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Stakeholder perceptions of regulatory responses to misinformation in Kenya and Senegal
Get PDFWhile misinformation is very prevalent in Africa, we have a limited understanding of how key stakeholders, such as journalists, fact-checkers, policy experts, and educators, perceive responses to misinformation to address its spread. Based on an analysis of 46 interviews with media professionals and other key stakeholders from Kenya and Senegal, we find divergent perceptions of what regulatory interventions are needed to slow the spread of misinformation in the two countries. In Kenya, stakeholders advocated for self-regulation rather than government intervention to curb misinformation, while in Senegal, they called for more government regulations to address its spread. Additionally, interviewees perceived regulatory approaches, such as proposed laws to address misinformation, as reactive solutions, often resulting from a specific incident in the country, and educational approaches, such as requiring media literacy education in schools, as sustainable solutions with potentially longer-term outcomes
COVID-19, board of directors and pessimism in annual reports: an intention to mitigate litigation risk
Get PDFThis study examines the impact of corporate COVID-19 disclosure on the negative tone (pessimism) in annual reports. We also investigate how board size and board independence influence pessimism in annual reports. Using a U.K. sample from 2020, we employ various techniques to explore the COVID-19 disclosure-pessimism nexus. Our findings, supported by Tobit regression and a two-stage least squares (2SLS) model, reveal a positive association between COVID-19 disclosure and pessimism in annual reports. We observe that managers tend to disclose COVID-19 information pessimistically as a risk mitigation strategy, aiming to prevent future earning shocks and potential litigation costs. Interestingly, our results also indicate that large boards and independent directors can bolster governance power, safeguarding firms against potential litigation costs by increasing pessimism in annual reports, both during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic
The paper famine: Newsprint, development, and the materialities of Third World media in the time of decolonisation
No full textThis article explores the global political economy of paper—particularly newsprint—during the era of decolonisation. It shows how Third World countries, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) understood newsprint as an infrastructural tool for accelerating development. However, a ‘paper famine’ in the mid-1970s exposed the major structural inequalities in the global newsprint trade, catalysing experiments to develop local paper manufacturing capacity in the Third World. The article demonstrates how debates about access to newsprint were tightly bound up with arguments about global information flows and the role of the press in the developing world. In so doing, the article argues that bringing global histories of commodities and communications into conversation enriches our understanding of the media by drawing attention to the material substance by which information circulates
Resentful, resigned and respectful: Opioid analgesics, pain and control, a qualitative study
No full textOpioid analgesic prescribing has increased significantly with associated concerns about dependence and overdose. This study aimed to explore non-cancer patients’ experiences and views of taking opioid analgesics to manage their pain. Twenty-two patients were purposively sampled from English GP practices and participated in semi-structured telephone interviews. Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis was used to generate emerging latent and semantic themes. Patients resented taking opioid analgesics due to tolerance and addiction fears but were resigned to experiencing chronic pain. Control emerged in relation to patients’ acceptance of doctors’ control over treatment decisions but also patients’ attempted self-control over medicine adherence. This involved negatively perceived attempts to control pain but also prevent tolerance and addiction. Non-pharmacological treatments were viewed negatively by patients and addiction awareness arose from various sources. Patients were respectful of doctors but expressed negativity about the lack of addiction warnings, medication reviews and appointments. Family and friends were infrequently mentioned, as was reference to shared decision-making, suggesting patients navigate control over opioids and pain in relatively isolated ways. Patients reported generally negative experiences of opioid use for pain, which provides key insights for health professionals to enhance understanding and the management of such patients
Capturing microalgae within aerosols provides carbon capture bio-functionality
Get PDFClimate change due to the greenhouse effect poses arguably the greatest challenge to humanity. Addressing the sources of CO2 and reducing current atmospheric levels is the paramount task for scientists and engineers. Carbon capture with storage or utilization technologies are key to achieving this goal. Biological carbon fixation is an effective method of converting pollutant CO2 into usable biochemicals for industrial applications. Inspired by recent evidence that 95 % of CO2 from aerosol emissions from an Australian forest fire was captured by algae in the Southern Ocean, as well as the ability of algae to be transported within aerosols, we propose a novel technique for CO2 sequestration based on creating aerosols containing metabolically active cyanobacteria. Using aerosols as a microenvironment for Synechocystis cells enables a significant increase in gas-liquid-interfacial-surface-area while reducing the volume of water required. We utilize electron microscopy and hyperspectral microscopy to assess the effects of aerosolization and high CO2 concentrations on microbial cell viability. Additionally, we implemented highspeed imaging and oil immersion microscopy to determine the effectiveness of the aerosolization technique for forming aerosols and optimizing process parameters. We show that 1 % CO2 (v/v) is ideal for CO2 capture, where cell stress was minimized. Using cell densities of 1.2 × 108 cell/mL was the most efficient in terms of the number of cells aerosolized when compared to the input cell density. We report a 6-fold increase in carbon fixation rates (gCO2 g−1 biomass hr−1) over alternative popular cultivation techniques such as bubble columns
“Am I in ‘suboptimal health’?”: the narratives and rhetoric in carving out the grey area between health and illness in everyday life
