General Themes Research Articles

LITURATERRA [Entrevista: 2024, 3] A política contra o destino: o modo de pensar as alternativas

Brazilian philosopher Roberto Mangabeira Unger, a professor at Harvard University (USA) for over forty years, presents and discusses his perspective on politics in this interview. In it, he discusses elements of his social and political theory, one of the highlights of which is his treatment of institutional issues in an original way that differs from conventional institutionalism. He begins by defining the distinction between right and left in contemporary circumstances. It defines the possible types of politics. He deals with the fundamental concepts of his theory of institutional alternatives, explaining the nature of his experimentalist proposal. It approaches the organization of powers with a different emphasis from the dominant reflection on political institutions, always uncritically focused on the issue of stability, and proposes that the main objective of politics is to provide structural transformations. It argues that the democratic regime should have its center of gravity focused on majorities and not minorities. And he suggests that the central cause of the current crisis in democratic societies is of a programmatic nature: we have not yet been able to clear away the rubble of bankrupt social democracy. The general theme discussed was a new institutional model that would enable liberal societies to overcome the dead end in which they find themselves. The interview took place on May 22, 2022, in the district of Araras, in the municipality of Petrópolis (RJ).

Gender Disparities and Femininity in the Third Mission: The Example of Blog Writing

Abstract The “third mission” in academia refers to work that makes research accessible and relevant to policymakers, stakeholders, and the public. This article explores the third mission from a gender and feminist perspective, analysing blog posts to illustrate gender disparities in Swedish academia. The analysis identifies gender differences in blog post frequency, topics, and styles. Women tend to write about general and popular themes with an emotionally charged and inclusive approach. In contrast, men focus more on research-related topics with an ostensibly neutral and assertive style. This difference reflects traditional gendered communication patterns, where women often adopt a relational style, and men take a factual approach. These gendered norms can potentially affect research focus and career progression. The implications suggest that these patterns reinforce societal gender norms, perpetuating disparities and limiting women’s voices in academic and research settings.

Music and Language: Sounds-Rhythms and Rhymes

Objective: To present a perspective whose reflection and discussion are assessed from a range of authors and perspectives that discursively gather various aspects of the relationship between music and language, considering the triad that sustains it: sounds, rhythms, and rhymes. Theoretical Framework: We have brought together a series of authors who substantiate the relationship between language and music and their conceptual and technical aspects, in order to maintain a clear and defined approach capable of yielding measurable results for future research. Method: The methodology adopted for this research includes the narrative matrix of thematic literature review, which, in this case, fits an interdisciplinary and interdependent theme, connecting authors, methods, and specific approaches that intersect in real-world applications and practical implementation. Results and Discussion: We can infer that the relationship between the associated themes and sub-themes is a clear example of the need to reflect on broader and transdisciplinary issues, assuming the positions and opinions of those who engage with, reflect upon, and draw conclusions from the ongoing research. Research Implications: On a theoretical level, we observe that the interdisciplinary, dialogic relationship between the arts and literature fields is evident and capable of regular, ongoing deepening. As for objective and future implications, we believe this theme can be further developed and explored, focusing on other aspects and sub-themes that could also be included in the general theme (music and language). In this case, the investigation focused solely on the reflection between the central theme and the derived concepts from the conceptual realm of the relationship between literary and artistic studies. Originality/Value: This research is original as it triangulates information, concepts, and approaches from authors who had not yet been related in these models and formats, nor with this associated methodological approach. The limitations concerning inclusion and exclusion criteria, on the other hand, are an added value, as they allow for the gathering and reflection on exemplary authors and approaches within a universe and sample chosen based on the theme and the narrative structure of the literature review.

Maupertuis and the Reshaping of Natural History in Eighteenth-Century France

Abstract In this paper, I analyze a momentous change in eighteenth century French life sciences. Whereas in the first half of the century the conception of natural history as the systematic collection of facts had been most successful, at mid-century a new approach emerged. This approach was characterized by an accent on general philosophical themes rather than on observation and experiment. I study the grounds and features of this historical shift through the work of Maupertuis, who published papers in institutional (or Baconian) natural history in his early years, but then adopted a more speculative approach to the life sciences.

