Salient Issues Research Articles

Exploring Public Discourse About Spent Nuclear Fuel Management on Twitter

Twitter provides a complementary source of information to more traditional mechanisms of data collection of public opinion about technically complex and controversial topics like spent nuclear fuel (SNF) management. In this study, we apply content and network analysis to investigate the discourse surrounding public concerns about SNF management in the United States on Twitter during 2021. We explore two key research questions: (1) What issues do individuals bring up in the messages about SNF on social media platforms like Twitter? and (2) What can we learn from the network structure of online conversations about SNF management on Twitter? The results indicate that tweets about technology, community, health and safety, and legal and political topics consistently outpaced concerns about economic and environmental impacts connected to SNF management on Twitter, emphasizing potential risks more than benefits. This study also found that Twitter users’ conversations about SNF occur in tightly clustered groups of users centered around a small number of accounts. Together, the content and structure of the online discourse offers insight into public attitudes and concerns about SNF management from a variety of sources, providing experts with a baseline analysis of potentially salient issues that can inform communication with public audiences.

Understanding Weight Talk in Racially/Ethnically Diverse Homes: A Qualitative Analysis With Parents

ObjectiveTo explore weight talk in the homes of racially/ethnically diverse immigrant/refugee children and their families. DesignQualitative interviews were conducted with parents of young children. SettingTwin Cities, Minnesota. ParticipantsParents from 150 families (25 families each from White, Black, Latino, Hmong, Native American, and Somali households) were recruited from primary care clinics. Eligibility criteria included: participating parent lived with a child aged 5–7 years, shared a meal with this child at least daily, and had another child living in the home. Main Outcome MeasuresWeight talk (ie, weight-related conversations, teasing), intergenerational transmission of weight talk. AnalysisQualitative content analysis using Nvivo software. ResultsThemes were found for each of our 4 research questions. Themes included: (1) parents experienced weight talk in their own homes growing up; (2) parents believed their community or culture influenced weight talk in their home; (3) parents described different ways of approaching weight talk, including not discussing weight, being direct about weight, and playful teasing; and (4) parents described various strategies for addressing concerns about their children's weight. Conclusions and ImplicationsResults suggested weight and health were salient issues for racially/ethnically diverse parents. Further research is needed to investigate why some parents engage in weight teasing, what prompts weight teasing, and the differences between weight- and health-focused conversations to identify potential targets for intervention. Recommendations for health providers working with families with young children, such as training using nonstigmatizing language, are discussed.

The glass ceiling phenomenon: A review of literature and a theoretical perspective

It is challenging for a woman to obtain a worthy platform for herself in a patriarchal culture with values that are primarily male dominated. As a result, gender issues have gained significant attention in the field of management studies. The glass ceiling phenomenon that prevails in businesses is one of these salient gender issues. This research reviews many papers on the glass-ceiling effect and groups them into one of the following four categories: (i) Proof of the "glass ceiling" occurrence. (ii) The origins of the glass ceiling; (iii) the effects of having a glass ceiling; and (iv) what happens when a glass ceiling breaks (iv) Strategies for breaking the glass ceiling at work. This research makes a significant contribution to the quantity of knowledge already available on the glass-ceiling issue, and it will also assist future researchers in streamlining their research directions.

Teaching English as a Second Language in Nigeria: The Total Physical Response Option for Beginners

