Sexual violence affecting university students is a significant problem worldwide. Though recent legislation introduced into UK universities aims to tackle the problem, it remains to be seen how effective this will be. Furthermore, within much existing research and legislation, the voices of minoritised students in relation to the issue are absent. This research utilised qualitative focus groups and interviews with 38 minoritised students from two universities in England. Most are female (n=23) and ages range from 18 to 44 years. Using vignettes, interviews explored help-seeking behaviours in relation to sexual violence and considered intersections with minoritised identities. Thematic analysis suggests that sexual violence is normalised within universities and underpinned by ‘community knowledges’. Structural vulnerabilities and minoritisation impact perceptions of ‘who’ and ‘what’ counts in relation to sexual violence. Students also display a lack of knowledge about support provision at their universities, a finding which highlights universities’ difficulties with informing students about what support is available. Furthermore, we found that students rely heavily on their informal networks in relation to decision-making about help-seeking. Overall, structural vulnerabilities experienced by minoritised students hindered their willingness to report. Intersectional recommendations for university action and policy are offered.

This article examines gender equity in the corporate environment as an essential element for the effectiveness of human rights within the contemporary economic order. It begins by recognizing that equality between men and women, as established in international instruments and the Brazilian Constitution, requires a material approach capable of addressing historical and structural inequalities. Drawing on theoretical contributions on human development and on the guidelines of the 2030 Agenda, the study argues that eliminating gender disparities is indispensable for social and economic progress. The paper then analyzes the role of companies as agents in the realization of human rights, emphasizing their influence on the distribution of opportunities, career advancement, and the promotion of inclusive practices. The Brazilian regulatory framework is examined, with emphasis on recent legislation concerning pay transparency, incentives for female employment, and the participation of women on corporate boards. The empirical section, based on official reports and case studies of national and international companies, reveals that wage disparities and the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions remain significant despite legislative and institutional advances. The study concludes that achieving gender equity requires the articulation of public policies, corporate governance practices, and continuous monitoring mechanisms capable of transforming organizational structures and reducing persistent asymmetries in the labor market.

California is experiencing a shortage of primary care providers, contributing to delayed access and inappropriate emergency department utilization. Although recent legislation is moving nurse practitioners (NPs) toward full practice authority, public misconceptions about their scope may hinder their effective integration into the primary care workforce. This study aims to assess patient perception of NP care versus physician care, patient understanding of NP scope of practice, and how those perceptions influence provider choice. Findings can help inform legislative and clinical decisions regarding NP autonomy in California. A cross-sectional design gathering quantitative data by a one-time anonymous Qualtrics survey was disseminated. The sample (N = 24) was predominantly female (75%), aged 30-49 years (50%), White (75%), and non-Hispanic/Latino (66.67%), with 45.83% holding a master's degree or higher. A paired samples t -test showed significantly more favorable perceptions of care by NPs (M = 4.76, SD = 0.33) than MDs (M = 4.42, SD = 0.67), t (22) = -2.85, p = .009, d = 0.59. Regression analyses showed no significant demographic predictors. Substantial gaps in knowledge of NP scope and legislation were identified. Findings suggest NPs are perceived favorably relative to physicians; however, limited public understanding of NP scope of practice underscores the need for targeted educational initiatives. Although demographic variables were not significant predictors, future longitudinal research with larger, more diverse samples is essential to substantiate these findings and inform evidence-based policy development. Expanding public understanding of NP roles is essential to support policy changes and optimize primary care access and delivery.

A holistic framework that integrates Common Core State Standards (CCSS) with functional skills instruction for high school students with extensive support needs (ESN) is urgently needed for high schools to comply with recent legislation like the California Assembly Bill 181 (2022), that established an alternate diploma pathway that is aligned with alternate academic standards. This paper argues against the false dichotomy between academic and functional curricula and, instead proposes a framework that integrates CCSS into functional activities by isolating specific skills (e.g., literacy, mathematics, collaboration, or technology use) and aligns them with evidence-based practices such as task analysis, video modeling, systematic instruction, prompting, and peer-mediated interventions. Instructional transparency is encouraged through visible classroom standards and academic subject labeling, supporting shared understanding among educators, families, and administrators. Further, the paper posits that functional skills are naturally an authentic context for standards-based instruction, allowing educators to maintain academic rigor while promoting skills needed for post-school readiness. This integrated framework offers a practical approach to curriculum design and instructional planning for students with extensive support needs to prepare students for meaningful postsecondary education, employment, and community life.

