bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
70 years of herpetology in India: insights into shifts in focal research areas and gender ratios among authors
Authors: Cyriac Vivek Philip , Dharwadkar Sneha , Mital Anuja , Mohan Ashwini Venkatanarayana
Published: April 2022

Herpetology in India took off during the British colonial rule with the documentation of herpetofauna. Several studies have outlined the early history of Indian herpetology; however, few have traced the growth of this field since India’s independence. We analyse trends in Indian herpetology focusing on taxa, subfields, and authorship over the last 70 years. Of the 1177 published articles we analysed, 64.9% studied reptiles, 26.5% studied amphibians and 8.6% were general herpetofaunal studies. Frogs, lizards, and snakes being the most diverse herpetofauna groups, each accounted for 20-21% of the published articles and significantly outnumber publications on caecilians (2.3%), salamanders (0.4%), chelonians (12.6%), and crocodiles (4.4%). We found a significantly greater number of publications on Diversity & Distribution (34.2%), Taxonomy & Systematics (21.6%) and Ecology (19.4%) compared to other subfields, and detected a decline in Development, Physiology & Cytology and Evolutionary biology studies over the last four decades (1980-2019). The gender ratio among co-authors was dominated by men with only 29.7% of publications containing women authors. The overall proportion of women authors has not changed significantly over decades, but our analyses detected a significant decrease in women first authors and the proportion of women authors when the corresponding authors were men. Women authors were substantially lower in the subfield of Taxonomy & Systematics, and women published significantly more on amphibians compared to reptiles. Overall, we highlight the growth of herpetology in India from two key viewpoints, scientific pursuits, and gender parity among herpetologists.
Vestiges of the Huns? The Radiocarbon-Based Chronology of the Trilobate Arrowheads from Plinkaigalis Cemetery, Central Lithuania
Authors: Kurila Laurynas , Piličiauskienė Giedrė , Ežerinskis Žilvinas , Šapolaitė Justina , Garbaras Andrius
Published: April 2022

Until presently, over 60 trilobate arrowheads characteristic of Asian nomads have been found in Lithuanian hillforts or their adjacent settlements, some of them in destruction layers. These finds encouraged Lithuanian archaeologists to create a narrative about the Huns severely raiding into the region in the 5th century AD. However, it is accepted as an axiom rather than a topic for research due to the lack of precise chronology. From the Plinkaigalis cemetery, extremely rare finds are known; two trilobate arrowheads were found embedded in human bones (both were from group burials, where other signs of violent trauma were encountered). These finds offered the unique possibility of radiocarbon dating skeletal material directly related to trilobate arrowheads, providing new insights into the narrative of the Huns’ attack. The results of a set of AMS 14C dates are presented and discussed in the article.
Spiritual Technologies
Authors: Jalobeanu Dana , Matei Oana
Published: April 2022

Cider making does not strike one as much of a philosophical enterprise. However, in England, in the second part of the seventeenth-century, many natural philosophers were actively involved in it. This paper investigates the philosophical premises and methodological underpinning of this enterprise, showing that cider-making developed as a branch of applied Baconian science. We show that the grand-scale project of cider making shared a background theory of Baconian inspiration and was conceived in terms of Bacon’s rules and methods of experimenting and collaborative data-sharing. With this Baconian theoretical and methodological framework, naturalists involved in this enterprise selected and tried old recipes, experimented with new ones, and turned cider-making into an early modern technology. Central to this technology was the idea that, in the process of cider-making, the naturalist manipulates the living spirits of the vegetal world, enclosing them in a bottle.
Just Energy Transitions in Progress? The Partnership between South Africa and the EU
Authors: Houston Larissa Jane , Ruppel Oliver C.
Published: April 2022

This article explores contextual background and legislative developments within the energy sector of both South Africa and the European Union (EU) which has led to the formulation of the International Just Energy Transition Partnership between South Africa and the EU and particular EU member states. This is done by observing and unpacking the state of renewable energy production within South Africa and the EU and reviewing key principles in specific legislation within the respective energy sector. The paper aims to address and identify areas of interest that should be included within the International Just Energy Transition Partnership between South Africa and the EU in order to ensure that climate goals and energy sector objectives within both South Africa and the EU are efficiently and effectively achieved.
When the Picture Comes in
Authors: Delaplace Gregory , Chuluunbat P.
Published: April 2022

This article sketches out the conditions in which winning (türüüleh) may be achieved in Mongolian wrestling tournaments. Fieldwork carried out before, during and after the yearly competition of Naadam in the summer of 2019 suggests that these conditions are indeed rather diverse in nature. Getting ready for a contest requires wrestlers to be tending to several aspects of their personhood, as their strength, power (byar) or the success of their techniques (meh) depend not only on their physical preparedness, but also on a delicate balancing of social, technical and cosmological skills. Winning in Mongolian wrestling seldom relies on an individual performance only: following contenders in district, regional and national Naadam tournaments as they prepare for, take part in and reflect on these, we want to show that coming out on top requires a plan, or a ‘picture’ (zurag), which might or might not prevail, i.e. ‘come in’ (oroh), over that of other wrestlers. This plan involves enlisting the support of competing wrestlers, and therefore mobilising such resources as kinship, autochthony or money in order to convince them to do so. It is indeed a delicate balance between physical strength, cosmological caution and political strategy that a wrestler must strike for his plan to prevail in a competition, and it is perhaps no wonder if their person and their success should be given such a political importance in Mongolia today.
Commiphora omundomba (Burseraceae), a new species from Angola and Namibia
Authors: SWANEPOEL WESSEL , WEEKS ANDREA , VAN WYK ABRAHAM E.
Published: April 2022

