Social Sciences

Abstract: This study aims to forecast South Africa’s import demand for cassava starch using monthly data from April 2015 to December 2030. It applies Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) to verify the stationarity of the series, while the Akaike criterion and Schwarz criterion were utilized to select the fitted model of ARIMA (p, d, q). The series were integrated of order one, and the best-fitted model was ARIMA (0,1,2). Thereafter, the Box-Jenkins estimation strategy was used to forecast the import demand for cassava starch. The forecasted import demand for cassava starch showed a steady increase in quantity, with an annual average import demand of 12 032 tons between 2025 and 2030. Given South Africa’s rising cassava starch imports, we endeavored to forecast demand thereof, considering the absence of commercial cassava production and processing in the country. This is the first empirical study to offer a thorough forecasting of the rising trend in Southern Africa’s demand for cassava starch imports. To manage the growing demand for cassava starch in South Africa, policymakers should consider medium- to long-term interventions to further develop the value chain. The most urgent and critical need is to fund research and development (R&D) for the advancement of the cassava value chain, as well as to establish phytosanitary-certified nurseries for producers to access high-quality planting materials.

Abstract: Early childhood children (0–5 years old) are using digital devices at an ever-increasing rate, yet the evidence base is largely dominated by developmental psychology studies with minimal consideration of class, culture, and institutional aspects of digital use. No equity-aware synthesized evidence exists that provides recommendations for early childhood education programs at higher education Centres for Teaching and Learning (CTLs). A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted using academic papers published between January 1995 and December 2025. Using Comprehensive Meta‑Analysis (Version 3), random‑effects models, subgroup analyses, meta‑regression, and tests for publication bias were implemented. Thirty‑one studies including 34,540 children were selected. Unmediated solo usage had a negative relationship with children’s outcomes (r = −0.287, 95% CI [−0.320, −0.253]), whereas active co‑use was positively related (r = 0.259, 95% CI [0.217, 0.300]). Socioeconomic status was not a significant moderator (p = 0.182). Outcomes for language (p = 0.876), social‑emotional development (p = 0.391), and cognitive/executive function (p = 0.692) were not statistically significant. There was no trend in effect size over time (b = −0.0097, p = 0.339). Publication bias appeared low (Egger’s p = 0.249; fail‑safe N = 405). Quality of mediation is key, not the amount of screen time. Although no significant SES moderation effects were found, the narrative literature showed class‑based differences in how children were mediated. Training of early childhood educators in CTLs is not yet evidence‑based nor equity‑focused, but the CTL Action Framework for Early Digital Education (CAFEDE) suggests practices for improving educator training.

Abstract: Short-form video (SFV) marketing has become a prominent format in digital advertising by combining compressed audiovisual storytelling, feed-based discovery, algorithmic visibility, and rapid audience interaction. This study examines how content- and creator-related factors shape consumers’ value-based responses to short-video marketing and how these responses influence purchase intention. Data were collected through an online survey of 409 respondents in Bulgaria. The analytical design integrates descriptive statistics, clustering, sentiment analysis, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), and machine learning (ML) prediction to examine both explanatory relationships and predictive performance. From a business intelligence perspective, the proposed workflow transforms structured survey responses and open-ended consumer feedback into actionable insights for audience segmentation, consumer-response prediction, campaign prioritization, and e-commerce decision support. The final structural model treats creating shared values (CSV) as a value-based attitudinal response to SFV marketing. The results show that clarity, willingness to use, similarity, empathy, and likability positively affect CSV, which in turn positively affects purchase intention. The findings indicate that short videos are most persuasive when they communicate clearly, feel relatable, create emotional resonance, and reduce friction in audience engagement. ML models further suggest that the selected perception variables have strong predictive value for consumer responses in this sample. The study contributes to digital persuasion, e-commerce analytics, and business intelligence research by offering an integrated empirical framework for assessing short-video marketing effectiveness.

