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Background Japan is implementing awareness-raising of advance care planning for older adults; however, only 451 out of 1 741 municipalities were engaged in advance care planning awareness-raising activities among residents, according to a 2017 survey. This study examined advance care planning awareness-raising activities among community residents by local governments after the 2018 revision of the government guidelines, as well as utilization of the revised guidelines, issues in awareness-raising activities, and directions for future activities. Methods This cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted in prefectures and municipalities nationwide in 2022. Questions included the status, content, and issues of advance care planning awareness-raising activities for community residents. A multi-level logistic regression analysis was used to examine the characteristics of municipalities engaged in activities. Results Responses were received from 43 prefectures (response rate: 91.5%) and 912 municipalities (response rate: 53.1%). Of the municipalities, 63.6% ( n  = 580) reported “active” advance care planning awareness-raising. A high financial capability index and implementation of awareness-raising activities in the prefecture where the municipality was located were significantly associated with its awareness-raising activities. Municipalities engaged in awareness-raising activities reported experiencing issues related to the objectives, methods, and outcome evaluation of the activities. Conclusions Five-hundred eighty municipalities engaged in awareness-raising activities—a number that had increased significantly since the 2017 survey. Municipalities that could not engage in awareness-raising activities should receive financial support and other forms of support from prefectures. Furthermore, to ensure that municipalities clarify the purpose of awareness-raising and the desired outcomes, indices for quantitatively measuring results and achievements should be developed.

This article discusses the findings of an action research project carried out to minimize the negative class participation of 10 EFL pre-intermediate students, aged-11-14, in a language school in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. First, some theoretical issues concerning discipline in the language class will be discussed. Second, the original project I developed in 1995 to minimize the negative class participation of 14 EFL beginner students, aged 1 -15, will be reviewed. Next, the experiment with the 003 group will be described. The results seem to confirm that, although some adaptations to the original project were necessary, when students reflect upon their importance in the lessons, they tend to behave better in class and to show a more positive attitude towards learning.Este artículo discute los resultados de una investigación acción realizada para minimizar los problemas de disciplina en una clase de 10 alumnos de inglés, de nivel pre-intermedio, con edades entre 11-14 años, en un instituto de Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. En primer lugar, se discuten algunos presupuestos teóricos; en segundo lugar, presento el proyecto original que desarrollé en 1995 para trabajar con la indisciplina en mi clase de 14 alumnos principiantes en inglés, con edad entre 1 -15 años. A continuación, se describe el experimento realizado con el grupo de 003. Los resultados parecen confirmar que, aunque fueron necesarias algunas adaptaciones al proyecto inicial, cuando los alumnos reflexionan sobre su importancia para las clases, tienden a portarse mejor y demuestran una actitud más positiva hacia el aprendizaje.

In recent years, the IMF has released a growing number of reports and other documents covering economic and financial developments and trends in member countries.

Abstract This study evaluates the immediate effect of an educational intervention implemented among key policy actors in Ghana. The intervention focused on creating awareness and increasing competencies for countering food industry public food policy dilution strategies. The intervention was evaluated using a before-and-after design, collecting self-reported awareness, appropriateness, competencies, and skill level rating, and using frequencies, percentages, and non-parametric testing (Wilcoxon rank-sum test, with alpha set at 0.05) to report results. Thirty policy actors attended the workshop, but 23 and 17 participated in the evaluation (pre- and post-workshop, respectively). Most (82%) were health experts, with about 48% reporting two decades or more of professional experience. Before the intervention, policy actors reported receiving job offers, promotional material, and sponsored travel from the food industry. After the workshop, policy actors’ overall mean appropriateness level rating of such strategies decreased (from 2.60 ± 0.87 to 1.95 ± 0.81; P = 0.013). Policy actors’ overall awareness level rating of food industry using such strategies to influence public food policies increased after the workshop (from 4.27 ± 0.55 to 4.38 ± 0.59; P = 0.657). Similarly, their overall mean competencies and skill level rating for recognizing and countering public food policy dilution strategies increased (from 2.70 ± 0.54 to 3.13 ± 0.41; P = 0.012). The findings show the potential of an educational workshop serving as a preemptive intervention to protect public food policies from industry influence, and for such interventions to be incorporated into national food policy development processes.

