Recurrent Themes Research Articles

Making Sense of Diseases and Disasters: Reflections of Political Theory from Antiquity to the Age of COVID

Making Sense of Diseases and Disasters: Reflections of Political Theory from Antiquity to the Age of COVID

Floating above the Stream: A Brechtian Reading of Edward Bond's Narrow Road to Deep North

Among British established dramatists, the most notable one whose theatrical works seem most related to Brechtian traditions is Edward Bond. Bond belonged to the first-wave generation of the 1960s and 1970s, who suffered from the dreadful outcome of the two World Wars. In his plays, one can notice some recurrent themes such as social injustice, persecution of minorities and lower classes, indictment of war and its proponents, disbelief in religion and authority, resentment of politicians and their hypocritical behaviour, etc. The paper, however, is limited to focus on exploring one of Edward Bond’s most significant works; Narrow Road to Deep North and argue that it represents the playwrights’ main attempt to use and develop forms of Brechtian complex seeing.

Analyzing the Public Response on Twitter of Socialized Medicine Following the COVID-19 Pandemic

This research paper aims to analyze data gathered from the popular social media site, Twitter, to gain insight regarding human perceptions on the ongoing discussion of socialized medicine in the United States. The study used both a sentiment analysis and thematic analysis to analyze a sample of tweets referencing socialized medicine and COVID-19 posted between December 2018 and January 2021. However, as the sentiment analysis revealed flawed data due to its nature of only analyzing an individual’s tone to a particular subject matter, this research solely relied on the data provided by the thematic analysis. The thematic analysis conducted revealed four recurring themes: irony, disagreement with political beliefs, comparisons to countries with socialized medicine, and beliefs influenced by first-hand experience. The analysis of these four recurrent themes shed light on the complexity of the debate surrounding the topic of socialized medicine in the United States, and the findings of this study suggest the impact COVID-19 had in shifting public opinion to favor the implementation of socialized medicine. However, further research is needed to further understand the complexities of the various healthcare systems and the diverse perspectives held by Americans on this important issue.

Systematical analyses of large-scale transcriptome reveal viral infection-related genes and disease comorbidities

Perturbation of transcriptome in viral infection patients is a recurrent theme impacting symptoms and mortality, yet a detailed understanding of pertinent transcriptome and identification of robust biomarkers is not complete. In this study, we manually collected 23 datasets related to 6,197 blood transcriptomes across 16 types of respiratory virus infections. We applied a comprehensive systems biology approach starting with whole-blood transcriptomes combined with multilevel bioinformatics analyses to characterize the expression, functional pathways, and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks to identify robust biomarkers and disease comorbidities. Robust gene markers of infection with different viruses were identified, which can accurately classify the normal and infected patients in train and validation cohorts. The biological processes (BP) of different viruses showed great similarity and enriched in infection and immune response pathways. Network-based analyses revealed that a variety of viral infections were associated with nervous system diseases, neoplasms and metabolic diseases, and significantly correlated with brain tissues. In summary, our manually collected transcriptomes and comprehensive analyses reveal key molecular markers and disease comorbidities in the process of viral infection, which could provide a valuable theoretical basis for the prevention of subsequent public health events for respiratory virus infections.

University Hybrid Ecosystems: A Theory for Learning Based on the Interrelationships between Spaces with Contrasting Architectural Definitions

The rapid evolution of university education is accompanied by a multitude of very specific, but rarely interrelated, research. The importance of socialization, informal learning, virtuality, flexible furniture, and learning by doing are recurrent themes, but they are often analyzed in isolation. The great potential for understanding these concepts lies in the value of their gradients, thresholds, interstices, interconnections, and the multiple relationships between them. Interrelating the existing analyses defines the learning ecosystem where thresholds acquire didactic prominence. Since the beginning of this century, radical changes have been taking place in the way learning is understood and are accompanied by regulatory changes (e.g., the Bologna Plan), methodological shifts, and spatial changes. Teaching innovation and spatial innovation mutually enhance each other in the search for teaching quality. In this research work, the state of the art is organized and classified into five assumptions, each with a graphic analysis, so that different architectural styles, geographical locations, and periods are represented, all with didactic potentials. The result comprises five design criteria proposed to build the different gradients of each hybridization.

