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Panic buying of toilet rolls in Australia began in early March 2020. This was related to the realisation that the novel coronavirus was spreading across the country. To the general population the impact of the virus was unknown. Gradually the federal government started closing the country's borders. The panic buying of toilet rolls was not unique to Australia. It happened across all societies that used toilet paper rather than water to clean after defecation and urination. However, research suggests that the panic buying was most extreme in Australia. This article argues that the panic buying was closely linked to everyday notions of Western civilisation. Pedestal toilets and toilet paper are key aspects of civilisation and the fear of the loss of toilet paper is connected to anxiety about social breakdown, the loss of civilisation. This is the fear manifested in the perceived threat posed by the virus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This commentary is a response to Veronica Csillag’s exploration of the influence of historical and transgenerational trauma on the lives of immigrants, and on the psychoanalytic process (this issue). Dr. Csillag’s paper deepens our understanding of the intrapsychic life of immigrants who have suffered collective trauma pre-migration and continue to suffer from “ghosts” from the past. Her ideas are critical to examining not only the specific traumas incurred in Europe related to the Nazi Holocaust and totalitarian and socialist regimes but also to contemporary traumas related to social identity and position in the United States. In this commentary, I elaborate three primary areas within Dr. Csillag’s contribution: (a) the illusion of choice in traumatic migration, (b) secrecy and privacy, and (c) experience of the outsider and the insider. My discussion underscores the importance of engaging with historical and ongoing trauma in psychoanalytic psychotherapy as a path to healing within individual and collective dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This is a polemical paper rather than a 'scientific' paper. It focusses on how systemic changes to public services are impacting on children, families and communities. It is argued that the implementation of neoliberal ideology is rolling back the welfare state, undermining the social justice principles on which it was founded, having profound effects on the fabric of society and potentially making public services less effective in meeting the needs of vulnerable people. Psychologists have skills in working systemically and with individuals to alleviate suffering and improve life chances. It is argued that current policy of shrinking the welfare state and privatising public services is creating conditions which will increase social exclusion and have detrimental impacts on the health and well-being of many people. Economic and political policy has not been the usual territory of psychologists and there may be nervousness about straying out of our 'neutral' positions. However, it is proposed that psychology, in fostering universal psychology initiatives for the benefit of all, cannot afford to be apolitical as the values underlying our work are now under attack. It is suggested that we now need to act as a profession to challenge social injustice and lobby for social change. It is possible to do this without aligning to one political party, but from a values-based position. However, it is acknowledged that this is a complex position to maintain, given that some political movements are more aligned to neoliberal ideology than others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When we ask ourselves if psychoanalysis is a science and what type of science it is, we raise many questions related to the notion of faithfulness. For instance, we might ask what it means to be faithful to a text, to the essence of an author’s writings, or to his or her creative power. If being a psychoanalyst means, at the very least, being able to translate the other’s thoughts, one of the difficulties of this task lies in what we call the complexity of translation. Analysts translate, interpret, interfere with the thoughts of the other in order to open up new paths, to offer themselves as a projection screen, or to try to create a link between two subjects so as to make room for the present, which is sometimes erased by history. To elucidate some of these issues, Scarfone (this issue) focuses on a discussion on the ethics of the analyst and of psychoanalysis [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper investigates the ongoing trends in microfinance, particularly the trend peculiarities per regions. The data encompassed three periods including years 2014, 2017 and 2021. By utilizing the empirical data, the paper offers a comprehensive overview and analysis of the different microfinance aspects and their trends and transformation during the specified period. The results and conclusions from the analysis demonstrate the strong trend in increased values for three aspects in the analysed regions. Indicators representing global values show evidence of strong trend of increased impact of social, commercial, and digital aspects. Findings not only underscores the microfinances significance in promoting financial inclusion, but also highlights the adaptability and acceptance of the microfinance institutions in addressing the evolving needs of low-income populations across the global regions. Determination of these trends is crucial for all stakeholders in the financials systems to exploit the high potential of microfinance as a significant support for economic and social well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the proposal made by the European Union (EU) to provide free accessibility of every scientific paper published by 2020 and the opportunities offered by this proposal.

