Youth Initiation Research Articles

Being Young in the Diaspora: Fragmentation of the Palestinian Youth Mobilisation from the Middle East to Europe

While the current research mainly deals with the Palestinian youth in the Middle East, reports from various organisations, whose most accounts are descriptive, hardly provide a sustained and critical evaluation of their nature and impact. With an urgent need to understand better youth engagement in exile under adverse conditions in a conflict-ridden society such as the Palestinian one, this paper aims to analyse the Palestinian youth initiatives from the Middle-East (Lebanon, Syria and Palestine) to Europe (Sweden). Focusing on the Palestinian youth in the diaspora, this paper provides an analysis of the impact of migratory trajectories and activist backgrounds in regards to the evolution of the mobilisation’s practices. Notwithstanding the stunning achievements of the Palestinian youth movement, this article investigates the fragmentation and even collapse of many of these types of engagement due to political and socio-cultural ruptures, throughout data collected in Sweden, and employing the youth engagement theoretical framework.

Trends and characteristics of cannabis-associated emergency department visits in the United States, 2006–2018

BackgroundCannabis policies are rapidly changing in the United States, yet little is known about how this has affected cannabis-associated emergency department (ED) visits. MethodsWe studied trends in cannabis-associated ED visits and identified differences by visit characteristics. Cannabis-associated ED visits from 2006 to 2018 were identified from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project’s (HCUP) Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). JoinPoint analysis was used to identify trends from 2006 to 2014, prior to medical coding changes in 2015, and Z-tests were used to compare annual rate changes from 2016 to 2018. Changes in rates from 2017 to 2018 were examined by visit characteristics. ResultsFrom 2006–2014, the rate of cannabis-associated ED visits increased, on average, 12.1% annually (p < 0.05), from 12.3 to 34.7 visits per 100,000 population. The rate increased 17.3% from 2016 to 2017 (p < 0.05) and 11.1% from 2017 to 2018 (p < 0.05). From 2017–2018, rates of visits increased for both males (8.7%; p < 0.05) and females (15.9%; p < 0.05). Patients 0–14 years and 25 years and older had significant rate increases from 2017 to 2018 as did the Midwest region (36.8%; p < 0.05), the Northeast (9.2%; p < 0.05), and the South (4.5%; p < 0.05). ConclusionsCannabis-associated ED visits are on the rise and subgroups are at increased risk. Some potential explanations for increases in cannabis-associated ED visits include increased availability of cannabis products, increased use, and diversity of products available in marketplaces. Strategies are needed to prevent youth initiation, limit potentially harmful use among adults, and ensure safe storage where cannabis use is legal.

Mental Health Outcomes and Psychological Support among University Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Egypt

Background: COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the impact of a major public health emergency on mental health. Objective: To assess psychological impact among university students and train them to raise mental health awareness among their peers during the pandemic. Methods: This cross-sectional online survey was carried out over the period of July to September 2020. Study participants were medical and paramedical university students representing students’ union alliance of the Egyptian Youth Initiative (EYI). Non-probability sampling method was used for recruiting the study participants. Key mental health outcomes investigated two weeks prior to the survey were posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), symptoms of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and perceived stress. Based on the preliminary analysis of the online questionnaires. A PhD qualified psychiatrist was assigned to develop the online psychosocial support to the volunteers’ students (N=60) to become facilitators for raising mental awareness among peers and train them how to handle stress. Results: Of the 115 students, 42.6% experienced moderate to severe depression, 21.7% were afflicted with moderate to severe anxiety and 62.7% suffered from sub-threshold to severe insomnia. Perceived Stress Scale analysis showed moderate levels of stress among the study participants. A significant difference was detected between pre and posttest mean scores of the PSS (P=0.001) eight weeks after the training program for psychological support. Conclusions: The findings of this study showed that young people suffered of more than one psychological problems and highlighted the urgent need to develop interventions and preventive strategies to address mental health of college students.

