bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The French Left and the Politicization of Environmental Issues
Authors: Buton Philippe
Published: June 2022

The meeting between the left and ecology was belated, shocked and temporally differentiated. There were three different kinds of behaviours towards ecology, those exhibited by the opponents, the followers and the pioneers. The intersection of three parameters explains this typology: the relation of these organizations to the notion of modernity, the relation to Marxism, and the notion of revolutionary optimism.
From ‘Old’ to ‘New’ Politics: The Politicization of the Environment in Left-Wing British Intellectual Discourse (1970s–1980s)
Authors: Maccaferri Marzia
Published: June 2022

This article reconstructs the encounter between environmentalism and the intellectual discourse of the Left in Britain. It shows how environmentalism struggled to converse with British socialism and Marxism and why the final politicization of the environment took a quite long path to transition. Through the analysis of the discussions in The Ecologist, New Left Review, and Marxism Today the article documents their contributions to the ‘greening’ of wider political discourse, and the important place they had in rethinking the role of left-wing politics in the difficult years of the 1980s. While the concept of crisis played a central role in the assimilation of environmental argument and ecology into the complex ideological configuration of socialism and Marxism, it was however an external factor – Thatcherism – that forced the Left’s intellectuals to come to terms with the changing of the political and imposed the idea that the preservation of the environment was a ‘socialist principle’. The article contributes to two primary lines of historical inquiry: the field of modern British environmental history and the politics of the Labour Party’s reformulation during the 1980s.
Invoking the Spirit: Salvador de Madariaga, Religious Networks and European Integration Beyond the Churches
Authors: Domínguez-Castro Luis , Rodríguez-Lago José Ramón
Published: June 2022

The transatlantic religious networks promoted by Americans after World War I not only delivered human and financial resources but they also brought about significant changes in religious and political thought and practice in Europe. The experiences, networks and narratives created through two world wars equipped Europe with an ideological arsenal, which it marshalled against the Soviet threat during the cultural Cold War and which provided the European integration process with resources and legitimacy. The invocation of ‘spirit’ proved an extremely effective way of legitimizing the European project: it identified materialism as the seed of destruction of civilization; it promoted an interfaith narrative that was acceptable to different churches and religious sensibilities; and it represented human rights as the historical legacy of Christianity. Salvador de Madariaga's life reflects the evolution of the role of religion in the twentieth century, especially with regard to non-denominational Christianity. He was a committed missionary of ecumenist global civic conscience and a crusader for freedom of conscience against totalitarian interference. His defence of liberalism and his repeated calls for a cultural construction of Europe were rooted in his conviction of the intrinsically spiritual nature of all human beings, his identification with the legacy of Christianity and his desire to guarantee universal freedom of spirit. This article analyses documents from Madariaga's personal archive and other archives in Europe and America in order to chronicle his spiritual journey and to understand his crusade to create a ‘Europe of the spirit’.
Mitochondria transplantation/transfer between single cells
Authors: Hu Qin , Lu Jianfei , Zhang Xiaohua , Liu Ran , Yang Shao-Hua
Published: June 2022

Mitochondrial transplantation/transfer has been increasingly recognized as a potential way for cell and tissue revitalization. In a recent study, Gabelein et al. reported a novel method for single cells mitochondria transplantation using “nanosyringe”. This technique combines atomic force microscopy, optical microscopy, and nanofluidics that enable intra- and intercellular organelle micromanipulation and cell-to-cell mitochondria transplantation with up to 95% success rate. The transferred mitochondria fuse to the host mitochondrial network and donor mtDNA incorporate into the recipient mitochondrial genome. The nanosyringe technique provides a novel tool for future mitochondrial research to offer insight into mitochondrial replacement therapy for stroke and fundamental mitochondrial biology.
Modified method of cervical conization with hybrid use of a cold knife and an electric knife for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions
Authors: Zhang Weifeng , Lin Yi
Published: June 2022

Objective

To evaluate the feasibility and surgical outcome of the modified method of cervical conization with hybrid use of a cold knife and an electric knife.

Methods

A retrospective analysis of cervical conization for high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions was performed between January 2020 and December 2020. Traditional cold knife conization and modified conization were used. The clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes were compared between these methods.

Results

Ninety-two patients with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions were included. Traditional conization was performed in 46 patients, and the modified method was used in 46 patients. There were no differences in clinical characteristics, such as age, menopausal status, and conization height, between the methods. Intraoperative blood loss with the modified method was significantly lower than that with traditional conization (27.6 ± 4.7 vs 51.3 ± 18.3 mL). Postoperative vaginal bleeding requiring emergent measures, such as prolonged gauze compression, sutures, or electrocautery, was significantly less with the modified method than with traditional conization (4.3% vs 17.4%). A median follow-up of 10.2 months showed no significant difference in persistence or recurrence between the methods.