The increase in mining-related social conflict around the globe can only be partly attributed to broader societal factors such as communities becoming more assertive, empowered and connected. The aggressive growth strategies of mining companies have also been a contributing factor, as this has taken them into areas which are socially and politically more challenging and has increased the potential for conflict with other land users. While mining companies may have embraced the language of ‘trust’, ‘shared value’ and ‘partnership’, they remain locked into a business model that periodically threatens these values. Given the constraints of this business model, there has to be a practical focus on creating stronger external, as well as internal, drivers for companies to improve how they engage with communities and other stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The publication performance of 30 scientometricians is studied. The individuals are classified into 3 cohorts according to their manifested professional recognition, as Price medalists ( Pm), members of the editorial board of S cientometrics and the J ournal of I nformetrics ( Rw), and session chairs ( Sc) at an International Society of Scientometrics and Informetrics ( ISSI) conference. Several core impact indicators are calculated: h, g, π, citation distribution score ( CDS), percentage rank position ( PRP), and weight of influence of papers ( WIP 10). The indices significantly correlate with each other. The mean value of the indices of the cohorts decreases parallel with the decrease in professional recognition: Pm > Rw > Sc. The 30 scientometricians studied were clustered according to the core impact indices. The members in the clusters so obtained overlap only partly with the members in the cohorts made by professional recognition. The Total Overlap is calculated by dividing the sum of the diagonal elements in the cohorts-clusters matrix with the total number of elements, times 100. The highest overlap (76.6%) was obtained with the g-index. Accordingly, the g-index seems to have the greatest discriminative power in the system studied. The cohorts-clusters method may be used for validating scientometric indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the authors introduce some of the main aspects of cyberviolence related to digital life, and online experience with a specific focus on young people. Cyberviolence includes violent and calculated actions carried out through electronic tools. In different situations, the perpetrator(s) can be a single person or a group, which deliberately aims to hurt or damage another who cannot defend themselves, often because the victims are initially unaware and unable to manage the problem emotionally and psychologically. Cyber-stalking, revenge porn, hate speech and cyberbullying are just some forms of online violence (cyber-violence). This issue reflects on the problematic issue of cyberviolence from different perspectives including the social, psychological, and educational. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of techno-economic approaches to evaluating energy transition pathways has been constantly reported in the literature, while existing research recognises the critical role played by social aspects in energy systems models. System dynamics (SD) has been pointed out among modelling techniques as a suitable tool to evaluate the interdisciplinary nature of energy transitions. This paper explores how energy system-related SD models have incorporated social aspects through a literature review. Models were assessed based on their geographical resolution, time horizon, methodological approach, and main themes: supply-demand, energy-economyenvironment (3E), energy-transport, water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, and consumer-centric and socio-political dynamics. Social aspects considered include behaviour and lifestyle changes, social acceptance, willingness to participate, socio-economic measures, among others. As expected, the representation of social aspects was not standard among the papers analysed. Socioeconomic aspects were most commonly included in supply-demand and 3E models. Energytransport and WEF models mainly incorporated changes in travel and consumption habits, respectively. The last theme had a more diverse approach to social aspects that deserves further attention, especially for energy access and justice issues. Other research lines include modelling approaches combination, enhanced participatory and transparent processes during model development, and use of SD models in policy-aiding and stakeholders' information processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land has always been a major asset, fulfilling multiple social, economic, ecological and cultural functions. It provides living space, contributes to food security, poverty reduction and eradication, and can be a factor of social cohesion and cultural identity. Access to land is seen as an important, determining factor in the income and food security of rural households, where there are few alternative livelihood options. In this context, the aim of this paper is to present some reflections on the social aspects of agricultural land ownership, access and use as a resource. The social impacts whose trends are most indicated are in the direction of providing employment, income from land cultivation, rent or lease, from sale of farmland, livelihood security and social environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The point that innovation is an important milestone of sustainability is widely accepted among scholars, industry agents, and government representatives. This is due to the fact that sustainable development is an urgent issue that requires immediate action and transformation by government, industry, and society as a whole perspective. This paper reviews the literature on innovations that transform individuals, organizations, supply chains, and communities toward a sustainable future. This paper reviews the literature on innovations that will transform individuals, organizations, supply chains, and communities toward a sustainable future. The major studies discussed in this review encouraged in their findings, recommendations, and contributions as we are facing in moving forward toward a sustainable society through innovation and transformation Moreover, this article reviews the diversity of the literature on innovation for sustainable development and proposes a typology of such phenomena. The proposed typology of such phenomena is followed by an overview of the major debates, based on the main subjects it addresses. The point that innovation is a key statement of sustainability is widely accepted by scientists, industry professionals and government representatives. This aspect is possible only by creating sustainable development, which requires constant action and urgent solutions from governments, industry and society. Furthermore, this article emphasizes the diversity of innovation for sustainable development in the literature, proposes a typology of such phenomenon, provides an overview of key articles based on the primary topics it addresses, and identifies a number of recommendations for the future development of the main field of study.

