bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nurses’ Caring Experiences for Dying Patients: A Meta-Synthesis Review
Authors: Rahnama Mozhgan , Abdollahimohammad Abdolghani , Asadi-Bidmeshki Elaheh , Shahdadi Hossein
Published: October 2023

Nurses play an important role in caring for dying patients. The ability to face a dying patient is a vital necessity and skill for nurses. Nurses’ experiences in dealing with dying patients help to identify the factors affecting nursing care. Therefore, this meta-synthesis explains nurses caring experiences for dying patients. In this meta-synthesis review, English qualitative articles related to nurses’ caring experiences with dying patients that were published in Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and CINAHL databases were selected. The results presented in 4 themes and 4 sub-themes, including (i) dual parallel nursing care (patient care and family care), (ii) conflict between nurses’ beliefs and care duties, (iii) care reflections on the nurse (positive and negative care reflection, and (iv) coping strategies of nurses. This study shows that nurses provide diverse care to dying patients and their families, which has had positive and negative reflections on their personal and professional lives. Nurses sometimes had a conflict with their beliefs and treatment protocols, which hesitate to perform the treatment. Although nurses use various coping strategies when caring for dying patients and their families, they need more strategies to cope with multi-faceted physical, mental, spiritual, educational, and management issues.
Faith-based social service delivery in a country with low religious affiliation: The case of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church
Authors: BELÁŇOVÁ Andrea
Published: October 2023

Faith-based social service delivery is influenced by the sociocultural conditions in which it transpires. Czechia, as a low religious affiliation country, presents specific conditions for investigating this relationship. This study is based on 10 interviews with CEOs from faith-based organizations related to the Czechoslovak Hussite Church. The findings reveal important differences between perceived meanings of faith, institutionalized religion, and spirituality in relation to social service delivery. The thematic analysis reveals a problematic relationship between these CEOs and the church, with the public presentation of religion among the main issues. All interviewed CEOs understand their social service delivery as their own individual projects and only loosely related to the church. Alternatively, they appreciate its occasional support and religious character, which also provide feelings of distinctiveness. The CEOs present social service delivery as doing everyday religion, but they presume the church sees social service delivery as useful public relations (PR).
An efficient unsupervised approach for textile defect detection through unifying texture reconstruction and semantic localization
Authors: Yang Miao , Wei Bing , Hao Kuangrong , Gao Lei , Liu Xiaoyan , He Langping
Published: October 2023

Deep learning has shown promise in textile defect detection, but its reliance on large high-quality labeled datasets poses challenges in real-world industrial applications. This study presents a novel unsupervised defect detection framework that effectively detects various types of texture defects with limited defect-free texture samples. The framework integrates texture and semantic information using a bilateral-branch network architecture (TSUBB-Net). Specifically, TSUBB-Net employs a weighted centering loss to cluster complex texture units, emphasizing semantic information within defect regions through a channel attention mechanism. It further fuses contextual semantic information to achieve precise defect localization. Thus, the efficient fusion method combines texture and semantic information, enabling the representation of complex texture structures and mitigating the impact of image acquisition quality on defect recognition. To evaluate the effectiveness of our proposed method, we build a unique dedicated database of textile defect image segmentation, which serves as the benchmark for textile defect detection. Experimental results demonstrate that TSUBB-Net surpasses state-of-the-art methods, exhibiting excellent performance in textile defect detection. The proposed framework holds significant potential for practical applications in the textile industry, improving defect detection capabilities.
A Quality Improvement (QI) initiative in diagnostic stewardship of urine culture in an era of Laboratory Information Systems (LIS)
Authors: Nityadarshini Neha , Mohapatra Sarita , Das Bimal Kumar , Gautam Hitender , Sood Seema , Dhawan Benu
Published: October 2023

Standard urine culture is the gold standard for diagnosing urinary tract infections (UTIs) but fails to differentiate true UTI from asymptomatic bacteriuria, which is important to prevent the overuse of antibiotics. Correlation with the presence or absence of pyuria can be helpful in giving a hint of the true situation. With the help of Laboratory Information System (LIS), patients’ urinalysis reports can be conveniently accessed and compared simultaneously with appropriate reports. In our study, a quality improvement initiative was planned for appropriate reporting of urine culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing using information obtained through LIS.
Positive Emotions, Hope, and Life Satisfaction in Chinese Older Adults: An Application of Broaden-and-Build Model
Authors: Chan Stephen Cheong Yu , Fung Cheuk Ki , Huang Qi Lu
Published: October 2023

According to the broaden-and-build theory, positive emotions can broaden our awareness and build psychological resources, which leads to better psychological outcomes. Previous studies demonstrated that hope partially mediates the association between positive emotions and life satisfaction in college students. Yet, there has no similar model been tested among older adults. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the mediating role of hope agency and pathways in the association between positive emotions and life satisfaction. Three hundred and forty-one Chinese community-dwelling older adults (mean = 70.83, SD = 9.16) were asked to complete a survey questionnaire comprising measures assessing positive emotions, hope, life satisfaction, and other sociodemographic variables. Results showed that hope agency, but not hope pathways, partially mediated the relationship between positive emotions and life satisfaction. We discussed the importance of these initial findings concerning positive emotions and hope as predictors of life satisfaction in the older adult population.
A back propagation neural network-based adaptive sampling strategy for uncertainty surfaces
Authors: Gao Feng , Zheng Yuan , Li Yan , Li Wenqiang
Published: October 2023

