bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Migration, Informality, and Unequal Exchange in the Context of the Mexico–US Regional Integration Process
Authors: Delgado Wise Raúl , Anguiano Francisco Caballero , Gaspar Olvera Selene
Published: December 2023

This paper analyzes the complex relationship between migration and informality in the context of the Mexico–US asymmetric and subordinated regional integration process under neoliberalism. It argues that one of the main drivers of contemporary Mexican migration is the uneven distribution of the informal sector—and more precisely, the industrial reserve army of labor—among both countries. In this regard, Mexico operates as a strategic zone of reserve and social reproduction of workforce to satisfy the growing labor demand in the United States through migration. This reveals that the reproduction of the reserve labor army is essentially transnational in nature. The main link between migration and informality from below is through remittances: they serve as a fundamental component for family reproduction and for the procreation of a transnational core labor force that exerts pressure on wages on both sides of the border. Within the framework of the dynamics of informality from above, a growing flow of skilled and highly skilled Mexican migration to the United States has been unleashed, accompanied by aggressive government policies to attract talent in synchronization with the strengthening of innovation and knowledge-intensive activities in that country. We conclude that a critical aspect of informality from above, which reinforces informality from below, is the dismantling and disarticulation of Mexico’s productive apparatus in order to rearticulate it to the United States economy through the installation of export-oriented platforms that operate under an enclave logic, with imported components and under tax exemption regimes.
Day care availability and awareness of gendered economic risks: How they shape work and care norms
Authors: Büchau Silke , Philipp Marie-Fleur , Schober Pia S , Spiess C Katharina
Published: December 2023

Family policies not only provide money, time and infrastructure to families, but also convey normative assumptions about what is considered desirable or acceptable in paid work and family care. This study conceptualises and empirically investigates how priming respondents with brief media report-like information on existing day care policy entitlements and economic consequences of maternal employment interruptions may change personal normative judgements about parental work–care arrangements. Furthermore, we analyse whether these effects differ between groups of respondents assumed to vary in their degree of affectedness by the information as well as previous knowledge. The theoretical framework builds on the concept of normative policy feedback effects combined with social norm theory and human cognition theories. The study is based on a fully randomized survey experiment combined with a vignette experiment in Wave 12 of the German Family Panel (pairfam). It applies linear and ordinal logistic regressions with cluster-robust standard errors to a sample of 5,783 respondents. Our results suggest that priming respondents with information on day care policy and long-term economic risks of maternal employment interruptions increases acceptance of intensive day care use across the full sample and especially for mothers with children below school entry age. It further increases support for longer maternal hours spent in paid work among childless women and mothers with school-aged children. Norms regarding paternal working hours are largely unaffected by the information given in this survey experiment.
Factorial survival analysis for treatment effects under dependent censoring
Authors: Emura Takeshi , Ditzhaus Marc , Dobler Dennis , Murotani Kenta
Published: December 2023

Factorial analyses offer a powerful nonparametric means to detect main or interaction effects among multiple treatments. For survival outcomes, for example, from clinical trials, such techniques can be adopted for comparing reasonable quantifications of treatment effects. The key difficulty to solve in survival analysis concerns the proper handling of censoring. So far, all existing factorial analyses for survival data have been developed under the independent censoring assumption, which is too strong for many applications. As a solution, the central aim of this article is to develop new methods for factorial survival analyses under quite general dependent censoring regimes. This will be accomplished by combining existing nonparametric methods for factorial survival analyses with techniques developed for survival copula models. As a result, we will present an appealing F-test that exhibits sound performance in our simulation study. The new methods are illustrated in a real data analysis. We implement the proposed method in an R function surv.factorial(.) in the R package compound.Cox.
Slow ecology: Local knowledge and natural restoration on the lower Danube
Authors: Şerban Stelu
Published: December 2023

In the first half of the 2000s, one project to restore the former Danube floodplain was carried out in Belene, a marginal town on the Bulgarian Danube. The aim of this article is to record the practices that were already in place before the interventions on the Danube, as part of a heterogeneous local knowledge that had an alternative vision to the scientific knowledge of experts involved in the restoration project. The data comes from qualitative interviews with locals and experts implicated in this project, as well as ethnographic observations from the fieldwork I carried out in 2013–2014, 2020 and 2022. The conclusion is that without attempting to replace the scientific knowledge, the locals aim to impose, through their local knowledge, a sort of slow ecology that eases the pace of the restoration of the former Danube floodplains.
Rarity and endangerment: Why do they matter?
Authors: James Simon P
Published: December 2023

