Main Source Research Articles

Exploring and explaining variation in phrase-final f0 movements in spontaneous Papuan Malay.

This study investigates the variation in phrase-final f0 movements found in dyadic unscripted conversations in Papuan Malay, an Eastern Indonesian language. This is done by a novel combination of exploratory and confirmatory classification techniques. In particular, this study investigates the linguistic factors that potentially drive f0 contour variation in phrase-final words produced in a naturalistic interactive dialogue task. To this end, a cluster analysis, manual labelling and random forest analysis are carried out to reveal the main sources of contour variation. These are: taking conversational interaction into account; turn transition, topic continuation, information structure (givenness and contrast), and context-independent properties of words such as word class, syllable structure, voicing and intrinsic f0. Results indicate that contour variation in Papuan Malay, in particular f0 direction and target level, is best explained by turn transitions between speakers, corroborating similar findings for related languages. The applied methods provide opportunities to further lower the threshold of incorporating intonation and prosody in the early stages of language documentation.

Spatial distribution, sources, and human health risk assessment of elevated nitrate levels in groundwater of an agriculture-dominant coastal area in Hainan Island, China

In order to comprehend the groundwater nitrate contamination in Hainan Island, which is recognized as China's sole “tropical agricultural production base,” the distribution characteristics of nitrate in different aquifers and land-use types were elucidated through hydrochemical and geostatistical analysis methods. Principal component analysis (PCA), hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), and absolute principal component score-multiple linear regression (APCS-MLR) were employed for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the nitrate source. The results showed that NO3−-high (>88.57 mg/L) groundwater accounted for about 10 % of the total distribution area of the western coastal area in Hainan Island. Moreover, the proportions of NO3−-high groundwater in pore water and fissure water were 10 % and 7 %, respectively. The order of groundwater nitrate concentration in different land-use types was as follows: bare land, cultivated land, construction land, grassland, and woodland. The main sources of elevated nitrate concentrations in pore water were animal feces and nitrogen/potassium fertilizers, accounting for 45.4 % of the overall contribution. These substances infiltrated through the vadose zone, leaching out and mobilizing selenium within this zone, ultimately leading to the characteristic enrichment patterns observed in pore water, including nitrate, arsenic, potassium, and selenium. Furthermore, the occurrence of high nitrate in fissure water was mainly attributed to the leaching of cultured manure, septic tank leakage, and infiltration of domestic sewage, accounting for a contribution rate of 32.9 %. Simultaneously, under oxidizing conditions, selenium became activated and entered groundwater through water flow, thereby exhibiting common enrichment characteristics with nitrate and potassium in fissure water. In addition, the assessment of human health risks revealed that 16 % and 40 % of groundwater samples posed unacceptable non-carcinogenic risks to adults and children respectively, with a higher risk for local children. The study recommends the reasonable application of chemical fertilizers, as well as the strengthening of sewage treatment capacity and standardized disposal of manure and feces, to reduce nitrate contamination of groundwater at source and ensure the safety of drinking water.

Unveiling the Sources and Transfer of Mercury in Forest Bird Food Chains Using Techniques of Vivo-Nest Video Recording and Stable Isotopes.

Knowledge gaps in mercury (Hg) biomagnification in forest birds, especially in the most species-rich tropical and subtropical forests, limit our understanding of the ecological risks of Hg deposition to forest birds. This study aimed to quantify Hg bioaccumulation and transfer in the food chains of forest birds in a subtropical montane forest using a bird diet recorded by video and stable Hg isotope signals of biological and environmental samples. Results show that inorganic mercury (IHg) does not biomagnify along food chains, whereas methylmercury (MeHg) has trophic magnification factors of 7.4-8.1 for the basal resource-invertebrate-bird food chain. The video observations and MeHg mass balance model suggest that Niltava (Niltava sundara) nestlings ingest 78% of their MeHg from forest floor invertebrates, while Flycatcher (Eumyias thalassinus) nestlings ingest 59% from emergent aquatic invertebrates (which fly onto the canopy) and 40% from canopy invertebrates. The diet of Niltava nestlings contains 40% more MeHg than that of Flycatcher nestlings, resulting in a 60% higher MeHg concentration in their feather. Hg isotopic model shows that atmospheric Hg0 is the main Hg source in the forest bird food chains and contributes >68% in most organisms. However, three categories of canopy invertebrates receive ∼50% Hg from atmospheric Hg2+. Overall, we highlight the ecological risk of MeHg exposure for understory insectivorous birds caused by atmospheric Hg0 deposition and methylation on the forest floor.

