Search Results (1,569)

Implicit bias, automatic attitudes or stereotypes outside conscious awareness, may influence clinicians’ communication, diagnosis, and treatment decisions, contributing to inequities in care. We conducted a scoping review to map measurement strategies used to assess implicit bias among health professionals and students in healthcare and training settings. Using Joanna Briggs Institute guidance and PRISMA-ScR, we searched PubMed, Embase, BVS, Google Scholar, and institutional repositories for studies to November 2025; two reviewers independently screened and charted data (protocol was developed a priori but submitted internal in organization, and then uploaded in OSF. Of 1864 records, 93 studies from 28 countries were included. We identified 57 bias domains, most often race/ethnicity, weight, and sexual orientation. Across studies, 42 unique instruments were reported; the Implicit Association Test was most common, while psychometric validation and administration details were frequently limited, constraining comparability and interpretation. Evidence gap mapping showed concentration in academic and hospital settings, with fewer studies in primary care or community contexts and limited attention to age, disability, and intersectionality-related biases. The evidence base is growing but fragmented; future work should prioritize standardized administration and reporting, stronger validation, and tools that better capture automatic responding across diverse identities and care settings to support education and equity-oriented interventions. Full article

The expansion of the European Union Emissions Trading System to road transport and buildings (ETS2) raises significant concerns regarding the distributive social impacts of carbon pricing on vulnerable households, particularly in regions characterized by high car dependency, limited public transport accessibility, and pronounced territorial inequalities. This paper aims to develop an integrated conceptual framework for analyzing transport poverty in the context of ETS2 and the just climate transition. The study adopts a conceptual–analytical approach based on a structured literature review of peer-reviewed publications and EU policy documents, combined with a qualitative policy analysis focused on Bulgaria as a critical case. The paper identifies six interacting analytical dimensions of transport poverty—economic vulnerability, spatial vulnerability, mobility dependency, infrastructure vulnerability, climate-policy exposure, and social vulnerability—and maps the causal pathways through which carbon pricing mechanisms may intensify mobility deprivation, particularly among low-income, rural, and forced-car-ownership households. The analysis demonstrates that ETS2 may exacerbate existing socio-spatial inequalities unless accompanied by well-designed compensatory, accessibility-oriented, and territorially sensitive policy measures. The Bulgarian case illustrates the specific structural risk factors prevalent in Central and Eastern European countries. The paper contributes to the emerging academic literature on transport poverty by positioning it as a critical dimension of the just climate transition and by providing a conceptual foundation for future empirical research within the ACTETS2 project framework. Full article

This study examines where socioeconomic differences in students’ computational thinking (CT) learning become visible by comparing a diagnostic assessment of conceptual CT knowledge with behavioral indicators derived from interaction data in a digital programming environment. The study involved 444 elementary school students who completed a structured sequence of programming tasks while their activity was recorded. Conceptual CT knowledge was assessed using a validated diagnostic instrument, and four behavioral indicators were derived from learning logs: average first-try stars, attempts per challenge, highest challenge reached, and average solution time. Analyses were conducted at two complementary levels: individual indicators and integrated digital behavioral types identified through clustering. The findings revealed no meaningful socioeconomic differences in diagnostic CT performance and no consistent differences across most individual behavioral indicators, with the exception of average first-try stars. However, socioeconomic differences became visible when students’ interaction patterns were examined as multidimensional configurations of engagement. These results suggest that socioeconomic variation is reflected primarily in students’ engagement with digital problem-solving processes rather than in conceptual knowledge alone. The study highlights the value of combining diagnostic and log-based measures for understanding how educational inequality may become observable in computational thinking development. Full article