It is often supposed that valuable organisms are more valuable if they are rare. Likewise if they belong to endangered species. I consider what kinds of value rarity and endangerment can add in such cases. I argue that individual organisms of a valuable species typically have instrumental value as means to the end of preserving their species. This progenitive value, I suggest, tends to increase exponentially with rarity. Endlings, for their part, typically have little progenitive value; however, I argue that they may nonetheless have persistence value because, merely by existing, they postpone the numerical extinction of their species. Finally, I propose that a sentient endling can have higher lifeworld value than it would have had were it not the last of its kind. This, I argue, is because when a sentient endling dies, very little of its lifeworld is preserved – and this, I suggest, can be a bad thing.
Normative implications of ecophenomenology. Towards a deep anthropo-related environmental ethics
Authors: Meyer Kira
Published: December 2023

Corporeality of human beings should be taken seriously and be included in their self-understanding as the ‘nature we are ourselves’. Such an ecophenomenological account has important normative implications. Firstly, I argue that the instrumental value of nature can be particularly well justified based on an ecophenomenological approach. Secondly, sentience is inseparable from corporeality. Therefore, insofar as it is a concern of the ecophenomenological approach to take corporeality and its implications seriously, sentient beings deserve direct moral consideration. Thirdly, it can strengthen the so-far underestimated category of eudaimonic values of nature, which can be best developed through an ecophenomenological reconstruction. Taken together, ecophenomenology is vital for environmental ethics and helps us to leave behind its widespread ‘centrism’. Ecophenomenology should therefore, both methodically and philosophically, be included in the discussion of environmental ethical problems.
Unearthing intentionality: Building transformative capacity by reclaiming consciousness
Authors: Schmid Benedikt , Nesterova Iana
Published: December 2023

In transformation research of late, accounts on the relation between intentionality and agency on the one hand, and the more routinised and structured side of social co-existence on the other, are increasingly nuanced. However, we observe a deficiency in the way arguments are set up by the interlocutors: both, scholars who grant intentionality a central role and those who emphasise its limitations generally do so at the level of ontology – debating degrees of human capacity for conscious planning versus a largely unconscious reproduction. We wish to shift this question from an ontological to a pedagogical one, exploring possibilities to cultivate and learn intentionality. We do so by developing the concept of consciousness-in-nature that we derive from, and contextualise in, the traditions of deep ecology and (Westernised) Buddhism which both view human beings as inseparable from nature and one another. With consciousness-in-nature we refer to an understanding of humans as a part of nature that has developed the capacity for (self-) reflection and deliberation – a capacity that is not static or firm but can be nurtured and cultivated or clouded over and subdued. From this standpoint, we lay out an understanding of the role of (re)learning consciousness for processes of social change and explore potentials for its nurturing.
Mud, metaphors and politics: Meaning-making during the 2021 German floods
Authors: Nerlich Brigitte , Jaspal Rusi
Published: December 2023

On 14 July 2021, the western states of Germany, Rheinland Palatinate and North-Rhein-Westphalia experienced major flash floods and about two hundred people died. This article explores how those affected and journalists they spoke to created meaning from the mayhem of an unprecedented disaster and how social representations of flooding emerged in which language, politics and values were intimately intertwined. Combining thematic analysis with elements of social representations theory, and analysing a sample of articles from a national news magazine, we show how social representations of the floods were shaped by the objectification of the floods through metonymy (mud and debris) and the anchoring of the floods through personification and metaphors (natural and mechanical forces), thus adding a new dimension to the existing body of work on flood and metaphors. We claim that the immediate focus on the extreme force of the 2021 floods, on the one hand, and the weakness of political response, on the other, may entrench feelings of helplessness and divert attention away from more systematic and long-term engagement with flood dangers in the context of climate change, including extreme weather events.
The ‘civic-transformative’ value of urban street trees
Authors: Harrison Oliver
Published: December 2023

Urban street trees (USTs) have a range of values – some of which are easier to quantify than others. Focusing specifically on the UK context and using the Sheffield Tree Protests (2012–) as a case study, whilst confirming existing research as to the variety of values associated with their specifically ‘cultural’ services, the article argues that USTs have an additional potential form – what I call ‘civic-transformative value’. This form of value has at least three key characteristics. Firstly, it is place-based and communal; second, its form is ‘relational’; and finally, as intrinsically contingent, it is pluralistic in the sense that its civic-transformative potential is dependent on successfully integrating a range of other values. The article emphasises both the possibility and necessity of ‘convergence’ – that is, a pluralistic and pragmatic alliance of values which might help protect not only USTs, but other embattled sites of nature.
Being of deep transformations: A personal journey inspired by Clive L. Spash
Authors: Nesterova Iana
Published: December 2023

