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Dynamic dualism : alterity, knowledge and the movement of cultural revitalization among the Huni Kuin of the Alto Rio Purus in the state of Acre, Brazil
Get PDFThis thesis concerns forms of interaction with Otherness among the Huni Kuin of the Purus in the state of Acre, Brazil. Based on one year of fieldwork doing participant observation along the Purus river, I examine contemporary modes of dynamic dualism in Huni Kuin practice and thinking, focusing on how it expresses itself in movement and action. The key argument that I make is that dualism is a lived and embodied approach to dealing with difference and the reproduction of the Self, rather than something anthropological analysis can infer as if an underlying principle generating social organization, or reveal as if a structuring force behind discourse.
I explore lived dynamic dualism by examining the recent development of the cultural revitalization movement, which is premised upon intensified engagement in, and appropriation of, linguistic, musical, shamanic, artistic and ritual practices and forms of knowledge understood as integrating genuine Huni Kuin culture. Although this movement began elsewhere in the region of Acre, Huni Kuin on the Purus are increasingly participating in its discourse and political objectives. The thesis shows how this movement is not understood as a return to the past, nor as a rejection of the outside world, detailing how the contemporary approach is to seek new partnerships and alliances beyond the local Acrean context, including outside of Brazil.
The chapters follow my interlocutors as they move along the Purus river, their continually evolving understanding of life and approach to the world, the experiences of youths, the significance of music and song, the organization of people in the movement, recent innovations upon shamanic practices. By following the movements of my interlocutors, as they go out into new spaces and social worlds, and return to Huni Kuin places and people, I argue that dynamic dualism is the lived reality of how people move through the world, where the movement toward Otherness implies a return toward the Self, and the movement toward the Self implies a subsequent movement toward Otherness
A viro-immunological model to characterize the antiviral effect of molnupiravir in SARS-CoV-2-infected outpatients : implication for treatment duration
No full textFunding: This work was supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (INV-017335); the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR135366); and the UK Medical Research Council (MR/X004724/1).Background: The antiviral efficacy of molnupiravir against SARS-CoV-2 is controversial. Here, we develop a model integrating viral and immune dynamics to characterize the mechanism of action of molnupiravir in vivo and its impact on viral dynamics, during and after treatment. Methods: We analysed data from the PANORAMIC trial, where 577 outpatients were randomised shortly after symptom onset to receive usual care or molnupiravir for 5 days, and where viral and immunological data were collected for two weeks. We developed a mathematical model that characterized virus/host interaction and accounted for the impact of molnupiravir on viral replication and mutagenesis. The model was used to explore the impact of longer treatment duration. Results: Molnupiravir reduced RNA replication with an efficacy that reached 93% at the end of a five-day treatment. This effect was mediated through two different pathways, one that increased transition mutation frequency, and other that directly inhibited viral production. Accordingly five-day treatment shortened the median time to clearance of both RNA and infectious virus by approximately 2 days. Treatment duration of 10 days could reduce the time to RNA clearance by 5 days and reduce the occurrence of viral rebounds. Longer treatment durations might be needed in case of post-exposure prophylaxis. Conclusions: Our model suggests that molnupiravir acts primarily on viral replication, and does not act specifically on viral infectivity. Longer administration of molnupiravir may reduce rebound rate and shorten time to viral clearance.Peer reviewe
An intervention addressing impostor phenomenon in undergraduate physics and astronomy
Get PDFThe experience of the impostor phenomenon, when a person doubts themselves and believes that they are underqualified and do not belong in a position as a result, can be a challenge for undergraduate physics students. In a small-scale interview study, we found that the impostor phenomenon was frequently reported by physics undergraduates. On this basis, we developed an intervention to target the impostor phenomenon. The intervention had three phases. In the first phase, we introduced key concepts to students, giving them labels for their experiences. In the second phase, we gave students passages which depicted stories of higher-level students who had experienced the impostor phenomenon. We prompted conversation between students on the passages to normalize the discussion around the impostor phenomenon. Finally, in the third phase we asked students to reflect on what advice they would give future students who struggled with the impostor phenomenon. This was to encourage students to think about their own strategies when it comes to dealing with the impostor phenomenon. The intervention was run in class with 279 undergraduate students. The evaluation of the intervention via follow-up interviews was positive. The students spoke about the need for such an intervention and suggested adaptations. This intervention could be a step towards promoting a culture in educational settings where impostor feelings can be discussed openly.Peer reviewe
Brief report of a pilot test of an audit tool for assurance of Declarations of Interest policy in NICE COVID-19 guidance production
