Search Results (97)

This article examines how metaphors operate in digital media not as descriptive analogies but as structuring forces that shape how technologies are designed, understood, and inhabited. Building on Marianne van den Boomen’s theory of digital material metaphors, it argues that metaphors such as the “desktop,” “cloud,” and “frontier” encode social and ideological assumptions into the infrastructures of computation. These metaphors render digital systems legible while concealing not just the procedural computation that van den Boomen terms depresentation, but the material, ecological, and labour conditions that sustain them. Using my practice-based work c(o)racle, 2025, as a case study, the internet is explored as a metaphorical and material terrain that connects networks of data, water, and craft, interrogating the dominant metaphor of cyberspace as immaterial and untethered, in dialogue with Tim Ingold, Lakoff and Johnson, Henri Lefebvre, and Yuk Hui. Drawing on S. J. Tambiah, Bruno Latour, and Elizabeth Wayland Barber, the essay situates metaphor within broader histories of making and mediation. By activating metaphor as both method and medium, the study proposes a critical reorientation toward digital space as an entangled, situated, and contested environment. Full article

Healthcare providers in oncology experience exceptionally high stress rates. Research emphasizes that stress management programs must be quick to implement, flexible to accommodate demanding schedules, cost-effective, accessible to all staff, and tailored to the needs of oncology personnel. Programs that fail to meet these criteria often struggle with uptake and sustainability. This mixed-methods exploratory study aimed (1) to design an online stress management program, Breathe with the Waves (BWW), based on breathing techniques; (2) to evaluate its acceptability, satisfaction, and relevance; (3) to identify perceived benefits and challenges; and (4) to generate potential outcome measures for future studies. A team of Canadian researchers and end-users co-designed the intervention. Twenty oncology professionals completed BWW, which featured pre-recorded breathing videos, and provided feedback via questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. We used t-tests and Wilcoxon rank tests to analyze quantitative data, and template analysis for qualitative data. Participants found BWW highly acceptable, satisfactory, and relevant. Participants reported three categories of benefits: stress reduction, improved work performance, and increased mindfulness. Challenges included anticipated challenges and experienced challenges. Potential outcome measures fell into six categories: physical health, mental health, relational, work, mindfulness and personal practice. BWW, available in English and French, represents a promising and accessible approach to supporting the well-being of oncology personnel. Full article

Contemporary interpretations of psychedelic spirituality are dominated by the “mystical experience model,” which emphasizes that psychedelics can lead to well-being through bringing about ego dissolution and a unitive mystical experience. Rooted in perennialist and dualist assumptions—often derived from Christian mysticism, Vedanta, and Plotinian Neoplatonism—this framework has shaped both scientific discourse and popular understanding of psychedelic states. However, the mystical experience model is controversial: (1) secular critics consider it as too religious; (2) it is a form of mystical exceptionalism, narrowly focusing on only certain extraordinary experiences; (3) its ontological assumptions include a Cartesian separation between internal experience and external reality and a perennialist focus on ultimate reality; (4) it neglects psychedelic learning processes; (5) in the ritual and ceremonial use of psychedelics, shared intentionality and practices of sacred participation are more important than the induction of individual mystical experiences. This article proposes an alternative and complementary model grounded in theurgy, based on the Neoplatonism of Iamblichus and the participatory ontological pluralism of Bruno Latour. Unlike the mystical experience model, which privileges individual unitary experiences, theurgy affirms ritual mediation, ritual competence, and both individual and collective transformation. Theurgic ritual practice makes room for the encounter with autonomous entities (framed by Latour as “beings of religion”) that are often reported by participants in psychedelic ceremonies. By examining how the theurgic framework can expand our understanding of psychedelic spirituality in a way that is truer to psychedelic phenomenology, especially the presence of autonomous entities, imaginal realms, and the centrality of intention and ritual, this article argues that theurgy offers a nuanced and experientially congruent framework that complements the mystical experience model. Framing psychedelic spirituality through theurgic lenses opens space for a vision of the sacred that is not about escaping the world into undifferentiated unity, but about individual and collective transformation in communion with a living, differentiated cosmos. Full article

