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Through the market-based conception of neoliberal performativity, an interlocking set of socio-economic agendas integrate higher education (HE) in state-level systems of production and accumulation. Within the scope of globalism, the capacity to develop competitive human capital emerges as a proxy indicator of achievement amongst institutions of higher learning. Through this elaborate symbolic structure, Japanese reforms aimed at bolstering "global" soft skills, including English, cosmopolitanism, and interculturality, function alongside an ideological arms race to enhance university rankings and individual investment in education. Invoking a Bourdieusian perspective, this conceptual inquiry suggests that stakeholders consider the secondary effects of asymmetrical efforts towards "élite" education, globalism, and world-class attainment, whereby accompanying policy reform propagates hegemony both locally and internationally. Additionally, the emergence of global soft skills as essential cultural capital challenges the supposed meritocracy of Japan's HE system. Indeed, the "effort-based-reward" symbolic contract permeating much of the neoliberal discourse fails to account for the functional reality of class-distinguished taste. From this perspective, valuable cultural resources orientate towards a globally conscious, highly-credentialed middle-class privileged in social, economic, and cultural capital, thereby disadvantaging the majority of learners inevitably excluded from study at prestigious, brand-name universities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractWe propose a new distributional regression model for a multivariate response vector based on a copula process over the covariate space. It uses the implicit copula of a Gaussian multivariate regression, which we call a “regression copula process”. To allow for large covariate vectors the regression coefficients are regularized using a novel multivariate extension of the horseshoe prior. Bayesian inference and distributional predictions are evaluated using efficient variational inference methods, allowing application to large datasets. An advantage of the approach is that the marginal distributions of the response vector can be estimated separately and accurately, resulting in predictive distributions that are marginally calibrated. Two applications of the methodology illustrate its efficacy. The first is the econometric modeling and prediction of half-hourly regional Australian electricity prices. The second is the evaluation of multivariate posteriors in likelihood-free inference (LFI) for a model of tree species abundance. This extends a previous univariate regression copula LFI method for evaluating univariate posteriors. In both applications, we demonstrate that our new approach exhibits a desirable marginal calibration property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis doctoral thesis explores the educational journeys of Japanese learners enrolled in a Top Global University Project college. Drawing on Foucauldian governmentality and grounded in a phenomenological-ethnographic approach, results highlight the pervasive impact of the neoliberal knowledge economy as subjects transition from childhood to adolescence and, finally, “functional” grown-up status. At each stage, the pressures inherent to Japan’s gakureki shakai (“credential society”) mold subjects into entrepreneurial projects, wherein success is synonymous with one’s credentialed resources and economic ­productivity. Here, learners optimize their skills, qualifications, quantifiable achievements, and personal “brands” to meet market demands, gradually enhancing their entrepreneurial selfhood as they transition through education. In doing so, traits rooted in Japanese society—responsibility, harmony, hierarchical meritocracy—merge with neoliberal imperatives, producing a hybrid “small-n” model distinct to the local context. Accordingly, this thesis contributes to Japanese anthropological literature by highlighting how broad economic concepts indigenize and recontextualize within unique socio-cultural frameworks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining worker exposure to hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air at levels exceeding the Permissible Exposure Limits and Recommended Exposure Limits established by the U.S. federal agencies of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), respectively, will continue to be an important part of environmental and occupational health risk assessments. The purpose of this work was to develop a reliable analytical method for rapid and on-site assessments of occupational VOC exposures using field-capable thermal desorption-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TD-GC-MS) instrumentation (i.e. the HAPSITE® ER). The experiments involved in this study included determining TD-GC-MS parameters suitable for efficient analyte separation and quantitation on the HAPSITE® ER, determinations of analyte mass loadings that cause mass spectrometer detector saturations, generation of calibration curves, estimations of the limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs), as well as desorption efficiency and relative response factor repeatability. The LODs using Carbopack™ B and Tenax® TA sampling media were estimated and ranged from 0.2–1.9 ng and 0.045–0.3 ng, respectively. The LOQs using Carbopack™ B and Tenax TA sampling media were estimated and ranged from 1.0–6.3 ng and 0.2–1.1 ng, respectively. We have developed a reliable analytical method for chloroform, benzene, trichloroethylene, and heptane using field-portable HAPSITE® ER instrumentation and Tenax® TA sorbent media. Reliable and accurate methods were developed for chloroform and trichloroethylene using Carbopack™ B sorbent media, however, this particular sorbent hadlow desorption efficiency and insufficient repeatability in relative response factors for many analytes. Our current and ongoing work in determining the uptake rates for analytes on Tenax® TA sorbent media will make the methods described herein applicable for on-site occupational VOC exposure assessments of chloroform, benzene, trichloroethylene, and heptane using either passive or active air sampling techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This critical discourse analysis explores cosmopolitan nationalism as neoliberal reform within East Asian higher education (HE). Placing cosmopolitan nationalism within the Foucauldian genealogical oeuvre, we draw comparisons between Chinese, Japanese, and Korean HE policy to expand the theoretical basis of this emerging framework. Against this background, HE policy draws our gaze towards the tensions inherent to State-level demands for ‘enterprising’ units of human capital, or homo œconomicus. By producing graduates that are simultaneously internationalized and nationally-bound, HE pressures learners to incorporate the de-facto dispositions, skills, and credentials deemed necessary to the global market order. Here, policy maneuvers demonstrate a broadly analogous yet, unique predilection for nationalistic rhetoric during their resistance and accommodation of Western-led neoliberalism. Nonetheless, State responses to said hegemony demonstrate conflicting approaches to the knowledge economy and, for that matter, which citizens are deemed ‘worthy’ of the ‘right kind of’ education. Results indicate that, despite a shared cultural legacy, the socio-political realities of each HE provider engender, to varying degrees, friction between the intended and material outcomes of HE marketization. Thus, we seek to provide greater insight for scholars of educational markets to interpret the forces and mechanisms shaping neoliberal character-building, both regionally and in alternative contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explanations of representation and performance at all levels of language requires an explicit commitment to some contemporary account of cognitive processing. This article describes a biological approach to the mind that is applicable to different levels of language structure including discourse. The