Zeitschriftenartikel zum Thema „Conceptual Structures Merge“

AbstractSpintronics and Photonics constitute separately two disciplines of huge scientific and technological impact. Exploring their conceptual and practical overlap offers vast possibilities of research and a clear scope for the corresponding communities to merge and consider innovative ideas taking advantage of each other’s potentials. As an example, here we review the magnetic field modification of the optical response of photonic systems fabricated out of spintronic materials, or in which spintronic components are incorporated. This magnetic actuation is due to the Magneto Refractive Effect (MRE), which accounts for the change in the optical constants of a spintronic system due to the magnetic field induced modification of the electrical resistivity. Due to the direct implication of conduction electrons in this phenomenon, this change in the optical constants covers from the mid-infrared to the THz regime. After introducing the non-expert reader into the spintronic concepts relevant to this work, we then present the MRE exhibited by a variety of spintronic systems, and finally show the different applications of this property in the generation of active spintronic-photonic platforms.

This paper evaluates how land governance is re-arranged in a state re-structuring process. We compare the cases of the (re-)unification of China with Hong Kong with that of West and East Germany. The division and (re-)unification of these states mark different land governance re-arrangements. The China-Hong Kong (re-)unification relied on a one-country two-system (OCTS) approach, while in West and East Germany, (re-)unification resulted in the creation of a one-country one-system (OCOS). Our key interest is to identify similarities and differences in both cases and the implications of the differences. To support the analysis, we view land governance and (re-)unification from theoretical to practical lenses—structuration theory and the government tools-based approach. This supports the construction of a conceptual and analytical framework, with which we conduct an in-depth exploration to evaluate land governance re-arrangements. We find that the conceptual and analytical framework proves effective for countries, with entirely different land governance regimes, to decide whether to merge or adapt. We do not conclude which approaches for (re-)unification are appropriate to land governance re-arrangements since all countries have different historical contexts and institutional arrangements. Instead, we recommend that governments consider adaptive land governance in signification structures and focus on hierarchical enforcement in legitimation structures. While multi-level land governance in the domination structure phase is strongly required, issue-and-project-based land governance has a pivotal role in providing cross-boundary infrastructures. Nevertheless, further empirical analysis is recommended to verify how and where the re-arrangement processes are initiated and structured.

We propose a new numerical workflow based on stochastic data integration where we merge a conceptual geological model, drillhole geophysical and geological logs, and surface geophysical data to compute a unified numerical model of a volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposit. The first step of the workflow consists in building a three-dimensional (3D) numerical conceptual model of the geology. This conceptual model, as well as geological logs, is then used to generate multiple equiprobable scenarios of the geology by means of multiple-point simulation (MPS). The MPS method studies high-order statistics in the space of a numerical conceptual model, making it possible to reproduce complex geological structures. We then use conventional conditional sequential Gaussian simulation, which is a method based on a node-by-node sequential process, to stochastically populate the geological grid with densities. For this purpose we use available density logs to simulate multiple equiprobable spatial distributions of the density at high spatial resolution within each geological unit separately. The stochastic high-resolution density models are iteratively combined by the gradual deformation method to minimize the difference between measured Bouguer anomaly data and the data computed on the combined realizations of density. Application of the proposed method to the Lalor deposit, a VMS deposit in Manitoba, Canada, produces a density model that honours the geology of the deposit and the Bouguer anomaly data. This unified model has the advantage to include all the available information (geological and density logs and surface geophysics) at scales appropriate for mining applications.

Abstract. Active fumarolic solfataric zones represent important structures of dormant volcanoes, but unlike emitted fluids, their mineralizations are omitted in the usual monitoring activity. This is the case of the Campi Flegrei caldera in Italy, among the most hazardous and best-monitored explosive volcanoes in the world, where the landscape of Puteoli is characterized by an acid sulfate alteration that has been active at least since Roman time. This paper provides temperature, mineralogical, textural, compositional and stable isotope data for those solfataric terrains sampled at the crater and Pisciarelli slope of the Solfatara volcano between 2013 and 2019. Temperatures vary between 40 and 95 ∘C. Minerals include alunite with grain sizes generally larger than 20 µm, alunogen, native sulfur, well-ordered kaolinite, and, common at Pisciarelli, pyrite, illite and NH4 sulfates. Sulfate terrains have higher contents of Ti, Ba, Au, As, Hg and Tl relative to their parent substrate. The Pisciarelli slope is anomalous in terms of the presence of NH4. δ34S values for sulfides and native S range between −3.00 ‰ and 0.49 ‰ and from −4.42 ‰ to 0.80 ‰, respectively. Sulfates show δ34S and δ18O values in the range of −2.78 ‰ to 2.09 ‰ and between 4.60 ‰ and 31.33 ‰, respectively. The style of mineralization and the stable isotope geochemistry do produce complex and not completely consistent classifications and genetic constraints. We merge our data with volcanological information, data from exploration drillings and geophysical results. With the conceptual model, we suggest a series of shallow and deep aquifers interconnected like “communicating vessels” through a main fault system that downthrows Solfatara with respect to Pisciarelli. Fluid outflow from the different discrete aquifers hosted in sediments – and possibly bearing organic imprints – is the main dataset that allows determination of the steam-heated environment with a supergene setting superimposed. Supergene conditions and high-sulfidation relicts, together with the narrow sulfate alteration zone buried under the youngest volcanic deposits, point to the existence of an evolving paleo-conduit. The data will contribute to monitoring and evaluating the volcanic hazards.

Artificial intelligence, and in particular machine learning, is a fast-emerging field. Research on artificial intelligence focuses mainly on image-, text- and voice-based applications, leading to breakthrough developments in self-driving cars, voice recognition algorithms and recommendation systems. In this article, we present the research of an alternative graph-based machine learning system that deals with three-dimensional space, which is more structured and combinatorial than images, text or voice. Specifically, we present a function-driven deep learning approach to generate conceptual design. We trained and used deep neural networks to evaluate existing designs encoded as graphs, extract significant building blocks as subgraphs and merge them into new compositions. Finally, we explored the application of generative adversarial networks to generate entirely new and unique designs.

Abstract The present study explores (verbo)-visual metaphtonymy in Twitter-based Internet memes featuring Donald Trump, focusing both on the patterns of conceptual interaction of metaphor and metonymy and their socio-pragmatic potential to influence Internet users. The results of the study reveal four types of (verbo)-visual metaphtonymy employed in the analyzed Internet memes. The types are differentiated in accordance with the complexity of the metaphoric source: metaphtonymy with a simple metaphoric source, metaphtonymy with a metaphoric source structured by simple metonymy, metaphtonymy with a metaphoric source structured by metonymic chain, and metaphtonymy with a metaphoric source structured by radial metonymy. In all the four types, the metaphoric target is structured by metonymic amalgam – a metonymic complex in which metonymies that are based on different ICMs merge due to the association of contiguity that is relevant in the current communicative and social/political context. Besides metonymic amalgam, the study introduces the notion of radial metonymy – a metonymic complex that emerges when one metonymic source gives access to several metonymic targets. We argue that the analyzed metaphtonymies rest on conceptual incongruity created to trigger negative evaluative inferences and emotional responses to shape Trump’s image.

Extracting knowledge from huge data in a reasonable time is still a challenging problem. Most real data (structured or not) can be mapped to an equivalent binary context, with or without using a scaling method, as for extracting associations between words in a text, or in machine learning systems. In this paper, our objective is to find a minimal coverage of a relation [Formula: see text] with formal concepts. The problem is known to be NP-complete.1 In this paper, we exploit a particular difunctional relation embedded in any binary relation [Formula: see text], the fringe of [Formula: see text], to find an approximate conceptual coverage of [Formula: see text]. We use formal properties of fringes to find better algorithms calculating the minimal rectangular coverage of binary relation. Here, a formal context is considered as a binary relation. By exploiting some background on relational algebra in the present work, we merge some results of Belohlavek and Vichodyl,2 using formal concept analysis with previous results obtained by Kcherif et al.3 using relational algebra. We finally propose decomposition algorithms based on the relational formalization and fringe relations.

The present paper introduces a conceptual framework, followed by implementation of a structured company-wide questionnaire to examine empirically the issue of acculturation in business merger. Employees working at the acquiring firm grouped either as employees working at the headquarter or as employees working at the existing branches, when compared with their counterparts working at the newly established branch (formerly, the acquired firm), differ along various organizational cultural constructs which in turn lead to statistically significant differences in employees' working attitudes. Based on the above empirical findings, the authors therefore conclude that acculturation in business merger deserves serious attention.

For the implementation of Industry 4.0 –I4.0-, companies need the commitment of several departments, knowledge and technology within data management, cyber physical systems, and Internet of Things, among other pillars of I4.0. This industrial revolution—I4.0—offers opportunities for the development of competitive advantages, new market positions within a supply chain, new product design and processes, and manufacturing sustainability. Regardless of such benefits, for small and mid-size enterprises (SMEs) it represents a challenge, because they lack specific capabilities, qualified human resources, and technological and/or financial support. The challenges for SMEs from industrial sectors can be dealt with by means of strategic joint ventures, known as horizontal collaboration. Seen as the new vertical collaboration, horizontal collaboration offers a way for enterprises to combine their strengths in order to gain competitive advantages and develop new market opportunities. This paper presents the Resources and Value Horizontal Collaboration Model, “COHRV”, for its acronym in Spanish, structured as a guide to merge enterprises’ strengths such as knowledge transfer, qualified human resources, technology, and more. The COHRV model was designed as a disruptive business model, presenting a new perspective for horizontal collaboration projects between SMEs. To show the effective applicability of the COHRV model, data obtained from nine SMEs in a previous case study were used. The objective was to observe how the COHRV model works as a framework to create new strategies for SMEs, to work on a sustainable manufacturing venture.

Abstract This essay aims to focus on the concept of religion and its conceptual implications in the observation of African religions, taking the Yorùbá and Candomblé religious attitudes and beliefs as case studies. I intend to trace a new itinerary in the conceptualization of African religious experiences, using native structures as the setting for theory. I point out that African-Yorùbá religious experience is deeply merged with ritual practice – religion is made – and tied to a sense of origins and duties that must be fulfilled. In that vein, I present alternative categories to the classic ones of monotheism, polytheism, and pantheon.

Traditional treatment of work-related musculoskeletal disorders focuses on the body functions and body structures aspects of the injury, with little or no attention paid to ergonomics as a form of treatment. The use of ergonomics in preventing disability in injured workers is a relatively new area of study. There are a number of factors that may contribute to the lack of emphasis on ergonomic interventions in the prevention of disability following musculoskeletal injury. For instance, a review of the knowledge base suggests that there is a lack of a formal conceptualization or standardized approach to ergonomics in the return to work process. In part, this lack of consistency may be due to the varied disciplinary backgrounds of ergonomists, leading individuals to view ergonomics from a specific perspective, rather than utilizing a transdisciplinary approach. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new practice model of occupational rehabilitation ergonomics. The model draws upon the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) and merges this with basic ergonomic and rehabilitation principles.

Dictyostelid social amoebas respond to starvation by self-organizing into multicellular slugs that migrate towards light to construct spore-bearing structures. These behaviours depend on excitable networks that enable amoebas to produce propagating waves of the chemoattractant cAMP, and to respond by directional movement. cAMP additionally regulates cell differentiation throughout development, with differentiation and cell movement being coordinated by interaction of the stalk inducer c-di-GMP with the adenylate cyclase that generates cAMP oscillations. Evolutionary studies indicate how the manifold roles of cAMP in multicellular development evolved from a role as intermediate for starvation-induced encystation in the unicellular ancestor. A merger of this stress response with the chemotaxis excitable networks yielded the developmental complexity and cognitive capabilities of extant Dictyostelia. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Basal cognition: conceptual tools and the view from the single cell’.

This paper introduces the conceptual design of a submersible seaplane that merges the maturity of the wing-in-ground (WIG or ekranoplan) crafts and seaplanes with covert hybrid underwater insertion, travel, and recovery. WIG crafts have a higher lift-to-drag ratio and thus improved endurance, while hybrid crafts have recently become feasible due to advances in materials, electric propulsion, and multi-medium computational fluid dynamics. The reconnaissance design can insert, loiter, and extract from underwater, surfaces if necessary; it can fly in or out of ground effect, keep watch on the sea surface while recharging, and travel underwater. This design minimizes Doppler and infrared signatures to evade the surface wave, backscatter radar systems, and cube satellite arrays typical in contested maritime areas. Five critical enabling technologies are overviewed, showing how they enable a conceptual design. This project was conducted in collaboration with two industrial partners, namely Ron Allum and Thales Australia. The conceptual design has been socialised and confirmed at technical conferences from each core discipline and partly confirmed by a recent Chinese design and testing of a similar hybrid uncrewed aerial vehicle (HUAV). Recommendations are made for improving the conceptual design before proof-of-concept prototype testing. Given the seminal nature of HUAV design and research and some of the unique innovations proposed, the lessons learned from this iteration will likely be significant to other designers and researchers.

This article explores the profound themes and conceptual framework of the performance installation, "7 Abiku solos for 11 bacteria falling through" which merges sounds, texts, images, and movement to engage the audience in an imaginative exploration of the unborn. The work delves into the realms of mortality, wandering souls, and regimes of invisibility. It delves into an unacknowledged past, embodying a ghostly memory that represents a forbidden, mutilated, and foreign existence.The project is framed within an anti-colonial context, emphasizing a choreography of the struggling body as it seeks escape from hazardous environments and transcends borders. It embraces the choreography of contamination, celebrating fugitivity and displacement as transformative actions. With a transdisciplinary approach, the work aims to materialize and give shape to nonhegemonic voices and existences. It encourages the exploration of impossible choreographies and envisions alternative cosmological futures that address social, gender, and racial inequalities. This pursuit of a radical aesthetic shift fosters collaborative efforts to challenge prevailing power structures.

