Search Results (72)

In high-density and land-scarce urban environments such as Taipei—a typical example of compact development in East Asia—informal green spaces (IGSs)—defined as unmanaged or unplanned vegetated urban areas such as vacant lots, street verges, and railway margins—play a growing role in urban environmental and social dynamics. This study explores residents’ perceptions of IGSs and examines how these spaces contribute to urban sustainability and land governance. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines the literature review, field observations, and a structured public opinion survey in Taipei’s Wenshan District, the study identifies key perceived benefits and drawbacks of IGSs. Findings show that residents highly value IGSs for enhancing urban greenery, offering recreational opportunities, and promoting physical and mental health. However, concerns persist regarding safety, sanitation, and maintenance—particularly fears of waste accumulation, mosquito breeding, and risks to children. The results highlight the dual nature of IGSs as both vital ecological assets and potential sources of urban disorder. These insights underscore the need for inclusive, community-based governance models that can transform IGSs into legitimate components of green infrastructure. The study contributes to emerging discussions on adaptive urban land governance by proposing that informal spaces be strategically integrated into urban planning frameworks to enhance environmental equity, resilience, and citizen well-being. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdowns had widespread psycho-social implications globally. However, the unique experiences of young adults in under-researched rural communities, such as Lonely Park in South Africa’s North West Province, remain poorly documented. This study explores the psycho-social well-being of young adults aged 18–24 in the Lonely Park community during the national COVID-19 lockdown from 23 March 2020 to 30 April 2020, with a particular focus on their emotional, psychological, and social experiences. Using a qualitative, phenomenological design rooted in Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (EST), data were collected from 14 purposively sampled participants through two focus group discussions. Thematic analysis was conducted following Braun and Clarke’s six-phase framework. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee, and participants provided informed consent. Two main themes emerged, (1) psychological and (2) social well-being. Six sub-themes were identified: (1) negative emotions linked to lockdown, (2) fear of COVID-19 and its consequences, (3) rumination and anxiety, (4) disruption of social and educational routines, (5) coping strategies, and (6) structural limitations of healthcare and support systems. Participants experienced intense fear, boredom, isolation, and a sense of helplessness. Yet, coping mechanisms such as communication, spirituality, exercise, and adherence to public health regulations provided resilience. Some reported depression and financial strain due to job loss and school disruptions. The findings highlight the complex interplay of psychological, emotional, and social stressors in rural young adults during the pandemic. Policymakers and mental health practitioners must prioritise targeted psycho-social interventions for youth in under-resourced rural settings. A call is made for culturally responsive mental health programmes that incorporate local voices, especially in rural African contexts. Full article

This study investigates the effectiveness of immersive audiovisual simulations in eliciting emotional responses and replicating the psychological and cognitive demands of high-risk operational environments, particularly in firefighting scenarios. Conducted in two successive phases, the research first employed a pilot study involving 90 participants (45 firefighters and 45 students) who were exposed to a controlled audiovisual simulation. Emotional responses were assessed using the Differential Emotion Scale (DES), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The second phase involved an immersive room experiment with 36 firefighters, where the same audiovisual stimulus was presented in a fully immersive environment, integrating interactive decision-making tasks to enhance ecological validity. The findings indicate that both methods effectively elicited the targeted emotional responses, including stress, fear, anger, and serenity, with firefighters exhibiting greater emotional regulation and adaptive coping strategies compared to students. The immersive room environment significantly amplified emotional engagement, resulting in stronger emotional responses from the first scene onward. These results underscore the potential of immersive training tools in preparing emergency responders for high-stress situations by strengthening psychological resilience, improving emotional regulation, and optimizing decision-making under pressure. The study contributes to advancing evidence-based training methodologies in emergency response, public safety, and crisis management, emphasizing the importance of integrating immersive technologies into professional training programs. Full article