Social activity and social responsibility in the ideas and practices of modern youth

Currently, the search for groups and individuals that can become the driving force behind the development of modern Russian society is relevant on the social agenda. Traditionally, it is the youth that is seen as a social group, devoid of the burden of the past and focused on innovation, transformation and reform. Today's young people live in a very contradictory world, facing greater social problems than other age cohorts faced previously. Thus, the realities of a market economy and the globalisation of social processes and interactions are superimposed on the values and ideas of freedom of choice, self-realisation, success in life, as well as the desire to actively participate in the society life. The question of the willingness of young people to bear social responsibility for the chosen forms and ways of influencing social processes and phenomena remains open, since responsibility for innovations being introduced is the other side of social and civic activity. The article presents an analysis of the data obtained by the authors in the course of a sociological study of the social, civic activity of young people, as well as the social responsibility of representatives of this socio-demographic group. The research project was implemented in December 2020 in the form of a questionnaire survey of the youth of Primorsky region, as well as in-depth interviews. It is emphasised that of particular importance in the study of this issue are the regional dimension of the life positions of young people, in the field of social activity in general, in understanding and comprehending the civic activity of their generation, in particular, and in assessing their own position in the coordinates of inclusion-exclusion. Attention is focused on the need for such a dialogue between society, government and youth, that is not limited to declarations, but is based on the mandatory development of mechanisms for involving youth groups in socially responsible practices, on stimulating specific youth initiatives, project and creative activities.

To the issue of the patriotic component of federal and local youth initiatives

To the issue of the patriotic component of federal and local youth initiatives

Digital Storytelling: A Video-based Approach for Engaging University Students in Health Education

BACKGROUND: Digital stories are short videos that use narrative structures to address health outcomes from a personal perspective. AIM: The main objective of this study was to train university students to design a video-based health education program for promoting peer-to-peer education and community awareness. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. The study was conducted as a project for medical students, enrolled in the implementation of the Egyptian Youth Initiative (EYI), executed in response to the Government of Egypt- United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Country Program of Cooperation for 2016 - 2018. A four-day train-the-trainer workshop established for capacity building on DST and video communication. RESULTS: Between June 2017 and May 2018, 120 eligible students were enrolled, among whom median age was 21 years and 67 (55%) were female. Pre- and posttests detected increased percent change of students’ knowledge regarding different health issues. Open-ended questions highlighted pros and cons of the program, the most important skills and knowledge gained, suggestions and recommendations mentioned by the students to maximize the use of this type of workshops in the framework of strengthening and activating the initiative outcome. The trainer created a grading rubric to evaluate student’s video projects. CONCLUSION: The digital story is a lay method to capture meaningful, impactful stories that can be used to advocate for public health concerns and crises. The study highlights the need for high-quality research on the impact of DST in health professionals’ education and behaviors.

CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL DISCOURSE OF UKRAINIAN FOLKLORE DEVELOPMENT IN CLASSICAL UNIVERSITIES IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE XIX CENTURY

The article analyzes the achievements of Ukrainian folkloristic, taking into account the cultural and historical factors of its progress in the second half of the nineteenth century, and outlines the contribution of classical universities teachers in the educational practice of folklore tradition studying. The valuable experience of classical universities teachers in the implementation of folkloristic directed courses, the organization of research work of students, and more are presented, etc. A significant event for the formation of studying folk literature educational practice traditions was the founding of the Department of Russian (Ukrainian) Literature at the University of Jan Casimir in 1848. There were identified the following cultural and historical factors that contributed to the process of studying folkloristic (folk literature) in the classical universities: initiatives of student youth on the establishment of Ukrainian studies departments, teaching in Ukrainian; activities of societies, public organizations, institutions established at classical universities, students' societies, the foundation of periodicals. University teachers were introducing elements of folk literature into the content of linguistic and literary disciplines, working out the folkloristic courses programs, promoting research, collecting activities of future professionals, directing educational work with students, following the contextual, functional, multicultural approaches to the study of folk literature, Ukrainian ethnic group traditional culture, Slavonic peoples, applying interdisciplinary links, methodological principles of other emerging sciences, namely, ethnography, ethnology, historiography, linguistics, literary studies.&#x0D; Achievements of studying the folk literature theory and practice in the XIX century led to the development of Ukrainian folkloristic, assertion of methodological principles of scientific-folkloristic schools, emergence of future philologists and historians' folkloristic training system, and the foundation of folkloristic areas (textology, linguofolkloristic, source studies, ethnomusicology, etc.).

