bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fluoride-induced testicular and ovarian toxicity: evidence from animal studies
Authors: Talebi Seyedeh Fahimeh , Seify Mohammad , Bhandari Ramji Kumar , Shoorei Hamed , Oskuei Shahram Dabiri
Published: January 2025

Fluoride (F), as a natural element found in a wide range of sources such as water and certain foods, has been proven to be beneficial in preventing dental caries, but concerns have been raised regarding its potential deleterious effects on overall health. Sodium fluoride (NaF), another form of F, has the ability to accumulate in reproductive organs and interfere with hormonal regulation and oxidative stress pathways, contributing to reproductive toxicity. While the exact mechanisms of F-induced reproductive toxicity are not fully understood, this review aims to elucidate the mechanisms involved in testicular and ovarian injury. In males, F exposure at different doses has been associated with reduced testis weight, reduced sperm quality in terms of count, motility, and viability, as well as abnormal sperm morphology and disruption of seminiferous tubules by altering hormone levels (especially testosterone), impairing spermatogenesis, and inducing oxidative stress and zinc deficiency. Similarly, administration of F can impact female reproductive health by affecting ovarian function, hormone levels, oocyte quality, and the regularity of the estrous cycle. However, the impact of F exposure on LH, FSH, and GnRH levels is controversial between males and females. In both males and females, F exerts its adverse effects by triggering apoptosis, autophagy, inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, reduction in ATP synthesis, and modulation of important genes involved in steroidogenesis. Furthermore, genetic susceptibility and individual variations in F metabolism may contribute to different responses to fluoride exposure.
Feasibility pilot of a novel coaching intervention to optimize cannabis use for chronic pain management among Veterans
Authors: Boehnke Kevin F. , Bowyer Gabrielle , McAfee Jenna , Smith Tristin , Klida Catherine , Kurtz Vivian , Litinas Evangelos , Purohit Poonam , Arewasikporn Anne , Horowitz Dana , Thomas Laura , Eckersley Jennifer , Railing Mia , Williams David A. , Clauw Daniel J. , Kidwell Kelley M. , Bohnert Amy S. B. , Bergmans Rachel S.
Published: January 2025

Introduction

Chronic pain is common among Veterans, some of whom use cannabis for pain. We conducted a feasibility pilot study of a novel coaching intervention to help Veterans optimize use of medical cannabis products for pain management (NCT06320470).

Methods

The intervention drew from scientific literature, consultation with cannabis experts, Veteran input via a Community Advisory Board, and tenets of motivational interviewing. Participants were Veterans with chronic pain who endorsed current use or interest in using cannabis for pain management. Participants received up to 4 individual coaching sessions via videoconference, spaced approximately 2 weeks apart. We assessed feasibility (adherence, satisfaction, acceptability) and preliminary effects on pain symptoms 14 weeks after baseline. The primary outcome was the Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC), and exploratory outcomes included domains from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS)-29.

Results

Of 22 enrolled participants, 17 attended 4 coaching sessions, 2 attended 3 sessions, and 2 attended 2 sessions. Among those who completed end of intervention surveys (16/21), 87.5% were very or completely satisfied with the intervention and 81.3% rated coaching as very or extremely helpful. All participants reported improvement on the PGIC, with 63% reporting much or very much improvement. Participants reported statistically significant decreased pain intensity (7.1/10 vs. 5.7/10) and pain interference (T-score 66.3 vs. 61.8), and increased social satisfaction (T-score 41.4 vs. 44.3). Participants noted helpful intervention factors, including co-developing a personalized plan, discussing questions/concerns, and trying different approaches to cannabis-based treatment.

Conclusions

In this feasibility pilot study of coaching on cannabis use for chronic pain among Veterans, participants were satisfied with the intervention and reported clinically significant improvements in pain symptoms. Our results support evaluating this intervention in a larger, efficacy trial.
Evaluation of screening program for hepatocellular carcinoma at a single center
Authors: El-Azab Gasser Ibrahim , El-Helw Ghada Ahmed Ahmed , Elsabaawy Maha Mohamed Ahmed , Kohla Mohamed Ahmed Samy , Omar Yasmin Abdelrahman Muhammed
Published: January 2025

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the seventh most common cancer in the world and is a form of liver cancer that starts in the cells of the liver. The best way to increase the chances of survival for people at high risk for HCC is to detect it early through regular monitoring. For monitoring purposes, it is recommended to conduct ultrasound exams every 4 to 6 months, sometimes in combination with alpha-fetoprotein tests.

Aim of the work

Assess the HCC surveillance and its ability to detect HCC patients early on and improve their management.

Patients and methods

The study involved 300 patients of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) investigated at Menoufia University’s Institute of National Liver in Egypt. Patients were evaluated using the Liver Cancer of Barcelona Clinic (BCLC) staging system. Furthermore, the patients were classified into three surveillance categories: no surveillance, routine surveillance, and sporadic surveillance.

