scholarly journals Two decades of neuroscience publication trends in Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. B. Maina ◽  
U. Ahmad ◽  
H. A. Ibrahim ◽  
S. K. Hamidu ◽  
F. E. Nasr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Accurate Data ◽  
Publication Trends ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Current State ◽  
Neuroscience Research ◽  
Research Environments ◽  
New Policies ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Extract Information

AbstractNeuroscience research in Africa remains sparse. Devising new policies to boost Africa’s neuroscience landscape is imperative, but these must be based on accurate data on research outputs which is largely lacking. Such data must reflect the heterogeneity of research environments across the continent’s 54 countries. Here, we analyse neuroscience publications affiliated with African institutions between 1996 and 2017. Of 12,326 PubMed indexed publications, 5,219 show clear evidence that the work was performed in Africa and led by African-based researchers - on average ~5 per country and year. From here, we extract information on journals and citations, funding, international coauthorships and techniques used. For reference, we also extract the same metrics from 220 randomly selected publications each from the UK, USA, Australia, Japan and Brazil. Our dataset provides insights into the current state of African neuroscience research in a global context.

scholarly journals 20 years of African Neuroscience: Waking a sleeping giant

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
MB Maina ◽  
U Ahmad ◽  
HA Ibrahim ◽  
SK Hamidu ◽  
FE Nasr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Brain Research ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Model Systems ◽  
Depth Information ◽  
Current State ◽  
Neuroscience Research ◽  
Global North ◽  
New Policies ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Work Done

Understanding the function and dysfunction of the brain remains one of the key challenges of our time. However, an overwhelming majority of brain research is carried out in the Global North, by a minority of well-funded and intimately interconnected labs. In contrast, with an estimated one neuroscientist per million people in Africa, news about neuroscience research from the Global South remains sparse. Clearly, devising new policies to boost Africa’s neuroscience landscape is imperative. However, the policy must be based on accurate data, which is largely lacking. Such data must reflect the extreme heterogeneity of research outputs across the continent’s 54 countries distributed over an area larger than USA, Europe and China combined. Here, we analysed all of Africa’s Neuroscience output over the past 21 years. Uniquely, we individually verified in each of 12,326 publications that the work was indeed performed in Africa and led by African-based researchers. This step is critical: previous estimates grossly inflated figures, because many of Africa’s high-visibility publications are in fact the result of internationally led collaborations, with most work done outside of Africa. The remaining number of African-led Neuroscience publications was 5,219, on average only ~5 per country and year. From here, we extracted metrics such as the journal and citations, as well as detailed information on funding, international collaborations and the techniques and model systems used. We link these metrics to demographic data and indicators of mobility and economy. For reference, we also extracted the same metrics from 220 randomly selected publications each from the UK, USA, Australia, Japan and Brazil. Our unique dataset allows us to gain accurate and in-depth information on the current state of African Neuroscience research, and to put it into a global context. This in turn allows us to make actionable recommendations on how African research might best be supported in the future.

French and Spanish Queer Film

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Perriam ◽  
Darren Waldron
Keyword(s):  
Focus Groups ◽  
Sense Of Community ◽  
National Identities ◽  
Audience Research ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
Current State ◽  
Trans People ◽  
Screening Questionnaires ◽  
On Line ◽  
The Uk

This book advances the current state of film audience research and of our knowledge of sexuality in transnational contexts, by analysing how French LGBTQ films are seen in Spain and Spanish ones in France, as well as how these films are seen in the UK. It studies films from various genres and examines their reception across four languages (Spanish, French, Catalan, English) and engages with participants across a range of digital and physical audience locations. A focus on LGBTQ festivals and on issues relating to LGBTQ experience in both countries allows for the consideration of issues such as ageing, sense of community and isolation, affiliation and investment, and the representation of issues affecting trans people. The book examines films that chronicle the local, national and sub-national identities while also addressing foreign audiences. It draws on a large sample of individual responses through post-screening questionnaires and focus groups as well as on the work of professional film critics and on-line commentators.

