Invisible Problem Research Articles

Creative Mechanisms of Managing Organizational Development in Uncertainty

The research was aimed at identifying innovative strategies and methods aimed at effective management of organizational development in conditions of invisibility. In the process of research were used analytical, statistical and comparative methods. In this article, the key aspects of such management of such an impact on the effectiveness of the functioning of organizations were examined. The results of the research showed that the flexibility of structures is a key aspect of management in conditions of uncertainty, as it allows organizations to react quickly to changes in the environment, adapt to new conditions and make decisions quickly. In addition, it is recognized that strategic risk management is important to ensure the stability of organizations, and innovation management is the key to successful management in conditions of uncertainty. The study examined the role of leadership in stimulating creativity and innovation in solving the problems of invisibility. The importance of the development of culture, which supports creativity and innovation, which is one of the key aspects of management of organizational development in the conditions of invisibility, was highlighted. The significance of cooperation and partnership in the renewal and development of the sports industry, especially in Ukraine, which is vulnerable to the impact of war and pandemic, was examined. The research shows that collaboration between economic sectors and government can accelerate the renewal and development of the sports industry. Consequently, a comprehensive approach to managing organizational development in uncertain conditions was presented, encompassing structural flexibility, strategic risk management, culture, innovation, and stakeholder cooperation.

Unpacking the Nuances Behind One-Sided Gendered Violence: A Case Study of The King Sabata Dalindyebo Local Municipality, Eastern Cape, South Africa

South Africa grapples with a pervasive GBV crisis evident in femicide, intimate partner violence, and sexual assault statistics. Gender-based violence is defined as the human-rights violation that occurs globally, in both developing and developed countries, irrespective of culture, socio-economic class or religion and it varies in frequency, forms and extent from country to country. While GBV has long been acknowledged as a pervasive issue impacting women in South Africa, recent research reveals a less recognised aspect men also experience significant abuse, often concealed by silence and stigma. In South Africa, a country with high rates of violence, this study explores the intricate interactions between cultural norms, societal expectations, and the frequency of gender-based violence against men. The Person-In-Environment theory was used in semi-structured interviews with 12 participants as part of the study's qualitative methodology. The study revealed that GBV against men is a significant yet often invisible problem. They further revealed how societal norms such as toxic masculinity, silence surrounding male vulnerability and cultural justifications contributed the occurrence and under-reporting of GBV against men as well as discouraged them from seeking help. Additionally, the findings shaded light on the specific barriers men encounter in accessing support services, highlighting the need for gender inclusive interventions.

Women’s access to justice in Ukraine: the invisibility of the problem

The article considers women’s access to justice as an invisible problem, the existence of which is overlooked or denied. Cases where women in similar situations experience more adverse legal consequences are not perceived as linked to gender inequality. The reasons for the invisibility of the problem are rooted in the Soviet past, in the patriarchal traditions of Ukrainian society, as well as in the reluctance to abandon myths and stereotypes, the lack of proper reflection on the past and the lack of a culture of public discussion of important social problems, the marginalization of “women’s” topics. To illustrate the invisibility of the problem, results of the questioning of training participants (judges, court staff and law enforcement officers) has been used, i.e. the discussion regarding manifestations of gender inequality, acknowledged in the Concept Paper of the State Programme for Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities of Women and Men, approved by the order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated November 21, 2012, No. 1002. The author noted, that during many years of delivering gender equality trainings only those participants who de facto contribute to caregiving/family responsibilities admitted that inadequate level of providing conditions for “a harmonious combination of family and professional responsibilities” is an actual problem; the same is observed in relation to other manifestations of inequality between women and men, which confirms the opinion that the perception of relevance or irrelevance of specific manifestations of gender inequality is determined by the individual’s own experience. The trend of reducing gender gap is perceived as the irrelevance of a certain manifestation of gender inequality, since “the situation has been improved significantly”, even if the gap remains large. In addition to the experience of delivering trainings, “stories from life” were also used to demonstrate the invisibility of the problem, particularly cases that illustrate the superior, prejudiced and sexist attitude towards women in high level (deputy minister) positions, especially when compared with the attitude towards men of the same age and status. Since a problem that is invisible has no chance of being solved, the ability to “notice”, “see”, “make visible”, “name”, “qualify”, etc. are the first steps towards its solution.

