bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Studying Policy Constellations in the Real World
Authors: Stevens Alex
Published: October 2024

This chapter presents methods for use in studying the operations of policy constellations in drug and other policy areas. It discusses issues of casing and sampling. It shows how ethnography, critical realist discourse analysis and elite interviews enabled analysis of the values, positions and actions of policy actors. It shows how these can be examined through analysis of narratives, tropes, factoids and ethico-political bases in the collected data. The chapter also explains the use of two-mode social network analysis to draw sociograms which show the connections between policy actors and policy positions.
Mapping UK Drug Policy Constellations
Authors: Stevens Alex
Published: October 2024

This chapter shows how it is possible to map the connections between policy actors and policy positions to reveal the existence of different, overlapping constellations of policy actors and positions. It provides sociograms showing the three main policy constellations in the UK drug policy field: the conservative, public health and reform constellations. Within and between the conservative and public health constellations, it shows the hybrid medico-penal constellation. This brings together the most powerful actors and positions in UK drug policy. The chapter also discusses the missing voice of people who use drugs from UK drug policy debates.
Power in UK Drug Policy Constellations
Authors: Stevens Alex
Published: October 2024

This chapter shows how different policy constellations use different forms of power to achieve the institutionalisation of their policy preferences. It examines the difference in institutional power between insiders and outsiders to the policy process and how this is influenced by the politics of familiarity. It also gives examples of the use of media, economic, epistemic, affective and savvy social power. These forms of power are asymmetric and are based on unequal social structures. This explains why it is the policy preferences of socially advantaged groups which usually become the outcome of policy processes.
The Limited Legalisation of Medical Cannabis
Authors: Stevens Alex
Published: October 2024

In this chapter, the book moves to presenting particular cases in drug policy in the UK to show how the policy constellations approach helps us to explain them. Cannabis-based medical products were legalised in the UK in 2018. This chapter shows how this was achieved by the savvy use of economic and media power in a case of political cornering. In this way, some members of the reform constellation forced a long-campaigned-for change in policy. But the chapter also describes the rearguard action by members of the conservative and public health constellations, which limited the scale and reach of this change through the use of their institutional power.
Responses to the Drug Deaths Crisis: Explaining Differences at UK and Scottish Levels
Authors: Stevens Alex
Published: October 2024

This chapter starts by discussing narratives of the UK’s ongoing crisis of drug-related deaths, with competing claims for the roles of abstinence and harm reduction. It goes on to explore different responses to this crisis at UK and Scottish levels of policy making. Focusing on the Scottish case, it shows how different policy constellations, based on different ethico-political bases, produced different policy outcomes. The relative absence of the ethico-political base of liberty and the presence of an egalitarian tradition of ethical socialism influences the formation of two main Scottish drug policy constellations: reformist and abstentionist. The policy narrative that spanned these constellations and inspired a reversal of cuts to funding for drug treatment was that the high number of deaths in Scotland was a national shame. In Scotland, institutional power now lies with the case for rights-based reform, including decriminalisation of drug possession and expansion of harm reduction, even though these have been blocked by the UK government. Arguments over abstinence and harm reduction continue in the form of debates about the proposed ‘right to recovery’.
Comparative Analysis of Education Reform in Central America: El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, 1990–2010
Authors: Edwards D. Brent
Published: October 2024

Central America is a region about which comparatively little academic literature is produced that focuses on the political-economic dynamics that constrain education reform. However, one research project stands out as an exception. This research project, carried out from 2018 to 2022 by a network of researchers from the region, was entitled ‘Quality Education in Central America: Dynamics and Tensions among Models of Education and Development’. It brought together scholars from four Central American countries (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua) to produce case studies on the global-, national-, and local-level tensions that have surrounded the development and implementation of education reform in these countries between 1990 and 2010. The present chapter presents insights from a cross-case analysis of these studies through the lens of international political economy. Findings focus on processes of policy making and how these are affected by such considerations as geopolitical constraints, capitalist pressures, and international organizations; the ways in which different reform visions are communicated, interpreted, and experienced; and the manner in which tensions across political-economic forces and interest groups are resolved. This last dimension refers to the way in which education helps to mediate and resolve tensions that arise between the state and capital in the context of capitalist development.
Education as an Antidote to Underdevelopment, and the Epistemicide That It Has Entailed
Authors: Roberts Tobias
Published: October 2024

Education is often heralded as a pathway towards success, prosperity, and overcoming the obstacles and inadequacies of the conditions children confront. However, hidden within this narrative lies the hegemonic Western development paradigm which so profoundly shapes the epistemological framework of the modern-day capitalist and globalized civilization. This homogenizing and globalizing paradigm impairs the ability to understand, value, and respect the alternative epistemologies of indigenous people and communities. This chapter draws attention to how the governing rationality of the Western paradigm has contributed to the denigration and disparagement of rural, peasant, and indigenous communities in Guatemala. It also analyses two concrete examples of educational resistance to the homogenizing impositions of official education in Guatemala. The chapter concludes that indigenous-led educational alternatives have the power to challenge the hegemony of Western educational norms and to create educational alternatives that respect, value, and esteem the specific, territorial epistemologies of place-based cultures.
The Impact of the Opening of the Market Economy on Education and Teachers in Cuba: An Analysis of the Special Period
Authors: Lee Changha
Published: October 2024

