Suchergebnisse

AbstractEnvironmental degradation constitutes a disruptive force in man‐made and natural systems. The projected duplication of the frequency and duration of meteorological drought will contribute to a situation of water scarcity, which is expected to negatively impact the agricultural sector. This study focuses on Souss‐Massa, Morocco, a leading agricultural region, and it seeks to map how human mobility fits within a wider adaptation response to environmental degradation. Over 30 semi‐structured interviews were conducted with internal migrants and members of rural communities on the perceived impacts of environmental degradation and human mobility. Most of the interviewees perceive a reduction in the available water, and the agricultural sector is the most severely affected by those changes. Internal migration is the most frequent adaptation strategy mentioned, and the remittances it originates are supporting the communities of origin facing a deterioration of agricultural output.

Abstract
How does interpersonal exposure to immigrants influence citizens' opinions about immigrants? The Intergroup Contact Theory (ICT) famously predicts improved attitudes under certain circumstances. However, research on the population innumeracy phenomenon predicts that this same exposure may worsen demographic misperceptions about immigrants. The current study seeks to analyze these contradictory possibilities with data on native-born citizens' encounters with non-EU immigrants from the 2017 Eurobarometer survey. The analysis considers a wide variety of exposure contexts and generates hypotheses about which will matter most for each outcome based on cognitive availability processes and the optimal conditions outlined in the original ICT. The results indicate that intergroup exposure increases both positive attitudes toward immigrants and incorrect perceptions about immigrants. However, context matters. Those with exposure to immigrants among their primary networks or through their participation in sport, volunteer, and cultural activities exhibit the most pro-immigrant evaluations. Those with exposure through their neighborhoods and workplaces exhibit the most inflated perceptions. The study concludes by considering the implications of these findings for future research.

AbstractPost‐Soviet authoritarianisms have seen many faces where mobilities skyrocked (tens of millions of migrants in Russia from Central Asia) and economies collapsed. Mobilities and freedom of mobility became number one topic of political agendas of many post‐Soviet countries. Mobilities have been administered, organized, restricted and criminalized to address increased outmigration from Central Asia. Such counties as Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan (also Belorussia) introduced exit restrictions for their nationals to have a better control of their citizens and their migration plans. By now only Uzbekistan and Tajikistan abolished this system more or less only recently, whereas Turkmenistan follows a strict version of controlling mobility of its citizens both in the country and abroad. The paper is based on a decade anthropological research in the region since 2005. The paper includes a case study of Turkmen students studying outside of Turkmenistan and experiences of Uzbek nationals living abroad (before 2021). Besides ethnographic material detailing the experiences of migrants exiting Central Asia and living abroad, the paper offers an overview of the legal and political background on exit regulations.

Abstract
While there is lively debate on whether higher education cultivates support for immigrants in North America and Western Europe, there is little discussion on the extent to which the relationship generalizes beyond these continents. In light of Japan's growing reliance on foreign workers, increase in university enrollment rates, as well as efforts to internationalize universities over the last half-century, we explore the relationship between university education and Japanese attitudes toward immigrants. Using two surveys asking an overlapping set of questions in 2009 and 2022, we find the relationship between university education and pro-immigrant attitudes varies by generation. Otherwise positive connections are significantly weakened for Japanese who entered universities in the 1990s through 2000s. Even though Japan is a modern democracy with well-developed higher education institutions, these institutions do not always correlate with more supportive attitudes toward immigrants. Our findings underscore the dynamic nature of higher education's role in shaping public opinion outside of North America and Western Europe.

Following the October 7 attacks, the Islamic Republic has pledged to unify its "axis of resistance" in support of Hamas, but the crisis may escalate out of Iran's control.

AbstractResearch suggests that migrants have higher rates of mental health disorders but are less likely to access mental health services, which highlights both their vulnerability to mental illness and inequity in service provision. Despite being large and established culturally similar migrant cohorts in Australia, Croatians and Bosnians are invisible in mental health research. This qualitative study collected practice‐based evidence from eight mental health service providers who have had direct professional contact with these communities, in order to understand how they engage with services, barriers to uptake and provide suggestions for service improvements. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes across interviews, which were then compared against Yang and Hwang's Migrant Mental Health Service Utilisation Model. The study identified unique factors specific to Croatia‐ and Bosnia‐born migrants that impact how they engage with services, including mandated/prescribed services, religious resources, knowledge resources, referral pathways and procedures, and service provider competencies. This study will promote a better understanding of the limitations of the current mental health service offerings for Croatia‐ and Bosnia‐born migrants, making it significant to practitioners, mental health organizations, policymakers and the general public.

AbstractThis study explores emigrants' motivations to form associations, their activities and engagement with home politics, and whether diaspora policies impinge on their practices. It focuses on Uruguayans abroad, who are a relevant case of migrant transnationalism. Building upon qualitative methods, it investigates their associational life in a main destination: Spain. The findings contribute to expand our knowledge of a relatively less studied diaspora, document associations' transnational activities and evolution and revisit debates on the dynamics of diaspora politics and transnational engagements with home/host politics, which in this case remain intermittent and fragmented, albeit intense and highly localized. The notion of building bridges of various sorts emerges as a signifier that gives meaning to individual and collective engagements. This opens new research venues and contributes to analytical refinement as to incorporate migrant transnational practices that are not neatly patterned, sustained in time and simultaneously identifiable in host and home contexts.

