Contemporary Objectives Research Articles

Individual Ultrasonographic Characteristics of Thyroid Nodules and Their Cytopathological Correlation to Determine Malignancy Risk.

Background Ultrasonographic evaluation of thyroid nodules is challenging due to their high frequency and low malignancy rate. The risk stratification system developed by the American College of Radiology (ACR) Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) focuses on addressing the primary contemporary objectives for these lesions, aiming to decrease unnecessary biopsies while maintaining a similar specificity compared with other risk stratification systems. Generally, when indicative of malignancy by ultrasound findings, the next best step in management is an evaluation by fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) and cytological analysis with The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC) resultsthat determine further evaluation requirements, actions that are based on the risk of malignancy (ROM) of the assigned category, which could include surgical intervention. Objectives To validate and analyze the individual impact of each ultrasonographic finding indicative of malignancy in the ACR TI-RADS guidelines based on their respective correlation with results obtained by TBSRTC. Materials and method Reports for 212 thyroid ultrasound-guided FNABs from 2018 to 2020 were assessed. Only 117 had both ACR TI-RADS and TBSRTC reports available and were analyzed. Nodules were divided into two groups: ROM < 5% (Bethesda 1, 2; n = 58), and ROM > 5% (Bethesda 3, 4, 5, 6; n = 59).Statistical analysis was performed using the x2 test and bivariate logistic regression model for each characteristic included in ACR TI-RADS. Results Individual ultrasound characteristics with a more pronounced distribution towards the Bethesda > 5% malignancy group were: solid or almost completely solid composition (n=53, 62.3%), very hypoechoic echogenicity (n=3, 75%), wider-than-tall shape (n=50, 50.5%), lobulated or irregular margin (n=23, 65.7%), punctate echogenic foci (n=18, 72%), and thyroid isthmus location (n=6, 75%). Statistically significant individual ultrasonographic characteristics indicative of malignancy included solid or almost completely solid (p = 0.005), very hypoechoic echogenicity (p = 0.046), margin lobulated or irregular (p = 0.031), and punctate echogenic foci (p = 0.015). No significant association was found in the taller-than-wide shape for differentiating malignant from benign lesions (p = 0.969). Conclusions Specific ultrasound characteristics identified in the ACR TI-RADS system demonstrate a stronger correlation with an increased risk of malignancy when compared with cytologic evaluation results. These characteristics include a solid composition, lobulated or irregular margins, punctate echogenic foci, and very hypoechoic echogenicity. Our findings revealedthat the scale points for the taller-than-wide characteristic do not adequately represent its true influence on the risk of malignancy.

Rapid preparation of nanocrystalline high-entropy alloy coating with extremely low dilution rate and excellent corrosion resistance via ultra-high-speed laser cladding

Ultra-high-speed laser cladding (UHSLC) not only offers an efficient solution to the limitations of conventional laser cladding but also aligns with the contemporary objectives of material conservation and efficiency enhancement in metal protective coatings. This study investigates the fabrication of CrFeCoNiMo0.2 high-entropy alloy (HEA) coatings using UHSLC and traditional laser cladding (TLC) methods. Key aspects such as macroscopic forming quality, element distribution, dilution rate, grain morphology, hardness, and electrochemical corrosion properties of both UHSLC and TLC coatings are thoroughly examined. Notably, UHSLC-produced coatings, with their significantly reduced thickness ranging from 100 to 300 μm, demonstrate an impressively low substrate dilution rate compared to the 2–3 mm thickness of TLC coatings. The rapid solidification inherent in UHSLC leads to smaller grain sizes in the coating, resulting in enhanced hardness. Moreover, the UHSLC coating exhibits superior corrosion resistance, characterized by a lower maintaining-passivity current density in 1 mol/L H2SO4 and a higher self-corrosion potential relative to TLC coatings. This work presents a novel approach, employing high-efficiency and low-cost laser-cladding technology, to minimize dilution in the matrix and improve the coating properties of HEAs.