Cuba has suffered from severe economic constraints since the demise of the Soviet Union in 1991 and, as a response, the government developed various economic policies that dealt largely with the opening of a market economy. The expansion of the tourism industry was one of them, and many teachers left the profession to seek opportunities, which has led to a chronic teacher shortage since the 1990s. By employing document analysis, this chapter outlines how the changes in its economic system impacted teacher policies in Cuba and discusses the results of these changes: lowering the entry bar, diversifying the supply chains, accepting teachers with few or no qualifications, and shifting responsibility towards remaining teachers by imposing extra work to make up for the insufficient number of teachers. These measures mimic the practices in countries in Central America and the Caribbean, which suggest dim prospects for Cuba. The chapter argues for the importance of revamping Cuba’s previous approach, which recruited and retained teachers through high professionalism; that is, through high social status, top salaries in the state system, and selective and rigorous training processes.
Educational Policies on Gender Perspective in Puerto Rico in the Face of the Transnational Anti-Gender Crusade
Authors: Ramos Loida M. Martínez
Published: October 2024

This chapter addresses educational policies on gender in Puerto Rico, their background and development, and the discursive clashes arising from the global anti-gender crusade unleashed by religious fundamentalists and other conservative sectors that undermine national and regional political culture. First, I situate the discussion about the policies approved by the United Nations (UN) based on women's human rights and the LGBTTQIA+ population. Next, I draw connections with neoliberal, national, and transnational policy trends, which have further harmed marginalized people and reduced the scope of democracy. The imposition of the PROMESA Law by the US Congress, which instituted the Fiscal Supervision Board to address the Puerto Rican government’s debt and whose measures particularly impact women and vulnerated groups, stands out amongst these harmful policies. Finally, as feminisms position themselves as the leading advocates for educational policies on gender, I conclude with a message of hope and possibility – a proposal for articulating transnational initiatives to advance agendas favouring educational policies on gender that broaden the realm of democracy.
Representation in Complex Associative Systems: Exclusion and Embodiment
Authors: Luna Matilde , Velasco José Luis
Published: October 2024

Informal or extra-institutional representation is variably present in all political contexts, from local social movements to international NGOs. This chapter focuses on extra-institutional representation within complex associative systems (CAS). The early part of the chapter outlines key features of the representative claim framework of particular relevance to this focus, which are then applied to selected CAS in Mexico. The chapter explores the forming and validating of representative claims in such systems, with special attention to the importance of experts and scholars. It illustrates the ways in which different practices and settings create different varieties of representation, and how representatives coming from these various settings tend to become interdependent through interaction.
Daring Mexico City’s Government to Deliberate: Interplay between Representation and Participation
Authors: Islas Iván
Published: October 2024

Chapter 5 analyses demands for inclusion and dialogue from citizens affected by a significant governmental urban planning initiative in Mexico City, the Chapultepec Urban Project. It studies their incorporation into formal and informal deliberative arenas that led to an official referendum resulting in the project’s cancellation. Building on the work of Habermas on deliberation and Saward on representation, the author analyses the process by which citizens challenged critical features of the urban project and, by so doing, challenged the governmental claim to represent their needs and preferences. The analysis of the controversy captures the dynamics of the protest, the government’s reactions and the strategic adjustments by both representatives and represented. It shows that deliberative forums can emerge from either protesters’ or government officials’ proposals. These forums can support the diffusion of governmental information and lead to the incorporation of citizens’ contributions into government projects; their realization opens up a potential route to reaffirming government legitimacy.
Ontological and Political Representation in Community Development Discourse
Authors: McLean Scott , de Oca Barrera Laura Montes
Published: October 2024

Building on a distinction between ‘ontological’ and ‘political’ dimensions of representation, this chapter examines representation in community development discourse as originated by international agencies and non-governmental organizations. Ontological representation refers to symbolic or discursive processes through which social actors characterize some aspect of reality in order to understand, explain or control it. The chapter’s primary concern is the manner in which community development practitioners claim the authority and the capacity to select leaders or volunteers to represent the communities with whom they work. The chapter’s findings are organized chronologically. The discussion first examines a prominent example of community development discourse from the 1950s, and then assesses a variety of contemporary expressions of community development discourse. Empirical work extends existing scholarship on representation in contexts that are beyond the formal and institutional spheres of electoral politics. The chapter’s key contribution to such scholarship is to link the ontological and political dimensions of representation – to demonstrate that within community development discourse the way one makes claims to represent communities presupposes a set of assumptions about the nature of such communities.
Embedded Bedfellows: Industrial Relations and (Analytical) Human Resource Management
Authors: Dundon Tony , Wilkinson Adrian
Published: October 2024

