Month: July 2024

Digital-Public Spaces and the Spiral of Silence: Hyperliberal Illiberalism and the Challenge to Democracy

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Abstract

The digital space has created a new form of public space: one which provides a dangerous blending of public protest, mob justice, and acquiescence. It offers transformative beliefs a voice while mob justice encourages sanctions against (and the erasure of) detractors. This article argues that the digital is not antithetical to the public sphere but has instead generated a ‘false public.’ It argues that hyperliberal illiberalism acts as a form of social control that triggers a Spiral of Silence, an intolerance of opposing ideologies and a fracturing of the public sphere into macro- and micropublics. This article argues for a return to both free expression and meaningful debate which are fundamental to the proper exercise of democracy.

Understanding factual belief polarization: the role of trust, political sophistication, and affective polarization

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Abstract

Political opponents are often divided not only in their attitudes (i.e., ideological polarization) and their feelings toward each other (i.e., affective polarization), but also in their factual perceptions of reality (i.e., factual belief polarization). This paper describes factual belief polarization in the Netherlands around three core issues. Furthermore, this paper examines who are most susceptible to this type of polarization. Analyses on the 2021 Dutch Parliamentary Election Study reveal that citizens hold different perceptions than their political opponents about income inequality, immigration, and climate change. This type of polarization is strongest among citizens who have hostile feelings toward their political opponents and, paradoxically, among those who are highly educated and interested in politics. Trust in epistemic authorities did not mitigate factual belief polarization, perhaps because this trust has itself become politicized. These findings underline that factual belief polarization constitutes a core pillar of political polarization, alongside ideological and affective polarization.

Evaluation of the contribution of individual arteries to the cerebral blood supply in patients with Moyamoya angiopathy: comparison of vessel-encoded arterial spin labeling and digital subtraction angiography

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Abstract

Purpose

Vessel-encoded arterial spin labeling (VE-ASL) is able to provide noninvasive information about the contribution of individual arteries to the cerebral perfusion. The aim of this study was to compare VE-ASL to the diagnostic standard digital subtraction angiography (DSA) with respect to its ability to visualize vascular territories.

Methods

In total, 20 VE-ASL and DSA data sets of 17 patients with Moyamoya angiopathy with and without revascularization surgery were retrospectively analyzed. Two neuroradiologists independently assessed the agreement between VE-ASL and DSA using a 4-point Likert scale (no- very high agreement). Additionally, grading of the vascular supply of subterritories (A1-A2, M1-M6) on the VE-ASL images and angiograms was performed. The intermodal agreement was calculated for all subterritories in total and for the subdivision into without and after revascularization (direct or indirect bypass).

Results

There was a very high agreement between the VE-ASL and the DSA data sets (median = 1, modus = 1) with a substantial inter-rater agreement (kw = 0.762 (95% CI 0.561–0.963)). The inter-modality agreement between VE-ASL and DSA in vascular subterritories was almost perfect for all subterritories (k = 0.899 (0.865–0.945)), in the subgroup of direct revascularized subterritories (k = 0.827 (0.738–0.915)), in the subgroup of indirect revascularized subterritories (k = 0.843 (0.683–1.003)), and in the subgroup of never revascularized subterritories (k = 0.958 (0.899–1.017)).

Conclusion

Vessel-encoded ASL seems to be a promising non-invasive method to depict the contributions of individual arteries to the cerebral perfusion before and after revascularization surgery.

Clinical value of neuroimaging indicators of intracranial hypertension in patients with cerebral venous thrombosis

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Abstract

Purpose

Intracranial hypertension (IH) frequently complicates cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Distinct neuroimaging findings are associated with IH, yet their discriminative power, reversibility and factors favoring normalization in prospective CVT patients are unknown. We determined test performance measures of neuroimaging signs in acute CVT patients, their longitudinal change under anticoagulation, association with IH at baseline and with recanalization at follow-up.