Commiphora omundomba, described here as a new species, is known only from the Kaokoveld Centre of Endemism, a biogeographical region in southwestern Angola and Northwestern Namibia. It has hitherto been confused with C. dinteri from west-central Namibia, but both morphological and molecular evidence support a distinction between the two species. Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence data indicates that C. omundomba shares most-recent common ancestry with C. buruxa, a species limited to the Gariep Centre of Endemism in southwestern Namibia. Diagnostic morphological characters for C. omundomba include the white, viscous exudate, smooth bark and glabrous, trifoliolate leaves. Photographs of the plant and a distribution map are provided. The new species is mainly confined to near the Atlantic coast of the northern Namib Desert, and is widespread and locally common between Santa Maria in Angola and Puros in Namibia.
A new species of Euploca (Boraginales: Heliotropiaceae) from the Inter-Andean dry valleys of Bolivia
Authors: WOOD JOHN R.I. , MUÑOZ-RODRÍGUEZ PABLO
Published: April 2022

Euploca riochiquensis is described and illustrated as a species new to science endemic to the Rio Chico valley in Chuquisaca, Bolivia. Morphologically it resembles E. lagoense in its solitary axillary flowers but differs conspicuously in its shrubby habit. Its phylogenetic position, conservation status and distribution are discussed.
A new species Pseudoplagiostoma dipterocarpicola (Pseudoplagiostomataceae, Diaporthales) found in northern Thailand on members of the Dipterocarpaceae
Authors: TANG XIA , JAYAWARDENA RUVISHIKA S. , STEPHENSON STEVEN L. , KANG JI-CHUAN
Published: April 2022

Pseudoplagiostoma dipterocarpicola sp. nov. is described herein on the basis material collected from twigs and fruits of Dipterocarpus sp. from Chiang Mai, Thailand. Phylogenetic analyses based on ITS, LSU, tef1-α and tub2 DNA sequence data revealed this new species with a distinct asexual morph belongs to the family Pseudoplagiostomataceae. Pseudoplagiostoma dipterocarpicola is closely related to P. mangiferae but differs in the thick wall present at near the base of the conidiomata, with two types of conidiogenous cells, these ranging from cylindrical with an elongated slimy neck to ampulliform and having a wider base, and lacking paraphyses. The morphology of this new species is described and illustrated.
Alepia viatrix sp. nov. (Diptera: Psychodidae), a new species of a Neotropical genus found on the Azores Archipelago (Portugal)
Authors: JAUME-SCHINKEL SANTIAGO , KVIFTE GUNNAR MIKALSEN , VAN DER WEELE RUUD , MENGUAL XIMO
Published: April 2022

A new species of the Neotropical genus Alepia Enderlein, 1937 is described from the Azores Archipelago based on morphological characters and DNA barcodes from male and female specimens. Images of the new species as well as a discussion of the origin of this species are also provided. Moreover, we include an identification key for the adult male Psychodidae species recorded on the Azores Archipelago and comment on each species present on these islands. This is the first record of the genus Alepia from Azores.
Sattleria enrosadira sp. nov., a new cryptic, high alpine species from Northern Italy revealed by DNA barcodes and morphology (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae)
Authors: TIMOSSI GIOVANNI , HUEMER PETER
Published: April 2022

Sattleria karsholti Huemer & Hebert, 2011 is re-examined based on recently collected material, museum vouchers, and DNA barcodes. Adult and male genitalia morphology and molecular data of the COI barcode region support the existence of two allopatric species, S. karsholti, from the type locality of Pizo Arera in the Orobian Alps (Bergamo Province, Italy), and S. enrosadira sp. nov. from Monte Baldo, Adamello and the Brenta group (Trento and Verona Provinces, Italy). Adults and male genitalia of both species are figured; the females of both species are unknown.
Discovery of a new species of Dryinus (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber
Authors: OLMI MASSIMO , GUGLIELMINO ADALGISA , CAPRADOSSI LEONARDO , VASILENKO DMITRY V. , PERKOVSKY EVGENY E.
Published: April 2022

Dryinus carsteni sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Chrysidoidea: Dryinidae) is described from mid-Cretaceous Kachin (Burmese) amber. The new species is close to D. taron Martynova, Zhang, Olmi, Müller, Perkovsky, 2020, but it can be distinguished for the shorter body (about 2 mm), antennomere 3 about 5 × as long as broad and protarsomere 2 produced into hook (in D. taron, the body is longer more than 5 mm, antennomere 3 is about 20 × as long as broad and protarsomere 3 is produced into hook).
Contemporary Transformations in the European Union–Germany–China Relations
Authors: Chhetri Preksha Shree
Published: April 2022

