Rituals of Royalty and the Elaboration of Ceremony in Oman: View from the Edge

Ceremonial and elaborate protocols are commonly associated with kingship, authority and power and imbued with a sense of an ancient past. Yet traditions, particularly as pertaining to European practices, are often made up, choreographed and then formally instituted in a matter of a few years. Throughout Europe and the developing world, traditions have been, and continue to be, invented and kingship, oligarchy, and other institutions are set up, supported and occasionally simply maintained by such ceremony. Once established these rituals tend to take on a life of their own, sometimes thriving in an inverse relationship to the actual realities of power and authority. In the Middle East few studies exist which examine the study of royal rituals - invented and derived. Morocco, perhaps more than any other state, has been the focus of a number of such studies a few others considered aspects of ceremonial and monarchy in Jordan. In the case of Oman, however, there are no studies at present which consider the relationship between created ceremonial in the consolidation of power and authority in the perception of the citizens of that state. This article will briefly explore the creation and elaboration of ceremonial and court ritual in the Sultanate of Oman after the accession of Sultan Qaboos bin Said in 1970. It will attempt to show that while the creation of rituals of royalty were important for building a sense of national belonging among even the most remote communities in the country, these same ceremonials and created traditions developed lives of their own, stultifying courtly behaviour, and contributing little to the organic sense of Omani citizenship.

Fabrication of integrated optic sensor to monitor pollutant concentration in effluents

An attempt has been made to fabricate an integrated optic sensor to monitor pollutant concentration in effluents. Optic fiber has to be coupled to the waveguide in order to send light through the waveguide. In order to facilitate the easy coupling of the fiber to the waveguide, V-grooves were formed in the silicon substrate. In order to achieve this Silicon nitride was deposited to serve as an etch mask. An attempt was made to obtain low stress silicon nitride films. This work also attempted to synthesize the materials required to fabricate the waveguide. LPCVD processes were developed to produce undoped and Phosphorus doped SiO2, films. Undoped SiO2 is used as a cladding material for waveguide. The Phosphorus doped SiO2 (PSG) is the core material of the waveguide. Diethylsilane (DES) was used as a precursor for the deposition of the undoped oxide and Trimethylphosphite (IMP) was used as the Phosphorus source for the deposition of the PSG films. Conditions for dry etching of SiO2 and PSG was developed

Gendered vulnerability and forced conscription in the war in Syria

This paper was presented at a workshop on ‘The Long-term Challenges of Forced Migration: Local and Regional Perspectives from Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq’ organised by the LSE Middle East Centre in June 2016. It was published as part of a collected papers volume available in English and Arabic

Bread from Stones: The Middle East and the Making of Modern Humanitarianism, by Keith David Watenpaugh

Book review: Bread from Stones: The Middle East and the Making of Modern Humanitarianism by Keith David Watenpaugh Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 2015, 272 pp.&nbsp

The Syrian Humanitarian Disaster: Disparities in Perceptions, Aspirations, and Behaviour in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey

Humanitarian assistance coupled with an unsustainable policy of regional containment have only created greater poverty and misery for Syrians fleeing civil war. How this has been allowed to happen on the southern shores of the Mediterranean – where extraordinary social linkages and networks have existed for centuries – lies mainly in the disparities between perceptions, aspirations and behaviour among refugees, practitioners and policymakers in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. This article highlights in particular three such disconnects: the a historical approach to engaging with displaced people in Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon, which has led to the implementation of international blueprints of humanitarian support that are disconnected from people’s needs; the imposition of an encampment policy at odds with displaced people’s need for temporary settlement enabled through their own social networks; the redundancy of humanitarian practitioners’ background and experience in dealing with the particularities of displaced populations in the Eastern Mediterranean, and the failure to build on practices that work

Enabling the Integration of Sustainable Design Methodological Frameworks and Computational Life Cycle Assessment Tools into Product Development Practice

