Month: April 2024

Employing gridded-based dataset for heatwave assessment and future projection in Peninsular Malaysia

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Abstract

Rising temperatures due to global warming necessitate immediate evaluation of heatwave patterns in Peninsular Malaysia (PM). For this purpose, this study utilized a locally developed heatwave index and a gridded daily maximum temperature (Tmax) dataset from ERA5 (1950–2022). During validation, the ERA5 dataset accurately represented the spatial pattern of Level 1 heatwaves, showing widespread occurrence. Historically, Level 1 heatwaves prevailed at 63.0%, followed by Level 2 at 27.7%, concentrated in northwestern states and the enclave between the Tahan and Titiwangsa mountain ranges. During very strong El Niño events in 1982/83, 1997/98, and 2015/16, Level 2 heatwave distributions were 10.4%, 26.8%, and 15.0%, respectively. For future projection, the model ensemble was created by selecting top-performing Global Climate Models (GCMs) using Kling-Gupta efficiency (KGE), ranked re-aggregation with compromise programming index (CPI), and GCM subset selection via Fisher-Jenks. The linear scaling bias-corrected GCMs (BC-GCMs), NorESM2-LM, ACCESS-CM2, MPI-ESM1-2-LR, ACCESS-ESM1-5, and FGOALS-g3, were found to exhibit better performance, and then ensemble. March to May show the highest increase in all scenarios, ranging from 3.3 °C to 4.4 °C for Level 1 heatwaves and 4.1 °C to 10.7 °C for Level 2 heatwaves. In the near future, SSP5-8.5 projects up to a 40.5% spatial increase for Level 1 heatwaves and a 2.3% increase for Level 2 heatwaves, affecting 97.1% and 57.2% of the area, respectively. In the far future, under SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, Tmax is projected to rise rapidly (1.5–4.5 °C) in the northern, western, and central regions, with increasing population exposure anticipated in the northern and western regions.

A fusion-based framework for daily flood forecasting in multiple-step-ahead and near-future under climate change scenarios: a case study of the Kan River, Iran

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Abstract

This study proposes a novel fusion framework for flood forecasting based on machine-learning, statistical, and geostatistical models for daily multiple-step-ahead and near-future under climate change scenarios. An efficient machine-learning model with three remote-sensing precipitation products, including ERA5, CHIRPS, and PERSIANN-CDR, was applied to gap-fill data. Four individual machine-learning models, including Random Forest, Multiple-Layer Perceptron, Support Vector Machine, and Extreme Learning Machine, were developed twelve days ahead of streamflow modeling. Then, three fusion models, including Random Forest, Bayesian Model Averaging, and Bayesian Maximum Entropy, were applied to combine the outputs of individual machine-learning models. The proposed framework was also implemented to downscale the precipitation variables of three general climate models (GCMs) under SSP5-8.5 and SSP1-2.6 scenarios. The application of this approach is investigated on the Kan River, Iran. The results indicated that individual models illustrated weak performance, especially in far-step-ahead flood forecasting, so it is necessary to utilize a fusion technique to improve the results. The RF model indicated high efficiency in the fusion step compared to other fusion-based models. This technique also demonstrated effective proficiency in downscaling daily precipitation data of GCMs. Finally, the flood forecasting model was developed based on the fusion framework in the near future (2020–2040) by using precipitation data from two scenarios. We conclude that flood events based on SSP5-8.5 and SSP1-2.6 will increase in the future in our case study. Also, the frequency evaluation shows that floods under SSP1-2.6 will occur about 10% more than SSP5-8.5 in the Kan River basin from 2020 to 2040.

Uniquely human intelligence arose from expanded information capacity

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Abstract

Most theories of how human cognition is unique propose specific representational capacities or biases, often thought to arise through evolutionary change. In this Perspective, we argue that the evidence that supports these domain-specific theories is confounded by general information-processing differences. We argue that human uniqueness arises through genetic quantitative increases in the global capacity to process information and share it among systems such as memory, attention and learning. This change explains regularities across numerous subdomains of cognition, behavioural comparisons between species and phenomena in child development. This strict evolutionary continuity theory of human intelligence is consistent with comparative evidence about neural evolution and computational constraints of memory on the ability to represent rules, patterns and abstract generalizations. We show how these differences in the degree of information processing capacity yield differences in kind for human cognition relative to other animals.

