Society Approach Research Articles

A Complex Condition; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A Review of its Recent Advanced Treatment

Abstract: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine and metabolic disorder affecting women worldwide. It refers to a condition that often has ‘poly’ liquid containing sacks around ovaries. It affects reproductive-aged females, giving rise to menstrual and related reproductive issues. PCOS is marked by hormonal imbalance, often resulting in hyperandrogenism. Women with PCOS might experience abnormal insulin activity and complications such as acne, mood swings, hirsutism, obesity, and infertility. The disease is linked with severe clinical ailments such as type 2 diabetes (T2DM), cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), and cancer. A faulty lifestyle, neuroendocrine factors, genetic causes, and androgen exposures often cause PCOS. The approach of society towards physiological problems such as PCOS in women is that it must be under the veil that is the ultimate barrier to the early diagnosis of PCOS. Thus, this review summarizes the causes, symptoms, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and possible treatment (medical, herbal, and lifestyle improvement, acupuncture, and bariatric surgery) related to PCOS.

The impact of COVID-19 restrictions on road traffic and noise pollution of the urban street, a case study from Krakow, Poland.

The study determined the impact of restrictions introduced by the Ministry of Health in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic on traffic and sound pressure levels in the university building and its immediate vicinity. Mickiewicza Street was selected for the study. It is one of the city's busiest streets, located relatively close to the old historic center, and is the main artery connecting the north and south of the city. There are residential buildings on this street, but primarily offices and institutions, as well as schools and universities. Noise near the street and in buildings located relatively close to the road can be a serious problem in places where peace is required (e.g., libraries, reading rooms, university halls). Therefore, the acoustic comfort needed in these places may be disturbed, and the perception of knowledge acquisition may be limited. The aim of the work was achieved through measurements and analysis of street traffic intensity and sound pressure levels, taking into account pandemic restrictions. Then, statistical analyses were performed, which showed significant variability in traffic intensity and sound pressure values in individual periods of the pandemic. The pandemic's beginning was mainly characterized by a significant decrease in the above data, deviating from the norm. In the pre-pandemic period, an average of 47,733 vehicles passed through the street daily, and the median sound pressure was Leq.OUT = 62.0 dBA outside the building and Leq.INS = 44.0 dBA inside. During the greatest restrictions, a period called "lockdown," the number of cars driving decreased a little to an average of 44,153 per day, but there were days with 10,000-20,000 cars passing. In turn, noise decreased to 59.9 dBA for Leq.OUT and 43.2 dBA for Leq.INS. Between the first and second waves of infections, traffic was comparable to the post-pandemic period (an average of 69,027 cars per day), and noise also increased to Leq.OUT = 64-65 dBA and close to Leq.INS = 47.5 dBA. Studies have shown that noise on Mickiewicza Street is mainly caused by traffic (correlation coefficient: r = 0.92 for Leq.OUT and r = 0.86 for Leq.INS). The sound pressure level is high outside (Leq.OUT = 63.9 dBA) but relatively low inside the building (Leq.INS = 47.0 dBA) and should not negatively affect university staff and students (Leq.WH < LWH.acc). Based on the analyses, three stages show society's approach to the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) fear of the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) relaxation after restrictions; (3) getting used to the COVID-19 pandemic. These periods did not correlate with the development of the pandemic or the number of people infected and dead.

The National and International Legal Framework Related to Family Relations Seen from the Perspective of Gender Equality

Gender-based discrimination is a long-standing problem of society and of the family in particular. While the possibilities of identifying the phenomenon of discrimination in public life are more tangible, discrimination in the family remains mostly in the shadows and not easily evident. It is about the relationships that are built between spouses, children, and other family members. This study aims to analyze the factual and legal situation of the dimensions of (lack of) equality between family members from a gender perspective. Seen through the lens of family relations in particular, this study will reflect in general terms the trend and society's approach to gender equality. This is because of imagining and not only the family as the basic and most important cell of society, the one that transmits values and principles to society. Healthy family and marital relations are an important contribution to the elimination of gender stereotypes not only between family members but also in society in general. Although family relations mainly belong to the sphere and private interest, the legislator has always put a strong emphasis on the special protection of the family and marriage, providing for it in the most important normative acts, such as the Constitution and the Family Code, but also in other acts which indirectly regulate family relations. There are also numerous international legal instruments that mainly protect the institution of the family and mainly the sphere of equality in the rights and obligations of its members. See these in the consideration of equality between men and women in several main directions such as equality and non-discrimination between men and women to the relationship that originates from marriage as an act, equality and non-discrimination of men and women to the rights and obligations towards children, equality, and non-discrimination in the consequences of ending a marriage. The elaboration and legal basis of the situations cited above will be the purpose of this paper, seen from the perspective of domestic and international legislation, as well as judicial practice. Legal reforms in the aspects of legal equality and non-discrimination in family and marital life have been and will remain a dynamic and continuous process as long as the dominant elements is human nature. This is reflected in internal normative acts such as the Family Code, but also in ratified international instruments and the jurisprudence of the ECHR. While the facts and results show that there is still significant gender inequality between family members, this should be taken as an incentive not only for other legal reforms but also for social policies in the future.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 19 February 2024 / Accepted: 21 March 2024 / Published: 23 March 2024