The works of Clive L. Spash provided inspiration to many. In the case of my own theoretical and philosophical journey, Spash's social-ecological economics became an important grounding. However, apart from directing this journey, his works have been a major influence in another domain: the domain of my personal being in and relating with the world. This paper explicates this side of Spash's influence. The paper's roots specifically go back to Spash’s work on new foundations for ecological economics and the invitation he extended to his fellow humans to act personally and consistently with one's environmental and social values. Far from glorifying the mode of being, here referred to as being of deep transformations, I aim to draw others’ attention to the challenges and constraints.
Who owns NATURE? Conceptual appropriation in discourses on climate and biotechnologies
Authors: Hopster Jeroen K.G. , Gerola Alessio , Hofbauer Ben , Löhr Guido , Rijssenbeek Julia , Korenhof Paulan
Published: December 2023

Emerging technologies can have profound conceptual implications. Their emergence frequently calls for the articulation of new concepts, or for modifications and novel applications of concepts that are already entrenched in communication and thought. In this paper, we introduce the notion of “conceptual appropriation” to capture the dynamics between concepts and emerging technologies. By conceptual appropriation, we mean the novel application of a value-laden concept to lay a contestable claim on an underdetermined phenomenon. We illustrate the dynamics of conceptual appropriation by analyzing the concept NATURE and its uptake in three discourses of emerging technology: cellular agriculture, solar geo-engineering, and biomimicry. We argue that NATURE and its cognate NATURALNESS are strongly valanced concepts upon which different stakeholders lay a claim. In doing so, stakeholders advance distinct conceptions of nature, typically to suit their own interests. Our case-studies illustrate how in discourses on emerging technology, the application of value-concepts is entangled with ideological stakes and power dynamics.
Promises and pitfalls of environmental pragmatism
Authors: Rydenfelt Henrik
Published: December 2023

Environmental pragmatism has faced numerous criticisms for relativism and crude instrumentalism as well as for sidestepping the fundamental concerns of environmental ethics. Recently, Andre Santos Campos and Sofia Guedes Vaz have proposed a new ‘method’ of environmental pragmatism, justificatory moral pluralism, with the aim of overcoming these criticisms. It is argued that this new approach is plagued by the traditional concerns. Instead, the pitfalls of pragmatism can be avoided by adopting the central insight of the classical pragmatists that values may be revised in light of experience in a process that resembles scientific inquiry. The resulting view may not be satisfying for those who expect pragmatism to live up to its periodic promise of immediate and concrete results. Nevertheless, pragmatism presents the environmental ethicist with a range of promising tasks.
A social and ethical game-changer? An empirical ethics study of CRISPR in the salmon farming industry
Authors: Winther Hannah , Blix Torill , Holm Lotte , Myhr Anne Ingeborg , Myskja Bjørn
Published: December 2023

The genome editing technology CRISPR is described as a technological game-changer because of its flexibility and precision, and as an ethical game-changer due to its ability to engineer traits in living organisms without crossing species, avoiding a significant objection to genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In salmon farming, applications of CRISPR in breeding hold the promise of handling environmental and fish welfare challenges yet require social acceptance. Adopting an empirical bioethics framework, this stakeholder interview study shows that respecting species borders is important, but not decisive, for acceptance among Norwegian stakeholders. The main objections are based on moral reflections about technology use and outcomes. These reflections combine principles and pragmatic deliberations of moral costs and benefits, suggesting that CRISPR applications with environmentally and ethically significant benefits can be socially acceptable. This indicates that the game-changing potential of CRISPR relies on the characteristics of the editing and the context in which the application takes place.
Bring Back Philosophy: The Roots of Both Business and Ethics
Authors: Jasinska Aleksandra
Published: December 2023

Managers face increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous situations that are more and more challenging to navigate. Ethical decision-making has become particularly complicated considering that codes, frameworks and protocols have proven deficient in resolving moral dilemmas. Managers’ unpreparedness to handle such challenges reflects the ineffectiveness of business ethics education, calling for new approaches towards training managers. This article makes a case for transforming business ethics education by taking it back to its roots. This implies the re-incorporation of its foundational discipline: philosophy. Philosophy offers a rigorous approach for decision-making, which helps managers face the unknown. It helps them analyse situations from different perspectives, reconsider how things are done and examine the underlying premises of their thinking. It can strengthen one of the most central managerial competencies: the ability to reason, especially ethically. As the foundational discipline of business, ethics and their intersect, philosophy is uniquely positioned to elevate business ethics education for managers at all levels. It can help current and future managers to reflect more deeply and critically on the ethical issues they face.
The adaptive sliding synchronization of uncertain Duffing-Holmes fractional-order chaotic systems with dead-zone
Authors: Najafabadi Samaneh Payandeh , Hashemi Mahnaz
Published: December 2023

