7564 research outputs found
Sort by
Well-being in action
Get PDFThis thesis consists of a critique of two influential accounts of what is good for a human being: that which satisfies their desires, and that which gives them pleasure. Both accounts are therefore ‘subjectivist’ in that they are centred on the personal values of the agent in question. In contrast to the conventional philosophical approach, the study will evaluate these two theories in the context of their suitability for guiding our deliberations about what to do and how best to live. It offers an argument against both theories when they are thus put to work as a basis for making our choices. The argument proceeds by considering what is required in order for us to develop and maintain certain practical and intellectual powers that are essential to our forming an adequate conception of our own good and effectively pursuing this ideal in practice. I will claim that gaining and maintaining these powers requires a certain kind of supportive social context – and, in particular, engagement in certain kinds of formative relationships with others. However, participating in these relationships in the required way necessitates our having an openness to learning from and being influenced by these others that is not possible for an agent who fully commits to either of our two subjectivist views
The association between the housing structure and continued breastfeeding in two Southern African countries
Get PDFAlmost half of the deaths in children under-5 years are linked to malnutrition in low- and middle-income countries(LMICs)(Reference Victora, Bahl and Barros1). The WHO recommends continued breastfeeding for up to two years as a key strategy against malnutrition, yet only 45% of children are breastfed for two years(2). There are many factors associated with shorter breastfeeding duration, housing structure has been associated with shorter breastfeeding duration in Kenya(Reference Kimani-Murage, Wekesah and Wanjohi3), a LMIC. We studied the association between housing structure and breastfeeding duration in two Southern African countries.
Data were extracted, with permission, from the Demographic and Health Survey(DHS), a program which provides nutrition surveillance in 90+ countries. South Africa(SA) and Zimbabwe's 1998 and 2016 data were analysed using R (R-core team 2022) & SPSS-VS28 (IBM 2021). Individual and household recode files were merged using the cluster and household numbers. A complex sample plan was constructed using the sample strata and stratification variables, and data were weighted. Duration of breastfeeding (months) was the outcome variable and the number of rooms used for sleeping, place of dwelling, whether the household has a refrigerator and early initiation of breastfeeding were used as predictor variables. Data were tested for normality. As data were not normally distributed, a Poisson generalised linear model was fitted.
Data for 2397 households were available for SA and 1756 households in Zimbabwe. The number of households with one room for sleeping has increased in SA but decreased in Zimbabwe between 1998 and 2016. These changes have been accompanied by a decrease in median (months) breastfeeding duration in both SA (15 to 12) and Zimbabwe (18 to 12.5). SA has experienced an increase in early breastfeeding initiation (44% to 66%) in contrast, Zimbabwe's early breastfeeding initiation has decreased (66% to 63%). Urban residency (R=−0.140, p < 0.01) and an increasing number of rooms for sleeping (R=−0.025, p < 001) was associated with a decreased duration of any breastfeeding in SA, having a refrigerator (R = 0.082, p < 0.01) was associated with an increased duration but initiation of breastfeeding within 1 hour of birth was not associated. Urban residence (R=−0.123, p < 0.01) and an increasing number of rooms used for sleeping (R=−0.033, p < 0.01) were associated with decreased duration of any breastfeeding in Zimbabwe but the timing of initiation of breastfeeding or having a refrigerator were not associated.
Increasing one-room houses were associated with higher breastfeeding cessation in the current study, in line with(Reference Kimani-Murage, Wekesah and Wanjohi3)who found that one-room multi-purpose houses forced mothers to cease breastfeeding early. Crowding seems to be detrimental to breastfeeding maintenance in LMICs, opposite to developed nations(Reference Reno, Whipps and Wallenborn4). Built environment influences breastfeeding duration in LMICs hence intervention should consider this. The context in which the size of the dwelling place sits is crucial to correctly infer the drivers for change in breastfeeding duration
Field Notes - Make good: rethinking material futures
No full textFor the second iteration of Make Good: Rethinking Material Futures, the V&A museum collaborated with environmental charity Sylva Foundation to create the Field Notes summer school. Twelve practitioners within art, design and architecture were selected to participate through an open call-out. Through seminars, forest walks, and hands-on making the participants explored ways of caring for woodlands and utilising locally sourced wood. Field Notes considered the importance of diverse thinking when envisioning sustainable futures, it also discussed issues of land use and ownership; and questions of access and inclusion.