Results

A substantial difference statistically among the groups that received and did not receive surveillance with consideration for the stage of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in particular was found. Patients who were observed usually got their diagnoses earlier. Those who were not under surveillance frequently had advanced cases of hepatocellular carcinoma upon diagnosis (HCC).

Conclusion

High-risk patients were regularly investigated for having HCC is necessary for early disease detection, appropriate therapy, and improved survival. Consistent monitoring with AFP and ultrasound allows for early detection of HCC.
A Multicenter Study on the Relationship of Tumor Lesion Location with Bilateral Parametrial Involvement and Pelvic Lymph Node Metastasis in Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Tang Xuedong , Yang Baicai , Bian Wei , Li Kui , Pan Shan , Zhu Weili , Zhou Weigen , Wei Anwen , Cheng Xiaodong
Published: January 2025

Background

This study aimed to explore the relationship of cervical tumor lesion location (CTLL) with bilateral parametrial involvement (PI) and pelvic lymph node metastasis (LNM).

Methods

The study retrospectively analyzed the clinicopathologic and imaging data of patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) retrieved from multiple centers. According to the CTLL, patients were allocated to three groups: a middle one third group, a unilaterally dominant group, and the entire-region group. Uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the preoperative risk factors related to PI and pelvic LNM. The rates of PI and pelvic LNM at the tumor-ipsilateral side and the tumor-contralateral side were compared using the Wilcoxon test.

Results

The study enrolled 776 cases. The CTLL was an important preoperative risk factor for both PI and pelvic LNM. Parametrial involvement occurred solely on the tumor-ipsilateral side (3.57 %) in the unilaterally dominant group, whereas the rate of pelvic LNM on the tumor-ipsilateral side was 11.22 %, significantly higher than on the contralateral side (5.1 %), with no pelvic LNM found on the tumor-contralateral side of patients with tumors smaller than 3.5 cm.

Conclusions

Cervical SCC exhibits the characteristic of more accessible tumor-ipsilateral PI and pelvic LNM. When evaluation by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) shows that the tumor lesion does not involve the contralateral one third of the cervix, a reduction in the resection scope of the contralateral parametrium can be considered, avoiding resection of the para-aortic lymph nodes, and if the tumor is smaller than 3.5 cm, a reduction in the resection scope of the tumor-contralateral pelvic lymph nodes also can be considered.
Posterior Hepatectomy and Inferior Vena Cava Graft Reconstruction for En Bloc Resection of a Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Tribute to Couinaud’s Liver Anatomy Description
Authors: Le Floc’h Bastien , Livin Marie , Tzedakis Stylianos , Robin Fabien , Jeddou Heithem , Boudjema Karim
Published: January 2025

Background

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) associated with major vasculature tumor extension is considered an advanced stage of disease to which palliative radiotherapy or chemotherapy is proposed.1,2 Surgical resection associated with chemotherapy or chemoembolization could be an opportunity to improve overall survival and recurrence-free survival in selected cases in a high-volume hepatobiliary center.3,4 Moreover, it has been 25 years since Couinaud described the entity of a posterior liver located behind an axial plane crossing the portal bifurcation.5 The aim of this video was to show how to reproduce such a resection technique.

Methods

We report the case of a 72-year-old male presenting with a 6 cm HCC developed in a well-compensated Child–Pugh A alcohol-related cirrhosis and localized in the dorsal liver sector. The tumor invaded the retrohepatic inferior vena cava (IVC) as well as segment 2 and the right posterior section glissonean pedicles. The initial management of the patient was performed outside of a reference center for hepatobiliary surgery and the tumor was initially considered unresectable. Transarterial chemoembolization was judged ineffective due to the size and location of the tumor. Initial treatment included 6 months of atezolizumab–bevacizumab, permitting tumor volume stability and enabling surgical resection.

Results

The procedure included an en bloc posterior hepatectomy (H1267)6 with IVC resection and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) graft replacement. A well-tolerated intermittent pedicle and IVC clamping of 30 min in total was used. The duration of surgery was 240 min, with 30 min of total vascular liver exclusion, and total blood loss was 650 mL. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 8. R0 resection was achieved and the patient was free of disease at 1 year post-surgery.

Conclusion

To our knowledge, this video reports the first posterior hepatectomy performed in clinical practice and demonstrates liver anatomy as described by Couinaud in 1999.5 Moreover, complex vascular resections for HCC should be considered a valid therapeutic option in selected cases and high-volume hepatobiliary centers.
Coping after the COVID-19 pandemic: nurses' learning intent and implications for the workforce and education
Authors: Brackney Dana E , Lane Susan
Published: January 2025

Background/aim:

Addressing the critical global shortage of nurses requires an understanding of how a global pandemic reshaped nurses' motivations and intentions toward education. This study aimed to describe COVID-19's impact on nurses' intent to pursue additional education.

Method:

This descriptive study, based in North Carolina in the USA, used content analysis with an inductive approach to examine the responses of nurses to one open-ended question in a large quantitative workforce survey: how has COVID-19 influenced your plans for future education? Responses were coded with counts and organised into themes and subthemes.

