Search Results (17,024)

Genealogy is a powerful analytical framework for understanding the cultural evolution of tribes, communities, and societies. This article demonstrates that the recurrent reliance on genealogical structures is a common feature of human societies, serving as a fundamental mechanism for cultural evolution through time, space, and culture. Based on comparative analysis of indigenous tribal societies (e.g., Aboriginal Australian kinship, Polynesian chiefly genealogies), agrarian civilizations (e.g., European feudal lineages, Chinese patriliny), and modern nation-states (e.g., nationalist mythmaking, DNA-based ancestry movements), this study reveals consistent patterns in genealogical functions. Drawing on an interdisciplinary perspective from anthropology, sociology, history, and evolutionary biology, it is argued that genealogical systems are not passive records of descent but dynamic forces of cultural continuity and adaptation. The evidence shows that, despite vast sociocultural differences, genealogy widely operates as a dual-purpose instrument. It preserves cultural memory and legitimizes political authority while simultaneously facilitating social adaptation and innovation in response to new challenges. The paper also critiques contemporary trends like commercial genetic genealogy, highlighting its potential for reconnecting diasporic communities alongside its risks of biological essentialism. Ultimately, the work establishes that the persistent and patterned reliance on genealogy from oral traditions to genetic data offers a critical lens for understanding the deep structures of cultural continuity and transformation in human societies. It further underscores the importance of genealogy in cultural evolution, historical persistence, societal transformation, and the construction of belonging in an increasingly globalized world. Full article

The rapid development of genomic science beyond its molecular roots to impact many aspects of clinical and rehabilitative practice presents an epistemic challenge and a pressing ethical obligation in its use in occupational therapy. By reviewing interdisciplinary literature at the intersections of genomics, bioethics, and occupational therapy, this review article seeks to unpack the ways genomic knowledge influences the understandings of health, participation, and justice within the profession. Using critical bioethical theory and socio-technical frameworks, the review discusses the movement from reductionist genetic frameworks to relational and systems-based approaches to health that consider epigenetic, environmental, and social determinants. Key themes that emerged include the promise of new understandings of personalized rehabilitation, the potential to exacerbate existing inequities, and effects on professional autonomy and ethical responsibility. The article does not advocate for or against the inclusion of genomic science in occupational therapy, but instead, advocates for reflexive, justice-oriented ethics of genomics, and concludes with a discussion of a translational bioethical framework to help support its responsible use in occupational therapy practice and policy. Full article

This research study addresses the critical contradiction within global food systems: unsustainable consumption patterns and persistent food insecurity coexist and are exacerbated by food waste, which deepens socioeconomic inequalities and generates negative environmental externalities. In this scenario, higher education plays a central role in adopting comprehensive strategic frameworks to develop specialized human capital and influence society. This study analyzes a Service Learning model that integrates the CFS-IRA Principles to promote the SDGs and ensure responsible consumption. Based on a case study of the Food Bank Chair spanning 10 years and 212 projects, the implementation of this model was evaluated using the Working with People (WWP) method, which combines the development of postgraduate students’ skills with community service to address social problems. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the SL-WWP model in strengthening students’ technical, social, and ethical competencies while reducing food waste. The evaluation showed strong alignment with key SDGs, with outstanding performance in governance, although the need to strengthen environmental and social criteria was identified. The originality lies in integrating the CFS-IRA Principles into an SL model that encourages innovative cooperation among universities, civil society, and public–private sectors, offering a replicable proposal for higher education institutions to establish themselves as agents of change towards sustainability. Full article

Achieving the UN sustainable development goals is most effectively realized through the participation of each country and each individual region. Within the framework of regional governance, this requires aligning the social needs, economic feasibility, and environmental constraints of each region. Kazakhstan’s regions vary significantly in their levels of socio-economic progress, based on the differences in resources, infrastructure, population, and industry specialization. Currently, there is no clear system for assessing the feasibility of achieving the sustainable development goals in the country’s regions. This hinders the development of systemic measures to implement the SDGs and achieve the accepted commitments. This study aims to develop a methodology for rating regional development sustainability based on existing assessment methods and approaches. A study of leading global research and expert assessments served as the basis for the National Rating of Sustainable Development of Regions (NRSD), which was tested using empirical data from Kazakhstan. The results of the analysis of the economic and social development of regions confirmed the need to use environmental, social, and economic indicators as key criteria for the NRSD. The paper identifies the main limitations encountered during the research process, provides ways to mitigate them, and suggests paths to expand opportunities. The main emphasis is placed on recommendations for updating the methodology for collecting sustainable data at the regional level. Full article

