Trapped in the prison of the mind: notions of climate-induced (im)mobility decision-making and wellbeing from an urban informal settlement in Bangladesh

The concept of Trapped Populations has until date mainly referred to people ‘trapped’ in environmentally high-risk rural areas due to economic constraints. This article attempts to widen our understanding of the concept by investigating climate-induced socio-psychological immobility and its link to Internally Displaced People’s (IDPs) wellbeing in a slum of Dhaka. People migrated here due to environmental changes back on Bhola Island and named the settlement Bhola Slum after their home. In this way, many found themselves ‘immobile’ after having been mobile—unable to move back home, and unable to move to other parts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, or beyond. The analysis incorporates the emotional and psychosocial aspects of the diverse immobility states. Mind and emotion are vital to better understand people’s (im)mobility decision-making and wellbeing status. The study applies an innovative and interdisciplinary methodological approach combining Q-methodology and discourse analysis (DA). This mixed-method illustrates a replicable approach to capture the complex state of climate-induced (im)mobility and its interlinkages to people’s wellbeing. People reported facing non-economic losses due to the move, such as identity, honour, sense of belonging and mental health. These psychosocial processes helped explain why some people ended up ‘trapped’ or immobile. The psychosocial constraints paralysed them mentally, as well as geographically. More empirical evidence on how climate change influences people’s wellbeing and mental health will be important to provide us with insights in how to best support vulnerable people having faced climatic impacts, and build more sustainable climate policy frameworks

How organic farmers view their own practice: results from the Czech Republic

This paper addresses the development of organic agriculture in the Czech Republic, which is seen as a success story among post-communist countries. The relatively short history of organic farming and specific contextual factors raises questions about the nature and meaning of Czech organic farming. The goal of this study was to find out how farmers view their own practice, interpret its symbolic value, and construct its content. This empirical study uses Q methodology aimed at the identification of the collectively-shared perspectives belonging engaged actors. Data were gathered through semi-standardized interviews with Czech farmers registered in official organic scheme. The analysis emphasized three components, which are considered as three distinct perspectives possessed by organic farmers; that is, (1) organic farming as a way of life, (2) as an occupation, and (3) as a production of food of an alternative quality compared to conventional food. Each viewpoint entails a different understanding of what organic farming means; each then—when considered together—comprises the meaning of organic agriculture in the Czech Republic. The presented classification of the farmers holding the viewpoints contributes to the ongoing theoretical discussion regarding the nature of the current organic sector, its development and potential conventionalization

A Lotka-Volterra Three-species Food Chain

this paper, we completely characterize the qualitative behavior of a linear threespecies food chain where the dynamics are given by classic (nonlogistic) LotkaVolterra type equations. The Lotka-Volterra equations are typically modified by making the prey equation a logistic (Holling-type [5]) equation to eliminate the possibility of unbounded growth of the prey in the absence of the predator. We study a more basic nonlogistic system that is the direct generalization of the classic Lotka-Volterra equations. Although the model is more simplified, the dynamics of the associated system are quite complicated, as the model exhibits degeneracies that make it an excellent instructional tool whose analysis involves advanced topics such as: trapping regions, nonlinear analysis, invariant sets, Lyapunov-type functions (F and G in what follows), the stable/center manifold theorem, and the Poincar e-Bendixson theorem. Figure 3 Historical plots of hare and lynx pelts collected by the Hudson's Bay Company The model The ecosystem that we wish to model is a linear three-species food chain where the lowest-level prey x is preyed upon by a mid-level species y, which, in turn, is preyed upon by a top level predator z. Examples of such three-species ecosystems include: mouse-snake-owl, vegetation-hare-lynx, and worm-robin-falcon. The model we propose to study is # # # # # # # # # # # # # bxy dy dz gyz, (2) for a, b, c, d, e, f, g > 0, where a, b, c and d are as in the Lotka-Volterra equations and: . e represents the effect of predation on species y by species z, . f represents the natural death rate of the predator z in the absence of prey, . g represents the efficiency and propagation rate of the predator z in the presence of prey. Since populations are nonnegative, we will r..

Friends or foes: Group influence effects on moderate drinking behaviors

Drunkenness and the addictive consumption of alcohol remains a key social and public health concern. Advancing beyond traditional individualized prevention approaches, this research explores the role of social influences in determining individual and group influence in moderate-drinking decision-making and participatory actions. A social influence model of intentional moderate drinking actions is conceptualized and validated. Results show group norm as the single social influence predictor of intentions and desire to drink moderately, as opposed to well-known social influence factors (e.g., subjective norm, social identity and drinking contextual effects). Significantly, the peer-group is identified as a key influencer supporting moderate drinking practices, and i-intentions to drink moderately predict group-related we-intentions, which suggests that moderate drinking is a shared goal. These findings advance alcohol prevention research drawing attention to the power of group dynamics to support positive changes in youth drinking behaviors

Forefoot and rearfoot contributions to the lunge position in individuals with and without insertional Achilles tendinopathy

Background Clinicians use the lunge position to assess and treat restricted ankle dorsiflexion. However, the individual forefoot and rearfoot contributions to dorsiflexion and the potential for abnormal compensations are unclear. The purposes of this case-control study were to 1) compare single- (representing a clinical lunge position measure) versus multi-segment contributions to dorsiflexion, and 2) determine if differences are present in patients with tendinopathy. Methods 32 individuals (16 with insertional Achilles tendinopathy and 16 age- and gender-matched controls) participated. Using three-dimensional motion analysis, the single-segment model was defined as tibial inclination relative to the whole foot. The multi-segment model consisted of rearfoot (tibia relative to calcaneus) and forefoot (1st metatarsal relative to calcaneus) motion. Two-way (kinematic model and group) analyses of variance were used to assess differences in knee bent and straight positions. Associations between models were tested with Pearson correlations. Findings Single-segment modeling resulted in ankle DF values 5° greater than multi-segment modeling that isolated rearfoot dorsiflexion for knee bent and straight positions (P \u3c 0.01). Compared to controls, the tendinopathy group had 10° less dorsiflexion with the knee bent (P \u3c 0.01). For the tendinopathy group, greater dorsiflexion was strongly associated with greater rearfoot (r = 0.95, P \u3c 0.01) and forefoot (r = 0.81, P \u3c 0.01) dorsiflexion. For controls, dorsiflexion was strongly associated with rearfoot (r = 0.87, P \u3c 0.01) but not forefoot dorsiflexion (r = 0.23, P = 0.39). Interpretation Clinically used single-segment models of ankle dorsiflexion overestimate rearfoot dorsiflexion. Participants with insertional Achilles tendinopathy may compensate for restricted and/or painful ankle dorsiflexion by increased lowering of the medial longitudinal arch (forefoot dorsiflexion) with the lunge position