bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Carvacrol-Loaded Nanoemulsion Promotes Tocolytic and Anti-Dysmenorrhea Effects in Rodents
Authors: Mourão Mirla Rossana Nogueira , Macedo Cícero André Ferreira , Ribeiro Tiago Feitosa , Brito Mariana Coelho , Menezes Pedro Modesto Nascimento , de Medeiros Felipe Santana , Ribeiro Fernanda Pires Rodrigues de Almeida , de Lima Julianeli Tolentino , Moura Marigilson Pontes de Siqueira , Souza Fabrício Souza
Published: December 2023

Introduction: Carvacrol is a phenolic constituent of essential oils that has antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant activities. Method: This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro spasmolytic and in vivo anti-dysmenorrhea potential of a nanoemulsion-containing carvacrol (nanoCARV). Results: In isolated rat uterus, nanoCARV reduced spontaneous contractions (pEC50 = 3.91 ± 0.25) and relaxed preparations pre-contracted with oxytocin (pEC50 = 3.78 ± 0.2), carbachol (pEC50 = 4.15 ± 0.4), prostaglandin F2α (pEC50 = 3.00 ± 0.36), and KCl (pEC50 = 3.98 ± 0.32). The investigation of the mechanism of action revealed significant differences (p < 0.05) between the pEC50 values of nanoCARV in the absence or presence of aminophylline or tetraethylammonium. In a primary dysmenorrhea model, treatment with nanoCARV reduced the number of oxytocin-induced abdominal writhes. Conclusions: These data indicate that the anti-dysmenorrhea effect of nanoCARV may be related to the relaxation of uterine smooth muscle, with participation of the cAMP signaling pathway and potassium channels.
Pathophysiology of Contrast-Induced Neurotoxicity: A Narrative Review of Possible Mechanisms
Authors: Mariajoseph Frederick P. , Lai Leon , Moore Justin , Chandra Ronil , Goldschlager Tony , Praeger Adrian J. , Slater Lee-Anne
Published: December 2023

Background: Contrast-induced neurotoxicity (CIN) is an increasingly observed event following the administration of iodinated contrast. It presents as a spectrum of neurological symptoms that closely mimic ischaemic stroke, however, CIN remains a poorly understood clinical phenomenon. An appreciation of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms is essential to improve clinical understanding and enhance decision-making. Methods: A broad literature search of Medline (1946 to December 2022) and Embase (1947 to December 2022) was conducted. Articles discussing the pathophysiology of CIN were reviewed. Summary: The pathogenesis of CIN appears to be multifactorial. A key step is likely blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown due to factors including ischaemic stroke, uncontrolled hypertension, and possibly contrast agents themselves, among others. This is followed by passage of contrast agents across the BBB, leading to chemotoxic sequelae on neural tissue. Key Messages: This review provides a clinically oriented review on the pathophysiology of CIN to enhance knowledge and improve decision-making among clinicians.
Spatial Sensory References for Vestibular Self-Motion Perception
Authors: Zanchi Silvia , Cuturi Luigi F. , Sandini Giulio , Gori Monica , Ferrè Elisa R.
Published: December 2023

While navigating through the surroundings, we constantly rely on inertial vestibular signals for self-motion along with visual and acoustic spatial references from the environment. However, the interaction between inertial cues and environmental spatial references is not yet fully understood. Here we investigated whether vestibular self-motion sensitivity is influenced by sensory spatial references. Healthy participants were administered a Vestibular Self-Motion Detection Task in which they were asked to detect vestibular self-motion sensations induced by low-intensity Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation. Participants performed this detection task with or without an external visual or acoustic spatial reference placed directly in front of them. We computed the d prime () as a measure of participants’ vestibular sensitivity and the criterion as an index of their response bias. Results showed that the visual spatial reference increased sensitivity to detect vestibular self-motion. Conversely, the acoustic spatial reference did not influence self-motion sensitivity. Both visual and auditory spatial references did not cause changes in response bias. Environmental visual spatial references provide relevant information to enhance our ability to perceive inertial self-motion cues, suggesting a specific interaction between visual and vestibular systems in self-motion perception.
Evolutionary biological basis of Ashkenazi Lysosomal Storage Diseases: it’s all because of diet
Authors: Dalton Dave
Published: December 2023