Cultural Aspects of Waste Management in Poland and China

The main aim of this article was to present differences in the social determinants of waste management and environmental protection in Poland and People's Republic of China. A research gap was identified related to the small number of studies comparing China and Poland in the field of waste management. A systematic review of the literature on waste management and society's approach to environmental protection was conducted, with particular emphasis on municipal waste. The article uses data from local databases, i.e. the Central Statistical Office (GUS) in Poland and The Ministry of Ecology and Environment of the People's Republic of China, as well as data from the World Bank and OECD. The method of comparative analysis and Hofstede's tool were used for selected aspects of the social approach to waste management in Poland and the People's Republic of China. Empirical research was conducted in August 2023. Literature review based on key groups of social factors that differ in the analysed countries. These include those related to purity, religious beliefs, respect for nature, responsibility and ecology. Chinese citizens approach the power supply in their environment in a more collective way than in Poland. The European Union's recommendations has positively affected management of municipal waste in Poland, while in People's Republic of China legislation is constantly updated. In the authors' opinion, in subsequent studies it is worth focusing on comparing other countries in terms of their social approach to environmental protection, as well as conducting surveys.

In memoriam: Eleanor Jane Sterling (1960–2023)

In memoriam: Eleanor Jane Sterling (1960–2023)

The Onslaught of Civilization and Emerging Mental Health Issues

Civilization evolved through 1000 of years as epicenters in several parts of the world and has now become a global civilization. The main pursuits have been for better survival, increased longevity, societal development, peaceful living, and individual development among others. It is also known that the evolution of civilization goes parallel with evolution of brain through continuous processes of adaptation and reorganization of brain functions by gene–environment interactions and epigenetic processes. Thus, civilization has a major impact on brain development and mental health. Current civilization in many ways has come in conflict with the biological objective of survival of the human species. There is value on economic growth and productivity, control and conquering of nature with devastating consequences. Socioeconomic disparities, poverty, inequity in resource distribution and social power, fragmentation of family and communities, individualistic materialistic outlook, lack of psychological anchoring, mindless globalization, climate crisis, and so on are some of the facets that have unleashed a spate of new mental health challenges across the globe. Researches on social determinants of mental illness have shown significant risk factors emanating from one common factor that is civilization. Mental illness is not individually produced and therefore cannot be tackled in silos. It will require whole society's response and systemic approaches beyond the domain of health alone. There is a need to pursue pro-mental health policies at the global societal level to rein in the ever-expanding pool of mentally unwell population.

Evaluation of Health Science Students' Health Fatalism and Perception Towards Patients With Epilepsy: A Cross-Sectional Global Study.

Introduction The social acceptance of patients with epilepsy is largely determined by society's opinion of epilepsy; therefore, individuals with epilepsy could face prejudice and stigma as a result of negative impressions. Religious beliefs and mystical notions have been shown to influence attitudes toward epilepsy. Health fatalism could also be detrimental to society's and caregivers' approach toward such patients. In extreme settings, this could hinder them from obtaining an adequate treatment process. Methods A cross-sectional exploratory study was conducted from February 2022 to May 2022 in Saudi Arabia, Spain, Scotland, and Italy using an online questionnaire consisting of 33 questions concerning the Health Fatalism Scale (HFS), the Epilepsy Knowledge Scale (EKS), and the Epilepsy Attitude Scale (EAS). Results A total of 735 health science students (HSS) participated in the present study. The majority of participants were females (64.1%) while male participants represented 34.6% of the study. Health science students currently studying in Saudi Arabia represented the majority of participants with a percentage of 58.5%. Among the four countries, students in Saudi Arabia presented with the highest knowledge mean score. Students in Spain had the highest mean attitude score. Muslim students had the highest mean fatalism scores followed by Christian students. Conclusion In general, a high level of knowledge was observed among the participants, most notably, among Saudis who presented with the highest level of knowledge across the four countries. Regarding attitude, Spanish students presented the best attitude towards patients with epilepsy. Low fatalism scores were commonly observed across all countries regardless of their different demographic characteristics. Fatalism perception should be further detailed to ensure optimal services are delivered without prejudgment by future healthcare workers.