This chapter focuses on the role of management in relation to the framing of actors within the employment relationship. Human resource management can have three uses: 'as a field of study', addressing factors influencing how people are managed; as a specific model delivering firm-level 'competitive advantage', for example, high-commitment management or high-performance work systems; or as a 'normative perspective', for example, searching for best practice or best-fit human resource arrangements. The chapter explores the nature of (analytical) human resource management, its intertwined relationship with the field of industrial relations and the importance of more critical, analytical approaches to human resource management, with a focus on 'how people are managed at work and why they encounter certain employment experiences', compared to more prescriptive, managerialist variants.
Expanding the Boundaries of Industrial Relations as a Field of Study: The Role of ‘New Actors’
Authors: Williams Steve
Published: October 2024

This chapter outlines and discusses the emergence of 'new actors' within industrial relations. Such actors include civil society organizations, law firms, employment agencies, employer forums and other bodies outside a traditional focus on employers, workers and unions, and the state. The chapter contextualizes these actors with the traditional actors involved in the management of the employment relationship. The label 'new' can be applied to such actors (which can be individuals, organizations, institutions or movements), which either did not used to have much of a role within traditional industrial relations or did have one but were neglected. Therefore, the chapter argues that these 'new actors' play an increasingly significant role in the employment relationship.
Industrial Relations and Labour Law: Recovery of a Shared Tradition?
Authors: Dukes Ruth , Kirk Eleanor
Published: October 2024

This chapter explores the relationship between industrial relations and labour law, subjects that have developed in silos to some extent in more recent decades but that clearly have a great deal to offer each other given their common focus on industrial justice and mobilization in relation to law and the legal and regulatory system, and the empirical contribution of industrial relations to a more contextualized, sociological or socio-legal understanding of law in relation to work and employment. The chapter highlights the importance of the interplay of social norms with formal legal norms, the interaction of workers with society at large and its political and legal institutions, and particular country-, locality- or industry-specific institutional contexts. The call for the 'recovery of a shared tradition' highlights these interrelationships and the subsequent scope for shared agendas in the future.
Conflict and Industrial Action
Authors: Gall Gregor
Published: October 2024

This chapter focuses on conflict at work and industrial action – topics that have arguably slipped down the agenda within industrial relations in line with the wider decline in incidence and extent of strikes in recent decades. These wider trends are considered in the context of the more recent, albeit limited, upsurge of industrial action since 2022 in Britain and elsewhere. The chapter then considers the reasons behind strikes and industrial action, some recent innovations in industrial action, and the enduring importance of 'examining whether the means are available to workers to express the conflict they are subject to and part of'. The chapter ends with a discussion of the extent to which capital should be worried about industrial action.
Homemaking in White America: The Jue Joe Ranch, 1919–1958
Authors: Yang Hongyan
Published: October 2024

abstract: Housing is an important architectural construct in the process of immigrant resettlement in receiving countries. This study situates the Jue Joe Ranch in the San Fernando Valley within the social and political contexts of spatial exclusion in agriculture and suburbia, as well as the identity formation processes of the family from 1919 to 1958. I argue that the homemaking practices of the Jue family constituted a spatial, architectural resistance to White dominance based on the family's changing Chinese American identities. Homemaking operated not only as a social response, but also as a temporal and spatial process articulated through various scales. While the first-generation immigrant Jue Joe used the land and buildings primarily as spaces of food production, the second- and third-generation children employed the built environment mainly for cultural production. They strategically and tactfully expressed their longing for the material aspects of Chinese traditions through the interior spaces and intangible everyday practices. These embodied experiences, which communicate important voices of resistance to spatial assimilation, continue to define the meanings of home for immigrant communities in America today.
Multi-band single bio-molecule detection through inverse-designed graphene-folded spherical particle dimers
Authors: Raad Shiva Hayati , Heydari Ebrahim
Published: October 2024

