ABSTRACT Robert Slaney was primarily responsible for establishing legislation in the UK that authorized tax monies to be used to fund urban public parks. There was little political interest in urban parks per se, so Slaney ‘positioned’ them as contributors to mitigating three societal problems that were government priorities: public health, societal unrest and rising costs of the poor rate. Securing urban park-enabling legislation was a radical idea and of little interest to most MPs, so building the constituency for it in Parliament could only be accomplished incrementally in small steps. These steps comprised a series of Parliamentary Committees that produced attention-grabbing reports commencing in 1833, resulting in limited initial enabling legislation being incorporated in the 1848 Public Health Act and, subsequently, the desired unequivocal authority which was embedded in the 1875 Public Health Act. Lessons from Slaney’s strategies for those engaged in park advocacy in contemporary societies are discussed.

This article argues that Public Anthropology is the only major possible approach for Indian anthropology to reimprint its relevance in society and academia. To support this, we draw on historical and empirical studies, both from India and abroad, to show how the discipline of anthropology can serve as a troubleshooter for societal problems. The roles and opportunities for anthropologists are critically discussed, alongside a deeper analysis of teaching and training in Indian anthropology departments. Reorientation and relook approaches are suggested to disseminate anthropological insights for public benefit. This article suggests that engaging in public discourse and activism, along with the ability to reflect, understand, analyze, and communicate research outcomes to the general public in layman’s terms, is the only viable path for Indian anthropology to revive its glory and ensure its survival.

Public knowledge and action competencies regarding child maltreatment and child protection in Germany: Results from a representative national survey.

ABSTRACT In societal security, cross-sector cooperation is commonly described as a temporary response to extraordinary circumstances, where each organisation acts within its sector to address a shared, sector-spanning problem. However, many critical infrastructures and societal functions are sustained by permanent cooperation under ordinary circumstances, and organisations frequently operate beyond their sector boundaries. Yet, there are no analytic frameworks that address this variety in modes of cooperation. This perpetuates a limited scope, present in both practical coordination of and research on societal security. This article’s main objective is to develop an analytic framework that contributes to a better understanding of the diversity in interorganisational cross-sector cooperation in a societal security context. The framework draws on systems theory and interorganisational relationship studies, applying the “boundary” concept to highlight distinguishing features of various modes of cooperation. The features are explored in relation to the societal security problem, the interorganisational activity and the societal security system-of-systems. The framework’s applicability is tested in two cases of interorganisational cooperation in the geopolitically significant Svalbard archipelago. We identify three dimensions that distinguish between modes of cooperation: the extraordinariness of the problem, the duration of cooperation, and whether the contribution is within or outside the actors’ sector.

To find agreement, conversation partners might focus solely on aligning their distinct perspectives. Alternatively, agreement might require partners to explore, by considering different, new perspectives. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) hyperscanning and natural language processing, we tested whether dyadic alignment or exploration during decision-making conversations was a more effective route to agreement. Dyads (N = 60 dyads; 120 people) discussed pressing societal problems after being instructed to either persuade or compromise with their partner, strategies associated with attenuated and amplified exploration, respectively. Analysis uncovered four key results: First, individuals instructed to compromise rather than persuade tended to agree more at the end of the conversation. Second, fMRI hyperscanning and linguistic analyses revealed that encouraging compromise resulted in increased exploration during conversations; dyads given compromise instructions traversed more diverse mental states and topics. Third, heightened exploration was linked to greater agreement at the end of the conversation. Fourth, the effect of the compromise instructions on agreement was mediated by the degree of exploration. Together, these results suggest that finding agreement may be spurred by exploration, something that happens spontaneously when people are motivated to compromise. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) became one of the most important global societal health problems today, which causes about 74 per cent of all the deaths in the world (and disproportionately affects low- and middle-income nations) where health care and financial protection systems are frequently insufficient. Despite the growing recognition of gender as one of the critical factors affecting health outcomes, the combination of gender inequality in the prevalence of NCDs and the economic impact thereof remains a poorly researched field, specifically in South Asian settings. The present study examined the healthcare disparities between men and women regarding the prevalence of NCDs and out-of-pocket (OOP) health spending based on nationally representative data of the Nepal Living Standards Survey 202223 on seven provinces, which sampled 28,456 participants aged 15 years and above. The determinants of NCD prevalence and catastrophic health expenditure were investigated using descriptive statistics, Pearson Chi-square tests with Scott Rao correction of complex survey design, and binary logistic regression models. Findings showed that the female prevalence of NCDs (21.0) was substantially higher than the male prevalence (16.0), with a statistically significant gender gap of five percentage points (p) significant in all provinces. Patterns by disease showed that the poorest women (22.8 -percent) were more vulnerable to gastrointestinal diseases and the richest men (31.3 -percent) had the highest rates of hypertension. The mean OOP expenditure on NCDs stood at NRs 32,416 annually with significant provincial variations between NRs 20635 in Karnali and NRs 37794 in Bagmati. Treatment of NCD among poor households was mainly funded by loans (28.9 %) and subsidies, unlike the self-savings (86.5%) of the non-poor households. Logistic regression validated female gender (OR = 1.42), older age, urban could make a significant predictor of NCD prevalence, and poverty status (OR = 2.74) and provincial location were significant predictors of catastrophic OOP expenditure. The results can be used by health policymakers, international development agencies, and researchers in the field of health to formulate gender sensitive NCD prevention initiatives, increase health insurance among vulnerable groups and to create special financial safeguards among poor women with chronic disease.