In this paper, I argue in favor of the view that a generative lexicon, as advanced in lexicalist theories, might not be needed to derive verbal’s argument structure. I instead support the hypothesis that a verb’s meaning emerges as a result of the syntactic structure in which it is merged and that the role of lexical items/roots reduces to their idiosyncratic encyclopedic content. These two assumptions are executed via adopting the proposal that splits the traditional VP structure into two main functional heads, namely VoiceP and vP, and via endorsing the architectural assumptions advanced in the framework of Distributed Morphology. The main empirical support for this claim comes from verbs that appear in syntactic structures that are not in consonance with their semantic-conceptual content, Arabic varieties that lost their vocalic melodies that would otherwise encode thematic roles, and spray-load alternation. This paper concludes by exploring language-particular processes whose non-applicability goes beyond morphology, the analysis of which supports the role of the Encyclopedia.

Abstract Dual-Doppler observations with unprecedented finescale spatial and temporal resolution are used to characterize the vector wind field in and near a tornado occurring near Kiefer, Oklahoma, on 26 May 1997. Analyses of the dual-Doppler vector wind fields document in detail, for the first time, several structures associated with the tornado: a proximate updraft region, a rear-flank downdraft wrapping around the tornado, a double gust front structure occluding near the tornado, and a region of enhanced vorticity separated from the tornado that may have been associated with cyclic tornadogenesis. The analyses are compared to conceptual and computer models of tornadic storms. A subsequent tornadogenesis was observed with radar every 18 s, providing a finescale temporal view of the genesis process. The genesis process was complex and the evolution of tornado intensity parameters was not monotonic in time. Low-level rotation contracted and intensified, then broadened, then contracted and intensified a second time to form the tornado. The initial tornadogenesis was coincident with the merger of the main supercell and a much smaller convective storm. This tornado, which was always surrounded by substantial precipitation originating from both storms, began to dissipate just a few minutes after genesis, and the rotation both aloft and near the surface weakened substantially. A second storm merger, with a much larger and supercellular storm, was coincident with a reintensification of the mesocyclone aloft, a new hook echo development, and the genesis of a short-lived tornado. After the dissipation of this second tornado, the merger disrupted the structure of the supercell storm, the hook echo was absorbed, and the mesocyclone dissipated. The current analysis suggests a process in which storm mergers may, in sequence, aid tornadogenesis by enhancing surface convergence, or through another mechanism, but subsequently disrupt the tornado’s parent supercell perhaps by cooling the inflow air, with the result being short-lived tornadoes.

Purpose. Modern business is increasingly focusing on alternative options for integration among corporate growth stimulation measures, in particular, through the formation of new strategic alliances, collaboration with enterprises and start-ups, as well as through mergers or acquisitions. That is why the research is aimed at solving problems of effective management of personnel in the process of merger of enterprises, in particular, in the machine building industry by merging, takeover or otherwise integrating business, as well as at developing modern approaches to personnel management in business mergers. HR systems should be adapted to the specific conditions of the merger or takeover of business structures, taking into account the relevant phases of the process of enterprise integration. Methodology. The methodological basis of the study consist of general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis, comparative study of the economic processes in the management of personnel in the conditions of mergers and takeovers of business structures. The empirical method is used to describe the problem of taking into consideration the management of particular features of individual phases of the process of enterprise integration. This monographic study of a defined problem has given an opportunity to obtain results of practical significance and scientific value. Results. The necessity of taking into account the specifics of the individual phases of the merger of enterprises in the management of integrated business personnel is substantiated. It has been obtained the further development of HR-tools, HR-methods, and HR-practices, the use of which during the business mergers will help to address the shortage of key skills and improve the efficiency of the integrated business. Practical implications. Applied guidance on human resources management can be successfully implemented in the machine-building enterprises of Ukraine in the process of their merger with the aim of creating a more efficient integrated entity. The results of the study provide an opportunity to clearly outline the peculiarities of the phases of the process of business combining, which necessitate the use of appropriate HR-tools, HR-methods, and HR-practices for the integrated business. Originality. The novelty of the results is the conceptual scheme of the personnel decision-making in the conditions of organizational changes in the combination of machine-building enterprises taking into account the three-phase process of their integration. The article focuses on the crucial importance of using HR-practices in accordance with the phases of the merger process to ensure the success of mergers and takeovers, resulting in new business combinations. The article explores HR-practices in the field of mergers and takeovers, which create new business combinations. The expediency of using HR-tools and HR-methods is proved for domestic enterprises operating in the field of machine-building, which are interested parties of integration processes. The developed human resources recommendations make it possible to increase the organizational efficiency of functioning of newly formed and already existing associations of machine-building enterprises.

Introduction: Globally, higher education institutions are faced with training nursing students to meet the healthcare demands of an ever-changing society. In nursing education, innovative ways are essential to instil professionalism among nursing students to prepare them for managing complex practice issues without compromising the professional standards of nursing. This paper concentrates on developing a conceptual framework, for the facilitation of professionalism among undergraduate nursing students at a higher education institution in South Africa. Methods: This study was a constructive paradigm research with qualitative descriptive approach. Data was collected by focus group interviews with participants (three cases). Different phases were followed in the framework development using the case method. In Case 1, focus groups (n=8) were held with student nurses from each of the levels of a four-year degree program (n=42). In Case 2, focus groups (n=3) and unstructured interviews (n=1) were conducted with purposively selected nurse educators (n=20), representing academics and clinical facilitators. Case 3 comprised of semi-structured individual interviews (n=5) and focus groups (n=5), a total of 29 preceptors in professional practice. An analysis of a within-case followed by cross-case data analysis, resulted in merged themes of three cases that emerged as an overall case study. Results: Actual accounts of the participants` experiences on nursing professionalism during theory and practice education were captured in the six concepts of the Practice Orientated Theory that structured the developed framework. Conclusion: A logical methodological description of creating a framework on nursing professionalism was outlined and the conceptual framework can be evaluated for transferability to other similar nursing education training environments.

Summary Does this comply with the “Volksgeist” now? Questions of validity in “Modern Roman Law”. The article examines the impact of the “Volksgeist” (national spirit), as the basis of the theory of legal sources developed by the Historical School of Law, on methodological history. Although in 1814 Savigny used the term “sensing the principles”, the methodological history, even nowadays, assumes that the “Volksgeist” exclusively contains rational structures and is therefore ‘reasonable’. Still and despite all doubts concerning this concept, the “Volksgeist” is merged with “Begriffsjurisprudenz” (conceptual jurisprudence). In contrast, this article develops a methodological program of the Historical School of Law in which rational approaches were always accompanied by irrational ones, appealing to intuition, a sense of justice, and a ‘child-like sense’ as an access to truth. Viewed from a philosophical perspective, the decisive key terms, introduced by Savigny in 1814, are “nature, fate and need”. Methodologically, the focus reveals, around the special significance of “analogy”, the “nature of things”, the “practical needs” and the “sense of justice” as ways to contribute to the legal cognition.

This qualitative case study examined how middle school science teachers conducted collaborative inquiry and reflection about students’ conceptual understanding, and how individual teachers in the middle school science group acted and made reflections in response to their collaborative inquiry. It also examined external influences that affected the teachers’ ability to engage in collaborative inquiry. Observational, written, and interview data were collected from observations of teachers’ face-to-face meetings and reflections, individual interviews, a focus group interview, and online reflections. The results of this study revealed that collaborative inquiry is a form of professional development that includes answering curricular questions through observation, communication, action, and reflection. This approach was developed and implemented by middle school science teachers. The premise of an inquiry is based on a need with students. Middle school science teachers came to consensus about actions to affect students’ conceptual understanding, took action as stated, and shared their reflections of the actions taken with consideration to current and upcoming school activities. Activities involved teachers brainstorming and sharing with one another, talking about how the variables were merged into their curriculum, and how they impacted students’ conceptual understanding. Teachers valued talking with one another about science content and pedagogy, but did find the inquiry portion of the approach to require more development. The greatest challenge to conducting collaborative inquiry and reflection was embedding teacher inquiry within a prescribed inquiry that was already being conducted by the Sundown School District. Collaborative inquiry should be structured so that it meets the needs of teachers in order to attend to the needs of students. A conducive atmosphere for collaborative inquiry and reflection is one in which administrators make the process mandatory and facilitate the process by removing an existing inquiry.

Whole-directional scanning methodology is required to observe distinctive features of an entire physical structure with a three dimensional (3D) visualization. However, the implementation of whole-directional scanning is challenging for conventional optical coherence tomography (OCT), which scans a limited portion of the sample by utilizing unidirectional and bidirectional scanning methods. Therefore, in this paper an integrated quad-scanner (QS) strategy-based OCT method was implemented to obtain the whole-directional volumetry of a sample by employing four scanning arms installed around the sample. The simultaneous and sequential image acquisition capabilities are the conceptual key points of the proposed QS-OCT method, and were implemented using four precisely aligned scanning arms and applied in a complementary way according to the experimental criteria. To assess the feasibility of obtaining whole-directional morphological structures, a roll of Scotch tape, an ex vivo mouse heart, and kidney specimens were imaged and independently obtained tissue images at different directions were delicately merged to compose the 3D volume data set. The results revealed the potential merits of QS-OCT-based whole-directional imaging, which can be a favorable inspection method for various discoveries that require the dynamic coordinates of the whole physical structure.

Purpose This paper aims to draw on Latour’s (1991) conceptual “performative” framework to investigate the role of management control systems (MCSs) in the establishment of post-acquisition integration. The study adopts a qualitative case study approach, where data are collected and analysed from an Australian company which had recently completed a number of acquisitions. Findings demonstrate the performative powers and effects of MCSs, which contribute to shaping customer and sales integration activities, including the forms some resistance may take. In this case, a bitter betrayal was perceived to have occurred in an early stage of the merger, and this paper argues that the use of a performative theoretical framework has enabled subsequent post-acquisition integration strategies to be rendered more visible and thus actionable. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative approach where data are collected and analysed from an Australian case study company which had recently completed a number of acquisitions. Research methods used include semi-structured interviews, a review of archival documents and observations to capture daily integration activities and practices of actors operating in the company. Findings Findings demonstrate the performative powers and effects of MCSs, which structure customer and sales integration activities and make post-acquisition integration relations strategy visible and actionable. Research limitations/implications Findings are only on one case study, and there is a need to undertake further detailed case studies across a range of industries and timeframes, plus, where possible, revisit such studies post hoc to assess the stability of success of the integration. Practical implications Integration strategy and strategic change may be constituted by non-human actants such as MCSs. Practitioners who are engaged in acquisitions and making integration decisions need to recognise that MCSs do not merely play a subordinate role to integration strategies, but rather is an important moderating variable that play an active role in their formulation, configuration and enactment. Originality/value A performative approach is taken to provide a broader analytical framework for analysing the construction and sustaining of post‐acquisition integration relations, where there is no distinction between technical and social dimensions of action but, rather, the two are merged. This makes it possible to overcome the limitations inherent in existing theoretical frameworks. Using this approach, integration relations involve construction of a network of entities that are enrolled to support, create and sustain the integration.

Abstract This study explores the dynamics of thermohaline staircases: well-defined stepped structures in temperature and salinity profiles, commonly observed in regions of active double diffusion. The evolution of staircases in time is frequently characterized by spontaneous layer-merging events. These phenomena, the authors argue, are essential in regulating the equilibrium layer thickness in fully developed staircases. The pattern and mechanics of merging events are explained using a combination of analytical considerations, direct numerical simulations, and data analysis. The theoretical merger model is based on the stability analysis for a series of identical steps and pertains to both forms of double diffusion: diffusive convection and salt fingering. The conceptual significance of the proposed model lies in its ability to describe merging events without assuming from the outset specific power laws for the vertical transport of heat and salt—the approach adopted by earlier merging models. The analysis of direct numerical simulations indicates that merging models based on the four-thirds flux laws offer adequate qualitative description of the evolutionary patterns but are less accurate than models that do not rely on such laws. Specific examples considered in this paper include the evolution of layers in the diffusive staircase in the Beaufort Gyre of the Arctic Ocean.

Kolb’s experiential learning cycle is typically applied in short-term, episodic snapshots of time, while understating the implications of continual, longer-term learning. This fixed-frame, episodic usage may diminish the knowledge that learners bring into an educational experience and the continued shaping of knowledge through future experiences. Thus, the purpose of this conceptual article is to explore how Kolb’s experiential learning cycle is currently utilized and to propose a reconceptualized model that emphasizes learning as a continuous process rather than a fixed mode of learning. A model that merges episodic and lifelong could aid practitioners and researchers in recognizing prior and future learning cycles outside of time-bound, structured learning. This research has implications for practice as the model can be used to address prior learning students are bringing with them, learning during the experience, and further transforming this learning beyond that of a short-term experience. Future research is recommended to explore prior and future learning based on this model as a metacognitive tool to prepare learners before engaging in an experience. Describing the learning process through the lens of experiential learning prior to an experience has the potential to develop a growth mindset in learners, in turn increasing self-efficacy.

Abstract. Material flow analysis and environmental contamination analysis are merged into a flux-flow analysis (F2A) as illustrated for the metal circulation in the Seine River catchment. F2A combines about 30 metal flows in the anthroposphere (14 million people) and/or metal fluxes in the environment (atmosphere, soils, and aquatic system) originating from two dozens of sources. The nature and quality of data is very heterogeneous going from downscaled national economic statistics to upscaled daily environmental surveys. A triple integration is performed: space integration over the catchment (65000 km2), time integration for the 1950–2000 trend analysed at 5 year resolution, and a conceptual integration resulting in two F2A indicators. Despite the various data sources an average metal circulation is established for the 1994–2003 period and illustrated for zinc: (i) metal circulation in the anthroposphere is now two orders of magnitude higher than river outputs, (ii) long term metal storage, and their potential leaks, in soils, wastedumps and structures is also orders of magnitude higher than present river fluxes. Trend analysis is made through two F2A indicators, the per capita excess load at the river outlet and the leakage ratio (excess fluxes/metal demand). From 1950 to 2000, they both show a ten fold improvement of metal recycling while the metal demand has increased by 2.5 to 5 for Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn, and the population by 50%.

