Category Formation Research Articles

A machine learning approach to formation of earthquake categories using hierarchies of magnitude and consequence to guide emergency management

This study deployed k-means clustering to formulate earthquake categories based on magnitude and consequence, using global earthquake data spanning from 1900 to 2021. Based on patterns within the historical data, numeric boundaries were extracted to categorize the magnitude, deaths, injuries, and damage caused by earthquakes into low, medium, and high classes. Following a future earthquake incident, the classification scheme can be utilized to assign earthquakes into appropriate categories by inputting the magnitude, number of fatalities and injuries, and monetary estimates of total damage. The resulting taxonomy provides a means of classifying future earthquake incidents, thereby guiding the allocation and deployment of disaster management resources in proportion to the specific characteristics of each incident. Furthermore, the scheme can serve as a reference tool for auditing the utilization of earthquake management resources.

SEMANTICAL AND STYLISTICAL PECULIARITIES OF PARTICLES IN KARAKALPAK LANGUAGE

This article focuses on examining the semantics and stylistics of particles in the Karakalpak language, a Turkic language primarily spoken in Karakalpakstan. Particles play a crucial role in shaping the meaning and expression of sentences in any language, and this study aims to shed light on their significance within the specific linguistic context of Karakalpak. The article explores the semantic properties of particles in the Karakalpak language, investigating their individual meanings, functions, and roles within sentence structures. It examines how particles contribute to the formation of different linguistic categories, such as aspect, tense, modality, and negation. By delving into the nuances of particle usage, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of their semantic contributions and the implications for overall sentence meaning. KEY WORDS: semantical, stylistical, particles, Karakalpak language, linguistic structure.

Perceptual specializations for processing species-specific vocalizations in the common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

How humans and animals segregate sensory information into discrete, behaviorally meaningful categories is one of the hallmark questions in neuroscience. Much of the research around this topic in the auditory system has centered around human speech perception, in which categorical processes result in an enhanced sensitivity for acoustically meaningful differences and a reduced sensitivity for nonmeaningful distinctions. Much less is known about whether nonhuman primates process their species-specific vocalizations in a similar manner. We address this question in the common marmoset, a small arboreal New World primate with a rich vocal repertoire produced across a range of behavioral contexts. We first show that marmosets perceptually categorize their vocalizations in ways that correspond to previously defined call types for this species. Next, we show that marmosets are differentially sensitive to changes in particular acoustic features of their most common call types and that these sensitivity differences are matched to the population statistics of their vocalizations in ways that likely maximize category formation. Finally, we show that marmosets are less sensitive to changes in these acoustic features when within the natural range of variability of their calls, which possibly reflects perceptual specializations which maintain existing call categories. These findings suggest specializations for categorical vocal perception in a New World primate species and pave the way for future studies examining their underlying neural mechanisms.

Implementation of Virtual Mobility and Internationalization at Home in Albania’s Higher Education: A Catalogue of Recommendations for Action


 Purpose: Despite progressing research in the field of Virtual Mobility and Internationalization at Home, recent theories and technologies are challenging to implement for Higher Education Institutes (HEIs). The present paper focuses particularly on Albania, where the current education system has not been able to sufficiently incorporate Virtual Mobility and Internationalization in higher education programs. 
 
 
 Study design/methodology/approach: This paper analyses the prevalent situation within Albania’s higher education system regarding Virtual Mobility and Internationalization at Home activities. The underlying data has been collected in qualitative semi-structured interviews, conducted with teaching staff and students from Albanian universities who are experienced with Virtual Mobility modules. It was evaluated through a mixed approach of qualitative content analysis by Mayring (2014) using inductive and deductive category formation.
 
 
 Findings: The results show the benefits that an increasing integration of Virtual Mobility activities in the education system could facilitate for students and teachers in Albania’s HEIs. Nevertheless, it became clear that in order to implement a higher degree of Virtual Mobility at university level, it is necessary to overcome the legal obstacles set by the Ministry of Education as well as structural obstacles within the HEIs.
 
 
 Originality/value: Due the actual lack of development, concepts, infrastructures, and legal foundations, the implementation of Virtual Mobility as an affordable instrument to foster the international experience of Albanian students is of high importance. This could raise the quality of academic education and tackle capacity gaps in the education system of Albania towards the grade of international experiences of students.

