bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
War in South Asia
Authors: Roy Kaushik
Published: July 2024

At the beginning of the eighteenth century, the Mughal empire dominated the Indian subcontinent and the European trading companies operated at the margins of the empire. However, by the mid-eighteenth century, empire of the great Mughals was in a limbo and the British and the French trading companies started encroaching into the affairs of the subcontinent. With the beginning of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748), these two European trading corporations started fighting with each other in various parts of India. The two strands of military struggle, one among the Indigenous powers and another between the British and the French, became entangled. As the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763) came to a close, the politico-military scenario in India was transformed: several Mughal successor states plus the French trading company were down and out, and the British East India Company had become a territorial power.
North American Breakdown
Authors: McDonnell Michael A.
Published: July 2024

This essay explores the pivotal role played by the Anishinaabeg Odawa and other Native nations in the Great Lakes region in the origins of the Seven Years’ War. Indian diplomacy in the decades leading to the Seven Years’ War had come to focus on preserving a balance of power between the French and British, and maintaining sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of imperial ambitions. When rivalries between Native nations threatened this balance, the Anishinaabeg took measures to deal with their rivals while successfully maintaining a wider inter-Indigenous peace. But these events would lead to the more well-known European skirmishes that triggered the Seven Years’ War. Viewed from the perspective of Indian country the causes and early phases of the Seven Years’ War transcend conventional interpretations centered on European imperial rivalries. The Anishinaabeg and other Indigenous peoples played a crucial role in shaping the events that transformed global history.
European Medicine and Foreign Diseases in a Global War
Authors: Charters Erica
Published: July 2024

This chapter provides an overview of the role of disease and the nature of medicine in the Seven Years’ War, demonstrating the considerable impact of disease on both European and overseas campaigns. Diseases such as typhus and yellow fever disrupted campaigning and spread into surrounding civilian populations, exacerbating manpower pressures. As a result, military and naval practices of the Seven Years’ War shaped European medicine and its manpower accounting methods. Moreover, the war’s global scope introduced European soldiers and sailors to different disease environments, developing a European framework of foreign and tropical regions that were contrasted with moderate and domestic European climates. The experience of dealing with disease outbreaks in far-flung campaigns thus contributed to emerging notions of the tropics and thereby European identity, as well as developing theories of racial characteristics.
Going to War
Authors: Vo-Ha Paul
Published: July 2024

This chapter explores the different stages in the lives of the combatants who fought in the Seven Years’ War in Europe, North America, and India or at sea all over the world, from enlistment and the daily experience of military life up to the climax of battle. Recruitment processes were a combination of volunteer enlistment and compulsory service, which was becoming increasingly frequent. The triumph of the line formation and the dominance of firepower meant that soldiers were incessantly drilled to march in step and load their weapons. Despite the anthropological constants of war, such as fear, and the increasingly uniform equipment and tactics used by all the belligerents, the experience of fighting could differ significantly depending on the kind of combat and the forces involved: small war, battle, siege warfare, and war at sea meant different experiences for the people involved.
Agent-Based Modelling in Marketing
Authors: Rand William
Published: July 2024

This chapter delves into using agent-based modelling (ABM) as a powerful tool for unravelling the complex and dynamic nature of marketing phenomena. As marketing professionals and researchers navigate an increasingly intricate landscape shaped by evolving consumer preferences, technological advancements, and competitive pressures, the need for innovative approaches to understanding and predicting consumer behaviour becomes paramount. ABM offers a transformative lens through which to explore these intricate dynamics. We begin by providing an overview of the foundational concepts of ABM and its relevance to marketing research and strategy development. With a focus on the dynamic interplay between individual agents within a simulated environment (i.e., consumer interactions), we elucidate how ABM allows researchers to simulate and analyse consumer decision-making processes in intricate detail. We illustrate the application of ABM in various marketing contexts and discuss the past research in this area. Furthermore, we address the challenges and limitations of ABM in marketing, such as model validation and data requirements. We also explore the integration of ABM with other quantitative and qualitative research methods to enhance its utility in addressing contemporary marketing challenges. In a rapidly evolving marketing landscape, this chapter offers a comprehensive guide to harnessing the potential of ABM as an invaluable tool for modelling and understanding the complex behaviours of consumers, ultimately leading to more informed and effective marketing strategies.
Merleau-Ponty
Authors: Landes Donald A.
Published: July 2024

