Provision Of Aid Research Articles

The trend in adoption of hearing aids following changes in provision policy in South Korea

The Korean government started to cover part of the price of hearing aids ($200) for individuals with hearing disabilities in 1997, and the reimbursement for a hearing aid increased in 2005 ($300) and again in 2015 ($1000). The aim of this study was to evaluate the annual trend of newly-registered individuals with hearing disability according to the changes of the hearing aid provision scheme. Subjects with newly-registered hearing disabilities were assessed using Korean National Health Insurance Service (KNHIS) data from January 1, 2004, to December 31, 2018. A total of 271,742 individuals were newly registered during the index period. Records of hearing aid prescriptions and hearing aid subsidies were used to assess the adoption of hearing aids. This study also assessed the intervals between registration of hearing disability and the adoption of hearing aids, as well as the number of hearing aid subsidies provided. From 2004 to 2009 there was a slight increase in the number of individuals newly registered with hearing disabilities, and from 2011 to 2015, the number showed a tendency to decrease. Then, from 2015, the number of individuals with hearing disabilities increased abruptly, and the proportion of subjects receiving hearing aid subsidies also increased. Between 2004 and 2018, the time interval from hearing disability registration to hearing aid adoption showed a decreasing trend. We conclude that the annual number of individuals with newly-registered hearing disabilities is affected by the level of the hearing aid subsidy, and there is much unregistered or unaddressed hearing loss prior to the introduction of realistic hearing aid provision.

International legal cooperation of countries in ensuring the human rights to adequate food

This article discusses issues concerning international legal regulation of coopera-tion of states in resolving the problems related to ensuring the human rights to ad-equate food and food security in general, including in the context of a pandemic that has had a significant impact on the development of the world's economy. The work studies: the development of international legal regulation of partnership in the field of food security, the goals and authority of Food and Agriculture Organi-zation (FAO), the conditions of the food market and the world's economy. The study examines the right of everyone to access safe and healthy food, in accord-ance with the right to for adequate food and the basic right of everyone to be free from hunger. It is noted that the world food security system covers: the creation of national food supplies coordinated on the international level; provision of food aid to countries in need, organization of an early warning system on food shortage; an increase of the share of developing countries in international trade of agriculture products. One of the factors of the establishment of intranational food security is food sup-port to developing states. The article considers various principles like roman princi-ples of sustainable global food security; a comprehensive approach to food securi-ty; strategic coordinative cooperation; the principle of supporting national, region-al and international programs; close interaction with international organizations and principle of maintaining of assumed financial obligations. It is noted that the lack of positive results in a process of resolving issues concern-ing food supply requires improvement of the effectiveness of multilateral man-agement system dealing with ensuring world's food security, through the unifica-tion and coordination of efforts of states, international organizations, and other interested parties at local and global levels. A similar policy is proposed to be considered in complex with global and regional issues, including negotiations on the creation of a fair international trade regime, which will positively affect the strengthening of national food security potential of developing countries and improve the effectiveness of international food assis-tance programs. Such policy is proposed to be reflected and specified in agriculture doctrines of national and regional levels.

ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF LEGAL AID IN THE INDONESIAN COURT

This article examines the regulation and application of legal aid services in Indonesian Courts. Normatively, the guidelines for the provision of legal aid in court are based on the Law on Judicial Power, Law on General Courts, Law on Religious Courts and Law on State Administrative Courts, and Supreme Court Regulation Number 1 the year 2014 (Perma). On the one hand, there is incoherence in the provision where the law determines that free legal service (Posbakum) service supported any level of the court until the decision is legally binding and executable, whereas in Perma applicable for the district court. On the other hand, there is an expansion of the provision of legal aid services regulated by Perma, namely that the recipient of services is not required by the poor as stipulated by law, but also for those who cannot afford to pay for advocate services. The leniency of this requirement is to facilitate people who are not categorized as poor but cannot pay for the services of a lawyer. In addition, Perma also provides services in the form of Sessions Outside the Court Building (SLGP) to facilitate justice seekers who have limited access to transportation and accommodation for the distance from the court. So the inability of the justice-seeking community is also interpreted as the inability to access trials or litigate cases in court due to the remote location or difficulty in transportation and accommodation. There are several obstacles in providing legal aid services at the court, namely related to budget constraints, lack of socialization, and availability of facilities and infrastructure. This article contributes to the role of the Indonesian Court in providing unique access to justice.