In recent years, the socio-legal concept of Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) has come under increasing scrutiny in the U.S. Widespread confusion about the legal status of ESAs versus service animals, and concerns about misrepresentation, led to a backlash and a cascade of new legislation addressing “fake service animals.” However, this backlash reveals a broader social problem rooted in policy lag: the integration of companion animals into society has not kept pace with the rise of multispecies families. This article examines law, policy, and public discourse about ESAs within two distinct social contexts: (1) the emergence of multispecies families alongside the systemic exclusion of companion animals from many private and public spaces, and (2) the medicalization of relational bonds and everyday life. Although well-intentioned, the ESA concept creates a two-tiered system where caregivers of companion animals must acquire a medical diagnosis in order to obtain equal access to basic necessities like housing. In addition to resting on weak evidence, it diverts attention from macro social issues by pathologizing the individual, creating a problematic medicalization of the human-animal bond that is ultimately detrimental to the well-being of companion animals, their caregivers, and people with disabilities. The legal and social construction of ESAs is also troublingly anthropocentric, centering what animals can do for humans without considering the emotional support needs and psychological well-being of the animals themselves. This article concludes by arguing that the ESA framework should be replaced with a multispecies social model that supports the human-animal bond without unnecessary medicalization. This approach advocates for equitable laws and policies, such as the expansion of pet-inclusive housing, that benefit families that include companion animals and the communities in which they are embedded. Full article

As climate change mitigation intensifies, retrofitting existing buildings has emerged as a critical and cost-effective strategy to improve energy performance, resilience, and sustainability. This systematic literature review (SLR) analysed 97 peer-reviewed articles published between 2015 and 2025, retrieved from the Scopus database using a title-based search strategy combining keywords related to building performance and retrofit actions. A five-stage screening process was employed to refine results based on publication type, discipline relevance, and research alignment. VOSviewer was used for scientometric mapping, complemented by descriptive and content analyses, to identify six thematic clusters: envelope optimisation, energy economics, environmental quality, system efficiency, passive retrofitting, and digital/data-driven planning. The review also applies a PESTEL framework to evaluate retrofit benefits across political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal dimensions. Finally, seven future research directions are proposed, including digital twin (DT) integration, artificial intelligence (AI) adoption, circular economy (CE) principles, stakeholder engagement, and climate-resilient design. By consolidating fragmented research, this study provides actionable insights for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers, establishing building retrofitting as a strategic pathway toward sustainable and climate-responsive urban development. Full article

A strategic fulcrum for leading high-quality economic development and shaping the nation’s future. Core competitiveness lies in how governments can effectively stimulate consumer demand for green consumption and motivate enterprises to pursue green technology innovation through the development of precise and efficient innovative regulation models. In this paper, a tripartite evolutionary game model is constructed based on evolutionary game theory, encompassing the government, enterprises, and consumers. We analyze the strategic interactions and evolutionary path among these three entities under conditions of bounded rationality and information asymmetry. The research reveals the following: (1) the government can effectively guide enterprises towards genuine green innovation through enhanced rewards for substantive innovation and increased penalties for strategic innovation; (2) consumer purchasing decisions are significantly shaped by economic benefits, perceived social value, and government subsidies, with their market choices forming a critical external supervisory force; and (3) government regulatory strategies are dynamically adjusted in response to market integrity levels and social welfare, with a tendency to implement innovative regulation when “greenwashing” risk is elevated. In conclusion, simulation analysis is conducted using MATLAB 2018a, and governance recommendations are offered based on three dimensions: precise government regulation, enhanced corporate responsibility, and enhanced consumer capabilities. These recommendations offer both a theoretical basis and a practical path for establishing an integrated green innovation governance system based on incentive constraint empowerment. Full article

Shading system design is a complex, multi-objective optimization problem that requires balancing interdependent economic, environmental, social, energy, architectural, and daylighting factors, while also integrating decision-makers’ preferences and user satisfaction. This study aims to develop and validate a hybrid decision-support framework that addresses both quantitative and qualitative data under uncertainty to improve shading system performance. This paper proposes a novel framework that integrates fuzzy logic with multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods. The Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy-AHP) is employed for criteria prioritization, whereas the Fuzzy Quality Function Deployment (Fuzzy-QFD) translates customer needs into technical requirements. Two evolutionary algorithms, the Single-Objective Genetic Algorithm (SOGA) and the Non-Dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II), were implemented and compared. The framework was validated through its application to an existing educational building in Mansoura, Egypt, evaluating both fixed and dynamic shading solutions. The results indicate that the proposed framework effectively translates customer requirements into design criteria and accurately identifies optimal shading solutions, with SOGA outperforming NSGA-II in optimization performance, while dynamic shading systems significantly enhance glare control and visual comfort, thereby confirming the framework’s efficiency in managing interdependent objectives under uncertain conditions. Overall, the framework provides a robust and systematic methodology for incorporating customer satisfaction into shading design and advancing sustainable building performance. Full article