One major challenge in preventing infectious diseases comes from human control behaviors. In the context of vector-borne diseases (VBDs), I explored how the waxing and waning of a human psychological emotion—fear—can generate diverse control actions, which, in turn, influence disease dynamics. Fear may diminish over time after being triggered but can also be reinforced when new triggers emerge. By integrating fear dynamics into a generic Ross–MacDonald model tailored for the Zika virus, I found that an increase in initial fear can enhance control efforts, thereby reducing the number of infected individuals and deaths. Once initial fear becomes strong enough to deplete the mosquito population, any further increase in fear no longer impacts disease dynamics. When initial fear is at an intermediate level, the increase in disease caused by greater decay in fear can be counterbalanced by increasing the frequency of fear triggers. Interestingly, when the control period is short and initial fear is at an intermediate level, increasing the frequency of fear reinforcement can lead to a “hydra effect”, which increases disease transmission. These findings help explain variations in human control efforts and provide insights for developing more effective disease control strategies that account for the fear dynamics of local communities. This work also contributes to advancing the theory at the intersection of human behavior, disease ecology, and epidemiology. Full article

Predator-prey interactions are among the most common and crucial ecological phenomena in nature. Over the course of long-term evolution, prey populations have developed various anti-predation strategies to cope with the threat of predators, with population dispersal being one of the most common strategies. In traditional ecological models, the prey population is typically constrained by direct predation. However, an increasing body of empirical evidence suggests that the fear effect from the predator significantly alters the physiological behavior of prey, leading to a decrease in reproduction rate and an increase in mortality rate. In this paper, we investigate a predator-prey system incorporating asymmetric dispersal and the fear effect, which influences the birth and death rates of the prey species. We rigorously establish the existence and local stability of equilibrium points, derive sufficient conditions for global stability, and prove the occurrence of a transcritical bifurcation at the boundary equilibrium. Our analysis reveals an optimal dispersal rate that maximizes prey population density; beyond this threshold, increased dispersal drives both populations to extinction. Furthermore, the fear effect and its maximum cost exhibit significant negative impacts on predator abundance, though they do not alter the equilibrium stability or existence. These findings provide critical insights for designing habitat corridors in endangered species conservation and underscore the pivotal role of prey dispersal in shaping population dynamics. Full article

Background/Objectives: Despite the availability of screening services, the rate of diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening continues to be suboptimal in Australia, necessitating improvement. However, improving DR screening rates requires a more comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing adherence to the screening recommendations. This study aimed to explore the factors that influence adherence to DR screening among people with diabetes attending a community screening clinic in Australia. Methods: This qualitative study included purposively patients with diabetes recruited from a nurse-led community screening clinic in Australia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore barriers and enablers impacting patient adherence to DR screening recommendations. The interview data were analyzed thematically using NVivo based on the socio-ecological model, with salience identified by the frequency of the theme. Results: A total of 22 participants completed the interview, including 10 females with a mean age of 60 ± 16.2 years. The interviews identified several factors that improved adherence to DR screening guidelines, including (a) knowledge of the connection between DR and diabetes and the importance of the screening, (b) the care provider’s recommendations, and (c) pre-booked appointments and automatic invitations. Beyond these factors, clinic staff interactions, family support, fear of vision loss, flexible clinic hours, and transportation accessibility also facilitate DR screening adherence. Conclusions: The present study identified key multi-level factors influencing adherence to DR screening. While these findings from a single clinic provide valuable insights to inform screening strategies, larger multi-center studies are needed to validate their broader applicability across diverse healthcare settings and populations. Full article

Background: Asian American (AA) young adults, including AA college students, may experience more suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) compared to other racial and ethnic groups of the same age. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first systematic review of the risk and protective factors for STBs with a focus on AA young adults. Methods: Informed by the social-ecological perspective and the cultural model and theory of suicide, this study systematically reviews the risk and protective factors for STBs among AA young adults. Based on 22 research articles published between 1998 and 2023, we analyzed and discussed the effects of 37 risk and 15 protective factors at the individual, relationship, community, societal, and cultural levels. Results: Most risk factors are at the individual level (e.g., depressive symptoms and hopelessness), followed by factors at the cultural level (e.g., acculturation and acculturative stress), the relationship level (e.g., family problems and romantic relationship problems), the community level (e.g., verbal threats on campus), and the societal level (e.g., public stigma about mental health). Also, most protective factors are at the individual level (e.g., self-reliance and fear of suicide), followed by the relationship level (e.g., social support and family responsibilities), the community level (e.g., religious affiliations), and the cultural level (desire not to burden others). Conclusions: This systematic review emphasizes the need for future research to explore cultural factors, subgroup differences, and longitudinal designs, while advocating for culturally specific prevention and intervention strategies to improve mental health outcomes for AAYAs. Full article