Ethics of humanitarian action: on aid-recipients’ vulnerability and humanitarian agencies’ distinct obligation

ABSTRACT Humanitarian assistance in conflicts sometimes undermines local coping strategies, reinforces wartime economies, and strengthens the existing power structures. This article argues that some victims of conflicts are made extremely vulnerable and uniquely dependent on humanitarian agencies. In this case, humanitarian agencies have a distinct obligation to assist them. This article considers one novel account that justifies the continued provision of aid to victims of conflicts and rejects the widespread view that aid should be withdrawn to avoid its negative impact. This article presents the “Distinct Dependence Argument” to address the aid dependency predicament in conflicts. It explores the degree of vulnerability and dependence of victims of conflicts and evaluates humanitarian agencies’ causal responsibility in causing such vulnerability and dependency.

What factors are important to whom in what context, when adults are prescribed hearing aids for hearing loss? A realist review protocol

IntroductionHearing aids are the gold standard treatment to help manage hearing loss. However, not everyone who needs them has them, and of those who do, a significant proportion of people...

First aid guidelines for fragile contexts: Contextualization & Adaptation

Topic: In situations of remoteness to medical care, disaster or conflict, first aid provision is important but challenging. Education for learners in such contexts needs to be adapted according to resources available. This paper explores the educational approach and adaptations recommended by the 2020 IFRC First Aid, Resuscitation and Education Guidelines and provides a review of them. As a specialist in fragile and harsh contexts, the ICRC has contributed insight which enables the new guidelines to reflect challenges faced by those providing first aid education in peacetime and in war, and in other situations of adversity. Context: First Aid in armed conflicts, disasters and remote settings Adaptation: Educators need to adjust both the first aid skills and the way of teaching to the realities of those providing first aid. In some instances, safety and security of the first aider and the person requiring help should be prioritized over providing care. In remote settings or places where medical assistance is unlikely to be expedient, or in situations where effective first aid might not be possible, the psychological wellbeing of the first aid provider is also important and educators need to prepare their learners for such occurrences. Within the 2020 International First Aid Guidelines, authors tried to reflect the specific circumstances faced by first aiders in fragile settings, aiming to put the learner at the center and adapt the education to their needs and the realities of the resources available to them. Discussion: First aid educators around the world have to understand that guidelines are provided as an evidence-based guiding document which need to be adapted by the educator to the realities faced by the learner. It is their role to give learners the permission and confidence to act as best they can and provide options for delivering alternative care where resources or circumstances are limiting. Conclusions: The specific circumstances of armed conflict, disasters and remote settings will require the first aid educators and first aiders to adapt the scientific evidence of the first aid guidelines to their realities, and in some instances, place safety and security ahead of first aid provision. To increase the likelihood of successful implementation of evidence-based first aid techniques and practice, first aid education must consider aspects of context that promote and/or hinder implementation in these settings. Important, but not yet explicit enough in the new guidelines, is the permission needed to be given to first aid educators to create an authentic, intelligent and humanitarian approach to first aid learning. The goal is to encourage people to be creative and adapt to harsh realities using available resources without being distracted by theories which they cannot apply.

Role of Paralegal in Providing Access to Justice for the Poor: Comparing Indonesia and Malaysia

The Law on Legal Aid describes the duties and authorities of Paralegals, in practice several times it became controversial when previously paralegals were allowed to participate in proceedings in court, but after the Supreme Court's decision Number 22 P/HUM/2018 there were several articles that were deleted. Then, the role of paralegals can be maximized in providing legal assistance, especially for the underprivileged. The provision of legal aid can also be implemented properly if all stakeholders can synergize properly, one of which is with law enforcement as the cornerstone of the reflection of law in Indonesia. In several case studies, there have been many roles of paralegals who can provide non-litigation legal assistance to the general public, especially the poor and marginalized. In this case, there is concern about the role of law students which can also be maximized as a guard in legal counseling to the community, as well as sustainable assistance. It is hoped that the more people who are aware of the law will grow, the public's confidence in the law in Indonesia will also increase.

