Traditional Ties Research Articles

Regional variations in breast cancer screening uptake and its associated factors in Ghana

Abstract Introduction Timely identification of breast cancer is critical for successful treatment and prevention, reducing its burden. Despite its significance, breast cancer screening services in Ghana are underutilized, with considerable regional variations in uptake rates. We examined the regional differences in breast cancer screening uptake and its associated factors in Ghana. Methods We analyzed data from 15,014 women of reproductive age from the 2022 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. Spatial mapping illustrated regional variations in screening uptake. Multilevel logistic regression was employed to examine the factors associated with breast cancer screening uptake. Results National breast cancer screening prevalence was 18.4%, with regional variations observed across the 16 regions. Eastern, Western, Brong Ahafo, and Greater Accra had the highest screening uptake. The likelihood of breast cancer screening was higher among women aged 45-49 (aOR = 3.59; 95% CI = 12.52, 5.12), Married women (aOR = 1.44; 95% CI = 1.17-1.77), Higher education, employment, health insurance, recent health facility visits, media access, and wealth index (middle: aOR = 1.45, 95% CI = 1.08, 1.94; richest: aOR = 1.91, 95% CI = 1.36, 2.70). Islamic and African Traditional affiliations decrease screening likelihood (aOR = 0.77; 95% CI = 0.63, 0.95; aOR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.22, 0.97). Rural residence and specific regions (Ashanti, Oti, Savannah, Upper West) reduce odds, while living in North East increases odds (aOR: 1.86; 95% CI = 1.14-3.03). Conclusions Cost-effective breast cancer screening services are crucial, particularly in rural areas with geographical disparities. Culturally and religiously sensitive protocols are needed to address regional and religious differences. Expanding Ghana’s national health insurance to cover preventive measures like breast cancer screening is essential. Promoting awareness through conventional and digital platforms is crucial for advocating screening. Key messages • Addressing geographical and cultural differences crucial for equitable breast cancer screening in Ghana. • Expanding health insurance and raising awareness vital to promote screening access and reduce disparities.

Behavior of RC Columns with Different Internal Ties Configurations Subjected to Axial Load: Numerical Study

Reinforced concrete columns use a lot of ties, particularly inner cross-ties in large columns. The major goal of this work is to create new approaches for horizontal reinforcement in RC columns and evaluate their effect on column behaviour. The suggested V-ties as transverse reinforcement, which would replace the cross-ties features, are cost-effective. They make it possible to complete projects faster and spend less on labour and material. Numerical study is carried out. FE models for sixty (60) specimens were developed. Each specimen is modeled with different cross-sections (250*250 mm), (500*500 mm), (1000*1000 mm), (250*500 mm) and (250*1000 mm) at different values of spacing 50 mm, 100 mm, and 200 mm. It was discovered that adopting V-tie techniques instead of traditional ties might increase column axial load capacity, reduce early local buckling of longitudinal reinforcing bars, and enhance the concrete core confined to RC columns.

Analysis of Albania’s Trade Direction: Is the Open Balkan a New Center of Gravity?

Trade is considered one of the main drivers of a country’s economic growth and development. Therefore, a successful analysis that identifies the bilateral trade flows, their determinants, and the regional integration costs and benefits opens new horizons for international trade perspectives. This study examines the effects of new and existing regional agreements on the international trade patterns of Western Balkan countries based on the Albanian case. In this regard, an extended trade gravity model is applied with a panel data set of trade flows between Albania and 43 of its regional strategic partners during the period of 2008 to 2022. This work considers two different similarity indexes to explain the effect of the economic structures of partner countries on their trade volumes: the relative factor endowment and the absolute factor endowment. The first is used to test the Linder Hypothesis, and the latter is used to test the effect of similarity in economic size between trading partners. Empirical results indicate that the effect of the selected explanatory variables, such as transportation costs, economic size, economic strength, exchange rate, and their relative as well as absolute endowment, is within expectations. Unexpectedly, the domestic economic size and strength are found to be insignificant in explaining the import flows and inversely proportional to the exports of Albania. Finally, it is indicated that trade flows are clearly dependent on traditional ties rather than on new incentives like the Open Balkan, which cannot offer a new regional center of gravity. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that the gravity of the Open Balkan initiative has been tested for one of the participating countries. The study concludes that while the Open Balkan initiative shows potential, the Berlin Process remains a more reliable path toward EU integration for Albania.

