Structuring Research Articles

Prominent Increase in Air Temperatures on Two Small Mediterranean Islands, Lastovo and Lošinj, Since 1998 and Its Effect on the Frequency of Extreme Droughts

The article analyzes the development of air temperatures and precipitation on two remote islands in the Adriatic Sea from 1961 to 2023, examining annual and monthly time scales. Lastovo Island is located in the southern Adriatic, and Lošinj Island is situated 277 km north, and both exhibit a sharp rise in air temperatures since 1998, though precipitation series show no significant trends of an increase or decrease. Using the New Drought Index (NDI) method, this study calculated drought intensities for the period 1961–2023. The analyses conducted in this study undoubtedly indicate a rising frequency and intensity of droughts, with severe droughts doubling and extreme droughts increasing fourfold in the recent period (1998–2023) compared to the previous one (1961–1997). The most pronounced increase in severe and extreme droughts occurs specifically from June to August. This trend is likely applicable to many small Mediterranean Islands, which number over 10,000 and have a permanent population of more than 1.6 million people, with numbers significantly rising during the tourist season. The increased water demand for agriculture and daily use, combined with increased drought risk, not only exacerbates the potential for forest fires but also threatens social structures and ecological conditions. This is particularly critical as the combination of drier conditions and increased fire risk poses a significant challenge, endangering natural landscapes and valuable historical sites that are integral to the islands’ identity and heritage. This study’s findings indicate a dangerous trend likely to persist and worsen with continued increases in air temperatures in the Mediterranean region.

Research on Employment Discrimination Against Suburban Rural Youth in the Process of Urbanization: A Case Study of Hebei Province

With the acceleration of urbanization, the employment issues of suburban rural youth have become increasingly prominent. This study, using Hebei Province as an example, explores the discrimination faced by suburban rural youth in the employment process within the urbanization context through a questionnaire survey and empirical analysis. The study finds that suburban rural youth generally face discrimination in terms of education, household registration, and social relations during their job search, which not only affects their employment quality but also hinders rural economic development. The study further analyzes the main factors contributing to employment discrimination and proposes countermeasures at the levels of government, enterprises, social organizations, and the rural youth themselves, aiming to provide theoretical references for policymakers and related organizations.

Main channels and consequences of the influence of war on educational inequality in society

A new, difficult and tragic research page is opening in domestic sociology – a detailed study of the effects of the Russian-Ukrainian war on all spheres of life of Ukrainian society, its social structure, institutional transformations, economic capabilities, political organization, as well as the daily life of citizens. An integral component of both the institutional structure of society and the everyday life of citizens is the sphere of education with its inherent and constantly reproduced educational inequality. A large-scale war has the potential to quickly and for a long period of time disrupt social order and change established patterns of social inequality in society, particularly in education, unevenly distributing stratified negative effects. With the beginning of large-scale hostilities, the educational infrastructure of Ukraine has suffered almost the greatest destruction since the Second World War. Schools and preschool education institutions have suffered the greatest damage and destruction. A large number of families with their children have been forced to move internally or externally, thus temporarily interrupting the opportunities for children’s education. The article summarizes the results of research in various countries that have experienced short or long-term periods of international or civil wars, which made it possible to identify the main channels of the war’s impact on educational inequality and the corresponding short- and long-term effects of the war. Seven main direct and indirect channels of the war’s impact on educational inequality have been identified, including the destruction of educational infrastructure; lack of teachers due to internal and external displacement, recruitment into the army or death; reduction of state expenditures on education; movement of a large number of adults and children; redistribution of power and wealth in society; the growth of poverty, the reassessment and change of priorities regarding education within the family; deterioration of children’s physical and mental health, malnutrition, stress, trauma, feeling of insecurity. Short- and longterm effects on the educational achievements of children are formed through channels of influence, which take the form of stratified educational losses, a decrease in family expenditures on education, as well as losses in the future lifetime income of individuals.

Resistance to Oppression in Informal Work

Abstract This article takes the study of informal work and resistance to oppression in a new direction. The literature assumes that subaltern resistance is either collective, open, and occasional; or individual, covert, and habitual. The author argues that the reality is a complex mix of these responses, shaped by social power structures and legal frameworks. Based on ethnographic fieldwork with paid domestic workers in Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, the author demonstrates that worker resistance is principally individual and multifaceted, including overt and covert, as well as habitual and occasional strategies. In all cases, entrenched racist and patriarchal structures and behaviors as well as the making and implementing of labor law shape social understandings of the nature of remunerated domestic labor and choices of resistance strategies. In this context, collective rights claiming remains challenging.