What foreign language learners make of grammatical descriptions depends on description type, proficiency, and context

Abstract Most usage-based research emphasizes the importance of implicit, input-driven learning in naturalistic environments, but recent studies have adopted usage-based grammatical descriptions for instructed learning in classrooms. These descriptions are intended to draw learners’ deliberate attention to relevant usage patterns in the input and thereby support intake. Most of these studies compare usage-based descriptions to other types of descriptions for their efficiency, while little attention has been paid to the ways in which learners understand and apply such descriptions. This study examines what foreign language learners understand of usage-based grammatical descriptions of target structures. In an experimental forced choice task, Chinese learners of German received usage-based descriptions of case structures and then classified target instances in variable contexts. A multivariate regression analysis indicated that choices were influenced by interactions of the type of description with participants’ target-language proficiency and the semantic and lexical target contexts. This is discussed in terms of noticing and category formation. This study argues that learners are able to use grammatical descriptions as some kind of auxiliary model for recognizing and categorizing target patterns. The descriptions thus make learners aware of the mechanisms underlying implicit learning and help them exploit these mechanisms for explicit learning.

Motivational Reasons and Perceptions about Future Participation of Older People in the Research and Development Process of Health Technologies: a Mixed Methods Study

Although digital approaches for disease prevention in older people have a high potential and are being used more often, there are still inequalities in access and use. One reason could be that in technology development future users are insufficiently taken into consideration, or involved very late in the process using inappropriate methods. The aim of this work was to analyze the motivation of older people participating, and their perceptions of future participation in the research and development process of health technologies aimed at health care for older people. Quantitative and qualitative data from one needs assessment and two evaluation studies were analyzed. The quantitative data were analyzed descriptively and the qualitative data were analyzed content-analytically with inductive-deductive category formation. The median age of the 103 participants (50 female) was 75 years (64-90), most of whom were interested in using technology and had prior experience of study participation. Nine categories for participation motivation were derived. A common motivation for participation was to promote and support their own health. Respondents were able to envision participation both at the beginning of the research process and at its end. In terms of technique development, different ideas were expressed, but there was a general interest in technological development. Methods that would enable exchange with others were favored most. Differences in motivation to participate and ideas about participation were identified. The results provide important information from the perspective of older people and complement the existing state of research.

Роль и место технологического суверенитета в обеспечении устойчивости экономики России

Introduction. The peculiarity of the current period development determined the need to change the vector, format and scale of the structural transformation of the Russian economy. This necessitated the need for domestic development only on the basis of achieving technological sovereignty as the main factor of economic growth and a condition of national security. It is revealed that one of the reasons for the low level of its achievement is the low innovative activity of organizations and a small proportion of organizations creating technological innovations and developments in the subjects of the Russian Federation. Theoretical analysis. The article examines the place and role of technological sovereignty in increasing national independence. Various approaches to understanding the essence of technological sovereignty are considered. A retrospective analysis of the “technological sovereignty” category formation is carried out, its priority over the policy of import substitution is proved. Empirical analysis. The analysis of the organizations’ innovative activity indicators dynamics by subjects of the Russian Federation and by types of economic activity, as well as the dynamics of the share of organizations in the total number of surveyed organizations of the Russian Federation engaged in technological innovations is carried out. The results allowed to make a conclusion about the negative trend of most of the indicators’ values. The obtained results confirmed the need to revise the vector of domestic economy development, the research activities activation as the main factor of ensuring technological sovereignty. Results. The result of the study is the identification and systematization of priority areas and measures to ensure technological sovereignty. The specific characteristics of the sovereignties influencing the achievement of universal sovereignty based on the construction of a sovereign economy model are shown. Based on theoretical and empirical analysis, assumptions are made about the different sovereignties level of development in the Russian Federation.

The sound of silence: Reconsidering infants' object categorization in silence, with labels, and with nonlinguistic sounds

A large body of research based on a specific stimulus set (dinosaur/fish) has argued that auditory labels and novel communicative signals (such as beeps used in a communicative context) facilitate category formation in infants, that such effects can be attributed to the auditory signals' communicative nature, and that other auditory stimuli have no effect on categorization. A contrasting view, the auditory overshadowing hypothesis, maintains that auditory signals disrupt processing of visual information and, therefore, interfere with categorization, with more unfamiliar sounds having a more disruptive effect than familiar ones. Here, we used the dinosaur/fish stimulus set to test these contrasting theories in two experiments. In Experiment 1 (N = 17), we found that 6-month-old infants were able to form categories of these stimuli in silence, weakening the claim that labels facilitated their categorization in infants. These results imply that prior findings of no categorization of these stimuli in the presence of nonlinguistic sounds must be due to disruptive effects of such sounds. In Experiment 2 (N = 17), we showed that familiarity modulated the disruptive effect of nonlinguistic sounds on infants' categorization of these stimuli. Together, these results support the auditory overshadowing hypothesis and provide new insights into the interaction between visual and auditory information in infants' category formation.

