Monitoring library and information services at Central Scientific Agricultural Library

The findings of monitoring of repertoire of and demand for library and information services (document, reference, bibliographic awareness, cultural and educational services) are discussed. The mentioned services are available through the CSAL website. The types and forms of services are analyzed, their place and demand for them are discussed. The focus is made on the online services providing access of in-house information resources, e. g. e-libraries, e-catalogs, virtual exhibitions, etc. The terminological analysis of services titles as compared to the new national standard of library information services was executed. It was revealed that the services titles meet the standardized terms and definitions. The degrees of demand for difference services are estimated as active, fluctuating and decreasing. To improve library and bibliographic services and information support of science for agro-industrial complex, the authors recommend: to study products and services of unstable and decreasing demand, to load explicit list of services in the Information Services section, to design scientist personal accounts, to make it possible for the users to take part in selecting documents for digitization and to receive e-newsletter on new library acquisitions, etc. The authors conclude that CSAL provide the wide range of library information services which is essential to increase accessibility and friendliness of Library-generated information products, to improve information support of research in agricultural industries. The findings will be used in planning user library and information services. It is imperative that user services are monitored and user demands are analyzed.

Cannabis for the Treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Report of 3 Cases

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic neurobehavioral disorder that is highly prevalent in children and adults. An increasing number of patients with ADHD are self-medicating with cannabis, despite a lack of evidence on efficacy and safety. This case report describes 3 males (ages 18, 22, and 23) who have integrated cannabis into their treatment regimen with positive results. Semistructured interviews conducted with the patients describe subjective improvements in symptoms and on quality of life. Improvements on validated rating scales conducted post-cannabis initiation, compared to pre-cannabis initiation obtained from the medical chart, corroborated their personal accounts. Scores on the PHQ-9 (measuring depression) improved by 8–22 points (30–81%), and the SCARED (measuring anxiety) ranged from 0 to 27 points (up to 33%). Improvements on the CEER-9 scale (measuring regulation) ranged from 2 to 7 points (22–78%), and the 9-item SNAP scale (measuring inattention) showed improvements of 2–8 points (7–30%). Mild adverse events including short-term memory problems, dry mouth, and sleepiness were reported. Blood samples were also collected from the patients to determine the plasma concentrations of the cannabinoids and relevant metabolites before and after a cannabis administration. After cannabis use, the plasma levels for CBD and THC ranged from 0 to 15.29 ng/mL and 1.32 to 13.76 ng/mL, respectively. Cannabinoids, however, were not detected prior to dosing, suggesting that cannabis played a complimentary role in the therapeutic regimen of these 3 patients. Clinical trials are recommended to confirm the efficacy of cannabis in the treatment of ADHD.

“Tomorrow belongs to us”: Pathways to Activism in Italian Far-Right Youth Communities

Based on long-term ethnographic research, this article contributes to the growing scholarship on far-right social movements by presenting an in-depth account of the Italian far-right scene. In presenting personal accounts of three activists and situating them within the milieus in which they are active, it sheds light on a variety of factors that push youth to engage in far-right militancy. Many researchers of far-right extremism have asserted the need to provide more in-depth knowledge on far-right militants, yet there remain important gaps that this article strives to address. First, it demonstrates the value of the ethnographic approach in the study of far right, which offers unique insights into the motivations for involvement and the relations between ideas, beliefs, and practices. Second, it shows the importance of situating present-day activism in a historical context, not only by looking for long-term patterns but also by paying attention to the ways studied actors engage with historical comparisons. Third, in engaging critically with some commonsensical approaches to far-right activists, the paper suggests that ethnographic studies of far-right activism can give us fresh perspectives on broader social phenomena beyond the far right per se.

Reframing Recycling Behaviour through Consumers’ Perceptions: An Exploratory Investigation

Despite the increasing awareness of the consequences of waste, there is no consensus on how and why consumers engage in recycling, making it challenging to design behavioural interventions that might promote recycling, especially in organisational settings. This study is designed to explain consumers’ recycling behaviour and how it differs across contexts, particularly between home and work settings. Using personal accounts of 367 employees from different organisations in the UK, this study explores recycling behaviour at home and work including its motivations and barriers. The findings show that recycling behaviour is different across contexts due to many disparate factors underlying people’s waste generation and recycling behaviours from one context to another. According to the findings, buying and consumption behaviour and waste generation patterns influence the way consumers engage in recycling. The study further demonstrates that contextual factors and individual circumstances are important contributors to consumption behaviour, waste production, and recycling behaviour. While recycling behaviour has been investigated extensively, the findings of this study indicate the need for consumption and waste production patterns to be taken into consideration when designing recycling interventions, enhancing the prospect of a circular economy. This study contributes to theory and practice by associating recycling behaviour with buying and consumption behaviour, including waste generation patterns.

