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This paper examines mobile cyberloafing, i.e. the use of phones for non-study purposes among Gen Z students, the first generation of digital natives. Drawing from research on misbehaviour and cyberloafing, we developed and tested a model with moral disengagement and subjective norms as predictors and psychological detachment and cognitive engagement as outcomes of cyberloafing. We also hypothesise that multitasking self-efficacy moderates the relationships between the antecedents and cyberloafing. Data were collected from 254 Gen Z students from a large state university in Europe. The findings show that subjective norms are negatively related to cyberloafing in class, while moral disengagement is positively related to it. In turn, cyberloafing is positively related to psychological detachment and negatively to cognitive engagement. The results also show a significant moderating effect for multitasking self-efficacy. Implications for research and practice are discussed, as well as future research opportunities.

Landscapes have been and are an important aspect of any society, culture, economy and environment. Besides the role of landscape and Landscape Sciences in these arenas, there have been increasingly greater calls to incorporate landscape into the curriculum. Moreover, Landscape Education is beneficial in developing important foundations in students, particularly that of active citizenry. While the benefits of Landscape Education are evident, current research remains focused on Western, especially European, contexts. This article discusses how a leading Singapore public University incorporates Landscape Education within a relatively new module on Toponymy offered in the Linguistics and Multilingual Studies Programme. While the links between Linguistics and a course in Toponymy or even the links between Toponymy and Landscape may not be immediately apparent, an analysis of the content covered in the module demonstrates congruence to existing frameworks and principles in teaching Landscape Education and, at the same time, provides a case in point in interdisciplinarity, drawing from diverse disciplines such as Language, Linguistics, History, Geography, Landscape Sciences, Anthropological Linguistics, among many others. This study provides useful references for educational institutions in incorporating Landscape Education into their curriculum.

This collection of short essays presents and examines six vignettes of organisational change in British, New Zealand and European universities. Drawing on the social studies of economisation literature, formal research projects and auto-ethnographic insights, the authors detail profound changes in how knowledge is produced in universities. They examine policy documents, calculative techniques and management practices to illustrate how proliferating market rationalities, technologies and relations are reimagining university missions, reframing their practices and refashioning their subjects. Their vignettes demonstrate that market-making pressures are emerging from micro-scale socio-technical arrangements as well as altered funding models and external policy imperatives. They reveal the extent and detail of market-making pressures on academic practice in research and teaching. Finding ways to contest these pressures is imperative.

Despite the prevalence of quantitative approaches in applied linguistics (AL) and second language acquisition (SLA) research (Gass, 2009), evidence indicates a need for improvement in analyzing and reporting SLA data (e.g., Larson-Hall & Plonsky, 2015). However, to improve quantitative research, researchers must possess the statistical knowledge necessary to conduct quality research. This study assesses AL and SLA researchers' knowledge of key statistical concepts on a statistical knowledge test. One hundred and ninety-eight AL and SLA researchers from North America and Europe responded to 26 discipline-specific questions designed to measure participants' ability to (a) understand basic statistical concepts and procedures, (b) interpret statistical analyses, and (c) critically evaluate statistical information. Results indicate that participants generally understood basic descriptive statistics, but performance on items requiring more advanced statistical knowledge was lower. Quantitative research orientation, number of statistics courses taken, and frequent use of statistics textbooks had positive influences on researchers' statistical knowledge.