Perceptions and Expectations of Patients with Lung Cancer and Melanoma about the Telenursing Approach: A Phenomenological Study.

Telenursing could improve continuity of care in patients with cancer. This study aims to explore the expectations and perceptions of patients with lung cancer and melanoma toward telenursing. A descriptive qualitative study using a phenomenological approach was conducted on a convenience sampling of twenty patients aged 18 years or over from a Cancer Center. With the consent of patients and the relevant Ethics Committee, in-depth open-ended face-to-face interviews were conducted until data saturation. The phenomenon's essence was achieved through themes emerging from the qualitative data analysis. Patients' perceptions and expectations were related to areas explored by a general theme on the nurse-patient relationship's importance. Four themes and eleven sub-themes were focused on misconceptions about lack of use, patients' potential and fears, the home as a place of care, and the caring relationship. Fifteen patients perceived the internet as a chaotic "bubble". Despite the lack of previous use, patients consider telenursing positively as "a bridge between home and care", especially in the advanced stages of the disease. They highlighted strengths and weaknesses of telenursing, such as having "someone for you", connection, fear of psychological addiction, loss of privacy, and lack of empathy. This study was not registered.

A Phenomenological Approach to Medication Adherence in Elderly Patients: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Patient adherence to drug treatment is crucial to the success of any prescribed therapy, especially in chronic conditions. The present phenomenological qualitative study aims to explore the elderly experience in managing their medication therapy and their perception of medication adherence. Methods: Based on Husserl's perspective, a qualitative descriptive study was conducted utilizing the phenomenological approach, specifically Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The data analysis followed Giorgi's phenomenological approach and the inductive content analysis method. Approval for the study was obtained from the relevant Ethics Committee. Results: Themes emerged when participants described experiences about their own adherence to therapy. The following general theme emerged from the interviews and the phenomenological analysis: Generating awareness: taking therapy saves your life. It was followed by three other themes: (1) Drug therapy awareness; (2) Drug therapy in daily life; and (3) Drug therapy as a life partner. Conclusions: Elderly patients undergoing polypharmacological treatment emphasize the key factors for improving medication adherence, highlighting the influence of individual, motivational, and relational aspects. They express a strong desire for information and value the support of family doctors and nurses in managing therapy. Patient interviews indicate general support among elderly patients for using mobile health in pharmacological treatment, recognizing its potential and limitations.

Enhancing public dialogue about inclusion in school education: a citizens’ panel pilot

IntroductionThis paper reports on a small-scale Citizens’ Panel pilot project using deliberative democratic methods to produce policy ideas about inclusion in school education of young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEN/D) in England. The project had two aims: (i) to obtain information about modifying a Citizens’ Panel process to enhance the effective participation of young people with SEN/D; and (ii) to generate more nuanced, grounded and integrated policy ideas about inclusion than can be found in recent English school education policy.MethodsThe Citizens’ Panel was a two phase deliberative process. Phase 1 involved working with six young people with SEN/D and their parents/carers to shape the Citizens’ Panel agenda, and to obtain information about how they could participate and communicate their perspectives during the events. Phase 2 involved the delivery of the Citizens’ Panel itself, which comprised 28 people: the six young people from phase 1, plus four young people without SEN/D, 13 parents/carers, and five education professionals.ResultsThe process evaluation revealed the need for and impact of meticulous planning using a differentiated and strengths-based approach to design. While participants reported that taking part in the Citizens’ Panel was overall, a positive and worthwhile experience, the differentiated approach involved trade-offs that affected the experiences of some participants without SEN/D, though not detrimentally. The panel produced distinctive ideas about more inclusive schools, where almost all of the themes were about general school changes for everyone. Most general themes involved some specific SEN/D aspects, with only one theme being SEN/D specific. This paper illustrates how these ideas are more nuanced, grounded and integrated than those in current national policy.DiscussionThis paper provides evidence of how deliberative approaches can be used within and between schools, groups of schools (e.g., multi academy trusts), local networks (including local authorities), as well as at the national level. Lessons drawn show how deliberative methods used by advocacy groups, protest movements and non-governmental organisations in support of more transformational change can be developed in ways that enable young people with SEN/D to participate and have their voices heard.

