bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Flash Drought Typologies and Societal Impacts: A Worldwide Review of Occurrence, Nomenclature, and Experiences of Local Populations
Authors: Walker David W. , Vergopolan Noemi , Cavalcante Louise , Smith Kelly Helm , Agoungbome Sehouevi Mawuton David , Almagro André , Apurv Tushar , Dahal Nirmal Mani , Hoffmann David , Singh Vishal , Xiang Zhang
Published: October 2023

Flash droughts, characterized by rapid onset and intensification, are increasingly occurring as a consequence of climate change and rising temperatures. However, existing hydrometeorological definitions fail to encompass the full range of flash droughts, many of which have distinct local physical attributes. Consequently, these events often go undetected or unforecast in generic global flash drought assessments and are underrepresented in research. To address this gap, we conducted a comprehensive survey to gather information on local nomenclature, characteristics, and impacts of flash droughts worldwide. The survey revealed the widespread occurrence of these phenomena, highlighting their underresearched nature. By analyzing case studies, through literature review often in local languages to unearth elusive studies, we identified five different types of flash droughts based on their specific characteristics. Our study aims to increase awareness about the complexity and diverse impacts of flash droughts, emphasizing the importance of considering regional contexts and the vulnerability of affected populations. The reported impacts underscore the need for better integration of all flash drought types in drought research, monitoring, and management. Monitoring a combination of indicators is crucial for timely detection and response to this emerging and escalating threat.

Significance Statement

This study aims to better understand flash droughts worldwide and their varying characteristics and impacts. We surveyed the experiences of people affected by flash droughts and then examined a wide range of literature, including non-English and nonacademic sources. This helped us understand how flash droughts can differ from those commonly studied in the United States and China. We identified and described five types of flash droughts, some of which may not be detected by current drought measurement methods. It is crucial to include all types of flash droughts in drought monitoring systems and management plans, as they are expected to become more common due to global warming. We can then better prepare for and reduce the impacts of this growing threat.
Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity During Transversus Abdominis Plane Block With Liposomal Bupivacaine
Authors: Boleyn Jennifer , Hardie Kyler , Burt Michael R. , Wieman Stephanie
Published: October 2023

Local anesthetic systemic toxicity (LAST) is a rare but potentially fatal outcome associated with local anesthetic administration. Liposomal bupivacaine (LB; EXPAREL®) is a widely used local anesthetic with extended-release and liposomal formulation that carries an improved cardiac and central nervous system safety profile. However, there is limited data regarding LAST associated with liposomal bupivacaine. Here is described a case of local anesthetic systemic toxicity in a 68-year-old male who presented with obstructing sigmoid adenocarcinoma and underwent open sigmoidectomy with end descending colostomy. The operation was complicated by LAST following transversus abdominis plane block injection with liposomal bupivacaine resulting in cardiac arrest. Return of spontaneous circulation was achieved following advanced cardiac life support and infusion of 20% I.V. fat emulsion. Given the widespread use of local anesthetics, providers must be aware of the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and immediate treatment of LAST.
Telehealth for Children With Medical Complexity During the COVID Pandemic: A Qualitative Study Exploring Caregiver Experiences
Authors: Nageswaran Savithri , Dailey-Farley Heather , Golden Shannon L.
Published: October 2023

Children with medical complexity (CMC) receive care from many clinicians. Our objective is to describe caregivers’ experiences about telehealth for CMC. This qualitative study conducted in North Carolina involves semistructured interviews with 23 caregivers of CMC (15 English; 8 Spanish). Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Five themes were identified: (1) telehealth allayed caregivers’ fears about their children’s exposure to COVID-19 and mitigated the challenges with in-person visits during the pandemic. (2) Telehealth reduced the logistical challenges of in-person visits for CMC, enabled providers to see children in their home environment, and prevented appointment cancelations. (3) System inaccessibility, technical problems, and providers’ inability to deliver telehealth were challenges. (4) Inadequate evaluation of the child and caregiver-provider communication were limitations. (5) Caregivers were satisfied with telehealth, found variability in telehealth offering, and wished telehealth continued to remain an option. Telehealth is a viable option for outpatient care delivery for CMC.
Mental health and quality of life across 6 years of medical training: A year-by-year analysis
Authors: Maddalena Natalia de Castro Pecci , Lucchetti Alessandra Lamas Granero , Moutinho Ivana Lucia Damasio , Ezequiel Oscarina da Silva , Lucchetti Giancarlo
Published: October 2023

Background:

Despite growing evidence on medical students’ mental health deterioration, studies have primarily used short follow-up periods and not followed the students throughout their medical training.

Objective:

To assess mental health (stress, anxiety, and depression) and quality of life changes throughout their medical program, we followed up with the same cohort of students for 6 years.

Methods:

This longitudinal prospective study followed up with the same group of medical students at a Brazilian public medical school from 2014 to 2020. The study analyzed sociodemographic data, mental health (including depression, anxiety, and stress [DASS-21]), quality of life (WHOQOL-BREF), satisfaction from studying to be a physician, and happiness with life. General linear mixed models were used for the analyses.