Background: Virtual surgical planning allows surgeons to meticulously define surgical procedures by creating a digital replica of patients’ anatomy. This enables precise preoperative assessment, facilitating the selection of optimal surgical approaches and the customization of treatment plans. In neck surgery, virtual planning has been significantly underreported compared to craniofacial surgery, due to a multitude of factors, including the predominance of soft tissues, the unavailability of intraoperative navigation and the complexity of segmenting such areas. Augmented reality represents the most innovative approach to translate virtual planning for real patients, as it merges the digital world with the surgical field in real time. Surgeons can access patient-specific data directly within their field of view, through dedicated visors. In head and neck surgical oncology, augmented reality systems overlay critical anatomical information onto the surgeon’s visual field. This aids in locating and preserving vital structures, such as nerves and blood vessels, during complex procedures. In this paper, the authors examine a series of patients undergoing complex neck surgical oncology procedures with prior virtual surgical planning analysis. For each patient, the surgical plan was imported in Hololens headset to allow for intraoperative augmented reality visualization. The authors discuss the results of this preliminary investigation, tracing the conceptual framework for an increasing AR implementation in complex head and neck surgical oncology procedures.

Purpose Sustainability and competitiveness have received extensive attentions. Despite a large number of studies on sustainability and competitiveness in the construction industry, little research has been conducted to holistically explore the interactions between these two concepts. From a dynamic transition perspective, the purpose of this paper is to link sustainability and competitiveness of construction firms by developing a Sustainability-Competitiveness Dynamic Interaction Framework (SCDIF). Design/methodology/approach Conceptual theory-building approach was adopted to develop the conceptual framework. It is an iterative analysis and synthesis process, which involves reading literature, identifying commonalities and differences, synthesizing, proposing an initial framework, collecting additional literature, and revisiting and revising the framework. Findings There are complex interactions between sustainability and competitiveness of construction firms. This leads to uncertain relationships between sustainability and competitiveness, which is context dependent. Under evolving economic and socio-political environments, sustainability and competitiveness of construction firms could transition from mutually exclusive to mutually supportive, and finally merge into “sustainable competitiveness.” Research limitations/implications A SCDIF proposed in this study demonstrates that the interactions between sustainability and competitiveness evolves according to the evolving economic and socio-political environments and firms’ strategies, and thus the relationships and interactions between sustainability and competitiveness are context dependent. This framework helps corporate managers to understand how corporate sustainability and competitiveness interact with each other, thereby informing their decision-making of sustainability strategy. Similarly, the framework provides useful references for policymakers to understand the mechanisms of transitioning industries toward sustainable competitiveness. Originality/value The proposed framework offers a new perspective for understanding sustainability and competitiveness. From the dynamic transition perspective, this study effectively illustrates that the interactions between sustainability and competitiveness evolves according to the evolving economic and socio-political environments and firms’ strategies. Compared to existing approaches, the dynamic and holistic approach proposed in this paper provides the capacity to capture the complexity of sustainability and competitiveness.

Based on the McKinsey 7S Framework, this study was undertaken to assess the effect of Style on post-Merger and Acquisition (M&A) performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The independent variable of the study is Style, operationalized through change communication, post-M&A change management, and post-M&A leadership. Post-M&A integration, the moderating variable, is measured by the degree and rate of integration. This study is anchored on the Three-step change, Resource Based View, and Universalistic Best Practice theories. The Kenyan commercial banking sector has 38 registered commercial banks currently operating in the industry; 29 of which have undergone M&A activities. A sample of 10 banks, involved in M&A activities for a period ranging from six months to five years, was selected. This timeframe recommended by Masoud et al., (2020) is critical for M&As as it allows the assessment of both short-term and medium-term integration outcomes, where initial challenges are addressed and operational synergies start manifesting. Data was collected using both primary and secondary sources. Primary data, analyzed through content and framework analyses provided qualitative insights into integration practices. Secondary data, primarily consisting of financial ratios of bank performance (Return on Assets, Return on Equity, Return on Investment, Operating Profit Margin, and Net Profit Margin) was analyzed using the Independent Sample T-test in SPSS version 28.0. Correlation analysis and inferential statistics were employed to measure the strength of relationships between study variables. The study employed a 95% confidence level with a 5% level of precision, ensuring that the results were robust and could be generalized with minimal error. These levels of precision and confidence enhance the reliability and quality of the research by reducing the likelihood of making incorrect inferences about the broader population. The findings reveal that effective change communication post-M&A significantly enhances employee engagement and reduces resistance, which in turn positively influences overall organizational performance. Change management practices that are structured and inclusive of employee feedback contribute to smoother integration processes, minimizing disruptions to operations and customer service. Leadership style was found to be a critical factor in the success of M&As, with collaborative and change leadership resulting to better post-M&A outcomes. The results further confirmed that the conceptual framework accurately predicted post-M&A performance, with Style having a positive, statistically significant effect. Additionally, post-M&A integration was found to moderate the relationship between Style and post-M&A performance, amplifying the positive outcomes when the integration was well-executed. The study concludes that the style of managing change, communication, and leadership post-M&A is critical in determining the success of commercial banks in Kenya, with a strong emphasis on transparent communication, structured change processes, and adaptive leadership styles. These findings suggest that adopting best practices in these areas can significantly enhance post-M&A performance. To enhance post-M&A performance of commercial banks, this study recommends integration of operations and systems, implementation of robust performance measurement systems, effective communication, leadership, and change management. There is need for future studies on the effects of M&A activities on the risk profile of commercial banks. This could involve examining how changes in the size, diversification, and complexity of the institution following M&A impact its risk exposure and resilience to external shocks.

Introduction:This paper explores and merges two important fields of coaching; Group Coaching and Authentic Leadership Development (ALD). It develops a theory of group coaching and builds this into a conceptual and evidence-based method of ALD.Design:Four authentic leadership coaching groups were conducted over an 18-month period. Each group consisted of five or six senior leaders and were run once a month over a three-month period. After a three-month gap, recorded semi-structured interviews were conducted with all participants to capture the learning and behaviour change that these leaders had experienced as a result of the group-coaching programme.Results:A Grounded Theory approach was applied to the analysis of monthly diary and final interview data which resulted in a two-part theory. Firstly, how the process of a group-coaching approach to ALD works, and secondly, what the output of this approach is in terms of individual leadership. A model was developed comprising four core concepts of authentic leadership along with seven sub-categories of key leadership skills.Conclusion:This research brings together the two key areas of group coaching and leadership development and contributes to the field of leadership coaching by offering both amodeland amethodof ALD. It offers an underpinning theory of each and introduces a model of authentic leadership based on the core concepts of conscious, competent, confident and congruent leadership.

Abstract. Material flow analysis and environmental contamination analysis are merged into a Flux-Flow analysis (F2A) as illustrated for the metal circulation in the Seine River catchment. F2A combines about 30 metal flows in the anthroposphere (14 million people) and/or metal fluxes in the environment (atmosphere, soils, and aquatic system) originating from two dozens of sources. The nature and quality of data is very heterogeneous going from downscaled national economic statistics to upscaled daily environmental surveys. A triple integration is performed: space integration over the catchment (65 000 km2), time integration for the 1950–2000 trend analysed at 5 year resolution, and a conceptual integration resulting in two F2A indicators. Despite the various data sources an average metal circulation is established for the 1994–2003 period and illustrated for zinc: (i) metal circulation in the anthroposphere is now two orders of magnitude higher than river outputs, (ii) long term metal storage, and their potential leaks, in soils, wastedumps and structures is also orders of magnitude higher than present river fluxes. Trend analysis is made through two F2A indicators, the per capita excess load at the river outlet and the leakage ratio (excess fluxes/metal demand). From 1950 to 2000, they both show a ten fold improvement of metal recycling while the metal demand has increased by 2.5 to 5 for Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn, and the population by 50%.

BACKGROUND: Transitions between clinical units are vulnerable periods for patients. A significant body of evidence describes the importance of structured transitions, but there is limited reporting of what happens. Describing transitions within a conceptual model will characterize the salient forces that interact during a patient transition and, perhaps, lead to improved outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To describe the processes and resources that trauma centers use to transition patients from critical care to nonintensive care units. METHODS: This cross-sectional study surveyed all Level I and II trauma centers listed in the American Trauma Society database from September 2020 to November 2020. Data were merged from the American Hospital Association 2018 Hospital Survey. RESULTS: A total of 567 surveys were distributed, of which 152 responded for a (27%) response rate. Results were organized in categories: capital input, organizational facets, employee behavior, employee terms/scope, and labor inputs. Resources and processes varied; the most important opportunities for transition improvement included: (1) handoff instruments were only reported at 36% (n = 27) of trauma centers, (2) mandatory resident education about transitions was only reported at 70% (n = 16) of trauma centers, and (3) only 6% (n = 4) of trauma centers reported electronic medical record applications that enact features to influence employee behavior. CONCLUSIONS: After years of focusing on transitions as a high-stake period, there remain many opportunities to develop resources and enact effective processes to address the variability in transition practice across trauma centers.

The Russian Federation by its geographical position is a maritime power that had been occupying a leading position until a certain period of time. All the processes taking place in Russia during the transition period to a market economy negatively affected the country's maritime activities. In recent years, Russia has been making serious efforts to regain the leading position of a maritime power. In all the areas of maritime activities the Russian Federation provides support to domestic sectors of the economy using modern economic mechanisms for innovative development in order to increase the competitiveness of domestic business structures. One of the directions in the formation of a new structure of the Russian economy is the creation of state corporations, the merger of enterprises, the introduction of the cluster approach to the spatial integration of business entities located in separate territories. In their article the authors suggested using modern mechanisms of increasing the efficiency of the elements of the transport system of the coastal regions in the North of Russia for enterprises with single and small-scale production, which include shipbuilding and ship repair enterprises, using clustering as an effective mechanism to increase competitiveness, both in the domestic and foreign markets. The paper analyzes the use of modern economic mechanisms, such as joint ventures and the cluster approach in the shipbuilding industry of Russia, estimates the current state of ship repair enterprises in the coastal region of the North of Russia and proposes a conceptual approach to create a cluster of ship repair enterprises in the Murmansk region in order to satisfy the need for ship repair services, the volume of which has increased recently in all coastal regions of the North of Russia.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to address the current theoretical gap in integrating knowledge and experience into Building Information Model (BIM) for risk management of bridge projects by developing a tailored Risk Breakdown Structure (RBS) and formalising an active link between the resulting RBS and BIM. Design/methodology/approach A three-step approach is used in this study to develop a tailored RBS for bridge projects and a conceptual model for the linkage between the RBS and BIM. First, the integrated bridge information model is in concept separated into four levels of contents (LOCs) and six technical systems based on analysis of the Industry Foundation Classes specification, a critical review of previous studies and authors’ project experience. The second step develops a knowledge-based risk database through an extensive collection of risk data, a process of data mining, and further assessment and translation of data. A critical analysis is conducted in the last step to determine on which level the different risks should be allocated to bridge projects and to propose a conceptual model for linking the tailored RBS to the four LOCs and six technical systems of BIM. Findings The findings suggest that the traditional method and BIM can be merged as an integrated solution for risk management by establishing the linkage between RBS and BIM. This solution can take advantage of both the traditional method and BIM for managing risks. On the one hand, RBS enables risk information to be stored in a formal structure, used and communicated effectively. On the other hand, some features of BIM such as 3D visualisation and 4D construction scheduling can facilitate the risk identification, analysis, and communication at an early project stage. Research limitations/implications A limitation is that RBS is a qualitative technique and only plays a limited role in quantitative risk analysis. As a result, when implementing this proposed method, further techniques may be needed for assisting quantitative risk analysis, evaluation, and treatment. Another limitation is that the proposed method has not yet been implemented for validation in practice. Hence, recommendations for future research are to: improve the quantitative risk analysis and treatment capabilities of this proposed solution; develop computer tools to support the solution; integrate the linkage into a traditional workflow; and test this solution in some small and large projects for validation. Practical implications Through linking risk information to BIM, project participants could check and review the linked information for identifying potential risks and seeking possible mitigation measures, when project information is being transferred between different people or forwarded to the next phase. Originality/value This study contributes to the theoretical development for aligning traditional methods and BIM for risk management, by introducing a new conceptual model for linking RBS to BIM.

Topicality.. City Logistics is a newly investigated area of ??scientific and practical development aimed at the study of the integrated proportional development of cities, urban agglomerations and suburban areas. Domestic city-logistics is associated with significant lagging conceptual, methodological and applied approaches in relation to the leading cities of the world. Positive foreign experience shows that significant contribution to the comprehensive solution of the problems of network logistics brings to those areas of the city economy, the basis of which are formed by flow systems. In this regard, the problems of searching for and eliminating the disparities that arise between components of the flow systems, which have a significant impact on the economic, financial and other spheres of the city economy, are pressing. Aim and tasks. The purpose of this article is to study and provide suggestions for the use of network logistics as a management tool for efficient urban management. Research results. The existing concepts of network logistics are analyzed and a new vision is proposed on the basis of the use of network logistics as a management system of municipal economy. As a research object, local markets in the system of municipal economy are distinguished, the peculiarities of which within the cities allowed to develop a conceptual scheme of their typology, which includes the level of markets whose logistics solves purely socio-economic, environmental and other problems of the urban community; the level of markets, the logistics of which is aimed at forming the poles of economic growth; the level of markets, the logistics of which ensures the competitiveness of cities as major international transport, tourist and recreational and logistic sites with the further integration into the national, pan-European and global system of commodity movements. Conclusions. City Logistics is an effective direction of scientific research aimed at achieving a balanced and proportional development of various areas of the city economy: housing, communal, transport, construction, road, trade, energy, etc. Priorities of the network logistics should be directed to support the reforms of the administrative-territorial structure of cities, the radical improvement of the urban environment, the elimination of imbalances in the parameters of the quality of life and life of different regions of cities. An effective form of implementation of the provisions of network logistics in the practice of economic and business activities of the city should be the merger of efforts of scientists, management bodies, business structures to develop precisely such projects, which are aimed at providing a real effect from the introduction of logistics tools in the organization of life of cities.

