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Becoming Familiar with the Nonhuman Organizational Stranger
No full textThis chapter reviews a selection of research with relevance to social aspects of working with animals. Citing classic and cutting-edge research encapsulated by the field of Human-Animal Work (HAW) or Animal Organization Studies (AOS), it charts the development and current status of empirical research and theorization on the nature of human-animal relations and interactions in commercial/ work settings. The review is structured by category to navigate a variety of occupational and theoretical enquiries. Threading the narrative of familiarity and strangeness through the chapter, connections are drawn between empirically and theoretically disparate pieces of research. The aim is to make the ‘strange’ (in this case, the non-traditional focus on nonhuman animals) more ‘familiar’ to mainstream scholarship on business, work and organizing. The chapter concludes by speculating on important and timely areas for new research and teaching in this field
Insights into the oxidation regime of diesel soot during realistic DPF regeneration
No full textOptimal DPF regeneration methodologies need detailed knowledge of soot oxidation regime under realistic engine conditions. This work experimentally explored the soot oxidation regime during DPF regeneration at inlet temperatures of 300°C and 350°C. A high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM) and a Raman spectroscopy were used to observe the structure evolution and explain the oxidation regime transformation during regeneration. Results showed that at the DPF-inlet temperature of 300°C, partial soot particles possessed localized hollow interiors with thicker boundaries at the later stage of its oxidation process, indicating the occurrence of internal burning. However, at the DPF-inlet temperature of 350°C, soot particles exhibit no voids and became more ordered over the whole soot oxidation process, which agree well with the behavior induced by surface oxidation. At the early regeneration stage under at 300°C DPF inlet temperature, soot oxidation led to the extension of micropores, increasing the accessibility of oxygen penetration to particle core. Reversely, the oxidation at higher temperature of 350°C and the late oxidation stage of 300°C consumed the micropores and shrank the primary particle size, accompanying with the oxidation-induced graphitization. Oxidation-induced disordering was interesting observed at the early stage of 300°C regeneration, with the ever shorter fringe, larger tortuosity and separation distance, and rising peak area ratio of D1 to G band. Evolutions of structure and defect sites revealed the inclination of internal burning at lower DPF regeneration temperatures, and the prevalence of surface oxidation during the overall process of higher temperatures
Metal‐organic nanosheet gels: Hierarchically porous materials for selective loading and differential release
Full text linkMetal-organic nanosheets (MONs) are intrinsically porous 2D materials with a high surface area and tunable chemistry, which have been widely used in suspensions or on surfaces for a variety of applications. Here, this work demonstrates that MONs can be used to form gels through a simple centrifugation process, and their hierarchically porous structures used to enable the selective loading and differential release of small molecules based on their size and charge. Centrifugation of a suspension of monolayer Zr-BTB MONs (BTB = 1,3,5-benzenetribenzoate) formed gels in a range of solvents with a concentration of ≈1.5 wt.%. The gels displayed rapid self-healing behavior, can be extruded through a syringe needle into different shapes, and freeze-dried to form self-supporting aerogels. Rapid and selective loading of the gels with a range of small molecules can be achieved by centrifugation of suspensions of nanosheets containing different cargo solutions. Small neutral molecules are found to diffuse out of the gel significantly faster than larger molecules, which is attributed to the nanosheets acting as “fishing nets” that allow small molecules to pass through the pores, whilst larger molecules have to take a tortuous path through the hierarchically porous structure. Charged molecules are released slower than the neutral ones, which is attributed to electrostatic interactions with the nanosheets. It is anticipated that hierarchically porous MON-based gels will open up a variety of interesting new applications, including sensing, separation, controlled release, drug loading, and drug delivery
Fatigue in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease: prevalence, influences and trajectories.
Full text linkObjective: In a large cohort of people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis/motor neuron disease (pwALS), we examined the age-sex prevalence of fatigue, its relationship to other symptoms and functioning, and trajectories over time.
Methods: Data from the Trajectories of Outcome in Neurological Conditions study were analyzed by Rasch analysis, structural equation and group-based trajectory models.
Results: Fatigue was reported by 97.8% on Neurological Fatigue Index-MND (NFI-MND) and 96.4% on Numeric Rating Scale Fatigue among 1058 pwALS: mean age 65 (range 20–90); mean duration 23 months (range 0–301); 60.7% male; onset 26.5% Bulbar, 71.5% Limb and 2.0% Respiratory. Mean (metric) level on NFI-MND was 12.8 (SD 5.3; range 0–24). Cut-points on the NFI-MND of 10 and 15 divided fatigue into mild (27.3%); moderate (36.1%) and severe (36.2%). Structural equation modeling showed that function, cognition, spasticity, dyspnea and pain have descending order of effect. Over average 11.6 months follow-up, 60.5% had stable fatigue, 23.8% increased fatigue level, while 15.8% showed declining fatigue. Trajectory analysis showed three groups, low, average and high fatigue. Those with low trajectories had less spasticity, worry, cognitive problems, as well as better functioning, longer duration and were less likely to be male. High fatigue trajectory was associated with worse spasticity, cognition and anxiety.
Conclusions: Fatigue is extremely common among pwALS, thus more work is required on fatigue management. In addition to treating fatigue itself, the current study shows that targeting cognition, spasticity, dyspnea and pain might be fruitful
Longitudinal modelling of growth in neonates exposed to antenatal steroids to quantify associations with final height: a cohort study
Full text linkObjective
To assess the associations of antenatal steroids with child growth.
Design
Longitudinal observational cohort study started in 1994.
Setting
A single tertiary neonatal centre in Sheffield, UK.
Participants
Of 254 individuals recruited, two were excluded, 48 born at term; 202 (57% boys, 87% white ethnicity) modelled had a median of 19 height measurements each (Q1:12 to Q3:21) up to median age 15.8 years (Q1:9.9 to Q3:16.9).
