126 research outputs found
Medicinal Plant Use and Health Sovereignty: Findings from the Tajik and Afghan Pamirs
Medicinal plants are indicators of indigenous
knowledge in the context of political volatility and sociocultural
and ecological change in the Pamir Mountains of
Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Medicinal plants are the
primary health care option in this region of Central Asia.
The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate that
medicinal plants contribute to health security and sovereignty
in a time of instability. We illustrate the nutritional
as well as medicinal significance of plants in the daily
lives of villagers. Based on over a decade and half of
research related to resilience and livelihood security, we
present plant uses in the context of mountain communities.
Villagers identified over 58 cultivated and noncultivated
plants and described 310 distinct uses within
63 categories of treatment and prevention. Presence of
knowledge about medicinal plants is directly connected to
their use
Reform, Justice, and Sovereignty: A Food Systems Agenda for Environmental Communication
Food ecologies and economies are vital to the survival of communities, non-human species, and our planet. While environmental communication scholars have legitimated food as a topic of inquiry, the entangled ecological, cultural, economic, racial, colonial, and alimentary relations that sustain food systems demand greater attention. In this essay, we review literature within and beyond environmental communication, charting the landscape of critical food work in our field. We then illustrate how environmental justice commitments can invigorate interdisciplinary food systems-focused communication scholarship articulating issues of, and critical responses to, injustice and inequity across the food chain. We stake an agenda for food systems communication by mapping three orientations—food system reform, justice, and sovereignty—that can assist in our critical engagements with and interventions into the food system. Ultimately, we entreat environmental communication scholars to attend to the bends, textures, and confluences of these orientations so that we may deepen our future food-related inquiries
Towards a New Paradigm for Intuitive Theatrical Lighting Control
A simplified model of a lighting process applied in theatrical productions is one that involves two key players. The first is that of the lighting designer, to produce a set of intentions and plans for the scenes that define the show. The second, the lighting technician, has the job of translating these designs into practice using control equipment, luminaires, and other technical instruments. The lighting design often becomes a ‘working document’ subject to change and adaptation as the physical reality of the design becomes apparent, and the input of other stakeholders is considered. This process can be a valuable creative tool, and also a difficult technical hurdle to overcome, depending on a varied number of factors. A common frustration with this process is that either the complexity of the task, or difficulty in communication can make it difficult for the final creative vision to be effectively realised. Strains may also arise in the case of small, often touring, theatre companies where the lighting designer and technician may be the same person, and frequently one of the performers as well. Considering the design aspect, there can be challenges in ensuring efficacy of lighting plans between venues in touring productions, with 2D lighting sketches or even 3D computer simulations confined to the paper or screen. From a technical perspective, the role of the lighting technician in theatres and performance situations has included the operation of lighting control equipment during shows. The equipment has evolved over time but has, until recently, been grounded upon the basis of faders and the mixing desk. It is argued that this paradigm has failed to keep pace with the change in other interactive technologies. The on-going research described in this paper explores existing and upcoming technologies in the field, whilst also seeking to understand the roles and communication workflows of those involved in theatrical lighting to find the best areas to seek improvement, adopting principles of user-centred design. The intention of this research is to develop a new paradigm, and manifestation of it, using a control method for lighting or projection that allows a more intuitive form of operation in theatre productions, which will be scalable and flexible
Understanding the Interplay Among Regulatory Self-Efficacy, Moral Disengagement, and Academic Cheating Behaviour During Vocational Education: A Three-Wave Study
The literature has suggested that to understand the diffusion of unethical conduct in the workplace, it is important to investigate the underlying processes sustaining engagement in misbehaviour and to study what occurs during vocational education. Drawing on social-cognitive theory, in this study, we longitudinally examined the role of two opposite dimensions of the self-regulatory moral system, regulatory self-efficacy and moral disengagement, in influencing academic cheating behaviour. In addition, in line with the theories highlighting the bidirectional relationship between cognitive processes and behaviour, we aimed to also examine the reciprocal influence of behaviour on these dimensions over time. Overall, no previous studies have examined the longitudinal interplay between these variables. The sample included 866 (62.8% female) nursing students who were assessed three times annually from the beginning of their vocational education. The findings from a cross-lagged model confirmed that regulatory self-efficacy and moral disengagement have opposite influences on cheating behaviour, that regulatory self-efficacy negatively influences not only the engagement in misconduct but also the justification mechanisms that allow the divorce between moral standards and action, and that moral disengagement and cheating behaviour reciprocally support each other over time. Specifically, not only did moral disengagement influence cheating behaviour even when controlling for its prior levels, but also cheating behaviour affected moral disengagement one year later, controlling for its prior levels. These findings suggest that recourse to wrongdoing could gradually lead to further normalising this kind of behaviour and morally desensitising individuals to misconduct
Measurement of the J/ photoproduction cross section over the full near-threshold kinematic region
We report the total and differential cross sections for
photoproduction with the large acceptance GlueX spectrometer for photon beam
energies from the threshold at 8.2~GeV up to 11.44~GeV and over the full
kinematic range of momentum transfer squared, . Such coverage facilitates
the extrapolation of the differential cross sections to the forward ()
point beyond the physical region. The forward cross section is used by many
theoretical models and plays an important role in understanding
photoproduction and its relation to the proton interaction. These
measurements of photoproduction near threshold are also crucial inputs
to theoretical models that are used to study important aspects of the gluon
structure of the proton, such as the gluon Generalized Parton Distribution
(GPD) of the proton, the mass radius of the proton, and the trace anomaly
contribution to the proton mass. We observe possible structures in the total
cross section energy dependence and find evidence for contributions beyond
gluon exchange in the differential cross section close to threshold, both of
which are consistent with contributions from open-charm intermediate states.Comment: 15 pages 18 figure
Measurement of Spin Density Matrix Elements in Λ(1520) Photoproduction at 8.2 GeV to 8.8 GeV
We report on the measurement of spin density matrix elements of the Λ(1520) in the photoproduction reaction γp → Λ(1520)K+, via its subsequent decay to K−p. The measurement was performed
as part of the GlueX experimental program in Hall D at Jefferson Lab using a linearly polarized
photon beam with Eγ = 8.2 GeV–8.8 GeV. These are the first such measurements in this photon
energy range. Results are presented in bins of momentum transfer squared, −(t − t0). We compare
the results with a Reggeon exchange model and determine that natural exchange amplitudes are
dominant in Λ(1520) photoproduction
A Paradox of Support Seeking and Support Response Among Gays and Lesbians
Individuals that perceive stigma surrounding their identity and fear rejection of support requests may experience a paradox whereby they seek support indirectly from support networks (friends and family) to avoid rejection and are met with unsupportive responses. This study extended this paradox to sexual minorities using survey data from a sample of 133 individuals self-identified as gay and lesbian. Results of structural equation modeling showed self-stigma and fear of support rejection linked to increased indirect support seeking, which in turn explained unsupportive network responses, providing support for a paradox among gays and lesbians. Findings may have implications for interventions to improve support exchanges in the lives of sexual minorities
- …