Pedagogiczne konteksty humanistyki Floriana Znanieckiego w najnowszej interpretacji Lecha Witkowskiego – wnioski dla Ukrainy

The article substantiates the pedagogical aspects of the humanities as presented by the Polish scholar Florian Znaniecki, through the prism of current concerns of Ukrainian science, using the materials from Lech Witkowski’s extensive book Uroszczenia i transaktualność w humanistyce. Florian Znaniecki: dziedzictwo idei i jego pęknięcia [False claims and transactuality in the Humanities. Florian Znaniecki: the legacy of ideas and its ruptures.] Analysing Znaniecki’s contradictory viewpoints regarding the role of pedagogy in the system of humanistic knowledge, Witkowski convincingly emphasizes the “pedagogy” or pedagogical orientation of Znaniecki’s scientific work and identifies the actual tasks for modern pedagogy, based on the contradictions of modern cultural life or the democratic ideal. The author of the article attempts to place these emphases (Is pedagogy a humanistic or a social science?) and to reevaluate fundamental notions in the field of methodology through the prism of Ukrainian humanities. Witkowski also identifies contemporary objectives for modern pedagogy, drawing from the discrepancies observed in current cultural dynamics or the democratic paradigm. The author emphasizes the challenges of modern humanities in the context of the formation of democratic values, fostering national identity, promoting civic engagement, and media culture to counteract the information war, interdisciplinary approach, complementarity, and social orientation in the post-humanist paradigm. The article analyses some critical aspects of Znaniecki’s views in the latest interpretation of Witkowski, who convincingly goes beyond the traditional receptions of the Polish sociologist’s pedagogical discourses. The article highlights the topical issues of academic (dis)integrity, according to L. Witkowski’s book, in which Znaniecki’s theoretical concept of conjugated duality, irrationality, and bureaucratization of science gains significant prominence.

RUSSIA'S RECENT MIDDLE EAST ENGAGEMENTS: HITTING MULTIPLE BIRDS WITH A SINGLE STONE

During the early post-Cold War period, the global order witnessed a significant shift, with Western liberal democracy emerging as the predominant force. However, this ascent of the United States in pursuit of global dominance gave rise to a Security Dilemma, fostering the emergence of alternative powers in various regions worldwide. Among these, Russia has played a prominent role, notably in the Middle East. This study seeks to examine Russia's historical and contemporary objectives in the Middle East, analyzing its political, economic, and security pursuits. Through the lens of the "Security Dilemma," the article underscores Russia's transformation into a potent regional counterbalance to Western influence in various respects. The article concludes that the sustainability of Russia's gains depends on the fluid Middle East landscape, the continuation of Putin's leadership, and the influence of potential Western sanctions.

Freedom of Religion or Belief as a Legal Value in Contemporary Discourses on Human Rights

The article examines understudied dimensions of the interpretation of human rights in Ukrainian science, highlighting their key role in shaping the contemporary objectives and orientations for the right to freedom of religion or belief. This work reveals the main provisions regarding the definition and legal safeguarding of religious freedom in each of the modern approaches to the interpretation of human rights: the Sustainable Development Goals, the capability approach, decolonialism and the feminist approach.Along with the classical framework of international human rights law, these approaches broaden the spectrum of perspectives on realizing the right to freedom of religion or belief. The Sustainable Development Goals consider religious freedom in terms of achieving the well-being of present and future generations and leaving no one behind. The capability approach complements the formal definition of the right to religious freedom, with the individual’s actual ability to exercise such a right. Decolonial and feminist studies provide a thorough critique of established notions of law, deconstructing and reconstructing them through analysis of the rights and needs of women, indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups.Despite individual features in the interpretation of legal and social phenomena, all approaches (sustainable development, the capability approach, decolonialism, feminism and anti-discrimination) share one common characteristic: they offer an alternative point of view on the established relationships that exist in specific societies. The feminist approach, for example, is closely intertwined with the approach of decolonialism. In particular, in the case of wearing religious clothing, the choice of whether or not to wear such attire should be left to the women who are required to wear it, not to human rights defenders or arbitrators from other countries or institutions who can decide for the women that wearing religious clothing violates their rights.This research focuses on human rights, particularly freedom of religion, which is partly perceived through the Western, European-American vision of human rights. On the contrary, the abovementioned critical approaches present a new vision of established international legal provisions. It should be emphasized that critical does not mean negative. Through such critical thinking, the law has an opportunity to evolve and become more attuned to specific concepts or ideas. The view from within a particular societal group allows to provide a more objective understanding and interpretation of the human right to freedom of religion or belief.

The role of monetary and fiscal policies in determining environmental pollution: Revisiting the N-shaped EKC hypothesis for China.

