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This work aims to provide a non-moralistic exploration and understanding of the high prevalence of adolescent pregnancy and resulting motherhood among low-income adolescent women in Greater Mendoza, Argentina. The study acknowledges that, based on official statistics, adolescent pregnancy remains a significant issue within this social group compared to teenagers from other socioeconomic backgrounds. By delving into the sexual and reproductive practices of these adolescents, the research seeks to uncover their life strategies within the context of their challenging living conditions, characterized by limited job opportunities and an inadequate, reactive educational system. Through in-depth interviews and focus groups, the study captures the lived experiences and perspectives of adolescent mothers themselves. Utilizing a sociological analysis of this empirical data, the research argues that in the face of extreme social exclusion, a lack of family support, and limited cultural capital, the concept of "class habitus " sheds light on and explains the adolescent practices that contribute to not avoid pregnancies, often influenced by traditional societal expectations of women's roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential dissatisfaction occurs due to a discrepancy between residents' expectations and their residential environment. This phenomenon appears in a confrontation process, mostly in low-income families who cannot afford to relocate, calling for extracting their lived experiences. This study aimed to extract the consequences of residential dissatisfaction so that residents' various coping strategies were narrated. This narrative was achieved through transcendental phenomenology and semi-structured interviews. The residents of Mehr housing scheme contributed to expressing the mentioned narrative through purposive sampling of Minudasht, Iran. Meanwhile, transcriptions were divided into three categories: revision of needs, change in the physical environment and relocation. The results included eight themes that residents showed to residential dissatisfaction. Residents' strategies for dealing with residential dissatisfaction were also structured by an analytical framework encompassing individual/family, social, internal and external aspects. This article provides fresh insights into residents' responses to residential dissatisfaction both in theory and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism studies pay relatively little attention to the importance of reflexivity and metacognition. This article highlights the integral importance of explicitly considering reflexivity and metacognition issues as part of the research process when studying pro-poor tourism (PPT). Hence, the paper presents a reflexive and metacognitive account of the challenges and obstacles encountered while undertaking ethnographic fieldwork in PPT. Drawing on the first author's research experiences in Vietnam with informal tourism workers, it reflects the positional, ethical, and methodological challenges faced during and after the fieldwork. This article is the first to provide a critical reflection on fieldwork in PPT, thereby adding to the conceptual recognition of the importance of reflexivity and metacognition in tourism studies overall. It also shares deeper insights into the difficulties associated with research that involves poor people, whose voices remain largely absent from tourism studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rebecca Harding Davis' novella, "Life in the Iron Mills," is a significant work of American industrial fiction that explores the effects of industrial capitalism on moral, social, and environmental decay. The story depicts the harsh living conditions and physical hazards faced by millworkers, emphasizing the ecological rifts caused by industrial production. It also examines the negative impact of industrialization on public health, particularly for the urban poor, racial and ethnic minorities, and immigrants. The novella challenges assumptions about poverty and illness, critiques the prevailing medical model, and calls for a more holistic approach to healthcare that considers the broader socio-economic and environmental factors affecting health. [Extracted from the article]

"La paix au village: Clergé paroissial et règlement des conflits dans la France d'Ancien Régime" by Anne Bonzon explores the role of local clergy in mediating disputes and resolving conflicts in early modern France. The book reveals how parish priests served as arbitrators or mediators, helping parishioners settle their disputes outside of court. Bonzon's research combines prescriptive sources and archival documents to reconstruct the practices of clerical mediation, highlighting the social implications and networks surrounding priestly conflict resolution. The book also examines the spread of priestly mediation, influenced by Catholic reformers, seminary training, and missionary efforts. [Extracted from the article]