Infrastructuralism and Editorial Practice. The Life of Literature after the Death of the Editor This article discusses the editorial practices of literary journals and other publishing platforms, and the new shapes they take in the altered media ecologies of contemporary literature in Scandinavia. Inspired by American media theorist John Durham Peter’s call for a new academic paradigm, “infrastructuralism”, focused on the mundane, underlying structures that make our societies work without calling attention to themselves, it examines how the dissolving of collective information infrastructures and traditional literary institutions affect editorial work, and how new editorial practices can draw attention to and affect functional literary infrastructures and even establish new ones. From a conceptual discussion of the implications of the “editorial” and its relation to “the curatiorial”, a recent buzzword, and a recuperation of a well-known critique of the editor as a historical patriarchal figure, it establishes an infrastructural angle upon recent changes in the Danish literary scene, specifically the crisis of the (printed) literary journal, and the recent rise in micropublishing ventures defining themselves in direct opposition to the professional publishing industry. In a questioning of the social imbalance implied in the familiar avant-garde argument that seeks out the future of progressive literary practices in explicitly underground or “experimental” practices, especially in times when the large, collective infrastructures designed to disseminate diverse cultural products to a broader audience are disintegrating, it finally discusses the contemporary Instagram phenomenon Rupi Kaur, who merges poetry, minority identity and pop culture in a poetic practice that speaks to millions of followers worldwide, as a different example of the future of literature after the reign of the editor has ended. In conclusion, it suggests that a critical merging of the experiences from micropublishing with those of social media macropublishing is needed in order to understand and restore the value of conscientious editorial work to the future infrastructures of literature.

Background/Context Based on well-established evidence that certain student success skills and college knowledge are closely associated with academic achievement, persistence, and completion, community colleges increasingly implement various types of first-year student success courses and programs. However, by looking only at the distal impact of program participation, the question of whether these programs actually influence those mediating skills of college success has scarcely been investigated in the higher education literature, let alone which program features may be determining factors. Purpose/Objective This study examined the scope and design of community college student success courses to address which program features relate to learning objectives of student success skills, college knowledge, and engagement. Population/Participants/Subjects Participants were students and instructors drawn from 47 student success course sections at 42 public community colleges in 24 states, representing all U.S. geographic regions. Research Design The study adopted a multimodal research design, using both qualitative and quantitative research methods while primarily relying on quantitative analysis. Data Collection and Analysis Students in selected student success course sections completed a pre- and postsurvey. Instructors participated in a structured interview and provided course syllabi. Course design information was quantitized and merged with student-level data to model variation in learning outcomes as a function of course features, according to an activity theory conceptual framework. Data were analyzed using hierarchical linear modeling. Conclusions Findings from this research point to several recommendations for practice by highlighting the reality that one term may be too little to learn some student success skills and that particular features of course designs may result in unintended adverse effects. Results indicate that structural elements are the most impactful features and that the skills-based curricular features that receive the most attention may be in fact the least influential features in realizing desired skills and knowledge outcomes. The study points to methodological ways forward to further explore and unpack the relationship between success course design features and educational outcomes.

Abstract The purpose of the article is to analyse and review the views of foreign scholars on the problem of memoir sources, their interpretation as ego-documents; to clarify modern theories and discourses on the motivation and vectors of internal narration; studies on the interpretation of self-presentation, the construction of plot structures in memoirs/autobiographies; to highlight the interplay of social construction on memory and understanding your own self. Methodology. The principles of historicism, objectivity, multifactoriality, systematicity, socio-cultural, anthropological, and critical-analytical approaches were followed in the course of the study. The methods of historiographical analysis and synthesis, comparative studies, scientific criticism, systematic and analytical, and historical and comparative methods were used. The scientific novelty lies in the disclosure of the conceptual approaches of foreign humanities to the study of the source potential of memoirs, event reflection display problems, memory in written self-presentation. It is found that historical science, sociology, philology, and psychology are actively appeals to memoir/autobiography studios as a unique source of personal experience, imagination, and demonstration of the variability of representation of the past. Conclusions. So, memoirs serve as a tool for studying socio-cultural components, historical context, and identity. Today, ego-history is gaining popularity through the dissemination of interventional autobiographies, which are used by historians themselves, constructing history in real time in the first person. Thus, ego-documents significantly expand the scope of academic discourse and demonstrate the relationship between the individual and the collective. A distinctive feature of the contemporary views of American researchers and authors is the identity, the unification of the terminology of memoir and autobiography, that is, the emergence of a hybrid form. Memoirs are an expression of a substitute tradition in relation to the official tradition, giving autonomy to an individual vision. Memoirs play a social role in historical reconstruction. Memoirs/autobiographies are sources of "authentic" knowledge of everyday life on a certain continuum, the history of imagination and values, as opposed to abstraction. The meanings of the experience are merged into semantic formats and organised into vectors of autobiographical narrative. The historian who works with ego-documents as written codes in the course of research gains new knowledge that reveals the specifics of unknown facts and destroys the stability of already conventionally or factually formed opinions, i.e. initiates revisionism of information and a revolution in already established statements that are equated with canons.

