Everyday Challenges Research Articles

Effect of Intra-Operative Erector Spinae Plane Block on Post-Operative Consumption of Opioids after Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgeries (VATS)

Abstract Background Pain is an everyday challenge during all surgeries and it is a chief postoperative complication, so pain management is a corner stone in anesthetic practice. Although VATS is less painful than an open thoracotomy, patients may still feel severe pain and restricted mobility during the first few postoperative hours. Ultrasound guided nerve block is considered a recent technique for pain management. It provides better visualization of the nerves and reduces the risk for complications e.g. unintended injury to adjacent structures. Objective to assess the analgesic efficacy and safety of ultrasound guided ESPB done at lumbar transverse process level in patients undergoing VATS for postoperative analgesia. Patients and Methods The study was conducted in Ain Shams university Hospitals after approval of the ethics committee and written patients’ consent. It included a total of 30 adult patients aged 21-50 years, Scheduled for lumbar spine surgeries. Patients were randomly divided into two equal groups, 15 each, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Group A (n = 15): Received fentanyl 1-2 mcg/kg during induction of anesthesia and maintained by additional boluses of fentanyl.5 mcg/kg, also received ketrolac 30mg and perfelgan 1gm before extubation in addition 40 ml bupivacaine 0.25% (20ml on each side) as a single level bilateral injection for ESPB. Group B (n = 15) (the controlled group): Received only fentanyl 1- 2 mcg/kg during induction of anesthesia and maintained by additional boluses of fentanyl.5 mcg/kg, also received ketrolac 30mg and perfelgan 1gm before extubation. Results The main finding in this study was that ultrasound guided ESPB at level of thoracic process provides a good analgesic effect in patients undergoing VATS also reduced the total amount of postoperative morphine consumption in comparison to controlled group, Prolonged the time to first request of analgesia (duration of analgesia), Provided early mobilization, Increase patient satisfaction in 1st 24 hour and Decrease incidence of nausea and vomiting due to decrease opioids intake. Conclusion Ultrasound-guided bilateral erector spinae plane block reduced postoperative morphine consumption, alleviated postoperative pain scores and improved patients’ satisfaction in the first 24 hours after VATS, without associated any adverse effects or complications like nausea and vomiting, nerve injury, respiratory depression and hematoma formation. The ESPB slightly decreased the rate of PONV. This might be because the use of ESP might have decreased the use of intraoperative opioids.

Erector Spinae Plane Block versus Patient Controlled Analgesia for Postoperative Analgesia in Patient Undergoing Urologic Surgeries with Lumbar Incision

Abstract Background Pain is an everyday challenge during all surgeries and it is a chief postoperative complication, so pain management is a corner stone in anesthetic practice. Urologic surgeries with lumbar incision are usually associated with acute postoperative pain and restricted mobility. Ultrasound guided nerve block is considered a recent technique for pain management. It provides better visualization of the nerves and reduces the risk for complications e.g. unintended injury to adjacent structures. Aim of the Work The present study was designed to detect the effectiveness of ESPB for post-operative analgesia in urologic surgeries with lumbar incision and its effectiveness to decrease the use of analgesic drugs requirements compared to PCA. Patietns and Methods The study was conducted in Ain Shams university Hospitals after approval of the ethics committee and written patients‟ consent. It included a total of 60 adult patients aged 21-60 years, Scheduled for urologic surgeries with lumbar incision e.g: open nephrectomy. Patients were randomly divided into two equal groups, 30 each, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Group A (n = 30): will receive fentanyl 1-2 mcg/kg during induction of anesthesia and will be maintained by additional boluses of fentanyl 0.5 mcg/kg, also will receive ketrolac 30mg and paracetamol 1gm before extubation in addition 40 ml bupivacaine 0.25% as a single level unilateral injection for ESPB after induction of anesthesia and before skin incision. Group B (n = 30): will receive only fentanyl 1- 2 mcg/kg during induction of anesthesia and will be maintained by additional boluses of fentanyl 0.5 mcg/kg, also will receive ketrolac 30mg and paracetamol 1gm before extubation and PCA will be started after the end of the surgery. Results The main finding in this study was that ultrasound guided ESPB at level of thoracic process provides a good analgesic effect in patients undergoing urologic surgeries with lumbar incision also reduced the total amount of postoperative morphine consumption in comparison to the PCA group, Prolonged the time to first request of analgesia (duration of analgesia), Provided early mobilization, Increase patient satisfaction in first 24 hour and Decrease incidence of nausea, vomiting and constipation due to decrease opioids intake. Conclusion Ultrasound-guided unilateral ESPB reduced postoperative morphine consumption, alleviated postoperative pain scores and improved patients‟ satisfaction in the first 24 hours after urologic Surgeries with Lumbar Incision, without associated any adverse effects or complications like nausea and vomiting, nerve injury, respiratory depression and hematoma formation. The ESPB markably decreased the rate of PONV. This might be because the use of ESPB might have decreased the use of intraoperative opioids.