COVID-19 impact on cross-border M&A advisory business in Japan

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to shed light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on cross-border M&A advisory business in Japan.Design/methodology/approachUsing the grounded theory approach and trust embedded in network theory, the authors conducted interviews with 12 Japanese senior M&A advisors from 8 different advisory firms, categorizing the results into three general themes.FindingsThe first theme comprises deep insights contributing to a “decrease in M&A deals” during the COVID-19 crisis as not many deals could be advised while several were canceled. The second theme is “time delays,” with ongoing deals taking more time to be completed. The third gen-eral theme concerns the “new normal” after the COVID-19 era, as M&A advisors have learned to cope with their challenges and are subsequently more efficient, especially time-wise, in dealing with clients.Research limitations/implicationsThe research was based on qualitative data gathered from only 12 interviewees from 8 different consultancies who were Japanese senior M&A advisors.Practical implicationsThe practical implications of this research go beyond the findings of M&A studies conducted during and soon after the COVID-19 pandemic. Consulting firms commonly report on the COVID-19 impact on M&A markets or client firms but are silent about their own hardships in establishing trustful relationships with clients during the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast, we turn the spotlight on the consulting firms themselves to understand their challenges.Originality/valueThe originality of this research goes beyond previous studies on the economic impact of firms; the authors lay out the foundation for the hardship of establishing trustful relationships between M&A advisors and their clients during the COVID-19 crisis. The three general themes elucidated the impact of the pandemic, highlighting the challenges confronting the Japanese M&A advisory business. These themes thus provide a more nuanced understanding of the COVID-19 impact.

Molecular basis of the urate transporter URAT1 inhibition by gout drugs.

Hyperuricemia is a condition when uric acid, a waste product of purine metabolism, accumulates in the blood1. Untreated hyperuricemia can lead to crystal formation of monosodium urate in the joints, causing a painful inflammatory disease known as gout. These conditions are associated with many other diseases and affect a significant and increasing proportion of the population2-4. The human urate transporter 1 (URAT1) is responsible for the reabsorption of ~90% of uric acid in the kidneys back into the blood, making it a primary target for treating hyperuricemia and gout5. Despite decades of research and development, clinically available URAT1 inhibitors have limitations because the molecular basis of URAT1 inhibition by gout drugs remains unknown5. Here we present cryo-electron microscopy structures of URAT1 alone and in complex with three clinically relevant inhibitors: benzbromarone, lesinurad, and the novel compound TD-3. Together with functional experiments and molecular dynamics simulations, we reveal that these inhibitors bind selectively to URAT1 in inward-open states. Furthermore, we discover differences in the inhibitor dependent URAT1 conformations as well as interaction networks, which contribute to drug specificity. Our findings illuminate a general theme for URAT1 inhibition, paving the way for the design of next-generation URAT1 inhibitors in the treatment of gout and hyperuricemia.

Clinician perspectives and recommendations regarding design of clinical prediction models for deteriorating patients in acute care

BackgroundSuccessful deployment of clinical prediction models for clinical deterioration relates not only to predictive performance but to integration into the decision making process. Models may demonstrate good discrimination and calibration, but fail to match the needs of practising acute care clinicians who receive, interpret, and act upon model outputs or alerts. We sought to understand how prediction models for clinical deterioration, also known as early warning scores (EWS), influence the decision-making of clinicians who regularly use them and elicit their perspectives on model design to guide future deterioration model development and implementation.MethodsNurses and doctors who regularly receive or respond to EWS alerts in two digital metropolitan hospitals were interviewed for up to one hour between February 2022 and March 2023 using semi-structured formats. We grouped interview data into sub-themes and then into general themes using reflexive thematic analysis. Themes were then mapped to a model of clinical decision making using deductive framework mapping to develop a set of practical recommendations for future deterioration model development and deployment.ResultsFifteen nurses (n = 8) and doctors (n = 7) were interviewed for a mean duration of 42 min. Participants emphasised the importance of using predictive tools for supporting rather than supplanting critical thinking, avoiding over-protocolising care, incorporating important contextual information and focusing on how clinicians generate, test, and select diagnostic hypotheses when managing deteriorating patients. These themes were incorporated into a conceptual model which informed recommendations that clinical deterioration prediction models demonstrate transparency and interactivity, generate outputs tailored to the tasks and responsibilities of end-users, avoid priming clinicians with potential diagnoses before patients were physically assessed, and support the process of deciding upon subsequent management.ConclusionsPrediction models for deteriorating inpatients may be more impactful if they are designed in accordance with the decision-making processes of acute care clinicians. Models should produce actionable outputs that assist with, rather than supplant, critical thinking.

