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The Role of Self-as-Context as a Self-Based Process of Change in Cancer-Related Pain:Insights from a Network Analysis
Get PDFBackground/Objectives: The dual burden of cancer and pain during chemotherapy can negatively impact individuals’ personal integrity, or the “self”. Yet, coping strategies addressing these dual challenges are rarely employed in cancer-related pain management. Recent findings from evidence-based behavioral models, such as psychological flexibility in pain, highlight the potential role of self-as-context (SAC) as a central coping strategy for adjustment. The aim of this study was to examine the network structure of “conventional” coping strategies, such as active coping, behavioral disengagement, substance use, seeking support, religion, humor, and avoidance (Brief-COPE-8 coping strategies), in relation to “self-based” coping strategies. Methods: Individuals diagnosed with cancer, mostly in advanced stages (i.e., II and III), experiencing cancer-related pain (n = 135), completed a cross-sectional online study. Participants filled out self-reported questionnaires, including the Brief-COPE, the Psychological Inflexibility in Pain Scale—Greek Version (G-PIPS-II), and the Self-as-Context Scale (SACS) scale, which included two subfactors: centering and transcending. The study employed a stepwise analysis plan. We first conducted a series of traditional correlations, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and hierarchical multiple linear regressions, to examine the predictive role of demographics/clinical characteristics, psychological inflexibility, and SAC (independent variables) on the eight coping strategies (dependent variables). We then selected the highest predictors of coping in cancer-related pain and included them in a network analysis model. In the network analysis, we estimated the LASSO network regularization and examined network stability. We also assessed the centrality and stability of the network model, focusing on the associations between SAC items, the most predictive coping strategies (Brief-COPE), and psychological inflexibility (G-PIPS-II). Results: SAC correlated positively with effective coping (active coping and humor) and negatively with substance use. There were no correlations between demographics, type, stage of cancer, and coping strategies for pain. Multiple linear regressions identified psychological inflexibility and SAC as the main contributors to pain adjustment, with SAC explaining substantially more variance in active coping. The partial correlation network included 12 nodes. Active coping, centering, and three of the six transcending items were the most influential in the network. Active coping demonstrated the highest centrality, exerting positive links with SAC items that reflected calm reactions and invariant perspective-taking in response to the pain experience. Conclusions: SAC might be considered as a tailored, self-based coping strategy for managing cancer-related pain. Future analog studies should explore the role of integrating self-based perspective-taking strategies to momentarily address cancer-related pain
Sacred Texts and Profane Realities:Islamic Criminal Laws (Ḥudūd) and Children’s Rights in Pakistan
Get PDFThis article examines the impact of Islamic criminal laws (ḥudūd), particularly the Zina Ordinance, on children’s rights in Pakistan. By analyzing the judgments of the Federal Shariat Court (FSC) and the Shariat Appellate Bench (SAB) of the Supreme Court, the study identified three key trends in case law. First, ambiguity in defining adulthood—whether based on statutory age limits or biological puberty—has resulted in inconsistent judicial decisions. Second, the judicial approach on minors’ consent in sexual offenses evolved over time, shifting from accepting consent to rejecting it, aligning with the principle of statutory rape. Third, while leniency in sentencing underage offenders reflects an emphasis on rehabilitation, it raises questions about deterrence and consistency. The findings of this research underscore the critical role of procedural laws and legal certainty in safeguarding children’s rights within a mixed legal framework of Islamic laws and common law tradition
Television, Musical Register, and the Franchise: Continuity and Change
Get PDFThis chapter proposes a model for understanding television music within a broader franchise space, exploring how continuity and change operates both within, and across, television series. Specifically, this framework proposes the concept of a musical register for analysing such musical intertextuality in television and beyond. More specific than genre, a musical register serves as a coherent, but ever-developing musical identity for a franchise. Our concept of register identifies musical practice which is flexible enough to evolve over time but remains sufficiently consistent to serve as a musical thread between fragmented elements of a franchise. This adaptable sonic language can develop alongside changing televisual aesthetics, even traversing media boundaries to film and video games, whilst satisfying fan expectations. Our model accounts for musical connections that are broader and more complex than explicit musical recapitulation, but remain distinctive enough to link texts. As franchises continue to be central to mass-market corporate entertainment strategies, this model illuminates how music serves as part of that creative and business agenda, as well as the implications of franchise music for producers, composers and fans. While this approach is applicable to a wide range of franchise contexts, this chapter will use the case study of the Star Trek television series to illustrate our model of a franchise’s musical register. <br/
Music, Play, Games and Education
Get PDFA significant body of recent music scholarship has sought to emphasize the playfulness of music. Many of these discussions have occurred with reference to music in digital video games. This chapter investigates how an awareness of music and play, particularly informed by the findings from the context of video games, might inflect teaching. By considering the fundamental aspects of play – the components of rules, creativity and fun aesthetics, fusing ludus and paidia – we not only recognize elements that motivate and reward engaging with music generally, but we can turn some of these qualities to educational ends. The chapter considers three dimensions of music, video games and play: i) the role of interfaces in scaffolding musical creative processes, ii) interactivity and musical-dialogic teaching and iii) participatory culture as a type of informal learning that provides musical specialization and technical expertise. The chapter concludes with an outline of planned lessons for a term’s music teaching. This overview suggests just some of the ways that these ideas might be implemented in a school music curriculum
Loneliness, office space arrangement and mental well-being of Gen Z PR professionals.:Falling into the trap of an agile office?