Erector Spinae Plane Block for Postoperative Analgesia after Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery (VATS)

Abstract Background Pain is an everyday challenge during all surgeries and it is a chief postoperative complication, so pain management is a corner stone in anesthetic practice. Ultrasound guided nerve block is considered a recent technique for pain management. It provides better visualization of the nerves and reduces the risk for complications. Aim of the Work The present study was designed to assess the analgesic efficacy of ultrasound guided Erector Spinae Plane Block done at the fifth thoracic transverse process level in patients undergoing VATS surgeries for postoperative analgesia. Patients and Methods This prospective randomized clinical study was conducted in Ain Shams University Hospitals. It included a total of 60 adult patients aged 21-60 years, Scheduled for VATS surgeries. Patients were randomly divided into two equal groups 30 patients each. The ESPB group (n = 30): received ESPB after induction of anaethesia, while the Control group (n = 30): received only fentanyl 1- 2 mcg/kg during induction of anesthesia and additional boluses of fentanyl.5 mcg/kg were given according to the patient’s vital data. Results The main finding in this study was that ultrasound guided ESPB provided a good analgesic effect in patients undergoing VATS surgery, it also reduced the need for rescue analgesia and the total amount of postoperative opioid consumption in comparison to controlled group, Prolonged the time to first request of analgesia, allowed early mobilization, Increase patient satisfaction in 1st 24 hour and Decrease incidence of nausea and vomiting. Conclusion Ultrasound-guided erector spinae plane block was found statistically significantly in reducing postoperative opioid consumption, alleviating postoperative pain scores and improving patients’ satisfaction in the first 24 hours after VATS surgeries, without associated adverse effects as postoperative nausea and vomiting, nerve injury, respiratory depression and hematoma formation.

Technology Focus: Reservoir Simulation (July 2024)

The early days of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) were filled with promise, but now we’re witnessing a wave of practical applications transforming reservoir engineering. The integration of AI/ML with traditional workflows marks a turning point, unleashing the immense potential of these proven techniques to address our everyday challenges in reservoir simulation. These advancements lead to more-accurate models and faster simulation turnaround times, allowing us to model various scenarios more efficiently. These techniques enable us to understand and simulate reservoir behavior with greater fidelity and focus on the underlying physics. This deeper understanding translates to more-confident decisions regarding reservoir management and development, with a clearer picture of potential risks. Physics-informed machine learning emerges as a significant step forward, improving our understanding and providing better models while boosting runtimes, convergence, and overall performance. Paper IPTC 23730 highlights its application in tackling computationally intensive tasks such as critical temperature prediction with high accuracy, leading to significant speed-ups in simulations, particularly for complex compositional models undergoing miscible gas injection. Paper IPTC 23935 presents a fundamentally different approach to reservoir simulation studies. Adaptive models use multiple smaller, specialized models instead of one giant model. These models can be developed and run independently, allowing for parallel workflows and significantly reduced turnaround times. Adaptive models foster a culture of rapid experimentation and iteration, aligning perfectly with the fail-fast approach—prioritizing the quick evaluation of ideas and discarding those that don’t show promise early on. Paper SPE 214855 provides a comprehensive overview of a complex problem—wellbore modeling. This paper offers practical insights directly relevant to my work. These advancements represent a significant leap forward, paving the way for more-powerful and -versatile reservoir models. As research and development continue, these techniques are poised to revolutionize how we manage and optimize oil and gas reservoirs. I hope you enjoy reading this selection of papers and find them enlightening. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 216722 Developing Consistent Relative Permeability and Capillary Pressure Models for Reservoir Simulation of Carbon Capture and Storage Projects by L.S. Lun, ExxonMobil, et al.

