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Copyright of Stratum Plus Journal is the property of P.P. Stratum plus 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.)

Purpose: The article examines the interplay between welfare state regimes and the distribution of welfare between generations. Design/methodology/approach: Using data from 2017 for 24 European countries on six standard of living dimensions, the authors investigate the intergenerational welfare distribution in a two-stage procedure: (1) the authors compare the intergenerational welfare distribution across welfare state regimes using their existing typologies and find a moderate nexus. Therefore, (2) the authors employ clustering procedure to look for a new classification that would better reflect the cross-country variation in the intergenerational welfare division. Findings: The authors find a complex relationship between the welfare state model and welfare distribution across generations and identify the policy patterns that shape it. Continental and liberal regimes are quite similar in these terms and favour the elderly generation. Social-democratic and CEE regimes seem to be a bit more balanced. COVID-19 pandemic will probably increase the intergenerational imbalance in terms of welfare distribution in favour of the elderly. Originality/value: In contrast to the majority of previous studies, which employ inputs (social expenditures) or outputs (benefits, incomes), the authors use intergenerational balance indicators reflecting living conditions of a given generation as compared to the reference point defined as an average situation of all generations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Social Intervention: Theory & Practice is the property of Universiteit Utrecht 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.)

Copyright of Desacatos is the property of Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropologia Social 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.)

Copyright of Zeitschrift für Religionswissenschaft is the property of De Gruyter 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.)

Labour exploitation of foreign agricultural workers is a widespread phenomenon in many Italian regions. This exploitation manifests itself not only through totally illicit practices but also through more veiled forms of grey and undeclared labor as contractual irregularities. This paper aims to present the results of a qualitative research carried out in Tuscany between 2021 and 2022 and to analyse the working and living conditions of migrant workers in the agricultural sector, the exploitation dynamics and the awareness level of the phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text is dedicated to the analysis of the conditions in which Serbian students live and study in Austrian capital, and it is based on the results of the empirical research carried out in 2021/2022. The sample consisted of the students of Serbian origin from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, other former Yugoslav republics, as well as those born in other European countries and are of Serbian origin. The data were collected using an electronic questionnaire and focus group interview. The examination of study conditions included the following parameters: tuition, food and housing costs; methods of financing; the necessity of additional work engagement; financial availability of cultural content; quality of communication at the university and support of students' organizations. The analysis finds that during their studies at Viennese universities Serbian students are limited by several factors, which have been identified and explicitly stated.

High quality of life in rural areas represents the key prerequisite for sustainable rural development. In addition to ensuring that the young will remain in these areas, it also indicates rural vitality and plays a key role in rural development policies and local development strategies in all countries. The aim of this article was to examine the extent to which the quality of life in rural Serbia was adapted to the needs of young people in order to ensure their stay in rural areas. Using a semi-structured questionnaire and an online and telephone survey, the author asked 118 agricultural extension officers from all agricultural extension services in Serbia to express their opinions on this issue. The agricultural extension officers evaluated quality of rural life and its adaptability to the needs of the young using a Likert scale ranging from 1 (not adapted) to 5 (highly adapted). The average score for Serbia was 2.4, which indicates that quality of life is slightly adapted to the needs of the young. Quality of life was rated higher (moderately adapted) only in the area of Belgrade, while in the other areas it had the average values for Serbia (slightly adapted). Despite the significant differences between the regions regarding the achieved level of economic development, the Kruskal-Wallis test showed that these differences did not have an influence on the agricultural extension officers' evaluation of the analyzed variable (p=0.239).

