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Amazon Mechanical Turk Workers lack accountability andredress when they are managed at scale, and by code. Report compiled by Amazon Mechanical Turk workers and academic collaborators, submitted to White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The installation of offshore wind farms is rising, driven by the goal of changing the global energy matrix. However, many of their possible impacts are still unknown. Increased noise levels, disruptions to food chains, pollution due to traffic, and impacts on fishing communities and tourism are all potential effects to consider. Marine habitats are essential carbon dioxide sinks. Therefore, losing marine biodiversity due to offshore wind farms can be counterproductive in mitigating climate change. Balancing biodiversity conservation, wind potential, and political interests is challenging. Today, Uruguay has significantly decreased the fossil share in its electricity generation, incorporating electricity generation from wind, solar, and biomass energy alongside hydroelectricity. In line with this, the country's Hydrogen Roadmap highlights green hydrogen as relevant, potentially serving as a fuel for both domestic and export transportation. Combining the country's strong base of wind energy production experience with its sustainable policy, it plans to implement offshore wind farms to produce green hydrogen, making studies of its impacts crucial. This paper reviews the current social and environmental information on the Uruguayan coastal habitat, analyzes onshore wind farms' ecological studies, and examines offshore wind farms' global environmental and social impacts. Finally, it proposes studies for environmental approval of offshore wind farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The circular economy concept has grown in popularity in recent decades as a potential method to offset the waste produced by the linear economy model. In this study, the authors proposed an update to the ReSOLVE framework that includes social impacts and uses decision variables based on the ECOGRAI methodology to facilitate a system‐wide analysis to support sustainable decision‐making. After the updated framework was outlined, it was employed in a theoretical case study to evaluate the current state of the poultry industry and determine hotspots where circular economy metrics could be implemented to benefit affected stakeholders. While the poultry sector was used as a case study, the proposed framework can be applied with modified indicators in other agricultural sectors. This work demonstrated that decision makers can improve the agriculture sector's high social and environmental impact by applying a framework that integrates ReSOLVE circular economy principles and social impact assessment methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to (1) explore the social actions undertaken by parents in early childhood marriages and (2) analyze the impacts of early childhood marriages on those involved. The research employs a mixed-methods approach using an exploratory sequential design, integrating qualitative and quantitative methods. The study population includes all early childhood marriages, with a sample size comprising 10%. The informants interviewed were the parents of early-marriage couples. Data collection methods involved in-depth interviews, participant observation, questionnaires, and literature reviews. Qualitative data analysis followed a three-stage technique, while quantitative data analysis employed frequency tabulation. The findings reveal that (1) Social actions in early childhood marriages fall into four categories: instrumental rationality, value rationality, traditional actions, and affective actions. (2) Early childhood marriages result in both positive and negative impacts. Positive outcomes include fostering independence, responsibility, and maturity among the couples, while negative outcomes include family disharmony, emotional instability, and divorce. In conclusion, early childhood marriage couples can be categorized based on four types of social actions, each driven by different motivations for marriage. This study recommends providing guidance and support to all early childhood marriage couples to help them navigate their marital lives successfully.

Abstract Background Assessment of the effective use of international travel measures during the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on public health goals, namely limiting virus introduction and onward transmission. However, risk-based approaches includes the weighing of public health goals against potential social, economic and other secondary impacts. Advancing risk-based approaches thus requires fuller understanding of available evidence on such impacts. Methods We conducted a scoping review of existing studies of the social impacts of international travel measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applying a standardized typology of travel measures, and five categories of social impact, we searched 9 databases across multiple disciplines spanning public health and the social sciences. We identified 26 studies for inclusion and reviewed their scope, methods, type of travel measure, and social impacts analysed. Results The studies cover a diverse range of national settings with a strong focus on high-income countries. A broad range of populations are studied, hindered in their outbound or inbound travel. Most studies focus on 2020 when travel restrictions were widely introduced, but limited attention is given to the broader effects of their prolonged use. Studies primarily used qualitative or mixed methods, with adaptations to comply with public health measures. Most studies focused on travel restrictions, as one type of travel measure, often combined with domestic public health measures, making it difficult to determine their specific social impacts. All five categories of social impacts were observed although there was a strong emphasis on negative social impacts including family separation, decreased work opportunities, reduced quality of life, and inability to meet cultural needs. A small number of countries identified positive social impacts such as restored work-life balance and an increase in perceptions of safety and security. Conclusions While international travel measures were among the most controversial interventions applied during the COVID-19 pandemic, given their prolonged use and widespread impacts on individuals and populations, there remains limited study of their secondary impacts. If risk-based approaches are to be advanced, involving informed choices between public health and other policy goals, there is a need to better understand such impacts, including their differential impacts across diverse populations and settings.

