Caring for Carers: Catholic Care for Foreign Domestic Workers in Singapore

[Restricted]1. Economic and Social Research Council Fees-only Studentship 2. Cambridge Home Scholarship Scheme Bursary, Division of Social Anthropology 3. Christ’s College Graduate Scholarship 4. George Kingsley Roth Fund, Christ’s Colleg

Przemysł chemiczny w Europie w czasie kryzysu wywołanego przez Rosję: studium przypadku Grupy Azoty

The crisis that started in 2022 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine continued throughout the following year, and as of 2023, the market situation regarding the chemical industry was especially tense. In this case study, we try to portray the present status of Poland’s leading manufacturer of fertilizers, Grupa Azoty S.A., with a comparison to its Norwegian competitor Yara International ASA. We look for an answer to how both have been affected by the crisis and the general trends between February 2022 and March 2023. To answer research objectives and questions, we use secondary research methods with the analysis of existing literature and financial study conducted with the available reports from the companies from the database of LSEG. After analyzing the situation as of 2023 in the chemical industry and a closer inspection of the stock prices and financial results of Grupa Azoty, we can conclude that the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine has had a significant influence on the chemical industry in Europe. Published information about the developments of the war and its consequences influenced investors’ confidence levels and caused the prices on the stock exchange to fluctuate. Furthermore, macroeconomic and political factors influence the financial results of the company. Even though it seemed like the sanctions on Russia created an opportunity to increase the market share by filling the gap created by the lack of imports, the market conditions hindered that process. Especially the rise in energy and raw materials prices played an important role as they are the main expense for manufacturing companies in the chemical industry.Kryzys, który rozpoczął się w 2022 r. z powodu rosyjskiej inwazji na Ukrainę, trwał przez następny rok, a od 2023 r. sytuacja na rynku była szczególnie napięta pod względem przemysłu chemicznego. W niniejszym studium przypadku staramy się przedstawić obecną sytuację największego polskiego producenta nawozów, Grupy Azoty S.A., w porównaniu z norweskim konkurentem, Yara International ASA. Szukamy odpowiedzi na to, w jaki sposób obie firmy zostały dotknięte kryzysem i jakie są ogólne trendy w tym okresie między lutym 2022 a marcem 2023 r. Aby odpowiedzieć na cele i pytania badawcze, korzystamy z metod badawczych wtórnych z analizą istniejącej literatury oraz analizy finansowej przeprowadzonej na podstawie dostępnych raportów firm z bazy danych LSEG. Po przeanalizowaniu sytuacji na rynku chemicznym w 2023 r. oraz dokładniejszym zbadaniu cen akcji i wyników finansowych Grupy Azoty, możemy stwierdzić, że kryzys spowodowany wojną na Ukrainie miał duży wpływ na przemysł chemiczny w Europie. Opublikowane informacje o przebiegu wojny i jej konsekwencjach wpływają na poziom zaufania inwestorów i powodują wahania cen na giełdzie. Ponadto, czynniki makroekonomiczne i polityczne mają wpływ na wyniki finansowe przedsiębiorstwa. Chociaż wydawało się, że sankcje nałożone na Rosję stworzyły okazję do zwiększenia udziału w rynku przez wypełnienie luki powstałej w wyniku braku importu, to w rzeczywistości warunki rynkowe utrudniały ten proces. Szczególną rolę odegrał wzrost cen energii i surowców, ponieważ są one głównym kosztem dla przedsiębiorstw produkcyjnych w przemyśle chemicznym

Positive childbirth experience in relation to selected factors related to the course of childbirth