Abstract: Energy transitions increasingly depend on coordination across interdependent actors, infrastructures and practices. As electrification, sector coupling and decentralisation reshape energy systems, governance challenges have shifted from control-oriented delivery towards problems of interaction, responsibility and system coordination. Despite wide recognition of these dynamics, governance arrangements continue to struggle with persistent coordination failures across institutional contexts. This article argues that such difficulties cannot be explained as implementation problems or insufficient cooperation alone. Instead, coordination failures are conceptualised as manifestations of a mismatch between how energy systems function and how they are governed. The article distinguishes between supply-chain governance assumptions and energy systems operating as service networks, developing an analytical framework that makes this mismatch explicit. The analysis demonstrates how prevailing governance remains oriented towards linear responsibility and asset-based performance, even as outcomes increasingly depend on coordinated action and resource integration in use. Network-based governance arrangements are shown to represent partial adaptations that acknowledge interdependence without reconfiguring underlying governance logics. By foregrounding system logics rather than specific instruments, the article clarifies why coordination failures persist in sustainability transitions characterised by complex socio-technical interdependence.

Abstract: Contemporary social work continues to face a persistent tension between efforts to consolidate shared professional standards and the need to sustain epistemic plurality across diverse socio-political contexts. This tension is especially evident in organisational supports for practice research, which are often treated as neutral administrative arrangements despite their role in shaping whose knowledge is recognised, funded, translated and sustained. This paper develops polycentric indigenisation as a conceptual framework for rethinking organisational supports as epistemic infrastructures rather than merely technical supports for collaboration. Drawing on scholarship on practice research, indigenisation, epistemic justice and southern theory, the paper argues that prevailing support models remain constrained by a narrow legitimacy-participation binary. Some arrangements widen participation without redistributing epistemic authority, whilst others secure institutional legitimacy at the cost of subordinating inquiry to hierarchy, compliance or policy alignment. In response, the paper outlines a framework centred on distributed epistemic authority, situated translation, boundary critique and negotiated co-authorship. It identifies four directions for the development of organisational supports: authentic indigenisation, polycentric dialogue, contextualised critical autonomy and ethical co-creation. The paper concludes by considering implications for future research, policy and practice in international social work.

Abstract: In March 2022, the FAO Food Price Index peaked at 159.7 as climate shocks collided with geopolitical disruption, pushing global hunger past 735 million and exposing how deeply climate variability penetrates the economics of agri-food systems. Yet the imprint of ocean–atmosphere oscillations on global food prices—the central economic signal of the agri-food system—has never been mapped systematically in the frequency domain. This study delivers the first multi-oscillation cross-spectral analysis of the climate–food price nexus, matching seven climate indices across the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Ocean basins with five disaggregated FAO Food Price Index sub-components over 432 monthly observations (1990–2025), verified through six robustness checks including surrogate-data testing. Four findings carry direct policy relevance. ENSO indicators lead global food prices by three to four months with a 100% surrogate-test pass rate—the cleanest actionable climate–price signal yet documented. The Indian Ocean Dipole leads prices by sixteen months, extending the early warning horizon from weeks to over a year. The apparent Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation–price correlation (r ≈ +0.60) is revealed to be a common-trend artefact. Dairy and vegetable oils emerge as the most climate-exposed commodity chains, while meat is buffered by feed-market intermediation. These results provide the empirical foundation for integrating real-time monitoring of climate oscillations into food system governance—a low-cost policy innovation that aligns economic stability objectives with climate adaptation goals, strengthens the resilience of agri-food value chains, and supports progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).