AbstractResearch Question/IssueThis paper investigates whether and how millennial mutual fund managers differ from managers born in other generations in terms of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) orientation in portfolio choices and voting decisions.Research Findings/InsightsWe find that millennial mutual fund managers hold portfolios that are more ESG oriented than do managers from other generations, consistent with anecdotal evidence suggesting that millennials are more driven by purpose than profits. Our findings suggest that the observed relationship is stronger when managers have more discretion over portfolio choices, that is, in active funds and funds with lower flow‐performance sensitivity. Furthermore, we find that millennial managers respond more strongly to social movements by reallocating assets into more socially conscious firms. We also find that millennial managers are more supportive of environmental proposals when their outcome is contested.Theoretical/Academic ImplicationsOur paper shows how cultural, political, and economic events, including social movements experienced by people of the same age cohort, shape preferences and beliefs and result in different investment strategies and voting among mutual fund managers. We also show how institutional constraints might limit managers' ability to impose their own preferences when investing or voting their shares.Practitioner/Policy ImplicationsMillennials are increasingly replacing older generations in managerial roles and investing in the stock market due to wealth transfers from their parents. This study offers insights to policymakers and investors interested in understanding the drivers of ESG investment.

In this debate, Sada features two Palestinian authors based in Gaza, who offer their analysis to help understand the dynamics of the current war and what to expect in the coming weeks.

Pleurotus fungi, also known as basidiomycetous fungi, have been a part of human culture for thousands of years. They exhibit anticancer, antitumor, antibacterial, and immunomodulatory effects, having biotechnological, medicinal, and aesthetic applications. They are also versatile, highly resistant to illnesses and pests, and do not require special growing conditions. These properties make them readily marketable, and can be found in supermarkets worldwide, generating multimillion-dollar sale revenues. The global edible mushroom market was valued at USD 5.08 billion in 2021, which is expected to grow to USD 6.43 billion in 2028. China produces about 87% of Pleurotus spp. globally; other Asian countries generate 12%, and Europe and America account for approximately 1%. Pleurotus spp. have distinct functional characteristics, including high protein content with a proper essential amino acid score pattern, dietary fibre profile, high amounts of vitamins (e.g., B and D) and minerals (e.g., Fe, Zn, Cu, and Se), and low fat. Therefore, Pleurotus spp. can provide alternative industrial tools. The present review discusses Pleurotus spp. as biotechnological tools for acquiring metabolites of interest, studying them, and analysing bioactive substances that can be used in various fields, including medicine and food.

Dabai (Canarium odontophyllum Miq.) is a highly nutritious fruit that has a huge potential to be marketed both locally and globally. However, the lack of promotion leads to an oversupply during peak season, thus reducing its market price. Proper handling and packaging are therefore necessary to maintain the quality and extend the shelf life of dabai. In the present work, nylon film with an oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of 55 cc/m2/day and water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) of 334 g/m2/day; polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film with an OTR of 90 cc/m2/day and WVTR of 35 g/m2/day; and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) film with an OTR of 8000 cc/m2/day and WVTR of 200 g/m2/day were used to pack dabai and stored at 5°C for 14 d. All films had a dimension of 200 × 300 mm, and a thickness of 0.01 μm. It was found that dabai maintained its hue angle (h°) values within the dark purple region (299.73° to 338.64°) and its lightness (L*) values throughout storage. However, the colour intensity (chroma) significantly changed (p < 0.05) between different films throughout storage (p < 0.05). The control sample had the most significant decrease in firmness and weight (p < 0.05) between day 0 and 14, followed by the samples stored in PET, LDPE, and nylon. Whereas the samples in LDPE demonstrated the lowest respiration rate as compared to nylon and PET. The uncompetitive Michaelis-Menten equation model was used to model the respiration rate of dabai. Results showed that all films obtained good fit (R2 of near to 1). Additionally, the mean relative percentage (E%) was less than 10%, thus indicating that the data were suitable for real-time application.

Manufacturers' desire to sell "healthy" food in response to the consumers' desire to lead a healthy lifestyle has increased the use of probiotics during the past few decades. Probiotics are used in dairy products, as well as non-dairy items as a starter culture, encompassing a wide range of goods. Numerous phenotyping, physical characterisation, and genotyping techniques have been developed to identify probiotic lactobacilli to ensure quality management. These techniques are frequently precise enough to categorise probiotic strains by genus and species. Traditional microbiological methods were initially employed for genus and species identification. However, due to their numerous shortcomings as the probiotic ability is often strain-dependent, and that there is no way to differentiate between strains using simple microbiological techniques, new methods that are mostly based on the examination of nucleic acids have been developed. Therefore, the objective of the present review was to provide critical assessment on existing methods for identifying members of the genus Lactobacillus, together with newly discovered approaches. The present review aimed to give the most recent information on the scientific techniques used to measure and describe the possible probiotic properties of microorganisms. It will also emphasise molecular and non-molecular tools. Most of these tools are based on 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing, and employ PCR techniques.

The present work investigated the optimisation of gelatine extraction yield with interesting techno-functional properties from chicken heads-feet by-product blend. Taguchi L27 orthogonal experimental design was used to optimise the extraction parameters, including acetic acid concentration (2, 3.5, and 5%), extraction temperature (55, 65, and 75°C), and extraction time (2, 4, and 6 h), with yield, viscosity, emulsifying activity index (EAI), and foaming capacity (%) as responses. The collected data were modelled and optimised using the response surface method (RSM) and desirability function (DF). Based on the data obtained, the optimal extraction parameters were an acid concentration of 3.06% and an extraction temperature of 75°C for 6 h. Responses to these extraction conditions included a yield of 10.97%, an EAI of 24.22 m2/g, a viscosity of 3.36 mPa.s, and a foaming capacity of 45.07%. Under these ideal conditions, the verified and predicted values were found to be almost identical. As a result, the estimate models are trustworthy and safe for predicting the dependent variables. The findings indicated that a blend of chicken feet and heads could be a source of gelatine with interesting functional properties.