An age-old unanswered question that still puzzle evolutionary biologists, is: why do certain autosomal-recessive, lysosomal storages diseases (LSD s), such as, Tay-Sachs, Gaucher, etc. selectively afflict the Ashkenazim more than other Jewish groups and the general population? The most well-accepted theory of ‘population bottleneck and drift’ cannot answer, among other questions, why the Ashkenazim are susceptible to only animal-specific, sphingolipid-mediated LSD s but not to non-animal ones, since genetic drift should influence both animal and non-animal specific LSD s equally. Here, those unanswered questions are answered: Once hunter-gatherers in the Fertile Crescent became agriculturists some eleven-to-twelve millennia back, a dramatic change occurred to their diets. Their earlier low-carbohydrate diets were supplanted by grain-based, high-carbohydrate foods. From those early times, downstream through many millennia, higher consumption of grain-based carbohydrates also meant lower consumption of animal-derived sphingolipids, compared to their forager past. This resulted in selectional pressure in purging those specific enzymes in their cellular lysosomes that were necessary for breaking down complex animal-derived-sphingolipids into simpler lipids. During the past millennium, as the Ashkenazim moved from the Mideast to European locations, their consumption of animal-derived sphingolipid-rich-foods increased, because of the paucity and expense of plant-based, sphingolipid-rich-foods. However, because of missing animal-sphingolipid-specific lysosomal enzymes, those un-catabolized animal-derived-sphingolipids began accumulating/being-stored in their lysosomes, leading to LSD s, which is precisely the storage of those macromolecules in the lysosomes of cells. In contrast, other ethnic Jewish groups did not make such dramatic dietary changes over the past millennium, and hence they generally do not suffer from those LSD s either.
A new species of the genus Cheiloceps Uhler, 1895 (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Issidae) from the Dominican amber
Authors: GNEZDILOV VLADIMIR M. , SUN HAORAN , PERKOVSKY EVGENY E.
Published: December 2023

A new species of the planthopper genus Cheiloceps Uhler, 1895 (Issidae, Issinae, Thioniini), Cheiloceps magnifrons sp. nov., is described from the Dominican amber. Issidae fossils are briefly discussed.
Laser Ablation Plasmas and Spectroscopy for Nuclear Applications
Authors: Kwapis Emily H. , Borrero Justin , Latty Kyle S. , Andrews Hunter B. , Phongikaroon Supathorn “Supy” , Hartig Kyle C.
Published: December 2023

The development of measurement methodologies to detect and monitor nuclear-relevant materials remains a consistent and significant interest across the nuclear energy, nonproliferation, safeguards, and forensics communities. Optical spectroscopy of laser-produced plasmas is becoming an increasingly popular diagnostic technique to measure radiological and nuclear materials in the field without sample preparation, where current capabilities encompass the standoff, isotopically resolved and phase-identifiable (e.g., UO and UO[Formula: see text]) detection of elements across the periodic table. These methods rely on the process of laser ablation (LA), where a high-powered pulsed laser is used to excite a sample (solid, liquid, or gas) into a luminous microplasma that rapidly undergoes de-excitation through the emission of electromagnetic radiation, which serves as a spectroscopic fingerprint for that sample. This review focuses on LA plasmas and spectroscopy for nuclear applications, covering topics from the wide-area environmental sampling and atmospheric sensing of radionuclides to recent implementations of multivariate machine learning methods that work to enable the real-time analysis of spectrochemical measurements with an emphasis on fundamental research and development activities over the past two decades. Background on the physical breakdown mechanisms and interactions of matter with nanosecond and ultrafast laser pulses that lead to the generation of laser-produced microplasmas is provided, followed by a description of the transient spatiotemporal plasma conditions that control the behavior of spectroscopic signatures recorded by analytical methods in atomic and molecular spectroscopy. High-temperature chemical and thermodynamic processes governing reactive LA plasmas are also examined alongside investigations into the condensation pathways of the plasma, which are believed to serve as chemical surrogates for fallout particles formed in nuclear fireballs. Laser-supported absorption waves and laser-induced shockwaves that accompany LA plasmas are also discussed, which could provide insights into atmospheric ionization phenomena from strong shocks following nuclear detonations. Furthermore, the standoff detection of trace radioactive aerosols and fission gases is reviewed in the context of monitoring atmospheric radiation plumes and off-gas streams of molten salt reactors. Finally, concluding remarks will present future outlooks on the role of LA plasma spectroscopy in the nuclear community.
Between Canada and Italy; or, lives and identities in transition: A reading of Where She Has Gone by Nino Ricci
Authors: D’Alfonso Francesca
Published: December 2023

This article focuses on the third novel of Nino Ricci's trilogy about Italian immigration in Canada. More precisely, taking my cue from the theme of nostos in the sense of a search for a fully-fledged identity, I will analyse the way that Where She Has Gone dramatizes the protagonist's predicament in terms of personal conflicts, psychological trauma and sexual ambiguities. Vittorio Innocente is a hero whose life seems to be split between Canada and Italy: this is at the origin of his personal crisis which is characterized by a deeply ingrained sense of peril. In many respects, the main point of the story is represented by the protagonist's return to Italy where he intends to meet all those people who knew him. In fact, he left for Canada as an eight-year-old boy with his pregnant mother who died during the journey after giving birth to a daughter named Rita. While living in Toronto, Vittorio has an incestuous relationship with his younger half-sister Rita, who was the fruit of their mother's adultery in Valle del Sole (Molise). The most dramatic moment of the diegesis takes place when Vittorio meets Rita in Valle del Sole as both are returning from Canada by different routes. Significantly, by looking into their mother's past, they both decide to give up their tormented relationship. The protagonist's journey back to his native village can be seen not only as that of an intellectual in search of his own roots but also as a compelling wish to meet, after many years, his own historic and socio-cultural past in order to better understand his unresolved life as well as his role in Canadian society.
India's Quest for Status and Neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine War: BRICS, a Case Study
Authors: Verma Raj
Published: December 2023