Abstract: This study analyzes climate vulnerability and adaptive capacity in Mozambique, Malawi, and Madagascar from a gender perspective using survey data from 2,662 households. The Household Vulnerability Index was constructed using Principal Component Analysis. Cross-country and gender-group differences were assessed using ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests, revealing significant cross-country disparities (p < 0.001). Mozambique exhibits the highest vulnerability severity and dispersion, driven by compound environmental exposure, elevated sensitivity, and constrained adaptive capacity. In contrast, Malawi — despite high physical exposure — presents the lowest overall vulnerability among the three countries, as stronger adaptive capacity offsets environmental risk. Madagascar occupies an intermediate position, with households clustered within the moderate vulnerability category, reflecting chronic sensitivity and limited adaptive capacity. While aggregated mean HVI scores are statistically identical between gender groups (F < 0.01; p = 0.980), categorical and variance analyses reveal heterogeneous distributions: male-headed households face direct occupational risk, whereas female-headed households contend with severe structural barriers to accessing adaptive resources. Agricultural extension services, institutional support, targeted training, climate-smart agriculture, and livestock assets constitute the primary drivers of resilience. These findings demonstrate that mean-based analyses mask gender disparities in vulnerability and highlight the need for context-specific, gender-responsive adaptation policies in Southern Africa.

Abstract: The rapid expansion of outdoor hiking activities has increased pressure on natural ecosystems, and environmentally irresponsible behaviors by hikers have become an important source of environmental degradation. However, limited attention has been paid to the mechanisms driving pro-environmental behavior among outdoor hiking participants. To overcome this limitation, an integrated framework combining TPB and PMT was established to investigate both pro-environmental intentions and subsequent environmental behaviors among outdoor hiking participants. A questionnaire survey was conducted among 1,092 outdoor hiking participants in Hubei Province, China, and the data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Empirical findings revealed that favorable attitudes, social normative influences, perceived control, vulnerability perception, severity perception, self-efficacy, and response efficacy all contributed positively to the formation of pro-environmental intentions, whereas response cost exerts a significant negative effect. Behavioral intention and self-efficacy were found to significantly promote actual pro-environmental behavior. Furthermore, the integrated TPB–PMT model demonstrated greater explanatory power than either theory applied independently. These findings suggest that pro-environmental behavior among outdoor hiking participants is jointly shaped by social-psychological and protection-motivation factors. The integrated framework provides a more comprehensive understanding of the behavioral mechanisms underlying environmental responsibility in outdoor recreation settings and offers practical implications for environmental management and the sustainable development of outdoor hiking activities.

Abstract: This study deals with social intelligence within Moroccan associations, a sector that is witnessing rapid growth, as the number of associations exceeded 259,000 associations in 2022. The study aims to discuss the main factors that contribute to the development of collective intelligence, and propose practical strategies to improve the performance of these organizations. A multi tool research methodology was adopted, combining the review of scientific literature, qualitative interviews, and a quantitative study of 125 Moroccan associations. The results highlight six key determinants of collective intelligence: social sensitivity, autonomy, motivation, transformational leadership, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. Collaboration and leadership have emerged as the most influential factors. In contrast, knowledge sharing and social sensitivity play a supportive role by improving communication and integrating dispersed knowledge. The study provides theoretical contributions by adapting collective intelligence models to the peculiarities of Moroccan civil society. At the applied level, the study proposes a set of recommendations, including strengthening capacity building, developing lead-ership skills, and adopting collaborative digital platforms. The results in their entirety confirm the strategic importance of collective intelligence in improving the effective-ness of Moroccan associations and enhancing their impact in the face of increasingly complex social challenges.

Abstract: Background. Archive studies have primarily conceptualized archives as documentary repositories and memory institutions, whereas territorial studies have examined territorialities as processes through which social groups produce, signify, and contest space. Despite their shared concern with the social production of meaning, the relationship between archives and territorialities remains insufficiently theorized. Problematization. This article proposes understanding the archive as a relational configuration composed of three dimensions: a Mode of Differential Documentation (collections), a Territorial System of Site (spatial infrastructures and locations), and a Condensed Informational Potential (contents). Together, these dimensions constitute the archive as an institution embedded in territorial processes of meaning production. Development. The relationship between territorialities and archives from an anthropological perspective, advancing the hypothesis that this relationship shapes the political-cultural construction of territories. Archives do more than preserve documents. By organizing and rendering traces of the past intelligible, they articulate memories, places, and identities, generating shared horizons of territorial interpretation. In this sense, the archive operates as a Regime of Expansibility of its Implicit Territoriality. Implications and Conclusion. Territories not only produce archives; archives also produce territories by organizing, circulating, and legitimizing meanings. This framework opens new avenues for empirical research on archival practices and territorial construction.

