Critical-mineral security depends not only on extraction and processing capacity but also on state visibility. Governments struggle to govern a mineral dependence they cannot observe in their own records, even when fragments of that information are held privately across agencies. This article asks how far the United States federal government’s recorded sourcing of the critical-mineral commodities it buys can be seen in its own contract data. Using approximately one thousand federal contract awards for selected critical-mineral commodity classes over fiscal years 2018–2026, we measure domestic-versus-foreign sourcing at the contract level in USAspending / Federal Procurement Data System (FPDS) records. Country of product origin is recorded for about 94% of awards and for nearly all obligated dollars, enough to support a bounded sourcing profile in this narrow universe. Among awards with recorded origin, foreign sourcing is a minority, about 9%, but it is policy-relevant: China is the largest foreign source by dollar value, concentrated in two large manganese awards, while Germany is the most frequent by award count. Bullion and coinage flows must be separated from strategic-materials procurement, or they inflate the universe twenty- to forty-fold. Two preliminary findings, a selective-onshoring trend and a defense-logistics sourcing effect, do not survive the complete data. The analysis covers U.S. federal procurement only and measures recorded procurement sourcing rather than upstream mine origin or total national dependence. Its contribution is to make one layer of critical-mineral governance, the state’s own recorded purchasing, observable, and to clarify what that layer can and cannot show for public oversight.
This article examines whether Chile’s Voluntary Collective Procedures (VCPs) operate as an effective ADR-based mechanism for protecting collective and diffuse consumer interests. It combines doctrinal analysis of the Consumer Protection Act (CPA) framework with a review of concluded VCPs and selected case studies. Introduced by Act No. 21.081, VCPs are administrative procedures conducted by the National Consumer Service (SERNAC). They are designed to achieve fast, complete, and transparent solutions in cases of alleged infringement of collective or diffuse consumer interests, through negotiated agreements with suppliers. These agreements do not imply recognition of liability by the supplier. Once approved by a court, they can have erga omnes effects, preventing subsequent collective actions based on the same facts and providing significant legal certainty. The analysis shows that VCPs have been an effective enforcement mechanism within the Chilean consumer protection system, particularly with regard to the prevention and correction of unfair standard terms, and the enforcement of consumer information duties.
Background: Building on the validation of the Your Memory test for mild cognitive impairment in English speakers, this study adapted and validated the Memory Test for Mild Cognitive Impairment (TYM-MCI) for older Spanish-speaking adults, highlighting its potential utility for the early detection of amnestic mild cognitive impairment and cognitive profiles associated with increased risk of dementia. Methods: A total of 151 independently functioning adults aged 60 or older (Barthel Index 9-10) completed the TYM-MCI, the Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination-Revised (ACE-R-Ch), the Mini-Mental State Examination, and the original TYM. Analyses included ROC curves, correlation matrices, and principal component analysis (PCA). Results: The TYM-MCI exhibited strong psychometric properties (Cronbach's α = 0.832; sensitivity = 81.7%; specificity = 47.8%). The optimal cut-off score was ≥24.5/30. Scores between 19 and 24.5 suggested probable mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Conclusions: The episodic memory components of this test are key cognitive features relevant to the modification and monitoring of early cognitive decline and are straightforward to administer. Notably, the TYM-MCI specifically assesses both visual and verbal episodic memory. It can be used alongside other assessments, such as the ACE-R or MMSE, to support the clinical evaluation of cognitive functioning in older adults. Clinically, it provides an early assessment and follow-up in individuals presenting with memory complaints, contributing to timely clinical decision-making in the context of cognitive decline.
Mental models are internal representations or conceptions that students construct as they make sense of their everyday interactions with the natural world. The layers of the Earth are topics covered in the Chilean national curriculum for primary and middle school education. Studies have shown that primary and middle school students hold many preconceptions about earthquakes, mountain formation, and volcanoes. In this study, we analyzed 785 drawings by students from six Chilean schools at six school levels. We developed and validated a rubric to analyze the students’ drawings of the Earth’s internal layers and identify the location of magma within the Earth. Among the main results, most students were found to draw concentric layers without distinguishing their thickness, number, or name. Fifth-grade and eleven-grade students were the most likely to create drawings that reflected the internal structures, albeit without differentiating the thickness of the layers. Most students placed magma in the center or core of the Earth. The study concludes that a possible learning progression begins with a framework theory in which students recognize aspects of their daily lives within the Earth, then continues with a mixed model in which scientific knowledge of concentric layers within the Earth is combined with the location of magma at the center, and ends with a model similar to that proposed by scientists.
PurposeThis article examines how transnational actors in global labor policy have responded to the social and labor risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI), including the recent disruptions of generative AI, from the mid-2010s to the 2020s.Design/methodology/approachUsing process tracing and document analysis, the study applies the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) to investigate how competing belief systems shape policy outcomes at the supranational level, operationalizing the "softness" or "hardness" of regulatory instruments as the key dependent variable.FindingsThe analysis identifies three advocacy coalitions - deregulation, hard regulation, and soft governance - that have shaped AI governance at work. The findings reveal that global policy outputs are dominated by soft governance mechanisms championed by multilateral agencies and international employer organizations, resulting in "soft" regulations like human-centric principles and voluntary ethical guidelines. Consequently, the hard regulation coalition of international unions and global civil society has had limited success in institutionalizing binding frameworks to mitigate specific worker risks, such as job displacement and deskilling.Originality/valueThe study contributes theoretically by extending the ACF to the supranational level and explaining coalition-building dynamics within global labor policy and governance. It expands the literature by analyzing non-traditional transnational actors, such as accounting firms and global think tanks, highlighting the structural social policy challenge of advancing enforceable labor protections when business-friendly and pro-innovation approaches dominate.