Saturnino Herrán’s portable murals: symbolism, material agency and conservation

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Abstract

Alegoría de la construcción and Alegoría del trabajo were the first mural paintings commissioned to Saturnino Herrán (1887–1918), and they occupied a significant place in one of the most important schools in Mexico. The non-invasive methodology employed included different documentation phases and in situ multi-technique analyses. Hyperspectral imaging and digital radiography were used for a general characterization of the materials and were complemented with localized analyses by portable microscopy, and XRF and FORS spectroscopies. A complete identification of the original and the restoration palettes was achieved. Results from this work allowed us to understand the production context, painting technique, and conservation state, thus providing insights for the proper conservation of these murals, while also unveiling a new perception of the artist and his historical place among the muralist movement.

India’s ancient philosophy on holistic education and its relevance for target 4.7 of the United Nations sustainable development goals

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Abstract

The paper's objective is to study one of the world´s early living civilizations, i.e., India, focusing primarily on its rich ancient philosophy with specific reference to holistic education to understand how it may act as a prototype for target 4.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals. The study uses Interpretive sociology to understand the meanings contextually from the insider's perspective. Extensive and intensive usage of symbolism in Indian philosophy is studied through social constructionism and phenomenology. India’s ancient philosophy on holistic education has a relevance to modern approaches to address sustainability issues such as by addressing specific aspects of the SDGs, or the SDGs holistically, given the goals interconnects, and potential synergies and trade-offs, thereby serving as a prototype for target 4.7 of SDG 4. The findings also revel a lack of connection to higher power of spirituality. The originality of the study is the effort enabling comparative analysis across contexts, by placing the SDGs in the context of India’s ancient philosophy on holistic education, befitting the expectations of SDGs, specifically target 4.7. Authors are aware of the tendency of the “book view” (Indological Approach) to homogenize but this is in tune with the papers objective as the intention is to draw an ideal–typical proto-type of holistic education.

The mechanisms of AI hype and its planetary and social costs

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Abstract

Our global landscape of emerging technologies is increasingly affected by artificial intelligence (AI) hype, a phenomenon with significant large-scale consequences for the global AI narratives being created today. This paper aims to dissect the phenomenon of AI hype in light of its core mechanisms, drawing comparisons between the current wave and historical episodes of AI hype, concluding that the current hype is historically unmatched in terms of magnitude, scale and planetary and social costs. We identify and discuss socio-technical mechanisms fueling AI hype, including anthropomorphism, the proliferation of self-proclaimed AI “experts”, the geopolitical and private sector “fear of missing out” trends and the overuse and misappropriation of the term “AI” in emerging technologies. The second part of the paper seeks to highlight the often-overlooked costs of the current AI hype. We examine its planetary costs as the AI hype exerts tremendous pressure on finite resources and energy consumption. Additionally, we focus on the connection between AI hype and socio-economic injustices, including perpetuation of social inequalities by the huge associated redistribution of wealth and costs to human intelligence. In the conclusion, we offer insights into the implications for how to mitigate AI hype moving forward. We give recommendations of how developers, regulators, deployers and the public can navigate the relationship between AI hype, innovation, investment and scientific exploration, while addressing critical societal and environmental challenges.

Shaping citizens: teachers enacting democratic education in the history classroom

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Abstract

The work of history teachers in schools is contentious and often heavily scrutinised, characterised by conflicts between professional and ideological perspectives on the purpose of the work they do (Macintyre & Clark, 2003). History curricula in Australia have been the subject of regular, ongoing political intervention, in particular about the role of history education in constructing and maintaining narratives of Australian democracy and citizenship. Against this landscape, this paper explores how history teachers from New South Wales, Australia conceive of the contemporary role of history curriculum in the development of students’ understanding of civics and democracy, and their navigation of the tensions between the written curriculum and the contexts in which they teach. Using both observational and interview data, this paper explores teachers’ perceptions of the gap between curriculum “as intention and as reality” (Stenhouse, 1975, p. 2) illuminating the experiences of teachers who interact with and implement the curriculum in their daily work, and highlighting the role that school context plays in determining how civics and citizenship education is enacted in practice. Contrast is offered between the teachers of history in the context of a privileged, urban school community, to that of an Aboriginal teacher working in a regional context - with an exploration of the impact of these contexts in framing the possibilities for democratic and civic engagement in the history classroom. Using the theoretical framework of practice architectures (Kemmis & Grootenboer, 2008), I explore the role of curriculum as both an enabling and constraining force in the way teachers work to develop student understandings of democracy and civic identity and the complex relationship that emerges from teachers’ interaction with curriculum documents and their decision-making in relation to their students and communities.

