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Clients with special needs, especially those whose disabilities present in childhood, may be beneficiaries of one or more special needs planning tools while subject to guardianship. Each of these tools brings into play the opportunity to provide guidance for coordinating the wishes of the grantor with the responsibilities and obligations of other third-party entities such as guardians and trustees. To avoid potential conflicts and provide maximum protection to the beneficiary, this article reviews the issues likely facing the grantor(s) and provides strategic guidance to financial planners to advise clients on how to effectively coordinate each of these roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article approaches regulation of the wholesale energy market as a part of coordinated effort to establish single EU-27 energy market. We analyze the forms of the cooperation among the national regulators responsible for competition in the wholesale energy markets; such responsibility is split - between two, three or more regulators. The principle of cooperation dominates in the oversight of the wholesale energy market [over concurrency] and has been institutionalized in the form the memo, statute or code; it had also evolved in the EU acquis. Domestic legal system of a state remains a fundamental framework in the traditional nation-state world order as the domestic regulators (NCA, NRA or SMA), along with domestic authority, get also to vote in the EU authorities. Previous research concentrated on delegation of the sovereign powers to the EU level and, to a lesser extent, on coordination between national and state level in the federal EU Member States. This article, instead, looks at horizontal cooperation on the national level only using the comparative legal method. The national level appears to generate the ideas for the EU level and not vice versa, at least, in the analyzed settings of Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom. The working arrangements on the information exchange, pooling of resources in the form of task force, investigation crew, joint unit as well as consultations and mutual comments on the policy proposals are common cooperation formats in each of the countries analyzed, often as a formal legislative rule. At the same time, the EU level inter-agency cooperation for the wholesale energy market can boast only memoranda of understanding, quite short. The research also lay prospectives of how Ukrainian government could fit in with its oversight mandate split among the competition authority, financial market authority and energy regulating authority given decision by the European Council on 14-15 December 2023 to open accession negotiations with Ukraine. This publication is third in the planned series of four comparative legal research papers on the inter-action between the regulatory agencies, the first two papers deal with the characterization of the wholesale energy product and wholesale energy market, undertake a content-analysis of the EU-level agencies interactions; the closing fourth part will systematize regulatory policy proposals for the domestic inter-agency cooperation in Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International Oil Companies (IOCs) are increasingly becoming key development actors in communities where they operate. This is becoming the norm as IOCs come to the realisation that their contributions to the well-being of their host communities brings them closer to attaining their business goals. The evaluation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) actions by IOCs operating in Nigeria's oil rich Niger Delta is however characterised by a unilateral self-assessment by IOCs themselves, without commensurate integration of host community participation. In providing an alternative approach, this study utilised a participatory community-based appraisal to evaluate the Shell Petroleum Development Company's (SPDC), Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoU) model within the praxis of selected parameters for sustainable community development including ownership, participation, sustainability and transparency. The study argues that due to the limitations of universal indicators in the assessment of community development problems, a combination of community-based parameters works better in evaluating community development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Global health partnerships are increasingly being used to improve coordination, strengthen health systems, and incentivize government commitment for public health programs. From 2012 to 2022, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) and Aliko Dangote Foundation (ADF) forged Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) partnership agreements with six northern state governments to strengthen routine immunization (RI) systems and sustainably increase immunization coverage. This mixed methods evaluation describes the RI MoUs contribution to improving program performance, strengthening capacity and government financial commitment as well as towards increasing immunization coverage. Methods: Drawing from stakeholder interviews and a desk review, we describe the MoU inputs and processes and adherence to design. We assess the extent to which the program achieved its objectives as well as the benefits and challenges by drawing from a health facility assessment, client exit interview and qualitative interviews with service providers, community leaders and program participants. Finally, we assess the overall impact of the MoU by evaluating trends in immunization coverage rates. Results: We found the RI MoUs across the six states to be mostly successful in strengthening health systems, improving accountability and coordination, and increasing the utilization of services and financing for RI. Across all six states, pentavalent 3 vaccine coverage increased from 2011 to 2021 and in some states, the gains were substantial. For example, in Yobe, vaccination coverage increased from 10% in 2011 to nearly 60% in 2021. However, in Sokoto, the change was minimal increasing from only 4% in 2011 to nearly 8% in 2021. However, evaluation findings indicate that issues pertaining to human resources for health, insecurity that inhibits supportive supervision and vaccine logistics as well as harmful