The equilibrium between environmental quality and economic growth is one of the contemporary objectives of fiscal and monetary policies in the case of China. In this study, we investigate the extent of the existence of the N-shaped environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis and measure the collision of fiscal and monetary policy on carbon emissions within the economic growth perspectives that China is witnessing. This study examines the dynamic nexus between monetary supply, government expenditure, and carbon emissions in China over the spanning from 1980 to 2019. The findings demonstrate that the money supply reduces carbon emissions in the short- and long-run. Precisely, a 1-unit augmentation in monetary policy tool (money supply) will significantly reduce the pressure on the environment by 0.29332 unit in the long-run and 0.79311 unit in the short-run. In contrast, the fiscal policy instrument (government expenditure) contributes to the increase in carbon emissions. Specifically, a 1-unit increase in government expenditure will increase the carbon emission by 0.17835 and 0.48247 units in the long-run and short-run, respectively. Additionally, the result also confirmed the N-shaped EKC hypothesis. Particularly, at the initial stage of economic growth, there are 1.58659 and 4.29197 unit increas in carbon emission in the long-run and short-run, respectively. However, after taking the square of economic growth, this reduces the environmental pollution by 0.3018 and 0.81665 units in the long-run and short-run, respectively. Finally, the cubic form of economic growth shows the 0.01755 and 0.04747 units increase in the pollution level in the long-run and short-run, respectively. Moreover, the study also found the presence of a causality link between government expenditure, economic growth, and carbon emissions. These findings will aid policymakers in implementing fiscal and monetary policies that promote long-term development while lowering carbon emissions.

Incomplete crime as an object of humanization of the Russian criminal legislation

The subject. The article is devoted to the problems of simultaneous harmonization between the policy of humanization of the Russian criminal law and the reduction of the crime rate in society. The institute of incomplete crime is proposed as one of the promising areas of humanization of criminal legislation. The authors analyze the norms of the Russian Criminal Code which determine the essence of an incomplete crime, as well as the specifics of imposing punishment for its commission. The subject of the research also includes the strategic provisions of the Russian legislation, which reflect the main directions of the implementation of contemporary criminal policy, its goal and objectives. The purpose of the article is to confirm or dispute hypothesis that it is inadmissible to criminalize the actions committed at the stage of preparation for the commission of an intentional crime, as well as it is admissible to mitigate the liability for attempted crime. Research methodology and techniques are represented by a number of general scientific and specific scientific methods of cognition, used primarily in humanitarian research. The establishment of regularities between the growth of crime rates and the degree of criminalization, determined in the current criminal legislation, is ensured by the use of the dialectical method of cognition. The methods of analysis and synthesis were used to compare statistical data on the state of crime in Russia and the dynamics of the number of convicts serving imprisonment. Various methods of formal logic were applied in the process of evaluating measures aimed at ensuring the humanization of modern Russian criminal legislation. The method of comparative legal research was used to study the content of the norms on responsibility for an incomplete crime. The result of the study is proof of the necessity to decriminalize actions that are currently defined as "preparation for the commission of a grave or especially grave crime." The necessity of a significant reduction in the degree of punitive criminal-legal impact on persons found guilty of an attempt to commit an intentional crime has been substantiated. Conclusions. It as expedient to partially decriminalize an incomplete crime and exclude this institution from the General Part of the Russian Criminal Code. This decision fully complies with the fundamental principles of criminal law: legality, guilt, justice, and will also ensure the effectiveness of the implementation of the modern policy of humanizing Russian criminal legislation.

The Importance of the Concept of Sustainable Development in the Formulation of the Assumptions of Contemporary European Public Security Policy