Modular Cognition Framework (MCF) provides a basic architecture for researchers to apply: it can function as a starting point for anyone who wishes to contribute their expertise to building a more elaborate psychological account of their own area of human cognition. It draws on much recent theoretical and experimental work and reflects current trends in thinking about cognition. The mind is presented as a collaborative network of functionally specialized systems that interact in an infinite number of ways to solve tasks it is faced with. Any representation that is activated is de facto in working memory. During activation, the mind not only works to solve given tasks: at the same time it builds or adapts current cognitive representations following an Acquisition by-Processing principle. Language engages many or all of the mind’s systems but in all language-related activity it is the conceptual (semantic) system that takes center stage. To some extent, meaningful communication between humans can still be achieved without the engagement of two systems whose specialized functions covers morphosyntactic and phonological structure. However, the engagement of these two does serve to characterizes any ongoing cognitive activity as specifically involving “language.” Although discourse processing does engage coactivation of the morphosyntactic and phonological systems, its core principles are actually enshrined elsewhere in the conceptual system. This means much of the work conducted following constructionist or cognitive linguistics approaches can be reframed as reflecting conceptual principles The MCF aims to facilitate principled, multilevel explanations of language processing, from sentence to discourse and by so doing also provide a vital tool in the interpretation of related brain activity. In this sense it can be described not only as a psychological framework but as a biological one as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adds to the literature on charitable behaviour by analysing the correlates of three types of such behaviour (donating money, volunteering time, and helping a stranger) in a global sample of 134 countries and 388,602 individuals. We compare the differences in the factors associated with multiple measures of charitable behaviour, using a wide range of individual- and country-level variables. We find important differences across global regions and levels of economic development in these factors. Our findings are relevant for NGOs and charities, in particular in designing funding campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the spring of 2024, 33 members of a group of Gulf War I veterans wounded in depleted uranium (DU) friendly-fire incidents were seen at the Baltimore VA Medical Center for surveillance related to their combat exposure. The cohort was assessed with a protocol which includes exposure monitoring for total and isotopic uranium (U) concentrations in urine and a comprehensive assessment of health outcomes including measures of bone metabolism and bone mineral density (BMD). An audiometry examination of the cohort was added to assess for acoustic trauma and toxic metal effects in this surveillance episode marking over 30 years since this exposure event. Elevated urine U concentrations were detected in cohort members with retained DU shrapnel fragments. In addition, a measure of bone resorption, N-telopeptide, determined in urine, exhibited a significant increase in the high DU sub-group. In addition, and similar to our previous surveillance report, a significant decrease was found in bone mass in the high DU sub-group compared to the low DU sub-group. It has been 30 years since the first surveillance visit occurred. An aging cohort of military veterans continues to demonstrate few U-related adverse health effects in known target organs attributed to U toxicity exposure. The new finding of impaired BMD in older cohort members has now been detected in three consecutive surveillance visits. This is a biologically plausible outcome related to the diminished bone mass in those with an elevated DU burden in combination with advancing age. The accumulating U burden derived from fragment absorption over time and the effect of aging on bone mineral loss recommends that our surveillance efforts need to continue. Our findings enable early detection of bone effects and other signs of target organ insult, which may occur when tissue injury thresholds are reached in the future and thus, permitting indicated medical management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the neoliberal vision for free-market capitalism, discourses validating meritocratic competition reproduce homo œconomicus, narrowly self-interested human capital seeking to maximise its economic utility. Against this background, juku, Japan's network of for-profit, deregulated shadow education institutions, eases educational transitions for enterprising citizens seeking advantage within the nation's highly competitive exam and graduate recruitment systems. However, while 'rational' investments in juku aid neoliberal biographical projects (youth→adolescence→adulthood), they do so through panoptic systems of tension and accommodation, with pivots to individualistic self-interest producing docile entrepreneurs of the self. More damagingly, 'agentive' and 'rational' decisions to engage with juku anchor to transmissible cultural patrimony, creating opportunities to blame those who, through no fault of their own, lack the financial means to self-commodify within Japan's enterprise society. The association between economic output and entrepreneurial selfhood shapes notions of 'worth' in increasingly neoliberal terms. Thus, only by relating juku investment to its social origin may we appreciate the corrosive impact of economic liberalisation on Japan's learning ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: First medical contact for patients with sepsis often initiates in the prehospital setting, yet limited studies have explored the EMS sepsis recognition-mortality relationship. Racial and ethnic minority patients often have worse sepsis outcomes, yet the role of prehospital recognition in this inequity has not been explored. Our objective was to describe prehospital sepsis recognition and hospital mortality, with analysis by patient race and ethnicity. Methods: Using linked EMS and hospital records from the 2021 ESO Data Collaborative, we retrospectively analyzed 9-1-1 EMS transports for adult patients with emergency department ICD-10 sepsis diagnosis codes. EMS sepsis recognition was defined as a primary or secondary sepsis impression, use of an electronic health record specialty sepsis form, or a prehospital sepsis alert. We used multivariable logistic regression to assess the association between EMS sepsis recognition and hospital mortality, adjusting for age, sex, race and ethnicity, scene socioeconomic status, and documented clinical characteristics: altered mental status, hypotension, tachypnea, tachycardia, fever. We conducted a secondary analysis of patients who were positive for the quick sequential organ failure assessment (qSOFA) using first prehospital vital signs. Results: We analyzed 20,172 records for EMS-transported patients with diagnosed sepsis. Overall, 8% of patients were Black, 8% were Hispanic, and 72% were White. Prehospital sepsis recognition was 18%. Prehospital sepsis recognition was similar across racial and ethnic groups (Black: 17.2%, Hispanic: 17.4%, White: 18.1%) and adjusted odds of sepsis recognition did not differ between racial and ethnic groups. Overall mortality was 11% (2,186). Prehospital sepsis recognition was associated with a 18% reduction in adjusted odds of mortality (OR: 0.82, 95% CI: 0.70-0.94). Of patients who were qSOFA positive in the field (n = 2,168), EMS sepsis recognition was 32% and was similar across race and ethnicities. Adjusted odds of mortality were 0.68 (95% CI: 0.53-0.88) when sepsis was recognized in the prehospital setting. Conclusion: EMS identified sepsis in fewer than one in three patients even after limiting to those positive for qSOFA, without differences by race and ethnicity. EMS sepsis