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The right to a backyard barbecue, swimming pool and ample space for ball games is a cherished aspect of the Australian suburban dream. This is exemplified in the concept of the quarter acre block as the required standard for all. However, rising land prices, a demographic shift away from the nuclear family and the imperatives of sustainability and climate change may stand in opposition to this utopian ideal. As Australian cities plan for increased density and urban consolidation, it is appropriate to question the continued currency of the quarter acre block. A survey of four suburbs in Adelaide, South Australia, investigates householders’ preferences for a range of physical design factors including block size and garden availability. The results of the survey provide important evidence for policy makers at a time when radically new forms of housing in the form of apartments and transit-oriented developments are increasingly evident in Australian cities. Refereed/Peer-reviewed

This paper analyzes trends in demographic shift from regional areas to large metropolitan areas, and economic factors resulting from this demographic shift. First, we analyzed the status of demographic shifts between the large metropolitan areas of Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi Prefectures, and then other individual prefectures for 5-year periods starting from 1970, 1980, 1990 and 2000, and for age segments of 5-14, 20-24, 25-64 and over 65 years. As a result, we observed population inflow from regional areas to the large metropolitan areas in Tokyo and Osaka Prefectures for the age segments up to 24 years old and population outflow from large metropolitan areas to regional areas for the age segments of 25-64 years, except for the period starting from 1970. As for Aichi Prefecture, the trends of population inflow from regional to metropolitan areas was observed since 1990 for the age segments above 25 years as well as the age segments up to 24 yearsNext, we extracted “inflow populations to Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi Prefectures from other individual prefectures” as the ratio of inflow/outflow populations to each prefecture's population and “regional economic factors constituting the regional economy” as the ratio of each prefecture's factors against Tokyo, Osaka and Aichi Prefectures for the above-mentioned periods, and conducted attribution analyses with a multiple regression analysis approach. As for regional economic factors, we adopted 13 factors including industrial composition ratio, administrative investment, academic background index, sales turnover in retail industry that resulted in the economic factors attributing to demographic shifts for each period. The factors affecting the three large metropolitan areas most were the “tertiary industry ratio” , “industrial shipment value”, “administrative investment value” and “retail sales value”. To control population outflows from regional areas to large metropolitan areas in the future, upgrading industrial structure, turning from a reliance on public works and improving intellectual levels should be important.JEL Classification: R00, R1

In many Western countries, more and more people are living longer. As part of this demographic shift, increasing numbers are participating in Masters sport. In the past, sport was considered important for the development of young people; however, the potential for sport participation to affect positive development across the lifespan is now recognized. The purpose of this paper is to introduce conceptual frameworks from developmental psychology that are being used to understand youths’ positive development through sport, and to explore these frameworks in the context of sport as an avenue for positive development in older persons. To achieve this aim, we outline research on sport participation as it applies to youth development and consider relevant aspects as they broadly apply to development later in life. This discussion highlights the inherent paradox of sport participation—that it has the potential to provide considerable positive growth but also the potential for significant negative consequences. Finally, we explore areas of future research related to positive development in older persons through sport.

The aging of the US population, and Western society populations in general, has been of concern to demographers and health planners for a number of years. The implications of this demographic shift include both increased economic and health care burdens for the United States. The growth of the end-stage renal disease population in the 1980s and 1990s suggested massive increases in this very expensive and frail population. However, recent incidence rates suggest that future growth may not be as great as thought just a few years ago.

Korea will become an Aged-Society by the year 2018 and a Super-Aged Society by the year 2026. Because such a large demographic shift will continue, more attention should be given to the housing pro...

The aging of the workforce in the United States has been well documented, and workplaces are beginning to consider the implications of this demographic shift with regard to employees' needs and preferences for specific types of benefits and human resource policies. The presence of unions, associations that have traditionally advocated for benefits and protections for their members, may be one factor that affects the readiness of workplaces to adapt to the aging of the workforce. A national study reported here has found that though workplaces with union presence are more likely to provide some of the benefits important to older workers, such as health insurance for the families of part-time employees, they are less likely to have a more comprehensive scope of flexible work options available to most of their employees.