Opportunistic Non-Governmental Organisation Delivery of a Virtual Stop Smoking Service in England during the COVID-19 Lockdown.

Smoking cessation services have rapidly transformed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Changes include pivoting from face-to-face to telephone and video call support, remote provision of stop smoking aids and more flexible appointments. This study reports an evaluation of a charity-led smoking cessation service rapidly conceived and launched in this context. The pilot service accepted self-referrals in Yorkshire, England from 20 May 2020 to 5 June 2020. A dedicated smoking cessation practitioner provided 12 weeks of weekly behavioural support over telephone or video call. NRT and/or medication and/or e-cigarettes were posted to the participant bi-weekly for up to 12 weeks. Written and telephone evaluation questionnaires were administered post-programme. Of 79 participants, 57 (72.2%) self-reported a 4-week quit and 51 (64.6%) self-reported a 12-week quit. Those concurrently using e-cigarettes and NRT had an 84.1% 12-week quit rate. The majority of participants chose to use e-cigarettes and NRT in combination (55.7%). 39 participants completed an evaluation form, with at least 90% recording they were “very satisfied” with each service component. 27 participants completed a telephone interview, reporting a relationship with practitioners, as well as convenience, and organisational reputation as service strengths. Virtual services can be set up quickly and effectively in response to demand. Quit rates were highest for those concurrently using e-cigarettes and NRT. Service users value flexibility and convenience of remote support and posting of quit aids.

Beyond Dues: The Role of U.S. Military Aid in UN Peacekeeping Operations

ABSTRACT Shortfalls in personnel are common across UN peacekeeping operations (PKOs). An ongoing concern is that many PKOs lack sufficient resources to effectively fulfil their mandates. This may in turn be a major contributing factor to shortages of peacekeepers. How do provisions of non-personnel resources to UN PKOs shape other states’ voluntary commitments of peacekeeping personnel? This study focuses on the role of the U.S.’s voluntary peacekeeping assistance as a mechanism for reducing personnel shortfall. By providing additional assistance for specific peacekeeping operations, the U.S. enhances the ability of states that are willing but lack the resources to deploy peacekeepers and increases the willingness of states that are otherwise reluctant to make personnel commitments to these operations. In turn, these provisions of support lead to greater personnel commitments to the missions where the U.S. allocates this aid. Results from an analysis of U.S. peacekeeping assistance and personnel commitments within UN operations from 2000 to 2015 indicate that these aid provisions lead to reductions in shortfalls of peacekeepers. These findings suggest that the U.S. not only increases collective personnel commitments by providing this additional assistance but, in doing so, may also enhance the effectiveness of the missions it supports.

Soviet financial «aid» to military personnel in the western regions of Ukraine after world war II

The article deals with the provision of material aid by the state after World War II to the front-line soldiers of the western regions of Ukraine and at the same time the introduction of incredibly high taxes. To understand this society means in many ways to find approaches to solving modern problems. And although Soviet historiography presented this topic as a significant achievement, at present, all these «pluses» are perceived as components of the seizure of Ukrainian lands. The largest item of financial expenses was the payment of aid, and it was carried out at the expense of the republican budget on a monthly basis.At the same time, under the guise of aid to the post-war economy, the Soviet government, by providing insignificant aid, subsequently formed a new source of its income. We speak about compulsory grocery deliveries and taxes. The main ones were introduced in the USSR in 1944: agricultural, military, single and small-family (for absence of children in the family). As a result of these innovations, the share of income from taxation of the population in the budget has almost tripled. However, in order to show the «advantages» of the Soviet way of life, a group of beneficiaries who were provided with benefits was also defined.The next aid guaranteed by the government of the Ukrainian SSR was lending for household amenities. The difficult financial situation of families was found in all regions and most families were declared insolvent. It should not be forgotten, however, that a loan policy had been initiated. At first, the state pretended to provide financial aid, and soon unilaterally set the size of the loan in the national plan. For those who worked, it was a monthly salary, which was deducted by shares on a monthly basis during the year. About the «voluntary» desire to give funds was written in the newspapers about loans. Annual loans, which were carried out by the state, did not contribute to the improvement of the material well-being of Ukrainians.The patriotic heroics of the restoration era took over the problems of a particular person, was gradually accumulating in Ukrainian society in the late 1940s – early 1950s. After destroying and driving millions of people into the Gulag camps, Stalin forced the majority and workers to come to terms with a minimum of stability and prosperity.