Artificial Intelligence Teaching as Part of Medical Education: Qualitative Analysis of Expert Interviews.

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine is expected to increase significantly in the upcoming years. Advancements in AI technology have the potential to revolutionize health care, from aiding in the diagnosis of certain diseases to helping with treatment decisions. Current literature suggests the integration of the subject of AI in medicine as part of the medical curriculum to prepare medical students for the opportunities and challenges related to the use of the technology within the clinical context. We aimed to explore the relevant knowledge and understanding of the subject of AI in medicine and specify curricula teaching content within medical education. For this research, we conducted 12 guideline-based expert interviews. Experts were defined as individuals who have been engaged in full-time academic research, development, or teaching in the field of AI in medicine for at least 5 years. As part of the data analysis, we recorded, transcribed, and analyzed the interviews using qualitative content analysis. We used the software QCAmap and inductive category formation to analyze the data. The qualitative content analysis led to the formation of three main categories ("Knowledge," "Interpretation," and "Application") with a total of 9 associated subcategories. The experts interviewed cited knowledge and an understanding of the fundamentals of AI, statistics, ethics, and privacy and regulation as necessary basic knowledge that should be part of medical education. The analysis also showed that medical students need to be able to interpret as well as critically reflect on the results provided by AI, taking into account the associated risks and data basis. To enable the application of AI in medicine, medical education should promote the acquisition of practical skills, including the need for basic technological skills, as well as the development of confidence in the technology and one's related competencies. The analyzed expert interviews' results suggest that medical curricula should include the topic of AI in medicine to develop the knowledge, understanding, and confidence needed to use AI in the clinical context. The results further imply an imminent need for standardization of the definition of AI as the foundation to identify, define, and teach respective content on AI within medical curricula.

Methodological principles of a two-level classification of categories of social upbringing

Introduction. Pedagogy of social education is a new branch of pedagogy, therefore its categorical and terminological apparatus is characterized by unformedness and undevelopedness. The presence of a categorical and terminological apparatus ensures the fundamentality and solidity of science, which requires its development. A correct and scientifically substantiated categorical and terminological apparatus of social education will contribute to the further concretized and objectified search for scientific knowledge about social education.Purpose setting. The theoretical analysis of publications indicates that systematic studies on the terminological content of pedagogy are isolated, and are more related to the historical aspects of the development of pedagogy in the analysis of individual categories/concepts, and not with its current state. It is revealed that the research of pedagogical categories and concepts is actively conducted in new branches of pedagogical science. Systematic studies of the categorical and terminological apparatus of social education are not carried out either in Russia or abroad. The purpose of the article is to search and analyze the classification of categories of social education.Methodology and methods of the study. The study used theoretical research methods: analysis, synthesis, systematization, comparison, and classification method.Results. A two-level classification of the scientific categories of social education has been developed, which includes categories of the first and second order.Conclusion. Categories of the first order created by means of mechanisms for the formation of categories of classification and include a key category, synthesized, integrated and additional categories. Categories of the second order are formed according to the criterion of the basic assignment of categories. Classification of categories of the second order includes the base category, system and process categories.

Spectral and temporal implementation of Japanese speakers’ English vowel categories: A corpus-based study

This study investigates the predictions of second language (L2) acquisition models — SLM, PAM-L2, and L2LP — on how native (L1) Japanese speakers implement the spectral and temporal aspects of L2 American English vowel categories. Data were obtained from 102 L1 Japanese speakers in the J-AESOP corpus, which also includes nativelikeness judgments by trained phoneticians. Spectrally, speakers judged to be less nativelike showed a strong influence of L1-L2 category assimilation, except L2 /æː/ whose dissimilarity from L1 categories likely triggered new category formation, in accordance with SLM and PAM-L2. However, more nativelike speakers showed vowel spectra similar to those of native English speakers for all vowels, which aligns better with L2LP. Temporally, although speakers tended to assimilate the phonetic length of English vowels to Japanese phonemic length distinctions, segment-level L1-L2 category similarity was not a significant predictor of the speakers’ nativelikeness. Instead, implementation of prosodic-level factors such as stress and phrase-final lengthening were better predictors. The results highlight the importance of suprasegmental factors in successful L2 category learning and also reveal a weakness in current models of L2 acquisition, which focus primarily on the segmental level. The use of speech corpora for L2 research is discussed.