The paper analyzed rural areas in Romania from a territorial, demographic, economic, social and environment point of view in the year 2020 compared to 2011 in order to point out in what measure the gaps between rural and urban areas and EU rural areas have been reduced. The data from National Institute of Statistics and Eurostat were used in this comparison where fixed indices, structural indices, regression equations, determination coefficient helped to create an image on the changes. Rural areas keeps 89.6% of Romania's territory and 46.4% of its population, while at the EU level, the rural population accounts for only 29.1%. Rural population is aging, as 46% of people is aged of 50 and over. Depopulation caused by the negative natural movement and migration led to the decline in rural population. Rural poverty and social exclusion is higher, the EU average rate being 26%, while in Bulgaria, Malta and Romania is higher than 50%. Infrastructure regarding rural roads, water supply, sewerage and waste collection continue to be a big problem. Education level is lower, in 2020, only 17% graduates were from the rural areas, while in the EU 22% of the people aged 25-64 and 28.4% of the ones aged 30-34 have tertiary education. Rural digitalization is relatively weak as only 49% rural residents have digital skills compared to 62% in the cities. Of Romania's occupied population, 20% is in the rural areas and women accounts for 50%. About 83% of occupied population in agriculture are self employed. Salaried men in agriculture represent 3.5%, while women 1.1%, reflecting gender discrimination in total salaried population. Labor productivity in agriculture is small, just 20% of the national level. Per 1,000 AWU, labor productivity in Romania is the smallest in the EU. The rural average monthly income represents 64% of the income level in the urban areas and its growth rate is smaller. Agriculturists have the smallest income. Climate change diminished agricultural output and gross value added in Romania, and also the contribution to the EU. GDP/capita in rural Romania accounts for Euro 13,000, representing 65% of the EU average reflecting the gap in economic development and living standard. National Strategic Plan 2021-2027, whose implementation will involve the local authorities, is expected to transform rural areas in a resilient and diversified eco-system supplying agro-food products for ensuring food safety, in a consolidated economic and social sector using new knowledge, innovation and digitalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economía, Sociedad y Territorio is the property of El Colegio Mexiquense and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This article examines squatter resistance to a World Bank-funded forest and paper factory project. The article illustrates how diverse actors came together at the sites of rural development projects in early postcolonial Kenya. It focuses on the relationship between the rural squatters who resisted the project and the political elites who intervened, particularly President Kenyatta. Together, these two groups not only negotiated the reformulation of a major international development program, but they also worked out broader questions about political authority and political culture. In negotiating development, rural actors and political elites decided how resources would be distributed and they entered into new patronage-based relationships, processes integral to the making of the postcolonial political order. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018 was commenced on 01/01/2019 in Ireland. The Act provides for legal termination of pregnancy under defined circumstances including for any reason at < 12 weeks gestation; and where two doctors agree there is 'a condition affecting the foetus that is likely to lead to the death of the foetus either before, or within 28 days of, birth'. As such, abortion for congenital anomaly (CA) can occur at a number of time points, depending on the adjudged severity. Infants born with CAs frequently require significant medical intervention and account for a high proportion of admissions to paediatric intensive care units (PICUs). The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the number of infants with CAs admitted to an Irish PICU in the period before and after the implementation of the Act. All PICU admissions < 1 month of age to a single Irish paediatric hospital between 2012 and 2021 were analysed. CAs were recorded, and the periods before and after the commencement of the Act compared. We found a difference in admissions involving CAs, particularly those related to congenital heart disease involving single ventricle anatomy. It is plausible that this difference was as a result of improved access to abortion services following the implementation of the Act. This article explores the legal conditions related to the abortion of a foetus with a CA in Ireland, and the possible impact of the Independent Review of the Operation of the Health (Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy) Act 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including publication of an online journal, treatment and prevention of anterior cruciate ligament injuries in male football players and health benefits of football playing.

