Forced labour in the Middle Congo was characterized in the interwar period by, on the one hand, a declining role of the notorious French concession companies, and, on the other hand, the growing importance of forced recruitment and forced labour orchestrated by the colonial state. The article attempts to analyse and understand the overall setup of overburdening created by these conditions. Based on new French and Congolese archival resources, it discusses the effects of this overburdening, linking it to the responses shown by local populations, notably through flight and evasion. In a last step, the discussion focuses on the role of intermediaries and their impact on the violence that was locally experienced. The analysis includes a wider perspective into the changes and continuities during the years of World War II, and on the challenges for the forced labour system due to its official abolition in 1946 and the decline of clandestine practices of continuity until 1948.

Recent years have seen increasing focus, including by the National Institutes for Health (NIH), on developing the field of translational science (TS). TS focuses on improving the process of translational research (TR), including generating knowledge that can facilitate TR across specific diseases or translational stages. With TS as an emerging field, research organizations have an increasing need to understand how to develop capacity for and support the advancement of TS. To support such institutional and infrastructural change, this paper outlines a Translational Science Promotion and Research Capacity (T-SPARC) Framework. The T-SPARC Framework provides a foundation to 1) inform the development of TS-creating and science-supporting interventions and programs, and 2) examine the effectiveness of said interventions and programs. The framework outlines organizational levels that T-SPARC programs can target; mechanisms, or intervention activities, that can foster change; and outcomes, including specific attitudinal or behavioral changes, institutional changes, and domains on which TS changes can focus. T-SPARC’s capacity-building focus builds upon earlier efforts focused on conceptualizing and defining TS. T-SPARC supports movement towards TS goals of reducing longstanding challenges in the TR process, thus accelerating the health impact of TR, and ultimately improving health outcomes.

Rutgers Health, Clinical Research Management (CRM) program with support from New Jersey Alliance for Clinical and Translational Science (NJ ACTS) provide scholarships to establish a “Clinical Research Experience” (CRE). The CRE focuses on building an entry-level Clinical Research Coordinator (CRC) workforce. The six-month precepted CRE is embedded in an accelerated master’s degree and demonstrates a skill-based approach to developing CRC resources. The CRE structure affiliated site collaboration; competency based curriculum objectives; standardized competency aligned on-boarding; and preceptor-evaluated performance. The experiential education is designed for academic medical centers (AMCs) to foster the development of qualified research coordinators. The CRE model supports “teach one, see one, do one” coupled with preceptor-evaluated feedback to cultivate clinical research competency.

In this article, we show that the Russian invasion of Ukraine triggered a pro-democratic reaction from citizens in liberal democracies, which we term the “rally for democracy.” Unlike the conventional “rally ‘round the flag” effect that boosts government popularity, this involves citizens rallying behind democracy as an international ideal. It includes expressing stronger proximity to democratic powers, stronger approval for democratic leaders abroad, and greater aversion to authoritarian regimes. Through a survey quasi-experiment conducted in six countries between February and May of 2022, we provide evidence that the “rally for democracy” emerged immediately following Russia’s invasion. Exploring this observation further via analysis of data from 55 countries between 2014 and 2023, we find this to be the intensification of a longer-term trend in response to the rise of authoritarian great powers. A new cleavage exists in geopolitical loyalties, based on the degree to which citizens feel attachment to democracy, and this divide runs both between and within countries.

Health Technology Assessment international (HTAi) supports global collaboration and innovation in HTA through its dynamic network of Interest Groups (IGs). These thematic communities provide a dedicated platform for members to engage in focused, collaborative efforts that drive professional exchange, advance methodologies, and develop best practices in HTA. This commentary offers a panoramic overview of all IGs, their evolution, aim, and initiatives. By drawing on diverse stakeholder perspectives, spanning academia, clinical practice, industry, and patient communities, the IGs foster inclusiveness and extend HTAi’s influence to significantly contribute to the broader HTA community. Through activities such as workshops, conference sessions, webinars, publications, and research projects, they offer opportunities for professional development and thought leadership. The IGs’ cross-cutting contributions position them as engines of innovation to ensure HTAi remains at the forefront of shaping a globally relevant, responsive, and ethically grounded HTA ecosystem.