DECOMPOSING REVENUE SOURCES OF MUNICIPALITIES

Purpose: The study intends to examine the sources of ULBs’ revenue. It highlights various revenue sources available to municipalities in India, including funds recommended by Five Year Plans and Finance Commissions Methodology: This study was primarily based on various Central Finance Commissions’ Reports and Five-Year Plan documents. Results: Fund transfers, including central transfers and state transfers, are the main sources of funds for ULBs in India. Funds allocated for ULBs has been increasing in the Five-Year Plans since the beginning. These transfers have seen an increasing trend over the years, reflecting the realization of the importance of strengthening municipal governance and infrastructure. KEY WORDS: Municipal Finance, Fund Transfers for Urban Local Bodies.

Agendas on Nursing in South Korea Media: Natural Language Processing and Network Analysis of News From 2005 to 2022.

In recent years, Korean society has increasingly recognized the importance of nurses in the context of population aging and infectious disease control. However, nurses still face difficulties with regard to policy activities that are aimed at improving the nursing workforce structure and working environment. Media coverage plays an important role in public awareness of a particular issue and can be an important strategy in policy activities. This study analyzed data from 18 years of news coverage on nursing-related issues. The focus of this study was to examine the drivers of the social, local, economic, and political agendas that were emphasized in the media by the analysis of main sources and their quotes. This analysis revealed which nursing media agendas were emphasized (eg, social aspects), neglected (eg, policy aspects), and negotiated. Descriptive analysis, natural language processing, and semantic network analysis were applied to analyze data collected from 2005 to 2022. BigKinds were used for the collection of data, automatic multi-categorization of news, named entity recognition of news sources, and extraction and topic modeling of quotes. The main news sources were identified by conducting a 1-mode network analysis with SNAnalyzer. The main agendas of nursing-related news coverage were examined through the qualitative analysis of major sources' quotes by section. The common and individual interests of the top-ranked sources were analyzed through a 2-mode network analysis using UCINET. In total, 128,339 articles from 54 media outlets on nursing-related issues were analyzed. Descriptive analysis showed that nursing-related news was mainly covered in social (99,868/128,339, 77.82%) and local (48,056/128,339, 48.56%) sections, whereas it was rarely covered in economic (9439/128,339, 7.35%) and political (7301/128,339, 5.69%) sections. Furthermore, 445 sources that had made the top 20 list at least once by year and section were analyzed. Other than "nurse," the main sources for each section were "labor union," "local resident," "government," and "Moon Jae-in." "Nursing Bill" emerged as a common interest among nurses and doctors, although the topic did not garner considerable attention from the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Analyzing quotes showed that nurses were portrayed as heroes, laborers, survivors of abuse, and perpetrators. The economic section focused on employment of youth and women in nursing. In the political section, conflicts between nurses and doctors, which may have caused policy confusion, were highlighted. Policy formulation processes were not adequately reported. Media coverage of the enactment of nursing laws tended to relate to confrontations between political parties. The media plays a crucial role in highlighting various aspects of nursing practice. However, policy formulation processes to solve nursing issues were not adequately reported in South Korea. This study suggests that nurses should secure policy compliance by persuading the public to understand their professional perspectives.

