bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of educational program on nurses’ performance regarding application of liberation bundle in pediatric intensive care unit
Authors: Ali Reem Mohamed Seddik , Mosbeh Asmaa Nasreldin , Hafez Mona Mohamed
Published: February 2025

Background

Recent guidelines in paediatric critical care emphasize the implementation of the evidence-based liberation bundle to improve patient outcomes in paediatric intensive care units (PICUs). However, there is limited information on the application of this bundle in Egyptian hospitals, and the effectiveness of educational programs on nurse performance in this context remains unclear.

Aim

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an educational program on nurses’ performance regarding the application of the liberation bundle in paediatric intensive care unit.

Methods

A one-group pre/post quasi-experimental design was employed. The study was conducted in the PICUs of Al-Azhar University Hospital and Menoufia University Hospital, involving a convenient sample of 52 paediatric nurses. Data were collected using two tools: a predesigned questionnaire to assess knowledge about the liberation bundle and an observational checklist to evaluate nurse practices before and after the educational program.

Results

The results demonstrated significant improvements in nurses’ knowledge and practices post-intervention. The studied nurses’ total level of knowledge regarding the liberation bundle increased from 13.7 to 92.3% post-educational program X2 (P. value) = 89.143(0.000). The studied nurses’ total level of practices regarding the liberation bundle increased from 9.6 to 80.8% post-educational program X2 (P. value) = 89.143(0.000).

Conclusion

The educational program significantly enhanced the nurses’ knowledge and practices in applying the liberation bundle in PICUs. This improvement in knowledge and practices is expected to lead to better outcomes for paediatric patients, including reduced mortality, shorter PICU stays, and fewer post-intensive care complications. By equipping nurses with the skills to implement the bundle, the program can improve recovery and long-term health outcomes in critically ill children.
Educational interventions delivered to prescribing advisers to influence primary care prescribing: a very low-cost pragmatic randomised trial using routine data from OpenPrescribing.net
Authors: Curtis Helen J , MacKenna Brian , Reddy Bhavana , Walker Alex J , Bacon Sebastian , Perera Rafael , Goldacre Ben
Published: February 2025

Background

NHS England issued commissioning guidance on 18 low-priority treatments which should not be routinely prescribed in primary care. We aimed to monitor the impact of an educational intervention delivered to regional prescribing advisors by senior pharmacists from NHS England on the primary care spend on low-priority items.

Methods

An opportunistic randomised, controlled parallel-group trial. Participants (clinical commissioning groups, CCGs) were randomised to intervention or control in a 1:1 ratio. The intervention group were invited to participate. The intervention was a one-off educational session. Our primary outcomes concerned the total prescribing of low-priority items in primary care. Secondary outcomes concerned the prescribing of specific low-priority items. We also measured the impact on information-seeking behaviour.

Results

40 CCGs were randomised, 20 allocated to intervention, with 11 receiving the intervention. There was no significant impact on any prescribing outcomes. There was some possible evidence of increased engagement with data, in the form of CCG email alert sign-ups (p = 0.077). No harms were detected.

Conclusions

A one-off intervention delivered to CCGs by NHS England did not significantly influence low-priority prescribing. This trial demonstrates how routine interventions planned to improve uptake or adherence to healthcare guidance can be delivered as low-cost randomised trials and how to robustly assess their effectiveness.

Trial registration

ISRCTN31218900, October 01 2018.
How can a community of practice support healthcare professionals navigating new roles? a case study of genetic counsellors employed to work in medical specialities
Authors: Do Trang Thu , McEwen Alison , Martyn Melissa , Gaff Clara , Dawson-McClaren Belinda
Published: February 2025

Background

Communities of Practice (CoPs) have been implemented in healthcare settings to enhance knowledge translation and facilitate the implementation of new practices. However, their role in supporting healthcare professionals transitioning to new environments remains under-researched. This study examines a CoP designed for genetic health professionals in Australia who were employed to support the integration of genomics in medical specialities. Informed by the i-PARIHS framework, we explore how the facilitation of a CoP external to the implementation setting can support health professionals implementing innovative practices.

Methods

Data was collected through qualitative interviews with 14 genetic counsellors participating in the CoP through different stages of their new roles, 35 discussion and reflection logs, and workshop and meeting notes. Thematic analyses were carried out to capture the patterns and process of facilitation performed by this CoP, resulting in five overarching themes.

Results

Participants highlighted the unique role of the CoP in forging peer connection and providing emotional support in new environments with a high degree of uncertainty and limited peer support. Through CoP sessions and associated professional development workshops, they benefited from ongoing knowledge acquisition about good practices and innovations. The CoP served as an effective space for identifying and solving problems collectively or escalating emergent issues. Additionally, the CoP helped participants build inter-personal skills to overcome relational challenges and improved communication with non-genetic colleagues about genomics. Critical reflection emerged as both a practice and an impact of the CoP, enabling participants to redefine their roles and adopt future-oriented thinking for the genetic counselling profession.

