Initial Leader Research Articles

Analyzing the journey and future trajectories of clean cooking research in India: a bibliometric analysis and case study research

The clean cooking challenge in India is deeply intertwined with socioeconomic, cultural, and infrastructural barriers. Despite government initiatives, a significant portion of the population still depends on solid biomass for cooking, leading to severe health, environmental, and social consequences. Energy poverty limits access to affordable clean fuels, especially for low-income households, creating a complex scenario where economic growth alone does not drive a shift toward cleaner cooking options. Our study identifies three primary research themes in clean cooking: accessibility in rural areas, advancements in cookstove technology, and health impacts of indoor air pollution, particularly for vulnerable groups. This research aligns closely with SDG 7 (Affordable & Clean Energy) and contributes to SDGs 3 (Health) and 13 (Climate Action), highlighting the broader benefits of transitioning to cleaner energy sources. However, gaps remain in addressing SDGs 4 (Education), 16 (Institutions), and 17 (Partnerships), pointing to a need for greater policy integration and collaborative efforts. The case studies further illustrate challenges and disruptions caused by COVID-19, including setbacks in clean fuel programs and increased indoor pollution, emphasizing the urgency for supportive policies. India’s clean cooking policies have implications not only for its socioeconomic and environmental health but also for setting a regional benchmark in sustainable energy, positioning the country as a potential leader in clean energy initiatives across Asia. India’s clean cooking policies have implications beyond domestic benefits, potentially serving as a model for sustainable energy practices across Asia and bolstering global progress toward SDG targets.

Right-to-Repair, Product Durability and Obsolescence: A Legal Perspective

There is a growing global consensus on the need to enhance product durability as a response to increasing concerns about waste and consumer rights. Modern equipment, including motor vehicles, farm and construction machinery, and consumer goods, has become more sophisticated, making repairs more complex and costly. Manufacturers often restrict access to repair manuals, software updates, and spare parts, or design products in ways that impede easy repair. This article examines the interconnected concepts of the right to repair, product durability, obsolescence, and consumer rights protection. The European Union (EU) has emerged as a leader in consumer protection initiatives, introducing comprehensive measures addressing the right to repair and product durability. These initiatives have been widely adopted, either fully or partially, by nations across the globe. This study analyzes the EU's key legislative and regulatory approaches, concluding that they are highly consumer-centric and provide a valuable framework for other jurisdictions. However, one critical area requiring further attention is product recycling. The article emphasizes that manufacturers, sellers, and recycling companies should be held accountable for managing their waste domestically, adhering to the highest workplace safety and environmental standards. Governments are encouraged to promote the reuse of products and establish systems that facilitate repair and reuse activities. Additionally, the authors advocate for an expanded research program to enable large-scale industrial recycling of consumer waste, ensuring a more sustainable and circular economy. This study highlights the importance of a holistic approach to addressing product durability and repairability, advancing global consumer and environmental interests.

Internationally Educated Nursing Staff Caring for Older Adults: A Scoping Study.

Internationally Educated Nursing staff (IENs) are born and obtained their initial educational preparation in their home country before relocating to work in high-income countries (e.g., United States). Older adults are recipients of IENs' care. The study purpose was to synthesize relevant findings on IENs' experiences caring for older adults in various settings. Arksey and O'Malley's framework approach to Scoping studies was employed. The PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases were searched. A labor and employment relations researcher and a health science librarian were consulted. Three main themes (transitional challenges; IENs' experiences working with older adults; factors affecting IEN service delivery) and seven subthemes emerged. Cultural beliefs and communication barriers posed particular challenges to IENs as they worked with Western peers, older adults, and families. Facilitating factors revealed can inform administrative leaders of practice initiatives. Research gaps and limitations identified can guide future study approaches.

