bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Medullary Thyroid Cancer: Updates and Challenges
Authors: Gild Matti L , Clifton-Bligh Roderick J , Wirth Lori J , Robinson Bruce G
Published: May 2023

A personalized approach to the management of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) presents several challenges; however, in the past decade significant progress has been made in both diagnostic and treatment modalities. Germline rearranged in transfection (RET) testing in multiple endocrine neoplasia 2 and 3, and somatic RET testing in sporadic MTC have revolutionized the treatment options available to patients. Positron emission tomography imaging with novel radioligands has improved characterization of disease and a new international grading system can predict prognosis. Systemic therapy for persistent and metastatic disease has evolved significantly with targeted kinase therapy especially for those harboring germline or somatic RET variants. Selpercatinib and pralsetinib are highly selective RET kinase inhibitors that have shown improved progression-free survival with better tolerability than outcomes seen in earlier multikinase inhibitor studies. Here we discuss changes in paradigms for MTC patients: from determining RET alteration status upfront to novel techniques for the evaluation of this heterogenous disease. Successes and challenges with kinase inhibitor use will illustrate how managing this rare malignancy continues to evolve.
Pro-Con Debate: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Industry-Sponsored Research
Authors: Sessler Daniel I. , Alman Benjamin , Treggiari Miriam M. , Mont Michael A.
Published: May 2023

Pro: Nearly all new devices and drugs come from industry that provides two-thirds of the funding for medical research, and a much higher fraction of clinical research. Realistically, without corporate-funded studies, perioperative research would stagnate with little innovation and few new products. Opinions are ubiquitous and normal, but do not constitute epidemiologic bias. Competent clinical research includes many protections against selection and measurement bias, and the publication process provides at least moderate protection against misinterpretation of results. Trial registries largely prevent selective data presentation. Sponsored trials are particularly protected against inappropriate corporate influence because they are usually codesigned with the US Food and Drug Administration, and analyses are based on formal predefined statistical plans, as well as being conducted with rigorous external monitoring. Novel products, which are essential for advances in clinical care, largely come from industry, and industry appropriately funds much of the required research. We should celebrate industry’s contribution to improvements in clinical care.

Con: While industry funding contributes to research and discovery, examples of industry-funded research demonstrate bias. In the setting of financial pressures and potential conflict of interest, bias can influence the type of study design, hypotheses being tested, rigor and transparency in data analysis, interpretation, as well as reporting of the results. Unlike public granting agencies, industry does not necessarily provide funding based on unbiased peer review following an open call for proposals. The focus on success can influence the choice of a comparator, which might not be ideal among the possible alternatives, the language used in the publication, and even the ability to publish. Unpublished negative trials can result in selected information being withheld from the scientific community and the public. Appropriate safeguards are needed to ensure that research addresses the most important and relevant questions, that results are available even when they do not support the use of a product produced by the funding company, that populations studied reflect the relevant patients, that the most rigorous approaches are applied, that studies have the appropriate power to address the question posed, and that conclusions are presented in an unbiased manner.
Sociodemographic Disparities in Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting
Authors: Lee Donaldson C. , Vetter Thomas R. , Dobyns Jeffrey B. , Crump Sandra J. , Benz David L. , Short Roland T. , Parks Dale A. , Beasley T. Mark , Liwo Amandiy N.
Published: May 2023

BACKGROUND:

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) prophylaxis is consistently considered a key indicator of anesthesia care quality. PONV may disproportionately impact disadvantaged patients. The primary objectives of this study were to examine the associations between sociodemographic factors and the incidence of PONV and clinician adherence to a PONV prophylaxis protocol.

METHODS:

We conducted a retrospective analysis of all patients eligible for an institution-specific PONV prophylaxis protocol (2015–2017). Sociodemographic and PONV risk data were collected. Primary outcomes were PONV incidence and clinician adherence to PONV prophylaxis protocol. We used descriptive statistics to compare sociodemographics, procedural characteristics, and protocol adherence for patients with and without PONV. Multivariable logistic regression analysis followed by Tukey-Kramer correction for multiple comparisons was used to test for associations between patient sociodemographics, procedural characteristics, PONV risk, and (1) PONV incidence and (2) adherence to PONV prophylaxis protocol.

RESULTS:

Within the 8384 patient sample, Black patients had a 17% lower risk of PONV than White patients (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73–0.95; P = .006). When there was adherence to the PONV prophylaxis protocol, Black patients were less likely to experience PONV compared to White patients (aOR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.70–0.93; P = .003). When there was adherence to the protocol, patients with Medicaid were less likely to experience PONV compared to privately insured patients (aOR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.64–1.04; P = .017). When the protocol was followed for high-risk patients, Hispanic patients were more likely to experience PONV than White patients (aOR, 2.96; 95% CI, 1.18–7.42; adjusted P = .022). Compared to White patients, protocol adherence was lower for Black patients with moderate (aOR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.64–0.91; P = .003) and high risk (aOR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.42–0.78; P = .0004).