Abstract: Participatory systems have been widely adopted in citizen science, environmental monitoring, urban governance, and public collaborative decision-making. Traditional usability theory focuses on individual task performance and user satisfaction, which cannot adequately explain or support voluntary collective participation, participant recruitment, and long-term engagement. To address this gap, this study introduces the new concept participatability and develops a dedicated assessment framework for participatory systems. Based on a systematic review of usability criteria and the unique socio-technical features of participatory systems, this study defines five core evaluation dimensions: salience, adaptability, congruence, privacy safeguarding, and interactive engagement. Two complementary case studies, including a mature citizen science platform and a newly developed campus participatory planning system, are conducted to validate the framework. Empirical results show that participatability is significantly associated with user acceptance, participation willingness, data contribution quality, and long-term system sustainability. Users in collective participation scenarios prioritize participatability over conventional usability. This study provides a theoretically sound and practically applicable framework for understanding, evaluating, and designing participatory systems. The proposed concept and criteria address critical limitations of existing theories and offer practical guidance for system developers and practitioners to improve participation effectiveness.

Abstract: This article examines the strategic intersection between agricultural heritage conservation and sustainable rural development by analyzing the Serra da Canastra cheese-producing microregion in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Following the historic inclusion of Artisanal Minas Cheese on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in late 2024, a significant structural disconnect persists between the product’s elevated global cultural reputation and the localized economic returns realized by traditional family farms. Utilizing a comparative mixed-methods approach, this study evaluates institutional frameworks, policy documents, and territorial data against the benchmark model of Italy’s Parmigiano Reggiano region. The findings indicate that international heritage designations do not automatically yield regional economic resilience; rather, symbolic value must be actively converted through coordinated multilevel governance. To capture sustainable growth, Brazilian stakeholders must transition from formal Geographical Indication (GI) compliance to an integrated system of experiential agri-tourism routes, strict collective quality enforcement via producer consortia, and landscape-driven narrative marketing. This paper contributes a transferable, transnational framework for policymakers and rural sociologists seeking to leverage cultural heritage assets as drivers of sustainable territorial development and economic diversification.

Abstract: Coastal communities dependent on marine resources face chronic and acute threats from harmful algal blooms (HABs) that demand effective institutional responses. Resilience offers a useful framework for assessing how communities monitor, respond to, and adapt to these hazards, as well as how the institutions they have developed shape those capacities. Historically, affected communities have developed institutions to mitigate these hazards, making institutional resilience a valuable analytic lens. This paper adopts a comparative perspective to examine institutional measures for preventing and mitigating HABs in coastal waters. Using a most-similar-systems design, it analyzes institutional resilience-building measures in four democracies with distinct institutional configurations: the United States, Australia, Norway, and Japan. By distinguishing between ex ante (proactive) and ex post (reactive) measures and comparing responses to tempo-rally similar HAB events, the analysis identifies institutions as key explanatory variables shaping risk assessment, monitoring uptake, and policy effectiveness. Evaluating HAB governance through a resilience lens provides planners and decision-makers with a practical basis for developing a more balanced portfolio of responses in a dynamic hazard environment. This analysis suggests that sustained investment in a balanced approach – one that incorporates proactive measures – offers the most effective strategy for strengthening long-term adaptive capacity in confronting the hazard posed by HABs.