Strategic Significance of Joint Committees for Cooperation Between Three Seas Initiative’s Countries and the United Arab Emirates

The 21st century has brought many changes both in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and in the Middle East, where the United Arab Emirates demonstrates its will play the role of a leader in many initiatives in the international arena. In 2016, 12 CEE countries launched the Three Seas Initiative (3SI) for the implementation of strategic economic projects to adapt to new international challenges. This research paper aims to find an answer to the research question of what is the Joint Committees’ – J(E)C role and significance for relations between the United Arab Emirates and Three Seas Initiative countries? To achieve the set research goal, both quantitative and qualitative methods were applied, considering the quantitative potential of the analysed countries’ power to adapt to the international environment and influence its players. Then, a comparative analysis was used in terms of J(E)C sessions, top-level visits, and trade trends. The research findings show that the most important thing to achieve the strategic level of relations is the political will and the appropriate strategy. However, countries with high potential, and perceived power, do not need J(E)C for the stable development of economic cooperation. The research results indicate that in strategic partnership with the UAE, Austria has a role and position in energy and Romania in transport. On the other hand, Poland connecting both strategic routes appear as an economic hub.

Whiteness in the bones: Structures and practices in justice-centered teacher preparation

Drawing on critical race theory and critical whiteness studies, this year-long critical ethnography explores the question: How do justice-centered reform initiative leaders’ work practices and policies reproduce or disrupt racial inequities? Findings indicate patterns that reflected a commitment to raising awareness of racial injustice in education among reform initiative leaders while at the same time operating with white ideologies that led to unequal power dynamics, operating structures rooted in whiteness that avoided the possibility of institutional change, and acknowledgment of racial bias with little action to alter it. Implications for teacher education are included.

Financial model for a transitional pain service at a large tertiary academic center in the USA

Approximately 1 in 10 patients undergoing surgery is considered at high risk for poor pain and opioid-related outcomes due to chronic pain or persistent opioid use prior to surgery, leading...

From vision to reality: how school leaders nurture deeper learning

PurposeThis article details findings on how leaders of deeper learning schools establish, maintain, and propel unique teaching and learning environments. In this case study, the authors present findings from data collected through interviews with 30 leaders of self-proclaimed deeper learning initiatives and site visits to those elementary and secondary schools.Design/methodology/approachUsing a case study approach, the authors collected data from interviews and observations of 30 school leaders.FindingsThe study's findings indicate how leaders of schools that engage in deeper learning tend to adhere to three core practices. First, the leaders of deeper learning schools in this study intently listened to the community to ascertain needs and desires; this drove the vision. Second, leaders of deeper learning schools created learning spaces that empowered students and gave them voice, agency, and choice. Third, leaders of deeper learning schools sought to humanize the schooling experience.Practical implicationsThis study provides actionable examples of what leaders currently do to engage kids and teachers in deeper learning. These leaders offer insights into specific actions and practices that they espoused to make the schooling experience markedly different.Originality/valuePrevious studies focused on the deeper learning of schools and students. This is one of the first studies to focus on the inteplay between deeper learning and school leaders.

Quantitative Relationship Between Current Pulses and Associated Low‐Frequency Magnetic Fields During Initial Stage of Rocket‐Triggered Lightning

AbstractThe quantitative relationship between the channel‐base current and the associated low‐frequency magnetic field (B‐field) during the early stage of rocket‐triggered lightning was examined based on field experiments and numerical simulation. There is a good correlation between the current pulse and the corresponding B‐field pulse in terms of amplitude and duration. In specific, the duration of current pulse is approximately proportional to that of the corresponding B‐field pulse for precursors and initial upward leaders; as for the pulse amplitude, the linear correlation is more apparent for the initial upward leaders when compared to the precursors, with the ratio of B‐field pulse and current pulse between 1.7 and 2.0, which is always greater than that (0.97–1.32) for the precursors. A response function is established to show the quantitative relationship in the time domain between the current pulse and the associated B‐field pulse, which is considered as the convolution of the current pulse and the response function. Meanwhile, the current waveform can be obtained if the measured B‐field pulse is de‐convolved with the response function. The simulation results are in good agreement with the measurement, which proves that our approach is accurate and efficient to quantify the relationship between the current and the B‐field pulse of the initial leader discharges.