Education in Oceania continues to reflect the embedded implicit and explicit colonial practices and processes from the past. This paper conceptualises a cultural approach to education and leadership appropriate and relevant to the Republic of the Marshall Islands. As elementary school leaders, we highlight Kanne Lobal, a traditional Marshallese navigation practice based on indigenous language, values and practices. We conceptualise and develop Kanne Lobal in this paper as a framework for understanding the usefulness of our indigenous knowledge in leadership and educational practices within formal education. Through bwebwenato, a method of talk story, our key learnings and reflexivities were captured. We argue that realising the value of Marshallese indigenous knowledge and practices for school leaders requires purposeful training of the ways in which our knowledge can be made useful in our professional educational responsibilities. Drawing from our Marshallese knowledge is an intentional effort to inspire, empower and express what education and leadership partnership means for Marshallese people, as articulated by Marshallese themselves. Introduction As noted in the call for papers within the Waikato Journal of Education (WJE) for this special issue, bodies of knowledge and histories in Oceania have long sustained generations across geographic boundaries to ensure cultural survival. For Marshallese people, we cannot really know ourselves “until we know how we came to be where we are today” (Walsh, Heine, Bigler & Stege, 2012). Jitdam Kapeel is a popular Marshallese concept and ideal associated with inquiring into relationships within the family and community. In a similar way, the practice of relating is about connecting the present and future to the past. Education and leadership partnerships are linked and we look back to the past, our history, to make sense and feel inspired to transform practices that will benefit our people. In this paper and in light of our next generation, we reconnect with our navigation stories to inspire and empower education and leadership. Kanne lobal is part of our navigation stories, a conceptual framework centred on cultural practices, values, and concepts that embrace collective partnerships. Our link to this talanoa vā with others in the special issue is to attempt to make sense of connections given the global COVID-19 context by providing a Marshallese approach to address the physical and relational “distance” between education and leadership partnerships in Oceania. Like the majority of developing small island nations in Oceania, the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) has had its share of educational challenges through colonial legacies of the past which continues to drive education systems in the region (Heine, 2002). The historical administration and education in the RMI is one of colonisation. Successive administrations by the Spanish, German, Japanese, and now the US, has resulted in education and learning that privileges western knowledge and forms of learning. This paper foregrounds understandings of education and learning as told by the voices of elementary school leaders from the RMI. The move to re-think education and leadership from Marshallese perspectives is an act of shifting the focus of bwebwenato or conversations that centres on Marshallese language and worldviews. The concept of jelalokjen was conceptualised as traditional education framed mainly within the community context. In the past, jelalokjen was practiced and transmitted to the younger generation for cultural continuity. During the arrival of colonial administrations into the RMI, jelalokjen was likened to the western notions of education and schooling (Kupferman, 2004). Today, the primary function of jelalokjen, as traditional and formal education, it is for “survival in a hostile [and challenging] environment” (Kupferman, 2004, p. 43). Because western approaches to learning in the RMI have not always resulted in positive outcomes for those engaged within the education system, as school leaders who value our cultural knowledge and practices, and aspire to maintain our language with the next generation, we turn to Kanne Lobal, a practice embedded in our navigation stories, collective aspirations, and leadership. The significance in the development of Kanne Lobal, as an appropriate framework for education and leadership, resulted in us coming together and working together. Not only were we able to share our leadership concerns, however, the engagement strengthened our connections with each other as school leaders, our communities, and the Public Schooling System (PSS). Prior to that, many of us were in competition for resources. Educational Leadership: IQBE and GCSL Leadership is a valued practice in the RMI. Before the IQBE programme started in 2018, the majority of the school leaders on the main island of Majuro had not engaged in collaborative partnerships with each other before. Our main educational purpose was to achieve accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), an accreditation commission for schools in the United States. The WASC accreditation dictated our work and relationships and many school leaders on Majuro felt the pressure of competition against each other. We, the authors in this paper, share our collective bwebwenato, highlighting our school leadership experiences and how we gained strength from our own ancestral knowledge to empower “us”, to collaborate with each other, our teachers, communities, as well as with PSS; a collaborative partnership we had not realised in the past. The paucity of literature that captures Kajin Majol (Marshallese language) and education in general in the RMI is what we intend to fill by sharing our reflections and experiences. To move our educational practices forward we highlight Kanne Lobal, a cultural approach that focuses on our strengths, collective social responsibilities and wellbeing. For a long time, there was no formal training in place for elementary school leaders. School principals and vice principals were appointed primarily on their academic merit through having an undergraduate qualification. As part of the first cohort of fifteen school leaders, we engaged in the professional training programme, the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership (GCSL), refitted to our context after its initial development in the Solomon Islands. GCSL was coordinated by the Institute of Education (IOE) at the University of the South Pacific (USP). GCSL was seen as a relevant and appropriate training programme for school leaders in the RMI as part of an Asia Development Bank (ADB) funded programme which aimed at “Improving Quality Basic Education” (IQBE) in parts of the northern Pacific. GCSL was managed on Majuro, RMI’s main island, by the director at the time Dr Irene Taafaki, coordinator Yolanda McKay, and administrators at the University of the South Pacific’s (USP) RMI campus. Through the provision of GCSL, as school leaders we were encouraged to re-think and draw-from our own cultural repository and connect to our ancestral knowledge that have always provided strength for us. This kind of thinking and practice was encouraged by our educational leaders (Heine, 2002). We argue that a culturally-affirming and culturally-contextual framework that reflects the lived experiences of Marshallese people is much needed and enables the disruption of inherent colonial processes left behind by Western and Eastern administrations which have influenced our education system in the RMI (Heine, 2002). Kanne Lobal, an approach utilising a traditional navigation has warranted its need to provide solutions for today’s educational challenges for us in the RMI. Education in the Pacific Education in the Pacific cannot be understood without contextualising it in its history and culture. It is the same for us in the RMI (Heine, 2002; Walsh et al., 2012). The RMI is located in the Pacific Ocean and is part of Micronesia. It was named after a British captain, John Marshall in the 1700s. The atolls in the RMI were explored by the Spanish in the 16th century. Germany unsuccessfully attempted to colonize the islands in 1885. Japan took control in 1914, but after several battles during World War II, the US seized the RMI from them. In 1947, the United Nations made the island group, along with the Mariana and Caroline archipelagos, a U.S. trust territory (Walsh et al, 2012). Education in the RMI reflects the colonial administrations of Germany, Japan, and now the US. Before the turn of the century, formal education in the Pacific reflected western values, practices, and standards. Prior to that, education was informal and not binded to formal learning institutions (Thaman, 1997) and oral traditions was used as the medium for transmitting learning about customs and practices living with parents, grandparents, great grandparents. As alluded to by Jiba B. Kabua (2004), any “discussion about education is necessarily a discussion of culture, and any policy on education is also a policy of culture” (p. 181). It is impossible to promote one without the other, and it is not logical to understand one without the other. Re-thinking how education should look like, the pedagogical strategies that are relevant in our classrooms, the ways to engage with our parents and communities - such re-thinking sits within our cultural approaches and frameworks. Our collective attempts to provide a cultural framework that is relevant and appropriate for education in our context, sits within the political endeavour to decolonize. This means that what we are providing will not only be useful, but it can be used as a tool to question and identify whether things in place restrict and prevent our culture or whether they promote and foreground cultural ideas and concepts, a significant discussion of culture linked to education (Kabua, 2004). Donor funded development aid programmes were provided to support the challenges within education systems. Concerned with the persistent low educational outcomes of Pacific students, despite the prevalence of aid programmes in the region, in 2000 Pacific educators and leaders with support from New Zealand Aid (NZ Aid) decided to intervene (Heine, 2002; Taufe’ulungaki, 2014). In April 2001, a group of Pacific educators and leaders across the region were invited to a colloquium funded by the New Zealand Overseas Development Agency held in Suva Fiji at the University of the South Pacific. The main purpose of the colloquium was to enable “Pacific educators to re-think the values, assumptions and beliefs underlying [formal] schooling in Oceania” (Benson, 2002). Leadership, in general, is a valued practice in the RMI (Heine, 2002). Despite education leadership being identified as a significant factor in school improvement (Sanga & Chu, 2009), the limited formal training opportunities of school principals in the region was a persistent concern. As part of an Asia Development Bank (ADB) funded project, the Improve Quality Basic Education (IQBE) intervention was developed and implemented in the RMI in 2017. Mentoring is a process associated with the continuity and sustainability of leadership knowledge and practices (Sanga & Chu, 2009). It is a key aspect of building capacity and capabilities within human resources in education (ibid). Indigenous knowledges and education research According to Hilda Heine, the relationship between education and leadership is about understanding Marshallese history and culture (cited in Walsh et al., 2012). It is about sharing indigenous knowledge and histories that “details for future generations a story of survival and resilience and the pride we possess as a people” (Heine, cited in Walsh et al., 2012, p. v). This paper is fuelled by postcolonial aspirations yet is grounded in Pacific indigenous research. This means that our intentions are driven by postcolonial pursuits and discourses linked to challenging the colonial systems and schooling in the Pacific region that privileges western knowledge and learning and marginalises the education practices and processes of local people (Thiong’o, 1986). A point of difference and orientation from postcolonialism is a desire to foreground indigenous Pacific language, specifically Majin Majol, through Marshallese concepts. Our collective bwebwenato and conversation honours and values kautiej (respect), jouj eo mour eo (reciprocity), and jouj (kindness) (Taafaki & Fowler, 2019). Pacific leaders developed the Rethinking Pacific Education Initiative for and by Pacific People (RPEIPP) in 2002 to take control of the ways in which education research was conducted by donor funded organisations (Taufe’ulungaki, 2014). Our former president, Dr Hilda Heine was part of the group of leaders who sought to counter the ways in which our educational and leadership stories were controlled and told by non-Marshallese (Heine, 2002). As a former minister of education in the RMI, Hilda Heine continues to inspire and encourage the next generation of educators, school leaders, and researchers to re-think and de-construct the way learning and education is conceptualised for Marshallese people. The conceptualisation of Kanne Lobal acknowledges its origin, grounded in Marshallese navigation knowledge and practice. Our decision to unpack and deconstruct Kanne Lobal within the context of formal education and leadership responds to the need to not only draw from indigenous Marshallese ideas and practice but to consider that the next generation will continue to be educated using western processes and initiatives particularly from the US where we get a lot of our funding from. According to indigenous researchers Dawn Bessarab and Bridget Ng’andu (2010), doing research that considers “culturally appropriate processes to engage with indigenous groups and individuals is particularly pertinent in today’s research environment” (p. 37). Pacific indigenous educators and researchers have turned to their own ancestral knowledge and practices for inspiration and empowerment. Within western research contexts, the often stringent ideals and processes are not always encouraging of indigenous methods and practices. However, many were able to ground and articulate their use of indigenous methods as being relevant and appropriate to capturing the realities of their communities (Nabobo-Baba, 2008; Sualii-Sauni & Fulu-Aiolupotea, 2014; Thaman, 1997). At the same time, utilising Pacific indigenous methods and approaches enabled research engagement with their communities that honoured and respected them and their communities. For example, Tongan, Samoan, and Fijian researchers used the talanoa method as a way to capture the stories, lived realities, and worldviews of their communities within education in the diaspora (Fa’avae, Jones, & Manu’atu, 2016; Nabobo-Baba, 2008; Sualii-Sauni & Aiolupotea, 2014; Vaioleti, 2005). Tok stori was used by Solomon Islander educators and school leaders to highlight the unique circles of conversational practice and storytelling that leads to more positive engagement with their community members, capturing rich and meaningful narratives as a result (Sanga & Houma, 2004). The Indigenous Aborigine in Australia utilise yarning as a “relaxed discussion through which both the researcher and participant journey together visiting places and topics of interest relevant” (Bessarab & Ng’andu, 2010, p. 38). Despite the diverse forms of discussions and storytelling by indigenous peoples, of significance are the cultural protocols, ethics, and language for conducting and guiding the engagement (Bessarab & Ng’andu, 2010; Nabobo-Baba, 2008; Sualii-Sauni & Aiolupotea, 2014). Through the ethics, values, protocols, and language, these are what makes indigenous methods or frameworks unique compared to western methods like in-depth interviews or semi-structured interviews. This is why it is important for us as Marshallese educators to frame, ground, and articulate how our own methods and frameworks of learning could be realised in western education (Heine, 2002; Jetnil-Kijiner, 2014). In this paper, we utilise bwebwenato as an appropriate method linked to “talk story”, capturing our collective stories and experiences during GCSL and how we sought to build partnerships and collaboration with each other, our communities, and the PSS. Bwebwenato and drawing from Kajin Majel Legends and stories that reflect Marshallese society and its cultural values have survived through our oral traditions. The practice of weaving also holds knowledge about our “valuable and earliest sources of knowledge” (Taafaki & Fowler, 2019, p. 2). The skilful navigation of Marshallese wayfarers on the walap (large canoes) in the ocean is testament of their leadership and the value they place on ensuring the survival and continuity of Marshallese people (Taafaki & Fowler, 2019; Walsh et al., 2012). During her graduate study in 2014, Kathy Jetnil-Kijiner conceptualised bwebwenato as being the most “well-known form of Marshallese orality” (p. 38). The Marshallese-English dictionary defined bwebwenato as talk, conversation, story, history, article, episode, lore, myth, or tale (cited in Jetnil Kijiner, 2014). Three years later in 2017, bwebwenato was utilised in a doctoral project by Natalie Nimmer as a research method to gather “talk stories” about the experiences of 10 Marshallese experts in knowledge and skills ranging from sewing to linguistics, canoe-making and business. Our collective bwebwenato in this paper centres on Marshallese ideas and language. The philosophy of Marshallese knowledge is rooted in our “Kajin Majel”, or Marshallese language and is shared and transmitted through our oral traditions. For instance, through our historical stories and myths. Marshallese philosophy, that is, the knowledge systems inherent in our beliefs, values, customs, and practices are shared. They are inherently relational, meaning that knowledge systems and philosophies within our world are connected, in mind, body, and spirit (Jetnil-Kijiner, 2014; Nimmer, 2017). Although some Marshallese believe that our knowledge is disappearing as more and more elders pass away, it is therefore important work together, and learn from each other about the knowledges shared not only by the living but through their lamentations and stories of those who are no longer with us (Jetnil-Kijiner, 2014). As a Marshallese practice, weaving has been passed-down from generation to generation. Although the art of weaving is no longer as common as it used to be, the artefacts such as the “jaki-ed” (clothing mats) continue to embody significant Marshallese values and traditions. For our weavers, the jouj (check spelling) is the centre of the mat and it is where the weaving starts. When the jouj is correct and weaved well, the remainder and every other part of the mat will be right. The jouj is symbolic of the “heart” and if the heart is prepared well, trained well, then life or all other parts of the body will be well (Taafaki & Fowler, 2019). In that light, we have applied the same to this paper. Conceptualising and drawing from cultural practices that are close and dear to our hearts embodies a significant ontological attempt to prioritize our own knowledge and language, a sense of endearment to who we are and what we believe education to be like for us and the next generation. The application of the phrase “Majolizing '' was used by the Ministry of Education when Hilda Heine was minister, to weave cultural ideas and language into the way that teachers understand the curriculum, develop lesson plans and execute them in the classroom. Despite this, there were still concerns with the embedded colonized practices where teachers defaulted to eurocentric methods of doing things, like the strategies provided in the textbooks given to us. In some ways, our education was slow to adjust to the “Majolizing '' intention by our former minister. In this paper, we provide Kanne Lobal as a way to contribute to the “Majolizing intention” and perhaps speed up yet still be collectively responsible to all involved in education. Kajin Wa and Kanne Lobal “Wa” is the Marshallese concept for canoe. Kajin wa, as in canoe language, has a lot of symbolic meaning linked to deeply-held Marshallese values and practices. The canoe was the foundational practice that supported the livelihood of harsh atoll island living which reflects the Marshallese social world. The experts of Kajin wa often refer to “wa” as being the vessel of life, a means and source of sustaining life (Kelen, 2009, cited in Miller, 2010). “Jouj” means kindness and is the lower part of the main hull of the canoe. It is often referred to by some canoe builders in the RMI as the heart of the canoe and is linked to love. The jouj is one of the first parts of the canoe that is built and is “used to do all other measurements, and then the rest of the canoe is built on top of it” (Miller, 2010, p. 67). The significance of the jouj is that when the canoe is in the water, the jouj is the part of the hull that is underwater and ensures that all the cargo and passengers are safe. For Marshallese, jouj or kindness is what living is about and is associated with selflessly carrying the responsibility of keeping the family and community safe. The parts of the canoe reflect Marshallese culture, legend, family, lineage, and kinship. They embody social responsibilities that guide, direct, and sustain Marshallese families’ wellbeing, from atoll to atoll. For example, the rojak (boom), rojak maan (upper boom), rojak kōrā (lower boom), and they support the edges of the ujelā/ujele (sail) (see figure 1). The literal meaning of rojak maan is male boom and rojak kōrā means female boom which together strengthens the sail and ensures the canoe propels forward in a strong yet safe way. Figuratively, the rojak maan and rojak kōrā symbolise the mother and father relationship which when strong, through the jouj (kindness and love), it can strengthen families and sustain them into the future. Figure 1. Parts of the canoe Source: https://www.canoesmarshallislands.com/2014/09/names-of-canoe-parts/ From a socio-cultural, communal, and leadership view, the canoe (wa) provides understanding of the relationships required to inspire and sustain Marshallese peoples’ education and learning. We draw from Kajin wa because they provide cultural ideas and practices that enable understanding of education and leadership necessary for sustaining Marshallese people and realities in Oceania. When building a canoe, the women are tasked with the weaving of the ujelā/ujele (sail) and to ensure that it is strong enough to withstand long journeys and the fierce winds and waters of the ocean. The Kanne Lobal relates to the front part of the ujelā/ujele (sail) where the rojak maan and rojak kōrā meet and connect (see the red lines in figure 1). Kanne Lobal is linked to the strategic use of the ujelā/ujele by navigators, when there is no wind north wind to propel them forward, to find ways to capture the winds so that their journey can continue. As a proverbial saying, Kanne Lobal is used to ignite thinking and inspire and transform practice particularly when the journey is rough and tough. In this paper we draw from Kanne Lobal to ignite, inspire, and transform our educational and leadership practices, a move to explore what has always been meaningful to Marshallese people when we are faced with challenges. The Kanne Lobal utilises our language, and cultural practices and values by sourcing from the concepts of jouj (kindness, love), kautiej (respect), and jouj eo mour eo (reciprocity). A key Marshallese proverb, “Enra bwe jen lale rara”, is the cultural practice where families enact compassion through the sharing of food in all occurrences. The term “enra” is a small basket weaved from the coconut leaves, and often used by Marshallese as a plate to share and distribute food amongst each other. Bwe-jen-lale-rara is about noticing and providing for the needs of others, and “enra” the basket will help support and provide for all that are in need. “Enra-bwe-jen-lale-rara” is symbolic of cultural exchange and reciprocity and the cultural values associated with building and maintaining relationships, and constantly honouring each other. As a Marshallese practice, in this article we share our understanding and knowledge about the challenges as well as possible solutions for education concerns in our nation. In addition, we highlight another proverb, “wa kuk wa jimor”, which relates to having one canoe, and despite its capacity to feed and provide for the individual, but within the canoe all people can benefit from what it can provide. In the same way, we provide in this paper a cultural framework that will enable all educators to benefit from. It is a framework that is far-reaching and relevant to the lived realities of Marshallese people today. Kumit relates to people united to build strength, all co-operating and working together, living in peace, harmony, and good health. Kanne Lobal: conceptual framework for education and leadership An education framework is a conceptual structure that can be used to capture ideas and thinking related to aspects of learning. Kanne Lobal is conceptualised and framed in this paper as an educational framework. Kanne Lobal highlights the significance of education as a collective partnership whereby leadership is an important aspect. Kanne Lobal draws-from indigenous Marshallese concepts like kautiej (respect), jouj eo mour eo (reciprocity), and jouj (kindness, heart). The role of a leader, including an education leader, is to prioritise collective learning and partnerships that benefits Marshallese people and the continuity and survival of the next generation (Heine, 2002; Thaman, 1995). As described by Ejnar Aerōk, an expert canoe builder in the RMI, he stated: “jerbal ippān doon bwe en maron maan wa e” (cited in Miller, 2010, p. 69). His description emphasises the significance of partnerships and working together when navigating and journeying together in order to move the canoe forward. The kubaak, the outrigger of the wa (canoe) is about “partnerships”. For us as elementary school leaders on Majuro, kubaak encourages us to value collaborative partnerships with each other as well as our communities, PSS, and other stakeholders. Partnerships is an important part of the Kanne Lobal education and leadership framework. It requires ongoing bwebwenato – the inspiring as well as confronting and challenging conversations that should be mediated and negotiated if we and our education stakeholders are to journey together to ensure that the educational services we provide benefits our next generation of young people in the RMI. Navigating ahead the partnerships, mediation, and negotiation are the core values of jouj (kindness, love), kautiej (respect), and jouj eo mour eo (reciprocity). As an organic conceptual framework grounded in indigenous values, inspired through our lived experiences, Kanne Lobal provides ideas and concepts for re-thinking education and leadership practices that are conducive to learning and teaching in the schooling context in the RMI. By no means does it provide the solution to the education ills in our nation. However, we argue that Kanne Lobal is a more relevant approach which is much needed for the negatively stigmatised system as a consequence of the various colonial administrations that have and continue to shape and reframe our ideas about what education should be like for us in the RMI. Moreover, Kannel Lobal is our attempt to decolonize the framing of education and leadership, moving our bwebwenato to re-framing conversations of teaching and learning so that our cultural knowledge and values are foregrounded, appreciated, and realised within our education system. Bwebwenato: sharing our stories In this section, we use bwebwenato as a method of gathering and capturing our stories as data. Below we capture our stories and ongoing conversations about the richness in Marshallese cultural knowledge in the outer islands and on Majuro and the potentialities in Kanne Lobal. Danny Jim When I was in third grade (9-10 years of age), during my grandfather’s speech in Arno, an atoll near Majuro, during a time when a wa (canoe) was being blessed and ready to put the canoe into the ocean. My grandfather told me the canoe was a blessing for the family. “Without a canoe, a family cannot provide for them”, he said. The canoe allows for travelling between places to gather food and other sources to provide for the family. My grandfather’s stories about people’s roles within the canoe reminded me that everyone within the family has a responsibility to each other. Our women, mothers and daughters too have a significant responsibility in the journey, in fact, they hold us, care for us, and given strength to their husbands, brothers, and sons. The wise man or elder sits in the middle of the canoe, directing the young man who help to steer. The young man, he does all the work, directed by the older man. They take advice and seek the wisdom of the elder. In front of the canoe, a young boy is placed there and because of his strong and youthful vision, he is able to help the elder as well as the young man on the canoe. The story can be linked to the roles that school leaders, teachers, and students have in schooling. Without each person knowing intricately their role and responsibility, the sight and vision ahead for the collective aspirations of the school and the community is difficult to comprehend. For me, the canoe is symbolic of our educational journey within our education system. As the school leader, a central, trusted, and respected figure in the school, they provide support for teachers who are at the helm, pedagogically striving to provide for their students. For without strong direction from the school leaders and teachers at the helm, the students, like the young boy, cannot foresee their futures, or envisage how education can benefit them. This is why Kanne Lobal is a significant framework for us in the Marshall Islands because within the practice we are able to take heed and empower each other so that all benefit from the process. Kanne Lobal is linked to our culture, an essential part of who we are. We must rely on our own local approaches, rather than relying on others that are not relevant to what we know and how we live in today’s society. One of the things I can tell is that in Majuro, compared to the outer islands, it’s different. In the outer islands, parents bring children together and tell them legends and stories. The elders tell them about the legends and stories – the bwebwenato. Children from outer islands know a lot more about Marshallese legends compared to children from the Majuro atoll. They usually stay close to their parents, observe how to prepare food and all types of Marshallese skills. Loretta Joseph Case There is little Western influence in the outer islands. They grow up learning their own culture with their parents, not having tv. They are closely knit, making their own food, learning to weave. They use fire for cooking food. They are more connected because there are few of them, doing their own culture. For example, if they’re building a house, the ladies will come together and make food to take to the males that are building the house, encouraging them to keep on working - “jemjem maal” (sharpening tools i.e. axe, like encouraging workers to empower them). It’s when they bring food and entertainment. Rubon Rubon Togetherness, work together, sharing of food, these are important practices as a school leader. Jemjem maal – the whole village works together, men working and the women encourage them with food and entertainment. All the young children are involved in all of the cultural practices, cultural transmission is consistently part of their everyday life. These are stronger in the outer islands. Kanne Lobal has the potential to provide solutions using our own knowledge and practices. Connie Joel When new teachers become a teacher, they learn more about their culture in teaching. Teaching raises the question, who are we? A popular saying amongst our people, “Aelon kein ad ej aelon in manit”, means that “Our islands are cultural islands”. Therefore, when we are teaching, and managing the school, we must do this culturally. When we live and breathe, we must do this culturally. There is more socialising with family and extended family. Respect the elderly. When they’re doing things the ladies all get together, in groups and do it. Cut the breadfruit, and preserve the breadfruit and pandanus. They come together and do it. Same as fishing, building houses, building canoes. They use and speak the language often spoken by the older people. There are words that people in the outer islands use and understand language regularly applied by the elderly. Respect elderly and leaders more i.e., chiefs (iroj), commoners (alap), and the workers on the land (ri-jerbal) (social layer under the commoners). All the kids, they gather with their families, and go and visit the chiefs and alap, and take gifts from their land, first produce/food from the plantation (eojōk). Tommy Almet The people are more connected to the culture in the outer islands because they help one another. They don’t have to always buy things by themselves, everyone contributes to the occasion. For instance, for birthdays, boys go fishing, others contribute and all share with everyone. Kanne Lobal is a practice that can bring people together – leaders, teachers, stakeholders. We want our colleagues to keep strong and work together to fix problems like students and teachers’ absenteeism which is a big problem for us in schools. Demetria Malachi The culture in the outer islands are more accessible and exposed to children. In Majuro, there is a mixedness of cultures and knowledges, influenced by Western thinking and practices. Kanne Lobal is an idea that can enhance quality educational purposes for the RMI. We, the school leaders who did GCSL, we want to merge and use this idea because it will help benefit students’ learning and teachers’ teaching. Kanne Lobal will help students to learn and teachers to teach though traditional skills and knowledge. We want to revitalize our ways of life through teaching because it is slowly fading away. Also, we want to have our own Marshallese learning process because it is in our own language making it easier to use and understand. Essentially, we want to proudly use our own ways of teaching from our ancestors showing the appreciation and blessings given to us. Way Forward To think of ways forward is about reflecting on the past and current learnings. Instead of a traditional discussion within a research publication, we have opted to continue our bwebwenato by sharing what we have learnt through the Graduate Certificate in School Leadership (GCSL) programme. Our bwebwenato does not end in this article and this opportunity to collaborate and partner together in this piece of writing has been a meaningful experience to conceptualise and unpack the Kanne Lobal framework. Our collaborative bwebwenato has enabled us to dig deep into our own wise knowledges for guidance through mediating and negotiating the challenges in education and leadership (Sanga & Houma, 2004). For example, bwe-jen-lale-rara reminds us to inquire, pay attention, and focus on supporting the needs of others. Through enra-bwe-jen-lale-rara, it reminds us to value cultural exchange and reciprocity which will strengthen the development and maintaining of relationships based on ways we continue to honour each other (Nimmer, 2017). We not only continue to support each other, but also help mentor the next generation of school leaders within our education system (Heine, 2002). Education and leadership are all about collaborative partnerships (Sanga & Chu, 2009; Thaman, 1997). Developing partnerships through the GCSL was useful learning for us. It encouraged us to work together, share knowledge, respect each other, and be kind. The values of jouj (kindness, love), kautiej (respect), and jouj eo mour eo (reciprocity) are meaningful in being and becoming and educational leader in the RMI (Jetnil-Kijiner, 2014; Miller, 2010; Nimmer, 2017). These values are meaningful for us practice particularly given the drive by PSS for schools to become accredited. The workshops and meetings delivered during the GCSL in the RMI from 2018 to 2019 about Kanne Lobal has given us strength to share our stories and experiences from the meeting with the stakeholders. But before we met with the stakeholders, we were encouraged to share and speak in our language within our courses: EDP05 (Professional Development and Learning), EDP06 (School Leadership), EDP07 (School Management), EDP08 (Teaching and Learning), and EDP09 (Community Partnerships). In groups, we shared our presentations with our peers, the 15 school leaders in the GCSL programme. We also invited USP RMI staff. They liked the way we presented Kannel Lobal. They provided us with feedback, for example: how the use of the sail on the canoe, the parts and their functions can be conceptualised in education and how they are related to the way that we teach our own young people. Engaging stakeholders in the conceptualisation and design stages of Kanne Lobal strengthened our understanding of leadership and collaborative partnerships. Based on various meetings with the RMI Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL) team, PSS general assembly, teachers from the outer islands, and the PSS executive committee, we were able to share and receive feedback on the Kanne Lobal framework. The coordinators of the PREL programme in the RMI were excited by the possibilities around using Kanne Lobal, as a way to teach culture in an inspirational way to Marshallese students. Our Marshallese knowledge, particularly through the proverbial meaning of Kanne Lobal provided so much inspiration and insight for the groups during the presentation which gave us hope and confidence to develop the framework. Kanne Lobal is an organic and indigenous approach, grounded in Marshallese ways of doing things (Heine, 2002; Taafaki & Fowler, 2019). Given the persistent presence of colonial processes within the education system and the constant reference to practices and initiatives from the US, Kanne Lobal for us provides a refreshing yet fulfilling experience and makes us feel warm inside because it is something that belongs to all Marshallese people. Conclusion Marshallese indigenous knowledge and practices provide meaningful educational and leadership understanding and learnings. They ignite, inspire, and transform thinking and practice. The Kanne Lobal conceptual framework emphasises key concepts and values necessary for collaborative partnerships within education and leadership practices in the RMI. The bwebwenato or talk stories have been insightful and have highlighted the strengths and benefits that our Marshallese ideas and practices possess when looking for appropriate and relevant ways to understand education and leadership. Acknowledgements We want to acknowledge our GCSL cohort of school leaders who have supported us in the development of Kanne Lobal as a conceptual framework. A huge kommol tata to our friends: Joana, Rosana, Loretta, Jellan, Alvin, Ellice, Rolando, Stephen, and Alan. References Benson, C. (2002). Preface. In F. Pene, A. M. Taufe’ulungaki, & C. Benson (Eds.), Tree of Opportunity: re-thinking Pacific Education (p. iv). Suva, Fiji: University of the South Pacific, Institute of Education. Bessarab, D., Ng’andu, B. (2010). Yarning about yarning as a legitimate method in indigenous research. International Journal of Critical Indigenous Studies, 3(1), 37-50. Fa’avae, D., Jones, A., & Manu’atu, L. (2016). Talanoa’i ‘a e talanoa - talking about talanoa: Some dilemmas of a novice researcher. AlterNative: An Indigenous Journal of Indigenous Peoples,12(2),138-150. Heine, H. C. (2002). A Marshall Islands perspective. In F. Pene, A. M. Taufe’ulungaki, & C. 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Background. The topicality of the article is defined by the intention to consider the cantata for children by L. Dychko «The Sun Circle» as an example of the neoclassical interpretation of the cyclic type genre form, the semantic invariance of which is based composed on the principle of a singing/praising a certain ideal. The pragmatic angle of the problem concerns an adequate reproduction of the composer’s plan presupposing that in addition to the requirements for the technical competence of the performing, a special attention is needed to be deal to understanding of the conception of the work. The performers perception of the idea of L. Dychko’s cantata requires a special analytical technique: in the general history of musical culture, her work demonstrates, apart from the innovative position regarding classical traditions, gravitation to postmodern tendencies of cultural creativity (in particular, the idealization of national cultural traditions). It was precisely postmodernism that raised the question of updating the principles of musicology analysis, taking into account the changes in the musical chronotopos of the end of the millennium. It made impossible the appeal to certain norms or rules crystallized in certain historical-style contexts and generalized by academic theoretical thought. Moreover, the extreme autonomy of the author’s style, gained in the previous century, compel to search for the meaning of the creative idea in the depths of personal experience of an artist, in a personal spiritual achievements. Hence, understanding the theoretical conditions for the analysis of the children choir repertoire resource in its historical context, which is carried out on the material of the cantata for children by L. Dychko “The SunCircle”, makes it necessary to research the structure foundations of this work, built on a unique individual-stylistic principle of embodiment dramaturgical ideas of cyclization, in the spirit of postmodern discourse of culture. Objectives. “The Sun Circle” by L. Dychko is the composition that is authentic in all respects and indicative in view of the post-modernistic character of stylistic processes, hence, that demands the special approach to understanding its semantic structure in view of the post-modernistic model of style creation. The subject of the study is the dramaturgical peculiarities of the cyclic structural type as a special type of compositional idea, which requires its proper hermeneutic reception by performers. That is the awareness of the structural-semantic invariant of the genre form of the work is one of the basic conditions for its adequate reception. Thus, the purpose and objectives of the study, on the one hand, is an analytical excursion to the problem of the method of interpretation of cyclic structures in general and clarifying the semantic specificity of the cantata genre in particular, which involves consideration of the peculiarities the existence of cyclic type compositional forms in vocal genres; on the other, the investigation of conceptual “carcass” of L. Dychko’s cantata “The Sun Circle” at the level of general dramatic perspective of the compositional plan of the cycle and the figurative and semantic logic of the distribution of dramatic functions between its parts. Methods. The choice of research methods, namely, analytical (analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction, systematization, classification and generalization), comparative, systemic, phenomenological, functional, has been realized in view of the holistic approach, in spirit of the world trends. In this regard, the interpretive potential of the concepts “intonational model” and the modus nature of musical themes in the context of thinking by sound images appear methodologically appropriate: the both purposefully focus attention of the recipient on the sound «body» and the intonational «soul» of the musical matter in the integrity of the creative idea of the work, and also is didactically productive in terms of comprehension of the architectonics of the world of music as a world of musical ideas. The results, conclusions and prospects of the study. In the context of the typology of dramaturgical constructions of cyclic compositional forms, in the L. Dychko’s cantata “The Sun Circle”, we encounter a rather ambiguous situation: in the semantic field of the cantata there is no place for a “drama problem” with conflicting confrontations (as, for example, in L. Dychko’s cantata “Red viburnum”). The plot principle of cyclization (the linear-developing logic of the correlation of concept segments) also does not work, since the change of the seasons, as well as a passing of existence itself, are constant a priori – regardless of the experience a person – and this knowledge is transmitted as the experience of generations (for example, the archetypal meaning of the rite).“The Sun Circle” declares the axiological (value) verified dimension of the realities of life, for which nobody “no fought”, but they is given for granted. The dramatic method of cyclization in the L. Dychko’s cantata “The Sun Circle” appeals to the myth-poetic sources, within the frames of neoclassical tendencies, according to the mythology of the calendar ritual cycle with its logic of a circle. It follows herefrom the both, the self-sufficiency of the concept segments (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter), and the merger of the latter in the entire: they consistently impersonate (according to the macro- and micro-plan) traditional ideas about the passing of the natural processes of being and their worldview sense. Significant factors in the cantata’s semantic identity are the synthesis of the Word and the Music – a musical and poetic unity, where the conceptual and semantic content of the Word itself is enhanced by musical expression, as well as the individual-style qualities of L. Dychko’s artistic thinking – by her mastery of visualization of natural phenomena, a high degree of timbre-intonational individualization of musical themes, in which the images of the poetic text are clearly recognized. The cantata is most generously decorated with metaphors, allegories and all kinds of associative artistic techniques. Moreover, it is they who create the semantic field of meaning integration necessary for the cantata’s genre form – an ordered by tradition understanding of the tide of existential life forms in their inextricable aggregate. Therefore, in the performing aspect, it is necessary to realize that the figuratively bright cantata by L. Dychko “Sun Circle” is based on folklore symbolism and folk poetical ideas about the Universe, a concept that has induced a specific mythological dramatic type of cyclization with its pantheistic origin – according to the natural principle of the circle (the mythologema “God – Sun”). It is that, which provides a clear semantic load of a cyclic form and dramatic modeling of concept segments at the macro- and micro-plan levels: the macro-plan reflects the march of the seasons, and the micro-plan specifies the content of human life and nature’s pictures in a certain time of the year (such a structure is similar to the structure, for example, of a scientific text – by sections and subsections). Thus, the issue of cyclization, cycle building, how it arises in the analysis of the cantata for children by L. Dychko “The Sun Circle”, opens up one of the prospects for the development of the theory of the genre.

