• Bicycle delivery riders face safety risks beyond traffic or personal behavior alone. • This qualitative study explored safety, identity, and equity issues among them. • Riders report feeling underrepresented in policy, labor protection, and urban cycling dynamics. • Digital demands and precarious status undermine compliance with road safety norms. • Legal precarity, social marginalization, and inequity concerns intersect in work safety-related practices. The expansion of the gig economy has led to a growing number of urban workers engaged in app-based food delivery. This sector, often seen as flexible, conceals complex occupational, legal, and psychosocial risks. Recent evidence suggests that delivery riders’ safety is shaped not only by infrastructure or individual behavior, but also by precarious work conditions, limited legal protections, and forms of social exclusion that remain largely unaddressed. This qualitative study examined how safety, identity, and equity are experienced and negotiated in app-based bicycle delivery in Spain, with attention to algorithmic timing, organizational rules, and street-level conditions. Twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with food delivery riders (mostly migrant men) in urban areas of Spain. A reflexive thematic analysis (inductive) was applied, with attention to patterns, contrasts across cases, and speech insights suggesting broader socio-labor dynamics. Three core themes were identified: (1) persistent exposure to traffic and environmental hazards, often aggravated by digital pressures and limited enforcement of safety regulations; (2) a fragmented social identity, with riders feeling excluded from both formal labor structures and mainstream cycling culture; and (3) strong perceptions of systemic inequity, including legal precarity, economic fragility, and marginalization in public and policy narratives, which may influence how riders manage risk in practice (e.g., rule compliance, incident reporting) and, in turn, safety outcomes. The findings highlight the vulnerabilities of bicycle food delivery riders and suggest the need to rethink how safety, labor protections, and urban inclusion are framed and implemented in this sector.

Governing the rise of AI in healthcare: A comparative governance document and implementation implications across five jurisdictions.

This theory-building review explores how environmental governance works in emerging markets. It synthesizes findings from twenty-three empirical studies in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and emerging Europe. Using PRISMA guidelines, structured search, the review integrates institutional, stakeholder, legitimacy, and resource-based insights to explain why firms react differently to environmental expectations. The findings highlight that credible regulatory enforcement emerged as the most consistently identified factor shaping substantive environmental practices; when enforcement is limited, firms are more likely to comply symbolically. Stakeholder pressure—exercised by NGOs, media, communities, and global buyers—serves an important complementary function, particularly where the state’s capacity is limited. Firm-level capabilities (e.g., board experience, financial slack, and environmental expertise) moderate how organizations interpret and implement governance pressures. Adoption is further strengthened by a cohesive mix of policy instruments. The review proposes an integrated conceptual framework and outlines implications for policymakers, regulators, firms, and global value-chain actors.

This conceptual paper examines ethical challenges and professional misconduct in the Malaysian legal profession, with a focus on identifying key causes, consequences, and potential reforms. Despite the existence of regulatory frameworks such as the Legal Profession Act 1976, incidents of misconduct including conflicts of interest, dishonesty, negligence, and breaches of confidentiality remain prevalent. The study adopts a qualitative, literature-based approach to analyse how individual, organisational, and institutional factors contribute to unethical behaviour. The findings indicate that ethical challenges arise from competing professional duties, financial pressures, workplace culture, and weak regulatory enforcement. Systemic issues such as lack of transparency, inconsistent disciplinary actions, and insufficient monitoring mechanisms further exacerbate misconduct. Additionally, existing ethics education is found to be inadequate in influencing practical decision-making. The paper concludes that professional misconduct is not solely an individual failing but a product of broader structural weaknesses. Addressing this issue requires a holistic strategy involving stronger enforcement mechanisms, continuous professional development, improved regulatory clarity, and the promotion of an ethical legal culture. These measures are essential to restore public trust and uphold the integrity of the legal profession in Malaysia.