Taxation options for nicotine and tobacco products in Switzerland - a review of tax policies.

Alternative nicotine products such as electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and tobacco heating systems have gained worldwide popularity. Findings suggest ENDS to be probably less harmful than combustible cigarettes, but evidence on long-term health effects is still lacking. The potential risk reduction by using tobacco heating systems instead of combustible cigarettes has largely been studied by tobacco industry-sponsored research. Evidence on the extent of risk reduction is key for risk-adapted taxation policies, which will be discussed soon in the Swiss parliament. Evidence on the effects of tax policies in the USA shows that the level of taxation of ENDS, tobacco heating systems and combustible cigarettes has an effect on switches between these products. Therefore, excise taxes influencing one another need to be considered. In Switzerland, tobacco heating systems are currently taxed at a level of 12%, whereas ENDS are not subject to tobacco excise taxation as yet, because they do not meet the legal definition of a tobacco product. This article analyses approaches for imposing taxes on tobacco and nicotine products and possible outcomes, depending on the intended public health goals. At least three tax models can be considered. Tax model A would apply a very small tax on ENDS and a higher tax for tobacco products, which could increase incentives for smokers to switch to vaping but comes with risks of increased vaping initiation among the youth and subsequent switch to or dual use of tobacco products. In contrast, model B would levy a moderate tax on ENDS and an increased tax on tobacco products, which could limit initiation among youth, incentivise to switch from smoking to vaping and discourage dual use. In model C, a comparable tax level for ENDS, tobacco heating systems and combustible cigarettes is levied. This could have overall positive effects in reducing tobacco- and nicotine-associated burden of disease by discouraging initiation in youth, overall consumption and dual use, but could discourage switching to less harmful products. When applying these tax models to current sales prices of these products we found that no public health goal, such as protecting youth and reducing tobacco-associated morbidity and mortality can be achieved. The price of tobacco products is too low to achieve any price differentiation that reflects the different risks associated with ENDS and tobacco products. In order to achieve any public health goal with one of these tax models, prices for tobacco products need to be increased substantially.

A qualitative study to understand drivers of psychoactive substance use among Nepalese youth.

BackgroundPsychoactive substance use among youth is an emerging public health issue in Nepal. This exploratory study aimed to better understand the drivers of psychoactive substance use among Nepalese youth in Rupandehi district of Nepal.Materials and methodsThis study used a qualitative approach for data collection. Both in-depth interviews (IDI, seven participants) and focus group discussions (FGD, 13 participants) were conducted among study participants who self-reported as psychoactive substance users or had history of psychoactive substance use. Participants for IDI were aged between 11 and 24 years and between 18 and 35 years old for FGDs. Semi-structured interview guides were prepared separately for IDIs and FDGs. Interviews were conducted in Nepali language and were audio recorded, which were there transcribed and translated into English for coding and analyses. In addition, interviews notes were taken by two research assistants. An inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.ResultsThis study identified a range of drivers of psychoactive substances use among Nepalese youths. Themes included (i) socio-cultural factors, (ii) individual factors, (iii) academic environment, (iv) physical environment and the (v) influence of media. The socio-cultural factors were categorized into sub-themes of family relationships, ethnic identity and psychoactive substance use and lack of social acceptance. Individual factors included peer pressure, stress relief and coping with financial challenges. Accessibility and availability of psychoactive substances in the surrounding environment and lack of monitoring and reinforcement of rules/ law and regulations were other drivers to psychoactive substance use among this Nepalese youth cohort.ConclusionOur study identified several important drivers of psychoactive substance use among youth in the Rupandehi district of Nepal. Future works are anticipated to further explore youth initiation and use of psychoactive substances and support the design of interventions that address these risk factors to reduce and prevent subsequent harms.