In developing countries, the past decades have seen a marked demographic shift from rural to urban. By the year 2000, 40% of the population of the Third World will live in urban areas. We have limited specific knowledge of the similarities and differences in diet, nutrition status, and health effects of diet and lifestyle between the traditional rural populations and the emerging urban poor. Such information will be useful for basic descriptive information as well as for assistance in the design and execution of health and nutrition projects for the urban poor.

Several developed and developing countries have recently adopted a notional defined contribution (NDC) approach to old-age pension reform. The NDC is essentially a non-pre-funded defined contribution retirement system, in which contributions are credited with a “rate of return” related to aggregate payroll growth, and individual account accruals are maintained in a book-keeping system. Payouts are annuitized based on the expected mortality of each succeeding retiring cohort. NDC plans may be identified with appropriately calibrated Pay-As-You-Go plans in demographic equilibrium, but the two paradigms diverge when demographic shift is introduced. This paper investigates the key actuarial and economic implications of alternative NDC rules, with a particular focus on Japan, the world's most rapidly ageing economy. We examine the potential role for pension reserves in transitioning to an NDC system, and we show these can be used to smooth the impact of demographic transition to an older society. Finally, we show that countries such as Japan could elect to use pension reserves accumulated in the past to facilitate the transition to an NDC system.

The purpose of this study was to explore the human resource development (HRD) practices of Korean corporations in order to highlight predominant concerns and issues. A comprehensive review of literature and empirical data indicated three recurring practices. The first was that Korean corporate HRD showed a tendency to transform informal communicative practices found in workplace settings into formally structured HRD interventions. By doing so, HRD extended its control throughout all possible types of training and learning experiences occurring in the workplace. Second, as host organizations requested HRD to play the role of strategic business partners, the function of HRD was found to be the regulation of organizational needs by focusing on the development of high potential individuals within organizations. Third, with today's demographic shift such as the increasing elderly population and the increasing number of women in the workplace, the monolithic interventions of HRD seemed no longer appropriate.

A big challenge for Europe is the demographic shift towards an aging population. Resources in the health care sector are limited, so it is important that the seniors of tomorrow will be able to stay healthy and manage themselves as long as possible, preferably also with a good quality of life. Physical activity is very important both for mobility and for the general well-being, but it can be hard to find motivation to exercise alone at home. Also in rehabilitation there is a need for a more engaging approach than a sheet of paper describing exercises that should be performed. In the GameUp project we developed fun and motivational exergames particularly targeting elderly in a user centred approach. Physiotherapists ensured that the movements and exercises were good for flexibility, leg strength and balance. In addition to seven Kinect games, a walking app and a professional portal were developed. The Kinect games can be played in several levels, and those who are at risk of falling are able to play while seated. The professional portal ensures that the results of the project also can be used as a tool in rehabilitation. Test results from 20 elderly aged 65-95 as well as clinical trials of adherence to the exercises are encouraging, and the international and multidisciplinary team behind the project is now looking for ways to commercialize the project outcomes.

Background: Demographic shift in India has prolonged life expectancy and aggravated sufferings due to protracted episode of illness. Elderly populace are particularly victimised. In such situation, hospital-based care emerges as an important choice for many. Critics to biomedicine point it as ‘medicalization’ of health, and death. However, their argument needs empirical validation that is attempted in the present article.Method: Using NSSO data of 60th and 71st rounds, the study makes a comparative analysis and estimates the major socioeconomic determinants of Medical Intervention before Death, with specific focus on elderly group, aged above 60 years.Findings: The result shows following trends: (1) Increase in seeking Medical attention and Hospitalisation, particularly for the ‘Young Old’; however gender discrepancy is evident (2) Health-seeking behaviour is approaching towards homogeneity with all the four wealth quartiles showing more or less equal preference for hospital-based care. This has a cost implication, particularly for the lower quartile group; (3) it is a myth that large family size is able to support elderly care. Data revels that hospitalisation among the elderly in very large families has increased. In comparison, medical attention does not show similar trend; (4) rural-urban disparity in seeking hospitalisation has minimised with possibility of rural-urban displacement since hospitals are more concentrated in cities than in villages.Conclusions: Receiving medical attention before death is confined in the privileged section of the society and of course gender plays an important role in this regard. Lack of proper treatment still increases the incidences of death among the elderly at the lower segments of the society.