Employing BRICS as a case study, this paper argues that India's neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine war is not influenced by its quest for status via BRICS because a souring of the India-Russia bilateral relationship will not affect India's quest for status through the BRICS. First, India and Russia have joined and co-developed BRICS to achieve their national and foreign policy goals such as great power status, challenging US hegemony and achieving a multipolar world order, reform of the liberal international order and Bretton Woods institutions and other objectives. Both countries have much to lose by allowing their problematic bilateral relationship to adversely impact the BRICS. Second, the BRICS is structured in such a way that its operating procedures/principles including consensus-based decision making and intentionally omitting controversial issues implies that bilateral problems between member states are not tabled and they do not make the group dysfunctional.
Converging economies of care? Immigrant women workers across 17 countries and four care regimes
Authors: Lightman Naomi
Published: December 2023

This study analyses 17 care economies using 2016 Luxembourg Income Study data to contribute to extant debate regarding the ongoing utility of care regimes as a classificatory schema for cross-national comparison. Examining similarities and differences in the provision of low-status work in health, education, social work, and domestic services – the ‘care economy’ – the data reveal devaluation of the labour done by immigrant women care workers, net of national and regime-level variation. In addition, numerous similarities across liberal, corporatist, social democratic, and central and eastern European care regimes emerge, in terms of the overrepresentation of immigrant women in low status care work, and the disproportionate financial penalties these workers incur. Together, findings suggest that notwithstanding national and policy-specific differences, there has been considerable convergence across economies of care towards a ‘migrant in the market’ model of employment. Such large-scale evidence of this trend calls into question the ongoing efficacy of care regimes for national comparisons of migrant care work under conditions of neoliberal globalization.
The Effect of Right-to-Work on Unfair Labor Practice Charges: Synthetic Control Evidence From Indiana and Michigan
Authors: Haskett Breon
Published: December 2023

This study investigates the effect of adopting right-to-work on unfair labor practice charges filed at the National Labor Relations Board. Most charges accompany union elections, which are expected to decrease under right-to-work. However, this work's synthetic control method results show that unfair labor practice trends in rates and success are generally unaffected by right-to-work adoption. Underlying these stable rates of filing and success is a more resource-intensive strategy where federations collaborate on charges with their constituent members. Using the cases of Michigan and Indiana, which both adopted right-to-work in 2012 and a unique dataset of all charges filed from 2000 to 2019, I show that legal mobilization is one union activity that adjusts under right-to-work as unions and federations look to protect workers.
Data Wormholes and Speculative Rice Fields: An Infrastructural Politics of Anticipating Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Authors: Jensen Casper Bruun , Venot Jean-Philippe
Published: December 2023

The 2015 Paris declaration obligated international development organizations to assess the climate compatibility of their projects. For irrigation projects, like those negotiated between the Agence Française de Développement, and the Cambodian government in the early 2020s, calculations of estimated greenhouse gas emissions have become important requirements. But how to estimate emissions from future rice fields and the effects of irrigation infrastructures that do not exist? To address this issue, emissions calculators have been developed as a means to bridge climate science and development knowledge infrastructures, so that data and forms of calculation from climate science can easily enter the world of development. However, by engaging in an infrastructural inversion, we argue that this understanding is flawed. Drawing on a case study of an irrigation project in Cambodia, we show that heterogeneous data concatenations are continuously transformed in the movement across infrastructures until referentiality breaks down. Emission calculators operate as a data wormhole, emitting extremely uncertain numbers that contribute to a problematic and speculative politics of anticipation. In contrast with the dominant politics of anticipation, which depends on futile efforts to neutralize uncertainty, infrastructural inversion makes it possible to envision a decentered politics attentive to distributed agency.
A gathering with fire: Exploring the audience reception of internet memes about Belfast riots
Authors: Lundqvist Martin
Published: December 2023

This study sheds light upon how memes about rioting in present-day Belfast are read by their audiences. As such, it answers to a distinct research gap in the meme studies literature, which has mostly shied away from in-depth engagements with audiences, favouring instead the intertwined concepts ‘imagined audience’ and the ideological ‘directionality’ of memes. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 19 respondents in Belfast, I develop four themes on how they read memes about political violence. The findings indicate that the concept ‘imagined audience’ is reductive at best, which was evident in this study as interviewees did not blindly follow the ideological ‘directionality’ when reading a meme. Moving beyond this reductive view allowed me to unpack how meme audiences place value in the pop-cultural form of the meme; their take on its ‘imagined author’; how they perceived the meme as a site for identity work, and their emotional engagements with memes.
Can mandatory work in activation programmes be meaningful work?
Authors: Eleveld Anja
Published: December 2023