On the portrayal of indigenous peoples in English language teaching coursebooks used in Chile: a critical visual literacy/socio-semiotic study

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Abstract

This research critically examines the multifaceted role of English as a foreign language (EFL) coursebooks beyond mere language learning objectives. Specifically, the study focuses on how these coursebooks often project universal cultural values that, though seemingly bland, can perpetuate power dynamics leading to various forms of inequality. Drawing on a qualitative methodology that amalgamates socio-semiotic analysis and critical visual literacy, the investigation scrutinizes the portrayal of indigenous peoples within 12 EFL coursebooks used in state-run and subsidized schools across Chile. Furthermore, the research explores the viewpoints and attitudes of seven EFL teachers towards the visual representations of indigenous peoples compared to non-indigenous individuals depicted in the same coursebooks. The findings suggest that indigenous peoples are often depicted as stereotypical remnants of the past, oversimplifying their intricate cultural attributes and presenting them as disconnected from contemporary society. Moreover, the study identifies the failure of coursebook publishers in acknowledging the richness and diversity of indigenous cultures, thereby perpetuating cultural stereotypes and contributing to the process of otherising, which reinforces a sense of separation between the majority (“us”) and the indigenous minority (“them”).

Examining (in)justice, environmental activism and indigenous knowledge systems in the Indian film Kantara (Mystical Forest)

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Abstract

The acquisition of knowledge encompasses various dimensions that should be consolidated to facilitate a comprehensive and holistic advancement of its trajectory. In this context, the article explores the film Kantara: A Legend (Shetty in Kantara: a legend [film], Hombale Films, 2022), a Kannada-language production from India and its significance in highlighting the importance of indigenous knowledge systems, local customs, demigods and the sacredness attributed to the forest. The article explicates the marginalization of these knowledge systems and the community’s vulnerability to epistemic and environmental injustices. Additionally, the article highlights the importance of the sacredness of their land and the community’s engagement in activism. The study concludes by examining how a film such as Kantara serves as a means to disseminate the notion of environmental activism to a wide audience.

Linking parental self-efficacy, parenting behaviour and mental health of Malaysian early adolescents

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Abstract

The impact of parental characteristics on mental health outcomes of early adolescents have been robustly examined in the West. However, the extent to which two salient parental characteristics, specifically parental self-efficacy (PSE) and parenting behaviours (PB) influence early adolescents’ mental health particularly emotional-behavioural problems and competence are scarcely explored among Asian households. Hence, this study examined the linkages between PSE, PB (i.e., warmth, monitoring, harsh discipline, and indigenous), and early adolescents’ mental health (i.e., emotional-behavioural problems and competence) from the perspective of Malaysian parents. The mediating role of PB on the relationships between PSE and early adolescents’ mental health was also examined. Sample comprised 478 Malaysian parents of children aged between 10 and 14 years old. Parents completed a self-report online survey regarding their PSE and PB as well as child’s mental health. Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis indicated that PSE was positively related to parental warmth, monitoring, and indigenous parenting which predicted better early adolescents’ mental health, but negatively related to parental harsh discipline that predicted poorer early adolescents’ mental health. Results also show that high PSE is related to less emotional-behavioural problems and more competence among early adolescents. Finally, the role of warmth, monitoring, and harsh discipline parenting was established as the mediators between the relationships between PSE and early adolescents’ mental health. The findings imply that parents’ belief in their ability to perform their parenting roles and the way they behave in their parenting could have a direct and indirect impact on their offspring’s mental health.