Get PDFThis paper examines the concept of ‘suboptimal health’ (subhealth, 亚健康), a term popularised by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) professionals and widely used in public health discourses in China at the turn of the century. Despite criticisms of it being a commercial buzzword, subhealth provides a unique lens for individuals to articulate their health experiences concerning work and life pressures. Through virtual ethnography on Chinese social media such as Weibo and interviews, this study explores the usage and implications of subhealth in everyday life. It particularly focuses on how young Chinese people employ this concept to navigate and express health‐related issues. Drawing on Leder's concept of the lived body, as well as literature on illness narratives and the sociology of diagnosis and risk, the study argues that attention to the everyday narratives of subhealth could potentially open up a space for a greater range of narratives of embodiment and might even offer a space for collective critique in a context often dominated by individual responsibility narratives. In some cases, it also enables private and public narratives that critique lifestyle factors detrimental to health. Ultimately, this paper hints at the conceptualisation of “subhealth narratives” as a research framework
Information search in interactive information visualization
No full textThis study explored the effectiveness of outbreak data dashboards in presenting relevant information during global health emergencies using mouse-tracking measures. Firstly, several problems in the visual design and information layout of the dashboard were identified by analyzing the path, mouse-movements and clicks made by users when using the dashboard. Secondly, suggestions on the process of how dashboards were used and their design were collected through user feedback and follow-up interviews during the experimental process. The results of the study provide insights into user-centered design solutions for visual dashboards, which can guide the design of similar epidemiological dashboards in the future
Systematic review of peritoneal lavage and dialysis for patients with severe acute pancreatitis
Get PDFAims
Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) remains a lethal condition with a rising incidence worldwide. Recent randomised trials suggest that peritoneal lavage and/or dialysis (PLD), when administered early in SAP, may be beneficial to improve patient outcomes. This study aimed to review this data systematically.
Methods
Studies featuring PLD for the treatment of SAP were searched systematically (2012 Atlanta classification to 2023). A traditional approach to reporting data was augmented by a narrative synthesis.
Results
210 articles were reviewed, of which six studies featuring 499 patients were included. The technical approach, duration and type of lavage varied in each study and no safety concerns were reported. In patients undergoing PLD, improvements in inflammatory markers and length of stay were seen in all studies. Where reported, fewer invasive procedures for peri-pancreatic fluid collections were required after PLD. Lower mortality was seen in cohorts receiving laparoscopic lavage alone and combined lavage and dialysis when compared with standard treatment. All studies were rated at moderate or high risk of bias.
Conclusions
PLD demonstrates potential as an early therapy to improve outcomes for patients with SAP. Further research is required to define intervention delivery, explore acceptability and investigate efficacy through a powered randomised controlled trial
Supervised toothbrushing programmes: understanding barriers and facilitators to implementation
Get PDFObjectives
Supervised toothbrushing programmes (STPs), whereby children brush their teeth at nursery or school with a fluoride toothpaste under staff supervision, are a clinically and cost-effective intervention to reduce dental caries. However, uptake is varied, and the reasons unknown. The aim was to use an implementation science approach to explore the perspectives of key stakeholders on the barriers and facilitators at each level of implementation of STPs.
Methods
This qualitative study involved individual interviews and focus groups with a purposive sample of stakeholders involved at all levels of implementation of STPs: (1) policymakers; (2) providers of STPs; (3) nursery/school staff; (4) parents/carers; and (5) children (aged 2-6 years old) across England. Data collection and analysis were guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).
Results
A total of 159 stakeholders were interviewed (40 individual interviews and 17 focus groups) across all levels of implementation. Barriers and facilitators to STP implementation were identified across 35 of the 39 CFIR constructs. Four themes were identified that determined STP implementation: (1) acceptability of STPs; (2) external ‘make or break’ conditions; (3) the importance of engagement across the system; and (4) desire for centralised support.
Conclusions
This is the first study to qualitatively explore the barriers and facilitators to STP at all levels of implementation underpinned by an implementation science framework. The findings have strong implications for policymakers who wish to implement STPs, highlighting the need for careful consideration of the adaptability of the programmes, the role of formal and informal engagement systems, and the need for centralised support. This work has facilitated the co-design and piloting of a supervised toothbrushing implementation toolkit, which provides a central hub of resources and good practice to optimise implementation of STPs at scale
morphoHeart: a quantitative tool for integrated 3D morphometric analyses of heart and ECM during embryonic development
Get PDFHeart development involves the complex structural remodelling of a linear heart tube into an asymmetrically looped and ballooned organ. Previous studies have associated regional expansion of extracellular matrix (ECM) space with tissue morphogenesis during development. We have developed morphoHeart, a 3D tissue segmentation and morphometry software with a user-friendly graphical interface (GUI) that delivers the first integrated 3D visualisation and multiparametric analysis of both heart and ECM morphology in live embryos. morphoHeart reveals that the ECM undergoes regional dynamic expansion and reduction during cardiac development, concomitant with chamber-specific morphological maturation. We use morphoHeart to demonstrate that regionalised ECM expansion driven by the ECM crosslinker Hapln1a promotes atrial lumen expansion during heart development. Finally, morphoHeart’s GUI expands its use beyond that of cardiac tissue, allowing its segmentation and morphometric analysis tools to be applied to z-stack images of any fluorescently labelled tissue
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