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Mapping the clinical practice of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine in oncology in Western countries : a multinational cross-sectional survey
No full textBackground: Many cancer patients seek adjunctive therapies to biomedical cancer treatments at some point of their disease trajectory. While acupuncture is increasingly recommended by leading oncological associations, limited evidence exists concerning the evidence-informed practice and adherence to current guidelines of traditional complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) practitioners treating cancer patients. Methods: An international online-survey assessed the demographical data, clinical practice, and sources of information used by TCIM practitioners in Austria, Germany, United States of America, Australia, and New Zealand. Results: In total, 404 respondents completed the survey, of which 254 (62.9%) treated cancer patients. Most practitioners were acupuncturists and herbalists (57.1%), had (16.8 ± 9.9) years of clinical experience and see a median of 2 (1, 4) cancer patients per week. Breast cancer (61.8%) is the most common cancer type seen in TCIM clinics. Adjunctive TCIM treatments are frequently concurrent with the patient's cancer specific treatment (39.9%), which is also reflected by the main goal of a TCIM treatment to alleviate side effects (52.4%). However, only 28.0% of the respondents are in contact with the treating oncologist. According to the respondents, pain is most effectively treated using acupuncture, while herbal medicine is best for cancer-related fatigue. TCIM practitioners mostly use certified courses (33.1%) or online databases (28.3%) but often believe that experts are more reliable to inform their practice (37.0%) than research publications (32.7%). Conclusion: Acupuncturists and herbalists commonly treat cancer patients. Most practitioners use TCIM as an adjunct to biomedicine as supportive care and use it largely in accordance with current oncological guidelines
Caregivers' accounts of school searches for children with cerebral palsy in a developing sub-Saharan African context
No full textObjectives: Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological condition caused by damage to the part of the brain known as the cerebral cortex and affecting the coordination and movement of individuals. The challenges faced by caregivers raising children with CP cannot be overemphasized. However, information regarding the accessibility of education for children with CP is scant or unreported. In this study, we investigated the experiences of parents in their efforts to enroll their children with CP in schools. Methods: Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with a cohort of 40 parents with children with CP who were observed for 5 years. The interviews were transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis. Results: The results that emerged from the thematic analysis demonstrated the difficulties faced by parents in searching for a school for their children with CP. According to the study participants, both special and regular schools were inaccessible to children with CP, due to unfriendly school environments, transportation problems, and high costs, as well as a lack of resources, qualified staff, and human resources. Conclusions: The findings underscore the urgent need for policymakers in Ghana to consider or make provisions for the education of children with CP. Without this, children with CP and their families could be entrapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, deprivation, and dependence on others for their livelihoods
Museum Practices and the Posthumanities: Curating for Planetary Habitability
No full textThis book critiques modern museologies and curatorial practices that have been complicit in emerging existential crises. It confidently presents novel, more-than-human curatorial visions, methods, frameworks, policies, and museologies radically refiguring the epistemological foundations of curatorial, museological thinking, and practice for a habitable planet. Modern curatorial and museological practices are dominated by modern humanism in which capital growth, social, technological advancement, hubris, extraction, speciest logics, and colonial domination predominate, often without reflection. While history, science, and technology museums and their engagement with non-human worlds have always been ecological as an empirical reality, the human-centred frameworks and forms of human agency that institutions deploy tend to be non-cognizant of this reality. Museum Practices and the Posthumanities: Curating for Planetary Habitability reveals how these practices are ill-equipped to deal with the contemporary world of rapid digital transformations, post-Covid living, climate change, and its impacts among other societal changes, and it shows how museums might best meet these challenges by thinking with and in more-than-human worlds. This book is aimed at museological scholars and museum professionals, and it will provide them with the inspiration to conduct research on and curate from a different ecological reference point to promote a world good enough for all things to thrive in radical co-existence