In his early writings, Maurice Merleau-Ponty offered several criticisms of Henri Bergson’s philosophy. These criticisms, at times based upon mischaracterizations of Bergson’s work, often align with the overall critical stance that Merleau-Ponty’s generation adopted towards Bergson. This stance helps to explain why Merleau-Ponty initially saw Husserlian phenomenology as a necessary antidote to certain shortcomings in the French tradition. And yet, in his writings and courses, Merleau-Ponty would return to Bergson again and again, and his interpretation of his predecessor at the Collège de France evolved quite substantially. After a brief presentation and evaluation of Merleau-Ponty’s early criticisms of Bergson, this chapter demonstrates how Merleau-Ponty developed a more nuanced reading of Bergson’s philosophy by discovering there the foundations for a philosophy of expression.
Early Existentialisms
Authors: Kirkpatrick Kate
Published: July 2024

Recent scholarship has seen a return to the conceptual question: What is existentialism? This chapter identifies some contested theses of early existentialisms and traces their emergence in France in the period from 1925 to1943, from Gabriel Marcel’s ‘Existence and Objectivity’ to Sartre’s Being and Nothingness and atheistic existentialism’s ethical turn in Simone de Beauvoir’s Pyrrhus and Cineas. Objecting to the claim that Heidegger ‘introduced’ existentialist themes into French thought, it outlines Beauvoir’s early formulations of existentialist claims in the late 1920s and draws attention to the significance of French personalist concepts (such as Emmanuel Mounier’s devotion [le dévouement]) in the development of existentialist ethics. Particular focus is given to the variety of early existentialist conceptions of the ‘situation’, ‘freedom’, and ‘love’ in the works of Gabriel Marcel, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir.
Deleuze or Lyotard?
Authors: Fruteau de Laclos Frédéric
Published: July 2024

Gilles Deleuze and Jean-François Lyotard are two central figures for contemporary French thought. Their early alliance as contemporaries teaching at the Vincennes university stems from a shared critique of classical humanism, a comparable distance from structuralism, and a common thematization of desire. Their key publications Anti-Oedipus and Libidinal Economy were published almost simultaneously and made comparably untimely interventions in ethics and politics. However, it would be incorrect to claim that their ideas form part of the same ‘philosophy of difference’, an expression that characterizes Deleuze’s thought alone. From the 1980s onwards, Lyotard and Deleuze drew apart, particularly when it came to their appreciation of psychoanalysis, of Wittgenstein’s work, and even of moral obligation. The purpose of this chapter is to describe their encounter in a new way by assessing their respective developments.
Positivisms and Spiritualisms
Authors: Petit Annie
Published: July 2024

Auguste Comte, founder of positivism, sees in spiritualism a metaphysics to be overcome. He criticizes the Cousinian school in particular as retrograde, and deplores its dominance in the universities of the time. In turn, the later spiritualists will criticize Comte and the later positivists will take up their master’s polemics against spiritualism. If scholarship has for the most part focused on Comte’s own struggles with spiritualism, those of his disciples are less known. These later debates pertained to relations between psychology, physiology, and philosophy, and more generally between philosophy and the sciences. They also concerned conceptions of subjectivity and morality and the articulation of social conditions. Connections to history and religion were equally at stake. While the spiritualists attempted to show that metaphysics is ineluctable, the positivists tried to develop a new spirituality without spiritualism.
French Philosophy in the Analytic Tradition
Authors: Dainton Barry
Published: July 2024

It is not uncommon for analytic philosophers to hold a dim view of non-analytic philosophy in general, and French philosophy in particular. The full story of why this is the case is complex, but this chapter focuses on a pivotal early episode within it: Russell’s engagement with Bergson. Given Russell’s enduring influence on analytic philosophy, his criticisms of Bergson influenced the attitudes of generations of analytic philosophers to Bergson and French philosophy more broadly. However, as Russell’s views evolved, they often did so in distinctly Bergsonian ways. Russell and Bergson may have started off in different places, but rather than diverging in different directions on a number of major issues they rapidly came to converge. Unfortunately, few people seem to have recognized this—would history have been different if they had?
Phonetics, Phonology, and Orthography
Authors: Delais-Roussarie Elisabeth
Published: July 2024

This chapter investigates French phonology, phonetics, and orthography. It describes its phonological system, both segmental and suprasegmental (accentuation, melody, etc.), as well as, to a lesser extent, its writing system to account for French spelling and punctuation. Major phonological units and categories are described and discussed in order to provide a detailed picture of the workings of contemporary Standard French. Particular attention is placed on the phonological phenomena and processes which play key roles in French pronunciation and prosody. They are described in such a way so as to not only explain how they are applied, but also to reflect how they are treated by traditional linguistic scholarship on French and in research being carried out today. As regards orthography, a key question addressed is its ability to represent French sound structure.
Francophonie
Authors: Thibault André
Published: July 2024