This article investigates the problem of adaptive sliding synchronization for Duffing-Holmes fractional-order chaotic systems in the presence of dead-zone, disturbance, and uncertainty. It starts by estimating dead-zone parameters, and then adaptive laws are used to compensate the dead-zone parameters. In the second step, a sliding mode controller is designed so that the slave system can follow the master system. The fractional type of Lyapunov is implemented to prove stability. The proposed adaptive sliding mode controller guarantees the asymptotic stability of system despite the presence of the dead-zone and uncertainty. Simulation results show the validity and effectiveness of the proposed controller for synchronization of Duffing-Holmes fractional-order chaotic systems perturbed by the dead-zone, disturbance, and uncertainty.
Band gaps and dynamics of locally resonant meta-plate with stiffness adjustable low frequency resonator
Authors: Xu Y , Hao YX , Zhang W , Huang XL , Liu LT
Published: December 2023

This paper presents the band gaps and dynamics of locally resonant meta-plate with stiffness micro-adjustable high static and low dynamic resonator, in which a Euler-buckled beam provides negative stiffness. The resonator is periodically installed on a thin plate through a threaded linkage. By changing the axial displacement of the buckled beam, the total stiffness of the resonator is adjusted. Through the static analysis, the critical axial compression required for the buckled beam to provide negative stiffness is discussed. With the help of classical thin plate theory, the dynamic equation of the system is obtained. The band gaps of the locally resonant meta-plate are calculated by employing the plane wave expansion method. Considering the simply supported boundary condition, dynamic responses of the finite size locally resonant plate are shown with the aid of numerical simulation. The effects of the axial compression of the buckled beam, the mass of resonator, the damping of oscillators and plates, and spring stiffness of the system on the band gap are analyzed in detail.
Financial Insecurity Among Medicaid Home Care Aides in Washington State
Authors: Chae Hwa Young , Banijamali Sahar
Published: December 2023

This study aims to explore the financial status of Medicaid Home Care Aides (HCAs) working in Washington State (WA). This study importantly covers both economic and psychological components of financial insecurity, a comprehensive approach that may help advance policy development for HCAs’ financial security. An online survey was conducted from April to May 2019 among employed WA HCAs. The descriptive analyses were conducted using Stata. About two-thirds earned less than $30,000 annually (62%) from all their jobs combined, including non-caregiving work. Over 1 in 4 reported having over $40 k in long-term debt (28%). More than 3 in 4 reported they could only cover housing and basic living expenses using savings for less than 2 months (76%), showing likely unreadiness for sudden financial shocks (financial vulnerability). Nearly 3 in 4 HCAs (73%) experienced at least one material hardship that include housing hardship, utilities hardship, medical hardship, and food insecurity. One in 4 expressed their financial stress was severe. More WA HCAs experienced material hardships (73%) than U.S. low-income families (64.2%). In 2021, the median annual wage for WA HCAs was about 20% higher than the national one; however, their wages still remain below the living wage. In conclusion, although WA HCAs’ wages are comparable to national averages, they still experience financial vulnerability and material hardships. Therefore, achieving living wages is necessary for WA HCAs.
Increased Rate of Familial Mediterranean Fever in Children With ADHD: A Population-Based Case-Control Study
Authors: Merzon Eugene , Israel Ariel , Krone Beth , Medvejer Shani , Cohen Shira , Green Ilan , Golan-Cohen Avivit , Vinker Shlomo , Faraone Stephen V. , Newcorn Jeffrey H. , Ashkenazi Shai , Weizman Abraham , Manor Iris
Published: December 2023

Objective:

There is growing evidence of involvement of inflammatory mechanisms in ADHD. Previous studies found significantly higher rates of ADHD among children with FMF. The present study examined the rate of exposure to FMF in children with a later (within a 5-year period) diagnosis of ADHD compared to non-ADHD children.

Methods:

A population-based case-control study of all children (<18 years) registered in Leumit Health Services during 01.01.2006 to 06.30.2021. All cases met ICD-9/10 criteria for ADHD. They were matched by age, sex, and socioeconomic status on a 1:2 rate to randomly selected non-ADHD controls.

Results:

Fifty-six (0.30%) children with ADHD ( N = 18,756) were previously diagnosed with FMF compared to 65 of 37,512 controls (0.17%). A significant, independent association existed between a preceding FMF diagnosis and a later ADHD diagnosis [OR = 1.72 (95% CI 1.18–2.51); p = .003].

Conclusions:

The mechanisms underlying the association w between FMF and later ADHD diagnosis merit further elucidation.
GPU-based molecular dynamics of fluid flows: Reaching for turbulence
Authors: Pavlov Daniil , Galigerov Vladislav , Kolotinskii Daniil , Nikolskiy Vsevolod , Stegailov Vladimir
Published: December 2023

Fluid dynamics is a ubiquitous problem that arises in different branches of science and industry. It is usually tackled by numerically solving continuum Navier-Stokes type equations. Molecular dynamics has been not a feasible tool to approach fluid dynamics until very recently due to its disproportional computational complexity for relevant system sizes. In this paper, we propose a new type of boundary conditions for molecular dynamics simulations of stationary fluid flows and present its possible GPU-based implementations in OpenMM and LAMMPS. We examine the performance and scalability of the proposed implementations. The benchmarking results show promising performance that makes it possible to reach turbulence in atomistic models of stationary fluid flows using modern supercomputers.
Identity tensions of in-service teacher educators: A narrative inquiry
Authors: Eryılmaz Rukiye , Dikilitaş Kenan
Published: December 2023

