Personal Views Research Articles

REVITALIZING FOREST MANAGEMENT IN INDONESIAN FOREST INDUSTRY POST-COVID-19: EXPECTATIONS FROM YOUNG FORESTERS (A CASE STUDY FROM UNIVERSITY STUDENTS)

The global health emergency triggered by COVID-19 has had a significant impact on Indonesia's forestry industry. This study investigates the expectations of young foresters regarding the post-pandemic landscape, exploring various aspects such as industry performance, focus, worker protection, global strategies, and personal views on the industry's future. In conjunction with descriptive statistics, word cloud analysis was employed to identify salient issues drawing substantial attention. Through purposive sampling at a leading forestry university in Indonesia, the study reveals that young foresters perceive the transition towards developing industries based on non-timber forest products and environmental services as potential areas of growth. However, they acknowledge that the timber-based industry has historically been the backbone of Indonesia's forest industry and is likely to maintain its significance as forest management trends toward plantation forestry. Additionally, the study demonstrates the enduring appeal of the forestry sector to the younger generation, positioning it as a valuable entrepreneurial field.

Adolescent autistic girls navigating their diagnosis in Swedish secondary school

IntroductionAdolescent autistic girls in mainstream schools experience more loneliness and exclusion than their peers. Swedish schools have a long tradition of working towards inclusion but, despite this commitment, these girls are at higher risk of absenteeism and failing to achieve educational objectives. Bearing this in mind, it is important to understand how autistic girls navigate their everyday school life from a first-hand perspective and develop a broader understanding of what shapes their opportunities for and barriers to participation.MethodsThis qualitative study draws on multiple semi-structured interviews with 11 autistic girls, aged 13–15, exploring how they navigate having an autism diagnosis within a Swedish secondary school context.ResultsWhile on a personal level the diagnosis itself was mostly perceived as positive, the girls expressed ambivalence about making sense of it in the school context. The girls expressed awareness of the perceptions and understanding of autism in their school setting, and their consequences in terms of both support and exclusion and stigmatisation. The sense of being perceived by others as different, accompanied by a desire to belong and an awareness of stigma, seemed to have a strong impact on how they navigated everyday school life. This created field of tension between the social context of school, its values and norms, and the girls’ personal experiences and views about autism.DiscussionThe girls’ accounts illustrate the complex reality of their school lives post diagnosis. Valuable implications for practice include the need to work towards a discourse in schools in which differences are seen as natural, and guidance post diagnosis to build the girls’ awareness and understanding and enable them to develop strategies for successfully navigating school.

How Dobbs May Influence the Geographic Distribution of Medical Trainees in the United States.

Third- and fourth-year U.S. medical students applying to residency were surveyed between August 6 and October 22, 2022, to assess the impact of Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (Dobbs) on medical student residency application location choices. Across all medical specialties, most respondents were unlikely or very unlikely to apply to one or more residency programs located in a state with abortion restrictions (57.9%) and were considering changes in state abortion access when choosing the location of residencies to apply to (77.0%). Respondents in states with no abortion restrictions were less likely to apply to a program in a state with abortion restrictions (2 [1, 3] p < .001). The Dobbs decision significantly impacts residency application decisions for medical students in all specialties. Students are choosing to avoid or target states with restrictive abortion legislation based on their personal views.

Researchers’ perceptions of their collaboration with indigenous and local people in environmental change research

Seeking to develop more robust diagnoses and responses to complex societal challenges, researchers increasingly involve non-academic actors in collaborative projects. The associated challenges can have major consequences for local people and indigenous peoples. Particularly intractable are the differences in ways of knowing between researchers and other actors which can affect the importance attached to local and indigenous knowledge. Striving to promote responsible research in projects involving local communities, I investigated how 15 researchers with different disciplinary backgrounds and experience of working with local people in projects focusing on climate change and environmental challenges perceive (1) what triggers the need for research involving local people, (2) what knowledge such projects provide, and (3) what benefits can accrue to local people from such projects. I discuss potential reflexive applications of these perceptions to enhance the inclusivity and fairness of research with local actors. The main triggers question (1) elicited were researchers’ interests, personal views, happiness, desire to help others and the need to understand, collect, study and know (people, their culture, their experiences, their knowledge and concerns, and their ways of adapting to environmental change). Questions (2) and (3) elicited very varied perceptions, mostly relating to projects interviewees had participated in.