Profit-loss sharing principle in the Islamic finance industry: Current pattern and future direction

The Islamic banking and finance industry is founded on Islamic principles, with one of its main concepts being Profit-Loss Sharing (PLS). The rapid growth of the industry has led to extensive research on PLS. This study aims to capture the dynamic research landscape on PLS by examining the intellectual network, including the most influential scholars, countries, articles, publishing journals, and frequently discussed topics, as well as suggesting future research directions. We use bibliometric analysis to explore this topic, drawing data from the Scopus database. A total of 421 documents from 1992-2022 were analyzed. The study finds that Malaysia is the most productive country, Kabir Hassan is the most influential scholar, and the Journal of Islamic Accounting is the leading journal in the field. Four main topics are identified: the general theme of PLS, the implementation of PLS in different countries, PLS products, and governance and risk related to PLS. Future research is recommended based on these four topics.

Implementasi Project Based Learning untuk Mewujudkan Profil Pelajar Pancasila di Sekolah Dasar Negeri

This research aimed to analyze the implementation of Project Based Learning to create a Pancasila student profile at SD Negeri Bakulan, Yogyakarta. This type of research was qualitative in the form of a case study through interviews, observation, and document study. The research results showed good planning at SD Negeri Bakulan regarding the implementation of PjBL, which was characterized by team formation, scheduling, creating general themes, creating teaching modules, and outreach to students’s parents. The implementation stage was carried out by following the steps of the PjBL learning model. After the implementation stage, reflection and evaluation were carried out for each PjBL activity. Supporting factors in implementing PjBL at SD Negeri Bakulan include good cooperation from teachers, teacher readiness in planning and implementing it, high student enthusiasm, good parental enthusiasm, the existence of facilities and infrastructure as well as tools and materials that were readily available, and there were examples of implementing project learning on the independent teaching platform. . Meanwhile, factors that hinder the implementation were the students feeling bored in the middle of the process and teacher creativity still needs to be further developed.

Texas Public Pensions: A Common Pool Resource Perspective

Public employee pension management is the nexus of public and private financial management systems that are significant long-term components of public finance. The idea that these pension systems can look quite similar yet perform in quite different and conflicting ways is significant when designing policy; system design templates are not successful in complex systems. Even pension systems within the same city can have radically different states of actuarial health based upon small differences in the rules (or adherence to the rules) establishing them. To better understand such systems, viewing them from a common pool resource perspective is useful. Elinor Ostrom (1990) , in her seminal book Governing the Commons, provides eight principles that facilitate governing common pool resources. The general theme running through Ostrom's principles is the need to facilitate the building and channeling of social capital. By facilitating constructive collective choice, the goal of effective, sustainable collective action is achievable. In this study, we examine the political, cultural, and institutional structures that are in place in the pension systems of Dallas and Houston, Texas. We examine the pensions’ governance practices to determine which appear to violate Ostrom's ideal institutional arrangements and their impact on the pensions’ long-term sustainability. Pertinent survey information from pension beneficiaries conducted as part of this research are provided

Digital Epidemiology of Prescription Drug References on X (Formerly Twitter): Neural Network Topic Modeling and Sentiment Analysis.