The reasons for the preservation of historic properties related to ethnic minority groups have been much discussed in the historic preservation field. However, there are factors that are still of concern as many of these properties are often overlooked. This merits a discussion of what constitutes importance to an underrepresented group that falls outside of traditional historic preservation policy and processes in terms of assessing and evaluating their significance. United States historic preservation public policies and processes concerning historic significance should reflect the changing attitudes and shifts in thinking about heritage and history, as well as the dynamic nature of communities themselves. The year 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the National Historic Preservation Act. As historic preservation goes forward into the next fifty years, the United States will become a different nation in composition, but is still one nation by acknowledging that all citizens have a contribution to make to its collective historic narrative. Ethnic minority groups are now demanding a more flexible, inclusive form of historic preservation; one that is not as primarily focused on architecture or integrity, but focused on what is valued and culturally significant to the communities in which those historic properties are located. The National Register of Historic Places itself is flexible and accommodating in what properties may be listed, but more creative approaches, interpretations, and uses of the criteria, guidance, and processes—including the incorporation of more ethnographic techniques—have become necessary. As the United States prepares for a majority-minority shift in 2050, who decides what is significant or relevant—historic preservation practitioners or ethnic minority communities themselves? By actively implementing steps to become more truly inclusive, we can help to assure that the significance of historic properties and valued places of meaning to all of its citizens will be effectively considered.

This chapter investigates the two-way relationship between population aging and international migration. After documenting the trends for both, we review the supply-push and demand-pull determinants of migration, focusing particularly on the role of age and aging. We subsequently analyze the implications of migration in the context of aging for labor markets, as well as for health and public budgets, including in the context of political economy. Although immigration is sometimes suggested as a solution for the aging problem, the existing academic literature from different fields is more cautious about its role and potential. While some suggest that large-scale, selective immigration might contribute to alleviating demographic pressures, in general, researchers conclude that migration alone is not likely to play a significant role.

The world faces growing challenges of aging populations. Asia is no exception with rapidly increasing life expectancies and falling fertility rates. To help policy makers address these issues, this paper examines three sociopolicy options: (i) extending the retirement age, (ii) augmenting labor migration within the region, and (iii) through using population accounting methodology with the goal of increasing fertility rates. When the retirement age is extended from 65 to 70, the overall dependency ratio in 2050 would decline from 56.7% to 44.7%. If the 2010 dependency ratio were to be maintained, the region would need to import significant numbers of workers aged 15.44 even as those aged 45.64 would be in surplus. India, Pakistan, and the Philippines will be major sources of surplus labor. Raising fertility rates to the 2.1% replacement level will increase the dependency ratio for the time being, but will eventually reduce it over several decades depending on each countryfs demographic structure.

Unraveling the causes underlying Alzheimer's disease (AD) is certainly one of the greatest challenges of this century for researchers. With advances in medicine and technology, the world is experiencing a demographic shift towards a growing elderly population. With this increasingly ageing population, the number of individuals being affected by AD is booming. AD has a significant negative impact on the lives of the individuals with the disorder, as well as creating a significant social and economic burden for society. Although major advances have been established in our understanding of the molecular and pathological mechanisms underlying this devastating disorder during the last decades, the causes for neuronal degeneration and its treatment remain elusive.

Finally, this chapter presents information related to current public policies in response to an aging female population and speculates on where public policy needs to expand to accommodate the demographic shift in the world female population for decades to come. Public policies need to be reexamined and adapted to the changing needs of aging women who are both living longer and living healthier than ever before. Public policies and programs need to be updated to better reflect the current status of older women and those involved in their lives, either directly or indirectly.

This chapter provides a review of some implications of demographic shift arising from population aging for fiscal policy, taxation policy, and social security settings. The key implications of population aging that have been forthcoming from the many national and international macroeconomic modeling studies are presented. These implications are that population aging will put significant stress on governments’ fiscal situations under current policy settings. Consideration of policy options to accommodate population aging leads to examination of age-dependent taxation, the means testing of social security benefits, general taxation and pension design, and the analysis of taxation policy over time. The chapter concludes with some comments on the nature of the literature reviewed and on possible directions for future research.