Methods

We included 26 consecutive acute CVT patients and 26 healthy controls. Patients were classified as having IH based on CSF pressure > 25 cmH2O and/or papilledema on ophthalmological examination or ocular MRI. We assessed optic nerve sheath diameter (ONSD), optic nerve tortuousity, bulbar flattening, lateral and IVth ventricle size, pituitary configuration at baseline and follow-up, and their association with IH and venous recanalization.

Results

46% of CVT patients had IH. ONSD enlargement > 5.8 mm, optic nerve tortuousity and pituitary grade ≥ III had highest sensitivity, ocular bulb flattening and pituitary grade ≥ III highest specificity for IH. Only ONSD reliably discriminated IH at baseline. Recanalization was significantly associated with regressive ONSD and pituitary grade. Other neuroimaging signs tended to regress with recanalization. After treatment, 184.9 ± 44.7 days after diagnosis, bulbar flattening resolved, whereas compared with controls ONSD enlargement (p < 0.001) and partially empty sella (p = 0.017), among other indicators, persisted.

Conclusion

ONSD and pituitary grading have a high diagnostic value in diagnosing and monitoring CVT-associated IH. Given their limited sensitivity during early CVT and potentially persistent alterations following IH, neuroimaging indicators can neither replace CSF pressure measurement in diagnosing IH, nor determine the duration of anticoagulation.

Embracing the (r)evolution of social media and digital scholarship in pediatric nephrology education

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Abstract

Free Open-Access Medical Education (FOAMed) has transformed medical education in the past decade by complementing and substituting for traditional medical education when needed. The attractiveness of FOAMed resources is due to their inexpensive nature, wide availability, and user ability to access on demand across a variety of devices, making it easy to create, share, and participate. The subject of nephrology is complex, fascinating, and challenging. Traditional didactic lectures can be passive and ineffective in uncovering these difficult concepts and may need frequent revisions. Active teaching methods like flipped classrooms have shown some benefits, and these benefits can only be multifold with current social media tools. Social media will inspire the involvement of students and allow them to create and share educational content in a “trendy way,” encouraging the participation of their peers and thus building an educational environment more conducive to them while promoting revision and retainment. FOAMed also promotes asynchronous learning, spaced learning, microlearning, and multimodal presentation with a meaningful variation. This article discusses the evolution of digital education, social media platforms, tools for creating and developing FOAMed resources, and digital scholarship.

Yolov4-based hybrid feature enhancement network with robust object detection under adverse weather conditions

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Abstract

Investigations into the behaviour of pedestrians and autonomous driving both frequently employ object detection. It has always been a popular area for research in computer vision and artificial intelligence. Because of the advancement of deep learning, object detectors are improving in accuracy and speed. However, the majority of them struggle to reconcile speed and precision. Because of this, the object detection model employed in this work, which is based on a better You Only Look Once Version 4 (YOLOv4) algorithm, considers both detection accuracy and efficiency. Several different sensor types, including cameras and mmWave (millimetre Wave) radar, are employed to observe the environment. This study employs a YOLOv4-based hybrid feature enhancement network for robust object detection under adverse weather conditions (AWC), utilizing the CRUW dataset. A camera–radar-fused approach that detects things that are cross-supervised by a deep radar object detection network, such as the YOLOv4 algorithm, reduces processing complexity. To correct category imbalance and further boost the robustness of the suggested model, the class-balanced sampling strategy (CBSS) is employed. Python software was employed to analyse the suggested method. In terms of mAP and accuracy, the suggested method is contrasted with the current OD ensemble framework and faster R-CNN methodologies. The suggested method’s accuracy and mAP are higher than those of the other existing methods; as a result, the proposed method’s mAP produces 40% and its accuracy produces 98.7%, respectively. Additionally, the suggested method performs better when classifying the object and detecting it, but it also strengthens the system’s stability and reduces category imbalance.

Image-Based Sexual Abuse Associated Factors: A Systematic Review

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Abstract

Purpose

Image-Based Sexual Abuse (IBSA) is a recently studied form of violence and abuse perpetrated using technology. This systematic review aims to examine and systematize studies exploring factors associated with IBSA (e.g., victimization, perpetration, and propensity to perpetrate).

Method

Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement, 17 articles were included.

