On mesh refinement and accuracy of numerical solutions

This paper investigates mesh refinement and its relation with the accuracy of the boundary element method (BEM) and the finite element method (FEM). TO this end an isotropic homogeneous spherical volume conductor, for which the analytical solution is available, wag used. The numerical results obtained with the BEM and FEM were compared with the results of the andytical solution. The results show that the accuracy of the numerical solutions is improved by enriching a mesh only if the enriched mesh not only incorporates a greater number of nodes but also follows more closely the actual geometry of the volume conductor involved

Constrained tGAP for generalisation between scales: the case of Dutch topographic data

This article presents the results of integrating large- and medium-scale data into a unified data structure. This structure can be used as a single non-redundant representation for the input data, which can be queried at any arbitrary scale between the source scales. The solution is based on the constrained topological Generalized Area Partition (tGAP), which stores the results of a generalization process applied to the large-scale dataset, and is controlled by the objects of the medium-scale dataset, which act as constraints on the large-scale objects. The result contains the accurate geometry of the large-scale objects enriched with the generalization knowledge of the medium-scale data, stored as references in the constraint tGAP structure. The advantage of this constrained approach over the original tGAP is the higher quality of the aggregated maps. The idea was implemented with real topographic datasets from The Netherlands for the large- (1:1000) and medium-scale (1:10,000) data. The approach is expected to be equally valid for any categorical map and for other scales as well

Constrained set-up of the tGAP structure for progressive vector data transfer

A promising approach to submit a vector map from a server to a mobile client is to send a coarse representation first, which then is incrementally refined. We consider the problem of defining a sequence of such increments for areas of different land-cover classes in a planar partition. In order to submit well-generalised datasets, we propose a method of two stages: First, we create a generalised representation from a detailed dataset, using an optimisation approach that satisfies certain cartographic constraints. Second, we define a sequence of basic merge and simplification operations that transforms the most detailed dataset gradually into the generalised dataset. The obtained sequence of gradual transformations is stored without geometrical redundancy in a structure that builds up on the previously developed tGAP (topological Generalised Area Partitioning) structure. This structure and the algorithm for intermediate levels of detail (LoD) have been implemented in an object-relational database and tested for land-cover data from the official German topographic dataset ATKIS at scale 1:50 000 to the target scale 1:250 000. Results of these tests allow us to conclude that the data at lowest LoD and at intermediate LoDs is well generalised. Applying specialised heuristics the applied optimisation method copes with large datasets; the tGAP structure allows users to efficiently query and retrieve a dataset at a specified LoD. Data are sent progressively from the server to the client: First a coarse representation is sent, which is refined until the requested LoD is reached

Gendered (In)Security in South Sudan: Masculinities and Hybrid Governance in Imatong State

Despite the end of the civil war in 2005, many people in South Sudan continued to experience a deep sense of insecurity due to the many different types of violent conflict in the country. This sense of insecurity is exacerbated by the lack of protection from the state and the perceived injustice in how power is distributed at the national level. Based on a study carried out in 2013, prior to the country’s relapse into large-scale violence, this article discusses gendered insecurity and agency among the Latuko in Imatong state. In response to their sense of insecurity, the Latuko have developed security arrangements that represent forms of hybrid security governance. Using a notion of masculinity, the article will reflect on the gender dynamics in these local security arrangements. This shows that the social order that customary institutions create can contribute to an increase in violence against women at the domestic level. However, although women are excluded from the decision-making institutions that govern the security arrangements, they exercise subtle forms of agency to influence them

Power, Violence, Citizenship and Agency: A Review of the Literature

This Working Paper comprises a literature review that was carried out to inform the formulation of a research project on power, violence, citizenship and agency, which addresses how social actors react to complex, violence-prone contexts. It reviews recent literature on citizen agency, social agency, leadership, violence and conflict from various disciplines including security studies, conflict studies, social theory, psychology, anthropology, development studies and gender studies. It focuses on the way that agency is conceptualised in each field. While all the disciplinary areas covered acknowledge that agency exists in complex violent settings, few studies refer to transformative agency for prevention or transformation of violent conflict, instead framing agency in terms of participating in violent activities, coping mechanisms for sustaining life in violent circumstances, or maintaining ‘ordinary life’ during conflict. The only disciplinary areas in which a more theoretical understanding of transformative agency is being developed are in gender studies and development studies, which also address issues of identity and power

Youth Employment & Citizenship: Problematising Theories of Change

In recent years, funding for youth employment interventions has rapidly increased. However, there is limited to no evidence that interventions that build skills and knowledge lead to sustained employment and increased earnings. There is also no evidence that youth employment interventions have positive impact on peace and stability, or can lead to youth empowerment in a broader sense. This calls for revisiting the dominant assumptions and theories of change that underpin existing interventions. This Emerging Issues report is based on a review of existing meta-analysis studies on the impact of youth employment interventions as well as qualitative research on the experiences of youth. It argues for more clarity of purpose of different youth interventions and to diversify theories of change to be responsive to different political and economic contexts. Existing theories of change can be enhanced by adopting ideas and approaches for strengthening youth active citizenship

