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The Hematology Cancer patient Experience of ' Facing Death' in the last Year of Life: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study
Get PDFBackground For hematology cancer patients, the process of dying is described as “troublesome.” Qualitative studies have focused on views of healthcare professionals and caregiver stakeholders. To date, there have been no studies from the patient’s perspective on facing death while in the last year of life.Objective The aim of this study was to develop an understanding of the hematology cancer patient’s experience of the process of dying in the last year of life.Methods The study method was constructivist grounded theory using semistructured interviews, a constant comparison technique, and memoing to collection and analysis of data. The 21 participants were attending a UK cancer center, a cancer unit, or a hospice.Results This article describes 1 core category within the incurable hematology cancer illness trajectory through 4 subcategories: transitional phase, chronic phase, dying phase, and liminal phase.Conclusion This unique study illustrates that, although life can be prolonged, “facing death” still occurs upon hospitalization and relapse regularly over the illness trajectory.Implications for Practice It is important that clinical practice acknowledges those participants in an incurable illness trajectory while living are focused on avoiding death rather than the ability to cure the disease. Services need to be responsive to the ambiguity of both living and dying by providing holistic management simultaneously, especially after critical episodes of care, to enhance the process of care in the last year of life, and assessment should incorporate the discussion of experiencing life-threatening events
Football viewing centres in an African megacity: viewers’ characteristics and operational dynamics
Get PDFThis study examines viewers’ characteristics and operational dynamics of football viewing centres (FVCs) in Agege, Lagos Megacity, Nigeria. It anchors on the “theory of happiness” and the microeconomic vitality of FVCs using a mixed-methods approach. The results of the descriptive and inferential statistics revealed that most viewers can afford subscriptions for digital TV in their homes, yet patronize the FVCs. Factors attributed to patronage are happiness, excitement, and other social opportunities, with some perspectives of leisure and microeconomic vitality benefits. Finally, the study suggests a new policy direction to mitigate the negative effects of unplanned areas resulting in the proliferation of FVCs
The influence of facemasks on communication in healthcare settings: a systematic review
Get PDFPurposeAlthough a well-established aspect of healthcare practice, the impact of facemasks on verbal communication is surprisingly ambiguous.Materials and MethodsA systematic search was conducted in APA PSYCHinfo, CINAHL, NHS Knowledge Network, Medline and SPORTDiscus databases from inception to November 2022 according to the PRISMA guidelines. Studies reporting an objective measure of speech understanding in adults, where information was transmitted or received whilst wearing a facemask were included. Risk of bias of included studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa score.ResultsFour hundred and thirty-three studies were identified, of which fifteen were suitable for inclusion, incorporating 350 participants with a median age of 49 (range 19 to 74) years. Wide heterogeneity of test parameters and outcome measurement prohibited pooling of data. 93% (14 of 15) studies reported a deleterious effect of facemasks on speech understanding, and 100% (5 of 5) of the included studies reported attenuation of sound with facemask usage. Background noise added further deleterious effects on speech understanding which was particularly problematic within hearing-impaired populations. Risk of bias in included studies varied but overall was modest.ConclusionsDespite considerable complexity and heterogeneity in outcome measure, 93% (14 of 15) articles suggest respiratory protective equipment negatively affects speech understanding in normal hearing and hearing-impaired adults.Implications for Rehabilitation As a result of the covid-19 pandemic, facemask use is now commonplace across all healthcare and rehabilitation settings and has material implications for interpersonal communication. This systematic review of human communicative studies highlights that the use of facemasks does indeed inhibit communication through effects on speech intelligibility and through sound attenuation. These effects are evident in both normal hearing and hearing-impaired adults due to the visual cues required with lipreading and facial expressions during communication. The presence of background noise also produces deleterious effects on speech understanding and is more problematic for hearing-impaired populations. Simple recommendations to reduce background noise (where possible), to step closer (where social-distancing rules permit), to speak louder or to use speech to text applications (if practical) could all mitigate these communicative barriers. Further an awareness of persons with hearing impairments, the function (or otherwise) of hearing aids in those patients that require these, and an ability to use transparent facemasks can be specifically helpful
Measuring the missing: Knowledge, risk perceptions and self-protection practices of COVID-19 among the Asian population in New Zealand: An online survey
Get PDFAim: Asians are the second largest and fastest growing non-European population in New Zealand but are under-researched in terms of their COVID-19 pandemic response. The paper aims to illustrates Asians’ risk perceptions and knowledge of COVID-19, and self-protection practices to avoid infection and prevent community transmission. Subject and methods: An online survey was used to collect data and received 402 valid responses. Data analyses included: 1) a descriptive analysis by using Chi-square tests and a Kruskal-Wallis rank sum tests to explore associations between responses and the four demographic variables (i.e. age, gender, country of origin/ethnicity, and region); and 2) a correlation analysis between different survey objectives. Results: The descriptive analysis of the survey found that while ethnicity (within the Asian category) was the most influential variable that resulted in varying responses to many questions, gender and age were other two important variables in influencing the answering patterns. The correlation analysis found a positive correlation between the perceived ‘dangerousness’ of COVID-19 and respondents’ overall compliance behaviour to New Zealand authorities’ recommendations to prevent spread of COVID-19. Conclusion: The majority of the respondents provided correct answers to the questions about the vulnerable populations, symptoms, asymptomatic transmission and potential sequelae of COVID-19; however, their understanding of the availability of a cure for, and the incubation period of COVID-19 was not consistent with the official information. The research also found that the higher perceived dangerousness of COVID-19, the better compliance to self-protection practices among the surveyed population
'Qualitative' and 'quantitative' methods and approaches across subject fields: implications for research values, assumptions, and practices
Get PDFThere is considerable literature showing the complexity, connectivity and blurring of 'qualitative' and 'quantitative' methods in research. Yet these concepts are often represented in a binary way as independent dichotomous categories. This is evident in many key textbooks which are used in research methods courses to guide students and newer researchers in their research training. This paper analyses such textbook representations of 'qualitative' and 'quantitative' in 25 key resources published in English (supported by an outline survey of 23 textbooks written in German, Spanish and French). We then compare these with the perceptions, gathered through semi-structured interviews, of university researchers (n = 31) who work in a wide range of arts and science disciplines. The analysis of what the textbooks say compared to what the participants report they do in their practice shows some common features, as might be assumed, but there are significant contrasts and contradictions. The differences tend to align with some other recent literature to underline the complexity and connectivity associated with the terms. We suggest ways in which future research methods courses and newer researchers could question and positively deconstruct such binary representations in order to free up directions for research in practice, so that investigations can use both quantitative or qualitative approaches in more nuanced practices that are appropriate to the specific field and given context of investigations
The emotional labour of teleworkers conducting online counselling during Covid-19.