Findings:

Primary themes identified from the data included: stressors, appraisals and coping. There were 10 subthemes, which supported primary themes with direct quotes from nurses. The implications of the themes aligns with concepts from the self-determination theory: autonomy, competence and relatedness.

Conclusion:

Nurse responses to the pandemic can guide organisations and academic institutions in supporting nurses in times of stress and design programmes that align with their goals. Nursing leaders and educators must support nurses' autonomy, competence and relatedness, addressing issues such as burnout, financial strain, work–life balance and evolving professional demands. Academic institutions should adopt flexible, resilience-focused curricula and invest in skilled nurse educators to support the growing need for advanced education and online learning.
Evaluating spill kits in infection control: perspectives of nurses and health professionals
Authors: Smith Fiona JE , Ferrie Kirstie , Mackay William G
Published: January 2025

Background:

The burden of hospital-acquired infections (HAIs) equates to 3.5 million cases, resulting in more than 90 000 deaths and 2.5 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) across Europe. Biological spills pose infection and safety risks for both patients and staff, so spill management is of strategic importance for containment. There is limited evidence as to the efficacy of spill kits currently in use with regard to infection control management.

Aim:

To understand the perceptions of health professionals when using different spill kit systems. Data collection involved videos and interviews with simulated patients and health professionals (n=24). Simulated spills/scenarios were used to compare the use of both two standard (incumbent) and BIOPERL+ spill kit interventions. Data analysis was iterative and informed by the Framework Method of Analysis.

Findings:

The BIOPERL+ kit facilitates rapid identification of the appropriate spill kit to use; locating and understanding instructions in both kit types highlight how individuals learn and absorb information; there were positive views on the efficacy of the granules to absorb blood, urine, faeces and vomit of both kit types; the larger scoop of the BIOPERL+ kit was seen as a benefit, facilitating ease of use; concerns were raised over potential cross-contamination and the environmental impact of plastic components used in the kits.

Conclusion:

The ‘one size fits all’ of the BIOPERL+ kit identified it as the spill kit to use for all biological spills, whereas choice of the two incumbent kits depended on spill type. Locating and understanding instructions in both kit types highlighted how individuals learn and absorb information differently, which may have implications for clinical practice. Participants perceived that all kits had minimal to strong odour, yet the incumbent kits emitted a chlorine-type odour, potentially posing a health risk. The BIOPERL+ large scoop size was seen as more efficacious for spillage containment compared with the smaller plastic scoop of the incumbent kits. Participants also perceived that the incumbent kits could be a source of potential cross-contamination when reusing component parts. The cardboard materials used in the BIOPERL+ kit were perceived as a benefit, potentially having less of an impact on the environment. The study identified that the BIOPERL+ kit is an effective, safe novel intervention that is both appropriate for managing human spills and environmentally friendly.
Identifying and managing fatigue in nurses completing on-call work
Authors: Greenhalgh Caroline , Hall Bethany
Published: January 2025

Specialist nurses working in Therapeutic Apheresis Services (TAS) at NHS Blood and Transplant participate in an on-call rota. This means working above and beyond their rostered hours and can lead to them working 24 hours in one period. There is a noted risk of fatigue for people who work more than 13 hours in one stretch, and therefore it is important to understand how to recognise and manage the signs of fatigue. A literature review was performed to understand fatigue in various industries and how this was managed. This was then coupled with TAS internal data collection, exit interview data and sickness data to inform the design of a Fatigue Identification Questionnaire filled out by nurses during on-call working. Due to the strong link between fatigue and the hours worked, it is recommended that further work is undertaken to implement fatigue-management processes.
A multimodal approach to reduce the incidence of peripheral venous cannula bacteraemias and improve patient safety
Authors: Brunn Lydia
Published: January 2025

Background:

Incidence of peripheral venous cannula (PVC) bacteraemia have been rising in a trust in the south-west of England, with a 267% increase noted over the 2022/23 financial year compared with the previous year.

Aim:

To use a multimodal approach to reduce the incidence of PVC bacteraemia and improve patient safety.

Methods:

The initiative consisted of an educational poster highlighting the severity of infection associated with PVCs alongside key prevention messages rooted in Trust policy. Teaching sessions, complementing the poster, were delivered by the infection prevention and control team to each clinical area.

Findings:

The data showed that the provision of further educational resources and wider support resulted in a 54.5% decrease in the incidence of PVC bacteraemia in 2023/24 compared with the previous year. An audit undertaken in the fourth quarter of 2023/24 (January−March) found zero cases of PVC bacteraemia for the first time in 2 years.

Conclusion:

Dedication and collaborative working are vital for securing the success of quality improvement projects. PVC-related bacteraemias and the severity of infection remain an under-acknowledged and under-recognised topic within health care, with further research required.
Implementation of the I-DECIDED® tool for PIVC assessment and decision making: discussion paper
Authors: Ray-Barruel Gillian , Silva Thiago Lopes , Rocha Patrícia Kuerten
Published: January 2025

HIGHLIGHTS

PIVCs often cause pain, irritation, or infection. Regular and careful catheter checks can decrease complications and improve patient outcomes. Implementation of the I-DECIDED® tool led to fewer idle catheters and complications. We present ideas for implementing the tool and how to overcome some common barriers.