Category-terminological apparatus of modern social upbringing

Introduction. Social upbringing has taken shape in the branch of pedagogical knowledge – the pedagogy of social upbringing, and its categorical and terminological apparatus remains unformed and imperfect. This leads to the arbitrariness of the description of social and educational phenomena in the theory and practice of social upbringing; loss of categorisation, meaning of terms and their incompleteness that results in the inconsistency of social upbringing theory, etc.Aim. The aim of the present article is a theoretical substantiation and description of the category-terminological apparatus of modern social upbringing based on the developed category classification, which acts as a means of systematising scientific knowledge.Methodology and research methods. The methodological foundations of the study were categorical, systemic and holistic approaches. Theoretical methods were used as research methods: categorical analysis and synthesis, methods of classification, systematisation and generalisation, categorical methods of triadic decoding of categories and permutations.Results. The study describes a two-level classification of categories developed by the author. Categories of the first order are allocated on the basis of purpose, include in their composition: base category, system and process categories. Categories of the second order are allocated on the basis of the use of mechanisms for the formation of categories, contain in their composition: a key category, synthesised, integrated and additional categories. The categorical system of social education is described. The categorical system of social upbringing is understood as a specially developed form of organisation of scientific knowledge, which makes it possible to holistically represent the objects of social education through given meaningful relationships between categories in the totality of their interaction.Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty of the study is the formation of a categorical system of social upbringing through a category-terminological apparatus, which provides the terminological unity of theory and practice, supplementing and concretising them and ensuring consistency and integrity. The developed categorical system of social upbringing does not change, but complements the specific scientific level of pedagogy methodology. By ensuring the completeness of the categorical apparatus, thecomplex of methods used in the analysis of the categories of social upbringing, enriches the technological level of pedagogy methodology with new methods of triadic decoding of categories and permutations. A new level of development of professional speech is being formed on the basis of its scientifically substantiated filling with a categorical system of social upbringing.Practical significance. The practical significance of the study lies in the fact that the categorical system of social upbringing can be used in the development of basic educational programmes of the psychological and pedagogical direction, training courses, methodological materials, in terms of the formation of students’ professional competencies; in the implementation of scientific research in the field of social pedagogy and social upbringing; in the development of dictionary-encyclopedic literature on social pedagogy and social upbringing. The holistic development of the categorical system will contribute to the enrichment of the terminology of social upbringing and the effectiveness of professional communication.

Experiences of nurses regarding challenges faced while dealing with psychiatric patients in both public and private tertiary care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan.

To explore the challenges of mental health nurses in dealing with psychiatric patients. The qualitative, descriptive, phenomenological study was conducted at three public and private psychiatric setups in Karachi from August 13 to October 30, 2018, and comprised mental health nurses having a minimum 6-month experience of working in a psychiatric ward. Data was collected using focus group discussion using a semi-structured interview guide. The proceedings were transcribed, translated and analysed using thematic analysis, leading to the formation of themes, categories and sub-categories. Of the 15 nurses with mean age 25±1.95 years, 5(33.3%) were from the public sector and 10(66.6%) were associated with private-sector institutions. Besides, 7(46.6%) nurses had work experience up to 5 years. There were three sessions of focus group discussion; 1(33.3%) of public-sector nurses and 2(66.6%) of priver-sector nurses. Each session had 5(33.3%) participants. Post-transcription feedback was provided by 8(53%) nurses. There were 4 themes; lack of resources, safety-related challenges, lack of staff capacity building, and lack of support. The themes overall had 14 categories and 7 sub-categories. The nurses exposed to patient aggression should be provided debriefing sessions to deal with possible burnout.