The United States is fast becoming a nation in which individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups outnumber non-Hispanic Whites. This demographic shift is also occurring in rural communities where a growing number of children are minority group members. To date, relatively little attention has focused on rural minority youth. This chapter provides a demographic overview of these young people, highlighting their diverse racial and ethnic origins as well as differences among rural communities. We provide definitions of rural, race, and ethnicity, noting the challenges and complexities of defining each of these terms. We also consider the geographic distribution of minority groups across the United States and in rural areas. This discussion is followed by a brief review of some key challenges facing minority youth from rural communities. In the final section, we briefly describe the organization of the volume and the focus of each of the chapters.

In the United States, English language learners (ELLs) now account for over 10% of K-12 public school enrollment. This demographic shift coincides with a succession of school reforms, such as No Child Left Behind legislation, English-only mandates, and the adoption of the Common Core State Standards, which place new demands on all students and their teachers (Brisk, 2015; Gebhard, Chen, & Britton, 2014; Palincsar & Schleppegrell, 2014). These demands are prompting a renewed interest in how teachers can support students in simultaneously developing academic language proficiency and disciplinary content knowledge. As teachers, administrators, teacher educators, and policymakers attempt to respond to the demands of these reforms, a new national discourse regarding the relationship between language and content learning is emerging. This new discourse is one many teachers are struggling to grasp in their attempts to design more effective instruction, particularly for the growing number of ELLs in their classes (Bunch, Kibler, & Pimentel, 2012; Burke & de Oliveira, 2012).

This article examines the recent changes in the culture industry and demographics that permitted a formerly underground music to enter the mainstream. The demographic shift concerns the group that Pierre Bourdieu calls the “new petite bourgeoisie,” which in the 1980s began to use the music of their youth in commercials, signaling the beginning of the end of the commercial jingle, as well as the stigma that once attached to musicians who permitted their music be in advertising. But the yuppie baby boom generation that inhabited the new petite bourgeoisie has been succeeded by a younger group in the advertising industry, whose representatives are helping to bring underground electronic popular musics to mass audiences in television commercials. Automobile manufacturers in particular have gravitated toward this music.

Dementia is fast becoming a global concern due to a demographic shift towards an older population. Many studies have shown that caring for a family member or friend has a profound and negative impact on the physical, emotional and psychosocial aspects of the caregivers’ life. One significant activity that a family caregiver undertakes is assistance with the management of medicines. This review was undertaken to ascertain what the issues are that affect optimal medicines use from the perspectives of people living with dementia and their caregivers, both in the community and care home settings. A literature search was conducted using electronic databases, employing a combination of search terms. A total of 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. Six broad themes were identified, together with some recommendations to improve medicines use in people with dementia. Challenges to medicines use centred on medicines management and administration, the impact on the caregiver and care recipient, their partnership and interface with formal care. Future research should focus on developing targeted interventions that can overcome these challenges to achieve optimal medicines use.

In the coming years, the world will experience an important demographic shift. The elderly population is growing due to increased life expectancy and decreasing birth rates. According to the United Nations, the elderly will make up around 36% of the European population by 2050. Disabilities and diseases are more prevalent with old age. Moreover, people often require more attention and healthcare with age. In many cultures that stress independent living, this has led to home healthcare becoming the preferred care method for disabled and elderly people. In order to make independent living a possibility for these people, different companies have been investing money into researching and developing welfare technologies.

The decline of private higher education constitutes an untold reality: growth is not a uniform, omnipresent, or inevitable course. Reasons for private higher education decline fall into two broad categories—(1) social factors (the lapse of distinct social identity and the demographic shift) and (2) political or public-sector policies (hostile government, regulation, public higher education expansion, and privatization within the public sector).

