The Consequential Increase of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse During Covid- Its Causes and Implications

Covid-19 is not just a virus which is risking human lives everyday, but it is a phenomenon which has inflicted major changes on the long-term global survival and economic strategies. The pandemic has brought about major diversions in the world order, which philosophers and scientists have predicted to occur once in a century’s time. Covid-19 has also affected the personal health, physical and psychological of all human beings. It has forced people to change their social behaviors significantly, which has had consequential effect on their mental health. One significant result of the pandemic is the increased consumption of alcohol and other psychoactive substances among people. As people are forced to lock themselves up inside their homes, some have resorted to exercising, biking, running, and meditation to maintain sanity, while others have boosted their addictive behavior by consuming more alcohol and drugs to make staying-indoors more entertaining. Nielsen has reported a 54% rise in the national consumption of alcohol on the week of March 21st 2020, as compared to the same in 2019. The online sales of alcohol have also risen enormously from 2019 to 2020. The study aims to address the problem of increased alcoholism and substance abuse during Covid-19 by understanding the causes of this rise. The method is based on analysis and comparison of available survey reports, to find out exactly what amount of human consumption has increased during the pandemic. From the findings we can conclude that alcoholism and substance abuse has risen significantly during Covid-19, and psychological distress, anxiety and depression can be some major causes for this abnormal social behavior. It can also be implied that this increased alcoholism is likely to affect the physical health, neural and social behavior, and the work life of many human beings through the pandemic.

How Sushi Became Popular in Italy The Role of Producers and Consumers

The diffusion of sushi in Italy is linked to the globalisation of sushi chefs and to the globalisation of fish markets that allows people to buy every kind of fish they need, without thinking about the damages they could provoke. The consumption of sushi underlines also the diffusion of Japanese cultural elements and the fascination for Japanese culture in Italy. In general, sushi is not only linked to economic strategies adopted by chefs and restaurant managers, but also to the diffusion in Italy of other Japanese cultural elements.

The Place of Modernity: German Entrepreneurship in Western Siberia in the late 19th – early 20th Centuries

The study focuses on the issues related to the process of adaptation and economic behavior of German entrepreneurship in Western Siberia in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. The construction of the Siberian Railway and migration processes changed the economy, social structure and cultural practices of “old” Siberia. The “yesterday’s outskirts” became a “place of modernity”. The paper aims at presenting economic practices and strategies of German entrepreneurship adaptation in the conditions when the socio-spatial structures of the imperial periphery. were experiencing transformation. On the basis of representative resources, the mechanisms and methods of German entrepreneurs’ adaptation to the local community are shown. The structure of the market space and its segmentation as well as economic niches and economic strategies of German entrepreneurship are defined. The author comes to the conclusion that German entrepreneurs acted in the region as a “market ferment” changing Siberian society, and they could be regarded as actors of socio-economic, cultural modernization of the Siberian space. At the same time, the German merchants themselves experienced external influence from the host society. The research is based on the combination of macroanalytical strategies and microhistorical approach. The concept of “entrepreneurial minority” is a methodological basis for the study presented in the paper. The materials of the paper are addressed to the experts in the field of the history of Siberia as well as to the professional corporation of the researchers interested in the history of ethnic entrepreneurship and in the issues of various ethnic groups’ adaptation to the conditions of a non-ethnic host environment.

Almoravid Works on Defensive Architecture in Southeast Al-Andalus: Analysis of Their Remains and Proposal for Preventive Conservation

In the first half of the 12th century, several military works were developed throughout the territories under Almoravid rule, above all after 1126, both in the main towns and the rural areas of the Empire. Within this context, the aim of this paper is to present the results achieved in the framework of the PREFORTI R&D Project (BIA2015-69938-R) concerning the particular case of these military constructions built in the region of Southeast Al-Andalus (Granada and Almeria, Spain). To achieve this aim, we have studied their remains during field work, as well as documentation contained in archives, written sources and historiography, focusing on the risks that affect their conservation. The analysis of six cases of study has been included, where a sample of the systematic method based on preventive conservation measures has been detailed in two particular cases: the walls of the Alcazaba Qadīma (Granada) and the walls of La Hoya and Cerro de San Cristóbal (Almeria). The proposed method has been validated by the public bodies responsible for the protection of this heritage. Its importance lies in the guarantee to slow down the deterioration of this heritage, which facilitates the implementation of effective and economic strategies for its conservation.