Conclusions

The modified method of cervical conization with hybrid use of cold and electric knives may be a good alternative to traditional cold knife conization.
Activation of STAT6 by intranasal allergens correlated with the development of eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis in a mouse model
Authors: Wei Hongqi , Xu Longjiang , Sun Peng , Xing Hongyu , Zhu Zhengwen , Liu Jisheng
Published: June 2022

Eosinophilic chronic rhinosinusitis (ECRS) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by prominent eosinophilic infiltration along with a T-helper-2 (Th2) response. It has been well documented that signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 (STAT6) is a nuclear transcription factor that mediates Th2-type immunity and is implicatory of STAT1 and STAT3 in the pathogenesis of allergic airway diseases. However, little is known about the association between STATs and ECRS. Here, we explored the relationship between STAT1, STAT3, and/or STAT6 and eosinophilic inflammation accompanied by Th2-type immunity in a mouse model of ECRS. An ovalbumin (OVA)-staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB)-induced ECRS murine model was first established. The mucosal histological alterations were determined using hematoxylin and eosin staining. The number of eosinophils in peripheral blood was measured using a blood cell analyzer. The cytokine (IL-4, IL-5, IL17 A and IFN-γ) expression levels in the sinonasal mucosa and total and OVA-specific IgE from serum were measured using ELISA. Then, the protein levels of STAT1, STAT3, STAT6, phosphorylated STAT1 (p-STAT1), p-STAT3, p-STAT6, T-box expressed in T-cells (T-bet), GATA binding protein 3 (GATA-3), and retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor γ (RORγt) in the sinonasal mucosa were examined by immunohistochemical staining or Western blotting. Local administration of OVA combined with SEB (OVA + SEB) induced multiple polyp-like lesions, accompanied by prominent eosinophilic infiltration in the sinonasal mucosa. The OVA- and OVA+SEB-treated groups showed significantly higher eosinophil counts from peripheral blood and total and OVA-specific IgE levels from serum than those in the PBS- and SEB-treated groups. The levels of p-STAT6 were markedly increased by OVA + SEB exposure, as well as GATA-3, IL-4, and IL-5, but did not affect STAT6, p-STAT1, p-STAT3, T-bet, RORγt, IFN-γ, or IL-17A. Furthermore, an eosinophil count in the sinonasal mucosa showed a positive correlation with the level of p-STAT6 in the ECRS mouse model. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 6 signaling could be activated in the OVA+SEB-induced ECRS model and might be a crucial signal transducer in the development of Th2-skewed ECRS.
Effects of Game-Based Learning on Students’ Computational Thinking: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Lu Zhuotao , Chiu Ming M. , Cui Yunhuo , Mao Weijie , Lei Hao
Published: June 2022

This meta-analysis determined game-based learning’s (GBL) overall effect on students’ computational thinking (CT) and tested for moderators, using 28 effect sizes from 24 studies of 2,134 participants. The random effects model results showed that GBL had a significant positive overall effect on students’ CT (g = 0.677, 95% confidence interval 0.532–0.821) with significant heterogeneity among effect sizes. Among game types, role-playing yielded the largest GBL effect size, followed by action, puzzles, and adventures. Moreover, the effect of GBL on CT was weaker among students in countries that were more individualistic than others. Lastly, interventions between four hours and one week showed the largest GBL effect size, followed by those over four weeks, up to four hours, and between one week and four weeks.
PHASE: An Open-Source Program for the Analysis of Drosophila

Ph

ase,

A

ctivity, and

S

leep Under

E

ntrainment
Authors: Persons J. L. , Abhilash L. , Lopatkin A. J. , Roelofs A. , Bell E. V. , Fernandez Maria P. , Shafer Orie T.
Published: June 2022

The problem of entrainment is central to circadian biology. In this regard, Drosophila has been an important model system. Owing to the simplicity of its nervous system and the availability of powerful genetic tools, the system has shed significant light on the molecular and neural underpinnings of entrainment. However, much remains to be learned regarding the molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying this important phenomenon. Under cyclic light/dark conditions, Drosophila melanogaster displays crepuscular patterns of locomotor activity with one peak anticipating dawn and the other anticipating dusk. These peaks are characterized through an estimation of their phase relative to the environmental light cycle and the extent of their anticipation of light transitions. In Drosophila chronobiology, estimations of phases are often subjective, and anticipation indices vary significantly between studies. Though there is increasing interest in building flexible analysis tools in the field, none incorporates objective measures of Drosophila activity peaks in combination with the analysis of fly activity/sleep in the same program. To this end, we have developed PHASE, a MATLAB-based program that is simple and easy to use and (i) supports the visualization and analysis of activity and sleep under entrainment, (ii) allows analysis of both activity and sleep parameters within user-defined windows within a diurnal cycle, (iii) uses a smoothing filter for the objective identification of peaks of activity (and therefore can be used to quantitatively characterize them), and (iv) offers a series of analyses for the assessment of behavioral anticipation of environmental transitions.
Contemporary Homeschooling Arrangements: An Analysis of Three Waves of Nationally Representative Data
Authors: Cheng Albert , Hamlin Daniel
Published: June 2022