This paper starts by establishing a prima facie case that disadvantaged groups or individuals are more likely to get a chronic disease and are in a disadvantaged position to adhere to chronic treatment despite access through Universal Health Coverage. However, the main aim of this paper is to explore the normative implications of this claim by examining two different but intertwined argumentative lines that might contribute to a better understanding of the ethical challenges faced by chronic disease health policy. The paper develops the argument that certain disadvantages which may predispose to illness might overlap with disadvantages that may hinder self-management, potentially becoming disadvantageous in handling chronic disease. If so, chronic diseases may be seen as disadvantages in themselves, describing a reproduction of disadvantage among the chronically ill and a vicious circle of disadvantage that could both predict and shed light on the catastrophic health outcomes among disadvantaged groups-or individuals-dealing with chronic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Review, compare and critically assess digital technology responses to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world. The specific point of interest in this research is on predictive, preventive and personalized interoperable digital healthcare solutions. This point is supported by failures from the past, where the separate design of digital health solutions has led to lack of interoperability. Hence, this review paper investigates the integration of predictive, preventive and personalized interoperable digital healthcare systems. The second point of interest is the use of new mass surveillance technologies to feed personal data from health professionals to governments, without any comprehensive studies that determine if such new technologies and data policies would address the pandemic crisis. Method: This is a review paper. Two approaches were used: A comprehensive bibliographic review with R statistical methods of the COVID-19 pandemic in PubMed literature and Web of Science Core Collection, supported with Google Scholar search. In addition, a case study review of emerging new approaches in different regions, using medical literature, academic literature, news articles and other reliable data sources. Results: Most countries' digital responses involve big data analytics, integration of national health insurance databases, tracing travel history from individual's location databases, code scanning and individual's online reporting. Public responses of mistrust about privacy data misuse differ across countries, depending on the chosen public communication strategy. We propose predictive, preventive and personalized solutions for pandemic management, based on social machines and connected devices. Solutions: The proposed predictive, preventive and personalized solutions are based on the integration of IoT data, wearable device data, mobile apps data and individual data inputs from registered users, operating as a social machine with strong security and privacy protocols. We present solutions that would enable much greater speed in future responses. These solutions are enabled by the social aspect of human-computer interactions (social machines) and the increased connectivity of humans and devices (Internet of Things). Conclusion: Inadequate data for risk assessment on speed and urgency of COVID-19, combined with increased globalization of human society, led to the rapid spread of COVID-19. Despite an abundance of digital methods that could be used in slowing or stopping COVID-19 and future pandemics, the world remains unprepared, and lessons have not been learned from previous cases of pandemics. We present a summary of predictive, preventive and personalized digital methods that could be deployed fast to help with the COVID-19 and future pandemics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy transition will reshape the power sector, and hydrogen is a key energy carrier that could contribute to energy security. The inclusion of sustainability criteria is crucial for the adequate design/deployment of resilient hydrogen networks. While cost and environmental metrics are commonly included in hydrogen models, social aspects are rarely considered. This paper aims to identify the social criteria related to the hydrogen economy by using a systematic hybrid literature review. The main contribution is the identification of twelve social aspects which are described, ranked, and discussed. "Accessibility", "Information", "H 2 markets", and "Acceptability" are now emerging as the main themes of hydrogen-related social research. Identified gaps are e.g., lack of the definition of the value of H 2 for society, insufficient research for "socio-political" aspects (e.g., geopolitics, wellbeing), scarce application of social lifecycle assessment, and the low amount of works with a focus on social practices and cultural issues. [Display omitted] • Twelve social aspects related to the hydrogen economy have been identified. • A systematic hybrid literature review (bibliometric and structured) was used. • Useful for sustainability modellers, researchers, policymakers, stakeholders, etc. • Accessibility, Information, H 2 markets, and Acceptability are popular topics. • Gaps, challenges, and perspectives are identified by a multidisciplinary team. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the influence that certain social factors (education and area of residence) have on the most likely scenarios people encounter in their online activities. Among the possible scenarios of using the internet, based on everyday individuals' activities, we selected seeking information about health, goods, and services, taking online courses, internet banking, and participating in social networks. Using data acquired from international databases over the 2002–2020 period, we proposed five hypotheses and applied a multilinear regression model to the data collected for four European countries, namely, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, and Slovenia. We have analyzed the degree of confirmation for all five hypotheses. The results provided a better understanding of the influence of the above-mentioned factors on the considered scenarios, allowing stakeholders to define and propose specific development policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article we study to what extent the academic peer review process is influenced by social relations between the authors of a manuscript and the editor handling the manuscript. Taking the open access journal PlosOne as a case study, our analysis is based on a data set of more than 100,000 articles published between 2007 and 2015. Using available data on handling editor, submission and acceptance time of manuscripts, we study the question whether co-authorship relations between authors and the handling editor affect the manuscript handling time, i.e. the time taken between the submission and acceptance of a manuscript. Our analysis reveals (1) that editors handle papers co-authored by previous collaborators significantly more often than expected at random, and (2) that such prior co-author relations are significantly related to faster manuscript handling. Addressing the question whether these shorter manuscript handling times can be explained by the quality of publications, we study the number of citations and downloads which accepted papers eventually accumulate. Moreover, we consider the influence of additional (social) factors, such as the editor's experience, the topical similarity between authors and editors, as well as reciprocal citation relations between authors and editors. Our findings show that, even when correcting for other factors like time, experience, and performance, prior co-authorship relations have a large and significant influence on manuscript handling times, speeding up the editorial decision on average by 19 days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the socioeconomic impacts of drought events. Its objective is in particular to explore and study the distributive effects of drought events in the agricultural sector, taking the Po river basin, the most important agricultural area in Italy, as case study area. Its theoretical and methodological approach makes basis on the consumer surplus theory. One of the most remarkable outcomes of this analysis is that the effects of the drought events change considerably according to the social group. As far as agriculture is concerned, it shows that farmers and consumers are affected differently. Farmers can even earn from drought, because of the "price effect" caused by the scarcity of agricultural products; consumers always loses, because of the "quantity effect" and the "price effect". Very different impacts, in terms of sign and magnitude, were also observed among the farmers themselves, in particular when they are distinguished by crop category, and by geographical area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of EMERG: Energy. Environment. Efficiency. Resources. Globalization is the property of Romanian National Committee of World Energy Council and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper aims firstly to assess the deficiencies in access to drinking water that are present in Slovakia. Recently, the country was condemned for various violations in ensuring access to drinking water for all, whether by third parties, but also national institutions and international organizations. Drawing upon the identified failures and violations, the actions undertaken to remedy the situation are analysed, especially in order to establish whether Slovakia dispenses with its obligations under the human right to water and addresses the identified problems satisfactorily. Finally, the process of public procurement in providing drinking water is considered, having regard to its role in promptness and efficiency of addressing the unsatisfactory situation which makes Slovakia open to severe criticism from international human rights bodies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Financial incentives may provide a way of reducing the burden of chronic diseases by motivating people to adopt healthy behaviours. While it is still uncertain how effective such incentives could be for promoting health, some argue that, even if effective, there are ethical objections that preclude their use. One such argument is made by Michael Sandel, who suggests that monetary transactions can have a corrupting effect on the norms and values that ordinarily regulate exchange and behaviour in previously non-monetised contexts. In this paper, I outline Sandel's corruption argument and consider its validity in the context of health incentives. I distinguish between two forms of corruption that are implied by Sandel's argument: efficiency corruption and value corruption While Sandel's thought-provoking discussion provides a valuable contribution to debates about health policies generally and health incentives specifically, I suggest the force of his criticism of health incentives is limited: further empirical evidence and theoretical reasoning are required to support the suggestion that health incentives are an inappropriate tool for promoting health. While I do not find Sandel's corruption argument compelling, this only constitutes a partial defence of health incentives, since other criticisms relating to their use may prove more successful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The attraction of the place, the perception of services, the awareness, and the tourist satisfaction play an important role to motivate a tourist to visit and revisit a destination. Sustainability has also been receiving increasing attention and require also to promote inter-generational and intragenerational equity, to guarantee the cultural integrity and social cohesion of the communities, and to protect the environment and ecosystems. In this context, nautical tourism assesses some impacts to the economy, with the construction of port and the relative infrastructures and with all services to the boat, to the society and the local community that participate to the development and choices, and to the environment with significant potential risks. This paper focusses on small ports and marinas and investigates the real situation about services offered and the related possible tourism satisfaction for a socio-cultural sustainable development. In addition, FRAMESPORT project (FRAMEwork initiative fostering the sustainable development of Adriatic-Ionian Small PORTs) assists to these objectives collecting relevant experiences and feedbacks and developing a strategic guidance. For this reason, it has collected data from people connected to Italian and Croatian docks and are analyzed with statistic methods and georeferenced maps. The significance of the study is to understand similarities and differences of tourism in these two States and provide suggestions for a socio-cultural sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sampling is an important part of marketing for non-durable goods meaning food products. It provides space not only to introduce news on the market but also remind traditional types of products with innovative ingredients, new flavours and other variations. Moreover, the significant role of sampling is to support the sale of promoted products. The participation of promoter sustains this main role of sampling (support the sale). Following this reason, it is necessary to perceive the social aspects of sampling concerning customers and their purchasing decisions. The main purpose of the research is to verify the sampling efficiency concerning the customer purchase decisions in the conditions of the Slovak Republic considering the influence of the promoters, their behaviour and appearance. In addition to price factor impact on customer purchase decisions, the paper solved the social aspects of the interaction with the promoter and the taste of the product. For obtaining relevant results, 484 customers of retail stores and at the same time participants of sampling have been included in the survey. For meeting the stated goal, the methodological tool of the research method was a questionnaire survey which addressed the sampling participants. The paper presents the results that in most cases, Slovak customers don't purchase the product immediately after the sampling. When they decide to buy, the central aspect is the taste of the product and not the price. Thus, in a taste-price ratio, the taste is considered more convincing and more effective. This finding is in contrasts with previous ones about consumer's price sensitivity. Since sampling is a humanized sales promotion, it is also necessary to perceive the social factors of interaction with the promoter on the purchase decision. Sampling participants consider the behaviour of the promoter and communication skills to be significantly more important than the appearance. The results of the research could be useful to reveal a considerable room for improvement