Learning by Doing: The Potential for Experiential Education in Health Promotion

Background: Rural populations face significant health disparities (e.g., high rates of chronic diseases) and unique accessibility barriers (e.g., limited healthcare facilities). Training higher education students to serve as facilitators for chronic disease prevention programs may address rural health promotion needs. Purpose: The purpose of this pilot, exploratory study was to create an experiential learning opportunity for students and examine their experiences. Methodology/Approach: Project leaders completed a Diabetes Prevention Program Lifestyle Coach training and, based on their experiences, created training program goals, content, and schedule. Undergraduate students in health-related programs or courses were recruited to participate. Four students completed a 4-week experiential training program and, at the end of the program, participated in an individual qualitative interview for researchers to understand their experiences. Findings/Conclusions: Data were analyzed through a qualitative-descriptive approach. The main theme, experiential learning, branched into two subthemes: (a) professional development and (b) program implementation and future program directions. Students’ experiential learning influenced their personal and programmatic views of prevention training. Implications: The benefits of experiential learning in prevention will enhance students’ education and future employment experiences. Future studies should improve upon training delivery and examine the acceptability of this method of delivery in the rural population.

The hidden histories of the Pinochet case

AbstractThe world's imagination was caught by the 1998 arrest in London of General Augusto Pinochet on charges of egregious human rights crimes and the 16‐month battle to extradite him to Madrid. For the first time, a former head of state had, while travelling abroad, been arrested on such charges, with his claim to immunity being rejected by a national court. The case's notoriety increased when Lord Hoffman, a judge when it first came before the Law Lords, did not publicly disclose his links with Amnesty International, an intervenor in the proceedings. Pinochet's release on health grounds compounded the controversy. This article reveals hidden histories behind the Pinochet case, advancing our understanding of its progression and wider significance. It illuminates the relationship between law and politics, the role of personal views and judicial creativity in the UK's top court, the ways in which law operates in practice, and its promises and limitations.

Professor Alessandro Zuddas' Impact and Legacy: The Influential Networking and Human Connection Skills of a Passionate Scientist, Clinical Academic, and Pioneer in Child and Adolescent Psychopharmacology.

Professor Alessandro Zuddas, from the University of Cagliari (Italy), passed away prematurely in July 2022. As a prominent figure in child and adolescent neuropsychiatry, he substantially influenced the fields of neurodevelopmental disorders and neuropsychopharmacology both nationally and internationally. Professor Zuddas was a renowned expert in basic and clinical research in child and adolescent psychopharmacology, an enlightened and stimulating educator, and a mentor to many students, residents, and senior colleagues. With his enthusiasm and unique ability to network, he contributed enormously to trace a path in the field that we continue to follow. His name will remain in the textbooks and articles he authored. Here, as colleagues and friends who had the honor to work with him, we provide our personal views of Alessandro's impact and legacy, which go far beyond his publications.

In-service teacher’s perceptions toward teaching collocation to intermediate EFL learner’s productive skills

Collocations play a crucial role in second language learning and teaching, especially in relation to writing and speaking skills. The existing studies examine teachers' more personal and subjective views in using collocations to teach productive skills. Moreover, previous studies have been limited to discovering possible teaching approaches to assist teachers in effectively teaching collocations at the intermediate level. The current study aims to investigate teachers' perceptions of the challenges of teaching collocations to enhance EFL learners’ productive skills at the intermediate level. To get optimal results, twenty in-service teachers who are pursuing master’s degrees in English linguistics contribute to answering the research questionnaire. The study’s findings indicate that collocations are important for students to generate the English language, and most teachers found it difficult to teach their learners to use collocations accurately in writing and speaking skills. Furthermore, the researchers found the limitations and suggestions to conduct in future research about teaching collocation.

Personal views of aging in midlife and older age: the role of personality.

Personal views of aging (VoA) reflect individuals' perceptions, attitudes, and expectations regarding their aging selves. The present cross-sectional study was aimed at examining whether personality traits, as defined by the Big Five model, are associated with different VoA concepts related to both subjective age and awareness of age-related gains and losses in midlife and older age. A sample of 224 participants aged 46-85 years reported their felt age and completed the Awareness of Age-Related Change (AARC) questionnaire, assessing perceptions of age-related gains (AARC-Gains) and losses (AARC-Losses) in various functioning domains, as well as the short version of the Big Five Inventory. Linear regression models showed that Openness contributed to explain youthful subjective age. Extraversion explained higher AARC-Gains scores, whereas Emotional Stability, along with younger chronological age and perceiving better self-rated health, contributed to explaining lower AARC-Losses scores. These findings confirm the relationship between personality traits and personal VoA. They further suggest that such an association varies depending on the VoA measure considered. They underscore the importance of considering personality among those individual characteristics capable of shaping personal VoA, with implications for the development of tailored interventions and the understanding of the underlying mechanisms linking personal VoA to health and longevity outcomes in midlife and older age.