Dramatic growth in the homeschool population in recent decades has coincided with an increase in the methods used to educate homeschooled children. However, researchers tend to treat homeschooled children as a uniform group without accounting for vastly different homeschooling arrangements. In this study, we examine the prevalence of four types of homeschool arrangements by pooling three cross-sectional waves of nationally representative data on American homeschool families ( n = 1,468). Results indicate that most homeschool families supplement home education with cooperative instructors and private tutors, online education, and brick-and-mortar schooling. Families who do not use these resources are declining. They are also more likely to be White, less educated, and residing in the South region. Homeschool families whose children attend brick-and-mortar schools part-time are less likely to be White and more likely to reside in urban areas. Future research is needed to explore outcomes across different homeschool arrangements.
Current Practice Review in the Management of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Authors: Chudow Melissa B. , Condeni Melanie S. , Dhar Sanjay , Heavner Mojdeh S. , Nei Andrea M. , Bissell Brittany D.
Published: June 2022

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) presents as an acute inflammatory lung injury characterized by refractory hypoxemia and non-cardiac pulmonary edema. An estimated 10% of patients in the intensive care unit and 25% of those who are mechanically ventilated are diagnosed with ARDS. Increased awareness is warranted as mortality rates remain high and delays in diagnosing ARDS are common. The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of understanding ARDS management. Treatment of ARDS can be challenging due to the complexity of the disease state and conflicting existing evidence. Therefore, it is imperative that pharmacists understand both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment strategies to optimize patient care. This narrative review provides a critical evaluation of current literature describing management practices for ARDS. A review of treatment modalities and supportive care strategies will be presented.
Constructions of family relationships in a COVID Christmas: An analysis of television advertisements on YouTube
Authors: Pownall Madeleine , Eyles-Smith Eve , Talbot Catherine V.
Published: June 2022

Christmas time is a site of intensified domesticity, a reliance on traditional norms, and centring of family relationships. Christmas in the year 2020 was unique in this regard, given how the COVID-19 pandemic widely disrupted home life and shifted family relationships. Feminist researchers have previously noted how analysis of contemporary cultural artefacts, such as online media, can be a useful way of exploring how different relationships are constructed to serve various functions. Therefore, we thematically analysed 11 television advertisements on YouTube to investigate how family relationships are constructed through a lens of feminist psychology in the context of a COVID-19 Christmas. Our analysis generated three dominant themes. First, the television advertisements in our sample constructed nostalgia as women's work. Second, family relationships were positioned as a means of reclaiming power and purpose in an effort to instil a new normal. Lastly, television advertisements constructed family relationships as a critical site for representing gendered norms. We discuss these themes in relation to feminist scholarship on the function of family relationships, during COVID-19 and beyond.
“Troubled” derby subjectivities: Wellbeing and feminist new materialist movements in sport
Authors: Pavlidis Adele
Published: June 2022

Roller derby is a unique and innovative phenomenon in the sporting landscape. Body image, gender policies, aggression/contact elements, music, art, and subversive and inclusive politics are all embraced to various degrees. Its growth was swift and significant – thousands of women around the world strapped on their skates and pushed themselves to meet the minimum skills requirements for joining a derby league. This unique sport was put in the (un)enviable position of somehow having done what governments and medical professionals had tried to achieve for years: to get people active who were inactive in the past, raise people's physical activity levels, and therefore (so the story goes) to improve their overall wellbeing and mental health. This article engages with interview transcripts with 12 derby skaters who chose to leave the sport in order to understand the complex social, cultural and personal forces at play in the relationship between sport and wellbeing. Drawing on feminist conceptualisations of care and movement, I explore the notion of “troubled derby subjectivities” to understand the ways in which the “sport” (including its style, music and affinities) provided a generative space for non-normative gendered subjectivities, embodied movement and “wellbeing”.
Whistle-blowers – morally courageous actors in health care?
Authors: Wiisak Johanna , Suhonen Riitta , Leino-Kilpi Helena
Published: June 2022

Background

Moral courage means courage to act according to individual’s own ethical values and principles despite the risk of negative consequences for them. Research about the moral courage of whistle-blowers in health care is scarce, although whistleblowing involves a significant risk for the whistle-blower.

Objective

To analyse the moral courage of potential whistle-blowers and its association with their background variables in health care.

Research design

Was a descriptive-correlational study using a questionnaire, containing Nurses Moral Courage Scale©, a video vignette of the wrongdoing situation with an open question about the vignette, and several background variables. Data were analysed statistically and inductive content analysis was used for the narratives.