concerning purchase decisions after sampling. It can be influenced by increasing attractiveness of sampling by interesting innovations, either in the products themselves or in the forms of sampling provisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a gap in the clinical bioethics literature concerning the approach to assessment of medical decision-making capacity of adolescents or young adults who demonstrate diminished maturity due to longstanding reliance on caregiver support, despite having reached the age of majority. This paper attempts to address this question via the examination of a particular case involving assessment of the decision-making capacity of a young adult pregnant patient who also had a physically disabling neurological condition. Drawing on concepts from adolescent bioethics and feminist critiques of bioethical theory, we argue that limited life experience, secondary to a disabling neurological condition, can result in a lack of adult-like capacity even in a patient who is legally an adult. In such cases, it may be that autonomy, to the extent that it is to be relevant and meaningful, must be viewed through a relational lens. Furthermore, clinicians may avoid unjustifiably paternalistic practices by working with the patient help her gain a better appreciation of the consequences of her decision, thereby calling forward her capacity rather than resorting to being directive in counseling. We conclude that lessons from this case can be used to approach ethically complex instances of medical decision-making in adult patients with normal cognition but diminished experiential maturity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing popularity of e-readers such as Kindle, literary reading is increasingly digitized. The transition from paper-based to screen-based literature invites theoretical and empirical reconsiderations of a number of basic research questions which might at first glance seem trivial: does it make a difference for aspects of the literary reading experience if the text is read on a screen-based device rather than on paper? Findings from a recent experiment suggest that affordances of surf tablets such as iPad might negatively affect emotional aspects of reading. Referring to empirical research on emotional aspects of literary reading, the article aims to demonstrate the usefulness of more interdisciplinary approaches in studies of the literary reading experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recovering waste heat from urban infrastructures is gaining greater importance in the context of decarbonisation. However, evaluating the feasibility of waste heat recovery projects requires a holistic analysis of potential impacts, which includes social elements that are often overlooked. This paper introduces a novel methodology for assessing the competitiveness of waste heat integration into district heating, based on a multi-factorial decision support tool that incorporates energy poverty as a key performance indicator, in addition to energy, environmental and economic factors. The comparative assessment is based on the implementation of large-scale heat pumps recovering wastewater heat, a resource of great potential that is still underutilised in Europe. The methodology is tested in the cities of London and Riga, which are in countries with significantly different stages of DH development. In London, an emerging market with high growth potential, and in Riga, where there is a well-established DH system. The study has shown that waste heat can significantly reduce consumers' bills for heating, which was observed in all analysed scenarios. The social benefit decreases when the replaced technology involves biomass heat-only boilers or combined heat and power. The methodology presented is generic and can be applied to other locations and heat sources. • The impacts of waste heat utilisation are compared in the cities Riga and London. • Significant economic, environmental and social benefits achieved by waste heat exploitation. • Levelized cost savings achieved by integrating wastewater heat into DH can help to mitigate energy poverty. • Environmental impact of waste heat integration is lower in DH system based on biomass or CHP. • Low prices of CO 2 quotas require additional justification for waste heat integration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing the sustainability of material-based products now encompasses social sustainability, a vital aspect often overlooked. Even though the existing frameworks provide a starting point, they do not often differentiate between the assessment criteria when making comparisons within one specific material category, which has made sustainability assessments more focused on environmental and economic aspects. This study addresses this critical gap by pioneering a social assessment framework curated to help practitioners to choose the most sustainable cement type out of the standard cement types used in the industry. Utilizing the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) and linear-scoring method, criteria weights were systematically assigned based on scoring by industry and academic experts. The findings highlight the importance of integrating social sustainability with environmental and economic factors in cement selection. Unlike traditional material selection, which primarily considers cost and performance, green material selection emphasizes the holistic impact of materials, including social factors. Variations in weightage decisions among experts highlight the influence of practical experience, research interests, and context. Functionality emerges as a crucial criterion. The ranking of cement types based on social scores places CEM II/B-M at the top, followed by CEM IV/A, CEM II/A-S, CEM II/A-V, CEM I, and CEM II/A-LL. The evolving nature of sustainability necessitates ongoing research to refine and expand existing frameworks for a more sustainable construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The problem of techno-economic approaches to evaluating energy transition pathways has been constantly reported in the literature. Existing research recognises the critical role played by social aspects in energy systems models. System dynamics (SD) has been pointed out among modelling techniques as a suitable tool to evaluate the interdisciplinary nature of energy transitions. This paper explores how energy system-related SD models have incorporated social aspects through a literature review. Models were assessed based on their geographical resolution, time horizon, methodological approach, and main themes: supply-demand, energy-economy-environment (3E), energy-transport, water-energy-food (WEF) nexus, and consumer-centric and socio-political dynamics. Social aspects considered include behaviour and lifestyle changes, social acceptance, willingness to participate, socio-economic measures, among others. As expected, the representation of social aspects was not standard among the papers analysed. Socio-economic aspects were most commonly included in supply-demand and 3E models. Energy-transport and WEF models mainly incorporated changes in travel and consumption habits, respectively. The last theme had a more diverse approach to social aspects that deserves further attention, especially for energy access and justice issues. Other research lines include modelling approaches combination, enhanced participatory and transparent processes during model development, and use of SD models in policy-aiding and stakeholders’ information processes.