“This Is What's Real”: The Pathology of Black Addiction in the Hood Films of the 1990s

“This Is What's Real”: The Pathology of Black Addiction in the Hood Films of the 1990s

The Presence of Populism in the Two Decades After the War in Kosovo

The rise of an extreme movement, which has consistently produced violence and hatred in Kosovar society for more than fifteen years, undoubtedly increases the curiosity of any researcher of social problems to deal with the study of this issue. Of course, the study of social problems is extremely complex, especially in this time of globalization and extraordinary social mobility, therefore, each time, the opportunities for debate remained open. The paper addresses a very problematic topic, but that belongs to the social topicality, and not only in Kosovar society as one of the societies in transition, but also quite prominent in the most developed countries, and with a long democratic tradition. It should be noted that Kosovo is not only going through an economic transition, but more than that, the political and cultural transition has taken a special place. It should be noted that society's approach to the state and politics is crucial and has a tremendous impact on the process of economic transition. The paper deals precisely with the tools and methods that Kosovar political parties have used and are using to seize power, where the focus is on populism and the spirit of hatred created during the two decades after the war in Kosovo.

Gender, Power, and Cricket Spectators in Calcutta, 1960s–1990s

AbstractHistorians of modern India have emphasized the reflexivity of men and women in the making of womanhood, paying attention to notions of gender difference emerging from both primordial, restrictive codes of behaviour and contrarian impulses towards what was popularly called progress. There have been relatively few attempts to trace gender interaction in outdoor leisure activities, public displays of femininity, and male regulatory anxieties in the post-colonial context. By studying the symbolism of women's presence in the Eden Gardens, the international cricket stadium in Calcutta, from the 1960s to the 1990s, this article reflects on the nature of power, authority, and gender hierarchy in urban Indian society. This study of questions of gender hierarchy, women's mannerisms, social identity, and informal resistance through a historical lens will enable us to understand the trajectory of women's outsider status in urban public spaces. Through a reading of the mediated parti pris impressions of female spectators, it will also map the transition in society's approach to sport from a structured homosocial community activity to a relatively unstructured field of shared experience.

The Presence of Populism in the Two Decades After the War in Kosovo

The rise of an extreme movement, which has consistently produced violence and hatred in Kosovar society for more than fifteen years, undoubtedly increases the curiosity of any researcher of social problems to deal with the study of this issue. Of course, the study of social problems is extremely complex, especially in this time of globalization and extraordinary social mobility, therefore, each time, the opportunities for debate remained open. The paper addresses a very problematic topic, but that belongs to the social topicality, and not only in Kosovar society as one of the societies in transition, but also quite prominent in the most developed countries, and with a long democratic tradition. It should be noted that Kosovo is not only going through an economic transition, but more than that, the political and cultural transition has taken a special place. It should be noted that society's approach to the state and politics is crucial and has a tremendous impact on the process of economic transition. The paper deals precisely with the tools and methods that Kosovar political parties have used and are using to seize power, where the focus is on populism and the spirit of hatred created during the two decades after the war in Kosovo.

Response to AAR Articles

Response to AAR Articles

The first 60 years: Honoring Teratology's past, a new perspective on the future.

This paper updates the history of the Teratology Society, now known as the Society for Birth Defects Research and Prevention (BDRP), for its first 60 years and describes the current strategy to position the Society to continue to advance its multidisciplinary science in the future. Common threads across our history include the positive impact of the Society's approach to sharing multidisciplinary, cutting-edge science and the collegial nature of the annual meetings. In recent years, we have tackled challenging issues through periodic strategic planning sessions to improve the impact of the Society and its value to our members. Archived and current resources were reviewed for this historical perspective. In 2019, the Society took steps to rebrand itself to clarify our mission to the broader scientific and governmental communities. Although our name has changed, the mission remains to understand and prevent birth defects and disorders of developmental and reproductive origin. As BDRP, we continue to promote the exchange of research and ideas, provide educational opportunities, influence policy through advocacy, and evolve our communications to better serve our members and to have a greater impact on the health of future generations.