Data from the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) can provide insights into the types of language that are used when discussing drug use. In past research using latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), we found that tweets containing "street names" of prescription drugs were difficult to classify due to the similarity to other colloquialisms and lack of clarity over how the terms were used. Conversely, "brand name" references were more amenable to machine-driven categorization. This study sought to use next-generation techniques (beyond LDA) from natural language processing to reprocess X data and automatically cluster groups of tweets into topics to differentiate between street- and brand-name data sets. We also aimed to analyze the differences in emotional valence between the 2 data sets to study the relationship between engagement on social media and sentiment. We used the Twitter application programming interface to collect tweets that contained the street and brand name of a prescription drug within the tweet. Using BERTopic in combination with Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection and k-means, we generated topics for the street-name corpus (n=170,618) and brand-name corpus (n=245,145). Valence Aware Dictionary and Sentiment Reasoner (VADER) scores were used to classify whether tweets within the topics had positive, negative, or neutral sentiments. Two different logistic regression classifiers were used to predict the sentiment label within each corpus. The first model used a tweet's engagement metrics and topic ID to predict the label, while the second model used those features in addition to the top 5000 tweets with the largest term-frequency-inverse document frequency score. Using BERTopic, we identified 40 topics for the street-name data set and 5 topics for the brand-name data set, which we generalized into 8 and 5 topics of discussion, respectively. Four of the general themes of discussion in the brand-name corpus referenced drug use, while 2 themes of discussion in the street-name corpus referenced drug use. From the VADER scores, we found that both corpora were inclined toward positive sentiment. Adding the vectorized tweet text increased the accuracy of our models by around 40% compared with the models that did not incorporate the tweet text in both corpora. BERTopic was able to classify tweets well. As with LDA, the discussion using brand names was more similar between tweets than the discussion using street names. VADER scores could only be logically applied to the brand-name corpus because of the high prevalence of non-drug-related topics in the street-name data. Brand-name tweets either discussed drugs positively or negatively, with few posts having a neutral emotionality. From our machine learning models, engagement alone was not enough to predict the sentiment label; the added context from the tweets was needed to understand the emotionality of a tweet.

Chairside learning on undergraduate clinics: general dental and human disease themes

Introduction Chairside teaching is an important part of dental undergraduate clinical education. Bedside teaching is well-reported in relation to undergraduate medicine but few publications relate to undergraduate dentistry.Aims and objectives To investigate the experience and benefits from chairside teaching/learning in the clinical years of a five-year dental programme in a UK university. We asked about general dental topic learning as well as human disease (HD) learning.Materials and methods An online survey gathered dental students' opinions on their recognition, knowledge and experience of chairside teaching/learning. We asked about clinics and clinicians and where they gained most from chairside teaching/learning. We encouraged free-text responses.Results Altogether, 127 students took part (62% response). Response rates approximated 60% for all three years. In total, 93% felt that chairside teaching/learning helped to a moderate/great extent for general dental topics and 73% felt that chairside teaching/learning helped to a moderate/great extent for HD topics. Free-text comments revealed students valued chairside teaching/learning and from which grade/level of staff they learned most.Discussion and conclusion Chairside teaching/learning is largely unreported and unrecognised in undergraduate education. Although not formally timetabled, enthusiastic staff with enough time to engage in chairside teaching can have a positive impact on student learning.

Archtypology of the Figural Antagonist in Classical Fairy Tales and Other Culture-Forming Stories

The present study focuses on the semiotic profile of a literary character acting as a villain/antagonist (Propp) as one of the central factors of the existential problem situation (the de facto “originator” of problems), which represents a general theme in the folk fairy tales and/or culture-forming stories. The aim of this paper is neither to cover all the principles and manifestations of antagonists exhaustively, nor to present a complete typological description of antagonistic characters, but to cover those basic forms and most frequent or otherwise essential attributes that canonically standardize and significantly universalize the archetype of an antagonist in the selected range of narratives. The issue is approached from the perspective of literary theory (with an emphasis on the morphological, structural, and thematic analysis of the literary characters), and it is materially and argumentatively based on the representative sets of folklore and culture-forming narratives (Aarne-Thompson-Uther’s international catalog of fairy tale types, world myths, canonical texts, etc.), as well as on their national (Slovak) variants.

