Domestic Settings Research Articles

Managing the compliance of national federations: an examination of the strategies of international Olympic sports federations

ABSTRACT Research question The influence of international sports federations (IFs) on domestic settings through their member federations is palpable, but the mechanisms by which these influences are exercised and the ways in which IFs manage the compliance of their member federations are not widely studied. This research aims to contribute to identifying the ways IFs, specifically those responsible for summer Olympic sports, secure the compliance of their member federations and to examining the issues arising from their compliance strategies. Research methods The study uses Haas’ [1998. Compliance with EU directives: Insights from international relations and comparative politics. Journal of European Public Policy, 5(1), 17–37; Haas, M. P. (2007). Choosing to comply: Theorizing from international relations and comparative politics. In R. B. Bilder (Ed.), Commitment and compliance: The role of Non-binding norms in the international legal system (pp. 43–63)] seven institutional inducements of compliance, namely ‘national concerns’, ‘monitoring’, ‘verification’, ‘capacity building’, ‘horizontal linkage’, ‘nesting’ and ‘institutional profile’, as our analytical framework through which semi-structured interview guidelines were developed. Eight Olympic IFs were selected via purposive sampling and 12 of their staff members were interviewed based on the interview schedule. Results and Findings Five key compliance management strategies were identified: (1) raising awareness, (2) offering capacity-building resources, (3) evaluating national federations, (4) strengthening resources, (5) reinforcing sanctioning capacity. Implications This research uniquely revealed an empirical perspective of the process of Olympic IFs managing the compliance of their NFs and explored to pave the foundation for future studies to measure the effectiveness of international sports policy regimes.

China and the global politics of nature-based solutions

Since 2019, China has emerged as a leading proponent of nature-based solutions (NbS) to improve global environmental management. These solutions – from regrowing forests to restoring wetlands to regenerating agricultural soils to greening cities – can, at least in theory, simultaneously reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect biodiversity, and enhance community wellbeing and resilience. For some advocates, nature-based solutions also entail a radical rethinking of how humans should be interacting with nature, requiring new responsibilities, rights, and governance mechanisms. This article explains how and why China has been promoting NbS in multilateral and domestic policy settings. By analyzing the content of English- and Chinese-language policy briefings, diplomatic remarks, and government documents from 2019 to mid-2021, it reveals that China’s NbS goals and actions differ significantly in domestic and international settings. Internationally, Chinese policymakers have been reframing the country’s pre-existing large-scale afforestation, green financing, disaster risk reduction, and ecotourism projects as NbS, broadly defined. In multilateral forums, meanwhile, Chinese diplomats and practitioners are promoting NbS as an umbrella term to enhance the legitimacy of domestic projects now labelled as NbS, project an image of climate action and global environmental leadership, and increase China’s discursive power within global environmental governance. China’s embrace of NbS, as this article reveals, has far-reaching consequences for the future of nature-based solutions within multilateral climate and biodiversity governance, with the potential to turn NbS into a diplomatic and rhetorical tool to portray conventional approaches to environmental management as innovative, nature-positive solutions.

Blunt force homicides in Denmark 1992-2016.

Blunt force trauma is a common homicide method, inflicted in three different ways: bodily force, assault with blunt objects of various types and falls from height. The objective of this study is to provide thorough information on blunt force homicides with data on the victims, the offenders, the surrounding circumstances, the injury methods, the extent of injuries, and survival time, which will help inform the inexperienced as well as the seasoned forensic pathologist in their daily work with death investigation and as expert witnesses in court. We have analyzed autopsy reports and available case files of 311 blunt force homicides, making up 21.9% of all homicides in Denmark during 1992-2016. Most victims and offenders were male. Altercation in the setting of nightlife and intoxication was common in male victims, while most female victims were killed in a domestic setting. Bodily force was the most common primary homicide method, followed by assault with a blunt object and fall from height. The head was the region that most often had external injuries, with no noteworthy difference between cases with bodily force and blunt objects. Two out of three victims had one or more lacerations, most often located on the head and more often on the front. Brain injury was the primary cause of death in at least 72.0% victims. Compared to bodily force victims of blunt object assault were especially prone to skull and brain injuries, had a higher trauma score, and more died at the crime scene and had a shorter survival time.