This contribution provides a general overview of the French-speaking world. It opens with a tentative definition of Francophonie, questions the demographic figures usually associated with it, and presents the concepts of status and corpus. It moves on to an historical overview of the expansion of French in Europe, the New World, the Indian Ocean, the African continent, and the Pacific. This is followed by a brief listing of the main reference works on French in the French-speaking world (both general and specifically focused on phonology, grammar, or the lexicon), a section on language contact (in Europe, the New World, the Maghreb, and sub-Saharan Africa), and ends with a short presentation of some major sociolinguistic issues related to the situation of French in Francophonie.
French in Africa
Authors: Boutin Béatrice Akissi , Ebongue Augustin Emmanuel
Published: July 2024

French in Africa has been subject to various appropriations and to varying degrees. Initially considered as a language of work and survival in French colonies on the continent, it came to be seen as a valuable heritage when nations gained their independence, and it remains an important language in Africa today. French has also spread to multilingual social spaces where populations use multiple languages, including French, in a variety of social activities. French is an essential part of everyday life in a range of countries in Africa. This chapter examines the status of French, its appropriation, and its presence in Africa with the main focus on sub-Saharan Africa where French is an official language, in contrast to its status in the three countries of the Maghreb (Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia).
Creoles
Authors: Klingler Thomas A.
Published: July 2024

This chapter provides a survey of the languages know as Creoles, which arose through intensive language contact in French colonial settings during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The chapter starts with an historical overview of the founding of the colonies where the French Creoles are or were spoken and of the demographic, social, and linguistic conditions that led to their development and spread. The chapter then looks at the possible genetic relationships among the Creoles that various linguists have proposed. The next section presents some of the main phonological and morphosyntactic features of each Creole, while the final section examines their status, their role in education, and language planning efforts to codify and instrumentalize them.
Age, Gender, and Social Class
Authors: Armstrong Nigel
Published: July 2024

This chapter considers variation and change in French pronunciation and vocabulary as they relate to the social variables of age, gender, and social class. The purpose of the discussion is twofold: to examine the distinctiveness of the French approach to the analysis of the variables, social class in particular; and to assess their relative weight in influencing variable linguistic behaviour. A tentative conclusion is presented, namely that region may be a primitive with which the other variables react in relatively complex ways. A subsidiary theme running through the chapter shows that the successive waves or developments in sociolinguistics have not, despite the implications of the metaphor, superseded one or another; rather, the insights of each remain of use, depending on the nature of the enquiry.
Regional Variation in the French of France
Authors: Avanzi Mathieu
Published: July 2024

This chapter provides an overview of how French varies regionally within metropolitan France. After some insights regarding linguistic demographics, it first aims to define important notions and concepts in the field of French dialectology, such as ‘Reference French’ and ‘regionalism’. It then briefly exemplifies the three main categories of regionalisms usually identified, before listing some of the most important studies of regional variation in mainland French in recent decades. The last section of the chapter provides a typology of French regionalisms based on material recorded in the Français de nos Régions research project. It is divided into three subsections. The first presents maps showing the different trajectories of some representative lexical regionalisms. The second offers a brief review of what is currently known about regional variation at the grammatical level. The third discusses the aspects of the phonological system that vary the most in the different regions of France.
French Digital Discourse
Authors: Panckhurst Rachel , Cougnon Louise-Amélie , Fairon Cédrick
Published: July 2024

This chapters presents French digital discourse from historical and terminological perspectives and indicates how it is perceived specifically by the general French-speaking public, including a tendency towards conservatism and protectionism of the French language. The chapter then provides an overview of research on written language in electronic messages (SMS, Facebook Messenger, Viber, WhatsApp, Twitter … ) in the French-speaking world and also briefly suggest methodological approaches for data collection, corpora building, and analysis. Furthermore, in order to understand the visible impacts and changes that digital discourse has brought in relation to standardized language, the chapter highlights several Francophone projects as case studies. These include (socio-)linguistic, Natural Language Processing (NLP), and soci(et)al initiatives. The chapter closes with suggestions for future research directions for French digital discourse.
Where, When, and How French is Learned
Authors: Kern Richard
Published: July 2024

This chapter describes the present state of French language learning around the world and traces its historical precedents. It reports current estimates of French speaking and learning around the world and distinguishes different contexts of learning (mother tongue, second language, language of education, foreign language). It describes how the teaching of French has evolved through France’s colonial and postcolonial history, and how policies and institutionalized support for French language learning have changed over time. Within this historical overview, methodological shifts in approaches to teaching French are discussed—including grammar-translation, Direct Method, audio-lingual and audio-visual methods, and communicative language teaching—as well as current trends related to a more expansive plurilingual/pluricultural model that corresponds to the current social configuration of a globalized world.
Acquiring Phonetics and Phonology
Authors: Detey Sylvain
Published: July 2024