Previous research emphasizes that residents living within an event's epicenter (i.e., host city) will exhibit the greatest positive and negative event legacy perceptions. However, given that mega‐events often include multiple event spaces to operationalize hosting (e.g., satellite cities), a single epicenter perspective is challenged. We examined residents' social legacy perceptions of a mega‐event with multiple event sites to test an epicenter effect within this event ecosystem. Data were collected via surveys from 1,901 residents living within four event spaces: Host City , Satellite , Provincial , and National. Statistical analyses revealed event space significantly influenced residents' social legacy perceptions but not linearly as previously theorized. Rather, Satellite residents perceived the highest positive legacies, not Host City residents. This evidence advances epicenter effect theorizing by highlighting how various event spaces can amplify or diminish residents' perceptions. Event managers should leverage multiple event spaces to maximize positive legacy perceptions while minimizing negative legacy perceptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research paper seeks to investigate and categorize previous studies to understand better the role of energy generation technology in promoting sustainable development of a country country. The primary aim of this review is to identify and emphasize key issues related to energy sustainability. The study employs a systematic review approach, drawing on academic publications from the Web of Science and Scopus database. The analysis reveals five key issues: the nexus between energy generation and greenhouse gas emissions, energy generation and employment, the impact of energy generation and land use intensity, the association between energy generation and water footprint, and the nexus between energy generation and human health. This study delves into the theoretical dimensions of research concerning the interplay between energy sustainability and various aspects of energy generation technologies. Furthermore, it contributes to the existing body of knowledge concerning Sustainable Development Goal 7, with the overarching goal of enhancing both human well-being and economic prosperity through advancements in energy generation technologies. The study comprehensively explores the subject matter, offering an in-depth analysis of energy sustainability. Its unique contribution lies in its extensive examination of multiple facets of energy sustainability, making it a significant addition to the field of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) around the world since early 2020 has caused significant economic, social, psychological, and public health costs. The COVID-19 pandemic hit almost all economic sectors including the hospitality and tourism industry. This review paper examined the impacts of COVID-19 on short-term housing and the factors influencing these impacts. The existing literature reported generally negative effects of COVID-19 on the operating performance of the short-term accommodation industry. COVID-19 impacted on travellers' perceptions, host-guest interactions and psychological well-being when choosing short-term accommodation. This review also provides implications for minimising the impacts of COVID-19 or similar future disruptive events on short-term accommodation operations and surviving the crisis in the short-term accommodation sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clothing industry is a hotbed for exploitative working conditions and environmental damage, of which affluent global North countries remain a substantial driver. The circular economy is a potential solution to these issues, but its social implications remain unclear. Using the UK as a case study, this article analyses the global social impacts of a transition to circular clothing economies in the global North, finding these to be (almost) entirely dependent upon the intentions and design of the associated policies and governance, as well as broader socio-economic changes. Some aspects of a transition will be unambiguously good for some people; others will only be beneficial with careful governance. Moreover, entrenched global economic inequalities leave trade-offs borne largely by the global South, highlighting the need for circular economy research—its drive for localization notwithstanding—to look globally to consider how a fair transition can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are widely promoted as effective tools for conserving biodiversity and safeguarding ecosystem services. However, MPA success can be hindered by a lack of legitimacy and low social support because of perceived negative effects on ecosystem services and human well-being. Despite these social challenges, the social dimensions of marine conservation, such as the effects of MPAs on coastal livelihoods and local communities' perceptions of these effects, are often overlooked in conservation initiatives. In this study, we use a mixed methods approach, combining qualitative thematic analysis and quantitative network analysis derived from interviews and focus group discussions, to examine the perceptions of key stakeholder groups about the Litoral Norte MPA in Portugal. Our findings reveal that most stakeholder groups hold more negative than positive views about the governance and management of the MPA. Key concerns include unsatisfactory participation in MPA decisions and perceptions that the MPA fails to deliver positive social and ecological outcomes, such as increased community involvement, fair income distribution, and enhanced fish abundance. Policy makers and managers need to address these negative perceptions to improve conservation governance and management. By considering the stakeholder feedback presented