Smell of Heritage

We don’t know much about the smells of the past. Yet, odours play an important role in our daily lives: they affect us emotionally, psychologically and physically, and influence the way we engage with history. Can this lead us to consider certain smells as cultural heritage? And if so, what would be the processes for the identification, protection and conservation of those heritage smells? In order to answer these questions, the connection between olfaction and heritage was approached through the framework of Significance Assessment – Chemical Analysis – Sensory Analysis – Archiving. Four case studies were developed, each around a different smell: old books and historic libraries; scented conservation wax, historic pot-pourri, and mould. Through them, the validity of the framework was tested, while exploring associated aspects of olfaction in heritage: authenticity, value in connection with visitor experience and interpretation, considerations around historic odour reconstruction and role of non-sensory input in historic odour perception. Odour characterisation was achieved by chemical analysis of the volatile organic compounds (VOC) for each case study, using either HS-SPME-GS-MS or HS-TD-GC-TOF-MS. Sensory characterisation was obtained via GC-O and odour evaluation panels. Visitor experience surveys were also conducted in a historic house setting. Smells were documented using odour wheels and other forms of visual representation. Some findings of this study worth discussing are: (1) the perception of authenticity in historic odours is not necessarily linked to a chemically-accurate reconstruction; (2) several historic odours present an ambiguity that lead to characterisation being significally modulated by both sensory and non-sensory information and (3) there is a great potential for non-visual engagement of visitors with the space and collections in heritage institutions, currently untapped. This is the first systematic study of olfaction in heritage and therefore its insights will be relevant to the heritage community, as well as engaging with current research in the field of odour perception, interpretation and representation

Technology and the economy

Overview of economics of innovatio

Towards an integrated theory of argumentation

Our objective is to show the possibility of integrating different developments in the field of argumentation. From informal logic, dialectical logic, natural logic, the study of fallacies, pragma-dialectics, semio-linguistics, and argumentation within language, among others, it is possible to build both descriptive and evaluative models of logic, dialectic, rhetoric, and the linguistic-semiotic dimensions of argumentation. We suggest the criteria for a typology of the main discursive-argumentative fu nctionings. This proposal thus intends to initiate a new organon, in which argumentative dimensions are analyzed from the semiotic processes which allow the establishment of analytical bridges between them

Exploring feminist notions of peacebuilding: experiences of women activists in Northern Uganda

This qualitative study was undertaken in Northern Uganda, specifically in the districts of Gulu, Lira, and Kitgum. The researcher spent a total of six months collecting field data (over a period of 2 years) from key members of community-based peacebuilding groups as well as from the groups' beneficiaries. This study conceptualised gender from a decolonial, intersectional framing of femininities which considered lineage, age, class, and geographic location of women who founded peace groups during and just after some of the most volatile periods of the war in Northern Uganda. The researcher theorised how women's small- scale community interventions manifested as part of broader peacebuilding efforts undertaken by larger institutions such as government and international development organisations that were present in Northern Uganda at the time of the study. Based on in-depth interviews with seventeen founders and staff of six community-based peace groups as well as seven focus group discussions with 76 beneficiaries, the study explored shifting gendered subjectivities performed across multiple roles and identities. The data collected was further enhanced by follow-on interviews with seven people who worked with larger aid organisations that interacted with the six community-based peace groups. The researcher reviewed organisational documents such as project reports and minutes of staff meetings to corroborate research participants' narration of their community work. Using thematic analysis, the study deconstructs participants' ‘gendered' meanings of peacebuilding. The findings from this study suggest that an African feminist perspective to peacebuilding requires the following: a nuanced intersectional analysis of women's socio-economic and political power within militarised contexts; foregrounding local efforts to build peace by focusing on gendered experiences of survival; a recognition of militarism as a social and economic system that is often intertwined with colonial histories of violence as well as patriarchal values and customs that present masculine power as normative; and finally, unpacking shifts in gendered power, especially with regard to markers of socio-economic and political power

Processes and diagrams: an integrated and multidisciplinary approach for the education of quantum information science