Non-formal cultural education (NCE) infrastructure has recently been at the centre of discussion regarding the promotion of equal opportunities as well as social cohesion and resilience. The German government strives to ensure equivalent living conditions, including access to education throughout the country. Although NCE infrastructure is considered a service of general interest, it is a voluntary service that districts are not obliged to provide. Research shows that NCE infrastructure provision and funding vary significantly between regions and that qualitative case analyses are needed to adequately contextualise key factors for the provision of NCE infrastructure. These developments and findings raise many questions against the background of spatially differentiated socio-economic landscapes. The article analyses two peripheral regions in Germany by examining key factors for the local provision of NCE infrastructure based on content analysis of qualitative interviews. This article aims to understand how NCE infrastructure is provided in peripheral regions to discuss the effect of these dynamics on the development of equivalent living conditions in Germany. The results show that citizens in peripheral areas have found alternative ways of providing NCE infrastructure due to the lack of financial resources available from the public sector. Self-responsibilisation, civic engagement, and individual commitment provide and sustain large parts of NCE infrastructure in rural areas. These developments impede the provision of equivalent living conditions in Germany while enabling a more resilient community through civic engagement. This article, therefore, provides an important contribution to the discourse on social and regional inequality.

Introduction: This is a sociological study of the economic burden on patients writh cardiovascular disease (CVD) based on the behavior change approach in their behavior in Javad Al-Aeme hospital of Mashhad in 2020. Method: This is a cross-sectional survey conducted on a population of 385 CVD patients of over 50 years of age admitted to the Training, Research and Treatment Center of Javad Al-Aeme hospital of Mashhad. Data were collected through a demographic profile form and a researcher-made questionnaire, the validity and reliability of which were measured using the content validity method and the Cronbach’s alpha method, respectively. SPSS and AMOS softwares and appropriate statistical tests were used for the data analysis purpose. Findings: The results of regression analysis demonstrated a significant positive relationship of the independent variables of the study, i.e. “socio-economic status”, “living conditions”, and “health-related capital” with patients’ behavioral style and economic status. The results of structural equation modeling (SEM) showed that the collected data confirm at an acceptable level the structural model with its extraneous variables, i.e. “socio-economic status”, “living conditions” and “health-related capital”. The total effects of these three variables on behavioral style were calculated to be 0.41. In other words, 41% of the behavioral style changes among cardiovascular patients can be explained by these three variables and 59% of the unexplained variance related to exogenous variables. It was also found that the effect of the behavior change approach on economic burden was -0.49%. Discussion: Since the behavioral style change, socio-economic status, health-related capital, and living conditions significantly affect the CVD, effective steps can be taken to prevent and control this disease and reduce its costs and economic burden by modifying and changing the patients’ behavioral style.

