Pairwise Stability in Two Sided Market with Strictly Increasing Valuation Functions

This paper deals with two-sided matching market with two disjoint sets, i.e. the set of buyers and the set of sellers. Each seller can trade with at most with one buyer and vice versa. Money is transferred from sellers to buyers for an indivisible goods that buyers own. Valuation functions, for participants of both sides, are represented by strictly increasing functions with money considered as discrete variable. An algorithm is devised to prove the existence of stability for this model.Comment: 10 pages, no figure

Book review: blocking public participation: the use of strategic litigation to silence political expression by Byron Sheldrick

In Blocking Public Participation: The Use of Strategic Litigation to Silence Political Expression, Byron Sheldrick contributes to social movement studies by examining how SLAPPS – or ‘strategic lawsuits/litigation against public participation’ – can be used by powerful actors to silence public debate and curtail activist work. Asma Ali Farah welcomes this book for its focus upon the counter-mobilisation strategies of opponents as well as for its practical advice on how SLAPPS can potentially be challenged

Book review: Players and arenas: the interactive dynamics ofprotest edited by James M. Jasper and Jan Willem Duyvendak

Players and Arenas: The Interactive Dynamics of Protest , edited by James M. Jasper and Jan Willem Duyvendak, employs a strategic interaction perspective to the study of social movements, bringing to the fore the relational dynamics between various players across different social arenas. In the face of mounting criticism of the movement-centric nature of the scholarship in this field, this effort is an invaluable contribution, writes Asma Ali Farah

Book review: from silence to protest: international perspectives on weakly resourced groups

This volume simultaneously attempts to consider and rethink contemporary models and concepts in the study of protest, and examine their applicability to different regional contexts. Asma Ali Farah finds the key strength of From Silence to Protest is it shifts attention towards aspects that are overlooked in social movement studies, like its consideration of “invisible” forms of activism

Youth Treatment Adherence at a Rural Community Mental-Health Clinic

This study examined the relationships between youth and adult psychopathology, and sociodemographic factors and treatment adherence for youth attending outpatient treatment at a rural community mental-health clinic. “Adherence” was defined as attending more than five sessions, while “non-adherence” was defined as attending fewer than or equal to five sessions. Results revealed no significant differences between youth adhering or not adhering to treatment depending on the relation of caregiver to youth or the mode of transportation taken to the clinic. Furthermore, caregiver and youth psychopathology and caregiver’s estimated travel time to the clinic did not predict treatment adherence. Incidentally, examination of sociodemographic variables revealed that caregivers and youth who spoke Spanish in the home were more likely to adhere to treatment. Additionally, supplemental analyses examining psychopathology and treatment adherence using a “total treatment” operational definition found that higher levels of youth anxiety predicted adherence to treatment. Implications of these results are discussed

Perceptions, difficulties and working memory capacity related to mathematics performance

There is a general view that students of not have a positive attitude towards mathematics. In general, mathematics is considered a ‘difficult’ subject and sometimes there is a lack of enjoyment. Mathematics is often portrayed as being abstract and unrelated to life. In the light of the key role mathematics has in the curriculum, the aim of this study is to explore the difficulties and self-perceptions of students aged about 10-12 in Pakistan as they undertake their studies in mathematics. The study uses a survey of student perceptions, working with samples of students drawn from both Urdu and English medium schools (N = 813). In addition, working memory capacity of those in grade 5 (age about 10) was measured and information was gained about their performance in mathematics examinations. The data is analysed to consider how their self-perceptions related to their experiences in learning mathematics which varies with age, language background and gender. Any relationships between these self perceptions, mathematics marks and measured working memory capacity are explored as well. The observed outcomes can be used to inform the agenda for action or further study. It was found that the vast majority (English medium and Urdu medium) appreciate the role and the importance of studies in mathematics although topics like geometry, fractions, topics with life applications, statistics are causing problems. It is almost certain that these topics place demands on working memory which make understanding very difficult. In the Urdu medium schools, the curriculum in grade 6 is clearly causing major problems while, in both systems, pressures for success based on examination performance have generated a complete industry of private tutors. Many of the gender differences can be interpreted in terms of the social roles in Pakistani society. However, girls do seem more positive and more committed in relation to their studies in mathematics. The study has revealed two major issues which need careful consideration. One is the whole issue of memorisation and understanding. The goal of meaningful learning must be stressed more if positive attitudes are to be retained. The whole issue of making the mathematics studied become related in some way to the lifestyle of the learner seems very important but this is not easy without overloading working memory. In considering both of these issues, the critical role of assessment has to be addressed: if assessment offers rewards almost entirely for the recall and correct execution of mathematical procedures, then this will be reflected in textbooks and teaching approaches. Along with curriculum design and teaching approaches which are consistent with the known limitations of working memory, assessment is perhaps the single most important issue to be considered. Very significant correlations were found for grade 5 students when their measured working memory capacity was related to their mathematics examination performance. Indeed, the correlation value for Urdu medium students is the highest such correlation which has been found in any discipline. This suggests major curriculum design problems in the national syllabus for Urdu medium schools as well as assessment problems. The study has pinpointed many areas of success along with specific areas where there are serious problems. In this way, an agenda for future research and action has been described