Why does mould persist in low‐income housing despite decades of public health research, building science advances and advocacy efforts? This article applies a policy ecology approach to examine the dispersed regulatory landscape governing household mould in New Orleans, Louisiana. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted between 2017 and 2020, the analysis traces how building codes, remediation industries and tenancy law interact to reproduce unhealthy housing conditions. In hot, humid, flood‐prone southeast Louisiana, mould thrives where housing quality regulation remains weak and tenant protections limited. The article demonstrates that addressing household mould requires more than technical fixes: effective intervention depends on strengthening renters’ rights, since requests for repairs frequently trigger retaliatory eviction. Recent healthy homes legislation offers promise, but without robust tenant protections, mould cultures remain eviction cultures.

A lack of minimum legal standards for body donation programs undermines recent strides by anatomy professionals to promote ethical best practices in the United States (US). In particular, the commercialization of the dead by nontransplant tissue banks poses a risk to the public trust in academic body donation programs. The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act was created in the 1960s allowing for an anatomical gift to be made for transplantation, therapy, education, and research. It originally did not prohibit the buying and selling of human remains; later, it was only prohibited for transplantation and therapy. This allowed in the 1990s for a lucrative industry to grow as bioskills training for medical device companies developed. Attempts to hold unethical actors accountable through court cases have been limited due to a lack of national laws and jurisdiction issues. Despite the scandals associated with nontransplant tissue banks, no recent legislation has banned the commercialization of the dead for education and research. Recommendations for new US legislation include having a national registry of body donation programs, registrants, and other technical topics. However, few recommendations exist that focus on ethical finances and directly address commercialization. Anatomists, ethicists, and those in anatomical services should develop ethical financial models in body donation programs that can be used to inform recommended minimal national legal standards in the US.

Objectives. To characterize the national landscape of student loan debt for state and local public health staff and consider the potential roles of loan forgiveness and repayment in workforce development. Methods. This study analyzed data from the nationally representative 2024 Public Health Workforce Interests and Needs Survey, which had 57 000 respondents in the United States. We calculated descriptive statistics and performed an interval regression to assess correlates of student loan balance. Results. More than 40% of the workforce has a student loan balance: $48 000 on average, among those with any debt. Differences are observed by age, race/ethnicity, and level of academic degree. Conclusions. As in other fields, governmental public health is experiencing high rates of turnover while having difficulty with recruitment. Lack of competitive pay and benefits makes it difficult to find and retain staff who may have a public service inclination but also have bills to pay. High on that list of bills, for many, are student loans. Public Health Implications. Loan forgiveness and repayment represent important policy tools to address the ongoing workforce shortage and may be adversely affected by recent federal legislation. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print January 22, 2026:e1-e7. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308290).

This study aimed to investigate teachers’ attitudes toward the inclusive education of Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSENs) in public elementary schools. Using a descriptive-correlational design, data were gathered from 150 teacher respondents through adopted survey questionnaires. The treatment of data involved frequency count, percentages, weighted mean, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and correlation analysis (Spearman's rho). The findings showed that the teaching workforce predominantly consists of mid-career educators with moderate experience. Most teachers manage moderate to large class sizes, demonstrating minimal exposure to professional development in inclusive education, with the majority having attended only introductory sessions. Policy literacy remains fragmentary and recency-biased, as teachers recognize recent legislation but show limited awareness of foundational legal frameworks. Findings revealed that teachers consistently express favorable attitudes toward including diverse learners in regular classrooms, although their confidence diminishes for students with complex behavioral needs, autism spectrum disorder, and specialized communication requirements. Teachers perceived highly supportive collegial environments characterized by mutual assistance, open communication, and accessible professional relationships. Institutional backing, exceptionally strong collaborative attitudes, and professional development fundamentally shape their confidence, competence, and positive attitudes to inclusive education implementation. Furthermore, attitudes varied significantly across five dimensions, with minimal professional development exposure and fragmentary policy literacy identified. Teaching experience shows minimal relationship, and class size demonstrates virtually no meaningful relationship; training frequency shows weak positive associations. Policy knowledge significantly correlates with student-centered and administrative support attitudes but shows minimal relationships with collegial dimensions. It can be concluded that teachers demonstrated favorable attitudes toward inclusive education, particularly valuing peer support, administrative backing, collaboration, and training. However, confidence diminished when addressing students with complex behavioral needs and autism spectrum disorder. An action plan was made to address professional development gaps, specialized training, and policy literacy enhancement.

