60 research outputs found

    Performing Authority in Byzantium. Bodies, Gestures, and Behaviour in the Practice and in the Literary Representation of Power

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    This research analyses the role of gesture, postures and bodily movements in Byzantine society and politics, with a particular attention to the imperial figure and through the theoretical lens provided by social sciences and performative studies. Far away from being a trivial one, the topic had been successfully addressed by the Greek-Roman and Middle Ages Western historical research, and only recently and occasionally had been put forward in the Byzantine field, where it remains an underestimated area of research. The present study wishes, first of all, to define the meaning and the values of bodily display and gesture (schema and schemata) in Byzantium, together with an analysis of the implications of the way in which the relation between body and soul was perceived, as well as of the rationale behind the use of physical movements. A more complex and comprehensive picture of the imperial body has emerged, unveiling its physical and performative dimension, its role in the ‘theater’ of a court potentially aware of the play, as well as its importance to understand the emperor’s divine and human nature. A review of the gestural occurrences has been conducted in the most exemplificative sources from Late Antiquity down to the Middle Byzantine period, and concluded with an exceptional case-study, the Chronographia of Michael Psellos

    Transforming our World through Universal Design for Human Development

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    An environment, or any building product or service in it, should ideally be designed to meet the needs of all those who wish to use it. Universal Design is the design and composition of environments, products, and services so that they can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. It creates products, services and environments that meet people’s needs. In short, Universal Design is good design. This book presents the proceedings of UD2022, the 6th International Conference on Universal Design, held from 7 - 9 September 2022 in Brescia, Italy.The conference is targeted at professionals and academics interested in the theme of universal design as related to the built environment and the wellbeing of users, but also covers mobility and urban environments, knowledge, and information transfer, bringing together research knowledge and best practice from all over the world. The book contains 72 papers from 13 countries, grouped into 8 sections and covering topics including the design of inclusive natural environments and urban spaces, communities, neighborhoods and cities; housing; healthcare; mobility and transport systems; and universally- designed learning environments, work places, cultural and recreational spaces. One section is devoted to universal design and cultural heritage, which had a particular focus at this edition of the conference. The book reflects the professional and disciplinary diversity represented in the UD movement, and will be of interest to all those whose work involves inclusive design

    Assuming Data Integrity and Empirical Evidence to The Contrary

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    Background: Not all respondents to surveys apply their minds or understand the posed questions, and as such provide answers which lack coherence, and this threatens the integrity of the research. Casual inspection and limited research of the 10-item Big Five Inventory (BFI-10), included in the dataset of the World Values Survey (WVS), suggested that random responses may be common. Objective: To specify the percentage of cases in the BRI-10 which include incoherent or contradictory responses and to test the extent to which the removal of these cases will improve the quality of the dataset. Method: The WVS data on the BFI-10, measuring the Big Five Personality (B5P), in South Africa (N=3 531), was used. Incoherent or contradictory responses were removed. Then the cases from the cleaned-up dataset were analysed for their theoretical validity. Results: Only 1 612 (45.7%) cases were identified as not including incoherent or contradictory responses. The cleaned-up data did not mirror the B5P- structure, as was envisaged. The test for common method bias was negative. Conclusion: In most cases the responses were incoherent. Cleaning up the data did not improve the psychometric properties of the BFI-10. This raises concerns about the quality of the WVS data, the BFI-10, and the universality of B5P-theory. Given these results, it would be unwise to use the BFI-10 in South Africa. Researchers are alerted to do a proper assessment of the psychometric properties of instruments before they use it, particularly in a cross-cultural setting

    Leading Towards Voice and Innovation: The Role of Psychological Contract

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    Background: Empirical evidence generally suggests that psychological contract breach (PCB) leads to negative outcomes. However, some literature argues that, occasionally, PCB leads to positive outcomes. Aim: To empirically determine when these positive outcomes occur, focusing on the role of psychological contract (PC) and leadership style (LS), and outcomes such as employ voice (EV) and innovative work behaviour (IWB). Method: A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, using reputable questionnaires on PC, PCB, EV, IWB, and leadership styles. Correlation analyses were used to test direct links within the model, while regression analyses were used to test for the moderation effects. Results: Data with acceptable psychometric properties were collected from 11 organisations (N=620). The results revealed that PCB does not lead to substantial changes in IWB. PCB correlated positively with prohibitive EV, but did not influence promotive EV, which was a significant driver of IWB. Leadership styles were weak predictors of EV and IWB, and LS only partially moderated the PCB-EV relationship. Conclusion: PCB did not lead to positive outcomes. Neither did LS influencing the relationships between PCB and EV or IWB. Further, LS only partially influenced the relationships between variables, and not in a manner which positively influence IWB

