scholarly journals Cholera in the Era of COVID-19 Pandemic: A Worrying Trend in Africa?

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oloche Owoicho ◽  
Priscilla Abechi ◽  
Charles Ochieng’ Olwal
Keyword(s):  
Worrying Trend

‘The Democracy of Conversation’: The Panel and the Public Sphere

2005 ◽  
Vol 116 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Harrington
Keyword(s):  
Public Sphere ◽  
Focus Groups ◽  
News Media ◽  
Lived Experiences ◽  
Media Environment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Fundamental Part ◽  
News Program ◽  
The Public Sphere ◽  
Worrying Trend

If news is a fundamental part of the public sphere and ideals of democracy, then continuing assertions about the public's lack of engagement with its topics is a worrying trend. However, much of this worry may be conflated by a lack of understanding about both the lived experiences of audiences (particularly youth audiences) and the news media environment more generally. This paper examines The Panel, a Ten Network ‘new’ news program which appears to have a significant deal of power in the mediatised postmodern public sphere. Through its discursive format, and by making news more comprehensible and interesting, the program is able to increase the potential for everyday ‘rational-critical’ debate at the heart of the public sphere (Habermas, 1989: 117). This theory is examined here through the use of interviews with members of The Panel's production team and focus groups conducted with youth audiences.

Children, seen and heard: a descriptive study of all children (aged 12 years and under) referred for acute psychiatric assessment in Tallaght University Hospital over a 10-year period

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
E. Maguire ◽  
K. Glynn ◽  
C. McGrath ◽  
P. Byrne
Keyword(s):  
Female Gender ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Suicidal Thoughts ◽  
Chi Squared ◽  
Mental Health Difficulties ◽  
Self Harm ◽  
Worrying Trend ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Objectives: A review of the literature demonstrates that relatively little is known about acute psychiatric presentations in children (0–12 years), compared with adolescents or young adults (12 years+). This study aims to review psychiatric presentations of children to a CAMHS Liaison Service at Children’s Hospital Ireland (CHI) at Tallaght University Hospital over a 10-year period. Methods: A retrospective study was undertaken of case notes of all children aged 12 years and under who were referred to the CAMHS Liaison Service between January 2009 and December 2018 (n = 318). Data were anonymised and inputted into SPSSv25 for analysis. The relationships between presentations and methods of self-harm over time were measured using Pearson’s correlation. Associations between categorical variables were analysed using chi-squared tests. Results: There was a significant increase in presentations of under-12s over the 10-year period (r(8)=0.66, p = 0.02). There was also a significant increase in children presenting with a disturbance of conduct and/or emotions over time (r(8) = 0.79, p < 0.001). There was a significant association between female gender and ingestion (X2 = 12.73, df = 1, p < 0.05) and between male gender and ligature as a method of self-harm (X2 = 5.54, df = 1, p < 0.05). Over half (53%) of children presented with suicidal thoughts and 22% presented with suicidal behaviours. The reported use of ligature as a method of self-harm emerged only from 2012 among cases studied. Conclusions: Children aged 12 years and under are presenting in increasing numbers with acute mental health difficulties, including suicidal thoughts and behaviours. There is a worrying trend in methods of self-harm, particularly in high lethality behaviours such as attempted strangulation.

Holistic Biodiversity Conservation in the Anthropocene: A Southern African Perspective

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 76-99
Author(s):  
W. D. Lubbe ◽  
Louis J. Kotzé
Keyword(s):  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Holistic Approach ◽  
Central Hypothesis ◽  
African Perspective ◽  
Global Biodiversity ◽  
Governance Institutions ◽  
Global Law ◽  
Worrying Trend ◽  
Biodiversity Governance

In the Anthropocene the loss of biodiversity is set to become increasingly critical. Our law and governance institutions have been unable to halt this worrying trend. One of the reasons for this regulatory deficiency is that global law and governance pertaining to biodiversity are fragmented. In response to the need for a greater integration of law and governance directed at the protection of an integrated biosphere and as a measure to counter fragmentation, we argue that global biodiversity law and governance should be based on the connectivity conservation approach. While the debate about connectivity could occur in various geographical contexts, we focus for our present purposes on regional biodiversity governance in Southern Africa. It is our central hypothesis that adopting a holistic approach to biodiversity conservation in this region might go a long way towards preventing the human encroachment on biodiversity that typifies the Anthropocene.

Electronic cigarettes: weighing up the evidence

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 288-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Cope
Keyword(s):  
Smoking Cessation ◽  
Young People ◽  
Replacement Therapy ◽  
Nicotine Replacement Therapy ◽  
Tobacco Smoking ◽  
Electronic Cigarettes ◽  
Potential Harm ◽  
Cautious Approach ◽  
Worrying Trend ◽  
Limited Period

Electronic cigarettes have been evaluated and assessed as a smoking cessation tool; however, as Graham Cope explains, a more cautious approach may be needed and users should be made aware of the potential harm of these devices Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have been evaluated to assess their safety and value as a smoking cessation tool. They were deemed to be a safer alternative to tobacco smoking. The vapour emitted was regarded as harmless and that society's attitudes should change to encourage these devices into everyday use, and therefore the regulations should be relaxed to assist the decline of tobacco smoking. However, a more cautious approach argues that nicotine replacement therapy should be used first, and only after that fails should smoking e-cigarettes, known as vaping, be done at low strength and for a limited period. Users should be made aware that nicotine from e-cigarettes could be harmful and the increasing use of attractive forms of vaping by young people is a worrying trend.