Conclusion

The collaborative environment fostered by the CoP offered significant benefits to genetic professionals, facilitating their transition to new practice settings and supporting essential knowledge and skill development crucial for their success in introducing genomics in speciality patient care.
Antidepressant use and cognitive decline in patients with dementia: a national cohort study
Authors: Mo Minjia , Abzhandadze Tamar , Hoang Minh Tuan , Sacuiu Simona , Jurado Pol Grau , Pereira Joana B. , Naia Luana , Kele Julianna , Maioli Silvia , Xu Hong , Eriksdotter Maria , Garcia-Ptacek Sara
Published: February 2025

Background

Dementia is associated with psychiatric symptoms but the effects of antidepressants on cognitive function in dementia are understudied. We aimed to investigate the association between antidepressants and cognitive decline in patients with dementia, and the risk of severe dementia, fractures and death, depending on antidepressant class, drug, and dose.

Methods

This is a national cohort study. Patients with dementia registered in the Swedish Registry for Cognitive/Dementia Disorders-SveDem from May 1, 2007, until October 16, 2018, with at least one follow-up after dementia diagnosis, and who were new users of antidepressants, were included. Antidepressant use as a time varying exposure defined during the 6 months leading up to dementia diagnosis or each subsequent follow-up. We used linear mixed models to examine the association between antidepressant use and cognitive trajectories assessed by Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores. We used Cox proportional hazards models to calculate the hazard ratios for severe dementia (MMSE score < 10), fracture, and death. We compared antidepressant classes and drugs, and analyzed dose–response.

Results

We included 18740 patients (10 205 women [54.5%]; mean [SD] age, 78.2[7.4] years), of which 4271 (22.8%) received at least one prescription for an antidepressant. During follow-up, a total of 11912 prescriptions for antidepressants were issued, with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) being the most common (64.8%). Antidepressant use was associated with faster cognitive decline (β (95% CI) = − 0.30(− 0.39, − 0.21) points/year), in particular sertraline (− 0.25(− 0.43, − 0.06) points/year), citalopram (− 0.41(− 0.55, − 0.27) points/year), escitalopram (− 0.76(− 1.09, − 0.44) points/year), and mirtazapine (− 0.19(− 0.34, − 0.04) points/year) compared with non-use. The association was stronger in patients with severe dementia (initial MMSE scores 0–9). Escitalopram showed a greater decline rate than sertraline. Compared with non-use, dose response of SSRIs on greater cognitive decline and higher risks of severe dementia, all-cause mortality, and fracture were observed.

Conclusions

In this cohort study, current antidepressant use was associated with faster cognitive decline; furthermore, higher dispensed doses of SSRIs were associated with higher risk for severe dementia, fractures, and all-cause mortality. These findings highlight the significance of careful and regular monitoring to assess the risks and benefits of different antidepressants use in patients with dementia.
Effects of reductive soil disinfestation on microbiological and physicochemical properties of continuous cropping soils in karst areas of Guizhou Province
Authors: He Yi , Gong Bo , Liang Taibo , Luo Zhenbao , Yu Qiwei , Li Caibin , Peng Huawei , Cai Heqing , Dai Huaxin , Zhai Zhen , Shang Nianjie , Ding Mengjiao
Published: February 2025

Purpose

The soil-borne diseases have limited the development of agricultural production in Guizhou Province of southwest China which was caused by long-term continuous cropping of crops. To reduce the limit factors of continuous cropping of corps has become an urgent problem.

Methods

Reductive soil disinfestation (RSD) is an environmentally friendly soil amendment technology. In this study, high-throughput sequencing was used to investigate the mechanisms of RSD technology to improve long-term continuous cropping soil health. The examination focused on discerning how RSD influences the composition and structure of the rhizosphere microbial community.

Result

The results demonstrated that: (1) RSD treatment increased the content of soil organic matter (SOM), alkaline hydrolyzed nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK) and pH; (2) RSD changed the fungal and bacterial community structure and the relative abundance of pathogenic microorganisms (e.g., Fusarium) was reduced, while the beneficial microorganisms (e.g., Trichoderma and Penicillium) was increased. (3) AN and pH had a greater impact on the bacterial community in the rhizosphere soil than on the fungal community. (4) RSD treatment improved the agronomic traits of tobacco and reduced the disease incidence of root rot disease.

Conclusion

Our results revealed that RSD treatment improved the physicochemical properties of continuous cropping tobacco soil and maintain the soil nutrient balance, resulting in the effective alleviation of continuous cropping barriers.
Preoperative prediction of the Lauren classification in gastric cancer using automated nnU-Net and radiomics: a multicenter study
Authors: Cao Bo , Hu Jun , Li Haige , Liu Xuebing , Rong Chang , Li Shuai , He Xue , Zheng Xiaomin , Liu Kaicai , Wang Chuanbin , Guo Wei , Wu Xingwang
Published: February 2025

Objectives

To develop and validate a deep learning model based on nnU-Net combined with radiomics to achieve autosegmentation of gastric cancer (GC) and preoperative prediction via the Lauren classification.

