Special Edition Research Articles

Futures Triangle: A Method Examined

This contribution to the Futures Triangle special edition aims to open dialogue with the reader about what lies ahead for the Futures Triangle method and Futures Studies in general. The subsequent paragraphs explore how viewing the Futures Triangle through the lenses of new philosophies and approaches could impact the traditional concepts of Futures Studies.

Editorial of the special edition in English

In this special issue we would like this story to be told more explicitly. Of course, it would not be possible to make an issue with all the authors who have already published in the magazine telling their stories with GeoGebra. Thus, we invite authors who, in some way, have representation and recognition within the GeoGebra community in Brazil for the work they have been developing with the software.

Equity, Imagination and Contested Narratives

Justice and the idea of the moral good pervade legal philosophy and underlie much of legal practice in different contexts. They are particularly resonant in the law of equity and the remedies it makes available. This article uses equity and conceptions of justice explores the role of narratives, fairness and values through the lens of the constructive trust, science fiction, temporality, the counterfactual imagination and creativity. This special edition’s theme of intersectionalities within law is a central analytical thread. Power dynamics and the place of equity in social dialogues around justice and fairness are set alongside socioeconomic vulnerability and othering in understanding how the law succeeds and fails in managing emerging inequalities. A lack of autonomy and voicelessness is often revealed through constrained access to law and legal services, as well as a more vulnerable relationship with time. Engaging the constructive trust provides interesting opportunities to examine the role of the trust within law, and through that explore wider discussions about the nature of legal systems and the remedies they may give rise to. Science fiction has always provided opportunities to create counterfactual worlds and engage hypothetical questions, many of which might illuminate contemporary debates or resonate forward to emerging concerns. Imagination is a central tenet of these worlds, as well as, increasingly, within law when faced with emerging technologies and the issues they present. The article concludes with an acknowledgement that such narratives and opportunities to question social norms can be a valuable tool in grounding societal change.

LGBTQIA+ topics in physical education: an introduction

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to introduce the First Special Issue of our Double Special Edition on LGBTQIA+ Topics in Health, Wellbeing and Education. This special issue focuses on LGBTQIA+ Topics in Physical Education. We introduce the Special Issue by describing the sociopolitical backdrop around the world more broadly and specifically in relation to LGBTQIA+ rights. Afterwards, we reflect on the process of choosing Sport, Education and Society as the journal to publish the Special Edition. Moving forward, we briefly summarise the different streams of LGBTQIA+ research in physical education and how this special issue extends our knowledge in these areas. Lastly, we contend that this Special Issue adds a new stream of research on LGBTQIA+ Topics in Physical Education. We conclude the introduction by considering how future research may continue to capitalise on the momentum that LGBTQIA+ research has built in the field.

Analysis of Marketing Strategies of Louis Vuitton Based on The Marketing Theory of 4Ps

Increasing economic development and disposable income are transforming China into a middle-class society. As more and more people are able to meet their basic needs (e.g., leisure and employment), they are more inclined to pursue luxury products to fulfill their material needs. Consequently, luxury brands should use effective marketing strategies to attract as many potential consumers as possible to maximize their chances of tapping into this huge market. Therefore, this essay aims to provide insight into luxury brand marketing strategies in China, using the example of Louis Vuitton. The article adopted the 4P marketing model to identify the successful marketing strategies for LV through price, product, promotion, and place, as well as to provide additional advice on the existing strategies. While the research clearly indicates that these marketing strategies are efficient, LV should also take precautions to avoid diverting its target market from high-end consumers, do more research on their ambassador choices, co-brand with more native Chinese designers, and launch more China-exclusive special edition products.

Posterior Fossa Tumors Special Edition. Celebrating 4 years!