Using a decision tree approach to determine hearing aid ownership in older adults

Purpose The main clinical intervention for older adults with hearing loss is the provision of hearing aids. However, uptake and usage in this population have historically been reported as low. The aim of this study was to understand the hearing loss characteristics, from measured audiometric hearing loss and self-perceived hearing handicap, that contribute to the decision of hearing aid ownership. Materials and methods A total of 2833 adults aged 50+ years, of which 329 reported hearing aid ownership, were involved with a population-based survey with audiometric hearing assessments. Classification and regression tree (CART) analysis was used to classify hearing aid ownership from audiometric measurements and hearing disability outcomes. Results An overall accuracy of 92.5% was found for the performance of the CART analysis in predicting hearing aid ownership from hearing loss characteristics. By including hearing disability, sensitivity for predicting hearing aid ownership increased by up to 40% compared with just audiometric hearing loss measurements alone. Conclusions A decision tree approach that considers both objectively measured hearing loss and self-perceived hearing disability, could facilitate a more tailored and personalised approach for determining hearing aid needs in the older population. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION Without intervention, older adults with hearing loss are at higher risk of cognitive decline and higher rates of depression, anxiety, social isolation. The provision of hearing aids can compensate hearing function, however, uptake and usage have been reported as low. Using a more precise cut-off from audiometric measures and self-perceived hearing disability scores could facilitate a tailored and personalised approach to screen and identify older adults for hearing aid needs.

Use and underuse of mobility aids in individuals with visual impairment: a cross-sectional study of a Norwegian sample

Purpose To examine the use and underuse of mobility aids in individuals with visual impairment. Methods A telephone survey including a probability sample of 736 adults who were members of the Norwegian Association of the Blind and Sighted (response rate: 61%). The interviews took place between January and May 2017, collecting information about access, use, underuse and training in five types of mobility aids (white cane, guide dog, GPS, door-to-door transport and sighted guide). For each mobility aid, we obtained data for underuse defined as non-use despite expecting benefits of use in terms of increased mobility or safety. Participants also answered questions about loneliness (Three-Item Loneliness Scale) and life satisfaction (Cantril’s Ladder of Life Satisfaction). Results Of the participants, 69% reported using at least one type of mobility aid. Use of specific aids ranged from 12% for the GPS to 52% for door-to-door transport. Estimates of underuse ranged between 14% for door-to-door transport and 28% for GPS. Underuse was not related to lack of resources, as many non-users expecting benefits had access to mobility aids and had undergone training in its use. For example, 81% of non-users of the white cane had access to a cane. In post hoc analyses, non-users who expected benefits from use had lower life satisfaction compared with users. Conclusions Many individuals with visual impairment do not use mobility aids. Strategies that help visually impaired individuals overcome barriers to the use of mobility aids may improve their sense of safety, mobility and quality of life. Implications of rehabilitation The best mobility aids are those being used. Rehabilitation professionals involved in the provision of mobility aids should be sensitive to the user’s lived experiences, and be alert of the cultural meanings of mobility aids and on disability in general. Rehabilitation professionals, social service workers and others need more knowledge of the psychosocial and cultural aspects related to why people do not use their mobility aids. A successful integration of mobility aids in people’s daily life cannot be achieved by sufficient accessibility alone. Structured routines for follow-up of those who receive aids should be implemented, so that the aids are actually used. Due to the high rates of underuse and its possible relation to quality of life, promoting regular use of mobility aids should be prioritized.