recognition was associated with reduced odds of mortality; however, Black patients remained at greater odds of death suggesting additional factors that warrant investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development has gender equality as one of its primary objectives. Although many countries have implemented policy changes aimed at addressing gender inequality, the issue of limited access to employment opportunities for women remains prevalent. This study investigates (1) the underlying beliefs held by hotel managers regarding the hiring of women, (2) the role of different pressures in increasing women participation, and (3) potential conflicts between policy reforms and manager beliefs. Three studies on the hospitality sector in Egypt were conducted using a mixed-methods approach. The first study involves interviews with 32 managers, the second is a quantitative analysis of data from 200 managers, and the third consists of in-depth interviews with 20 experts. Our findings demonstrate: (1) thirteen key female-hiring beliefs, which inform hotel managers' hiring decisions; (2) perceived policy pressures play a significant role in the hiring of more women, but managers' attitudes remain the most important determinant; and (3) four conflicts between policy-level reforms and managerial beliefs may arise, attenuating female hiring. This research creates a scenario-based model and proposes potential remedies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This conceptual study examines the neoliberal knowledge economy as a dimension of globalisation policy within East Asian higher education. In exploring the practice of linguistic instrumentalisation, this inquiry aims to demonstrate the influence of English on the hereditary reproduction of social class. Calling on the theories of Pierre Bourdieu and Michel Foucault, this inquiry explores the interplay between one's hereditary and ultimate class membership and how proficiency in English mediates this hierarchy. Reinforced by a doxic knowledge of the 'entrepreneurial' credential ladder, aptitude in English represents a 'weapon' of empowerment (symbolic capital), used to certify and signal global readiness. Nevertheless, the meritocratic 'freedom of choice' leitmotiv supporting neoliberal governmentality fails to rationalise not only the class-conscious capitals that enable foreign language education but the ideological agendas that inhibit agency in such a manner as choosing English remains contingent rather than free. Given the economic benefits associated with EFL proficiency, this inquiry foregrounds inherited social class within its analysis, moving towards a deeper engagement with the socio-economic dimensions of foreign language education and the processes by which education is (further) reduced to strengthening pre-existing power relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Naltrexone is a mu-opioid receptor antagonist increasingly used as an analgesic for chronic pain at low doses. This retrospective, observational cohort study was conducted at an academic medical center to evaluate low-dose naltrexone (LDN) efficacy and describe its use in routine clinical practice. Adults receiving LDN, doses <10 mg for ≥1 month, seen at an outpatient pain clinic from January 1, 2014 to April 1, 2022 were included. The primary outcome was change in the Pain, Enjoyment of Life, and General Activity (PEG) score after LDN. Thirty-one patients were included. Median age was 50 years and 71% were female. Median duration of pain at baseline was 5 years. Mean PEG scores were 7.27 ± 1.39 and 6.62 ± 2.04 at baseline and follow-up, respectively. Mean difference was 0.66 (95% CI [0.10–1.21], p = 0.022). Eighty-seven percent (27) of patients discontinued LDN, 52% (16) for lack of benefit, 23% (7) for loss of benefit, 10% (3) for side effects, and 3% (1) for other reasons. Seven (23%) reported side effects. LDN was associated with a statistically significant reduction in PEG in adult chronic pain patients, however the clinical significance is unclear as over 75% of patients discontinued LDN due to lack of benefit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals in the kink community often report difficulty with finding affirming mental health care. Similarly, providers often report having limited knowledge of how best to support sexual diversity. This study highlights difficulties faced by kink individuals seeking clinical care and how providers can be more affirming. The current study utilized Delphi methodology to elucidate what clients with kink identities need from clinicians and the therapeutic environment. The study consisted of perspectives from 12 leaders in the kink community from across the United States. The culmination of their input is outlined and organized into five themes: Client Needs, Awareness and Understanding, Kink Client's Perceptions of Therapists, Therapist Education & Training, and Client's Perceptions of Therapy. These themes guide recommendations for practice that may be utilized in clinical training and guide clinical self-reflection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With internationalisation continuing at an ever-increasing pace, Japan incentivises student mobility via study abroad (SA) programmes in the hope of cultivating the global human resources necessary for future economic growth. Against this background, proficiency in English emerges as a dominant linguistic and epistemic model, increasingly viewed as prerequisite to high-level employment. Seeking to address the sociological foundations of this practice, this inquiry incorporates 'Western' philosophical perspectives with Japanese academic voices to explore the market-driven imaginaries driving Japanese SA. Regarding behaviour, pressure falls on Japanese SA participants to follow implicit socialisation rules, whereby avoidance of co-national sojourners holds the potential to undermine deeply-held ways of being. Concerning learning, it is shown that, while ostensibly multicultural, the Japanese State maintains a preference for English when describing 'the further development of Japan as a nation', reinforcing essentialist-culturalist interpretations of SA and, indeed, foreign language. Finally, discourses surrounding post-sojourn benefits suffer from a lack of clarity and unrealistic targets that, in turn, subtly produce an informal-and, for many, unpayable-social debt between actor and state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Euclidean Discus Toss is an active and tactile learning activity that models the extended Euclidean algorithm with a frisbee relay. The extended Euclidean algorithm involves both iterative and recursive programming and is regularly taught throughout the mathematics and computer science curricula. The Euclidean Discus Toss invites students to toss and catch frisbees in a collaborative and hands-on effort designed to sharpen modular arithmetic skills, enhance familiarity with iterative and recursive algorithms, and strengthen classroom community. The activity is fun, low-stakes, and can be customized to meet a variety of pedagogical objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents several activities suitable for a transition to proofs course. In addition, this article surveys literature in support of active learning in the transition to proofs course and discusses how these activities have been successfully implemented in one such course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Traditions within development thought sceptical of market-led development and which emphasise the unevenness and instabilities of global capitalism are experiencing some renewed interest. One such tradition is dependency studies: a school of thought once prominent in the field of development. We critically review the dependency tradition alongside a more recent branch of critical inquiry into development, namely decoloniality. One of our core contributions is to clarify what makes the decolonial tradition substantially distinct from dependency and other traditions in development thought. We locate decoloniality in the context of the "cultural turn" that swept through social