Participants and research context

Nurses as healthcare professionals (including registered nurses, public health nurses, midwives, and nurse paramedics) were recruited from the membership register of the Nurses’ Association via email in 2019. A total of 454 nurses responded. The research context was simulated using a vignette.

Ethical considerations

Good scientific inquiry guidelines were followed. Permission to use the Nurses’ Moral Courage Scale© was obtained from the copyright holder. The ethical approval and permission to conduct the study were obtained from the participating university and the Nurses’ Association.

Findings

The mean value of potential whistle-blowers’ moral courage on a Visual Analogue Scale (0–10) was 8.55 and the mean score was 4.34 on a 5-point Likert scale. Potential whistle-blowers’ moral courage was associated with their socio-demographics, education, work, personality and social responsibility related background variables.

Discussion and conclusion

In health care, potential whistle-blowers seem to be quite morally courageous actors. The results offer opportunities for developing interventions, practices and education to support and encourage healthcare professionals in their whistleblowing. Research is needed for developing a theoretical construction to eventually increase whistleblowing and decrease and prevent wrongdoing.
Comparative Performance of Cooperatives and Producer Companies in Member Producer’s Income Enhancement: A Case Study of the Milk Sector in Indian Punjab
Authors: Kaur Manpreet , Singla Naresh
Published: June 2022

Small producers’ participation in milk collectives such as dairy cooperatives and producer companies is seen as one of the several ways to institutionalize the dairy value chains and leverage their production and marketing strengths. In this context, the study has explored procurement practices of a dairy cooperative vis-à-vis producer company that have recently ventured into direct procurement, processing and retailing of the milk in Indian Punjab and understood their economic impact on the milk producers in Indian Punjab. The findings of the study suggest that both the milk collectives offer higher prices to the producers, resulting in higher profitability than their counterpart non-member milk producers. The findings of the study suggest that the milk collectives need to take additional responsibilities in terms of advancing credit, introducing new production technologies to increase milk productivity and encouraging participation of women milk producers to make such linkages inclusive, effective and sustainable.
Critical appraisal of the establishment of a theory-informed evaluation capacity building function in a large government department
Authors: Lloyd Delyth , Williams Eleanor , Terrill Desiree
Published: June 2022

Evaluation Capacity Building (ECB) is a critical function that can increase uptake, quality and impact of evaluation activity in large organisations. This article describes how ECB theory has been applied in the design and implementation of foundational evaluation training in a large state government department. Appraisal of the first three years (2018–21) establishing the training component of the capacity building function is explored, in light of contemporary capacity building literature. Post-training feedback indicated high degree of participant satisfaction and met need among department staff. One-year follow-up of training workshops indicated that over two-thirds of respondents (68 percent) found evaluation training had a lasting impact on their work, and that participants continued to use evaluation support materials and apply what they had learned. The article provides practical information on this theory-informed approach, to support others who are commencing or delivering evaluation capacity initiatives within public sector agencies or other large organisations, including for those who are adapting training for online delivery during COVID-19. The article identifies lessons learned, including through the experience of moving training online during the COVID-19 pandemic, and presents opportunities to increase the impact of evaluation capacity building.
The practice of bride-price in the Australian Dinka community: Is it permissible under Australian law?
Authors: Deng Mark A W
Published: June 2022

In this article, I discuss some of the problems associated with bride-price, practised by the Dinka people. I argue that bride-price makes women objects of sale and purchase, then discuss the rise in bride-price and how this may also result in mistreatment of women, eg, it may lead to domestic violence. I then examine the status of the bride-price under Australian law, find that it is not illegal and argue for its criminalisation in view of Australia’s commitment to gender equality and human rights, and public policy.
Improving quantification of anticholinergic burden using the Anticholinergic Effect on Cognition Scale – a healthcare improvement study in a geriatric ward setting
Authors: Balasundaram Bharathi , Ang Wendy Swee Tee , Stewart Robert , Bishara Delia , Ooi Chun How , Li Fuyin , Akram Farooq , Eu Kwek Andrew Boon
Published: June 2022

Objective

Anticholinergic burden refers to the cumulative effects of taking multiple medications with anticholinergic effects. This study was carried out in a public hospital in Singapore, aimed to improve and achieve a 100% comprehensive identification and review of measured, anticholinergic burden in a geriatric psychiatry liaison service to geriatric wards. We evaluated changes in pre-to post-assessment anticholinergic burden scores and trainee feedback.

Method

Plan Do Study Act methodology was employed, and Anticholinergic Effect on Cognition scale (AEC) was implemented as the study intervention. A survey instrument evaluated trainee feedback.

Results

There was no measured anticholinergic burden in a baseline of 170 assessments. 75 liaison psychiatry assessments were conducted between June and November 2021 in two cycles. 94.7% of pre-assessments (at the time of assessment) and 71.1% of post-assessments (following assessment) had a record of AEC scores in clinical documentation in cycle one, improving in the second cycle to 100%, 94.6%, respectively. A high post-assessment AEC score of 3 and over reduced from 15.8% in cycle one to 5.4% in cycle two. The trainee feedback suggested an enriching educational experience.

