The social agency of instruments of surveying and exploration c.1830-1930.

This paper utilizes the concept of the agency of material objects, proposed as a tenet by several historians of science in the late twentieth century. It argues that scientific instruments have agency in the field due to their value and fragility, both of which attributes served to dictate a social hierarchy of activity. Furthermore, the resulting numerical outputs served to discriminate between various groups. The principal focus is the role of instruments used by travellers sponsored by the Royal Geographical Society, London, but it also looks at the role of instruments on a larger triangulation; the project to survey the African part of the arc of the 30th meridian east of Greenwich. Seeing the instruments as material objects allows insights into the social arrangements and interactions taking place. It is argued that instruments, and the results of instrument use, entrenched existing power hierarchies, imparting greater prestige to those who were previously endowed with privilege. It is argued the instruments contributed to 'othering' both in the field and in the publications resulting from the expeditions.

Contract award criteria in public procurement procedures - The possibility of improving the situation of society from the perspective of the European Union and Poland.

Background: Public tenders are vital for a country's GDP and citizens' quality of life, enabling public administration to achieve various goals. Developing and developed countries allocate over 10% of their GDP to public procurement. This highlights the significant societal support public tenders can provide, making it important to consider how they can further benefit society. Policy and implications: Public procurement can achieve policy objectives and benefit society by selecting tenders based on criteria beyond price, such as economic advantage and social benefits. This approach, endorsed by EU directives since 2014, encourages innovation and socially responsible practices. Contracting authorities in the EU can use social, environmental, and qualitative criteria to determine the most advantageous offers.Poland's Public Procurement Law (PPL) allows contract award criteria based on quality and price, including social aspects. Contracting authorities can specify criteria like employing marginalized groups, though these criteria often face scrutiny and legal challenges. Non-price criteria aim to enhance competition and achieve social, environmental, and economic goals. Recommendations: EU and Polish laws permit and encourage using social aspects as contract award criteria in public procurement. However, contracting authorities must analyze priorities, risk balancing, time constraints, and departmental coordination to effectively implement these criteria. This approach can improve the social situation and support specific groups. Conclusions: Public procurement significantly influences a country's economy and quality of life, with EU and Polish laws allowing social criteria in contract awards. Directive 2014/24/EU supports tenders based on economic and social benefits. Poland's PPL aligns with this, emphasizing marginalized group employment. Effective implementation fosters job creation, social integration, and improved living standards.

Evaluation of social appearance concerns and satisfaction after orthognathic surgery.

The main aim of orthognathic surgery is to provide a good occlusion and masticatory function and to achieve positive changes in facial aesthetics. The aim of this study was to determine the reasons behind patients' acceptance of orthognathic surgery and their expectations from this treatment, to assess whether their expectations were met, the change in their self-confidence and their satisfaction, and finally, to use the results obtained to inform future surgical procedures to increase patient satisfaction. The study was designed as a cross-sectional observational study and included 73 people treated with orthognathic surgery (surgery group) and 42 people with minimal crowding who did not require treatment (control group). The study found that the primary reason for requesting orthognathic surgery was to improve facial appearance and that patients had high expectations in this regard. Using the Social Appearance Anxiety Questionnaire and the Expectation and Satisfaction Questionnaire, 73.97 % of patients in our study said the treatment met their expectations and 90.41 % said they were satisfied with the overall results of the surgery. The study also highlighted the importance of surgeon-patient communication and the satisfaction of the patient's environment with the final result in determining patient satisfaction. In conclusion, since patients' high expectations of orthognathic surgery influence treatment success and patient satisfaction, it is important to know and manage patients' expectations before treatment and to have good patient-surgeon communication to increase patient satisfaction after surgery.

Depression and Anxiety in Pediatric Patients with Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome: A Pilot Study.