Results:

The cohort included 80 Brazilian medical students (63.7% women; mean age = 19.6 years [ SD = 2.21]). A high prevalence of depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress was found throughout medical training, with more than 50% of students having significant symptoms. Mental health, happiness, and quality of life levels tended to be better in the first and last semesters, being worse in the middle of the program. However, satisfaction from studying to become a doctor decreased in the second semester, remained low throughout the program, and never returned to baseline levels.

Conclusion:

Mental health and quality of life levels remained high throughout the medical program, with better levels in the first and last semesters and falling in the middle of the program. These data can help managers and educators understand how psychological distress affects medical students.
Journeying Apart: Exploring Informal Caregiver Experiences and Unmet Closures in Caring for COVID-19 Deceased
Authors: Kulkarni Anushka , Salave Manasi , Deuskar Megha
Published: October 2023

The current study investigates the experiences and expectations of informal caregivers who lost their loved ones to the COVID-19 virus. The unusual circumstances of the deaths including physical isolation from their loved ones during the final hours before death significantly impacted their grieving process. In this interpretative phenomenological study, caregivers’ experiences are explored through the lens of grief models and Gestalt perspectives. By thematic coding, seven superordinate themes emerged: Inability to accept death, Unfair nature of death, Helplessness, Regret and self-blame, Shattering of assumptive world, Using work as a distraction and Lack of government facilities. The findings of this study suggest that a significant number of informal caregivers continue suffering through the distress caused by the death of their loved ones in the pandemic, highlighting the need for grief counselling interventions for such bereaved informal caregivers.
Toward improving student motivation and performance in introductory programming learning by Scratch: The role of achievement emotions
Authors: Wen Fu-Hsiang , Wu Tienhua , Hsu Wei-Chih
Published: October 2023

This study investigated the differences in programming novices’ intrinsic motivation and performance within a Scratch-based programming learning environment using a pretest–posttest intervention design. Specifically, this study aimed to examine what and how achievement emotions were aroused to impact learners’ academic success during Scratch implementation processes by employing regression analyses. One hundred and seventy-two undergraduates (Mage = 20.44, SDage = 1.09, 55.8% female) were voluntarily recruited to participate in a Scratch-based instruction workshop during a 6-week period. The workshop was structured with regard to preparation, Scratch-based programming learning and projects, and assessment activities and questionnaire implemented both before the instructional period and after the workshop. The results suggested that the Scratch-based intervention significantly increased students’ overall motivation and examination performance. Concerning achievement emotions, the outcome emotion of hopelessness first negatively predicted students’ motivation and performance. Anxiety then replaced hopelessness as a negative predictor, while enjoyment was the strongest predictor of motives and performance. Taking eight emotions together, the arousal of activity and outcome emotions within visual programming environments facilitated students’ emotion dynamics that impacted motivation and performance. The discussion and contributions concerning the mechanism behind the effectiveness of visualization and the emotion-performance relationship are presented herein.
Making sense of murder: Characterizing stories in social media groups
Authors: Lev-On Azi
Published: October 2023

Social media platforms evolved into significant arenas for comprehending crises, hardships, violence, and murder. This paper contributes to the discourse within the intersection of social media and crime by delving into the narratives through which people pour meaning online into tragedies with personal significance. When people experience life-changing events, some go through a process of “sense-making” to fully understand the events and their implications, and reach closure. Processes of “sense-making” become increasingly public and collaborative through stories people tell on social media. Still, a dearth of literature exists that systematically examines these stories as conduits for infusing meaning into tragedies. This article bridges this gap by analyzing the narratives emanating from Facebook groups commemorating Tair Rada and advocating for justice for Roman Zadorov, who was convicted with her murder. These narratives not only challenge Zadorov’s culpability but also recount the sequence of events leading to the tragedy. Furthermore, they delve into the identity and motivations of the perpetrator(s), resuscitating neglected lines of police investigation and occasionally introducing alternative narratives. To establish their narratives’ credibility, authors employ a range of strategies such as integrating source materials, employing categorical language, and cultivating an atmosphere of personal witnessing or knowledge acquisition.
Second International Consensus Study of Antipsychotic Dosing (ICSAD-2)
Authors: McAdam Matthew KT , Baldessarini Ross J , Murphy Andrea L , Gardner David M
Published: October 2023

Background:

Expert consensus-based clinically equivalent dose estimates and dosing recommendations can provide valuable support for the use of drugs for psychosis in clinical practice and research.

Aims:

This second International Consensus Study of Antipsychotic Dosing provides dosing equivalencies and recommendations for newer drugs for psychosis and previously reported drugs with low consensus.

