Buddhists, including the Bhutanese, value human life as rare and precious, and accept sickness, ageing and death as normal aspects of life. However, death and dying are subjects that evoke deep and disturbing emotions often characterised by denial related to high-tech medicalisation and its inspiring hope. Advanced medical interventions such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation are believed to interfere with the natural process of dying. However, some excessively pursue medical interventions in the hope of prolonging and preserving life, refusing its finitude. Healthcare (...) workers are faced with increasing instances of ethical and moral dilemmas exacerbated by inadequate training and lack of proper understanding of the socio-cultural context on end-of-life care and to facilitate good death in Bhutan. We discuss these ethical dilemmas in providing quality end-of-life care and good death against the backdrop of rapidly changing social values and expectations. (shrink)

The dual-continua model of mental health provides a contemporary framework for conceptualising and operationalising mental health. According to this model, mental health is distinct from but related to mental illness, and not the opposite or merely the absence of psychopathology symptoms. To examine the validity of the dual-continua model, previous studies have either applied variable-based analysis such as confirmatory factor analysis, or used predetermined cut-off points for subgroup division. The present study extends this contribution by subjecting data from an African (...) sample to both CFA and latent class analysis to test the dual-continua model in Africa. We applied CFA separately for the Mental Health Continuum—Short Form and Patient Health Questionnaire—9 ; and LCA on combined item responses. College students from Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, and South Africa completed the MHC-SF and PHQ-9. With minor modifications to the measurement models, the CFA results of this study confirm the three-factor structure of the MHC-SF, and a unidimensional solution for the PHQ-9. LCA results show the presence of three distinct latent classes: languishing with moderate endorsement of depressive symptoms, flourishing with low endorsement of depressive symptoms, and moderate mental health with high endorsement of depressive symptoms. These findings further contribute to affirming the evidence for the dual-continua model of mental health, with implications for the assessment of mental health, to inform policy, practise, and future research in community and clinical settings in Africa. (shrink)

This study examines the effects of socializing activity of the owned family in family firms in order to find out if the special characteristics of the socializing processes in this type of firm can contribute to defining a climate that favors employees' commitment to the organization.For this purpose, this study uses the main arguments of the sociological approach known as moral economy. The data required for this analysis was collected using a self-administered postal questionnaire and the results show that the (...) special type of socialization that takes place in the family firm, and particularly the emotional mediation that this type of socialization tends to entail, favors the appearance of noneconomic links between employers and employees. Thus, in family firms the climate favors the management of the affective, normative, and symbolic aspects. The authors consider that this provides an explanation for the higher levels of identification, involvement, and loyalty — and consequently organizational commitment — that they find empirically among the employees of such firms. (shrink)

O objetivo do trabalho é apresentar a compreensão de docentes do ensino superior sobre a importância da pedagogia problematizadora. O estudo apresenta uma abordagem quali-quantitativa realizada com 27 docentes de uma instituição privada de ensino superior na província de Maputo, em Moçambique. Esse é o número de docentes que aceitou participar da pesquisa e preencheu o instrumento de avaliação autoaplicado. O estudo usou uma amostragem intencional e não probabilística, dada a impossibilidade de inquirir a todos os docentes da instituição; buscou-se, (...) assim, selecionar um subgrupo da população que, com base nas informações disponíveis, pudesse ser considerado representativo de toda a população. Os dados da pesquisa foram coletados por meio de um questionário autoaplicável e os resultados dispostos em tabela de frequências e inferência a partir do teste de correlação de Spearman (r). Constitui uma inovação considerar os parâmetros de correlação de Spearman para investigar a força de relacionamento entre as variáveis de princípios pedagógicos. O ensino superior é um local por excelência de transmissão de conhecimentos e valores sociais geradores de mudanças no estudante, em que o professor supera a visão de simples transmissor de conteúdos e executor de tarefas, adotando um sistema de educação progressista. Do correlacionamento feito entre a “importância do ensino problematizador” vs “ter ouvido falar do ensino problematizador” vs “o estudante ter direito de trazer seus conhecimentos”, pode-se constatar dificuldades oriundas da vigência do sistema bancário, um sistema que considera o aluno apenas como recipiente vazio a ser preenchido. Pode-se observar que a Metodologia Problematizadora exige imbricar a realidade e a prática, o que desperta um conjunto de implicações no momento da sua implementação dentro da sala de aula. Feito o correlacionamento entre a “importância do ensino problematizador” vs “ter ouvido falar do ensino problematizador” vs “o estudante ter direito de trazer seus conhecimentos”, pode-se constatar que a maior parte dos docentes inquiridos já ouviu falar sobre o sistema problematizador o que representa um nível satisfatório, apesar de não completo por existir uma minoria que ainda não ouviu, apontando a prevalência do ensino bancário na instituição, um sistema de ensino e aprendizagem que vê o aluno como uma caixa vazia, apenas um receptáculo Freire (2001a). A recomendação, porém, é que apesar de todos os desafios, a problematização deve ser exigida às instituições do ensino superior, criando condições de interação aluno-professor, e a comunidade donde ambos brotam, como o pilar da construção do conhecimento científico de qualidade em conformidade com as metas da Agenda 2030. (shrink)