Methods

Patients with a pathological diagnosis of GC were retrospectively enrolled in three medical centers. The nnU-Net autosegmentation model was developed using manually segmented datasets and evaluated by the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). The CT images were processed by the nnU-Net model to obtain autosegmentation results and extract radiomic features. The least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) method selects optimal features for calculating the Radscore and constructing a radiomic model. Clinical characteristics and the Radscore were integrated to construct a combined model. Model performance was evaluated via the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Results

A total of 433 GC patients were divided into the training set, internal validation set, external test set-1, and external test set-2. The nnU-Net model achieved a DSC of 0.79 in the test set. The areas under the curve (AUCs) of the internal validation set, external test set-1, and external test set-2 were 0.84, 0.83, and 0.81, respectively, for the radiomic model; and 0.81, 0.81, and 0.82, respectively, for the combined model. The AUCs of the radiomic and combined models showed no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05). The radiomic model was selected as the optimal model.

Conclusions

The nnU-Net model can efficiently and accurately achieve automatic segmentation of GCs. The radiomic model can preoperatively predict the Lauren classification of GC with high accuracy.

Critical relevance statement

This study highlights the potential of nnU-Net combined with radiomics to noninvasively predict the Lauren classification in gastric cancer patients, enhancing personalized treatment strategies and improving patient management.

Key Points

The Lauren classification influences gastric cancer treatment and prognosis.

The nnU-Net model reduces doctors’ manual segmentation errors and workload.

Radiomics models aid in preoperative Lauren classification prediction for patients with gastric cancer.

Graphical Abstract
Risk factors for detection of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in clinical samples upon hospital admission
Authors: Reyle Romeo , Schwab Frank , Saydan Selin , Behnke Michael , Leistner Rasmus , Gastmeier Petra , Geffers Christine , Kramer Tobias Siegfried
Published: February 2025

Background/introduction

Antipseudomonal antibiotics are frequently used in patients admitted to hospitals. Many of these substances are classified as a reserve or watch status by the WHO. Inappropriate risk assessment of invasive detection of P. aeruginosa (PAE) can be a reason for overuse of antipseudomonal antibiotics. Therefore it is important to define relevant and specific risk factors for invasive PAE detection.

Objective

The objective of this study was to identify risk factors for invasive detection of PAE in patients upon hospital admission.

Methods

All patients 18 years of age and older with a detection of PAE and/or Enterobacterales in clinical samples taken within 48 h of admission to one of the hospitals of Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin between 2015 and 2020 were included into this retrospective cohort study.

Results

Overall, we included a total of 27,710 patients. In 3,764 (13.6%) patients PAE was detected in clinical samples taken within 48 h after admission. The most frequently detected Enterobacterales was E. coli in 14.142 (51%) patients followed by Klebsiella spp. in 4.432 (16%) patients. Multivariable regression analysis identified that prior colonisation with a multi drug resistant PAE or detection of a PAE in clinical samples during a previous hospitalisation increased the risk for invasive detection of PAE (OR 39.41; 95% CI 28.54–54.39) and OR 7.87 (95% CI 6.60–9.38) respectively. Admission to a specialised ward for patients with cystic fibrosis was associated with an increased risk (OR 26.99; 95% CI 20.48–35.54). Presence of chronic pulmonary disease (OR 2.05; 95% CI 1.85–2.26), hemiplegia (OR 2.16; 95% CI 1.90–2.45) and male gender (OR 1.60; 95% CI 1.46–1.75) were associated with a modest increase in risk for presence of PAE.

Conclusion

Patients with a prior detection of P. aeruginosa or admission to a cystic fibrosis ward had the highest risk for invasive detection of P. aeruginosa. Adherence to specific risk scores based on local risk factors could help to optimize prescription of anti-pseudomonal antibiotics that categorized as reserve and watch.
From plate to policy: segmenting consumers’ food behaviours to tailor nutritional recommendations in African cities
Authors: Marini Govigli Valentino , Alboni Fabrizio , Mulazzani Luca , Mwanri Akwilina , Suleiman Rashid , Chimoita Evans , Kogi-Makau Wambui , Setti Marco
Published: February 2025

Malnutrition poses significant challenges to African food systems. Addressing these challenges requires synergistic strategies informed by a comprehensive understanding of consumers' food preferences and characteristics, which necessitates the identification of more homogeneous consumer groups. To help reach this objective, this article presents a novel segmentation of African urban food consumers from nine cities across Kenya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Tanzania. The segmentation is based on diet quality indicators and behavioural traits, gathered through structured surveys combined with incentivized in-lab behavioural experiments. Subsequent cluster analyses identified four primary consumer groups characterized by shared behavioural patterns, diet quality, and propensity to food change. These groups serve as the basis for tailored nutritional recommendations aimed at providing policymakers with practical solutions to reinforce the nutritional capacity of local food systems.
Causal effects of education, intelligence, and income on COVID-19: evidence from a Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Song Yuqing , Baranova Ancha , Cao Hongbao , Yue Weihua , Zhang Fuquan
Published: February 2025

Background

The protective effects of higher educational attainment (EA) and intelligence on COVID-19 outcomes are not yet understood with regard to their dependency on income. The objective of our study was to examine the overall as well as independent effects of the three psychosocial factors on the susceptibility to and severity of COVID-19. To accomplish this, we utilized genetic correlation, Mendelian randomization (MR), and multivariable MR (MVMR) analyses to evaluate genetic associations between EA, intelligence, household income, and three specific COVID-19 outcomes: SARS-CoV-2 infection, hospitalized COVID-19, and critical COVID-19.