The article from the British Journal of Dermatology discusses the unmet care needs of individuals with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS). It highlights the challenges faced by patients with HS, such as debilitating pain, scarring, and social stigma. The authors, including patient representatives, dermatologists, and researchers, emphasize the impact of HS on patients' quality of life and mental health, calling for improved care and support for individuals with this condition. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Migraine headaches affect all ages, from childhood to old age. Migraine attacks cause significant changes in the living conditions of the sick person, including a decrease in personal, social, and occupational performance. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of migraine in Iran through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Method: In this systematic review and meta-analysis study, the studies associated with the prevalence of migraine using the keywords: migraine, prevalence, and Iran its equivalents in international databases PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Science direct, and Iranian internal information databases, including SID and MagIran, was searched without limit until November 2022. Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software (Version 2) was used to analyze the data. Due to the high number of studies reviewed in this systematic review, the Begg and Mazumdar test was used at a significance level of 0.1, and the corresponding Funnel plot was used to check publication bias. Also, the I2 test was used to check the heterogeneity in this study. Results: 22 records were included in the final analysis. The prevalence of migraine in the general population of Iran was 15.1% (confidence interval 95%: 10.7–20.9), and in this population, the prevalence of migraine was higher in women than in men. The prevalence of migraine based on The International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD) 2 criteria was reportedly 16.4% (95% CI: 10.8–24.1), and with ICHD3 criteria, this value was reported as 17.1% (95% CI: 7.7–33.6). Based on a survey of 4571 children, the prevalence of migraine was reported to be 5.2% (95% CI: 1.3–18.7). Also, the prevalence of migraine in adolescents was calculated based on eight studies (n = 8820). Accordingly, 11.2% (95% CI: 5.8–20.4) of adolescents have migraines. Meanwhile, the prevalence of migraine in boys was 8.2% (95% CI: 4.8–13.7), and in girls was 8% (95% CI: 6.2–12.7). Conclusion: As a result, the prevalence of migraine in Iran, based on population-based studies, was reported as 15.1%. The result showed a higher prevalence of migraine in the general population than in children and adolescents. It was also found that the prevalence of migraine in women is higher than in men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the prevalence of single mothers is increasing around the world, research on single-mother families has been based largely on evidence from developed countries. Comparable research based on developing countries is rare. We utilize the 1999 (n = 16,928) and 2009 (n = 140,753) Vietnam Population and Housing Censuses to perform multivariate analyses that examine living conditions among single mothers with different living arrangements, household headship, and marital status. Single mothers who were household heads or lived with their children only were less likely to have standard basic amenities, durable goods, and live in an owned residence. Separated, divorced, and widowed single mothers were more likely than the never-married to have standard basic amenities and durable goods. However, never-married single mothers were more likely to live at owned residences than were other single mothers. Findings suggest that such diversity among single mothers should be acknowledged and taken into account when designing social policies and programs to support single mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to explore the factors influencing subjective health views based on the living conditions and concerns of university students during the coronavirus infection 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. From March to April 2021, a questionnaire survey was administered to 8,547 Japanese university students, and logistic regression analysis was used to explore factors related to subjective health views. The results showed that satisfaction with quality of sleep (OR = 2.651, 95% Cl 2.370-2.966, p < 0.001), satisfaction with university life (OR = 2.486, 95%Cl 2.215-2.789, p < 0.001), satisfaction with diet (OR = 1.849, 95% CI: 1.496-2.285, p < 0.001), regular exercise (OR = 1.759, 95% CI: 1.594-1.941, p < 0.001), consciousness of nutritional balance (OR = 1.276, 95% CI: 1.147-1.420, p < 0.001), eating breakfast every day (OR = 1.247, 95% CI: 1.121-1.387, p < 0.001), and consuming soft drinks at least once a week (OR = 0.865, 95% CI: 0.755-0.966, p = 0.010) were positive factors for subjective views of health. On the other hand, anxiety about whether the necessary credits can be obtained (OR = 0.885, 95% CI: 0.799-0.980, p = 0.019), infection from minimal outings (OR = 0.881, 95% CI: 0.794-0.976, p = 0.016) building and maintaining friendships on campus (OR = 0.867, 95% CI: 0.767-0.980, p = 0.023), and being able to continue working (OR = 0.713, 95% CI: 0.640-0.795, p < 0.001) were identified as negative factors. To ensure a healthy university life during the COVID-19 pandemic or future pandemic, supports tailored to students' living conditions and measures to address their anxieties are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the creation of a 1942 survey designed to explore the causes of the declining birth rate in France and offer solutions, and revisits the data it produced. Led by the sociologist Jean Stoetzel, a pioneer of survey-based research, it consisted of a questionnaire developed with the interviewers themselves--mainly teachers and priests. The questions took up the themes of the pronatalist movement in all their diversity, from repressive proposals (including anti-abortion policies) to social measures for supporting households. The survey concluded that the French public supported natalism but believed that the causes of the low birth rate were primarily economic, rather than moral or religious. Financial incentives were deemed useful but insufficient. While Stoetzel