Racial and ethnic minorities are underrepresented at all levels of U.S. politics. Yet, the 2020 Census reports that people of color constitute the majority of Americans under 18, and could thus serve as a pool of descriptive candidates in the near future. We study how race and age intersect in the first of multiple steps that may lead to election: interest in running for office. Using the 2020 Collaborative Multiracial Postelection Survey, we first show that Black and Latino Americans are more interested in running for office than are White and Asian Americans. This observed ambition gap cannot be accounted for by standard explanations like socioeconomic disparities, ideology, political interest, and broad civic engagement. Rather, it is explained by differences among age cohorts: younger Black and Latino Americans are more interested in running for office, due to having been disproportionately engaged in recent movements advocating racial justice. We conclude that differences in political ambition between racial and ethnic groups do not explain the underrepresentation of Black and Latino Americans; rather, by drawing on the untapped ambition found among younger, more diverse cohorts, future recruitment efforts for the next generation of politicians can help translate this potential into representational parity in U.S. politics.

This study explores the relational conditions that influence contractors’ safety management on multi-employer worksites, with a focus on the Swedish mining industry. Using interviews, observations, and informal conversations, the study examines how the blurred boundaries between client companies and contractors shape safety practices. The findings show that safety management is influenced not only by formal contractual relationships but also by the relational dynamics between social actors, where power asymmetries and informal networks play a significant role. The research highlights how these relational conditions – defined by the positions and symbolic authority of the actors involved – impact coordination, communication, and accountability regarding safety. Contractors, often struggling to assert their expertise and legitimacy within the relational field, face challenges in aligning safety practices with client companies’ priorities. The study concludes that to improve safety management on multi-employer worksites, it is essential to address the relational dynamics between contractors and client companies, moving beyond formal agreements to consider the underlying power relations and position-takings that shape safety practices.

Common mental disorders (CMDs) such as depression and anxiety are highly prevalent among older adults. While psychosocial interventions are increasingly recognized for their preventive potential, a comprehensive synthesis of their effectiveness with nonclinical elderly populations is pending. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of such interventions in reducing depressive and anxiety symptoms among older adults with subclinical symptom levels and to examine potential moderators (that is, intervention type, length, delivery modality, and control group characteristics). A meta-analysis was conducted of 58 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) testing psychosocial interventions aimed at preventing depression and/or anxiety, using validated measures and targeting adults aged ≥60. Moderator variable effects were assessed through mixed-effects meta-regressions, and effect generality was examined using multiverse analyses. Psychosocial interventions showed a moderate postintervention effect in reducing depressive symptoms (d = −0.474) that remained nontrivial and modest at follow-up (d = −0.386) compared to control. For anxiety, a small-to-moderate effect was observed postintervention (d = −0.333), with a small, albeit nominally nonsignificant, effect at follow-up (d = −0.205) compared to control. No significant differences were found between intervention types or control conditions. Younger participants experienced greater reductions in depressive symptoms from pre-to-post-intervention and at follow-up, and in anxiety symptoms from pre-to-post-intervention only. Multiverse analyses showed that intervention effects generalized across numerous variables, thus indicating a remarkable robustness of the findings. Our findings demonstrate that it is important to implement psychosocial interventions in community settings, regardless of intervention type, to protect the elderly against CMDs.

The citrus industry is vital to regional economies, and scientific land suitability evaluation is essential for spatial optimisation. This study focuses on Tongcheng County in Hubei Province, which exemplifies a typical red soil hilly region that is ecologically vulnerable in southeastern China. This study integrates Geographic Information System (GIS), Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and fuzzy mathematics to develop a comprehensive land suitability evaluation model that balances factor continuity with evaluation uncertainty. Multi-source spatial data (climate, topography, soil) were used to quantify fuzzy membership functions for citrus growth. Subsequently, we conducted a weighted overlay analysis based on this quantification, which resulted in the creation of a citrus cultivation suitability evaluation map for Tongcheng County. The evaluation results categorised the study area into three distinct zones: (1) The Optimal Zone (CAI ≥ 0.75), which comprises 75.8% (857 km2) of the total study area; (2) The Suitable Zone (0.55 ≤ CAI ≤ 0.75), which constitutes 19.6% (222 km2) of the total study area; and (3) The Unsuitable Zone (CAI ≤ 0.55), which represents 4.6% (52 km2) of the total study area. The research findings aligned with the actual conditions in Tongcheng County, thereby confirming the feasibility of the employed research methodology. These outcomes address research gaps and provide a replicable methodological framework for land evaluation in mountainous regions. This approach can be directly utilised in local agricultural spatial planning and the development of land-use policies. It carries substantial practical implications for advancing sustainable agricultural development and revitalising rural areas in mountainous regions.