socio-cultural norms remain a persistent challenge in the states. There is also a need for a rigorous monitoring and evaluation plan with well-defined measures collected prior to and throughout implementation. Conclusion: Introducing a multi-partner approach grounded in a MoU agreement provides a promising approach to addressing health system challenges that confront RI programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on NATO burden sharing comprises dozens of works. Since the end of the cold war, NATO adapted, enlarged, and institutionally complexified its mandates and area of operations. Yet, burden sharing research rarely accounts for such aspects given the political and scholarly focus on NATO’s target of 2% of GDP on military spending since the 2000s. This research merges rational institutionalism with collective action models on club goods production to study NATO Centres of Excellence. These 30 institutions are externally funded, independently run, and address the collective strategic problems associated with Alliance Transformation using informal arrangements, the Memorandum of Understanding. The contents of those agreements are compared using rational institutional design theory. This article offers original data reconceptualising the NATO burdens partners undertake beyond military expenditures using COE participation and hosting while offering a framework for a future examination of how the COE institutional agreements manage strategic problems (i.e. enforcement, allocation, uncertainty, etc.) with expanded data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since Malaysian authorities developed the Maid Online System (MOS) to recruit foreign domestic workers remotely, including Indonesian workers, the government of Indonesia has enacted a moratorium policy. The system allows Malaysian employers to have low-cost overseas workers. Nevertheless, it offends the bilateral agreement signed in the Memoranda of Understanding between Indonesia and Malaysia. Within the system, the sending countries like Indonesia cannot appropriately protect the workers who utilize MOS independently. In contrast, the host countries dominate the process from pre-departure to arrival. Without proper protection from the country of origin, the workers are more likely to become victims of human trafficking and slavery. This study investigates the positive support of online Indonesian public opinion for Indonesia's moratorium policy concerning Malaysia's Maid Online System (MOS) to recruit foreign domestic workers, including Indonesians. The paper focuses on secondary data from YouTube, Instagram, and online news. The data analysis of this paper utilizes netnography to elaborate on domestic politics in which public opinion (comments on YouTube, Instagram, and online news) strongly supports Indonesia's moratorium policy. Considering Putnam's two-level game theory, this article argues that netizens support Indonesia's moratorium policy because of cost and benefits considerations, rivalry among states, and meritocratic authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The authors aimed to identify barriers to and strategies for supporting coordination between state agencies for intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) or mental health to meet the mental health needs of people with co-occurring IDD and mental health conditions. Methods: Forty-nine employees of state agencies as well as advocacy and service delivery organizations across 11 U.S. states with separate IDD and mental health agencies were interviewed between April 2022 and April 2023. Data were analyzed with a thematic analysis approach. Results: Interviewees reported that relationships between the IDD and mental health agencies have elements of both competition and coordination and that coordination primarily takes place in response to crisis events. Barriers to interagency coordination included a narrow focus on the populations targeted by each agency, within-state variation in agency structures, and a lack of knowledge about co-occurring IDD and mental health conditions. Interviewees also described both administrative (e.g., memorandums of understanding) and agency culture (e.g., focusing on whole-person care) strategies that are or could be used to improve coordination to provide mental health services for people with both IDD and a mental health condition. Conclusions: Strategies that support state agencies in moving away from crisis response toward a focus on whole-person care should be prioritized to support coordination of mental health services for individuals with co-occurring IDD and mental health conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine whether improved cross‐border regulatory cooperation and information exchange affect corporate tax avoidance. We find that the improvement in the regulators' capacity to access to information in foreign countries through their entrance into the Multilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MMoU) effectively reduces corporate tax avoidance. Moreover, the effect of the MMoU on corporate tax avoidance is stronger for firms that are less income mobile and have no significant subsidiaries in tax havens. Collectively, these findings support the conjecture that the strengthened cross‐border regulatory cooperation and information exchange provided by the MMoU creates a positive externality in reducing corporate tax avoidance behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on China's political influence in international affairs, as mediated by Chinese economic integration with the BRI countries. We propose that the BRI plays a role in influencing partner countries to support China's presence in the international community, and the economic integration of the BRI positively mediates the willingness of partner countries to align with China in international affairs. This paper uses panel data from 147 BRI countries collected between 2009 and 2020, and the difference-in-differences method, to estimate the political influence of the BRI. The results suggest that the BRI motivates partner countries to support the growth of China's influence in international affairs. The results of the causal mechanism analysis indicate that a significant and positive association between the implementation of the BRI and China's influence is mediated by promoting Chinese