The study's aim was to determine the prevalence of depression and anxiety in children with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) and their effects on social relationships and family acceptance. The Pediatric Symptom Checklist-35 items (PSC-35), Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale Second Edition (VABS-II) were administered to the children. The parental Acceptance Rejection/Control Questionnaire (PARQ/Control) and Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI) were administered to parents. In total, 6 patients and 10 parents were included. Patients showed a significant presence of internalizing behavior in PSC-35 (mean, 7.66 ± 3.67), anxiety symptoms (SCARED: mean, 46.33 ± 17.50) and socialization difficulties (mean, 90.83 ± 10.09). Parents reported a perceived good acceptance (mean, 56.33 ± 1.03) and a moderate control (mean, 24.17 ± 1.83), but the burden level was ranked moderate to severe (mean, 59.33 ± 16.78). It was found that the severity of the burden level reported by parents was related to internalizing behavior (OR = 2.000; 95% CI = 0.479-3.521; p = 0.022) and anxiety symptoms (SCARED total score: OR = 3.000; 95% CI = 1.479-4.521; p = 0.005) of children. During psychological counseling in the context of BWS treatment, it is important to identify specific resources that can support patients and families in dealing with stress and identify any critical areas that could hinder the adaptation process.

Simulating conversations: A Markov chain model of a central speaker's mnemonic influence over a group of communicating listeners.

Through their selective rehearsal, Central Speakers can reshape collective memory in a group of listeners, both by increasing accessibility for mentioned items (shared practice effects) and by decreasing relative accessibility for related but unmentioned items (socially shared retrieval induced forgetting, i.e., SSRIF). Subsequent networked communication in the group can further modify these mnemonic influences. Extant empirical work has tended to examine such downstream influences on a Central Speaker's mnemonic influence following a relatively limited number of interactions - often only two or three conversations. We develop a set of Markov chain simulations to model the long-term dynamics of such conversational remembering across a variety of group types, based on reported empirical data. These models indicate that some previously reported effects will stabilize in the long-term collective memory following repeated rounds of conversation. Notably, both shared practice effects and SSRIF persist into future steady states. However, other projected future states differ from those described so far in the empirical literature, specifically: the amplification of shared practice effects in communicational versus solo remembering non-conversational groups, the relatively transient impact of social (dis)identification with a Central Speaker, and the sensitivity of communicating networks to much smaller mnemonic biases introduced by the Central Speaker than groups of individual rememberers. Together, these simulations contribute insights into the long-term temporal dynamics of collective memory by addressing questions difficult to tackle using extant laboratory methods, and provide concrete suggestions for future empirical work.

Trends and social aspects in the management and conversion of agricultural residues into valuable resources: A comprehensive approach to counter environmental degradation, food security, and climate change.

The circular economy is essential as it encourages the reuse and recycling of resources while reducing waste, which ultimately helps to reduce environmental pollution and boosts economic efficiency. The current review highlights the management of agricultural and livestock residues and their conversion into valuable resources to combat environmental degradation and improve social well-being. The current trends in converting agricultural residues into useful resources emphasize the social benefits of waste management and conversion. It also emphasizes how waste conversion can reduce environmental degradation and enhance food security. Using agricultural residues can increase soil health and agricultural output while reducing pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and resource depletion. Promoting sustainable waste-to-resource conversion processes requires a combination of strategies that address technical, economic, social, and environmental aspects. These multiple strategies are highlighted along with prospects and considerations.