theory from the 1970s. Our paper problematises decoloniality's critique of Modernity as inherently colonial and oppressive and finds that its core features are idealism and the strong risk of cultural relativism. We assert that the substantive commitments of the dependency tradition are its strength and reject the equivalence drawn by decolonial theorists between "Eurocentrism" and belief in Enlightenment values and methodologies. Drawing on the work of Samir Amin, we emphasise the need for development theory to retain an analytic focus on a materialist analysis of global capitalism; we echo Amin's critique of culturalism and endorse his defence of universalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key to effective generic, or "black-box," variational inference is the selection of an approximation to the target density that balances accuracy and speed. Copula models are promising options, but calibration of the approximation can be slow for some choices. Smith, Loaiza-Maya, and Nott (2020) suggest using tractable and scalable "implicit copula" models that are formed by element-wise transformation of the target parameters. We propose an adjustment to these transformations that make the approximation invariant to the scale and location of the target density. We also show how a sub-class of elliptical copulas have a generative representation that allows easy application of the re-parameterization trick and efficient first order optimization. We demonstrate the estimation methodology using two statistical models as examples. The first is a mixed effects logistic regression, and the second is a regularized correlation matrix. For the latter, standard Markov chain Monte Carlo estimation methods can be slow or difficult to implement, yet our proposed variational approach provides an effective and scalable estimator. We illustrate by estimating a regularized Gaussian copula model for income inequality in U.S. states between 1917 and 2018. An Online Appendix and MATLAB code to implement the method are available as . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As global neoliberalism continues to take root, States aim to produce linguistically-skilled human capital to gain an advantage within highly-competitive market conditions. With this relationship in view, English language proficiency constitutes a 'rational' educational pathway for national and personal-level success within an outwardly meritocratic knowledge economy. Yet, in Japan, as in many other locales, English has been accused of strengthening pre-existing power relations. Accordingly, this inquiry draws on Bernstein's pedagogic device, to address the nested fields of production, recontextualisation, and reproduction shaping educational practice. Regarding production, normative OECD discourses framing essential key competencies favour an epistemic hierarchy privileging the orthodoxy of free-market capitalism. Through unequal pedagogic reform, meanwhile, the recontextualisation of regulatory discourse limits valued forms of knowledge to learners attending prestigious mass-market institutions. This, in turn, holds implications for reproduction. Through recognition and realisation, the classification and framing of English as a 'valid' knowledge privilege students from middle-class households. The appropriation of English as a 'rational' contact point for global communication, business, and finance thereby risks obfuscating the socio-economic order determining its practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the initial seven patients treated with nebulized ketamine for moderate to severe pain, via breath-actuated nebulizer, in an urban, ground-based emergency medical services (EMS) system. Ketamine for analgesia in the emergency setting has become widespread over the past decade. The addition of a non-parenteral, inexpensive, and well-tolerated ketamine delivery option is extremely desirable. We believe these initial data demonstrate promising pain reduction coupled with minimal side effects, indicating a potential role for nebulized ketamine in EMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transcription is an integral part of much qualitative data analysis, yet rarely has it received close attention in debates over the use (or non-use) of computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS). This article draws upon a mixed-methods study that involved transcribing conversational interviews with carers, third sector practitioners and policy-makers, to explore how computer assisted transcription software (CATS) can affect data and its analysis in ways unanticipated at the outset by researchers. From an agential realist perspective, the article outlines three steps towards making principled choices over the use (or non-use) of CAQDAS in qualitative data analysis. These steps require navigating extremes associated with technological determinism; that we re-think our understandings of the software-data-researcher relationship; and that we move away from asking how well a given CAQDAS can 'perform' and towards exploring what a given CAQDAS can (and cannot) do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the Mars Transportation Assessment Study, NASA and the U.S. Department of Energy are performing analyses and generating concepts for crewed nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) missions to Mars. This paper presents the results of trade studies and concept development for the nuclear electric power system, consisting of the fission reactor, radiation shielding, power conversion, heat rejection, and power management and distribution (PMAD). The nuclear power team completed trade studies to evaluate different reactor and power conversion technologies and developed preliminary concepts for the crew shielding, waste heat radiators, and PMAD. The initial results suggest that a modified terrestrial microreactor combined with supercritical CO2 Brayton conversion could be used to perform the crew and cargo missions with satisfactory performance and modest risk. The paper includes preliminary development strategies that could bring the NEP technology to fruition for Mars missions in the late 2030s or early 2040s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common effort for both military and civil healthcare is to achieve knowledge-based health care in cold weather injuries and fatal accidents in harsh arctic environment. The Cold Weather Operations Conference in November 2021, having more than 300 participants from 20 countries, was addressing the prevention and treatment of injuries and trauma care in cold weather conditions and the challenges for military prehospital casualty care. The intention of the programme was to stimulate further research and systematic knowledge-based clinical work. The abstracts from the conference present cold weather research and clinical experience relevant for readers of the International Journal of Circumpolar Health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare professionals frequently communicate complex medical information among colleagues and students. This paper aims to determine gaps in healthcare professionals' presentation skills and identify barriers to improving. Eighty-eight individuals at a Midwest Academic Medical Center completed a survey that consisted of three parts: (1) respondents' current presentation slide deck, (2) respondents' perceptions of their current presentation skills, and (3) barriers to and motivations for improving their presentation skills. A mixed-methods approach was used to collect and analyze data. Respondents used bullet points and text the most (74%), and videos the least in their presentations (51%). When assessing respondents' perceptions of their current presentation skills, they rated themselves the lowest as a storyteller (median = 6/10) and as an overall presenter (median = 6/10). The biggest barrier reported was "lack of training on best practices" (58%). Respondents reported "interested in improving" and "enhance opportunities" as their main motivations for improving presentation skills. Four themes emerged from the open-ended survey items: Practical tips and best