223. UNDERSTANDING POTENTIALLY PREVENTABLE MORTALITY FOLLOWING ESOPHAGO-GASTRIC CANCER SURGERY: ANALYSIS OF A NATIONAL AUDIT OF SURGICAL MORTALITY

Abstract Introduction At a national level, understanding preventable mortality after esophago-gastric cancer surgery can direct quality-improvement efforts. Here, we utilized the Australian and New Zealand Audit of Surgical Mortality (ANZASM) database to 1) determine the causes of death following esophago-gastric cancer resections in Australia, 2) quantify the proportion of potentially preventable death, and 3) identify clinical management issues contributing to preventable mortality. Methods All in-hospital mortalities following esophago-gastric cancer surgery from 01/01/2010 to 31/12/2020 were analyzed from ANZASM data. Potentially preventable and non-preventable cases were compared. Thematic analysis was used classify clinical management issues. Overall, we reviewed 636 complications and 123 clinical management issues in 105 mortalities. Results The most common causes of death were cardio-respiratory in etiology. Forty-nine (46.7%) mortalities were potentially preventable. These cases were characterized by higher rates of sepsis (59.2% vs. 33.9%, p = 0.011), multiorgan dysfunction syndrome (40.8% vs. 25.0%, p = 0.042), reoperation (63.3% vs. 41.1%, p = 0.031), and other complications compared with non-preventable mortality. Potentially preventable mortalities also had more clinical management issues per patient [median (IQR): 2 (1–3) vs. 0 (0–1), p < 0.001), which adversely impacted preoperative (30.6% vs. 7.1%, p = 0.002), intraoperative (18.4% vs. 5.4%, p = 0.037), and postoperative (51.0% vs. 17.9%, p < 0.001) care. Thematic analysis highlighted recurrent areas of deficiency in patient management. Conclusions Almost 50% of deaths following esophago-gastric cancer resections were potentially preventable. These were characterized by higher complication rates and clinical management issues. We highlighted recurrent themes in patient management to improve future quality-of-care.

The Experiences of Black Students in Physical Therapy Education in Texas: A Qualitative Study.

Racial or ethnic minorities are underrepresented in many health care professions, including physical therapy. Understanding the experiences of minority students in graduate education provides insight into how physical therapy educational programs can promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, which are factors that have been shown to improve patient outcomes. The purpose of this study is to qualitatively analyze and describe the lived experiences of Black student physical therapists (PT) in Texas. Currently, there is a lack of qualitative research that investigates the experiences of Black students in physical therapy education in the United States. Nineteen Doctor of Physical Therapy students from 8 different physical therapy educational programs in Texas. This qualitative study was conducted using a phenomenological approach. All participants took part in a focus group regarding their academic experiences. Students' dialogues were recorded and transcribed, and the researchers identified recurrent themes. After the analysis of focus group content, it was determined that the following 5 themes characterized the students' experiences: 1) Barriers to enrollment, 2) underrepresentation, 3) implicit and explicit racism, 4) code-switching, and 5) desired image. There is evidence to suggest that Black or African American students are subject to unique pressures that negatively affect their experiences during their PT education. Efforts need to be made by higher education institutions and individuals to provide a more inclusive environment to best support those students. By gaining awareness of the results of this study, educators and students can begin dialogues on how to foster inclusivity and cultural understanding in physical therapy education. Ultimately, understanding the experiences of others can improve how individuals coexist in an increasingly diverse society, and how clinicians provide patient-centered, culturally aware care to patients and clients.