O objetivo do trabalho consiste em apresentar o modelo libertário de educação como um encontro entre a liberdade e a responsabilidade. Para tanto, usou-se o método hermenêutico, que permitiu uma análise das interfaces entre a Pedagogia do Oprimido de Paulo Freire e o Princípio da Responsabilidade de Hans Jonas. O método dialético permitiu um diálogo entre os dois modelos, investigando as relações entre a liberdade e a responsabilidade. Essas relações entre os dois modelos surge do fato de que não se (...) pode pensar numa liberdade sem responsabilidade. Assim, a partir da responsabilidade, é possível pensar numa liberdade consciente que permite ao professor alcançar os objetivos pedagógicos estabelecidos na Agenda 2030 da ONU para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável. (shrink)

A promoção do investimento responsável constitui a base de atracão de novos recursos e envolvimento do sistema financeiro na consecução dos Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS). Embora seja fundamental a intervenção do Estado por meio de políticas, investimentos, regulamentações e finanças, importa lembrar que cada transformação necessita de um profundo compromisso e alinhamento do setor privado. Por outro, apesar da importância crítica que o setor empresarial desempenha (empresas e instituições financeiras), ainda existe falta de clareza ou consistência sobre o que (...) significa para as empresas e os mercados financeiros alinharem-se com os ODS’s. O estudo examinou o impacto da oferta monetária e do crédito doméstico ao setor privado e do investimento no crescimento econômico em Moçambique, com base na abordagem de cointegração ARDL e teste de causalidade de Granger Block Exogeneity Wald Tests entre 1990 e 2022. Os resultados de longo prazo indicaram que apenas a oferta monetária tem impacto sobre o bem-estar econômico de Moçambique em 2,733%, enquanto os resultados do curto prazo indicam que a oferta monetária corrente afeta negativamente o crescimento econômico em 0,399%. Por outro lado, a oferta monetária de dois e três anos anteriores impacta positivamente o crescimento. O crédito interno ao setor privado corrente e sua primeira defasagem influenciam significativa e positivamente no crescimento econômico em Moçambique, enquanto o crédito interno, com segunda e terceira defasagens. tem influência negativa sobre o crescimento. Em termos de investimento na primeira e terceira defasagens, o impacto crescimento econômico é negativo, o que sugere a necessidade de o Governo racionalizar o uso de recurso através de transferências das despesas de consumo para as despesas de investimento. Os resultados do teste de causalidade de Granger indicaram que, em Moçambique, o bem-estar econômico medido pelo Produto Interno Bruto per capita tem repercussões sobre a oferta monetária e crédito interno ao setor privado. Foi encontrada uma causalidade unidirecional que vai de oferta monetária para crédito doméstico, e do investimento medido pela formação bruta de capital para o crédito doméstico. O estudo recomenda que o Banco de Moçambique adote uma política monetária que alterne regularmente expansão e contração, de forma a permitir que o aumento da oferta monetária seja promotor de taxas de crescimento mais alta. A economia deve alocar os créditos para empresas mais produtivas. (shrink)