Methods:

We used a two-step Delphi survey process to establish and update consensus with a broad, international sample of clinical and research experts regarding 26 drug formulations to obtain dosing recommendations (start, target range, and maximum) and estimates of clinically equivalent doses for the treatment of schizophrenia. Reference agents for equivalent dose estimates were oral olanzapine 20 mg/day for 15 oral and 7 long-acting injectable (LAI) agents and intramuscular haloperidol 5 mg for 4 short-acting injectable (SAI) agents. We also provide a contemporary list of equivalency estimates and dosing recommendations for a total of 44 oral, 16 LAI, and 14 SAI drugs for psychosis.

Results:

Survey participants ( N = 72) from 24 countries provided equivalency estimates and dosing recommendations for oral, LAI, and SAI formulations. Consensus improved from survey stages I to II. The final consensus was highest for LAI formulations, intermediate for oral agents, and lowest for SAI formulations of drugs for psychosis.

Conclusions:

As randomized, controlled, fixed, multiple-dose trials to optimize the dosing of drugs for psychosis remain rare, expert consensus remains a useful alternative for estimating clinical dosing equivalents. The present findings can support clinical practice, guideline development, and research design and interpretation involving drugs for psychosis.
Roxadustat treatment for erythropoiesis-stimulating agent-hyporesponsive anemia in maintenance hemodialysis patients
Authors: Song Jie , Chen Xiaojun , Zhou Linshan , Yu Weihong , Liu Hong , Yuan Fang
Published: October 2023

Objective

Hyporesponsiveness to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) is a prevalent problem affecting hemodialysis (HD) patients. Roxadustat is an oral hypoxia-inducible factor prolyl hydroxylase inhibitor that stimulates erythropoiesis and regulates iron metabolism. We explored the ability of roxadustat to increase the hemoglobin (Hb) concentration in ESA-hyporesponsive patients undergoing HD and assessed its effect on iron metabolism and inflammation.

Methods

This prospective study included 30 patients with ESA-hyporesponsive anemia who had been undergoing stable dialysis. All patients received roxadustat three times per week for 24 weeks. The primary endpoint was the mean change in Hb from baseline to the average level over weeks 20 to 24. Iron metabolism markers, C-reactive protein, interleukin (IL)-6, and safety were also assessed.

Results

At week 24, roxadustat treatment resulted in a 2.5 ± 1.3 g/dL increase in the Hb level. In total, 28 of 30 patients (93.3%) had an Hb level increase of more than 1.0 g/dL from baseline. Seventeen patients (56.7%) met the endpoint, with a mean Hb level of at least 10.0 g/dL. Iron metabolism and IL-6 levels were also improved.

Conclusions

Oral roxadustat is effective for ESA-hyporesponsive anemia in maintenance HD patients and may also improve iron metabolism and IL-6 levels.
Diphenhydramine overdose detected early by integration of toxidrome and electrocardiography and treated with venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation: a case report
Authors: Matsuoka Masaru , Arai Riku , Ihara Shingo , Murata Nobuhiro , Yamaguchi Junko , Okumura Yasuo , Kinoshita Kosaku
Published: October 2023

Drug overdose can lead to a range of symptoms, including potentially life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias. However, identifying the specific causative drug upon admission can be challenging in many cases. The toxidrome approach is a method that utilizes toxidromes, which are collections of findings obtained from physical examination and ancillary tests, that may be caused by a specific toxin. In this particular case, a man presented with an unknown drug overdose that caused symptoms indicative of anticholinergic effects and abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) findings. The ECG revealed an R wave in lead aVR, S waves in leads I and aVL, and wide QRS tachycardia with a Brugada pattern. Shortly after arrival, the patient developed cardiac arrest due to a lethal arrhythmia. Prompt initiation of venoarterial extracorporeal cardiopulmonary membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) was performed. Fortunately, the patient achieved full neurological recovery, and the overdosed drug was identified as diphenhydramine. When diagnosing and treating drug overdose caused by an unidentified substance, diphenhydramine toxicity should be considered when an anticholinergic toxidrome is present and a Brugada pattern is observed on the ECG. VA-ECMO demonstrates potential as a viable treatment option when initial interventions prove ineffective.
Emotional and musical factors combined with song-specific age predict the subjective autobiographical saliency of music in older adults
Authors: Salakka Ilja , Pitkäniemi Anni , Pentikäinen Emmi , Saari Pasi , Toiviainen Petri , Särkämö Teppo
Published: October 2023