This paper examines learning English in an adverse situation especially in Nigeria where a second language is used as the language of instruction. It focuses on Total Physical Response (T.P.R) as one of the teaching strategies that can enhance the learning of English as a second language in Nigeria. The concept, the historical background of TPR and its efficacy in promoting effective acquisition and learning of English language in comparison with other traditional methods was unveiled. This technique of language teaching tends to teach vocabularies and develop listening comprehension through some simple commands by the instructor (teacher) and responses by the learners which served as a replica to the mother tongue or first language acquisition process. The paper discusses the relationship between Total Physical Response and the learning of English language most especially as it relates to beginners in the language. The stages involved in the strategy to make meaningful impact were as well explained. The paper also examines the benefit of TPR in a typical English as a second language class and the basic steps to follow for its effective utilization dwelling on its psychological perspective in which language acquisition is viewed to initially start with psychomotor activities before the language is used in a spoken situation. It is the position of the paper that an effective English language teacher must take into cognizance some salient issues to effectively utilize the strategy optimally. This is in tandem with the principle of using psychomotor activities in a four walled classroom with a single teacher and a large number of learners as is the case in the Nigerian situation. Thus, precaution must be taken to guard against turning the class into a rowdy and disorganized one in order to tap the benefit of the strategy to lay a sound foundation in the target language.

Mental health of LGBTQ+ people during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review

ABSTRACT Objective The purpose of this study was to analyse available literature on the mental health of LGBTQ+ people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods For this scoping review, six electronic databases were searched in three broad topic areas (the COVID-19 pandemic, LGBTQ+ people, mental health) in April 2022. The search yielded 4,285 studies, and after screening them, 61 studies were included in the final review, which were thematically analysed. Results Results were organised according to four themes: comparative effects of the pandemic on LGBTQ+ and heterosexual cisgender people’s mental health; mental health impacts; differences in the mental health among LGBTQ+ people; and protective and risk factors. LGBTQ+ people’s mental health was disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, particularly when compared to heterosexual and cisgender people. Some sub-populations of LGBTQ+ people were impacted more than others, such as bisexual, transgender, non-binary, and gender-diverse people. Depression, anxiety, and stress/distress were the most salient mental health issues, though loneliness, suicidal ideation, self-harm, and COVID-related fears were also prevalent. LGBTQ+ people used substances, social media, dating apps, and pornography to cope with the pandemic. Discussion Gaps in the literature and study limitations are identified, and recommendations for policy, health services, and future research are offered.

Construction SMEs labour productivity: causal layered analysis

Purpose Small and medium-sized contractors are critical to micro and macroeconomic performance. These contractors in South Africa have long been confronted with the problem of business failure because of a plethora of factors, including poor productivity. The purpose of this study is to investigate salient issues undermining the productivity of small and medium-sized contractors in South Africa. This study proposes alternative possibilities to engender productivity improvement. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured interviews with 15 contractors in Gauteng Province, South Africa. The research data were analysed using content and causal layered analyses. Findings Challenges to contractors’ productivity were associated with inadequately skilled workers, management competence and political factors. Skills development, construction business and political factors were dominant stakeholders’ perceptions. Metaphors for construction labour productivity are presented and reconstructed as alternative directions for productivity improvement. Practical implications Contractors lose a substantial amount of South African Rand to poor productivity. Alternative directions provided in this study can be leveraged to increase profitability in construction organizations, enhance the social well-being of South Africans and ultimately improve the contribution of contractors to the South African economy. Originality/value The causal layered analysis (CLA) applied in this study is novel to construction labour productivity research. The four connected layers of CLA, which make a greater depth of inquiry possible, were explored to investigate labour productivity in construction organizations.

Soldier Self-Regulation: Applying Self-Regulatory Concepts to the U.S. Army Context

Army personnel operate in volatile and stressful environments where self-regulation is critical to maintain performance, health, and well-being. Though self-regulation is a malleable construct, the complex nature of both self-regulation and the Army context in which it is enacted makes a tailored application for individual development challenging. In this paper, we explore salient issues in the potential application of self-regulation concepts and techniques to the Army context. In doing so, we review leading conceptualizations and major theoretical models of self-regulation, discuss aspects of military professions in which self-regulation may be particularly relevant, and identify challenges associated with applying existing approaches to self-regulation in the Army context. Finally, we discuss promising self-regulation interventions for competency development that may be beneficial for the Army and highlight where future efforts should be directed.