Owing to the lack of prior knowledge, the accurate reconstruction of surfaces with high uncertainty is dependent on the reasonable real-time selection of the next best point (NBP) during the sampling process. In this study, a new informative criterion called the MaxCWVar weighting shape effect is proposed for NBP selection. The responses to the geometric features of the candidate locations are predicted by a back propagation neural network (BPNN), which is then used in combination with the jackknife method to estimate the candidate uncertainty. The blade cross-section sampling case is considered to validate the flexibility and effectiveness of the proposed method. A comparison with other adaptive sampling strategies shows that BPNN-based response prediction is well-suited for allocating sample points. In contrast to other NBP selection criteria, the sample point distribution recommended by the MaxCWVar criterion is preferable as it improves the reconstruction accuracy and modeling efficiency. This study promotes the exploration of metrological methods for the fast and intelligent reconstruction of complex surfaces with high uncertainty.
Security bipartite synchronization of MASs resilient to DoS attacks
Authors: Chang Zhenyu , Liang Hongjing , Cao Liang
Published: October 2023

This paper considers the security bipartite synchronization problem of nonlinear multi-agent systems (MASs) under the impact of denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. Notice that malicious attackers may block the neighbor information transmission among agents, which will reduce the efficiency of the distributed control strategy and even paralyze the entire system. In order to eliminate the impact of DoS attacks on the stability of MASs, this paper represents the first attempt to solve the security bipartite synchronization problem with the help of a distributed leader state observer. An observer that can obtain the leader state estimation is established, and the control strategy constructed based on the observer can eliminate the impact of DoS attacks. Theoretical analysis shows that the control strategy proposed in this paper can realize the security bipartite synchronization of the system under the impact of DoS attacks. The validity of the proposed results is verified by several presented simulation results.
Adaptive stabilization of constrained stochastic nonlinear systems with input saturation: A combined BLF and NN approach
Authors: Min Huifang , Shi Shang , Feng Hongyan
Published: October 2023

This paper investigates the adaptive control for a class of constrained stochastic nonlinear systems with parametric uncertainty and input saturation. Based on a novel radial basis function neural networks (RBF NNs), the nonlinearities are tackled without the prior knowledge of NN nodes and weights. The approximate coordinate coordination is combined with an auxiliary system to attenuate the effects generated by input saturation. Then, an opportune backstepping design procedure is presented using the barrier Lyapunov function (BLF) and RBF NN. Based on this design procedure, an adaptive state–feedback controller is constructed, which makes the closed-loop system semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded, the tracking error bounded in a compact set of the origin, and the full-states not violated. Finally, a stochastic single-link robot arm system is simulated to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma Mimicking Cervical Tuberculosis: A Case Report
Authors: Souha Kallel , Sirine Ayadi , Omar Walha , Asma Abbes , Slim Charfi , Boutheina Hammami , Tahiya Boudawara , Ilhem Charfeddine
Published: October 2023

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is a rare and aggressive form of thyroid cancer that has a poor prognosis and a high mortality rate. It is characterized by rapid growth and invasion of nearby tissues. It typically presents as a rapidly growing goiter or nodule that is firm to the touch and firmly attached to the underlying structures. Case reports of unusual presentations of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma have been reported. The presentation of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma mimicking cervical tuberculosis is very unusual. We reported a case of a 65-year-old patient who had a left cervical swelling that had been evolving for 4 months, causing dysphagia. Initial imaging showed a necrotic mass in the left lobe of the thyroid, communicating with a second necrotic mass in the subcutaneous tissue that was fistulized to the skin and suggesting cervical tuberculosis. The mass was incised with pus and whitish material resembling caseous tuberculosis was discharged. Acid-fast bacilli (AFB) Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was negative and biopsy revealed a nonspecific granulomatous lesion. Due to the growth of the mass and the presence of a permeation nodule, a second biopsy was performed, revealing anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. The patient was referred for radiochemotherapy due to tumor inoperability.
Letter to the Editor: “Rosai Dorfman: Rare Cause of Cervical Lymphadenopathy”
Authors: Zainal Abidin Muhammad Raziin , Tuang Geng Ju , Mansor Masaany
Published: October 2023

We read with great interest the article by Kobayashi KE et al. published in 2023 entitled: “Presentation of external ear Rosai–Dorfman disease with laryngeal involvement” and wish to reconnoiter Rosai–Dorfman Disease’s (RDD) clinical entities and the possible implications from the perspective of otology.
A Rare Case of Sinonasal Pleomorphic Adenoma
Authors: Cai Hua , Zhang Zi-Han , Zhou Ming-Zhu , Wu Ying-Jie , Yue Jian-Xin , Zhou Liu-Qing , Chen Gui-Jing , Tian Yuan , Shen Jin-Xiong , Zhou Tao
Published: October 2023