This article sheds light on a series of Xinjiang maps created by order of imperial Japan’s General Staff Headquarters in 1943. These maps, seventeen in all, offered panoramic views on Xinjiang’s topography, geological and meteorological conditions, ethnic composition, major cities, riverine systems, aviation ports, roads for motorized vehicles, wireless and postal systems, and various resources. Those maps invite the heretofore little-studied question of how Xinjiang figured in imperial Japan’s geostrategy. This article contextualizes imperial Japan’s heightened strategic interest in Xinjiang during World War II, particularly after the closure of the Burma Road, which paradoxically revitalized Chongqing’s Republican regime. These sources inform the argument that the place of Xinjiang in imperial Japan’s geostrategic thinking must be understood beyond the narrow lens of Sino-Japanese enmity. It warrants a world historical perspective. The article examines said maps and uncovers the multiplicity of Xinjiang’s toponyms and ethnonyms that encapsulated parallel and oftentimes contested temporalities. Tokyo’s attentiveness to ethnological understandings of the region’s indigenous populations reflects an aspiration to construct a political demography that tethered indigenous sovereignty to the authority of the colonial state, bypassing the domination of the Chinese Republic in Chongqing.

Ce texte explore le rôle du sujet dans la théorie des savoirs situés de Donna J.Haraway et de Lorraine Code. Il examine la tension entre l’approche individualiste et l’approche collective dans les épistémologies féministes. Nous y soutenons que les savoirs situés permettent de concilier la dimension individuelle du sujet avec une perspective politique et collective, tout en évitant une critique anti-individualiste qui nierait l’agentivité personnelle. Cette approche offre des critères de responsabilité épistémique individuelle et s’intéresse plus aux actions du sujet qu’à son essence.

Workplace exclusion – often subtle and difficult to detect – significantly contributes to employee disengagement and turnover, costing US organizations over $1 trillion annually. This study examines how exclusionary behaviors (EBs) influence turnover intentions (TOIs) through disruption of psychological needs, using Rock’s SCARF model (Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, Fairness) and self-determination theory. A two-wave survey of full-time US employees (N = 277) assessed EB, SCARF-based need satisfaction, and TOI. Partial least squares structural equation modeling revealed that EB significantly undermines all five SCARF domains, but only fairness and status mediated the EB–TOI link. Certainty, autonomy, and relatedness did not have significant effects. These findings suggest turnover risk intensifies when employees feel unfairly treated or socially devalued, rather than merely disempowered or disconnected. The study advances theoretical integration between SCARF and SDT and offers practical guidance for managers seeking to reduce attrition by fostering inclusive, respectful, and psychologically safe workplace environments.

Everyday understanding takes empathy to be not just emotional mirroring with a specific etiology, but also a form of feeling for, or on behalf of, another. This article proposes an analysis of that for-relation. The analysis begins with the phenomenon of acting on behalf, which is then used as a template for an analysis of generic on behalfness, applicable to both action and emotion. The key to the relation turns out to be an agent’s espousal of a target’s goal, in light of which the agent acquires reasons for acting or feeling.

Women remain underrepresented in National Institutes of Health (NIH) study sections, panels of scientists who review grant applications to inform national research priorities and funding allocations. This longitudinal, retrospective study examined the representation of women on study sections before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, 16,902 reviewers served on 1,045 study sections across 2019, 2020, and 2021, of which 40.1% (n = 6,786) were women. The likelihood of reviewers being women significantly increased from 2019 to 2021, except among chairpersons. Understanding the representation of scientists influencing NIH grant decisions is important to ensuring scientific discovery that meets the nation’s pluralistic needs.

Decades of systemic oppression in Syria, from the 1963 state of emergency to the 2011–2024 conflict, have caused widespread psychological devastation. Arbitrary imprisonment, torture and sexual violence have been systematically weaponised. Following the fall of the Syrian regime in December 2024, freed political prisoners face severe mental health challenges due to years of inhumane conditions and trauma. This paper emphasises the urgent need for specialised mental health interventions and outlines evidence-based pathways to healing. A coordinated, multi-tiered response, integrating local and international efforts, is essential to prioritise mental health aid, restore dignity and support survivors in rebuilding their futures.