Historic urban landscapes, despite their cultural significance, often face neglect, limiting their potential to increase the value of historical centers. Defined as a complex sociotechnical network that involves a variety of agencies incorporating material, immaterial, natural, and artificial elements, these landscapes present significant challenges for architects because of their layered and diverse components. Actor–network theory (ANT) is used as a methodological and ontological framework to address this complexity. However, a notable research gap exists on the basis of the lack of clear representation and practical application of ANT to address the complexity of these historic urban landscapes. To bridge this gap, this study uses Bey’s palace as a case study to develop a comprehensive framework based on a digital mapping approach rooted in ANT. This framework traces, visualizes, and analyzes historic urban landscapes as intricate systems of agencies, leveraging graph theoretical algorithms and computational analysis tasks from network analysis tools to increase their effectiveness. This investigation is based on two key concepts: the actor/actant and the actor network. The research employed Bruno Latour’s concepts of translation, agency, and the mapping controversies technique grounded in graph-theoretic algorithm tasks to decipher the complexities of Bey’s palace system. The results identify seven clusters as actor networks and highlight the roles of key actors/actants, such as Ahmed Bey, decorative elements, courtyard gardens, and Moorish architecture. This methodological approach provides architects and urban planners with practical tools to better understand, analyze and preserve historic urban landscapes, enriching their cultural and historical value. By transforming contested discourses into measurable networks indicators, this interdisciplinary framework directly supports SDG11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), especially Target 11.4, in safeguarding cultural heritage by enabling the prioritization, monitoring and governance of cultural, social and infrastructural assets in historic urban landscapes. Full article

Background/Objectives: Family-centred care is key in neonatal practice, yet parents’ and staff’s research experiences are understudied. This study aims to explore their perspectives to improve inclusiveness, communication, and effectiveness in future neonatal research design and implementation. Methods: This embedded qualitative study, conducted within the Right vEntricular function applicability in a Prediction mOdel to identify pReterm infanTs with early BronchoPulmonary Dysplasia (REPORT-BPD) feasibility study, employed a qualitative descriptive design. The sample included 10 healthcare professionals, evenly split between medical and nursing backgrounds, and 10 parents, equally distributed between mothers and fathers of preterm infants enrolled in the REPORT-BPD study. Data were collected through audio-recorded semi-structured interviews, then transcribed into Word, and imported into NVivo 14 for thematic analysis by three researchers. Results: The following four main themes were developed from 11 sub-themes that were initially extracted: (1) Trust and Assurance in the Study, reflecting the overall trust between parents and staff, emphasising its perceived study’s safety and minimal impact on the infant. (2) Emotional and Psychological Considerations, highlighting the emotional landscape of parents, including their anxieties, stressors, and support systems that help ease their concerns. (3) Communication and Engagement, underscoring the importance of effective communication and engagement between researchers and study participants. (4) Value from Participation and Constructive Feedback, capturing the dual focus on the value participants gain from their involvement in the study, and their constructive suggestions. Conclusions: This study highlights trust, communication, and emotional impact in neonatal research, emphasising ethical, family-centred design to improve engagement and recruitment in future studies. Full article

Background/Objectives: Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a chronic lung disease affecting preterm infants, often resulting in prolonged neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stays and significant parental stress. The experiences of parents navigating their preterm infant’s early NICU journey are important to support clinical trials to improve infant outcomes. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore parental perceptions of their infant’s health progression during the first 10 days of life through personal diary entries and their correlation with the echo scans assessments, as part of the Exploring Right vEntricular function applicability in a Prediction mOdel to identify pReterm infanTs with early BronchoPulmonary Dysplasia (REPORT-BPD) feasibility study. Methods: An embedded qualitative design was employed, utilising thematic analysis of 17 parent diaries. Parents of preterm infants (<32 weeks of gestation) admitted to a NICU documented their daily experiences. Thematic analysis was applied to ensure a rigorous, inductive examination of emerging themes. Findings: Four main themes were identified: (1) developing parent–infant relationships, highlighting the emotional impact of separation and the significance of bonding; (2) health and well-being of premature infants and family, reflecting parental vigilance, cautious optimism, and emotional distress; (3) parents navigating support and the NICU environment, describing challenges related to medical procedures, communication with staff, and adapting to a highly technical setting; and (4) emotions and protective gestures, illustrating parental resilience, coping mechanisms, and the innate drive to protect their child. Conclusions: Parental experiences in the NICU were shaped by emotional turmoil, uncertainty, and the need for support in navigating their infant’s care. Diaries provided an effective means for parents to express their experiences; they could serve as a communication tool in clinical trials to provide a deeper understanding of the development of the recruited preterm infants. Full article