The present research employs graphene-coated spherical nano-particles as the basis of optical dimers for multi-frequency refractive index sensing applications. Under parallelly polarized incoming waves, dual operating bands are attained owing to the presence of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) on graphene shells. Thus, enormous local near-field enrichment is detected at the gap middle as a result of plasmonic hybridization and strong coupling. The potential usage of the proposed dimer as a dual-band high-performance refractive index sensor, with the typical sensitivity of S1 = 2.8143 × 104 nm/RIU and figure of merit of FOM1 = 213.2860 RIU-1 in the first band, and sensitivity of S2 = 1.8070 × 104 nm/RIU and figure of merit of FOM2 = 305.1521 RIU-1 in the second band, is illustrated. Importantly, the enormous near-field enhancement is maintained for particles with different radii, making the element suitable for single bio-molecule recognition of various types by tuning the quality of the graphene layer. The spectral tuning is correspondingly viable after production by imposing a suitable Fermi level on the graphene shells. Finally, machine learning forward and reverse problems based on the random forest (RF), decision tree (DT), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) algorithms are implemented to propose a method respectively for analysis of the sensor's performance and to design an appropriate sensor for each desired molecule.
Wealth-related inequality in vitamin A rich food consumption among children of age 6–23 months in Ethiopia; Wagstaff decomposition of the 2019 mini-DHS data
Authors: Merid Mehari Woldemariam , Aragaw Fantu Mamo , Godana Tilahun Nega , Kibret Anteneh Ayelign , Alem Adugnaw Zeleke , Asratie Melaku Hunie , Chilot Dagmawi , Belay Daniel Gashaneh
Published: October 2024

Introduction

Vitamin A (VA) cannot be made in the human body and thus foods rich in VA are the only sources of vitamin A for the body. However, ensuring availability in adequate amount of foods rich in VA remains a challenge, mainly in low-income counties including Ethiopia. In addition, children from the poorest and less educated families of same country have disproportionately limited consumptions of foods rich in VA. Therefore, the present study aimed assessing the wealth related inequality in vitamin A consumption (VAC) and decompose it to the various contributing factors.

Methods

This study was conducted using the 2019 Ethiopian demographic and health survey data on a weighted sample of 1,497 children of age 6–23 months in Ethiopia. The wealth related inequality in VAC was quantified using concentration index and plotted using concentration curve. The Wagstaff decomposition analysis was performed to assess the relative contributions of each explanatory variable to the inequalities in the overall concentration index of VAC.

Result

The overall Wagstaff normalized concentration index (C) analyses of the wealth-related inequality in consumption of foods rich in VA among children aged 6–23 months was [C = 0.25; 95% C: 0.15, 0.35]. Further decomposition of the C by the explanatory variables reported the following contributions; primary level of women’s education (7.2%), secondary and above (17.8%), having ANC visit during pregnancy (62.1%), delivery at a health institution (26.53%), living in the metropolis (13.7%), central region (34.2%), child age 18–23 months (4.7%) contributed to the observed wealth related inequality in the consumption of foods rich in vitamin A in Ethiopia.

Conclusion

We found pro-rich wealth-related inequality in VAC among children of age 6–23 months in Ethiopia. Additionally, maternal education, region, ANC visit, and place of delivery were the significant contributors of wealth-related inequality of VAC. Nutritional related interventions should prioritise children from poorer households and less educated mothers. Moreover, enhancing access to ANC and health facilities delivery services through education, advocacy, and campaign programs is highly recommended in the study setting.
Study protocol of a breathing and relaxation intervention included in antenatal education: A randomised controlled trial (BreLax study)
Authors: Leutenegger Vanessa , Wieber Frank , Daly Deirdre , Sultan-Beyer Leila , Bagehorn Jennifer , Pehlke-Milde Jessica
Published: October 2024

Background

Antenatal education is part of antenatal care in many countries. Physical and mental preparation for childbirth and information on pain management are considered key elements of antenatal education classes. Evidence suggests that women who participate in antenatal education classes appear to benefit in terms of self-efficacy and childbirth experience. In particular, women with increased fear of childbirth benefit from trained breathing and relaxation techniques in antenatal education. However, little is known about the effect of breathing and relaxation techniques on the outcomes of healthy pregnant women without fear of childbirth or who do not have medical or obstetric risks, or on neonatal outcomes.

Objective

The aim of this study is to test whether including a breathing and relaxation technique in an antenatal education class will improve self-efficacy towards birth compared to a standard antenatal education class.

Methods

The study will be a two-armed randomised controlled trial (RCT). Healthy pregnant women between the 12th and 30th week of gestation with singleton low-risk pregnancies and who are receiving routine antenatal care will be recruited in a hospital in Switzerland. All women included will attend an 8-hour antenatal education class. The intervention group will additionally practise a breathing and relaxation technique, receive a handbook to guide their exercise practice at home, and be provided with access to an online brochure with video and audio recordings for guidance. Data on maternal and neonatal outcomes will be collected after recruitment, in the 37th week of pregnancy, and two to four weeks postpartum.

Discussion

The effectiveness of including a breathing and relaxation technique in antenatal education classes on women’s self-efficacy is discussed as a means to improving women’s pregnancy and childbirth outcomes.