Conclusions

Using the AEC scale, the findings support the feasibility of comprehensive identification and review of measured anticholinergic burden in older people with neurocognitive disorders.
Plural Policing in Papua New Guinea: More Than the Sum of Its Parts?
Authors: Dinnen Sinclair
Published: June 2022

Scholars increasingly acknowledge that policing involves multiple actors and diverse institutional arrangements. Although the global expansion of private security has prompted much of the current interest in plural policing in the Global North, relatively little attention has been paid to this phenomenon in the Global South despite the manifestly plural character of policing in many such countries. This article examines plural policing in Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the Southwest Pacific. Policing in PNG involves a bewildering array of different actors and institutional forms, ranging from transnational police to unofficial urban settlement committees. Investigating the shifting pattern of pluralization in the context of broader structural changes and the intersections between different providers illuminates how policing actually works in this socially diverse nation, as well as highlighting some of its implications for state and society in this understudied part of the world.
Occupational Stress in Healthcare During Covid 19
Authors: Micali Elvira
Published: June 2022

Several studies dedicated to the risk of work-related stress have already shown for some time that healthcare workers are subjected to multiple sources of stress. Recent literature has shown that the SARS CoV 2 pandemic has subjected healthcare workers in emergency/urgent departments and Covid −19 departments to work-related stress risk. In a Sicilian hospital, a sample of 50 health workers (25 men/25 women) was given the “INAIL questionnaire work-related stress risk” structured in 35 items to investigate 7 dimensions of occupational stress (1) Question, (2) Control, (3) Management support, (4) Support from colleagues, (5) Relationships, (6) Role, (7) Change. The results show in 27% of the sample a high level of occupational stress and in 62% an average level of occupational stress with little control and emotional exhaustion, especially in women. In conclusion, to avoid the chronicization of dysfunctional pictures, health institutions must provide staff with psychosocial support services to protect them from the risk of work-related stress.
Hope Shattered: An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis of Survivors’ Experiences With Untested Rape Kits
Authors: Bach Maria Hardeberg , Ahrens Courtney , Howard Rebecca , Dahlgren Sherisa
Published: June 2022

Rape survivors who submit to a medical forensic exam generally expect the resulting rape kit to be tested, but hundreds of thousands of rape kits have been left untested in police storage facilities nationwide. The current study sought to understand what the experience of having an untested rape kit was like for survivors. Using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis, this study examined narratives of 15 survivors whose rape kits had been part of the rape kit backlog. Analysis suggested that survivors experience an extreme sense of betrayal and loss of faith in the criminal justice system when their kits are not tested. For these survivors, the rape kit was more than just evidence in a box; it was part of them. Implications are discussed.
Effect of cold atmospheric plasma torch distance on the microbial inactivation and sensorial properties of ready-to-eat olivier salad
Authors: Ramezan Yousef , Hematabadi Homayun , Ramezan Mina , Khani Mohammad Reza , Kamkari Amir , Najafi Tabrizi Abbas
Published: June 2022

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the cold atmospheric plasma torch (CAPT) nozzle distance from the surface of Olivier salad and the treatment time in the reduction of microbial load and sensory properties of the product simultaneously. In this study, the CAPT nozzle was placed at 3, 5, and 7 cm distances from the surface of the Olivier salad, and its efficiency in inactivating the microbial population, decimal reduction time (D-value), and sensory evaluation of the product were evaluated. The results showed that reducing the distance and increasing the plasma treatment time (30, 60, 90, and 120 s) both reduced the microbial load of the product. The maximum inactivation and the minimum D-value are related to the 3 cm distance for 120 s, which has been 3.77, 2.91, and 1.52 log CFU/g for Coliform, Total viable count (TVC), mold and yeast, respectively. The lowest D-value was related to Coliform (4.41 s). CAPT treatment had no significant sensible effect on the product's sensory characteristics compared to the control sample. The treated sample at a 3 cm distance for 90 s and the microbial reduction to an acceptable amount and high acceptancy from sensory evaluators were selected as the superior treatment in this study. Also, the results showed that CAPT could be used successfully in ready-to-eat (RTE) products.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Closing Rail Crossings: A Case Study From Louisiana
Authors: Tian Guang
Published: June 2022