This study aimed to investigate a four-month Ralstonia pickettii outbreak by characterizing clinical and environmental isolates while also demonstrating the infection control measures taken to identify and eliminate the sources. R. pickettii was isolated from patients’ blood cultures, and an epidemiological investigation was initiated to determine the source of the outbreak. Clonal relatedness among clinical and environmental samples was assessed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. In total, R. pickettii was isolated from 14 patient blood cultures and 3 bottles of sterile distilled water. Between April 14 and May 15, six patients had positive port cultures, including four with positive peripheral cultures. The contaminated water was identified as the outbreak source, and its use was discontinued on May 15. Nevertheless, two additional cases occurred in June. Port catheter colonization with R. pickettii was considered to be linked to contaminated water used during chemotherapy preparation. A recall of port catheter patients who received chemotherapy in April–May identified six more cases. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed two pulsotypes among water isolates, and most clinical isolates were clonally related to clone 1. This investigation highlighted the role of contaminated sterile distilled water and colonized medical devices as potential sources of R. pickettii outbreaks.

Teaching academics operate in a turbulent context of natureculture challenges, as well as neoliberal institutional constraints. Therefore, understanding the experiences and observations of those teaching sustainability deserves ongoing attention. In an exploratory study, we conducted in-depth interviews at one Australian university with six academics who incorporate sustainability concepts into their teaching. In a move away from Cartesian separability we brought a relational and connected process philosophy to a qualitative interview methodology, enlivening interviews as performative “intra-views.” Applying a posthumanist sensibility to qualitative method opened the possibility of richer accounts of teaching experience. What emerged from the interviews was a sense of academics’ optimism, commitment and enthusiasm for teaching, along with their success strategies such as transdisciplinary pedagogies and cross-sectorial partnerships. This research points to the importance of ongoing attention to the lived experience of academics teaching sustainability, and to the value of bringing theory to meet data in sustainability education research.

In this narrative review, we build upon previous work and provide guidance on the infectious disease care of immigrant, refugee, and asylee populations, accounting for numerous policy changes at the federal level that have been made in the past year and with a focus on re-emerging infections such as measles. We present three cases to illustrate teaching points on the care of pertinent infections we have chosen (HIV, measles, and Ebola), not only at the patient level but also actions of advocacy that can be taken to build health systems that better care for these patients.

The fast-moving field of data science is increasingly permeating into the health and care actuarial sciences. Given this context, the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries set out to form a “techniques in data science in health and care” working party. This working party was tasked with creating a framework for those actuaries working within the health and care domain that would assist them in determining which techniques are appropriate for a project. The framework presented here was developed through a combination of literature review and synthesis of expert opinion from experienced practitioners from diverse backgrounds. The framework offers a structured, itemised approach, serving as a checklist to ensure that all relevant analytics and decisions are considered and documented. Each itemised topic is covered by a summary providing guidance and relevant references for further reading. The checklist follows the natural workflow of a data analytics project, guiding users through each step to prevent omissions and maintain rigour in both analysis, reporting and peer-review. The framework blends relevant analytics elements from actuarial science, data science and epidemiology. We hope the framework will enhance transparency, reproducibility, and comprehensiveness in the reporting and peer-review of health and care data analytics projects.

Electoral reform efforts in the United States are widespread, yet little is known about how Americans evaluate alternative electoral systems or their consequences. We address this gap using conjoint and vignette experiments to study how Americans assess electoral reforms based on their implications for the number of parties and the degree of ideological polarization in the U.S. House of Representatives. Focusing on democratic voice, governability, and responsiveness, our designs emphasize party-system outcomes rather than technical institutional features that may be difficult for citizens to understand. We find that Americans are strongly averse to reforms that generate pronounced legislative polarization, even when it might be expected to enhance democratic voice. Findings pertaining to multipartism are more mixed, with some evidence that respondents respond positively to moderate departures from the two-party system. Perceived gains in voice and responsiveness do not generally compensate for losses in governability, except under arrangements that avoid polarization.