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Evidence-Based Evaluation in the EU Counter-Terrorism Interventions: Practitioners’ Perspectives.
Get PDFThis article is an analysis of the evaluation practices of the EU counter-terrorism initiatives. It is grounded in the findings of a practitioners’ workshop under the INDEED project1 that aimed at determining the Evidence-Based Evaluation (EBE) opportunities, limitations, and significance in improving the effectiveness of counter-terrorism initiatives. The workshop’s main objectives included (a) establishing a baseline of core needs, gaps, and potential solutions defined by practitioners; and (b) enabling the development of the next generation of EBE practices. The article suggests that an improved understanding of the value of EBE, reduction in complexity, effective communication, timely utilization, and inclusivity (research, policy, and practice communities through meaningful and sustainable relationships) improves strategic programme implementation. The article further suggests that this approach to evaluation positions evaluation practices more clearly as research-informed, community-oriented, and practitioner-centered
Peri‐operative identification and management of patients with unhealthy alcohol intake
Get PDFIntroduction: This consensus statement gives practical advice for the safe management of patients with harmful alcohol intake undergoing elective and emergency surgery. The wide spectrum of alcohol‐related organ dysfunction observed in this cohort of patients may have a profound impact on care, and the additional effects of alcohol withdrawal may further exacerbate postoperative morbidity and mortality. Methods: A working party was assembled based on clinical and/or academic expertise in the area. Recommendations were formulated using a modified Delphi process. An initial list of recommendations was produced following targeted literature reviews for all relevant phases of patient care throughout the peri‐operative pathway. These recommendations were distributed among the authors who rated each as ‘include’, ‘exclude’; or ‘revise’. Recommendations with ≥ 75% inclusion decision were included. Results: The working party produced a list of 10 key peri‐operative management recommendations. These include recommendations on how to screen effectively for excessive alcohol usage in the surgical population. To achieve this, a validated point‐of‐care tool is used with additional weighting provided by considering surgical urgency. This is combined with the use of scoring systems to facilitate decisions regarding peri‐operative care including postoperative location. This document also provides clear explanation of the physiological and pharmacological issues relating to alcohol excess, highlighting the direct effects of alcohol and its secondary effects on organ systems. Discussion: This consensus statement offers strategies and solutions to minimise the impact of harmful alcohol intake on the safe conduct of anaesthesia
‘Meating’ consumer expectations: more work required to improve acceptability of plant-based meat alternative products.
Get PDFPlant-based meat alternatives (PBMA) offer a steppingstone towards healthier, more sustainable food systems. However, product acceptability is pivotal to successful consumer adoption and PBMAs must deliver a positive sensory experience. This study reports consumer acceptability and sensorial characterisation of five commercially available PBMA categories versus meat-based equivalents, stratified by exposure to product information (closed/open condition) and participants familiarity with PBMAs (habitual/habitual non-consumer). Naïve assessors were recruited to participate in sensory evaluation of plant-based burgers (n = 96), meatballs (n = 53), breaded ‘chicken’ (n = 62), plain ‘chicken’ (n = 47), and sausages (n = 23) versus meat-based equivalents. Acceptability was measured on a nine-point hedonic scale and sensorial characterisation was determined via check-all-that-apply questioning. In all cases but one, PBMAs were significantly less acceptable versus meat-based equivalents (p < .05). Overall burger acceptability was significantly higher in the closed versus open label condition (p = .046) and in habitual versus habitual non-consumers (p = .047). Condition and familiarity did not influence other PBMA categories. PBMA products were more frequently associated with off-flavours alongside a dry appearance and texture. Alternately, meat-based products were associated with meaty and umami flavours and a juicy texture. This study generates preliminary findings which indicate the need for evidence-based product development to improve PBMA acceptability, accelerate consumer adoption, and promote individual and planetary health
Intake of iodine in a sample of UK mother infant pairs, 6-12 months after birth: A cross-sectional study
Get PDFObjective
To investigate the intake of iodine in mother-infant pairs.
Design
An exploratory, cross-sectional study. Iodine intake was estimated using Nutritics nutritional analysis software, following 24-hour dietary recall. Iodine-rich foods were grouped and compared between those women who met the UK RNI for iodine (140 µg/day) and those who did not.
Setting
Online and telephone questionnaires.
Participants
Self-selecting caregivers of infants aged 6-12 months.
Results
Ninety-one mother-infant pairs with a mean (SD) age of 33.2 (4.1) years and 8.4 (1.3) months, respectively, were included. Most mothers were exclusively breast feeding (54.9%). The estimated maternal median iodine intake from food and supplements (median 140.3 µg/day, just meeting the UK RNI for women of reproductive age, but not the WHO or BDA recommendations for lactating women (250 µg/day and 200 µg/day, respectively). Forty-six (50.5%) of mothers met the UK RNI. Estimated intakes of fish, eggs, cow’s milk, and yoghurt/cream/dairy desserts were significantly greater, whilst intakes of plant-based milk alternative drinks were significantly less in mothers who met the RNI for iodine (P<0.05) compared with those who did not. Infant iodine intake from food was positively correlated with maternal; total iodine intake, iodine intake from all food, and iodine intake from dairy foods (Spearman’s rho=0.243, 0.238, 0.264 respectively; P<0.05).
