Journals
2026 EN
Bandyopadhyay Ushoshi · Patnaik Archana
With 2023 declared as the International Year of Millets, a significant resurgence of millets is observed in India’s agricultural narratives and policy discourses. Millets, previously neglected in the policy domain due to the dominance of the Green Revolution, have regained a push from the Indian government, which is increasing the production and consumption of millets, as evidenced by schemes like the National Food Security Mission and Public Distribution System. This study has analyzed the shift in policy narrative representing millets during the Green Revolution to recent millets’ revival initiatives and the way food problems are redefined in India. Secondary sources like journals, news articles, and policy reports published by government and non-government agencies were used to review the policies systematically. Critical policy analysis with a cultural history approach was employed to systematically review and reflect on the agricultural policies and how food problems are defined, a lens not extensively used in food studies, thereby adding to its existing perspectives. It was found that the framing of food problems significantly influences the formulation of agricultural policies. Therefore, the socio-political factors that shape the definition of food problems also determine which crops are prioritized in policy decisions and appear on citizens’ plates.
Journals
2026 EN
Sandberg Susanna G. · Nyroos Mikaela · Waling Maria
+1 more
In line with equal opportunities for all, free school meals are served to all pupils in Swedish compulsory schools, prepared and served by assigned school meal staff. This paper explores how school meal staff describe and approach their roles and responsibilities in relation to the school meal, and what influences their conditions to contribute to an inclusive school meal community. Based on approximately 100 hours of participant observations over five months in four schools, and interviews with five school meal staff, the analysis illustrates how school meal staff enacted inclusive practices, which included creating a safe and home-like environment in the school restaurant, aiming to provide a nutritious meal for all pupils, thereby reducing inequalities. However, participants reported a lack of collaboration with headteachers, upon whom they were highly dependent on to implement improvements. Moreover, feedback from pupils was often negative. Accordingly, the school meal staff balanced their mission by employing different approaches: some focusing on tasks related to food service, while others prioritized interactions with pupils. The findings suggest a need to acknowledge the contributions of school meal staff as important actors in building a school meal community, into which they themselves are not inherently integrated at present.
Journals
2026 EN
Yu Xun · Sisco Stephanie · Verret Dane
This case study examines a community-led job creation initiative (JCI) in the Midwest, which has created over 1,000 livable-wage jobs in underserved Black neighborhoods for over 10 years. Through our direct observation and testimonial interviews with JCI members and local business owners, the study identifies diversified and multi-functional partnerships as crucial for the capital needed to sustain their mission. We explicitly depict how partnerships with local nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions uniquely contribute to the JCI, and we recommend what is needed to strengthen synergy and capacity-building across partnerships. Overall, the findings challenge and reinforce existing community development theories (e.g. sustainable livelihood approach , community capital framework , and the solidarity economy framework) , suggesting that community-led economic development initiatives should not operate in isolation. This case study also highlights how Black community leaders and activists collaborate with predominantly White institutions and White allies to support local-level racial equity.
Journals
2026 EN
Creed Benjamin · Scott Michael · Jabbar Huriya
+2 more
Schools can adopt various strategies to stand apart from other potential options. We use 1,932 mission statements from all publicly funded and governed K-12 schools in Arizona to examine if and how schools differentiate themselves, comparing charter and traditional public schools and examining statewide and local patterns. We find that charter school missions often focused on academics, college preparation, and character development, while traditional public schools focused more on civic preparation, learning environment, and socio-emotional development. These patterns were consistent across contexts and suggest that while charter schools differentiated themselves from some of their traditional public school competitors, they did so in homogeneous ways.
Journals
2026 EN
Lauzon Véronique · Paquet Maxime · Deschênes Andrée-Ann
While peer support programs have gained popularity as tools to mitigate stress among public safety personnel, there is a gap in research exploring the factors that contribute to the success of these programs. This scoping review synthesizes findings from international research on peer support programs for public safety personnel, using the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Thirty-six documents met the eligibility criteria for this review. The results highlight ten themes describing the main barriers and facilitators to the implementation of peer support programs. These include concerns regarding the culture surrounding mental health, confidentiality, role delimitation, clarity of the program’s mission, tangible endorsement by administrators and stakeholders, selection, training and supervision of peer supporters, delivery format, and higher-level governance. By outlining the frequently stated components that may foster or hinder peer support programs, this study provides public safety organizations with insight regarding program design and policy making.
Journals
2026 EN
Boström Lena · Elvstrand Helene
This study contributes knowledge about being principals in extended education. Interviews with 12 Swedish principals have been analyzed using deductive content analysis with analytical concepts from school improvement theories. Principals generally believe challenges are found in School-Age-Educare-Centers (SAECs’) conditions, changing mission, status, and heterogeneous staff. The opportunities are described as the freer mission, the holistic perspective, and the staff’s competence. Leaders need to gain legitimacy, act as pedagogical leaders, and instill courage. In the principals’ perceptions of challenges, opportunities, and leadership roles, the school development aspects of structure, culture, and leadership interact and are prominent and essential.