    Prosperity ethics

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    The paradigm-shift from modernism to post-modernism and the Fourth Industrial Revolution pose enormous challenges to universal moral codes and human life today. The thesis of this manuscript is that human prosperity, in the broad sense of human flourishing in this new environment, could be enhanced by re-defining and applying universal moral codes and practising related habits to guide people to prosper and flourish as dignified human beings. In a relevant and vigorous discourse, the book engages with issues regarding morality in an age of high technology. It explores ways in which moral agents can contribute to leading post-modernist people into an environment where humans can prosper and enjoy life in a changing world where many old moral directives are not feasible anymore. This scholarly book contributes to the specific scientific discourse on studies regarding the relevant discipline and offers a new pattern of reasoning in the field of social ethics about moral agency, aiming purposefully to address particular virtues and applicable habits beneficial for human prosperity and dignified life in a changing social environment. From the perspective of applied methodology, the book is the result of a comparative literary study done from the perspective of universal moral codes, which flows from in-created natural law. Recent research results of empirical studies about the effects of the Fourth Industrial Revolution were consulted and applied to raise awareness of the deep-rooted changes and challenges in society today

    Transatlantic Anglophone Literatures, 1776-1920:An Anthology

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    Unpublished Documents, Part 2

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    https://via.library.depaul.edu/coste_en/1023/thumbnail.jp

    Role of Municipal Governance in Stabilizing Mature Inner Suburbs: A Study of Five St. Louis Municipalities 1970-2015

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    This study explores the role of municipal governance in municipal-level stabilization of inner suburbs in St. Louis County, Missouri. The data, from 1970 to 2015, include a robust collection of official government archives collected from five municipalities in St. Louis County, historical documents, city-state-national statistical data, and related materials. Interviews of 25 stakeholders were conducted and data were analyzed based on the community power structure framework. I outline five mature St. Louis inner suburbs’ evolution in municipal-level conditions from 1970 to 2015, and I detail the role each suburbs’ municipal governance played in the evolution of municipal-level conditions. I conclude, the role of municipal governance in municipal-level stabilization is to affect impacts of housing discrimination, neighborhood blight, and fiscal stress through policy, administrative action, programs, and practices. I find two distinct philosophies of municipal governance: open housing and exclusion. I conclude the role of exclusion is more significant in municipal-level decline than open housing is in municipal-level stabilization. Much of what has been written about neighborhood stabilization espouses a common theme of preemptive action to prevent decline. For many mature inner suburbs, preemption is no longer an option as decline has long been realized. I offer recommendations for future research and projects designed to produce economic, structural, and civically vibrant neighborhoods by equipping officials and community stakeholders with refined strategic planning tools to leverage existing resources, build capacity, and employ revitalization methods in more effective and sustainable ways

    Cyberbullying Victimization and Corresponding Distress in Women of Color

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    Online discrimination towards women and people of color has reached epidemic levels (Fox, Cruz, & Young Lee, 2015). Any woman or person of color who uses the internet runs the risk of attracting online users who would engage them in demeaning ways. As such, it is important that researchers are able to assess and understand these experiences and the possible effects on their well-being. In Chapter 1, I conducted a systematic review of cyberbullying measures. Although studies have documented the link between cyberbullying experiences and stress (i.e., psychological distress or perceived stress), there is a need to explore factors, such as intersectional identities, that may amplify this relationship. Using minority stress theory and intersectionality theory as a guiding framework, in Chapter 2, I examined three moderators of the relationship between cybervictimization experiences and stress—namely, attributing offenses to one’s race, gender, or both (i.e., being a woman of color). Data were collected from a sample of 275 adult women of color recruited from a large urban university in the southeast and through electronic listservs and social media platforms. Results from the study revelated that cybervictimization experiences were significant and positively related to both measures of stress. My primary hypotheses were partially supported. Attributions of cybervictimization to gender or race were associated with both psychological distress and perceived stress. These results held even after controlling for neuroticism. I did not, however, find that the interaction of race and gender attributions amplified the relationship. I discuss implications for future research and practical implications for practitioners
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