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Acknowledging, recognising and responding to one another: ordinary hospitality in the cafe
Get PDFIn places of hospitality, hosts and guests encounter one another in, and through, visiting the place of the host, under principles of offering welcome. Clive Barnett drew on the ideas of the philosopher, Stanley Cavell, to develop those of Derrida and Levinas and, in this article, we ground Barnett’s theorising of hospitality in the routine work of café service. For staff and customers, the ethics of hospitality is in the response to the other as more than their service identity, it is in their responsiveness to one another and their acknowledgement. From video-recordings of café service in the UK, we describe the assessment of experience, the sharing of plans, the use of proprieties and improprieties in pursuing intimacy. We re-examine what happens around recognition and misrecognition of identities which are based on the public appearances of customers and staff. Each of these are ways of people in public places pursuing or avoiding revealing more of who they are for one another
Spirobisindane-Based Hole Transporting Materials for Conventional and Indoor Halide Perovskite Solar Cells
Get PDFHole transporting materials (HTMs) are a vital component for both conventional and indoor perovskite solar cells. Spiro-OMeTAD has become one of the most widely studied HTM; however, its high molecular symmetry tends to give rise to nonuniform films that are not conducive to good photovoltaic device stability and large-area processing. Moreover, other issues relating to Spiro-OMeTAD, such as high cost, have spurred investigations into the development of new HTMs. Here, we report two spirobisindane-based HTMs (AS-135 and AS-179) for conventional and indoor perovskite solar cells. The lower symmetry and ability to synthesize from cheap, readily accessible precursors provides obvious advantages over Spiro-OMeTAD. We show that spirobisindane-based HTMs are effective HTMs under both 1 Sun and indoor illumination upon doping with LiTFSi and power conversion efficiency ≈11% were demonstrated under 1 Sun and over 20% under 1000 lx indoor illuminance.</p
One chance to get it right:Exploring perspectives and experiences in care home discharge decision-making in the acute hospital
Get PDFBackground: Discharge from acute hospital to new care home is a complex and life changing process often involving several key stakeholders in decision-making such as the older person, their significant person and members of the multidisciplinary team. There is limited research exploring the perspectives of these stakeholders, including factors that influence decision-making and how this is communicated. Objective: This study explored how decisions are made to discharge older people directly from hospital to care home, considering the perspectives and experiences of those involved. Methods: A case study design was used to explore the experiences of six older people admitted to acute hospital from home for whom discharge to care home was planned. Six datasets were formed, each comprising semi-structured interviews with the person, their significant person(s) (if applicable), multi-disciplinary professionals and review of health and social-work records. Datasets were analysed using an inductive thematic approach before cross-dataset analysis. Results: Findings emphasised the complex and personal nature of decision-making. The older person was often keen to talk about their decision. Significant people highlighted the complexity of balancing risk and care needs. However, the magnitude of the decision to older people and their significant persons appeared to go underacknowledged by professionals. The hospital context was significant as a location for decision-making. Communication was integral to the experiences of those involved; however, uncertainty and lack of role clarity impacted this. Conclusions: This study offers new insights into the complexity of discharge to care home from hospital. This life-changing decision requires greater recognition by professionals. Improved understanding of the process and well-developed communication is central to enhancing the experience for those involved. Implications for Practice: The significance of this oftentimes final decision should not be underestimated. The findings indicate a clear need for interdisciplinary education about care home discharge, and the importance of professionals' availability and approachability throughout decision-making. Professionals are encouraged to recognise a shared responsibility for the provision of information and guidance, and create opportunities for open and supportive conversations with older people and their families to explore the decision and discuss their feelings.</p
Prevention strategies and modifiable risk factors for concussion:A systematic review and meta-analysis for the Female, woman and girl Athlete Injury pRevention (FAIR) consensus