Introduction:

Peripheral intravenous catheter (PIVC) assessment and decision making should be evidence based to minimize risks and enhance patient care. Exploring implementation strategies from successful outcome studies can raise health care professionals' awareness, boost adherence to evidence-based protocols, and elevate PIVC care standards.

Aim:

To describe the implementation of the I-DECIDED® device assessment and decision tool for PIVC management in the Australian and Brazilian contexts.

Methods:

The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) framework (evidence, context, facilitation) was used to prospectively plan the implementation of the tool in adult inpatient units in Australia and to retrospectively analyze the implementation of the tool in a pediatric inpatient unit in Brazil. Similarities and differences in the implementation studies were explored.

Results:

Implementation of the tool in Australia and Brazil demonstrated that prevention and early detection of PIVC complications is achievable with standardized assessment and decision prompts. Both contexts witnessed a reduction in idle PIVCs, decreased insertion site complications, improved dressing quality, and significant improvements in documentation following implementation. Common implementation strategies included champions, education, badge cards, and posters. Enabling flexibility and context-specific education strategies was essential.

Conclusion:

Standardization of PIVC assessment and decision making using the I-DECIDED® tool reduced the prevalence of idle catheters and complications in Australia and Brazil. Implementation of the tool in different contexts confirms its utility and relevance for PIVC management in diverse health care settings. Promotion and adoption of the tool as a PIVC management bundle could increase patient safety and reduce health care costs.
Data trends and duty of candour: patient safety challenges in 2025
Authors: Tingle John
Published: January 2025

John Tingle, Associate Professor, Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham, discusses some recently published reports considering the national patient safety picture and issues around the duty of candour
Respect the hidden heroes
Authors: Petchey Jade
Published: January 2025

In our continuing series on the experiences of a nursing student, Jade Petchey discusses the importance of acknowledging the work of everyone who helps keep a hospital running
A randomized control trial to compare Quiet Eye training efficacy to traditional technical training with undergraduate student nurses' peripheral intravenous cannulation performance: a protocol
Authors: Parker Shannon I. A. , Wilkins Jessica , Inayat Shahzad , Hollingsworth Noah , Causer Joe , Virani Shane , Caird Jeff K.
Published: January 2025

Introduction:

Peripheral intravenous cannulation (PIVC) is a common and complex procedure with low first-attempt success rates, causing patient suffering and increased healthcare costs. Quiet Eye (QE) training, a gaze-focused approach, has shown promise in improving procedural PIVC skills. We will examine the effectiveness of traditional technical training (TT) and QE training (QET) on student nurse PIVC performance.

Methods:

Forty-four participants will be randomly assigned to either the TT or QET groups using a blocked randomization method to ensure balanced group sizes. Blinded outcome assessments will minimize bias. Data will be collected using a structured questionnaire and a mobile eye tracker to simultaneously record gaze and hand movements. Participants will complete pre-intervention, post-intervention, and one-week retention tests using a light-skinned manikin arm. A transfer task, utilizing a dark-skinned manikin arm, will assess participants' skills post-trials. The TT group will receive traditional instruction on hand movement improvement; the QET group will receive feedback on their gaze behaviours. The primary outcome measure will be PIVC first attempt success defined as being able to flush the inserted catheter with 10 mL (maximum) normal saline into the vessel. A trial will be considered unsuccessful if more than gentle pressure on the syringe plunger is needed to flush the catheter or if the participant abandoned the attempt before attempting the flush. Other dependent variables will be QE duration (%), number of fixations, total movement time(s), and movement phase time(s). We will analyze data with descriptive and inferential statistics, including mixed model ANOVA and Chi-Square tests.

Discussion:

This study examines the significance of improving PIVC first attempt success rates and highlights QET potential as an intervention. Emphasis is placed on critical implications for health care, particularly the importance of integrating QET into nursing education programs. Future research utilizing large-scale trials and longitudinal designs is recommended.
Improving the superadditivity of some determinantal matrix maps
Authors: Niezgoda Marek
Published: January 2025

In this note, a generalization by Yuan and Leng of Minkowski's determinant inequality is improved. An interpolation of the Yuan and Leng's inequality is shown by using the negativity of some related functional. Some refined versions of Minkowski's inequality and of Ky Fan's inequality are presented.
“New Slavery” vs.
Huagong: Chinese Indentured Labor in South Africa in the Chinese Press, 1903–1905
Authors: Huynh T. Tu
Published: January 2025