In this paper, we employ the Nash–Moser iteration technique and the Saloff–Coste’s Sobolev inequality to study the local and global properties of positive solutions to the Trudinger equation ${\Delta }_{p,f}{u}^{{\displaystyle \frac{1}{p-1}}}+b{u}^q+c{u}^r=0$ on a complete smooth metric measure space with m-Bakry-Émery Ricci curvature bounded from below, where $b,c\in \mathbb{R}$, $p>1$, and $q\le r$ are real constants. We first give universal gradient estimates for the above equation under certain assumptions on b, c, p, q, and r. As their natural corollary, Harnack inequalities and Liouville-type theorems for positive solutions are obtained. Later, we consider the explicit global gradient estimates for such entire solutions through the global gradient estimates obtained. Full article

The proposition that expanding education uniformly advances the 2030 Agenda is widely held in policy discourse—embedded in SDG 4, amplified by UNESCO, and routinely invoked in national development strategies. This paper shows that this proposition holds only partially. Using a balanced panel of 193 countries observed over 2000–2023, we estimate 96 two-way fixed-effects regressions connecting eight measures of education—spanning expenditure, enrolment, completion, attainment, and accumulated stock—to twelve Sustainable Development Goal outcomes. The estimates reveal a pronounced block asymmetry. On the social side, educational expansion is a robust correlate of progress against poverty: a one-standard-deviation increase in secondary enrolment is associated with a 0.16-log-point lower $2.15/day extreme-poverty headcount and a 4.35-point lower value on the 0–100 SDG-1 composite, both significant at p < 0.001. On the environmental side, the same education measure is associated with a coefficient of β = +0.048 (p = 0.014) on production-based CO₂ per capita and β = −0.260 (p = 0.031) on forest area—associations that are statistically significant but directionally perverse, though small in magnitude (approximately 0.05–0.26 SD on the standardised outcome). Higher schooling is also associated with higher within-country inequality (β = +0.71 on the Gini, p = 0.006). The asymmetry survives Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, Oster sensitivity bounds, and two-year lagged specifications. The findings qualify the optimistic narrative that frames education as a uniform instrument for sustainable development: schooling is a robust predictor of social-block progress, but appears insufficient on its own for environmental progress and is best understood as a complement to, rather than a substitute for, dedicated environmental policy. The 2030 architecture may benefit from differentiated instrument–goal pairs rather than reliance on any single instrument across all goals. Full article

The present contribution provides a systematic review of the international scientific literature on the relationship between contaminated sites and real estate market dynamics. The objective is to investigate whether and to what extent the presence of environmental risk sources—both active or decommissioned—affects the value of surrounding residential properties. In particular, the review is focused on an examination of the methods commonly used in relevant studies to measure, interpret, and represent this impact across different geographical contexts, identifying the main magnitude ranges found in the selected contributions. Several studies consistently confirm a statistically significant negative relationship between proximity to polluting sites and real estate values, although the relevance of this effect varies considerably across case studies. Other records highlight non-notable impacts or even positive effects following remediation and redevelopment interventions. The evidence suggests that this relationship is complex and influenced by factors such as site type, contamination severity, specificities of the local urban context and community perception. Moreover, the findings underscore regional variations in the extent and nature of price impacts, reflecting diverse regulatory frameworks and remediation efforts. The outcomes of the literature review provide a robust foundation for developing more effective evaluation tools able to support decision-making processes, enabling policymakers, planners, and investors to promote sustainable urban regeneration, improve environmental justice, and reduce spatial inequalities. Ultimately, this study highlights the critical need for integrating environmental, social, and economic dimensions to fully capture the multifaceted effects of contaminated sites on property markets, thereby orienting more informed and equitable urban development strategies worldwide. Full article

Neighbourhood-scale sustainable urban mobility assessment requires analytical tools that evaluate walking, cycling, and public transport together rather than as separate modes. Existing studies often rely on single-mode indicators or aggregated urban-scale measures, which limit their ability to reveal micro-scale spatial inequalities and multimodal performance imbalances. This study addresses this gap by developing an integrated Geographic Information Systems (GIS)–Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)–correlation–clustering framework for six sample areas in Kayseri, Türkiye. The framework evaluates three main criteria—walkability, bikeability, and public transport accessibility—through ten sub-criteria. In addition, seven land-use and urban design variables are used to examine built environment relationships. A 100 × 100 m grid-based spatial database was created; criteria weights were determined using AHP; mobility scores were examined through correlation analysis; and spatial mobility typologies were identified using K-means clustering. The findings indicate that development density and land-use diversity support walkability. However, similar density patterns do not automatically improve cycling performance or public transport integration. The clustering results reveal persistent modal imbalances, even in areas with medium-to-high overall performance. The study demonstrates that density alone is insufficient for multimodal sustainability and offers an adaptable decision-support framework for context-sensitive neighbourhood planning. Full article