Low-income people who receive economic support from the government hope to become self-reliant. However, their vulnerability to mental health problems and social isolation makes the process of becoming self-reliant difficult. Practitioners in the community can contact these people and help them become self-reliant. The self-reliance experiences of low-income people who receive government support is a unique psychological process that merits further attention. This study explored how low-income people who no longer receive government support in South Korea struggle to become self-reliant and return to an autonomous, ordinary citizenship by standing alone. An exploratory descriptive qualitative study was undertaken using in-depth interviews with 12 low-income people in South Korea who are currently self-reliant and no longer receive government assistance. Participants were found to be going through a four-stage process of struggling to become an ordinary citizen. These stages included: motivating, hardship, bearing, and returning. Based on these results, we suggest the substantive theory of "returning to an autonomous, ordinary citizenship by standing alone." This study provides a holistic understanding of the lived experiences of low-income people attempting to pursue self-reliance. It also explores future directions for interventions to help them maintain quality of life while retaining autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Residing in a disadvantaged neighborhood has been linked to increased mortality. However, the impact of residential segregation and social vulnerability on cause-specific mortality is understudied. Additionally, the circulating metabolic correlates of neighborhood sociodemographic environment remain unexplored. Therefore, we examined multiple neighborhood sociodemographic metrics, i.e., neighborhood deprivation index (NDI), residential segregation index (RSI), and social vulnerability index (SVI), with all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer-specific mortality and circulating metabolites in the Southern Community Cohort Study (SCCS). Methods: The SCCS is a prospective cohort of primarily low-income adults aged 40–79, enrolled from the southeastern United States during 2002–2009. This analysis included self-reported Black/African American or non-Hispanic White participants and excluded those who died or were lost to follow-up ≤ 1 year. Untargeted metabolite profiling was performed using baseline plasma samples in a subset of SCCS participants. Results: Among 79,631 participants, 23,356 deaths (7214 from CVD and 5394 from cancer) were documented over a median 15-year follow-up. Higher NDI, RSI, and SVI were associated with increased all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality, independent of standard clinical and sociodemographic risk factors and consistent between racial groups (standardized HRs among all participants were 1.07 to 1.20 in age/sex/race-adjusted model and 1.04 to 1.08 after comprehensive adjustment; all P < 0.05/3 except for cancer mortality after comprehensive adjustment). The standard risk factors explained < 40% of the variations in NDI/RSI/SVI and mediated < 70% of their associations with mortality. Among 1110 circulating metabolites measured in 1688 participants, 134 and 27 metabolites were associated with NDI and RSI (all FDR < 0.05) and mediated 61.7% and 21.2% of the NDI/RSI-mortality association, respectively. Adding those metabolites to standard risk factors increased the mediation proportion from 38.4 to 87.9% and 25.8 to 42.6% for the NDI/RSI-mortality association, respectively. Conclusions: Among low-income Black/African American adults and non-Hispanic White adults living in the southeastern United States, a disadvantaged neighborhood sociodemographic environment was associated with increased all-cause and CVD and cancer-specific mortality beyond standard risk factors. Circulating metabolites may unveil biological pathways underlying the health effect of neighborhood sociodemographic environment. More public health efforts should be devoted to reducing neighborhood environment-related health disparities, especially for low-income individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pomacea canaliculata is one of the most notorious invasive aquatic snail, capable of influencing various aquatic organisms through their secretions. Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri and Propsilocerus akamusi are the most prevalent and powerful bioturbators in aquatic ecosystems. However, the mechanism of P. canaliculata's secretions affecting bioturbators remains unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of P. canaliculata's secretion on L. hoffmeisteri and P. akamusi. L. hoffmeisteri and P. akamusi were treated for 24 h with P. canaliculata and the native species Bellamya aeruginosa secretions at different densities (1 or 20). The migration numbers and aggregation rate of L. hoffmeisteri indicated that P. canaliculata secretion caused L. hoffmeisteri to become alert and migrate away from the nucleus community, resulting in poor population identification, especially at high concentrations. Moreover, the antioxidant enzymatic activity, lipid peroxidation, intestinal microbial diversity, and composition of the two bioturbators were analyzed. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration were elevated following P. canaliculata secretion treatment, indicating oxidative damage. Furthermore, the composition and diversity of intestinal microbiota of L. hoffmeisteri and P. akamusi were changed. The abundance of functional microbiota decreased, and pathogenic bacteria such as Aeromonas became dominant in the intestines of both bioturbators. The current research evaluates the effects of P. canaliculata secretion on the behavior, oxidative stress, and intestinal microbial composition and diversity of two bioturbators, providing new insights into the assessment of post‐invaded ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perceived household water quality can affect decision-making about bottled water consumption, an issue of environmental justice. Residents who do not trust the quality of their tap water may drink bottled water as an alternative, but people also choose to drink bottled water for other reasons, such as taste or convenience. This study examines patterns of bottled water consumption and perceptions of tap water quality across neighborhoods of Greensboro, North Carolina, with differing income levels. Household surveys were used to investigate residents' consumption of bottled water and tap water and their stated reasons for consuming bottled water. Results indicate that respondents in low-income neighborhoods report drinking significantly (p=0.001) more bottled water than respondents in higher-income neighborhoods. Concerns about the safety of tap water were a significantly (p=0.00005) more important reason for respondents in low-income neighborhoods to choose bottled water compared to respondents in higher-income neighborhoods. The results of this study indicate that intra-urban differences in perceptions of household water quality are a major environmental justice issue in that concerns about safety drive low-income residents to spend their limited income on bottled water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land reforms have been implemented in many parts of the world because of both justice and the attractive developmental policy objectives of improving poor people's welfare – as the prime beneficiaries. Land reform also facilitates rural economic growth. In some parts of the world, like China and India, there is evidence that land reform has been effective in poverty reduction and in enabling economic growth. However, in other parts of the world, like South Africa, the impact of land reform has been very minimal mainly due to poor policy implementation, which entails inadequate support structures. Using an integrative literature review approach and key policy documents on South Africa's land reform, this article dissects this policy–practice gap in South Africa's land redistribution policy and proposes that land redistribution be implemented by a private independent entity to reduce state bureaucracy and inefficiencies and, in turn, improve execution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the issue of immigration in the United States, particularly in relation to the current presidential campaign. It highlights the challenges faced by the government in managing the influx of migrants and asylum-seekers, as well as the policy debates surrounding illegal entry. The article also presents historical perspectives on immigration, including objections to immigration and proposed remedies from over a century ago. It emphasizes the need for attention and decision-making on immigration, while acknowledging the complexity of the issue. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Whether variation in Medicaid reimbursement fees influenced the impacts of the Medicaid expansions is not well understood. Objective: We examine whether changes in health care access associated with Medicaid expansion are different in states with comparatively high Medicaid reimbursement rates compared against expanding in states with lower Medicaid reimbursement rates. Design: Using a difference-in-difference-in-difference (DDD or triple-difference) regression approach, we compare relative differences in Medicaid expansion effects between lower and higher reimbursement states. Participants: 512,744 low-income adults aged 20–64 in the 2011–2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System. Main Measures: Health insurance coverage status, unmet medical needs due to cost, regular source for health care, and a regular/scheduled checkup within the past year. Key Results: Medicaid expansion has significant and positive impacts on health coverage and access in both high- and low-fee states. In states with fee levels above the median Medicare-to-Medicaid ratios, expanding Medicaid eligibility reduced uninsurance rate by 15.2 percentage point (ppt, p < 0.01), shrank the cost-associated unmet medical need by 10.3 ppt (p < 0.01), improved access to usual source of care by 1.9 ppt (p < 0.1), and increased regular checkup by 14.4 ppt (p < 0.01), while such effects in low-fee states were 11.7 ppt (p < 0.01), 8.3 ppt (p < 0.01), 3.1 ppt (p < 0.1), and 12.3 ppt (p < 0.01), respectively. Our results suggest that Medicaid expansion effect on unmet medical need due to cost in higher-reimbursing states was 2.98 ppt (p < 0.05) larger than in lower-reimbursing states. Evidence suggests modest increases in health care access were more strongly associated with expansions in higher-fee states. Conclusions: Medicaid's fee structure should be considered as a factor influencing large-scale coverage expansions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current research, we