contracts, trade overseas, and outward FDI. The examinations of heterogeneity demonstrate that BRI countries that are developing, non-landlocked, non-neighboring, having signed the memorandum of understanding or cooperation memorandum of understanding, or lacking a Chinese investment guide are more likely to support China's political presence. This paper concludes with insights into how China implements the BRI to enhance its political ascent in the global order by facilitating economic integration of the BRI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021, the Australian government apprehended several Indonesian fishing boats for carrying out their fishing activities on the sea border between Rote Island and Ashmore Reef. This issue was further exacerbated by the growing demand from the traditional leader of the Rotenese community to reassess the status of Ashmore Reef, known as Pulau Pasir, by the Rotenese. The claim could be traced back to the previous attempt in the 2000s, in which they demanded the Australian government restore Ashmore Reef to Pulau Pasir. Collective memory played a significant role in directing the thoughts and decisions made by Rotenese fishermen, as the passing down of the narrative of origin led them to continue their journeys and activities in the islet. In a struggle to preserve their tradition, however, the fishermen had reached an inevitable encounter with modern-day policy, as the 1974 Memorandum of Understanding closed the dispute. This article shall elaborate on the encounter between two ways of life that shaped the perception of the Rotenese fishermen within the critical approach from studies on collective memory as their basis of survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We explore the effects of agreement formalization and partners on cooperation costs in twelve local government services in New York State. Our survey differentiates agreement formalization (informal, memorandum of understanding, joint production, contracting and special districts) and controls for cooperation duration and non-profit partners. Cost data (1996–2016) enable panel models which find agreement formality often has no effect on costs. Non-profit partners typically reduce costs. Formality is associated with higher costs in services where quality improvements are sought, and lower costs where formality shifts budget authority. In general the costs of formality appear to be balanced by savings over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To better understand the current state of musculoskeletal fellowship program directors and identify opportunities for formal training that could increase job satisfaction, provide a broader knowledge base for mentoring/advising trainees and increase diversity in musculoskeletal radiology. Materials and methods: Eighty-one fellowship program directors who signed the Fellowship Match Memorandum of Understanding with the Society of Skeletal Radiology were sent a survey with questions about demographics, career, background, and training both for musculoskeletal radiology and for the fellowship director role. Results: A 57/81 (70%) of program directors responded, representing 27 different states with a range of 1–9 fellowship positions. Nearly half are in their forties (48%) with most identifying as White (67%) followed by Asian (30%). The majority are male (72%) with over half (60%) remaining at the institution where they completed prior training. Over half plan to change roles within 5 years and do not feel adequately compensated. Top qualities/skills identified as important for the role include effective communication, being approachable, and clinical excellence. Other than clinical excellence, most do not report formal training in skills identified as important for the role. Conclusions: Given the high amount of interaction with trainees, program directors play a key role in the future of our subspecialty. The low diversity among this group, the lack of formal training, and the fact that most do not feel adequately compensated could limit mentorship and recruitment. Program directors identified effective communication, organizational/planning skills, and conflict resolution as the top skills they would benefit from formal training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In operating an academic statistical consulting centre, it is essential to develop a strategy for covering the anticipated costs incurred, such as personnel, facilities, third‐party data, professional development and marketing, and for handling the revenues generated from sources such as university commitments, extramural grants, fees for service, internal memorandums of understanding and consulting courses. As such, this article describes each of these costs and revenue sources in turn, discusses how they vary over phases of a project and life cycles of a centre, provides a review of both historical and modern perspectives in the literature and includes illustrative examples of financial models from three different institutions. These points of consideration are meant to inform consulting groups who are interested in becoming either more or less centrally structured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 1958 and 1973, hijackings between Cuba and the US surged, prompting Cuban officials in the early 1960s to propose an extradition agreement for hijackers. However, the US, leveraging its superpower status, dismissed these initiatives, viewing hijackers as political asylum seekers rather than criminals. By the late 1960s, as hijackings escalated from the US to Cuba, the American approach shifted, seeking a bilateral agreement to address air piracy, only to be rebuffed by Cuba, which refused to accept the US's categorization of specific hijackers as political asylum seekers while classifying others as criminals. Meanwhile, the US pressed its extradition stance through international bodies like the International Civil Aviation Organization. These diplomatic efforts underscored broader challenges in US–Cuban relations, with negotiations repeatedly missing opportunities for enhanced co-operation. A pivotal shift occurred after a significant incident threatened both nations, leading to a more balanced perspective between the US and Cuba. This change culminated in the 1973 signing of a 'Memorandum of understanding', marking a turning point that