Quantitative well-being studies have shown that welfare recipients performing work activities in activation programmes report relatively high levels of well-being. This article asks how these findings can be explained, given welfare recipients’ constrained autonomy. To answer this question a qualitative study was conducted in the Netherlands to explore the interaction between welfare recipients’ constrained autonomy and how they experience work in Mandatory Work Programmes. This article uses concepts from critical theoretical approaches to meaningful work and autonomy to analyze the data. The findings show how the restrained autonomy of programme impacted the participants’ work experiences in various, sometimes contradictory ways. It is concluded, among other things, that quantitative well-being research does not seem to fully capture people's experiences as having the status of a welfare recipient and, related to that, what it means for them when their autonomy is constrained in one or more dimensions. It is also recommended that future quantitative well-being studies clearly distinguish between types of activation programmes, particularly regarding their mandatory nature, their goals and their target groups.
Collective Housing Subsidies: A Public Policy Proposal for Sustainability
Authors: Rodríguez-Reyes Luis Raúl , Cortés Lara Mara Alejandra
Published: December 2023

One way in which governments foster sustainable homebuilding and housing is by subsidizing single homes’ investment in sustainability technologies. The problem with these programs is that they incentivize inefficient investment by supporting technologies that make technical and economic sense on a small scale. Furthermore, this arrangement constitutes a flawed marketing system, producing a limited impact on global well-being and sustainability in the long term, as it rules out more efficient sustainability technologies. This paper addresses these shortcomings by designing a public policy proposal based on a contract between the government and homeowners that incentivizes the adoption of collective sustainable technologies, changing the marketing system with a shift in the behavior of a dominant actor, the government. Results indicate that an equilibrium in which the homeowners choose to participate in the new collective program in exchange for a subsidy is feasible and stable. Moreover, the generalization of the proposed program may generate a new way to incentivize the more efficient use of sustainable home technologies in the long run.
A machine-learning approach based on multiparametric MRI to identify the risk of non-sentinel lymph node metastasis in patients with early-stage breast cancer
Authors: Yu Haitong , Li Qin , Xie Fucai , Wu Shasha , Chen Yongsheng , Huang Chuansheng , Xu Yonglin , Niu Qingliang
Published: December 2023

Background

It has been reported that patients with early breast cancer with 1–2 positive sentinel lymph nodes have a lower risk of non-sentinel lymph node (NSLN) metastasis and cannot benefit from axillary lymph node dissection.

Purpose

To develop the potential of machine learning based on multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and clinical factors for predicting the risk of NSLN metastasis in breast cancer.

Material and Methods

This retrospective study included 144 patients with 1–2 positive sentinel lymph node breast cancer. Multiparametric MRI morphologic findings and the detailed demographical characteristics of the primary tumor and axillary lymph node were extracted. The logistic regression, support vector classification, extreme gradient boosting, and random forest algorithm models were established to predict the risk of NSLN metastasis. The prediction efficiency of a machine-learning–based model was evaluated. Finally, the relative importance of each input variable was analyzed for the best model.

Results

Of the 144 patients, 80 (55.6%) developed NSLN metastasis. A total of 24 imaging features and 14 clinicopathological features were analyzed. The extreme gradient boosting algorithm had the strongest prediction efficiency with an area under curve of 0.881 and 0.781 in the training set and test set, respectively. Five main factors for the metastasis of NSLN were found, including histological grade, cortical thickness, fatty hilum, short axis of lymph node, and age.

Conclusion

The machine-learning model incorporating multiparametric MRI features and clinical factors can predict NSLN metastasis with high accuracy for breast cancer and provide predictive information for clinical protocol.
The Sexual Scripts of Transgender and Gender Diverse Emerging Adults: A Thematic Analysis
Authors: Dolezal Michael L. , Decker Melissa , Littleton Heather L.
Published: December 2023

Rooted in sexual script and gender minority stress and resilience (GMSR) theories, the present study investigated how a nationally recruited sample of 169 transgender and gender diverse (TGD) undergraduates perceived a typical sexual encounter involving a TGD undergraduate (i.e., their sexual scripts), as well as the extent to which various forms of distal stress, proximal stress, and resilience factors were embedded within and affected these scripts. Using thematic analysis, 12 themes were identified within three overarching categories: types of sexual/romantic relationships, gender minority stress experiences, and resilience factors. TGD undergraduates’ scripts in some ways mirrored those of their heterosexual and cisgender peers (i.e., enacting gendered roles in sex initiation, differing emotional responses following sex by gender identity), but scripts also differed in many notable ways. In their scripts, TGD students frequently described how distal (i.e., enacted stigma, trauma history) and proximal (i.e., gender dysphoria, self-stigma) stressors affected the sexual experiences of TGD undergraduates. However, resilience themes such as open communication and discussing one's gender identity were also commonly included and presented as providing protection against minority stress. Results demonstrate how GMSR experiences inform TGD undergraduates’ sexual scripts and suggest several critical potential points of intervention for this population. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/suppl/10.1177/03616843231218699 .
Subsidized Senior Housing in the US: A Scoping Review
Authors: Park Sojung , Park Soobin , Ryu Byeongju , Baek Jihye , Amano Takashi , Kim Borin
Published: December 2023