examined the association between perceived economic grievances and both intentions to engage and actual engagement in antilockdown protests during the COVID-19 pandemic in high-income countries. We also investigated whether this direct association would be (a) mediated by social identification with the economically disadvantaged and (b) moderated by fatalistic beliefs about the pandemic. In Study 1, multilevel modelling based on online search data from the US (N = 505) indicated that weekly fluctuations in searches related to economic grievances predicted the occurrence of antilockdown protests over time. In Studies 2 (Germany; N = 404) and 3 (Italy; N = 1,857), we showed that the link between perceived economic grievances and intentions to engage in antilockdown collective action was significantly mediated by social identification with people who suffered economically from the COVID-19 pandemic. Study 3 replicated the findings of Study 2 and extended it by showing the role of high (vs. low) fatalistic beliefs about the pandemic in moderating the association between perceived economic grievances and antilockdown collective action intentions. We discuss the consequences of unaddressed economic grievances for democratic functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Social risks are common among cancer survivors who have the fewest financial resources; however, little is known about how prevalence differs by age at diagnosis, despite younger survivors' relatively low incomes and wealth. Methods: The authors used data from 3703 participants in the Detroit Research on Cancer Survivors (ROCS) cohort of Black cancer survivors. Participants self‐reported several forms of social risks, including food insecurity, housing instability, utility shut‐offs, not getting care because of cost or lack of transportation, and feeling unsafe in their home neighborhood. Modified Poisson models were used to estimate prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of social risks by age at diagnosis, controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and cancer‐related factors. Results: Overall, 35% of participants reported at least one social risk, and 17% reported two or more risks. Social risk prevalence was highest among young adults aged 20–39 years (47%) followed by those aged 40–54 years (43%), 55–64 years (38%), and 65 years and older (24%; p for trend <.001). Compared with survivors who were aged 65 years and older at diagnosis, adjusted prevalence ratios for any social risk were 1.75 (95% CI, 1.42–2.16) for survivors aged 20–39 years, 1.76 (95% CI, 1.52–2.03) for survivors aged 40–54 years, and 1.41 (95% CI, 1.23–1.60) for survivors aged 55‐64 years at diagnosis. Similar associations were observed for individual social risks and experiencing two or more risks. Conclusions: In this population of Black cancer survivors, social risks were inversely associated with age at diagnosis. Diagnosis in young adulthood and middle age should be considered a risk factor for social risks and should be prioritized in work to reduce the financial effects of cancer on financially vulnerable cancer survivors. This report evaluates associations between age at diagnosis and the prevalence of social risks, such as food insecurity, housing instability, and forgoing care because of lack of transportation in a population‐based cohort of Black cancer survivors. Age at diagnosis was inversely associated with social risks, and young adult survivors reported the highest prevalence of any social risks, multiple social risks, and several individual social risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This obituary is a tribute to Roger H. Stuewer, a respected physicist and historian of science. Born in Shawano, Wisconsin, to German immigrant grandparents, Stuewer had a challenging upbringing marked by his father's strict discipline and his mother's health issues. Despite these difficulties, Stuewer excelled academically and pursued a career in physics and history of science. He made significant contributions to the field, including his work on the history of nuclear physics and his efforts to bridge the gap between historians and physicists. Stuewer was also known for his dedication to teaching and his love of travel and culture. He passed away in 2022, leaving behind a lasting legacy in the scientific community. [Extracted from the article]

Diverse actors, including foreign and national states, international agencies, donors, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and private ventures, demand, fund, and implement anti-trafficking activities worldwide. Bissau-Guinean Quran schoolboys begging in Senegalese cities are defined as victims of child trafficking, and their teachers as traffickers. This article aims to explore the Quran teachers' understanding of begging and their response to being accused of child trafficking. It rests on data collected during anthropological fieldwork in Guinea-Bissau and Senegal since 2009, including interviews and participation in religious events. The Quran teachers, some of whom admit colleagues might exploit their students, highlight four aspects of begging: allowing poor populations economically to study the Quran; contributing to humbleness, humility, and empathy with underprivileged groups; redistributing resources across