A Novel Hybrid Feature Extraction Methods for EEG Based Emotions Classification Using Ensemble Approaches in HIED Dataset

Introduction: Emotions play a significant role in human relationships in everyday challenges. Human-machine interactions and the complexities of its research include humanoid robots which rely significantly on emotional queries. The present study recommends a novel methodology for human emotion identification using electroencephalogram (EEG) signals. Machine learning (ML) techniques based on electroencephalogram have demonstrated impressive results in distinguishing emotions. Method: The present study investigates five ensemble learning-based machine learning (EML) and five conventional machine learning (CML) algorithms for achieving the recognition of human emotions from EEG signals. The main objective of the current research study is to implement the optimal approach for classifying emotions and subsequently will achieve it by using physiological characteristics to categorise the seven main emotional states (stress, happy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise). This research follows the study investigation of ensemble learning-based machine learning (EML) and conventional machine learning (CML) algorithms for achieving the recognition of human emotions from EEG signals. Initially, the EEG data in this study are categorized into theta, alpha, beta, and gamma bands using a DWT. Result: With this idea, the research elaborates on further decomposition based on bandseparated EEG signals known as intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) along with empirical mode decomposition is subsequently implemented. Then, 13 statistical characteristics are extracted from the IMFs using five multiclass EML algorithms: adaptive boosting, rotation random forest, bagging, random forest, and extreme gradient boost. The following procedure is carried out to construct an ML-based system. In the final phase, 10-fold cross-validation is used to assess the efficacy of these five EML algorithms. Accuracy, F1-score, and area-under-the-curve (AUC) are performance assessment metrics that are employed to compare the final results of these algorithms with the five CML techniques. Conclusion: The proposed method for EEG-based emotion analysis is significantly more effective and achieves greater outcomes than all of the techniques that were compared, based on the data from the experiments.

Diagnosis and treatment of venous leg ulcers: S2k Guideline of the German Society of Phlebology and Lymphology (DGPL) e.V.

This S2k guideline on venous leg ulcers was created on the initiative and under the leadership of the German Society of Phlebology and Lymphology (DGPL). The guideline group also consisted of representatives from the German Society for Phlebology and Lymphology, German Dermatological Society, German Society for General Medicine, German Society for Angiology, German Society for Vascular Surgery and Vascular Medicine, German Society for Surgery, German Society for Dermatosurgery, German Society for Wound Healing and Wound Treatment, Professional Association of Phlebologists and Lymphologists and Initiative Chronische Wunden. The aim of this guideline is to combine the different approaches and levels of knowledge of the respective professional groups on the basis of consensus, so that a basic concept for the best possible treatment of patients with venous leg ulcers can be provided. A total of 70 specific recommendations were formulated and agreed upon, divided into the subject areas of diagnostics, therapy, prevention of recurrences, and everyday challenges. The guideline thus reflects the current state of scientific knowledge and is intended to be widely used as the best available document for the treatment of patients with venous leg ulcers in everyday clinical practice.

Wielokierunkowy wpływ wysiłku fizycznego na układ immunologiczny u sportowców wyczynowych

The extreme physical effort and psychological stress are everyday challenges faced by athletes. The regular training results in adaptation to increasing physical effort. It contributes to changes in various organs and metabolic processes. Intense physical training has been shown to affect numerous body systems including the immune system. The aim of this paper is to present the influence of extreme physical activity on various aspects of immune response. The changes in the immune system of athletes include not only those related to blood leukocytes, but those in connection to respiratory and gut associated lymphoid tissue as well. Moreover, the immune cells play an important role in muscle regeneration after sustaining training injury. The mmunology of physicial activity – mainly extreme physical activity – is a new, not fully recognized yet field of research. The understanding of these interactions facilitates a proper training planning for different groups of athletes.

