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The post-World War II availability of commercial spectrometers spurred the development of professional spectroscopic societies: The Infrared and Raman Discussion Group in the UK, the Coblentz Society, and the Society for Applied Spectroscopy in the USA. There was a desire to ensure that customers understood the instrumentation and techniques, became part of a community, and had access to the latest subject matter knowledge. With the advent of low-cost routine instruments, and portable instruments in the field, professional societies have a distinct role to play in education and training, especially as libraries deaccession (withdraw) even comparatively recent books on practical spectroscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Just six decades ago, the world was experiencing remarkably high population growth rates, which led to the coining of the term 'demographic bomb' to describe concerns associated with population size. At the time, the global population was three billion. Since then, an extra billion people have been added every 12 years. However, the pre-eminent demographic challenge of the twenty-first century is population ageing, a global, irreversible and unprecedented trend. The number of people aged 65 and over has almost doubled since the turn of the century and currently accounts for 10% of the global population. An extra billion people are expected to age into the older category within the next 35 years. In Europe, half of the population is above 45 years of age, and the number of those above 65 years old is greater than the number of children under 15. Commonly referred to as the 'silver tsunami', it is feared that the increasing number of older people will have a destructive impact on economies and social systems. Never before have our lives been longer, our families smaller and our societies more multigenerational. The new reality of longevity requires a shift in how we approach ageing. This article explores ways to cope with the challenges of the silver era we are heading towards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the contrasting political ideologies of Peter Beilharz and the author, detailing their divergent backgrounds and perspectives—Beilharz as an unabashed social democrat and the author as a liberal conservative. It delves into their evolving intellectual shifts in the 1990s, highlighting a surprising convergence in analyzing Australian society through the lens of art and aesthetics, despite their political disparities.

The article focuses on Peter Wagner's extensive contributions to Thesis Eleven over a quarter of a century, covering themes such as European and North American societies' unsettledness in modernity, post-'1968' individualism, and the complexity of intellectual debates. Wagner's reflections highlight the growing specialization in academia, and the crucial role played by Peter, as a space creator who broadens opportunities for unconventional ideas and diverse perspectives within the journal.

In response to their growing importance, digital infrastructures (DIs) are increasingly subject to governmental regulation due to concerns over the downside risks posed by digital technologies to individuals and society. There is a general paucity of studies that address the impact of regulations on DI innovation. In addition, existing research presents seemingly contradictory findings on regulations governing digital technologies as both enabling and inhibiting innovation. This paper, therefore, elaborates on how different types of regulation impact various forms of DI innovation. We draw on modular systems theory to enrich extant conceptualisations of DIs and develop a related conceptual model that demonstrates the paths by which two types of DI regulation influence DI architectural modularity, which is proposed as a mediating mechanism that influences DI innovation. Our model makes a theoretical contribution through an in-depth explanation of the relationship between regulation and DI innovation by articulating and illustrating the effects of regulatory provisions and thereby extends the extant DI literature. In terms of practical implications, our model can help stakeholders both create DI regulation and respond to regulatory provisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An editorial is presented on challenges corporate-led processes of globalization. Topics include provocations about multi-generational change for individuals and groups occuring with having families and long-term employment; and existing structures of both corporate and independent music scenes as well as particular social conditions and society.