recommended a propaganda campaign based on patriotism and moral reform, re-examination of the survey data shows that respondents were primarily concerned by the practicalities of the living conditions associated with large families. Within the range of moral attitudes expressed, repressive leanings were mainly concentrated in rural areas. Overall, survey respondents were sensitive to the plight of vulnerable populations, including single mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study entails an ethnographic investigation of nomadic Cigano/Roma families in Portugal, examining their living conditions and corporeal experiences. The study centers on families that are forcibly moving throughout the Alentejo region of Portugal, with a particular focus on the relationship between geopolitical/urban space and corporeality. The movement of these families is motivated by a search for a safe place to camp and earn enough money to sustain their family group. The research aims to provide an in-depth understanding of the struggles and challenges that these families face in their daily lives, drawing on ethnographic and visual data to explore their experiences. Through an analysis of their voices and experiences, the study highlights the difficulties of finding better living conditions and the everyday struggles of life under tarps, without access to basic necessities such as water, energy, and sanitation. Ultimately, this research offers insights into the complex interplay between geography, social and economic structures, and the corporeal experiences of marginalized communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nearly five decades after the end of multi-party democracy, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) is experiencing growing support for re-democratisation. This article explores the patterns of interaction between the labour movement and pro-democracy political forces in post-colonial Eswatini. The relationship between labour and pro-democracy forces has gone through both collaboration and conflict, and should be analysed in terms of multiple context-specific factors. Many workers realised that their welfare would not improve under the authoritarian rule of the traditional monarchy. However, between 1973 and 2014, there is no evidence of unified workers' support for a pro-democracy agenda. Workers regularly took to the street to manifest their discontent with appalling living and working conditions, and pro-democracy forces both within and outside the labour movement, were able to rise to the occasion to rally support for multi-party democracy. Despite this, many workers favoured trade unions that focused primarily on economic, rather than political matters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this essay, originally written in Arabic, historian Johnny Mansour revisits the dilapidated remains of one of Haifa's once preeminent buildings, located in what used to be the historical old city inside the Ottoman walls. After its original occupants were forced out and had their property confiscated during the Nakba, the mansion, built by Mustafa Pasha al-Khalil, was first occupied by new Jewish immigrants to the state of Israel. But the new occupants were driven out by the Israeli authorities' deliberate neglect of their living conditions in a crumbling old structure. The Pasha's mansion was then appropriated as a liberal Zionist artistic project that turned part of the building into a theater venue, which is now defunct. Through the prism of a flânerie in the city's old Arab quarter, Mansour retraces the richness of old Palestinian Haifa. He surmises that nothing will be left of it in ten years if it is not salvaged from the historical amnesia induced by Zionist occupation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the issue of food security, articulating it with the relevance of achieving SDG 2, as one of the fundamental objectives set by the United Nations Organization for Sustainable Development (2015). To achieve this end, the research focuses on four fundamental aspects: 1. The relevance of food security in the global context and the need for timely access to food for individuals, without neglecting the asymmetric structural contexts on the planet, such as hunger and poverty, which limit the conditions for development (FAO, 2009). 2. The relevance of SDG 2 for food security, the production of goods and food effectively, preventing actions that threaten life on the planet (Cóndor et. al, 2022). 3. The presence of people who suffer from hunger in the Latin American and Caribbean region, which has been on the rise since the 2010s and which limits the possibilities of access to sustainability and better living conditions (ECLAC, 2019), a fact that has been intensified with the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic (FAO, 2021). 4. The COVID-19 pandemic that has given rise to new vulnerabilities and conditions for access to food, resulting, among other things, in the stunted growth of infants under five years of age. The method used is documentary review. It concludes on the relevance of food security for the achievement of sustainable development, for the reduction of poverty and structural asymmetric conditions, without failing to recognize the distance that exists to reach the fulfillment of these objectives, especially in convulsive scenarios such as those of the global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the social bias in the access to both formal and informal care by different household income groups in Spain. Based on data from the Living Conditions Survey (Encuesta de Condiciones de Vida), a statistical model is used to isolate the effect of mothers' occupation on the use of childcare. The 2006-2016 period is analysed in order to assess the conjunctural effect of the economic crisis of 2008. The results show that access to formal care in Spain is clearly stratified by household income. While this access bias predates the economic crisis, it was exacerbated during the recession years. Informal care is therefore a complementary resource, especially for middle- and lower-class families and in households with part-time employed mothers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Discourse: Journal of Childhood & Adolescense Research / Diskurs Kindheits- und Jugendforschung is the property of Verlag Barbara Budrich GmbH 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.)