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) is the most prevalent benign tumor of the salivary glands, characterized by both epithelial and mesenchymal differentiation. It primarily originates within the parotid and submandibular glands, with only rare occurrences in the minor salivary glands. PA in the sinonasal area is extremely rare. Herein, we present a case of a 61-year-old female with a large soft tissue mass in the paranasal sinus and nasal cavity, as evidenced by computed tomography imaging. The patient suffered from repeated nasal congestion for more than 6 months. Eventually, the mass was completely resected using an endoscopic endonasal prelacrimal approach under general anesthesia. Postoperative pathological examination revealed the presence of PA in the nasal sinus.
Separation During Emergencies: Is there a Stable Relationship Between Separated Children and the Rest of a Fleeing Population? Evidence from Three Situations in Africa
Authors: De Matteis Alessandro , Turkmen Ceylan Fethiye Burcu , Ridsdel Janis , De Matteis Giulio
Published: October 2023

With the numbers of people fleeing their home countries increasing in recent decades, the need to understand refugee flow patterns, particularly of the most vulnerable groups, is more important than ever. This study is focused on the separation of children from their parents during emergencies in the east and southern African context and highlights how populations fleeing from the same country of origin into nearby countries may be characterised by quite different rates of separation. Despite the wide range of estimates of the proportion of unaccompanied and separated children among the refugee population, in all of the cases considered here, the extent of separation is fairly stable over time, revealing a fast process of adjustment towards their long-term mean values. The findings of this study contribute to improve current knowledge of the issue of separation during emergencies and provide useful support for the monitoring of refugee population movements, and in particular for predicting the number of cases of separation, especially during periods of high variability in the number of new refugee arrivals. This is expected to strongly support the programming of related humanitarian assistance and protection for separated and unaccompanied refugee children.
Migration Governance in Pakistan: Institutional Challenges and Data Gaps
Authors: Cheema Abdur Rehman , Rafique Nihan , Abbas Faisal
Published: October 2023

Recent estimations indicate that Pakistan is currently host to approximately 3.28 million migrants, comprising roughly 1.5 percent of the nation's total population. While Pakistan possesses an extensive national registration database, the National Database and Registration Authority, encompassing both citizens and individuals of Pakistani origin, it is noteworthy that the country lacks a comprehensive migration-sensitive infrastructure. Consequently, there exists a pressing need for in-depth analytical approaches to elucidate the complexities of migration governance and data management within the Pakistani context. Despite the undeniable significance of migration in driving macroeconomic and socioeconomic development within Pakistan, this sector remains notably marginalized in terms of policy prioritization. At present, Pakistan lacks a dedicated migration policy, a centralized coordinating body responsible for managing migration-related data, and a cohesive framework for analytical or advisory efforts regarding the collection and validation of migration data across diverse stakeholders. Consequently, Pakistan's approach to migration governance is characterized by fragmentation, with numerous government entities engaged in the handling and reporting of migration data and service provision. In light of these circumstances, this country report serves as a diagnostic tool, shedding light on salient governance, and data-related challenges. Its overarching objective is to advocate for the elevation of migration governance to a prominent position on Pakistan's policy agenda, thereby addressing the pressing issues outlined herein.
Outcomes of mitral valve replacement with complete annular decalcification
Authors: Numaguchi Ryosuke , Takaki Jun , Nishigawa Kosaku , Yoshinaga Takashi , Fukui Toshihiro
Published: October 2023

Background

This study aimed to examine the clinical outcomes of mitral valve replacement (MVR) in patients with severe mitral annular calcification (MAC) who required extensive decalcification and mitral annular reconstruction.

Methods

We reviewed 15 patients with severe MAC who underwent MVR between January 2016 and May 2022. In all cases, the calcified mitral annulus was resected completely using a Cavitron Ultrasound Surgical Aspirator, and a new annulus was created using bovine pericardium. In the acute postoperative phase, strict afterload reduction therapy using an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) was administered.

Results

The mean age of patients was 73  ±  8 years, and 13 (86.7%) were women. Concomitant aortic valve replacement was performed in 11 (73.3%) patients, tricuspid annuloplasty in 9 (60.0%), coronary artery bypass grafting in 1 (6.7%), and arrhythmia surgery in 7 (46.7%). The mean aortic cross-clamp and cardiopulmonary bypass times were 143  ±  32 min and 175  ±  34 min, respectively. In 13 patients, an IABP was used for 2 or 3 days postoperatively. There were no in-hospital deaths, left ventricular ruptures, or other MAC-related complications. Postoperative echocardiography revealed no paravalvular leakages.

