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ABSTRACT The COVID‐19 pandemic impacted the lives of students around the world, forcing them to study remotely through online learning. This article uses 60 in‐depth interviews with students from four Romanian universities (Iasi, Galati, Brasov and Cluj‐Napoca) who had recently completed 3‐year degrees to analyse the impact of remote learning on the lives of Romanian graduates, taking into account inequalities in their living standards. This research contributes to the literature on higher education by analysing the unequal experiences of these graduates and how they have been affected in educational, emotional and professional terms, both during and after the pandemic. The findings show that despite the scarcity and absence of face‐to‐face learning, the students used resilience to overcome this period and graduate, albeit with clear differences: those in rural areas are still suffering severe consequences, while those in urban areas are enjoying the “privilege” conferred on them by their status. The conclusions highlight inequalities and reflect on the (dis)advantages of online learning in students' lives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Stress outside of the couple relationship (extradyadic stress) can spill over into the couple relationship, increasing stress between the partners (intradyadic stress). Extra- and intradyadic stress are furthermore associated with depressive symptoms. Due to the interdependence of romantic partners, this study aimed to investigate the influence of the person's own and their partner's extra- and intradyadic stress on the person's depressive symptoms in parents of toddlers. The second aim was to evaluate whether intradyadic stress mediates the within-person and between-partner association between extradyadic stress and depressive symptoms. Methods: Longitudinal data of a community sample of 878 opposite-sex couples, participating in the prospective cohort study DREAM, were collected two and three years after birth. Extra- and intradyadic stress were assessed by the Multidimensional Stress Questionnaire for Couples and depressive symptoms were assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. An actor-partner interdependence mediation model was applied to the data, while controlling for the confounder academic degree. Results: The person's own extradyadic stress predicted their depressive symptoms one year later, partially mediated by their intradyadic stress. The partner's extradyadic stress and the person's own depressive symptoms one year later were only indirectly associated through the person's own intradyadic stress. In a sensitivity analysis, between-partner effects were no longer significant after including autoregressive pathways. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of the extradyadic–intradyadic stress spillover for the mental health of women and men with young children. Early targeted interventions could help to prevent later depressive symptoms by reducing stress inside the couple relationship that results from both partners' stress from outside the couple relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linking social media and survey data allows researchers to create novel metrics, track survey respondents longitudinally, and capture real-time intricate data. LinkedIn is a social networking platform with a strong emphasis on employment and business interactions which has not been explored in a survey data linkage context previously. Using a nationally representative panel survey, we explore the feasibility of linking survey and LinkedIn data. Our analysis focuses first on understanding the demographic profile of LinkedIn users in the UK, as understanding this context shows the coverage of who can be asked to consent. We then explore consent outcomes, assessing the impact of question placement and wording on participants' willingness to link data, and identifying other factors associated with LinkedIn consent. Our findings reveal that a notable proportion of respondents have a LinkedIn account, indicating a higher usage rate compared to previous research. Employment status, education level, and income are key determinants of having a LinkedIn account. Unlike previous studies, consent placement and wording does not have a significant influence on participants' willingness to link LinkedIn and survey data. However, social media posting frequency and possessing a university degree are associated with higher consent rates. Although LinkedIn users differ on certain demographic characteristics, the platform's unique focus on professional networking and career-related activities presents valuable opportunities for investigating employment and economic outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To assess whether health-related quality of life (HRQOL) improved through a postmastectomy care program focused on breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL) protection/awareness. Methods: Postoperative breast cancer patients were enrolled prospectively (February-2018 to September-2019) at Nursing and Obstetrics Faculty, Durango, Mexico. Sociodemographic/clinical characteristics, arm measurements, and HRQOL evaluation with Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy-Breast Cancer were collected at baseline and after six follow-up assessments between six-to-twelve-month postmastectomy. Lymphedema was verified through circometry. Descriptive analysis and McNemar-Bowker test were used to evaluate paired differences in HRQOL. Subgroup analysis was conducted to assess sociodemographic/clinical characteristics of BCRL using Pearson's chi-squared or Fisher exact test along with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). All tests were two-sided with P-values < 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: One-hundred-two patients developed BCRL (incidence 66.2%, n = 154). All dimensions of HRQOL improved after the postmastectomy care program (P < 0.05). The subgroup analysis indicated that elementary academic degree (OR = 2.40, 95%CI: 1.01–5.69), laborer (OR = 9.85, 95%CI: 3.30–29.3), and total mastectomy (OR = 4.23, 95%CI: 1.20–14.9) were more associated with BCRL (P < 0.05). Conversely, high school academic degree (OR = 0.46, 95%CI: 0.22–0.94), married status (OR = 0.42, 95%CI: 0.21–0.86), housewife (OR = 0.27, 95%CI: 0.12–0.61), professional occupation (OR = 0.10, 95%CI: 0.01–0.64), and having no comorbidities (OR = 0.31, 95%CI: 0.15–0.63) were less associated with BCRL (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Although HRQOL improved through the postmastectomy care program, our findings suggest that lower education, working as a laborer, and total mastectomy may be more associated with BCRL. Continuing research may uncover liabilities among BCRL patients within limited-resources settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many policies in higher education are intended to improve college access and degree completion, yet often those policies fall short of their aims by making it difficult for prospective or current college students to access benefits for which they are eligible. Barriers that inhibit access to policy benefits, such as cumbersome paperwork, can weigh more heavily on members of marginalized communities, including racially minoritized students. Such administrative burdens can thus reinforce patterns of inequity. In this paper, we present a conceptual framework for examining administrative burdens embedded in higher education policies that can negatively affect prospective and current college students, especially those who are racially minoritized. With the use of our proposed framework for addressing racialized administrative burdens, researchers can improve the understanding of ethnoracial disparities in higher education, inform policymakers' design of racially equitable policies for higher education, and enable practitioners to implement those policies to promote racial equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do representatives provide fair and proportional representation to each place in their district or, rather, do they favour some places, creating winners and losers of representation? While the impact of geography on representation has been extensively examined in majoritarian systems, we know little about the geographical losers of representation in proportional representation systems. We investigate the extent to which different