This six-part chapter is dedicated to L2 French pronunciation acquisition. It starts with a summary of how L2 French phonetics-phonology acquisition is explored by researchers. The chapter then explores the French linguistic system, which is targeted by learners, taking into account the relationship between variation in the Francophone world and the diverse needs of students. The following sections offer a short overview of our knowledge of L2 phonetic-phonological education, in terms of psycholinguistic mechanisms and pedagogical approaches. A sociolinguistic perspective is then adopted in order to tackle the social dimension of the output, i.e. the ‘foreign accent’ in French. The chapter ends with some insights into the dialogue between researchers and educators to improve our understanding of both L2 French pronunciation acquisition processes and best educational practices.
Language Policy and Planning
Authors: Ayres-Bennett Wendy
Published: July 2024

This chapter examines French language policy and planning (LPP) with a particular focus on top-down, explicit policy made at the macro level, especially as enshrined in legislation. It begins with an overview of the major legislation relating to French and the languages of France up to 1958 and then considers the dominant ideologies underlying them. The majority of the chapter focuses on recent history and the current situation, since the French-speaking world constitutes a preeminent example of LPP today. It explores the extent to which the policies and ideologies are continued or modified in the Fifth Republic, focusing in turn on policy relating to the status of French in France, Quebec, and certain African countries; the quality of French, both in terms of ‘good usage’ and policy in relation to Anglicisms; the spread of French and Francophonie; regional and minority languages; and the feminization of terms for professions and occupations.
Public Trust Doctrine
Authors: Madhav Roopa
Published: July 2024

The principle of stewardship of natural resources by the state and the people is at the core of the public trust doctrine. Natural resources are imagined differently by the doctrine as being beyond exclusive private ownership or state control to contain a permanent easement enjoyed by the general public. This conception imposes obligations and duties on both the state and citizens to ensure effective management of resources, in the interest of both present and future generations. In the Indian context, the doctrine is extensively applied by the judiciary to a range of resources to protect public interest but as this chapter demonstrates, it is lacking in a rigorous outlining of the normative content of the doctrine and a reimagination to make it indigenous to environmental challenges within India.
Environmental Duties
Authors: Iyengar Shalini
Published: July 2024

Environmental duties play a key role in environmental law in India. Mentioned in the Constitution of India, 1950 and in statutes, duties have often been relied upon by courts in imposing obligations on the state and on private actors. Taken as a whole, certain broad clusters of environmental duties are visible. These include the duty to protect and prevent environmental harm, the duty to provide the necessary elements for a clean and healthy environment, procedural duties, corporate duties, and the duties towards non-humans. Overall, while the polyvalence of duties makes them critical in imposing affirmative responsibilities and limits to state and corporate power, they also raise urgent questions on the desirability of individuating environmental responsibility.
Conservation and Use of Biological Resources
Authors: Jojan Alphonsa
Published: July 2024

This chapter provides an overview of laws and policies relating to biodiversity conservation and fair, equitable and sustainable use of biological resources and related knowledge in India. The first part of the chapter discusses existing central laws on biodiversity conservation focusing on area-based in situ conservation, agro-biodiversity, and community conservation. The second part of the chapter discusses the legal regime on access and benefit sharing focusing on the concept, access regulations, and benefit sharing aspects along with the existing issues and challenges. The chapter concludes by stating that the legal framework on biodiversity needs to be inclusive, participatory, democratic, equitable, clear, and based on human rights. The chapter also emphasises the need for further research in this area.
Marine Fisheries
Authors: Karnad Divya
Published: July 2024

India’s marine fisheries laws are challenged by complex and dynamic fishers, fishing practices and the marine environment. The country has done well to simultaneously oversee different spaces at the state and national levels, but research on the ground demonstrates that further legal stratification is needed. Laws in India which concern the oceans are oriented towards capitalists furthering the economic growth of the country, while small-scale fishers who are the majority users of the oceans, function as communities interested in their livelihoods and ecological sustainability. These deep disconnects have given rise to communities taking to forming informal legal institutions at the village level, which address their concerns and make sense to them. India’s legal machinery requires a considerable shift to promote the concerns of its fishing citizens, and meet global concerns about climate change, ecological sustainability and providing livelihoods to those living in poverty.
Ecosystems Protection and Wildlife
Authors: Upadhyay Sanjay
Published: July 2024

India has one of the most diverse and rich wildlife and ecosystems in the world. The approach towards conservation of species either involves protecting the species per se, regardless of their habitat or protecting the ecosystem inhabited by the species. In this background, this chapter discusses the evolution of different kinds of ecosystems in the country and examines if the existing legislations address the conflicting environmental, sociological, and economic needs that are specific to ecosystems. It also captures the institutional and administrative arrangements in law and the judicial interventions which continue to shape the discourse around ecosystem protection and wildlife in India.
Environmental Disasters and Climate Change
Authors: Ohdedar Birsha
Published: July 2024