practices, Ability to communicate effectively, Professional development, and Practice opportunities. Effective presentation skills should be included in every healthcare professionals faculty development curriculum. This is especially crucial for junior faculty members to ensure their continued success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives. Written benefit finding is known to improve psychological and physical health in a range of patient groups. Here, we tested the efficacy of written benefit finding, delivered online during the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, on mood and physical symptoms. We also investigated perseverative thinking as a moderator of these effects. Design. A quantitative longitudinal design was employed. Main Outcome Measures. Participants (n = 91) completed self-report measures of anxiety, depression, stress and physical symptoms at baseline, and two weeks after being randomised to complete three consecutive days of writing about the positive thoughts and feelings they experienced during the pandemic (written benefit finding) or to unemotively describe the events of the previous day (control). State anxiety was measured immediately before and after writing. Perseverative thinking was measured at baseline. Results. Anxiety and depression symptoms decreased between baseline and the two week follow-up, but did not differ significantly between the two conditions. Perseverative thinking was negatively associated with changes in symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress, but did not moderate any writing effects. There was a significant reduction in state anxiety in the written benefit finding condition. Conclusions. Written benefit finding may be a useful intervention for short-term improvements in wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs) are a collection of chronic pain syndromes that often co-occur and are thought to share underlying nociplastic pathophysiology. Since they can manifest as seemingly unrelated syndromes they have historically been studied in isolation. Use of International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes in medical records has been proposed as a means to identify and study trends in COPCs at the population level, however validated code sets are needed. Recently, a code set comprising ICD-10 codes as proxies for 11 COPCs was validated. The goal of this project was to validate a code set composed of ICD-9 codes for the identification of COPCs in administrative datasets. Data was extracted using the Electronic Medical Record Search Engine at the University of Michigan Health System from January 1st, 2011 to January 1st, 2015. The source population were patients with one of the candidate ICD-9 codes corresponding to various COPCs. Natural language searches were used as a reference standard. If code sets met a pre-specified threshold of agreement between ICD-9 codes and natural language searches (≥ 70%), they were retained and diagnostic accuracy statistics were calculated for each code set. Validated ICD-9 code sets were generated for 10 of the 11 COPCs evaluated. The majority had high levels of diagnostic accuracy, with all but one code set achieving ≥ 80% specificity, sensitivity, and predictive values. This code set may be used by pain researchers to identify COPCs using ICD-9 codes in administrative datasets. COPCs share underlying nociplastic etiology; it is important to distinguish these from other pain etiologies to better understand their prevalence, identify comorbid conditions, and understand trends in their pharmacologic management. COPCs have historically been under-recognized and -studied due to challenges with identifying them in administrative datasets. A validated code set for identifying COPCs in administrative datasets using ICD-10 codes exists, however this limits any longitudinal studies as ICD-10 coding was not fully implemented until 2015. This study used natural language searches to validate a set of ICD-9 codes for identifying COPCs. Code sets were able to be validated for 10 of 11 COPCs with high specificity, sensitivity, and predictive values. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been hypothesized that circulating concentrations of estradiol during the preovulatory period, can impact subsequent progesterone concentrations. Ovulation was synchronized in nonlactating beef cows (n = 53). Cows that exhibited estrus before gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-induced ovulation (d 0) had greater (p<.01) peak concentrations of estradiol compared with cows that did not express estrus (11.5 ± 0.8 vs. 6.2 ± 0.6 pg/mL), respectively, but there was no difference in ovulatory follicle size (p=.80) or interval from GnRH2 to ovulation (p=.23). Circulating concentrations of progesterone during luteal formation (d 3–7; p=.70 and p=.77) or mid-luteal phase (d 8–14; p=.39 and p=.12) were not affected by elevated periovulatory estradiol or an interaction with day. To investigate the direct influence of estradiol on luteal function, ovulation (d 0) was synchronized in nonlactating beef cows and cows were allocated to three groups (control, n = 5; vehicle injection, n = 4; or an estradiol antagonist (Fulvestrant; ICI 182,780), n = 4. Intrafollicular injection of vehicle (100 µL) or an estradiol antagonist (25 μg Fulvestrant in 100 µL) into the largest follicle occurred on d –2. Concentrations of estradiol increased (p<.0001) from d –2 to 0 but did not differ among groups (p>.50). Furthermore, plasma concentrations of progesterone on d 0 through 20 were not affected by treatment (p=.86). These results indicate that elevated preovulatory estradiol before ovulation was not required to prepare granulosa cells for luteinization or subsequent luteal progesterone secretion but did tend to impact luteal lifespan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the role of cognitive skills on labor market outcomes in 14 developed countries. In contrast to standard Mincer-type regressions, we utilize a structural modeling approach that can take into account different types of skills on different economic outcomes. The results, based on data from the OECD PIAAC project, provide strong evidence that the income returns to adult cognitive skills are substantially large across the OECD, net of education, occupational status, gender and family background. However, the size of these effects, particularly in comparison with returns to education, vary greatly across countries. While in all countries examined education is strongly associated with cognitive skills, those skills translate into more prestigious occupations and higher incomes in countries that can be tentatively described as more innovative, as well as have less stratified educational systems. We discuss potential explanations for this, which can serve as a basis for further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ketamine use has increased recently for the management of acute and chronic pain. Ketamine can cause a variety of neuropsychiatric adverse effects, such as hallucinations, dysphoria, and nightmares. The objective of this study was to explore risk factors for the development of neuropsychiatric adverse effects in ketamine-treated pain. This was a retrospective, single-center cohort study of hospitalized patients who received low dose intravenous (IV) ketamine or oral ketamine for pain. Patients who had a neuropsychiatric adverse effect were compared to those who did not. One hundred and seventy-one patients were included, with 155 receiving IV ketamine and 16 receiving oral ketamine. Overall, 50 (29.2%) had a neuropsychiatric adverse effect and 26 (15.2%) required treatment discontinuation. No significant differences were found between patients who tolerated ketamine and those who did not. Patients who had an adverse effect were numerically less likely to receive benzodiazepines (28% vs 39.7%, p = 0.153), as were patients who required discontinuation of ketamine (23.1% vs. 41.4%, p = 0.08). In patients receiving ketamine for pain, predicting who may be more likely to experience neuropsychiatric adverse effects remains difficult. Further research is