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Background: Professional support for people with intellectual disabilities is increasingly provided remotely. This study explores what support staff of the Dutch remote support service DigiContact experience as distinctive aspects of their job as a remote support professional. Method: Semi-structured interviews were held with 10 DigiContact support workers. The transcripts were analysed through a qualitative content analysis process. Results: Six themes were identified that reflect distinct aspects of the participants' work within the DigiContact remote support context: being encouraged to adopt a solution-oriented coaching support style; being limited in one's support options; facing considerable diversity; providing support as one team; dealing with unpredictability; and navigating the dynamic within work shifts. Conclusions: The way support is organised and delivered can have substantial implications for support professionals. Working at a service like DigiContact seems to call for specific skills, knowledge, affinities and experience, and for appropriate support and facilitation from organisations.

A brief overview on the status of experimental investigations into photoionization and fragmentation of fullerenes and endohedral fullerenes by absorption of a single short-wavelength photon is presented. The focus of this paper is on the endohedral Xe@C60+ molecular ion in which a xenon atom is centrally encapsulated inside a C+60 fullerene cage. Confinement resonances that result from the interference of Xe photoelectron matter waves emerging from the C+60 cavity were studied by exposing Xe@C60+ ions to synchrotron radiation of 60 to 150 eV energy which is the region of the well-known giant atomic Xe 4d excitation resonance. Photoions Xe@C n q+ (with final charge states q = 2,3,4 of the product ions and numbers of carbon atoms left in the cage) were recorded as a function of photon energy and cross sections for the individual reaction channels were determined. In addition to previous work, new final channels (q = 2; n = 60, 58 and q = 4; n = 58, 56) were observed, and thus, about 70% of the oscillator strength expected for the encapsulated Xe atom in the investigated energy range could be recovered. The present results establish the first and, so far, only conclusive experimental observation of confinement resonances in an endohedral fullerene. The data are in remarkable agreement with relativistic R-matrix calculations that accompanied the previous experimental work.

A brief overview on the status of experimental investigations into photoionization and fragmentation of fullerenes and endohedral fullerenes by absorption of a single short-wavelength photon is presented. The focus of this paper is on the endohedral Xe@C60+ molecular ion in which a xenon atom is centrally encapsulated inside a C+60 fullerene cage. Confinement resonances that result from the interference of Xe photoelectron matter waves emerging from the C+60 cavity were studied by exposing Xe@C60+ ions to synchrotron radiation of 60 to 150 eV energy which is the region of the well-known giant atomic Xe 4d excitation resonance. Photoions Xe@C n q+ (with final charge states q = 2,3,4 of the product ions and numbers of carbon atoms left in the cage) were recorded as a function of photon energy and cross sections for the individual reaction channels were determined. In addition to previous work, new final channels (q = 2; n = 60, 58 and q = 4; n = 58, 56) were observed, and thus, about 70% of the oscillator strength expected for the encapsulated Xe atom in the investigated energy range could be recovered. The present results establish the first and, so far, only conclusive experimental observation of confinement resonances in an endohedral fullerene. The data are in remarkable agreement with relativistic R-matrix calculations that accompanied the previous experimental work.

Formal language: This paper discusses inclusive research and epistemic justice by using an example of a published study the authors conducted on intellectual disability and sexuality in supported living environments. Our study addressed taboos and pushed boundaries in content and methodology through two ways of inclusive research: (1) the second author of this paper who has an intellectual disability was a main researcher in the study; and (2) we interviewed people with intellectual disabilities about their own experiences as well as their desired solutions to obstacles they face in their supported living environments. Their input was centralized in the final research report. This method challenged the epistemic injustice of who have historically not been ‘allowed’ to produce knowledge in research. This paper offers historical insight into epistemic injustice as well as relational approaches from critical disability studies and non-Western understandings of disability that ‘rethink’ disability and that can thus promote epistemic justice in academic theory. By addressing both practice and theory in this paper, we aim to contribute to the growing body of inclusive research and to the epistemic justice of people with intellectual disabilities. Plain language: (1) Epistemology = thinking about knowledge, producing knowledge, sharing knowledge. (2) In history, people with intellectual disabilities have often been excluded from participating in this. This is called epistemic injustice. It is caused by the discrimination of people with intellectual disabilities (ableism). (3) Performing inclusive research with people with intellectual disabilities challenges this. It contributes to epistemic justice. Researchers and interviewees with intellectual disabilities can bring knowledge from lived experience into research. (4) Knowledge from lived experience has not always been valued in traditional research. That means we also need to think differently about ‘knowledge’, and about ‘disability’ and its ‘value’. (5) Discrimination based on disability has a long history. For instance: during colonialism by European countries (starting in the 15th century), false ideas about ‘poor health’ and ‘low intelligence’ were already used to justify slavery. People with disabilities have often been locked away or even killed because they have been seen as ‘less valuable’. These ways of thinking still exist. They influence our understanding of ‘epistemology’ because they decide whose way of thinking and way of life is valuable or not valuable. We need to change this way of thinking. (6) Some academic fields that help are critical disability studies, indigenous studies, and feminist posthumanism. These fields challenge ableist ways of thinking. They can help us understand disability as something that is not negative or less valuable, but simply part of what makes us human.