&lt;p&gt;Koncepcja sustainable development została wprowadzona na forum międzynarodowe za sprawą raportu Brundtland w 1987 r. (Our Common Future). Jej pojawienie się z pewnością można uznać za przełom w dotychczasowym myśleniu o społeczeństwie i przyrodzie. Aby rozwój był samopodtrzymujący się lub trwały, musi łączyć ze sobą trzy elementy: utrzymywanie równości społecznej przy jednoczesnym wzroście gospodarczym oraz ochrona środowiska naturalnego z uwzględnieniem tak obecnych, jak i przyszłych pokoleń. Rozwój taki nie jest stanem statycznym, lecz procesem transformacji, który uwzględnia warunki społeczne, gospodarcze i środowiskowe. W dyskusjach nad kształtem koncepcji sustainable developement prowadzonych w ostatnich latach przeważa nastawienie europocentryczne, co jest wynikiem obecności tego rozwoju w strategiach gospodarczych państw uznawanych za rozwinięte pod względem cywilizacyjnym i o wysokiej ogólnospołecznej odpowiedzialności. Tymczasem początki dyskusji nad koncepcją rozwoju samopodtrzymującego się odnoszą się do problematyki państw słabo rozwiniętych. Wywodzą się one z lat 60. i mają niewiele wspólnego z zaawansowaniem społeczno-gospodarczym. Dzięki swoim środkom oraz doświadczeniu państwa rozwinięte mogą stać się „przekaźnikami” założeń koncepcji, zabezpieczając i stabilizując sytuację w państwach sąsiadujących z UE. Przykładem takiej polityki bezpieczeństwa UE jest współpraca z państwami rozwijającymi się w basenie Morza Śródziemnego (BMŚ), które są odbiorcami zarówno środków, jak i wiedzy z tą koncepcją związanych. Wzajemna współpraca w ustanawianiu ram do jej stosowania sprzyja bezpieczeństwu wspólnego regionu, jakim jest BMŚ. Celem tak określonego obszaru badań jest analiza koncepcji rozwoju samopodtrzymującego się w kontekście formułowania założeń współczesnej europejskiej polityki bezpieczeństwa i ochrony porządku publicznego, biorąc pod uwagę uwarunkowania tej polityki wynikające z bliskiego sąsiedztwa społeczeństw odmiennych kulturowo.&lt;/p&gt;

Natural products chemistry: The emerging trends and prospective goals

The role and contributions of natural products chemistry in advancements of the physical and biological sciences, its interdisciplinary domains, and emerging of new avenues by providing novel applications, constructive inputs, thrust, comprehensive understanding, broad perspective, and a new vision for future is outlined. The developmental prospects in bio-medical, health, nutrition, and other interrelated sciences along with some of the emerging trends in the subject area are also discussed as part of the current review of the basic and core developments, innovation in techniques, advances in methodology, and possible applications with their effects on the sciences in general and natural products chemistry in particular. The overview of the progress and ongoing developments in broader areas of the natural products chemistry discipline, its role and concurrent economic and scientific implications, contemporary objectives, future prospects as well as impending goals are also outlined. A look at the natural products chemistry in providing scientific progress in various disciplines is deliberated upon.

Using Historical Accounts (1796–1881) to Inform Contemporary Wildlife Management in the Yellowstone Area

Describing historic wildlife communities is important for evaluating changes in ecosystems through time and developing contemporary objectives for conservation and restoration. The early historical record in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has been analyzed many times using a small number of written accounts, with interpretations vigorously disputed among historians, scientists, and other stakeholders. We compiled a comprehensive narrative of thousands of first-hand accounts of wildlife in the ecosystem during 1796–1881, summarized them in a georeferenced relational database, and categorized and mapped output from queries to clarify conflicting past perceptions and gain insights for contemporary management issues. The historical record indicates large mammals such as bison (Bison bison), elk (Cervus elaphus), pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), and wolves (Canis lupus) were present and widespread in present-day Yellowstone National Park and the larger ecosystem prior to Euro-American colonization. However, casual observations could not be used to estimate population sizes, relative abundances, seasonal movements and migration routes, or periods of occupancy with certainty. Despite these shortcomings, the approach was useful for informing contemporary management issues regarding wolf restoration, seasonal distributions of ungulates, and whether mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) were native to the Yellowstone area. Similar evaluations could be conducted elsewhere to clarify historic wildlife conditions and provide reference information for modern conservation decisions.

Minimalist breast conserving surgical approaches for inferiorly sited cancers.

Contemporary data suggests that breast conservation treatment (BCT) may confer a survival advantage when compared to mastectomy. Hence, it would be logical to adopt strategies which increase eligibility of successful BCT without compromising oncologic principles or cosmetic outcome. With respect to achieving good aesthetics, inferiorly sited breast cancers pose a particular technical challenge. A vast array of techniques, collectively referred to as oncoplastic breast surgery (OBS) have been developed to minimise post treatment distortion. The purported advantages of these approaches are the acquisition of wider margins and reduced re-excision rates. However, to date, there is a lack of data demonstrating significant reduction in local recurrence and overall survival when compared with less extensive procedures. In this review, "minimalist" procedures are described where strict oncologic criteria of clear margins are fulfilled and acceptable cosmesis are simultaneously achieved. These techniques offer less tissue loss, less extensive parenchymal mobilisation and shorter operating times without compromising margin status and aesthetics. They involve the combination of innovative incision designs and certain parenchymal resection patterns. Incision designs include the boomerang, golf-tee, anchor and arrowhead incisions which have been previously described but not widely used. Parenchymal resection patterns follow the "sick lobe hypothesis". These techniques, termed "reductionist", or "minimalist" comprising approaches where breast conserving surgery is condensed to its irreducible elements, offer alternatives which align with contemporary objectives of surgery where optimal survival outcomes are achieved through individualised procedures resulting in reduced iatrogenic impact. This logically allows scope for de-escalation of surgical therapy for breast cancer.