The Nostalgic Home in E. M. Forster's Novels

Edward Morgan Forster wrote 6 novels, all of which revolve around the concept of home in relation to the representation of time and its impact on human soul and spirit. Homes of Forster are created by people and their emotions; hence they are very effective in their lives. In his Aspects of the Novel, Forster confirms that the art of fiction depends on facets like characters, plots, patterns, time, and places. This paper handles the representation of homes and the impact of time on these homes in E.M. Forester's Where Angels Fear to Tread, A Room With A View and Howard's End. In these novels Forster uses a recurrent theme; that is the impact of time on places and people. As Angels Fear to Tread echoes Alexander Pope's line in his An Essay on Criticism: "for fools rush in where angels fear to tread", the novel deals with concepts like national character, connection across social differences, the passage of time and its impact on places and houses. In A Room with A View, Forster contrasts Florence, Italy and Windy Corner, England, showing their influence on the development of Lucy, the heroine. Lucy is torn between two different lives. She misses the feeling of home, warmth and domesticity. She struggles throughout the whole novel to embrace love, security, and belonging. Home as a concept is an evasive axis in Forster's Howard's End. The novel is set in the Victorian era where all houses were rebuilt, reconstructed and replaced. There was a demanding rebuilding initiative across Britain, especially in London. That's why houses and places were obviously an entity for people's emotional values. In Howard's End, the Schlegels are evicted from Wickham place, and this leads to their dichotomy. The concepts of places, dwelling, passing of time, and nostalgia, give an opportunity for readers to observe the importance of home in modern life. In Forster's novels, homes are experienced on many levels: homes as places people have already visited and lived in; homes as places people imagined through pictures or dreams; and homes that are never visited or even imagined by dwellers. As John Edward Hardy states: "buildings, and the design of them, the architectural character of civilization, would seem to be in Forster's mind fundamentally related to its character of manners and morals", it would be significant to have a deeper look into the concept of home, time and nostalgia in relation to modern man. Keywords: houses, homes, Forster's novels, passage of time, nostalgia and modernity

Untouchability, Caste and Supremacy of Hinduism: Rereading Swami Vivekananda

Swami Vivekananda was a multi-faceted personality. Some of his primal ideas on India are timelessly resounding. One of the recurrent themes is Vivekananda’s agile efforts to revolutionize Hinduism. Hordes of literature emphatically explore Vivekananda’s profound views on Hinduism. Vivekananda is overwhelmingly credited as the towering figure who also spiritually revitalizes the vitals of Hinduism. At the same time, no sufficient attention is directed towards the question of untouchability and caste as presented by Vivekananda. Vivekananda’s whole body of ideas on caste and untouchability are largely left untouched, not least in the discourse on contemporary India. Are caste and untouchability interrelated according to Swami Vivekananda? Does Vivekananda consider caste and untouchability as the bane of Hinduism? Does Vivekananda call for the abolition of untouchability and caste? Does Vivekananda proffer the philosophical groundings about the supremacy of Hinduism? This article primarily attempts to dissect these immanent questions afresh.

Strategies for public health adaptation to climate change in practice: social learning in the processionary Moth Knowledge Platform.

Social learning theory can support understanding of how a group of diverse actors addresses complex challenges related to public health adaptation. This study focuses on one specific issue of public health adaptation: oak processionary moth (OPM) adaptation. With a social learning framework, we examined how public health adaption strategies gradually develop and are adjusted on the basis of new knowledge and experiences. For this qualitative case study, data were collected through 27 meetings of the Processionary Moth Knowledge Platform in the Netherlands and six additional interviews. Results indicate that relations between stakeholders, including experts played a major role in the learning process, facilitating the development and implementation of OPM adaptation and connecting local challenges to national adaptation strategies. Uncertainties regarding knowledge and organization were recurrent topics of discussion, highlighting the iterative and adaptive nature of public health adaptation. The study emphasizes the importance of building relationships among stakeholders and small steps in the learning process that can lead to the creation of new strategies and, if successful, the prevention of negative health impacts.

Memory and Identity in Haruki Murakami’s Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage

Haruki Murakami introduces a wide array of issues and topics in his fiction; his variegated characters typically enact a wide range of human attitudes and behaviours when encountering the problems of modern life. One recurrent theme in Murakami’s novels is memory. The novelist has a unique ability to present his characters “from the inside”, as it were, describing thus the interior mechanisms that make them who they are. His novels present an opportunity to understand the workings of memory and how people are led by its dictates. His characters often find themselves recollecting their past in order to sustain a present existence that is marred by some type of crisis. As they progress in time, protagonists experience a profound sense of disequilibrium that prompts them to return to the past in order to rebalance their self’s sense of value. In this regard, the paper investigates the dynamics of memory as well as its role in the formation of identity in Haruki Murakami’s novel Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage (2014). For this purpose, the paper draws on different theories of memory and identity in its analysis.