Factors Affecting Panic Buying during COVID-19 Outbreak and Strategies: A Scoping Review

Background: This study aimed to assess factors affecting panic buying and strategies to deal with them during COVID-19 with a scoping review. Method: The review was performed based on Arksey and O’Malley. PubMed, Embase, Scopus, ProQuest, and Science Direct databases were selected to search. All English language full-text articles from Jan 2020 to May 2021 were included. Initially, the titles and abstracts of the retrieved articles were read and screening was accomplished based on the research question. After that, the full text of eligible studies was examined. A third reviewer was resolved disagreements at any stage by a consensus meeting. A self-assessment form was designed for data extraction. The causes of panic buying were assessed as a descriptive study. Results: The search process returned 23 articles after deletion for complete data extraction and analysis. Through thematic analysis, the factors influencing panic buying were divided into six categories including cognitive, emotional, behavioral, social, and economic factors as well as government action, and finally, the recommended strategies were categorized in two categories included psychosocial and economic. Conclusion: A holistic view of panic buying’s causes allows planners and decision-makers to design categorized strategies beyond the suggested strategies. Increasing customer awareness and monitoring the flow of information through social media and mass media, psychotherapy, counseling, and economic strategies are considered by planners to combat panic buying.

Scientist Warning on Why you Should Consume Less; Even if Wider Society Doesn’t

Overconsumption presents a major obstacle to social and environmental sustainability. Systemic social, legal, and economic strategies are absolutely necessary, but individuals are still accountable for their lifestyle choices and associated environmental footprints. Anti-consumption (rejection, reduction, reclamation) has its limitations, but could contribute to pro-environmental change, helping resolve biodiversity and climate crises. Regardless of societal consumption patterns, individuals can still make great gains in well-being and personal development by upholding their environmental and social values, minimizing personal resource consumption. Challenging the cultural norms of overconsumption requires individuals to employ mental fortitude in attempts to act justly toward the entire community of life. As a species, given our rational capabilities and ability to meet our basic needs, we are highly capable of bettering ourselves and our environment.

Improving Guideline-Congruent Care for Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting Prophylaxis in Pediatric Oncology Patients

PURPOSE Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a very common side effect of pediatric cancer therapy. High-quality, evidence-based, pediatric-specific guidelines for prophylaxis and treatment of CINV are available. At many centers, guideline-concordant care is uncommon. We formed a multidisciplinary quality improvement team to implement guideline-concordant care for CINV prophylaxis at our center. We present the results following the first year of our interventions. METHODS We planned and implemented a multipronged approach in three key phases: (1) developing and publishing an acute CINV prophylaxis pathway, (2) education of providers, and (3) updating the computerized provider order entry system. We used iterative, sequential Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles and behavioral economic strategies to improve adherence to guideline-concordant CINV prophylaxis. We focused on aprepitant usage as a key area for improvement. RESULTS At the beginning of the study period, < 50% of patients were receiving guideline-concordant CINV prophylaxis and < 15% of eligible patients were receiving aprepitant. After 1 year, more than 60% of patients were receiving guideline-concordant care and 50% of eligible patients were receiving aprepitant. CONCLUSION We describe the development and implementation of a standardized pathway for prevention of acute CINV in pediatric oncology patients. With a multidisciplinary, multifaceted approach, we demonstrate significant improvements to guideline-congruent CINV prophylaxis.

Powerful Entanglements: Interrelationships Between Platform Architectures and Young People’s Performance of Self in Social Media

This chapter explores intertwinements between digital media and communicative and socio-cultural practices as they emerge in relation to contemporary cultures, specifically youth cultures. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are discursive-operative networks within a framework of economic strategies. The chapter’s empirical approach draws on the assumption that young people’s aesthetic practices, transmitted via social media formats, evoke in each instance specific relational modes that preform a space of possible subject positions. The chapter summarises the findings of two selective longitudinal studies examining young people’s practices of self-articulation, consistently interpreted in the context of the specific platform used in each instance. These findings point to the potential of aesthetic-tentative practices as performed by young people to catalyse societal critique.