This article analyses broadly the European Union’s (EU) growing geopolitical ambitions in the context of its shifting stance on China. Within the EU, it focuses on the Germany–China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by noting the current developments and changes in the Germany–China partnership. Here, the discontinuity between the ‘old’ and ‘new’ obstacles in Germany–China trade relations is identified through an analysis of four critical issues: Germany’s Federation of German Industries (BDI) policy paper, Made in China 2025, Germany’s Industrie 4.0 and Germany’s 5G conundrum. Through the above, the article makes the argument that though there are considerable new strains on Germany–China relations and EU–China relations, concrete transformations affecting trade relations have not been observed. The article concludes by noting that the achievement of the new-found geopolitical ambitions of the EU would require a much more concentrated effort by all members rather than mere posturing.
Elevated PaCO2 levels increase pulmonary artery pressure
Authors: Triantaris Apostolos , Aidonidis Isaak , Hatziefthimiou Apostolia , Gourgoulianis Konstantinos , Zakynthinos Georgios , Makris Demosthenes
Published: April 2022

Permissive hypercapnia is commonly used in mechanically ventilated patients to avoid lung injury but its effect on pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) is still unclear, particularly in combination with tidal volume (Vt). Therefore, an in vivo study was performed on adult rabbits ventilated with low (9 ml/Kg, LVt group) or high (15 ml/Kg, HVt group) tidal volume (Vt) and alterations in PAP were estimated. Both groups of animals initially were ventilated with FiO2 0.3 (Normocapnia-1) followed by inhalation of enriched CO2 gas mixture (FiCO2 0.10) to develop hypercapnia (Hypercapnia-1). After 30 min of hypercapnia, animals were re-ventilated with FiO2 0.3 to develop normocapnia (Normocapnia-2) again and then with FiCO2 0.10 to develop hypercapnia (Hypercapnia-2). Systolic, diastolic and mean PAP were assessed with a catheter in the pulmonary artery. In HP-1 and HP-2, PaCO2 increased ( p < 0.0001) in both LVt and HVt animals compared to baseline values. pH decreased to ≈7.2 in HP-1 and ≈7.1 in HP −2. In normocapnia, the rise in Vt from 9 to 15 ml/Kg induced an increase in static compliance (Cstat), plateau airway pressure (Pplat) and PAP. Hypercapnia increased PAP in either LVt or HVt animals without significant effect on Cstat or Pplat. A two-way ANOVA revealed that there was not a statistically significant interaction between the effects of hypercapnia and tidal volume on mPAP ( p = 0.76). In conclusion, increased Vt per se induced an increase in Cstat, Pplat and PAP in normocapnia. Hypercapnia increased PAP in rabbits ventilated with low or high Vt but this effect was not long-lasting.
Rail stations and residential sorting: The case of Sydney metropolitan area
Authors: Carleton Laurence , Joyeux Roselyne , Milunovich George
Published: April 2022

We examine the relationship between rail accessibility and the pattern of demographic characteristics at long-established Rail Transit Served Communities. The analytical methods involve the juxtaposition of property premium estimates and assessment of spatial effects on demographic composition. Despite finding considerable property premiums associated with access to rail transit across metropolitan Sydney, we report little evidence of sorting in relation to economically advantaged or disadvantaged residents. Further, the demographic groups commonly linked to gentrification, including high-income and professionals, are not found to dominate areas of high rail accessibility and only those with advanced educational qualifications are shown to increase in concentration with closer access to rail transit.
Evaluating On-Line Resources: How Community College Students in STEM Sort and Select Material on the Internet
Authors: Nguyen Thai-Huy , Gutierrez Rose Ann E. , Smith Jalen
Published: April 2022

Research Question: The vast amount of material available on-line has prompted researchers to understand how undergraduate students sort and select, or evaluate, the results that emerge from their searches. Since students depend on on-line material to facilitate their learning of course material, understanding the basis of their process is imperative to how institutions develop more equitable and far-reaching strategies for student success. Given this context, this study asks the following question: When students are faced with several choices that emerge from their on-line search, what are the criteria used to evaluate and select resources that support learning of course content? Methods: To answer the research question, we drew on interview data from 12 students enrolled in a community college district, who offered insights on how they evaluated on-line resources for their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. Results: We find that trust and utility were the prominent criteria by which on-line resources were evaluated. Students were skeptical of the accuracy of content in a given resource and used several dimensions of trust to direct their assessment. Students also evaluated with purpose, to search for and sort resources that reflected their goals and preferred conditions for engagement, or what we consider as utility. Conclusion: Understanding how students sort and evaluate on-line resources offers insights into a learning environment increasingly defined by the internet and informs how institutions and instructors might better incorporate these resources into their curriculum and academic supports. Our findings reveal implications for institutional leadership, faculty, and student services.
Pressure transient analysis for multi-wing fractured vertical well in coalbed methane reservoir based on fractal geometry and fractional calculus
Authors: Li Haoyuan , Zhang Qi , Li Zhenlu , Pang Qiang , Wei Keying , Zeng Yuan , Cui Xiangyu , Zhu Yushuang
Published: April 2022