This chapter analyses the legal framework for environmental disasters in India in the context of intensifying climate impacts. The Disaster Management Act, 2005 (DMA) is the primary legal framework governing disasters. In addition, other areas of law, regulation and policy are relevant to each disaster, such as flood plain zoning legislation for floods. The links between these laws and the disaster management framework are significant in providing a coherent response to disasters. This chapter analyses the law and policy framework for environmental disasters through a broad lens by examining disaster-specific laws and broader environmental law and policy. The chapter first analyses the DMA and outlines the institutional and policy framework it produces. It then examines laws relating to specific disasters, such as floods and droughts. Finally, a case study is provided of coastal disasters, which outlines the challenges in coordinating a coherent framework to respond effectively to disasters.
Mining and the Environment
Authors: Sinha Sarvajeet Kumar , Madhav Roopa
Published: July 2024

Mining impacts the environment and the ecosystem. It poses critical challenges for regulators with a range of issues to be addressed: sustainable practices, pollution, mine closure and reclamation, and benefit sharing to balance negative externalities for the present and future generations. This chapter reviews the interface between mining and environmental regulation and examines six key areas in depth: (a) the challenge of making extractive industries align with sustainability goals; (b) protecting the corpus of mineral resources to ensure equitable distribution of resource wealth and also inter-generational equity; (c) efforts to curb illegal mining which contributes to unregulated extraction and significant damage to the environment; (d) preventive measures through the environmental impact assessment mechanism; and finally (e) the institutional effectiveness of regulatory bodies, the robustness of which can ensure long-term environmental protection.
The Bhopal Disaster and the Environment
Authors: Kodiveri Arpitha , Tripathi Salil
Published: July 2024

The industrial disaster in Bhopal, India, in 1984 was catastrophic: nearly 2,000 people died in the immediate hours, and thousands more over the next few years. The Indian subsidiary of an American corporation owned the plant. The Indian government negotiated a settlement with the US corporation, but the compensation process was bureaucratised and many victims are still seeking redress. The chapter highlights how environmental governance and law had to evolve to address concerns relating to industrial disasters. The changes in India’s environmental laws are important, but not sufficient to prevent the recurrence of such incidents. Post-liberalization, India has amended erstwhile strong laws which raise the risk of future accidents.
Penalties and Compensation
Authors: Mehta Dhvani , Sinha Debadityo
Published: July 2024

This chapter examines the different legislative and judicial routes for the imposition of penalties and the award of compensation for harm to the environment. An important aspect is the development of the standard of absolute liability by the Supreme Court of India, the incorporation of the polluter pays principle, and the creation of long-term mechanisms to remediate the long-term harms of activities like the diversion of forest land and mining. The chapter focuses on the manner in which the National Green Tribunal assesses damage to the environment and quantifies compensation. It argues that the Tribunal continues to be influenced by some of the mechanisms used by the Supreme Court to grant compensation, such as the use of expert committees, and calculating compensation as a percentage of the project cost. It further argues that Indian environmental regulation needs compliance and enforcement mechanisms other than the criminal penalties prescribed under its statutes.
Courts and Solid Waste Management in Urban Areas
Authors: Gill Kaveri
Published: July 2024

This chapter examines the invocation of the meta-narrative of the environment in urban governance and solid waste management. It outlines key interventions by the Supreme Court of India resulting in the framing of rules governing solid waste management. It then explores the implications of public interest litigation (PIL). It draws on a particular PIL concerning the informal plastic waste recycling market of Delhi. The chapter uses this to set out an empirical critique of law in action. It explores the PIL’s workings as process, as providing a solution, and as resulting in specific policy and practice. The chapter concludes by pointing to the dangers of the judiciary using the trope of the environment to exercise fiat via the instrument of PIL cases related to solid waste management, not just to disproportionately disregard the well-being and livelihoods of the poor, but ironically, to the actual detriment of the environment.
Economic Instruments and Economic Regulators
Authors: Murty M. N. , Murty Sushama
Published: July 2024

Laws and policies governing environmental management in India make it mandatory for the regulators: government, market, and communities to use various economic instruments for efficient management of the environment. The government uses taxes, prices, and quantities as economic instruments. The market provides incentives to consumers, producers, and stockholders to control pollution through market prices. Local and international communities assume importance in the context of efficient management of local and global commons. Government, market, and communities complement each other with their environmental management policies. In case of market failure, government intervention in the market, and in case of both market and government failure collective action assume importance. Government uses budgetary policy instruments and direct environmental policy instruments. Collective action takes place either as group action to deal with general environmental problems or as community action for the management of local or global common property resources.
PRESENTISM AND THE POLITICS OF HISTORY: REVISITING THE 2022 JAMES SWEET AFFAIR
Authors: Maza Sarah
Published: July 2024