Conclusion

Our strategy for managing severe MAC is safe and reproducible even in relatively high-risk patients. Afterload reduction using an IABP in the acute postoperative phase may reduce the risk of fatal complications after extensive decalcification and mitral annular reconstruction.
The Jews Killed Moses: Sigmund Freud and the Jewish Question
Authors: Chernilo Daniel
Published: October 2023

Freud completed his last book, on Moses and Monotheism, in 1939, while in his London exile. Its publication was deemed untimely, as its two main theses could be construed as a form of Jewish self-hatred. The first claim questions Moses’ Jewish origins and contends that the founder of the Jews was in fact an Egyptian; the second suggests that the Jews killed Moses and then created his myth as a coping mechanism for concealing their terrible deed. In this article, I contend that Moses and Monotheism can be read as Freud’s intervention in debates on the ‘Jewish Question’. After revisiting Freud’s original argument (I), I assess its reception among leading Jewish intellectuals of the 20th century (II). I then use Freud’s arguments to look at the two key themes of the Jewish Question: understanding the defining features of Jewish identity (III) and the pervasiveness of antisemitism in Western culture (IV).
Benefits of meditation and breathing exercises in vision loss patients
Authors: Tran Edward , Aly Mohamed , Shah Nirmit , Phu Vivian , Malvankar-Mehta Monali S.
Published: October 2023

Vision impairment could have debilitating effects on patients’ mental, physical, and emotional health. Our study aims to understand the role of meditation and breathing exercises in the management of vision loss and its effects on patient’s disease progression. This study is designed as a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eligible studies were retrieved from MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL databases and gray literature. Covidence software was used to conduct the systematic review. Duplicate records were removed, and two independent reviewers screened records for relevance. After the screening, a risk-of-bias assessment was carried out. Data were extracted, and a meta-analysis was performed using STATA 14.0. Fixed-effect and random-effect models were computed based on heterogeneity. Our results indicate that meditation and breathing exercises significantly reduce intraocular pressure (IOP) (ES = −1.76, 95% CI = [−2.69, −0.83]) in glaucoma patients, mean deviation of Humphrey visual field testing (ES = −0.20, 95% CI = [−0.37, −0.03]), and biomarkers such as cortisol (ES = −0.73, 95% CI = [−0.25, −2.22]) and reactive oxygen species (ES = −2.45, 95% CI = [−4.20, −0.71]). In addition, our results demonstrated significant increases in beta-endorphins (ES = 28.60, 95% CI = [25.61, 31.59]) following breathing and meditation exercises. Furthermore, our study demonstrated that these exercises were associated with non-significant decreases in inflammatory markers, such as interleukin-6 levels (ES = −1.25, 95% CI = [−2.75, −0.24]), retinal nerve layer fiber thickness (ES = −0.20, 95% CI = [−0.53, −0.14]), and non-significant increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (ES = 28.24, 95% CI = [−25.24, 81.71]). Our systematic review also found improvements in quality of life, physical fitness, and mood for vision loss patients. Meditation and breathing exercises offer a range of benefits to patients with vision loss, including improvements in IOP, biomarkers, quality of life, physical fitness, and mood. Further research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying their effects and the means to apply them in practice.
Acute but not long-lasting antidepressant-like effect of psilocybin in differential reinforcement of low-rate 72 schedule in rats
Authors: Malikowska-Racia Natalia , Koniewski Maciej , Golebiowska Joanna , Popik Piotr
Published: October 2023

Background:

In clinical studies, psychedelics including psilocybin and D-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) demonstrate rapid and persistent antidepressant effects. Since the effective treatment with psychedelics is usually provided with psychotherapy, it is debatable whether their prolonged efficacy can be observed in infrahuman species. Preclinical reports on psychedelics’ effects most often address their acute actions, and different tests and models provide inconsistent results. The goal of this study was to examine whether the treatment with psilocybin and/or LSD would demonstrate immediate and/or sustained antidepressant-like effects in the differential reinforcement of low-rate responding (DRL) schedule in rats. In contrast to the antidepressant screening tools, the DRL 72s test is known to detect antidepressants with high predictive validity as it differentiates clinically effective antidepressants from other psychoactive drugs in non-stressed animals.

Methods:

Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were injected over three consecutive days with psilocybin (1 mg/kg), LSD (0.08 mg/kg), or saline and then tested in DRL 72s for the following 4 weeks.

Results:

Treatment with psilocybin but not LSD demonstrated an immediate antidepressant-like effect, manifested as an increased number of reinforced presses and response efficiency. By contrast, neither of the drugs showed a long-term (up to 4 weeks following administration) antidepressant-like effect.

Conclusions:

Using DRL 72s schedule of reinforcement, we demonstrated the acute antidepressant-like effect of psilocybin but not of LSD, and failed to detect their persistent antidepressant-like efficacy. The present study suggests that the detection of long-lasting antidepressant-like activity in rats could be challenging and may require entirely novel behavioral methods.
Prevalence of preterm birth in Scandinavian countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Behboudi-Gandevani Samira , Bidhendi-Yarandi Razieh , Hossein Panahi Mohammad , Mardani Abbas , Prinds Christina , Vaismoradi Mojtaba , Glarcher Manela
Published: October 2023

Objectives

As welfare societies, Scandinavian countries share characteristics of equality related to healthcare access, gender, and social services. However, cultural and lifestyle variations create country-specific health differences. This meta-analysis assessed the prevalence of preterm birth (PTB) and its categories in Scandinavian countries.

