Ibrahim Gashi lindi më 23 gusht 1935, në rrethin e Krujës, ku më parë kishin ardhur prindërit e tij nga fshati Skënderaj i Kosovës, si të përndjekur nga regjimi serb. Studimet e larta Dr. Ibrahimi i përfundoi në Universitetin e Tiranës. Vite me radhë, ishte mësimdhënës në shkollat e mesme të vendlindjes dhe gjatë periudhës 1984-1990 dha leksione si pedagog i jashtëm, në Fakultetin e Shkencave të Natyrës të Universitetit të Tiranës. Gjatë jetës, ai kreu me përkushtim edhe disa detyra shoqërore. Ndër të tjera, ishte bashkëpunëtor aktiv i Institutit Shqiptar të Mendimit dhe Qyteterimit Islam (AIITC). Nga janari 1993 dhe deri në shtator 1996, Dr. I.Gashi kryeu detyrën e diplomatit (sekretar i dytë) në Ambasadën e Republikës së Shqipërisë në Slloveni. Doli në pension në vitin 1996, por përsëri dr.Ibrahim Gashi e vijoi pandërprerje punën kërkimore, studimore dhe botuese.Përveç shumë artikujve shkencorë e metodikë, për lëndët metematikë e astronomi dhe me temë shoqërore, botoi 11 libra dhe la në dorëshkrim disa të tjerë, dy prej të cilëve kanë objekt kronologjinë shqiptare. U nda nga jeta i nderuar dhe i respektuar, më 9 maj 2012
FGV Iffco Sdn. Bhd. / Muhammad Izzham Ibrahim
No full textAfter complete my industrial training, I had been exposed to a Wastewater Treatment Plant technician. Throughout my internship, I could understand more about the definition of a Wastewater technician and prepare myself to become a responsible and have higher thinking skills technician in future. Along my training period, I realize that observation is a main element to find out the root cause of a problem. Not only for my project but daily activities too. During my project, I cooperate with my supervisor and operators to determine the problems. Moreover, the project indirectly helps me to learn independently, discipline myself, be patient, self-trust, and take initiative and the ability to solve problems. Besides, my communication skills is strengthen as well when communicating with others. During my training period, I have received criticism and advice from engineers and technician when mistakes were made. However, those advices are useful guidance for me to change myself and avoid myself making the same mistakes again. Apart from that, I can also apply what I learn from introduction to environmental subject in semester 5. In conclusion, the activities that I had learned during industrial training really useful for me in future to face challenges in a working environmental
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