A Review of Graduate Attributes in the Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education (OAAAQAE’s) Quality Audit Reports

With the growing importance of the development of graduate attributes (GAs) in higher education, higher education institutions (HEIs) are emphasizing which GAs their graduates attain as part of their mission, vision, and core values, and are required to describe and document how their programs contribute to the development and promotion of those attributes. Qualitative data were collected from 12 quality audit reports from the Oman Authority for Academic Accreditation and Quality Assurance of Education (OAAAQA). This paper identifies the OAAAQA’s key areas of interest and their importance in ensuring quality in college-preparedness programs, as well as making recommendations for future audits. The paper seeks to: (1) highlight the most salient issues that have been raised in their reports regarding GAs and (2) make some suggestions so that HEIs in Oman can establish and implement GAs more effectively to meet both the OAAAQA’s expectations and good international practices. Following a data-driven systematic qualitative content analysis (QCA) of the QA reports, four main categories emerged regarding the GAs. Student learning objectives should be aligned with GA development, while stakeholders’ awareness of these attributes should be raised. Additionally, there is a need for an appropriate evaluation mechanism for GAs to be conducted in a systematic and timely manner. Moreover, GAs should be explicitly assessed and benchmarked based on the feedback obtained from relevant stakeholders. Finally, both internal and external stakeholders should be involved in the GA development and review process.

Volunteers Justice Scheme: A Framework for Community Justice in the South-Western Nigeria

The focus of the study is on how to improve the justice system in Nigeria by reducing court congestion and improving access to justice through community justice system. The issue of court congestion, delay in court processes, and the inaccessibility of the justice system to the poor and uneducated is affecting the sustainable peaceful co-existence and orderliness in Nigeria. The inability of government to sustainably fund the justice system is a clear pointer that there is need for a people-centered approach to reduce the burden on government and to increase accessibility. Therefore, adopting descriptive analysis method, and relying on relevant secondary data, the paper examines the pre-colonial traditional justice system in the Yorubaland (South-west, Nigeria), and post-traditional justice system in Nigeria to identify salient issues responsible for inefficiency and inaccessibility. In the process, the paper identifies community justice as an alternative justice system and proposed the Volunteers Justice Scheme (VJS) committee, which is a non-formal alternative dispute resolution mechanism, that relies on community trust, knowledge of their tradition, with little or no financial cost incurred, no technical legal requirements and time friendly; to be established in each of the wards at the local governments level, as a framework for the operation of community justice in South-western Nigeria. Among the essential for the scheme are enabling law, a coordinating center at the local government, stakeholders’ representatives to serve as volunteers, and identifying a public building in each of the wards as venues for the operation of the committee. Thus, for effective implementation of the Scheme, the study suggests constitutional amendment to integrate the Scheme into the justice system, mass education to mobilize citizens, and training of committee members for efficient operation.

The age-related association between serum creatinine and cardiorespiratory morbidity and mortality and fractures among adults with cerebral palsy

PurposeSerum creatinine may be an objective biomarker of salient health issues in adults with cerebral palsy (CP). The objective was to assess the age-related association between serum creatinine with 3-year risk of cardiorespiratory morbidity/mortality and fracture among adults with CP. Patients and methodsThis retrospective cohort study used medical records between Jan. 1, 2012 and Oct. 2, 2022 from adults ≥18 years old with CP. The association between baseline serum creatinine with the 3-year risk of all-cause mortality, respiratory/cardiovascular morbidity/mortality, and fracture was assessed by age and sex using logistic regression. The discriminative ability of serum creatinine alone and in conjunction with other variables was assessed. ResultsOver the 3-year follow-up, 8.3% of 1368 adults with CP had all-cause mortality, 25.6% had respiratory morbidity/mortality, 12.4% had cardiovascular morbidity/mortality, and 8.9% sustained a fracture. The association between serum creatinine with outcomes was dependent on age. For younger adults, lower creatinine had a higher odds ratio (OR) for all-cause mortality, respiratory morbidity/mortality, and fracture. For 51–60 year olds, higher creatinine had a higher OR for cardiovascular morbidity/mortality. Serum creatinine alone had modest prediction of outcomes, and generally improved prediction when added to models that included sex and co-occurring intellectual disabilities and epilepsy (c-statistic range, 0.54–0.84). ConclusionsLower serum creatinine may reflect frailty while higher levels may reflect kidney dysfunction, helping to explain the differential associations by age. Serum creatinine may be a useful biomarker as part of risk prediction models for these salient health issues for adults with CP.