Subsidized senior housing (SSH) is important to support healthy aging among vulnerable subgroups of older adults, yet progress in developing and expanding SSH has been limited. This scoping review had two research questions: (1) What are the trends in SSH empirical studies? (2) What are the main topics in the existing literature on SSH in the US? We reviewed a total of 61 articles and found several notable trends, including a focus on racial and ethnic minorities, cognitive impairment among SSH residents, and collaborative partnerships between housing operators and healthcare providers. More than half of the studies were quantitative, while the rest were qualitative or mixed-methods. The lack of longitudinal or causal design research reflects the limited empirical knowledge of SSH. Four themes emerged: health and well-being, healthcare use and health behaviors, social relations, and housing relocation. We discussed implications for future research and program development efforts in SSH.
Disease Course and Response to Immunotherapy in Children With Childhood Disintegrative Disorder: A Retrospective Case Series
Authors: Sullivan Meghan I. , Gupta Megha J. , Taylor Kathryn A. , Van Mater Heather A. , Pizoli Carolyn E.
Published: December 2023

Childhood disintegrative disorder is a poorly understood neurobehavioral disorder of early childhood characterized by acute to subacute profound regression in previously developed language, social behavior, and adaptive functions. The etiology of childhood disintegrative disorder remains unknown and treatment is focused on symptomatic management. Interest in neuroinflammatory mechanisms has grown with the increased recognition of autoimmune brain diseases and similarities between the presenting symptoms of childhood disintegrative disorder and pediatric autoimmune encephalitis. Importantly, a diagnosis of pediatric autoimmune encephalitis requires evidence of inflammation on paraclinical testing, which is absent in childhood disintegrative disorder. Here we report 5 children with childhood disintegrative disorder who were initially diagnosed with possible autoimmune encephalitis and treated with immunotherapy. Two children had provocative improvements, whereas 3 did not change significantly on immunotherapy. Additionally, a sixth patient with childhood disintegrative disorder evaluated in our Autoimmune Brain Disease Clinic showed spontaneous improvement and is included to highlight the variable natural history of childhood disintegrative disorder that may mimic treatment responsiveness.
From theory to research: Interpretational guidelines, statistical guidance, and a shiny app for the model of excellencism and perfectionism
Authors: Gaudreau Patrick , Schellenberg Benjamin JI , Quesnel Matthew
Published: December 2023

After decades of research and debates about whether perfectionism is healthy or unhealthy, the Model of Excellencism and Perfectionism (MEP) recently differentiated between people striving for high standards (excellence strivers) and those pursuing perfectionistic standards (perfection strivers). In this study, we devised and tested an interpretational framework of nine scenarios to help determine whether perfectionism is beneficial, unneeded, or harmful by comparing the outcomes of excellence and perfection strivers. In a cross-sectional study with university students ( N = 271; Study 1), we found that perfection strivers savor positive school events less and have greater dropout intentions than excellence strivers. In a prospective/longitudinal design with college-aged athletes ( N = 296; Study 2), perfectionism was associated with higher athletic achievement. However, perfection strivers who failed to attain their goals experienced lower savoring and enjoyment than excellence strivers. Our findings highlighted the value of our interpretational scenarios as a hub to facilitate the comparison of MEP findings, while showing how to test MEP hypotheses with five popular statistical analyses. Furthermore, the MEP Shiny App is a valuable contribution to expedite the process of comparing the outcomes of excellence and perfection strivers. Overall, this research forged a substantive-methodological pathway that strengthens and enhances the practicality of the MEP.
Nurses’ perspectives on ethical aspects of telemedicine. A scoping review
Authors: Medina Martin Guillerma , de Mingo Fernández Eva , Jiménez Herrera Maria
Published: December 2023

Background

Changes in health needs led to an increase in virtual care practices such as telemedicine. Nursing plays an essential role in this practice as it is the key to accessing the healthcare system. It is important that this branch of nursing is developed considering all the ethical aspects of nursing care, and not just the legal concepts of the practice. However, this question has not been widely explored in the literature and it is of crucial relevance in the new concept of care.

Objective

The purpose of this scoping review is to identify the ethical aspects of the development of telemedicine from a nursing practice perspective.

Methods

A scoping review of the literature based on Arksey and O’Malley’s framework. The search was conducted in Scopus, PubMed/MEDLINE and CINAHL databases, from 2012 to 2022. A total of 1322 articles were retrieved, of which 12 met the inclusion criteria.

Ethical considerations

The research was conducted in accordance with the best scientific practices.

Findings

The most relevant aspects were the safety of the patient, the benefits for the user and the digital competence of the professionals. Informed consent and patient’s willingness to use new technologies were relevant to the practice, as was person-centered care and how telemedicine can influence the quality of the therapeutic relationship. Another relevant issue was the concern about professional competence for optimal outcomes.