In the context of Asian indentured labor within European colonies, the use of Chinese indentured laborers during South Africa’s post-Anglo-Boer War reconstruction period remains relatively obscure. This article addresses this gap by examining how early 20th-century foreign-style Chinese-language newspapers reported on the recruitment of Chinese indentured laborers, known as huagong 华工, for South Africa’s gold mining industry from 1904–1910. Rather than dispatching journalists to South Africa, these newspapers primarily translated news from foreign sources. This article investigates how these news articles were interpreted and translated for Chinese readers, exploring whether terms like “new slavery” or “Chinese slavery” from South African and British discourse were conveyed and, if so, how. The central argument posits that huagong was the favored concept, rooted in its pre-existing association with the extensive history of Chinese people working overseas, thereby contributing to an increased awareness of labor exploitation and social inequality.
Strong, Young, Male, Foreign Bodies at Work: Paraguayan Inequality in Argentina’s Farm Forestry
Authors: Pizarro Cynthia
Published: January 2025

This paper examines the juxtaposition of inequalities in the forestry labor market in the delta of the Paraná River in Argentina. Forestry has traditionally been one of the most masculine rural activities. In the area under study, most of the farmers are men. Workers are also men, but there is a hierarchy among them: managers and machine operators are locals and higher up in the social structure; at the lowest rank of the ladder, one would find chainsaw operators and those who do manual work. The latter are mainly Paraguayan migrants. These migrants are appreciated for their strength, but they suffer the impacts of extremely harsh working and living conditions. The stereotype of the “good Paraguayan forestry worker,” which is also part of their own ethnic pride, catalyzes and is the result of the three types of inequalities: vital, existential, and material. Based on the analysis of ethnographic records of in-depth interviews and participant observations conducted by the author’s research team between 2012 and 2019, this paper characterizes macro-structural conditions related to secondary labor market theory and considers some mesostructural features. It argues that the combination of recruitment strategies and naturalization ideology of Paraguayan masculinity helps explain Paraguayan workers’ inequalities. According to the local common sense, their inequality and harsh life stem from indigenous-foreign origin and eagerness to fulfill masculine mandates. At the microstructural level, the article analyzes their aspirations, which do not necessarily confront domination and are part of adaptive preferences that normalize inequalities.
Relational Well-being of Female Workers in Low-Skilled Jobs in Ethiopia
Authors: Gudeta Konjit H. , Mazzucato Valentina , Fourie Elsje , Dito Bilisuma , Jonas Kai J. , Schelleman-Offermans Karen
Published: January 2025

With the expansion of global production networks (GPNs) in Africa, more women are becoming employed in low-skilled and labor-intensive jobs. Most studies on workers in GPNs focus on work conditions and their impact on production and network effectiveness, while placing less emphasis on the relational well-being of local industrial workers. Employing a relational well-being approach that considers the multiple dimensions of people’s lives (the material, subjective, and relational), we explore how female workers experience their well-being in foreign-owned flower and apparel sectors operating in Ethiopia. Based on in-depth interviews with thirty-nine female employees, we find that women value the different types of social relationships they have. Coworkers, friends, family, and members of the broader community are important for the women’s well-being, supporting them materially and subjectively, and enabling them to cope with work and life difficulties. Relationships with supervisors and employers, however, can negatively impact well-being, especially through the stress they can cause, while the social and political environment also has a negative effect on overall well-being.
Engendering the Manufacturing Sector in Ethiopia: Uncovering the Controversy of Empowerment
Authors: Zeleke Meron
Published: January 2025

Female workers have long been the face of the textile and garment manufacturing industry around the globe. They are considered as not only having naturally “nimble fingers,” but also being naturally more “docile and willing” to work in difficult situations. There is an underlying assumption that employment of women in the manufacturing industry will increase their job opportunities, enhance their access to and/or control over valuable resources, and empower them in decision-making. The development of the textile and garment manufacturing industry in Ethiopia has unquestionably opened employment opportunities for women constituting more than 80% of the labor force. By filling in an existing gap in research through addressing the workers’ self-perception of empowerment (referred to as
mebkat in Amharic), this paper examines the emic views of how women perceive and experience empowerment. This is juxtaposed with an external definition of empowerment, as it is defined by the government and its international development partners, which presumes a positive correlation between employment and empowerment. Based on the case study of female factory workers in Hawassa Industrial Park in Southern Ethiopia and a closer analysis of research participants’ understanding of empowerment, this paper argues that Ethiopia’s budding manufacturing sector has not delivered on its promises.
“Slaves of the Gods” - Vulnerability to Trafficking: Labor and Sexual Exploitation of Women and Girls Among the Ewe Communities in Ghana
Authors: Kubai Anne
Published: January 2025