Poetics and Axiology of S. D. Dovlatov as a Publicist (Based on the Material of Portrait Essays of the Tallinn Period of Creativity)

The popularity of Sergey Dovlatov's fiction is unconditional, but his journalistic legacy is a little–studied area. During the study of Sergey Dovlatov's publications published in 1972-1975 in "Soviet Estonia", we came to the conclusion that these texts should be considered not only from the point of view of their thematic and stylistic originality, but also from the perspective of the author's axiology. The article examines an important aspect of Sergey Dovlatov's work – the author's focus is not so much on the formation of new value categories, as on the actualization of existing ones, which presuppose the reader's return to the established generally accepted "norm". The object of the study is the portrait essays of the writer Sergei Dovlatov, published in the newspaper "Soviet Estonia" in the period from 1972 to 1975. The subject of the study is the poetic and axiological features of portrait essays of the Tallinn period. The article pays special attention to the headings "Man and profession" and "Your profession", within which Dovlatov's essays are often published. The content of these essays does not go beyond the ordinary materials of the party periodicals, but a detailed study of the texts allows us to identify some features inherent in all portrait essays of the author. The main conclusions of the article are to define a set of axiological dominants that can be traced in the texts of Sergey Dovlatov, a publicist. In his publications, the writer defines a number of universal values, which include the significance of human life, the possibility of presenting different points of view, empathy and complicity, as well as the harmonious existence of the ordinary and sublime.

Rationing and control of the operating conditions of the vehicle to assess its residual life using an automated system

The article presents evolutionary materials, including new ones for the formation of categories of operating conditions (CUE), through the correction factors of which the actual mileage of vehicles (V) leads to the 1st category of operating conditions with the subsequent determination of their residual life. The article presents a new automated method for determining the residual resource of the vehicle without using the parameters of the categories of operating conditions and a device for its implementation. Keywords: tests, new testing technologies, automotive technology, reliability, residual life, categories of operating conditions, correction factors, automated system

A Review of Icing and Anti-Icing Technology for Transmission Lines

This paper reviews the application of various advanced anti-icing and de-icing technologies in transmission lines. Introduces the influence of snowing and icing disasters on transmission lines, including a mechanical overload of steel towers, uneven icing or de-icing at different times, Ice-covered conductors galloping and icing flashover of insulators, as well as the icing disasters of transmission lines around the world in recent years. The formation of various icing categories on transmission lines, as well as the effect of meteorological factors, topography, altitude, line direction, suspension height, shape, and electric field on ice-covered transmission lines, are all discussed in this study. The application of various advanced anti/de-icing technologies and their advantages and disadvantages in power transmission lines are summarized. The anti/de-icing of traditional mechanical force, AC/DC short-circuit ice melting, and corona effect is introduced. Torque pendulum and diameter-expanded conductor (DEC) have remarkable anti-icing effects, and the early investment resources are less, the cost is low, and the later maintenance is not needed. In view of some deficiencies of AC and DC ice melting, the current transfer intelligent ice melting device (CTIIMD) can solve the problem well. The gadget has a good effect and high reliability for de-icing conductors in addition to being compact and inexpensive. The application of hydrophobic materials and heating coatings on insulators has a certain anti-icing effect, but the service life needs further research. Optimizing the shed’s construction and arranging several string kinds on the insulators is advisable to prevent icing and the anti-icing flashover effect. In building an insulator, only a different shed layout uses non-consumption energy.

METHODS OF COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS FOR RESEARCH OF ANIMAL DISEASES TERMINOLOGY

The article considers the main methods of cognitive terminology and t their application to the study of the animal diseases terminology. The study of terms in the cognitive aspect involves the selection and description of their key concepts, the identification of the main categorical features, the unification of identical concepts into categories of this field of knowledge; presentation in the form of schemes (frames) of individual fragments and the entire structure of science as a whole. Among the above-mentioned methods of cognitive linguistics, it is proposed to use categorization, conceptual and frame analyzes and theories of conceptual metaphor. Examples of the study of terms for animal diseases with the application of conceptual analysis methods are given in a complex way, using the method of frame analysis by S. Zhabotynska, which consists in modeling the concept by combining different types of basic frames. The frame approach was used to determine the informational (conceptual) scope of the terminology of animal diseases, since with the help of a frame it is possible to imagine both the structure of a separate concept and the schematic organization of all accumulated knowledge related to animal diseases. It has been established that the names of diseases are structured in the mind of a specialist according to the categories of "space", "object", "causality", "signs", "quantity", "time". Using the selection of epistemological categories, conceptual features of each category and a bank of terminological tools for their display are established. The study of terminology by means of cognitive linguistics involves the method of presenting conceptual metaphor and metonymy, which allows us to reveal the professional world pictures in a certain field. On the basis of the theory of conceptual metaphor, the cognitive mechanisms of metaphor application to terms were considered and the main donor domains that served as a source of metaphorical nominations of animal diseases were clarified. The study of term systems with the involvement of cognitive analysis methods and the construction of specific cognitive models gives a perspective for a more in-depth consideration of their formation processes and functioning. The methods of cognitive terminology provide an opportunity to understand not only the formation and development of professional concepts and categories, but also their hierarchy, organization, and structure.

