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The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly transformed the world's population by accelerating social, economic, market, and technological changes. In this context, the sharing economy has promoted alternative business models that transcend traditional capitalism in a digital movement disseminated by individuals, communities, and platforms that bring organizations, consumers, and providers together. Our study aims to identify and map how digital platforms based on cooperative principles can develop the sharing economy. We developed exploratory qualitative research while using netnography as a methodological procedure. First, we discuss the sharing economy based on digital platforms that foster cooperation. Second, we describe how platform cooperativism can be an alternative to the individualistic ethos of the sharing economy. Finally, we discuss alternatives with social and economic impacts to solve employment and income problems after the Covid-19 pandemic. The research contributes to the various initiatives and cooperative applications emerging in a developing country.

This article examines the construction of self‐employment in public policy debates, focusing on how political actors define self‐employment and on the moral implications of these categorisations. Employing critical discourse analysis and the social construction of a target population, the authors examine verbatim transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Czech parliament between 2021 and 2023. These debates reveal how legislators perceive the value of self‐employment as a part of the economy. The study explores the underpinnings of such public policy debates, as well as the moral consequences of categorising self‐employment. We argue that by foregrounding some morally loaded argumentations and, in particular, discursive constructions, politicians (as both discursive and policy actors) make some parts of the experience of self‐employment invisible and neglected by policy; as a result, this contributes to the precarity of the self‐employed.

AbstractPopulation registries are the gateway to public services, benefits, and rights. However, despite clear formal rules and procedures, people eligible for registration may still face administrative burdens in obtaining access. In this article, we study the case of the municipal registration of people who experience homelessness in Belgium and the Netherlands—a group that typically suffers from administrative vulnerability. Using data from 61 interviews with social workers and civil servants, we find that burdens are constructed at the municipal level to disincentivize homeless people's access to registration. However, using the Institutional Analysis and Development Framework, we also identify mechanisms in the governance of population registrations and the decentralization of social policies that create incentives for strategic behavior by municipal policy makers and street‐level bureaucrats. By analyzing the interaction between multiple institutional levels, we contribute to understanding how structural mechanisms influence policymakers' agency in the construction of administrative burdens.

AI healthcare research: Pioneering iSMART Lab
Dr Narges Armanfard, Professor, talks us through the AI healthcare research at McGill University which is spearheading a groundbreaking initiative – the iSMART Lab. Access to high-quality healthcare is not just a fundamental human right; it is the bedrock of our societal wellbeing, with the crucial roles played by doctors, nurses, and hospitals. Yet, healthcare systems globally face mounting challenges, particularly from aging populations. Dr Narges Armanfard, affiliated with McGill University and Mila Quebec AI Institute in Montreal, Canada, has spearheaded a groundbreaking initiative – the iSMART Lab. This laboratory represents a revolutionary leap into the future of healthcare, with its pioneering research in AI for health applications garnering significant attention. Renowned for its innovative integration of AI across diverse domains, iSMART Lab stands at the forefront of harnessing Artificial Intelligence to elevate and streamline health services.

In 2023, revolutionary forces made significant gains in an escalating war against an increasingly embattled military dictatorship. Since General Min Aung Hlaing ousted the democratically elected government in a military coup on February 1, 2021, his junta has failed to subdue the countrywide Spring Revolution resisting the military takeover. This is despite the generals' terror campaign of atrocious violence against the population. In 2021, many outside observers gave the Spring Revolution and the thousands of young people who have taken up arms against the military regime little fighting chance. But these forces have rapidly evolved, and powerful ethnic resistance armies have joined the war against the junta. This article explains how revolutionary war has scaled up, despite a lack of international support and the diversity of revolutionary forces. It also evaluates wider implications for the society, economy, and international relations of a country on the brink of collapse.

AbstractBackgroundIndividuals with severe motor and intellectual disabilities have become an aging population, and high cancer morbidity and mortality are critical issues affecting their survival. Cancer screening is a crucial method of resolving this issue; however, a suitable screening method for them has not been established.MethodsWe used ultrasonography alone and performed breast cancer screening for women over 30 years old in our facility from 2016 to 2023. We observed the outcomes and calculated the recall/detection rate in this screening.ResultsThree cases among 379 tested positive in this screening, all of which underwent radical surgery. They are alive and well without relapse present. We detected these breast cancer cases with a low recall rate.ConclusionWe were able to successfully detect breast cancer cases using ultrasonography alone. Ultrasonography is an effective and feasible tool for breast cancer screening in individuals with severe motor and intellectual disabilities.

The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has adverse effects on Russians residing outside of their home country. To test whether a crisis communication strategy by a Russian association can mitigate the adverse effects, a 3 × 2 online experiment with 404 participants representing the general German population was implemented. Crisis communication strategy (denial vs. diminish vs. bolstering) and framing (emotional vs. rational) of a statement given by a Russian cultural organization in Germany on the news about Russian war crimes in the Ukraine were manipulated. By an intervention tournament design, two reference groups (comment declined vs. no manipulation) were employed. Our results show that a statement by the Russian association significantly positively affects respondents' attitudes toward this association. Furthermore, when the statement was framed emotionally, participants had a more positive attitude toward the association. The type of crisis communication strategy used is of minor importance if a comment is provided.

Study examines teachers' perspectives on guidance and counseling in secondary schools. Teachers are backbone of education to build personality of individuals, motivate and help them chalk out future plans. A simple random sampling technique selected 170 males and females. Quantitative research technique used, and data collected through survey.The survey questionnaire was developed, and data was collected from secondary schools' teachers. The responses of the participants of the study were entered for analysis of the data in SPSS version 22. Most of the population agreed to enhance the guidance and counseling sessions in schools as they increase student understanding and fulfill student needs. Study recommended that teachers be aware of guidance and counseling to build students who can express their thoughts, opinions and develop social skills. School administration should organize the guidance and counseling program and hire trained guidance and counseling teachers to implement the guidance and counseling sessions.