Conclusions
Women in the UK may not consume enough iodine to meet the demands of lactation. Guidance on iodine-containing foods, focussed on intake before and during pregnancy and lactation, and mandatory fortification of plant-based milk-alternatives could all serve to avoid deficiency
Researching children's COVID-19 friendship experiences online: Methodological and ethical opportunities and challenges.
Get PDFIn March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was rife and global lockdowns were implemented research restrictions were also put in place curtailing established research practice with children. These restrictions required researchers to reflexively navigate the interplay between responsiveness and responsibility to ensure that ethical processes continued to be fluid and co-produced. Teasing out the ethical dilemmas, this article examines the enforced online research experience with children during this time to show its complexities and idiosyncratic nature. It draws upon data examples from a pilot case study project with ten 7- to 11-year-olds investigating how children maintained their friendships during lockdown in the United Kingdom. Data were collected through a range of creative participatory research methods accompanied by an open-ended online unstructured interview. This article has implications for researchers and educators for future online data collection with children as it reflects on the ethical maze of doing research with children online. Reflections provide new insights into how allowing children to choose their creative method facilitated the production of agentic knowledge
Analysis of Throw-ins Strategy on Performance Metrics in Five Men’s European Football Leagues
Get PDFLimited research has investigated the impact of throw-in strategy on match performance. Hence, this study examined throw-in strategy used by teams across five European competitions and how that strategy affected first contact success, possession retention, and attacking outcomes. Throw-ins from 1,826 matches across five European Leagues (Premier League; Bundesliga; Serie A; La Liga; Ligue) during the 2022/2023 season were analysed. StatsBomb data resulted in 71,220 phases of play originating from a throw-in. Variables such as competition, throw-in distance and direction were assessed on their impact on first contact success, possession metrics and shot creation. On average, 39 throw-ins were taken per match. 42287 throws originated from the middle zones of the pitch, with throwing the ball backwards (99.5%) or laterally (96.9%) increasing first contact success compared to throwing the ball forwards (71.3%) (p 15 seconds). Retaining possession from the throw-ins was highest when going backwards (92.13%) compared to laterally (71.20%) and forwards (49.75%). Results showed an increased chance of shot creation for throw-ins directed backwards or laterally compared to those directed forwards. Findings are discussed in relation to applied performance and coaching implications
Proof-of-Friendship Consensus Mechanism for Resilient Blockchain Technology
Get PDFTraditional blockchain consensus mechanisms, such as Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS), face significant challenges related to the centralisation of validators and miners, environmental impact, and trustworthiness. While PoW is highly secure, it is energy-intensive, and PoS tends to favour wealthy stakeholders, leading to validator centralisation. Existing mechanisms lack fairness, and the aspect of sustainability is not considered. Moreover, it fails to address social trust dynamics within validator selection. To bridge this research gap, this paper proposes Proof of Friendship (PoF)—a novel consensus mechanism that leverages social trust by improving decentralisation, enhancing fairness and sustainability among the validators. Unlike traditional methods that rely solely on computational power or financial stakes, PoF integrates friendship-based trust scores with geo-location diversity, transaction reliability, and sustainable energy adoption. By incorporating a trust graph, where validators are selected based on their verified relationships within the network, PoF mitigates the risks of Sybil attacks, promotes community-driven decentralisation, and enhances the resilience of the blockchain against adversarial manipulation. This research introduces the formal model of PoF, evaluates its security, decentralisation, and sustainability trade-offs, and demonstrates its effectiveness compared to existing consensus mechanisms. Our investigation and results indicate that PoF achieves higher decentralisation, improved trustworthiness, reduced validator monopolisation, and enhanced sustainability while maintaining strong network security. This study opens new avenues for socially aware blockchain governance, making consensus mechanisms more equitable, efficient, and environmentally responsible. This consensus mechanism demonstrates a holistic approach to modern blockchain design, addressing key challenges in trust, performance, and sustainability. The mechanism is tested theoretically and experimentally to validate its robustness and functionality. Processing latency (PL), network latency (NL) [transaction size/network speed], synchronisation delays (SDs), and cumulative delay per transaction are 85 ms, 172 ms, 1802 ms, [PL + NL + SD] 2059 ms, respectively
Mao Zedong and Legalism: A Lifelong Defense of a Classical Chinese Philosophy
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to investigate a lesser-known facet of Mao Zedong's political ideology-legalism- and examine the effects it had on his leadership. Mao, the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC), is widely known for his communist ideology and autocratic governance style. However, a lesser-known aspect of his political life is his fervent support for Legalism and his criticism of Confucianism, which has not been sufficiently examined in academic studies. Legalism, one of the four main traditional Chinese philosophies-along with Confucianism, Daoism, and Mohism-has had a profound influence on Chinese governance. By employing a qualitative analysis of historical texts and research articles, this study focuses on Legalist effect on Mao life from the childhood, his debate surrounding Legalism and Confucianism, and the application of Legalist principles in his political practices. Findings on this paper indicates that Mao was a fanatic defender of Legalism despite he officially embraced communism as the guiding doctrine of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). His quasi-academic debate over Legalism highlights how research objectivity could be compromised under an autocratic regime. Furthermore, the study reveals Mao’s despotic leadership formed by Legalism and Leninist-Stalinist Communism during the Great Leap Forward, showcasing the risks associated with his governance style. This article adds to the existing scholarship by providing a subtle understanding of Mao's ideology, highlighting his engagement with Legalism. It challenges the conventional view of Mao solely as a communist leader, revealing the impact of traditional Chinese philosophy on his governance and modern political practices