The Northern Ireland peace process has been long and tumultuous, yet 20 years after the Good Friday Agreement, peace has not become a reality for many Northern Irish citizens. For those who have been excluded from the state and the institution-led peace process, grassroots methods of peacebuilding are needed to create an everyday peace that is owned by and includes all Northern Irish citizens. A narrative approach to peacebuilding is one that addresses many of the challenges to everyday peace following the "Troubles." By exploring the use and impact of storytelling and narrative on everyday experiences, the narrative approach proves to be a viable tool for elevating and giving ownership of the peace process to marginalized members of Northern Irish society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are two rival conceptions of power in modern sociopolitical thought. According to one, all social power reduces to power-over-others. According to another, the core notion is power-to-effect-outcomes, to which even power-over reduces. This article defends seven theses. First, agential social power consists in a relation between agent and outcomes (power-to). Second, not all social power reduces to power-over and, third, the contrary view stems from conflating power-over with a distinct notion: power-despite-resistance. Fourth, the widespread assumption that social power presupposes the capacity to overcome resistance is false: social power includes the capacity to effect outcomes with others' assistance. Fifth, power-with can be exercised via joint intentional action, strategic coordination and non-strategic coordination. Sixth, agential social power is best analysed as a capacity to effect outcomes, with the assistance of others, despite the resistance of yet others. Seventh, power-over and power-with are not mutually exclusive: each can ground the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This brief response concerns Arash Abizadeh's recently proposed four-place 'grammar' of agential social power: that the social power of an agent, V, with respect to outcome type O consists in V's capacity to effect outcomes of type O 'with the assistance of agents X, despite the resistance of agents Y '. Among other problems, this grammar implies that all agential power is social power. I propose, in place of Abizadeh's grammar, that V 's social power with respect to O consists in V 's capacity to effect O with the assistance of X, thereby affecting patients Y. Among other things, this grammar goes further than Abizadeh's in rejecting the tradition, owing to Max Weber, that holds that all social power is power to overcome resistance. Talk of overcoming resistance drops out of the definition of social power completely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, a progressive "cancel culture" in society, right-wing politicians and commentators claim, has silenced alternative perspectives, ostracized contrarians, and eviscerated robust intellectual debate, with college campuses at the vanguard of this development. These arguments can be dismissed as rhetorical dog whistles devoid of substantive meaning, myths designed to fire up the MAGA faithful, outrage progressives, and distract from urgent real-world problems. Given heated contention, however, something more fundamental may be at work. To understand this phenomenon, the opening section defines the core concept and theorizes that perceptions of this phenomenon are likely to depend upon how far individual values fit the dominant group culture. Within academia, scholars most likely to perceive "silencing" are mismatched or non-congruent cases, where they are "fish-out-of-water." The next section describes how empirical survey evidence is used to test this prediction within the discipline of political science. Data are derived from a global survey, the World of Political Science, 2019, involving almost 2500 scholars studying or working in over 100 countries. The next section describes the results. The conclusion summarizes the key findings and considers their broader implications. Overall, the evidence confirms the "fish-out-of-water" congruence thesis. As predicted, in post-industrial societies, characterized by predominately liberal social cultures, like the US, Sweden, and UK, right-wing scholars were most likely to perceive that they faced an increasingly chilly climate. By contrast, in developing societies characterized by more traditional moral cultures, like Nigeria, it was left-wing scholars who reported that a cancel culture had worsened. This contrast is consistent with Noelle-Neumann's spiral of silence thesis, where mainstream values in any group gradually flourish to become the predominant culture, while, due to social pressures, dissenting minority voices become muted. The ratchet effect eventually muffles contrarians. The evidence suggests that the cancel culture is not simply a rhetorical myth; scholars may be less willing to speak up to defend their moral beliefs if they believe that their views are not widely shared by colleagues or the wider society to which they belong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports the results of a systematic review of research on educational leadership and management (EDLM) in Muslim societies. Quantitative methods were employed to examine 362 articles published in eight core international EDLM journals. This review examined general patterns of knowledge production, as well as research topics, conceptual models, and methods employed by scholars in Muslim societies. The results show that 44% of the articles had been published in the past 4 years, and 67% in the past 8 years. Turkey, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) qualified as the largest producers of knowledge production (45.6%). Almost 88.4% of the literature consisted of empirical studies with topical foci focused on leadership in K-12, principals, organizational behavior, climate, and culture. Recommendations were provided to advance the development of knowledge production in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article proposes a new analytical framework to understand U.S. gun culture and its attendant cultural identifiers. It uses the Weberian concept of the state, in which the state's monopoly on force is the basis of its legitimacy. Using this theory of the state, my key theoretical contribution is that gun culture is a contestation of the state's monopoly on force. Relatedly, I argue that the system of cultural identifiers attached to gun culture competes with state power. In this way, gun culture asserts a devolved, local and patrimonial system of social power. I use this synthetic context of U.S. gun culture to understand theoretical issues of citizen–state relations and the role of identification in envisaging local power while offering narcissistic compensations to disenfranchised people. This descriptive theory argues that the state monopoly on force constitutes a central clause of the social contract between state and citizen, and the breach of this monopoly within gun culture challenges the contract itself. Identity and its conceptual markers, then, have a political end as a surrogate for social authority and personal-local power. This political function is hinted at but not adequately theorized in gun culture literature, certainly not using a Weberian, 'monopoly on force' framework. I propose that gun culture signals an antagonism within the social contract, in which citizens cede use of force to the state. This antagonism is activated in this case but theoretically latent in citizen–state relations. This article builds on the Hobbesian–Weberian premise to propose a model of Martial Culture Theory (MCT) to describe U.S. gun culture and those political movements that seek to reduce through force the state monopoly on power by diminishing its legitimacy and claiming theirs as a legitimate exercise of force.Through this process occurs a renegotiation of socio-political power distribution with the state. I submit this insight has valuable implications for state theory and citizen–state relations. In addition, it offers the most complete theory of how small government conservatism aligns with identity politics in U.S. gun culture, and how the prevailing mode of identitarian politics can manifest and be harnessed toward contestations of state power in Hobbesian-Weberian thought. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent years have seen a notable surge in scholarship on the life and thought of B. R. Ambedkar (1891–1956). This essay contributes to this literature by uncovering heretofore underemphasized aspects of how Ambedkar theorized the relationships between caste oppression, democracy, and state action. The essay demonstrates that, particularly in the period from 1936 to 1947, Ambedkar closely attended to the pathological imbrications between caste society and representative institutions in India; that he theorized an alternative, ambitious conception of democracy that encompassed the social and political spheres; and that he framed the state, and Dalit presence within the state, as a uniquely appealing instrument to transition from the former arrangement to the latter. In addition to filling gaps in the scholarship on Ambedkar, this interpretation offers important resources for contemporary democratic theory—in particular by countering perspectives that remain overly skeptical of the state's capacity to move against social oppression in ways that enable, rather than inhibit, collective self-government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study attempts to locate female transgressions against a racist and homophobic society as portrayed by Ann Allen Shockley, Alice Walker and Gloria Naylor in their novels Loving Her (1974), The Color Purple (1982) and The Women of Brewster Place (1983), respectively. It applies the content-analysis method, lesbian feminist theory and intersectionality to explore the black women characters' defiance of hetero-patriarchal culture. The novelists effectively challenge heterosexism, and advocate women's solidarity and lesbian sexuality as acts of resistance to regulative sexual norms. The theoretical tools compare and analyse how different categorisations of race and sex are interwoven in the novels and how their intersection hinders lesbian relations and women's solidarity. The commonality of the black lesbian characters lies in their experience of sexualised aggression as well as racial otherness. Walker's characters, unlike Shockley's and Naylor's, powerfully threaten sexist, racist and homophobic society and promote universal sisterhood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is polarisation a fundamental threat to the open society? Are the divisions that run through societies and separate them into two (or more) more or less hostile groups problems to be solved? Or are they the corollaries of a vibrant democratic system that might legitimately be called an 'open society'? These are the questions I seek to explore in this contribution to the special issue. My argument unfolds through a reinterpretation of Karl Popper's conception of open society as a democratic idea, characterised by an appreciation of genuine human plurality and diversity that make 'critical encounters with the other side' possible (and desirable); this conception of open society also recognises the progressive potential of social and political conflicts. For that reason, political polarisation cannot be regarded as a lethal threat to open societies. By contrast, 'belief polarisation', with its Manichean orientation and anti-political tendencies, is a much more serious threat. It follows that advocates of open society should avoid the temptation to solve the 'problem' of political polarisation – they should accept it as the price to be paid for the 'imperfect ideal' of open society. However, they should take steps to reduce belief polarisation through the active creation of spaces of critical encounters with the other side. The overarching aim of the article, then, is to make a contribution to both the literature on open society and polarisation. To that end, I will bring the concept of open society and the phenomenon of polarisation into a relationship of reciprocal elucidation: through the engagement with open society, I will shine some light on polarisation, and through the analysis of polarisation, I will put flesh on the concept of open society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although religious institutions are an important agent of non-state policing, especially in the Global South, there is a limited understanding of the relationship between religion and policing. The Pacific presents an ideal context in which to examine the relationship between religious and policing institutions in Christian majority postcolonial societies. Moreover, state and religious institutions in the Pacific Island States are currently being subjected to powerful processes, including economic liberalization, globalization, and localization/indigenization, producing both opportunities but also contestations and conflicts. Using interviews with police officers, religious leaders, and community leaders, this article examines how police officers negotiate the tensions between (secular) state law, indigenous structures of authority, and religious authorities in Tuvalu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scholars increasingly acknowledge that policing involves multiple actors and diverse institutional arrangements. Although the global expansion of private security has prompted much of the current interest in plural policing in the Global North, relatively little attention has been paid to this phenomenon in the Global South despite the manifestly plural character of policing in many such countries. This article examines plural policing in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the Southwest Pacific. Policing in PNG involves a bewildering array of different actors and institutional forms, ranging from transnational police to unofficial urban settlement committees. Investigating the shifting pattern of pluralization in the context of broader structural changes and the intersections between different providers illuminates how policing actually works in this socially diverse nation, as well as highlighting some of its implications for state and society in this understudied part of the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay critically analyzes a common metaphor in political theory, which figures the growth of power as a process of "spreading" or "diffusion." It argues that narratives that