The background to this thesis is the παιδέια , the education. To educate is a dialecti- cal process that moves from an abstract line of thought, through scientifically designed techniques, into concrete action; and vice versa. We believe that educating today means enabling teachers first and their students second, to be able to read and interpret the complexity of phenomena, to teach them a model for observing this complexity, describing it, analyzing it and, finally, making it their own. In this thesis, we attempt to make sense of these needs by describing an integrated and multidisciplinary pathway, whose diagram- matic language pushes towards the search for a universal approach to science. An initial educational contribution is thus made to the understanding of the dialectic between disciplines: theoretical physics, experimental physics, computer science, mathe- matics and mathematical logic are presented in their mutual influence, in an attempt to clarify the informational viewpoint on modern physics. The search for this dialectic for educational purposes is, in our opinion, the most significant contribution of the present work. To address this issue, we sought to build a community of practice on the topics of the second quantum revolution. Guided by the Model of Educational Reconstruction (MER), we built a first course for teacher professional development that would enable teachers to be introduced to quantum computation and quantum communication. The emergence and development of quantum technologies provides the impetus for a deep conceptual change: “a paradigm shift from quantum theory as a theory of microscopic matter to quantum theory as a framework for technological applications and information processing”. This shift is supported, theoretically, by the informational interpretation of the postulates of quantum mechanics: preparation, transformation and measurement are reinterpreted com- putationally as the encoding, processing and decoding of information; and vice versa. In this interpretation, what changes between classical and quantum theory? From a logical point of view, the transition from bit to qubit, from a physical point of view, the laws of composition of systems. We therefore present monoidal categories as a natural theoretical framework for the description of physical systems and processes for quantum and non- quantum computation and communication, demonstrating how this language is suitable for an integrated and multidisciplinary approach. The cultural impact of the proposal, the fruitful interaction between researchers in physics education and those in the area of theoretical research, and the passion of some teachers made it possible to start a collaboration to build an educational sequence for students. The result of this collaboration is a teaching leaning sequence on quantum technologies for students, led by the MER and based on inquiry-based learning and the modelling- based teaching. Supported by these methodological frameworks, we produced lessons and worksheets all along the way that had the dual task of supporting teachers’ work and students’ learning. They also made it possible to experimentally verify the positive and critical effects of the proposal. The instructional materials constructed, the data analysis and the constant monitoring with the teachers involved, determined the development of a second course for teacher professional development, inspired by the first, based entirely on research. We hope that this attempt at integrated and multidisciplinary approach for the education of quantum information science, based on the concept of compositionality and the diagrammatic model, can be increased and provide inspiration for future educational paths in other disciplines as well

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

The Pandemic of Argumentation

This open access book addresses communicative aspects of the current COVID-19 pandemic as well as the epidemic of misinformation from the perspective of argumentation theory. Argumentation theory is uniquely placed to understand and account for the challenges of public reason as expressed through argumentative discourse. The book thus focuses on the extent to which the forms, norms and functions of public argumentation have changed in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. This question is investigated along the three main research lines of the COST Action project CA 17132: European network for Argumentation and Public PoLicY analysis (APPLY): descriptive, normative, and prescriptive. The volume offers a broad range of contributions which treat argumentative phenomena that are directly related to the changes in public discourse in the wake of the outburst of COVID-19. The volume additionally places particular emphasis on expert argumentation, given (i) the importance expert discourse has had over the last two years, and (ii) the challenges that expert argumentation has faced in the public sphere as a result of scientific uncertainty and widespread misinformation. Contributions are divided into three groups, which (i) examine various features and aspects of public and institutional discourse about the COVID-19 pandemic, (ii) scrutinize the way health policies have been discussed, debated, attacked and defended in the public sphere, and (iii) consider a range of proposals meant to improve the quality of public discourse, and public deliberation in particular, in such a way that concrete proposals for argumentative literacy will be brought to light. Overall, this volume constitutes a timely inquiry into all things argumentative in pandemic discourse. This volume is of interest to a broad readership including philosophers, linguists, communication and legal scholars, and members of the wider public who seek to better understand the discourse surrounding communicative phenomena in times of crisis. COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) is a funding organisation for research and innovation networks. For more information: www.cost.e

THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS ABOUT TREATMENT FOR INDIGENOUS WOMEN WITH BREAST CANCER FROM THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES

This qualitative study focuses on the decision-making process that Indigenous women undergo when receiving breast cancer treatment. The main research question is: how do Indigenous women with breast cancer make decisions around cancer treatment? One-on-one, open-ended interviews were completed with 12 Indigenous women from the Saskatchewan region. A lens of two-eyed seeing was applied, which means that participants were expected to view their life from a traditional or western perspective, or a combination of the two. Four main themes were identified: socioeconomic status, accessibility, culture, cultural safety, and led to women-informed recommendations. Socioeconomic status had three main subthemes of everyday responsibilities, poverty, and medical accessories. Accessibility included three subthemes of knowledge, location, and travel. Culture consisted of two main themes of diversity and stigmas around the disease, with diversity including traditional, western, and two-eyed seeing and stigmas around the disease being mostly related to silence around cancer. Cultural safety included influences from the Indian Residential Schools, feeling like a stranger in the healthcare setting, communication, time, connecting, and self-efficacy. Women-informed recommendations are based on suggestions the women gave regarding aspects related to their treatment choices that they would have liked to have been done differently. The findings from this study will be used in the future for knowledge dissemination, transference, and application

An exploration of the paradigm of kinship caregiving and caregivers\u27 experiences with child welfare and public welfare systems using critical theory analysis

Kinship caregiving as a paradigm in the United States (US) is historically linked to slavery subcultural practices. Over time, dominant US systems have vacillated in demonstrating formal acknowledgement of kinship as an acceptable family unit and in availing resources to support kinship caregiving. The patterns and practices of these variations pertaining to kinship caregiving as a paradigm has received little attention despite documentation of its increased utilization in public child welfare and welfare systems. This exploratory case study responds to the paucity of knowledge regarding the systemic shifts towards the kinship caregiving paradigm and the perspectives of kinship caregivers who interface with public child welfare and welfare systems during their relative caring episodes. Critical theory is used to explore the impact of privilege and oppression as relates to the variations of the paradigm over time within these systems, as well as to the kinship families’ interactions with the child welfare and welfare systems. Kinship caregivers’ recommendations for child welfare and welfare systems’ improvements are also included in this study. Information gained from this study may assist policy makers, trainers, educators, and practitioners involved in child welfare and welfare agencies enhance these systems towards policies and practices that are culturally responsive and improve services to sustain kinship families