To disconnect or not to disconnect: A question negotiated between unequal structures and different scopes of personal agency

In the “digital age” (Ahmed, 2020) and its “constant connectivity” (Couldry & Hepp, 2017), the countertrend of digital disconnection is gaining momentum in both popular culture and academia. And although media non-use practices seem more relevant than ever, not everyone is able to self-determine their media use. This scholarly essay seeks reasons for the unequal access to digital disconnection. The theoretical basis is provided by contributions of Pierre Bourdieu and Anthony Giddens to the structure and agency debate. Building on this, I introduce the fictitious agent of homo disconnectus, who is given maximum agency and the best structures to digitally disconnect. The homo disconnectus thus serves as a tool to illustrate contrasts between privileges and marginalization. A deeper examination of gender and class reveals that digital disconnection is particularly difficult for women and low-income earners. Therefore, I conclude that research should not focus solely on digital disconnection that is already practiced but should also closely investigate where and why it cannot take place. In the “digital age” (Ahmed, 2020) and its “constant connectivity” (Couldry & Hepp, 2017), the countertrend of digital disconnection is gaining momentum in both popular culture and academia. And although media non-use practices seem more relevant than ever, not everyone is able to self-determine their media use. This scholarly essay seeks reasons for the unequal access to digital disconnection. The theoretical basis is provided by contributions of Pierre Bourdieu and Anthony Giddens to the structure and agency debate. Building on this, I introduce the fictitious agent of homo disconnectus, who is given maximum agency and the best structures to digitally disconnect. The homo disconnectus thus serves as a tool to illustrate contrasts between privileges and marginalization. A deeper examination of gender and class reveals that digital disconnection is particularly difficult for women and low-income earners. Therefore, I conclude that research should not focus solely on digital disconnection that is already practiced but should also closely investigate where and why it cannot take place

The Evolution of Gendered Software: Products, Scientific Reasoning, Criticism, and Tools

Over the past 7 decades, gendered software has become globally established. In this theoretical distribution, I outline the evolution of gendered software. The journey of gendered software started with the raw idea fueled by Alan Turing’s imitation game in the 1950s. And only shortly thereafter, in the 1960s and 1970s, the first gendered software products like Joseph Weizenbaum’s ELIZA were developed. Thus, academia took its time to not only explore technological aspects, but to further investigate the matter of gender in the 1990s CASA-paradigm (Nass et al., 1994) and Media Equation (Reeves & Nass, 1996). As these theories reasoned the social impact of gendered software, voice assistants of the 2010s provided to be real-world examples stirring criticism. By posing the question of “boy or girl” through the decades, I take a deeper look at aspects such as raison d’être, realization, consequences, and future possibilities that ultimately challenge the applied gender binary. In doing so, it becomes evident that gendered software is situated in the bigger context of gender inequalities. Therefore, I propose to consider the listing of (1) product name, (2) voice, and (3) personality traits as decisive features forming to be powerful tools in the process of gendering software

Studying digital disconnection: A mapping review of empirical contributions to disconnection studies

As digital connectivity continues to shape society, scholarly discourses have paid increasing attention to our desires to moderate our use of, or disconnection from, digital media. Digital disconnection is being studied from a plethora of different perspectives, all of which grapple with the challenge of understanding and studying how digital media users navigate pressures to disconnect and remain connected at the same time. We contribute to the growing literature on digital disconnection by taking stock of empirical studies on the topic through a mapping review. Drawing on 138 peer-reviewed articles, we report the different kinds of disconnection behaviors studied, the users sampled, and the methods used. Our findings indicate that, while there are various calls for the greater incorporation of intersectional and socioeconomically diverse perspectives on disconnection studies, thus far these facets remain comparatively under-researched. We also find two key methodological tendencies, one toward one-time data generation via interviews and surveys, the other toward studies that rely on participants’ temporary disconnection

Degradation of 4-Chlorophenol, 3,4-Dichloroaniline, and 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene in an Electrohydraulic Discharge Reactor