Group meditation, addressing stigma, and "mental health days": Recommendations for integrating self-awareness practices into genetic counseling graduate programs.

Genetic counseling graduate programs provide a rigorous curriculum comprised of coursework encompassing counseling and medical genetics, fieldwork, and research experience. Students face similar emotional and mental demands as practicing genetic counselors while also experiencing stressors commonly associated with graduate study. Increased self-awareness may help combat these stressors. This mixed-methods study surveyed 154 genetic counseling graduate students to determine the types of self-awareness practices they would like to have included in their graduate training and surveyed 11 program faculty regarding the feasibility of implementing these practices. The students' most preferred practices were self-reflection (n = 73, 47.4%), support from peers, colleagues, and/or supervisors (n = 71, 46.1%), and mental health counseling (n = 71, 46.1%). Analysis of responses to open-ended questions capturing students' recommendations for programs yielded six recurrent themes: (1) Consistent, Structured Practice with Accountability, (2) Emphasis on Mental Health, (3) Practical Techniques, (4) Access to Resources, (5) Encouragement and Support, and (6) Barriers to Implementation. Many students suggested that programs should incorporate repetitive exercises that could be implemented on a schedule with an emphasis on consistency (Theme 1). Students also emphasized the importance of providing exposure to multiple examples of self-awareness practices, so they could find an approach that was most beneficial on an individual basis (Theme 3). These findings were shared with program faculty via a presentation at the Association for Genetic Counseling Program Directors annual meeting, and attendees were subsequently surveyed regarding self-awareness practices currently integrated into their curriculum, as well as the feasibility and likelihood of integrating new practices. Program faculty respondents indicated that most of the recommended practices were included in their curriculum already or would be feasible and likely to incorporate. These results provide insight into the attitudes of genetic counseling students toward structured practice in self-awareness and how genetic counseling graduate programs might integrate such practices into the curriculum.

Gender and Sexual Minorities in the Armed and Police Forces: Perceptions and Mental Health Implications of Portuguese Militaries—A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions toward gender and sexual identities in the Portuguese armed and police forces, emphasizing on mental health implications. A qualitative research methodology was followed, using an electronic inquiry answered by 64 participants who are members of the Portuguese armed or police forces. Data were examined using thematic analysis, and the recurrent themes identified were the following: general characteristics of the military/police environment and culture, sexist attitudes and behaviors, positive attitudes and behaviors related to sexuality, homophobic/heterosexist attitudes and behaviors, influence of military and police culture on the expression of sexuality and coping of sexual minorities, negative impact of military and police culture on the mental health of gender and sexual minorities, and personal opinion regarding how sexual and gender diversity should be addressed in the armed and police forces. Analysis of these themes provides insight into the perceptions and experiences of our participants and suggests that the impact of stigma and discrimination toward gender and sexual minorities in this context was relevant for the individuals within this sample.

Youth and newcomers in Icelandic fisheries: opportunities and obstacles

Privatized fishery management schemes, alongside other cultural and social changes, have led to a high average age in some fisheries, where youth and newcomers are not meaningfully present in the industry. This research explored the current and future opportunities and constraints for youth and newcomers in Icelandic fisheries, which are managed by an Individual Transferable Quota system. Data were collected through participant observation and 25 semi-structured interviews with key individuals in fisheries. Inductive qualitative analysis of interview data determined recurrent themes that illustrate how rural outmigration, cost, and changing social expectations have led to a decrease of youth and newcomers in Icelandic fisheries. Results show that the perception of fishers in Iceland by the general society fluctuates as the economic and cultural climate of the country changes. The ageing of the fleet in small-scale fisheries is explained by the limited access to consolidated fisheries rights, and the inability for youth to secure capital and invest in a fishery operation. Large-scale fisheries, on the other hand, have a different set of barriers for youth, such as lack of career advancement opportunities and a heavy workload. This research also documents how the absence of youth in small-scale fisheries is partially linked to a high turnover of youth in large-scale fisheries. Youth have more opportunities in large-scale fisheries, but over time, they do not receive adequate training or support to further an independent career, thereby creating a negative feedback loop leading to further reduction of recruitment in small-scale fisheries. Findings from the study support the continued call from academics and practitioners to include issues of access for newcomers in fishery management goals.