generations; and allowing the acquisition of knowledge, liberation, and power. They maintain that the NGOs are profiting from funds provided to "rescue" the students and act as real traffickers, and together with funders, they aim to eliminate Islam. Embedded in layers of coloniality, the Quran teachers keep their position as community leaders. Banning begging is bound to fail if the anti-trafficking NGOs ignore their understanding of meaningful suffering and begging, including the economic and religious aspects of alms-seeking and its reciprocal nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the type and timing of ultra‐processed foods (UPF) consumption and its association with dietary intake (DI) and physical activity (PA) in women with obesity living in poverty. Methods: A cross‐sectional study was employed. Obesity was defined by at least two criteria (body mass index, waist circumference or % fat mass). Poverty was defined as the three lowest classes of the Brazilian Economic Classification Criterion. PA was measured with triaxial accelerometers and DI was assessed with three 24‐h dietary recalls. Foods were categorised according to the NOVA classification, with UPF classified into five subgroups, as well as the timing of consumption into six meals. Results: In total, 56 adult women were included. Overall energy intake was 1653.21 (503.22) kcal/day. UPF intake was 21.62% (11.94%) kcal/day, being higher at breakfast (4.91% kcal/day), afternoon snack (5.39% kcal/day) and dinner (5.01% kcal/day). Only UPF subgroup 4 (sandwich biscuits, sweets, or treats) showed a positive association with energy intake (β = 54.40 [27.6, 81.10] kcal/day) and a negative association with protein intake (β = −0.31% [−0.48%, −0.14%] kcal/day). UPF consumption in morning (β = −0.41% [−0.79%, −0.02%] kcal/day) and afternoon (β = −0.18% [−0.33%, −0.04%] kcal/day) snacks was associated with lower protein intake. Furthermore, lunchtime UPF consumption was positively associated with walking time (β = 0.16% [0.02%; 0.30%]) and steps/hour (β = 8.72 [1.50; 15.94] steps/h). Conclusions: Women with obesity living in poverty consume more UPF during breakfast, afternoon snack and dinner. Physical activity is positively associated with UPF consumption at lunch. UPF, such as sandwich biscuits, sweets or treats, contribute to increasing energy intake and reducing protein intake. Key points: The distribution of ultra‐processed foods (UPF) consumption throughout the day was evaluated.UPF were more consumed during main meals compared to snacks.Only sandwich biscuits, sweets and treats were associated with increased energy intake and reduced protein intake.Physical activity measured by triaxial accelerometers was associated with UPF consumption at lunch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Qi Gong fitness in alleviating stress, anxiety, and depression among underprivileged working youth with a follow-up study. Methods: Eighty subjects were randomly assigned to normal groups (NG) and treatment groups (TG), with 40 participants in each group. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7), and 24-Item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD-24) were used to evaluate the effect of Qi Gong fitness on alleviating stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms in underprivileged working youth. Results: There was no significant difference in demographic outcome indicators between NG and TG. The main analytic results showed significant differences (P < .05) in the intra- and inter-group comparisons of NG and TG in stress, anxiety, and depression before and after intervention. When compared with prior intervention, NG and TG after intervention showed more favorable scores in PSS, GAD-7, and HAMD-24, among which PSS (NG: 51.61 ± 4.32 vs. 29.80 ± 3.08; TG: 55.21 ± 5.41 vs. 15.85 ± 2.25; P < .01), GAD-7 (NG: 10.83 ± 2.45 vs. 9.85 ± 2.52; TG: 12.23 ± 1.90 vs. 7.84 ± 1.57; P < .01), and HAMD-24 (NG: 10.83 ± 2.45 vs. 9.85 ± 2.52; TG: 25.63 ± 3.94 vs. 11.40 ± 3.82; P < .01); These results indicate that NG and TG have significant effects on alleviating occupational stress, anxiety, and depression in young underprivileged people. Conclusion: The study indicates that Qi Gong fitness had a positive effect on reducing and alleviating stress, anxiety, and depression among young underprivileged professionals. This highlights the potential benefits of incorporating Qi Gong fitness into treatment plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"The upswing: How America came together and how we can do it again" is a book by Robert Putnam that examines trends in economic, political, social, and cultural aspects of American life over the past 125 years. Putnam argues that the United States experienced a period of progress and social cohesion during the Progressive movement, but has since declined in terms of inequality, political polarization, social dislocation, and cultural narcissism. The book explores the shift from a collective "we" orientation to a more individualistic mindset and offers insights into the role of religion, political polarization, and social justice movements in shaping American society. Putnam suggests that by learning from history and working collectively, America can regain a sense of unity and social progress. [Extracted from the article]