Road-railroad crossings are where different modes of transportation meet, which brings safety concerns and the potential for hampering transportation efficiency and creating other issues. By surveying and interviewing professionals in Louisiana, this study aims to investigate incentive programs and their effectiveness in reducing the number of at-grade crossings for policy implementation. The results show that most agencies in Louisiana were concerned about safety at railroad crossings with one third supporting closing crossings to alleviate their concerns. In addition, stakeholders were also concerned about the condition and maintenance of crossings, traffic management, and access for active transportation. Among five identified programs, road improvement was ranked as the most effective program, and the combination of multiple programs may be more effective than any individual program. This study recommends that context-sensitive, accessible, and transparent policies, public education, and stakeholder engagement may help to improve safety and efficiency at road-railroad crossings overall.
Patients’ Perspectives on Coming Off Opioid Agonist Treatment: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Nehlin Christina , Bäckström Josefin , Brander Charlotte Wollert , Öster Caisa
Published: June 2022

Aims:

Opioid agonist treatment (OAT) programs are life-saving, as they reduce opioid use, overdoses, and criminal activities. Disadvantages reported with long-term OAT include side effects of the medication, especially on cognitive ability and sexual function, which may discourage potential participants. Many of those who participate in OAT have a desire to come off treatment. The aims of this study were to explore patients’ thoughts about coming off OAT and to investigate their perceptions of what support they would need in order to realize a planned withdrawal from OAT.

Methods:

A qualitative interview study with semi-structured interviews, using applied thematic analysis. Persons with experiences of participating in OAT were invited from Swedish programs and a private Facebook community.

Results:

Fifteen persons, with a mean of 9.6 (±6.4) years of treatment experience, were included. The participants underlined the need for a patient-centered focus within the treatment. They wanted to be regarded as capable of deciding if, when, and how a planned ending was to take place. They also called for staff to be supportive in making such decisions. Participants recommended staff to be sensitive to the needs of the specific patient and to have strategies for coming off OAT that could be adjusted for the single person.

Conclusions:

OAT programs need to be continually updated and adapted to the persons who can benefit from them. Applying a person-centered, holistic perspective would enhance the quality of the treatment by emanating from individual goals. Regulatory guidelines need to take into account research on patient experiences and perspectives on coming off.
A Nomogram to Predict Critical Weight Loss in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma During (Chemo) Radiotherapy
Authors: Huang Chen , Chen Hongxiu , Zhang Xiaoxia , Zhang Qin , Liu Juan , Yu Huaqin , He Yinbo , Liu Zhe
Published: June 2022

Background:

Weight loss is an important side effect of long-term anticancer treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients. The decline in body function will cause many adverse effects, such as local recurrence and distant metastasis, and reduce the patient’s quality of life. Therefore, this study developed a predictive model for the probability of critical weight loss to provide timely appropriate nutritional interventions and prevent serious side effects.

Methods:

A 20-week prospective follow-up study of 137 nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients in West China Hospital of Sichuan University undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy from February 2018 to March 2020 was conducted to collect relevant clinical data. The clinical usefulness and calibration of the prediction model were assessed using the C-index, calibration plot, receiver operating curve, and decision curve analysis. Internal validation was assessed using bootstrapping validation.

Results:

The nomogram consisted of sex, smoking status, physical status, chemotherapy regimen, and body mass index. Good calibration was observed for the cohort, with an area under the curve of 0.924. Five independent prognostic factors were included in the nomogram, which showed a high C-index value of 0.815 in the interval validation. Decision curve analysis showed that the nomogram was clinically useful when the intervention was decided at the critical weight loss possibility threshold in the 0% to 97% range.

Conclusions:

We constructed and validated a nomogram for predicting the incidence of critical weight loss in nasopharyngeal cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Diagnostic Ability of Volatile Organic Compounds in Digestive Cancer: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis
Authors: Yang Hang , Mou Yi , Hu Bing
Published: June 2022

Background:

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been involved in cancer diagnosis via breath, urine, and feces. We aimed to assess the diagnostic ability of VOCs on digestive cancers.

Methods:

We systematically reviewed prospective clinical trials evaluating VOCs’ diagnostic ability on esophageal, gastric, colorectal, hepatic, and pancreatic cancer (PC). Databases including PubMed and Ovid-Medline were searched.

Results:

A total of 35 trials with 5314 patient-times qualified for inclusion. The pooled sensitivity of VOCs diagnosing gastroesophageal cancer from healthy controls is 0.89 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.82-0.94), the pooled specificity is 0.890 (95% CI: 0.84-0.93), and area under the curve (AUC) of the summary receiver operating characteristic curve is 0.95 (95% CI: 0.93-0.95). The pooled sensitivity of VOCs diagnosing colorectal cancer from heathy controls is 0.92 (95% CI: 0.85-0.96), the pooled specificity is 0.88 (95% CI: 0.77-0.94), and the AUC is 0.96 (95% CI: 0.94-0.97). The pooled sensitivity of VOCs distinguishing gastrointestinal (GI) cancer from precancerous lesions is 0.84 (95% CI: 0.67-0.92), the pooled specificity is 0.74 (95% CI: 0.43-0.91), and the AUC is 0.87 (95% CI: 0.84-0.89). The pooled sensitivity of VOCs diagnosing hepatocellular carcinoma is 0.68 (95% CI: 0.52-0.81), the pooled specificity is 0.81 (95% CI: 0.47-0.96), and the AUC is 0.78 (95% CI: 0.74-0.81). The pooled sensitivity of VOCs diagnosing PC is 0.88 (95% CI: 0.80-0.93), the pooled specificity is 0.82 (95% CI: 0.62-0.93), and the AUC is 0.92 (95% CI: 0.89-0.94).