Despite the growing research on teachers’ identity tensions, the tensions experienced by teacher educators, especially that of in-service teacher educators, remain underexplored. To address this issue, this narrative inquiry investigates the identity tensions of English language teachers who concurrently perform the role of in-service teacher educators. The data consists of semi-structured interviews, narrative frames, and visual documents. The thematic analysis of the findings suggested that the participants experienced tensions at three levels: interpersonal, intrapersonal, and institutional. While coping with these tensions, they developed new interpersonal skills, continued their professional learning, received peer and mentor support, engaged in other communities of practice, and persisted on finding their own ways of developing. The study concludes that although tensions unsettle professional identity development, they might still offer new developmental trajectories and help in-service teacher educators strengthen their identity.
Biographical disruption, redefinition, and recovery: Illness identities of women with depression and diabetes
Authors: Potter Deborah A
Published: December 2023

The rich conceptual literature on illness experiences has been based largely on singular diseases/conditions. However, over the last few decades, more complex disease patterns and increased longevity have complicated our understanding of how people experience illness. This study builds upon existing theoretical constructs (e.g. biographical disruption) to more robustly capture the illness experiences of those living with multi-morbid conditions. In-depth interviews, examining the post-diagnostic experiences of women living simultaneously with common somatic (diabetes) and psychiatric (clinical depression) conditions, revealed participants’ evolving socially embedded illness identity, as they engaged in (re-)constructing new biographies. Socially contextualized situations shaped and were shaped by their illness identity as they managed social relationships, medication use, and choice of providers. Although diagnosed for years, many continued to have lives in upheaval. While most experienced crumbling self-images and described disrupted biographies, others experienced different trajectories with corresponding illness identities. A new typology emerged, extending Bury’s concept of disrupted biographies to encompass redefined, and recovered, biographies, within and across the comorbid conditions.
Perceptions of data journalism and its impact on democratising Arab news media
Authors: Jebril Nael , Altef Safea
Published: December 2023

This study explores the perceptions of data journalism among specialised Arab audiences in the context of declining trust in media and government institutions. Through interviews with respondents from data-processing fields and NGOs, this study examines the perceived effectiveness of data journalism in informing audiences, its credibility compared to existing forms of journalism, and its potential and limitations in democratising the regional media environment. The findings revealed that the perceived effectiveness of data journalism lies in its ability to validate misleading information, provide direction for decision-making, and distinguish itself from common information found on social media or other public sites. This was achieved by offering context, presenting evidence, and supporting claims. However, data journalism is also viewed sceptically, as its perceived ability to inform audiences depends on context and audience. Moreover, the potential for data journalism to democratise the region’s media environment faces constraints beyond the structural and individual limits highlighted in previous studies. It encompasses matters related to journalistic practice and integrity, impacting other forms of journalism in the region.
Interventions for mitigating occupational stress for professional dementia caregivers in residential aged care: A systematic review with meta-analysis
Authors: Antipas Hayley , Tamplin Jeanette , Vieira Sousa Tanara , Baker Felicity A.
Published: December 2023

Objective

Occupational stress in professional dementia caregivers in residential aged care facilities has adverse effects on care quality, caregivers’ health, and workforce sustainability. The purpose of this study was to examine the evidence regarding interventions to mitigate occupational stress for this population.

Methods

A systematic review of CINAHL, PsycINFO, PubMed and MEDLINE databases was conducted to identify original RCT research reporting on stress interventions, published in English between 1995 and March 2022. Search results were screened by two independent reviewers. Quality and risk of bias were appraised using the Downs and Black Checklist and Risk of Bias by two reviewers. Meta-analysis and subgroup analysis examined the pooled intervention effects on stress compared to control.

Results

10 studies met the inclusion criteria, and these reported on 15 interventions and 28 outcomes from 92 facilities, involving 1,397 caregivers. We found a small and insignificant effect of interventions on caregiver stress (g = −.27, p = .16). Heterogeneity was partially explained by subgroup analysis. Interventions can mitigate stress and burden not attributed to client behaviour ( n = 3) (g = −.85, p < .001), and improve caregivers’ self-efficacy ( n = 4) (g = −.35, p = .07). We were unable to determine the most effective type of intervention, although organisation focused interventions showed the greatest potential (g = −.58, p = .08).

Conclusion

Interventions that improve caregivers’ personal and organisational resources can reduce non-client associated stress and burden and increase self-efficacy. Aged care providers are recommended to prioritise education with organisational support interventions. Research on longitudinal effects and high-risk caregivers is required. Limitations are discussed.

