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Disability politics and care : the challenge of direct funding
\"'We do not need care!' is a rallying cry for disability movements. It is informed by a recognition that a lack of choice over simple care decisions--like what to eat or wear--is a subtle yet pervasive form of violence endured by many disabled people. Disability Politics and Care examines an independent living program to explore what happens when people with disabilities take control of their own care arrangements. Christine Kelly documents responses by a wide range of stakeholders of this program and reflects on some of its broader social and political implications.\"-- Provided by publisher.
Book
From Policy to Plate: Implications of 2025 U.S. Federal Policy Changes on School Meals
School meals are a cornerstone of the United States’ nutrition safety net for children from low-income families, providing nearly 30 million lunches daily. However, recent U.S. policy actions may limit access to school meals for children who need them most. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act changed eligibility requirements to limit participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid. School-age children enrolled in SNAP and Medicaid are automatically enrolled in school meal programs. Limiting participation in SNAP and Medicaid has the potential to significantly impact children’s ability to receive nutritious school meals at low or no cost, will make it harder for schools to participate in community eligibility provision, and will increase the administrative burden on school staff and parents.
Journal Article
Biochemical and phylogenetic characterization of the wastewater tolerant Chlamydomonas biconvexa Embrapa|LBA40 strain cultivated in palm oil mill effluent
The increasing demand for water, food and energy poses challenges for the world´s sustainability. Tropical palm oil is currently the major source of vegetable oil worldwide with a production that exceeds 55 million tons per year, while generating over 200 million tons of palm oil mill effluent (POME). It could potentially be used as a substrate for production of microalgal biomass though. In this study, the microalgal strain Chlamydomonas biconvexa Embrapa|LBA40, originally isolated from a sugarcane vinasse stabilization pond, was selected among 17 strains tested for growth in POME retrieved from anaerobic ponds of a palm oil industrial plant located within the Amazon rainforest region. During cultivation in POME, C . biconvexa Embrapa|LBA40 biomass productivity reached 190.60 mgDW • L -1 • d -1 using 15L airlift flat plate photobioreactors. Carbohydrates comprised the major fraction of algal biomass (31.96%), while the lipidic fraction reached up to 11.3% of dry mass. Reductions of 99% in ammonium and nitrite, as well as 98% reduction in phosphate present in POME were detected after 5 days of algal cultivation. This suggests that the aerobic pond stage, usually used in palm oil industrial plants to reduce POME inorganic load, could be substituted by high rate photobioreactors, significantly reducing the time and area requirements for wastewater treatment. In addition, the complete mitochondrial genome of C . biconvexa Embrapa|LBA40 strain was sequenced, revealing a compact mitogenome, with 15.98 kb in size, a total of 14 genes, of which 9 are protein coding genes. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed the strain taxonomic status within the Chlamydomonas genus, opening up opportunities for future genetic modification and molecular breeding programs in these species.
Journal Article
Direct Democracy and Local Public Goods: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Indonesia
This article presents an experiment in which 49 Indonesian villages were randomly assigned to choose development projects through either representative-based meetings or direct election-based plebiscites. Plebiscites resulted in dramatically higher satisfaction among villagers, increased knowledge about the project, greater perceived benefits, and higher reported willingness to contribute. Changing the political mechanism had much smaller effects on the actual projects selected, with some evidence that plebiscites resulted in projects chosen by women being located in poorer areas. The results suggest that direct participation in political decision making can substantially increase satisfaction and legitimacy.
Journal Article
Fulbright as Opportunity for U.S. Nursing Educators and International Nursing Schools
Background:
Nursing education across the globe is rapidly evolving in terms of curricular expectations and professional preparation. While there is a plethora of curricular resources and graduate programs in the United States, in some countries, these resources are limited.
Methods:
The Fulbright Specialist program, the application process, and challenges as well as the benefits of the role are described. The deliverables by the Fulbright Specialist, e.g. demonstrating classroom pedagogical methods, providing access to an online doctoral program, and explaining publication strategies, are noted.
Results:
Immediate and 2-month follow-up information regarding the Specialist's deliverables are described. The benefits to the Specialist are also detailed.
Conclusion:
Nursing educators in the U.S. and leaders of nursing schools outside of the U.S. are invited to share pedagogical practices and provide faculty development through the Fulbright Specialist program. The benefits of a collaboration are mutually beneficial. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(X):XXX–XXX.]
Journal Article
Jobs for Nature: Direct Employment Effects of Ecosystem Restoration in Aotearoa New Zealand
Ecosystem restoration is increasingly recognised as part of the global solution for building a resilient, low-emissions economy, with its associated employment opportunities helping to provide political legitimacy for government investment. In Aotearoa New Zealand, however, little is known about the employment effects of government-funded ecosystem restoration initiatives. This study addresses that gap by analysing project-level data from 359 “Jobs for Nature” projects to examine how funding levels and contextual factors influence direct employment outcomes. Multiple regression analyses build on one-way ANOVA tests to quantify the contribution of funding and contextual factors to employment outcomes and to assess their differential impacts across various settings (regions, agencies, project types, and durations). The analysis reveals that while funding is the primary driver of employment—with each additional NZD 100,000 creating approximately 0.7 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs—contextual factors call for a more dynamic, targeted policy approach to maximise marginal employment returns. Three key policy implications are accordingly drawn: (1) direct more funding to regions with higher socio-economic deprivation; (2) preferentially support projects of medium-term duration; and (3) evaluate and replicate the practices of high-performing funding agencies.
