News (1,641 posts)

Fabricating data, throwing academic shade at other scientists, publishing a mountain of papers that receive a towering heap of citations: cynics might describe these as steps necessary to achieve academic success. They are also goals for players of ‘Publish or Perish’ — a new card game that might hit close to home for researchers trying to navigate the often-labyrinthine and cut-throat institution of academia. The name refers to the common description of academia as a system that rewards researchers who publish their findings in prestigious scholarly journals and punishes those who don’t.

The Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) has published work into the effect that one person (or a small group of people) making all the decisions in a charity can have.

A father’s alcohol consumption has long been overshadowed by the focus on what a mother drinks. But that could be about to change following new research.

A new review article outlines the genetic, neurobiological, and environmental foundations for schizophrenia.

Hong Kong’s social workers’ registration body has begun reviewing social workers’ records following the introduction of a new rule that bars anyone convicted of endangering national security from the sector…. Social work veterans HKFP spoke to said the social workers who opposed the amendment were afraid of speaking up for fear of affecting their jobs.

Larry Richardson’s online profile suggested that he was a young mathematician with significant potential.

The Long Covid Research Moonshot Act of 2024 would provide the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with $1 billion in mandatory funding per year for a decade to support studies, the pursuit of treatments, and the expansion of care for U.S. patients impacted by the condition.

In accepting the Googles and Facebooks of the world as our default information providers, we have made many bizarre compromises of this sort. But our lack of exploration into alternative models isn’t a testament to the exceptional quality of Silicon Valley’s offerings; it’s a consequence of the hegemony of Panglossian neoliberalism. Any departure from the market model is depicted as a regression to central planning or outdated systems like Minitel and the Post Office.

Humanitarians have expressed deep concerns about the impact of a possible polio emergency in Gaza, amid disastrous sanitary conditions marked by outbreaks of hepatitis A and myriad other preventable diseases, along with a lack of access to healthcare, because of the war.

The issue for childless older people is that while their health is good, they have no disadvantage. However, if and when their health declines and they require support, informal support also reduces and they do not have the safety net of family.

APA Services responded to a request for information from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) regarding their 2026–30 Strategic Plan for Sexual and Gender Minority Health Research

A key part of a social worker’s job is to connect people to to the things they need — mental health programs, help getting housing, programs for kids. But what if the needed resource doesn’t exist? The frustration that arises from that dynamic is one reason so many New Mexico social workers report feeling burned out and even consider leaving the field, according to a report from New Mexico’s Center for Excellence in Social Work, a year-old organization housed at New Mexico Highlands University.

The U.S. Census Bureau has announced plans to meet with disability community stakeholders September 30 in the D.C. metro area to better understand challenges in data availability and access for their community.

After private-equity firms acquire hospitals, the facilities’ assets and resources diminish significantly, leaving the facilities less equipped to care for patients, according to a new study by physician researchers at the University of California at San Francisco, Harvard Medical School and the City University of New York’s Hunter College. Above: Steward Health Care announced this month that it was closing Nashoba Valley Medical Center, in Ayer, Mass., west of Boston.

In essence, a “nudge” involves any manipulation of the decision-making environment that steers people’s behaviour in a direction beneficial to them, but without restricting their options or limiting their freedom of choice in any way.

After Covid regulations required working from home, the practice has continued for many social workers. Many authorities have closed local offices as part of cost-saving cuts, forcing more staff to work from home and hot-desk when in the office. Social workers told the researchers they felt increased isolation as a result of working from home, as well as reporting difficulties in reaching colleagues or managers for support, and an absence of the team camaraderie found in an office.

The programme allows social workers to immerse themselves in a case like “a fly on the wall”, prompting them to reflect on how they relate to families. Pictured: (left) Aman Basi, from Sandwell Children’s Trust, and Dr Tarsem Singh Cooner, of the University of Birmingham

Paul Yip, a Professor at The University of Hong Kong’s Department of Social Work and Social Administration, said local employers were becoming more accepting of these young people, possibly after seeing former inmates perform well in their jobs.

NASW comprises 55 chapters nationwide, and its members live in every congressional district across the country. NASW is committed to mobilizing our members, our partners, and the entire social work profession to ensure there are record levels of investment in expanding mental health care, combatting climate change, and reducing student debt.