Prospero Registration Number

CRD42022313715 (registered April 2022).
Functional Communication Training Without the Removal of a Tangible Item
Authors: Cosottile David W. , Exline Emily , Akers Jessica S. , Gerow Stephanie , Swensson Remington
Published: December 2023

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) engage in challenging behavior that can result in missing out on potential reinforcers. A common intervention for challenging behavior is functional communication training (FCT). In FCT, the clinician reinforces an appropriate communicative response using the same reinforcer maintaining the challenging behavior. In some cases, the challenging behavior is too severe for traditional FCT procedures to efficiently teach a new response. In this case study, we treated a 4-year-old boy with ASD referred to as Mostafa using a modified version of FCT. We did not include a typical component of traditional FCT procedures – the removal of the putative reinforcer prior to the trial. Instead, we provided components of toys and games contingent on the appropriate communication response. None of the components had to be removed to continue conducting learning trials. Mostafa’s communication increased and challenging behavior decreased as a result of this modification. This modification may be useful for other cases in which the removal of a tangible item interferes with learning a communication response.
Slow-Looking at Transformative Learning Through the Lens of Enactivism
Authors: Sim Eunbi , Nicolaides Aliki
Published: December 2023

Jack Mezirow’s (1978, 1991, and 2008) transformative learning (TL) theory was developed with transforming society in mind. However, that intent has been overshadowed by a dominant focus on individual transformation and a rational cognitive approach to critically assessing assumptions as the path to transformation. We (the authors) wonder what happens to the societal side of TL theory when we put it in dialog with enactivism. Reading TL theory in this way illuminates the interdependent intention that self and society are inextricably linked. This conceptual article proposes that TL theory is best understood as an ongoing process of transforming ways of knowing, doing, and being through dynamic intra-actions, ontological entanglements, and appreciation of we-ness. Slow-looking at the implicit intra-actions that TL theory is grounded on will contribute to decolonizing the dominant dualistic view of seeing self and society as separate, making the potential for transformation of self and society more visible.
Dissonance, Disagreement, Difference: Challenging Thematic Consensus to Decolonise Grounded Theory
Authors: McGaw Janet , Vance Alasdair
Published: December 2023

Over the past two decades researchers have been exploring new hybrid methodologies to decolonise Indigenous mental health research. Grounded Theory with Community Participatory Action Research (CPAR), often using Indigenist methods, is the most common. Grounded Theory’s claim to rigour is its transparent, organised process of sifting and theme finding, while CPAR respects Indigenous self-determination and Indigenous ways of knowing doing and being, involving Indigenous research participants in all stages of the research from data collection to analysis. On the surface it would seem to be the ideal methodological approach to navigate the cultural divide. However, this article will argue that Grounded Theory’s inherent weakness is in the process of thematic analysis, which uses consensus during the analysis phase to find dominant themes. Drawing on the social systems theory of Niklas Luhmann and the political theory of Chantal Mouffe, this article will argue for a group process of “agonistic pluralism” instead. Searching for shared truths has a tendency to smooth out differences. The article proposes an approach for configuring a research team and conducting team analysis that struggles with, and accounts for, dissonances, disagreements and differences. Furthermore, it argues these differences should be recorded as important findings along with agreed themes. The approach has been developed to explore community perspectives on the relationship between culture and health, and in turn, to develop culturally appropriate mental health therapies for First Nations young people within a Western paediatric hospital.
A Network-gene-mutation-based model for large network dynamic application reliability evaluation
Authors: Zheng Xiangyu , Huang Ning , Yi Zhiwei
Published: December 2023

Network evolution model (NEM) is a framework proposed recently for dynamic application reliability evaluation which integrates various factors that affect application failure. The existing component-based NEM relies on an exhaustive enumeration of all potential states of network components, which can lead to a computational bottleneck, especially when dealing with large networks. Therefore, to tackle this challenge, this paper presents a Network-gene-mutation-based NEM. The model introduces novel concepts of Network-cells and Network-genes inspired by the gene-cell-function model framework used in system biology to address complex disease problems. Network-cells are constructed according to the statistical classification of components. Network-genes are constructed by the average failure rate of components within a Network-cell. Dynamic network states are simulated by the Network-gene-mutation function of Network-cells instead of the failure and repair function of network components. Validation of our proposed model is performed through the comparison with benchmark models. The results demonstrate the validity of our proposed model in calculating dynamic application reliability. Besides, the comparison results with the component-based NEM also suggest that our proposed model reduces the time complexity of the algorithm from square order [Formula: see text] to constant order [Formula: see text] and improves the simulation efficiency by roughly 104. Applied to networks of varying scales, our proposed model proves to be an efficient method for calculating dynamic application reliability in large networks. In summary, this paper offers a promising solution to address the computational bottlenecks encountered in the component-based NEM when evaluating the reliability of dynamic applications.
Disability Employment in the Hospitality Industry: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Manoharan Ashokkumar , Hutchinson Claire , Treuren Gerrit J. M. , Madera Juan M.
Published: December 2023