Results

The genetic correlation analysis revealed that COVID-19 outcomes were negatively correlated with the three psychosocial factors (rg: -0.19‒-0.36). The MR analysis indicated that genetic liability to EA, intelligence, and income exerted overall protective effects against SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR: 0.86‒0.92), hospitalized COVID-19 (OR: 0.70‒0.80), and critical COVID-19 (OR: 0.65‒0.85). MVMR analysis revealed that elevated levels of EA conferred independent protective effects against SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR: 0.85), hospitalization due to COVID-19 (OR: 0.79), and critical COVID-19 (OR: 0.63). Furthermore, intelligence exhibited a negative association with the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR: 0.91), whereas a higher income was linked to an elevated risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection (OR: 1.13).

Conclusions

Our findings indicated that EA could significantly reduce the risk and severity of COVID-19, regardless of intelligence and income. However, the impact of intelligence or income on COVID-19 severity was not supported by our research.
The EU global health strategy: from policy to implementation
Authors: Skordis Jolene , Froeschl Guenter , Baldi Sante Leandro , Berner-Rodoreda Astrid , Casamitjana Nuria , Cobelens Frank , Klipstein-Grobusch Kerstin , Raviglione Mario , Rocamora Alberto , Vandamme Anne-Mieke , Plasència Antoni
Published: February 2025

In November 2022, a draft of the next EU Global Health Strategy was published. The European Global Health Research Institutes Network (EGHRIN) of 22 leading European Universities has analysed the Strategy. In this commentary, EGHRIN notes the Strategy’s positive commitments to life-course wellbeing, strengthening health systems and combating health threats in an equitable and collaborative manner. We find the strategy is compatible with the sustainable development goals and addresses social, political and environmental determinants of health. However, our analyses also highlight a lack of critical assessment of the private sector’s role within health systems, insufficient attention to syndemics, and little emphasis on transdisciplinary education and the ethical training of a global health workforce. We conclude that, while its commitments are commendable, the greatest challenge for the next EU Strategy will be in its implementation. The trategy currently lacks a fully-resourced and clearly hypothecated funding mechanism and there is little evidence to date of the stated commitment that Global Health will be considered in all EU policy areas. In the present geopolitical climate, a speedy acceptance of both the policy and an implementation plan is needed more than ever.
Persistent epileptic spikes after recurrent posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome in a patient with lupus nephritis: case report and literature review
Authors: Chen Yu , Chu Yu-Cheng , Chen Shih-Chi , Chang Ting-Hui , Wu Chien-Sheng
Published: February 2025

Background

Posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) is characterized by white matter lesions distributed mainly at the posterior brain, which may present with headache, visual disturbances, seizures, and disturbed consciousness in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Recurrent PRES is uncommon, but persistent seizures after PRES are even rarer.

Case presentation

Herein, we reported a 33-year-old Taiwanese female patient with SLE requiring long-term antiepileptics after two episodes of PRES within 5 months. The possible trigger factors were end-stage renal disease, hypertension, and immunosuppressant use. The brain magnetic resonance imaging showed hyperintense lesions in the bilateral parietal lobes, occipital lobes, and cerebellum, which was compatible with PRES. There are still unresolved clinical problems regarding the management of PRES in SLE. To investigate possible risk factors of recurrent attacks and persisted epileptic spikes, we also reviewed previous literature for recurrent PRES and antiepileptic use to provide insight into the clinical care of these patients. In our review, most patients have recent end-stage renal disease or immunosuppressant use, and the main trigger factor is severe hypertension which breaks down the blood–brain barrier, impairs cerebrovascular autoregulation, and results in the development of brain edema and therefore PRES.

Conclusion

Recurrent PRES may increase the risk of epilepsy. Long-term antiepileptic agents might be prescribed based on electroencephalogram findings.
Cancer brain metastasis: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic strategies
Authors: Lu Yu , Huang Yunhang , Zhu Chenyan , Li Zhidan , Zhang Bin , Sheng Hui , Li Haotai , Liu Xixi , Xu Zhongwen , Wen Yi , Zhang Jing , Zhang Liguo
Published: February 2025

Brain metastases (BMs) are the most common intracranial tumors in adults and the major cause of cancer-related morbidity and mortality. The occurrence of BMs varies according to the type of primary tumors with most frequence in lung cancer, melanoma and breast cancer. Among of them, lung cancer has been reported to have a higher risk of BMs than other types of cancers with 40 ~ 50% of such patients will develop BMs during the course of disease. BMs lead to many neurological complications and result in a poor quality of life and short life span. Although the treatment strategies were improved for brain tumors in the past decades, the prognosis of BMs patients is grim. Poorly understanding of the molecular and cellular characteristics of BMs and the complicated interaction with brain microenvironment are the major reasons for the dismal prognosis of BM patients. Recent studies have enhanced understanding of the mechanisms of BMs. The newly identified potential therapeutic targets and the advanced therapeutic strategies have brought light for a better cure of BMs. In this review, we summarized the mechanisms of BMs during the metastatic course, the molecular and cellular landscapes of BMs, and the advances of novel drug delivery systems for overcoming the obstruction of blood–brain barrier (BBB). We further discussed the challenges of the emerging therapeutic strategies, such as synergistic approach of combining targeted therapy with immunotherapy, which will provide vital clues for realizing the precise and personalized medicine for BM patients in the future.
Impact of YouTube® videos on knowledge on tracheal intubation for anesthesiologist trainees: a prospective observational study
Authors: Marra Annachiara , de Siena Andrea Uriel , Iacovazzo Carmine , Vargas Maria , Cesarano Nicola , Collà Ruvolo Claudia , Celentano Giuseppe , Buonanno Pasquale
Published: February 2025