Get PDFObjective To examine prevention strategies and potential modifiable risk factors (MRFs) for sport-related concussion (SRC) and head impact/head acceleration event (HAE) outcomes in female, woman and/or girl athletes.Design Systematic review with meta-analyses and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation.Data sources Medline, CINAHL, PsycINfo, SportDiscus, ERIC, CENTRAL and CDSR.Eligibility Primary data studies with comparison group(s) assessing the association of prevention interventions and/or MRFs for SRC or HAE with ≥1 female/woman/girl in each study group.Results Of the 108 included studies, 67 evaluated a SRC prevention strategy (equipment n=25, policy/rule n=21, training n=10, management n=11) and 41 evaluated potential MRFs (34 distinct MRFs across nine categories). In total, 40/108 (37%) studies (prevention 19/67; MRF 21/41) included female/woman/girl-specific estimates. Three meta-analyses were conducted: two SRC prevention strategies (headgear, eyewear) and one MRF (artificial turf vs grass) based on availability of female/woman/girl-only estimates and similar outcomes and exposure. Headgear was associated with 30% lower SRC rates in adolescent female/girl lacrosse and soccer (IRR=0.70, 95% CI 0.50 to 0.99; very-low certainty). Eyewear use was not protective for SRC (IRR=1.08, 95% CI 0.69 to 1.68; very-low certainty). SRC rates did not differ by artificial turf versus grass (IRR=0.95, 95% CI 0.62 to 1.45; very-low certainty).Conclusion We found limited evidence for prevention strategies and MRFs in female/woman/girl athletes except for very-low certainty evidence supporting headgear use in adolescent lacrosse and soccer. Future studies should consider the design, implementation and evaluation of SRC prevention strategies that target MRFs to guide safe practice recommendations specifically for female/woman/girl athletes
Exhausting the ears:Aural discomfort as epistemological disruption in British travel writing on China, c. 1860–c. 1911
Get PDFBritish travellers to late Qing China regularly complained about the discomforting noises they heard across the country. However, despite the prominence of sonic language in travelogues from the period, the impact of sound upon British travellers has remained understudied. While historians have long emphasised vision as the primary sensory modality through which Western travellers projected imperial authority over colonised spaces of empire, this article reinterprets this global encounter between Britain and China as a fully embodied experience rather than an exercise of the eye. It contends that prevailing historiographical assumptions of British imperial knowledge making, in China and elsewhere, become fundamentally disrupted if we attend to the many reports of sound-induced discomfort within the archive of nineteenth-century British travel. In particular, the article argues that the emotive reactions of British travellers to China’s soundscape prohibited them from ever existing as unaffected observers of empire, and also undermined their attempts to represent the country as a passive idyll reminiscent of domestic chinoiserie. Overall, the British experience of aural discomfort in China suggests the ambivalence of these travellers about the possibility of projecting total imperial order over this semi-colonial space.</p
How do borrower ESG performance and risks matter to banks?
Get PDFWe examine how two distinct Environmental, social and governance (ESG) measures—disclosure-based ESG performance and event-driven ESG risks—affect the cost of bank loans. Using an international sample, we find that borrowers with higher ESG risks face significantly higher loan spreads, while stronger ESG performance is associated with lower spreads. The cost-saving effect of ESG performance depends on ESG risk but not vice versa. Our analysis suggests that these relationships operate through mitigating information asymmetry and signalling borrower quality. Furthermore, matching between lenders’ and borrowers’ ESG profiles moderates banks’ pricing strategies, particularly in the risk dimension: ESG-aligned borrower–lender pairs are more likely to form lending relationships and secure loans at lower spreads. These findings provide new evidence on the pricing of different ESG dimensions in the loan market and highlight the role of lender–borrower ESG compatibility in shaping credit terms
Chemical Engineering of Transcription Factors Uncovered Cell-Permeable μMax Modulators