Conclusions:

Volatile organic compounds have potential role in diagnosing GI cancer with comparatively high sensitivity, specificity, and AUC (PROSPERO registration number: CRD42021260039).
The role of COVID-19 anxiety and social contact within technology readiness and acceptance model for virtual reality
Authors: Özekici Yakup Kemal , Küçükergin Kemal Gürkan
Published: June 2022

This research aims to question the current threats posed by COVID-19 anxiety and the concept of social contact brought up by the pandemic, with the goal of extending the TRAM model within the context of tourism and virtual reality (VR). The sample of the study comprises of 300 participants taking part in a touristic activity within the last year and experiencing the lockdown period. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) is used for data analysis. According to the findings, COVID-19 anxiety significantly enhances attitudes toward VR, social contact as a tourist role, and perceived usefulness (PU) toward VR. However, social contact is shown not to have a significant effect on attitudes toward VR. Lastly, technological readiness predicts perceived ease of use (PEOU) and PU of VR. The two, in turn, affect attitudes toward virtual reality technology (AVR), which positively affects behavioral intention toward virtual reality technology, namely, BIVR. Insights derived from the study extend present knowledge concerning TRAM, COVID-19 anxiety, virtual reality, social contact as a value, and provide various recovery marketing-oriented strategies for tourism professionals.
Exploring transnational LGBT+ solidarities across the Norwegian-Russian border: The case of Barents Pride
Authors: Liinason Mia , Sasunkevich Olga
Published: June 2022

This paper explores the case of Barents Pride, an event organized collaboratively by Russian and Norwegian LGBT+ activists located close to the Norwegian–Russian border. The idea of the Pride is to bring LGBT+ people and activists from Russia, where state pressure limits possibilities of organizing prides, to Norway and to express solidarity across borders. We use this case to investigate pitfalls and promises of queer transnational solidarities, to contest notions of center/periphery, the North/South–East/West division and to analyze how sexuality simultaneously enforces and destabilizes these dichotomies.
Automatically identifying opioid use disorder in non-cancer patients on chronic opioid therapy
Authors: Zhu Vivienne J , Lenert Leslie A , Barth Kelly S , Simpson Kit N , Li Hong , Kopscik Michael , Brady Kathleen T
Published: June 2022

Background: Using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes alone to record opioid use disorder (OUD) may not completely document OUD in the electronic health record (EHR). We developed and evaluated natural language processing (NLP) approaches to identify OUD from the clinal note. We explored the concordance between ICD-coded and NLP-identified OUD.

Methods: We studied EHRs from 13,654 (female: 8223; male: 5431) adult non-cancer patients who received chronic opioid therapy (COT) and had at least one clinical note between 2013 and 2018. Of eligible patients, we randomly selected 10,218 (75%) patients as the training set and the remaining 3436 patients (25%) as the test dataset for NLP approaches.

Results: We generated 539 terms representing OUD mentions in clinical notes (e.g., “opioid use disorder,” “opioid abuse,” “opioid dependence,” “opioid overdose”) and 73 terms representing OUD medication treatments. By domain expert manual review for the test dataset, our NLP approach yielded high performance: 98.5% for precision, 100% for recall, and 99.2% for F-measure. The concordance of these NLP and ICD identified OUD was modest (Kappa = 0.63).

Conclusions: Our NLP approach can accurately identify OUD patients from clinical notes. The combined use of ICD diagnostic code and NLP approach can improve OUD identification.
Managing inclusion or preparing for exclusion? A critical examination of gender-responsive management of female Central and Eastern European prisoners in England and Wales
Authors: Tomaszewska Magdalena , Bullock Karen , Garland Jon
Published: June 2022

This article examines practitioner understandings and implementation of gender-responsive support within female prisons in England and Wales in the context of a growing emphasis on effective deportation of foreign national prisoners. Drawing on a case study of female prisoners from Central and Eastern states of the European Union (EU), we argue that the aims of gender-responsivity, designed to address women's gendered vulnerabilities to support their re-entry in the UK, are pragmatically re-shaped to accommodate the uncertainty surrounding their immigration status. We show how in practice, gender-responsive support functions at best to ‘manage’ gendered needs of women who are ‘not of interest’ to immigration authorities, and at worst to legitimate exclusion by side-lining vulnerabilities of women deemed as having ‘no right to remain’ in the UK. This occurs in the context of limited access to legal redress to challenge deportation decisions, unevenly spread resources in the female prison estate, and practitioners’ occupational cultures which emphasise paternalistic valuations of female foreign national prisoners’ femininity. We locate the findings in criminological debates about ‘gendering of borders’ and conclude with a reflection on the implications for advocacy at the time of increasingly restrictive immigration controls following the UK's exit from the EU.
The home literacy environment as a venue for fostering bilingualism and biliteracy: The case of an Ethio-Norwegian bilingual family in Oslo, Norway
Authors: Weldemariam Kassahun
Published: June 2022