Trial registration number

NCT06003946, SNCTP000005672.
Cross-cultural adaptation, reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Smart Tools Proneness Questionnaire (STP-Q)
Authors: Esen Serdar Yılmaz , Türkmen Ceyhun , Düger Tülin
Published: October 2024

This study elucidates the cross-cultural adaptation, reliability, and validity of the Turkish version of the Smart Tools Proneness Questionnaire (STP-Q), designed to probe into individuals’ engagement with smart tools within the Turkish cultural milieu. Undertaking a rigorous adaptation process, this investigation aimed to ensure the questionnaire’s relevance and intelligibility, subsequently, assessing its psychometric properties within a cohort of 387 participants. The exploratory factor analysis revealed a tripartite structure that reflects the original instrument, covering utilitarian use, hedonic and social use, and the inclination to delegate tasks. This congruity underscores the STP-Q’s adeptness in capturing the complex dimensions of smart tool interaction across various contexts. Demonstrated by a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.954 and a test-retest reliability index of 0.851, the results affirm the questionnaire’s exceptional internal consistency and significant temporal stability. Further, the execution of convergent validity assessments alongside the E-Learning Readiness Scale and the Nomophobia Questionnaire augmented the STP-Q’s validity, unveiling correlations that delineate the intricate interrelations among smart tool proneness, e-learning readiness, and nomophobia. Conclusively, the STP-Q distinguishes itself as a reliable and valid instrument for gauging tendencies towards smart tool use among the Turkish populace, providing profound insights into digital behavior across different cultural backgrounds. Its confirmed three-factor structure and robust psychometric attributes render it an indispensable resource for both individual assessments and expansive digital behavior investigations, enabling cross-cultural comparisons and enhancing our understanding of technology engagement dynamics.
Financial resources, access to care, and quality of care mediate racial disparities in statin usage for secondary prevention
Authors: Wong Christopher , Marrast Lyndonna , Rasul Rehana , Srivastava Ratnam , Kuvin Jeffrey , Roswell Robert , Conigliaro Joseph , Kim Eun Ji
Published: October 2024

Background

There are disparities in statin therapy for the secondary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). The role of structural racism in this disparity has not been examined.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study of participants with ASCVD in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2014–2017. Mediation analysis is utilized to estimate the direct effect of race and indirect effect of financial resources, access to care, and quality of care on statin usage.

Results

The proportion of participants using statins by race/ethnicity were 58.5% for non-Hispanic Whites, 45% for Hispanics, 48.6% for Blacks, 61.6% for Asians, and 46.8% for Others. Statin usage was lower for Hispanics (OR = 0.79, 95% confidence interval [0.65–0.96]) and Blacks (OR = 0.80 [0.66–0.95]) compared to Whites. Hispanic, Black, and Other participants with the same financial resources, access to care, and quality of care as White participants did not have significantly different statin usage compared to White participants (Hispanic: OR = 0.98 [0.79–1.13]; Black (OR = 0.88 [0.76–1.06], Other: OR 0.76, 95% CI [0.56–1.15]). Hispanic, Black, and Other participants had significantly lower statin usage than subjects of the same race but with financial resources, access to care, and quality of care observed in White subjects (Hispanic: OR = 0.83 [0.83–0.92]; Black: OR = 0.91[0.88–0.94]; Other: OR = 0.92 [0.87–0.98]).

Discussion

The indirect effect of race and ethnicity on statin therapy are significant but the direct effect of race and ethnicity on statin therapy are insignificant among Blacks and Hispanics compared to non-Hispanic Whites. This suggests that racial disparities in statin therapy are mediated through inequitably distributed resources, suggestive of the impact of structural racism.
Knowledge toward quality improvement among Jordanian nursing students: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Al Omar Saleh , Khalifeh Anas H. , Hammad Bahaaeddin M. , Abdelrahim Zakaria M.
Published: October 2024

Background

Nurses have a critical role in quality improvement (QI) and patient safety. This necessitates gaining knowledge and mastering QI abilities to lead and participate in QI programs in clinical practice.

Aim

To assess undergraduate nursing students’ knowledge about QI, and experience of patient safety situation; and examine the relationship between obtaining information on healthcare quality and knowledge about QI in Jordan.

Design

A descriptive cross-sectional correlational design was used. The study engaged undergraduate nursing students from two Jordanian universities (Public and private universities). A convenient sample of 147 nursing undergraduate students from universities.

Methods

Data were collected using paper-based self-reported questionnaires. The Quality Improvement Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes (QulSKA) survey and the Healthcare Professional Patient Safety Assessment Curriculum Survey (HPPSACS) were used to assess knowledge about QI and patient safety.

Results

Out of 152 students, 147 completed the study. Overall, QI knowledge was moderate (mean score 57.7). Students from the private university scored significantly higher than public university students. Regarding patient safety, 74.8% of students observed medical errors in clinical areas. However, only 57.1% of the students disclosed a medical error to a faculty member. Also, the results showed a significant positive correlation between knowledge level about QI and obtaining information about QI, quality in healthcare, and patient safety from sources other than the undergraduate nursing program at universities (p≤.001).

