London Journal of Social Sciences

How does blockchain Technology help to make pharmaceutical cold chain reliable?

Christina Schabasser — 2026-03-08

Despite the growing trend of cold chain adoption in the pharmaceutical industry, its capacity to ensure reliability, transparency, and trust throughout the chain system remains a challenging issue. Blockchain, in this regard, offers an effective solution to the issue, as it provides immutable records and enhanced security. This study, thus, investigates blockchain’s potential to improve cold chain adoption in the pharmaceutical industry by examining public perceptions and professional insights. It employed the exploratory qualitative approach, which combined a literature review, a public survey of 113 respondents, and in-depth interviews with executives of the blockchain-enabled cold chain companies. Survey results present that public trust in vaccine and medicine distribution could be achieved through the provision of transparency, regulatory insight, product quality, monitoring systems, and technological solutions, which are offered by blockchain technology. Expert interviews, meanwhile, reveal that blockchain supports real-time tracking, quality assurance, compliance, and automation. These data collection processes revealed that integration with existing systems and regulatory compliance remained pressing concerns in the adoption of blockchain in the pharmaceutical industry. These findings outline that blockchain has the potential to enhance reliability, transparency, and trust in the pharmaceutical cold chain adoption, thus highlighting its suitability for education, policy support, and further research.

Validating the AQ-10 Autism Screening Threshold Using Machine Learning Models

Deepika Chandrashekar — 2026-03-08

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental condition for which early identification is essential. The Autism Quotient-10 (AQ-10) is frequently used as a quick screening instrument, classifying individuals scoring seven or more as potentially autistic. This study applies machine learning (ML) models to a public AQ-10 dataset to determine whether predictive algorithms can provide insights beyond the rule-based threshold. Logistic Regression and Random Forest classifiers were built, validated, and compared. Both models demonstrated perfect scores on all evaluation metrics, reflecting the deterministic nature of the dataset rather than offering new diagnostic information. Demographic examination revealed meaningful differences in screening patterns across gender, age groups, ethnicity, and family history of ASD. These findings emphasize that ML models trained on threshold-derived labels cannot infer clinical patterns beyond the embedded scoring rule. Future work will require clinician-confirmed datasets and multimodal features to meaningfully advance computational autism screening.

True (Cost) Prices in the Supply Chain of Coffee A Sustainable Supply Chain Finance View

Jan Jansen — 2026-03-08

In this article, the coffee supply chain is studied from the perspective of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to determine the true (cost) price of coffee in a sustainable supply chain from a financial perspective (supply chain finance).

Besides mapping the supply chain from Latin America to the Netherlands, the distribution of five SME coffee distributors in the Netherlands is studied (using the case study method).

For the supply chain as a whole, the true (cost) prices are estimated using two techniques of true (cost) pricing: shadow pricing (supply) and willingness-to-pay (demand).

Sustainability of coffee production, storage, transport, packaging, and consumption in the supply chain involves many aspects.

Monetising the costs of externalities and ensuring fair prices (e.g., income/wages for farmers) is a complex matter; this study is perhaps a (first) step toward further research on this topic.

Understanding the decision-making mechanisms of migrants

Olga Nosova — 2026-03-08

This paper investigates the decision-making process of migrants. The study addresses questions about what circumstances, economic events, and social factors influence individuals' decisions to migrate. It reviews and summarizes theoretical approaches to migration and decision-making. The overview of migration theories indicates that migrant flows can be forecasted. An interdisciplinary approach integrates insights from various fields. Migration decisions are affected by economic, social, and other factors. This approach helps study the migration process and suggests ways to improve migration policy. Institutional and structural frameworks are crucial for understanding the economic and social challenges involved in migrant decision-making.

Drawing from survey data on multinational businesses, the article examines the case of Ukrainians whose migration was driven by their desire for stability and security. Key research questions focus on measuring and predicting the impacts of migration flows on the job market, wages, and business growth. Remittances and skills transfers can promote long-term development in home countries. According to the study's findings, it is crucial to understand how migrants make decisions so that migration and integration policies can be designed to balance economic needs with humanitarian responsibilities.

Research on tourist guides' attitudes and competencies about health tourism in Türkiye

Emrah Kök — 2026-03-08

The objective of this study is to examine the competencies of professional tourist guides regarding health tourism. The research was conducted in the Turkish tourism sector. The study included 30 professional tourist guides affiliated with the Aydın Tourist Guides Association. A semi-structured interview form was used to collect data for the study. The data obtained from the participants were analyzed using descriptive content analysis and qualitative data analysis.

The answers given by the guides to the questions posed to them indicate some shortcomings in the field of health tourism. The most important of these is that the guides either received no education or insufficient education in health tourism and first aid during their formal education. Another significant deficiency is that the guides' knowledge of the health sector is based on superficial impressions. Their answers regarding health tourism, authorization, authorized agencies, and authorized health institutions reveal that they are unable to keep up with developments in the sector and lack sufficient information.

It is recommended that guides working in the field of health tourism receive formal education related to health tourism, follow developments in the sector, and attend sector-related meetings and seminars. Health tourism such as thermal tourism, spa tourism, elderly and accessible tourism, medical and wellness tourism has to be accepted as a different field from classic tourist guiding.

The rapid growth of the sector also brings with it some regulatory problems. In order to protect the advantages in the long term, the issue of regulation should be considered an important matter that needs to be addressed.

Ethical Considerations in Sociovirtualization: Balancing Privacy and Social Connection

Ibrahim Kurt — 2026-03-08

This is a thorough literature review analysis of the moral dilemmas surrounding sociovirtualization and striking a balance between social interaction and privacy in virtual environments. By providing digital identities, virtual societies, and virtual experiences, sociovirtual sites alter social relationships and raise difficult moral dilemmas. While social contact issues focus on authenticity, access, emotional well-being, and digital divisions, privacy issues involve data collection, informed permission, anonymity, and unequal powers. Case studies, ethical theories, and governance models are used to investigate conflicts between the preservation of privacy and the promotion of authentic social connection.

Important conclusions include the interdependence of privacy and social connection, the necessity of transparency, user-centric design, and regulatory involvement. The article's conclusion highlights the need of interdisciplinary cooperation in creating sociovirtual environments that uphold individual rights and encourage inclusive, sincere social interaction. Future research should focus on developing policies, bridging digital divides, and emerging technology.