In this paper, a semi-analytical mathematical model of pressure transient analysis (PTA) for multi-wing fractured vertical well (MWFV) in coalbed methane (CBM) reservoir is proposed, which considers the complexity of porous media by fractal geometry, the anomalous diffusion based on fractional calculus and the stress sensitivity represented by the exponential expression. Then through line source theory, dimensionless transformation, Pedrosa transformation, and other methods, the solution of the bottom hole pressure is obtained. At last, the PTA curve is presented by the Stehfest inversion method, and seven flowing regimes are identified. It can be observed that after introducing fractal geometry and fractional calculus, the PTA curve is quite different from the traditional curve in the slope of the derivative curve. The influences of related parameters are discussed, including mass fractal dimension, anomalous diffusion coefficient, number of hydraulic fractures, fracture angle, and stress sensitivity factor. Relevant results can provide better guidance to understand the CBM production performance in MWFV.
Association between Clinical Factors and Surgical Outcomes for Patients with Persistent Allergic Rhinitis
Authors: Ho Yan-Ting , Lee Ta-Jen , Fu Chia-Hsiang
Published: April 2022

Objective: While septoplasty with turbinoplasty is commonly performed for patients with nasal obstruction, no study has addressed its efficacy and related determinants in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR) and various symptoms. This study aimed to identify potential factors associated with surgical outcomes in patients with persistent AR (PAR) who underwent septoplasty with turbinoplasty. Methods: We prospectively recruited patients with PAR and positive allergy test results for surgical treatment. We also collected relevant preoperative laboratory data. The Sinonasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) survey was administered to all patients one day before and one year after surgery. Results: A total of 128 patients who completed a one-year postoperative follow-up were enrolled. The total SNOT-22 score and five subdomain scores significantly improved postoperatively. We found that women and those with higher preoperative SNOT-22 scores experienced more postoperative improvement and had a greater potential to reach minimal clinically important differences (MCID). A preoperative SNOT-22 score greater than the determined cut-off value of 42.5 had an approximately 6-fold likelihood of MCID achievement. Patients in the nasal obstruction group and non-smokers demonstrated greater postoperative improvement in the sleep subdomain. Conclusions: Women with PAR and those with a preoperative SNOT-22 score above 42.5 were preferable candidates for surgery and expressed greater satisfaction. Notably, rhinologic presentations and non-rhinologic symptoms of PAR patients could benefit from within one year after surgery. Here, we discuss the factors associated with subjective surgical outcomes to help physicians and patients with AR in preoperative consultations.
Aortic root thrombus causing non-ST elevation myocardial infarction after left ventricular assist device
Authors: Kallur Akhil S , Bien-Aime Fred , Sallam Tariq , Jawaid Yasir , Zaaqoq Akram M
Published: April 2022

A 61-year-old male presented with a history of ischemic cardiomyopathy requiring left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation 9 months prior to presentation. The patient was on aspirin and warfarin as part of his LVAD management. The patient had chest pain and was found to have non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. Despite being on warfarin, a subtherapeutic international normalized ratio of 1.6 was measured on admission. Lactate dehydrogenase was 694 U/L (12–146) and high-sensitivity troponin peaked at 47,093 ng/L. Left heart catheterization revealed an extensive aortic root thrombus (AT). AT is an uncommon cause of thromboembolic events in long-term LVAD patients. Thrombotic events in LVAD patients are pump thrombosis, cerebrovascular accidents, heparin-induced thrombocytopenia, and rarely, AT. There is no well-described management of such a rare complication. In our report, we suggest a multidisciplinary approach and consideration of conservative treatment of these patients.
Identifying barriers and facilitators to palliative care integration in the management of hospitalized patients with COVID-19: A qualitative study
Authors: Wentlandt Kirsten , Wolofsky Kayla T. , Weiss Andrea , Hurlburt Lindsay , Fan Eddy , Kaya Ebru , O’Connor Erin , Lewin Warren , Graham Cassandra , Zimmermann Camilla , Isenberg Sarina R.
Published: April 2022

Background:

Palliative care is well suited to support patients hospitalized with COVID-19, but integration into care has been variable and generally poor.

Aim:

To understand barriers and facilitators of palliative care integration for hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Methods:

Internists, Intensivists and palliative care physicians completed semi-structured interviews about their experiences providing care to patients with COVID-19. Results were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results:

Twenty-three physicians (13 specialist palliative care, five intensivists, five general internists) were interviewed; mean ± SD age was 42 ± 11 years and 61% were female. Six thematic categories were described including: patient and family factors, palliative care knowledge, primary provider factors, COVID-19 specific factors, palliative care service factors, and leadership and culture factors. Patient and family factors included patient prognosis, characteristics that implied prognosis (i.e., age, etc.), and goals of care. Palliative care knowledge included confidence in primary palliative care skills, misperception that COVID-19 is not a ‘palliative diagnosis’, and the need to choose quantity or quality of life in COVID-19 management. Primary provider factors included available time, attitude, and reimbursement. COVID-19 specific factors were COVID-19 as an impetus to act, uncertain illness trajectory, treatments and outcomes, and infection control measures. Palliative care service factors were accessibility, adaptability, and previous successful relationships. Leadership and culture factors included government-mandated support, presence at COVID planning tables, and institutional and unit culture.