This article examines the question as to what is the right age to reproduce from the biological point of view of its purpose; that of achieving a healthy mother and baby. We start with an assumption that issues surrounding sex, fertility, pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion and childbearing are private and emotionally laden. We are not looking at, nor judging, individual reproductive choices; what might be “right” for one person, or couple, in one context will be unsuitable for another. It is traditional obstetric and gynaecological teaching that human reproductive outcomes are worse at the extremes of maternal age. Yet the advice given in a recent BMJ editorial entitled “Which career first? The securest age for childbearing remains 20–35” appeared to be controversial. The ensuing scientific and media interest raised such headlines as “Horns of the dilemma”, “A sinister article”, “Late mums face baby misery” and “Are we having children too late? IVF not the answer, say docs”. Products have recently appeared on the market offering kits to women to indicate the time left on their ‘biological clock’ so they can choose whether to continue pursuing their career or try for a baby. Why is there so much interest in the right time to reproduce? Are women (and men) doing something differently compared to the past? If there has been a demographic shift in the age women reproduce (hitherto unexplained), there are important and specific risks older women may face as compared to younger women.

Die Entwicklungen des Alterns stellen veränderte Herausforderungen an die medizinische Versorgung und das Management von geriatrischen Patienten. Der betagte Patient mit seinen altersbedingten Funktionseinschränkungen und der Multimorbidität ist durch alternsphysiologische Veränderungen sowie durch unreflektierte Pharmakotherapie gefährdet und auf die hausärztliche Hilfestellung angewiesen. Beim geriatrischen Patienten ist die Verordnung der geeigneten Arzneiform und der praktikablen Applikationsform der Schlüssel zum Therapieerfolg. Altersgerechte Einnahmeverordnungen, wiederholte Aufklärung und Einnahmeschulung sind unersetzliche Versorgungsleistungen in der hausärztlichen Praxis und dem klinischen Alltag, die zunehmend an Bedeutung gewinnen.

China's one child per couple policy (OCP), with its depressive effects on fertility rates, was established in 1979. Since then numerous studies have documented the effects of the OCP on the aging of China's population. The increasing proportion of elderly in China is producing profound social and economic complications that require the development of appropriate policies. This article addresses this issue in a novel way, by focusing on the sandwich generation , i.e., those who oftentimes care for both younger and older generations. Qualitative data recently collected from diverse representatives of this generation are presented in an attempt to personalize the consequences of this demographic shift and to introduce possible solutions for lessening its effects. We determine that in urban areas many possibilities exist, while in rural areas challenges are more urgent given the proportionately larger number of elderly residents and the lack of options.

Churches across the nation are experiencing a rate of aging that dramatically exceeds the trend in the general population. In light of the demographic shift, it is imperative that a new model of senior adult ministry be adopted. The new model emphasizes ministry with senior adults rather than just to them, contains social, service, and spiritual components, and is biblically-based. The emergence of the new model has implications for seminary curriculum, existing senior adult ministries, and intergenerational efforts in the local church.

According to excavations and surveys in the Sharon area, the process of reurbanization of Eretz Israel during the early phases of the MBIIA occurred along the Coastal Plain. This meant there was a concentration of population in large, fortified cities in the Sharon Plain. During the MBIIB there was a demographic shift: These sites were abandoned and settlement moved southwards, especially to the southern Coastal Plain and western Negev.The artefacts found at Shuni Site 18, located at the southern tip of the Carmel ridge, indicate that it was a small, rural, unfortified village. As such, it may represent the first stage of a settlement wave in the northern Sharon area and fill a gap in the data about the MBIIA urbanization process there.

For many years gerontologists have discussed the consequences of advances that have lengthened lives but have been less successful at improving the quality of those lives. While this debate continues, the resulting demographic shift in the age profile of the United States threatens to overwhelm our ability to care for those who most need assistance. In the absence of major policy changes or dramatic medical discoveries, or both, the need for institutional care among the population 85 and older will soon exceed the available resources.

This article focuses on an increasing trend—the attempt to combine responsibilities of parenthood and professional theology in a dual vocation. Today, many theologians are attempting to complete doctoral studies and earn tenure with young children in tow. Most likely, this will become the majority trend in the near future. How well is our profession adjusting to this significant demographic shift? This article compiles results of a survey of parent-theologians, covering family planning decisions, financial stability, attempts to balance work and leisure, and impact of parenthood on their work as theologians, as well as their suggestions for making the profession more conducive to this dual vocation.