Copyright of Saúde e Sociedade is the property of Universidade de Sao Paulo, Faculdade de Saude Publica 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.)

Objectives: This paper deals with important resources of state-society relations within European Union (EU) legal documentation launched in the last two decades: Directive 2001/29/EC (2001), Directive 2000/29/EC, Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 (2019), Regulation (EU) No 1260/2013 (2013) and Regulation (EC) No 763/2008 (2008). Methodology: The study uses legal and conceptual analysis of the five mentioned documents EUR-Lex by exploring the different levels of the common legal provisions regarding information society, human determinants and social data using the IRAC method. Results and discussion: The results of the research exemplify that conceptual and policy issues discussed reveal a triple perspective: (1) the operational framework including data collection, information and communication within Regulation (EU) 2019/1700 related to: data sets and sources, data quality and transmission and access to information in accordance with the conceptual framework related to inner topics as categorized in Annex I of the mentioned Regulation: social, human and health indicators, citizens needs and living conditions, information society engagement; (2) the functional framework supporting other policy measures within Regulation (EU) No 1260/2013 linked to the interactions with demographic projections and socioeconomic data; (3) conceptual issues enabled by the Regulation (EC) No 763/2008 including institutional ("building", "housing" and "residence") vs the individual perspective ("citizenship", employment status, "family status") and (4) the assessment of rights within the Directive 2001/29/EC and Directive 2000/29/EC. Conclusions: The focus of the state-society relations is illustrated by providing a multidimensional discussion on policy needs and measures launched for each selected document. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food insecurity affects 11.1% of households in the United States, leaving many families susceptible to poor diet quality (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2021). Food insecurity, as defined by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, can range from a decrease in the quality, variety, or desirability of the diet to disrupted eating patterns and reduced food intake (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2021). The percentage may be even higher among college students, up to one-third of that population, especially given the financial instability and unique living conditions that many students face. In some studies, up to 48% of college students were classified as food insecure (Coleman-Jensen et al., 2021; El Zein et al., 2018; Payne-Sturges et al., 2018; Twill et al., 2016). Food insecurity can contribute to a decline in health, especially when combined with other stressors from school, work, and relationships (Leung et al., 2014; Watson et al., 2017). Food insecurity puts both the students and their schools at risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mumbai is the heartland for migrant labourers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar because the city provides them livelihood. The present paper explores the living and working conditions of semi-skilled and unskilled migrant labourers. The methodology of the paper consists of collection of primary data using a mixed method approach in the form of a field visit to Mumbai in February 2019. Qualitative data in the form of narratives, case studies and descriptions was analysed, while quantitative data was analysed using simple statistics and ANOVA. The findings from the study show that these migrant labourers face challenges of socio-economic and political identity in Mumbai but have developed their own cultural landscape to adjust to life in Mumbai. The quantitative findings show that there are variations in the patterns of income, remittances and expenditure of migrant labourers according to their occupation in Mumbai. Therefore, the findings of the study provide a better understanding of the living and working conditions of migrant labourers as well as encourage academicians, policymakers, and researchers for further research in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of SWS - Rundschau is the property of Verein fur interdisziplinare sozialwissenschaftliche Studien und Analysen 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.)

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Copyright of Sozialer Fortschritt is the property of Duncker & Humblot GmbH 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.)

Copyright of Sozialer Fortschritt is the property of Duncker & Humblot GmbH 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.)

Copyright of Sozialer Fortschritt is the property of Duncker & Humblot GmbH 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.)

Copyright of Sozialer Fortschritt is the property of Duncker & Humblot GmbH 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.)