The Sociality of Form: Camillo Sitte's Urban Morphologies

AbstractThis article examines a text by a lesser‐known figure of fin‐de‐siècle Vienna, Camillo Sitte's Der Städtebau nach seinen künstlerischen Grundsätzen (1889), tracing the relationship between urban form and social structure in Sitte's treatise. It identifies the key points of this relationship in terms of causality: the form of public spaces can determine the form of social life; surrogacy: the throngs of the places’ inanimate inhabitants, the statues and monuments, are placeholders for the missing human gatherings; and finally displacement: the thick sociality of community life is transferred onto a heightened relationality with urban forms. Sitte's text sublimates the social; it diffuses abstract social structures—density, relationality, connection—onto the spatial morphologies of the city. Ultimately, this diffusion results in a capacious yet weakened model of sociality.

Do Gender Norms Relax with Displacement?

Conflict-induced displacement is associated with loss of human and physical capital as well as psychological trauma. Households and social structures that produce and reproduce gender norms are disrupted. This paper investigates the extent to which gender norms relax in situations of displacement using predetermined indicators in the Colombia Demographic and Health Survey. Results of a two-step estimation involving kernel-based propensity score matching and multilevel linear regression models show that gender norms condoning violence against women relaxed with displacement, while those that limit women’s economic opportunities became more rigid. Findings also reveal a misalignment between attitudes and behaviors in specific domains of gender norms. Displaced women expressed lower support for patriarchy than non-displaced women, but they had less ability to make independent decisions over the use of contraceptives and over their own earnings. This implies that attitudes and behaviors do not always shift together, and, in displacement settings, do not always progress towards greater gender equality.

Using normalisation process theory (NPT) to explore implementation of the maternal perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR) policy in Uganda: a reflection

BackgroundThe implementation of the maternal perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR) policy is among the envisaged strategies to reduce the high global burden of maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. However, implementation of this policy across various contexts is inconsistent. Theoretically informed approaches to process evaluation can support assessment the implementation of policy interventions such as MPDSR, particularly in understanding what the actors involved actually do. In this article, we reflect on how the normalisation process theory (NPT) was used to explore implementation of the MPDSR policy in Uganda. NPT is a sociological theory concerned with the social organisation of the work (implementation) of making practices routine elements of everyday life (embedding) and of sustaining embedded practices in their social contexts (integration).MethodsThis qualitative multiple case study conducted across eight districts in Uganda and among 10 health facilities (cases) representing four out of the seven levels of the Uganda health care system. NPT was utilised in several ways including informing the study design, structuring the data collection tools (semi-structured interview guides), providing an organising framework for analysis, interpreting and reporting of study findings as well as making recommendations. Study participants were purposely selected to reflect the range of actors involved in the policy implementation process. This included direct care providers located at each of the cases, the Ministry of Health and from agencies and professional associations. Data were collected using semi-structured, in-depth interviews and were inductively and deductively analysed using NPT constructs and subconstructs.Results and conclusionNPT served useful for process evaluation, particularly in identifying factors that contribute to variations in policy implementation. Considering the NPT focus on the agency of people involved in implementation, additional efforts are required to understand how recipients of the policy intervention influence how the intervention becomes embedded within the various contexts.

Resilience in the Population of Cusco in Times of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted the world, leading to millions of infections, deaths, and crises. In Cusco, Peru, this complexity has altered social structures and interpersonal relationships. This study aimed to explore human adaptation strategies developed during the pandemic in Cusco. A non-probabilistic sample of 40 adults from the province's eight districts was interviewed using phenomenological and ethnomethodological methods. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and analyzed using Atlas Ti software. Results indicate that the pandemic has changed personal and social characteristics, reflected in altered moods, worries, and priorities. Participants reported increased awareness of their vulnerability, heightened solidarity with others, and shifting family roles that necessitated new forms of coexistence, often with distorted responsibilities. Interpersonal communication became limited, relying heavily on technology, and there was a rise in individual responses, including the use of natural and chemical remedies. Overall, the study concludes that Cusco's inhabitants have developed various adaptation strategies to confront the pandemic, significantly impacting their personal lives and social contexts.