Music that evokes strong emotional responses is often experienced as autobiographically salient. Through emotional experience, the musical features of songs could also contribute to their subjective autobiographical saliency. Songs which have been popular during adolescence or young adulthood (ages 10–30) are more likely to evoke stronger memories, a phenomenon known as a reminiscence bump. In the present study, we sought to determine how song-specific age, emotional responsiveness to music, musical features, and subjective memory functioning contribute to the subjective autobiographical saliency of music in older adults. In a music listening study, 112 participants rated excerpts of popular songs from the 1950s to the 1980s for autobiographical saliency. Additionally, they filled out questionnaires about emotional responsiveness to music and subjective memory functioning. The song excerpts’ musical features were extracted computationally using MIRtoolbox. Results showed that autobiographical saliency was best predicted by song-specific age and emotional responsiveness to music and musical features. Newer songs that were more similar in rhythm to older songs were also rated higher in autobiographical saliency. Overall, this study contributes to autobiographical memory research by uncovering a set of factors affecting the subjective autobiographical saliency of music.
Academic Motivation of Incarcerated Juveniles From the Perspective of Self-Determination Theory: A Multiple Case Study in Kosovo Context
Authors: Selimi Rita , Llullaku Njomza , (Peer) Van Der Helm G. H. P. , Stams Geert Jan , Roest Jesse
Published: October 2023

This qualitative (multiple case) study investigated incarcerated juveniles’ experiences of being enrolled in an educational institution outside the correctional facility, and how this impacted their motivation, well-being, life satisfaction, and future social integration. Self-determination theory was used to understand how youth experienced fulfillment of their psychological needs (i.e., autonomy, competence, and relatedness). Results showed that the need for autonomy and competence were gradually met by education, whereas the need for relatedness was primarily fulfilled through relationships within the existing social network instead of through relationships with peers in the education setting. Reluctance to become acquainted with peers in the education setting may be explained by feelings of self-stigmatization. We conclude that attending education of juveniles outside prison may contribute to their future perspective and rehabilitation, in particular if sufficient attention is paid to opportunities for meaningful contact with (prosocial) fellow students outside the correctional facility.
On making libraries and museums more accessible for autistic people
Authors: Svaler Tirill Bjørkeli
Published: October 2023

This article explores how libraries and museums can become more accessible, and in turn also more inclusive, for autistic users. Through a small survey, a literature review and a short case study, it evaluates what steps to take in order to make these places more accessible for this part of the population. The survey had 126 participants, where 12 were diagnosed as autistic and 28 self-diagnosed as autistic. The survey shows that over half of the participants struggled with sensory overload, social interactions and anxiety in these places. A list of ideas on how to make these spaces more suitable for autistic people is offered in the conclusion, including different types of sensory-friendly and social provisions.
Standpoint theory and double abolition
Authors: Hardt Michael
Published: October 2023

I read Denise Ferreira da Silva’s Unpayable Debt as an experiment that adopts “the wounded captive body in the scene of subjugation” as an epistemological standpoint. This situates her project in line with a tradition of standpoint theories that adopt, for instance, the proletarian or the feminist standpoint in similar ways. These standpoints grant us not only a superior knowledge of the current social order, highlighting its hierarchies, but also provide a political ground for seeking to abolish the structures of domination. Ferreira da Silva’s argument diverges, however, in that her standpoint does not present a subject to be affirmed, as do the other theories, but rather one that must also be abolished. In this sense, I interpret the aim of da Silva’s book to be a double abolition.
The commune is our payable debt
Authors: Best Beverley
Published: October 2023

This essay holds a conversation with Denise Ferreira da Silva’s book, Unpayable Debt. Ferreira da Silva describes Unpayable Debt as a Black feminist reading tool that stages the onto-epistemological conditions for the unrelenting persistence of the Colonial and the Racial—modalities of power and violence—in the present, in/as global capital. A major part of the work performed by Ferreira da Silva with this reading tool is the re/de/composition of a Marxian theory of value. This work is intended to show that Marx’s analysis conceals gendered and racialized violence in the way it renders the dynamic of capitalist accumulation. In concurring with the urgency of Ferreira da Silva’s question and ensuing interrogation, I offer a different way of reading Marx’s theory of value, as a theory that illuminates how capital comes to mediate gendered and racialized subjugation, sustaining it through its dissimulation.
The primal scene of capital
Authors: Gonzalez Jaime Acosta
Published: October 2023

This response to Denise Ferreira da Silva’s Unpayable Debt (2022) takes up the question of violence and the role it plays in Karl Marx’s theorization of the capital-labor relation. Ferreira da Silva usefully highlights the way Marx, Rosa Luxemburg and David Harvey posit the violence of primitive accumulation as anterior or external to the theoretical analysis of the scene of value, including the contractual relation between the dramatis personae of the free worker and capitalist, a presupposition of the capitalist mode of production. In response, this engagement works through Marx’s mode of presentation in Capital Vol. 1, arguing that the historical chapters on primitive accumulation in section eight revise and retroactively condition our understanding of the presumptive equality between capitalist and worker. By structuring the depiction of the abstract and theoretical mode of production in this way, Marx’s methodology reveals the overlapping modalities of violence and their immanent relation to the juridical standing of the free worker. This essay closes by reassessing the status of the free worker, as well as Ferreira da Silva’s critique, considering current conditions of neoliberal accumulation.
Freedom time: Karl Marx and unpayable debt
Authors: Austin David
Published: October 2023