Background

Social media platforms, initially developed for recreational use, have evolved into major sources for disseminating information, including medical information for patients and healthcare providers in many disciplines. This study aimed to evaluate the educational potential of YouTube® videos in teaching tracheal intubation to first-year anesthesiology residents.

Methods

This study was approved by the Ethical Committee of “University Federico II-AORN A. Cardarelli” (protocol no. 00010735). We analyzed the first 10 YouTube videos identified via the search term “tracheal intubation.” Each video was evaluated for misinformation and informational completeness via a 5-item Likert scale. After providing written consent, fifty-seven first-year anesthesiology residents watched these videos and completed a 22-item questionnaire before and after viewing. Each correct answer received one point, whereas incorrect answers received 0 points, allowing for comparisons of knowledge acquisition.

Results

The videos exhibited moderate quality (median score, 3; range, 1–5) and low informational completeness (median score, 1.432; range, 1.000–2.046). Residents’ scores increased modestly by one point after viewing (from 13 to 14; p < 0.001). Misinformation was positively correlated with the number of followers (beta coefficient: 0.00002, p < 0.001), video duration (beta coefficient: 0.0042, p < 0.05), and linking ratio (beta coefficient: 0.242, p < 0.05). Conversely, informational completeness was inversely correlated with video duration (beta coefficient: − 0.001121, p < 0.05) and the thumbs-up/view ratio (beta coefficient: − 67.4697, p < 0.05).

Conclusions

While YouTube® has potential as an accessible educational tool, current video selection offers limited improvement in residents’ understanding of tracheal intubation. Our findings highlight the need for greater curation and better-quality control of medical educational content on YouTube® to optimize its effectiveness and provide accurate information. Institutions could play a key role in producing reliable, guideline-based videos that better support learning objectives in anesthesiology training.
Dynamical homogenization in effective loop quantum cosmology
Authors: Wilson-Ewing Edward
Published: February 2025

The effective dynamics of loop quantum gravity for marginally bound Lemaître-Tolman-Bondi spacetimes predict that the big-bang singularity is resolved and replaced by a cosmic bounce. Numerics show that these effective dynamics also homogenize small regions soon after the bounce when inhomogeneities before the bounce are sufficiently large. These homogeneous regions typically have a width of a few Planck lengths where relative perturbations in the energy density remain less than 15%. If the bounce is followed by an inflationary period, the homogeneous region can reach cosmic scales and the amplitude of relative perturbations can be suppressed to a value compatible with observations.
Anticolonial Radicals in Different Registers
Authors: Kimba Mayaki
Published: February 2025

While Otto and Hermina Huiswoud are often remembered as foot soldiers of the Communist International (Comintern), if not as doctrinarian Stalinists, this essay proposes that such depictions misunderstand the registers in which Black radicals speak. Before World War II, the infrastructure of the Comintern enabled the Huiswouds to champion anticolonial and anti-racist causes. Following the war, the Huiswouds championed anticolonial nationalist causes, though without abandoning international solidarity and the critique of economic exploitation. The shift from international Communism to anticolonial nationalism was therefore less a shift in substance and more a shift in register. Appreciating such shifts in registers requires placing the Huiswouds in context and in relation to the Black, Communist, and Caribbean diasporic networks of which they were part; for it is only by understanding to whom Black radicals speak that scholars can begin to understand the different and context-dependent registers in which Black radicals speak.
The Fire This Time
Authors: Batraville Nathalie
Published: February 2025

In Looking for Other Worlds: Black Feminism and Haitian Fiction (2022), Régine Jean-Charles evokes revolutionary figures such as Sanité Bélair and Victoria Montou, who fought in the Haitian Revolution. She also revisits the legacy of Marie-Jeanne Lamartinière, who was said to have fought back a siege by the French army during the Revolution. Remembering these women is critical, not only because of the ideals they represented—liberation, justice, and power—but also because of their embrace of armed self-defense. Remembering them serves to locate the scope, ethics, and praxis of revolutionary Haitian feminism and lays the groundwork for solidarity with other decolonial movements, from Turtle Island to Palestine. This review essay asks, What might it mean to extend Jean-Charles’s celebration of revolutionary fighters Bélair, Montou, and Lamartinière into the present?
Entrepreneurialism and Enterprise
Authors: Lotsu Dennis-Brook Prince
Published: February 2025