The Implications of Closing Civic Space for Sustainable Development in Zimbabwe

This report on Zimbabwe is one of a set of four country case studies designed to study the implications of closing civic space for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The case study was commissioned in response to the wave of legal, administrative, political and informal means to restrict civic space and the activities of civil society actors in countries around the world in the past decade. Based on a literature review and conceptual framework developed for the study (see also Hossain et al 2018), the report documents how changing civic space in Zimbabwe, a country characterized as a predatory authoritarian state, has impacted on development outcomes, with a focus on specific Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) outcomes, including poverty, hunger, economic development, inclusive cities, and inequality. The study found that: The ‘fit’ between civil society and the state has changed over time, from repression to cautious engagement, especially on the Constitution after 2009, but formal civil society has been weakened by years of oppression. With formal avenues for policy engagement closing after 2013, informal protest and other movements have entered the scene, enabled by the growth of digital public space; At the macro level, there are several indications that the restrictions on civic space helped allow the state to become increasingly predatory, with devastating effects on overall economic development (SDG 8), and poverty, hunger and nutrition levels (SDG 1, SDG 2); There is evidence that the Government deliberately prevented civil society from supporting Zimbabweans to address hunger and poverty, by denying or complicating access to specific areas and households within communities considered disloyal to the ruling ZANU-PF party. However, data from these hard-to-reach areas is scarce, and more fine-grained analysis of the role played by civil society in ensuring humanitarian aid delivery is needed; Extreme regional inequalities persist and deepen in part because civil society is unable to challenge corruption and the deliberate exclusion of certain populations; A period of relative openness under a Government of National Unity (GNU) saw an improvement in socio-economic policies through active engagement by civil society. The political stability and confidence in a coalition government led to re-engagement of donors, ensuring the GNU government had funds to promote recovery. At the same time, the introduction of the US dollar helped stabilize the economy and, in combination with political stability, this led to the re-engagement of investors; An indirect effect of the restricted civic space between 2000 and 2008 is that NGO and civil society lack the expertise and capacity to engage the state on macro-economic issues, to hold it accountable over public financial management - a key step towards policies to mitigate regional inequalities (SDG 10) - and so to prevent economic crises; Non-formalised civic movements that have recently emerged have mobilised around economic issues, which may have prompted the new ZANU-PF leadership to prioritise economic recovery to a certain extent. These new movements mobilise online and on the streets, and directly confronted the Government over malfunctioning and corruption. It is too early to establish how the post-2018 Zimbabwean Government is likely to address the issues of civil society and civic space. The present study offers important, albeit limited, insights into the impacts of restricted and repressed civil society on key development outcomes, and highlights the need for further analysis of the roles of civil society in priority areas such as poverty, food security, and hunger

Walid Raad: Hakikat Sonrası Dünyada Kurgunun Sanatı

Recent years have seen an upsurge of fictional strategies in contemporary art. Generally referred to as parafiction, these artworks offer a construction of imaginary persons and events that function, and are perceived as real-life entities. As one of its foremost representatives in contemporary art, the Lebanese artist Walid Raad has long turned to fictional strategies in order to question the epistemological instability of various media in the construction of knowledge. Drawing particular attention to the discursive frameworks in which “objective” media participate, the aim of his art is not to deconstruct, but to localize truth. Deliberately blurring the distinction between fact and fiction, I argue in this paper that Raad’s art mirrors the aesthetic and epistemological structure of the post-truth era. At the same time, I offer a consideration of the epistemological role of fiction in his work and explore the political importance of parafiction in a post-truth world. instability of various media in the construction of knowledge. Drawing particular attention to the discursive frameworks in which“objective” media participate, the aim of his art is not to deconstruct, but to localize truth. Deliberately blurring the distinction betweenfact and fiction, I argue in this paper that Raad’s art mirrors the aesthetic and epistemological structure of the post-truth era. At thesame time, I offer a consideration of the epistemological role of fiction in his work and explore the political importance of parafictionin a post-truth world.Son yıllarda çağdaş sanatta kurgusal stratejilerde bir artış görülmektedir. Genellikle “parafiction” olarak adlandırılan bu sanat eserleri, gerçek hayattaki varlıklar olarak algılanan ve işlev gören hayalî kişiler ve olaylardan oluşan bir kurgu sunar. Çağdaş sanatın önde gelen temsilcilerinden biri olan Lübnanlı sanatçı Walid Raad, bilginin inşasında çeşitli medyaların epistemolojik istikrarsızlığını sorgulamak için uzun süredir kurgusal stratejilere yönelmektedir. “Tarafsız” medyanın katıldığı söylemsel çerçevelere özellikle dikkat çeken sanatının amacı, hakikati yapıbozuma uğratmak değil, yerelleştirmektir. Bu makalede, gerçek ile kurgu arasındaki ayrımı bilinçli olarak bulanıklaştırarak, Raad’ın sanatının hakikat sonrası dönemin estetik ve epistemolojik yapısını yansıttığını savunuyorum. Aynı zamanda, onun çalışmasında kurgunun epistemolojik rolünün bir değerlendirmesini sunuyor ve gerçek-sonrası bir dünyada parafiction’ın politik önemini araştırıyorum