in this study, such as fostering better engagement with the local community and transforming conflicts into opportunities for co-developing new conservation actions with local resource users, policy makers and managers can increase support for Litoral Norte and enhance the social and ecological outcomes of the MPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Assessment of the effective use of international travel measures during the COVID-19 pandemic has focused on public health goals, namely limiting virus introduction and onward transmission. However, risk-based approaches includes the weighing of public health goals against potential social, economic and other secondary impacts. Advancing risk-based approaches thus requires fuller understanding of available evidence on such impacts. Methods: We conducted a scoping review of existing studies of the social impacts of international travel measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applying a standardized typology of travel measures, and five categories of social impact, we searched 9 databases across multiple disciplines spanning public health and the social sciences. We identified 26 studies for inclusion and reviewed their scope, methods, type of travel measure, and social impacts analysed. Results: The studies cover a diverse range of national settings with a strong focus on high-income countries. A broad range of populations are studied, hindered in their outbound or inbound travel. Most studies focus on 2020 when travel restrictions were widely introduced, but limited attention is given to the broader effects of their prolonged use. Studies primarily used qualitative or mixed methods, with adaptations to comply with public health measures. Most studies focused on travel restrictions, as one type of travel measure, often combined with domestic public health measures, making it difficult to determine their specific social impacts. All five categories of social impacts were observed although there was a strong emphasis on negative social impacts including family separation, decreased work opportunities, reduced quality of life, and inability to meet cultural needs. A small number of countries identified positive social impacts such as restored work-life balance and an increase in perceptions of safety and security. Conclusions: While international travel measures were among the most controversial interventions applied during the COVID-19 pandemic, given their prolonged use and widespread impacts on individuals and populations, there remains limited study of their secondary impacts. If risk-based approaches are to be advanced, involving informed choices between public health and other policy goals, there is a need to better understand such impacts, including their differential impacts across diverse populations and settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disposal of wood waste at facilities for incineration in Sweden is the only applied management practice today. Energy production from biomass has gained attention for its potential to recover energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, besides being a valuable source for energy generation, wood waste can be effectively recycled into new products. Specifically, recycling wood waste into particleboard is the widely practiced method in Europe, while its benefits have not been explored in the country so far. The objective of this study is to assess the environmental, social, and economic sustainability of producing particleboard and generating energy from wood waste in Sweden. This research investigates four alternative systems for wood waste disposal. The first system involves the production of heat, the second system involves heat and power by wood waste, while the third and the fourth systems, in addition to energy recovery, include partial recycling of wood waste in particleboard production. A life cycle sustainability assessment covering all three pillars (environment, social, and economic) of sustainability was conducted to compare these systems. The results show that adding recycling schemes to incineration in wood waste management practices strengthens the sustainability for all three aspects, and hence, these management methods can be considered as complementary methods rather than competing methods. When all sustainability categories are considered, alternative three (heat recovery and recycling) comes forward as the best option in 11 out of 16 impact categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to find out how alliance members influence each other in multiple host alliances. We aim to do so through an organizational learning perspective by studying organizational learning diffusion mechanisms, the level of learning diffused, and interfirm diversity factors affecting these processes. The data were collected from 11 cohosted monosport events using two sources: semi-structured interviews (n = 28) and archives. The results demonstrated that the alliance members received high levels of learning through mimetic diffusion mechanisms in those partnerships where there is a high degree of dissimilar skills. Future cohosts should focus on building the right match considering their level of skills and their interfirm differences that are conducive to learning. The event owners need to be sensitive to how their coping mechanisms affect these processes and what their potential new role can be vis-??