Objective: This study examined the disparities in the prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents from 1990 to 2022. Methods: Crude prevalence estimates were obtained from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Global Health Observatory, accessible through the WHO Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (WHO HEAT). The study population comprised children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years. Obesity was defined as a body mass index (BMI) exceeding two standard deviations above the mean, in accordance with the WHO Growth Reference. Descriptive analysis was employed to examine longitudinal trends and disparities in crude obesity prevalence. The dimensions of age (5–9 and 10–19 years) and sex (female and male) were utilised to assess disparities related to obesity. Absolute and relative inequalities were evaluated using difference (D) and ratio (R) summary measures, respectively. Results: In 1990, the crude prevalence of obesity was higher among female children and adolescents (1.45%; confidence interval [CI] 0.38–3.41) compared to their male counterparts (1.07%; CI 0.14–3.40). However, by 2022, the prevalence was higher among males (8.20%; CI 5.15–12.01) compared to females (5.78%; CI 3.57–8.48). Regarding age, the prevalence of obesity in 1990 was 2.24% among 5–9-year-olds, compared with 0.59% among 10–19-year-olds. Both age groups saw an increase in crude obesity prevalence over time, and by 2022, the prevalence of obesity was 12.10% among 5–9-year-olds, compared with 4.04% among 10–19-year-olds. In 1990, the difference and ratio estimates were 0.38 and 1.36, respectively, indicating a higher prevalence among females than males. Concurrently, the ratio decreased from 1.36 in 1990 to 0.71 in 2022, further confirming the shift towards a higher prevalence of male obesity in later years. The difference in obesity prevalence (5–9 years minus 10–19 years) stayed positive throughout the study period. In 2022, the age difference in crude obesity prevalence was +8.07 percentage points, and the ratio was 3.00, indicating that the younger group had a prevalence three times that of the older group. Conclusions: The prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity increased significantly from 1990 to 2022, with a shift from females to males and a disproportionate impact on younger children. These trends underscore the necessity for targeted public health interventions that address age- and sex-specific disparities. Full article

In this paper, based on the Schauder fixed point theorem, the (generalized) Darbo fixed point theorem, and the (generalized) Banach contraction mapping principle, we study the mixed-type fractional impulse evolution equation with non-local and delay terms, and obtain the existence and uniqueness theorems under whether the operator is compact or not. The order of the derivative in this paper is $0<\alpha <1$, this fractional order introduces a series of problems concerning compactness, continuity, and convergence. We overcome these problems using methods such as H$\ddot{o}$lder inequality and Minkowski inequality. Moreover, under the condition of the non-compact measure, the non-negative constant is extended to an unbounded Lebesgue-integrable function. In addition, when obtaining the uniqueness of the solution through the (generalized) Banach contraction mapping principle, the non-negative constant L in the Lipschitz condition is extended to an unbounded Lebesgue integrable function. Finally, a case study is conducted to demonstrate the validity of the theoretical results. Full article

