Author: Latest Results

Medical Pluralism as a Matter of Justice

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Abstract

Culture, health, and medicine intersect in various ways—and not always without friction. This paper examines how liberal multicultural states ought to interact with diverse communities which hold different health-related or medical beliefs and practices. The debate is fierce within the fields of medicine and bioethics as to how traditional medicines ought to be regarded. What this debate often misses is the relationship that medical traditions have with cultural identity and the value that these traditions can have beyond the confines of the clinical setting. This paper will attempt to bring some clarity to the discussion. In so doing, it will delve into some controversial areas: (1) the debate around whether liberal states ought to embrace multiculturalism, (2) the existence and nature of group-differentiated rights, (3) the question of whether healthcare systems ought to embrace medical pluralism, and (4) what this would entail for policymakers, clinicians, and patients. Ultimately, I argue that liberal democratic states with multicultural populations ought to recognize medical pluralism as a matter of respecting group-differentiated and individual human rights.

Psychological Trauma, Anxiety, and Depression Among University Students During First Phase of COVID-19 Movement Control Order in Malaysia

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Abstract

The authors investigated posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depressive symptoms among university students in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in a cross-sectional study involving 375 students. Results showed that 39.5% reported PTSD symptoms, 37.3% anxiety symptoms, and 51.4% depressive symptoms. PTSD is significantly correlated with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Female students reported significantly higher PTSD and depressive symptoms. There was a significant association between race, PTSD, and anxiety symptoms. Participants who stayed at residential college (46.2%) and had underlying health problems (70%) reported having significant anxiety symptoms. A significant association between ethnicity and depressive symptoms and underlying health status was also found. The high rates of PTSD, anxiety, and depressive symptoms call for action for mental health promotion and improving mental health delivery services to higher education students in the wake of COVID-19.

Broaching Client Identities: Integrating a Critical Consciousness Lens in Counselling Practice

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Abstract

Cultural competence and, to a lesser extent, cultural safety for developing culturally responsive practice have been the dominant paradigms in the helping professions in Aotearoa New Zealand. This article focuses on a paradigm shift toward critical and structural consciousness in a masters-level counselling curriculum. Authors in this study undertook a qualitative inquiry in exploring counselling students’ experiences of a critically conscious curriculum, culminating in their application of the skill of broaching as a strategy for discussing client intersectional identities and structural and systemic issues. The students described experiences of discomfort, challenge, and transformative learning. Unique and nuanced challenges of learning broaching are delineated by the students. Findings suggest that learners must have complex understandings of critically conscious concepts and local dominant norms to effectively explore intersectional and marginalised identities with clients. Direction for educators and supervisors in ways to anticipate common challenges and to better train and supervise beginning counsellors in broaching are included.

Exploring Factors Influencing South Asian Immigrant Family Dynamics in the USA

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Abstract

The South Asian immigrant population is one of the fastest growing immigrant groups in the USA, indicating a significant increase in individuals and families who have moved from South Asian countries to seek different opportunities. South Asian families living in the USA face personal and generational traumas that largely go unaddressed because of cultural stigmas associated with immigrating to a new country and resistance to acculturation. To aid counselors in providing culturally responsive mental health services to South Asian families, the authors provide a thorough review of the literature pertaining to (a) the transition from collectivist societies to an individualistic society, (b) risk and protective factors for families in acculturating within Western society, (c) conflicts within the parent-child relationship, and (d) mental health stigma and assumptions about the South Asian population within the context of Western communities. Counseling implications and advocacy opportunities are also discussed.