Conclusion:

The study findings highlight the need for leadership support for formal integrated models of palliative care for patients with COVID-19, a palliative care role in pandemic planning, and educational initiatives with primary palliative care providers.
Prolonged responses to brentuximab vedotin as last therapy in Hodgkin lymphoma failing autologous transplantation: A case series
Authors: Broccoli Alessandro , Argnani Lisa , Coppola Paolo Elia , Gentilini Marianna , Bagnato Gianmarco , Lolli Ginevra , Carella Matteo , Nanni Laura , Morigi Alice , Casadei Beatrice , Pellegrini Cinzia , Stefoni Vittorio , Zinzani Pier Luigi
Published: April 2022

The follow-up of the pivotal trial and large case series reports of a proportion of patients, between 5% and 9%, with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma failing autologous stem cell transplantation and treated with brentuximab vedotin, achieving and maintaining long lasting complete responses with no further treatment. Very long-term data on the outcomes of such patients are indeed underreported. Our institutional experience with patients meeting these characteristics and in continuous complete response for more than 5 years after brentuximab vedotin was reviewed. Five patients achieved a median duration of complete response of 7.4 (range 5.1-8.1) years, and none of them encountered disease relapse or received any subsequent consolidation, including allogeneic transplantation. A proportion of patients failing autologous transplantation and receiving subsequent brentuximab vedotin may reach a long-lasting complete response with no need of further treatment. These patients are therefore considered cured. The role of allogeneic transplantation in such patients is matter of debate.
Synthesis, Processing and the Effect of Thermal Treatment on the Solubility, Antioxidant Potential and Cytocompatibility of Y2O3 and CeO2 doped SiO2-SrO-Na2O Glass-Ceramics
Authors: Placek Lana M , Keenan Timothy J , coughlan Aisling , Wren Anthony W
Published: April 2022

Thermal treatment of a 0.52SiO2-0.24SrO-0.24 -xNa2O- xMO glass-ceramic series (where x = 0.08 and MO = Y2O3 or CeO2) was conducted in order to synthesize yttrium (Y3+) and cerium (Ce3+) crystalline species that may act as radical oxygen specie (ROS) scavengers. The prominent phase for the Control is a sodium-strontium-silicate while the experimental glass-ceramics ( HY, YCe, and HCe) present sodium-Y/Ce-silicate and oxide phases. Disk shrinkage during thermal processing ranges from 1–7% for Control, HY, YCe, and HCe in both diameter and thickness. Solubility studies determined that the release of Si4+ and Na+ are greatest from the Control disks which peaks at 1550 µg/mL. Release from the Y3+ and Ce3+ glass-ceramics reached 320 µg/mL for Si4+ and 630 µg/mL for Na+. The range of antioxidant capacity (ABTS assay) for all samples was 0.31–3.9 mMTE. No significant reduction in MC 3T3 Osteoblast cell viability was observed for any composition tested.
High performance poly(isatin alkyl-terphenyl)s proton exchange membranes with flexible alkylsulfonated side groups
Authors: Wang Yannan , Wang Yajie , Guo Maolian , Ban Tao , Zhu Xiuling
Published: April 2022

Hydrocarbon-based polymer proton exchange membranes (PEMs) free of heteroatom linkages are supposed to be an attractive alternative for the most advanced perfluorosulfonic acid PEMs, but it is challenging to synthesize them. Here we disclosed a series of aliphatic chain-containing poly(isatin diphenyl-co-terphenyl)(PIDT) copolymers, which were conveniently prepared by superacid-catalyzed Friedel-Crafts polycondensation. Subsequently, the sulfonated copolymer (SPIDT) membranes were prepared by the grafting of side-chain sulfonic acid groups. Due to the formed continuous and efficient nanoscale proton transport channel, these PEMs exhibited excellent proton conductivity showing 186 mS/cm at 80°C, higher than Nafion115 (150 mS/cm). Meanwhile, the prepared membranes exhibited good oxidative stability. The residual weight of the membranes is still greater than 98 wt % after 1 h immersion in Fenton’s reagent at 80°C. Notably, the direct borohydride-hydrogen fuel cell (DBHFC) equipped with SPIDT-50 membrane as the diaphragm showed the peak power density of 71 mW•cm−2 at 25°C, which was greater than that of Nafion115 (63 mW•cm−2). Therefore, the hydrocarbon-based PEMs prepared in this study show promise for application in fuel cells.
Everyday Ethics at the Border: Normative Ethics for the 21st Century
Authors: Pihlaja Beau
Published: April 2022