Managing Mental Health Challenges in Organizations: An Exploratory Study of the Problems of Misunderstanding, Invisibility and Responsibility

Despite the increasing number of workers worldwide experiencing mental disorders, many organizations lack knowledge and understanding of how to support them effectively. We argue that this is partially a consequence of three problems surrounding the management of mental health in organizations: misunderstanding, invisibility, and responsibility. This study aims to overcome misconceptions attached to those problems by providing empirical evidence on three issues: a) experiencing mental health challenges leads to inevitably experiencing a disability? b) to what extent do organizations know about their employees’ mental health challenges? c) do mental problems preclude employees from thriving at work and enjoying work-life balance? To do so, we analyze the disclosure of mental health conditions and the levels of anxiety, depression, disabilities, thriving at work, and work-life balance in a sample of 212 employees with and without a diagnosis of mental disorder. Our findings challenge some preconceived notions as they suggest that: a) suffering from a mental disorder does not always lead to higher disabilities, and, on the contrary, even non-diagnosed employees may experience high degrees of disabilities; b) mental health challenges are still notably invisible within organizations; and c) there seems to be an inverse relationship between the severity of mental problems and the degree of thriving at work and work-life balance. Accordingly, we propose future research avenues and practical recommendations to address the problems of misunderstanding, responsibility, and invisibility. Received: 16 March 2024 / Accepted: 29 June 2024 / Published: 02 July 2024

Using the Media to Identify Invisible Problems of the Gender Sphere

The fast-developing network era has brought unprecedented cultural impact to the masses, and people have also gained more knowledge through digital production, even breaking many information gaps to a certain extent. The reporting and reprinting of hot and negative news, which are more likely to attract attention, have also brought to light many invisible problems of gender in society, including the protection of women's rights and the inequality of marital relations. In this article, we conducted interviews with some specific groups of people from different backgrounds through online questionnaires to understand how people from different backgrounds use social media to find out about marital or gender issues and the mutual influence between them and the media. The results showed positive media coverage can promote social support for victims and condemnation of domestic violence. Discussions of sexual harassment in social media productions also help to increase public awareness of sexual harassment and encourage victims to come forward.

The invisible problem of early adolescent pregnancy in the Dominican Republic: a descriptive analysis

Study objectivesThe aim of this article is to describe the problem of pregnancy in girls under 15 years of age in the Dominican Republic in the period 2000–2021, to develop a specific indicator for this age group and describing the related factors. MethodsThis is an exploratory ecological study, based on secondary data sources, such as birth records from the National Statistics Office (NSO) and the Ministry of Public Health (MPH). We calculated the rates of fertility and pregnancy in early adolescence, as well as analyzed their main determining factors and consequences. ResultsFertility Rate in Early Adolescence (FREA) decreases from 6.27 to 1.04 per thousand in the period 2001–2021. The average FREA for 2015–2021 was 1.78. The average Estimated Rate of Pregnancy in Early Adolescence (ERPEA) for the same period was 3.39. Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs) were 11,620 years. Years of Life Lost (YLL) were 9,665.9 years. The prevalence of Low Birth Weight (LBW) in the under 15-year-old age group was 14.2 %. ConclusionsPregnancy in childhood implies risks for both the mother and the child, including low birth weight. The official fertility rate is substantially underreported (2.84 vs. 1.79).The fertility rate indicator traditionally used does not accurately measure the number of pregnancies in women, particularly in specific age groups or populations where pregnancies may be interrupted by various factors. Therefore, the use of ERPEA is recommended.We emphasize the need for implementing the proposed indicator for the target group, as well as monitoring Sustainable Development Goal indicator 3.7.2.