-vis these types of alliances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Sahel, land ownership is significantly influenced by the complexity of hierarchical, ethnic, and tribal aspects as well as communal, religious, and state rights. This complicates the development of large-scale ecological projects. This study investigates the positive and negative experiences that have changed the method and attitude of agencies in Mauritania to providing a holistic and ecosystemic approach to conservation and restoration. The physical environment and society's perception of applied restoration measures are of great importance for reducing environmental degradation and promoting future actions. Interviews with stakeholders helped understand the social reality and impact of restoration and management measures taken on the communities. The results of this study revealed that measures such as fencing plots, preventing the passage of livestock, and stabilizing sand dunes noticeably improved the vegetative cover of the soil in the Sahel. This improvement in vegetation cover has had direct effects on the improvement of soil quality indicators such as organic carbon content, pH, soil structure, color, and texture. Different stakeholders have shown considerable involvement in projects, positively valuing their implementation and observing improvements in their daily lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzes the impact of rural tourism on the quality of life in Western Serbia, focusing on four tourist villages: Koštunići, Vraneša, Sunčana reka, and Sirogojno. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach with 469 respondents, we assessed local perceptions of economic, social, and environmental influences resulting from tourism development. The Likert scale revealed positive economic effects, significant shifts in social conditions and thinking, and concerns about environmental degradation. The study underscores rural tourism's multifaceted nature, emphasizing positive economic impacts, socio-cultural improvements, and environmental considerations. The conclusions highlight the need for responsible, sustainable practices to optimize benefits while mitigating negative consequences. Recommendations include addressing gender disparities and prioritizing environmental concerns in future rural tourism development. This research contributes to understanding rural tourism's implications, offering insights for policymakers, local communities, and practitioners striving for balanced, prosperous, and sustainable rural development in Western Serbia and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brick industry, characterized as an informal and unorganized sector in India, has witnessed growth concurrent with urbanization across various states. This labor-intensive industry relies significantly on the widespread exploitation of women and children and heavily depends on migrant workers for production. This study aims to shed light on the current socio-economic conditions of women in the brick industries of Falta and Budge Budge-II C.D blocks in the South 24 Parganas District of Indian state West Bengal. The variables considered for this study encompass gender, age, marital status, nature of work, experience, education, income, benefits, and challenges —these factors serve as indicators of the socio-economic status of women in these manufacturing units. Environmentalists have identified the brick industry as one of the hazardous sectors with adverse implications for the health and physiological well-being of women and children. The present study is based on both primary and secondary data. The findings reveal that women in this field experience various forms of suffering, and the prevalence of child labor is notably high for both boys and girls in the brick kilns of these two blocks.

This study analyzes the impact of rural tourism on the quality of life in Western Serbia, focusing on four tourist villages: Koštunići, Vraneša, Sunčana reka, and Sirogojno. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach with 469 respondents, we assessed local perceptions of economic, social, and environmental influences resulting from tourism development. The Likert scale revealed positive economic effects, significant shifts in social conditions and thinking, and concerns about environmental degradation. The study underscores rural tourism’s multifaceted nature, emphasizing positive economic impacts, socio-cultural improvements, and environmental considerations. The conclusions highlight the need for responsible, sustainable practices to optimize benefits while mitigating negative consequences. Recommendations include addressing gender disparities and prioritizing environmental concerns in future rural tourism development. This research contributes to understanding rural tourism’s implications, offering insights for policymakers, local communities, and practitioners striving for balanced, prosperous, and sustainable rural development in Western Serbia and beyond.

This contribution aimed to examine the critical issues related to the export of cybersurveillance technologies by some European Union companies to Myanmar, a country with a history of instability and geopolitical tensions that have been exacerbated since the military coup of 2021. Non-governmental organizations operating in the country, in addition to humanitarian and development assistance, play a crucial role in the evolution of civil society, and, also thanks to some of them, it has been possible to find out some irregularities in the export of dual-use goods that may cause social impacts and infringe on the freedoms of Burmese civil society. Through a qualitative analysis of the literature, the main EU regulations, and related NGOs documents, the research uncovered some regulatory loopholes that allowed such exports while examining the practices of some European companies in Burma. The work carried out confirmed the need for stricter regulation: in this sense, the European Commission’s recent Delegated Regulation 2023/66 aims to ensure more effective control over this type of export by preventing the misuse of surveillance technology and promoting greater accountability of companies operating in authoritarian contexts.