The Dammed and the Saved: a Conservation Triage Framework for Wetlands under Climate Change in the Murray–Darling Basin, Australia

As the impacts of climate change and water demands from irrigation continue to increase in the Murray–Darling Basin, water for the environment is becoming more scarce and the ecological conditions of many wetlands is poor. With water scarcity, conservation triage is becoming an increasingly relevant management option for environmental watering of wetlands. However, triage is controversial; being considered contrary to current conservation objectives and practices. We assessed environmental watering at two Ramsar wetlands, Macquarie Marshes and Gunbower Forest, based on international environmental treaty obligations and domestic policy settings, changes to flow regimes, wetland condition and current management. Triage decision making was found to be in tacit use at Macquarie Marshes, based on ‘rules of thumb’ and experiential ecohydrological knowledge, whereas formal environmental watering planning formed the basis for triage decision making at Gunbower Forest. We developed a framework for conservation triage of wetlands in the Murray–Darling Basin to stimulate change in the decision context for wetland conservation and adaptation under climate change. Conservation triage entails reframing of relationships between people and nature and values, rules and knowledge used by stakeholders. Because water is the medium by which wetland conservation outcomes eventuate, trade-offs between competing water uses can be realised with the triage framework.

Receiving Social Support From Diverse Helpers: Associations With Quality of Life.

More older adults now live in non-family-based households, even as the provision of support to older adults within the domestic setting becomes more salient. This study examines the determinants of having non-immediate family or non-coresident helpers in older adults' received social support networks, and its associations with quality of life. Data were from a nationally representative study of Singaporeans aged 60 and above (N = 2248) who did not live alone. Findings show that those who received help solely from persons other than their spouse or child report a lower quality of life compared to other kinds of networks. However, those who had more non-coresident helpers than co-resident helpers experienced a higher quality of life compared to those who relied mainly on co-resident helpers. We suggest that policymakers should consider supporting a wider range of informal social support arrangements and providers, as networks of received social support become increasingly diverse.

The Domestic Environment of International Relations in Nigeria

This paper examined the domestic environment of international relations by conducting a study of the Nigerian state, under the Buhari administration. It investigated the nature of the linkages between the domestic environment and international altercations or cooperation. Where previous works concentrated on how the domestic setting influenced foreign policy-output and consequent international reaction(s), this contribution focused on how the domestic environment begot foreign policy reaction from the other actors on the international podium. The general objective of the study was to determine the character of the international relations which Nigeria’s domestic environment begets. A specific objective of the work was to identify some trajectories of these general tendencies under the Buhari administration. The study was framed on behaviouralism, bordering on man and his behaviour in states and organizations. The work adopted a qualitative methodology with secondary sources of data consulted. It found that Nigeria’s domestic environment has continued to weaken its giant-sized international capabilities. The country’s domestic impairments have consequently continued to beget for the African giant state, frequent scornful diplomatic relations from the other actors on the international scene. Corruption, egotism and venality of the leadership class remained the central contributory issues in the nation’s domestic derailments. The work recommends the institution of strong and altruistic leadership, as panaceas against disorder in the domestic environment of international relations in the case study state

‘Buy Cheap, Buy Dear!’: Selling Consumer Activism in the Salvation Army c. 1885–1905