The CoGenerate Innovation Fellowship: Supporting Leaders of Intergenerational Initiatives

ABSTRACT This Case Report provides a detailed overview of the CoGenerate Innovation Fellowship, a 9-month fellowship that supports leaders of intergenerational initiatives developed by the national nonprofit organization, CoGenerate. It describes the Fellowship’s recruitment and cohort development strategies, monthly meetings and community-building efforts, end-of-Fellowship celebration, and post-Fellowship support. It summarizes findings from the two-year pilot’s process and outcomes evaluation and provides recommendations to individuals and organizations seeking to support social sector innovators who are leading intergenerational initiatives.

From idea to systems solution: enhancing access to primary care in Malawi

Malawi, like many other countries, faces challenges in providing accessible, affordable, and quality health services to all people. The Malawian policy framework recognizes the value of communities and citizens, as co-creators of health and leaders of localized and innovative initiatives, such as social innovations.Social innovations involve and include communities and citizens, as well as bring about changes in the institutions responsible for care delivery. In this article, we describe the institutionalization process of a citizen-initiated primary care social innovation, named Chipatala Cha Pa Foni, focused on extending access to health information and appropriate service-seeking behavior.An interdisciplinary multi-method qualitative case study design was adopted, drawing on data collected from key informant interviews, observations, and documents over an 18-month period. A composite social innovation framework, informed by institutional theory and positive organizational scholarship, guided the thematic content analysis. Institutional-level changes were analyzed in five key dimensions as well as the role of actors, operating as institutional entrepreneurs, in this process.A subset of actors matched the definition of operating as Institutional Entrepreneurs. They worked in close collaboration to bring about changes in five institutional dimensions: roles, resource flows, authority flows, social identities and meanings. We highlight the changing role of nurses; redistribution and decentralization of health information; shared decision-making, and greater integration of different technical service areas.From this study, the social innovation brought about key institutional and socio-cultural changes in the Malawi health system. These changes supported strengthening the system’s integrity for achieving Universal Health Coverage by unlocking and cultivating dormant human-based resources. As a fully institutionalized social innovation, Chipatala Cha Pa Foni has enhanced access to primary care and especially as part of the Covid-19 response.

Variation in Implementing Dementia-Friendly Community Initiatives: Advancing Theory for Social Change.

Dementia-friendly communities (DFC) have emerged as a global movement to make communities more supportive and inclusive of people living with dementia (PLWD) and their care partners. This study contributes to a nascent body of research on DFC initiatives by building theory on their local implementation. Based on an analysis of data from semi-structured interviews with 23 leaders of initiatives in Massachusetts (United States), we aimed to identify key dimensions of variation in the implementation of DFC initiatives. We found that all initiatives engaged in a common set of activities, such as the facilitation of training about dementia and improving services for PLWD. Although initiatives mostly engaged in these activities in ways that targeted the community at large, in some instances, they concentrated their efforts on enhancing the dementia-friendliness of their own organizations. We describe ways in which financial, social, and human capital operate as key factors that influence the initiatives' primary focus (i.e., the community at large or their own organization). Our findings suggest the importance of helping DFC initiative leaders more explicitly specify the focal ecological level of their efforts throughout the trajectory of their work, especially in the context of resource considerations. Results also indicate ways in which DFC initiative efforts at one systems level can support those at other levels over time.

Shaping our collective futures: activism, analysis, solidarity

ABSTRACT This paper offers a scholar/activist's reflections on some key conceptual and political articulations shaping current food systems analysis to illustrate that crucial knowledge about food systems and social transformation is generated in a variety of sites and ways. Drawing on personal experiences as one of the initial leaders in the global movement, La Via Campesina, the author explores the emergence of food sovereignty, the struggles of agrarian feminists for gender parity, the recognition of women's work, and agro-ecology as sites for the generation of knowledge needed for justice, food systems transformation and the restoration of rural environments.