The expansion of remote work has transformed labour market conditions across the developed world, yet access to home-based work remains unequally distributed along occupational, sectoral, regional, and organisational lines. Post-pandemic evidence on the persistence of these inequalities is particularly scarce in Central and Eastern European economies, where historically low remote work prevalence, manufacturing-intensive industrial structures, and pronounced regional disparities create a distinctive structural context. Drawing on primary survey data collected from 390 employees in Slovakia in 2025, this study pursues two interrelated empirical goals: to identify the factors predicting a mismatch between the structural feasibility of working from home and its actual availability to employees, and to examine the determinants of experienced work discomfort. Binary logistic regression, multiple linear regression, and a battery of group difference tests were employed across the two analytical strands. The results reveal a pronounced capital–periphery gradient in remote work access, with employees outside the capital city facing dramatically higher odds of mismatch, and identify organisational support as the most practically actionable determinant of work discomfort. Notably, experiencing a mismatch between remote work feasibility and access was not associated with higher discomfort, a finding that challenges assumptions common in the Western European literature and points to the moderating role of contextual expectations in post-communist labour markets. The findings offer directly applicable evidence for employers seeking to reduce work-related strain through targeted support measures, and for policymakers designing regulatory frameworks to promote equitable access to flexible work arrangements across regions and sectors. Full article

The European Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) commits, in its Treaty foundation, to a fair standard of living for the agricultural community and, in its post-2014 architecture, to enhanced territorial cohesion. Yet repeated reform cycles have left the regional concentration of payments in many Member States visibly untouched. This paper asks why. We document the persistence of the territorial concentration of CAP transfers across the 13 Greek NUTS-2 regions over the 2010–2025 period (€47.65 bn cumulative), identify the CAP design mechanisms that mechanically reproduce it, and quantify how much of the observed aggregate stationarity is the artefact of compositional shifts versus genuinely offsetting forces. Using the universe of payment disbursements aggregated to 13 NUTS-2 regions and 51 NUTS-3 prefectures, we (i) test for σ- and β-convergence and Lorenz dominance, (ii) decompose Theil-T between and within regions and across Pillar I/Pillar II, and (iii) run four counterfactual simulations: Pillar II share held at its 2010 level, Article: 17-style capping at a 12–15% NUTS-2 ceiling, an Article: 29-style lower-tail floor, and a concentration-elasticity perturbation of the top region. The territorial distribution of support proves strikingly stable: standard inequality measures stay within a narrow band for sixteen consecutive years, and the ranking of regions barely changes, so formal convergence tests detect no narrowing over time. Three messages follow. First, this persistence is not accidental but built into the architecture of the CAP—through historical-reference entitlement values, the per-hectare logic of the Basic Payment Scheme, the geographic concentration of coupled support in cotton and livestock, and the cadastral fragmentation of the island prefectures. Second, the apparent stability conceals two large and opposing forces: the post-2014 expansion of Pillar II has reduced regional disparities, while a widening of the Pillar I distribution has increased them by almost the same amount, so aggregate stationarity reflects policy effort cancelling out, not the absence of it. Third, the instruments already in the CAP toolbox have real redistributive power: capping the largest region’s envelope and redistributing the surplus to lagging regions, or introducing a lower-tail floor, would roughly halve measured inequality. Therefore, the spatial concentration of CAP transfers in Greece is a designed equilibrium rather than an unsolved residual, and reducing it requires instruments that act asymmetrically on the top of the distribution. Full article

While land development opportunities stemming from planning regulations demonstrably influence rural household income, quantitative evidence quantifying these effects remains limited. Measuring and decomposing these effects can empirically support territorial spatial planning policies aimed at alleviating associated regional development imbalances and advancing sustainable rural development. This study selects Wuhan’s Sino-French Eco-City (urban development zone) and Xiaosi Township (wetland conservation zone) as typical zones. Based on 573 randomly sampled rural households, we explore the effects of land development opportunities on rural household incomes and find that: (1) Land development opportunities for non-agricultural conversion in the urban development zone significantly increase rural households’ total income, wage income, though their corresponding contribution rates are limited. Endogenously accumulated endowments such as human capital and economic status dominate the formation of such income gaps. (2) Planning-induced land development opportunities yield coefficients of 1.0442 for local employment income and −0.4567 for agricultural business income, with both statistically significant at the 1% significance level. Decomposition results show their respective contribution rates of 70.68% and 86.77%, demonstrating that such opportunities primarily account for cross-regional rural household income gaps. (3) Whereas non-agricultural land development opportunities narrow disparities in households’ local employment income, they raise inequality in rural households’ migrant employment, business, property and transfer income. These growth and equality-enhancing effects on local wage income are particularly pronounced for households possessing high-quantity but low-quality human capital. This study recommends supporting protected zones via farmer vocational training, expanded rural public service expenditure, and a benefit-sharing mechanism that channels land development gains to ecological and agricultural regions to strengthen households’ endogenous development capacity. Full article