Counting on U training to enhance trusting relationships and mental health literacy among business advisors: protocol for a randomised controlled trial

BackgroundFinancial distress is thought to be a key reason why small-medium enterprise (SME) owners experience higher levels of mental health conditions compared with the broader population. Business advisors who form trusting, high-quality relationships with their SME clients, are therefore well placed to: (1) help prevent/reduce key sources of financial distress, (2) better understand the business and personal needs of their clients and, (3) recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health conditions and encourage help-seeking where appropriate. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of relationship building training (RBT) combined with mental health first aid (MHFA) training for business advisors with MHFA alone, on the financial and mental health of their SME-owner clients.MethodsThis is a single blind, two-arm randomised controlled trial. Participants will be business advisors who provide information, guidance and/or assistance to SME owner clients and are in contact with them at least 3 times a year. The business advisors will invite their SME-owner clients to complete 3 online surveys at baseline, 6- and 12-months. Business advisors will be randomised to one of two conditions, using a 1:1 allocation ratio: (1) MHFA with RBT; or (2) MHFA alone, and complete 3 online surveys at baseline, 2- and 6-months. Primary outcomes will be measured in the business advisors and consist of the quality of the relationship, stigmatizing attitude, confidence to offer mental health first aid, quality of life and provision of mental health first aid. Secondary outcomes will be measured in the SME owners and includes trust in their business advisors, the quality of this relationship, financial wellbeing, financial distress, psychological distress, help-seeking behaviour, and quality of life. To complement the quantitative data, we will include a qualitative process evaluation to examine what contextual factors impacted the reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance of the training.DiscussionAs there is evidence for the connections between client trust, quality of relationship and financial and mental wellbeing, we hypothesise that the combined RBT and MHFA training will lead to greater improvements in these outcomes in SME owners compared with MHFA alone.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04982094. Retrospectively registered 29/07/2021. The study started in February 2021 and the recruitment is ongoing.

Effects of Housing Aid on Psychosocial Health after a Disaster.

Little is known about whether the provision of aid in the aftermath of a large-scale natural disaster affects psychological well-being. We investigate the effects of housing assistance, a key element of the reconstruction program implemented after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Population-representative individual-level longitudinal data collected in Aceh, Indonesia, during the decade after the tsunami as part of the Study of the Tsunami Aftermath and Recovery (STAR) are used. Housing aid was targeted to people whose homes were destroyed and, to a lesser extent, damaged by the tsunami and to those who lived, at the time of the tsunami, in communities that sustained the greatest damage. The effects of receipt of aid on post-traumatic stress reactivity (PTSR) are examined using panel data models that take into account observed and unobserved individual-specific fixed characteristics that affect both PTSR and aid receipt, drawing comparisons in each survey wave between individuals who had been living in the same kecamatan when the tsunami hit. Those who received aid have better psychological health; the effects increase with time since aid receipt and are the greatest at two years or longer after the receipt. The effects are concentrated among those whose homes were destroyed in the tsunami.

Non-suffering Work: China's Medical Interventions in South Sudan

AbstractThis paper explores China's mode of medical intervention in South Sudan and compares it with the medical humanitarianism and global health imaginaries and modes of intervention that characterize the activities of the wider international community, especially NGOs and faith-based organizations. In their provision of medical aid to South Sudan, organizations of the international community largely draw on a discourse of suffering and a framework of emergency response to humanitarian crises in post-conflict settings, which often translates into vertical programmes which involve direct governance of the South Sudanese population. In contrast, China's contemporary medical interventions in South Sudan are a mixture of health diplomacy, health infrastructure and development aid, an assemblage which can be understood as a “non-suffering” model of care and a loosely defined apparatus of biopolitics. However, the obvious gap between national goals and the daily experiences of individual Chinese doctors suggests that this will be an uneven process of “becoming.”

Approach and solutions to congenital hearing impairment in Cameroon: perspective of hearing professionals