warranted to determine whether benzodiazepines are safe and effective for mitigating these adverse effects in this setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the management of cancer related pain, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) publishes the Adult Cancer Pain guideline on an annual basis. However, a large majority of oncology patients still report inadequate pain control. Single-center, retrospective cohort study of adult patients admitted for uncontrolled pain or pain crisis between 3/1/19 and 06/30/20 were assigned to cohorts of either adherent or non-adherent to NCCN guideline recommendations for management of pain crises based on their initial opioid orders. Patients must have reported a pain score >/= 4 and received at least one dose of opioids within 24 hours upon admission. The length of stay (LOS), pain scores, and naloxone administration were compared between both groups. Patients in the adherent group had a shorter median LOS (3.7 days [range: 1 to 18.93] vs 5.4 days [range: 1.45 to 19.64 days], p = 0.04). Patients that received lower doses than recommended had longer LOS compared to adherent group (6.1 vs. 3.7 days; p = 0.009). When adjusted for confounders, this significance did not remain. The lowest reported pain score within 24 hours of admission was lower in the adherent group (median 3 vs 4, p = 0.04). Predictors of LOS included opioid tolerance and a pain or palliative care consult. Adherence to NCCN guidelines for acute pain crisis management in adult patients with cancer remains poor. Patients who received guideline adherent initial opioid regimens demonstrated a trend toward a shorter LOS. Opioid-tolerant patient outcomes remain inadequate; appropriate pain management for these patients need to improve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Capsaicin is a topical pain reliever that has been evaluated by randomized controlled trials (RCTs) as a potential adjunctive therapy for treating unmitigated fibromyalgia. Therefore, a review of English articles using PubMed and Embase was conducted from January 1, 1990 to February 9, 2022 in order to evaluate the utility of capsaicin for improvement of sleep quality and fatigue associated with fibromyalgia. The search terms included: "fibromyalgia" and "capsaicin". Articles included were RCTs evaluating capsaicin in adult patients with fibromyalgia. Two studies met criteria and included 175 patients that received either capsaicin or placebo for an average total treatment length of 5 weeks. The treatment outcomes assessed were changes in quality of sleep and fatigue by several standardized modalities. These include visual analog scale (VAS) of sleep quality and fatigue, fatigue severity scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and global subjective improvement. Both studies demonstrated no changes in sleep quality, but one study did find a significant difference in global subjective improvement. This same study also found a significant improvement in fatigue. Consequently, this existing evidence is insufficient to warrant recommending capsaicin as adjunctive therapy for improvement in sleep quality and fatigue. Future studies regarding capsaicin therapy for fibromyalgia are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black Consciousness (BC) has inspired many individuals and political formations since the formation of the South African Student's Association (SASO) in 1968. We argue that BC, as articulated in the writings of Steve Biko, is beset with internal contradictions and ambiguities, and its limits are revealed in the concrete attempts to realise a politics of "Black solidarity" and the affirmation of "Black values." We engage in a comparative historical analysis of two moments in which BC was prominent in South African politics namely the late 1960ʹs and 1970ʹs and during 2015–16 within the RhodesMustFall (RMF) student movement at the University of Cape Town. In each case, those claiming fidelity to BC were inevitably forced to ground their politics in something other than "Blackness." Moreover, the way the internal contradictions of BC theory are overcome become shaped by particular historical circumstance and available political options. While Biko's generation were afforded opportunities to engage and contribute to various currents of the broader anti-Apartheid liberation movement, contemporary South African social dynamics, where progressive forces are mute and reactionary political currents are on the rise, threaten to turn the politics of "Black solidarity" and the affirmation of "Black values" towards regressive ends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses gender inequalities in educational attainment in the Czech Republic from the novel perspective of multiple educational pathways, which are primary channels of study involving at least two educational transitions (secondary and tertiary) with qualitatively different tracks. We estimate gender gaps in the attainment of six major educational pathways in the Czech Republic across 9 five-year birth cohorts covering the full span of the communist period and the educational expansion of the post-communist period. Our results confirm that gender gaps have increased in recent cohorts, but that these gaps have remained relatively modest in size. The greatest gaps occur in educational pathways involving secondary grammar schools, while gaps involving other tracks of secondary education remain very small. These results suggest that gender gaps in educational attainment in the Czech Republic expose strong gender differences in attendance at secondary grammar schools, in the direction of girls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opioid tapering is an essential clinical tool to utilize for a variety of reasons, including safety and analgesic optimization. The need for individualized regimens reveals a corresponding need for healthcare providers who can actively manage patients throughout the process. Pharmacists have taken on an integral role for achieving success in opioid tapering. This survey was conducted to describe the current opioid tapering practices of pain and palliative care pharmacists. A Qualtrics survey was offered to the Society of Pain and Palliative Care Pharmacist members. The majority (87%) indicated they specialized in pain management. Almost all respondents (98%) reported providing tapering recommendations and 82% reported being involved with patient monitoring throughout the taper. The majority (multiple responses could be chosen) noted that the indication for initiating an opioid taper was due to abuse/misuse (91%), reduced overall efficacy (89%), and adverse drug reactions (78%). The most common follow-up intervals during tapering were weekly (15%), every 2 weeks (22%), and every 4 weeks (44%). This practice-based survey, though small, showed that pharmacists in pain management and palliative care are actively involved in opioid tapering. This survey will hopefully serve as a foundation for continuing research into opioid tapering and the pharmacist's role therein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Cardiovascular and neurocognitive responses to chewing gum have been reported, but the mechanisms are not well understood. Chewing gum after a nitrate-rich meal may upregulate the reduction of oral nitrate to nitrite and increase nitric oxide (NO), a molecule important to cardiovascular and neurocognitive health. We aimed to explore effects of chewing gum after a nitrate-rich meal on nitrate metabolism (through the enterosalivary nitrate-nitrite-NO pathway), endothelial function, blood pressure (BP), neurocognitive performance, mood and anxiety. Methods: Twenty healthy men (n=6) and women (n=14) with a mean age of 48 years (range: 23–69) were recruited to a randomized controlled cross-over trial. After consumption of a nitraterich meal (180mg of nitrate), we assessed the acute effects of chewing gum, compared to no gum chewing, on (i) salivary nitrate, nitrite and the nitrate reductase ratio (100 x [nitrite]/([nitrate]+[nitrite]); (ii) plasma nitrite, S-nitrosothiols and other nitroso species (RXNO); (iii) endothelial function (measured by flow mediated dilatation); (iv) BP; (v) neurocognitive performance; (vi) mood; and (vii) anxiety. Results: Consumption of the nitrate-rich meal resulted in a significant increase in markers of nitrate metabolism. A significantly higher peak flow mediated dilatation was observed with chewing compared to no chewing (baseline adjusted mean difference: 1.10%, 95% CI: 0.06, 2.14; p=0.038) after the nitrate-rich meal. A significant small increase in systolic BP, diastolic BP and heart rate were observed with chewing compared to no chewing after the nitrate-rich meal. The study did not observe increased oral reduction of nitrate to nitrite and NO, or improvements in neurocognitive performance, mood or anxiety with chewing compared to no chewing. Conclusion: Chewing gum after a nitrate-rich meal resulted in an acute improvement in endothelial function and a small increase in BP but did not result in acute effects on neurocognitive function, mood or anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is little evidence about "what works" in police training. The good news is that training evaluations are becoming more common. As we build this evidence base, we need to explore the factors that predict whether officers are receptive to the training programs they complete. We advance a theory of officer training motivation and receptivity that provides a useful framework for training evaluation and test it using survey data from a group of officers randomly assigned to a long-term, social interaction training program. The results demonstrate that trainees' internal locus of control was associated with their motivation to train. In turn, training motivation was associated with receptivity to the training (i.e., training satisfaction and perceived skill acquisition). Additionally, officers' evaluations of supervisor organizational justice were positively associated with perceived skill acquisition. We conclude the paper by discussing avenues for future refinement and testing of the theoretical framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The size of one's support network is positively related to health and well-being. It is therefore important to understand this association in people with Type 1 diabetes, as this could inform interventions. Moreover, the type of support (emotional, instrumental, informational) offered likely varies by gender of both the person seeking support and offering support. We thus examine the relationship between the composition of (perceived) social support networks and well-being in a sample of 121 persons with Type 1 diabetes. Design: An egocentric social network survey, combined with survey measures. Main outcome(s): The size and composition of support networks and well-being. Measures: Participants indicated the type of support individuals in their contact network offered and their gender, alongside measures of perceived social support and well-being. They indicated which individuals offered which types of support (emotional, instrumental, informational). Results: Perceived support was associated with the actual size of the emotional support network. Further, the size of the emotional support network was associated with well-being. Using multilevel models we examined assortment by gender in social support networks. Compared to women, men were more inclined to list the opposite gender as support, especially for emotional and informational support. Conclusion: Mapping out an individual's multidimensional support network paints a more complete picture of support than single item measures of support. We therefore recommend relying on a social network methodology to gain a more complete understanding of support networks. The findings highlight that an association exists between emotional network size and wellbeing. Given the potential implications of this finding for the quality of life of diabetes patients, it is important to establish the causality of this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Providing care for people with dementia can be a highly stressful profession. Hair Cortisol Concentration (HCC) levels have been used as a biological marker for HPA axis activity to demonstrate that informal caregivers of people with dementia could be vulnerable to chronic stress. The current study aimed to progress the findings of research conducted with informal caregivers and is the first study to assess HCC as a biological indicator of stress in professional carers of people with dementia. HCC levels were compared between 32 professional dementia caregivers (30 females with a mean age of 45.83 and 2 males with a mean age of 24.50), 45 employees working in higher education settings (42 females with a mean age of 38.66 and 3 males with a mean age of 31.89) and 88 undergraduate students (67 females with a mean age of 24.04 and 21 males with a mean age of 23.91). Analysis of HCC was used to assess HPA axis activity over 1 month. A one-way ANCOVA, with age and gender being included as covariates, revealed that higher levels of HCC were observed in professional dementia carers than people who worked within higher education settings and undergraduate students. The results indicated that professional dementia caregivers may experience stress to the extent of activating biological stress responses at a greater frequency in comparison to people who work in higher education and undergraduate students. However, no significant differences were observed in the perceived stress levels reported across dementia caregivers, professionals working in higher education, and undergraduate students. These findings highlight the requirement to ascertain the extent to which work-related tasks or other factors, specific to the profession of caring for people with dementia, could elicit heightened HPA stress reactivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand the combined and individual effects of a group of antecedents on customers' satisfaction with dining experiences in ethnic restaurants, and to understand the effect of experience satisfaction on the tendency to extend the experience. An online survey was administered to 473 customers who had previously dined at an ethnic restaurant in Muscat. The results confirmed the efficacy of the antecedents in influencing experience satisfaction, with the most impactful being communicative staging of the service-scape, followed by authenticity perception, then substantive staging of the service-scape, and finally subjective knowledge. These relationships, apart from authenticity perception, were moderated by the level of food neophobia among customers. In addition, customer satisfaction with the dining experience was positively associated with experience extension intention. This study provides evidence for the importance of the identified factors in influencing customer dining experiences in the context of ethnic restaurants. Theoretical and practical implications have been offered to complement the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The view that actions are bodily movements, also known as corporealism, was much discussed in the latter half of the twentieth century, but now commands fewer adherents. The present paper argues that earlier proponents of corporealism missed the crucial feature of actions that tells in favour of actions being bodily movements. Focusing on this crucial feature provides us with the resources for responding to arguments against corporealism and in favour of alternative accounts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored a strength-based, anti-poverty program called Pathway of Hope (POH) of the Salvation Army based on the data that was collected from 11 focus groups consisting of 30 service users and 32 service providers in 2017. The results of the qualitative content analysis found four main categories for creating a pathway of hope: (a) case manager as a personal coach and spiritual accompanist; (b) goal attainment in the POH process; (c) relationship between hope and barriers; and (d) regional coordinator's modeling role for case managers. Implications for service delivery in social work practice and future research