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Background: Understanding the relationship between human evolution and environmental changes is the key to lifting the veil on human origin. The hypothesis that environmental changes triggered the divergence of humans from apes (ca. 9.3–6.5 million years ago, Ma) has been poorly tested because of limited continuous environmental data from fossil localities. Lufengpithecus (12.5-6.0 Ma) found on the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau (SEMTP) across the ape–human split provides a good chance for testing this hypothesis. Results: Here, we reconstructed the habitats of L. keiyuanensis (12.5–11.6 Ma) with comprehensive vegetation, climate, and potential food web data by palaeobotanical evidence, together with other multidisciplinary data and partly tested the environment-driven hypothesis by revealing the living conditions of Lufengpithecus. Conclusion: A detailed comparison of hominoids on different continents reveals their behaviour and fate divergence across the ape–human split against the background of global climate change, i.e., the stable living conditions of SEMTP not only provided a so-called 'refuge' for arboreal Lufengpithecus but also acted as a 'double-edged sword', preventing their further evolution while vegetation shifts in East Africa probably stimulated the emergence of human bipedalism, and the intense climatic changes in Europe possibly prevented those hominoids from surviving that time interval. Our findings provide interesting insight into the environmental impacts on the behavioural evolution of hominoids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The semantical as well as the practical implications of 'human security' need to be re-adapted due to the constantly changing kind of vulnerabilities of all people around the planet, independent of their place, culture, status or beliefs. Today major threats are of global nature, which can affect anybody. With this, the international organization of the efforts to combat them is not anymore a sufficient strategy. Improving the security of all citizens of the planet calls first for bridging the gap in understanding between global problems constellations and the local everyday living conditions in cultural, social, economic and natural respect. Such a perspective encompasses an understanding of the local as well as cultural conditions in new ways, related to its impregnation by global processes and grasping the global consequences of everyday actions locally. A timely approach to human security needs to prepare transdisciplinary and trans-sectoral as well as transnational cooperation. To improve human security for all under globalized conditions, effective solutions must be based on a subjective perspective. Related, democratically shaped bottom-up actions need to be fostered first by regional action centers in that respect; globally coordinated top-down measures should always complement these efforts. All in all, a shift from a topdown approach to a grass-roots bottom-up approach in identifying the most urgent needs of security by citizens of the planet is needed to reach global sustainability, and with it, the improvement of anyone's security in the spirit of The Jena Declaration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foreign domestic workers are vulnerable everywhere in the world but are particularly so in frozen conflict societies. The article describes their poor living and working conditions in the Republic of Cyprus and argues that these have been exacerbated by the social consequences of the frozen conflict on the island. It focuses on three social consequences of the frozen conflict, namely that it has deprioritised the feminist agenda, normalised nationalist narratives and created a skewed understanding of human rights. Combined, these explain why protecting the rights of foreign domestic workers in Cyprus is even less of a priority than elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, tuberculosis was a common infectious disease that ravaged the urban centers of Europe. While historical records and skeletal evidence speak to the European experience of tuberculosis at this time, there are limited data regarding how this virulent disease affected the European colonies of North America. Focusing on the 18th-century Fortress of Louisbourg in Atlantic Canada, this study provides an opportunity to incorporate historical records related to tuberculosis with skeletal analysis at an expansive New France colony. Interestingly, there was no evidence of tuberculosis on any of the skeletal remains analyzed, despite historical evidence suggesting its presence in the population and ideal living and social conditions to support its transmission and spread. This absence of skeletal evidence may be the result of various factors, including death before skeletal manifestation, the use of multiple cemeteries, or the removal of the infirm from the Louisbourg population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article, within the framework of regional history, studies the problem of sanitary supervision of industrial workers who lived and worked in the territory of the Katerynoslav province of the Russian Empire. The role of Russian colonization in the life of the Ukrainian population has been evaluated. Working and living conditions of industrial workers and the most common sanitary problems that arose in their everyday life were revealed on the basis of the historical sources study of the Zemstvo of the Katerynoslav province. Positive and negative factors and results of cooperation between sanitary doctors and