TRADITIONAL INTERPRETATION OF THE CONCEPT OF MORPHEME IN UZBEK LINGUISTICS

As we explore Uzbek linguists’ views on the morpheme, we encounter two distinct perspectives: the traditional interpretation of morpheme study and the views of those who support a more modern approach. This article compares the views of scholars who advocate the traditional perspective on morpheme analysis. The author criticizes the evaluation of morpheme as a component of the word. Consequently, throughout this research, the author presents his personal views on the opinions of other scholars in the field.

Measuring norm pluralism and perceived polarization in US politics.

Recent research has shown how norms shape political and economic decision-making. Much of this work assumes that a single norm influences the behavior of all people, but in fact, many situations are characterized by the existence of competing normative viewpoints. We apply a method for measuring belief in the simultaneous existence of multiple norms. Such multiplicity arises naturally when norms are associated with distinctive groups, and thus political polarization can be characterized, in part, as a product of diverging norms between groups. We thus assess the validity of our measurement technique by testing whether it can recover polarization on seven salient political issues on which US Democrats and Republicans tend to hold different views. We then compare the norms elicited by our method to the norms of Democrats and Republicans elicited in a separate sample using an established and validated-but methodologically less rich-measurement approach. Our study uncovers a wide range of co-existing views between and within political groups. Partisans understand their group's norms and hold personal views that align with them. They can also recognize the diversity and polarization in US public opinion by identifying norms specific to political parties and acknowledging the variety of views within their own parties, which may indicate internal divisions. This research underscores the importance of nuanced approaches to political norms that go beyond party lines. By acknowledging a plurality of views, we can encourage productive discussions and bridge ideological divides.

Evolving Perceptions of Intellectual Freedom and the Right to Read in Library Science Students: An MLS Program Self-Study

To understand the effect of library science coursework on student perceptions of issues related to intellectual freedom, researchers surveyed students at the start and end of their enrollment in a Master of Library Science program. When the results were compared, the percentage of graduating students who indicated that they might rethink purchasing a resource because of non–age-appropriate content and potential parent objection was significantly higher than that of beginning students. The percentage of graduating students who identified sexual content and profanity as potential reasons not to acquire an item was also significantly higher than that of beginning students. On the other hand, graduating students were less likely to classify their own personal views as potential reasons to avoid collecting a title. Finally, a greater percentage of graduating students were uncertain about the appropriateness of restricted collections for potentially controversial items than beginning students. In the second phase of the study, researchers interviewed program graduates with at least five years of professional experience in libraries to ascertain how their work experiences and environments had affected their perception of intellectual freedom, censorship, and the right of access to information regardless of age. These librarians were strong advocates for diverse collections despite increasing external pressure to censor resources, particularly items with LGBTQ content and characters. Most felt it necessary to have some type of restricted collections so that children did not check out material above their grade or age level.

Transforming Ethics Education Through a Faculty Learning Community: “I’m Coming Around to Seeing Ethics as Being Maybe as Important as Calculus”

Ethics is central to scientific and engineering research and practice, but a key challenge for promoting students’ ethical formation involves enhancing faculty members’ ability and confidence in embedding positive ethical learning experiences into their curriculums. To this end, this paper explores changes in faculty members’ approaches to and perceptions of ethics education following their participation in a multi-year interdisciplinary faculty learning community (FLC). We conducted and thematically analyzed semi-structured interviews with 11 participants following the second year of the FLC. Qualitative themes suggested that, following two years of FLC participation, faculty members (1) were better able to articulate their conceptualizations of ethics; (2) became cognizant of how personal experiences, views, and beliefs informed how they introduced ethics into their curriculum; and (3) developed and lived instructional principles that guided their ethics teaching. Results thus suggested that faculty members benefitted from exploring, discussing, and teaching ethics, which (in turn) enabled them to see new opportunities and become confident in integrating ethics into their courses in meaningful ways that aligned with their scholarly identities. Taken together, these data suggest faculty became agents of change for designing, implementing, and refining ethics-related instructional efforts in STEM. This work can guide others interested in designing faculty learning communities to promote instructional skill development, faculty members’ awareness of their ethical values, and their ability and agency to design and integrate ethics learning activities alongside departmental peers in an intentional and continuous manner.