Most studies investigating the health effects of long-term exposure to air pollution used traditional regression models, although causal inference approaches have been proposed as alternative. However, few studies have applied causal models and comparisons with traditional methods are sparse. We therefore compared the associations between natural-cause mortality and exposure to fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO 2) using traditional Cox and causal models in a large multicenter cohort setting. We analysed data from eight well-characterized cohorts (pooled cohort) and seven administrative cohorts from eleven European countries. Annual mean PM 2.5 and NO 2 from Europe-wide models were assigned to baseline residential addresses and dichotomized at selected cut-off values (PM 2.5 : 10, 12, 15 μg/m³; NO 2 : 20, 40 μg/m³). For each pollutant, we estimated the propensity score as the conditional likelihood of exposure given available covariates, and derived corresponding inverse-probability weights (IPW). We applied Cox proportional hazards models i) adjusting for all covariates ("traditional Cox") and ii) weighting by IPW ("causal model"). Of 325,367 and 28,063,809 participants in the pooled and administrative cohorts, 47,131 and 3,580,264 died from natural causes, respectively. For PM 2.5 above vs. below 12 μg/m³, the hazard ratios (HRs) of natural-cause mortality were 1.17 (95% CI 1.13–1.21) and 1.15 (1.11–1.19) for the traditional and causal models in the pooled cohort, and 1.03 (1.01–1.06) and 1.02 (0.97–1.09) in the administrative cohorts. For NO 2 above vs below 20 μg/m³, the HRs were 1.12 (1.09–1.14) and 1.07 (1.05–1.09) for the pooled and 1.06 (95% CI 1.03–1.08) and 1.05 (1.02–1.07) for the administrative cohorts. In conclusion, we observed mostly consistent associations between long-term air pollution exposure and natural-cause mortality with both approaches, though estimates partly differed in individual cohorts with no systematic pattern. The application of multiple modelling methods might help to improve causal inference. 299 of 300 words. [Display omitted] • We assessed associations between long-term PM 2.5 and NO 2 and natural-cause mortality. • We compared traditional Cox and causal inference models across large European cohorts. • We observed mostly consistent associations with both approaches. • Estimates partly differed in individual cohorts with no systematic pattern. • Application of multiple modelling methods is favorable to improve causal inference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: It is clear that mental disorders in treatment settings are associated with a higher incidence of chronic physical conditions, but whether this is true of mental disorders in the community, and how generalized (across a range of physical health outcomes) these associations are, is less clear. This information has important implications for mental health care and the primary prevention of chronic physical disease.Objective: To investigate associations of 16 temporally prior DSM-IV mental disorders with the subsequent onset or diagnosis of 10 chronic physical conditions.Design, Setting, and Participants: Eighteen face-to-face, cross-sectional household surveys of community-dwelling adults were conducted in 17 countries (47,609 individuals; 2,032,942 person-years) from January 1, 2001, to December 31, 2011. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to retrospectively assess the lifetime prevalence and age at onset of DSM-IV-identified mental disorders. Data analysis was performed from January 3, 2012, to September 30, 2015.Main Outcomes and Measures: Lifetime history of physical conditions was ascertained via self-report of physician's diagnosis and year of onset or diagnosis. Survival analyses estimated the associations of temporally prior first onset of mental disorders with subsequent onset or diagnosis of physical conditions.Results: Most associations between 16 mental disorders and subsequent onset or diagnosis of 10 physical conditions were statistically significant, with odds ratios (ORs) (95% CIs) ranging from 1.2 (1.0-1.5) to 3.6 (2.0-6.6). The associations were attenuated after adjustment for mental disorder comorbidity, but mood, anxiety, substance use, and impulse control disorders remained significantly associated with onset of between 7 and all 10 of the physical conditions (ORs [95% CIs] from 1.2 [1.1-1.3] to 2.0 [1.4-2.8]). An increasing number of mental disorders experienced over the life course was significantly associated with increasing odds of onset or diagnosis of all 10 types of physical conditions, with ORs (95% CIs) for 1 mental disorder ranging from 1.3 (1.1-1.6) to 1.8 (1.4-2.2) and ORs (95% CIs) for 5 or more mental disorders ranging from 1.9 (1.4-2.7) to 4.0 (2.5-6.5). In population-attributable risk estimates, specific mental disorders were associated with 1.5% to 13.3% of physical condition onsets.Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that mental disorders of all kinds are associated with an increased risk of onset of a wide range of chronic physical conditions. Current efforts to improve the physical health of individuals with mental disorders may be too narrowly focused on the small group with the most severe mental disorders. Interventions aimed at the primary prevention of chronic physical diseases should optimally be integrated into treatment of all mental disorders in primary and secondary care from early in the disorder course. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold-water corals (CWCs) have come under threat from anthropogenic activities such as fishing despite their ecological significance as biodiversity hotspots and as such are being protected in Europe under the EU Habitats Directive with some designated as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). This study maps the distribution and sources of marine litter in CWC habitats in two SACs on the Irish margin. Data were collected with remotely operated vehicle in the SACs. The density, abundance and composition of litter were assessed, with differences observed between the two sites. The regional morphology influences the distribution of litter in the SACs, with CWC reefs and rock exposures trapping more marine litter. Fishing gear (80.7%) and plastics (55.1%) were commonly found. The observed fisheries-derived litter in the SACs exceed global averages of 10–20% fishing gear, suggesting the SACs appear to offer limited protection to the coral habitats with respect to marine litter. • Seabed morphology and cold-water coral presence affect the distribution of marine litter. • Marine litter can affect the growth and survival of cold-water corals. • Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) closures do not necessarily offer protection against the entry of litter. • Fishing related litter is more than 20% in the Porcupine Bank Canyon SAC and the Belgica Mound Province SAC. • Litter accumulation is higher on a relatively flattened surface than along a steep slope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the structure and mechanism of international aid flows and investigates the global news media as a considerable determinant of international aid. It explains the determinants of international aid from three perspectives including realism, idealism and globalism. It shows that all news sources were significant determinants for aid allocations and that the European donor countries provide aid to more recipient countries than other donor countries. It concludes that overall international news coverage is positively related to both international aid allocations and the number of countries from which a nation receives aid.