Road safety and road infrastructure expenditure: A bivariate analysis

A considerable body of earlier literature has analysed the determinants of road safety outcomes at the aggregate level. A sub-set of that literature has sought to assess the effect of road expenditure, both investment and maintenance spending, on road safety. The results have been inconclusive and, in part, counterintuitive. To clarify that relationship, this paper undertakes a bivariate analysis using European panel data. Three main results emerge. First, there is only limited evidence of longer-term relationships (common stochastic trends) among different measures of the variables. Second, causality tests on stationary variables suggest that the direction of causality depends on how the variables are measured. Third, unrestricted Vector Autoregression (VAR) analyses suggest that there is a positive relationship from some measures of road safety outcomes to road infrastructure investment, and that an increase in one real measure of road infrastructure investment reduces fatalities permanently, if with a lag. While not modelling the true and complex data generating processes, these bivariate analyses help address the salient empirical issues emerging from earlier literature, and the results provide a detailed description of the relationship between road safety and infrastructure expenditure.

Child Labour and Capitalist Social Engineering in Africa: Divorcing Society from the Means of Production

Abstract This article engages with some salient issues relating to child labour in colonial and post-colonial Africa. The central argument hinges on the inconclusive assault of capital on pre-capitalist socio-economic formation in Africa and the urgent intellectual task of liberating the study of child labour from humanitarian, United Nations and non-governmental organisation bureaucrats by privileging the voices of children themselves. The first section deals with historiographical issues, while the second focuses on agriculture, aspects of urban poverty and the emergence of a Lumpenproletariat to examine the transformation from above which took place after the colonial state was created at the turn of the century. The third section addresses two insidious categories of child labour in the post-colony: child trafficking and child soldiers. The final section grapples with the moral economy of child labour by interrogating the complex array of instruments that have emerged on the global scene to address what is today seen as the child labour ‘problem’.

The Role of Mass Media in Crisis Management in Nigeria

The role played by the media in the resolution of conflicts and crises cannot be overemphasized. The media has been a vital channel for resolving crises in society. The media has been construed as a two-edged sword that can either instigate a crisis or provide an avenue for resolving it. In other words, the influence of the mass media can be both positive and/or negative, depending on the mode and direction of use. Apparently, media influence has increased tremendously in the last decades, but there is no agreement among scholars and researchers on the degree and tenacity of its influence in managing and resolving conflicts and crises in society. The media, by right and duty, must provide citizens with accurate, comprehensive, unbiased, and high-quality information on the causes, effects, and possible resolutions to avert a further deepening of the crisis, which could lead to the destruction of lives, properties, and the economy. Put differently, the media are always known to set agendas for the public to follow; they do this by raising salient and critical issues as they unfold in society and bringing them to the public. The media set an agenda of peace, love, unity, etc. In recent times, Plateau State, especially Jos, has been characterized by one form of crisis or another, which in turn leads to the loss of lives and properties. This research work therefore attempts to examine the relevant role played by the media in resolving the lingering crises in Northern states, particularly Plateau State. In addition, the research examines the way and manner in which the media have been used to manage the crises in Nigeria. The aim of this study is to analyse the role of the media in crisis management in Nigeria. The specific objectives were to establish the media accessibility level and the various types of media coverage; to establish the extent to which media escalated and/or de-escalated violence; and to determine how media could influence selected human factors towards crises. The research utilized both primary and secondary source materials. Other reference materials, such as newspapers, the internet, and journals, were used to gather information about the activities carried out by the media in times of crisis. The research concludes that the media have a crucial role to play in de-escalating crises.