Investigating the Values of Modern Architectural Heritage in Dubai, UAE

In the last half-century, the world has witnessed a fast-paced technological development where cities have been changing tremendously in terms of infrastructure, public health, and quality of life. Looking into the Middle East and specifically in the Gulf states, the rapid urban growth started in the late 20th century has made the status of heritage structures more vulnerable. Cultural heritage in general and modern architectural heritage in particular, are facing extreme danger, which in turn leads to the loss of cultural identity and memory. The paper investigates the modern architectural heritage of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), taking Dubai as a case study. Due to the constant urban and architectural growth that Dubai has been witnessing since the 1950s, its 20th-century heritage has been put in extreme danger of neglect, or extreme physical alterations and, in many cases, demolishment. The UAE governmental bodies have started launching initiatives for the study and preservation of the modern architectural heritage, beginning with the Dubai Municipality’s initiative in 2017, and continuing on a wider scope with the UAE’s Ministry of Culture and Youth initiative in 2019. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to this process by establishing a chronological overview of the various architectural expressions of the modern era in the UAE. In that sense, the paper introduces a set of commercial architectural examples built in Dubai during the period between the 1960s and the 1970s. As well, it identifies and analyses their cultural and architectural characteristics, and assesses their values based on a chronological, morphological, and stylistic overview. The paper provides preliminary results and key findings and discusses possible guidelines and evaluation criteria to identify and evaluate Dubai’s modern built environment to aid their identification and ranking process, as well as promoting the shaping of conservation policies.

Raising the Age of Purchase and Use of Tobacco Product in Bangladesh: Benefits and Challenges in Protecting Youth from the Tobacco Epidemic.

Tobacco use among young and adolescents is the biggest threat to public health globally. In Bangladesh, every one in 14 youth (13-15 years) uses tobacco in some form. While this problem is growing in the country, we estimate the underage initiation of tobacco use and present evidence that policy measures like increasing the age of purchase and use from the current 18 years to 21 years in the country backed with current tobacco control efforts and adopting vendor licensing will significantly reduce future tobacco burden. We analysed the two rounds of nationally representative Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) data: GATS-1 (2009-10) and GATS-2 (2016-17) and segregated the data for two categories of tobacco consumption (smokers and smokeless tobacco users) based on the age of initiation (<18, 18-21 and >21 years). Consumption patterns were also analyaed by using the GATS-2 data. Projections from sub-national level analysis for youth initiating tobacco use before 21 years and change in the prevalence of overall underage tobacco users were calculated based on weighted value. According to GATS-2, around 89% of current tobacco users initiated tobacco use into daily use before the age of 18 years in Bangladesh. Whereas, striking differences were observed (statistically significant) for the average age of initiation of smoking among smokers aged 20-34 increased from 17.4 in 2009 to 19.3 years; and 20.1 to 22 years for SLT. Moreover, more than 24% of them initiated into regular smoking before the age of 15 years. There is an increasing trends of tobacco initiation among the underage youth of Bangladesh. By increasing the age of access, sale, purchase, and use of tobacco from current 18 years to 21 years will significantly reduce youth initiation and taper down the overall adult tobacco use prevalence over the long run in Bangladesh.

VASILY BUSLAEV’S BATTLE WITH THE ELDER: ATTEMPT AT INTERPRETATION OF THE EPIC MOTIF

The article analyzes the battle of Vasily Buslaev with the elder, presented in the epic “Vasily Buslaev and the Novgorodians,” which has already been discussed in domestic folklore studies. Contrary to the opinion of preceding researchers, who claimed that the elder personified Novgorod or the Christian church, while the battle reflected the struggle of the old system with the new, the author presents his vision of both the image of the elder and the essence of his battle with Vasily Buslaev. They are analyzed in the context of the mythology and practice of the fist-fighting organizations associated, in turn, with youth initiation rites. An analysis of the material, verbal and action codes showed that the elder appears in the epic as a “tainted” otherworldly character associated with the waters of the Volkhov and witchcraft. The attributes of the elder and the methods of his slaying also indicate the possibility of his correlation with the ancestor and the image of Perun. The methods of Vasily’s execution of the elder are clearly analogous to the ancient rituals of sending the ancestors’ souls off to the next world, widespread among the Eastern Slavs. They were associated with the idea of the ancestors’ souls coming to earth at certain points in the calendar year, and the need to send them back to the other world, by launching them on the water, among other ways. In full accordance with the structure and meaning of youth initiations, the battle and the death of the elder may be interpreted as a transfer of magical abilities, strength and a new share to Vasily, who was being initiated. This scheme is fully consistent with the mythology of ancient youth initiations, in which male ancestors (spirits) took an obligatory part.