Conclusions

This study suggests a potential gap in QI education. Integrating QI concepts into nursing curricula may be necessary to prepare future nurses for healthcare quality improvement.
Francisco Suárez e a consciência jurídica da Universidade de Coimbra
Authors: Carvalho Mário Santiago de
Published: October 2024

O presente estudo – assumidamente escrito para celebrar os 50 anos do 25 de abril –acompanha e explica o motivo historiográfico conhecido como “consciência jurídica da Universidade de Coimbra”, associado à obra de Francisco Suárez, De Legibus. Não confundindo a dimensão antropológica e política da proposta suareziana com a alusão que o político português Mário Soares fez a Suárez e à teoria da origem popular do poder político, o presente artigo vinca, contudo, uma ligação entre os dois tópicos e os dois autores, a saber, o imperativo da libertação humana como resposta a qualquer avanço do relativo enquanto absoluto.
Suárez (1548˗1617) et Grotius (1583−1645)
Authors: Coujou Jean‑Paul
Published: October 2024

Na articulação que Suárez (1548˗1617) e Grócio (1583 a 1645) propõem entre o direito natural, o direito internacional e o direito civil, estão em jogo o fundamento e o futuro do direito humano positivo, expresso política e historicamente por estes últimos dois, ao ponto de a lei natural, por manifestar uma origem que excede a vontade humana, só poder ser um princípio invariavelmente justo. Por ser indissociável do ser dos indivíduos e da especificidade das suas relações, bem como também da sua inserção na ordem mundial, esta questão é, para Suárez, ontológica e política. Já para Grócio, e do ponto de vista do estudo e da condução da prática humana, ela está ligada a uma antropologia jurídica que tem por tema a natureza humana, os vínculos que os homens são obrigados a estabelecer entre si e as diferentes formas como organizam a comunidade humana num determinado espaço. Há um compromisso comum a estas duas orientações, o qual, partindo da construção de um espaço jurídico para a vida coletiva e do valor que lhe deve ser atribuído, enquanto ato fundamental da existência, acaba por conferir todo um novo sentido à relação teoria e prática. .
La construcción de los discursos dominantes y los subalternos en las manifestaciones culturales contemporáneas
Authors: Fernández-Ulloa Teresa
Published: October 2024

La construcción de los discursos dominantes y los subalternos en las manifestaciones culturales contemporáneas.
Christopher Isherwood en Argentina: análisis de la primera traducción al español de Goodbye to Berlin (1939)
Authors: Alcaraz-Millán David
Published: October 2024

La novela semiautobiográfica Goodbye to Berlin (1939), del escritor británico-estadounidense Christopher Isherwood (1904-1986), es su obra más traducida en el ámbito hispano, al contar con cuatro traducciones publicadas entre 1948 y 2014 a ambos lados del Atlántico. Este artículo se centra en la primera traducción en lengua española de dicha novela de Isherwood, publicada con el título Adiós a Berlín en 1948 en la prestigiosa editorial argentina Sur –que nace de la revista homónima de la escritora, traductora y editora Victoria Ocampo (1890-1979)– y vertida por el economista y profesor universitario porteño Benjamín Rafael Hopenhayn (1924-2011). En este trabajo se estudia el contexto editorial que rodea la publicación de dicha traducción, para lo que se elabora un perfil biográfico del traductor, así como se analiza en profundidad la editorial que acoge su publicación. Se lleva a cabo, igualmente, un análisis traductológico de la versión argentina con el principal objetivo de descubrir cómo trasvasa Benjamín Hopenhayn al castellano por primera vez una novela de temática homosexual y si su traducción se ve afectada de algún modo por la (auto)censura.
Fear, hesitation, and resistance: Georgia educators’ responses to divisive concepts legislation
Authors: Lisa York  , Kabani Saniha , Rabalais Caroline B. , Baker Marquis , Shiloh Matthew , Ervin Nathaniel , Woodbridge Kate , Murdock Marissa , Douglas Adrian , Behizadeh Nadia
Published: October 2024

Currently, attacks on CRT and neoliberal legislation work to undermine public education and democracy in the United States. Divisive concepts legislation restricts what teachers say and do, acting as a counterwave to implementation of diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. In this article, a collective of educators with diverse identities working in varied contexts engage in collaborative reflection on the impact of HB 1084 (a censorship policy in Georgia), on their educational practices. We generated vignettes and coded them for the degree to which we reacted with fear, hesitation, and/or resistance. Our responses existed within this set of reactions and were influenced by our identities, constraints/affordances of our contexts, and experiences. Our vignettes expose how the legislation subjected us to a surveillance state that sometimes produced fear and hesitation, especially for those in positions related to preservice teaching. However, resistance was also present in response to the legislation in almost every vignette. Implications emerging from this study include the importance of educators engaging student voices as a form of backup and the necessity of coalition building for critical teaching. Findings suggest policies like HB 1084 undermine culturally relevant, antiracist, justice-centered teaching and are fundamentally regressive to improving the public school system.
Трансформация агентности молодежи и пожилых людей в период пандемии COVID-19
Authors: Галкин Константин Александрович
Published: October 2024