Background: In May 2023, Ghana implemented a 20% ad valorem tax on bottled water and sweet beverages (SBs), replacing a 17.5% tax; sachet water remained untaxed. The effect on low-income consumers’ purchasing decisions and consumption patterns remains poorly understood. Objective: We aimed to explore factors influencing water and SB purchasing behaviours among low-income households in four peri-urban Accra communities. Methods: This study employed a convergent parallel mixed-methods design. Four focus group discussions (n = 36) and a cross-sectional survey (n = 43) were conducted among purposively sampled household primary shoppers in early 2025 across Oyarifa, Teiman, Kweiman, and Danfa. Data were analysed thematically and descriptively. Results: Of 43 participants, 67% were female and 65% had junior high school education. Water insecurity was common (60%), and sachet water was the main drinking source (77%). SB purchasing was driven by taste and convenience, while sachet water choices were linked to perceived safety, price, and availability. Tax awareness was moderate (56%); many perceived bottled water taxation as unfair and reported intentions to switch to cheaper local alternatives. Conclusions: Limited tax awareness and perceived inequities suggest the need for policy refinements to better align fiscal measures with public health objectives. Full article

While public sanitation is a fundamental component of urban infrastructure, it is often treated as a discretionary amenity rather than a core public service subject to legal standards of equality and dignity. This article challenges gender-blind approaches to urban planning by examining how inadequate public toilet provision constrains women’s everyday mobility and presence in public space, raising questions of indirect gender discrimination and regulatory responsibility. Drawing on an exploratory mixed-methods study (N = 97), the analysis combines quantitative assessment of access barriers, qualitative user narratives, and time-based measurement of total restroom use duration to examine patterns of use and waiting with particular attention to gender differences. The findings indicate that hygiene-related concerns are reported across both men and women, without clear evidence of a consistent gender-specific pattern, while women are disproportionately affected by throughput failures, long waiting times, and the absence of care-integrated facilities. At the same time, variation in support for gender-neutral toilet solutions suggests that user acceptance may not align with model-based proposals in the literature. These inequalities reflect an institutional accountability gap with legal implications in the governance of everyday public services. By shifting the focus from numerical potty parity to temporal inequality and responsibility, this article contributes to feminist legal scholarship by situating sanitation within questions of temporal inequality and institutional responsibility. While exploratory in nature, the findings offer empirically grounded insights into inequalities in everyday sanitation governance. Full article

People with disabilities face multiple challenges in the labor sphere, including barriers to access, discrimination, lower job stability, and limited opportunities for development, all of which restrict their economic and social participation. In response to this reality, public policies aimed at labor inclusion have gained increasing relevance due to their potential to reduce inequalities and strengthen social sustainability. The aim of this study was to analyze public policies designed for the labor inclusion of people with disabilities by identifying their main characteristics, target populations, implementation barriers, and their relationship with social sustainability. The PRISMA methodology was applied, and, as a result of the search, selection, and evaluation process, 75 primary studies were included in the analysis. The results show that policies are mainly concentrated on measures to facilitate access to employment, incentives for employers, and vocational training, while entrepreneurship receives less attention. Most policies are directed toward people with disabilities in general, with limited attention to specific subgroups. Persistent barriers were identified, including prejudice, weak institutional coordination, and a gap between regulatory frameworks and their effective implementation. It is concluded that, although these policies show progress in terms of inclusion, their contribution to social sustainability depends on more effective, better coordinated, and more responsive implementation that takes into account the diversity of needs within this population. Full article