ObjectivesTo bring out the diagnostic attitude of hearing professionals in Cameroon towards congenital hearing impairment (CHI), assess availability of tests, neonatal screening, and create a national map of availability of treatment opportunities.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional online-based survey from June to December 2021, concerning ear–nose–throat (ENT) specialists, hearing care professionals, speech therapists and ENT nurses. A Google Forms online questionnaire was used to collect data, filled by eligible professionals involved in hearing care in Cameroon.ResultsA total of 93 professionals working in 31 different health facilities participated. A cumulative percentage of 79.9% of ENTs were found in just two out of 10 regions. Specialists sought by ENTs for assessment of patients with CHI included neurologists/neuro-pediatricians (96.8%), pediatricians (47.6%), other ENTs (34.9%), and psychologists (3.2%). Investigations requested included auditory-evoked brainstem response (ABR; 87.3%), otoacoustic emissions recording (OAE; 71.4%), and tympanometry (66.7%). There were eight OAE and nine ABR machines in the country. Twenty-five (88.6%) out of 31 facilities with otolaryngologists did not carry out systematic neonatal screening. Reasons included unavailability of equipment (21; 84%), and administrative delays (14; 56%). Sixteen (51.6%) facilities had ENTs with additional training in otologic surgery and 11 (35.5%) were equipped to perform ear surgery. Three centers (9.7%) specialized in hearing aid provision and maintenance services. Three hospitals (9.7%) had performed cochlear implantation.ConclusionOur results show scarcity and overt unevenness in distribution of specialists, equipment and solutions to CHI in Cameroon. A serious negative health care consequence of this shortage is the unavailability of universal newborn hearing screening and implementation programs.

Professional Judgment and Emergency Fund Programs: An Opportunity to Improve

In Spring 2020, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of students facing financial hardships increased as job losses mounted and schools closed their campuses. Schools, the federal government, and other organizations stepped in to help students deal with emergencies; but there are often hurdles to quickly getting emergency aid into the hands of students. While Title IV of the Higher Education Act provides a viable response mechanism through its emergency aid provisions, these provisions are underutilized. In this paper, we discuss ways in which schools can more effectively use professional judgment authority to quickly get emergency aid to students when they need it. We also discuss ways in which Congress can improve federal policy by removing needless restrictions.

СПІВРОБІТНИЦТВО ОРГАНІЗАЦІЇ ОБ’ЄДНАНИХ НАЦІЙ ТА УРЯДУ УКРАЇНИ У СФЕРІ ЗАХИСТУ ПРАВ ДІТЕЙ ЯК НАПРЯМ ЗАГАЛЬНОСОЦІАЛЬНОГО ПОПЕРЕДЖЕННЯ ЗЛОЧИННОСТІ: СУЧАСНІ АСПЕКТИ

At the beginning of the 21st century, many events of an international legal nature took place in the world, which were of great importance for the recognition of human rights and freedoms, and of children in particular, as the highest social value in society. These events also concern our country, which responds to them in a timely manner with appropriate changes in legislation. However, today the world community is faced with the existence of a number of political, economic and military threats, which pose a danger to an indefinite number of people, their most important personal rights and freedoms. We are talking about such things as hybrid wars, military occupations of some countries by others, armed conflicts, and, as a result, migration phenomena and refugees. The aforementioned threats also affected Ukraine with the beginning of the annexation of Crimea and the armed conflict in the east of the country. However, later the eight-year military conflict turned into a real military confrontation, the seizure of more and more territories of our country, continuous aerial bombardment of cities and infrastructure facilities, the death of the civilian population, finally unheard of compared to 2014, the scale of displaced and evacuated Ukrainians to safe places and abroad citizens. The issue of protecting the rights of people affected by these threats is one of the key tasks facing the Government of Ukraine. A prominent place in this issue is given to the problem of protecting the rights of children, who are the guarantor of the existence of the Ukrainian nation in the future. At the same time, it is noted that being alone with the military aggressor in the face of the Russian Federation, Ukraine felt the real friendly support of the entire international community both in the provision of military aid and in the process of supporting the least protected categories of the civilian population - women and children. In this article, the author characterizes the main directions of combating the criminal violation of children's rights in the conditions of a full-fledged military invasion of the territory of Ukraine and the challenges that the subjects of prevention are called to overcome. The role of the United Nations in cooperation with the Government of our country in the joint implementation of measures to overcome them is revealed separately.