This document contains abstracts of papers presented at an academic conference. The papers cover a wide range of topics related to economics, history, and social development. Each paper presents empirical evidence and analysis to shed light on specific phenomena or historical events. The research is conducted using different methodologies and data sources, providing valuable insights into these complex subjects. The summaries provide a brief overview of each paper's main findings and contribute to the understanding of various social and economic phenomena. [Extracted from the article]

This review examines high-quality research evidence that synthesises the effects of extreme heat on human health in tropical Africa. Web of Science (WoS) was used to identify research articles on the effects extreme heat, humidity, Wet-bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), apparent temperature, wind, Heat Index, Humidex, Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), heatwave, high temperature and hot climate on human health, human comfort, heat stress, heat rashes, and heat-related morbidity and mortality. A total of 5, 735 articles were initially identified, which were reduced to 100 based on a set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. The review discovered that temperatures up to 60°C have been recorded in the region and that extreme heat has many adverse effects on human health, such as worsening mental health in low-income adults, increasing the likelihood of miscarriage, and adverse effects on well-being and safety, psychological behaviour, efficiency, and social comfort of outdoor workers who spend long hours performing manual labour. Extreme heat raises the risk of death from heat-related disease, necessitating preventative measures such as adaptation methods to mitigate the adverse effects on vulnerable populations during hot weather. This study highlights the social inequalities in heat exposure and adverse health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indonesia's conditional cash transfer program serves only the "objectively perceivable" poor—those who fit its parameters of eligibility and appear in the official poverty data. It creates two populations of poor people: the legible and eligible, or user poor, and the illegible and ineligible, or nonuser poor. In Surabaya the nonuser poor—who constitute half of all poor people—benefit from a de facto distribution of cash transfers that operates in the low-income neighborhoods (kampungs) through a figuration of people that is made up of cash transfer users, nonusers, providers, and brokers. It reveals actually existing welfare at work in the blind spots of objectively targeted welfare. Actually existing welfare cannot be understood as a set of official policies, roles, or technological interfaces but as a set of locally embedded relationships that bring welfare subjects into existence. Without understanding these relationships that form on the edge of welfare, it is not possible to understand the labor involved in producing the poor in targeted schemes like Indonesia's conditional cash transfer program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although peer support is documented as a predictor of adolescents' prosocial behavior, the influencing mechanism of peer support on prosocial behavior among adolescents from low-income families has not been fully researched. The current research conducted two studies to examine the influencing mechanism of peer support on prosocial behavior among adolescents from low-income families. Study 1 (N = 579) investigated the influencing mechanism of peer support on prosocial behavior with a longitudinal dataset. Study 2 (N = 228) investigated the effect of peer support priming on money donation with an experimental approach. The results of Study 1 and Study 2 consistently demonstrated that communal social goals mediated the association between peer support and prosocial behavior among adolescents from low-income families, and cumulative family risk moderated this indirect link. The positive effect of peer support on prosocial behavior through communal social goals might be weakened if adolescents experience more risk factors in the family context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human rights NGOs contribute to the formation of norms and policies around penality, and inform social understandings of what constitutes acceptable punishment. This article turns to the symbolic group-making work of human rights workers as agents who work with prisoners, and who also construct the image of the prisoner for the rest of society. I zoom in on the case of prison NGO work in Russia, a non-democratic country, and answer two questions: first, how do prison NGOs construct the image of the prisoner, and articulate their relationship with their social base and their networks of civic engagement? Second, what organizational behaviors do these articulations encourage? Drawing on 18 semi-structured interviews and observation at prison NGOs based in Moscow, the study shows that Russian NGO workers often view themselves and act as members of a middle class social movement in Russia. While NGOs tend to focus on the most economically disadvantaged and socially isolated groups in their work, the prisoners they depict when addressing the public and the press tend to represent more educated groups with higher levels of symbolic capital (political prisoners, those convicted of economic crimes, and former state employees), reflecting a desire to put prison on the middle class agenda. At the same time, prison NGO employees employ a class lens in their work with prisoners, and determine how to help prisoners based on their assessment of how the socio-economic background of the prisoner intersects with ethnicity, religion, ability/disability, region where they are serving their sentence, and region where they are from. In other words, prison NGO workers view prisoners through the resources they can accumulate using the simultaneous, intersecting dimensions of their status and their relation to other groups both in prison and outside. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some scholars have argued that every year, huge amount of financial and human resources are being deployed by international development agencies, and NGOs to improve the living conditions of millions of poor people living in most African countries, yet most of these interventions are not achieving the objectives expected. This study seeks to know the validity of this postulation by exploring the intersection of participatory communication, role-players engagement, and project proposal in achieving far-reaching impact and success of development interventions in Africa. A systematic literature review method was used. The findings showed that 25% of the 48 development interventions evaluated were failed projects, 64.58% projects came midway, and 10.42% projects were successful. The findings support the postulation of Farreach perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on maximizing dental attendance among older patients, discussing reasons for their discontinuation of recall appointments, systemic health barriers, and strategies for improving communication and access to care, including teledentistry. It also discusses the complex socioeconomic and health-related challenges older adults face in maintaining oral health, highlighting the need for tailored interventions and enhanced health literacy to promote regular dental care.

"My Life in History" is a personal account of the author's journey into the field of history, inspired by their grandmother's stories of their family's past. Despite facing challenges in their education, the author obtained a Bachelor of Arts in social work and history from the University of Melbourne. They overcame gender biases and limited opportunities in academia to earn a PhD and have a successful career in teaching and research. The author's work focuses on topics such as single motherhood, institutional abuse, and welfare history in Australia. They emphasize their collaboration with service users and survivors, as well as their involvement in digital history and public spaces. The author expresses gratitude towards their mentors, colleagues, and the individuals whose stories they have documented. [Extracted from the article]

Copyright of ABEI Journal: The Brazilian Journal of Irish Studies is the property of Associacao Brasileira de Estudos Irlandeses and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In improving the level of social welfare, quality, and survival of the poor, vulnerable, and underprivileged groups, there is a social assistance program in the form of Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) And BPNT has proven its efficiency in improving food access which aims to meet the basic needs and rights of Beneficiary Families (KPM). The purpose of this study is to evaluate the Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) program in meeting the basic needs of the poor and vulnerable. The research method used is qualitative descriptive research. Data collection is carried out using secondary sources through a review of various literature, then data analysis through three stages, namely data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. The performance of the Non-Cash Food Assistance Program (BPNT) in Indonesia shows positive results in helping to reduce the burden of spending on poor and vulnerable households by meeting food needs. This research has made a significant contribution in enriching the understanding of technology-based social assistance distribution models and BPNT has proven its efficiency in improving food access for the poor and vulnerable, contributing to financial inclusivity, and driving local economic growth through the involvement of local shops in distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Joan C. Tronto is a prominent figure in care ethics and American political theory. Her work has had a significant impact on various fields, including public policy, democratic institutions, healthcare, and urban planning. Tronto argues that care should not be confined to the private sphere and should be a collective responsibility. The text discusses the concept of care and its implications in various fields, emphasizing the need for care to be integrated across different disciplines and frameworks. Tronto also explores the concept of "caring with" and its role in creating reliable and shared care relationships. She concludes by discussing her current work on understanding and improving bad care. [Extracted from the article]