Nature based solutions (Nbs) are efficient, nature powered ways that can protect and help manage regional ecosystems like green corridors, mangroves to solve societal problems. By amplifying nature’s own defences, they help address the current climate change, like flash floods, unbearable heat, water scarcity, Damage to biodiversity, and local livability issues. Usually artificial means are used to manage these issues which often proves to be expensive whenever there is an occurrence of natural disaster commonly in human settlements that are prone to be affected by them instead Nbs delivers where it matters the most they capture excess carbon, cool overheated places, filters polluted air and water, acts as a shield against disasters, helps revive wildlife habitats, generate green jobs, bolster food and water security, and uplift community health and well-being. This is rooted in indigenous wisdom which are equitable long-term resilience turning into thriving life source for the people and the planet. In Our fast-growing Nation Nbs would spark a positive change that would be beneficial to locals living in the cities and be sustainable if used in more cities. This study reviews recent advances through policies, real-world successes, and practical models. Results show NbS can achieve up to 37% of India's emission cuts while fuelling jobs by Government supported schemes. These actions sync perfectly with climate commitments taken by the nation and global biodiversity goals, driving adequate sustainability. Cities like Kochi, Bhubaneswar, Chennai, and Bengaluru benefit enormously. These Regions battle heat islands, devastating floods, and water stress on already low budget. NbS actions are proven In Kochi, community planting and urban forests (via WRI-supported projects) have reduced flood risks, reduced temperatures in the neighbourhoods, prevented erosion, and created well-meaning jobs for low-income groups. Bengaluru’s green space efforts and Chennai’s wetland revival have mitigated wetland loss. But challenges like understudied policies, inadequate funding in research and lack of general awareness remain while they can be done away with reforms at larger scale with implantation of Nbs nationwide.

Abstract Research on the decolonisation of the higher education sector in South Africa continues to mount, though what remains underexplored is an evaluation of the efforts made towards establishing a decolonised university in its triple functions: teaching-learning, research and community engagement. Using literature from the public domain and document analysis, the qualitative study employs the South African context to analyse the efforts done so far to decolonise the three core functions of the university, so as to understand how the country has aligned to the decolonisation call. Deploying the decolonial lens, findings demonstrate that although universities in South Africa have remarkably engaged in the decolonisation of teaching, learning and research, they have overlooked the third core mandate—community engagement, which is still heavily girded by Western thinking and practice. Decolonising only the two core functions of the university, overlooking the third mission, makes the decolonisation agenda incomplete. The review underscores the need to seriously consider the decolonisation of community engagement whose mandate is to enhance social transformation and address societal problems. Beyond South Africa, the study provides valuable lessons to other countries in comparable contexts, given that very few universities in postcolonial contexts are immune to colonial legacies.

The 21st century has immensely shaped the face and art of governance with the rise of globalisation, technological innovations and rising public expectations. With this in mind, research methods, designs, and approaches have emerged as foundational pillars for advancing modern public Administration for practice and scientific research. Modern Public Administration faces countless challenges and problems ranging from policy misalignments, service delivery failures, lack of citizen participation and engagement, and many other issues requiring systematic and analytical approaches. Thus, these research methods, designs, and approaches serve as a backbone for understanding and resolving societal problems in a manner that allows public administrators to make evidence-based decisions. This study employed a qualitative approach relying on secondary data and thematic content analysis of relevant scholarly literature and documents. This analysis revealed that well-applied research methods and designs enable public administrators to trace and resolve public policy and other public administration problems. The study found that research methods extend beyond academic research and that these methods are practical solutions for the existing governance challenges. The study concluded that Afrocentric approaches and methods are central to resolving African governance problems and Public Administration shortfalls.