Conclusion

It is necessary to further explore and develop the ethical aspects of the new practices, disassociating them from the legal aspects only. Professionals demand more training providing them with more competence and confidence.
Thriving at work, career calling, and moral distress among nurses
Authors: Li Fuda , Zhou Yating , Kuang Pingting
Published: December 2023

Background

Emergency nurses who thrive at work experience positive emotions that help reduce burnout and thus enhance career calling. However, few studies have focused on the relationships among thriving at work, career calling, and moral distress among emergency nurses.

Objectives

To investigate the relationships among thriving at work, career calling, and moral distress and to explore the mediating role of career calling in the relationship between thriving at work and moral distress among emergency nurses.

Design

A quantitative, cross-sectional study.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted by reference to 390 emergency nurses in China using an online survey that include the Thriving at Work Scale, the Career Calling Scale, and the Moral Distress Scale-Revised. The data were analyzed using SmartPLS software.

Ethical consideration

The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hunan Normal University (No. 2023-388).

Findings

Among emergency nurses, thriving at work is positively associated with career calling, while career calling is negatively associated with moral distress. Career calling negatively and completely mediates the relationship between thriving at work and moral distress (β = −0.087, p < 0.01).

Discussion

Theoretically, the findings enhance our understanding of the relationships among thriving at work, career calling, and moral distress among emergency nurses.

Conclusion

By emphasizing the benefits of thriving at work, nursing managers can improve nurses’ level of thriving at work by providing a favorable environment, a flexible scheduling system, and appropriate authorization as well as by ensuring organizational fairness and providing training opportunities in a hierarchical manner.
Devising a Lesson Plan on Essential Newborn Care Based on Gagne’s Principles
Authors: Singh Poonam , Basu Saurodeep , Basu Sriparna
Published: December 2023

The present lesson plan on essential newborn care (ENC) in a simulation model based on the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO) has been prepared using Gagne’s instructional design. Each step of Gagne’s nine events of instruction has been elaborated with the scope of the lesson plan for the achievement of the intended learning outcomes of the medical students involved in small-group teaching. The pros and cons of the application of Gagne’s model have been discussed. Finally, a detailed description of the lesson and the clinical scenario has been summarized.
New Public Management and Internationalization in Latin American Top-Tier Universities: A Multiple Case Study
Authors: Labraña Julio , Henríquez Andree , LaTorre Paulina , Puyol Francisca , Gómez María Raquel , López Nicolás
Published: December 2023

The internationalization of universities has become increasingly important in recent decades. A dominant internationalization model, influenced by principles of new public management, has emerged. Latin American universities have undergone significant changes as a result of this trend. This paper takes inspiration from the sociology of translation to examine how leading Latin American institutions are addressing these challenges at both organizational and cultural levels. The findings indicate that cultural transformation is prevalent, strongly influenced by the Latin American tradition of extension. However, at the organizational level, imitation is more relevant, as evidenced by the adoption of new public management principles to devise strategies, plans, and programs that prioritize professionalization and the widespread use of indicators. This development gives rise to a distinct cultural internationalization model for Latin American universities.
Development and Validation of the Home Hospice Care Needs Questionnaire for the Dying Old Adult (HHCNQ-DE) in Mainland China
Authors: Wang Lei , Li Yaru , Zhao Rui , Li Jiangxu , Gong Xiangru , Li Hongyu
Published: December 2023

Context: Home hospice needs assessment is the key to the development of home hospice services. Therefore, there is a need to develop assessment tools in mainland China to meet the comprehensive needs of the old adult at the end of life. Objective: To develop and validate a tool to assess Chinese mainland palliative care needs of the dying old adult at home. Methods: Using the Harmony Nursing Theory as a theoretical framework, through reference to the China home hospice care needs scale, literature research, in-depth conversations with the dying old adult, and group discussions among members of the research team, 43 original questionnaire items were preliminarily drafted. A 31-item predictive questionnaire was formed through 2 rounds of expert review and small sample testing. From April to September 2023, 199 old adult at the end of life at home in Jinzhou, Liaoning Province were investigated to determine the reliability and validity of the questionnaire. Results: The final questionnaire included 31 items. Exploratory factor analysis extracted 5 common factors, and the cumulative variance contribution rate was 68.811%; the Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the total questionnaire was 0.832, and the re-test reliability was .806; the content validity index of the questionnaire was 0.982, and the content validity index of the items was 0.83-1.00. Conclusion: The construction method of the HHCNQ-DE is scientific and reliable, with good reliability and validity, and it can be used as a tool to measure the needs of home hospice care in mainland China in the future.
Quality of Life in Adolescents and Young Adults with Cleft Lip and Palate with and Without Speech Therapy During COVID-19
Authors: Moshtaghi Fard Zahra , Aghadoost Samira , Moradi Negin , Sarmadi Sarvin , Mohammadi Farnoosh , Bahrami Naghmeh
Published: December 2023

Objective

Cleft-related speech concerns can affect the quality of life (QOL) in patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP). During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), in-person speech therapy (ST) was restricted due to fear of getting infected. This study aimed to compare QOL in patients with CLP with and without ST during the pandemic.

