Popularizing Electoral Politics: Change in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Race

This special issue of the European Journal of American Studies examines the popularization of electoral politics during the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election. The popularization processes include the rise of populism penetrating the U.S. political landscape; a media focus on human interest, rather than policy substance questions; personality politics and celebrity culture at the center stage of the election; and the appropriation and dissemination of popular culture discourses by social media users. The articles draw from transdisciplinary American Studies approaches to tackle a range of issues which arose during the election, from contestations of “American-ness” and competing narratives of truth—or “post-truth”—to questions of campaign finance and displays of violence, verbal and physical. The issue also takes a closer look at specific expressions of popular culture as reflected in the media, specifically in relation to the rise of nativism and the alt-right movement, the political impact of comedy on the election, and the significance of memes in the battle over image and meaning-making. The processes of popularizing electoral politics of the 2016 race had distinct consequences, not only in shaping political culture as we know it, but also in destabilizing established rules of political conduct

What Do We Really Mean By A “Qualitative” Study? An Analysis Of Qualitative Research In Adult And Continuing Education

Current approaches to qualitative research in adult and continuing education reflect widely differing assumptions about what is meant by qualitative. To foster conversation in our field around this question, we conducted an exploratory study of qualitative studies published over a ten-year period in Adult Education Quarterly. Our findings suggest differing understandings of what it means to design, conduct, and report “qualitative research.” These understandings reflect the influence of differing paradigms on what qualitative research means and suggest implications for the field and for the training of future researchers. From the early, pathbreaking studies in sociology and anthropology, qualitative research has spread to other social science disciplines, such as social work, communication, and education (Denzin & Lincoln, 1998a). Characterized by several historical moments, the evolution of qualitative research in the social sciences reflects differing epistemological perspectives that stress fundamentally different views of what counts as knowledge and how we come to know. Today, in adult and continuing education qualitative research represents a widely popular approach to scholarly inquiry, particularly among doctoral students. A typical perusal through adult education conference proceedings or mainstream journals in the field will clearly demonstrate its pervasiveness within the scholarship of our field. Within this body of research we encounter many forms of questions, methods of data collection, analytic strategies, and interpretive lenses. With such variation, it is increasingly difficult to fully understand what constitutes the “qualitative” aspect of the research being reported. To help foster reflection on and conversation around this question, we undertook this exploratory study to examine the paradigmatic assumptions reflected in published empirical studies that claim to be qualitative in nature

HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV) PREVENTION PROGRAM AMONG MEN WHO HAVE SEX WITH MEN (MSM) IN SEMARANG CITY

Background: The prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) among Men who have Sex with Men (MSM) in Indonesia continues to increase. The HIV cases among MSM in Semarang increased by 43 cases in 2013 to 147 cases in 2017. The prevalence of syphilis among MSM increased by 5.20% in 2011 to 11.38% in 2015. The use of condoms among MSM does not reach 50%. The Prevention of Sexual Transmission of HIV Program or Pencegahan HIV melalui Transmisi Seksual (PMTS) that focuses on sexual transmission risk factors did not provide optimal results.Aim: This study aimed to analyze aspects affecting the PMTS Program on MSM in Semarang City, including standard and objectives, resources, inter-organizational communication and enforcement activities, characteristics of the implementing agencies, economic, social, and political conditions, and the disposition of implementors.Method: This study was a descriptive study using a qualitative approach. Primary data were obtained through in-depth interviews with 14 informants, while secondary data were obtained from observation and document analysis. The data were analyzed using content analysis. The research was conducted from July to October 2019 in Semarang City.Results: The implemetation of the PMTS Program among MSM has some gaps. For example, these included (1) unclear standards of PMTS Program, (2) limited funding and infrastructures, (3) lack of  communication, (4) stigma and discrimination at the stakeholder level, implementing agencies level, and community level.Conclusion: The implementation of PMTS Program among MSM has not worked appropriately. Eliminating stigma and discrimination against MSM needs to be taken into account. All health workers in primary healthcare centers must be introduced to the diminish of stigma and discrimination against MSM. Communication and coordination as well as resources among the program implementers have to be more well-established. Keywords:  Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Men who have Sex with Men, prevention program

Targeting Macrophages to Reduce Colorectal Cancer Metastasis: Diminished Effect in the Alcohol-injured Liver

https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/surp2022/1012/thumbnail.jp

The Use of Senior Volunteers in the Care of Discharged Geriatric Patients

This article reports on a project that utilized senior volunteers in the role of health advocates for geriatric patients discharged from a hospital. The project was evaluated to determine if healthy and active seniors could make a contribution to the health and social welfare of such discharged elderly persons. The study was conducted in Montreal, Canada and funded by a federal grant from Health Canada. The research collaborators came from a 414-bed secondary care university-affiliated community hospital, a community social service agency with a mandate to respond to the needs of its frail elderly constituents, and a university-based research centr

Increase of efficiency of information support of the organization processes based on quality management and information technologies

In this article, the role and influence of the integrated information environment on the organization processes was considered. The interrelation of information technologies and quality management system is shown on the basis of system and process approaches. The sequence of building IMS in the enterprise was determined and the main stages of information support of the company's QMS were identified

Crisis Decision-Making During Hurricane Sandy: An Analysis of Established and Emergent Disaster Response Behaviors in the New York Metro Area

Objective This collective case study examined how and why specific organizational decision-making processes transpired at 2 large suburban county health departments in lower New York State during their response to Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The study also examined the relationships that the agencies developed with other emerging and established organizations within their respective health systems. Methods In investigating these themes, the authors conducted in-depth, one-on-one interviews with 30 senior-level public health staff and first responders; reviewed documentation; and moderated 2 focus group discussions with 17 participants. Results Although a natural hazard such as a hurricane was not an unexpected event for these health departments, they nevertheless confronted a number of unforeseen challenges during the response phase: prolonged loss of power and fuel, limited situational awareness of the depth and breadth of the storm’s impact among disaster-exposed populations, and coordination problems with a number of organizations that emerged in response to the disaster. Conclusions Public health staff had few plans or protocols to guide them and often found themselves improvising and problem-solving with new organizations in the context of an overburdened health care system