School of Innovators as a Tool for Revealing the Research Potential of Students

The formation of a highly qualified specialist in the educational environment is realized through a number of influences, including active research work. One of the tools for developing the research potential of students at Penza State Technological University (hereinafter referred to as PenzSTU) is the School of Innovators, whose activities are aimed at creating an educational platform for systematic information, methodological and advisory support for youth initiatives, and developing students’ competencies in the field of project activities. Personal and professional qualities that ensure the competitiveness of specialists with higher education in the labor market are formed with a systematic approach to the educational process and research activities. The purpose of the article is to present the experience of organizing and conducting the School of Innovators in PenzSTU and the effectiveness of its activities. Research methodology and methods. The study was conducted on basis of a systematic approach. Systems research means a set of modern scientific and technical problems and developments, which in all their diversity converge in that they consider the objects they study as systems, that is, a set of interrelated elements as a single whole. The analyzed sources were the works of N. V. Barinova, E. A. Pecherskaya, A. A. Chernikova and others. Research methods are analysis of pedagogical and psychological literature, survey, methods of mathematical processing of experimental data. Conclusion. In conclusion, we came to the result, that the activity of the School of Innovators is of great importance, and how it affects the activation of scientific and technical creativity of young people.

The Role Of Private Household In Family Business

The article discusses the role of horticulture in increasing family income in family business. There are also views on the specifics of small business, family business development, employment, state support for women's and youth initiatives.

916-P: Early CGM Initiation with Remote Monitoring Improves A1C in Youth with T1D

Previous studies have shown that CGM use and frequent contact with the care team is associated with improved A1c. We hypothesized that youth with new onset T1D started on CGM with weekly CGM data review by a CDE would have improved outcomes compared to those on CGM alone.Youth with newly diagnosed T1D from 7/2018 to 3/2019 were started on CGM alone (control, n=46) while those from 3/2019 to 5/2020 were started on CGM with weekly data review by a CDE (GluVue, n=76). Dose adjustments were made via secure messaging. We visualized A1c trajectories using locally estimated scatter plot smoothing (Fig) and assessed for differences in A1c trajectory by GluVue status via cohort*time and cohort*time2 interaction terms in a linear mixed model regression adjusted for baseline characteristics (age, sex, race and insurance type).The mean (SD) A1c at diagnosis was 12.0% (1.8) in the control group and 12.3% (2.3) in the GluVue group. Baseline characteristics of control vs. GluVue: male 25% vs. 39%, Non-Hispanic White 41.3% vs. 35.5%, private insurance 80.4% vs. 73.7%. Mean A1c of the GluVue cohort was lower at 6 months (-0.45%), 9 months (-0.07%), and 12 months (-0.52%) post-diagnosis. A1c trajectories were significantly different between groups via regression analysis (p=0.004).Early initiation of CGM with remote monitoring was associated with lower A1c compared to CGM alone. These data support early CGM initiation plus care team contact in youth with T1D.View largeDownload slideView largeDownload slide DisclosureP. Prahalad: None. K. K. Hood: Consultant; Self; Cecelia Health, Cercacor, LifeScan Diabetes Institute. D. Scheinker: Advisory Panel; Self; Carta Healthcare. M. Desai: None. D. M. Maahs: Advisory Panel; Self; Abbott Diabetes, Dompe, Eli Lilly and Company, Medtronic, Novo Nordisk, Consultant; Self; aditxt. V. Ding: None. B. Leverenz: None. J. Hooper: None. J. Leverenz: None. P. Sagan: None. A. Martinez-singh: None. A. Freeman: None. D. P. Zaharieva: None.FundingNational Institutes of Health (P30DK116074, R18DK122422)

The Tobacco Endgame-Eradicating a Worsening Epidemic: A Joint Opinion From the American Heart Association, World Heart Federation, American College of Cardiology, and the European Society of Cardiology.

The Tobacco Endgame-Eradicating a Worsening Epidemic: A Joint Opinion From the American Heart Association, World Heart Federation, American College of Cardiology, and the European Society of Cardiology.