cast the generalization of power as a movement of "spreading" often fail to furnish the specific type of historical evidence that they imply, such that these narratives are frequently received as richly suggestive yet ultimately unjustified. This essay develops an alternative way of conceptualizing the generalization of power, one that rests on rigorous yet speculative evidence of the sort that political theorists are best positioned to find: not proof of literal extension or application of existing powers to new domains, but accidental convergences, isomorphisms, and ideal combinations among disparate practices that introduce large powers into the world. To do this, the essay revisits Foucault's narrative of the generalization of disciplinary power in modern Western societies, which is perhaps the clearest source for the familiarity of the figure of "spread" in contemporary political theory. It shows that Foucault's incessant use of the "spread" metaphor naturally invites the dismissive reading that Discipline and Punish received in many quarters, for it implies a historical process that Foucault cannot justify. Yet I argue that in a brief self-criticism, Foucault provides the rudiments for a conception of power's generalization far more useful and compelling than the metaphoric of "spread." I suggest that this alternative, if developed, is not just the proper frame for interpreting Foucault's narrative, but a promising practical resource for contemporary theorists of general powers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indigenous conflict management has been a key feature of pre- and post-colonial African societies in managing varied community disputes related to natural resources. In Zimbabwe, the Dare, the traditional court works similarly. However, there have been few insights on the effectiveness of indigenous community-based mechanisms in managing primary water conflicts. The paper argues that although there are widespread and varied water conflicts within the rural setting, the grassroots nature, combined with simple and clear procedures of the traditional court systems makes it a viable option in managing emergent primary water conflicts at the community level. There is a need to synchronise this indigenous community-based conflict management mechanism with the state-run judicial system. However, the operation of the indigenous conflict management mechanism within the framework of competitive African politics has made it vulnerable to political intrusions. Water governance, using traditional court systems would likely benefit from equal gender representation in the decision-making structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishment of an interpersonal-violence registry system (IPVRS) is a promising initiative to tackle violence. This qualitative study aimed to fill the gap in knowledge regarding the feasibility of establishing the IPVRS in the East-Azerbaijan province of Iran. This qualitative study using content analysis was conducted to explore the importance, challenges, and facilitating factors of establishing the IPVRS from the viewpoints of stakeholders. Forty-six individuals from the Forensic Medical Organization, the University, the Welfare Organization, the Training and Education Organization, hospitals, and primary health centers participated in the study. Six themes and 13 sub-themes were identified. The importance of the establishment of the IPVRS was sub-categorized into two main themes, including violence as a public health priority and severe consequences of violence including intensive health and social outcomes and high use of medical services. The most critical challenges of establishing the IPVRS were categorized into two main themes including victims' under-reporting due to financial difficulties as well as psychosocial barriers and structural barriers such as organizational barriers and methodological challenges. Inter-sectoral partnership was identified as the main facilitating factor in the successful establishment of the IPVRS. The participants recommended improving the development of the IPVRS by stepwise development of the program, resource absorption from other beneficiary organizations, and making more coverage in the registry system. In conclusion, the establishment of the IPVRS is identified as an effective strategy to tackle violence-related issues. Close collaboration with different governmental and non-governmental sectors and the gradual development of the registry system can pave the way for establishing the IPVRS. This study has several implications for identifying potential challenges and facilitators of the IPVRS applicable to other developing countries with similar contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Life stories, or narrative identities, are psychosocial constructions that work to establish a sense of self-continuity through time and across contexts. These stories, which represent a distinct personality domain and assessment paradigm, both inform and are informed by the stories pertaining to constructs within more distal systems (e.g., dyads, households, states, nations, cultures). To this end, we consider the ways in which study of narrative identity may be enhanced by extending the conceptual bounds of its assessment paradigm, to better account for the varied stories within and across these ecological systems. We argue that: a) like narrative identity, stories throughout the narrative ecology function to build and maintain continuity, and b) there are thematic features of narrative identity that transcend divides between these systems including: agency & communion and redemption & contamination. These premises work to focus study of self, society, and story. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the use of the term 'market research' in a contemporary context. Although the term is well established as an industry definition, its use and meaning have become increasingly contested. This study brings together empirical data from a range of sources that reflect key stakeholders within the market research sector. Findings suggest that the term 'market research' has become increasingly marginalised amongst these key stakeholders. Few of the leading research firms use this term to describe their core activity, and data suggest that wider use of the term has declined over the past decade. Where 'market research' is used, the term is typically demoted to describing a set of skills rather than a strategic concept around adding value. A number of explanations for this are explored, including isomorphism among research firms, the role of research in generating value, and the broader economic context in which research takes place. Finally, the paper considers whether continuing use of the term is beneficial to the future success of the research sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The articel discusses the highlights of an initial open meeting hosted by the British Polling Council (BPC) and the Market Research Society (MRS) on June 19, 2015 regarding the performance of the opinion polls in Great Britain following the country's May 15, 2015 general election. Topics include the opening address by BPC president John Curtice on the impact of the polls on how the campaign was fought and pollster Martin Boon's view on sampling bias.