suggestions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Conclusion poses a number of cross-cutting questions, and explores the ways in which the Special Issue has addressed them. The questions are: (1) Is de-Europeanisation in European foreign policy-making simply an 'internal' process? (2) Is de-Europeanisation a tactic or a trend? (3) Is de-Europeanisation in European foreign policy-making just 'politics'? (4) Is de-Europeanisation about capacity, or about legitimacy? (5) How does de-Europeanisation relate to the potential costs and risks of European foreign policy? (6) Is de-Europeanisation a one-way street? In addressing these issues, the article identifies a number of potential areas for further research relating to the forms, processes and implications of de-Europeanisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite food insecurity being a key policy priority for aid organisations and governments around the world, the effects of remittances on food insecurity in low- and middle-income countries are largely unknown. Using data from the 2014–15 waves of the Gallup World Poll, and the first global experiential measure of food insecurity, we examine the impacts of receiving domestic, international, and both (domestic and international) remittances on individual-level food insecurity in 92 low- and middle-income countries. We estimate a series of endogenous multinomial treatment effects models, using both two-stage residual inclusion and maximum simulated likelihood methods. Results show domestic and international remittances have differential impacts on the probability of being food insecure. Controlling for endogeneity, we find that domestic, international, and combinations of both remittances decrease food insecurity. However, international remittances have a much greater impact than domestic remittances. Results also show heterogeneous effects of remittances across economic development rankings, where remittances provide greater protection against experiencing food insecurity in lower-income countries than in middle-income countries. These findings highlight the importance of migration and remittance flows as mechanisms for reducing food insecurity. This has potentially important policy implications for those seeking to reduce global hunger to achieve the SDG targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a new semiparametric distributional regression smoother that is based on a copula decomposition of the joint distribution of the vector of response values. The copula is high-dimensional and constructed by inversion of a pseudo regression, where the conditional mean and variance are semiparametric functions of covariates modeled using regularized basis functions. By integrating out the basis coefficients, an implicit copula process on the covariate space is obtained, which we call a "regression copula." We combine this with a nonparametric margin to define a copula model, where the entire distribution—including the mean and variance—of the response is a smooth semiparametric function of the covariates. The copula is estimated using both Hamiltonian Monte Carlo and variational Bayes; the latter of which is scalable to high dimensions. Using real data examples and a simulation study, we illustrate the efficacy of these estimators and the copula model. In a substantive example, we estimate the distribution of half-hourly electricity spot prices as a function of demand and two time covariates using radial bases and horseshoe regularization. The copula model produces distributional estimates that are locally adaptive with respect to the covariates, and predictions that are more accurate than those from benchmark models. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used 2016–2017 data from San Jose, California to examine the nature, distribution, and correlates of racial/ethnic disparities in traffic stops made by the San Jose Police Department (SJPD).1 We employed multiple second and third generation benchmarks to assist in understanding whether drivers of color were, among other things, disproportionately stopped by the SJPD and how those findings may have differed across benchmarks. Using traffic citations as a proxy for driving behavior, we also tested the proposition that minorities, but not White drivers, may alter their driving behavior during the daytime, which could affect the validity of the Veil of Darkness approach for estimating stop disparities. Finally, we examined whether officer race may condition the assignment of fault in vehicle crash investigations and thereby bias traffic crash-based benchmarks. We found some support for both propositions – citation rates for Black and White drivers diverged during daylight hours, suggesting the Black drivers may have altered their driving behavior to avoid attention from the police, and Hispanic officers were less likely to issue citations to Hispanic drivers, although other officer-driver race dyads showed no evidence of same-race leniency. Implications of our findings for stop disparity research are discussed, and suggestions are made for future researchers to consider. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deep neural network (DNN) regression models are widely used in applications requiring state-of-the-art predictive accuracy. However, until recently there has been little work on accurate uncertainty quantification for predictions from such models. We add to this literature by outlining an approach to constructing predictive distributions that are "marginally calibrated." This is where the long run average of the predictive distributions of the response variable matches the observed empirical margin. Our approach considers a DNN regression with a conditionally Gaussian prior for the final layer weights, from which an implicit copula process on the feature space is extracted. This copula process is combined with a non-parametrically estimated marginal distribution for the response. The end result is a scalable distributional DNN regression method with marginally calibrated predictions, and our work complements existing methods for probability calibration. The approach is first illustrated using two applications of dense layer feed-forward neural networks. However, our main motivating applications are in likelihood-free inference, where distributional deep regression is used to estimate marginal posterior distributions. In two complex ecological time series examples, we employ the implicit copulas of convolutional networks, and show that marginal calibration results in improved uncertainty quantification. Our approach also avoids the need for manual specification of summary statistics, a requirement that is burdensome for users and typical of competing likelihood-free inference methods. for this article are available online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Guidance and evidence to support best practices in rotating between gabapentinoids is lacking. This retrospective cohort study was performed to describe and evaluate strategies for rotation. Patients rotated while admitted from June 1st, 2014 to April 25th, 2020 at a large, academic medical center were included. The primary outcome was the proportion of rotations using a direct switch strategy compared to a cross-taper strategy. Secondary outcomes were successful rotation, defined as stable or improved pain scores pre- to post-rotation, dose ratios, and adverse effects. A total of 67 patients were included. Median age was 50 years (35 − 59) and 58% (38) were male. The majority used a direct switch strategy (87%). Ninety-five percent of patients using the direct switch strategy and 78% of patients using the cross-taper strategy were successful. There was no difference in strategies between those who were successful and those who were not. Post hoc analysis of patients with normal renal function (eGFR ≥ 50 mL/min/1.73 m2) found that those who were successful were more likely to have used a direct switch strategy (p = 0.048). There were no differences in adverse effects. These findings suggest that either strategy is reasonable for gabapentinoid rotation in the inpatient setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]