Early literacy going digital: Interweaving formal and informal literacy learning through digital media

The proliferation and strong presence of new media in young children’s' lives have oriented early childhood research and practice towards the concept of digital literacy, now being an important part of ECE policy and practice worldwide. Children join formal education with a rich repertoire of multimedia, multimodal and digital practices, shaped outside schools, at their home and broader social milieu. Related literature acknowledges a strong relationship between digital media and children’s literacy development. However, little is known about the actual experiences when this relationship is forged. During the interplay with digital and non-digital media and resources, it is interesting to illustrate the connections in literacy gained through different contexts. The DIGILIT Kids project aimed at exploring the literacy practices of preschool children in digital environments. To this end, our research team conducted qualitative research, interviewing parents, preschool educators and children, while, in parallel, observing children's media use with different digital devices, during their school time and collecting their written and electronic works, before and during the research process. The research context was a public kindergarten classroom in Thessaloniki, Greece, with 20 children. Our findings are summarized in this paper through three children’s cases, presented as profiles, representing, to a satisfactory degree, recurrent themes from our whole dataset. The three profiles depict different levels of digital and traditional literacy manifested through children’s practices. Our discussion highlights aspects of the complex relationship of digital media and literacy, as well as the need to bridge the gap between formal and informal ways of literacy learning.

REPRESENTATION OF CULTURAL DIPLOMACY IN THE BRIDGERTON SERIES

This paper is an attempt to analyse the implicit and explicit rendering of cultural diplomacy in the popular Netflix series Bridgerton. This series is written by Chris Van Dusen and two seasons of the show titled Bridgeton have been premiered, the latest release of the series is Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. The television series is an adaptation of the Bridgerton novel series written by Julia Quinn and is produced under Shondaland productions. In this paper, the second season of the series is taken into consideration, in which the representation of Indian culture and its portrayal during the Regency period in England is intricately analysed. Cultural Diplomacy refers to the idea of the exchange of culture, art, language so on between nations that can result in diplomatic relations between countries. The series re-tells the history of the British Empire during the Regency period. The recurrent themes in the series are love and courtship. This paper analyses Cultural diplomacy as well as the neo-colonialist tendencies demonstrated through the series. Cultural diplomacy can be achieved through cinema and various film studies have proven its effect on the people. The cinema also serves as a medium of capitalism in disguise of art. This paper looks into the nature of relation existing between the former colonizer and its former colony. Also, to know about Capitalism as a form of Neo-colonialism, and to understand its part in Cultural Diplomacy. This research paper tries to understand the Bridgerton series as part of Culture and Capitalism.

Characterizing Gender-Affirming Voice Intervention Discussion on Social Media: A Cross-Platform Analysis

Gender-affirming voice treatments, such as voice training and surgery, are highly impactful for transgender patients experiencing vocal dysphoria and may be discussed on social media platforms including Twitter and Reddit. Our goal was to characterize the content and sentiment of social media posts pertaining to gender-affirming voice interventions to better understand the needs of this patient population. Retrospective data-mining study. A total of 18,695 Tweets from 2001 to 2021 and 23,742 r/Transvoice Reddit submissions and comments from 2009 to 2020 were extracted via publicly available application programming interfaces and analyzed using language processing and sentiment analysis techniques. One thousand eighty-six highly emotive r/Transvoice posts related to voice modification treatments were manually reviewed for further classification. Online discussion of gender-affirming voice has increased over time and is centered on vocal feminization. Recurrent themes included use of online training resources, singing voice, and barriers to care such as cost and variable experiences with health care providers. Sentiment analysis demonstrated that posts discussing gender-affirming voice training had higher average sentiment scores than those discussing voice surgery, on both Twitter (0.252 vs 0.161; P<0.001) and Reddit (0.349 vs 0.301; P<0.001). Frequently appearing themes in highly negative surgery posts included mixed outcomes (9.3%), surgical complications (9.3%), and recovery time (8.5%). Common themes shared by the positive subgroup analysis included peer support, vocal quality, and importance of practice. Gender-diverse patients share various concerns and resources relating to voice intervention in the online communities of Twitter and Reddit. The discussion has been growing over the past decade and is mostly positive, with significant social support and resource-sharing within the community. Aggregated online sentiment toward gender-affirming voice surgery is more negative than voice training, largely due to concerns about surgical outcomes and variability, risks, and recovery period.