• Open Access (OA) significantly broadens the interdisciplinary citation scope across topics, subfields, fields, and domains. • Journal Transitions to Fully OA causally enhance interdisciplinary knowledge diffusion. • OA increases article visibility via social and public media platforms, facilitating indirect pathways for interdisciplinary impact. Interdisciplinary knowledge diffusion is critical for addressing complex scientific and societal problems, yet rigid disciplinary boundaries often constrain citation flows across fields. Open Access (OA) has been advocated as a mechanism to improve research visibility and accessibility, but its effect on interdisciplinary citation remains insufficiently examined. This study evaluates the impact of OA on the breadth of interdisciplinary knowledge dissemination. Exploiting a quasi-natural experiment stemming from journal transitions to fully OA in the field of agronomy (2000–2024), we analyze over 57,000 articles and 1.5 million citing records using a multilayer disciplinary classification system. Employing negative binomial regressions and difference-in-differences estimations, we find that OA significantly broadens the disciplinary scope of citations at the topic, subfield, field, and domain levels. Mechanism analysis indicates that OA enhances dissemination via social media and public platforms, facilitating greater knowledge spillovers. These results emphasize OA’s institutional function in advancing both research accessibility and interdisciplinary knowledge convergence.

Beginning in the twentieth century, theoretical and practical advances in computer technology, communications, and cartography have led to new paradigms in mapping. For the design of the Expert-Topographic Map Service in Mexico, we adopted a theoretical cybercartography framework that we expanded to incorporate expert systems. Another line of research is to include other artificial intelligence resources. Using a transdisciplinary approach, we were able to focus our efforts on the interconnection between knowledge and geotechnology to offer solutions to complex societal problems. This paper explores the theoretical pillars that support the design of an Expert-Topographic Map Service, including cybercartography, knowledge-based systems, and surface mathematical modeling. This is the first study to apply cybercartography to topographic mapping. As shown, we used the Triangular Irregular Network Model to transform a map that in the digital era was conceived solely as an information system into a container of knowledge through the abstract representation of features such as relief. We were thereby able to bridge digital topographic maps with other knowledge-based models, such as expert systems. Given the societal demand and empirical context for this research, topographic maps and services are still at the core of cartographic initiatives in the twenty-first century.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly shifted the global priorities toward personal wellness, catalyzing the rapid growth of wellness tourism. Despite the growing significance of nature-based wellness, the specific relationship between marine tourism and life satisfaction remains under-researched in tourism studies. To bridge this research gap, the present paper investigates the link between marine tourism and life satisfaction by reviewing the literature published between 2020 and 2025, particularly after the COVID-19 pandemic. This research found that the marine environment helps in reducing stress levels, which improves the psychological and cognitive well-being of individuals. The findings of this study revealed that the marine environment helps in reducing stress levels, which improves the psychological and cognitive well-being of individuals. The study also revealed that surfing and diving, which are aspects of marine tourism, enhance physical and social well-being, which are significant predictors of long-term life satisfaction. The study revealed that marine tourism acts as a significant therapeutic tool in addressing societal problems, such as burnout and mental health disorders. Consequently, this research emphasizes the importance of integrating maritime resources into wellness frameworks to improve the general quality of life.

Introduction: Despite centuries of attempts to clearly define what human happiness is and how to achieve it, no one has completely succeeded in defining happiness or showing the only one way to achieve it. But still, the pursuit of happiness as an unalienable right of human beings who have been striving for it for eons remains a relevant topic for everyone, including psychologists, psychiatrists, and mental health specialists. Nowadays, great importance is placed on the positive aspects of mental health, active functioning in the world, and overall well-being. Purpose: Integrating psychological and philosophical perspectives, this paper aims to explore the phenomenon of happiness as a core component of mental health and well-being. Methodology: The authors conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar, using search terms: happiness; subjective well-being; experience of happiness; mental health; psychological well-being; eudaimonia; resilience; quality of life; traumatic experience; cultural trauma; sociocultural factors; culture. The authors used phenomenological philosophical, hermeneutic and inductive approaches, as well as the interpretive research paradigm. Results: The attention of contemporary researchers is focused on the place and role of happiness in mental health and well-being. Though ideas on happiness present a whole range of options, two main directions can still be identified, namely, eudaemonism and hedonism, in which happiness has been used to describe both momentary assessments of affect and life evaluations. Contemporary researchers have developed several approaches to well-being mainly emphasizing its eudaimonic character. Conclusion: The dramatic shift in approaches to mental health and well-being with an emphasis on positivity has expanded understanding of factors and conditions that promote or undermine our mental health and well-being. Such an understanding should lead to the creation of conditions for individual flourishing, social prosperity and overall well-being offering innovative solutions to complex individual, organizational, and societal problems