The Plea of Necessity in Cyber Emergencies

Abstract Although an increasing number of states has explicitly acknowledged the plea of necessity as a circumstance precluding wrongfulness to be applicable in situations of cyber emergencies, important doctrinal questions remain underexposed in both official expressions of opinio juris and in the literature. The article closes this gap by giving an account of three of the most salient issues in the context of the necessity defence: the “only way” requirement, the condition of non-contribution, and assistance by unaffected states to defensive measures taken in emergencies. It concludes that while recently growing academic criticism of the prevailing strict understanding of the “only way” criterion might be less relevant in the cyber context, states should consider more explicitly how emerging norms obliging states to observe a certain standard of cyber hygiene in regard to domestic cyber infrastructures could influence legal assessments as to a possible contribution to a situation of cyber emergency, potentially precluding the necessity defence. Finally, long-running doctrinal debates surrounding the exact legal nature of the defence within the larger context of the customary rules on state responsibility are revisited to examine whether third states could be permitted to come to the help of imperilled states even if the defence does not apply to them individually.

Artificial intelligence for gastroenterology: Singapore artificial intelligence for Gastroenterology Working Group Position Statement.

Successful implementation of artificial intelligence in gastroenterology and hepatology practice requires more than technology. There are ethical, legal, and social issues that need to be settled. A group consisting of AI developers (engineer), AI users (gastroenterologist, hepatologist, and surgeon) and AI regulators (ethicist and administrator) formed a Working Group to draft these Positions Statements with the objective of arousing public and professional interest and dialogue, to promote ethical considerations when implementing AI technology, to suggest to policy makers and health authorities relevant factors to take into account when approving and regulating the use of AI tools, and to engage the profession in preparing for change in clinical practice. These series of Position Statements point out the salient issues to maintain the trust between care provider and care receivers, and to legitimize the use of a non-human tool in healthcare delivery. It is based on fundamental principles such as respect, autonomy, privacy, responsibility, and justice. Enforcing the use of AI without considering these factor risk damaging the doctor-patient relationship.

Fieldwork as witnessing. Anthropological knowledge-making between openness, blind spots, and personal involvement

This essay discusses poses of identities available for anthropologists in relation to increasingly salient issues of contemporary anthropological knowledge-making. Starting with a critical evaluation of the idea of the anthropologist as a witness by George Marcus (2005), we outline cornerstones in current debates on the positionality of the researcher, such as the implications of the end of meta-narratives, the call for epistemological openness, the crisis of representation, the delimitation of fields and the discussion on human rights. In a second step, we highlight how, at first glance, the concept of witnessing seems to provide a solution for these dilemmas. Yet, witnessing entails blind spots and other limits which are often overlooked. These concern relationality, memory, involvement, understanding, and the question of how to intervene in the scenarios we observe. In sum, the essay redefines the conditions of anthropological knowledge production in an age of witnessing.

Topical, Timely, and Top-Notch: ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2023 Focuses on Specialty's Most Salient Issues

Article| June 2023 Topical, Timely, and Top-Notch: ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2023 Focuses on Specialty's Most Salient Issues Linda Shore-Lesserson, MD, FAHA, FASE Linda Shore-Lesserson, MD, FAHA, FASE Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar ASA Monitor June 2023, Vol. 87, 15. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASM.0000938804.41494.b1 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Cite Icon Cite Get Permissions Search Site Citation Linda Shore-Lesserson; Topical, Timely, and Top-Notch: ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2023 Focuses on Specialty's Most Salient Issues. ASA Monitor 2023; 87:15 doi: https://doi.org/10.1097/01.ASM.0000938804.41494.b1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll PublicationsASA Monitor Search Advanced Search Topics: acute pain, aging, anesthesia, ambulatory, anesthesia, conduction, anesthesia, obstetrical, biography, biomedical translational science, brain, cancer, cardiac anesthesia Improve your clinical and business skills. Share your knowledge while learning from others. Access cutting-edge equipment and technology. These are just a few of the reasons to join us in San Francisco, California, October 13-17, for ANESTHESIOLOGY 2023, where thought leaders from across our specialty will share their expertise on top-rated clinical content, including the latest practice guidelines, evidence-based science, and innovative research. This year's meeting will explore a diverse array of issues impacting the specialty today and how anesthesiologists will practice tomorrow. From the effects of anesthesia on the aging brain to the value of global engagement, from workforce solutions to legislative issues, from technological advances to advancing equity, you'll have plenty of opportunities to dive into the topics that matter to you, learning from international experts in a variety of settings. It all starts with our featured speakers. The keynote session, featuring Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, DPhil, the Pulitzer... You do not currently have access to this content.