Tobacco product use persists among US youth. Continued monitoring of e-cigarettes, nicotine pouches, and other products informs clinical practice, public health policy, and regulatory efforts. Data from the 2025 National Youth Tobacco Survey-a nationally representative sample of 23 630 US students in grades 6-12-were analyzed to estimate current (past 30-day) use of tobacco products. Among those currently using e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, frequent use (≥20days), device type (for e-cigarettes only), brand preferences, and flavor preferences were assessed. Changes in current use of any tobacco, any combusted tobacco, e-cigarettes, and nicotine pouches from 2022 to 2025 were assessed using Joinpoint regression. Among high school (grades 9-12) and middle school (grades 6-8) students, an estimated 2.01 million or 7.2% reported current tobacco use, 5.2% e-cigarette use, 2.6% combusted tobacco use, and 1.7% nicotine pouch use. Among students currently using e-cigarettes, 41.2% reported frequent use, and 66.3% used disposables. Among students currently using nicotine pouches, 26.3% reported frequent use. During 2022-2025, any tobacco use (annual percent change [APC] = -14.5, P < .001), any combusted tobacco use (APC = -11.4, P < .001), and e-cigarette use (APC = -18.1, P < .001) decreased among middle and high school students. Nicotine pouch use increased (APC = 17.3, P = .012) among high school students from 2022 to 2025; however, use was still low and remained stable over the past year. Despite a significant decline in the prevalence of any tobacco, any combusted tobacco, and e-cigarette use between 2022 and 2025, students continued using tobacco products, particularly e-cigarettes, with considerable proportions reporting frequent use. Despite significant declines in the prevalence of self-reported use of any tobacco product, combusted tobacco products, and e-cigarettes between 2022 and 2025, an estimated 2.01 million youth continued using tobacco products in 2025. In addition, among youth who currently used e-cigarettes and nicotine pouches, persistent frequent use patterns and widespread flavored product use were common. Continued timely surveillance of tobacco products, combined with comprehensive tobacco control and regulatory efforts, enforcement actions, and public education campaigns, remain essential for preventing youth tobacco product use and the harms associated with youth nicotine exposure.

To document the development and implementation of a World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)-guided law in Ethiopia. We analyzed 15 publicly available documents, including news articles and government documents. We triangulated findings by interviewing three tobacco control advocates, two academic researchers, and four government officials. We used a thematic framework analysis to analyze the data and documented this through a retrospective policy analysis. Local and international health advocacy groups supported regulation development through capacity-building workshops. The National Tobacco Enterprise/Japan Tobacco International used standard industry arguments to weaken draft regulations, but government officials, supported by health advocacy messages promoting Ethiopia's World Health Organization FCTC obligations, rejected these arguments. Key barriers to implementation included industry interference, lack of funding and resources, monitoring and evaluation system issues, government system coordination issues, and a lack of organizational knowledge. Key facilitators included financial mechanisms and health advocacy support, and government and inter-governmental support, which contributed to increased monitoring, education efforts, and technical support. The tobacco industry remains the biggest barrier to FCTC implementation, continuing to advertise at the point-of-sale, fuel illicit tobacco trade, and push the sale of single-cigarette sticks near schools. Other barriers include a shortage of funding/resources, a lack of strict enforcement, and an absence of local regulations. Financial and technical support and leveraging the FCTC as a legal instrument can help uphold strong regulations. More efforts are needed to educate government authorities and establish local regulations to protect policy implementation. Previous studies have analyzed the adoption of World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC)-guided policies, but less is known about implementing these policies, especially in World Health Organization African Region. This study analyzed the key barriers and facilitators to developing and implementing FCTC-guided regulations in Ethiopia. Barriers include tobacco industry interference (youth advertising and fueling illicit tobacco), a shortage of funding/resources, and a lack of strict enforcement and local regulations. Financial and technical support and leveraging the FCTC as a legal instrument can help uphold strong regulations. Efforts are needed to educate government authorities and establish local regulations to protect policy implementation.

