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Existential distress in advanced cancer: A cohort study
No full textObjective:
Clinically significant existential distress may impair quality of life and communication about illness. We investigated the presence of existential distress in the form of demoralization, death anxiety, and dignity-related distress, and its co-occurrence with mental disorders in patients with advanced cancer.
Methods:
We conducted structured clinical interviews and administered self-report questionnaires to assess existential distress and mental disorders. We recruited patients with different Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) stage IV solid tumors from in- and outpatient oncology and palliative care settings.
Results:
A total of 671 patients completed assessments (55 % participation rate, 48 % female, primary tumor site: 28 % lung, 14 % prostate, 11 % breast). Clinically relevant levels of existential distress were present in 46.4 % (95 % CI, 41.7 % to 51.1 %), including demoralization, 12.5 % (95 % CI, 9.6 % to 15.9 %), death anxiety, 27.3 % (95 % CI, 23.2 % to 31.6 %), and dignity-related distress, 38.7 % (95 % CI, 34.2 % to 43.3 %). Frequent existential distress symptoms were sense of entrapment and fear of own and close others' suffering. Mental disorders occurred in 26.2 % (95 %CI 22.2 % to 30.4 %), including major depression, 8.6 % (95 %CI, 6.2 % to 11.5 %), anxiety disorders, 8.4 % (95 %CI 6.0 % to 11.3 %), and ICD-11-adjustment disorder, 10.5 % (95 %CI 7.9 % to 13.7 %). Existential distress and mental disorders co-occurred in 20.0 % (95 %CI 16.4 % to 24.0 %).
Conclusion:
Existential distress is a common, clinically significant problem in patients with advanced cancer. Its recognition in multiprofessional clinical settings can contribute to improve quality of life. Most patients with a mental disorder show comorbid existential distress requiring treatment of both
ConFERNet: a low trainable parameters based novel light-weight convolutive feature extraction recurrent network for high accuracy suspect identification
No full textIn suspect identification systems, facial features play a crucial role in recognising individuals. However, the challenge lies in sustaining the accuracy of the system over a long period of time, ensuring that it remains consistently high, reliable, and effective. This research introduces a novel lightweight model that requires low trainable parameters, a significantly smaller number than pre-trained models, which use millions of trainable parameters. The newly proposed Convolutive Feature Extraction Recurrent Network (ConFERNet) integrates a convolutional neural network and long short-term memory into a single structure to synthesise diverse images. This approach leverages computer graphics techniques to effectively extract facial features. Computer graphics play a pivotal role at various stages of this process, employing techniques such as adaptive histogram equalisation and illumination normalisation to enhance image quality under varying lighting conditions and create diverse training datasets. The LSTM-based convolutive feature-recurrent system demonstrates a notable improvement in accuracy when tested on the Augmented Reality Database (AR-DB), Extended Yale B (E-Yale B), Enhanced Extended Yale B (EE-Yale B), and Extended Cohn-Kanade (CK+) face datasets, achieving accuracy rates of 96.20%, 98.53%, 99.59%, and 99.60%, respectively. These accuracies outperform traditional baseline accuracies of 68.65% for AR-DB, 84.21% for E-Yale B, and 88.37% for CK+, suggesting the potential of this approach in enhancing suspect identification systems. This research contributes to the field by providing an innovative solution through advanced facial image feature extraction, which leads to improved accuracy rates
Organizing Transgender People: Toward aProcess-Based Theory of Representative Bureaucracy
No full textDespite advancements in LGBTQ+ rights, transgender people remain as one of the most socially stigmatized and marginalized members of society. Many continue to face state-sanctioned discrimination. Kerala stands out in supporting and advancing transgender people. We interviewed 15 government officials and 28 transgender women to explore how the Kerala government uplifted and improved the lives of its transgender people. Using a grounded theory approach, we analyze Kerala’s (one of the most progressive states in India) efforts to support transgender people. We found that access to common good—linked with citizenship, active participation, and collective action in society—is key to connect policies with outcomes for socially marginalized groups. Our study emphasizes how representative bureaucracy can empower society’s most vulnerable individuals and help them establish nonprofit organizations for their own support. This discovery allowed us to enhance and develop a process-based theory of representative bureaucracy. Our study extends the theory by establishing the mechanisms by which representative bureaucracy delivers the common good to society’s marginalized members
A Textbook of Neuroanatomy, 3rd edition
No full textA Textbook of Neuroanatomy has long served as the essential student introduction to the anatomy and systems of the brain. Covering brain organization, neural connections, and neural pathways in an accessible style, it contains the fundamental neurophysiology of every major brain area. Now fully updated to reflect the latest research and clinical data, it’s an essential resource for students in the life sciences with an interest in neuroscience
The impact of a focused listening experience on self-compassion and mental health help-seeking
No full textMany people do not seek mental health support due to self-stigma; however, music can assist people in seeking support. Therefore, the present study explored how attending a focused music listening event might promote self-compassion and mindfulness and, in turn, how experiencing these might promote mental health help-seeking intentions. This case study focused on the Indigo Project’s Listen Up event, in which participants engage with a curated music playlist (drawing on soundtrack, ambient and experimental music) along with oral guidance provided by a psychologist. After attending Listen Up, participants (N = 270, 85.90% female, Mage = 37.05) completed an online survey, including their attendance motivations and standardised measures of mindfulness, self-compassion, self-stigma of help-seeking, and help-seeking intentions. A subset of 18 participants were subsequently interviewed about their experience. Results indicated that attendees experienced feelings of mindfulness and self-compassion, processed challenging emotions during the event, and were prompted to practice self-care and connect with others following the event. Additionally, participants experiencing mindfulness during the event buffered the relationship between self-stigma of help-seeking and future help-seeking intentions. Study findings have implications for our understanding of the ways that music and mindfulness can be used in practices to promote mental health and well-being