Challenges and solutions of medical residency: the example of Iran

BackgroundMedical residency constitutes a highly demanding and taxing phase in the professional journey of physicians. Factors such as low income, excessive workloads, and uncertainty regarding their career trajectory can contribute to diminished job satisfaction among residents. Neglecting this issue can have enduring negative effects on the quality and quantity of healthcare services provided. This research aims to explore the challenges encountered during medical residency and propose viable solutions.MethodsIn this qualitative study conducted in 2023, interviews were employed to identify challenges, facilitators, barriers, and potential solutions associated with transitioning from residency to a job. In the qualitative section, a purposive selection process led to the inclusion of 26 interviewees, and for the Delphi method, 17 experts were purposefully chosen at three hierarchical levels: macro (Ministry of Health), intermediate (university), and executive (hospital). Qualitative data underwent analysis using a conceptual framework, while Delphi data were subjected to quantitative analysis.ResultsThe qualitative analysis revealed five general themes with 13 main categories and 70 sub-categories as challenges, two general themes as facilitators, and barriers to the transition from residency to a job. Additionally, eight main categories with 52 interventions were identified as solutions to overcome these barriers. In the Delphi stage, the number of proposed solutions was streamlined to 44 interventions. The most significant challenges identified in this study included high workload during residency, low income, career-related uncertainties, issues related to welfare services, and challenges in education and communication.ConclusionThe decline in residents’ willingness, coupled with the substantial work and financial pressures they face, poses a serious threat to the healthcare system, necessitating significant reforms. Transitioning from residency to a full-fledged job emerges as a potential avenue to address a substantial portion of the expressed needs. Implementing these reforms demands resolute determination and collaboration with sectors beyond the healthcare system, integrated into a comprehensive national healthcare plan that considers the country’s capabilities.

Perceptions and practices of Swedish wild boar hunters in relation to African swine fever before the first outbreak in Sweden

BackgroundThe first outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in Sweden was detected in 2023 in wild boar. This study was conducted before the first ASF outbreak with the objective of investigating Swedish hunters’ perceptions and practices pertaining to ASF ahead of any potential future outbreak.A mixed-methods interview study with Swedish wild boar hunters, consisting of focus group discussions and a questionnaire, was undertaken between October 2020 and December 2021. Six focus groups were conducted online, and an online questionnaire with questions related to practices and habits concerning hunting, the use of bait and hunting trips was sent to all members of the Swedish Hunting and Wildlife Association. A total of 3244 responses were received.ResultsThree general themes were identified in a thematic analysis of the data from the focus groups: hunters are willing to engage in ASF prevention and control, simplicity and feasibility are crucial for the implementation of reporting, sampling and control measures, and more information and the greater involvement of the authorities are required in ASF prevention and control. Results from the questionnaire showed that the use of bait was common. Products of animal origin were rarely used for baiting; the most common product used was maize. Hunting trips abroad, especially outside of the Nordic countries, were uncommon.ConclusionsHunting tourism and the use of bait do not seem to constitute a major risk for the introduction of ASF to wild boar populations in Sweden. The accessibility of relevant information for each concerned stakeholder and the ease of reporting and sampling are crucial to maintain the positive engagement of hunters.

Model-completeness and decidability of the additive structure of integers expanded with a function for a Beatty sequence

We introduce a model-complete theory which completely axiomatizes the structure Zα=〈Z,+,0,1,f〉 where f:x↦⌊αx⌋ is a unary function with α a fixed transcendental number. Moreover, we show that decidability of Zα is equivalent to computability of α. This result fits into the more general theme of adding traces of multiplication to integers without losing decidability.

YouTube as a possible learning platform for patients and their family caregivers for gastrostomy tube feeding: A cross-sectional study.

Many patients and family caregivers have informational needs, especially regarding gastrostomy care and home gastrostomy tube feeding. YouTube is a potential accessible option for educational resources concerning these topics. This study aimed to explore the educational quality and content of informational YouTube videos. We used "gastrostomy," "G-tube," "enteral feeding," and "enteral nutrition," as search keywords on YouTube on October 3, 2021. A total of 229 videos were evaluated using the global quality scale (GQS) and modified DISCERN scoring system. Variables extracted from the videos included general features, video parameters, and content themes. The GQS and modified DISCERN scores were 3.31 ± 0.90 and 2.63 ± 1.23, respectively. There were educational quality and differences among videos uploaded by various agencies. Frequent video content themes included "cleaning and dressing a gastrostomy tube," "bolus method," and "replacing a balloon-type of gastrostomy tube." Results showed that YouTube can be a supplemental educational resource for people requiring gastrostomy care and for their caregivers. However, given the open-access nature of YouTube, healthcare professionals' guidance is needed for video selection. Healthcare professionals should know and use specific, reliable resources to effectively guide and educate patients with gastrostomy and their caregivers, enhancing their self-management skills and knowledge.