Aflatoxin contamination is a significant yet under-addressed food safety challenge in low-resource settings, driven by a complex interplay of environmental, agricultural, and socio-economic factors. Limited access to agricultural inputs, inadequate post-harvest handling and storage, and weak regulatory enforcement alongside food scarcity and climate change heighten the risk of contamination and exposure. Human exposure is associated with serious health consequences, including hepatocellular carcinoma, immune suppression, and childhood stunting. Although aflatoxin is increasingly recognized as a global food safety concern, little is known about community-level knowledge, risk perceptions, and preventive practices. This study examined household heads' awareness, perceptions, and behaviours related to aflatoxin exposure and mitigation in a rural coastal community in Kenya. We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a census approach within the Kaloleni-Rabai Health and Demographic Surveillance System (KRHDSS). Between July and December 2022, data were collected from 17,813 household heads through face-to-face, interviewer-administered, digitized questionnaires. Farming was the predominant occupation (n = 5,757; 32.3%). Maize was sourced primarily from household harvests and local markets, with over three-quarters (n = 13,818; 77.6%) of respondents consuming maize flour three or more times weekly. Despite maize being a dietary staple, awareness of aflatoxin was limited: only 49.5% (n = 8,816) had heard of aflatoxin. Even fewer (< 20%) respondents were able to identify foods at risk, signs of contamination, causes of fungal growth, or health consequences of exposure. Socio-economic status, rurality, education, and sex influenced aflatoxin-related knowledge, perceptions, and practices. Low awareness of aflatoxin constrains rural households' ability to prevent contamination and limit exposure. As aflatoxin risk arises at multiple points along the agricultural value chain, and vulnerability to exposure is heightened during periods of food scarcity, comprehensive control approaches are required. Effective prevention will depend on integrated strategies that combine educational initiatives, infrastructural support, and policy interventions targeting agricultural practices, food security, and consumer behaviour.

Pesticide residue and mycotoxin occurrence in apples and their impact on human health in Morocco.

Fluoroquinolone (FQ) antibiotics persist in the environment, posing risks to ecosystems and public health through antimicrobial resistance and bioaccumulation. Effective analytical methods are essential for monitoring these residues and enforcing regulations to limit antibiotic pollution. This study developed validated reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) approaches for the simultaneous detection of five FQs: norfloxacin (NFX), levofloxacin (LFX), enrofloxacin (ENR), ofloxacin (OFX), and ciprofloxacin (CFX). Two chromatographic methods were required due to structural similarities between LFX and OFX. Method I, using an Eclipse Plus phenyl hexyl column, produced retention times of 5.2 min for NFX, 5.7 min for LFX, and 7.9 min for ENR. Method II, utilizing a YMC C18 column, yielded retention times of 8.9 min for OFX and 10.7 min for CFX. Both methods demonstrated high selectivity, specificity, linearity (R2 > 0.998), and precision (relative standard deviation (RSD) < 2 %), with Photodiode Array (PDA)detection at 280 nm. Validation followed International Council for Harmonisation of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use (ICH) Q2R2 guidelines. Environmental samples from West Bengal, including water, soil, chicken muscle, and fish skin, were processed using solid-phase extraction. Residues of all five FQs were detected, ranging from 0.1 to 1.4 μg g-1. Ofloxacin and CFX were more frequently found in animal-derived samples, whereas NFX and ENR were predominant in water and soil. The validated RP-HPLC methods provide robust tools for monitoring FQ residues in diverse matrices. The widespread contamination observed highlights the urgent need for stronger surveillance, stricter regulatory enforcement, and comprehensive risk assessment to mitigate antimicrobial resistance and protect public health. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.

Species identification from highly degraded DNA remains a major challenge across ecology, conservation genetics, wildlife forensics, and museum science, where samples are often scarce, contaminated, and embedded in complex matrices. Under these conditions, standard reference-based and metagenomic classifiers are prone to false-positive assignments, particularly when ultra-fragmented DNA and conserved genomic regions are not explicitly accounted for. Here, we present a damage-aware next-generation sequencing (NGS) workflow for conservative species identification from minute quantities of highly degraded DNA, designed to minimize misclassification in low-input and damage-rich datasets. The workflow integrates micro-sampling, half-uracil-DNA-glycosylase (half-UDG) library preparation, PCR duplicate removal, multi-genome mapping against a curated reference panel, and a post-mapping read-ubiquity classifier that distinguishes species-specific reads from those shared across conserved loci. Using collagen-rich substrates as a proof-of-concept, we demonstrated accurate species attribution from samples as small as 1 mm2, including mixtures and mineral-containing matrices. The workflow reliably identifies dominant biological sources, reduces false-positive assignments driven by conserved genomic regions, and remains robust to common physical and chemical treatments such as swelling, heating, and plaster addition. Overall, this study provides a proof-of-concept framework for conservative species identification in challenging degraded DNA contexts. The workflow may be adaptable to a broader range of degraded DNA contexts-including wildlife monitoring, regulatory enforcement, forensic investigations, and the analysis of processed biological materials-although further validation across diverse matrices will be required.