Harmony of Law and Religion: A Maqāṣid Ash-Sharī'ah Analysis of Marriage Registration According to the Fiqh and Law No. 1/1974

In an effort to regulate marriage and reduce the practice of underhand marriage (sirri) in Indonesia, the government has imposed two requirements: material and administrative requirements. Material requirements include provisions related to the pillars of marriage, both those stipulated in fiqh and the law. Meanwhile, the administrative requirements relate to marriage registration, which is regulated in Article 2 paragraph (2) of Law No. 1/1974 on Marriage. The procedure for this recording is explained in Government Regulation Number 9 of 1975. The addition of marriage registration as a condition of marriage has caused controversy among Indonesian legal experts. This controversy is caused by the interpretation of Article 2 paragraphs (1) and (2) of the Marriage Law, as well as differences in the concept of walīmah and Surah Al-Baqarah (2): 282, as well as the necessity of recording in the field of muamalah. This research is a literature research that uses literature study as the main source of data. This data collection method includes primary, secondary, and tertiary data, with a descriptive-analytical and comparative approach. The analysis involves the concept of marriage registration in the Book of Jurisprudence and Law No.1/1974 as well as the urgency for the perpetrators of underhand marriage using maqāṣid ash-sharī'ah analysis. The results show that marriage registration in the Book of Jurisprudence and Law No.1/1974, by applying maqāṣid ash-sharī'ah analysis, shows that the command to register marriage is implicit in the Book of Jurisprudence and explicit in the UUP. Marriage registration, especially for perpetrators of irregular marriages, is in accordance with the objectives of syarak. A marriage certificate can protect religion, soul, mind, offspring, and property before the law, ensuring the benefit of the household (harmonious and lasting family) is achieved.

Temporal variability of water chemistry in the Cherkashinskaya well No. 36-RG (Tobolsk district, Tyumen region)

This article focuses on a temporary change in the chemical composition of water in the Cherkashinskaya well No. 36-RG, which is located in the Tobolsk district near the village of Shestakovo. The impact of underground mineral waters on catchments and watercourses can be caused by the open gushing of orphaned geological exploration wells. This can lead to the disturbance of the hydrochemical regime of neighbouring water systems. Publications on this topic are available not only in Tyumen region, but also throughout the Russian Federation. For example, scientific articles and conference proceedings, such as "Groundwater of the East of Russia" (2018), "Issues of studying surface and groundwater of Siberia" (2021), and the International Conference "Underground Waters 2023", are available. The study highlights the behavior of various components of water composition. The article presents changes in the mineralization of groundwater and identifies the main sources of negative impact on its quality. In 2019, the chemical composition of the water in the containing well underwent a transformation. This article focuses on the changes in the chemical composition of water from the Cherkashinskaya well No. 36-RG and its impact on the surrounding areas.

Analysis and reduction of electromagnetic vibration in integral-slot PM machine by functional magnet structure

It is significant to balances torque and vibration performance for the surface-mounted permanent magnet (PM) machines. This paper proposes a functional magnet structure to suppress the vibration response of integral-slot surface-mounted PM machines. At the same time, the torque ripple is also greatly reduced without sacrificing the average torque. Firstly, taking the 48-slot/8-pole PM machine as an example, the main sources of the air-gap radial force are analyzed based on the Maxwell stress equation. Thereby, the main PM flux density harmonic components that contribute to the radial force are pointed out. Secondly, the design method of different functional magnet structure is investigated. Then, the effects of different magnet shapes on the torque and vibration performances are compared. The result shows that the proposed sinusoidal+3rd-order harmonic injection functional magnet structure can effectively improve the vibration performance without sacrificing the average torque. Finally, the prototype of the 48-slot/8-pole PM with functional magnet structure is manufactured, and the experiments are carried out for validation.

Assessing catastrophic health expenditure and impoverishment in adult asthma care: a cross-sectional study of patients attending six public health clinics in Klang District, Malaysia

