Stress, coping, and lived experiences among caregivers of cancer patients on palliative care: A mixed method research

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess stress and coping among caregivers of cancer patients on palliative care and to acquire a deeper understanding of their lived experiences. Materials and Methods: A mixed method study was conducted among caregivers of cancer patients on palliative care using mixed method approach and triangulation design. Data were gathered using self-administered stress rating scale, brief COPE inventory, and structured interview schedule. Nested sampling technique was adopted. The sample size for quantitative approach was eighty and qualitative approach was eight. Results: The results showed that 74% of the participants were females and 30% of them belong to the age group between 51 and 60 years. Fifty-four percent of them belong to Hindu religion and 40% were unemployed. Sixty-two percent of the patients were dependent on caregivers for all activities of daily living. Assessment of stress revealed that 82% of the participants had moderate stress and 18% had severe stress. Participants adopted both negative and positive coping. There was a significant negative correlation (r = −0.722, P = 0.001) between stress and coping. Similar findings were also observed in the phenomenological approach. The theme evolved was “caring companionship to palliative care.” Conclusion: Palliative caregiving is stressfull, challenging and can impact the caregiver's physical, emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Understanding lived experiences of caregivers of cancer patients on palliative care is important for the health professionals to improve the support, guidance, and education given to the caregivers of cancer patients on palliative care

Lipomatous mixed tumor of the skin with predominance of stromal fat

A rare variant of cutaneous chondroid syringoma, with epithelial differentiation composed of apocrine, follicular, and sebaceous components and showing the presence of predominantly lipomatous stroma, is being reported in a 54-year-old female

Kapit-kultur: Evaluating the presence of Germany\u27s cultural and education pillar of foreign policy in Philippine-German bilateral relations

Germany has always been a dynamic actor on the international stage, as evidenced by its long history of relations of varying amiability with other states. Partly as a way to formally put its dark World War II history behind, Germany established the third pillar of its foreign policy—the Cultural and Education Policy, which serves as an instrument for creating a solid foundation for international relations and global trust in Germany through the promotion of their language, of intercultural dialogue, and German cultural institutions. This third pillar is implemented on the ground with the help of partner institutions like the Goethe-Institut and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in countries with an existing bilateral cultural agreement with Germany. One such country is the Philippines. This thesis attempts to comprehensively explain the external and internal factors relevant to establishing Germany’s third pillar of foreign policy by utilizing the state and system levels of analysis. It also examined how the third pillar of German foreign policy is being implemented in the Philippines using the theory of transactionalism and UNESCO’s Seven Guiding Principles for the Education Policy of all Nations. From interviews conducted with representatives of the German Embassy Manila, Goethe-Institut, and DAAD in the Philippines, it was found that the presence of German foreign policy’s third pillar is felt by Filipinos as they benefit from the intercultural exchange happening between the two countries. Germany and the Philippines successfully formed a bilateral cultural relationship that promotes cultural exchange, mutual understanding, and international cooperation. Keywords: Cultural and Education Policy, Levels of Analysis, Transactionalism, Cultural Diplomac

Thermomechanical Analysis of Isora Nanofibril Incorporated Polyethylene Nanocomposites

International audienceThe research on cellulose fiber-reinforced nanocomposites has increased by an unprecedented magnitude over the past few years due to its wide application range and low production cost. However, the incompatibility between cellulose and most thermoplastics has raised significant challenges in composite fabrication. This paper addresses the behavior of plasma-modified polyethylene (PE) reinforced with cellulose nanofibers extracted from isora plants (i.e., isora nanofibrils (INFs)). The crystallization kinetics of PE–INF composites were explained using the Avrami model. The effect of cellulose nanofillers on tuning the physiochemical properties of the nanocomposite was also explored in this work. The increase in mechanical properties was due to the uniform dispersion of fillers in the PE. The investigation on viscoelastic properties confirmed good filler–matrix interactions, facilitating the stress transfer