The hospitality industry employs people with disabilities; however, as an emerging research area, little is known about the antecedents, experience, and consequences of disability employment in the sector. To address this gap, this article provides a systematic literature review of the peer-reviewed literature to improve the understanding of the employment of people with disability in the hospitality sector. This review analyzes papers published between 1990 and 2021 reporting on organizational programs established to increase the recruitment and retention of employees with disabilities. This resulted in 36 papers for systematic review analysis and answers three essential questions regarding employer initiatives to promote the employment of people with disabilities, barriers and facilitators to the employment of people with disabilities, and benefits and challenges of employing people with disabilities in the hospitality sector. Our review provides a conceptual framework that integrates the present body of literature. This review also identifies a future research agenda for the future study of disability employment in hospitality organizations by outlining five gaps in the literature, which include theoretical rigor, expansion of disability employment research scope, country context, methodological improvement, and disability diversity management.
Long-Term Perspective on Fishing and Mammal Defaunation in the Atlantic Forest Coast of Brazil Using Archaeological Faunal Remains
Authors: Fossile Thiago , McGrath Krista , Presslee Samantha , Fogarty George , Pavei Diego Dias , Alves Maria Cristina , Ferreira Jessica , Montes Tatiane Andaluzia , Bandeira Dione da Rocha , Borba Fernanda Mara , Colonese André Carlo
Published: December 2023

Background and research aim: Escalating anthropogenic threats to the Atlantic Forest, a renowned biodiversity hotspot, has placed the region in the spotlight for current conservation efforts. Faunal overexploitation and habitat degradation are among key factors driving the region’s recent declines in faunal populations and biodiversity. Assessing the scale of these impacts is complicated by the near-complete absence of historical reference baselines. Methodology: Here, we provide a contribution to bridge this knowledge gap by analysing faunal remains from two historical archaeological sites, Morro Grande 1 (MG1) and Praia Grande Unidade 21 (PG-U21), in Babitonga Bay (Santa Catarina state, Brazil) dated between 1750 to 1950 AD. Results: Our results revealed that fishing and hunting played a crucial role in household consumption and economic livelihoods during the European colonisation of southern Brazil. Native terrestrial mammals made up a significant proportion of faunal remains at both sites. This suggests that species currently undergoing population declines were exploited in the region for at least the past two centuries. Conclusion: This study provides compelling evidence that the selective hunting of medium- and large-bodied native terrestrial mammals has persisted in the region for over 4500 years, and requires us to reconsider the idea of a heavy reliance on domestic animals during early European colonisation of southern Brazil. Our study thus traces the causes of regional terrestrial mammal defaunation back to the Pre-colonial and Historical times. Implication for conservation: We recommend the integration of historical and archaeological data into modern faunal population assessments and conservation initiatives to set more informed reference baselines.
An extremely rare case of recurrent pleomorphic myxoidliposarcoma with response to eribulin chemotherapy – A case report
Authors: Rao Raghavendra , Rastogi Sameer , Kashyap Divya , Shamim Shamim A , Barwad Adarsh
Published: December 2023

Pleomorphic myxoid liposarcoma (PML) is a newly recognized entity with aggressive clinical behavior and a tendency to recur. It has histological features of both myxoid and pleomorphic liposarcoma and lacks the molecular and structural chromosomal abnormalities associated with myxoid and pleomorphic liposarcoma. The data about their response to chemotherapy is quite sparse. We report a case of incidentally detected pleomorphic myxoid liposarcoma of the mediastinum in a 32-year-old gentleman. After resection and adjuvant chemotherapy with doxorubicin and ifosfamide, there was no evidence of residual disease at the end of treatment. During a routine follow-up 5 months later, he was found to have a recurrence of the disease with histological confirmation. He received a trabectedin given its activity in myxoid liposarcoma. However, he had toxicities and progression leading to its discontinuation. Subsequently, eribulin was started as the next line of therapy. After 4 cycles of chemotherapy, response assessment was suggestive of partial response, which is still maintained after 7 cycles of eribulin. This is the first report of this entity responding to a newer chemotherapy regimen.
When communist propaganda meets western public relations: Examining Vietnam’s government pandemic communication
Authors: Le Thu Luong , Block Elena
Published: December 2023