Abstract: High-intensity 5 km running offers an ideal framework to analyze the organism's multidimensional responses. Since previous research primarily analyzed isolated aspects of fatigue, this study aimed to examine the integrated acute neuromuscular, metabolic, and perceptual responses to a 5 km run. Twenty-one recreational male runners participated. Pre- and post-race assessments included body composition, blood lactate, m. rectus femoris ultrasound thickness, quadriceps maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC), heart rate, perceived exertion (Borg CR10), and 5 km finish time. Statistical analysis was performed in the Jamovi software,utilizing descriptive statistics, the Shapiro–Wilk test of normality, the Wilcoxon signed-rank test with effect size r calculation, and Spearman’s correlation coefficient, at a significance level of p &lt; 0.05. Post-race measurements revealed a significant decrease in quadriceps MVIC (pre: 305.26 ± 98.83 N vs. post: 258.85 ± 88.47 N; p = 0.002) and an increase in blood lactate (pre: 0.81 ± 0.35 vs. post: 6.90 ± 1.44 mmol/L; p &lt; 0.001), alongside high average heart rates (165 ± 16 bpm). However, ultrasound-assessed muscle architecture remained unchanged. The 5 km run induced pronounced neuromuscular and metabolic fatigue. Unchanged muscle architecture suggests that acute strength decline is primarily mediated by metabolic and neural mechanisms, rather than immediate structural-morphological factors.

Abstract: Remote and hybrid work have altered where many high-skill workers live, commute, and participate in professional networks, raising new questions for technology-based economic development (TBED) in the United States. This conceptual review asks whether remote work is dispersing innovation activity, creating durable opportunities for smaller metropolitan areas, or reorganizing established geographies of advantage. The article uses a focused conceptual review that synthesizes foundational scholarship on agglomeration, clusters, and innovation geography with post-2020 research on remote work, urban restructuring, regional migration, local innovation systems, and policy responses. Sources were selected for their relevance to spatial concentration, metropolitan hierarchy, remote-worker embeddedness, and TBED strategy. The review shows that remote work has not dissolved agglomeration. Large metropolitan regions continue to concentrate remote-capable, innovation-intensive, and digitally intensive employment, while some smaller and mid-sized metros have gained visibility and mobile talent. However, the evidence points more strongly to selective gains at the margin than to broad spatial equalization. The findings also show that residential inflows alone do not create durable innovation capacity. The article argues that remote work is reorganizing rather than replacing TBED. Its central contribution is a framework of partial geographic decoupling, in which remote work loosens the routine overlap among residence, workplace, and firm location while increasing the importance of local institutions. The main policy challenge is building connective capacity that converts mobile labor into entrepreneurship, collaboration, civic participation, and long-term regional innovation. This framing clarifies how regions can compete without assuming that attracting remote workers automatically produces transformation. Recent federal and multi-survey evidence strengthens the article’s claim that remote work has stabilized above pre-pandemic levels while remaining uneven by education, occupation, and metropolitan context.

Abstract: The aim of the study was to examine the effect of respiratory muscle strength parameters obtained from endurance athletes on aerobic capacity levels. A total of 70 endurance athletes, 23 females and 47 males, voluntarily participated with the study. Respiratory muscle strength of the athletes were measured with a digital spirometer. Max VO₂ was assessed using the cardiopulmonary exercise testing system (Cosmed K5). As a result of the research; MIP and MEP values were determined to be related to PETCO₂ value at maximum load in female endurance athletes. In male endurance athletes, MEP values were determined to be related to PETCO₂ values at maximum load, PETO₂ values at maximum load, MaxVO₂ values, VO₂ values at RCP, and VO₂ values at VT. Additionally, in male endurance athletes, the MIP value was determined to be related to the VCO₂ value at RCP and the VTidal value at maximum load. Other Max VO₂ sub parameters examined were not associated with respiratory muscle strength. Research results reveal that there are relationships between maximal oxygen consumption which is the most important indicator of aerobic performance and its sub-parameters and respiratory muscles.