CONCLUSIONS:

Racial and sociodemographic disparities exist in the incidence of PONV and clinician adherence to a PONV prophylaxis protocol. Awareness of such disparities in PONV prophylaxis could improve the quality of perioperative care.
Evaluation of a Protocol for the Management of Maintenance and Reversal of Rocuronium Block Using Neostigmine or Sugammadex
Authors: Thilen Stephan R. , Liang Tinny , Kruse Timothy N. , Cain Kevin C. , Treggiari Miriam M. , Bhananker Sanjay M.
Published: May 2023

BACKGROUND:

Postoperative residual neuromuscular blockade (PRNB) is defined as an adductor pollicis train-of-four ratio (TOFR) <0.9. It is a common postoperative complication when nondepolarizing muscle relaxants are either not reversed or reversed with neostigmine. PRNB has been reported in 25% to 58% of patients who receive intermediate-acting nondepolarizing muscle relaxants, and it is associated with increased morbidity and decreased patient satisfaction. We conducted a prospective descriptive cohort study during the implementation of a practice guideline that included the selective use of sugammadex or neostigmine. The primary study aim of this pragmatic study was to estimate the incidence of PRNB at arrival to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU) when the practice guideline is followed.

METHODS:

We enrolled patients undergoing orthopedic or abdominal surgery requiring neuromuscular blockade. Rocuronium administration was guided by surgical requirements and based on ideal body weight, with dose reductions for women and/or age >55 years. Only qualitative monitoring was available to the anesthesia providers, and selection of sugammadex or neostigmine was guided by tactile assessments of the response to train-of-four (TOF) stimulation by a peripheral nerve stimulator. Neostigmine was administered if no fade was detected in the TOF response at the thumb. Deeper blocks were reversed with sugammadex. The prespecified primary and secondary end points were the incidence of PRNB at arrival to the PACU, defined as a normalized TOFR (nTOFR) < 0.9, and severe PRNB, defined as nTOFR <0.7 on arrival to the PACU. Anesthesia providers were blinded to all quantitative measurements made by research staff.

RESULTS:

Analysis included 163 patients, and 145 underwent orthopedic and 18 abdominal surgeries. Of the 163 patients, 92 (56%) were reversed with neostigmine and 71 (44%) with sugammadex. The overall incidence of PRNB at PACU arrival was 5 of 163 or 3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1–7). The incidence of severe PRNB in PACU was 1% (95% CI, 0–4). Three of the 5 subjects with PRNB had TOFR <0.4 at time of reversal but were given neostigmine since anesthesia providers detected no fade by qualitative assessment.

CONCLUSIONS:

The use of a protocol that specifies rocuronium dosing and selective use of sugammadex versus neostigmine based on qualitative assessment of TOF count and fade allowed us to achieve an incidence of PRNB of 3% (95% CI, 1–7) at PACU arrival. Quantitative monitoring may be needed to further reduce this incidence.
Anesthesia in the Korean War
Authors: Zhao Elizabeth , Barr Justin
Published: May 2023

Relying on original, primary source documentation from the National Archives, we describe the practice of anesthesia in mobile army surgical hospital (MASH) units and the 171st Evacuation Hospital during the latter part of the Korean War in 1953. Values were scaled and reported as percentages.

These Essential Technical Medical Data Sheets reveal a surprising proportion (12.9%) of men received spinal anesthetics, despite official recommendations to the contrary. Still, the majority (69.2%) of the wounded underwent general anesthesia, most commonly through a mixture of thiopental and nitrous oxide. Despite data from World War II demonstrating the advantages of endotracheal intubation in these patients, few patients (20.6%) were intubated. Six percent benefited from the new curare-based drugs. This is the first English-language article that describes the practice of anesthesia during the Korean War. Utilizing primary source documentation, we found that general anesthesia was the most common type utilized. Newer techniques were not as commonly adopted, despite official recommendations and data from the time. The care provided closely resembled that delivered in the Second World War but inspired a series of technological and pedagogical reforms through the 1950s to improve military anesthesia for the next conflict.
Air sacs are a key adaptive trait of the insect respiratory system
Authors: Harrison Jon F. , McKenzie Evan K. G. , Talal Stav , Socha John J. , Westneat Mark W. , Matthews Philip G. D.
Published: May 2023

Air sacs are a well-known aspect of insect tracheal systems, but have received little research attention. In this Commentary, we suggest that the study of the distribution and function of air sacs in tracheate arthropods can provide insights of broad significance. We provide preliminary phylogenetic evidence that the developmental pathways for creation of air sacs are broadly conserved throughout the arthropods, and that possession of air sacs is strongly associated with a few traits, including the capacity for powerful flight, large body or appendage size and buoyancy control. We also discuss how tracheal compression can serve as an additional mechanism for achieving advection in tracheal systems. Together, these patterns suggest that the possession of air sacs has both benefits and costs that remain poorly understood. New technologies for visualization and functional analysis of tracheal systems provide exciting approaches for investigations that will be of broad significance for understanding invertebrate evolution.
Instruments used to assess gender-affirming healthcare access: a scoping review protocol
Authors: Kearns Seán , Hardie Philip , O'Shea Donal , Neff Karl
Published: May 2023

Background: Internationally, the demand for gender-affirming care has increased exponentially in recent years. The clinical presentation of those seeking care has changed with an increase in transmasculine and non-binary identities and a decrease in the average age of those seeking care. Healthcare navigation remains complicated for this population and warrants further investigation in light of ongoing changes in the field. This paper presents a protocol for a scoping review to map and synthesise the academic and grey literature on instruments used to assess healthcare navigation and access for transgender and non-binary individuals seeking gender-affirming care.