Preference-Matched Multitask Assignment for Group Socialization under Mobile Crowdsensing.

Mobile crowdsensing (MCS) has been an emerging sensing paradigm in recent years, which uses a sensing platform for real-time processing to support various services for the Internet of Things (IoT) and promote the development of IoT. As an important component of MCS, how to design task assignment algorithms to cope with the coexistence of multiple concurrent heterogeneous tasks in group-oriented social relationships while satisfying the impact of users' preferences on heterogeneous multitask assignment and solving the preference matching problem under heterogeneous tasks, is one of the most pressing issues. In this paper, a new algorithm, group-oriented adjustable bidding task assignment (GO-ABTA), is considered to solve the group-oriented bilateral preference-matching problem. First, the initial leaders and their collaborative groups in the social network are selected by group-oriented collaboration, and then the preference assignment of task requesters and users is modeled as a stable preference-matching problem. Then, a tunable bidding task assignment process is completed based on preference matching under budget constraints. Finally, the individual reasonableness, stability, and convergence of the proposed algorithm are demonstrated. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and its superiority to other algorithms are verified by simulation results.

PILOTING AN INTERGENERATIONAL ECOSYSTEM: THE GEN2GEN INNOVATION FELLOWSHIP AND RESULTS FROM YEAR 1

Abstract Intergenerational service has a long history in the U.S., highlighting the positive health and well-being outcomes of bringing the generations together. In recent years, private foundations have increased their focus on intergenerational initiatives, yet the creation of an “intergenerational ecosystem” that is designed to spark, grow, and support new intergenerational initiatives has not been nationally tested. In response, Encore.org launched the Gen2Gen Innovation Fellowship in 2020 to pilot and hone a 9-month fellowship model that supports a diverse group of leaders of intergenerational initiatives. To assess the impact of the Fellowship, we employed a mixed-methods approach with subjective and objective data sources, including interviews and monthly and post-Fellowship surveys. Among the first cohort of 15 Fellows, results suggest that the cohort-style model encouraged peer-to-peer support and that the Fellowship positively influenced their intergenerational efforts. We conclude by describing lessons learned to inspire future efforts to strengthen the intergenerational ecosystem.

FORGING AND SUPPORTING INTERGENERATIONAL CONNECTIONS: THE BREADTH OF INTERGENERATIONAL SCHOLARSHIP

Abstract Research on intergenerational connections is wide ranging, highlighting the various ways that people from across the life course interact for mutual and community benefit. Intergenerational connections occur through both formal (e.g., community service programs) and informal (e.g., family interactions) means. Studies have shown that intergenerational connections can lead to an assortment of physical, social, psychological, and interpersonal health and well-being outcomes for younger and older people alike. This symposium will highlight the breadth of research on intergenerational connections, bringing together scholars who have used primary and secondary data to better measure, understand, and support them. The first presentation will report the results of a randomized controlled trial in Tarrant County, Texas that trained college students to connect with older adults experiencing cognitive impairment through reminiscence and digital storytelling. The second presentation will describe how intergenerational transfers of emotional and instrumental support relate to self-rated health among older Chinese adults living in Honolulu while considering the roles of gender and resilience. The third presentation will address an important question within intergenerational scholarship—how to measure intergenerational connections—by reporting the results of the newly developed and validated Intergenerational Contact survey among an online sample of younger and older adults. The fourth presentation will describe the pilot-year evaluation of the Gen2Gen Innovation Fellowship, a cohort model that supports and connects leaders of intergenerational initiatives throughout the U.S. To conclude, our discussant will place these diverse studies into context and note places for continued innovation in intergenerational scholarship to better inform the field.