Modern approaches to enhancing rust resistance in wheat leading to global food security
No full textRust diseases pose significant threats to wheat production. The deployment of wheat cultivars endowed with rust resistance stands as the most potent strategy for effective rust management. This resistance is primarily inherited through Mendelian principles discovered in 1905, but traditional breeding methods are time-consuming. Modern strategies have emerged to develop rust-resistant wheat varieties efficiently. Marker-Assisted Selection (MAS) accelerates the breeding process through precise screening, bringing about a revolution in the creation of rust-resistant wheat varieties. Genetic engineering techniques allow the transfer of resistance genes from other species into susceptible crops, but GMO use remains controversial and regulated. Gene editing, especially with CRISPR-Cas9, is a game-changer, enabling the introduction of natural variations or inactivation of critical genes in rust pathogens, enhancing plant resistance. RNA interference (RNAi) is another promising strategy, using small RNA molecules to inhibit rust pathogen gene expression, reducing disease severity. Induced Systemic Resistance (ISR) primes plant immune systems by treating them with beneficial microorganisms or compounds, fortifying them against subsequent rust infections. Eco-friendly biofungicides with antagonistic microorganisms suppress rust infections as alternatives to chemical fungicides. The development of climate-resilient wheat varieties is essential, as they indirectly enhance rust resistance, ensuring stable production amid changing climate conditions. These efforts to improve wheat productivity and rust resistance are crucial for feeding the growing global population. Integrating modern methods with traditional breeding is key to effectively combatting rust diseases and enhancing food security
[In Press] On international law and Gaza : critical reflections
No full textAs Israel’s assault on Gaza continues into its tenth month, the language of legality has become the dominant frame of popular and political discourse. Public interest in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and its proceedings is at a level perhaps never seen before; so too in the International Criminal Court (ICC), its Prosecutor at once urged to act and condemned for inaction, his recent request to judges for the issuing of arrest warrants both celebrated and damned. International law has emerged as the global vernacular of both condemnation and legitimation; few commentators today speak of Gaza or Palestine without invoking the language of il/legality. What are we to make of this groundswell of interest in and resort to international law? What is the significance of the current series of ICJ proceedings and popular engagements with them? How should we think about the clamorous championing of The Hague and its institutions as the harbingers of justice? The editors of the London Review of International Law invited our advisory editors and others in the academic community of critical scholars to reflect on these questions
Real-time anomaly detection using hardware-based unsupervised Spiking Neural Network (TinySNN)
No full textWe present TinySNN, a novel unsupervised spiking neural network hardware designed for real-time anomaly detection. TinySNN provides an energy-efficient edge computing solution for detecting anomalies in industrial settings. TinySNN can model and extract spatio-temporal features in sensory data, thereby enabling it to identify anomalous inputs with high accuracy. During inference, the spike rate of the TinySNN model acts as an indicator of anomalous patterns within these features. We demonstrate TinySNN’s potential using publicly available vibration datasets, achieving impressive anomaly detection results. TinySNN demonstrates exceptional sensitivity to subtle deviations from normal operation, and can dynamically adapt during online, unsupervised training. We provide a digital implementation of TinySNN on an FPGA for hardware efficiency. The TinySNN hardware can be trained online on real industrial data without requiring power hungry computing architectures like GPUs. This approach presents a promising and practical solution that allows for the dynamic learning of normal industrial operations and assists in mitigating risks through continuous monitoring. TinySNN can help ensure the safe and reliable operation of critical industrial systems through neuromorphic processing
"I wish I knew then what I know now" : pain science education concepts important for female persistent pelvic pain : a reflexive thematic analysis