Methods: This review will search databases (PsychINFO, CINAHL, Medline, and Embase.) and grey literature sources. In line with the methodological framework for scoping reviews, the following six stages will be undertaken: (1) identifying the research question, (2) identifying relevant studies, (3) study selection, (4) charting the data, (5) collating, summarising and reporting results and (6) consultation. The PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation will be utilised and reported. The research team will undertake the study as outlined in this protocol and an expert panel of young transgender and non-binary youth will oversee the project through patient and public involvement. 

Conclusions: This scoping review has the potential to inform policy, practice, and future research through enhanced understanding of the complex interplay of factors that impact healthcare navigation for transgender and non-binary people seeking gender-affirming care. The results from this study will inform further research into healthcare navigation considerations generally and will inform a research project entitled “Navigating access to gender care in Ireland—a mixed-method study on the experiences of transgender and non-binary youth”.
A Nonparametric Algorithm for Optimal Stopping Based on Robust Optimization
Authors: Sturt Bradley
Published: May 2023

Optimal stopping is a fundamental class of stochastic dynamic optimization problems with numerous applications in finance and operations management. In “A nonparametric algorithm for optimal stopping based on robust optimization,” the author introduces an approach based on robust optimization for computing near-optimal solutions for computationally demanding stochastic optimal stopping problems with known probability distributions. Through this new use of robust optimization, the paper develops new algorithms for solving stochastic optimal stopping problems that are practical and can outperform state-of-the-art simulation-based algorithms in the context of pricing high-dimensional financial options.
EKSPLORASI AIR TANAH DENGAN METODE GEOLISTRIK SCHLUMBERGER DI DAERAH PESISIR KABUPATEN TANAH LAUT
Authors: Kuswoyo Anton
Published: May 2023

Intrusi air laut mengakibatkan polusi bagi air tanah, baik air tanah dangkal maupun air tanah dalam, yang merupakan sumber air bersih bagi penduduk. Khusus di daerah pesisir yang belum dilayanan air PDAM, masyarakat masih menggunakan air sumur dangkal sebagai sumber air bersih. Kendala utama sumur dangkal adalah mengalami kekeringan ketika musim kemarau dan mengalami intrusi air laut. Pengambilan data resistivitas dengan menggunakan metode geolistrik Schlumberger dilakukan pada sembilan titik lintasan. Hasil penelitian eksplorasi menunjukkan metoda geolistrik dapat digunakan untuk menentukan keberadaan air tanah. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan daerah penelitian mempunyai potensi air tanah yang layak untuk dimanfaatkan sebagai sumber air bersih. Potensi besar (ketebalan lapisan air tanah di atas 15 m) sebanyak 6 titik dari 9 titik penelitian, yakni berada pada titik GL1, GL3, GL5, GL6, GL7 dan GL9. Potensi sedang (ketebalan lapisan air tanah antara 5 – 15 m) sebanyak 3 titik lokasi, berada pada titik GL2, GL4 dan GL8. Keberadaan air tanah berada pada kisaran kedalaman 1 – 80 m.
ALTERNATIF REVITALISASI INSTALASI PENGOLAHAN LUMPUR TINJA (IPLT) SUPIT URANG KOTA MALANG
Authors: Hadatu Theresia
Published: May 2023

Dalam pelaksanaanya, operasional Instalansi Pengolahan Lumpur Tinja (IPLT) Supit Urang masih belum terlaksana dengan baik. Beberapa parameter tidak memenuhi baku mutu Peraturan Menteri Lingkungan Hidup dan Kehutanan Republik Indonesia Nomor 68 Tahun 2016 Tentang Baku Mutu Air Limbah. Selain itu terdapat beberapa unit yang tidak beroperasi dan adanya ketidaksesuiaian desain pada unit Solid Separation Chamber (SSC). Hal ini menyebabkan diperlukannya adanya perencanaan kembali dari sistem pengolahan di IPLT. Tujuan dari tugas akhir ini adalah merencanakan kembali unit-unit IPLT Supit Urang agar efluen dapat memenuhi baku mutu dan menyusun Bill of Quantity (BOQ) dan Rencana Anggaran Biaya (RAB) perencanaan. Pengumpulan data dilakukan dengan metode survei lapangan dan pencarian data ke beberapa dinas terkait untuk mengetahui debit influen, karakteristik lumpur tinja influen, karakteristik efluen, data kependudukan, dan dapat mengetahui kondisi eksisting dari IPLT secara menyeluruh. Persentase pelayanan IPLT yang direncanakan sebesar 60% dari penduduk yang memiliki tangki septik baik yang permanen maupun semi permanen. Dengan pelayanan 7 hari kerja, diperoleh debit lumpur tinja yang masuk ke IPLT Supit Urang sebesar 119 m3/hari. IPLT Supit Urang eksisting yang direncanakan oleh DPUPR Kota Malang telah memenuhi baku mutu, namun kapasitas pelayanan hanya sebesar 45 m3/hari, lahan yang digunakan terlalu besar yaitu 1368 m2. Maka direcanakan alternatif revitalisasi IPLT dengan menggunakan unit SSC, tangki aerasi, SDB dan bak desinfeksi. Dengan total lahan yang dibutuhkan sebesar 2083 m2 untuk kapasitas pengolahan 119 m3/hari. Perhitungan BOQ dan RAB menggunakan HSPK Kabupaten Malang tahun 2016 dan didapatkan biaya sebesar Rp. 2.130.000.000 untuk pembangunan keseluruhan.
EFEKTIVITAS PEMANFAATAN SAMPAH PASAR SEBAGAI SUMBER ENERGI
Authors: Kinasih Rullita
Published: May 2023