Risk perception is an essential element to consider for effective risk management at the time of eruption, especially in densely populated cities close to volcanoes like Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is highly exposed to volcanic hazards from Nyiragongo. The perception of volcanic risk involves the processes of collecting, selecting and interpreting signals about uncertain impacts of volcanic hazards. Using a questionnaire survey, this study describes the spatial differences and factors influencing the individual volcanic risk perception of 2224 adults from eight representative neighbourhoods of Goma before the May 2021 Nyiragongo eruption. A composite risk perception indicator was built from the perceived severity and perceived vulnerability. Statistical analysis of the survey's results shows that the risk perception was high (mean = 3.7 on a five-point Likert scale) and varies less with demographic and contextual factors than with cognitive and psychological factors. Volcanic hazards were perceived to be more threatening the city and its functioning than the individuals themselves. The spatial analysis shows that respondents from the eastern neighbourhoods, affected by the 2002 eruption, demonstrated a significantly higher level of risk perception than participants living in the western neighbourhoods. This study will help to improve volcanic risk awareness raising in Goma.

Heavy precipitation can mobilize tens to hundreds of thousands of cubic meters of sediment in steep Alpine torrents in a short time. The resulting debris flows (mixtures of water, sediment and boulders) move downstream with velocities of several meters per second and have a high destruction potential. Warning protocols for affected communities rely on raising awareness about the debris-flow threat, precipitation monitoring and rapid detection methods. The latter, in particular, is a challenge because debris-flow-prone torrents have their catchments in steep and inaccessible terrain, where instrumentation is difficult to install and maintain. Here we test amplitude source location (ASL) as a processing scheme for seismic network data for early warning purposes. We use debris-flow and noise seismograms from the Illgraben catchment, Switzerland, a torrent system which produces several debris-flow events per year. Automatic in situ detection is currently based on geophones mounted on concrete check dams and radar stage sensors suspended above the channel. The ASL approach has the advantage that it uses seismometers, which can be installed at more accessible locations where a stable connection to mobile phone networks is available for data communication. Our ASL processing uses time-averaged ground vibration amplitudes to estimate the location of the debris-flow front. Applied to continuous data streams, inversion of the seismic amplitude decay throughout the network is robust and efficient, requires no manual identification of seismic phase arrivals and eliminates the need for a local seismic velocity model. We apply the ASL technique to a small debris-flow event on 19 July 2011, which was captured with a temporary seismic monitoring network. The processing rapidly detects the debris-flow event half an hour before arrival at the outlet of the torrent and several minutes before detection by the in situ alarm system. An analysis of continuous seismic records furthermore indicates that detectability of Illgraben debris flows of this size is unaffected by changing environmental and anthropogenic seismic noise and that false detections can be greatly reduced with simple processing steps.

The National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia reported that by 2050, the east coast of the country will suffer increasing substantial rainfall, sea-level rise, and recurrent flooding. The effects of coastal threats, vulnerability, and adaptation measures are increasingly becoming more critical for coastal communities than before. Hence, this study aims to measure the levels of community awareness and adaptation strategies to coastal hazards and to analyze the differences of awareness on the basis of socioeconomic factors. The research is based on a household survey (n = 498), which is randomly conducted in 11 locations on the Pahang coast. Findings indicate that more than half of household heads have high levels of awareness regarding coastal hazard impacts, such as human casualties; losses of mangroves, coastal forests, aquatic, wildlife, and livestock resources; and damage to residential properties, coastal infrastructures, agriculture, and economic activities. An independent sample T-test and one-way ANOVA demonstrate household heads who are elderly (x̅ = 2.57, p  < 0.01); experienced (x̅ = 2.48, p < 0.01); educated (x̅ = 2.65, p < 0.01); healthy (x̅ = 2.42, p < 0.01); and with an improved socioeconomic status (x̅ = 2.42, p  < 0.05) having high levels of awareness. This study suggests that education and awareness-raising, including capacity building, play essential roles in the further understanding and decision making of coastal hazards and adaptation strategies. Moreover, the principal component analysis model identifies that structural and non-structural measures and community-based adaptation measures are essential to protect the coast. The study can contribute to the knowledge of community awareness and adaptation to coastal hazard literature that can be implemented on a global scale.