An electrohydraulic discharge (EHD) process for the treatment of hazardous chemical wastes in water has been developed. The liquid waste in a 4-L EHD reactor is directly exposed to high-energy pulsed electrical discharges between two submerged electrodes. The high-temperature (>14 000 K) plasma channel created by an EHD emits ultraviolet radiation and produces an intense shockwave as it expands against the surrounding water. The oxidative degradation of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP), 3,4-dichloroaniline (3,4-DCA), and 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) in an EHD reactor was explored. The initial rates of degradation for the three substrates are described by dC/dN = −k_1C_i − k_0, where dC/dN is the change in concentration per discharge; Ci is the initial substrate concentration; k_0 is the zero-order term that accounts for direct photolysis; and k1 is the first-order term that accounts for oxidation in the plasma channel region. For 4-CP in the 4-L reactor, the values of these two rate constants are k_0 = 0.73 ± 0.08 μM discharge^(-1) and k_1 = (9.4 ± 1.4) × 10^(-4) discharge^(-1). For a 200 μM 4-CP solution, this corresponds to an overall intrinsic zero-order rate constant of 0.022 M s^(-1) and a G value of 4.45 × 10^(-3). Ozone increases the rate and extent of degradation of the substrates in the EHD reactor. Combined EHD/ozone treatment of a 160 μM TNT solution resulted in the complete degradation of TNT and a 34% reduction of the total organic carbon (TOC). The intrinsic initial rate constant of TNT degradation was 0.024 M s^(-1). The results of these experiments demonstrate the potential application of the EHD process for the treatment of hazardous wastes

Electrohydraulic destruction of hazardous wastes

Much research has been devoted to developing advanced oxidation technologies for destroying hazardous chemical wastes. The fundamental chemistry behind these processes has been studied extensively and is reasonably well understood; however, their scale-up from the bench to the pilot plant or field test is not a trivial exercise. Major engineering challenges exist in designing nonthermal industrial oxidation technologies that are cost-effective, robust, and versatile. One possible approach is to use existing technologies that have proven to be successful in industrial applications. The electrohydraulic discharge (EHD) method is a non-thermal process based on pulsed-power technology. EHD injects energy into an aqueous solution through a plasma channel formed by a high-current/high-voltage electrical discharge between two submersed electrodes. The paper describes system design, degradation experiments to elucidate the oxidation kinetics, EHD-ozone experiments, and energy efficiency

Treatment of relapsing acute lymphoblastic leukemia in childhood. III. Experiences with 54 first bone marrow, nine isolated testicular, and eight isolated central nervous system relapses observed 1985-1989

Of 54 children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and first hematological recurrence observed between 1985 and 1989, 31 relapsed while still on treatment and 23 after cessation of therapy. Of the former, only one survived. Of the latter, 11 children survived after a minimum follow-up of 25 months. During the same period, a first isolated testicular relapse was observed in nine boys, of whom six survived, and an isolated CNS relapse in eight patients, of whom three survived. As a rule, survivors of a bone marrow or testicular relapse were doing well while those surviving a CNS relapse had considerable neuropsychological sequelae. These results, compared with those of two preceding studies, suggest that with intensification of front-line treatments, it becomes more difficult to rescue children who relapse, particularly those with a bone marrow relapse while on therapy

Primary palliative Care in General Practice study protocol of a three-stage mixed-methods organizational health services research study

Background: The focus of this project is on improving the provision of primary palliative care (PC) by general practitioners (GPs). While approximately 10-15% of the incurable, seriously ill or dying people will be in need of specialist PC, the vast majority can be adequately treated within generalist care. The strengthening of the GP's role in PC, as well as ensuring close collaboration between specialist PC services and GPs have been identified as top priorities for the improvement of PC in Germany. Despite healthcare policy actions, diverse obstacles still exist to successful implementation of primary PC on a structural, process, and economic level. Therefore, this project aims at addressing barriers and facilitators to primary PC delivery in general practice in Germany. Methods: The study follows a three-step approach; first, it aims at systematically analyzing barriers and facilitators to primary PC provision by GPs. Second, based on these outcomes, a tailored intervention package will be developed to enhance the provision of primary PC by GPs. Third, the intervention package will be implemented and evaluated in practice. The expected outcome will be an evidence-based model for successful implementation of primary PC delivery tailored to the German healthcare system, followed by a strategic action plan on how to improve current practice both on a local level and nationally. Discussion: The first step of the project has been partly completed at the time of writing. The chosen methodologies of four sub-projects within this first step have opened up different advantages and disadvantages for the data collection. In sum of all sub-projects, the different methodologies and target groups contributed valuable information to the systematic analysis of barriers and facilitators to primary PC provision by GPs