Linking citizens’ anti-immigration attitudes to their digital user engagement and voting behavior

Abstract Societally salient issues, like migration, stimulate user engagement with political parties on social media. This user engagement, in turn, is associated with political behavior, such as voting. Nonetheless, few studies so far have investigated the interaction between these factors. We examine how anti-immigration attitudes are associated with user engagement with political parties on social media. In this study, user engagement is understood as following political parties on social media. Through online data that were collected in October 2019 among adults (N= 1,000) in Belgium, we investigate how attitudes and user engagement are associated with voting behavior. Results suggest that attitudes towards migration are associated with user engagement with both left and right-wing parties on social media. Moreover, these attitudes and user engagement – and the interaction between the two – are related to voting behavior: being against (being in favor of) migration and following right-wing (left-wing) parties on social media is associated with a higher likelihood of voting for a right-wing (left-wing) party.

'A whirlwind of everything': The lived experience of adolescents with co-occurring chronic pain and mental health symptoms.

Co-occurring chronic pain and mental health issues are prevalent in adolescents, costly to society and can lead to increased risk of complications throughout the lifespan. While research has largely examined paediatric chronic pain and mental health in isolation, little is known about the unique challenges faced by adolescents who experience these co-occurring symptoms. This idiographic study examined the lived experience of adolescents with co-occurring chronic pain and mental health symptoms to identify salient issues for this population. Semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with seven adolescents (11-19 years) self-reporting diagnoses of both pain and mental health issues for a duration of 3 months or longer. Participants were recruited from UK-based schools, pain clinics and charities. Interview transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Analyses generated two themes 'a whirlwind of everything' and 'putting up fronts', which describe how the experience of co-occurring chronic pain and mental health symptoms typically disrupted adolescents' ability to regulate their physical, psychological and social wellbeing and identity. Adolescents described their symptom experience as like an internal storm over which they had no control. Such experiences required adolescents to embrace a variety of symptom management strategies, with adolescents reporting deliberate efforts to minimize their symptoms to external individuals. Co-occurring pain and mental health symptoms may be experienced in similar ways to individually experienced pain or mental health symptoms, but together, the experience may be both more difficult to manage and more socially isolating. Adolescents with co-occurring chronic pain and mental health symptoms describe the experience as if there was a storm inside of them disrupting their sense of physical, emotional and social wellbeing. This inner chaos interferes with their self-identity and relationships with others. Challenges articulating their experiences, and negative encounters associated with their symptoms, further impact feelings of isolation and difficulties accessing support.

Disputes over intellectual rights in Brazil: interest organisations and their impacts on copyright law

Previous studies on lobbying outlined that business groups are more influential on low salient issues due to their organisation, unity, and expertise. This study addresses the causal mechanisms behind issue salience and business influence through an in-depth case study regarding copyright reform in Brazil. By employing a bibliographical and a documentary research, I analysed the statuses and legislative agendas of groups and other policy participants interested in either maintaining or changing copyright laws. Through the investigation of public hearings and draft bills discussed at a special committee of the Chamber of Deputies, I mapped the policy participants and their political preferences. Combining process-tracing and preference attainment, the analysis sought to identify the winners and losers in this debate as well as the strategies they implemented to achieve their goals. In contrast to other studies, the case under analysis revealed that certain participants acted as countervailing forces against powerful groups, though business organisations still succeed to achieve small concessions.