Methods

A systematic search in key databases of literature published between 1990 and 2021 identified studies of the prevalence of PTB and its categories. Following the use of the Freeman–Tukey double arcsine transformation, a meta-analysis of weighted data was performed using the random-effects model and meta-prop method.

Results

We identified 109 observational studies that involved 86,420,188 live births. The overall pooled prevalence (PP) of PTB was 5.3% (PP = 5.3%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 5.1%, 5.5%). The highest prevalence was in Norway (PP = 6.2%, 95% CI 5.3%, 7.0%), followed by Sweden (PP = 5.3%, 95% CI 5.1%, 5.4%), Denmark (PP = 5.2%, 95% CI 4.9%, 5.3%), and Iceland (PP = 5.0%, 95% CI 4.4%, 5.7%). Finland had the lowest PTB rate (PP = 4.9%, 95% CI 4.7%, 5.1%).

Conclusions

The overall PP of PTB was 5.3%, with small variations among countries (4.9%–6.2%). The highest and lowest PPs of PTB were in Norway and Finland, respectively.
Lipid storage disease in 4 sibling superb birds-of-paradise (Lophorina superba)
Authors: McKenzie Christina M. , Marinkovich Matt , Armién Aníbal G. , Leger Judy St. , Armando Aaron M. , Dennis Edward A. , Quehenberger Oswald , Righton Alison
Published: October 2023

Pedigree analysis, clinical, gross, microscopic, ultrastructural, and lipidomic findings in 4 female superb bird-of-paradise (SBOP, Lophorina superba) siblings led to the diagnosis of a primary inherited glycerolipid storage disease. These birds were the offspring of a related breeding pair (inbreeding coefficient = 0.1797) and are the only known SBOPs to display this constellation of lesions. The birds ranged from 0.75 to 4.3 years of age at the time of death. Two birds were euthanized and 1 died naturally due to the disease, and 1 died of head trauma with no prior clinical signs. Macroscopic findings included hepatomegaly and pallor (4/4), cardiac and renal pallor (2/4), and coelomic effusion (1/4). Microscopic examination found marked tissue distortion due to cytoplasmic lipid vacuoles in hepatocytes (4/4), cardiomyocytes (4/4), renal tubular epithelial cells (4/4), parathyroid gland principal cells (2/2), exocrine pancreatic cells (3/3), and the glandular cells of the ventriculus and proventriculus (3/3). Ultrastructurally, the lipids were deposited in single to coalescing or fused droplets lined by an inconspicuous or discontinuous monolayer membrane. Lipidomic profiling found that the cytoplasmic lipid deposits were primarily composed of triacylglycerols. Future work, including sequencing of the SBOP genome and genotyping, will be required to definitively determine the underlying genetic mechanism of this disease.
How close family members contribute to the occupational experiences of their relatives with dementia in long-term residential care: An interpretative phenomenological analysis
Authors: Woodhall Emma , Shaw Sarah
Published: October 2023

Introduction:

This research examines how close family members consider themselves to contribute to the activities, routines and occupational identity of their elderly relatives with dementia who reside in long-term residential care, and the factors that support or challenge their involvement.

Method:

Five participants engaged in a single semi-structured interview, which were analysed utilising interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Results:

Close family members contributed to their relatives’ occupational experiences by being vigilant and advocating to rectify perceived deficits in care home staff’s provision of activity; providing their relatives with personalised, hands-on support to access more frequent and higher-quality opportunities for occupational participation and engagement; and maintaining their relatives’ occupational identity.

Conclusion:

Close family members promote frequent opportunities for meaningful occupational participation and engagement for their relatives, and potentially mitigate the extent of occupational injustice that their relatives experience. Accordingly, health and social care staff should enhance close family members’ efforts by developing constructive partnerships with close family members and providing close family members with caregiver training.
From solidarity to self-promotion? Neoliberalism and left politics in the age of the social media influencer
Authors: Dean Jonathan
Published: October 2023

The aim of this article is to map the contested intersections of influencer culture and left/progressive politics within the current conjuncture. Furthermore, drawing on a combination of Gramscian and Foucaultian insights, the article considers the implications of these intersections for how we theorise the relationship between neoliberalism and left politics. In so doing, my argument is threefold. First, I suggest that social media influencers and influencer activists have turned to various forms of left politics as a means of establishing a distinctive personal brand, and heightening their social media clout. Second, I suggest that these developments have been met with something of a backlash among some left commentators, wary of the superficiality – and privileging of self-promotion over solidarity – that influencer activism entails, in keeping with a broader disaffection with what some consider to be the excessively individualistic flavour of contemporary forms of online ‘identity politics’. Third, I note that left critics of influencer activism often posit a distinction between ‘proper’ – that is, materialist, solidaristic – left politics, on one hand, and superficial, individualistic influencer activism, on the other. But, drawing on a conception of neoliberalism inspired by Foucault’s 1979 lectures, I suggest that, in a neoliberal digital capitalist context, this distinction becomes hard to sustain. This argument has two further implications. First, it becomes very difficult to extricate oneself from the imperatives of neoliberal digital culture, even if one is politically opposed to neoliberalism; and, second, the figure of the social media influencer, far from being exceptional or anomalous, is merely a more overt or extreme manifestation of logics that are already endemic in contemporary cultural and political life.
The Perspective of Nurses and Healthcare Providers on the use of Television Videos with People with Moderate to Severe Dementia
Authors: Hung Lillian , Wong Karen Lok Yi , Mann Jim , Berndt Annette , Wong Lily , Wang Carly , Liao Deborah , Pan Diane , Ren Haopu
Published: October 2023