Experience of Being Fall-Prone and Participating in Research: Fallers' Perspectives.

The importance of giving a voice to groups considered hard-to-reach for research purposes is becoming increasingly apparent, with insights into their experience having the potential to improve research participation. Fall-prone older adults are a cohort underrepresented in research, often excluded in large-scale research and considered difficult to recruit. This study aims to explore older fallers' experiences of being fall-prone and participating in research. Seven older fallers (4 males, aged 69-88) participated in semi-structured telephone interviews following participation in an experimental research project. Interviews explored participants' personal experience of being fall-prone and participating in research. The resulting data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Three primary themes emerged: "Research through the eyes of older fallers", "Living with falls", and "It's all in the mind is it?". Our study gives voice to older fallers who have recently participated in experimental research to learn of their personal views on research participation.

Sensory and consumer science: A complex, expanding, and interdisciplinary field of science

This paper proposes an updated, contemporary definition of Sensory and Consumer Science. We do so based on survey results from 221 professionals, meaning that the definition represents more than our personal views. Specifically, the proposed definition is: “Sensory and Consumer Science is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses sensory-only research and consumer-centric studies, focusing both on responses to specific products and consumer behaviour more generally. While the field is primarily centred on food, it also extends to non-food items. Researchers employ both quantitative and qualitative methods to conduct their studies. Sensory and Consumer professionals engage in both basic academic research and applied commercial research, operating within an increasingly global and multicultural context.” All aspects of this definition were endorsed by a majority of the professionals participating in the surveys, and some aspects were nearly universally accepted. A longer version of the definition is also proposed, which helps to explain/elaborate on the different elements. We urge further discussion and refinement of the short and long definitions. This may lead to further variants that are narrower/broader in scope depending on personal and professional preferences and context.

Factors Influencing Surgical Choices in Breast Cancer Treatment in India: A Comparative Study of Breast-Conserving Surgery vs Mastectomy.

Background Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) can make breast cancer treatment less disfiguring and more aesthetically acceptable for women. However, very few patients in India chose to undergo BCS surgery despite eligibility. Therefore, this study aims to explore the factors influencing the surgical choice in the treatment of breast cancer in India. Materials and methods This prospective study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Central India. Women having stage I/ II breast cancer diagnosis with a tumor size <5 cm were considered. A detailed self-designed questionnaire was used. A chi-square test with a significance level (p-value <0.05) was applied. Results Out of 40 females, 80% (n = 32) chose modified radical mastectomy (MRM), whereas 20% (n = 8) opted for BCS. The primary motivations to undergo MRM included concern about cancer recurrence (30%, n = 12), desire to avoid the adverse effects of radiation therapy (25%, n = 10), and fear of radiation therapy (20%, n = 8). Surgeons play a dominant role in determining surgical options, with 80% of MRM cases following the surgeon's recommendation. A significant association was observed between surgical options, education, economic status, locality, and family history (p<0.001). Changes in decision-making regarding the type of surgery after admission to the hospital were significant (p<0.001) after counseling. Conclusions The choice between breast conservation and mastectomy is influenced by sociodemographic factors, personal views, and surgeons' recommendations. Thus, these factors must be considered in preoperative counseling to help patients make informed choices.

Challenges in Netflix Arabic subtitling of English nonbinary gender expressions in ‘Degrassi: Next Class’ and ‘One Day at a Time’

People with genders outside of the binary prefer using language that matches and affirms their identities. This can pose a challenge to translators who are translating into gendered languages like Arabic or who are from cultures where such identities do not receive as much recognition as in the Arab culture. This study examines Netflix Arabic subtitles for scenes centered on nonbinary characters in ‘Degrassi: Next Class’ and ‘One Day at a Time’ series. It investigates how subtitlers dealt with such a challenge in translation. The results showed that the subtitlers failed to use appropriate language, lacked consistency when it came to pronouns and repeated misgendering when it came to grammatical agreement. Using gendered or incorrect inflections is the biggest issue, as they are the main indicators of gender in grammatical gender. The main problem seems to arise from the translators’ personal views on, or rather lack of understanding of, gender. This led them to revert to the usage of language that aligns with the characters’, sometimes assumed, biological sex instead of their gender, resulting in misgendering the characters. The study recommends that further research be conducted on A.V. materials on other platforms that are more prone to censorship.