Adequate measurement is an essential component of the assessment of mental health disorders and symptoms such as depression and anxiety. The present study investigated sex-specific differences in the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7. This comprehensive cross-sectional design study pursued four objectives: measurement invariance of PHQ-9 and GAD-7 between male and female; depression and anxiety prevalence differences; cross-sex differences in the relationship between depression and anxiety; and a comparison of symptom heterogeneity. A sample of 1966 students from South Africa (...) completed the PHQ-9 and the GAD-7. Data analyses for measurement invariance, latent class analysis, inter-variable correlations and group comparisons were conducted in Mplus. The two-dimensional PHQ-9 achieved scalar invariance, while the GAD-7 yielded metric invariance. The somatic and non-somatic latent dimensions of depression were compared and showed no significant difference between male and female groups. The positive relationship between depression and anxiety was also not significantly different between the two groups. While the PHQ-9 symptoms formed three classes in the male group, and four classes in the female group, the GAD-7 had the same number of classes and a similar pattern between the two groups. These findings hold implications for the measurement, assessment and understanding of symptom manifestation and distribution, as well as the treatment of depression and anxiety in South Africa. (shrink)

Engaging communities in community-based health research is increasingly being adopted in low- and middle-income countries. The use of community advisory boards is one method of practicing community involvement in health research. To date, few studies provide in-depth accounts of the strategies that CAB members use to practice community engagement. We assessed the perspectives, experiences and practices of the first local CAB in Eswatini, which was implemented as part of the MaxART Early Access to ART for All study. Trained Swazi research (...) assistants conducted two focus group discussions and 13 semi-structured interviews with CAB members who had been part of the MaxART study for at least 2.5 years. Interviews explored CAB composition and recruitment, the activities of CAB members, the mechanisms used to engage with communities and the challenges they faced in their role. The MaxART CAB played an active role in the implementation of the Early Access to Art for All study, and activities mainly focused on: promoting ethical conduct, in particular privacy, consent and confidentiality; communication and education, communicating about the study and educating the community on the benefits of HIV testing and early access to HIV treatment; and liaising between the community and the research team. Strategies for interacting with communities were varied and included attending general community meetings, visiting health facilities and visiting public places such as cattle dipping tanks, buses, bars and churches. Differences in the approach to community engagement between CAB members living in the study areas and those residing outside were identified. The experiences of the first CAB in Eswatini demonstrate that community engagement using CABs is a valuable mechanism for engaging communities in implementation studies. Considerations that could impact CAB functioning include clearly defining the scope of the CAB, addressing issues of CAB independence, the CAB budget, providing emotional support for CAB members, and providing continuous training and capacity building. These issues should be addressed during the early stages of CAB formation in order to optimize functioning. (shrink)

Engaging communities in community-based health research is increasingly being adopted in low- and middle-income countries. The use of community advisory boards is one method of practicing community involvement in health research. To date, few studies provide in-depth accounts of the strategies that CAB members use to practice community engagement. We assessed the perspectives, experiences and practices of the first local CAB in Eswatini, which was implemented as part of the MaxART Early Access to ART for All study. Trained Swazi research (...) assistants conducted two focus group discussions and 13 semi-structured interviews with CAB members who had been part of the MaxART study for at least 2.5 years. Interviews explored CAB composition and recruitment, the activities of CAB members, the mechanisms used to engage with communities and the challenges they faced in their role. The MaxART CAB played an active role in the implementation of the Early Access to Art for All study, and activities mainly focused on: promoting ethical conduct, in particular privacy, consent and confidentiality; communication and education, communicating about the study and educating the community on the benefits of HIV testing and early access to HIV treatment; and liaising between the community and the research team. Strategies for interacting with communities were varied and included attending general community meetings, visiting health facilities and visiting public places such as cattle dipping tanks, buses, bars and churches. Differences in the approach to community engagement between CAB members living in the study areas and those residing outside were identified. The experiences of the first CAB in Eswatini demonstrate that community engagement using CABs is a valuable mechanism for engaging communities in implementation studies. Considerations that could impact CAB functioning include clearly defining the scope of the CAB, addressing issues of CAB independence, the CAB budget, providing emotional support for CAB members, and providing continuous training and capacity building. These issues should be addressed during the early stages of CAB formation in order to optimize functioning. (shrink)

