Abstract Despite sometimes being considered unworthy of scholarly attention, the study of toilet graffiti, also known as latrinalia, has nevertheless garnered increasing interest among researchers. ...Graffiti writing still suffers from the stigma of being associated with transgression, vandalism, and a deviant subculture. However, findings from this study show that writing on the restroom wall can facilitate a unique form of communication among the writers. Drawing from semiotic linguistic landscaping and serendipity as methodological inspiration, this research explores data collected from a women's restroom at a UK university over a ten-month period. It examines how restroom users utilized the graffiti-covered wall as a safe house and a repository for their anxieties and concerns. The findings illustrate a palpable emotional connection to this specific wall, where writers seek and offer advice, share personal struggles, and provide mutual support to the extent that they see it as contributing more to their mental health than the university does. Through an analysis of the conversational threads present in the graffiti, this study underscores the potential for examining latrinalia within educational institutions to gain valuable and meaningful insights into the student body. The main implication is for educators to consider innovative, non-traditional ways of reaching out to students outside of the formal spaces of learning such as classrooms and libraries. This study, therefore, encourages us to reconsider toilet graffiti as potentially offering an additional or supplementary communication platform for individuals who might otherwise lack the confidence to express themselves openly through traditional means of soliciting feedback.
The human vermiform (“worm-like”) appendix is a 5–10
cm long and 0.5–1
cm wide pouch that extends from the cecum of the large bowel. The architecture of the human appendix is unique among mammals, ...and few mammals other than humans have an appendix at all. The function of the human appendix has long been a matter of debate, with the structure often considered to be a vestige of evolutionary development despite evidence to the contrary based on comparative primate anatomy. The appendix is thought to have some immune function based on its association with substantial lymphatic tissue, although the specific nature of that putative function is unknown. Based (a) on a recently acquired understanding of immune-mediated biofilm formation by commensal bacteria in the mammalian gut, (b) on biofilm distribution in the large bowel, (c) the association of lymphoid tissue with the appendix, (d) the potential for biofilms to protect and support colonization by commensal bacteria, and (e) on the architecture of the human bowel, we propose that the human appendix is well suited as a “safe house” for commensal bacteria, providing support for bacterial growth and potentially facilitating re-inoculation of the colon in the event that the contents of the intestinal tract are purged following exposure to a pathogen.
This paper provides valuable insights into the use of disaster video games in museums. It contributes not only towards a better understanding of disasters within popular culture but also in fostering ...greater museum visitor participation in learning about disaster and disaster risk reduction (DRR). The theoretical background of this study draws on various scholarships from video game research, constructivist learning theory, and the museum learning environment. This research was undertaken in two New Zealand museums (Te Papa in Wellington and Quake City in Christchurch) which housed the disaster video game Quake Safe House (QSH). The research findings and associated discussion considers the potential of QSH to build disaster awareness based upon participants' gameplay. Ultimately, it is demonstrated that the use of ‘serious’ disaster video games, such as QSH, cannot be a stand-alone item for the purpose of learning within a museum space. Instead, such video games require better integration within the museum's environment and educational disaster displays to encourage and foster the participation of museum visitors in learning about disaster and DRR through multiple mediums.
This paper provides valuable insights into the use of disaster video games in museums. It contributes not only towards a better understanding of disasters within popular culture but also in fostering ...greater museum visitor participation in learning about disaster and disaster risk reduction (DRR). The theoretical background of this study draws on various scholarships from video game research, constructivist learning theory, and the museum learning environment. This research was undertaken in two New Zealand museums (Te Papa in Wellington and Quake City in Christchurch) which housed the disaster video game Quake Safe House (QSH). The research findings and associated discussion considers the potential of QSH to build disaster awareness based upon participants' gameplay. Ultimately, it is demonstrated that the use of ‘serious’ disaster video games, such as QSH, cannot be a stand-alone item for the purpose of learning within a museum space. Instead, such video games require better integration within the museum's environment and educational disaster displays to encourage and foster the participation of museum visitors in learning about disaster and DRR through multiple mediums.