The article discusses the highlights of IMPACT 2015, Market Research Society's (MRS) annual conference held in London, England on March 17 to 18, 2015. Topics covered in various representations at the conference include non-probability sampling, making inferences for non-probability samples and the issues that should be considered in deciding whether a particular method is fit for purpose.

The article presents marketing-related information including the recipients of the awards for authors of marketing research articles, the conference of the Market Research Society (MRS) Census and Geodemographic Group (CGG) held in London, England on November 5, 2014, and the content of this issue of the "International Journal of Market Research."

The article presents the discussion on the characteristics of Japanese sociology and society focusing on huge domestic publishing market and dual-structure labor market. Topics include Japanese sociologists unintentionally achieving the indigenization of social science; and requiring specialized knowledge such as the ability for interpreting statistics.

The various approaches to planning manifest the intellectual currents of a society. Dualities such as efficiency/community have been central to shaping contemporary planning. The quest for efficiency, the rational utilization of natural, built, and human capital, along with concern for community, the human needs and rootedness of local populations, has been an ongoing theme. We explore that duality in the context of rural regional development and how it shifted from complementary to either/or in the United States from the turn of the twentieth century through the Great Depression and the onset of World War II. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the highlights of the Marketing Research Society (MRS) annual conference which was held in London, England from March 18-19, 2013. The conference discussed various papers on the role of research in informing and influencing the strategy of an organization and how social values are changing. The speakers include Toby Hartwell, managing director of the Folio Society, Christopher Jouan of Future Foundation, Jessica Salmon of O2 Telefónica and Julian Watson of McDonald's.

This article examines the social components of national resilience as the source of the Islamic Republic of Iran's ability to cope with possibly lethal blows and economic setbacks through four stages: (I) an account of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq War and the surprising outcome that left Iran undefeated, (II) a review of several theories that can aid us to analyze Iran's national resilience ability, (III) an analysis of Iran's wartime survival using the abovementioned theoretical infrastructure, (IV) a concise review of current issues in Iranian society which concludes with an evaluation of the state of Iran's resilience regarding attacks on their nuclear program and its ramifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A woman is an integral part of all public affairs of the society, from rituals and festivals to a community meeting. But then, she is tactfully debarred from taking leadership, making decisions, or from the liberty of choosing an unconventional lifestyle for herself. Witch-hunting is one of those numerous ways and means of keeping women within the periphery well defined for them in patriarchal societies. Accusations of varying kinds are leveled, and suspected persons are targeted. Even if she survives after the accusation, she lives in constant fear with the trauma of nonacceptance in the society. She is denied access to public resources as well as economic activities in and around the village. The violation of rights in witch-hunting takes its root in the gendered roles of individuals, set by tradition. These roles and the subsequent subordinate position of women are considered normal and generally a woman is not expected to question the patriarchal authority. The current study attempts to compare four individual case studies of witch- hunting of women from Goalpara and West Karbi Anglong Districts of Assam and West Garo Hills District of Meghalaya. Case study method has been explicitly used to find out how it became easy for the instigators to get mass support in targeting each of these four women, and how they were dehumanized, and eventually were banished from their villages or murdered. The article attempts to showcase witch-hunting as one of the strategies used for continuation of the patriarchal control over the ordinary women to obstruct their rise in rural remote areas of Meghalaya and Assam. Here superstition is the larger backdrop within which factors such as jealousy, enmity and nonacceptance get legitimized in a patriarchal setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence suggests that tens of millions of children and adolescents are involved in youth-serving organizations (YSOs) outside of their homes on a daily basis. Children's involvement with YSOs clearly offers a broad array of emotional, social, and personal development benefits. This involvement can, however, also be associated with a variety of safety risks, including the potential for child sexual abuse (CSA) victimization and the myriad short- and long-term consequences to its victims and their families. Recognizing the significance of CSA within YSOs, the Australian Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse funded a comprehensive review of the literature on risk and protective factors related to CSA in institutions. This yielded more than 400 primarily research articles from the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia, examining