This paper examines the period of rapid economic growth that followed World War II. The main focus of the analysis is on the factors that contributed to this era of prosperity, including economic reconstruction through the Marshall Plan, Keynesian policies of full employment and state intervention, and technological advancements that increased productivity and boosted international trade. At the same time, the paper explores the expansion of the welfare state, which improved living conditions, raised wages, and ensured social stability. The present research analyses economic inequalities between social groups and countries, the intersection between environmental degradation and intense industrial development, and structural weaknesses that arose during the studied period. Particular reference is also made to the social and political tensions associated with the labor movement and the rise in social demands, as well as the geopolitical challenges of the Cold War. Finally, the paper connects the Golden Age with the subsequent economic instability of the 1970s, marked by the collapse of the Bretton Woods system and the oil crises. While the 1950–1970 period left a positive legacy, it also revealed the limitations of a development model that was not entirely sustainable, leading to a gradual transition towards a new economic reality. Full article

This article focuses on Florida’s death row in the 1960s and 1970s when executions stopped, even though juries continued to return capital verdicts for murder and (until 1977) rape. It first challenges the conventional wisdom surrounding the moratorium years as there were no executions in Florida from mid-May 1964 until May 1979. It investigates the overlapping governor-initiated pauses, court-ordered postponements, and significant state and national court rulings in this period. This article then explores the experiences of male death row prisoners who were held in solitary confinement with limited human contact on a special wing in the Florida State Prison at Raiford, an often violent and unstable maximum-security state prison. Prior to the Furman v. Georgia (1972) U.S. Supreme Court decision, capital prisoners in Florida waited for up to twelve years for courts and politicians to make crucial death penalty decisions. Death row conditions declined as the number of penalized bodies increased threefold between 1963 and 1972. However, Florida’s death row also became a crucial political, social, and cultural space in which some prisoners directly challenged the biopower of the state prison system, by submitting hand-written legal appeals, offering to participate in military service and medical-scientific research, and engaging in collective petitioning and hunger strike. Full article

This study explores the role of sustainability-oriented education in supporting post-disaster recovery and resilience in Derna, Libya, following the catastrophic floods of September 2023. Using a qualitative descriptive design, twenty semi-structured interviews were conducted with academic experts, public health professionals, policymakers, and community leaders. The findings reveal that Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is perceived as both a critical resilience tool and a moral imperative in fragile, disaster-affected contexts. However, institutional fragility, limited resources, and weak policy integration hinder its implementation. The study highlights the need to embed ESD within both formal education systems and informal community networks, aligning recovery strategies with local environmental realities. It offers practical recommendations for leveraging schools, faith-based institutions, and grassroots initiatives to foster adaptive capacity. These insights contribute to global debates on localising sustainable development in post-conflict settings and underscore the potential of ESD to bridge immediate recovery and long-term sustainability. The study explicitly aligns with the objectives of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (Quality Education) and Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities). It demonstrates how sustainability-oriented learning can strengthen community resilience by connecting education with local recovery systems, environmental adaptation, and social rebuilding. Through this alignment, the research underscores the role of education as a mechanism for both immediate recovery and long-term sustainability within fragile and disaster-affected societies. Full article

In this research, an innovative, integrative method is applied, which not only links media discourse and statutory planning documents but also involves both quantitative and qualitative analysis. By going beyond the traditional extreme of either policy review or text-based SETS frameworks, this study becomes the pioneer of a dual-coded, matrix-driven approach, which is capable of measuring policy–implementation gaps and empirically revealing the impact of media framing on disaster management outcomes. The 29 October 2024 Valencia flood, which claimed over 229 lives, highlights critical shortcomings in the region’s flood management policies. This study evaluates media and institutional sources to examine how public discourse aligns with post-flood management strategies. It focuses on Valencia’s statutory flood management plan, the “Pla d’acció territorial de caràcter sectorial sobre prevenció del risc d’inundació a la Comunitat Valenciana” (“Regional Action Plan for Flood Risk Prevention,” PATRICOVA) and its limited integration with the Socio–Ecological–Technological Systems (SETS) framework, which we identify as a central weakness. By analyzing Spanish media coverage, particularly from sources such as El País, ABC, and La Vanguardia, alongside government policy documents, the study reveals a gap between theoretical flood risk planning and practical disaster response. Our keyword-based text mining of leading newspapers highlights the neglect of social, ecological, and technological interactions. While PATRICOVA emphasizes nature protection and technological infrastructure, it overlooks critical societal dimensions and climate adaptation scenarios. Media analysis reveals significant failures at the SETS interfaces, especially in early warning systems, intergovernmental coordination, and community preparedness. Full article