Fluent speakers of a target language choosing to enrol in beginner-level courses at tertiary institutes could be considered unfair. In this paper, however, based on data obtained from in-depth ...qualitative interviews with 12 students at a Hong Kong university, we show that fluent speakers of Japanese - a widely-spoken foreign language in Hong Kong - were motivated to engage in learning activities during beginner Japanese lessons, as those lessons constituted 'safe houses' in which the participants shaped subversive identities against the perceived institutional dominance (GPA-oriented system) of the university and negotiated security. Our key findings related to the participants' L2 motivations are three-fold. First, perceived ease pertained to the participants' motivations to enrol in the course. Second, the participants were motivated to 'outsmart' the university's dominant GPA-oriented system and 'cash in' their accumulated effort to achieve fluency in Japanese, 'converting' it into good grades. Third, the participants showed motivation because they believed beginning Japanese lessons to be sites in which they could feel secure, due to being able to speak Japanese and extend their Japanese-related social networks. This paper concludes with implications for L2 motivation research and suggestions for language teachers who are faced with such fluent speakers in beginner-level language classrooms.
Detecting circular objects over digital images have received considerable attention from industries for applications such as detection of pellets in pelletization plant, target detection, inspection ...of manufactured products etc. Several algorithms were proposed in past few years to detect circular features. One powerful approach for circle detection is the Circular Hough Transform and its variants. This article presents an algorithm which is based on CHT and Local Maxima concept. Finding one or several maxima considering different accumulators simultaneously and mapping the found parameters corresponding to the maxima back to the original image is key concept of proposed algorithm. Experiments were performed on real industrial images to validate the efficiency of proposed algorithm regarding good accuracy of detection.
A major longitudinal study of runaway and homeless youth resulted in the establishment of a safe house in Calgary. In order to further knowledge building and research in this field, users of the ...facility are routinely asked to fill out an intake form, and consent is obtained for the use of the infomation for research purposes. Data collected during the first fourteen months of its operation have now been analyzed. Results are compared to the original survey data to determine which youth are using the facility and which are being missed. Interesting similarities and differences are described and discussed.
Une étude longitudinale importante de jeunes fugueurs sans foyer a résulté dans l'établissement d'un foyer d'acceuil à Calgary. Afin d'améliorer la connaissance et la recherche dans ce domaine, les utilisateurs de cette solution ont été amenés à remplir un feuillet d'admission, comprenant leur accord pour l'utilisation des données à des fins de recherche. Les données récoltées au cours des premiers quatorze mois ont été analysées et comparées à l'étude initiale afin de déterminer quels jeunes ont eu recours à ce service et quels jeunes n'y recourrent pas. Des similarités et des différences intéressantes sont décrites et discutées.
Como resultado de un estudio longitudinal de grandes proporciones sobre los jóvenes que se fugan de sus casas o carecen de ellas, se estableció una casa-hogar en Calgary. Para ampliar los conocimientos en este campo, a los jóvenes que disfrutan de este servicio se les pide de forma rutinaria que llenen un formulario de entrada y que permitan el uso de la información obtenida para fines de investigación. En este estudio se analizaron los datos recogidos en los primeros catorce meses de operación. Los resultados se comparan con los datos de la encuesta original para determinar cuáles jóvenes tienen acceso a este servicio y cuáles no. Se describen y discuten interesantes semejanzas y diferencias.
Breaking the Code Batchelor, Virginia; Lane, Illana
Children’s Human Rights and Public Schooling in the United States
Book Chapter
The lived-realities and schooling experiences of children in today’s world can prove to be disturbing. As it stands, educators are challenged daily by issues that impact the academic achievement and ...emotional wellbeing of students who populate their classrooms. Educators however may be completely unaware about the issue of domestic minor sex trafficking DMST of school age children in the US. DMST “is the commercial sexual abuse of children through buying, selling, or trading their sexual services. Forms of DMST include: prostitution, pornography, stripping, escort services, and other sexual services” (Kotrla, 2010, p. 182).
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