This study uses examples from a case of everyday technical and professional communication (TPC) at a small multinational company on the Mexico–U.S. border to illustrate how coordinating analytical frameworks commonly used in TPC analyses—activity theory (AT) and actor-network theory (ANT)—can help TPC scholars and practitioners negotiate interpreting others’ asynchronous communication fairly and justly, even in complex, intercultural contexts. The examples illustrate why developing normative ethics for the 21st century requires attention to the ways that goal-oriented activity and the flat, networked interaction of the human, nonhuman, and black-boxed forces intersect in everyday TPC practitioners’ lives and work.
Conducting and Rehearsal Skills in Preservice Music Education: A Review of the Literature
Authors: Grey Alyssa N.
Published: April 2022

Preservice music educators are expected to develop a variety of skills throughout their undergraduate program to prepare them for the challenges of classroom instruction. One of the most complex tasks is to learn how to effectively conduct and rehearse large ensembles. Preservice music educators often struggle with conducting gestures, balancing verbal and nonverbal instruction, and error detection. Researchers have explored these and other aspects of conducting and rehearsal skills development and offered suggestions concerning undergraduate music education curricula. The purpose of this review of the literature is to synthesize research related to conducting and rehearsal skills development and offer suggestions for improving preservice music educators’ related skills.
An analytical investigation into the vibration behavior of an orthotropic steel deck
Authors: Zhang Xun , You Yingchuan , Kong Derui , Chen Tao , Zhang Jinrui
Published: April 2022

Due to advantages such as small weight, large load capacity, and easy manufacturing, orthotropic steel decks (OSDs) are widely used in many steel bridges. As an important component of steel bridge decks that bear vehicle loads, OSDs may produce excessive vibrations and corresponding noise due to low dead loads. Therefore, it is important to study the vibration behavior of OSDs to guide the design to reduce vibration and noise in steel bridges. In this paper, the vibration response of an OSD with simply supported boundary conditions is calculated using the modal expansion method. The input mobility and insertion loss are selected as indices to evaluate the vibration response and suppression performance of the bridge. The results of calculations were compared with those of the finite element method to verify their accuracy. They showed that the input mobility of the OSD was affected primarily by the bending stiffness of the corresponding top plate and longitudinal ribs. The vibration energy of the OSD had both frequency-dependent and excitation location-dependent characteristics. When a source acted on the longitudinal rib or was close to it (within a distance of ¼ of the wavelength), the high-frequency vibration response of the OSD could still be greatly suppressed, with an average vibration reduction of approximately 15 dB. Reducing the spacing between the longitudinal ribs is one of the best ways to reduce the vibration response of the OSD. The frequency of the positive insertion loss ranged from 160 to 500 Hz when the longitudinal rib spacing was reduced from 0.8 to 0.4 m. The frequency-related vibration response of the OSD can be further reduced by adding transverse ribs, especially in the high-frequency range.
Pharmacists’ practices and views regarding management of sexual health in patients with cancer
Authors: Shivji Alisha , Danilak Melanie , Booker Reanne , Dersch-Mills Deonne , Ghosh Sunita , Fung Katherine
Published: April 2022

Introduction

Sexual health issues associated with cancer can significantly impact patients’ psychosocial well-being and overall quality of life. These issues are frequently medication-related, placing pharmacists in an opportune position to manage sexual health concerns in patients with cancer. Currently, no literature exists exploring pharmacists’ practices related to the management of sexual health in oncology patients.

Methods

An anonymous, descriptive, cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted to elicit pharmacists’ views and practices regarding managing sexual health in oncology patients. Pharmacists practicing in Canada who provide care to adult malignant hematology or oncology patients were eligible to participate. The survey was disseminated through the Canadian Association of Pharmacy in Oncology and through informal oncology pharmacy practitioner networks.

Results

Of the 102 pharmacists who participated, 96 completed the survey in its entirety. Most respondents were female, practiced in Alberta, and primarily saw oncology patients in outpatient cancer facilities. Although 85% of participants felt pharmacists should be involved in giving patients an opportunity to discuss sexual health, only 8% reported managing sexual health in at least 50% of their oncology patients. The most commonly agreed upon barriers to this were presence of family members and friends at appointments, lack of knowledge or training, limited time, and the belief that sexual health is not applicable to all oncology patients.