Purpose of the Review One of the major threats to tree health, and hence the resilience of forests and their provision of ecosystem services, is new and emerging pests. Therefore, forest health monitoring is of major importance to detect invasive, emerging and native pest outbreaks. This is usually done by foresters and forest health experts, but can also be complemented by citizen scientists. Here, we review the use of citizen science for detection and monitoring, as well as for hypothesis-driven research and evaluation of control measures as part of forest pest surveillance and research. We then examine its limitations and opportunities and make recommendations on the use of citizen science for forest pest monitoring. Recent Findings The main opportunities of citizen scientists for forest health are early warning, early detection of new pests, monitoring of impact of outbreaks and scientific research. Each domain has its own limitations, opportunities and recommendations to follow, as well as their own public engagement strategies. The development of new technologies provides many opportunities to involve citizen scientists in forest pest monitoring. To enhance the benefits of citizen scientists’ inclusion in monitoring, it is important that they are involved in the cocreation of activities. Summary Future monitoring and research may benefit from tailor-made citizen science projects to facilitate successful monitoring by citizen scientists and expand their practice to countries where the forest health sector is less developed. In this sense, citizen scientists can help understand and detect outbreaks of new pests and avoid problems in the future.

The growth of environmental responsibility among the youth of the Republic of Tatarstan in recent years demonstrates positive changes in relation to hazardous waste management in Russia. This is especially noticeable among schoolchildren and students. As part of the study conducted among the youth of the Republic of Tatarstan, various methods were used, including questionnaires, to gain a deeper understanding of the level of environmental awareness and willingness to participate in environmental initiatives. The questionnaires included questions about knowledge of problems related to hazardous waste. The visual data presented in the diagrams and tables reflect the level of environmental awareness and willingness of young people to participate in environmental protection activities. The analysis of these data demonstrates a significant increase in the attention of schoolchildren to environmental problems and an increase in the involvement of young people in practical actions to eliminate hazardous waste pollution. An important aspect of the study was the environmental initiatives conducted in the region. For example, various educational programs aimed at raising awareness about waste recycling and environmental conservation have played a significant role in shaping environmental responsibility among young people. As a result of the study, recommendations were developed to improve environmental safety among the younger generation, aimed at enhancing their participation in environmental initiatives and improving waste management practices. However, there are areas that require further attention. Environmental education needs to be improved, focusing on practical aspects and developing skills for responsible environmental management from an early age. Comparison with other regions or countries can provide additional perspectives and examples of successful practices, which will strengthen environmental responsibility in Tatarstan.

This paper illustrates how youth education can foster resilience and promote risk awareness through interactive learning. It presents Shake It!, an engaging, hands-on educational module designed for middle school students that integrates risk education with experiential activities. The module begins with an introduction to structural components, construction materials, and seismic behaviour. Students then engage in experiential learning by building and testing models on educational shaking tables. Through this process, they explore key concepts such as building vulnerability, resonance, and earthquake-resistant constructions. The central message is that building response to earthquakes can be understood through hands-on learning, and that effective protection is achievable, making the engagement of younger generations in resilience education a key step toward building safer communities. Shake It! has been successfully tested with several hundred students, both during open days at the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology and in classroom settings. The activity consistently receives positive feedback for its ability to actively involve students and effectively raise awareness about earthquake risks in an accessible way that enhances retention.