Posterior fossa tumors account for approximately half of the central nervous system tumors in children. Major technological advances, mainly in the fields of molecular biology and neuroimaging, have modified their classification, leading to a more detailed description of these entities. Certain modifications in the general nomenclature introduced by the 2021 WHO classification of tumors of the CNS have an impact on how we approach the posterior fossa tumors described in this study. The focus of this annual special issue is posterior fossa tumors in children. There were several emerging technologies and approaches in the diagnosis and treatment of posterior fossa tumors in children. It's important to note that medical technology and research are continually evolving, so there may have been further advancements in this field since then. Here are some promising technologies and strategies that were being explored: Advanced Imaging Techniques: Functional MRI (fMRI): This technology helps in mapping the brain's functional areas, allowing surgeons to plan their approach more accurately and minimize damage to critical brain regions. Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI): DTI provides information on the brain's white matter tracts, aiding surgeons in preserving essential neural pathways during surgery. Spectroscopy: It helps in identifying tumor types and differentiating between tumor tissue and healthy brain tissue. Surgical Navigation Systems: The use of advanced navigation systems during surgery allows for precise tumor localization and safer tumor removal, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. Brain Ultrasound and iMRI: Some hospitals are equipped with iMRI suites that allow real-time imaging during surgery. Most common brain ultrasound helps a lot during the posterior fossa surgery and can use simultaneously with neuronavigation system. Minimally Invasive Techniques: Minimally invasive procedures, such as endoscopic surgery, are being explored for certain types of posterior fossa tumors. These techniques can reduce recovery times and complications. Intraoperative monitoring (IOM), also known as intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring (IONM), is a critical technique used during certain surgeries to monitor the nervous system's function in real-time. It helps surgeons and medical teams assess the integrity of neural structures, particularly the brain and spinal cord, during surgical procedures. Genomic and Molecular Analysis: Advances in genomic and molecular analysis of tumors can provide insights into the specific genetic mutations driving the tumor's growth. This information can help guide treatment decisions, including targeted therapies. Radiation Therapy Advancements: Techniques like proton therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery are being used to precisely target tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue, which is especially important in pediatric cases. Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy approaches, such as checkpoint inhibitors, are being investigated for their potential in treating certain types of posterior fossa tumors in children. These therapies aim to harness the body's immune system to fight the tumor. Personalized Medicine: Tailoring treatment plans to the individual characteristics of each patient's tumor is becoming increasingly important. This includes considering factors such as tumor genetics, location, and the child's overall health. Telemedicine and Remote Consultations: Telemedicine technologies enable pediatric neuro-oncologists to collaborate with experts worldwide, improving the quality of care, especially in regions with limited access to specialized healthcare. This special issue covers the different aspects of posterior fossa tumors surgery. We wish to thank all the authors for their tremendous contributions, and we hope that you will have the same interest and pleasure to read this special issue as we have had to edit it.

Relevance of a bone and joint registry for fracture-related infections

The UK Bone and Joint Infection Registry (BAJIR) is a national project established in 2018 with the aim of collecting information about demographics, co-morbidities, pathogens, treatment strategies and outcomes on all patients who are diagnosed with, and treated for, a bone or joint infection in the UK with the objective of providing an understanding of the burden of disease. In time these data will be used to inform best practice, direct research and provide information for commissioners of healthcare.In this fracture-related infection special edition article, we discuss the registry's development, relevance and how we see it directing our practice in the future. Equally, we have highlighted some potential limitations and lessons learned.

A Rubric to Center Equity in Obstetrics and Gynecology Research.

The Steering Committee for the Obstetrics & Gynecology special edition titled "Racism in Reproductive Health: Lighting a Path to Health Equity" formed a working group to create an equity rubric. The goal was to provide a tool to help researchers systematically center health equity as they conceptualize, design, analyze, interpret, and evaluate research in obstetrics and gynecology. This commentary reviews the rationale, iterative process, and literature guiding the creation of the equity rubric.

Histories of Australian retailing

ABSTRACT This special edition contributes to the growing scholarship on Australian retail history. It collates a range of work that represents and extends existing themes in Australian retail historiography with the aim of encouraging further work in the field. Topics covered include: Chinese storekeepers in remote regional communities, transnational flows of goods to these communities, colonial arcades and department stores, intercolonial rivalry and boosterism that incentivised the early development of large retail spaces, entrepreneurial business women, Australian milk bars, the influence of diasporic migration on food cultures and leisure activities, advertising in twentieth century department stores, urban planning, and post-war shopping centre development. This article provides an outline of these articles as well as an overview of Australian retail historiography.