Conclusions

This study explored pharmacists’ views and practices regarding managing sexual health in patients with cancer. Several barriers were identified, which may aid in future development of resources to assist pharmacists in routinely addressing sexual health in oncology patients.
Domestic violence during the pandemic: ‘By and for’ frontline practitioners’ mediation of practice and policies to support racially minoritised women
Authors: Anitha Sundari , Gill Aisha K
Published: April 2022

This article analyses 26 interviews with frontline female practitioners from domestic violence and abuse (DVA) services for racially minoritised women in England and Wales, exploring how these practitioners – who are from the same racially minoritised communities as the women they support – responded to the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis. These specific practitioner perspectives offer valuable insights into the specific ways in which the pandemic exacerbated the intersectional vulnerabilities of minoritised women experiencing DVA. Interpreted through a standpoint feminist lens, the findings reveal how frontline practitioners used bureaucratic discretion both to meet minoritised women’s changed needs during the pandemic in order to enhance their safety and to challenge the exclusions and intersectional inequalities underpinning pandemic policies. The study illuminates the institutional dimensions of frontline practitioner responses to the pandemic and contribute to debates within the street-level bureaucracy scholarship about the nature of bureaucratic discretion exercised by frontline practitioners.
COVID-19: Interrogating the capitalist organization of the economy and society through the pandemic
Authors: Zanoni Patrizia , Mir Raza
Published: April 2022

This editorial introduces eight papers included in this special issue on COVID-19. Together, these papers draw key theoretical and political insights for critical organization studies from the pandemic along three main lines. First, they examine how COVID-19 has denaturalized global capitalism, leading to a broad interrogation of the organization of the economy and our societies. Second, they point to how COVID-19 has unveiled the close relation between capital and the state in producing inequalities old and new, a relation that neoliberalism tends to hide from view. Third, they leverage COVID-19 to give voice to the largely female disposable workforce in the Global South on whose work global commodity flows, consumption and capital accumulation rest. We conclude by pointing to the need to address constitutive interdependencies, such as those between wage work and reproductive work, the global North and the global South, the market and the state, to name only a few. We further call for expanding traditional understandings of struggle to include a broader range of social antagonisms (e.g. for sufficient time to care, education, healthcare, housing, safe public spaces, accessible to all) as part of a theoretically and politically renewed organizational research agenda fostering solidarity.
Making sense of citizen desire for IO democracy: an analysis of public opinion across 44 countries
Authors: Lee Hyo Won , Lim Sijeong
Published: April 2022

Why do some citizens across the globe prioritize the democracy of international organizations (IOs), while others place more emphasis on their effectiveness? We suggest that this difference in attitude may reflect two distinct perspectives on the subjects of IO democracy: (1) a citizen-centered perspective focusing on substantive citizen representation and IO accountability to citizens and (2) a state-centered perspective centering on fair state representation and IO accountability to member states. We examine these two perspectives among citizens worldwide and determine how these perspectives shape preferences for IO democracy and effectiveness. Our empirical analysis uses the latest wave of the World Values Survey, which covers more than 50,000 individuals across 44 countries for the period 2017−2020. We find that citizens’ democratic activism and the perceived democratic deficit in domestic governance, which we believe to be associated with a citizen-centered perspective in international governance, do not lead to the prioritization of IO democracy. Instead, the underrepresentation of their country in major IOs and confidence in the national government have a significant and positive association with the prioritization of IO democracy. These results suggest that the prioritization of IO democracy expressed by the public primarily reflects a state-centered perspective of international governance rather than a citizen-centered one.
Training in cultural psychiatry: Translating research into improvements in mental health care for migrants
Authors: Bäärnhielm Sofie , Schouler-Ocak Meryam
Published: April 2022

This special issue of Transcultural Psychiatry on training in cultural psychiatry discusses translating research into improvements in mental health care for refugees and migrants. This topic is timely because, in addition to a global increase in migration, the number of forcibly displaced people is growing rapidly due to war and conflicts. We know that migrants, particularly refugees, are at increased risk of psychiatric disorders, including psychotic disorders and post—traumatic stress. Despite this, there is evidence of major disparities in care for minorities, migrants, and refugees. The gap between needs related to mental health care for migrants, refugees, and minority groups and available services points to the need to improve accessibility and adapt systems, services, and interventions. Health professionals have a key role in ensuring the quality of care. Their capacity to cope with new challenges depends on their competence, knowledge, skills, and attitudes toward their patients' needs. Mental health professionals need training in working with cultural diversity and structural competence to understand, treat, and support migrant and refugee patients—and to respond to racial discrimination. Mental health care services need to reduce barriers to providing adequate resources, including supporting skills training for mental health professionals. Hopefully, this thematic special issue will motivate further research, discussion, and sharing of local experience and pedagogical methods in this vital field.
Comedy clubs that platform marginalised identities: Prefigurative politics in Sophie Duker’s Wacky Racists
Authors: Quirk Sophie
Published: April 2022

Wacky Racists is, in the words of its creator, Sophie Duker, ‘not a night for actually wacky, actual racists’. It is one of a number of clubs which provide a platform for identities and perspectives that are marginalised on the British comedy circuit. This article demonstrates that such ‘platforming clubs’ can be considered as prefigurative spaces, drawing upon Raekstad and Gradin’s model of prefigurative politics. Using Wacky Racists as a case study, it is argued that these clubs pose a necessary challenge to dominant industry practices by building an alternative to them. Their impact exists in their capacity to expose a range of harmful and inequitable practices, to demonstrate that these are unnecessary, and to provide the living and viable alternatives that, as Raekstad and Gradin argue, are a precondition of change.
Ridiculing the unreasonable: The political aesthetic of Zondag met Lubach
Authors: Nieuwenhuis Ivo
Published: April 2022