Get PDFIntroduction: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) UK helps practitioners and commissioners to achieve high-quality, cost-effective patient care by publishing relevant evidence-based recommendations, including guidelines. These are developed by NICE advisory committees comprising health and care professionals, service users, and their carers. To ensure NICE's independence it has a comprehensive policy on declaring and managing interests for advisory committees. The application of the policy is not straightforward and the aim of this work was to pilot test an audit tool for external assurance of self-declared interests; and to produce methodology with wider applicability for other research and guideline-producing organisations. Methods: A pilot study of adherence to the NICE DOI policy was undertaken. The number and type of DOIs made by the 48 panel members developing the NG191 Managing COVID-19 guideline was assessed, using multiple external sources to check for undeclared interests. DOIs were reviewed from a 6-month period at the height of activity (1 March?31 August 2021). DOIs were checked by assessors (experienced NICE staff involved in application of the DOI policy) against a comprehensive search strategy including multiple public sources (PubMed, Google Scholar, Disclosure, etc.) of information for undisclosed DOIs over the 12 months preceding the member's contribution and the 12 months during which they contributed. Results: There was a total of 126 unique self-declared interests during the 6-month time period and we found a further 280 undeclared interests. Of these 280, 75 were deemed likely to be relevant (27%) but only 10 (4%), would have led to a request for more information from the panel member had it been declared (according to DOI policy version 1.4 in place at that time). The team considered that 7 of the undeclared interests would have led to exclusion from decision-making had they been known (3% of the undeclared interests). All related to academic output. Discussion: This pilot provided useful insight into NICE DOI policy compliance. The methodology needs further testing and development for wider, routine contexts. A digital version of the audit tool would enable routine, more efficient audit of declarations of interest. This study was an important quality assurance exercise from which we have been able to propose methodology that can be automated and widely adopted.Peer reviewe
Time-periodic generalised solitary waves with a hydraulic fall
Get PDFFunding: J.S. acknowledges support from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council [EP/V012479/1].In an open channel flow, deviations to the lower topography can induce abrupt changes in the wave height, known as hydraulic jumps. This phenomenon occurs when the flow switches from subcritical to supercritical (or vice versa), and is commonly observed in rivers, flumes and weirs. Theoretical insight is typically sought through the study of reduced models such as the forced Korteweg–de Vries equation, in which previous work has predominantly focused on either stationary formulations or the initial transient behaviour caused by perturbations. In a joint theoretical and numerical study of the free-surface Euler equations, Keeler & Blyth (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 993, 2024, A9) have detected a new class of unsteady solutions to this problem. These emerge from an unstable steady solution, and feature large-amplitude time-periodic ripples emitted from a sudden decrease in the water depth forced by topography, known as a hydraulic fall.Non peer reviewe
Weight-bearing pain and implant migration, progressive radiolucencies, radiolucency more than 2 mm and subsidence on radiographs and CT are generally accepted criteria for knee arthroplasty loosening : an international Delphi consensus study
Get PDFFunding: This study was funded by an internal TKI-PPP grant from the Amsterdam University Medical Centre. Allowance made available by Health-Holland, Top Sector Life Sciences & Health, to stimulate public-private partnerships.Purpose: Establishing the diagnosis of loosening in total or unicondylar knee arthroplasty remains a challenge with different clinical and radiological signs evaluated in study designs with high risk of bias, where few or incomplete criteria are formulated for establishing the diagnosis of implant loosening. This study aimed at evaluating the variability between different clinical and radiological criteria and establish a consensus regarding clinical and radiological criteria for the diagnosis of knee arthroplasty loosening. Methods: Highly specialized knee surgeons focusing on revision arthroplasty were invited to take part in an international panel for a Delphi consensus study. In the first round, the participants were asked to state their most important clinical and radiological criteria for implant loosening. In a second round, the panel's agreement with the collected criteria was rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1-5). High variability was defined by receiving at least one score each indicating complete disagreement and complete agreement. Consensus was established when over 70% of participants rated a criterion as 'fully agree' (5) or 'mostly agree' (4). Results: High variability was observed in 56% of clinical criteria and 38% of radiological criteria. A consensus was reached on one clinical (weight-bearing pain [82%]) and four radiological criteria, that is, implant migration, progressive radiolucencies, subsidence and radiolucencies >2 mm on X-ray or computed tomography (CT) (84%-100%). Conclusion: Amongst specialized knee revision surgeons, there is high variability in clinical and radiological criteria that are seen as important contributing factors to diagnosis of knee implant loosening. A consensus was reached on weight-bearing pain as clinical criterion and on implant migration, progressive radiolucencies, subsidence and radiolucencies of more than 2 mm on X-ray or CT as radiological criteria. The variability rates observed, along with the criteria that reached consensus, offer important insights for the standardization of diagnostic protocols. Level of evidence: Level V.Peer reviewe
Chasing sleep physicians : ChatGPT-4o on the interpretation of polysomnographic results