This contribution explores how cultural religious beliefs and practices of the
Trokosi institution engender vulnerability to the recruitment of girls into bonded life, sexual and labor exploitation, and trafficking in Ghana. Here, trafficking and exploitation are conceptualized at three levels: (a) the family level where young girls are taken away from home through deception, false promises, abduction, threats, or coercion and moved elsewhere (e.g., from rural areas to towns); (b) intra and inter-community transfers; and (c) moving women and girls through marriage arrangements organized within the
Trokosi (“slaves of the gods”) practice. The girls are often deceived about the destination, or their transfers are carried out through forced marriage arrangements. The above practice of transferring girls from one place to another and their sexual and labor exploitation fall within the UN Palermo Protocol definition of human trafficking and the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 29, respectively. This study therefore aims to enhance our understanding of how the underlying patriarchal power relations and violence against women, underpinned by traditional religious beliefs and practices in the
Trokosi institution, perpetuate bondage, labor, and sexual exploitation and aid trafficking of children and young women among the Ewe communities of Ghana.
Tolkien Against the Grain
Authors: Canavan Gerry
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACT: With over 150 million copies sold, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is one of the best-selling prose narratives of the twentieth century and remains beloved by fans across the globe. The genre-defining story it tells of an unlikely provincial hero fated to save the world from destruction—and the close-knit, multi-species fellowship that aids him on his quest—has become the template for countless imitators in fantasy and science fiction, to say nothing of the series’ own adaptations into numerous popular films, television shows, and games.
The Public We Need
Authors: Iber Patrick
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACT: Working on the foreign policy advisory group for the Bernie Sanders primary campaign in 2019 and 2020 changed the way that I process and think about politics. I saw up close the challenges that candidates face in channeling popular frustrations and demonstrating that they have the ability to address them. they have to bring together multiple majorities: in primaries, the general election, and Congress. They have to create the public that they need, though of course they do not do so under conditions of their own choosing.
Andrew Tate’s Empire of Abuse
Authors: Hu Zoë
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACT: When asked in 2023 what “men want in women,” the notorious influencer, professional kickboxer, and accused human trafficker Andrew Tate gave a predictable answer: “No one’s going to respect the man who’s with an ultrapromiscuous woman. No one is going to respect the man who’s with a woman who is back-talking him or horrible to him in public. No one is going to respect the man who’s with a woman who clearly isn’t interested in him sexually.” What a man wants is the respect of others, which a woman can only convey, vacantly and impersonally, the way an electrode carries a current. It is this inflamed, anxious kind of notion that has made tate an inescapable figure of the online right. In his videos and social media posts, Tate has fueled the contemporary anti-feminist backlash by repeating, again and again, its galloping litany of fixations: the defense of male honor and the fear of female sexual freedom and social censure. Andrew Tate knows his script and how to hit its most advantageous beats.
A Place to Call Home
Authors: Jaffe Sarah
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACT: I met Edain Altamirano in the office that Inquilinxs Unidxs Por Justicia (IX) shares with Centro de Trabajadores Unidos En La Lucha (CtUL) on George Floyd Square in Minneapolis. I had been walking among symbolic graves, and she had been on Zoom court with tenants testifying against their landlords. We were both tired but her smile was infectious, and I could see why even her silent presence on a call could soothe.
Toward a Revival of Left Populism
Authors: Kazin Michael
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACT: Perhaps the only positive consequence of the victory of an utterly despicable nominee and his down-ballot faithful is that progressives inside and outside the Democratic Party have begun to grope their way toward a common solution: revive an aggressive populism of the left. Since the Great Recession, as authoritarian populists on the right gained strength across Europe, social democrats posed no coherent alternative and won only, as in the United Kingdom, when their opponents proved to be wretched failures at governing. Both across the Atlantic and in the United States, the left and center-left kept losing native-born voters without a college education who view the current and future economy as a craps game rigged against them.
What’s Next for the New Popular Front?
Authors: Marlière Philippe
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACT: In July the New Popular Front (NFP), a coalition of left-wing parties, came out on top in a snap general election in France, winning 193 seats in the National Assembly. The centrist bloc supporting President Emmanuel Macron got 166 seats, the far-right National Rally (RN) 142, and the center-right Republicans forty-seven. Three indisputable facts stand out. First, Macron’s governing coalition lost the election. Second, tactical voting and strategic withdrawal of candidates by Macronists and leftists in the decisive second round prevented the RN from winning altogether after it gained the most votes in the first round. This “republican front” strategy worked beyond all expectations: despite receiving the most votes of any party, the RN came third in terms of seats. Finally, the election resulted in a hung parliament and created a political conundrum. The NFP won the most seats in the National Assembly but was left almost 100 short of an absolute majority.
A Fractured Coalition
Authors: Battistoni Alyssa , Cottom Tressie McMillan , Rana Aziz , Shenk Timothy , Iber Patrick
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACT: Patrick Iber: Let’s start where AOC started a few days after the election. On Instagram, she asked people who had voted both for her and for Donald Trump to explain themselves. the answers were various. Some people mentioned Gaza. Others said things like, “You are focused on the real issues people care about”; “Trump and you care for the working class”; “I feel like Trump and you are both real”; “Voted Trump but I like you and Bernie.” What do we make of this cluster of justifications?
Exit Right
Authors: Winant Gabriel
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACT: The most important image of the 2024 election, to my eye, was generated one evening of the Democratic National Convention, when delegates had to file past protesters chanting the names and ages of dead Palestinian children. The attendees did not simply ignore the demonstration, as one might have expected; rather, they exaggeratedly plugged their ears, made mocking faces, and, in one notable case, sarcastically mimicked the chant: “Eighteen years old!” Witnessing video of this event, my heart sank, not just at the moral grotesqueness of the display, but also in its sickening confirmation of the solipsism and complacency of Democratic Party officialdom. The conventiongoers offered a literal enactment of their lack of interest in the experiences of those outside their circle of concern. La-la, I can’t hear you—or, as Kamala Harris herself put it when challenged at a rally, “I am speaking now.” Not for long, as it turned out.
Indo-Persia’s “Alter-Europe”
Authors: Leask Nigel
Published: January 2025