Abstract The intersection of transdisciplinarity and AI ethics is increasingly urgent, yet their shared epistemic and normative foundations remain underexplored. This paper argues that both fields are rooted in a neglected dimension of knowledge: the lifeworld—not as a mere societal counterpart to science, but as the embodied, skill-based basis of all human inquiry. By critically reassessing the Handbook of Transdisciplinary Research and integrating historical perspectives from Aristotle to Husserl, the analysis exposes a systemic oversight: The exclusion of techné (practical skill and technique) from contemporary frameworks. This omission perpetuates a reductive science–society dualism, obscuring the intrinsic link between transdisciplinary skills and ethical wisdom. The paper introduces a heuristic topography—a conceptual framework that maps the interplay of cultural embodiment, techné , and implicit knowledge—to reveal how these elements underpin both transdisciplinary integration and ethical judgment. Applied to the "AI and planetary polycrisis" debate, this framework challenges dominant narratives that frame AI as either a technical solution or a societal problem. Instead, it positions AI as a cultural technique—a tool and topic that must be critically engaged within the broader context of lifeworld practices. The paper concludes by advocating for a lifeworld-oriented research paradigm, one that centers ethical wisdom and transdisciplinary skills to navigate the political and ecological challenges of the planetary polycrisis.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer among women and persists as a societal problem worldwide. It remains a leading cause of cancer associated morbidity and mortality, specifically in low- and middle-income countries where access to timely diagnosis and treatment is often limited. This study aims to compare survival and classical machine learning models for predicting breast cancer survival in Ethiopia to identify approaches that balance predictive accuracy with interpretability. The study utilized retrospective data from 1164 women treated at Tikur Anbesa Specialized Hospital and Hiwot Fana Specialized University Hospital between 2019 and 2024. Methods like Kaplan-Meier estimation, Cox proportional hazards, random survival forests (RSF), DeepSurv, and classical machine learning (SVM, XGBoost, LGBM, and RF) classifiers were used with evaluation metrics such as AUC, C-index, and Integrated Brier Score (IBS). The Shapley additive explanation approach was used to ensure the interpretability of results from models such as RSF, DeepSurv, and random forests (RF). It allowed the identification of important predictors of breast cancer outcome by indicating consistent predictors across models. The findings demonstrated that random survival forest and random forest achieved the highest performance (C-index: 0.754; IBS: 0.091) and (0.729 ± 0.006), respectively, outperforming the other models under consideration. The Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) analysis for the RSF model showed that age, tumour size, metastasis, stage, comorbidities, and marital status as the most important predictors of breast cancer survival. Furthermore, the SHAP analysis for the RF model indicated that the higher age category (45 and above), metastasis status (M1), stage four, and larger tumour size contribute a strong influence on predictions. Among the machine learning models, the random forest algorithm effectively identifies the key predictors of breast cancer outcomes. For the survival analysis methods, the RSF offers robust capabilities for handling time-to-event data and censoring, making it well-suited for accurate survival prediction. By combining these approaches, we were able to gain clearer insights and better identify the key factors influencing breast cancer prognosis. This study highlights the value of data-driven methods in helping healthcare professionals identify high-risk patients with greater precision and take timely, informed actions to support their care.