places receive unequal levels of attention in parliament, relative to what we would expect based on their population size as a normative proportional ideal. Crucially, we conceptualize place‐based representation at the micro‐level by looking inside electoral districts, using Google Places and Named Entity Recognition. Findings indicate that there are significant deviations from the proportional ideal. We find that small localities and large cities are overrepresented in parliament, while the medium‐sized cities and suburban peripheries of major metropolises are underrepresented. Places with a higher percentage of the population with university degrees are also overrepresented in parliament. These results carry important normative implications for forms of territorial‐based representation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The incidence of various mood disorders and temperaments in ADHD patients is well-documented, irrespective of age. These temperamental differences cause emotional and behavioral instability, impacting individual and social functioning, and overall quality of life. This study evaluates different temperaments in adults with ADHD compared to those without ADHD. Methods: This case–control study was performed on 75 adult ADHD patients as the case group and 75 adults without ADHD as the control group. A demographic questionnaire and a shortened Persian version of the TEMPS-A questionnaire were given and completed to the people included in the study to assess different mood temperaments. Results: Comparing different components of mood temperaments between the patients with and without ADHD showed significantly higher mean scores for irritable, anxious, depressed, and cyclothymic temperaments in those with ADHD as compared to a control group. In the group suffering from ADHD, women had significantly higher mean scores for dysthymic and anxious temperaments as compared to men, while the mean score for cyclothymic temperaments was significantly higher in men than in women. A high academic degree was associated with lower scores for mood temperaments, while mood temperaments were independent of patients' age. Conclusions: The higher score of various mood temperaments in patients with ADHD compared to people without this disorder is completely predictable, and this score can potentially affect the gender of the patients as well as their education level. Given the higher scores of temperamental traits in patients with adult ADHD, implementing screening programs aimed at identifying temperamental disorders in these patients is highly emphasized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there have been concerted efforts to integrate Tibetan Buddhist monastic education into the Indian university system since the 1960s, the attainment of academic accreditation has tended to require significant curricular trade-offs. The majority of Tibetan Buddhist monastic colleges have therefore eschewed the potential advantages of academic accreditation—including greater opportunities for monastic graduates in universities and other secular contexts—in order to preserve the rigour of traditional scholastic programmes. However, through its affiliation to the University of Mysore in 2022, the Geluk monastery of Sera Je is now able to award accredited Bachelor of Arts (BA) degrees even without making significant changes in practice to its traditional curriculum and pedagogy. This article examines the structure and content of Sera Je's new programmes and contextualises what may prove to be a landmark development against the backdrop of previous attempts to negotiate the boundary between Tibetan Buddhist monastic education and university education in India. It suggests that the accreditation of research programmes raises further challenges in addition to those associated with the accreditation of taught programmes. Nonetheless, the urgency of solving these longstanding issues appears to have been heightened by a developing crisis in Tibetan Buddhist monastic recruitment. In investigating the topic of academic accreditation, this article throws light on an issue that has driven notable evolutions in Tibetan Buddhist monastic education in India but has previously received little scholarly attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of papers and scientific productions published in journals indexed in indexing/abstracting databases is used as a measure of the growth of science. One of the reasons for the ability of the Islamic Republic of Iran in various fields can be attributed to the scientific growth of Iran in recent years. This survey used scientometric approaches for measuring the scientometric indicators at hand. The research population included all papers authored by Iranians indexed in Web of Science (WOS) from 1980- 2021. Accordingly, in this research, the quantitative growth of Iranian science during the four decades after the Islamic Revolution of Iran (by counting the number of indexed papers in the Web of Science) and the factors affecting the growth of Iranian science are examined. Factors such as the growth in the number of faculty members, the growth in the number of graduate students, the promotion regulations of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology (MSRT) and the Ministry of Health, and Medical Education (MHME) along with encouraging policies for scientific production in Iran and the comprehensive scientific map of the country, Scientific research towards the needs and priorities of the country, the graduation regulations of graduate students, other social, political, cultural and international factors analyzed. The results of the four decades of Iran's science production showed that the highest amount of Iran's science production, i.e., more than 75% of Iran's science production, occurred in the fourth decade (2011- 2021). In general, in the second period (2001-2021), the relationship between academic degrees and science production is significantly higher than in the first period (1980- 2000). In 2023, Iran will be the fourth largest producer of nanoscience in the world with 7.30 percent of the world's science production in the field of nanoscience, and countries such as Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, England, and Italy are after Iran. The results of analysis and investigation of the research also showed that the number of graduates at both master's and doctorate levels, as well as the population of full-time faculty members of the universities, were proportional with the production of Iranian science in these years There has been an increasing trend from 1980 to 2021. Despite the ups and downs of the share of research in the gross national product in Iran, which has always decreased and was less than one percent, the growth of science in Iran has been on an upward trend. According to the number of Iranian scientific publications in the WOS database at the end of 2021, which has reached 56,000, it seems that due to the growth of Iran's scientific productions, we can hope that the number of Iranian scientific publications will reach 2026 (1404) by the end of the Horizon program has arrived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With an increased emphasis being placed on the importance of postgraduate students publishing articles in international journals, many students may feel a need to organise learning communities with faculty members or their peers to support this aspirational activity. Most research in this area is related to doctoral students, but places relatively little focus on master ones. This study aims to conceptualise possible patterns for the formation of such learning communities through a comparative institutional analysis, based on a qualitative game theoretic discussion. We propose four basic learning community modes: individual (i.e. one-on-one consultancy by faculty staff reviewing individual student drafts); lecture (i.e. writing lectures led by a faculty staff member); peer collaboration (i.e. only students working together on their drafts); and, solo (i.e. individual students working on their own manuscripts without structured support). This is one of a small number of attempts to formalise and provide an analytical model of possible types of coordination between faculty members and master's course students regarding learning community activities. Our analysis indicates that the most efficient strategy for students reaching the point of successful