Just like an army of ants caught in an ant mill, individuals, groups and even whole societies are sometimes caught up in a Death Spiral, a vicious cycle of self-reinforcing dysfunctional behavior characterized by continuous flawed decision making, myopic single-minded focus on one (set of) solution(s), denial, distrust, micromanagement, dogmatic thinking and learned helplessness. We propose the term Death Spiral Effect to describe this difficult-to-break downward spiral of societal decline. Specifically, in the current theory-building review we aim to: (a) more clearly define and describe the Death Spiral Effect; (b) model the downward spiral of societal decline as well as an upward spiral; (c) describe how and why individuals, groups and even society at large might be caught up in a Death Spiral; and (d) offer a positive way forward in terms of evidence-based solutions to escape the Death Spiral Effect. Management theory hints on the occurrence of this phenomenon and offers turn-around leadership as solution. On a societal level strengthening of democracy may be important. Prior research indicates that historically, two key factors trigger this type of societal decline: rising inequalities creating an upper layer of elites and a lower layer of masses; and dwindling (access to) resources. Historical key markers of societal decline are a steep increase in inequalities, government overreach, over-integration (interdependencies in networks) and a rapidly decreasing trust in institutions and resulting collapse of legitimacy. Important issues that we aim to shed light on are the behavioral underpinnings of decline, as well as the question if and how societal decline can be reversed. We explore the extension of these theories from the company/organization level to the society level, and make use of insights from both micro-, meso-, and macro-level theories (e.g., Complex Adaptive Systems and collapsology, the study of the risks of collapse of industrial civilization) to explain this process of societal demise. Our review furthermore draws on theories such as Social Safety Theory, Conservation of Resources Theory, and management theories that describe the decline and fall of groups, companies and societies, as well as offer ways to reverse this trend.

Direct double ionization of the Ar+(3p-1) ion by a single photon is investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The photon-ion merged-beams technique was employed at the Advanced Light Source in Berkeley, USA, to measure absolute cross sections in the energy range from 60 to 150 eV. In this range, three contributions to the double ionization of Ar+ are to be expected: the removal of two 3p electrons, of a 3s and a 3p electron, and of two 3s electrons. Among the possible mechanisms leading to double ionization, the TS1 (two-step one) process dominates in the near-threshold region. In TS1, a photoelectron is ejected and, on its way out, knocks out a secondary electron. This two-step mechanism is treated theoretically by multiplying the calculated cross section for direct single photoionization of a given subshell with the calculated (e,2e) ionization probability for the ejected photoelectron to knock off a secondary electron. The calculated cross section is in very good agreement with the experiment.

Using the photon-ion merged-beams technique at a synchrotron light source, we have measured relative cross sections for single and up to five-fold photoionization of Fe2+ ions in the energy range of 690-920 eV. This range contains thresholds and resonances associated with ionization and excitation of 2p and 2s electrons. Calculations were performed to simulate the total absorption spectra. The theoretical results show very good agreement with the experimental data, if overall energy shifts of up to 2.5 eV are applied to the calculated resonance positions and assumptions are made about the initial experimental population of the various levels of the Fe2+([Ar]3d6) ground configuration. Furthermore, we performed extensive calculations of the Auger cascades that result when an electron is removed from the 2p subshell of Fe2+. These computations lead to a better agreement with the measured product-charge-state distributions as compared to earlier work. We conclude that the L-shell absorption features of low-charged iron ions are useful for identifying gas-phase iron in the interstellar medium and for discriminating against the various forms of condensed-phase iron bound to composite interstellar dust grains.