Racial Ideology in Government Films: The Past and Present of the US Information Service’s Men of the Forest (1952)

Movies beyond the scope of Hollywood and entertainment have shaped notions of race in American culture since the early decades of cinema. A range of nontheatrical sponsors and creators in the US made films to serve practical functions in society—to inform, to organize, to persuade, to promote, etc. The US federal government was a major sponsor of many of these films, which provided American and foreign audiences depictions of race that differed considerably from popular commercial images. For example, Men of the Forest, a film made in 1952 by the United States Information Service focuses on the Hunters, a Black family who owns land and a forestry business in rural Georgia. A documentary of sorts, the film highlights Black life, work, and land ownership in the South in ways not seen in popular feature films of the day. Yet, in the film and others like it, histories of institutional racism are woven into cinematic form and content in ways that are distinct from the entertainment industry. The creators of Men of the Forest omit details of segregation in the South to emphasize the Hunter family as examples of American democracy, a choice suited to the film’s Cold War purpose: to counter the anti-American message of Soviet propaganda for foreign audiences. On one hand, by producing and distributing the film, the federal government acknowledged Black farmers and landowners in the Jim Crow South. On the other hand, it avoided the structural inequality surrounding the Hunters to frame their reality as an example of American democratic progress for international circulation. Today, government films like Men of the Forest prompt contemporary reflection on the institutional histories they represent and their evolution into the present. The film and many others are available online due to the digitization of collections from the National Archives, Library of Congress, and elsewhere. With this increase in access, contemporary scholars have the ability to investigate how the federal government and its various internal entities mediated racial ideologies with moving image technologies. As an example of such research, this essay examines Men of the Forest by focusing on the past and present contradictions that arise from its depiction of a Black family with land and an agricultural business in rural Georgia. Two recent events shed light on the histories reflected in the film and their contemporary significance. In 2018, Descendants of Men of the Forest, The Legacy Continues—a documentary created by family members of the film’s original participants—contextualized the original production as evidence of the Hunter family’s legacy in the community of Guyton, Georgia. Underlying this local effort, Men of the Forest serves as an important historical event and record of the family and the community. On a broader scale, in March 2021, Congress passed a large relief package for disadvantaged minority farmers, intended to help alleviate decades of systemic racism in government agricultural programs. Lawsuits from white farmers and conservative organizations followed quickly, challenging the provision of government aid based on race. In this federal context, Men of the Forest exposes an institutional image of individual success that downplays the structural racism facing people of color, especially those with agricultural livelihoods. Even as politics and legislation evolve, this vision of democracy once exported by the federal government has widespread currency and accumulating effects. The connections between Men of the Forest and these recent events reveal the racial politics at play in government films and the ways in which they take shape in the real world beyond the screen.

Quantitative Evaluation of Volume Augmentation and Durational Changes in the Anteromedial Cheek with Hyaluronic Acid Fillers Using Three-Dimensional Measurement: 2-Year Results from a Comparative Split-Face Study.

Hyaluronic acid fillers are widely used for the augmentation of facial soft tissues. Hyaluronic acid fillers can be monophasic or biphasic and have different characteristics, especially regarding volumetric effects and maintenance potential. However, there is paucity of long-term quantitative and objective data on clinical outcomes following hyaluronic acid injection. In this study, the authors evaluated volumetric changes over 2 years and the maintenance potentials of both types of fillers on the anteromedial cheek using objective three-dimensional measurements. This comparative split-face study enrolled participants aged 30 to 50 years who received a midfacial injection of the test filler (Belotero Volume) on one side and a random control filler (Juvéderm, Restylane SubQ, or Yvoire Contour) on the contralateral side. The authors conducted three-dimensional scanning assessments at baseline and after 30 minutes; 3 days; 2, 4, 12, and 24 weeks; and 2 years. The volume augmentation effects for the anteromedial cheek of two monophasic fillers (Belotero Volume and Juvéderm Voluma) were maintained for at least 2 years (81 percent and 66 percent, respectively, compared to the volume at 4 weeks). Two biphasic fillers (Yvoire Contour and Restylane SubQ) maintained over 50 percent volume compared to the volume 4 weeks after injection. Monophasic fillers showed better outcomes than biphasic fillers; however, both types of hyaluronic acid fillers demonstrated superior efficacy, safety, and durability for volumetric augmentation in the anteromedial cheek. Objective data obtained using three-dimensional imaging analysis will enable dermatologists to better demonstrate the results of the procedure to patients, through the provision of visual aids. Therapeutic, II.