This article revisits the debate over presentism in historical writing touched off by American Historical Association President James Sweet in an August 2022 column for the Association’s newsletter. Sweet’s statement, expressing concern that historians motivated by today’s political concerns sometimes distort historical evidence, sparked a flurry of responses, mostly from detractors in public and supporters in private. Leaders in the profession and writers in the popular press articulated in response a mainstream compromise position: present-day concerns are an entirely legitimate point of departure for historians but must be held in check by respect for research integrity. This article challenges the rhetorical binary between presentism and strict empiricism, arguing that framing the issue in this way downplays the most important characteristic of ‘good history’, interpretive originality. Neither political passion nor scrupulous research suffice to produce great works of history which typically originate in creatively counter-intuitive thinking.
The Political Economy of Seigneurial Lordship in Flanders, c.1250–1570
Authors: Buylaert Frederik , Lambrecht Thijs , Van Gelder Klaas , Cappelle Kaat
Published: July 2024

The recent debate between Chris Wickham and Shami Ghosh exposes different interpretations of the political economy of Europe, with Wickham arguing for the persistence of the feudal economy up to about 1700, and Ghosh imagining a distinct phase in which economic development was not yet capitalist but was no longer decisively shaped by the demands of lords. This article contributes to the discussion with the story of Flanders, where two contrasting trajectories interlocked. On the one hand, coastal Flanders saw the rise of agrarian capitalism from the fourteenth century onwards, when small-scale farms were amalgamated into large agricultural enterprises that relied on the wage-labour of dispossessed peasants and their descendants as well as temporary labour migration from nearby regions. Inland Flanders, by contrast, saw the persistence of a peasant society dominated by small-scale landownership. ‘Middle-class lordship’ was critically important for this divergence. The peasants of inland Flanders acquired an unusual measure of control over seigneurial courts and their regulatory capacities, using them to stimulate the commercialization of society while thwarting experiments with agrarian capitalism. The Flemish evidence thus complicates narratives about feudalism in Europe, showing that the spectrum of possibilities in the political economy of lordship deserves closer scrutiny.
What is in a Day? Investigating the Relationship Between Sleep Quality and Quality of Life Among Caregivers of Children With Autism
Authors: Robeson Mackenzie , Hayes Katey , Rossetti Kristina , Ahlich Erica , Zlomke Kimberly
Published: July 2024

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between sleep quality and quality of life (QOL), or overall level of well-being, in caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on the daily level.

Method:

This study utilizes mobile ecological momentary assessment (mEMA) to capture daily experiences of caregivers of children with ASD over a period of 14 days. Utilizing mEMA, this study examines relations between sleep quality and QOL and the role of mood and physical health as mediators on the daily level, specifically for caregivers of children with ASD (n = 51). The data were analyzed using multilevel modeling by MLMed macro.

Results:

The results suggest that there is a significant positive relation between sleep quality and QOL across individuals. Surprisingly, there was a negative relation between sleep quality and QOL within individuals. The positive relationship between sleep quality and QOL across participants was explained through positive mood across individuals. Furthermore, this relationship also occurred through better physical health across and within individuals.

Conclusion:

For caregivers of children with ASD, daily positive mood and better physical health explain the relationship between daily sleep quality and QOL. Understanding daily experiences of caregivers of children with ASD may inform interventions and practices aimed at improving sleep and its associated outcomes to ultimately improve caregiver well-being.
Relationship between intra-operative urine output and postoperative acute kidney injury in paediatric cardiac surgery
Authors: Bie Dongyun , Li Yinan , Wang Hongbai , Liu Qiao , Dou Dou , Jia Yuan , Yuan Su , Li Qi , Wang Jianhui , Yan Fuxia
Published: July 2024

BACKGROUND

Intra-operative urine output (UO) has been shown to predict postoperative acute kidney injury (AKI) in adults; however, its significance in children undergoing cardiac surgery remains unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the association between intra-operative UO and postoperative AKI in children with congenital heart disease.

DESIGN

A retrospective observational study.

SETTING

A tertiary hospital.

PATIENTS

Children aged >28 days and <6 years who underwent cardiac surgery at Fuwai Hospital from 1 April 2022 to 30 August 2022.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

AKI was identified by the highest serum creatinine value within postoperative 7 days using Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria.

RESULTS

In total, 1184 children were included. The incidence of AKI was 23.1% (273/1184), of which 17.7% (209/1184) were stage 1, 4.2% (50/1184) were stage 2, and others were stage 3 (1.2%, 14/1184). Intra-operative UO was calculated by dividing the total intra-operative urine volume by the duration of surgery and the actual body weight measured before surgery. There was no significant difference in median [IQR] intra-operative UO between the AKI and non-AKI groups (2.6 [1.4 to 5.4] and 2.7 [1.4 to 4.9], respectively, P = 0.791), and multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that intra-operative UO was not associated with postoperative AKI [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 0.971; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.930 to 1.014; P = 0.182]. Regarding the clinical importance of severe forms of AKI, we further explored the association between intra-operative UO and postoperative moderate-to-severe AKI (adjusted OR 0.914; 95% CI, 0.838 to 0.998; P = 0.046).