Celem pracy była ocena, jak kobiety postrzegają swój poród i jakie czynniki wpływają na ich opinie. Badanie on-line o charakterze ilościowym przeprowadzono w okresie styczeń - luty 2019 roku metodą sondażu diagnostycznego. Narzędziem badawczym był autorski kwestionariusz ankiety składający się z 13 pytań, rozpowszechniony z wykorzystaniem internetu, głównie na portalach społecznościowych. Kryterium włączenia do badania było urodzenie żywego dziecka w okresie ostatnich 5 lat. Wyniki przedstawiono za pomocą statystyki opisowej, analizy dokonano za pomocą testów statystycznych: Chi-kwadrat, Anova, korelacji Spearmana, Testu Tukey’a HSD w programie SPSS. Istotność statystyczną przyjęto na poziomie p<0,05. Analizie poddano odpowiedzi udzielone przez 239 kobiet. Co trzecia (n=85, 35,6%) spośród badanych oceniła swoje doświadczenie porodowe jako pozytywne. Na ocenę doświadczenia miała wpływ droga porodu. Kobiety rodzące drogami natury pozytywniej oceniały doświadczenie porodowe (42,8%) względem kobiet rodzących drogą cięcia cesarskiego (20,9%). Zaufanie swojemu instynktowi, który wyznacza rytm przebiegu porodu jest czynnikiem bezpośrednio wpływającym na doświadczenie porodowe. Jako ważne czynniki brane pod uwagę w ocenie doświadczenia badane wymieniały: obecność osoby towarzyszącej, opiekę personelu medycznego oraz dostęp do informacji o przebiegu porodu oraz stanie dziecka. Wnioski: (1) Tylko co trzecia kobieta ocenia swój poród pozytywnie zaś prawie połowa ocenia to wydarzenie jako ambiwalentne. (2) Kobiety rodzące drogami natury częściej oceniają swój poród jako wydarzenie pozytywne. (3) Czynnikiem, który wg kobiet wpływa na ocenę doświadczenia porodowego jest obecność partnera przy porodzie. Jednakże w niniejszym badaniu zależność między obecnością partnera a oceną doświadczenia porodowego okazuje się nieistotna statystycznie.The aim of the study is to describe the childbirth experience of women in relation to selected factors and to analyse the factors that, in the opinion of women giving birth, significantly affect the experience of childbirth. The survey was conducted using a proprietary questionnaire disseminated via the Internet. It was conducted in the period of January-February 2019. The inclusion criterion was the birth of a live child in the last 5 years. Analysis was conducted based on properly completed questionnaires. Results were presented using descriptive statistics and the analysis was performed using statistical tests: Chi-square, Anova, Spearman correlation, Tukey HSD test, statistical significance assumed at p <0.05. Answers provided by 239 women were analysed. One-third of respondents assessed their childbirth experience as positive. Assessment of the experience was influenced by the type of childbirth. Women giving birth by nature assessed the childbirth experience (42.8%) more positively than women undergoing caesarean section (20.9%). Confidence in your feelings during childbirth is a factor directly affecting childbirth experience. The average assessment of the delivery experience for women, who trust themselves is 6.73, in contrast to those who did not have it - 3.92. Respondents specified important factors taken into account in the assessment of childbirth experience, which were the presence of an accompanying person, medical care and access to information on the course of childbirth and condition of the child.Efforts should be made to support childbirth and to reduce the percentage of Caesarean sections, to care for relationships based on proper communication between the personnel and mothers, to support women in trusting their own body and their feelings because they have positive influence on the assessment of childbirth experience

Learning is fun: The effects of Direct Instruction and Precision teaching on the reading ability of a 11 year old girl

Lestur er færni sem næstum allir nota í daglegu lífi og margir taka sem sjálfsögðum hlut, lestur er hinsvegar mjög flókið nám sem einstaklingar þurfa að tileinka sér á ungum aldri. Fyrir marga er ekki auðvelt að læra að lesa og getur það valdið kvíða og verið sársaukafullt ferli. Samkvæmt PISA könnun hefur lestrarfærni íslenskra ungmenna farið versnandi með árunum. Tvær aðferðir sem hafa verið notaðar til lestrarkennslu eru stýrð kennsla og fimiþjálfun, en það eru raunprófaðar aðferðir sem hafa sýnt og sannað hversu vel þær virka til lestrarkennslu. Stýrð kennsla var þróuð af Siegfried Engelmann og hefur verið ítrekað rannsökuð og sýnt fram á árangur, þar má nefna rannsóknina Project Follow Through þar sem að aðferðin sýndi fram á góða virkni miðað við aðrar kennsluaðferðir. Fimiþjálfun var þróað af Ogden R. Lindsley, en aðferðin byggir á því að nemandi öðlist meiri fimi, í formi nákvæmis og hraða, meira öryggis og áreynslulausari svörun. Markmið eftirfarandi rannsóknar voru tvö, í fyrstu var reynt að finna hvar erfiðleikar í lestri þátttakanda voru og síðar meir var athugað áhrif stýrðar kennslu og fimiþjálfunar á lestrarfærni hans. Rannsakendur tóku eftir erfiðleikum í framburði og í lesfimi þátttakanda og náði þátttakandi ekki viðmiðum lesfimis fyrir sinn aldurshóp. Eftir inngrip rannsakenda í formi stýrðrar kennslu og fimiþjálfunar sýndu niðurstöður fram á jákvæð áhrif á bæði framburð og lesfimi þátttakanda. Niðurstöður úr rannsókn eru því í samræmi við aðrar rannsóknir þar sem að notkun stýrðra kennslu og fimiþjálfunar sýna fram á góðan árangur. Efnisorð: Fimiþjálfun Lestur Leshraði Stýrð kennsla Engelmanns Lesskilningu

An Asymptomatic, Ectopic Mass as a Presentation of Adrenocortical Carcinoma Due to a Novel Germline <i>TP53</i> p.Phe338Leu Tetramerisation Domain Variant