institutional CSA victims, perpetrators, and settings. Findings were provided regarding six specific types of institutional settings, including faith-based, early childhood education, childcare and schools, health care, out-of-home/foster care, and sport. This article is based on the findings of Kaufman and Erooga's comprehensive literature review and Royal Commission findings. It provides a brief review of critical risks associated with CSA victims, perpetrators, and organizational settings, as well as highlights risks particular to specific types of YSOs and risks that are present across these organizations. Optimal prevention directions and strategies are outlined in response to identified patterns of organizational risk. Recommendations for YSO policy enhancements are also provided to complement the article's prevention focus. Finally, suggestions are offered for future research directions to foster the development of an evidencebased foundation for work in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Assess the effects of American Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) resident work hour restrictions on the preparedness of incoming facial plastic surgery fellows as assessed by American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) fellowship directors. Methods: Observational survey study evaluating the perception of ACGME resident duty hour change on resident surgical and clinical skills from fellowship directors of AAFPRS fellowship programs in the US. A cross-sectional survey was sent to 47 fellowship directors of AAFPRS fellowship programs. Perceived change in resident clinical and surgical skills were measured using a 5-point Likert scale (1 = significantly improved, 2 = improved, 3 = neither improved nor worsened, 4 = worsened, 5 = significantly worsened) to evaluate 15 benchmarks. Results: Responses received from 36 fellowship directors. The results indicate no statistically significant perceived trend of ACGME duty hour reform on fellows for AAFPRS fellowships among fellowship directors. However, cohort analysis demonstrated that fellowship directors with more than 10 years of service perceived a more negative impact in 2 clinical benchmarks (assessment/planning and basic exposure) over time. Conclusions: The study results appear to show no significant perceived trend over time on the effect of duty hour reform on fellows for AAFPRS fellowships among fellowship directors. However, there are some apparent opinion differences between fellowship directors separated by years of service, with more negative perceptions noted in 2 clinical areas by those with more than 10 years of service. This study is in line with the more recent literature that suggests a trend toward a less negative perception of the duty hour change. This may suggest resident education is adapting to the ACGME duty hour regulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated characteristics and trends associated with sports- and recreation-related dental injuries among children <18 years old treated in US emergency departments using data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System for 2000 to 2017. There were an estimated 198 787 (95% confidence interval = 162 216-235 358) injuries during the study period, averaging 11 044 injuries annually. The rate of dental injuries per 100 000 US population <18 years old fluctuated during the study, starting at 16.9 in 2000 and ending at 13.9 in 2017. Injuries most commonly occurred among males (69.8%) and children 7 to 12 years old (44.6%). Pediatric sports- and recreation-related dental injuries were most commonly associated with bicycles (28.6%), playground equipment (15.3%), and baseball/softball (12.4%). Although emergency department visits for pediatric sports- and recreation-related dental injuries decreased during the study period overall, sports and recreation remain an important source of preventable dental injury, particularly among children 7 to 12 years old. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Develop and test a stigma awareness and education curriculum targeted to non-medical staff of a local Alzheimer's Association chapter. Methods: The curriculum, developed in collaboration with leadership and educational staff from the Cleveland Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association, included a definition, types, and domains of stigma; effects of stigma on individuals with dementia and their families; stigma evaluation studies; tips to address the topic of dementia-related stigma with individuals and families. Lastly, an interactive discussion of real-life scenarios facilitated stigma recognition and management. Results: Most staff felt the training improved their ability to identify Alzheimer's disease stigma, made them more comfortable talking about stigma, and would change the way they interacted with people and families impacted by Alzheimer's disease. Conclusions: This brief, practical educational curriculum has potential to improve awareness of dementia stigma in Alzheimer's Association staff. Research is needed to expand stigma awareness in individuals and groups with varying levels of dementia knowledge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about topics covered at the Marketing Research Society (MRS) even titled "Data Matters" in February 2009 in London, England. It was a one day event organised by Research Conferences in association with the MRS. Two of the presentations are covered in this article and they provide differing perspectives on applying market research within an ever change context of other data sources.