The exhibition was held in the The Dr Susan Weber Gallery of the V&A Museum, from 1st September 2023 to 15th October 2023
Evaluating barriers to sustainable boiler operation in the apparel manufacturing industry: implications for mitigating operational hazards in the emerging economies
Get PDFThe efficiency with which conventional boilers perform, in terms of sustainability, is affected by a variety of factors. Unsustainable boiler operating practices are still surprisingly frequent in developing countries, resulting in environmental liabilities and catastrophic accidents. It is a serious problem in developing countries like Bangladesh, where boilers are utilized extensively in the apparel manufacturing sector. However, no research has yet examined the challenges or barriers associated with sustainable boiler operation in the apparel manufacturing sector. This study, thereby, utilizes an integrated MCDM approach, combining the fuzzy theory and the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) method, to identify, prioritize, and explore the relations among the barriers to sustainable boiler operation in the apparel manufacturing industry, from an emerging economy perspective. The barriers were initially identified from the literature and a visual survey of 127 factories. After expert validation, thirteen barriers were finally selected to be analyzed utilizing the fuzzy DEMATEL method. The study findings revealed that ’Absence of water treatment facilities’, ’Fossil fuel burning and GHG emissions’, and ’Excessive consumption of groundwater’ are the three most prominent barriers to sustainable boiler operation. The cause-effect relations among the barriers suggest that ’Inadequate compliance with safety and hazard regulations’ is the most influential and ’Fossil fuel burning and GHG emissions’ is the most influenced barrier. This study is expected to guide the managers and policymakers of the apparel manufacturing sector in successfully overcoming the barriers to sustainable boiler operation, thus mitigating the operational hazards and achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs)
Psychological well-being of young adults during COVID-19 pandemic: lesson learned and future research agenda
Get PDFPsychological and mental well-being has become a topic of concern worldwide after the hit of the COVID-19 pandemic. It has triggered enormous global health care vulnerabilities and resulted in full and partial lockdowns to prevent the new case. This research study provides a comprehensive overview of the published international scientific studies on the effect of COVID-19 on the psychological well-being of young adults. This study aims to review the top-cited authors, documents, journals, productive countries, the most used keywords, and trending themes in this area. Articles related to psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic from January 2020 to December 2022 were extracted from the Scopus database with specified keywords. In total, 482 documents were retrieved as original articles and bibliometric analysis, thematic analysis and content analysis are performed and analyzed. The results show that the United States has contributed the largest publications followed by the United Kingdom and Italy. Through the cluster analysis, it is found that many articles have been published and considered the psychological and mental impact of COVID-19. Young adults from both developed and developing countries are majorly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic prioritizes the importance of global psychological well-being and health care. This study focused on different aspects, such as stress, resilience, and the mental health of young adults. The research findings of this study put forth the urgent need to provide preventive policies and intervention procedures to address the psychological health of young adults and proposed a conceptual framework
Let's just see what happens: a qualitative case study of risk and uncertainty in the creative process
Get PDFResearch in creativity often measures creative potential: the number of ideas which can be generated, or the way a novel thought appears in the mind of the thinker. There is much less emphasis on creativity as the realisation of this potential. This paper uses focused cognitive ethnography to explore how creativity is manifest in a complex environment. We report four main findings: that creativity involves a form of “knowing through doing”, that creativity requires risk on different levels, that an embodied material sensitivity is required to make ideas appear in the world and that the form of the creative product is often unstable. We end with some reflections on the importance of detailed microgenetic work to expand our understanding of the embodied and responsive skills which are necessary for creativity
Socio-demographic characteristics and clinical profile of suicide attempters attending the Emergency Department at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Oman: a retrospective study
Get PDFObjective:
This study examined socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of individuals who attended the emergency department (Muscat, Oman) following a suicide attempt.