Chronic pain among older adults and its impact on satisfaction with social participation: development and validation of the "Instrument to Assess Older Adults' Social Participation". A descriptive quantitative study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: We aimed to develop and validate a practical instrument to assess older adults' satisfaction with their social participation (SP). DESIGN AND SETTING: This methodological validation study was conducted at a public higher education institution. METHODS: A two-phase study was designed, developed, and validated to assess older adults' satisfaction with their SP. In the first phase, we conceptualized SP and developed an "instrument to assess older adults' satisfaction with their SP (IAPSI)," as approved by a committee of specialists, pre-tested, and partially validated. Second, we determined the IAPSI's reproducibility using Cronbach's alpha to measure internal consistency, Pearson's and Spearman's coefficients to measure correlations, the Bland-Altman plot and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) to measure reproducibility. We also generated a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS: 102 older adults (mean age, 87.29) participated in the first phase. Moderate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.7) and significant moderate correlations with quality of life by World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-bref and by WHOQOL-old social domains (Pearson's coefficients 0.54 and 0.64, respectively; P < 0.001) were found. The ROC curve indicated an IAPSI score of 17 as the threshold for the impact of pain on satisfaction with SP (83.3% sensitivity and 88.9% specificity, P < 0.001). In the second phase, 56 older adults (between 81 and 90 years old) participated. We found adequate intra- and inter-observer reproducibility for the IAPSI (ICC 0.96 and 0.78, respectively). CONCLUSION: We have developed a practical instrument with appropriate psychometric properties to assess older adults' satisfaction with their SP.

Child Abuse, Misdiagnosed by an Expertise Center: Part I-Medico-Social Aspects.

Child abuse is a dangerous situation for an infant. Professionals need to weigh the risk of failing to act when children are seriously harmed against the serious harm done by carrying out safeguarding interventions. In severe cases, foster care might be advisable. The negative effects for the child's psychosocial development requires that such placement must be based on very solid evidence. Our aim is to identify why Dutch parents whose child may have a medical condition that could mimic symptoms of child abuse have a significant chance of being erroneously convicted and losing custody of their child. As a method, we describe and analyze the following case. An Armenian-Dutch newborn (uncomplicated term vaginal delivery), starting at two weeks after birth, developed small bruises on varying body locations. At two months, a Well-Baby Clinic physician referred the girl to a university hospital, mentioning that there were no reasons to suspect child abuse and that her Armenian grandmother easily bruised as well. However, before consultation by a pediatrician of the hospital-located Expertise Center for Child Abuse, the parents were suspected of child abuse. Based on the expertise center's protocols, skeletal X-rays were made, which showed three healed, asymptomatic rib fractures, while invalid statistics suggested, incorrectly, a 10-100 times more likely non-accidental than accidental cause of the symptoms (discussed in Part II of this series). The expertise enter physician ignored any argument that could show parental innocence, including the positive parent-child relationship reported by the Well-Baby Clinic and the general practitioner. The girl and her older brother were placed in a family foster home and then in a secret home. The case radically resolved when a large bruise also developed there, and an independent tissue disease specialist diagnosed a hereditary connective tissue disorder in the mother, implying that the girl's bruises and rib fractures could well be disease-related. In conclusion, if child abuse is suspected, and foster care placement considered, the patient and the parents should be thoroughly investigated by an independent experienced pediatrician together with an experienced pediatric clinical psychologist or psychotherapist to produce an independent opinion. Children deserve this extra safeguard before being separated from their parents.

An examination of the social perceptions and vaping preferences of young electronic nicotine delivery system users.

Background: Little research has been conducted on social aspects and preferences of electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) use among young ENDS users, and none have examined differences in these aspects and preferences by gender and tobacco use status. Methods: A total of 558 young regular vapers (ages 16-24; vaped at least once a week for the last 3 months) from Nova Scotia were recruited to complete a demographic and vaping questionnaire. A 2 x 3 study design was used to compare participants on social aspects and vaping preferences based on gender (male or female) and tobacco use status (never, former, or current smoker). Chi-square tests were used to determine significant differences, and Bonferroni tests were used to assess over- and under-representation within significant variables. Results: Current tobacco-using male vapers had a higher frequency of experiencing pressure to vape from friends and current employment as compared to females. Former and never tobacco-using male vapers had a higher frequency of parental awareness of their vaping behavior than females. Former tobacco-using female vapers had a higher frequency of being influenced to vape by others they know on social media than males. Both never and former tobacco-using females reported a higher frequency of exposure to vaping content on social media than males. Never tobacco-using female vapers preferred vape pen devices relative to males. Conclusions: Important gender differences by tobacco use status exist and demonstrate differential patterns of social influence for ENDS use and their experiences within this demographic.