Design

Cross-sectional Study

Setting

CLP team at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS).

Patients/Participants

Thirty-six CLP subjects with a mean age of 17.33 ± 4 years participated in two groups, including with and without ST. Fifteen subjects had cleft palate only (CPO) and others had CLP.

Interventions

ST group received at least 10 ST sessions, and group without ST didn’t receive ST during COVID-19.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

A virtual link of demographic and QOL adolescent cleft (QoLAdoCleft) questionnaires were sent to fill out. Results were extracted and transferred to SPSS.

Results

Total and subscales’ scores of QoLAdoCleft were lower in ST group than without ST but differences between them weren’t statistically significant ( P > .05). Furthermore, according to cleft type, there weren’t any statistically significant differences in total, physical, and social subscales of QoLAdoCleft ( P > .05); however, psychological subscale in CLP had a higher significant score than CPO ( P < .05).

Conclusions

QOL was weak in all patients with CLP, and receiving/not receiving ST couldn’t make noticeable differences between them. It seems; COVID-19 pandemic can have an adverse effect on these results. Also, subjects with CLP had weaker psychological than CPO due to negative psychosocial feedback related to Orofacial deformities received from society.
From Pre-Science to Paradigm Shift: A Kuhnian Analysis of 100 Years of Public Relations Scholarship
Authors: Hollenczer James J. , Grunig James E. , Lee Hyelim , Yeo SunHa , Martino Valentina
Published: December 2023

This article reviews the evolution of public relations from its pre-science period to the present-day using Thomas Kuhn’s theory of scientific development. The review discusses how public relations scholarship has grown and reached scientific maturity, in parallel with the institutionalization of public relations’ professional practice and higher education. This article highlights the evolving nature of the discipline, including the paradigmatic shift toward a multifunctional definition of public relations and focus on relationship theories, ethics, public behavior, and technology.
Journalism in the Quarterly: A Century of Change in the Industry and the Academy
Authors: Singer Jane B. , Lewis Seth C. , Wahl-Jorgensen Karin
Published: December 2023

The very first article published in the new Journalism Quarterly, in January 1924, was titled “The Professional Spirit.” It was a fitting start for the journal, which over the next 100 years tracked the maturation of journalism as a profession and journalism studies as a field of scholarly inquiry. This article explores how “journalism” evolved in the pages of the journal through a turbulent century. By analyzing the changing debates and tracking the incremental but steady expansion of knowledge, we seek to provide insights into where journalism scholarship started, the path we traveled, and how we arrived at today.
A Century of JMCQ Legal Issues in Media: Scholarly Commitment to Free Press, Free Speech, and More
Authors: Kerr Robert L. , Park Ahran , Youm Kyu Ho
Published: December 2023

This systematic review of more than 300 Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly (JMCQ) articles on media law since 1924 documents what a vital scholarly outlet the journal has been and continues to be for research on freedom of the press and speech. While defamation law remains a popular topic, journalism and mass communication scholars have expanded their focus to a wider range of media law issues, including privacy, copyright, student speech, journalistic privilege, free press v. fair trial, advertising, and issues involving other media. JMCQ has been refreshingly open to international and comparative law, moving away from a U.S.-centric approach to media freedom. The review highlights a decline in the number of media law articles published in recent years, possibly due to competition from alternative journals, manuscript length limitations, and the APA-style requirement. Nevertheless, media law scholarship remains essential, offering invaluable insights into the evolving legal landscape of media.
Mapping Media Research Paradigms: Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly’s Century of Scientific Evolution
Authors: Kim Jeong-Nam , Chiu Ming Ming , Lee Hyelim , Oh Yu Won , Gil de Zúñiga Homero , Park Chong Hyun
Published: December 2023

This retrospective review of nearly a century of publications in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly (JMCQ) traces the maturation of media studies toward a scientific discipline. The field’s dominant paradigms—media effects and communicator uses—persist, adapt, and diversify over time, yielding actionable insights. Challenges include (a) bridging older and newer media theories, (b) harnessing data science, and (c) capitalizing on artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML). Future media research can conceptualize evolving three-dimensional interactions among media, people, and AI. We propose seven initiatives for the next century: revisiting classical theories, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, balancing descriptive and prescriptive theorization, nurturing indigenous theorizing, collaborating with industry, reverse theorizing with AI, and exploring and regulating AI’s role in media.
Longitudinal evaluation of environmental contamination with hazardous drugs by surface wipe sampling
Authors: Sessink Paul JM , Tans Birgit , Spriet Isabel , Devolder David
Published: December 2023

Introduction

Exposure of healthcare workers to hazardous drugs can lead to adverse health effects supporting the importance of a continuous monitoring program, for example, by taking surface wipe samples. The objective was to describe the results of repeated monitoring of contamination with hazardous drugs on multiple surfaces in a hospital pharmacy and at two wards using standardized preparation techniques and cleaning procedures.