The article examines the writings of Russian thinker Alexander Herzen on China as well as its significance as the source of Russian discourse on China and Japan. Herzen positions China as the antithesis of liberty and strongly identifying it with Europe. He poised China in this way to further criticize the West and idealize Russia.

Ibarra AA, Park Y-S, Brosse S, Reyjol Y, Lim P, Lek S. Nested patterns of spatial diversity revealed for fish assemblages in a west European river. Ecology of Freshwater Fish 2005. © Blackwell Munksgaard, 2005 The longitudinal distribution of fish assemblages across a large west European river basin, the Garonne river (south-west France) were investigated using a self-organising map. This nonlinear statistical method was employed to classify sampling sites according to their species composition. We found three main nested patterns in an aggregated hierarchy: a replacement and succession of species along a gradient without defined boundaries, four main zones of fish assemblages and an upstream-downstream shift of fish communities. We suggest that fish assemblages are too complex to be identified with a single species as in the zonation model, and that the diversity patterns found might be part of the same ecological process influencing fish assemblages on different spatial scales. Thus, discrepancies in the analysis of longitudinal patterns of fish communities in streams may have been basically a matter of local conditions and of conceptual perception. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Obesity was associated with mortality and severity in patients with COVID-19. • Dose–response meta-analysis demonstrate an increase of 5% risk for poor outcome for every 5 kg/mg2 increase in body mass index. • The relationship departed from linearity and became steeper from 30–35 kg/mg2 onwards. There is mounting evidence related to the association between obesity and severity of COVID-19. However, the direct relationship of the increase in the severe COVID-19 risk factors, with an increase in body mass index (BMI), has not yet been evaluated. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the dose–response relationship between body mass index (BMI) and poor outcome in patients with COVID-19. A systematic literature search was conducted using PubMed, Europe PMC, ProQuest, and the Cochrane Central Database. The primary outcome was composite poor outcome composed of mortality and severity. The secondary outcomes were mortality and severity. A total of 34,390 patients from 12 studies were included in this meta-analysis. The meta-analysis demonstrated that obesity was associated with composite poor outcome (OR 1.73 [1.40, 2.14], P < 0.001; I 2: 55.6%), mortality (OR 1.55 [1.16, 2.06], P = 0.003; I 2: 74.4%), and severity (OR 1.90 [1.45, 2.48], P < 0.001; I 2: 5.2%) in patients with COVID-19. A pooled analysis of highest BMI versus reference BMI indicate that a higher BMI in the patients was associated with composite poor outcome (aOR 3.02 [1.82, 5.00], P < 0.001; I 2: 59.8%), mortality (aOR 2.85 [1.17, 6.92], P = 0.002; I 2: 79.7%), and severity (aOR 3.08 [1.78, 5.33], P < 0.001; I 2: 11.7%). The dose–response meta-analysis showed an increased risk of composite poor outcome by aOR of 1.052 [1.028, 1.077], P < 0.001 for every 5 kg/m2 increase in BMI (P non-linearity < 0.001). The curve became steeper with increasing BMI. Dose–response meta-analysis demonstrated that increased BMI was associated with increased poor outcome in patients with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diversity of the nursing workforce and multiculturalism of European cities have mandated the need for culturally sensitive nurses and midwives able to provide effective, engaging, high quality and socially just healthcare. The Florence Network is a professional network that aims to bring together like-minded professionals and to cultivate relationships amongst nurses and midwives from different European Union (EU) countries to create synergies on matters of common interest by transcending national and cultural barriers. A qualitative study based upon a focus group interview was conducted with six former Presidents and one present President of the Florence Network, each with a tenure of two years. The study explored the impact of the Florence Network in advancing cultural awareness and promoting educational, research and professional synergies. The outcome of the study identified that from the Presidents perspectives networks create awareness of cultural diversity, enable the delivery of multicultural nursing care and develop future leaders regarding global health-related issues. Furthermore, professional networks contribute to