Sustainable development involves constant efforts to reduce pollution by using resources as efficiently as possible. One of the sources of pollution is waste from packaging, recovery, and of course, the possibility of recycling them. The research theme of this paper is the reverse logistics of plastic packaging, which allows the realization of the idea of circular economy and green logistics, which promotes the idea of sustainable development. The EU is strongly committed to issues related to the management of plastic packaging and waste to reduce environmental pollution and achieve circularity goals. Through this article, we aim to highlight the degree to which the EU member states are included in the plastic packaging recycling targets for the year 2030. To highlight the evolution trend for the recycling rate of plastic packaging, we used an advanced forecasting model that runs a series of variables in order to draw up a forecast as accurate as possible. After highlighting the recycling rates for plastic packaging at the level of the EU member states, we proceeded to outline some recommendations in order to encourage the EU member states to make the recycling process more efficient. The current study continues the series of studies dealing with the problem of recycling, but it covers a topic not addressed until this moment, namely the behavior of the citizen regarding the recycling activity seen through the prism of national culture. The current study aims to strengthen the specialized literature in this field and to offer innovative solutions that appeal to the respective national cultures regarding the availability of the populations of the EU member states to address the problem of recycling plastic packaging, not only from a legislative perspective but also from a cultural one. In conclusion, this study generates a model of approach to government policies regarding the recycling of plastic packaging considering the types of national cultures prevailing in the EU member countries, with this being possible by grouping the countries into culturally homogenous clusters. In this way, the environmental policies enunciated by governments can be adapted to convey the message in a more personal way, considering the cultural differences between the EU member states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The effects of tourism extend beyond purely economic considerations; they also have an impact on both the environment and people. Development of tools and procedures that foster consensus among practitioners and enable the measurement and benchmarking of impacts are required for tourism managers to be able to work on lowering and mitigating the sector's effects, while enhancing the positive benefits. In this study a methodological proposition to assess the social impacts of tourism packages is presented. Aim and scope: This study adapts and tests for the first time a social evaluation technique, the Product Social Impact Assessment (PSIA) method, to assess the social implications of tourism products and services. It is iteratively tested on 9 tourism packages in Mediterranean Protected Areas. Numerous parties, including managers of protected areas and private tourism stakeholders, have engaged in this process at various stages, such as developing the packages or supplying the data required for the assessment. Conclusions: The methodology tested appears appropriate to quantify and qualify the social impacts of tourism packages and is valid for enhancing the social performance since positive progress between the two testing faces was registered. This study is a step towards standardizing the social assessment of tourism packages following a Life Cycle Assessment approach, and future developments are needed to make the approach proposed in the paper adequate to assess the social impacts of the upstream and downstream components of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This inductive research sheds light on the nature of the political ecology of offshore extractives as well as the symptomatic expenses borne by small-scale ocean users and the integrity of marine ecosystems. A literature review was conducted to identify relevant studies and theories on the social construction of the ocean, world systems theory, social performance requirements in offshore extractives, and broad economic drivers of inequality. Thematic analysis was then employed to examine the qualitative data collected from the literature review. Phenomena identified from primary, secondary, and gray sources were integrated into a supportive theoretical work regarding oceanic spatial allocation from the world's core states. It was found that the asymmetrical nature of marine tenure in offshore extractives in part contributes to leaving the world's 60 million artisanal ocean users and the most biologically productive portions of periphery and semi-periphery state waters subject to appropriation, often in favor of core states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the impacts of Boys' Love as a literary genre on LGBTQIA+ representation, its personal impacts on the students of SMCL, as well as its social impacts. The researchers employed a Qualitative Phenomenological research design and utilized Purposive sampling to select twelve participants, including six gay students and six heterosexual female students who had been engaged in reading or watching Boys' Love for at least two to five years. A focus group discussion was held to obtain thorough knowledge and information, which was analyzed using Thematic Analysis. Three themes emerged from the analysis. The researchers concluded that Boys' Love as a literary genre has both positive and negative impacts on LGBTQIA+ representation. On one hand, it authentically portrays the realities and struggles experienced by LGBTQIA+ students. However, it still falls short of accurately and sufficiently representing and depicting diverse LGBTQIA+ individuals. Moreover, Boys' Love has significant impacts on personal views and worldviews. Participants' responses revealed that it inspires selflove and self-acceptance among gay students while fostering acceptance and open-mindedness among female students. Furthermore, Boys' Love also contributes positively to society and schools by promoting acceptance and cultivating positive behavior toward LGBTQIA+ students. As a result, the researchers recommended encouraging critical media literacy on Boys' Love in schools, establishing collaborations between schools and LGBTQIA+ organizations, and organizing inclusive cultural events and activities that