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare cancer in childhood. ACC is frequently associated with germline TP53 variants, with founder effects especially due to the p.Arg337His mutation. ACC leads to the secretion of adrenocortical hormones, resulting in endocrine syndromes, which is the usual trigger for establishing the diagnosis. We present a surprising ACC pathology in a non-secreting, ectopic retroperitoneal tumour in a 4-year-old boy, successfully controlled with chemotherapy and mitotane after microscopically incomplete tumour resection with spillage. Genomic analysis (gene panel sequencing and copy-number microarray) demonstrated a novel p.Phe338Leu tetramerisation domain (TD) TP53 variant in the proband and his cancer-free mother and a monoallelic deletion encompassing the TP53 locus in cancer tissue, consistent with cancer-predisposition syndrome. While the recurrent p.Arg337His variant translates into high ACC risk, residue 338 and, in general, TD domain variants drive heterogeneous clinical scenarios, despite generally being considered less disruptive than TP53 DNA-binding domain mutations

Cognitive and psychiatric symptom trajectories 2–3 years after hospital admission for COVID-19: a longitudinal, prospective cohort study in the UK

Background: COVID-19 is known to be associated with increased risks of cognitive and psychiatric outcomes after the acute phase of disease. We aimed to assess whether these symptoms can emerge or persist more than 1 year after hospitalisation for COVID-19, to identify which early aspects of COVID-19 illness predict longer-term symptoms, and to establish how these symptoms relate to occupational functioning. Methods: The Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) is a prospective, longitudinal cohort study of adults (aged ≥18 years) who were hospitalised with a clinical diagnosis of COVID-19 at participating National Health Service hospitals across the UK. In the C-Fog study, a subset of PHOSP-COVID participants who consented to be recontacted for other research were invited to complete a computerised cognitive assessment and clinical scales between 2 years and 3 years after hospital admission. Participants completed eight cognitive tasks, covering eight cognitive domains, from the Cognitron battery, in addition to the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire for depression, the Generalised Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale, the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy Fatigue Scale, and the 20-item Cognitive Change Index (CCI-20) questionnaire to assess subjective cognitive decline. We evaluated how the absolute risks of symptoms evolved between follow-ups at 6 months, 12 months, and 2–3 years, and whether symptoms at 2–3 years were predicted by earlier aspects of COVID-19 illness. Participants completed an occupation change questionnaire to establish whether their occupation or working status had changed and, if so, why. We assessed which symptoms at 2–3 years were associated with occupation change. People with lived experience were involved in the study. Findings: 2469 PHOSP-COVID participants were invited to participate in the C-Fog study, and 475 participants (191 [40·2%] females and 284 [59·8%] males; mean age 58·26 [SD 11·13] years) who were discharged from one of 83 hospitals provided data at the 2–3-year follow-up. Participants had worse cognitive scores than would be expected on the basis of their sociodemographic characteristics across all cognitive domains tested (average score 0·71 SD below the mean [IQR 0·16–1·04]; p<0·0001). Most participants reported at least mild depression (263 [74·5%] of 353), anxiety (189 [53·5%] of 353), fatigue (220 [62·3%] of 353), or subjective cognitive decline (184 [52·1%] of 353), and more than a fifth reported severe depression (79 [22·4%] of 353), fatigue (87 [24·6%] of 353), or subjective cognitive decline (88 [24·9%] of 353). Depression, anxiety, and fatigue were worse at 2–3 years than at 6 months or 12 months, with evidence of both worsening of existing symptoms and emergence of new symptoms. Symptoms at 2–3 years were not predicted by the severity of acute COVID-19 illness, but were strongly predicted by the degree of recovery at 6 months (explaining 35·0–48·8% of the variance in anxiety, depression, fatigue, and subjective cognitive decline); by a biocognitive profile linking acutely raised D-dimer relative to C-reactive protein with subjective cognitive deficits at 6 months (explaining 7·0–17·2% of the variance in anxiety, depression, fatigue, and subjective cognitive decline); and by anxiety, depression, fatigue, and subjective cognitive deficit at 6 months. Objective cognitive deficits at 2–3 years were not predicted by any of the factors tested, except for cognitive deficits at 6 months, explaining 10·6% of their variance. 95 of 353 participants (26·9% [95% CI 22·6–31·8]) reported occupational change, with poor health being the most common reason for this change. Occupation change was strongly and specifically associated with objective cognitive deficits (odds ratio [OR] 1·51 [95% CI 1·04–2·22] for every SD decrease in overall cognitive score) and subjective cognitive decline (OR 1·54 [1·21–1·98] for every point increase in CCI-20). Interpretation: Psychiatric and cognitive symptoms appear to increase over the first 2–3 years post-hospitalisation due to both worsening of symptoms already present at 6 months and emergence of new symptoms. New symptoms occur mostly in people with other symptoms already present at 6 months. Early identification and management of symptoms might therefore be an effective strategy to prevent later onset of a complex syndrome. Occupation change is common and associated mainly with objective and subjective cognitive deficits. Interventions to promote cognitive recovery or to prevent cognitive decline are therefore needed to limit the functional and economic impacts of COVID-19. Funding: National Institute for Health and Care Research Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre, Wolfson Foundation, MQ Mental Health Research, MRC-UK Research and Innovation, and National Institute for Health and Care Research.</p