the refining of educational curricula, in developing applicable research evidence, and in sharing formal and informal professional knowledge. • Florence Network is platform to exchange ideas and create cultural awareness. • Fees free membership widens representation and levels inequalities between members. • Florence Network as a repository for updated and contextualised practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objectives: To provide a commentary on outcomes-based risk-sharing schemes in Europe and the US, and to assess characteristics of such schemes and whether they have a potential role in the Asia-Pacific markets. This commentary also examines current experience in the Asia-Pacific markets and considers criteria for such agreements as they might relate to the different health care environments. Summary: Future opportunities for patient access schemes, and specifically, a role for outcomes-based risk-sharing schemes, exist in the Asia-Pacific markets. Four types of agreements across the Asia-Pacific markets were identified that are not purely outcomes-based or risk-sharing, but cover innovative high-cost medicines, areas of high unmet need, areas affecting small patient populations, and medicines where the evidence is uncertain. Key factors for consideration are the public environment and the general acceptance of such agreements; the level of available resources that impact the health care priorities in each market and the public demand for access to medicines and to innovation. The ability to undertake such agreements appears to depend significantly on the degree of centralized decision-making and the dominance of a “single payer” for negotiation; the ability to manage data – both to undertake health technology assessments and to have systems/infrastructure to collect data and demonstrate outcomes; the nature of local health care structures and the capabilities to implement schemes where the financing is linked to outcomes. Caution was shared across markets with a trend to “watch and wait” while evidence emerges elsewhere. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: It remains unclear today whether risk scores created specifically to predict early mortality after cardiac operations for infective endocarditis (IE) outperform or not the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation II (EuroSCORE II)., Methods: Perioperative data and outcomes from a European multicenter series of patients undergoing surgery for definite IE were retrospectively reviewed. Only the cases with known pathogen and without missing values for all considered variables were retained for analyses. A comparative validation of EuroSCORE II and 5 specific risk scores for early mortality after surgery for IE-(1) STS-IE (Society of Thoracic Surgeons for IE); (2) PALSUSE (Prosthetic valve, Age ≥70, Large intracardiac destruction, Staphylococcus spp, Urgent surgery, Sex (female), EuroSCORE ≥10); (3) ANCLA (Anemia, New York Heart Association class IV, Critical state, Large intracardiac destruction, surgery on thoracic Aorta); (4) AEPEI II (Association pour l'Étude et la Prévention de l'Endocardite Infectieuse II); (5) APORTEI (Análisis de los factores PROnósticos en el Tratamiento quirúrgico de la Endocarditis Infecciosa)-was carried out using calibration plot and receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis. Areas under the curve (AUCs) were compared 1:1 according to the Hanley-McNeil's method. The agreement between APORTEI score and EuroSCORE II of the 30-day mortality prediction after surgery was also appraised., Results: A total of 1,012 patients from 5 European university-affiliated centers underwent 1,036 cardiac operations, with a 30-day mortality after surgery of 9.7%. All IE-specific risk scores considered achieved better results than EuroSCORE II in terms of calibration; AEPEI II and APORTEI score showed the best performances. Despite poor calibration, EuroSCORE II overcame in discrimination every specific risk score (AUC, 0.751 vs 0.693 or less, P = .01 or less). For a higher/lesser than 20% expected mortality, the agreement of prediction between APORTEI score and EuroSCORE II was 86%., Conclusion: EuroSCORE II discrimination for 30-day mortality after surgery for IE was higher than 5 established IE-specific risk scores. AEPEI II and APORTEI score showed the best results in terms of calibration., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest Dr. Giuseppe Gatti, Prof. Gianfranco Sinagra and Prof. Roberto Luzzati are three out of the ANCLA score creators. Dr. Giuseppe Gatti and Prof. Andrea Perrotti are two out of the AEPEI score I and II creators., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)