The game of ‘activist’ hedge funds: Cui bono?

This article aims to describe the contemporary objectives and tactics of activist hedge funds as well as the actions taken by the targeted companies as a result of their intervention. In this research, we explore the consequences of activism over time (impact on operational performance and share price returns) and compare these with a random sample of firms with similar characteristics at the time of intervention; we also analyse the singularities associated with salient sub-groups of targeted firms. The sample used for our research consists of all 259 firms targeted by activist hedge funds in 2010 and 2011. We found evidence that any improvements in operating performance (return on assets, return on equity, Tobin’s Q) result mainly from selling assets, cutting capital expenditures, buying back shares, reduce workforce and other basic financial manoeuvres. Although there is no evidence of deterioration over a 3-year period, the stock’s performance of targeted companies over a 3-year span barely matches the performance of a random sample of companies. We found that the best way for activists to make money for their funds is to get the company sold off or substantial assets spun off. If not sold, the hedge fund episode often results for the targeted firms in change of senior management and board members, stagnation of assets and R&D. This research does not provide any evidence of the superior strategic sagacity of hedge fund managers, but does point to their keen understanding of what moves stock prices in the short term.

Shifting Grounds

The framework of the new penology will be applied to reveal how the contemporary objectives of incarceration have functioned to alter the role of Canadian provincial correctional officers (COs). Specifically, changing policy and legislation toward a more punitive agenda shape the daily operations of correctional facilities and how COs interact with those in their custody. Rehabilitative initiatives of any kind appear to be pushed aside, as the new or intensifying challenges associated with the growing prisoner populations and changing penal discourses are addressed. Semistructured face-to-face interviews were conducted with Canadian provincial COs and data from these interviews were analyzed to explicate the ways in which the new penology has reshaped COs’ employment in part due to their obligatory adherence to increasingly punitive managerial directives including an increased reliance on using disciplinary segregation. Findings suggest officer strain is impacted by their lack of agency and decision-making capabilities in light of these occupational changes. Our findings also evince that although COs work in a too often negative environment, many believe in the rehabilitative potential of incarceration and, further, oppose the use of segregation.

Optimization of periodontal tissue through orthodontic dental movement

Case report of: a patient with severe inactive periodontitis, bone loss in the upper and lower anterior segments, supra-eruption of the upper and lower central incisors and spacing. Objective: To increase alveolar bone volume in the anterior segments, level and align the dental arches, upright incisors, close spaces and improve stability, function and esthetics. Method: Orthodontic appliances were bonded, both dental arches were leveled and aligned; the incisors were intruded and their inclination corrected. Results: Alveolar bone volume was increased in the anterior segments thus reducing the bony defect between upper central incisors. Stability, function and aesthetics were improved. Conclusions: The orthoperio relationship has been well established, and the benefits of this relationship help the orthodontist to achieve contemporary treatment objectives.

Multiple approaches to heritage in urban regeneration: the case of City Gate, Valletta

Using heritage resources within local urban regeneration is rarely a simple matter of preserving some structures or relating some historical events and presuming that this will make some contribution to the contemporary objectives of regeneration. Buildings, spaces and historic narratives are not in themselves heritage but they can become it. This paper examines a single case seeking answers to the question, ‘how does heritage happen?’ and specifically explores the variety of ways in which built environmental forms in particular can be treated in order to use heritage to achieve contemporary regeneration objectives.

