221 research outputs found
Breaking Dichotomies: Counter-Narratives in the Spoken Word Poetry of Suheir Hammad
No full textThis article analyzes the spoken word poetry of the Palestinian-American author, Suheir Hammad, who attempts to deconstruct dichotomies between Arabs and Americans and to create a concept of transnational humanness. Through cultural criticism, Hammad reverses the process of Othering when she humanizes Palestinians and detaches suffering from national belonging. Her creative resistance represents a renegotiation of Americaness and its relation to Islam and Arabs, and opens up de-nationalized spaces of comparison
Where are the mothers? Interrogating maternal mortality as a violation of the rights to life and health : a Nigerian and Ethiopian perspective
No full textA Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Law University of Pretoria, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Masters of Law (LLM in Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa). Prepared under the supervision of Dr. Salah Hammad, Faculty of Law, Addis Ababa University, AddisThesis (LLM (Human Rights and Democratisation in Africa))--University of Pretoria, 2009.The author argues that maternal mortality can easily be avoided and that the right to health and life is as much a developmental issue as it is one of human rights. Focuses on the maternal mortality ratio and relevant laws protecting women’s right to life and health in Nigeria and Ethiopia.http://www.chr.up.ac.za/Centre for Human RightsLL
“Challenging the Authority of Religious Interpretation in Saudi Arabia::The Transformation of Suhaila Zain al-Abedin Hammad
No full textTaking as its starting point that a male monopoly is a problem in the recognition of Islamic religious authority, especially in matters related to women, this chapter discusses the possibilities for challenging this monopoly. The author argues that it is necessary to create alternative sources of authority from within the realm of religious scholarship through women scholars laying direct claim to the interpretation of sacred texts. Al Fassi uses the works and experiences of the Saudi scholar, Suhaila Zain al-Abedin Hammad, as a specific example for this approach. Hammad, an accomplished religious scholar, has worked tirelessly through her writing, both in books and her weekly newspaper column, to address difficult issues in Islamic law, to rethink the use of weak hadiths, and to critique Saudi legal rulings. The chapter also considers the intense backlash against her work and her impact on Saudi public opinion. © 2020 selection and editorial matter, Dina El Omari, Juliane Hammer and Mouhanad Khorchide; individual chapters, the contributors
Genetic Investigation of Consanguineous Pakistani Families Segregating Rare Spinocerebellar Disorders
No full textSpinocerebellar disorders are a vast group of rare neurogenetic conditions, generally characterized by overlapping clinical symptoms including progressive cerebellar ataxia, spastic paraparesis, cognitive deficiencies, skeletal/muscular and ocular abnormalities. The objective of the present study is to identify the underlying genetic causes of the rare spinocerebellar disorders in the Pakistani population. Herein, nine consanguineous families presenting different spinocerebellar phenotypes have been investigated using whole exome sequencing. Sanger sequencing was performed for segregation analysis in all the available individuals of each family. The molecular analysis of these families identified six novel pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants; ZFYVE26: c.1093del, SACS: c.1201C>T, BICD2: c.2156A>T, ALS2: c.2171-3T>G, ALS2: c.3145T>A, and B4GALNT1: c.334_335dup, and three already reported pathogenic variants; FA2H: c.159_176del, APTX: c.689T>G, and SETX: c.5308_5311del. The clinical features of all patients in each family are concurrent with the already reported cases. Hence, the current study expands the mutation spectrum of rare spinocerebellar disorders and implies the usefulness of next-generation sequencing in combination with clinical investigation for better diagnosis of these overlapping phenotypes
Multimodal Learning Experience for Deliberate Practice
No full textWhile digital education technologies have improved to make educational resources more available, the modes of interaction they implement remain largely unnatural for the learner. Modern sensor-enabled computer systems allow extending human-computer interfaces for multimodal communication. Advances in Artificial Intelligence allow interpreting the data collected from multimodal and multi-sensor devices. These insights can be used to support deliberate practice with personalised feedback and adaptation through Multimodal Learning Experiences (MLX). This chapter elaborates on the approaches, architectures, and methodologies in five different use cases that use multimodal learning analytics applications for deliberate practice.Green Open Access added to TU Delft Institutional Repository 'You share, we take care!' - Taverne project https://www.openaccess.nl/en/you-share-we-take-care Otherwise as indicated in the copyright section: the publisher is the copyright holder of this work and the author uses the Dutch legislation to make this work public.Web Information System
Examination and Exploration of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of Two Immigrant-owned Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Greater Vancouver, Canada
No full textAlthough CSR has attracted attention from large enterprises, there have not been a lot of research studies focusing on the CSR efforts by small and medium enterprises, let alone those owned by immigrants. In this action research, the author examines and explores CSR efforts by two immigrant-owned small and medium enterprises in Greater Vancouver, Canada.
This action research aims to study: (1) SME’s perspectives on CSR, (2) the factors influencing SME’s CSR perspectives, and (3) how SMEs implement CSR. The study reveals that owners and employees of SME’s are aware of CSR, but have varied perspectives due to ambiguous CSR definitions and different backgrounds and experiences. Some unique factors identified which influence SME’s CSR perceptions include a high similarity among SME owners and employees, and the SME owners’ family education in early childhood, life experiences, and personal beliefs.
The author follows closely what Coghlan and Brannick (2010) has defined regarding the requirements of action research as guideline for evaluating details of this Action Research. Also, to analyze a huge volume of data collected from dialogues among participants, in this thesis, the thematic analysis had been applied as the method for interpreting data. Using thematic analysis to categorize seemingly unrelated data into different themes the researcher was able to utilize all qualitative data collected from action research and to gain knowledge under each theme (Braun & Clarke, 2006).