The Digitalisation of Tools for Workers’ Representation in Europe and Spain: A First Approach

Abstract The unstoppable digitalisation of work also brings with it alterations at the collective level of labour relations. On the one hand, the dispersal of the workforce entails the breaking of traditional ties of proximity, which engendered solidarity among workers. On the other hand, however, new technologies can contribute decisively to the development of representation activity, also being a fruitful field for collective bargaining. Through a synthetic examination of comparative law, several of these possibilities are presented, and how they fit with Spanish law is analysed. Among the subjects addressed are digital tools that can favour tasks in representation. In addition to the legislative dimension, the study takes into account the latest developments in jurisprudence and collective bargaining.

Changing focus while maintaining balance: Strategic adjustments behind the developing Sino-Saudi relations

ABSTRACT This article explores the major drivers, constraints, and prospects for the rapidly growing Sino-Saudi relations, and argues that such a development should be deemed as the embodiment of the strategy of ‘changing the focus while keeping the balance’ that both Beijing and Riyadh have been implementing in years. While maintaining friendly gestures towards all Arab states, President Xi Jinping’s 2022 visit to Saudi Arabia demonstrates that Beijing has shifted its focus on the Arab world away from the Mediterranean to the Gulf region, both economically and politically. On the other hand, as Riyadh’s rapprochement with the Biden administration has been slow to make significant progress, Saudi Arabia has also accelerated its pace of ‘looking east’ while cautiously keeping traditional ties with the West. A robust, stable, and preferably more transparent relationship between China and Saudi Arabia might help mitigate the potential for direct Sino-US confrontation and Gulf tensions, benefiting not only the Middle East and the Mediterranean region but, against the backdrop of the Ukraine war, more economies at both ends of Eurasia.

Queering Gender Boundaries and Redoing Heteroamorous Desire: Youth Scenes As a Social Field for (Re-)Negotiating Gender Arrangements and Sexuality

In Second Modernity, traditional affiliations, ideals and norms continuously are becoming less important. Among the things affected by that are gender norms and sexualities, so that the reflexive self now has the task of relating to these transformations. Based on scene ethnographies (interviews, group discussions, participant observations), this article examines how the (youth) scenes Visual Kei and K-pop serve as social fields to challenge traditional societal norms of gender and heterosexuality. Gender-neutral ideals and gender-differentiating norms coexist in Visual Kei; heteroamorous fantasies coexist with various sexual realities in K-pop. In both scenes, the scene-specific gender displays also significantly influence the sexual displays. Scene members embrace a great diversity of sexual orientations, thereby applying cultural globalization and socially constructing post-traditional forms of gender arrangements and sexualities that intertwine ‘Western’ as well as ‘Asian’ practices and aesthetics.

Turkey and the Greater Eurasian Partnership: Opportunities and Challenges in “Amalgamated” Regionalism

The Greater Eurasian Partnership (GEP), introduced by Russia in 2015, is a regional integration project that aims to encompass the Eurasian Economic Union, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. With this broad spectrum, it embodies various forms of regionalism, arranges a flexible institutional structure for non-/governmental actors without denting their other regional affiliations and provides commercial, developmental, and security opportunities. Such features could also facilitate the GEP’s ability to enhance Turkey’s recent efforts to deepen its relations with Asia. In return, Turkey could play several key roles for the GEP with its “dialogue partner” status in the SCO, “Middle Corridor” initiative for the BRI, and well-established links in Central Asia. Originating from potential mutual interests, this study applies a theoretical perspective underlining the commonalities of various regionalism categories to analyze the GEP’s amalgamated nature and highlight its significance for Turkey’s political-economic priorities without undermining its traditional ties with the West.

Canada’s Shift Towards the Indo-Pacific: Economic and Trade Aspects

Canada had always been considered as an Atlantic nation because of its strong traditional ties with the Europe. The paper is an attempt to analyse this conception of Canada and it tries to establish Canada as a Pacific nation. It primarily focuses on Canada’s economic and trade ties with the Asian and Pacific countries. The paper investigates the earlier Asia Pacific constructs and attempts to explain the gradual shift towards the construct of Indo Pacific. It also underlies the subtle difference between the two constructs. In an attempt to establish this the paper focuses on Canada’s potential to develop an Indo Pacific construct which is based on its position of rule of law and liberal internationalism and cooperation with like minded countries. The paper analyses Canada’s position in the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership and how this could help Canada to justify and develop its Indo Pacific narrative.