Krishan Kumar Ahuja: A brief history and testimonial to the half century of achievements in acoustics

This paper provides some personal background, technical achievements, and a few testimonials from those who Professor Krishan Kumar Ahuja has worked with throughout his career. I have known Krish as an advisor, a colleague, and as someone I would consider a friend since my graduate school enrollment at Georgia Tech. He not only supported my research in pursuit of an MS and PhD but has been a constant reliable source of technical and professional advice throughout my young career and today, over 30 years later. This paper contains contributions from Krish’s wife Philippa, and from several students and colleagues. It has information from a small subset of many people that Krish has mentored and influenced and worked with over the years. It serves as a starting point for this special edition tribute to Dr Krish Ahuja and his half century of contributions in acoustics. Although Dr. Ahuja’s contributions in jet noise are arguably his most foundational work, he has made significant technical contributions in the areas of cavity noise, engine acoustic liner technologies, rotorcraft and UAV noise, advanced flow and noise measurements and diagnostics, active flow and noise control, and many others. The subsequent papers to follow in this special edition cover a range of topics in areas exemplary to Dr. Ahuja’s career and from authors he has worked with and influenced over the years.

Clinical psychology and human rights: A call to action

This special edition of the Clinical Psychology Forum dedicated to clinical psychology and human rights highlights the essential role of clinical psychologists in promoting human rights, justice, and equity. Formal, legal, declarations of human rights can be seen as formalized systems for ensuring that people’s basic needs are satisfied. For psychologists, they are codifications of how we collectively understand our relationships and social obligations. We are called to action—to utilize our expertise, privilege, and power to effect positive change. Albert Camus said that “psychology is action, not just thinking about yourself”. Psychologists should positively advocate for the application of psychological science to these issues. The British Psychological Society and Association of Clinical Psychologists, as the leading professional bodies, can enhance our public impact by issuing public statements and engaging in advocacy that addresses the intersection of clinical psychology, human rights, and political issues.

An Introduction to the North American Clinical Trials Network for Spinal Cord Injury Special Edition: Reflections on Accomplishments and a Look to the Future.

The North American Clinical Trials Network (NACTN) has been established as a network of translational clinical research centers focused on traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) with the goals of facilitating clinical translational research, promotion of enhanced clinical care protocols including the principle of early surgery for SCI, and improving outcomes for individuals with acute SCI. Since its foundation in 2004 by Dr. Robert Grossman, NACTN has evolved into a powerful multi-stakeholder consortium of eight neurosurgical department faculties at university-affiliated institutions in the United States and Canada, a data management center, and a pharmacological center. To date, high-quality data from more than 1000 patients have been prospectively collected, providing us with a strong body of evidence surrounding SCI epidemiology, the natural history, and complications of acute and subacute SCI management. Key accomplishments of NACTN are summarized in this Focus issue. They include the launch, in collaboration with AO Spine, of the international, multi-center, placebo-controlled, Phase III Riluzole in Acute Spinal Cord Injury Study (RISCIS) that recruited 192 patients. While the primary analyses did not achieve the predetermined endpoint of efficacy for Riluzole, likely related to insufficient power, pre-planned secondary analyses demonstrated that all subgroups of cervical SCI subjects (AIS grades A, B and C) treated with Riluzole showed significant gains in functional recovery. The Focus Issue also includes a detailed analysis of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of riluzole in the setting of acute SCI (RISCIS-PK study). Additional achievements include key contributions to the evidence supporting the role of early surgery in acute SCI, and a better understanding of the impact of complications on the outcomes of SCI. Future directions of NACTN will build on past accomplishments and focus on enhanced collaborations with other SCI networks, advanced analytics to examine large datasets, and a greater focus on chronic SCI.