In the context of museums’ transformation into active social agents, the Entre Luces (Between Lights) project, developed at the Pablo Gargallo Museum in Zaragoza, serves as a compelling example of accessibility understood as a shared cultural responsibility. Implemented within a listed heritage building, where structural modifications were not possible, the project deliberately shifted the focus from architectural accessibility to communicative, cognitive, and sensory dimensions, placing the quality of the cultural experience at the centre. The study employed a qualitative case study design based on document analysis, participant observation, and semi-structured interviews with museum staff, educators, and members of disability organisations. Through a participatory and iterative co-design process, curators, educators, vocational students, and disability organisations collaborated to develop inclusive solutions. People with disabilities were not regarded as passive users but as co-authors of the process: they contributed to the creation of tactile replicas, audio descriptions, sign language resources, braille, pictograms, and motion-activated audio systems. The project generated three main outcomes. It expanded cultural participation among people with diverse disabilities, enriched the sensory and emotional experience of all visitors, and initiated an institutional transformation that reshaped staff training, interpretive approaches, and the museum’s mission towards inclusivity. Entre Luces demonstrates that even small and medium-sized museums can overcome heritage constraints and promote cultural equity and social innovation through inclusive and sensory-based approaches. Full article

Background: Population ageing is a global challenge, prompting ageing-in-place policies in Hong Kong to support community-dwelling older adults while reducing healthcare costs. Yet, their impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) remains underexplored amid Hong Kong’s long life expectancy and growing older population. Traditional surveys are costly and time-consuming, while routinely collected registration data offers a large, efficient source for health insights. This study uses enhanced administrative data to track HRQoL trajectories and inform policy. Methods: This is a prospective, open-ended longitudinal study, enrolling adults aged 50 or older from a collaborating non-governmental organization in Hong Kong’s Southern District. Data collection, started in February 2021, occurs annually via phone and face-to-face interviews by trained social workers and volunteers using a standardized questionnaire to assess individual (e.g., socio-demographics), environmental (e.g., social support via Lubben Social Network Scale-6), biological (e.g., chronic illnesses), functional (e.g., cognition via Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and HRQoL (e.g., EQ-5D-5L) factors. A secure online system links health and service use data (e.g., service utilization like community care visits). Analysis employs descriptive statistics, group comparisons, correlations, growth modelling to identify health trajectories, and structural equation modelling to test a revised quality-of-life framework. Sample size (projected 470–580 after two follow-ups from a 2321 baseline) is based on power calculations: 300–500 for latent class growth analysis (LCGA) class detection and 200–400 for structural equation modelling (SEM) fit (e.g., RMSEA < 0.06) at 80% power/α = 0.05, simulated via Monte Carlo with a 50–55% attrition. Discussion: This is the first longitudinal HRQoL study in Hong Kong using enhanced non-governmental organization (NGO) administrative data, integrating social–ecological and HRQoL models to predict trajectories (e.g., stable vs. declining mobility) and project care demands (e.g., increase in in-home care for frailty). Unlike prior cross-sectional or inpatient studies, it offers a scalable model for NGOs, informing ageing-in-place policy effectiveness and equitable geriatric care. Full article

Teacher wellbeing is a matter of social justice since burnout syndrome disproportionately affects those working in under-resourced and diverse educational contexts by limiting their ability to foster inclusive and equitable learning. To this situation, art museums respond as pedagogical spaces for wellbeing while contributing to socially just and sustainable arts education. School teachers are offered new opportunities for ongoing professional development tailored to their well-being needs, such as burnout prevention. A two-round international Delphi study with experts from universities, schools, museums, and arts-and-wellbeing organizations (n = 26 1st round, n = 17 2nd round)—rather than focusing on teachers’ personal accounts—develops consensus on a pedagogical framework for art-based programs designed to prevent teacher burnout and enhance wellbeing. The findings identify nine pedagogical guidelines highlighting participatory approaches—audience, objectives, content, methodology, scheduling, facilitators, activities, evaluation, and program adherence. By positioning art museums as democratic, inclusive, and relational spaces, the framework advances the role of the arts in addressing systemic challenges in education, such as supporting teachers’ wellbeing. This research contributes to the international debate on socially just arts education by demonstrating how teacher wellbeing can be fostered through innovative, evidence-based museum practices aligned with SDG 4. Full article