Do the various leisure forms have equal effects on mental health? A longitudinal analysis of self-selected leisure activities.

The deteriorating trends of unbalanced income, progressive age-related health problems, and loss of traditional ties necessitate ever-flexible interventions that are helpful to overcome a decline in Chinese adults' mental health. This study aimed to test whether engagement in different domains of leisure is associated with a composite index of mental health, both concurrently and subsequently. Longitudinal data including 10,968 participants (females = 5,804) with a mean age of 46.01 years in the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) were analyzed using generalized estimating equations with a logit link. The results showed that face-to-face experiences, such as sports with all ORs of < 1 at the significance level of α = 0.01 and meeting with all ORs of < 1 at the significance level of α = 0.01 except daily in-person meeting frequency, are important for protecting mental health owing to the increasing social support by building close ties. The results also indicate that online leisure with all ORs < 1 at the significance level of α = 0.01 has positive effects on lowering the odds of depression. In addition, receptive cognitive leisure, such as watching television or movies with all ORs < 1 at the significance level of α = 0.05 level, was not consistently associated with depression. However, active cognitive leisure, such as reading with all ORs of < 1 at a significance level of α = 0.01, was associated with lower odds of depression.

BUDAYA POLITIK MASYARAKAT SEDULUR SIKEP DALAM PEMILIHAN KEPALA DESA STUDI KASUS DI DESA LARIKREJO KECAMATAN UNDAAN KABUPATEN KUDUS TAHUN 2019

The Sedulur Sikep community is a community group with traditional ties that are still strong and rooted in social life. They are scattered in various areas including in Larikrejo Village, Undaan District, Kudus Regency. Their average economic standard of living is still low, making it difficult to get them politically active. This affects their political culture, including in the 2019 village head election. This study aims to determine the political culture of the Sedulur Sikep community in the village head election and the factors that influence it. This study uses the theory developed by Gabriel A. Almond and Sidney Verba as an analytical framework. This theory explains cognitive, affective and evaluative orientations which are then categorized into types of political culture such as parochial, subject/subject, and participant. The results of the study show that the political culture of the Sedulur Sikep people belongs to the parochial type. The influencing factors are the level of education and economy, the traditional understanding of society which is obtained through the teachings of Saminism, feelings of inferiority towards state policies and changes to the order of the national political system

Strapping Spiral Ties for Short Tie-Columns in Confined Masonry Walls Using a Micro-Numerical Model

Many dwellings in the world are built using confined masonry walls. Confinement is achieved by tie-columns and bond beams of reinforced concrete. These tie columns are traditionally reinforced by using closed-loop ties. In this paper, a new type of ties for tie columns is presented: strapping spiral ties. These strapping ties are compared against traditional ties by a three-dimensional micro-numerical model and the experimental behavior of short tie columns. This study resulted in an improvement in the compressive strength, in the degree of confinement of the concrete, and in the efficiency of tie-columns with strapping spiral ties. In addition, an increase in the stiffness at the unloading stage was also obtained.

SOUTH KOREA AS A MIDDLE POWER IN EAST ASIA?

This article addresses South Korea's foreign policy toward ASEAN from a middle power approach. Using role theory, we argue that South Korea is developing a regional role to diversify its traditional ties, mitigate local constraints, and materialize its regional interests. We analyze the economic and political dimensions according to the share of trade and investment flows to the region and the development of cooperation initiatives and institutional ties. In the latter, we focus on Moon's presidency and the New Southern Policy, including a reference to the official development assistance. We also address its role in the South China Sea conflict to examine the strategic restrictions in this scenario. We state two main constraints: the need to keep the United States as a safety-guarantee partner and the critical role of China as an economic partner. Finally, we explore the challenges that a power competition scenario poses for Seoul within Southeast Asia.