submission is to have faculty members support them by facilitating groups of student authors and providing feedback on their drafts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Disparities in HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) persist among cisgender sexually minoritized men in the United States, driven in part by sexual behavior stigma, which is a barrier to clinic-based HIV/STI testing. HIV/STI biospecimen self-collection (HSBS) is a novel testing approach that mitigates stigma by allowing for some testing-related procedures to be conducted by oneself in one's home or any private location rather than a facility that requires interpersonal interactions and exposure to other members of the public. HSBS has demonstrated acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness in testing uptake, but the extent to which stigma persists in HSBS and the quantification of stigma's role in HSBS is limited. Methods: From 2019–2020, a nationwide sample of sexually minoritized men completed an online biobehavioral survey. Those who agreed to be recontacted (N = 4147) were invited to participate in HSBS; consented participants received self-collection kits that were laboratory-tested if completed. Sexual behavior stigma and HSBS associations were assessed with logistic regression. Results: Mean age of participants was 35 years, 58% (2421/4147) were non-Hispanic white, 82% (3391/4147) were gay-identifying, 47% (1967/4147) had at least a college degree, and 56% (2342/4147) earned ≥ $40,000 annually; 27% (1112/4147) expressed HSBS interest, and 67% (689/1034) completed HSBS. HSBS interest and completion were less common among non-Hispanic Black sexually minoritized men and sexually minoritized men of lower socioeconomic status. Stigma from family and friends was significantly, negatively associated with HSBS interest (aOR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.56, 0.93). Among those who had not tested for HIV/STIs in the past year, anticipated healthcare stigma was marginally, negatively associated with HSBS completion (aOR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.15, 1.07). Among those who had never previously tested for HIV/STIs, anticipated healthcare stigma was significantly, negatively associated with HSBS interest (aOR = 0.32, 95% CI = 0.14, 0.72). Conclusions: Sexual behavior stigma persists as an HIV/STI testing barrier, even in the case of HSBS, limiting its utilization. Increasing HSBS among sexually minoritized men in the US necessitates stigma mitigation efforts that directly address equity in implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Given the inherent nature of their job, law enforcement staff regularly confront major stressors. Objectives: The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among law enforcement staff is about twice that of the general population. We conducted this study to assess PTSD risk factors among this population. Methods: This prospective case-control study was conducted on patients with PTSD working as law enforcement staff as the case group, and their comrades with no PTSD as the control group. We used a questionnaire, including possible factors contributing to the development of PTSD, to gather the data. Binomial logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals. Results: A total of 84 participants were included in the study. We found that some factors could be protective against PTSD, including marriage (OR: 0.270, 95% CI: 0.087 - 0.839, P-value: 0.024), having an academic degree (OR: 0.333, 95% CI: 0.114 - 0.978, Pvalue: 0.045), higher income (R2: 0.081; OR: 0.849, 95% CI: 0.721 - 1.000, P-value: 0.050), and receiving satisfactory family support (OR: 0.413, 95% CI: 0.171 - 0.999, P-value: 0.050). Furthermore, logistic regression showed that a positive psychological history (OR: 2.562, 95% CI: 1.025 - 6.406, P-value: 0.044), a positive familial psychological history (OR: 2.667, 95% CI: 1.099 - 6.406, P-value: 0.030), and encountering trauma (aside from the current trauma) after 18 years of age (OR: 2.643, 95% CI: 1.038 - 6.731, P-value: 0.041) are risk factors for PTSD. Conclusions: Our results showed that marriage, having an academic degree, higher income, and receiving satisfactory family support are protective factors. In addition, the risk factors for PTSD include a positive psychological history, a positive familial psychological history, and encountering trauma (aside from the current trauma) after 18 years of age. However, given our limitations, further studies should be conducted before drawing solid conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article considers reasons that give rise to inefficiencies in student transfer articulation in higher education and potential measures to alleviate adverse transfer outcomes. Topics discussed include relationships between degree requirements, curricula and degree plans, mechanics of transfer articulation, mitigation of information asymmetry, and transparency and equity in transfer student marketplace through the use of computational capabilities and elimination of information asymmetry.

The study aimed to determine the reality of practice of innovative leadership among deans of colleges of educational sciences in Palestine from the point of view of faculty members, and identifying differences according to study variables (gender, academic degree, and years of experience). To achieve the aim of the study, the researcher adopted the descriptive analytical method. The study sample consisted of (50) full-time faculty members in the faculties of educational sciences in the Palestinian universities (Al-Quds Open, Jerusalem, Hebron), the study tool (questionnaire) was distributed randomly to the study sample. The results of the study showed that the arithmetic mean of the ratings of the study sample as a whole was (4.02), with a high rating, and the field of “innovative leadership towards perseverance and persistence” came in first place, with a arithmetic average of (4.15), and a high level. While the field of “innovative leadership towards new ideas” came in the last place, with a mean of (3.83), and a high level, the results of the study also showed that there are no statistically significant differences between faculty members’ estimates of the reality of practicing innovative leadership among deans of colleges of educational sciences in Palestine due to the variables (degree and years of experience). There were statistically significant differences on the variable (gender) in the total score and in the second and fourth domains, and the differences appeared in favor of males, Based on the results, the study recommended the necessity of finding modern strategies that enable leaders to deal with new ideas, and to move away as much as possible from routine methods in leadership practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Procrastination is the deliberate, unjustified postponing of an intended course of action despite its costs or unfavorable effects. The present study used a self-report online survey and collected data from a large convenience sample of the general adult population (N = 2,076; females = 55.73%; Mage = 35.1 years [SD ± 12.7]) with diverse demographics. Following the ring-curve distribution, the results indicated a 15.4% prevalence rate of procrastination among the Iranian community, which was significantly higher among women and divorced individuals and lower among nomadic individuals and those with higher academic degrees. A latent profile analysis demonstrated two distinct profiles, one for procrastinators (high scores on chronic procrastination, psychological distress, neuroticism, and extraversion; and low scores on general self-efficacy, self-esteem, satisfaction with life, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) and one for non-procrastinators (demonstrating a reverse pattern compared to procrastinators). Moreover, additional network analysis suggested that the examined networks were invariant across procrastination status and gender. The results indicate that procrastination differs by demographic characteristics and is associated with a unique psychological profile. However, none of the aforementioned key study variables were considered a potential vulnerability for procrastinators due to the finding that all variables were peripheral and none were central in the examined networks. Therefore, relying on the differences in mean scores on psychometric