The relevance of the article is determined by the appeal to the debatable issues of stylistic differentiation of the works by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel as the French musical culture leading representatives of the late 19th and the first third of the 20th centuries. The research reflections about the connections betwen Debussy and Ravel on the principle “for / against” have not subsided for more than a hundred years. This testifies to the special urgency of this problem and the need to search for modern approaches to understanding the artistic identity of two brilliant contemporaries.Scientific novelty. For the first time, the multidirectionality of the composing strategies by Debussy and Ravel is indicated through the the concept of style in its interdisciplinary philosophicalcategorical status and the explanationof its functions of identification and communication in the general cultural understanding (O. Ustyugova). For the first time the difference between the cultural phenomena processes integration in the era of modernism into the new artistic wholes, with unique properties, which is appropriate to define as “Debussy’s style” and “Ravel’s style”, is revealed.The purpose of the article is to reveal the multidirectionality of the composing strategies of Debussy and Ravel through an appeal to the main stylistic functions of identification and communication in general cultural understanding (O. Ustyugova); to designate the non-coincidence of channels of integration of cultural phenomena in the era of modernism into new artistic wholes, which have unique properties such as “Debussy’s style” and “Ravel’s style”.The research methodology includes the use of historical, stylistic, comparative methods.Main results and conclusions. The existing musicological literature emphasizes the influence of romanticism, post-romanticism, impressionism, symbolism, neoclassicism, Art Nouveau, moderne style on the formation of the individual style of Debussy and Ravel. Each of these directions had a certain reflection in the work of composers. However, let us try to highlight in the conceptual space of the many-sided “isms” of the cultural context of the era of modernism the hidden sources of the deployment of the creative intentions of the both brilliant contemporaries. We will choose the fundamental work of E. Ustyugova “Style and Culture: Experience of Building a General Theory of Style” (2003) as a methodological basis for this. E. Ustyugova proposes to go beyond the understanding style as a “migratory structure” (term by J. Rebane) and a convenient “classification tool” (J. Burnham) in structural and typological studies of art and move on to a comprehensive study of the essence of this phenomenon. For this, according to the researcher, it is necessary to carry out two analytical procedures. The first is based on the awareness of the experience of the mismatch between the object and the subject. The second involves considering the style in the aspect of intersubjective communication.With this view on the problem of identifying the patterns of formation and development of cultural phenomena, it is not the nominative parameters and the “herbarization” of genrelinguistic units that come to the fore, but the comprehension of the multilevel subject-object relations that formed these phenomena; “live reproduction” of the matrix of the world perception as channels of communication between the “I” and everything that appears as “not-I”.The creative paths of Debussy and Ravel represent diferent creative strategies. The “pure meaning”, unspeakable by words and free from all earthly, to which Debussy aspired, creates parallels with the texts of symbolist poets and destroy the boundaries between “I” and “not-I”. In the fundamental monographs of French researchers dedicated to the composer an idea has long been entrenched: the composer’s creative laboratory was poetry, and Debussy’s address to the poetic word throughout all his creative decades constantly expanding the semantic horizons of his “artistic realities”.Debussy’s spiritual intentions merged into a single sound-glow in the indivisible space of being. The word in all its dimensions (from literal to metaphysical) indicated the stages of the process of dissolving the personal “I” and going beyond (au-délà) the established forms of artistic expression. Therefore, various kinds of the names (or “afterwords”, as in the Preludes), epigraphs, numerous super-detailed directions remained an integral part of an integral sound structure. His musical language, destroying the connections in time between the past and the future (rejection of the system of functional gravities that should be “stretched” in musical memory), created a certain correspondence (“here and now”) with the phenomenon of being.Hence the following characteristics of the composer’s musical works: 1) the impeccable construction of the whole, which is “thought out to the smallest detail” (E. Denisov), subtle multilevel “correspondences” and symmetries; 2) total thematization of texture (K. Zenkin); 3) selfsufficient semantic expressiveness of the “pure sound forms” (K. Zenkin), which became the embodiment of “an agonizing thirst for undeniably pure” (S. Velikovsky).These properties of Debussy’s style open up the possibility to get into the spiritual dimensions filled with pure beauty, which so attracted the followers of Baudelaire. Using the typology of teh subject-object relations proposed by E. Ustyugova, Debussy’s style can be attributed throughout the paradigm of hidden subjectivity. Debussy was well aware of his “non-romantic” position.The artistic aspirations of Maurice Ravel more clearly resonate with the creative attitudes of Art Nouveau artists, who were looking for new forms of plastic expressiveness mainly in spatial forms of art. It seems that it is with this direction that a special feeling of the plasticity of the musical material and the entire musical composition as a unique phenomenon is associated, which determines the composer’s creative credo.The concept of “plasticity” indicates such a connection between coordinated phenomena, which appears through the reincarnation (transformation) of a certain material substance, when we keep in memory its output characteristics. Ballet works and the reliance on dance genres (and more broadly, various types of plasticity of gesture and movement) reveal the hidden basis of the composer’s thinking. This approach allows one to re-evaluate Ravel’s connections with the ancient heritage (it is symptomatic that the composer called his first “adult” work, devoted to the press, “Antique Minuet”) and to understand the meanings of constant antique reminiscences with which he filled his life.Like a real dandy who lets the vibrations of the world pass through himself, Ravel is sensitive to them and “cuts off” random, “ugly”, “unnecessary” ones. Hence — the special beauty of the artistic structures created by the composer. They are built not in a “filtered” ideal-beautiful dimension, but in the space of shimmering opposites (the corporeal — free from the corporeal, the familiar — the unknown). Ravel’s inherent tendency towards the graphic relief of the melodic line creates parallels with the “famous lines of Art Nouveau” (Fahr-Becker Gabriele) and is especially distinct, characterizes the composer’s later works.The non-everyday register of semantic reverberations of what is happening in the process of metamorphosis in the composer’s music (his plastic questioning about the existential nature of the source material) demanded a special listener’s responsiveness. Mistifications, hiding behind a mask, playing with the listener are Ravel’s usual communication strategies. Therefore, according to the typology of the subject-object relations proposed by E. Ustyugova, we can speak here of the paradigm of “open subjectivity”, which is characterized by the direct orientation of the subject towards himself. Hence — the principle of auto-citation characteristic of Ravel. The quintessence of its use are the composer’s later works — the opera Child and Magic, as well as the Piano Concerto in G major — the Dandy summa summarum of the composer’s previous career.The game of “correspondences” (Baudelaire) was manifested by composers in various ways and conditioned various channels of communication. Debussy makes the semantics of sound education a semantic unit, appeals to the listener with the expressiveness of the structure itself. Therefore he always emphasizes, appeals to the elite listener. Ravel, on the other hand, hides behind masks and theatrical illusions. He needs a listener who has a culture of distance (who owns wide meaning contextual fields). The contextual layers associated with musical texts express that “degree of distance” from the object of attention, which the composer himself chooses and whose parameters are constantly changing. Therefore, Ravel never turns twice in the genre, style or stylistic model he has already used.So, if the works by Debussy can be perceived “from scratch” because of their structural completeness and semantic tightness, then the works by Ravel require the listener to know the musical context and readiness to lay it out “fold by fold” (J. Deleuze) in new semantic projections.At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, French culture was looking for a means of creating a “state of resonance” (G. Bachelard) as an extraordinary impression, “awakening”, without which a person cannot take place. Debussy and Ravel moved in this direction. Therefore, only through the identification of all the “correspondences” of the era of a total change of creative guidelines and a departure from unambiguous stylistic “avatars” can one feel its essential discoveries. The study of the lines of intersection of the Debussy music and the Ravel music with various artistic phenomena of the past and the present illuminates certain reflections of the “style of the era”. However understanding the deep patterns of the creative manner of the two contemporaries requires differentiating the definitions of “Debussy’s style” and “Ravel’s style” and their further studying.