Everyday Misanthropy: Attitudes towards Owning a Dog as a Pet in Today's Serbia

Although the general thematic framework of this text is the relationship between humans and animals, the comments and testimonies about dogs presented in this text are, in fact, comments and testimonies about humans. Dog behavior represents a framework and an occasion for dealing with human behavior by commentators and respondents. It aims to highlight the inaction of what is being commented on or what is being said, whether it is seen through the perspective of people who own dogs, or that of people who do not and who consider the current practice of keeping them excessive. Not all comments and statements are unambiguously formulated according to the "for" and "against" principle of a given practice, but in spite of that, most of them have a clear value orientation in favor or against it. The commentators and respondents’ tendency to present their point of view as unbiased is the starting point of their discursive confrontation with the opinions and behaviors that they do not like. The final part of the procedure is the evaluation of other people in a way that it equates them with their attitudes: people are assessed based on the evaluation of how well their opinion aligns with the part of the worldview related to the specific topic being commented on by those who are evaluating. The purpose of the evaluation is to establish one's own statement about what the sociocultural normative should look like in terms of what is being commented on. The evaluation is based on personal views and experiences related to the behavior of the actors in the given practice – dogs and their owners – with the notion of what is culturally normal in this regard. The notion of cultural normality is based on what is perceived as common everyday interaction among people, guided by the idea of sociability, as well as on the knowledge of the legal regulations of the given area. The idea of the commentators and respondents is that it is possible to establish an ideal image of the behavior of dog owners, their pets, and the people they interact with in public in sociocultural everyday life. Respecting mutual needs in terms of using shared physical space, as well as maintaining hygiene in it, having a positive affective attitude towards both dogs and people, not disturbing others in any way, including unprovoked judgment, are the basic elements of this ideal image – regardless of the perspective from which it is viewed. Deviation from this in specific actions – whether it is not collecting feces after a dog's defecation, mocking dog owners for any reason, or anything else – is considered non-committal. Misanthropic attitudes, therefore, arise in the expected form of disdain for such behavior, or at least pointing out human mistakes.

Discerning Deinfibulation: Impact of Personal, Professional, and Familial Influences on Decision-Making.

The past decades have seen large numbers of Somali women migrate across the globe. It is critical for healthcare workers in host countries to understand healthcare needs of Somali women. The majority of Somali female migrants experience female genital cutting (FGC). The most common type in Somalia is Type 3 or infibulation, the narrowing of the vaginal introitus. Deinfibulation opens the introitus to reduce poor health outcomes and/or allow for vaginal births. In this study, we explored the perspectives of Somali women living in the United States about deinfibulation. We recruited 75 Somali women who had experienced FGC through community-based participatory research methods. Bilingual community researchers conducted qualitative interviews in Somali or English. University faculty and community-based researchers coded data together in a participatory-analysis process. We identified four themes. (1) Personal Views: participants reported positive attitudes toward deinfibulation and varied on the appropriateness of deinfibulation before marriage. (2) Benefits: identified benefits included alleviation of health problems; improved sexual health, in particular reduction or prevention of sexual pain; and reclamation of body and womanhood. (3) Barriers: these included associated stigma and lack of knowledge by providers. (4) Decision-Making: most reported that husbands, healthcare providers, and elder female community members may provide advice about if and/or when to seek deinfibulation, though some felt deinfibulation decisions are solely up to the impacted woman. An ecological framework is used to frame the findings and identify the importance of healthcare workers in assisting women who have been infibulated make decisions.

Mediator Narration of Memory: US Presidents’ Autobiographies and the Narration of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, 1993–2012

The main argument of the paper is that we should examine mediator-narrative as an agency in narrative construction of memory during conflict. It demonstrates how despite the differences between the US presidents’ personal world views, their strategic narrations of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are strikingly similar. These selective narratives strengthen the image of the US as a peacemaker and benevolent global leader. This narration is achieved by sidelining the detrimental role of the Israeli settlements and security threats, especially the increasing influence of Hamas in the Gaza-Strip. Therefore, this resilient mediator-narrative prevents critical thinking on the conflict and encourages a duplication of such policies.