Radiation protection instruments (RPIs), including survey meters and personal dosimeters, are critical for ensuring occupational safety in environments exposed to ionizing radiation. In Indonesia, the lack of a specific national standard for RPIs poses challenges in ensuring instrument reliability, accuracy, and compliance with international safety benchmarks. This study presents a structured comparative review of international standards, particularly IEC 60846-1 and IEC 61526, and evaluates the technical and regulatory readiness of Indonesia relative to benchmark countries such as Japan, South Korea, Serbia, the European Union (Germany, France), Sudan, India, and China. A systematic literature review using PRISMA methodology was conducted, identifying seven relevant sources that informed the development of a scoring-based readiness assessment model. The results reveal significant gaps in Indonesia’s certification, calibration infrastructure, and regulatory enforcement. The study not only identifies technical requirements such as energy dependence, dose measurement accuracy, and environmental tolerance but also introduces a practical compliance scoring framework. This tool serves as a policy instrument for guiding the development of Indonesian National Standards and supports national efforts in regulatory reform, industrial innovation, and safety enhancement. The findings further contribute to Indonesia’s alignment with global best practices and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3.9 and SDG 9.

To date, there is no established practice or unified approach to the issues of liability for errors made on the basis of machine learning algorithms. Typologically, the subject may be a physician or other medical workers, the head of a structural unit or medical institution, the developer of an artificial intelligence (AI) system, a robot or their components, as well as an information system operator and employees of a technical department. From the standpoint of risk taxonomy, the following can be distinguished: harm to life and health caused as a result of a diagnostic or prognostic error, a defect in the implementation or updating of a model, insufficient training or lack of qualifications when working with AI systems, compromise of an information system, violation of legally protected secrets, discrimination and unequal access to medical care, and others. This paper provides an overview of select AI solutions in the healthcare sector, relevant legal regulation, judicial and law enforcement practice in Russia and foreign countries, as well as the possible legal qualification of certain criminogenic situations.

Parallel importation (PI) is a TRIPS-recognized flexibility intended to improve access to medicines through price competition. In low- and middle-income countries, however, concerns persist regarding regulatory oversight, product quality, and patient safety. Empirical evidence on the real-world implementation of PI in Kenya remains limited. This study aimed to assess the regulatory compliance of selected parallel imported medicines marketed in Nairobi County, identify predictors of compliance, evaluate their market prevalence, and examine whether PI delivers the intended economic benefits for patients. Twenty-two medicines identified as parallel imports were evaluated against Kenyan regulatory requirements, including Pharmacy and Poisons Board (PPB) guidelines on labeling, packaging, patient information leaflets, storage conditions, and the Parallel Imported Medicinal Substances Rules (2019). A mystery-shopper survey covering 2348retail pharmaceutical outlets across all 85Nairobi wards estimated the prevalence of non-compliant PI products. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of compliance, and independent t-tests compared retail prices of PI products with those supplied through authorized channels. Regulatory non-compliance was widespread. Ninety percent of PI products failed to meet labeling and package insert requirements, primarily due to foreign-language packaging that precluded verification of critical safety information. Forty-five percent displayed storage instructions inconsistent with Kenya's ICH climatic Zone IV requirements, indicating supply chains not adapted to tropical conditions. Overall, 90% of products violated key provisions of the PPB PI Rules. Nearly all PI medicines were off-patent and already had multiple generic alternatives registered in Kenya, undermining the TRIPS-based public health rationale for PI. Unauthorized PI products were identified in approximately 90% of surveyed outlets. Price analysis showed significant differences in 53% of comparisons, but nearly half of PI products offered no economic advantage over authorized equivalents. Parallel importation of medicines in Nairobi is characterized by extensive regulatory non-compliance, limited or absent price benefits, and significant risks to medicine quality and patient safety. In its current implementation, PI in Kenya operates largely outside its intended TRIPS scope and fails to deliver meaningful public health value. Strengthened regulatory enforcement, climate-appropriate packaging, mandatory language compliance, and a reassessment of PI policy are urgently required to protect patients and preserve trust in the pharmaceutical system.