The Neuroscience of Dance: A Conceptual Framework and Systematic Review.

Ancient and culturally universal, dance pervades many areas of life and has multiple benefits. In this article, we provide a conceptual framework and systematic review, as a guide for researching the neuroscience of dance. We identified relevant articles following PRISMA guidelines, and summarised and evaluated all original results. We identified avenues for future research in: the interactive and collective aspects of dance; groove; dance performance; dance observation; and dance therapy. Furthermore, the interactive and collective aspects of dance constitute a vital part of the field but have received almost no attention from a neuroscientific perspective so far. Dance and music engage overlapping brain networks, including common regions involved in perception, action, and emotion. In music and dance, rhythm, melody, and harmony are processed in an active, sustained pleasure cycle giving rise to action, emotion, and learning, led by activity in specific hedonic brain networks. The neuroscience of dance is an exciting field, which may yield information concerning links between psychological processes and behaviour, human flourishing, and the concept of eudaimonia.

How do long COVID patients perceive their current life situation and occupational perspective? Results of a qualitative interview study in Germany.

Introduction: Many people experience persistent or new-onset symptoms such as fatigue or cognitive problems after an acute infection with COVID-19. This phenomenon, known as long COVID, impacts physical and mental wellbeing, and may affect perceived quality of life and occupational perspectives likewise. The aim of this study is to gain a deeper understanding of how people with long COVID experience health-related restrictions in their daily life and their occupational situation, and to identify key challenges they face. Methods: Guided qualitative interviews were conducted with 25 people with long COVID. The interviews were transcribed according to Dresing/Pehl and Kuckartz and analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Afterward, a systematic comparison of the data and a reflection under consideration of lifeworld-theoretical approaches (Berger and Luckmann) were carried out. Results: The interviews revealed that many participants have severe symptoms which strongly impair them in perform daily and work-related activities, and in their personal interests. Many interviewees already reach their stress limit during routine household activities or childcare. Of the 25 participants, 19 experienced limitations in pursuing leisure activities, and 10 of the 23 interviewees with jobs reported being on sick leave for several months. Several respondents who had vocational reintegration are still affected by ongoing symptoms that affect their work performance considerably. This leads to uncertainty, role conflicts, a decline in social contacts, and decreased incomes, which contribute to an impairment in their quality of life. Conclusions: This study shows the huge need for specific support for people with long COVID in different areas of life. To prevent people with long COVID from finding themselves in social and economic precarity, decision-makers should develop strategies to systematically support them in their sustainable reintegration into the workforce. The focus should be on creating long COVID-sensitive workplaces, compensating for decreased incomes, and improving access to relief services such as vocational reintegration. We argue, that a shift of perspectives is necessary and that long COVID should be considered rather as a "social disease" with considerably impairments in the social life of those affected. Trial registration: The study is registered in the German register for clinical trials (DRKS00026007).

Study protocol of an observational study in acute psychiatric home treatment: How does home treatment work? Identification of common factors and predictors of treatment success.

BACKGROUND: Systematic reviews indicated that home treatment is an effective and cost-saving alternative to conventional acute psychiatric treatment options. Treatment success has often been defined as a reduction of hospital admissions. In the current study, symptoms and well-being are assessed regularly during treatment as an indicator for treatment success. Patients' characteristics such as diagnosis, age, substance use, and motivation for treatment were discussed as predictors for treatment success. A second focal point of the study lies in the examination of the therapeutic relationship in terms of the outcome, which has not yet been systematically investigated in home treatment. METHODS: This is an observational study with a prospective naturalistic design. Measurements are carried out at baseline, during and at the end of treatment as well as at the 3­month follow-up. Patients' characteristics as potential predictors for treatment success will be assessed at baseline. In addition, the perceived relationship between the patients and the team will be measured daily and weekly throughout the treatment. Treatment success is by the changes in symptoms and general well-being assessed weekly. We aim to include 82 participants assigned to home treatment. Variance analyses with repeated measurements will be conducted to evaluate treatment success. CONCLUSION: By examining potential patient- and relationship-related predictors of treatment success, insights into relevant determining variables of treatment success in this setting are expected. The results might help to better identify who benefits the most from home treatment.