Analisis Biaya Lingkungan pada Rumah Sakit Islam Gorontalo

Gorontalo Islamic Hospital is a type D general hospital located at Jalan KH. Agus Salim (HB Jassin) No. 457, Liluwo, Kota Tengah, Gorontalo. Established on November 7, 2013, the hospital operates under the auspices of a social organization in Gorontalo. This study aims to determine the environmental costs at Gorontalo Islamic Hospital and to determine whether waste management is in accordance with procedures and safe for the environment. This type of research is qualitative research with descriptive method. Based on the research conducted, it is concluded that the Gorontalo Islamic Hospital can manage the waste generated from the hospital properly and correctly, help reduce the negative impact of the waste, and help reduce the impact on the surrounding environment, this research also helps to calculate the expenditure of the environmental cost budget at the Gorontalo Islamic Hospital, and helps that researchers can make this research a reference.

Belief Formation: A Cultural Evolutionary Lens

This paper investigates changes in belief and their evolution in relation to the paradigm of cultural evolution. It underlines the interaction of the environmental factor with the social dynamic. The model proposed herein is extremely widespread and involves the creation, maintenance, and diffusion of beliefs that afford a perspective on how such processes influence individual and collective psychological constructs. By synthesizing theories in the fields of biology, anthropology, and psychology, this research will argue that cultural evolution is one key mechanism able to explain both diversity and variability in human belief. The examination suggests that beliefs cannot be cast solely as some sort of passive variant of personal cognition; instead, they are actively generated by cultural dynamics and social learning techniques such as imitation and instruction. It is a book that places more emphasis on the role of political ideology in accepting scientific evidence and shows how directed reasoning leads to the perpetuation of noxious beliefs. It then investigates transfer biases supporting the reproduction of cultural traits across successive generations, hence affecting social structure and any effort of cooperation. This may lead to a nuanced grasp of how beliefs can be advantageous or disastrous, considering the prevailing social structures and ecology within which they live. Based on the wealth of research regarding under what circumstances beliefs arise and spread, this paper examines from a critical perspective psychological processes of belief systems and what they might portend for human behavior and social organization.

The Projection Of The State Of Ceará On The International Stage Through FIEC In The Production And Exportation Of Green Hydrogen And Its Impact On Socioeconomic Development In Ceará

Background: The beginning of the 21st century presents the international community with a tumultuous global environment characterized by instability and uncertainty. Global warming and the decarbonization of the economy are among the challenges that many countries have prioritized by increasing renewable energy sources in their energy matrices. Strengthening international relations, Ceará, due to its geographical location and favorable natural conditions of sun and wind, emerges as a promising player to contribute to global energy demands through hydrogen production and exportation. Materials and Methods: This research focuses on examining the initiatives led by the Federation of Industries of the State of Ceará (FIEC) in the production and exportation of green hydrogen, aiming to understand their potential impact on the state’s position in the international arena and the associated benefits. Results: The research evaluates the socioeconomic effects of these initiatives on Ceará, revealing that the ongoing actions have the potential to strengthen the state’s economic and social structures. These improvements could contribute to a more equitable, sustainable, and inclusive society. Conclusion: The initiatives related to green hydrogen production and exportation under FIEC's leadership promise not only to support national energy security but also to elevate the quality of life for the people of Ceará, enhance the educational system, and secure the state’s role in the global energy transition

Review of E. Milka, Mortuary differentiation and social structure in the Middle Helladic Argolid, 2000–1500 B.C., Oxford: Archaeopress 2023

Review of E. Milka, Mortuary differentiation and social structure in the Middle Helladic Argolid, 2000–1500 B.C., Oxford: Archaeopress 2023

A first vocal repertoire characterization of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) in the Mediterranean Sea: a machine learning approach.

The acoustic repertoires of long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas) in the Mediterranean Sea are poorly understood. This study aims to create a catalogue of calls, analyse acoustic parameters, and propose a classification tree for future research. An acoustic database was compiled using recordings from the Alboran Sea, Gulf of Lion and Ligurian Sea (Western Mediterranean Basin) between 2008 and 2022, totalling 640 calls. Using a deep neural network, the calls were clustered based on frequency contour similarities, leading to the identification of 40 distinct call types defining the local population's vocal repertoire. These categories encompass pulsed calls with varied complexities, from simplistic to highly intricate structures comprising multiple elements and segments. This study marks the initial documentation of the vocal catalogue of long-finned pilot whales in the Mediterranean Sea. Subsequent research should delve deeper into this multifaceted communication system and explore its potential linkages with social structures.