The Domestic Work Sector in the European Union: Quantification, Evolution and Policies to Combat Precariousness

This article analyzes the domestic work and paid care sector in the countries of the European Union (EU), which includes jobs mostly carried out by women, generally with a serious lack of job protection, low wages, degraded working conditions, informality, precariousness and “invisibility” of tasks, etc. However, these jobs represent essential services for society, since in addition to caring for family members and dependents, personal and domestic care needs must be covered. From an operational perspective, the very characteristics of domestic work do not facilitate the collection of specific statistics necessary for the study of working conditions. This problem of statistical invisibility further slows down progress in establishing measures to improve the quality of employment for these workers. Therefore, it is necessary to address the discussion on the conceptual delimitation of domestic work and the measurement criteria adopted internationally, with special emphasis on those observed in the EU. Finally, the most advanced national regulations that try to reconcile the improvement of the working conditions of women employed in domestic work with the fact of promoting these services to cover the assistance needs of many households with economic difficulties are analyzed.

The Museum as a Catalyst of Community. Case Study: The Exhibition Imagining Futures: Urban Comics From Artivistory Collective at the Art Museum in Cluj-Napoca

The Museum as a Catalyst of Community. Case Study: The Exhibition Imagining Futures: Urban Comics from ArtiViStory Collective at the Art Museum in Cluj-Napoca. The present article aims at illustrating the role of the contemporary museum as a conscious central stakeholder that strengthens the community and connects in the era of participatory culture with different types of audiences. Built in two parts, the article points out the main concepts of the new museum philosophy as explored in the expertise in the field and brings on a case study that focuses on the analysis of the cultural mediation program built for an original thematic exhibition, centered around the exploration of the urban future and having as its conceptual stake to draw the viewer into a process of reflection on the different ways of perceiving the surrounding society. Understanding social issues, remembering the past, exploring the ecosystem, acting on change and imagining futures are the invisible problems launched for debate through the creative laboratory of the members of the ArtiViStory Collective whose artworks could be explored within the exhibition. Their visual narratives, gathered in the various sections of the exhibition, have invited the viewers to respond to a series of questions that envisage the role of art in the community, the way we perceive the world around us, the stories that can be told about our past, the need for engaging young people into building inclusive communities or the way we can imagine our future. Through a wide variety of formulas for exploiting the potential of the graphic imaginary (visual documentaries, comic strips, animations, sequential illustrations), the exhibition offers an overview of this space of creative investigation of the urban imaginary and social identity, rendering sequential art not only as a tool of representation but as a catalyst for activating the collective imagination, which can serve to coagulate the common interests of the community. At the same time, the cultural mediation program conceived for the exhibition is an important component that creates engagement and participation of young audiences in a discourse on the future of our community.

The problem of inclusion and invisibility: working with disabled students in HE

For many, the word ‘inclusion’ has not only become emptied of meaning but also sets up a problematic contradiction. To be included depends on the willingness of those who hold this power to allow entry. Being allowed entry doesn’t change the power relationships but merely allows access to already ‘existing cultures, structures and practices’ (Biesta, Wainwright and Aldridge, 2022, p.1). For disabled people and minoritised groups, the problem of equity and participation in education is one that runs deep and, for many, extends right the way through their educational trajectories. What’s overlooked and not recognised is the invisible work of being disabled. Similarly, and to paraphrase Donna Williams (1996), from the start, disabled people have been judged from the outside, by their appearances, rather than from the inside and according to how their disability is experienced. This mini keynote opens up a space to discuss the problems inherent in inclusion and what this means for disabled people and other minoritised groups. Questions: Inclusion has been co-opted into HE’s performativity agenda; does this create more problems than it pretends to solve? How do we acknowledge and understand the invisible work of being disabled? As practitioners, how can we create a more authentically democratic environment for disabled people and other minoritised groups in HE?

Prevalence and Characteristics of Sexual Victimization among Gay and Bisexual Men: A Preliminary Study in Spain.

Sexual violence is an understudied issue in the population of gay and bisexual men, although the existing articles to date demonstrate that it is a problem that merits public attention. This study aims to approach the problem of invisibility around the matter, as well as presenting a number of variables that have been usually overlooked in Spanish research or have not been assessed at all. Lifetime sexual victimization, sociodemographic characteristics, situational characteristics and social support were examined among 550 gay and bisexual males living in Spain using a self-administrated questionnaire. Results analysis show that 90.00% (87.18-92.38%) of participants reported at least one experience of unwanted insinuation, 87.27% (84.19-89.94%) reported at least one experience of sexual coercion, 64.00% (59.83-68.02%) reported at least one experience of sexual assault, and specifically 19.82% (16.57-23.40%) reported being raped during their lifetime. Significant differences have been found between some categories regarding gender identity, sexual orientation, age, race/ethnicity and educational level. Overall, these results showcase sexual violence as a pervasive problem in the Spanish gay and bisexual community.