Journals
2026 EN
Osisanwo Ayo
This paper examines self-legitimation in selected speeches of Abubakar Shekau, the longest-serving leader of Boko Haram terrorists (BHT). The article analyses seven of the speeches Shekau delivered during his reign as the BHT leader between 2009 and 2021, using f4analyse as a coding tool and Theo van Leeuwen’s (2008. Discourse and practice: New tools for critical discourse analysis ) Discourse Legitimation approach to discourse analysis. The analysis discloses that Shekau uses three legitimation strategies: authorisation, moralisation and rationalisation to justify the actions and practices of BHT. The three legitimation strategies are linguistically realised through positive self-presentation strategy by engaging in self-glorification, personalising and collectivising victory, and claiming and announcing success to legitimate the mission of the group in carrying out the struggle. The strategies are deployed to positively present Abubakar Shekau as fighting a legitimate struggle.
Journals
2026 EN
Liang Qingwei · Huang Hancheng · Hu Shanshan
+1 more
This paper investigates the reconnaissance mission of the blended-wing-body underwater glider (BWBUG) and puts forth a methodology for evaluating its capability. First, the reconnaissance mechanism of the BWBUG is analyzed using the steady-state gliding motion and energy consumption model. The S-shaped and loop routes are proposed based on the analysis of the reconnaissance mechanism, and the energy consumption of each reconnaissance route is discussed. Then, the reconnaissance capability of BWBUG is studied, and the indexes of gliding cost and mission completion ratio are proposed. Finally, the influence of motion parameters, environmental noise, and electromagnetic interference on reconnaissance capability is analyzed by simulation. Simulation results show that the reconnaissance capability is better when the reconnaissance mission is carried out in the loop route, and the reconnaissance capability decreases with the increase in environmental noise and electromagnetic interference.
Journals
2026 EN
Sandhya J. Joy · Kanniammal C. · Bamini Devi N.
+1 more
Anemia, a common micronutrient deficiency, is particularly prevalent among adolescents and is often associated with undernutrition. The objective of the present study is to determine the prevalence of undernutrition in terms of BMI for age Z (BAZ) scores and height for age Z (HAZ) scores and anemia among institutionalized adolescents, and to associate anemia with undernutrition. A cross-sectional survey design is used. We enrolled 747 adolescents living in 19 selected childcare institutions in the Chennai and Greater Chennai regions. Anemia status was assessed using the Mission HB Point-of-Care Test (POCT). The weight, height, mid-upper arm circumference (MuAC) and pallor assessment were recorded. Using the WHO Anthro Plus software, HAZ and BAZ scores are generated that determine nutritional status. Anemia, defined as hemoglobin (Hb) levels less than 12.5 g/dl, was prevalent in 85.14% of the sample population. While associating the BAZ and HAZ scores with anemia, among those with Hb levels less than 12.5 g/dl, 16.06% exhibited severe thinness, with a mean Hb level of 10.75 ± 1.39 g/dl, and 48.59% of the population had thinness, with a mean Hb level of 10.52 ± 1.41 g/dl. The study findings highlight the need for targeted interventions focusing on nutrition and anemia prevention for the specific demographics and living conditions of institutionalized adolescents. Comprehensive strategies involving collaboration between healthcare providers, nutritionists, social workers, and policymakers to address the complex array of factors contributing to anemia and undernutrition among adolescents in institutional care settings may be planned to deal with this issue effectively.
Journals
2026 EN
Fabris Alberto
This article explores the genealogy of the concept of “propaganda” within the context of the Catholic Church’s response to the challenges of early modernity. It examines the establishment of the Congregation de Propaganda Fide by Pope Gregory XV in 1622, highlighting the role of Francesco Ingoli in shaping its mission and activities. The article delves into the transformation of the term “propaganda” from its classical meanings to its new political and religious connotations, emphasising its significance in the Church’s global missionary strategy. By analysing the papal bull Inscrutabili Divinae and Ingoli’s Relazione delle quattro parti del mondo , the study reveals how the Church sought to extend its pastoral care worldwide, responding to the fragmentation of the respublica christiana and the new geographical discoveries. The article also discusses the intellectual and cultural background of seventeenth-century Rome, the strategic use of scientific and geographical knowledge, and the establishment of the Collegio Urbano to train indigenous clergy. Overall, it provides a comprehensive understanding of how the concept of “propaganda” evolved to become a crucial tool for the Catholic Church’s universal mission.