Results

The results of this study highlighted conceptual and methodological limitations in the literature on IBSA. Aside from these limitations, this systematic review identified factors associated with IBSA, focusing on four macro-areas: victimization, perpetration, propensity to perpetrate IBSA, and IBSA implications. The results demonstrated the role of psychological, relational, and social variables, although the effect sizes observed in the quantitative studies were small or in few cases moderate.

Conclusions

These results suggest further research should be carried out to explore the multidimensionality of IBSA and its associated factors, which may assist in guiding interventions to promote preventive and rehabilitative methods to lower the prevalence of this crime and its consequences.

Using community-based participatory research methods to build the foundation for an equitable integrated health data system within a Canadian urban context

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Abstract

Health inequalities amplified by the COVID-19 pandemic have disproportionately affected racialized and equity-deserving communities across Canada. In the Municipality of Peel, existing data, while limited, illustrates that individuals from racialized and equity-deserving communities continue to suffer, receive delayed care, and die prematurely. In response to these troubling statistics, grassroots community advocacy has called on health systems leaders in Peel to work with community and non-profit organizations to address the critical data and infrastructure gaps that hinder addressing the social determinants of health in the region. To support these advocacy efforts, we used a community-based participatory research approach to understand how we might build a data collection ecosystem across sectors, alongside community residents and service providers, to accurately capture the data about the social determinants of health. This approach involved developing a community engagement council, defining the problem with the community, mapping what data is actively collected and what is excluded, and understanding experiences of sociodemographic data collection from community members and service providers. Guided by community voices, our study focused on sociodemographic data collection in the primary care context and identified which service providers use and collect these data, how data are used in their work, the facilitators and barriers to data use and collection. Additionally, we gained insight into how sociodemographic data collection could be respectful, safe, and properly governed from the perspectives of community members. From this study, we identify a set of eight recommendations for sociodemographic data collection and highlight limitations. This foundational community-based work will inform future research in establishing data governance in partnership with diverse and equity-deserving communities.

Resilience in the Context of Sexual Violence: A Scoping Review

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Abstract

Purpose

Much attention has been offered to the deleterious health impacts of sexual violence (SV) and for the most part, research has adopted a strengths-based perspective, focusing on resilience after SV. However, this research is hindered by inconsistencies regarding the conceptualization of resilience. The purpose of this study is to address these inconsistencies by parsing out current definitions and measurements of resilience to construct a definition that can be applied universally in SV research.

Method

We conducted a scoping review of three databases following PRISMA guidelines that elucidates an evidence-based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Hand searching of relevant journals and citation chaining were also conducted. We included fifteen empirical studies that were conducted in North America with women-identifying survivors of SV and that centered the concept of resilience. We extracted the following information: a) definitions of resilience, b) assessments of resilience, c) correlates of resilience, and d) interventions to promote resilience.

Results

Our findings suggest there is no uniform definition of resilience. Regarding measures, the Connor-Davidson Resilience scale was the most commonly used. Despite differences in how resilience was conceptualized, resilience was consistently found amongst survivors.

Conclusions

We propose the following definition of resilience: “Resilience is a dynamic, nonlinear socio-emotional process that occurs continuously after SV victimization. It refers to the capacity to cope, adapt to, and construct one’s life after SV in ways that are culturally relevant and guided by the survivor’s own preferences and desired outcomes.” Overall, resilience is a living, breathing, moving concept that can shift in how it manifests over time and look different for each survivor.

Practicing Latinx: queer theory and the deradicalization of Latinx

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Abstract

This essay traces the connections between queer theory and the term “Latinx” to argue that the widespread academic embrace of Latinx has imposed a queer anti-identitarianism onto the term. Arguing that Latinx has become too mainstream, this essay shows how Latinx’s initial gender nonconforming, nonbinary, and trans origins and radical politics have been recuperated and depoliticized to mask and preserve cis-normativity as a hegemonic structure of power in the academy. The essay contends that Latinx would benefit from avowing a selective specificity, rather than queer anti-identitarianism, and from emphasizing the need to practice Latinx politics, instead of merely invoking the term in a nominal move toward inclusivity.