In Her Place: Subverting the Woman/Terrorist Binary in Marco De Franchi\u27s La Carne e il Sangue

In Her Place: Subverting the Woman/Terrorist Binary in Marco De Franchi\u27s La Carne e il Sangue. Militant women tend to be sensationalized or denigrated by the media, frequently portrayed as being \u27doubly deviant\u27; first, for committing a crime against the state, and, second, for having transgressed the boundaries of tolerable female behavior. Marco De Franchi, chooses a refreshing approach in his crime novel, La carne e il sangue (2008), focusing on commonality, rather than exceptionality, in his depiction of the terrorist, Lucia. Serena, a police investigator in charge of this case, contemplates how she would behave if she were in Lucia\u27s shoes. Lucia, wife to Stefano and mother to Valerio, works as a nurse in Florence and seems to lead a \u27normal\u27 middle-class life. However, unbeknownst to both her husband and son, she is also an active member of a left-wing militant organization, slipping into the role of “Federica”, her alter ego, when called to action. While struggling to keep her two identities separate, a blurring of Lucia\u27s two roles takes place. In this essay, I analyze the character of Lucia by examining her role as a liminal figure who navigates the space between \u27woman\u27 and \u27terrorist\u27. Drawing on studies of women\u27s participation in global violence, I enquire whether the author, in seeking out overlap, rather than difference, manages to destabilize the reductive woman/terrorist dualism. Using spatial theory, I also consider the writer\u27s treatment of place as a means of delineating his protagonist\u27s psychological state

Analysis of the women selected and elected by quota in Ireland dispel the myth that they were under-qualified

The introduction of legal gender quotas for the 2016 general election in Ireland resulted in a marked improvement in the number of women candidates selected and TDs (parliamentarian) elected. However, questions of merit and qualifications were continually raised about women candidates throughout the campaign. In this blog Fiona Buckley and Claire McGing assess the political experience of women candidates and dispel the myth that women candidates were unqualified or unmerited candidates

Comorbid depression and risk of lower extremity amputation in people with diabetes: systematic review and metaanalysis

Objective: To compare the risk of lower extremity amputation (LEA) in people with diabetes with and without comorbid depression. Research design and methods: A systematic review of the published literature was conducted. Six databases were searched including PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, Medline, the Cochrane Library and PsycARTICLES from inception to 22 June 2016, using a detailed search strategy and cross-checking of reference lists for potentially eligible studies published in English. No date restrictions were employed. All studies were reviewed independently for inclusion by two review authors. Data extraction was performed using a standardized data abstraction form, and study quality was assessed independently by two reviewers. A meta-analysis was performed reporting pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs in Review Manager software. Results: In total, seven studies were eligible for inclusion in the systematic review. Data on 767 997 patients from five studies were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled estimates across the studies were obtained using a random-effects model due to significant heterogeneity (I2=87%). People with diabetes and depression had an increased hazard of LEA (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.19 to 2.60) compared to people with diabetes and no depression. Conclusions: Based on the available evidence, comorbid depression appears to increase the risk of LEA in people with diabetes. Limited data were available, however, with significant heterogeneity between studies. Further research is needed to inform intervention and clinical practice development in the management of diabetes

Preparedness of Hospitals in the Republic of Ireland for an Influenza Pandemic, an Infection Control Perspective

BACKGROUND: When an influenza pandemic occurs most of the population is susceptible and attack rates can range as high as 40–50 %. The most important failure in pandemic planning is the lack of standards or guidelines regarding what it means to be ‘prepared’. The aim of this study was to assess the preparedness of acute hospitals in the Republic of Ireland for an influenza pandemic from an infection control perspective. METHODS: This was a cross sectional study involving a questionnaire completed by infection control nurses, time period from June – July 2013, (3 weeks) from acute public and private hospitals in the Republic of Ireland. A total of 46 out of 56 hospitals responded to the questionnaire. RESULTS: From a sample of 46 Irish hospitals, it was found that Irish hospitals are not fully prepared for an influenza pandemic despite the 2009 Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic. In 2013, thirty five per cent of Irish hospitals have participated in an emergency plan or infectious disease exercise and have plans or been involved in local planning efforts to care for patients at non-health care facilities. Sixty per cent of Irish hospitals did not compile or did not know if the hospital had compiled a “lessons learned” from any exercise that were then used to revise emergency response plans. Fifty two per cent of hospitals have sufficient airborne isolation capacity to address routine needs and have an interim emergency plan to address needs during an outbreak. Fifty one percent of hospitals have taken specific measures to stockpile or have reserve medical supplies e.g. masks, ventilators and linen. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study carried out in the Republic of Ireland investigating the current preparedness for an influenza pandemic from an infection control perspective. Deficits exist in the provision of emergency planning committees, testing of emergency plans, airborne isolation facilities, stockpiling of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies and organisational schemes/incentives for healthcare workers to continue to work in a pandemic. While Irish standards are comparable to findings from international studies, the health care service needs to continue to enhance preparedness for an influenza pandemic and implement standard preparedness guidance for all Irish hospital