Masalah timbunan sampah sayur dari Pasar Mantung dan banyaknya limbah manur dari peternakan sapi yang dibuang ke sungai menjadi alasan Pemerintah Kabupaten Malang untuk mengolah sampah tersebut menjadi gas metana untuk menghasilkan tenaga listrik. Melalui program pembangunan Integrated Resource Recovery Center (IRRC) bersama UNESCAP (Lorenzo Santucci, Sustainable Urban Development Section Environment and Development Division), sampah pasar dan limbah manur diolah menggunakan biodigester anarobik untuk menghasilkan biogas. Menurut literatur, proses anaerobic digestion dari sampah makanan dan manur sapi mampu menghasilkan 70% gas metana. Dari pengolahan sampah pasar ini, IRRC berpotensi menghasilkan daya listrik yang mencapai 100.000 KVA. Akan tetapi dalam operasinya IRRC mengalami kendala yaitu banyaknya sampah sayuran yang ternyata dilapisi semen putih sebagai pengawet. Hal ini berpengaruh pada periode pengurasan unit biodigester. Berdasarkan hasil perhitungan pada studi ini, unit biodigester yang ada di IRRC Pasar Mantung perlu dilakukan pengurasan pada tahun 2023.
KAJIAN UPAYA PENGHEMATAN AIR BERSIH DI KANTOR DINAS PERHUBUNGAN KABUPATEN PASURUAN
Authors: Purnomo Alfan
Published: May 2023

Pertumbuhan jumlah penduduk, industri dan perkantoran yang pesat saat ini mengakibatkan kebutuhan dan pemakaian air terus meningkat setiap tahunnya. Salah satu upaya pemerintah untuk mengurangi konsumsi air di lingkungan gedung dan perkantoran pemerintahan, dengan mengeluarkan Instruksi Presiden (Inpres) Nomor 13 Tahun 2011. Kantor Dinas Perhubungan Kabupaten Pasuruan belum mempunyai program penghematan air bersih. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk melakukan identifikasi pemakaian air bersih dan upaya-upaya yang harus dilakukan terkait penghematan air bersih di Kantor Dinas Perhubungan (Dishub) Kabupaten Pasuruan.

Studi ini dilakukan melalui studi lapangan dengan cara wawancara dan observasi langsung. Kemudian direncanakan strategi upaya penghematan air secara manajemen dan secara teknologi. Upaya penghematan air ini juga memperhitungkan dampak positif yang dirasakan, yaitu efisiensi secara finansial.

Dari studi ini didapatkan efisiensi penghematan tahap 1 (2021 – 2022) dengan melakukan rekomendasi program secara manajeman, melakukan perbaikan pipa dan keran yang bocor untuk air PDAM sebesar 20,6% dan air sumur sebesar 20,69%.Tahap 2 (2023 – 2024) dengan melakukan pergantian toilet jongkok menjadi tolet duduk untuk air PDAM sebesar 34% dan air sumur sebesar 20% Tahap 3 (2025 – 2029) dengan melakukan pemasangan meter air dan pemanfaatan air hujan, untuk air PDAM sebesar 4% dan tahap 4 (2030 – 2032) dengan melakukan daur ulang air limbah domestik untuk air PDAM sebesar 34%. Efisiensi secara finansial per bulan rencana penghematan air yang di dapatkan sebesar Rp. 678.298 untuk tahap 1, Rp. 246.291 untuk tahap 2, Rp. 43.149 untuk tahap 3, dan Rp. 371.901 untuk tahap 4.
DESAIN MEDIA FILTER PASIR SILIKA DAN FILTER KARBON AKTIF SEBAGAI TEKNOLOGI PENGOLAHAN AIR TANAH TERCEMAR DI SEKITAR LAHAN BEKAS TPA KEPUTIH
Authors: Nawiswary Alifa Al , Tangahu Bieby Voijant
Published: May 2023