The article examines Philip Jenkins's popular thesis that "Southern Christianity" represents a conservative return to a pre-Tridentine Christendom. While acknowledging the importance of Jenkins's emphasis on the demographic shift of the Christian population from the "North" to the "South" and its vast implications for the church's mission, the article argues that the form of Christianity that is taking place in the so-called Third World, at least in Asian Roman Catholicism, is anything but a return to the pre-Tridentine Christianity. The various phenomena that Jenkins notes such as healing, prophecy, popular piety, and a literalist reading of the Bible, should be viewed within the new context of the church's commitment to renewal and mission in terms of liberation, interculturation, and interreligious dialogue.

Power building involves taking risks. In Houston, the leadership of the Harris County American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations, recognizing the rapid growth of immigrants in the region, advanced a tangible policy to build worker power through mobilizing workers in these new communities, for many years shunned by unions and central labor councils. The labor council recognizes that the struggle to organize immigrants is difficult and unpredictable. In an antiunion environment, the Harris County labor council had to convince immigrant workers that they would provide resources and support directed to the needs of the diverse communities in the city. By supporting immigrant rights and organizing efforts, the labor council hopes to align the local labor movement with the demographic earthquake shaking their communities. At the same time, the council has managed to deliver to affiliates through mobilizing support for organizing and supporting political candidates favorable to organized labor. This article examines diverse strategies formulated on the basis of the real needs of immigrant workers and assesses the efficacy of these new organizing efforts in building greater labor power.

As the baby boomers begin to retire in great numbers later this decade, there will not be enough workers in younger age categories to replace them. In this review, an attempt is made to integrate the demographics of an aging workforce with the projected economic revitalization. Implications are discussed regarding the concept of retirement and the paradox of an oversized generation preparing to retire in the context of extended life expectancies and projected worker shortages.

The `greying' of populations - the demographic shift in which general populations are `ageing older' - has raised concerns over the future needs of tomorrow's elderly population and contributed to changes in the public persona of elderly people. Traditional representations such as the `frail elderly' are now complemented by newer representations such as the `remarkably' youthful elderly. This article explores the ways a group of lower socio-economic status women draw upon representations of the active and inactive elderly evident in a television documentary, when making sense of the contemporary search for the fountain of youth. Participants' discussion of the programme reveals complex relationships among notions of consumer choice, scientific progress and religion. We conclude by exploring the implications of depictions of the active and inactive elderly in framing the contemporary search for the fountain of youth.

Planners in the USA and other Western European countries are faced with the dilemma of how to deal with the demands of an increasingly multicultural population. This problem has become more acute as the number of immigrants from non-European countries has grown in the last several decades. This paper examines how this demographic shift impacts on planning practice. Two planning practice issues are examined; historic preservation and housing for ethno-cultural groups. The paper discusses why these two issues and other emerging demands of ethno-cultural groups matter to planners. A suggestion is made for changing the culture of planning and planning processes to recognize plurality as points of departure in planning practice.

En la actualidad el envejecimiento progresivo de la población y el desarrollo de las enfermedades neurodegenerativas está planteando nuevos retos al Derecho en cuanto a la protección del fenómeno de la discapacidad intelectual. Retos que no pueden abordarse desde una única perspectiva, sino que requieren de un tratamiento transversal. El presente artículo pretende reflexionar sobre los mecanismos de apoyo y ayuda que se han arbitrado en este ámbito en los últimos años, dando por un lado, mayor relevancia a la autonomía de la voluntad; pero también, por otro lado, mayor cabida a la intervención pública. Nowadays, both the demographic shift to an ageing population and the development of neurodegenerative diseases are raising new legal challenges regarding the protection of intellectual disability. These challenges cannot be addressed from a single perspective, but require a cross-cutting approach. This article aspires to reflect on the supportive measures that have been introduced in this subject recently; on the one hand, they give more relevance to the autonomy, but on the other hand, they provide more scope for public intervention.