Social Factors and Recovery: A Longitudinal Study of Patients with Psychosis in Mental Health Services.

To study the prospective associations between social factors and recovery in patients with psychotic disorders in mental health specialist services. In this prospective observational cohort study, analyzes were based on baseline- and follow-up data after 18 months from 108 patients with psychosis. Personal recovery was assessed by the Questionnaire about the Process of Recovery (QPR). Linear regression models were used to test the prospective associations between social predictor variables and QPR. An association was found between experienced quality of interpersonal relationships at baseline and change in QPR score over the next 18 months. Stratified analyzes showed that the effect of experienced quality of interpersonal relationships on recovery was due to an association among persons living with others. Patients' experience of quality of interpersonal relationships are prospectively associated with recovery. In conclusion, findings indicate that interpersonal relationships and social interaction are central drivers of recovery in patients with psychotic disorders.

The impact of life stress, psychological resources, and proactive behaviors on quality of life among people living with HIV.

OBJECTIVES: Quality of life (QoL) is an important consideration for people living with HIV (PWH). We investigated the relationship between stress, psychological resources, and proactive behaviors, on QoL (conceptualized as life satisfaction, successful aging, and depressive symptoms) by testing the hypotheses: (1) greater life stress (stress and functional impairment) is associated with poorer QoL; (2) resources (mastery, resilience, and social support) are associated with better QoL, beyond the influence of stress; and (3) proactive behaviors (medication management and leisure activities) mediate the relationship between resources and QoL. METHODS: Secondary analyses were performed (N = 128 PWH). Participants' mean age was 52.3, 83.6% were male, and 53.9 identified as white. Multivariate regressions were performed within the context of path analyses. RESULTS: In series 1, greater stress was associated with poorer life satisfaction (p < 0.001), lower self-rated successful aging (p < 0.001), and greater depression (p < 0.001). Functional impairment was associated with lower successful aging (p = 0.017) and greater depression (p = 0.001). In series 2, which accounted for mastery, resilience, social support, as well as demographic covariates, mastery was associated with greater life satisfaction (p = 0.038). In series 3, stress, functional impairment, leisure activities, and ART management were added to the model and social support was associated with engagement in leisure activities (p < 0.001), which was associated with better successful aging (p = 0.006). Fit indices suggested adequate relative fit. In bootstrapped analyses of indirect effects, social support was indirectly associated with successful aging through leisure activities (p = 0.020). CONCLUSIONS: QoL, as captured by self-rated successful aging, is threatened by stress but positively influenced by social support and engaging in leisure activities. Findings support a model of proactive successful aging for PWH.

The role of school education in time-dependent changes of cognitive abilities in cohorts from midlife to old age.

OBJECTIVES: It is examined whether older adults' cognitive ability in terms of delayed recall and verbal fluency is improving over time, whether this occurs over all educational levels and both sexes, and whether these changes are due to increasing proportions of individuals with higher education. METHODS: Analyses are based on the German samples of the Survey on Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (waves 2004 and 2013). RESULTS: Achievement levels increased over time and in all age groups. Improvements over educational levels occurred in parallel, differences between educational levels in the earlier survey were later reproduced at higher levels. Increasing proportions of individuals with higher education did not explain improvements of cognitive ability. No sex differences emerged. CONCLUSION: Improved cognitive abilities could not be explained by upward shifts of educational levels. Improvements in higher age groups may foster improved health status and prolonged self-determined life in the older population.