Editorial

This special edition curated by George Bouvier, the chair of the Luxury Plus Summit in 2022, delves into the imperative for the luxury industry to find safe passage through a perfect storm of challenging sociocultural events and shifting consumer behaviour. As the curtains rise one more time on the grand stage of fashion and luxury, contrasting viewpoints on brand purpose emerge, igniting spirited debates between worthy aspirations and the unyielding protection of the bottom line, critiques on brand heritage, social responsibility, environmental sensitivity and the elusive pursuit of consumer trust, weaving a tapestry of thought-provoking notions. With their intellectual finesse, these articles offer tantalizing glimpses into what appears to be the chrysalis phase of a metamorphosing industry, beckoning intrepid scholars and lovers of luxury alike to embark on a fascinating journey into the new unchartered frontiers of luxury.

Preface to Special Edition

Preface to Special Edition

Green Hydrogen via PEM Electrolysis – Avoiding Iridium Supply Limitations

Proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE) is projected to become a key technology to enable the decarbonisation of ‘hard to abate’ sectors of the economy. However, the technology’s reliance on iridium, one of the scarcest elements on Earth, as an oxygen evolution reaction catalyst, has led to uncertainty over whether a large-scale PEMWE industry can be realised. This work investigates the future iridium demand of the global PEMWE sector and examines how different catalyst strategies can improve iridium utilisation in the anode catalyst. Iridium utilisation targets necessary to avoid a situation where the PEMWE sector becomes limited by iridium supply are reviewed. Modelling the iridium demand of the PEMWE sector showed that iridium utilisation needs to improve by an order of magnitude by 2050 to avoid iridium supply limiting the capacity expansion. Furthermore, closed-loop recycling of iridium would increase the installed capacity in 2050 by 170%. If these two conditions are met, global PEMWE capacity could reach 1.3 TW by 2050 using only 20% of annual global primary iridium supply, which we consider to be realistic given future demand projections. Different types of iridium-based anode catalysts are compared in terms of iridium utilisation using catalyst coated membrane (CCM) testing data from the literature. The need to place greater research focus on catalyst stability and the ability to make homogeneous catalyst layers at low iridium loadings is established. As a main result, it is found that a terrawatt-scale PEMWE industry can avoid being constrained by iridium supply as long as technological development of a similar level to that seen in PEM fuel cells and high iridium recycling rates are realised.Reference: Perspectives on Current and Future Iridium Demand and Iridium Oxide Catalysts for PEM Water Electrolysis, submitted to Catalyst Today ‘Catalysis for the Future’ special edition. Figure 1

Tourism in the Northeast Brazil: A historical edition

The Northeast region stands out from other Brazilian regions for its natural, cultural, historical and architectural beauties, as well as for its famous gastronomy. These characteristics allow the region to offer different tourist activities. Thus, considering this incredible potential, this special issue on Tourism in the Northeast was both a challenge and an opportunity to bring together researchers who are dedicated to the topic of tourism with a focus on this region. In this sense, the partnership between Applied Tourism and Group of Culture and Tourism Studies (GCET) provides opportunities for a broad debate on the current situation and future perspectives with regard to the development of tourism in the Northeast, bringing visions and thoughts that encompass the more diverses segments pointing paths that can lead to the increase of tourism based on the resources available in a responsible, shared and diversified way. One of the main contributions of this edition, which is presented in two numbers, is to show that tourism in the northeastern states is not defined exclusively based on the sun and sea, but that it also encompasses gastronomy, cultural heritage, historical rescue, technology, hotels and valuing workers and communities. Therefore, it is certain that reading this special edition brings important contributions to the development and improvement of tourism and hospitality in the northeast region of Brazil.

The future of penile implants IJIR special edition: 50th year anniversary on penile implants.

The future of penile implants IJIR special edition: 50th year anniversary on penile implants.