No full textPain science education (PSE) provides people with an understanding of “how pain works” grounded in the biopsychosocial model of pain; it has been demonstrated to improve outcomes in musculoskeletal pain conditions. Preliminary evidence suggests PSE may be effective for female individuals with persistent pelvic pain, but how the content of PSE needs to be modified for this group remains to be determined. A reflexive thematic analysis of qualitative data was performed to identify PSE concepts that female individuals with persistent pelvic pain consider important and why. Twenty individual, semistructured interviews were conducted with adult females who had engaged with PSE and had self-identified as having “improved” pelvic pain. Most participants had been diagnosed with endometriosis (n = 16). Four themes were generated capturing PSE concepts considered important by female individuals with “improved” pelvic pain: (1) “A sensitised nervous system leads to overprotective pain” validated their pelvic pain as being real; (2) “Pain does not have to mean the body is damaged (although sometimes it does)” provided reassurance that pelvic pain does not mean their condition is worsening; (3) “How I think, feel, and ‘see’ my pain can make it worse” enabled participants to find optimal ways to manage their pain; and (4) “I can change my pain… slowly” provided hope that pelvic pain can improve and empowered them to pursue pain improvement as a viable goal. This study generated 4 PSE learning concepts that were important to female individuals with improved pelvic pain and may be incorporated into PSE curricula for female individuals with pelvic pain
Investigating the impact of exercise on T and NK cells in skin cancer : a systematic review
No full textSkin cancer has the highest incidence of all cancers, and their incidence are increasing in both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers. Alternative adjuvant treatment strategies appropriate for their management are needed. Modifiable lifestyle factors influence disease outcomes, either improving or worsening outcomes. Exercise is an example of a modifiable lifestyle factor, and can be prescribed as an adjuvant therapy in other cancer types to improve immune function and overall clinical outcomes. The initial aim of the review was to investigate the T-cell specific mechanisms of exercise which affect clinical/disease outcomes in skin cancer. Study quality was assessed by a modified Covidence quality assessment template with animal-model study specific criteria. A total of 10 articles were included; all articles were murine model studies investigating melanoma. Eight studies (n=8) employed a randomised controlled trial design, with two bio-informatics studies, and one study using human data which could solidify a link to human health. While the review focussed initially on T-cells, many studies reported significant changes in NK cells, and as they share the same haematopoietic lineage/ common lymphoid progenitor as T cells, the data was included in the analyses. Most studies indicated that exercise reduced melanoma tumour burden. Exercising prior to melanoma inoculation was most effective for delaying carcinogenesis and reducing tumour burden. Synergism was a topic identified in studies; PD-1/PD-L1 treatment, and exercise were not synergistic. Conversely, exercise and mental stimulation were synergistic, and the temperature at which exercise was conducted significantly reduced tumour burden. Several murine studies reported that exercise improved clinical outcomes in melanoma, and that long-term exercise was more effective in reducing tumour burden. Further studies are required to investigate this relationship in humans, and in other types of skin cancer
Land commodification : a structural barrier to degrowth transition
No full textThe willingness of politicians or business to acknowledge the necessity of a degrowth transition is scarce to non-existent (Rickters & Siemoneit, 2019). In response to this, there is broad support within the degrowth movement for the notion that a degrowth society will have to emerge from the grassroots up (see D’Alisa et al., 2015). However, serious doubts can also be levelled against such a sociocultural groundswell (Frankel, 2018; Sanne, 2002). While the degrowth movement has been explicit about the degree of ecological overshoot associated with perpetual growth, overall, certain politico- economic barriers to degrowth transition, that are faced by this potential groundswell, have not been well addressed in the literature (Strunz & Schindler, 2018; de Jesus & Mendonça, 2018). To address this gap in degrowth transition scholarship, this chapter demonstrates the way in which, for ordinary people expected to pursue a degrowth transition, costs associated with land and housing operate as a significant barrier to their involvement. As we will argue, these housing costs almost always function as a powerful economic determinant, locking people into sustained, but not sustainable, market participation. Our contribution to the literature is to analyse this terrain, exploring the way in which land privatisation (land enclosure being capitalism’s inaugural step) instigated and now continues to compel long-term participation in an unsustainable growth economy. The chapter concludes by exploring one way in which this structural obstacle to degrowth transition could be addressed. We propose an innovative public housing policy approach coupled with a ‘participation income - an approach that we argue could create a politically palatable urban commons pathway to degrowth