Get PDFBackground From a healthcare professional's perspective, the use of ChatGPT (Open AI), a large language model (LLM), offers huge potential as a practical and economic digital assistant. However, ChatGPT has not yet been evaluated for the interpretation of polysomnographic results in patients with suspected obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Aims/objectives To evaluate the agreement of polysomnographic result interpretation between ChatGPT-4o and a board-certified sleep physician and to shed light into the role of ChatGPT-4o in the field of medical decision-making in sleep medicine. Material and methods For this proof-of-concept study, 40 comprehensive patient profiles were designed, which represent a broad and typical spectrum of cases, ensuring a balanced distribution of demographics and clinical characteristics. After various prompts were tested, one prompt was used for initial diagnosis of OSA and a further for patients with positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy intolerance. Each polysomnographic result was independently evaluated by ChatGPT-4o and a board-certified sleep physician. Diagnosis and therapy suggestions were analyzed for agreement. Results ChatGPT-4o and the sleep physician showed 97% (29/30) concordance in the diagnosis of the simple cases. For the same cases the two assessment instances unveiled 100% (30/30) concordance regarding therapy suggestions. For cases with intolerance of treatment with positive airway pressure (PAP) ChatGPT-4o and the sleep physician revealed 70% (7/10) concordance in the diagnosis and 44% (22/50) concordance for therapy suggestions. Conclusion and significance Precise prompting improves the output of ChatGPT-4o and provides sleep physician-like polysomnographic result interpretation. Although ChatGPT shows some shortcomings in offering treatment advice, our results provide evidence for AI assisted automation and economization of polysomnographic interpretation by LLMs. Further research should explore data protection issues and demonstrate reproducibility with real patient data on a larger scale.Peer reviewe
Location-based games for language learning : a scoping review
Get PDFLocation-based games for language learning is an emerging and innovative domain that has gained momentum over the past twenty years. Such games situate learning in real-world locations, incorporating interactive elements such as collaborative tasks and location-specific prompts, often supported by digital resources like augmented reality. This scoping review maps current research on location-based games for language learning, examining their role in language acquisition, key features of the games and how their effectiveness is assessed. Following PRISMA guidelines, we formulated research questions, identified relevant publications and analysed data from six databases, resulting in 19 included studies. Each study was coded for key characteristics such as data collection methods, intervention types and theoretical frameworks. Our findings show a variety of approaches to implementing location-based games in language learning. While some studies examine their effects on engagement and motivation, others explore language pragmatics and the co-construction of meaning in social interactions. However, inconsistencies in methodological approaches, participant numbers and theoretical underpinnings limit the comparability of findings. We recommend further studies grounded in robust theoretical frameworks across a variety of geographical locations, language learning settings and learner demographics to build on existing work and advance understanding of how location-based games can enhance language learning.Peer reviewe
Encoding choice and replication in roll-π
Get PDFFunding: This research was partially funded by EPSRC EP/T006544/2, EP/N027833/2, EP/N028201/1, EP/T014709/2, EP/Y005244/1, EP/V000462/1, EP/X015955/1, Horizon EU TaRDIS 101093006.Reversible process calculi, such as roll-π, can accommodate fault-tolerant communication protocols. However, untyped process calculi cannot guarantee desirable behavioural properties such as deadlock- freedom. Concomitantly, Multiparty Session Types (MPST) can provide such guarantees by construction, but often do not consider failures. This suggests that, by leveraging both MPST and roll-π, we can facilitate the representation of failures without requiring a significant extension to the MPST theory. However, roll-π lacks choice and replication primitives, which are key features for an MPST-based type system. Nonetheless, its expressiveness allows these constructs to be encoded directly. In this pa- per, we introduce roll-π!⊕, a variant of roll-π that incorporates choice and replication, and outline its encoding in roll-π. This extension lays the foundation for integrating roll-π with MPST
Making the implicit explicit : a structured learning pathway for academic writing in English Medium Instruction
Get PDFIn English Medium Instruction (EMI) contexts, assessing academic writing is often hindered by misalignment between learning objectives and evaluation criteria. Rhetorical awareness and strategic language use are frequently treated as implicit expectations, disadvantaging students unfamiliar with academic genre conventions. This article proposes a structured, genre-based pathway to make these rhetorical and linguistic demands explicit and teachable. The three-step approach includes: (1) introducing academic genres to raise awareness; (2) conducting comparative move analysis to highlight cross-cultural rhetorical variation; and (3) engaging in reflective activities to develop strategic competence and critical thinking. Grounded in cross-cultural genre analysis, this model seeks to align assessment with teaching by integrating language-focused pedagogy into disciplinary instruction. While further research is needed, it offers a practical framework for scaffolding academic writing in EMI settings and supporting students’ linguistic and rhetorical developmentPeer reviewe
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