celebrate diverse identities and expressions. Additionally, they also recommended promoting awareness about Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, Gender Expression, and Sexual Characteristics (SOGIESC), and involving students in the development of school policies. Lastly, the researcher also recommended future research to look into the dynamics of the LGBTQIA+ community beyond representation, personal impacts, and social impacts, focusing on previously unexplored dimensions such as healthcare disparities, intersectionality with race and ethnicity, workplace discrimination, media practices, and societal understanding and acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-wildlife interactions can affect human wellbeing and wildlife population persistence. This paper addresses the perceived impacts of wildlife on agropastoral food production in the Tarangire ecosystem of northern Tanzania. It is based on sixteen months of collaborative ethnographic fieldwork with agropastoral Maasai communities (2019–2020; 2022; 2023), 240 semi-structured interviews, and a household survey (n = 1076). People felt that caterpillars, elephants, and zebras had the most significant effects on crop production, while hyenas were responsible for the bulk of livestock depredation by carnivores. These social costs of wildlife merit further attention from conservation policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social impacts and other types of impacts such as economic and environmental have been studied extensively in the tourism field. The main aim of this research is to understand the differences in the social impacts of tourism between summer 2019 (pre-COVID-19) and summer 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) in a coastal tourism destination from the visitors' perspective. Data were collected using surveys carried out in the municipality of Platja d'Aro (Catalonia, Spain) in 2019 (pre-pandemic) (n=468 visitors) and 2020 (during the pandemic) (n=394 visitors). The responses were categorized into two main groups: "strengths and weaknesses of the destination", in order to understand the possible social impacts of tourism. Results show that visitor profile differed in terms of origin and age during the pandemic. The level of satisfaction with the destination remains similar despite the adverse scenario caused by the pandemic. Social impacts are identified and compared between the two periods. This information can be used by tourism destination policymakers to analyze differences in social impacts between pandemic and pre-pandemic periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-product biorefineries are up-and-coming industries to diversify the economy of countries since they have a productive matrix with a biological characteristic capable of processing various types of biomass with applications in pharmaceutical, renewable energy, and other industries. In this context, this research analyzes the literature on biorefineries and the methods of assessing social impacts that consider quality of life, employment, and stakeholders, among other metrics, as guided by the United Nations—UN. A systematic review combined with bibliometric, semantic, and content analysis was carried out by searching scientific documents in the Scopus and Web of Science databases. A total of 116 articles were located, of which three researchers selected twenty-three to compose the research. The Fleiss Kappa Index was applied to verify the agreement of the evaluators' decision regarding the inclusion and exclusion of articles, whose result was K = 0.43 above the tolerable limit defined for the inclusion of articles, which is K ≥ 0.21. Therefore, all twenty-three articles were included. The results indicate that authors showed greater interest in the topic of this research in the period from 2017 to 2019, representing 70% of the total scientific findings in the reviewed literature. It was observed that the types of research that predominate in the studies are empirical, with 52% of the articles. The qualitative approach, however, obtained a variation of 400% in the studied period. Another important fact is that 93% of all authors published only 1, and not 61% as expected by Lotka law. Social impact studies show greater adherence to second-generation lignocellulosic biorefineries, which use the fractionation of inedible materials and projects whose methods consider Social Life Cycle and Multicriteria are more consistent for assessing the social impacts of biorefineries, as they allow an analysis of qualitative and quantitative information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife management can generate social conflict when stakeholder perceptions of the target species are not considered. Introduced Ring-necked Parakeets (RNP) are established in the UK and have been added to the 'general licence' of birds that can be killed to prevent serious economic damage. We aimed to better understand perceptions of RNPs on a nationwide scale to inform mitigation actions for potential future conflict over RNP management. We surveyed 3,947 UK residents to understand awareness of, knowledge of and attitudes towards the RNP across the UK. We found that most respondents (90.2%) were aware of the RNP. Almost half of respondents (45.9%) held negative opinions, particularly against the RNP in rural areas (64.7%), suggesting landscape contexts influence attitudes. Respondent preference for the RNP was low in local neighbourhoods (7.80%) although the species was considered aesthetically pleasing by most (83.0%). Many respondents knew the species' name (54.9%), but underestimated current population numbers in the UK (82.6%) and few knew its full native range (10.0%). We identified respondents' ecological interest, age, education, preference for, awareness of and knowledge of the RNP as significant factors associated with perceptions. Our findings suggest that the RNP presents a complex socio-environmental challenge, with respondent awareness, knowledge and attitudes each forming an important component of perceptions towards this species. We recommend that wildlife managers utilise our findings and cohesive approach to enhance future RNP perception research in the UK and abroad and towards the success of any proposed management initiatives under the UK general licence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Foco (Interdisciplinary Studies Journal) is the property of Revista Foco and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