A Systematic Review and Comprehensive Analysis of Pioneering AI Chatbot Models from Education to Healthcare: ChatGPT, Bard, Llama, Ernie and Grok

AI chatbots have emerged as powerful tools for providing text-based solutions to a wide range of everyday challenges. Selecting the appropriate chatbot is crucial for optimising outcomes. This paper presents a comprehensive comparative analysis of five leading chatbots: ChatGPT, Bard, Llama, Ernie, and Grok. The analysis is based on a systematic review of 28 scholarly articles. The review indicates that ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI, excels in educational, medical, humanities, and writing applications but struggles with real-time data accuracy and lacks open-source flexibility. Bard, powered by Google, leverages real-time internet data for problem solving and shows potential in competitive quiz environments, albeit with performance variability and inconsistencies in responses. Llama, an open-source model from Meta, demonstrates significant promise in medical contexts, natural language processing, and personalised educational tools, yet it requires substantial computational resources. Ernie, developed by Baidu, specialises in Chinese language tasks, thus providing localised advantages that may not extend globally due to restrictive policies. Grok, developed by Xai and still in its early stages, shows promise in providing engaging, real-time interactions, humour, and mathematical reasoning capabilities, but its full potential remains to be evaluated through further development and empirical testing. The findings underscore the context-dependent utility of each model and the absence of a singularly superior chatbot. Future research should expand to include a wider range of fields, explore practical applications, and address concerns related to data privacy, ethics, security, and the responsible deployment of these technologies.

“Living Theology” – Everyday Life, Challenges and Resources among International Pentecostals in Stockholm

“Living Theology” – Everyday Life, Challenges and Resources among International Pentecostals in Stockholm

Exploration of low-phosphate diet management of patients receiving renal dialysis: An interpretive description.

Patients with dialysis-dependent kidney failure and treated for hyperphosphatemia receive a combination of dietary advice, phosphate binders and prolonged dialysis. However, research focusing on the challenges patients meet in everyday life addressing diet and medication is sparse. The objective of this study is to explore the everyday challenges patients meet when following treatment for hyperphosphatemia. Interpretive description was the methodological approach. Semistructured in-depth interviews were employed to study the challenges patients experienced. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke's reflexive thematic analysis. Patients (n = 14) receiving haemodialysis and treated for hyperphosphatemia from two hospitals in Southern Denmark. The analysis resulted in one over-arching theme; separation in social gatherings and two subthemes; a new social code, and my food and their food. Participants experienced difficulty integrating diet and medication in daily life, especially at social gatherings. They felt separated from others when special menus were provided for them or struggled when choosing between high and low phosphate-containing food. A new awareness of self and others arose, especially their position among families and friends, and how they presented themselves and their social identity to others. Likewise, a new social code manifested itself, which was difficult to accept. Most participants experienced that diet and medication were accompanied by a moral responsibility of whether to accept prepared food with high phosphorus content or not, which affected commensality. Patients were often nonadherent to hyperphosphatemia treatment at social gatherings. Hyperphosphatemia treatment led to new social identities with new social codes, which patients found difficult to accept.

Privacy-preserving deep learning approaches for effective utilization of wearable health data

Wearable technology can significantly impact human existence by allowing for innovative perspectives on the outside world, such as through the use of augmented reality (AR) programs. Electronic gadgets that are worn as clothing, gadgets, or even incorporated into our bodies are called wearable gadgets. While there are many prospective advantages to smartwatches, their widespread and continuous use raises several privacy problems as well as complex data protection hurdles. Among the newer areas of healthcare informatics involves cognitive computation, which uses biological as well as physical information to autonomously track an individual's emotional status in mobility settings. While effective computation technologies hold great promise for enhancing everyday life, privacy problems and challenges must be addressed before analyzing physical information. Federated knowledge is a viable option for creating high-performing algorithms while protecting people's confidentiality. We used federated training to analyze cardiac activity information that was gathered from smart wristband tracking of anxiety levels during various situations. By protecting the confidentiality of information, we were able to accomplish promising outcomes when implementing federated training in Internet of Things-based wearable physiological tracking devices.

