Belief, attitude and critical understanding. A systematic review of social justice in Service-Learning experiences

This systematic review examined the role of Service-Learning experiences promoted by higher education institutions to strengthen the achievement of social justice outcomes among youth. We screened and coded studies following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Of the 555 articles found in the database search, 47 peer-reviewed studies were included in the final sample. Social justice construct, together with research location, participants, target community and outcomes, were coded. Results show effects of Service-Learning experiences on (a) fostering significant improvement of students' social justice beliefs, (b) stimulating significant changes in students' attitudes with respect to the development of altruistic behaviours and their commitment to social justice, and (c) increasing students' critical understanding by sparking questioning processes related to personal assumptions of inequalities. This systematic review provides insights into the strengths and challenges of implementing social justice-oriented Service-Learning experiences

Myosin-I nomenclature.

We suggest that the vertebrate myosin-I field adopt a common nomenclature system based on the names adopted by the Human Genome Organization (HUGO). At present, the myosin-I nomenclature is very confusing; not only are several systems in use, but several different genes have been given the same name. Despite their faults, we believe that the names adopted by the HUGO nomenclature group for genome annotation are the best compromise, and we recommend universal adoption

For Sake of Youth and for Sake of Policies and Programmes. Why Youth Participation is a Right, a Requirement and a Value Comment on “Between Rhetoric and Reality: Learnings From Youth Participation in the Adolescent and Youth Health Policy in South Africa”

This commentary discusses an article by Jacobs and George which investigated how youth participation can be an important component of health policy-making by conducting a case study based on qualitative interviews. We appreciate the methodology and the main findings of the study, which contribute to advancing our understanding of the challenges and opportunities of youth participation in health policy-making. We note that this article raises several questions and issues that we must address to advance research and practice: (i) is there is a substantial gap between rhetoric and reality in terms of youth participation? (ii) do youth policies have a direct impact on youth participation? (iii) can we define and operationalise meaningful engagement? (iv) who is included and who is excluded in youth participation projects? and (v) is youth participation a right, a requirement and a value

Evaluating interventions with victims of intimate partner violence: a community psychology approach

Purpose: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of domestic violence, with profound implication for women's physical and psychological health. In this text we adopted the Empowerment Process Model (EPM) by Cattaneo and Goodman (Psychol Violence 5(1):84–94) to analyse interventions provided to victims of IPV by a Support Centre for Women (SCW) in Italy, and understand its contribution to women’s empowerment. Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten women who had been enrolled in a program for IPV survivors at a SCW in the past three years. The interviews focused on the programs’ aims, actions undertaken to reach them, and the impact on the women’s lives, and were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Results: Results showed that the interventions provided by the SWC were adapted according to women's needs. In the early phases, women’s primary aim was ending violence, and the intervention by the SCW was deemed as helpful to the extent it provided psychological support, protection and safe housing. Women’s aims subsequently moved to self-actualisation and economic and personal independence which required professional training, internships, and social support. Although satisfying the majority of the women’s expectations, other important needs (e.g., economic support or legal services) were poorly addressed, and cooperation with other services (e.g., police or social services) was sometimes deemed as critical. Conclusions: By evaluating a program offered by a SCW to IPV survivors through the lens of the EPM model, we found that women deemed the program as effective when both individual resources and empowerment processes were promoted. Strengths, limitations and implications are discussed

Encountering transgender and gender-expansive children in school: Exploring parents’ and teachers’ practices through the lens of cisgenderism and adultism

Transgender and gender-expansive (TGE) children struggle to express their identities freely, particularly within schools, where they face oppression across interconnected levels of gender and age, alongside cisnormativity and adultism. This study examines how parents advocate for the recognition and well-being of TGE children in Italian primary schools (ages 6-11). Seventeen parents of TGE children participated in this research. Employing a comprehensive thematic analysis using a codebook approach, insights are derived from data obtained through two distinct research collections. Findings reveal parental practices spanning from supportive to containment and unaffirming, impacting children's freedom of expression. Parents' containment practices aim to protect their children, perceiving the school context as hostile, due to a systemic lack of knowledge and a normative view of TGE experiences. School practices affect TGE students' well-being and academic progress, suggesting the need for improved regulations in schools and teacher training to effectively address gender diversity, while recognizing and validating TGE children's experiences. The paper calls for inclusive policies and practices to support TGE children by centering children's needs and desires while dismantling cisnormative and adultistic approaches

Fortalecimiento de gestiones a través del Centro de Información de Actividades Porcinas (CIAP) para el desarrollo sustentable de pequeños y medianos productores porcinos familiares de la zona de influencia de la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias de la Universidad Nacional de Rosario

Fortalecimiento de gestiones a través del Centro de Información de Actividades Porcinas (CIAP) para el desarrollo sustentable de pequeños y medianos productores porcinos familiares de la zona de influencia de la Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias de la Universidad Nacional de RosarioFil: Silva, Patricia. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias; Argentin

If it does take a village to raise a child, how should the village do it? Insights from the kids in places initiative

Cross-sector collaborations are some of the strategies used to promote early childhood development and wellbeing. Without these collaborations, key services for families with young children may be missed or even duplicated. By drawing from experiences in Canada and Italy, we share findings from a study that aimed to understand the factors that make cross-sector collaborations (CSC) succeed or fail. Specifically, the study focused on understanding how CSC promoting early child development are created, maintained, and consolidated; and on identifying the social psychological, organizational, and economic aspects of CSC that help or hinder their functioning. Based on qualitative analysis of data gathered from four focus groups and thirteen interviews conducted across seven Canadian and Italian communities, we conclude that the success of CSC depend of a series of factors that transcend context, language and culture

Methane production by mechanochemical processing of MgH2-Li2CO3as sources of H2and CO2at room temperature

The reutilization of CO2 to produce valuable chemical fuels is an attractive approach to reduce the greenhouse effect and global warming. In this work, the room temperature production of CH4/H2 fuel mixtures via mechanochemical activation of Li2CO3-MgH2 system was explored. The CH4/H2 fuel mixtures were obtained by a free-catalyst reaction, with high selectivity and using Li2CO3 and MgH2 as solid portable sources of CO2 and H2, respectively. The effect of processing parameters on both the evolution of the solid phases and the production of CH4/H2 fuel mixtures was studied using X-ray diffraction, spectroscopic techniques, electron scanning microscopy and gas chromatography. Thermodynamic calculations predict the complete CO2 reduction to CH4, with simultaneous formation of MgO and Li2O. Experimental evidence supports the progressive formation of MgO and the appearance of Li2O. The presence of H2 simultaneously with CH4 in the gas phase was due to kinetic restrictions. Based on experimental results and equilibrium composition calculations, the reaction mechanism was proposed. The kinetic analysis reveals that the rate limiting CH4 production is the nucleation of MgO/Li2O in the surroundings of Li2CO3, while the H2 release is controlled by the reaction interface between MgH2/Mg or MgH2/MgO