“Complete streets” are those designed not only to accommodate private vehicles, but also to enable safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities. Complete streets can contribute to increased transportation choices, economic revitalization, improved return on infrastructure investments, livable communities, improved safety, improved public health through promotion of active transportation, greenhouse gas reductions, and improved air quality. In 2018, researchers developed a life cycle assessment (LCA) framework for complete streets to enable planners and policymakers to quantify environmental and social impacts over the life cycle of a complete streets project. In this follow-on project, the researchers applied the framework to three case studies covering urban, suburban and rural/suburban regions/conditions. The researchers assessed whether the LCA framework was useful in identifying whether a complete street delivered or, in the case of a proposed project, was likely to deliver, the intended performance and benefits, and the social and health conditions of the neighborhoods receiving the benefits.View the NCST Project Webpage

The article aims to propose a social impact assessment model that can help operators in the oil and gas exploration and production sector to evaluate the social impacts in the onshore and offshore dimensions of the decommissioning of subsea oil and gas production systems. Based on the technical characteristics of the operation, the literature review and the workshops held with interested parties, the conceptual model was developed. The model includes 2 dimensions: (i) onshore, which encompasses impacts on logistics and infrastructure and onshore employability, and (ii) offshore, which involves external context, restrictions on artisanal fishing, restrictions on tourist activities and offshore employability. The impacts in both dimensions result from the operationalization of decommissioning. The contribution of this study is to propose a social impact assessment model that takes into account the onshore and offshore dimensions of the offshore-based decommissioning process of submarine systems and to propose future research. The proposed model can support decision-making by companies and governments in the process of decommissioning submarine systems and can also help other types of offshore installations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food insecurity is a prominent social determinant of health. There is evidence of increasing food insecurity in high‐income countries amid inflationary pressures. Yet, we know relatively little about the strategies that people employ to manage food insecurity nor how the severity of food insecurity affects the use of these strategies. Accordingly, this study of a nonprobability convenience online panel sample of 1284 adults in Tasmania assessed food insecurity and the strategies undertaken to manage rising costs of living. Structural equation modelling of 51 financial management actions revealed five strategies: reducing food quantity and quality, reducing housing and transport costs, drawing on assets, savings and credit, reducing insurance costs and reducing discretionary expenditure. Generalised linear regression modelling demonstrated that the use of coping strategies increased significantly with each categorical increase in food insecurity for each strategy except reducing insurance costs, in which increases became significant at moderate food insecurity. Overall, the results suggest that those experiencing food insecurity are also sacrificing in other areas, which is likely to have immediate and longer‐term effects on health, social and financial wellbeing. Opportunities to mitigate these consequences, including strengthening of social safety nets, nutrition programmes and structural investment to ensure universal access to food, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main aim of this study is to assign value to intangible effects, including social impacts, which appear when organising sporting events of various scales in the city of Gdansk located in northern Poland. A survey was conducted to determine the city residents' willingness-to-pay (WTP) using the contingent valuation method (CVM). The average WTP values, which ranged between PLN 6.04 and PLN 46.34, show that the scale of the sporting event may be important for the local community's perception of such social impacts as well-being and urban regeneration. However, considering the costs of organising sporting events – including the preparation of sporting facilities – it turns out that it is easier to justify spending public funds for holding smaller events, among others, due to the possibility of organising such events in the same place more frequently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a discourse in the international literature regarding the impact of large sporting events on the place where they are held. In the last few years, particular emphasis has been laid on intangible effects, including social impacts that may occur not only in the case of mega sporting events but also in smaller sporting events. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is to estimate the monetary value of intangible social benefits of differently sized sporting events held in two sporting arenas in Gdańsk, Poland, using the contingent valuation method.Introduction. Material and methods. The research concerns four sporting events of various sizes organised in Gdańsk in 2012-2023. In each case, a hypothetical event scenario was used to determine the willingness to pay among the surveyed inhabitants of Gdańsk. A tobit model was used to determine the statistical relationship between the proposed monetary offers and social impacts. It was found that sporting events, regardless of their size, determine the occurrence of social impacts among host city residents. Even though aggregated values are lower in the case of smaller events, when added together, they constitute a higher percentage of actual public expenditure incurred on the construction of sports facilities.Results. By valuing intangible effects, it is possible, at least partially, to justify the spending of public funds for the organisation of sporting events. At the same time, smaller sporting events have more significant potential for host city residents than mega sporting events.Conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the COVID-19 epidemic began in 2020, many countries have adopted the Zero-COVID strategy that imposes social distancing. While that approach contained the virus's spread, its societal effects remain worrying. Studies on impacts of the containment policy