This commentary critically engages Denise Ferreira da Silva’s claim that Marxism is incapable of critically engaging the racial and capital alongside one another. It argues that, while it is true that conventional Marxists have either dismissed, undertheorized, or treated enslaved and colonial labor as ancillary to capitalist development – so-called “primitive accumulation” – rendering non-Europeans, non-proletarian laborers (and especially women of African descent) as outside the universal category of the Human, this is not necessarily representative of either Marx or Marxism. Reading Unpayable Debt alongside recent work by Lisa Lowe, Beverley Mullings, Saidiya Hartman, Nick Nesbitt, and Gary Wilder, I suggest a revisit of Marx’s and Marxist’s analysis of slavery, colonialism, and capitalism is necessary – and particularly the much-neglected work of Walter Rodney – in order to probe the constitutive dynamics of race, class, and gender as a constituent part and critique of capitalism and the struggle for human freedom.
Electroacupuncture at GB20 improves cognitive ability and synaptic plasticity via the CaM–CaMKII–CREB signaling pathway following cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury in rats
Authors: Han Qing , Wang Feng
Published: October 2023

Background:

This study aimed to investigate the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on cognitive recovery and synaptic remodeling in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) followed by reperfusion and explore the possible mechanism.

Method:

Focal cerebral ischemia was modeled in healthy adult Sprague-Dawley rats by MCAO. The MCAO rats were classified into four groups: sham, MCAO, MCAO + GB20 (receiving EA at GB20) and MCAO + NA (receiving EA at a “non-acupoint” location not corresponding to any traditional acupuncture point location about 10 mm above the iliac crest). Neurological deficit scores and behavior were assessed before and during the treatment. After intervention for 7 days, the hippocampus was dissected to analyze growth-associated protein (GAP)-43, synaptophysin (SYN) and postsynaptic density protein (PSD)-95 expression levels by Western blotting. Bioinformatic analysis and primary hippocampal neurons with calcium-voltage gated channel subunit alpha 1B (CACNA1B) gene overexpression were used to screen the target genes for EA against MCAO.

Results:

Significant amelioration of neurological deficits and learning/memory were found in MCAO + GB20 rats compared with MCAO or MCAO + NA rats. Protein levels of GAP-43, SYN and PSD-95 were significantly improved in MCAO + GB20–treated rats together with an increase in the number of synapses in the hippocampal CA1 region. CACNA1B appeared to be a target gene of EA in MCAO. There were increased mRNA levels of CACNA1B, calmodulin (CaM), Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase type II (CaMKII) and cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element binding (CREB) and increased phosphorylation of CaM, CaMKII and CREB in the hippocampal region in MCAO + GB20 versus MCAO and MCAO + NA groups. CACNA1B overexpression modulated expression of the CaM–CaMKII–CREB axis.

Conclusion:

EA treatment at GB20 may ameliorate the negative effects of MCAO on cognitive function in rats by enhancing synaptic plasticity. EA treatment at GB20 may exert this neuroprotective effect by regulating the CACNA1B–CaM–CaMKII–CREB axis.
Book review: Silvia Casini (2021). Giving Bodies Back to Data: Image Makers, Bricolage, and Reinvention in Magnetic Resonance Technology
Authors: Liljefors Max
Published: October 2023

Silvia Casini (2021). Giving Bodies Back to Data: Image Makers, Bricolage, and Reinvention in Magnetic Resonance Technology. MIT Press, 312 pp. ISBN: 9780262045292 (Hardback).
What Motivates Students to Physical Activity: Development and Validation of the Students Physical Activity Motivation Scale
Authors: Shirotriya Awadhesh Kumar , Sharma Lalit , Pandey Amrendra
Published: October 2023

In India, physical inactivity in children and youth is a public health concern, and it is unfortunate to see that most Indian children do not accomplish prescribed levels of physical activity. We strongly believe that the availability of a physical activity motivation instrument specific to the Indian population can significantly promote physical activities in India. This study aimed to develop the student’s physical activity motivation scale (SPAMS). The convenience sampling method was used to collect data from 622 participants from 5 states and 1 union territory of India. A multi-stage approach using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was computed to develop and validate its psychometric properties in two different samples (EFA-311 and CFA-311). Factor analysis revealed three distinct factors underlying physical activity motivation: skill development, appearance and positive health. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that SPAMS meets the concept and external validity criteria and that it is suitable for theoretical and practical applications.
Categorizing and Understanding the Evolution of Literature on ESG Investments: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Tiwari Rajesh , Sharma Neeraj , Sharma Nagendra Kumar
Published: October 2023

This study explores the research on Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) investments, which have emerged as a feasible way to strike a balance between sustainability, responsibility and profitability. The article employs bibliometric technique to analyse 161 articles published on ESG investments after 2007 in Scopus database. The data were analysed using VOS viewer. There was a sudden surge in publications is ESG investments after COVID pandemic. Seven clusters emerged out of bibliographic coupling; ESG risk and return, preferences for ESG investments, ESG investments under shocks, usage of ESG information, influence of ESG rating and determinants of ESG investment. The study provides insights into the evolution of ESG investing over time and across organizations and countries. The results indicate that ESG investments provide an alternative way to manage risk-reward trade-off. The study presents the prominent countries, institutions, sources, authors and cited articles in the area of ESG investments. The findings will be beneficial for investors and policymakers interested in ESG investments.
Stumbling Toward Independent Living: Participatory Action Research With Young Adults With Developmental Language Disorder
Authors: Aussems Karijn , Isarin Jet , Niemeijer Alistair , Dedding Christine
Published: October 2023