Abstract This article examines how the late nineteenth-century Salvation Army used consumer activism as a fundraising strategy, an impetus towards social change, and a means of consolidating its visible presence in public and domestic settings. It argues that the Salvation Army was unique in its combination of its own production systems with the creation and capture of an unusually far-reaching activist market. As much of its support came from lower-income communities, the Salvation Army developed ways to facilitate their participation in activist consumption. Harnessing consumer identity allowed the organization to cast its supporters as active participants, and both donations to and purchases from the Salvation Army were framed as positive changes in consumer behaviour connected to spiritual welfare. Much of this process was refracted through the Trade Department, which competed with secular sellers to produce a range of household essentials; but this also put pressure on the membership to use their consumer power to benefit the Salvation Army whenever possible. The article draws on the organization’s substantial periodical output to interrogate the communication strategies that underpinned these consumer engagement practices. It offers a comparative analysis of two examples of the Salvation Army’s commercial ventures during this period: the trading activities centred around the Trade Department, and the Darkest England Match Factory. It argues that while the Trade Department demonstrates the success of the organization’s own brand of accessible consumer activism, the match factory shows a failure in the communication strategies designed to win consumers for the Salvation Army cause.

Characteristic of Clorox Poisoning before and during COVID-19 Pandemic, Saudi Arabia, 2019-2020.

Purpose: Poisoning is one of the leading causes of morbidities and mortalities worldwide. Due to COVID-19 pandemic, there was a dramatic increase in the use of detergents and disinfectants, both in health care and domestic settings. As Clorox is the most used for these purposes; it was expected that there would be changes in the characteristics of Clorox poisoning. Therefore, the current study aimed to investigate characteristics of Clorox poisoning in Saudi Arabia during Covid-19 pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic period.
 Methodology: Through a record-based study; all Clorox poisoning cases reported to the ministry of health in 2019 (n=267) representing pre-pandemic and 2020 (n=198) representing during the pandemic periods were collected. The data were retrieved from the electronic database, and it was analyzed using SPSS version 26. Categorical variables are represented as frequency distribution.
 Finding: There was a decrease in the total number of reported Clorox poisoning cases from 267 pre-pandemic to 198 cases during the pandemic. Females were slightly more than males (55.7% vs 44.3%), and most of the cases were in the age groups (1-5 years) and (20-39 years) (27.3%). The overwhelming majority of the cases occurred at home) (96.3%), with a higher percentage during the pandemic than pre-pandemic (98.0% vs 95.1%), and few minorities occurred intentionally (9.3%). Most of the cases arrived the hospital in stable conditions, with few cases (17.0%) needed antidotes. The great majority of the cases recovered before discharge. The overall incidence of Clorox poisoning reached to 0.57/100,000 population during the pandemic, compared to 0.78/100,000 in the pre-pandemic.
 Conclusion: There was a decline in incidence of Clorox poisoning during the pandemic; with a relative increase in home incidents, with nausea and vomiting as most common symptoms and all cases recovered.
 Recommendation: It is highly recommended to plan for a health education messages about safe store and using of detergents and disinfectants.

Reducing risk to security and privacy in the selection of trigger-action rules: Implicit vs. explicit priming for domestic smart devices

Smart home device usage is increasing, as is the diversity of users and range of devices. Additionally, it is becoming increasingly common to interconnect devices (e.g., via trigger-action rules) which, while bringing benefits, can bring unforeseen security and privacy risks. Developing strategies to protect users as well as understanding what biographical or attitudinal characteristics contribute to these risks is a critical step for ensuring empowered, but safe, interconnected smart device usage. Using narrative descriptions of domestic smart devices, two experiments explored how the prevailing security/privacy contexts—priming conditions—in which 20 trigger-action rules (developed via a Delphi Study) were presented influenced the adoption of rules favoring either security or privacy. Both experiments contrasted three priming conditions: no prime, security prime, privacy prime. Experiment 1 (n = 254) used explicit priming, giving direct instruction to maximize a security or privacy outcome while Experiment 2 (n = 325) used implicit priming, with an apparently unrelated security or privacy problem-solving puzzle. Across both experiments, priming promoted safer rule adoption, markedly so when explicit. Explicit priming produced an asymmetry however: privacy priming improved privacy scores with security scores unchanged and security primes improved security scores while worsening privacy scores. Across experiments, two dimensions of user attitudes shaped riskier rule choice: perceived benefits of technology and pre-existing trusting beliefs in online companies. Our novel findings reveal that implicit and explicit priming shape safe use of trigger-action rules in domestic settings and that age, perceived trust and perceived benefits should be considered when designing safety messaging.