Counterproductive behavior (e.g., aggression, theft, dishonesty) is a persistent societal problem with a substantial dispositional basis. Despite broad interest in the subject, little scholarship has studied relations of variables associated with counterproductive behavior and their dispositional antecedents across work and nonwork domains. Drawing on cybernetic theories of personality, we posit that personality malfunction (an imbalance between cybernetic processes responsible for maintaining homeostasis and facilitating change) contributes to general counterproductive behavior (GCB). To test this theory, we conduct a quantitative review and synthesis of meta-analyses that report Big Five personality trait relations to variables indicative of GCB. Overall, we locate 46 articles reporting associations with 62 variables, which represent k > 1,200 studies and N > 850,000 participants. First, we examine the extent to which GCB variables are predicted by Big Five traits. Then, we use meta-analytic criterion profile analysis (Wiernik et al., 2021) to determine how much of the prediction from personality is due to profile-level effects (elevation of traits) or profile-pattern effects (configuration of traits). Finding that configurations indicative of personality malfunction dominate prediction, finally, we cluster analyze similarity coefficients among personality profiles across GCB variables. We discover two metaclusters and four subordinate clusters. These clusters may represent archetypical forms of GCB, and their related profiles may reflect archetypical forms of personality malfunction. Clusters also strongly parallel the externalizing superspectrum of psychopathology, suggesting a potential general taxonomy of GCB. We conclude by discussing implications for theory and practice, as well as limitations and future research directions. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).

This paper aims to synthesise the current, global evidence on addressing psychological concerns of women presenting with domestic and family violence within the ED and suggest avenues for future research. This discursive paper draws on clinical experience and research of the authors and critical synthesis of current literature on management of victim-survivors of DFV presenting with psychological symptoms in ED. Academic databases and grey literature were systematically searched to identify relevant sources, and findings were narratively synthesised. DFV victim-survivors often present with mental health symptoms in ED; however, many health professionals in EDs fail to correctly identify the underlying trauma and offer support to address DFV. The most reported barriers to DFV screening/identification include time constraints, privacy issues, and lack of education/training about DFV and its support mechanisms. As a result, only mental health symptoms are being treated, ignoring the broader psychosocial needs of DFV victim-survivors. Use of trauma-informed support models is recommended to address the mental and psychosocial needs of DFV victim-survivors visiting the ED. DFV victim-survivors visiting the ED are often treated for their mental health symptoms without addressing their underlying trauma and risk of future victimisation. To address the ongoing adverse impact of DFV, it is necessary to ensure holistic and continual support from ED professionals for victims. The importance of not only education but the implementation of sustained education and training programs surrounding DFV identification, screening, and cannot be understood. DFV is a global problem whereby many victim-survivors become healthcare patients. It would be poor decision making for clinicians to not prioritise appropriate responses to this societal problem within their clinical practice.

ABSTRACT This article argues that the intellectual heritage of academic industrial relations favours evidence-based engagement with contemporary employment and societal problems. These extend beyond the workplace and enterprise to include major policy challenges relating to the environmental crisis, poverty and inequality and the effects of technological change to which tired neoliberal orthodoxies offer few useful prescriptions. Effective engagement with policy makers and practitioners needs to centre around the concept of Decent Work, which can provide benefits to employers and the state as well as workers” wellbeing.

Purpose – This study describes and analyzes the research competency needs of college students in a state university in the Philippines. The research intends to inform the formulation of a research manual for higher education institutions. Methodology – The study employed a descriptive, quantitative design using a researcher-developed survey questionnaire (eight domains) that was validated (CVI=1.00) and tested for reliability (α=0.963). One hundred fifty (150) selected student-researchers, acting as leaders and members, participated in the survey process. The said respondents were selected using a simple random sampling technique. Stringent research protocols and ethical considerations were strictly followed. Data from the survey were analysed using descriptive statistics (i.e., mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics, such as the Kruskal-Wallis (H) test for the non-normal data analysed. Findings – The results reveal that the student-researchers have the highest research competency needs. Moreover, there is no variation in their research competency needs (p<0.05), indicating a statistically identical highest level of need to improve their research competencies. At the outset, a research manual was developed to complement the proposed research policy on standardizing the research format and addressing the research competency needs of university students. Novelty – The development research manual, as an output of the study, provides an innovative way to contextualize instruction and foster creative thinking and innovative solutions to real-life academic and societal problems. Significance – The findings serve as a valuable reference for using research-based competency needs assessment to foster innovation in research practices.

In their commentary, Altay and Mercier (2026) frame misinformation as a mere symptom of deeper underlying societal problems. Here, we highlight a more nuanced causal account involving reciprocal effects, where misinformation can act as a cause of societal issues, which in turn can simultaneously act as a cause of misinformation belief. When it comes to the total causal impact of misinformation, we note the importance of taking into account not only the direct but also the indirect effects. Viewing misinformation as both a symptom and a cause offers an opportunity for appropriate policy interventions depending on the behavior, context, and misinformation in question. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).