Trends, heterogeneity, and correlates of mental health and psychosocial well-being in later-life: study of 590 community-dwelling adults aged 40-104 years.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to examine if mental health and psychosocial well-being differed between middle-aged (MA; 40-59 years), younger-old (YO; 60-79 years), and older-old (OO; 80+ years) adults with respect to their trends, heterogeneity, and correlates. METHODS: Eighteen mental health and psychosocial well-being instruments were administered to 590 adults over age 40. Cross-sectional data also included self-report-based measures of sociodemographics, cognitive functioning, physical health and activity, and body mass index. RESULTS: Age trends across instruments varied in magnitude and shape, but generally supported an inverted U-shaped trend in mental health and psychosocial well-being, with small increases from MA to YO age (d = 0.29) and smaller declines from YO to OO age (d = -0.17). A U-shaped association between age and mental health heterogeneity was also observed. The strongest correlates of mental health and psychosocial well-being differed by age (MA: perceived stress; YO: successful aging; OO: compassion toward others), as did the associations of a flourishing versus languishing mental health and well-being profile. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the "paradox of aging," whereby declines in physical and cognitive health co-occur with relatively preserved mental health and well-being. Our findings indicate that variance in mental and psychosocial health does not increase linearly with age and support careful consideration of heterogeneity in mental health and aging research. Our findings also suggest that mental health and psychosocial well-being decouple from stress-related dimensions in MA and become increasingly associated with positive, other-oriented emotions in OO, broadly supporting socioemotional theories of aging.

Social frailty as social aspects of frailty: Research, practical activities, and prospects.

With the topical focus on the prevention of and countermeasures for frailty, scattered studies have subdivided its social elements and aspects as "social frailty." While the concepts and definition of "social frailty" are yet to be established, the purpose of using the term is to capture the attention of professionals using the social aspects of frailty to support older adults. The goal is to increase healthy life expectancy by recognizing that social factors are unlikely to pose a risk of functional decline in isolation, but may increase such a decline when combined with other factors. At feasible scopes of intervention, ways to address these factors should be pursued. Although social aspects are often expressed by frail people, or social factors with complex processes that can cause functional decline, there is no unified definition or indicator of social frailty. Further research and discussion are needed to clarify its academic significance and usefulness for disability prevention. Recognizing this, when the Japanese Socio-Gerontological Society's Study Committee on "Social Frailty" published its recommendations, it suggested that when using the term "social frailty" we should specify the significance of its use; consider the comprehensiveness of frailty; be mindful of the interrelationship of social activities and other social aspects; and consider environmental conditions such as a person's values, preferences and life course, social norms, systems, and government policies. High-risk individuals may need multidisciplinary approaches delivered by various professionals, including clinicians, in realizing a life in line with their unique values and preferences. In such cases, it is necessary to understand the background and process that led to frailty, from physical, psychological, and social perspectives, referring to the abovementioned four points. The introduction of social aspects as one of the assessment frameworks can significantly bridge the gap between medical care and the community. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2022; 22: 991-996.

Improving Inclusivity in Robotics Design: An Exploration of Methods for Upstream Co-Creation.

Disabled people are often involved in robotics research as potential users of technologies which address specific needs. However, their more generalised lived expertise is not usually included when planning the overall design trajectory of robots for health and social care purposes. This risks losing valuable insight into the lived experience of disabled people, and impinges on their right to be involved in the shaping of their future care. This project draws upon the expertise of an interdisciplinary team to explore methodologies for involving people with disabilities in the early design of care robots in a way that enables incorporation of their broader values, experiences and expectations. We developed a comparative set of focus group workshops using Community Philosophy, LEGO® Serious Play® and Design Thinking to explore how people with a range of different physical impairments used these techniques to envision a "useful robot". The outputs were then workshopped with a group of roboticists and designers to explore how they interacted with the thematic map produced. Through this process, we aimed to understand how people living with disability think robots might improve their lives and consider new ways of bringing the fullness of lived experience into earlier stages of robot design. Secondary aims were to assess whether and how co-creative methodologies might produce actionable information for designers (or why not), and to deepen the exchange of social scientific and technical knowledge about feasible trajectories for robotics in health-social care. Our analysis indicated that using these methods in a sequential process of workshops with disabled people and incorporating engineers and other stakeholders at the Design Thinking stage could potentially produce technologically actionable results to inform follow-on proposals.