Environmental sustainability has gained critical importance in product development (PD) due to increased regulation, market competition, and consumer awareness, leading companies to set ambitious climate targets . To meet these goals, PD practitioners (engineers and designers) are often left to adapt their practices to reduce the impacts of the products they manufacture. Literature review and interviews with practitioners show that they highly valued using quantitative life cycle assessment (LCA) results to inform decision making. LCA is a technique to measure the environmental impacts across various stages of a product life cycle. Existing LCA software tools, however, are designed for dedicated experts to use at the end of PD using detailed product information. This creates the “ecodesign paradox”, a tension between opportunity for change in the early-stages of PD and availability of data in later stages to make reliable decisions. Further, my research identified that novice users of LCA face additional barriers including: cumbersome user interfaces, unfamiliar terminology, and complicated information visualization. To address these challenges, I developed a tool called EcoSketch for use during early-stage PD by novice users. Practitioners, however, also struggle with translating environmental impact information into actionable design decisions. Hence, I co-created methodological frameworks of sustainable design strategies with industry partners: Synapse Product Development Inc. and Stanley Black and Decker Inc. Despite contextual differences, a key commonality was that practitioners at both firms sought “structured” and “data-driven\u27\u27 processes for sustainable design. Through multiple, extended internships, I also identified important drivers and barriers to sustainable design integration. Overall, my research demonstrates that co-creation improves receptivity, long-term adoption, and produces tangible improvements to sustainable outcomes in practice. In summary, my research pursues two key pathways to enable sustainable design integration: Developing human-centered life cycle assessment (LCA) tools that are designed for decision-making during the early stages of PD. Creating methodological frameworks to support the application of appropriate sustainable design strategies in PD practice. This thesis elaborates on my proposed coupling of robust frameworks with human-centered LCA tools, which I argue together comprise a transformative solution for industry professionals to effectively integrate sustainability considerations in their product development practices

Collaborative dynamics : influencers & airlines in consumer perceptions

This study focuses on the evolving role of social media influencers in the airline industry. It takes an in-depth look at how these influencers help shape consumer perceptions, influence their travel decisions and collaborate with airlines. The focus is on how partnerships between influencers and airlines are formed and maintained, exploring key aspects such as influencer selection, content creation and audience engagement. These elements are crucial to understanding the impact of these collaborations on brand perception, customer loyalty and revenue generation. By detailing the influencer selection process, the study analyzes the criteria used by airlines to choose relevant and effective partners. It also explores how content created by influencers, whether Instagram posts, YouTube videos or travel blogs, is designed to captivate and engage audiences. The study is particularly interested in audience engagement, i.e. how influencers' followers react and interact with the content, and how this may influence their own travel decisions. Through experiential research, this study aims to unveil the effectiveness of influencer marketing strategies in the dynamic context of airline digital marketing. It seeks to identify the main challenges faced by airlines and influencers in their collaborations, such as issues of credibility, transparency and impact measurement. To finally end up with an in-depth understanding of the benefits and limitations of influencer marketing in the airline sector, highlighting best practices and areas for improvement.Este estudo centra-se na evolução do papel dos influenciadores das redes sociais no sector das companhias aéreas. Analisa em profundidade a forma como estes influenciadores ajudam a moldar as percepções dos consumidores, influenciam as suas decisões de viagem e colaboram com as companhias aéreas. O foco está na forma como as parcerias entre influenciadores e companhias aéreas são formadas e mantidas, explorando aspectos fundamentais como a seleção de influenciadores, a criação de conteúdos e o envolvimento do público. Estes elementos são cruciais para compreender o impacto destas colaborações na perceção da marca, na fidelização dos clientes e na geração de receitas. Ao detalhar o processo de seleção de influenciadores, o estudo analisa os critérios utilizados pelas companhias aéreas para escolher parceiros relevantes e eficazes. Também explora a forma como os conteúdos criados pelos influenciadores, quer sejam publicações no Instagram, vídeos no YouTube ou blogues de viagens, são concebidos para cativar e envolver o público. O estudo está particularmente interessado no envolvimento do público, ou seja, na forma como os seguidores dos influenciadores reagem e interagem com o conteúdo e como isso pode influenciar as suas próprias decisões de viagem. Através da investigação experimental, este estudo tem como objetivo revelar a eficácia das estratégias de marketing de influenciadores no contexto dinâmico do marketing digital das companhias aéreas. Por fim, termina com uma compreensão aprofundada dos benefícios e limitações do marketing de influenciadores no sector das companhias aéreas, destacando as melhores práticas e as áreas a melhorar