have hitherto concentrated on economic development and as yet little is known about how sectors and governments helped employees cope with the crisis. To address this knowledge gap, we analyse the impact of Zero-COVID-19 policy on Vietnam Airlines employees in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, where the government implemented strict social distancing from 2020 to 2021. Surveys and interviews show that company policy responses focused on employment and finances, ignoring the offline and online stigma that airline employees faced due to the coronavirus. Social labels and social capital seem to worsen these measurements. The fact that airline employees, part of Vietnam's middle class, were vulnerable during the crisis reveals lack of long-term planning and risk solutions in policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This contribution aimed to examine the critical issues related to the export of cybersurveillance technologies by some European Union companies to Myanmar, a country with a history of instability and geopolitical tensions that have been exacerbated since the military coup of 2021. Non-governmental organizations operating in the country, in addition to humanitarian and development assistance, play a crucial role in the evolution of civil society, and, also thanks to some of them, it has been possible to find out some irregularities in the export of dual-use goods that may cause social impacts and infringe on the freedoms of Burmese civil society. Through a qualitative analysis of the literature, the main EU regulations, and related NGOs documents, the research uncovered some regulatory loopholes that allowed such exports while examining the practices of some European companies in Burma. The work carried out confirmed the need for stricter regulation: in this sense, the European Commission's recent Delegated Regulation 2023/66 aims to ensure more effective control over this type of export by preventing the misuse of surveillance technology and promoting greater accountability of companies operating in authoritarian contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) may impose substantial psychological and social burdens on caregivers and family members that are unique from other forms of dementia due to its distinctive clinical characteristics. This systematic review investigated these impacts on caregivers and family members. A systematic search was conducted in the PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase databases for relevant articles published from database inception to 23 March 2023. The methodological quality of the articles was evaluated using a checklist. Thirty-six articles (six qualitative and thirty quantitative), including 5129 participants, were included in this review. Like other forms of dementia, FTD caregivers had significant caregiver burden levels and psychological impacts. Caregiver burden was associated with behavioural symptoms (e.g., apathy and disinhibition) and motor symptoms. The costs of caring for a patient with FTD were found to be higher than those for Alzheimer's disease. FTD patients often face challenges in obtaining a correct diagnosis and experience significant delays and multiple misdiagnoses. Healthcare professionals may also be less familiar with FTD than with Alzheimer's, leading to delayed diagnosis. This can cause considerable stress and deprive patients and caregivers of early intervention. FTD is associated with significant costs and caregiver burden levels, and the difficulties faced by caregivers and family members can be unique and challenging in different aspects when compared to other forms of dementia. Better education about FTD for family members and healthcare professionals is required to improve the quality of life for both patients and caregivers, and more support needs to be provided at all stages of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A techno-economic assessment and environmental and social sustainability assessments of novel Fischer–Tropsch (FT) biodiesel production from the wet and dry gasification of biomass-based residue streams (bark and black liquor from pulp production) for transport applications are presented. A typical French kraft pulp mill serves as the reference case and large-scale biofuel-production-process integration is explored. Relatively low greenhouse gas emission levels can be obtained for the FT biodiesel (total span: 16–83 g CO2eq/MJ in the assessed EU countries). Actual process configuration and low-carbon electricity are critical for overall performance. The site-specific social assessment indicates an overall positive social effect for local community, value chain actors, and society. Important social aspects include (i) job creation potential, (ii) economic development through job creation and new business opportunities, and (iii) health and safety for workers. For social risks, the country of implementation is important. Heat and electricity use are the key contributors to social impacts. The estimated production cost for biobased crude oil is about 13 €/GJ, and it is 14 €/GJ (0.47 €/L or 50 €/MWh) for the FT biodiesel. However, there are uncertainties, i.e., due to the low technology readiness level of the gasification technologies, especially wet gasification. However, the studied concept may provide substantial GHG reduction compared to fossil diesel at a relatively low cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a highly competitive business environment, companies are looking for ways to increase efficiency and reduce costs in their production processes. The automation of industrial processes is benefiting significantly from technological advances, offering alternatives to achieve these objectives more effectively and efficiently. Automation and artificial intelligence have played a key role in transforming industrial operations, driving progress and efficiency across different sectors. Artificial intelligence, in particular, has impacted the industrial sector, driving advances in robotics, automation and operational efficiency, but also raising challenges in relation to social and economic aspects. Therefore, this work aims to address how artificial intelligence in the automation of industrial processes is essential in day-to-day industrial operations, as it allows repetitive, dangerous or complex tasks to be carried out more efficiently and safely. It involves the use of automated systems and equipment to carry out activities such as assembly, transportation, packaging, quality control, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]