The Integration of the Resolved Through Sharing Perinatal Bereavement Follow-up Model with Latinx Cultural Values: A Case Illustration

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Abstract

The Resolved Through Sharing (RTS) Perinatal bereavement model is an approach used for working with birthing people and their families who have experienced a perinatal loss. RTS is designed to help families cope with their grief and integrate the loss in their lives, meet the needs of the families during the initial crisis, and offer comprehensive care to each member of the family affected by the loss. This paper utilizes a case illustration to describe a year-long bereavement follow-up of an undocumented underinsured Latina woman who suffered a stillbirth during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the hostile anti-immigrant policy during the Trump presidency. The case illustration is based on a composite case of several Latina women who had pregnancy losses with similar outcomes, demonstrating how a perinatal palliative care (PPC) social worker provided ongoing bereavement support to a patient who experienced a stillbirth. The case illustrates how the PPC social worker utilized the RTS model, incorporated the patient’s cultural values, and acknowledged systemic challenges which resulted in the patient receiving comprehensive, holistic support that aided her emotional and spiritual recovery from her stillbirth. The author ends with a call to action for providers in the field of perinatal palliative care to incorporate practices that allow for greater access and equity for all birthing people.

Looking towards Europe? Assessing the prospects of the ECOWAS Cybersecurity Strategy in promoting responsible state behavior

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Abstract

In 2021, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) adopted a regional Cybersecurity Strategy with a view to promoting cybersecurity governance within the West Africa region. However, questions arise as to the prospects of the Cybersecurity Strategy in enhancing the development of norms for responsible state behavior amongst Member States of the ECOWAS. This paper discusses the prospects of the ECOWAS Cybersecurity Strategy in enhancing the development of norms for responsible State behavior amongst States in West Africa. Against the background of earlier cybersecurity governance frameworks established by the ECOWAS, the paper analyzes the Strategy and explores its prospects and limits in promoting the development of norms for responsible state behavior within the ECOWAS region. In so doing, the paper considers challenges to the development of norms for responsible State behavior within the framework of the ECOWAS Cybersecurity Strategy. In particular, the paper finds that poor implementation of Community frameworks have been a challenge in the ECOWAS and suggests that this challenge will impede the Strategy in promoting the development of norms for responsible State behavior within the region. The paper further identifies comparative examples from the European context by considering the adaptation of measures from European Union regimes to enhance the development of norms for responsible State behavior within the ECOWAS framework.

Harmonizing open banking in the European Union: an analysis of PSD2 compliance and interrelation with cybersecurity frameworks and standards

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Abstract

This paper focuses on the security protocols enacted in banking transactions across the European Economic Area (EEA), as stipulated by the Second or Revised Payment Service Directive (commonly referred to as ‘PSD2’ or simply ‘the Directive’). The study aims to comprehensively analyse the implementation and efficacy of these security measures within the specified jurisdiction. The Directive incorporates fundamental rights and obligations that all stakeholders are compelled to adhere to and delineates specific security measures and standards that both traditional banking institutions and third-party providers (TPP) are mandated to implement. In particular, one of the cardinal mandates for banking and financial institutions under PSD2 is the obligation to facilitate third-party access to customer data via open application programming interfaces (API). While this open banking paradigm and the consequent proliferation of data sharing unquestionably bring about various advantages, such as enhanced consumer choice and market competition, they concurrently expose the financial ecosystem to a slew of potential security vulnerabilities and privacy risks. Upon conducting a comprehensive review of the security requirements and measures stipulated under PSD2 and a comparative analysis with essential cybersecurity frameworks and standards (NIS2, Cybersecurity Act, GDPR, ISO 27001:22 and PCI DSS), we have ascertained a discernible lack of harmonisation and clarity concerning the technical security specifications for its effective implementation. This lacuna substantiates the challenges banks face in fully grasping the extensive spectrum of compliance obligations mandated by PSD2. The aim of this research is to offer a valuable contribution to both the comprehension and the pragmatic deployment of security standards in the context of banking transactions, as regulated by the PSD2. The paper serves as a valuable resource for traditional banking institutions and relevant stakeholders by guiding them through the complexities of PSD2 implementation while also evaluating the effects of the security measures on transactional safeguards, data security, and the provision of payment services.