"Mum, did you just leave that tap running?!" The role of positive pester power in prompting sustainable consumption

This paper offers novel insights on the socio-structural factors that sustain (or break) everyday behaviours in the home. Specifically, the adoption of sustainable consumption in the home as influenced by Green-School children is explored. The findings presented are derived from surveys with Green-School (Eco-School) children and in-depth interviews with their parents. The process of sustainable consumption adoption in the home, in the context of the Green-Schools programme, is explored with an aim to understand if, and how, Green-School children affect behaviours in the home. The findings enlighten our understanding of not only how environmental education programmes are reconciling the Dominant Social Paradigm with the New Environmental Paradigm, but also in terms of how sustainable consumption in the home, such as recycling and water and energy conservation, are initiated and reinforced by children through their use of positive pester power

The effect of copayments for prescriptions on adherence to prescription medicines in publicly insured populations; a systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Copayments are intended to decrease third party expenditure on pharmaceuticals, particularly those regarded as less essential. However, copayments are associated with decreased use of all medicines. Publicly insured populations encompass some vulnerable patient groups such as older individuals and low income groups, who may be especially susceptible to medication non-adherence when required to pay. Non-adherence has potential consequences of increased morbidity and costs elsewhere in the system. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the risk of non-adherence to prescribed medicines in publicly insured populations exposed to copayments. METHODS: The population of interest consisted of cohorts who received public health insurance. The intervention was the introduction of, or an increase, in copayment. The outcome was non-adherence to medications, evaluated using objective measures. Eight electronic databases and the grey literature were systematically searched for relevant articles, along with hand searches of references in review articles and the included studies. Studies were quality appraised using modified EPOC and EHPPH checklists. A random effects model was used to generate the meta-analysis in RevMan v5.1. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using the I(2) test; p>0.1 indicated a lack of heterogeneity. RESULTS: Seven out of 41 studies met the inclusion criteria. Five studies contributed more than 1 result to the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis included 199,996 people overall; 74,236 people in the copayment group and 125,760 people in the non-copayment group. Average age was 71.75 years. In the copayment group, (verses the non-copayment group), the odds ratio for non-adherence was 1.11 (95% CI 1.09-1.14; P = <0.00001). An acceptable level of heterogeneity at I(2) = 7%, (p = 0.37) was observed. CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis showed an 11% increased odds of non-adherence to medicines in publicly insured populations where copayments for medicines are necessary. Policy-makers should be wary of potential negative clinical outcomes resulting from non-adherence, and also possible knock-on economic repercussions

Does contact with a podiatrist prevent the occurrence of a lower extremity amputation in people with diabetes? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To determine the effect of contact with a podiatrist on the occurrence of Lower Extremity Amputation (LEA) in people with diabetes.Design and data sources We conducted a systematic review of available literature on the effect of contact with a podiatrist on the risk of LEA in people with diabetes. Eligible studies, published in English, were identified through searches of PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE and Cochrane databases. The key terms, ‘podiatry’, ‘amputation’ and ‘diabetes’, were searched as Medical Subject Heading terms. Reference lists of selected papers were hand-searched for additional articles. No date restrictions were imposed.Study selection Published randomised and analytical observational studies of the effect of contact with a podiatrist on the risk of LEA in people with diabetes were included. Cross-sectional studies, review articles, chart reviews and case series were excluded. Two reviewers independently assessed titles, abstracts and full articles to identify eligible studies and extracted data related to the study design, characteristics of participants, interventions, outcomes, control for confounding factors and risk estimates.Analysis Meta-analysis was performed separately for randomised and non-randomised studies. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% CIs were estimated with fixed and random effects models as appropriate.Results Six studies met the inclusion criteria and five provided data included in meta-analysis. The identified studies were heterogenous in design and included people with diabetes at both low and high risk of amputation. Contact with a podiatrist did not significantly affect the RR of LEA in a meta-analysis of available data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs); (1.41, 95% CI 0.20 to 9.78, 2 RCTs) or from cohort studies; (0.73, 95% CI 0.39 to 1.33, 3 Cohort studies with four substudies in one cohort). Conclusions There are very limited data available on the effect of contact with a podiatrist on the risk of LEA in people with diabetes

How professionals work and learn in digitalised work contexts: Insights from an Australian survey of Education Professionals

How professionals work and learn in digitalised work contexts The Australian Research Council Discovery project titled: “Investigating Professional Learning Lives in the digital evolution of work” (DP210100164) investigated how Education and Health professionals in Australia learn as they work in increasingly digitalised work contexts through a survey. The survey was sent to members of 11 Education and 10 Health Australian professional associations. The survey ran from August to November 2022. This report presents the findings of Education professionals’ responses to this survey (299 responses)