Sedimentary structures generated by bottom currents are poorly understood worldwide. Ridges and troughs are imaged for the first time by 3D high-resolution seismic data and drilled by a well, YL19-1-1, in the Beijiao sag of Qiongdongnan basin (QDNB). Combined with 2D high resolution seismic data, they are analyzed in detail. The results show that ridges and troughs occur on the top of the Middle Miocene, dominantly present a wave-shaped structure. Their magnitudes are larger on the middle (regional) slope than on the upper and lower slope. They extend for tens of kilometers, dominantly parallel to one another, evenly spaced and nearly E-W directed distribution, some of which locally merge and bifurcate. They are aligned oblique to the regional slope. Both internal mounded reflections and parallel underlying-strata reflections, occur within ridges. The presence of polygonal faults and weak-to-moderate amplitudes within the ridges and troughs, suggests that they consist of fine-grained mudstones, as confirmed by well YL19-1-1. High amplitudes filled within troughs are probably composed of coarse-grained turbidite sandstones where polygonal faults are inhibited. Truncated reflections and onlaps occur along the thalweg of a trough, and are also clearly observed on the sides of ridges and troughs. We conclude the troughs are a product of erosion of bottom currents, and ridges are remnant underlying (sediment waves) strata as a result of this erosion. Besides, troughs are filled by turbidite sandstones with high amplitudes in the southwestern part of the study area, where ridges and troughs a combined result of early erosion by bottom currents and later reworking by turbidity flows. Conceptual schematic models are proposed to show the evolutionary history of ridges and troughs. This study provides new insights into further understanding of erosion and deposition of bottom currents.

Parte de um percurso em que tratamos de expor a estrutura filosófica LÊtre et lê Néant (EN), o presente estudo procura mostrar que essa obra é o ponto fundamental de transição onde se dá, no pensamento sartriano, a metamorfose de uma teoria do tempo como destino trágico numa teoria do tempo como salvação. Completa-se, aqui, o processo de radicalização de Heidegger efetivado por Sartre: do pessimismo próprio do Dasein, que caminha impotente e solitário para a morte, passamos ao otimismo resultante da descoberta de uma temporalidade que cura. Na tentativa de compreender o sentido e a função dessa nova figura da temporalidade, desmontamos o mecanismo do curto-circuito especulativo que inverte, em EN, o sinal do Tempo do Mundo heideggeriano. Tal desmontagem levou-nos a surpreender o fio filosófico do livro entrelaçado numa trama históricoliterária. Ao examinar os termos desse reencontro da elaboração filosófica com a matéria viva da história, circunscrevendo uma zona (recuada) em que estruturas díspares se interpenetram, terminamos por identificar o conteúdo de experiência cifrado no movimento especulativo dos conceitos desse que é considerado o mais abstrato (e técnico) tratado de Metafísica dos Tempos Modernos. Pretendendo apenas descrever (no sentido da fenomenologia alemã) as estruturas universais da realidade humana (intemporais por definição), Sartre dá com o cerne de uma conjuntura histórica precisa: não a matéria bruta, é claro, mas sua reconstrução política e literária, talhada nos moldes da Resistência e transposta para a forma filosófica de EN.Sartre. Tempo. Metafísica. Política. When Time heals the Wounds of Time itself AbstractPart of a trajectory in which we expose the philosophical structure of L´Être et le Néant (EN), this study aims at demonstrating that this work is the fundamental transition point where, in Sartre´s thought, a theory of time as a tragic destiny metamorphoses itself into a theory of time as salvation. Here, Sartres project of radicalizing Heidegger is completed: from Daseins peculiar pessimism, which proceeds in a lonely and impotent way towards death, we move to the optimism resulting from the discovery of a temporality that cures. In the attempt to understand the meaning and the function of this new figure of temporality, we dismantle the speculative short circuit mechanism that inverts, in EN, the sign of Heideggers Time of the World. This dismantling leads to our discovery of the philosophical red thread of the book entwined in a historical literary plot. When we examine the terms of this reencounter of philosophical creation with the living matter of history, establishing a zone (set back) in which different structures merge, we end up identifying the contents of experience which appear in the conceptual speculative movement of that work which is considered as the most abstract (and technical) treatise of Metaphysics of Modern Times. Intending only to describe (in the sense of German phenomenology) the universal structures of human reality (intemporal by definition), Sartre encounters the core of a precise historical conjunction not the raw material, of course, but its political and literary reconstruction, shaped in the patterns of the Resistance and transposed to the philosophical form of EN.Sartre. Time. Metaphysics. Politics.

A constellation of emerging trends in contemporary higher education has led to reorganizations, consolidations, and mergers of academic units that directly impact kinesiology. These changes increasingly locate kinesiology within colleges of health and human sciences (HHS). This article addresses the opportunities and challenges for the future of kinesiology within consolidated HHS units. Synthesizing recent trends in higher education, historical and contemporary perspectives from the field, and our experience in leading a merged HHS unit, we identify conceptual and pragmatic considerations facing kinesiology. The potential impact of merged college structures upon kinesiology warrants further inquiry given the limited attention these changes have received. Kinesiology will benefit from systematic evaluation and planning to enhance the impact of these organizational changes on kinesiology in their new integrated college structures. We propose that the National Academy of Kinesiology is well positioned to provide leadership to kinesiology units in navigating these changes and advancing the missions of integrated HHS units.

both the facts mining and medicinal offerings corporation have risen some of robust early area frameworks and amazing well being associated frameworks from the scientific and locating facts. With the fast developing of health associated facts advances it's miles quite simple for the health care providers to examine and save extremely good measures of Patent data. For the effective usage of this statistics for the improvement of the best outcomes within the medicinal services and manner, properly-being professionals need to differentiate the best measures and comply with the proper research techniques for the sort of statistics within acquire. This audit Paper has merged at the information digging strategies for the evaluation of Hydration reputation via Breathe examination and furthermore usage of data digging structures for the expectancy of heart sickness.

AbstractCognitive maps are mental representations of spatial and conceptual relationships in an environment, and are critical for flexible behavior. To form these abstract maps, the hippocampus has to learn to separate or merge aliased observations appropriately in different contexts in a manner that enables generalization and efficient planning. Here we propose a specific higher-order graph structure, clone-structured cognitive graph (CSCG), which forms clones of an observation for different contexts as a representation that addresses these problems. CSCGs can be learned efficiently using a probabilistic sequence model that is inherently robust to uncertainty. We show that CSCGs can explain a variety of cognitive map phenomena such as discovering spatial relations from aliased sensations, transitive inference between disjoint episodes, and formation of transferable schemas. Learning different clones for different contexts explains the emergence of splitter cells observed in maze navigation and event-specific responses in lap-running experiments. Moreover, learning and inference dynamics of CSCGs offer a coherent explanation for disparate place cell remapping phenomena. By lifting aliased observations into a hidden space, CSCGs reveal latent modularity useful for hierarchical abstraction and planning. Altogether, CSCG provides a simple unifying framework for understanding hippocampal function, and could be a pathway for forming relational abstractions in artificial intelligence.

This article sheds light on the dynamics of the recently created Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) as a result of a merger between three separate institutions. A particular focus is given to NMMU’s role in the further development of the Eastern Cape Province, one of South Africa’s poorest regions. The article discusses the impact of the amalgamation pro- cess on the university’s institutional profile, strategic platform, structural features, and scope and nature of activities. The article draws upon key insights from the institutional theory of organisations and the concepts of academic core, extended periphery and structural coupling. Taking institutionalisation as a conceptual frame of reference, it points to a number of tensions and critical success factors with respect to the university’s abil- ity to respond to external demands for a stronger engagement with sur- rounding society. Path-dependencies, local champions, and support by lead- ership structures were found to be major enablers. The lack of a strong and balanced academic core and the absence of structural linkages or tight cou- pling were identified as major challenges.