Penggunaan metode open dumping di banyak TPA Indonesia belum memiliki fasilitas perlindungan lingkungan hidup yang memadai. Produk sampingan yang dihasilkan dari kegiatan penimbunan, yaitu gas dan air lindi (leachate) akan terakumulasi dan mengakibatkan pencemaran di suatu waktu, baik saat berjalannya proses pengelolaan ataupun pasca kegiatan. Kualitas air tanah di sekitar wilayah bekas TPA Keputih telah mengalami pencemaran. Air tanah ini belum memenuhi standar baku mutu Permenkes RI No.32 Tahun 2017 tentang Standar Baku Mutu Kesehatan Lingkungan dan Persyaratan Kesehatan Air untuk Keperluan Higiene Sanitasi, Kolam Renang, Solus Per Aqua, dan Pemandian Umum. Parameter yang tercemar antara lain: TDS (1630 mg/L), kekeruhan (29,4 NTU), warna (173,7 Unit PtCo), Fe (2,01 mg/L), Mn (0,76 mg/L), kesadahan total (621,43 mg/L), deterjen (1,27 mg/L) dan zat organik (11,4 mg/L). Salah satu alternatif teknologi remediasi air tanah tercemar air lindi dapat menggunakan media filter pasir silika dan filter karbon aktif. Pemilihan alternatif teknologi remediasi ini mengacu pada matriks scoring dengan nilai aspek pemeliharaan dan perawatan, investasi modal, efisiensi pengolahan, biaya operasional, waktu pemulihan air tanah dan kebutuhan tenaga ahli. Perencanaan awal teknologi remediasi ini dilakukan dengan menentukan kapasitas pengolahan dengan proyeksi kebutuhan air bersih 120% dari kebutuhan air rata-rata. Teknologi remediasi yang dirancang memiliki kapasitas sebesar 8.930 L/hari. Desain teknologi yang direncanakan yaitu pompa sumur dangkal, unit filter pasir silika, unit filter karbon aktif dan tandon air dilengkapi dengan pompa Backwash. Proses remediasi dilakukan dalam 3 cycle per hari. Waktu setiap cycle selama 8 jam, dengan waktu proses remediasi 80 menit. Debit yang mengalir tiap cycle sebesar 2.970 L/cycle. SOP yang disusun yaitu SOP Operasional Teknologi, SOP Pemeliharaan dan Perawatan (pembubuhan kaporit tablet, backwash dan pembuangan endapan).
Managing Leg Ulcers in a Primary Care Setting
Authors: Nazarko Linda
Published: May 2023

Linda Nazarko looks at how nurses can identify and treat these common but painful wounds
Immune-mediated polyarthritis: the role of the veterinary nurse
Authors: Fennell Charlotte
Published: May 2023

Immune-mediated diseases can present in a number of ways because of multiple manifestations of the diseases, the species and the presence or absence of any underlying condition. This demonstrates the imperative nature of sound clinical history taking alongside a comprehensive physical exam to allow the most appropriate diagnostic approach and subsequent treatment. The registered veterinary nurse should understand the most commonly presenting immune-mediated diseases in order to provide appropriate nursing care for that patient during their hospitalisation and following discharge. Registered veterinary nurses act as an advocate for patients and play a key role in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with any immune-mediated disease. This review discusses the pathophysiology of immune-mediated polyarthritis and classifications including clinical presentation. It has a focus on the initial patient diagnostics, arthrocentesis and how nurses can be heavily involved with these patients all the way through from admission to discharge.
Do ‘CARE’ labelled canine patients get a lower standard of nursing care?
Authors: Dzhugdanov Lyuben Iliev , Orpet Hilary
Published: May 2023

Aggressive patients are labelled as ‘CARE’ within their clinical history and the quality of nursing care they receive may be compromised because of concerns for staff safety. The aim of this study was to investigate if a difference in the quality of nursing care exists between aggressive patients labelled as CARE and other patients not labelled as CARE, hoping to identify whether this suggested a breach of patient welfare. This study used a cross-sectional, observational survey distributed online via social media veterinary nursing community pages. Open invitations were also emailed to the first author's own practice, and the RVC's Queen Mother Hospital for Animals. UK-based registered veterinary nurses who had been in practice within the last 12 months participated. Likert response categories of 1-5 were used to question registered veterinary nurses about how likely they were to undertake certain nursing activities for both CARE and non-CARE canine patients. In total, 390 registered veterinary nurses completed the questionnaire. Pearson's chi-squared test was used to statistically analyse the data. An association was discovered between level of nursing care and CARE or non-CARE labelled patients. Statistically significant differences (P=0.05) in nursing care were found under every nursing category for CARE patients. The key categories identified were patient hygiene, feeding, pain scoring, exercise and restraint. The current study provides evidence that aggressive canine patients do get a lower standard of nursing care compared to other canine patients. Areas of concern are highlighted when these differences are discussed in the context of animal welfare. The authors hope these findings serve as a prompt for practices to examine their performance towards aggressive patients to ensure adequate standards of nursing care and patient welfare are sustained.
The First Criminal Trial: Reg ina v . Wilde and Taylor , Central Criminal Court (Old Bailey)
Authors: Bristow Joseph
Published: May 2023

This chapter focuses on the proceedings of Oscar Wilde's first criminal trial, which began on Friday, 26 April and ended on Wednesday, 1 May 1895. It opens with the hectic sequence of events that took place during the intervening seven days, mentioning the grand jury that found true bills on all twenty-five counts of the indictment. It also mentions Wilde's solicitors, Humphreys, Son, and Kershaw, who informed the Press Association that he would plead not guilty as they intended to fight the case to the end. The chapter recounts the libel trial against John Sholto Douglas, the Marquess of Queensberry that had been terminated on the same day Wilde was arrested. It highlights the authorities' fear that the young men who had enjoyed intimacy with Wilde or involved in the homosexual circles he moved in might abscond.
Subgroup B
Authors: Neuwirth Angelika , Wilder Samuel
Published: May 2023