scales does not appear to be an optimal way of determining the most important variables in a therapeutic context when treating procrastination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Undermatching, or students attending less selective colleges than they are academically qualified to attend, is seen as a contributing factor to the lagging college completion rate of low-income and first-generation college students. Addressing the mismatch has been mainly limited to the individual level. Through analysis of interview and longitudinal school administrative data with aspiring first-generation college low-income Latinx youth who started preparing to attend college in middle school, we find that the need to work, which students started doing in high school, was a major factor in students' undermatching. We show how employment collides with the structure of colleges as racialized organizations (Ray, 2019), especially matching colleges with high graduation rates. Selective colleges did not provide the support students needed to address their financial situations, and students attending schools to which they undermatched required more assistance navigating work and schools to stop them from dropping out. We also discuss program and policy solutions to address the low college completion rates of Latinx first-generation college students more fully as well as how to better support their need to work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tracking changes in socioeconomic disparities in diabetes in the U.S. is important to evaluate progress in health equity and guide prevention efforts. Disparities in diabetes prevalence by educational attainment from 2001 to 2020 were investigated. Using a serial cross-sectional design, data from 33,220 adults aged 30–79 assessed in nine rounds of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys between 2001 and 2020 were analyzed in 2023–2024. Diabetes was defined as self-reported prior diagnosis, elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA 1c ≥6.5%), or use of diabetes medications. Marginalized age- and covariate-adjusted prevalence differences (PD) and prevalence ratios (PR) of diabetes by educational attainment (less than high school graduation, high school graduation, some college education or associate degree, or college graduation [reference]) by calendar period (2001–2004, 2005–2008, 2009–2012, 2013–2016, 2017–2020) were derived from logistic regression models. From 2001 to 2020, age-adjusted diabetes prevalence was consistently higher among adults without a college degree. Adults without a high school diploma exhibited the largest disparities in both 2001–2004 (PD 8.0%; 95%CI 5.6–10.5 and PR 2.1; 95%CI 1.5–2.6) and 2017-20 (PD 11.0%; 95%CI 6.7–15.2 and PR 2.1; 95%CI 1.5–2.7). Between 2001–2004 and 2017–2020, the absolute disparity in diabetes changed only among adults with a high school diploma (increase from PD 1.7%; 95%CI –0.5- 3.9 to PD 8.8% 95%CI 4.1–13.4, respectively), while the PR did not change in any group. Education-related disparities in diabetes were attenuated after accounting for socio-demographic factors and BMI. From 2001 to 2020, national education-related disparities in diabetes prevalence have shown no signs of narrowing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a novel blockchain-based academic degree verification system. The system relies on a smart contract deployed on the Ethereum blockchain platform. The system protects the privacy of the students who have been verified without the need of encryption, and hence, avoid the complexity of security key management and the potential disaster if the keys are stolen or revealed. The amount of degree data is also designed to be minimum for proper verification. All operations on the critical path of the system are automated without any human intervention. However, the system does assume that the organization would stand behind the proposed system to ensure the system's integrity. The system is open to anyone who wishes to verify the degree of a student. To prevent spamming and to support the long-term sustainability of the system, a small fee is charged for each verification request. A portion of the fees collected is immediately credited to the participating schools. To facilitate automated school enrollment into the system, any school may request to enroll by placing a significant amount of stake in ETH. The stake can be refunded when the school decides to leave the system. However, if the school is blacklisted due to misbehavior, the stake is confiscated. This design strongly discourages adversaries from abusing the system. The performance of the system is fully characterized with regard to the gas consumption of key operations in various use cases. We demonstrate that the system is conducive for long-term sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous investigations of time-to-pregnancy recognition have analysed data from national surveys and clinics, but this has not been investigated in the context of digital fertility applications. Timely pregnancy recognition can help individuals in health and pregnancy management, reducing maternal and foetal risk and costs, whilst increasing treatment options, availability, and cost. Methods: This dataset contained 23,728 pregnancies (conceived between June 2018 and December 2022) from 20,429 participants using a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cleared fertility app in the United States. Most participants (with non-missing information) identified as Non-Hispanic White, and one-third reported obtaining a university degree. We used two-tailed Welch's t-test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and two-tailed Z-tests to compare time to pregnancy recognition between those using the app to conceive or contracept. Results: Participants using an app to conceive recognised pregnancy on average at 31.3 days from last menstrual period (LMP) compared to 35.9 days among those using the app to prevent pregnancy. Conclusion: Generalisability is limited, as all participants were using a fertility app and had relatively homogenous sociodemographic characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Parents' science support and adolescents' motivational beliefs are associated with adolescents' expectations for their future occupations; however, these associations have been mostly investigated among White, middle‐class samples. Framed by situated expectancy‐value theory, the current study investigated: (1) the associations between parents' science support in 9th grade and Latine adolescents' science intrinsic value, utility value, and STEM career expectations in 11th grade, and (2) whether these indicators and the relations among them differed by adolescents' gender and parents' education. Methods: Study participants included Latine adolescents (n = 3060; Mage = 14.4 years old; 49% female) in the United States from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009. Results: Analyses revealed a significant, positive association between parents' science support and Latine adolescents' science utility value. Additionally, there was a significant, positive association between parents' science support and Latinas' science intrinsic value, but not for Latinos' science intrinsic value. Latine adolescents' science utility value, but not their science intrinsic value, predicted their concurrent STEM career expectations. Though there were no significant mean level differences in adolescents' science utility value or parents' science support based on adolescents' gender, the measure of adolescents' science intrinsic value varied across girls and boys. Finally, adolescents whose parents had a college degree received greater science support from parents compared to adolescents whose parents had less education than a college degree. Conclusion: Findings suggest parents' science support and adolescents' intrinsic and utility values have potential associations with Latine adolescents' STEM career expectations near the end of high school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The social work academic field, in common with other professional qualification degrees requires academics to have substantial social work practice experience. This reflective paper explores the journey of two social work academics who have made the transition from practice to the academic environment within the last ten years. Having applied a duoethnographical approach, the