Abstract: A Review of Humberto Garcia’s England Re-oriented: How Central and South Asian Travelers Imagined the West, 1750–1857 (Cambridge, 2020).
The Making of Elixir: Ambergris, Emperor Jiajing, and the Portuguese Settlement at Macao in 1557
Authors: Yang Bin
Published: January 2025

Abstract: Focusing on the procurement and consumption of ambergris in sixteenth century China, this article illustrates how this marine product as the tipping point led to the Portuguese settlement at Macao in 1557. Primarily exported in the Indian Ocean and initially used as an aromatic luxury in China, ambergris had become a key medicinal ingredient in Jiajing Emperor’s making of elixir. However, his ten-year effort to obtain ambergris proved futile until the Portuguese in Macao, the sole suppliers of this Indian Ocean substance, began to present it around the year 1555–1556. A scrutiny of both Chinese and Portuguese sources has illustrated the temporal and spatial junctures in which the Portuguese succeeded in squeezing their way in and putting down roots in maritime Asia. This study of ambergris sheds some fresh light on the conceptualization of maritime Asia, and exemplifies “the interactive emergence of European domination” in the region.
Beyond neutrality: Exploring how global media frame conflict in sub-Saharan African countries
Authors: Misganaw Alemayehu Mastewal , Ali Adem Chanie , Zerai Abdissa
Published: January 2025

Northern Ethiopia conflict has received huge attention from various media outlets in Ethiopia and around the world. Many thousands of people have died as a result of the violent conflict between the federal government of Ethiopia and Tigray forces. This study investigated how BBC and CNN have covered the conflict. It employed a combination of quantitative content analysis and textual analytic methods, using an exploratory sequential method. The findings revealed significant differences in framing techniques between BBC and CNN. BBC extensively employed a military conflict frame that emphasized government actions, whereas CNN focused on the violence of war and responsibility frames. Both media outlets mainly relied on information provided by the parties involved in the conflict. However, the media outlets showed a significant lack of balance in their reportage, raising questions about potential bias and its impact on public understanding of this complicated conflict.
Interview with Tamar Reva Einstein
Authors: Kossak Mitchell
Published: January 2025

In this interview with Dr Tamar Einstein, she talks about her work over the past 37 years transversing the boundaries between East and West Jerusalem, between the Arab and Jewish sectors, working as an expressive arts therapist. Over these years she has woven her deep beliefs in the power of art to transcend boundaries and bring communities together. She speaks of the current difficulties in the region and the attempts to keep working towards peaceful coexistence. In line with her work as an art-based weaver she talks about her dissertation research that focused on creating a multicultural coat with all the symbols of the land she lives in, including a Tallit (Jewish prayer shawl), a keffiyeh (Arab headdress), the Gay Pride flag, the Palestinian flag and the Israeli flag. Throughout the article she emphasizes art is her mother tongue guiding messages in her clinical and academic life.
Interview with Clare Wassermann
Authors: Prior Ross W.
Published: January 2025

In an interview conducted by Ross W. Prior, Clare Wassermann reveals her diverse career, starting as a professional musician and woodwind teacher before venturing into complementary medicine and becoming a homeopathic consultant, yoga instructor and visual artist. Currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Wolverhampton, her research explores the integration of eastern meditation and spiritual practices within western art, emphasizing the therapeutic aspects of art-making and mindfulness. In the interview, Wassermann advocates for the interconnectedness of art and health, believing that creative expression can provide profound mental and emotional benefits, and she aims to share these insights through her art and workshops.
Art Psychotherapy Groups in the Hostile Environment of Neoliberalism: Collusion or Resistance?, Sally Skaife and Jon Martyn (eds) (2022)
Authors: Nash Gary , Bird Jamie
Published: January 2025

Review of: Art Psychotherapy Groups in the Hostile Environment of Neoliberalism: Collusion or Resistance?, Sally Skaife and Jon Martyn (eds) (2022)

New York: Routledge, 220 pp.,

ISBN 978-0-36761-984-8, p/bk, $36.95
If Colors Could Be Heard: Narratives About Racial Identity in Music Education, C. Cayari, J. D. Thompson and R. S. Rajan (eds) (2025)
Authors: Zamora-Pasquier Jarelys
Published: January 2025