Background

Nurses and healthcare providers need practical tools to deliver person-centred care in hospitals and long-term care homes. Few non-pharmacological interventions are designed to meet the needs of people with moderate to severe dementia. Dementia-friendly television videos (TV videos) offer a familiar stimulation with the potential for meaningful engagement in the relational space of technology. TV videos refer to moving visuals with audio that can be shown on TV and other devices. They can be used for different purposes for people with dementia, such as stimulating memories and facilitating expressions.

Purpose

This study aims to understand the perspectives of nurses and healthcare providers on the potential function and practice considerations of using TV videos for people with moderate to severe dementia.

Methods

We conducted five focus groups with 23 nurses and healthcare providers in a long-term care home and a geriatric hospital unit. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis and guided by Kitwood's person-centred care model.

Results

Our analysis identified five themes about the use of TV videos: (1) calm the person with dementia who is in emotional distress, (2) form connections with the person with dementia, (3) bring people with dementia together, (4) facilitate the Person's Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), (5) help the person connect with their past.

Conclusion

TV videos should be designed to match the person's cognitive abilities, interests, and cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Our findings supplemented Kitwood's model by identifying the person's cultural and language needs.
The efficiency of fabricated Ag/ZnO nanocomposite using Ruta chalepensis L. leaf extract as a potent protoscolicidal and anti-hydatid cysts agent
Authors: Jalil Parwin J , Shnawa Bushra H , Hamad Samir M , Hamad Bnar Shahab , Ahmed Mukhtar H
Published: October 2023

Background

As a consequence of their eco-friendliness, simplicity and non-toxicity, the fabrication of metal and metal oxide nanoparticles using greener chemistry has been a highly attractive research area over the last decade.

Aim

In this study focused on the fabrication of silver-Zinc oxide nanocomposite (Ag-ZnO NCs) using Ruta chalepensis leaf extract and evaluating its potential biological activities, against Echinococcus granulosus in an in vitro and in vivo model using BALB/c mice.

Methods

In this study, the synthesis of Ag-ZnO NCs was accomplished using local R. chalepensis leaf extracts. The synthesized nanocomposites were identified using UV-Vis, SEM-EDX, XRD, and FTIR. For a short-term assessment of acute toxicity, BALB/c mice were given the prepared NCs orally. Dual sets of mice were also intraperitoneally injected with protoscoleces for secondary echinococcosis infection. Furthermore, a blood compatibility test was carried out on the nanocomposites.

Results

The synthesized Ag-ZnO NCs presented a surface plasmon peak at 329 and 422 nm. The XRD, SEM, and EDX confirmed the purity of the Ag-ZnO NCs. The FTIR spectra indicated the formation of Ag-ZnO NCs. Compared to the untreated infected mice, the treated-infected animals displayed an alteration in the appearance of the hepatic hydatid cysts from hyaline to whitish cloudy with a rough surface appearance. Lysis of RBCs at various doses of Ag-ZnONCs was significantly less than the positive contro,.

Conclusion

These findings revealed that the Ag-ZnO NCs didn’t cause any adverse symptoms and no mortality was observed in all administered groups of mice. The obtained outcomes confirmed that concentrations of up to 40 μg/mL of the bio-fabricated Ag-ZnONCs induced no notable harm to the red blood cells.
Treatment Initiation, Substance Use Trajectories, and the Social Determinants of Health in Persons Living With HIV Seeking Medication for Opioid Use Disorder
Authors: Cook Ryan R. , Jaworski Erin N. , Hoffman Kim A. , Waddell Elizabeth N. , Myers Renae , Korthuis P. Todd , Vergara-Rodriguez Pamela
Published: October 2023

Background:

People living with HIV and opioid use disorder (OUD) are disproportionally affected by adverse socio-structural exposures negatively affecting health, which have shown inconsistent associations with uptake of medications for OUD (MOUD). This study aimed to determine whether social determinants of health (SDOH) were associated with MOUD uptake and trajectories of substance use in a clinical trial of people seeking treatment.

Methods:

Data are from a 2018 to 2019 randomized trial comparing the effectiveness of different MOUD to achieve viral suppression among people living with HIV and OUD. SDOH were defined by variables mapping to Healthy People 2030 domains: education (Education Access and Quality), income (Economic Stability), homelessness (Neighborhood and Built Environment), criminal justice involvement (Social and Community Context), and recent SUD care (Health Care Access and Quality). Associations between SDOH and MOUD initiation were assessed with Cox proportional hazards models, and SDOH and substance use over time with generalized estimating equation models.