authors discuss the potential challenges of making this transition but is more focused on the benefits that former social work practitioners bring to the academic and research environment. It discusses practice-based research and appreciative inquiry as beneficial research methods for social work research and the importance of engaging with people with lived experience in a collaborative approach to research. It emphasises that social workers with skills of engagement, critical analysis and managing challenging situations are well placed to undertake research and make recommendations for social work practice from an informed an ‘expert’ position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their article on "Navigating the Field of Implementation Science Towards Maturity: Challenges and Opportunities," Chambers and Emmons describe the rapid growth of implementation science along with remaining challenges. A significant gap remains in training and capacity building. Formats for capacity building include university degree programs, summer training institutes, workshops, and conferences. In this letter, we describe and amplify on five key areas, including the need to (1) identify advanced competencies, (2) increase the volume and reach of trainings, (3) sustain trainings, (4) build equity focused trainings, and (5) develop global capacity. We hope that the areas we highlight will aid in addressing several key challenges to prioritize in future efforts to build greater capacity in implementation science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is a personal account of one academic scientist who founded two biotechnology companies. Both companies were initially incubated within the walls of the university under a creative student incubator program whereby biology students could pursue their graduate academic degrees while gaining valuable biotechnology experiences. After the companies transitioned out of the university environment, the professor and his students pursued diagnostic and therapeutic drug development resulting in the completion of several clinical trials. The value of international scientific collaborations with colleagues at the University of Padova (Italy) is also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of computer-related careers is a perfect opportunity for young people due to the high impact that technology has today since there is an increase in job opportunities for qualified personnel in this area. In addition to having a high offer of jobs, most of these are the best paid today. The most encouraging part of preparing in this area is that in the immediate future, it is envisioned to continue with this demand and have a career that will not be absorbed by automation and the development of artificial intelligence. On the other hand, the means of communication where young people can find out about the academic offer are isolated, or they must have a clear idea of a university, or it is generally achieved by recommendation of another professor or by having seen a lecture by a particular professor. Notice that students do not have a general vision of the academic offer. This article presents an initiative to concentrate information on careers related to Computing in Mexico and presents statistics on the data collected. This study aims to present an academic offer to young people in careers related to computing. The academic degrees are bachelor's/engineering, master's, and doctoral. The data presented corresponds to 33 bachelor's/engineering, 30 master's, and 21 doctoral programs. The careers related to computing and information technology most offered in Mexico in 2022 were: computer systems engineering and computer engineering. The information presented here is available at: http://computo.fismat.umich.mx/smcc/mapaComputacion/. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To evaluate the h- and m-indices of academic urologists across all U.S. accredited urology residency programs to determine the relationship between these metrics and an author's academic rank, academic degrees, and gender. A total of 136 urology residency programs with available faculty information on their websites were evaluated. The academic rank, academic degrees, and gender were recorded for each clinical and research faculty member. Each author's h-index was determined using the Scopus database. The m-indices for each author were then calculated. Statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. This study demonstrated that the h- and m-indices positively correlate with an author's academic rank. Among the 2253 academic urologists evaluated, chairs/chiefs and professors had the highest median h- and m-indices (h-index 26, m-index 1.046 for chairs/chiefs; h-index 30, m-index 1.094 for professors). This was followed by associate professors (h-index 14, m-index 0.750), assistant professors (h-index 6, m-index 0.667), and clinical instructors (h-index 6, m-index 0.511). The median h- and m-indices were overall statistically higher for males than females. Faculty members with only a PhD were found to have the highest h- and m-indices followed by MD PhD, MD MBA, MD MPH, MD only, and DO only in descending order of index value. The h- and m-indices of academic urologists positively correlate with their academic rank. These metrics may serve as an additional tool in measuring an individual's academic productivity in consideration of job hirings, positional promotions, societal memberships, achievement awards, research grants, and more. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although studies have investigated educational attainment of groups of students professing low and high educational self-expectations, groups of noncommittal students, rather than being studied as a discrete group, have been treated as missing and ignored. This study investigated the differences between students of noncommittal, low, and high educational self-expectations by comparing their educational attainment 10 years later. The analytical sample was divided into White, African American, and Hispanic student groups, with a total of 13,635 10th graders derived from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002. Results indicated that students with high educational self-expectations tended to have higher odds of earning advanced degrees than students with low educational self-expectations or noncommittal students. Furthermore, noncommittal students had odds of earning advanced degrees equivalent to that of students with low educational self-expectations, regardless of race or ethnicity. This study also found that the educational expectations of parents, and math and English teachers were positively related to students' odds of earning advanced degrees. We suggested parents and teachers could recognize that the don't-know response is a warning sign for low future educational attainment and take proactive measures to encourage students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to explore the effects of doctoral publication requirements on the research output of Ukrainian academics in Scopus in terms of quantity and impact. Research output in Scopus, elaborated by Ukrainian academics in economics, medicine and physics who were awarded a doctoral degree in three time periods (before September 2013, after September 2013 and after September 2020) marked by changes in doctoral publication requirements was chosen for analysis. The study findings highlight that the publication requirements resulted in an increase in the share of doctorate holders with publications in Scopus. However, first, the share of PhD holders in economics and medicine who have publications in Scopus remains rather small. In these disciplines, 9.4% and 18.1%, of PhD holders and 44.6% and 47% of DS holders who were awarded a doctoral degree in 2020, have publications in Scopus. This can be attributed to the low standards applicable to doctoral theses in economics and medicine. Second, the median journal CiteScore quartile remained unchanged in all groups except for DS holders in physics. In their case, it rose from 3 to 2. Thus, in general, changes in doctoral publication requirements did not result in doctoral holders publishing in more impactful journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was carried out to evaluate the public acceptance to HPV vaccinations as a mean of preventing cervical cancer in various regions of Saudi Arabia. Methods: This study used data