Mobile Devices and the Prevention of Human Rights Violations

2021 ◽  
pp. 553-572
Author(s):  
Ikbal Maulana
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Human Rights Violations ◽  
Ordinary People ◽  
Worrying Trend ◽  
Multiple Categories

With mobile devices always in their possession, users can report breaking events, including the violation of human rights perpetrated by states. Mobile devices have given ordinary people the power to acquire and produce any information, which in turn make power more dispersed than before, reducing the power of the states. However, there is a worrying trend, namely, the increasing number of human rights violations by ordinary people. Since human rights violations by a mob are difficult to stop and the violations of human rights have grown out of prejudices, it is better to prevent the spread of prejudices as early as possible. It can be done by counter-mobilization of alternative narratives, and promotion of public awareness that anyone has multiple categories. Promoting mutual interdependence between groups will also reduce prejudices.

scholarly journals The 13-year observation of hip fracture in Poland—worrying trend and prognosis for the future

2017 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Wilk ◽  
Michał Skrzypek ◽  
Małgorzata Kowalska ◽  
Damian Kusz ◽  
Bogdan Koczy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hip Fracture ◽  
The Future ◽  
Worrying Trend

scholarly journals Direct-to-consumer genetic testing with third party interpretation: beware of spurious results

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 669-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Horton ◽  
Gillian Crawford ◽  
Lindsey Freeman ◽  
Angela Fenwick ◽  
Anneke Lucassen
Keyword(s):  
Third Party ◽  
Publicly Funded ◽  
Genetic Tests ◽  
Raw Data ◽  
Direct To Consumer ◽  
Athletic Ability ◽  
Disease Risks ◽  
Spurious Results ◽  
Worrying Trend

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests aim to provide insights into issues as varied as ancestry, nutrition, athletic ability and child talent, and some also report on disease risks. DTC companies tend to present their tests as uniformly beneficial, but the quality of the information they provide can be doubtful. Tests often invite people to step between territories, from the consumer in search of ‘fun’ information to potential patient, and the boundaries between these roles become even murkier when individuals explore the raw data from their DTC tests using third-party interpretation websites. We discuss two composite cases from U.K. genetics centres where patients used third party interpretation services to analyse raw data from DTC genetic tests. They then presented to NHS clinical services requesting interventions based on the disease-associated variants found, only to find that these variants were not actually present: their ‘pathogenic results’ were spurious. We highlight the risk of false positives (as well as false negatives) from DTC genetic tests, and discuss whether these cases represent the start of a worrying trend, where publicly funded clinicians and clinical scientists increasingly need to spend time and money investigating genetic results of dubious validity.

scholarly journals Minding the Design Reality Gap

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Azerikatoa Ayoung ◽  
Pamela Abbott
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Rural Ghana ◽  
Gap Closure ◽  
Community Information ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Worrying Trend

This paper focuses on evaluating an information and communication technology (ICT) intervention promoted as a pro-poor telecentre initiative in rural Ghana. Our evaluative tool is the Design Reality Gap (DRG) framework used to analyse the Community Information Centre (CIC) initiative in Ghana. Data were collected through a qualitative multi-site case study. By tracing the linkages between the investment and outcomes, we found a worrying trend of failed implementations and sustainability, although implementers did sustain efforts at planning new initiatives. Based on the findings, we argue that the CIC initiative in Ghana is a failing ICT intervention. We also found that the tailored DRG approach allowed us to tease out the nuances that account for the CICs' status. We conclude by proposing gap closure measures for the failing intervention. This paper contributes to ICT evaluations by demonstrating the utility of the DRG framework in evaluating one of the most significant pro-poor ICT initiatives in lower-to-middle-income communities: telecentres. This research also contributes to the current ICT literature by enhancing our current knowledge about publicly accessible ICT facilities in an under-investigated setting, and further offers an approach to telecentre evaluations in similar contexts inspired by the DRG model.

scholarly journals Extinguishing Spotlights: the Uncertain Future of Cinematic Heritage in London’s Leicester Square

2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-83
Author(s):  
Alexa Raisbeck
Keyword(s):  
Focal Point ◽  
Digital Technologies ◽  
Moving Image ◽  
Holding Companies ◽  
Current Strategy ◽  
Uncertain Future ◽  
Worrying Trend ◽  
Public Demand ◽  
Movie Marketing

London movie theatres have been considered some of the finest palaces to house the moving image. Even the tiles adorning the Northern and Piccadilly lines at Leicester Square tube station depict the iconic film perforations along its platforms. As the focal point of movie marketing, the fetishisation of stars and directors in the numerous film premieres hosted along the red carpets in the square have been recorded and disseminated worldwide via print and broadcast for decades. Today, the huge hoardings (now digitized) still attempt to entice those milling past to venture inside for the latest Hollywood blockbusters. However, as cinema attendance has waned the square has had to respond to the changes in public demand for a wider choice and different kinds of experience. Many of the former cinemas have now been multiplexed; their singular former grandeur stripped in favour of modernist simplicity and choice. Now in a much more worrying trend, parts of the square (including the Odeon West End) are in the process of being fully demolished. Audience demands for variety and spectacle plus industry developments in digital technologies and new trends in experiences such as giant screen formats, 3D films, and more immersive sound have fuelled the need for change to keep up with demand and profit. Using Leicester Square as a case study, this paper will explore the need of cinema holding companies to evolve in an increasing multi-platform era of choice. The question is at what cost to preservation and heritage is this current strategy having on our national and collective cinematic history?

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