BackgroundIn Malaysia, asthma is a common chronic respiratory illness. Poor asthma control may increase out-of-pocket payment for asthma care, leading to financial hardships Malaysia provides Universal Health Coverage for the population with low user fees in the public health system to reduce financial hardship. We aimed to determine out-of-pocket expenditure on outpatient care for adult patients with asthma visiting government-funded public health clinics. We examined the catastrophic impact and medical impoverishment of these expenses on patients and households in Klang District, Malaysia.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional face-to-face questionnaire survey carried out in six government-funded public health clinics in Klang District, Malaysia. We collected demographic, socio-economic profile, and outpatient asthma-related out-of-pocket payments from 1003 adult patients between July 2019 and January 2020. Incidence of catastrophic health expenditure was estimated as the proportion of patients whose monthly out-of-pocket payments exceeded 10% of their monthly household income. Incidence of poverty was calculated as the proportion of patients whose monthly household income fell below the poverty line stratified for the population of the Klang District. The incidence of medical impoverishment was estimated by the change in the incidence of poverty after out-of-pocket payments were deducted from household income. Predictors of catastrophic health expenditure were determined using multivariate regression analysis.ResultsWe found the majority (80%) of the public health clinic attendees were from low-income groups, with 41.6% of households living below the poverty line. About two-thirds of the attendees reported personal savings as the main source of health payment. The cost of transportation and complementary-alternative medicine for asthma were the main costs incurred. The incidences of catastrophic expenditure and impoverishment were 1.69% and 0.34% respectively. The only significant predictor of catastrophic health expenditure was household income. Patients in the higher income quintiles (Q2, Q3, Q4) had lower odds of catastrophic risk than the lowest quintile (Q1). Age, gender, ethnicity, and poor asthma control were not significant predictors.ConclusionThe public health system in Malaysia provides financial risk protection for adult patients with asthma. Although patients benefited from the heavily subsidised public health services, this study highlighted those in the lowest income quintile still experienced financial catastrophe and impoverishment, and the risk of financial catastrophe was significantly greater in this group. It is crucial to ensure health equity and protect patients of low socio-economic groups from financial hardship.

Design and analysis of a contact-aided flexure hinge (CAFH) with variable stiffness

This paper presents a novel contact-aided flexure hinge (CAFH) with variable stiffness, which consists of a contact-aided segment, a flexible segment and a rigid part. The proposed CAFH can facilitate a compact design and provide an alternative for stiffness-variable designs under any loading conditions. With a mortise-tenon structure, the CAFH is trivially affected by friction. The design and deformation procedures of the CAFH are described in detail, followed by its theoretical kinetostatic modeling using the chained beam-constraint model. The deformation of all segments is considered in the kinetostatic model, which expands the space of design parameters for stiffness-variable designs. Then, the accuracy of the theoretical model and the variable stiffness design are verified by nonlinear finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental tests. In term of stiffness, the maximum relative errors of the theoretical model are 0.76% in Stage 1 and 0.70% in Stage 2, as compared with FEA, respectively. Further, the parameter sweep is carried out, followed by sensitivity analysis to identify the main test error sources. Finally, the multi-material scenarios are investigated preliminarily, and some outlooks are discussed.

Monitoring ammonia concentrations in more than 10 stations in the Po Valley for the period 2007–2022 in relation to the evolution of different sources

Regarding secondary aerosols, in addition to the significant contribution of anthropogenic gases such as NOx and SO2, atmospheric ammonia (NH3) plays a crucial role as the primary basic gaseous species capable of neutralizing acidic compounds. This acid–base reaction is responsible for the formation of ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3), constituting up to 60% of PM10 within the Po River basin in Italy. Ion chromatographic analyses performed on offline samples indicate that this secondary inorganic species exhibits minimal concentration variability over the Po Valley because of limited air circulation due to orography and mesoscale air circulation. Therefore, investigating gaseous precursors becomes crucial. From the northern to the southern part of Lombardy—the region at the center of the basin—NH3 emission amounts account for 2.5, 11.1, and 27.7 t/y/km2, mainly due to agriculture and livestock activities (∼97%). To study NH3 temporal and spatial variability, the Environmental Protection Agency of Lombardy Region has been monitoring NH3 concentrations across its territory since 2007, with 10 active monitoring sites. Annual and seasonal cycles are presented, along with a focus on different stations, including urban, low-mountain background, high-impact livestock, and rural background, highlighting the impact of various sources. Measurements indicate that within the Po basin, NH3 concentrations can reach up to 700 µg/m3 (as an hourly average) in proximity to the main gaseous NH3 source. Instrument intercomparisons among online monitors and passive vials, as well as different online monitors, are presented. Therefore, this paper provides crucial data to understand the formation of secondary inorganic aerosols in one of the most important hotspot sites for air pollution.