from a sample of 516 Saudi participants and was cross-sectional in nature. The participants filled out anonymous online surveys that were disseminated via Google Forms on several social media sites. Results: A total of 516 participants made up the sample for this study and 43.7% (n=225) of the participants showed high acceptance level of HPV vaccine. The results established statistically significant association between gender, education level, occupation with p-values<0.005 (0.023*, 0.003*and 0.001*) respectively and the level of acceptance of HPV vaccine. Conclusion: Overall, study revealed that 43.7% of the participants showed high acceptance level of HPV vaccine. The female participants were found to have higher acceptance levels of HPV vaccination than male respondents. The participants with the university degree and post-graduate degrees had higher acceptance levels of HPV vaccines than others who had lower education levels. A statistically significant association was revealed between gender, education level, occupation and the level of acceptance of HPV vaccine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Allostatic load (AL) is a significant marker of aging, associated with disease and mortality. Research has elucidated the impact of education and income on AL. However, the roles of wealth and discrimination in contributing to AL and shaping AL disparities remain underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the association between wealth and AL, while also examining the independent contributions of education, income, wealth, and everyday discrimination in shaping AL disparities. Using 2016 data from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study (N=3,866), this study employed multilinear regression analysis to quantify the association between education and income, wealth (calculated as assets minus debts), and everyday discrimination with AL. Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition analysis was conducted to determine the proportion of AL disparities between Black and White participants attributed to education and income, wealth, and everyday discrimination. Analyses were performed in 2023. Having a college degree or more (b = −0.32; 95% CI: −0.46, −0.17), higher income (b = −0.06; 95% CI: −0.11, −0.01), and greater wealth (b = −0.11; 95% CI: −0.16, −0.07) were linked to reduced AL. Conversely, increased experiences of everyday discrimination were associated with heightened AL (b = 0.07; 95% CI: 0.01, 0.16). Collectively, differences in possessing a college degree or more, wealth, and exposure to discrimination accounted for about 18% of the observed Black-White AL disparities. Education, income, wealth, and experiences of discrimination may independently contribute to AL and partially explain Black-White disparities in AL. There is a need to elucidate the underlying mechanisms governing these relationships, particularly wealth, and extend the research to additional social determinants of racial health disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with lifelong health harms, current surveillance data on exposures to childhood adversity among adults are either unavailable or incomplete for many states. In this study, recent data from a nationally representative survey were used to obtain the current and complete estimates of ACEs at the national and state levels. Current, complete, by-state estimates of adverse childhood experiences were obtained by applying small area estimation technique to individual-level data on adults aged ≥18 years from 2019–2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. The standardized questions about childhood adversity included in the 2019–2020 survey allowed for obtaining estimates of ACE consistent across states. All missing responses to childhood adversity questions (states did not offer such questions or offered them to only some respondents; respondents skipped questions) were predicted through multilevel mixed-effects logistic small area estimation regressions. The analyses were conducted between October 2022 and May 2023. An estimated 62.8% of U.S. adults had past exposure to ACEs (range: 54.9% in Connecticut; 72.5% in Maine). Emotional abuse (34.5%) was the most common; household member incarceration (10.6%) was the least common. Sexual abuse varied markedly between females (22.2%) and males (5.4%). Exposure to most types of adverse childhood experiences was lowest for adults who were non-Hispanic White, had the highest level of education (college degree) or income (annual income ≥$50,000), or had access to a personal healthcare provider. Current complete estimates of ACEs demonstrate high countrywide exposures and stark sociodemographic inequalities in the burden, highlighting opportunities to prevent adverse childhood experiences by focusing social, educational, medical, and public health interventions on populations disproportionately impacted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What shapes the host population's willingness to accept refugees into social, economic, and political life in their country? We argue that refugees' ethnicity plays a key role—both directly and indirectly—in shaping support for having refugees as neighbors and for granting them a work permit or citizenship. Fielding a conjoint experiment in Turkey (N  = 2,362), we find that locals discriminate against Syrian Arab and Kurdish refugees compared to Turkomans. Although a university degree, social ties with locals, and knowledge of language boost prorefugee attitudes, ethnic bias may attenuate their effect. For example, local language knowledge increases support for Arab refugee profiles, but only when it comes to granting them a work permit, but not having them as neighbors or granting citizenship. In contrast, it increases support for profiles of Turkomans and Kurds in all the three domains. Thus, strategies such as learning the local language may not advance all refugees in all domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within educational data mining, it is common to model students' academic performance using a linear regression model or the time to degree completion or dropout using the cause-specific hazard model. Yet to our knowledge, no studies have simultaneously modeled the longitudinal performance and the hazard models. We propose a joint modeling approach in which we estimate the effect of a student's semester longitudinal weighted mark obtained after attempting t credit points, on the hazard of degree completion and academic dropout. Evidence suggests that the joint modeling approach is substantially more efficient compared to the separate modeling of the longitudinal and the time-to-event outcomes. We observe similarities in the parameter estimates of the longitudinal submodels, but smaller standard errors of the estimates in the joint model. However, the parameter estimates of the competing risk models from both analysis methods are different. A unit increase in the average log weighted mark results in a 18.5 fold increase in the hazard associated with degree completion, but reduces the risk of dropout by 49 per cent. Being in a university-type residence, not having financial aid, and having a higher number of high school matriculation points all increase the hazard rate of degree completion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating academic papers and groups is important in scholar evaluation and literature retrieval. However, current evaluation indices, which pay excessive attention to the citation number rather than the citation importance and unidirectionality, are relatively simple. This study proposes new evaluation indices for papers and groups. First, an improved PageRank (PR) algorithm introducing citation importance is proposed to obtain a new citation-based paper index (CPI) via a pre-ranking and fine-tuning strategy. Second, to evaluate the paper's influence inside and outside its research field, the focus citation-based paper index (FCPI) and diversity citation-based paper index (DCPI) are proposed based on topic similarity and diversity, respectively. Third, aside from the statistical indices for academic papers, we propose a foreign academic degree of dependence (FAD) to characterise the dependence between two academic groups. Finally, artificial intelligence (AI) papers from 2005 to 2019 are utilised for a case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scientific research is effective in developing educational