Numerous studies indicate that the language and literacy development of young children is highly contingent upon the construction of an enriching home literacy environment. Using sociocultural theory as a framework, in this article I explore how a bilingual child’s language and literacy acquisition is embedded as a social practice within the home literacy environment of everyday life. Drawing on data from a qualitative case study involving parental interviews and home visits, the findings herein reveal that the physical and social context of the home literacy environment is vital in fostering bilingualism and biliteracy for a child with a minority home language background. Knowing the multiple advantages of bilingualism and biliteracy, this study yields evidence to suggest that parents can play an active and conscious role in ensuring the richness of the home literacy environment and its embedded social practices.
Jet noise sources for chevron nozzles in under-expanded condition
Authors: Jawahar Hasan Kamliya , Meloni Stefano , Camussi Roberto
Published: June 2022

Imperfectly expanded jet flows are known to have additional noise sources known as Screech and broadband shock-associated noise. They are generated by the interaction between the instability waves that propagate from the lip of the nozzle and the shock cell structures. In this study, thorough experimental investigations were carried out on chevron nozzles to assess the importance of chevron parameters such as the chevron count and chevron penetration angle on the pressure field emitted by the jet. Data were acquired in the state-of-the-art aeroacoustic facility at the University of Bristol. Acoustic measurements such as pressure spectra, directivity and overall sound pressure levels along with near-field measurements were acquired for jet Mach numbers ranging from M = 1.1–1.4. Fourier-based and Wavelet-based analyses were used to highlight the different features of the various tested nozzles. Wavelet decomposition results highlight that the presence of the chevrons reduce the acoustic noise especially at a higher axial distance with increased levels of noise reduction achieved by chevron nozzle with deep penetration angle.
Small-Town Pride
Authors: Creasap Kimberly
Published: June 2022

This article traces the “shadow geographies” of the 1980s gay bar scene in Ohio’s capital, Columbus, and contrasts it with the emergence of LGBTQ movements in Midwestern small towns. Urban gay bar scenes have declined since at least 2009, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only hastened their demise. At the same time, pride events have emerged in the communities like Parkersburg, West Virginia; Washington, Pennsylvania; Marysville, Ohio, and; and many other cities and towns with populations under 50,000 people. The decline of urban gay bars does not mean the demise of LGBTQ activism; it just means that we should look for activism outside of urban centers.
Mapping the Ripple Effect in Minnesota
Authors: Chazdon Scott
Published: June 2022

A reflection on how we can better evaluate the impact of university extension programs by mapping the ripple effect.
Creating ‘good citizens’ through community policing: A study of youth police club in the colonial Hong Kong
Authors: Ho Lawrence Ka-ki , Wan Kin-man , Ho Chris CW
Published: June 2022

This study examined the implementation of community policing in Hong Kong with reference from the evolution of the police youth club: Junior Police Call (JPC) programme which targetted the student population. The JPC was established in the 1970s and widely regarded as a very successful community policing initiative of the Royal Hong Kong Police (RHKP) to re-legitimise itself after the territory-wide social confrontation in 1966 and 1967. We analysed the reflection from JPC administrators and participants in a police district with a large school children population, to explore the strategy adopted by the police authorities to practice this community policing programme uncommon in colonial policing. Our study found the police strategically resocialized the youth with the collaboration with schoolteachers and local elites. However, the successful creation of ‘good citizens’ was still overshadowed by her concern for the emergence of social consciousness that might delegitimize the colonial governance.
How does local autonomy shape the revenues of small municipalities? Evidence from Illinois home rule municipalities
Authors: Chen Xin
Published: June 2022

Although long governed by “Dillon’s Rule” that makes localities a “creature” of the state, the U.S. municipalities have always desired some degree of local autonomy. One of the ways in which states grant autonomy to local governments is through a designation of “home rule.” Most prior studies of the effects of home rule on local governance have focused on relating large municipalities. This article explores the effect of adopting home rule on small municipalities by looking at municipalities’ revenues. Focusing on Illinois municipalities, this article conducts a fuzzy regression discontinuity design to provide causal evidence. The empirical evidence shows that the adoption of home rule has a positive and statistically significant impact on the level of total own-source revenue, especially for local sales taxes and other taxes, but it has limited influence on property taxes. In addition, while home rule significantly increases revenue diversification for small municipalities, it has little influence on revenue stability.