Micro-Vibration Analysis, Suppression, and Isolation of Spacecraft Flywheel Rotor Systems: A Review

In this paper, the main excitation sources of micro vibration of spacecraft flywheel rotor systems (SFRSs) are briefly described, and then the research progress is systematically reviewed from four perspectives, including modeling methods, suppression means, vibration isolation techniques, and ground simulation tests. Finally, the existing problems of current research and the direction of further research are given to better serve the micro-vibration prediction and sensitivity analysis of existing models, and provide reference points for the micro-vibration suppression and isolation of the next generation of high-precision spacecraft.

Facilitating knowledge transfer to policy makers and front-line workers during a pandemic: Implementation, impact and lessons learned.

Stakeholders working on the COVID-19 pandemic response needed access to evidence, requiring a systematic approach to identify and disseminate relevant research. Outlinethe stages of development of a COVID-19 Literature Digest; demonstrate the impact the Digest had on decision-making and knowledge gain; identify the lessons learned. A standardised process was developed to identify and select papers. The main sources for content were PubMed, bioRxiv and medRxiv. A shared EndNote library was used to deduplicate and organise papers. Three user surveys obtained feedback from subscribers to determine if the Digest remained valuable, and explore the benefits to individuals. 40-60 papers were summarised each week. 211 Digests were produced from March 2020 to March 2022, with around 10,000 papers included altogether. Survey results suggest benefits of the Digest were gaining new knowledge, saving time and contributing to evidence-based decision making. Digest procedures constantly evolved and were adapted in response to survey feedback. Lessons identified: learn from failure, communication is key, measure your impact, work collaboratively, reflect and be flexible. The Digest was successfully produced within the limits of available resource. The learning from this Digest will inform evidence monitoring, selection and dissemination for future health crises.

Geochemical behavior of C, N, and S in sediments of Hangzhou Bay, Southeastern China: implications for the study of paleoclimate and sea-level changes

The correlation between the amount of organic carbon (OC) and sulfur (S) in sediments has been widely used as a paleosalinity indicator to distinguish between marine and freshwater environments. However, whether the ratio of total OC to total S (TOC/TS) can be used to identify unsteady or dynamic marine environments across sedimentary strata is still contended. An HZW1907 sediment core of 80 m in length was successfully collected in the middle of Hangzhou Bay (HZB), serving as one of the few boreholes that are crucial for the study of geologic and geo-environment changes in the coastal regions of eastern China since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Total OC (TOC), stable carbon isotope, and TS of 82 subsamples from the HZW1907 core were analyzed to reconstruct the history of the shallow water biological pump and sulfur preservation record in the bay since the Late Pleistocene. Our results indicate that the samples had low concentrations of TOC (0.21%) and total nitrogen (TN) (0.02%), high mass ratio of TOC/TN (10.8), low δ13C (−24.9‰), low TS content (0.06%), and a high ratio of TOC/TS (9.1) from 33.6 ka BP to 12.3 ka BP, implying that freshwater organic matter (OM), algae, and C3 plant fragments were the main sources of OM in a relatively cold environment. The abundances of TOC, TN, and TS increased to 0.56%, 0.07%, and 0.4%, respectively, while δ13C (−23.9‰) increased and TOC/TS (2.7) decreased in the Holocene sediments, suggesting that seawater began to influence the composition of the sediments of HZB. Climate warming, which is likely to have impacted the results, was experienced from 12.3 ka BP. An OC isotope mixing model indicated that since the Mid-late Holocene, more than 70% of riverine OM accounted for the total OM. The TOC/TS ratio was identified as an effective indicator of seawater intrusion, with C/S ratios of 1–6 being considered to indicate a “sea–land transitional zone” sedimentary environment, a C/S >6 indicating freshwater, and a C/S<1 indicating normal marine facies. These findings provide crucial evidence for using TOC/TS to distinguish freshwater from marine environments and enhance our understanding of past climate changes. Therefore, these geochemical indicators can be used in conjunction with other sedimentary records to obtain accurate results about sedimentary evolution.