Статья представляет исследование, нацеленное на анализ процессов формирования агентности и адаптации у пожилых и у молодых людей в условиях пандемии. Автор ставит своей целью выявить и проанализировать процессы адаптации к ситуации пандемии и связанных с ней ограничений. Работа опирается на материалы полуструктурированных интервью с молодежью и пожилыми людьми, собранных в период с февраля по июль 2023 г.
Агентность рассматривается как набор различных действий индивидов и ответственность за них, в рамках этого подхода автор анализирует трансформацию агентности в двух группах населения, а также изучает их взаимодействие с окружающей средой во время COVID-19. Результаты исследования позволяют утверждать, что как пожилые, так и молодые люди стремились трансформировать свою агентность, адаптируя ее к условиям пандемии, принимая ограничительные меры и получая лечение. Трансформация агентности приводила к изменениям в их поведении и повседневной жизни. Для молодежи эта адаптация чаще всего была временной, в то время как для пожилых людей она стала неотъемлемой частью жизни, связанной с ограничивающим воздействием медицины. Пожилые люди в целом были более склонны принимать произошедшие изменения и адаптироваться к ним, тогда как молодые участники исследования проявляли большую гибкость и сохраняли критический взгляд на ситуацию, стараясь адаптироваться к новым условиям, одновременно осознавая и анализируя созданные пандемией проблемы и сложности.
Проблемы достижимости респондентов в опросах о российско-украинском конфликте
Authors: Звоновский Владимир Борисович , Ходыкин Александр Владимирович
Published: October 2024

Среди российских социологов развернулась дискуссия насчет возможности проведения опросов в условиях военных действий и в контексте определенных внутриполитических событий. Высказываются предположения об искажениях в получаемых в таких условиях опросных данных из-за систематических смещений выборок и неискренности ответов респондентов. В статье проанализированы изменения в достижимости респондентов после начала военного конфликта. Методы исследования включают анализ параданных телефонных опросов, проведенных Фондом социальных исследований в период с 26 февраля 2022 г. по 7 июля 2023 г., а также анализ массивов телефонных опросов на политическую тематику, содержащих вопросы об отношении к военным действиям, проведенных российскими исследовательскими компаниями и размещенных в открытом доступе.
Полученные оценки показали, что число отказов от участия в опросах на тему российско-украинского конфликта в период военных действий возросло, а кооперация респондентов снизилась, однако произошло это не сразу после начала военного противостояния, а только в период после окончания активной мобилизационной кампании (с октября 2022 г.). С одной стороны, вопросы о военных действиях вызывают больше прерываний интервью, чем другие блоки вопросов в анкетах на военно-политическую тематику, с другой — доля прерванных интервью за время военного противостояния не выросла. Половозрастной состав выборок в опросах о российско-украинском конфликте немного смещается в сторону от молодых мужчин к женщинам. Однако это смещение выражено слабо и не может значимо повлиять на результаты исследований. Кроме того, происходящие в структуре выборки изменения имеют компенсаторный характер: если раньше выборки в политических опросах стабильно смещались в сторону преобладания мужчин, то за время конфликта выборки постепенно приближаются к структуре населения по полу, наблюдаемой в данных Росстата (преобладание мужчин при этом сохраняется, но становится чуть менее выраженным). Некоторого сокращения доли молодежи в опросах недостаточно, чтобы значимо повлиять на их результаты. По-видимому, оно связано с резко возросшим уровнем эмиграции, при котором Россию покидали в основном молодые люди.
Dendritic Cell-Based Immunotherapy Induces Transient Clinical Response in Advanced Rat Fibrosarcoma – Comparison with Preventive Anti-tumour Vaccination
Authors: Kučera A. , Pýcha K. , Pajer P. , Špíšek Radek , Škába R.
Published: October 2024

In this study we present the models of preventive and therapeutic vaccination of sarcoma-bearing rats with dendritic cells that present tumour antigens from killed tumour cells. We present the characteristics of dendritic cell-based vaccine and its capacity to induce anti-tumour immune response both in vitro and in vivo. We show that preventive vaccination efficiently prevents tumour growth. On the other hand, vaccination of rats with established tumours did not lead to eradication of the tumours. Despite the induction of a vigorous immune response after administration of dendritic cell-based vaccine and transient decrease in tumour progression, tumours eventually resumed their growth and animals vaccinated with dendritic cells succumbed to cancer. In both settings, preventive and therapeutic, dendritic cell-based vaccination induced a vigorous tumourspecific T-cell response. These results argue for the timing of cancer immunotherapy to the stages of low tumour load. Immunotherapy initiated at the stage of minimal residual disease, after reduction of tumour load by other modalities, will have much better chance to offer a clinical benefit to cancer patients than the immunotherapy at the stage of metastatic disease.
Consumption of Pistachio Nuts Beneficially Affected Blood Lipids and Total Antioxidant Activity in Rats Fed a High-Cholesterol Diet
Authors: Alturfan A. Ata , Emekli-Alturfan E. , Uslu E.
Published: October 2024