Get PDFPurpose – The purpose of the study was to assess how the well-being and loneliness of public relations and communication professionals are impacted by the post-pandemic characteristics of the work environment: flexible work schemes, non-territorial office arrangements and video communication technologies. It was hypothesised that the post-pandemic workplace landscape poses several new challenges to the practice of PR – an industry which invariably relies on working with other people and demands a good level of social resilience. Loneliness and well-being both depend on the experience of having good and efficient social relationships, but the pandemic has directly and indirectly led to their deterioration.Design/methodology/approach – The project employed a correlational design and used an online survey system to collect responses from Gen Z professionals employed in the public relations and communications industry in the UK and the US via the Prolific platform. Demographical and workplace- related characteristics were assessed to investigate links with loneliness (measured using a three-item scale adopted from Russell et al., 1980 in Hughes, 2004) and well-being (using a short Warwick- Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale scale). Causal relationships between data were tested using regression analysis for continuous variables and analysis of covariance for categorical factors. Bootstrapping was used to test mediated relationships that explain loneliness, job satisfaction and the well-being of Gen Z PR professionals.Findings – Several types of flexible working schemes, defined as the ability to work from home on any number of weeks, showed an impact on loneliness and job satisfaction but not on well-being. However, all remaining aspects of the post-pandemic office did manifest as important predictors. In the sample, 30% of Gen Z PR professionals showed signs of mild to clinical levels of depression, and the best protection from this state was the presence of a significant other. Lower levels of loneliness were related to non-territorial office arrangements and job satisfaction. The use of hot desks and open-plan arrangements led to a significantly lower level of job satisfaction than a traditional, cellular office. Both excessive online meetings and face-to-face only interactions led to marginally lower levels of loneliness and job satisfaction.Research limitations/implications – The present research is limited in several aspects. Firstly, while the project evaluated loneliness, job satisfaction and mental well-being (with each of these elements including a component of the requirement for building effective relationships), the quality of relationships built by PR professionals was not measured. Secondly, the project focused only on post-pandemic aspects of the workplace and did not cover other important components of job satisfaction. Lastly, the measure of online meetings was declarative rather than behavioural, and greater control of the number of online meetings held would be required to show more reliable links between variables.Practical implications – This study calls for proposing recommendations for employers to develop organisational-level measures and programmes to counteract loneliness. While traditionally intimate relationships of employees were not a direct focus of HR programmes, employers should develop elements of organisational culture that would support employees in building effective intimate relationships. Separately from this, despite immediate financial benefits, employers should avoid using open-space and hot desk policies, as they contribute negatively to job satisfaction (and indirectly to well-being). The sample of UK and US professionals was chosen for analysis because in these countries employers have more capacity to introduce changes to tangible characteristics of the workplace and work culture, which may positively impact the well-being of their employees.Social implications – It is expected that both employers and employees will revisit their approach to post- pandemic financial and logistic challenges related to the workplace. A lower level of job satisfaction and well- being is linked to the lack of assigned office space, but the ability to work exclusively from home leads to loneliness. Employees – when offered this possibility – should work in offices they are provided. Employers must appreciate the negative link between open and hot-desking policies and job satisfaction and well-being of their employees.Originality/value – This study is the first to examine the post-pandemic workplace and personal characteristics of public relations and communications professionals in the UK and US and show how they impact job satisfaction and well-being. The study shows that 30% of employed in the PR industry are at risk of depression or anxiety. The connecting factor between personal and work-related characteristics that explains this problem is loneliness
Plant Species Classification Using Evolving Ensemble and Siamese Networks
Get PDFImage-based dried plant specimen identification poses a significant challenge due to the large number of possible classes and the extreme scarcity of labelled training samples. To tackle these limitations and mitigate classification biases, this research proposes a Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO)-based weighted evolving ensemble model as well as a Siamese network for plant species classification. Specifically, we first diversify the base classifier pool by employing three networks, i.e. ResNet50, Xception, and VGG19, fine-tuned using the specimen samples. Besides the adoption of a mean average ensemble model, a weighted ensemble scheme with PSO-based optimal weighting factor generation is also utilised to integrate the outputs of the three base networks for tackling classification variances. In addition, to further tackle species classification with extremely imbalanced data, a Siamese network with ResNet50 as the backbone is utilised. Evaluated using a challenging FGVC6 data set with Melastomataceae images, the PSO-based weighted ensemble model is able to assign more influence to the best performing base networks for ensemble prediction and outperforms the traditional mean average ensemble method. Moreover, the Siamese network also obtains competitive performance for solving imbalanced specimen classification by performing comparing similarity scores between image embeddings
Revolutionising Marketing Education – A Sociocultural Approach to Praxis Pedagogy
Get PDFThis paper examines how the changing marketing landscape necessitates transformative learning approaches capable of preparing students for responsible and collaborative practice of marketing. It considers the potential of a Freirean praxis approach to marketing education informed by sociocultural theory to propose a framework for transformative learning.This is a conceptual piece integrating insights from Freire’s pedagogy and Vygotsky’s theory to propose a praxis pedagogies-based sociocultural framework for marketing education and ultimately employability.The paper identifies a set of key technological, environmental and societal factors impacting marketing and marketing education. In response to these, an integrative framework is provided to prepare students for the current and future challenges arising. Given the nature of the factors identified, this framework proposes a pedagogical approach that is not only critical but also socio-culturally informed.It adds to the burgeoning literature on responsible marketing education offering a theoretical and practical framework.This framework provides marketing educators with practical tools. Grounded in praxis and sociocultural theory, it equips students with critical thinking and collaboration skills, preparing them as marketers in response to societal and technological challenges.This approach is built on theory and exemplars directed at positive social change.The novelty of this pedagogical approach derives from the unique integration of theoretical perspectives from praxis and sociocultural theories towards transforming marketing education and thus practice in directions that are sustainable, socio-culturally grounded, and participatory
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