ANALYSIS OF HOUSEHOLDS’ WILLINGNESS TO PAY FOR THE PROVISION OF PDAM TIRTA RAHARJA’S PIPE CONNECTION USING CONTINGENT VALUATION METHOD

Gandasari is one of the villages in Katapang Sub District, Bandung Regency. Most people in Gandasari Village use groundwater as their main water source to fulfill their needs of water. Groundwater in Gandasari Village has bad quality and quantity. Hence, the provision of a safe water supply is needed in Gandasari Village. On the other hand, Perusahaan Daerah Air Minum (PDAM) Tirta Raharja is developing their House Connection (SR) in Gandasari Village RW 5,6,7,9, and 11. Provision and management of water supply required to achieve full cost recovery. Therefore, it is necessary to know the willingness to pay (WTP) value for the provision of PDAM’s pipe connection. This study aimed to determine households’ WTP for the provision of piped water service and identify the factors affecting it. The WTP was estimated through questionnaires collected from 89 households in Gandasari Village using Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) and bidding games technique. Based on the questionnaire result, the Estimated Mean WTP (EWTP) value of WTP for installation fee is Rp961.798 and Total WTP is Rp735.775.281. Meanwhile the EWTP value of WTP for retribution fee is Rp51.180/month and TWTP is Rp39.152.528. Factors affecting the value of WTP for installation fee is household size and average income, meanwhile for retribution fee WTP value average income was the affecting factor. Provision of communal well is recommended for households who cannot afford to pay for PDAM.

A narrative review of microplastics in the indoor and outdoor environment, human effects, and ecological risks

Due to their widespread identification in all environmental compartments, Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants that have garnered growing scientific and public attention over the last decades. Early research on MPs and their effects was limited to studies of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, but more recent studies have included MPs in the air. There is now considerable concern about the effects of MPs on pristine environments and urban air quality.
 A literature search was conducted in Science Direct and Google Scholar using the following keywords: microplastics, indoor environment, outdoor environment, human effects, and ecological risks.
 Finally, eligible studies were selected for the review. Textiles, such as clothes, carpets, and curtains, are the main indoor sources of MPs. As well as the primary sources of MPs outdoors, there are landfills, urban and home dust, and synthetic particles. According to current theories, human exposure to MPs occurs through dermal contact, ingestion, and inhalation. Recent research has demonstrated that inhalation is the principal mechanism of human exposure to MPs. Early toxicological research suggests that MPs may lead to inflammation and oxidative stress. However, there is growing concern about the possible leaching of hazardous chemicals used as plastic additives. Nevertheless, MP exposure and risk assessment in humans is still in its infancy, and more research on the presence of MPs in various indoor and outdoor environments is required to provide the knowledge base needed for regulations to protect human health and the environment from MPs.

An Experimental Study on the Performance and Emissions of an 8% Water-in-Diesel Emulsion Stabilized by a Hydrophilic Surfactant Blend

Diesel engines are known for their excellent efficiency and are therefore used in a variety of applications. However, they are also one of the main sources of hazardous emissions such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and smoke. Water-in-Diesel Emulsion (WiDE) is an alternative fuel that can possibly reduce some of the pollutant emissions without compromising engine performance. The surfactant formulation for WiDE usually follows the one used in water-in-oil (w/o) emulsions, where low hydrophilic–lipophilic balance (HLB) emulsifiers are preferred for better solubility in the diesel phase and stabilization at storage temperatures. However, by using a hydrophilic blend with a non-ionic surfactant, it is possible to develop an optimized formulation at higher fuel temperatures, which occur during an engine’s operating condition, achieving possibly higher benefits. Across the different speeds, the results for the emulsion show 7.57% mean improvement in specific fuel consumption (SFC), 19.14% mean improvement in thermal efficiency (TE), 5.54% mean reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2), 20.50% mean reduction in nitric oxide (NO) and 75.19% mean reduction in smoke levels. However, carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC) emissions were higher, with a mean increase of 81.09% and 93.83%, respectively.