Get PDFTranscription factor engineering has emerged as a powerful strategy for generating novel proteins for fundamental research and biomedical applications. Although various analogs have been developed, they remain largely constrained to native sequences and structures. The generation of advanced analogs -bearing non-canonical modifications with enhanced functional properties remains limited. Here, we combined rational design with total synthesis to engineer novel abiotic transcription factors with enhanced stability and cell permeability. Using solid-phase synthesis and native chemical ligation, we created a library of 30 Max-derived transcription factor analogs incorporating novel modifications, such as sequence mutations and aromatic staples at strategic sites. Through DNA-binding analysis and cellular uptake studies, we identified the μMax20 analog, which contains two mutations (Lys31 and Lys57 to hArg) and exhibits potent DNA-binding to the canonical enhancer box (E-box) as well as intrinsic cell permeability. Notably, further site-specific modifications of μMax20 with aromatic staples yielded improved analogs with enhanced stability and remarkable cellular delivery at nanomolar concentrations. Our lead μMax20 analog suppressed Myc-driven gene expression, as demonstrated by reporter gene assays and antiproliferative activity against Myc-dependent cancer cells. Altogether, these results highlight how combining chemical protein synthesis with late-stage modifications can be leveraged to enhance protein function and engineer novel bioactive modulators
Understanding the work-related roles in the work–personal life reconciliation of nurses in Intensive Care Units:Constructivist grounded theory research
Get PDFObjectives: To theorize the work-related dimension involved in the process of reconciling work and personal roles among nurses working in Intensive Care Units. Methods: Constructivist grounded theory was employed to conceptualize the phenomenon of interest from the perspectives of nurses, their families, and administrative staff. Data were derived from 202 h of non-participant observation in two high-complexity hospitals in Chile (one public and one private), 57 institutional documents, and 51 in-depth interviews. Data analysis followed the constant comparative method and multilevel coding. To ensure methodological rigor, the study adhered to the 13 criteria for constructivist grounded theory research proposed by Charmaz and Thornberg and was approved by a scientific ethics committee. Results: Work-related roles are defined as the set of behaviors associated with the professional context, which are shaped by nine sources of interaction: (1) Job content; (2) Workload and pace; (3) Work schedule; (4) Control; (5) Environment and equipment; (6) Organizational culture; (7) Interpersonal relationships; (8) Function within the organization; and (9) Career development. Conclusions: The study presents the theorization process of the work-related dimension involved in the reconciliation of work and personal roles among nurses in Intensive Care Units. Work-related roles are essential to understanding this reconciliation process. The findings provide evidence for the existence of nine sources of interaction, which are influenced by institutional strategic planning and, in turn, by national and international public policies
Microbial functional groups activate insoluble rhizosphere phosphorus to mitigate P limitation of Chinese fir plantations
Get PDFThe decline in soil phosphorus (P) reserves and its low solubility pose significant challenges in long-term plantation cultivation. In P-limited subtropical environments, the rhizosphere microbial community and associated genes play a crucial role in driving P cycling and availability during the long-term development of forest plantations. Using the space-for-time substitution method, we investigated rhizosphere P cycling in Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata) plantations at different growth stages in Fujian Province, southern China. We utilized the modified Hedley fractionation method and metagenomic sequencing for rhizosphere soil samples from stand ages of 6, 26, 45, and 102 years. The results revealed that, with stand development, rhizospheric concentrations of total, stable and moderately labile P decreased significantly, whereas labile P became progressively enriched (P < 0.05). Genes involved in organic P mineralization and P transport were positively correlated with labile P concentrations in the rhizosphere (P < 0.05), whereas P metabolism regulatory genes were negatively correlated with moderately labile P (P < 0.05). Additionally, the dominant P-solubilizing bacteria–Bacteroidetes and Rudaea–exerted significant positive effects on labile P and negative effects on stable P, respectively (P < 0.05). Overall, rhizospheric P reserves were significantly depleted in the Chinese fir plantations during their developmental progression. However, this unsustainable trend in P reserves was mitigated through synergistic interactions between P-solubilizing bacteria and P metabolism genes, which catalyzed the conversion of insoluble P into labile P, while enhancing plant P uptake efficiency. Consequently, we propose science-informed management practices–such as optimizing P fertilization management, inoculating P-solubilizing microbial agents, utilizing organic fertilizers, and introducing native broadleaf species–to sustain functional stability and long-term productivity of subtropical plantation ecosystems
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