Improving care for incarcerated pregnant women: Policy implications for advancing maternal and child health.

Abstract Recent social policy in Brazil has centred on a vision for financial inclusion that claims to alleviate poverty through credit‐based consumption. We argue that, contrary to these claims, Brazil's consumer credit boom has entrenched a financialised macroeconomic model in which debt and rentierism have become motors of the national economy. Financial inclusion discourse obscures how the periphery has been the new frontier for this shift, via the institutionalisation of debt as a mechanism for everyday survival. Taking our cue from residents of Peixinhos (the periphery of Olinda, Northeast Brazil), we argue for the imperative to “name the wolves” driving these processes. We thus demonstrate how recent financial legislation has stimulated mass expansion of small‐scale moneylending, formalising a prototype of credit provision which takes the ambiguous practice of loan sharking as its model. Brazilian financialisation is achieved, we argue, through this interplay between financial market innovation, state complicity, and ongoing struggle on the periphery.

Amid renewed climate commitments and energy security concerns, nuclear energy has re-emerged as a central point of policy debate in the United States. The commissioning of Vogtle Unit 3 in 2023, the first new reactor in over 3 decades, and recent legislation such as the ADVANCE Act of 2024 and the Inflation Reduction Act signal what some have called a nuclear renaissance. However, deep public skepticism, environmental justice concerns, and institutional memory of past failures challenge this momentum. This article uses the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF) to analyze two dominant storylines shaping the United States’ nuclear policy: one framing nuclear energy as an innovative climate solution and the other as a risk-laden, inequitable legacy. These competing narratives shape public opinion, policymaking, and legitimacy, particularly among historically marginalized communities. This article analyzes recent policy shifts, narrative structures, and institutional dynamics and argues that understanding and integrating competing narratives is essential for inclusive, credible, and forward-looking governance. The article offers theoretical insights and practical implications for public administrators navigating one of today’s most contested terrains in energy policy.

In a context where public procurement of biomedical equipment increasingly includes environmental criteria, this article presents a 2025 overview of sustainable development commitments among major suppliers of in vitro diagnostic (IVD) medical devices, specifically in biochemistry, hematology, and hemostasis. Through interviews and document analysis, the study evaluates suppliers' initiatives based on ISO 14001 (environmental management), ISO 50001 (energy performance), and carbon footprint assessments. Many companies report ISO certifications and concrete actions: carbon footprint reduction, energy optimization (renewables, Light-Emitting Diode (LED), solar panels), water stewardship, and waste recycling. The analysis reveals that sustainability criteria are often underweighted in tenders compared to financial ones. The article offers recommendations to strengthen environmental requirements in hospital purchasing, such as requiring tangible proof of certifications and measurable outcomes. Emphasis is also placed on incorporating scopes 1, 2, and 3 in carbon footprint reports, aligning with recent French legislation. This integration is presented as a key driver for the ecological transition in healthcare. The article advocates for better-structured CSR strategies across the IVD sector, encouraging companies to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and adopt a more holistic and measurable approach to environmental responsibility.

IntroductionHorizon scanning (HS) identifies future trends and weak signals, aiding timely healthcare decisions, but lacks a formal framework. The Innovation Observatory’s MedTech Horizon Scanning Techniques (MIST) framework integrates evidence synthesis, HS methods, and foresight approaches. MIST aligns scanning techniques with foresight stages and the technology development pipeline, offering a structured approach to detect emerging science and technology trends for healthcare advancements.MethodsThe MIST framework was developed iteratively, combining HS expertise with regulatory knowledge of medical devices. First, a MedTech development pathway was established with international HS agencies, providing a foundation. Second, the pathway was mapped against the regulatory milestones involved in medical technology development from ideation to post-marketing according to recent European legislation. Last, we overlaid the foresight “Three Horizons Model” with the development stages to produce a framework that combines different innovation stages with their regulatory requirements and maps sources of weak signal detection to the horizons where those sources are most likely to be relevant.ResultsOur MIST framework presents three horizons: emerging, transitional, and imminent. Each horizon maps to different technology readiness levels, life cycle stages, time periods, and regulatory milestones. Each horizon includes guidance on the best-fit HS, information retrieval, and analysis methods. Furthermore, each horizon recommends relevant sources of weak signal detection maximizing the sensitivity of the searches, avoiding unnecessary noise, and achieving efficiencies. The use of the MIST framework is recommended in combination with transparent reporting of the methods and sources used. We have also developed a checklist of reporting items that is available for download in the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/m39vw/).ConclusionsThe MIST framework represents a stride forward in the direction of HS methods standardization and fulfills a known methodological gap. Our framework aims to underpin robust and systematic HS methods that will add value to the outputs supporting unbiased decision-making. Next steps include its publication and dissemination to facilitate adoption and use by other HS agencies.