Reflections on Identity in Memoirs of Writers With Aphasia: Lessons Learned on the Path Toward Recovery

Personal stories provide insight into the experience of illness as it intersects with one’s identity. Prior studies by the first author examined identity as manifested in personal accounts of U.S. World War II veterans with and without dementia. The current study examines identity as revealed through written memoirs of middle-aged and older adults who have aphasia, from a cross-section of North American, European, and Australian cultures. The abrupt onset of stroke and associated aphasia, and the subsequent path toward re-engagement in life with an often-chronic communicative impairment, provide a unique window into the nature and evolution of the identity of the writer. The written modality offers an opportunity for reflective formulation that is not afforded to the memoir-writers in their verbal expression. Nineteen memoirs and biographical accounts of individuals with aphasia from a range of primarily individualistic cultures were examined for content reflective of the identity of the author, focused on post-stroke phases of restitution and quest. Primary authors were people with aphasia or rarely their close family member. Some were professional editors, poets or authors. Gender and life backgrounds were varietal. Manifestations of personal identity, its reinforcement, and its evolution were evidenced in: the provision of lessons learned from living with aphasia; content of letters exchanged with friends; engagement with family in life and recovery; fictional and poetic expression; spiritual insight; renewed or altered occupational pursuits; and comments on facing one’s mortality. Findings hold implications for the cross-cultural practice of narrative medicine with the older adult population.

Review of a Decade of Research on Disordered Anderson Localizing Optical Fibers

Nearly a decade ago, transverse Anderson localization was observed for the first time in an optical fiber with a random transverse refractive index profile. This started the development of a whole new class of optical fibers that guide light, not in a conventional core-cladding setting based on total internal reflection, but utilizing Anderson localization, where light can guide at any location across the transverse profile of the fiber. These fibers have since been used successfully in high-quality endoscopic image transport. They also show interesting nonlinear and active (lasing) properties with promising applications. This review will cover a brief history of these fibers with personal accounts of the events that led to their development in our research groups. It will then follow with recent progress and future perspectives on science and applications of these fibers.

Comparison and Evaluation of China’s Urban Social Security Financing System Before and After the Reform

The sustainability of China’s urban social security financing system has recently been seriously questioned. This article divides the financing system’s development into two periods (before and after reform). It compares the capital collection and the distribution and circulation structures and reviews the financing system before and after reform. In this study, we also discuss and explain the ‘empty account’ phenomenon, which severely undermines the financing system’s sustainability. We allege that the money accumulation system adopted after reform, which correlates personal accounts with the social pool, is not running as designed but as a ‘pay-as-you-go’ system. After evaluating the efficiency and cost performance of both periods, testing the financing system’s sustainability and correlating the system during both time periods with economic and social development, we find that the financing systems’ operation after reform corresponds with theories proved by case studies in other advanced states.

The Ground Shifting Beneath Us: Collective Memory of New Zealand's Neoliberal Revolution

<p>This paper explores the collective memory of the neoliberalisation of New Zealand and drastic structural adjustments beginning in 1984 with the election of New Zealand’s Fourth Labour government. Through a cultural sociological analysis of narrative, collected through interviews with both community and voluntary and trade union representatives, use of a cultural sociological understanding of thick description and maximal interpretation reveals how seemingly personal accounts and evaluations take on collective significance. In tracing a path from a collective need for change in New Zealand, to a realisation of the impact of structural adjustment and the collapse of New Zealand’s Labour tradition, this research concludes that the collective memory of this time in New Zealand’s recent history is an ongoing and culturally complex negotiation of collective meaning-making and interpretation. Through an understanding of the collective memory of those who were, and continue to be deeply affected by this period in history, we can begin to understand both the collective impact of neoliberalisation, and the ongoing repair-work needed in New Zealand’s Labour Party, and the Left more broadly.</p>