This chapter, situated within the broader national discourse and perturbation of the disconnect between creative arts education and artistic practice, examines the praxis of two contemporary Ghanaian filmmakers, Kofi Asamoah and Peter Sedufia, whose appropriation of “small-screen cinema” models initiated a new trend in digital-online content distribution and consumption. It contends that although these filmmakers commenced at the interstices, their esprit de corps and entrepreneurialism in appropriating technological affordances and proficiencies to drive the microprocesses associated with film production and distribution enabled them to transition from a nontheatrical, experimental, small-screen mobile platform to mainstream artistic endeavor. By analyzing the praxis of these filmmakers, the chapter seeks to contribute to the ongoing discourse surrounding creative arts education and graduate employability while highlighting the potential for technological advancements to bridge the gap and facilitate the integration into mainstream artistic endeavors.
Domestic Disturbance
Authors: Moonsamy Nedine
Published: February 2025

This chapter examines two video films by the Ugandan filmmaker Dilman Dila in order to explore them as sites of knowledge production for our understanding of genre films and their representations of Black womanhood. Focusing on the films How to Start a Zombie Apocalypse and Cursed Widow Blues, the chapter illustrates how they bring together popular genres like romance and horror in ways that undermine the formulaic nature of romance. In doing so, these films offer revisionary responses to the stereotypical representations of African women espoused by the Third Cinema style of production as well as more contemporary popular video films. In particular, the chapter argues that these films disturb the domestic by effecting a haunting on the cinematic image of a “good African woman” in order to intimate at alternatives beyond the frame that may better serve to represent the realities of urban African women in contemporary African cinema.
Archival Films in Contemporary Archives
Authors: Van de Peer Stefanie
Published: February 2025

With the excitement of innovations and new directions in African cinema also comes an increased awareness of the significance of its heritage. Reflection on the past lives of storyworlds and the responsibilities of archives is more and more urgent, as pioneers from the 1970s and 1980s pass on and their films are in danger of getting lost. This chapter explores three pioneering North African women filmmakers’ early feminist works and their archival life. It examines Fatma 75 (1976) by Selma Baccar from Tunisia, La nouba des femmes du Mont Chenoua (1978) and La Zerda ou les chants de l’oubli (1981) by the Algerian filmmaker Assia Djebar, and Une porte sur le ciel (1989) by the Moroccan director Farida Benlyazid. The self-reflexive ethos of this chapter reflects the main argument that close personal relationships and professional networks are essential to the success of contemporary restoration projects. In considering these films’ individual and combined stories of archiving and preservation, the chapter explores a way forward for historical research across diverse African screen worlds.
Hillywood and Beyond
Authors: Macaulay Alison
Published: February 2025

Screen worlds, specifically theatrical screen worlds, are layered spaces of participation and consumption. In Rwanda, they are part of broader considerations and public discourses around commemoration, knowledge production, and perceptions of class status and propriety. Through participant observation and oral interviews, this chapter explores Rwandan audiences’ engagement with different types of screens and screening environments in the recent past, including the Rwanda Film Festival's Hillywood mobile cinema screenings. Considering festival screenings in conjunction with nonfestival theatrical screen worlds, including small-scale city cinemas and agasobanuye VJ (veejay, or video jockey) translations and adaptations, illustrates the importance of placing screen worlds within spatial, historical, and political specificities. The chapter highlights the degrees of variation, audience preference, and social perceptions of theatrical-spectatorial spaces within Rwanda’s ever-growing and ever-changing variety of screen environments.
Rolling to “A-Free-Ka”
Authors: Jackson Joe
Published: February 2025

Kahlil Joseph is a multi-award-winning filmmaker based in Los Angeles. He has collaborated with the likes of the musicians Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, FKA Twigs, Flying Lotus, and Sampha as well as large-scale organizations Kenzo, O2, and Vans. His music video “Cheeba” (2010)—one of director’s earliest projects—promotes the first single from the multi-instrumentalist Shafiq Husayn’s debut solo project En’ A-Free-Ka (2009). This chapter explores how the “Cheeba” video constructs complex formations of Africa (or “A-Free-Ka”) through transmedia screen worlds that oscillate between divergent media forms and disparate cultural affiliations. In turn, the chapter argues that the collaboration between Kahlil Joseph and Shafiq Husayn offers new opportunities for understanding how contemporary diasporic creatives interact with and navigate different cultures and settings, both including and beyond African contexts.
Afterword 2
Authors: Adejunmobi Moradewun
Published: February 2025

Africans in the contemporary era interact with screen media cultures that are dynamic, fragmented, multiply connected, decentered, and more accessible than the screen media cultures of previous eras. These attributes have implications for how audiovisual stories by Africans are accessed using different media, and for the autonomy of African screen media cultures. This afterword makes the claim that aesthetic independence in screen media productions without control over the means of distribution offers a limited form of independence for African screen media practices. As a result, the fiercest battles for audience share and preservation of a degree of autonomy in the contemporary African screen media industry are being fought in the realm of distribution.
The Role of Specialty Palliative Care in Elective Surgical Oncology: A Systematic Review
Authors: Walsh Amanda K. , Guo Marissa Z. , Leuschner Thomas , Ejaz Aslam , Pawlik Timothy M. , Wells-Di Gregorio Sharla , Waterman Brittany , Cloyd Jordan M.
Published: February 2025

Background

Unlike advanced cancer populations, for whom early and routine specialty palliative care (PC) referral has demonstrated clear benefits for quality of life and symptom control, evidence supporting PC for patients undergoing curative-intent cancer surgery has been inconclusive.