AbstractThis study examines various attitudes to wealth inequality in Czechia and the broader CEE region and provides valuable insights into global research on inequality perceptions. By focusing on this, to date, underexplored region, our research contributes to the current understanding of wealth inequality at the global scale. The findings revealed remarkable similarities between Czech and US respondents in terms of their perceptions and preferences. On average, participants estimated that the top 20% of the population in the Czech Republic holds approximately 48% of total wealth, while expressing a preference for a lower wealth share of around 34% in the ideal scenario. These results are in alignment with previous research that highlighted a prevalent lack of awareness of actual levels of wealth inequality combined with a consistent preference for the reduction of inequality levels. By elucidating these patterns, this study contributes to the growing body of literature in the field.

Although war encompasses various dimensions – social, political, cultural, historical, anthropological and ecological – with significant economic implications, recent studies increasingly emphasize the importance of sociological perspectives in unravelling its complexities. I posit that war is profoundly shaped by social dynamics that have led to the development of contemporary warfare, culminating in the tumultuous twentieth century marked by increased coercion, organizational structures, disciplinary measures, tactical utilization of technology, ideological dissemination across broad masses of the population and micro-social bonds of solidarity intertwined with individual battlefield experiences. Furthermore, I argue that understanding these dynamics enhances the conceptual sociological comprehension of war, which is equally vital alongside historical, political, economic, cultural, anthropological and psychological dimensions that influence war. My analysis seeks to elucidate the social transformations driving the contemporary surge in war and warfare, drawing upon established sociological theories by scholars such as Bauman, Centeno and Malešević, who consistently validate these societal shifts.

The accelerated cyberattacks presents a severe challenge to the companies, as they seem unprepared to confront the threat of cyberattacks, they will suffer enormous losses and have their performance suffer as a result. To better serve its population and communities, Kuwait will have improved and updated its national infrastructure by 2035. This study examines how the governmental top management support, cyber security readiness, and technology readiness affect employee's organizational security adoption intentions in Kuwait governmental organizations and realization of its benefits. The quantitative method was employed in this work. The study found that top management support influencing organizational security performance mediating by cyber security readiness and technology, which affects the tangible and intangible benefits. This study can help policy makers in governmental organizations to improve cyber security adoption. The findings of this study may be utilized for enhancing the sustainability of cyber security in governmental organizations in Kuwait.

Political engagement is vital to the functioning of democratic systems, yet a significant portion of the population remains disengaged from conventional political activities as voting. These individuals often lack the opportunities and motivation to cultivate their reasoning abilities for understanding politics. This study explores the potential of deliberative minipublics to foster the development of reasoning skills among those excluded from the political discourse. By focusing on individuals with low levels of political engagement, the study investigates three minipublics on the topic of climate change in Switzerland. Utilizing the Deliberative Reason Index, the analysis uncovers how dialogue-driven engagement can enhance political understanding and involvement. The results demonstrate the potential of deliberative practices to bridge the gap between the politically disengaged and the complex world of political participation, offering fresh insights into citizens' capabilities to deliberate on intricate issues.

This article offers a reconceptualization of US empire by foregrounding a central concept of its theory and practice: development, an ideology and attendant set of material practices that purport to uplift a defined population through political, economic, and social interventions. Because developmental ideology promises benefits and allocates specific roles to different groups, it has worked as a racializing technology, not only defining and assigning clusters of people to hierarchies of different stages but also establishing possibilities, however limited, for movement between these stages. The article demonstrates how developmental ideas and practices have been persistent, if flexible, features across the racialized government of formerly enslaved persons and Native Americans after the Civil War, overseas expansion to the Philippines at the turn of the nineteenth century, and US participation in transnational debates about empire in the early twentieth century and its pursuit of global hegemony after World War II.

AbstractBackgroundChewing difficulty, poor oral health, inadequate and imbalanced nutrition are serious health problems in individuals with intellectual disabilities. The participants' chewing abilities, oral health and nutritional status were analysed in this study.MethodsForty‐five adult participants with intellectual disabilities were included. Anthropometric measurements, oral health assessments, chewing ability evaluations and dietary intake analyses were conducted.ResultsA 56.8% of the participants were classified as overweight or obese. Teeth grinding was reported in 33.3% of the participants, while 40.0% experienced drooling. All participants with Down syndrome and 58.6% of the participants with developmental delay had chewing difficulties. Inadequate nutrient intake was observed and the fibre, vitamins B1, B3, B9, sodium, phosphorus and iron intakes were significantly lower than reference values in those with chewing difficulty (p < .05).ConclusionsChewing difficulties were associated with lower intake of certain nutrients, highlighting the importance of addressing oral health and dietary counselling in this population.

During Portugal's dictatorship (1926-1974) there were said to be three pillars to appease its population: Fado (the music connected to culture and tradition), Fátima (symbolizing the Catholic religion) and Football (the most popular sport). Because of the importance of these three F's, news outlets that specialized in these subjects were, in theory, given a bigger freedom. And yet, all periodical publications were targeted by the Portuguese censorship and were regularly constrained by it.
With this in mind this study will centre on the relationship between the censorship services and the journalistic publications of the third F, newspapers and news bulletins that were mainly concerned with covering sports and sporting events. We will analyse the censorship records and public archives during the height of the dictatorial regime, 1935-1960, in an effort to perceive how these journalistic publications were controlled through bureaucracy and surveillance.