CONCLUSIONS

Intra-operative UO was not associated with postoperative AKI during paediatric cardiac surgery. However, we found a significant association between UO and postoperative moderate-to-severe AKI. This suggests that reductions in intra-operative urine output below a specific threshold may be associated with postoperative renal dysfunction.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT05489263.
Optimal Teicoplanin Trough Concentration With Therapeutic Drug Monitoring in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
Authors: Hanai Yuki , Oda Kazutaka , Ueda Takashi , Matsumoto Kazuaki , Murakami Lisa , Uekusa Shusuke , Ohashi Hayato , Nishimura Koji , Takesue Yoshio , Matsuo Kazuhiro
Published: July 2024

Background:

Teicoplanin is used to treat serious Gram-positive bacterial infections. However, the optimal trough concentrations for pediatric patients remain unclear owing to the lack of monitoring guidelines. This study aimed to determine the optimal teicoplanin trough concentration for treating Gram-positive bacterial infections in children.

Methods:

A systematic review was conducted using 4 databases. Stepwise cutoffs within the range of 10–30 mcg/mL were used for efficacy and safety. Studies were included if they reported treatment success rates and/or all-cause mortality, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity, and thrombocytopenia according to the trough concentration.

Results:

The meta-analysis included 12 studies involving 830 pediatric patients. Teicoplanin cutoff values of 10, 15, 20, and 30 mcg/mL were reported in 9, 8, 9, and 2 studies, respectively. Trough concentrations <10 mcg/mL significantly reduced the treatment success rate, with an odds ratio of 0.07 and a 95% confidence interval ranging from 0.01 to 0.40. The overall treatment success rate was 50.0% versus 95.7% observed at concentrations ≥10 mcg/mL. However, no significant difference was observed at the 15-, 20-, and 30-mcg/mL cutoffs, when compared with lower concentrations. Trough concentrations <20 mcg/mL were associated with a decreased risk of nephrotoxicity (odds ratio = 0.21; 95% confidence interval, 0.08–0.55). However, hepatotoxicity and thrombocytopenia showed no significant associations with trough concentration ranges between 10 and 30 mcg/mL.

Conclusions:

Although further prospective studies are required for validation, the authors' findings suggest that 10- to 20-mcg/mL teicoplanin is the optimal trough concentration for enhanced clinical success and reduced toxicity in pediatric patients.
Association of Atopic Dermatitis and Risk of Glaucoma Surgery: A Global Population-Based Study
Authors: Chu Yung-Yu , Lee Chia-Yi , Huang Wei-Yu , Lin Ju-Kuo , Liu Ching-Chih , Lin Hsing-Ying , Ho Chung-Han , Chen Yi-Chen , Kuo Shu-Chun
Published: July 2024

Précis:

Severe atopic dermatitis (AD) in patients with glaucoma heightens the risk of requiring surgical intervention, necessitating prompt specialist care and strict surveillance.

Objective:

The impact of AD on the prognosis of patients with glaucoma is rarely studied. This study aims to assess the risk of requiring glaucoma surgery among patients with glaucoma with and without AD.

Materials and Methods:

In this retrospective cohort analysis, we assessed patients with glaucoma initially diagnosed from December 5, 2003 to December 3, 2018 using the TriNetX database, dividing them into AD and non-AD cohorts. 1:1 propensity-score matching created balanced groups for baseline traits and comorbidities. We compared the cohorts’ risk and cumulative incidence of needing glaucoma surgery (minimally invasive glaucoma surgery, trabeculectomy, aqueous shunt, or transscleral cyclophotocoagulation). A subgroup analysis was also conducted for patients with severe AD.

Results:

Out of 528,469 patients with glaucoma, 2624 were in the AD group. Among the AD group, 584 had severe AD. The AD group showed a comparable risk of requiring surgery to the non-AD group (hazard ratio: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.72, 1.47). In contrast, the severe AD group demonstrated a significantly greater risk and cumulative incidence of surgery (hazard ratio: 2.80; 95% CI: 1.37, 5.73; log-rank P = 0.003) compared with the non-AD group.

Conclusion:

Patients with glaucoma with severe AD are significantly more likely to need surgical intervention, with AD severity being a correlating factor for increased risk.
Assessing Clinical Judgment and AACN Domains in Self-Reflection of Video Recorded High-Fidelity Simulation Scenarios
Authors: Bussard Michelle E. , Jacobs Lisa
Published: July 2024

Background:

Clinical judgment is the hallmark of safe patient care. Nurse educators continue to explore best practices to assist prelicensure nursing students in developing clinical judgment.