Implementation of an Evidenced-based Practice Curriculum to Improve Nursing Practice for Epidural Administration and Monitoring

Abstract Epidural analgesia (EA) is one inpatient pain management option prescribed by Acute Pain Services (APS) at VA Puget Sound Health Care Services (VAPSHCS). Historically, EA nursing care at VAPSHCS has been managed by surgical units. However, in the last two years, facility restructuring and budget constraints have led to reorganization and consolidation of units. The reduction in units providing nursing EA care has resulted in an overflow of EA patients to the medical intensive care unit (MICU). A previous gap analysis of the compliance in nursing performance of EA nursing care on the surgical acute care unit demonstrated poor performance of nursing documentation suggesting a knowledge deficit and lack of self-efficacy after the unit consolidation of the step-down unit. A pilot study was implemented, post-education feedback suggested improvements in nursing knowledge, confidence and competency related to epidural care. Now with MICU taking overflow EA patients, anecdotal interviews with MICU nurses identified a lack of formalized nursing education and competency training on current evidence-based practices on EA to adequately support and prepare MICU nurses to deliver EA care. The purpose of this Clinical Nurse Leader project is to implement and evaluate an evidence-based curriculum aimed at improving care management by improving process integration, timeliness, and self-efficacy for nurses who provide EA care in the MICU. The goal of this quality and process improvement project is to produce an updated evidence-based nursing procedure/protocol for EA management, a standardized delivery of EA care education for nurses, and to validate the accuracy of a competency checklist for nursing EA administration and monitoring

Refugee Voices: Exploring the Border Zones between States and State Bureaucracies

Settled people have been forced to move and nomads have been coerced into settling for as long as there has been history. Until the emergence of the Westphalian concept of the nation (where the state corresponded to the nation, groups of people united by language and culture), movement and mobility were largely recognized and accommodated. However, most contemporary academic disciplines as well as public institutions adopt a particular sedentist perspective on the nation-state. It is commonly recognized that people are displaced and move when political states collapse; they return when political security is restored. The liminal “state” outside the defined territory of the nation-state, where the displaced are found, is regarded as a threat to the world order.1 Predominant theory has been that people must be tied to territory, and thus the durable policy solutions advanced are frequently about resettlement. Reality does not support either current forced migration theory or humanitarian aid practices, however, and an epistemological change in thinking about forced migrants is urgently required. This means looking beyond the nationstate— the purview of most academic work in this area— and beyond traditional barriers between disciplines, to give cross-disciplinary attention to the self-expressions and experiences of forced migrants. Furthermore, the forced migrant creates a dilemma in how aesthetic expression is displayed, as their forms of expression cannot be squarely identified with one state or another. The dispossessed and displaced are changed by their experiences in the grey zones between states, and their migrations cannot be neatly catalogued as belonging to one state or culture

Improving users’ comprehension of changes with animation and sound: an empirical assessment

Animation or sound is often used in user interfaces as an attempt to improve users' perception and comprehension of evolving situations and support them in decision-making. However, empirical data establishing their real effectiveness on the comprehension of changes are still lacking. We have carried out an experiment using four combinations of visual and auditory feedback in a split attention task. The results not only confirm that such feedback improves the perception of changes, but they also demonstrate that animation and sound used alone or combined bring major improvements on the comprehension of a changing situation. Based on these results, we propose design guidelines about the most efficient combinations to be used in user interfaces