Although nuts are typically high in dietary fat, novel studies have shown that regular consumption of these heart-healthy foods might confer a beneficial effect on cardiovascular disease risk. In the present study, we aimed to analyse the effects of pistachio consumption on blood lipids, antioxidant activity, oxidative stress and sialic acid levels in high-fat-fed rats for 8 weeks. The oxidant-antioxidant status was evaluated by the determination of lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances), total antioxidant activity, reduced glutathione content, activity of superoxide dismutase and total thiol levels. Furthermore, tissue damage was eva luated by total sialic acid levels in serum. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, sialic acid and thiobarbi turic acid-reactive substances significantly increased whereas total antioxidant activity, reduced glutathione, total thiol levels significantly decreased in the hyperlipidaemic group compared to the control group. Pistachio consumption significantly decreased triglycerides and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance levels and significantly increased total antioxidant activity in the hyperlipidaemic group. In conclusion, pistachio supplementation may improve blood lipids and ameliorate oxidative stress in experimental hyperlipidaemia, which may have beneficial applications in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases. However, its antioxidant mechanisms remain to be investigated.
Cloning, Characterization, Chromosomal Mapping and Tissue Transcription Analysis of Porcine CREB2 and CREB3 Genes
Authors: Qi M. , Lei T. , Zhou L. , Chen X. D. , Long H. , Long Q. Q. , Zhang R. R. , Yang Z. Q. , Gan Li
Published: October 2024

CREB2 and CREB3 are two important members of the ATF/CREB family, which negatively and positively regulates CRE-dependent transcription in vitro. Here we report the cloning, chromosome mapping and tissue transcription analysis of CREB2 and CREB3 in pigs. The full-length coding sequence of CREB2 and CREB3 is 1047 bp and 1098 bp, encoding 348 and 365 amino acids, respectively. Porcine CREB3 comprises nine exons and eight introns, whereas CREB2 consists of three exons and two introns. CREB2 and CREB3 were cytogenetically assigned to porcine chromosome 5p and 1q28, respectively. Tissue transcription analysis revealed that both porcine CREB2 and CREB3 mRNA were ubi quitously detected in all examined tissues. Additionally, we cloned the 5’ flank genomic sequence of porcine CREB3 and characterized several putative transcription factor recognition sites including SP1, NF-κB, AP-1 and AP-2 in its promoter region. Our studies provide basic molecular information helpful for further investigation of the function of the two genes in pig models.
Immunohistochemical Fingerprinting of the Network of Seven Adhesion/Growth-Regulatory Lectins in Human Skin and Detection of Distinct Tumour-Associated Alterations
Authors: Čada Z. , Smetana Karel , Lacina L. , Plzáková Z. , Štork J. , Kaltner H. , Russwurm R. , Lensch M. , André S. , Gabius H.-J.
Published: October 2024

Glycans of natural glycoconjugates are considered as a source of biological information relevant to cell adhesion or growth. Sugar-based messages are decoded and translated into responses by endogenous lectins. This mechanism assigns a func tional dimension to tumour-associated changes of glycosylation. Conse quently, it calls for mapping the lectin presence in tumours. Such an analysis has so far com monly been performed with the scope to determine expression of a few dis tinct proteins, e.g. from the effector family of galectins with focus on galectins-1 and -3. Due to the emerging evidence for functional divergence among galectins it is timely to address the challenge to evaluate their presence beyond these few family members. Having raised a panel of non-cross-reactive antibodies against seven human galectins covering all three subfamilies, we de scribe their expression profiles in human skin. Comparison of normal and ma lignant tissues enabled us to de fine galectintype-dependent alterations, arguing in favour of distinct function alities. It is concluded that comprehensive monitoring performed to define the different aspects of the galectin network, as documented in this pilot study, is advisable for future histopathologic studies aimed at delineating clinical correlations.
Fibronectin-Replating Experiment: Procedure and Analysis
Authors: Rösel D. , Půta F. , Brábek Jan
Published: October 2024

In this review protocols are described for studying protein tyrosine kinase signalling upon integrin-mediated cell adhesion. We have outlined detailed procedures for fibronectin-replating experiment, biochemical examination of the phosphotyrosine content of cellular proteins by immunoblotting using phosphorylation-specific antibodies or immunoprecipitation and analysis with general phosphotyrosine antibodies. Despite great advances that were made toward optimizing the described procedures, all these methods still remain in many respects an art, given the plentiful of variables and the extent to which the optimum conditions vary from one experimental condition to the other. Examples of performed experiments using the described procedures thus also include notes regarding variability of approaches based on experimental conditions.