industrial workers are outlined. It is shown that a significant number of Russian industrialists who organized their enterprises in Ukrainian lands were not interested in providing decent living conditions for the workers of their enterprises, if this could hinder their profits. The practical task of the study is to expand the knowledge about the past of the ordinary inhabitants of the region, their contemporary life, to form in readers an idea of the historical development uniqueness of their own region within the framework of general Ukrainian history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Security discussions of the Taliban's second takeover of Afghanistan center on physical security threats, neglecting the ontological aspect related to how security entails the metaphysics of life—being, feeling alive, or having a sense of self. This article examines this ontological threat to the Afghan people to complement the security discussion and open up more avenues of dialog. I use ontological security to explain the Afghans' behavior toward the Taliban takeover and ask how does the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan pose a security threat to urban Afghans? Why are urbanite Afghans paranoiac about the Taliban presence to the extent that some choose to die by falling from a moving aircraft? I use the ontological security analytical framework and discursive approach to finding answers. I argue that the Taliban takeover creates ontological insecurity that threatens urban Afghans' sense of ordinary living or being in the world. Specifically, ontological insecurity creates significant and chronic uncertainties and dangers to Afghans. This is especially so regarding the urbanites with higher socioeconomic status, whose being in the world is threatened as their ordinary living conditions are likely to be contested by the Taliban. The contest is asymmetric, favoring the Taliban. Such uncertainty of existential conditions leads to mistrust of Urban Afghans' basic sense of safety and a misrecognition of their true identity. Thus, their actions and behaviors have been consequent attempts to respond to the anxieties and risks to their existential position. This work contributes to the ontological security literature, helping fill the gap in the security discussions in international relations and serves policy relevance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there are many possible applications of psychology to human life history strategies, a common hypothesis is the adoption of "fast" life history strategies in response to psychosocial cues of harsh and/or unpredictable environments. This hypothesis has relied almost entirely upon data from industrialized and developed (i.e., modernized) societies. To further explore the evolutionary validity of this hypothesis, I examine data from historical and hunter-gatherer sources. These data show that past incidents and cues of mortality were highly prevalent, direct, and often interrelated, and that caloric limitations and inter-intrasexual competition placed constraints on the use of fast life strategies in response to challenging environments. In both hunter-gatherer and historic populations, harsher and more unpredictable conditions led to a "slow" life history strategy where: a) growth and menarche/spermarche were delayed, b) reproduction was delayed due to energetic constraints and behavioral choices; c) overall fertility was reduced due to energetic constraints and behavioral choices; d) direct parental invest was as high as local energetics would permit. The reverse was found for wealthy/high status individuals who translated their more benign living conditions into earlier sexual maturity and growth, earlier reproduction, greater total reproduction, and the co-opting of paid or slave labor to provide alloparental care for their larger pool of offspring. Thus, past data support the opposite pattern of fast-slow life history strategies as what is seen in modernized environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the trends and challenges of housing affordability in the Turkish case. Concurrently, it questions the use of conventional affordability measures in a developing country context. Survey of Income and Living Conditions is employed to examine the housing affordability through ratio, residual income, and subjective approaches. The results reveal that there is a weak agreement between different approaches in identifying the affordability problem in the Turkish context, and subjective approach is a promising method for a thorough understanding of the issue. Findings also display an improvement in housing affordability in the country during the observed period. This improvement is attributed to the high housing output created in the country as well as the consistent increase in GDP per capita levels, particularly in the last 15 years. Multivariate analysis displays that low-income households, tenants, households who identify problems with the dwelling unit and the neighbourhood quality, households living in socioeconomically developed regions and regions experiencing housing shortages are more likely to report heavy housing cost burden. One of the conclusions of the study is that defining and measuring housing affordability itself is a challenge in the Turkish case. The study also concludes that alternative policies should be developed to the current ones encouraging access to homeownership for low-income households, considering that affordability of running costs could even be a problem for low-income owner-occupiers in some cases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]