Method

A systematic review of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE databases was performed to identify all studies evaluating the role of PC for patients undergoing curative-intent surgery for cancer.

Results

Among the 12,886 publications initially retrieved, 14 met all inclusion criteria: two cross-sectional studies comprised of physician surveys, four cohort studies, five qualitative studies, one prospective trial, and two randomized controlled trials (RCTs). In non-randomized studies, PC was associated with increased advanced care planning and symptom control; however, both the PERIOP-PC and SCOPE RCTs found no significant improvement in quality of life with routine perioperative PC among patients undergoing major abdominal cancer surgery. Qualitative studies characterized patient experiences and physician perspectives of PC.

Conclusion

This systematic review summarizes the existing literature on the role of PC in surgical oncology, highlighting the unique considerations and unmet needs of surgical patients that differ from those with advanced cancer. While the routine use of perioperative PC for patients undergoing cancer surgery is not supported, future research should focus on identifying high-risk patients who would most benefit from specialty PC and innovative methods of delivering supportive care in surgical oncology.
A long tail of truth and beauty: A zigzag pattern of feather formation determines the symmetry, complexity, and beauty of the peacock’s tail
Authors: Singh Rama , Jagadeeshan Santosh
Published: February 2025

Background Darwin assumed that the peacock’s long train was maladaptive and was the indirect effect of selection by female mate choice based on the train’s beauty. While a relationship between the feathers’ elaborate features and mating success has been shown in some studies, what features of the train females are attracted to remains controversial. Methods We used museum specimens to examine the anatomical plan underlying feather development responsible for the train’s symmetry. We developed a model based on an alternate arrangement of primordial feather buds during development and locations of concentric circles of eyespot distribution using the pattern on the train as a template. Results We observed a zigzag pattern of feather follicles that determined both the number and the arrangement of eyespots on the train. Our model explains the bilateral symmetry of train feathers, the hexagonal arrangement of eyespots on the train, and the concentric color rings of the eyespots. While the zigzag pattern explains the symmetry, complexity, and (structural) beauty of the peacock’s train, it also precludes variation in eyespot number except by annual addition of new feathers as a function of age. Conclusions We propose a multimodal model of mate choice which holds that (1) eyespot number and feather length are developmentally correlated and females see them not as separate traits but as one complex trait combining both, (2) females may not always choose males with the largest number of eyespots, as old males may lack vigor, and (3) females may choose mates on the basis of train size, vigor, and beauty. The maladaptation of the long tail is a byproduct of the adaptation of the tall train. Who would have thought that zigzag arrangement, the densest form of spherical packing, when applied to the living world would produce such profound effects on phenotypic diversity.
Global Algorithms for Mean-Variance Optimization in Markov Decision Processes
Authors: Xia Li , Ma Shuai
Published: February 2025

Dynamic optimization of mean and variance in Markov decision processes (MDPs) is a long-standing challenge caused by the failure of dynamic programming. In this paper, we propose a new approach to finding the globally optimal policy for combined metrics of steady-state mean and variance in an infinite-horizon undiscounted MDP. By introducing the concepts of pseudo mean and pseudo variance, we convert the original problem to a bilevel MDP problem, where the inner one is a standard MDP optimizing pseudo mean-variance, and the outer one is a single-parameter selection problem optimizing pseudo mean. We use the sensitivity analysis of MDPs to derive the properties of this bilevel problem. By solving inner standard MDPs for pseudo mean-variance optimization, we can identify worse policy spaces dominated by optimal policies of the pseudo problems. We propose an optimization algorithm that can find the globally optimal policy by repeatedly removing worse policy spaces. The convergence and complexity of the algorithm are studied. Another policy dominance property is also proposed to further improve the algorithm efficiency. Numerical experiments demonstrate the performance and efficiency of our algorithms. To the best of our knowledge, our algorithm is the first that efficiently finds the globally optimal policy of mean-variance optimization in MDPs. Our results are also valid for solely minimizing the variance metrics and can shed light on solving other varied forms of mean-variance MDPs.

Funding: This research was supported in part by the National Key Research and Development Program of China [Grant 2022YFA1004600], the National Natural Science Foundation of China [Grants 72342006 and 72371253], the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation [Grants 2023A1515012492 and 2023B1515040001], the Regional Joint Foundation of Guangdong [Grant 2022A1515110725], and the Guangdong Province Key Laboratory of Computational Science at the Sun Yat-sen University. The work described in this paper was also partially supported by the InnoHK Initiative, the Government of the HKSAR, and the Laboratory for AI-Powered Financial Technologies.
Sociabilidade e comunicabilidade: convivências ontológicas em zonas de contato e contágio
Authors: Salgado Tiago Barcelos Pereira , De Oliveira Luciana
Published: February 2025