The challenging reality of the clinical learning environment at Damascus University Faculty of Dental Medicine in Syria: a qualitative study

Introduction: In Syria, specialist dentists undergo five years of undergraduate education and four years of postgraduate education. In the latter, students engage in treating complex cases as part of their professional training. This study aimed to obtain in-depth qualitative understanding of the clinical learning environment at Damascus University Faculty of Dental Medicine, Syria. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were held with eight postgraduate dental students at Damascus University Faculty of Dental Medicine. The faculty has eight clinical departments; therefore, a single participant was purposively sampled from each department. The male-female ratio of the eight interviewed participants was 1:1. All interviews were conducted between 26th April 2020 and 8th January 2021. Data was analyzed inductively using reflective thematic analysis. Pragmatic saturation was discussed during the analysis and the authors made an interpretative judgement to stop data collection at the eighth interview. Results: Major themes which emerged covered different aspects of the clinical learning environment such as clinical training, social interaction and assessment procedures. Faculty’s negligence of their teaching duties was one of the most recurrent themes. In clinical training and due to faculty inaccessibility, students had to rely on themselves or their senior peers in training. The social climate was perceived negatively and assessment was described as unfair and biased. Discussion: The findings of this study showcased the continuing deterioration of the clinical learning environment at Damascus University. It is hoped that these findings will encourage decision makers to introduce a comprehensive reform that addresses the curriculum, teaching practices and assessment procedures in clinical professional training.

Small stories of a key moment: Exploring discursive construction in digital quarantine stories

This study examines the narratives presented on Quarantine Stories, an online platform where users posted their home-quarantine experiences amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It investigates the recurrent themes in quarantine stories and how tellers constructed their lives in isolation. Quarantine stories submitted worldwide were examined via semantic tag and concordance analyses to identify their recurrent themes and narrative elements. The results reveal that digital storytelling allowed tellers and readers to form a community of shared support beyond spatiotemporal boundaries. Most quarantine stories were characterised by fragmentation and simultaneity, whereas others had Labovian narrative structures. The recurrent themes found (quarantine duration, favourite quarantine spots and self-healing) demonstrated how tellers used time stamps to create meaning. The present study contributes to social media research by suggesting the further categorisation of breaking stories into major and minor and by regarding self-reflection as a sub-type of evaluation.

Content analysis of psychological first aid training manuals via topic modelling

ABSTRACT Background: Psychological First Aid (PFA) is practiced worldwide. This practice in English is guided through a small collection of training manuals. Despite ubiquitous practice and formal training materials, little is known about what topics are covered and in what depth in these influential manuals. As such, we analyzed the topic structure of these training manuals. Objective: To model the PFA manuals’ topics with the goal of identifying a set of topics with recurrent themes and evaluating the extent to which each manual demonstrated those themes. Method: This machine learning study employed an unsupervised topic modelling design using Latent Dirichlet Allocation. The variables are (1) the distribution of a word across documents and (2) the distribution of a word across topics. The level of measurement for all variables is continuous. The unit of analysis is words. Preprocessing and data analysis were carried out using the Orange Data Mining Toolbox (Demšar et al., 2013). This programme is a Python GUI. Results: Results indicated a ten-topic structure to the universe of the English PFA training manuals. These topics were: (1) Refugees, (2) Orientation Activities, (3) Community-Based Applications, (4) PTSD & Other Psychological Issues, (5) Training Materials, (6) Specific Helper Instructions, (7) PFA Scholarship, (8) MHPSS, (9) General Curriculum, and (10) Australian Specific Delivery. The depth of discourse on each topic varied widely between manuals. Conclusions: The Academics of the PFA topic shows a strong representation of the corpus and suggests current training manuals have stayed true to its evidence-supported practice. The topic of Community-Based Applications strongly represents the corpus and suggests that training models incorporate community-based applications. The scientific foundation and practical implementation of the training guides are essential elements. Limitations and implications were also discussed.