The Implementation Effect of China’s River and Lake Chief System

The river and lake chief system offers a valuable policy toolkit to mitigate the degradation of water ecology, thereby bolstering water resource management for sustainable water development in China. To evaluate the effects of implementation and improve policy, this study took Beijing as a typical case and conducted a quantitative assessment using multidimensional data. The findings suggest that while the river and lake chief system in Beijing is effective and has significantly contributed to the ecological management of rivers and lakes, there are also notable regional disparities and urban–rural divergences. In addition, human activities are the main sources of environmental pollution in rivers and lakes, which should be the focus of the river and lake chief system. The river and lake chief system needs to embed more public participation and cooperative governance. This research aids in better understanding China’s river and lake chief system for both researchers and practitioners, facilitating the advancement of the knowledge body of global water policy and governance.

Professional responses to exogenous change: the social work profession and the jurisdictional domain opened up by the Norwegian welfare-to-work reform

ABSTRACT This paper examines the social work profession’s responses to the organizational reform of the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration, which opened a new jurisdictional domain of employment services to groups marginalized in the labour market. This domain was not colonized by any established professions, and social workers were the only occupation in the reformed organization with the character and identity of a profession. With existing research as the main source, the paper shows that despite having influenced the reform policy, during reform implementation, agents of the profession refrained from expanding the jurisdiction of social workers and instead protected and maintained its established jurisdiction based on municipal social services. Potential explanations behind the response are discussed: the pressure from the organizational context, combined with the profession’s ingrained distrust of ‘the system’; the ‘dirtiness’ of welfare-to-work tasks, around which some scepticism existed; and the profession’s strong value base and lack of capacity to articulate its knowledge base and, subsequently, theorize its knowledge and skills as resources that were key to meeting the reform’s welfare-to-work goals. All three explanations have some explanatory power but must still be considered tentative and in need of more research.

Effect of Film Mulching Age and Organic Fertilizer Application on the Distribution Characteristics of Microplastics in the Soil of a Peanut Field

The large input of mulch film and organic fertilizer have led to increasingly serious microplastic pollution in farmland soil of China. In this study, the microplastic pollution of peanut farmland in Dezhou City, Shandong Province was investigated. The effects of different mulching years (0, 3, 5, and 8 years) and organic fertilizer application on the abundance, particle size, color, and shape of microplastics in farmland soil were analyzed. The results showed that the average abundances of microplastics in peanut soil were 65.33, 316.00, 1 098.67, and 1 346.34 n·kg-1, respectively, after 0, 3, 5, and 8 years of film mulching. The abundance of microplastics decreased with the increase in soil depth. The abundance of microplastics in 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm topsoil was 1 076.00, 603.5, and 440.25 n·kg-1, respectively, and the abundance of microplastics increased significantly with increasing years of film mulching and organic fertilizer application (P<0.05). The particle size of microplastics in the sample plot <1 mm accounted for 77.30% of the total content, and with the increase in film mulching age, the proportion of microplastics with small particle size (<1 mm) increased significantly (P < 0.05). With the increase in soil depth, the proportion of microplastics with small particle size also gradually increased, whereas the application of organic fertilizer had no significant effect on the particle size of microplastics. The color of microplastics in the plot was mainly transparent (49.77%), followed by black (16.35%) and white (16.27%). The planting age and organic fertilizer application had no significant effect on the color of microplastics in the soil (P > 0.05), but the mulching age significantly increased the proportion of transparent microplastics. The abundance proportion of the five types of microplastics were 49.77%, 25.41%, 19.15%, 3.26%, and 2.41%, respectively. These field soil microplastics were mainly composed of polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polystyrene (PS) polymers, accounting for 21.37%, 18.57%, and 19.77% of the total, respectively. Therefore, microplastics were widely present in the soil of the peanut field cultivated layer in Dezhou, Shandong, and the applications of mulch film and organic fertilizer were the main source. This study provides an important basis for the prevention and control of soil microplastic pollution in peanut fields.