Results:

Participants (N = 114) averaged 47 years old, 63% were male, 56% were Black, and 12% Hispanic. Participants reported an average of 2.3 out of 5 positive SDOH indicators (SD = 1.2). Stable housing was the most commonly reported SDOH (61%), followed by no recent criminal justice involvement (59%), having a high-school level education or greater (56%), income stability (45%), and recent SUD care (13%). Each additional favorable SDOH was associated with a 25% increase in the likelihood of MOUD initiation during the study period [adjusted HR = 1.25, 95% CI = (1.01, 1.55), P = .044]. Positive SDOH were also associated with a decrease in the odds of baseline opioid use and a greater reduction in opioid use during subsequent weeks of the study ( P < .001 for a joint test of baseline and slope differences).

Conclusions:

Positive social determinants of health, in aggregate, may increase the likelihood of MOUD treatment initiation among people living with HIV and OUD.
A Longitudinal Study of Physical Activity and Personality in the Wellbeing of Older Adults
Authors: Chan Bill Cheuk Long , Luciano Michelle , Lee Billy
Published: October 2023

Objective: This study examines the interactions of physical activity and personality traits in the subjective wellbeing (SWB) of older adults. Methods: 520 Scottish participants (262 male; 258 female) completed self-reported surveys measuring their level of physical activity, personality, and SWB in 2011–2013 (mean age = 76.23 ± .68) and in 2014–2016 (mean age = 79.31 ± .62). Results: While all of the Big Five personality traits predicted SWB across the 3-year period in the expected direction, neither physical activity nor its joint effect with any of the personality traits was a significant predictor of subsequent SWB. Discussion: Further research on older adults with higher variation in age, exercise level, and cultural background is needed to disentangle how physical activity and personality influence SWB.
Not so girl-led: Collective concerted cultivation in Girl Scouts of the United States of America
Authors: Nickens Rachel E
Published: October 2023

In a context in which Western children’s leisure time has become increasingly adult-managed, Girl Scouts of the United States of America seeks to distinguish itself from other extracurriculars with a “girl-led” program. However, based on participant observation and interviews with Girl Scout volunteers, I find that Girl Scouts is more parent-led than girl-led as concerted cultivation and intensive parenting moves into an organizational setting. Specifically, parents work together to promote the accumulation of cultural and social capital though collective concerted cultivation, which ultimately limits the autonomy of children and reproduces childhood inequality even in an organizational setting.
The dialectical debt-image
Authors: Mirzoeff Nicholas
Published: October 2023

This essay asks what is “the image of unpayable debt”? I approach Ferreira da Silva’s assemblage from the angle delineated by Walter Benjamin’s concept of the “image,” a multi-layered composite of time-spaces. I include Benjamin’s weak Messianism, via the democratic debt jubilee, and the general strike reconfigured for the present as the feminist strike against debt. The “image” formed in this process is multiple and sedimented with layers of time-space, containing a caesura. This “break” is comprised of weak Messianism and blackness. The essay concludes by asking how the debt-image can be projected into the world as the general strike.
Unleashing the capacity of Blackness: The scene of total violence and the ongoing present of slavery
Authors: De Genova Nicholas
Published: October 2023

In the effort to critically interrogate the state (and law) and global capital (and property) through Blackness as the enduring figure of the total violence of slavery and colonialism, Denise Ferreira da Silva’s Unpayable Debt (2022) centrally targets the Marxian critique of capitalism (or historical materialism) as the premier example of an Enlightenment conceptual apparatus that is simply “of no use.” This review rebuts Ferreira da Silva’s contentions regarding Marx and Marxian critiques. Marx identifies slavery, colonialism, genocide, and warfare as necessary foundations for the very possibility of capital accumulation, rendering the colonial and racial underpinnings of capital accumulation indispensable for any viable analysis of our contemporary sociopolitical world order. As the racialized figure of the enduring legacy of enslaved labor, then, Blackness is indeed crucial for a renewal and further radicalization of Marx’s theory of labor.
Skin lesion classification using HG-PSO and YOLOv7 based convolutional network in real time
Authors: Shaheen Hera , Singh Maheshwari Prasad
Published: October 2023