This article analyses the highly popular and critically acclaimed Dutch satirical TV show Zondag met Lubach (2014-2021), using the approach of political aesthetics. Through this approach, which focuses on the form, style and rhetoric of cultural artefacts, and the way in which these elements perform politics, it is shown that Zondag met Lubach was much less critical and progressive than is often thought. Overall, the show mainly defended the existing liberal status quo. It did so by depoliticising its own viewpoint, which was presented as simply reasonable, while ideas and practices that did not fit within this viewpoint were framed as irrational and ridiculous. It also turns out that the solutions it proposed for current social issues were strongly inclined towards individual responsibility, much less towards structural changes. This is another way in which the show acted as a defender of the given socio-political order.
Not all inequalities are created equal: Inequality framing and privilege threat for advantaged groups
Authors: Dover Tessa L.
Published: April 2022

This paper investigates when and why members of privileged groups choose to describe inequality using disadvantage frames (e.g., “women have lower wages than men”) or advantage frames (e.g., “men have higher wages than women”). Four studies ( N = 1,251) test the hypothesis that advantage frames are more threatening than disadvantage frames for privileged groups, and that privileged groups may strategically avoid using advantage frames when discussing illegitimate—but not legitimate—inequality. In Study 1, members of a privileged group (White Americans) exhibited more behavioral and cardiovascular indicators of threat when reading about, reflecting on, and discussing racial inequality framed as White advantage versus Black disadvantage. In Studies 2–4, members of privileged groups (but not underprivileged groups) used advantage frames less often when describing illegitimate inequality than when describing legitimate inequality. These studies suggest that subtle linguistic changes in descriptions of inequalities can threaten privileged groups, and that privileged groups may adjust their descriptions of inequality depending on its legitimacy.
Privilege lost: How dominant groups react to shifts in cultural primacy and power
Authors: Hodson Gordon , Earle Megan , Craig Maureen A.
Published: April 2022

As a function of their race, gender, class, and other social categories, long-standing privileges in social hierarchies have been afforded to some groups of people to the detriment of others. Recently, scholars have made considerable headway studying the social gains made by disadvantaged groups, including a better understanding of how relatively advantaged groups (e.g., White people; men) often pushback against and resist shifts in group-based power or prestige. The present body of work curates social psychological perspectives on the sense of privilege lost, the belief that one’s dominant group is losing ground to other groups. Here, we outline several dominant themes emerging from scholars in this field, including a better understanding of the psychological nature of group-based threat reactions, and for whom such demographic/power changes are deemed troubling, thus triggering pushback. We make recommendations for shaping future research on the perceived loss of group status and power.
Communities of practice in the production and resourcing of fact-checking
Authors: Brookes Stephanie , Waller Lisa
Published: April 2022

This article considers the ways in which national and international institutional alliances and professional organizations form the basis of a collaborative approach to the resourcing, production, and distribution of fact-checks through a case study of CoronaCheck, the COVID-19 fact-checking project of Australia’s RMIT ABC Fact Check. In doing so, it builds on a theorization that conceives of journalism as a “community of practice.” Two themes emerge from attention to the conceptual framework, content analysis of CoronaCheck newsletters and interviews with fact-checkers and journalists. The first relates to the nexus between fact-checking communities of practice and the productive and collaborative networks that underpin their operation. The second builds on this to consider the structures, resources, and approaches that facilitate experimentation within the community. Taken together, the findings suggest that understanding the practices of international and inter-institutional collaboration in fact-checking efforts such as CoronaCheck is key to shedding light on how a subcommunity of journalism practice broadens its remit and reorients the concerns of the domain in response to change.
Mental health literacy practices within Australian football league next generation academy clubs: An exploratory study
Authors: Diamond Samantha , Wallace Lee , English Madeleine , Caperchione Cristina M.
Published: April 2022

Purpose

To explore and describe the extent and quality of Mental Health Literacy (MHL) resources, information and education currently available within the Australian Football League (AFL) Next Generation Academy (NGA) programs and identify limitations/gaps in existing MHL practices within these programs.

Methods

An exploratory mixed-method descriptive design was utilised in two phases. Phase One consisted of a researcher led MHL audit of publicly available data associated with each NGA program. Phase Two included a web-based open-ended questionnaire distributed to key NGA personnel and focused on mental health practices within the programs. Descriptive statistics were used to present Phase One data and thematic analysis was utilised in Phase Two.

Results

In Phase One, the total mean standardised score for resources on mental health, raising awareness on mental health and culture of support within the clubs were 47% (SD = 16, range 18–89), 51% (SD = 23, range 0–77) and 61% (SD = 27, range of 9–97). In Phase Two, eight participants responded to the questionnaire (44% response rate). Three themes emerged from the thematic analysis: 1) current initiatives and resources within the club; 2) training, education and support for staff; 3) the gender divide.

Conclusion

Mainstream mental health resources do exist within the AFL and there is some support within the professional league. However, these are not effectively tailored for youth elite athletes, nor have they been implemented into NGA programs despite the willingness of staff in supporting the mental health of these athletes.