Copyright of Journal of The Planner & Development is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

On the basis of a comparative analysis of the case studies of the Slovenian Erased and the Latvian Non-citizens, the paper endeavors to identify the reasons for the EU involvement in the latter, but not the former case. These two situations are recognized as similar enough to be compared, and endure the counter-argumentation that the different EU approach is conditioned by the specifics of the local context, not by double standards. Hence, the paper comes to a conclusion that the involvement in Latvia has been conditioned by the fear of the potentially violent conflict, the existence of a proactive kin state, and a minority, significant in number, as well as the explicitly discriminatory legal framework that was in collision with the EU economic acquis. Thus, it has been inferred that double standards occur due to the lack of EU and international interest in these situations of human rights violations, where the powerful kin state and the minority, significant in number, are absent, do not have a potential to develop into a violent conflict, do not derive from explicitly discriminatory legal provision, and do not challenge the fundamental market freedoms of the EU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2011, the government of Afghanistan and a Chinese mining company relocated an entire village near the Aynak copper mine, where they developed a mining site. This paper investigates the impact of this displacement on affected households' income and consumption patterns using a difference-in-differences approach and primary household-level data from the villages around the mine in two periods: one just before relocation in 2011 and another in 2015. In 2011, all households of the Wali Kali village, one of the seven project-affected villages, were involuntarily relocated. Project-affected families (PAFs) claim that their traditional earning sources have been inadequately replaced by mine-related earnings and that, being separated geographically, they now face difficulty maintaining social networks that are necessary for their survival. Once lost, rebuilding social networks is not easy in war-trampled Afghanistan. This paper clarifies these shadowy effects of forced relocation and demonstrates that traditional daily labour income was reduced significantly and only partially replaced by income from mine-related activities among those who were relocated and that relocation significantly discouraged the participation in community life, reflecting the losses of social capital among the PAFs due to separation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban cities have a great potential for the sewage wastewater (WW) and treated WW but this heat resource is still underutilised in many European cities, including the three Baltic capitals of Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the integration of waste heat (WH) into a district heating (DH) system via absorption heat pumps by using key performance indicators (KPIs) in the fields of energy, environment, economy and social sphere in the three Baltic capitals. The paper presents a three-step methodology that develops an innovative multi-dimensional approach to energy poverty analysis and includes the three main drivers of energy poverty: fuel prices, household income, and energy efficiency. The paper shows that the integration of WH is economically feasible from the consumer's point of view and reduces energy poverty, especially when the price of fuel increases. • Multidimensional energy poverty approach is used for the methodology of treated wastewater. • The potential of treated wastewater is evaluated in Tallinn, Riga and Vilnius. • Economic benefits of incorporating wastewater heat into the DH system is assessed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Convivial urban spaces are a process as well as a philosophy. They revolve around observing users in specific urban spaces to comprehend their various needs, especially their social needs. Designing urban spaces for people to promote social connections is the foundation of creating convivial urban spaces. This means that this form of urban space has been interpreted as a daily social activity and as social pleasure expressed in the physical and psychological context of people's urban space. To provide a convivial environment for all users, effective convivial urban spaces should fulfill certain important aspects. From this point of view, the paper aims to identify the main aspects of creating convivial urban spaces through their repletion in the different theories. Then, the paper will evaluate and arrange the importance of the different aspects that form convivial urban spaces from the users and experts (urban designer and architects) point of view to reach the main objective of the paper which is to create a prospected framework for the urban designer and architects to help them in future decisions in designing convivial urban spaces that fulfill users’ needs.