policies and identifying future plans for the development of higher education. The study aimed to identify the role of scientific research in developing educational policies for higher education institutions. The sample of the study was (107) Reviewers from various scientific journals at the Islamic University. The mixed method was used. The results of the study indicated that the general Mean of the scientific research referee's estimates of the role of scientific research in developing educational policies came with a high degree of approval and relative weight of (77.03%), and there were no differences in the estimates of the study sample due to the variables of gender, scientific degree and years academic of experience, the results of the interview supported the quantitative results that were reached. The study recommended to update the policies and regulations governing institutions of higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reflect on Geography in the US university by focusing on the paths taken by undergraduates into and beyond our classrooms. Those paths reveal aspects of Geography that appear unique to this national context, and include the structural barriers to US students' entry into Geography, from their highly uneven exposure to Geography in school to their unfamiliarity with it as a university degree. Yet many students still manage to find the field, with the troubling exception of Black and Indigenous students. We also highlight the paradox whereby graduates of this 'invisible' field are in high demand within government and industry, even as their training encourages them to simultaneously critique the tight coupling of Geography with those structures of power. We suggest that these are the distinctive and constitutive attributes of Geography in US universities that shape undergraduates and the geographies that they take out into the world. We reflect on Geography in the US university by focusing on the paths taken by undergraduates into and beyond our classrooms. We suggest that these are the distinctive and constitutive attributes of Geography in US universities that shape undergraduates and the geographies that they take out into the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Free open‐access medical education (FOAM) is extremely popular among learners and educators despite lacking the traditional peer review process. Despite the potential for inaccurate, low‐quality, or biased content, little has been published describing FOAM authors. Methods: We performed a cross‐sectional analysis of 12 months of content from the top 25 blogs in the 2020 Social Media Index from August 2020–2021. We recorded the number of posts per site and descriptive characteristics of authors, including gender affiliation, conflicts of interest (COI) statements, and type of practice (academic, community, or hybrid). Results: We identified 2141 posts by 1001 authors. More than half were produced by six websites: EM Docs (266), Life in the Fast Lane (232), EMCrit (188), ALiEM (185), Don't Forget the Bubbles (181), and Rebel EM (174). Most content (1680 posts, 78.5%) lacked a COI statement. Authors were mostly academic (89%), mostly held MD degrees (67.4%), and were mostly men (59.7%). Geographically, most FOAM authors reside in the United States (59.5%), Canada (22.42%), or the United Kingdom (9.4%). Conclusions: Of all the posts in the top 25 sites in 2020, more than half came from six sites, and authors were largely North American men in academics with MD degrees. Learners, content creators, and educators should consider the ways in which a more diverse authorship pool might bring value to the FOAM educational experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the influence of family background on college graduates' earnings has not considered the importance of the match between parents' and children's field of study. Using a novel design based on within‐family comparisons, I examine long‐term earnings returns to reproducing parents' field of study in Denmark. I find that individuals whose field of study matches that of a parent have earnings that are 2 percent higher than those of their siblings with college degrees in different fields, on average. Earnings returns to field inheritance are highest in the fields of law (9 percent), medicine (6 percent), and engineering (4 percent) and are driven mainly by income from self‐employment. I find no direct evidence of nepotism as the earnings advantage does not arise from inheritance of parents' firms or employment in parents' occupational network. My findings indicate that, although a college degree generally equalizes family background differences in economic outcomes, there are additional payoffs to field inheritance, particularly in traditional fields characterized by a high degree of social closure and self‐employment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) has transformed from what some termed a "social movement" to an institutionalized sector with numerous organizations and practitioners involved, resulting in trends that point toward SDP becoming a recognized category of work through professional training. The purpose of this paper is to utilize theories of professions and institutional isomorphism to advance the significance and importance of thinking about SDP as a profession. Three emerging trends that point to the professionalization of SDP are reviewed: (a) increasing opportunities to attain SDP certifications and training, (b) the growing number of SDP-specific academic degrees, and (c) the creation of a SDP knowledge base, particularly in relation to monitoring and evaluation. To conclude, theoretical and practical implications of the professionalization of SDP are discussed and a research agenda is outlined for future research on the continued institutionalization, and professionalization, of the SDP sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two skills that need improvement during the university stage are self-regulated learning (SRL) and the reading of scientific texts. The objective of this study is to assess SRL, the profile of scientific reading, and the relationship between these variables in a sample of 1,253 students pursuing a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood and Primary Education. A descriptive and cross-sectional selective study was designed. A digital questionnaire was administered, including socio-demographic data, the range of scientific articles read in a semester, and the adapted SRSI-SR instrument to measure SRL. The results revealed significant differences in the mean SRL score in favour of women but not by the degree studied or the academic year. The range of scientific readings was less than three scientific articles per semester for more than half of the sample, with better results in women and second-year students. All scores on the adapted SRSI-SR scale improved with an increase in scientific reading. These findings suggest that increasing scientific reading in education students can enhance their self-regulated learning skills, also promoting critical thinking and voluntary selection of scientific readings by students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to determine what factors affect the time it takes Arusha Technical College graduates to land their first job following graduation. The study examines the length of unemployment for 568 graduates from 15 academic programs using information from a tracer survey carried out in 2022. The effect of academic programs, job search tactics, and demographic traits such as gender and age on graduates’ employment outcomes is investigated through the use of survival analysis techniques, such as the Cox proportional hazards model and the Kaplan-Meier estimator. The results show that the median time to start employment is roughly 10 months, with differences seen depending on the company category, gender, age group, academic degree, and job search tactics. Moreover, it is observed that male graduates are more likely than female graduates to secure employment before their peers, and that some academic programs have higher rates of job placement. The government sector is the most advantageous for early employment, followed by private and self-employment. Furthermore, graduates who use internet-based job search strategies also find employment more quickly than graduates who use other methods. Consequently, age, academic program, and job search strategy all have a