In our increasingly paced society, a lot is expected from care-dependent people. In the Netherlands, everyone is expected to live independently with the help of their social network, but this has proven challenging. In the participatory action research project TOSKoploper, young adults with developmental language disorder (DLD) opened up about their struggles on their way to independent living, including keeping up with the pace at school and work as well as addressing traumatic experiences without family support. They prefer professional assistance in overcoming their problems, but their support needs are hardly acknowledged by professionals in the social domain. They call for people’s patience, appreciation, and support for their capabilities so that they can live an active social life.
Making Sense of Burnout: A Reflexive Thematic Analysis of How Teachers in England Discuss and Encounter the Term Burnout
Authors: Soames Matthew , Willis Martin
Published: October 2023

Despite extensive research looking at the phenomenon of burnout, little is known about how individuals working in traditionally high-burnout occupations understand the term. Interviews were conducted with six teachers working in state schools in England centring on how the term burnout was understood and how it was used or encountered. Reflexive thematic analysis was employed from a critical realist perspective to analyse the data generated. All participants described burnout as a stress-related condition, yet for some participants the point at which stress became burnout was unclear leading to an understanding that burnout was the point at which one was unable to work. Many participants highlighted an individualistic understanding of burnout, perceiving it as representing an individual deficit rather than an organisational failing. This was often reinforced by where the term was encountered (at work or in the media) and was linked to the stigma many participants associated with burnout. This paper concludes that individualistic framings of burnout obscure its organisational determinants while reinforcing notions that mental well-being is something which should be personally – and privately – managed by individuals.
‘Suspension Palatoplasty’ - A new Method of Primary Palate Repair for Speaking Un-Repaired Clefts
Authors: Damalachervu Mukunda Reddy , Yellinedi Rajesh , A Dharanipriya , Nuvvula Rambabu
Published: October 2023

Objective

To design a technique of palate repair with predictable Velo Pharyngeal (VP) closure and normal speech - ‘Suspension Palatoplasty’ in speaking unrepaired Cleft Palate (CP) patients. To evaluate the results of patients with CP operated using the technique of ‘Suspension palatoplasty’ from 2014 −2018 in terms of surgical complications and speech outcomes.

Design

An ambi-spective longitudinal clinical study.

Setting

Comprehensive cleft care clinic in a private trust hospital.

Patients/ Participants

Patients above 6 years of age with isolated CP, cleft lip and palate (CLP), operated using ‘Suspension Palatoplasty’ technique between 2014 and 2018 were included with minimum follow up period of 5 years. Subjective speech evaluation was done by two speech therapists and analysed.

Intervention

Author designed the technique of ‘Suspension Palatoplasty’ which aims to suspend the soft palate repaired by ‘Hybrid Palatoplasty’ technique, close to the nasopharynx using narrow pharyngeal flap with the pedicle based superiorly at adenoids, for an acceptable VP closure.

Main Outcome Measures

Speech outcome and surgical complications were assessed.

Results

Out of 94 cases operated with age ranging from 6 to 45 years, 59 (62.8%) had normal speech, 12 (12.8%) had articulation errors but with no Velo-Pharyngeal Insufficiency (VPI) and 23 patients (24.4%) had hypernasality/ nasal emission (Suspected VPI). None of them had difficulty in breathing but one patient had snoring.

Conclusion

‘Suspension Palatoplasty’ is a simple primary operation with excellent speech outcomes with no obstructive sequelae in patients with speaking unrepaired cleft palate.
Material Agency in Discursive Strategizing – The Study of a Software Company Seeking Global Growth
Authors: Myllykoski Jenni , Rantakari Anniina
Published: October 2023

This study examines how the product evokes agency in discursive strategizing. Rather than solely being outcomes of strategizing, products also play a role in the initial formation of strategy, which eventually may both hinder and promote strategic renewal. Theoretically, we draw from ideas of posthumanist performativity, which considers discourse and materiality as inseparable and allows us to elucidate the ways in which materiality evokes agency in managers’ discursive strategizing. Empirically, we conducted a longitudinal real-time study by participating in a software company's strategizing meetings for 2 years. Our findings reveal two forms of material agency evoked by the company product during discursive strategizing: indwelling and outdwelling agency. Indwelling agency manifests when the product's logic starts to frame the scope of strategy discourse. Outdwelling agency manifests when the product attracts unexpected customers, which later alters managers’ strategic scope. These findings enrich the understanding of the contribution of materiality to strategic outcomes.
(Un)Learning Archival Methods From Young Archivists: A Lesson in Spatiality, Vitality, and Reciprocity
Authors: Thiel Jaye Johnson
Published: October 2023

