Between Online Autonomy and Local Constraints: Spaces of Roman Catholic Women’s Activity in Poland

The analysis presented in this article shows how a hybrid community combining online and offline activity generates a semi-autonomous space of women's activity, neither fully independent of the religious institution, nor entirely controlled by it. Based on results obtained over 15 months of qualitative research conducted in the Captivating (Urzekająca), conservative community of Roman Catholic women in Poland, I show that digital environments are conducive to building a community of women, a creative approach to practices, renegotiating power relations, and building a sense of agency among women, while also recognizing the authority of the Church as an institution. At the same time, I argue that relative autonomy in practising religion online is limited by the pressures experienced by women in the offline space as a result of the nature of the local Church. The article discusses the question of the relations between the online and offline space, as well as the role of the broader context for understanding conservative women's practice of religion.

Optimization of infrastructure projects parameters in the program

The object of research is infrastructure projects as part of the program. The products of infrastructure projects are various infrastructural objects that together provide a certain value for stakeholders, for example, a certain bandwidth of the transport network or the capacity of a port, channel, etc. Identification of the parameters of project products is carried out at the stage of program development. For most projects, these parameters allow for variability within certain limits. The interconnection of infrastructure projects is determined not only by general financing and management, but, above all, by the consistency of the properties of goods. Therefore, the optimization of the parameters of the products of such projects is carried out integrally, within a single model. Coordination of the parameters of the products of infrastructure projects as part of the program requires formalized methods that allow them to be optimized taking into account both local constraints for each project and the global conditions for implementing the program. As a result of the study, a concept has been formed and an appropriate model has been developed, which allows setting the optimal parameters of the products of infrastructure projects as part of the program. Modeling is based on the ability to vary the parameters of project products and their relationship with the characteristics of projects and the program as a whole, such as value, costs, and the magnitude of risks. Since the program and the projects included in it can be of a non-commercial nature, therefore, the main criterion of optimality for the parameters of the products of projects and programs is a universal category – value, and it is considered for all stakeholders. The use of this model in the development of the program and the infrastructure projects included in it ensures the optimization of the required result while meeting certain requirements and limiting conditions. The model belongs to the class of nonlinear models and is developed for a situation where a so-called «main» project (or their combination) can be distinguished, which form(s) the requirements for the products of other projects interconnected with it, which is typical for infrastructure programs.

The Effect of Soil and Water Conservation Structures on the Soil Biophysical and Chemical Properties in the Gidabo Sub-basin, Ethiopian Rift Valley

Soil erosion is one of the global challenges noticed as a cause for unsustainable socio-economic and environmental conditions. Over the last half-century, various soil and water conservation (SWC) practices were introduced in Ethiopia, but the conservation work could not be fully achieved in many areas. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effect and constraints of physical SWC on selected soil biophysical and chemical properties of the Ethiopian rift valley. The primary and secondary data sources were used to answer the intended objectives. The statistical analysis of variance showed that the soil texture of the study area was affected by the type of conservation technologies than agroecology and slope characteristics. However, soil bulk density was not significantly affected at all. The study also showed that the soil biophysical and chemical properties were significantly affected by the variation of agroecology and SWC technologies. The overall result of the study depicted that about 40% of the conservation work failed to maintain soil fertility because the farmers have constraints to adopt and adapt the SWC work. The constraints include small land size, shortage of fuel wood, dependency on food aid, less productivity of the soil, youth migration, and long lasted effect of conservation works. These constraints were seen as causes for inferior agricultural product, food insecurity, famine, migration and frequent drought of the area. The study concluded that the SWC work of the area should focus on variation of agroecology, SWC technologies, and local constraints. Also, the policy of natural resource conservation should consider local constraints to implement the national SWC guideline.