substantial impact on graduates’ employment outcomes, which has implications for career development initiatives and industry-academia partnerships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Pelvic floor disorders (PFD) occur in about 40% of women after delivery. Less is known about the intervention and care needs of women with postpartum PFD. The aim of this analysis was to analyze care needs and self-initiated measures to strengthen the pelvic floor in postpartum women in relation to incontinence and sexual dysfunction. Furthermore, influencing factors for self-initiated measures were evaluated. Patients and methods: An anonymous online survey (via LimeSurvey) was conducted between September and October 2022 and distributed via social media (Instagram and Facebook). The survey explicitly addressed mothers with and without pelvic floor disorders up to 5 years postpartum (inclusion criteria). Validated instruments were employed to assess incontinence (ICIQ-SF) and sexual functioning (PISQ-IR: Condition Impact). The questions on the use of services and preventive measures, as well as on the interaction with a gynecologist, were based on self-developed items. Results: In total, 49.4% of the participants of the survey showed symptoms of urinary incontinence (UI). Furthermore, only 40.3% (n = 241) of women were actively asked by their gynecologists for the occurrence of UI or PFD among those who suffered from PFD. Overall, 79.3% of the participants of the survey with UI underwent measures to deal with the complaints. The ICIQ-SF Score was significantly associated with all self-induced measures. High School diplomas and academic degrees were associated with the use of love balls (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of the study show the unmet needs of postpartum women. PFD should be addressed more frequently in the outpatient setting. Furthermore, more systematic information about the treatment of PFD could help to address unmet information needs and improve interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a sample of college-educated Hispanics from the 2016–2017 American Community Survey we examine the role of potential social networks on the education-occupation mismatch for Hispanics in the U.S. To do this, we use a novel data-driven index to measure the degree of education-occupation mismatch, while potential networks are measured using the share of Hispanics at the MSA level. We find that networks improve job-match quality for college-educated Hispanics, with effects that are significantly larger for Hispanic citizens when networks consist of the proportion of Hispanics with college degrees. Our findings are robust to other indices of education mismatch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is much public anxiety about how today's students use chatbots to complete assignments. But AI's integration within schools will more deeply impact the next generation of college graduates. The market value of future college degrees is far from certain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Touristic and agritouristic guesthouses in Romania own authentic resources that represent elements of maximum attraction, and Satul Banului Guesthouse is representative for promoting the authentic vernacular Romanian, Muntenia style in the touristic offer. The study aims to identify the rough guide criteria by which tourists select guesthouses and how much it is appreciated, according to multiple socio-demographic categories, the local national authenticity through services and other opportunities. The data were collected through an original questionnaire which includes 33 subjects, customers of Satul Banului Guesthouse, with the following demographic structure: 51.5% men and 48.5% women, ages between 31-50 years are predominant, and 66.7% of the respondents have university degrees. The results indicated that: the proximity to the home is not a significant indicator; tourists between 31-50 years choose a good quality/price offer; especially male tourists choose a guesthouse appreciating Romanian authenticity (56.67%); participation in outdoor activities is strongly segregated, and cultural tours is especially important for women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Every year, many applicants want to study medicine. Appropriate selection procedures are needed to identify suitable candidates for the demanding curriculum. Although research on medical school admissions has shown good predictive validity for cognitive selection methods (undergraduate GPA, aptitude tests), the literature on applicants with professional and/or academic experience prior to entering medical school remains slim. In our study, we therefore aimed to examine the association between academic success in medical school and having previously completed vocational training in the medical field, voluntary service (≥11 months) or an academic degree. Methods: Data were collected in a multicentre, cross-sectional study at five medical schools in Germany (Baden-Wuerttemberg) from students during medical school (i.e. 3rd-, 6th-, and 10th-semester and final-year students). Academic success was assessed according to scores on the first and second state examinations, the total number of examinations repeated and the number of semesters beyond the standard period of study. For the analysis we calculated ordinal logistic regression models for each outcome variable of academic success. Results: A total of N = 2,370 participants (response rate: RR = 47%) participated in the study. Having completed vocational training was associated with a higher amount of repeated examinations (small effect), while having an academic degree was associated with worse scores on the second state examination (medium effect). No significant association emerged between voluntary service and academic success. Conclusion: The results indicate that professional and academic pre-qualifications pose no advantage for academic success. Possible associations with the financing of study and living conditions of students with pre-qualifications were analysed and discussed in an exploratory manner. However, the operationalisation of academic success from objective and cognitive data should be critically discussed, as the benefits of prior experience may be captured by personal qualities rather than examination results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A short discussion is given of the convenience of integrating electrochemistry and chemometrics in university degrees related to chemistry, and some selected examples are presented to illustrate the possibilities of combining both disciplines for solving (electro)chemical problems of different nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Physical education requirements (PERs) have been suggested as a potential solution for increasing physical activity (PA) among undergraduate students, specifically for the inactive who face the greatest barriers to PA. In 2010, among a nationally-representative, random sample of tertiary institutions in the U.S. only 39% had PERs as part of their general education curriculum. But, being a decade old, this data may be outdated. The aim of this study was to examine the current status of PERs in U.S. tertiary institutions and to explore what institutional characteristics are associated with having a PER. Methods: Academic catalogs of a nationally representative, random sample of 331 institutions were searched for PER information. Results: The majority of U.S. tertiary institutions did not mandate physical education (PE) courses (56.2%), whereas 31.7% fully and 12% partially required their undergraduate students to complete a PE course to graduate. The characteristics most associated with an institution having a PER included being private, having a small enrollment size, having an academic degree program related to the field, having both activity and conceptual components, being <3 credit hours, offering an elective program in physical activity education, and being located in the south. Conclusion: Future work is needed to identify important elements of PER courses, reasons why PERs are sustained by some institutions versus others, and to establish practical guidelines regarding best practices for quality PER courses. More direct action within the discipline of kinesiology is needed to underscore the importance and need of PERs at the tertiary level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]