ABSTRACT This text aims to reflect on why speech genres are relevant to variation studies, especially for third wave studies, whose central issue is the notion of style. Through bibliographic research, we examine part of the literature of the third wave of variation studies and part of the literature of the Bakhtinian approach, focusing on the notion of style, to (i) highlight some connections between these approaches and to (ii) articulate them, in some other points. The results of this reflection (...) indicate that speech genres are relevant to the interests of third wave studies because (i) linguistic style is a property of speech genres, upgradeable due to the aesthetic finalizations they receive; and (ii) an understanding of style requires an understanding of the (social and formal) constitution of the genres, in which categories of analysis that are of interest to the third wave of variation studies are indicated. (shrink)

We examine three business-related initiatives designed to achieve peace positive impacts in the Cape Town township of Langa. Each was seemingly straightforward in its purpose, logic, and implementation. However, their positive intent was frustrated and their impacts ultimately harmful to their articulated goals. Understanding why this is so can be difficult in violent, turbulent, and information-poor environments such as Langa, confounding progress even by actors with ethical intentions. To aid in sense making and to provide insight for more (...) positive future action, we develop from 125 interviews conducted for this study causal loop models for these initiatives within their conflict subsystems. These explain the perverse impacts of these initiatives by illuminating their (lack of) salience to key conflict factors, their (in)sufficiency to effect positive change in light of competing systems dynamics, and their (in)attentiveness to interdependencies with the intentions and actions of others. We thus contribute to understanding of the factors required to achieve positive social outcomes in more extreme contexts. More generally, we demonstrate the value of systems analysis both for scholarship related to business and peace and for reducing blind spots that can inhibit sound planning for ethical business action amidst complexity. (shrink)

Ninety-year-old Master Nan Huaijin and his students' ten-day course, the essence of his life is all in his life. The recording of the class in 2008 was formally compiled and published today. Nanshi has explained the essentials of practice with nearly a hundred years of experience and reminded the quick way to get started. Study case study for each person, reminding the key points of study, it is enough for later reference. Introduce the content and history of Dharma Sutra and (...) Dao Di Sutra repeatedly, and use the essence of Langa Sutra, Deep Secret Sutra, Middle Theory, Guan Zi and other books to illustrate internal cultivation Theories and methods for external use. The study of traditional Chinese mind, body, life and life, including Zen, Taoism. (shrink)

Like most other Australian languages, Warlpiri – a Pama-Nyungan language of the Ngumpin-Yapa group – is rich in figurative expressions that include a body-part noun. In this article we examine the collocations involving two body parts:langa‘ear’, which mostly relates to cognition; andmiyalu‘belly’, which mostly relates to emotion. Drawing on an extensive Warlpiri database, we analyse the semantic, figurative and syntactic dimensions of these collocations. We note how reflexive variants of certain collocations impose a non-literal aspectual reading, as also observed (...) in Romance and Germanic languagesinter alia. The article also highlights differences between the range of body-based emotion metaphors found in Warlpiri, and that reported for the non-Pama-Nyungan languages of Australia. We hypothesize that these differences sometimes reflect grammatical differences. In particular, Warlpiri allows body-part nouns in syntactic functions that rarely found in non-Pama-Nyungan languages, due to the prevalence of body-part noun incorporation in the latter group. (shrink)