Conceptualizing and Measuring Affective and Cognitive Empathy

2020 ◽  
pp. 8-30
Author(s):  
Ross Buck ◽  
Zhan Xu
Keyword(s):  
Mental States ◽  
Cognitive Empathy ◽  
Emotional Empathy ◽  
Symbolic Communication ◽  
Current State ◽  
Communication Processes ◽  
Neuroscience Research ◽  
Emotion Displays ◽  
Central Nervous Systems

Individual differences in the ability to recognize emotion displays relate strongly to emotional intelligence, and emotional and social competence. However, there is a difference between the ability to judge the emotions of another person (i.e., emotional empathy) and the ability to take the perspective of another person, including making accurate appraisals, attributions, and inferences about the mental states of others (i.e., cognitive empathy). In this chapter, we review the concept of emotional empathy and the current state of the field, including emerging and converging evidence from neuroscience research that emotional and cognitive empathy involve doubly dissociable brain systems. We also discuss emerging literature on the physiological mechanisms underlying empathy in the peripheral and central nervous systems. We then distinguish spontaneous and symbolic communication processes to show how cognitive empathy emerges from emotional empathy during development. Development starts with the prelinguistic mutual contingent responsiveness of infant and caregiver yielding “raw” primary intersubjectivity, then secondary and tertiary intersubjectivity advances with increasing social experience, and finally cognitive empathic abilities expand in perspective taking and Theory of Mind (ToM) skills. We then present an Affect-Reason-Involvement (ARI) model to guide the conceptualization and measurement of emotional and cognitive empathy. We consider emotion correlation scores as a flexible and valid approach to empathy measurement, with implications for understanding the role of discrete emotions in decision making. Finally, we apply this reasoning to recent studies of the role of emotion and empathy in bullying.

Cerro del Hierro, Spain: the largest exposed early Cambrian palaeokarst

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Eduardo Mayoral ◽  
María Eugenia Dies Álvarez ◽  
José Antonio Gámez Vintaned ◽  
Rodolfo Gozalo ◽  
Eladio Liñán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Mediterranean Region ◽  
Early Cambrian ◽  
Karst Development ◽  
Global Context ◽  
Tectonic Events ◽  
Extensional Tectonic ◽  
Geomorphological Processes ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Regressive Events

Abstract We study the largest exposed example of an early Cambrian palaeokarst, associated with laterites and developed during rifting of the Ossa–Morena Zone. The lithostratigraphy, biostratigraphy, facies and the genesis reflect episodes of sea-level fall (Cerro del Hierro Regression) related to tectonic events and palaeoclimate. This palaeokarst can be primarily considered as the result of early Cambrian polyphase karstification in an extensional tectonic regime, later modified by Neogene–Quaternary geomorphological processes. The event may correlate with other regressive events of a similar age in Spain, Italy, United Kingdom, South America and Australia. This episode also has local names (e.g. Cerro del Hierro Regression in the Mediterranean region; Woodlands Regression in the UK). It is sometimes accompanied by additional karst development outside of Spain that is compared and interpreted in a global context.

scholarly journals New Labour, New Policies: Constructing a Discourse of Citizenship

1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-114
Author(s):  
Keith Crawford
Keyword(s):  
Citizenship Education ◽  
New Labour ◽  
Political Context ◽  
British Society ◽  
Contemporary Society ◽  
Legitimation Crisis ◽  
New Policies ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

The purpose of this paper is examine the development of citizenship education as a curriculum priority within the UK. Employing Habermas' theory of legitimation crisis, the paper places the contemporary enthusiasm for citizenship education within a socioeconomic, cultural and political context. The paper argues that current preoccupations with citizenship education contained in Education for Citizenship and the Teaching of Democracy in Schools (Dfee, 1999), stem from the impact of Neo-Liberal concerns with individualism, economic and technological globalisation and the potential fragmentation of contemporary society. The paper explores the principles of education for citizenship and the teaching of democracy in schools and suggests that, as part of New Labour's developing conception of British society, citizenship education asks some fundamental questions of that society.

scholarly journals Online grocery shopping: promise and pitfalls for healthier food and beverage purchases

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 3360-3376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephanie B Jilcott Pitts ◽  
Shu Wen Ng ◽  
Jonathan L Blitstein ◽  
Alison Gustafson ◽  
Mihai Niculescu
Keyword(s):  
Grocery Shopping ◽  
Nutrition Labelling ◽  
Current State ◽  
Food And Beverage ◽  
Brick And Mortar ◽  
Environment Domain ◽  
Impulse Purchases ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Psychosocial Domain