The masculinization of deprivation: Transformations in industrial and labor patterns and the emergence of the Men’s Crisis in Japan

ABSTRACT A movement for gender equality, begun in earnest in the 1970s, has prompted fundamental changes to work and family lives in Japan. Despite this, discussions about shifting gender structures have frequently focused on women, leaving men’s gender issues in the shadows. This article explores the last 50 years of labor and family changes from a gendered perspective, and the major historical and civilizational shifts behind those changing patterns. Focusing specifically on a crisis of masculinity, which I label the “Men’s Crisis,” this article examines the structural transformations in industry, labor, and society that we are currently confronting. Since the 1990s, the “Men’s Crisis” has become increasingly visible in Japanese society. Because the “Men’s Crisis” is spreading as an unidentified, invisible problem today, most men feel an unexplained, or unexplainable, deprivation. In other words, what I call the “masculinization of deprivation” has emerged. In order to advance gender equality and increase women’s participation in society, we must also contend with the vital policies surrounding men as gendered people, which have been ignored in the past. In particular, significant policy proposals are necessary, specifically those that acknowledge men’s needs for counseling and advice, as well as the links between men and care.

The Making of Small Literature as World Literature: Taiwanese Writer Wu Ming-Yi

This paper investigates how the transformation of the Taiwanese writer Wu Ming-Yi, from a peripheral writer to a world literature writer, takes place. It first defines the status of Wu as a world literature writer with a discussion of the international reception of Wu’s translated works. It then studies how Wu overcomes the four obstacles for small literature writers: literary destitution, backwardness, remoteness, and invisibility. While Wu appropriates foreign patrimonies to deal with the obstacle of literary destitution, he establishes a modern profile of himself as a writer on a par with internationally acclaimed writers to counter the problem of backwardness. This study examines the complex meanings of Wu’s magical realist mode of storytelling. It argues that the global currency of this consecrated mode helps Wu address the problem of remoteness. At the same time, the magical realist mode works to reflect Wu’s planetary vision and generates the literariness that is missing in many works of environmental world literature. In addition to the literary performance of the writer, the study discusses how Wu’s agents, publishers, and the Taiwanese government join efforts to tackle the problem of invisibility.

Surveillance to improve physical activity of children and adolescents.

The global transition to current low levels of habitual physical activity among children and adolescents began in the second half of the last century. Low physical activity harms health in both the short term (during childhood and adolescence) and long term (during adulthood). In turn, low physical activity could limit progress towards several sustainable development goals, undermine noncommunicable disease prevention, delay physical and mental health recovery from the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, increase health-care costs and hinder responses to climate change. However, despite the importance of physical activity, public health surveillance among children and adolescents is very limited globally and low levels of physical activity in children is not on the public health agenda in many countries, irrespective of their level of economic development. This article details proposals for improvements in global public health surveillance of physical activity from birth to adolescence based on recent systematic reviews, international collaborations and World Health Organization guidelines and strategies. Empirical examples from several countries illustrate how improved surveillance of physical activity can lead to public health initiatives. Moreover, better surveillance raises awareness of the extent of physical inactivity, thereby making an invisible problem visible, and can lead to greater capacity in physical activity policy and practice. The time has arrived for a step change towards more systematic physical activity surveillance from infancy onwards that could help inform and inspire changes in public health policy and practice globally.