significantly curbed hijacking incidents and hinted at potential future improvements in bilateral relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of multinational oil companies (MOCs) in Nigeria. Its special focus is to investigate the impact of the global memorandum of understanding (GMoU) on enhancing rural women's financial inclusion in the areas of access to credit, insurance, propensity of women to save and the widening of economic opportunities in the Niger Delta. A total of 800 rural women were sampled across the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Results from the use of a combined propensity score matching and logit model indicate that the GMoU model has made significant impact on closing the gaps in financial services, thereby removing women's constraints on their efforts to enhance their financial literacy. The results also confirm that innovative delivery channels and social networks of the GMoUs have reduced some costs in the areas of access to credit, insurance, propensity to save and the widening of economic opportunities of rural women in the oil host communities. However, a further look at the rural women's participation in the CSR activities using SCOTDI shows that even though the involvement of the women is appreciable, it is insignificant when compared with their male counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to analyze the efforts and role of the government in addressing activities considered to have violated public order, community security, religious norms, customs, and decency in the implementation of Organ Tunggal entertainment in Muara Enim Regency. This research highlights the complexity of implementing the policy to regulate Organ Tunggal, which not only involves social, cultural, and public order issues but also concerns various parties in the effort to achieve the goals set forth in the local regulations (Perda). In addressing these issues, the Muara Enim Regency government has implemented Perda No. 6 of 2019, strengthened by the Circular Letter from the Regional Police Chief, and has taken measures. To obtain maximum analytical results, this research employs a qualitative-descriptive research method with an interpretative concept. The data collected by the researcher come from library studies, journals, and social media publications on the internet, which are then interpreted by the researcher using the policy implementation framework by George Edward III. The research findings indicate that the Muara Enim Regency government and the Police have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU), resulting in seven points of mutual agreement for implementing the regulations. Furthermore, the government has also implemented the regulations by forming collaborations, establishing structures, assigning roles to various actors, and conducting public awareness campaigns, targeting the entire community. The stakeholders are considered to have a strong connection with Organ Tunggal, all with the goal of supporting the optimal enforcement of the rules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of the Indonesian language in memoranda of understanding and agreements with foreign parties is mandated as regulated in Law Number 24 of 2009 concerning the Flag, Language, State Institutions, and National Anthem as well as Presidential Regulation Number 63 of 2019 concerning the Use of the Indonesian Language. However, the provisions do not clearly stipulate the legal consequences if not adhered to, leading to the issuance of Supreme Court Circular Letter Number 3 of 2023 regarding the Implementation of Formulations from the Plenary Meeting of the Supreme Court Chamber in 2023 as Guidelines for the Implementation of Duties for Courts. This raises questions about the status of the Supreme Court Circular Letter within the National Legal System and the legal implications of the Supreme Court Circular Letter regarding the use of the Indonesian language in memoranda of understanding and agreements between foreign parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 23 July 2023, the European Commission concluded a 'Memorandum of Understanding on a Strategic and Global Partnership with Tunisia' (MoU), mainly aimed at stemming migration in exchange for strengthened cooperation in other policy areas. The MoU was met with strong criticism from both civil society and institutional bodies such as the European Parliament, the European Ombudsman, and several Member States. Critics fear complicity in the fundamental rights violations of migrants and denounced the informal and opaque approach by the European Commission, while formal avenues were at hand. This article reassesses the conclusion of the MoU and draws an analysis of the MoU from the perspective of human rights compliance as well as democratic and judicial control, while also examining compliance with the European Commission's obligations. Furthermore, the article puts the MoU in the context of the EU policy trend of externalising migration control through partnerships with third countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the concept of devolution in England and its evolution over the past decade. Devolution involves the transfer of powers from central government to local authorities. Both major political parties in the UK have shown support for devolution, with the Conservatives aiming to offer devolution deals to all areas by 2030 and Labour proposing a "Take Back Control Bill." The article highlights the challenges of devolution, including the tension between local control and centralization, the role of metro-mayors in driving policy innovation, and the need for a new narrative of accountability. The article concludes by suggesting that future devolution policy may require a shift towards a more strategic approach. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to critically examine the multinational oil companies' (MOC) corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Nigeria. Its special focus is to investigate the impact of the global memorandum of understanding (GMoU) on promoting gender-equitable agricultural value chains in the Niger Delta region. Design/methodology/approach: This paper adopts a quasi-experimental design that used survey research technique, aimed at gathering information from a representative sample of the population, as it is essentially cross-sectional, describing and interpreting the current situation. A total of 760 rural women (380 from the treatment group and another 380 from the control group) were sampled across the Niger Delta region. Findings: The results from the use of a combination of a logit model and propensity score matching indicate a significant relationship between GMoU model and gender-equitable agricultural value chains in the Niger Delta, Nigeria. Research limitations/implications: This study implies that CSR of MOCs is a critical factor in the need to integrating gender into agricultural value chains, achieving the goal of increasing agricultural growth and expanding the stable food supply. Originality/value: This research contributes to gender debate in agricultural value chains from a CSR perspective in developing countries and rationale for demands for social projects by host communities. It concludes that business has an obligation to help in solving problems of public concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Indo-Pacific states have found themselves embroiled in a competition between the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the United States for influence. Particularly concerning is the notable increase in military cooperation between long-standing US partner Singapore and the PRC. This article asserts, through a comprehensive analysis of Singaporean military cooperation with China and the United States, that Singapore's overwhelmingly positive relationship with the United States remains secure. Key leader engagements, joint military exercises, memorandums of understanding, and professional military exchanges will be the focus of this article's examination. Unlike other works on the subject, this article specifically employs a case study to scrutinize a US partner's susceptibility to Chinese influence. By illuminating these developments, the article offers insights pertinent to the US military as they strategize and implement their operations in the region alongside US partner forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a brief update on project management activities in the UK. It mentions a wildlife recovery project in south Cornwall that has received funding to protect rare species and habitats. The article also discusses changes in professional society news, including the rebranding of the Association for Project Management and the release of research on the contribution of the project profession to the UK economy. Additionally, it highlights new contracts in the sustainability sector, such as a collaboration between BAE Systems and Cummins to develop hybrid electric drivetrains for transit vehicles. The article concludes with a story about a wind turbine project in Southport that was shelved due to competing development plans. [Extracted from the article]

The expansion of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has raised a wide range of concerns about its environmental impact. Therefore, from the perspective of environmental impacts, this study used the two-way fixed effect staggered differences in differences (TWFE Staggered DID) method to examine the impact of the BRI on the Environment Goods (EGs) intra-industry trade (IIT) between China and other Belt and Road (B&R) countries, including a sample of 191 countries, covering the period from 2010 to 2019 for eliminating the impact of COVID-19 and the financial crisis in 2008 and 2009. Because only 135 countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding between 2010 and 2019, this study treated these B&R countries as the study group, and the other 73 countries (non-B&R countries) as the control group. This study described EGs using the 54 6-digit code Environment Goods in Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding System listed in the "APEC LIST OF ENVIRONMENT GOODS" published by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in 2012, and used the intra-industry trade index proposed by Grubel and Lloyd in 1971 to measuring dependent variable. The research results indicated that the BRI has significantly promoted bilateral EGs IIT. The mechanism test implied that, in addition to direct impacts, the BRI also has indirect impacts by boosting the energy restructuring of B&R countries. These results prove that the BRI has positive impacts on the environment. The heterogeneity test showed that there is a heterogeneous impact depending on the type of IIT, product categorization, B&R countries' income levels, and geographic environment. This study not only gives theoretical and empirical evidence of the positive environmental impacts of the BRI, but also provides practical guidance for the development of EGS IIT between China and B&R countries, thereby contributing to global carbon emissions reduction and environmental governance to some degree. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Port State Control (PSC) inspections conducted under the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement have become a crucial tool for maritime administrations in European Union countries to ensure compliance with international maritime safety standards by ships entering their ports. This paper analyses all PSC inspections conducted in 10 major European ports belonging to the Paris MoU between 2012 and 2019. For its study, a multivariate HJ-Biplot statistical analysis is carried out, which facilitates the interpretation and understanding of the underlying relationships in a multivariate data set by representing a synthesis of the data on a factorial plane, with an interpretation that is very intuitive and accessible for readers from various fields. Applying this method with ship characteristics as explanatory variables, several classifications were derived. These classifications align with the annual performance lists published by the Paris MoU and the International Association of Classification Societies list, suggesting that this method could serve as a reliable classification approach. It provides maritime authorities with an additional indicator of a ship's risk profile, aiding in the prioritising of inspections. The method also effectively categorises ports and types of ships used for cargo transport, offering insights into the specific maritime traffic each port experiences. Furthermore, this study identifies characteristics associated with substandard ships, which is