Rubtsovo-Semey cluster of Russian-Kazakh economic cooperation in China's strategic initiative "One Belt One Road"

The article is devoted to the search for opportunities for reindustrialization of depressed border ultracontinental territories in the context of the implementation of China's strategic initiative "One Belt One Road". The purpose of the study is to find ways to restore and develop economic ties between two border regions – the Altai Territory in the Russian Federation and East Kazakhstan, as the hypothesis of the study is the possibility of increasing the effectiveness of their joint activities. The object of research in the article is the cross-border area between Rubtsovsk and Semey and their adjacent territories. On the basis of a system-dialectical approach, the possibilities of creating a Rubtsovo-Semey industrial and innovative hub within the Altai Territory and the East Kazakhstan region are analyzed. The authors conclude that such cooperation can open up new opportunities for industries producing resource-intensive consumer goods, given the traditional ties and proximity of cultures of the population living here. The article defines the specialization of territories and the existing level of interaction between regions. The authors substantiate the sectors of the economy that are promising for development in the cluster. The role of Turksib for the reindustrialization of depressed cross-border territories is shown. A concept for the development of a future cross-border industrial cluster is proposed, which is one of the scientific results of the study.

Changing the Image of Woman and the Family Model: Rethinking the Traditional Way of Life in the Current Realities of Japanese Society

The paper focuses on the study of the image of Japanese mothers in modern Japanese society in the context of rethinking the traditional way of life. In the course of the research, there was made an attempt to establish what underlies the value model of modern Japanese women and to analyze the degree of influence of habitual traditional gender stereotypes. The author considers the phases of the formation of the family institution in Japan and states that the principles of Confucian ethics, manifested in the presence of moral norms of behavior, attitudes and prescriptions, can be traced in the minds of modern Japanese. However, in the conditions of accelerated socialization of women and the ongoing process of atomization of families, the burden of responsibility from traditional expectations put on a woman increases, leading to adverse consequences in the form of “neuroses in the background of raising children”. The article discusses the changes in the structure of female employment over the past decades, in order to identify problems associated with the distribution of gender roles and the changing position of Japanese women in society. As a result of the study, it was suggested that despite the tendency in Japan to shift the value model towards individualism, the features of traditional family ideology are preserved, as evidenced by the presence of numerous proverbs and idioms of the Japanese language dedicated to family relationships and based on Confucian ethics. In such a society, social roles and labor functions are still divided and consolidated, the observance of the hierarchy is maintained, despite the disintegration of traditional ties, social division, separation from the clan and large family groups.

Dynamics and Prospects for China - Latin America Relations from the Perspective of Latin American Scholars

The research reveals Latin American academic thought on the relationship between Latin America countries and China. The relevance of the topic is linked to the growing importance and presence of China in the foreign policy of Latin American countries, whose bilateral relations are developing against a backdrop of growing US - China tensions. Today, China is one of the key economic partners of several Latin American countries, as well as implementing a number of infrastructure projects on the continent. This forces Latin America to choose between traditional ties of dependence vis-à-vis Washington and increasing economic and investment cooperation with Beijing. Methodologically the article is based on the study and interpretation of the ideas of Latin American scholars and experts gathered from secondary sources, monographs and academic articles. The author puts forward two hypotheses based on the existence of two conjectures. The first hypothesis is that there is no consensus among Latin American scholars and representatives of research centers about the impact of China’s bilateral relations with the countries of the region in the logic of the core-periphery model on the economic development of Latin America. The second hypothesis is that the views of the local academic community have little or even no influence on the decisions Latin American governments make regarding China. The author concludes that at a time when Latin America is going through a crisis cycle of integration processes the region is unable to take a unified position on the issue of assessing China’s performance.

Self-organization/self-mobilization of affected communities in impact assessment and decision-making: A case study in the Atrato River (Colombia)

Public participation in decision-making is one of the core principles of Impact Assessment. However, the mechanisms and processes that communities use to build organizational, consensual and knowledge capacities to get involved in decisions are yet to be better known. This paper aims to explore the implications of self-organized and self-mobilized participation in decision-making processes in the context of the Constitutional Ruling T-622/2016, which recognised the rights of the Atrato River (Colombia) to be healthy and ecologically supportive to the different populations, thus triggering a series of governmental actions supported by Impact Assessment. Through an exploratory approach guided by participant observation and supported by literature review, documentary research and interviews, it was revealed that social inequity and violence resulting both from governmental neglect and the lack of social and environmental rights are the main drivers of mobilization, followed by the violation of the community's traditional ties with the environment and, also, the coordination between grassroots communities and external actors. According to our findings, early meetings among stakeholders grounded on a balanced share of influence on decisions contributed to promote synergies in Impact Assessment and decision-making, thus leading to the previous identification of the likely causes of socio-environmental degradation and alternatives to mitigation.