Infertility, Pooled Reproduction and Distributed Agency Among the Big Nambas of Malakula, Vanuatu

Women’s infertility is an invisible problem in Vanuatu. Assisted reproductive technologies are non-existent. State, medical and NGO actors all promote small families, reflecting global anxieties about population growth and climate change, making infertility conveniently forgettable. Narratives about Vanuatu as a ‘fertile paradise’ make infertility seem uncommon. Anthropological emphasis on flexible kinship suggests that difficulty bearing biological children does not matter. Infertility appears natural or biological but is locally viewed as supernatural or sociocultural. These varied ‘abandonments’ erase the struggles of infertility among ni-Vanuatu women. Here I explore them among Big Nambas communities on Malakula, where reproduction is ‘pooled’, but infertility is individualised. Literal abandonment looms if women cannot contribute sons to the patriline. This creates reproductive interdependencies—where women cannot reproduce, others may postpone or abandon their own pregnancies—highlighting distributed agency over and internal politics of reproduction. Thus, in these ‘remote’ islands, with histories of flexible child-rearing, biological fertility matters.

Insights from investigating early childhood ebooks on literacy, cognitive development, and social and emotional learning outcomes

Researchers were invited to investigate the effectiveness of bibliotherapeutic electronic books, or ebooks, social and emotional learning (SEL) digital platform in afterschool sites in a large school district situated in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States. This study was not particular to the platform’s efficacy; instead, we sought to explore how bibliotherapeutic ebooks can boost literacy, cognition, and SEL skills in young children. Researchers used a quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent treatment/control groups. Groups were assigned at the site level with individual students as the unit of analysis. Student data on literacy, cognitive ability, and SEL outcomes were collected pre-treatment and post-treatment. The researchers found no significant change in the studied groups. Upon digging deeper into SEL outcomes, researchers uncovered an invisible problem: the school district’s state-mandated measurement suite did not neatly map or align to the constructs within the afterschool curriculum for SEL. Interpretations and implications, including how districts define and assess SEL, are included in the discussion.

The Canadian Impact Assessment Act and intersectional analysis: Exaggerated tensions, fierce resistance, little understanding

AbstractCanada's newly adopted Impact Assessment Act requires gender‐based analysis plus (GBA+)—a type of intersectionality mainstreaming—as part of assessing the impacts of resource projects. This explicit inclusion of a GBA+ requirement in legislation for the first time represents an important advance in Canada's commitments to mainstreaming, and one that offers an opportunity to examine how interested policy actors both enable and challenge mainstreaming commitments in the legislative sphere. We consider what the compound problem of invisibility and resistance in the legislative process means for ongoing efforts to advance intersectional policymaking and strengthen mainstreaming in Canada and other western democracies.

A Review on Study of Rehabilitation and Repair Techniques of R.C.C. Building

Abstract: Cement concrete reinforced with steel bars is an extremely popular construction material. One major flaw, namely its susceptibility to environmental attack, can severely reduce the strength and life of these structures. External reinforcement using steel plates have been used in earlier attempts to rehabilitate these structures. The most important problem that limited their wider application is corrosion. This project emphasize on Rehabilitation of R.C.C. structures. The purpose of this project is to highlight the various techniques of repair and rehabilitation methods to be undertaken for structures with defects and deficiencies that necessitate rehabilitation. Repair and Rehabilitation methods currently used are reviewed on the basis of present knowledge and the merits of a holistic system approach. This project focuses on visible symptoms of the problem rather than on invisible problems as well as the possible causes behind them. This project focuses on various techniques and repair materials used for the satisfactory performance of the repaired structure. This project presents an analysis of concrete illnesses, and problems leading to unsatisfactory performance of repaired concrete structure. This project describes the analysis the types of surface preparations that are commonly adopted in Indian conditions. This project highlights the problem of reinforcing steel corrosion in concrete structures and attempts to provide the remedial measures available in design to mitigate the effects of corrosion. In view of these limitations the various types of coatings are available and the precautions to be taken in the selection of coatings systems are also discussed. This also highlights the importance of epoxy resins and various methods of epoxy in the construction applications such as repairing of cracks, patching, grouting of concrete, structural adhesives and anti-corrosive linings etc. The conclusive part deals with cost comparison between present approximate estimated cost of new building & rehabilited building.