Many philosophers have approached the nature of laughter and various ideas have been put forward in the period from the classical period to the present day. One of the relevant ideas was created by the pioneers of relief theory, who sought the nature of laughter in the act of release from psychological pressure. Relief theory appears as one of the most difficult subjects to diagnose, as a result of its dependence on certain psychological conditions, within the framework of the ecology of Turkish laughter. Bektashi narratives, in which the Turkish–Islamic synthesis is intensely seen, probably take the lead among the Turkish anecdote types that can be included in the subject area of relief theory. In the Ottoman geographical region of the 13th century, Bektashism, which was established with a mystical Sufi understanding based on Hacı Bektaş Veli, started to generate products with an intense subject of laughter over time. It is known that Bektashism, which is the continuation in Anatolia of the Turkish Sufi tradition initiated by Hoca Ahmet Yesevi in the 11th century in the Khorasan region, was also respected by the Ottoman Empire for a long time. Bektashism, which is a continuation of the cultural understanding of Islam, became the subject of anecdotes as a type as a result of certain historical events. In Bektashi narratives, which are reflected in anecdotes as a type, it is easy to determine the situation that causes laughter but difficult to make an analysis of why the matter in question is laughed at. From the narrator’s point of view, there is a fear as to why he/she is telling the story, and, from the listener’s point of view, there is a feeling of having sinned because he/she is laughing. Bektashi anecdotes, which have an element of laughter other than the classical laughter elements based on equivoke, consist of a suppressed fear in their content. The act of laughter, which occurs when the suppressed fear causes sudden relief, reveals the feeling of having sinned based on the aggressive attitude of the anecdote towards religious figures that has been aroused in the person. This situation brings along the necessity of explaining the laughter element in Bektashi anecdotes with the theory of relief. The interpretation of Bektashi anecdotes based on the views of Sigmund Freud, one of the pioneers of relief theory, on laughter and its relationship with the unconscious has made it possible to evaluate this in the context of “substitution” theory. The theory of substitution, a mechanism identified by Freud on the interpretation of dreams and the content of anecdotes or jokes, occurs in cases where a statement and its response deviate from the direction indicated by the original statement. For the formation of the theory, which is characterised as a psychological deviation or a product of faulty reasoning, a subject contrary to social norms must be dealt with, laughter must not depend on equivoke and it must be found in the last response of a conversation. Based on these data, five Bektashi anecdotes have been identified using the sampling method in the article and substitution theory has been applied to the identified jokes. Full article

The purpose of this review was to synthesize the available literature on breast cancer-screening barriers, facilitators, and interventions among U.S. African immigrants. Following the integrative review framework and PRISMA guidelines for reporting systemic reviews, five electronic databases were searched: PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Medline, and Google Scholar. Studies were included if they were published in English language journals after 1 January 2000 and reported data on breast cancer-screening barriers, facilitators, or interventions among U.S. African immigrants. Barriers and facilitators reported by studies were descriptively examined and synthesized by two authors and classified as aligning with one of the three levels of influences based on the social–ecological model (intrapersonal, interpersonal, and community). Interventions promoting breast cancer screening were narratively summarized. Search procedures retrieved 1011 articles, with 12 meeting the criteria for inclusion in the review (6 qualitative and 6 quantitative). Intrapersonal barriers included limited awareness, fear of pain, language barriers, health concerns, transportation issues, costs, and negative past experiences. Interpersonal barriers involved modesty, spiritual beliefs, and lack of support, while community-level barriers included provider and healthcare-system challenges. Regarding facilitators, past screening experiences and health insurance were the most commonly reported intrapersonal facilitators. The only interpersonal facilitator identified was observing other women experience a breast cancer diagnosis and undergo treatment. Community-level facilitators included appointment reminders, scheduling assistance, culturally congruent interpreters, transportation to screening facilities, and patient navigators. Three articles reported outcomes of breast cancer-screening interventions. All three were pilot studies and reported increased knowledge and attitudes regarding breast cancer screening following the respective interventions. One study examined the uptake of breast cancer screening following the intervention, with results indicating an increase in screening. Findings provide a comprehensive synthesis of factors influencing breast cancer screening among African immigrants and highlight the need for future research on the topic. This review was registered with Prospero (CRD42024502826) before the initiation of search procedures. Full article