We know what a Trump presidency looks like, and that the pandemic took a lot out of everyone. To my ears, a campaign that emphasizes personal freedom is more appealing than one filled with doom, gloom and rancor.

Snyder follows a pattern of the current Supreme Court I’ve documented in three books. Since John Roberts became its chief justice in 2006, the court has made prosecuting corruption, especially at the state and local level, nearly impossible for federal prosecutors.

As 2U explained in the motion, the company — which works with colleges to build and maintain online programs and owns the MOOC platform edX — has already pulled operations from most of its office space.

Choosing to hasten one’s death is an intensely personal, carefully considered decision. But it is rarely made in isolation: people who choose to die enlist the emotional and practical support of family, friends and trusted clinicians. After the death occurs, these people remain to bear witness to this extraordinary journey – and their own experiences of it.

Borough Council’s children’s services have received an overall ‘good’ Ofsted rating. And its impressive report rated two of the four judgement areas to be considered ‘outstanding’.

The bulk of the $110 million behind Cop City is being funded by the Atlanta Police Foundation and its corporate donors who constitute the core network of Atlanta’s power elite. These backers of Cop City include major corporations across multiple sectors headquartered in Atlanta, such as the Georgia Power Foundation, Home Depot, Bank of America, Chick-fil-A, Coca-Cola, and Cox Foundation, Cox Enterprises, a massive conglomerate that owns the city’s main newspaper.

In 2024 it is no longer guaranteed that Social Security is “safe forever.” The Republican Party has called repeatedly for cuts to the popular program. As recently as March 2024, the Republican Study Committee, which includes the Republican House leadership and about 80% of House Republicans, said it is “committed to protecting and strengthening” Social Security by raising the retirement age and cutting benefits for those who are not yet approaching retirement. The Heritage Foundation, the main organization behind Project 2025, said in June that the retirement age should be raised.

More US households are renting now than at any time since the 1960s. Nevertheless, owning a home outright is still widely perceived to be the sensible option. For the middle class, this partially stems from the desire to make good on the promise of homeownership — a desire made all the more acute by the destruction of pensions and the need to plan for retirement. However, the desire is also fueled by insane rental costs, as owning a home is thought to be a way to escape the viciousness of the home-rental hamster wheel. For the huge swaths of people who no longer believe they’ll ever be able to buy, the white-knuckle ride of renting feels like a permanent nightmare.

As a single mom of two, every achievement feels even sweeter. Every achievement reminds me and shows my children that no dream is too distant. Graduating with a Master’s of Social Work from the University of Texas at Arlington with two toddlers feels more than a personal achievement. It’s a testament to perseverance and the unwavering support of my incredible village.

Georgia’s sweeping and political application of conspiracy law echoes a tactic that shattered the left roughly a hundred years ago, when the U.S. government targeted socialist parties and militant unions with laws against criminal syndicalism, espionage, and sedition.

The HSE has shown “little or no follow through” in its attempts to reform children’s disability services, a health workers’ group has claimed.

Visual hallucinations are often easier to spot: this AI-generated image adds an extra train track to the Glenfinnan Viaduct, a famous railway bridge in Scotland.

A view of Building 10 on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The university is among those owed money to by online program manager 2U, which filed for bankruptcy last week.

At least 973 Native American children died in the U.S. government’s abusive boarding school system, according to the results of an investigation released Tuesday by officials who called on the government to apologize for the schools. The investigation commissioned by Interior Sec. Deb Haaland found marked and unmarked graves at 65 of the more than 400 U.S. boarding schools that were established to forcibly assimilate Native American children into white society.

The biggest contrast is between industry and academia, where for those in industry the probability increases by about 3 percent. Non-profit and government researchers are also a little more likely to admit to stealing an idea, as are those working in humanities and social sciences. Of the characteristics associated with a lower probability, being female and expressing stronger adherence to classical ‘Mertonian norms’ of science are the most pertinent, along with working in a more collegial and supportive working environment.