Journal Article
A novel method of screening combinations of angiostatics identifies bevacizumab and temsirolimus as synergistic inhibitors of glioma-induced angiogenesis
Tumor angiogenesis is critical for the growth and progression of cancer. As such, angiostasis is a treatment modality for cancer with potential utility for multiple types of cancer and fewer side effects. However, clinical success of angiostatic monotherapies has been moderate, at best, causing angiostatic treatments to lose their early luster. Previous studies demonstrated compensatory mechanisms that drive tumor vascularization despite the use of angiostatic monotherapies, as well as the potential for combination angiostatic therapies to overcome these compensatory mechanisms. We screened clinically approved angiostatics to identify specific combinations that confer potent inhibition of tumor-induced angiogenesis. We used a novel modification of the ex ovo chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) model that combined confocal and automated analyses to quantify tumor angiogenesis induced by glioblastoma tumor onplants. This model is advantageous due to its low cost and moderate throughput capabilities, while maintaining complex in vivo cellular interactions that are difficult to replicate in vitro . After screening multiple combinations, we determined that glioblastoma-induced angiogenesis was significantly reduced using a combination of bevacizumab (Avastin®) and temsirolimus (Torisel®) at doses below those where neither monotherapy demonstrated activity. These preliminary results were verified extensively, with this combination therapy effective even at concentrations further reduced 10-fold with a CI value of 2.42E-5, demonstrating high levels of synergy. Thus, combining bevacizumab and temsirolimus has great potential to increase the efficacy of angiostatic therapy and lower required dosing for improved clinical success and reduced side effects in glioblastoma patients.
Journal Article
Ethical considerations of e-cigarette use for tobacco harm reduction
Due to their similarity to tobacco cigarettes, electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) could play an important role in tobacco harm reduction. However, the public health community remains divided concerning the appropriateness of endorsing a device whose safety and efficacy for smoking cessation remain unclear. We identified the major ethical considerations surrounding the use of e-cigarettes for tobacco harm reduction, including product safety, efficacy for smoking cessation and reduction, use among non-smokers, use among youth, marketing and advertisement, use in public places, renormalization of a smoking culture, and market ownership. Overall, the safety profile of e-cigarettes is unlikely to warrant serious public health concerns, particularly given the known adverse health effects associated with tobacco cigarettes. As a result, it is unlikely that the population-level harms resulting from e-cigarette uptake among non-smokers would overshadow the public health gains obtained from tobacco harm reduction among current smokers. While the existence of a gateway effect for youth remains uncertain, e-cigarette use in this population should be discouraged. Similarly, marketing and advertisement should remain aligned with the degree of known product risk and should be targeted to current smokers. Overall, the available evidence supports the cautionary implementation of harm reduction interventions aimed at promoting e-cigarettes as attractive and competitive alternatives to cigarette smoking, while taking measures to protect vulnerable groups and individuals.
Journal Article
Summer Farms in Switzerland: Profitability and Public Financial Support
Summer farms are seasonal enterprises in high-elevation mountain regions, established for and highly specialized in grazing ruminants. This article synthesizes studies by the Swiss AlpFUTUR research program on the profitability of and public financial support for summer farms. It highlights current challenges of Swiss pastoralism and makes recommendations for future reforms. Profitability hinges on the size of the summer farms as well as on their ability to create value added. Particularly for smaller summer farms, key value-added strategies appear to be innovative cheese production and effective direct marketing. Public financial support is substantial, and the underlying agri-environmental scheme is relatively sophisticated. Eligibility for public support is based on both action-oriented and results-oriented criteria. Direct payments consider not only the number of livestock but also the duration of their presence on the summer pastures. For each summer farm, a stocking target is defined based on the pasture's carrying capacity. However, this target does not take into account the wide variation in forage needs between different meat and milk production systems. During the last decade, there has been a decline in the number of cattle sent to summer farms. Understocking is widespread, and the abandonment of marginal pastures has increased, resulting in scrub encroachment. The remaining cattle tend to be concentrated on more productive surfaces to reduce management costs; this causes overgrazing. More attention should therefore be given to the accurate enforcement of agri-environmental standards and to regional-level agreement on which surfaces should be abandoned. Supporting traditional pastoral practices remains an explicit objective of Swiss agricultural policy. Recently introduced agri-environmental payment schemes promoting biodiversity conservation can complement the summer farm subsidies. However, implementation costs are likely to increase.
Journal Article
The use of active learning strategies in healthcare colleges in the Middle East
Background
Multiple studies have explored the use of active learning strategies among faculty members in different healthcare colleges worldwide, however, very few have described the use of these strategies in the Middle East. The aim of this study was to evaluate the extent of the implementation of active learning and its various techniques across different fields of healthcare education in various countries in the Middle East.
Methods
A Web-based questionnaire was developed to obtain information on the use of active learning methods. This survey was disseminated among faculty members in healthcare colleges in 17 Middle Eastern countries.
Results
Out of 22,734 online invitations that were sent to faculty members in different healthcare colleges, 2085 (9.17%) accepted the invitations, however, only 722 (34.63%) of those who agreed to participate filled out the questionnaire. Eighty-seven percent of the responders utilized at least one technique of active learning. Active learning was used more frequently by female responders. For example, 54.30% of the female responders reported using learning by teaching as one of their teaching methods compared to 41.30% of their male counterparts (
p
= 0.0005). The various forms of active learning were used at similar levels in both public and private healthcare colleges. Only minor differences were seen among different age groups or academic positions of the responders, but significant variabilities were noted among the several fields of healthcare education. For example, 61.54% of responders from the nursing faculty reported using reaction to videos as one of their teaching methods compared to 31.11% of their counterparts in the faculty of dentistry (
p
= 0.0021). The most frequently reported obstacles interfering with the effectuation of active learning include the lack of technical support and time constraints.
Conclusions
Although some barriers to the implementation of active learning exist, it is extensively used by faculty members in healthcare colleges in the Middle East.
Journal Article