Medical Misinformation and Quality of Public Video Content on Cannabis for Chronic Pain Management: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of the YouTube Platform.

As cannabis legalization expands nationally and globally, its use for chronic pain increases, prompting people to seek information on social media platforms like YouTube. This study evaluates the accuracy and quality of information of popular YouTube videos on cannabis for chronic pain. Using search terms related to cannabis for pain, the top 66 videos by view count were selected. Each video was classified as useful, misleading, or neither. The quality and reliability of each video were assessed using the modified DISCERN, mDISCERN, score and the Global Quality Scale, GQS. The video characteristics, usefulness classification, mDISCERN scores, and GQS scores were summarized. Continuous and categorical outcomes were compared using t-test and chi-square, respectively. Of the 66 videos, 22.73% (n=15) were classified as useful, and 77.27% (n=51) were classified as neither. Of useful videos, 40.00% (n=6) were uploaded by physicians, 40.00% (n=6) were uploaded by corporations, and 6.67% (n=1) were uploaded by an independent user. Of videos classified as neither useful nor misleading, news sources uploaded 27.45% (n=14) of these videos (P=0.02). Physicians uploaded 37.50% (n = 18) of videos with a GQS score ≥3 (P=0.04), while independent users uploaded significantly more videos with a mDISCERN score <3 (22.20%, P=0.02). Useful videos had a mean GQS of 4.00 ± 0.65 compared to a mean GQS of 2.76 ± 0.86 for videos deemed neither (P<0.0001). This study suggests a moderate quality of YouTube content on cannabis use for chronic pain. Given cannabis's growing popularity and potential for misinformation on popular social media platforms, healthcare professionals and organizations should consider uploading educational videos on this topic on YouTube.

Climate change, climate disasters and oncology care: a descriptive global survey of oncology healthcare professionals.

Climate disasters and climate change have implications for healthcare globally. As the number and intensity of climate disasters increase, it is important to understand the effects on healthcare. We conducted a global survey of oncology healthcare providers to identify awareness, experiences, and educational needs related to climate change. An existing climate and health survey was adapted to oncology. This IRB- approved, 30-item survey measured demographics, climate disaster awareness, effects on cancer care and educational needs. Healthcare professionals employed in oncology settings (practice, research, or academic) were eligible. The survey was disseminated via social media and professional organizations. Descriptive statistics were computed using SPSS. 154 responses from 26 countries were received from nurses (56%), physicians (19%), and other healthcare professionals (25%). Common climate change-related events impacting oncology care were extreme heat (63.8%) and heavy rains (52.2%). Respondents reported their workplace has a disaster plan for climate-related weather events (50.4%) or has taken steps to prepare for a climate-related weather event (48.5%). Respondents were aware that the planet has warmed significantly (98.7%), that healthcare contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (98.6%) and reported wanting to learn more about how climate change affects cancer care (88.3%). Preferred educational modalities include webinars (69%), e-learning (55%), journal articles (48.3%), conferences (46.3%) and podcasts (38.9%). This global survey is the first to identify the awareness, experiences, and educational needs of oncology healthcare professionals related to climate change and climate disasters. Healthcare providers are positioned to take leadership roles related to climate and health.

Exploring the sustainable future of social sports organizations: A comparative study of governance models in China, Japan, and South Korea

Exploring the sustainable future of social sports organizations: A comparative study of governance models in China, Japan, and South Korea

The case for geography in nursing practice.

The discipline of geography is an increasingly necessary lens required to understand population-level diseases. Syndemics, or co-occurring diseases or epidemics within a specific population, are contextualized by place-preexisting social, economic, and political structures. Nurse practitioners are well-positioned to critically assess the impact of geography on patient health and well-being. This perspective provides a brief summary of syndemic crises, with a case example in the West Virginia coalfields. The position of this paper is one that supports geography, in addition to social determinants of health, as a framework for syndemics. A geographic perspective provides a more comprehensive picture of marginalized populations and regions facing the phenomenon. Given the significance of holistic nursing, attention to the role of geography in syndemics provides an increased dimension of care and treatment.