The two SMEs are in two different industries, tutoring and renovation, which affected the SMEs’ CSR implementation approaches. They served their customers in different ways, namely, educating grade-school students to achieve better academic performance for Company A and helping property owners to renovate and improve
their living places for Company B. On the other hand, there were common aspects of their CSR implementations, such as customers, environment, and society. Although seeking higher profits seems to be a good rationale for inducing firms to execute CSR for better customer satisfaction and loyalty, the author found that the SMEs participating in this core action research did not consider profit as a main concern when they made business decisions.
The two SMEs have been running since the late 90’s without formal CSR rules. During the action research projects, suitable CSR rules for each firm were created by the author and the participants from the companies collaboratively. In addition, results generated from this core action research are actionable knowledge which can be applied by other SME owners and researchers. Furthermore, the author argues that profits should not be the only objective for businesses since aspects such as corporate reputation and brand equity are also critically important. Firms need to balance all goals from a long-term perspective instead of focusing on short-run profits alone. Therefore, a profit optimization approach, considering all relevant goals, is more appropriate than simply pursuing profit maximization
Monitoring Snow-Covered Dynamics and Impact on Climatic Change
No full textGlaciated areas play a crucial role in cooling the planet; however, their accelerated melting initiates a feedback loop that decreases Earth\u27s albedo, leading to further warming and increased melting. This phenomenon poses significant risks to Pakistan\u27s agricultural productivity and energy supply, particularly in the Himalayan, Karakoram, and Hindukush (HKH) mountain ranges. These regions are undergoing substantial changes due to global warming and regional climate variability. Glaciers and snow packs in these areas function as natural reservoirs, releasing vital meltwater during the summer to sustain river flows, especially the Indus River, which is essential for Pakistan\u27s agriculture, drinking water, and hydropower. This study aims to monitor the extent, mass, and distribution of snow cover in the HKH ranges to assess local vulnerability and provide a comprehensive evaluation of ongoing climate change impacts. By analyzing Landsat 5, 7, and 8’s Tier 1 Top of Atmosphere (TOA) reflectance products, the annual median snow cover from 1991 to 2020 was calculated to visualize and quantify snow cover dynamics in Hunza Nagar, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The results revealed no significant trends in total snow cover, with only minor fluctuations and variations from the mean value, and notable reductions during strong El Niño years. These findings underscore the critical importance of glaciated areas and the threats posed by their melting. Ongoing monitoring and comprehensive regional assessments are vital to understanding the impacts of climate change on snow cover dynamics. Such efforts are essential for developing adaptive strategies to mitigate adverse effects on Pakistan\u27s water resources, agriculture, and energy systems
Monitoring Snow-Covered Dynamics and Impact on Climatic Change
No full textGlaciated areas play a crucial role in cooling the planet; however, their accelerated melting initiates a feedback loop that decreases Earth\u27s albedo, leading to further warming and increased melting. This phenomenon poses significant risks to Pakistan\u27s agricultural productivity and energy supply, particularly in the Himalayan, Karakoram, and Hindukush (HKH) mountain ranges. These regions are undergoing substantial changes due to global warming and regional climate variability. Glaciers and snow packs in these areas function as natural reservoirs, releasing vital meltwater during the summer to sustain river flows, especially the Indus River, which is essential for Pakistan\u27s agriculture, drinking water, and hydropower. This study aims to monitor the extent, mass, and distribution of snow cover in the HKH ranges to assess local vulnerability and provide a comprehensive evaluation of ongoing climate change impacts. By analyzing Landsat 5, 7, and 8’s Tier 1 Top of Atmosphere (TOA) reflectance products, the annual median snow cover from 1991 to 2020 was calculated to visualize and quantify snow cover dynamics in Hunza Nagar, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan. The results revealed no significant trends in total snow cover, with only minor fluctuations and variations from the mean value, and notable reductions during strong El Niño years. These findings underscore the critical importance of glaciated areas and the threats posed by their melting. Ongoing monitoring and comprehensive regional assessments are vital to understanding the impacts of climate change on snow cover dynamics. Such efforts are essential for developing adaptive strategies to mitigate adverse effects on Pakistan\u27s water resources, agriculture, and energy systems
How can potatoes be smartly cultivated with biochar as a soil nutrient amendment technique in Atlantic Canada?
No full textThe question if biochar is a suitable soil nutrient amendment for potato cultivation in the Atlantic Canada is yet to be answered. The objective of this study was to answer this question. Three replicates of twelve lysimeters, each 8000 cm2, were packed with an Atlantic Canada representative soil to cultivate potatoes with four treatments of soil amendments (T1 = control [no added nutrients], T2 = B [biochar], T3 = F [synthetic fertilizer @ recommended NPK], and T4 = B + F [biochar + recommended NPK]) under a completely randomized block design with factorial arrangements. Chemical analyses of soils were conducted for physical, hydrological, and chemical (including concentration of macro- and micro-nutrients) prior to and after the completion experiments to evaluate soil fertility and its resulting effects on crop yield. The biochar amendment improved soil micro- and macro-nutrients. Soil organic matter, pH, and cation exchange capacity (ECE) significantly increased by application of biochar. The maximum potato yield of 30,467.4 kg h−1 was achieved by the combined application of biochar and synthetic fertilizer as this combination resulted in the maximum net benefit (– 2621.49 ha−1. It is therefore concluded that biochar amendment of soils resembling to that of the Atlantic Canada representative soil used in this study, with a mix of recommended NPK for, can formulate a smart precision farming nutrient management technique for this region subject to the field trials and replicate experimental treatments for more than three times
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