Skilled Foreign Employees’ Linguistic, Social, and Economic Capital in Organizations

While language proficiency is shown to be a source of power and career capital in multinational corporations, less is known why and how contextual language capability is related to social and economic capital development of skilled foreign employees (SFEs) in organizations. This study applies the theory of practice (Bourdieu, 1973, 1991) and interviews with 142 SFEs in a range of domestic corporations that operate in domestic and international settings in Japan to examine the interrelated nature of linguistic, economic, and social capital. Our analysis shows that SFEs’ lack of context-specific linguistic capital (e.g., accent and intonation) lowered their power and career opportunities, and prevented them from accumulating social capital (e.g., networks with local stakeholders) and economic capital (e.g., job promotion). Due to the reproductive relationships between these capital types, low linguistic capital explains the sustained disadvantaged positions of SFEs in domestic organizations. This study by focusing on the contextual aspect of language contributes to international business research on language and suggests new avenues of language research.

When Knowledge Is Not Enough

When Knowledge Is Not Enough

Creativity in Virtual Teams: The Role of Task Type and Foreign Language Use

Creative teamwork frequently takes place in virtual teams. Both in domestic and cross-border work settings, these teams increasingly often comprise employees who have different native languages, prompting many teams to adopt a common team language, which is a non-native language for many members. Yet, the effects on different types of team creative tasks of working virtually and in a foreign language have remained under-explored. This study addresses how the use of modern synchronous technology affects creative performance in different task types, and how this effect differs depending on foreign or native language. Results are based on an experimental study with 95 dyadic virtual and face-to-face teams, randomly assigned to work in a foreign or native language. Virtual teams outperformed face-to-face teams on verbal creative tasks only when working in a foreign language. Face-to-face teams performed better on nonverbal creative tasks, independent of the language used. Further, tentative evidence suggests that the verbal creative performance of virtual compared to face-to-face teams benefits more from higher team foreign language proficiency but is also more adversely affected by team foreign language anxiety.

Infection-competent monkeypox virus contamination identified in domestic settings following an imported case of monkeypox into the UK.

An imported case of monkeypox was diagnosed in December 2019 in a traveller returning from Nigeria to the UK. Subsequently, environmental sampling was performed at two adjoining single-room residences occupied by the patient and their sibling. Monkeypox virus DNA was identified in multiple locations throughout both properties, and monkeypox virus was isolated from several samples 3 days after the patient was last in these locations. Positive samples were identified following the use of both vacuum and surface sampling techniques; these methodologies allowed for environmental analysis of potentially contaminated porous and non-porous surfaces via real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR analysis in addition to viral isolation to confirm the presence of infection-competent virus. This report confirms the potential for infection-competent monkeypox virus to be recovered in environmental settings associated with known positive cases and the necessity for rapid environmental assessment to reduce potential exposure to close contacts and the general public. The methods adopted in this investigation may be used for future confirmed cases of monkeypox in order to establish levels of contamination, confirm the presence of infection-competent material and to identify locations requiring additional cleaning.

Racialised Threat Perception within International Society: From Japan to China

Abstract This article takes a comparative approach that looks at the rise of Japan and China during their ascendency and challenge to the hegemonic state within the international system, and the subsequent racial threat perception that both countries experienced. Engaging the English School of International Relations, it focuses particularly on the legacies of differentiation within international society. It contends that, given the English School’s emphasis on the concept of international society that likens that relationship among states to a social one, it is fruitful to examine how social differentiation occurs within a domestic setting and to use that finding as analogous to international society. The article argues that racialised threat perception towards Japan and China heightened in tandem with their successive rises due to the challenges the two countries posed to the status and privileges of the dominant country—the USA—and which coincided with a US economic downturn and domestic crisis. This racially sensitive approach can provide at least one lens through which to understand the racial threat perception and contemporary relational dynamics between the two great powers: the USA versus the People’s Republic of China.