a primary objective of PSC inspections. Beyond revealing these traits, this research underscores the existence of several readily applicable techniques to enhance maritime safety and reduce the risk of ocean pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The unsatisfactory performance of public sector made the Government introduce Memorandum of understanding and disinvestment. This study has been undertaken to analyze the performance of memorandum of understanding signed firms over the years. In addition, the performance of MoU-signed disinvested and MoU-signed non-disinvested firms have also been examined. Performance has been analysed using different ratios; return on equity, return on assets, net income productivity per employee and sales productivity per employee. In-line to analyze the effectiveness of data, random effect panel regression has been used to study the performance of sixty MoU signed PSEs for 15 years (2004-2018). The results indicate that the profitability of MoU signed non-disinvested firms is better than MoU signed disinvested firms. This could be possibly due to the more substantial managerial autonomy impact on the performance. Assets turnover ratio, leverage, and age have a significant effect on the performance of firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations that fund research are keen to ensure that their grant selection processes are fair and equitable for all applicants. In 2020, the Arnold and Mabel Beckman Foundation introduced blinding to the first stage of the process used to review applications for Beckman Young Investigator (BYI) awards: applicants were instructed to blind the technical proposal in their initial Letter of Intent by omitting their name, gender, gender-identifying pronouns, and institutional information. Here we examine the impact of this change by comparing the data on gender and institutional prestige of the applicants in the first four years of the new policy (BYI award years 2021-2024) with data on the last four years of the old policy (2017-2020). We find that under the new policy, the distribution of applicants invited to submit a full application shifted from those affiliated with institutions regarded as more prestigious to those outside of this group, and that this trend continued through to the final program awards. We did not find evidence of a shift in the distribution of applicants with respect to gender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The University of Sydney and Youth Justice New South Wales signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in July 2021. This MoU builds on various prior collaborative activities between the two organisations and related work in other jurisdictions. This paper reflects on the progress and challenges of collaboration of this kind. Specifically, there has been tentative progress in engaging non-traditional parts of the university in youth justice projects. The initial stage of the collaboration highlighted challenges, including structures within the university which can frustrate interdisciplinary work. Time lines, staff turnover and resources also impacted this collaboration. We conclude with an outline of what might be achieved through ongoing collaboration and signal the importance of ongoing research to capture data and insights regarding the nature of this relationship as it develops. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The document is a newsletter from the journal "Óptica Pura y Aplicada" (Pure and Applied Optics) providing updates on the activities and initiatives of the Spanish Society of Optics (SEDOPTICA). The newsletter highlights various projects and collaborations undertaken by SEDOPTICA members, including support for the National Optics Meeting in Murcia, partnerships with sister societies, and conferences and interviews organized by the Women, Optics, and Photonics Area and the History of Optics Committee. The newsletter also mentions initiatives to strengthen the society's relationship with collaborating companies. Additionally, it announces upcoming events such as the National Optics Meeting in 2024 and the Justiniano Casas Research Award in Optical Imaging. The newsletter concludes with the announcement of the winners of the FOCUS awards for outstanding master's theses in optics and photonics. [Extracted from the article]

Postgraduate pharmacy residencies are essential in preparing graduates for pharmacy careers. Residencies are highly competitive and despite efforts to increase the number of residency programs in the United States, the demand still outweighs the supply. Attaining a residency interview is a critical step in securing a residency position. The objective of this scoping review is to describe the published literature on factors associated with attaining a pharmacy residency interview. The updated Arksey and O'Malley scoping review framework was followed for this scoping review. The review is reported according to The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses Extension for Protocols and Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‐ScR). The search strategy contained a combination of medical subject headings (MeSH) and keywords from a review of article title and abstracts. The inclusion and exclusion criteria were created a priori. English language studies describing pharmacy residency interview, selection, rubrics, and descriptive, quantitative, or qualitative data were included. Title and abstracts were independently reviewed, followed by independent full‐text reviews. Covidence©, an online systematic review platform, was used in the screening, review, and selection process. Thirteen studies assessing factors associated with a residency interview met inclusion criteria. The majority of these studies (n = 7) analyzed data from residency program director (RPD) surveys. Most of these studies found that RPDs highly value letters of recommendation when evaluating a candidate's application. Three studies analyzed retrospective data. Several studies focused on letters of recommendation. The studies described letters of recommendation, letters of intent, grade point average, and leadership experience as factors associated with attaining a residency interview. Most studies had limitations in generalizability, study design, and heterogeneous data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]