Throughout the world development agencies and governments promote micro-enterprise development as a solution to the employment crisis and penury of the global south. But what brought about the unprecedented expansion and worldwide promotion of micro-enterprise development? As a case study on micro-enterprise expansion in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, this paper offers a grounded theory analysis based on semi-structured interviews with national and international officials active in micro-enterprise development. Themes drawn from the interviews demonstrate that the failure of past development policies and the neo-liberal response to these failures help explain why micro-enterprise development expanded vastly in Trinidad and Tobago. Theoretically, I draw from Luxembourg’s (1951) and Nash’s (1990) studies on subsistence or petty production under capitalism and the world-systems analysis of households (Wallerstein and Scott 1992a; 1992b) to develop a conceptual framework for understanding the expansion of micro-enterprise development under neo-liberalism globally. In this era, micro-enterprise development reflects two separate strategies of dealing with economic crises—informal or unwaged work and government transfer or social safety nets—merged into one.

Purpose Numerous biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms have undergone considerable changes and adapted to the challenge of developing sustainable products and services. However, few studies have explored the factors that contribute to the success of external innovation and value co-creation strategies adopted by biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms. The purpose of this study is to examine how biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries use value co-creation strategies to obtain external resources. Design/methodology/approach This study developed a conceptual framework based on the relevant literature. The study applied a resource-based approach, dynamic capability theory and a qualitative multiple-case study design to investigate several research questions; semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from 11 biotechnology/pharmaceutical firms in Taiwan, and the data extracted from the interview content were axially coded. Findings This study revealed that factors such as dynamic marketing capabilities and process optimization contributed to the success of the aforementioned strategies; several propositions were also developed on the basis of the literature review and coded data, thereby providing insights regarding the relative efficacy and propriety of various external innovation and value co-creation strategies and models in various situations and contexts. Firms and technology providers might enter a technology licensing agreement, establish a joint venture company; participate in a merger/acquisition depending on their size, research and development capabilities; or goals and time- and cost-related factors. Originality/value The main original contributions of this study are the proposed conceptual framework and the insights provided regarding the relative efficacy and propriety of different external innovation and value co-creation strategies and models in different situations and contexts.

The Silk Route Between Past and Present. A Paradigm Beyond Space and Time. On the threshold of the third millennium, in an atmosphere of anachronisms and contradictions, dominated and conditioned by scientific and technological discoveries, new ideas seem to take flight whilst regional barriers and territorial boundaries are collapsing to give way to a new form of comprehensiveness. Sharing ideas and intellectual stimuli, amalgamating cultural elements circulating along its intertwining branches, the Silk Route has more than once given life to new scientific forms, cultural and intellectual systems and, amongst these, artistic shapes and religious syncretism. The “Silk Route”, which, with its articulated network of twisting routes and sub-routes, even now well represents the challenging paradigm of a new age yet standing at its threshold. A paradigm beyond time and space. The following paper aims at focusing on the Silk Route’s Religious-Cultural dimension in the middle-inner Asia of the 13th-15th Centuries, when, whatever may have happened regarding local realms and rulers, it played the role of junction and meeting point of different worlds and their civilisations. Even now we are confronted with a political trend that is at once and the same time a cultural current; emanating from the past, it is re-linking Europe and Asia and, re-uniting territories with their individual and traditional cultural forms, is shaping a renewed kaleidoscopic framework. We are confronted with new forces deeply rooted in the past, which, emanating from the far eastern fringes of Asia, by the second decade of the 21st century have reached the far western fringes of Europe, dynamics that are not only ‘economics’ and ‘scientific technologies’ but also thought, religion, and other intellectual values. These forces are heir of past times, nevertheless they endure in the present and are the active lively projection of a future time…though still largely to be understood and matured. A vision of life and universe where speculative and religious values coexist with astounding technological and scientific discoveries in a global dimension without space and time. At the verge of this millennium, the Information and Communication Revolution has given life with its advanced technologies to a new space conditioned and dominated by no-distances. And this space with its always-evolving scientific discoveries today involves the society in its entirety (what is commonly named as “global space” actually symbolised by the Silk Route), endeavours to amalgamate it creating new links between civil and political society and positioning them in a new military dimension. New forms and structures that are rapidly evolving in search of some balance between technological development and preservation of ancient traditions, which might make possible social and economic justice, yet an utopia more than a reality. However, both (social and economic justice) form the ideological basis of order and stability, anxiously pursued by the young generation in search of an economic and speculative order where stability, security (hard and soft security) and religious structures should in their turn become the platform of new political-institutional structures. Be that as it may, this is not a new phenomenon. Technological advancements are astoundingly new, but not the process and its aims. We are confronted with a phenomenon that has already occurred in more than one historic phase. Epochal phases. That is the human search for economic and social justice, and their framing into new conceptual schemes. And within this ratio, it would be unrealistic to ignore an additional key-factor. It would be unrealistic to deny that Religion has always been a major player. It has been at the basis of more than one revolution, it has represented the culturalpolitical response to foreign challenges, it has legitimised military action, it has given life to new spaces and political systems, it has filled with its pathos cultural and political voids. It has given to Mankind and Universe a new centrality, creating a new space within which Man and Mankind, History and Philosophy, Cosmos and Universe with their laws meet and merge in new systems and structural orders. The World and its Destiny, core of lively debates, conditioned by the eternal dialectic between economics and society, between society and religion, between science and technology on the one hand, and religion on the other, between formal ratio and ideologies or myths, which underline with their voice the eternal antithesis between cultures and civilisations. At the verge of the third millennium, the intellectual world is facing a new historiographical debate, into which the Religious Factor has also entered. Knowledge and the vision of the world and its new order/disorder are translated into a new philosophy of culture and history, of society and religion. Rationality, historicity of scientific knowledge, nature and experience, nature and human ‘ratio’, science and ethics, science and its language, science and its new aims and objectives are amongst some of the major themes of this debate. But not only this: which aims, which objectives? And within which new order that might ensure security and stability, social and economic justice? Thence, revolution and power are coming to the fore with another factor: Force and its use…a stage that, however, does not disregard dialogue and tolerance, or, as recently stated by Francesco Bergoglio, more than tolerance, “reciprocal respect”. These are only ‘some’ amongst the main issues discussed and heard of also in the traditional culture of ordinary people. Undoubtedly, the end of the Cold War and the well-known “global village” dealt with by Samuel Huntington, the global village with its technological revolutions, have induced to re-think our own speculative parameters, traditional paradigms and models of society and power, mankind and statehood. And once again we have been confronted with elements that might bring to new forms of sharp opposition and a global disorder. However, beyond and behind the Huntingtonian cliché of the “clash of civilizations”, a new cultural current seems to take flight spurring from the roots of a traditional past, which however has not yet disappeared. The Silk Route stems out emanating from the far-eastern lands of Asia as the conceptual image, the paradigm of a conceivable new order. By merging the material, scientific-technological and economic dimension of life with a new cultural (or neo-cultural) vocation it seeks (and seems to be able) to give life to a new social body and new systemic-structural answers, a comprehensive order capable of tackling the challenges opened by the collapse of the traditional cultural parameters and the dramatic backdrop of a mere clash of civilisations. Middle-Inner Asia of the 13th -15th Centuries: the Silk Route and its Reflection on Painting and Architectonic Forms. As just pointed out, nothing is new in the course of History. Professor Axel Berkowsky has authoritatively lingered on the Silk Route – or better “the New Silk Route” – with specific regard on practical aspects of these last decades. In the following text, I wish to linger on a past historic period, particularly fertile when confronted with the collapse of traditional values and the challenges posed by new fearful forces and their dynamics: the Mongols with their hordes (ulus) and, some later, Tamerlane with his terrible Army. Sons of the steppe and its culture, these people suddenly appeared on the stage, raced it from Mesopotamia to the north-eastern corner of Asia with their hordes and their allied tribal groups, shattered previous civilisations and imposed a new dominion, a new political-military order and new models of life. But, with their Military superiority, they also brought the codes and the ancient traditional knowledge of the nomadic world. It is misleading to watch to this epochal phase only as a phase of devastation and horrors. With their codes, Mongols and Timurids brought with them the Chinese algebraic, mathematical and scientific knowledge, and fused it with Mesopotamian mathematical and medical sciences reaching peaks of astronomical, arithmetical, numerical, geometric, algebraic theoretical and practical knowledge. They also brought with them from vital centres of religious scholarship and life a large number of theologians, pirs, traditionists and legal religious scholars with their individual religious features and systems. Shamanism, Buddhism, Muslim forms, Nestorianism and other cults vigorously practised in the mobile world of the steppe gave life to an important phase of religious culture and multifarious practices largely imbued with mystic feelings and traditional emotional states. Then, and once again, within the global space created by the military conquests of the new-comers, the Silk Route – or more precisely, the Silk and its Routes – reorganised and revitalised trades and business, gave life to close diplomatic connections and matrimonial allegiances reinforced by a vigorous traditional chancery and official correspondence, that tightly linked Asia with Europe. Within this new global order, the Silk and its routes played the crucial role, shaped new political, institutional, scientific and intellectual formulae, gave life to new conceptual forms that – at their core – had Man and Mankind as centre of the entire Universe. We are confronted with a cultural development begun at a time when the sons of the steppe were taking over lands of the classical Arabic civilisation (like Syria, Iraq and al-Jaszīra), at a time when the Iranian world was still centre of intellectual life and its social norms were still spreading over large spaces of Inner Asian territories. Visual Arts wonderfully mirror this phenomenon. We witness a process that renovated itself ‘from within’ in the course of three centuries and did not stop even when the arrival of the European Powers on the Asian markets seemed to sign, with the decay and end of the traditional market economy, also the closing of the cultural interactions created by the Silk Routes of the time. Once again, Visual Arts wonderfully mirror this phenomenon: a dramatic transitional, fluid period, marked by a distinctive timeless reality, which had no longer territories well delimited by frontiers to conquer or defend. Herewith I have dealt, as an example, with the reflection of the new conceptions of Life and Universe on visual Fine Arts in the 13th-15th centuries, specifically painting and architectonic forms. Ideological values that aimed to forge new relationships among different peoples and their individual human values, religious thinking, moral codes…and economic, scientific, technological achievements. ‘Fine Arts’. Visual fine arts, in my case painting and architecture, are the mirror of feelings shared by the Lords of the time, registered by painters and architects in plastic forms, the signal of these stances to an often confused Humanity. Here, I linger on two pictorial themes: Nature and Landscape on the one hand, and Religion with its very images on the other. With regard to architectonic forms, these reflect the same conceptual paradigm shaped through technical features. By those ages, Nature and Landscape were perceived by contemporary painters and architects with formal, stylistic and technical characteristics which strongly reflected the impact with a world which lived its life in close, intimate contact with nature, a world and a culture which observed Nature and the Cosmos, and perceived them in every detail over the slow rhythmical march of days and nights, of seasons and the lunar cycles. These artistic features depict a precise image, that of a world which lives its life often at odds with nature for its very survival, a world which conditions nature or is conditioned in its turn. At that time, it was a world and a cosmic order which were often perceived by the artist in their tension with uncertainty and the blind recklessness of modern-contemporary times. However, to a closer analysis, these same artistic forms shape a celestial order which was at one and the same time a culture and a religion. In the vast borderless space of the Euro-Asiatic steppes, cut by great rivers, broken by steep rocky mountainous chains and inhospitable desert fig.aux, the Silk succeeded in building and organising its own network of twisting routes and sub-routes, along which transited (albeit, yet still transit) caravans with their goods…but also cultural elements and their conceptual-philosophical forms. Of these latter and their syncretic imageries and dreams, the fine arts have left evocative pictures and architectonic images, which depicted a world that is the projection of a precise social and political reality and its underlying factors, such as the restlessness of a nomadic pattern of life and the culture of the Town and its urban life. Little is changed today despite the collapse of the Soviet empire and its order. Features and forms change, but in both cases they announce a different world with its order built on a robust syncretism, which is at the same time science, knowledge, harmony and religion (divine or human, or both). A world that is the projection of a precise political, social and economic reality. A reality that, at one and the same time, is the silent voice of a humanity often disregarded by contemporary writers, an ‘underground world’ that echoes traditional forms and their dynamics, and a no less authoritative de facto power that politically, economically and militarily conditions and dominates its times. A reality that finds an authoritative voice through the Silk Route.

PurposeThis study examines the link of effective change implementation (CIE) with select human resource (HR) practices and employees' resistance to change (RTC) amidst ongoing mergers in Indian public sector banks (PSBs). It also intends to highlight the role of RTC as a mediator in this mechanism.Design/methodology/approachThe authors used a structured questionnaire administered through a survey of employees of select PSBs that have undergone mergers. The hypothesized relationships were tested on 220 responses with structural equation modelling.FindingsTraining and communication of change as HR practices were found to have significant effects in implementing change. RTC fully mediated the relationship of training and CIE, and partially mediated the association of communication and CIE. Communication had a stronger influence on RTC than training. This finding upholds the importance of communication but also implies that training can reinforce effective communication of change and may not affect the implementation if not directed towards handling resistance.Practical implicationsThe significance of communication as a finding supports the theory of planned behaviour. The authors’ results also align with the social exchange theory and can be extended to the job demands-resources model. PSBs may plan for phase-wise training initiatives starting from the announcement till the end of a merger. PSBs also need to effectively communicate all relevant HR issues to employees, thus being transparent and fair. Both online and offline modes of communication can be explored. Overall, the senior management has to imbibe the handholding of employees in the short term and a sense of empathy in the longer term.Originality/valueResearch on HR in Indian banking mergers seems to take a back seat vis-à-vis strategic issues and financial performance. There also is a limited empirical examination of the role of HR practices in effective change implementation. This paper addresses both these issues by proposing a conceptual model and empirically validating it amidst the merger of PSBs. The authors also highlight how training and communication are effective in handling resistance to change.