Purpose:

The 3-part purpose of this study was to identify what students learned about themselves related to clinical judgment after viewing their video-recorded high-fidelity simulation scenarios, to assess if video recording is an effective post-debriefing teaching strategy, and to evaluate if the 2021 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Domains can be assessed longitudinally.

Methods:

Qualitative interpretive description study of 37 prelicensure nursing students.

Results:

Ten codes were derived from 314 excerpts: communication, body language, confidence in self, putting data together, collaboration, leadership, safety, skillfulness, areas of improvement, and growth.

Conclusions:

Longitudinal data showcased the development of clinical judgment, effectiveness of self-evaluation of video recorded simulations as a teaching strategy, and assessment of 5 AACN Domains.
Non-inferiority Study Design: Application to Clinical Trials
Authors: Wong Gordon C. , Kotsis Sandra V. , Kim H. Myra , Chung Kevin C.
Published: July 2024

Non-inferiority trials, a distinct category within randomized controlled trials, are garnering increased attention in medical research. Their unique and evolving role comes to the forefront in scenarios where new treatments, despite not surpassing the efficacy of an existing standard, bring additional benefits like reduced side effects, enhanced compliance, or cost savings. As the field of surgery witnesses a growing number of published non-inferiority trials, it becomes imperative for surgeons to grasp the intricacies of this trial type to accurately decipher and interpret their outcomes.
The Effects of COVID-19 in Kidney Transplantation: Evidence From Tissue Pathology
Authors: Nankivell Brian J. , P’ng Chow , Tran Thomas , Draper Jenny , Ko Danny , Luu Ivan , Basile Kerri , Kable Kathy , Sciberras Frederika , Wong Germaine , Kok Jen
Published: July 2024

Background.

The biological effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in transplanted kidneys are uncertain with little pathological information.

Methods.

This single-center, prospective observational study evaluated kidney transplant biopsies from recipients of deceased donors with COVID-19, current recipients contracting SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in 2022, against prior BK virus (BKV) infection and uninfected (without SARS-CoV-2 or BKV) samples, as respective positive and negative comparators (n = 503 samples).

Results.

We demonstrated nonvirus tubular injury in implanted tissue from infected donors and prevalent recipients with mild acute COVID-19 and acute kidney injury, excluding direct viral infection as a cause of kidney damage. COVID particles were absent in 4116 ultrastructural images of 295 renal tubules from 4 patients with acute COVID-19. No viral cytopathic effect, viral allograft nephropathy, or SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected in acute tissues, nor in 128 sequential samples from infected donors or recipients with COVID-19. Following recipient COVID-19 (mean 16.8 ± 12.0 wk post-infection), the biopsy-prevalence of rejection was 33.0% (n = 100 biopsies) versus 13.4% for contemporaneous uninfected controls (n = 337; P < 0.001). Prior COVID-19 was an independent risk factor for incident rejection using multivariable generalized estimating equation adjusted for competing risks (odds ratio, 2.195; 95% confidence interval, 1.189-4.052; P = 0.012). Landmark and matched-pair analyses confirmed an association of SARS-CoV-2 with subsequent transplant rejection, with a similar pattern following BKV infection.

Conclusions.

Transplantation from COVID-19+ deceased donors yielded good recipient outcomes without evidence of viral tissue transmission. Acute kidney injury during COVID-19 was mediated by archetypical tubular injury and infection correlated with an increased risk of subsequent rejection.
Biomarkers in Kidney Transplantation: A Rapidly Evolving Landscape
Authors: Gupta Gaurav , Athreya Akshay , Kataria Ashish
Published: July 2024

The last decade has seen an explosion in clinical research focusing on the use of noninvasive biomarkers in kidney transplantation. Much of the published literature focuses on donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA). Although initially studied as a noninvasive means of identifying acute rejection, it is now clear that dd-cfDNA is more appropriately described as a marker of severe injury and irrespective of the etiology, elevated dd-cfDNA ≥0.5% portends worse graft outcomes. Blood gene expression profiling is also commercially available and has mostly been studied in the context of early identification of subclinical rejection, although additional data is needed to validate these findings. Torque teno virus, a ubiquitous DNA virus, has emerged as a biomarker of immunosuppression exposure as peripheral blood Torque teno virus copy numbers might mirror the intensity of host immunosuppression. Urinary chemokine tests including C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 9 and C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 have recently been assessed in large clinical trials and hold promising potential for early diagnosis of both subclinical and acute rejection, as well as, for long-term prognosis. Urinary cellular messenger RNA and exosome vesicular RNA based studies require additional validation. Although current data does not lend itself to conclusion, future studies on multimodality testing may reveal the utility of serial surveillance for individualization of immunosuppression and identify windows of opportunity to intervene early and before the irreversible allograft injury sets in.