Using symbiotic empirical ethics to explore the significance of relationships to clinical ethics: findings from the Reset Ethics research project

BackgroundAt the beginning of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, many non-Covid healthcare services were suspended. In April 2020, the Department of Health in England mandated that non-Covid services should resume, alongside the continuing pandemic response. This ‘resetting’ of healthcare services created a unique context in which it became critical to consider how ethical considerations did (and should) underpin decisions about integrating infection control measures into routine healthcare practices. We draw on data collected as part of the ‘NHS Reset Ethics’ project, which explored the everyday ethical challenges of resetting England’s NHS maternity and paediatrics services during the pandemic.MethodsHealthcare professionals and members of the public participated in interviews and focus group discussions. The qualitative methods are reported in detail elsewhere. The focus of this article is our use of Frith’s symbiotic empirical ethics methodology to work from our empirical findings towards the normative suggestion that clinical ethics should explicitly attend to the importance of relationships in clinical practice. This methodology uses a five-step approach to refine and develop ethical theory based on a naturalist account of ethics that sees practice and theory as symbiotically related.ResultsThe Reset project data showed that changed working practices caused ethical challenges for healthcare professionals, and that infection prevention and control measures represented harmful barriers to the experience of receiving and offering care. For healthcare professionals, offering care as part of a relational interaction was an ethically important dimension of healthcare delivery.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that foregrounding the importance of relationships across a hospital community will better promote the ethically important multi-directional expression of caring between healthcare professionals, patients, and their families. We offer two suggestions for making progress towards such a relational approach. First, that there is a change of emphasis in clinical ethics practice to explicitly acknowledge the importance of the relationships (including with their healthcare team) within which the patient is held. Second, that organisational decision-making should take into account the moral significance afforded to caring relationships by healthcare professionals, and the role such relationships can play in the negotiation of ethical challenges.

#1962 Development of triple-whammy induced pre-renal AKI is highly dependent on the hydration status

Abstract Background and Aims The concomitant use of diuretics, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), and angiotensin system inhibitors is known as Triple Whammy (TW) and significantly increases the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) due to a reduction in the glomerular filtration rate. Maintenance of hydration contributes to correct kidney perfusion, and effective renal haemodynamic regulation allows the kidneys to cope with everyday stressors and challenges, such as TW therapy. Interference with these adaptive mechanisms frequently occurs due to extrinsic (environmental conditions, lifestyle, drugs) or intrinsic (comorbidities, ageing) factors and may lead to dehydration, a negative body liquid balance with a high impact on health. Identifying modifiable risk factors that pose individuals at high risk of AKI following TW therapy is key for the search and prescription of preventive strategies in a personalized manner. The aim of this work was to study the role of hydration status on the renal effect of TW. Method Two-month-old male Wistar rats were divided into 3 experimental groups: Blood and 24-hour urine samples were collected at basal state (B), two days after water deprivation (D0), and two days after TW therapy (D2). Body weight was monitored during the experiment. Haematocrit was assessed from blood samples, and osmolality, concentration of creatinine (Jaffe reaction), and urea (Jung method) were determined in plasma. Urinary flow was recorded, and specific gravity, osmolality and creatinine concentration were measured in urine samples. Results Dehydration was observed after 48 h water deprivation, evidenced by a 12% weight loss and significant increases in haematocrit and plasma osmolality. As expected, during this dehydrated state rats excreted a very reduced volume of a highly concentrated urine with elevated levels of specific gravity and osmolality. No changes in renal function were observed after 48 h water deprivation, nor after TW treatment in fully hydrated rats. Administration of TW triggered significant alterations of the renal function, indicative of AKI, only in rats previously deprived of water for 48 h. These alterations were markedly increased when dehydration was partially sustained during the TW treatment by a 60% water restriction. Conclusion TW-induced AKI in young Wistar rats is facilitated when the hydration status worsens. In this sense, assessing hydration and implementing (re)hydration strategies may help to reduce or prevent TW-induced AKI. This study was supported by Project PI21/01226, funded by Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) and co-funded by the European Union, and a grant from the Conserjería de Educación, Junta de Castilla y León (IES160P20), Spain, co-funded by FEDER funds. Noelia Diaz-Morales is recipient of a Juan de la Cierva-Formación postdoctoral contract (FJC2020-043205-I) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and European Union “NextGenerationEU/PRTR”.