KORONAVİRÜS PANDEMİSİNDE TOPLUMUN YAŞLI VE ENGELLİLERE YÖNELİK DÜŞÜNCELERİ ÜZERİNE BİR ARAŞTIRMA

The aim of this study is to present the situation of elderly and disabled people in Turkey in the pandemic within the framework of social variables. During this process, the society's thoughts and approaches to the elderly and disabled were described. In this study conducted in a mixed research design, the sociodemographic characteristics of the participants were examined with closed-ended questions, their opinions about how the disabled and the elderly were affected by the pandemic process, and the general attitude and suggestions of the public regarding protection from the pandemic by asking open-ended questions. Findings obtained from the data were interpreted by making descriptive predictions. Considering the general attitude towards elderly and disabled people based on the findings obtained from the research, the necessity of expanding local and public services for the elderly, shaping the social, psychological and economic supports for the disabled according to the needs of the disabled and implementing restrictive practices during the pandemic process come to the fore.

Economic Optimization of Resource Use Based on Smart Grid

There are significant changes in society's approaches to the energy policy development in the modern world. It is observable a transition from the old model of the energy sector maintenance, which was dominated by large producers, inefficient networks, fossil fuels, imperfect competition in the markets of natural gas, coal, electricity - to a new model, which creates a more competitive environment and equalizes opportunities for development and the dominance one of the types energy production or sources of fuel supply. The traditional network is based on centralized power plants that supply electricity to consumers through simple one-way transmission and distribution systems. The bulk of the current electricity generation capacity in Ukraine is generated by fossil fuels, which significantly contributes to the increase of the carbon dioxide concentration in the Earth's atmosphere and has a corresponding negative consequences for the climate. At the same time, modern preferences are given to increasing energy efficiency and the use of energy from renewable and alternative sources. Implementation of adaptation and prevention measures for climate change is also one of the priorities of global energy development. The renewable energy promotion is causing new economic and scientific challenges for Ukraine. However, at the same time it opens new perspectives for the search and implementation of innovative developments in the field of extraction, processing of fossil fuels, energy supply and consumption, which leads to create a new energy policy of the state. The article discusses theoretical and methodological approaches that reveal the benefits of Smart Grid using. It is emphasized that ensuring energy security and environmental sustainability of the energy sector should be based on the use of renewable energy sources. The article analyzes the main factors that can affect the development of Smart Grid technology. Also, the article describes the best experience of the EU countries, which are introducing smart energy systems for the economic optimization of renewable energy sources use.

WORD OF INTRODUCTION

The annual congress of the Southen African Biblical Studies Society was held in Johannesburg on 14 and 15 may 1993. Following the Society's approach over the past few years, the focus was on issues relevant to the teaching of the Bible within our present context. This year the theme of the Congress centred on: Old and New Methods of Teaching the Bible.

6 The Intersection of Human Rights and Decision Making Capacity Legislation with Person Centred Approaches

Abstract Background A major focus on decision making capacity (as opposed to cognitive capacity and competence) legislation in many Western countries is the integration of a human rights approach focused on self-determination and autonomy. This paper examines modern day concepts of personhood and person centred care and presents Irish and United Kingdom legal commentaries which focus on health services’ and society's approaches to risky decision making. Integrating human rights into decision making capacity legislation has been central in contemporary discourses on health and welfare. Methods A literature review was undertaken charting the emergence of personhood, person centred care and human rights. Case studies of influential legal commentaries in Ireland and the United Kingdom where decision-making capacity was addressed were mapped to person centred care principles. Results Findings point to a convergence of discourses of human rights in contemporary approaches to health and social care as well as the evolution of legislation to support person centredness in fostering safeguarding and promoting autonomy and self-determination. Specific legal commentaries point to the need of health and social care to be mindful of paternalism and to conceptualise the concept of ‘risk’ with a particular emphasis on the inclusion and defence of the voice of the older or vulnerable person. Conclusion The intrinsic worth of each human is articulated through an implicit and explicit vindication of their human rights. The emergence of the third generation of human rights has argued the value of self-determination and autonomy, articulated through robust national legislation on decision-making capacity based on the core principles of person centred care approaches. This move from paternalism is imperative and is imbued in contemporary legislation and legal commentaries, which has noted the need for revisions in health and social care case management perspectives.