Tools Supporting the Measurement of Fair Play in Sport

In the course of our work so far, we have repeatedly emphasized the loss of morality and value in societies, which has an impact on all areas of life (including sport). Today, we are far from the original values of sport and the ideals of Baron Coubertin; fair play as pure play. Among the ethical issues of sport, special attention should be given to two extremes: fair play and doping. In our study, we aimed to review the available literature related to the topic of fair play in both the domestic and international setting. In selecting the processed research, our main goal was to present results that are useful for Hungarian educational science, including specific, internationally validated fair play attitude surveys and educational programs. Our current study is the first theoretical partial result of a larger-scale research, which includes the Hungarian adaptation of the presented tests.

COVID-19 differentiated measures for unvaccinated individuals: The need for clear goals and strong justifications

Numerous countries and jurisdictions have implemented differential COVID-19 public health restrictions based on individual vaccination status to mitigate the public health risks posed by unvaccinated individuals. Although it is scientifically and ethically justifiable to introduce such vaccination-based differentiated measures as a risk-based approach to resume high-risk activities in an ongoing pandemic, their justification is weakened by lack of clarity on their intended goals and the specific risks or potential harms they intend to mitigate. Furthermore, the criteria for the removal of differentiated measures may not be clear, which raises the possibility of shifting goalposts without clear justification and with potential for unfairly discriminatory consequences. This paper seeks to clarify the ethical justification of COVID-19 vaccination-based differentiated measures based on a public health risk-based approach, with focus on their deployment in domestic settings. We argue that such measures should be consistent with the principal goal of COVID-19 vaccination programmes, which is to reduce the incidence of severely ill patients and associated healthcare burdens so as to protect a health system. We provide some considerations for the removal of vaccination-based differentiated measures based on this goal.

1040 VALIDATION OF THE CHINESE VERSION OF THE ASSISTANCE PREFERENCE CHECKLIST

Abstract Introduction Domestic robots have great potential to be developed as a useful and supportive device for elders in domestic setting. To achieve the intended purpose, the designs of domestic robots should make reference to elders’ preferences. The Assistance Preference Checklist is developed to assess elders’ preferences on receiving assistance from domestic robots. It comprises of 48 home-based task under six categories including personal care, leisure activities, health assistance, chores, information management, and manipulating objects. Altogether, these tasks are considered important for the elders to fulfil their general health needs and maintain their homes. The Assistance Preference Checklist is valid and reliable. To adapt it in the Chinese population, the Assistance Preference Checklist has been translated from English to Chinese according to the standard translation model. This study aims to validate the Chinese version of the Assistance Preference Checklist (the checklist). Method This was a validation study. Semantic and content equivalence of the checklist was evaluated by an expert panel (five academic specialized on instrument validation or translation and 15 nurses specialized on geriatrics). Content validity of the checklist was assessed by another expert panel (one academic specialized on instrument validation and two nurses specialized on geriatrics). Internal consistency of the checklist was determined by Cronbach's method on a convenience sample of 50 Chinese-speaking elders in Hong Kong. Results The checklist demonstrated good semantic and content equivalence with the original English version. The experts agreed that it was appropriately translated. The checklist demonstrated good content validity by having a content validity index of 1.00. Additionally, the checklist reported satisfactory internal consistency by having a Cronbach's alpha of 0.95. Conclusion The Chinese version of the Assistance Preference Checklist is a useful instrument for assessing elders’ preferences on receiving assistance from domestic robots. Findings provide evidence on its validity and reliability.