Skin cancer is a chronic illness seen visually and further diagnosed with a dermoscopic examination. It is crucial to precisely localize and classify lesions from dermoscopic images to diagnose and treat skin cancers as soon as possible. This work presents melanoma identification, and the classification method significantly improves accuracy and precision. This work proposes a method Hybrid of Genetic and Particle swarm optimization (HG-PSO), and You only look once version 7 (YOLOv7) based convolutional network for skin cancer classification. The infected region is first located using optimized YOLOv7 object detection. Then color thresholding is applied to segment it, which is passed to the proposed convolutional network for classification. This work is tested on the Human Against Machine with 10,000 training images (HAM10000), International Skin Imaging Collaboration (ISIC)-2019, and Hospital Pedro Hispano (PH2) datasets, and the findings are compared to the state-of-the-art methods for classifying skin cancer. The proposed method achieves 98.86% accuracy, 99.00% average precision, 98.85% average recall, and 98.85% average F1-score on the HAM10000 dataset. It achieves 97.10% accuracy on ISIC-2019 datasets. The average precision obtained is 97.37%, the average recall is 97.13%, and the average F1-score is 97.13% on the ISIC-2019 dataset. It achieves a 97.7% accuracy on the PH2 dataset. The average precision obtained is 99.00%, the average recall is 96.00%, and the average F1-score is 97.00% on the PH2 dataset. The test time taken by this method on datasets HAM10000, ISIC-2019, and PH2 dataset is 2, 3, and 2 s, respectively, which may help give faster responses in telemedicine.
Medical device regulatory challenges in the UK are affecting innovation and its potential benefits
Authors: Beddoe-Rosendo Jacqueline , Heaysman Clare L , Hajnal Joseph V , Ourselin Sebastien , Vanhoestenberghe Anne
Published: October 2023

The increase in regulatory challenges on medical technology developed and deployed in the UK is having a negative impact on innovation. In this paper we show how the limited capacity of Approved and Notified Bodies is one more barrier in the innovation pipeline, that could push more teams to consider applying for FDA approval instead of UKCA marking, potentially limiting how much our patients benefit from the world-leading research undertaken in UK universities.
Removals of ‘Dangerous’ Mobile EU Citizens: Public Order and Security as a Police Paradigm
Authors: Könönen Jukka
Published: October 2023

Despite being frequently invoked in everyday police work and immigration enforcement to justify coercive measures, public order and security remains an ambiguous legal concept. For EU citizens, the Citizens’ Rights Directive stipulates public order and security grounds to provide a higher threshold against removals than criminal convictions alone. However, the removal grounds for EU citizens were founded on even less than criminal convictions in analysis of 100 removal orders for mobile Estonian and Romanian citizens in Finland. Ultimately, the removal orders relied on the assumption of future crimes and invoked a conception of ‘dangerous individuals’ with criminal tendencies, even based on single minor offences and administrative penal orders without criminal convictions. Notwithstanding various legal meanings, I argue that the required public order and security grounds for the removal of EU citizens corresponded to police conceptions of mobile populations as a potential source of criminality and a threat to social order.
Book review: John C. Bogle, The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns
Authors: Inani Sarveshwar Kumar
Published: October 2023

John C. Bogle, The Little Book of Common Sense Investing: The Only Way to Guarantee Your Fair Share of Stock Market Returns (10th Anniversary Ed., Updated & Revised), 2017, Wiley, 304 pp., US$24.95/Can$29.95. ISBN: 978-1-119-40450-7 (Hardback).
Group dance, social cohesion, and social identity in the Yali society from Papua
Authors: Sorokowski Piotr , Luty Jerzy , Malecki Wojciech , Kowal Marta
Published: October 2023

Group dance to music is a ubiquitous activity performed all around the world. Considering that even our distant ancestors engaged in ritual dancing, joint dances seem to be deeply rooted in human nature. Thus many scholars have hypothesized that group dancing might serve important adaptive roles. Here, we tested this premise by exploring whether group dancing to music does indeed entail social benefits, which could explain the pervasive nature of group dancing. We conducted a non-laboratory experiment among members of the Yali, an indigenous people living in Highland Papua, an Indonesian province. In total, 180 Yali participated in the study (80 in the dance condition and 100 in the control condition), among whom 93 (52%) were women (age M = 30.36, SD = 10.36). The results showed that joint dancing led to greater prosociality, demonstrated by the sharing of a larger sum of money in the Dictator Game, and stronger social identity, shown by a higher level of in-group favoritism. So far as we know, our study is the first to provide ecologically valid and naturalistic evidence, from an experiment in which members of a traditional society participated, that supports the adaptive role of group dancing. We conclude by discussing the potential beneficial effects of group dance, including greater prosociality and a higher level of in-group favoritism.
Is it Worth it? How Paradoxical Tensions of Identity Shape the Readiness of Management Educators to Embrace Transformative Technologies in their Teaching
Authors: Fischer Isabel , Dobbins Kerry
Published: October 2023

At a time when emerging technologies increasingly transform the workplace and society overall, management educators seem reluctant to fully embrace emerging transformative technologies in their teaching. In this conceptual essay, we argue that this reluctance stems from paradoxical tensions of identity of management educators and students. The case is made that, currently, management educators tend to display their expertise to meet students’ reductionist curiosity. We recommend that management educators move beyond an initial reductionist curriculum to harness the opposing forces created by the paradoxical tensions of identity, which means embracing vulnerability at the same time as stimulating students’ expansionist curiosity. Our pedagogic recommendations are based on our experience of integrating generative and non-generative artificial intelligence, as well as esports and virtual reality as a preparation for the metaverse, into our curriculum. The essay concludes by proposing a sequence of three steps that might guide management educators in their preparation to integrate emerging technologies in the classroom in a way that empowers students to envision shaping the unknown future in an innovative and responsible way.