Euthanasia is the painless killing of a patient suffering from an incurable and painful disease or an irreversible coma (oxford). It is also known as 'mercy killing' 'assisted suicide,' 'physician-assisted suicide' etc. (Britannica, 2019). It is a controversial topic with influential opinions in India, where it is believed that birth and death are spiritually governed. The paper will seek to understand Euthanasia from an Indian perspective. It will also throw light on perception based on social, religious, and legal aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how marathoners develop multiple and diverse subjectivities within this distance runningspace. Specifically, we engage in a case study and critically explore the various ways that a small but growing running group called the "Marathon Maniacs" positions itself within the marathon community. Drawing on Bourdieu's (1984, 1986, 1990) interdependent concepts of field, habitus, and capital, we uncover the multiple and complex ways that legitimate marathon bodies are constructed within this group. We untangle how the Maniacs negotiate beliefs prominently held in the larger marathon community, revealing how some beliefs are reappropriated in Maniac culture. Further, we critically analyze the forms of capital that are privileged within the Marathon Maniacs, identifying how these practices serve to distinguish and classify Maniacs as distance runners (Bourdieu, 1986, 1990; Krais, 2006). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The religious climate caused significant changes over the last few decades which led to intense debates about post-secularism in Western Europe. However, there is particularly a distinct lack of analyses of the features of post-secularism in post-communist cities. The paper draws on the case study of Prague where the religious landscape is in many ways unique in a European context because of its highly secularized society. Nevertheless, Prague also experienced a revival of religious life, which has found expression in the religious landscape (not only) through the emergence of new sacral structures, pluralization of religion and post-secular rapprochement in religious institutions. The paper examines the convergent and contradictory processes shaping the religious and non-religious landscape in Prague and therefore opens the discussion about post-secularism in post-communist context. The results point to the importance of historical, social, and urban development for the new geographies of religion. New areas of research should also draw attention on the new religious movements and alternative spirituality which helps to explain the relationship between sacred and secular phenomena in current European society and space and the re-definition of the minority role of religion in the secular society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses how women in cross-border trading in Ghana have established informal social networks, which are either kinship-based or non-kinship-based, to address not only their economic needs but also the social, political and psychosocial challenges that they face as they travel across national frontiers. It highlights how women depend on bonds of empathy, obligation or sometimes a conscious need to present a united front to address their several challenges as cross-border traders. In-depth interviews were used to interview 60 women involved in cross-border trading within the Economic Commission of West African States region. These women were purposively sampled using snowballing method. The narratives of women do not only show their resilience or determination to survive, and sustain their businesses but also how they address their personal and private matters through these informal networks. The level of reciprocity and trust among these women is a major factor that accounts for and maintains these active networks. The paper recommends that policies designed to support these women should take into account the role of women’s informal networks as these are assets that could be built on to address the challenges of women in cross-border trading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introduction to the special issue on "Human-Plant Interfaces: Relationality, Knowledge and Practices" briefly makes a case for the ethnography of the human-plant interface by referring to three interrelated aspects that emerge from the set of papers that follow. These aspects involve the radical interconnectedness of humans, plants and things; the need to consider the agentivity of plants; and challenges to methodological orthodoxies. This task calls up key theoretical orientations that seek to include plants in research, description and theorisation. Further, the papers collected here gather perspectives from a range of plant practitioners and locate them in their respective circuits of knowledge. The planthropologies and plantographies produced show that plants are situated in a network of ecologies, sites, practitioners, philosophies and practices of knowledge making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article investigates the "knowing" and "doing" (through a material semiotic approach) of diabetes. Practices of treatment and healing give insight into how this chronic medical condition is "done" in clinics and in homes, by clinic staff and patients in a multi-sited ethnography. Diabetes is scrutinised in all instantiations it takes: patients and clinical staff, medical technologies, knowledges, pills and other forms of medication all become connected in more and less apparent ways. These forms of medication include the use of medicinal plants as intersecting and as a parallel system of healing for diabetes. Medicinal plants are both a current and historical influence to managing diabetes, whilst incorporating various participants in a network of knowledge production and treatment-centred practices. The paper focuses in particular on medicinal plants and how they interact with humans in the treatment and care of people with diabetes as one art of knowing and doing this chronic medical condition. This paper demonstrates the complexity of networks and connections between disease, illness, humans and plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the practices and knowledge of kruiedokters [herb doctors] and a phytochemist engaging with healing properties of plants found in Namaqualand, Northern Cape Province. Technological and theoretical advancements in the natural and social sciences toward more holistic or integrated analyses of plant medicines hold exciting potential for collaboration "across" knowledges. However, the paper raises concern for what happens to concepts and/or phenomena that are vital to practitioners such as kruiedokters but which may become increasingly measured out of existence by ever more sophisticated technologies used in disciplines such as phytochemistry. A theoretical direction toward eluding these quandaries is suggested which might contribute toward productive collaboration between differing knowledges that could generate not only relatively but generally useful knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I argue against contemporary South African representations of the elderly as people at the fringes of society, as frail, withdrawn from social activity or "invisible." Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in Nuwerus, in the Matzikama Local Municipality of Western Cape Province, I highlight the way the elderly maintain their sense of vitality. I unpack the personal, religious and social dimensions of old age through the local notion of vitality. I draw attention to the subtle ways with which they push the boundaries of old age, consequently challenging conventional notions of health and wellness amongst the aged. The vigour with which the elderly go about their everyday life ultimately makes them the pillars and knowledge holders of the community. This paper examines the practices of the elderly in Nuwerus in order to evaluate the presentation of old age in terms of frailty in the literature with self-conceptions of strength, health and independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Irrigation & Drainage is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)