On the impact of zealots in a population of susceptible agents in a best-of-n problem within a heterogeneous network

Both humans and social animals live in groups and are frequently forced to choose between options with different qualities. When there are no leader agents controlling the group decision, consensus can be achieved through repeated interactions among group members. Various studies on collective decision-making illustrate how the dynamics of the opinions are determined by the structure of the social network and the methods that individuals use to share and update their opinion upon a social interaction. In this paper, we are interested in further exploring how cognitive, social, and environmental factors interactively contribute to determining the outcome of a collective best-of-n decision process involving asymmetric options, i.e., different costs and/or benefits for each option. We propose and study a novel model capturing those different factors, i) the cognitive load in processing social information, ii) the number of zealots (i.e., asocial agents who never change their opinion), iii) the option qualities, iv) the social connectivity structure, and v) the degree centrality of the asocial agents (i.e., the number of neighbours). By using the heterogeneous mean-field approach, we study the impact of the above-mentioned factors in the decision dynamics. Our findings indicate that when susceptible agents, i.e., individuals who change their opinion to conform with others, use the voter model as a mechanism to update their opinion, both the number and the degree of connectivity of the zealots can lead the population to converge towards the lowest quality option. Instead, when susceptible agents use methods demanding a larger cognitive cost (e.g., the majority rule), the group is marginally impacted by the presence of zealots. The results of the analytical model are complemented and extended by agent-based simulations. Our analysis also shows that the network topology can modulate the influence of zealots on group dynamics. In fact, in homogeneous networks where all nodes have the same degree, any location of the zealots has similar impact on the group dynamics. Instead, when the network is heterogeneous, our simulations confirm the model predictions showing that placing the zealots in the network hubs (nodes with several neighbours) has a much larger impact than placing them in lower-degree nodes.

Put at and kept from risk: The sexual risk dilemmas confronting marginalized youth.

The current study examines Bay-Cheng and Ginn's (2024) claim that marginalized youth confront two intertwined sexual risk dilemmas: being put at risk by unjust social forces and structures that threaten their sexual health and safety; and being kept from risk by those same forces and structures, thus compromising their development and dignity. We explored the presence and relevance of these dilemmas using interviews conducted in 2022 with 101 racialized and/or queer (i.e., a sexuality other than exclusively heterosexual) young women and trans or nonbinary youth aged 16-21 and living in Melbourne (Australia), New York City (United States), and Toronto (Canada). We conducted a directed content analysis of the data and examined intersectional group-based comparisons of code frequencies. We found that 80% of participants felt endangered (i.e., put at risk) and/or obstructed (i.e., kept from risk) by social and material conditions. Over half felt put at risk through exposure to hostility and harm, and over one-third of participants described precarious life circumstances as keeping them from taking wanted sexual risks. Group-based and intersectional comparisons indicated that feeling put at risk is associated with marginalized gender and sexuality identities and corresponding discrimination. We also found tentative signs that feeling kept from risk may be more closely linked to race and racism than marginalization by gender and/or sexuality. The findings highlight the diverse implications of interlocked social injustices for youths' sexual lives, particularly the infringement on their rights both to safety and to risk.

Source localization in signed networks based on dynamic message passing algorithm

Sign characteristics of social networks play a crucial role in the process of information dissemination, and structural balance theory is a significant property of signed networks. Despite some progress in source localization, the sign features of network structures are widely overlooked. Furthermore, the impact of structural balance on tracing remains unclear. In this paper, we explore a model of information propagation in signed networks and investigate source localization in the context of a given network state snapshot. We first propose a modified signed susceptibility-infection-recovery (S-SIR) propagation model, combining the positive/negative transmission rates based on structural balance theory, which is designed to better approximate the real-world social network structure. Next, a signed dynamic message passing algorithm (S-DMP) is proposed for source localization. Simulation experiments show that the S-DMP algorithm can fully utilize both the positive and negative attributes of the edges in the signed network and outperforms other methods in terms of source localization accuracy. These experiments prove that the proposed method can be used for source localization in the early stage of information transmission. Furthermore, we find that the accuracy of source localization is highest when there is a balance between the number of positive and negative edges.