Use and subjective experience of the impact of motor-assisted movement exercisers in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a multicenter observational study

Motor-assisted movement exercisers (MME) are devices that assist with physical therapy in domestic settings for people living with ALS. This observational cross-sectional study assesses the subjective experience of the therapy and analyzes users' likelihood of recommending treatment with MME. The study was implemented in ten ALS centers between February 2019 and October 2020, and was coordinated by the research platform Ambulanzpartner. Participants assessed symptom severity, documented frequency of MME use and rated the subjective benefits of therapy on a numerical scale (NRS, 0 to 10 points, with 10 being the highest). The Net Promotor Score (NPS) determined the likelihood of a participant recommending MME. Data for 144 participants were analyzed. Weekly MME use ranged from 1 to 4 times for 41% of participants, 5 to 7 times for 42%, and over 7 times for 17%. Particularly positive results were recorded in the following domains: amplification of a sense of achievement (67%), diminution of the feeling of having rigid limbs (63%), diminution of the feeling of being immobile (61%), improvement of general wellbeing (55%) and reduction of muscle stiffness (52%). Participants with more pronounced self-reported muscle weakness were more likely to note a beneficial effect on the preservation and improvement of muscle strength during MME treatment (p < 0.05). Overall, the NPS for MME was high (+ 61). High-frequency MME-assisted treatment (defined as a minimum of five sessions a week) was administered in the majority of participants (59%) in addition to physical therapy. Most patients reported having achieved their individual therapeutic objectives, as evidenced by a high level of satisfaction with MME therapy. The results bolster the justification for extended MME treatment as part of a holistic approach to ALS care.

Individualising probation conditions in cases of domestic violence: The study of sentencing practice in Lithuania

Based on an empirical quantitative study, the paper examines the sentencing trends and individualisation of probation conditions in domestic violence cases. The study sample included 577 Lithuanian court verdicts for moderate bodily injury in a domestic setting between 2015 and 2019. The study results suggest that the length of the probation period imposed by the courts may depend on the offender’s conviction history but is not related to the offender’s socio-demographic characteristics and the mitigating or aggravating circumstances. Such characteristics as employment and marital status, mitigating and aggravating circumstances may relate to the type of sentence decisions. The study revealed a discrepancy between the main characteristics of the offender and the nature of probation conditions imposed by courts. Based on study results, the authors of this paper presume that Lithuanian sentencing practice lacks evidence-based individualisation of probation conditions.

International ring trial to validate a new method for testing the antimicrobial efficacy of domestic laundry products.

Due to greater environmental awareness, domestic laundry habits are changing, and antimicrobial control by chemical methods has become an essential factor to compensate for the use of lower temperatures during washing machine cycles. Disinfectants added to laundry detergents are a preventive strategy to reduce the transmission of bacteria, fungi, and viruses in the home, correct aesthetic damage (e.g., spotting, discolouration, and staining), and control the microbial contamination that leads to malodour. In Europe, disinfectants are regulated by the EU Biocidal Products Regulation (No. 528/2012), which stipulates that antimicrobial efficacy must be evaluated according to standardized methods. Current European standards for laundry sanitization only apply to clinical settings (EN 16616: 2015) and are restricted to the main wash cycle. Therefore, there is a gap in the EU standards regarding the testing of product efficacy in household laundering. With the aim of addressing this gap, an international ring trial was organized to evaluate the robustness of a new method (prEN 17658) designed to test the efficacy of antimicrobial laundry products in a domestic setting. The seven participating laboratories were equipped with 5 different laboratory-scale devices to simulate the washing process, and they evaluated 7 microbial parameters for 2 experimental conditions and 3 levels of active substance. The analysis of data according to ISO 5725–2 and ISO 13528 demonstrated that the method was robust. All reproducibility standard deviation values were between 0.00 and 1.40 and the relative standard deviation indicates satisfactory reproducibility. Values of logarithmic reduction ranged from less than 2 log10 for tests with water to more than 5 log10 when disinfectants were added. The evidence generated by the ring trial was presented in a proposal for a standardized method under CEN/TC 216, in which the SOP used in the ring trial is referred to as the prEN 17658 phase 2 step 2 test method covering chemothermal textile disinfection in domestic settings.