Ambiguous marital identity and conflict: A study of the half-widows in Jammu and Kashmir

The Kashmir conflict over the years has produced a new class of women known as half-widows—wives of disappeared men. Half-widows are differentially affected by conflict due to their relationship with men. This article aims to explore the heterogeneity of the experiences of half-widows. The husband's disappearance not only resulted in their ambiguous marital status but also had a ripple effect on other aspects of life. Therefore, using a socio-ecological approach, this study appropriates Pauline Boss’s Ambiguous Loss Theory to understand and analyze the multifaceted vulnerabilities of half-widows. Based on fieldwork in Kashmir, this study argues that the multifaceted vulnerabilities and everyday challenges form complex emotions and conflicting roles and responsibilities due to the half-widow’s ambiguous marital status. The disappeared husband’s physical absence and psychological presence push the half-widows into a state of flux between the past and present. As a result, half-widows find themselves grappling with socio-economic hardships and psychological distress, exacerbating their unresolved grief and feelings of hopelessness. By highlighting these critical human rights issues, we aim to offer a nuanced perspective on the everyday struggles encountered by half-widows, thereby fostering a deeper understanding of their lived experiences.

Staying Afloat During Everyday Adversity: Exploring the Intra- and Interpersonal Factors Related to Athletic Buoyancy

ABSTRACT Athletic buoyancy is the ability to handle everyday challenges in sports, though little research has been conducted. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine intrapersonal and interpersonal factors related to athletic buoyancy, as well as a potential outcome variable. Collegiate club sport athletes (N = 239) completed a questionnaire assessing predictors (fear of failure, anxiety, sport enjoyment, enthusiastic commitment), an outcome variable (intentions to continue sport participation), a mediator (athletic buoyancy), and a moderator (social support) between the predictors and both athletic buoyancy and intentions. Results indicated that athletic buoyancy was not a mediator; however, anxiety and fear of failure were significant, negative predictors of athletic buoyancy. Social support moderated the enthusiastic commitment-intentions relationship, and the fear of failure-athletic buoyancy relationship, where athletes with higher social support reported a greater negative impact of fear of failure on athletic buoyancy. Findings may have implications for athlete well-being and adaptability.

Age‐related advantage for recall of complex naturalistic information following cognitive offloading

AbstractPrevious work on cognitive offloading has found that young and older adults create and use external memory aids to boost performance on simple memory‐based tasks. To date, little work has investigated whether cognitive offloading can benefit performance when the memoranda are complex and naturalistic. In this study, 64 participants (32 young adults aged 18–26 years and 32 older adults aged 60+ years) studied facts about health conditions, then completed free recall and old‐new recognition tests under two conditions. In the cognitive offloading choice condition, participants could create notes during study to use on upcoming memory tests. In the internal memory condition, participants had to rely on internal memory alone. Both age groups benefited from using cognitive offloading. Notably, older adults outperformed young adults on the free recall test when given the opportunity to offload. These results suggest that cognitive offloading can help older adults overcome everyday memory challenges.

Hidden costs of providing care: a pilot study of Japanese migrant care workers’ experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Recognising the increasingly vital yet precarious role that Asian migrant care workers (MCWs) play within Aotearoa New Zealand (Aotearoa) health system, this paper delves into the qualitative exploration of the experiences encountered by Japanese MCWs amidst everyday challenges and injustices during the COVID-19 pandemic in Aotearoa. Gaining in-depth understanding of their lived experiences, encompassing challenges inherent in their care roles and racial/social injustices outside their care roles, holds the potential to establish a sustainable care workforce capable of delivering quality health care while also attracting and retaining MCWs in Aotearoa. Employing the perspective of Critical Migration Studies (CMS), this pilot study explores the hidden costs of care provision, drawing insights from in-depth interviews conducted with 10 Japanese MCWs in late 2022 and early 2023, and presents mixed findings. The data indicates intersecting challenges in their work, including unfair treatment, linguicism, labour market inequality and various forms of social injustices. However, most Japanese MCW participants had developed robust resilience in dealing with these perceived challenges and injustices in Aotearoa, stemming from their previous experiences of gender, cultural and other forms of oppression in their workplace and everyday life in Japan.