Get PDFDrawing on emotional labour theory, this paper explores the barriers to emotionally complex telework, with a specific focus on the space, interface and pace of work. We examine the working lives of mental health counsellors who adapted from in‐person delivery to online delivery whilst working from home, during the Covid‐19 pandemic. Our qualitative data set comprises of semi‐structured online interviews with 31 counsellors across the United Kingdom. Findings reveal that boundary issues, increased technical interruptions, increased screen time and associated fatigue, and increased contact‐ability due to digitalisation were key barriers to conducting emotionally complex tasks and exacerbated the emotional labour of participants creating more negative outcomes. This resulted in heightened emotion management in the home space, emotional dissonance, stress and in some cases, burn‐out
Interplay between oil prices, country risks, and stock returns in the context of global conflict: A PVAR approach
Get PDFEmploying the panel vector autoregressive (PVAR) modeling, we analyze the interplay among oil prices, country risks, and stock returns across twenty-nine economies from February 2005 to August 2020. We find that, in the short run, rising oil prices temporarily boost stock prices by reducing country risk. However, over longer horizons, reductions in country risk are linked to lower stock returns. Moreover, in the interaction between stock and oil markets we identify the heterogeneity of three forms of country risk: economic, financial, and political, particularly when comparing developed and developing economies. Findings, offering new insights into the linkages between oil and stock markets, especially in the context of increased global conflict context, are of much value for investment strategies and policy formulations aimed at mitigating risk
A Comprehensive Survey on Generative AI for Metaverse: Enabling Immersive Experience
No full textGenerative Artificial Intelligence models are Artificial Intelligence models that generate new content based on a prompt or input. The output content can be in various forms, including text, images, and video. Metaverse refers to a virtual world where users can interact with each other, objects and events in an immersive, realistic, and dynamic manner. A critical and foremost step in realizing the Metaverse is content creation for its different realms. Given Metaverse’s need for enormous content, Generative AI is a perfect technology for content creation. This paper explores how Generative AI models can help fulfil the potential of the Metaverse by assisting in the design and production of various aspects of the Metaverse and attracting users not just by creating dynamic, interactive, and personalised content at scale but also by producing various revenue-generating opportunities for users and organisations in the Metaverse. The paper analyses the Generative AI models by grouping them according to the type of content they generate, namely text, image, video, 3D visual, audio, and gaming. Various use cases in the Metaverse are explored and listed according to each type of AI Generated Content (AIGC). This paper also presents several applications and scenarios where the mixture of different Generative AI (GAI) models benefits the Metaverse. Further, this paper also enumerates the limitations and challenges of Generative AI models and the areas of future work. Despite the obstacles, Generative AI can realise the potential of the Metaverse by making it much more functional and interactive owing to the vast use cases of different types of AIGC in the Metaverse, and the age of virtual reality may not be too distant
Lead-Free NaNbO 3 -Based Ceramics for Electrostatic Energy Storage Capacitors
Get PDFThe burgeoning significance of antiferroelectric (AFE) materials, particularly as viable candidates for electrostatic energy storage capacitors in power electronics, has sparked substantial interest. Among these, lead-free sodium niobate (NaNbO3) AFE materials are emerging as eco-friendly and promising alternatives to lead-based materials, which pose risks to human health and the environment, attributed to their superior recoverable energy density and dielectric breakdown strength. This review offers an insightful overview of the fundamental principles underlying antiferroelectricity and the applications of AFE materials. It underscores the recent advancements in lead-free NaNbO3-based materials, focusing on their crystal structures, phase transitions, and innovative strategies devised to tailor their electrostatic energy storage performance. Finally, this review delineates the prevailing challenges and envisages future directions in the realm of NaNbO3-based electrostatic energy storage capacitors, with the goal of fostering further advancements in this pivotal field
Charting sustainable urban development through a systematic review of SDG11 research
Get PDFThe Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 underscores the imperative of creating inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities and communities by 2030. Here we employ bibliometric techniques to assess the evolving landscape of SDG11 research. Using a comprehensive dataset of over 21,000 scholarly publications, we investigate publication trends, thematic focus areas, authorship patterns, keyword co-occurrences and citation networks related to SDG11 research. The results reveal a consistent increase in research output, reflecting the growing global interest in urban sustainability studies. We identify influential authors, organizations and countries shaping the research landscape, highlighting existing global collaborative networks and emerging research hubs. Core thematic areas emphasize critical topics and interdisciplinary connections. Citation networks underscore the impacts of disseminating research outputs, including seminal works. This study offers insights for policymakers, academics and practitioners to align their collective efforts toward sustainable, inclusive and climate-resilient urban development. Moreover, it advances SDG11 by noting opportunities for further research, knowledge dissemination and international collaboration
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