Methods:
A retrospective study (n= 154) was conducted between January 2015 and June 2018. Information accrued included socio-demographic variables (age, nationality, sex, marital status, and occupation), risk (medical co-morbidities, psychiatric history, substance misuse, alcohol consumption, and previous history of suicide attempts), and precipitating factors, as well as the chosen methods of the suicide attempt.
Result:
83.1% were Omanis and women constituted 69.5% of the sample with a mean age of 27 years. 40.9% of the sample had a history of psychiatric disorders. 30% were students, and 42% were unemployed. Family conflict, suffering from chronic illness, and having social problems were the most common precipitating factors for the suicide attempt. The most common method used in the suicide attempt was drug overdose (48.1%) and mainly paracetamol (40%). Significant gender differences emerged to precipitating factors, a history of substance misuse, and methods of suicide.
Conclusion:
The present data aligns with international trends that suggest that women and younger age groups are the most vulnerable to suicide attempts. Although in its infancy, the present research’s findings could lay the groundwork for preventative interventions and programs
The reach and benefits of a digital intervention to improve physical activity in people with a musculoskeletal condition delivered during the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK
Get PDFAim:
To evaluate a digital intervention to improve physical activity in people in the UK with a musculoskeletal condition delivered during movement restrictions brought about because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Method:
Service evaluation data collected from 26,041 participants over 5 months was assessed against national datasets to understand the reach and representativeness of the digital physical activity intervention. Measures to restrict the movement and interaction of people were in place during these 5 months. Cross-sectional data from 2,752 participants across different stages of the 12-week programme assessed levels of physical activity and the components of behaviour as defined by the COM-B model. Regression analysis investigated the relationship between programme stage and physical activity and the components of behaviour.
Results:
In comparison to the UK population of people with a musculoskeletal condition, the intervention participants were over-represented by females, White, and inactive people. A cross-sectional analysis suggested that the number of participants regularly active increased by programme stage. Scores for the behavioural components of automatic and reflective motivation, physical and psychological capability, and physical opportunity were also improved by programme stage.
Conclusion:
The service evaluation suggests that the digital intervention, designed to improve physical activity in people with a musculoskeletal condition, could be beneficial during measures to restrict movement to slow the spread of infectious disease in those who are already motivated to become or stay active
Reinventing reverse logistics through blockchain technology: a comprehensive review and future research propositions
Get PDFBlockchain Technology (BCT) has effectively evolved in reverse logistics (RL) to speed up its operation by decentralising, tracing, and monitoring the goods delivered to the end consumers. This study outlines the current research fashion of BCT applicability in RL from 2015 to 22. A wide range of 226 research papers is selected from the SCOPUS database to conduct the bibliometric and network analysis for offering a comprehensive literature review on research clusters and fashions of BCT in RL. Some primary research clusters such as infrastructure development, sustainable manufacturing, logistics, circular supply chain, and waste management are identified. The network analysis has helped identify pioneer authors, journals, and countries actively involved in BCT research in RL. The content analysis findings indicate the evolution of BCT in various themes of RL. The articles also develop a result systematisation framework to concisely offer the outcomes of this research. Further, the current study provides recommendations for future research work for academic and industry practitioners based on the existing literature
Book review : “I know who caused COVID-19”: pandemics and xenophobia
Get PDFThis is a book review of “I know who caused COVID-19”: pandemics and xenophobia / by Zhou Xun and Sander L. Gilman. This book reminds us that "some diseases cause moral panic, much as did syphilis in the nineteenth century and HIV/AIDS in the 1980s, with real political and social implications". Indeed the book begins with reference to the Plague of Athens in 430BC which apparently was blamed on the Ethiopians. Xun and Gilman, using a range of historical and contemporary examples, demonstrate how diseases spark fear and even panic and usually result in the need to blame a scapegoat for causing and/or spreading the illness