Globally, habitat fragmentation has increased the proximity between wildlife, humans, and emerging predators such as free-ranging dogs. In these fragmented landscapes, encounters between primates and dogs are escalating, with primates often falling victim to dog attacks while navigating patchy landscapes and fragmented forests. We aim to investigate how these primates deal with the simultaneous threats posed by humans and predators, specifically focusing on the adaptive strategies of Central Himalayan langur (CHL) in the landscape of fear. To address this, we conducted a behavioral study on the CHL in an agro-forest landscape, studying them for a total of 3912 h over two consecutive years. Our results indicate that, compared to their most common resting behavior, CHLs allocate more time to feeding and locomotion, and less time to socializing in the presence of humans and predatory dogs. Additionally, they exhibit increased feeding and locomotion and reduced social behavior in agro-forest or open habitats. These behavioral patterns reflect adaptive responses to the landscape of fear, where the presence of predators significantly influences their behavior and resource utilization. This study suggests measures to promote coexistence between humans and wildlife through the integration of effective management strategies that incorporate both ecological and social dimensions of human–wildlife interactions. Full article

Pesticides are often detected in freshwater, but their impact on the aquatic environment is commonly studied based on single compounds, underestimating the potential additive effects of these mixtures. Even at low concentrations, pesticides can negatively affect organisms, altering important behaviors that can have repercussions at the population level. This study used a multi-behavioral approach to evaluate the effects of zebrafish larvae exposure to carbendazim (C), fipronil (F), and sulfentrazone (S), individually and mixed. Five behavioral tests, thigmotaxis, touch sensitivity, optomotor response, bouncing ball test, and larval exploratory behavior, were performed to assess potential effects on anxiety, fear, and spatial and social interaction. Significant changes were observed in the performance of larvae exposed to all compounds and their mixtures. Among the single pesticides, exposure to S produced the most behavioral alterations, followed by F and C, respectively. A synergistic effect between the compounds was observed in the C + F group, which showed more behavioral effects than the groups exposed to pesticides individually. The use of behavioral tests to evaluate pesticide mixtures is important to standardize methods and associate behavioral changes with ecologically relevant events, thus creating a more realistic scenario for investigating the potential environmental impacts of these compounds. Full article

The global decline in the number of pollinators has elicited considerable public attention. To the general public, honeybees are considered to be the primary pollinators. Also, a decline in managed honeybee stocks is alarming and could lead to declining pollination services and reduced ecosystem biodiversity, although the Apis mellifera is the least likely pollinator species on the planet to be at risk of extinction. A less-than-complete understanding of honeybees and their ecology may hinder their conservation. Ascertaining the public’s level of knowledge about, and perception of, a problem can help in solving it. This research focused mainly on honeybees because people are unlikely to be able to recognize the different species of Apoidea. Schools are ideal places for understanding the basic knowledge and attitudes regarding this insect. We aimed to understand the perception and knowledge of 12–14-year-old children towards honeybees as well as to verify the existence of a correlation between knowledge level and positive perception. Secondary school students can play a key role in the conservation of biodiversity as they are carriers of knowledge in families and will be future citizens. To this end, 231 students were given a 26-item questionnaire related to their perception and knowledge of honeybees. Results indicate that the students have a good understanding of the role that bees play in nature but do not have a completely clear idea of this insect’s interactions with the environment. Results also show that the children feel a certain fear of honeybees, although they respect them. The average score of the ecological branch test exceeded the average score of the perceptual one, indicating that the subjects had a more positive education than perception. Full article