This chapter is a comparison between the German, Italian, and American Healthcare Systems. All three systems are designed to be redistributive and help needy populations receive healthcare. While the American system is treated as ineffective since it does not cover vast portions of the population, problems in Italy are grounded in the local governments and its power on funding the system. And the future of the universal healthcare system in Germany is threatened by a large demographic shift towards an aged population. This chapter briefly compares the health care system in the three countries, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses, and illuminates healthcare policy from a global point of view. The chapter ends with some policy recommendations indicating a direction for future global healthcare policies.

Community colleges play a critical role in the attainment of higher education for first-generation college students from diverse social, cultural, and language backgrounds (Moore & Shulock, 2014; Shaw, Rhoads, & Valadez, 1999). Minority undergraduate enrollment has increased 146 percent since the early 1980s, reflecting a demographic shift of Latino/a students as the largest minority (Flores & Park, 2013, p. 115). Community colleges serve those students facing “the most significant barriers to higher education” (Olsen, 2003) and are “essential for reducing racial/ethnic disparities in educational attainment” (Sengupta & Jepsen, 2006, p. 12). In their classic community college study, Brint and Karabel (1989) argue that “Despite their self-characterization as ‘people’s colleges’, two-year institutions have throughout their history been less likely to send on to four-year institutions their less socially and culturally advantaged students” (p. 229). Some twenty-five years later, this disparity must be addressed; the rhetoric of educating all students must become a reality for students from diverse backgrounds.

In recent years, there has been a demographic shift of those seeking careers in teaching. As more of the teaching force is filled with middle class White women, vacancies for positions in diverse urban schools increase. There is a diminishing resource pool of teachers entering the profession with a desire to teach in an urban setting, further exasperating the receivement gap for diverse students in urban settings.

Our analysis of over 28,000 osteometric measurements from fossil remains dating between c. 5600 and 1500 BCE reveals a substantial reduction in body mass of 33% in Neolithic central European domestic cattle. We investigate various plausible explanations for this phenotypic adaptation, dismissing climatic change as a causal factor, and further rejecting the hypothesis that it was caused by an increase in the proportion of smaller adult females in the population. Instead we find some support for the hypothesis that the size decrease was driven by a demographic shift towards smaller newborns from sub-adult breeding as a result of intensifying meat production strategies during the Neolithic.

The United States is undergoing a demographic shift in which White Americans are predicted to comprise less than 50% of the US population by mid-century. The present research examines how exposure to information about this racial shift affects perceptions of the extent to which different racial groups face discrimination. In four experiments, making the growing national racial diversity salient led White Americans to predict that Whites will face increasing discrimination in the future, compared with control information. Conversely, regardless of experimental condition, Whites estimated that discrimination against various racial minority groups will decline. Explorations of several psychological mechanisms potentially underlying the effect of the racial shift information on perceived anti-White discrimination suggested a mediating role of concerns about American culture fundamentally changing. Taken together, these findings suggest that reports about the changing national demographics enhance concerns among Whites that they will be the victims of racial discrimination in the future.

Current sociodemographic predictions point to a demographic shift in developed and developing countries that will result in an unprecedented increase of the elderly population. This will be accompanied by an increase in age-related conditions that will strongly impair human health and quality of life. For this reason, aging is a major concern worldwide. Healthy aging depends on a combination of individual genetic factors and external environmental factors. Diet has been proved to be a powerful tool to modulate aging and caloric restriction has emerged as a valuable intervention in this regard. However, many questions about how a controlled caloric restriction intervention affects aging-related processes are still unanswered. Nutrient sensing pathways become deregulated with age and lose effectiveness with age. These pathways are a link between diet and aging. Thus, fully understanding this link is a mandatory step before bringing caloric restriction into practice. MicroRNAs have emerged as important regulators of cellular functions and can be modified by diet. Some microRNAs target genes encoding proteins and enzymes belonging to the nutrient sensing pathways and, therefore, may play key roles in the modulation of the aging process. In this review, we aimed to show the relationship between diet, nutrient sensing pathways and microRNAs in the context of aging.

The demographic shift in the average age of the population worldwide calls for careful attention to the nutritional health needs of the elderly. Frailty is associated with increased disability, post surgical complications and increased mortality. This geriatric disorder is not given proper attention in clinical settings.