Don't Blame Me! Using Neutralisation Theory to Understand Household Food Waste
No full textWasted food has detrimental effects on the natural environment and on society. Although reducing food waste is seen as an ethical consumption behaviour, the influence of moral norms on food waste is still under debate and research has shown mixed results. To address this research gap, a temporal, extended norm activation model (NAM) is presented in this study, and it incorporates neutralization theory to explain how people negotiate moral issues. That is, individuals use several neutralization techniques to suppress their moral norms, which subsequently influence their intentions related to food waste. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to analyse data from an online panel of UK consumers (n=358). We found pathways between neutralisation techniques, moral norms and intentions towards avoiding food waste. The research shows that people use two neutralization techniques, ‘denial of responsibility’and ‘condemning the condemners’ to dampen their moral norms, which further weaken their intentions to avoid food waste. Recommendations for policymakers and practitioners are made and de-neutralisation tools are identified, such as making people aware of their internal dialogues, ensuring greater accountability in food waste reduction pledges and providing workplace training
Share of time in omnichannel retailing: Definition and measurement
No full textThe time that consumers spend shopping represents a valuable resource. When consumers engage with multiple omnichannel retailers, they divide this limited resource among them, such that the retailers must compete for shares of consumers’ time. Previous explorations of the effects of time-related variables on consumer behavior rarely address the relative time that consumers devote to different channels associated with competing omnichannel retailers. To introduce this idea, the current research proposes an “omnichannel share of time” (OSoT) concept. With four mixed-method studies, the authors derive and validate an easy-to-administer, four-item measure of OSoT. A nomological network analysis also demonstrates its positive mediating role in the relationship between omnichannel customer experience and customer engagement. By proposing and validating OSoT, this article introduces a valuable tool that retail managers can leverage to evaluate the effectiveness of their customer experience strategies and drive value co-creation through greater customer engagement
Energy diversification, financial development and economic development: an examination of convergence in OECD countries
No full textPurpose: This study examines the convergence of energy diversification, financial development and per-capita income in OECD countries.
Design/methodology/approach: The research employs the club convergence test to assess convergence among OECD countries and uses Granger causality tests and panel regressions to identify the determinants of convergence, using data from 1997 to 2021.
Findings: The convergence tests showed no overall convergence but revealed convergence clubs for each factor. Granger causality tests indicated short-run bi-directional relationships between the variables. Long-run panel regression analysis confirmed that technological progress significantly improves per capita income and energy diversification. Additionally, it revealed bi-directional relationships between energy diversification and financial development, a uni-directional relationship from financial development to per capita income and a U-shaped effect of per capita income on energy diversification, with a turning point at $67,112.8 per year.
Practical implications: The findings suggest that within each convergence club, implementing microeconomic incentives for technology development and diffusion in energy, production and financial services could help lagging countries catch up.
Originality/value: This study pioneers the testing of convergence in energy diversification, financial development and per capita income in OECD countries and identifies the determinants of this convergence
What Should Australian Aid in the Pacific Look Like after the Retreat of USAID?
No full textThe 2025–26 budget delivered by Australia’s Labor government is one of the first tangible pieces of evidence of how Australia plans to counter the much-publicised revision of the United States’ (US’) international aid program under the Trump administration and the reduction in foreign aid by the United Kingdom (UK). As the US is only the sixth largest contributor in the Pacific — with 4.8 billion — this move alone ‘won’t break the Pacific’. What it will do is raise questions about what Australia should be doing in the region and how it should do it
The implications of climate change for New Zealand’s freshwater fish
No full textClimate change is poised to reshape ecological communities globally by driving species into new environments and altering interactions between species. Conservation efforts should not only address current pressures but also plan for future pressures, such as sensitive species moving into degraded environments or arising problematic trophic interactions. This study sought to assess how climate change may affect the end-of-century distributions of New Zealand’s native and nonnative freshwater fish, including consequences for the overlap between trout (a nonnative sports fish) and native species vulnerable to trout predation. Random forest modelling was used to predict end-of-century distributions for New Zealand’s freshwater fish based on six hydrologically downscaled global climate models across four representative concentration pathways. Severe climate change impacts could drive nine native fish species to extinction or near-extinction and cause substantial declines in another eight native species. Seven nonnatives are also predicted to decline substantially, including a 30%–40% reduction in the extent of trout. To avert these potential extinctions, it is crucial to mitigate climate change severity and improve land use impacting freshwater ecosystems