Transition in Optical and Radio Features During the Early Development of Negative Intracloud Leader

AbstractWhat happens when the upward in‐cloud (IC) breakdown transitions into horizontally expanding extension? Optical observations of this transition in IC lightning have not previously been reported. We identify the radio and optical signatures of this transition in low‐frequency (LF) magnetic, very high frequency interferometric and space‐borne optical measurements. For initial IC development in stratiform clouds, the ratio of 337/777.4 nm radiance is above unity prior to the transition but is almost always below unity after the transition. In particular, the 337 nm radiance drops significantly while the 777.4 nm radiance remains almost invariant after the transition, suggesting when the dominant illumination process of IC leaders changes from cold streamer discharges to a likely stepped leader. Furthermore, this transition in the LF and optical measurements resembles the reported changes in the cloud‐to‐ground measurements from initial leader to stepped leader, indicating that the initial leader may be physically different from the stepped leader.

Multiple Cooperative Task Allocation in Group-Oriented Social Mobile Crowdsensing

Mobile crowdsensing, a new paradigm, has drawn much attention from the online community, in which mobile users are connected by using smartphones with sharing of information via mobile social networks. Multiple cooperative task allocation (MCTA) is a crucial problem in mobile crowdsensing, where each task requires more than one user to cooperatively complete. As more and more users join sensing tasks in groups, it is indispensable to develop a group-oriented crowdsensing mechanism supporting MCTA. However, existing studies generally focus on a group that can provide sufficient users to accomplish a task. Once these groups no longer exist, the corresponding task will be discarded or be performed with compromised quality. In this article, we propose a novel three-phase approach named Group-oriented Cooperative Crowdsensing (GoCC) to tackle the MCTA problem in social mobile crowdsensing. This approach exploits real-life relationships in the social network to form compatible groups, which improves the task coverage via group-oriented cooperation while achieving good task cooperation quality. Specifically, phase 1 selects a subset of users on the social network as initial leaders and directly pushes sensing tasks to them. Phase 2 utilizes the leaders to search for their socially connected users to model groups. Phase 3 presents the process of group-oriented task allocation for solving the MCTA problem. Experiments on the real-world dataset validate that our approach significantly outperforms the representative approaches.

Approach to advanced practice nursing student clinical during COVID-19.

Approach to advanced practice nursing student clinical during COVID-19.

Youth Councils of the Heads of Local Governments in Leningradskaya Oblast’

The article is devoted to the analysis of youth councils under the heads of administrations of municipalities of the Leningrad region, both MO–1 (cities and towns) and MO–2 (districts of the Leningrad region). Information about the development, activities and problems of youth councils was obtained through semi-structured expert anonymous interviews, both with activists of these youth councils and with employees of municipalities overseeing their activities. Based on the research materials, we can identify three main options for the real activity of youth councils under the heads of district administrations: Option A – “Club of interested leaders of youth initiatives”, option B – “A communicative platform for dialogue with the interested head of the district”, option C – “A communicative platform without the participation of the head of the district”. An analysis of the development of youth councils in municipalities of the 1st level allows us to conclude that three factors are important conditions for success. The first is the presence in the settlements of at least a small group of young people with some expressed interests. The most frequent interests are sports and modern music. There is also an interest in volunteering, local history, etc. (as a result of the school's efforts). The second factor is the presence of an extensive network of youth policy specialists who will be able to see such young people and see the specifics of their interests in order to help them find themselves. These may be employees of both local administrations and other structures working with young people. And the third factor is the attention to initiative youth from the head of the settlement. The communication factor itself is important, as well as the opportunity to provide some financial support, starting with a room in which young people can meet.

The Origins of the Market for Corporate Law

AbstractI study the origins of the market for corporate charters and the emergence of Delaware as the leader of this market. Specifically, I assemble new data on 19th- and 20th-century corporations to evaluate two widely held beliefs: (1) the U.S. Supreme Court is responsible for enabling a national market for corporate charters in the 19th century and (2) Delaware became the leader in this market only because New Jersey (the initial leader) repealed its extremely liberal corporate laws in 1913. I argue against both claims: The Supreme Court always opposed a national market for corporate charters, and New Jersey’s decline began a decade before its 1913 repeal. It is more likely that the market for corporate charters emerged as a collateral consequence of interstate commerce and that New Jersey declined because Delaware and other states simply copied its laws.