This chapter discusses subgroup B of the fourth group of suras: suras 55, 56, 53, and 52. Sura 55 contains the most detailed and formally consistent description of paradise in the entire Qur'an, to the details of which the following suras 56 and 52, as well as yet later suras, will connect back. A particularly enduring novelty of the sura is the introduction of the maidens of paradise as ḥūr (“blackeyed”). With its argumentatively elaborated confirmation of revelation, sura 56 substantially enriches the formal inventory of the concluding parts in use up to that point. Sura 53, the only qur'anic text that contains an explicit goddess polemic, introduces arguments into the confrontation with pagan opponents that will also mark later texts, in particular with its gender-specific criticism of the acceptance of feminine beings into the divine court.
A Liberal State Declares War
Authors: Prior Robin
Published: May 2023

This chapter looks into Britain and Germany going to war. Britain went into war without having a military figure influencing policy and continued war operations because the Cabinet and House of Commons decided it must. British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey was involved in a perilous balancing act trying not to rule out reparation to Austria from Serbia and communicating with his Entente partners and Central Powers. The chapter mentions how the British military unnecessarily involved themselves in politics during the Curragh Incident in 1941. It considers whether the war fought prevented a disaster to liberal order or the war failed to do so.
Gallipoli – The Politicians’ Hour
Authors: Prior Robin
Published: May 2023

This chapter elaborates on the politicians' role in the war at the Gallipoli Peninsula. It explains Winston Churchill's proposed strategy, but the Admiralty was against the plan since they instead would be necessary to land troops on the Gallipoli Peninsula to aid in knocking out the forts and to enable the minefield to be swept at leisure when the peninsula was occupied. As Churchill began to doubt the naval-only plan, he pushed the troops to be close to the Dardanelles. The chapter discusses how the politicians did not notice that the imperatives to use the men would be great should the naval plan fail. It also expounds on the series of fallacies that built the civilian-inspired strategy at Dardanelles.
Appeasement and War
Authors: Prior Robin
Published: May 2023

This chapter explores Britain's response to Adolf Hitler's aggression. The appeasement governments of Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain attempted to stop the aggression when they realized that Hitler had no intention of abiding by the Treaty of Versailles, the Locarno Agreement, or any conventional diplomacy norms. Moreover, German war plans involved the invasion of France and Belgium. The chapter also covers the appointment of Winston Churchill as the First Lord of the Admiralty amidst the era of the Parliament Chamberlain. It explains Churchill's struggles to run the war from the Admiralty, but he could not prevail against the power of the Prime Minister.
The Desert – Auchinleck’s War 1941–1942
Authors: Prior Robin
Published: May 2023

This chapter expounds on the war response led by General Claude Auchinleck. Winston Churchill found that Auchinleck had more vigour in attending to the crisis in Iraq, especially when compared to General Sir Archibald Wavell. General Auchinleck, the new Commander-in-Chief Middle East, had spent his entire career in the Indian Army. The chapter explains the Eighth Army's failed attacks on the Afrika Korps, which then correlates to the interrelated leadership of Auchinleck, Lieutenant-General Neil Ritchie, Major-General Willoughby Norrie, and Colonel William Gott. It highlights the incompetency of the leadership of the largest British army in contact with the enemy.
Singapore
Authors: Prior Robin
Published: May 2023

This chapter discusses the so-called Singapore Strategy, which was the cornerstone of British defence policy in the Far East. The strategy was effective the moment Britain declared war against Germany on September 1939. The Singapore Strategy suffered a catastrophic blow with the collapse of France and the Italian declaration of war against Britain in June and July 1940, while the Mediterranean became hostile. The chapter considers who would bear the responsibility for the colossal military disaster by referencing local military commanders and Winston Churchill. It also elaborates on the inability of Britain to match Japan's invasion of Malaya or Singapore.
Rock and a Hard Place – Italy 1943–1944
Authors: Prior Robin
Published: May 2023

This chapter looks into Winston Churchill's struggles to persuade American President Franklin Roosevelt over the greater flexibility required for the timing of Overlord and the necessity of extensive operations in the Mediterranean. Roosevelt suggested that Britain and America should not be seen ganging up on Joseph Stalin. Despite the continuous discussions, the British had been comprehensively outmanoeuvred at Cairo and Tehran by a Russo-American united front, which lowers the possibility of any British Mediterranean agenda. The chapter also covers the discussions between Churchill and Roosevelt regarding Dragoon and the forces in Brittany. It notes the shift of power in the Anglo-American alliance.
The End of the War in Europe August 1944 – May 1945
Authors: Prior Robin
Published: May 2023

This chapter elaborates on the end of the war in Europe. It recognizes Britain's ever-diminishing role in the victory, referencing that some of Britain's influence only amounted to dubious utility. Winston Churchill spent most of his time during the last moments of the war focusing on Italy and Greece. Churchill's intervention had military implications for Greece as it took troops from Italy. The chapter notes that Churchill achieved his goals for the Mediterranean after a successful final campaign in Italy and a non-communist government in Athens even though he did not call the shots that accommodate British national interests for both campaigns.
A Long Shadow, 1952–2020
Authors: Gill David James
Published: May 2023