Abstract: Background: Climate change is increasingly recognized as a major global health threat, with disproportionate impacts on vulnerable populations, including women living with breast cancer who are receiving palliative care. These women often experience compounded physical, psychological, and socioeconomic burdens that may be intensified by climate-related stressors such as heatwaves, flooding, and disruptions to healthcare delivery. However, there is limited evidence from low- and middle-income countries, including Ghana, on how climate change affects the palliative care continuum and quality of life (QoL) among this population. Materials and Methods: A qualitative descriptive phenomenological design was employed to explore the experiences of women with breast cancer receiving palliative care at Ho Teaching Hospital, Ghana. Fourteen participants were purposively sampled between January and March 2026. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted face-to-face. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman’s conventional content analysis approach. Trustworthiness was ensured through credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability strategies. Ethical clearance was received before data collection began (HTH-REC/EX/2026/003) Results: Four main themes and thirteen sub-themes emerged: (1) Climate-related environmental disruptions (extreme heat, flooding, and unreliable electricity supply); (2) Health-related consequences along the palliative care continuum (symptom exacerbation, treatment interruptions, and reduced care accessibility); (3) Psychosocial and economic strain (emotional distress, financial hardship, food and water insecurity); and (4) Adaptive and coping responses (spiritual coping, family support, and reliance on healthcare providers and community networks). Conclusion: The study demonstrates that climate change significantly disrupts the palliative care continuum and diminishes the quality of life of women with breast cancer through interconnected environmental, clinical, and psychosocial pathways. Strengthening climate-resilient palliative care systems, improving healthcare infrastructure, and integrating psychosocial and environmental adaptation strategies into oncology and palliative care practice are urgently needed.

Abstract: Smart cities are being advocated to solve the excessive urbanization. They are supposed to be more efficient, more connected and more sustainable. However, long-term sustainability cannot be achieved in a real situation unless we seal the loopholes that still prevail in our current efforts. The main issues are: integrating renewable-energy solutions to reduce carbon; applying the principles of the circular economy to consume fewer resources and produce less waste; and ensuring that every resident of urban areas is able to access available urban resources and services that are usually not evenly distributed. In this article, the sustainability challenges are gathered together and demonstrate how they can be addressed by use of technology, provided that the technology is supported by good governance and accepted standards. A city that strategically connects its smart-city strategies to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, as well as to the appropriate national, industry, and IEEE standards, has left its technology-centered viewpoint, where people, the environment, and long-term resilience are prioritized. Ultimately, to head in the right direction and create the sustainable urban futures, we need to combine the latest technology with equitable policies and plans that would respond to climate change. This is when smart cities will bring a sustainable advantage to the lives of people and the planet.

Abstract: Introduction: The educational promotion of inclusive recreational spaces remains a key challenge for public policies, particularly in contexts where gaps persist between regulation and implementation. Objective: This study analyzed the impact of public policies on the promotion of inclu-sive recreational spaces in the canton of Milagro, focusing on accessibility, pedagogical use, and social inclusion. Methodology: A mixed-methods approach was applied, with a non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational design and an explanatory component. The sample included teachers, administrators, technical staff, and community members. Data were collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Results: Findings showed a favorable regulatory framework but only partial local im-plementation. Significant relationships were identified between policy implementation and accessibility, educational use, and inclusion. Gaps were also observed in teacher training and adaptation to functional diversity. Discussion: Results align with previous studies emphasizing the need to integrate pub-lic policies, education, and territorial planning. Conclusions: Strengthening policy implementation and coordination is essential to consolidate inclusive recreational spaces with sustainable educational impact.

Abstract: This article analyzes the impact of agricultural support measures on food import dependency for a 52-country sample from 1985 to 2017 using databases from the World Bank, the Center for Systemic Peace and the Groningen Center for Growth and Development. We apply a continuous treatment effect and control for endogeneity to describe the extent of food import dependency in response to domestic support for agriculture. Our results show strong evidence of heterogeneous impacts on aggregate food import dependency at different levels of political aid intensity. Estimates of dose-response functions confirm that countries providing moderate support to agriculture tend to do better in reducing their use of agri-food imports.