There is a need to involve individuals with a lived experience in health and medical research. Some organizations have developed mechanisms to seek the input of people with a lived experience. However, there are few examples of qualitative research into the impacts of participation. In this study, we investigate the social and emotional impact of participation on individuals, as well as the perceived impact on the organization, in an advisory panel at an Australian mental health research institute. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 50% of the participants on the panel to understand how they conceptualized their involvement. Participants became invested in the organization and their role within it, and found it personally valuable to access diverse perspectives and discuss mental health outside a treatment context. These findings suggest that participating in the research process is beneficial to individuals with a lived experience of mental illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers a solution to a major intellectual problem afflicting all the human disciplines and addressing two anxieties about International Relations (IR). Topics include IR being premised upon a hugely important fact about the human world and providing a real common ground for international theory; social reality necessarily includes a dimension of lateral co-existence between societies; and involving difference among societies, entailing interaction, and combinations of processes.

The health ministry of India has released three National Health Policies (NHPs) since independence. These are guiding documents for the government for their health-related expenditure. Till 2017, India allocated central resources through five-year plans (FYPs) formed by the Planning Commission. Thereafter, the newly formed National Institution of Transforming India or the National Institute for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog released its first 3-year action agenda for different sectors. We study the translation of these policies in practice, by comparing policy recommendations with the FYPs. This article also compares the recommendation of the NHP, 2017 with the first 3-year agenda of the NITI Aayog. This explorative analysis also studies the cohesion between the three policies. Hence, it helps to identify five key issues in translating these policies to practise for and provides suggestions. Our study indicates that the NHPs in India need to be released frequently while incorporating tools of accountability, need to generate evidence on which policy decisions can be made, need to be inter-sectoral, but coordinated within different agencies of the government and need to have cohesion with budgetary allocations for allowing a better analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The Society for Vascular Surgery (SVS) is a not-for-profit medical society, whose goal is to further advance in vascular health on a global scale. With its 10th anniversary in sight, we were interested in analyzing the impact of a specific scholarship given under the SVS, the International Scholars Program. Our goal was to examine the awardees' characteristics and academic productivity. Materials and Methods: We measured the number of peer-reviewed articles, before and after the program, using PubMed ® and Google Scholar ® (2008-2018) of the scholarship recipients. Editorials, book chapters, letter to editor, and oral/poster presentations were excluded. A survey was sent out to assess the awardees' current status. Results: The average number of applicants/year was 15.4 (standard deviation ± 6.69), with 17.5% females and a mean age of 37 ± 3.37 years, with 5.6 ± 2.30 years status post vascular fellowship. Brazil had the highest number of recipients (n = 5; 18.5%) followed by China (n = 4; 14.8%). No significant difference was noted between each country in terms of publications (P =.45), nor with after the SVS scholarship program compared to before (P =.14, 1.84 vs 2.76). The survey concluded 33% had attended a subsequent SVS meeting after the program, with 27% having presented their research (n = 15). The recipients noted the program helped adopt new practices in clinical management (n = 13, 87%), learn new procedures (n = 10, 67%), gain local/regional leadership (n = 9, 60%), and improve technical skills (n = 8, 53%). The most visited clinical sites were Massachusetts General Hospital and Mayo Clinic (n = 4, 27%). The program was given a 9.1/10 rating. Conclusion: The program was successful in maintaining academic productivity by continuing to publish research even after the scholarship, while teaching recipients skills to further improve their career goals. The award remains a competitive process that selects highly skilled recipients and still has much growth and progress to look forward to over the next decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there was difference in the OASIS (Outcome and Assessment Information Set) activities of daily living (ADL) items scores between the Safe Strides program and Safe Strides plus Zōntago program. Eight home care offices were selected for this prospective randomized quality improvement study where Safe Strides versus Safe Strides plus Zōntago were compared. Rehabilitation outcome OASIS ADL change scores were analyzed for 112 total patient care episodes. The Safe Strides + Zōntago mean total ADL score change and ADL change per visit were higher than the Safe Strides group. Differences in ADL outcomes in older adults undergoing home care provided by physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in the Safe Strides exercise program versus the Safe Strides plus Zōntago program were noted. The Safe Strides + Zōntago compared with Safe Strides alone improved patient functional outcomes as measured by the OASIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses that the society needs proactively engaged universities to contribute to addressing the complexities of contemporary social, political, economic, environmental, and well-being challenges. It notes the need for universities to be mindful of the needs of society and to engage as communities of scholars and intellectuals, bringing unique value in each of the four domains, from the local to the global.