The hospitality industry is increasingly prioritising environmental sustainability alongside cost efficiency in response to global climate concerns and changing stakeholder expectations. This study examines environmental sustainability trends, key debates, and strategic pathways to advance sustainable practices in Ghana's hospitality industry. It synthesises global sustainability developments and critically assesses the relevance and application in Ghana’s hospitality industry. The study reviews major global sustainability practices in hospitality, including energy efficiency and renewable energy adoption, water conservation and management, waste minimisation and circular economy integration, sustainable sourcing, green building certification, and biodiversity conservation. It further explores how these practices are being adopted within Ghana, highlighting both progress and persistent implementation gaps. Key debates within the Ghanaian context are also analysed, including the disparity between customers’ willingness to pay for green services and their actual behaviour, varying levels of environmental awareness and its limited translation into sustainable actions, and the cultural specificity of sustainability frameworks. The study also examines regulatory and institutional weaknesses, cost implications of sustainability adoption, and growing concerns regarding greenwashing and trust in eco-marketing. The findings reveal that while sustainability practices are gradually emerging in Ghanaian hotels, their adoption remains uneven and constrained by financial, institutional, and socio-cultural factors. The study concludes that advancing environmental sustainability in Ghana’s hospitality industry requires a context-sensitive approach that integrates indigenous knowledge systems, strengthens regulatory enforcement, promotes green investment, and enhances stakeholder collaboration. It also emphasises the need for multi-stakeholder research partnerships to generate locally relevant, evidence-based sustainability strategies.

Online promotional practices and apparent violations from licensed cannabis retail stores in Canada.

ABSTRACT New industrial policy has (re-)gained legitimacy in scholarly debates recently, as a means to boost and direct development. This article argues that autocratic leaders may exploit this policy to strengthen their domestic and international power position. By combining international and comparative political economy perspectives, we analyse the main logic, instruments, and limits of the Hungarian government’s new industrial policy to promote the electric vehicle battery sector. The case study illustrates how the Orbán regime manipulated the institutional and regulatory setting and applied selective (non-)enforcement of regulations – theorised as autocratic forbearance – to create locational advantages for Asian battery firms.

From dust to disease: Neopterin as a marker of silicosis in ceramic industry workers.

To investigate the factors driving antibiotic supply in community pharmacies in Timor-Leste. Sixteen face-to-face semi-structured interviews with community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Dili, Timor-Leste, were analyzed using the socioecological theoretical model. Non-prescription antibiotic supply was a common practice. Supply of broad-spectrum antibiotics for diarrhea, sore throat, malaria symptoms, and wound infections was deemed concerning for antibiotic resistance. Limited understanding of appropriate antibiotic use, clients' requests or showing of empty pill packaging for antibiotics, poor health literacy, poverty, and weak regulatory enforcement influenced antibiotic supply in the community pharmacies. Individual, community, and policy-level factors drive antibiotic supply in community pharmacy in Timor-Leste.

Tiered manufacturing, the practice of adapting different levels of pharmaceutical production standards to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) versus high-income countries, has not been investigated as a commercial determinant of health (CDoH), defined by the World Health Organization as a private sector activity affecting public health. This paper examines this practice and its implications for medicine quality, universal health coverage, and global health equity. Guided by the CDoH framework, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 31 mostly India-based experts in pharmaceutical development, manufacturing, procurement, and regulation between May and July 2025. Purposive sampling ensured variation in geography, organizational type, and role. Transcripts were coded deductively using CDoH domains and inductively for emergent themes. Respondents consistently described “tiered manufacturing” — using different production standards by market. Medicines for countries regulated by Stringent Regulatory Authorities (SRA) (now called WHO Listed Authorities (WLA)) adhere to international good manufacturing practices (GMP) through rigorous documentation, stability testing, impurity profiling, and advanced infrastructure. In contrast, products supplied to LMICs are often produced with uncertain GMP compliance, cheaper raw materials, weaker documentation, and less stringent oversight, leading to variable quality and shortened shelf life. Commercial drivers were key determinants. Proposed solutions include improved mechanisms to verify versions of products being received, reliance on WHO prequalification or WLA approvals, procurement conditionality and strengthened local regulatory and manufacturing capacity. Tiered manufacturing was widely perceived as a common practice among respondents. Recognition of this practice as a CDoH is essential to strengthen regulatory reliance and enforcement, procurement leverage, and sustainable capacity-building, ensuring quality medicines for all globally.

Determinants of antimicrobial resistance practices in Ethiopia: A One Health mixed-methods study