Background: Participation in targeted screening reduces lung cancer mortality by 30–60%, but screening is not universally available. Therefore, the study aimed to synthesize the evidence and identify facilitators and barriers to lung cancer screening participation globally. Methods: Two reviewers screened primary studies using qualitative methods published up to February 2023. We used two-phase synthesis consistent with a meta-study methodology to create an interpretation of lung cancer screening decisions grounded in primary studies, carried out a thematic analysis of group themes as specific facilitators and barriers, systematically compared investigations for similarities and differences, and performed meta-synthesis to generate an expanded theory of lung cancer screening participation. We used the Social Ecological Model to organize and interpret the themes: individual, interpersonal, social/cultural, and organizational/structural levels. Results: Fifty-two articles met the final inclusion criteria. Themes identified as facilitating lung cancer screening included prioritizing patient education, quality of communication, and quality of provider-initiated encounter/coordination of care (individual patient and provider level), quality of the patient–provider relationship (interpersonal group), perception of a life’s value and purpose (cultural status), quality of tools designed, and care coordination (and organizational level). Themes coded as barriers included low awareness, fear of cancer diagnosis, low perceived benefit, high perceived risk of low-dose computerized tomography, concern about cancer itself, practical obstacle, futility, stigma, lack of family support, COVID-19 fear, disruptions in cancer care due to COVID-19, inadequate knowledge of care providers, shared decision, and inadequate time (individual level), patient misunderstanding, poor rapport, provider recommendation, lack of established relationship, and confusing decision aid tools (interpersonal group), distrust in the service, fatalistic beliefs, and perception of aging (cultural level), and lack of institutional policy, lack of care coordinators, inadequate infrastructure, absence of insurance coverage, and costs (and organizational status). Conclusions: This study identified critical barriers, facilitators, and implications to lung cancer screening participation. Therefore, we employed strategies for a new digital medicine (artificial intelligence) screening method to balance the cost–benefit, “workdays” lost in case of disease, and family hardship, which is essential to improve lung cancer screening uptake. Full article

This study investigates the dynamics of predator–prey interactions with non-overlapping generations under the influence of fear effects, a crucial factor in ecological research. We propose a novel discrete-time model that addresses limitations of previous models by explicitly incorporating fear. Our primary question is: How does fear influence the stability of predator–prey populations and the potential for chaotic dynamics? We analyze the model to identify biologically relevant equilibria (fixed points) and determine the conditions for their stability. Bifurcation analysis reveals how changes in fear levels and predation rates can lead to population crashes (transcritical bifurcation) and complex population fluctuations (period-doubling and Neimark–Sacker bifurcations). Furthermore, we explore the potential for controlling chaotic behavior using established methods. Finally, two-parameter analysis employing Lyapunov exponents, spectrum, and Kaplan–Yorke dimension quantifies the chaotic dynamics of the proposed system across a range of fear and predation levels. Numerical simulations support the theoretical findings. This study offers valuable insights into the impact of fear on predator–prey dynamics and paves the way for further exploration of chaos control in ecological models. Full article

As environmental issues become more complex, so do our emotional responses to them. Paul Robbins and Sarah A. Moore offer the term “ecological anxiety” to frame scholarly discourse around a fearful response to the “negative normative influence of humans on the earth” and the “inherent influence of normative human values within one’s own science”. This comprehensive literature review unpacks the implications of “eco anxiety” within. The eco anxiety framework is relatively new, with minimal consensus on symptomatic criteria. To appropriately reflect the thoughts, emotions, and experiences of adolescents and young adults, this literature review encourages more accessible climate communication for the sake of the public and science community. Furthermore, more avenues of research are needed to study the term eco anxiety to fit a global context extending beyond Western understanding. Full article