Media coverage of mental health and other social issues often relies on episodic narratives that suggest individualistic causes and solutions, while reinforcing negative stereotypes. Community narratives can provide empowering alternatives, serving as media advocacy tools used to shape the policy debate on a social issue. This article provides health promotion researchers and practitioners with guidance on how to develop and disseminate community narratives to broaden awareness of social issues and build support for particular programs and policy solutions. To exemplify the community narrative development process and highlight important considerations, this article examines a narrative from a mental health consumer-run organization. In the narrative, people with mental health problems help one another while operating a nonprofit organization, thereby countering stigmatizing media portrayals of people with mental illness as dangerous and incompetent. The community narrative frame supports the use of consumer-run organizations, which are not well-known and receive little funding despite evidence of effectiveness. The article concludes by reviewing challenges to disseminating community narratives, such as creating a product of interest to media outlets, and potential solutions, such as engaging media representatives through community health partnerships and using social media to draw attention to the narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The official vision of the U.S. Alzheimer's Association is "A world without Alzheimer's disease." The "dual mission" of the organization is "to eliminate Alzheimer's disease through the advancement of research and to enhance care and support for individuals, their families and caregivers." Using numerous reports from leading researchers and practitioners, a case is made by which the "dual mission" is grossly unbalanced with predominant focus on biomedical research aimed at curing the disease compared to research and practices focused on the psycho-social impacts of and adaptations to living with it. These experts discuss the likelihood of curing the disease, the complexity of realizing this goal, and the urgent need to "bring back the social and psychological aspects" of living with dementia to center stage. The moral responsibility to balancing the "dual mission" in accordance with the original motivation of the grassroots organizations who formed the association in 1980 is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: A recent study of pediatric organ donation after the neurologic determination of death (DNDD) demonstrated an association between the use of donor management goals (DMGs) by organ procurement organizations (OPOs) and organ yield. Objective: To describe the pediatric DMGs used by OPOs and any association between specific DMGs and organ yield. Design: Query of US OPOs who utilized DMGs in the care of pediatric DNDD organ donors from 2010 to 2013. Results: All 23 OPOs using DMGs for pediatric DNDD organ donors during the study period participated (100%). The OPOs pursued an average 9.6 goals (standard deviation: 3.9; range: 5-22) with 113 unique definitions that targeted 33 aspects of donor hemodynamics, gas exchange/mechanical ventilation, electrolytes/renal function, blood products, thermoregulation, and infection control. The DMGs used by >50% of OPOs included blood pressure, oxygenation (partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2), oxygen saturation of hemoglobin by pulse oximetry, or PaO2/fractional concentration of inspired oxygen [FiO2] ratio), pH, central venous pressure, serum sodium, urine output, limitations on inotropic support, and serum glucose. There was no significant correlation between the number of DMGs pursued by OPOs and organ yield. There was a difference in the observed/expected organs transplanted in the 0- to 10-year age-group for OPOs that included serum creatinine among their DMGs (P =.046). Conclusions: The pediatric DMGs used by OPOs were generally measurable but diverse in definition and the number of goals pursued. There was no benefit in organ yield from larger DMG bundles. There may be a benefit in organ yield through the use of serum creatinine as a DMG in pediatric donors aged 0 to 10 years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Child protection systems that implement differential response (DR) systems screen to route referrals to an investigation response (IR) or alternative response (AR). AR responses emphasize family engagement, assessment of family needs, and service linkage. Usually, AR state-level policy does not require child welfare staff to make a maltreatment determination. Jurisdictions implement DR systems differently, leading to variations in the proportion of AR cases, risk levels of cases served, and the ways families access and use services. County data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System were analyzed for six states from 2004 to 2013 that implemented DR. Variation in county-level AR rates were associated with county-level re-report rates using regression models with risk adjustments for socioeconomic and other county characteristics. Counties had 3% fewer re-reports overall for each percentage increase in AR use; higher levels of AR use are related to lower levels of re-reporting. When county AR and IR cases were analyzed separately, increasing rates of AR were associated with lower re-report rates for IR cases, but higher re-report rates for AR cases. Findings for the AR and IR subgroup must be interpreted with caution as a number of technical factors may be driving these results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The meal in Early Childhood and Care Institutions is often characterized by routines and rules determined by adults. This, if correct, is not in line with today's ideals about children's involvement and active participation. In this article I argue for children's active participation, which is a key prerequisite in the understanding of seeing meals as a democratic arena. Next, I review the theoretical work on how Early Childhood and Care Institutions staff can arrange for meals to be characterized by children's participation and active exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]