Abstract Background Plant immunity relies on the perception of immunogenic signals by cell-surface and intracellular receptors and subsequent activation of defense responses like programmed cell death. Under certain circumstances, the fine-tuned innate immune system of plants results in the activation of autoimmune responses that cause constitutive defense responses and spontaneous cell death in the absence of pathogens. Results Here, we characterized the onset of leaf death 12 (old12) mutant that was identified in the Arabidopsis accession Landsberg erecta. The old12 mutant is characterized by a growth defect, spontaneous cell death, plant-defense gene activation, and early senescence. In addition, the old12 phenotype is temperature reversible, thereby exhibiting all characteristics of an autoimmune mutant. Mapping the mutated locus revealed that the old12 phenotype is caused by a mutation in the Lectin Receptor Kinase P2-TYPE PURINERGIC RECEPTOR 2 (P2K2) gene. Interestingly, the P2K2 allele from Landsberg erecta is conserved among Brassicaceae. P2K2 has been implicated in pathogen tolerance and sensing extracellular ATP. The constitutive activation of defense responses in old12 results in improved resistance against Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000. Conclusion We demonstrate that old12 is an auto-immune mutant and that allelic variation of P2K2 contributes to diversity in Arabidopsis immune responses.

Abstract Purpose A hallmark of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is hypoxaemic respiratory failure due to pulmonary vascular hyperpermeability. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib reversed pulmonary capillary leak in preclinical studies and improved clinical outcomes in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. We investigated the effect of intravenous (IV) imatinib on pulmonary edema in COVID-19 ARDS. Methods This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Invasively ventilated patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19 ARDS were randomized to 200 mg IV imatinib or placebo twice daily for a maximum of seven days. The primary outcome was the change in extravascular lung water index (∆EVLWi) between days 1 and 4. Secondary outcomes included safety, duration of invasive ventilation, ventilator-free days (VFD) and 28-day mortality. Posthoc analyses were performed in previously identified biological subphenotypes. Results 66 patients were randomized to imatinib (n = 33) or placebo (n = 33). There was no difference in ∆EVLWi between the groups (0.19 ml/kg, 95% CI − 3.16 to 2.77, p = 0.89). Imatinib treatment did not affect duration of invasive ventilation (p = 0.29), VFD (p = 0.29) or 28-day mortality (p = 0.79). IV imatinib was well-tolerated and appeared safe. In a subgroup of patients characterized by high IL-6, TNFR1 and SP-D levels (n = 20), imatinib significantly decreased EVLWi per treatment day (− 1.17 ml/kg, 95% CI − 1.87 to − 0.44). Conclusions IV imatinib did not reduce pulmonary edema or improve clinical outcomes in invasively ventilated COVID-19 patients. While this trial does not support the use of imatinib in the general COVID-19 ARDS population, imatinib reduced pulmonary edema in a subgroup of patients, underscoring the potential value of predictive enrichment in ARDS trials. Trial registration NCT04794088 , registered 11 March 2021. European Clinical Trials Database (EudraCT number: 2020-005447-23).

Background: The multi-disciplinarity of long-term care for people with intellectual disabilities makes organisations seek stability and predictability, complicating implementing innovations. Interventions to implement a method for reducing restrictive measures were analysed through the lens of Normalisation Process Theory to understand the social mechanisms at play. Methods: Process notes, collected during a trial in which a method to reduce restrictive measures was implemented, were analysed guided by implementation interventions defined by Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Review Group. These interventions were mapped to social mechanisms of Normalisation Process Theory. Results: Implementation interventions were widely used in which clients' perspectives were expressed (client-related-interventions), and consensus processes were held with care professionals. These interventions initiated NPT's social mechanisms' Coherence, Cognitive Participation and Collective Action. Conclusions: The emphasis on consensus and clients' perspectives when methodically reducing restrictive measures reflects some unique implementation challenges in long-term intellectual disability care.

Natural disasters have large social and economic consequences. However, adequate economic and social data to study subnational economic effects of these negative shocks are typically difficult to obtain especially in low-income countries. For this reason, the use of night light data is becoming increasingly popular in studies which aim to estimate the impacts of natural disasters on local economic activity. However, it is often unclear what observed changes in night lights represent exactly. In this paper, we examine how changes in night light emissions following a severe hurricane relate with local population, employment, and income statistics. We do so for the case of Hurricane Katrina, which struck the coastline of Louisiana and Mississippi in August 2005. Hurricane Katrina is an excellent case for this purpose as it is one of the biggest hurricanes in recent history in terms of human and economic impacts, it made landfall in a country with high-quality sub-national socioeconomic data collection, and it is covered extensively in the academic literature. We find that overall night light changes reflect the general pattern of direct impacts of Katrina as well as indirect impacts and subsequent population and economic recovery. Our results suggest that change in light intensity is mostly reflective of changes in resident population and the total number of employed people within the affected area and less so but positively related to aggregate income and real GDP.