AbstractObjectives(i) To determine the current state of online grocery shopping, including individuals’ motivations for shopping for groceries online and types of foods purchased; and (ii) to identify the potential promise and pitfalls that online grocery shopping may offer in relation to food and beverage purchases.DesignPubMed, ABI/INFORM and Google Scholar were searched to identify published research.SettingTo be included, studies must have been published between 2007 and 2017 in English, based in the USA or Europe (including the UK), and focused on: (i) motivations for online grocery shopping; (ii) the cognitive/psychosocial domain; and (iii) the community or neighbourhood food environment domain.SubjectsOur search yielded twenty-four relevant papers.ResultsFindings indicate that online grocery shopping can be a double-edged sword. While it has the potential to increase healthy choices via reduced unhealthy impulse purchases, nutrition labelling strategies, and as a method to overcome food access limitations among individuals with limited access to a brick-and-mortar store, it also has the potential to increase unhealthy choices due to reasons such as consumers’ hesitance to purchase fresh produce online.ConclusionsAdditional research is needed to determine the most effective ways to positively engage customers to use online grocery shopping to make healthier choices.

Sustainable development

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 315-330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle C. Brennan ◽  
Alison J. Cotgrave
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Current State ◽  
The Status ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Industry Professionals

Purpose – Despite the surge of interest in construction sustainability and the many Government initiatives encouraging reform in the UK construction industry (CI), the prevalence of sustainable development (SD) in the industry is still largely lagging behind that of other industries. Given the amount of focus and activity identified nationally in this area, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the reasons why this is not being translated into action and to seek counsel from industry professionals as to how they believe change can be achieved with a particular focus on how they believe higher education institutions (HEIs) can contribute. Design/methodology/approach – An explorative, qualitative study using three focus groups was of construction professionals. Findings – Despite a lack of action, many in industry support sustainability and actively attempt to engage in sustainable practices but a number of barriers preclude successful implementation. Government initiatives are having a positive impact, with participants believing that both Government and HEIs are imperative in driving the sustainability agenda forward. Research limitations/implications – Whilst limited in scale, this paper highlights the current state of the CI in relation to SD and evidences that progress is being made albeit slowly. The findings may help both Government and HEIs alongside industry in achieving how this can be overcome. Originality/value – Previous research in this area has generally adopted a quantitative approach. Adopting a qualitative approach provides a more in depth view as to why the status quo remains with regards to SD in the CI.

Building back smarter—part three: placing modular facilities in a resource-limited healthcare system

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (12) ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Isobel Clough
Keyword(s):  
Healthcare System ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Public Institution ◽  
Healthcare Staff ◽  
Current State ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Potential Benefits ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Physical Spaces

Land should be one of the greatest assets of the UK healthcare system, as a result of its large estates portfolio. Howere, the current state of many of the NHS's buildings means that physical spaces are often more of a burden, with maintenance backlogs costing billions. However, as a resource-limited public institution, it is crucial that all investments into NHS infrastructure are as effective and future-proof as possible. The previous two articles in this series have focused on the potential benefits of modular facilities to healthcare staff, services and patients, drawing on case studies of NHS trusts that have implemented modular facilities on their sites. This article, the third and final instalment of this series, discusses the health economic impact of current NHS infrastructure, and explores the ways in which modular facilities could provide a flexible and cost-effective means of expanding capacity and improving services in a resource-limited environment.

scholarly journals Distribution and characteristics of in-patient child and adolescent mental health services in England and Wales

2003 ◽  
Vol 183 (6) ◽  
pp. 547-551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne O'Herlihy ◽  
Adrian Worrall ◽  
Paul Lelliott ◽  
Tony Jaffa ◽  
Peter Hill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health ◽  
Child And Adolescent ◽  
Specialist Service ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Current State ◽  
Specialist Services ◽  
Adolescent Mental Health Service ◽  
Independent Sector ◽  
The Uk

BackgroundLittle is known about the current state of provision of child and adolescent mental health service in-patient units in the UK.AimsTo describe the full number, distribution and key characteristics of child and adolescent psychiatric in-patient units in England and Wales.MethodFollowing identification of units, data were collected by a postal general survey with telephone follow-up.ResultsEighty units were identified; these provided 900 beds, of which 244 (27%) were managed by the independent sector. Units are unevenly distributed, with a concentration of beds in London and the south-east of England. The independent sector, which manages a high proportion of specialist services and eating disorder units in particular, accentuates this uneven distribution. Nearly two-thirds of units reported that they would not accept emergency admissions.ConclusionsA national approach is needed to the planning and commissioning of this specialist service.

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