Analysis of acute sinusitis-related early failed implant surface: a combined histological, electron microscopy, and X-ray spectroscopy approach

BackgroundEven though dental implants are a reliable choice for dental rehabilitation, implant failures due to various etiologies have been reported. Early implant failures account for 2 to 6% of installed implants and are reported to have a higher rate than late failures, regardless of loading time. We herein report three cases of acute sinusitis and early implant failure with implants that failed within 1 month after installation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the surface properties of early failed implants and peri-implant tissue to determine the early osseointegration pattern in acute sinusitis-related failed implants as well as the possible role of surface contamination in the failure of osseointegration.ResultsA combined histological, electron microscopy, and X-ray spectroscopy approach was used to characterize the surface of non-osseointegrated titanium implants and the surrounding biological tissues. Morphologic scanning electron microscopy revealed a heterogeneous surface and irregular osseointegration. The implant surface was covered mostly by carbon- and oxygen-rich organic matter. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy surface analysis of three implants showed the incorporation of some contaminants in both the upper and apical regions. Carbon, nitrogen, sodium, silicon, chlorine, sulfur, gold, and zirconium were detected on the surface of one or more failed implants. Fibrosis, lymphocytic, and macrophage infiltrates and a high activation of osteoclasts surrounding the bone graft particles were detected in the surrounding tissues.ConclusionsThe etiology and mechanism of early implant failure, especially in sinus-related cases, as well as the proper management interventions to minimize the rate of early implant failures, are of great concern. No matter how confident and accurate the surgeon’s operation, there may be unknown errors in the whole procedure that no one knows about. Rather than errors related to the implant surface, it is expected that there were invisible problems during the evaluation of the patient’s own unique sinus mucosal inflammation or the operator’s own procedure. Furthermore, well-designed researches are necessary to reveal the effect of material-related factors on acute sinus complication and early implant failure.

Understanding Caregiving and Caregivers: Supporting Children and Youth With Special Health Care Needs at Home.

Caregiving encompasses the nurturing, tasks, resources, and services that meet the day-to-day needs of children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) at home. Many gaps exist in the strategies currently offered by the health care system to meet the caregiving needs of CYSHCN. The work of family caregivers of CYSHCN is known to be extensive, but it is so poorly understood that it has been described as "invisible". This invisibility leads to poor communication and gaps in understanding between professional health care providers and family caregivers. To address these gaps, health care researchers must work with family caregivers to incorporate their expertise on caregiving and create meaningful and sustainable research partnerships. A growing body of research is attempting to remedy the problem of caregiving invisibility and lay better foundations for successful integration between health care settings, family caregiving, professional caregiving, and community supports for families of CYSHCN. We identify high-priority gaps in CYSHCN caregiving research and propose research questions that are designed to accelerate growth in evidence-based understanding of the work of family caregivers of CYSHCN and how best to support them.

CSNTSteg: Color Spacing Normalization Text Steganography Model to Improve Capacity and Invisibility of Hidden Data

The rapid growth of online communication has increased the demand for secure communication. Most government entities, healthcare providers, the legal sector, financial and banking, and other industries are vulnerable to information security issues. Text steganography is one way to protect secure communication by hiding secret messages in the cover text. Hiding a high amount of secret information without raising the attacker’s suspicion is the main challenge in steganography. This paper proposes the Color and Spacing Normalization stego (CSNTSteg) model to resolve the low capacity and invisibility problem on text steganography. CSNTSteg consists of two stages: the pre-embedding stage, which achieves high capacity by utilizing RGB coding and character spacing. It is designed to increase the number of bits per location and usable characters. Besides, it applies the Huffman coding technique to compress the secret message to add more capacity enhancement. The second stage is color and spacing normalization, which accomplishes high invisibility by normalizing the RGB coding and character spacing of the cover and stego text. CSNTSteg overcomes the color differences issue between the cover and stego texts regardless of the color of the cover text. To assess the quality of CSNTSteg, the experimental results are compared with existing works. CSNTSteg shows superior capacity over the existing studies with a percentage of 98.85%. CSNTSteg also achieves high invisibility by reducing the color differences with a percentage of 4.7% and 5.07% for black and colored cover text, respectively. Furthermore, CSNTSteg improves robustness by 94.22% by reducing the distortion in stego text. Overall, the CSNTSteg model embeds a high capacity of secret data while maintaining invisibility and security, offering a new perspective on text steganography to protect against visual and statistical attack issues.