The issue of athletes with male characteristics and transgender athletes competing in women’s sport is a charged one, with some opponents and activists demanding that women’s sports be solely reserved for those assigned female at birth. Mr. Adams has said both Khelif and Lin identify as females in their passports. Above: The Italian, Angela Carini (right), stopped fighting only 46 seconds into her matchup against Imane Khelif of Algeria, who had been barred from a women’s event last year.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that rates of preteen suicide (ages 8-12) have been increasing by approximately 8% annually since 2008. These increases were most pronounced among female preteens, American Indian/Alaska Native or Asian/Pacific Islander preteens, and Hispanic preteens.

If you are suicidal or in emotional distress, call or text 988 or chat online to connect with the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. The Lifeline provides 24-hour, confidential support to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.

Social workers play a crucial role in helping older people to access essential support, despite often going ‘invisible and unrecognised’.
That is one finding from a new briefing which draws on recent findings by the Social Work with Older People (SWOP) research project.

We acknowledge the positive announcement from the Chancellor regarding public sector pay increases in England, including for social workers employed in the NHS. Despite this statement, the Chancellor has failed to give any assurances to public sector workers employed and paid by Local Authorities, including the majority of the social worker workforce, who have suffered the worst pay growth compared to other public sector professions since 2010-11.

Decision means payments for university students worth between £1,150 and £1,800 less per year than they were in 2014

The Department of Social Development’s Annemie Van Reenen with hundreds of files in the registry at the department’s Langa office. A new app is designed to cut down on paperwork and filing for social workers.

NMDP collaborated with researchers at the University of Minnesota to find an association between the poverty of donors for stem cell transplants and the survival outcomes of recipients…. “This study suggests that there is a biological effect of poverty,” said Dr. Jeff Auletta, a senior vice president of health equity for the National Marrow Donor Program. Also known as NMDP, the Minneapolis-based agency matches patients worldwide to the most suitable donor bone marrow and stem cells for transplants.

When smoke from wildfires in Quebec started blanketing New York’s morning sky last summer… an incarcerated person at Otisville Correctional Facilities west of Newburgh, figured it was probably a chemical explosion…. “Collectively, we were confused,” he wrote. “Then we became worried when we realized that the New York Department of Corrections didn’t have a plan for what to do.”

A security fence surrounds the entrance to the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls complex in rural Irma, Wisconsin…. Some youths in custody have been telling their legal representation that they are being “isolated for prolonged periods.”

The publisher didn’t give authors any notice before selling access to its data to Microsoft for $10 million. The agreement could improve academic research, but it further entrenches the predatory nature of academic publishing, experts say.

Colorized transmission electron micrograph of HIV-1 virus particles (blue) budding and replicating from an H9 T cell (bright green). The virus particles are in various stages of maturity, which accounts for differences in shape.

In all Canadian safe consumption sites, people can inject, snort and orally consume substances. For years, inhaling substances has been promoted by harm-reduction advocates to help curb the spread of viruses like HIV and hepatitis C. However, few safe consumption sites offer indoor supervised inhalation services, even though the federal exemption through Health Canada allows for it. Above: Women wait to enter a supervised consumption site

A report setting out Blackpool Council’s position at the end of the 2023/24 financial year shows children’s services overspent once more, largely due to a rise in the cost of residential placements of nearly 8%. Overall the council overspent by about £8m on delivering services, but better financial performances in other areas mean it was able to stay within the £172m set out in last year’s budget.

One particularly harmful manifestation of this is the glorification of war criminals and perpetrators of violence as embodiments of ‘real men’. A real man is perceived as tough, emotionless, often prone to violence, mirroring these wartime idols. Such men often view women solely as childbearing machines and seek ways to humiliate them to demonstrate their dominance. This is evident in a new trend of Balkan Telegram groups with highly degrading names. Above: ‘Real men’: a scene in a traditional kafana in Ruma, Serbia

CCHR International praised a New Zealand inquiry’s report revealing decades of appalling abuses in psychiatric, behavioral, and disability institutions. Released on July 24 by the Royal Commission, the highest-level inquiry in New Zealand, the findings culminate a six-year, $101 million investigation that uncovered a Kafkaesque nightmare of individuals being tortured under the guise of mental health care.