"It made me feel like a shit parent": an intersectional analysis of pandemic mothering.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought to the fore the everyday and exceptional challenges for mothers. Rarely, however, did research or social commentary acknowledge the multiplicities of motherhood during this prolonged period of risk, disruption, and uncertainty. This paper draws upon interviews with 24 mothers living in Aotearoa New Zealand during the pandemic, including women who were pregnant and gave birth during lockdowns, teenage mothers, single and low-income mothers, and working mothers. The sample was intentionally diverse, including Māori, Pacific, Asian and migrant mothers. Engaging an intersectional lens on motherhood and women's health, this paper builds upon and extends feminist research on mothers' experiences during the pandemic, highlighting the many different challenges facing mothers of diverse social, cultural, and economic positionalities and during various stages of motherhood. Across the sample, we reveal the significant emotional toll on mothers, particularly with the absence of critical social, medical and health support systems during lockdown periods and sustained social restrictions. Many of the women described how the pandemic affected their feelings about motherhood, prompting new reflections on their relationships with the home, family, work, and broader society. Despite some similarities, the pandemic experiences of Māori, Pacific, migrant and single mothers were further intensified by various forms of isolation, judgement, and discrimination. In this way, the pandemic shed light on the gendering of everyday maternal life, but also the need for more intersectional culturally and gender-responsive policies that acknowledge the multi-layered complexities of mothers' lives.

What psychosocial support do first year university students need? A mixed creative methods study

Higher education students need help and support to enable them to cope with the challenges of their studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives of first-year undergraduate students on predictors of psychosocial support in challenging situations. A creative art-based descriptive research design was employed utilising an individual One-Page Profile form to gather data from 240 first-year students from two different universities in Slovakia. Data was collected and analysed using a content-thematic and visual approach. Four significant individual predictors of psychosocial support were identified: emotional, instrumental, informational and appraisal. Emotional support consists of desirable mental health, defined by the students as experiencing happiness, self-satisfaction, self-development, relationships which are satisfying, loving and safe, trust, empathic acceptance, and care from others. Instrumental support varies from personnel up to material resources e.g., people, animals, and assistance such as financial services. The preferred informational support is peer-to-peer counselling, followed by professional counselling. When students describe appraisal support their needs are primarily in the areas of well-being and self-efficacy. The study makes various suggestions on how University staff can provide first-year students with support and counselling in their everyday challenges.

Multiobjective route finding in a multimode transportation network by NSGA-II

Route finding is an everyday challenge for urban residents. While many route planner applications exist, they cannot find suitable routes based on user preferences. According to user preferences, routing in a multimode urban transportation network can be considered a multiobjective optimization problem. Different objectives and modes for transportation, along with many routes as decision elements, give rise to the complexity of the problem. This study uses an elitism multiobjective evolutionary algorithm and the Pareto front concept to solve the problem. The data of a simulated multimode network consisting of 150 vertexes and 2600 edges are used to test and evaluate the proposed method. Four transport modes are considered: the metro, bus, taxi, and walking. Also, three minimization objective functions are considered: expense, discomfort, and time. The results show the competence of the algorithm in solving such a complex problem in a short run time. The optimal setting for the algorithm parameters is found by considering the algorithm run time, diversity of solutions, and convergence trend by running sensitivity analyses. A repeatability test is applied using the optimal setting of the algorithm, which shows a high level of repeatability. While NSGA-II (Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II) may be a well-established algorithm in the literature, its application in multiobjective route finding in multimode transport networks is unique and novel. The outcomes of the proposed method are compared with existing methods in the literature, proving the better performance of the NSGA-II algorithm.