Credit, Copyright, and the Circulation of Scientific Knowledge: The Royal Society in the Long Nineteenth Century

In this paper, we consider the Royal Society's attitudes towards the copying, reprinting, and reuse of material from its Philosophical Transactions during the long nineteenth century. The contents of the Transactions circulated in print in a variety of ways beyond its traditional biannual parts and bound annual volumes. This included the private circulation of authors' separate copies of papers; the reissuing of papers in authors' collected works; the incorporation of material into other books; and the reporting and excerpting of material in the general scientific periodical literature. The Royal Society attempted to protect the originality and priority of the research published under its imprint, but it never sought to use copyright legislation to prevent (or to profit from) the reprinting or reuse of its research. We argue that copyright was in fact a poor tool for learned institutions like the Royal Society, which were more concerned with reputational credit than with financial credit and were adept at managing the delicate balance between institutional interests and those of individual authors. We demonstrate that the Royal Society's approach to reprinting and reuse was based on the philanthropic concept of a scholarly common good. It typically relied on a code of conduct enforced through tradition and moral suasion, rather than legislation.

Book Review: Luke Gittos. Why Rape Culture is a Dangerous Myth: From Steubenville to Ched Evans

Book Review: Luke Gittos. Why Rape Culture is a Dangerous Myth: From Steubenville to Ched Evans. Exeter, UK: Imprint Academic, 2015. ISBN: 978-1845408374 (Paperback). 140 Pages. $28.96.[Article copies available for a fee from The Transformative Studies Institute. E-mail address: journal@transformativestudies.org Website: http://www.transformativestudies.org ©2016 by The Transformative Studies Institute. All rights reserved.]When he told friends and colleagues that he was writing a book about rape culture, Luke Gittos was frequently asked 'Why?' After all, what would a man in his late twenties working as a criminal lawyer in London write about such a tricky subject, one where it is often considered verboten for men to offer any sort of view at all?When it comes to questions of women's oppression, and particularly an issue like rape, the views of women, particularly feminists and rape 'survivors', are today to be accepted unquestioningly. When it comes to the experience of rape, that makes sense. But when we look at how society approaches the issue of rape as a political and legal issue, it is legitimate for anyone to ask questions about official policies and the nature of public discussion today. And for Gittos, the implications of the rape culture discussion for important legal principles, freedom of speech, and even our ability to use our own judgement in our intimate lives are extremely troubling.That discussion is dominated by the idea that we live in a 'rape culture.' Essentially, it is argued that society is accepting of rape as normal, something reinforced by a variety of means. Gittos quotes one definition by a campaign group calling itself Force:Rape culture includes jokes, TV music, advertising, legal jargon, laws, words and imagery that make violence against women and sexual coercion seem so normal that people believe that rape is inevitable. Rather than viewing the culture of rape as a problem to change, people in a rape culture think about the persistence of rape as 'just the way things are.'2While this may make perfect sense to many feminists, it jars with most people's view of rape as a heinous crime. It was certainly true in the past that rape was often dealt with very badly by the police and prosecuting authorities. In many jurisdictions, the notion that a married woman could not be raped by her husband was only - shockingly - rejected recently. For example, it was in only in 1993 that all 50 US states had legislated against marital rape, though in South Carolina, there is still an offence of spousal rape that sets a higher bar in terms of the use of force compared to non-marital rape.Women have had to fight hard to have rape taken seriously and to end their treatment as objects to be possessed by men, including the notion that rape cannot, by definition, take place in marriage. But in general, and certainly in the past two or three decades, society's approach to rape has changed in step with the wider liberation of women. For most people, rape is regarded as an extremely serious crime, sometimes on a par with murder, which further begs to question: Where does the idea come from that we are living in a 'rape culture'?Gittos argues that it based on a very individualized subjectivity, one which focuses on and accentuates a feeling of extreme vulnerability. That sense of vulnerability isn't helped by the abuse of statistics. For example, Gittos is critical of a claim made in 2013's Crime Survey for England and Wales that '0.5 percent of females report being a victim of the most serious offences of rape or sexual assault by penetration in the previous 12 months, equivalent to around 85,000 victims on average per year.' As Gittos points out, the survey did not ask women whether they had been raped. Rather, they were asked simply about physical acts of penetration when they had made it clear they did not agree or when they were not capable of giving consent.However, the crime of rape is not simply based on a physical act to which someone did not consent. …

The American Cancer Society's Approach to Addressing the Cancer Burden in the LGBT Community.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) has embraced the achievement of equity in cancer-related health outcomes as a foundational principle. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals experience health disparities related to certain risk factors for cancer and in certain cancer outcomes. Accordingly, the ACS is defining a new program of work in partnership with the LGBT community to help understand and reduce disparities in cancer risk factors and outcomes. This article describes the cancer control program of the ACS including specific public health and research programs targeted at reducing cancer related health disparities for the LGBT population.