Mapping the ideological networks of American climate politics

How do we understand national climate change politics in the United States? Using a methodological innovation in network analysis, this paper analyzes discussions about the issue within the US Congress. Through this analysis, the ideological relationships among speakers providing Congressional testimony on the issue of climate change are mapped. For the first time, issue stances of actors are systematically aggregated in order to measure coalitions and consensus among political actors in American climate politics in a relational way. Our findings show how consensus formed around the economic implications of regulating greenhouse gases and the policy instrument that should do the regulating. The paper is separated into three sections. First, we review the ways scholars have looked at climate change policymaking in the United States, paying particular attention to those who have looked at the issue within the US Congress. Next, we present analysis of statements made during Congressional hearings on climate change over a four-year period. Our analysis demonstrates how a polarized ideological actor space in the 109th Congress transforms into a more consensual actor landscape in the 110th Congress, which is significantly less guided by partisan differences. This paper concludes by discussing how these findings help us understand shifting positions within American climate politics and the implications of these findings

The Culture of Green: The Role of Cultural Worldviews, Psychological Connectedness, Time Discounting, and Social Norms in Environmental Decisions

In this dissertation, I examine cultural differences in perceptions of time looking at intertemporal decisions, social norms, policy preferences, and behaviors in the environmental domain. Looking closely at the environmental domain allows for a unique opportunity to examine whether or not cultural worldviews or social norms are motivating environmental behaviors (e.g. energy conservation). It is also possible to test whether the uncertain nature of climate change and its impacts over time results in different temporal discounting rates compared to other intertemporal choice domains (e.g. financial gains or financial losses). I draw upon theories of the self to argue that culture affects intertemporal decisions. I describe research supporting culture's effect on how individuals evaluate gains and losses, or benefits and risks, over different temporal horizons. I test whether culture affects temporal orientations, such that cultures that encourage holistic thinking are more likely to view the self and environment as continuous over long time horizons, while those cultures that encourage focused thinking are less likely to see such continuity over time. I next draw on theoretical and empirical evidence from cross-cultural psychology to argue that these country differences in temporal orientations have an effect on intertemporal decisions, examining in particular decisions about environmental policy and energy conservation behaviors. In Study 1, I compare Anglo-Saxon countries with Latin-American countries to look at the role that cultural worldviews (i.e. egalitarian, individualistic, hierarchic, and fatalistic) play in influencing environmental policy preferences and pro-environmental behavioral intentions. In Study 2, I test whether different construals of the self (either independent or interdependent) have an influence, above and beyond worldview effects, on environmental decisions. Finally, in Study 3, I compare Americans and Japanese to look at the effect of psychological connectedness above and beyond its effect on discounting. I also test whether there is cross-cultural variation in expectations in the types of green behaviors (e.g. easy versus hard) to engage in. With the three studies that I summarize in the chapters that ensue, I hope to identify some of the processes by which culture influences environmental decisions

The role of nurses for patients with Parkinson’s disease at home: a scoping review

Abstract Background Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease, and many patients are cared for at home by nurses. Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists have been certified in several countries. This study aimed to provide an overview of what is known about the role of nurses in the care of patients with Parkinson’s disease at home and to determine the differences between nurses and Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists. Methods A scoping review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature were searched (keywords: Parkinson’s disease AND nurse AND [community OR home]) for studies published in English up to September 2023 describing the nurse’s role in caring for patients with Parkinson’s disease at home. Studies without abstracts were removed, along with protocols, systematic reviews, and studies concerned with other diseases or including data that were difficult to distinguish from those of other diseases. Roles were described and organized by category. Results A total of 26 studies were included. The nurses’ roles were categorized as overall assessment and support, treatment management, safety assessment regarding falls, care for non-motor symptoms, palliative care, support for caregivers, education for care home staff, multidisciplinary collaboration, and provision of information on social resources. Medication management and education of care home staff were identified as roles of nurse specialists. Conclusions This study revealed the role of nurses caring for patients with Parkinson’s disease at home. Because of the complexity of the patients’ medication regimens, nurse specialists provide assistance, especially with medication management and the provision of education to care staff. This study will facilitate the preparation of nurses to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to help patients with Parkinson’s disease, even in countries where Parkinson’s disease nurse specialists are not officially certified, and will help patients feel comfortable with the care they receive

Inhibition of fatty acid oxidation activates transforming growth factor-beta in cerebrospinal fluid and decreases spontaneous motor activity.

We have previously reported that transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is involved in the mechanism underlying the regulation of spontaneous motor activity (SMA) by the central nervous system after exercise. However, it remained unclear what physiological condition triggers the activation of TGF-beta. We hypothesized that the shortage of energy derived from fatty acid (FA) oxidation observed in the early phase of exercise activated TGF-beta in the CSF. To test this hypothesis, we investigated whether mercaptoacetate (MA), an inhibitor of FA oxidation, could induce an activation of TGF-beta in the CSF and a decrease in SMA. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of MA activated TGF-beta in CSF in rats and depressed SMA; 2-deoxyglucose, an inhibitor of carbohydrate oxidation, on the other hand, depressed SMA but failed to activate CSF TGF-beta. Intracisternal administration of anti-TGF-beta antibody abolished the depressive effect of MA on SMA. We also found that the depression of SMA and the activation of TGF-beta in the CSF by i.p. MA administration were eliminated by vagotomy. Our data suggest that TGF-beta in the CSF is activated by the inhibition of FA oxidation via the vagus nerve and that this subsequently induces depression of SMA

Assessing Factors Associated with TB Awareness in Nepal: A National and Subnational Study

Tuberculosis (TB) has still remained a serious global health threat in low- and middle-income countries in recent years. As of 2021, Nepal is one of the high TB burden countries, with an increasing prevalence of cases. This study evaluates factors associated with TB awareness in Nepal. This study uses data from the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey, a cross-sectional survey carried out from June 2016 to January 2017. Multilevel logistic regression is performed to examine the association of demographic and socioeconomic factors with TB awareness. Our findings show a high level of TB awareness in all seven provinces of Nepal. Province 5 has the highest level of awareness (98.1%) among all provinces, followed by provinces 3 and 4, while province 6 has the lowest awareness level (93.2%) compared to others. Socioeconomic factors such as wealth, education and owning a mobile phone are significantly associated with TB awareness. Socioeconomic determinants are influential factors associated with TB awareness in Nepal. The wide variation in the proportion of awareness at a regional level emphasizes the importance of formulating tailored strategies to increase TB awareness. For instance, the use of mobile phones could be an effective strategy to promote TB awareness at a regional level. This study provides valuable evidence to support further research on the contribution of information and communication technology (ICT) usage to improving TB awareness in Nepal