Extent and types of gender-based discrimination against female medical students and physicians at five university hospitals in Germany - results of an online survey.

There is a gap in research on gender-based discrimination (GBD) in medical education and practice in Germany. This study therefore examines the extent and forms of GBD among female medical students and physicians in Germany. Causes, consequences and possible interventions of GBD are discussed. Female medical students (n=235) and female physicians (n=157) from five university hospitals in northern Germany were asked about their personal experiences with GBD in an online survey on self-efficacy expectations and individual perceptions of the "glass ceiling effect" using an open-ended question regarding their own experiences with GBD. The answers were analyzed by content analysis using inductive category formation and relative category frequencies. From both interviewed groups, approximately 75% each reported having experienced GBD. Their experiences fell into five main categories: sexual harassment with subcategories of verbal and physical, discrimination based on existing/possible motherhood with subcategories of structural and verbal, direct preference for men, direct neglect of women, and derogatory treatment based on gender. The study contributes to filling the aforementioned research gap. At the hospitals studied, GBD is a common phenomenon among both female medical students and physicians, manifesting itself in multiple forms. Transferability of the results beyond the hospitals studied to all of Germany seems plausible. Much is known about the causes, consequences and effective countermeasures against GBD. Those responsible for training and employers in hospitals should fulfill their responsibility by implementing measures from the set of empirically evaluated interventions.

The study of subjective and personal characteristics in line with the system-subject approach

The paper deals with the category formation of "subject" in Russian psychology in line with the subject-activity approach of S.L. Rubinshtein. Then the idea of the subject was developed in the works of A.V. Brushlinsky, as well as in the systemic-subjective approach of E.A. Sergienko. It is shown that S.L. Rubinshtein formulated the position about the subject as an active doer, the creator of his life and history. This position was further significantly enriched by A.V. Brushlinsky due to his continuum-genetic theory and resulted in a new direction – the subject psychology as an integrative study of human psychology. The system-subject approach of E.A. Sergienko is a development of the subject psychology and combines systemic and subject-activity approaches. It substantiates the level understanding of the criteria of subjectivity. It is proposed to consider the categories of subject and personality in the unity of individuality, but at the same time having their own specifics. The personality is a nuclear, content aspect (generation of meanings, values, orientation). While the subject is an individual opportunity for choices, goals, and the implementation of tasks, taking into account both situations, as well as individual orientation and interactions’ meanings. The specific functions of the subject and personality are described. The development concept of subject and personality at the entire ontogenesis stage is presented. A processual understanding of psychological maturity is proposed. Studies clarifying and verifying the system-subject approach are summarized: the subject and the personality characteristics of people of different professions in relation to the time perspective; mental resources for regulating behavior at the late ontogenesis stage. It is concluded that the development principle and the subject psychology can become the basis for a holistic study of human psychology and the unification of various schools and paradigms, theory and practice.

Staying at Home: The Perspectives of Minangkabau Ulemas Concerning Husbands' Provision of Sustenance in Covid-19 Impacted Households

The article discusses the perspectives of Minangkabau ulemas in West Sumatra concerning the ruling for husbands incapable of providing a living for their wife as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In West Sumatra, some husbands were unable to provide sustenance to their wife because they were dismissed from their employment due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study findings are highly specific as Minangkabau customs and culture are grounded on a matrilineal system, yet they remain to be based on Islamic sharia. The research data were acquired by in-depth interviews with three influential ulemas in West Sumatra and a prominent customary figure who is the Chair of the Minangkabau Adat Council. The study found that according to the Minangkabau customary and cultural perspective, husbands are duty-bound to earn a living outside their home while their wife remains at home. Such spousal relationship has an impact on the wife’s acceptance of the husband who became jobless since they were dismissed on account of the pandemic. A condition wherein wives can accept being married to a husband incapable of providing a living on account of the COVID-19 outbreak does not become a legal issue. Accordingly, the study will have implications on the formation of new categories concerning the husband’s obligation to provide sustenance to his wife during a state of emergency.