Methods

Twelve surfaces in the hospital pharmacy and at two wards were sampled and analyzed for contamination with the hazardous drugs cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, 5-fluorouracil, gemcitabine, methotrexate, and paclitaxel. The drugs were prepared with a closed-system drug transfer device (CSTD). Sampling of the drugs was performed in four trials during eight months. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry was used for the analysis of the drugs.

Results

During the four trials, contamination with five of the six hazardous drugs was found on half of the surfaces in the pharmacy and in a ward. Seventeen out of 288 possible outcomes were positive (6%), with the biological safety cabinet grate ( n = 6) and scanner ( n = 5) most frequently contaminated. The highest level of contamination was observed on the pass-thru window (cyclophosphamide: 2.90 ng/cm2) and the touch screen of the Diana device (5-fluorouracil: 2.38 ng/cm2). Both levels were below the action level of 10 ng/cm2.

Conclusions

The long-term use of a CSTD in combination with appropriate cleaning has proven effective in achieving low levels of surface contamination with hazardous drugs.
Surviving 20 Hours of Critical Avalanche Burial and a Core Temperature of 22.5 °C
Authors: Wallner Bernd , Lienhart Hannes , Cools Evelien , Paal Peter
Published: December 2023

A 24-year-old male snowboarder was buried in an avalanche for 20 h and rescued on the next day at a depth of 2.3 m below the snow surface. A large air pocket was noted in front of his mouth and nose. He was responsive but moved restlessly and uncoordinatedly. The epitympanic temperature was 22.5 °C. He was bradycardic (35/min), and a right bundle branch block with Osborn waves was noted. Rewarming (1 °C/h) was initiated with continuous hemodialysis; core temperature raised to 29.8 °C within 4 h. At 30 °C he became conscious. With rewarming, the heart rate increased to 90 beats per minute and the ECG changes disappeared; nonfreezing cold injuries were noted. On the next day, his pulmonary function deteriorated—fluid overload of 9 L since admission was diagnosed. With spontaneous diuresis, the situation improved. On Day 4, the neurologist reported subtle polyneuropathy in both legs secondary to hypothermia, without tendency to regress. This case occurred more than 20 years ago but has not been reported yet. To this day, this is the third-longest critical avalanche burial ever reported. We discuss the circumstances of this accident, the clinical course, and how treatment has changed since 2000.
The Eurodisappointed: On the disenchantment with the EU's limited response to democratic backsliding
Authors: Markowski Radosław , Zagórski Piotr
Published: December 2023

Some defenders of democratic rights and the rule of law are becoming increasingly frustrated by the European Union's inadequate response to democratic backsliding in countries like Poland and Hungary. This study focuses on Poland and introduces the concept of ‘Eurodisappointment’ to describe this new group, which is conceptually and empirically distinct from Euroscepticism. Rather than being Eurosceptic, the Eurodisappointed self-limit their Euroenthusiasm without opposing integration. Drawing on original survey data, we demonstrate that Eurodisappointment is particularly prevalent among women, opposition party voters, and those dissatisfied with the state of democracy in Poland. It is yet to be seen whether and how the concept of Eurodisappointment can be applied to studies of attitudes towards the European Union in other member states.
The discourse of the Anthropocene and posthumanism: Mining-induced loss of traditional land and the Mongolian nomadic herders
Authors: Dovchin Ulemj , Dovchin Sender
Published: December 2023

For over five millennia, Mongolia has been home to a remarkably resilient, land-connected, pastoral nomadic way of life and cultural heritage. Traditional local communities of Mongolian nomadic herders are custodians of the land. Since Mongolia’s transition to democracy and a neoliberal capitalist economy in the 1990s, an unprecedented mining boom has set in as large deposits of mineral resources were discovered. The mining boom and climate change impacts have put mounting pressure on herders’ ability to access their traditional land. Drawing on ethnographic research through storywork with Mongolian nomadic herders ( malchid) in their traditional land ( nutag) in the Gobi Desert region in Mongolia, this study aims to expand the discourse of the Anthropocene by engaging with the concept of posthumanism. We unpack the predominant discourse among Mongolian nomadic herders – loss of traditional land – induced by mining. In the Anthropocene – the epoch of human-induced planetary change – herders have become victims of both human-induced global environmental and climate change and the neoliberal capitalist extractive economy. Driven by mining-induced forced displacement from their traditional land and the natural resources on which they depend, herders are dispossessed and marginalised, resulting in the loss of their livelihood and severing of their special relationship and spiritual connection with their traditional land. We conclude that Mongolian nomadic herders’ voices urge us that it is crucial to expand and pluralise the discourse of the Anthropocene by relearning our ancestral ways of knowing, being and doing, and reconnecting to our holistic, spiritually and physically entwined, reciprocal and symbiotic relationship with land, non-human beings and the natural world that are all regarded as living and sentient entities with identity, agency and intentionality. Mongolian nomadic herders’ ancestral cosmology and onto-epistemology turn us to posthuman or more-than-human ways of understanding and interacting with the world, which decentre human exceptionalism and dominant position in the Anthropocene.