O artigo objetiva repensar o conceito antropocêntrico de sociabilidade em interface com o de comunicabilidade, tendo como eixos analíticos: a) os eventos empíricos ligados ao Antropoceno, que colocam em xeque a dicotomia natureza-cultura; b) o debate em torno das Humanidades Ambientais, que destacam as formas de sociação multimodais entre humanos e não humanos e levam a um conceito de humanidade mais próximo de epistemes indígenas e do pensamento crítico-ecológico contemporâneo Ocidental. Diante de relações comunicacionais interontológicas, propomos pensar a noção de convivências – como modalidades de sociação que não depuram as posições modernas de humano e não humano – bem como a ideia de uma comunicabilidade ecológica que opera por contato e contágio.
Terra da Liberdade e a construção do protocolo da consulta: a comunicação política quilombola na transformação do mundo
Authors: Castro Fábio Fonseca de , Castro Marina Ramos Neves de
Published: February 2025

O objetivo do artigo é compreender como as metamorfoses econômicas e sociais vivenciadas e experienciadas nas comunidades quilombolas do território Terra da Liberdade, situadas no Baixo Tocantins, estado do Pará, produzem dizeres e linguagem, e, assim, formas de uma comunicação de resistência. Parte-se da reflexão de Heidegger (2001) sobre a relação entre existência e lugar para compreender o processo de construção dialogada do Protocolo de Consultas do território. A metodologia utilizada foi a observação participante com entrevistas abertas e semiestruturadas, num diálogo entre etnografia e fenomenologia. Observamos que o direito de "se dizer" é um conjunto de lutas comunicacionais. Compreendendo comunicação como dizer coletivo e social, o artigo reflete sobre lutas por reconhecimento da identidade, dos direitos, do território.
Montagens Decoloniais: os atingidos pela mineração na fotografia e no audiovisual
Authors: Santos Caio Dayrell , Marques Angela Cristina Salgueiro , Soreanu Raluca
Published: February 2025

Neste ensaio, exploramos como intensas alterações no ambiente são visualizadas na fotografia e no audiovisual contemporâneo, buscando também explorar seus potenciais políticos e problematizá-los eticamente e historicamente. Nos debruçamos aqui nas catástrofes provocadas pela mineração nos últimos 10 anos em Minas Gerais, trabalhando com produções recentes tanto da fotografia quanto do audiovisual. Pautados tanto por Didi-Huberman quanto por Arielle Azoulai, recorremos ao método de montagem para percorrer um limiar no qual estão, lado a lado, os traços de coisas sobreviventes, heterogêneos, anacrônicos, desunidos por lacunas e, por isso mesmo, capazes de nos deixar em estado de alerta às diferenças, aos detalhes para os quais não nos atentávamos antes.
Metamorfoses: futuros possíveis para a comunicação no Antropoceno
Authors: Haskel Fernanda , Rett Lucimara
Published: February 2025

Qual é o papel da comunicação no Antropoceno? Que tipos de metamorfoses são necessárias para conviver com a emergência climática e a sexta extinção em massa do Planeta? O Antropoceno é a era geológica marcada pelas profundas transformações da Terra, que revida às ações extrativistas. Se quisermos sobreviver, do ponto de vista do clima, precisamos mudar a concepção moderna de natureza. Este ensaio se desdobra na reflexão do que nos trouxe até aqui e nos possíveis antídotos para abrir espaços de inventividades coletivas de outros modos de fazer mundo e produzir ciência. Com apoio de pensadores indígenas brasileiros e filósofas feministas da ciência, colocamos o conceito de metamorfose para nos ajudar a pensar os planejamentos possíveis em níveis individual e coletivo, e composições das ciências com saberes indígenas, na produção de terrenos de vidas plurais no Antropoceno.
Potencialidades e desafios do jornalismo em face da desertificação da alimentação: enquadramentos do campo alimentar no podcast Prato Cheio
Authors: Scabin Nara Lya Cabral
Published: February 2025

Em um momento no qual o futuro da alimentação se tornou um desafio global, o artigo busca refletir sobre as formas pelas quais práticas midiáticas – considerando, em especial, o jornalismo – enquadram e posicionam-se em relação aos conflitos e mutações em curso no campo alimentar. Elegendo a quinta temporada do podcast Prato Cheio como corpus de análise, a pesquisa propõe dois movimentos analíticos: (1) mapeamento dos enquadramentos do campo alimentar a partir das posições sociais representadas nos episódios; e (2) identificação das estratégias discursivas pelas quais diferentes vozes sociais são integradas ao podcast. Como principal conclusão, observa-se que Prato Cheio estabelece um diálogo estreito com discursividades de ativismos alimentares emergentes, constituindo um contraponto aos quadros dominantes no jornalismo de alimentação.
O amor é político:
Authors: Amaral Muriel Emídio Pessoa do
Published: February 2025

A proposta do artigo se desenvolve no intuito de apresentar as reflexões sobre amor pela perspectiva de Hannah Arendt. Mesmo não sendo um dos temas centrais das contribuições de Arendt, em alguma medida, a ideia de amor permeou seus estudos. As maiores reflexões nasceram com a ideia de amor mundi ao reconfigurar o pensamento de Santo Agostinho e reposicionar o amor mundano como construtor do mundo. Assim, a ideia de amor mundi de Hannah Arendt se aproxima da sua compreensão sobre ação política dentro do espaço público para a edificação do mundo e se afasta do amor idealizado pela doutrina cristã enquanto demonstração de afeto privado.