The United Kingdom has sometimes forgotten its First World War debts, but the United States has never forgiven them. This chapter shows that governments can retain a long memory of sovereign default. It refutes popular assumptions and potential counterarguments that Britain’s war debts have been excused by the U.S., revealing instead how these outstanding obligations informed policymaking in governments on both sides of the Atlantic in the following seven decades, from congressional debates in the 1970s through to legal disputes in the 1990s. Unpaid war debts may no longer have assumed a central role in political debate, but they continued to linger and occasionally emerged as a significant concern for policymakers in Washington and London. British default cast a far longer shadow over the course of international relations than scholars and policymakers have appreciated.
Epilogue
Authors: Gill David James
Published: May 2023

Treasury officials and policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic recognize that U.S. loans provided to the United Kingdom during the First World War remain unpaid and outstanding, but they appear mostly willing to accept this enduring political limbo. Despite the passage of more than a century since the end of the Great War, neither side has had the political will to resolve these outstanding obligations. Washington remains unable to forgive the debts, and London continues to ignore them. The question of responsibility has bedeviled war-debt negotiations on both sides of the Atlantic for more than a century. Reaching a settlement today may sometimes appear possible but remains unlikely, as it could resurrect many of the arguments advanced by both states over a century ago.
Educating America
Authors: Gigante Denise
Published: May 2023

This chapter peeks at how governments, philanthropists, librarians, and bibliographers built a rapidly growing network of public libraries on both sides of the Atlantic at midcentury. It highlights that the public library movement was closely tied to the mission of public education. The chapter presents the central protagonist of this section, Joseph Green Cogswell, who was a visionary in both areas. His dream was to establish a great public library in the United States on a scale to match those of Europe. It follows how he compiled, organized, and administered the Astor Library, a precursor of New York Public Library. The chapter notes that American libraries serving the public at midcentury sought to do more than perpetuate the memory of the past, however; they also sought to inspire.
Introduction
Authors: Patel Youshaa
Published: May 2023

By way of the prominent twentieth century Muslim intellectual, Muhammad Asad (d. 1992), this chapter introduces the main themes, concepts, and methods employed in the book, including the idea of difference and its conceptual relationship to Muslim identity, imitation and assimilation; the importance of power and embodiment to defining Muslim interreligious relations; and the pivotal role of religious scholars (ʿulamāʾ) in defining Muslim difference through the transmission, canonization, and interpretation of Islamic scriptural texts known as the hadiths.
Turning Away from Christians and Jews?
Authors: Patel Youshaa
Published: May 2023

This chapter explores the role of the physical body in defining membership in the early Muslim community using evidence presented in a cluster of hadiths concerning the Prophet Muhammad’s alleged assimilation of Jewish and Christian practice. It views this evidence through the lens of René Girard’s holistic theory of mimetic rivalry, which proposes a model of how imitation leads to rivalry and conflict. This chapter argues that Muslim difference did not result in categorical opposition to Jews and Christians, but rather moderated between extremes—at once setting the believers apart and connecting them to the shared world around them. This narrative aligns with evidence found in the Quran as well as material sources from the first decades of the seventh century. It thus becomes plausible that Muslims began to perceive themselves as a distinct religious community while the Prophet was still alive—even as intercommunal boundaries continued to remain fluid.
On the numerical range of Kac-Sylvester matrices
Authors: Bebiano Natália , Lemos Rute , Soares Graça
Published: May 2023

In this paper, the boundary generating curves and the numerical range of Kac-Sylvester matrices up to the order $9$ are characterized. Based on the obtained results and on several computational experiments performed with the Mathematica and MatLab programs, we conjecture that the found types of algebraic curves, namely ellipses and ovals, will appear for an arbitrary order.
Method of Increasing the Security of Smart Parking System
Authors: Hovorushchenko Tetiana , Pavlova Olga , Kostiuk Mariia
Published: May 2023

Currently, the urgent task is developing the methods and tools for increasing Smart Parking software system security. The purpose of this study is conducting analysis of requirements for Smart Parking System software security in order to find the bottlenecks and parts of the software that are most vulnerable to external threats and develop the methods and tools for increasing their security. The paper proposes the method of increasing Smart Parking software system security based on integrating the middleware in Smart Parking System software architecture. The proposed method takes into account all the criteria for Smart Parking System software security, i.e. parameters of safe access to the database, client program security, server security and API security and provides a complex solution for increasing the safety of Smart Parking software system. The proposed method differs from the known ones in that it allows taking into account all the criteria for increasing the Smart Parking System software security in complex using security middleware.
From welfare to work? The effectiveness of welfare conditionality in moving people into paid employment
Authors: Dwyer Peter , Scullion Lisa , Jones Katy , McNeill Jenny , Stewart Alasdair B.R.
Published: May 2023

Initially, the differing welfare/work trajectories of those who took part in repeat interviews are mapped. Subsequent discussions draw upon in-depth, longitudinal case studies to enable a more nuanced understanding of how, and why, welfare conditionality structures diverse work-related outcomes for different people, over time. The effectiveness benefit sanctions, and mandatory engagement with work-related activity in moving people into, or nearer, paid employment are considered. The significance of the exercise discretionary powers by street level bureaucrats in triggering both positive and negative outcomes for benefit claimants is also addressed. The final section explores how the introduction of ‘in-work’ conditionality, as a core component of Universal Credit, has impacted the lives and work opportunities of low-paid workers.
Current and future trends in youth arts programs
Authors: Howard Frances
Published: May 2023