FishRNFuseNET: development of heuristic-derived recurrent neural network with feature fusion strategy for fish species classification

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Abstract

The classification of fish species has become an essential task for marine ecologists and biologists for the estimation of large quantities of fish variants in their own environment and also to supervise their population changes. Different conventional classification is expensive, time-consuming, and laborious. Scattering and absorption of light in deep sea atmosphere achieves a very low-resolution image and becomes highly challenging for the recognition and classification of fish variants. Then, the performance rate of existing computer vision methods starts to reduce underwater because of highly indistinct features and background clutter of marine species. The attained classification issues can be resolved using deep structured models, which are highly recommended to enhance the performance rate in fish species classification. But, only a limited amount of fish datasets is available, which makes the system more complex, and also, they need enormous amounts of datasets to perform training. So, it is essential to develop an automated and optimized system to detect, categorize, track, and minimize manual interference in fish species classification. Thus, this paper aims to suggest a new fish species classification model by the optimized recurrent neural network (RNN) and feature fusion. Initially, standard underwater images are acquired from a standard database. Then, the gathered images are pre-processed for cleaning and enhancing the quality of images using “contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) and histogram equalization”. Then, the deep feature extractions are obtained using DenseNet, MobileNet, ResNet, and VGG16, where the gathered features are given to the new phase optimal feature selection. They are performed with a new heuristic algorithm called “modified mating probability-based water strider algorithm (MMP-WSA)” that attains the optimal features. Further, the optimally selected features are further fed to the feature fusion process, where the feature fusion is carried out using the adaptive fusion concept. Here, the weights are tuned using the designed MMP-WSA. In addition, the fused features are sent to the classification phase, where the classification is performed using developed FishRNFuseNET, in which the parameters of the RNN are tuned by developed MMP-WSA for getting accurate classified outcomes. The proposed method is an effective substitute for time-consuming and strenuous approaches in human identification by professionals, and it turned as a benefit to monitor the biodiversity of fish in their place.

Assessment of the wind power density over South America simulated by CMIP6 models in the present and future climate

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Abstract

Expanding the South American renewable energy matrix to ensure more sustainable socio-economic development, mitigate the climate change effects, and meet the targets set in the Paris Agreement is crucial. Hence, this study sought to estimate South America’s wind speed and wind power density alterations projected by eight global climate models (GCMs) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project—Phase 6 (CMIP6). To this end, we applied statistical downscaling and bias correction to the GCMs outputs through the Quantile Delta Mapping method and assessed the projected changes in wind power in future climate under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 emission scenarios. ERA5 reanalysis data from 1995 to 2014 validated the models’ historical simulations. The CMIP6 multi-model ensemble indicated an approximate 25–50% increase in wind power density in sectors such as Northeast and South Brazil and growing wind power in regions such as Argentine Patagonia, northern Venezuela, and portions of Uruguay, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Estimates of the wind power growth for the twenty-first century in those regions reiterated their potential performance in the historical period. For the SSP5-8.5 emission scenario, the ensemble projections indicated even more favorable wind power conditions in the sectors mentioned. However, individual projections of wind intensity anomalies obtained by each ensemble member showed a large spread among the GCMs, evidencing the uncertainties associated with the prospects of change in wind power on the continent. Furthermore, this study has presented a first analysis of CMIP6 projections for South American wind power generation, providing relevant information to the energy sector decision-makers.

Uncertainty assessment of future climate change using bias-corrected high-resolution multi-regional climate model datasets over East Asia

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Abstract

The quantitative assessment of the uncertainty components of future climate projections is critical for decision-makers and organizations to establish climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies at regional or local scales. This is the first study in which the changes in the uncertainty components of future temperature and precipitation projections are quantitatively evaluated using multiple regional climate models over East Asia, vulnerable to future climate change. For temperature, internal variability and model uncertainty were the main factors affecting the near-term projections. The scenario uncertainty continued to increase and was estimated to be the dominant factor affecting the uncertainty after the mid-term projections. Although precipitation has the same main uncertainty factors as the temperature in the near-term projections, it considerably differs from temperature because the internal variability notably contributes to the fraction to the total variance, even in the long-term projections. The internal variability of the temperature and precipitation in the near-term projections were predicted to be larger in Korea than that in East Asia. This was confirmed by regional climate models as well as previous studies using global climate models as to the importance of internal variability at smaller regional scales during the near-term projections. This study is meaningful because it provides new possibilities with respect to the consideration of climate uncertainties to the establishment of climate change policies in more detail on the regional scale.