Sacred Sounds, Secular Spaces: Transforming Catholicism through the Music of Third-Republic Paris, by Jennifer Walker

<i>Sacred Sounds, Secular Spaces: Transforming Catholicism through the Music of Third-Republic Paris</i>, by Jennifer Walker

The Practice of Pilgrimage by Kalmyk Buddhists

Abstract Kalmyk Buddhists have long engaged in the practice of pilgrimage for religious purposes. Historically, the main destination for Kalmyk pilgrims was Tibet, which was facilitated by traditional ties between the Kalmyks and the Dalai Lama (and by extension the Tibetan people) after the adoption of Buddhism by Oirat groups at the end of the sixteenth and the beginning of the seventeenth centuries. Kalmyk pilgrims pursued a host of goals – religious, political, diplomatic, and educational in nature. Some pilgrims engaged in exploration; during the early Soviet period Kalmyk pilgrims were used by the Soviet government as covert foreign policy instruments in its dealings with Tibet. Soon afterwards, however, pilgrimage was banned altogether due to the anti-religious policy endorsed by the Bolsheviks. It was not until the late 1980s that pilgrimage was revived owing to the democratization of social and political life in the Soviet Union.

Dental floss ties for rubber dam isolation: A proposed classification and a new technique.

Rubber dam application has become an essential part of restorative dentistry. In late 2019, dentistry faced a new challenge with the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore, the implementation of extra isolation methods became crucial. This article introduces a classification of dental floss ties used with a rubber dam, including the "simple" ties that are subdivided into traditional ties, single-loop self-ligating ties and double-loop self-ligating ties, and a new state-of-the-art design. The "compound tie" design incorporates a combination of one or more subdivisions of the simple ties. This new design may provide better isolation and more consistent gingival tissue retraction. Furthermore, due to the advanced technique applied, the tie will offer improved stability and prevent the sheet from sliding over the dental floss tie from all surfaces.

Влияние стратегического партнерства АУКУС на геополитическую ситуацию в Индо-Тихоокеанском регионе

The purpose of the AUKUS strategic alliance is to develop cooperation between the member countries (U.S., UK and Australia) in the field of security and defence in the Indo-Pacific region. The agreement provides for the supply of submarines powered by nuclear reactors to Australia. The emergence of this new strategic alliance was caused by the following factors: the increased power of China in the region; the weakening of the U.S. position in the Indo-Pacific; the desire of the UK to implement the “global Britain” strategy in practice; and the need for the U.S. to have reliable allies to contain China. These factors reveal the true purpose of AUKUS—containment of China and opposition to its active policy in the region. In this article, the author uses comparative analysis to reveal the different goals and geopolitical interests of the AUKUS countries. The systematic approach helps to describe the essence of the complex developing geopolitical system of the Indo-Pacific region.The theories of new institutionalism and constructivism make it possible to identify both continuity and gaps in the security policy and foreign policy of regional actors. Australia’s participation in the AUKUS allows it to: strengthen its political ties with influential partners—the United States and Great Britain; receive additional security guarantees from them in the context of increased activity of Chinese policy in the region; raise the country’s status in the regional hierarchy; and strengthen its defence capability. Australia’s entry into the AUKUS means the formation of a new, anti-Chinese strategy in the region. For the UK, membership in the AUKUS allows it to: expand its naval presence in the Indo-Pacific region; strengthen its special relations with the United States; improve its image, which was shaken after the country’s exit from the EU; and restore traditional ties with Australia. For the United States, AUKUS is the implementation of the strategy of “pivot” to Asia and the creation of a new alliance that has greater opportunities for military-strategic cooperation in the face of the threat from China to use the Pacific Ocean to oust the United States from a leading position. There are some possible geopolitical consequences of creating AUKUS for the region. They are escalation of tension and the nuclear arms race of the opposing parties; a new cold war with China; expansion of the club of nuclear powers because of Australia; imbalance of geopolitical forces in the region; undermining transatlantic unity; and a common strategy in the foreign policy of European countries and the United States.