Finding inspiration from recent calls to consider the body, affect, movement, and otherwise as/in archives, this article focuses on events that took place with young archivists engaged in the act of drawing at a community center. These data-stories are put in conversation with spatial theory, children’s geographies, and feminist new materialisms to make sense of child-created archives and to offer researchers a way to (un)learn archival methods by acknowledging artifacts, as not only reflecting the community of makers but also reflecting the vibrancy of materials and space as an archival reciprocity.
Atrial fibrillation mortality trends in individuals with heart failure
Authors: Ibrahim Ramzi , Singh Vikram J , Singh Simar J , Hussein Ayman , Lee Justin Z
Published: October 2023

Atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently occurs concurrently with heart failure (HF). The two conditions can exacerbate each other, resulting in higher morbidity and mortality. In our analysis, we evaluated mortality trends related to AF in individuals with underlying HF. Cross-sectional analyses were performed using publicly available data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention database to compare AF-related age-adjusted mortality rates across age, gender, racial/ethnic, and geographic subgroups. Mortality trends were evaluated by fitting log-linear regression models followed by calculation of the average annual percentage change (AAPC) using the Monte Carlo permutation test. We identified a total of 55,917 deaths within the United States from AF with comorbid HF between 1999 and 2020. Males, older adults, White populations, and non-metropolitan regions had higher age-adjusted mortality compared to females, younger adults, Black populations, and metropolitan regions, respectively. The AAPC among younger adults was significantly higher compared to older adults. Our results demonstrate existing disparities among age, gender, racial, and geographic subgroups related to AF mortality among individuals with comorbid HF. Although decreased overall mortality was observed within younger populations compared to older populations, the prominent AAPC seen in younger populations warrants further investigation. Detection of AF among younger adults with comorbid HF should prompt the intensification of preventative and treatment measures.
Utility of heating pattern with variable air temperature in drying; effects on drying time, energy consumption, and product quality
Authors: Hossein Nia Reza , Nalbandi Habibeh , Seyedlou Sadegh , Alizadeh Salteh Saeedeh
Published: October 2023

Drying with variable air temperature is a technique to decrease the drying time, preserve quality and maintain the nutritional components of products. The aim of this study was to find the effect of different heating patterns with variable air temperatures on the drying time, energy consumption and the quality of garlic as well as investigate the critical times to change the air temperature. The constant air temperatures were 50, 60, and 70 °C, and the variable air temperature included three patterns of 60 °C → 50 °C (I), 70 °C→50 °C (II), and 70 °C (30 minutes) →50 °C (III). Despite preventing garlic slices’ color changes in the constant air temperature of 50 °C, the antioxidant contents of the samples reduced significantly (45%), and the drying time was 136 minutes. At the air temperature of 70 °C, the color changes peaked, and the drying time was 65 minutes. The best drying condition was observed among the variable air temperature by pattern III. The drying time and loss of antioxidants were 24% and 45% lower than the one in the constant air temperature of 50 °C; besides, the effective moisture diffusivity was 24% higher. The color changes of these samples were lower compared to other patterns and the final product had acceptable quality and was produced in an optimal time.
The Effect on Home Caregivers of a Family Support Program Based on a Nurse-Led Case Management Model: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial
Authors: Tanrikulu Fatma , Dikmen Yurdanur
Published: October 2023

Home caregivers have a large amount of responsibility, and many have difficulty in fulfilling their care-giving roles. Previous studies have shown that when caregivers are supported socially, psychologically, and culturally, there is a positive improvement in caregivers’ coping skills, quality of live, and a decrease in health problems. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a family support program based on the nurse-led case management model on home caregivers by measuring quality of life, caregiver burden, and family functionality level. In this study 27 home caregivers were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The family support program based on a 5-stage nurse-led case management model was administered for the caregivers in the intervention group (n = 13) for 6 months. The caregivers in the control group (n = 14) were monitored by home health services through routine follow-ups. Baseline and postintervention assessments included the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale, the World Health Organization Quality of Life–Brief Turkish Form, and the Family APGAR Scale. It was found out that there was a statistically significant difference among caregiver burden, quality of life, and family functionality level total scores of caregivers in the intervention and control groups ( p < .05). A family support program based on nurse-led case management model has a supportive role for caregivers, where web-based education and counseling services are available, patients and their relatives are monitored by a multidisciplinary health team, and their educational needs are met.
Online brand advocacy for destinations: The role of destination management, experience, and satisfaction
Authors: Cavdar Aksoy Nilsah , Yazici Nihal
Published: October 2023