Between November 2017 and June 2024 eight jurisdictions in Australia and New Zealand passed laws to legalise some form of euthanasia and/or assisted suicide. Like the United States, Australia has a federal constitution and 'voluntary assisted dying' (VAD) in Australia has been legalised at the state level. However, unlike the United States, Australia and New Zealand both permit practitioner administration of the lethal drug (euthanasia) as well as self-administration (assisted suicide). Another difference is that physician-assisted suicide, at first, spread very slowly in the United States, and new laws were based closely on the requirements of the original legislation in Oregon. In contrast, in Australia and New Zealand, the spread of VAD has been rapid from the outset, and there is a discernible pattern of successive weakening of safeguards in more recent legislation. The Australian model has increasingly come to resemble that of Canada.

Reluctant risk-takers: how law enforcement practices at festivals can obstruct safer drug use.

BackgroundMental health–related artificial intelligence (MH-AI) systems are proliferating across consumer and clinical contexts, outpacing regulatory frameworks and raising urgent questions about safety, accountability, and clinical integration. Reports of adverse events, including instances of self-harm and harmful clinical advice, highlight the risks of deploying such tools without clear standards and oversight. Federal authority over MH-AI is fragmented, leaving state legislatures to serve as de facto laboratories for MH-AI policy. Some states have been highly active in this area during recent legislative sessions. Yet, clinicians and professional organizations have mainly remained absent or sidelined from public commentary and policymaking bodies, raising concerns that new laws may diverge from the realities of mental health care.ObjectiveTo systematically analyze recent state-level legislation relevant to MH-AI, categorize bills by relevance to mental health, identify major regulatory themes and gaps, and evaluate implications for clinicians and patients.MethodsWe conducted a systematic analysis of bills introduced in all 50 US states between January 1, 2022, and May 19, 2025, using standardized searches on the legislative research website (LegiScan). Bills were screened and categorized using a custom 4-tier taxonomy based on their applicability to MH-AI. Bills passing threshold review were coded by topic using a 25-tag system developed through iterative consensus. Legally trained reviewers adjudicated final classifications to ensure consistency and rigor.ResultsAmong 793 state bills reviewed, 143 were identified as potentially impactful to MH-AI: 28 explicitly referenced mental health uses, while 115 had substantial or indirect implications. Of these 143 bills, 20 were enacted across 11 states. Legislative efforts varied widely, but 4 thematic domains consistently emerged: (1) professional oversight, including deployer liability and licensure obligations; (2) harm prevention, encompassing safety protocols, malpractice exposure, and risk stratification frameworks; (3) patient autonomy, particularly in areas of disclosure, consent, and transparency; and (4) data governance, with notable gaps in privacy protections for sensitive mental health data.ConclusionsState legislatures are rapidly shaping the regulatory landscape for MH-AI, but most laws treat mental health as incidental to broader artificial intelligence or health care regulation. Explicit mental health provisions remain rare, and clinician and patient perspectives are seldom incorporated into policymaking. The result is a fragmented and uneven environment that risks leaving patients unprotected and clinicians overburdened. Mental health professionals must proactively engage with legislators, professional organizations, and patient advocates to ensure that emerging frameworks address oversight, harm, autonomy, and privacy in ways that are clinically realistic, ethically sound, and supportive of flexible—but responsible—innovation.

The antitransgender executive orders and legislation enacted by the Trump administration since January 2025 have focused on enforcing a gender binary and restricting access to gender-affirming care for youths. These actions have had sweeping effects on health policy and access to care in an already strained health care system. Here we contextualize these attacks on transgender health by exploring the historical pathologization and policing of transgender bodies in the United States and Europe while tracing the legacy of medical gatekeeping alongside evolving standards of care. We critique the scientific inaccuracies within the administration's executive orders while outlining the harmful impact of related and recent legislation, including United States v Skrmetti. Restrictions on gender-affirming care and the rights of transgender people to exist not only exacerbate health disparities but also undermine the ethical responsibility of medical practitioners and institutions to provide patient-centered, evidence-based care. We must not capitulate to political efforts that attempt to harm and erase an already marginalized population. (Am J Public Health. 2026;116(2):256-260. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2025.308265).