Labor-Use Efficiency in Saudi Manufacturing Sectors

This paper seeks to examine the process of adjustment in labor and to measure labor-use efficiency in Saudi manufacturing sectors. The theoretical framework is based on a dynamic flexible adjustment model applied to a panel of seven Saudi industries observed from 2007 to 2015. It investigates the process of adjustment in labor Saudization level toward a desired level. The adjustment process is both industrial and time-specific, and is expressed in terms of factors affecting the speed of adjustment. The empirical results show that, in the long run, labor Saudization responds greatly to gross domestic product, followed by unit Saudi wage and least by non-Saudi labor. In addition, labor over-use in Saudi manufacturing sectors is reduced after application of Nitaqat program

COVID-19 and Domestic Violence in Pakistan: An Analysis of the Media Perspective

There has been an alarming increase in domestic violence (DV) cases in different parts of the world amidst COVID-19 related lockdowns in 2020-2021. This paper aims to understand the prevalence of DV in Pakistan through the analysis of online media sources published during the lockdown period. The objectives of this research include the questions (1) how was the issue of DV presented in the Pakistani media during the lockdown period? and (2) what messages were conveyed by the media discourses? A summative qualitative content analysis was used as a method for data collection and analysis. Three national newspapers were selected as data sources due to their relevance in reporting women\u27s issues and their reputations. A purposive sampling technique was used to select a total of 20 articles published in these newspapers, which focused on DV amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The data shows that DV is seen as a serious social issue and is condemned in these newspapers. The power and control of perpetrators over women has increased during the lockdown and the home has converted into a dangerous space where women feel insecure and unsafe. DV is directly related to financial constraints, inadequate support groups, and poor social services including security and housing. The government attempts to address DV during the lockdown are considered inadequate and symbolic. Along with the attention of the state, the contribution of civil society is needed to redress the issue of DV in Pakistan. Engagement of community volunteers, neighbors, educators, and health workers may help to gain the trust of the women victims who are unable to access state-run initiatives such as helplines

'Transediting’ Saudi Arabia by the BBC: a corpus-driven critical discourse analysis study of representations and power negotiation, 2013–2015

Translators in newsrooms routinely apply what Bielsa and Bassnett (2009, p.10) refer to as ‘absolute domestication’ in which the source text (ST) is ‘transedited’ (Stetting, 1989, pp.371-82). This can lead to power ‘abuse’ and ‘ethnocentric violence’ against the ST, language and culture (Venuti, 1995). By incorporating corpus tools and critical discourse analysis (CDA) (Wodak and Meyer, 2016), this research investigates, first, the key themes that the BBC Monitoring Middle East (BBCM-M) service tended to focus on when reporting on Saudi Arabia from Arabic news output from 2013 to 2015 in relation to other British news sources reporting in English, second, the representations of Saudi Arabia disseminated by the BBCM-M and the extent to which it contributed to such representations and, third, the power dynamics between the Arabic source and English target texts through transediting. The study reveals three key themes that characterise the BBCM-M’s coverage of Saudi Arabia: identity, action and status and relations. There are four main representations of Saudi Arabia: 1) as filled with men of authority, who are unlike women, with real agency, 2) its rivalry with Iran and reliance on the US, 3) its three-dimensional image in relation to terrorism and 4) its paradoxical portrayal in relation to: power, policies and development. Importantly, these are ‘anchored’ to stereotypical ‘social representations’ (Moscovici, 2000) that fit into the ‘system of representations’ of Arabs and Muslims in Western media and literature (Said, 1978). The study also exposes a power imbalance in favour of English both prior to and during the ‘transediting’ process, which enabled the active contributions of BBCM M professionals to these representations. This research demonstrates how translation in a cross-cultural context such as news translation can be an apparatus of ‘coloniality of power and knowledge’ (Quijano, 2000). It also shows how a certain ‘system of representations’ can be sustained across time, languages and cultures via the constant reproduction of certain images that ‘anchor’ the same ‘social representations’ that exist in that system