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Abstract
This review aims to understand the impacts of plasticizers on the thyroid system of animals and humans. The thyroid gland is one of the earliest endocrine glands that appear during embryogenesis. The thyroid gland synthesizes thyroid hormones (TH), triiodothyronine (T3), and thyroxine (T4) that are important in the regulation of body homeostasis. TH plays critical roles in regulating different physiological functions, including metabolism, cell growth, circadian rhythm, and nervous system development. Alteration in thyroid function can lead to different medical problems. In recent years, thyroid-related medical problems have increased and this could be due to rising environmental pollutants. Plasticizers are one such group of a pollutant that impacts thyroid function. Plasticizers are man-made chemicals used in a wide range of products, such as children's toys, food packaging items, building materials, medical devices, cosmetics, and ink. The increased use of plasticizers has resulted in their detection in the environment, animals, and humans. Studies indicated that plasticizers could alter thyroid function in both animals and humans at different levels. Several studies demonstrated a positive and/or negative correlation between plasticizers and serum T4 and T3 levels. Plasticizers could also change the expression of various TH-related genes and proteins, including thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), and transporters. Histological analyses demonstrated thyroid follicular cell hypertrophy and hyperplasia in response to several plasticizers. In conclusion, plasticizers could disrupt TH homeostasis and the mechanisms of toxicity could be diverse.

AbstractHow social media impacts the autonomy of its users is a topic of increasing focus. However, much of the literature that explores these impacts fails to engage in depth with the philosophical literature on autonomy. This has resulted in a failure to consider the full range of impacts that social media might have on autonomy. A deeper consideration of these impacts is thus needed, given the importance of both autonomy as a moral concept and social media as a feature of contemporary life. By drawing on this philosophical literature, we argue that autonomy is broadly a matter of developing autonomy competencies, having authentic ends and control over key aspects of your own life, and not being manipulated, coerced, and controlled by others. We show how the autonomy of users of social media can be disrespected and harmed through the control that social media can have over its users'data,attention, andbehaviour. We conclude by discussing various recommendations to better regulate social media.

Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- CONTENTS -- EARLY COMPUTERS -- TODAY'S COMPUTER USE -- EMAIL, IMs, AND SOCIAL MEDIA -- THE RISE OF CYBERBULLYING -- MAKING THE WORLD SMALLER -- HACKERS AND CYBERCRIME -- STAYING SAFE -- COMPUTERS ON THE JOB -- A CHANGING WORKPLACE -- COMPUTER ADDICTION -- TAKING THE GOOD WITH THE BAD -- GLOSSARY -- INDEX -- WEBSITES -- Back Cover

Nowadays, manipulation may be regarded as an essential instrument of the "mass industrial society", aiming at the conclusion of certain agreements that are convenient to the issuing party, turning to deceit with falsified arguments, as well as to appeals to emotional or non-rational components. The particular forms that it takes in various fields of social life may be found anywhere, from the political form to the economic one. Press strategies have the capacity of manipulating the young consumer's behaviour, generating numerous negative effects on their everyday life.

Tourism and travel make a vital contribution to the global economy and are considered particularly important for developing countries. The cruise industry, as part of the tourist offer, created in the beginning by demand from North America, had a dynamic growth for over nearly 40 years. Many studies show that today there is still an increased demand for a form of vacation spent on a cruise ship. For this reason, new cruise destinations are increasingly being developed and cruise ships are getting bigger, which has an increasing impact on the environment. The paper explores the causes and consequences of dynamic cruise industry growth on environment. The aim of the research is to identify the challenges facing the cruising industry when it comes to environmental impact. The research was conducted on the basis of available secondary data sources.

Nicaragua instituted structural adjustment (SA) policies wholeheartedly after the electoral defeat of the Sandinistas in 1990. Using two comprehensive national surveys from 1993 and 1998 (which corresponds to the period of initiation and deepening of SA policies in Nicaragua), this article seeks to determine the impact of SA policies on sectoral earnings. The present research suggests that both informal and formal sector workers suffered a decline in earnings, yet the brunt of the earnings drop affected informal workers and women the most. In addition, the size of the informal sector increased dramatically throughout the 1990s. Together, the surge in informal activity and the decline in sectoral earnings suggest that SA policies in Nicaragua have failed. Nonetheless, those who live in urban areas with high levels of education have been the most able to avoid the greatest costs associated with SA policies.

AbstractBarriers to entry such as fees, licensing, or educational requirements make it more difficult to start businesses. Problematically, many barriers to entry are due to regulatory capture and serve only to benefit incumbent firms. These regulations, which are created by government, often make it exceedingly difficult for low‐income individuals to start new businesses, denying individuals access to higher‐paying occupations. I estimate two models and find that barriers to entry increase income inequality. A one‐point decrease in the World Bank's ease of starting a business score equates to a 0.15–1.25‐point increase in the Gini coefficient.