This article offers a critical reading of the fishing neighbourhood of Paramos, located on the northern coast of Portugal, through a methodological approach that combines documentary photography and cognitive cartography. The study investigates the relationships between identity, landscape, and power within a territory marked by spatial fragmentation, symbolic exclusion, and functional indeterminacy. By means of a structured visual essay supported by field observation and interpretive maps, Paramos is examined as a liminal urban enclave whose ambiguities reveal tensions between memory, informal appropriation, and control devices. Drawing on authors such as Lefebvre, Augé, Hayden, Domingues, Foucault, and Latour, the article argues that the photographic image, used as a critical tool, can unveil hidden territorial logics and contribute to a more inclusive and situated spatial discourse. Full article

Recent national and international emergencies have repeatedly highlighted the role of information, and local information in particular, in synthesising various social and cultural policies proposed by public authorities and providing a correct representation of the living conditions of citizens on the ground, overcoming national media logics that are often based on the speed and spectacularisation of disasters. In fact, citizens have an “innate need” to know what is happening beyond their direct experience, to be aware of events that affect them or that are not happening in front of their eyes. A sociographic approach can be a supportive methodology to remember victims and report on disasters, but also to reconstruct new narratives by socially anticipating future environmental emergencies with the support of the media. Sociography as social narrative weaves together scientific analysis and journalistic storytelling, an old qualitative method that needs to be rediscovered, updated and integrated with new tools and methods. In this study, disaster narratives and analyses are supported by visual journalistic sources. In part, it takes up the gauntlet that Bruno Latour throws down to sociologists in Down to Earth, arguing that the latter should shift the focus of inquiry from theoretical analyses of social problems to descriptions of the existence of problems in experimental contexts, local shared spaces and common practices. This paper considers the description of (and within) the journalistic field as a methodological problem, examines the strengths and limitations of existing descriptive approaches and develops a different way of using a sociographic imagination in an attempt to make sense of changing journalistic practices with reference to specific Italian crisis events. Full article

Viral infections remain a major concern, as existing treatments often yield inadequate responses or lead to the development of antiviral resistance in some cases. Fucoidan extracted from Undaria pinnatifida (F) is a natural sulphated polysaccharide that exhibits antiviral action. Despite its potential, the biomedical application of F is limited due to its difficult administration through trans-mucosal, skin, or oral ingestion. The most effective way to solve these problems is to propose novel methods of administration aiming to ensure better contact between the biopolymers and pathogens, leading to their inactivation. In this work, the synthesis of films based on chitosan (Ch)-coupled F is reported, aiming to generate a synergic effect between both biopolymers in terms of their antiviral and antioxidant capability. Biocomposites were prepared by a sonochemical method. They were characterized to infer structural properties, functionality, and possible F-Ch interactions by using Zeta potential, FTIR, and XRD techniques. The biocomposites showed excellent film-forming ability. They also exhibited improved antioxidant activity with respect to F and Ch individually and proved to be non-cytotoxic. These results demonstrate, for the first time, the antiviral activity of F:Ch biocomposites against bovine coronavirus and human viruses (adenovirus, poliovirus, herpes simplex, and respiratory syncytial virus), which could be applied in film form to prevent or treat viral infections. Full article

Biodegradable materials are currently one of the main focuses of research and technological development. The significance of these products grows annually, particularly in the fight against climate change and environmental pollution. Utilizing artificial biopolymers offers an opportunity to shift away from petroleum-based plastics with applications spanning various sectors of the economy, from the pharmaceutical and medical industries to food packaging. This paper discusses the main groups of artificial biopolymers. It emphasizes the potential of using genetically modified plants for its production, describing the primary plant species involved in these processes and the most common genetic modifications. Additionally, the paper explores the potential applications of biobased polymers, highlighting their key advantages and disadvantages in specific context. Full article

Background/Objectives: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) presents significant diagnostic and prognostic challenges, as current biomarkers frequently fail to accurately stage disease, predict rapid metastatic recurrence (rPDAC), or assess response to neoadjuvant therapy (NAT). We investigated the potential for circulating neoplastic-immune hybrid cells (CHCs) as a non-invasive, multifunctional biomarker for PDAC. Methods: Peripheral blood specimens were obtained from patients diagnosed with PDAC. CHCs were detected by co-expression of pan-cytokeratin and CD45, normalized to 50,000 peripheral blood mononuclear cells. rPDAC was defined as metastatic recurrence within six months of margin-negative pancreatectomy. Cyclic immunofluorescence (CyCIF) analyses compared hybrid phenotypes in blood and tumors. Results: Blood samples were collected from 42 patients with PDAC prior to resection. Those with radiographically occult metastatic disease and rPDAC had higher preoperative CHC numbers compared to patients who did not (65.0 and 74.4, vs. 11.52 CHCs; p < 0.001). Patients with complete or near-complete pathologic responses to NAT had lower preoperative CHC numbers than partial and/or non-responders (1.7 vs. 13.1 CHCs; p = 0.008). When assessed longitudinally, those with partial pathologic response saw CHC levels become undetectable while on treatment but increase in the interval between NAT completion and resection. In contrast, patients with poor responses or development of metastatic disease experienced persistent CHC detection during therapy or rising levels prior to radiographic evidence of metastases. Further, in metastatic PDAC patients, treatment-induced phenotypic changes in hybrid cells mirrored those in paired metastatic tumor samples. Conclusions: CHC enumeration and phenotyping display promise as a real-time indicator of disease burden, recurrence risk, and treatment response in PDAC. CHCs have great potential as tumor-derived biomarkers to optimize therapeutic strategies and improve survival in patients with PDAC. Full article

Paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) is a rare, potentially life-threatening haematological disease characterised by chronic complement-mediated haemolysis with multiple clinical consequences that impair quality of life. This post hoc analysis assessed haematological and clinical responses to the first targeted complement C3 inhibitor pegcetacoplan in patients with PNH and impaired bone marrow function in the PEGASUS (NCT03500549) and PRINCE (NCT04085601) studies. For patients with impaired bone marrow function, defined herein as haemoglobin <10 g/dL and absolute neutrophil count <1.5 × 10⁹ cells/L, normalisation of the parameters may be difficult. Indeed, 20% and 43% had normalised haemoglobin in PEGASUS and PRINCE, respectively; 60% and 57% had normalised LDH, and 40% and 29% had normalised fatigue scores. A new set of parameters was applied using changes associated with clinically meaningful improvements, namely an increase in haemoglobin to ≥2 g/dL above baseline, decrease in LDH to ≤1.5× the upper limit of normal, and an increase in fatigue scores to ≥5 points above baseline. With these new parameters, 40% and 71% of PEGASUS and PRINCE patients had improved haemoglobin; 60% and 71% had an improvement in LDH, and 60% and 43% had an improvement in fatigue scores. Thus, even patients with impaired bone marrow function may achieve clinically meaningful improvements with pegcetacoplan. Full article

Childhood critical illness can have long-term effects on families, but the extent and trajectory of recovery for parents are unknown. Using prospective longitudinal design, we describe the health outcomes of parents and their trajectory six months after paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) discharge. Parents reported health outcomes at PICU discharge (baseline), and 1-, 3-, and 6-months post-discharge. We used the Pediatric Quality-of-Life Family Impact Module, Patient Health Questionnaire-4, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist for DSM-5. The group-based trajectory model was used to identify recovery patterns. We included 128 parents of children aged 1 month to 18 years, admitted to the PICU for ≥48 h. Three post-discharge composite health trajectory groups were classified: 54 mild (42%), 68 moderate (53%), and 6 severe (4%). Parents in the mild and moderate groups returned to baseline health within the first 3 months, but those in the severe group exhibited worse outcomes at 6-months. The mean (SD) PICU stay durations for mild, moderate, and severe groups were 9 (16), 7 (10), and 38 (61) days; days of mechanical ventilation were 4 (5), 4 (7), and 18 (25) days; and readmission rates were 12 (22%), 23 (34%), and 4 (66%), respectively. Identifying these trajectories enables novel, targeted interventions for at-risk parents, underscoring the significance of integrated PICU follow-up care. Full article

Anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers (AEMWEs) are attracting growing interest as a green hydrogen production technology. Unlike proton exchange membrane (PEM) systems, AEMWEs operate in an alkaline environment, allowing one to use less expensive, non-noble materials as catalysts for the reactions and non-fluorinated anion exchange polymer membranes. However, the performance and stability of AEMWEs strongly depend on the alkaline electrolyte concentration. In this work, a three-dimensional multi-physics model considering two-phase flow effects is applied to understand the impact of KOH electrolyte concentration and its flow rate on AEMWE performance, as well as on the current and gas volume fraction distributions. The numerical results were compared to experimental data published in the literature. For current densities above 1 A/cm², a strongly non-uniform H₂ and O₂ gas volume distribution could be evidenced by the 3D simulations. Increasing the KOH electrolyte flow rate from 10 to 100 mL/min noticeably improves cell performance for current densities above 1 A/cm². These results show the importance of accounting for the three-dimensional geometry of an AEMWE and two-phase flow effects to accurately describe its operation and performance. Full article