Special edition: chasing truth and (re)conciliation: navigating contexts, tensions, limits and possibilities “Reclaiming truth recovery against the backdrop of ongoing Zionist settler colonialism in Palestine”

PurposeThis article argues that truth recovery practices that take place against the backdrop of ongoing settler colonial erasure, as is the case when considering Zionist colonial violence in Palestine, must focus on combating state-sponsored attempts at erasure, rather than solely providing a platform for the expression of settler guilt.Design/methodology/approachThe article analyses existing literature on truth recovery practices that take place in Palestine, including the work of a variety of local NGOs engaged in such praxis, with a view to considering how this form of transitional justice has germinated incrementally in the space. Critical reflection on the work of a variety of grassroots NGOs is situated alongside other forms of transitional justice intervention.FindingsThe article argues that in the context of enduring settler colonialism, the truth regarding past Zionist atrocities in historic Palestine must avoid being curated in the present day in such a way as to allow for damage limitation rather than the platforming of conversations around meaningful repair. Truth recovery for recovery's sake serves only to reinforce the settler colonial status quo rather than properly agitate for a full decolonisation, one that demands and facilitates indigenous Palestinian return.Originality/valueThe article challenges prevailing notions of the role of truth recovery practices in spaces of enduring settler colonial value. It makes clear that the role of truth recovery interventions in sites where colonial violence endures must be to actively and meaningfully support activities that reinforce native identity, history and presence on the land. Moreover, by reference to existing grassroots attempts at truth recovery in Palestine, the article provides an original and clear argument that states it is simply not enough to platform the revelation of uncomfortable truths or to provide opportunities for settler violence of the past to be “confessed” in public if it is disassociated from challenging the present-day structures of ongoing oppression.

Special Edition on Rethinking Global Economies, Financial Markets, Corporate Practices & Business Activities Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

Special Edition on Rethinking Global Economies, Financial Markets, Corporate Practices & Business Activities Post-COVID-19 Pandemic

Prevalence, Management, and Impact of Dysmenorrhea on the Lives of Nurse and Midwife Trainees in Northern Ghana.

Dysmenorrhea is the most common gynecological problem affecting the majority of female students in the nursing profession today. They often experience severe pain that is not only incapacitating but also has a significant impact on their day-to-day college life, academic, and clinical performance. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence, management, and impact of dysmenorrhea on the lives of nurse and midwife trainees in northern Ghana. A descriptive cross-sectional design with a quantitative approach to data collection was employed to collect data from nurse and midwife trainees in three colleges of nursing and/or midwifery in the northern region of Ghana. A proportionate stratified random sampling technique was used to recruit 303 respondents for the study. After gaining permission from various institutions, data were collected by using a structured questionnaire from 13th September to 28th October, 2022. Stata (special edition) for Windows version 17.0 was used for the statistical analyses. The study revealed a high prevalence of dysmenorrhea among female nursing students (66.7% and 95% CI: 0.611-0.720). More than half of the respondents (67.3%) experienced loss of appetite for food. The most common site of most intense pain was the pelvis and lower abdomen (98.0%). A greater proportion of students (65.8%) used antispastic drugs to reduce pain. The respondents' concentration in the classroom was greatly affected (77.2%) as well as normal physical activities (58.4%). A multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of dysmenorrhea are 2.67 times higher when the duration of menstruation is 4-5 days (AOR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.13-6.28, and p = 0.024) than a duration of 1-3 days. Having urinary tract infections was associated with 3.56 times higher odds of dysmenorrhea (AOR = 3.56, 95% CI = 0.98-12.86, and p = 0.053). Again, the odds of dysmenorrhea were also four times higher among respondents with a family history of the same condition (AOR = 4.05, 95% CI = 2.16-7.61, and p = 0.001). The current study revealed a high prevalence of dysmenorrhea among nurse and midwife trainees in the northern part of Ghana. The majority of the respondent experienced loss of appetite and intense pain in the pelvis and lower abdomen, and their concentration during lectures was also significantly affected. The most predominant nonpharmacological method used for reducing the pain was sleep and the application of warm objects on the abdomen.