People nowadays travel to a destination and then become a source of information about that destination. This study concentrated on the information-sharing behavior of individuals regarding destinations within the context of online brand advocacy. This study aims to investigate online brand advocacy behavior and provide an explanation for it using individual assessments of destination management, brand experience, and satisfaction. Using Amazon's Mechanical Turk, 657 participants were contacted online. Using partial least squares-structural equation modeling, the data were analyzed. The effects of destination management, destination brand experience, and destination satisfaction on online brand advocacy were empirically validated by the findings. The findings have significant implications for destination managers seeking to develop strong destination identities, as well as for tourism research, as they provide a novel method for examining destination branding.
The mediating role of resilience in the relationship between stress and psychological distress in parents of children with cancer
Authors: Luo Yuanhui , Xu Jing , Xie Jianhui , Xiao Pin , Cai Qian
Published: October 2023

Caring for children with cancer is stressful for parents and leads to psychological distress, which is mainly manifested as depressive symptoms and anxiety. This study explored the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between stress and psychological distress in parents of children with cancer. We recruited 258 parents of children with cancer in three tertiary hospitals in Mainland China. The results revealed that the mediating effect of resilience for the relationships between stress and depressive symptoms and between stress and anxiety accounted for 23.4% and 11.4%, respectively, of the total effect. Resilience was confirmed as a protective factor that can be incorporated into future intervention programmes to improve the psychological well-being of parents of children with cancer. Future studies could develop resilience training programmes to enhance the resilience of parents of children with cancer to alleviate parents’ psychological distress.
Stemming the “ageism pandemic”: A qualitative inquiry with older adults in residential care facilities during the Covid-19 outbreak
Authors: Bellanova Matteo , Romaioli Diego , Contarello Alberta
Published: October 2023

The Covid-19 pandemic added to collective concerns, making health risks salient especially for the older population. The health emergency exacerbated an already widespread negative representation of aging, and phenomena such as ageism. With the present qualitative inquiry, 21 episodic interviews were collected with the aim of understanding the experience of older adults in residential care facilities, exploring their ideas of aging and the viewpoints that helped them to respond to the pandemic successfully. A thematic analysis was conducted using NudIst software. The results show that participants described multiple personal and relational resources they used to cope with the pandemic, and they were able to express counter-narratives to the ideas of aging as coinciding with decline, and of lockdown as a source of distress alone. The paper concludes with reflections on the relevance of research capable of challenging unhelpful dominant discourses and averting the risk of them turning into negative prophecies.
Understanding barriers and enablers to participation in a proposed online lifestyle intervention for older adults with age-related macular degeneration to guide programme implementation
Authors: Kha Richard , Wen Qingyun , Bender Nicholas , Jones Charlotte , Gopinath Bamini , Macniven Rona , Tang Diana
Published: October 2023

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a blinding condition associated with depression, loneliness and unhealthy lifestyle behaviours which drives AMD progression. We have proposed the first online lifestyle intervention for AMD, called Movement, Interaction and Nutrition for Greater Lifestyles in the Elderly (MINGLE) to promote positive lifestyle changes and reduce loneliness. This qualitative grounded-theory study explored enablers and barriers to future participation in MINGLE for older adults with AMD. Thirty-one participants were interviewed and thematic analysis revealed nine themes. Enablers to participation were: socialising and learning about AMD, motivation to improve health, programme accessibility and structure. Barriers were: lack of time, technology, limited knowledge regarding holistic interventions, vision-related issues, mobility and negative perception of group interactions. These factors must be considered when developing lifestyle interventions for AMD patients to maximise participation. Supporting technology use and raising awareness about benefits of healthy lifestyle behaviours for AMD may help overcome these barriers.
Mindfulness and cognitive training interventions that address intersecting cognitive and aging needs of older adults
Authors: Eaton Andrew D , Rourke Sean B , Craig Shelley L , Fallon Barbara A , Emlet Charles A , Katz Ellen , Walmsley Sharon L
Published: October 2023

Mindfulness and cognitive training interventions are promising models to address impacts (e.g., anxiety and stress) of cognitive impairment among older adults. Combining strategies may yield better outcomes than models offered in isolation. However, there are numerous uncertainties about these interventions, potential for combination, and implementation. Social workers are well placed to offer these interventions.

Findings

From an initial search of 3,538 records, 13 studies were included in the final review. Mindfulness studies focused on stress reduction or cognitive behavioral therapy. Cognitive training studies applied stimulation or activity approaches. Results indicate that the field is still emerging, as most studies were pilot or feasibility trials. A combination of mindfulness-based stress reduction and brain training activities may offer the most promising model for older adults with cognitive impairment, based on outcome assessments and other factors. A common limitation among the reports was detailed on engaging older adults with cognitive challenges in the design and implementation of these interventions.

Applications

This realist review deepens the understanding of how, why, for whom, and in what circumstances a combination of mindfulness and cognitive training could be most successful for social workers to address intersecting cognitive and aging needs of older adults. Building evidence on combining mindfulness-based stress reduction and brain training activities among older adults with cognitive impairment could yield promising results, and this review identifies implementation considerations. The review also found a need for psychometric scale development on the benefits of brain training activities.