FDA moves to ban menthol cigarettes

Last week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced it is going to ban menthol cigarettes within the year. The decision is based on the addictiveness, not of menthol, but of the nicotine. For the same reason, the FDA banned all other flavored cigarettes in 2009. “Banning menthol—the last allowable flavor—in cigarettes and banning all flavors in cigars will help save lives, particularly among those disproportionately affected by these deadly products,” said acting FDA commissioner Janet Woodcock, M.D., on April 29. “With these actions, the FDA will help significantly reduce youth initiation, increase the chances of smoking cessation among current smokers, and address health disparities experienced by communities of color, low‐income populations, and LGBTQ+ individuals, all of whom are far more likely to use these tobacco products.” Studies show that menthol increases the appeal of tobacco, especially among young people and Blacks. “For far too long, certain populations, including African Americans, have been targeted, and disproportionately impacted by tobacco use,” said Mitch Zeller, J.D., director of the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products. “Despite the tremendous progress we've made in getting people to stop smoking over the past 55 years, that progress hasn't been experienced by everyone equally.” H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., Dean's Executive Professor at Santa Clara University, told ADAW after the announcement that farmers should be incentivized to grow non‐tobacco products, stores incentivized to sell other products, and nicotine replacement and other therapies be made available. Taxation helps as well, as does limited access to the product, he said. The FDA said it will work with partners in other federal agencies to make sure the support is there for those who are trying to quit.

Endurance running as one of the factors of anthropogenesis

The goal of this research lies in the philosophical perspective on critical analysis of the hypothesis advanced by the American biologists Daniel Lieberman (Harvard) and Dennis Bramble (University of Utah) on endurance running as one of the most significant factors of anthropogenesis. The article determines its strong and weak sides, as well as cognitive potential for further research in the sphere of anthropology. The hypothesis under review correlates with other rationalistic and evolutionary concepts of anthropogenesis, being considered as a means for clarification and substantiation of their basic provisions. The key research methods are analysis and comparison. The acquired results complement the labor theory of anthropogenesis with modern interpretation of natural science data. The area of application of the research results is the philosophical anthropology and philosophy of sports. The novelty of this work consists in philosophical comprehension of endurance running as a component of pre-instrument collective labor activity of the ancestors of modern man, one of the prerequisites for the development of abstract thinking, as well as a means of youth initiation and team bonding, which balances the gender differences in the process of adulting and procuring food by primitive hunters.

Implementation of State Youth Policy at a New Stage of Development of Uzbekistan

The socio-political activity of youth is an indicator of the processes taking place in modern society. Since the young generation is the main mobilization resource of society, which determines the future of the state. This article is devoted to youth policy, international legal documents developed by the UN, the growing relevance of this issue in connection with the deepening of globalization processes and the ensuing dangers and challenges covering all countries, the solutions of which are impossible without the active participation of young people, a question that is always one of the priority tasks of the international community and in particular the UN. The international legal documents regulating the youth sphere are considered, since this issue has been an object of state policy in more than 130 countries of the world since the middle of the 20th century. The article comprehensively surveys the new course taken by Uzbekistan to increase the role of youth in the socio-political life of society. In this regard, emphasis is placed on the comprehensive support of youth initiatives, both from the state and from youth organizations. Based on this, it can be argued that an open dialogue with youth has become a strategic direction at a new stage in the development of Uzbekistan. In this strategy, a key place is given to increasing the social activity of youth, their involvement in the processes of formation of a modern, democratic state.

Electric vehicles revolution: The future, challenges, and prospects in the Arab countries

This study aims to highlight the electric vehicles revolution and its future in the Arab countries and the extent to which these countries are prepared for this modern industrial technology. This study divided into three main parts: The first part shows the historical introduction in electric vehicle manufacturing and how do electric vehicle works? While the second part presents the extent of the world's interest in electric vehicle technology, and the third part is devoted to evaluating the global electric vehicle sales and the future of electric vehicles in the Arab world, as recent few years have witnessed a remarkable official trend to introduce sustainable vehicles into the Arab world, along with a group of youth initiatives aimed at developing environmentally friendly green vehicles, which constitute an ambitious step to keep pace with the latest technologies and keep pace with global awareness of the need to address For global warming and environmental conservation.