Social exclusion of older persons: a scoping review and conceptual framework

As a concept, social exclusion has considerable potential to explain and respond to disadvantage in later life. However, in the context of ageing populations, the construct remains ambiguous. A disjointed evidence-base, spread across disparate disciplines, compounds the challenge of developing a coherent understanding of exclusion in older age. This article addresses this research deficit by presenting the findings of a two-stage scoping review encompassing seven separate reviews of the international literature pertaining to old-age social exclusion. Stage one involved a review of conceptual frameworks on old-age exclusion, identifying conceptual understandings and key domains of later-life exclusion. Stage two involved scoping reviews on each domain (six in all). Stage one identified six conceptual frameworks on old-age exclusion and six common domains across these frameworks: neighbourhood and community; services, amenities and mobility; social relations; material and financial resources; socio-cultural aspects; and civic participation. International literature concentrated on the first four domains, but indicated a general lack of research knowledge and of theoretical development. Drawing on all seven scoping reviews and a knowledge synthesis, the article presents a new definition and conceptual framework relating to old-age exclusion

Preliminary Report of the 1977 Eruption of Usu Volcano

On August 7 (09h 12m, local time), 1977, a major eruption of dacite pumice occurred from the summit of Usu Volcano (42°32'N, 140°50'E), Hokkaido, Japan, after 32 years of dormancy since the birth of Showa-Shinzan lava dome. Four notable explosive eruptions, two moderate and ten small ones have been recorded until the midnight of August 13-14, and then marked crustal movements and local earthquake swarms continue still at present. The sequence of the present eruption, the distribution and nature of the new ejecta, and the topographic deformation of the volcano, are briefly given in this report