This article explores the communication strategies used by Vietnam’s communist government during the earlier phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. What makes this case worth studying is the examination of Vietnam’s hybridised use of Western public relations strategies with communist propaganda and the fluctuating, emphasis on one or the other depending on the outbreak’s implications. While Vietnam was praised as a pandemic hero in 2020, thanks in part to some academic and news media representations of the Vietnam government as an effective communicator, this perception changed when the Delta variant hit the country. What happened? Which communication strategies changed? Which remained? To answer these questions, we used a mixed qualitative method consisting of a case study and manual and computational thematic analyses of government and news media and social media texts to identify the strategies and themes that were dominant during the first COVID-19 outbreaks. This study helps to throw light on the effectiveness but also the problems that may arise from a mixed use of public relations and propaganda strategies during a global pandemic; it also raises questions about the need to build a country-specific pandemic communication framework as well as to rethink theories and uses of propaganda vis-à-vis PR today.
Pinostrobin attenuates azoxymethane-induced colorectal cytotoxicity in rats through augmentation of apoptotic Bax/Bcl-2 proteins and antioxidants
Authors: Ali Abed Wahab Bassam , Ain Salehen Nur , Abdulla Mahmood Ameen , A.j. Jabbar Ahmed , Abdel Aziz Ibrahim Ibrahim , Almaimani Ghassan , AbdulMonam Zainel Mustafa , Bamagous Ghazi A , Almaimani Riyad A , Almasmoum Hussain A , Ghaith Mazen M , Farrash Wesam F , Almutawif Yahya A
Published: December 2023

Objectives:

Pinostrobin (5-hydroxy-7-methoxyflavanone; PN) is a natural active ingredient with numerous biological activities extensively utilized in tumour chemotherapy. The present study investigates the chemo-preventive potentials of PN on azoxymethane-mediated colonic aberrant crypt foci in rats.

Methods:

Sprague Dawley rats clustered into five groups, normal control (A) and cancer controls were subcutaneously injected with normal saline and 15 mg/kg azoxymethane, respectively, and nourished on 10% tween 20 and fed on 10% tween 20; reference control (C), injected with 15 mg/kg azoxymethane and injected (intraperitoneal) with 35 mg/kg 5-fluorouracil (5-FU); D and E rat groups received a subcutaneous injection of 15 mg/kg azoxymethane and nourished on 30 and 60 mg/kg of PN, respectively.

Results:

The acute toxicity trial showed a lack of any abnormal signs or mortality in rats ingested with 250 and 500 mg/kg of PN. The gross morphology of colon tissues revealed significantly lower total colonic aberrant crypt foci incidence in PN-treated rats than that of cancer controls. Histological examination of colon tissues showed increased aberrant crypt foci availability with bizarrely elongated nuclei, stratified cells and higher depletion of the submucosal glands in cancer controls. PN treatment caused positive modulation of apoptotic (Bax and Bcl-2) proteins and inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-10). Moreover, rats fed on PN had significantly higher antioxidants (superoxide dismutase) and lower malondialdehyde concentrations in their colon tissue homogenates.

Conclusion:

The chemoprotective efficiency of PN against azoxymethane-induced aberrant crypt foci is shown by lower aberrant crypt foci values and higher aberrant crypt foci inhibition percentage, possibly through augmentation of genes responsible for apoptotic cascade and inflammations originating from azoxymethane oxidative stress insults.
Pattern and outcome of acute organophosphate poisoning at health facilities of Harari Region, Eastern Ethiopia
Authors: Tadesse Barkot , Kibret Haregeweyn , Heluf Helina , Mesfin Sinetibeb , Alemu Yordanos
Published: December 2023

Introduction:

Pesticides are frequently used by plant cultivars to control pests that could affect yield. Although many local farmers in Eastern Ethiopia use organophosphate insecticides extensively for the production of khat, the pattern and treatment outcome of acute poisoning of these organophosphates has been poorly quantified and reported in this region.

Materials and Method:

A cross-sectional study design was employed at two public hospitals found in Harari region, Ethiopia. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews and card review, then analyzed with SPSS version 20. Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to compare independent variables with the treatment outcome. Statistical significance is defined at 95% confidence interval of odds ratio not including 1 or p < 0.05.

Results:

A total of 135 cases of organophosphate were admitted in the emergency departments of the hospitals during the study period. 42.2% of participants were adolescents (age: 11–20 years) while the mean age of all participants was 18.8 ± 12.9 years with a range of 1–61 years. 73.7% of the study participants were rural residents. The result showed that 47.4% of the cases were exposed to the poison accidentally. Family disharmony was the common reason among cases poisoned intentionally. The mean time elapsed between poisoning and reaching the health facility was 3.1 h. Atropine was administered for 47% of the cases. About 11% of cases expired following the poison. The home remedy given, lag time, and residency were found to be factors significantly related to poor treatment outcomes.

Conclusion:

Easy availability, low cost, and excessive popularity of organophosphate use as pesticides in Eastern Ethiopia have increased the incidence of ingestion, resulting in increasing intentional and unintentional poisoning. In the present study, accidental exposure accounts for 47.4%.