This paper focuses on recent European audit legislation reform and its first implementation in the Italian context. In particular, we seek to address some issues related to the provision of non-audit services (NASs) to public interest entity (PIE) audit clients. Broadly, there are two main changes: a wider list of prohibited NASs that the auditor cannot provide to the audited company and a cap on allowed NASs to PIEs (70% of the average of the audit fees received in the past three years). Other measures are also in place on the provision of NASs that we consider in our analysis: monitoring by the company’s audit committee of all NASs provided by the auditor. The first research question concerns the impact of the new non-audit fee cap on the NAS level. The second research question refers to the effect on audit committee performance in terms of approval of NASs, fee cap disclosure and adoption of internal procedures devoted to monitoring the decision to buy additional services from the incumbent auditor. This latter aspect is linked to the third research question, which concerns the relationship between the NAS fee ratio and the internal procedure for overseeing the NAS purchase. The empirical analysis, conducted in the postreform years 2017–2023 on major Italian industrial listed companies, provides the following main results: a lack of disclosure regarding the fee cap calculus method and a significant reduction in the annual NAS fee ratio at an audit firm level from the initial years (2017–2020) to the most recent years investigated (2021–2023). In terms of corporate governance, the audit committee report does not emphasize the calculation or the disclosure of the 70% non-audit fee test; however, we detected a significant increase in the explicit mention of a corporate internal procedure devoted to monitoring NASs in recent years (2021–2023). Additionally, when these internal procedures are stated in the audit committee report, the NAS fee ratio is significantly lower.

This article addresses two interrelated areas of contemporary real estate research: emerging industry trends and the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI). The first component analyzes commission structures, marketing, and lead generation strategies, as well as the National Association of Realtors (NAR) lawsuits and settlements. While commissions remain steady overall, pressures are most evident in high-value transactions. Marketing innovations emphasize immersive digital tools and multi-channel outreach, while policy changes reshape how the disclosure and negotiation of broker compensation. This article synthesizes recent commentary and evidence on U.S. residential real estate commissions, the NAR's settlement rule changes, and current seller-lead and marketing tactics. The second component examines how AI is reshaping these same dynamics. AI tools are improving lead generation, enhancing property marketing, and enabling predictive pricing, while also introducing new compliance and fair housing challenges. As NAR settlement rules mandate written buyer-broker agreements and off-MLS compensation disclosures, AI provides opportunities to automate documentation and establish audit trails. At the same time, risks such as algorithmic bias, misleading marketing, and regulatory oversight highlight the need for ethical frameworks. Together, these projects provide a roadmap for agents, brokers, and consumers navigating both structural industry shifts and the technological transformation underway.

The Kansas Legislative Task Force on Dyslexia was established in 2018 to advise and make recommendations to educators, administrators, and policymakers in Kansas. The Kansas State Department of Education adopted the recommendations of the Task Force by creating a position to coordinate issues related to dyslexia, developing and publishing the Kansas Dyslexia Handbook, addressing professional development requirements, and universal screening protocols for dyslexia were created, published, and modified. New accreditation standards for colleges of education and school districts were created that were aligned with the Knowledge and Practice Standards of the International Dyslexia Association. In July 2023, Structured Literacy was named in the state's eligibility indicators for special education and related services for students with dyslexia (KSDE, 2023b). In April 2024, Kansas Senate Bill 438 was signed into law by Governor Laura Kelly, delineating the Kansas Blueprint for Literacy and including funding to be applied to state literacy and education workforce development. This comprehensive initiative establishes a literacy advisory committee, aligns teacher training and curricular materials with Structured Literacy, prohibits the use of discredited methodologies, develops a plan for six centers to be housed across the state for direct and indirect services, and sets teacher training and student performance goals for the state. The Kansas Blueprint for Literacy requires collaboration from various stakeholders, including educators, school systems, teacher trainers, literacy experts, parents, businesses, and policymakers, to systematically improve teacher training and student literacy instruction in the state. We review the history of recent literacy legislation in Kansas and describe the cyclical process through which practice has informed policy, which has informed practice. Finally, we will report on the state's progress to date in achieving its goals.