This chapter explores three diverse approaches of global youth arts practice, which includes creative arts youth work (CAYW), the arts as intervention (AI) and positive youth development (PYD). Each of these trends in current practice highlights different ways arts programs function, and the affordances for and positioning of the young people involved. Following the mapping of international trends, this chapter introduces the three key themes that run throughout the book – common culture, cultural citizenship and cultural democracy – as alternative ways of configuring youth arts practice. This chapter not only maps the field, but also sets frameworks for the future development of youth arts programs.
Relational research
Authors: Brannelly Tula , Barnes Marian , Tronto Joan C.
Published: May 2023

Traditional approaches to research emphasise methodological questions about data collection and analysis rather than approaching research as a relational practice. This chapter starts to explore what researching with care means in practice through focusing on the different relationships it is necessary to develop and sustain when carrying out research. The authors identify troubles they have experienced as researchers that centre around relationships with those whose lives they were researching or those with whom they have carried out research. Different types of relationships are involved: with co-researchers, with commissioners or funders as well as with those being researched. The issues involved are political as well as personal and impact both what gets researched and who is involved in this. Gilligan’s foundational work on care ethics is reviewed to both highlight ways in which a lack of voice or invisibility in research can generate harms, and as a basis from which to argue the potential of care ethics in revealing the nature of those harms and offering a framework within which they might be repaired. Authors argue that ‘researching with’ has the potential to generate solidarity.
Stages of research, phases of care
Authors: Brannelly Tula , Barnes Marian , Tronto Joan C.
Published: May 2023

Tronto’s analysis of the phases of care and the principles associated with them offer a way of analysing different practices that can be understood as caring. Here the authors consider what attentiveness, responsibility, competence, responsiveness and solidarity mean in the context of doing research. The importance of the different perspectives from which to consider what these mean in practice is emphasised. For example, the attentiveness that is the starting point for care requires us not only to notice problems needing investigation from the perspective of service providers, but what service users identify as priorities. And this may mean being open to shifting our focus as research develops. It is important to be attentive throughout the research process in order to be able to respond to ethical dilemmas that may arise, and to recognise the importance of previously unacknowledged issues. As a research project develops responsibilities and competences can be developed and shared among those involved. Caring research requires a capacity to recognise the way people are responding to taking part, and generates the potential to build solidarities among those differently positioned in the research process. This is particularly important in generating positive legacies from research.
Reflections on researching with care
Authors: Brannelly Tula , Barnes Marian , Tronto Joan C.
Published: May 2023

The book concludes by offering personal reflections on how the ethics of care has become significant for the authors. They recognise the intersection of personal and political in the way they seek to expand and improve their understanding of the world. Caring about the issues we research includes taking responsibility for contributing to repairing harms and enhancing justice. What this means in practice must relate to particular contexts: whether that be working with indigenous researchers experiencing the impact of colonialism, with old people who we can recognise as our future selves, or with people living with mental health difficulties we may never experience. In these (and other) diverse contexts the ethics of care can offer a guide to how we research and how we make sense of research data. The authors set out a series of questions that can be helpful in approaching research with care. They cite a poem by a Māori researcher that warns of the harms uncaring research can do. They emphasise the importance of attentive listening as well as space for conversation and storytelling. The book ends with reflections on the urgency of caring research practices in current circumstances of climate crisis, pandemic and worsening inequalities.
In the name of vocations: teachers’ discursive legitimations of upper secondary educational choices
Authors: Tarabini Aina , Rujas Javier , Gil Sara
Published: May 2023

The objective of this chapter is to provide a sociological understanding of vocation by exploring its association with the notion of choice. It explores how secondary school teachers understand the concept of vocation, and the factors they relate to the making of young people’s vocations and related educational transitions and choices. By a comparative analysis of teachers’ interviews in Barcelona and Madrid, the chapter shows that the notion of vocation is not equally mobilised by teachers in different upper secondary education tracks, and not all the choices are seen as equally ‘vocational’. ‘In the name of vocations’ teachers hierarchise and legitimise profoundly different students’ capacities, identities and choices. Overall, the chapter contributes to understanding the institutional making of educational transitions and to opening the black box of vocation as a critical mechanism for the (re)reproduction of social inequalities through the making of educational choices.
Working-class fractions and practical rationalities in the choice of upper secondary education
Authors: Montes Alejandro , Rujas Javier , Jacovkis Judith
Published: May 2023

This chapter explores how working-class students make sense of their upper secondary educational transitions. By means of in-depth qualitative interviews with students in Barcelona and Madrid, it identifies different working-class fractions, or sub-groups, with different amounts of economic, social and cultural capital to support their choices and transitions. It explores the classed nature of young people’s educational trajectories and demonstrates the effects of the multiple forms of school (dis)engagement on working-class students’ upper secondary choices. The chapter also inquires into the classed nature of educational aspirations by examining the internal heterogeneity among working-class students in how they imagine and enact their future prospects. Overall, the chapter contributes to understand the complexity and diversity within the working class and to identify the multiple, contradictory and non-linear ways in which it affects young people’s rationalities in their choice of upper secondary education.