Interventions
Data on administration of antenatal steroids were collected alongside gestational age and parental height.
Main outcome measures
Height was modelled with SuperImposition by Translation and Rotation (SITAR) to extract each person’s peak velocity and age at peak velocity via the SITAR random effects of ‘size’, ‘timing’ and ‘intensity’ and to predict height at 18 years. The association of each random effect and final height with exposure to antenatal steroids was assessed by multiple regression to adjust for covariates.
Results
In girls with covariates available (n=59/87), exposure to antenatal steroids was positively associated with SITAR ‘size’ and ‘intensity’ of growth when adjusted for gestational age, maternal and paternal height, equating to a final height 2.8 cm (95% CI 0.3 to 5.3 cm) greater than for those not exposed to antenatal steroids. In boys (n=66/115), exposure to antenatal steroids had no association with final height.
Conclusions
This observational cohort study showed greater height of girls exposed to antenatal steroids not seen in boys. Analysis of existing long-term follow-up data from neonates is indicated to increase understanding of the associations of neonatal interventions on growth
Translanguaging, creativity and the arts
No full textTranslanguaging, as one of multiple approaches to conceptualising dynamic multilingualism, has really ‘captured people’s imaginations’ (Li Wei, 2018: 10). And it is not just the imaginations of linguists researching language and multilingualism in classrooms: translanguaging has also started to be explored more and more in creative arts contexts, for example with visual arts and performance. This exploration can also be defined as creative in itself. Examples include translanguaging as a lens for exploring multilingual practices in the arts and as a conceptual starting point for multidisciplinary artistic practice. In this chapter I bring translanguaging into dialogue with a move in recent years to conceptualise applied linguistics research in collaboration with artists, within creative practice contexts, and which brings in creative methodologies. I critically examine the relationship between translanguaging and creative inquiry, using examples from a diverse range of research projects. These examples will offer insights into how translanguaging has been used as a theoretical lens for research with, into and through the arts and how arts practice and creative contexts can enrich and deepen our understandings of translanguaging
Slavery, the French Revolution and Condorcet’s Childhood Argument
No full textIn a 1781 book on why slavery ought to be abolished, Condorcet argued that the enslaved were not fit to enjoy liberty, because, like children, they were not capable of handling it without harming others or themselves. The Childhood Argument was also used by Condorcet’s opponents, the anti-abolitionist members of the Club Massiac, and a version of it was adopted by the Legislative Assembly when they proposed it in May 1791. I will suggest that the argument depends on a loophole in the republican thought that was popular during the French revolution: although republicans argued that one could not be free if one was dominated, they also believed – as many of us still do – that children should be dominated
Complex post-traumatic stress disorder moderates functional connectivity in people with psychosis:cPTSD moderates functional connectivity in psychosis
Full text linkBackground: Altered functional connectivity in several functional networks has been found in people with psychosis, especially in the default mode (DMN), salience (SAL) and central executive (CEN) networks. Functional connectivity in people with psychosis is influenced by traumatic life experiences. Trauma histories typical of people with psychosis are associated with complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD), but no studies have explored whether post-traumatic sequelae contribute to functional dysconnectivity in people with psychosis. Methods: Using resting-state fMRI, we compared two groups meeting diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia spectrum disorders (N = 106); one group additionally met ICD-11 criteria for comorbid cPTSD, whereas the other did not. We assessed between-group differences in functional connectivity between 15 pre-defined regions of the DMN, SAL and CEN. Post-hoc correlations were used to test whether intra- and/or inter-network connectivity related to cPTSD symptom severity in the comorbid cPTSD group. Results: The comorbid cPTSD group demonstrated significantly lower functional connectivity within the DMN, SAL and CEN, as well as increased negative connectivity between the SAL and CEN. The control group showed significantly decreased connectivity of the DMN with the SAL and CEN. PTSD symptoms correlated positively with intra-SAL connectivity and DMN-SAL dysconnectivity, whereas DSOs correlated positively with intra-SAL dysconnectivity and reduced DMN-CEN connectivity. Conclusions: Our findings broadly align with the tripartite network model explaining psychopathology in terms of DMN, SAL and CEN dysconnectivity. Intra-network dysconnectivity in subgroups of people with psychosis may relate to post-traumatic sequelae, whereas inter-network dysconnectivity may be more central in trauma-unrelated psychoses
Impact of COVID-19 on primary care consultation mode in England:An interrupted time series analysis
No full textBackground: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted healthcare delivery worldwide, and general practice in England was no exception. The adoption of remote consultations in primary care increased sharply during the pandemic. However, there is no evidence that the adoption of remote consultation will continue in the long term. Objective: Long-term effects on primary care face-to-face and telephone consultations in England of the change towards remote consultation during COVID-19 pandemic. Method: We use Interrupted Time Series analysis to understand the long-term effects on primary care face-to-face and telephone consultations in England at both national and regional levels. Results: There was a shift in consultation patterns during and after the pandemic. Face-to-face consultations experienced a significant and immediate decline following the introduction of restrictions. However, they gradually increased and returned to pre-pandemic levels after restrictions were lifted, indicating that most healthcare needs still require in-person contact. Telephone consultations rose sharply during the pandemic. Although their use declined after restrictions eased in July 2021, they remained above pre-pandemic levels. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly changed how general practice consultations are delivered in England, prompting a rapid shift to remote consultation methods. While telephone consultations surged when face-to-face contact was restricted, this increase was not sustained in the long term. Although remote consultations remained above pre-pandemic levels, they did not fully replace in-person visits. This suggests a dual use of resources rather than a substitution. Policy efforts should focus on balancing and supporting both remote and face-to-face consultation models
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