Review of: If Colors Could Be Heard: Narratives About Racial Identity in Music Education, C. Cayari, J. D. Thompson and R. S. Rajan (eds) (2025)

Bristol: Intellect, 288 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-83595-167-5, h/bk, $124.95
Popular music pedagogy in music teacher education: A literature review
Authors: Groon Jason
Published: January 2025

Higher education music education programmes that prioritize Eurocentric perspectives related to the western classical canon may limit future music educators’ ability to connect students’ in-school and out-of-school music experiences. Growing interest in diverse and inclusive approaches to music education has led to increased attention on the inclusion of popular music pedagogy in music teacher education. Drawing on culturally responsive pedagogies as a theoretical framework, in this review of literature, I examined research related to popular music pedagogy in music teacher education. Researchers suggest that incorporating popular music in music classrooms may connect students’ in-school and out-of-school music experiences, resulting in greater student engagement and promoting lifelong musical involvement. Based on significant findings in this research, music educators might consider reimagining music teacher education programmes to reflect the changing landscape of music education and prepare future music educators with the skills necessary to acknowledge and value the diverse musical experiences and cultural contexts of students.
From the margins to the centre: Afrofuturism as a proposal for a radically black future
Authors: collective Kukily
Published: January 2025

In this text Kukily collectively approaches the topic of peripheries and processes of recognizing new centres. Initially defining their position – from where they are talking, from which peripheries and which centres – they move into a broader discussion of periphery-centre relations as they exist today. The knowledge of the periphery, especially that which comes from Africa and its diaspora, becomes a departure point to imagine futures, as well as create new ways of organising and relating. Kukily emphasises the links they find between afrofuturism and anticolonialism, which helps us understand their approach to connecting political and artistic work. By bringing their multidisciplinary artistic work XTRÆNCESTRAL into this text, they bring life into the theoretical work with practices rooted in their community and experiences as people of African descent.
A high throughput investigation on transfer tools for nematodes in various suspension
Authors: Kalaiarasan P , Berliner J , Senthilkumar P , Arun A
Published: January 2025

This study evaluates the efficiency of three different tools-forceps, needle and wire pick fortransferring Root-Knot Nematode (RKN) females in various suspension media (water, formalin andlactophenol). The performance of each tool was assessed based on picking time, number of femalestransferred per minute, damage rates and overall picking efficiency. The wire picks consistentlydemonstrated the highest picking efficiency, achieving 99 % in water suspension, 98 % in formalinsuspension and 98 % in lactophenol suspension. It outperformed both the forceps and needle interms of speed, precision and minimal damage. The forceps showed lower efficiency and higherdamage, particularly in water and lactophenol suspensions, while the needle, though more efficientthan the forceps, was less effective compared to the wire pick in all scenarios. These findingshighlight the wire pick as the most effective tool for RKN female and vermiform nematode transferacross different media and emphasize the need for selecting appropriate tools to optimize nematodehandling in research and practical applications.
Grain size characterization of nickel alloy 718 with optimized metallographic sample preparation route followed by a novel etching technique
Authors: Saha S. , Wiese G.
Published: January 2025

A suitable etching technique can distinguish the appearance of microscopic features such as grain boundaries (GBs), annealing twins (TBs), and precipitates, unlike nonmetallic inclusions, voids, and microcracks, which are visible in as-polished conditions. The difficulties arise when a semi-automatic or automatic grain size (GS) analyzer detects the TBs in addition to GBs concurrently. This study introduces a novel etching technique that has selectively highlighted the GBs without or faintly emphasizing TBs in heat-treated additively manufactured (AM) and wrought nickel alloy 718, respectively. The authors then measured the GS using the comparison and intercept procedure (lineal and Abrams three-circle) according to ASTM E112-2013. Moreover, the comparative study identified the comparison procedure as the most effective approach based on accuracy, post-processing, and time consumption. However, it had limitations in terms of precision and applicability. In contrast, the intercept procedure emerged as the preferred choice for higher accuracy demands.
High-resolution microscopy of biofilm and bacteria on titanium implants
Authors: Friso F. , Jung A. , Halatsch M.-E. , Alfieri A. , Radis R.
Published: January 2025

Implant-associated spine infection (IASI) is related to bacteria and the formation of biofilm. Numerous analyses on the formation mechanism of biofilm have been reported based on in vitro studies. However, the available literature is lacking detailed high-resolution characterization of biofilms on surgically removed implants.

The present work deals with the development of a simplified fixation protocol applied on ex-situ Ti-6Al-4V implants. High-resolution scanning electron microscopy was applied for detailed characterization of various types of bacteria as well as biofilm structures. Erythrocytes and Staphylococci as well as fibrin networks were observed on implants removed from different patients. Moreover, the application of the new fixation protocol together with high-resolution microscopy revealed fully developed biofilms totally covering the bacteria as well as very fine structures attaching the bacteria to the implant surfaces, corresponding to early stages of biofilm formation.