Narodowe formacje wojskowe w Rosji bolszewickiej i Związku Sowieckim w latach 1918–1943 i ich rola w polityce ekspansji imperium

National Military Formations in Bolshevik Russia and the Soviet Union in 1918–1943 and Their Role in the Policy of Imperial ExpansionNational military units appeared in Bolshevik Russia already during the so–called October Revolution and predominantly the period known as the “Civil War” or the “Struggle against the Counter–Revolution”. It is highly probable that upon this stage in the history of Bolshevik Russia the existence of such armies was supposed to bolster the self–esteem of the vanquished nations and their elites and to preserve the mistaken conviction that Red Russia respected their right to self–determination and was devoid of imperial or Russification leanings. These armies, based on voluntary recruitment and during the winter even disbanded, resembled rather a Red militia, not to mention a commonplace gang. Nonetheless, the application of a national rhetoric made it easier to conceal the true Bolshevik targets, i.e. the reconstruction and even the expansion of the former tsarist Empire. It seems worthwhile to draw attention to a certain continuum of the Russian/Soviet or Putinesque line pursued by the Russian state and a strategic scheme planned at least decades ahead, regardless of its provenance. Today, the counterpart of the ”national” armies and governments involves ”independent” separatists and their military and political structures as well as long ago devised models of conduct (elections, plebiscites, rhetoric suitable for a presentation of arguments, etc.). Hence an analysis of former military–political conceptions may well serve contemporary objectives.

The Game of 'Activist' Hedge Funds: Cui Bono?

This article aims to describe the contemporary objectives and tactics of activist hedge funds as well as the actions taken by the targeted companies as a result of their intervention. In this research, we explore the consequences of activism over time (impact on operational performance and share price returns) and compare these with a random sample of firms with similar characteristics at the time of intervention; we also analyse the singularities associated with salient sub-groups of targeted firms. The sample used for our research consists of all 259 firms targeted by activist hedge funds in 2010 and 2011. We found evidence that any improvements in operating performance (return on assets, return on equity, Tobin’s Q) result mainly from selling assets, cutting capital expenditures, buying back shares, reduce workforce and other basic financial manoeuvres. Although there is no evidence of deterioration over a 3-year period, the stock’s performance of targeted companies over a 3-year span barely matches the performance of a random sample of companies.We found that the best way for activists to make money for their funds is to get the company sold off or substantial assets spun off. If not sold, the hedge fund episode often results for the targeted firms in change of senior management and board members, stagnation of assets and R&D. This research does not provide any evidence of the superior strategic sagacity of hedge fund managers, but does point to their keen understanding of what moves stock prices in the short term.

Festival circus, golden gnomes and cultural diplomacy. The Audi Festival of German films in the context of multicultural festivals in Australia

This report discusses the festival, its distinct profile, target groups, mode of operation, selection process, development over the years, and challenges within a wider context. International film festivals can help to broaden the viewers’ horizons, enhance cultural awareness and create public value in a city's social and cultural fabric. The prominent contemporary culture industry challenges traditional aspirations, aims and objectives of cultural diplomacy. As a multicultural festival, the German Film Festival must engage with both these contemporary and traditional objectives. This report examines how the festival has engaged, and continues to engage, with the ongoing demands of cultural diplomacy and offers cultural policy recommendations for international festivals. It will cover how the festival strategically sustains a niche not serviced by usual cinema programming, appeals beyond the German diasporic audience, takes an event-based approach to programming and pursues public–private partnerships to this end.

United States foreign policy interests in the Antarctic

This paper aims to examine US national interests in the Antarctic as they relate to contemporary American foreign policy objectives in the region. The paper poses two key questions: What are the dimensions of contemporary US national interests in the Antarctic? What possible developments by other Antarctic Treaty parties might undermine the ability of the United States to attain its national interest objectives in the region? The international peace and political stability established in Antarctica by the Antarctic Treaty parties remains indispensable for successful pursuit by the United States of its core interests in the region and has become an important objective in its own right. Continued leadership by the United States in Antarctic matters should continue to well serve US national interests in the Antarctic well into the twenty‐first century.

Worlds Apart? Lower-income Households and Private Renting in Australia and the UK

The private rental sectors (PRS) in Australia and the UK differ substantially in terms of size and composition, institutional settings, and historical role in their respective housing systems. However, governments in both countries envisage the PRS as playing an enhanced role in accommodating lower-income households, in part to offset declining opportunities to access social housing. In examining this development we ask how far contemporary housing policy objectives can be met within current institutional settings for the PRS. We examine the sector's role within the broader rental housing market and the institutional settings for the PRS in the two countries, which affect outcomes for lower-income private tenants. The paper argues that achieving policy objectives to house lower-income households in the PRS, as well as in social housing, will require attention to the institutional settings for the PRS in addition to the acknowledged need to nurture supply. We examine prospects for better coordination between housing and related public policies and regulation of the PRS, and for a move to a more integrated rental market.